America's Dream

Many of us have heard the concept referred to as the American Dream, but what is this dream exactly? The American Dream was first inspired by these words in the constitution: “We hold these truths to be self evident; that all men created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Here lies the beginning of an American ideal that has been passed down through the generations and spread like a rampant wildfire throughout the world. Living this dream has come to be idolized as the pinnacle of world achievements by many who have considered its power to extend hope and freedom to all. The American Dream is the idea that all people in the American democratic society can achieve their goals, which may include success in a job, happiness in life due success and a less rigid class structural system.

The American Dream fluxes due to an individual’s opinions and beliefs. There are general views of how the American Dream can be achieved and there are also specific views. A general view that many people use to express their version of the American Dream is their desire to achieve the goals they have set out for themselves. While there are Americans who have not set their own goals for achievement, setting goals is a realistic option for all Americans who wish to achieve something in their lifetime. There are some countries, like South Korea, in which setting goals for achievement in a job is unrealistic because the government places people in the careers they will practice in for the rest of their lives. An example of a concept that can be very specific would be various people’s definitions of happiness. Some people would consider happiness to be raising a family and buying a suitable house, while others would consider happiness to be living a life of adventure with just a dog as their companion.

There are different American dreams for all different people in all different walks of life. When it comes to generating a less rigid class structural system, some will say that America operates to a class structural system that cannot be easily broken down into a ladder that can easily ascended and descended. This ladder needs to be established as a creation that was in fact implemented into the fabric of America. The ability to climb the ladder of success and monetary wealth has generated a unique sense of American ambition that can be seen in all aspects of society.

Setting goals in job-oriented situations has been a basic building block for the way that American society has functioned over the course of many generations. When America was formed, the first job of the people who created it was to split off from the government associated with Britain. From this moment onward, America has functioned as an immensely independent and goal oriented country. When immigrants first entered this country, they sought not only a new life, but also a life where their goals and aspirations in the form of a job could be lived out. In the book Ellis Island: Gateway to the American Dream, the author Pamela Reeves expresses the thoughts and aspirations all the immigrants maintained as they were assimilated into American culture. Reeves states, “Immigrants came to America for many reasons—to escape war, famine, religious persecution, political upheaval, lack of jobs; for fear of conscription, family disagreements, personal failure, and lust for adventure (77).” There were several difficulties among various countries’ political and economic systems during the great immigration period between the 1870’s and 1930’s. This is why so many people came to America in order to live out the dreams that would have never been achievable in the places they came from. Immigrants still come here because the aspirations in the job type setting cannot be realized within the countries they came from. There are some who will say that success in a job can be achieved almost anywhere in the world now because of widespread democratic government. There are some instances where this scenario is the case such as in Britian and France where success in a job is easier to accomplish, but this is not the case in the majority of countries. There are countries like Mexico and Haiti in which a job is hard to come by, especially the jobs where dreams and aspirations can be lived out while also making a decent living. These are the places where America is considered the place where dreams can and do come true. In these countries we are still revered as the pinnacle of success and accomplishment.

Happiness in life, in the American Dream sense, is the feeling of contentment someone experiences because the person has achieved his or her goals. This means that people can live in America where they can experience accomplishment in a job and gain happiness from this experience. This may also include the contentment of living a life without facing the daily struggle to survive. While people in countries like Nigeria and El Salvador struggle to obtain enough food and water for survival, most of as Americans can enjoy an existence where we can live a life without worrying about basic everyday needs. This ensures more time for family, friends and leisure activities that can be enjoyed. Some people may say that happiness cannot be achieved because of achievement of goals. These people might also go on to argue that happiness is not something that can be measured due to achievement and success but by how a person’s relationships are created. This may be true for some people who use relationships to define how they interact with the world, but most people gain happiness through the work and effort they place into their own lives. When a person doesn’t have to live with the bare minimum, then they can be classified as living a life of pleasure, which will automatically give them all the resources they need in order to become happier. Since America has a less rigid class structural system already, it is easier to obtain happiness through accomplishment in a job.

A less rigid class structural system is a defining term in American Dream achievement. This means that Americans can move up and down through the classes of society without the economic and social restraints that government places on them. America is unique in the fact that it’s class structural system can accommodate such a large amount of alteration and flexibility. There is a large amount of effort that most must put forth in order to accomplish the move to a higher class, but this is not an all-together impossible feat. Some will say that the idea of this jump in society stems from socialist beliefs. These people will say that America still runs rigidly on society’s class system. This however is not true because there have been many examples of American citizens achieving their hopes and dreams through achieving a higher class status. In the book, The American Dream, Dan Rather tells the story of a woman named Delores Kesler who used a temporary $10,000 loan to start a staffing agency in Jacksonvillie, Florida; by the time Kesler retired from the board of the company Conval-Aide Medical Staffing, the project revenue was more than $2 billion (43). There is not just one story where the class structural system was broken down to where a person could jump from a lower class to a higher one, there are many similar stories from many other innovative Americans. The term “rags to riches” is no American myth; this is a reality lived out by a sizable portion of Americans every year.

Creating the American Dream was no easy task, but because America is a land of freedom and possibility, the American Dream is a reality that most people can live through and experience. The American Dreams encompasses achieving one’s goals, which may include attaining happiness in life, success in a job and obtaining a less rigid class structural system. Attaining happiness in life is creating by achieving goals in a job type situation. Some people may argue with this point and say that happiness can only be formed in a person because of the time and effort that they place into these relationships, but a person need to put effort and time into their jobs in order to feel accomplished and ultimately happy. Success in a job is defined as an achievement of goals and aspirations in the workplace. There are some who will say that this success is obtainable in other parts of this world, not just America, and this is true in some cases, but American society offers many opportunities for people to work and innovate, whereas many other countries do not offer these opportunities. A less rigid class structural system is also integral to how the American Dream works, because it shows that the ‘rags to riches’ mentality that Americans have been carrying is alive and well. Some people will say that America operates on an extremely rigid class scale, but this is not true because there are scores of Americans who have lived out their dreams and jumped way up in the class structure of society, which shows that class structure is almost non-existent. The American Dream is still alive and well today and it has proven to be an integral contributor to how American society functions.

Works Cited

Obama, Barack. The Audacity of Hope. 1st e.d. New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2006. 362-11. Print.

Rather, Dan. The American Dream. 1st e.d. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001. 266-1. Print.

Reeves, Pamela. Ellis Island. 1st e.d. New York: Barnes & Noble Inc., 1998. 130-9. Print.

Photo Sources

http://amlit-kaplan.wikispaces.com/page+2,+the+dream+of+america

http://www.yesintlcampus.com/index.asp?Cid=17&Tid=0&Sid=0

http://1908-benita.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html

http://www.mahalo.com/answers/what-are-5-words-you-would-associate-with-the-american-dream

Hip Hop lives in us

 Hip Hop is a genre of music that originates from the Bronx, NY and a way of self expression, influenced by many cultural, political, racial and fashion events over the course of the years.

The meaning of Hip Hop nowadays has not been very positive just like how it was around the 80’s or around the time of our parent’s youth. Music is a weapon and when voices are not heard through just speech, people need a way to voice themselves, this is where hip hop comes into play. It has always been about voicing, expressing yourself in moments of struggle, pain, happiness or depression. This genre being related to many negatives thoughts is what made me want to tell you in where hip hop really stands and why it stands there.

“Now, up to this point, all this needs to be understood with regards to Hip Hop. Throughout history, music originating from America's Black communities has always had an accompanying subculture reflective of the political, social and economic conditions of the time.”(Hip Hop Corner 4) Hip Hop is old, older than its new fanatics and still has its old ones moving with it, one thing is true, it has its history with politicians, criminals, moments of innovation, struggle, pain and joy. With cultures changing day in and day out, Hip Hop has changed with it. The way it was played, coming to a creative creation (music), viewed, appreciated and evaluated is differently now then how it was in the 80’s. Because back then it was mainly used as the voice of the voiceless and this rumbling came from places of struggle where hope was something people could only dream of. Today after all these years people from all ages, race and beliefs still use this way of self expression as a way to voice themselves. The cultural impact Hip Hop has had over the world is undeniable and being a descendent of the culture it is only right to defend it.

The self expression aspect of hip hop is one of the most valuable parts of this music genre. It allowed communities from all over the world to express their feelings, pains, struggles etc. “…it offered young urban New Yorkers a chance to freely express themselves.” (Hip Hop corner 3) New Yorkers being only a part of this community shows you how much people relied on this form of expression to tell stories and have a voice when nobody really wanted to listen. “Hip Hop continues to be popular among today's urban youth for the same reasons it was a draw in the early days: it is still an accessible form of self expression capable of eliciting positive affirmation from one's peers.”(Hip Hop Corner 3) This form of self expression will be around for a long time no matter what happens to Hip Hop and that’s because every generation has its own moments of joy and struggles and needs a way to express this and Hip Hop is that weapon.

As Hip Hop made its first marks on into the mind of people some were still not sure about its role. Because it had a few collisions with law enforcement, like the young rap group N.W.A (Nigga With Attitude) from Compton, CA. Who used Hip Hop to talk about the problems in their neighborhood with albums like: “Posse” or “Straight outta Compton” that released in 1988. The problems they addressed where serious issues that they saw in their everyday life, but the suburban audience and the middle upper class did not appreciate how they were expressing themselves in their messages. N.W.A was not the only one to address serious matters in their songs. “A song about killing cops is sure to get mired in controversy. This song basically was created to protest against police brutality.”(Top10 List 4) A young Hip Hop artist by the name of Ice T made a song called “Cop Killer” which made a lot of noise and when asked why the edgy title and why so much violence he said: “Everything is censored, everything that's in the mainstream is censored, ya know. I think it's a word that's being thrown around a little too loosely. I mean cause I think people just gotta realize that yo, everything is censored, except in the underground you know we have free speech. But anything mainstream, network television, radio stations, or even record companies are at this point censored.” (A Rock Exclusive) Politics has always had some part in the evolution of Hip Hop positive or negative. That being the negative part, the positive part of that was that politicians at the time did take some major precaution to prevent police brutality. This does not mean that the kids from that neighborhood were living in peace. Many politicians have used Hip Hop artist as conductor to talk to the communities they cannot easily reach. For example in his run to the presidency Barack Obama received help from many Hip Hop artists. This was not only because he was the potential first African American president but it was also to encourage people to go vote and be part of something special and the outcome was excellent. Because for the first time in a long time the us saw the voters count increase.

     

With Hip Hop being new in the 80’s so were a lot of fashion trends. Many trends and dances came from artist who wanted to be different from the pack and tried new things and quickly saw that it worked for them. Actor Will Smith who debuted in the sitcom “Fresh Prince of Bell-Air” may be the perfect example of this Hip Hop influenced fashion. With the Flattop haircut, the Jordan’s, the bright colored shirts and lose printed pants, he embraced that fashion just like many did at this time. Dancing was something that you could not go without in the 80’s with dances like breaking, poppin lockin etc. Kids from all over the place were emulating these dances with no flaw. One epic dance move was the moonwalk, dance performed by Michael Jackson at Motown 25 a place that had some of the greatest performers perform. At this time it was not about copying anybody but more about being yourself and dressing how you please. There was no limit on how you could express yourself and on what you were allowed to do. This style slowly evolved with time but it was still influenced by Hip Hop and the people in it.

 “Hip hop in the early 90’s was making the transition from a popular new genre to establishing itself in the industry. Early 90’s hip hop music had strong themes of afrocentricity, political and social consciousness. Lyrics were at a premium, black pride & empowerment were still valued, and people were rockin red, black and green with pride. Prominent 90's hip hop artists were Public Enemy, Ice Cube, A Tribe Called Quest and Arrested Development.”(90’s hip hop classics) As seen in this article Hip Hop has mostly been used to empower the African American community in times of struggle. It did not only that, it also saved many lives from the gang violence that Hip Hop was so often related to. The names named in Hip Hop history or just a few of few to keep the list short. So many took advantage of the opportunity that Hip Hop offered them to leave the hood and taste some of the American dream. From places of struggle came Ice Cude (rapper, actor and movie producer) Sean “Diddy” Combs (rapper, actor, music producer and entrepreneur) and Sean “Jay-Z” Carter (rapper, music producer, entrepreneur and co-owner of an NBA franchise) those are just to name a few who took full advantage of the perks that come with being part of the Hip Hop community. With them making it they also made sure they would give back to their communities.

Hip Hop being so old, has had its ups and downs. From the troubling beginnings to its rise, it has always been a roller coaster of emotions. Whether today’s audience likes Hip Hop or not today’s youth can agree that it is still a way of self expression. Let your message be positive or negative Hip Hop has still the same function. It still influences today’s youth. From fashion to our culture Hip Hop is something that has finally been embraces by many. Young or old we all appreciate it being here and what it brings on different levels. Some may still be skeptical about it but everybody has their opinion. All can agree that Hip Hop has brought a lot of good and positivity and one thing is sure it is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Work Cited

D’s, David “Hip Hop Corner”

http://www.daveyd.com/raphist2.html

Heck, Mike “A ROC EXCLUSIVE: ICE-T SPEAKS OUT ON CENSORSHIP, COP KILLER, HIS LEAVING WARNER BROS., AND MORE”

http://www.theroc.org/roc-mag/textarch/roc-11/roc11-09.htm

Marauders, Midnight “90’s hip hop classics”

http://www.hiphoptop10s.com/articles/90shiphop.html

Rap Central “N.W.A. DISCOGRAPHY / N.W.A. ALBUM LYRICS”

http://www.rapcentral.co.uk/nwaDisco.html

Wier, Verdie “Top10 List 4”

http://top-10-list.org/2009/09/24/most-controversial-songs/

Images-

http://www.prohiphop.com/images/graf/borninthebronx.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSIgP7KDJEoaECGX7OKqEB9TdIDHrWWpHf1IaSxqGgcvRIgbX6FzmHHONgxrbHE0pBM-CIWDYipf5ftbfOGsks0YUrHIorTa91Suj3546SqxYbGVjGEY6KZJeY7xuYFIHqFloFabSWOG8/s1600/nwa.jpg

http://especiallykittens.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/will_smith_fresh_prince.jpg?w=324&h=468

http://imeanwhat.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/voteordie.jpg

http://thecomeupevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/i-love-90s-hip-hop-1.jpg

the true meaning of freedom

People are always asking what freedom is and they are given different meanings and ideas. The word freedom means the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. There are multiple ways to define the word freedom and it depends on who you ask and their view on the word. The majority of the people will say that freedom is not free but others will say that it is. The meaning of freedom needs to be revised because it needs to have a concrete meaning that is not open for debate. In America, the word has a different meaning than it does in the world.
The meaning of freedom is that of the right to do what one wants without much constriction in doing it. Freedom in the United States means that you have the right to certain things such as the right to bear arms and to speech. According George Lakoff of the Boston globe the word freedom has split the American people since the American civil war. In the U.S, the people have the right of due process and the prisoners in Cuba are currently being held without due process. This is the major example in America where the word freedom is in question, the freedom of the prisoners are taken away when they should have them. The prisoners don’t have them cause they had committed crimes but that doesn’t make it right to take away their freedom because of that. The people are given the freedom to speech and the government has the right to monitor what they say which is a breach of their freedom and rights. President George W Bush signed the patriot act that gave the NSA the right to wiretap the people of the United States. Freedom should mean the right to do what they want even if they had committed a crime against the country or to have their lives watched by the government.
The word freedom in the world has a different meaning when it comes to the world. In the world, the meaning of freedom is that the people have an individual right to do a certain action or expression without the fear of the government to suppress it. In most countries, the citizens have the basic rights such as the right to speech and religion. Other countries that have leaders that control the freedoms of the people have that they lead. The Chinese leader controls the number of children that families are allowed to have which should be a freedom that everyone else has. This means that the people should have the freedoms that other people in the world has.
This difference of freedoms warrants the need to redefine the meaning of the freedom. The true meaning of freedom should mean being able to make choices and perform an action of your own choosing. This meaning has a general meaning of the word that makes sense of the word freedom because it leaves out the role of the government. This definition is better than the one that is given in Webster dictionary because it makes it easier to understand the meaning of the word than give more word that you would have to look up just to understand.

The Dankest Definition - Joel Goers

A long long time ago in a Shakespearian world very very different from our own, a word was born. It lived well among the other words of its day, content to join them in forming descriptive sentences. It was not an extraordinary word by any means but it filled its role in completing the sentence like any good word should. Now, hundreds of years later, a new day has dawned for it. Out of the ashes of the old it shall blaze anew, much more potent than ever before. Totally redefined, the word dank shall light a new age of prosperity and growth unlike any word before it. Yesterday the word dank was used to describe a damp, cool, moist environment. Today dank is an adjective used to describe a (noun) that “blows the observer away” with its excitatory, desirable, above average, totally awesome, sought for, high quality, the best of its kind, sick, rad, and dope characteristics.

In the beginning, the word dank originated from Scandinavian roots. When two words love each other very much they can sometimes get together and form a new word! In this case, it is suspected that the Swedish dänka and the Norwegian Dynke (moisten) hooked up and were able to parent the English version of the word, Dank. Some accounts even suspect a threesome between dänka, Dynke, and the Old Norse word dǫkk (waterhole). After their groovy combination, Dank showed up in English right around the time Shakespeare was creating his masterpiece “Romeo and Juliet”. It is quite possible that Shakespeare himself encouraged the threesome of the parent words since he is well known for coining hundreds of words in his day. One of the earliest uses of the word dank can be found in the play “Romeo and Juliet” in the lines by Friar Lawrence
“The gray-eyed morn smiles on the
frowning night,
Checkering the
eastern clouds with streaks of light,
And fleckled darkness
like a drunkard reels
From forth day’s path
and Titan’s fiery wheels.
Now, ere the sun
advance his burning eye,
The day to cheer and
night’s dank dew to dry,” (Shakespeare, Act 2, Scene 3)
As can be seen by the context of its use, the word dank did not have the same meaning as it does in the vernacular. Although it differs here in meaning, it is quite necessary to include such historical citations in order to understand how exactly the definition has changed since those ancient times. The word must become redefined legitimately in the current dictionary because it has become so commonplace in everyday language, it is confusing when using it, it will make the English language more efficient and because the old definition of the word is hardly used at all anymore.

Today many teens, adults and even business owners utilize the word dank on a daily and even hourly basis. Dank has become such a commonplace word in the culture of today, even parents know the unofficial definition it holds. It is necessary for language to evolve with the world. New discoveries are made every day and the vernacular changes at a fast rate. The times they are a changing a wise man once said, and in this case the definitions of words must change with the times. The rate at which the new definition is used in everyday language is more than enough to warrant a place for it in the dictionary. The old definition of the word may still hold its place, but an addition to its meaning needs to be created simply because the new definition is used so much. Some may argue that just because dank has become so widely used in today’s language doesn’t mean that it deserves a place in the dictionary. However, the fact of the matter is that language evolves because of the new common uses of old words. The English language itself is an evolution of old Latin and old English. Without such evolution and change in language, our own English language would not exist. The word dank is used so much in today’s language that a source called the urban dictionary has recorded the new definition. The urban dictionary is a site dedicated to keeping up with the new use of old words, slang used on the streets and new words in general that are used but that do not yet have a place in the regular dictionary. According to the urban dictionary, the word dank is “an expression frequently used by stoners and hippies for something of high quality.”(urbandictionary.com). This definition of the word is a little limited from what the true meaning is, but the point is that dank has been so widely used that it is gaining ground in popularity.

It is often said that English is one of the most difficult languages to master for those trying to learn a second language. This is no surprise considering words like dank, with no legitimate dictionary definition, exist in everyday language. Such a large part of the way English speakers communicate is based off of what is considered to be slang. People learning proper English end up getting confused when they speak with native English speakers because of the amount of undefined slang words we throw around on a regular basis. To eliminate this confusion, it is the job of English speakers around the world to legitimize these slang words and to get them in the dictionary. Opponents might say that adding slang words into the dictionary would only serve to make the English language more confusing. Yet putting new definitions of slang words into a dictionary will help make English less confusing because it gives these slang words a legitimate spot in the world and as a result, people learning English as a second language will be able to add these words to their vocabulary while learning the language instead of learning these words off the streets. Putting slang definitions in the dictionary, like the word dank, would make our language much cleaner and much less confusing for those whose speak English as a second language. Not only is it confusing for foreign English speakers, but it is also an inefficient way for language to exist. It is difficult enough to communicate with people in general; having words with no definition only makes it harder. Adding dank into the dictionary, among other slang words, will improve the efficiency of the English language. This is another important reason as to why dank should be added into the dictionary.

As seen in historical paragraph on the origins of dank, the word is known to be very old. It previous use is archaic and frankly it is outdated and has very little use in today’s world of language. They ways in which dank has been used in the days of Shakespeare are so outdated by the way people speak today, the old definition has no place in today’s world. An example can be seen from the play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” when the character Puck poetically says:

“Through the forest have I gone.

But Athenian found I none,

On whose eyes I might approve

This flower's force in stirring love.

Night and silence.--Who is here?

Weeds of Athens he doth wear:

This is he, my master said,

Despised the Athenian maid;

And here the maiden, sleeping sound,

On the dank and dirty ground.

Pretty soul! she durst not lie

Near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy.

Churl, upon thy eyes I throw

All the power this charm doth owe.

When thou wakest, let love forbid

Sleep his seat on thy eyelid:

So awake when I am gone;

For I must now to Oberon. (Shakespeare, Act 2, scene 2)

Nobody speaks like that in the language of today. The old definition is clearly quite outdated because nobody has spoken like that for hundreds of years. Opponents might argue that changing the definition would be changing classical literature and even history. Adding a new definition for dank would not be changing history or classical literature because a new definition would simply be a modification of an old word. The word dank would retain its old definition while having an additional new one. Many words exist like that in the dictionary today; it is not uncommon for a word to have more that one use. The old definition is so outdated that it is very hard to find any sort of up to date quotes or books that contain the word being used with its old definition. This is evidence that a new definition is needed because use for the old one has died down. It is just sad to see an unused word sitting in the dictionary, why not add to it so that it may become a useful word once again!

The new use of the word dank in itself is excitatory, desirable, above average, totally awesome, sought for, high quality, the best of its kind, sick, rad, and dope. That in itself is enough reason to honor it with a new definition. The word dank needs to have its new definition put in the dictionary because keeping it the way it is can lead to confusion, because it is an outdated
system of English, and it has no place in the common language of today’s culture. Some believe that the common everyday use of dank doesn’t warrant it new spot in the dictionary, yet words like “aint” have made it into the dictionary on the same grounds of popularity and common use. Opponents might say that giving slang words dictionary definitions will only make English more
confusing as a language. Yet putting slang definitions into the dictionary will make English less confusing because it eliminates the duality of dictionary definitions and street definitions, making English one and whole. Others still might argue that changing the dictionary definition of dank is wrong because such an act would be rewriting classical literature and historical words. Yet this is also bogus because a new additional definition would be a simple modification of the
word to increase its usefulness, and the old definition would still have its place in English. Overall, it is a disgrace to the English language on a whole to have dank as an undefined slang
word. As a master of setting trends, even Shakespeare would be proud of its new place and evolution in the vernacular. For these reasons, the new age of dank must be legalized!

Works Cited

1. Shakespeare, William, and Jill L. Levenson. "Act 2, Scene 3." Romeo and Juliet. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Print

2. Casey. "Urban Dictionary: Dank." Urban Dictionary, October 11: Buffet Momentum. 19 Apr. 2005. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. .

3. Shakespeare, William, and W. H. Durham. "Act 2, Scene 2." A Midsummer Night's Dream,. New Haven: Yale UP; [etc., Etc., 1918. Print

Images-

1. chatteringteeth.blogspot.com

2. azmarijuana.com

3.brainpickings.org

4. icanhascheezburger.com

This Paper Is Hip-Hop

This Paper Is Hip-Hop

In the early 1970’s, a community was created between artists in The Bronx that still influences several aspects of American culture today. When four unique lifestyles were combined, hip-hop was born. The musically influenced styles of deejaying and emceeing, the creative style of the graffiti artists, and the style and energy of the break-dancers are all key elements. Hip-hop is a community built off the four elements of deejaying, emceeing, breaking and graffiti, which has impacted today’s youth’s appearance, artistic expression and outlets for anger.

Most people could define hip-hop in a matter of seconds. “Its that crap on the radio” my father would say. Categorizing such a large topic as one a specific idea or “genre” is simply being ignorant. Hip-hop is not only a genre of music; it is multiple forms of art with varieties of impacts on society. Rather than trying to see hip-hop on people, choosing to look at the potential ways it has impacted their lives is often a better way of understanding.

Any individual can walk in every major city in America and identify several influences hip-hop has had the city’s youth. You do not need to listen for the loud rap music or admire the graffiti. All you have to do is notice the way people look. Hip-hop has been influencing the way people dress for decades. From advertising for big corporations to creating their own clothing brands, hip-hop artists of all types have managed to create a new look for today’s youth.

Most people do not realize that convicted criminals, such as 50 Cent and P. Diddy, have products on the shelves of major shopping centers all over America. This is an example of how Hip-hop allowed certain individuals to achieve success, which ultimately has impacted the way we live today. Big name rappers, dancers and painters eventually realize they have built up an image that is marketable and cease the opportunity to make money. Trends including straight billed hats, still possessing tags, became mainstream and flooded the streets. Many artists managed to outlast the trends and continue to profit through fashion.

Artists like the Wu-Tang Clan built empires by selling their style. “’The sound-Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Outkast-fit the mood, claustrophobic and swarming. Youths trooped through the cities in camouflage jumpsuits and combat boots and called each other “souljahs”’ (Chang 437). The Wu-Tang Clan had influenced the hip-hop youth in New York into imitating their unique style. Eventually they started a world wide clothing brand, Wu-Wear that is still worn today. “Envisioned as a full-on lifestyle brand, it eschewed the notions of collaborating with bigger companies and opted to sell its own branded clothing to capitalize on the groups success”(DeLeon 1).

Many people will argue that todays fashion trends have very little to do with hip hop. There is the possibility that all of these styles could evolve without the cultural influence of hip-hop, but how long would it take? The idea that hip-hop culture has had visible effects on society is almost unarguable. Walking down the street, the most easily identifiable music listener for a person is usually the hip-hop listener. From interpreting a posture or strut, to hearing slang, members of the hip-hop community allow themselves to be easily identifiable. It can be something as little as a hairstyle or as obvious as an XXL t-shirt of Tupac, hip-hop is everywhere. We see such a wide variety of style due to the multiple forms of expression that exist within hip-hop.

Historically, learning an instrument typically did not consist of scratching records. Going to dance class is usually associated with ballet and gymnastics, rather than breaking, locking and popping. Recently cities have been putting money towards public graffiti walls instead of paying to have them removed. These are just a few ways hip-hop has changed the artistic expression of today’s youth.

Graffiti and street art are possibly the most progressive forms of hip-hop because of the endless realm of possibilities artists have with their tools. Aerosol-art, another term used for graffiti, is found almost worldwide. Graffiti can be found in places that have never heard rap music, or seen break dancing. It is almost like a universal language of expression. One artist on the opposite side of the world can relate to someone else’s style and feel a sense of unity when viewing another artist’s work. Artists leave their thoughts and ideas on walls for the whole world to see. Promoting peace or pure destruction, every form of graffiti is expression. Hip-hop has traveled the world as an idea and marked its journey across the walls. Graffiti is found world wide, but has also submerged into another community of hip-hop, which is dance.

Hip-hop dance started off simple with breaking, popping and locking in the 1970’s. These were dance styles created in the African American communities of New York. Today the modern combination of these styles is referred to as break dancing or breaking. Breaking has evolved in many ways. Dance battles have become increasingly popular, even having studios built entirely off that style. Breakers dance passionately on street corners for free, while others imitate them on television programs like “Americas Best Dance Crew” for money. Video sharing sites like Youtube and Vimeo have become flooded with dance videos like the “Soulja Boy” and the “Dougie”. Early styles like breaking broke gender barriers in dance and allowed many males the opportunity they never felt available to express themselves. Breaking continues to expand and impact people daily. It is a key part of expression for youth in so many ways. Another key factor to the dance was the music.

When a simple record was scratched, a sound was created that revolutionized music. The turntable became the electric guitar of rap music. Deejays, or disc jockeys, would explore and create sounds that had never been heard before. They took a foreign device and used it to play how they felt. Along with deejaying, emceeing, or rapping also allowed an easier outlet. If you could speak, you could rap. This gave inspiration to many young people and helped them release their creativity. Since rapping did not require much skill, such as a beautiful voice, it was the first available form of musical expression for many troubled youth. Rapping became a way to gain a new identity. To poor and neglected youth, this was a way to be somebody. Rap allows the common person a chance to let their voice be heard and create a name for themselves. As we will see later, rap was also an escape from gangs for many. Since the 1970’s rap music has taken many forms and continues to grow everyday.

It cannot be denied that hip-hop has added to the potential ways of artistic expression among youth. The debate of whether this is a positive or negative effect is very much available. Although hip-hop is often associated with gangs, violence, drugs and sex, they do not define it. There are several positive aspects of hip-hop that can be put together to define and gain a better understanding of the term. Offering an escape from gangs, creating positive ways of expressing feeling, creating an identity and allowing a positive release of energy are all the ways hip-hop’s impact on artistic expression can be used to define it. Anger and violence can be looked at so many ways through hip-hop. A lot of violence has happened due to hip-hop, but hip-hop itself is not violent. Some of the greatest hip-hop artists are those who have acknowledged their anger and channeled it into their art. Therapy and counseling are not the only ways to get rid of anger. Writing a rhyme, making a beat, painting a wall or dancing to a beat are all ways that hip-hop allows people to take their minds off their troubles and focus their energy on something positive. Some of the most common themes in the rap music we hear today are about overcoming and personal growth. Many gang members turn to their roots in hip-hop to escape the lifestyle. Several rappers have been saved from gang life by getting record deals. Although there are a lot of negatives associated with hip-hop and the people around it, it has the potential to save lives and better futures. This is where the expression “Hip-hop saved my life” comes from. Gang violence had previously been the only way to gain respect and status in many troubled neighborhoods all across America. With the creation of rap, a positive alternative was created for those who wanted an escape from the gang lifestyle. It is undeniable that hip-hop offers a positive way for kids to release their anger.

An example of this comes from Cuidad Juarez, Mexico with the story of a young man name Daniel, who escaped gang life and gives all the credit to hip-hop. “Daniel admits he carried a gun and hung out with fellow gang members when he was younger. And he knows that he could have ended up like many of his friends, drawn into the drugs trade and very possibly murdered. But he found an escape through his love of hip-hop. The music, he says, gave him a way to be heard, just like guns had done before”(Caselli and George 1). Daniel is just one example of the situations people are able to escape from when they turn to rap and hip-hop. His situation is applicable to graffiti, dance and deejaying, because they also serve as outlets for people with similar problems. The four components of hip-hop; deejaying, emceeing, breaking and graffiti created a community which impacts the way todays youth dresses, expresses themselves artistically and deals with their anger. Brands like Wu-Wear are example of hip-hop’s impact on fashion. Innovations in breakdancing, graffiti, deejaying and rapping prove that it has expanded the possibilities of artistic expression. People like Daniel are example oh how hip-hop can save those involved in gangs and other negative lifestyles and help them deal with anger. All of these show how hip-hop is defined by understanding the impact it has on us today.

Works Cited

1.Caselli, Irene, and William L. George. "BBC News - Mexico Ex-gang Member Works to Tackle Juarez Violence." BBC - Homepage. 10 July 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. .

2.Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop Won't Stop: a History of the Hip-Hop Culture. New York: Picador, 2005. Print.

3.Christen, Richard S. "Hip Hop Learning: Graffiti as an Educator of Urban Teenagers." Art Crimes - The Writing on the Wall - Graffiti Art Worldwide. Fall 2003. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. .

4.Deleon, Jian. "Wu-Tang Forever:The History of Wu-Wear." 12 Oct. 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. .

5.Okumura, Kozo. Far East Coast Is in Da House: Examination of Hip Hop Culture in Japan. Michigan: UMI, 1998. Print.

Photo Sources

http://abovegroundmagazine.com/images/photographs/62793hiphop4elementsbig.jpg

http://www.weuponit.com/tag/young-money/

http://www.urbanebloc.com/dolla-dolla-bill-yall/

http://graffitiartss.com/2011/08/23/graffiti/

http://jadethomasonxo.blogspot.com/2010/12/b-boys.html

http://hiphop-n-more.com/2010/11/drake-reaches-out-to-dj-premier-for-collaboration/

http://www.destinyschildren.org/en/context/gang-identity-and-tattoos/

Hip Hop lives in us

 Hip Hop is a genre of music that originates from the Bronx, NY and a way of self expression, influenced by many cultural, political, racial and fashion events over the course of the years.

The meaning of Hip Hop nowadays has not been very positive just like how it was around the 80’s or around the time of our parent’s youth. Music is a weapon and when voices are not heard through just speech, people need a way to voice themselves, this is where hip hop comes into play. It has always been about voicing, expressing yourself in moments of struggle, pain, happiness or depression. This genre being related to many negatives thoughts is what made me want to tell you in where hip hop really stands and why it stands there.

“Now, up to this point, all this needs to be understood with regards to Hip Hop. Throughout history, music originating from America's Black communities has always had an accompanying subculture reflective of the political, social and economic conditions of the time.”(Hip Hop Corner 4) Hip Hop is old, older than its new fanatics and still has its old ones moving with it, one thing is true, it has its history with politicians, criminals, moments of innovation, struggle, pain and joy. With cultures changing day in and day out, Hip Hop has changed with it. The way it was played, coming to a creative creation (music), viewed, appreciated and evaluated is differently now then how it was in the 80’s. Because back then it was mainly used as the voice of the voiceless and this rumbling came from places of struggle where hope was something people could only dream of. Today after all these years people from all ages, race and beliefs still use this way of self expression as a way to voice themselves. The cultural impact Hip Hop has had over the world is undeniable and being a descendent of the culture it is only right to defend it.

The self expression aspect of hip hop is one of the most valuable parts of this music genre. It allowed communities from all over the world to express their feelings, pains, struggles etc. “…it offered young urban New Yorkers a chance to freely express themselves.” (Hip Hop corner 3) New Yorkers being only a part of this community shows you how much people relied on this form of expression to tell stories and have a voice when nobody really wanted to listen. “Hip Hop continues to be popular among today's urban youth for the same reasons it was a draw in the early days: it is still an accessible form of self expression capable of eliciting positive affirmation from one's peers.”(Hip Hop Corner 3) This form of self expression will be around for a long time no matter what happens to Hip Hop and that’s because every generation has its own moments of joy and struggles and needs a way to express this and Hip Hop is that weapon.

As Hip Hop made its first marks on into the mind of people some were still not sure about its role. Because it had a few collisions with law enforcement, like the young rap group N.W.A (Nigga With Attitude) from Compton, CA. Who used Hip Hop to talk about the problems in their neighborhood with albums like: “Posse” or “Straight outta Compton” that released in 1988. The problems they addressed where serious issues that they saw in their everyday life, but the suburban audience and the middle upper class did not appreciate how they were expressing themselves in their messages. N.W.A was not the only one to address serious matters in their songs. “A song about killing cops is sure to get mired in controversy. This song basically was created to protest against police brutality.”(Top10 List 4) A young Hip Hop artist by the name of Ice T made a song called “Cop Killer” which made a lot of noise and when asked why the edgy title and why so much violence he said: “Everything is censored, everything that's in the mainstream is censored, ya know. I think it's a word that's being thrown around a little too loosely. I mean cause I think people just gotta realize that yo, everything is censored, except in the underground you know we have free speech. But anything mainstream, network television, radio stations, or even record companies are at this point censored.” (A Rock Exclusive) Politics has always had some part in the evolution of Hip Hop positive or negative. That being the negative part, the positive part of that was that politicians at the time did take some major precaution to prevent police brutality. This does not mean that the kids from that neighborhood were living in peace. Many politicians have used Hip Hop artist as conductor to talk to the communities they cannot easily reach. For example in his run to the presidency Barack Obama received help from many Hip Hop artists. This was not only because he was the potential first African American president but it was also to encourage people to go vote and be part of something special and the outcome was excellent. Because for the first time in a long time the us saw the voters count increase.

With Hip Hop being new in the 80’s so were a lot of fashion trends. Many trends and dances came from artist who wanted to be different from the pack and tried new things and quickly saw that it worked for them. Actor Will Smith who debuted in the sitcom “Fresh Prince of Bell-Air” may be the perfect example of this Hip Hop influenced fashion. With the Flattop haircut, the Jordan’s, the bright colored shirts and lose printed pants, he embraced that fashion just like many did at this time. Dancing was something that you could not go without in the 80’s with dances like breaking, poppin lockin etc. Kids from all over the place were emulating these dances with no flaw. One epic dance move was the moonwalk, dance performed by Michael Jackson at Motown 25 a place that had some of the greatest performers perform. At this time it was not about copying anybody but more about being yourself and dressing how you please. There was no limit on how you could express yourself and on what you were allowed to do. This style slowly evolved with time but it was still influenced by Hip Hop and the people in it.

“Hip hop in the early 90’s was making the transition from a popular new genre to establishing itself in the industry. Early 90’s hip hop music had strong themes of afrocentricity, political and social consciousness. Lyrics were at a premium, black pride & empowerment were still valued, and people were rockin red, black and green with pride. Prominent 90's hip hop artists were Public Enemy, Ice Cube, A Tribe Called Quest and Arrested Development.”(90’s hip hop classics) As seen in this article Hip Hop has mostly been used to empower the African American community in times of struggle. It did not only that, it also saved many lives from the gang violence that Hip Hop was so often related to. The names named in Hip Hop history or just a few of few to keep the list short. So many took advantage of the opportunity that Hip Hop offered them to leave the hood and taste some of the American dream. From places of struggle came Ice Cude (rapper, actor and movie producer) Sean “Diddy” Combs (rapper, actor, music producer and entrepreneur) and Sean “Jay-Z” Carter (rapper, music producer, entrepreneur and co-owner of an NBA franchise) those are just to name a few who took full advantage of the perks that come with being part of the Hip Hop community. With them making it they also made sure they would give back to their communities.

Hip Hop being so old, has had its ups and downs. From the troubling beginnings to its rise, it has always been a roller coaster of emotions. Whether today’s audience likes Hip Hop or not today’s youth can agree that it is still a way of self expression. Let your message be positive or negative Hip Hop has still the same function. It still influences today’s youth. From fashion to our culture Hip Hop is something that has finally been embraces by many. Young or old we all appreciate it being here and what it brings on different levels. Some may still be skeptical about it but everybody has their opinion. All can agree that Hip Hop has brought a lot of good and positivity and one thing is sure it is not going anywhere anytime soon.

 

Work Cited

D’s, David “Hip Hop Corner”

http://www.daveyd.com/raphist2.html

Heck, Mike “A ROC EXCLUSIVE: ICE-T SPEAKS OUT ON CENSORSHIP, COP KILLER, HIS LEAVING WARNER BROS., AND MORE”

http://www.theroc.org/roc-mag/textarch/roc-11/roc11-09.htm

Marauders, Midnight “90’s hip hop classics”

http://www.hiphoptop10s.com/articles/90shiphop.html

Rap Central “N.W.A. DISCOGRAPHY / N.W.A. ALBUM LYRICS”

http://www.rapcentral.co.uk/nwaDisco.html

Wier, Verdie “Top10 List 4”

http://top-10-list.org/2009/09/24/most-controversial-songs/

In Relation to the World

The concept of time has been debated throughout history, even as far back as the years of Plato and Aristotle. The idea of whether or not time is linear has been argued in ideas like Zeno’s Arrow and the reversibility of time in modern-day physics Time is the organization of memory by which the brain creates a memory from a stimulus, processes the memory, and prepares for upcoming transductions.

In life, everything is organized. Doctors file things according to patients; schools file things according to students; the human brain files things according to memory. Time is just another system developed to help humans organize thoughts and ideas. Without time, one would not be able to differentiate one memory from another. Everything in life would be a chaotic blur. Time is an illusive concept that is used by humans to organize thoughts as they perceive the world around them.

Humans perceive the world through their senses: touch, taste, sound, sight, smell, and proprioception (the knowledge of where the body and the limbs are in space (Bihun)). One starts with no memory of what things are. As a child ages, he or she learns to associate between different sights, smells, tastes, etc. The child creates memories. The older a person gets, the more advanced the memories become. As more memories are created, time seems to go by faster as the body works harder to store more information. Transduction, according to psychology, is the conversion of physical energy to neural impulses (Bihun). The energy and events of the world are sensed then transduced to neural impulses in the brain, and those same neurons create memories.

The rotation of the Earth around the sun is just another way people create and organize their memories. The sun rises, the sun sets, and the night persists. This is the most common view of time. People associate certain memories with the time of day something occurs and the positioning of the sun. The position of the sun is directly related to sensory information. The darkness of the night causes the body to release melatonin, indicating when to sleep and to process memories (Bihun). Courts ask witnesses, defendants, and prosecutors when certain actions occurred in order to reach a verdict. Time of death is recorded and put into records. All of these actions help people to perceive the world and to organize their memoires in a logical fashion.

After a memory is created, the brain must process it. According to Myers, “Perception is the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events… and without conscious effort you automatically process information about space, time, and frequency” (Myers 227, 324-327). For example, a child who touches a hot stove learns through pain not to touch the stove again. This example demonstrates how, from a stimulus (touching a hot stove), a perception is made (the stove will cause pain when touched) and a memory is created (not to touch the stove again or it will hurt). The memory is then processed to recognize that when any stove is turned on, it will be hot, and one should not touch it.

However, some argue that the perceptions of an individual are irrelevant compared to the majority. Time itself might be irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, but “time is dictated by situations and circumstances” (Bruss and Rüschendorf 361-370) of individuals. When in a car accident, time might appear to slow down to an individual, or according to the common saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Situations that might seem to be meaningless are what make up the grander scheme of things. Without individuals and circumstances, there would be nothing for the majority to follow. The study of individuals is taught in history classes: George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, etc. Individuals are capable of influencing the perception of time just as equally as or more so than the majority.

The brain of every individual prepares for upcoming transductions with sleep. The book Psychology states that sleep is “for restoring and rebuilding our fading memories of the day’s experiences” (Myers 99-100). Without that time to restore body functions, the body cannot function and memories become opaque. The body loses some body functions. Many people, after staying awake for long periods of time, forget what day it is, how long they have been up, what things they have done. In its attempt to restore itself and preserve energy, the brain stops organizing the world and memories.

1.

In newer theories, time seems less organized and is capable of being reversed. Even the media, such as the Simpsons, have suggested time travel as a reality. Nobody has ever accomplished the reversal of time, so nobody knows if it is possible. In the journal, "On the Perception of Time.” Bruss and Rüschendorf state, “Time is irreversible because of the unpredictability of the future” (361-370). With no clear theories or solid evidence showing it can be done, the reversibility of time remains fiction.

If time is actually reversible, it would only be capable by altering one’s consciousness. There are already examples of this in patients of disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.) Myers says, “Our memories exist in part to protect us in the future. So there is biological wisdom in not being able to forget our most emotional or traumatic experiences – our greatest embarrassments, our worst accidents, our most horrid experiences. But sometimes, for some of us, the unforgettable takes over our lives” (612-614). Patients with severe PTSD have been known to relive, “reverse,” into the past and re-experience trauma they have already been through. Some patients are known to feel physical sensation and sometimes, vividly re-witness, the past. Because the trauma has messed with their perceptions so much, the PTSD victim is incapable of adjusting to new perceptions and constantly “travels back” into the traumas they have already seen.

“A trajectory through spacetime is described by a sequence of OR (‘Conscious NOW’) events… Each OR event selects one curvature, following which superposition resumes. As each OR event is non-computable/non-algorithmic, it is irreversible with respect to classical information. Hence conscious perception of the classical world moves ‘forward.’” (Hameroff).

The diagram above shows how even through space, the conscious will always perceive a “now” (Hameroff). Each “OR” in the graph shows how through space, there is a moment in the conscious that is always perceived as the “now.” Each box shows how one action can lead to another depending upon our choices. Where there are arrows pointing to an empty space with no box continuing the sequence, the actions and future that might have been stops and is not perceived as the now. Each “now” continues on throughout seconds, minutes, hours, etc. as each moment becomes the past, turns into the present, and moves forward to the future. Hameroff explains that because of the conscious perception humans have of the world, time is perceived as being linear and always moving forward.

Does time have anything to do with memory? Is time linear? A University of Arizona study states, “The problem of time is intimately related to our conscious perceptions” (Hameroff). Time moves forward in a linear direction only for those who perceive the world to be moving forward. In certain cases of amnesia, time stops and is stuck in one permanent position. A case study was conducted of a patient with anterograde amnesia, H.M. After having his hippocampus removed to help the symptoms of his epilepsy, H.M. was no longer able to perceive

time. Though H.M. knew everything that had 2 happened to him in the past, he had no recollection of new events; he had no long-term memory. He was unable to recognize the doctors who treated him, his father’s death, or any new words. To remember that he had grabbed the mail that morning, H.M. would have to write himself notes to remember the simplest tasks. Though he kept getting older and people kept leaving, H.M. had no perception that time was even moving. Everything was frozen in one spot: the moment of his surgery (Mcleod).

Time is the organization of memory because the brain records everything happening in the world according to space, time, and frequency. The brain creates a memory from a stimulus as sensory data and is recorded through touch, taste, sound, sight, smell, and proprioception. The brain processes the memory because of perception of sensory information being organized in a way that is meaningful. The brain prepares for upcoming transductions because of the need to restore and rebuild memories. Through all these things, time can be shown as the organization of memory by which the brain creates a memory from a stimulus, processes the memory, and prepares for upcoming transductions.

Works Cited

1. Bihun, Joan. "Sensation, Perception, and Sleep" Introduction to Psychology. CU Denver. Denver, CO. 09/28/2011 – 10/10/2011. In Person.

2. Bruss, F., and Ludge Rüschendorf. "On the Perception of Time." Gerontology. (2009): 361-370. Web. 9 Oct. 2011.

3. Hameroff, Stuart. "Time, Consciousness and Quantum Events in Fundamental Spacetime Geometry." Quantum Consciousness. N.p., 2011. Web. 9 Oct 2011.

4. Mcleod, Saul. "Anterograde Amnesia." Simple Psychology. N.p., 2011. Web. 9 Oct 2011.

5. Myers, David. Psychology. 9. New York: Worth Publishers, 2010. 99-100, 213, 227, 324-327, 612-614. Print.

Image Credits

1. http://cloudcentrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/timetravel.jpg
2. http://mstatic.mit.edu/nom150/items/160-HM.jpg