Adjusting to Texas Culture

The summer before my senior year of high school, my family moved from Michigan to Texas. This was a big adjustment for all of us. Texas is so different from Michigan! People who have lived in Texas their whole life may not realize just how unique and different Texas culture is from cultures in the north.

Southern accent aside, Texans use slang that is never said up north; the most obvious of all being “y’all.” In the south it is called soda instead of pop. A saying I found funny at first is that down here you ask someone, “What did you make on your test?” No one would ever say that in Michigan, we would ask what you got on the test. It’s just one simple word change, but to someone coming into a new culture it is strange to have to add a word or phrase to your vocabulary in a way you’ve never used it before. Another thing that was a little difficult to pick up on at first is that to a Texan, everything is a sweater. You pick up a hoodie, a Texan calls it a sweater. Your crewneck, that’s a sweater too. And yes, your sweater is still a sweater. These are just a few examples of Texas lingo I can think of off the top of my head. What’s funniest to me is that all of this Texas slang is now fully a part of my vocabulary.

Clothing is also a part of Texas culture that is different from Michigan. For example, I don’t think I ever saw a person wearing cowboy boots up north out of all eighteen years I lived there. Anymore though, a day doesn’t go by without me seeing at least one pair of boots. For someone new to the idea, it's a little strange to see cowboy boots being worn casually out in public, but it didn’t take long for me to become completely accustomed to them. I actually happen to love them! Boots aren’t the only thing that is different about Texas clothing; when I was in Michigan this past Christmas, my friends were all asking me why my tshirts were so big. It took me until then to realize that the oversize shirt with leggings and riding boots trend is a southern trend that is not seen up north.

I realize I could go on forever about how different Texas culture is from the culture I grew up with in Michigan, but I’m trying to keep this short and sweet. One final thing about Texas culture that was noticeably different from that of the north would be the southern hospitality. It is a real thing, and a very nice thing at that.

Why do we have paparazzi?

Paparazzi is an interesting part of our current culture. Honestly, I feel like paparazzi is weird. I can understand keeping up with celebs a little bit, but I don't see the point of a million pictures of Miley walking down the street in shades with coffee and shopping bags. We've all seen it and I, quite frankly, don't get the point. These pictures are worth thousands of dollars a piece, but why?

Shannon Doyne writes a blog, "Should the Private Lives of Famous People Be Off Limits?" (http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/should-the-private-lives-of-famous-people-be-off-limits/) She mainly talks about how Kate Middleton and Prince William's privacy was violated on vacation the end of last year. In her blog she takes a stance against paparazzi, saying it goes against celebrities’ privacy.

In buzzfoto's blog http://mediagrid.buzzfoto.com, paparazzi is seen in a much more positive light. In the blog, paparazzi is even called a "form of art." According to this blog, the paparazzi stake out the perfect photo in order to capture celebrities in their daily life. The writer even goes as far as to say the pictures are iconic enough that they could be hung in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

What are your thoughts on paparazzi? Should one picture be worth thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars? Is it right for us to invade celebrities' daily lives?

Snap, Crackle, Pop Culture

Culture is comprised of so many different elements that it is very difficult to discuss it as a whole. It’s just too big a word! I am going to narrow in on one particular part of culture that is pop culture.

So, what is pop culture? It is in essence the activities that are of common interest to a group of people, or in other words, what is popular. This is where it gets its name. Many things are under this category, including music, art, movies, theater, and books.

There are so many different types of music, forms of art, and genres of movies and books. Depending on what you like, certain types will appeal to you more than others. The neat thing about pop culture is that no matter what interests you, there is always someone else out there that likes it too.

This is the beauty behind culture. It is what brings us together. By sharing a common interest in something with others, cultures are formed and friendships are made. In my opinion, pop culture is what brings us together the most. Books, music, and movies are simply something everyone can relate to. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t read a book or listen to music. Pop culture makes up such a significant part of our world that I believe every person is a part of it.

What do you think?