changing popular culture Flashcards
how did Americans feel about sport before the 1970’s?
- it reflected all that was good about the American way
- they believed that team games and team spirit encouraged good citezenship.
- provided a sense of community
- strengthened character.
when did commercialisation of sport accelerate?
it had done since the mid-19th centruary however it accellerated in particular during the 70’s.
what created vast sums of money for colleges, atheletes and teams?
1973 - spectators.
how much did the National Football League gain from TV rights between 1970- 1982?
- $188 million in 1970-1973
- $646 million in 1978-1982
why did corporate sponsorship during the 70’s (SPORT)?
- because of the increased coverage of sport on tv and it was a good source of advertisement.
% of men and women watching sport?
- 90% of men watched sport
- 75% of women.
what is a clear example that indicated that sport was all about money?
- a common trend that teams such as the Oakland Raiders ditched their supporters and home grounds and moved to another city.
who is John Mackey?
`he was a footballer for the Baltimore Colts who sued the NFL in order to gain greater bargaining power of salary and movement from different clubs.
- they won their case in 1976
why did cheating become more common?
- as sport began to generate more money for player people cheated in order to get richer.
what exposed the corruption within sport during the 70’s?
- the rise in investigative journalism led to exposure of what seemed to be ever increasing ammount of corruption.
what ammount of the US olympic team used steroids?
- 1/3 in 1968
- and 68% in 1972
why did violence in sport increase during the 70’s?
- “it made good television”
when did Rock culture develop?
the late 60’s
what did rock music reject?
- east-listening
- pop music
- opposed mass society (even though they dominated through the 60’s and 70’s)
although dominated during the 60’s and 70’s what other genres also became popular?
- rhythm and blues
- disco
- Hip Hop
- heavy metal
when was the disco boom?
1974 and by 1976 there was 10,000 discotheques in the US.
what is an example of a famous disco hit and artist?
- “never can say goodbye” - Gloria Gaynor (1975)
- “love to love you” - Donna summer (1976)
- “you sexy thing” - Hot chocolate (1976).
who was the most popular heavy metal band in America?
- Grand Funk Railroad (1970’s)
what gave heavy metal the “outsider” status?
- they were ignored by the press and media, this partly explains its success.
why were heavy metal bands sometimes considered to be occult?
- bands like Alice Cooper wore makeup and dressed differently
how did bands such as Alice Cooper challenge gender roles?
- they wore makeup
- spandex
- high heels
and we ex-athletes/
when did American punk develop?
during the mid 70’s
what did punk bands aim to do? and what is an example of how they did this?
- aimed to shock
- the Ramones used Nazi symbols and had titles of songs such as “i dont care.”
what did punk rockers believe?
that commercialisation had destroyed American ,music and the biggest and most popular bands had sold out and become corrupt.
what messages did the Dead Kennedy’s try to put across?
- political
- social issues
e. g. their song Holiday in Cambodia was critical of well-meaning middle-class students.
what is an example of a new wave band taking punk into a more mainstream audience?
Blondie with their number 1 single heart of glass in 1979. v
when did Hip Hop begin?
- Harlem ghetto in New York during the early 70’s
what black urban youth culture developed during the 70’s ?
- DJ-ING
- graffiti
- beat boxing
- break dancing
what did many people consider the first Hip Hop song?
The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” 1979
- which sold over 2 million copies
why did purists criticise the group the Sugarhill Gang?
- they said it was pre-fabricated
- felt that Hip Hop had lost some of its really character after “Rappers Delight” as it made it mainstream in the media.
what was the first supposed rap record to reach number 1?
Blondie’s “Rapture”
- purists however criticised this and said it was another example of white exploitation of traditional black music.
who are some famous examples of “singer-songwriters” in the 70’s?
- Carol King
- Carly Simon
who was Bruce Springsteen?
he was a singer songwriter who was from New Jersey which was a state whoch suffered from manufacturing decline and many of his songs refered to the rust belt unemployment and other aspects of working class life.
what did film and Tv offer many Americans?
- escapism
- exploration of social and political tensions during the 1970’s
- reflected violence, racial conflict and political corruption.
what famous TV show on CBS reflected social conciousness?
“all in the family” 1971-79
- the central character Archie Bunker as WW2 vetran who repeatedly ranted at Hippies, Black people, feminists and homosexuals.
what was ironic about the programme “all in the family”?
it was attened to portray the character Archie Bunker as a bigot by liberal creators, however many veiwers actually agreed with him. and the show topped ratings in 1971-76.
what series reflected independent-minded women?
maude 1972-78
and the Mary Tyler Moore show 1970-77
were both extremely popular.
who was the Gay activist allience?
an organisation that put pressure on TV Networks into more sympathetic portrayals of homosexuality.
- an example of where this happened was “a question of love” 1978 which was about a lesbian mothers child custody case.
an example of where racial tensions were explored in TV?
“roots” 1977 a mini series that explored the origins of America’s racial tensions and was the story of the enslavement of the main characters ancestors.
what was meant by “blaxploitation” films?
1969-74 they were characterised as black heroes over coming corrupt white characters.
what was blaxploitation movies a result of?
- bland black characters in mainstream movies
- black people contrinbuted to 30% of audiences in cinema
- greater black awareness generated by black power.
why did Blaxploitation movies generate some tensions within the black community?
- some middle-class blacks felt that it contributed towards dramatic increase in cocaine use amongst ghetto youths (due to the gangster and violence.”
how did films reflect current political and social issues of the 70’s?
- around the time of the Watergate scandal the film “conversations” 1974 explored the privacy and responsibility of a survrillance expert.
- “all the presidents men” 1976 the story of the Washington post who exposed the watergate scandal.
what examples are there of pure escapist films?
- Grease 1978
- American Graffiti 1973
which looked back at the teenage years of the 1950’s. - Star wars 1977
-close encounters of the third kind 1978 were futeristic.
