Topic 3 - Changing Popular Culture

Question 1

What transformation occurred in Sport?

Answer 1

Commercialism - sport was now ruled by business and money

Question 2

Give some examples of how money ruled sport

Answer 2

• Al Davis failed to get Oakland to finance stadium improvements so in 1980 he moved the club to LA
• Athletes started to demand more money and NFL players sued the NFL in order to gain greater bargaining power over salaries

Question 3

What dominated team sports during the 70’s?

Answer 3

Labour disputes, lawsuits, walkouts and strikes. Inspired by civil I’ll rights movements of the 1960’s

Question 4

What was on the rise in sport during the 1970’s and what did this show?

Answer 4

Cheating, violence and foal play highlighted how far people would go for money

Question 5

What sport become a reflection of?

Answer 5

All that was bad about America - especially greed

Question 6

What did the rise of Rock music in the 1970’s suggest?

Answer 6

There was an increasing rebellious society. More and more people wanted to go against consumerism and conformity of mainstream pop music

Question 7

What was the impact of disco music in the 1970’s?

Answer 7

• Disco’s became very popular amongst white communities. — -Gloria Gaynor’s ‘never can say goodbye’ was the first mainstream disco song.
• Rock fans hated it and blamed its downfall in 1979 on record companies saturating the market with low quality products

Question 8

What was heavy metal and what was its significance?

Answer 8

• Aggressive form of rock
• Ignored by media and press giving it outsider status
• Band ‘Alice cooper’ challenged traditional gender roles with makeup and spandex

Question 9

What other music genres gained popularity in the 1970’s and why?

Answer 9

Punk = aimed to shock, Anti rock, believed consumerism had destroyed music (eg: dead Kennedys)
Hip Hop = rap provided ethnic minorities a voice in which they could talk about major issues such as ghetto life. Blondie ‘Rapture’ alienated ethnic minorities

Question 10

What impact had music had on society as a whole by 1980? What changes had it displayed?

Answer 10

• Divided society. Fans of rock would hate fans of pop and vies versa
• More and more people were starting to rebel against modern conformist values. Traditional values were dying out

Question 11

What two themes were dominant in TV during the 1970’s? Give examples

Answer 11

Exploration (Roots) and escapism (Fantasy Island 1977-84)

Question 12

What Happened to “the Beverly Hillbillies”

Answer 12

Cancelled by CBS in 1971, despite its popularity, it made way for ‘All in the family’ which tackled many issues such as abortion, sexuality, the Vietnam war, racism and women

Question 13

What was the impact of the shows “Maude” and “Mary Tyler Moore” show

Answer 13

Both had lead roles of strong individual women. Tackled the female stereotype and issues surrounding sexism in society

Question 14

What show was best known for tackling racist themes in America?

Answer 14

Roots (1977)

Question 15

What was increasingly being shown on TV and what did this signify?

Answer 15

Sex and violence - showed the dramatic shift in society away from traditional conservative values

Question 16

Apart from escapism and exploration, what other themes were present in TV and what did the reflect?

Answer 16

Current events - shows such as ‘cops and robbers’ were very popular indicating a population scared by rising crime

Question 17

To what extent had TV showed a change in popular culture by 1980 and what did it highlight?

Answer 17

• Tv had rapidly developed in the 1970’s and was tackling many import issues, breaking sterotypes and allowing people to ‘escape’.
• However the popularity of these shows was down to many of these issues still being present in society. The change in TV highlighted the problems in society

Question 18

What were Blaxploitation films?

Answer 18

Indie films made between 1969-1974 that had predominantly black casts.
Characterised by black hero’s overcoming corrupt whites

Question 19

Why did blaxploitation films become popular?

Answer 19

Result of black dismay about the blank black characters in Hollywood and greater black pride generated by black power

Question 20

What was the impact of blaxploitation films?

Answer 20

• Aroused tensions in black communities

- Some middle-class black critics rejected the violence, drug dealing and gangsters the films portrayed

Question 21

Give examples of films that portrayed the theme of corruption. How dominant was this theme in movies of the time?

Answer 21

• All the president’s men = 1976 film portraying story of the Washington post writers who uncovered the truth about watergate.
• Theme of corruption of everywhere in movies which highlighted the publics failing trust in authrotitive figures

Question 22

What other types of films were popular?

Answer 22

Films that dealt with modern concerns - Logan’s run depicted future worlds overrun with poverty and destruction.

Question 23

What were the attitudes to sport pre 1970’s?

Answer 23

Sport reflected traditional American values: hard work, success and equal opportunity

Question 24

What kind of Journalism become popular after Vietnam war?

Answer 24

Investigative

Question 25

What impact had the watergate scandal made on the media?

Answer 25

• Some reporters were seen as hero’s and many were encouraged to try to uncover corruption in the government in order to get the same fame
• Some feared that this would make journalists make big scandals out of nothing in order to gain fame

Question 26

Give an example of a popular news show in this era

Answer 26

‘60 minuets’ - demonstrated investigative and ‘got cha’ journalism

Question 27

What impact did ‘happy talk’ segments have?

Answer 27

Made news anchors national celebrities. However it was as if there looks and banter was more important than there actual journalism skills

Question 28

What impact did the media have on women in the 1970’s? Give an example

Answer 28

Women were becoming increasingly more popular in the news industry with the help of NOW campaigners
Barbara Walters joined ABC evening news in 1976