The Faces of the Popular Culture

Hi everyone, I had some troubles finishing this reading, but I succeed at the end. I found this article really interesting and really complete, it described many aspects of the Latin America’s popular culture. Although it was very long with plenty of information, there are many aspects that weren’t covered because Latin America is huge. I come from Mexico and I consider that there many aspects that were missing for this article, but I do agree with the syncretism of traditional culture with the modern culture,. Really can’t talk about Brazil, Peru or Argentina but I definitely can talk about Mexico my beloved country that I miss to much so let start.

It’s a true fact that even though I’m Mexican born and bred I don’t have any of the indigenous culture, I’ve only read about it and I found it really interesting, all their gods, pyramids, calendars, beliefs, royalty, etc. I think that the only tradition from indigenous people that is conserved in my house is to eat with pepper lots of pepper and tortilla every single lunch.

Then the Spaniards came to Mexico and colonized and leave behind them a complete new bunch of traditions that came to be part of our culture first the religion I consider myself as an active catholic. I go to church every Sunday, and respect the catholic calendar. With the mestizaje new traditions were raised like the charreria considered the Mexican national sport for many years even before the soccer came with the English people. In my family horse and bull raids are considered normal activities on special weekends when the whole family go to the ranch. 

Then the English people arrived to Pachuca, Hidalgo for mining and in their free time they played soccer and ate pastries, now the the Pachuca football team the ‘’Tuzos’’ is the oldest club and one of the traditional food in Pachuca is the Pastes that are the pastries that the English used to eat.

Now with time the Americans arrived and they’re still in Mexico helping to shape this new culture, oddly the sport played in my family even though I’m Mexican isn’t soccer is American Football, my grandpa played, my dad played and all my brothers played as well.

Well now I think that my family is a living example of the popular culture in Latin America, a complete syncretism between indigenous, Spanish, American and Lebanese culture that shaped this new popular culture and it can be in our every day activities, food, and the way we treat each other in the family.

I’ll see you all in class!

Believing in fanaticism.

Hi again, I would like to start this post by saying that I found amazing Eva Peron’s “My Message” It’s amazing how with her deeply sincere words she can transfer all the emotion and sentiment that she is feeling when she is writing. The purpose of these two readings is to define the word people, but I think that the real purpose of these articles is learning to differ between people and masses. In the dictionary you can find these two concepts and find similar definitions that’s why getting confused is really easy. During my education in Mexico I was being taught that the masses are multiple singularities that can’t be represented, but the people is a legitimated entity that represents a wholesome a culture, a country, a tradition indispensable for the development of the state. When Eva Peron mentions “her people” she is talking about certain kind of people, those who represent a fraction of a wholesome of a nation, although the other people are envious, mediocre, and not worthy they will always be part of the people of the Argentinean Nation. Throughout my reading I realized that even though this happened more than fifty years ago, things in many countries are still the same. The good thing is that while we still have this kind of spectacular people willing to speak up loud and scream the necessities of the society in order to achieve the common good, we will have hope of changing and reaching this idealistic but not impossible dream of Evita;  that the government this people, invested with so much power really be in service of the people this legitimated entity that represents the whole country. So in order to achieve this we have to believe in what she said: “One cannot accomplish anything without fanaticism”, be fanatic of yourself, your dreams and ideas, and I'm very sure this idealistic dream may come true.

See you guys in class,

JLV

CONCEPTION OF CULTURE

What is culture?

After reading the articles for several times, I concluded that the authors were trying to define culture. I used to have my own definition of culture, then I arrived to this class and everything changed. For me, culture was a systematic group of activities and ideas that reflected the achievement of an entire country in a collective way. Now I realized that culture is a very open concept. In the first reading the author said that culture is ordinary; what I understood from this concept is that culture it not only learned in museums or elite teashops, culture is learned everywhere, streets, schools or even in our own houses. Culture right now is changing, the author describes himself from the old society and he mentioned a commercial culture. I think there is no such thing as commercial culture, I don't even think they're different types of cultures because now I think that culture is everything that represents you as a part of a country, civilization or society and that gives you a sense of belonging. Moreover I think it is really important to never confuse this new changing modern culture that represent a whole modern society with stereotypes this wrong conception of a nationality or country. I think that the author describes these wrong full conceptions as false equations. Furthermore after being in Canada for one week I have a proof that these boundaries described in the second article that define culture of people are dissolving, It's impressive how Canada is a collage of different cultures and that's Canadian culture including of course all the first nations which I found amazing, all the art craft and paintings. I do get a i little confused when the author mentioned the dominant culture and the sub dominant culture, I really think this sub dominant culture will over take the this so call dominant culture and after that it will be only one changing modern culture.

These are my thoughts of the first two readings I have to say that I found the first article really difficult to follow.

I'm looking foward to see you all tomorrow.

Have a great day.

JLV.

Bienvenido!

My name is Jesus J. Lozano Villarreal I'm an exchange student, I come from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon Mexico that is located just below Texas. I'll be here for one year then I'll return to Mexico to finish my studies.