People receive contradictory messages about this event. Is up to them to decide. During this event people can contribute into helping the environment; in other words not consuming as much as usual for one day. This event is also known as buy nothing day for the sake of the planet. This event is very popular because of the great sales offered in almost every store. The name itself could be interpreted as a negative event. Usually the color black represents negative aspects, naming it black Friday could show that regardless of what decision is made by a person there will always be a negative outcome from both sides. For example, if it is decided not to purchase any product, then you will be helping the environment (according to media), you will negatively affect the economy by not investing money into anything, or vice versa. Both methods are considerably insignificant as a person, but considering that large groups of people decide one or the other it has an great impact. People consider their actions meaningful and determine themselves based on them. Giving a title to yourself, such as, the good and caring American or the excessive buyer that will look better than others the next day.
For one day people can get closer to a good and meaningful life easily. They will be able to purchase items in a great deal and represent popular culture. Black Friday involves many factors, but in the term of "shopping", women are known to come first. Are women those who are most negatively impacting the world by purchasing what they do not need. But, don't most men like women who look good!? Men also encourage this pattern by providing the money and agreeing. Regardless of these true stereotypes, who is there to blame? There must be always one who is the jerk. Whatever decision is taken he or she will be a jerk at the end to different people. So, why bother following patterns or stereotypes. Why bother working so hard for an entire life when you will never be enough, according to pop culture? Everyone is more concerned about looking good than self express. Then they live repressed because they cannot be who they think they truly are. Popular Culture "forces" the culture into us.
In Japan, every year in a popular festival a chosen person is carried by 6-8men. On this day, the person they carry will represent the new person model to follow. Everyone should be that way. For example, if a pretty woman is carried then, that woman will appear in a magazine. Then, she will be recognized by a company, who will then hire her to model. Then she will be on T.V sharing how she changed her life from and ordinary pretty girl to a popular model. Then she will have a great number of fans/followers and become a fashion icon. Then someone else will be carried and her minute of fame is over. Another distinction of how popular culture tell us to be is: Have clothing stores by sections. There is the lady's section, the teens section, the child's section, etc. All of them are considerably different from one another. Teens are supposed to look differently than women. It does not matter if a 45 year old woman wants to dress like a 15 year old, she cannot! Otherwise she will no be accepted in society. If we disobey popular culture, then we suffer the consequences of being an outcast.According to the movie Pump up the Volume, to live a good and meaningful life you need to "Get happy, get a girlfriend, sell a bestseller". In other words in order to be happy you need to get married to an attractive man/woman and become rich and famous. This movie talks about popular culture from a teenager's perspective who is about to step into the world and begin an independent life. The main character is supposed to have great analysis skills and he shares them with other fellows through the radio. He does not dare to speak up in real life and he is "sick of being ashamed" He does not mind "being rejected and rejected" he wont be ashamed. If everyone had the same ideal as this character then they would not be following the corporate messages given. The black Friday would be just another holiday on which people will not take on account because they do not need to improve anything.
Same happens with other events or holidays that are celebrated, for example, El dia de Muertos. In this holiday people celebrate the dead and pray for them. This is a very typical celebration in November 3 carried on in Mexico. People consider this holiday meaningful because the memory of the dead is important to them. Also they belief in life after death, therefore they pray for peace to the dead and to be looked after by their gone beloved one. There are many distinctions that represent this national holiday, and it is very respected by most of the people in Mexico. El Dia de muertos can be easily misinterpreted by many other cultures. It is thought that this holiday is out of the being normal for celebrating death. celebrating using skulls as a decoration and representation of how those look when they are dead does not mean that people are celebrating death. That is just one more corporate message that is once again believed. At some point in history the image of death became a skull with a black cape that comes for you when you die. Why would people celebrate such thing!?
This image contradicts one of the most influential messages, religion. Somehow people managed to collide Death will religion. Both have their own representative image and both are beyond doubt too influential. People is afraid of their own mortality. They do not accept death. However, in this holiday death is considered as something important that everyone must experience. At the same time they are praying to the death to look after them, so that they do not die. People live contradicting themselves and they do not get confused. They do not spend time on thinking: why am I doing this now? People live their lives following and pursuing at the same time. El Dia de muertos is just one more popular holiday that brings many people together, even the dead, to be part of something.It is communicated that both events are of great importance and should be carried on by everyone in order to fit in. Whatever meaning is added into these celebrations depends on each person based on their own perspective. Personally I add no meaning to any of these nor celebrate them. In my point of view all celebrations have a purpose that could be seen in different ways. And we can even make a decision of whether go along with it or not. That does not change the fact that it is almost certain that they will be celebrated each year and media will make a big deal out of it.
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