Commonplace Essay

    For my commonplace essay I am writing about the topic of same sex marriage. Obama's recent endorsement of same sex marriages has caused much controversy. Many religious leaders are not very pleased with Obama's announcement. The National Organization for Marriage, an organization openly against same sex marriages, is also upset with Obama's endorsement and they are promising to campaign against him especially in the swing states. In my essay I am going to talk about why I believe that same sex marriage should be allowed.

    Ever since I was little my family has been involved in the Catholic Church. I was baptized into the church, made my first communion and was also confirmed. I used to serve at mass and participate in the youth group. My parents were also involved in the church groups and activities. I went to a Catholic grade school and high school. At first I did not question my religion. I just accepted it because my parents chose it for me and I trusted them. Then as I got older we began to talk more and more about the controversial issue within the church and our religion. One of those topics was same sex marriage.

    I listened to everything that my teachers, the Bible and the priests had to say about why same sex marriages were wrong. The more I considered this the more I disagreed. The Bible basically says that being gay is not wrong but acting on it is. I do not think it is right to tell people that they cannot be who they are. I believe that if a same sex couple loves each other they should be allowed to. I have heard the Church's argument many times over the years and I still do not agree with their stance. In my essay I plan to talk about how I think fighting against same sex marriages is antiquated. I think that allowing same sex marriage is the next big move that we should make as a society.

Secondary Sources

The primary source I chose to analyze is the "Piece of Me" music video by Britney Spears. I am using this video to show our perception of pop culture and how the media affects this.

My secondary sources include: an interview from Britney Spears about her lifestyle and how being a pop culture icon has changed her life, article from USA Today about how the media affects pop culture, a book with a section on the role of pop culture in America, and an article talking about what the public thinks of pop culture icons lifestyles.

I will use these sources to help my analysis of Britney's music and to show the affect that the media and pop culture has on our society. In her video Britney shows what she thinks about her life and the role of the media in it. The interview from Britney will help to show a different perspective on pop culture. Also the articles will back my analysis of just how big a role pop culture plays in our society today. Pop culture icons have a bigger affect on our society than many people realize, and the way the media portrays them is important to consider as well. My secondary sources will help me to do all this and go deeper into the meanings behind the video.

Primary Source Summary

     One of the primary sources I am considered is the music video for Britney Spears's song, Piece of Me. 

This video can be viewed on youtube by clicking on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=u4FF6MpcsRw&ob=av2e. The song is about her life in the spotlight. It talks about the struggles she 

faces with the media and the pressures that come with her fame. Her lyrics reflect a very shallow side of pop culture. They talk about the media judging all of her actions and being there to report everything she does.  This song shows her take on what it is like to be a part of pop culture. I think that her video successfully portrays one way of thinking of pop culture. Images of paparazzi are shown throughout the whole video to emphasize the role the media plays in our culture. She shows the things that they are reporting and what they consider to be news. This becomes the stuff that we then read in magazines. Her video also shows a glorified vision of what being famous is like. The video shows her having a good time and partying with very attractive and glamorous people.

     When many people think of pop culture images, similar to the ones in the video, may pop into their heads. A big part of our society's image of pop culture comes from celebrities. The things that celebrities are known to do and like tend to be very popular in our culture. Many advertisements use celebrities to promote their products. This is because they know that it will catch the viewers attention. This shows how pop culture can affect many aspects of our lives, not just the obvious ones. Britney Spears has been extremely well known and popular for many years. This is why I thought it would be appropriate to analyze one of her videos while talking about pop culture in our society.