Desperate Housewives.

Friends! Have you ever watched the TV show, Desperate Housewives? One of DSKUSSS members is recommending you to watch it for some reasons. Do you want to hear why she recommends? You are on the right track. Look why she thinks peope should watch it and let us know your opinions by comments.

Desperate Housewives

Han, Hee-ju

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

Dep. Of International Development Studies

Although the Desperate Housewives was over in 2012, I strongly recommend you to watch this TV show. In 2007, it was reported to be the most popular show in its demographic worldwide, and was also reported that the series is the third most watched TV show in a study of ratings in 20 countries.

The first episode was started in 2004 with a “Bang!” sound in Fairview which is a middle-class town in America. The Desperate Housewives is a story about the lives of a group of women as seen through the eyes of Mary Alice Young who committed suicide in the first episode.

My favorite character of the drama is Gabrielle Solis who is an honest and selfish character. She is a gorgeous ex-model and adorable women. She tells her husband that he has to make a lot of money because he has a very beautiful wife. That kinds of lines made me addicted to the drama. Gabrielle says what I cannot honestly say and it might make me feel vicarious satisfaction. Various dramatic incidents and the friendship of the desperate housewives will make you feel interested in the drama.

Welcoming the New Captain America

Have you ever thought about the common ground of heroes? One of DSKUSSS members found that all heroes in Marble's Comics seem like white people not colored ones. However, there has been some change of this phenomenon. Are you curious about what it is? Just take a look of her article and let us know what you think through the comments!

Welcoming the New Captain America

Min Ji Kim

American Culture & Political Science

Sogang University

             Reading comic books is one of the most desired ways of spending your past time. To Americans, Marvel Comics has presented them with a lot of different superhero characters that ultimately became all-time favorites, ranging from Black Widow and Titanium Man to Hulk. Some characters, such as Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, have been made into blockbuster movies, ranking high in many different countries.

             Recently, Marvel Comics has hinted to the worldwide fans of its popular superheroes on Marvel’s next move on Captain America: next Captain will be a man of color.  This news was mostly welcomed by the general public, commenting that it is a huge effort for diversity to prevail in America. Such responses stem from the fact that in many superhero movies mounting up till the present day, white characters dominated the role as a main hero while colored character remained as a sidekick. Simply bring up the images of recent superhero movie you have watched. You will find it more difficult to find a superhero character that is not white.

             Media is often referred to as a social mirror. By this, it means that the media reflects back to the people watching it on what the society should look like. Therefore, what we don’t recognize as a direct discrimination to different cultures on media poses a greater danger. This is because people accept the discrimination naturally, causing the stereotypes to seep in slowly but without any doubt. It can be even compared to an act of brainwashing the subjects of influence. For instance, an African-American child who enjoys reading and watching Marvel Comics’ books and movies might think that as an African-American, he is only limited to being a sidekick, as this is how the media portrays the African-Americans. Even worse, Asians who are stereotyped as a math-freak, gadget lover and a model citizen in the media might regard themselves as a periphery to the mainstream.

             The new Captain America brings a hope into the society of marginalized Americans with the notion that they too can also be part of the mainstream. This is just a start. Maybe in few more years, we might be welcoming Spider-Man with an Asian decent or even a woman holding the shield with stars and stripes.

No More Mathematics/English on P.E. Classes

Hi, Friends! We are bringing a new and interesting article on physical education in schools. Do you think P.E classes need to increase? Let's see one opinion that one of our members wrote! Please comment your opinions. We are welcome to discuss it with you!

No More Mathematics/English on P.E. Classes

Kyungpook National University

English Education

Ryu Hye-ran

What comes to your mind when you recall physical education classes in the high school? Maybe some of Koreans ironically bring the memories of studying for the Korean SAT in the classroom instead of exercising in the gym. What was worse, the allocated lesson hour for physical education is extremely low, about two hours a week. These show how much the importance of the physical education held low position. However, recently its significance is on the rise, being pointed as the solution for the school violence among students and their depression. Why don’t we see the case of the USA which emphasizes sports in school a lot?

One of the EBS, Educational Broadcasting System, documentaries, named <School Physical Education, Meet the Future>, dealt with the sports in school through the Niles West High School. This school has a long history of school sports. It was not difficult to see the records of winning various sports games and nice gym including manifold fitness equipments. What was the most interesting is that the school arranges the first lesson hour at 7:20 a.m. as physical education, every day for an hour. It is said that it can affect in the positive way by increasing blood flow rate through intensive exercising. In other words, it can give energy to students, leading to high attention on other classes they have. 

The teacher in the school emphasized that the change from learning skill in sports to fitness classes. In other words, the change means skill-oriented program to sports concerning healthcare. She gave an example as learning to play the baseball. It was normal that teaching how well the student hit the ball was the point of the class. However, it has been changed to elevate the heart rate by baseball, resulting in the healthiness. Also, enough exposure of oxygen to brain leads to activate the brain. Moreover, exercises play a critical role in reducing depression and anxiety disorder. These show that the American physical education classes also go towards pursuing health and emotional satisfactions, rather than learning skills in sports. Additionally you can expect that these changes in students’ emotional satisfactions can be a first step to solve school violence issue.

Now it is time for Korea not to let the increasing importance of physical education classes become a temporary issue.

*EBS 다큐멘터리 <학교체육, 미래를 말하다>참고

Individualism in Fashion looking through American Entertainers

Hi, friends of DSKUSSS! One of DSKUSSS members write about American individualism through the star's fashion. Let's look at the relationship between individualism in America and fashion too!

Individualism in Fashion looking through American Entertainers

 

Hyunji Yoo
Department of Global Studies
Pusan National University

 

Individualism is an image when people easily remind America, or Western cultures. This phenomenon is well found in the cultural sector using media. Looking at media, we can recognize the characteristics of the culture in America. United States itself defines themselves via individualism and the people also behave individualistically. I analyzed this through the fashion of American and the reaction of the mass people to the fashion. Focusing on the hot American singers’ fashion, we can find another type of idea, which is different from Asian cultures.

Lady Gaga is the first singer that comes up with when I thought about the U.S. pop star. Reputations on her are polarized extremely internationally. People tend to criticize her due to her styles and her way of commercializing herself. She enjoys exposing herself to people and designs she chooses seem outside the common knowledge. She is definitely individualistic. She does not seem to care of what other people judge on her. Reactions of American people mostly are opened to these kinds of fashion. Even though her way of fashion is subject of criticism of media, her creativity is well recognized by mass people. Through this phenomenon, we can see that American people’s lifestyle is fixed in “I don’t mind it at all.” Of course Gaga’s fashion is a hot potato there, but the difference makes people more pursue understanding of other “individuals.”

<Lady Gaga with her bubble dress>

 

I think that pursuing coolness is the result of individualism. It is connected to understanding other people’s difference and uniqueness in public. Looking at Lady Gaga, she is acknowledged as a singer-songwriter not only as a fashionista. Her fashion symbolizes her mindset and attitude and finally to her music world. Also, the understanding of American people contributed to developing individualistic art so that artists became free from stereotype and limit of society. In a sense, Gaga is the beneficiary of cultural diversity in America. “Whatever others do, it is cool.”