INTRODUCTION
According to Jack Nachbar and Kevin Louse, popular culture is the products of human work and thought which are (or have been) accepted and approved of by a large community or population. Popular culture forms the vast majority of the artifact and events which compose our daily lives, but it does not consist of our entire culture (it surrounds us, but does not drown other opportunities for existence apart from it).
In this paper, we will discuss about the game day in America which is belonging to ritual. In the house of popular culture, ritual itself is in event floor. Rituals are highly patterned symbolic events in which we all participate as away of marking important passages in our individual lives or in society as a whole, in which we bind our culture together in a celebration of our common beliefs and values and in which we release tension and anxiety in a social acceptable, ‘safe’ manner.
There are key elements of popular rituals:
1.They use elements from the other rooms (heroes, stereotype, icons)
2.They are formulaic (the heart of the meaning is in their repetitiousness).
3.They are performed in special places > “sacred” vs “profane”
4.Popular rituals verify popular beliefs and values.
This paper is made based on the article of Charlottesville, VA Eastman Kodak and Thommason Grant titled Game Day USA. We will discuss about how this event becomes a ritual in America society, the history, the heroes, the stereotype, icons, beliefs and vales which related in this events.
CONTENT
A.Game Day in America
Games Day provides a grand celebration of the certain community. In America, Game Day refers to football match which is held by college, senior high school or certain state. American football might be branded “murder” because it can kill the player and injuries many of people, then even today, statistic reveal that more women report physical abuse from their husband or boyfriend during the Super Bowl than at any other time of the year. Violence is the characteristic of this game, when the helmet collisions make football particularly vicious, so that people look at this game as a theater of war and as if they state that it is their characteristic. Even the editor in this article has defined that violence is national character of America.
American football unites American people regardless of their ethnic, gender, social, age, economic level, geography, politics, etc. It brings together everyone without considering their identity. Everybody can participate in this game, whether as player, spectator, or anything which is related inside. The fans come from all corners of the state and region and they have enthusiasm to watch this game directly in stadium or just watch in TV.
American football is belonging to secular (non religious) popular ritual which provides us some of the same emotional needs and also provides us with a sense of inner well-being. So, as secular ritual, American football share several key elements:
1.It uses elements from the other rooms in the house of popular culture. This elements are heroes which is represented by coach and players, define stereotype which provide roles for everyone (fans and cheerleaders can not be separated from this game), and icons which are represented by pennants and mascots.
2.American football applications are formulaic. Because it has same structure of the ritual before and after the football match in all areas of the country that is always repeated every time (the same rules of the game apply, bands march at all half time ceremonies, coaches rage at referees and fans at both, etc).
3.American football is performed in special places. The special place named ‘stadium’ and the main entrance in this stadium become a transition from profane place to sacred place.
B.Types of Popular Ritual
Then, to discover the function and the meanings inside them, American football will be classified into several types of popular ritual. They are:
1.Rites of unity.
Because American football had unified all people from different background in social, political, cultural, educational, ethnic, etc. it makes of them feel a part of something larger and grander than their individual lives. When people come together in stadium, they will become one to support their favorite team.
2.Rites of season.
American football usually is held in fall or autumn season. in university, football match is held at autumn season in homecoming day to the student.
3.Rites of reversal.
It provides audience to act nuts, like yelling, screaming, singing aloud, flying their flag, and give all expression that they feel during the match. They can do anything crazy in stadium then become normal if the match is over.
4.Rites of spectacle.
American football provides passive spectators, it means they can not jumped or join into match, then annoying the match itself. They can do anything as they do not make a chaos in that match. They just watch and sit directly or indirectly.
C.Game Day in the South, Midwest, and West (according to the article)
The south (article written by Willy Morries)
It begins with the Ole Miss-Vanderbilt game of October 28, 1989, in Oxford, Missisipi when it was Ole Miss Homecoming. The ritual of the game might be as follow: two hours before the kick off, the young men of the home team, led by coach, walked single file as avid tailgaters applauded. From the distance the band played ‘From Dixie with love’ followed by little girls. The hero from this match is Roy Lee ‘Chucky’ Mullins, a cornerback of Ole Miss gets serious injuries so that he has to been taken to hospital. This accident would not easily be obliterated. Therefore, there was no celebration in the locker room of Ole Miss Players. In short, they finally try to win the game in order to present the victory for their fallen teammate. They try to chase the score in last moment of the match. This story reflects that life often does not work that way. A great sporting event indeed emulates life, its gallantries and failure and its time running out. When the time runs out, there are only love remain, hope, and the possibility.
The Midwest (article written by Frank Conroy)
It happens in The Heartland that agriculture region of the Midwest that includes Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and vast stretches west of the Mississippi and in many ways the name seems apt. The national interest in sport can be seen in its purest form, as an expression of regional pride, as a celebration off the power and beauty of youth. Sports here are bound to family and community. The fans seem truly come together, to infect each other with their enthusiasm and hope in a very different way, in church. People show the colors logo of hawk, yellow and black as represent the color of corn and topsoil. They use yellow and black banners, pennants, jacket, sweat shirt, running suits, sock, sweater, etc. Even almost all shop windows and restaurant full of banners. On game day, the visitors are everywhere. Everyone enthusiasm want to get closer with the field. Band music float like invisible smoke before the game begins. In the Heartland, some things remain relatively simple: the pleasure of coming together had confirmed the power of common ritual: the affirmation of decency and fair play, of self respect, and hard work. It’s all still there, tacit and modest most of the time, but truly celebrated on game day. The spirit of people lifts every actions and contrary.
The west (article written by Richard Hoffer)
In Ohio, the idea of football game played in full. People remain to watch a football game although the day is rainy. They make a resolution: that is where they will go. That place is also often attacked by the earthquake. So, there are a parade, a football game and earthquake, but people still come to the stadium. It is showed that people there is very enthusiasm for game day. In the West, hard work was not only not enough, it may have been irrelevant. Variety of experience was the point for all pioneers.
D.Symbolic meaning of Game Day
Player and coach. In this game, they symbolized the hero who becomes important role in this game. The spectators will admire them because their brave, patriotic, power, confidence, hard work, strategy to reach a victory.
Cheerleaders. It symbolizes the motivation and support for team in this game. They always give their spirit in order the team get new spirit to win the game.
Pennants and mascot. It symbolizes the icon of the team which will give certain power to do better in the game.
Helmet. It symbolizes safety for each player. In a real life, people also think to their safety when they do dangerous activity.
E.Beliefs and Values that embodied in this game day
American people believe that the victory will be reached with hard work, discipline, dedication, struggle, good strategy and passion in this life.
Positive: this game will bring together all people in different background, it will emerge the nationalism for the heart of American people, it will learn people about how manage the teamwork well to get same vision in competition.
Negative: the violence inside the game will make someone gets serious injuries and even dead.
CONCLUSION
In our conclusion after we learn this essay, we conclude that American football ritual had became the heart of American people since they present his game to reflect their character nationality during its repetitions year by year. Violence inside the game is the uniquely of American football which is long standing, but the widespread and intense popularity of the sport is remarkable.
REFERENCES
Nachbar, Jack and Lause, Kevin.1992. Popular Culture: An Introductiory Text.
http://www.usafootball.com/glossary/glossary/index/officials/F
www.footballbabble.com
Tampilkan postingan dengan label amerika. Tampilkan semua postingan
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Selasa, 16 Maret 2010
Ethnic of America (Paper of Italian-America)
New Arrivals
The first Italians come to the United States in the late 1800s. This first arrival were explores, soldiers, sailors, missionaries, and adventures who helped who helped the Spanish, French, English, and Portuguese exploration and settlement of North America. Between 1820 and 1873, 12000 Italians arrived in the United States. These arrivals, most of whom intended to settle permanently, were generally from Northern. Many of them were educated skilled workers, like teachers, musicians, sculptors, and other craftsmen. They move to America to get freedom in political and religion. By the end of this period, Italian cold be found in every state of the Union, the largest number residing in California, New York, and Louisiana. The composition of Italian Immigrants began to change between 1860 and 1880. Although most still came from the North, more also began to arrive from Southern Italy. Many of these arrivals were peasants and farm laborers who intended to remain only a few months or years before returning to Italy.
The Great Migration
After 1880, the trickle of Italian immigrants turned into a flood. Between 1880 and 1914, more than 3 millions Italians officially entered the United States. The overwhelming majority of them (72,3 %) coming from the South. The factors that compelled Italians to leave their homeland are the condition of the land (the infertility land and primitive agricultural methods) and poor economic conditions in Italy during this period, particularly in the southern regions. These problem increased after 1880, when Italian agriculture exports were curtailed by tariff and its crops and people decimated by epidemic. These push factors were combined with the expansion of America industry, which wanted cheap, unskilled labor. The Italian government also saw the advantages of emigration, since it provided a social safety valve the relieved economic pressure on the country by reducing the population most likely to push for social. Moreover, the financially government became increasingly aware the immigrants remittances provided it with badly needed capital, which became important for the economy.
For Italians, the period of mass migration, which saw the arrival of more than 3 million Italians between 1880 and 1914, ended with World War I. These immigrants found work on ranches, mines, fishing, manufacturing, and industry, and most of this work requiring unskilled labor and long hours. In the first of the 1900s, of the approximately 2,3 million Italians who came to the United States, three-quarters went to the heavily urbanized states of New York (993.113), Pennsylvania (429.200), Massachusetts 9154.882), and New Jersey (118.680).
World War I and Immigration Restriction
World War I dramatically changed migration patterns and also the attitude of many Italian immigrants residing in the United States. The dangers of travel across the Atlantic, coupled with the need for military manpower in Europe served to severely restrict emigration, which once again fell to a trickle. All immigration to the United States declined during this period, and Italians was no exception, decreasing from 283.738 arrivals in 1914 to 5.250 in 1918. This war was a critical event that also forced Italian immigrants to consider permanently staying in the United States. Many of them faced the U.S draft and an estimated 300.000 Italians Americans served in the U.S Army.
Italy emerged from the war poor with some problems: unemployment was high, mass unrest, strikes, violence spread, prompting more Italians to look once again to emigration as a way out of their predicament. Almost half a million Italians arrived in the United States in the five years following the end of the war (1919-1924). But, in this time the immigrations to the United States is not easy as before. In the grips of racism, antiradicalism, and religion bias, the United States passed legislation in 1917, 1921, and finally in 1924 named Immigrant Act that restricting the new immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europeans. Under this act, a maximum yearly quota of 150.000 immigrants (from outside the America) were to be admitted to the U.S, with Italian eligible for 3845 of these slots. In 1925, after the Immigrant Act was passed, a total of 6203 Italian immigrant arrived. Many Italian immigrants now opted to become permanent settlers and the number of Italian women and family groups increased.
Work and Community
In the United States, Italians settled in and dominated specific neighborhoods (often called "Little Italy"), where they could interact with one another, establish a familiar cultural presence, and find favorite foods. Many Italian immigrants arrived with little cash since most had been peasant farmers in Italy, they lacked craft skills and, therefore, generally performed manual labor. Civic and social life flourished in Italian-American neighborhoods, with many people belonging to hometown societies to the same American neighborhood meant that even new immigrants had extensive social networks which helped in the adjustment at America. In such cities as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco they create what become known as urban villages. Many Italians arrived in the United States hoping to earn enough money to return home and set themselves up in a business or with a farm. Among immigrant groups to America, Italians had the highest rate of returning to the old country.
Mulberry Street, along which New York’s Little Italy is centered. Lower East Side, circa 1900.
Wihin these communities, Italian immigrant developed a series of organizations and institutions that provided them with cultural, physical, and financial support. Mutual aid societies provided the immigrant with a form of insurance in case of sickness and death. Banks were established, which, while often charging high interest, became a source of community development since they were the only agencies that lent money to Italians. Larger communities for example in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, had thriving theater groups that performed both serious play. They found work as miners in the Iron Range of Minnesota; in the coalfields of Ohio, Utah, and Wyoming; in the lumber mills of Washington and California; and in the copper mines of Colorado and Arizona. Others worked as barbers, shoemakers, and shopkeepers and women often took in wash and cooked for boarders in order to support their families.
Facing Discrimination
Americans have always had ambivalent feelings toward immigrants. Many Americans doubted that Southern Italians were white, and they were viewed as having dangerous criminal tendencies and believed to be prone to crimes of passion and vengeance. Italians were criticized for the color of their skin, for being too friendly to blacks, and for being “dirty, lazy, ignorant, and prone to violence.” In the twenty-year period starting with the lynching of eleven defenseless Italians in New Orleans in 1890, more than twenty Italian immigrants were lynched in the South. Still, it was the basic assumption of the teacher that Italian immigrant children were a problem element. The children (mostly boys, who were allowed more freedom than their sister) spent more time with their group in the street, forming the gangs so well. These sons only saw the possibility of advancement through rackets and petty crime. So, there’s no doubt that some Italians did gain notoriety in crime.
Labor Activism and Political Involvement
The Italian American activism was concentrated in the economic sector. For Italian Americans the interwar period was fraught with contradictions. Especially the grandchildren of the first arrivals, felt assimilated and accepted, whereas more recent arrivals, felt the sting of discrimination and prejudice. They began working in the automobile plants of Detroits and the steel mills of Pittsburgh and other industries, where wages increased with the cost of living. Others still working in menial tasks and working for very low wages. These conditions made to labor activism and strikes and made Italian radicals became the target of imprisonment and deportation.
In early 1897 the coal strikers in the bituminous fields were happened. As the conflict between labor and capital increased in the United States, there were many attracted to socialist and anarchist movements. Chief among them was the 1912 strike in the Lawrence, Massachusetss, mills to protest the company’s pay cut. This was followed by Patterson, New Jersey strike of 1913 which closed down the town’s 300 mills. The others movement were also happened in the coal fields of Virginia and Ohio to the garment industry of Chicago and New York, the factory and construction sites of the Atlantic seaboard, etc. During this period, many Italians deported as “alien radicals”
reference: A Nation of Book Peoples edited by Elliot Robert B
The first Italians come to the United States in the late 1800s. This first arrival were explores, soldiers, sailors, missionaries, and adventures who helped who helped the Spanish, French, English, and Portuguese exploration and settlement of North America. Between 1820 and 1873, 12000 Italians arrived in the United States. These arrivals, most of whom intended to settle permanently, were generally from Northern. Many of them were educated skilled workers, like teachers, musicians, sculptors, and other craftsmen. They move to America to get freedom in political and religion. By the end of this period, Italian cold be found in every state of the Union, the largest number residing in California, New York, and Louisiana. The composition of Italian Immigrants began to change between 1860 and 1880. Although most still came from the North, more also began to arrive from Southern Italy. Many of these arrivals were peasants and farm laborers who intended to remain only a few months or years before returning to Italy.
The Great Migration
After 1880, the trickle of Italian immigrants turned into a flood. Between 1880 and 1914, more than 3 millions Italians officially entered the United States. The overwhelming majority of them (72,3 %) coming from the South. The factors that compelled Italians to leave their homeland are the condition of the land (the infertility land and primitive agricultural methods) and poor economic conditions in Italy during this period, particularly in the southern regions. These problem increased after 1880, when Italian agriculture exports were curtailed by tariff and its crops and people decimated by epidemic. These push factors were combined with the expansion of America industry, which wanted cheap, unskilled labor. The Italian government also saw the advantages of emigration, since it provided a social safety valve the relieved economic pressure on the country by reducing the population most likely to push for social. Moreover, the financially government became increasingly aware the immigrants remittances provided it with badly needed capital, which became important for the economy.
For Italians, the period of mass migration, which saw the arrival of more than 3 million Italians between 1880 and 1914, ended with World War I. These immigrants found work on ranches, mines, fishing, manufacturing, and industry, and most of this work requiring unskilled labor and long hours. In the first of the 1900s, of the approximately 2,3 million Italians who came to the United States, three-quarters went to the heavily urbanized states of New York (993.113), Pennsylvania (429.200), Massachusetts 9154.882), and New Jersey (118.680).
World War I and Immigration Restriction
World War I dramatically changed migration patterns and also the attitude of many Italian immigrants residing in the United States. The dangers of travel across the Atlantic, coupled with the need for military manpower in Europe served to severely restrict emigration, which once again fell to a trickle. All immigration to the United States declined during this period, and Italians was no exception, decreasing from 283.738 arrivals in 1914 to 5.250 in 1918. This war was a critical event that also forced Italian immigrants to consider permanently staying in the United States. Many of them faced the U.S draft and an estimated 300.000 Italians Americans served in the U.S Army.
Italy emerged from the war poor with some problems: unemployment was high, mass unrest, strikes, violence spread, prompting more Italians to look once again to emigration as a way out of their predicament. Almost half a million Italians arrived in the United States in the five years following the end of the war (1919-1924). But, in this time the immigrations to the United States is not easy as before. In the grips of racism, antiradicalism, and religion bias, the United States passed legislation in 1917, 1921, and finally in 1924 named Immigrant Act that restricting the new immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europeans. Under this act, a maximum yearly quota of 150.000 immigrants (from outside the America) were to be admitted to the U.S, with Italian eligible for 3845 of these slots. In 1925, after the Immigrant Act was passed, a total of 6203 Italian immigrant arrived. Many Italian immigrants now opted to become permanent settlers and the number of Italian women and family groups increased.
Work and Community
In the United States, Italians settled in and dominated specific neighborhoods (often called "Little Italy"), where they could interact with one another, establish a familiar cultural presence, and find favorite foods. Many Italian immigrants arrived with little cash since most had been peasant farmers in Italy, they lacked craft skills and, therefore, generally performed manual labor. Civic and social life flourished in Italian-American neighborhoods, with many people belonging to hometown societies to the same American neighborhood meant that even new immigrants had extensive social networks which helped in the adjustment at America. In such cities as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco they create what become known as urban villages. Many Italians arrived in the United States hoping to earn enough money to return home and set themselves up in a business or with a farm. Among immigrant groups to America, Italians had the highest rate of returning to the old country.
Mulberry Street, along which New York’s Little Italy is centered. Lower East Side, circa 1900.
Wihin these communities, Italian immigrant developed a series of organizations and institutions that provided them with cultural, physical, and financial support. Mutual aid societies provided the immigrant with a form of insurance in case of sickness and death. Banks were established, which, while often charging high interest, became a source of community development since they were the only agencies that lent money to Italians. Larger communities for example in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, had thriving theater groups that performed both serious play. They found work as miners in the Iron Range of Minnesota; in the coalfields of Ohio, Utah, and Wyoming; in the lumber mills of Washington and California; and in the copper mines of Colorado and Arizona. Others worked as barbers, shoemakers, and shopkeepers and women often took in wash and cooked for boarders in order to support their families.
Facing Discrimination
Americans have always had ambivalent feelings toward immigrants. Many Americans doubted that Southern Italians were white, and they were viewed as having dangerous criminal tendencies and believed to be prone to crimes of passion and vengeance. Italians were criticized for the color of their skin, for being too friendly to blacks, and for being “dirty, lazy, ignorant, and prone to violence.” In the twenty-year period starting with the lynching of eleven defenseless Italians in New Orleans in 1890, more than twenty Italian immigrants were lynched in the South. Still, it was the basic assumption of the teacher that Italian immigrant children were a problem element. The children (mostly boys, who were allowed more freedom than their sister) spent more time with their group in the street, forming the gangs so well. These sons only saw the possibility of advancement through rackets and petty crime. So, there’s no doubt that some Italians did gain notoriety in crime.
Labor Activism and Political Involvement
The Italian American activism was concentrated in the economic sector. For Italian Americans the interwar period was fraught with contradictions. Especially the grandchildren of the first arrivals, felt assimilated and accepted, whereas more recent arrivals, felt the sting of discrimination and prejudice. They began working in the automobile plants of Detroits and the steel mills of Pittsburgh and other industries, where wages increased with the cost of living. Others still working in menial tasks and working for very low wages. These conditions made to labor activism and strikes and made Italian radicals became the target of imprisonment and deportation.
In early 1897 the coal strikers in the bituminous fields were happened. As the conflict between labor and capital increased in the United States, there were many attracted to socialist and anarchist movements. Chief among them was the 1912 strike in the Lawrence, Massachusetss, mills to protest the company’s pay cut. This was followed by Patterson, New Jersey strike of 1913 which closed down the town’s 300 mills. The others movement were also happened in the coal fields of Virginia and Ohio to the garment industry of Chicago and New York, the factory and construction sites of the Atlantic seaboard, etc. During this period, many Italians deported as “alien radicals”
reference: A Nation of Book Peoples edited by Elliot Robert B
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