all things californian

Dealing in the Suburbs

If anyone has Showtime then I highly recommend them to watch the show "Weeds". This show is the epitome of the California dream of economic opportunity. As the seasons continue you'll see that it turns more into the dream of economic prosperity. A recently widowed mother from an affluent neighborhood in California must turn to drug dealing just to keep her head above the water. Typical to spoiled Californians, she never actually considers getting a real job, and sees dealing pot as her only option to support her family. While it is at times hilarious, and eventually grows somewhat darker as time progresses, it is still a serious look into the real lives of many people residing in California. I guess what it really shows is that "keeping up with the Joneses" is a more serious dillema in California, and that dream of money goes quickly from a necessity to a greedy, desperate luxury.

California, Find yorself here

There is a prominent dream in California as being a place of endless vacation. People are under the impression that life is easy, fun, and laid-back, with no responsibilities or need of work here in California. Where could people possibly get this deranged idea? I mean, I go to school full time and work part time, I feel like all i do is work work work. One theory i have as to how this idea is being spread is the commercial frequently aired with the title California, Find Yourself Here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md69zCJKD1c In this commercial the opening line states that people think that life in California is just one big vacation. Tt goes on saying that it's not, showing scenes of people "working" and using a play on words, such as a woman on a surf board saying they have board meetings. The whole commercial is full of fun activities with witty phrases connecting them to work. This is quite a nice fantasy of California, and sure every body would love if this were true, but the fact is, California is like a bee hive, with thousands of people who have to work if they have a prayer of surviving here. 

california Raisins.

California is well known for its way of trying to sell itself; especially in aid to its agricultural departments. With several ads and slogans for dairy and fruits distribution, it’s no wonder that eventually someone from the state would come up with something so strange like dancing raisins. The dancing raisins were inspired from the exhaustion of ideas for new advertisements. The ad campaign received popularity almost immediately with four full album releases and a cartoon series. This kind of commercial reveals a very peculiar thing about California. While the state itself has become would wide known for some of its natural beauty, it still shows a need or insecurity with its own image that it still needs to fight to promote an image of something greater. When id does manage to come up with something new to portray itself it really is something unique. But at the same time, it promotes a whole other aspect of California culture that says, if you’re not the greatest, you’re not trying hard enough. This might be the reason the state has places like Hollywood where people have to consistently fight to uphold an image or suffer the horrid feeling of likeness with someone or something else. Then again, it could just be a lucky strike of an advertisement that managed to come up with something really quirky. In the end, the California raisins manage to establish themselves as a key element to what California is. A place where strange things often come out, and are well appreciated. 

"THE" Dream...

The greatest Californian dreams ranging from hopes for riches and fame to those who wish the impossible, these dreams are mostly put in the head of younger children and teenagers. For not being the individual that the society in California wants, for example, not being financially empowered or the unwilling of a young teenager to receive an education, the creation of a machine has been molded. These examples are just two of many more of how the California dream has been created to benefit a small handful of people. Who might those people be? It might be those men and ladies living in big fancy houses that look down on the blue collar working class. The idea that California should be represented as the greatest place has created a world where all the wrongs and bad things such as drugs sexual exploitation crime or basically anyone who is not the owner of the big fancy house. In California the idea that every individual is molded into being a college student is unrealistic, ok the world does need educational leaders but the same world does need just as bad the working class. From plumber’s landscapers and anyone who may fit in between, these where the creators of the great land of California and in a sense California has lost the backbone in which it was created on. The selfish California dream is the real reason to why many pursuit all the great things on this golden state. If you take a look around almost everyone at this time is out to get theirs in a sense, what I mean is that we all do what we do in a selfish manner and that what I do will better me in a way. A teacher might say that he is in it for students but in reality he or she might just be happy knowing that "I" did something and now "I" feel better. My California dream of survival in an injustice world :)

This is all I was able to write after having writers block so yeah. . . (P.S. not intended to be offensive either)

Rags to Riches

                                        Arnold Schwarzenegger, a man who has sculpted his very own body and life into a work of art. He is well know for being Mr. Universe multiple times and also a big time movie star, but he wasn’t always the iconic figure he is today. Arnold was born in Austria where he was raised until the ripe age of 18. It is custom in Austria to serve in the military when you turn 18, so they of course accepted Arnold right in. Arnold would ditch his post to go compete in body building contests, not the most noble thing to do but it was his dream to compete as a professional body builder. After winning a contest it became obvious that he was going AWOL, seeing as you can’t be in two places at once. He later won the Mr. Universe contest which earned Arnold his ticket to the US where he started a brick laying company. When he first arrived he barely even spoke English and now he is a household name across the nation due to his career as a movie star and now as the governor of California. The dream that Arnold sought out in America had been found in California.
     Arnold’s older brother died in a car accident and their father blamed Arnold for the death of the “better” son. He has been living his life for the both of them ever since. Arnold has had to bare the blame for his brother’s death as he continued on to the US later on in life. Even though his father didn’t believe in him he believed in himself. Arnold is a modern-day embodiment of the phrase “rags to riches.” The California dream since the gold rush has been to strike it rich and he did just that. Arnold’s father was never a real inspiration to him but he always wanted to be somebody. Arnold always felt that he needed to be a rebel and not conform to what others were doing. He wanted to be different, unique, and somebody. Arnold shaped both his body and his life into works of art.

Hollywood at it's Worst

     California is known for its glamorous life style of Hollywood and Tinsel Town is the California Dream. Well, now and days Tinsel Town is ran by drugs, alcohol addicts, and incriminated celebrities. Do you really dream of living the life of a drug addict celebrity? I surely do not but I now many who look up to celebrities and those people are our younger generations, kids in elementary schools and middle schools here in California are becoming subjective into the life style of drugs and illegal drinking.

      I was on my way to school today listening to the radio station (93.3 FM) and I heard about Lindsay Lohan and her cocaine scandal in Teddy's nightclub in the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. She was caught on video with her friends doing cocaine. She stuck her finger in a little bag of "dust" and stuck it up her friend's nose then did a line her self. Now, one of her friends was video taping this and leaked it out and told information about the other occasions of drug related situations that she has encountered with Lindsay.

   I rather blame myself. I read the gossip and watch E True Hollywood. If celebrity gossip and life style was not so needed as entertainment maybe there life syle will not be mimicked and young teens will not be easily influenced by there dysfunctional life. By this possible causing, the celebrities to realize there mistakes and start acting like mature role models for everyone in the world.

  In addition, if these celebrities keep doing "unacceptable things" here in California, how do you think that will portray California to be? I would not want to bring my kids to a place where there role models do drugs, break rules and get away with it. I already fear that my younger sister will be willing enough to imitate here celebrity role models. We are Californians need to do something!

For more information on the cocaine scandals, check out The Australian New!

Hope Keeps 'em Comin

Hope, fame, success, money, and risk come together to comprise the California Dream.  In many ways, American Idol is a show that takes all of these elements and illustrates the realities of the California Dream.  Those of us who have seen only one or two episodes and those of us who Tivo every single one, have seen the thousands of people who try out to be the next "American Idol."  However, every single one of those people knows that only one wil l make it.  But does this stop them?  No!  The hope that "it could be me" abides in the heart of all those trying out.  This is exactly the attitude that drives people to California. We have talked so much about how in reality California is losing its once abundant opportunity.  The question always presents itself, will the diminishing opportunity turn future success seekers away?  American Idol contains the answer to that question.  No.  Hope always will bring people to California as it remains to be the "golden ticket" to success.

The Dream got shot

I've seen some distubing news about people been shot for trying to get across the us borde. I have seen in the news that many illegal aliens(humans) that rare been shot when they try to cross the boarder. These dreamers are trying to get across the boarder because they want to make money to have abetteer life in california where they can be free. these dreamers that come to california they come to work the land like they do in their country of origen the only diference is that their country does not give them the enough money to survive so they have to go to places were they cam make the sufficient money to survive and send to love ones. These illegal Humans come to the United States to make some money to send to their poor families in Me'xico or any part of Latin America.Their dream of a place where tehy can be free, some times is full of obstacles for example people at the border of Me'xico and USA are trying to keep these dreamers away from the US and they do that by shooting at them which it scares these illegal people. Many of these times that illegal people get shot is by border patrol agents that try to protect tem selves from people trying to trow tem a rock. these dreamers are been shot and many don't even try to come again because they are so afraid that they'll get shot or killed they'll  rather stay at home than to come to get killed. I think that every one should be free to live their dreams but there are barriers and obstacles that keep people away from living their dreams. I also think that this world was created without barriers or obstacles that keep people away from their dreams.I also think that this worl was created for everybody to live in peace and harmony after all we are al brothers and sisters no matter the race or color because we have the same heart.

Entourage and california

In the show entourage for those of you who don't know is about an actor and his group of friends who are his entourage doing specific jobs for the actor such as his driver, cook, and manager talks about the struggle for making it big in the movie industry. This show (featured on HBO) if you haven't seen it I personally recommend doing so is a great way of showing the concept of fame and very comically display this concept through and through. The struggle for making it big is shown through the agent for the movie star providing a closer look on his job pressures advising the manager that does not listen is very comical. The movie star is very picky on what he would like to act as making it more and more difficult for the agent also the stars avid spending problem is yet another of the many problems the agent has to deal with. Leading back to the big picture of the course it gives insight into the hollywood lifestyle as not as easy as it seems to make it big in the industry. The glamorous hollywood actor is constantly on the go to accomplish his or her goals that sometimes become harder than ever thought of.

Your're Fired!

     Of course we all know were the phrase "You're Fired" comes from, Donald Trump, from his hit Television show The Apprentice.  The Apprentice is probably in my top five television shows that my family and I like to watch together.  Every Sunday night at 10:00 P.M. my family and I would watch one of our favorite T.V. shows that had aired during the week. 

     The show had made a move this season in its history, to the beautiful Southern California instead of usually filming in Manhattan, New York.  It also had its twits also, contestants on the show would have earn to live like Mr. Trump each week, which would be in a mansion.  But if a team would lose a task they would have to sleep in tent city, which is taken in the back yard of the mansion where the losing team would sleep in tents, shower in outdoor showers and go to the restrooms in port-a-potties.

     Team Arrow Corp had won the task!  For team Arrow's successful win their prize was to fly in a private jet to meet the Governor, Arnold Schwarznegger.  One of the contestants asked Arnold how was it coming to California and trying to live the California dream, because after all he was an immigrant like James (Project manager contestant) was from Korea.  Arnold said that this was the best place in the world for opportunities.  Although there were hardships and at the beginning the movie business told him it can't be done he never looked back.

     Becoming The Apprentice is a huge career opportunity especially working for a legendary and successful man like the Trump.  When I was watching this particular episode I said to myself "wow this is what I am going to write about in one of my blogs."  California is a state where people come for better opportunities and to live the California dream.

     This episode fell into what we are learning about as a class and also the book that we are reading in class, California Dreams and Realities.  This challenges the California dream by wanting better opportunities and living the California dream. All of the contestants are fighting to be the next the next Apprentice. As Arnold said "Pain is temporary but film is forever."