Connecting with Celebrities

I guess the "celebrity" I feel most connected with would have to be Kevin Smith. Some criticise his work as being something that only the "geek" culture can relate to. To this I say "That might be true, but no other writer/director understands his or her target audience like Kevin Smith." This is because Kevin Smith is very much a "geek" himself; a character trait that gives him a perceived personal connection with his fans. This makes him very approachable during interview/conventions etc, often telling personal stories and cracking jokes about his experience with the industry. I am both a movie goer and a comic book fan. That being being said I have been exposed to his work in both mediums and because he is actively involved in two of my favorite forms of media its almost like Kevin Smith is unintentionally catering to my interest. I know he isn't but his work is so enjoyable it almost seems that way.

Keeping In Touch

As strange as it might sound, I find that more I focus on school the less "in touch" I am with world at large. Some might find that college helps you to be more in tune to the world around you but I find it to be the exact opposite. The more I focus on school work the less I focus "the news." I attribute this to the fact that I'm really not a "new buff" current world events are things that I check up on only if I have some leisure time and I usually use that kind of time for other activities. However I'm always on the Internet for both school and lesiure so most my "keeping in touch" comes from the web. Rather than subscribe to a newspaper I prefer to visit a website were I can see it for free. Email also plays an important part in "keeping in touch," comeing mostly from my mother when I don't call her for weeks on end ect. ect. Although I watch very little televison (nowadays) most of what I watch is usually C-Span coverage or other media corespondents.

Discovering Politics

My first with politics was with the 1996 presidential election. My parents liked Clinton so I liked Clinton. For a while that was extent of it, but naturaly has I got older I began to understand how polotics work and what borh parties usually suport etc, etc. However I don't think I've made an firm decsion on polotics until the most recent presidential election (this was the first one I was actually able to vote in so go figure). Up until just recently my poltical ideals were very flipfloped, I supported the war on terror but I didn't like a repulican controled Senate, ect, ect. It is only in my college years that I began to take notice on just how much poltics affect me.

Interpreting Technologies

The Personal Computer, it was said sometime in the 1980s that eventually every home in America would have at least one. Whoever made this claim turned out to be correct for the most part. What began as a cult following in 1973 in now a worldwide phenomenon. The PC represents the quintessence of what technology can achieve in terms of mainstream use and acceptance. It has gotten to the point where it is hard to imagine life without the conveniences the PC can provide. Imagine attending college without the use of the Internet, imagine libraries without computers. Its not has if the planet would seize to function but people have become so conditioned to these conveniences that it would become near impossibel to go back to the way things used to be.

Identifying With Music

My personal taste in music comes not really from my generation but rather from my parents generation. When all the kids were rockin out to the flavor of the week I was listening to folk music form the 1960s. I enjoyed people like Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, and Don McLean as opposed more recent artists. This is not say I listened only to old music but if I had to pick a favorite song "American Pie" or "The Times are a Changin" would always rank higher than songs like "Buddy Holly" or "Smells Like Teen Spirit." So what did I gain from my love of 60s-70s folk rock? I think a gained an aperciation for the era. I became interested in the history behind the music and what the artists were really trying to say about the government, and the lifestyle was percieved to be the "American Dream." As I grew older I learned about the events surronding the music, and the poltical divide that devined the era. In a way the music not only gave me a healthy interest in history but in part also helped to shape my poltical views. As such I feel that by continuing to enjoy those artists I am helping to preserve a part of America's history.