ginger griffin, 4/21

As mentioned in yesterdays class, when celebrities do anything, the greater half of the population will follow in their footsteps. This is not to exclude the following of adoption outside the United States in other countries and ethnicities. Take for example, Brad and Angelina or Madonna. They have adopted, or are in the process of adopting , multiple children from around the world: Korea, China, Malawi...etc. Americans, not at celebrity status, are following suit and adopting from many different countries. This has now become the norm.


The "norm" concept is also seen in advertising such as the Aunt Jamima ad. "It is within the commercial realm of advertising that the drama of Otherness finds expression (370)." Hooks can be easily related to the television show on Comedy Central, SouthPark. It is in this show that constantly pushes the boundaries of what if considered normal and what is not. On the show you have many characters that are seen as the "other" but at the same time, are now considered normal. Take for instance the character Token. He is the only Black child on the show, and his name stems from the term "Token black kid".

It seems that today "otherness" is more widely excepted in almost all aspects of life. Once it becomes the hegemonic norm, it will no longer be the "other". This relates to Hebdige when he talks about the counter culture, and an example would be of Marilyn Manson. When he was first noticed he was extremely considred the "other" but through mainstream media and constant commodification, he is now considered to be the norm. If something is showed to the greater population over and over again, it becomes normal to us and and eventually loses its power as "different"