Remix culture and my career

Previously mentioned, I am a follower of many blogs. I mentioned the blog of Communication Arts and HOW magazines, but I did not mention the other magazine that helps form the graphic design trifecta. Print magazine, the blog of which is Imprint.

The other day, while catching up on the thousands of unread blog posts in my feed, I stumbled on this little gem on Imprint.



Despite the fairly awful picture, this article speaks volumes to me about what we have been talking about in class, and conveniently marries this rhetorical concept of remixing with my career! My favorite quote of the article: "This is no longer just comedy, this is now cultural critique." Amen. To perform a polygamous marriage to another aspect of my mystory's popcycle, this can also be joined to the entertainment portion of my life. One thing I learned from Outlander and adapted to my own ideology is that our culture is so harmfully consumptive, that is, we have lost sight of what is important and are focused solely on monetary and sensory gain. Paula Deen, nice, Southern, butter-lovin lady that she is, has unwillingly become the emblem of sorts for certain subculture's criticism of this movement. For some reason, her love of horrendously unhealthy southern cooking has become a symbol for the disastrously degenerative effects that consumption has had on our culture. And when Daniel Ryan created the Deen remix, he made a cultural critique (that many viewers probably don't even realize) through a medium that speaks to today's youtube generation. Though cultural criticism can still be bought in book form, or article form, smart modern folks know that our attention spans are waning daily, and the best way to reach young adults is through avenues like remix videos. (Basically, criticizing the monster through a symbol of that monster. Makes for a good sociological analysis, huh?)