RA- killer culture

Killer Culture was written by David Kupelian; A truly thought provoking work. Kupelian has written two books besides the above mentioned: “The Marketing of Evil” which details a generation of Americans who have come to live with conditions unseen to their parents. In his book “How Evil Works” David examines what he sees as all that is corrupt in this country: “…with insights into the hidden mechanisms of seduction, corruption, religion, and power politics.”(Amazon.com) Kupelian is also the managing editor of WorldNetDaily.com

I believe David Kupelian’s Killer Culture is intended for all those who are unaware of the changing trends, most of which have proven to be unfavorable for the health of the nation, as well as the individual. Parents may be concerned to find out the reasons for their child’s discontentment. There is a focus on young children, as they are the future consumers. Upon hearing the title “Killer Culture” the reader might be expecting something extremely negative, who knows, even cannibalistic. In a way it is both. The text portrays the truly negative, self-mutilating state of our society. It’s a dog eat dog economy where anything goes, and your own species is seen as nothing more as a resource for your person gain.

  David knows first hand the influence mass media has on children. His own son was torn as to which path he should follow; family ideals or pop culture’s ideals. The members of society might have a more hands on experience of the effects of corporations or the ghetto, but no one’s world is the same as David’s.

   The reason for writing Killer Culture, in my opinion is to remind us or even widen our perspective of where we have been, where we are, and where we are going. He is reminding us of the power we have in our decision making. A writer can only offer everything that they are. The real changes have to come from the people when they are ready. Which seems to be near given that we are not satisfied, though the corporations cultivate our dissatisfaction. For if they supplied products that would make people content for a long period of time they would have nothing to sell, no one would be buying. It is this fact that forces me to believe that corporations are not trustable.

  It is the grave situation/future that our children face that inspired David Kupelian to offer solutions.  For all those who feel as if they are being used by the system, but are not sure of the mechanisms David is here to lay them out. The writer is in a position outside of the world of which he speaks. Although he has done his research, David does not know what it is like to live in the ghetto, to live the life of an MTV idol. He merely wants us all to understand the impact all infomercials are having on our youth. Not just the youth of America but the whole world is in range of corporate imperialism. American TV and Movies, for example are …”popular because they’re popular”. –(pg. 830) Coming from a religious background Kupelian is aiming to claim that our culture has become vile and completely immoral. When will having love be greater then the love of having.

  David clearly comes from a classical standpoint which sees rap, rapidly changing culture, and gangster lifestyle as a very bad thing.

  

Works Cited

http://www.amazon.com/David-Kupelian/e/B001JRYOEQ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower_(magazine)

David Kupelian “Killer Cultures” pg. 647-825

RR: “Killer Culture”

Brian Laufer

Stacy Knapp

English 1A

14 April 2013

RR: “Killer Culture”

This piece starts by critically analyzing at what point a culture is programed into an individual. It is the young child that is most the susceptible to outside influence. Todays seemingly ever changing, often chaotic, highly commercial culture is having much more of a say in who children strive to be, how they choose to live, and what they live for then their parents have influence. Children are so much like parrots: copying everything they perceive. More accurately, they imitate their peers often unconsciously.

       Much of the culture youth are adopting today was bred in the ghetto, or lower class urban areas of America. Gangster styles, music, images, and language have become “cool” or “in”. Often violent, rivetingly disobedient to the laws, gangster culture is seemingly everywhere. I personally enjoy conscious, mainly underground hip-hop, imbued with wisdom and life lessons and do not believe it all will have a negative effect on children. Most middle class parents are in disagreement with their young child’s adoption of this culture, unless they are part of it or do not want to be any part of it.

  Corporations pay close attention to their customers, “literally sending spies to infiltrate young peoples social settings to gather intelligence”. -“Merchants of Cool” Via media children are major targets following trends, and creating them. Infomercials of all kinds have gotten ruthless, vulgar, profane, not sparing a child’s innocence. Younger and younger age groups are being exposed to the culture built by these companies. What they are serving is initially stimulating but ultimately unsatisfying. After all why would they tell you how to be happy by your own means, when they could sell it to you.

     Media is encouraging sexuality at increasingly younger ages. Now there is almost an expectation for teenagers to be sexual. There is now an image for both sexes that basically blows traditional modesty out the door. There is a general narcissistic, arrogant attitude portrayed typically called the “mook”. “The mook is a marketing caricature of the wild, uninhibited, outrageous, and amoral sex manic”. – (Kupelian pg.652) For males having had sex in the teenage years is a big status symbol. There is also an unnatural image for girls, sometimes called the midriff, this figure is terribly self conscious, really just wants to be loved but has forgotten or never learned how to recognize it. “She is consumed by appearances…”. She thoroughly believes: “I am a sexual object, but I am proud of it”. – (Kupelian pg.652) And again, if these girls were insured that they were all beautiful by the companies, who would buy “beauty products”.

    There are then those who are in love with death or so it seems that way. This kind of person is not recognizing the life in the world but especially within themselves. They may have a love of destruction and or self-destruction. “The self mutilator is someone who has found that physical pain can be a cure for emotional pain”. –(Kupelian pg.658) I myself have practiced what I would call self mutilation: Basically I antagonized my cat to a point which she would attack and tear up my wrists to the point of blood shed. I see this now as a form of cutting.