Jargon of K-Pop

 Posted by on Sun, 10/23 at 7:36pm  ideas  No Responses »
Oct 232016
 

When I was thinking about our assignment for  artifacts related to my topic, I thought about using words. Words every K-Pop fan learns as they become immersed in the exciting world of K-Pop and in turn they start using with other K-Pop fans. But then I wondered, how would that work? Would they have to be relevant to only today’s audience? Would they be words that are still being used and their meanings have changed? In English, we are constantly modifying the way we speak and changing the meaning of words. Take the word gay for example. This word started out a meaning joyful, carefree and happy. In the 17th century it changed to mean addicted to pleasures.  In the 19th century the meaning changed again. It now mean a woman who was a prostitute and a gay man was man who slept with a lot of women, usually prostitutes. It wasn’t until the 1920s and 1930s that this word changed to mean homosexual. As you can see the word is an artifact of sorts and at the same time it represents the different cultures that used the words. Just like any subject area, even K-Pop has its own jargon that the fans used. The K-Pop jargon reflects the Korean culture while at the same time separates the fans from the non-fans. In this post, I’ll explain some commonly used words.

  1. Oppa (oh-pa)/Hyung (h-young) – These words are used to refer to male artists who are older than the speaker. Oppa is what females would say and hyung males. They are used either as terms of endearment or to show a close relationship. Fans use them to flirt and show affection.
  2. Noona (nu-na)/Unnie (uh-ni)- The same as Oppa/hyung except used to refer to female artists who are older than the speaker. Noona is used by males and Unnie used by females.
  3. Aegyo (eh-g-yo) – when the artist is acting cute and showing their charms. This is done by both male and female artists
  4. Comeback – When the artist returns with a new project (song/album, drama, etc.)
  5. Sasaeng – a super obsessed fan who goes over the top when showing their love for their artist (e.g. following them around in a taxi all day, stalking, etc.)
  6. Daebak – awesome, wow, great
  7. Maknae – the youngest (whether in a situation family or in terms of the group members age)
  8. All-kill – when an artist/s reach number 1 on all (Korean) digital music charts
  9. Netizens – internet citizens
  10. Skinship – when the artist shows affection to its members or other artists
  11. Idol – what most k-pop artists are referred to since they are trained to be performers and uses their looks and appearance to earn money (opinion of the Korean public)
  12. Artist – those who use their musical talent to add depth and meaning to their music. also used interchangeably with idol. (has more respect than idol from the Korean public)

 

when_you__re_a_kpop_fan____by_2alicehoney2-d54l0fw

IDEAS/Cultural Artifacts (replacement): (Oct. 23)

 Posted by on Sun, 10/23 at 7:06pm  artifact ideas, ideas  No Responses »
Oct 232016
 

(Note to the Professor: this post is replacing this weeks “Ideas” post.)

The three artifacts I will be discussing are the same ones I selected and talked about for last week’s post on cultural artifacts (mine is the post titled “IDEAS: In the Air: Strawhats, Models, and Opponents (O.G. 10/16; updated 10/13”)).

Cultural Artifacts related to my topic I could write about for a future paper include:

(just for the record, my topic concerns differing conceptions of Luffy — lead protagonist of the manga One Piece and his ship’s captain — as a leader, either good or bad, and how these views are disposed by bloggers, forum commentator, and vloggers.)

  1. Gol D. Roger’s strawhat: As the hat which was originally the old King of the Pirate’s (Gol D. Roger) property, the story and Luffy himself are crucially tied to it. The idea that there is much freedom in the open, blue seas is heavily contrasted by the idea that fate is actually at the helm of the ship, and that ship’s captain just so happens to be the man who now hold’s the strawhat, Monkey D. Luffy. It has much symbolic value for the discussion of leadership and perhaps even symbols associated with it. Vloggers argue over its significance in the story, and some even have it in the background of their One Piece discussion videos.
  2. Full Crew Cosplay: The idea of forming a crew is almost non-existant without the presumption that will someone (or some few) will have to step up and command leadership positions for the crew. The crew itself is tied to the “followers” though. When groups of cosplayers come together and all manage to organize that everyone of them follows through with the idea that all 9 need to get together and be dressed as individual member of the current 9-member Straw Hat Pirate crew (Luffy’s crew), I think that is highly significant of power structures at play. Leadership its self is presumed on the idea that the group member together make a kind of “whole”, which its self in interesting in a metaphysical sense and alludes to leadership often times being “all in the mind”, just like the great “Kings” of before who were always right about whatever the claimed.
  3. “Luffy vs. Strongest Other Person” Match-Up Arguments: Significant in the respect that a new discourse, many consequently in argument form, has arisen concerning what powers one character has to overpower (or not overpower) the other (think back in early High School when some kids could always be heard arguing: “Who would win, Batman or Superman? The Joker or Doc Ock? etc.” Now this kind of discourse has consumed Luffy into it. In an episode when Luffy had to save his brother from execution by fighting the entire Navy-Marine fleet, it revealed by Dracule Mihawk (an observant in the battle at the moment) that Luffy’s greatest power is the power to round up everyone and get them on his side (mostly pirates, even pirates who fought against each other, although there are exceptions). This discourse/discussion could also offer plenty to uncover and extended about the nature of what really makes leaders powerful.

Such would be some of the “cultural artifacts” (although not all very “concrete” ones, so to speak) I would discuss related to my topic if I have to write a paper about them. Thank you!

Sorry. I’m actually Gluten-Intolerant.

 Posted by on Sat, 10/22 at 8:36pm  ideas  No Responses »
Oct 222016
 

The video, How to Become Gluten Intolerant sheds light on a serious issue that permeates hipster culture. It demonstrates how far hipsters will go to stay up to date with fashion trends. We possibly have a subculture of people who think that appropriating an actual disease (Celiac Disease) is fashionable. I personally believe that there is something wrong with this.

The creator of the video shows the viewer what “Gluten-Intolerant” individuals do in order to prove they have the disease. The creator demonstrates that these people even go out of their to shove it in people’s faces, by asking for food and then sending it back for having gluten in it. He also comments on the overwhelming amount of gluten-free dieting books that have come out to support the science behind it. Hipster trends like vegetarianism and veganism usually come out with books proving how much healthier they are for you or how eating meat is bad for you. JP also talks about how these Hipsters will blame other diseases and illnesses like depression and obesity on gluten. This video perfectly exemplifies the dogmatic behaviors employed by Hipster culture. They will sometimes believe that their way of life is ‘holier-than-thou’ and guilt you into living like them. Its strange how exclusive Hipsters are, yet they shame people into becoming like them.

It also seems like JP demonstrates another aspect of Hipster culture, when he tells Hipsters to feign other intolerance. He explains that if someone makes accommodations for them, then they should happen to mention another intolerance like lactose-intolerance. The point of this seems to be that Hipsters display a preference for being different. This purposeful outcast behavior can make hipster go to extremes just to prove their individuality. “This puts you back in the drivers seat.” Somehow being different, special or odd makes them feel more empowered over other individuals.

JP also explains to the viewer that hipsters may actually have no knowledge of nutritional facts or how to eat without dying. He tells the viewer that this doesn’t actually matter. “Preach with conviction that anything that has no glutten in it is healthy.” JP essentially tells the viewer to preach how gluten-free stuff is unhealthy for you until others believe you.

JP intends all of this as a joke to the viewer, making fun of gluten-free hipsters, but stores everywhere are selling gluten-free products. Friends of yours may even buy them, thinking that these products are healthier for you. This misinformation created by this sub-group is misleading the public on what is deemed healthy and unhealthy.

 

Cultural Artifacts

 Posted by on Fri, 10/21 at 9:39am  ideas  3 Responses »
Oct 212016
 

1.) The Golden Rule: All of the major religions revolve around the idea that you should treat others the way you want to be treated. This is good idea, but there are people who think that it’s their way or the highway and discriminate against other groups.

2.) Israel: Jerusalem is the Holy Land for multiple religions and groups in the middle east and they have been fighting over it since the beginning of recorded human history. If religious organizations were as peaceful as they preach, wouldn’t the conflict have been resolved a long time ago?

3) CoeXisT: Those bumper stickers on the back of every opinionated hippie’s car. I wrote a post earlier about their counter-productivity and (while they seem like a good idea) thow they are actually no more helpful than any other bumper sticker at fixing the problem. While everyone SHOULD be able to get along, regardless of creed, history shows us that it won’t be the case. So “coexisting” is still a long way off from where humanity could be.

Song lyrics: The Impact on sexualized culture

 Posted by on Thu, 10/20 at 12:06am  ideas  No Responses »
Oct 202016
 

We all have those songs we love to dance to and sing along to. We may not always pay attention to the lyrics since the beat is so catchy or maybe there are some songs that go really fast and you can’t catch what they are saying. Or maybe there are lyrics that have hidden meaning or seem silly to us, but when you go to look at what they really say it can mean much more than you think. Take for example song Cake by the Ocean by DNCE (Joe Jonas’ new band):

why those feet cold?
We just getting started; don’t you tiptoe, tiptoe,

God damn
See you licking frosting from your own hands
Want another taste, I’m begging, yes ma’am
I’m tired of all this candy on the dry land, dry land, oh

You’re fucking delicious
Talk to me, girl

Talk to me, baby
I’m going blind from this sweet sweet craving, whoa-oh

Red velvet, vanilla, chocolate in my life
Funfetti, I’m ready; I need it every night

This song is clearly talking about sex. Lots of it.

There are some other songs I found that are super fun, but can impact kids’ sexualization. I thought this was an interesting topic to bring up because kids listen to the car radio and listen to their pandora, Iheart radio app ,and itunes and may come across a song that is a little racy and these songs can influence what kids find is fun, normal in culture. It’s important to educate our children and have discussions on what is appropriate behavior and what isn’t. Kids learn about life from what they see and hear. It’s important to guide them to stay true to their values.

Nicki Minaj: Superbass

“And I think I like him better with the fitted cap on

He ain’t even gotta try to put the mac on

He just gotta give me that look, when he give me that look

Then the panties comin’ off, off, unh.

Sir Mix-a-lot: Baby Got Back

“I like big butts and I cannot lie!”

Shakira: Hips Don’t Lie

My hips don’t lie
And I’m starting to feel it’s right
All the attraction, the tension
Don’t you see baby, this is perfection

And I am starting to feel you boy
Come on lets go, real slow

Britney Spears: I’m a Slave for You

I’m a slave for you, I cannot hold it, I cannot control it

I’m a slave for you, I won’t deny it, I’m not trying to hide it

Christina Aguilera: Genie in a Bottle

If you wanna be with me
Baby there’s a price to pay
I’m a genie in a bottle
You gotta rub me the right way

If you wanna be with me
I can make your wish come true
You gotta make a big impression (Oh yeah)
Gotta like what you do

Jessie J:Bang Bang

Bang bang into the room (I know you want it)
Bang bang all over you (I’ll let you have it)
Wait a minute let me take you there (ah)
Wait a minute tell you (ah)
Bang bang there goes your heart (I know you want it)
Back, back seat of my car (I’ll let you have it)

Hailee Steinfeld: Starving

 

I didn’t know that I was starving till I tasted you
Don’t need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo
By the way, by the way, you do things to my body
I didn’t know that I was starving till I tasted you

Selena Gomez: Good for You

You say I give it to you hard
So bad, so bad
Make you never wanna leave
I won’t, I won’t

Gonna wear that dress you like, skin-tight
Do my hair up real, real nice
And syncopate my skin to how you’re breathing

‘Cause I just wanna look good for you, good for you.

Lil Jon: Bedrock

I’m attracted to her for her attractive ass

I be stuck to you like glue baby
Wanna spend it all on you baby
My room is the g-spot
Call me Mr. Flintstone
I can make your bedrock

Ludacris, Lil Jon, Usher: Lovers and Friends

I do, anything just to feel yo’ butt, why you, got me so messed up?
I don’t know but you gotta stop trippin’
be a good girl now turn around and get these whippins
you know you like it like that, you don’t have to fight back
here’s a pillow, bite…that
And I’ll be settin’ seperate plays
so on all the seperate days, yo’ legs can go they seperate, ways

Man Complains about the Cost of a C-Section

 Posted by on Mon, 10/17 at 11:38pm  ideas  No Responses »
Oct 172016
 

The tone of this article was interesting, especially how the writer can speak both as a doctor and mother. It should also be pointed out that fortunately,this family had insurance, so they were not put into substantial debt for the birth of their child. Clearly, the family was prepared for the coming of their child—as if anyone is ever totally prepared for this moment. It is unclear if the C-Section was necessary, or if a natural birth was an option. The point being is that these fees could have possibly been avoidable, they may have opted to have a home birth or a cheaper alternative. This is undoubtedly one of the most stressful imminent dates for excepting parents, but the hospital bills are expected. A service is going to be provided, and it will be expensive.

This article could have offered a dialogue for how the confliction that was caused by how she viewed this as a doctor and mother who had also undergone a C-Section. The individuals in the hospital are trained professionals. In particular, those who are undergoing a backbreaking amount of course work to become doctors—who will have massive debt accumulating without government aid through this time. Once their undergrad, med school, residency, and fellowship are finished they may have given up to 15 years to perform a pertinent function in society. These individuals are questioned by patients who research their possible diagnosis through WebMD, have friends with similar symptoms, or have watched a commercial on T.V. Patients may also disregard advice, lie or even die—this will all weigh on a single individual.  There is also a resentment for the cost of these visits that the doctors do not fully receive—but appear to live sensationalized lives due to media.

However, visiting a hospital for a relatively mundane process like child birth can leave a patient dumbfounded with the bill. Pregnancy just happens. This normally results in a child. How can it be reasonable that this procedure can be so expensive? It does come across as ridiculous. Especially for the charge of laying a tiny human you created on your flesh—which has shown in studies as ridiculously important… you would be an awful parent to not engage in this opportunity (your child may harbor inner resentment forever). This conversation could have opened doors into open and real communications with doctors and patients. There is a lot of distaste and notable aversion to this dialogue. Both parties spend an exponential amount of money to be in this position and no individual is really winning.

Over the Counter Pharmacist

 Posted by on Mon, 10/17 at 11:34pm  ideas  No Responses »
Oct 172016
 

This article presents an interesting perspective for the use of medication to deal with symptoms—we are living in a fortunate time where there are a vast amount of options to lead a pain-free life style. However, this brings into question how knowledgeable are we about the products we are using and the possible side effects. The mentality of this article also causes the reader to consider, why are these headaches occurring, why my nose is running and why am I suffering from gastric distress. This comments on who we are as consumers, and the risks we are willing to take to avoid preplanning and taking the time to take initiative into caring for ourselves. While these are over the counter medications the side effects often don’t seem severe as prescriptions, like have a stroke from birth control or blood thinners. There are obvious effects like liver damage or more subtle results like drowsiness. Just as the article explained, why use Sudafed when you could take non-name-brand pill that is weaker and does not have this effect. Because as consumers, we see a name brand and assume it works better and we feel that we are more knowledgeable about the medication. Which we aren’t. There is also the fact that we are feeling under the weather for specific reasons—if we keep covering up out body’s communications, what good are we doing? If you have a headache you should take into consideration if you are drinking enough water, smoking too many cigarettes or are you not sleeping enough. If your stomach is upset, what did you eat—this is your body explaining that you need to not eat at the same restaurant, you need more fiber or you cannot process lactose. If you feel muscle pain, are you exercising enough, or even too much? Many of these ailments are caused by lifestyle choices that need to be remedied in order to be healthy. There are natural ways to stop these conditions—not huffing lavender oil, but simply making better choices. As life can be stressful and is often moving faster than we are these medications are a god save, but it seems flippant to not take into consideration what caused the discomfort and attempt to fix it.

CaliBRAting the EmBRAcement

 Posted by on Mon, 10/17 at 7:39pm  ideas  No Responses »
Oct 172016
 

Okay, so one cultural artifact I’ve been mulling over is the evolution of the bra. It’s introduced to every girl at the ripe of age of 8 or 9, with the concept of a “training bra.” There are so many different styles and options today, but I think looking at the evolution of the “artifact” and learning how we got here is important, because women in history didn’t have the “luxuries” we have.

Here are a couple of links I found on the subject:

https://www.bustle.com/articles/104975-the-history-of-the-bra-is-as-long-complicated-as-the-history-of-women-in

http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a15269/history-of-the-bra/

http://www.alternet.org/story/59877/a_social_history_of_the_bra

Wearing a Bra Should Be a Personal Choice and Not a Social Norm – Here’s Why

I think there could be (of course, this can be confirmed or denied by further study) a direct correlation between the different types of bodices (handling boobs, for a lack of a better term) to the liberation that women experienced.

There’s different forms of bras as early as Ancient Times in Greek and Roman society, and of course in the Middle ages, but I’m more interested in the American 1900s for right now.

For instance, in the 1920’s, chests were almost binded so girls could attain a “boyish” look that was all the rage in the flapper-era. I’m not sure if this is coincidence or not, but the 1920’s was also the birth of women’s suffrage, and women starting to gain equal footing with men. Of course, women showed off their long legs in short dresses, so they weren’t trying to become masculine, but perhaps a “stowing away” of the boobs and emphasis on flat-chestedness represented a new ideal that women were approaching in this era.

During this time, corsets were not popular because they didn’t have metal to spare during the first and second World War. So instead, women started inventing their own versions of the bra, which quickly caught on and soon became mass produced. Bras also revolutionized fashion, because it radically altered what women could wear, and tons of new designs for evening gowns were produced.

Then there were the “bra-burning feminists,” who, turns out, didn’t actually burn bras. They simply threw them in a “Freedom Trash Can” along with other repressing objects, such as high heels and corsets. But yet someone made the analogy to the burning of anti-war propaganda books in Germany, and it stuck. These feminists have been bashed and are often used to support an “anti-feminist” sentiment, but the fact that the literal burning never took place raises questions. It also relates to today’s controversy of trying to abandon the bra, which I will touch upon at the end.

And then, in the late 1970’s was the invention of the Sports Bra. This opened a new branch for practicality and supported women engaging in athletic activities, once again taking another step close to equality and men. This also coincides with Second Wave Feminism, which had to do women’s reproductive rights as well as more women entering the work force and gaining the respect of their male peers. In fact, this almost echoes the “flapper” style binding of putting the breasts away to focus on other things.

The rhetoric in advertising bras is greatly diverse now. Some stress ultimate comfort for the women, other’s use words like “sexy” to make it sell. There’s almost a bra for every need/want now, in tons of colors and designs. It seems that through this apparel, women have received the maximum amount of liberation, not necessarily in equality to men, but having the freedom to pick how they want to make themselves appear.

However, there’s a lot of controversy with bras. One is the “Free the Nipple” movement, which is trying to make it socially acceptable for women to not wear bras in public and have their nipples exposed through their shirt. I think this is rather interesting, because in many countries in Europe, this is how women normally dress, and they don’t receive adverse judgement because of it. Somehow America has crafted this culture that is for sexual liberation, but one that refuses to acknowledge and embrace women’s natural bodies (wearing no bra, having thick leg hair, not shaving armpits, etc). Instead women feel coerced by social norms to wear a bra, even if they can go without one easily, or they don’t find them comfortable, or else they might receive dirty looks.

I think another thing that’s interesting (based on the girls I talk to) is that most girls are not afraid of what guys will think when they don’t shave their legs/put on makeup/wear a bra, but about what other girls would think. Girls tend to be a lot more judgmental than men, and if this is true on a larger scale, then it is women themselves purporting this imprisoning rhetoric on beauty, instead of be accepting on all different approaches to it, and embracing natural beauty.

I think, even with all the options we have now for bras, because they are such a large part of the culture, women are having a hard time cleaving themselves from the artifact. I’m not sure why, but I think it would be interesting to study it. Is the pendulum swinging back, where the bra is no longer liberating as in the progressing 1900’s, but instead a source of objectification, as in Greek times? And what’s next for it?

Dress Code in Schools

 Posted by on Sun, 10/16 at 11:43pm  ideas  No Responses »
Oct 162016
 

When I was growing up I mainly went to private school. We had a strict uniform dress code. We had to wear a red, white or blue polo shirt with khaki pants or shorts(they were high-waisted and down to our knees) with belt. Our shirts had to be tucked in neatly and our belts had to show. Needless to say, there was nothing cute or sexy about it. I guess  it’s good to have uniforms so everyone is not competing and it makes it easier to dress for school, but there is no personalized or individual taste. We all looked the same. Some girls rolled up their shorts and sleeves to look cuter, but really there was no escaping it. If you did not have your belt or shirt tucked in you were called to detention. One year I was called into detention 5 times. I’m sorry, but those shorts were not going anywhere. There was no need for a belt. My butt was not hanging out of them either. I understand for the boys because their underwear might show, but for a girl? It was a bit ridiculous. We all looked like Junior senior citizens. I also remember we had to wear our school ID(clip on or necklace). It had to be somewhere visible. One day I wore a clip on and pinned it to the bottom of the shirt and I got detention. They explained to me that it had to be at eye level. Umm.. yea, I guess if you are blind, but the bottom of the shirt is clearly still visible. Whatever.

I envied my friends who went to public schools because they got to wear whatever they wanted. Boy, was I wrong. My friend went to public school most of her life and she was more developed than her friends and she said they could get away with spaghetti straps, but she got caught. They punished girls who are were developed while skinny girls got away with wearing the exact same clothing. That is not fair. She had to go to detention. She was taller than the other girls (5’9) and had to wear 2 inch spaghetti straps and jeans because all her shorts and skirts were too short on her. She told me she wore a skirt to school one day and all the guys were hitting on her and she got a warning. The hall moderator said that her skirt was distracting. She was really upset that she did not feel free to be herself. The dress code standards for girls seem to suggest that unless a girl is properly covered, she is a distraction.There is also a double standard in the dress code systems enforced in public schools. The majority of the dress codes rules are targeted at females. Look at the list of things that can’t be worn: short skirts, revealing shorts, tube tops, halter tops. This double standard that targets girls is ridiculous. By forcing girls conform to the needs of boys, the school is not only asserting that a male’s education is more important but also that young girl’s body is merely a sexual distraction.It is not a girl’s fault if boys find her outfit distracting. It is the boy’s fault. Why should my friend at 16 be forced to dress differently than the other girls her age? She had double the trouble to find something suitable to wear for school to avoid any more detentions.  If schools want to teach respect, they need to give the message that it is unacceptable to sexualize girls at such a young age. Do not blame girls for being too distracting to learn. Teach your boys to be educated, respectful men and not to look at girls as sex objects. Why are we teaching girls to hide their bodies? Do not blame the girls because your son can’t control himself.

Are public school dress codes teaching girls not to ‘distract’ boys?

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/opinion/columnists/2015/05/22/singling-girls-dress-codes-sexualizes/27727423/

 

 

The Beauty of the Universe as Art

 Posted by on Sun, 10/16 at 11:30pm  ideas  No Responses »
Oct 162016
 

Humanity seems to have a natural attraction to what we might call “natural scenes.” Whether if you consider yourself a “nature person” or not, I believe few could honestly say that they haven’t found a mountain, a forest, a flower, a lake, etcetera… beautiful. Why we find these things beautiful is beyond my purview. I am no psychologist. But what I would like to point out is how much of a joy nature can be, and how much better it really does make our lives. Almost every great urban city has grand parks to remind us of that beauty and introduce us to it even within the confines of a man-made environment.  And natural beauty really does bring the human race closer to one another. Theist, atheist, and agnostic alike find the same beauty in the natural things they see around them. In a forest, or on a mountain-top, political discussion – and thus political dispute – find little place. The natural world inspires great works of art that are enjoyed by countless men and women around the world of all races and creeds. But it’s not just the terrain and that which grows and lives on the ground that inspire us. Sunsets and sunrises commonly inspire aw, even on a daily basis. And the moon, too, throughout human history we have watched it and it has both amazed and baffled us. And stars, the very word star itself has become a byword for excellence.

Our love of nature extends into outer space, although many of us infrequently consider it. We are so blind to our aw of the planets because so few of us ever see them, except as a photograph or an illustration. Take Saturn as an example. Many people, when they consider Saturn, find adjectives like beautiful, wonderful and gorgeous along side it. And I believe they sincerely believe Saturn is all of these things. But the issue is that they hardly have any chance to enjoy the planet, because they never see it, or if they do, it’s only for a transitory moment through a telescope. And then all of a sudden, aw-inspiring things like our Solar System’s planets become associated with bulky, uncomfortable things like telescopes and observatories. They become associated with that expensive government agency NASA, and with rockets, and with the pictures they bring back to Earth. It’s just not a fun way to find beauty. But neither were small rat infested ships a fun way to find the beauties of whole continents five centuries ago. And the wonders of the American West were not discovered without an uncomfortable and unappealing journey to get there. Space is the same. Today, if we’re honest, it’s really no fun at all. It might have used to be, but that was when we pushed the envelope, and those moments of pushing envelopes was again transitory and fleeting. Or space may have been a little more fun in the 20th century because it was inherently political, and politics has long been an object of amusement in the U.S.. But for most of us today space is not the coolest thing in the universe.

But imagine how incredibly meaningful space will become when we’re there? Can you imagine how many great works of world literature could be written about nebulas and quasars? How many poems about the seas of Titan, the red bands of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn? How many landscapes will be painted from the surface of Europa? Can you see men and women asking for jewelry at the future’s jewelers based on the color of Neptune?

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