culture jam in reverse

Through all of this great research presented in this blog I started wondering if there are any reverse effects of culture jams. This was much more difficult to inquire on than I originally thought.
I did however find a beautiful image that truly struck me.

 This image is a culture jam that reads no words but speaks volumes. I am not aware of where exactly this was taken but I can only imagine it resides in some ‘dirty’ part of time.
Rather than voicing your thoughts, beliefs, opinions on sides of buildings or train carts by using harsh chemical filled spray paint this artistic representation remains environmentally-friendly by avoiding such hard products.
This mural was created by using nothing but the natural material provided – dirty. This filth had clearly been building up over a period of time as it covers such a large surface area. Rather than getting someone in to pressure wash it all off just to have it build up again and again over time, someone (or plural) decided to make – and prove – a point in such a positive, stunning manner. By removing certain areas of dirt and leaving others it has created an image of the exquisiteness that could be – trees and life and beauty and peace and love.  This form of representation is called “reverse graffiti” – it is not adding (spray painting) onto something rather it is taking away and remoulding what is already there.
What a unique way of culture jamming!
It also puts the blame on us as social components within our communities. We can't blame McDonalds or Tommy Hilfiger for the disgust and lack of upkeep in our town or city. This liability falls onto each and every one of us - for lack of social activism or plane ignorance and attention to detail. 
This is not your typical, mainstream approach at culture jamming (as if culture jamming is the 'mainstream'). Perhaps this type of environmentally friendly depiction will reach an audience in a more positive manner.
Who knew dirty could be so beautiful?

ace55kg 

Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping

Reverend Billy; An active leader in Culture Jamming! Reverend Billy has created a "Post- Religious Church" called "The Church of Earthalujah". The "church" has one goal; to "illuminate the Devil" which is "Corporate Commercialsim" and our consumer culture. Reverend Billy and his followers take extreme measures to reveal the idiocy of our consumer culture by holding "services" anywhere and everywhere! These "services" can take many forms, and none of which are subtle.
http://www.revbilly.com/about-us

The website for Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping has an 'About Us' page, which explains their Statement of Belief, missions and history. Their statement of belief portrays exactly what we have all researched culture jamming to be, but takes it to another level.

In my opinion (and many others I'm sure), what Rev. Billy is doing is extremely risky but is exactly what our society needs; An extremist/active method of culture jamming. Most culture jams we have been discussing thus far have been undercover acts in which an advertisement or commercial is twisted to encourage ones own critical thinking, but can easily be overlooked at a glance. What Rev. Billy is doing is openly "Preaching" this consumer idiocy and slamming the corporate commercialism, in a way that is most definitely culture jamming, but in a more active "in your face" method.

This method of culture jamming does come at a cost, as I had said before, what he is doing is extremely risky which has been proven to be so by the amount of times Reverend Billy has been arrested.

There is so much to say about Reverend Billy, everyone must take a look at the website link above to find out more! Also search Reverend Billy in Youtube and you will find many entertaining videos that can further enlighten you to his version of Culture Jamming! Here is just one of many videos, enjoy!

- Meryle Girl

Work. Buy. Consume. Die

These images are comical and can produce a laugh as that is the point of most subvertising ads.  But in the end, what is not funny is the reality of our consumption.

Most of us are victim to brands and labels of clothing, footwear, fragrance and many more.  It is inevitable that in our everyday lives we come across ads, billboards, or commercials trying to sell products and we do not look past the label we have all come to recognize.  The ads of clothing brands and shoes, although not directly affecting our health, can affect others' health for the workers making the product in third world countries. But what about the products sold to us that do affect our health directly?



This image is of recognizable brands that portray a latent message of "Work, Buy, Consume, Die", which is basically what our everyday lives have come to consist of without even a second-thought.

 This a subvertising ad showing the reality of a brand of cigarettes from the US.  This particular brand often shows a cool, laid back image, which you can attain by consuming this brand of cigarette.  Actually, what it will get you, according to Health Canada's Tobacco Use Statistics, is coronary heart disease, aortic aneurysm, chronic bronchitis emphysema, peptic ulcers, sleeping problems, about five different types of cancer, and many more dieases. 

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hc-ps/tobac-tabac/res/news-nouvelles/risks-risques-eng.php

Another issue marketed heavily is alcohol.  Just like tobacco, brands of alcohol market themselves as the "in" thing and tell you what to drink to be "cool". 

Most will agree, having a drink with friends is good once in a while, and a drink on the weekend won't kill you. True.  However, the excess at which alcohol companies market their product leads to the belief that you have to drink this to have these kind of friends, and have this kind of fun.  Drinking then becomes the thing to do, and to be that cool person you drink their product more and more. 

If you know how to handle alcohol and be responsible, it is not a problem.  But alcohol leads to so many problems that affect many people.  

Alcohol often leads to car accidents, assault, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in infants, overconsumption, health issues, sexual assault, can influence drug use, and so many more.

Finally, although the products we buy on a daily basis will not always kill us, there are some glorified killers that will eventually lead us to, "Work, buy, consume, die."

-  Regina Filangi

American Apparel: Is Culture Jamming Even Needed?

In class and in some of the blogs I have come across culture jams as well as untampered ads from American Apparel and ask myself one question: Why even tamper with these ads in the first place?

We are bombarded with billions of ads each day, mostly without even critically thinking about each one. Culture jamming is supposed to awaken us drones to realise how idiotic some of these advertisements are that are thrown at us, and as a blog had mention earlier to "Encourage critical perspectives on advertising and the messages we are force fed everyday". An effective culture jam will most commonly twist or change something subtly to a well recognized at or symbol which either reveals an awful truth or stupidity of the advertisement.

So this being said, let me tie this back to my question; why even tamper with American Apparel ads in the first place? Without these ads even being tampered with, they are still extremely degrading and that should be recognized without a trick of a photoshop tool, or added text:

I dont know about you, but i have never felt that way about a pair of tights. A whitty text or twist really isn't needed here to encourage me to think critically on the message american apparel is sending.

... I have also never felt this way about a pair of socks.

- Meryle Girl



These things are never ending

This picture is my favourite. 

Check out http://broadbrands.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/feminist-culture-jams-on/
"Broad Bands" their definition of culture jamming is "Culture jamming can be defined as modifying mass media to convey a conflicting message. Jams can be obvious or subvert depending on the context. The movement aims to expose cultural assumptions and political attitudes."   I love reading each groups different definitions of culture jamming. I love how they say "to convey a CONFLICTING message"

B-Bloggin

Jammin' Ladies

I have come across another great culture jamming website called http://jamming.wordpress.com. They call themselves the “jammin’ ladies” and have a slogan that reads “A fight to take back public space!”

They have several tabs on the website including; what is culture jamming, how to jam, advertisements we’ve jammed, and much more. There is also a ‘links’ section that directs you to many other relevant websites.

They seem to be a very encouraging group that wants to educate people. They try to get people to participate in culture jamming and make sure everyone’s individual voice is herd. On their “home” page they emphasize that without society fighting back, it’s a one-way flow of information. This one-way flow allows corporations to use ridiculous advertisements and influence our naïve society.

One section on their website is “advertisements we’ve jammed” and one picture caught my attention because another blogger had touched on similar area (tampon commercials). These jammin’ ladies mention they are fed up with the way feminine hygiene products are advertised with that blue liquid instead of something red that looks like blood. These commercials make women feel like they need to hide the fact that they bleed. Something more ‘real looking’ (red) isn’t an option in advertising because women should be embarrassed of their “natural bodily functions”. This is rather ridiculous and we should not be ashamed of our bodies and what they do. http://jamming.wordpress.com/advertisments-we-jammed/)

This website also includes a page dedicated to “Naomi Klein” who is an activist through articles, books, films, and more. The website directs you to read more about her from this website: http://www.commondreams.org/views/092300-103.htm.

Here it talks about how when she was young, she was a total sucker for brand names. Now that she’s older she recognizes the problem with being brand obsessed and admits those corporations got the best of her. She believes we can’t get “free” from this world of advertising.  Naomi Klein has a really good view on current advertising so I will copy it here: “…advertising today is not merely about selling products; it is about selling a brand, a dream, a message. So Nike's aim is not to sell trainers but to "enhance people's lives through sports and fitness". IBM doesn't sell computers, it sells "solutions". And as for Polaroid, well, it's not a camera - it's a "social lubricant". You sell the message of your brand, not your product, and you can expand as widely as you like. As Richard Branson says, you "build brands not around products but around reputation" - and leap from record shops to cola to banking to trains.“ She goes on to talk about poor working conditions in so many factories and how society chooses to support them through purchasing their products. The fight back includes educating people. Once educated in the area, society may make wiser decisions and support the little local companies. Klein has published a book called “NO LOGO” where she dedicates a whole chapter to culture jamming and its importance to society. A quote from her regarding her book is “"It is a return to the roots of feminism - early feminism was very involved in anti-sweatshop action, and the current anti-sweatshop movement very much sees it as a feminist issue, since it is overwhelmingly women of color who are being abused by the systems. I feel that we lost our way in the late 80s, when feminism became disengaged from its roots, which originally had critiques of capitalism and of consumerism. I am a feminist and this is a feminist book." This shows that she believes culture jamming is directly related to women’s studies. We need to use culture jamming along side the feminist activism to get the message out to society.

Lastly this website states, “Her thesis is about trying to find some space that hasn't been bought up by anyone; trying to rediscover our identities as citizens, and not just consumers. It is about globalization, and the power corporations have over our lives.” (http://www.commondreams.org/views/092300-103.htm) Overall she is a powerful activist using culture jamming as a tool to get her message out to this world.

Another interesting spot on the Jammin’ Ladies website is the axe versus dove campaigns. There is some interesting controversy about the two but after reading the comments I’m not sure what to believe. Overall, they are saying dove and axe are both owned by the same company. Doves campaign for real beauty and axe’s boot camp advertisements are very different messages. But how can one company send out such opposite messages. That proves the company doesn’t really care about ‘real beauty’, they just care about what sells their products and gets them the money.

The Jammin’ Ladies have comment boxes all around their site encouraging people to share with others how they feel about culture jamming and have a place to start their own activism. This website provides readers with lots of information on their point of view and options to get involved in the fight.

-Goldilocks

Tampons and Popular Culture

Hi All!

I am almost 100% positive that everyone has seen the popular tampon commercials by Kotex involving a woman mocking other industry's tampon commercials in popular culture media. If you youtube tampon commercials, most likely you will find that women who are restricted by their periods can all of a sudden perform their normative feminine roles in society, like cleaning the house, taking care of their children, and cleaning! Most often these commercials are selling the idea not only to women but to men that women are incapable of performing not only feminine roles, but any roles at all while they are on their menstruation cycles.

These very commercials are constructing and enforcing feminine gender roles. However, I think we can all agree that the new Kotex commercials that have recently been aired provide a refreshing new take on women's behaviour during her menstruation cycle. The new Kotex commercials features a woman who satirizes other tampon commercials and provides a humorous approach in revealing how typically tampon advertisements can be absolutely ludicrous and falsely.

I am not sure if this is a form of culture jamming. I believe in some ways we can regard it as culture jamming. For example, the commercial is taking ideas of feminine behaviours during a menstrual cycle and kind of twists these behaviours altogether. Basically, in colloquial terms, this commercial is saying "Hey, I have my period! Why does the advertising industry treat this as almost an illness? If you buy these tampons then you will not be negatively emotional and want to be more feminine!" :) Culture jamming or not, I still think that this Kotex commercial is great!

Additionally, another commercial that reinforces the feminine constructed roles is that of Vagisil. I find it quite hilarious that in one particular commercial where a woman has a yeast infection, she is hiding in a hoodie, but as soon as she uses vagisil she can "be the woman she wants to be" and goes shopping! Woohoo!

I would like to know your thoughts on this! Do you think that this Kotex commercial can be considered as a form of culture jamming?



Seraph of the Rose

Fighting back against the corporate giants

Walmart is possibly one of the most anxiety inducing places I know to be in existence today. When I am forced to go in, I don't spend time in there if at all possible. A group that emerged in the name of culture jamming, 'Breathing Planet Troupe'. One of the forms they used to protest was an assembly line of empty shopping carts, wheeling about a walmart in a 'whirl' paying homage to what they called the 'Cathedral of Consumption'. A figurative finger to the man, and an exhibition that sent chills down my spine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JajJCcUUVgk

Calling into question our ability to be not only herded, but our obvious dependence on commercial product, the idea of us wandering around 'aimless' in our search for that much desired object, and in such mass quanities it is definitely a sight to behold. It has been replicated many times since the first time it was completed on April 1st 2001 in response to a call by Adbusters to cause some good old fashioned April fools Tom Foolery.

Watching these silent shoppers whirl about walmart in a whirlwind and empty carts we call into question our dedication to the 'Cathedral of Consumption' and we must as ourselves how often do we find ourselves praying to the gods of this Cathedral. For myself even, its far more then id like to, wandering around those aisles, shopping cart in tow.

Until we meet again,

Sushi Warrior

"Body Jamming"

Pouring through endless websites. pictures and blogs of culture jamming I realize that people are trying to make a statement. Whether it be personal, political or cultural it is an opportunity and forum for others to express what the world of consumerism, pop culture and essentially the mass media has done to the human race.

What stuck with me the most is how many pictures and examples of culture jamming were geared towards women and their bodies. From the fashion world to celebrities to numerous ads featuring scantily clad, over-sexualized women used to sell their idea or product has seeped into the minds of many young and old.

There wasn't one particular "jammer" I found that does this but many depictions of how society had warped the ideal woman into something that many try to be but no one will ever attain.

By playing around with popular ads that feature women, it can shock some people into realizing how keep following what is given to us via mainstream media rather than forging our own path. Women are likened to pieces of meat, inanimate objects and hypersexualized and culture jamming (or body jamming as I like to call it) actual paints that picture for us.

Now women I feel are the main targets but men get their fair share of pressure as well of what the ideal perfect man should be. Endless arrays of six packs, overly jacked and veiny muscles grace many ads today.

Culture jamming allows people to sometimes shock the general public into seeing what is the actual message we are given without us even knowing it. Keep on jammin kids!!
Bakerella

Shopdropping part 2

Here are some videoclips and pics in regards to Shopdropping a form of culture jamming I had trouble uploading before!
Enjoy!
Bakerella