Current Event

Current Event

Nickelback’s ‘Rockstar’ displays a variety of different subjects shown throughout chapter three, which is about culture. Formal norms, informal norms, and values are publicized in the song. The entire song shows how values have changed in our society today. The song is saying how everyone strives to have this certain image that we get from the media. “I want a brand new house on an episode of Cribs” shows us how television influences us. When people see others who are famous with luxurious houses, they want to be able to have that as well. “…A bathroom I can play baseball in” is a violation of a norm because baseball is traditionally played outdoors in a baseball field.
He continues to talk about how he wants to get a credit card with no limit, which also shows how his values are mainly focused on materialism. With the media constantly showing us celebrities who can afford overly luxurious things, it makes us want to be able to be rich enough to splurge on the same things they have. In the song, the singer sings about how “drugs come cheap” which breaks formal norms because it is against the law to use recreational drugs. Although this is a formal norm, it is an informal norm because ‘rock stars’ and other celebrities are notorious for abusing drugs.
Another value that is always an issue is self-image. “We’ll all stay skinny `cus we just won’t eat” shows how much the idea of self-image affects a lot of us today. Successful people we see on the television, internet, and in magazines are typically skinny. When guys talk about these girls in sexual manners, talking about ‘how hot they are’ makes normal girls want to be like them. The same goes for girls when they see male celebrities with a six-pack. Many girls are so desperate to get this image, that they resort to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. The singer is talking about how he wants to have this image too, which tells us that to become a ‘rock star’ a person must be skinny. It has become an...