Pop Culture

	Pop Culture
	A: The summer vacation is coming soon! What are your plans? I want to go to America.
	B: Really? Me, too. And you?
	C: We will go to New York together.
	D: Yeah.
	A: Wow~ We all want to go to America. Which city will you visit.
	B: I like to see the movies, so I think that I would go to LA.
	D: Wow~ That sounds good. You will visit Hollywood.
	B: Yeah, of course. I love movies so much that I won’t miss Hollywood.
	D: Cool! You must know Hollywood very well.
	B: It is said that Hollywood is the city of entertainment in the world. Hollywood is the biggest place of making movies. Hollywood’s movies affect people’s values, and thoughts all over the world. Hollywood gives opportunities to those talent directors and actors and it gives them enough money and high technology to help them make their dreams come true.
	C: There are some different kinds of movies, right?
	B: Sure. Horror movies, science fiction movies, detective movies, action movies, romance, fantasy, thriller and so on. Different people like different kinds of movies and people choose different movies because of different moods. Today, movies are not only an entertainment but also an art and knowledge. No wonder movies are so popular and many people are crazy about them.
	A: By the way, movies attract people. Is that true?
	B: Well, for one thing, through seeing movies, people can imagine what they may never experience all their life. Movies always satisfy people’s imaginations. For another thing, people feel relaxed or get some deep thoughts after seeing a movie.
	C: Well, I would like to go to New York because Hip-pop is a cultural movement that began among most African American and Latino communities in the Bronx borough of New York City in the early 20th century.
	D: So...Can you dance hip-hop?
	C: No, I can’t. But I like to watch people dance in it.
	A: Which style do you like?
	C: My favorite style is Locking. Locking can be traced down to one particular man, Don Campbell. In the late 1960s he put together several fad dances adding moves of his own (notably the "Lock") when performing.
	A: Can you tell us more about locking? I don't know hip-hop dancing very well.
	C: Sure! Locking is acted out in a clever, strutting way. To emphasize the comical nature of the dance, a locker should always be smiling. Other important stylistic features are waving of arms, pointing, walking stationary and grabbing and rotating the cap or hat. The repertoire consists of a number of distinct, to a large degree fixed moves. Unlike most other street dances, altering or inventing moves is not a part of the culture.
	A: Wow~ It is really an art. And D, I know that you have so many books talking about tattoo. Can you tell me something about tattoo?
	D: Well, tattooing was practiced by highly regarded tohunga ta moko. (priests?? ?)Most of them were men, because it was believed “that men were directly descended from the gods and, as such, of sacred power. Tattoos were a symbol of strength, endurance, power and physical fitness. Every tattoo was unique; it never existed twice
	A: Would those tattoos discommode people?
	D: Sure. Some employers, especially in professional fields, still look down on tattoos or regard them as contributing to an unprofessional appearance. In some cultures, tattoos still have negative associations, despite their increasing popularity and are generally associated with criminality in the public's mind; therefore, those who choose to be tattooed in such countries usually keep their tattoos covered for fear of reprisal. For example, many businesses such as gyms, hot springs and recreational facilities in Japan still ban people with visible tattoos.
	C: Wow, but if I don't like the tattoo anymore, can I remove it? And how?
	D: Well. Tattoos can be wholly or partially removed by cosmetic surgical techniques, most commonly through the use of lasers. The laser reacts with the ink in the tattoo, and breaks it down. After this, the patient's body absorbs the broken-down ink and the skin heals once more. The procedure can be expensive, and very painful (some say more so than the original tattoo) and often requires many repeat visits to remove a small tattoo.
	B: Is it dangerous?
	D: Yes, it is. Permanent tattooing of any form carries small risks, including of infection, allergy, disease, and stress. Risk reduction in the body arts requires single use items including gloves and needles. Since tattoo instruments come in contact with blood and bodily fluids, diseases may be transmitted if the instruments are used on more than one person without being sterilized.
	C: Ah! We should think twice when we want to have tattoo. Hey! How about you? You haven’t told us about your plan.
	A: Each of you have really good plans. I’m not sure which city I should visit. Maybe I will go to Seattle. The city is so beautiful. And there was a famous grunge band, Nirvana.
	B: I know you always like to listen to rock music. Tell us something about it.
	A: This kind of music usually played with a singer, an electric guitar, a bass guitar, a drum set, and maybe a piano or keyboard. This music emerged as a defined musical style in the U.S in the 1950. Then more and more kinds of rocks have been created, such as Glam Rock, Psychedelic Rock, and Grunge.
	C: But sometimes the rock music is so terrible that they become a noise to me. Why are they so crazy?
	A: Well. It sings confusion of young people about their government. But you just told about noise. Actually from 1970s to 80s, heavy metal was very popular. Some people take heavy metal as noise; some take it as music. Nowadays we can hear different kinds of rock and metal everywhere. The varieties of them are increasing. The effect of rock is so powerful and it rocks the whole world because it talks about not only love but also politics. It sings of young people’s confusion about their government. It reflects a history.
	D: Wow, so can you play the guitar, bass, or drum? Or have you already a band?
	A: I can play a little guitar, so I have no band. I am just a beginner and there are still so many things that wait for me to learn. I hope that I can learn more new things and listen to more special music in America.
	B: Yeah! We not only visit America, but also learn many things about it.
	C: Right. We will have a wonderful vacation.

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