Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Discourse Community Videos

I think all of the videos qualify to be discourse communities. All sports seem to fall into their own discourse community but I'll focus in on the cheerleader video. To start, of the videos I watched, the cheerleader video had a different presentation. The other videos were more explanations of their communities. The cheerleaders' was a collage of what appeared to be the culmination of their season. To me, this is the basis of that community. Everything is about presentation. The cheerleader community prides itself on being exclusive. Granted, anyone that wants to be a cheerleader could be one. But that's the aura around them, not everyone wants to be a cheerleader. So those who do become cheerleaders are a part of that exclusive club. Once a cheerleader, forever a cheerleader. And what is so appealing about that? The attention. I think that determines their success. Once you're a part of the squad people start to look at you differently. Not because you've changed, but you now have a new status. It brings more attention. At games, they draw attention away from the players. In the hallways at school, they "dress up" so boys notice them. And at competitions, it's about looking the best and most coordinated to be deemed the best squad. Discourse communities are not about being better than others, they are about be special and individualized by their own beliefs. And becoming a part of a cheerleading squad changes status. And the better that squad does at competitions, the higher the status of that squad. And by no means am I saying that cheerleaders are egotistical. But to be a part of this community means drawing attention to yourself and the status you hold. You want everyone to know you are a part of this community and take great pride in it.

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