Where is it made?

Punchodex Hole Puncher: USA (surprisingly)
Caliber Glue stick: China (not surprisingly)
Casio Solar cell battery calculator: China
Bic White-Out: Malaysia
Microsoft wireless mobile mouse: China
George "genuine leather" wallet: India
Samsung Droid cell phone: made in Korea/manufactured in Korea
Elmer's mutli purpose spray adhesive: USA
normal Elmer's school glue: USA
Premium Stamp Pad and Stamper: China
Folkart acrylic paint: USA
Sony Cyber Shot digital camera: China
Scotch Tape: USA
Prismacolor colored pencil: USA
Bic pen: Mexico
Staples stapler: USA
Avery glue stick: China
Mehron spirit gum remover: USA
nail clipper: China
Retrofit T-shirt: China

The list above surprised me. The amount of items being produced outside of the USA didn't surprise me, I hear about it all the time on the news. It was the number of things produced inside the USA that surprised me. I was expecting the list to be almost entirely countries within eastern asia and perhaps one token item from the USA. It turned out that almost half of the Items that I listed were in fact manufactured here. Perhaps that it is because my items list are items that are in my immediate grasp around my computer desk. Maybe I have been brainwashed to subconsciously choose items made here over items made somewhere else by government propaganda.Who knows.

Outsourcing and Off-shoring are issues that I don't fully comprehend. It isn't that I don't understand why they're occurring in America, or even how, its more so that I don't register its affects as much. All my life, the vast majority of items have been made in other countries. It's even become an old joke to say that everything is made in China. In my short 17 years, I have never known an America that produces and manufactures all its goods within its borders so I am not alarmed or surprised because I've acknowledged these facts already.

However, acknowledging them and accepting them are two different things. Just because I am not surprised by the lack of things produced in the USA doesn't mean I am okay with it. Of course I believe we should take steps towards self reliant industry but as I have never witnessed it, it is hard to envision.

Captain's Log 4: American music and music popular in America.

What is "American Music"? Before someone can properly analyze an aspect of a culture they must first define what the aspect is. Is American music the music that is produced by Americans or is it music that is popular in America? Assuming that it is the former, there is no true genre that defines a nation's music and this is especially true with America due to its especially colourful spectrum of genres. Not only are there a myriad of genres but a huge fan base that have eclectic tastes, therefore it is almost impossible to categorize individuals into discernible groups based solely on their taste in music. I believe this is reflective of our culture and it is strikingly symbolic of how there is not a "typical" or "generic" American. There are racial differences, spiritual differences, class differences, occupational differences, and even differences in musical or entertainment preference. These differences allow for hundreds of thousands of possible alignments which make a splendidly odd and eccentric rainbow of citizens. Living in America forces one to encounter hordes of these creatures, these citizens on a daily basis and forces one to observe their lives and characters. Hence, meeting new and different people often, if not everyday, is part of the American Experience.
But not all music listened to by Americans is considered popular. There are musical trends that exist and some genres are more popular than others. Most if not all trending music is part of the "pop" genre. It seems like the "pop" genre has assimilated the most popular American songs from the most popular American artists from the various sub-genres into itself. A nation's "pop" music is not what defines that nation's taste, but it certainly gives outsiders an image of said nation's culture. What does popular American music say about American culture? Americans should have these questions lingering in their minds...