Susan Boyle

Guilty! Okay, well I didn't cry cry, but I certainly teared up. And absolutely got chills. It could be because I'm a big sucker for Les Miserables. It could also definitely be that big triumph stories from unexpected people always get me (RUDY, anyone?).

But I think it's more than that. First of all, I feel like a total jerk for making any judgment on her ability at all before listening. Second, it was so beautifully done. Third, it absolutely parallels what she expresses - "I Dreamed a Dream." But more than anything else, I think it's that it's just so unexpected. I know that as human beings we have a tendency to value youth and beauty, and we believe that good things come from attractive and often young people. So a middle-aged, semi-overweight, somewhat unattractive (I feel terrible saying!) woman is not someone that we really expect greatness from. It's the surprise that gets you, and then the more that she gets into it, the more you want her to succeed, the more you wish her well, the more you want to cheer almost to apologize for thinking of her as a middle-aged, semi-overweight, unattractive woman. Would we have cheered as much, cared as much, been as surprised if she had been a skinny blonde 24-year-old with a mini-skirt on? Probably not.

A great clip and really a good lesson for everyone! I had read the backstory in an article before watching the video last week, and when I saw everyone's reaction to her at first I couldn't wait to see what happened. The judge's (especially Simon's) tone in the beginning was deeply condescending, and watching their jaws drop when she sung was awesome! Watching Simon raise his eyebrows during the first 3 notes was especially cool, and there were at least 2 other shots where it looked like he was just in love. This is just one real life example for everyone out there, myself included (books and covers...). It's terrible that our society is like this today and how much looks are emphasized. I'm glad Susan is able to show us that appearances really shouldn't matter and that the combo of singing and being beautiful is not a package deal as we are all too often told. All in all a really thought provoking video and obviously a great lesson for all.

This was an awesome clip. It was cool to see the change of expressions on everyones faces. When she first walked out and introduced herself and what she was singing, everyone was laughing at her expense. However, the moment she started singing, everyone was amazed. It was especially cool to see the change of demeaner of Piers and Simon from the beginning of the performance to the end. Like the others have said, it is terrible that we judge people solely based on their appearances, but it happens all the time. I am as guilty as anyone. That's the reason why something like this becomes such a big deal. Mollie made a great point, stating that we wouldn't get as excited if Susan was a younger, more attractive woman. I watched some other video clips on this topic, and Susan's story is already well-known to alot of people.

One of the clips that I saw was the today show. They have already put out a search for "America's Susan Boyle." Why? Because thats what people like to see, and this will draw attention and publicity. This will give many people a chance to realize their dreams, however, I question whether this is an attempt to genuinely help someone realize their dreams, or a publicity stunt in order to get more people to watch the today show (more money). It's sad that it takes a Susan Boyle to make us realize that normal everyday people have extraordinary talents, but thats just the way it is.

I love Susan Boyle. I saw this clip on TV last week and was tearing up as well. I thought it was extremely moving. Before she started singing, though, I was definitely very skeptical of what her abilities were going to be, just like the crowd and judges. Honestly, I think this clip resounds especially in the times that the world are going through right now. Susan Boyle perhaps looked like a hopeless situation, and then came out on top, WAY on top. She did rock, and I believe too, made people realize that there is more to someone than what they look like. (Reminds me of the old saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover.")

Also, I really think that people strongly relate to the concept of the underdog winning. Most people are underdogs in real life. We're normal people who brush our teeth, go to work, love our families, and pretty much live a daily life. We don't really seem to have a huge impact on what's going on around us; usually it's the other way around- we get taxed more, we get laid off, etc. We can relate to Susan Boyle, who is so like us, and then seems to "beat the system." Boyle is someone we can relate to, because unlike all those airbrushed photos, she does have imperfections just like everyone of us does. After her burst of popularity, I saw her on a couple of TV interviews, and they had put makeup on her and I think tried to do her hair or something. I really hope no airbrushing or cosmetic surgery happens to this woman who represents the human race so well.

This performance/video clip was simply amazing. I get chills down my spine every time I listen to her performance. The passion and emotion that she puts into her singing is so admirable, and it was neat to see the reactions from the audience and judges the moment she opened her mouth. Before she began singing, people were laughing at her and rolling their eyes, but after the performance, one judge said it was a privilege listening to her; another called it stunning, amazing, and inspirational. Another said that it was a wake-up call—that they were being cynical before the start.
Once people began to hear about Susan Boyle, more of her life story came out. We learned that she was frequently picked on as both a child and adult—the neighbor kids picked on her quite frequently. We also learned that she had never been kissed. For a woman who experienced those things, and is perceived as unattractive by many, what motivated her to audition for Britain’s Got Talent? Many people in her position would avoid the public as much as possible, in fear of getting made fun of even more.
First, Susan was motivated by her goal to be a professional singer. Goals guide and direct behavior, and her goal to become a singer drove her behavior of auditioning in front of all those people. Under the right conditions, goals can: arouse effort, give rise to persistence, provide direction, and motivate strategy development. It is also important to distinguish between proximal and distal goals. To create action, a goal must be proximal. Proximal goals relate to the immediate future, and by meeting them, we will hopefully achieve our distal goals eventually. Her proximal goal was to audition for and make the show, which would assist in her distal goal of becoming a singer. This distal goal will help to keep her on course by turning her attention to relevant proximal goals.
It is important to set difficult but attainable goals as well. Research has indicated that once we decide that we can obtain a particular goal that we have set, we are more likely to focus our effort on attention to relevant behaviors that will help us achieve that goal.
Susan was motivated by her goals, and once she got on the stage, she stayed motivated because she reached the optimal arousal level—not overly aroused, but not bored and enthusiastic. Hopefully she will stay motivated throughout the entire competition and eventually reach her goal!

Our perceptions of dear Susan Boyle are shaped heavily by our cultural society (and that of Britain as well). In our culture, women who have a physical appearance like Susan tend not to be amazing vocalists that attend shows like "Britain's Got Talent" or "American Idol," and rather seem to be categorized as librarians or secretaries. These cultural stereotypes are playing a huge role in our inital judgment of Susan. The audience, the judges, and even the spectators at home have made a judgment about Susan even before she opens her mouth.

These perceptions shape our reactions to what comes next as well. We expect that Susan will sing the same way we perceive her, however, when we hear the beautiful melodies coming out we are more shocked than we would have been if we had perceived her differently. Values are also affected by our perceptions. We can see that the American/Western cultures tend to value physical beauty over 'personality beauty.' However, now that we perceive Susan as being someone worthwhile getting to know (or listen to), we will now value her more than if she had lived up to the perceptions that were created at the beginning of the clip.

I think this clip of Britain’s Got Talent is a really good example of someone living vicariously through someone else’s life. Susan Boyle really represents the “American Dream” (even though it’s in Britain!). In the video Susan becomes a symbol of rising above adversity by pursuing a dream she’s never given up on. This is the epitome of the American Dream and Susan stands in front of a large audience and all TV show viewers to become a symbol for the dream that anything is possible. This message is also reiterated in the song she sings for the competition. This idea of the American Dream might cause people to recall memories of things that have held them back from achieving their dreams and goals. They then see Susan Boyle as evidence that anyone can achieve their dream if they try hard enough and this might give the audience more motivation to try and achieve their goals.

Schachter’s Two Factor Theory states that there are two factors involved in an emotional experience: the autonomic arousal and the cognitive interpretation of that arousal. The visual and auditory perception of Susan Boyle overcoming adversity might evoke an emotional response in individuals in the audience via autonomic arousal. People might then interpret that emotion as feeling guilty that they misjudged her before or feeling happy that someone is able to rise above the rest. If this person is actually in the TV show audience, they might look around and see that other people are having this emotional response as well and this could intensify their own emotional response. Overall, Susan Boyle’s song causes an intense emotional response in many people do to the direct representation of the American Dream and is then reinforced by other people having the same emotional experience.

I don't cry or tear up when I watch this clip. It makes me happy and I like that everyone felt pretty dumb for judging her so soon. But with this clip I also consider editing. Maybe the judges and the crowd didn't really jeer and make mean faces at her. Maybe the camera caught normal conversation that was going on during breaks or something and they edited it to make it look like the crowd and the judges were doubting Susan Boyle. Kim brought up a good point that there are a ton of people that would have heard her sing before she made it to that stage in front of the judges, so the it may not really have been a surprise.

We watched this clip in my class the night before and related it to this book we are reading called "Amazing Grace". Its about the poverty and disease strickened areas of New York like Harlem and the Bronx. We related Susan to the kids in the book that were never given a chance to be better people.

Also, in the book they talk about the KFC that was covered in rats (the clip we watched in class). They said in the book that the rats are Norwegian rats that have become immune to the rat poison that the city of New York sprays to get rid of them. One lady in the book says she saw a rat climb up a tree and eat a squirrel and its nest, leaving only the tails, then climb back down the tree like it was normal. In the book, the citizens say that the rats come out in early morning and they have pretty much taken over the city. One older said that in the Bible it says that a sign that Armageddon is coming is when the rat population overcomes the human population. I think this is interesting because we just discussed Intelligent Design, but what about the possibility of the end of the Earth. What are the feelings or psychological aspects behing that? Why, in general, is religion something so many people feel they need in their lives? Psychologically, what do we get from religion? Just an interesting topic I think.