Journal 2

1.)  Oswald defines a geek or nerd to be somebody whose tastes are slightly out of the mainstream, with great passion bordering on obsession for these tastes.  He defines otaku as something like a mental isolation emerging themselves into the details of these mildly odd tastes, as an escape from the world where they are somewhat isolated.  He noticed that with the development of the internet it is very difficult for any one thing to stay isolated to only certain groups (nerds), as it is easily available for everybody.  He seems to think it is increasingly difficult to immerse yourself in your own culture, as it is frequently taken and put into some type of mainstream pop culture, which is where I think he is wrong.  While it may be more difficult now to like things that stay out of the mainstream, it is still more than possible to immerse oneself into a different sub-culture.  Oswald sounds like some kind of whiny hipster (using the word as one with odd tastes) whose favorite band just got signed to a major label.  Sometimes things get famous after the fact, good examples would be Van Gogh or the Velvet Underground, neither of whom where supremely popular in their day, but are now regarded as brilliant.  I understand Oswald's idea of an otaku, though I don't understand how he thinks it is unattainable today.  Musically speaking, Oswald's youthful tastes are comparable to what is now written about on Pitchfork.com today.  He essentially regrets what I call "the second mainstream" becoming a part of the normal mainstream, which hate to break it to him is something that happens sometimes.  While the internet may make it more difficult to maintain a somewhat bizarre lifestyle, it is more than possible for one to have their own otaku today.

2.)  Supermarket Pastoral is basically a supermarket priding itself on selling foods labeled as organic.  Pollan seems a bit torn about the concept of a supermarket pastoral, seeing both the positive fact that it is easier for people to find and buy organic foods, but the negatives that organic is becoming just a label, with companies doing the bare minimum to obtain organic status.  He notes that organic food is becoming a corporation just like the normal food industry before it.  Soon enough almost all food will be organic in order to fulfill the needs of the supermarket pastorals catering to those trying to eat more wholesome foods.  Organic will mean little more than normal food, and those wishing to eat healthier will have to find even more pure foods, from Pollan's description these foods will likely come with a book telling the consumer of the life of the cow they are about eat.  Organic culture could be compared to the nerd culture in Oswald's piece, once something difficult to find and only practiced by those dedicated few, becoming a normal part of everybody's life.  As organic culture continues its journey to the supermarket pastorals, which become more and more abundant, the definition of both terms could need to be redefined.