Three Icons

Star Wars could be one of the biggest influences on Popular Culture that our modern world has ever seen. The movies began playing in 1977 and traces of their influence can still be found throughout our culture today.  The largest grocery store chain in the world, Wal-Mart has emerged as the giant in the merchandise field; they sell everything from food, clothes, guns, oil changes, and electronics. Wal-Mart has it all. Starbucks Coffee has helped spark the coffee/ caffeine craze. Starbucks has coffees from around the world and flavored drinks Einstein couldn’t spell, Starbucks coffee chains offer a laid back atmosphere with people reading, and using the Wi-Fi while sipping on their Americana.

Star Wars is a movie franchise developed by George Lucas, it began in 1977 and released two more movies over six years. Sixteen years after the release of the last Star Wars, George Lucas released the first three episodes over a three year period again, because the first episode ever released was number four in the volume. Star Wars was a worldwide phenomenon and grossed over $4.41 billion dollars in movie sales. Star Wars included everything from Humans with Jedi mind powers, Droids, and alien like creatures, and galaxies far far away. The interests in Star Wars range from children to adults and are timeless. Star Wars are movies that defined a generation and helped open the door to science fiction movies. Star Wars were movies I watched again and again growing up and helped spark my imagination, I watched them with family members and I will never forget playing as Luke Skywalker with my brothers in the back yard.

Wal-Mart is a grocery chain that sells discount department items, last year along in was deemed the largest public corporation by revenue. I myself am indifferent to Wal-Mart and applaud the prices but not the method they choose to get their merchandise, as in importing most of their items. There are over 8,500 Wal-Mart stores in 15 different countries, even know they are under different names, they are owned and operated by Wal-Mart ownership. Wal-Mart is an excellent example of American entrepreneurship; Wal-Mart was started by one man Sam Walton. Wal-Mart shows me that it takes one person to start a dream, and that no matter whether your from Arkansas or Ohio that anything you set your mind to can become a reality in the business world.

Starbucks coffee is an international coffee chain selling coffee and everything that goes with it in stores across the world. People love their coffee and I know people who have to drink Starbucks, or they get cranky. Starbucks has almost 17,000 stores in 50 countries worldwide, in the 90s there was a Starbucks opening somewhere every business day. Starbucks has been the cause of debate between labor practices and environmental impacts to name a few.  Starbucks although controversial, makes some of the best tasting coffees in the world. And give people an opportunity to try coffees from around the globe that you would normally not have the opportunity to try.