In which cultural objects have different associations when taken out of their original context

I had each of my classes introduce themselves and tell me what their favorite thing to read was. The only repeated answer (except for "I don't read," which was really common) was "Nicholas Sparks." Two girls and two boys. One boy brought a copy of "The Notebook," book version, to class. It was the only non-textbook I've ever seen in the hands of a teenager here.

An older kid came to basketball tryouts yesterday wearing a pink Jonas Brothers t-shirt. I saw a grown man wearing the same shirt on the street a couple hours later. During downtime at tryouts, a group of teenage boys, who fancy themselves real badasses and have a club team called "The Delinquents," listened to Justin Bieber on a cell phone.

Many of the most rebellious teenagers I've seen display their affiliation with their crew by holding hands with them, or, more commonly, draping their arms affectionately over their bros' shoulders as they amble down the mean streets.

Homosexuality is against the law here.