Final Response Paper: Breaking the Mold of Pop Culture Ideology

Our film “The Graduate” featured Dustin Hoffman in a role that many common American men dream of living. He is young, handsome, a Division I standout athlete, part of an enviable wealthy family, knows women, and on and on. These characteristics have been the standard goal of masculinity since before 1967, when the film was made. Bo Derek in “10” played just that, a perfect ten. It is what every man wants and what every woman wants to be, and every emotion emitted by people around her is elicited solely from her looks, her sexiness. These roles are traditionally reserved for heterosexuals and neglecting almost altogether the use of minority ethnicities in those roles. It complicates what’s to be expected from these groups, further separating them from a normal society. The rough ten percent of the population who are not defined as heterosexual are forgotten altogether. These goals of masculine and feminine roles in American culture didn’t come from nature. They are stereotyped expressions delivered by the media to constantly affirm the hegemony of the position of power of owners and producers over consumers through social and cultural construction of masculinity and femininity. Men are expected to know everything and become successful, women are worth their weight in sexuality and only seek a partner to be defined by him. Although the examples are modeled by heterosexual, European-descendant Americans, they are expected to be a lifestyle goal for everyone.

The previous examples of masculine and feminine ideals that bring to light the expectations of male and female role models are from the 1960’s and 1980’s, respectively, so it may seem like this wasn’t always the case. But take this excerpt from Katherina’s monologue is Shakespeare’s 1594 comedy The Taming Of The Shrew :

The husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper

Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee,

And for the maintenance commits his body

To painful labour both by sea and land,

To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,

Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe

The play is a comedy; it is a satire that exaggerates meaning. Nevertheless, there is truth in every joke and the source of this joke is the expectations of women in the home. Katherina lies at home, warm and comfy, waiting for her man to return from conquering the world for her life to have meaning again. Fast forward 360 years to Tennessee Williams’ play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Maggie would put on her best face in any situation for her drunken, has-been husband, Brick. Many of her lines indicated she did it out of love, which may well have been the case in some respect but common sense indicates that she married up and was hell-bent on keeping her status in a higher class because, once again, she needed to be defined by her husband. As Barker notes, “this structural subordination of women has been described by feminists as patriarchy, a concept that has connotations of male-headed family, mastery, and superiority (Barker 281).” Recent progressions of this standard have been made and it is typically credited to the feminist movement of the 1960’s. “As a movement, feminism has been concerned with two key issues. First, to win citizen rights such as voting and equality before the law. Second, to influence cultural representations and norms in ways that are beneficial to women.” The first step to earning one’s place is saying ‘no’ to previous ideologies. Judd Apatow does this in ‘Knocked Up’ by giving his lead female role the power in the relationship. Katherine Heigl’s character, Alison Scot, doesn’t seek security by depending on her male counterpart. She is a successful, career-driven woman who puts a solid relationship and her health as her priorities before her ideal class status. She is so secure in herself that she unforgivingly falls in love with Ben, the lazy unemployed father of her oncoming child.

Alison Scot isn’t a character so powerful that she can shed all feminine expectations, however. She works for E!, commonly known as a medium for pop culture entertainment. She is a model and a representative because of her ability to articulate during interviews and, most importantly, because of her ideal looks. She is a tall, slender, natural blonde, with angles in all the right spots and physical features that rival a Greek goddess. Foucault claims we have learned to sell sex and how we sell sex through women is physical appearance. A bright smile, long healthy hair, a trim body, and flawless skin are among requirements for women to obtain their ideal man. Media sells affirmation of appearance requirements by consistently displaying women of ideal beauty in positions of envy. In other words, “If you look like her, you can have all this.” If hegemony has to be won and re-won (Barker, 68), it is constantly being won by the producers of cosmetic products. Susan Bordo’s article “‘Material Girl’: The Effacements of Postmodern Culture” exposes the manipulation of such companies like DuraSoft who prey on the insecurities of women who feel they constantly need a physical change to maintain happiness, also known as piquancy. Plastic surgery is another way women have been altering their appearances. According to the article, 681,000 patients went under the knife in 1989, almost double from 1981. These numbers were shocking until research informed me that over 3 million people paid to have their body physically altered by way of plastic surgery in 2009.

Beauty can also be an asset of men, as well. Patrick Bateman, Christian Bale’s character in American Psycho was a beneficiary of skin-smoothing masks and workout items designed to create a perfect abdomen. There has been a sharp increase in the rise of cosmetic alterations for men who now make up 35% of plastic surgery patients. But this new-age phenomenon is only meant to enhance the ever-increasing standard of men’s expectations. Youth is seen as energy, energy seen as productive, productivity is seen as profitable. Career and status is what drives men, and if they can be seen as youthful and full of potential, they can be seen as profitable to an employer that can grant them a career, giving them status. The beautification of men has only come out of necessity to fulfill the demands of markets like entertainers, physical fitness trainers, models, and bodybuilders, all markets that did not exist less than a century ago. The point is men are always willing to undergo drastic measures to take the next step up in enhancing their image as the breadwinner.

Here's an example of what men are supposed to live up to

Opposite the female gender, Warren Farrell states is best when he says “men are the ‘disposable gender’; they die in war and from suicide more often than women and are also the most common victims of violence, over-work, and mental illness (Barker, 304).” The unrealistic expectations pressure men so much that it can break their psyche. Men almost expect to be disfigured or suffer bodily harm on their way to achieve happiness. On the same page Steve Biddulph argues that the central problems of men’s lives – loneliness, compulsive competition, and lifelong emotional timidity (failing to realize your own emotions) – are rooted in the adoption of impossible images of masculinity that men try, but fail, to live up to.

Men of the 1970’s and 80’s saw a rise in popularity of TV shows starring the superhero. Comics and programs featuring the likes of Adam West playing Batman were a hit due to his bravery, wit, and cunning schemes to defeat the bad guys. Spiderman was a nerdy bookworm. Today’s heroes have evolved into hulking masses of muscle and anger like The Hulk, and the weapon-happy, whiskey drinking ways of Iron Man. Sure it’s good to defeat the “bad guys,” but shouldn’t it matter how it’s being done? We villainize athletes who use illegal drugs to perform better to the demands of their fans, yet push a chemically fueled green monster-man bent on destroying everything in his way as the “good guy” to the point of $263 million revenue.

Be this big, mean and strong. But don't forget to take care of your family!

The popularization and mass production of television to the point of every household owning one began sometime in the 1940’s or early 50’s. Sitcoms like I Love Lucy ran the show and gave families a reason to come together. It also suggested proper roles for men and women in the household. Ricky Ricardo left for work during the day and came back to smoke cigars and hang out with Frank. Lucy stayed home and did housework, frequently gossiping with the company of Ethel. The lack of attention to a career became the norm for women, and men’s incompetence around the house progressed to common knowledge. Everyone was comfortable in their roles of fulfilling the American Dream. At least media made it seem so. The women’s rights movement of the 1960’s was demonized by the news; more specifically the editors and producers, aka the gatekeepers in charge of enforcing ideology. They are the ones who selectively choose what is being put out there for us to consume. They feared this movement would disturb the comfortable roles that Americans worked so hard to forge they made up the now-infamous bra-burning story to portray women of this movement as outrageous, irrational, and out of control.

Degrees of masculinity and femininity are said to exist in biological men and women. Femininity is a condition or subject position of marginality that some men, for example, avant-garde artists, can also occupy. Indeed, it is the patriarchal symbolic order that tries to fix all women as feminine and all men as masculine, rendering women as the ‘second sex' (Barker, 297). It’s as if one day someone in charge decided men were to be the desired sex and anything less would be uncivilized. This mentality is carried through almost every culture throughout history and is reaffirmed by the texts of Sigmund Freud as he claimed the phallus is understood by nature as the symbol of power and is to be envied by those who don’t possess it by privilege of birth. Once birth gives you a symbol with which to define yourself, you begin learning your role as a male or female through a process called Social Learning Theory which one interprets their pre-constructed roles as a male or female by observing and imitating others and by reacting to the rewards and punishments others give in response to imitative behaviors (Wood, 50). The irony is that once anyone oversteps their boundaries by displaying too strong of a degree of masculinity for a woman, or femininity for a man, no matter the biological sex they are labeled a “bitch.”

What are the roles for one who cannot identify with living with the perceived acceptable degree of femininity or masculinity?

Identities are wholly socially constructed and cannot ‘exist’ outside of cultural representations. There is no known culture that does not use the pronoun ‘I’ and which does not therefore have conception of self and personhood (Barker, 216). Media does not take that stance in recognizing the community of non-heterosexuals, especially men who choose to display an otherwise unacceptable degree of femininity. They are labeled as transsexuals, fags, bitches, among other hateful things and have become things to be studied, not accepted. You see them on television on late night HBO programs like “Taxi Cab Confessions” and “Real Sex,” shows that cater to already mature, comfortable audience who see the lesbian, gay, bi, and transsexual community (LGBT) as a spectacle of entertainment and not to be taken seriously. Even when exposed to a mainstream audience on prime time networks, shows like “Will and Grace,” whose two lead male characters are homosexual men, they are in a comedy, again, not to be taken seriously.  Judith Butler takes a stand in her article “Imitation and Gender Insubordination” by claiming homosexuality is the original, the real, the creative, and heterosexuality is the imitated version only destined for failure. Heterosexuality is always in the process of imitating and approximating its own phantasmic idealization of itself – and failing(Butler). Enforcing her point by going back to Social Learning Theory, she may even suggest heterosexuality only exists today because of the rewards it reaps.

Genuine efforts to challenge the ideals of heterosexual masculinity are challenged by performances such as drag. Judith Butler argues that drag can destabilize and recast gender norms through a re-signification of the ideals of gender. A man dressing as women dress somehow does this. Media constantly portrays these performances as acts of outrageous, unstable people to be feared. But if hegemonic heterosexuality is itself an imitative performance which is forced to repeat its own idealizations, [then drag] is at best only a reiteration and affirmation of the Law of the Father and heterosexuality (Barker, 299-300), and does not even need to be attacked by the media as a phenomenon.

Television media can be a consistent source of entertainment and education for learning a social role, when you have a role model to identify with. But the lack of a visible role model to learn from for non-heterosexual, masculine or feminine idealist-seeking types can leave a void that they must fill by creating their own identity with which to fill the void. When you create something it is original, not imitative. Maybe Judith Butler was on to something when she states homosexuality is the original and heterosexuality is in a constant state of miming itself to its own failure.

The minority population has their own battle to face. Their minimized and devalued sense of worth in stereotyped roles may be the most criminal performance of American media littering the screens of televisions and movie theaters from the conception of television until today. In an attempt to reduce them to savage behavior, each recognizable minority, Asian, Mexican, and black are closely associated to a violent art whether it is the martial artist to Asian culture, boxing and knife fighting to Mexicans, and gang banging to blacks. Through glorification and criminalization of conforming to these aggressive roles, it leaves members of each ethnicity searching for the meaning of what’s outside the violence. Through hip-hop music videos, the black culture has become iconic for senseless greed and gross dehumanization of females. A typical example of an expected role of a black person according to movies is Craig Robinson’s role as the bouncer in our film Knocked Up. He’s featured as the “doorman,” and is responsible for being the muscle, letting in or out whom he pleases at the new, popular club in town. By his character’s own admission, although he’d love to ‘tap that ass’ of Debbie (Leslie Mann), and Alison Scott, he is not allowed to grant them entrance because he is the authority on who is fit to be associated with the club and who is not. A stereotypical, feminine response follows by Debbie lashing out at him for insulting her sexiness and questioning her youth.

Doorman Scene

Middle Easterners, more specifically Iraqis, Iranis, and Saudis are frequent features of more serious telecasts in the news. Often portrayed as evil madmen, we are rarely told why these people think as they do, for example that Bin Laden understood the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia to be a violation of sacred Islamic groud (Barker, 267). Our film Team America does so in similar fashion, obliterating their language to roughly three words, ‘derka,’ ‘mohammed,’ and ‘allah.’

In reality, these ethnicities have more to offer to our culture as a whole than fulfilling the roles media sets forth for them. Comparing the role of minorities to non-heterosexuals, it is the most difficult challenge to break a mold pre-cast by others based on examples of a forgettable past than leaving one to create their own to a certainty of failure. Anne Waldman took the thoughts right out of my head when writing this argument when she proposes a “utopian creative field where we are identified by our energy, not our gender.” While she speaks specifically of literature, I propose the advancement of this idea to all creative fields, especially media. We as humans learn first with our eyes, then our ears and when we constantly see and hear the subtleties of an evil cultural hegemony processing stereotype after stereotype in an effort to drive femininity and masculinity to the point of unrealistic expectations, suppressing the potential of blacks and other minorities to few and frowned-upon roles, and leaving out non-heterosexual men and women in the cold to fend for their own representation, it only confirms the historical bloc of ruling-class factions exercising their social authority and leadership over subordinate class by winning over their consent by selling us to ourselves (Gramsci, Barker, 442). If Gramsci is correct in stating cultural studies has adopted the view that ideology is rooted in the day-to-day conditions of popular life, then the first step to re-defining the social roles of pop culture that entertainment media sets forth is by first turning off the television and learning your fellow man and woman before being taught by others.  




                                                                            Sources                                                                                                                                              Texts

Barker, Chris. Cultural Studies - Theory & Practice 3rd Ed.(2008). Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA (2008).

Wood, Julia T. Gendered Lives

Bordo, Susan. “’Material Girl’: The Effacements of Postmodern Culture.” Michigan Quarterly Review (Fall/Winter 1990).

Butler, Judith. “Imitation & Gender Insubordination.” (1991)

Waldman, Anne. “Feminafesto.” (1945)

                                                                                                                                              Movies

Knocked Up. Apatow, Judd. Universal Pictures Productions, (2007)

10. Edwards, Blake, Geoffrey. Productions, Orion Pictures Corporation (1979)

The Graduate. Nichols, Mike. Embassy Pictures Corporation (1967)

Team America: World Police. Parker, Trey. Paramount Pictures (2004)

                                                                                                                                                Plays

“The Taming of the Shrew.” Shakespeare, William (1590-1594)

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Williams, Tennessee (1958)

It's all about effort

After going over some of our blogs today in class, I had a moment of satisfaction. I volunteered to go over some of my work and was willing to observe some of my classmate's as well. In class discussions I realize I tend to go off on a tangent or apply certain theories incorrectly before I get clarification. Some of the point of my writings have been difficult to apply or understand to the point of me completely re-doing them, including my reflection paper which is probably the second most important paper we'll do for English 313.
The moment of satisfaction I had was that noticing my own effort. In a past life I would graciously count on my intelligence to be realized and not have to put in the work to earn a grade, a symbol of an accumulation of effort and personal genius. After comparing to some classmate's version of what they took in and work they put out, I at least tried. This was an elective class for me taken out of curiousity. Maybe I didn't understand the material as well as some but as with Chemistry, a class I couldn't comprehend for the life of me, I would've given up. Not this time. I made a conscious effort to come to class as much as possible with balancing 12 units, (still) pledging a fraternity, and work 20 hours a week among other responsibilities like taking care of my physical and mental health and keeping close with my family who aren't geographically near. Like my blog about Sula, I found a balance. And it wasn't just a short term balance with which I could have short term satisfaction. I spent the time to think critically, apply what theories I did absorb, and communicate with my professor when I needed clarification. So I'm proud of myself for putting in the energy to a topic for which I have an interest but little passion without quitting when in the past I would have. It didn't come naturally but working hard did forge some understanding and new knowledge that Professor Wexler tried to bless us with.
Wish me luck on my final paper =)

Dichotomy of the Cyber World

Today's discussion about the utopian society vs. dysopian society of the interenet shed some light to me on the positives and negatives of the globalized community. Although the discussion barely scratched the surface it brought up some very negative memories of how the internet can erode the physical and mental well-being of an individual close to you. I will continue with drawing from personal experiences to add my blogs.
The scene of Farenheit 451 of the show connecting with its audience was eery. The TV show was like a mix between a "choose your own adventure" book, a classroom quiz, and a cable network drama. It was eery in the sense that you could tell the character Linda was sucked it and there was no escape, accounting to the visual presence of the source of her information. The man's gaze was hypnotizing, his tone uncompromising and impatient, and Linda, being the good citizen, couldn't help but obey her master by answering the question in a hurried tone to the best of her knowledge. The TV show was like a mix between a "choose your own adventure" book and a cable network drama.
<<Graemsci>> A beauty of the internet is blogs like this where no idea or thought can go punished because the anonymity that a "screenname" offers. It is a true freedom of speech. Being a Kobe Bryant and Laker I love to go to YouTube and talk smack on LeBron James and say Kobe is better than even Michael Jordan. It's a way for me to voice superiority without the fear of being challenged, a high that many can attest to.
<<Material body>> Unfortunately the internet is not the link between mind, spirit, and body. World of Warcraft (WoW) is an role-playing game (RPG) that is advertised as promoting teamwork, community, and an escape from the bland, boring world. A very good friend of mine got hooked on WoW back in 2005. I literally did not see or hear from him until late 2006. My father, who has always been an internet junkie, had a worsening injury to his knee to the point of a necessary surgery to repair a torn miniscus. During the recovery stages, his computer was entertainment and company. This connection to his laptop bred to another unhealthy point; he refused to set aside time to rehab his knee to spend time in chatrooms and now has no better function of his knee than before the surgery.
This entrancing nature of digital media is destructive and unchallenging to an always developing mind. Yes, the immediate access to free entertainment is relaxing and computers can create endless opportunities for one searching for the right thing in the right place. But it can easily turn into a "needle in the haystack" search for opportunity and can result in a journey down a road to nowhere. The beauty of literature is there is a beginning and an end, affording time before and after for one's own physical health and time for others close to you. That is, the one's close to you in the physical world.

Cities Speak!

Barker's book breaks down six features that can describe cities:

• Plant life and ecology
• Power and surveillance
• Symbolic culture, suburbanization, and gentrification
• Postmodernism
• Information technology

It's hard to argue that each take responsibility for the reputation of a city. But what it forgets is the magnificence of cities as a whole. If a postmodernism is a language of a city, then cities are the signature of the human race.
Los Angeles, hate it or love it, beat it or root for it, is a city is among the most, if not the most unique city in the world. Modeled after no plan before it, Los Angeles city spans 498.3 square miles and connecting metropolitan areas including Ventura and Orange County make it one of the largest metropolitan cities ever. All superlatives aside comparing it to cities that are the most this or the best that Los Angeles space was created as the first "sprawling" city, utilizing the area east, west, north, and south before utilizing the space above that is verticality. Beginning in Europe, large cities' growth depended on high you could build. It wasn't until the 19th century that a skyscraper was built in New York to fully break the surface of a 4+ story building habitable to every day activities. Even now, when one looks at a picture of downtown L.A. it is noticeable to realize the lack of sky space utilized when comparing to other major cities like Chicago or New York therefore it is reasonable to question how space has been utilized efficiently and what differs in the citizens' respective time space geographies. How long it takes for a New Yorker to get to work compared to the two hour, ten mile drive on rush hour in the 405 of a working Los Angeles person is an example of the difference.

Look at all of that unused real estate

Within that shape of a city is its contents. What materials have structured its prominent buildings, what angles the rooftops take, and its physical geography relative to any point of the city speaks to what it took to create and sustain this particular city. One can predict the age of structure simply look at the materials and shape. What a city can say to an observer by sheer appearance is astounding.

Sometimes cities can be misleading

 Cities are the accumulation of all progress and accomplishment of us and those past. They are more than just of a stack of brick and steel. They speak, they grow, they change, they require maintenance and love, they are hated and adored, they label, they kill, they create wealth and house the poor. They contain the very organisms whose past fathers created them and will be around for as long as the human brain is alive.

How Fantasy Beats Sex: Response Paper

               A vicious, pale teenager whose elongated incisors dripping with the fresh warm blood of an eaten victim who has fallen unconscious into said teenager’s arms isn’t a prototype picture a previous generation would be compelled to call “love” or even sexy, but Stephanie Meyer millions of adolescent teenagers today would disagree.  There is a radical trend in entertainment that pleases and frustrates, but has become outrageously popular for its tension and relative safety that allows all ages to appreciate and follow. The idea of sex without sex has fit like a glove onto America’s ever-curious hand and has boomed since the beginning of its conception into entertainment starting with the romantic comedy genre. It started as a tool to poke fun at otherwise serious relationships struggling to find their comfort zone when it comes to a sexual relationship, but has blossomed into a billion dollar economy without ever showing as much as a nipple and I would personally like to know how.

                Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga has sold over 100 million copies in 37 languages all over the world and it all centers around the relationship of Isabella (Bella) and Edward the vampire. Bella travels to a new home with no expectation of having a life, let alone finding eternal love but her ideas radically change once in Edward’s presence. First off, this decision of Bella’s to leave home and create a new life for herself and by herself is leagues away from the women’s world that Anne Waldman and Simone de Beauvoir must have lived in, women being so dependent and respondent to men’s wishes. She is an example of a maturing woman who leads the way and defines, not seeks to be defined.

                Nevertheless Bella is a victim of nature like most of us and falls to prey to an immediate attraction. Diving into her psyche, the author reveals the mutual attraction buds once in each other’s immediate presence which is not uncommon.  The gender norms that are being challenged today by the feminist/equality movement are strong and purposeful but should it end in success, it will be a success for individuals few and far between. Persons across the globe who do not identify as “straight” or “male/female” for any numerous reasons will hopefully be freed from wrongful persecution and judgment with an expansion of awareness, but the rest of the 98% or so of the population will continue to identify with the ever-fixed laws of attraction. A “transsexual literature, a hermaphroditic literature, a transvestite literature” as Anne Waldman hopes for is a romantic idea in terms of peace but ultimately not very sexy. Twilight is sexy because it is constant foreplay surrounded by tension thicker than the forest fog. As Foucault states early on in Chapter 3 of his thesis, “as if the speaking about sex were of itself more important them the forms of imperatives that were imposed on it by speaking about it.” In America and the capitalist world, it’s usually the idea that is considered most valuable, typically not the labor.

                This is of itself a repression of sexuality in covering up the details, form and functions of the fundamental particulars that constitute a sexual act. This identity foreplay has been so sold that once people of the genre break through the discourse to what a sexual relationship truly is it has resulted in an explosion of sexual anomalies being revealed and explored but then being condemned by the governing body that encouraged the first phase of repression, allowing this type of entertainment to become an ideal. 

                One particular aspect of intrigue that keeps people reading Twilight is its unique take on agency of the book’s focal relationship, or what begets such a strong bond between Bella and Edward. Bella seemed to have the normal reasons to be attracted to Edward, but a diamond in the mind of the author Stephanie Meyer reveals itself when Edward reveals his reason for having such a strong desire for Bella. His extra vampire ‘sense’ decided that Bella, not by choice but by destiny, has him drawn to her like a bee to honey. This is nothing he won’t do to protect and love her. This idea of finding ‘the one’ is as original as sliced bread but has been disguised in so many ways that each time a new twist is put on it, it can be sold like wildfire.

                So what makes up the Twilight saga into such a success, nationally and globally, is that it tickles the minds of a demographic that experiences the same questions and fantasies of similar situations of what could possibly be. It’s a lead in defining the new possibilities of women, but dresses up romance in a unique blanket of foreplay, tension, fantasy, but does so smartly enough to keep the messy truth esoteric and allow wondering minds to explore new ways of finding love, ways that previous generations thought impossible.

Love is the light at the end of tunnel of suffering that many endure at certain phases of their respective lives. Anthony Giddens calls this ‘personal meaningless’- the feeling that life has nothing worthwhile to offer. However when there is love, there is meaning and that is the most important reason to live above all.

Sources

The Balance of Life

Sula. At first I thought it was just a funny name of a cooking spice. "I'm cooking fish tonight, drop by the market and get some sula or else it's going to turn out flaky and bland." Or it could be a virus. "Man, I messed up...that girl might have had sula." Thankfully Sula turned out to be a brilliant novel written beautifully from back to front with as good of character relationships and development as I have ever read. Not only was the text the perfect size for my picky eyes but the final message of the book, the way I interpreted Toni Morrison to have written it, hit so close to home in my way of thinking, that I was actually perfectly satisfied once the final page was turned. It's a close to a perfect book as I've read. A few others may have thought of it the same way; the author, Toni Morrison earned a Nobel Peace Prize in Literature in 1993 for her works.(source)

So far I have utilized my last few blogs not only as a reflection of our class discussions, but also as a bit of therapy. I spent 23 years in one area, Orange County, also known as "The Bubble" because it's tough to get in, equally or even more tough to get out. I adapt well but the move has opened my eyes and writing these blogs is a useful tool to spill some emotion, going through some new and tough experiences. Having said that, Sula's message in the end was a perfect example of what I strive to find. Balance! Once you're in the bubble, it's easy to get high on the affluent things around you so much so that it can make you feel like a piece of crap for being unworthy. Not to knock on Northridge or the San Fernando Valley, but the scale has tipped a bit the other way. I went from being a martyr in Orange County to the Sula in Northridge. Okay, not to that extreme, but I am looking for the balance. Sula absorbed and emitted all the evil in her town that it turned cheating wives into loyal partners, and inattentive parents into role models. All the girls feared her, all the boys wanted her, and she knew it. She was larger than life living in the Bottom and it showed in her willingness to accept and enhance her role as 'witch of the Bottom.' It worked because balance is the key to life, love, and happiness. Know who you are!

Sources

Morrison, Toni. Sula (1973, Alfred A. Knopf, New York)

Scared Little Boy

This last week has been a very eye-opening experience in the classroom for me, and not just in English 313. I also have a Communications 360 class that is challenging the idea of gender equality and philosophical standpoints of masculinity and femininity in our culture and how language shapes all of this. Each class has seemed to coincide with each other's lectures and it has really helped me see clearly on these issues. Now I do NOT consider myself racist, homophobic, or anti-feminist, nor do I condone or support anybody who is. Some of the following questions or thoughts may seem that way but they are simply out of my raw curiosity and blissful ignorance of people's sensitivities. I am a very open person myself and rather insensitive to "hurt feelings" when it comes to challenging my own positions or identity so I propose these thoughts in the same way I feel I would give the most concise, honest answers should someone question me the same way.
Enjoy a little background of yours truly first. My father is from Argentina, my mother from the whitest state in the nation, Idaho which makes me a blend of sorts. I'm not close with my father's side except my grandmother, who raised me for 5 good years. However, I am close with my mother and her side of the family so I'm close to two of her three sisters. Almost all of my cousins on this side I know well or am very close with except Kyle and Scott, my only two male cousins out of nine. That makes seven female cousins. on this side of the family tree. Oh by the way I was raised with two sisters, Audrey and Veronica, and I have a stepsister, Jennifer. At any given point in my life, there are at least ten females in my family life that I love very dearly and essentially no males that I connect with and count on to be there for me.

This + me is my family reunion

I am at a loss for words when I hear the females in my classes demand that they are the underprivileged sex. I wrote a blog about my opinion of the feminist movement, which should really be termed "Equality Movement" for the sake of queer individuals, but I digress. Let consider Foucault and make this ahistorical.  I am not saying men are the underprivileged sex, far from it. If women aren't, men aren't, and queer individuals make up too small of a defined demographic to be considered a separate sex or class yet, then who is? Give me a break. No one! The great architect Daniel Lediske who created the Jewish Historical Museum in Berlin said it best when criticized about an aspect of his piece, "If you look into the past, you will have no future." This can apply in so many ways to this great Equality Movement. Women may be held down in a certain way, but in our culture they are undoubtedly the prized sex. It is unacceptable to disrespect a woman on public grounds in any way no matter what that female has said or done. In comparison to man, Warren Farrell said it best himself "men are the disposable gender; they die in war and from suicide four times more often than women, and are also the most common victims of violence, overwork and mental illness (Barker 304)." Men's standards are set impossibly high and unimaginably complicated, often threatening and scary. Not the "I might get made fun of" kind of scary. Men's standards are "well, I may lose an arm/my sanity/years of my life/my actual life but I'm doing what is expected of me" kind of scary. And people question why it's taking longer for young men to accept maturity and growing up these days? Because it's fucking scary. Literally.

Ethnography!

Ethnography - a research strategy often used in the social sciences, particularly in anthropology and in some branches of sociology. It is often employed for gathering empirical data on human societies/cultures. Ethnography aims to describe the nature of those who are studied (i.e. to describe a people, an ethnos) through writing - Wikipedia

Today was my first (intentional) ethnography. I have been quite the people-watcher my whole life and have reflected upon some observations but never as intensely as I have done today, nor have I reflected enough to write about it so today was a different experience. I utilized what turned out to be a fantastic spot to examine relationships of all types, and mostly serious relationships in heterosexual couples as well as families. I traveled to the Northridge mall on Tampa and Nordhoff this Sunday, September 19, 2010, at about 1:45pm and began my observations by finding a place to sit which happened to be between the JC Penney and Vitamin world under a large glass dome that allowed plenty of beautiful sunlight to infiltrate and fill the space with warm light. It was a prime time during the week and during the day to see people active and energetic; cruising around the shopping mall like they were floating on a cloud with so many visual stimulants present that even a magician could be impressed. What I came to apply to many observations was Saussure’s ideas of semiotics, Simone de Beauvoir’s notions of feminism, and our author Barker’s rules of culture, among many others.

Barker claims that without language, there is no culture and vice versa. The most prominent visuals throughout the shopping mall is undoubtedly the amount of advertisements by way of signage, lighting, displays, and laborers outside their respective retail stores shouting coupon offers “Buy one get one free! Last day and limited supply!” All these signs are translated to a language that tells us “Buy our products because you need our stuff!” all the while it’s telling me “Continue on with capitalism and moving money because it helps our business, our country, and you!”

There are also plenty of literal messages. For example “Shoes, Shirts, and Socks.” For those in need of any elementary clothing item I would recommend with confidence this specific store because of their sign that lets us know they are full of these items. Directional signs let me know where to go when I wanted to find a restaurant to have a good sandwich. I found the Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill by simply following the sign that said “Restaurants ^ “letting me know in which direction to go. How simple a sign could be, but, oh! What it encourages is astounding!

That simple sign cost me $13.50 but gave me a delicious cup of chicken tortilla soup, and although the service may have been stale, I ate a great tri-tip that was cooked perfectly and dressed with a sumptuous barbecue sauce paired with a nice branch of steamed broccoli to help it all digest well all the while finding a perfect spot to relax, watch a football game which I always enjoy, and help me do my homework. I highly recommend a good sit-down restaurant with peace but conversational buzz to just enjoy yourself and take time to reflect. None of this would have been remotely possible with out me knowing my language which enabled me to interpret the sign that may have said “Restaurant this way” but really meant “Exactly what you need right now, provided you have the capital, this way.”

Having a brand is also a language of advertisement, but it takes some experience in order to interpret what you will find. For example, an inexperienced foreigner wouldn’t have a clue where to decide to shop for nice cologne if you asked him/her “Macy’s or Spencer’s?” But us as experienced capitalists know to go to Macy’s for our cologne, and Spencer’s for a gag gift because that is what each brand markets. Evolved language in advertisement runs rampant through the mall because each sign signifies what niche of culture it offers.

Now once I finally found comfort on a spot on a bench under a well-lit area with plenty of foot traffic I did my best to take in some of Simone de Beauvoir’s messages of the male sex being the Absolute, and women being the “other sex,” that could not possibly envision themselves without a male counterpart. Nothing could be further from the truth here. Women weren’t trying to keep up with men by holding their sleeve, gleefully pleading for perform favors for their men. In fact, the mall is the perfect antidote to neutralize the notion of males being the superior sex.  Beauvoir claims women lack “concrete means for organizing themselves into a unit.” Well the mall seems to cure that ailment. Rarely did I see a group of men wandering, but frequently did I notice small tribes of females ranging from teenagers to grown women out and about in their groups, chatting gleefully amongst themselves. Not only were they out, organized, and energized, but I expected to see them here in the mall and when I did see a group of males without female company here some cultural influence in me always thought to raise the question, “Are these guys gay?” How it has turned on its head. For every single mother proudly leading her children throughout her shopping conquest, it was a shock to notice a single father doing the same for him and his children without the guidance of a female counterpart. There are no slave/master relationships here. Not unless you consider patrons of the shopping mall slave to the business ventures of capitalism.

It’s incredible what information is possible to gather by just seeing a person and reading certain signs. Every assumption and pre-conceived notion conjured by my thoughts today depended all on Saussure’s concepts of semiotics. Without A there is no B and there is only A because there is B. Applying this to my observations, there is no wife without the husband, are there are no parents without the company of children. This stood out no more prominent then when I noticed a group of three walking about, one man and two women. The possibilities of their relationships shot off in my head like fireworks. I know the two on the right are in a relationship because they are holding hands while one single female walks casually at their pace moving forward, head angled so that she can talk eye to eye with the couple. She is single because the other two are together. The three of them are not all friends because the two in the relationship are not just friends, they are something more. This signal of a deeper relationship tends to make company in the immediate presence uncomfortable, mostly if their company is not in a relationship. This automatic negative feeling is felt by the majority of the population when seeing a situation like this and to be the one in the line of critical fire, like the single woman is here, is likely to want to be avoided. Sometimes we are forced or coerced into being that person, that ‘third wheel.’

We've all been there

But to let other observers know we are not a perennial nuisance, buzzing around and destroying the intimate moments of a couple by just being single, many don a sign that tells others, ”I, too, am in a committed relationship. No need to judge my capability of being desirable.”  It’s a little gold band at the base of, cleverly enough, one’s ring finger and it is called an engagement or wedding ring. The use of the wedding ring, according to Wikipedia, traces its roots back to Roman times. According to the prayer book of Edward VI, after the words 'with this ring I thee wed' follow the words 'This gold and silver I give thee', at which point the groom was supposed to hand a leather purse filled with gold and silver coins to the bride (Kunz PhD. DSc., George Frederick (1917). Rings for the Finger). Obviously in this culture most of us don’t have the resources to afford a bag of gold for our spouse, but the symbolic ring has stuck around and proves to all that you have an eternal bond. De Beauvoir’s “Woman as Other,” has stuck out yet again and tried to prove her message by introducing the engagement ring. Both man and wife will wear the wedding band as a symbol of eternal companionship to one another but only will a female wear an engagement ring, the symbolic gesture of “I promise to promise.” Earlier, in the 20th century and before, a woman had to earn the engagement ring by proving she was fit to be alongside a man as proof she was not so inferior to be incompatible. This, however, has evolved into a more equal, if not feminine dominated gesture. Today, the man not only has to earn the privilege of female companionship and earn her trust to consider marriage, but now the engagement ring not only has to be present, but has to be good enough. That’s what else the mall is for. After spending a few minutes by the jewelry store I noticed a couple ogling the shiny jewelry. Unsure of whether it was a ring she desired or a different accessory, it was clear to me she was there to shop and he was there to buy. De Beauvoir’s message is being received by Los Angeles culture and women are gaining their power and influence to even the playing field. Unfortunately I don’t see it being done here on an intellectual level, but through a capitalist level. “Prove to me your worthy enough by showing me what things you are capable of getting…and give them to me.” Many kids are growing up with the feeling today that true love and the meaning of companionship is a Mercedes C Class and a diamond ring big enough to scratch one’s eyes while wiping away the tears of a failing relationship. Sorry to be cynical.

53% of Bridal Magazine's agree that two months salary is the minimum to spend on an engagement ring (Source)

If there is no A without B, my observations proved that all A’s stick together as much as all B’s stay together as well. When I saw a white man in a relationship, what followed was a white woman, and when I saw an Asian woman paired with someone, that someone was always an Asian male. Biologically, all A’s beget A’s. In other words, if each pair had a family with them in the form of kids, the kids were naturally the same race and possessed similar features of the parents. This would lead me to believe if the children grew up seeing and A with an A (Asian with an Asian, or a Latino with a Latino), it would be defective to see an A with a B, the B in this case being a man or woman of a different race, let’s say white. Although I saw an even spread of different cultures and races throughout my observations, I made a point to distinguish each inter-racial couple. I may have seen a hundred different couples today, but only two couples stood out to me as inter-racial, the first being a black man with a white woman, and the second couple while I ate was a white man and an Asian woman. These were the most prominent of “mismatches” I failed to recognize as consistently as I had hoped for. Even people of the same style stick together. It is arguable that once a man or woman finds a suitable partner, he or she tends to adopt certain traits and styles of their partner, but that is when a B becomes an A. The young couple I saw were both rocker-types with several facial piercings between them, tight jeans, and loud designs decorating their t-shirts. The couple in the jewelry stored both dressed in business attire, the man confidently wearing a sport coat and button-up shirt with slacks as his lady dressed effortlessly in a quality-material blouse and appropriate length skirt with heels. I even noticed a couple who happen to be a bit different in personal appearance but made up for that discrepancy because they were both in a wheel chair, wheeling about observing what the decorated windows had to offer their tastes. Saussure might have argued that each A as well as each B and C depend on each other to be defined, but my evidence suggests while this may be true, each sign of A, B, or C are not always fixed nor eternal. Race is fixed, style is not. Language is fixed, but communication styles can evolve. These traits and signs are all defining features of the relationships that thrive in the Northridge mall.


(Works cited)

Chris Barker, Cultural Studies - Theory & Practice 3rd Ed.(2008)

Ferdinand de Saussure, Course in General Linguistics (Based on Saussure's lecture's at Univ. of Geoneva),(1906-1911)

Simone de Beavoir, The Second Sex, "Woman as Other" (1949)

Call Me Brick, Paul Newman

On Tuesday my class group and I did a presentation on the timeless Tennessee Williams play, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Cat)." Our goal was to apply the current class themes of romance and class status and weave it to modern ideas and themes of today's romantic ideas channeled through media. So we did a Jerry Springer parody, Kerry Springer. We brought out the four/five most prominent characters on "stage" and enacted what would have been the cast of "Cat" on a trashy type talk-show. I channeled my inner Brick taking notes from Paul Newman's Brick as well as my own interpretation of Brick.

Brick And Maggie (click!)

Using my own experiences as a celebrated athlete but (somewhat) alcoholic, I did my best to act out a good drunk, harsh, but still loved washed-up man-boy. Having faced similar experiences, I felt good playing the role and the fact that most of Brick's text was one-liners it made it that much more comfortable especially since I had never done a southern accent. The presentation went well as each "guest" including Maggie, Mae, Big Daddy, and Big Momma, contributed a good role to make the show work competently and achieve our goal of representing failing relationships, gender, class in society, and the birth of a new topic I hadn't much explored until the ensuing class discussion, ambiguity. Brick's ambiguity is what kept Brick afloat as the main focus in the play. Was his relationship with Skipper homo- or heterosexual? Does Brick still desire Maggie? Does he love his family? The presentation was a success and the acting was fun, but it wasn't easy to construct.

Being the first group to present put pressure on myself as one of the group leaders to come up with something creative and intelligent that would get a quiet class to talk with no other presentations with which to compare it. It has to be said that there were not appointed group leaders so some of us had to take the buck and put in more work in order to make it a success, but understandably so. In a group project of multiple university students dividing time between work, a full school schedule, and minimal time to prepare, how could one possibly expect schedules to match? In the end all six of us showed competency and cohesion as a group once it came down to it and I'm proud of the work we did. Now here's an actual photo of the group and me preparing our presentation.

That's me in the front

Status And Opinion Of The 'Feminist Movement'

This is a very heavily opinionated passage that I have always wanted to explore through writing. I did not dress it up with pictures or tunes because I wanted it to be reflective of my true thoughts, forward, precise, and real. It is not reflective of my thoughts regarding the master/slave, christian/jew, apple/orange relationships. It's based on my own exploration and attempt to understand the opposite sex that I love so much in the female race and the misunderstandings of the world's most fundamentally needed relationship, the man/woman relationship in regards to the discrepancies of today's social inequalities. I did my best to incorporate today's class discussion and de Beauvoir's writings, but it is mostly my own thoughts as I see it.

Today, the class briefed over the fundamental need of the male/female relationship. If we do not have male or female we literally have nothing as a human race. Simple relationship, right? That's about as simple as this relationship has become. The separation of the sexes became no more apparent than during the feminist movements. Before these movements, females being regarded as "the second race" as inferior humans were either swept under the rug or just thought of as natural or just never thought of! These standards either or were or are enforced by the majority of cultures throughout the world. The feminist movement brought a collective awareness to America that was essential in addressing the lack of woman's right in a capitalist society that yearns for growth. This movement, however, needs to evolve or dissolve. It has done its job. It won women suffrage, and demanded of private businesses to recognize the need of the female intellect in performing duties among other important goals. But what has it done lately?
‘Tota mulier in utero,' woman is a womb. Then what is a man? A penis? Testes? That hardly brings to mind the strength, perseverance and patience that the womb represents reciprocated to symbolize man. The feminist movement brought a collective awareness important in addressing the lack of woman's right in a capitalist society that yearns for growth. As the two biological genders become closer in sociological equality, there's a natural separation. It is a separation not between the sexes but a natural separation between people of pedigree. For example, the movie Jerry Maguire; Maguire is on top of the sports world as a top agent in the top professional sports agency. He is engaged to a woman of similar power, Avery Bishop, who is just as powerful and successful in her own world.  If you have a top female professional in the business world as Maguire's fiancee, why would a group of self-righteous women want to hold her back from fulfilling her championship pedigree to be part of a movement that is trying to do what she is already going to achieve? Her character isn't common but far from unbelievable in terms of what a female could do in the professional world. What I'm trying to say is once you're in a quest to fulfill your potential, to succeed in life as a person/athlete/student/professional regardless of sex it is a dog eat dog world and if you have people that are not your equal demanding that they become that with you, they will drag you down like a stone. If you have an entire population of women trying to become the best, that population will tear itself apart from the inside out in order for each individual to become better than the next. This is how men see the world. If men are the privileged sex, their unintended lack of unity suffer the consequences as well. How often do you see a pack of homeless women? After a trip to Venice I was very aware that the percentage of vagrants was vastly male. Unlike men, women hold each other up, but hold each other back. If you want to succeed in this world you have to do it as an individual and you must closely consider who you keep at your side.
Now, why did Jerry Maguire, the high-profile, super-star megabucks hot-shot millionare agent, ultimately fall for the down-to-earth, house-wife bound single mother type? In living your life to achieve stardom, to be the biggest dog in the pound, there are natural qualities such as compassion and tenderness that are just as important to well-being that you have to hold back to put on the performance of a lifetime for everyone to see and recognize you as the best. The best professional. The best athlete. The best actor, the best writer, the best at doing what you do. There are sacrifices to be made to achieve what Jerry Maguire earned, yet the same things he sacrificed he coveted in his ultimate partner Dorothy (Renee Zellweger). In a partnership like the special relationship of man to woman or woman to man, there must be a delicate balance of the ruthless drive and sacrifice to achieve what you want balanced with a calming, compassionate influence to cool down the heat. Now who takes on which role is for you to determine.

E

Class: Above and Below

Hello everyone reading,

And by everyone, probably just Professor Wexler! I am a Junior transfer student from Saddleback CC in Mission Viejo, Orange County and my major is Urban Studies and Planning. I am interested in ENG 313 specifically because of the title, Pop Culture. I don't consider myself very trendy or a follower so this instruction may serve me well in opening my eyes to themes like Romance and current pop culture. I have enjoyed reading Sula, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and beginning Twilight and Romantic Comedy (although it seems those won't be required readings like the school website claimed). Until this week I have never lived in a community that wasn't southern, coastal Orange County but I'm excited to be here.

Today's class discussion briefed the idea of the perception of the class system viewed by both high and low class society's members. Interestingly, one's assumption would be that a University class demographic would consist of mostly mid- to upper-middle class members who are not either in the "above" or "below" class. Most opinions were given from the perspective of "other" and how they view the above and below from this perspective. The example used was music and how low-class rappers, N.W.A., rise from the dumps of society to the upper tier of the American class. They rose so much so in the public's eye that one of the group's members, Eazy-E, Eric Wright, was invited to a fund-raising dinner of the Republican Party. Rivkin and Ryan may argue that N.W.A. never actually rose to upper class, instead just became lower class society members with talent and money. Is that possible? Is there a separation of class and money, or does one determine the other?

Eric Wright (aka Eazy E)

"Those who are born into upper-class echelons will acquire dispositions that will allow them to appreciate certain forms of culture...and such abilities will help them secure elevated positions in class heirarchy" (Revkin and Ryan). In other words, certain qualities like interpretation of classy art, recognition of proper dining protocol, and political awareness are necessities one must possess in order to be considered upper-class and if one is not raised with these qualities they cannot be considered high society members. The summation of the remainder of the article maintains that members of the lower class are fed "ephemeral gratification" at chosen times by the upper class in order to quell the "permanent possibility of eruption, (and) dissonance" by the lower-class citizens.

These ideas may have held true in Victorian times, but today's class members are adhered to their place in society by money. I have personally encountered more people of manners and gentlemanly/ladylike behavior outside "high" class than in it. Over the last 18 months I worked in different departments of a world-renowned 5-star 5-diamond resort, The St. Regis Monarch Beach. I met some of the world's richest, most famous people but nothing about meeting and spending time with them shouts "I am classy! I know more about being refined than you do!" What it came down to was always the money to allow you access to places that otherwise would have turned them away. In our capitalist society, cash is class and class is cash.

E