Lights, Camera, Action

Starting off with a flashback to the good ole days of VCR was a thrill especially for me (and my parents)….who still own one and use it. I wonder what Friedberg would say now with our advancements into Blu-ray’s, digital downloading, and online streaming.

When she spoke of HBO, it reminded me of a conversation I had with my friend a couple of weeks ago. We are both fans of several HBO series but don’t have the funds to pay for cable. So I asked, “Why hasn’t HBO come up with a plan allowing them to sell HBO Go (their online streaming website for current cable users) directly to customers rather than having to go through a cable company?”. According to my friend and some online articles, this is actually in the works. Not sure when, but it will come. Regardless, it is just another example of how advanced technology has become and how eager we, as consumers, are to use it and see things whether they are shows, films, etc.

With this advancement in technology, we are seeing more and more movies break boundaries taking us to other places, other times, and outside of this world. I find it amazing! Of course, as Sarris says not every movie is good and not every movie is bad. It all rests in the hands of the director. It is he/she who selects a piece to produce and portray. It is interesting to see how many more films now a days are being written and directed by the same person. So not only are the directors portraying a script they are portraying a script that they wrote, felt, and spent time on. One that comes to my mind is Woody Allen. I personally like most of his movies. They are interesting and odd in a Woody Allen kind of way and I never felt any of them to be very similar in meaning, which is pretty incredible. When I had more time to watch TV, I would always watch the interviews of the celebrities selected in his films and the one thing they would always say was that they never worked with a director like him. He would give them the script, let them act as they saw fit, AND even add more. He wanted them to think outside of the lines. One example was in the movie Vicky Christina Barcelona starring Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, and Scarlett Johanson. In the film there were many instances in which Penelope and Javier were to speak to each other in English but once Woody set them free, they threw in Spanish and wild gestures which added to the flare of the movie.

In the end, I wonder what is to come next. Our demand for more movies and shows has only increased with time. We are drawn to it like moth to a flame. Are we getting burned though? Have we made these things our reality?

Acting out our Gender

Butler began by discussing John Searles “speech acts” and then transitioned into her belief that “gender is an identity instituted through a stylized repetition of acts” (900, Rivkn and Ryan). But of course before talking about this shouldn’t we ask what is gender? I believe sex refers to being male or female biologically where as gender refers to what you perceive yourself to be either man or woman or even a mix. Once you have identified your gender, which I don’t believe is a choice but is something you have come to accept about yourself, you then go on to live and function within society.

I think Butler would agree that the moment you wake up (an act), choose your outfit (an act), and make your way out the door (an act), you have already managed to express yourself or your “gender” in several ways and repeatedly every day. My question is what acts are considered male and female? Why have they been categorized as such? Are they also functions of what society has put in place?

For instance, just a couple of years ago, men were accustomed to wearing shirts (t-shirts/dress shirts) of certain colors whether it was red, white, blue, or black (“masculine” colors). Now, it is not unusual to see men dressed in “feminine” colors such as purple, pink, or “salmon” (which I think is just another version of pink but that’s a whole other story). The same can be said of children. Babies’ rooms used to be painted either blue or pink (why blue or pink?) and now many parents are going the neutral route with pretty beiges, greens, and yellows. It seems that these acts started out from the child’s birth in which they had no choice on the matter until they mature and regain control. But yet, this no choice has an affect on them whether people believe it or not.

Near the end, Butler suggests that we must try and live in a world in which acts express nothing. I don’t know if I agree with that or if I just don’t really understand what she means. Expressing oneself through acts is not a negative thing nor is it something to hide or be ashamed of (unless those acts are against the law). It is what it is and all we need is for people to be more accepting of others. 

The Second Sex....

I would have to agree with Simone de Beauvoir that in the past women have been placed or seen as secondary in relation to men. We have been put in a separate box (not just check Male or Female) but a separate box in life. Throughout history we have been seen as less; look how long it took us to get suffrage.

Being from the states, I can say that although we have yet to elect a woman as president, having had them in the running was at least a big step. Even in Houston, which is located in Texas (primarily a Republican state), we managed to elect a mayor that was not only a woman but also a lesbian. But even still, after such advances, I still feel that women are held back. I am not sure how to explain it but it’s still taking place.

I know this may be a silly thing to say but I think the fact that women are the bearers of children pays a role in it. Although Beauvoir didn’t go into it in the introduction I think it’s a big component. I mean lets think about it…back in the day (cave man days), women bore children and men protected the family. Then it went from women bore children to men protecting the home, bringing home the bacon, voting, etc. Now both can do it all except women still bear the children. So although we have now “proven” ourselves to be capable of everything men can do and more, the weight of childbirth is still upon us. Of course, I know there isn’t a natural way for a man to bear a child nor do I think it will make things better at this point. I think the fact that women are capable of conceiving a child and still manage to work and do the same as men is a phenomenal feat. It is nothing to be looked down upon and it something I look forward to doing in the future (farrrr future…still have time). But, it is something that takes over us and changes us whether it is mentally, physically, emotionally, etc. It is something that can make us stronger or weaker in the eyes of others….excuse me in the eyes of the Subject as Beauvoir might say.

I suppose my question is, are there any other big differences in men and women besides child birth that come to any ones else’s mind that have played a large role? Besides our sex, I believe it to be one of the biggest distinguishing factor.  

Discourse in the Novel, Dialogues in a book, Convos in a text

Although I found Marx’s texts interesting and also relatable to today’s society, I felt that Bakhtin’s words stayed with me. 

“Certain features of language take on the specific flavor of a given genre (675)”.

Although a part of me knew this to be true, it’s as if it just hit me when I read all of Bakhtin’s text. Like when we were in class and talking about how we don’t think about everything that is actually happening since most things are automatic… unless we actually make ourselves think about it (I believe an example was our heart pumping blood or us being hungry).  Anyway, I think it is quite fascinating to really think about it.

Everything we read and write it affected by the language we use every day. Many things that were once said in the 80s (or even further back) may no longer be used today or if it is, is looked at/read with bewilderment. Even when Bakhtin wrote about words having specific flavor the thing (or person) that came to mind was Flavor Flav which is ridiculous but true and this is due to “pop culture”, to the way words are now used.

Many words including vulgarity are now seen as something common among people, movies, and books. It is now (for some) a form of everyday speech. I will admit that I have become more accustomed to fouler things than when I was younger but that I am very cognizant of my surroundings and try to be respectful of others.

But, when I hear children saying profane words or talking about inappropriate things, my “mom” hat comes on. For example, last week I entered my usual bus route to UBC and found it to be full of children (ie middle schoolers). I already find it strange that Canadian schools use public transportation for field trips (but that is a whole other story, prob related to my American upbringings) but what I found even odder was that there was a group of boys discussing the movie Ted. They spoke of how they thought it was good and really funny. I won’t lie. I have seen this movie and some parts of it were funny BUT it is not anything someone their age should be watching. It is full of drugs, alcohol, basically everything your parents wouldn’t let you watch when you were 12 years old….ever.

And it’s not just movies slowly influencing society but books and articles. Authors have also become more comfortable and have adapted to the change in language within society and they reflect it in their own writings. I do think it is important to understand that this is happening and to “keep with the times” but will we ever get to a point when people or our language is going to far? Are we getting too comfortable? Does a line need to be drawn as to what is ok and not ok to say/write? Of course, here we go into freedom of speech oh wait….there is no freedom according to Zizek.