I just read some Edward Hall for class (which basically confirmed that this whole idea of Systems and Cultures that I had is certainly not original, but whatever), and thought I'd use him to talk about something I'd been thinking about this trip. How movements in a city differ depending on the technologies in place to control movement, or acceptable culture that allows individuals to bend laws that are supposed to restrict movement. The comparison? Hong Kong vs. New York City.
Hong Kong has these fences everywhere, lining the streets, separating the road from the sidewalk. I get that it's for safety, to make sure people don't get hit by cars. But it's so...restrictive. I can't cross the street when and where I like. I can only cross it where the architects of the city allow me to (which could be two blocks from where I need to be, and then I would need to double back). Here, movement works in a very specific way.
New York, on the other hand, is a chaos of movement where lines on the street are mere suggestions, and a hand indicating STOP at the crosswalk gets largely unnoticed. That is, if one even crosses at a crosswalk. Here, movement works in a specific way as well. One that is very different than in Hong Kong.
To use Edward Hall's terms of formal, informal, and technical levels of culture, movement in these two cities reside in different parts of Hall's Major Triad paradigm. In Hong Kong, movement is largely determined and pre-determined by the HK Powers That Be. It resides in the "formal" level of Hall's paradigm. HK places these architectural structures in place that act as persuasive technologies to encourage people - nay, force them, to move in certain ways. You can't physically move in a way that the HK PTBs don't want you to, unless you jump the fence, and honestly, that takes more effort than is worth.
New York, on the other hand, has a formal structure (of crosswalks, lights, intersections, etc), yet no one follows it. The culture of movement in NYC depends on the informal process of learning what is acceptable by watching other people move around the city (or, more often than not, being carried with the flow). Although I'm fairly sure jaywalking is illegal, I've jaywalked in front of police cars in NYC without a second thought. There is a certain amount of leeway allowed in the formal element of the law that governs movement through a city, where the informal culture makes bending these formal laws ok.
Try doing this in HK, and I guarantee a ticket, or at least some sort of negative ramification. And Hong Kong has escalators. Talk about technology forcing you in a certain direction. Ever try running down an escalator that's heading up? Not only is it scary, it's bad for your knees, and you'll probably lose.
Oh, another place where movements are disciplined are airports and airplanes. When I'm on an airplane, I feel like I'm one of those humans in Wall-E, where I sit in a chair, and food and drinks get brought to me, and I have entertainment on a little screen right in front of me. This is what I have to look forward to for the next 12 hours. Yippee.
Grad school gets dangerous when everything you learn starts becoming very visceral. That's when it gets harder and harder to live in the world.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Real
It's unreal here. Everything's shiny and new. Works well. Organized. Clean. There's rarely fear of anything bad happening. It's pleasant. Beautiful, pretty. You feel taken care of.
It's unreal. It feels empty, like the pursuit of pleasure has permeated the everyday, where shiny new buildings and structures pop up like daffodils, like it was plopped down in a very short time, rather than being built up with a solid foundation and years and years of effort, work, culture, sweat, blood, tears. It's as empty as the capital it took to build it. The nouvelle riche, where luxuries are easy to come by, and by the same token, easy to go.
Real isn't pleasant. It's not nice, not comfortable, not safe. It's risky, grimy, gritty. It forces you to understand the darkness in life, the tragedies, the visceral pain of living. It reminds you that you have to work for the small pleasures you have. And that small pleasures, most of the time, are enough. That not everything has to be grandiose, but that it has to be yours. It doesn't feel like that here. It's not a home that was built out of the smells of years of home cooking, the cracks in the wall where a moment of anger sent a door slamming into it, the stains on the carpet, each telling its own story. It's ostentatious, glorified, but at the center of it, a house of straw.
It has no character.
It's not real.
It's unreal. It feels empty, like the pursuit of pleasure has permeated the everyday, where shiny new buildings and structures pop up like daffodils, like it was plopped down in a very short time, rather than being built up with a solid foundation and years and years of effort, work, culture, sweat, blood, tears. It's as empty as the capital it took to build it. The nouvelle riche, where luxuries are easy to come by, and by the same token, easy to go.
Real isn't pleasant. It's not nice, not comfortable, not safe. It's risky, grimy, gritty. It forces you to understand the darkness in life, the tragedies, the visceral pain of living. It reminds you that you have to work for the small pleasures you have. And that small pleasures, most of the time, are enough. That not everything has to be grandiose, but that it has to be yours. It doesn't feel like that here. It's not a home that was built out of the smells of years of home cooking, the cracks in the wall where a moment of anger sent a door slamming into it, the stains on the carpet, each telling its own story. It's ostentatious, glorified, but at the center of it, a house of straw.
It has no character.
It's not real.
Monday, November 01, 2010
Temporal Capital
Brain vomit time. Just wanted to get this out there. I want to think about this more, but a blog seems to be a nice drafty place for vomit to go.
You know, people talk about cultural capital (Bourdieu), social capital (how many friends you got you facebook, hmm??), economic capital, but no one ever really talks about temporal capital. I think it's because temporal capital, or how much TIME you have is limited. Completely. My parents used to tell me that god (or whatever superior being we believe in) is fair in one thing - that everyone only gets 24 hours in a day. So...maybe it's not that interesting to talk about because it doesn't fluctuate?
I think it's important to think about temporal capital though, and how it relates to how our cultural meanings are being shaped. Let's put it in conversation with the Internet. Because I think that's where things get most interesting. Especially in the kinds of entertainment we consume.
I struggle with this all the time. The amount of entertainment I can consume is contingent on the amount of time I spend on school, work, and friends. With the Internet, and the "democratizing" of culture, the argument is that we can find more "stuff" out there that's entertaining, more things to take up our time. Barriers to publishing are lowered. People spend HOURS on YouTube. But that inane video that just took a minute of your time to watch...was it worth that minute? What else could you have been doing? You can say, ok, one minute, no big deal. Multiply that by how many inane videos there are out there. That's a lot of temporal capital being taken up.
To be slightly alarmist, what happens to the shared cultural meanings of society (used in the broadest way possible) when people are spending their temporal capital on things that their neighbors may not watch? When I spent 3 minutes watching some obscure funny video that shows talking dogs and cats? Next thing I know, from clicking all the links that recommend other videos of talking animals, I've spent an hour of my life doing something that, while entertaining, will probably not further things in my life that are more essential. As for example, a midterm paper I'm supposed to be writing.
You can argue, of course, that that is the beauty of the Internet. Ultimate platform for free choice from a myriad of options. Didn't someone say that the more choices one has, the less happy they are? How about issues of shared communities? No one gathers at the water coolers anymore to talk about that episode of so-and-so show last night, because we're all watching different things - network shows, cable shows, webisodes, short videos on Vimeo and YouTube... and we don't have enough time in the day, in our lives, to consume it all.
I have 1257 songs in my iTunes. iTunes tells me it will take me 3.9 DAYS to finish listening to it all. That's 24 hours a day for almost 4 days of music that I carry around in my iPhone wherever I go. How do I choose? If I listen to something more than once, something else isn't getting listened to.
Not to say that cultural gatekeepers are always right in terms of what we should be consuming. Hello hegemonic framework and manufactured consent. And all the problems with the mass culture debates. But what if there was something to it? Something to the stuff that experts tell us to pay attention to? How about politics and news? Things that affect the way we vote and made decisions in life? The more time we spend watching stupid videos on YouTube, the less time we have to consume media that will give us information that puts us in conversation with other people, affect change, and help us make decisions.
Get my point? I'm not going to write more because I'm very very tired...and writing this blog is sapping my temporal capital (which, I know, sleep does too), but ... just something to think about...and hopefully something I can come back to later.....
You know, people talk about cultural capital (Bourdieu), social capital (how many friends you got you facebook, hmm??), economic capital, but no one ever really talks about temporal capital. I think it's because temporal capital, or how much TIME you have is limited. Completely. My parents used to tell me that god (or whatever superior being we believe in) is fair in one thing - that everyone only gets 24 hours in a day. So...maybe it's not that interesting to talk about because it doesn't fluctuate?
I think it's important to think about temporal capital though, and how it relates to how our cultural meanings are being shaped. Let's put it in conversation with the Internet. Because I think that's where things get most interesting. Especially in the kinds of entertainment we consume.
I struggle with this all the time. The amount of entertainment I can consume is contingent on the amount of time I spend on school, work, and friends. With the Internet, and the "democratizing" of culture, the argument is that we can find more "stuff" out there that's entertaining, more things to take up our time. Barriers to publishing are lowered. People spend HOURS on YouTube. But that inane video that just took a minute of your time to watch...was it worth that minute? What else could you have been doing? You can say, ok, one minute, no big deal. Multiply that by how many inane videos there are out there. That's a lot of temporal capital being taken up.
To be slightly alarmist, what happens to the shared cultural meanings of society (used in the broadest way possible) when people are spending their temporal capital on things that their neighbors may not watch? When I spent 3 minutes watching some obscure funny video that shows talking dogs and cats? Next thing I know, from clicking all the links that recommend other videos of talking animals, I've spent an hour of my life doing something that, while entertaining, will probably not further things in my life that are more essential. As for example, a midterm paper I'm supposed to be writing.
You can argue, of course, that that is the beauty of the Internet. Ultimate platform for free choice from a myriad of options. Didn't someone say that the more choices one has, the less happy they are? How about issues of shared communities? No one gathers at the water coolers anymore to talk about that episode of so-and-so show last night, because we're all watching different things - network shows, cable shows, webisodes, short videos on Vimeo and YouTube... and we don't have enough time in the day, in our lives, to consume it all.
I have 1257 songs in my iTunes. iTunes tells me it will take me 3.9 DAYS to finish listening to it all. That's 24 hours a day for almost 4 days of music that I carry around in my iPhone wherever I go. How do I choose? If I listen to something more than once, something else isn't getting listened to.
Not to say that cultural gatekeepers are always right in terms of what we should be consuming. Hello hegemonic framework and manufactured consent. And all the problems with the mass culture debates. But what if there was something to it? Something to the stuff that experts tell us to pay attention to? How about politics and news? Things that affect the way we vote and made decisions in life? The more time we spend watching stupid videos on YouTube, the less time we have to consume media that will give us information that puts us in conversation with other people, affect change, and help us make decisions.
Get my point? I'm not going to write more because I'm very very tired...and writing this blog is sapping my temporal capital (which, I know, sleep does too), but ... just something to think about...and hopefully something I can come back to later.....
Saturday, October 09, 2010
If I'm gay, should I be "allowed" to say "That's SO gay." ??
Anderson Cooper got it...well, halfway right.
Here's the video, and this is in regards to that movie, "The Dilemna,", which uses the term "So Gay" in the trailer. AC got it right in that the phrase should probably not be used, but I say it's only half right in context. It's the same thing with people using the n-word. If I'm black and I call another person the n-word, that's not a problem. But I'm not, so I am not allowed to use it. Just like I'm "allowed" to call another Asian person the c-word or a FOB, but god help someone who's NOT Asian who calls me or another Asian person that.
The L Word (in the pilot episode) actually uses the term "so gay," but because the characters who use it ARE gay, that makes it "ok." So the question I pose is, should there be any time when these terms, or rather, the way the term "so gay" is used, are ok? Or should they be completely stricken from our vocabulary. One other term in recent memory has undergone the striking out - "retarded" or "retard". So it's possible to get to the point where you can use "gay" to talk about someone's identity, or the community, or as a political term, but where it would NOT be ok to say "that's so gay." Maybe this restriction in phrase should also apply to gay people, not just straight ones?
Here's the video, and this is in regards to that movie, "The Dilemna,", which uses the term "So Gay" in the trailer. AC got it right in that the phrase should probably not be used, but I say it's only half right in context. It's the same thing with people using the n-word. If I'm black and I call another person the n-word, that's not a problem. But I'm not, so I am not allowed to use it. Just like I'm "allowed" to call another Asian person the c-word or a FOB, but god help someone who's NOT Asian who calls me or another Asian person that.
The L Word (in the pilot episode) actually uses the term "so gay," but because the characters who use it ARE gay, that makes it "ok." So the question I pose is, should there be any time when these terms, or rather, the way the term "so gay" is used, are ok? Or should they be completely stricken from our vocabulary. One other term in recent memory has undergone the striking out - "retarded" or "retard". So it's possible to get to the point where you can use "gay" to talk about someone's identity, or the community, or as a political term, but where it would NOT be ok to say "that's so gay." Maybe this restriction in phrase should also apply to gay people, not just straight ones?
Friday, October 08, 2010
Systems and Cultures: Sarah Silverman takes on gay teen suicides
Quick excerpt from the draft of an intro of a paper I'm writing. Goes along with the system and cultures idea:
Without DADT and Proposition 8 completely repealed, the government sends a very clear message to the public that being gay is not OK. Sarah Silverman addresses this issue in the Huffington Post in October 2010, saying
"Dear America, when you tell gay Americans that they can’t serve their country openly or marry the person that they love, you’re telling that to kids too. So don’t be fucking shocked and wondering where all these bullies are coming from that are torturing young kids and driving them to kill themselves because they’re different. They learned it from watching you.”
Silverman touches on something very poignant in her rant. She points to the fact that it is, in fact, the culture of America, that is unaccepting of gay Americans, but that this culture is derived from the legislative system that treats gays and lesbians as second-class citizens.
So the burning question becomes, how long after the legislative system changes will the culture follow suit?
Without DADT and Proposition 8 completely repealed, the government sends a very clear message to the public that being gay is not OK. Sarah Silverman addresses this issue in the Huffington Post in October 2010, saying
"Dear America, when you tell gay Americans that they can’t serve their country openly or marry the person that they love, you’re telling that to kids too. So don’t be fucking shocked and wondering where all these bullies are coming from that are torturing young kids and driving them to kill themselves because they’re different. They learned it from watching you.”
Silverman touches on something very poignant in her rant. She points to the fact that it is, in fact, the culture of America, that is unaccepting of gay Americans, but that this culture is derived from the legislative system that treats gays and lesbians as second-class citizens.
So the burning question becomes, how long after the legislative system changes will the culture follow suit?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Living on a Cloud
Cloud computing and storage has been the big thing lately. Things like Rhapsody and Spotify are based on the idea that you don't physically own mp3s on your hard drive (as physically as one can own mp3s). Now Google wants in too. Last time I spoke with Raymond Roker of URB Magazine, after our debate about the iPad, he mentioned that he's really trying to store everything on the cloud. His rationale was very rational. "Google has millions of servers all around the world. I have one server, and if that crashes, I lose everything."
There's been a lot of resistance to the idea of cloud computing. There's a comfort in owning something, in being able to access it without having Internet access. After all, Internet access is still far from ubiquitous. But if you think about it, banks used to be suspiciously looked upon. People would rather store their cash or gold or what have you under their bed. Entrust someone else with your entire life savings? Hell no! Of course, if your house burned down, you'd be left with nothing, whereas banks are insured. Perhaps there will come a day when we think it's silly that people used to download mp3s, and everyone lives on the cloud. I'm not quite there yet, but if I follow the bank analogy, it may not be a too long time in coming.
There's been a lot of resistance to the idea of cloud computing. There's a comfort in owning something, in being able to access it without having Internet access. After all, Internet access is still far from ubiquitous. But if you think about it, banks used to be suspiciously looked upon. People would rather store their cash or gold or what have you under their bed. Entrust someone else with your entire life savings? Hell no! Of course, if your house burned down, you'd be left with nothing, whereas banks are insured. Perhaps there will come a day when we think it's silly that people used to download mp3s, and everyone lives on the cloud. I'm not quite there yet, but if I follow the bank analogy, it may not be a too long time in coming.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Systems and Cultures: Affirmative Action
I've always wanted to write about systems and cultures (and how they work together or are opposed or reconciled or unreconciled. And I realized, rather than trying to write a huge article about it, I should start with just rough ideas about what I wish to explore.
To me, the notion of systems and cultures are very much like Derrida's law and justice, Freud's conscious and unconscious, Postman's (among others) science and faith. One defines, while the other gets invisibly woven into the fabric of how we perceive the world.
This came up because I had a very short, but fairly intense conversation with my friend, Yvonne, who has just started law school up in Berkeley. She had read an article about affirmative action, which got us thinking about how much race actually plays in a kid's success in life. When in reality, it's not race that determines whether or not your kid will succeed in school. It's everything else. And yet, the system of the school makes it so that it's race, when in reality, what needs to be changed is the system of values, the prioritization of education in the kid's home environment. Which is a lot more complicated than saying just that.
But...
I have to run now, but I'm sure more will come under this title.
To me, the notion of systems and cultures are very much like Derrida's law and justice, Freud's conscious and unconscious, Postman's (among others) science and faith. One defines, while the other gets invisibly woven into the fabric of how we perceive the world.
This came up because I had a very short, but fairly intense conversation with my friend, Yvonne, who has just started law school up in Berkeley. She had read an article about affirmative action, which got us thinking about how much race actually plays in a kid's success in life. When in reality, it's not race that determines whether or not your kid will succeed in school. It's everything else. And yet, the system of the school makes it so that it's race, when in reality, what needs to be changed is the system of values, the prioritization of education in the kid's home environment. Which is a lot more complicated than saying just that.
But...
I have to run now, but I'm sure more will come under this title.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
NYTimes: Judge Rejects Military Policy Toward Gays
From The New York Times:
Judge Rejects Military Policy Toward Gays
While the policy will not change right away, the ruling reflects others taking aim at discrimination against homosexuals.
Get The New York Times on your iPhone for free by visiting http://itunes.com/apps/nytimes
************
Sent from Cynthia Wang's iPhone
cyndaminthia@gmail.com
Monday, June 28, 2010
Abercrombie & Fitch - the non-answer
This is the most ridiculous non-answer I've ever gotten, with a not-so-subtle advertising twist to it that disgustingly perpetuates the consumerist, narcissistic culture of America.
Yes, I bought shorts from Abercrombie and Fitch. I'm not all that sweet and innocent. I bought the shorts online and wanted to ask if they had zippers or buttons. This was the response I got:
>>>>>>>
Hey ,
The best way to find out details about our products-like whether the shorts are button up or zip-is to see the products face to face. We suggest heading to your nearest A&F store.
But we understand you can’t always do that. Here at A&F, we strive to set trends-not follow them-so you can be sure that whatever you order from us is going to be as popular as it is fashion-forward.
If for some reason you’re unhappy with what you ordered, no problem. Just use our simple return and exchange process. You can either send back the items that don’t work or take them to any of our A&F stores for a refund. But we think you’ll love our style as much as we do.
Rachael
Customer Service
Abercrombie & Fitch
Check us out!
>>>>>>>>>
I feel like I want to scrub myself clean from that whole "we're going to tell you what you SHOULD like" brain-washy attitude that reeks from its pores. Plus, ok, thanks for a response, but no thanks for the non-response. They didn't answer my question! I don't think the question is really that difficult. This just feels like laziness on their part.
Come on, put in a little bit of effort, Abercrombie & Fitch. After the whole disaster with your racially incorrect T-shirts in 2002 where you implied that people who look like me are "wong" (or, wrong, is what you implied with your "Two Wongs Make a White, Wong Brothers Laundry" shirts) and would be better off "white," I'm willing to get over it and give you good money. The least you can do is tell me what I'm purchasing rather than giving me what equates to an automated message with my inquiry inserted in sloppily. Seriously, this is a response I would expect from someone really really dumb. Maybe those are the only kind of people you're able to hire because anyone with a brain can see through your bullshit in a second.
Wow. Reading my last three posts, I realize I'm on a roll here with whining and complaining about stuff. Sorry, dear readers. All 2 of you.
Yes, I bought shorts from Abercrombie and Fitch. I'm not all that sweet and innocent. I bought the shorts online and wanted to ask if they had zippers or buttons. This was the response I got:
>>>>>>>
Hey ,
The best way to find out details about our products-like whether the shorts are button up or zip-is to see the products face to face. We suggest heading to your nearest A&F store.
But we understand you can’t always do that. Here at A&F, we strive to set trends-not follow them-so you can be sure that whatever you order from us is going to be as popular as it is fashion-forward.
If for some reason you’re unhappy with what you ordered, no problem. Just use our simple return and exchange process. You can either send back the items that don’t work or take them to any of our A&F stores for a refund. But we think you’ll love our style as much as we do.
Rachael
Customer Service
Abercrombie & Fitch
Check us out!
>>>>>>>>>
I feel like I want to scrub myself clean from that whole "we're going to tell you what you SHOULD like" brain-washy attitude that reeks from its pores. Plus, ok, thanks for a response, but no thanks for the non-response. They didn't answer my question! I don't think the question is really that difficult. This just feels like laziness on their part.
Come on, put in a little bit of effort, Abercrombie & Fitch. After the whole disaster with your racially incorrect T-shirts in 2002 where you implied that people who look like me are "wong" (or, wrong, is what you implied with your "Two Wongs Make a White, Wong Brothers Laundry" shirts) and would be better off "white," I'm willing to get over it and give you good money. The least you can do is tell me what I'm purchasing rather than giving me what equates to an automated message with my inquiry inserted in sloppily. Seriously, this is a response I would expect from someone really really dumb. Maybe those are the only kind of people you're able to hire because anyone with a brain can see through your bullshit in a second.
Wow. Reading my last three posts, I realize I'm on a roll here with whining and complaining about stuff. Sorry, dear readers. All 2 of you.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Get yo' shit togetha, lady.
This is gonna be a judgmental post - more of a vent/rant. Just a warning that this blog might be a little mean-spirited today. Because I'm crabby. And you'll see why.
I just dealt with this woman who must have been the most incompetent person ever. Ok, not the most incompetent ever, but it was frustrating.
I need to sublease my apartment from August 1st till September, when my lease is up. This woman calls me incessantly and wants to come see the apartment during times when I'm not in. This was essentially the conversation, via a combination of a couple emails and a couple phone calls:
Her: When can I come see it?
Me: Friday afternoon or early evening.
Her: I can't come then. Um, can I come this weekend?
Me: I'm not going to be around until Sunday late evening. You can come on Monday too.
Her: Well, can I come Saturday morning?
What did I just say?! (BTW, her whole "can I come Saturday morning" bit was left via phone message...TWICE)
Ok, whatever, the reason why I didn't want anyone here Saturday morning is because I planned on being asleep. So I told her, fine, thinking to myself that I can just get a couple hours less sleep than I'd like.
We planned on meeting at 10am. So this morning, I got up at 9:30am (this is REALLY early for me, folks), showered, got all presentable, and waited. And waited. 10:30 rolls around, and I get a call from someone else who's interested. They said they'd be here in before 11 to check out the apartment. At least I wasn't awake for no good reason.
Right after they called, she calls me and says she'll be another 20 minutes, and asks which subway to take. I couldn't understand her too well (she speaks with an accent), and asked for clarification, at which point she abruptly hangs up on me. WTF, lady. You're already going to be an hour late. Did you know that's an extra hour of sleep I could have gotten?
So, I texted her the cross street and the subway stop.
The other people interested came and went - right on time. I waited around more and watched Dexter while waiting for this woman to call. At 11:15, OVER AN HOUR after the original scheduled time, she finally calls to say she's downstairs.
Ok, here's the thing. If I schedule something, and I'm even ten minutes late, I'll apologize. She was...a lot later than that. Not a single word of apology. That made me simmer even more. Seriously, have the decency to realize you're taking someone's time. And if you're an hour late, you've wasted an hour of it. It's called being POLITE.
As we're walking up, and she comes up with the excuse that the trains were not stopping at local stops. The COPE part of me comes out a little here - the part that wants things to be clear and efficient. So I asked her again, and she said, yes, the train was only making express stops.
"So," I asked, "you got off at..."
"59th Columbus Circle," she responded.
I asked if she took the 1 train. Yes, she responded. (ok, at this point, I realize I'm probably unfairly grilling her, but seriously, over an HOUR after? I was crabby, oh, and I just checked the NYCT Service Advisory for today and the 1 train is running normally, which means stopping at all local stops)
"59th isn't an express stop. It's a local stop." At this point, I just want her to go away. I've already concluded that I'm not renting out my place to her because she's clearly not that reliable, and seems kind of confused. I even went as far as to ask her if she lives in New York. Which she did. Ok...
Finally, we get to the apartment, and she's looking around, and I show her the bedroom. I said I'd leave the AC window unit in, and in an attempt to move things along (since she wasn't asking any questions or anything), I asked, "So how long would you need the apartment for?" I was prepared to give her information about renewing the lease in September if she needed it more than the month.
"Until the end of July."
I wasn't sure I heard her correctly. "What? No, when do you need it?"
"Now, and until the end of July."
"Uh...did you read the posting? It said this apartment wouldn't be available until August 1st."
At this point, she didn't BELIEVE me. She kept saying how she emailed me dates that she needed to stay. Bullshit. I pulled up the original post (which, as you can see, clearly states the date), as well as her first email to me, which reads as such:
"Hello,
"I am very interested in renting your apt, posted at Craiglist.com, located in midtown.
"Your date fits for me too.
I'd like to see as soon as possible.
I'll be available to come today.
"Please let me now as soon as possible.
You may call at ******** or email *************
NOWHERE in any other email did she mention that she needed the apartment right away. I told her that the office might have sublets available, but at that point, I just wanted to get on with my day. And I'm already sleep deprived and tired, and I have a long day.
Look, I feel like I'm pretty fair (even nice) when it comes to doing business and whatnot, but I have a really hard time tolerating incompetence, inefficiency, not doing your homework beforehand (especially if it's something you care about, and she did care about this --- just look at how many times she called me), and not having respect for other people's time and efforts (ok, I realize I can be late a lot, so I definitely need to work on this myself, but at least I APOLOGIZE. And I feel really bad about it.) So, read the fucking post, lady. And stop wasting my time.
This also came on the heels of someone who said they wanted my toaster and just never showed up yesterday. No call, no email. Ok, that's just RUDE.
I just dealt with this woman who must have been the most incompetent person ever. Ok, not the most incompetent ever, but it was frustrating.
I need to sublease my apartment from August 1st till September, when my lease is up. This woman calls me incessantly and wants to come see the apartment during times when I'm not in. This was essentially the conversation, via a combination of a couple emails and a couple phone calls:
Her: When can I come see it?
Me: Friday afternoon or early evening.
Her: I can't come then. Um, can I come this weekend?
Me: I'm not going to be around until Sunday late evening. You can come on Monday too.
Her: Well, can I come Saturday morning?
What did I just say?! (BTW, her whole "can I come Saturday morning" bit was left via phone message...TWICE)
Ok, whatever, the reason why I didn't want anyone here Saturday morning is because I planned on being asleep. So I told her, fine, thinking to myself that I can just get a couple hours less sleep than I'd like.
We planned on meeting at 10am. So this morning, I got up at 9:30am (this is REALLY early for me, folks), showered, got all presentable, and waited. And waited. 10:30 rolls around, and I get a call from someone else who's interested. They said they'd be here in before 11 to check out the apartment. At least I wasn't awake for no good reason.
Right after they called, she calls me and says she'll be another 20 minutes, and asks which subway to take. I couldn't understand her too well (she speaks with an accent), and asked for clarification, at which point she abruptly hangs up on me. WTF, lady. You're already going to be an hour late. Did you know that's an extra hour of sleep I could have gotten?
So, I texted her the cross street and the subway stop.
The other people interested came and went - right on time. I waited around more and watched Dexter while waiting for this woman to call. At 11:15, OVER AN HOUR after the original scheduled time, she finally calls to say she's downstairs.
Ok, here's the thing. If I schedule something, and I'm even ten minutes late, I'll apologize. She was...a lot later than that. Not a single word of apology. That made me simmer even more. Seriously, have the decency to realize you're taking someone's time. And if you're an hour late, you've wasted an hour of it. It's called being POLITE.
As we're walking up, and she comes up with the excuse that the trains were not stopping at local stops. The COPE part of me comes out a little here - the part that wants things to be clear and efficient. So I asked her again, and she said, yes, the train was only making express stops.
"So," I asked, "you got off at..."
"59th Columbus Circle," she responded.
I asked if she took the 1 train. Yes, she responded. (ok, at this point, I realize I'm probably unfairly grilling her, but seriously, over an HOUR after? I was crabby, oh, and I just checked the NYCT Service Advisory for today and the 1 train is running normally, which means stopping at all local stops)
"59th isn't an express stop. It's a local stop." At this point, I just want her to go away. I've already concluded that I'm not renting out my place to her because she's clearly not that reliable, and seems kind of confused. I even went as far as to ask her if she lives in New York. Which she did. Ok...
Finally, we get to the apartment, and she's looking around, and I show her the bedroom. I said I'd leave the AC window unit in, and in an attempt to move things along (since she wasn't asking any questions or anything), I asked, "So how long would you need the apartment for?" I was prepared to give her information about renewing the lease in September if she needed it more than the month.
"Until the end of July."
I wasn't sure I heard her correctly. "What? No, when do you need it?"
"Now, and until the end of July."
"Uh...did you read the posting? It said this apartment wouldn't be available until August 1st."
At this point, she didn't BELIEVE me. She kept saying how she emailed me dates that she needed to stay. Bullshit. I pulled up the original post (which, as you can see, clearly states the date), as well as her first email to me, which reads as such:
"Hello,
"I am very interested in renting your apt, posted at Craiglist.com, located in midtown.
"Your date fits for me too.
I'd like to see as soon as possible.
I'll be available to come today.
"Please let me now as soon as possible.
You may call at ******** or email *************
NOWHERE in any other email did she mention that she needed the apartment right away. I told her that the office might have sublets available, but at that point, I just wanted to get on with my day. And I'm already sleep deprived and tired, and I have a long day.
Look, I feel like I'm pretty fair (even nice) when it comes to doing business and whatnot, but I have a really hard time tolerating incompetence, inefficiency, not doing your homework beforehand (especially if it's something you care about, and she did care about this --- just look at how many times she called me), and not having respect for other people's time and efforts (ok, I realize I can be late a lot, so I definitely need to work on this myself, but at least I APOLOGIZE. And I feel really bad about it.) So, read the fucking post, lady. And stop wasting my time.
This also came on the heels of someone who said they wanted my toaster and just never showed up yesterday. No call, no email. Ok, that's just RUDE.
Is @ASCAP on crack?
Here's the article.
Yup. Definitely seems to be the case of an institution (ASCAP - American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) not looking out for the rights of those it claims to protect, but taking away options and avenues of exposure for people who CHOOSE to freely share their OWN music and OWN creations.
It's almost like saying you don't want gay marriage because, oh god! If the GAYS can marry, then people can marry all SORTS of things like their DOG or an AMOEBA. (which, BTW, is a dog a consenting adult? yea, didn't think so)
As in, wanting to hitting the nail on the head, except the nail is 10 feet away from where the hammer is striking. You're not solving the actual problem, you're just running around like a chicken with your head cut off because you're at an utter loss as to how to approach the ACTUAL problem.
Yup. Definitely seems to be the case of an institution (ASCAP - American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) not looking out for the rights of those it claims to protect, but taking away options and avenues of exposure for people who CHOOSE to freely share their OWN music and OWN creations.
It's almost like saying you don't want gay marriage because, oh god! If the GAYS can marry, then people can marry all SORTS of things like their DOG or an AMOEBA. (which, BTW, is a dog a consenting adult? yea, didn't think so)
As in, wanting to hitting the nail on the head, except the nail is 10 feet away from where the hammer is striking. You're not solving the actual problem, you're just running around like a chicken with your head cut off because you're at an utter loss as to how to approach the ACTUAL problem.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Synchronicity
Small world.
On Monday, one of my professors at NYU, Sal Fallica, emailed me about an article that was going to appear in the NY Times on Tuesday about Justin Bieber's backup singers, an Asian American music group called Legaci (which was discovered via YouTube, apparently).
On Tuesday, I was at my friend Evan's going away party (for which, he says, I have the best excuse not to show up - we're going to be at USC together for a very very long time), and at the party, I caught up with two old friends, Claire and Sloan, who mentioned that Dawen was mentioned in the New York Times. The same day, I saw that Alfa (check out her new music vid on her site: alfa-music.com) had written a congratulatory note to Melissa Polinar for her mention in the New York Times. Melissa and I had songs that were featured on the same sampler mix on Asiantalentonline.com years ago, and I had fallen madly in love with her song, "Meant For Me."
Today (Wednesday), I received an email from USC - the CommLine newsletter, the one for Annenberg, and realized the article is written by Josh Kun, who is the professor at USC I spoke with when I visited in March because I felt we had similar research interests and I would learn a lot from working with him.
Fun, eh?
Here's the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/arts/music/20legaci.html
On Monday, one of my professors at NYU, Sal Fallica, emailed me about an article that was going to appear in the NY Times on Tuesday about Justin Bieber's backup singers, an Asian American music group called Legaci (which was discovered via YouTube, apparently).
On Tuesday, I was at my friend Evan's going away party (for which, he says, I have the best excuse not to show up - we're going to be at USC together for a very very long time), and at the party, I caught up with two old friends, Claire and Sloan, who mentioned that Dawen was mentioned in the New York Times. The same day, I saw that Alfa (check out her new music vid on her site: alfa-music.com) had written a congratulatory note to Melissa Polinar for her mention in the New York Times. Melissa and I had songs that were featured on the same sampler mix on Asiantalentonline.com years ago, and I had fallen madly in love with her song, "Meant For Me."
Today (Wednesday), I received an email from USC - the CommLine newsletter, the one for Annenberg, and realized the article is written by Josh Kun, who is the professor at USC I spoke with when I visited in March because I felt we had similar research interests and I would learn a lot from working with him.
Fun, eh?
Here's the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/arts/music/20legaci.html
Monday, June 21, 2010
A day in the life...
I usually don't blog about my day because I find that prosaic, but today was just...a really weird day. I woke up in Queens, as I'm there cat-sitting for Ray and Robbi, and went to have tea at Alice's Tea Cup with the other Cynthia. For those of you who have been to Alice's and have partaken in their awesome afternoon tea sets, you know that there is a LOT of food, and you're allowed a to-go container. Which is what happened.
While walking home with my container of leftover Alice's, a random woman made a beeline for me and grabbed a hold of my container. And pulled. I pulled back. She wouldn't let go! And she looked me in the eye and said "Thank you." I deliberated about 5 seconds. 5 pretty long seconds. She said "Thank you" again. Uh. Whatever. I said "ok" and let go. I figure, she probably needed the food more than I did, but...would it have hurt to ask rather than just...assume?! SO bizarre.
Later in the afternoon, my brother and I caught a quick dinner at Flor de Mayo, this Chinese-Peruvian fusion place uptown that has amazing chicken and amazing other foods. Quick dinner, because we were supposed to catch the screening of Mikado Project (a film Ray stars in, and I make a cameo appearance, which also marks my "screen debut" - in quotations because this may very well be the last time I'm ever on screen). I sent a quick text to Chil (the director) to say hi and let him know I was looking forward to seeing the fruits of our labor from last summer. He texted back with something along the lines of, "Uh, Cynthia. The screening is NEXT MONTH." At first, I thought he was yanking my chain, so I CALLED him. He wasn't kidding. Apparently, I had read the date wrong. It wasn't JUNE 20th, it's JULY 20th. Needless to say, Kenneth and I found ourselves with an evening free, which we decided to spend watching Toy Story 3.
We made a quick stop at home, where we sat in front of the air conditioner in my room for a good while, until I jumped 3 feet in the air because something was buzzing around my head. I turn to see a huge flying insect-like object hovering around my desk. Just as I was about to take the latest issue of People magazine to smash it, it lights up. Bright green. It's a firefly!! I can't kill a firefly! People write songs about them! So, with the help of my brother, we liberated it outside in the courtyard after trapping it in a plastic cup. Sort of dumped it in some plants. Then we sat staring at if for a couple minutes because, while it was moving, it didn't seem interested in flying away or showing us any pyrotechnics. Finally, it feebly gave off some light, as if to say, "I'm ok, you guys can stop staring at my ass now." Kenneth prodded me and quipped, "Ok, let's go. It still works. It's butt is lighting up. I wish my butt lit up like that. It would be so convenient in dark rooms." Then he attempted to demonstrate how his butt would light up if it could. I won't go into details.
Toy Story 3 was fantastic. But the 3D was so unnecessary. Just the theatre's way of making more money. Damnit.
And after dinner, we got a midnight snack at Landmarc, where we both ended up rolling ourselves out the door, and decided we needed to burn some of the food off, resulting in a very VERY late night walk out to Riverside Park, where we found two pianos sitting in the middle of the pier. Apparently it's some sort of project where the pianos are out there for public use. They were even painted with the words "Play me" or something like that on it. So we did. At 2am. In the middle of the Hudson River. SO RANDOM.
And this is at the end of a week of my brother in NYC, where he got very lost on the subway. Oh, this one's a fun story.
A few days ago, I asked Kenneth to meet me and a few friends in Union Square for dinner. We were going to walk to Madison Square Park (23rd Street) for Shake Shack at 5pm. 5:15 rolls around, and no word from Kenneth. It's fine, I get it. No reception in the subway. 5:30. I get a little bit worried. At this point, I'm checking my phone every minute, wondering where he is, with horrible scenarios of my little brother (who, ok, is taller and stronger than me) getting raped or robbed or killed in NYC. He finally calls at 5:45, and this is how the conversation goes:
Me: Where the hell have you been?!
Kenneth: On the subway! I was on the subway for over an hour! There was no Union Square stop.
Me: (uh ok whatever, I didn't believe him) Well, where are you now?
Kenneth: Uhh, I'm at 59th Street.
Me: (assuming he's talking about 59th/Lex stop off the R) It does not take an hour to get to 59th Street. Did something happen?
Kenneth: No! I think it just looped back around. I'm at 61st Street and 4th Avenue.
Me: (something doesn't feel right, since there's no 4th Ave at 61st Street - it's called Park Ave. Are you guys getting it?) Uh. Ok. Just take the R back to 23rd Street. That's where we're at.
(MORE THAN A HALF HOUR GOES BY. HE FINALLY CALLS AGAIN)
Kenneth: There was no 23rd Street stop.
Me: ....are you sure you're on the R?
Kenneth: Yes! I'm on the R!
Me: Uh. Ok, where are you now?
Kenneth: At 23rd and 4th Ave.
Me: Head west, and you'll see Madison Square Park.
(A FEW MINUTES LATER)
Kenneth: I'm at 23rd and 5th.
Me: Did you see the park?
Kenneth: No.
Me: Did you pass Broadway?
Kenneth: No.
Me: ..........are you in Manhattan?!
Kenneth: Uh, I don't know!
Me: Well, are there any tall buildings?
Kenneth: Uh...no.
It turns out he was in BROOKLYN. At that point, he was so frustrated he just wanted to go home and watch the Lakers game in QUEENS. Which is what he did. We're calling this incident Kenneth's Four Hour Mis-Adventure on the NYC Subway System.
It's way past time to sleep. But I'm sitting here writing this blog as I'm waiting for laundry to be done.
While walking home with my container of leftover Alice's, a random woman made a beeline for me and grabbed a hold of my container. And pulled. I pulled back. She wouldn't let go! And she looked me in the eye and said "Thank you." I deliberated about 5 seconds. 5 pretty long seconds. She said "Thank you" again. Uh. Whatever. I said "ok" and let go. I figure, she probably needed the food more than I did, but...would it have hurt to ask rather than just...assume?! SO bizarre.
Later in the afternoon, my brother and I caught a quick dinner at Flor de Mayo, this Chinese-Peruvian fusion place uptown that has amazing chicken and amazing other foods. Quick dinner, because we were supposed to catch the screening of Mikado Project (a film Ray stars in, and I make a cameo appearance, which also marks my "screen debut" - in quotations because this may very well be the last time I'm ever on screen). I sent a quick text to Chil (the director) to say hi and let him know I was looking forward to seeing the fruits of our labor from last summer. He texted back with something along the lines of, "Uh, Cynthia. The screening is NEXT MONTH." At first, I thought he was yanking my chain, so I CALLED him. He wasn't kidding. Apparently, I had read the date wrong. It wasn't JUNE 20th, it's JULY 20th. Needless to say, Kenneth and I found ourselves with an evening free, which we decided to spend watching Toy Story 3.
We made a quick stop at home, where we sat in front of the air conditioner in my room for a good while, until I jumped 3 feet in the air because something was buzzing around my head. I turn to see a huge flying insect-like object hovering around my desk. Just as I was about to take the latest issue of People magazine to smash it, it lights up. Bright green. It's a firefly!! I can't kill a firefly! People write songs about them! So, with the help of my brother, we liberated it outside in the courtyard after trapping it in a plastic cup. Sort of dumped it in some plants. Then we sat staring at if for a couple minutes because, while it was moving, it didn't seem interested in flying away or showing us any pyrotechnics. Finally, it feebly gave off some light, as if to say, "I'm ok, you guys can stop staring at my ass now." Kenneth prodded me and quipped, "Ok, let's go. It still works. It's butt is lighting up. I wish my butt lit up like that. It would be so convenient in dark rooms." Then he attempted to demonstrate how his butt would light up if it could. I won't go into details.
Toy Story 3 was fantastic. But the 3D was so unnecessary. Just the theatre's way of making more money. Damnit.
And after dinner, we got a midnight snack at Landmarc, where we both ended up rolling ourselves out the door, and decided we needed to burn some of the food off, resulting in a very VERY late night walk out to Riverside Park, where we found two pianos sitting in the middle of the pier. Apparently it's some sort of project where the pianos are out there for public use. They were even painted with the words "Play me" or something like that on it. So we did. At 2am. In the middle of the Hudson River. SO RANDOM.
And this is at the end of a week of my brother in NYC, where he got very lost on the subway. Oh, this one's a fun story.
A few days ago, I asked Kenneth to meet me and a few friends in Union Square for dinner. We were going to walk to Madison Square Park (23rd Street) for Shake Shack at 5pm. 5:15 rolls around, and no word from Kenneth. It's fine, I get it. No reception in the subway. 5:30. I get a little bit worried. At this point, I'm checking my phone every minute, wondering where he is, with horrible scenarios of my little brother (who, ok, is taller and stronger than me) getting raped or robbed or killed in NYC. He finally calls at 5:45, and this is how the conversation goes:
Me: Where the hell have you been?!
Kenneth: On the subway! I was on the subway for over an hour! There was no Union Square stop.
Me: (uh ok whatever, I didn't believe him) Well, where are you now?
Kenneth: Uhh, I'm at 59th Street.
Me: (assuming he's talking about 59th/Lex stop off the R) It does not take an hour to get to 59th Street. Did something happen?
Kenneth: No! I think it just looped back around. I'm at 61st Street and 4th Avenue.
Me: (something doesn't feel right, since there's no 4th Ave at 61st Street - it's called Park Ave. Are you guys getting it?) Uh. Ok. Just take the R back to 23rd Street. That's where we're at.
(MORE THAN A HALF HOUR GOES BY. HE FINALLY CALLS AGAIN)
Kenneth: There was no 23rd Street stop.
Me: ....are you sure you're on the R?
Kenneth: Yes! I'm on the R!
Me: Uh. Ok, where are you now?
Kenneth: At 23rd and 4th Ave.
Me: Head west, and you'll see Madison Square Park.
(A FEW MINUTES LATER)
Kenneth: I'm at 23rd and 5th.
Me: Did you see the park?
Kenneth: No.
Me: Did you pass Broadway?
Kenneth: No.
Me: ..........are you in Manhattan?!
Kenneth: Uh, I don't know!
Me: Well, are there any tall buildings?
Kenneth: Uh...no.
It turns out he was in BROOKLYN. At that point, he was so frustrated he just wanted to go home and watch the Lakers game in QUEENS. Which is what he did. We're calling this incident Kenneth's Four Hour Mis-Adventure on the NYC Subway System.
It's way past time to sleep. But I'm sitting here writing this blog as I'm waiting for laundry to be done.
Monday, June 07, 2010
"Democratizing Talent" not so democratic
The latest example of "democratizing talent" seems to be this video of Grayson Chance playing Paparazzi. I tweeted my eye-rolling reaction to it, but felt I needed a bit more than 140 characters to express why this bothers me so much.
I think what bothers me most is how we like to invoke "democracy" whenever someone is "discovered" online. It's not democracy, people. It's luck. Wait, let me elaborate before you jump down my throat.
People getting "discovered" online is much like how it happens in an offline world. We can sit around here and say that the Internet "makes space" for everyone with a computer and an Internet connection to post media and distribute art, and sure it does. But you can also make space by putting your artwork up on a street corner. Doesn't mean how talented you are, if someone from traditional media doesn't see it, doesn't think it's good, you're dead in the water. (of course, this works the other way too - you've got to be talented, or that curator of the MoMA or the record executive from BMG isn't going to give you a second glance, unless it's one of abject horror)
The article states how Grayson has teamed up with Guy Oseary (a manager), who's a traditional media guy (read: plays and understands the game of music industry power, and probably makes up a few of the rules himself). Look at the chain of happenings - it's not about talent - it's about popularity, and, perhaps, how easily impressed we are nowadays. Shervin Pishevar (the author of the article that riled me up) received the video through Nowmov, which is this box of algorithmic fun, spewing out what "collective intelligence" deems worth the time of millions of Internet users. It has nothing to do with talent. After all, "David After Dentist" (60 million views) and "Charlie Bit My Finger" (close to 200 million views) are two of the most popular videos out there. And damn, those kids are wicked talented (facetious, people). (I use this example to say that just because something is viewed many times does not mean its subjects are necessarily "talented," and while I will admit to not knowing much about Nowmov, it looks like an algorithmic trap based more on numbers than human opinion and sensitivities)
It is also because of Pishevar's connections with the music industry's Powers That Be that propelled little Grayson into the pop culture stratosphere, and indeed, his seemingly personal relationship with Ashton Kutcher, who is involved with Nowmov. How about the other thousands of would be Elton Johns and Billy Joels out there?
So stop patting yourself on the back for thinking you've helped in the process of democratizing talent. Truly democratizing talent (or to make an argument that the Internet does so) would be for all kids who are talented, who have YouTube videos, to gain economically (like Grayson Chance will, no doubt) from their talent. No, right now, it's all about the bottom line for those entities at the top (the PTBs) who hold all the cards and in their fickle benevolence bestow fame and fortune upon the select few.
I think what bothers me most is how we like to invoke "democracy" whenever someone is "discovered" online. It's not democracy, people. It's luck. Wait, let me elaborate before you jump down my throat.
People getting "discovered" online is much like how it happens in an offline world. We can sit around here and say that the Internet "makes space" for everyone with a computer and an Internet connection to post media and distribute art, and sure it does. But you can also make space by putting your artwork up on a street corner. Doesn't mean how talented you are, if someone from traditional media doesn't see it, doesn't think it's good, you're dead in the water. (of course, this works the other way too - you've got to be talented, or that curator of the MoMA or the record executive from BMG isn't going to give you a second glance, unless it's one of abject horror)
The article states how Grayson has teamed up with Guy Oseary (a manager), who's a traditional media guy (read: plays and understands the game of music industry power, and probably makes up a few of the rules himself). Look at the chain of happenings - it's not about talent - it's about popularity, and, perhaps, how easily impressed we are nowadays. Shervin Pishevar (the author of the article that riled me up) received the video through Nowmov, which is this box of algorithmic fun, spewing out what "collective intelligence" deems worth the time of millions of Internet users. It has nothing to do with talent. After all, "David After Dentist" (60 million views) and "Charlie Bit My Finger" (close to 200 million views) are two of the most popular videos out there. And damn, those kids are wicked talented (facetious, people). (I use this example to say that just because something is viewed many times does not mean its subjects are necessarily "talented," and while I will admit to not knowing much about Nowmov, it looks like an algorithmic trap based more on numbers than human opinion and sensitivities)
It is also because of Pishevar's connections with the music industry's Powers That Be that propelled little Grayson into the pop culture stratosphere, and indeed, his seemingly personal relationship with Ashton Kutcher, who is involved with Nowmov. How about the other thousands of would be Elton Johns and Billy Joels out there?
So stop patting yourself on the back for thinking you've helped in the process of democratizing talent. Truly democratizing talent (or to make an argument that the Internet does so) would be for all kids who are talented, who have YouTube videos, to gain economically (like Grayson Chance will, no doubt) from their talent. No, right now, it's all about the bottom line for those entities at the top (the PTBs) who hold all the cards and in their fickle benevolence bestow fame and fortune upon the select few.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
The latest in the Turtle Vs. Fish Saga
Email from my mom (Soupe is our turtle's name):
"Our fish family is shrinking though while soupe is growing big. A couple weeks ago, the fish population was 5 plus 1 (that small one). Just few days ago, it became 4 plus 1. Daddy was shouting yesterday... now 3 plus 1!!! That little one swims fast so he survives from the big jaw. Or maybe he is too skinny that does not attract soupe's appetite.. Please pray for the remaining fish family."
"Our fish family is shrinking though while soupe is growing big. A couple weeks ago, the fish population was 5 plus 1 (that small one). Just few days ago, it became 4 plus 1. Daddy was shouting yesterday... now 3 plus 1!!! That little one swims fast so he survives from the big jaw. Or maybe he is too skinny that does not attract soupe's appetite.. Please pray for the remaining fish family."
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wordy fun
From an email from my friend Tania.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.
The winners are:
Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.
Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavored mouthwash.
Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.
Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
Frisbeetarianism (n.), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
Mind you, my personal 2005 favourite comes from "I Am Sorry I Haven't a Clue":
Mishmash (v.):, to skip a religious service for reason of inebriation.
The Washington Post's Style Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year's winners:
Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
Foreploy (v): Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.
Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
Karmageddon (n): It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
Glibido (v): All talk and no action.
Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.
And the pick of the literature:
Ignoranus (n): A person who's both stupid and an a _ hole.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.
The winners are:
Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.
Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavored mouthwash.
Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.
Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
Frisbeetarianism (n.), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
Mind you, my personal 2005 favourite comes from "I Am Sorry I Haven't a Clue":
Mishmash (v.):, to skip a religious service for reason of inebriation.
The Washington Post's Style Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year's winners:
Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
Foreploy (v): Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.
Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
Karmageddon (n): It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
Glibido (v): All talk and no action.
Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.
And the pick of the literature:
Ignoranus (n): A person who's both stupid and an a _ hole.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Caffeinated randomness
I've noticed in the past year that I get bad headaches and nausea when I drink coffee. Usually coffee that tastes acidic. So I've strayed away from coffee lately. Tonight after dinner, though, we stopped by a Starbucks, and I got one of my favorite drinks from days of yore - the White Chocolate Mocha. Doing ok so far. Starbucks never gave me an icky feeling. Maybe I should just have Starbucks.
J said they should put alcohol in coffee. All I can remember is my EMT teacher telling us that mixing Red Bull (stimulant) and alcohol (depressant) will confuse your heart so much (since it won't know to slow down or speed up) that it will simply stop. Swell. Plus, you're not allowed to have open containers of alcohol in NYC. Or LA. Can you imagine if Starbucks put alcohol in your coffee? And you were pulled over?
"Uh, Officer, I swear, it's just a coffee. Want a taste?"
Hrm. How does Kahlua do it? Does Kahlua even have caffeine in it?
I think that coffee made me sleepy.
And finally, the best quote about coffee I've discovered lately:
"This coffee tastes like poopy shit!" ~Alice in TLW
Although my coffee tonight definitely did NOT taste like poopy shit. It tasted like delicious heavenly white-chocolately sweetness.
K. Time to finish watching my Netflix DVD so I can get a new one.
J said they should put alcohol in coffee. All I can remember is my EMT teacher telling us that mixing Red Bull (stimulant) and alcohol (depressant) will confuse your heart so much (since it won't know to slow down or speed up) that it will simply stop. Swell. Plus, you're not allowed to have open containers of alcohol in NYC. Or LA. Can you imagine if Starbucks put alcohol in your coffee? And you were pulled over?
"Uh, Officer, I swear, it's just a coffee. Want a taste?"
Hrm. How does Kahlua do it? Does Kahlua even have caffeine in it?
I think that coffee made me sleepy.
And finally, the best quote about coffee I've discovered lately:
"This coffee tastes like poopy shit!" ~Alice in TLW
Although my coffee tonight definitely did NOT taste like poopy shit. It tasted like delicious heavenly white-chocolately sweetness.
K. Time to finish watching my Netflix DVD so I can get a new one.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
iPaddyness
Yes, folks. I have an iPad. Me. Who made fun of it since before it came out. Life's ironic that way, isn't it? It was given to me as a gift from the professor I TAed for this year, Mr. Aaron Cohen (of Anyclip - check it out).
I proceeded to spend 6 straight hours playing with it last night, from putting all the applications I ever owned from my iPhone onto the iPad, then realizing I had screen clutter, and a ton of applications that weren't compatible with the iPad. I went from 9 screens of applications to a screen and a half, and a mild case of iPad-finger - from the repetitive motion of deleting and confirming the delete for about 60 applications.
Then I watched an episode of Lost and an episode of Law & Order on it while on my sofa. And barely touched my laptop all night.
Aaron told me to tell him when I stopped carrying around my laptop. I should have said, "right away," because I don't carry around my laptop. But, pre-iPad, I was glued to it when I was at home - I always had it with me while I watch TV or read or write in my journal (which is handwritten), often while I learned new covers of songs or attempted (important operative word here) to play piano off sheet music from IMSLP.
But last night, with the iPad, I found I didn't really need my laptop for things that didn't require a lot of typing. With my butt firmly planted on my couch, I'm able to browse the web, look up that really cute actress from the L Word (which is a recent, and long overdue addiction) on IMDB, Facebook, search for song lyrics, read the news, answer emails (the quick, non-serious ones I can take care of while mildly distracted), even flip through a few digital pages of Winnie the Pooh (the free book that came with the iBook application). And the iPad itself fits nicely on my music stand and downloads and displays sheet music.
I was a bit disturbed that the iPad might prove my original prejudices wrong (in that, I was convinced it would never replace my laptop). But I started thinking back to those times before college (for me) when we didn't have our own computers. We had a family computer that sat in a very visible and common place, and the only times I would go on the computer was if I had to write a paper or chat with friends. Given the iPad's unconventional keyboard, lack of a good word processor, and inability to multi-task (ie: have multiple applications running at once), I still find my laptop indispensable. (we can go on forever making McLuhanesque arguments about the naturalization process of a new media or technology, but let's spare me the work of typing it out now that I have to be up very early tomorrow to have Mother's Day brunch with my mum)
It's almost as if I have reverted back to that time when I was not in front of the computer screen unless I had work or chatting or major emailing to do. And the other stuff, the time I would have previously spent away from the computer, is now consolidated on a thin electronic slab of digital beauty. As much as I don't want to play into the hype of the iPad or rave about how it's changing the technology of media, Aaron was right when he said there is something very intimate about using an iPad. And if I have to get up and charge it every 10 hours or so, well, I can live with that.
I proceeded to spend 6 straight hours playing with it last night, from putting all the applications I ever owned from my iPhone onto the iPad, then realizing I had screen clutter, and a ton of applications that weren't compatible with the iPad. I went from 9 screens of applications to a screen and a half, and a mild case of iPad-finger - from the repetitive motion of deleting and confirming the delete for about 60 applications.
Then I watched an episode of Lost and an episode of Law & Order on it while on my sofa. And barely touched my laptop all night.
Aaron told me to tell him when I stopped carrying around my laptop. I should have said, "right away," because I don't carry around my laptop. But, pre-iPad, I was glued to it when I was at home - I always had it with me while I watch TV or read or write in my journal (which is handwritten), often while I learned new covers of songs or attempted (important operative word here) to play piano off sheet music from IMSLP.
But last night, with the iPad, I found I didn't really need my laptop for things that didn't require a lot of typing. With my butt firmly planted on my couch, I'm able to browse the web, look up that really cute actress from the L Word (which is a recent, and long overdue addiction) on IMDB, Facebook, search for song lyrics, read the news, answer emails (the quick, non-serious ones I can take care of while mildly distracted), even flip through a few digital pages of Winnie the Pooh (the free book that came with the iBook application). And the iPad itself fits nicely on my music stand and downloads and displays sheet music.
I was a bit disturbed that the iPad might prove my original prejudices wrong (in that, I was convinced it would never replace my laptop). But I started thinking back to those times before college (for me) when we didn't have our own computers. We had a family computer that sat in a very visible and common place, and the only times I would go on the computer was if I had to write a paper or chat with friends. Given the iPad's unconventional keyboard, lack of a good word processor, and inability to multi-task (ie: have multiple applications running at once), I still find my laptop indispensable. (we can go on forever making McLuhanesque arguments about the naturalization process of a new media or technology, but let's spare me the work of typing it out now that I have to be up very early tomorrow to have Mother's Day brunch with my mum)
It's almost as if I have reverted back to that time when I was not in front of the computer screen unless I had work or chatting or major emailing to do. And the other stuff, the time I would have previously spent away from the computer, is now consolidated on a thin electronic slab of digital beauty. As much as I don't want to play into the hype of the iPad or rave about how it's changing the technology of media, Aaron was right when he said there is something very intimate about using an iPad. And if I have to get up and charge it every 10 hours or so, well, I can live with that.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Reprise
It's fitting that I've been watching Angel, since I'll be moving back to LA in the fall.
In Season 2, there's an episode called "Reprise," in which Angel steals a ring that allows him to travel across dimensions. At the end of the episode, he asks to be taken to the "Home Office," a thinly-veiled metaphor for Hell. Here's the scene. Holland Manners was a lawyer who was killed off earlier in the season, and comes back:
Holland is standing in the open doors of the elevator slowly clapping his hands.
Angel walks slowly closer.
Holland: "Congratulations. Great victory."
Angel: "You're..."
Holland: "Holland Manners."
Angel: "...not alive."
Holland: "Oh, no. I'm quite dead. Unfortunately my contract with Wolfram and Hart extends well beyond that. (Gives Angel a big smile, then motions his head) Hop on in. You certainly earned it."
Angel slowly steps in, looking at Holland, who laughs.
Holland: "No. Not a ghost here. No, it's just me. Dead me. (Pulls the collar of his shirt aside to show Angel Darla's bite marks, then reaches for the elevator buttons) See? - Home office, wasn't it? I should mention the trip is one way."
Angel stands in the elevator looking out, not saying anything.
We see a homeless person pushing a loaded down shopping cart across the plaza in front of the elevator.
Holland: "Well, if there are no objections, I suggest we get going. It is rather a long ride."
Holland pushes the 'down' button. The doors close and we see the elevator descending down the elevator shaft.
Angel and Holland are standing side by side in the elevator as the lights from the floors it is passing flash by and typically annoying elevator music plays in the background.
Holland: "Well, this is exciting, isn't it? (Smiles) Going straight to the source. - So, what's the big plan, Angel? Destroy the Senior Partners, smash Wolfram and Hart once and for all?"
Angel: "Something like that."
Holland: "Hm-mm, now tell me just what do you think that would accomplish? In the end, I mean."
Angel: "It'll be - the end."
Holland: "Well, the end of you, certainly. But I meant in the larger sense."
Angel: "In the larger sense I really don't give a crap."
Holland: "Now I don't think that's true. - Be honest. - You got the tiniest bit of 'give a crap' left. Otherwise you wouldn't be going on this Kamikaze mission. Now let me see, there was something - in a sacred prophecy, some oblique reference to you. Something you're supposed to prevent. Now what was that?"
Angel: "The apocalypse."
Holland: "Yes, the apocalypse, of course. - Another one of those. Well, it's true. We do have one scheduled. And I imagine if you were to prevent it you would save a great many people. Well, you should do that then. Absolutely. I wasn't thinking. - Of course all those people you save from that apocalypse would then have the next one to look forward to, but, hey, it's always something, isn't it?"
The elevator shaft and cable dissolve as the elevator continues to plummet into a hellish red glow.
Angel: "You're not gonna win."
Holland: "Well - *no*. Of course we aren't. We have no intention of doing anything so prosaic as 'winning.'"
Holland laughs and for the first time Angel turns his head to glance in Holland's general direction.
Angel: "Then why?"
Holland: "Hmm? I'm sorry? Why what?"
Angel: "Why fight?"
Holland: "That's really the question you should be asking yourself, isn't it? See, for us, there is no fight. Which is why winning doesn't enter into it. We - go on - no matter what. Our firm has always been here. In one form or another. The Inquisition. The Khmer Rouge. We were there when the very first cave man clubbed his neighbor. See, we're in the hearts and minds of every single living being. And *that* - friend - is what's making things so difficult for you. - See, the world doesn't work in spite of evil, Angel. - It works with us. - It works because of us."
And with that the elevator comes to a screeching halt.
The doors open and Angel looks out to see a homeless person pushing a loaded shopping cart across the plaza in front of the Wolfram and Hart Office building in LA.
Holland: "Welcome to the home office."
Angel: "This isn't..."
Holland: "Well, you know it is. - You know *that* better than anyone. Things you've seen. Things you've, well - done. You see, if there wasn't evil in every single one of them out there (Angel watches as some people in the plaza start yelling at each other) why, they wouldn't be people. - They'd all be angels."
The glove drops from Angel's right to land on the floor of the elevator and Angel slowly shuffles out of it.
Holland calling after him as the doors close: "Have a nice day."
What strikes me about this scene is how heartbreakingly poignant its message is. We're brought up to believe in good and evil, with good always seeking to do away with evil, but the fact of the matter is, like everything in life, good can't exist without evil. Absolutes must co-exist. If they don't, they are rendered meaningless. We can't have good without evil, freedom without repression, right without wrong.
Of course, the definition of absolutes is problematic as well. Maybe it's just all on a spectrum, and trying to define the extremes simply complicates everything.
Also hits close to home for me, as they're saying LA is hell here. Of course it is.
In Season 2, there's an episode called "Reprise," in which Angel steals a ring that allows him to travel across dimensions. At the end of the episode, he asks to be taken to the "Home Office," a thinly-veiled metaphor for Hell. Here's the scene. Holland Manners was a lawyer who was killed off earlier in the season, and comes back:
Holland is standing in the open doors of the elevator slowly clapping his hands.
Angel walks slowly closer.
Holland: "Congratulations. Great victory."
Angel: "You're..."
Holland: "Holland Manners."
Angel: "...not alive."
Holland: "Oh, no. I'm quite dead. Unfortunately my contract with Wolfram and Hart extends well beyond that. (Gives Angel a big smile, then motions his head) Hop on in. You certainly earned it."
Angel slowly steps in, looking at Holland, who laughs.
Holland: "No. Not a ghost here. No, it's just me. Dead me. (Pulls the collar of his shirt aside to show Angel Darla's bite marks, then reaches for the elevator buttons) See? - Home office, wasn't it? I should mention the trip is one way."
Angel stands in the elevator looking out, not saying anything.
We see a homeless person pushing a loaded down shopping cart across the plaza in front of the elevator.
Holland: "Well, if there are no objections, I suggest we get going. It is rather a long ride."
Holland pushes the 'down' button. The doors close and we see the elevator descending down the elevator shaft.
Angel and Holland are standing side by side in the elevator as the lights from the floors it is passing flash by and typically annoying elevator music plays in the background.
Holland: "Well, this is exciting, isn't it? (Smiles) Going straight to the source. - So, what's the big plan, Angel? Destroy the Senior Partners, smash Wolfram and Hart once and for all?"
Angel: "Something like that."
Holland: "Hm-mm, now tell me just what do you think that would accomplish? In the end, I mean."
Angel: "It'll be - the end."
Holland: "Well, the end of you, certainly. But I meant in the larger sense."
Angel: "In the larger sense I really don't give a crap."
Holland: "Now I don't think that's true. - Be honest. - You got the tiniest bit of 'give a crap' left. Otherwise you wouldn't be going on this Kamikaze mission. Now let me see, there was something - in a sacred prophecy, some oblique reference to you. Something you're supposed to prevent. Now what was that?"
Angel: "The apocalypse."
Holland: "Yes, the apocalypse, of course. - Another one of those. Well, it's true. We do have one scheduled. And I imagine if you were to prevent it you would save a great many people. Well, you should do that then. Absolutely. I wasn't thinking. - Of course all those people you save from that apocalypse would then have the next one to look forward to, but, hey, it's always something, isn't it?"
The elevator shaft and cable dissolve as the elevator continues to plummet into a hellish red glow.
Angel: "You're not gonna win."
Holland: "Well - *no*. Of course we aren't. We have no intention of doing anything so prosaic as 'winning.'"
Holland laughs and for the first time Angel turns his head to glance in Holland's general direction.
Angel: "Then why?"
Holland: "Hmm? I'm sorry? Why what?"
Angel: "Why fight?"
Holland: "That's really the question you should be asking yourself, isn't it? See, for us, there is no fight. Which is why winning doesn't enter into it. We - go on - no matter what. Our firm has always been here. In one form or another. The Inquisition. The Khmer Rouge. We were there when the very first cave man clubbed his neighbor. See, we're in the hearts and minds of every single living being. And *that* - friend - is what's making things so difficult for you. - See, the world doesn't work in spite of evil, Angel. - It works with us. - It works because of us."
And with that the elevator comes to a screeching halt.
The doors open and Angel looks out to see a homeless person pushing a loaded shopping cart across the plaza in front of the Wolfram and Hart Office building in LA.
Holland: "Welcome to the home office."
Angel: "This isn't..."
Holland: "Well, you know it is. - You know *that* better than anyone. Things you've seen. Things you've, well - done. You see, if there wasn't evil in every single one of them out there (Angel watches as some people in the plaza start yelling at each other) why, they wouldn't be people. - They'd all be angels."
The glove drops from Angel's right to land on the floor of the elevator and Angel slowly shuffles out of it.
Holland calling after him as the doors close: "Have a nice day."
What strikes me about this scene is how heartbreakingly poignant its message is. We're brought up to believe in good and evil, with good always seeking to do away with evil, but the fact of the matter is, like everything in life, good can't exist without evil. Absolutes must co-exist. If they don't, they are rendered meaningless. We can't have good without evil, freedom without repression, right without wrong.
Of course, the definition of absolutes is problematic as well. Maybe it's just all on a spectrum, and trying to define the extremes simply complicates everything.
Also hits close to home for me, as they're saying LA is hell here. Of course it is.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
This is my Bible
"Anyone who practices the art of cultural criticism must endure being asked, What is the solution to the problems you describe? Critics almost never appreciate this question, since, in most cases, they are entirely satisfied with themselves for having posed the problems and, in any event, are rarely skilled in formulating practical suggestions about anything. This is why they became cultural critics.
"The question comes forth nonetheless, and in three different voices. One is gentle and eager, as if to suggest that the critic knows the solutions but has merely forgotten to include them in the work itself. A second is threatening and judgmental, as if to suggest that the critic had no business bothering people in the first place unless there were some pretty good solutions at hand. And a third is wishful and encouraging, as if to suggest that it is well known that there are not always solutions to serious problems but if the critic will give it a little thought perhaps something constructive might come from the effort."
~Neil Postman, Technopoly
Only Time Will Tell
An astute observation was made today over brunch. That, in the rapid growth of the use of mobile devices, wrist-watches have become less popular, less worn. Everyone has a clock on their cell phone - usually more accurate than the one you set yourself. This, of course, prompted us to start checking out everyone's wrists to see who still wears one. I still do - my watch was given to me as a high school graduation present by a very close friend. But neither friend I was with wore a watch.
There's a tradition in wearing watches. From the days of yore when a little boy came into manhood, his father would often give him a pocket watch, perhaps as a way of saying, keep track of your time, you're responsible now. Even today, watches are often given as presents, or passed down through generations. When someone buys a watch, it probably comes with a lot of thought. There are still Rolex knockoffs out there. Watches still seem to convey a sense of class status, of tradition.
So, will watches become non-functional, just a piece of jewelry, in the age of digital mobility and interconnectivity? I don't know. But I now can't help but look at people's wrists all the time.
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Really now?! #ipad
Got this off an article about the iPad on NPR today...
"Outside an Apple Store in Freehold, Ray Majewski came with his 10-year-old daughter, Julia, partly as a reward for getting straight A's in school."
Really?? When I got straight A's in 5th grade, I got a pat on the head and a cookie.
"Outside an Apple Store in Freehold, Ray Majewski came with his 10-year-old daughter, Julia, partly as a reward for getting straight A's in school."
Really?? When I got straight A's in 5th grade, I got a pat on the head and a cookie.
Friday, April 02, 2010
Fwd: Important Easter Literature
From Cris
>
>
> Some important literature to cover during your Easter weekend. Some
> scientific, some culinary in nature. As always, please make science
> your priority.
>
> ***The Science***
>
> peep surgery,
>
> http://www.peepresearch.org/surgery.html
>
> the effects of smoking and alcohol on peeps,
>
> http://www.peepresearch.org/smoking.html
>
> the evolution of fear response in peeps,
>
> http://www.peepresearch.org/fear.html
>
> more on cold response, heat response, and solubility,
>
> http://www.peepresearch.org/index.html
>
> ***The Culinary***
>
> peep sushi,
>
> http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/03/peeps-recipes-how-to-make-peepshi-sushi-rice-krispies-treats-easter.html
>
>
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Green Day on Broadway
****Spoiler alert for the new Green Day musical on Broadway, "American Idiot"******
The challenge with taking a well-known, critically acclaimed rock album and making it into a musical is how to translate it so it fits the medium. I'll admit, as a fervent Green Day fan, and staunch listener to I was highly skeptical when I first Green Day's music was being adapted to a Broadway show called "American Idiot," after their 2004 album, despite assurances from early reviews that the show had gotten Green Day's blessing and would be performed with minimal tampering.
The show is still currently in preview, so one rainy night (tonight), I went to see it. From the very first chords of "American Idiot" (the title piece), the goosebumps started. With John Gallagher's character, Johnny's narration, it was a bit reminiscent of Rent, especially with the grunge-like style and punk dance choreography that was clearly emulating not only Billie Joe Armstrong's performance persona, but embodies the anxiety and discontent the music portrays.
I was impressed by the fidelity of the musical music to the original album. I mean, I think it was a good move - Green Day with jazz hands probably wouldn't have worked quite so well. Other than a few deviations and remixes (in one instance, "She's a Rebel" was mixed with "Last of the American Girls," a song off the 21st Century Breakdown album), the music didn't change much from what you would hear from the American Idiot album (other than the interweaving music lines and different characters singing different parts). Even the core instrumentation was the same - rhythm guitar, bass, lead, drum set, and other auxiliary instrumentation as needed (piano, cello, violin, timpani). The entire musical was framed by the "American Idiot" album.
But as the characters' situations got murky about halfway through, the music's structure itself deviated from the structure of the album. There were more remixes, and more insertions of their 21st Century Breakdown album songs in there, as well as an awesome misdirect. Johnny, sitting on the bed of Whatsername, starts playing the first few notes of "Wake Me Up When September Ends." Very familiar, well-known notes. Except, it's not "September" - it's another song completely, called "When It's Time" - a song Billie Joe wrote for his wife, but has never been performed before the musical.
One a very obvious level, this was for the fans. Any die-hard fan of the album would recognize that the production keeps very close to the album, and would have known that "September" isn't supposed to happen yet (and indeed, "September" is sung later, at the right time). The framing of the music to make us expect "September," then not satisfying that expectation follows the act of rupturing the familiarity of the album that occurs all throughout the second half of the show (there's no intermission). If we were expecting the "American Idiot" album to be presented on stage in all its unmodified glory, well, some of us may have been disappointed (after all, we like to be flattered - to think we know what's to come, and this musical doesn't give us that satisfaction), but more importantly, it ruptures the familiarity, like Johnny leaving home ruptures the familiarity of suburban America (of course, we will see that familiarity isn't always good either, as Will, the guy who stays home, gets progressively more discontent as he feels he's left behind).
The only slightly awkward thing I thought was the choreography - just the fact that there was choreography (the choreography itself, as I said before, seeks to emulate that punk feel, and I feel like it does it very well), but it is the only time that the musical really feels Broadway. The way Billy Joe moves on stage is completely spontaneous (at least, it feels that way - it helps that he's the only one moving that way), and choreography, by definition, is NOT completely spontaneous - it is planned. It's antithetical to the spontaneity, the unplanned-ness of Green Day.
There was also absolute media saturation in the show - right in your face. There must have been 20+ screens all playing news clips and such, and a projection that turns the entire stage into a projection show, as media saturates us and turns us all into American idiots, right?
Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable show, and certainly nostalgic for those of us who were obsessed with the album when it came out in 2004. A rock opera for our anxiety-ridden society today.
The night also included Soondubu and concluded with a stranger on the train giving me chocolate and, together with a couple of tourists from Chile, telling me I'm very "elegant." It was a good good night.
The challenge with taking a well-known, critically acclaimed rock album and making it into a musical is how to translate it so it fits the medium. I'll admit, as a fervent Green Day fan, and staunch listener to I was highly skeptical when I first Green Day's music was being adapted to a Broadway show called "American Idiot," after their 2004 album, despite assurances from early reviews that the show had gotten Green Day's blessing and would be performed with minimal tampering.
The show is still currently in preview, so one rainy night (tonight), I went to see it. From the very first chords of "American Idiot" (the title piece), the goosebumps started. With John Gallagher's character, Johnny's narration, it was a bit reminiscent of Rent, especially with the grunge-like style and punk dance choreography that was clearly emulating not only Billie Joe Armstrong's performance persona, but embodies the anxiety and discontent the music portrays.
I was impressed by the fidelity of the musical music to the original album. I mean, I think it was a good move - Green Day with jazz hands probably wouldn't have worked quite so well. Other than a few deviations and remixes (in one instance, "She's a Rebel" was mixed with "Last of the American Girls," a song off the 21st Century Breakdown album), the music didn't change much from what you would hear from the American Idiot album (other than the interweaving music lines and different characters singing different parts). Even the core instrumentation was the same - rhythm guitar, bass, lead, drum set, and other auxiliary instrumentation as needed (piano, cello, violin, timpani). The entire musical was framed by the "American Idiot" album.
But as the characters' situations got murky about halfway through, the music's structure itself deviated from the structure of the album. There were more remixes, and more insertions of their 21st Century Breakdown album songs in there, as well as an awesome misdirect. Johnny, sitting on the bed of Whatsername, starts playing the first few notes of "Wake Me Up When September Ends." Very familiar, well-known notes. Except, it's not "September" - it's another song completely, called "When It's Time" - a song Billie Joe wrote for his wife, but has never been performed before the musical.
One a very obvious level, this was for the fans. Any die-hard fan of the album would recognize that the production keeps very close to the album, and would have known that "September" isn't supposed to happen yet (and indeed, "September" is sung later, at the right time). The framing of the music to make us expect "September," then not satisfying that expectation follows the act of rupturing the familiarity of the album that occurs all throughout the second half of the show (there's no intermission). If we were expecting the "American Idiot" album to be presented on stage in all its unmodified glory, well, some of us may have been disappointed (after all, we like to be flattered - to think we know what's to come, and this musical doesn't give us that satisfaction), but more importantly, it ruptures the familiarity, like Johnny leaving home ruptures the familiarity of suburban America (of course, we will see that familiarity isn't always good either, as Will, the guy who stays home, gets progressively more discontent as he feels he's left behind).
The only slightly awkward thing I thought was the choreography - just the fact that there was choreography (the choreography itself, as I said before, seeks to emulate that punk feel, and I feel like it does it very well), but it is the only time that the musical really feels Broadway. The way Billy Joe moves on stage is completely spontaneous (at least, it feels that way - it helps that he's the only one moving that way), and choreography, by definition, is NOT completely spontaneous - it is planned. It's antithetical to the spontaneity, the unplanned-ness of Green Day.
There was also absolute media saturation in the show - right in your face. There must have been 20+ screens all playing news clips and such, and a projection that turns the entire stage into a projection show, as media saturates us and turns us all into American idiots, right?
Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable show, and certainly nostalgic for those of us who were obsessed with the album when it came out in 2004. A rock opera for our anxiety-ridden society today.
The night also included Soondubu and concluded with a stranger on the train giving me chocolate and, together with a couple of tourists from Chile, telling me I'm very "elegant." It was a good good night.
Monday, March 29, 2010
City of Strangers
A sign in the airport when you step off at La Guardia (and many similar ones are found at JFK) says, "If someone asks you if you need a ride, they probably shouldn't be giving you one."
Isn't it kinda sad? That an act of helpfulness in a city is automatically called into suspicion? That the person asking you for a ride somehow seeks to harm you, and that you must be on guard all the time from others? There's a need to protect, and need to close yourself off.
I feel like this is a symptom of the city. A city where you live among strangers, where your community is limited to the few you allow to get close to you, and that is about how far your compassion extends. No smiles to the stranger on the street, no spending some extra time talking to your waiter at the restaurant. Your waiter doesn't care to talk to you either. Everyone's closed off, in their own world, with their own lives to live.
Even if one wants to be compassionate, it may not be welcome. It's the culture of the city. Never stray too long in conversation with a stranger. Never extend more help than might be wanted. Look after number one.
No wonder Baz Luhrmann says, "Live in New York, but leave before it makes you hard." There's a toughness that is necessary to live in New York, but is that toughness making us forget our day-to-day humanity?
Isn't it kinda sad? That an act of helpfulness in a city is automatically called into suspicion? That the person asking you for a ride somehow seeks to harm you, and that you must be on guard all the time from others? There's a need to protect, and need to close yourself off.
I feel like this is a symptom of the city. A city where you live among strangers, where your community is limited to the few you allow to get close to you, and that is about how far your compassion extends. No smiles to the stranger on the street, no spending some extra time talking to your waiter at the restaurant. Your waiter doesn't care to talk to you either. Everyone's closed off, in their own world, with their own lives to live.
Even if one wants to be compassionate, it may not be welcome. It's the culture of the city. Never stray too long in conversation with a stranger. Never extend more help than might be wanted. Look after number one.
No wonder Baz Luhrmann says, "Live in New York, but leave before it makes you hard." There's a toughness that is necessary to live in New York, but is that toughness making us forget our day-to-day humanity?
Saturday, March 27, 2010
This is how the story went.
I met someone by accident,
Who blew me away.
Blew me away.
It was in the darkest of my days
When you took my sorrow and you took my pain,
And buried them away.
Buried them away.
I wish I could lay down beside you when the day is done.
Wake up to your face against the morning sun.
But like everything I've ever known,
You disappear one day,
So I spend my whole life hiding my heart away.
~Brandi Carlile
I met someone by accident,
Who blew me away.
Blew me away.
It was in the darkest of my days
When you took my sorrow and you took my pain,
And buried them away.
Buried them away.
I wish I could lay down beside you when the day is done.
Wake up to your face against the morning sun.
But like everything I've ever known,
You disappear one day,
So I spend my whole life hiding my heart away.
~Brandi Carlile
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Addendum: automated restrooms
What I can get on board with are the automatic self-changing toilet
seat covers. Those things are cool. Of course, they come with the
automatically flushing toilet that doesn't actually flush...
seat covers. Those things are cool. Of course, they come with the
automatically flushing toilet that doesn't actually flush...
*******************
Cynthia Wang's iPhone
cynthiawang@nyu.edu
Monday, March 15, 2010
Stupidest invention ever
For a city (LA) that is constantly in shortage of water, installing automatically flushing toilets is a brilliant idea. It flushes before you sit, flushes after you stand up, then flushes again as you're
leaving the stall. Who was the genius that thought of that? I mean, because people just don't know how to wash their hands. And of course, there are no germs on the handles of the doors. They are, natually, completely sterile and pristine. You know what you should also install? Invisible, intangible handrails that you can't actually grasp on the subway, cuz that would prevent germs as well. You're so smart.
You know what's also smart? People who aren't competent enough to tell you the right DAY you're flying out of a city. Thank you, American Airlines and Delta Airlines for making my overextended stay in Los Angeles much longer than it needed to be and giving me *gasp* mileage for my troubles and my friends' cuz that completely compensates for your incompetency and bureacratic mumbo jumbo. You are so fucking generous. You even saved me from spending time with my friends who are currently in New York cuz I certainly have better things to do, like sleeping on the floor of your terminal cuz you wouldn't let me into your lounge without paying the $50 day pass. Yea, I know. It's company policy. Pat on the head for you for sticking to the rules, you good little automaton. I mean, who cares about brains and your own judgment when there are these wonderful things called policies. Convenient little buggers, aren't they? Especially when you want to turn a blind eye.
And THANK YOU Delta for assigning me to a middle seat even as you're assigning aisles to other people. I'm looking forward to giving strangers a lap dance every time I need to pee or get to my computer.
And thanks also for putting me in a shitty mood for 48 hours cuz that's just so fucking productive.
*Edited 3/16/10 for formatting, not content. Content all the same.
leaving the stall. Who was the genius that thought of that? I mean, because people just don't know how to wash their hands. And of course, there are no germs on the handles of the doors. They are, natually, completely sterile and pristine. You know what you should also install? Invisible, intangible handrails that you can't actually grasp on the subway, cuz that would prevent germs as well. You're so smart.
You know what's also smart? People who aren't competent enough to tell you the right DAY you're flying out of a city. Thank you, American Airlines and Delta Airlines for making my overextended stay in Los Angeles much longer than it needed to be and giving me *gasp* mileage for my troubles and my friends' cuz that completely compensates for your incompetency and bureacratic mumbo jumbo. You are so fucking generous. You even saved me from spending time with my friends who are currently in New York cuz I certainly have better things to do, like sleeping on the floor of your terminal cuz you wouldn't let me into your lounge without paying the $50 day pass. Yea, I know. It's company policy. Pat on the head for you for sticking to the rules, you good little automaton. I mean, who cares about brains and your own judgment when there are these wonderful things called policies. Convenient little buggers, aren't they? Especially when you want to turn a blind eye.
And THANK YOU Delta for assigning me to a middle seat even as you're assigning aisles to other people. I'm looking forward to giving strangers a lap dance every time I need to pee or get to my computer.
And thanks also for putting me in a shitty mood for 48 hours cuz that's just so fucking productive.
*Edited 3/16/10 for formatting, not content. Content all the same.
Friday, March 12, 2010
LA's car culture
Epiphany. Why do we need 4 to 5-seater cars when there's usually only one person driving in it at any given time? Can you imagine how much SPACE there would be in the freeways of LA if each car could only hold on person? There would only be a quarter of the physical space on roads taken up by cars! We should all be driving around in single-seater pods with the family car at home for when we need it.
I know there are logistical and safety issues involved in this, but take, for a moment, my family. At one point, we had 5 cars. FIVE. We had only four people in our family that needed seats. Maybe five, if we counted our dog. How many seats did we have in our cars? Four sedans (at 5 seats each), and one mini-van (which can seat 7 people) - that's 27 seats. For 4 people. I mean, even a family of 4 that has TWO cars still has 10 seats to their disposal)
Something to think about.
I know there are logistical and safety issues involved in this, but take, for a moment, my family. At one point, we had 5 cars. FIVE. We had only four people in our family that needed seats. Maybe five, if we counted our dog. How many seats did we have in our cars? Four sedans (at 5 seats each), and one mini-van (which can seat 7 people) - that's 27 seats. For 4 people. I mean, even a family of 4 that has TWO cars still has 10 seats to their disposal)
Something to think about.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Radisson, we meet again.
Just got settled in at the Radisson in Downtown LA. As fate would have it, it's the same Radisson right next door to the Sizzler's we came to all the time (before it closed), and the last time I stayed in here was for a grand total of 3 hours while working on a grant for COPE (which also cost some ridiculous amount).
Allen and I stayed at the office till around 3am or something. Then I was back in the office at 7 or 8 the next morning to get the grant out the door by 5p. It was intense, and sadly, our grant wasn't even reviewed because of a technicality.
Yup. Back on my old stomping grounds-ish for a couple days. Oh, the memories. At least the air is thicker here, but smog-filled.
Allen and I stayed at the office till around 3am or something. Then I was back in the office at 7 or 8 the next morning to get the grant out the door by 5p. It was intense, and sadly, our grant wasn't even reviewed because of a technicality.
Yup. Back on my old stomping grounds-ish for a couple days. Oh, the memories. At least the air is thicker here, but smog-filled.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
High-altitude oxygen deprivation
Not something you experience every day unless you live in Boulder or Denver.
I'm in Boulder for a couple days, and if it weren't for the fact that someone had mentioned the high altitude-ness of Boulder, I probably wouldn't have noticed as much as I'm noticing now that
a) I am out of breath after walking a block
b) there is serious lactic acid build up in my muscles
c) my poor broken lung is protesting the low pressure
d) I'm getting lightheaded just sitting here
e) I feel cold - probably has something to do with O2 not getting anywhere, and
f) generally feels like I just ran a mile (when really, all I did was walk up a flight of stairs)
And I think the more I think about it, the worse it gets! Probably should just go to sleep and not think about it. Supposedly the O2 deprivation makes it harder to get up in the mornings too. Fantastic.
This, of course, is in no way impacted by the measly two hours of sleep I got last night, and a full day of activities here on campus, which included a discussion of political economy vs. cultural studies.
Otherwise, Boulder and CU and people are lovely. And the food is amazing too.
I'm in Boulder for a couple days, and if it weren't for the fact that someone had mentioned the high altitude-ness of Boulder, I probably wouldn't have noticed as much as I'm noticing now that
a) I am out of breath after walking a block
b) there is serious lactic acid build up in my muscles
c) my poor broken lung is protesting the low pressure
d) I'm getting lightheaded just sitting here
e) I feel cold - probably has something to do with O2 not getting anywhere, and
f) generally feels like I just ran a mile (when really, all I did was walk up a flight of stairs)
And I think the more I think about it, the worse it gets! Probably should just go to sleep and not think about it. Supposedly the O2 deprivation makes it harder to get up in the mornings too. Fantastic.
This, of course, is in no way impacted by the measly two hours of sleep I got last night, and a full day of activities here on campus, which included a discussion of political economy vs. cultural studies.
Otherwise, Boulder and CU and people are lovely. And the food is amazing too.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Hrm.
We have this problem in our HK home, where fishes that get put into the same tank as our turtle, Soupe, keep going MIA. My mom offers probably what is the best explanation of this situation in an email I got this morning...
>>>>>>>>>>>>
From: Jenny Wang
Subject: One more fish disappeared!!
Date: March 8, 2010 3:59:28 AM EST
To: Cynthia Wang
We suspected it may became the snack of Soupe.
Mama
>>>>>>>>>>>>
From: Jenny Wang
Subject: One more fish disappeared!!
Date: March 8, 2010 3:59:28 AM EST
To: Cynthia Wang
We suspected it may became the snack of Soupe.
Mama
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Good ear?
So, I'm sure by this point, everyone's heard of this ukulele kid (playing Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours"). And I think a good number of people have probably seen his cover of Jake Shimabukuro's cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."
Cute he absolutely is. Criticism aside, this kid either has a great teacher who's teaching him all the tabs for these songs, or he simply has a great ear. I'm going for the latter, because it doesn't look like he's "learning tabs". Really convinced he's playing by ear. If that's actually the case, that's friggin' amazing.
I didn't really have a point with this post - well, I do, but to get to it would take several pages, and I must to bed. If I feel inspired to write later, perhaps I shall. All this should be read aloud with a British accent.
Friday, February 05, 2010
0 for 2 in the NYC music scene
Something about the New York indie music scene that intimidates me, I think. I can honestly say I played my worst set tonight at Five Points Variety Hour (in Chinatown), which I feel bad and sad about, because Five Points is made up of amazing people and has such a great vibe. It was a bit like a comedy of errors tonight.
So, I developed a bit of tendonitis a couple weeks ago, after I played at the MLK singalong thing, so I resolved to not bring my guitar to this gig (on one hand, playing guitar is what caused the pain in the first place, and second, carrying it around doesn't help either), meaning I had less than a week to transpose two songs onto piano. Of course, between last week and this week, I got bronchitis too, and was in Phlegm-ville and Snotsville all week. I'm not sick anymore, there's just residual stuff, but doesn't do wonders for, you know, breathing. Yummy.
What really took the cake was frustrating at the time, but totally hilarious after the fact. Five Points has a house piano that I used. Except there was something wrong with the pedal. It sustained when you didn't press it, and stopped sustaining as soon as you pressed it. Worked completely opposite of what it was supposed to do. I didn't figure this out until my second piece, and in my attempt to try and have some sustain in the piano part, drove my mind to work overtime on a piece never before played on piano, and rarely performed in the first place. It was like that time in Australia, where I had to drive with the driver's seat on the other side of the car, and on the opposite side of the road, sleep deprived, in the rain and in the dark.
The only other time I really had a "set" in NYC (the MLK Singalongs don't count - the audience is much more forgiving - or maybe I just forgive myself more for mistakes and imperfections because of the informal venue) was a Vivaldi Caffe in the Village a year ago. Also a piano set, also not great. I think I have to resign myself to the fact that sticking to what works is good (playing songs written FOR guitar ON guitar that I can play in my sleep), at least for now, when I'm still trying to make friends in the NYC music scene. This whole trying to reinvent thing and playing unfamiliar stuff in a new city just isn't working very well.
Five Points was really fun tonight though. I'll hopefully be playing again in their new venue sometime this semester.
Ok. I'm done whining for the night and making excuses for myself. At this point, I think I'm on the verge of pulling an all-nighter. Oops.
So, I developed a bit of tendonitis a couple weeks ago, after I played at the MLK singalong thing, so I resolved to not bring my guitar to this gig (on one hand, playing guitar is what caused the pain in the first place, and second, carrying it around doesn't help either), meaning I had less than a week to transpose two songs onto piano. Of course, between last week and this week, I got bronchitis too, and was in Phlegm-ville and Snotsville all week. I'm not sick anymore, there's just residual stuff, but doesn't do wonders for, you know, breathing. Yummy.
What really took the cake was frustrating at the time, but totally hilarious after the fact. Five Points has a house piano that I used. Except there was something wrong with the pedal. It sustained when you didn't press it, and stopped sustaining as soon as you pressed it. Worked completely opposite of what it was supposed to do. I didn't figure this out until my second piece, and in my attempt to try and have some sustain in the piano part, drove my mind to work overtime on a piece never before played on piano, and rarely performed in the first place. It was like that time in Australia, where I had to drive with the driver's seat on the other side of the car, and on the opposite side of the road, sleep deprived, in the rain and in the dark.
The only other time I really had a "set" in NYC (the MLK Singalongs don't count - the audience is much more forgiving - or maybe I just forgive myself more for mistakes and imperfections because of the informal venue) was a Vivaldi Caffe in the Village a year ago. Also a piano set, also not great. I think I have to resign myself to the fact that sticking to what works is good (playing songs written FOR guitar ON guitar that I can play in my sleep), at least for now, when I'm still trying to make friends in the NYC music scene. This whole trying to reinvent thing and playing unfamiliar stuff in a new city just isn't working very well.
Five Points was really fun tonight though. I'll hopefully be playing again in their new venue sometime this semester.
Ok. I'm done whining for the night and making excuses for myself. At this point, I think I'm on the verge of pulling an all-nighter. Oops.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Hacker/Scam alert
If you get this from a friend, it's a scam:
"This had to come in a hurry and it has left me in a devastating state.We are in some terrible situation and I'm really going to need your urgent help.Some days ago,unannounced we came to visit resort center in Leicester Square.City London,but we got mugged by
some hoodlums and lost all my cash,credit cards,and cellphones,I was little injured but i thank god we are fine,we are financially stranded right now and our return flight leaves in few hours time but I need some money to clear some bills,So all I can do now is
pay cash and get out of here quickly.I do not want to make a scene of this why I did not call my house,this is embarrassing enough.I was wondering if you could loan me some cash,I promise I'll refund it to you once we arrived home, hope to read from you as soon as possible."
Makes me laugh a little, how transparent these things are now.
"This had to come in a hurry and it has left me in a devastating state.We are in some terrible situation and I'm really going to need your urgent help.Some days ago,unannounced we came to visit resort center in Leicester Square.City London,but we got mugged by
some hoodlums and lost all my cash,credit cards,and cellphones,I was little injured but i thank god we are fine,we are financially stranded right now and our return flight leaves in few hours time but I need some money to clear some bills,So all I can do now is
pay cash and get out of here quickly.I do not want to make a scene of this why I did not call my house,this is embarrassing enough.I was wondering if you could loan me some cash,I promise I'll refund it to you once we arrived home, hope to read from you as soon as possible."
Makes me laugh a little, how transparent these things are now.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Avatar
Just saw Avatar. Quick thoughts. Execution, great. Technology and visuals, revolutionary. Story, tired. Cultural implications, huge. Lots of spoilers, though I feel like I'm one of the last folks on earth to see Avatar.
I'll concentrate on the cultural implications of the movie. One can totally see what James Cameron is trying to do here - to show another culture in a protagonistic light, to welcome the audience into this "exotic" and different culture, to get us to relate to the characters, their plight, to make us feel their pain when their home is destroyed. He even goes as far as to make Jake Sully choose to abandon his (Western) culture to join the Navi (what I feel is simply a shortened version of "Native" or, in other words "primitive" - I know this point can be argued).
So there's this clear dichotomy between Western culture and non-Western, primitive, "Indian"-like culture - cultures traditionally placed on a power scale in which Western culture is seen as superior. Avatar puts a lot of effort in stressing that the culture of guns and technological advancement is not necessarily superior - a point we are duly convinced of by the end of the film. By the end of the film, we, like Jake Sully, are drawn into this exotic culture, and we embrace it as a culture that, within this fictional world, is better than the gun-toting, tree-blasting military officials that represent the Western world. And then we go back to our own Western world, our consumerisms, our commodifications, our very Western-centric culture.
As a matter of fact, Avatar puts us, the audience, in a privileged position to embrace a "primitive", "inferior" culture. By the end of the movie, we give ourselves pats on the back for being open-minded enough to see that a non-Western culture is superior to our own.
Here's where things get problematic. The protagonists, the natives - they're visually (and aurally at times) portrayed as aliens, different, foreign. Here's that thing with system and culture again. System being what we're told, culture being what we internalize and feel. Sure, at the end of the movie, in an almost tongue-in-cheek way, the humans are called "aliens". But, dude. They LOOK like us. That we can't deny. We're just not blue, lanky creatures with pointy ears and flat noses.
Good for us for embracing a culture so very different from our own. Good for us for accepting the visually (and underlying tones of racially) and culturally different groups. But this film PUTS us in this position of privilege, PUTS us in this place where we can be entertained by the struggles of the Navi, and yes, even relate to them in some way. But the fact that we feel good about relating to a culturally different group (and then using that for commercial gain - James Cameron, once he breaks even, will be making bank) carry with it invisible, subconscious reinforcement of the pre-existing cultural power structures in place as it relates to the Western world and how the Western world perceives and relates to non-Western cultures. In the case of Avatar, these cultures become appropriated through the narrative, and appropriated by us, even being represented by Jake Sully taking on the form of a Navi by the end of the film. We each become a Jake Sully by the end of the film. But at the end of the day, only a Western protagonist can really save the day. Only a Western guy can change himself, and thereby change the world.
Furthermore on the two-dimensionality of the Navi, the film falls into that dangerous polarized categorization of good guys and bad guys. By making the "bad guys" (the humans) SO bad, while the Navi can do no wrong (there wasn't even a bad Navi who went to the side of the humans - but of course, our human protagonists side with the Navi) - that's a bit overcompensation, don't you think? That, or all Navi are homogenously earth-loving and good-doing. Or victimized.
I'm not going to belabor the point more - I think I already have. I will say, though, it was a very enjoyable three hours, but the 3D aspect of it is completely unnecessary.
I'll concentrate on the cultural implications of the movie. One can totally see what James Cameron is trying to do here - to show another culture in a protagonistic light, to welcome the audience into this "exotic" and different culture, to get us to relate to the characters, their plight, to make us feel their pain when their home is destroyed. He even goes as far as to make Jake Sully choose to abandon his (Western) culture to join the Navi (what I feel is simply a shortened version of "Native" or, in other words "primitive" - I know this point can be argued).
So there's this clear dichotomy between Western culture and non-Western, primitive, "Indian"-like culture - cultures traditionally placed on a power scale in which Western culture is seen as superior. Avatar puts a lot of effort in stressing that the culture of guns and technological advancement is not necessarily superior - a point we are duly convinced of by the end of the film. By the end of the film, we, like Jake Sully, are drawn into this exotic culture, and we embrace it as a culture that, within this fictional world, is better than the gun-toting, tree-blasting military officials that represent the Western world. And then we go back to our own Western world, our consumerisms, our commodifications, our very Western-centric culture.
As a matter of fact, Avatar puts us, the audience, in a privileged position to embrace a "primitive", "inferior" culture. By the end of the movie, we give ourselves pats on the back for being open-minded enough to see that a non-Western culture is superior to our own.
Here's where things get problematic. The protagonists, the natives - they're visually (and aurally at times) portrayed as aliens, different, foreign. Here's that thing with system and culture again. System being what we're told, culture being what we internalize and feel. Sure, at the end of the movie, in an almost tongue-in-cheek way, the humans are called "aliens". But, dude. They LOOK like us. That we can't deny. We're just not blue, lanky creatures with pointy ears and flat noses.
Good for us for embracing a culture so very different from our own. Good for us for accepting the visually (and underlying tones of racially) and culturally different groups. But this film PUTS us in this position of privilege, PUTS us in this place where we can be entertained by the struggles of the Navi, and yes, even relate to them in some way. But the fact that we feel good about relating to a culturally different group (and then using that for commercial gain - James Cameron, once he breaks even, will be making bank) carry with it invisible, subconscious reinforcement of the pre-existing cultural power structures in place as it relates to the Western world and how the Western world perceives and relates to non-Western cultures. In the case of Avatar, these cultures become appropriated through the narrative, and appropriated by us, even being represented by Jake Sully taking on the form of a Navi by the end of the film. We each become a Jake Sully by the end of the film. But at the end of the day, only a Western protagonist can really save the day. Only a Western guy can change himself, and thereby change the world.
Furthermore on the two-dimensionality of the Navi, the film falls into that dangerous polarized categorization of good guys and bad guys. By making the "bad guys" (the humans) SO bad, while the Navi can do no wrong (there wasn't even a bad Navi who went to the side of the humans - but of course, our human protagonists side with the Navi) - that's a bit overcompensation, don't you think? That, or all Navi are homogenously earth-loving and good-doing. Or victimized.
I'm not going to belabor the point more - I think I already have. I will say, though, it was a very enjoyable three hours, but the 3D aspect of it is completely unnecessary.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Systems and Cultures
I've always (ok, not always, but came up within the last year or so) had this theory. In any modern society (let's not think too much about how we define society, or we'd get tangled in semantics all night - just what you'd normally think of as a society), there are two forces at play. One is culture, one is system. At least, those are the words I use. And they're always at war - very rarely do they go hand in hand. For instance, we all know that racial equality is an ideology of America that we're taught, and is reflected in our legislation. Hate crimes, employment discrimination, etc are against the law. However, I don't believe anyone would argue with me that racism and racial discrimination still exists in society. That's our culture, that's what gets internalized through visual and educational representation, that's what goes on beneath the surface of consciousness, and that's how people live every day.
I bring this up because I've been getting into a lot of debates lately about China's economic condition (ie: everyone seems to want to do business in China because the economy is booming), but I've been hesitant to believe that China's economic boom is sustainable. This is, of course, based on almost no research on my part nor any in-depth knowledge about the global economic climate and all the messy dynamics of. However, I recently found this article about China's economy (by Thomas Friedman), which seems to say a lot of what I feel. Not sure I agree with it completely, but it's an interesting read.
This is a theme I'm probably going to try and expand upon more in later posts, but for now, I'm underslept and, hence, underthunk, so more later.
I bring this up because I've been getting into a lot of debates lately about China's economic condition (ie: everyone seems to want to do business in China because the economy is booming), but I've been hesitant to believe that China's economic boom is sustainable. This is, of course, based on almost no research on my part nor any in-depth knowledge about the global economic climate and all the messy dynamics of. However, I recently found this article about China's economy (by Thomas Friedman), which seems to say a lot of what I feel. Not sure I agree with it completely, but it's an interesting read.
This is a theme I'm probably going to try and expand upon more in later posts, but for now, I'm underslept and, hence, underthunk, so more later.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Losing a train of thought...
I found this in my "drafts" folder in Blogger today. It's an incomplete blog from early November that I let sit until I forgot entirely what I was going to write about...
"I used to read so much news. I don't anymore. It occurred to me just now as I read two articles - one about a missing baby found in a box and another about a teen who was set on fire. You know, the 2-minute news stories that are entertaining, but ultimately inconsequential. I used to snarf those up. What happened?
"Anyway. I had an epiphany today on the train. Not really an epiphany, but just a quiet thought, I guess." .......?!
Ok, that is where I stopped. Reading that again, I want to take myself by the shoulders and shake me and yell, WHAT WAS YOUR EPIPHANY?! I even tried looking in my journal to see if I made some sort of reference to this epiphany about stupid news, and couldn't find any. Maybe my quiet thought had to do with the fact that there's so much consequential stuff out there I need to read that I can't take the time to read stupid news like that. Or maybe it's all this insignificant news that's causing a culture of fear and paranoia in which our society seems to be entrenched. Or maybe it's lamenting the fact that we've gotten so lost in the little details of culture and life that we lose sight of the really "important" stuff. I really don't know.
Maybe this blog is more representative of why I shouldn't be reading news. I simply don't have time. I mean, I obviously don't have time to finish a blog (until now). But I somehow magically find time to Facebook-stalk people for hours. My response to myself there is, hey, it's for research.
"I used to read so much news. I don't anymore. It occurred to me just now as I read two articles - one about a missing baby found in a box and another about a teen who was set on fire. You know, the 2-minute news stories that are entertaining, but ultimately inconsequential. I used to snarf those up. What happened?
"Anyway. I had an epiphany today on the train. Not really an epiphany, but just a quiet thought, I guess." .......?!
Ok, that is where I stopped. Reading that again, I want to take myself by the shoulders and shake me and yell, WHAT WAS YOUR EPIPHANY?! I even tried looking in my journal to see if I made some sort of reference to this epiphany about stupid news, and couldn't find any. Maybe my quiet thought had to do with the fact that there's so much consequential stuff out there I need to read that I can't take the time to read stupid news like that. Or maybe it's all this insignificant news that's causing a culture of fear and paranoia in which our society seems to be entrenched. Or maybe it's lamenting the fact that we've gotten so lost in the little details of culture and life that we lose sight of the really "important" stuff. I really don't know.
Maybe this blog is more representative of why I shouldn't be reading news. I simply don't have time. I mean, I obviously don't have time to finish a blog (until now). But I somehow magically find time to Facebook-stalk people for hours. My response to myself there is, hey, it's for research.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
