tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879615383241571652024-03-21T18:58:12.868-07:00Emma Frances Bloomfield - ResearchThe research blog of Emma Frances Bloomfield, a communication scholar and PhD student.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-55257044872361829522016-09-04T11:00:00.000-07:002016-09-04T11:00:00.265-07:00Reclaiming Shakespeare: Bomb-itty of Errors at the Nevada Conservatory TheaterAfter a long (and busy) summer, I am excited to be back to writing my weekly blog posts. Friday night, I attended the opening of <i><a href="http://bomb-itty.com/" target="_blank">Bomb-itty of Errors</a></i> at the <a href="http://www.unlv.edu/nct" target="_blank">Nevada Conservatory Theater at UNLV</a>. The play billed itself as the precursor to <i>Hamilton</i>, so I was expecting to hear intricate wordplay and have a great time. <i>Bomb-itty of Errors </i>definitely delivered. I disagree with a recent review of the play by the <a href="http://www.reviewjournal.com/neon/arts-culture/shakespeare-work-gets-hip-hop-treatment-bomb-itty-errors" target="_blank">Review Journal</a> that Shakespeare would not have recognized the source material. On the contrary, I think this adaptation is perhaps more faithful to Shakespeare's plays than faithful reenactments.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Promotional poster. Retrieved from <a href="http://bomb-itty.com/">Bomb-itty.com</a>.</td></tr>
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While Shakespeare is now considered to be high culture and difficult to understand, but it was once low-class entertainment for the common man. Shakespeare invented words and focused on lyricism and rhythm in his plays. Men played female roles and oftentimes multiple characters. While some people could enjoy the dramatic soliloquy of Lady Macbeth, others could be entertained by a man calling attention to his "woman's breasts." Shakespeare appealed to a variety of audiences in the original performances, not only high society that we sometimes associate with Shakespearean theater.<br />
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<i>Bomb-itty of Errors </i>capitalized on these associations and adjusted Shakespeare's play <i>Comedy of Errors</i> to contemporary hip-hop themes. Hip-hop and rap are common vernacular of today, making it a fitting substitute. The flow and rhythm of the rapped dialogues brought back the cadence of the original writing. I was amazed by the amount of information that the 4 actors memorized. They played all of the parts, so memorized at least 1/4 of the 2-hour play's discourse. They also had to remember what position to be in and what outfit they had to be wearing (and sometimes what accent to use) throughout the play. Even with this heavy burden, the actors succeed flawlessly in delivering funny, engaging, and understandable lyrics. Many of the jokes were subtly hidden within the dialogue (such as adding in lines about taming shrews), or in an actor mimicking the style of a famous rapper (I noticed DMX in particular). There were also overt comedic moves, like the overbearing, racist cop and the ditzy sister, Luciana. The variety, however, made this adaptation true to the performances of Shakespeare's days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.unlv.edu/sites/default/files/styles/900_width/public/event_images/nslide.bombitty.jpg?itok=pcRoSPlh" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.unlv.edu/sites/default/files/styles/900_width/public/event_images/nslide.bombitty.jpg?itok=pcRoSPlh" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Play promotional image. Retrieved from<a href="http://www.unlv.edu/event/nevada-conservatory-theatre-bomb-itty-errors?delta=1&delta=1" target="_blank"> UNLV's Events Calendar</a>.</td></tr>
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Three of the male actors played sizable female roles (and the fourth played one momentarily), adjusting their voices, outfits, and demeanor to be good actors but also sources of comedy simultaneously. One of the highlights of the play was the scene where the two Dromios argued about which of the two female characters (played by each of them) was more attractive. The self-awareness was refreshing and elicited a laugh from me even after I thought the play had come to an end. The play highlighted the humor of men playing female roles by creating close contact between the actors and outrageous costumes.<br />
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I previously commented on a <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/06/dorians-descent-all-art-is-quite-useless.html" target="_blank">play adaptation</a> of <i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i>. That play modeled itself after a rock opera, seeking to emphasize Gray's fall to sin with rock and roll. I found that adaptation fell flat, primarily because of the adjustments made to the story itself. <i>Bomb-itty of Errors</i>, however, seamlessly updated the story to contemporary hip-hop culture, using stereotypes to its comedic advantage. Theater allows for immense <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/02/heracles-modern-lessons-from-ancient.html" target="_blank">creativity </a>and the ephemeral quality of performance. The <i>Bomb-itty of Errors </i>show I watched had many references to Las Vegas and the current election season. The lyrics and jokes could be updated, adapted, even ad-libbed (as many rap battles are) to fit the situation. The play and the actors' words are now lost in the wind, remnants of a contemporary oral culture where lyricism and word play still capture public attention.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-77099040946590656502016-02-14T16:01:00.000-08:002016-04-21T15:11:38.552-07:00The Forest and Sacrificing Agency for ExplanationI recently saw "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forest_(2016_film)" target="_blank">The Forest</a>," a horror movie that discusses the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aokigahara" target="_blank">Aokigahara </a>Forest in Mount Fuji, Japan. The forest is known for its association with people committing suicide in the forest. The forest is said to be haunted by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%ABrei" target="_blank">yurei</a>, or the ghosts of those who have taken their lives in the forest. As with other horror films that I have analyzed (<a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/08/race-and-class-in-purge-anarchy.html" target="_blank">The Purge: Anarchy</a>, <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/10/sexual-anxieties-and-horror-films-teeth.html" target="_blank">Teeth</a>, <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/11/sexual-anxieties-and-horror-crimson-peak.html" target="_blank">Crimson Peak</a>, <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/11/sexual-anxieties-and-horror-it-follows.html" target="_blank">It Follows</a>, <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-visit-race-and-disability.html" target="_blank">The Visit</a>, and <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2016/01/pride-prejudice-zombies-oh-my.html" target="_blank">Pride + Prejudice + Zombies</a>), I will first summarize the film and then discuss some elements of the film that bear further critique. For "The Forest," I'd like to address issues of exoticism and Orientalism, responses to trauma, as well as issues of agency and explanation. This review will contain spoilers of the movie's key moments and plot developments.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.traileraddict.com/the-forest-2016/poster" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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The movie focuses on Sara and her twin sister, Jess. Sara travels to Japan to look for Jess once notified by police that her sister is missing in the Aokigahara Forest. Convinced that her twin bond tells her that Jess is alive, Sara disregards the warnings of pretty much everyone in the film and goes into the forest. With this incredibly long build-up and character development, Sara finally enters the forest and camps out with Aiden, a man she met hours earlier in a local bar. This is where the visions start happening and Sara is confronted with haunting images of dead bodies, ghosts, and people she isn't quite sure are alive or not. The climax of the film comes when she becomes suspicious enough of Aiden to stab him and leave herself alone in the forest. A final vision consumes her and she re-enacts finding her parents dead in her house with Jess. In this vision, Sara and Jess's father comes back to life and attacks Sara with a death-grip on her arm. Sara slices at her father's hand to free herself from his grasp. At this point, the continuity is not clear to me, so I will piece together what I think happened. Sara, in her mind, escapes her father's grasp and runs through the forest, trying to get back to the path. But, she's actually sliced her own wrists instead of her father's non-existent hands and has bled out. Her soul, or perhaps spirit, running through the forest alerts her sister, who had been camping the entire movie and seemingly unaffected by the yurei, and starts her running towards the path. Jess is eventually led back to the forest's entrance (in part by her sister's yurei?) and is reunited with Sara's fiance, who at first thinks it is Sara that has emerged from the forest. As the two look into the forest, they see Sara's yurei with glowing eyes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.srcdn.com/slir/w786-h393-q90-c786:393/wp-content/uploads/Taylor-Kinney-and-Natalie-Dormer-in-the-Forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.srcdn.com/slir/w786-h393-q90-c786:393/wp-content/uploads/Taylor-Kinney-and-Natalie-Dormer-in-the-Forest.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sara and Aiden in the forest. Image retrieved from this <a href="http://screenrant.com/forest-movie-reviews-2016/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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Overall, I was not wowed by the film and would rate it as below average compared to other horror films, although not quite as awful as The Visit. In watching it, however, I was struck by a few details that stood out to me as unique in films I've recently watched and unique to my usual blog analysis. First, I'll address issues of Orientalism and exoticism. Edward Said argued that Western culture patronizes and infantilizes Eastern culture. Western media portrayals of Asia exoticizes Eastern culture and provides them no personal value or consideration beyond gross stereotypes. These inaccurate representations undermine the ability of the West and Western people to understand or value Eastern culture. When The Forest came out, there was backlash in the press that the film painted Japanese culture in a negative light. Many <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10722068/the-forest-movie-review-natalie-dormer" target="_blank">reviewers </a>noted the distinct lack of any Japanese main characters, despite the film happening in Japan (why couldn't Aiden have been Japanese?), and the odd behaviors of many of those that were highlighted. When Sara enters her sister's classroom in Japan, one of the schoolgirls literally freaks out and cannot be consoled at the sight of seeing her teacher again. Although Jess is presumably there to teach children English, the girl is unable to communicate at all in English and instead stammers with cliche wide-eyes and a schoolgirl uniform about the supernatural and ghost stories. Every Japanese person appears to be an expert on local folklore and preoccupied with death. From the woman who keeps dead bodies in her basement and the tour guide who seems numb to cutting down hanged bodies, the movie portrays Japanese people as uncaring and obsessed with death. Many <a href="http://www.themarysue.com/geopolitics-of-horror-natalie-dormer-the-forest/" target="_blank">reviewers </a>pointed out the potential for racism and mischaracterization. I must agree that the film engaged in <a href="http://www.gal-dem.com/hollywood-whitewashing-suicides/" target="_blank">white-washing </a>of a Japanese health epidemic and used the Aokigahara Forest as nothing more than a foreign, exotic backdrop for foregrounding the important, tragic lives of white Americans.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sara being dragged away by the yurei. Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/trailers/617671-natalie-dormer-the-forest" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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Reviews also condemned the film for ignoring an important mental health crisis and making light of a serious epidemic in Japan. One <a href="http://www.psmag.com/books-and-culture/go-see-carol-instead" target="_blank">review </a>asked, what if a similar film was made about the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, another location that experiences many suicides. Borrowing from my previous points, this conceptualization of Japanese sites as specifically "haunted," exoticizes Japanese culture as being odd, occult, or unnatural. The suicide forest is not addressed as meaningful or an issue for the protagonist to tackle. The forest is merely a "creepy" location for the protagonist to search for her sister. In ignoring the mental health issues inherent in the forest, the movie does touch upon the trauma that Sara and Jess went through in their parents death. The distinction drawn between them is that Jess actually saw her parents' dead bodies while Sara did not. Sara frequently mentions that in not looking, she was not fully there for her sister and could not help her bear that burden. It is then Sara and not Jess who is repeatedly told that she is "filled with sadness," and should not enter the forest. Having seen her parents' bodies, Jess is somehow more fully able to cope with her parents' death. I do not wish to make grand conclusions about what is appropriate and not, but it does strike me as an incredibly interesting statement on trauma and coping mechanisms. There are many different ways to respond with losing loved ones, this case in a murder-suicide. The film seems to argue, or at least, imply that in not fully seeing and acknowledging her trauma, Sara has set herself up for her own suicide. Jess is much stronger against the yurei and the influences of the forest, because she has "faced" her trauma and has overcome it. The messages, however coded and unapparent, may send harmful messages to people coping with their own trauma, who may or may not be seeking actual medical and professional advice to counter or correct media images. While many <a href="http://theodysseyonline.com/colby/we-have-responsibility-to-boycott-the-forest/280965" target="_blank">reviewers </a>advocated boycotting the film for its damaging portrayal of the forest and mental illness, <a href="http://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/3375132/the-forest-review/" target="_blank">others </a>noted that "art should not be censored."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.traileraddict.com/the-forest-2016/poster" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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The very first analytical thought I had about the movie was about the lack of agency given to the people who enter the forest. I was struck by the fact that in showing Sara killing herself based on a "trick" of the yurei, that they were removing agency from everyone else who entered the forest. Perhaps they didn't <i>really </i>want to die, but were similarly tricked. Suicide is truly an awful act, and one that I have familiarity with, but minimizing the decision-making power of those who engage in it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. For the film to pawn off the responsibility from individuals to ghosts and supernatural trickery is to provide an explanation that denies the need for broad consideration of mental health and depression. To invoke Burke's pentadic ratio, the film removes agency from individuals and instead focuses on the scene, the Aokigahara Forest, as mitigating the individual's responsibility for their actions. I'm not saying that we should be blaming individuals for taking their lives, there are oftentimes many influencing factors at play. But, I am wary of a film that seems to reduce suicide to the hallucinations caused by the supernatural. I am reminded of Aaron Mahnke's podcast, Lore. In episode 11, Black Stockings, Mahnke discusses myths about fairies who would kidnap children and adults and replace them with "changelings." In his description of the podcast, Mahnke's <a href="http://www.lorepodcast.com/episodes/" target="_blank">describes </a>the human need to create stories "to explain the unexplainable." Faced with mental illness and physical disability, it was easier for people to see others as less-than-human and others, instead of caring for fellow humans who were different. Instead of working to solve the issues that lead to suicide sites, like the Aokigahara Forest, people may excuse the actions using supernatural circumstances. This removes agency from individuals, particularly those with mental illness, and ignores larger societal problems.<br />
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As far as horror movies go, I thought this film was full of cliches and added nothing to the genre. It also brought up some interesting rhetorical implications for its depictions of Asian cultures, trauma, and mental illness. I hope that in the future that horror films might take more caution in subject matter selection and treatment of sensitive subjects. I agree with one blogger that art should not be censored, but I do think that in making films, people should be concerned with how their treatment might influence audiences and make statements about other cultures and mental illnesses.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-28880882656626393192016-01-24T10:00:00.000-08:002016-01-24T10:00:00.158-08:00Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, oh my! Literature Classics and Film AppropriationThis past Thursday, I attended a film screening of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the latest film to be adapted from a book....that was itself adapted from a different book. I remember when the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies came out, and I thought the book might lure unsuspecting youth into actually enjoying a literary matsterpiece and classic. I greatly enjoyed reading the original and admit that I snubbed the pop culture revival. Upon given the opportunity to go to a screening, however, I put my skepticism aside. As a film, I thought PPZ was excellent, extremely entertaining and just enough of the original to be a humorous homage. I have to say that Lily James and Matt Smith stole the show and created exciting and entertaining characters. This blog is not simply about movie reviews, however, so I feel compelled to discuss some elements of communication and rhetorical theory that, in this case, heightens my enjoyment of the film, and one cautionary note. I will first address what I felt were positive feminist inversions in the film through perspective by incongruity before discussing the future of orality and literacy. Suffice to say, this post will have comments about specific elements of the film. You have been warned.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Zombies-Classic-Ultraviolent/dp/1594743347" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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Although many of the fighting scenes became repetitive, I never tired of the many scenes of the Bennet sisters pulling knives out of garter belts or revealing hidden weapons from underneath their dresses. The Bennet sisters were trained as Chinese warriors and often came to the aid of their family and male counterparts. In discussing these scenes, I am reminded of Kenneth Burke's perspective by incongruity, by which two disparate things are united to highlight the differences between them. In PPZ, I found this concept in play along multiple dimensions. The weaponry along the exaggerated feminity of the time period. Large skirts and corsets are made to restrict the movements of ladies, and yet the Bennet sisters move seemingly without pause to eliminate dozens of potential zombie threats. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of 19th century language and style with a contemporary horror fascination reflected the movie's unique narrative. One of my favorite parts was the puppeter-style history book that explained the relationship between the plague and the zombie outbreak - fascinating legitimization of a <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/06/zombie-apocalypse-religion-and.html" target="_blank">decidedly impossible occurrence</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/01/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-photos" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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Perspective by incongruity also laid a stark humor over the entire novel. The imminent zombie horde emphasizes how absurd the choice of husbands for Elizabeth is and the amount of time and attention given to such occasions. Even with zombies attacking and killing people at the balls, Mrs. Bennet and many of the people present are preoccupied with marriage and inheritances. The incongruence of these simultaneous acts highlights the odd traditions of the past and reignites the agency of Elizabeth in choosing her husband, despite the risks. I have recently paid much attention to the rise of feminist themes in horror movies (such as <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/10/sexual-anxieties-and-horror-films-teeth.html" target="_blank">Teeth</a>, <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/11/sexual-anxieties-and-horror-it-follows.html" target="_blank">It Follows</a>, and <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/11/sexual-anxieties-and-horror-crimson-peak.html" target="_blank">Crimson Peak</a>). I am happy to find these themes traversing genres and emerging in a more mainstream film. I hope these themes do not become overblown and trite, and keep their sincerity and calls for reconsidering the roles of women in narratives.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/shows//blog/2015/10/watch-first-full-trailer-for-pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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I did enjoy PPZ and found many instances of progressive film-making. I do wonder, however, if the creation of such films do not damage readership. When I first encountered the novel, I thought at least people would still be reading - what is there now? I do not mean to undermine film as a medium of communication, but I wonder what the long term effects are of children brought up <i>watching </i>the Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice, Roald Dahl novels, the Great Gatsby, and Bride to Teribithia. Furthermoe, what happens when these film adaptations are perversions of the original text? Excellent movies, to be sure, but I wonder what components of visuality and literacy, minus orality, are lost on the current generation.<br />
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<br />EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-33426502488898596952016-01-17T16:59:00.001-08:002016-01-17T17:01:34.081-08:00Communicating about Climate Change: The Technical and Public SpheresThis semester, I'm teaching COMM499: Public Controversies, a class that I started as a part of a <a href="https://www.usc.edu/schools/GraduateSchool/ProvostsMentoredTeaching_fellowships.html" target="_blank">Provost's Fellowship</a>. As a part of the foundational theory weeks (before we delve into specific topics and controversies), we are discussing sphere theory. Sphere theory involves categorizing different arenas where communication occurs. G. Thomas Goodnight <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15295038709360154?journalCode=rcsm19#.Vpw1mPkrKUk" target="_blank">theorized </a>three communication arenas, the public sphere, the private sphere, and the technical sphere. I will first briefly explain these concepts before exploring a recent news <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/un-climate-reports-are-increasingly-unreadable-1.18543?WT.mc_id=TWT_NatureNews" target="_blank">article </a>that caught my attention on the complexity of the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) environmental reports. I argue that these reports are not targetting their intended audience, the public, and are instead retaining too many characteristics of the technical sphere. The UN needs to better bridge the gaps between the technical and the public sphere to increase public understanding of the severity and risks of climate change. Removing jargon and becoming more accessible can help remove the stigma of elitism from science and encourage people to engage themselves more with the science.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BW0FhLiKL._SX339_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BW0FhLiKL._SX339_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="320" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For additional discussion of the spheres and climate change, look up Mosley-Jensen's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Climate-Change-Controversy-Technical/dp/3639338839" target="_blank">book</a>.</td></tr>
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The public, private, and technical spheres have their own standards for engagement with communication and often happen with different scopes, effects, and speakers. The public sphere is so named because it is the arena where the public, people, and politicians communicate about topics in general, accessible language. An example of a communication activity in the public sphere would be President Obama's <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/sotu" target="_blank">State of the Union</a>, which is a speech given to the general public about topics of great impact. The private sphere involves more intimate communication between smaller groups of people often not accessible to the public. Conversations between couples, family members, or employees and bosses would be considered private, because they have limited public impact. These conversations may also include situation-specific language, such as inside jokes or personal references. The technical sphere is made up of experts that have a standard, formalized discourse that often includes specified jargon and expectations. Legal jardon and law journals are an example of technical discourse, aimed at a specific, expert audience with advanced knowledge of a particular field.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.cartoonstock.com/law-order-courtroom_drama-reality_television-legal_drama-legal_proceeding-court-cwln4496_low.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.cartoonstock.com/law-order-courtroom_drama-reality_television-legal_drama-legal_proceeding-court-cwln4496_low.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cartoon retrieved from this <a href="https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/l/legal_proceeding.asp" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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In writing climate reports aimed at the general public, the UN is participating in what I call "bridging," where technical knowledge is translated into public discourse. Information created and anlayzed in the technical sphere is transferred to the public sphere. The article in question summarizes the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2824" target="_blank">conclusions </a>of linguistics scholars Barkemeyer, Dessai, Monge-Sanz, Renzi, and Napolitano in their 2015 analysis of UN reports between 1990 and 2014. The analysis focused on the readability of the summary section of the reports aimed at policymakers and the public. The authors focused on the complexity of the vocabulary and sentence structure as potential barriers to public understanding. Compared to the readability of tabloid papers (50+ on their scale) and even scientific magazines (30+ on their scale), no IPCC reports surpassed 30 and the most recent barely hit 15. There is evidence that these reports have become increasingly unreadable, making it difficult for the general public to understand the IPCC's analysis and its implications.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.30303.1444664216!/image/nature_trendwatch_IPCC%20climate_15.10.2015.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/nature_trendwatch_IPCC%20climate_15.10.2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.30303.1444664216!/image/nature_trendwatch_IPCC%20climate_15.10.2015.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/nature_trendwatch_IPCC%20climate_15.10.2015.jpg" height="337" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/un-climate-reports-are-increasingly-unreadable-1.18543?WT.mc_id=TWT_NatureNews" target="_blank">Tollefson </a>from the original article in <i>Nature</i></td></tr>
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The article noted that the IPCC is considering adding more members to the board to improve readability or potentially providing better communication training for the summary's writers. In my graduate research on the rhetoric of science and scientific controversies and membership in the <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/06/earth-sciences-communication-initiative.html" target="_blank">Earth Sciences Communication Intiative</a>, I have found that scientists are often more concerned with their own analysis instead of making the content accessible to the public. The jargon used can be off-putting and even unintentionally misleading. For example, my partner is a graduate student in physics and I am often asked to edit his papers. One example of jargon that has repeatedly stuck out to me is the use of "trivial." When my partner calls a result "trivial," he is indicating a specific standard of statistical impact, whereas I read the term with a disparaging and dismissive tone. Because these articles are often written with experts in mind, they also often gloss over important background knowledge or comparative statements that would elucidate the importance of the results. This writing style is appropriate for the technical sphere, but could potentially lead to misinterpretations by the public and can become fodder for <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2013/03/climate-change-skepticism-as-roadblock.html" target="_blank">climate skeptics</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://icons.wxug.com/hurricane/2013/IPCC_version95.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://icons.wxug.com/hurricane/2013/IPCC_version95.png" height="320" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/landmark-2013-ipcc-report-95-chance-most-of-global-warming-is-human" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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Scientists should pay more attention to how they communicate. Whether that involves creating stronger bridges and training people to go-between, or including communication courses in science programs, Even including more sign-posting types of summaries, such as the chart above, would help clearly and succintly communicate the important take-a-ways for the reports. I think more problems would be minimized if attention to the ways people understand and process information were increased.<br />
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EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-71769197013707142012015-11-30T07:37:00.000-08:002015-11-30T07:37:54.799-08:00Penn & Teller: Social Comedy and EdutainmentThis past week, I was in Las Vegas, Nevada for the National Communication Association conference. I participated in a great pre-conference on sustainable communication, saw fabulous panels in rhetoric, religion, and science, and was honored to see a former student shine at her panel on material space and architecture. In the evening, I was able to explore some of Las Vegas's shows and strip night life. I attended Penn & Teller's show at the Rio Saturday night and knew immediately that I wanted to write a post about it. In this post, I will discuss some of my favorite tricks from the show and also my thoughts about the political, social, and scientific commentary that highlighted for me the importance of educational entertainment. I do not mean to give "spoilers" or to ruin the magic for anyone, so read at your own risk.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQhDIn4eGHIDcVrJRBiqPA52nP9OYx0GxIkb96QMsnBh6uEpf0x" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQhDIn4eGHIDcVrJRBiqPA52nP9OYx0GxIkb96QMsnBh6uEpf0x" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.lasvegasjaunt.com/shows/penn-and-teller/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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My first observation of the show was how honest and open Penn & Teller were about the art of deception. Many times, they blatantly told us what they doing and yet we were still bamboozled and confused. For example, Penn gave a speech condemning "psychics" who use tactics of cold reading to make audiences think that they have supernatural powers. Penn called out John Edward and Sylvia Browne, for example, for capitalizing on people's pain and misery in giving false hope through magic masquerading as messages from people who have passed. Penn has prepped us then, that what he is doing is really a trick. But, he does the readings so quickly and so spectacularly, it's really a wonder how he does it at all. In fact, being prepped and reminded about how the show is entirely full of tricks elevates one's awe and wonder <i>because </i>it has a natural explanation. If the answer is supernatural, then it is the supernatural power that is impressive, not the artist.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.realmagic.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/penn-and-teller-show-rio-hotel-casino-las-vegas-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.realmagic.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/penn-and-teller-show-rio-hotel-casino-las-vegas-01.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.realmagic.net/news/penn-teller-show-at-the-rio-hotel-casino-in-las-vegas/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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One of the themes of the show was represented on a sign that Teller held up during one of the tricks: "We aren't doing the trick you think we are doing." He flat out tells the audience that deception is occurring and Penn & Teller cannot be trusted, and yet the audience still falls for the trap, time and time again. My favorite trick was relatively simple in its set-up. Teller chose a woman from the audience and gave her a coin jar. He then began picking water drops from a fish tank and turned them into pennies which he placed in the jar. Even though I was in the very back corner of the mezzanine, I could still see and understand the tricks easily as they happened. The trick ended with Teller picking up a handful of pennies and dumping them back into the water. Instead of the pennies turning back into water, however, they sank to the bottom while dozens of goldfish appeared in the tank - it was truly incredible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www3.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Penn+Teller+Celebrate+5+Years+Performances+ZuCktmaz7lal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www3.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Penn+Teller+Celebrate+5+Years+Performances+ZuCktmaz7lal.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this site.</td></tr>
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Part of what I was not expecting was the prevalence of social and political commentary in the show. Penn & Teller are widely known as libertarians and Penn is an outspoken public atheist. One trick included a short speech by Penn about airport security using a TSA metal detector. The trick was, again, amazing, but it also gave the audience an opportunity to reflect on the sacrificing of values and the usefulness of the TSA. Penn noted that the audience member chosen to come up on stage had as much training as a real TSA agent. They also showed how inaccurate and thus unnecessary many of the practices are. My favorite part of the sketch was Penn summarizing that we should all think about how our temporary security is often valued more highly than our eternal liberty. This is the type of comedy that reminds me of Lewis Black, where the jokes are purposeful and cause us to reflect on larger social issues.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSFPwZ_JSxglYTj6ZJp8eUObs5dW4RftB2rqq6fekahdnRDD2hr" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSFPwZ_JSxglYTj6ZJp8eUObs5dW4RftB2rqq6fekahdnRDD2hr" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.realmagic.net/news/penn-teller-show-at-the-rio-hotel-casino-in-las-vegas/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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This activism-comedy was also apparent in Penn & Teller's card trick. Teller performed sleight of hand magic while Penn played a guitar and told a story about "The Atheist's Deck of Cards." Based on a song by Tex Ritter, Penn & Teller tell the story about an audience member (Teller) who interrupts a physics lecture by Lawrence Krauss (who helped them write the song) and then tells a story using the cards to justify having them at the lecture. I was blown away by the amount of scientific information (which my partner, who is earning his PhD in Cosmology confirmed for me was accurate) packed into the <a href="https://thechronicleflask.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/physics-meets-magic-the-atheists-deck-of-cards/" target="_blank">song</a>. From the four fundamental interactions in nature, the cosmological constant, and the size of the universe, the audience were learning about physics while also being mesmerized by Teller's sleight of hand.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-anyone-who-tries-to-make-a-distinction-between-education-and-entertainment-doesn-t-know-the-first-marshall-mcluhan-124622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-anyone-who-tries-to-make-a-distinction-between-education-and-entertainment-doesn-t-know-the-first-marshall-mcluhan-124622.jpg" height="187" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://izquotes.com/quote/124622" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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I highly recommend Penn & Teller's show at the Rio. I'm not trying to advertise for them nor am I getting any reimbursement for this review. I am simply hopeful that Penn & Teller, along with other types of "edutainment" can help everyone learn more when they are not expecting it and give audiences chances for reflection and advocacy. Entertainment has aspects of education and can be harnessed to create a more active, engaged public. In a city known for its debauchery, sinfulness, and extravagance, I felt the simplicity and insight of Penn & Teller's show a welcome change of pace.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-48203744109110616662015-11-09T20:25:00.001-08:002016-01-23T17:31:22.780-08:00Sexual Anxieties and Horror: Crimson PeakThis is the final installment of my three series set on horror films and sexuality. My first two posts examined <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/10/sexual-anxieties-and-horror-films-teeth.html" target="_blank">Teeth </a>and <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/11/sexual-anxieties-and-horror-it-follows.html" target="_blank">It Follows</a>. Each of these films embraces female sexuality in different ways that I think deserve scholarly attention. Teeth creates a monstrous feminine that frames female sexuality to be a tool for empowerment that is often suppressed by male domination. It Follows neutralizes sex as an equalizer between the sexes and removes the stigma of promiscuity from female sexual interactions. In this final post, I will unpack the sexual anxieties present in Crimson Peak (2015). As with the last two posts and my other posts about horror films (e.g., <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-visit-race-and-disability.html" target="_blank">The Visit</a>, <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/08/race-and-class-in-purge-anarchy.html" target="_blank">The Purge: Anarchy</a>), this post will have spoilers and detailed analysis about the film's key ideas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNTY2OTI5MjAyOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTkzMjQ0NDE@._V1_SX214_AL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNTY2OTI5MjAyOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTkzMjQ0NDE@._V1_SX214_AL_.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Movie poster retrieved from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2554274/" target="_blank">IMDB</a>.</td></tr>
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To be frank, Crimson Peak was an awkward film to see with my brother. The film addresses incest and the blurred lines of familial love and familial violence. I will discuss the use of incest in the film as well as the romantic aspects of this horror film. I think Guillermo Del Toro has created another horror masterpiece. I do not know if it will stand up to the classics of Pan's Labyrinth, the Devil's Backbone, and The Orphanage, but it does embody an aesthetically pleasing and intoxicating horror story. The main character, Edith, is a timid virgin that falls hopelessly in love with Thomas marries him, and goes to live with him in England. Edith can see ghosts, namely the ghost of her mother, and writes ghost stories inspired by her supernatural abilities. This power is at first terrifying as she finds deformed, blood-soaked ghosts wandering her new home. It becomes clear, however, that these ghosts are warning Edith about her fate and imminent death at the hands of her new spouse and his sister, Lucille. It is revealed that Thomas and Lucille are lovers and have conspired to murder Edith for her father's money. Fighting and blood-stained snow occurs before Edith manages to escape the clutches of the incestuous pair. In what follows, I will bring up a few important points where I find female sexuality explored in interesting ways and sexuality's role in horror. I first briefly address the use of romance in the film, examine the taboo nature of incest, then the character of Lucille, and finally the role of women and traditional gender roles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/crimson-peak-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/crimson-peak-poster.jpg" height="400" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucille, Thomas, and Edith movie poster. Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/08/new-poster-for-guillermo-del-toros-crimson-peak.html" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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In Edith's first rejection letter from a publisher, the editor laments that her ghost story does not include enough romance. This small scene was brilliantly added by Del Toro because it sets up the entire rest of the film for the audience to expect romance and not horror. Although Del Toro is the King of Horror and the film was marketed as such, this nearly throwaway line redirects the audience's attention from the ghost story to the romantic plot line. The film is really about Edith's love and, arguably more so, about Lucille's love. The two women have competing love stories that tie them together in a fight to death. Yes there are ghosts and yes there is blood, but the story's forward progress is not fear or anger, but love. Love is also an uncommon theme in horror films; more often it is lust, obsession, revenge, and sex that drives the character's actions. In this move, I think Del Toro does a great service to horror films by reminding contemporary audiences that fear and catharsis is but one aspect of a good story. Indeed, his film's often have the unique ability to incite both fear and awe, horror and hope, anger and sadness.<br />
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Del Toro immediately sets up the film so that we are suspect of Thomas and Lucille's intentions. There are secret meetings, unscrupulous attempts to raise money and to blackmail others, and an air of suggestive closeness between the two. At first, I thought perhaps they were married and were using a ruse of being siblings to attract dowries from Thomas's future spouses. The audience's mind, even though offered that they are related, first attempts other explanations to explain their lingering hugs, sideways glances, and Lucille's jealousy. When it is revealed in more explicit detail that Thomas and Lucille are sleeping together, Edith at first cannot believe it and shouts that she <i>knew </i>they were not brother and sister. Lucille responds, "but we are!" Confronted with the information directly before her eyes with knowledge of their deformed child, Edith still reconciles her perceptions with anything but incest. Incest becomes the twist, the plot point that was in front of our eyes the entire film, but we could not yet believe it until it is confirmed by Lucille. Incest is a sexual taboo not often addressed in horror films. It emerged in Here Comes the Devil, another film with a Spanish director, but is not a common media trope. Dysfunctional families and families undergoing trauma are often fodder for horror films, such as We Are What We Are, The Devil's Rejects, Red Dragon, The Babadook, and, of course, Psycho. Del Toro's use of incest and elevating the dysfunctional family to the level of incest draws forth interesting thoughts about how society differentiates between sexuality and love. If Lucille had simply loved her brother without having sex with him, perhaps the implications of their relationship would not be so terrifying.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.hitfix.com/photos/6040259/CrimsonPeakChastainblade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.hitfix.com/photos/6040259/CrimsonPeakChastainblade.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucille taking control. Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.hitfix.com/news/jessica-chastain-will-cut-you-10-observations-about-the-crimson-peak-trailer" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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I think that Lucille could have easily been the hero instead of the villain of the film if her sexuality had been removed from the film by either being Thomas's sister and not having sex with him, or not being his sister. Upon reflection, many of Lucille's actions are ones of pure love and adoration - she murders those who might come between her and Thomas, sacrifices her temporary satisfaction in the relationship to help the family financially, and is jealous of those that compete for Thomas's affection. For example, in Del Toro's other films, we don't fault the mother in The Orphanage for jeopardizing her relationship with her husband in her search for her son. In Mama, we don't question the actions of the lead character for protecting her boyfriends nieces. These familial relationships are honored and understandable, but we do not perceive of Lucille in the same way. Instead, Lucille is evil because her brand of love is taboo. I do not condone incest; it's presence caused me to think about the lines that all humans draw through symbols and communication that separate the sacred and profane. Mircea Eliade argued that religious thought is rooted in human separation between what is sacred and thus revered and worshiped, and what profane or filthy. Much like eating cow if you are Hindu, certain actions and rituals are deemed off limits to remain pious to a particular order. I remember talking in sociology class about how eating human flesh and incest are as close to the two most universal taboo actions in human history, and still they are not universal. Incest is close enough to it, however, that its presence in a narrative immediately defines those who are good and those who are evil. I wonder if this particular sexuality were removed from Lucille, however, that we would hate her so much for her actions. She is fighting for the wrong, most profane, most taboo type of love, whereas Edith's virginity and purity are the foil.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSpK-mq2LvnvZRvGDouyLZ0f2NYiF0OPqL-Pco5XbpHhBnhyxIb" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSpK-mq2LvnvZRvGDouyLZ0f2NYiF0OPqL-Pco5XbpHhBnhyxIb" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother and sister. Retrieved from this site.</td></tr>
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These two arguments unfold what I think is the most important part of the film - it's not about Thomas. Although he does receive a good portion of screen time, the film is a war between Edith and Lucille with Thomas as merely a chess piece. You are clearly told through the plot that Thomas has been overwhelmingly influenced by his sister to act as he does and you wonder if Thomas is responsible for any of film's terrors. The audience becomes sympathetic to him as he tries to reconcile his sister with Edith, the new woman he loves. Thomas has no control over the action of the film; even in death he is only a brief distraction that Edith uses to kill Lucille. The female leads trump the "hero" doctor, Alan, who comes to save Edith and only ends up a burden to her as she slowly walks his injured self back to town. The men are ancillary characters to the epic battle between empowered and strong women. They fight for their lives and also for love and normalcy. Unlike the traditional story line of multiple men fighting over a woman like an object, it is Thomas who becomes the target of the audience's <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/search/label/Gaze" target="_blank">gaze </a>as he is pushed and pulled between the two women, unable to control his own emotions and unable to act to protect himself, Alan, Lucille, or Edith. Instead it is Lucille and Edith who take strong, decisive action - they break rules to explore passages, they murder men with their bare hands, they beat and chase each other, they sacrifice their own flesh and blood for what they want.<br />
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In these three horror films, I find fascinating and interesting themes about female sexuality and how it can be used as a source of power, can be normalized in everyday life, and can be used to invert traditional roles for women. As I've mentioned in a <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-appeal-of-horror.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, one aspect that draws me to the horror genre is its penchant for creativity. Many genres become pigeon-holed in cliche plots that never seem to vary from the boy meets girl or person saves someone from place they aren't supposed to be narratives. In horror, however, I find innovation, inversion, and inquiry into the very aspects of what makes us human, and the different ways that people deal with reality and the supernatural. Unlike other genres, I also think horror addresses sexuality and the line between life and death in unique ways. I'm hopeful that the genre will continue to innovate and push our expectations for what we expect films to do.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-7337437097611444072015-11-01T16:02:00.000-08:002015-11-01T16:02:16.058-08:00Sexual Anxieties and Horror: It FollowsLast week, I started a series of three posts about horror films and sexuality. The first week discussed "<a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/10/sexual-anxieties-and-horror-films-teeth.html" target="_blank">Teeth</a>" and the complications of sexual purity, education, and consent. This week addresses "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3235888/" target="_blank">It Follows</a>," a 2015 film with a unique and exciting "monster." I will first discuss the film as an innovative step forward in the <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-appeal-of-horror.html" target="_blank">horror genre</a>. Then, I will praise the film's subtle but profound incorporation of female sexual empowerment. All three of these posts will contain detailed plot information and reflection, so those who do not want to be "spoiled" should skip these posts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn-static.denofgeek.com/sites/denofgeek/files/3/56//it-follows-main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn-static.denofgeek.com/sites/denofgeek/files/3/56//it-follows-main.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Movie poster retrieved from this <a href="http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/it-follows/34153/it-follows-terrifying-horror-lineage" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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It Follows was simultaneously praised as an <a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/even-expository-scenes-it-follows-are-deeply-unner-227472" target="_blank">instant classic</a> and creative horror endeavor. The plot is simple, yet immediately and strikingly unnerving. The film's "monster" is a shape-shifting, unidentified creature that slowly but adamantly walks directly towards its prey. Once caught, the person is ripped to shreds. The creature has no shape of its own; the monster is truly hidden in plain sight, hiding with the appearance of strangers, friends, or family. This set-up has the unique ability to invoke fear in the audience with scenes of people walking towards the camera in the background. What is normally considered an average part of everyday life becomes a potential and immediate threat. Without seeing the film yourself, it is hard to convey the silliness one feels at being completely terrified at a young girl or old woman walking slowly towards you. That is part of the genius of the film; the banal, everyday activities become risky, dangerous, and potentially life-ending. What actions do we participate in everyday, how many people do we cross paths with, that could alter our lives indefinitely? The film also conveys intense paranoia, where anyone approaching the main characters are met with skepticism and aggression before they can be identified. Even when the characters flee the town briefly and relax on the beach, there is an ominous aura that the creature will catch up eventually; any safety is only temporary.<br />
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I will now discuss the sexual elements of the film. The "creature" follows individuals based on their sexual partners. The origins of the creature are left quite murky, but, in short, the creature follows whoever the person it was previously following has sex with. Jay, the lead female character, has sex on a date and catches "It." Her sexual partner was kind enough to explain the creature to her and warn her to pass "It" along quickly or else it will kill her. There are certainly undertones of sexual anxiety here. Any sexual partner could result in an STD or pregnancy, which is an obvious metaphor for "It" that silently follows but has the potential to kill. This metaphor breaks down, however, when one thinks of passing the creature to others so that one could be rid of it themselves. STDs are reciprocal and cannot be erased by sex with others. Indeed, this type of thinking is indicative of myths where sex with virgins can cure AIDS. Some have called It Follows as an exercise in sexual fear and anxiety, because of the potential consequences and risks one takes when engaging in sexual activity, especially casually so. Despite these potentially shaming interpretations, I see positive and productive scenes that sexually empower women. I will discuss three of them: when Jay is originally passed "It," the discussions the main characters have about destroying the creature, and the act of following and stalking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mcfergeson.com/hobbycorner/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/It_Follows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mcfergeson.com/hobbycorner/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/It_Follows.jpg" height="165" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still from It Follows retrieved from this <a href="http://www.mcfergeson.com/hobbycorner/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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There is a long-lasting myth that women use sex for power, money, and ulterior motives. The stereotype is that men require sex more and women less, so women can dangle sexual relief as a bargaining chip. I feel no need to explicate why these stereotypes are just that, stereotypes with little practical application. Given this assumption and other <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/10/rape-myths-still-happen-here-sexual.html" target="_blank">sexual myths</a> that circulate in popular culture, I find the scene where Jay is passed the creature by Hugh a welcome inversion. Hugh, a male, is the one using Jay and sex for a non-sexual purpose - to pass the creature along. He dates Jay and acts with a motivation unrelated to the relationship and having sex. Instead, he has sex out of the need for self-preservation, out of fear, not unlike a victim of domestic assault. Instead of the female using sex maliciously or with ulterior motives, Jay enjoys her casual, sexual encounter and we feel no animosity towards her. Instead, our scorn is directed towards Hugh, however briefly, the man who has sex to save his own skin and endangers the main character's life. Sex becomes a betrayal of her consent; Jay got far more than she expected from the encounter. Unlike current arguments about <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/02/defining-life-visual-representations-of.html" target="_blank">abortion </a>and birth control, we don't feel that Jay's consent to the sexual encounter makes her somehow "deserving" of this fate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.salon.com/2012/02/planned-parenthood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media.salon.com/2012/02/planned-parenthood.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2014/08/22/pro-abortion-emily-s-list-raises-spends-millions-on-war-on-women-for-mid-term-elections/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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After Jay convinces her friend of the danger she is in, they discuss how to kill it. Jay decides and consents to sex with a member of the group to pass the creature along to buy them more time. There is the implication that the male may be better able to protect himself, or simply that this is Jay's sexual preference. Either way, his brutal death confirms for the group that there is no safety based on one's gender. Everyone is equally susceptible to the actions of this creature. Perhaps it is time or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LhBJ_qsB8w" target="_blank">death itself</a> that marches towards all of us. Later in the film, Jay has sex with another male friend, who quickly has sex with a prostitute. Sex, in the film, is removed from its traditional, romantic settings. Instead, it becomes a normal part of life that may be engaged in for many reasons besides love. Although we might condemn Hugh at first for his actions, we become accustomed quickly to the idea that if sex is the way "It" operates, sex may also be the solution to defeating it. Jay and Paul have sex from a platonic, friendship type of love, concerned for Jay's safety. This sexual act blossoms into romantic love, but this was not its roots. It Follows presents an alternative view of sex. Unlike Teeth, sex is not dangerous or shameful. There are potential consequences to its engagement, but the danger of "It" is separated and distinct from the sex itself. Sex is a more normalized, everyday activity that holds no more or no less threat than other daily activities. Sex is not given the importance that is provided in Teeth and thus removes the common sex-shaming in horror films and the "sluts die first" mentality.<br />
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Catcalling video mentioned below.</div>
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While watching It Follows, I couldn't help but be reminded of the video where a woman filmed herself walking along in New York City for a day. The simple act of walking, of being followed, is a fear that women every day fear. As someone who has been followed from a bus to a Metro being taunted by a man, and on a separate occasion been grabbed by someone approaching from behind (in addition to numerous <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/09/catcalling-and-power-hollaback-at.html" target="_blank">verbal assaults</a>), the fear and uncertainty of being followed is well communicated in the film. Everyone may not immediately recognize the potential danger in stalkers or people following, but the film illuminates this potential danger. Anyone walking behind the main characters is noticed and understood as a threat. I don't believe that everyone is a potential threat, but it is clear that everyone has the potential to be. Unexpectedly, strangers (and sometimes even friends) can become risks to one's self-hood and safety. And it may begin with a simple act of following.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i0.wp.com/www.horrorsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/It-Follows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i0.wp.com/www.horrorsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/It-Follows.jpg" height="320" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.horrorsociety.com/2015/05/07/review-it-follows/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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It Follows quickly became one of my favorite horror films. I applaud the interesting and exciting decisions made about the actions and appearance of the creature and greatly enjoyed the sexual themes throughout the film. No film is perfect, and indeed I may have changed a few elements of the film to further its cohesion and consistency, but It Follows communicated a positive, inclusive message that I hope will be furthered in future horror films. <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/08/race-and-class-in-purge-anarchy.html" target="_blank">Films </a>have the power to influence public opinion and insert educational messages in an entertaining way. The normalization of sex and the <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/07/hobby-lobby-supreme-court-case-business.html" target="_blank">empowerment of female sexuality</a> are productive trends in the journey towards equality and sexual freedom.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-57151525955943261712015-10-25T10:00:00.000-07:002015-11-09T16:25:51.990-08:00Sexual Anxieties and Horror: TeethSexuality and <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-appeal-of-horror.html" target="_blank">horror films</a> often go together. They represent the promise of new life, the pleasure of intimacy coupled with the <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-limits-of-human-body-horror-and.html" target="_blank">fear of death</a> and the terror of isolation. Beginnings and endings are ideas I am pursuing in my dissertation. I'm interested in how these concepts emerge together in many contemporary controversies. Horror films are another place where beginnings and endings are merged seamlessly. In this three-post series, I take a <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2013/04/vampires-and-narrative-of-tv-shows.html" target="_blank">comparative </a>look at three <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/08/race-and-class-in-purge-anarchy.html" target="_blank">horror films</a>, Teeth, It Follows, and Crimson Peak. I find a pattern of sexual anxiety and sexual exploration that pushes boundaries of "normal" sexual behavior. If people haven't seen these films, or don't want to be "spoiled," this is a warning that I will be talking about film details and plot elements. These films have captured my imagination because they play with and expand on the agency and power of females, which I think is a positive (and at the very least interesting) trend in contemporary film.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.movierulz.to/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Teeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.movierulz.to/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Teeth.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.movierulz.to/watch-teeth-2007-full-movie-online/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
This poster brings up an interesting correlation between Dawn's last name, O'Keefe, and the <br />
association between flowers and vaginas in Georgia O'Keefe's paintings.</td></tr>
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Teeth (2007) is about Dawn, an advocacy speaker for the <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/05/forgiveness-and-sex-homosexuality-vs.html" target="_blank">purity </a>movement at her church. When she is raped by a fellow church member, she discovers that she has <i>vagina dentata</i> or a "toothed vagina." These teeth act on their own accord and work to protect Dawn from her <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/10/rape-myths-still-happen-here-sexual.html" target="_blank">rapist</a>, castrating him in a gruesome scene. At first, she is understandably frightened and considers her plight a result of her sin. After research about herself and these teeth, Dawn has an epiphany. Her enlightenment, as indicated by her name and frequent references to the sun, comes in the form of sexual empowerment, where she can use her teeth to her advantage. Although the teeth are not under Dawn's direct control, they do not attack in a scene where Dawn is enjoying consensual sex. When the same sex scene invites Dawn's scorn and rage, the teeth attack and emasculate him. There are certainly problems in this film that disempower Dawn. Dawn does not preemptively attack or fend off potentially negative sexual encounters. For Dawn to fight back in her unique way, she must first be penetrated and submit herself to the sexual advances of men. At the end of the film, Dawn takes refuge in a man's car, who begins licking his lips and making sexual advances towards Dawn. Knowledgeable that the imminent sexual encounter will result in his castration, she smiles.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dawn at the end of the film. Image retrieved from<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/teeth/" target="_blank"> Rotten Tomatoes</a>.</td></tr>
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This film blurs lines of consent in the sense that Dawn "willingly" engages in certain sexual encounters with the knowledge that her teeth would attack her sexual partner. Despite these issues, Teeth does show a sexual empowered female who explores her own sexuality and comes to terms with her unique strength and eroticism. In <a href="http://uk.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/11881_Chapter_5.pdf" target="_blank">Audre Lorde's</a> "The Uses of the Erotic," she argues, "the erotic is a resource within each of us that lies in a deeply female and spiritual plan, firmly rooted in the power of our unexpressed or unrecognized feeling" (p. 87). The erotic is a power that is oppressed and corrupted by dominant power structures to keep women from realizing its power. For Dawn, the religious group is the source of oppression, where her sexual power is "vilified, abused, and devalued" (p. 88). Issues of purity and virginity are non-identities, where a lack of participation (such as <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/04/media-representations-of-atheists-as.html" target="_blank">atheism </a>or <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-politics-of-food-and-consumption.html" target="_blank">vegetarianism</a>) in an action indicates membership. Lorde argues that this oppression keeps women "in the service of men" as "a distant/inferior" person (p. 88). Teeth offers Dawn the opportunity to reclaim her sexuality and eroticism from men who take advantage of her and only see her as a <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/09/catcalling-and-power-hollaback-at.html" target="_blank">sexual object</a>. Dawn transforms from a meek virgin to an empowered crusader throughout the film, in part from her increased knowledge about sexuality and the body. In one scene, Dawn removes a sticker (shaped liked a golden sun) from her sex ed textbook covering the anatomy of the vagina. The film makes a strong statement that her religious upbringing and lack of accurate and complete sexual education directly leads to her vulnerable, naive condition. It is through knowledge and an enlightenment religion that Dawn becomes a more powerful female. Lorde argues that when women embrace the erotic, they "rise up empowered" (p. 88).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ywtf-chicago.aauw.net/files/2014/08/feminism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ywtf-chicago.aauw.net/files/2014/08/feminism.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://ywtf-chicago.aauw.net/2014/08/21/a-letter-from-your-ywtf-chicago-director-on-women-against-feminism/" target="_blank">website</a>.</td></tr>
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With that empowerment, however, comes scorn. Lorde said, "women so empowered are dangerous" (p. 88). Women who claim power and dare to challenge the system, as seen in the new movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3077214/" target="_blank">Suffragette</a>, they receive backlash. The contemporary feminist movement is often accused of grasping for more than women are due, that attempts at "equality" are really clothed attempts at <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/06/what-do-elliot-rodger-and-tal-fortgang.html" target="_blank">dominance</a>. Similar to arguments about affirmative action, those that oppose feminism truly fear losing their place in the system or damaging what is deemed "normal," and thus the desired order. In a recent <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/3q0k86/cmv_i_believe_men_are_superior_to_women/" target="_blank">r/ChangeMyView </a>post on Reddit, a female redditor claimed that "Men are superior to women." Her reasons were because of men and women's physical differences and also the presence of men in more challenging/intellectual jobs. It's clear to me that even disturbances in an order that disadvantages women receives scorn from women themselves. If everyone is equal, perhaps there is no reason other than our own shortcomings to blame on our failures. Or, if everyone is equal, then perhaps our successes are not as meaningful as others. In a powerful <a href="http://www.uky.edu/~addesa01/documents/Blair.pdf" target="_blank">article </a>by Carole Blair, Julie R. Brown, and Leslie A. Baxter, they argue that the academic review process, filled with intelligent and intellectual women, is also a biased space. They respond to an article that ranks the publication count of female communication scholars and rejection letters they received on an earlier version of the article. Their attempt to challenge the ranking article was met with scorn and rejection from both male and female reviewers. They argue that the original report "is a thematic marker of a masculinist ideology and that the anonymous reviews of our original essay are unusually explicit manifestations of the apparatuses that sustain and enable those ideological themes" (p. 384).<br />
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Teeth brings up these important issues of female agency and how sexuality can be used as a force of attraction but also creating fear. This film puts an interesting spin on how female sexuality can itself be a weapon, the monstrous female fighting back with the strength of her form. I see many movies that laud the adjusted or upgraded female, such as Aeon Flux and Ultraviolet, but less often do I see films that empower the everyday female to fight back. There are definitely a notable few which I hope to address in a later post. As recent articles have suggested, it is oftentimes females who end up surviving horror films, oftentimes with the help and intervention of others. Teeth, however, empowers the female protagonist to use not only her self, but her sexual self, to survive.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-10330025802315587752015-10-18T10:00:00.000-07:002015-10-18T10:00:03.352-07:00Pope Francis and the Environmental Movement: "The Pope is Pando"On Friday, September 25th, I attended an event at the USC Caruso Catholic Center hosted by many organizations including <a href="http://www.pandopopulus.com/" target="_blank">Pando Populus</a>. This organization takes it name from the pando tree and describes its significance on its <a href="http://www.pandopopulus.com/about-pando/" target="_blank">website</a>: "Above ground, Pando appears to be a vast grove of individual trees. Underground they are all interconnected through a single root system. Each part is affected by and nourishes the other. It has survived this way for as long as 80,000 years." The pando tree is a synecdoche for the interconnectedness of all life and an analogy for how we must work together to correct the damage done to our environment.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="https://plus.google.com/114615734587336660020/auto" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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The event was held in support of Pope Francis's visit to Washington D.C. and the release of his encyclical "<a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si_en.pdf" target="_blank">Laudato Si</a>." The event was religious-themed with the Bishop Mary Douglas Glasspool representing the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, held in a Catholic Church, with speakers from the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Faith2Green, and Interfaith Power and Light. The theme, "The Pope is Pando" lauded the work of Francis as a figurehead and representative of how religion can be a uniting force for environmental activism. I've previously discussed the rhetoric of <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/04/creation-care-part-1-where-religion-and.html" target="_blank">creation care</a> as an emerging social <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/05/creation-care-part-2-where-apocalypse.html" target="_blank">movement </a>with the potential <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/05/creation-care-part-3-where-bible-verses.html" target="_blank">power </a>to tip the scales in favor of larger <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/05/creation-care-part-4-where-do-we-go.html" target="_blank">influence</a>. While the group I studied was primarily evangelical rhetoric, it's clear that many religions are finding common ground in the spiritual to influence their view of the natural.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Logo for the Pope is Pando event. Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.pandopopulus.com/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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In Francis's encyclical, he made repeated mention of an "integral ecology" where life is integrated in a familial metaphor. <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00335638009383502?journalCode=rqjs20" target="_blank">Common </a>to Catholic and Christian rhetoric, the familial metaphor connects people and faith leaders as fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers. Francis incorporates the environment in the familial metaphor as shared children in God's creation. He argued that the Earth and nature are female family members: "our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us" (p. 3). The feminization of "Mother Earth" is a phenomenon I would like to explore in a different blog post. For now, I will say that emphasizing the femininity of nature implies vulnerability in need of our protection and to motivate us to save her as one might a damsel in distress. Francis argued, "This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her" (p. 3). If we are all interconnected - a united organism - then a threat to one part of it is a threat to the whole. Faith appears to be one way that people are transcending differences in order to focus attention away from economics and politics and onto justice, morality, and the environment.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-14390239856122481952015-10-11T10:00:00.000-07:002015-10-11T10:00:03.123-07:00Rape Myths still Happen Here: Sexual Assault on College CampusesIt has been a few weeks since my last post. I've been hard at work at job applications and this post has been particularly difficult to write. This post is about a movie screening of "<a href="http://www.ithappenedhere.org/" target="_blank">It Happened Here</a>" held at USC. The movie addresses issues of sexual assault on college campuses and the effects on students there. "<a href="http://www.thehuntinggroundfilm.com/" target="_blank">The Hunting Ground</a>" is another recent movie that addresses these concerns and I recommend both of them to people interested in delving more into real life experiences and stories of those affected by sexual assault and rape. I will first summarize the reasons why I find films like these extremely important and the rhetorical techniques they used to communicate their message. Then, I will discuss the prevalence of rape myths and why I had to walk out of the Q&A at the movie screening.<br />
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IHH and THG tell the larger story of rape and sexual assault that plagues women across the country through the individual stories of a handful of women. The startling statistics that 1 in 5 women are victims of sexual assault during their time in college are presented through the voices of the few. These exemplars add detail, nuance, and a face to the victims of this particular crime. Statistics can often feel cold or unpersuasive - especially if people do not (think they) know anyone affected. There are many reasons why people may not want to share their story, so these crimes may appear anonymously in public discourse - or we only hear the amplified stories of the very few that are false. Kenneth Burke argued that the "circumference" of an event affects its communicative influence. The circumference is related to what counts as the event or environment for an action. For example, if we expand the circumference of "bullying" from only in person to also online and cyber-bullying, the term can take on a whole new meaning. In these films, they seem to be narrowing the circumference, and showing only a few campuses and a few women as stand-ins, or synecdoche, for all college-aged women. The audience is forced to engage and experience the narratives of each woman and, at least in part, sympathize with their situation.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angie Epifano - one of the storytellers in IHH. Image retrieved from the IHH <a href="http://www.ithappenedhere.org/" target="_blank">website</a>.</td></tr>
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The two films showed a variety of people affected by sexual assault and rape. There were women who had been drunk, those sober. Some women were at a party, some were victims in their own dorm rooms. Some didn't know their attacker, others were assaulted by friends and significant others. The variation in stories gave the impression that rape and sexual assault happen in many different ways to many different types of people. THG contained a few stories from men who had experienced rape or sexual assault. Overall, the individual narratives united to create a holistic view of sexual assault and college life. The films could have easily focused on the past and fetishized the experiences of the story-tellers. Both films, however, emphasized the present and even the <a href="http://www.thehuntinggroundfilm.com/resources" target="_blank">future</a>, choosing to spend most of the films engaged in the reactions of the college administrators and the steps the women were taking to combat future sexual assaults at their universities and across the nation. Descriptions of the assaults were left in the victim's own words and comprised very little of the movie's time. Instead, the films focused on the larger impact of these occurrences and how the women were working to reclaim their voice through campus <a href="http://www.ithappenedhere.org/new-page-2/" target="_blank">events </a>and protests (like <a href="http://takebackthenight.org/" target="_blank">Take Back the Night</a>) and <a href="http://www.titleix.info/" target="_blank">Title IX</a> lawsuits. I have previously <a href="https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-392999180/juxtaposition-as-visual-argument-health-rhetoric" target="_blank">argued</a>, among many others, that documentary films have an immense power to shift public discourse. These films are certainly persuasive and advance an argument, but they also provide real life examples packaged for public consumption. I hope that films like this will help to shift how people talk about sexual assault and rape.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hercampus.com/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_embed/public/2014/11/09/RSA1.png?itok=k4vcqg0k" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.hercampus.com/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_embed/public/2014/11/09/RSA1.png?itok=k4vcqg0k" height="252" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.hercampus.com/school/point-park/facts-and-statistics-about-rape-and-sexual-violence" target="_blank">website</a>.</td></tr>
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My optimism upon seeing this film and reflecting upon it and THG was almost immediately tempered during the Q&A. I first want to thank Director Lisa F. Jackson for attending the screening and handling two audiences members with aplomb and respect. It was far better than I would have done in that position. There was a couple in the back of the auditorium that dominated the Q&A session. As I told people of the event and even as I write it now, I am convinced no one will believe me. They presented a startling cliche of rape myths and expressed my greatest fear - that the film could not soften the hardened distrust of women and rape victims in the public. This is a warming that the following description of the Q&A may be triggering.<br />
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The gentleman in the back of the room raised his hand and was called on with the first question. He started his question with a preface about how he was the eldest brother of four sisters. Thinking back, this should have been an immediate red flag a la "I have a lot of black friends" before racists start talking. He asked Jackson why she didn't include any stories of false reporters and those who lied about their assault. He noted that this would have been more "fair" to share "both sides" of the story. Media representations of controversial events are often framed as debates, where there are two equally balanced sides. Similar to John Oliver's report on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjuGCJJUGsg" target="_blank">global warming</a>, Jackson argued that there are so few false reports that giving them space in the film would not be reflective of the overarching narrative. Indeed, the number of false rape reports mirrors the false reports for other crimes. I groaned a bit at his question and I saw a few people shifting in their seats, but so far, it was bearable.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.wavaw.ca/campaigns/urban-womens-anti-violence-strategy/" target="_blank">website</a>.</td></tr>
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A few other people asked questions, but my friend in the back wasn't done. He raised his hand and asked whether women don't "disassociate" themselves from the event while its happening and then "forget" in the morning that the activity was consensual. Perhaps, when reflecting on the event, women "make up" a story to make themselves feel better. It was "obvious" from the film that some of the women couldn't remember a lot of details, and that was an indicator that they were lying as opposed to those that would have a factually accurate and complete story. The women had "wanted" the attention initially, but then regretted the potential effect it would have on their "reputation" and thus cried rape afterwards. Everyone had turned to look at him, and I asked, "Are you serious?" The woman a few seats away from me said, "You're victim blaming." This person, sitting through the entire film, seeing women share their painful stories, hearing the statistics about the frequency of this crime, and learning about how the system fails victims, held fast to his beliefs that it was the victim who was at fault.<br />
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In response, a brave woman in the front of the room shared her story of assault and noted that there were probably more women like her in the audience as well. She wondered whether it was the larger culture that encouraged this type of behavior and rewarded men for aggressive behaviors. Our friend raised his hand once more and it was all I could do not to interrupt and claim the microphone back for the female voices in the room. As he received the microphone again, a handful of women left the room. The man echoed the concerns of the previous speaker and talked about the powerful force of masculinity over the mind. He argued that men are not at fault at all and it is really their sexual drives, natural to all men, that are at fault. This man was truly a sight to behold. Some of the most common rape myths that pervade our culture and insidiously undermine the stories of those brave enough to speak out. In retrospect, I'm surprised that he didn't ask what the women in the film were wearing when they were assaulted.<br />
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Lady Gaga's music video, "Til it Happens to You" about sexual assault</div>
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I mentioned that this person was a part of a couple because at this point, she spoke up. She asked Jackson why more women don't go to the cops right away to have their story verified. She said that the issue of lying and false reporting would be eliminated by lie detector tests. I applaud Jackson for ignoring the absurd part of this question and focused on the many reasons why women may not feel comfortable going to the police and how we might create changes in police protocols. The response I wanted to give, but could not muster the strength to, was to say that all women experience trauma differently. Expecting anyone to submit themselves to being tied up in a chair being asked probing questions about their assault shortly afterwards is completely illogical. Furthermore, lie detector tests measure nervousness and heart rate to detect lying, two things basically guaranteed to happen after an assault. There is a reason why they aren't used in criminal justice systems - they are not accurate enough. This woman echoed her partner's concerns that the victim should be analyzed and be on trial for being assaulted.<br />
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I was deeply hurt but this couple's comments and had to leave the audience when the man raised his hand again. He was overpowering all of our collective voices and challenging the basic tenets of what I felt was an excellent film. The Q&A experience highlighted for me that there is still a lot of work to be done to change the minds of many members of the public. This films are making important strides, but rape myths and dominating ideologies can be intractable parts of culture.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-19952106901571671632015-09-13T10:51:00.000-07:002015-09-13T10:54:40.155-07:00"The Visit," Race, and DisabilityI recently saw a pre-screening of M. Night Shyamalan's "The Visit" at USC. I was excited to see the film because the trailer looked creepy and, as <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/the-death-spiral-of-m-night-shyamalans-career/?ex_cid=538twitter" target="_blank">others </a>have noted, this was potentially a epic comeback for the director. I am a fan of <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-appeal-of-horror.html" target="_blank">horror </a>movies, so even without the hype, I probably would have gone to see it. I have to say that while it is better than many of Shyamalan's movies, I was very disappointed with the film. I am not going to "spoil" the cliché Shyamalan twist, but address the three main problems I had with the film. First, I will address my small concerns about the flow of the movie and its stylistic choices. I also was concerned by its attempts to corner the "comedy horror" genre through racial appropriation. Finally, I find problematic the use of disability as the catalyst for shock moments. Although there are no spoilers, I will discuss some scenes of the film in detail.<br />
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The appeal of the first-person, found footage horror films has waned for me. Original uses, such as the Blair Witch Project, were pioneers in filmmaking style. Other films made great use of the medium, such as the V/H/S series. I also found that this style worked for the gritty and entertaining As Above So Below. For most movies, however, I feel that the found footage genre reduces the thrills that it tries to engage. The camera angles and the following of the drama is completely limited by one of the characters moving it or its placement in a fixed position. Thus, the camera is either a static frame or is missing a character. Because the camera reacts with the character, frightening sequences are often cut short. In The Visit, the two children often interrupt or come across their grandma in various aggressive or startling actions. The audience, however, gets barely a glimpse before the main characters run away in fear. What could be longer, thrilling scenes turn into brief "shock" moments where the music amps up and something flashes before the screen. This type of horror tricks seems quite overplayed, where there are far more intriguing moments of horror in present day films. I hope to discuss It Follows more in an upcoming post, but I will note briefly here that it makes fabulous use of every day activities and long scenes where there is immense building of terror and suspense. Another great contemporary example is The Babadook, where the female protagonist bravely encounters the ghoul in her home in long, terrifying battle, instead of a brief flash in a window or doorway.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from Wikipedia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://famousmonsters.com/archives/17822" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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Now that I've indulged my pure opinions on the horror genre, I will now engage more theoretically motivated concerns. While I did find The Visit funny (Katy Perry!), the humor was mostly nested in appropriating black culture and the juxtaposition between freestyle culture and a young, white boy. The younger brother in the film, Tyler, adopts the style, mannerisms, and attitude of black culture for the purpose of comedic relief. Comedy and horror often go together. For example, the iconic Evil Dead series could seamlessly make you laugh while you were terrified and a bit uneasy. This is epitomized in the Evil Dead 2 (my favorite of the series) scene in which the items in the cabin start laughing along with Ash - frightening and yet you cannot help but laugh along. Another one of my favorite horror films, Cabin in the Woods, makes you pause for reflecting at our own fascination with horror. The office party scene epitomizes the movie's brilliant satire work (and its opening is delightfully Funny Games-esque). Instead, the comedy in The Visit is pure relief, with no purpose behind it but to distract from what we just saw (brief as it already was) or poke fun at the disabled grandparents. I will discuss more about the grandparents later, but first I want to further discuss Tyler's character.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of Tyler in The Visit. Retrieved from this <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/the-visit-review-m-night-shyamalan-olivia-dejonge-ed-oxenbould/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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The character is quite sweet and has his vulnerable moments where he seeks his sister's comfort. More often than not, Tyler draws his strength through his impersonation of black culture. As <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/the-visit-review-m-night-shyamalan-olivia-dejonge-ed-oxenbould/" target="_blank">The Wrap's</a> review noted, scenes where Tyler raps about women and sex are "burp[s] of coarse comedy." They seem out of place and forced, as if the only thing funny about the situation is that a young white boy might imitate gangster culture. This imitation, however, appropriates a different culture and undermines its history and purpose. The scene where Tyler raps on the train next to a black men, who is a worker on the train, is truly cringe-worthy. Kenneth Burke called this "perspective by incongruity" - where a word is applied in a completely new context and given a new meaning. What was once a unique part of black culture is now applied in a different context - a juxtaposition that creates humor. The humor is crude and appropriates black culture and further distracts from what could have been intriguing horror scenes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terror - supposedly, from a scene in The Visit. Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/trending/M-Night-Shyamalan-releases-first-trailer-for-Pennsylvania-shot-thriller-The-Visit.html" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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More central to the plot of the film is the mental and physical condition of the grandparents. The mother, who they Skype with, frequently brush off erratic behavior as "old people problems" and nothing out of the ordinary. Incontinence, memory loss, confusion, and generally odd behaviors are boiled down to "normal" plights of the elderly. Natural, elderly bodies become a source of scorn and disgust because of there differing abilities. In one scene, Tyler follows his grandfather to a hut, where Tyler thinks he is hiding "secrets." To recall the horror of "what's in the box?" among this reveal is truly embarrassing. The hut does not contain dismembered bodies, secret writings, or clues to a great family mystery. Instead, it contains the grandfather's incontinent diapers. The thrilling sequence of entering the space and watching for the grandfather's return is let down by the "big reveal." At points, I felt quite bad for the grandparents, who were constantly pestered by the granddaughter, Rebecca's, video camera. In an interview with the grandmother, Rebecca repeatedly asked her what happened on the day Rebecca's mother left the house. The grandmother responded many times with sadness, confusion, and aggressive outbursts; this event had obviously caused her great stress and trauma. I felt pity where Shyamalan wanted me to be frightened. But, I wasn't. I wasn't frightened by the effects of aging and sometimes erratic confusion caused by people who may have Alzheimer's or another disorder.<br />
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The "evil" in the film is simply that: being old. There is no evil spirit, motivated killer, or other source of evil besides the mentally and physically disabled. And that is a horror trope I simply cannot support: that the elderly and differently-abled are a source of evil and horror. Shyamalan sets up the elderly as the "other"; the ones against which the main characters (and thus the audience) contrasts our identity. But, one day, we may all experience these same problems and I hope that we are met with comfort and appreciation instead of fear and isolation. For those who have seen the movie, I am aware that there is more going on than simple aging. Despite this fact, I believe that this film constructs a rhetorical framework that isolates the elderly and reifies ability as normal.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-17110281098851998572015-09-06T10:00:00.000-07:002015-09-06T10:00:01.946-07:00Food Culture and Masculinity in China: Surviving as a VegetarianWhen I went to live in China for three weeks, I knew that being a vegetarian would be hard. All of the blog posts I read warned me of the lack of options, difficulty in <a href="http://alittleadrift.com/2011/05/vegetarian-food-in-china/" target="_blank">communicating </a>dietary needs, and frustration with the lack of translations on menus and in stores. Only a few <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/jane-mountain/vegetarian-food-china_b_4353331.html" target="_blank">articles </a>discussed China's Buddhist history and praised China's openness to vegetarians. With my handy printed copies of Chinese <a href="http://www.vegetarian-china.info/" target="_blank">words and characters</a> and pictures of animals with red X'ed circles, I went out prepared to let everyone know "wo chi su" - I eat vegetables. What I wasn't prepared for was how many of my food decisions weren't made for me - and how masculinity and food culture are intertwined in Beijing, China.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXP52l6Zygb7iRY_n0Gqe4b0zmVf0sJgy9NX0fI9Ur0v0A_y_Yt2lflIrn526Uw1Nf0a33_wFSltkROOorMebXU5HcRUHQTtYpydwRhHECSuWv7JMLsEN7AJ-jgldh0INPp8Mmttzz0jQ/s1600/IMG_2787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXP52l6Zygb7iRY_n0Gqe4b0zmVf0sJgy9NX0fI9Ur0v0A_y_Yt2lflIrn526Uw1Nf0a33_wFSltkROOorMebXU5HcRUHQTtYpydwRhHECSuWv7JMLsEN7AJ-jgldh0INPp8Mmttzz0jQ/s320/IMG_2787.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flight into China.</td></tr>
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Before I elaborate on the previous statement, I do want to say that I greatly enjoyed my time in China, am grateful for the opportunity, and am deeply indebted to my hosts there and the many friends that I made. This post is not about my overall experience, but about the unique difficulties I had as a lacto-ovo vegetarian (no meat, fish, or poultry, yes to eggs and dairy) in Beijing. The food I did have was delicious and I think future vegetarian travelers (and travelers in general) can benefit from learning more about Chinese food culture.<br />
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At many of the restaurants I went to in China, large groups were given private rooms with huge round tables with a rotating plate in the center. Family-style restaurants are usually a niche market in the US, but it was the standard practice for Chinese restaurants. In those settings, the communal nature of China brought me face-to-face with my own individualistic tendencies. Even in the US, family-style means taking food from communal pots and placing it on individual plates. We had personal plates in China, but more often than not, the people at the table would take food directly from the communal plates into the mouth. The most dexterous man I saw would pop individual peanuts covered in sauce from the bowl to his mouth without dropping a single one. Those who use have tried using chopsticks know how difficult this is. The avoidance of personal plates signified that the meal was everyone's. There was no "hoarding" of favorite plates or claiming ownership over food by amassing it in front of you. Instead, everyone was patient, waited for the food to rotate, and grabbed what we needed as it passed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture of fermented egg on tofu, a vegetarian Chinese specialty.</td></tr>
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For me, it could be a long wait for what I needed to come around, and a few times I felt compelled to break the personal plate rule and accumulate stray mushrooms and pieces of eggplant. At a communal table, there was no individually-owned items, so everyone took from meat dishes and vegetarian ones, even if I could only take from a few. For the Chinese, this wasn't an issue because over-ordering is the norm. No plates are ever left completely empty - it is considered rude. So instead, the staff will dump the remaining pieces on one shared plate to save space for the many more dishes to come. On many occasions, vegetable dishes that were ordered had meat sauces, chunks, or components. I completely understand the need to be flexible when traveling, but for someone who was raised vegetarian, those dishes can make me extremely sick.<br />
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My blog post promised some musings about masculinity and patriarchy - and here it comes. The Chinese food culture was communal, but the head of the table was the boss. During our first meal in China, a fellow American sat at the back seat facing the door. I think this is a common practice in the US, as it is the most difficult seat to get to, so if often taken first to avoid inconveniencing others. Our advisor, however, encouraged him to move, unless he "wanted to pick up the tab" for our table of 15. The host paid the bill for the entire table; "splitting" checks was not common, but sometimes at smaller outings we would throw money into a communal payment pot. For the three weeks I was in China, the host was female one time, when we dined with the director of the school the group was teaching at. The other nights were all male hosts who oftentimes spoke little to no English. This made communicating to them my dietary concerns quite difficult and I sometimes felt that my request was treated flippantly or as unimportant.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeuqZV80dyq7SI2JJJbd_BXOKfry5WOwDCFXRWYmlL76-joSOdpyECw3O9bpHG2vgbAU0vKwco28LYPw2otXsBmPewPcd4fQtaPtdZ783jiS8jotPq5eiSH6T0RZJ5-xmT_KaU_IhELs/s1600/IMG_3310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeuqZV80dyq7SI2JJJbd_BXOKfry5WOwDCFXRWYmlL76-joSOdpyECw3O9bpHG2vgbAU0vKwco28LYPw2otXsBmPewPcd4fQtaPtdZ783jiS8jotPq5eiSH6T0RZJ5-xmT_KaU_IhELs/s320/IMG_3310.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture of the Night Market in Beijing, where they sold scorpions, snakes, starfish, and many other things on a stick.</td></tr>
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What the hosts ordered, we had to eat and drink, including alcohol when it was not desired. We were told when to take food, when to drink, and how much of what we could have. I was offered meat (usually Peking Duck) many, many times, and found it difficult to explain to my hosts why I refused their very generous offers. A few hosts got quite upset and raised their voices while my advisor tried to explain the situation and encouraged me to try "just a little bit" to appease the hosts. I don't fault anyone for the situation; it's really a classic case of cultural clash and miscommunication. It's rude for me to refuse food and drink in Chinese culture; it's rude for people to force food and drink on people who don't want it in American culture. For both cultures, it's a matter of respect, either to the hierarchy of the community, or the power of the individual.<br />
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I saw, very often, women at the table, including myself, struggling to refuse alcohol. Chinese dinners, especially business ones, were filled with alcohol. And it was no one's choice when to drink but the host, who would stand, make a speech, and demand that everyone finish their glass. To not follow the call of "gānbēi!" by downing your drink was considered a rejection of the toaster's well-wishes. Furthermore, the host and other guests would often move around the table and toast everyone individually - meaning a toaster could go through a shot of alcohol (caled baiju) for each guest present. The male hosts were often complimentary to the female guests' looks, which emphasized my and my other American female companion's "exoticness." Those hosts would often touch, hug, or try to kiss us, as complete strangers, without warning.<br />
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I greatly enjoyed my time in China, but dinners were often wrought with nerves. Would the host order something I could eat? Would this meal have "secret meat" in it? Would we do a lot of toasts? Would I be given baiju instead of something I want to drink? Would the host make advances on myself or my friend? Would the host get angry if I refused his offer of Peking duck? If there were vegetarian food, would other people eat it before I could have any?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-f-o0Mguhzt0BOLYH3r9IeT8oKXsRCm7pl_KXoKD57KJ7xGKB0AmUrCK63UngjhXRIt3gLHiegGffrVB8AYT_bR-f-SnytoOA2uMb2ZVJgI_51-MdqDuhLK7QRXMHwdU0Q5TC9_so7g/s1600/012fa006f3456f56050d8adc27c51727d4151253bb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-f-o0Mguhzt0BOLYH3r9IeT8oKXsRCm7pl_KXoKD57KJ7xGKB0AmUrCK63UngjhXRIt3gLHiegGffrVB8AYT_bR-f-SnytoOA2uMb2ZVJgI_51-MdqDuhLK7QRXMHwdU0Q5TC9_so7g/s320/012fa006f3456f56050d8adc27c51727d4151253bb.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory panda photo</td></tr>
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My favorite foods in China were the stewed eggplant, assorted mushrooms (sometimes called tree and ground fungus), and baozi (vegetable filled and steamed buns). I greatly enjoyed their variety of fruits such as jackfruit (inspiration for Juicy Fruit gum) and trying interesting-tasting fruit like durian. It was an adventure that I will never forget and I hope to go back soon. The food culture, in particular, made me reflect on the differences between China and America and the challenges of establishing a global community.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-8577947105425438982015-08-30T10:00:00.000-07:002015-08-30T10:00:01.096-07:00Pedagogy Experiments: Grading in Public SpeakingIn the beginning of Summer 2015, I taught COMM 204: Public Speaking to ten amazing undergraduate students. We tackled many important topics, such as logical fallacies, overcoming communication anxiety, and building sound, reasoned arguments. A few weeks before the course, one of my friends and colleagues, <a href="http://karistorla.com/" target="_blank">Kari Storla</a>, forwarded me an article about autonomy and <a href="http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational-assessment/benefits-of-a-student-self-grading-model/" target="_blank">self-grading</a> in the classroom. My first thought was dismay, shock, and disgust - let students....grade...themselves? It seemed like a ridiculous and pointless idea.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thehopkinsonreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Seinfeld-public-speaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.thehopkinsonreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Seinfeld-public-speaking.jpg" height="174" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.thehopkinsonreport.com/2012/06/thr-189-8-public-speaking-mistakes-that-make-you-look-like-a-newbie/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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But, after my gut reaction passed, I thought that public speaking might be the perfect course to tackle this interesting and innovative idea. I drafted a 25/25/50 rule: each student self-graded up to 25 points, the peer grades were averaged out of 25, and I provided the remaining 50. The article noted that few professors give scores below 50%. If 50% is given automatically, why not give the students some autonomy and control over that experience? I gave it a shot and this is what happened.</div>
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Overall, I found that the students were quite fair to themselves and their classmates. With the knowledge that everyone was peer-grading, there was a collective dependence on giving everyone decent scores. I averaged grades and all scores were anonymous, but the students still felt responsible for creating a supportive and welcoming environment. Even when comments were quite harsh, "This didn't really address the prompt, not sure I understood it," students (except for 1) still never graded below a 20/25. Across all speeches, there was agreement between the student self grade and the peer grade. Students, on average, gave themselves a 23.6 and the class gave them a 23.4. Even given the opportunity, only 1 student gave themselves perfect 25/25 across all 4 speeches. This same student also received the highest peer grades and the highest score in the course, despite the student having the third highest score from myself, on average.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.glasbergen.com/wp-content/gallery/meetings/meet39.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.glasbergen.com/wp-content/gallery/meetings/meet39.gif" height="311" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.glasbergen.com/?count=2&s=public%20speaking" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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There were no statistically significant differences between grades and a student's race, but there were some interesting patterns. The top three peer graded students were Caucasian while the lowest three were students of color. Overall, though, the peer grades spanned 24.4 to 22.8, a difference of 6%, which could bump a student half a grade. The students of color were also more likely to give themselves lower peer grades. For example, the lowest average self grades, 22.25/25, 22.88/25, and 23.50/25 were all students of color (and two international students). One student (briefly mentioned above) gave consistent low scores to two students of color, averaging a 19.3/25 and 18.2/25. These discrepancies and outlying scores did not affect the overall student average nor did it vary significantly from peers. Because of the low number of students in the class, teachers may want to keep potential biases in mind (for themselves and students participating in peer grading).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRKjOYLaF3fQnbHvIgcMbmTL0D1y1ptGk4I6SX6qdeKebutIZQJ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRKjOYLaF3fQnbHvIgcMbmTL0D1y1ptGk4I6SX6qdeKebutIZQJ" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.socrative.com/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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The self- and peer- grading was done through an app that I previously wrote a post about: <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/04/tools-for-teaching-socrative.html" target="_blank">Socrative</a>. In the past, I used this app for pop quizzes and anonymous feedback, but in Public Speaking, I used it for immediate scoring of students after speeches. I did not allow technology use during speeches, but started the Socrative quiz for students to give feedback out of 25, with both positive comments and constructive criticism.</div>
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I also used Socrative to asked students how they liked the self- and peer- grading. In response to the questions, "I like the method of self and peer grading in COMM 204 this summer," all students responded "Agree" or "Strongly Agree." In response to "I felt like I had more control over my grade because of the self and peer grading policy," I only had 2 neutrals, with the rest "Agree" and "Strongly Agree." In response to "The self and peer grading makes the grading process more fair than just having a teacher grade," I had one neutral response and the rest "Agree" and "Strongly Agree." I had the same one neutral student in response to "I felt that my classmates and myself were reasonable and accurate graders." Students were more neutral towards, "I think that peer and self grading could work in other COMM classes," with four neutrals and the rest, "Agree" and "Strongly Agree." The students all marked "Agree" or "Strongly Agree" with "The self and peer grading policy has positively affected my experience in COMM 204."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.savagechickens.com/images/chickenpublicspeaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.savagechickens.com/images/chickenpublicspeaking.jpg" height="320" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.savagechickens.com/2009/10/public-speaking.html" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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In the comments, the students were quite candid about how they marked themselves and others. One student admitted, "I felt that I was obviously more bias about grading myself than my peers. I tried to be as unbias[ed] as possible, but I think it was easier for me to mark someone off for something than myself." One student noted the potential risk, "It's an interesting system to implement, although it also relies on the assumption that your classmates also grade you honestly and fairly." Other students saw the process as very beneficial: "Getting to know peer and teacher feedback helps improve and motivate me and helped me boost my confidence."</div>
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Overall, I think this experiment was a success. The students responded positively to the policy, despite concerns at first. I was sure to emphasize the community aspects of the course and how important it was to be both fair and supportive. I think this helped the students see the benefit of engaging with this grading system and giving their full attention to their peers. I could imagine this process working well in other classes that might do presentations. In COMM 206: Communication and Culture in Spring 2015, I had many students mentally check out during student presentations about readings. If the students were tasked with grading, however, and knew that they would be as well, perhaps they would pay more attention to their peers. I'm happy that I experimented with this teaching experiment and would encourage students in a Public Speaking or other presentation-heavy course to try it out as well.</div>
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EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-2898577361369761572015-08-28T17:48:00.002-07:002015-08-28T17:49:00.372-07:00Research Blog Update: More to ComeThis is a quick post update to explain the lack of weekly posts. My summer was filled with travel, conferences, and vacation, so I took a break from the blog.<br />
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The blog starts back up this Sunday, where I will begin writing a series of posts about things I noticed about my travels, particularly cultural differences in China, my experiences teaching, public memory in the UK, movies I've watched, and general comments on public deliberation and culture.<br />
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Thanks for reading!EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-75868299041245428722015-06-18T12:13:00.000-07:002015-06-18T12:13:01.486-07:00I'm Blacker than Rachel Dolezal: Race, Identity, and Transracial BodiesI meant to publish this post on Sunday, but I couldn't even remotely wrap my head around the twists and turns in the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/16/us/rachel-dolezal/index.html" target="_blank">Rachel Dolezal</a> story to make a coherent blog post. With the extra time to think, this may come closer. As a white, cisgender, able-bodied, heterosexual woman - I know that I fall victim to the same privileges of Dolezal and many people commenting on this story. I hope that my voice comes across as an ally and curious academic instead of offensive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150612092018-rachel-dolezal-split-super-169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150612092018-rachel-dolezal-split-super-169.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolezal as a white and black woman. Retrieved from <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/16/us/washington-rachel-dolezal-naacp/" target="_blank">CNN</a>.</td></tr>
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Let's start with the facts (or as close as we can get). Dolezal's parents are Caucasian and her heritage is made up of German, Swedish, and Czech ancestry. She went to Howard University and then got a job in Africana Studies at Eastern Washington University and became a chapter leader in the NAACP in Spokane, Washington. This is a relatively uninteresting history, even for a white person. There are no rules about who is allowed to teach what type of courses and many white people have been prominent actors in the NAACP. White women have taught courses about black women and men have taught feminist theory classes. Academic knowledge about these subjects is not exclusive. Of course, there are benefits to having professors who can address these perspectives from a particular standpoint, but having <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-danger-and-opportunity-in-speaking.html" target="_blank">allies address these topics is also beneficial</a>.<br />
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What, then, is the issue? The issue is that Dolezal, despite being a white woman, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed white woman at that, identifies and <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/09/supermodels-without-photoshop-goffmans.html" target="_blank">presented </a>herself as a black woman. Dolezal's birth race did not jibe with the identity that she wished to portray, so she <i>performed</i> the identity of an African American. Many people believe that race, gender, and sexuality are social constructs - they are performed behaviors and identities that communicate to others who and what we are. Dolezal decided to perform and go through life (at least for those ten years) as an African American.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modernprimate.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/transracial.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.modernprimate.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/transracial.png" height="281" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prince Koyangi's first Tumblr post with profile picture. Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.modernprimate.com/what-the-hell-is-transethnicity/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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For those who were as confused as I was by this discovery of a potentially "transracial" person, I am going to walk through my thought process on the matter. I am aware this term traditionally refers to transracial adoption, where birth parents are of a different race than their children. The term was first brought to my attention, however, through the excellent work of friend and colleague, <a href="https://www.asc.upenn.edu/people/students/alexandra-sastre" target="_blank">Alex Sastre</a>. She discussed the transracial/transethnic Tumblr case of <a href="https://www.sas.upenn.edu/gsws/content/graduate-student-colloquium-alexandra-sastre-and-aliya-rao" target="_blank">Prince Koyangi</a>. For me, this term linguistically matches a similar, but different phenomenon in <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/11/transgender-awareness-week.html" target="_blank">transgender people</a>. I do not wish to make this comparison, at least in a fully equal sense, but I do want to explain the difficulties for people, and perhaps especially cisgender white people, to unpack the trans* identity.<br />
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One thing that I initially noted was a similarity in language between how news sites and people on Facebook were responding to Dolezal's actions. For me, terms like "impostor," "deceived," "pretended," "misleading," "lied," and others echoed claims that transgender people are somehow lying or deceiving people with impure motivations. One need only recall the disgusting words of <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/02/politics/mike-huckabee-transgender-caitlyn-jenner/" target="_blank">Mike Huckabee</a> in respo<span style="font-family: inherit;">nse to <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/06/caitlyn-jenner-bruce-cover-annie-leibovitz" target="_blank">Caitlyn Jenner's announcement</a>: "Now I wish that someone told me that when I was in high school that I could have felt like a woman when it came time to take showers in PE." These accusations assume that people are deceitful in their gender identity for the purpose of advantage in some way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">People began to talk about Dolezal in this same manner - that posing as black would somehow benefit her in her job prospects and appointment in the NAACP. A poignant note here is, as others have pointed out, that Dolezal potentially took that appointment away from a woman of color. There are other reports that Dolezal <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/06/rachel_dolezal_claims_to_be_the_target_of_hate_crimes_the_former_naacp_official.html" target="_blank">faked hate crimes</a> against her to garner sympathy. Certainly, these are negative, consequential, and deceitful actions. But does that mean that transracial people do not exist?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A friend and colleague, <a href="http://karistorla.com/" target="_blank">Kari Storla</a>, emailed me the above video by a black, trans*female vlogger, Kat Blaque. I appreciated the link and spent a lot of time thinking about Blaque's arguments. For me, I couldn't get past the apparent hypocrisy - Blaque was telling her truth, but was denying the possibility that Dolezal was telling hers. Isn't it really a matter of personal identity that is not something that any of us can determine? How is it Blaque's or any of our responsibilities to tell Dolezal that she is in fact lying and we are the ones with truth? When Dolezal says, that she "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/rachel-dolezal-nbc-today-show.html?_r=0" target="_blank">identifies</a>" as a black woman, why do we not take her at her word? Many trans*people discover their identities later in life and some may never transition in an aesthetically explicit way for many reasons such as safety, finances, or personal choice. Dolezal certainly identified as white when she <a href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/bizarre/rachel-dolezal-discrimination-lawsuit-786451" target="_blank">sued </a>Howard for racial discrimination, but perhaps she discovered her identity later in life?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Any way I sliced it, I couldn't see a tangible difference between transgender and transracial individuals, despite a gut instinct that they were different. There are many times when my personal opinion towards something (that Dolezal is crazy and this can't possibly be a thing) is offset by my intellectual musings. There must be a reason to my nagging doubts, right? A small epiphany occurred during a conversation with my partner. We discussed the idea of privilege and how men transition into women and Dolezal transitioned into a black woman. We discussed ideas of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clearly-Invisible-Passing-Cultural-Identity/dp/1602583129" target="_blank">passing </a>and that some people can transition into the other gender more easily than others, can "pass" as something they are not. We discussed how I am a Caucasian woman and would never be mistaken for something else, despite having <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2013/01/post-racial-society-and-django-unchained.html" target="_blank">African ancestry</a>. We discussed how people like Barack Obama, Tiger Woods, and even <a href="http://faculty.georgetown.edu/irvinem/theory/Hall-Identity-Modernity-1.pdf" target="_blank">Stuart Hall</a>, will never be anything but black men.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://awakeblackwoman.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/whiteprivilege.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="489" src="https://awakeblackwoman.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/whiteprivilege.gif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cartoon explanation of white privilege. Retrieved from this <a href="https://awakeblackwoman.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/you-are-a-racist/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's when it clicked - transgender people reflect a spectrum of identities. Trans*people identity as male-to-female, female-to-male, gender fluid, agender, and many other evolving labels. But, the idea of transracial-ness is distinctively a privilege of whites. Whites can "put on" and appropriate the culture of other races, and have for centuries. They are able to do this, as </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/White-Essays-Culture-Richard-Dyer/dp/0415095379" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Richard Dyer</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> notes, because they are the center, the normal, the non-race. If a black woman adopts a white hairstyle and bleaches her skin, she will never be anything but a black woman. But, if a white woman adopts a black hairstyle and a tan, she can be (and was) perceived as black. This lack of </span><a href="http://thenathanzed.tumblr.com/post/121701881015/like-rachel-dolezal-i-am-also-transracial" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">equality</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, of cross-racial mobility, solidified my opinion. Dolezal is not transracial, she is not a black woman, but a white woman who has appropriated black culture for personal reasons. There is no trans*ness about being transracial, because the privilege is reserved for those able to adopt the races of others - whites. I am still musing about this topic, but thinking through Dolezal's story has enlightened me about the different ways that white privilege functions in today's society.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This post certainly ignores other complicated aspects of this story such as historical racism, biological determinants of race, and blackface. Those are all important points as well that I do not mean to undermine. They did not, however, play a role in clarifying for me why the Dolezal story is so disturbing and yet simultaneously worthy of philosophical discussion. This story will probably engage more people as more facts are learned and I hope that it culminates in more important conversations about race and its tangible effects on life and society. It also brings attention to the unending <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-limits-of-human-body-horror-and.html" target="_blank">struggle between the mind and body</a> and the danger of not conforming with society's expectations.</span>EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-83675427372620173712015-06-01T10:47:00.000-07:002015-06-01T10:47:17.006-07:00Graduate School and Mental HealthI am one day late posting my blog this week, and for good reason. I spent most of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday engaged in family activities (and traveling back home). There has been increased talk at USC about the state of graduate school life and mental health and how current students can improve their quality of life while undergoing an <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/03/academic-labor-and-producing-graduate.html" target="_blank">incredibly stressful program of work</a>. During my years on the Graduate Student Government, I worked for 15+ hours as Community Service Director, took three courses which was 9+ hours of in-class time plus reading and homework, worked as a Teaching and Research Assistant for faculty for 20+ hours a week, all while expecting to be doing personal projects, <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/10/conference-pros-and-cons.html" target="_blank">attending conferences</a>, and publishing papers. Now that classes are over, I've passed my <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/08/rites-of-passage-qualifying-exam.html" target="_blank">qualifying exam</a>, and I am no longer a member of GSG, my time is mostly dominated by working on the dissertation. This is a no less stressful but more flexible academic assignment. I list these responsibilities not to brag about my own accomplishments. Instead, it helps me to reflect on the immense pressure I experience, when I am a graduate student who is not also supporting a family on $30,000 a year, dealing with health issues, or serving as a member of a prolific research team.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2014/140814/images/nj7513-223a-i1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2014/140814/images/nj7513-223a-i1.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7513-223a" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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No matter our responsibilities, there is a great amount of pressure of students to succeed in public and suffer in private. It is very uncommon for people to discuss their workloads and admit failure or shortcomings. Instead, they turn into perverse competitions where we compare our workloads to others (I'm guilty of participating in this). When all we are told is "publish or perish," it is difficult to not have some sadness behind congratulatory statements or to take rejections from conferences lightly. To admit failure is to lose the game of PhD life and to express that openly is frowned upon. <a href="http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2014_02_04/caredit.a1400031" target="_blank">Research </a>indicates that 60% of graduate students feel hopeless and depressed nearly all the time and 1 in 10 have contemplated suicide. But, there are few, well known resources for these feelings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/image-article_inline_full/public/blogs/82191/2014/02/144227-145756.jpg?itok=y6jH7tfA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="537" src="https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/image-article_inline_full/public/blogs/82191/2014/02/144227-145756.jpg?itok=y6jH7tfA" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/theory-knowledge/201402/the-college-student-mental-health-crisis" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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I took up this blog post in response to amazing statements made by my colleagues, Ritesh Mehta and Cynthia Wang, who reflected upon their time at USC. Ritesh made a profound and poignant statement at his dissertation defense about how students should not have to suffer in silence and be afraid to reach out to one another. Although the program is 100+ students in size, it can be quite lonely work staring at a computer screen all day. Cynthia posted similar sentiments on Facebook about sharing failures and talked about being rejected from a journal. I am proud of both of their statements and wanted to make one myself: I recently was rejected from a journal. Although the comments were quite positive, there was a sinking feeling that there was something else back on my plate that was simply unbearable. There was no room to fit it back into the growing list of tasks, assignments, and responsibilities.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.asbmb.org/uploadedImages/ASBMBToday/Content/Issues/201004/Content/Feature_Stories/PHDcomics---thesis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.asbmb.org/uploadedImages/ASBMBToday/Content/Issues/201004/Content/Feature_Stories/PHDcomics---thesis.jpg" height="276" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/" target="_blank">PhDComics</a></td></tr>
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I don't think that any of our problems are the result of USC. I would encourage any potential graduate students to consider this amazing and supportive program. I think the problems are deeper, within the PhD experience, and the academic community at large that engages in competitive mentalities and focuses on output instead of the process. Similar to ongoing debates about the requirements placed on <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324503204578318763513170222" target="_blank">medical residents</a>, I think more conversation should begin about the mental well-being of graduate students. Reducing the stigma of sharing is something that I hope will get better as more students create a culture of support rather than judgment. This is something that will ebb and flow with time and does nothing to address institutional expectations. Indeed, when we think about the contributions that we will have as graduate students, it pales in comparison to what we will do as faculty members. Perhaps we need to treat graduate school more as training for academia than a full blown toss into the deep end of academic publishing and stress. This <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/mental-health-issues-among-graduate-students" target="_blank">article </a>provides some other potential solutions including increased acknowledgement, specialized training, and more resources.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQ7AFTJmR9Uv9wWwm85DaM3FhAsNC5A5VPCo_h77zAFttTVgitjA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQ7AFTJmR9Uv9wWwm85DaM3FhAsNC5A5VPCo_h77zAFttTVgitjA" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/" target="_blank">PhDComics</a></td></tr>
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I took this weekend off, postponed my blog post, and had a friend cover the class that I'm teaching over the summer. I felt guilty for a while for this decision I made, but I think that more of us should be okay with taking more breaks, more mental days off, and enjoying ourselves with family and friends. The computer (and that R&R) will still be there tomorrow.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-21631248743051262762015-05-24T15:54:00.001-07:002015-05-24T15:54:27.623-07:00Forgiveness and Sex: Homosexuality vs Sexual AssaultThe news about the <a href="http://religiondispatches.org/josh-duggar-and-the-purity-lie/" target="_blank">Duggar family</a>, stars of 19 Kids and Counting, reminded me of a draft blog post that I never published about homosexuality and hypocrisy. A friend of the family had been fired from his job after many years of service when he attempted to get a marriage license to his partner. Those that praised the school for standing up for religious values in the same breath cursed TLC for cancelling the show, Duck Dynasty.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-mHOUfaxbgkPJbE9E5zc8fbSQADLSgu00k4uEi1yxwUgzLOjoImGXExNzrtSW87WZbXuOnKSeT3RFF8SJ9onjLatoPDA9lnWn_O7T5XaS18MV1nL0MjyU88KrlbPQs8LKXPnpXKFm32j/s1050/header2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-mHOUfaxbgkPJbE9E5zc8fbSQADLSgu00k4uEi1yxwUgzLOjoImGXExNzrtSW87WZbXuOnKSeT3RFF8SJ9onjLatoPDA9lnWn_O7T5XaS18MV1nL0MjyU88KrlbPQs8LKXPnpXKFm32j/s1050/header2.png" height="304" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multiple generations of the Duggar Family. Picture retrieved from their family blog.</td></tr>
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The hypocrisy for me was the inconsistent use of and illogical interpretation of freedom of speech. When the school fired the homosexual professor, it was their freedom of speech, so good for the school. When the cast of Duck Dynasty professed their faith and <a href="http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/12/18/phil-robertson-suspended-duck-dynasty-insults-gay-people/" target="_blank">insulted homosexuals</a>, it was their freedom of speech, so shame on TLC for cancelling their show. The reasoning behind both of these statements was intensely hypocritical to me, for in both situations a private entity is reacting to an employee's actions. To praise the school and curse TLC was to extend the freedom of speech to only those that agree with you, in this case, the (Christian) faithful. Besides my reservations about the ability for private, religious institutions to discriminate against <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/07/hobby-lobby-supreme-court-case-business.html" target="_blank">women </a>and <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/05/civil-rights-and-marriage-equality.html" target="_blank">homosexuals</a>, the fact remains that the school had the legal right to fire the faculty member. Because they based their employment contracts on certain moral rules that homosexuality violated, the faculty member was in violation of that contract. Similarly, TLC had every legal right to cancel Duck Dynasty if their actions and statements did not align with the station's values. The backlash against the channel for cancelling the show, which resulted in it being un-cancelled, represents a fundamental misunderstanding of freedom of speech.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1.wp.com/www.colbertnewshub.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Phil-Robertson.jpg?resize=547%2C295" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1.wp.com/www.colbertnewshub.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Phil-Robertson.jpg?resize=547%2C295" height="215" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.colbertnewshub.com/2013/12/20/december-19-2013-ben-stiller/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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Freedom of speech protects individuals from <i>governmental </i>persecution. People can assemble, protest, and speak their mind without fear of imprisonment or execution or the removal of rights. A private employer, however, is certainly <i>not</i> the government and thus does not have to hire or employee people who violate certain standards or beliefs. There are even legal restrictions on certain types of speech, such as slander, false advertising, child pornography, and certain levels of obscenity.<br />
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This long introduction leads me to the topic at hand, the pedophilia and sexual assault by Josh Duggar, member of the <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/what-is-quiverfull-heres-a-look-inside-the-duggars-dangerous-christian-cult/" target="_blank">Quiverfull</a> family, the Duggars, another TLC show. The entire situation is disgusting and makes me question the teachings of this branch of Christianity in their teachings about sexuality. I've already discussed the potential issues with the purity movement and fear that something similar may be in operation here. Of the entire situation, I am perhaps most infuriated by the people who have come to the defense of Josh, such as potential presidential candidate <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/josh-duggar-mike-huckabee-defends-19-kids-counting/story?id=31236959" target="_blank">Mike Huckabee</a>. The same person who has repeatedly <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/huckabee-obama-calling-michael-sam-sign-americas-utter-collapse" target="_blank">insulted </a>and <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/01/politics/huckabee-gay-marriage/" target="_blank">discriminated </a>against the homosexual community has come out to support a child molester. Huckabee has commented on Josh's transformation where he has repented and asked forgiveness for his actions. So...this is now a valid legal defense? Forgiveness, divinely asked for, should not be a substitute for direct, legal action. In the same breath comparing homosexuals to that most hated community, Huckabee comes out in support of one. The hypocrisy is mind-blowing. I doubt that he would be so vocal about a child molester who had found forgiveness through Allah. Why do Christians get a free pass on corrupt sexual morality while at the same time questioning the <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2014/09/huckabee-wants-to-fire-atheists-working-for-the-government/" target="_blank">morality of atheists</a>?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s20.postimg.org/4nn9exwv1/Josh_Duggar_Mike_Huckabee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://s20.postimg.org/4nn9exwv1/Josh_Duggar_Mike_Huckabee.jpg" height="366" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://nationalreport.net/josh-duggars-candid-camera-ted-cruz-rand-paul-scott-walker-distance/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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This <a href="http://www.deepsouthdaily.com/2015/05/if-josh-duggar-had-announced-that-hes-gay.html" target="_blank">article </a>does a fantastic job at comparing the hypocrisy of reactions to Josh's child molestation and homosexuality. If Josh had instead come out as gay, he would have received scorn and hatred from the same people now supporting him, simply because of his faith. In a study of religious bias on reactions to crimes, <a href="http://pdfsr.com/pdf/george-tamarin-the-influence-of-ethnic-and-religious-prejudice-on-moral-judgment" target="_blank">George Tamarin</a> found that people's high approval of the Jericho massacre in the Bible drastically reduced (from 66% to 7%) when the situation was changed to a massacre in China. Richard Dawkins commented on the study in <i>The God Delusion</i> that this study represents the hypocrisy of faith. The same situation is treated much differently, crimes are given moral approval, and <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2015/05/23/josh-duggar-records-destroyed/27837149/" target="_blank">child molesters have their records destroyed</a>, all in the name of faith.<br />
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Perhaps people would be better able to compare the horrid, disgusting crime of child molestation and sexual assault from a loving, homosexual partnership by learning a thing or two about consent.<br />
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<br />EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-14990699686959567672015-05-10T10:00:00.000-07:002015-05-10T10:00:03.508-07:00Female Comedians aren't Funny: Gender and Sketch ComedyIt's been two years since <a href="http://www.tvguide.com/news/snl-diversity-issue-kenan-thompson-1072056/" target="_blank">Kenan Thompson</a> came under fire for blaming a lack of diversity casing in Saturday Night Live on the poor quality of black female comedians. Women often lack representation in the media, especially women of color, and the comedy genre is no exception. Similar to previous posts I've written about <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2015/04/capitalism-and-entertainment-show-me.html" target="_blank">tokenism</a>, it seems that the few females that are successful serve as stand-ins for the general inability for women to be funny. If <a href="http://www.amyschumer.com/" target="_blank">Amy Schumer</a> or <a href="http://www.garfunkelandoates.com/" target="_blank">Garfunkel and Oates</a> can achieve success, why not every woman? Those who are successful are held up as proof that there is no bias or discrimination, although they still represent a minority of comedic faces. It's clear that prejudice still remains, with men still chairing key positions on popular comedy news shows and women of color remaining relatively absent even as male diversity increases. There are some notable exceptions that I hope will become more frequent. One of my favorite Daily Show <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/g65t3j/the-r-word" target="_blank">segments </a>features Samantha Bee and Jessica Williams tackling race issues. Tell me these women aren't funny.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://comedycentral.mtvnimages.com/press_images/dailyshow/tds-lineup-right_stuff_photo_by_martin_crook.jpg?height=1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://comedycentral.mtvnimages.com/press_images/dailyshow/tds-lineup-right_stuff_photo_by_martin_crook.jpg?height=1024" height="303" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daily Show news team. Retrieved from <a href="http://press.cc.com/series/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart/images" target="_blank">Comedy Central.</a></td></tr>
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The new season of <i>Inside Amy Schumer</i> has also been receiving attention as she tackles important social issues with a comedic slant. Among the very many attempted sketch shows, this one seems likely to succeed with Amy's keen insight for satire. Among her many hilarious and poignant videos, Amy has addressed beauty standards (video below), <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/6/8558793/amy-schumer-12-angry-men-parody-comedy-central" target="_blank">female representation</a> in the media (long, but completely worth it, especially if you like <i>12 Angry Men</i>), <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/videos/amy-schumer-slams-rape-culture-with-friday-night-lights-parody-20150422" target="_blank">rape culture</a>, and obsession with the <a href="http://www.popsugar.com/love/Amy-Schumer-Milk-Milk-Lemonade-Music-Video-37282794" target="_blank">female anatomy</a>. Catchy and hilarious, "Girl, You Don't Need No Makeup" is a satire of boy bands and requirements for female beauty that reinforce unnecessary adornment and pruning. They note, "with a little mascara, you'll look female" linking the wearing of makeup as a female gendered activity; to not wear makeup is to violate the female identity. It is okay for males to comment on and discipline the actions women should take regarding their appearance. At the end of the video, the male singers try on some of the makeup products and their reactions reveal the ridiculousness of the products women are expected to wear.<br />
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Garfunkel and Oates (who frequent one of my favorite LA coffee spots, Bricks & Scones) are a successful comedy duo that also release sketch comedy videos. They've commented on issues such as an emphasis on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbTB3ASkdOo" target="_blank">pregnancy </a>as crucial to the female identity, the gender divide in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fraSdN-PG8" target="_blank">sports</a>, and chastity (video below). This is a heads up that the video on chastity does show some mimed sex acts and references anal and vaginal sex. The song is a humorous take on the religious restrictions placed on youth to avoid their sexuality and find "loopholes" to stay pure. For me, this video does a great job at highlighting the double standards for purity, where females cannot be pleased sexually but the male can. Overall, the song brings attention to a common side-effect of abstinence-only sex education that promotes female virginity over information and personal choice. It also brings into question why certain sexual acts are treated differently than others and the treatment of sodomy in homosexual vs heterosexual relationships.<br />
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Comedy is a <a href="http://escinitiative.org/2014/06/17/climate-change-is-no-joke-or-is-it/" target="_blank">persuasive means of communication</a> that often keeps attention and promotes critical thinking (especially in works of satire). The rise of female comedians opens up new areas for this critical eye of importance to women. I don't think these spaces are exclusively for females to occupy, but it is hard to <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-danger-and-opportunity-in-speaking.html" target="_blank">speak for others</a>. Female comedians provide a sense of legitimacy and authenticity to these issues, having lived many of these double standards and social obstacles. The writers and performers of the jokes come from a standpoint that reflects the unique position of a female in contemporary society. I hope that these shows continue to be popular and I encourage people to support them!EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-1003526298900633652015-05-03T10:00:00.000-07:002015-11-09T20:19:25.291-08:00The Limits of the Human Body: Horror (and) MarathonsThe mind/body dualism continues to captivate the attention of scholars. The inherent separation and differences between the two, and yet their interdependence, creates a constant struggle without end. In the past week, I have been occupied with a similar dilemma of understand the mind and the body. The human body is an amazing thing: simultaneously a hunk of weak flesh and bones, but trained and controlled by the mind to accomplish great feats. In the random collection of thoughts that follow, I will connect ideas from horror films, marathons, and the mind/body dualism.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://sccpsy101.com/home/chapter-2/section-13/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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I have been working with a friend and colleague of mine, <a href="http://karistorla.com/" target="_blank">Kari Storla</a>, on a project about bodily trauma and the <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-appeal-of-horror.html" target="_blank">Saw franchise</a>. The basis of the film is that the main character, John Kramer, learned the value of human life after trying to commit suicide by driving his car off a cliff. His epiphany about the value of life drove him to test others in a series of "traps." These vary widely and are often related to the trauma that the individuals caused to others or used as substitutes for truly living life.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amanda's Trap in <i>Saw</i>. Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/780877-ranking-52-death-traps-saw-movies" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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The tapes that describe the traps often refer to the power of the mind to overcome the impending physical trauma. The people in the traps must make a choice between life and death, lauding the power of the human mind to persevere over the temporary physical pain. To keep the body and mind alive, the body must be sacrificed through a conscious choice. The fate of both are linked, for the mind can only survive if it has a body to inhabit. In <i>Saw</i>, when Amanda escaped her trap successfully, Jigsaw said, "Congratulations. You are still alive. Most people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you. Not anymore." For Jigsaw, people are not truly alive unless they value and are grateful for it. The survivors of the traps are now more alive in their physical and mental rebirth.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DSGPM?v=feed&story_fbid=164163262700&filter=1" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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By the time this blog post is published, I will be done (whether finished or disqualified) with my first marathon experience. I vividly remember running track in high school and being, by far, the slowest person. Although I was never told to leave the team, the immense pressure to perform well in track meets and the way I was treated communicated my lack of welcome clearly. I was mentally and physically tormented through running; it is an activity of the body and of the mind. On a two mile loop around the campus one afternoon, it started to rain. I had just started running, I was painfully slow, and hadn't ever run more than the length of a tennis court in a row. Everyone on the track team was forced to wait outside for me to finish as I flailed through the increasingly sticky mud and slogged through 2 miles in an embarrassing 35 minutes. The elite athletes, some who received scholarships to college for running, stood around, in the pouring rain, watching me, and waiting, for 20+ minutes. The horror, embarrassment, and shame followed me through college: I was not a runner.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I need this. Image retrieved from this <a href="http://www.abundantheartapparel.com/products/running-is-mental-tank" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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My physical body was stopped by the mental block in my head. Not until my partner encouraged me to start running again did I realize that my body could do these amazing things, if I only opened my mind to the opportunity. Now, whether I have finished the complete 26.2 miles or not, I have accomplished something that my high school self would have thought impossible and insurmountable. The mind dictates the body's abilities and what it can put upon itself. Of course, no matter how ready the mind is, the body must go through training to complete distances of great lengths. But, with the focus of the mind and of the body, united and together, amazing things are possible.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/life-decision-quotes/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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I think of <a href="http://www.complex.com/sneakers/2012/10/the-10-most-ridiculously-impressive-ultra-marathoners-of-all-time" target="_blank">ultra-marathoners</a> who defy odds in multiple day races. I think of the great strength of the <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/11/transgender-awareness-week.html" target="_blank">trans* community</a> when minds and bodies are aligned. I think of people who survive great losses and turn them into positive and empowering experiences. I think of survivors of tragic events such as the Holocaust, <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2013/01/post-racial-society-and-django-unchained.html" target="_blank">slavery</a>, and Hurricane Katrina. People are strongest when their minds and bodies work together. The mind opens up the possibility for the body to complete them.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image retrieved from this <a href="http://share.kaiserpermanente.org/article/kaiser-permanente-to-sponsor-2015-special-olympics-world-summer-games/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I want to acknowledge that I am not intending to communicate ableism in this post. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I am certainly <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-danger-and-opportunity-in-speaking.html" target="_blank">not the voice</a> for representative bodies and am not trying to be. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I think the body is capable of many amazing things, no matter its state or ability level. The unity of the mind and the body allows for incredible accomplishments and the recognition of all types of bodies. I think more media should represent these bodies, such as the Sports Illustrated <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/06/visual-communication-reflection-1.html" target="_blank">Body Issue</a>. Many participants of </span><a href="http://www.thepittsburghmarathon.com/wheelchairdivision" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;" target="_blank">varying abilities</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> will race with me today. I'm also very excited that the <a href="http://www.specialolympics.org/los-angeles-2015.aspx" target="_blank">2015 Special Olympics</a> will be held at USC. Burke argued that humans are always working towards perfection, or teleology. However the body is constructed, people will attempt to reach its limits.</span></div>
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Although scholars may have struggled with the intricacies of the dynamic, scholars such as Susanne Langer, argue that they are never truly separated:<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> “all categories tend to have imperfect boundaries” (In <i>Mind </i>1988, p. 104).</span><br />
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EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-82184450445840664622015-04-26T10:00:00.000-07:002015-04-26T10:00:04.616-07:00Conflict Kitchen and the Politics of FoodPeople engage in political activity everyday. The body is a rich site of activity that as Susan Bordo argues, is an "unbearable weight" to the intelligence, power, and ideal state of the mind. People are constantly in turmoil between what the mind thinks is right and what the body wants. The separation of the material and the spiritual is the basis for many religious rituals and has plagued theorists like Descartes, Durkheim, and others for many years.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comic retrieved from <a href="http://farleftside.com/2008/11-7-08.html" target="_blank">FarLeftSide</a></td></tr>
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One arena where this emerges is the political action of eating. One's choice of food is immensely important in crafting one's identity, and happens, for most people, multiple times a day. It is an act of material consumption that reaffirms an identity. For some, choosing to eat or not to eat at <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-politics-of-food-and-consumption.html" target="_blank">Chick-Fil-A</a> became a stance on gay rights. As a <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/04/ethical-meat-and-bourdieus-distinction.html" target="_blank">vegetarian</a>, my abstaining from meat is a choice for environmental protection and animal rights. A choice for a high-class, Michelin-starred restaurant over a food truck or trip to the grocery store may communicate affluence, leisure, and class. From farmer's markets, health campaigns, and food norms, <a href="http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/2205/913" target="_blank">the rhetoric of food</a> is a site of power and control.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.3riversartsfest.org/get-involved-2/vendor/" target="_blank">site</a></td></tr>
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In believing that the material can argue and that food is itself symbolic and meaningful, it is easy to find examples of food's importance in everyday life. I was confronted with a particularly meaningful example when I visited Pittsburgh, PA. There is a restaurant called "<a href="http://conflictkitchen.org/" target="_blank">Conflict Kitchen</a>." The cuisine rotates but always features "cuisine from countries with which the United States is in conflict." The food experience is also complemented by activities, speakers, and events that draw attention to particular conflicts. Currently, the Conflict Kitchen prepares Palestinian food to bring awareness to the conflict in Palestine, the Gaza Strip, and Israel. Considering that America has only experienced <a href="http://www.loonwatch.com/2011/12/we-re-at-war-and-we-have-been-since-1776/" target="_blank">21 years of peace </a>since it was created in the wake of the American Revolution, Conflict Kitchen will most likely have many food options for a long time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Current Palestinian theme. Photo credit to Conflict Kitchen</td></tr>
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Their mission statement is as follows: "Conflict Kitchen uses the social relations of food and economic exchange to engage the general public in discussions about countries, cultures, and people that they might know little about outside of the polarizing rhetoric of governmental politics and the narrow lens of media headlines." Through the medium of food, Conflict Kitchen reminds us of the cultural and personal aspects of conflict and war. It is easy to be distracted by the sweeping political statements and larger picture of global diplomacy. But it is hard to argue with the significance of cultural imports, cross-country interactions, and the new global village when eating. A simple, daily activity becomes a statement in support of cultural unity and against international conflict.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Different themes over time. Photo credit to Conflict Kitchen</td></tr>
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Conflict Kitchen has also served food from Iran, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and North Korea. The variety of food available in this one kitchen highlights the relative lack of diversity in Pittsburgh's culinary offerings. Conflict Kitchen notes that it was the first and only of these ethnic restaurants "the city has ever seen." The lack of ethnic neighborhoods, outside of the European populations that are prominent in the city, makes the location of Conflict Kitchen particularly memorable. I am working on a paper that explores the ideas of experiential and rhetorical landscapes: the location of artifacts is commensurate with the site itself. Placing the Conflict Kitchen in Los Angeles may not have the same visceral effect as in the relatively homogeneous Pittsburgh.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Information on take-out box. Photo credit to Conflict Kitchen</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food wrapped in information sheet. Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.billpeduto.com/2012/05/18/conflict-as-a-jumping-off-point-for-creativity/" target="_blank">site</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unwrapped sheet. Retrieved from this <a href="http://untappedcities.com/2013/06/26/pittsburgh-conflict-kitchen-feeds-political-discussion-cultural-awareness/" target="_blank">site</a></td></tr>
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In addition to bringing food and culture to the attention of the city, Conflict Kitchen also wraps its food in large, informational sheets about the country. From government, politics, art, poetry, entertainment, and other areas, the unfolded food wrappers educate the food consumers about the country of origin. Conflict Kitchen thus offers food for thought and symbolic consumption as well as physical, material nourishment. For Conflict Kitchen, eating is a mindful act that calls us to consider the political and social implications of our daily consumption habits. There is an increasing trend in communication theory to explore how consumption, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-TM-Politics-Ambivalence-Communication/dp/0814787142/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">branding</a>, and purchasing power has become a form of identity-management. What one buys, owns, and consumes is indicative of one's identity. I hope that more companies do adopt more conscious effort toward the impacts that their services and products have. Although there are <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-online-activist-making-charity-cold.html" target="_blank">concerns</a> about the potential implications of charity-focused groups, I think overall there are steps to be made in shifting capitalist thought towards producing a more aware, global citizenry.<br />
<br />EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-64194165301831453002015-04-19T10:00:00.000-07:002015-04-19T10:00:01.112-07:00Capitalism and Entertainment: Show me the MoneyIn Communication and Culture, a class I teach at USC, we've been discussing themes of the intersection of capitalism, globalization, and culture. Something that immediately came to mind was the prevalence of capitalist themes within entertainment, particularly on reality television. Reality shows run the gamut from dating, cooking, <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/07/visual-communication-reflection-2.html" target="_blank">tattoos</a>, adventure, <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/03/thin-privilege-and-lgbtq-issues.html" target="_blank">weight loss</a>, and competition. Some of my favorite shows, and those that I've seen become increasingly popular and varied, are investment shows. These shows perpetuate and valorize the values of the American Dream and bring the <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-danger-and-opportunity-in-speaking.html" target="_blank">token </a>successes to national attention. While I enjoy these shows and generally think they are positive and helpful to participants, I worry about the larger implications of the show outcomes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.toonpool.com/user/29955/files/capitalism_1469145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.toonpool.com/user/29955/files/capitalism_1469145.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.toonpool.com/user/29955/files/capitalism_1469145.jpg" target="_blank">site</a></td></tr>
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My issues with these shows are twofold. First, I worry that they revere money over all other elements. The dollar is still key to any measure of success and is the bottom line for the happiness of the participants, investors, and the way the participants "win." Even good ideas, which are often acknowledged on the shows, are turned aside if they cannot be executed, shown to be scalable, or have reasonable time limits on returns. I also worry that the success and proliferation of these types of shows reinforce that these experiences are commonplace and plentiful. This type of mentality may blind us to the structural and societal barriers that do exist.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.media.abc.com/m/images/global/generic/shows_1x1-hirez/shark-tank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.media.abc.com/m/images/global/generic/shows_1x1-hirez/shark-tank.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank" target="_blank">ABC</a></td></tr>
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Perhaps the largest and most profitable of the capitalist entertainment shows is "<a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank" target="_blank">Shark Tank</a>." Based on the British version "<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006vq92" target="_blank">Dragon's Den</a>," "Shark Tank" shows a series of sharks, successful entrepreneurs, as they vet potential investment opportunities. Participants on the show pitch their idea, explain their process, and talk profits. Oftentimes, it is only established businesses that have track records of success and profit receive deals. People who come in only with ideas are often dismissed as too new, untested, or risky. On this show, people who have in some sense already "made it" are given investments to become more profitable with the help of investments. Sometimes, the sharks offer mentorship and experience beyond the monetary contribution, but the ultimate goal of the show is to receive their ask at a reasonable valuation. The "About Shark Tank" <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank/about-the-show" target="_blank">page </a>has this to say, "The Sharks will once again give people from all walks of life the chance to chase the American dream, and potentially secure business deals that could make them millionaires." Shark Tank is not discriminatory, but then again, it has an intense vetting process which means not everyone can appear on the show. They are also only given a "chance to chase" success because that power is ultimately <i>not </i>in the hands of the everyday American, but by the always already profitable and successful elites.</div>
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Restaurant Startup investor Joe Bastianich</div>
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A spin-off of "Shark Tank" is "<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/food-fortunes.html" target="_blank">Food Fortunes</a>," a new shop that specifically focuses on food-related innovations. This show adds the element of audience participation, where a live audience tests the food concepts and provides real-time feedback on the product. Also in the food category, "<a href="http://www.cnbcprime.com/restaurant-startup/" target="_blank">Restaurant Startup</a>" gives people the opportunity to run a pop-up restaurant and get an investment to open a long-standing one. These shows follow the "Shark Tank" model where there are proven elites that have the power over the financial success of the participants. In "Restaurant Startup," the participants have some autonomy over their styling, logo, food, aesthetic, and supplies in creating the restaurant. But, they are still at the whims of the investors to change elements that are not amenable to them in order to open a real restaurant. In the interview above, Bastianich notes that a "business without profit is a hobby," again reinforcing the bottom line of profits over innovation, creativity, and even good quality food.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stylehasnosize.com/wp-content/uploads/OprahWinfrey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.stylehasnosize.com/wp-content/uploads/OprahWinfrey.jpg" height="283" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.stylehasnosize.com/tag/oprah-winfrey/" target="_blank">site</a></td></tr>
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Dana Cloud argued that token success stories, such as <a href="http://www.joshiejuice.com/cloud_oprah.pdf" target="_blank">Oprah Winfrey</a>, are harmful to the understanding of how power structures work and the barriers that exist to equality. When people see the success of Winfrey or others the myth of the American Dream, the self-made man, and Horatio Alger come alive. People are presented with proof "of the American Dream, implying the accessibility of this dream to black Americans despite the structural economic and political obstacles to achievement and survival posed in a racist society" (p. 116). This is not just race, however, but that the success of people who have overcome barriers in place are applicable to everyone. If anyone can succeed, everyone can. Winfrey's success is certainly something to be lauded, but it should not be generalized to the larger public. To do so is to blame individual agents for their positions and ignore larger social, cultural, and political issues that are beyond individual control.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://hateandanger.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/plugged-in-to-television-tv-mind-control-brain-washing-unplug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://hateandanger.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/plugged-in-to-television-tv-mind-control-brain-washing-unplug.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="https://hateandanger.wordpress.com/tag/washing/page/2/" target="_blank">site</a></td></tr>
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Many of my students tell me that it is hard to look at media the same way after taking Communication and Culture. There are many things to be cynical of in the contemporary media landscape. Where it is gender issues in <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-weak-and-high-maintenance-female.html" target="_blank">advertising</a>, racial stereotypes in <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/08/race-and-class-in-purge-anarchy.html" target="_blank">movies</a>, or the proliferation of questionable <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/04/media-representations-of-atheists-as.html" target="_blank">tropes</a>, how are scholars supposed to genuinely enjoy media? I will say that I do enjoy the shows I have discussed and think there are great lessons to be learned and fun to be had in watching them. I cannot fault the investors on these shows for doing what the show encourages them to do, or even being business-oriented. It's their money, after all. But, I wholeheartedly hope that people become active instead of passive consumers of media. To watch The Bachelor and understand the questionable gender elements is much better than avoiding it completely or to accept its messages passively. Scholars, critics, and everyday people should be immersed in contemporary society and also interested in its workings.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-2507436018591456022015-04-12T10:00:00.000-07:002015-04-12T10:00:00.798-07:00Lay me Down in Indiana: Discrimination against the LGBTQ CommunityThere is a song I keep playing and have been since it was released: <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEAQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsamsmithworld.com%2F&ei=DPgWVZWTPIz1oATki4K4Cg&usg=AFQjCNEiN0v_B3dynOhXs3I66BCGYJEHTA&sig2=8bDIzBbIbF_JUrvsmciqDg&bvm=bv.89381419,d.cGU" target="_blank">Sam Smith'</a>s "Lay Me Down." His voice is very powerful and the feelings of loss and love resonated with me. It was only recently, though, that I watched the music video and the deeper meaning of Smith's question "Can I lay by your side?" made sense to me.<br />
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<a href="http://comphacker.org/comp/engl335fosen/files/2012/08/Bitzer.pdf" target="_blank">Lloyd Bitzer</a> argued that people speak when called to by their rhetorical situation. Smith's music video shows three distinct situations where the same question functions in drastically different ways. The rhetorical situation can be made up of scenic element such as the time, setting, and location, but it also extends to the historical moment, audience, and any urgent events that require (or command) speaking. The first rhetorical situation is a funeral, the second is a wedding ceremony, and the third is a church pew. They all take place in the same physical setting - a church - with the same questions posed by Smith, but are startlingly different rhetorical situations. Note the cross earrings that Smith wears throughout the video symbolizing the importance of faith in the asking and answering of these questions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivh2eV2u8O9PoGvoO1WJcgxev3arrx8E_es8NjalJSNOt5sqa85oM99R7Uj4eACjX82GAKURhQbTCkLAnECK59qYnnab2OJ9jk0cArh7UsTV4B4-Xf7LMEHsfV-IDj9e5X86M3Y8kQIdA/s1600/Screen+Shot+03-28-15+at+11.35+AM.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivh2eV2u8O9PoGvoO1WJcgxev3arrx8E_es8NjalJSNOt5sqa85oM99R7Uj4eACjX82GAKURhQbTCkLAnECK59qYnnab2OJ9jk0cArh7UsTV4B4-Xf7LMEHsfV-IDj9e5X86M3Y8kQIdA/s1600/Screen+Shot+03-28-15+at+11.35+AM.JPG" height="251" width="640" /></a></div>
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In the first scene, Smith sings in front of a closed casket. A funeral often calls forth the epideictic style of speaking, or a eulogy where the dead are praised. The epideictic focuses on the present and makes real and meaningful the death in the past for the present coping of the loss. Smith asks what must be unanswered questions about the ability for him to reconnect physically and emotionally with the person who has passed. The answer is a resounding "no." Smith cannot make sure the person is alright or lay by their side again. Their new home is not among the living. It is unclear who he is mourning which removes the sexual connotations that the question "Can I lay by your side?" could potentially evoke. This scene illuminates the sorrow of loss and the frequent trope of wishing to hold and keep close those we have lost, despite the impossibility of it.<br />
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The second scene slowly transitions from a somber funeral to a celebratory wedding. This situation is also one of epideictic, but a loss is not made meaningful in the present, but it is instead a celebration and praise of a relationship, it's past, present, and future. Smith's words transition from a eulogy to wedding vows, where he is asking permission of his partner to cement their relationship legally, to lay by his side and be his protector and keeper. Historically, the wedding night would be the first night of the relationship where couples spent the night. Although not often the case today, the question still poses symbolic connotations of a new stage in the relationship that solidifies monogamy, commitment, and physical compatibility. It should be noted that Smith's partner in the music video and reality is a man. This scene, thus, also carries political connotations surrounding the love and commitment between partners of <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/05/civil-rights-and-marriage-equality.html" target="_blank">any sex or gender that is legally allowed</a>. The wedding guests are jumping with joy and dressed all in white in a stark comparison to the somber, black-clad mourning outfits.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfm37Pld57xOzVAdHOFzaplysHWd7aEDKMLKpqSaXkhR_kkzP1hMQzGKk17yNTYdxbcfJSyXkuli06HAECuBwMmQ7nkhc35xX2nRViVrblg661PcBxGP0jdTdQQdqpe6ouZLw-YnhhVQc/s1600/Screen+Shot+03-28-15+at+11.37+AM+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfm37Pld57xOzVAdHOFzaplysHWd7aEDKMLKpqSaXkhR_kkzP1hMQzGKk17yNTYdxbcfJSyXkuli06HAECuBwMmQ7nkhc35xX2nRViVrblg661PcBxGP0jdTdQQdqpe6ouZLw-YnhhVQc/s1600/Screen+Shot+03-28-15+at+11.37+AM+003.JPG" height="252" width="640" /></a></div>
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This scene transitions, like the first scene, by the camera following a priest. Smith sits alone in a pew, again asking, "Can I lay by your side?" He looks up, pleading and asking his God or deity for permission. <i>Can he</i> perform such actions as a religious person? As a Christian? Is it morally appropriate, right, sinful? This scene poses the question: who has the power to regulate love and relationships? If one considers this scene the first scene chronologically, it is the story of a troubled man concerned about the morality of his sexuality. This scene shows his struggle with matching his desires, spiritually and physically. The assumption is that he overcomes these issues, finds faith and his sexuality compatible, and marries his partner in a religiously recognized church wedding. Then, he suffers the loss of his partner after an indeterminate amount of time and reflects on his series of questions that must once again be addressed to his love.<br />
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This music video and song are particularly poignant given the recent <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/us/politics/indiana-law-denounced-as-invitation-to-discriminate-against-gays.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Indiana ruling</a> that allows business owners to refuse service on the basis of religious grounds to members of the<a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/11/transgender-awareness-week.html" target="_blank"> LGBTQ community</a>. Similar to the <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/07/hobby-lobby-supreme-court-case-business.html" target="_blank">Hobby Lobby decision</a>, many are concerned that this ruling sets a dangerous precedent of discrimination as the norm and the dehumanization of certain people due to religious exemption. This reminds me of the recent approval of a ballot initiative in California that would make <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/03/25/a-california-lawyer-wants-a-ballot-initiative-to-require-the-execution-of-gay-people/" target="_blank">it legal to kill gay people</a>.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5LH2FVxrj4k/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5LH2FVxrj4k?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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Video made in response to the Indiana ruling</div>
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Music has become a prominent way for artists and people to gain more information and express themselves surrounding issues of homosexuality and sexuality. From Macklemore's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0" target="_blank">Same Love</a>, Arcade Fire's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRXc_-c_9Xc" target="_blank">We Exist</a>, Hozier's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYSVMgRr6pw" target="_blank">Take me to Church</a>, and many others, music is a realm of public deliberation where the relationship between religion and sexuality is being discussed. With what consequences, we cannot say now, but I am hopeful that the proliferation of representation will not exploit this community but instead provide the opportunity to share their stories.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-83522954804372635142015-04-05T10:00:00.000-07:002015-04-05T10:00:02.536-07:00Tools for Teaching: Socrative<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.socrative.com/img/soc_logo.svg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.socrative.com/img/soc_logo.svg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from <a href="http://socrative.com/">Socrative.com</a></td></tr>
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I learned about a teaching application called <a href="http://www.socrative.com/" target="_blank">Socrative</a> at this year's Western States Communication Association Convention in Spokane, Washington. It was a serendipitous discovery because I have been struggling in the course Communication and Culture that I had taught in the Fall of 2014 and this current semester, Spring 2015, with student participation. The course has a biweekly lecture (~120 students) and then a discussion section that I host on Monday morning (2 sections of 20 students each). Students are thus exposed to the material in the 3 hours of weekly class time, but I only have 50 minutes on Monday to synthesize, lead discussion, hold student presentations, answer questions, and take care of any housekeeping.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/KWyhJdX1J89vCBnW_1SzTMFa19-qR75Rs7h629koWi1TMtDxv5KrcW0JwnEGTartOimv=w300" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/KWyhJdX1J89vCBnW_1SzTMFa19-qR75Rs7h629koWi1TMtDxv5KrcW0JwnEGTartOimv=w300" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.socrative.student" target="_blank">this site</a></td></tr>
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This has led to a lack of conversation when we do get free time to talk. The expectation is set that there may be too much going on for students to have questions or ideas ready. I don't think that the students purposefully avoid participating, but with a limited amount of time, it is easy to let other students handle it. Additionally, the readings for Communication and Culture are theory-heavy and quite challenging, leading to some anxiety about being incorrect or misinterpreting. Some of the topic areas, such as race, sexuality, gender, class, and power can also halt conversation. A student just last week, when we were talking about sexuality, said that she didn't want to participate because she was worried she would offend someone. When I pushed her and asked what ideas she had that might offend, she offered, "Well, everything." Her comment made me think about how challenging it is to embrace talking about pressing social issues and how the norm is to be silent. Breaking political correctness is the modern sin that cannot be committed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRRlZaUJoX1-q6Pd7R4OsLUAnLI_Nu8G5Pi61wPpkZ26N18CV6nzQ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRRlZaUJoX1-q6Pd7R4OsLUAnLI_Nu8G5Pi61wPpkZ26N18CV6nzQ" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.socrative.teacher" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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I do have many students that tend to participate regularly, even on difficult subjects, and I rely heavily on them to help organize and lead discussion. It's hard, however, to consider those students representative and get a good idea about the actual opinions, knowledge, and understanding of all students. I've had many students, especially international students, reveal that they are nervous at the possibility of being called upon and want to avoid participating unless they are really passionate or feel comfortable.<br />
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Socrative is an opportunity for students to submit answers and questions through the app without the pressure of initiating conversation or anxiety about being correct. It also solves issues of a lack of time and the ability for only a few students to participate. It's convenience, settings, and functionality have greatly improved conversation in my discussion section this semester.<br />
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First of all, our classrooms are becoming a home for all electronic devices. I'm frankly shocked when I see actual notepad and pencils on desks. Instead of fighting the technology (as some teachers who ban computers in classrooms do), Socrative embraces the ubiquity of these tools. <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.socrative.student" target="_blank">Socrative Student</a> is available on all platforms, Apple and Android from tablets and phones, and even within Chrome's web browser as an add-on. All students (notably at the fairly affluent USC) were able to access the app without excuses.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/AEw7Plu6Pey1phroh6hgdQDBBr7774xctnYEDAUjn3j3hQrFUN6NSfTJT5jmgmMb-PA%3Dh900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/AEw7Plu6Pey1phroh6hgdQDBBr7774xctnYEDAUjn3j3hQrFUN6NSfTJT5jmgmMb-PA%3Dh900" height="200" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAUQjhw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fplay.google.com%2Fstore%2Fapps%2Fdetails%3Fid%3Dcom.socrative.teacher%26hl%3Dde&ei=RukWVba8Oo3moATnhoGQAw&bvm=bv.89381419,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNGC08eYBkSLJk6X2XUnq-kp4VsH5A&ust=1427650810094797" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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On the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.socrative.teacher" target="_blank">teacher platform</a>, I was able to create a "classroom" with a specific, customized name. Within the app, I can create quizzes for students to take to test their knowledge. In the morning, after announcements, I launch the weekly readings re-cap quiz (from the Tuesday and Thursday content from the week before) which is a series of multiple choice or short answer questions to gauge how much information the students have retained and whether they understood the material. Once I manually close the quiz, I choose how I want to receive the responses, so I can refer back to them later. This also works for teachers who want to do Pop Quizzes and record grades.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://edtechnews.britanico.cl/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Socrative.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://edtechnews.britanico.cl/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Socrative.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://edtechnews.britanico.cl/?p=206" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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I can also see the students' answers as they come in, so during the quiz time, I can write notes and tailor my lecture to make sure I have the pieces that students are struggling most with covered. Oftentimes, I am surprised that they understand what I consider complicated ideas and struggle with simple definitions or differences between theorists. This helps ensure that the discussion sections do meet the needs of the students without needed a student to volunteer that they did not understand something. Also, when I address these concepts, I can call on students that submitted correct answers and confirm their accuracy before they speak. This reinforces their grasp of the material and takes away some of the uncertainties of participating.<br />
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Socrative is very easy to set-up during class if I need a specific response to a question. For example, I often get nothing but blank stares when I ask if we can move on or if students need more explanation. I have a one-question "Check-in" Quiz that I can launch and get immediate feedback if students want to move on or if they would like more information about that topic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nicolechubb.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/space_race.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.nicolechubb.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/space_race.png" height="181" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from this <a href="http://www.nicolechubb.com/2014/07/31/getting-set-up-on-socrative/" target="_blank">site</a>.</td></tr>
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There are some other app functionality such as "space race" where you can put students in teams and have them race to finish the quiz. I have not tried this functionality yet, but I imagine in a course that I have more time or more control over the content, this would be a fun and engaging activity.<br />
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I encourage teachers and teaching assistants to try the app and see if it works in their classroom space. With students already nose down into their computer screens, I found Socrative a positive way to keep them on track and focused on the material. I found that in the few weeks I've used it, it has increased conversation, given me confidence in calling on students and asking for participation, and made for a less stressful atmosphere.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-19682460133153299732015-03-29T10:00:00.000-07:002015-03-29T10:00:02.389-07:00Spring 2015 and the ProspectusThis is a special post where I am apologizing for my lack of posts this semester. The <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/08/rites-of-passage-qualifying-exam.html" target="_blank">qualifying exam</a> process was quite stressful, but the prospectus process has proved itself even more difficult. Graduate school has been educational in more ways than just content. My classes have taught me theories, methodologies, scholars, and critical thinking, but I've also learned outside of the classroom. From time management to scheduling to interfacing with administration and advisors to supporting peers and colleagues to entering scholarly conversations through <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/03/academic-labor-and-producing-graduate.html" target="_blank">publishing</a>, the graduate school experience is truly a unique experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd072814s.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd072814s.gif" height="221" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Retrieved from </span><a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" target="_blank">PhDComics</a></td></tr>
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I have been focusing on writing my prospectus, which is the document that works through and justifies my argument for the larger dissertation. What will eventually become chapter 1 of the project has been difficult to conceptualize. From my original focus on <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2013/09/underestimating-enemy-creationism-vs.html" target="_blank">evolution</a>, I then incorporated other religious controversies such as the <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/03/energy-darwinism-substituting-economic.html" target="_blank">environment </a>and <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/04/creation-care-part-1-where-religion-and.html" target="_blank">creation care</a>. Now, the dissertation focuses on <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/06/donald-sterling-as-modern-day-earl-butz.html" target="_blank">Burkean theory</a> and how we tell <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-selfie-self-love-and-object-love.html" target="_blank">stories </a>to explain the world around us. I am currently very comfortable with my argument and look forward to entering the full writing stage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd101212s.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd101212s.gif" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/" target="_blank">PhDComics</a></td></tr>
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The iterations of the project were certainly time-consuming, but what was more stressful was the unexpected change to the committee make-up and the need to meet the expectations of different people with the same project. These types of changes can certainly disrupt the graduate experience, especially because of the reliance on our advisors and committees. Although the American system, and specifically communication and humanities/social sciences programs, do not always have a strict mentor/mentee relationship, flexibility is not always a blessing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd022509s.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd022509s.gif" height="172" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Retrieved from </span><a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" target="_blank">PhDComics</a></td></tr>
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All in all, I am proud with my progress this semester and am learning more about the intricacies of the committee relationship and the process behind the degree. Now approved, I hope that the blog posts will become more regular on Sundays, except for holidays or traveling.<br />
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Onward to the dissertation!EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987961538324157165.post-30556064331764077272014-11-16T10:00:00.000-08:002014-11-16T10:00:03.674-08:00Arguing Monuments and Material RhetoricThe concept of "materiality" and how physical objects argue is becoming popular in rhetorical criticism. Scholars are beginning to theorize that buildings, cities, monuments, and other physical objects can argue, influence people, and tell stories -- just like words. The history of "the material turn" is quiet expansive (as I've discovered while writing my dissertation about it), but I will summarize some key points before discussing examples.<br />
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Traditional rhetorical criticism focused on the speeches of great orators and analyzed the word choices and potential effects. Scholars slowly began to incorporate other objects of study like groups of speakers, genres of speeches, and non-elite speakers. These variations still focused on the spoken and written word, however. Larger changes emerged when scholars began looking at how physical spaces <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2011/11/jewel-house.html" target="_blank">constrain or offer opportunities</a> in the way that speeches invite or construct possibilities for audiences. Moving through a space that has physical obstacles is similar to spoken commands or laws that restrict movement. Physical spaces and objects can themselves be symbols (like words) that have embedded meaning, affect, and significance. Materiality invites audience participation and makes arguments.<br />
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The first example of arguing monuments is the Portrait Monument at the US Capitol. The marble monument shows three elegant busts of prominent women in the women's suffrage movement: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott. There is room for a fourth bust in a lump of un-carved stone in the rear of the monument.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aoc.gov/sites/default/files/styles/artwork-node/public/images/artwork/6344920850_bb417f27d7_o.jpg?itok=xuV4sxdD" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.aoc.gov/sites/default/files/styles/artwork-node/public/images/artwork/6344920850_bb417f27d7_o.jpg?itok=xuV4sxdD" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture retrieved from <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/other-statues/portrait-monument" target="_blank">Architect of the Capitol</a></td></tr>
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This monument makes a clear argument that the work of <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-weak-and-high-maintenance-female.html" target="_blank">women's rights</a> is unfinished. There may have been great women in the past who deserve to be honored, but there is still the need for <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/09/catcalling-and-power-hollaback-at.html" target="_blank">activism</a>, activists, and <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2014/06/what-do-elliot-rodger-and-tal-fortgang.html" target="_blank">progress</a>. Furthermore, viewers of the monument are invited to honor the memories of these three great women by continuing on their work. Their memories do not invoke a sense of completeness or finality; their faces encourage the audience to ask, "what more can be done?" Some people have thought that the unfinished section is meant to be completed when the US elects the first female President. This, however, goes against the intention of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Capitol_rotunda#Women.27s_suffrage" target="_blank">artist</a>, Adelaide Johnson, to show the perpetually unsolved state of gender equality.</div>
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Another example is the <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/atheists-unveil-monument-nonbelief-god-article-1.1386919" target="_blank">Atheism bench</a>. This monument is the first public monument to <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/03/our-modern-day-scarlet-letters.html" target="_blank">atheism</a>, or a lack of belief in divinity. The <a href="https://atheists.org/" target="_blank">American Atheists</a> lost a court case to have a monument to the Ten Commandments removed from a Florida Courthouse. Instead of removing the monument, the court offered them the opportunity to build their own monument. The monument is a bench so as to be a functional piece of public display. It is covered in quotations that specifically mention religion and the American political and legal systems.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://timenewsfeed.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/atheists.jpg?w=480&h=320&crop=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://timenewsfeed.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/atheists.jpg?w=480&h=320&crop=1" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture retrieved from <a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/06/28/unveiling-americas-first-public-monument-to-atheism/" target="_blank">Time Magazine</a></td></tr>
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The Atheism bench claims space for non-belief outside of a courtroom that, like Lady Liberty, should be blind to concerns of religion. The bench argues that religious belief should not be a factor in the courts. The bench also argues that public space should be <a href="http://efbresearch.blogspot.com/2012/09/when-freedom-isnt-really-free-church.html" target="_blank">free and open space</a> where no ideas should dominate and none should be excluded. The bench also includes, in writing "consequences of breaking the Ten Commandments" as a direct verbal argument against the Ten Commandments monument displayed on the other end of the courthouse.<br />
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These are just two examples of how physical spaces can produce arguments. Oftentimes, memorials are coupled with verbal statements, like the Atheism bench, but it is important for scholars to note that images, monuments, and material things can produce independent, standalone arguments.EFBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021536247280889060noreply@blogger.com0