What IS education... really?

This is a video that was on the "featured videos" section of youtube. I almost NEVER look at these. Something compelled me this time (at 6:30 in the morning!), and I'm glad it did. What is this saying about "higher" education in the United States?

Where were YOU on Sunday night?

Most Sunday nights, I find myself snuggled in bed with a book. Okay, so as pathetic as it is, I can often be found there on Friday or Saturday night as well. This past Sunday, however, I found myself in North Minneapolis. What in the heck, you ask, were you doing there? This adventure began simply by helping a classmate out - he needed some papers for an assignment due this afternoon. Then it's, "Meet my kitten. Have a cup of tea." Aw... I couldn't resist either offers. Animals win me over just about every time, and this one was no exception. And better than that, I love Chris and Johanna. We think alike. Any opportunity to make friends with people I admire - sign me up.

So, I have to admit, even though I don't watch many shows (I only get 4 channels, sometimes 5), I have guilty pleasures in the television world. I love "Lost" and occasionally catch late-night reruns of Sex and the City. I used to watch "Everwood" on the WB (oh!) and when I'm at my Grandma's, I find myself looking for "Project Runway." Okay, no more confessions, except for this - I've always wanted to "get" Desperate Housewives. I never wanted to see it during the first season. So, I didn't watch. Usually, this means I won't ever try to catch up. After the show started getting a lot of hype, I wanted to see what it was all about, but I wasn't ambitious enough to spend an hour trying to figure it out. However, Jo and Chris took care of that. They're closet Desperate Housewives watchers. Shhh... don't tell. :)

As the show began, Chris feverishly caught me up on who was married to who, who was pregnant and who was faking, who was having an affair and who attempted suicide... drama, drama, drama. Why ARE we so fascinated by other people's drama? An American phenomenon, I suppose. So for an hour, the 3 of us were hunkered down, being sucked in by the women and their charades on Wisteria Lane. We talked about how we're bombarded with commercials and advertisements for hundreds of television shows that are vying for our attention. The more dramatic, it seems, the better chance that people will check it out. The laid-back atmosphere in which we watched set the stage for a happy-go-lucky viewing environment. We all agreed that Desperate Housewives is the equivalent of a primetime soap opera that continues to suck you in every week because you're dying to know what's going to happen next. Is he really going to kill her? Will she die of cancer? What's the big secret about her past? People who wouldn't normally be watching TV find themselves a part of these imaginary worlds. While our television choices might not necessarily reflect our internal attitudes toward the real world, these kind of programs provide an escape from reality. Viewing together creates an opportunity for collaboration and connection. The characters are well-developed, edgy, and semi-realistic enough to keep viewers interested. Desperate Housewives invites a mature audience into a neighborhood where gossip and drama are the name of the game. In the end, we're all (viewer, actors, and characters) seeking the same thing - success and happiness in a very busy, complex, confusing world.

Environmentalist=Hippie=Dirty White Guy on Drugs?

Cue the Grateful Dead or Bob Marley. This blog should have it's own soundtrack.

"How do people construct generalizations about categories of people?"
There seems to be some kind of fixed essential notion that most environmentalists are tree-hugging dirty hippies who believe in free love, communal living, nudity, and pot smoking. Hippies have long-standing stereotypes that have left negative footprints in the minds of a more traditional and conservative society. Typically associated with old white guys in tye-dyed t-shirts with beards giving a peace sign and smoking a joint, hippies have come to represent one of the counter-culture groups around the world. Media representations of this group are rooted in 60s fundamentalism that remains timeless. It's true. Many hippies are liberal, environmentally-conscious consumers - wearing locally handmade clothes, buying organic produce (or growing their own), and living a minimalist lifestyle. But, if that's all it takes - count me in. I'm a hippie. (For what it's worth, my older sister calls me a hippiewannabe.) The question really seems to become... what part of this image is missing or silenced? You don't have to live out in the woods (or literally in a tree) to be an environmentalist. What about the young professionals that drive hybrid cars and shop at Whole Foods? Or members of the Green Party? There must be environmental lawyers who wear a suit to work everyday that consider themselves environmentalists? Why are there no images of ethnic minorities who care about the Earth? Surely they exist. I find it extremely interesting that it's the year 2007 and we all still know what a hippie is, yet there has never been any formal teaching. As they are bombarded with image after image through television, movies, magazines, internet, etc. children learn, whether we want them to or not, exactly what stereotypes exist. A parent's job is no longer limited to feeding, clothing, and loving their little ones but involves counteracting the forces that create narrow-minded judgements. Look at how Native Americans are portrayed - as savage Indians running around in loin cloths with tomahawks. Look at how "beautiful women" are portrayed. We now have children as young as 5 becoming anorexic. Look at glorified sports stars and the non-stop schedules that some of these children now have after school. The media, often driven by the superpowers that be (corporations with money), still shape the the views of the public at large. The power of society... wow.

Beck!

After making Baker watch this - he said it was blogworthy.
I love it. Yes, I do.
Man, I bet he's good live.

Editing

I did the assignments out of order, like Baker did. You'd think a graduate student could decipher a simple syllabus. Oh well.

This is a trailer for the unbelievably powerful documentary "Angels in the Dust." I wish I could see it, but it's not coming anywhere close to us.

I'll go to this place someday. I swear it.


Considering that this is a movie trailer, the entire thing is an editing masterpiece. If you can watch it without crying, you're a stronger person than I am. The trailer begins with an African hymn. This is an editing technique that helps convey the emotional content. Then we see a herd of elephants and a woman begins narrating the story. B-roll footage was used for cutaways that give insight into what the woman is talking about. We here the sound effect of a gun shot as an elephant is killed from an aerial rifle. She tells a story of baby elephants and then there is a "fade transition" into video of African children.


The editors then used Titles throughout as additional commentary and information. These are positioned to provide an extra emotional boost to an already powerful video. Actual interviews with the people who gave up everything to start this school and orphanage are shown. More b-roll footage, along with music, and audio from the interview are all wrapped into one as they share their amazing vision with the audience. Quick cuts of the documentary show narrative development without giving away the the entire documentary. All of this remarkable editing helps convey meaning and the themes of community and survival. As the title page rolls at the end with the name of film "angels in the dust," as a final hurrah, the audience is left with sounds: children singing and playing hand-clapping games...

Oh, my heart!

An Analysis of Pretty Woman

Pretty Woman - the quintessential rags to riches romance. This clip lends itself to a good "narrative analysis." In this type of analysis, the events are defined in terms of how they shape the story. Knowing that this movie is a romantic comedy (of sorts), one can reasonably assume based on prior knowledge, that there will be a happy ending. Any loose ends will be tied neatly in a bow at the end. The audience then uses "prototypical schema" to fill in gaps and predict outcomes. The archetypal narrative pattern in this movie falls in line with the stereotypical Cinderella story. The handsome prince and the princess fall in love and live happily ever after. There are certain cultural values being exhibited in this clip - money, power, love, success. It plays on the viewers own desire for love, leading many, especially impressionable adolescents and young adults, to strive for this unrealistic romantic relationship in their own lives. Mr. Right should look just like the handsome Richard Gere, have millions of dollars, and rescue you from an otherwise difficult life. This is a perfect time to talk about the "feminist analysis" - primarily the sexist portrayals of men and woman in film. Considering the fact that Julia Roberts is a prostitute, the movie presents the image of women as sex objects within a patriarchal society run by powerful men. Though the movie attempts to move beyond that image, asserting that a man can love a woman for more than her body, the ending still embodies a skewed version of reality. Richard Gere is portrayed as a hero for rescuing Julia Roberts from her life. Opera music, red roses, a fairytale ending. The cultural construction of the roles of men and woman are clearly defined in this clip, representing masculinity and femininity on opposite spectrums. Oh, I'm sure I could say a lot more... but I happen to like Richard Gere... a lot. He's one of my favorite Buddhists. :)

Snickers Kiss!

In this 30 second SuperBowl Commercial, the first shot is from a distance (establishing a long shot) of two mechanics huddled over the engine of vehicle. Autoshop sounds can be heard in the background. This serves the purpose of setting the scene. This is followed quickly by a zoom shot of one of the mechanics reaching into the pocket of his shirt for a delicious snickers bar. The camera closes in on the snickers and then there is a medium shot of the action of the mechanic putting the snickers halfway in his mouth. You hear the ripping of the package. The 4th or so shot is a closeup on the face of the other mechanic looking longingly at his partner. There isn't any sappy background music or other farfetched effects. You can see the profile of the first mechanic in the foreground. Immediately, it's a close up of both them as the second mechanic goes in for the "kiss"... SMACK! Right on the lips. At least he got half a snickers out of it. The moment they realize they're locking lips, the camera backs up as they jump away from each other. This is a low-angle shot where the audience is looking up at the second mechanic (the kisser). He says, "I think we just kissed." The camera flips back to the first mechanic as he replies, "Quick, do something manly." This flipping back and forth occurs a couple more times as the men rip open their shirts and pull out their chest hair while screaming bloody murder. The scene ends, of course, with a picture of the inside of a "Snickers: Most Satisfying."

I laugh outloud every time I see this commercial. As a Super Bowl commercial, it's been designed to engage the audience, make them laugh, and keep their attention as they wait for the big game. The camera angles change rapidly, keeping pace with the expectations of the audience. If the commercial can't keep attention, certainly the football fan will be off the couch and getting a snack, rather than sitting through television ads. In this fast paced world, commercials have 30 seconds to get the job done. If they fail, ultimately, their product loses out over the competition. There are a lot of clever commercials out there vying for attention.