Virgin Mary, Is That You?

  

   Looking at the stills from Double Indemnity and L.A. Confidential, there was a clear parallel between these two images of the main female characters in the movies (3 and 9). Both females have very light blond, curly, soft-looking hair and beautiful, angelic faces with high-arching cheekbones. Both images have a sexy quality to them, but the females still look innocent: Lynn, with her white as pure hood and wide eyes, and Phyllis, with a glow of light surrounding her hair and bare shoulders. Both women also have their lips slightly parted, a very innocent, child-like image. What's interesting about how pure and innocent they both seem in these images is that these are the first images of both characters in their respective movies, so it is the first impression of them that we get as an audience member, and that the main male characters gets of them. What Walter doesn't know about Phyllis in this moment is that she is actually a manipulative, murderous woman. And what Bud doesn't know about Lynn is that she is a prostitute, and will continue to work as one even as they're "dating." Both women are perceived in these images as "Virgin Mary's," when we all know Virgin Mary wasn't really a virgin at all- just as these women are deceptive in their posing as innocent angels. The main difference between these two shots is that the one of Lynn is a close-up shot, showing only her face and a little bit of the background, and the image of Phyllis is a high-angle medium shot, looking up at her from Walter's POV, and showing part of her towel-covered body.

All is Still

   This shot taken from Minority Report can be classified as an extreme wide shot, as it is fully zoomed out so the audience member can see far into the distance and the object previously being focused on (the house where the pre-cogs live) looks very small, as seen from a great distance. It's also a down-angle shot as it looks like it's being viewed from the sky. I think this is an important still shot in the movie because it's the last shot of the movie and resolves the plot. You can literally see the "big picture" with this shot. Everyone is at peace and justice has been served. It's also important because it ties into the very first shots of the movie, which involve water- a prevalent theme in this movie. In the beginning credits, there is a ripple in the water and then Agatha's head plunges into the water- in both scenes the water is being disturbed. Here, the water is perfectly placid, also symbolizing the resolution and peace as the movie ends.

What About Brandy?

    Rodgers and Hammerstein's Brandy Cinderella is an under-appreciated movie. It was the first time in history an original Disney princess was replaced by an African-American princess. People have been making a big deal about the new Disney Princess movie- The Princess and the Frog and the fact that it's making waves by starring the first black Disney Princess- not true! Brandy Cinderella is also a musical that features many great Rodgers and Hammerstein classics, Whoopi Goldberg, Whitney Houston, and Bernadette Peters- how can you resist?

The Last Meta-Blog

    Maybe it's because I'm so sentimental, but I can't help noticing that this is the very last meta-blog post we'll have to write. Unless you were held back a year...in which case I'm very sorry. Looking back on the 40 or so posts I've published this year, I am proud of my work. Other than my gratitude journal, (in which I write one thing every night about something I'm grateful for- I highly recommend it), this is the only consistent writing I've done all year. Since I am involved in theater, I am used to expressing myself through someone that is not myself, so I am grateful (gratitutde journal anyone??) that I have found a way to be comfortable expressing myself through my very own words and thoughts. Looking at my first blog post, Titanic Once Again, I remember being quite uncomfortable as I wrote that. I specifically remember thinking, "Do I actually care about this?" as I wrote it. Now, I don't write it unless I care. For example, I feel so passionate about the amazing weather of summer finally arriving that I just had to blog about it in my latest post, SUMMER. I have become much more carefree within the topics I have written about, and even though they are not always hard-hitting journalism pieces that I'm extremely proud of, as Kristen said in her last meta-blog post, blogging about Kate Middleton and the world's hottest pepper is "not necessarily a bad thing." I hope readers have come away from my blog posts having learned something new or realized that there was another way of looking at a topic. That has been my goal all along. And maybe I won't be blogging 4 posts per month next year as I tried to stick to this year, but I think it's safe to say that I will be returning to this blog in the fall. Why not this summer, you may ask? I'll be too busy at the beach.

Please assess "ROT IN HELL"?

SUMMER

SUMMER has finally arrived. And thank goodness. Yes, this is when you start finding spiders in the corners of your room. Yes, this is when you start sweating everytime you leave the air conditioning of your home. But it is also warm weather, sun, shorts, bikinis, beach, water, strawberry daquiris (virgin, don't have a cow), sleeping outside, walking, biking, tanning, shopping, oh and did I say WARM weather? Finally the demise of this May's winter has occurred, and we can gladly welcome the insects into our houses because who cares? It's summer.

2012

   They say that December 21st, 2012 will be the last day of the Earth's existence, effectively ending the existence of the human population, as well. This phenomenon has inspired the creation of movies such as 2012 starring John Cusack, and songs like 2012 by Jay Sean and Till the World Ends by Britney. Whether we're "gonna live like it's the end of the world," or "dancing till the world ends," is irrelevant in some people's opinions, as 2012 does not signify the actual end of the Earth, but rather a drastic transformation of some kind. According to an article (link) in Time Magazine, this change will be a "physical or spiritual" one. My mother, a believer in spirituality has inspired me and raised me on those beliefs. So I, too, believe that on this fateful day something will change within us. My hope is that it is a change for the better. Perhaps it will be the final elimination of racism, sexism, and general nonacceptance of others that still lives in our world. I say and hope this because I'm optimistic, but I'm also fairly realistic, and realize that this hope is a stretch. But if something significant really is going to happen, why can't we make it something positive? Rather than it being the world's death, maybe it will be its rebirth.

SPOILER ALERT!

   Bolos/O'C have always told us to blog about what we want to so, hell, I'm gonna do it! I was actually inspired by Kristen's blog post from a long time ago, (back in the junior theme era), about radishes. Or something random like that. She was not afraid to write about something "silly" or seemingly unimportant because, after all, it is HER blog. So I would just like to announce SPOILER ALERT! that Brittani Kline has won America's Next Top Model. Do I know that this show is a piece of crap? Of course I do. But I watch it anyway because it's fun to lose your mind in the stupidity and entertainment of a reality contest show. Anyway, I'm VERY happy that Brittani won- she is down-to-earth and looks real. She grew up in a trailer park and that didn't even hold her back from pursuing a career in modeling- look how far she's come since then! She's overcome a lot and had some drama (of course) on the show but finally I am happy with the outcome of this show. Also, she was the only brunette to last that far so good for her!

Citizen Kane

   I have seen multiple TV shows and movies that use a joke making fun of the fact that Citizen Kane is often called the best movie ever made, but no one seems to get it or like it. So I was surprised to learn throughout the past few days that not only did I get it, I loved it. I thought it was so interesting- especially the filmography of it. Today when Doc OC, the lit/film teacher as he so often mentions, said that probably most of us students wouldn't be paying attention to the camera techniques as we watch the film, I wanted to raise my hand and say "Achem!" I am fascinated by filmmaking and loved the angles at which every scene was so purposely shot, the choice to include certain backgrounds or objects in each shot, and the many beautiful images throughout the film. Every scene and aspect of the filmography was brilliant and unique, which, I'm sure, is one of the reasons why its known as the best film ever created. It's also impressive, though many people have successfully done this, that Orson Welles directed and starred in Citizen Kane. Although this was not one of my favorite movies, (My Big Fat Greek Wedding is more like it), I thought it was incredibly acted, directed, filmed, written, and produced. If only a girl had been involved in the production of it...

To Pic or Not To Pic

   Recently, with the event of Osama's death, there has been a lot of controversy as to whether or not the government should release videos and pictures of his body. On The View, there was a poll presented that showed that 56% of United States citizens polled wanted the U.S. government to release the pictures. Of course we cannot know exactly why each of these 56% wants to see horrific pictures of Osama's remains, but it is suggested that it is due to the suspicion that he's not really dead. This reminds me of something I previously blogged about- the release of Obama's birth certificate to prove that he was not, in fact, a Muslim. It is ridiculous to think that he's not really dead, but at least this time it is not a matter of race or religion, but just disbelief and mistrust in the government, which, in my opinion, is understandable. Do you think the pictures should be released? Do you even doubt that Osama is not really gone?

"ROT IN HELL"?

   This morning, when I found out about Bin Laden's death, one of the first things I thought about was the fact that I would need to address it in my blog, as I'm sure many of us will. What I didn't know was what exactly to write about. But after seeing the collage of newspaper covers today in class, I feel inspired to write about how inappropriate I feel it is to celebrate the killing of a human being, no matter how bad of a person they are. It is one thing to be glad he is gone, which I admittedly am, than to party outside the White House and pop champagne to the story of him, his son, and a couple others being shot. While I don't want to rain on the patriotic parade that has suddenly arisen from this occurrence, I don't think this is the time to be especially patriotic, mostly because the United States are coming off as inhumane and cruel, at least to me. Looking at the cover pages we looked at today, I am sad to see declarations of "ROT IN HELL!" and "WE GOT THE BASTARD!" Does this event not deserve the gravity that is normally involved with a person's death? Also, his death should be a reminder of the many people who died in 9/11, an extremely grave event. It should not be the revenge we have achieved in their honor.

"Humiliating Day"

   According to the Vancouver Sun (link), a critic called the release of Obama's birth certificate a "humiliating day" since it was caused by the ignorant "suspicions" of people such as Donald Trump. Because Trump made a statement about Obama needing to release his birth certificate to the public to end the suspicions of people who think he might be Muslim...(um, I think the U.S. gov would have figured that out by now if it was true), Obama went ahead and did it. And this is humiliating for our nation because it shows the continued existence of racism in 2011. Do you think we as a nation ever demanded to see a Caucasian president's birth certificate? No. It upsets me that things haven't really changed for the better. And I hope I'm not the only one upset by it.

Returning to Life

   First of all, I just want to apologize for my lack of blogging since April 4th...that's pretty sad. I'm apologizing more to my self than anyone because I know it only hurts me in the long run to forget to blog, but I neglected it anyway because I had to prioritize my life for a while and make some sacrifices. The week that our "full draft" for junior theme was due was a horrendous one for me. I had two auditions, an in school performance, a long dress rehearsal, 2 passover seders, and 2 tests, and that all occurred by Wednesday since I left school early on Thursday for a visit to IU. When I got back, I was expecting to feel this great weight be lifted off my shoulders with the turning on of my paper, but unfortunately that feeling has not taken over quite yet. Maybe because I still had the ACT to take. Maybe because there is still life after junior theme. I'm still waiting for that sigh of relief to hit me.

Assessment

Please assess Racism Still Exists. But please pardon the line about Reconstruction...I'm aware of how historically incorrect that is.

Suckerpunch Gets Suckerpunched

As you already know, (if you've read my previous posts), I am researching sexism and gender inequality in films for my junior theme project. A few recently produced movies immediately come to mind when I think about the over-sexualization of female characters in films today. The first one is Suckerpunch, which is about a girl who gets thrown unwillingly into a mental institution, which ends up being more like a whorehouse judging by the costumes and mannerisms of her fellow "institution girlfriends" in the previews. She is then told that the only way to escape from the institution is to fight and defeat demons in some kind of imaginary world. This would be a great example of a strong, "kick-ass" female character in a movie, had she not been dressed like some teenage boy's schoolgirl fantasy. Of course this movie would be gobbled up by perv-y guys if it didn't look as much like a chick-flick as it seems in the preview. But I was happy to read on PerezHilton.com: "Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch took a huge blow as it dropped 68% from the previous weekend, grossing only $6.1 million for the weekdn. So far, that's been the biggest second-weekend drop of any movie this year. Ouchie."

"Ouchie" is right. Looks like I'm not the only one disgusted by this horrific display of sexualization and demeaning stereotyping.

Work Over Spring Break Orrrr....Not?

I feel like I'm going at the exact right pace right now for my junior theme. I have at least 5 good articles I found online that I am starting to read and annotate, I am currently reading a book on my topic written by a NYTimes journalist, I found 7 articles from encyclopedias and books in the library and copied the pages, and even did a bibliography of every source I've found so far and think I'll use. So now the question is, should I work over spring break?? Doc OC and Bolos said no need to do significant work over the break, other than reading. But since we don't know any due dates, I feel wary about taking time off from writing, researching, and planning my essay for a week. Also, my 23 year old sister who is a graduate of WashU will be on vacation with me, so my mom has suggested that I use her help because she's a great essay writer. Is it worth it to spend my precious time in Palm Springs working on this project? Help!!

The Struggle to Understand

   Lately, as I have been getting further into my junior theme book, Are Men Necessary? by Maureen Dowd and finding many articles and resources for my research, I've come to realize that I don't really understand what we will be doing in our papers. I thought we were supposed to leave our opinion out of the matter entirely, but then Doc O'C told me that I should definitely infuse my paper with my ideas and thoughts. I also don't know if the purpose of our paper is to answer the "why" question we are posing, or just pose the question, explain all sides of the issue, then leave it up to the reader to answer it. There is one thing that I'm clear on- I need to talk to Bolos or Doc O'C immediately.

Junior Theme X-treme

   As we venture into the world of junior theme topics and ideas, I'm starting to learn about what I'm really fascinated by in life. I'm beginning to learn what I want to change about the world. And as this project parallels the growth of my college search, I think junior theme, like college, will help me learn about myself. At first, when I decided to focus on feminism and/or sexism for my theme, I was afraid of what people would think. Lately I have been hearing all over the place that high-schoolers "hate" feminists. They think of these so-called "feminists" as overly-aggressive, over-dramatic, and sometimes (ignorantly), lesbians. Well I've also decided that I don't care. I'm going to research this because I am truly passionate about the American issue of inequality between genders. I think it's a problem that we still haven't had a female president in office, and I honestly don't care if people think of me negatively for feeling this way. Those people will grow up in ignorance of women and the power they can yield if we allow them to.

Racism Still Exists

   Last weekend I went to Boca Raton, Florida to visit my grandparents. Every time we visit, we go to the same place every morning for "brunch"- the Bagel Tree. The Bagel Tree is an old-folks haven and the perfect stereotype of a Jewish deli. True, the memories and minds of old people may not be as sharp as ours as teenagers, but if you stick around to talk to one, you'll find that they are much wiser than us. They have a wealth of experiences that young people should try to learn from.
  I have to say that I never noticed before how ignorant some older people can be about race due to the fact that they grew up in a time when racism was perfectly normal. While on my visit there, I heard one woman say, "That neighborhood used to be so wonderful. Now it's filled with blacks." This shocked me, until it became clear that that woman was not the only racist around.
   Some very good friends of our grandparents are an adorable couple named Freddie and Mel. Much to my enjoyment, Freddie is the woman and Mel is the man. As I sat across from them at the Bagel Tree, it somehow came up that I have been studying race in American Studies. Freddie and Mel began to share stories of their younger years in which racism was clearly prevalent, and they told these stories in sheer disappointment of society. It was nice to know that some older people did recognize how unjust racism was and is. One story that Mel told was that he used to hang around on the beach with his friends and every night at 8 o'clock policemen would walk along the shore kicking black people off the beach. Not only were they kicked out, but they were forced to walk along the wet, dirty, gutters rather than walking on the sidewalk. This occurred around the time of Reconstruction, Mel said.
   Although racism is not as blatant as it was before, I believe it still exists in our subconscious. We still judge people based on skin color. We still mistrust people due to race. But if we can be aware and admit it still exists, maybe we can have a future free of racism altogether.

I'm Sorry if My Free Speech Offends You

   Today, I was on comcast.net and this headline popped out at me: "School Boots Girl for Red Hair." My jaw dropped in recognition of what a blatant violation of the First Amendment that this is. In the video (link) on comcast, I found that a 12-year old girl decided to get red highlights in her hair, but was sent home from her school in Texas because the highlights were "distracting" and violated the school rules. If highlights were truly distracting in a school setting, no one would get anything done at New Trier. I think it is ridiculous that they would not let her return to school until she dyed it back to her natural color- who are they to say what personal choices you make if they don't harm other people? In the end, Stephanie dyed her whole head an auburn-ish brown to match the highlights but darken them, and has yet to find out if even that is good enough for the school.

Bring Out the Girls

     Has anyone noticed that only 29% of family films contain female speaking characters? Has anyone noticed that 24% of these female characters are sexualized through their attire? These statistics, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune, could be influencing young girls' self-esteem as they grow up. Why, when creators of movies and heads of studios meet about the main characters of a family film, don't they ask, "Could this role be female?" rather than just "Could this role be African American, Asian, etc.?" Of course varying races is a great way to teach kids about the many ethnicities that make up our world, but why not also teach them that females and males are equal? Or are they?
     Our nation prides itself on how far we've come in bringing about equality for all races, genders, and sexualities in comparison to the past. But how far have we really come if the only non-sexualized, female lead in a family film that comes to mind is Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story?

Who is Free Speech Hurting?

   When is Free Speech harmful? What is crossing the line? These are the questions being asked within the context of a recent case (link) involving alleged "cyberbullying" of a boy to his teacher via facebook. High school student, Donny Tobolski, posted a rude comment about his teacher on facebook, calling him a "fat ass who should stop eating fast food, and is a douche bag." The boy then suffered the consequence of one day of suspension for "cyberbullying" his teacher. This being a violation of Donny's right to Free Speech, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) quickly stepped in and asked that the principal erase his suspension. Had Donny posted this comment from a computer at his school, or during school hours, it would have fallen under one of the school's rules about abusive language in school, but he did this at home after school. Therefore, the ACLU made it clear that it was a violation of his rights to suspend him even for one day.
   Yet in this case we must think about the victim of the hurtful comment- the teacher. While free speech is ultimately a beneficial thing for citizens of the Untied States, it can also be very harmful. When does free speech become a bad thing?

Bye, Bye French Fry

   Jokes have already started to be cracked about the new federal government- issued limitations on fat and sodium in school cafeterias. People say that french fries and tater tots will be the new weed: students will smuggle them in and trade with each other in sketchy hallways. These restrictions will soon be, and already have been in some schools, instigated nation-wide. All students will be affected by it, whether it's for good, or if it's for bad.
   In an article (link) on the Time Magazine website, it is reported that the  US Department of Agriculture discovered that "17% of all children are obese. Not just overweight: obese." This is a truly present issue in the US, which is why the USDA created the Healthy, Hungry-Free Kids Act, which was signed by President Obama. While their intentions are good, should the USDA have the freedom to take away kids' choices of what to eat? When is it crossing the line for the government to make decisions about our lives?
   Many people are not happy about these new restrictions, and it's not just unhealthy-eaters that go to these schools. Many teachers and faculty members are upset because food is a big money-maker and incentive in schools. Whether it's a bake sale for a charity, a pizza party as a reward for a class, or a vending machine that some kids use on a daily basis, this will all be changed, and in some faculty's opinions, not for the better. People are now wondering how students will react to these changes. Will they take the bait and start to change their daily nutrition and eating habits, or will food in school cafeterias suddenly become a complete waste of money?
   For me, the biggest question is- does this act go against our right to free speech as it is stated in the First Amendment? Encouraging healthier options is one thing, but telling kids what to eat and taking away what has always been available to them is entirely another.

Liberal Twain

To those who believe that Mark Twain was racist for using the "N" word- not only was he not racist in any aspect, but he also supported the Jewish people in a time where anti-semitism was very common.

No One Understands

    If you read my "Race to Extreme Lack of Sleep" post, you know that I believe kids are under so much pressure to get into college, and a good one at that, that it is detrimental to their emotional, and sometimes physical health. Well what happens to these stressed students when they actually start attending college? Does the pressure suddenly disappear because they have successfully accomplished their goal? On the front cover of the New York Times today, there is an article (link) about freshmen in college being less emotionally stable than ever. So the problem of over-worked students does not resolve itself when college begins; it only worsens.
    Because of the recession, many college students must take out student loans, which piles on the stress when they start to feel that they can never pay that debt off. Another big concern for college freshmen, although they have just begun, they are already worried about jobs. In today's financially-challenged economy, college students are having a tougher time getting jobs than ever before. And some feel like they owe it to their parents, who have supported them emotionally and financially all through school, to get a stable job out of it. Because of all of these stress-inducing factors, the study on emotional health of college freshmen showed that the percentage of students who claimed to have "above-average" emotional health went from 64% in 1985 to 52% now. This means that the "race" to college is not over when college begins.
     On the New York Times website, the article features a picture of a whiteboard (link) in a Stony Brook university's health facilities, in which therapists meet with overworked students. This whiteboard signifies the pain and angst students are feeling due to pressure and stress: "Hold on if you feel like letting go/ Why am I here?/ Believe/ I can.../ Love yourself/ No one understands."

Meta-Blog

Bo'OC- Please assess Dancing With the Tea Party.

   In my last meta-blog post, I stated that blogging is "harder than it looks." And while I think that still rings true, I also feel much more comfortable blogging now, and can enjoy it fully. I used to dread doing research because it tended to stress me out and confuse me, but this quarter I found that I actually love to do research to support my blogs. The difference between stressful researching and enjoyable researching is knowing what you're looking for. This past quarter, I provided much more context, quotes, and links in my posts to back up my mentioned current events. I was most proud of myself after writing Dancing With the Tea Party. I actually had fun going through articles online and discussing the issue with my mom, and avid watched of the show, as I mentioned in my post. True, no one commented on it, but that doesn't matter to me anymore. This quarter, I've realized that I can feel great about a piece of work I've accomplished, even if it's not getting attention. Another way I have loosened up in my blog posts this quarter is in length. I now feel free to write posts that vary from essay-long, to 6-line short (Quasi Republicans). I also blogged more often than required, not for a better grade, but because I actually had things to say.

To quote Sarah, "Semester One =  survived, and completed ;)"

Enlightened Sexism

   "You're fun, you're hot, you're sexy. Who cares if you have crappy grades?" says Max to his younger girlfriend Rose, who is trying to get into Duke. Yes, this is a line on a cancelled, (but great, in my opinion), show Privileged, but teenage guys say these discouraging words everyday. Everyday girls have an internal battle between hotness and intellectuality.
   We say sexism is over? Well, welcome to the new age of it- "Enlightened Sexism." Time Magazine reports this new form (link) of sexism, which is subtle but powerful, and represented mainly in media. Some TV shows feature strong, smart women in roles of leadership and power, which inspires young women to be like them. But when we watch something like Jersey Shore or Bridalplasty, the message can be confusing. Do we work hard in school, or do we run around picking up guys at bars and letting them "smush" on the first date? I have to admit that I watch Jersey Shore like it's my business. But I also take it with an extremely large grain of salt. I look at it objectively, knowing that everyone on that show is shallow and brainless, and not a role model for me or anyone else for that matter. But some girls who are younger, and not so sure of themselves as many are not as they enter high school, really can't decipher who they should be looking up to- the female surgeon or Snooki?

   In Enlightened Sexism (link) by Susan Douglas, she theorizes that society now feels that we have overcome sexism, so we should celebrate by being sexist! Everyday we ignore little flashes of sexism or derogatory comments because we figure that it is one person holding onto their sexist ways, and that everyone else has grown above it. We as women accept sexism by watching it, listening to it, believing it, and eventually, succumbing to the stereotypes, and proving the sexists right.