There's a Place for us....somewhere...

if you are familiar with those words....then you have watched West Side story.
A riveting story that can be spun into tales of division, misunderstanding, and strongest of them all, the power of love over hate. or maybe the other way round.
Let us take a good lesson from this production, "Love has power to conquer hate"
easy eh? no so much.
You see, throughout our lives, we as human beings have a bad habit of holding on to anger, or hate. it is not easier, its just much more satisfying to 'stick it" to the other person who has wronged you. Or think has wronged you. Proven is the fact that One uses more energy to be angry than to smile, and be happy.
There is so much hate in the world. So much anger. So much misunderstandings that have caused so many deaths and so much pain and suffering.
While I am not trying to reduce the world's pain in one single word, look at the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, the hutus/tustis, ages and ages of Middle Eastern Politics...and the struggle with the west.
All conflicts that are fueled by hatred and anger.
It was Eric Hoffer, a great American philosopher who was quoted saying, "Passionate hatreds can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. These people haunted by the purposelessness of their lives try to find a new content not only by dedicating themselves to a holy cause but also by nursing a fanatical grievance. A mass movement offers them unlimited opportunities for battle.
Bingo!

Off course it does not help that the media has become and engine for maintained anger. When was the last time you had good news being reported? When was the last time that there was no negativity in the news?
I have a hard time believing that in a world as big as ours, that nothing good is going on. its just that, PR calls for a strategy towards news that arouse emotions of either panic or anger.
Wouldn't be so much more effective to report on the reconciliation that is going on between groups that are in strife. of how people are coming together to overcome their hardships. Telling stories of love, of peace, stories that uplifts us.
Wouldn't a little bit of love go far?
Be it that I am not a supporter of Sufism, Inayat Khan, the founder has some words that we would do well to remember,"The best thing is not to hate anyone, only to love. That is the only way out of it. As soon as you have forgiven those whom you hate, you have gotten rid of them. Then you have no reason to hate them; you just forget."
Or even Gandhi-- "Hatred ever kills, love never dies. Such is the vast difference between the two. What is obtained by love is retained for all time. What is obtained by hatred proves a burden in reality for it increases hatred."

So then what brings all, the all consuming hate. What is the root of hate?
if we were created by a Loving God, how then can we hate? I believe that hate comes from our succumbing to selfishness. Hate comes when we are not willing to let go, or even want to be selfish about our "rights". When we are selfish, we want to hoard in all that we can get, whether its material or immaterial. Can we become more human, go back to the place where love comes easily, and we can care more, love more, be in communion with each other.
If you have read the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, you are familiar with the quote, "It is to the credit of human nature, that, except where its selfishness is brought into play, it loves more readily than it hates. Hatred, by a gradual and quiet process, will even be transformed to love, unless the change be impeded by a continually new irritation of the original feeling of hostility."
AKA....we are born to love,unless we become selfish. If we are open, we can love and love fully, unless we keep reliving our pasts over and over again.

The great Pop Culture Arrrrrgggh

Well, thinking that maybe I have underestimated my knowledge of the pop culture...so I took the quiz given by the "entertainment weekly" magazine and thought I had a good chance of atleast getting maybe half or the questions. Well let's just say, if I was trying to get a job in the media industry, I would need to go from scratch. I got like one question right, out of a hundred. Pathetic huh? yeah I know. Now I know why I watch media, and my primary motivation...entertainment. I mean how else would u explain my lack of knowledge? I watch a movie, and if it makes a big impression on me, i might remember a line or two or maybe watch the movie again and again. For example, if there was a question about the NEWSIES, I can pretty much quote the movie. Too bad there weren't any. So how can I move from just being media illeterate to media literacy, (wait...just movies), maybe I should start applying the things we learn in class like having the double consiousness, emerging myself into some semiotic domain/affinity group and make it my business to know what is going on. also be aware of the diagetic world in these groups...wow too much to do? It will take a while

US??? U sure about that?

So I am at work( in the admissions) and I sport US WEEKLY...and off course being nosy I jump to it and start scrolling through the pages. Then the Dean comes in and he is like what are you reading...aand I am like hmmm Us weekly? He makes a comment that goes in the lines of..So you are becoming like us Americans who are obsessed with Holliwood. Then one of my co-workers makes a comment that hasn't left me to this day..she was like.."you know because as American citizens we absuletly need to know that Demi Moore is having Ashton Kutcher's baby, we need to know that Charlie Sheen and Denise Richardson are separating, and that Jen and Brad are separating" I was like WOW...so these people don't have a life and if they do then it's for the public to see and scrutinize. WHy do we admire them so much? are their lives our business? DO we really have to know what is going on with their lives, and if we do why? I mean they become the heroes and everything in movies and stuff, and the public tries to identify with them. Otherwise, why do we have tabloids? who ever is the publisher knows that celebrities are really looked to..so they will try and give the public all the gossip they can. Media has an influence on us, more directly than we would wnat to admit.

Conglomeration terror- part two

On the other hand, I can't just be so close-minded not to see that there might another side of this story. These media coglomerates might be good for something after all. Although the growth might be unwelcome at first, conglomeration might bring a new experience to these countries. In class, the issue of economy was braught up. I might have to agree to a certain point that this might boost the poor economy in most of the third world countries. It might bring new opportunities that might be otherwise unavailable to these people. Maybe if this conglomeration takes place, we might actually have some of the Ideals discussed in class. For example, there might be a more awareness of international news coverage. Who knows, good does come from evil and this might not be so different. But again, at what cost? What will have to be lost for all this to take place?

Watcha u selling Cont'd

I asked the question of what Holliwood is exactly selling and I am going to try and answer that. I am not very knowledgable when it comes to this kind of things but I am going to give it my best shot. I have watched a lot of movies, certainly not as much as some of my peers but enough to grasp a finite understanding of what the Holliwood industry is giving(selling) to the consumers. There is that American Mono-myth of a utopian society where everything is a happy ending and the guy always gets the gal. The problems are always solved and when you work hard there are rewards. There is always the pull yourself by the bootstraps indication which always ends up with a good ending. The bad guy is always caught and the good guy always rewarded. so u see everything is just good and perfect. Then look at the models in form of actors/actress. They are selling an image where everyone is going to try to fit in that image. What have you baught from Holliwood? Everyone has been a consumer of the Holliwood cultural capital. We have at one time tried to look like some actor/actress or even copied their lines and imitate them. Everyone seems to want to have that holliwood love ending or that love story. I admit that I have been buying a lot from that industry. For example, for those who have watched "The Cinderella Story", you might have to agree with me that it was very cute. Now even tho' I wouldn't have particularly chosen Hilary Duff for that character, the story was pretty cute. I was talking to my friends and we all agreed that a secret admirer would be pretty cute and then that perfect smart couple who all end up going to Harvard. Anyway, the point is that they are selling and we are buying what they are selling.

Watcha u selling?

It's bizarre to even think that people can sell and buy things without using money. I mean in this culture where almost everything is about money, you wouldn't imagine that our dress, clubs, types of cars we drive sell some kind of an image. Then I think back about what one of my classmates said about cars and restaurants. It's so true that we do have price tags for things according to what is culturally valuable. And whether we know it or not, we have placed ourselves in this range of I can afford..., and I can't afford... I remember going to Hershey park Hotel, and seeing all the beautiful gardens, rooms and the service. It was not long that I resigned myself to never being able to go there unless in the coming future, I strike it rich. Thinking back we also have this racial issue that we give value to. I was watching Selena, and for those of you who have watched the movie, you can recall the scene where Selena goes dress shopping for her friend. The minute she started looking at that expensive dress, the owner came and was like, excuse me maam, but I would advice you to look elsewhere cause this dresses are definately not your type. Now why was that the woman(manager) had that attitude? It either had to do with the way they were dressed or their race; maybe even both. So here is hispanic women wearing nothing fancy but jeans. They are looking at a dress that is really expensive, conclusion, they can't afford it. Price tag, with no basis at all.
So what is our culture selling to us? Specifically, what is Holliwood selling to us?

ok...Holliwood

Man!!! Today's class excise was kinda of an eye opener just a little bit of what might be going on in the world of film making. I was supposedly a writer trying to get my script through the hands of the production companies. What stuck the most was that no matter how much money you put into the movie, you have to get paid. So I was in the beginner's luck club and I had this good storyline that seemed really promising. So what I didn't expect to see was the politics that are involved in the whole business. There are those companies who know they are good and they can hire anyone becauese of their reputation and stuff. Then there are those companies which are looking for the upcoming star and to become the next big thing. With that are those screen writers who are looking to write the next big story. There are those who succeed and those who just end up compromising to be able to get their ideas out.
Then the politics come forth with the titles cause as the Dr. Rudd called the people I realized that semiotics played a big role in the whole movie making business, especially when it comes to the advitisement. These people have to chose their signs and codes very careful because both the sigmatic codes and progmatic signs have to apeal to a particulat audience. it's all about the popular actors/actress and what kind of advitisement is there. For real, as I look back, there is no movie trailer that has all the boring lines in there. They want the lines that will attract the attention of the viewer and leave them in suspense.
Note to all, I have so little knowledge as far as the industries are concerned so don't take me at my word. i was just making observations from class today.

my world, our world

Civil discourse is described as public talk. Hmm so if gossip is not necessarily Civil discourse...but we gossip a lot,then most of us who think that we are doing the human race some good by jabbering about nothing in particular should be a little disappointed. However, with the American's freedom of speech, each individual has participated in the Civil discourse one or the other. You watch television and there is a lot of public speaking involved. Mass media is full of civil discourse whether it is in movies, sitcoms, talk shows, or even sports. We can't help but be part of it because it is part of our lives. Everyday we are involved in some kind of discussion that slowly determines our culture. We probably never think about it as we talk or watch it on Tv, because it becomes us. We are shaping our world slowly.

Will & Grace

I never really watch this show but today I was taking a nap so I took the remote and started scrawling the channels and it was the only thing really to watch.
Then i remembered the plotlines we talked about in class.

Plotline " C" is introduced in the first segment before the credits. Conflict -Will, Grace and Jack are talking when the Grace's mum calls and says she is in town.
The credits roll after the commercials.

After Grace going crazy about her outfit, Grace's mum is introduced...Well she is a little nutty. She is an actress who acts and sings about everything. She tells grace to change her shoes but thinks Will is great...a couple of minutes later she suggests they(will, grace) get married.
As they Play poker, Karen and Jack are having their private conversation.
Karen thinks she is pregnant and she doesn't want to take the test but Jack agrees to take it with her. Jack, Karen, Will and Grace make fun of the marriage idea...then Will says "Even if I was straight...I wouldn't marry Grace" Everybody laughs at the line all except Grace. There is a hurt Look on her face that we see before the commercial....
At dinner .Grace is bothered by Will's statement. She says she would marry Will even if she was gay. Grace mentions that Mum always wants to be the center of attention. However, the defense is that the mum acts so therefore she has to be the center of attention. Will comes in and greets them but Grace hates him so she refuses to say hi.
The really conflict is why Will wouldn't marry Grace.
In explanation, Will Calls her a flower ( which is associeated with being tended to) She had called her mother a big fat rose before Will calls her the center of attention ( she might be like her mother) Later, Grace reads her diaries ( She discovers Willl is right)
There is a mother and daughter talk when Grace's mum comes in. Grace is told that she is a wonderful woman and to embrace who she is. Will comes in apologizing and mum gets on him
The mother defends her daughter then goes to get a pedicure. She leaves the room as dramatic--singing. As Grace closes the door, the cloth from her mother get's stuck..they laugh
Commercial
Credits
Even though there is no mention of how the conflict gets' resolved, the audience automatically assume that Will and Grace are fine. After this show, I watched about four of them just to see if the pattern was consistent. I was really kind of amazed. Nothing really changes. Although I might not really get into the habit of watching this show, I know that there is a pattern that is followed.

Diagenitic world of News

Today in Class we had this whole discussion on news. Who would have thought that news was fiction. So can I really trust these news, How credible are they? I thought that Newscast was one thing left in broadcast media that was not fabricated, but I gues that I was wrong.
I taped some news and then went back to watching them. There are several things that I noticed about the news that i prolly just overlooked the first time.
The most interesting story that captured my attention was of the FBI offices situated in WV. For a minute there I am like hmmm...WV? THis is the state that I spend three of my four years in America. The state that just the mention of it bring laughter to Ohioians. The state that is as I am told "is not real America"
Ashley W. you have to agree that Clarksburg is not the place to put a big important FBI agency. The reporter is even admits that it is unexpected.
Paradigmatic choices on scenes are really interesting. First there is the wide shot of what looks like the area sorounding the offices. There is scrolling banners on screen, showing the huge settlement that the offices are situated. The camera moves in a way that makes the viewer feel really intimidated. It's more like they are telling you, "be very afraid, but don't worry, you are safe." To emphasize the importance of the story and of the agency, they allow us to hear the secretary talk on the phone. Two secretary, one talking in what is called normal language and the other talking in codes. There is an exchange between shots taken scrolling on the massive computers (to be specific, on a ground as large as a "football field"), and FBI agents. It feels like whatever is in there is beyond our reach. Everything seemes to be controlled by computers and nothing else, as the shots move from one angle of computers to the other.
Hey, maybe WV is not lost at all. Cause that is the place you will call whenever you want to do a background check. THat's the place where fingerprints of criminals are kept. So yes, WV is important. Not to leave 9/11 out but ...Saddam's fingerprints are kept there..WOW

Signs and more signs

Toby Mac's Cd's covers are alway interesting. It's no wonder I am looking at his recent Cd's cover. What would be supposed to be Toby's face is blown out on the cover in black and white. He wears a hat which half of it is out of the picture and wears some shades. If I was merely perusingthe cover, I would say that the hat would symblolize the hip-hop, funk side of his CD. Considarably, his hat goes to his ears, which is typical way that the people in the eighties that knew punk, funk music. The shades, hmmm maybe the rock music? Not a typical pose at all, he is looking to the left. Looking back at something? If I knew better, he might be symbolizing the past music. He is basically looking at the past music, and how everything was done back then and bringing it all in his CD. Living to the title Welcome to Diverse City, the songs have every little bit of diverse in it. There are red, orange and green stripes go vertically on top of his full blown left side, top to bottom. These colors are primary found in African-American clothing and Jamaica. So I gues there is diversity there, just by looking at the cover. Maybe let's go back to Sunday school, "Jesus love the little children, all the children of the world, all yellow black and white...." so the colors could mean something else. All the children of the world, not just black and whitel. So the signifiers do not point only to the different types of music found in the CD, but also it the different races are signified. Off course, we know the history of Toby's music and it would not be hard to see him having such a theme. Maybe we should have expected this after his first CD with his "love is in the house" song. But something has me puzzled, where is the city that we are being welcomed to? The background seems to be dark, any particular reason for that? The city seems to be a mystery. THe city of the unknown, so it's more like come and you might shed some light to what is going on the city.