Thursday, May 1, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Does this make me look fat?
The scene I am analyzing is from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. It showed one of the main characters, a female Terminator, awkwardly interacting with some high school girls in the bathroom at school. The television show marks the first time a female Terminator is depicted who is not evil. In the scene, the female Terminator (who is impersonating a high school student), is in the bathroom at school listening to some other girls talking in front of the mirror while putting on make-up. She gets pulled into the conversation and unintentionally offends one of the girls. Both of them then confront her and one even calls her an offensive name. Since she is not in fact human and had had limited experience interacting socially with high school girls, she does not comprehend why the girl is angry.
In the second part of the scene, everyone leaves the bathroom except Cameron (the female Terminator) and a blonde girl crying in one of the stalls. The girl is in hysterics about an incident that occurred in the hallway, and tries to relate to Cameron about the situation. Cameron attempts to console the girl by offering her some make-up left behind by the first two girls, but the blonde girl clearly thinks her offering is lacking. Her knowledge had not prepared her to deal with a human that is displaying such strong emotions, so she reaches out to the girl the only way she knows how. From the blonde girl's perspective, Cameron comes off as emotionally impaired and very slow to catch onto her state of distress. When Cameron says, "You're upset.", the girl is almost shocked at such a blase statement describing her crying and emotionally-charged dialogue. She finds Cameron's offering of make-up to be seriously lacking as an attempt to make her feel better. Her body language tells us that she thinks this behavior is ridiculous and not fitting to the situation. From Cameron's perspective, she is drawing on the interactions between the other two girls to figure out what to say in this situation.
Within this scene, the behavior of a typical high school girl is stereotyped. The most obvious portrayals of this type of character are the first two girls Cameron encounters in the bathroom. They speak in slang (referring to the make-up as "tight), and are very concerned with the way they look. This is evident from the fact that they are spending their short amount of time before class to run to the bathroom and apply make-up. This stereotype is not necessarily an offensive one, but it does tend to pigeon-hole all high school girls as being concerned with their physical appearance. The portrayal also makes them seem "bitchy"; the two girls are poised and ready to attack Cameron when she tells the one girl that her dress makes her look fat.
Cameron's lack of appropriate social responses stems from the fact that she is not human, and thus lacks the essential gender role characteristics that we learn as children. When she is asked, "Does this make me look fat?", she has no experience to draw from that might let her know that when a girl of woman asks this question, the appropriate response is "No." in order to avoid hurt feelings. She instead seriously considers the question and gives what she finds to be a truthful answer.
Power plays an important role in this scene, despite the fact that the girls Cameron interacts with have no idea that she is any different from them. Cameron comes away with the upper hand after talking with the first two girls (one of whom she insults). The girls expect that by teaming up together to confront her she will be intimidated and hopefully understand the faux pas she made by telling the girl she looked fat. Instead, Cameron stands her ground and appears to intimidate them instead. When the friend asks, "What are you looking at??", Cameron coolly responds, "I'm looking at you.". This confident response seems to scare off the other girls, and clearly exerts Cameron's power over them. Even in a situation where her social actions are inappropriate, she still manages to intimidate the girls she interacts with.
The end of the scene shows Cameron waiting for John in the hallway at school. He has taken on the responsibility of helping her learn how to act more "human" in her social interactions so as not to give away her identity as a robot from the future. She tells him that she is a "bitch-whore", and says it so casually that it is clear to the viewer that she has no grasp of the meaning of the words. (Earlier on in the scene she says to the girl who calls her that, "I don't understand.") She then tells John that she made a new friend, referring to the blonde girl in the bathroom. It is clear that John wonders if she did or said anything insensitive to the crying girl in the bathroom. The casual way in which she recounts her interactions are puzzling to John, who is trying his best to educate a non-human on how to act as a human would - with emotions. Her encounters are also evidence to him that she needs a lot more work in order to fully pass as a human.
I think that Cameron is challenging the typical high school female stereotype by portraying a powerful female character. In addition, her social abilities as a female high school student are challenged: she is placed into a situation where there is a specific desired response, but because of her lack of experience socializing with members of the group she is expected to blend in with, she fails to notice that her reaction is undesirable. She possesses all the physical qualities that are very feminine and clearly define her as a woman (long hair, soft features, thin, age-appropriate clothing), but lacks inner qualities that reflect that norm for women in our society, such as kindness, consideration, eagerness to please, empathy, and compassion.
In the second part of the scene, everyone leaves the bathroom except Cameron (the female Terminator) and a blonde girl crying in one of the stalls. The girl is in hysterics about an incident that occurred in the hallway, and tries to relate to Cameron about the situation. Cameron attempts to console the girl by offering her some make-up left behind by the first two girls, but the blonde girl clearly thinks her offering is lacking. Her knowledge had not prepared her to deal with a human that is displaying such strong emotions, so she reaches out to the girl the only way she knows how. From the blonde girl's perspective, Cameron comes off as emotionally impaired and very slow to catch onto her state of distress. When Cameron says, "You're upset.", the girl is almost shocked at such a blase statement describing her crying and emotionally-charged dialogue. She finds Cameron's offering of make-up to be seriously lacking as an attempt to make her feel better. Her body language tells us that she thinks this behavior is ridiculous and not fitting to the situation. From Cameron's perspective, she is drawing on the interactions between the other two girls to figure out what to say in this situation.
Within this scene, the behavior of a typical high school girl is stereotyped. The most obvious portrayals of this type of character are the first two girls Cameron encounters in the bathroom. They speak in slang (referring to the make-up as "tight), and are very concerned with the way they look. This is evident from the fact that they are spending their short amount of time before class to run to the bathroom and apply make-up. This stereotype is not necessarily an offensive one, but it does tend to pigeon-hole all high school girls as being concerned with their physical appearance. The portrayal also makes them seem "bitchy"; the two girls are poised and ready to attack Cameron when she tells the one girl that her dress makes her look fat.
Cameron's lack of appropriate social responses stems from the fact that she is not human, and thus lacks the essential gender role characteristics that we learn as children. When she is asked, "Does this make me look fat?", she has no experience to draw from that might let her know that when a girl of woman asks this question, the appropriate response is "No." in order to avoid hurt feelings. She instead seriously considers the question and gives what she finds to be a truthful answer.
Power plays an important role in this scene, despite the fact that the girls Cameron interacts with have no idea that she is any different from them. Cameron comes away with the upper hand after talking with the first two girls (one of whom she insults). The girls expect that by teaming up together to confront her she will be intimidated and hopefully understand the faux pas she made by telling the girl she looked fat. Instead, Cameron stands her ground and appears to intimidate them instead. When the friend asks, "What are you looking at??", Cameron coolly responds, "I'm looking at you.". This confident response seems to scare off the other girls, and clearly exerts Cameron's power over them. Even in a situation where her social actions are inappropriate, she still manages to intimidate the girls she interacts with.
The end of the scene shows Cameron waiting for John in the hallway at school. He has taken on the responsibility of helping her learn how to act more "human" in her social interactions so as not to give away her identity as a robot from the future. She tells him that she is a "bitch-whore", and says it so casually that it is clear to the viewer that she has no grasp of the meaning of the words. (Earlier on in the scene she says to the girl who calls her that, "I don't understand.") She then tells John that she made a new friend, referring to the blonde girl in the bathroom. It is clear that John wonders if she did or said anything insensitive to the crying girl in the bathroom. The casual way in which she recounts her interactions are puzzling to John, who is trying his best to educate a non-human on how to act as a human would - with emotions. Her encounters are also evidence to him that she needs a lot more work in order to fully pass as a human.
I think that Cameron is challenging the typical high school female stereotype by portraying a powerful female character. In addition, her social abilities as a female high school student are challenged: she is placed into a situation where there is a specific desired response, but because of her lack of experience socializing with members of the group she is expected to blend in with, she fails to notice that her reaction is undesirable. She possesses all the physical qualities that are very feminine and clearly define her as a woman (long hair, soft features, thin, age-appropriate clothing), but lacks inner qualities that reflect that norm for women in our society, such as kindness, consideration, eagerness to please, empathy, and compassion.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
What's Up Annapolis
I went to the MCS Lecture Series this past Tuesday evening where Laney Solomon spoke about how she figured out what she wanted to do with her life, as well as some helpful tips for us students in figuring out which direction we want to go in. It made me feel a lot better about feeling a little lost concerning what I want to do with my life. Specifically, because as an undergraduate she had decided on becoming a lawyer, but ended up in a completely different field (advertising). I suspect that when I graduate something similar might happen in my life, because as of right now I am still pretty unsure as to what field I want to work in after I graduate.
One of the most important tips she gave was the value of networking. She told us to make sure to talk about what we do with as many people as possible, because you never know who they know. I think networking is a great way to potentially get noticed for the skills you have, and maybe even luck out and find a job you may never have even considered taking. I know that I have gotten a few jobs in the past strictly based on connections. Some worked out wonderfully, some not so much, but it gave me the chance to get experience and find out certain things that I enjoy doing. Overall, I was pleased with her presentation because she gave it a personal feel and really made herself able to be related to by many students in the room.
One of the most important tips she gave was the value of networking. She told us to make sure to talk about what we do with as many people as possible, because you never know who they know. I think networking is a great way to potentially get noticed for the skills you have, and maybe even luck out and find a job you may never have even considered taking. I know that I have gotten a few jobs in the past strictly based on connections. Some worked out wonderfully, some not so much, but it gave me the chance to get experience and find out certain things that I enjoy doing. Overall, I was pleased with her presentation because she gave it a personal feel and really made herself able to be related to by many students in the room.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Interview with a Terminator-Hater
I was already somewhat aware of my friend’s media habits before I began my interview, mostly because we share a good deal of interests and in addition spend a good deal of time together, but I wanted to try and get a more in depth understanding of the things he likes. For example, when I asked him about music he initially said that he listens to a lot of rap. That came as no surprise to me, so I asked him to elaborate. It was then that we got to talking about rock music and eventually I found out that he had been a huge fan of……drumroll……99.1 HFS! I had noticed many times that he had an autographed photo of the Sports Junkies on his bedroom door, but never really thought much more about it. He told me that he used to listen to their morning show almost every day back when HFS was still around. The show was appealing to him because he’s a huge sports buff – ESPN is on at his apartment a great majority of the time, especially when Jim Rome is Burning, SportsCenter, or First Take (previously Cold Pizza) is on. The Junkies were just four guys who were into sports and played rock music that he liked and so he kept listening until….well, we all know what happened. As it turns out, two of the guys from the show went to the same high school that David went to. I’ve noticed that many of the guys I have met that went to school there have a very specific sense of humor about things, so that may contribute to why he liked their show so much. I think maybe I should let him know that in 2005 they returned to D.C. on WJFK FM 106.7.
The Terminator franchise has been a successful one, not only in the form of three (soon to be four) movies, but also various video games, books, and now recently a television show. The story was originally developed by James Cameron, but has since changed hands various times. The idea of a future where machines have developed to the point where they become self aware and take over the human race is not an original one; we have seen this type of science fiction plot in movies like I, Robot, and The Matrix. There is something compelling about these types of stories that portray the possible future of our world in the hands of the machines we created to help us. Unfortunately, my interviewee is not as interested in movies like this as I am, but we were still able to have an interesting conversation about the Terminator concept.
Unfortunately he had not watched The Sarah Connor Chronicles, so we couldn’t discuss the fact that the show portrays a time period that happens between Terminator 2 and Terminator 3, which in a sense negates the story line that was developed in the third movie. I was pretty disappointed that he hadn’t seen it, but then I remembered that I had only watched the first episode of the season. Perhaps that will be our next mission: to catch some of the new episodes when (or if) they bring the show back. If all goes well, I hope to eventually convert him into a sci-fi fan, or at least a Terminator fan. Hasta la vista, baby.
The Terminator franchise has been a successful one, not only in the form of three (soon to be four) movies, but also various video games, books, and now recently a television show. The story was originally developed by James Cameron, but has since changed hands various times. The idea of a future where machines have developed to the point where they become self aware and take over the human race is not an original one; we have seen this type of science fiction plot in movies like I, Robot, and The Matrix. There is something compelling about these types of stories that portray the possible future of our world in the hands of the machines we created to help us. Unfortunately, my interviewee is not as interested in movies like this as I am, but we were still able to have an interesting conversation about the Terminator concept.
Initially, before I could even ask him any questions about my topic, he mentioned an action scene in the third Terminator movie that he liked a lot. Let me first give a little background information on the movie: so, in this third installment of the films John Connor is in his mid-20s and encounters his (unknowingly) future wife (played by Claire Danes) during the period of resistance against the SkyNet computer system. Arnold plays the original Terminator sent back to protect John from being killed by the new and improved lady Terminator model. Unfortunately, the villain Terminator has been sent not only to kill John, but also other prominent future leaders of the resistance movement against SkyNet, which includes Claire Danes’ character. She manages to locate Danes’ fiancé and since she can take on the form of anything she touches, she makes herself look like him and pretends to assist the police in investigating her “kidnapping”. Ok, so now we come to the scene that entertained my interviewee: the lady Terminator, disguised as the fiancé uses her super strength to punch completely through the body of the police officer who is driving from the backseat of the car. I mean, she totally blows through the car seat and the middle of his torso, and then proceeds to grab the steering wheel and take over driving.
So after reminiscing about how sweet that scene was with David, I asked him (after we established the fact that he didn’t much care for the Terminator movies) was what it was about them that he disliked. He told me that he was just not a big fan of action and sci-fi movies in general, which surprised me because, well, he’s a guy. Duh. And don’t most guys think that action scenes are sweet? So I decided to dig a little deeper. I got him talking about what he thought was so appealing about the movies to those people that enjoyed them and he said he thought that their popularity (especially T2, which grossed $204.8 million in theaters back in 1991) stemmed from the fact that the films are so action-packed. They are the epitome of the type of movies that people enjoy going to the theater to watch, “popcorn movies”, to use his wording. We then got into a discussion about the way our society has for a long time enjoyed predicting the different ways technology will affect our future. He seemed to think that many people, even though they know that these movies are fictional, they still anticipate the possibility that humans will advance to the point where machines have to potential to assume a higher intelligence.
Unfortunately he had not watched The Sarah Connor Chronicles, so we couldn’t discuss the fact that the show portrays a time period that happens between Terminator 2 and Terminator 3, which in a sense negates the story line that was developed in the third movie. I was pretty disappointed that he hadn’t seen it, but then I remembered that I had only watched the first episode of the season. Perhaps that will be our next mission: to catch some of the new episodes when (or if) they bring the show back. If all goes well, I hope to eventually convert him into a sci-fi fan, or at least a Terminator fan. Hasta la vista, baby.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Ethnography Questions
For my ethnography, I will be interviewing one of my good friends. His name is David, and we have known each other for about 10 years now. We have a lot of the same interests when it comes to pop culture, but there are specific areas where we differ drastically. For example, we both are obsessed with Freaks and Geeks (and pretty much anything Judd Apatow-related), How I Met Your Mother, Juno, DeGrassi, and Weeds. I'd like to find out more about the places where our interests differ, and whether or not he likes the Terminator movies (or hates them?).
Here are some of the questions I am thinking about asking:
- Describe your pop culture consumption. What movies, tv shows, music, etc. are you a fan of, and why?
- Do you enjoy action movies? Arnold Schwarzenegger movies in general? Are you a fan of the Terminator trilogy? Which is your favorite?
- If you were in the midst of writing you autobiography, what would the chapter covering this part of your life be called?
- Do you have any traditions that revolve around elements of popular culture?
- Have you watched the tv show "The Sarah Connor Chronicles"? If so, how do you think it compares to the Terminator movies?
Sunday, February 24, 2008
I've got a date with pop culture history
So, being the devout procrastinator that I am, I waited until the last possible weekend day to visit Geppi's. I was a little unsure of what to expect from this so-called "pop culture museum", and was pleased to find that it had a lot more to offer than a massive array of old comic books. From the moment I walked into the lobby, it became hard to focus my attention on any one of the many framed pictures that covered every free piece of wall space. I found myself walking slowly down the hallway at first, looking bottom to top at each picture I passed. When I finally was ready to look around the different rooms, I started from the present day and worked my way backwards, not for any specific reason other than I knew I would recognize more of the recent cultural artifacts than those from before the 1950s or so.
One of the sections that stood out to me was the corner dedicated to the emergence of The Beatles and the new era of rock and roll in America in the Revolution room (1961-1970). Some of my personal favorites were the psychedelic framed posters that I suspect were in fact furry underneath the glass. What I found to be disappointing, though, was the fact that this section was so small and did not even begin to cover the variety of musical achievements from that time period. Another thing that stood out to me while walking through the different rooms was the blantantly offensive characters from earlier American popular culture, frequently stereotyping groups like African-Americans and Native Americans (i.e. Amos and Andy and The Lone Ranger's sidekick Tanto). One particular poster in the main hallway advertising Robertson Preserves showed a cartoon black man with a bulbous head and bright red lips, the caption reading "Golly it's Good!"
I was on my way out of the museum when in the lobby I spotted a large Disney poster featuring who else but our good friend Donald Duck and some other characters. When I saw it, it reminded me of one of my favorite Disney movies of all time The Three Caballeros. For thos
e of you that don't know, The Three Caballeros is a full-length Disney movie from 1944 in which Donald Duck celebrates his birthday and receives presents from his friends in Latin America. He then proceeds to visit Mexico and Brazil, mixing animation with live action, all the while learning about Latin American culture. There's singing and dancing and all that good Disney stuff. Now, I know that does not sound like the makings of a quality Disney movie, at least by today's standards, but growing up one of my best friends and I loved this movie. So, I decided while I was at Geppi's to find out if they had anything in the museum associated with the movie. When I went back to one particular case that had a variety of Donald Duck collectibles in it, I found what I was looking for: the book version of the movie. Honestly, I was a little surprised that they had anything at all because most people have not heard of The Three Caballeros.
One of the sections that stood out to me was the corner dedicated to the emergence of The Beatles and the new era of rock and roll in America in the Revolution room (1961-1970). Some of my personal favorites were the psychedelic framed posters that I suspect were in fact furry underneath the glass. What I found to be disappointing, though, was the fact that this section was so small and did not even begin to cover the variety of musical achievements from that time period. Another thing that stood out to me while walking through the different rooms was the blantantly offensive characters from earlier American popular culture, frequently stereotyping groups like African-Americans and Native Americans (i.e. Amos and Andy and The Lone Ranger's sidekick Tanto). One particular poster in the main hallway advertising Robertson Preserves showed a cartoon black man with a bulbous head and bright red lips, the caption reading "Golly it's Good!" I was on my way out of the museum when in the lobby I spotted a large Disney poster featuring who else but our good friend Donald Duck and some other characters. When I saw it, it reminded me of one of my favorite Disney movies of all time The Three Caballeros. For thos
e of you that don't know, The Three Caballeros is a full-length Disney movie from 1944 in which Donald Duck celebrates his birthday and receives presents from his friends in Latin America. He then proceeds to visit Mexico and Brazil, mixing animation with live action, all the while learning about Latin American culture. There's singing and dancing and all that good Disney stuff. Now, I know that does not sound like the makings of a quality Disney movie, at least by today's standards, but growing up one of my best friends and I loved this movie. So, I decided while I was at Geppi's to find out if they had anything in the museum associated with the movie. When I went back to one particular case that had a variety of Donald Duck collectibles in it, I found what I was looking for: the book version of the movie. Honestly, I was a little surprised that they had anything at all because most people have not heard of The Three Caballeros. Thursday, February 14, 2008
Arnold
The topic I have chosen for the semester is the Terminator trilogy. I think most of us are well aware that these are movies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a robot sent from the future for various reasons, most having to do with saving the human race. The first of these movies came out in 1984, the second in '91, and it took until 2003 for the third and final installment in the series to be released. I may also use the new television show The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but as of now I've only watch one episode. I guess I picked these movies because I have seen the third and final one a handful of times, but have never watched either of the first two all the way through. I recently bought Terminator 2 (because it was $5.50 at Target) so I guess my next step is to rent the first Terminator.
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