Gatorhater8989's Blog

James Bond

gatorhater8989 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:00:52 +0000

The James Bond movies are known for the intense action scenes and more curiously for women. With James Bond movies embracing masculine ideals of an action hero who gets which ever girl he pleases. The question of the Bond Girls true representation is debatable and the focal point of this blog. There are arguments that the Bond Girls become more complex and whole characters by the end of each film. I find these statements to be partially true but not significant to change the audience’s wholesome perception of the character. First impressions tend to stick with people and actions made by female characters after bond sleeps with them seems to only perpetuate their emotional attachment to Bond. Emotional detachment is the essence of Bond in general; from killing to relations with women, Bond never gets intimate or shows feelings. I feel like Bond movies bring out the fantasies of men by displaying primal instincts of sex and violence. As the Bond Girls claim that their character is important and different from the girl in the past, they continue to play the same role in the movies’ formula for success. The Bond movies promote women with poor morals, including those who commit adultery and marry for money. Bond Girls are given a stereotype from the onset of the movie and one good deed does not by any means transform people’s perception of them. The objectification of women has always been a popular subject with men and the Bond movies capitalize on this fact. Going into every Bond movie there is an expectation of sex with an attractive female and this fact continues to promote the objectification of women in film.

Class

gatorhater8989 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:16:45 +0000

This week focuses on class issues. While Karl Marx’s article on the destructive power of money compliments this topic, other issues such as race can also compound the class system. The movie Stand and Deliver is based on a true story and depicts the struggle of Hispanic kids in Los Angeles. It also focuses on the subpar school systems in lower class areas and the lower expectations for success. With this being said, race also plays a major role in the film. The topic of class seems to be a very logical process; the lower a person starts the harder it is to reach the top. I find this statement to be very true in our society today. As Americans we like to believe that our society is based purely on merit and the “cream of the crop” will take positions of power and influence in society. Unfortunately, power is addictive and there is a perpetual cycle of the people on top trying to remain there. People in the ruling class like to believe that there is a natural order of things that has been secured through history. The problem in our society is that people in the lower class conform to the idea of being mediocre because it has been preached to them indirectly for their entire lives through media and the places they live. What is our society doing today to break these cycles? Financial aid and scholarships for the lower class is the only thing that comes to mind and is simply not enough. The topic of class becomes far more complicated when race is also involved. This is almost always the case because a large majority of racial minorities are lower class citizens. This is a very complicated issue from the start.

White Privilege

gatorhater8989 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:20:14 +0000

White privilege seems like an old southern custom when I think about it. White privilege leads to the justification for a white person’s success in society. No one wants to hear how their life has been easy because the color of their skin even if it may be true to a degree. Robert Jensen’s article made a lot of sense to me because we come from similar backgrounds. I still do not fully accept white privilege although I certainty understand what the articles are trying to perpetuate. People look at race as huge deal for the outcome for people’s success. I completely disagree with white privilege playing a significant role in my success so far in life. I attribute the patterns of success and failure to economic conditions rather than race. My question is what if you are a lower class white male who attended a subpar public school? What are the chances of making it into a good university compared to an ethnic student in the same situation? Affirmative action can plainly piss people off and with good reason. Another point I would like to make is that dominate socioeconomic groups of any country makes society benefit them. Although this may be morally wrong, it is a human tradition that relates back to spoils of war. Society continually moves to remove these privileges but people are reluctant to give them up. Even though these modern privileges seem insignificant to pre-civil rights privileges, they can still take a physiological toll on people who are not white. I believe that it is possible for anyone to be successful in this country, even if it may appear easier for some. This was not the case fifty years ago, so I believe progress with continue to make things right.

Race

gatorhater8989 — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:04:24 +0000

This week touches on racism and class issues that are still prevalent in today’s society. Although many people believe that racism has not been a serious issue since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, it still plagues our country on personal and societal levels. Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing exposes some racial tensions in New York City and results in a black man being killed by the police. In another movie, Higher Learning, a white neo-Nazi opens fire on a peace parade before killing himself. An interesting point of both movies is the distrust of police by minority groups. In Higher Learning, Malik attempts to chase down the killer but is stopped by the cops and beaten. The distrust of authority is a reoccurring theme that is rooted into minorities; but is this distrust justified? I believe that the distrust of authority is more attributed to economic class than race. The areas of poverty have much higher rates of crime and attract more attention from the police force. I believe that economic frustrations led to crime and stereotypes of struggling minorities. The heart of modern racism is grouping entire groups of people into stereotypes based on a few extreme examples of evidence. The media greatly affects the perception of different groups of people, along with personal experiences. Racism is very hard to pinpoint and avoid. This does not make racism acceptable, but minorities can be equally or more racist than the group in power. Racism comes down to ignorance, plain and simple. The person that is afraid of truth is the root of racism. Racism is a heated subject because no one enjoys being judged and stereotyped.

Anxieties

gatorhater8989 — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:32:35 +0000

For this week’s blog I’m going to touch on society’s anxieties displayed through film. Double Indemnity displays concerns over women trying to maintain their agency after WWII as well as general family life concerns. In a more recent film, Step Brothers, anxieties about remarriage and adult dependency are revealed. Step Brothers, is extremely relatable to its audience because of the high divorce rates in the United States today. My parents are not divorced personally, but many of my friends have gone through the awkward experience of step brothers and sisters. My point being that a step family often has the same anxiety and fear compared to a stay at home wife post WWII. Although Step Brothers is a comedy and taken less serious by many, the anxiety of a step family from hell is a serious concern for people today. Another interesting anxiety in this film is child dependency at a middle age. Both step brothers are middle aged men who live off their successful parents. I have hoped that if I ever have children, they are living on their own after college. This film also criticizes bad parenting and the misconception that money brings happiness to any family. The film showcases corporate America’s obsession with money and peoples sacrifices to achieve their goals. This film can be considered a societal “safety valve” for the lack of traditional families and family values in the United States. I personally didn’t get much out of the film the first time I watched it because it was hilarious. But after watching the film from a analytical standpoint, there are plenty of values being promoted.

Comedy

gatorhater8989 — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:49:01 +0000

Comedy is often considered outlandish and having only entertainment value. However, most comedies have a subtext that is very suggestive to societal values. The movie Knocked Up for instance, touches on many topics of American culture that go unspoken and are stereotyped. The concept of a “one night stand” is frowned upon in society because of its reckless and irresponsible behaviors and outcomes. As the movie depicts Ben and Allison as complete opposites that would never end up together under normal circumstances. As a comedy, this film highlights the vast differences by stereotypes of a working woman and a stoner bum. Many stereotypes are addressed in this film, but the question still remains, are the points valid even if they are all undermined by the ending? I am only going to partially agree with a comedy’s validity. I feel like comedies are only examined for societal values by a small percentage of people. Dave Chappelle viewed his standup as counterproductive because people took it in the wrong way. In response to the uncertainty of comedic films, it does reach a large audience that could never be attained through a serious film. Serious films and documentaries convey a straightforward message but do not appeal to people because they make people think. Knocked Up provides a medium for analyzing “one night stands”, abortions, stoner lifestyle, and other aspects of society. While bashing the “one night stand” throughout the movie, Allison has the baby and the couple ends up together in a good situation. This ending destroys the values of the film to the inattentive watcher. Comedies display a subtext that can reveal societal values but must but kept in check to leave society happy.

Stereotypes

gatorhater8989 — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:02:01 +0000

For this week’s topic of stereotypes I chose to watch Not Another Teen Movie. Before discussing the film, stereotypes always have had a negative connotation since elementary school. The concept of “never judge a book by its cover” was embedded into my head at an early age by my parents and teachers. Yet, today I still catch myself making stereotypes and generalizations about people before I really get a chance to meet them. The point being, I feel like I’ve been raised to dismiss stereotypes, but stereotyping isn’t always a conscience decision. Not Another Teen Movie provides humor by utilizing high school stereotypes which its audience can relate. The main character Jake is a jock that gets the girl and lacks intelligence. Stereotypes often work in strange ways in our head, I knew some kids on my high school football team that possessed these exact qualities and support the stereotype. However, for every kid on the football team that fit the stereotype there were ten kids that did not. People tend to ignore these ten kids and focus only on the people the fit the stereotype. That is everyone’s flaw, the illusion of proving stereotypes true based on very few past experiences, when the evidence to prove every stereotype false is sitting right in front of you. Not Another Teen Movie recognizes many stereotypes by blowing them out of proportion. Although this is for entertainment, I think this film downplays the roles of stereotypes by making them so prevalent. It portrays stereotypes as jokes rather than actualities. Thinking about this brought me right back to high school where people were branded based on the group they associated themselves with. Looking at stereotypes is comedic because they are all illogical, but in everyday life they are not amusing and affect everyone in different ways.

Disney

gatorhater8989 — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:16:41 +0000

This week I watched Finding Nemo to relate to “Challenging Disney Myths” by Janet Wasko. My first point of discussion is that Disney is only for kids. Finding Nemo does appeal to kids as expected, but the great success of the movie lies in the appeal to other age groups. Teens relate to the psychotic overprotective nature of parents and Nemo’s struggle to evade his father. Also, parents can relate to Marlin’s sacrifice and love for Nemo. So as I see it, Finding Nemo is one of Disney’s most diversified films that appeals to a diversified audience and shatters the assumption that Disney movies are exclusively for kids. Another Disney myth is that all Disney films are wholesome and unbiased. There is a portrayal of women in Disney films that suggests otherwise. In Finding Nemo, the leading female role is Dori. Although Dori does not play the stereotypical helpless princess role, she is mentally helpless and dependent on Marlin nonetheless. Dori is viewed as incompetent and plainly stupid to many viewers because of her memory problem, but does this downplay the role of women? I don’t think so because Dori’s actions are based on her memory loss, not pure stupidity of being female. Sleeping beauty and Cinderella are viewed as weak because of the general disposition of being female, not an uncontrollable disease in Dori’s case. The negativity is directed towards Dori’s disease but people might suggest that this negativity also transcends to a gender level. The fact that only major female role in Finding Nemo is portrayed as an idiot and the major male roles include characteristics of courage, strength, and passion; concludes that people could interpret this film as creating only male heroes and indirectly downplaying the role of women.

Hello world!

gatorhater8989 — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:32:25 +0000

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