slimweresh

[slimweresh]

If Tbell was no more, let’s vent

I am consistent with my TBell order. It doesn’t vary much; one Crunchwrap Supreme, two Fiery Doritos Locos Tacos, a side of jalapeños and four pounds of Fire hot sauce. I find irony in the fact that I ‘Live Más’ when I’m not swimming in a pile of greasy tacos, but I find comfort in their consistent ability to fill my sad craving. College students’ diets consist of black coffee and fast food, unless you’re a human physiology major and you care about your well-being. We enjoy fast, cheap options that we enjoy in the seven minutes we finish them, followed by an hour of self-loathing; It’s the circle of life. However, it’s not a meal you share with yourself. Every time I decided I wanted to anticipate a long bathroom break after I eat, I picked up multiple friends to join. We made the drive and sat in the long drive-through car line making digs on each other about our inability to make it to Trader Joe’s in order to buy suitable groceries.

TacoBell was a large chain restaurant that gained momentum up until the bitter end. They recognized their young, adventurous consumers and what they’re interested in. Between an easy-to-use mobile application and a hilarious Taco Merch website, their brand followed an every day news and music in order to engage with the people who love them. Their website had a diverse and interactive option bar where you can find delivery locations, vegetarian hacks, and healthy options on their menu; every young adults’ dream. They even had a location in Las Vegas that offers marriage licenses and sauce packet bouquets, and an entire retail section in Forever 21. The brand went beyond cheap Mexican food to connect with their consumers on an adventurous level, keeping up with latest music trends and Millennial slang. Without TacoBell, young adults lose their cheap and spicy Mexican food options that never failed to satisfy their taste buds and conquer their stress levels. Reaching young adults is hard when a product is loosely important to society, but TacoBell’s persistence and steady consistency in beefy, cheesy food options will be missed.

Without this fast food chain, young adults lost not only a quick food option, but a satirical personality in their everyday life. The TacoBell foundation offered $60 million in scholarships and grants to students who fall in the unconventional categories. They represented students who dream, create, and question opportunities that are not recognized as “academic” or “athletic.” Also in 2017, more than $5 million dollars would be disbursed to 350 youth-serving organizations across the country. TacoBell served students the rad way, and without these opportunities, young adults will be left with regular lives and traditional fast food burgers.

[slimweresh]

Let’s talk about YG’s “bopaganda”

I don’t always listen to rap, but I understand the hype. Rap music shed light on the marginalization of black American’s. Rapper YG400, otherwise known as Keenon Jackson, uses his brand to showcase political racism and ethnic segregation through music, social media, and his clothing line. In the forefront of conflict in the 21st century, the artist showcases his opinions through his lyrics and serves as a voice for suppressed ethnic parties. YG’s tour, FDT, an acronym for F*ck Donald Trump, put on blast the recent political conflict existing in the United States. YG connects with fans through his lyrics, as well as Instagram and Twitter, in a blunt and graphic presentation of political opinion and propaganda. He has built his brand on his beliefs, which serves his fans through mainstream art and virtual communication.

Hip-Hop and rap music originated in the South Bronx in the 1970’s. It was an expression of the rebellion and discontent of black Americans in regards to the segregation and racial violence they experienced. Rap emerged from primarily poor, urban areas, and that ultimately persuaded the American public to associate the music genre with a particularly poor, African-American subcultures. Early hip-hop and rap was known as “hood politics,” usually frustrations with the political racism and police brutality in major cities like the Bronx and Compton. The growth of rap and the acceptance of hip-hop music into society has artists such as YG broaden the scope of lyrical message to persuade fans to speak up about political racism and violence as one big community.

YG’s predecessors like Dr. Dre and Eazy-E sang about police brutality and the racial segregation in Compton. They formed the musical group N.W.A. with artists’ MC Ren, DJ Yella, and Ice Cube in the 1980’s and used their hip-hop lyrics to publicize the struggles of growing up in one of the most dangerous cities in America as an African-American citizen. What was then a major controversy still lives in America when we watched the the election of president Donald Trump. The growing popularity and acceptance of hip-hop and rap music assists artists such as YG to freely express their political opinions through their music and publicize the marginalization of groups such as black Americans. Today, musicians have capabilities far greater than earlier artists that enable them to spread a message in ways further than live performances.  

Today, the digital manifestation of social media enables musicians to promote their lyrical messages and popularity in ways apart from solely musical popularity. Virtual publicity on social sites like Instagram and Twitter allow musicians to open dialogue with their fans and share updates with “followers” or “friends.” The dialogue with fans not only promotes community and discussion, but also promotes YG’s brand through constant publicity and reoccurring theme.

YG began his career writing lyrics about his life in Compton and the struggles that come with being apart of gang culture. As his music progressed and he gained popularity, his themes shifted from personal monologue to politically opinionated. He began rapping about police violence and racial segregation. The social hype amongst fans that came from his artistic opinion shifted his brand from generic rap to a politically driven revolution. Trends such as replacing the first letter of words with “B,” and wearing the color red no longer applied to strictly gangs or rappers, but also fans who follow the artist. YG posts Instagram photos and he posts on Twitter regarding police brutality and political opinion. He uses his social media profiles and brand recognition to express his opinions. His 2016 album titled “Still Brazy,” put on blast his opinions regarding political racism and Donald Trump’s presidency.

“Still Brazy” publicly criticizes Donald Trump’s politics and resurrects the marginalization of ethnic groups in America. In his song, “Blacks & Browns,” he and Hispanic artist Sad Boy rap about their ethnic minorities and the struggles that come with being African American or Hispanic in the United States today. YG sings, “Give him his props to figure out how he ran shop, so our kid’s kids can be good, on a house in the hills, and with a house out in the hood.” Other songs such as “Police Get Away With Murder” and “One Time Comin’” highlight the police brutality in cities such as his hometown of Compton. In an interview with BET Lifestyle, YG says, “Blacks and Hispanics, we the minority… The police be doing what the title says.” He continues to blast racial suppression in social media posts about recent shootings and political opinion.

YG’s most prominent song, “F*ck Donald Trump” humiliates president Donald Trump’s political standpoint. The song emphasizes the bigotry and hate speech the Republic frontrunner used during the election period of 2016. In the song, YG mentions racial segregation during previous Trump rallies and sings, “Black students, ejected from your rally, what? I’m ready to go right now, your racist a** did too much.” Not only do his popular lyrics enable his fan base to form a community and share in recent political frustrations, but also his social media presence as a popular artist.

YG incorporates his politically driven media posts into his brand as a performing artist. He links his political opinion with his “4Hunnid” clothing line and persuades fans to form a unique community of politically-literate individuals. When asked about recent work in his BET Lifestyle interview, he says, “We obligated to do that type of sh*t. We signed up for having that role. It’s mandatory press right there.” His emphasis on political violence only grew when he decided to make it the theme for his Fall tour.

YG’s Fall of 2016 tour was titled, “F*ck Donald Trump Tour.” Almost every venue was sold out before their tour dates. In Tweets, YG says, “Oakland tonight sold out. Oakland Monday sold out. 6000 tickets. Next time I’m doing a arena.” His brand has become a culmination of his artistic work, and today, he uses his popularity in rap culture to congregate fans who agree with his opinions. I went to his “F*ck Donald Trump Tour” performance in Eugene last Fall, and it was as aggressive as I imagined. At one point during his set, he hung a Donald Trump look-alike piñata above the crowd and had fans hit it during the concert. What comes as a violently opinionated performance encompasses the current issues America faces in disagreements.

YG’s popularity encourages other musicians to open dialogue about these issues as a community of rap-enthused individuals.

[slimweresh]

An Ode To My Mom

My mother is and has been the one consistent human in my life throughout my childhood and early adulthood. As I get older and continue to learn more important facets of being a grownup, I also realize the numerous qualities I admire in Mel and her ability to hold my hand through life, whether I want assistance or not. It is fascinating to grow up and witness your parents age along side you. One moment they are braiding your hair so tight your eyes hurt, and then you are watching them as they pluck tiny grey hairs from their head in the bathroom mirror, softly cursing to themselves in defeat. Observing your parents as you age is like re-watching old childhood movies; you pick up the small details in their persona, mannerisms, and flaws, similar to small jokes imbedded in movies a toddler would never understand while they watch them at an early age. You latch onto the realization that maybe your mother is not a superhero. I notice my mother’s quirks and simultaneously, I have grown to admire my mother more than I ever have as a tween, teen, or seven days ago. I have seen her fail, and I have seen her succeed in ways I only dream of for myself in the future. It is in the relationship with my mom that continues to shape myself, and my aspirations as I stumble through adulthood.   Mel grew up in Winston Salem, North Carolina. She was a cheerleader in high school, and most photos I have of her in her teens consist of tube tops and her countless Weiner dogs she owned growing up. When I ask Mel about high school she always says the same thing, “You wouldn’t catch me in my cheer uniform without a cigarette in my left hand.” Living in Winston Salem for my mom in the 1980’s meant days on the beach and nights in her neighborhood with kegs and constant gossip. It is humorous looking at photos of my mother when she was my age with her bleach blond hair and tiny bathing suits. She laughs when I joke about her old boyfriends, having many more than I have had at my age. Through these conversations with my mom about her childhood, I can tell where we are the same and where we are different.   Mel was strong and sassy. She knew that she was both intelligent and beautiful, and would not take no for an answer, whether it was a poor grade on a paper or a date to the movies with the boy she liked. I think this correlates with her relationship with her mother as a young woman. Mel’s mom was different than mine growing up, because my grandmother could not be more opposite in looks and personality from my mother. When my mother would call grandma in college for help with lengthening a paper, my grandma’s response would consist of genuine ideas like shrinking the font and stretching the margins. I know that my mother respects and loves hers, and she loves her unconditionally for raising her to be the woman she is. Although, I watch Mel when my grandmother calls, no chatter on her end but countless eye rolls and impatient sighs as my grandma talks about the new lipstick she bought or her purses she can’t seem to get rid of that collect dust in her closet. My mother will be the first person to express her opinions about this relationship.   When I was a teenager and enjoyed harassing my mother, I would say things like, “You are so much like grandma. You are constantly talking and no one can get a word in otherwise.” This would rile my mother up, I knew, because she never wished these qualities on herself. Mel is a big conversationalist, and she is always the life of the party. Whether it bothers her or not, she got that quality from my grandmother. What she acquired on her own though is her voice for our dog Duncan and the plethora of jokes and movie quotes that spew from her brain while she cooks dinner in our kitchen. In middle school, I couldn’t get home fast enough from swim practice to inhale her chicken fried rice or bruschetta. In high school, when I decided I was too large to enjoy anything other than salads, my mom had the ability to pull numerous spices from our cabinets and somehow create her own dressing that I could drink on its own because of how delicious it was. Not only have her culinary gifts surprised me to this day, but also her response to situations I confide in her with.   I did not always give my mother the benefit of the doubt with my personal life. High school was a winding road for not only my personality and ties with friends, but also with my relationship with Mel. I enjoyed freshman year because I was meeting hundreds of new people and dressing up to flirt in the bleachers with “cute” boys during Friday night football games. I participated in cheerleading and I made the freshman girls volleyball team. Our team traveled around the Midwest for tournaments, and Mel was always my right-hand man. I was not the best player on the team, and I spent a majority of games sitting on the bleachers pouting about my lack of participation. I would whine to my mother after games and blame my lack of effort on my coaches, and my mom would go along with it, refraining from input because she knew I would only pout more. Regardless, she was always in the stands for my games with a bag of popcorn or magazine to keep herself occupied.   I get an ache in my stomach when I realize how ungrateful I behaved in high school towards my mother. My mother was the only woman I knew out of my friends’ parents that had a full-time job as a law professor and also attended her children’s activities. I would complain that my friends’ moms would make them lunch or they would be the first car in the line after school to pick them up. It is almost comical how ridiculous these requests were at age fourteen and fifteen. While my friends’ mothers would be sitting at coffee gossiping about their daughters’ relationships, my mom was at Drake Law School grading papers and lecturing young adults on environmental stability. I later sat in on one of her classes and could not be more surprised to see such a serious and stunning professor in her pencil skirt answering questions I still don’t understand today. My ability to overlook my mother’s intelligence only grew as I went through high school.   My sophomore year of high school was a large learning experience for not only myself but my parents. I decided to begin hanging around people in my grade I shouldn’t have, and before I realized what I was doing, my parents had lost sight of who I was entirely. This was my doing, because I had built a double life that was centered around sneaking out of my house on Saturday nights. When my parents assumed I was at practice, I would actually be on the other side of town with people they never would approve of my poorly spent time with. This lifestyle only deepened as I dug myself into a hole I thought was fun and liberating. It was exciting and I felt like a rebel, until my parents learned the truth about who I was when I wasn’t around them.     My mom would drive me to school, cautious of where I would have otherwise driven, and my weekends consisted of reading and lying in bed contemplating any relationship I had left with the two most generous people in my life. I took advantage of any trust they ever had in me to experience high school in a fun and beneficial way. They began to ask every detail of my excavations, and it was impossible to spend time with the same friends because of their inability to realize how suffocated I had become with my parents. After my parents discovered this double life, I immediately realized what I was doing. I was not only living a lie, but I was breaking ties one at a time with the two people who gave me so much.   My mother and I are in a healthy relationship today. At times, there is still strain on our interactions, because I can tell she still cannot believe how heartless I once was. This pains me overtime I think about it, and I believe it has altered my personality. I no longer feel the respect my parents once had for me, and although I attempt to tell my mom everything important in my life, we refrain from ever truly delving into our relationship as mother and daughter.   She would laugh at how I word the pain I feel from my mistakes, because she has always been straightforward without a hint of drama. Mel never latched onto my complaints about my friends or boys, because I think she always knew it was my job to discover how to alleviate situations. Attending college far away from home has only deepened my nostalgia for the relationship my mother and I shared years ago. We talk not the phone every other day, usually about what we had for lunch or trading funny stories. The days I call Mel for genuine advice are the days I realize how amazing she truly is.   My mother is quite matter of fact with petty drama, and I will always have a bitter sweet opinion about how she handles my complaints about my minuscule issues. My freshman year of college, I called Mel about a boy I was dating. I was sporadic and stressed over the phone, and after my ten minute rant I realized she said few words. After a long pause over the phone my mother said, “Salem, there are so many boys in the world, and you are already too cool for most of them. This kid may have great hair and make you laugh, but the minute it is a lopsided relationship, you’re over it.”   Most advice I receive begins with my denial of my inability to handle a situation myself, followed by relief I have such a solid rock of a mother to hold me in place while my brain splits in several directions. I owe my mother everything for telling me when I am a clingy girlfriend, and showing me how to refrain from sounding pretentious in my research papers. She continues to surprise me with wisdom acquired through her many mistakes, relationships, and achievements. The relationship I have with my mother is built on betrayal, tears, laughter, but mostly love. Whether it is tough or tender, the love my mom spreads over my life is entirely unconditional.

#mothers #mothersday #inspiration #Thoughts #family #love

[slimweresh]

Let’s talk about Jordan Peele

Racism is discussed, it is denounced, but it still exists. Many films touch on the hegemony of whiteness. However, there is a continuous theme in the way these films are constructed with predominantly white protagonists and filtered content that leave uncomfortable racial tendencies among rather ignorant white privileged audiences mute. The white hierarchy in today’s society is often undetected because the entertainment industry fails to create new, creative ways to shock audiences. Barriers were broken in a film that demands a reaction from fans and denounces white privilege through ground-breaking film strategy, casting, and content. In his horror movie Get Out, director Jordan Peele exposes society’s ignorance to present racial segregation through a film about a black man’s struggle in a white supremacist society. Peele’s casting decisions and script perk ears about racism across the globe.

Today, society attempts to embrace equality, but racism seeps through. Although America predominantly endorses intersectionality, there are underlying scars from the past that persist. These racial formations are embedded in history, and impact equality today. After reading a great book, Racial Formation in the United States, the authors Omi and Winant wrote, “Race is indeed a pre-eminently socio-historical concept. Racial categories and the meaning of race are given concrete expression by the specific social relations and historical context in which they are embedded.” It’s true in history segregation embedded superiority in whiteness. It creates a “natural” outlook on the rank seen in ethnicities. Liberal ideology denounces racism, but the topic always focuses on everyone except white citizens. This counter-effective effort to create equality only creates unspoken segregation. Jordan Peele exposes this ignorance in his 2017 film, Get Out.

Jordan Peele’s movie, Get Out, publicizes the social construction of race and the ever-present struggle black citizens experience in an ignorant society. Get Out is a film about a black male protagonist named Chris Washington who visits his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage’s parents’ home for the first time. Once he arrives, he immediately experiences strange, racist tendencies from his girlfriend’s family and friends. When Chris meets the Armitage family and friends, he notices their dominance over three black characters, Logan, Walter, and Georgina. When these characters’ submissive behavior becomes apparent, the film’s intention is exposed. Chris realizes that the town is a time capsule for racial ideology and white supremacy.

The weekend only continues to worsen when uncomfortable situations in the film exhibit white characters’ fetish with the black body. In one scene, the Armitage family and friends examine Chris and interrogate him during a high-class party at the Armitage estate with questions about his athleticism and physical capabilities. At the party, Chris realizes that Logan is actually one of his past acquaintances who went missing earlier that year with a strange and submissive new personality. His weekend trip results in a horrific discovery involving black reductionism and lobotomy. He discovers these white residents reel black men and women such as Logan into their town and bid on the possession and surgical violation of their bodies in a twisted attempt to gain their physical traits. The plot sends Chris into a fight for his life when Rose’s mother hypnotizes him into submission in hopes of lobotomizing him and giving his eyes to a blind, white art dealer. The plot is an explicit allegory to historical white supremacy, and the dialogue in the film shocks fans and exposes discomfort people still face with racism’s lasting effect on social construction.

There are multiple facets in the movie Get Out that expose today’s racist tendencies, and Jordan Peele uses explicit racist white ideology in his plot line to expose these subtle tendencies and shock viewers. One major component is Peele’s dialogue throughout the film. The objectification of black characters throughout conversation is a direct representation of hegemonic behavior, and it is foreign to twenty-first century films apart from Peele’s Get Out. White characters in the film objectify Chris, alluding to historical domination where blackness was said to be barbaric and strong, yet submissive to whiteness. In James Lull’s book, Media, Communication, Culture: A Global Approach, he writes, “Because information and entertainment technology is so thoroughly integrated into the everyday realities of modern societies, mass media’s social influence is not always recognized, discussed, or criticized, particularly in societies where the overall standard of living is relatively high. Hegemony, therefore, can easily go undetected.”

Racism today is filtered because it is apparent this ideology is hurtful and problematic. In Carolyn Finney’s article, “Brave New World,” she writes about this filtration and the suppression of conversation about race in order to maintain peace among ethnic groups in society. She writes, “Our romance with “post race” is more reflective of our inability to stand where we are, than it is in showing how “evolved” we have become.” However even in such a democratic atmosphere, whiteness is detected, and Peele uses creative dialogue to dramatically exemplify more subtle tendencies in current social construction in his film.  

In the film, the main character, Chris has multiple conversations with family members and friends that allude to historical ideology in hierarchal ethnic groups. Peele personally experienced racism growing up, and uses those memories in his film. In an interview with Esquire, Peele says, “"Racism comes in many different forms. Sometimes it’s subtle and sometimes it’s overt. Sometimes it’s violent and sometimes it’s harmless, but it’s definitely here.” He recalls accusations from police when he was a kid and the way these impulsive elders made him insecure at times around people different from himself. In an article with USA Today, Peele says, “Get Out has the potential ‘to give white audiences or audience members who’ve never experienced any of this firsthand an opportunity to be with a protagonist who’s black and going through it. That in and of itself to me is a radical notion, even though it shouldn’t be at this point.” His experience is a direct example of the naturalization of racism in society that remains present. Even if it is undetected, it constructs our social structure. In Stuart Hall’s “The Spectacle of the ‘Other,’” he writes about the logic behind naturalization. He writes, “If the differences between black and white people are ‘cultural’, then they are open to modification and change. But if they are ‘natural…’ they are beyond history, permanent and fixed. ‘Naturalization’ is therefore a representation strategy designed to fix ‘difference’, and thus secure it forever.” Jordan Peele exudes a heavily present issue in his film and connects with viewers because his content comes with feeling and experience.

The experience that comes with racial segregation attaches to many black actors, because there are tendencies in the film industry to pinpoint stereotypes in race. In an interview with famous actor Samuel L. Jackson on New York radio station Hot 97.1 covering multiple topics of interest, Jackson recovers an ongoing debate in the film industry that is exemplified in the movie, Get Out.CNN news writes, "A film about the American black experience stars an actor that doesn’t have any first-hand knowledge of the American black experience. The star of "Get Out” is British.” Jackson criticizes the casting decision to star Daniel Kaluuya as Chris Washington, the black male protagonist in the film. In his interview with 97.1, Jackson criticizes Kaluuya’s role as a part of an interracial relationship. Perhaps these racial ideologies and hegemony stems from interracial transgressions of sexual space in varying social boundaries.Jackson says in his interview, “Daniel grew up in a country where they’ve been interracial dating for 100 years. What would a brother from America have made of that role? Some things are universal but [not everything is].” Britain’s experience with racist history and the social construction of ethnic groups is different from America’s. However, no one experience is the same, and both countries identify a hegemonic issue today.

No two countries share the exact same pain with racial hegemony, but it is important to acknowledge the individual citizen that is oppressed given their skin color. Britain has a history of negative racial climate. Its anti-racist movement that emerged in the 1960s was influenced by Black Power in the US and eventually fragmented into politics of ethnic difference around the 1980s.The united 'black’ struggle and political identity became construed, and its intention to combine anti-racist political solidarity with cultural diversity was misplaced. In an article written by Kundnani Arun titled, “Echoes of Empire,” he writes, "New forms of racism - linked to a systematic failure to understand the causes of forced migration, global terrorism and social segregation - have spread. The result is a climate of hatred and fear, directed especially at Muslim and migrant communities, and the erosion of the human rights of those whose cultures and values are perceived as 'alien.’” These racial tendencies restrict black actors and actresses with roles. Britain’s film industry lacks ethnic diversity in existing roles, and those casting opportunities exist for ethnic actors and actresses in other countries such as America. Empathy for everyone involved is important when racist segregation is discussed, because it exists outside the United States as well. In Carolyn Finney’s “Brave New World,” she writes, “The combination of mind and body engagement and expression of lived “race” yields numerous opportunities for how we see/vision/employ race as an idea, and in determining who actually get to participate in the continued production of theories, practices and possibilities of race reimagined.” Not only American minorities, but suppressed citizens across the globe experience this struggle in their lives, and open participation in this discussion is vital in order to change the way we view race.

In Jordan Peele’s interview with Esquire, he says, “Any horror that works for me has, on some level, a social connotation. In some way, they represent a very real, grounded horror. Even if it’s not directly clear, like Get Out, horror movies are also great when there’s a vague allegory.” Not only Get Out’s gore, but also its explicit content involving blunt racism that dates back to earlier openly racist ideology shocks viewers and changes the way we talk about the issue. In an article written by Eugene Shanklin regarding color-blindness in societies, she studies the history of anthropology in regards to race and ethnicity, and the way it is taught to students. Shanklin emphasizes the confusion that stems from 'color blindness’ because it ignores the deeply-rooted stereotypes that plague society, even in the twenty-first century. She writes, "The folk idea of race as skin color remains powerful in our society and racism has become part of legislation and institutions in ways that make it very difficult to extirpate.” We hush the real issue because it is deeply rooted in history, and effects a great amount of people. This “post race” ideology is not beneficial, it is simply softer segregation. Carolyn Finney writes in her article, “'Post race” promises to transform our collective neurosis into irrelevant cultural artifacts relegated to a past that we are desperately trying to separate ourselves from.” It creates an unspoken problem that goes overlooked. However it continues to affect social construction with all parties involved. In bell hook’s Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination, she insists these stereotypes live on in society and evoke a simplistic, essentialist “us and them” dichotomy. Stereotyping reduces people to a few simple characteristics, and Jordan Peele’s Get Out blatantly expresses the suppression and transgressions that result from racist behavior.

Jordan Peele exposes society’s ignorance to present racial segregation through Get Out, involving naturalization and representational intersectionality about Chris Washington’s struggle in a white supremacist society. Peele’s casting decisions and script open the conversation that goes undiscussed to discover racist tendencies. Although his casting decisions were critiqued by fellow actors such as Samuel L. Jackson, it only spans our knowledge of the issue across other countries who deal with this in different circumstances. Peele’s debut film, Get Out took a twist on the present issue and pleased fans with a horror that excites and informs. In his interview with Esquire, he says, Revenge and killing the deserving bad guy really works, regardless of skin color.” He utilizes the black male protagonist in his film to prove the indifference in skin color. Racial segregation is current, and films like Peele’s are excellent examples of publicly denouncing racism.

#jordanpeele #racism #segregation #supremacy #horror #film #movies #analysis #samueljackson #esquire #color

[slimweresh]

Let’s talk about mental health

Yoga is a form of exercise that combines physical postures, multiple breathing exercises, as well as a philosophy involving meditation that combine to enhance a person’s quality of life. In 2007, according to The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, over 13 million Americans practiced yoga and it has only increased since that time.  Recent controls have monitored individuals who practice forms of yoga such as Hatha, a deep breathing form of the practice. In an article by Anava Wren and Melissa Wright at Duke University Medical Center named Yoga for Persistent Pain: New Findings and Directions for an Ancient Practice, research has demonstrated that yoga can produce psychological changes, such as increased awareness of mental and physical states, helping patients to locate the source of their pain. From the Department of Neuroscience in Milano, Italy, authors Doria, A. de Vuono, Sanlorenzo, Irtelli, and Mencacci stated in the Journal of Affective Disorders their findings from a conducted research study involving Sudarshan Kriya Yoga, a type of yoga that combines multiple breathing strategies, with a group of 69 patients who suffer from forms of anxiety and depression. Over the course of six months, their results concluded that the use of repeated meditative breathing strategies lead the patients to significant reduction in levels of chronic depression and anxiety.

Meditation began as a spiritual practice in India, combined with the Hindu art of yoga and later spread more widely in association with Buddhist spirituality, according to Ramesh Manocha from Sydney Medical School, and Deborah Black and Leigh Wilson from the faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. Their research article Quality of Life and Functional Health Status of Long-Term Meditators stated that in different areas of the world, meditation and yoga underwent transformations leading to ideas such as Zen. They stated that since the early 20th century, meditative practices along with Eastern spiritual ideas have become popular in the West. In the last few decades they have become the focus of scientific attention.

In recent years, there have been countless studies done amongst patients with mental ailments such as anxiety and depression. According to Tricia da Silva from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada; Lakshmi Ravindran from the VA San Diego Health Care System in California; and Arun Ravindran from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, their review of yoga in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders in The Asian Journal of Psychiatry contains multiple results of studies conducted in the past decade. For example, a study conducted in 2005 involving patients with depression practiced repetitive yoga and meditation over the course of 12 weeks. In that time, there was reported modest to significant improvement in depression among the patients.

#yoga #mental health #mentalillness #health #breathe #meditation #hatha #hathayoga

[slimweresh]

Let’s talk about gender roles in this ~steamy~ film

Movies always have a message. Actors and actresses can be examples that reflect either flat or rounded characters, referring to their personality traits in a film. Culture has a recurring male dominance in cinema that molds social norms. In several films, female characters are objects and male characters are well-rounded protagonists who control situations and treat the female as a spectacle. Gross. Even today there are films that play on this objectification and change the way male characters control situations while maintaining a patriarchal theme. In a scene from the 2015 film Magic Mike XXL, a man performs a strip tease for a gas station saleswoman in Myrtle Beach that pushes male dominance. 

This movie is a great example of sexual connotation in film that stresses male dominance. In this scene from Magic Mike XXL, the characters stop at a convenience store on the way to perform at a stripper convention in Myrtle Beach. Mike, played by actor Channing Tatum convinces Richie, actor Joe Manganiello, to dance for a female employee inside with the intention of getting her to smile. The film utilizes several camera angles and sporadic transitions during Richie’s strip tease to encourage viewers’ attention and excitement. There are several close up shots of Richie as he slowly removes his pants and pours water on his body. In one instance, the camera views him head on as he sprays a soft drink from his groin area. The shots transition between Richie and his friends watching from the other side of the glass windows, laughing and cheering him on. Several instances during the scene, there are close-up shots of the female sales clerk, expressionless, until the end of the scene when she physically exudes excitement from Richie’s performance with a smile. The editing of shots and the string of small events in the scene leads to a triumphant success for Richie as his strip tease achieves female satisfaction.

Richie’s dance routine has literal and deeper meaning. Semiotics, or the interpretation of signs and symbols, plays a vital role. Richie’s sexual objectification of himself ultimately gives him power over the female sales clerk. There are two meanings to symbols and images in films like this one. The denotative, or literal and explicit meaning of Richie’s performance in this scene is his sexual prowess and ability to arouse the sales clerk with a strip tease. It is alluring and meant to be burlesque. The connotative meaning is deeper. It is the implication that the scene promotes male dominance. There is an ideology that Richie has a hold on the female character. The scene makes the male character an object, but also leaves him in control of the situation.

Richie’s objectification of his body additionally promotes his dominance as the lead role in the scene, different from female objectification we see in other films. In Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” Mulvey discusses scopophilia, the pleasure in looking at someone as an object. She says: “The split between spectacle and narrative supports the man’s role as the active one of forwarding the story…as the bearer of the look of the spectator”. She discusses the common trend that women are viewed as objects in film and male stars are rounded characters of a film who possess leadership in the plot. Although, in Magic Mike XXL, this scene clearly demonstrates scopophilia towards the male role. Mulvey also states: “The man controls the film fantasy and also emerges as the representative of power in a further sense.” The sales clerk watches as Richie pines for her attention by stripping his clothes and utilizing his physical self for attention. However, this scene displays objectification and alternatively places the objectified character in control of the situation, because Richie gets what he wants from the sales clerk as she visually enjoys his strip tease. The movie utilizes the male role in not only objectifying his character but producing plot dominance by maintaining power in the scene.

The movie displays an alternative patriarchal dominance in film. In Stuart Hall’s “The Spectacle of the ‘Other,’” Hall explains fetishism and its power in controlling the person that is looking at the object. He writes: “The sexual energy, desire and danger, all of which are emotions powerfully associated with the phallus, are transferred to another part of the body or another object, which substitutes for it.” In Magic Mike XXL, Richie utilizes his sexual prowess and physical self to entice the sales clerk and exaggerates his masculinity to induce desire. Viewers do not blatantly see Richie’s explicit body parts, but they watch a sexual scene that ultimately works in Richie’s favor. This differs from other films where scopophilia of a woman ultimately benefits the male counterpart or the film exaggerates the objectification of the woman to benefit the male.

In the scene from the film Magic Mike XXL, Richie’s strip tease promotes scopophilia while maintaining patriarchy in his character dominance. He performs an ego-centric strip tease for a gas station saleswoman in Myrtle Beach that displays fragmentation, but also counteractively results in male power over the sales clerk when she reacts in the way Richie intends her to. The clip is argued to be male objectification and cruel towards men, similar to a feminist’s negative outlook on patriarchal film’s female scopophilia. However, the string of events to tell a story of Richie getting what he wants from the sales clerk using his sexual prowess ultimately maintains male dominance. The film construes scopophilia to benefit Richie in a way many people denounce films that do the same to female characters. It is important to use media literacy when watching films such as Magic Mike XXL in order to form critical opinions of the construed messages it sends to viewers, which in this case is male dominance and female inferiority.

#magicmike #xxl #gender #feminism #malerole #culture

[slimweresh]

Beauty and Her Captor

The children’s movie, Beauty and the Beast is a twist on the fairy tale about an ugly beast and a young woman who fall in love. The animated film by Disney was created in 1991 to entertain viewers with musical theatre and lessons of love and acceptance. However, its plot insinuates similarities to the condition Stockholm Syndrome, a serious condition hostages tend to acquire in which they develop feelings for their captors after spending close and long amounts of time in captivity. These similarities are found in not only the plot of Beauty and the Beast, but also in several quotes throughout the film.

Stockholm Syndrome was discovered about 40 years ago, when various survivors of kidnappings such as Patty Hearst were found to be fond of their captors. Stockholm Syndrome is related to brainwashing tactics in which hostages learn to believe that they share feelings with these captors. It is a serious and confusing condition that causes many survivors to believe they develop a positive relationship with their captors, when in reality they are isolated which promotes dependency and a lack of self-worth. In an article for BBC News written by Kathryn Westcott, she quotes Psychiatrist Dr Frank Ochberg saying, "The hostages experience a powerful, primitive positive feeling towards their captor. They are in denial that this is the person who put them in that situation. In their mind, they think this is the person who is going to let them live.” The film Beauty and the Beast promotes Stockholm Syndrome indirectly through a plot that promotes hostage behavior by insinuating a happy ending to a an unhealthy situation.

The film Beauty and the Beast promotes Stockholm Syndrome development when the main female character Belle, arrives to the Beast’s castle in hopes of saving her father from captivity and is forced to stay inside the property indefinitely in return for her father’s freedom. She argues and retaliates with the Beast, but the Beast refuses to let her out of his property, locking her away in a room and restricting her from her freedom. The film is supposed to remain lighthearted as Belle befriends the castle’s servants and eventually falls in love with the Beast, but her captivity alone promotes toxic behavior and brainwashing tactics.

The film was not intended to insinuate cruel and unhealthy behavior, but the first half of the plot slightly resembles kidnapping trends that tend to lead to belittled hostages that feel the need to rely on these captors in order to find any form of “happiness.” In Kathryn Westcott’s article she quotes Psychiatrist Ochberg saying, “Small acts of kindness - such as being given food - prompts a "primitive gratitude for the gift of life…” In the film, Belle is locked in a bedroom, until the Beast decides that she must eat with him. When she denies his order, the Beast is outraged.

In the film the Beast says, “You can’t stay in there forever!”

Belle replies, “Yes I can!”

The Beast then replies, “Fine! Then go ahead and STARVE!”

This dialogue although subtle, is abusive and cruel. Not only is Belle held hostage from her life at home, she is forced to either obey the Beast, or suffer the consequences.

Accusations of cruel and unusual behavior related to Stockholm Syndrome were brought about when Disney created a screenplay of Beauty and the Beast in 2017. Actor, Emma Watson came out with a statement defending her role as Belle in the film. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly she said, “Belle actively argues and disagrees with [Beast] constantly. She has none of the characteristics of someone with Stockholm Syndrome because she keeps her independence, she keeps that freedom of thought…” This is true, however, it is not in Belle’s interest to stay at the castle. Although she eventually falls in love with the Beast, the arguments and cruelty in between the two characters unfortunately relates to kidnapping survivors experiences.

In Emma Watson’s interview she argues, “She gives as good as she gets. He bangs on the door, she bangs back. There’s this defiance…” Watson defends her character saying that Belle is a strong and powerful role. Her character makes her own decisions and falls in love with the Beast under more positive circumstances, which could be true. It is in small acts of defiance however, where the Beast uses manipulation to retain Belle and consider her his possession. In one scene, Belle attempts to flee the castle and has to be saved from a pack of wild wolves. The Beast speaks to Belle in a way that positions her at fault for his injuries in saving her from the animals.

The Beast: [roars loudly] That hurts!

Belle: If you'd hold still it wouldn't hurt as much!

The Beast: If you hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened.

Belle: If you hadn't frightened me I wouldn't have run away.

The Beast: [hesitates a bit] Well, you shouldn't have been in the west wing.

The two argue for a moment in the scene, and Belle makes strong points that defend her character, which lightens these negative insinuations about the film. However, it is important to analyze where their relationship has unhealthy characteristics that are similar to these hostage situations that sometimes lead to brainwashing issues such as Stockholm Syndrome.

It is an aggressive statement to make that the film Beauty and the Beast promotes toxic relationships and brainwashing habits. The film is a beautiful Disney animated film for children and families that enjoy music and entertainment. The film earned $425 million in success after it came out in 1991. With a film reaching this many people, it is important to analyze any potential its message might have in construing young people’s ideas of love, support, and companionship.

The argument that this film promotes unhealthy relationships can sway either side. In analyzing the film and it’s characters, there are scenes that are full of love and others that relate to serious accusations related to real-life situations. In relation to Stockholm Syndrome and the victims of kidnapping and brainwashing, small situations such as Belle’s captivity can be offensive to people who understand the seriousness of mental abuse. When watching films such as these lighthearted children’s movies, it is important to keep these serious situations in mind and understand the difference between love and possessiveness. In Beauty and the Beast, the two main characters eventually do in fact fall in love for more reasons that Belle’s altered state of mind.

The Beast learns to love himself, and also Belle and the two develop a strong companionship. Analyzing the smaller variables in the film helps to analyze real-world problems on a deeper level. Stockholm syndrome, while rare, is a sad and confusing development in history and it should not be promoted even on the smallest scale in movies that small children watch and interpret.

#beauty and the beast #stockholm syndrome #mentalillness #mental health #thoughts #disney