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amplesalty · 3 years

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Halloween 2021 - Day 1 - Us (2019)

‘tis Halloween season once again!

It’s October, it’s Tumblr dot com and that can mean only one thing; another boat load of horror adjacent movies and possibly the odd TV show thrown in for good measure. And hey, we might have skipped out on the Stand finale and I didn’t do Halloween 1978 as I planned but I had a fair few entries last year. Christmas...not so much. Some of these years really seem to blend together because I thought for sure I had watched Get Out last year but, no, apparently it was 2019. Relevant because for this opening day I’m looking at Jordan Peele’s directorial follow up; 2019’s Us. Maybe next year I’ll watch 2021’s Candyman that he, whilst not directing, was involved in writing and producing. I love how certain sections of the internet immediately flipped their lids over that and were like “He’s going to make it political and about race. Stop bringing politics into movies!”. Ah yes, unlike the original Candyman which we of course know did not involve race in any way, shape or form.

This movies broader points about class structures and wealth ineaquality can easily be applied to all of society but it’s perhaps no coincidence that the protagonists are an African American family. Whilst the racial themes are quite as strong as in Get Out, it’s still evident to see the difference in opulence between the Wilson’s and their more wealthy white friends.

There’s a moment in particular when the Wilson’s are at their friends house and you get this shot of their two boats side by side. Their dirty speed boat that constantly veers to the left and with an engine that cuts out all the time is dwarved by the SS BYACTCH. It’s not something that’s dwelled on or talked up but I think it’s a nice little piece of visual universe building. And for that talk of wealth inequality, you can’t complain too much if you’ve got yourselves a summer house and a speed boat, no matter how shabby it is.

That boat does lend some measure of humour to the film that kinda threw me off guard given how tense the second quarter of the movie gets. There’s something really funny about this vicious killer stopped dead in their tracks when the boat cuts out, having to resort to the old bloke trick of ‘Technology doesn’t work? Smack it with your fist!’ It worked for the Fonz. I feel that’s something we’ve really lost in this modern age of techonological advancement, you can’t get any good surface area to give the telly a smack these days with all these LCD’s and OLED’s. You could really bring the smackdown on those old CRT’s.

That whole vicious killer thing is also something of a departure from Get Out which was more of a psychological trip. They both share these creepy elements but there’s something more immediate and visceral here when you have this family being stalked by these shadowy figures in the middle of the night before they start being set upon and this whole home invasion plays out.

Actually, the start of that scene is a bit of a mix between the creepiness and terror when they just see this family holding hands in their driveway in the middle of the night. I know I’ve probably touched on this before but you know where you stand when Michael Myers or Jason Vorhees are marching towards you with their bloody knives drawn. What the hell do you do though when there’s just bunch of people on your property at 2am, unmoving and smiling politely?

Not that they have polite intentions, when we find that these are the dopplegangers of this family referred to as ‘The Tethered’. Sort of like corrupted, shadow versions of their normal counterparts who have gone through near enough the same exact experiences but in a more twisted way. The normal person might eat a warm, delicious meal but the shadow consumes only raw, bloody rabbit meat. The normal person might meet someone, fall in love and get married but the shadow is compelled to meet with their partner based on the actions of their double. The normal family might give birth to beautiful, healthy children but the shadows are blessed only with wicked, sadistic offspring. And, again, it’s hard not to draw parallels when you have a black character talking about living this less privileged life in the shadow of the more well off.

It becomes infinitely more terrifying when you come to realise that this isn’t just isolated to the Wilsons, their friends have also been visited and killed off by their own evil selves. It’s like, even if you outrun your own shadows, it seems like there’s nowhere to run with the news showing shaky footage of similar red clothed people committing seemingly random attacks.

Small point on the other family but, between this and thinking back to her role in The Invisible Man remake, Elisabeth Moss just kinda ‘gets’ that whole facial expression thing. Whether it was the paranoia and fear of Invisible Man or the maniacal expressions of her evil version here, she does a really great job of selling it. Again, it’s only a small role in the grand scheme of the whole movie it’s pretty chilling to have her preening herself in the mirror to the sound of classical music. And then the Wilsons arrive to bludgeon everyone to death to the sound of ‘Fuck the Police’ by N.W.A so, you know, contrast...

I feel like parts of the finale are a little tacked on, like the whole story behind where the Tethered came from just feels a little thrown together, that they’re these clones that were designed by the government in order to control their counterparts on the surface. It’s just sort of left at that and not explained any further.

The setting is certainly very eerie though, a lot of strange imagery going when Addy ends up going through the underground complex with it’s singular escalator that is lit up like a Christmas tree, or the long, white corridors littered with rabbits. I’m not sure what the metaphor is behind the rabbits, other than her following one into the complex which is maybe a nod to Alice in Wonderland or the general idea of ‘going down a rabbit hole’.

Bit of a nod to A Nightmare on Elm Street too as she makes her way through a boilerroom.

The whole Hands Across America thing I’m a little confused on too, it’s something that’s focused on near the end that it’s something the Tethered have almost idolised with this one item they have referencing it. Quite why they’re replicating it though, maybe it’s symbolic of how the Tethered have all joined together in this one cause. Or, as the Evil Addy says she wanted to make a statement, maybe this was her way of doing that in a similar way to how Hands Across America was so widely covered in its time. It kinda goes along with the idea of the Tethered being this mirror image, them doing it now is like an inverse of the original idea of it promoting charity and helping the less fortunate. Now those truly less fortunate are using it to their own ends.

And that ties in to the coolest part of the movie, this general idea of symmetry. It’s something that’s touched upon near the start with the idea of symmetry and coincidences brought up, like when one of the kids points out the clock reads 11:11 which had up to this point popped up on a few signs referencing a bible verse. It affected me a little bit in a similar way to Invisible Man where I started to really look for things in the movie that were maybe going on in the background that were meant to be subtle hints. But as the movie wore on, I started to realise it was itself playing out in this mirrored way; like how it starts out at this fun fair at night but ends at the fun fair in day time. Or how the normal version of one of the kids is encouraged to snap along with some music at the start of the film, then near the end his evil version is snapping along too, only he’s mimicking a lighter since he’s a bit of a pyromaniac. That song incidentally being ‘I Got Five on it’ which is used near the start and then again near the end, only that time it’s an eerie orchestral remix that soundtracks the fight between the two Addy’s.

Which is a really neat fight scene as well, you’re used to these slasher type villains just overpowering their victims or brutally stabbing them but the evil Addy uses her dance background to gracefully dodge Addy’s attempts to attack her. It’s like a bizarre dance routine between the two of them, brings a whole new meaning to fight choreography.

Oh, and that ending too, that’s a whole different level of confusion too. Not in terms of what happens, more just the way it makes you feel. I saw it coming that the two Addy’s were switched in the incident that took place when she was a kid but it plays with your idea of a happy ending. Like, this whole time you were rooting for the ‘good’ Addy to overcome the evil version that had come to kill her and her family, but then you find out that she was the evil one all along. It’s not quite on that level of gut puncher as The Mist but still a neat twist.

But yeah, really cool movie on the whole. Aside from Candyman, I’ll also be looking forward to Peele’s next movie which is apparently slated for next year and will feature Daniel Kaluuya again.

#Halloween 2021 #Us #Jordan Peele

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chloegrayportfolio · 3 years

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Module One - Creating Meaningful Relationships

Week 3 Peer Interaction Task 1 & 2

Task 1: Turn to the instant inventory on page 67 of the textbook “A Teacher’s Guide to Cognitive Type Theory & Learning Style” and determine your own type preferences.

I thought the Instant Insight Inventory was super fun and interesting to do. I was really looking forward to seeing if I would receive the same personality type I was given when I took the Myers-Briggs 16Personalities test—and I did! I would describe myself as someone who is quiet, sensitive, kind, and prefers to be alone. I focus on and remember lots of detail—even the smallest of things. Another thing I enjoy doing is getting away from reality either by daydreaming in my own head or consuming media (books, music, movies) revolving around lives I wish I could live. The results I received told me that my personality type is INFP—meaning I lean towards introversion, intuition, feeling, and perceiving. The INFP is imaginative, idealistic, reflective, independent, creative, stubborn, and easily hurt. My results did not surprise me at all (as I had predicted them and have received the same results every time I have done a personality test in the past), nor do I have much disagreement with any aspect of my results. The only part of the INFP description I feel as though I really do not fit is creativity. I have never really enjoyed creating art (in any form—stories, poetry, paintings, etc) as much as I enjoy consuming art. I appreciate creativity, I just don’t think of myself as a creator. Other than that, I really related to my results—especially the points about being imaginative as well as easily hurt.

Task 2: First, as a group decide who will be in the introvert group and who will be the extroverts. Then please do the following tasks:

As a teacher, what strategies would work for you to get the best energy you can?

With others of your type in your group, discuss what it feels like to be around a lot of folks who are “opposite” to you. (That is extroverts should say what it feels to like to be around a lot of introverts when you are the only extrovert. Introverts should say what it feels to like to be around a lot of extroverts when you are the only introvert.)

Introverts: make a list of how it feels and post it to the group. “Opposite types” in the group please read the list.

Extroverts: make a list of how it feels and post it to the group. “Opposite types” in the group please read the list.

Refer to your textbook to see how others have done this exercise

Come up with a list of how your type behaves in a classroom. “Opposite types” in the group please read the list.

If you have any questions to ask of your opposite type post them now.

As an introverted teacher, the strategies that would work for me to get the best energy I can would be from within, as introverts have a more internal focus of energy. A strategy I think I would use for this is having allocated in-class silent journaling time, for students to share their reflections of the school-day or school-week with me. Not only would this be a way for the students to internally reflect, benefitting themselves, but it would also help me as an educator to get a deeper understanding of my students’ needs as well as what works for them and what doesn’t. When I’m around a lot of extroverts as the lone introvert, I sometimes feel anxious because I’m worried they will take my silence as me being rude or judgmental—like I don’t want to be there (when that definitely isn’t the case). I can also feel quite awkward and uncomfortable as I usually end up doing things that are out of my comfort zone when I am with extroverts (simply following what they’re doing). I can also feel nervous as extroverts are the type to speak their honest truth rather than tread lightly around the subject, which can be a little stressful for an introvert—especially as an INFP, the personality type prone to sensitivity. However, at the same time I can even feel excited because of the new environments and new experiences I am pushed into.

In a classroom, my type behaves as

Cautious

Considerate

Quiet

Thoughtful

Respectful

Private

My question to any of the extroverts: Do you have any tips you would give to inspire the more introverted, quiet kids to participate openly in classroom discussions?

Week 2 Progress Log:

When do you feel…

Safe:

I feel safe when I can stand up and stretch in the morning without my health issues acting up and feeling pain in my chest or seeing stars in my eyes.

The actions I take to make sure I am feeling safe include keeping a glass of orange juice alongside my bottle of water on my nightstand, making sure I have antacids on me at all times, and keeping in close contact with my family doctor as we sort through the variety of blood-related issues I struggle with.

Some other actions I could take to help me feel safe would include being more consistent with taking my iron supplement pills for my anemia, purchasing a wireless blood pressure monitor, and eating a more nutrient-rich, consistent, filling diet.

Loved:

I feel loved when I can talk to someone about anything, such as my likes and dislikes, fears, and opinions, without worry that they will judge, belittle, or speak over me.

The actions I take to make sure I am feeling loved include talking to those near and dear to me often, even if all we really have is virtual communication at the moment.

A further action I could take, and need to take, is to cut off those who I even worry will judge, belittle, or speak over me. I cannot and will not truly feel loved if I am surrounding myself with people who make me feel bad about myself.

Powerful:

I feel powerful when I have had a good, long sleep and I feel well-rested, energetic, and eager to face the day.

The actions I take to make sure I am feeling powerful include reading before bed, taking melatonin supplements, and using a sleep tracker app.

An action I know I need to take to feel powerful in this sense is avoid all technology before heading to bed. My inconsistency with this makes it hard to become a habit, but

Free:

I feel free when I can take time to myself and temporarily tune out the real world by going on long, fast bike rides alone.

The biggest action I have taken to make sure I am able to feel free is bettering my time-management skills. Now that I spend less time procrastinating the schoolwork I need to get done and instead work on it as soon as it is due, I am able to have more free time to myself to actually do what I want to do, creating a nice school-life balance. Another action I could take in order to feel more free (or least in order to be able to do this more often, as I live in Vancouver) would be to invest in water-proof, weather-proof biking gear that will protect both myself and my bike for my own safety.

Pleasured:

I feel pleasured when I eat a good meal, especially when it is a meal I have cooked myself. The actions I take to make sure I feel pleasured include grocery shopping, looking up fun recipes online, and motivating myself to get in the kitchen by following cooking and food blogs onlines.Some other actions I could take to feel this pleasure would be making cooking a fun hobby to do with others, such my family or boyfriend, as well as meal-planning and deleting food-ordering apps, such as Skip The Dishes or UberEats off my phone.

Summary:

Although my answers themselves felt pretty typical to me and did not provide me with any shock or surprise, thinking about the further actions I could take did. While I definitely make a strong effort to make sure I am able to feel those adjectives mentioned above, I’ve realized that the reason I have yet to take those further actions must be out of self-sabotage. The further actions I mentioned were not hard, tedious tasks. They are simple acts of self-care that must be done. Writing this progress log has led me to realize I have been putting off extremely important things, such as taking important health supplements, cutting off people who make me feel bad about myself, and taking further biking safety precautions, as well as reflect on why I have been putting these things off.

Assignment 1: Students With Special Needs

The needs I have chosen to focus on for this assignment are the special needs of the Gifted students of the classroom. The reason why I chose the needs of Gifted students is because I have seen firsthand the neglect and mistreatment they [can] receive from their teachers and classmates due to their differences, as well as how this neglect and mistreatment affects their academic performance, behaviour, development of social skills, and overall well being. The specific needs I will be looking at are their Emotional needs, with a focus on their Social needs as a Gifted student. In “Knowing Your Students and their Special Needs” by Weinstein & Romano, they discuss struggles Gifted students face in the classroom, such as social alienation from peers and a lack of connection and engagement with material (Weinstein, C.S., & Romano, M., Knowing Your Students and their Special Needs, 2015), as well as how these struggles impact things in these students’ day-to-day lives, such as their ability to socialize, interact, and engage with others, their actions, behaviour, and behavioural development, and their level of success in school.

The first article I have chosen is titled “A Case for Affective Education: Addressing the Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students” by Stephanie Ferguson. This article discusses the unique treatment Gifted students receive from their teachers and peers, and how this treatment can lead to things such as social isolation. The main points of this article are:

How being Gifted can lead to exclusion and alienation as well as the effects this exclusion and alienation can have on students.

The importance of developing a flexible, special curriculum and routine, leading to a more balanced school life for each student involved.

The second article I have chosen is titled “Putting the Well-Being of All Students (Including Gifted Students) First” by Tracy L. Cross. This article discusses the crucial role teachers play in the performance of Gifted students as well as examines the toxic side effects incessant praise and expectations from an educator has on a Gifted student. The main points of this article are:

In order to truly improve the schooling experience of students, the school board itself and teachers must have each and every student’s best interests in mind when planning school activities—even Gifted students. How teachers’ perception of Gifted students can lead to frustrating, strained, disconnected teacher-student relationships.

The third article I have chosen is titled “Social Emotional Needs: Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Students: A Psychosocial Bill or Rights for Students (Including Those with Gifts and Talents)” by Tracy L. Cross. This article discusses the importance of treating every student with equal respect as well as the rights each student has—no matter their academic capabilities. The main points of this article are:

Every student has the right to receive praise for their academic abilities without receiving excessive and uncalled for pressure or guilt.

Every student has the right to access to a challenging, rigorous curriculum and well-trained educators who are able to properly teach it.

Every student has the right to attend an institution they feel safe and welcome in—mentally, emotionally, physically, intellectually, and socially.

The main ideas and points in these articles go hand-in-hand with one another as well as with “Knowing your Students and their Special Needs” by Weinstein & Romano. The main ideas these articles have in common with one another are that Gifted students are often left behind by their teachers and their schools (thus being left behind by their peers, as well) and regarded as not needing any extra help or support due to their academic advancement. These factors lead to issues such as behavioural issues (classroom disruptions), social issues (unable to effectively or confidently communicate), and self-esteem issues (perfectionism, placing unhealthy amounts of pressure on self). Teachers need to do better and hold themselves more responsible and accountable regarding the level and quality of education Gifted students are receiving as well as the treatment these students receive from their classmates and staff.

The Letter to my Future Self:

Dear Chloe,

As a teacher, I hope you always remember the importance of getting to know your students and each of their special needs. No two students are the same, and what works for one may not work for another. I know that this career will get stressful, but if you start to follow and always remember to follow these rules from your first day of teaching, it will make your life and job not only much easier, but much more rewarding, as well.

Three things I WILL do regarding the Gifted students with Special Needs in my future classroom:

I will pay close attention to how they interact with the work they are given. I will make sure they remain intellectually stimulated and engaged, even if they are levels above other students in the class. I will achieve this through the creation of professional, open, trusting relationships with my students through personal, miniature check-ins to update me on how the student is doing and feeling both emotionally and academically.

I will create a social, safe class environment with students that are able to interact and work with those who are even most unlike them. I will create a classroom environment where students feel comfortable around each other regardless of their reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. There will be no levels of hierarchy in my classroom in any way, shape, or form. I will achieve this through the teaching of respect, kindness, and openness.

I will always make sure to leave an element of open-endedness in each assignment, project, and/or essay I assign. I will give my students this option of freedom and variety as to give them the opportunity to intellectually stimulate themselves in ways I may not have considered as a way to keep them interested and engaged with the material, especially if it is material they are advanced in comparison to or ahead of.

Three things I WILL NOT do regarding the Gifted students with Special Needs in my future classroom:

I will not single them out to discuss their work in front of the class without permission. I will not use them as an example to hold over their classmates heads.

I will not isolate or alienate Gifted students by giving them completely different work, allowing them to work with only each other, or sending them to another room or area of the classroom to do their work away from peers.

I will not place extra stress and/or work on them. I will not let them know of higher expectations or levels of disappointment unless I feel it is beneficial and crucial to their schoolwork.

Here is what I hope would be a poem from the perspective of a Gifted student with Special Needs in my future classroom:

everyday I walk into class

wanting to joyfully skip by the desks I pass

I wonder to myself, “Today what will we do?”

but who’s to say, with Ms. Gray it’s always something new

I feel excited,cheerful, comfortable, too

as I approach my seat, my friends exclaim “We were all waiting for you!

”the teacher asks a question I immediately knew

she calls on me and I say “The answer is two!”I used to fear raising my hand

now I’m no longer afraid to take that stand

my peers pat me on the back and give me praise

and suddenly I know I have reached better days.

References

"A Case for Affective Education: Addressing the Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students in the Classroom « SENG.“ SENG. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2015. Cross, Tracy L. (2015). Social Emotional Needs. Gifted Child Today Magazine, 38(2), 128–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1076217515569278

Cross, T. L. (2002). Putting the Well-Being of All Students (Including Gifted Students) First. Gifted Child Today, 25(4), 14–17. https://doi.org/10.4219/gct-2002-84

“Knowing your Students and their Special Needs.” Weinstein, C.S., & Romano, M. (2015).

Reflection: I included the Peer Interaction Tasks of Week 3 in this portfolio because they reflect me coming out of my comfort zone. I tend to struggle with forming meaningful relationships and connecting with others on a deeper level, so these Tasks definitely pushed me to be more open. I also included these Tasks in my Portfolio as I believe they have taught me ways to connect with my future students, especially those who may be unable to communicate their needs otherwise. I can definitely see myself using Type indicator quizzes with my future classes in order to get a better understanding of their needs and goals as learners. These tasks also gave me a better understanding of extroverts both as teachers and as students, allowing me to explore a variety of learning and teaching styles I hadn’t considered before due to my introversion. I included the Week 2 Progress Log because it shows a moment of weakness early on in the course—it reflects the struggles I had with deep reflection as well as being able to articulate my needs. I was unable to effectively describe how the feelings and actions discussed were linked to my needs. Though it wasn’t my best piece of work, I believe it is important to include as it was a learning moment for me regarding my understanding of what it means to truly, deeply reflect and connect. I included Assignment 1: Students with Special Needs because it provided me with a deeper understanding of the variety of needs students have in the classroom, especially of those I had not considered prior to doing this assignment. For this assignment, the students with Special Needs I chose were Gifted Students—the reason for this being that prior to this course, I had never even considered Gifted Students as having “special needs” in the classroom. This assignment really opened my eyes on how narrow-minded my idea of Special Needs really was. I thought this assignment was really interesting because it forced us, the prospective teachers, to focus on an aspect of learning and the classroom that for too long the education system has swept under the rug. Overall, I chose the assignments I did for two main reasons. I believe they really helped me overcome the anxieties that originally rendered me unable to open up to others and effectively practice deep self-reflection. These assignments also opened me up to different perspectives I was unable to see otherwise—the perspectives of Extroverts; the perspectives of Special Needs students. As an educator, it will be my job to form meaningful relationships with all students—not solely the students who share learning or type characteristics with myself, and I cannot expect to be able to do so if I have a static idea of what students are like, and what students need. I had big learning moments regarding my understanding of what it means to get to know students as well as the realities of this career. Something that stood out to me is how many different ways there are to get to know and understand your students. One way to get to know your students that has really stuck with me is the use of writing narratives in the classroom, which allows you to get to know your students (and vice-versa), with more depth and understanding. After the completion of this Module, I feel much more informed, but I also know that I have much more to learn. Sometimes, I forget the intricacies of this career and what the job really entails, but this Module has made me excited and eager to learn much more in my coming years. I have also been introduced to the raw, real aspects of teaching, such as the inability to interfere with a students life—there will be students that are going through hardships in their lives that I have no control over, and I must accept I am not a psychologist or a Judge. It is a bit disheartening to think of that somewhat powerless aspect of the career, especially as I am very in tune with feelings and empathy, but I know these feelings will just inspire me to be even better at what I am doing and what I do have control over. Understanding and coming to terms with this was a huge learning moment for me. Though I have experienced some change in this aspect, something I am still in the process of learning and developing is the way I approach work. I tend to rely on my own narratives and ideas because that is what feels most comfortable to me. In fact, I used to feel fear and anxiety when I knew I would be completing an assignment on an experience or topic I was not familiar with. However, my experience completing the Students with Special Needs assignment really helped me understand the significance of doing so. This significance has motivated me to work harder, as I consider doing work like this inspiring, decentering myself and truly thinking about others, which I believe has made me less ignorant and oblivious in my work. The area where I saw the most growth was in stepping out my comfort zones. Throughout my entire academic career, I have really disliked personal writing, as I have always felt uncomfortable and awkward in talking about myself. Prior to this course, I did not notice this, but this disliking for personal writing took a toll on my ability to reflect. My inability to deeply reflect and link my feelings to my needs was evident in my Week 2 Progress Log. I definitely believe I have improved since throughout the course, with evidence being shown in my Progress Logs of Week 9 and 10. To aid with this process, I wrote journal-entries about my feelings and day-to-day life to get more more comfortable with the idea of reflection and sharing. Overall, this Module helped me immensely regarding my ability to reflect, communicate with others, and articulate my feelings and needs. I walk away from this Module reflecting on what I have learned about the power of Narrative, Choice & Type Theory, and what I now know about Introverted/Extroverted students, intuitive/sensing students, and students with Special Needs—as well as how to make the classroom a safe, accepting place of learning that will work for everyone.

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beinformedlivetransformed-blog · 5 years

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What’s the cost...for others?

“And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him [Jesus] to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” (Luke 10:25-29, ESV)

And so, Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus’ point? You can’t choose who your neighbour is, who you think you should love. There are no limits to how and who we love. Jesus’ use of the Samaritan as the helper/hero in the parable gives his response extra ‘sting’: If Jesus had said that a Jewish leader helped a Samaritan (someone who was hated by the Jews) in his parable, then it already would have provoked the question-asker’s assumptions and sense of self-righteousness, but the fact that he flips it, and it is the Samaritan who helps the Jew...well, Jesus is saying something very provocative indeed! Ultimately, the right response from the question-asker should be falling to his knees and asking for God’s mercy. This is what Jesus was trying to elicit from him. He needed to surrender his understanding of what it means to love God and neighbour (and Jesus’ point here is the two are synonymous in action) and ask God to change Him.

Why do I share this? I think this is ultimately the basis for many of our consumer decisions! Perhaps you have never thought about this as a direct response of obedience. Let me explain. Who is our neighbour, according to Jesus? Is it my family? Yes. Is it the person next door? Yes. Is it the rude driver this morning? yes. Is it the homeless man on the corner of my walk to work? Yes. Is it the person who stitched the label onto my t-shirt? Yes. You see, Jesus’ point has huge implications for us. I’ve heard Christians say, and even teach from the pulpit, that we need to first love our families well, then we can love those outside. Hmmm. Yes, and no. Firstly, yes, in the sense that how we love our families is important and shows our true character and shapes the character of those who share a household with (this is why God gives it as a command in the Ten Commandments - the family is the bedrock of how society functions). Secondly, no, in the sense that, Jesus himself points us to see who is our family differently: Mark 3:21-35. In a similar stream of thought to His provocative parable in Luke 10, the Good Samaritan, Jesus challenges us to see that there should be no favouritism in how we prioritise people. Practically, that looks different for everyone, yes, because of different needs, but our motivations would reveal our hearts. If we give our biological families time and thought above others, those in our spiritual family as well as neighbours (and that means not just my immediate, “liked” neighbours, but also those who make my clothes and I know nothing about), then have we understood the new order of God’s kingdom, and live by it? (I’ll explore what this means for our hospitality in another post and what that looks like for our household.)

It does seem overwhelming, but again it is by the grace of God we are part of His family, His kingdom. We don’t have to earn our way in. But, as His kingdom people, we are hopefully growing in being His people.

One area I want to focus on, in this post, is how this looks in terms of loving those we have not met and will possibly never meet, at least on this side of the new creation. The impact we have on them, however, is great - we determine their livelihoods, their health, their children’s education and welfare, their opportunity to flourish. In another post, I’ll talk about how giving should reflect this love for neighbours unknown. But here, in particular, I want to bring attention to how spending should reflect this love for neighbours unknown.

One does not have to do much research to realise the exploitation and abuse of others in producing the common, everyday items in our homes, clothes in our wardrobes, food in our fridges and pantries, skin care products in our bathrooms. So a question that I now ask before I purchase anything: “Wow, okay, this is good for me (cost-wise, or specificity-wise, etc.) but what is the cost for others?” Some examples:

1. Mobile phones: Almost all phones run on lithium batteries which contain cobalt. Cobalt is mined in places like the Congo by children as young as seven, in very dangerous situations. It literally costs the lives of others, especially the most vulnerable. If we are loving neighbours as ourselves, would we love ourselves, our children this way? (You can read about it here: https://www.mining.com/web/new-cnn-investigation-finds-children-mining-cobalt-congo/; https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/01/Child-labour-behind-smart-phone-and-electric-car-batteries/)

What can I do? If you already have a phone, look after it, don’t upgrade every chance you can. Try to get it repaired. If it can no longer be repaired, look for brands/phones that have higher ethical standards in how they source their parts. There is a Swedish company that creates a very ethical phone (https://www.fairphone.com/en/our-goals/). The cost is high...for us. The phone is over $1000 (though apparently people are willing to pay such prices for the latest iPhone model), but they’ve created it so that its various parts can be replaced. You can even construct it from scratch according to your specifications. The cost might be high for us, but perhaps that is what you can pay to love another well.

2. Jeans: Distressed jeans are in fashion but did you know that the sand blasting process required to get them to look and be the way they are is very dangerous for the workers? Can cause partial blindness. Also, the resources required to manufacture jeans requires huge amounts of water.

What can I do? You’ll see the pattern start to emerge: if you already have jeans, look after them, don’t always get more and more pairs. Do you really need more? Get them repaired rather than throw the whole pair out if somewhere starts to wear thin. After all, we all love jeans the older they get. Buy second hand! Don’t just attack the fast fashion shelves. We are so used to consuming seasonally (my summer wardrobe, my winter wardrobe, my 2018 wardrobe...you get what I mean) that we just have too many clothes and throw out what we could continue to use. But if you do need to buy, seek out ‘slow fashion’ brands, like People Tree. (You can also type in the name of brands you buy or find and learn of their social and environmental impact: https://www.ethical.org.au/) Why are they so expensive!?” you might be thinking. That’s because we’re so used to paying unjustly little for our clothes that we don’t understand the real value that it costs and should cost in paying those who labour to make them to sustain their lives with dignity. Would you like to be paid 62 cents an hour to make jeans for greedy minority worlders (this is the average that corporations like Target, Big W and Myer pay to workers in Bangladesh)? You can also sign a petition and write to our clothing companies pressuring them to raise the wages they pay: https://actions.oxfam.org/australia/

3. Meat: There is much that can be said theologically and ecologically about how our meat is processed, and the welfare of the animals in the industry, but here I want to focus on our workers. Do you know someone personally who has worked in an abattoir (where they kill the animals and cut up meat)? I do. And I’ve also done some reading on the subject. The turnover of workers in this industry is extremely high. That’s why often they get, at least in Australia, those on temporary visas (e.g. working holiday) to do them. If you want to stay in the country, this is one way you can ensure that. But no one lasts very long. And studies have been done that show that those who leave have symptoms akin to PTSD. The way these workers are forced to treat the animals, the heavy lifting of carcasses, the long hours...all highlight what is wrong with this industry.

What can I do? This is a hard one, but easier than you think once you start. Food is such a habitual part of our lives. If we have grown up eating meat at every meal, it is hard to imagine what we would do instead. It is hard to change such ingrained habits. But I think it starts with consuming less meat. Perhaps once a day, and then aim for once a week. “What about my iron?” you might ask. There is a great myth that there is no better way to get iron than through red meat. Check out the chart here on the amount of iron you can get from plant based food: http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/national/resource/iron. As you can see, it’s very comparable. In fact, beans and lentils have higher concentrations of iron per gram than meat. If you do consume meat, consider paying more - buy from directly from farmers who kill their own animals and sell their animals whole to butchers, like Feather and Bone (https://featherandbone.com.au/). It might cost you more (financially, seeking out places), but it loves your neighbour. You can also find out more about where and how to buy ethical meats and food generally here: https://foodprint.org/

4. Beauty products (soap, liquid washes, face, hand, body creams, make-up): This is often an area that we don’t give much thought to, but this complicated industry exploits and abuses people and animals. Let’s take L’Oreal as our example. Again, you don’t have to do too many Google searches to find out what this company does in the process of making their products. They pay very low wages to workers in particular places of manufacture, they are known for cruel animal testing practices (it is again not difficult to find images and footages of what this involves), even though they claim to source palm oil responsibly, that has not been the case (you might know the devastation that the palm oil industry leaves for communities and wildlife).

What can I do? The beauty of this industry is the amount of alternatives that are available to us. There are brands which are very easy to find on supermarket selves, like Thank You and Biore. But there are also many franchises like Lush which you can find easily in many big shopping centres. There are also online alternatives that you can find on https://www.biome.com.au/ or https://www.floraandfauna.com.au/. What I love about these products is they are made with natural things! The only reason brands test on animals is because they are using harmful chemicals! There is also the bonus that they provide reusable containers or don’t wrap their products in plastic that can’t be reused. Again, sometimes (and actually not always, given what big brands charge for their beauty products) they cost more from us (time and money) but do our choices and decisions in all areas of life reflect our love for God and neighbour, our reverence for Him as our Creator and the Creator of other people and living things? An indecision (or lack of change given what we know) is also a decision.

I want to end with Colossians 3: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God...Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming...[you] have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” What does it mean to “seek the things that are above”? Paul spells out that it means to put to death what is “earthly”. This does not mean “stop caring about the physical”. Again, Paul spells it out. It means put to death “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry”. Is not our desire for things that come cheap to us, or things that are unnecessary a symptom of evil desire and covetousness? We got to have it because...well, everyone else wants it (covets it) or has it! We are called to live consistent with the new self which we “have put on”. And what is this new self? The one that is being “renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator”. What does it look like for you to put on what you have grown to know about the image of your creator today in your consumption choices?

For us, we have sought to only buy when there is need, and to try and follow the “buyerarchy of needs” when we have determined a need that cannot easily be met by the choices preceding “buy”. It’s not always easy, but most of the time, it actually is, when we’re not trying to compete with the pace and desires of our world.

#consumption

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savagegardenforever · 5 years

Text

Darren's Quotes

We love whiz bang, woo hoo"

"Starbucks Decaf coffee... caramel whatsitsname... I can't spell it!" -On his favourite drinks

"I don't have a hangover, 'cause I don't drink. But some people in our touring party might have been up to 4 in the morning... But I don't really think it's necessary to point the finger at anyone, DANIEL?"

"I can't understand a single word you're saying but when you sing I get tingles all over my body"' - on the worst pick up line

"I learned some new cuss words today folks."

"The first thing any Australian does when they come to America is watch the toilets, thanks for bringing us to America."

"Why the hell do people assume we're into gardens?"

"We blew up the garden gnome to destroy any future references to gardens."

"I have one final comment. Up until recently, it has been extremely difficult to determine which is the order line and which is the pickup line at a Starbucks. And I'm happy to see that more and more Starbucks are beginning to place signs for the pickup and the ordering. Thank you."

"We were young, and they said those photo's would never be published."

"I go to movies a lot. I'm tragic."

"I didn't forget the words it was the sound" "Actually, I’m a vegetarian so I'd make a really bad vampire." "That was whos-er and what's it with 'Truly Madly Deeply'...Sausage Garden!" - Back-announcing Truly Madly Deeply

"I just asked Daniel to say something and, characteristically, he refused"

"I cook quite a lot but you don't wanna eat what I'm cooking let me tell ya. Well I can cook 2 dishes. I can cook this stir-fry which kinda has like a sauté sorta vibe and the way I cook stir-fry is I get a tub of peanut butter and melt it and apparently that's not the why the way you do it."

"They call me taboo in the band, because I say the unsayable and do the undoable. I pull pranks and say whatever comes to mind."

"If someone tells me not to do something, then that just encourages me."

''Daniel has been abducted by aliens.''

''Gosh, you've got nice breasts!'' (Darren says that he sometimes says stuff without thinking)

''Play with my breasts all day and masturbate.'' - on what he'd do if he could be a woman for a day

''My passport's a slut, it's been with everyone.''

"I'd run around the back yard in red socks - that would be the play. I'd be devastated when nobody turned up."

"How was that experience for you Dan, pretty good?"

"This is a commonwealth country isn't it? Thank god, I would have sounded SO dumb!"

"Papa says its okay to love your pet as long as you don't LURVE your pet"

"I'm only doin' this 'cause I love you."

"Sleep in. Do Yoga. Write songs. Have friends over for dinner. Make love! Sleep." - Darren on what his typical day would be like

"We're decent people, but every now and again we feel like throwing a tantrum. Like, everywhere we go the record company sends us pastries. Why? We don't ask for them. And there's fruit everywhere- you get a huge basket when you're only in the country for one day. There's even a pineapple in there. I mean, how do you consume a pineapple?!" "We try to be in... try to be hip... but we can't!"

"I'm an absolute, zany nutcase most of the time. I am always impersonating people, things, sometimes plants." "Today I was a little tired boarding the plane...and, well, kind of delirious... I invented an alter ego. His name is Edwardo Phillipe and he's a Latin Australian born in Brazil but RAISED in Australia. Due to an unfortunate rollerskating incident he is no longer able to perform the Salsa or other related sexy Latino dances. Don't ask me to explain. Hey..if I could dance don't you think I'd be makin' my own sexy butt videos?"

"Stay clear, take care and wear condoms."

"I can't remember what it's called again because I have the memory of a vegetable." "We were at the the circus watching monkey trainers, and we just shared an affinity for monkeys." - getting punchy from answering how he met Daniel

Darren: The airlines lost some of our baggage, and now I'm wearing my manager's underwear as a consequence of that. Interviewer: Do they fit? Darren: No, they're a little small actually.

"I've been talking about fabric softener all day."

"Ok...so.....I love my band. There's Anna Maria-Laspina who's just adorable...incredibly talented and my co-star in THE UP NOD.. And the ever sly and top secret squirrel Lee Novak...master of illusion. Ben Carey still looks more like a rock star than any of us...I love his new cowboy hat. Jennifer is our wonderful new keyboard player and she is SMOKIN'! And Angie...the evil counterpart to Anna on Backing Vocals...she is such a wonderful addition to our crew... beautiful voice..all calm and zen like and gorgeous too. Karl Lewis is constantly getting stressed over the fact that I lean..put fingerprints on and sometimes even lick the plastic shield that separates the apocolyptic bang and crash of his drums and my vocal mike. It's this barrier that prevents his drums drowning out my sound on stage... he spends hours polishing it and in an instant on stage I can reduce him to a mere SMERE..completely unrecogizable...with the pressing of my face against it. It's fun."

"Did someone say, OH MY GOD???" -, on Madonna attending a Savage Garden concert on the 'To the Moon & Back Tour' "Daniel doesn't let me have any... he's got em all... maybe I'll get this one..." - on what he does with his ARIA Awards

"Homer Hudson Chocolate Rock Ice Cream. Hmm, then straight to the doctor for liposuction." - when asked what he would go to "The Moon And Back" for "It's me! It's me! It's always me!" - when someone asked who smelled so good in the room (MTV Live) "It's DISGUSTING, don't believe the hype. [Looks at camera] Don't believe the hype. It tastes like someone scraped off the bottom of a birdcage and stuck it on a piece of toast." - on vegemite "Actually, I had my first alcoholic drink this year. It was a mudslide - a chick's drink! I was wasted after it." Interviewer: You're allowed to invite six people, alive or dead, to a dinner party... okay, only six! Who would they be? Darren: Michael Jackson, Madonna... Adolf Hitler, Jesus Christ... Ginger Spice... and myself.

"After the show...we all ended up on Billie [Myer's] bus...disco dancing and acting like complete morons. Had a blast."

"I don't know anything about football. You can tell that from the way I dance."

"I love it up the back as much as I love it up the front." - Manchester 9/12/00 concert when he told the audience he couldn’t see the people on the balcony things at the back

"I don’t know what’s wrong with me - maybe I need to get laid" - after the CTY dance at Manchester concert

"[In my worst nightmare], this evil clown with sharp teeth came to my bedroom. I swear I was awake and it just said 'I'll be back.' I've been waiting for that damn clown to show his face for the last 20 years!"

Interviewer: Boxers or briefs?

Darren: Shit…er...er… let me think…I’m a boxer boy

Interviewer: Addaboy

Darren: Yeah, just recently, boxer boy

Interviewer: What about your partner there? [Daniel]

Darren: You know I don’t even wanna even go there (laughs)

Interviewer: (laughs)

Darren: I don’t even wanna know (laughs)

(in a Dr evil voice) "She’s a semi-fan, she’s the diet coke of fan!"

"It's not very masculine to say that the moon is beautiful tonight, but it is"

"The truth starts and ends with my lips"

"I did but believe it or not I didn't make the connection until she was on the set. Until Kirsten asked me where we got the name of the band and I just said 'Oh my God you wouldn't believe it!'" - answering if he'd seen Kirsten Dunst in "Interview with a Vampire" before working with her on the "I Knew I Loved You" video

"I think you go crazy for any accent which is not your own, I think that's what the deal is." - on why people love his Aussie accent so much

"I was the kind that noticed how some concrete sparkles because of the quartz. There's beauty in concrete if you look for it."

"I have had weird dejavu and premonitions, but I'm no psychic. I believe in God/Karma/the goodness of the universe and the power of the soul, so I don't rule anything out."

"Elation and pain are experiences that make you realise you're alive. Thank God you feel them; otherwise you'd be numb"

#darren hayes #Savage Garden #quotes #intreview

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lordhenry · 7 years

Text

survey 24

Where did you meet the last person you were in a car with? Well, that would technically be the Uber driver, but if that doesn’t count then.. Brian and Gera—I met them both in the student lounge.

Besides this survey, what are you doing right now? Listening to Mayer’s Continuum tracks on repeat.

Are you waiting for something? For things to work out, life to make sense, the cycle to end.

What’s your relationship with the last person you texted? He’s a very close friend of mine.

What did you do today? Consumed caffeine and listened to music all day.

Do you have a friend of the opposite gender you can talk to? Yeah. I find that I’m able to share feelings easier with my guy friends; they can be unassuming and generally lacklustre lmao. Great for nights when you just want to be listened to.

Are you really happy or are you just saying that? When am I ever happy for a continuous period of time?

How do you feel about your relationship status? Now, that I can be happy about. Single is great.

Do you secretly like someone? I’m not sure if I like this person that’s why I like to be around them or I just wish we were better friends. So.

Who did you last talk to over the phone? Lex.

Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? Robert.

What do you plan on doing with your life a decade from now? Well, by then hopefully I’d already have a stable job, something I like. Maybe even have a healthy relationship, hopefully with no kid, hopefully happy.

Do you support abortion? Yes or No? Give your reasons. Yes. Shit happens, people should be able to decide what to do with their own body. It’s as easy as that. Just because I’m not getting one for myself doesn’t mean everyone else shouldn’t.

Do you support euthanasia? Yes or No? Give your reasons. If a person wishes for it, who am I to wish for their prolonged agony?

Would you rather go back in time or remain where you are in terms of the time of your life? I’d rather move forward.

Would you rather die by fire or by ice? Ice.

What do you fear most about death? The uncertainty—we fear what we do not know. The possibility of limbo.

Which IM program do you use the most?  Facebook Messenger.

Which kind of soda/pop is your favourite? Rootbeer.

Which city would you love to visit? Athens.

Do you prefer the morning or night? Night.

Could you picture yourself on a reality TV show? No. I would either be completely unfunny or occasionally accidentally funny due to sarcastic remarks / dark, slightly inappropriate humour here and there.

Do you participate in Lent? If so, what are you giving up? No.

Do you prefer meat or seafood? Meat, although I love seafood.

Do you know if you were born in the AM or PM? 3 PM.

Have you ever laid on a bed and stayed there for no reason at all? Only all the time.

Is there still someone you know that treats you like a little kid? No. It’s the opposite. I feel so much older than I actually am at home.

What is the best thing about being in the relationship you’re in right now or about being single? The fact that I don’t have to worry about keeping constant communication with someone. I can be completely and utterly alone any time I want.

What is your favourite way to celebrate a loved one’s birthday? Eating and giving them something I know they want.

How do you calm yourself down when you’re feeling stressed out or anxious? Music—there’s always an appropriate song or genre for any type of emotion, situation, mood, what have you.

What is your top remedy for getting rid of a common cold? Water, painkillers, Golden Cup balm, lozenges.

Do you have any pen-pals or online friends? I have online friends.

What is your biggest short-term goal (within the next month)? Sorting out all my uni transfer docs.

Do you know what your Myers-Brigg personality type is? How accurate is it? Online tests consistently result to INTJ, people have typed me as that, too. Seems right.

When was your last interview? Did you get the job? A month and a half ago, yes.

Have you ever tried to adhere to a strict diet? How did it turn out? No, just tried to watch what I ate for a while. Stopped; not fun.

Which room of your house is the most organised? The least organised? Living room is most organised. My older brother’s room is a disgusting mess.

Has anyone very close to you ever died? Lol only all the time.

Are you more likely to scrapbook or journal? Journal.

How many hours of sleep do you get in an ideal night? 8, ideally. In actuality, about 5–6.

Do you feel prepared for the apocalypse? No, but I might have a fair chance of surviving.

Is having a significant other important to you? Not now, no.

Do you get drunk just for fun? Sure.

What’s the last thing you bought clothes-wise? Kimono.

Have you used Limewire before? Yeah.

Who is your last sent text to? Gerzaín.

Is the taste of alcohol appealing to you? Considering how I ended up on the bathroom floor last time, uh, yes.

Where do you normally shop for clothes? Mango, Zara, H&M, and Forever 21.

#survey

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