Artemis, Dorfman

    In the introduction of the reading, the essay opens with two quotes from Donald Duck, while both quotes made me question the teachings of Walt Disney, the second caught more of my attention. It reads, "Baby frogs will be big frogs someday, which bring high prices on the market... I'm going to fix some special frog food and speed up the growth of those little hoppers!" I took a particular fascination with this quote because of the blatant campaign for capitalism. As I was reading Introduction to Part II I found myself curious about how Walt Disney presented themes of capitalism in his comics, I didn't doubt he did but reading that quote shocked me because it was so obvious. Now as a young child it wouldn't stand out to me, nor do I think it stands out to most children because we don't have much context for the material at that age however looking back at the language used it's quite obvious that Disney is conditioning the younger generations to adopt and think with a capitalistic mindset. 

     It's quite astounding that lines like these go right over our heads, young or old, if we are not looking critically at material this would not provoke any strong feelings. We would simply carry on consuming this media without realizing the effects it has on shaping our narrative in the world. This can be applied to all media we consume, I am not in a constant state of critical analysis when I stream movies or tv shows and so I sometimes find myself taken aback when watching film reviews and find out something about the piece of media that was completely lost on me. For example, I remember first learning about how the Matrix was an innuendo for the trans experience. I never once considered the movie in that context before and yet after I was informed it made perfect sense. It's very telling of how powerful and dangerous media is. We are constantly engaging with material that is either consciously or subconsciously telling us to behave, think, or act a certain way. Dorfman calling attention to how Disney is an agent of capitalism and how that affects generations to come is a powerful and necessary theory. 

annaiswriting, Dorfman

            While reading “Introduction to Part II” the passage “pointing out that there are no fathers in the Donald Duck comics, Disney himself, in the authors’ view, emerges as a surrogate father, teaching proper (conservative) values through his figures, images, and stories. Relentlessly scrutinizing the world of Disney, the authors detect conservative values and messages saturating the seemingly harmless and innocent ‘entertainment’” introduces the ways in which Disney influences the values of children at a young age. Disney himself has the ability to become this father figure because similarly to how children look up to their parents, children look up to Disney. Like many people, Disney massively impacted my life growing up. My parents took me to Disney World quite often as a child and showed me many Disney movies, specifically Disney princess movies. I have always loved Disney movies and still do as a twenty-year-old because of their magic, music, and storytelling. Disney appeals to both children and adults so that the ideals that one learns from Disney in their childhood impacts their views in adulthood.

            Some of the main messages of Disney that have influenced me were the ideas of beauty standards, heteronormativity, and romance. The majority of Disney princess movies consist of a princess in danger who needs a prince to save her. For example, in one of the most iconic movies “Cinderella,” Cinderella lives her life cleaning up after her evil stepmother and stepsisters and cannot escape from this unjust treatment on her own. However, with the help from her fairy Godmother, she shows up at the ball in a beautiful dress to win the prince’s heart. Then, after the ball, he finds the glass slipper that Cinderella lost and searches the whole kingdom until he finds Cinderella. In the end, the prince marries Cinderella and therefore saves her from the mistreatment from her mother and stepsisters. This movie and all of the other movies had heterosexual couples, which influenced my view of love and romance growing up. Most of the media I consumed, mostly consisting of  Disney movies Disney channel shows, predominantly consisted of heterosexual couples, so throughout the majority of my childhood I never really knew that romantic love could exist between people of the same gender. “Cinderella” perpetuates beauty standards by the fairy godmother giving Cinderella a makeover in order for the prince to fall in love with her. Finally, it shows the idea that having a romantic partner is necessary and that falling in love is the happy ending. This idea significantly impacted me because I always felt that my life would be better if I had a boyfriend.  Disney’s marketing makes it inescapable and highly influential for children who are susceptible to the influences of the traditional messages, such as beauty standards and heteronormative romance, that Disney spreads. The dominance that Disney has on our culture through theme parks, music, movies, and products causes its messages to largely infiltrate society.  

mrt, Baudrillard, 9/27

     Honestly, I found Baudrillard's text about The Precession of Simulacra a little confusing, so I really appreciated his use of examples to contextualize his ideas. Namely on page 392 when he talks about the Lascaux caves, and the mummy of Ramses II. I think it is really interesting that he theorizes the creation of the replica of the cave rendered not only the recreation but the original cave artificial, that there is no longer any difference between the two. But, while I find this interesting, I think I'd have to disagree. Going back to Benjamin's ideas about technical reproduction, the reproduction of this cave puts the replica in situations that were not available to the original (in its intended purpose). When these cave paintings were created in the Paleolithic era, their intent was not to be seen or commodified by the masses-- their value lied in the cult. The shift towards exhibition value only took place when the caves were discovered and opened to the public. The replica, however, was built specifically to satisfy this exhibition value. I would argue the original cave could still be classified as authentic while the original could not (unless we take into account Benjamin's theories about the change in the meaning of authentic and original) so it is unfair to say there is no longer a difference between the two.

    On the other hand, I do agree with what Baudrillard says about the exhumation and conservation of Ramses II and think this also ties into Benjamin's ideas of cult v. exhibition value. On page 392, he claims that "Ramses does not signify anything for us, only the mummy is of an inestimable worth because it is what guarantees that accumulation has meaning" (Baudrillard, J., 1994). This is a great example of an object whose worth lies in its exhibition value. It's like the Mona Lisa, their worth lies in the financial value we place onto them for being visible connections to the past, their exhibition value heavily outweighs their cult value. Baudrillard also had some interesting ideas about these tangible connections to the past, stating "We require a visible past, a visible continuum, a visible myth of origin, which reassures us about our end. Because finally we have never believed in them" (1994, p. 392). 

Annaiswriting, 9/26

         During class this week while discussing Benjamin and mechanical reproduction, we discussed how his work from 1935 still provides a relevant analysis and critique of media in 2021. In class, I brought up the difference between film and stage acting. During a stage performance, the actor has one chance to perform their scene and the audience watches the show from one angle the entire time. On the other hand, while creating a film the director can film a scene as many times as they need to. They also have full control of the angles and the way in which the audience views the film. We also discussed how Benjamin writes about the audience not having any connection to the actors, but that is untrue today due to social media. Social media creates a false illusion of fans knowing about the lives of their favorite actors and actresses. However, the photos that celebrities post on social media only accurately reflect a small portion of their lives.

       After this discussion of social media in class, I reflected on the parallels between creating a film and creating a post on social media. Although these are entirely different mediums, both a film and a social media picture require a camera. Retaking a scene until one gets the perfect shot relates to retaking a photo many times until they take one that looks good enough for them to post on the internet for everyone to see. Similar to how filmmakers edit their films, many people, especially influencers, use filters, and even photoshop before posting their photos. Both of these types of media creators have full control over what their audience sees. One of the main reasons that I avoid posting on social media platforms, such as Instagram, is because I find all of the editings to be inauthentic. Social media perpetuates unrealistic beauty standards and impacts the way in which people, especially young girls and women, view themselves. Although I would not want to edit my pictures, there is a significant amount of pressure to look “perfect” on social media, which makes one feel like they have to edit their photos to level the playing field. Since people generally only post the highlights of their life on social media, I sometimes compare my everyday life to other people’s best moments. In class, we discussed Benjamin’s critique of the accessibility of the media. The way in which social media allows people to create an unrealistic narrative of their lives, therefore making young impressionable people insecure, is an example of how highly accessible media can negatively impact the way in which people view both the world and themselves.

mrt, Habermas, 9/22

I often find myself struggling with some of the readings for this class, so to further my comprehension I'll first do a simple read-through of the passages and then after taking some time to reflect, I'll do a second read-through and take notes on the concepts that stuck out to me the most, or that I had trouble understanding. For today's entry, I want to focus on a quote that I really didn't think too much of when I first read it, but upon my second viewing found it really interesting and particularly relevant in our current social climate.

"We observe the anarchistic intention of blowing up the continuum of history, and we can account for it in terms of the subversive force of this new aesthetic consciousness. [...] This aesthetic consciousness continuously stages a dialectical play between secrecy and public scandal; it is addicted to a fascination with that horror that accompanies the act of profaning, and yet is always in flight from the trivial results of profanation" (Habermas, J., 1997).

I feel like this concept is really interesting when you apply it to society's current fascination with cancel culture and the appearance of 'wokeness'. The anarchistic intention would in this case be that sense of wokeness and the subversive force being the ability to call out the continuum of history, which would be the trend of those in positions of power (historically cisgender, heterosexual, white men) to abuse that power without being held accountable. In theory, this is great, I full-heartedly believe people should be held accountable for their actions. But, the problem lies in the obsession with the appearance of wokeness and the addiction to "canceling" everyone with a platform that's ever done anything wrong when more often than not they don't hold the people in their real-life to the same standards. But, this fascination lies in the fact that we, the aesthetic consciousness, are mostly safe from the effects of this phenomenon. If the layperson could be canceled at the scale public figures are for mistakes that I'm sure they themselves have either made or made excuses for, we would also always be in flight from the trivial results. Initially, I thought that this example differed from Habermas' initial ideation because the results aren't necessarily trivial, but upon further reflection I kind of feel that they are. I can list at least 10 celebrities that have been "canceled", but still have their platform and are most likely still making money from it-- so the results are clearly (at least in some cases) still insignificant.  

Habermas, J. (1997). Habermas And the Unfinished Project of Modernity: Critical Essays on The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity (Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought. The MIT Press.

Artemis 9/21 - Walter Benjamin

 I really struggled with today's reading. I opened the textbook and closed it about 5 times before I could finally get through the reading and even then I wasn't confident that I was understanding what Walter Benjamin wanted me to understand so I waited to blog until after class and I'm happy I did so because I have a clearer understanding now about some of the concepts discussed in the essay. 

The takeaway I want to discuss and build on is the conversation we had about the following quote:

 "The greater the decrease in social significance of an art form, the sharper the distinction between criticism and enjoyment by the public. The conventional is uncritically enjoyed, and the truly new is criticized with aversion." (p. 45)

 In class, we talked about how once something is acknowledged as "truly new" it no longer is new, which is the conundrum of modernism. This stuck out to me because it begs the question of what is and what isn't conventional; Taryn mentioned that the musical "In the Heights" was "truly new" when it originally came out, it was criticized for the portrayal of people of color and then in the movie remake, the movie was again acknowledged as "truly new" and criticized for a poor representation of people of color. This was interesting to me because it is the same musical but the change of format, from live to taped, gave birth to a new product open to criticism. It seems that this example follows what Benjamin spoke of, that reproduction follows the loss of aura. I believe this shift speaks loudly of the era in which each piece of art came out. The original came out in a time where white was the only correct and accepted way of being, whereas now there is much more open backlash to that notion so we hold art to a different degree. In both cases the expectations of each generation were betrayed by the musical, making it unconventional. If that's the case then I think it begins entering the world of postmodernism for the absurdity of this idea.

[Tarynaholenspacetime] Habermas

 

The Public Sphere, Public Opinion, and Citizen Kane           

            Habermas’ analysis was simple, yet still highly relevant to our time. He walks the reader through the dawn of influential public media, aka newspapers. “Newspapers changed from mere institutions for the publication of bees into bearers and leaders of public opinion - weapons of party politics,” (Durham et al., 2012). 

 

           While going through this reading, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my film class. In FIL 150, we recently watched and reviewed the movie, Citizen Kane. Just like the readings had explained, Charles Kane held extreme influence over the masses through his newspaper The Inquirer. He used his power over public opinion to help him run for office. Kane was extremely close to winning. However, he lost the vote due to a scandal. Later in the film, we see Kane lose his influence. He struggles to come to terms with this. 

 

           Despite being made over half a century ago, the message remains relevant today. In recent years, newspapers have been declining in readers. We are in an era filled with anti-establishment sentiment. More and more American citizens now consume their news through media such as Facebook. I am left to ponder where this anti-establishment sentiment lies in relation to modernism. 

References

Durham, M. G., Kellner, D., & Habermas, J. (2012). The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article. In Media and cultural studies: Keyworks (2nd ed., pp. 75–79). essay, Wiley-Blackwell.

annaiswriting, Benjamin

    In the “Introduction to Part I” of the book Media and Cultural Studies Keyworks edited by Meenakshi Durham and Douglas M. Kellner, the rise of public media is described. This chapter introduces the book The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere by Jürgen Habermas, in which Habermas describes how ordinary citizens had the ability to form public opinions that went against the interests of the bourgeois. Although public media allows ordinary people to express their opinions, it also serves as a way to allow those in power to easily persuade media consumers. This chapter states, “in this analysis, the information between a sphere of public debate and individual participation has thus been fractured and transmuted in into that of a realm of political manipulation and spectacle, in which citizen-consumers passively ingest and absorb entertainment and information” (Durham, Kellner, 2012, p. 29). Even though public media platforms, such as newspapers and radio shows, allows for ordinary citizens to make their voices heard, it also is less filtered which means that people can easily take advantage of these platforms and spread misinformation. This idea is especially relevant today with social media. Social media gives us access to more information than ever before. It gives people of all backgrounds the opportunity to share their opinions. However, social media platforms allow misinformation to circulate.

     In my CMC 100 course, I watched a documentary called The Social Dilemma, which emphasizes the dangers of social media. Specifically, the documentary demonstrated the political polarization that Facebook is responsible for. It showed how Facebook analyzed the political views of users based on the types of content they had "liked". Rather than showing users neutral content, they show users content that affirms their views. Due to this political polarization on social media, people consequently struggle to understand those who disagree with them, as social media primarily exposes them to viewpoints to affirm, rather than challenge their positions on political issues. Consumers passively absorb the information as they scroll through social media with minimal effort. Although public media is important as it allows for ordinary people to express their opinions, it is highly necessary for these average citizens to be educated on the ways in which those in power can manipulate the media. Educating oneself on media manipulation is an imperative step for it to be a tool for social change, rather than a tool for those in power to continue to control the lives of average citizens.

References

Kellner, D. M., Durham, M. G., (2012). Media and Cultural Studies Keyworks. Wiley-Blackwell.

Orlowski, J. (2020). The social dilemma. Netflix.

Nihao, 9/14

 The biggest takeaway I had for this week’s class and reading is that nothing in architecture is unintentional. As a kid, I was intrigued by buildings that looked like they have human faces on them. When I pointed them out to other people, they were as surprised as I was and we all think they are interesting coincidences. However, after reading about and seeing pictures of the concepts of anthropomorphism, I realize that the faces I saw in buildings are not coincidence but a special style that was intentionally created. 

Another example is the concept of “disharmonious harmony”. Some of the buildings shown in class give me very unsettle feelings and it is hard for us to imagine what are the functions of these buildings because they look familiar yet strange. They look like they are different elements from different kinds of “regular” buildings that were put together. Most buildings we see in daily basis have a harmony to our eyes: they are rectangular or in other regular shapes; they have windows of the same sizes; they are symmetrical; they have single material for the entire building…… But the buildings we see in class challenge the conventional ideas of the regular buildings, making us stop and stare. However, the unsettling feelings are exactly what would draw audiences’ attention, because of its unexpectedness. 

After this class, I started to pay attention to buildings around me that look different and unconventional. Rather than feeling uncomfortable with the disharmony in it, I remind myself it is all intentional and try to see the playfulness in the design of it. It also challenges myself to reflect on where I learned what kind of buildings are “normal” and different functions that assumed for different buildings. I realize that like anything I learned, they are from seeing certain buildings were repeatedly assigned certain functions and we learned to associate the buildings with the functions.

annaiswriting, 9/19

    During class on Tuesday, we discussed different elements of postmodernist architecture using terms that Charles Jencks defined for us in The Emergent Rules. I had never heard of any of these terms prior to the reading and class discussion so when we were looking at the different images I found it difficult at first to attribute these features to the images. However, it eventually made sense to me as I looked at more examples. For example, seeing the image of the Louvre helped me to understand the concept of radical eclectism as I saw an old European building and a modern glass pyramid. This allowed me to understand that radical eclectism is two completely different buildings near each other, as the Louvre perfectly represents that. Then, after Dr. Cummings showed us the images, we started discussing the architecture at Rollins, Winter Park, and downtown Orlando. She encouraged us to make observations about the architecture in these places.


    Sometimes I walk around Park Avenue with a plan in mind such as needing to get lunch, buy some coffee, or get a manicure. However, there are many times where I have nothing to do, so I walk around and look at some of the shops. I enjoy walking around Park Avenue in my free time because there are so many different shops and restaurants. I can experience all of these places in walking distance! This demonstrates that Urbane urbanism is reflected in the architecture of Park Avenue, as urbane urbanism is reflected in small cities in which people have many essential places within walking distance of them. Urban buildings are also uniform, as many of the buildings along Park avenue are. Prior to this class discussion, I did not consciously think about the architecture in the places that I have been to. However, I find it interesting to see how architectural styles impact lifestyles and connect the past and present styles.

mrt, Benjamin 9/16

 “Habermas also notes a transition from the liberal public sphere which originated in the Enlightenment and the American and French Revolution to a media-dominated public sphere in the current era of what he calls ‘welfare state capitalism and mass democracy’ [...] In this transformation, ‘public opinion’ shifts from rational consensus emerging from debate, discussion, and reflection to the manufactured opinion of polls or media experts” (Durham & Kellner, 2012, p. 29).

I'm not exactly sure when Habermas initially made this observation, but I found it intriguing that something said by someone born almost a century ago still rings not only true but particularly relevant. Even though the media he discusses is drastically different from the media we take part in today. I'm currently taking an economics class that focuses specifically on the current political economy. In the class, we're reading a book that discusses this notion in detail. The most recent chapter we read was actually eerily similar to this concept. Expanding on Habermas' idea, the author of the book-- journalist Matt Taibbi, actually theorized that the opinions of the polls and media experts (in his case reporters) have become one and the same. He even goes as far as to say "'Polls say' is often just 'we say' in disguise-- in the same way a man-on-the-street quote is often just the first person found who agreed with the point the reporter wanted to make" (2021, p. 105). I think we see this a lot on social media. People become stuck in echo chambers regurgitating the same talking points circulated from their media conglomerate of choice. And these points always seem to reflect the views of the party they subscribe to and never those of the one they don't. This is a direct result of the media training us to view everything (at least in the mainstream media) as Republican vs. Democrat rather than promoting actually taking a step back and reflecting on the point to come up with our own solution or opinion on the issue. Regardless of what our political party has to say about it. One doesn't have to actually debate or discuss current events in their own words because they can just watch politicians do it and retweet the highlights. Another great example of this that we discussed in the class was the use of political think tanks in the 90s. They were designed to create quotable talking points of manufactured opinions from pro-corporate media experts that were in reality much more conservative than views of the general American public but nevertheless they were quoted often. The most popular think tank was quoted over 2,000 times in 1995 alone.

This is sort of unrelated, but I wanted to include it because I feel it goes along with the idea that text (in this case referring to art), even from over a century ago, is still as relevant as the quote I pulled from the reading. I couldn't find the artist's name, but this piece is attributed to a female artist from 1910-- 111 years ago! This piece recently started circulating on Twitter with almost 30,000 retweets and over 175,000 likes. Why it's all of a sudden going viral? People are finding it surprisingly relatable. When you think about how many facets of our lifestyle have changed in the last century, I think it's remarkable we can still find solace in the emotions and experiences of those from the past. I've included a link to the tweet below:

Media link- Twitter

References:

Durham, M. G., & Kellner, D. M. (2012). Media and Cultural Studies (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.

Taibbi, M. (2021). Hate Inc.: Why today's media makes us despise one another. OR BOOKS LLC.