This morning I thought that I'd be writing about the powerful silences in Mad Men. Some of my favorite moments in one of my favorite series take place when the camera cuts to what is supposed to be a reaction shot of Don Draper's and we are witness to his gorgeous blankness. However, later in the day a colleague asked why I thought Don appealed to so many female viewers and i realized that what I find attractive about him is connected that gorgeous blankness. Don Draper functions as a screen onto which women project their desire. In other words, he is an homme fatal.
Look, for instance, at how Sally teacher's so quickly falls for him. She's a wounded woman looking for a father figure and she sees Don as a sensitive man for whom children come first. (Of course, later in the episode we see that he barely begrudged his wife half a day while she was delivering their new son) For Betty, Don is a tall, dark Prince Charming but she's ended up a princess in a rather frightening suburban castle. For Peggy, Don is the perfect father, husband and breadwinner.
Like a classic femme fatale, Don is pure surface who only gives an illusion of depth. He's appears to be a self-made man, but he's actually someone who has stolen and embellished someone else's identity. Ultimately, one of the reasons I think that the Mad Women are such well rounded characters is that we see them in relation to the flatness, the blankness, the void that is Don.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Outbursts
With the coverage of Serena Williams reaction to a foot fault call, Kanye West's comment at the VMA's and Joe Wilson's "No liar," it seems that all kinds of outbursts are making their way into the news. In fact , 2 of the 3 have even pulled in the President one way or another into the fray. As someone who's said plenty of stupid things only to regret them later, I have sympathy for those caught on tape behaving badly. What interests me more than the outbursts themselves is the outrage over the outbursts.
People have always been amused by others doing dumb things. The ongoing popularity of reality shows certainly testifies to that. Seeing someone make a fool of themselves often reassures people that their own flaws are perhaps not that bad. So it surprises me a little that people aren't more blase about the outbursts. I wonder if the outrage is somehow connected to an anxiety over the possibility that impulsive behavior can be recorded, stored and broadcast so easily. In the past, getting caught on tape and seeing that the tape made its way into the public eye on a wide scale was no easy task. It seemed that it was only people who actively sought fame would be humiliated in public. The rest of us could feel safe in our anonymity. Now with cheap, easy-to-use cameras and free social networking tools readily available, all of us, no matter what race, class or gender, can conveniently embarrass ourselves on a grand scale.
I wonder if we'll reach a tipping point with fame (and/or infamy). At some point, will fame will be so easily attainable that it will no longer be alluring? Has technology made it so easy to communicate that being famous no longer holds value? Or is it the case that the need to be seen, heard and known will end up overriding the need for privacy for more and more people.
People have always been amused by others doing dumb things. The ongoing popularity of reality shows certainly testifies to that. Seeing someone make a fool of themselves often reassures people that their own flaws are perhaps not that bad. So it surprises me a little that people aren't more blase about the outbursts. I wonder if the outrage is somehow connected to an anxiety over the possibility that impulsive behavior can be recorded, stored and broadcast so easily. In the past, getting caught on tape and seeing that the tape made its way into the public eye on a wide scale was no easy task. It seemed that it was only people who actively sought fame would be humiliated in public. The rest of us could feel safe in our anonymity. Now with cheap, easy-to-use cameras and free social networking tools readily available, all of us, no matter what race, class or gender, can conveniently embarrass ourselves on a grand scale.
I wonder if we'll reach a tipping point with fame (and/or infamy). At some point, will fame will be so easily attainable that it will no longer be alluring? Has technology made it so easy to communicate that being famous no longer holds value? Or is it the case that the need to be seen, heard and known will end up overriding the need for privacy for more and more people.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
What is it to be human?
One set of narrative threads that haas struck my fancy today comes from "True Blood." Although I think I represent a cross-section of the American public, I can't claim to know for certain why the series has captured America's attention. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of the threads that appeal to me may appeal to others.
As I type this, I realize that I've already found one of the connections between District 9 and True Blood: The theme of being human. Just as 2 non-humans showed the most humanity in District 9, so did the inhuman Sookie, Bill and Sam assume the roles of heros. In fact, they went on to save humanity which I'm afraid we might not see Wikus and Christopher doing in "District 10."
Those characters in both True Blood and District 9 who are hybrids of one sort or another are clearly troubled. In the case of True Blood, it looks as if next season will focus on their inner turmoil At the end of True Blood Sookie hesitated committing to Bill because of an identity crisis triggered by Maryanne's comments. Sam went in search of his real parent. As for District 9, I have no idea how Wikus will end up feeling although we know that he still remains connected to the human world.
During the course of the next few weeks, I'm going to rest content with pulling narrative threads from my favorite TV shows, movies, books and iTunes lectures (a revived interest). I don't know what I'll do with what I gather, but I trust that I'll be inspired to create something interesting.
As I type this, I realize that I've already found one of the connections between District 9 and True Blood: The theme of being human. Just as 2 non-humans showed the most humanity in District 9, so did the inhuman Sookie, Bill and Sam assume the roles of heros. In fact, they went on to save humanity which I'm afraid we might not see Wikus and Christopher doing in "District 10."
Those characters in both True Blood and District 9 who are hybrids of one sort or another are clearly troubled. In the case of True Blood, it looks as if next season will focus on their inner turmoil At the end of True Blood Sookie hesitated committing to Bill because of an identity crisis triggered by Maryanne's comments. Sam went in search of his real parent. As for District 9, I have no idea how Wikus will end up feeling although we know that he still remains connected to the human world.
During the course of the next few weeks, I'm going to rest content with pulling narrative threads from my favorite TV shows, movies, books and iTunes lectures (a revived interest). I don't know what I'll do with what I gather, but I trust that I'll be inspired to create something interesting.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Bricolage
The moment I heard the distinction made between a bricoleur and an engineer back in grad school, I knew that I was the former. What has given me the greatest pleasure over the years has been completing projects in which I pull together text and images scavenged from all types of cultural artifacts. In high school, I composed a Shakespearean comedy using pieces from Shakespeare's comedies. As an undergrad, I took a actress playing a bag lady, a little Miles Davis and a dance solo to choreograph a final project. In grad school, I worked with wonderfully creative colleagues to craft a video essay that was a commentary on star quality in place of a conference paper.
Given how much material is available on to work with and how easy it is to compose and present work using readily available tools, I ought to be able to weave stories together in a way that makes them matter to people. I ought to be able to design some kind of story engine (Thank you Guillermo del Toro for that concept) or at least gather some people together who'd like to try to make it. For some reason, I think that applying the rules of digital alchemy will help me do this, but I haven't yet worked out exactly what those rules are. I know they have something to do with distilling ideas from a variety of scavenged materials and transforming them into something valuable, but I just haven't figured out how to make it work. What I think I need to do is just start weaving together my current favorite narrative threads into some kind of text and stick it on my web site.
Given how much material is available on to work with and how easy it is to compose and present work using readily available tools, I ought to be able to weave stories together in a way that makes them matter to people. I ought to be able to design some kind of story engine (Thank you Guillermo del Toro for that concept) or at least gather some people together who'd like to try to make it. For some reason, I think that applying the rules of digital alchemy will help me do this, but I haven't yet worked out exactly what those rules are. I know they have something to do with distilling ideas from a variety of scavenged materials and transforming them into something valuable, but I just haven't figured out how to make it work. What I think I need to do is just start weaving together my current favorite narrative threads into some kind of text and stick it on my web site.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
District 9
I would love to be part of the team of writers in charge of fleshing out a sequel to District 9. There are so many open questions whose answers can lead in very interesting directions. First and foremost, will Christopher Johnson return in 3 years? And will he be pissed? Will he transform Wikus back into a human?
Like the majority of critics, I thought District 9 was original and compelling. But for me it wasn't the social context that was the most interesting, but it was the fact that I could end up seeing a giant cat-food loving Prawn as the most human character in the movie, rooting for him knowing that he could very well bring back a fleet of pissed-off brethren to destroy our civilization. Moreover, it was a human's transformation into something completely Other that redeemed him. To me, the sight of Wikus as a prawn creating a metal flower out of junk was very hopeful. (Then again I thought the ending of No Country for Old Men was hopeful.) One of the things I enjoy most about sci fi is that it shows us that being human as nothing to do with a genetic code.
As far as my search for something meaningful to create goes, I'm always stopped by a voice saying, "That's useless. That's trivial."
Like the majority of critics, I thought District 9 was original and compelling. But for me it wasn't the social context that was the most interesting, but it was the fact that I could end up seeing a giant cat-food loving Prawn as the most human character in the movie, rooting for him knowing that he could very well bring back a fleet of pissed-off brethren to destroy our civilization. Moreover, it was a human's transformation into something completely Other that redeemed him. To me, the sight of Wikus as a prawn creating a metal flower out of junk was very hopeful. (Then again I thought the ending of No Country for Old Men was hopeful.) One of the things I enjoy most about sci fi is that it shows us that being human as nothing to do with a genetic code.
As far as my search for something meaningful to create goes, I'm always stopped by a voice saying, "That's useless. That's trivial."
Saturday, September 12, 2009
40 days
I realized that one of the reasons I don't consistently blog is the same reason I'm not following my north star (yeah, Martha Beck does inspire as does Oprah. I'm not ashamed to admit that). I suffer from an anxiety of influence that is exacerbated by the interweb (I'm kind of digging that term). When I sit down to blog or try to figure out a plan for making digital alchemy a reality, I pull away thinking: What do I have to say that hasn't already been said or will be said? What can I create that's not derivative, mediocre or just plain redundant? What can I build that's valuable? But in spite of my anxieties, I can't seem to repress my need to build something that has value. I want to sit at a spinning wheel and turn straw into gold. I want to explore all the different ways there are to tell stories.
So I'm just going to set my anxieties aside and just start spinning. Because I've had success before with a 40-day plan, I am committing myself to spending at least 20 minutes each day trying to turn straw into gold. Part of my plan includes daily blog entries as well as daily meditation. On October 21st, I'll see reevaluate, maybe recommit and hopefully rejoice because I found a way to stay on my path.
So I'm just going to set my anxieties aside and just start spinning. Because I've had success before with a 40-day plan, I am committing myself to spending at least 20 minutes each day trying to turn straw into gold. Part of my plan includes daily blog entries as well as daily meditation. On October 21st, I'll see reevaluate, maybe recommit and hopefully rejoice because I found a way to stay on my path.
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