themediamademecrazy

just in case you've been sans media for a year or more. i've moved shop to my own website:

themediamademecrazy.com

i've been posting some fun things and collating them according to chapter...

intrigued?

i hope so.

commodifying ethnicity III: the meaning of exploitation

i am currently in new zealand, a county rich in maori culture. maori means 'of the same race' that is to say that the polynesians who occupied the land centuries ago may have come from different nations and different cultures, but they are now of one culture in NZ. evidently, with the european settlers, NZ became one of the first major tourists spots, with maori opening their homes and the culture to travelers from distant lands.

200 years later, as globalization and capitalism have ransacked the world, the maori maintain a strong connection to their cultural heritage and continue performing for tourists. which then begs the question, what is the meaning of exploitation? if these people willingly open their homes for tourists, can it be considered exploitation?

the lets go guide warns the backpacker to avoid exploitative performances, but how do you know which is which? the first night in lake rotorua, we visited mitai, a cultural experience hosted by one of the tribes in the region. their land (12 acres, down from almost 200,000) features a sacred spring, a eating house and a hangi pit, where the food is cooked underground for hours before the feast. i was excited to visit this one as the guide said that this was one of the best cultural shows. while i sat there marveling at the haka and poi, i did not feel like i was exploiting the people. the tribe organized the show and were the only ones to profit from it. the performers were teenagers from the tribe and i really felt like i was simply watching an important part of the people, passing tradition from one generation to another. everyone looked like they were truly enjoying themselves, and it wasn't work, just an opportunity to share what they knew with others.

the next night, we caught a "cultural show" at the hotel. the entire set was drastically different; while the mitai show featured (what i can only assume to be traditional) huts and weapons, the show at the hotel was performed in front of a poorly painted mural of the lake and a plexiglass hut that was half the size of the smallest performer. the performers seemed to go through the motions, rarely did they smile (save one young boy) or really seem to get into the affair. i felt bad watching from my comfortable seat drinking a glass of wine. i simply could not get into the experience. whereas we went to the tribal grounds to immerse ourselves in the mitai culture, the hotel simply pulled the maori out of their "natural environment" and dropped them into a hotel, demanding that they perform the same way that they would if they were at home.

in the end, i highly recommend the mitai show. at least i know that there isn't some white man making a hefty profit off of my ticket.

religious fundamentalists

i'm currently watching the newshour with jim leher and they are running a feature on president mahmoud ahmadinejad of iran and his latest comments against the nation of israel and a video that features the president drinking tea in a traditional manner with some fundamentalist leaders after giving a speech on his reformist political status.

so let me get this straight...

there is a religious fundamentalist taking over the presidency of iran... mmm... sounds familiar.

he also laid indirect accusations against the united states to the effect, "how dare you restrict us with accusations of biochemical weapons when you have the largest stockpile? when you have used them before?"

this ought to be interesting, although i'm not certain if many will draw the connection. however, one of the lines from the newshour feature stated this...

"just like fundamentalists christians... fundamentals muslims believe that the mahdi will come in the form of an apocalypse."

CNN SUCKS IV

although it hurts me to place any comments over "In Memoriam" but i have recently learned that jessica simpson and nick lachey have split...

CNN: Simpson, Lachey 'part ways'

but if you will notice at the bottom of the article, they claim that her book "I do: Achieving your dream wedding" was released last year (2004). i wanted to comment as the book was released in 2003, to coincide with the debut of "newlyweds" and her album "in this skin."

poor form CNN!

if you are interested in the history of jessica simpson and nick lachey's life together...

Chér and Jessica Simpson: An Investigation into Star Couples

In Memoriam

On November 10, I submitted a paper examining whether physical immersion could induce psychological immersion. I reminisced about hours upon enlightening hours spent in Tep 23 and Warehouse 23, resulting in a very personal article. Three days later, I received the news. The man who had redefined my reality in almost every way possible, was gone.

I met Frostbyte in November of 1998 and spent countless hours in his company over the next year, eventually leaving MIT and moving into his warehouse in the fall of 1999. Frostbyte knew everything about everything and he made it his nightly duty to ensure the health and well being of his guests. He was an artist, a true immersive artist who, through countless methods, created environments to make others smile. For many of us, we know that Frostbyte’s smile was a special occasion. Often, he seemed too stressed to enjoy his own creations (although I am certain he derived pleasure from said stress) but, at some point in the evening, I would tap him on the shoulder and he would snap his head around, and smile at me. It was the biggest, most genuinely beautiful smile. His smile was infectious and made me forget everything else.

His home was more than a room or an apartment; it was a medium with which to create, a gallery to showcase said creations, and an amusement park for anyone ventured into his nest. At TEP, he filled 23 with hundreds of lights: traffic lights, neon twists, even an upside down plastic penguin, all of which flickered in perfect synch for his light shows. My request was always “Over the Hills and Far Away.” When the lights came down in 23, it was as if my entire freshman year had been a dream, it was as if our nights of pure bliss had never happened, it was as if the room was nothing more than a phantasm, a glorious figment of my imagination… until he developed the warehouse on Congress St.

Finally, he had all the space he needed to create an alternate universe. Stumbling from room to room, his visitors walked through mazes, projections, paintings, sculptures and other visitors. Frostbyte occupied a space that demanded more bodies; his visitors were integral to his work and his existence. He was far from antisocial, rather desperately social, and offered up his home and his self for the pleasure of others; he ensured that his visitors were comfortable, happy, and above all, satisfied.

Frostbyte did everything he could to make others smile, and, on more than one occasion, he saved me from myself. I loved him very much, as I know we all did. He altered my life and taught me to love myself as much as he loved me. I believe that Gladys Knight said it the best...

“I’d rather live in his world than live without him in mine.”

More memories of the 'byte...

anna dirks

narcissism

Some people consider me narcissistic

nar-cis-sism (n.)

1. Excessive love or admiration of oneself. See Synonyms at conceit .

2. A psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem.

3. Erotic pleasure derived from contemplation or admiration of one's own body or self, especially as a fixation on or a regression to an infantile stage of development.

4. The attribute of the human psyche characterized by admiration of oneself but within normal limits.

Ok. I am narcissistic. I realized about ten minutes ago that I am in love with my own image. I know that this will seem obvious to some of you but I was looking at my DVD cover and I realized that I really like my image. I daresay that I love my image.

But more importantly, I love the image that I have created of myself. And I find this to be a worthwhile endeavor, since I spent so much of my life despising an image that I could not control. My narcissism is not that of conceit, but a comprehensive exploration into how I view myself and how others view me.

Well, that and the fact that I am really hot. [smile]

My most recent narcissistic addition:

my tien truongs

Academic Television

I’m currently watching “Tommy Lee Goes to College” a new half hour reality sitcom on NBC featuring Tommy Lee as a freshman at University of Nebraska. This show is another program in what I deem to be a recent trend of academic television.

Originating with the celebrity success of Ken Jennings on “Jeopardy” and continuing on with ABC’s “The Scholar,” and the WB’s “Beauty and the Geek,” network television has recently embraced smart celebrities. Even Tommy Lee’s wife, Pamela Anderson, starred in her own academic sitcom, “Stacked.”

NOTE: Perhaps it originated with the intellectual component of Survivor…

I’m not certain whether this is a fad or indicative of a general trend towards an acceptance of the academic as cool. Of course I do my best to incorporate an attractive, pop appeal to the academic stereotype and I think that most of these shows are trying to do the same. On the other hand, education is something that everyone is capable and should be pursued by a larger percentage of the population. By having successful pop stars pursue an education and by making academics celebrities, the media seems to be pushing an agenda to encourage academic pursuits. I guess we'll see if he gets past his freshman year...

On the plus side, Tommy Lee has an incredibly sexy chemistry tutor. I wish I had one when I failed 5.11 the first time.

“What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul.” –Joseph Addison