the media made me crazy

themediamademecrazy

2007-02-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-17T16:43:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-20T16:57:00.000-08:00

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

2005-10-01T23:02:00.000-07:00

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

2005-08-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

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

the black pill.

2005-07-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

I have recently been embroiled in a not-to-pleasant conversation about race. It has caused me to recognize at what point race became an issue in my life.

My family is of all different colors and race has never been an issue for me. I think my earliest recollection of recognizing my race was when I had to check the little boxes for college applications. I delighted in checking as many as possible. When I visited MIT, I was placed next door to Chocolate City, an independent living group. I had a blast and seriously considered living there. I moved into Senior House instead and never regretted it even though I did feel somewhat ostracized from the black community.

During my freshman year, things were difficult for me academically, and I began to think that the only reason I was accepted at MIT was my race. Although I blamed my inabilities solely on myself, I recognized the commodity of ethnicity. By getting into MIT, I became a ‘credit to my race.’

Even amidst this segregation, racism was never a talking point.

The day that I recognized, experienced, and emotionally suffered from racism took place years later, riding the train home from NYC. I sat on the commuter rail next to two white men; one was drinking a plastic wide mouth bottle of Budweiser and the other was working on two gin and tonics. The two men are discussing their sons…

BUD: My boy blah, blah, blah.

GIN: Yeah, my boy blah, blah, blah.

BUD: I was talking to Jim the other day and he was telling me about his son, how his son does blah, blah, blah, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘at least my son isn’t doing drugs and fucking niggers.’

I was shocked; I was appalled. I felt a soreness in my gut that wasn’t there before. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know what to do; all I could do was sit there, helpless. I was a fully conscious, intelligent, grown human being and that was the first time that I felt slapped in the face by racism.

Since then, it’s as if I travel in a completely different world. My reality has changed. Even though I saw racism (I daresay I am a product of it), it wasn’t until this moment that I understood.

I began to think about other moments in my life; they came back like a flood of unexplainable pain. My first boyfriend didn’t want to take me to thanksgiving dinner because he thought his family might make inappropriate comments. My next boyfriend didn’t introduce me to his extended family, and vocalized that it might be a problem that I wasn’t white. Alternatively, my grandfather owned a chicken farm in Guyana and the locals used to hollar at me on the street, asking for a piece of white meat.

I took the black pill and the world has never been the same.

beauty and the geek

2005-06-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

The WB network is introducing a new reality show tonight from executive producer ashton kutcher called beauty and the geek where they pair up a series of incredibly geeky men with beautiful dumb supermodels and watch the hilarity ensue...

where do i begin?

first of all i am remarkably offended by the program. it only reinforces the binary that geeks can not be beautiful. it perpetuates the beautiful dumb blonde stereotype, blonde brunette or otherwise, of women. women are never given the chance to be beautiful AND intelligent. i just feel frustrated by the fact that sexy smart women don't exist in our mediated televisual reality.

and they seem to have gotten some of the geekiest men to be a part of this project, not to mention that everyone involved is white. i guess that ethnic individuals are cursed with an atavistic sexuality that cannot be considered geeky.

the most frustrating thing to me is the fact that i really enjoy ashton kutcher's work. i own dude where's my car, i have watched that seventies show since the beginning and have shared my critical thoughts on the direction of the program and its use of race and the absent father. granted i didn't shell out money for 'just married' or 'a lot like love' but i did see the butterfly effect in theaters, which i thought was a great movie for his star persona. either way, i have a great amount of respect for kutcher, and his executive producer credit on this program hurts in my soul.

i figure as a stereotypical pretty boy who has performed in projects that both ironically embrace and deny it, i would expect him to recognize the disgusting stereotypes and clichés that are continued with this program.

but then again, ratings are money and maybe its just television. plus extreme individuals create extreme situations, which breeds humor, not intelligent messages and behavior. but i can assure you that any intelligent individual, more importantly any intelligent woman, will be offended and disgusted with the program.

shame on you ashton. you know better.

although i think it would make me smile to see the exact same program with the gender roles switch, sexy Abercrombie and Fitch men paired up with female phd’s and ceo’s.

Beauty and the Geek

commodifying ethnicity II: black on both faces

2005-05-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

i just caught the mos def envoy denali commercial as part of GMC's new 'diversity campaign':

Forbes Article: GMC's Diversity Campaign

does no one find this offensive but me? mos, once the pillar of anti establshment, is now commodifying his place as a hip-hop icon to sell trucks for GMC? i'm surprised they didn't have him peddling cadillac escalades. he doesn't need the money, the article in forbes goes on to talk about all of the projects that he is currently involved in. GMC has also establshed a hispanic campaign, although i haven't seen any of those yet. i guess its time to tap markets that have no problem spending money on useless status symbols. fight the power my ass.

what happened to rising above the fray mos?

commodifying ethnicity: fly song

2005-05-23T00:44:00.000-07:00

today i traveled from NY to Ft. Lauderdale on song airlines. it was an interesting experience from every angle, but specifically from a media and cultural perspective. i was excited for the dish network television piped directly to my seat, an impressive direction for airline entertainment (thank you jetblue). the linux-based in flight network also allows you to purchase movies, games and music on your credit card, but it also offers a trivia game that you can play against your fellow passengers. very hip.

also, when i got on the plane, the ambient music was anything but ambient. pop music playing at standard listening volume accompanied by luggage storage. i couldn’t decide whether or not i was ok with this decision because as i sat in my seat trying to read a back issue of the economist, i kept listening to gwen stefani singing about if she was a rich girl... [ugh]. a subject for another blog i assure you. i couldn't relax in my seat before the flight took off, all i was thinking was "gwen stefani; cultural thief."

finally it was time to prepare for departure. the music was turned off, and the PA system switched to the introduction to flight procedures. the audio came in with some very cheesy, cliche flamenco music, accompanied by a woman with a thick spanish accent telling us how to buckle our seatbelts and don life jackets in the most marketable spanglish i've heard since the last McDonald's commercial. just as i began to feel like i was eating in a mediocre tex-mex chain restaurant with a woman telling me the specials in an "authentic flamenco dress" made in china, she stopped. it was time for "de castanets." i turned to my neighbor and we both died laughing. i couldn't decide whether to be offended or pity the fool who approved this decision.

the answer came to me when the awful spanglish instructions were over and the spanish translation came over the PA system. the woman recounting the flight procedures in spanish spoke with less of an accent than the english-speaking flamenco actress! and there was no music, there was no castanets, and there sure wasn't the exact opposite cultural statement, i.e. some southerner speaking awful spanish with banjos playing behind him.

so song, you get a B for effort and a D for execution. believe it or not, there is a wrong way to commodify globalization and multiculturalism.

poor in LA

2005-05-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

i've developed an affection for upn's girlfriends.

i think its better than sex in the city...

there i said it.

it all came to me last night when i was watching the materialist girlfriend analyze her whirlwind marriage to a man she has recently discovered is $750,000 in debt. in order to maintain her life status, she decides to leave him. in her soliloquy she says...

"being poor in LA is wearing round-toed shoes in a pointy-toed season."

surviving

2005-05-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

in an era of corporate sponsorship and commercial breaks, survivor has employed the corporate sponsorship to achieve a positive outcome for the viewer. the last commercial break ended at 8:46 pm, at which point the returned to the program, followed the characters in their last group deliberations. they boarded their raft and took off for tribal council. just as i was expecting another commercial break, they cut to the council. after another ten minutes of debate, the votes were cast. once again, i expected a commercial, but there was none. they tallied the votes, caryn was asked to leave and the show was over.

i'm really impressed how survivor does not attempt to utilize these moments of tension in order to guarantee their sponsors eager eyeballs. instead, they cater to the viewer and offer immediate satisfaction.

compare it to the american idol results show (wednesday nights 9 pm) that cuts to commercial every 3 minutes or so...

so which would you prefer? sponsorships like pringles with survivor trivia vs. our american idols making ford commercials that cut into paula's most emotional weekly television moment.

merchandising is next to godliness

2005-05-09T01:36:00.000-07:00

Let the Dark Side defend your lawn from the ravages of summer heat or cool you off on a hot day with this Darth Vader sprinkler! Standing 10" tall, this great new Vader sprinkler spins around with water spraying action, wielding his lightsaber in a furious battle to save your lawn! Let Darth Vader be the center of your backyard universe today with this very cool garden accessory.

Star Wars Darth Vader Sprinkler

beauty pageants and television: a perfect marriage

2005-05-09T01:02:00.000-07:00

Many of society’s ills have been attributed to the televised beauty pageant but its role in television history remains unquestioned. Miss America created a genre of television that has been co-opted and utilized by every possible industry; it continues to draw paying customers to a variety of products using the guaranteed gimmick of beautiful women. Like a female version of the Superbowl, the beauty pageant brings together disparate audiences in a massive display of commercialism, nationalism and physicality. Unfortunately, Miss America cannot charge $2.5 million for a thirty-second commercial, despite its position as an arbiter of national beauty. Even with sagging ratings, the pageant will not fade from American sensibilities; rather, it will be forced to change both its representation of culture and its method of disseminating it. Digital technologies continue to reduce the cost of global broadcasting while expanding the opportunities for interpretation. Pretty women will always attract consumers and, like the contestants themselves, it is now up to the beauty pageants to best display their assets.

read the entire paper here:

Television Conventions and Beauty Pageant Ideology

WARNING: the paper is 25 double-spaced pages. the first third is the history of beauty pageants, the rest describes how television conventions assist in the beauty pageants promotion of nationalism, commericalism and sisterhood while desexualizing the pageant to maintain its pure untarnished image (i still love you vanessa williams).

CNN SUCKS III

2005-05-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

apparently there was an explosion in NY outside the british consulate. why is this not front page news on CNN and NYTimes.com?

that's right, because its 13 hours old.

it has already been eclipsed by the runaway bride story and the elvis movie on CBS this weekend respectively.

how is this possible? according to john hartley's essay "the frequencies of public writing," he states that the internet has caused us to become less interested in detailed stories, rather we just move from one to another at a pace that does not allow for contemplation. because the story is 13 hours old (mind you today the UK also saw the parlimentary elections that reelected Blair but weakened his labor party), there is no reason to maintain or expand it. i believe that the assumption is that everyone who needs to know already knows. how can that make sense?

then when i search for it on google, the top stories are coming from The Scotsman and Forbes...
try it sometime, its amusing.

pretty white girls II

2005-05-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

i went to a beautiful african art gallery last week, Dafco's on mammaroneck ave in white plains, NY. i walked in to find beautiful african masks, artistic pieces labeled according to their origin, fantastic african art. the owner of the store walked out from the back office and offered the history of the work and their cultural significance. it was moving.

as i walked to the back of the store, i looked over the entrance to the office. there, just above eye level, but only visible to those exiting the office, was a massive painting of a beautiful naked white woman.

a naked white woman. pink nipples and all...

i was shocked. here i am, reveling in african beauty, entrenched in culture and black appreciation and the owner of the store gazes at a picture of a naked white woman every time he comes out to greet his customers. i didn't know whether to laugh or be absolutely disgusted.

i believe it was blackstar who admitted...

"I like girls with that light complexion... i'm a victim of 400 years of conditioning"

Brown Skin Lady Lyrics

this is directly related to an earlier post...

pretty white girls

brought to you by...

2005-05-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

i'm amazed at how jeopardy has managed to avoid changing its sponsorship tactics over the years. there is a massive amount of space available for sale but they still mention their sponsors in non-obtrusive text during the credits of the program. today i saw a sports center endorsement at the beginning of the program, i believe that they sponsored a category "sports stars." i was mildly offended until i realized that they still didn't allow the category to be entitled "sports center."

more importantly, the audience for jeopardy might be drastically offended if they sold out in that manner. i'm assuming that this audience slightly less tolerant to media corporate convergence and imbedded advertising. look at the uproar alex trebek's mustache received.

maybe i'm just rambling but i had to say something, especially when this brand free program leads into 'wheel of fortune' one of the most commercial programs on television...

single city girl

2005-05-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

i have just completed my paper on the emergence of the single city girl in american culture between 1960-1975. it was amazing, i got the chance to discover and develop the stereotype that i aspire to be, a single city girl living in los angeles, progressing my own career and finding some interesting, attractive boys to take me out to dinner every so often. things are working well, and the paper only manged to confirm the life that i chose to live and the contradictions inherent within.

the ulitimate quote of the single city girl is from helen gurley brown's "sex and the single girl" (1962):

romance is a reward for, but secondary to, perfecting oneself.

the irony of this statement is unbelieveable, here is the footnote at the very bottom of my paper:

The irony of this statement is not lost on me, I was just uncertain of how to integrate it into the paper. Even though the post-feminist single girl is living for herself and does not want for a husband, the original philosophy promotes self-improvement for the end goal of marriage. And this ironic twist is often the culmination of the single girl’s pursuits (see the conclusion of Sex In the City) Brown does not recognize, nor do most of the single city girls portrayed on television, that self-improvement can be a reward unto itself. Rather, improving one for oneself becomes lip service for the ideology of the cause; that we as single, independent women do not need men.

check out the paper at:

Creating Stereotypes: The Emergence and Commodification of the Single City Girl

CNN SUCKS II

2005-04-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

The pope has passed.

The ceremonies around the world have begun. Many of them are not in English, but nonetheless, instead of talking about the pope's legacy, tell me what is going on around the world right now! I would like to know what this ceremony is taking place in Rome, in Poland and around the world. But no, I can only see the images and listen to the pundits swap stories about the pope that I’ve heard five times already in the past three days [sigh].

Ok. CNN now has a live feed from St. Peter’s cathedral in NY. The archbishop of NY is giving a sermon recounting the pope's assassination and his immediate act of forgiving his attempted assassin. Before the archbishop is even done, we cut back to Paula [sad face]. I was starting to feel emotional spirit come through the television...

As much as I hate to say it, FOXNews may be the only live feed from St. Matthew’s Cathedral in DC, therefore...

Thank you FOXNews.

Analytical Steer Roast...

2005-03-27T17:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Charisse,

I'm delighted to inform you officially that your paper "Work Hard, Play Hard: The Hidden Celebration of MIT's Alternative Community" has been accepted for the ISCLR 2005 conference.

Sincerely,
Elissa

Work Hard, Play Hard: SteerRoast Paper Proposal

the international society for contemporary legend research

CNN SUCKS.

2005-03-20T19:52:00.000-08:00

At the moment there is an emergency meeting of congress to discuss to future of Terry Schiavo. I will not discuss my issues with that to begin with, I’ll leave it for thousands of other bloggers, although it seems ridiculous to me that this is even going onto a higher court and so much effort is being placed on this one woman, personally I think that the parents’ desperate desire to keep her alive is a selfish act.

But this is about the news networks covering the debate. Right now, at this moment, our elected officials are conducting a debate on the floor of congress; it is a Sunday afternoon, millions of people are sitting down after dinner, turning to this major story. Instead of allowing us to watch our representatives debate, we watch pundits debate the issues of what is being discussed on the floor! The worst part is that they leave the video running on half of the screen on mute! So you know that there is a debate, a real, political debate going on, but that’s not important, the stupid fucking inane punditry is more important. Moreover you know that these pundits aren’t even watching the debate, they’re talking over it as if they’ve already seen it and have come to conclusions.

Unfortunately my building provides only C-SPAN2, not C-SPAN1, so I can’t even watch it there, on top of that, my computer is suffering from a broken headphone jack so I can’t hear anything online either [sigh]. I hate new media when it doesn’t work for me.

And just to top it all off, they don't put the names of the representatives up when they do allow them audio time. Rather they continue to print the banner "house vote on schiavo bill expected within minutes."

pretty white girls.

2005-03-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

So I went to this show at The Mint last night and, well I starting getting very angry and depressed. Now that I think back over it, I was PMS-ing, so that probably had a lot to do with my emotional overreaction.

There were so many beautiful white women there that I began to feel, well…

Imperfect.

Welcome to LA where image towers over substance and I began thinking, it really doesn’t matter how much substance you have or what you have to offer, if your image isn’t perfect, you don’t have a chance. And my image will never be perfect because I’m not white. I guess I’ve been doing too much work in the area of race lately, race and beauty:

Race Ethnicity and Beyond

I became consumed by this last night, and began having overly emotional intelligent discussions, which often degrade into me hating society’s expectations and my inability to meet them. I began to bandy about the term “pretty white girl.’ I guess I’m writing this because I feel slightly guilty about it. I didn’t realize that “pretty white girl” could be a derogatory statement, especially when that’s what I wanted for the longest time.

Or maybe subconsciously I recognized that it was a derogatory statement, and I used it inappropriately in a bully fashion to hype myself up. Either way, it was wrong.

I realize now that “pretty white girls” recognize their position as such and what that means in our culture. Yeah, postmodern self-reflexivity! Funny how most of the things we desire most, are the things that other people are desperate to be free of. I think maybe I was just intimidated by them.

It’s a shame too because I started to have a potentially amazing conversation with a smart, sexy woman, who happened to be white. I think I opened with a confrontational statement, but that was the Jagermeister talking [smile]. Hopefully she’ll forgive me because I’m terribly interested in the experience of the Other.

NOTE: The Other is a psychoanalytical term which states that the Other is not the Self, which can exist with respect to all aspects of identity including gender, race, sexuality, etc.

Definition of the Other

Constantine and American Idol

2005-03-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

I went to an awesome show at The Mint last night, and guess who I met, Constantine Maroulis. I stopped to talk to talk to him, introducing myself as a media theorist (as I’m sure a lot of women are trying to get into his pants). I asked him a personal question:

“How long do you think you will last?”

He responded,

“I’ll go far. I think it will be me, Bo and Nadia in the top three and Anwar will be booted as number four.”

I was amazed. In all of the critical discussions that I’ve had, that was never my prediction. We then started talking about the demographics of American Idol and I told him that I was surprised that he made it this far because I was certain that he and Bo would be splitting votes. He then claimed that they were completely different,

“I am way more versatile than Bo, and I’m getting way more votes than he is.”

“Do they tell you who gets the most votes?”

“No, but I’m getting more hits on my website, my band is blowing up and everyone adores me: younger women, older women, young rockers, old rockers.”

I then told him that he has yet to impress me but like what he’s doing, actually turning the songs into his own, as evidenced by last week’s performance of “You’ve made me so very happy.” Although I was unimpressed, I thought he gave an excellent performance, really reached out to his base of swooning young women. But for me, I don’t think that his appeal is much different than Anthony Fedorov, a sweet teeny-bopper type with a solid base.

He then retorted on my comment about fighting for demographics,

“Would you consider Vonzell and Nadia to be in the same category just because they are both African-American women?”

He just didn’t get it. Vonzell and Nadia have two completely different styles. Bo and Constantine are rockers. That’s their gimmick, that’s their thing…

What gets me the most is that Constantine’s image seems contrived and practiced from the very beginning. I expect him to don some leather pants in a desperate attempt to channel Jim Morrison. On the other hand, Bo wore leather pants last week and he didn’t even seem to be trying.

They will destroy one another and I feel like anyone who has any respect for rock must recognize that Bo is a better singer. Even the swooning teeny-boppers.

Constantine, if you are reading this, I hope you’re not offended. You put yourself up for judgment by being on television, and I think that you need to recognize what everyone is saying, not just the people who are voting for you. You’ve got a gimmick, embrace it, love it, and take it for all its worth. But don’t delude yourself into thinking that you and Bo are different in the eyes of America. You claim that you are of a completely different ilk, that’s only because you have more stereotypical sex appeal and you’d make a better pop star. At no point does that make you a better singer.

Consumption Assumption

2005-03-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

I think I want to start integrating this term into my lexicon as a cultural studies term. My Google search has yielded only logic definitions. At the moment, my working cultural studies definition is this:

The consumption assumption assumes that first and foremost, we are consumers. Above all else, ethnicity, class, religion, occupation or location, we are consumers. This assumption is used regularly; it plays off of our most internalized needs and desires (many of which are media-induced) and encourages us to behave in certain ways. In the same way that being a dedicated New Englander may cause one to drop $500 on Red Sox World Series Tickets, or being a dedicated father causes one to purchase a new home security system; being a dedicated consumer causes us to be particularly affected by advertising that plays on our desire to consume, and little else.

Please respond with any and all thoughts or offerings.

as seen on a sun-maid raisins box

2005-03-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

No one but you can make you happy.

media absorbs me without media

2005-02-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

i've been going a little crazy lately. i've been over exposed to media. and i cannot escape it, we live in a media saturdated society. even as i write this, i am sitting in front of my television consuming my regular 3 hours a day, jeopardy, simpsons, american idol and 24. and supposedly this is relaxing.

i guess jeopardy is relaxing...

anyway, i'm immersed in media and i don't feel like i can ever really relax. i'm planning on going some kind of spa where i hear nothing but pan flutes for a week.

but i wrote a haiku the other night that i've been contemplating on...

media absorbs
me engulfs me consumes me
without media.

can you spot the drug use?

2005-02-19T12:30:00.001-08:00

a banner ad on US News and World Report featured a teenager's room, filled with items including a computer, a football photo, a computer, books and clothes and asked you to spot the cues of drug use in the room. as i scrolled through the room, only the computer and the guitar were highlighted and activated by a arrow, "Here?" then when you click on the item, a window pops up, "maybe you're not looking in the right places." and it redirects your browser to The AntiDrug

classic.

LA car chases

2005-02-09T23:32:00.000-08:00

two chases tonight. one of which ended in a fatality. why does LA have such a high percetnage of car chases. are these people looking for their individual 15 minutes? they must realize by now that they cannot get away, you have a helicopter on you!

emoticons

2005-02-08T01:09:00.000-08:00

with advancements in technology and the ability to convey imagery and text across immense geographical boundaries, we reduce and edit ourselves down to emoticons... :]

Superbowl XXXIX

2005-02-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

And the New England Patriots take the Superbowl, securing their place as the first football dynasty of the twenty-first century. I took my obligatory American holiday, Superbowl Sunday. I skipped the gym and ate a bunch of bad food. I wasf fully entertained, I watched the first half with my neighbors, a couple of frat boys who were quite involved in the game. I became interested.

Anywho, so I watched the game, enjoyed the commercials and become quite involved in the last fourth quarter.

I think my favorite commercial was the p diddy/diet Pepsi spot. Oh and its on right now... of course if p diddy showed up in a Pepsi truck, it would become the most popular ride. I’d drive a coca-cola truck. It makes me kind of sad that there were no coca-cola commercials.

The Heineken commercial featuring Brad Pitt was filmed around the corner from my building. I participated in one take running in the crowd. I didn't get to see brad, but I didn't stick around, I was on my way home, so I continued running after they called cut. It was cool. The shoot went on until three in the morning.

Finally, after the Superbowl, I flipped channels during the post-show and came across QVC. They were already selling Superbowl champion merchandise: upper deck trading cards, sweatshirts, framed memorabilia, bomber jackets and more. Brilliant.

the media diaries

2005-01-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

For my television seminar, we were required to document a “media diary.” Record your consumption of any and all media in a 24-hour time period. You’ll be amazed at the amount of media you actually consume without even recognizing it. Unfortunately, since I study media, I am never really separated from it. I make a concerted effort to go swimming once a week so that I could be sans media for at least half an hour (50 laps).

Some of the highlights from my media diary:
1. I wake up to CNN Live every morning.
2. I take the bus, therefore I get to view the ads inside (which are disturbingly focused on a much poorer consumer than the outside advertising)
3. DTLA is filled with massive storefronts and billboards advertising stores. Although you may skip over this as media, each of these storefronts are strategically fashioned to entice you into the store.
4. Reading The Economist on the roof of my building.
5. Jeopardy.

Please try this and post your observations.

My Media Diary (January 17-18, 2005)

wayne newton's reality show

2005-01-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

wayne newton is starting his own reality show, 'the entertainer, the search for the next great las vegas star.' he is presently being interviewed by larry king.

i have decided that anyone can have their own reality show. i think that is the beauty of the reality show and the most successful one are crossing over with the success from utilizing the audience. ideas anyone?

green is the new black

2005-01-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

i just caught a new commercial for mcdonalds featuring an attractive young black woman eating salad. the voice over is spoken word poetry, often confused with rap or hip hop. the sound of the commerical is something straight out of blackalicious, "nia" or sarah jones. this young woman is extolling the virtues of mcdonalds' salads and their spirtitual influence, "how they affect me within."

it is remarkable the commodification around all hip hop culture including spoken word poetry which tends to be a little too ephermal for comercials. frankly i was quite turned off by the entire thing, this aspect of hip hop for me is the most personal, and least marketable component. it is usually featured in small coffeehouses (nyoricans in NY) or def poetry jam, performed by individuals desperate for expression, hungry to change the world around them.

here, it is selling mcdonalds salads...

the final line for me was the most disturbing...

"green is the new black"

we are no longer talking about black as fashion, we are talking about black as culture. green is not only the color of salad, but the color of money. "green is the new balck"

money is our new culture.

but i'm sure you knew that already.

The living room candidate

2005-01-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

[click on title for link to exhibit]

The Museum or Television and Radio is presenting an online exhibition featuring television commercials from the past 13 elections (1956-2004). It is an amazing collection that I recommend everyone takes a look at. The pundits have said that this election has been one of the worst when it comes to mudslinging and depending on the ignorance of the voters. But after watching commercials from the mid century, it seems clear to me that television is the catalyst for this dependence on sound bytes, short quick phrases to supposedly describe a candidate’s entire platform.

I have just finished watching the 1952 commercials, Eisenhower vs. Stevenson. The nation was floundering in the Korean War and fear was rampant throughout America due to McCarthy’s communist witch hunt (quite similar to present situation no?). The commercials are simple, but create a format for years to come. Series like “Eisenhower answers America” and the plight of the workingman are clearly still used today. Interesting note, in the democratic commercials, Stevenson does not make an appearance, but Eisenhower is regularly featured in his ads. Could this have affected Stevenson’s campaign? In an era where the Americans now had the chance to relate to a candidate, he chose to remain absent from their living rooms, thereby creating a distance between him and the voters (See Note). He corrected this mistake during the 1956 election, and even brought the television cameras into his own home.

I’m about to start watching 1960: Kennedy vs. Nixon. Often the televised debate between the two is the crowning moment of politics and television, but this compilation provides many alternatives, in one minute or less. Please check out the exhibition and support the Museum of Television and Radio.

Note: In the 1960 election, Nixon appeared more often than Kennedy in his commercials and still lost.

Museum of Television and Radio

2005-01-02T07:40:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, I visited the Museum of Television and Radio (MTR) in NY for the first time. It was awesome! Totally worth my money ($8 for students, $10 for everyone). There are about seven screening rooms that are showing a variety of culturally pertinent content. It’s totally worth a day of entertainment. I caught a compilation of Lenny Bruce's appearances on television, the man who popularized race and religious based humor. Amazing how the meaning of "controversial" has changed so drastically. They also showed a series of international commercials buffered by advertising pundits, although I would have preferred to watch the uninterrupted commercials, I can't hate.

They were also showing such things as "primetime politics," which followed bush's ascension from failed college student to president, the ed Sullivan show featuring the Beatles, a classic Gilligan’s island and a documentary on comediennes on television including carol Burnett, mary tyler moore and lucille ball. I was thoroughly impressed and entertained. I think I’m going to get a membership to the MTR in LA.

Don't forget to tune in for next year's Christmas

2004-12-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

Its now just after midnight on Christmas, 2004 and I’m sitting here at my computer in front of the television watching my mother clean up for tomorrow. And I’m thinking…

I got into a long conversation with a young man at the MIT holiday party, I told him that Christmas usually pisses me off because I can’t stand to have holiday cheer rammed down my throat 24 hours a day for 2 months a year. He then started asking me what about Christmas I didn’t like. The truth is that Christmas is fine with me, I have no problem with the theory, or the celebration, I’m just sick of the sales and the disgusting commercialization of Christmas, I know it will never change, but there is no reason for me to deal with it.

Then I stopped to think, this year I have been fairly removed from the Christmas spectacle. I have not really turned on my television and usually mute it during the commercials, by removing myself from the inundation of Christmas, I find that i really enjoy the little bits of Christmas that I am exposed to. I had to watch the Nick and Jessica Family Christmas special, it reminded me what of Christmas I don’t really like, the racial isolationism, the crass commercialization all disguised has family cheer. This couple has taken their family cheer and commodified it in order to sell advertising spots. but nonetheless, Jessica's performance of "oh night divine" made me tear up.

But there is one commercial running at the moment, for Verizon wireless celebrating “chrismahanakwanzakah.” I really like the approach that they piece takes, doing their absolute best to merge all faiths and ethnicities, it starts off with a well dressed elderly black man, cuts to a couple of Hassidic Jews at a piano then to an Indian Santa Claus (with turban). It also features a Buddhist monk and a poor child right out of Oliver Twist. The only white woman in the commercial is essentially naked with a giant cell phone covering her business. I’m not sure exactly what that means or how it can be interpreted, thoughts?

I’d also like to note, that in their desperate attempt to include all ethnicities, races and beliefs, Christmas is still the first religion represented in the merged title.

weekend update

2004-12-12T01:14:00.000-08:00

holy shit.

its tina fey and amy poehler anchoring weekend update. i think this is the first time that two women have anchorched the show. i don't know about the acting, but its nice to see something new. and they've got a really nice dynamic, i daresay, i can't decide whether i like the difference, but i don't necessarily miss jimmy fallon.

507 Project

2004-12-08T22:56:00.000-08:00

i would like to rename all of the movie moments that i've ever experienced or thought about as '507 Projects'.

507 is the introductory production class that everyone in the school of cinema/tv is required to take. our days are filled with finding potential short film subjects to produce.

the apprentice

2004-12-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

so i'm taking a break from work (bad charisse) and watching nbc's 'the apprentice,' when it started i rationalized that these were some of the smartest people on television and its a show that's not about sex... rather its about money, and real business decisions.

today's task was to make and sell m&m's M-Azing bars. there were 2 girls on one team, and 2 boys and a girl on the other team, the three person team made 323 bars and sold them all for a profit of $500, the other two girls made 290 and sold them for a profit of over $1000. they dressed up in cute red tops and denim skirts and sold the bars for $5 a piece. the other team sold them for a dollar a piece, so the chick on 3 person team decided to start selling them for $20 and dropped her skirt.

dropped her skirt...

no i understand the need to win by any means necessary but there is no way that kind of behavior is going to swing. and i was just thinking about how these folks were the smartest people on television. does she actually believe that trump is going to want his ceo dropping trou' in public for some extra money? i guess we'll find out soon...

Green Day - American Idiot

2004-12-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

Don't wanna be an American idiot.
Don't want a nation under the new mania.
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

Well maybe I'm the faggot America.
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along in the age of paranoia.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

the movie of my life.

2004-12-06T22:52:00.000-08:00

i look at my life like a movie. i know it's stupid and exactly what the film industry wants me to do, but i can't help it. every interaction i have, every unresolved situation, every potential outcome is replayed over and over in my head. although i may never meet mos def, i know exactly what i'm going to say to him...

how you doing
yo i'm fine.
my name is mos.
i'm charisse...

[smile] but that's not the point of this posting. the point is that by viewing ones life as a movie, one expects a movie ending, or movie emotions or movie moments. kissing no longer is just kissing, its a movie moment, with soft music, overhead camera angles and close-ups. while writing a paper on sexual behavior and youth television consumption, there were many extended quotes from young women watching soap operas talking about how the experience of sex on television was so perfect and beautiful, they expected their sexual experiences to be the same.

i guess i know now that life is not a movie, there are no movie endings, but everything still works out as takes, scenes and acts. people guest star or cameo here and there, sometimes there are regulars and sometimes there are box office celebrities. but i have to remember that there will be no last minute cliffhangers and there will be no prince charming on a white horse. or any horse for that matter. I'll be lucky if there is a rapper in a hummer, coming to take me away from the belligerent homeless.

the american black man.

2004-12-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

i know i know i know, the image of the american black man is always under speculation, and of course its just going to be the same discussion you've heard a million times already. but to be honest, it really is quite coincidental that all of these things are coming together at oine time...

Kobe... oh kobe, you were going to be the next michael jordan, remember? you had so much home and admieration and respect. according to detweiler and taylor, you were going to be the next savior in the religion that is american basketball. now i'm not blaming you and i'm not saying you slept with a crazy chick and it cam back to bite you in the ass (or the wallet ass the case my be) but... well what a start.

Detroit Game: you know. maybe they shoudl just bring back the globetrotters... when do those guys plan on going on tour again, we need your lighthearted, comical, but ever so talented appraoch to kicking the washington general's butts. unfortunately, all the money is in the NBA. what if vince mann combined the wwe with basketball, much like the short lived XFL. meh, i'm sure he's already thought of it.

Desperate Housewives/NFL: oh come on. this is just sad. although now there is all this stupid attention being given to the sexual content of sports, which i think is silly. the whole point of these games is to find out what your body can do. including those little morsels of cheerleaders [smile]. i went to a lakers game the week after the detroit game and this business, and i have to admit, those cheerleaders were doing their best to be as appropriate as possible. they didn't even pull they ever popular, rip the shirt off in the middle of the routine. [sigh] michael powell as everyone running scared.

new political discourse

2004-12-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

i'm watching wolf blitzer discussing 9/11 intelligence reform. there are two women featured, susan rice from brookings institution and danielle pletka from the american enterprise institute. pletka was on cnn way too often during the election spitting republican spin. i had already decided i hate her. but i'm sitting here listening to her now discuss non-election topics, and i don't mind. admittedly i still disagree with a lot of what she has to say, but at least now she's not being a cold, bitter angry bitchy republican... we don't need more than one ann coulter.

although i believe that cnn has not drastically improved its format, although i may now be more willing to watch crossfire, there might be sensible, civilized disucssion. course, maybe they'll just find something else to bitch and bicker about.

LAPL

2004-11-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

i just got back from another trip to the LA Public Library. it is an absolutely beautiful building, with a 4 story atrium and an elevator lined with card catalogue cards; there is a window in the elevator that allows you to see the elevator shaft, and that is lined with cards too. brilliant.

jeopardy

2004-11-30T19:27:00.001-08:00

the chills have subsided, i have picked my jaw up off the floor and i'm composed and ready.

ken jennings lost.

he is walking away from a six month run and $2.5 million dollars in winnings. but that wasn't want gave me chills. and it wasn't the amazing woman who beat him, it was the whole experience.

earlier this month, i was ready for him to lose. he was down at the end of the first round and then blasted back during the second round. damn.

Ken's amazing run has put him into a new level of celebrity: applauded for his intelligence and nothing else. no one is questioning his mormon lifestyle or his potentially scandalous off screen life. he even has his own imdb profile as an actor on 'jeopardy'. he has also made appearances on the ellen show, regis, letterman and leno.

Jeopardy made an excellent decision to eliminate their rules re: the lifespan a contestant can have (no more than one week). they have manged to create celebrities and encourage viewership of the show. unfortuantley i don't watch abc often, did they hype this at all? did people know that ken was going down? please let me know.

so congratulations nancy berg. you're my new role model.

new blog

2004-11-30T13:00:00.000-08:00

this is my new blog.

check out the archives of media thoughts and any new ones.

check out my website if you have the chance

http://members.aol.com/mediatheory/www

peace
charisse

spongebob and chinese opera

2004-11-25T10:35:00.000-08:00

hey there

happy freaking thanksgiving to everyone. i was watching cnn this morning and two stories made me laugh out loud

1. spongebob crimewave in the midwest: http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/25/spongebob.stolen.ap/index.html

2. a little 11 year old black boy who sings flawless mandarin chinese opera out of oakland california, i can't find this story but hopefully the whole concept will blow your mind. he received a standing ovation at the museum of asian studies or something in san fran and are presently discussing a trip to beijing to sing for some prominent folks, it was really unbelievable how good this kid is. and he doesn't understand a word of what he is singing.

jfk reloaded

2004-11-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

so there is a new computer game released today that requires the user to recreate the assassination of jfk from lee harvey oswald's perspective. the company's (traffic) statement is that it is a new interactive way to learn about history and in no way is intentionally disrespectful to the memory of jfk. the company producing this video game is a small start up based in london. the ceo of the company was on deborah norville on msnbc this evening. it was terribly frustrating to watch. clearly she is playing opposite paula zahn (they look alike to me) but she has the attitude of bill oreilly, judging in a disgusting way the intentions of this guy.

he is trying to describe how this video game has merit, especially from an educational perspective. he believes that there is no conspiracy around the assassination and this video game allows the user to recreate the exact shots that are necessary to have taken place.

and this norville woman starts getting very righteous over what should be considered hands-off content, such as this national tragedy. but shemade some really stupid comparisons to other potential video games like 'scott peterson strangling and dumping his wife.' frankly, i thought her interview of the ceo was more crass than the video game (by the way, crass is a word she used over and over again), which he was very able to rationalize. then someone made some pathetic powerpoint animation wherein the player shoots at the painting of george washington crossing the delaware. it was quite sad. it would have been a better comparison to throw the princess di death in his face (he was british) and talk about how a driving game as paparazzi would improve history.

take a look at the site and decide for yourself.

http://www.jfkreloaded.net/

its a great bit of media discussion though. especially since today is the 41 anniversary of jfk's death (good release date huh?). whether or not the game is appropriate, her interviewing was a sad attempt at rallying the audience around her emotionally instead of trying to approach it from a rational, non partial reporter.

oh i'm sorry, you're not a reporter, you're a celebrity.

course at the end of the game, if you succeed, you get $100,000. if it was historically accurate, they would recreate lee harvey oswald getting shot by jack ruby in first person, which could be pretty cool too.

hip hop production

2004-11-17T23:17:00.000-08:00

the problem with hip hop becoming mainstream is the loss of 'keeping it real' which is absolutely anessential part of hip hop. now a days the mainstream market is capableof spitting out a slew of manufacture pop stars. the MMC factory. and i feel that the presence of a popular, established producer,in this case, kanye west (as juxtaposed with dr. dre) exudes an image of creator. do you know what i mean? the music may not be coming from the performer anymore, but rather from the producer, hip hop is quickly drifting the way of pop, utilizing performers to sing songs that the producer has written, thereby negating the 'keeping it real' philosophy...

i think i'm just ranting at this point.

immolation at the white house

2004-11-15T23:10:00.000-08:00

so i was watching local news today (i didn't feel like getting off the bike) and they showed footage from someone who lit themselves on fire outside the white house this afternoon, around 2 in the afternoon. i haven't heard anything about it on CNN, i saw the footage, i saw the burned body on the ground with emergency workers all around it, but i haven't heard a lick on CNN...

they keep showing the footage from the questionable execution of iraqisby american troops...

so... self immolation? i thought maybe it was an american making a statement, similar to the fellow who committed suicide at ground zero. but according to the CNN blurb, he was yelling in arabic 'god is great'.

i don't know. i'm just amazed, and if you haven't heard, its worth knowing.

new john legend

2004-11-15T21:58:00.000-08:00

so there is this track, 'used to love you' produced with kanye west, maybe even written (raising issues of authorship, even though john legend is the signer, i think he might just be the performer). hot track, good sound. but i've been reading this book entitled 'matrix of meanings, searching for god in pop culture'. its pretty awesome.

the track opens with...

'holla holla holla ha'

it sounds remarkably like...

'allah allah allah ah'

trippy. especially since th evideo is situated in a southern church.

american dream

2004-11-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

posted on cultstud-l

Dear friends and family,
>
> After last night elections result I decided to leave N.Y. and live
> somewhere
> in the south or middle America.
> I will no longer be an homosexual since they don't have any rights and
> it's
> an aberration.
>
> I'm going to marry a woman and raise my kids with high "moral values"
> and
> religious fervor. I will make sure
> they become ethnocentrics, the rest of the world is really not that
> important, we live in America and that's all
> that matters. I will teach them to respect other cultures as long as
> they
> live according to our "democracy".
> My kids don't have to know how to read or speak properly. They don't
> have to
> be responsible for their actions
> or apologize when they are wrong.
>
> I'll tell them that the best way to manipulate people is with the use
> of
> fear. I will buy them guns and teach them
> to shoot and kill and during the night we will read the bible. Most of
> the
> stories comes from places we once invaded
> and killed thousands in anyway. As long as you have "God" on your
> "side" you
> are right.
>
> They will learn that the enviroment doesn't matter as long as you are
> making
> the big bucks right now.
> The next generation will have to figure out how to survive global
> warming
> and other catastrophes.
>
> I want them to be part of this great country of ours.
>
> Knowledge is painful, ignorance is truly bliss, I want them to live in
> that
> state of mind like the majority of Americans.
> Something I have denied myself. Why should they suffer?
>
> Thank God I finally saw the light....or is it a mushroom cloud?
>
> Carlos

sox and kerry

2004-10-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

so in the NY times today there is an article on the dejection that many bostonians are feeling since the world series win. of course, as everyone has talked about, now they have nothing left to lament over. 'they're heartbroken at not being heart broken'.

oh poor red sox.

but this is the quote that really shook me.

"There's a crack in Calvinism now," Mr. Epstein said. "Now, we're going to have to find something else. Maybe Bostonians will be secretly wishing for a Kerry loss so they can wail about that."

red sox and kerry

2004-10-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

i'm sitting here watching this yankees red sox game...

i'm starting to come to grips with the idea that the yankees might lose,
but i draw comfort in the fact that if the sox can beat the yankees,
then kerry could beat bush.

i was also thinking the other day of how silent clinton has been through
through this whole election process, because of the surgery and what
not. but then today, as i was leaving the house, the anchor on cnn
called clinton a

'democratic rockstar'.