Module 15 - Zombie Narratives

I will be analyzing module 12. This module contains the popular culture of zombies. We were assigned to watch one of the earlier movies. I choose to watch the movie king of the zombies, produced in 1941. I will also be dissecting the subject through the lens of race. Although slavery of the African-Americans was outlawed, that does not mean they were culturally accepted immediately. This was displayed in the movie on several occasions. One occasion was when the Mantan Moreland, who played the character Jeff. Jeff and his white associates, seem to be on good terms, but Jeff remains a subordinate as he is their valet. The portrayal of an African-American during the filming of the movie would hold African-Americans to a secondary role. Both actors and the characters that were portrayed would generally be secondary characters. This is affirmed as all of the entire servants of the Dr. Sangre were only of color. Jeff is casted as a comedic relief for the movie, making little jokes and talking about with smart remarks. At one point, Jeff asks to spend the night with his white associates, who were a portrayed as a more prestigious role such as a pilot or a colonel in the military. Even the main evil antagonist was a white actor as well. The portrayal of the servants in the movie shown that they were happy and content with their position in the cultural hierarchy. Not interested in talking back to their master or achieving more. At one point, the slaves notice one of Jeff’s associates was slacked and converted into a zombie. The servants were surprised because they have never seen a white zombie before. This does not seem normal to the servants, but because of the circumstances, the Doctor has to kill one of the associates to prevent further snooping. Eventually, Jeff and his remaining associate manage to escape the island and return to the mainland. Although strides and changes have been made as popular culture constantly changes, a good example of this would be Star Wars. They have successfully casted a minority, as well as a female lead. Despite a few major movies recently, representation of women and minorities in movies are still bleak or unchanged (Bahr, 2017)

CITES

King of Zombies. Jean Yarbrough. Perf. Dick Purcell, Mantan Moreland, Henry Victor. Distributor, Sterling Productions inc. 1941. Film. 
Bahr, Lindsey. "People Want to See More Diversity in Movies, but It's Not Happening Fast Enough." Business Insider. Associated Press, 31 July 2017.Web. 26 Apr. 2018.
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Module 15 - Cultural Hegemony (Module 9)

Domination of one social class or a group in society describes hegemony. As of lately, hegemony has become a strong part of mass media, in the news particularly. For my example of, I chose to write about hegemony and how it is involved with the news. Each news station is viewed as something that is independent or differing from other news stations. What many of the viewers do not realize is that many states require news channels to cover certain parts of the news, and leave other parts out for the sake of the state ultimately controlling what the public knows and does not know, or trying their best to at least. Many stations are required certain topics, and are held accountable if they do not report on the proper things, as the state has the idea that by controlling what the viewers see, naturally they can control what they viewers think about said topics depending on the presentation of those topics. Often times, you may notice something that is portrayed in the news as a positive thing although in your mind you know it isn’t a positive thing, like framing the raising of tax percentage by providing pros to the topic and leaving out the cons, for this topic specifically the con would be ultimately needing to pay more in taxes, which is more money coming out of the tax payers pocket at the end of the day to go towards doing something that may not necessarily benefit all tax payers. By using the framing technique, media often controls the crowd by making an idea or thought seem ideal to the viewer when in actuality it is affecting them more than helping them.  

 

Where is the love? - Module 14

For this post, I chose to write about Where is the Love? by The Black Eyed Peas. Where Is the Love? has a viewpoint from a Pacifist prospective. I appreciate this song as it is an anti war / violence song. Throughout the song, there are many different issues discussed including but not limited to US government, terrorism, war, racism, greed, and intolerance. I chose to write about this song as it was the first song that came to mind when trying to think of a song to write about for this post. This song talks about issues in society such as the negative effect that the media can play on society:

"Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema"

This line leads to believe that the youth are effected the most from things they see in the media as it portrays ideas as to things they believe are right and just, and things that they should be doing. The song also makes references to racism:

"But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah"

This song was written post war time, and makes references to hate, race and discrimination. Although this song has a strong representation of anti - war, I chose to write about it as it has main focal points about society and the effects that negative situations such as war can have on a culture.

Starcraft 2 Fandom - Article Analysis

Huang, Jeff, et al. "Master Maker: Understanding Gaming Skill through Practice and Habit from Gameplay Behavior." Topics in Cognitive Science, vol. 9, no. 2, Apr. 2017, pp. 437-466. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/tops.12251.

Starcraft 2 is described by Huang as a fast-paced strategy game where players armies fight each other.(Huang 438). Huang also mentions the game is played competitively and there are numerous factors affecting players and their ability to play at their highest level, such as tactics, and reaction time. (Huang 438). A real time strategy game usually consists of a player, being able to both build a strong economy as well as the ability to maintain an army while attacking or harassing the enemy player at the same time. A strong economy or a strong army both have to be maintained as well, even if the player is being attacked. This requires the player to be able to think quickly and react otherwise the damage dealt to their economy or army might prove too damaging to recover from and may cost the game. Huang mentions that StarCraft 2 data have been studied to identify which characteristics explain a player’s skill level (Thompson, Blair, Chen, & Henrey, 2013). The study mentions the "perception-action cycle" and APM (actions per minute). Christine Byrd describes perception-action cycle as "Humans learn through this same basic process throughout life -- not by being told, but by doing. We’re hardwired to learn by interacting with the world around us and then perceiving the results. Neuroscientists call this simple yet powerful system the perception-action cycle."(Mindresearch.org). APM or actions per minute is the key presses or mouse clicks per minute. Professional gamers can be seen pressing up to 200 keys per minute or more (Huang 452). This is very true because real time strategy games are generally very stressful. It is difficult to multitask and even considered impossible. But with constant practice of the perception-action cycle and being able to think under tremendous stress or grief while maintaining a high amount of actions per minute, you are able to wage war while maintaining a strong economy to support your troops. Huang describes expert players being better at remaining composed and sustaining group battles. (Huang 464). I agree with this because the player is under tremendous stress while trying to be successful in both an economic war and a military war. This game is played both casually and competitively by millions while holding the spotlight in the e-leagues of gaming championships where tens of thousands of fans attend to watch. A major attraction for fans are the more known Blizzcon in California which holds the WCS (World Championship Series) for Starcraft 2. It is a global event where players from Korea to Canada to the US all attend to play for a chance to win the prize pool, which can range anywhere from $100,000 to even $700,000. (Esportearnings.com)

Huang, Jeff, et al. "Master Maker: Understanding Gaming Skill through Practice and Habit from Gameplay Behavior." Topics in Cognitive Science, vol. 9, no. 2, Apr. 2017, pp. 437-466. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/tops.12251.

Byrd, Christine. "What the Perception-action Cycle Tells Us About How the Brain Learns."MIND Research Institute Blog. N.p., 13 June 2017. Web. 22 Apr. 2018.

"StarCraft II Prize Pools & Top Players - ESports Profile :: E-Sports Earnings." Prize Pools & Top Players - ESports Profile :: E-Sports Earnings. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2018.

Wichita and Little Rock

For this week’s assignment, I chose to watch Zombieland. Zombieland came out in 2009 and is based around a group of strangers who survive a virus outbreak that turns everyone else into zombies. Throughout the film, these strangers must do what they can to survive from the zombies. Using survival rules and killing strategies, the group does what they can to make their way to Los Angeles, the safe haven from murderous, brain eating zombies. For this post, I will focus mainly on feminism. The movie opens up with the two girls, Wichita and Little Rock pulling a stunt on a worker at a gas station. From this point, the girls are showing that they protect each other’s back. Further into the movie, the two play a trick on the male protagonist lead acts, convincing them to hand over their gun and ultimately their “power”. This stunt shows that the girls are not damsels in distress, but rather two women that aren’t afraid to do what is absolutely necessary when they need to be ruthless.  

Ripley's Believe it or Not!

Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Issue No.1 September, 1953

The first story is about a vision a ship captain had that ended up saving two ships from being shipwrecked. Then there are ‘unbelievable’ facts and optical illusions. The second story is about a boy who won a chess game and requested mercy instead of monetary gain, who turned out to be Thomas Paine. Then there is a spread about the mystery and wonder of Africa and different tribes. The third and final story is about a ship during the war that got bombed by their own bomb. 

In the spread “Africa Explored”, Ripley’s Believe it or Not! was respectful, for the most part in 1953, of their portrayal of Africans. They didn’t use blackface, to depict them and provided amazing examples of their different cultures. As opposed to how African Americans were portrayed as goofy and lacking actual culture. The Africans were shown as individuals within a community rather a laughingstock or influenced by white people. However, throughout the comic, there were no other depictions of Africans or African Americans at all. This was reminiscent of the notion that black people were not necessarily a relatable people that were to be included, rather only through study, should they be acknowledged. Given that the comic was published in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, the race relations between African Americans and whites was tried anyway. But the comic reinforced the association of African Americans being from these foreign places and not actually a part of American society.  

Comic: https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/preview/index.php?did=11931&page=1

Image: https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/preview/index.php?did=11931&page=2

Cowboy Vigilantes

https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=16967

After reading and reviews Four Favorites 001 by Ace Comics, I can tie it in with a few different learning modules from this semester. Four Favorites Comics focus on superhero’s as the main characters. Consistently solving crimes and fighting bad guys, the superhero’s portrayed in each comic differ in ways, but ultimately push the same idea. In some cases, the superhero’s could be portrayed as cowboys. These superhero’s do different things to fight bad guys in a way that may not be looked at as right or safe, but do what they can to protect civilians and themselves. While they are referred to as superhero’s, not all cowboys wear cowboy hats. In this case, some may wear capes. The idea of a superhero’s such as Batman in modern day comics / movies brings the idea of a vigilante or “cowboy” in reference with superhero’s in general. Someone who does what’s necessary at all costs to protect something or someone, regardless of rules and regulations. 

roy rogers and trigger comics #99

https://archive.org/details/RoyRogersAndTriggerComics99


In this comic we see deputies roy rogers and Pat Brady attempting to catch thieves who are stealing meat from local farmers. Roy Rogers and Pat get in to a shootout with the criminals and the criminals fell. After they use their dog to track the criminals down and end up apprehending them and bringing them to jail. To me this comic was most similar to our section on cowboys and westerns. Roy rogers and his partner are portrayed as two white men bringing justice to a town through any means necessary whether it is killing or arresting the criminals. It plays in to the idea of the cowboy and how they were seen as bringing justice to unlawful places, these two men apprehend the criminals and "save the day'  through their use of violence to catch and apprehend the criminals.

Module 11 - Comics blogs

Phantom Lady Feminist Viewpoint

The blogpost i will be writing about this week is about the "Phantom Lady" series, #23. Produced in April of 1949. The link will be provided at the end of the blog itself. In this comic, the senator is traveling to India. The people there worship tigers, that is all they know. The senator is mislead by a spy to lure him to a trap while they organize to steal oil from the "Tiger people". Unfortunately, the senator and his son both get caught and the phantom lady has to save the day. She eventually free's the two and goes back to the "Tiger People" and convince them to stop praying to the tigers and fight the invaders, which they do and repel the invaders. From a feminist viewpoint, i personally feel the fact that they have a heroin with her own comic during the time period a strong step forward as there aren't many female heroes period. Most often, female characters in comics are sidekicks or the wives or part of the "Ms. Pacman" culture. Where the females are essentially the female versions of the male super hero, such as Batman and Batgirl, or Superman and Supergirl. Unfortunately, the portrayal of the Phantom Lady could be better. She goes into battle with a skimpy top showing maximum cleavage and a super short skirt. This could be possible that this is apart of her super powers and that she can go into battle dressed in practically nothing and still come out unscathed. Another thing is the front page of the comic, which shows her bound against her will and once again, at maximum cleavage. This also shows the "male gaze" where a man would stare at a woman. This is important as many argue that it objectifies women. Andy from the conservationist mentions "The “male gaze” invokes the sexual politics of the gaze and suggests a sexualised way of looking that empowers men and objectifies women. In the male gaze, woman is visually positioned as an “object” of heterosexual male desire. Her feelings, thoughts and her own sexual drives are less important than her being “framed” by male desire."(Theconversation.com). This also shows the typical damsel in distress on how so many women are portrayed in every aspect of entertainment. Once again, attempting to make sales or better entertainment at the expense of womens' suffering.

CITES

Phantom Lady :23 1949 = http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=12188

Loreck, Janice, and Andy Simmons. "Explainer: What Does the 'male Gaze' Mean, and What about a Female Gaze?" The Conversation. N.p., 05 Jan. 2016. Web. 08 Apr. 2018.

http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486

Postmodernism

The video is about how the television show The Office illustrates postmodernism. Starting with a brief history about the documentary genre of film and how “mockumentaries” are a rearticulation, via the single camera filming, the talking head interviews, and a general concept that a real story is being told. “Mockumentaries" take the idea of a documentary and puts an ironic and humorous spin on the style. They are hyperaware of the confines of documentaries and contain intertextual references of other popular culture, which is characteristic of postmodernism. The hyperawareness produces conditions of an ironic knowingness with the audience as viewers notice and recognize the references  within the show’s world. Postmodernism is portrayed through the show’s website, which is a commodification of the show. There is relentless commodification on the website, including character blogs, music videos, pictures, games, an episode guide and more content that adds to the complexity of the show. There is even a fake website for the company that is not just realistic, but it is regularly updated to keep up with character development on the show. Different things on the website in relation to watching the show, allows for niche interests to be met. The Office embodies postmodernism with intertextual popular culture references, mockumentary style, and the large range of media related to the show on it’s website.

The idea that postmodernism being the simultaneity of competing forms of rearticulation - the already said is being constantly recirculated in different perspectives, made me think of attending AfroPunk this past summer. From their Facebook, "AFROPUNK is an influential community of young, gifted people of all backgrounds who speak through music, art, film, comedy, fashion and more. Originating with the 2003 documentary that highlighted a Black presence in the American punk scene, it is a platform for the alternative and experimental. Remaining at the core of its mission are the punk principles of DIY aesthetics, radical thought and social non-conformity. AFROPUNK is a voice for the unwritten, unwelcome and unheard-of." AfroPunk is a music festival, at its core, but it celebrates blackness as a culture. The website for the event is based by a blog featuring different posts about artists, musicians, authors, notable events, and more. The Instagram has pictures of attendees, showcasing their fashion, art, and self-expression. It also has the festival's lineups for the different locations in Paris, Atlanta, Brooklyn, London, and Johannesburg. There is also an App, a Twitter, and a YouTube. All with the same information, for the most part. Each social media platform offers interaction surrounding the event and its ideals. The redundancy in content is postmodernism and the identity taken on is gained from the exposure to this part of popular culture