I Believe The Children Are Our Future, "Sorry Kids"

I find it quite interesting that my generation has a very hard time imagining a positive vision of the future...I mean what with all those regent exam's writing practices chipping away our imagination for several of the most crucial years of mental development. There is no surprise that we not only expect a zombie apocalypse but are rather looking forward to it! So how did this happen? Simple American Culture has a way of perceiving thing/event throughout its history, so at certain decade(1950's 60's and 70's) this can e seen in most of American's music, fashion and activities have been shaped by major events that has previously occurred. So what makes literature the exception? Nothing. In literature like Anubis Gates Tim Power's creates a world in the present of 1980's in which time-travel and other mystical things can take place in 1800's Egypt as the main character Doyle who simple absentmindedly discovers he is there, in order to not re-create the past but to be freed of a predestined future.

So why is it important that we are able to have the ability to be able to envision a future at all? Well its like they say: “If you can dream it you can achieve it” “Where do you see yourself in 5or 10yrs?” The answer is simple... Because we as a nation have to know where we are coming from to see where we are going. With this said we have come a longs as a nation so why do we still have such a negative out look on the future. It because its a cycle it comes in waves based on the political climate, the educational sphere and other events related to the post 9/11 world we live in here in America. This is some examples of how the climate of the political sphere in America effects the way people envision the future.

The 1950's imagined the future like retro futurism everything was positive, bright and constantly advancing so people were so concerned with working extra hard rather working smart and living well. People wanted to enjoy the finer things in life and they still believe in the ideology of “The American dream” which was: get a job and married,move to the suburbs have two kids and a dog. Perhaps take a family each summer and go for Sunday drives. And with technological advances in science and military people were optimistic about “the jet age” and all that robots could do to further enrich their lives. People imagined a prosperous future with robot with artificial intelligence babysitting the kid as they went swing dancing and meals would no long be cooked but expand from pills with a simple drop of water. And the cultural imagination was just overflowing with optimism. All this happened instead:

• Bay of Pigs Invasion
• Berlin Wall Built
• Soviets Launch First Man in Space
• Cuban Missile Crisis

• First Person Killed Trying to Cross the Berlin Wall
• JFK Assassinated

• Martin Luther King Jr. Makes His "I Have a Dream" Speech

• Beatles Become Popular in U.S.
• JFK's Assassination
• Los Angles Riots

• Malcolm X Assassinated
• U.S. Sends Troops to Vietnam

• Black Panther Party Established
• Mao Zedong Launches the Cultural Revolution
• Mass Draft Protests in U.S.
• Three U.S. Astronauts Killed During Simulated Launch Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated
  Then the most controversial yet the 70's. The 70's literally divided the Nation. America was in the middle of so much political and civil unrest and these are some of the results:
• VCR's Introduced

• Terrorists Attack at the Olympic Games in Munich
• Watergate Scandal Begins

• Abortion Legalized in U.S.
• U.S. Pulls Out of Vietnam
• U.S. Vice President Resigns

• U.S. President Nixon Resigns

• Civil War in Lebanon
• Microsoft Founded

• North and South Vietnam Join to Form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
• Tangshan Earthquake Kills Over 240,000

• Elvis Found Dead
• South African Anti-Apartheid Leader Steve Biko Tortured to Death

• First Test-Tube Baby Born
• Jonestown Massacre

• Ayatollah Khomeini Returns as Leader of Iran
• Iran Takes American Hostages in Tehran
• Nuclear Accident at Three Mile Island
• Sony Introduces the Walkman

Its an understatement to say neither the 60's or 70's deliver what Americans had seen for the future. So fast forward to the 1980's Now with all this new technologies and especially with computers becoming a household product people began to fear modern technology. The 70's had already thought Americans how to miss trust the government. This is a post modernist era. Any number of these anxieties help to spark Tim Powers imagination to help create this ideal for a new genre such as “steam punk' as a alternative was to envision a future concentrated on the past. A sort of pre-destined future in the sense that its based on the past. This was the web that his character Doyle was tangled up in from the moment he has gone back in time, werwolf, Ka's and body switching he made it out okay due to the secret knowledge that was secret even to him. At first I thought he was trying to cheated death only to find out he was trying to cheat time. Specifically the the future. While people in the present (1980's) began to have more question then answers. People questioned the morality of technological and scientific advance especially at the loose of life it most was insuring. These people has felt the taking over of technology replacing human manual labor. They know about the destruction and chaos war cause due to television. The children which are “considered our future” are facing new social issue. And if just became easier and progressively easier to see a bleak vision of the future as a wasteland (in the aftermath of global warming ) and with “confusion of faith” the promise of the apocalypse doesn't seem so far fetched. The ideal of civilization ending in total destruction at the hands of human advancement. And the saddest part is we are in control of this but cant stop it.

Which brings us to present day 2000's in which the mood is post-post modernity. We have brought back every fad from every other era we are the perpetual copy cat-re's and we see not mean to an end only because we cant imagine a good future. Its human nature to side more with fear then hope and to this my generation says as we look up from our millionth text message in a higher educational institution of college and curiously as we are being re-taught how to think again. We say “Screw the tea party and bring on the zombie apocalypse”

"Who da man!? You Dah Man! No You da Man!

I personally like the products it smells awesome and their advertisement is often very memorable and affective as I have encountered several men whom use this product even my nephews and brother have used this shower gel for several years now, BUT why? What story is their commercial advertisement(s) telling? Axe shower gel and shampoo is a very popular product for men. After carefully observing their commercials they make it more than evident that their product is geared towards hetero sexual men between the ages of 15-30. I always find their advertisements very humorous!

In recent years many advertisements here in the states have been getting progressively more risky. Much like many music videos and other kinds of television shows plus with the internet barring-none, Commercial advertisements in order to compete uses their 30 seconds wisely.  So in Roland Barthes fashion I will explain the message behind the medium… This is the advertisement bye axe I choose. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZKL74LgMg (the unedited version)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IMwuwrkd3s&feature=related  (the aired version)

The story this ad is clearly telling is the message axe try to convey in each of their advertisements is that the more hygienically clean “these men” are the better chances they have of attracting hot chicks thus having more sex. They formed this commercial as a infomercial not just directly advertising the shower gel but the “Axe detailer” even the name sounds like a auto mechanics language females don’t want to be “detailed” like a car when they wash they want to have a  experience like  in those old herbal body wash commercials.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_u5-ANAyCI  I mean the differences are subtle but still the same.  It still implies that herbal essence can be an “exciting” experience. Just for woman I am assuming masturbation. Which in my personal opinion men masturbate more than woman, it’s like a part of their biological routine but they would much rather have sex then to masturbate unlike woman who usually do it usually as a stress reliever. I remember in high school boys would make fun of other boys who didn’t have many dates or a girlfriend implying that they “weren’t getting none” that “they “beat their meat” often the boy whom these statements were geared at usually  would take great offense to this and declare he doesn’t “eat his meat” and insisted that he got plenty of girls and “gets more ass then a toilet seat” (these boys were asked to leave the classroom for having such an obscene conversation which was disruptive to the class lolz oh high school boys how I miss thee.) But why does Axe shower gel sell? And yes they call it shower gel not body wash which automatically allows me to know this is a wash for men not woman. It sell because it tells the story of any young average Joe using axe shower gel and then becoming irresistible to attractive woman. This commercial just further pushes the point across by getting even more personal saying that this detailer will clean your balls (while making comical by using actual sports balls as a metaphor for actual male genitalia) they use of easy puns with words like “equipment”, “ball sack” they even had engaged the male audience by allowing a attractive blonde to “play with those balls” which she enjoyed this very much. This message is ringing thru loud and clear that to the hetero sexual male Mr. Average Joe you don’t have to be Mr. Rich handsome and Spectacular to get sex with hot chick but you do have to smell great by using axe shower gel and keep you balls clean with the axe detailer because as they said in the commercial no one likes “playing with dirty equipment” However I do understand why they didn’t keep the part in the commercial with the older gentlemen and him moseying in embarrassed to get his old balls cleaned, because this could be  seen as offensive to the older gentlemen implying that he has  “old balls” that he should be ashamed or as just plain disrespectful. But I also see why they put in the commercial to began with as a means of broadening their market to the older gentlemen saying that they too can have sex with attractive woman if they just use the axe detailer to their balls could greatly benefit even be looking and smelling “like new” as they put the camera shot on a older woman’s face in the audience shocked in amazement at how clean they got the old balls. Which tell me that axe product doesn’t want to exclude the fact that older men still have a sex life that can benefit from using axe product too? I really find this commercial very humorous. A lot of guy here in college don’t wash daily and they brag about it and a lot of female including me  find it gross and ridiculous because how can you expect someone to want to have sex with you and you stank? It’s the difference between having yours balls played with or you playing alone which many men would rather not play alone. The story it tells is that good hygiene for men can be very beneficial for the hetero sexual male’s potential sex life. I think they took this advertising route because it was easy one, to play off of the stereotype of the “smelly hetero sexual manly man” or the whole “mans man” ideal. Old spice even got in on this kind of marketing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE  “The man your man could smell like” (lol)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BId3y81bU1U  (Old spice: “Because I’m a man”) This commercial really pushed the  message home that if you’re not using Old spice different varieties of smells that you might as well be a woman because you’re not a man; this is what the  point was of him taking off the mask saying he doesn’t us it cause he’s a woman the  saying as he walks over “just kidding I use them all cause I’m a man” all of this is playing into the ideals of gender roles, gender stereotypes and  male sexuality.

A lot of guy here in college don’t wash daily and they brag about it and a lot of female including me  find it gross and ridiculous because how can you expect someone to want to have sex with you and you stank? It’s the difference between having yours balls played with or you playing alone which many men would rather not play alone. I think that Americas Ideal of sexuality especially right now because of the current politics of Gay rights and Gay marriage being so current people are trying hard to hold on to the traditional ideals of what it means to be a heterosexual male. In which if men don’t fit into this mold they are usually seen as other.  Very neat men who are hetero sexual are called metro sexual. This is what causes the “bullying” we have been seeing in the media most recently. People need to create a label for the other, they have to make an “us” and a “them” it’s how we identify ourselves by means of separating ourselves from others. Other males are threaded by homosexual males they see them as the other they aren’t female yet they are effeminate and they like other men sexually. I think this doesn’t sit well with those who bully, because they are often trying too hard to be perceived as a heterosexual male = The Alpha male. And they too scared to look inwards and discover that their own femininity doesn’t necessarily define their own sexuality thus making them gay. But oh too often they too scared to do this kind of self discovery, usually out of fear of what they may find.  So they bully others who have suspect of somehow being less then heterosexual males. I have even seen this happen to overweight males they are usually made fun of about having breast. Other male call them “man boobs” or “titties” which is another form of tryin to label them female in a roundabout way. So usually when males even jokingly insult each other  they find way in which to immaculate each other by usually  though name calling  such as “sissy”, “homo” or by remakes like “you (whatever the activity is)…. Like a girl” I know guys who affectingly refer to each other as “bitch” of “lil girl” there’s usually a lot of homosexual horseplay or gestures amongst many heterosexual male in order to emasculate one another this was also seen in movies like Waiting.  This also exsplains why male complements include sayings such as: "You dah man!" But what does all of this say about how woman are seen in traditional American Gender roles? It all amounts to woman as being seen as the lesser, even in the 21^st century!

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER....101 reasons why Zombies want to eat Your brains.

Long before Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein people have been fascinated with “The monster” and what it means to be a monstrosity. I knew that psychologically people are always trying to better understand the paper thin line between good and evil or in other words human nature. From this weird fascination came entertainment.  The werewolf as metaphor for man as beast in his most animalistic form, Or the Vampire which is metaphor for sexual morality and desire, but the zombie is a little more complex. The zombie mirrors the human being in every way seeing as thought this monster is human. My theory is Zombies are a metaphor for accepting death as a natural part of life; by showing the consequences of not accepting death. Which leads to as they say in all zombie movies the living dead being “unnatural” an “abomination” mirroring mans fears of death, and reflecting human error. These Zombies always come back looking the way they did before they took rest, dressed and looking living all the while sluggishly moving along in search of human brains. Why brains might you ask? Brains because the only difference between a living and the living dead is their brains aren’t functioning anymore. There is no memory no motor skills, no conscious, no emotions, it’s the only thing that’s keeping them from being “living” again. Its more them just a compulsion with eating thing they shouldn’t. This is a part of the dead tryin to live instead of resting in peace. Zombies are scary due to the fact that it is a very relevant theme to human life is “life beyond the grave (resurrection)”were just use to hearing about it in the religious scene mainly pertain to the spiritual resurrection. (The soul, spirit or ghost living on into an eternity) It’s the thought of Mary Shelly whole moral of Frankenstein and Steven Kings Pet Cemetery both shared an also the most memorable quote of the movie “Sometimes dead is better”

 The ideal of resurrection is embedded into the very foundation of religion, establishing that Jesus Christ rose from the grave after his crucifixion. When Christ resurrected he was not only still in human form but he was still fully alive bearing scares from the crucifixion but, also proving his divinity through ascending to heaven. Jesus Christ’s resurrection is understood as Christ having this ability because he was divinity wrapped in flesh, of course not everyone believes this but this give way for the ideal of “cheating death.”  It makes us as human being question is it wrong to not want to die? (Because it’s apart of life) And even if you could come back from the grave would it be morally right to do so? So both king and Shelly were exploring these ideal of reanimation, its most obvious that Zombies don’t come back from the grave as human it’s constantly reinforced over and over again. In Frankenstein the monster was assembled by other dead people’s bodies’ parts and electricity the question of morality cam about only after he through knowledge became human by gaining both emotion and reasoning, while still appearing monstrous at the same time. Zombies aren’t human they are the fiendish “other” creature. Proof of this is their appearance, their mobility skills and to their violent cannibalism always reiterates they are not human. Leading to the question: You can resurrect but what will YOU come back as? You may appear still human, but you’re anything but. This is why Zombies search for brains in a attempt at regaining their intellect….how many times have we heard “intelligence is what separates human from the animals” (the ability to reason).

Whereas with Zombies they need to be shot in had the thought the brains in order to be re-killed. The connections I am trying to make are the ideal of Zombies stems from some deep psychological human internal fear of death. The ideal of cheating death, somehow coming back to life based on the preface that Christ has done this, and that through manmade tactics (invented from knowledge) this phenomenon can be reenacted. Just like in movies a novels we know but never successfully thought, because this is against God. But people have the hard time understanding this. Which is another theme of Zombie movies human knowledge cause human error (Adam & Eve) which usually causes the Zombie outbreak, The one time resurrection was authorized by God and all other forms of this action aren’t ordained by God it’s unnatural so the people return as Zombies. Also most events that are the cause of Zombie resurrection is due to some grave human error and for this unnatural event taking place the people come back as a plague a punishment and they kill and feed on other living beings to our horror. This becomes entertainment to us from us because it’s a science fiction with rooted in very serious and real situations and steeped in religion like so many other things of the world. This is also why this question gets old “If that was me in the movie I would have…” These Zombie film overall are a warning us about the evils of human Knowledge.

"You cant be both! or can I?" The wizard of Oz.(Movie)

The thing most apparent to me about The wizard of Oz was that the  movie adaptation was completely different from the book. The agenda of both these fables were completely different. I feel that the movie has more to work with psychologically. So I am going to psycho analyze the movie adaptation of The wizard of Oz.   The notion of  "double consiousness"which was coined by W. E. D. Du bois (He used this to describe how can the ideal of African American in post-slavery America is not possible) is what most crosses my mind when thinking about this movie.
Double consciousness- is an awareness of one's self as well as an awareness of how others perceive that person. The danger of double consciousness resides in conforming and/or changing one's identity to that of how others perceive the person.

"There's No place like home?"
In the movie we get a vivid visual of  Kansas looking just as Grey as it was describe in the book. It was a "dust bowl" literally dry with devistation. But then something wonderful happens and  a teenage Dorthy winds up blown into a very wonderful place that looks and feels magical. With munchkins and plenty of color. Although this place seems very magical it has all the very real elements of  the real world. Its very unsafe. Dorthy commites two murders and has a hit out on her since day one of entering Oz. She and her male gang of friends band together and protect one another. (they even have weapon scarecrow has a gun) the gun symbolizes the reality of Oz.
 So how can Oz in all Double Consiousness be both a real place full of life threataning dangers and characters who resemble many of her home life people back in Kansas and at the same time be a dream?

Girl or Woman? So the book describe Dorthay as a  small child. But in the movie we see a young adolecent dorthy who had much beauty in fact she is the most youngest and beautiful girl in both Kansas and Oz. (Even the beautiful good witch Glenda is old) In the opening scene of the movie we see Dorthy interacting with 3 local nieghbors whom are all three middle age who aren't very attractive and seem sexless. Dorthy is singing and complaing to thes men getting advice about her dog toto being taken away. But in my opinion she is doing all she can to recieve thier full attention being even flirtasious playinf "damsel in destress' (falling into the pigpin)
 Then again at the same token we see Dorthy being very nieve and believing in the "fortune teller" about aunt Em sickness. And later she is certain that this place Oz and that her lil adventure was most real. even as she awakes to tell her story just a s a child would anxiously fabricate a story. So how can Dorthy be both a flirtasious woman and a  nieve child at the same time?
 So this is how the notion of double consiousness plays into the movie version of the Widard of Oz. in my opinion.

John Legend - Heaven

the strong imagery makes this video highly religious not my favorite John Legend song. But I liked the video.

Kanye West - POWER

Kanye had a vision...I still dont get it...I like the song though.

Ghetto Gospel by Tupac

Tupac has many other religious/secular songs and video's (I aint mad at cha, Life goes on, Heaven got a ghetto)
this video message and lyrics questions the afterlife, what makes a person "holy"?

Bone thugs-n-harmony - Tha Crossroads

 I remember as a kid this video its self was very scary to me as a kid, allot of other ppl my age said the same thing about this song and video. I think it was to "heavy" for us to understand as children. But I always liked the song. This video is circa 1995 two popular (west coast) rappers Tupac and Easy E had just passed. Easy E was one of the spirits in the video due to some kinda camera magic.

Madonna - Like A Prayer

Iconic and contiversial...it plays on interacial relationship, blk Jesus, Sexually suggestive lyrics in comparison to prayer. Really nice Gospel chior singing. I always liked this song.

Hate Me Now (featuring Puff Daddy)

Nas often uses images of Jesus in one place of another in his videos especially in like thelate 90's early 2000's either he presents himself as a moden day messiah himself or its in a photo image, his jewlery (similar to Kanye West who made Jesus pieces necklaces( large Jesus face/head charms on necklace chains) very popular) or in his lyrics.

KanYe West - Jesus Walks 1:st Version [Official Video] [High Quality]

Lady Gaga - Alejandro

"Lady gaga praise's her Catholic education"

   So after thursday's class I realized that the relationship between religion and secular entertainment walks a fine line, this is nothing new the church has competing with pop culture from the start.This interesting relationship has evolved and become more intertwined than anything. I most definitely think religion in today's society isn't so secular from popular culture's entertainment, its not uncommon in most religious denominations to incorporate "praise dancing" into worship services, alongside a very spirited and theatrical minister. Some ministers even wear flashy attire, give jubilant sermons. All of this is to attract a new following and keep the old flock attending services regularly. But I began to wonder if minister's do it, who amongst pop culture does this? Celebrity music artist.

    As I continued to think and maul over this ideal, I realized some of my favorite musical artist have done this.(Lady Gaga, Kanye West, John Legend, Madonna. etc) They have combined one or more elements of their faith or a piece of religious symbolism into their music, if not directly into the lyrics or message it can be seen in their music videos. Most of these artist songs and video have become very innovative and popular. They became not only memorable, but acceptable and well received by the public. examples of this are seen in Lady Gaga's Alejandro video is clearly a reference to her support of homosexuality and very direct references to her catholic upbringing. She spent the majority of her adolescence in catholic school. The red leather nun's costume, her swallowing rosary beads, the male dancers "monk" haircuts and also her white costume that looks very similar to the Popes hat. She used imagery directly related to Catholicism I really like the song Alejandro it's a fun listen, but still have a hard time connecting the video to the song but I really am a hard Lady Gaga fan and have been since her rise to stardom. She is very different and very talented.

   Also such artist as Kanye West (posed as Jesus on cover of rolling Stone 2006/whom is considered very controversial) and his early career his hit single song/video was Jesus walks. in which the whole setting of the video takes place during a very lively church service, as he raps the message to sinner of redemption as they enter the church. This is also seen again in his most recent and also very controversial video Power.This element or religion in secular entertainment is seen several other iconic video. Artist fusing faith, religious convictions together and presenting it to the public as entertainment. I think this works and happens because: One many music artist whom aren't "gospel artist" often are seen as making secular music or "worldly music" that touches on aspects of life that Christians or religious persons are suppose to be trying to abstain from so they often are seen as "sinners" when in fact the majority of these musicians believe they were given this talent by God. So I think this is when we get to see artist touch on this aspect of there lives. They get to showcase their faith or lack there of or they take their chance to criticize religion all together. But in the words of Kanye west "I want to talk to God but I'm afraid because we ain't spoke in so long " I'm going to post several other videos from rapper Nas Hate me now. In which he is depicted as Jesus Christ going off to be crucified. I think what he was trying to say is "you can hate me now" its okay they hated Jesus. I always thought that was the message.He also referred to himself "God's Son" which he has tattooed across his belly.Singer John Legend who was developed his musical talent in the church. An Madonna's controversial video like a prayer and several others.

Minstrel show as American as Apple pie!?

For the most part I understood Minstrel Shows to be a theatrical form of disrespect. I thought of it as nothing more than a more coy way of insulting and degrading black people. I never gave much thought to the fact that it was another way way of objectifying "the other" I had no real knowledge that Indians, Chinese as well as the Irish were also mocked. Most stereotypes were formed in minstrel shows. So why were these performances made such a popular part of American history if it was so very bad? Well In the early 19th century America was still very young an still trying to establish a Identity for its self- Minstrel shows in many ways did this.
Young America used this shameful forum to gain its "roots" The shows express political feeling on a lot of social matters of the times. Propaganda was exaggeratedly expressed and this was entertaining to the masses. Americans as a whole wanted to be entertained during this time while "The melting pot" was still "being mixing up". And I'm sure everyone wanted to find some kinda of light hearted way to discuss Taboo, political and recent events without breaking into an angry mob. Minstrel shows were  meant to be a safe and funny way to mock and express fear of "the other" through political propaganda, hurtful mockery by way of "making spectacle of..."
While I in NO way shape form or fashion like this part of American history or considers it something positive...I can not deny that the music, entertainers and entertainment that came out of these shows in many ways helped to shape an American Identity. So understanding that Minstrel shows were a way of helping premature America find some kind of Identity. Even if it was a shameful one. Hey our great American Writer Mark Twain preferred this cultural entertainment over opera. lol