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[ariellagad]

District 9

For this blog post, I wanted to discuss the film District 9, directed by Neill Blomkamp. The film is about a spaceship that arrives in Johannesburg, South Africa. Investigators examine the spaceship and find over a million aliens, and the government relocates these aliens to a camp called District 9. The district becomes a disastrous slum. The aliens as seen as dirty and violent animals and are called “Prawns” as a derogatory term. The locals hate the aliens, and the government plans to relocate them again. However, one of the officials gets infected with alien fluid and turns into one of the “prawns.” 

I have some mixed feelings about the film, although I find the film pretty interesting. The film uses science fiction to highlight real-world issues like xenophobia, segregation, and systemic violence. What especially stood out to me was the parallels between how the aliens were treated and how a lot of oppressed human groups were treated in real life. Both have been forced into slums, failed by the government, and completely dehumanized. 

The story focuses mostly on Wickus, a white man, but I wish there was still some more focus on the other aliens who were heavily present in the film. I was actually thinking about how oppression operates and who gets to tell these stories. Overall, I think that the movie did a pretty good job at showing how systems can turn people into the enemy, even though they are just trying to make ends meet and trying to survive. I will say that I was kind of uncomfortable at times while watching the film. Although I think that discomfort was intentional, as it forced me to really think about who is being centered in the narrative and why. 

I was also comparing this film to other works we’ve discussed and seen in class, and it has really helped me understand what makes Afrofuturism so important. Afrofuturism doesn’t have to simply set a story in Africa or include marginalized characters. Afrofuturism is about imagining futures where those typically marginalized characters have power and leadership. I don’t think District 9 entirely captures the main point of Afrofuturism. However, I think the film opens up the discussion about how to use science fiction as a tool to explore real social problems, which is a very necessary conversation. Overall, the film made me think about who gets to tell these stories of oppression and why representation goes beyond theme and location. 

[ariellagad]

Walking Awake by N.K. Jemisin

Walking Awake by N.K. Jemisin talks about a futuristic world where humans are controlled by aliens who are referred to as “Masters.” Humans are like the shells the aliens use and then throw away when they are done with them. The main character, Sadie, is a human who works for the aliens and sees the system that the aliens are controlling as normal. Ultimately, Sadie sees the system for what it is and realizes how messed up it is. 

There is a central theme of slavery throughout the story, and some parallels to real-life slavery for Black people. One parallel I caught in the story to real life was how the “Masters” would pick out which human bodies they wanted, which reminded me of how slaves were auctioned off, and the white slave “masters” would pick which slave they wanted. However, something interesting in the story was how the vast majority of the humans under the “Masters” were young people.  

The story shows how people can ultimately just fall victim to a corrupted system because it is all that they’ve ever known and can’t really see what is wrong with it. There are so many examples of this in real life and in our current society, however, this central message of the story really plays into how some slaves once viewed their realities. It really shows how powerful the normalization of corrupted systems and ideas is and how it can drastically impact people’s lives. Ultimately, however, Sadie “wakes up” and kind of sees the system for how messed up it is. But she has to walk awake, be aware, and continue going through the system. You can’t clap with one hand. 

As a whole, the story is pretty eerie and horror-like, which isn’t what I thought could be part of Afrofuturism. But after reading this story and being exposed to a few other horror-Afrofuturism stories, I think the horror sub-genre of Afrofuturism is my favorite. I think it plays well with what Afrofuturism conveys because you could think of the why behind Afrofuturism being a horrifying reality for a lot of people. In simpler words, the fact that Black people are so overlooked in narratives, particularly in science and technology, is a horrifying reality, and using horror as a sub-genre in Afrofuturism, which reimagines the reality of a lot of Black people, is really fitting and puts a unique spin on the subject. 

[ariellagad]

“Future Texts” by Alondra Nelson, which was written in 2002, brings to light the exclusion of Black people when referring to the future and technology, particularly in writing and film. Nelson argues that when science, technology, and the future are discussed, Black people are rarely a part of the conversation or are even thought of in that context. This is problematic for several reasons, but particularly ironic because Black people have played a big role in these topics of discussion. For example, the movie Hidden Figures tells the story of three African-American women mathematicians at NASA who made major contributions to the space race. So, there being proof of Black people contributing to major accomplishments in science and technology, and then not thinking of Black people when discussing these topics, reflects major issues within our society. These issues include, but are not limited to, the ongoing erasure of Black contributions from mainstream narratives, how this sends the wrong message about who belongs in science and technology, and ultimately, stories about them. 

Nelson shows how these harmful effects to our society also correlate with how many people either imagine a future where race doesn’t matter at all, or they don’t think Black people use or connect with technology. This leads to her introduction of the idea of a “digital divide,” which refers to the perception that Black communities are always behind or unable to use technology, which is not true. She uses examples of inventors like Garrett Morgan, who invented the traffic light, to demonstrate how Black people have been shaping the future for a long time, even if they are not always talked about in history books. 

A great video that encapsulates these topics through the use of humor is Leslie Jones’ appearance on “Weekend Update” on SNL. Jones talks about how Black people have always been involved in science and technology in advancing our society, yet we hardly learn of any of these people or their discoveries, not giving credit where it is due. A link to the video: https://youtu.be/d4EBcDKrsdQ?feature=shared.

Nelson ultimately talks about the importance and influence of Afrofuturism, which uses art and music to imagine futures where Black people are the center of the story. Overall, Nelson’s short story is important because it serves as a reminder to those who need it that Black people have always been a part of the future. Also that we should not let the world's not always recognizing that fact affect how we recognize Black people and their contributions to science, technology, and the future.

[ariellagad]

The Brother from Another Planet

The Brother from Another Planet is a short about an alien, an escaped slave, who looks like an ordinary Black man. He crash-lands on Earth, specifically on Ellis Island in a spaceship, and ends up in Harlem, New York. What makes him different is that he doesn’t speak at all and has special powers, like being able to heal machines and understand things quicker than most. Even though he’s from another planet, people think he’s just another guy from the neighborhood because of his appearance. At first, the movie is kind of confusing, especially because the main character doesn’t talk. But as it goes on, you start to understand him through his actions and facial expressions. He’s genuinely kind and tries to help people, even though he doesn’t say anything. That made me think a lot about how we usually rely on words to connect with people, but sometimes actions speak louder. You can tell what kind of person he is by what he does.

The movie shows how people ordinarily and subconsciously treat others based on how they look. Since the alien looks like a Black man, he experiences racism and gets treated differently. I think that one of the main messages of the film is to show how unfair the world can be, especially for people of color. There are also two white men in suits chasing him, who seem like they represent the government or some kind of authority. These hegemonic figures treat the Brother like he’s dangerous, even though he’s absolutely not a threat.

One thing I liked was how the movie mixed science fiction with real social issues. It wasn’t just about aliens and space, it was about immigration, racism, and fitting in. The main character seemed like he just wanted to belong somewhere and help people, which made me feel bad for him. It also made me think about how many people in real life feel like outsiders and just want to be accepted, but can’t, not because there is something wrong with them, but because there are issues within their environment. 

Overall, The Brother from Another Planet was an interesting movie. It wasn’t like anything I’ve seen before, but it had a lot of important messages if you paid attention. Even though it was made a long time ago, the stuff it talks about still matters today. I feel like this just goes to show how, even though there has been a lot of progress made in our society, there are still underlying and prominent issues that our society still has to work on. 

[ariellagad]

My Earthseed

Two real-life issues that make it necessary to create an Earthseed community are climate change and government failure. Lately, our environment has been severely overlooked and not given the necessary care to help against climate change. Furthermore, our government has been clashing against the idea of wanting to help everyone and is really engaging in ideas that will benefit a select group of people, arguably the top 1% in the US. It is pretty scary for the average citizen to look at what is happening in our country lately, and I think that these two issues signify important areas that need to be addressed. 

Two Earthseed verses from Parable of the Sower that apply to my community are “All that you touch You Change. All that you Change Changes you” and “The only lasting truth is Change. God is Change.” These verses will motivate our community to want to adapt and create change, ultimately to become better versions of themselves that will thrive in a better environment. Change will be viewed as a positive thing rather than something that brings anxiety and fear. Simply put, change will be the end-all, be-all in our community and will give us security. 

We would create our community somewhere near the Great Lakes, as there we will have access to freshwater, a lot of free land to use, and be protected by mountains. Anyone who is determined to make a change and is afraid of our current state in society is welcome to join. I want our community to give people who are particularly anxious during these uncertain times to heal and become stronger to make the changes necessary. Furthermore, people who are driven and want change will help motivate each other and others in the direction we aim for. People who are currently in politics will not be allowed in our community because I do not want people who are already infiltrated with potentially corrupt ideologies influencing our progress. People who have extreme, radical political views will also not be allowed, as balance is key to change, and people who are on extreme, polar opposite sides will just divide our community.  

We would use an AI mediator as our new technology. The AI mediator will help us settle disputes and prevent any members from engaging in huge arguments. Furthermore, the mediator can also help with elections to pick who will be in charge of running the community and keep the election fair.

Our Earthseed will survive because of the members being more or less on the same page politically and being mediated by an unbiased party, AI. Furthermore, there will be constant reminders of why the Earthseed exists and why each member is there, kind of like positive affirmations. Our Earthseed community will lead to a better future because we will educate people on the basic necessary education, but also educate people on communication and understanding, which I believe is neglected in our society, and can help facilitate a healthy environment. Secondly, our community will only use biodegradable items and regularly compost. If it can’t go back to Earth, it won’t come into our Earthseed.

[ariellagad]

Afrofuturism, Space Traders, and Sociology Themes

Up until taking this course, I had never heard of the phrase Afrofuturism, although I had seen elements and examples of it so frequently. During our first lecture, it really clicked in my head what Afrofuturism is, and I was able to make the connection and understanding based on the fact that I had seen the film Black Panther in 2018. It all started to make sense. At the time I first watched the movie, I wasn’t entirely aware that it was Afrofuturism or that the concept of the Black Panther had been an integral part of Black history. I just thought it was a cool Marvel movie and that it was a positive and empowering representation of Black people. Now, years later, I see the deeper meaning and intent behind the film and the story it tells, within the context of Afrofuturism and all the knowledge I’ve acquired as a sociology major about racial disparities. Additionally, I think that being a sociology major is helping me grasp the significance of the class material a lot better than I would have had I not been a sociology student. As a sociology student, I’ve learned a lot about systemic racism, intersectionality, and how Black people specifically can and have been discriminated against in our society. One of my favorite topics in the realm of sociology is intersectionality, which was coined by Kimberle Crenshaw, a Black woman who is a civil rights activist, critical race theorist, and law professor. Insanely impressive and inspiring, Crenshaw coined intersectionality to describe how Black women are not solely discriminated against by their race but also by their gender, and how the two simultaneously are factors that are prejudiced against. This week, I picked up a theme of intersectionality while discussing and analyzing the film Space Traders. I thought that Golightly’s situation among the all-white cabinet echoed aspects of the glass ceiling effect, ultimately symbolizing intersectionality. The glass ceiling effect refers to an invisible barrier that prevents women and other minority groups from advancing to higher positions of power of leadership, despite the fact that they may be qualified and capable of doing so. In Space Traders, Golightly is included in discussions of the trade, but his opinions are not valued to the degree of the other white cabinet members. In the movie, Golightly is invited into the room but isn’t truly heard or respected. Ultimately, he is physically visible, but his opinions and voice are invisible to the rest of the cabinet, despite his being just as qualified as the rest of them to make a valid argument. This is tied to themes of intersectionality to me because of how it resembles the glass ceiling effect, which is typically applied to women. It also contrasted with the fact that so many aspects of what constitutes intersectionality are what Golightly and the cabinet shared, yet his race is what the cabinet used to uphold the barrier in front of him.