ENGL 10600 - Jun

~The Face of Pop Culture~

[engl106jun-blog]

LEACH: What is your project about?

XU: My project is about the presence or lack of presence of civilization shown through a series of photographs. Each photograph should distinctly draw out a certain emotion in the viewers, whether that is sadness, sympathy, adore, calmness, or pure happiness.

LEACH: Where were these pictures taken? How did their context influence this photo essay?

XU: Many pictures here were photos that I had taken a while ago throughout my travels. I believe that the variation in the location of the photos also creates a stronger concept for the series of photographs as a whole, in that they are very different yet they all relate to one, unifying theme which is civilization (both the presence and lack of).

LEACH: Talk a bit about your composition process.

XU: The objective that I wish my series of photos would achieve is to provoke a strong sense of understanding in the viewers’ eyes. Collecting these photos was quite a difficult process as I tried to show two different moods (happy and sorrowful) as well as a mixture of both in my series of photos. These photos represent very different things and settings; however, they all prove the presence of the lack of human civilization. Whether it is the quiet wooden trail where no sign of civilization is present; the paper bag that shows the mourning for a lost loved one; or the glorious looking guest seating in the operation house that shows civilization without even the presence of actual human being present, these photos together show that the lost or lack of civilization is melancholy while any sign of civilization, even if only a faint amount is present, is still heartwarming and gives people the motivation to live on.

LEACH: Except for a shadow, these photos are unpopulated. What kind of mood do you hope to evoke?

XU:  In the first half of my series of photos, a feeling of isolation and sorrows is evoked. In the second part of the collection, viewers are guided towards ‘the light’ and happiness where civilization slowly starts to be present; little at first, and wholly shown in the last photo of the collection.

LEACH: You recently read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. In it, the Traveling Symphony tours from village to village in a post-apocalyptic world, performing Shakespeare’s plays. Their unofficial motto comes from Star Trek: “Because survival is insufficient.” What does this mean for you?

XU: The motto of the musicians and actors, "because survival is insufficient" shows that they do not wish to solely survive in the world post-apocalypse; they want something more than not dying, they want to live meaningfully in that messed up world. To me, I believe by grasping onto the idea of a goal to reach or a guideline to live by that makes the members of the Symphony happy is their way of staying in control while the rest of the world is ‘messed up’ and in pursuit of a form of happiness that seems unreal and not genuine.

LEACH: If civilization were to end tomorrow, what would you miss most?

XU:  I think that if civilization can never end unless all hope is lost. The human kind is strong; because unlike animals that only live to survive, we have hopes and dreams. As long as hope is still present, man will find a way to not only survive, but also to actually live. I think that if civilization were to end tomorrow, what I would miss the most is music. Even though civilization is lost in Station Elven, I believe that the Traveling Symphony created their own civilization by relying upon each other through music, acting, and living. To me, civilization is not lost as long as there is still communication and exchange of emotions amongst different individuals. Music is stronger than words or actions at times, and to me, if music was lost, then that would actually be the end of the world.

[engl106jun-blog]

[engl106jun-blog]

This video tells the heart-warming story of what members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity did for the young cancer patient, Lexi Brown. Lexi who has a sarcoma (very invasive tumor) was recently transported to the Mattel Children’s Hospital in CA for better treatment has received unexpected love from strangers—the SAE brothers. When Lexi had posted a note on her window to ask for pizza delivery, never even in her dreams did she imagine that the fraternity brothers from across the street would come all the way over to personally deliver her pizza along with roses and guitar serenade. In order to cheer up the young girl even more, the brothers decorated their fraternity house with Christmas lights that spelled out Lexi’s name that are lit throughout the nights.

A reader of the article, Mr. Keith Ward, had stated that “it's especially nice that college students, specifically a [fraternity], would show such compassion”, going out of their way to help young Lexi carry a part of the burden of the fight against cancer. Another reader agreed that it is rare these days to actually hear about positive things when fraternity brothers are involved with the case. The fact that these brothers proved to the world that fraternities today can still be as meaningful and giving as the traditional fraternities from decades ago.

I am happy for Lexi because she has made so many new friends whom she can gain love and support from, and at the same time, I cannot express how much I admire her for her bravery against her battle with cancer at such a young age. One article revealed that Lexi has given many speeches and had helped to raise thousands of dollars for a hospital. I really do admire her kindness and the way she still thinks of others when she is even not in great shape herself. I am really glad that fraternities like SAE still exist where the goal of the fraternity is actually giving back to the society/community. I hope that Lexi can get well soon and be able to see the lights again after she returns from home.

Sources: http://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/1434/A-Frat-House-Knows-A-Little-Girl-Sees-Them-From-Her-Hospital-Window-Now-Notice-Their-Roof

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sigma-alpha-epsilon-surprises-cancer-patient_56663e21e4b08e945ff0bb4b

[engl106jun-blog]

Shocking pictures after thugs glue kitten's eyes shut

A British woman has shared shocking pictures after her kitten’s eyes were glued shut by heartless thugs.

The article uncovers a terrible story from the UK where thugs have heartlessly abused a house kitten while she was playing outside without the owner’s protection. The kitten, named Kitkat, came home drenched in glue, even her eyes were glued shut. Her owner, Joanne Fletcher initially thought that Kitkat had contracted rabies or some other disease when she first returned. But soon afterwards, she noticed that Kitkat was really shaken up and she noticed that her kitten was covered in glue.

One of commenters, Warren Peace, stated that people “who hurt animals are as low as child molesters”, because small animals such as kittens and puppies do not have the strength or ability to fight for themselves when faced with such monstrous human.  He also said that the only time that such cruelty could be allowed is if committed by “unsupervised 8 year-olds [who are] still learning about these things”.

My personal opinion on this case is that these thugs are inhumane if they believed that by being cruel to helpless, small animals would make them any cooler or bad a**. They do not realize how uncivilized it makes them to take out their emotions on those that cannot defend themselves against them. They are, like what Warren Peace had mentioned, as low as child molesters. By harming those that are weaker than them actually makes them less manly, because real man would protect the weak and helpless, not override or even harm them just to show how physically powerful they are compared to their victims. I think it is more cowardly to hurt those that are weaker. An example would be a group of bullies who are harming one single person because they do not fit in with the group; such action only shows weakness and fear that the supposedly ‘weaker’ party might one day, crush them. Due to the fear of being overridden, people feel the need to harm others to show their superiority. In the case of Kitkat, I believe these thugs are heartless criminals who should be greatly punished for harming an innocent, and delicate house animal.  

[engl106jun-blog]

“Don't be a slut, but definitely don't be too prude. Don't be so emotional, but don't be a cold-hearted bitch. Prioritize your family over your career, but are you sure you want to be a stay-at-home mom?”

This video shows the treatment of women today. Even though it is the modern, 21st century, women are still subjected to certain types of ‘norms’ and standards/roles. Girls grow up hearing ‘caring suggestions’ from adults of both genders on how they should speak, act, and even how to think. This rule of living is not the only problem. While males may have to face similar comments once in a while, girls on the other hand, hear the same type of suggestive message over and over in just their daily activities. The comments are not extremely offensive, but they often conflict with other comments and suggestions. For example, a girl could be questioned for liking ‘manly’ sports such as football, but when they take ballet or other dance lessons, they are thought to be either too girly or weak.

One of the viewers, Natalie Rose Apar, commented that it is ridiculous “how many men are showing up to the thread and making it all about them [while] this video has literally nothing to do with [them]. It's about women and the kind of crap they deal with on a daily basis.” Instead of being respectful audience, some male viewers commented below the video, complaining about how “men have it worse!" or "where's the version for men?" Men of our society today often feel the need to say or do things to girls to make them stand out when girls never even think of doing the same to them.

As a female, I have personally had to deal with most of the comments mentioned in the video during my childhood and even now. Because I have experienced this myself, I can say that, it is quite upsetting to have to live with such comments thrown at you almost every single day. Another viewer commented that the bad thing is that, women are most often commented upon about their physical appearances, and since women are strict towards one another, it becomes a cycle of judgement that we know are hurtful when done to us but we end up judging others the same way. I realer wish that our society would allow not only women, but all mankind to speak their mind, do whatever they wish to do in life (as long as it is lawful and does not harm or offend others) without the worries of being judged or feeling the need to change or stop their dreams/goals.

[engl106jun-blog]

The article tells the story of a Chinese man’s ridiculous reason for suing his own wife—because she gave birth to ugly babies. Basically, the man, Feng, had thought that his wife had cheated on him because their babies looked ‘too ugly’ and did not resemble either of them. As it turns out, the wife did not cheat but had spent thousands on intensive plastic surgery to look the way she does today. Feng accused his wife of seducing him with false looks, and wanting to gain something from him. The result of the lawsuit was unbelievable. The judge felt bad for the man and he actually won the case with $120,000 as emotional compensation.

Many readers of this article have shown contempt towards both parties of the case. While some agree that the man is superficial as he only saw physical beauty and should be ashamed of suing his own wife, others believed that the wife also was at fault for not opening up to her husband and telling him the truth sooner. Another view is that the children are subjected to standards of beauty that the society has when not only children, but adults too, are beautiful in their own ways. The sad thing is, as these children grow up, they will have to face looks of either sneer or ‘aww, I feel bad for them’.

I personally agree that both parties are at fault. First of all, while the woman has the right to pursue what she believes is beautiful with the help of plastic surgery, she should be have been honest with her husband before deciding to have children in order to avoid any misunderstanding (such as the belief that she had an affair). Now, the husband is truly a shallow person. After years of being together and having been married, he should love his wife no matter what she looked like in the past, unless all he ever loved about her was her looks; in this case, it’s not him who should be compensated but her, as her husband only loved her for her physical appearance. The children might not be the best looking children; however, children should be allowed to grow up freely without the judgement of others, especially not feelings of sorry towards them as their father had sued their mother for giving birth to them who are not beautiful enough to him. I wish that our world would stop being so shallow. I understand that people wish to use the aid of plastic surgery to achieve a certain look that they each pursue, but it is important to not go way too, over the top that you look completely unrecognizable. But if you were under the FBI’s Witness Protection Program, then that’s a different story.

[engl106jun-blog]

Dialectic Journals #16~19

[kateoplis]

[engl106jun-blog]

Day of the Dead is an important Mexican holiday where the friends and family of the dead go to the tombs of the deceased and decorate the alters with flowers, offerings, photos, etc.  While people who are unfamiliar with the culture might think that it is only a period of time to decorate tombs and hang or wear colorful skull masks; the truth is, it is a greatly meaningful time where the dead are honored and appreciated for what they have done while they were alive.

Here is a photo taken 2 days before this year’s 1st day of the Day of the Dead festival where sex workers in Mexico City gathered to pay tribute to their “colleagues who were violently murdered” (kateoplis). These women marched in the streets wearing the famous, Day of the Dead skull masks to show their sincere grief for their dead colleagues.

One of the bloggers commented that people should not make fun of the Day of the Dead activities because unlike how festive it appears on the outside, the festival is actually an extremely sincere ceremony of honoring those in heaven whom we love. And the blogger expressed his/her anger towards those of whom that make fun of or do not take Day of the Dead seriously by explaining that the candy skulls “are offerings to the dead, a symbol of each and every person we choose to honor in the afterlife; not some quirky costume to put on and appropriate. those skulls mean something, the pan de muertos and altars mean something” (seafoamtides).

I completely agree with this blogger in that there are shallow people in this world who judge and make fun of others’ cultures without even fully understanding these cultures first. I think that this photo and the story behind it carries a very strong and powerful message for its viewers; showing the world that sex workers, who are normally considered to be shameless and lack morals, are normal human beings too, and that they feel genuine sadness for their colleagues who were unfairly abused and murdered because they were looked down upon, and/or considered to be less human. I really think that this photo and its story should be spread more widely to allow the public to understand who is the actual, lesser man, in this case.

[engl106jun-blog]

I find this incredibly amusing.

found this on my dashboard, pretty interesting, so I thought I’d share.

[engl106jun-blog]

Dialectic Journal #4 (practice post)

A few weeks earlier, the famous, anonymous street artist Banksy revealed his latest collaborative project – “Dismaland”. This giant piece of artwork is located in Weston-super-Mare, a southwest town in the UK. The advertisement video clip of the theme park is described by Banksy as “a family theme park unsuitable for children”, which sets up an exactly opposite image from the well-known Disneyland commercials. Instead of magical, fairytale setting, Dismaland has broken down castle, eerie lighting, and historically controversial displays.

The New Yorker article by Rebecca Mead discussed her view on the theme park with a negative tone throughout the writing. She openly criticized the fact that it is so difficult to order the tickets to this exhibition that it is simply not worth it. For example, Mead explained that the online ticketing system crashed so many times that the public believed it to be actually a part of the “dismal” experience.

Contrary to Disney’s sweet and mellow sensation, Dismaland gives off a fractured fairy tale type of vibe. Because things related to the generic Disney are of public knowledge, such sarcastic parody is even more powerful. This parody is also very relatable because Banksy and the other street artists incorporated many elements of current pop culture and/or historical events that audience of all ages, race, interests, etc. are drawn in towards such type of provocative art.

I disagree with Mead’s view as I believe that Dismaland is a great piece of artwork. Banksy deserves to be called one of the best street artists in the world; because not only does he use great techniques to create provocative pieces, also, the very message he sends to his audience in each and every one of his works are also artistically displayed. From most of his pieces, the audience can feel a sense of reality while experiencing the fantasy. I have learned about Banksy’s works since sixth grade and not even once, did Banksy’s new projects fail to impress and inspire me both artistically and in realizing that the real world has no (easy) perfect endings.

[engl106jun-blog]

Last weekend, anonymous street artist and provocateur Banksy unveiled his latest project in the seaside resort town of Weston-super-Mare, UK. “Dismaland,” which Banksy has described as “a family theme...