#article response

[studywjax]

02.10.18 — 34/100 days of productivity hi hi ! my day consisted of ACT and relaxing which was very nice :) i didn’t do much but i did plan out the rest of my weekend so i can stay productive 🌟🌟

[flamekeeperwitch]

Mainstream “Basic Witch” Response

I stumbled across an article that happened upon my facebook dashboard a few days ago entitled ‘Basic witches’ are mainstreaming witchcraft — and maybe that’s okay by Heather Dockray. Being somewhat ignorant to this term, I decided to read the article to see what this basic witch was about. I was not impressed. In fact, I was a little disheartened by the play on words of basic bitch, and bitchcraft. As quirky and entertaining as the article was, I was more disappointed in the fact that everything being said was true.

There is a subculture of witchcraft that has become watered down and consumer ridden and it is comprised of yoga pant wearing, latte sipping, chakra crystal wearing women (and some men). Of course, this isn’t something that I would like to admit as I’ve studied and practiced the Craft for years with the soul purpose of learning, spiritual growth, and enlightenment. As much as I would love to believe this is true of everyone who discovers Wicca and the Craft, I am not naive. There will always be undoubtedly those who start along this path for the wrong intentions, but consumerism was not what I was expecting when I began my journey almost 15 years ago. Even the article itself has a hefty amount of links to ‘witchy’ items one can buy to further expand their collection of the occult.

The article goes on to state that basic witches tend to use witchcraft as an aesthetic, identifying it as a “lifestyle brand, nothing more.” While there are many witches who do not follow a spiritual path of any kind, I wouldn’t necessarily call those who follow instagram occultism and merely decorate their apartment with candles, throw pillows of palmistry hands, and burn incense once in a blue moon in any form a witch. I believe giving this culture the title of witch makes somewhat of a mockery of those who study, practice, and live for everyday magic.

There may, however, be a bright light at the end of the tunnel for this phenomenon. With the rise of mainstream mass production comes the rise in people becoming interested in something quite outside the patriarchal box. As people begin to see more of our culture (whether its been reproduced how we would like it to be or not), there may be more people searching for something with a little more meaning as they stare at the ever expanding wall of designer tarot decks. One can only hope that the truth behind the culture will not be lost among them.

Another benefit of note, assuming basic witches know where to get the good stuff, is that these consumer witches may be helping to fund our local pagan shops, our festivals, and ultimately, our community. This is something I can definitely stand behind as I am a big advocate of empowering our local witch communities by taking classes, workshops, and of course, attending pagan based festivals. Whether this is their intention or not, it is absolutely a gain to our fellow brothers and sisters. I’ve seen it happen when a festival has had to postpone their dates or even cancel because of declining ticket sales. This, in turn, puts quite a few pagan vendors out.

There are probably as many benefits as there are risks with this subculture, but that just goes to show you there can’t be light without the darkness. Perhaps these witches will find their way along a more provocative path of self-empowerment through study, magic, and purpose. Until then, I can only anticipate that the benefits outweigh the risks to the good name of witchcraft everywhere.

[maecollegearchive]

Response to the Readings on Selfie vs Self-Portrait

As a current teen I admit to having a bias towards defending the selfie. I see it as its own artform and, as stated in “on the Origin of Selfie”, a visual cue that helps further communication. Facial features and expressions go a long way to interpreting tone, and therefore can help decipher those sarcastic texts. But there is a definite downside to selfie culture. “Before the Selfie, the Self-Portrait” critiques selfies as being snapshots that do not require the effort of planning that other mediums. Admittedly true. But trying to fight the rise of digital media and ignoring it’s usefulness does not work in anyone's favor. “Theory of Selfie” discusses how the sharing of personal images and depictions of our form this way makes it easier to have strangers objectify us and critique us as visual presence instead of as people. But so will all forms of self-portrait. Goya’s self-portrait will have every detail and choice meticulously raked over for symbolism. I would say that the problem with critique on selfie is the difficulty in separating it from being social media. They can’t be critiqued the same way a painted self-portrait can because they were made as a social statement rather than an artistic one. And so selfies tend to be critiqued in a broader cultural form. Say, an article about selfie culture’s damage on self-esteem.

[stopmotionanimation-2018]

Article Response – Why Do Cartoon Villains Speak in Foreign Accents?

by Courtney Payton

                 In particular, I find it rather fascinating that the most common villain accent is British. On the surface level, I already understood why German and Russian were also very popular ‘evil’ dialects in American media, mostly due to the World and Cold Wars. Having seen the original cartoons of “Rocky & Bullwinkle”- which were created as a direct response to the Red Scare and Cold War, the prominent villains being Communist Russian spies- it seemed like a premade thoroughfare for Russian to be the primary villain accent. At least, for a time, as the Red Scare faded out and neutral relations with Russia returned. This could be one of the reasons British took the main stage as the villain dialect – in order to maintain those healing international relations, it became frowned upon to create mass propaganda that depicted Russian villains. Another interesting point the article made was that using alternative accents to one’s native tongue is the most effective way to mark an “outsider”, and I find there’s truth in that. With some minor experience producing, and consuming such media, accents and altering one’s voice for storytelling makes telling a story that distinguishes between characters easier for the audience to absorb without confusion. However, it’s equally important to understand that such conventions can be harmful to the people the different dialectical usage emulates, and that care should be taken so that equal representation in media is achieved without nepotism for one national identity over another.

[listenersnotes-blog]

[tobathus]

[tatiana4d-blog]

The Function of the Studio Response The Function of the Studio by Caitlin Jones is an article that discusses the computer as a studio. Artists today use the internet and computer as a resource and a material. The computer is like a paintbrush and a canvas; it can be used to create art just the same as any other media. This article really resonated with me due to my passion for graphic design. Many of the artists in the article our making a statement by showing how the computer and internet can be used as an art form and how it has changed our view of the world. The internet is a world of its own at this point that allows artist to share their finished and working art like an “open studio.” The computer and the web provide a plethora of opportunities for artists to gain attention and spread their art. At this point it is entirely possible for an artist to become successful without having to leave their home!

[motherhoodjustgotreal]

I Care About My Children's Happiness And That's Okay: A Rant

I Care About My Children’s Happiness And That’s Okay: A Rant

Buckle up folks, because I’m about to go on a fairly epic rant. It’s a rant that was ultimately tipped off by this article but there were a million articles before that which annoyed me equally as much. I’m sure you’ve seen similar ones floating around Facebook in between the kitten videos and memes about moms and their wine. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of all the articles…

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