#circulationsofdifference

[pecansglazedmix-blog]

check out my zine on my Tumblr https://pecansglazedmix.tumblr.com 

Wet Foot Dry Foot policy

[jasminesabei-blog]

Notebook 5 Reflection

Honestly, I came into Ethnics Studies 2 expecting it to be an easy A class. I took DOC for my general education requirement so I was not worried about doing well in this class, but I later learned that that was not the case. I was genuinely scared about this class after Week 2 because of the untraditional way Professor Yang ran it. I should’ve taken more notes in class, but I always end up just listening to him talk. Personally, I enjoy the topics we discussed in class. The books were hard to understand most of the time but they weren’t impossible to read. I felt awkward doing the dance and protest stances in class, and when Professor Yang had us introduce ourselves to our classmates, I felt out of place. Discussions were enjoyable for the most part, I liked how most of our section contributed to discussion and there were rarely any awkward silences. I wasn’t very into making the zine. Personally, I am not someone who likes to craft so I did a collage, because I felt like that was on par with my artistic skills. I think I am more comfortable with classes that have a structured course load, so this class was sort of a deviation away from that. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this class more than I did DOC because there was less emphasis on writing. For this class, I felt like we focused more on the topics that we were discussing and the significance behind it, whereas in DOC, I felt like I was in another writing class and was mostly graded on my writing abilities. I think Professor Yang and the TA’s are very open-minded and understand that not everyone is on the same level of comprehension of the material or artistic ability, which was something I definitely appreciated and made this class enjoyable and less stressful.

[pkaloty-blog]

Parmveer Kaloty

TA: Yessica Hernandez

ETHN-2

20 March 2017

Notebook 5 - Zine Reflection

Over the course of the quarter, I researched and created a zine about the conflict diamond mining (more commonly known as blood diamonds) in Africa. I was introduced to this topic many years ago when I watched the movie Blood Diamond, directed by Edward Zwick. It wasn’t a blockbuster hit movie, but still had star actors, such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly. I never knew knew such brutal slavery still existed in this world, yet that movie was based on true events. The opening scene started off peaceful and calm, as one of the protagonists, Solomon Vandy (acted by Djimon Hounsou) walks his son back home from school. The story then takes sharp, bloody turn as rebels attack Solomon’s village, brutally killing most of the villagers while some manage to escape. Solomon is taken prisoner as a miner, while Solomon’s son is taken prisoner to become a child soldier for the rebels.

The opening scene of the movie itself showed me how we as the Global North are impervious to issues in the Global South. We are in the 21st century, yet slavery exists in many different forms. Our ETHN-2 class this year, as well as the Zine, allowed me to understand how these issues came to be and it also allowed me to analyze this heinous practice. Readings that were assigned, specifically Life Support by Kalindi Vora, helped me understand how and why we as a first-world country live in this bubble where we block out the issues of third-world countries. For example, Vora helped me understand how value if being directed from Africa to the U.S.. This value includes both diamonds but also the vital energy of the miners.

This Zine helped me realize that there are issues out there that shouldn’t be ignored. Many of these countries which suffer from practices such blood diamond mining result from the past actions of first-world, such as colonialism, or the inability to offer help and offer legitimate support. People must be aware of these issues in order for the issues to be resolved. This Zine challenged me to think outside the box and to contemplate about solutions to issues like blood diamond trade.

[jasminesabei-blog]

My zine represents the evolution of diversity represented in Coca Cola advertisements. Coca Cola advertisements originated with the commercialization of selling the concept of the American Dream, hand to hand with the beverage. 

[cchomtha-blog]

(Click on the image to view my Zine on Issuu)

or click on this link : https://issuu.com/cchomtha/docs/zine-page-001

Although, my first draft is visually different from my final Zine, the information that was provided in both draft and final are not different at all. Rather, my final Zine provided a comic approach, rather than a simple informative booklet.

[jasminesabei-blog]

Notebook  2: Intersectionality

Focus

I chose this TIME magazine cover depicting the Earth being hand-fed and cradled by Coca Cola.

Published on May 15, 1950

Coca cola is globalizing & replacing traditional drinks: Chinese serve coke instead of tea, Italians replaced champagne with it.

Myths: brazilians say it increases sexual prowess & makes people more bold

Luxury drink for the wealthy: businessmen, bankers, aristocrats, etc.

Relates back to the American Dream: success & prosperity

Why the drink is so attractive to consumers

Dissection of the picture:

A happy and carefree Earth → peace and prosperity in the world →  happy people

Earth seems to be enjoying the drink

Earth is the baby and its mother is Coca Cola

Earth is being cradled and hand-fed by Coca-Cola

Depicts Coca Cola as a very caring and nurturing mother

Coca cola is depicted as milk → nutritious → aids in growth & development

Implications of the motherly role: always being there for their child, mother knows best, birthgiver and savior

In some perspectives (like mine), the Coca Cola’s smile seems a bit deceiving and its actions seems forceful; has a manipulative feel to it

The caption at the bottom of the magazine says, “WORLD & FRIEND” implying that the friend is coca-cola

Meaning that coca-cola has good intentions and wants what’s best for the world

A friend of the world means that it is a global drink; it is peaceful with every country in the world and does not discriminate against others; (an advertisement strategy → to appeal to everyone as it did with the concept of the American Dream)

Sources

Object of Circulations

Reference Pic 1

Reference Pic 2

Family-friendly drink; White “American” family with both parents; A friendly, Black server; family is well-dressed → wealthy, upper-class; on a train: have the money & luxury to travel and take family trips

Depicts the American Dream: graduation/Education, a nice house, everyone is happy and smiling, even grandma’s serving coke/enjoyed by all ages; grandpa & grandma: growing old happily, healthily, and financially stable

Subtle mentions of the word “friend” or “friendly”

National Binds

Whiteness: coca cola depicts what it means to be American

White people are used as examples and set the standard for “whiteness”

A social construction: upper or middle-class, white skin, polite, proper, well-mannered, father: fends for the family but also spends time with his family; mother: takes care of the family and is nurturing

American Dream: success in terms of education; the way the models are dressed: ties, well-groomed hair, wearing accessories, happy and enjoying life, not struggling, model reading books or playing cards: luxury of time

Property: Clean, white, picketed house with a patio

Colonialism:

Coca-cola originated in the US but the picture doesn’t just depict the US but the whole world

Coca-Cola= US; Earth = World

The US is the mother that knows best and the rest of the world should do/follow as the US says/does if they want to be successful

The world is content (happy earth) with doing as their told by the US

Intersectionality

Coca-cola defined what it meant to be “American”, it wasn’t just the color of your skin, but your social class, economic class, and the mannerisms associated with itSex: Either male or female

Girls wore dresses, but were conservative Boys wore ties and were neatly groomed Sexual orientation: promoted heterosexuality since it always depicted a family with a mother and father The object chosen does not display these intersectional concepts, but the two American advertisements used for reference doThis shows that the advertisements are targeted at specific concepts depending on its audienceIn America, coca cola promotes the “American way of life”The object chosen does not explicitly characterize the Earth or Coca-Cola as one sex or the other

Because it is targeted to everyone- globalization; needs to appeal to every sex and race