Bombs and Rock 'n Roll

Persepolis
A Make-up Blogpost

Well I only just realized today that the reading due tomorrow is actually supposed to be purchased and I have read the reading for the next part of the reader.
To make up for that, I'm writing about a movie I saw a while ago that could apply to this class, as this is very much activist film, and an animated one at that, an animated film that is meant for adults; it's kind of backwards for it has adult themes but children could still watch it, opposite of the current children movies which come off as childish but have some laughs for the adults. Without further adieu, here's the word:

If you have not read it, here's the summary.

• girl (Marji) grows up during a change in Iranian leadership, publicized to be a change for the better, but it actually leads to an oppressive tyranny.
  
• Marji goes off to Vienna to study, but finds herself lost culturally there, as she is not generally accepted in society
• Marji goes back home, not sure who she is, tries to deal with dual personality and growth in an uncertain direction.

Here are my thoughts on it

• the movie does kind of follow a pattern of oppression, departure, and return to origins, but this is about all that fits the said pattern.
  
• this movie is similar to past readings we've had from solo activist performers, because it deals with a lost identity, a woman trying to decide between her cultural origin and her progressive upbringing.
• I like how Marji's inner struggles are echoed by the current war going on in Iran; on one side, you have a revolution that isn't really exerting much change, a situation which is maybe supposed to indicate how Marji's struggles to find herself are ultimately futile. Also present is the Iraq-Iran war which was supported by America, a symbol of the Western world, which is trying to signify her progression out of Iran.
• Either way, Marji is unsure of who she is as a person.
• I kind of find similarities between this animated film and The Last King of Scotland. Both portray seemingly positive, revolutionary change that later turns out to be more oppressive than the past.
• About time we have a truly activist piece of film with a legitimate, heartfelt story at the middle.

So I'm going to try to read the play before class tomorrow, but I won't have a post up before it, probably after. Cheers.

Beats, Rhymes, and Life

Beats, Rhymes, and Life
Hip-Hop Progression from Activism to Sexism and Materialism

The entire genre of hip-hop brings up fond memories for me. In third grade, I was listening to Dr. Dre on cassettes, I had no idea what he was saying, it just sounded cool. Why do I have the feeling that now, the case is the same as ten years ago for me? We listen to this music because it sounds good, it gets us moving, it isn't what it used to be...enough with cynicism, hip-hop was an amazing form of activism that could not have risen from anything but the gritty, urban areas where the oppressed reside.
I think that this is the draw of hip-hop, it's the people who are oppressed who, instead of using conventional methods of political activism, created their own style of music, with the pretense of empowering these urban citizens, the purpose of setting themselves apart, but also presenting an intelligent argument. When children were told how to rhyme in school, they rhymed about their struggles and fears, during late 60s South Bronx, this was the only form of activism they could use, and look at where it is now.
In one of the articles I was reading, (http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050314/hatchmiller) the author talked about the commercialization of hip-hop. Record executives decided that they would like to make money off of this new form of music, but as soon as they realized what it was about, they opted out of artists like Ice-T, Public Enemy, etc. and probably signed the artists who rapped about sex, drugs, and money, the exact opposite of their predecessors. It seems that every movement that had a large following somehow ends up in the hands of a CEO who wants to make money off of either nostalgia or common interest, rebranding the phenomenon with a corporate logo and selling it off as authentic, sick.

On an off note, I was thinking about the exclusiveness of hip-hop. Is it "socially acceptable" for a white person to listen to rap? Many people think not. I think this is a big problem, for hip-hop isn't the only medium in which minorities take an exclusive stance. Here at the university, there are groups such as Trio, or Posse, which aim to unify minority students. But by doing that, they are distancing them from the rest of campus, because they have a LABEL, and it's very hard to become friends with someone part of these groups, for they already have their own friends within their group. This campus should really make a better attempt at diversity, because as far as I can tell we are 0 for 2; remember that photoshop incident? Ok, I'm just ranting now, so let me wrap it up. I feel that hip-hop was a truly groundbreaking medium for self-expression, but it just disappoints me that it has to become a way to make money for corporations, just as previous movements that are over and obsolete, they continue living only in a corporate scheme.

Pineapple-Mango-Apple

Yes, this is a half apple, half mango, or as I'd like to call it, a Mapple.

Milk of Amnesia

• A story of the struggle it is to come back to your home country after being away for a period of time, the alienation, the rejection, and general inevitability of leaving as a tourist, not a native.
• I like the comparison to citizens of countries as pieces of fruit, it was accurate.
• "When I'm in Cuba, I am American, but when I am in America, I am Cuban." Yeah, this is exactly what it feels like. You are Romanian when you're in America, because that's what sets you apart, but while in Romania, one is not a true Romanian anymore if he's lived in the states for seven years, he is just an American tourist. It's a horrible feeling, not belonging.
• I wonder if the amnesia is real, or if it is just used to emphasize the whitewashing of being in New York for a prolonged period of time; it is a very powerful tool, because being in a Walmart for too long can make you forget where you're coming from, somewhere in that space between the beer cooler and the diapers.
• Finally, this is activist in the sense that it puts out the question of national identity; in our continuously globalized society, these lines are blurred, and being an outcast on either side of the map is not easy. Romania is my father, America is the antagonizing step-father.