Laura's Vague categories of seemingly isolated self identities

The final project was definitely a learning experience. I kept jumping through topics before settling on a semi mixture of my original topic and yet maintaining some commentary that sought to expose the patriarchy as a system that affects everyone and must be brought down. At a point my computer crashed and I lost hours of work but rather than this being a setback, it became a way to start over, giving me a new perspective to my topic. I wanted to show that millennials rather than being a problem are the solution to the patriarchy. They are only a problem to those who want to maintain the patriarchy in power. The patriarchy is a system that allows a minority elite to dictate their worldview, including choices and assumptions and language onto others. Sexism is just one example of the patriarchal structure. I included voices from women and colored authors to challenge the typical cannon which is full of white elitist men in positions of power. I wanted to show the power of literature in challenging words and how we think about language. The pictures were chosen to provide contradiction to language. I divided the project into two sections because it was the only way that I felt would give the literature quotes power. I didn’t want the quotes to become just footnotes or headnotes. I like my medium which gives power to images and words. Due to my ability as an english major and not in drawing, I used images found on tumblr and on google and tried to limit them to interpretative symbols. I wanted to deconstruct the original essay format, leaving room for reflection and for the reader to interpret the language themselves. I didn’t want to be yet another elite, defining action and thought. I wanted to inspire millennials to continue denying power and to take charge of citizenship, moving beyond expectations. In general this project was very important to me, as I’ve been working on redefining the patriarchy to become something not just present in male-female social relations. 

To move people beyond the slave morality of work, grow old, and die was the main purpose of this project. Life is not fatalistic but can have meaning but we have to give it meaning and work to challenge the social roles of worker and gender that we are supposed to fit. Working to improve equality should be our ultimate goal. My main goal was to find a way to work together. If we understand that the entire system is violent upon our autonomy, we may find a way to occupy the entire system this time bringing it down. The fight begins in our own brains which I sought to demonstrate with the last picture at the end. Burning down socialized assumptions is the only way to find some semblance of freedom and opens the way for revolutionary action. 

Thinking is the revolutionary action in a world where they teach us what to think and what to say. 

Below are the Links and a portion from the narrative:

http://alienatedwonderland.tumblr.com/post/134701669251/part-1

Theodor Adorno once said: “ The individual mirrors in his individuation the preordained social laws of exploitation, however mediated”. It is important to understand that in all oppression and intolerance there are normative structures that normalize the phenomenon. As individuals, citizens do not reflect individual thoughts, or thoughts based on reason, but instead exhibit discourse and behavior that they have been socialized to accept. In my final project, I want to focus on the history of oppression, not in a historical linear narrative, but in a narrative that interweaves itself, using literary works as the center of the narrative. Besides literary works, my narrative will use newspaper clippings and the narrative of supreme court cases to show that all oppression is functionally similar. I will include both the language of the oppressed and the oppressors. I hope to build a narrative that provokes thought on the origins of normalized inferences that perpetuate oppression and inequality. I am thinking of using Faulkner, Morrison, Rankine, Plath, de Beauvoir, Kafka, Ondatjee, Woolf, and Navokov’s Lolita. The list is not yet settled: I like my work to have flexibility. In some way I like my narrative to take its own shape, words linking to create something my mind wouldn’t have thought to connect.

My narrative will be a graphic narrative, as I use a digital program called Comic Life to make my entire project on my computer. Since I am not someone that can draw, I was thinking of taking a trip to NY, snapping pictures of people interacting so that I can later, with the program, cartoonize the photos. I may instead juxtapose text with art work. The art work would work to tell a story of truth. I would trace the differences in art periods perhaps, to create a narrative about the obscure duality of art and truth. I want my final product to tell a story about systematic oppression and the patriarchy’s function in all systems of oppression. I would like to argue that the patriarchy is critical in the operation of all systems of oppression. I would furthermore like to emphasize the way that education and institutions solidify the structure of oppression. I will like to show the way that art both in written and visual form give a narrative that challenges the assumptions that we are made to internalize. I suppose I want to get to the nature of the problem, to expose it, and to leave the narrative open to reflection. 

“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties”-Eric Fromm

There is a way in which the media allows our voices to be heard. We can blog, we can create podcasts, and we can make informational videos. The information that we present can be just about teaching a cooking lesson or it can be transformational inspiring social change and action. For this week I chose to represent two videos. They both represent information similarly and yet they create different dynamics. The first video How to Be an Activist explores the importance of being socially aware and attempts to show how any individual with good will can join to fight oppression of any kind. 

The video begins by identifying privilege as the first step to becoming an ally. It then talks about the dynamic of an ally who must listen and understand and then it presents how an ally must be become active in order to create change. The video was well done with the individuals talking separately but connecting all their ideas. There were some cute graphics as well that added to the way the video becomes even more appealing. The video does not assume any background knowledge and explains all concepts efficiently. Overall the video was a great way to inspire change, not being judgmental but rather seeking to address misconceptions. Activism is to join a cause to create change:

The other video that I watched was something that definitely applies to Rutgers students teaching bus etiquette.

Thoughtcatalog used to be the place to go. It used to be original and emotional and full of wise millennial advice. But then it became mainstream and not to sound like an elitist or a hipster but it became less about people, passionately trying to live through their writing, but became about people just seeking a space to write. The space lost its purpose and it became a random chaotic mess of fiction, and horror, and comedy, and celebrity culture. The chilling sentences that would hold me close after a break-up became less and narratives became lists. I thought that for this week, I would pick two lists that demonstrate the self-criticism that millennials engage themselves with. I still think the list is for the privileged but regardless I think they reflect the flexible dynamic of millennial culture.

Besides this cute picture of this cute flexible kitten, I will begin by analyzing the first post by Jamie Varon, called A 10-step process to being miserable. The post implies that our preoccupation makes us miserable: 10. “Be unshakeable and stubborn, not because it serves you, but because you’re afraid. Be afraid. Let fear dictate your every move. Let it cloud every decision. Let it keep you from a real sense of being alive. Let it control you. Let it convince you of lies that your heart knows are not true”. It then says at the end that to not be miserable, we must make the step to break with the past, to stop worrying, and to stop being static. There is a choice: an advice column of criticism. I think the post accurately captures our anxiety however to make that anxiety a choice may be ridiculous. Perhaps the post should have included some way for the person to shake off bad habits: suggestions of some sort. But to expect people to just walk away from worrying implies that feelings are self-inflected, and that life itself is not something that gets in the way of individual progress. 

The author began the post by stating that we should try to not act like we know everything but did the opposite. The next post, 7 Things You Need To Know If You’re Experiencing Metanoia: A Change Of Mind, Heart, Self Or Way Of Life,  better articulated. It spun the idea of progress to the word Metanoia, claiming that it is a change of purpose that properly achieves change. The post was listed but not crudely nor as critically of others. It seemed to claim existential change but one that captured the fragility of the individual: 5. “You don’t need to have every answer, nor will you ever have every answer. It’s never about how certain you are, it’s about how willing you are to try anyway. Nobody knows the mysterious abyss from which we come and eventually go back to, and yet so many people’s lives – and our society/culture in general – are crafted and dictated from teachings about this unknown”. Brianna Wiest, one of the original authors from this site wrote this piece. It applies a sense of meditation rather than criticism. There’s never one path to reach but a self-journey to be started. I much liked the posting style of this one although it still used a list format. The wording was nicer, less judgmental, and more humanistic. It understood that the process to progress isn’t unilateral. I think that often when we write we forget about subjectivity and speak objectively. Good writing, remembers the subjective, specially when meant to be advice for others. Certain things must be objective but not advice. I think that we have to bring back the human into writing. In the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald: 

When we think of food, as college students we often think of the easiest meal to make or of the food that we can order from a take-out service, however for our blog post, we wanted to explore how to actually make food and we mainly focused on food that would be healthy, easy to make, and affordable. Teresa,Susan, Nicole, and I sought to look for something that would appear to be delicious while still being healthy. The search was easy enough, as cooking websites have specific categories that are healthy and delicious, however money became the main issue. We decided on making something that was healthy, delicious, and affordable. We are trying to show that millennials and students are not bound to just eat ramen, or delivered take-out but that we have the capacity to make food that is healthy and affordable. 

If you like the young lions above, do not believe that food can be both healthy and delicious while not putting a huge whole in your wallet, do not despair, we seek to show you that the impossible is indeed possible. What we are trying to right, are the food choices which often seem easy, but increase chances of obesity, and ignore the nutritional guideline which we must always take into consideration. Although out post will not focus on the people that do not have access to these food items, it will focus on helping those who do have access but have no drive, to help them make better choices. We are assuming a level of privilege in creating this video, one of middle class audience members. Our video is to inspire a choice but not to remedy a lack of choice. We are choosing to do this because we are addressing college level individuals who should generally expect a higher standard of living, where access to healthy  food items will be higher. 

When attempting to find a so called  “informational videos”, I was first confronted with the question of what constitutes informational. We may say that a video can only be informational when it specifically seems to provide objective information but isn’t all information subjective? Furthermore can’t a seemingly fictional video still teach us about an issue? I was at first thinking about using a video that I watch every now and then in pieces called “It’s such a Beautiful Day” which demonstrates in an non-linear plot what it is like to loose the mind. I think that such a video teaches the viewer to understand what it is like to be inside someone who has lost their ability to perceive the world.

The video uses cartoons as the one pictured above to make the viewer feel dissonance. But due to the problematic nature of this such video and whether it can be constituted as informational, I also watched two videos that are probably closer to what such a category attempts to box. 

I chose two videos that reflect my two interests: inequality and literature. 

This first video focuses on miniature cameras as a new weapon against human rights infractions. The cameras have the capacity of recording violations that would otherwise go unnoticed by the outside world and those with the power to do anything about it. They tell a new story but run into the problem of legitimacy and credibility. Material has to be chosen very carefully and the videos must prove they are taking place in the place they are trying to depict. The video is mainly framed by placing the expert talk in the center and it alter natures between him, images, and videos. Overall it was fascinating and the video showed that technology does have social benefits and purposes. 

I almost couldn’t resist to post a thus notes video: the man is an icon among literature lovers. Basically the videos work in a similar way as spark notes but there are animations that go with the summary and analysis. The dialogue is conversational, and full of quirkiness. The videos less than 10 min allow one to enjoy a recount of a favorite book or can even to an extent help one understood a book that maybe one forgot to read (oops). This particular video was about Alice in Wonderland, which seems to be one of my favorite books when talking about absurdity and choices. This video seems to share my sentiment on the propose of the novel.

In general I think that what the information video essay does is that it can illustrate different genres, different ideas, and incorporate not just dialogue but imagery, expression, and becomes probably harder to edit considering you can’t just cut and not have awkward transitions. I did enjoy the assignment which once again makes me question how we categorize anything. 

And so we are stuck in a world of laws, not referring to politics, but referring to a constructed world that builds limitations, and yet still evolves. When Lewis Carroll invented the story of Alice, he was reacting to the shifting structure of mathematics. It was evident that in all the podcasts we were reacting to a shifting landscape that is becoming more mechanical, more unequal, and yet seems to remain the same. We are confronted by technology that gives us the ability to feel that there is still freedom and alternatives. A good amount of the podcasts focused on social media; to be honest I think that all of the podcasts referred to social media whether intentionally or by bringing up the experience. The Impact of Social Media seemed to be the one that focused on social media as a new alternative to the 9-5 job. My only question is whether this is a true innovation. In the 19th century where inequality roamed free and jobs for individuals were limited, the magazine in its modern form emerged. It appears that as practical jobs decrease, jobs that are not needed for immediate survival come out. The podcast that focused on fashion, really outlined the reality of life. It is a repeating pattern where things emerge, go out, and then re-emerge again. The interesting part was the way in which the podcasts seemed to seek a choice. The podcast on jobs seemed to talk about choice but really showed the deterministic way out society works. We are born, we have choices, we work, some middle stuff, and eventually we pass on. It’s a bleak way to see the world but finding the similarities in seemingly different topics is always a fun activity. Dating has become another way to maintain the social relations and yet to almost hide them: new words emerge, people rate, people talk, people socialize through confines determined by a company. The patriarchy breathes in our every day structures. 

The interesting part of the results for the podcast project was that all the podcasts were structured similarly. There was music, speaking, effects, and they all seemed to begin in the same way. The way in which we are socialized to think that we are different when we are simply fitting in is a very interesting concept. We are given guidelines to an extent although they are not explicit. This blog may sound conspiratorial but I proclaim it an ode to “The Ethics of Ambiguity”. We are all asleep: we think we have choice but instead we have narrow choice, defined by the nation, the economy, our identity, and the consumerist choices that we are allowed to use to feel free and individual. In the end we make works that look different but sound the same. 

The millennial, often described in terms that imply privilege, becomes a category that perpetuates the colorblind policies that often ignores the racialized policies and social relations that still prevail in America. Is the millennial a category capable of addressing the different realities that different demographics face or does it serve to justify a myth of laziness that once again dis-empowers the minority individual? In this podcast we explore the policies that created the racial structures that still exist, look at the way that they create a standard that the minority is always at opposition with, and finally look at the power of social media in the creation of a space and a voice for the millennial of color.