#mcst4010

Reading Klosterman’s book brought me back to my senior year AP English class, where I was first introduced to the tenets of Existentialism. After an abrupt, much-needed mindflip, I began to incorporate the idea of subjectivity into my daily life. I finally had the beginnings of a theoretical network that would in one sense validate my cynicism on a variety of issues, ranging from religion and morality to politics and even gender and sexuality, and in another sense render it meaningless. I believed then, as I do now, that all of these things come down to personal choice, although the concept of choice doesn’t live in a vacuum; the sense of self that allows us to have a “choice” is the product of a social environment that is steeped in hegemony. However, I always believed that there could be essential truths to our existence, because the scientific method allows for certain hypotheses to be tested and retested to establish their “objective” rightness. Over time, more experience led me to the idea that belief in the objective rightness of “science” is a doctrine, same as any religion. One might say that there is a huge margin for personal interpretation to any religion, that an individual or group can determine the facts of existence from a singular viewpoint, essentially creating an “explanation” for physically observable phenomena through exploration of extrasensory phenomena. Because one theoretical framework cannot disprove another, an objective truth cannot exist. To a deeply religious person, their doctrine so fully explains the ins-and-outs of the universe that detractors have no ground to stand on, because they do not “have faith”, and this seems perfectly logical. In a lot of ways, science demands that we “have faith”, because the average person will never perceive the physical evidence of a scientific phenomena in an objectively explainable sense. One might counter, but what of gravity? The apple always falls from the tree. But our Newtonian explanation of gravity wasn’t the first; Aristotle’s take on the subject had been the accepted one for the greater part of two millennia. Arguably, Aristotle’s theory could be used to explain gravity to anyone unfamiliar enough with Newton’s theory to disprove it. That idea, that the accepted truths of science change with time, lies at the center of Klosterman’s book.

The future is an endless worry of possibilities. Chuck Klosterman puts it perfectly in his book But What If We’re Wrong? when he suggests, “When you’re gazing into the distant haze of tomorrow, everything is an assumption.” (Klosterman, pg 13) It is difficult to predict the next 5 minutes let alone 10 years especially with some of the recent unexpected political faction changes in several major countries. English media has always been the dominant voice around the world. The United States in particular has created a culture industry, exporting in vast quantity the fashion, music, movies, and ideology developed by the hegemonic class in America. In the next 10 years I think we are going to see a massive global media consolidation form, one which is so financially powerful it cannot be rivaled. Companies continue to buy out one another and it is the dollar that is ultimately going to decide whose messages get to be disseminated globally. It is because of this reason that English based media will remain the dominant

English media has been the dominant voice worldwide because of colonial and modern imperialistic tendencies. When western culture isn’t being sprayed out the barrel of an M16 or carpet bombed into a country, it is being scattered and integrated around the world by more covert measures. We spread our western ideology through ways that aren’t corporate based. For instance, when we send rich white church kids to Africa to build a house and call it volunteering. It’s called voluntourism and just like the Peace Corp it exists to send our brand laden drones of western society to places of the world as the seeding stages for western corporatocracy. 

However, recent technological advancements are changing the way that we view media and are especially changing the ability for one to create a separate piece. China and India’s media outlets are becoming more dominant in their countries than English based media. These are beginning to rival western corporations and this is starting to give individual regions their own voices globally. Al Jazeera is immensely popular worldwide as a news outlet from Qatar. Unfortunately I fear the same advancements which are allowing for multiple voices to be heard across the globe are the ones which will allow for massive consolidation. The internet is the last safe space for cultures to playout and exist free of the influence of a corporate agenda, yet we are seeing a world where even the internet is being massively consolidated.

In the next 10 years we are going to see large amounts of cultural appropriation all around the world which is going to be disguised as hybridization in popular culture. With the consolidation of major media corporations and my prediction for a globalized society through this, the companies will continue to do what makes them the most money. This entails taking cultural trends from a society and commodifying them to be sold to another group of people. Media is not the only industry where we see western corporations appropriating a culture and selling it back to the society they stole it from. Take McDonalds for instance and its menu variance based on geographical location. Companies like Newscorp, Comcast, and Disney will continue to expand and purchase media outlet globally and expand the sectors of media which they are currently prominent.

I don’t think much is going to change in the next 10 years in its essence. America is still going to be the largest culture exporter worldwide and the ways which they are able to do this is mostly media based.  The appearance and format that English dominated media takes will be well disguised and continue to influence the world as long as The United States and its allies remain militarily supreme. In the next 10 years Google will have acquired most of the web traffic online and be able to own the clicks of nearly everyone. If it’s not google, then it could very well be a Facebook-Google partnership. These clicks will be sold to the highest bidder, most likely American corporations looking reach their tentacles further into the global front.

The future for global media is massive consolidation. Unless international treaties are put in place prohibiting this massive consolidation of media powers the dominant voice in the world is going to continue to be English and global media will continue to be dominated by western ideology. The internet is one of the few avenues for rebellion against this corporate force but it too is being quickly harnessed by only a few corporations.

This is your chance to apply everything you’re learned and we’ve discussed during our term together. Your final Critical Thinking post is both a creative opportunity and a synthesis project with variability in how you want to approach it. In a minimum of 750 words, use the framework for prediction and change in the three chapters from the Klosterman book, But What If We’re Wrong? you have already read for class [Intro & Ch. 1, “A Brief Examination...” (p. 1-17); Ch. 5, “Burn Thy Witches” (p. 95-131)], and Ch. 8, “A Sudden Death (Over Time)” to predict how you see global media changing in the next ten years. You can focus on a particular segment of the media (news, film, television, social media, etc.) or come up with a grand theory for global media as a whole. Consider possible shifts in national and cultural influence (remember the different cultures around -- for example, how this influences journalism in Western nations/US vs. the Middle East vs. Asian vs. Africa; or the rise of Turkish media or Chinindia), changes in technology, potential for areas of cultural appropriation/appreciation/or hybridity, or perhaps something else completely different you see happening. You can also apply what you’ve learned through our media monitoring projects! Your prediction must focus on MEDIA and be rooted in a.) Klosterman’s chapters, b.) our other course readings and c.) any other outside research you deem necessary -- I’m leaving that up to you. You must support your argument thoroughly and solidly and hyperlink or use APA to properly cite and and all sources, as always. What images or media you bring into this is up to you, too. Do your thing and wow me! I’m eager to see what you come up with here. Go nuts and bring it all together here at the end!

Canada has a hereditary monarchy where the governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a 5-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Commons generally designated prime minister by the governor general. The legislative branch is a bicameral parliament consisting of 105 members of senate that serve until the age of 75, and are appointed by the governor general. There are also the 338 members of the House of Commons, also known as the Chambre des Communes. The members of the house are elected by a simple majority vote to serve a maximum of four year terms. The Supreme Court is the highest court of the judicial branch, and consists of the chief justice and eight judges. The members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the prime minister. All of the judges that are appointed serve with mandatory retirement at the age of 75 years old. The country Canada has grown into an urban and industrial country since World War II because of the growth of manufacturing, mining, and service sectors. There is an abundant source of highly skilled labor force, modern capital plant, and natural resources. Today, Canada is the fifth greatest producer of oil; their petroleum sector is continuously expanding. They export about three-fourths of its merchandise to trade with the United States each year.  United States gets most of its supplied energy from Canada, including oil, gas, and electric power, and even uranium imports. Despite the recent drop in the price of oil, and the recession of 2008 Canada has achieved a marginal growth since 2010.

The Globe and Mail covers a wide variety of topics pertaining to Canada and global relations. It’s geological setting allows it to cater to American and Canadian audiences, covering mostly media that pertain to these two audiences. This is noticed by its English set language and the material it covers. Having both print and online versions, The Globe and Mail provides stories of current news that fall under several categories. The paper breaks down their covered media from American news, to business, top stories, tech, sports, etc. The large range of categories allows for easy reading and user friendliness. Having being in print for over 172 years, Canada’s #1 National News Paper attracts a high volume of readership from across Canada and within America as well. Currently owned by the Woodbridge Company and based in Toronto they print in six provinces across the country. Founded by a Scottish immigrant George Brown and later merged by Scott McCullagh; The Globe merged with The Mail and Empire making it The Globe and Mail. In the 1960’s the paper was bought by FP Publications and then sold to the Thomason Corporation before being owned by Woodbridge Company. Its long history provides for it to be Canada’s number one press and paper. The paper is known in the U.S. as well due to its wide coverage and well known media. Both American and Canadian audiences can benefit from reading The Globe and Mail because it provides unique coverage and updated information on global, local, and pressing issues that people want to read about.

The Globe and Mail covers a wide variety of social issues including a small selection of the inside of a federal prison, suicide stories, discrimination, and immigration issues. Because of the wide range of stories this paper is global in how it covers news due the nature of what it publishes. Reading the paper allows for insight on how other countries cover their news and also how they handle pressing issues. The Globe and Mail not only chooses to cover hyperlocal news but also global news that affects the Canadian population. Alongside that, the paper provides details on current issues that allow a lens for readers to understand how connected the globe is in crime, economic struggle, power structure and media. One of the major articles in The Globe and Mail that went viral not just in Canada but on social media such as twitter and Facebook, but also spread throughout the U.S., was a story of a young man by the name of Adam Capay who after arrested, was put in a cell for four years without the sight of sunlight. The story covered his mistreatment and allowed for audiences to see the common struggle that many countries are facing aside from America with relations to race and how even prisoners are treated differently due to it. Readers of the article were enraged because Adam Capay’s lawyers allowed his abuse and poor treatment to happen. Adam Capay has damage due to this and many took to twitter under his name as a hashtag to make people aware of the story.

Another important article was on a 10-year-old who committed suicide and was even brought to the attention of the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau due to the high rate of suicide among the ages of 12 and 14 years. Trudeau was disappointed, and called it a national tragedy because nobody was doing anything to resolve the situation, and provide better health care to Canadians. The coverage from The Globe and Mail allowed other press to cover stories relation to the suicides and how it affected the countries outlook on mental health. This story sparked a conversation within the education system that would provide help for adolescent youth and hopefully bring down the high suicide rate in Canada.

The Globe and Mail covers a variety of global issues that many countries face as well. For example, a teacher almost forced a Hijab wearing student to take her head wrap off so he could see her ears. This story relates to the ban of burkinis in other countries and ban of head wraps and religious garments. Many teachers struggle with the issue of asking a student to see their ears or other hidden body parts due to the possibility of cheating. Both parties are right and wrong in a situation such as this in education. It makes for a controversial conversation that allows readers to develop their own opinion on the matter. This story covered how both the teacher and student were uncomfortable, but that overall the misunderstanding was handled by the school very well which ensured that the misunderstanding would not happen again in the future.

The country’s political structure influences the press coverage because the outcome of the situation is dependent on the liberal beliefs of the country, and how the three branches of government are run. The news will consist of multiple political figures behind most stories, like the prime minister or a correctional officer because these are the people that have caused the problem or the one that are going to resolve it. The coverage of the press is very diverse because they cover multiple issues like race, public health, weather and global change, politics, entertainment, as well as business. Allowing for a wide range of categories gives readers the opportunity to tap into whatever they want to read or feel important specifically to them.

The Rio Times is an English based newspaper being produced in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a South American country which gained its independence from Portugal in 1822. South America is home to one of the most diverse countries on the planet and one of the largest Portuguese speaking populations in the world. Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world and has the 6th largest population, one which is 47.7 percent white and dominated by a Roman Catholic majority.

Brazil’s economy is grounded in agriculture, mining, manufacturing and service sector jobs which aim to fit the rapidly expanding middle class. The fertility of Brazilian soil has been on the decline since the 1960’s and is the main factor influencing the countries slow population rate. Although Brazil’s population rate is at a decline the country is generally a net recipient of immigrants. Brazil sought out Europeans to come and work in agriculture and primarily coffee cultivation after the med 19th century ban on the importation of African slaves and this accounts for a lot of the European influence on Brazil’s culture.

Brazil’s internet usage is among the top in the world ranking 6th  and is home to over 120 million internet users. Broadcast television in Brazil is state-run Radiobras which took a hit when Brazil’s media took a drastic shift towards private ownership in 2007 with the adaption of digital television on December 2nd.  Brazil is also 6th in the world for cell phone usage with over 250 million people owning a cellular device.

Nearly 30 percent of Rio de Janiero’s expatriates and tourists are native English speakers and a majority of European and South American travelers also speak fluent English. Since the closing of The Brazil Herald and Latin American Daily Post in 1986, Brazil lacked a news source available in English to accommodate these populations. Recognizing this, Stone Korshak set out from New York to Rio. The Rio Times launched in March 2009 and is dedicated to expatriates and the traveler community in Brazil who rely on an English language paper for local and national issues. The paper provides news on an array of topics like politics, business, sports, travel, entertainment, real estate and is popular for its nightlife guide.

The Rio Times specifically targets expats and tourist. This is evident through the paper’s content and means of distribution which target the abroad and expat communities in Brazil with its online content as well as print issues. However, their website states that there is an equal amount of website viewership in The United States as in Brazil. The paper is very aware of its American based audience and the majority of news involving American politics is in regards to how Americans abroad would be effected by the news. The paper also keeps up to date on important issues in Australia, UK and Canada recognizing a quarter of their viewership comes from those countries as well. The Rio Times can be picked up as a paper copy which began as a 5,000 copy run in 2010. Copies can be found throughout Rio in places with English speaking prominence and are commonly distributed in hotels.

Although The Rio Times does offer the online reader three free articles to read every week, unlimited viewing does require a monthly fee of $5. The majority of funding for The Rio Times comes does not come from this fee however, and comes from its advertisements. The Rio Times reaches out extensively to companies who would like to advertise to an audience largely ready to spend money while traveling. The Rio Times website states that every year nearly half a million people arrive in Rio from abroad.

The sole purpose of The Rio Times is to provide the English speaking traveler in Brazil with enough information to remain informed on any major disasters or events internationally while offering extensive nightlife suggestions. The paper gives the reader a brief tour of local politics and reminds them of any local disasters they may have missed while away but should not forget to grieve about. The paper does dedicate a portion to national politics and almost every article is written by the same writer Lise Alves who chooses to be critical of the political class in her choice of reporting.

Although being formed by an American this paper has a genuine feel. I suspected that Stone Korshak’s influence as an American editor would sway the content in a more American centered light. I was pleased to find that the one of the few articles about the US elections was posted on November 3rd and talked about how the possibility of Trump winning could influence the value of the American dollar in Brazil. This continues to reinforce the idea that this paper intends to specifically target an audience living abroad or one traveling in Brazil. This paper does produce news but the main objective of the paper is not to create groundbreaking work, it seems that the paper is much more geared towards creating an audience of travelers looking for entertainment.

The Rio Times effects on the global media realm are fairly limited but the paper is not attempting to compete with any major media conglomerates and finds its success in the niche traveling audience. It targets those who are traveling and need to find a source that provides enough education on the country they are returning to while letting them know where the closest club is. And Rio turns up on a Tuesday.

With direction by Anne Fontaine and largely based upon the book by Edmonde Charles-Roux, “Coco Before Chanel” shows is a glimpse into the life of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. This film has set a timeline which is just that, before she founded the iconic fashion empire. This film firmly dwells on Gabrielle as a person, and her romantic dalliances with two men who played significant roles in her life, weather it was in support of her daily sustenance, or inspiring and providing fuel for her desire to make a name for herself.

As Coco Chanel, Audrey Tautou, exemplifies that level of elegance, vulnerability and rebellious streak to do things differently. Her petite-ness and somewhat boyish cut figure, suited the role really well as the initial designs by Coco were those inspired by menswear, though you only get glimpses of her design genius from short montages scattered throughout the film, and from some scenes which show her working at a tailor shop, but other than that you will gain very little from this bio-pic other than the messy love life that she got herself into, first with benefactor of sorts Etienne, who treated her nothing more than an object to bed in exchange for lodging, then Alessandro Nivola's who played, Arthur "Boy" Capel, a businessman which she falls head over heels for.

Coco “before” Chanel, released in 2009 to French cinemas, and created by a female, French, director is a prime example of traditional French cinema and the “guidelines” French directors have to follow to receive subsidies for productions. In the later 1980’s, the French government placed into effect tax incentives for films that have higher production budgets. A delicate balance of both English and French language is proposed through a flexible point system; however, “The use of French is technically encouraged with a 25 percent bonus.” (Danan, M. (2000).

“The 1930’s are often cited as the Golden Age of French cinema.” World War I injured the film industry in France and Hollywood followed behind to dominate the film market. Even though American Hollywood had taken over the market, the French still maintained their importance with cinematic tradition. In 1997, out of the top 100 films thought out the world, 88 of them were American created and 7 of them where joint ventures but still had a significant amount of participation from America. Many individuals believe that free trade should be adopted into European cinema, but it’s said that it would create an end for European culture. However, French cinema has never been “pure”, and many find it absurd for government officials to try and connect cultural to nationality.

French government states that its economic policy for cinema trade, which currently American films is 40 percent television screening and 60 percent within theaters, is essentially securing the French film industry to remain competitive and to help further finance strong culture policy. However, the revenue from taxes on domestic ticket sales along with taxes pointed at television companies’ earnings, feed into the support fund for subsidies for these mainstream French movies. The French government continues to have a leading hand within the cinematographic production, they now have a hand in mediating the assurance that aims for economic and cultural standards are met. (Danan, M. (2000).

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Gatt) have left cinema out of its agreements but it continues the be raised into question. Talks of new GATT negations, being brought back up in 2013, is needed and France has warned that they wouldn’t start negotiations unless it was confirmed that cultural industries are excluded, seeing as how Europe is in a weaker state than the negotiations last in 1993.

The hopeless love story within the film was by far the more relatable aspect of this film. The film steadily showed the connections lost, such as that from Etienne, to the connections gained like “boy” and Coco’s aspiring love. The film was that of a romantic roller-coaster, even portraying the tragic loss of “boy”, where spectators could relate and grasp the motivation for the Chanel empire. Although the film was insightful to her “before” fame life, it lacked the connection of what gave Coco her inspiration for her iconic success. The film could have further focused on the orphanage days with the nun’s as her guardians, perhaps illustrating that her inspiration was formed from the female superiors in chic black and white garments.

While Anne Fontaine nailed the look of the film, the feel somehow was found to be lacking, apart from the romantic angle, nothing else really rang through until the last act, which was a very hastily down finale to show the tremendous progress Coco had undergone once she had closed her heart, where she had broken through a society and introduced radical changes to an industry, from hats to influencing a lot more in the fashion world.

Spectators should not approach this film with an expectation that you would learn something of the beginnings of Chanel the brand and how it became the icon of today. In fact, it's more about the love and early life of its founder. Who without her accomplishment and the name backing her, could have turned out to be nothing more than a generic, average, and perhaps even strange romantic picture. Furthermore, in relation to the on-going struggle with French cinema and struggle we can relate back to Claude Berri's response to Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, after American media utilizing their statements toward film quotas, "Dear friends, do not let those who invest in your films take advantage of you. We are not protectionists. Freedom of expression is as important to us as it is to you. We are simply demanding one sole right: to exist and thus to be able to continue to communicate with you."

Work Cited

I have a tendency to send myself on emotional roller coasters with war dramas and The Wind That Shakes the Barley took no time to significantly spike my anxiety. Paul Laverty, who wrote the film, guides the viewer through a genuine feeling plotline which horrifies through scenes of catastrophic torture and leaves the viewer longing for similar comradery. Ken Loach directs the film and navigates delicate scenes, like the one where a major character Teddy (Padraic Delaney) gets his fingernails pulled out, with flawless precision and balance. The film takes its title from Robert Dwyer Joyce’s song “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” a song centered around rebellion over a century prior to the revolt the movie displays but is more heavily based on Walter Mackren’s novel The Scorching Wind.

My review of the acting took a half-step above horrendously average after watching the scene where Damien, played by Cillian Murphy, was forced to kill a lifelong friend, Chris who gave away information about the IRA position and got the majority of the group imprisoned. This scene was by far the most emotionally provoking and truly showed the extent of personal sacrifice necessary to run a successful revolution. There was a great deal of effort put towards matching the early 20th century look which I appreciated. The vehicles and uniforms appeared historically accurate as well.

The film centers around two characters and brothers Teddy and Damien O’Donovan. Damien decides to join his brothers IRA brigade after witnessing British troops execute his friend and then abuse a railroad worker. The movie then follows the brigade raiding and killing various IRC members and barracks until a member of the IRA, Chris turns in the brigade’s location. They are all arrested, Teddy is tortured, and upon escaping jail Chris is found and executed for being a traitor. Conflict arises when the Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed grating Ireland dominion status within the British Empire. Teddy is for the treaty and those who take his side eventually begin patrolling for the Irish Free State in Irish Army uniforms. Damien and his men join the Anti-Treaty IRA and continue waging guerrilla warfare against Free State Forces. Damien is captured during a raid of a Free State barracks commanded by Teddy and is sentenced to death. The film then ends with Damien being killed by a firing squad being commanded by Teddy and then him trying to deliver Damien’s letter to his Sinead his wife.

Tensions in Ireland have always been high. Since 1691 Ireland had been controlled by an Anglican Protestant minority created by members of the well-established Church of Ireland. By the end of the 18th century the world had seen massive revolutions in France and in the United States. Ireland, however was still under the rule of the British Monarchy and this put some strain on the relationships between these two communities. Ireland was forced to pay fees to the Church of England, a reformed Catholic establishment while most of Ireland was Roman Catholic. British rule also required the Irish to send men to fight in Britain’s armed forces.

At the time, Dublin’s parliament was dominated by wealthy Protestants and Catholics and the Presbyterians in the north were not permitted to study at universities. The drive for universal male suffrage inspired the uprisings but the main purpose was to get Britain out of Ireland and reform the parliament.

These were the objectives of the Society of United Irishmen, a radicalized group of mostly Presbyterians discontent with their working class position and British rule. France’s revolution pushed the revolt underground when a planned invasion was dispatched for Ireland by France in 1796. This was intended to be an invasion of Ireland but because of weather the ships were unable to unload and were eventually dissipated into other section of the French Revolution. By 1798 tensions were high in the country and Britain fearing foreign invasion, began tightening the grip on Ireland particularly in the north. Private land was captured and the Northern Star newspaper published in Belfast was suppressed for being too radical. This led to massive revolt which was eventually subsided by massive deportation of prisoners to Australia and the 1801 Act of Union which abolished Irish legislature and merged the Kingdom of Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain. (Augusteijn, 2002)

The Wind that Shakes the Barley begins at the heat of the home rule crisis just slightly after the Irish protests for independence begin and the Irish Republican Army began to form. In 1914 Ireland was on the brink of civil war between the IRA and those hopeful of Irish home rule and the Unionists.

This film takes a Pro-IRA stance and attempts to show until the very end the necessity for Ireland to be self-governed. The film seeks to show Ireland as a completely separate entity from Great Britain and enforce the need for independence. This is an uprising generally overshadowed by the first World War and this film brings international attention to it.

After watching this film I felt generally uneasy. I liked the ending and although it was troubling to see a man have to make the order for a firing squad to execute brother, it was very well made and matched the tone of the rest of the film. If I was to change anything it would be to give more attention to the Damien’s romance.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley teaches an often overlooked history lesson through stunning camera work and accurate settings. The film balances the war and drama very well as not to over gore a viewer but also to provide representation of this historical violence.

Warning: This writing contains images and videos that may be considered disturbing to some readers. The Stoning of Soraya M. serves as more than just a movie to watch, it also serves as a platform for educating viewers on the ways in which women are treated as a result of Sharia Law in Iran. During the film, viewers follow as a woman named Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo) tells French journalist, Freidoune Sahebjam (Jim Vaviezel), about the wrongful stoning and death of her niece, Soraya Manutchehri (Mozhan Marnò). Soraya’s death, as viewers come to quickly witness, was the result of her conniving, selfish and evil husband, Ali (Navid Negahban). Because Ali wants rid of Soraya so badly, he uses the town officials and his skills in blackmail to turn the town against his wife. In the end, Ali hopes to find himself in a position that allows him to marry a younger, more subservient 14-year-old girl named Mehri. The movie begins with a blue car breaking down on what seems to be an old, abandoned highway. After sometime, a bus happens to drive by, picking up the driver and towing the car in to the nearby town of Kuhpayeh, Iran. Shortly after arriving in the town, the driver of the blue car is approached by a woman who hurriedly asks him if he speaks English. Once this woman learns that the man speaks English, she begs him to listen to a story she has to tell. After a few minutes, viewers learn that the name of this mysterious man is Freidoune Sahebjam, and his is a French journalist who is just trying to get back home. When Sahebjam agrees to meet this woman at her home, it is learned that her name is Zahra. Having been told by the mayor and mullah of the town that Zahra is just a crazy old woman, Freidoune asks her why he should listen to her story, Zahra’s answer, “voices of women do not matter in here. I want you to take my voice with you” (Brisman, 2012).

As the film continues, “Ali [plots] with the mullah to accuse Soraya of committing adultery with Hashem”, the man who Soraya works for after being forced to take the job by her husband, the mayor and the mullah (Brisman, 2012). Soraya assists Hashem with caring for his young, motherless son, Mohsen, and with general house duties. Ali witnesses Hashem’s hand brush Soraya’s and watches them chat and laugh together. Ali uses these occurrences as fuel to his fire of accusing Soraya of being unfaithful to him. In his own way of being “kind”, Ali convinces the town mullah to offer Soraya a divorce from Ali with the chance to become the mullah’s “temporary wife”, or whore. Soraya, worried for the wellbeing of her daughters, refuses the mullahs offer, which sends Ali into a fit of rage.

Ali then realizes that if he can successfully get rid of Soraya for good, he would not have to pay any child support for his two daughters, as they would have no other parent to live with but him. “As time and patience runs thin for Ali, he decides, with the assistance of the town’s leaders, to execute a story accusing Soraya of adultery and killing her for it” (Esther, 2009). Ali and the mullah then force Hashem to lie alongside them, saying that if Hashem does not do as Ali and the mullah wish, they will kill Moshen, his son. “At a decisive moment in the lead-up to the stoning, Ebrahim asks God for a sign to indicate that he should put a stop to the proceedings. At that precise moment, a travelling carnival, complete with dancing monkeys, rolls into town,” followed by the first two stones, thrown by Soraya’s father, missing (Kroenert, 2010). Hesitation can be seen across Ebrahim’s face, but the mullah sees this and pushes Ebrahim back into the crowd. When the stoning is finished, Ali is seen smiling at the sight of his dead wife, because he knows he was victorious in turning her sons’ against her, and getting rid of a disobedient wife in the preparation for a more subservient one. Viewers come to learn that Soraya’s brutally painful and prolonged death happened all for nothing because Ali does not get to marry Mehri due to her father’s execution.

The reason that I love The Stoning of Soraya M. as much as I do, is not because of the graphic nature of the film, but because of the social issues that it brings to light, issues that many American’s never stop to think about. This film directly calls out the treatment of women under Sharia Law and the barbaric act of death by stoning. This film successfully makes viewers uncomfortable, sad, angry, and most of all, curious. I for one, would have never looked into Sharia Law if I had not seen The Stoning of Soraya M. because I do not experience the laws on a daily basis. The more I looked into the background of the movie, the more curious I grew. What exactly is Sharia Law, and why is it so barbaric?

As a legal system, Sharia law is exceptionally broad. While other legal codes regulate public behavior, Sharia law regulates public behavior, private behavior and even private beliefs. Of all legal systems in the world today, Sharia law is the most intrusive and restrictive, especially against women. Because the system is so broad, it allows men like Ali, Ebrahim, and the mullah to bend and twist laws to fit their own agendas. It is a common belief amoung the Muslim religion, that If it weren’t for the Christians and the Mongols, Muslim women would still be enjoying the prominent status given to them by Muhammad. In this particular religion, surplus female babies were considered a burden and were buried alive before Muhammad came to power. After Mohammad, females were not thought of as a burden as much as they were deemed to lack common sense because their minds are deficient. As clearly seen in The Stoning of Soraya M., men did not need to have reasons to divorce their wives, but wives could not obtain divorce without permission of their husbands. A majority of Muslims say that a wife should always obey her husband.

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As David Wood makes clear in his writing Banish Them to Their Beds and Scourge Them! Muhammad’s Low Opinion of Women, women have little to no rights under Sharia Law, even when it comes to the person that they marry. “A woman became the property of a man upon marriage, and no woman could refuse a match made by her father.” They [women] are required to cover their bodies--in varying degrees in different places--for fear they might arouse the lust of men other than their husbands. The Koran instructs women to "guard their modesty," not to "display their beauty and ornaments" and to "draw their veils." Saudi women typically don a billowy black cloak called an abaya, along with a black scarf and veil over the face; morality police enforce the dress code by striking errant women with sticks. The women of Iran and Sudan can expose the face but must cover the hair and the neck. Women who do not wear the veil or do as commanded, are subject to horrific atrocities, such as being doused with acid. While the Christian religion believes that Eve was made from the rib of Adam and was also responsible for Adam’s downfall because she chose to eat from the Forbidden Tree, the Qur’an does not blame Eve for Adam’s fall. “The claim is surprising because many Muslim women grew up with the saying that ‘Eve was created out of a crooked rib of Adam’s.’ … this saying comes from the hadith (sayings of the prophet) and not the Qur’ān” (al-Hibri, 1982). While the current version of the Qur'an does not offer stoning as a form of punishment, the Hadith and Sira do. Ibn Ishaq (970) - "The adulterer must be stoned." These words were a part of Muhammad's farewell address to his people on the occasion of his final pilgrimage to Mecca. Islamic Law - "The stone shall not be so big so as to kill the person by one or two strikes, neither shall it be so small that it cannot be called a stone" The victim is intended to suffer. While Sharia Law is vague, it is not completely without morals. Actions that go against these morals include backbiting, slander, calumny and sedition. In The Stoning of Soraya M., viewers see slander in perfect action. This is even worse than backbiting, because backbiting is the disclosure of something true about somebody who does not like it to be disclosed, whereas slander is to fabricate some lies about somebody and spread them in order to harm him. Ali uses slander and calumny to create an entire story about Soraya and her actions in order to have her executed. However, being a man and therefore the most educated, Ali knows that the claim of calumny would never hold up for Soraya because it cannot be claimed as evidence in a case for crime.

The mullah justifies the need to kill Soraya by saying that her actions have shamed not only Ali and her family, but also the community as a whole. In Ignorning the Law in the Name of Honor, Gabriel Hallevy, a professor of law at Ono Academic College, proves that honor killings ignore all laws. “When a woman is murdered in the name of family honor in the country of origin, it is justified by law, since the concept of family honor justifies the killing of women in these societies” (Hallevy, 2011). Even in western societies, these killings are protected because the person responsible for the murder can claim ignorance to the law since they grew up in a society where such actions were allowed and not punished (Hallevy, 2011).