Pop Empire

Escape to Web-Print

2012-01-20T13:49:00.002-05:00

The Escapist is an online magazine, which according to their visitor’s page

“is dedicated to providing readers with the highest quality journalism covering interactive media, games, and the culture behind them.”

Five days a week it froths, covering internet-related news with opinion columns, video editorials, and irreverent reviews & humor.

Examining their layout, their offerings to the ten-second-website-viewer are: news in their industry (at the time of writing, condemnation for the SOPA act, with some coverage of the major developments in Video games), columns and videos from their employees, and advertisements for their sponsors. With bonus content available for personal information or credit card subscriptions, the joy of commercialism is in the layout, indeed!

Their perspective is Empiric while also subversive. A sum of parts, individual authors present conformative pieces with others present in apocalyptic style. The editorials tend to take a taciturn tone, such as The Tao of Leveling, a pseudodeep attempt to tie spiritual principles to life pursuits (don’t forget how faithfully reading the Escapist can only help you level up!) The language-tied-to-gaming in the article is vague-as-theology, with no prescribed objective. However, an understanding of the medium presented (specific: the Role-Playing-Game) must be acquired to understand it in full.

Contrasting, anything Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw does. His take on Role-Playing-Games is more a flaying of them. Someone who sits in the video-game corner of the site and dissects anything served to him, his appeal for content in the face of postmodern game design is phrased

“Surely every game is a "simulation" of something, whether it be flying a World War 2 fighter plane or finely slicing the buttocks of minotaurs.”

Take that, Nihilism!

With regards to the Kingdom, The Escapist is a magazine. It exists to create and distribute content with a profit motive. As a community, it may attract individuals beyond the pale of the consumerist fold. It can serve as a sanctuary or an effigy-burning ground. It’s not the best example. I find satire in the system a sign of the roots of Apocalypse. Something could grow.

1: Churches often demonize publications for not fostering “the Kingdom”. What role can the media-distribution system play in the Christian narrative? What roles does it play already?

2: What is the Apocalyptic aspect to Escapism? Where can we find, ironically, a non-escapist aspect to it?

Dancing With Dinner

2012-01-20T13:42:00.001-05:00

I recently attended one of the lectures of the January Seriesentitled Dancing With Dinner. Thespeaker was Joel Salatin, an alternative farmer who was in the film Food Inc. In his lectureSalatin talked about how we as Americans have lost our love and respect that weonce had with food and the way that we grow food. He told us about theearth friendly and natural ways that he grows food on his farm, how he stillhad that intimate relationship with the stuff that he puts on his table everymeal.

Since we watched Food Inc. just yesterday,it is easy to see how this topic ties into our class. In God's kingdom,humans are stewards of the earth, meaning that they take care, provide, andsustain the resources that are entrusted to them. In the kingdom of theEmpire, anything goes along as you can make a quick buck off of it. Thismeans that cows are grown faster, pumped with antibiotics, and crammed togetherin a tight space just so we can get cheaper more convenient beef. The same can be said for chickens, pigs, and any other animal that can beturned into a product. This heinous food cycle has become thedominate way of life in our society today, those who try to oppose it arequickly dealt with by the Empire or deemed to insignificant to be a threat. However, recently there has been increasing movement against this statusquo. We need to focus on alternative ways to feed ourselves, shop at ourlocal farmer's market, avoid mega-stores, and be more conscious aboutwhat we put into our body.

What are you doing in your life to combat our corruptfood system?

Do you still have respect for what’s on your dinnertable?

Paper Heart

2012-01-20T12:52:00.005-05:00

I have chosen Paper Heart for my second cultural artifact blog post. Although the quirky 2009 film has the look and many intentional implications for being a documentary (visible cameras, etc.), the film is actually a fictional story about the making of a documentary. This film was directed by Nicholas Jasenovec and stars Charlene Yi and Micheal Cera.
     The premise of this film is that Charlene Yi is traveling around the country to either prove or disprove the existence of romantic love, as she does not believe in it. In so doing, she meets Micheal Cera and the two begin to develop a relationship. The film is lighthearted and fun the whole way through.
      This artifact comments on everyday occurrences within the context of relationships--from the first meeting, to the development of friendship. In this case, the relationship is presented in a realistic, down to earth way. This film emphasizes the importance of community and friendship, as well as imagination. When taking a further look into this film, I am left wondering why the word 'love' is only used (with one exception) in the generic and romantic sense. The fact that believing in love, or not, depended on researching and interviews the romantic love shared between two people, and not another ultimate example of love did not leave much room for faith. The one time a different 'type' of love is explored is in one scene that takes place in a biker bar, where the bikers discuss the role of love in friendship. Overall, it was a look at the developing romantic relationship between (as fictional versions of themselves) Micheal and Charlene as well as young and old couples 'interviewed' throughout.
     One way that this romantic comedy broke the cookie-cutter mold of the genre is that there is no personal catastrophe. No one is a damsel in need of being 'saved' by love, and no one had to give up something for the sake of monogamy. Rather, it is a story of two equals spending time together and (slowly) learning to love each other. While I do believe that expressing love without an example of ultimate love through Christ is, ultimately, missing the point, this is a more honest look at human interaction than has been presented in past films of its type.

1. Why does our society idolize dysfunctional relationships in films?
2. Why do people treat each other differently when they know they are being watched? Is this a positive thing?

Paper Heart directed by Nicholas Jasenovec (Lakeshore, 2009), DVD

Teen Vogue/Artifact 2

2012-01-20T12:52:00.004-05:00

The second artifact I chose was a teen vogue magazine. It is similar to a Vogue magazine, but specifically made for teenagers(the name of the magazine is pretty self explanatory). The magazine focuses on fashion and celebrities and offers information about the latest entertainment and feature stories on current issues and events. Usually the cover has a photo of a recent celebrity along with make up tips and things about the celebrity.

The stories that Teen Vogue tells about human purpose is that even though we are made in God's image, there are products that make you look more beautiful. In the magazine, there are millions of ads that catch our eye, including name brands and beautiful models. It's hard to go through a magazine like this and not get caught up in the fashion or make up that's in it. Even though this magazine may seem like another way to sell advertisements, they do include serious issues as well, in the issue I read it had an article on smoking and what it can do to your body. However, it was only a couple pages long, while the rest of the magazine still covered make up and fashion.

Teen Vogue reveals about life in the empire is that there are things in the world that we tend to get pulled into and believe that we must have a certain product to make us feel good about ourselves. The magazine shows pictures of different models, and then has several pages with similar clothes that they are wearing, and how much it would cost to buy them. It seems that every day there is some new trend going on, or a new line of clothing or make up has just come out, and we have that urge to immediately go out and buy it because we know everyone else will already have it. It's difficult to fit into society, or the empire, without having the latest thing that's out there because then you feel left out and not on the same page as everyone else.

I personally don't wear make up at all, and the most I'll wear is just a touch of mascara. For me, make up just isn't a big deal. I don't see why I need to change myself when I'm perfectly happy with the way I look.

Discussion Questions:
1. Why do we feel the need to fit in with the rest of the world?
2. Do we ever ask ourselves "Do I really and truly need that?" before we buy something? Or do we automatically buy it because it's what everyone else has?

Joel Salatin- Dancing with Dinner

2012-01-20T12:45:00.006-05:00

This past week, I went to Joel Salatin's January Series with a few friends. Joel Salatin is an American farmer who has raised his voice to the changes in farming today. He has been in several documentaries including Food, Inc. and Fresh. Also, Salatin has written a couple books stating his opinions on the farming industry today. He described himself as a "Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-capitalist-lunatic-Farmer" in The New York Times article "High Priest of the Pasture" in 2005.

I had heard good things about Salatin from a friend who had seen him in the film Food, Inc. And after hearing that we were going to watch it in class, I figured it would be cool to go see what he was all about. After a few minutes of Salatin's speech, I was totally engaged. Not only was he incredibly intelligent, Salatin was absolutely hilarious. He talked about how meals these days have become a grazing action, not sitting down together as a family for a home cooked meal. Also, he brought up how we are not aware of where our food is coming from, we do not ask questions, we just eat. One part of his speech I found very interesting was an experiment done by young elementary school students. The students rolled up white Wonder bread into a ball and placed it into a worm compost along with other candy and snack food. In another worm compost, they put hearty wheat bread, fruits and vegetables. After a couple weeks, the kids pulled out the composts again and looked. The food in the second compost were gone and only a few pieces remained but in the first compost all the food still remained. Salatin then said, "Now why would you eat something the worms won't even it." This was a funny story but it also held so much truth. Our culture today has become less and less focused on the food we consumer and more focused on every other aspect of our lives. He said the kitchen use to be the center of the home but now the bathrooms are bigger than the kitchens. Salatin raised so many excellent points; it really caused me to think more about the food I consume.

The culture we live in today has little focus on the food we consume. Someone once told me that when we look at the ingredients in food, we are not supposed to eat anything we cannot pronounce. And looking at the ingredients, there are many ingredients that I could not come close to saying. Why do we do this to ourselves? Salatin's message and his ministry in farming can be seen as an apocalyptic. He is holding up a mirror toward our eating habits and is showing us how disconnected we have become. The food empire has been manipulated to mass produce no matter the consequences, and we are just following those standards. But, there are ways we can break away from the food empire that has been created. We can buy locally, eat locally, and become aware and active.

1. What factors make the fight against the food empire so difficult?

2. How would you address those who say organic food is too expensive?

3. How does faith effect our choices in food?

The Royal Tenenbaums

2012-01-20T12:34:00.012-05:00

Last night, I watched The Royal Tenenbaums with some friends. The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 absurdest comedy directed by Wes Anderson. The film depicts the lives of three siblings who were once child prodigies and their battle with disappointment in their adult lives. All three of their failures stems from their relationships with their father, Royal Tenenbaum, who abandoned them when he and their mother divorced. After he is kicked out of his hotel, Royal fakes cancer so he can bring his family together and set things right.

The film deals with the redemption of the Tenenbaum family, most notably Royal and his three children, Chas, Margot, and Richie. Chas has been a genius financier since birth, and expropriates Royal's house after Royal steals some of Chas's money out of his safety deposit box. After the death his wife, Chas becomes fearful and distrusting towards the whole world, until Royal saves his sons from near death. Margot, the adopted daughter of the Tenenbaums, was a very skilled playwright, but Royal's lack of support discourages her and leads her down a path of broken relationships with men. Richie was considered by the rest of the children to be Royal's favorite, which causes them to show disdain for Richie. Richie was a tennis prodigy and won the American Nationals 3 times. He has a longstanding love for Margot, which ends up costing him his career when has a meltdown in his match after he sees Margot with her new husband, Raleigh St. Claire. He eventually tries to kill himself because of this. He reveals his love for Margot, and she has always felt the same way about him. At the end of the movie, the family is reunited and all of them are redeemed through love. This movie is one of my favorites, as it depicts some of the most broken people you could imagine, and yet all of them are able to be redeemed.

1. Is the Tenenbaum family as strange and dysfunctional as the film leads on, or are they more of a parody of all families?

2. How do our relationships with our friends and family affect our ability to find redemption through Christ?

cultural artifact 2

2012-01-20T12:34:00.011-05:00

While watching TV for this artifact, I realized that society is focused around TV shows and advertisement. I caught myself eating a lot while I was watching TV, popcorn and Reese’s Peanut Butter cups are a favorite. Then I started to realize how so many of the commercials are about food, and generally it is about fast food and other “junk” food. These commercials state their opinion on how this food is the next best thing, even if it isn’t. They want to trap you in the business of junk food because once you are hooked, it is hard to break a habit. It seems that everywhere you go, the movie theater, driving down the road, malls, sporting events, all advertise some kind of food. Take the Super bowl for example. Companies spend millions of dollars on the commercial space of this most watched game. Many commercials portray the happiness and fun by the consumption of these unhealthy foods with friends, most advertisements are about beer. Well, beer is made up of carbohydrates. So what do you think will happen to your body by consuming many beers? What we don’t realize is that they have the “attractive” person doing the advertising, who is skinny and toned, when in reality, if you eat what they advertise, you won’t be like that. You will probably become unhealthy and obese. Many show the positive side of food verses the negative, not only consequences, but also the origins. If people were to even watch a half hour of Food Inc. their stomachs would turn and they would probably get sick from knowing what actually goes into their food. Most of the fast food restaurants would probably go out of business with the consumer knowledge of the quality of the food. Big companies disregard this fact because the advertisements sell. If people appear to be having fun, and the food looks good, people are willing to follow the commercials lead.

1. With the knowledge of Food Inc., are you more worried about the origin of your food?

2. How often do you watch TV? How many of those commercials that you see do you disregard?

Do It Alone

2012-01-20T12:27:00.000-05:00

A rather popular artist Kid Cudi has had influence on modern day teens from every type of house in America and around the globe. He is popular because he is talented and is different from the usual hip hop artist. He thrives off of being different and having different views from other rappers. He seems to think he is some rap god lately, even though his music has gone downhill since his first album in my opinion. One of his older mixtapes is called Kid Cudi: Demo Tape and contains some old music that didn't quite make it to his albums. Cudi quit smoking marijuana in the past year, but most of his music prior to him quitting was revolved around smoking dope and not caring what others think - songs like "Marijuana", "I Do My Thing", "Rollin'", "Call Me Moon Man", and "Maui Wowie" all express his love for weed. But one song off of Kid Cudi: Demo Tape called "Do It Alone" really embraces how different he views himself from the world.

If you know Kid Cudi, he calls himself things like "Moon Man" or "Man on the Moon", which has a double meaning. It refers to him being high most of the time (high as the sky, or in his case up to the moon), and how he views himself as an alien. No one understands him. The song "Do It Alone" really embraces this. It starts out with some high pitched outer space-like sounds. Then the music comes in slowly and you can tell pretty quickly that it is a sad song. His lyrics tell the story of him being afraid to go into the real world because he fears he won't be accepted - that no one will understand. He says "Man, I'm so comfortable here. Why should I head to a place where people live in fear?" and "But see, I'll never get why the earth is a puzzle that I'll never fit. I'm not of their world. So why should I leave my sanctuary? The whole thought of that is scary. How do I know that their kind will truly hear me out? Will they understand I'm flying from a different route?"

Although Kid Cudi does not affiliate himself with any religion, we can see by these lyrics that he is scared of being different from the real world, much like many of us are afraid of being different from the Empire. I think many of us, especially those of us that grew up in a very Christian town or went to a private Christian school, are scared to go outside of our bubble and take on the Empire. Kid Cudi describes his frustration by saying the earth is a puzzle and he'll never fit because he's not of their world. He doesn't want to leave his sanctuary - where he is comfortable. But I think to find a real glimpse of the Kingdom, we need to fight against the Empire. I have wanted to run away from these problems that cause so much anxiety in me, but I know to become stronger in my faith, I need to fight. And I believe God will give me glimpses of the Kingdom when I do this. Luckily, unlike Cudi, I don't feel like I have to do this alone. We have brothers and sisters in Christ to walk with.

Questions:

When have you felt that you are alone in this world and no one understands? Was it faith related?

Have you ever tried to run away when you feel like you're alone in this world? What has the outcome been of running?

Supernatural

2012-01-20T11:41:00.002-05:00

The second cultural artifact I have decided to choose is the show Supernatural. Supernatural first aired september 13, 2005. The Story is about two brothers named Sam and Dean Winchester. The episodes are about these two brothers as they hunt demons and other monsters that are of the supernatural, hence the title. This show portrays evil in hell is not locked by heaven anymore. Demons and monsters are on our world. The human purpose as we know is to live in Christ’s image, but on this show the human purpose is to be destroyed by the demons. Evil is always around the Winchester boys. I think that they are not being influenced by the empire, because the empire wants the perfect American life. You go to school, get a job, get married, have kids. But This life can never be for the Winchester boys. They know what is actually out there. and their destiny is to fight of the evil. Dean has always struggled with religion he does not believe in god, and if he did he calls him a “big kid with a magnifying glass, and i’m the ant.” But in the later seasons dean is a mess he keeps reliving all of his horror that he has done in his past, what he has seen, he prays to God for redemption to cleanse him, to ask for help. In the later of the episodes they interact with angels and these angels are angry with the Winchester boys, because they stopped the apocalypse from happening when it was supposed to. The angels also say that God has gone away. they do not see him anymore, almost as if he had given up. But i believe something extraordinary is going to happen. I sometimes feel that a lot of us feel that way. When we are in need and something that we ask for does not happen, or when we are in despair, we feel like god has gone away and doesn't care about us. but we know as Christ followers that is simply not true. God is always with us. This show does a good jib of showing the evil the good and the redeemed in our world today.

1.Do we sometimes feel that God has left.

2. How can we fight the evil in our own life's.

Dinner Dance Partner

2012-01-20T09:11:00.004-05:00

For my second cultural artifact I attended the January Series lecture on Tuesday, where I was enlightened and humored by owner of Polyface Farms, Joel Salatin. After hearing this lecture, watching Food Inc. in class yesterday, and now reading more about this alternative farmer, I have thought a lot about food and where it comes from. In his lecture Tuesday, Joel addressed the issues of food and how it is viewed in society today. He claims that we have "pulled away from the dinner dance partner" and that it has been replaced with McDonalds, Tyson, Kraft, Taco Bell... and so on. We now view food as mechanical versus biological. We see soil as inert, something that holds up the plants, but really soil is full of a living community of microorganisms that support life. The disrespect of the soil has also turned to the disrespect of animals- we want them bigger, fatter, faster, and cheaper. These distorted views of God's creation goes even further, where our view of humans becomes the same as that of the animals and creation.
Joel Salatin has committed his life to a "land healing ministry." He claims, "I am a caretaker of creation; I don't own it." He believes it is his responsibility to step into creation as land stewards and redemptive embassadors and embrace it as a dance partner. We need to appreciate our invisible dependent creation. This statement is so applicable to many aspects our lives. This includes the invisible microorganisms in soil, the invisible trillions of cells in our bodies, to the invisible God that created the universe. We don't realize the tremendous power and creativity of our Maker until we study what he has created. We are called to take care of this earth and enjoy it in its natural original beauty. This is what God called us to do, he cares about His creation. In the words of Joel Salatin, "God is interested in the pigness of the pig."
Studying this cultural artifact has sparked an interest in this topic of caring for creation. There are many practical ways, that we as Christians, can participate in a system that does good and allows us to participate in the Kingdom.

Discussion Questions:

In what ways does the distorted view of creation and animals extend to our view of other humans?
Where else in creation do we witness the amazing design of our Creator?
What are ways we can be stewards for God's Kingdom?

Tim Tebow

2012-01-20T09:07:00.000-05:00

Tim Tebow is no stranger. Over the past year, Americans have become very familiar with his face, his style, his stats, and also, his faith. Some fans are refreshed by the character that Tebow brings to the NFL – namely, his outspoken and unforgiving belief system otherwise unfamiliar to the game. Still, others exemplify great disdain for this Evangelical, questioning the legitimacy of his faith and ridiculing his over-the-top antics. So what's apocalyptic about Tim Tebow?

For one, there's no questioning his ability to play football. Many sports fans will disagree with me, arguing that ultimately quarterback (insert name here) is better than Tebow. I don't wish to argue that and seeing as I don't know much about the NFL you're probably right. Nonetheless, Tebow is a professional at what he does, a title that cannot be stripped from his talent insofar as he continues to play. The point is, this quarterback can and is pushing his body to its limit. Throwing a ball 80 yards into the hands of another player involves a technical set of skills. As we admire Tebow's ability to QB we are offered a very unusual and unique glimpse of God's image. In addition, Tebow is very involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, spending entire days with mentally disabled fans and their families. Argue all you want, but the fact is that this celebrity hasn't completely checked out, yet. Tim Tebow is an apocalyptic figure in more ways than one.

However, that's not the end of the story. Ironically Tebow's very public attempts at spirituality are what make me less convinced of his sincerity. In fact, after all we have learned in this class, that Tebow has to nerve to thank God for defeating another team in the middle of a stadium and a career literally fueled by the empire (consumerism) seems a bit hypocritical. The Jesus of the NFL is a Jesus who doesn't care about the poor. The Jesus of the NFL is a savior of "our sponsor." The Jesus of the NFL is more concerned about signing $11 million contracts than helping the homeless man outside the stadium. If Tebow wanted to send a Kingdom message he could start by being a voice or reason during lockout season (an exceptionally terrific example of consumerism and greed). With the type of power he has, Tebow could be an incredibly influential voice and Christian example in calling the Empire into question, particularly in his job-field. I guess all we can do is keep waiting for that to happen.

Thus, with a grain of salt and a measure of grace, I have to conclude that Tim Tebow may not be as good a role model as society has dressed him up to be. While I applaud his volunteerism and commitment to the Gospel(s), it seems like he is stuck in a pickle between the Christ of the poor and the Lord of the market. In an attempt to squeeze in both he has diluted one and the expense of the other. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to watch how he continues to integrate his faith throughout the rest of his career.

Discussion Questions
1. Do you think the act of "Tebowing" (bowing your head and taking a knee in prayer) is appropriate in end zones? What does such an intentionally public act reveal about Tebow's motives (for better or worse)?
2. Do you think cultural icons of faith should announce their religion publicly? Do we need to label Tebow "Christian" in order to appreciate the good that he does?

Beyonce's "Run the World"

2012-01-20T02:30:00.001-05:00

Beyoncé has always been someone that I looked up toand respected to a certain extent as an artist. She not only has the amazinglooks but she has the talent too. The artifact I chose was her album, 4. Thereare 12 tracks in the album and it was released on June the 24th of last year. Hermain hit was ‘Run the World’ and the whole album just portrayed her self-confidence.People were questioning her ways and calling them ‘improper.’ The fact thatthis album talks about women and them ‘running the world’ is not a bad thingbut the way she represents this in her music video can be considered inappropriate.There are so many other ways that she could have portrayed this in her video.In her big hit ‘Single Ladies’, she beams with self confidence and nothing is inappropriateabout her video – it just is her telling us ladies that we should be proud tobe single. It was interesting to think about this and with her song ‘Run theWorld’ there were several thoughts that popped up in my mind. At the 2011Billboard Music Awards, Beyoncé does an amazing performance of her new hit andthe whole performance opens up with a lot of stars, her parents and even thefirst lady herself talking about how wonderful Beyoncé is and how she is a rolemodel for all girls today. The only thing is her music video doesn’t reallyportray this in the best way it could. The whole album just shows her selfconfidence and show how much she has grown as an artist but it is pretty muchher selling herself. Some questions that I found I was asking myself were howcan women be aware of the way that other women are portrayed in the media? Howcan we resist this? Is it wrong to watch music videos and listen to music that isconsidered inappropriate according to the kingdom of God? Or is it ok as longas we know what we’re doing?

Nintendo Power

2012-01-20T01:44:00.008-05:00

Yesterday afternoon my parents mailed me my copy of the latest issue of Nintendo Power, which is a magazine dedicated to bringing the latest news on everything Nintendo, the largest video game company in the world. I've been reading NP for 12 years now, and it's substantially different now than it was then. When I first read this magazine, it had many different creative and interesting sections. There were previews, guides, hints, activity sections, contests, an advice column (for gamers), letters to the editors, polls, and more. The pages themselves often had artsy backgrounds and trivia bits on the side, and each issue had a bonus such as a poster, a demo DVD, or a soundtrack. There were around ten pages of advertisements in each issue, and eight or nine of them were video game-related. The magazine was fun and wonderful, and when I was younger, I looked forward to reading every issue I got. A decade ago, the editors loved their job, worked hard at it, and cared about their readers.

Saying that the editors are now uncaring and greedy may be going too far; however, the magazine has undoubtedly declined in quality in favor of saving time, reducing work, and especially cutting costs in its production. The guides, hints, advice column, activities, and contests are all gone, the other sections are stripped down, and the artsy touches such as the page backgrounds and trivia are replaced by solid colors and empty margins. Posters only come once every 3 or 4 issues, and any other bonus is virtually nonexistent. The worst of it is the previews, which have essentially become extended advertisements for upcoming games. They made up around 15% of the magazine when I started reading it; they now comprise roughly 75% of it. Even though I don't play games as much now, I presently find myself wanting to buy Nintendo's products more often than I did as a child. Though I'd like to believe it's because the games are better, I know it's because the previews are trying to make every game look as appealing as possible with fancy descriptions and shiny screenshots.

Nintendo Power is still a good magazine, but it's become so cheaply produced and so infused with advertisements that it's easy to see that making and saving money is a much larger part of the editors' tasks than it was a decade ago. This is likely true for all magazine editors, but it's still not a pleasant thought. What happens when magazine editors (such as those at NP) need a pay raise again? How many more corners can be cut in a magazine's production? Is there anything readers can do to fight these changes?

The Graduate

2012-01-20T01:06:00.003-05:00

The Graduate is one of the most highly celebrated films of the 1960’s. In the film, Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate, is trying to figure out his life. He has no idea of what he wants and just stares at inanimate objects all day. Benjamin is seduced by Mrs. Robinson, the mother of one a friend who he happens to like. This relationship turns into a full-on affair and sucks everything out of Benjamin. When Elaine, the daughter of Mrs. Robinson comes back into town, Benjamin falls in love with her. Once she gets wind of the affair she cuts all ties with Benjamin, who pursues he an eventually convinces her to marry him.

Simon and Garfunkel’s song The Sound of Silence, made famous by The Graduate and heard a couple times in the film, is a perfect example of our society. Towards the end of the song there is a line that goes, “And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning in the words that it was forming. And the sign said, ‘The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls.’” This is a clear demonstration of our consumerism society. We are comforted by all the flashing signs telling us to buy and what to buy. Our reality is portrayed as corrupt by bowing down and praying to false idols. The Sound of Silence is known for being in The Graduate, as well as The Graduate is famous for playing The Sound of Silence. We see humans as pleasure-seeking robots, who have no regard for consequences. Evil can stem from the most innocent of places, like Benjamin before the affair. Elaine forgave Benjamin in the end and married, so we see that redemption and forgiveness can come to those who don’t deserve it. Life in the empire is portrayed as care free. Benjamin sneaks around his parent’s backs, Mr. Robinson’s back, and Elaine’s back to attain a life that will be no use to him in the long run. The Kingdom of God is shown when Benjamin is forgiven by Elaine. Just like God had no reason to redeem us, Elaine had no reason to redeem Benjamin.

Does The Sound of Silence truly fit with this movie?

Can we view Elaine as kind of a Messiah figure?

Adele

2012-01-20T00:27:00.003-05:00

Four years ago I got onto iTunes just to browse at their growing selection. Being Dutch, I inevitably found myself on the “free download” page. The song that was up for this weeks discovery download was the song “Hometown Glory” by an unfamiliar British girl of 19 years old, Adele. I listened through the song once and immediately found the tune captivating and her mature voice ringing through my ears. Over the years, Adele has found her spot at the top of numerous music charts and become a pop culture icon with her soulful melodies; it’s almost hard to believe that this woman is only 23 years old.

Adele shows a great deal of contrast in the wild world of music now a day. With synthesizers and heavy dance beats, Adele really breaks through with her emphasis on simplicity. Not only does she show that she’s got the talent for what she is doing, but also she has an incredibly positive outlook on herself. Adele doesn’t fit the so-called “norm” of what society expects for this industry. “I like having my hair and face done, but I'm not going to lose weight because someone tells me to. i make music to be a musician not to be on the cover of Playboy." I think that in the obsessive world of Hollywood and in the music industry we can lose sight of where the real talent is because the face that comes with the performer hinders our views. It’s very clear to see that Adele truly cares about herself and the amazing talent that she has been given. After watching and discussing the film America the Beautiful and talking about the issues with appearance in class, I can really understand how having a very successful, and beautifully proportioned woman representing some of the best that pop culture has to offer can make a huge difference in the world’s views on what is truly beautiful.

Questions:

1. What has caused the music industry to change to dramatically over the years to focusing primarily on the visual and the presentation of the performer?

2. Where can we see brokenness and evidence of the empire in music and artists of today when every person has their own opinion and different taste? Is this "broken" or just something that we are not used to?

Think Before You Eat

2012-01-20T00:20:00.001-05:00

Although I had not thought of food as pop culture before, after the class discussion today and more recognition of it, I can now see how the empire permeates the entire food industry.

Yesterday at the dining halls, there were many vendors presenting their various foods in order to have us vote and hopefully be chosen to be featured in our dining halls. This was a very interesting experience. As soon as I walked into Commons, I could feel it in the air, something different: competition. Admittedly, I was drawn in. The smells, the sights, the sounds - it brought me into a new atmosphere, and rather than going to line one, picking what looked the most tasty and sitting down with my plate and drink, I skipped the like and headed straight to the booths that were giving away free food. Quickly I realized I would not be able to carry everything that was given out, and I grabbed a tray - for the first time this year. I also had no problem grabbing as many samples as possible, even some milk (I don’t even like milk). It was not until I was sitting down that I realized how much I had actually taken, most of which I ended up not eating, and how much trash it generated. It was fun, but...

But how? How did these vendors suddenly make me want to take more, eat more, consume more?

But is it worth it? Is all of this interesting food worth the trash, trans fat, and harm to the environment?

But - we fell for it. There was a line at every table, we all ate it, we all talked about it, even the nasty protein milk (which the vendor explained “isn’t even dairy until you open it, so if you put it your backpack and it warms up, you can just chill it again”)

But, there is also an alternative, which we must remember. There is a way to combat this idea of consuming without thought. We all make mistakes, but we can also all take steps.

Discussion Questions:

Does the hype of food take away our rational thoughts of what we are eating?
What would happen if we as a country chose a better way? Would we be able to fight the big companies that control the industry at this moment?

music and life

2012-01-19T22:42:00.000-05:00

For my cultural artifact post I wanted to do something music
related, but I didn’t want to go through a cd. Instead I tuned to a website
called 8tracks.com. on this site users can compile playlists of their favourite
artists and songs and share them with other users. The particular playlist I used
is called “Punk Rock Prom Queen”, and is a combination of artist like
blink-182, sum 41 and other punk bands.

These particular songs I found dealt mostly with
relationships. To these artists in these songs evil originates from a
relationship that either breaks, or when the two people don’t end up together. Redemption
is found when one accepts the other back (usually the guy accepting the girl)
or if the relationship is successful. I suppose this says quite a bit about
what the empire wants us to focus on. All these bands are not groups who would
not be considered Christian, nor do I believe any of them to profess to be
either. That being said, the empire likes to put the focus of our attention a
perfect relationship. If the empire can get us to focus on a relationship, then
it is easier for them to trap us with advertisements that show us that true
happiness can be found with two things: a) a woman on our arm and b) whatever
product they’re trying to sell.
However, I think that if we look into some of the songs a
little deeper we can find some Kingdom meaning in them. God desires that we
have a good, strong relationship and I personally feel that these songs can
give a view of what we are looking for, especially if we are not sure ourselves.
For me, being very word oriented, and gifted with a vivid imagination, I find
that I can imagine what these artists are singing about, then more easily apply
that to my own life.

1)
If you have a girlfriend, or girl you would like
to be in a relationship with, is there a song that you can hear, and then you
find yourself thinking about her?
2)
What are other things that songs can help us imagine/get
us through?

The X-Files

2012-01-19T22:25:00.002-05:00

The second artifact I have chosen to discuss is the television series The X-Files. I am not covering any episode in particular, but rather the series in its entirety. In the series, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully both are working for the FBI, and are the heart and soul of the department referred to as the X-Files, due to the fact that all of their cases involve the unexplained and the supernatural. Throughout the series, they encounter every beast, spirit, creature, and entity imaginable, but the overarching theme of the show is their quest for the truth regarding the government's involvement and manipulation of extraterrestrial life. Despite the risks of losing their positions, abduction, experimentation, jail, memory loss, and even death, Mulder and Scully attempt to pull back the curtain hiding the government's work. The main line that flashes across the screen in nearly every episode is "The truth is out there", which truly captures their determination to unveil what has been hidden from society, no matter the consequences.

Despite the fact that the truth they are searching to discover is an ugly, twisted reality, they would rather be aware and disgusted then ignorant and safe.This ties directly into many of our discussions in class, and even Emily Ulmer's discussion about discovering the truth. Just as she read a paragraph from Harry Potter to highlight Harry's need to know the truth about his past, and just as we as a class have been digging deeper into the lies the empire tells us, Sully and Mulder are also digging deeper to unveil the truth. While the truth may be deeply disturbing, it is much better that we are aware of the brokenness and distortion, rather than float through life unaware. It is only through discovering the ugly truth that we are able to discover a hope for something more.

Student News

2012-01-19T22:23:00.002-05:00

Discussing the ubiquity of consumerism drew my attention to an artifact right in the midst of Calvin College: the daily Student News email. This morning’s bulletin had several announcements:

-Group fitness

-Night of Worship

-Chapel

-Orientation board

-Wake-up weekend

-Band

-Faith and international development conference

-Community dining plan

-Art exhibit

-Breakdance party

-Film showing

-Nite-Life

-January series

What shocked me initially were the constant references to money.

-Group fitness is FREE

-Film showing is FREE

-Both Nite-Life announcements emphasize the prize money

I originally noticed this phenomenon, of putting money references (either promises of no charge or large rewards) in the subject line when I received an email announcing a dorm event that had as its subject line something about winning $10,000. When you actually opened the email, you realized that it had nothing to do with money; that had only been used to get the reader to pay attention. Draw your own conclusions.

So then I wondered, if this bulletin was someone’s only encounter with Calvin College, what values might they think we cared about?

-Getting things for free

-Worshiping God

-How awesome Calvin is

-Social justice

-Art

-Food

-Winning money

-Learning about the world

Then:

What is the purpose of humans? To do good things, and get as much money as possible while doing them

Where is evil? In the world outside of Calvin

What do Christians spend their free time doing? Exercising, worshiping, learning, watching, winning

Calvin College has a lot of great aspects, but maybe we need to start paying attention when people use money to get our attention. It says something about them…but it also says something about us. After all, it’s a consumer-driven market.

Discussion questions:

1) Where did our obsession with money come from?

2) Is it okay that Calvin's bulletin looks like this?

People Magazine

2012-01-19T21:54:00.002-05:00

The artifact I chose for my second cultural artifact post was People Magazine. It is a weekly American magazine that focuses on human interest related to pop culture. Personally, I find it to just be the lastest and greatest drama of the television, movie, and fashion industry. But needless to say, every week it captivates the attention of numerous amounts of Americans standing in the grocery store check-out isles.

The focus of the People magazine I read was on the Television show The Bachelor. This is a show in which 25 young American females get the opportunity to simultaneously date a young American “hottie” in search for true love. The magazine focused on all the backstage drama happening amongst the women on the show in their fight to win their “bachelor”. The magazine also talked about several celebrity romances and the gossip behind their romance, marital bliss, and also reasons for their breakups. Like The Bachelor as well as the other romances, I think the magazine really just gives a clear view of how the empire expresses what true love is supposed to look like: physical attraction and good sex. This was made obvious by numerous other parts of the magazine which had numerous weight loss ads, girls in bikinis, parties, latest fashion styles, nude guys advertising cologne, etc. The list could go on as every page I flipped to offered some form of attraction toward the opposite sex. I have read People Magazine before and found it to be highly entertaining, but after this class I just found it to be very repulsive. The way our society so crudely falls into promiscuity, lust, and outward appearance directly counteracts the Kingdom of God. It’s sad to see that our culture is so strongly influenced by evil and what’s important to man rather than the redemption and will of God in His kingdom and this magazine just made that all the more clear for me.

1. How as Christians how can we go against the strong pulls of our society in order to represent Christ?

2. In what ways are we allowing ourselves to get involved in the “physical attraction” of our empire?

Cultural Artifact 2- Crime and Punishment

2012-01-19T21:33:00.002-05:00

In the classic novel Crime and Punishment, the story revolves arounda poor student, named Raskolnikov, who was a man who believed that humanity wasan immoral race, whose own iniquity steered it toward self-destruction. He sawhumans as weak and feeble-minded creatures with little to no moral penitence,causing it to fall deeply into decadence, with no hope of salvation. Raskolnikovsaw how the Empire was working in his society at that time and was repulsed byit. He had the discernment that many in our society today lack when it comes tohow greatly we are influenced by the Empire in how we think, how we act, whatwe buy and so on. Once Raskolnikov saw how society was, he did not, could not,think that he was one of them, thus also sharing their fate. For him to believeso, would cause him to lose his sanity as he saw himself as part of the societyhe so despised. Therefore, to keep himself sane, he believed that a remarkableact, the murder of Aliona Ivanova, was the only way for him to keep his sanity.Ironically, in the end it was this act that slowly wore away at his mind.However because of Christianity, reintroduced through his friend Sonia, heexamined himself and saw that his exalted perceptions of himself wereincorrect. He came to realize that he was a mere human, with the same sinfulhuman nature that he so condemned and that his crime did nothing but furtherhis sin. Raskolnikov noticed that his sanity, and thus his purity, waveredconstantly because of the immorality of humanity and the society it keeps. ThroughChristianity, Raskolnikov was able to confess his sins, remain sane, andreenter into society. Similarly, Christians today must first discern theeffects of Empire in their lives, but in doing so must not believe that theyare above society, as some do, because God created us to form societies.Instead they must try to advance the Kingdom by first receiving the deliverancethat Jesus Christ provided by first taking up their cross.

"The Future of the New Middle East"

2012-01-19T21:29:00.002-05:00

I attended this afternoon's January Series lecture by Reza Aslan. Reza is an expert on world religions and an expert on the Middle East. Being a native Iranian who fled to the United States, he is especially interested in the current situation in the Middle East, and his talk highlighted the top myths about the "Arab Spring."
The fallen nature of the Middle East links very closely with the material we've learned in class, especially when talking about empire. Like in the time of the Romans, empire for the Arabs throughout the Middle East is a very real concept. It's a daily, oppressive part of their lives. The totalitarian dictators that existed until being dethroned in many countries, and still exist in some, made empire a real concept for them.
The story of the Arab spring also shows amazing redemptive power. In countries like Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt, the people rose up and overthrew the government. Dictators like Gaddafi and Mubarak eventually had to step down. This story shows the power of the people, and the power of voice. In our culture it shows us what we've taken for granted for a long time. Relating to the disquiet we often experience in our consumer society, we often feel like we have no power to affect the world at all. The Arab Spring showed how we really do have a voice if we put it into action. The flame that was lit in the Middle East displays a real desire fire and desire for change among its people. They want to reform and change their way of life for the better. We need to take their example and stop being complacent, and light up a fire of our own. This is especially true of Christians. If we were to take and live out the narrative that Jesus provides us, we could really change the world!
Others aspects that mirrored material from the class have to do with the way social media such as Twitter and Facebook had a huge impact on the revolutions, and made them possible. Overall, the lecture was very interesting and I feel like I learned a lot.

Moulin Rouge

2012-01-19T20:34:00.003-05:00

Moulin Rouge is the next artifact that I am going to blog about. If I have watched this earlier, I would’ve chosen this as my final project artifact but was too late to change it, so I chose to at least blog about this magnificent movie that clearly describe what the kingdom and the empire to us human beings in this day.

The plot takes place in the late 1890s, when a young writer moves to the district of Paris to join the Bohemian revolution. But as he writes he realizes he didn’t know how love felt and later on falls in love with a beautiful courtesan also the star of the legendary Moulin Rouge who dreams to become an actor one day. And as he is given a chance to introduce his musical play to her he is misunderstood to be the Duke who later on is obsessed about her. Satin and Christian falls into a forbidden affair with each other and later they both decide let go of everything they have for love but as they get ready, she is told that she was dying. And as soon as she heard this, she decides not to go on with the, “Forbidden love-Romeo and Juliet act.

Satin and her world were represented as the world of the empire. The idea of empire in the movie had the characteristics of materialism, class, status, name, fame glam and sin. And in the earlier part of the movie she performs a song that talks about how diamonds are a girl’s best friend. She also talks about her dream of becoming rich and famous which was possible with the Duke’s help. But later on chooses something of the kingdom rather than the things of the empire. She chose love. She could’ve gotten everything she dreamed of but instead chose what her heart longed for, Christian.

In one of the scene as she packs up and gets ready to run away she says to her dad, “You always made me believe I was only worth what someone would pay for me!” As I heard this script I was suddenly once again alerted that this could be like the advertisements that influence what we desire. Nowadays we are so strongly influenced by media, picture, advertisements and ect…When we all know that love is the greatest thing as the they also quote in this movie, “The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” Why do we all feel and long for more than what the kingdom has to offer, even though we know that things of the empire are just temporary things that last only through our lifetime? How could we avoid it?

An organic science experiment

2012-01-19T20:01:00.002-05:00

I happened to run across a link to this video today and thought it pertinent to our discussion today (and highly enjoyable):

Dancing with, and Honoring, Dinner

2012-01-19T19:54:00.000-05:00

I went and saw Joel Salatin speak at theJanuary Series on January 17^th. I was very interested in what he hadto say because I’d seen him speak in the documentary Food Inc. and also because I’m at an age where what I eat isbecoming my choice for the first time. In the coming years, I’ll be in chargeof purchasing my own food and I’m interested in what ethical food looks like. Ithought his message was a great groundwork for beginning to think in thoseways.

His speech, entitled “Dancing with Dinner”talked about how alienated we’ve become from our food. Out of a past wherefamilies came together around food, cultures defined themselves by what theyate, and seasons were reflected in our pantries; we now live in an age, Salatinsays, where food is “just a bothersome pit stop between what’s really importantin life.”

In the absence of a community or familyrelationship towards food, corporations are stepping in to fill the role offood provider. Tellingly, these corporations’ advertisements reflect thistrend. Meat packaging giant Tyson’s slogan is “feeding you like family”. Thishas become a self-fulfilling prophecy as more and more family meals consist ofthings like reheated Tyson chicken nuggets. “We used to eat together,” Salatin mourned,“now we just graze.”

“Dancing with Dinner” is an image Joel Salatinused repeatedly. In the whimsical metaphor, he referred to our food as a dancepartner that we could delight in and know. “Food isn’t mechanical!” he reiterated.Salatin was clearly passionate about his topic from the largest aspects to thesmallest. “Some people just see a handful of dirt,” he said, “but it isn’t, it’ssoil, and people don’t realize that soil is alive!” He began to move about onstage, acting out a drama where a “narwhal-type” organism was attacked by a “centipede-like”organism. Afterwards he exclaimed incredulously, “this is the real world! Thismakes Steven Spielberg look like a kindergartener: and this kind of stuff ishappening every day!”

Another concept Salatin repeated was that ofhonoring his animals and even his vegetables. He cares, he says, about the “pigness”of a pig. He farms in a way that lets the animals do the things for which theyare created. Responding to questions of whether it was harder to eat a pig thatyou cared for and knew, he said “the way that we create sacred ness is food andeating is to value the animals in a way that makes their sacrifices meaningful.”In other words, as Wendell Berry says in his essay, “The Pleasures of Eating”, “Asignificant part of the pleasure of eating is in one’s accurate consciousnessof the lives and the world from which food comes.” In the case of an ethicalfarm like Salatin’s, Berry says that “the knowledge of the good health of thegarden relieves and frees and comforts the eater.”

The obvious joy throughoutSalatin’s speech reflected the Kuyperian idea of “every square inch” of ourculture being redeemable. Though some might think slaughtering chickens andfiguring out the best way to spread manure is not a worthy task, Salatin showsa way to honor Creation in what he does, to be a part of the ecological ethicthat Walsh and Keesmaat discuss in ColossiansRemixed. When I see someone living like that, reveling in the good thingswhich God has given us and ensuring that these good things will last, I see glimpsesof the Kingdom.

“If God knows every sparrow that falls,” Salatinconcluded his lecture, “don’t you think he would care about the “pigness” of apig?” Walsh and Keesmaat agree with, “When fellow creatures, whether they beparticular animals or complex ecological systems, are in distress, when theycry out in anguish, a compassionate community responds.” What we eat has graveimplications for our planet and our fellow inhabitants. Armed with the knowledgewe’ve been given by films and books and speakers like Joel Salatin, we allshould seek to honor what we eat, to introduce ourselves, to learn from it; tofind so much joy in our food that it overflows into a dance.

Forbes

2012-01-19T19:37:00.003-05:00

Today, I looked through Forbes magazine. Forbes is a magazine about finances, business, the economy, and most importantly money. Obviously, a magazine about money is going to have a consumerist view of the world. In the context of our class, I noticed some interesting things. For example, on the second page there was an advertisement for a consulting firm that said, "When you are building an empire, there's no time for a learning curve." In this magazine, it is good to build an empire, to be super-affluent, and to be in charge of many people. There was also a page dedicated to "the winners and losers of 2011." Those who made a lot of money were winners, and those who lost a lot of money were losers. The magazine paints the picture that the chief purpose of humankind is to be successful by making large amounts of money. Wealth is central in the Empire.

But, it wasn't all bad. There was a slightly apocalyptic article about hackers exposing those who censor the internet. There was also a long segment about Japan "Rising to the Challenge" after the devastating earthquake. It praised corporate generosity between American and Japanese businesses. This gives me hope that people are capable of running a corporation with ethical practices and some compassion.

Finally, there was an ongoing article called "30 under 30". It was about 30 "disruptors who aren't waiting to reinvent the world." Turns out these "disruptors" are just finding innovative ways to get rich. Donald Glover, a successful actor, writer, comedian, and rapper was one of these people. He said, "I hope I never 'make it.' I wake up every morning saying 'got to be better.' I don't think I ever fell satisfied." That sums it up. In the Empire you will never be satisfied, and shouldn't be satisfied. It's all about more. It's good that he wants to better himself, but why wouldn't you want to be satisfied? I feel like we need hope for a better world, but we don’t need greed.

Can we simultaneously have contentment and hope for a better future?

Can corporations have generosity if profit is the bottom line?

Happy Endings

2012-01-19T19:36:00.003-05:00

For my second cultural artifact I decided to watch an episode of the show Happy Endings. This show is all about a group of friends going through the "normal" situations of life. In the episode I watched tonight (season 2 episode 12) Jane talked Penny into trying to change her boyfriend to make him into someone that she wanted him to be. Her reasoning was that it would be good for him, but taking advantage of someone like that is so selfish. In the episode, Penny's boyfriend falls for her tricks and ends up changing completely: his clothes, phrases, apartment, and everything. But Penny receives payback for what she did and in the end her boyfriend runs into his ex-girlfriend and they get engaged.

Tricking a person is not living for the Kingdom of God, in fact, trickery is a huge part of the empire. As we learned in class, from the food industries to the credit card industries, the main part of these corporations is hiding the truth from consumers. These corporations are taking advantage of the public by lying to their faces and keeping certain information away from them. They are taking the right of consumers knowing the truth, just like Penny took away her boyfriend's freedom to be who he is. In the same way, in the empire, individuality is not accepted and sometimes we don't feel like we can be ourselves. Sometimes we can get caught up in what the empire says is right and normal and we hide the truth about ourselves. We hide our uniqueness and lie to others and ourselves about who we really are. We need to make sure that we don't let the empire take away our individuality. Living for the Kingdom of God means being ourselves because God created us and made us unique and perfect in his eyes.

How can we show our individuality in an empire where people are pressured to be identical to fit in? How could this individuality affect the empire and what it stands for?

U2: inspiring music.

2012-01-19T13:27:00.003-05:00

U2 is one of my favorite bands of all time. This morning I listened to one of their albums, called “Achtung Baby,” as I was working out in the gym. Two particular songs that I listened to stood out to me, reminding me of our Kingdom versus Empire discussions in class. The first song is “Even Better Than The Real Thing.” I had initially thought this song was referring to God. However, when I searched the Internet I found that this song has a deeper meaning. The song is a play on Coca-Cola’s slogan “It’s The Real Thing.” Bono, the lead singer of U2, explained that the lyrics of this song were intended to make a statement about commercialism. Now that I realize this, this song holds an entirely different meaning to me. The song is reflective to the culture we are living in; instead of seeking the truth, people are looking for instant gratification. In our culture, we are led into believing that products of the Empire such as plastic surgery, pornography, drugs and alcohol are “The Real Thing.” As the first line of the song says “Give me one more change and you’ll be satisfied”--we believe products of the Empire will satisfy us. “Even Better Than The Real Thing” strives to make a statement about humans—we so easily buy into our culture’s lies and believe that certain products will make us happier and feel better about ourselves. In believing these lies, we follow the Empire’s way of life, rather than following the Kingdom of God.

The second song on this album that heavily makes a statement about our relationship with the Empire is called “Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World.” The lyrics of this song talk about people who are lost in the Empire, trying to gain everything from the world and experience all that is out there. This song makes it clear that our purpose is not to try to put the world in our pocket. If we choose to take that route, we will soon get tangled up in worldliness that will only leave us lost and empty. As the lyrics from the second verse say, “How far you gonna go before you lose your way back home? You’ve been trying to throw your arms around the world.” In addition, Bono sings in the third verse, “He took an open-top Beetle, through the eye of a needle,” which refers to the text from Luke 18:24-25: “Jesus looked at him now sad and said, 'How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." Overall, these two songs make a statement about our human nature-- it is all too easy for us to get wrapped up in worldliness and consumerism. However, if we follow this lifestyle of the Empire, we will only be left lost and unsatisfied.

Discussion Questions:

1. It's easy to simply listen to music like this and not take action. How can music like this

challenge us to fight the Empire?

2. How can we practice discerning music in our daily lives?

Seventeen Magazine

2012-01-19T12:32:00.004-05:00

For my second artifact I decided to read through a copy of Seventeen Magazine. This magazine is produced specifically for teenage girls. Fashion, boys, beauty and fitness are all major focuses within each issue. As a 15 year old high school teenager I read this magazine quite often, taking everything it said to heart. Now that I’m a bit older I looked through it and realized it isn’t anything I want to try and live by anymore, it’s just another thing to read when I have nothing better to do.

Thinking back to my 15 year old self, I really fell into this magazine and its hypocrisy. This magazine makes an attempt at talking about “true beauty”. It has an entire section about “true beauty” and then on the next page has an entire section on how to do your make-up correctly and all the ways to “make him drool”. This says plenty about the life in the empire. This magazine is something that many young girls feed into. Young girls read this and really take it all to heart. Therefore they feel they need to do their make-up the way the magazine says in order to reach “true beauty”. The empire is all about making us feel as though we are never good enough. It’s taught us that enough really isn’t enough. The empire has also taught us that if we aren’t impressing people then there is something wrong with us. No girl should be trying to “make him drool” with her make-up. This kind of message is completely unnecessary to feed into a young girl but this magazine takes part in it because the empire has taught us that it’s acceptable. Another way that life in the empire is exemplified through this magazine is in the fashion section. Yet again the magazine shows a little bit of hypocrisy here. On one page it discusses how we should all sign an agreement to love our bodies no matter how we are built. Then on the next page it gives examples of all the different body types from “curvy tummy” to “hourglass” to “petite” and what clothes make those specific body types look the best. So again young girls read this, pick out what body type they are, and go out to find all the “perfect” clothes to make them look good. The reality is that these young girls will never be “perfect” therefore this magazine should be teaching less about how to get the “perfect” outfit and focus more on how to be a better person. Personally, I think that would be a better message for young girls, yet I understand the empire has taught us that those things are not as interesting as “making him drool” or gaining the “perfect” outfit. How can we, as young women, be examples to these teenage girls and influence them against falling into this magazine and its hypocrisy? Are there ways we can show them that there is much more to life then “making him drool” or having the “perfect” outfit?

Blood Diamond

2012-01-18T23:40:00.002-05:00

I recently watched a film called Blood Diamond with a few of my friends. At first I did not think I was going to like this movie because it seemed historical and “educational,” and I usually just like to enjoy funny or love movies. But, this ended up being a spectacular movie; definitely on the top of my list of favorite movies and one I would recommend to anybody.

The basic plot of the movie is about a man named Solomon who gets captured by the RUF and gets put to work as a miner, looking for diamonds (which will be smuggled into other countries for profit). While this is happening, his son, Dia, along with hundreds of other young children, are taken in by the RUF and brainwashed to be a part of their army. One horrific scene shows these little kids, around 13 years old, shooting prisoners as if it’s nothing. One day while Solomon is mining, he finds a very large pink diamond and tries to hide it, but a guard sees him, but before he can do anything about it, the mining field gets attacked. Solomon ends up in jail, and the guard that saw him burry the diamond yells out deliriously about it, while Danny Archer, a man who smuggles diamonds from Africa to other countries, overhears this. Danny gets himself and Solomon out of jail, and Danny’s boss demands that he gets some of the pink diamond money, once Danny finds it. Danny finds Solomon and tells him that if he helps him find the diamond, he will help Solomon find his family. Along the way, the pair is joined by an American journalist named Madi, who is trying to tell the secret of this illegal diamond exchange, the “blood diamonds.” The rest of the movie is about these three fighting to find the diamond and help end this horrible situation, where many Africans are being forced to work as miners and not getting any of the profit because the diamonds are smuggled into other countries.

This movie has clear examples of both the empire and the Kingdom of God. First off, the horrible and unethical treatment of these Africans is clearly the work of the empire. The sole purpose of this diamond industry is to make money, at the expense of others. The “good life” portrayed in this movie is buying big diamond rings and necklaces, while the Africans finding these
diamonds are treated so horribly and do not getting any of the profit. The army and guards are so willing and easily able to shoot and kill anyone who goes against their demands even slightly. But while all of the fighting and exploitation is occurring, there are glimpses of the Kingdom of God as well. At first when Danny asks Solomon for his help to find the pink diamond in exchange for the help to find his family, this is all out of the selfish desire of Danny. But at the end, when Danny gives the diamond to Solomon and his son, is a shining example of him thinking about others rather than himself, an admirable quality of people living in the Kingdom of God. I got shivers throughout my body thinking about how selfless Danny was at this moment. He had spent so much time looking for this diamond, hoping that the profit would get him out of this country and this business, but he so gladly gives it up to a newfound friend and someone truly in need of it. This encourages me to really stop and take a look at my life and see what things I actually need and what things I think I need but I do not, and how giving away some of these things or time or money or resources could really help someone in dire need. This film also demonstrates to me that there really can be beauty amidst all of the ugly in this world, which is apocalyptic- glimpses of the Kingdom of God breaking through into the here and now. I think, in this situation, we as Christians first need to educate ourselves about this issue and not ignore it simply because it is halfway around the world and we think we cannot do anything about it. We cannot grow numb to these things because that is what the empire wants to happen, so it can continue doing its evil work.

1. Why should we as Christians care about what is happening half way around the world in a different country?
2. Is there anything we can do that would help a situation such as this one?
3. What are some little ways that we as Christians can shine the light of the Kingdom of God in this dark empire?

American Idol

2012-01-18T22:52:00.003-05:00

Tonight, I embraced my feminine side as I decided to partake in the viewing of the American Idol season 11 premiere. I watched the crazy Steven Tyler, beautiful Jennifer Lopez, and cool Randy Jackson examine America's up and coming singing talent as they graced across the stage. However, although this show brings plenty of entertainment, it also brings about plenty of insight on how America views people and what America perceives to be the norm of society.

While watching American Idol, I found many scenarios that could relate to the class and its topic of the Empire. The first thing I noticed is how America perceives physical beauty to be an important characteristic of any person. American Idol would continually showcase beautiful women such as NBA cheerleader Brittney Kerr and volleyball player Shannon McGrane. It was obvious that American Idol clearly admired these women's looks and were more than willing to show their audience what the ideal singer should look like. Also, American Idol depicted how Americans love to have fun at others' expense. With silly music in the background, the confident Joshua Chavis and African immigrant Mawena Kodjo were presented as dorks before they sang their songs terribly to America's amusement. I too found myself laughing at these men, succumbing to what the Empire wanted me to perceive as "just good fun." Finally, American Idol showcased how vulgar language has become a normal part of society. It almost felt like the viewer was hearing an alarm clock because of the many times Steven Tyler or an angry contestant would utter a swear world. For these reasons, American Idol relates heavily to what we are learning in class and I was glad I could realize these cultural dilemmas as I watched it.

1. What are other ideas on people that the Empire wants us to believe?

2. Do you believe American Idol is a show worth watching, despite its various representations of the Empire?

3. Do you believe that it is morally wrong to laugh at a struggling singer who is performing on American Idol? After all, you do not know them.

Corn Becomes Us

2012-01-18T13:48:00.001-05:00

KingCorn is a documentary about people. Slovenly people. People whose cultural motivesthrust their diet to homage of a single vegetable, the titular Corn. Thepresence of Corn in everything we eat is a shocking revelation when placed in context of EverythingWe Eat.

The Crew (two young men) trace theirrespective family lines to Small Town Iowa, where they plan to farm an acreof Corn. They begin this journey, incidentally, because they discover the elements of Corn in their hair. Their perspective, illustrated here, is that the foodindustry is skewed towards the overproduction of an inferior system. Their research,allowed, startles.

Viewingthe supply side of the equation, they spend nine months with their acre,growing and harvesting. This involves surprisingly little work. The Plantingprocess revolves around buying bulk seed, then spreading it over the field viaoversized fertilizer pods. They then have roughly two months off until theyhave to buy and spray fertilizer/pesticide. The process is impersonal. The Cornis inedible. It needs processing to become food-like.They connotation the film asserts is that corn is overproduces, heartless intreatment of the “family farm”, which is ceding to massive single-farm plots.

Following the corn, it becomes ourfood. The camera contrasts massive tubs of corn syrup to huge herds of corn-fedcows, unhealthy and pained. The trail injects itself into our beef, our drinks(commented by a doctor as “liquid candy”). As fast food restaurants slide bytheir car, the ubiquity of Corn sinks in.

“People who grew up inour generation are basically made of Corn.”

KingCorn attacks our Corn-Following industry, something out of proportion andbefore us. The final scene of them playing in their empty acre (which theybought from their support farmer) in the middle of a new, Single-Farm plot,invites reflection. How far is enough?

1: How is Children ofthe Corn a prophetic title in reference to our generation?

2: What Kingdom perspective can we exercise in how Wepurchase and regulate out diet?

King Corn

2012-01-18T13:45:00.000-05:00

When we think of cornproducts images of popcorn, corn on the cob, and corn bread come to mind. But what if I told you that corn can be found in almost every type offood product that is sold here in the US; from Gatorade to hamburgerscorn can be found in nearly every part of our daily diet.

http://www.sustainabletable.org/features/articles/kingcorn/

The documentary KingCorn examines this new phenomenon that is sweeping acrossour nation. It explores the rise of the mega farm and the inventions of newhybrid forms of grain. The family farm can no longer survive in theUnited States. The review posted above accurately examines thefilm. It shows how we no longer even grow edible corn. The corn thatwe grow is used for two main things: high fructose corn syrup and animal feed. A farmer in Iowa can actually no longer feed himselfwith the crops that he grows. This is a sad reflection on whatagriculture has become in the United States.

While the movie doesnot explicitly state ways that we can change this new way of farming,there are things we can do to help out our local small scale farmers. Wecan buy local foods, avoid large supermarkets, and be more conscious about whatwe are putting into our bodies.

Who Killed the electric Car?

2012-01-18T13:10:00.002-05:00

The documentary I viewed, Who Killed the Electric Car?, addressed the rise and fall of the EV1, a fully electric car that was first produced in 1996. The car was created by General Motors in an attempt to cut down on oil consumption and pollution. Several hundred were produced and introduced to the streets of California. However, due to an interlocking web of issue involving oil companies, car companies, the government, the consumer, and hydrogen fuel cell, the car was sadly taken off the streets and destroyed.

This truly gives a glimpse into the length that companies will go to in order to obtain money and power, even if it means sacrificing a car that would drastically cut down on pollution and gas expenses. An aspect that film did not touch on quite enough, in my opinion, was the role of the consumer in relation to the price of the car. What was not explicitly mentioned was the fact that that car was in fact extremely expensive, and therefore would not have even been an option to the majority of the U.S. population. However, I did appreciate the fact that the film made me pause and consider how little thought I put into what I drive and what impact that has.

Capitalism: A Love Story

2012-01-18T12:58:00.000-05:00

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times wrote a review on the documentary film Capitalism: A Love Story by Michael Moore. It’s hard to say if she agrees with Michael Moore about the idea of Capitalism. But in the same way, Michael Moore doesn’t know what action to take to stop Capitalism. He’s just giving out facts and opinions. This is what Dargis is doing with her review. She claims that he has good timing and his heart is in the right place. She even says that some of the film is moving. I would have to agree with Dargis.

Along with Dargis, and apparently Michael Moore, I’m not sure what to do about Capitalism. After this film, and some apocalyptic thought from this class, I know that if America continues down this path of greedy Capitalism, there won’t be much left of this Earth at the end of this century. I am disgusted with the Empire we live in, but I don’t know what actions to take to make our world more like the Kingdom.

God doesn’t call us to be successful, but to be faithful. If we look at the big picture, it’s already over and we don’t need to be successful. Jesus died on the cross he was successful for us. It is finished. And if you think about it, how can we be successful? The only way to be truly successful is to be faithful. Through our faith, God will bring His own success. He will make us successful in whatever His will is. I think through this class and from watching this film, I know I am supposed to change how I’m living. Whether it’s stopping my mindless consumption, being part of a corporation that is about the world and not about me, or fighting to take down corporations that are killing God’s earth and adding to Satan’s Empire, I know I need to do something. I’m not sure what my next physical move will be, but I think we are called to be more faithful and prayerful and see what God wants us to do to further His Kingdom.

Review: http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/movies/23capitalism.html

The End of The EV1

2012-01-18T12:31:00.001-05:00

       What if I told you that we could buy a comfortable car that gave off no emissions and used no gasoline, made by the reputable General Motors Corporation? Then, what would you say if I told you that this car, the GM EV1, was already designed and manufactured 457 times over by 1996 but was taken off of the market and literally destroyed?
       Who Killed The Electric Car is a documentary by Chris Paine that explores the reasons that this car was created, and ultimately, destroyed. This film makes the viewer aware of the depleted oil supply, the environmental crisis that we find ourselves in and, therefore, the pressing need for sustainable energy. The state of California even proposed a mandate in 1990, requiring all automobile manufacturers to offer one zero emissions model. The GM EV1 could have been the 'perfect' sustainable car. It ran with no emissions for up to 100 miles on a single charge and had all of the interior features that consumers have come to expect in new cars. However, even after production, this car was never available on the market beyond a brief stint of leases that ended up being repossessed and literally crushed. What happened?
     The film discusses the multiple factors that played a role in the death of the electric car. One theory is that big oil companies were nervous about the threat it would make to their industry. Another theory is that a lack of consumer interest for the EV1, and an increase of interest in the production of the Hummer, showed that the general public was not ready to widely accept such a model and justify continued production. Whether the auto industry makers, the big oil companies, or even consumers are to blame for the death of the electric car, one thing is clear. Now 6 years after the release of this documentary, and 12 years after the death of the sustainable EV1, it is now time for a solution. We have drilled and used more oil, have released tons upon tons of toxic emissions into the air that we breathe and are settling for buying and driving cars that are far from ideal.
      While this film was a lot of facts and not necessarily entertaining, I found it to be very helpful and eye-opening. It made me think about the choices I make as a consumer and as someone who drives and will support the automotive industry, probably for the rest of my life. Viewing and discussing this film encouraged me to be a responsible citizen in regards to my buying and driving habits.

   1. Why should we be concerned about oil today when we still have it readily available to us at gas stations all over town?
   2. Does America pay its fair share in gas prices?
   3. How much would you be willing to pay for a car such as the EV1? Would you consider driving it at all?

Dorm Film- King Corn

2012-01-18T12:30:00.003-05:00

King Corn. The title alone suggest the importance of corn. I knew there was a lot of corn out there. What I did not know is how prevalent it is, it's all over. Throughout the movie I was surprised time and time again at where the two guys who made the documentary were finding corn. Possibly the most shocking was when the found corn in their hair!

http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/movies/12corn.html

Here is a review that the New York Times did on this documentary. In the review the writer suggest that the film was not well done. That there was no sense of urgency from the film makers. No way to avoid this thing we call corn. It leaves the audience with a response like, "okay corn is everywhere better get used to it."

I fully agree with the reviewer in the New York Times. While the movie did a good job showing that corn is almost in everything we eat or buy it did not offer a solution or give any real good arguments. This is an issue that needs to be dealt with. We can't just say oh boy there is a lot of corn in our stuff. We need to be proactive do something about it. This movie offered no such solutions. Leaving me feeling empty at the end of the film. I would not crown King Corn a good documentary.

Maxed Out/Film Post

2012-01-18T10:44:00.004-05:00

Maxed Out was a different way of looking at how we spend money on things every day. I knew the basic principles of owning a credit card and how you can use a credit card any time you want to pay for things, but eventually the bill comes and you owe for what you spent. The beginning of the movie started out in Las Vegas with a woman who was telling about the houses there. She explained that the amount of people spent on the house was doubled when they were trying to sell it. It was ridiculous because she even talked about how people wanted elevators in their houses!! It seems to me that houses are now turning into malls instead of actual houses. It was shocking to hear that Americans are $9,205 in debt, of course, it is much greater now since the film was in 2006. The documentary mentioned two reasons why people have credit cards: 1. They can't file for bankruptcy and 2. They can't make minimum monthly payments forever.

As the film continued, I saw how the system worked. It was scary to think that if you owned a credit card, people could track you down and tell you what you have purchased or even where you are. I know it has happened a couple of times when we lived in Texas, we would head up to Michigan for the summer and the credit card company would call, asking if we were aware that a person had bought gas from a gas station using our credit card. Then, we had to explain that we were fully aware because we would travel to Michigan for the summer. Still, having someone know that information about you is the same as if they had an actual tracker on you at all times. Something that I found completely shocking was that the bank's #1 concern is selling experience. No other experience was required. For me, it seems hard to believe. All they need is a person who can manipulate others into buying something and that's all they're looking for? It's ridiculous. They also showed in the film how credit card stands would be set up on college campuses, and the students would be so vulnerable to have a credit card while they were away from their parents. There were two mothers of students who explained how their children raised up such a debt, and in the end committed suicide because the debt was just too much to handle.

I do agree with the review of the film. Even though the documentary was a little harsh to watch, it still had a big impact. It showed how they could be savage to President Bush, several times showing how the MBNA went into effect. The documentary was also a little hard to follow because there was no narrator, so it was difficult to tell which story involved what and what was happening. The film prompts me to make a different choice about things in my life by being careful with how I spend my money. I don't own a credit card, but I do own a debit card, and I have experienced where I have come close to spending almost more than what was within my limit. By watching this film, I've learned to not let debt get the best of me and to be careful with how I handle my money. The last thing a person wants to be in is debt.

The only 2 questions I had were:
1. Why do we use credit cards on such small things?
2. Why do we need so many credit cards?

Maxed Out review link:
http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/03/09/movies/09maxe.html

Cultural Artifact 2 - January Series : Dancing with Dinner - Joel Salatin

2012-01-18T09:42:00.003-05:00

Earlier today, my friends and I attended the January Series that we've been waiting for the last two and a half weeks. The speaker, Joel Salatin, gave a humorous, but yet succinct and moving presentation on conventional food paradigm. The first time when I first got to know about him was through the movie Food Inc. that I watched a couple of times in classes. His opinions on farming, food, and corporations were very interesting and touching, so this opportunity to listen to his presentation for a full hour was an exciting experience to me.

He talked about how food were meant to be, should be made and served, and produced. It sounds like a old styled farmer trying to defend his business, but he supported his opinions with irrefutable scientific evidences and most importantly, God's will in His creations. His Christian point of view was something that I did not find in the film, so I was very impressed once again.

Some of the main points he stressed in his presentation were that living things can heal, we need to treat living beings with noble ways, there are reasons why things are the way they are, and we need to embrace the way that God wants us to.

Nowadays, the food we eat, vegetables and and animals that provide us food, and the corporations and technologies that grow them are not what we think they are, the way they are supposed to be, and the way God has designed them to be. In this day, when the technologies and human cleverness that we embrace try to manipulate God's Kingdom, Salatin is saying that we need to take a look back and think about ethics, and God's Kingdom.

How did He create us? what was the purpose of His creation of human and every living things? how does God want us to become better stewards of His creations? These are the questions we face today and we really need to think about them hard so we can one day stand in front of God, and not be ashamed of our lives.

Questions:

1. Technologies advance and they improve the qualities of human lives. But, compare to the past, are we really living in improved life style?

2. Salatin has an opposing view on eating food that is made of ingredients that we can't even pronounce. Then, are we supposed to refuse eating manufactured foods?

Capitalism: A Love Story

2012-01-18T01:19:00.000-05:00

One of the main points of a documentary is to show a corrupt part of reality and expose it the the public. The film makers use fact-based arguments to persuade the viewers to usually do something about the problem. In Capitalism: A Love Story, Michael Moore takes facts that have little or no relevance to the problem and use them to make a point. Most documentary makers do this, but Moore takes this to the extreme by being so blatantly obvious with this by not trying to hide or conceal these facts in the movie. One of the most obvious examples of this to me was when he was talking about greed. He talked about Columbine High School, the place of the fourth deadliest school shooting in our nations history. He said that the company that employs the most parents of Columbine students is a weapons manufacturing plant. If you think about this, what percent of parents at one high school are usually employed by a single company? I’m guessing that the percentage of parents working at this plant is less than 5% and is a mere coincidence considering what happened at Columbine. Moore said that these parents were too blinded by greed and need for income to notice that they were promoting this kind of activity. In other words, Michael Moore tailors the facts in order fit his needs.

In Capitalism: A Love Story, Moore also plays with the viewers emotions unlike any documentary I’ve seen. When talking about the “dead-peasants” he plays sad music and zooms in on the faces of the children who had lost parents, while major corporations made a profit on them. It is simply human nature to sympathize for these kids and believe Moore’s argument is valid. Dana Stevens, a writer for Slate, says, “The scene makes you cry, yes—who wouldn't when hearing how a little girl asked whether she could cut a hole in the hospital wall to see her mother one last time?—but it seems like something you shouldn't be allowed to see. Once again, Moore's goodhearted aims come into direct conflict with his bludgeoning tactics.”

The facts in this movie were very loosely connected. There were sections of the movie where he made good, valid points, but they did not do anything to further is point that capitalism is evil. Overall, I did not like the movie one bit. I felt that Moore was very irritating and infuriating with the things he did and said. I would not recommend this movie to anyone, unless they wanted to see an example of how not to make a documentary.

Ste Stevens, Dana. Capitalism: A Love Story. Slate, 17 Jan. 2012. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. <http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2009/09/capitalism_a_love_story.html>.

Reel Injun

2012-01-18T00:22:00.001-05:00

I watched documentary film, Reel Injun, for my film viewing. The director,Neil Diamond, travels across the country telling the story of Hollywood’sportrayal of Native Americans on the big screen throughout the century. I agreewith Avi Offer’s review, found at bhttp://www.nycmovieguru.com/june14th10.html#reelinjun. He says that it effectively andengagingly tells the story of the Native Americans through Hollywood’sportrayal. I agree with him in that it gave me a new perspective on NativeAmericans. I knew that movies had portrayed Natives in a certain light, butwasn’t sure exactly how, and didn’t understand the history behind it beforewatching the film. It highlights stereotypes we’ve given Natives. These includethe noble savage, which was created through films in the early 1900’s. As thecentury went on they were transformed in a derogatory way as worthless and verysavage. In this way the historyhighlighted the transformation of their view through Hollywood.

This filmis very revealing and prompts me to change the way I think. A major way is tobe weary of stereotypes. The movie shows how people outside of a group cangreatly influence the general view of that group that we take. We need to bemore weary of the media, and test things that we take in. In the movie, theyoung native children played “cowboys and Indians” just like other children,and are influenced as much by the outside as we are. This shows just how muchinfluence the media has. I think the documentary is also calling us to listento the voices of the minority. When we listen to outsiders, we aren’t hearingthe voices of the people within. We needto be more attentive to hear the stories of people, to get an accurate pictureof the lives.

Dorm Film Post

2012-01-17T23:18:00.002-05:00

"America the Beautiful" was a perfectwake up call for me. The whole film opens up with Elizabeth Arden talking aboutwaist lines. She looks absolutely gorgeous. Then we move on to seeing severalmen and hear their opinions on what they think the 'perfect woman' is. I wasoffended from the beginning of the film. The director then opens up and talksabout how he had a woman who was great but they didn't get married because hethought that he would find someone better than her. Then the next thing we see?A tall, thin, super model. If I hadn't have previously heard about her, I wouldhave never guessed that she was only twelve. Gerren Taylor got scouted because her momthought it would be ‘great idea.’ Gerren and her mom would’ve never thoughtthat Gerren would be turned down by the fashion world. I read an articlerelated to the film and share similar feelings with the writer. There is no wayone can watch this documentary and not feel pure rage, especially as a woman.It represents my perspective on the film perfectly. The whole fashion industryhas become simply out of control. But not only is the fashion industry, oursociety in general slowly deteriorating.

The film prompted me to change the simple thingslike looking at women in the media and longing to be that skinny or that ‘beautiful.’One change that I am making is not wearing makeup everyday but only wearing iton special occasions. I feel confident in the way God made me and I want toshow it.

Ebert, Roger, “America the Beautiful,”rogerebert.com (May 9, 2008), http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080508/REVIEWS/277581949/1023(accessed January 17, 2012)

Who Killed the Electric Car?

2012-01-17T22:51:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time, there was an electric car, but now there is not. So what happened? Wheres the story? Who Killed the Electric Car? This film is a documentary discussing the rise and fall of the electric car and who/what factors are to blame. Nick Schager of Slant Magazine gives a review that I found myself siding with ( http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/who-killed-the-electric-car/2204). He comments that the film "attempts to humanize the vehicle, including a silly mock funeral staged by vocal supporters and a former GM employee's sad visit to a car museum to visit on of her 'babies.'" The film attempted to give life to car that I actually hardly remember being on the road. I found it very hard to connect to the film because of the fact that I was not old enough to remember the actual debates of the car. However, the film did make excellent points towards the forces that often contribute to these decisions. It brought up several "culprits" of who is responsible for the elimination of the vehicle: from oil companies to the government to a competing Hydrogen Fuel Cell studies. Each group had aspects in which they were responsible. As in the situation of the electric car, we can see these same groups dominating our culture today, from the government to the consumers. They have such power over so many areas. In the film, we saw protests try and act against the decisions to eliminate the electric car, and they were very unsuccessful. After watching the film, however, I felt a bit frustrated. My group discussed how much more aware we became after watching this film. I realized how much power some groups have, but how everyone has a hand in the process. The government, oil companies, competing alternatives, and consumers all have some power in today's capitalism. It is our job to become aware and stand up for what we believe. As Schager says, "Such drippy sentimentality, however, can't overshadow the inescapable impression left by Pain'es timely doc that, when it comes to pointing fingers over our highways' glut of inefficient SUVs and Hummers, everyone's partially to blame."

Dorm Film Post - America the Beautiful

2012-01-17T22:24:00.001-05:00

In the documentary, America the Beautiful, the narratorDarryl Roberts films the life of a preteen model with commentaries from avarying set of individuals. A review I found about the film was in a websitecalled Blog Critics and was writtenby an author, Jennifer Williams, who held the same views as I did regarding themovie. Williams expresses thankfulness to Roberts for bringing together clipsfrom the reality of the fashion industry and the reality of how it is detrimentalto the way people view themselves, especially young girls. The author thenproceeded to interview her readers and received a similar response as thereaders expressed a low self-esteem in matters of beauty. I believe that boththe work of Roberts and Williams unfortunately presents the mindset of arapidly growing portion of America. Many of the people interviewed and thestatistics gathered show how society takes something so integral to humans as theconcept of beauty and twists it in a self demeaning and unhealthy way. Industrieslike the fashion and advertising industry, have a major part in shaping thisconcept. The many who look at magazines, models, ads, movies, and televisionshows are bombarded with a sense of what is beautiful that only a smallpercentage can achieve. The industries doso for profit, saying that it is cheaper to make smaller clothes and thatbeautiful women sell products better, neglecting what their choice does to somany people, especially women. Viewing this film would help people questionwhether or not their concept of what is beautiful is truly theirs. It will makethem conscience of how their off-hand comments may affect the other. And itwill cause people to see the beauty in someone because they themselves perceivebeauty in them, hopefully while boosting a couple of egos along the way.

http://blogcritics.org/video/article/movie-review-america-the-beautiful/

Don't see it

2012-01-17T22:12:00.001-05:00

I did not like this film one bit. I think Michael Moore is a complete idiot. I know I may be harsh but I believe that is the truth. In fact I have found an article that shares the same beliefs that I do. Paul Shultz, A business Professor at the university at Notre Dame, says “He is wrong to claim that capitalism has failed. For most of us, the financial crisis of 2008 has meant disruption in our plans. For those who lost jobs and homes, the hardship has been stiffer and more enduring. But even so, the crisis hardly has amounted to a wholesale collapse in our way of living.” (Shultz) So right here we see a flaw in Michael Moore’s statements. Professor Shultz then goes on to say “although this will be a matter for study and debate for years - much of the responsibility for the financial crisis also lies with government. Artificially low interest rates, government pressure to lend to borrowers who were not credit-worthy, and the actions of government-sponsored enterprises were among the causes of the crisis.” (Shultz)

In the movie Moore also calls Capitalism evil. This is simply not true. I can believe that some business practices may not be ethical, but Moore does not have the right to call the whole system evil. Further in the article Shultz debates, “Moore’s statement that “capitalism is an evil” makes no sense. Evil is a characteristic of people and their actions, not an economic system. People who work in business - that is, capitalists - are not inherently less moral than those who work in government or nonprofit organizations. In Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s words, “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”(Shultz) This film did not want me to change any of my beliefs. In fact the film made me stronger about defending capitalism, and stoping socialism that so many corrupt politics believe so much.

1.Shultz, Paul. "Why Michael Moore is wrong about capitalism." Mendoza College of Business. N.p., 5 Nov. 2009. Web. 17 Jan. 2012.

http://business.nd.edu/ask_more/commentary.aspx?id=4649

Filmpost - Who Killed the Electric Car?

2012-01-17T21:40:00.003-05:00

Last Wednesday, some classmates and I watched the film Who Killed the Electric Car?, the film about the development, production, commercialization, conflicts and, destruction of the electric car EV 1 in California. Before watching the film, I had no idea about that kind of car even existed before, but as we were watching, I got to know about the background of the production of EV1's and finally destruction. In 1990, the California Air Resources Board passed the Zero-Emission Vehicle mandate, car companies were required to make electric cars to continue with their gas-powered car production. But, because of continuous pressure from oil companies, suits by car companies and, CARB's reversal of the mandate forced the production of EV 1 to stop. There were many good reasons in development, and also many complicated pressure in destruction as well. After watching the film, my classmates and I had a brief discussion about it, and our common opinion/thought were that we need to become better stewards of God's world and that this world is not ours, but a borrowed one from our next generations. I also think that car companies should pursue on production of electric cars because, we are now facing scarcity of our natural resources and as time goes on, it will only get worse. But in the other hand, I think we first need to find an alternative way that will allow us to replace the position of oil that controls a big part of global economy. Without the back up plan, commercializing electric cars will only bring confusion and chaos. I hope to see the day when we can find out the way to solve this complicated problems well.

Attachments:

http://www.web2carz.com/blog/everything-else/opinion-who-killed-the-electric-car

http://washingtonexaminer.com/node/450531

P.S. - Thanks Cole for hosting the film and cheez-its.

Maxed Out

2012-01-17T21:16:00.003-05:00

Last week Wednesday some classmates and I watch the documentary Maxed Out, which addresses the entrapment of credit card debt. Going into this film, I had little knowledge of credit cards. After watching this film, I realized there is even more I did not know. This video was originally created by James Scurlock to find humor in the crazy spending habits of people with credit card debt, but the realities of this issue really showed through in these people’s lives, and caused the producer to turn the film more emotional and serious and less humorous as he focused on the stress and turmoil these people were in.

This documentary definitely made me more aware of the debt crisis in America. This film was produced in 2004, so I am sure the situation has only worsened since then. The lenders giving out the money target the lower working class. I believe that they are partially responsible for the debt crisis because they make it very easy for these people, who may already be in debt, to get multiple credit cards, knowing that they will have trouble pay it back; and that is where they make the profit.

Although this film had many informative pros, there were also some flaws. A review on this film addresses many of the same concerns our group discussed after watching the film. One is the lack of a narrator. I think a narration throughout the film would have helped to tie everything together and connect the dots, because at times I was a bit lost. The movie seemed to focus on the emotional side of debt crisis, and tug at the heartstrings a bit. While it was terrible to hear stories of families in turmoil, people going missing, and teens committing suicide because of credit debt, the movie seemed to lack focus on the subject of personal responsibility. Everyone interviewed, were shown as victims of the lenders.While it is true that the credit industry does target the poor, we need to realize many people are in debt because of poor decisions. I believe as Christians, we are called to live and spend responsibly. I also realize that we must be informed and knowledgeable on this topic, and therefore able to discern if a credit card is a wise choice.

Maxed Out

2012-01-17T20:51:00.005-05:00

The documentary my group watched was called "Maxed Out", and was directed by James D. Scurlock. The film is an in depth exploration on credit card debt. It tells stories from different including those tragically trapped in debt and the collectors that hound after them. Scurlock uses some extreme, depressing instances to get the viewers emotional, but for a good reason. At its worst, credit card debt can drive people to hysteria and suicide. Banks like to push credit cards into the hands of those who are unlikely to pay back their debts. This is because people who can only make minimum payments or who get fines provide great profits for banks. Once you are deep in debt, it is painfully difficult to get out. Sometimes the only option is bankruptcy. It is important to be aware of the dangers of credit card debt. The movie also reveals shady tactics within the credit industry. Like loaners pushing people to sign documents, credit card companies targeting college campuses, and collectors gaining personal information through computer databases. The film also raises awareness about the obscenely high U.S National Debt.

I read a review by Stephen Holden from The New York Times that has some good points. Holden, and our film group, noticed that the lack of a narrator makes the film disjointed and disorientating. The movie throws a bunch of facts at us and expects us to understand complex financial terms. The movie also offers us little hope or practical ways we can change the system. But, at least "Maxed Out" shows that there is a huge problem and an overwhelming amount of greed in the credit card industry. It will definitely make me careful if I ever get a credit card, and also careful not to sign any financial documents that I don't understand.

Dorm film post: America the Beautiful

2012-01-17T18:46:00.002-05:00

Our group watched the film “America the Beautiful” which was directed by Darryl Roberts. The narrator of the film in the earlier part confesses about a shallow decision he made a couple of years ago. Which was to break up with her and his shallow reason was because he thought he would find someone more gorgeous and perfect than she was. His decision to find someone better ended him with nothing but regret. As he found out that she eventually found someone other than him. And he started to wonder why he made that mistake and what was his shallow reason and noticed he wasn’t the only one who was shallow. And later as he investigates the people around him he notices that America has a big obsession with the unrealistic standard of beauty because of the media and advertisements that display images of perfect people. Did you know that some people start a diet starting from the age of 5? And did you know that more than 90 percent of America’s college students are on diets? This was an eye opener.

In the film they also bring up a problem which I personally never thought of. Did you notice how we see advertisements EVERYWHERE? And the bigger issue is that we don’t have a choice to not see them unless you’re locked up behind plain walls. I was so sad when I realized that because of this I have no way to protect my child from getting exposed to these things which might lead to her unconscious buildup of insecurities.

The film also focuses on a couple of people but the most shocking life story was that of a 12 year old fashion model who walked like a fully grown adult. Although she had nothing but bones and a little muscle was said to be too fat to model for a brand in Europe. And because of that incident she starts to have less confidence about her appearance as well. She called herself ugly at the end of the film when the narrator asked her how she felt. This film was truly a wakeup call to me. Because I knew I had these insecurities as well which I always try to overcome but end up feeling more insecure about myself as I watch the pictures and videos around me.

Maxed Out

2012-01-17T18:44:00.002-05:00

Last week I watched Maxed Out, a documentary about credit card debt and the hold it has on so many people. Although the film took a very emotional tone, pulling at the heartstrings of viewers, director James Scurlock originally meant to make a funny movie about Americans' crazy spending habits. After researching the issue and interviewing borrowers, though, he changed his focus. This film told multiple stories of people caught up in debt. One of them was about two college students who fell into the trap of credit card companies and committed suicide because they couldn't handle the debt. The film also zoomed in on two men who were collectors who took advantage of the people who are overwhelmed with debt. This film points out that the U.S National Debt Clock has increased to over 15 trillion dollars of debt, but the lending industry is doing nothing about it. In fact, they prey on college students and people that have already been in debt or have been bankrupt. Why is this? When asked why they would not get rid of the customers who would not be able to pay, they said, "Why would we cut out those people? They're our most profitable."

This film does prove the point that we should not get ourselves into the situation of excessive debt. The review I read points out that this film has "maximum emotional impact, it detracts from the film's intellectual credibility." While the film did provide proof that debt is a huge problem in this country, I agree that it was too emotional. It spent more time talking about suicides caused by debt than it did about what we can do about the problem of debt and the power of the lending industry. I felt like the content of the film just wasn't enough. I think that narration could have added to the impact and understanding of the issue of debt.

http://www.reelz.com/article/255/maxed-out-review/

Good Hair

2012-01-17T12:42:00.004-05:00

The documentary that I took part in watching was Good Hair, a hilarious yet informative documentary by Chris Rock that focuses on African American women and how they feel about their hair. I never realized everything African American women truly go through just because of their hair. Through this documentary I learned that they have issues with feeling as though their hair isn't good enough by societies definitions. Because of feeling as though they do not fit up to societies standards, they go through crazy extremes. To avoid this feeling, these women spend thousands and thousands of dollars monthly on their hair to get it looking the way they want. One way women get their hair the way they like is by relaxing it. This is done chemically which is expensive and very unhealthy. They prefer to avoid the "bigness" of their hair because they think society prefers straight and sleek hair as oppose to curls.

After watching this documentary I looked through some reviews to get a better idea of the intent of this work. In our class we talked about how documentaries can sometimes only exemplify one side. I believe this documentary did only look at one side of things. The review I read discussed how Chris Rock was great with mixing information and humor. I totally agree with this statement. The documentary was a joy to watch because of his humor. Nonetheless there was a point I did not agree with. This review says that the documentary shows a side that makes us feel bad for these women who go through so much to get "perfected" hair. I personally do not agree with this argument. I don't feel bad for these women particularly, I feel bad for all women. African American women make the choice to spend the money and time on their hair. Many Caucasian women do the same to feel better about themselves and I think the film could have expressed more about women in society in a general sense. Feeling bad about your hair or any other part of your body because of society is not just limited to African American women, it fits for all women. Therefore, as much as this documentary was hilarious and informative, it did not make me feel particularly bad for these women making their own choices with their own hair to feel better about themselves.

http://documentaries.about.com/od/revie2/fr/GoodHair.htm

Dorm movie: Good Hair

2012-01-17T12:23:00.002-05:00

The movie Good Hair is a movie about black women's hair and what most of them do to try and achieve good hair. They go to some extremes to try and achieve the hair of their dreams. They spend thousands of dollars monthly to achieve the status of having "good hair." A review written on Oregonlive.com makes the movie sound like a joke. It says that Chris Rock makes the black women the butt of the joke of bad hair. They criticize Rock for almost being racist to black women, even though he is black himself. The review also criticizes Rock for not mentioning his wife in the film, who many wonder if she has a weave because of her long hair. Then the article criticizes Rock for "missing the opportunity to show how societal views of natural black hair might explain why black women spend so much time and money to tame it into something closer to the mainstream ideal. He skirts past the key issue behind the very title of his film -- that hair is the most politicized thing on a black woman's body" although that is not the purpose of the film, the purpose is to show what black women have to do to their hair to achieve their "dream hair."

Link to the review

http://blog.oregonlive.com/race/2009/10/my_good_hair_movie_review_bad.html

You Again

2012-01-16T14:04:00.001-05:00

I watched the movie You Again for my next artifact. You Again is about the main character Marni’s brother marrying Marni’s high school bully. Marni’s goal is to expose Joanna (Marni’s brother’s fiancé) to her brother and show him her true colors. This article reveals both evils and redemption. This is true because Joanna is trying to hide who she used to be and putting on an act to Marni’s family. She does this by pretending she does not even know who Marni is; she definitely does because Joanna was Marni’s bully in high school she tortured her all the time. Marni then tries to expose who Joanna really is, because when Joanna and Marni talk Joanna knows Marni and helps her remember what she did to her in high school. By doing this Marni ruins her brother and Joanna’s wedding. This was the evil in the movie, but then there was redemption. The redemption was when Marni and Joanna talked and Marni realized that Joanna was trying to change for real and it was not just an act that she was trying to put on; she really wanted to be a changed person. She said that she wanted to please her parents and did not want to be who she used to be. When talking with Joanna, Marni then realizes that she is being truthful and want to do anything in her power to put her brother and Joanna back together. Marni then goes to talk to her brother and explains that Joanna is not who she used to be, but a completely changed person. Marni’s brother and Joanna then talk in the tree house at his parents’ home and get things figured out and plan to continue to get married. Suddenly the tree house collapses and Marni’s brother, Joanna, and the tree house fall to the ground. This makes Marni’s brother and Joanna to have to stay in the hospital on the day that they are supposed to get married. Marni then plans a surprise wedding in the hospital she continues to say that she is sorry that this is not Joanna’s dream wedding, but she still wanted it to happen. This is then when the redemption of the movie takes place and all is right again. It reveals that in the empire we want to hold grudges against people, but in the kingdom we have to forget the bad things people have done and forgive them.

1. How can the kingdom be shown through this movie?

2. What aspects of the empire are shown and what can we change to be more kingdom like?

Mall Post - Nate Buteyn

2012-01-16T13:57:00.000-05:00

Growing up in Grand Rapids just down the street from CalvinCollege, I have been to Woodland Mall quite a lot. However, giving the recenttopics that we have discussed the last couple days in class I saw the mall alittle differently this time. We entered the mall through the food court,a wide open space that was complete with statues and fake trees. Thisprovided a sense of outdoors, and nature, something that we usually don'texperience in a mall. In my opinion this allows people to be morecomfortable buying from the fast food stores that line the place. Anotherthing I noticed was how every ad tried to use emotions to help me relate to thestore or brand and further persuade me into buying their merchandise. Theused worlds like love, success, 100%, and prestige and showed pictures of happypeople laughing together and others of the sorts to reach my emotions.

I realize that allof these emotions and images that were presented in these ads were there tostir my emotions and convince me that I needed to buy this or that to becomelike the happy people in those ads. The amount of subconsciousmanipulation that each ad employs had never registered with me before, butafter watching the film ThePersuaders I realized just how far the companies will go for my money. It is a sad reflection on our society that we must buy and spend money to gain satisfaction and a sense of self worth.

Mall & Spirit

2012-01-16T13:31:00.000-05:00

My Consumerist Pilgrimage at theWoodland Mall & Sanctuary resounded with hypocrisy and raw emotion! With myobservations played against those of an anonymous fellow pilgrim, the splendorof our shopping temple was before us.

Every entrance we saw was adornedwith our first architectural question: “Why does a shopping mall, need arches?”Straight beams support most of the roofing. Our take: To lend Grandeur. From personal experience in Athens and Rome, theprominence of an arch expands a hall, and places the roof invisible above. Thestrength of the Arches reflects the power of wealth, the flow of money necessaryto hold the roof in both physical and spiritual height.

The power of the Capitalist Spiritwas visible in the layout of the floors as well. The three department stores channeledpilgrims from display to increasingly expensive display, a set of escalators orlarge display forced a full circuit to return to the plaza or parking lot. Thiswalking created more opportunity to observe stainglass-advertising, artwork forthe purpose of seeing, staring, selling. The floor plan itself observed thefundamental principle of the Faith (spend more, be more): all paths through themall led to Starbucks in the center.

Towards the end, there was homageto this temple paid. For the entertainment of Anonymous Pilgrim, I spent tohave an industrial fan turned on my face. The sense of satisfaction deliveredto myself was little. The explanation for why: “it seemed fun. I rememberseeing kids in another mall running in and out of it and…” Subtle. And genuine.With the memory of others enjoying something affecting me to spend, I had towonder: When have I done this before?

1: How is memory a tool of theConsumerist faith?

2: What other sanctuaries do wemake routine pilgrimages to?

Trip to Woodland Mall/Mall Post

2012-01-16T13:29:00.000-05:00

Some observations I noticed when heading to Woodland Mallthis weekend were when walking through the mall, I noticed the stores were sosmall and crammed together, which must result in a lot of competition. Almostall of the stores had advertisements outside of their store or in theirwindows, which in The Persuaders theyexplained how words matter to us. The advertisements want to focus around us,putting us first: 80% emotion and 20% intellect. I also noticed that there wasn’ta single person I saw that did not have a shopping bag or something to showthat they went into a store. When I think of going to the mall, I imagineshopping, even if it’s something I don’t need. However, I get tricked intobuying something because it’s eye catching or am easily persuaded by how goodthe sale is, etc. Like in The Persuaders,the secret of persuasion is to enduce the person to persuadehimself/herself. I think it is somewhatclose to impossible to go into a mall without buying something, or coming outempty handed.

While walking through the mall, I was definitely distractedby all the flashing lights and big worded advertisements that were around me.It almost felt impossible to breathe, being distracted by something that was a few feet in front of me. Afterhaving seeing The Persuaders andreading Pahl’s article, it made me view the mall in a different way. You nolonger think of it as a place to buy things you may or may not need, but seeingthe advertisements and how they are luring you in to buy their products.

The Mall

2012-01-16T12:19:00.001-05:00

When I stepped foot in the mall as far as the eye can see I saw advertisements. Yes, they have been there the whole time, but this time i saw all of them trying to get me to buy something. Which is not a bad thing. These people want have to advertise to make money. I feel that trying to be prosperous is a good thing. But, the people there are another story. I have never seen so many rude people in one place, except for france. But I mean people were bumping into each other, then started yelling at one another to watch where your going, then seeing different cliques in the mall like the gossipers and then then the geeks going to the dungeon and dragons model store. Which is not a bad thing, I am not judging anyone. But it was enjoyable to watch none of the less, like a tv show. Any-who I really enjoyed seeing different advertisement techniques, like at the mac store. A giant I phone is following you around with a built in camera so you can see yourself. Thats how they lure you in, because its interesting. Plus it was fun to see all the food restaurants competing with one another. However there was nothing really there that was just for me. I know in the movie they said they advertise things that are just for you. But, alas nothing really caught my eye.

Mall Post

2012-01-16T12:06:00.000-05:00

As I strolled down the paths of Woodland Mall on Saturday afternoon, I felt like it was like every other shopping excursion me and my friends went on. I would not necessarily consider the mall to be a hangout place for my friends. We usually know what we want before we go and get in and out as soon as we can. Before this I had never really seen all of Woodland and its stores.

Keeping mind what we learned about advertising from The Persuaders, I tried to find aspects of advertising I had never noticed before. I came upon the realization that all these stores were not just selling products and goods. They were selling a certain lifestyle. GNC was selling a health body through vitamins, Barnes & Noble was selling intelligence through books, and all the clothing stores tried to make it seem like their clothes were the most stylish. Advertising comes in the play by trying to tell us which lifestyle is right for us. GNC tells us that are men are supposed to be strong individuals with their in store advertising. GNC was also advertising to me with their employees. These two men were some of the strongest and toughest looking guys I have ever seen. It made me think that if took their supplements I would get ripped, too. Barnes & Noble’s advertising focused more on sales than any other store I went in. They convinced me that they had the cheapest books by all their posters telling me of all the good deals going on. They also were showing me that being intelligent was cool. They showed good-looking people emerging themselves into the newest bestsellers. This was very much like what the clothing stores did. They chose the best looking people they could find and put them up on the walls for all to see. When I saw the clothes that they were wearing on the rack, it made me think that I could be just as good looking. The use of ads in all of the stores I went to made me feel kind of deceived. They were playing with my emotions to make a profit. The Persuaders mentioned the time when all advertisements just told you what their product was. Now we have ads telling us we aren’t cool or good enough if we don’t buy their product.

This trip to Woodland Mall was eye-opening. I had never paid much attention to the ads and now I know what to blame my empty wallet on. Our society tells us we must spend money the coolest and latest stuff. Most of us will never be able to have all of this, so what the point? Why do we spend any money at all on things we want if we will still not be cool when we own it?

Mall Visit

2012-01-16T11:58:00.001-05:00

This weekend I went on a quest to Woodland mall with a couple friends. Being female, and being from Grand Rapids I was very familiar with this mall. It’s odd to go through a place that I have been so accustomed to and look at it through a different lens. I thought about what we had read in class by John Pahl. I really kept my eyes open for the flaws in this supposedly flawless environment. As the group of people I was in walked down the sparkly wings of the mall I kept my eyes peeled for the subliminal messages that were all around me. The entrances to the specific shops within the mall were very interesting. I noticed that most of the entry ways were very open, so much so that one could look all the way to the back of the store. This open-ness and spaciousness seemed to be a theme throughout the mall. Like Pahl mentioned in the article, malls really make an effort to make the mall very spread out and expansive. There were strategically placed ferns and other foliage to make the mall environment seem more serene. I also noticed the sculptures scattered around the area. All throughout the mall there were huge windows on the ceiling that let in a lot of natural light. I think that the shopping malls really aim to make things more natural and inviting to the costumers to make them part of the consumer cycle.

Mall Post - A Trip to Woodland Mall

2012-01-16T11:43:00.005-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, a couple of my classmates and I took a brief trip to Woodland Mall. It was my first time at Woodland a
nd surprisingly, it looked almost exactly the same as the one in Seattle(I'm from Seattle). Because of the similar atmosphere and looks, it did not feel like a place 2000 miles away from home. It was the same welcoming, joyful, and happy place! As I was walking around and visiting some stores, I've noticed more things that I had no ideas about before, such as advertisements, architecture, and other things that Pahl mentioned in his book. Two advertisement that caught my attention the most were shoe ad and, a cosmetic product. They were not only advertising for specific products, but also hope, confidence, and lifestyle.

The shoe ad seemed like it was trying to convince people how they can be as good as a specific basketball player when they wear the same pair of shoes. Also, this "hope jar" was convincing women that they can overcome the aging issues.

Not only these two particular ads, but countless, almost all the slogans and catchy phrases and pictures were luring our minds to sell products, and furthermore, a lifestyle.

The mall did not look the same as it did before reading Pahl's article and watching The Persuaders. It still was a happy and welcoming place, but I could see other things behind it and got to think deeply about what we are buying and how people get lured by ads.

The Mall

2012-01-16T11:29:00.000-05:00

I'm not one to go to malls very often, but I have still been to my fair share of malls. The Woodland Mall is like any other mall I've been to. There are dozens of stores, some nice sitting areas, a food complex, and lots of people. Marketing and advertisements have always interested me. I am a huge commercial critic, and I have realized that I am most satisfied with commercials that are funny or that aren't trying to trick me. I mentioned in class how I hate Domino's commercials because they (as well as countless other companies) are pretty much telling me they think I'm an idiot because they think I can't see through their manipulative crap. On the other hand, my favorite commercials are the ones that I barely notice because I don't feel like I'm being tricked.

Going to the mall after watching the film in class made me notice something about myself. I noticed how much I don't notice ads. Walking down one hallway of the mall, I am bombarded with literally hundreds of ads and people trying to get me to buy their product because they have such good deals. Not until now have I actually realized how many ads there are, not just in the mall, but everywhere. The walls are covered in ads about their store. Inside each store is also covered with ads. The employees are even walking ads. They have shirts on that tell you about their store or even have deals on them. They are vocal ads as well. Almost anywhere you go in the mall - I went to Gamestop - the employees will try to get you to buy more. "You know if you buy this as well, you'll get this for free." That is so normal for people that no one ever thinks twice about it anymore. Normal shoppers are on such a routine that they seem to be programmed to get in, say not to additional offers, and leave. Not paying attention to ads is becoming more normal every day that, like the film said, there are more and more ads. There are better ads. Bigger ads. Soon enough it seems that every tile of the mall floor will be an ad. This is what malls - and the rest of the world - seem to be coming to.

How I Met Your Mother

2012-01-16T11:05:00.001-05:00

One of the most popular shows today is How I Met Your Mother, a show about a man named Ted telling his kids how he met their mother. The show stars five friends who all have their own problems with love, and they all help each other figure things out. Even though every single episode since the pilot has been about Ted finding the one, there has somehow been enough material to write 8 seasons and entertain the viewers every week. If you haven't seen HIMYM, it is very similar to Friends.

I remember a couple years back, a friend of mine was talking about sitcoms and said the show Friends is one of Satan's greatest tricks. The show talks about sleeping around as if it was absolutely normal and that's how the world was meant to be. It does this so well that viewers find sex with whomever a normal thing as well. In the same way, I think HIMYM makes casual sex a normal thing. Two of the main characters, Marshall and Lily, are married. Marshall often brags about how the only girl he's ever had sex with was his wife. Yet, that side of the spectrum is completely cancelled out by Barney, a man who literally tries to have sex with as many women as possible. The other two characters, Ted and Robin, are the "normal" characters. They fall in the middle of this spectrum because they are trying to find relationships, but at the same time "falling in love" and then sleeping with everyone they "fall in love" with. Ted and Robin are the characters that HIMYM portray to be normal and right. This is the Empire. The Empire tells us that sleeping around is okay as long as you are trying to find a relationship. Actually, the Empire tells us that whatever we want to do or be sexually is fine. We will be completely supported by everyone if we choose to save ourselves for one person, OR if we choose to create a scrapbook of the hundreds of women we have slept with (Barney).

Is the Kingdom at all visible in this show?
Is this a safe show to watch, even if we know it is throwing the Empire at us in every episode?

Trip to the Woodland Mall

2012-01-16T09:40:00.002-05:00

Growing up, going to the mall was always a special treat. Because the closest mall was a forty-five minute drive away, a trip to Grand Rapids with my mom and sister was always special. The mall always had an enticing smell; a mixture of new clothes and fresh made pretzels, and I always had the excitement of the possible chance to pick something out at a store.

This trip to the mall was different from any other trip to the Woodland Mall. This time I viewed the mall through “apocalyptic” eyes: “seeing” the young women in Cambodia making all of the apparel filling Aeropostale. I must admit, sale signs still excite me, but now I feel somewhat sick knowing that the people that made these items are not receiving a fair amount for their work. I also wondered if anyone in the mall was shopping for an absolute NEED, not just a call from society to fulfill the golden arrow.

The mall really does appear appealing. After reading the chapter, “The Shopping Mall as ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ Leading Nowhere,” I took specific notice of the high ceilings throughout the whole mall, highest in the center where it is open to the outside. The natural lighting, plants, and nice music make this mall a “labyrinth of consumer desire.” While in church Sunday morning, I looked up and noticed beautiful high ceilings of the sanctuary letting in natural light, and I was reminded of John Pahl’s observations of the mall designed to be a temple for the new “religion of the market” (66).

Many of the stores have mannequins and posters of (mostly women) in their clothes. I find myself drawn to these photos, even though I know life is not nearly as glamorous as it appears on the poster. It seems that advertisers focus on the image you will have if you buy these clothes. I receive the apparel catalog for Athleta, a women’s clothing store for the “active women.” The women modeling these clothes are portrayed as living a carefree life; exercising wherever they desire: yoga on a mountain top, surfing, or snow-shoeing in the Alps. In their free time, these women are traveling to exotic places to do more fitness activities, or riding their bicycle to the market, or meeting a friend (just as fit and nicely dressed as they are) for coffee. As unrealistic this lifestyle is, it really draws me in (and would sell me their clothes if they weren’t so dang expensive!). But I applaud the advertisers for the layout and design of this catalog because they do a great job of breaking through the clutter and persuading me.

Good ads, bad ads

2012-01-16T09:26:00.001-05:00

After watching The Persuaders on Friday, we had a good and lively discussion about advertising. Sam brought up an important reminder that, as we've been saying about many things, advertising isn't all good or all evil -- it's a complex mix of both, requiring discernment to tell the difference. Even a single advertisement is a complex mix.

Here's an example: two ads for mobile phones. The first, for a Droid phone, is literally dehumanizing, suggesting that the phone will make you more efficient by making you more like a machine:

The second is for an Apple iPhone. This ad shows how the technology can make you more human, building your relationships by connecting you with others:

Now, this doesn't mean Apple is a better company and that everyone should go out to buy iPhones; I'm sure I could find an example of a poor ad from Apple. But contrasting these two ads shows, at least in part, how advertising can be done well (exhibiting Kingdom qualities) and how it can be done poorly.

If you're interested in reading more about advertising, see "Prophetic advertising" by Sam Van Eman on catapult magazine. Then check out his book, On Earth as It Is in Advertising.

Do you have other examples of good or bad advertising you've thought of since class?

Woodland Mall: "Exceptional Shopping!"

2012-01-16T02:52:00.001-05:00

What characteristics make up a sanctuary? Within the context of an animal sanctuary, the first characteristic is that it is a place set aside, a place that is separated from natural habitats but offers protection and security to its inhabitants. A religious sanctuary, however, requires many more props. According to Jon Pahl, religious sanctuaries have intentional and distinct decor and follow a strategic but predictable layout. So, outside of zoos and cathedrals, where else are sanctuaries found? According to Pahl, we must look no further than the closest indoor shopping mall.

     The Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids operates out of a central point at its center, branching off into hallways of stores. The clean white walls, floors and vaulted ceilings throughout imply a purity, a safe haven from the chaos of the city as well as the clutter of the small and full stores. Within this haven the lighting is ethereal to promote a sense of calmness. There are potted plastic plants strategically placed throughout, another marker of a sacred space. Tall pillars in the heart of this space seem to be attempting to be reaching for the heavens above. 

So what is this scene set for? When we repeatedly practice the act of shopping and buying, again and again, we become (perhaps without knowing it) a part of a larger ritual. This ritual plays out much like a pilgrimage. When I imagine the mall at Christmas time (or anytime, really, as I experienced this weekend) the image is about as close as I have ever experienced to the Hajj. People coming together, for better or worse, are being funneled through a maze by cues of light, sound, visuals and scents. Making this pilgrimage is what validates humans to be the full embodiment of all they were created to be: consumers (according to the film The Persuaders.)
How many times must a person complete this pilgrimage in order to fulfill the call of consumerism? Is buying what makes us human or is this capital-driven, pseudo-sanctuary sub-culture dehumanizing the individuals involved?

Mall Trip

2012-01-16T01:21:00.000-05:00

I made my pilgrimage to Woodland Mall this afternoon with a couple of friends from class. The first thing I noticed as I walked into Macy's were some of the advertisements. I can't remember the specifics, but a clothing product was advertised as giving the buyer freedom. A new line of women's make up was named Origins. I thought this ironic, as it likely promised that by applying makeup to your face you would somehow become more natural. As I walked out of Macy's and into the vast mall complex, a giant sign caught my eye. It read, "Exceptional Shopping." This reminded me of the shirt in our John Pahl reading which said, "True Shopping." They really want to sell us the idea that by shopping there we take part in something grander.

Walking through the long open halls in between stores I noticed more things that Pahl had also observed. While I didn't see water or fountains, I noticed the emphasis on light. The place beamed with it through the use of skylights and other techniques. It gave it an exuberant energy. Trees and other vegetation stuck out to me, and they created a pleasant environment. The many facets of the mall all worked together to create a happy environment and mood for the consumer. I think this contributes much to our love of malls as consumers. It's a very cool place, and I can see how we are easily lulled to sleep as consumers by its many attractions.

Another Trip to the Mall

2012-01-16T00:03:00.002-05:00

After watching The Persuaders and reading the chapter by John Paul, my recent trip to Woodland Mall had a little different outlook. When I got to the mall, I immediately was struck by the amount of advertising around the mall. There were tons of images of slim, beautiful women offering the products that every woman must have. There were images of happy, perfect families enjoy some activity together. And the list goes on. Along with noticing the advertising, there also were artificial trees placed throughout the mall. I have lived in Grand Rapids my whole life and my family has gone to Woodland plenty of times but not once had I taken any notice to the trees. Also, there were skylights and light windows on the ceiling providing increased light. With the tree and the lighten ceilings, the mall seemed large and open and almost inviting. I roamed the mall for a while and went in a few stores. Laura and I decided to venture into Victoria's Secret. Again, I noticed the images placed around the store. The Victoria's Secret models are slender with big eyes and breasts, long necks, and a coke bottle figure. Every model wore the clothing and lingerie perfectly. These images suggested how woman need to look to be beautiful. They also showed that you need to buy all the accessories to the outfit to be complete. The pants, the sweatshirt, the t-shirt, and of course the underwear. The images throughout the store promoted both an image for women to obtain and a consumeristic happiness. Every store had these images, from the jewelry stores to Sears. I never noticed the images until we watched The Persuaders. It is unbelievable how much my eyes have been opened to the deeper motives of everything at the mall, from the architecture to the images.

Mall post

2012-01-15T23:48:00.002-05:00

My recent visit to the mall was a real eye opener. When I started looking for different things like advertisements and looking at what people did when they were at the mall and how it was set up, I was blown away. I had never actually realized how every mall has the same general structure to it, or how every bit of usable space has an advertisement for something on it. It was amazing how the film and the reading were dead on about what happened in the malls. The workers at the mall are all using similar advertising techniques as to how they approach you and try and sell you something, you know a good sales person when they come at you in a different way though. The way the malls are always in pristine condition, clean floors, ceiling, walls, and even the fake trees are clean and look as good as the day they were bought.

mall post

2012-01-15T23:38:00.002-05:00

We sometimes never realize things until we actually look for them. I realized this when I went to the mall this weekend after watching 'The Persuaders' and reading an article. Advertising has almost got to the point where sometimes we find ourselves buying something simply because the man or the woman in the shop said 'Oh that looks great!' or the famous 'You won't regret buying this'. These men and women use certain phrases and lines that appeal to the average buyer. They make it seem as they know what you're looking for and they appeal to you in a way that makes you want to buy anything and everything. They are sometimes almost arrogant in the way they do this and will pretty much say anything in order to try and sell you their product.

One of the things that really stood out to me all of a sudden was shop posters, advertisements and shopping bags. Many of them have images that some would consider inappropriate. The mall is pretty much a big trap that draws its 'prey' in. We are simply pulled in by images, smells and sounds. Our malls today know how to appeal to us perfectly.

Mall Post

2012-01-15T23:36:00.004-05:00

Today, me and a couple of friends went over to Woodland Mall to check it out with the knowledge we gained from the article and video we watched in class. This time, when we went to the mall we tried to be more conscious and aware of the people and the way the store advertised and lured us in to the stores. One of the traps I personally fell into today and a couple of weeks ago was the “buy one get one” deal in most of the stores. The deals lured us into their stores and convinced us to buy unnecessary stuff just because of the deal. To think of it, yes, it is a pretty good deal but sometimes we tend to end up making stupid decisions while trying to be smart shoppers. These deals trick us by letting us be unaware of the fact that not all the items are the same price. And in these deals you pay for the highest priced ones. So if you happened to not be aware of the price of both of the heels because of the word “SALE” on it, don’t check the proper prices on it and don’t check the receipt you might end up with two useless pairs of heels for more than 70 bucks instead of the price you thought of which was way lesser than 70 bucks and the bigger problem is that you don’t always get a chance to get a refund because it was on a special clearance sale. But thank God! Today, I was a smart shopper thanks to the awareness of the persuasions of the brands. So I guess the persuasions of the stores aren’t always a rip-off. And I was also able to truely understand why some people think malls are like churches. As soon as you step in the store people come up to you to share the products and events and sales from that products which is like how churches try to reach out to other people and evangelize to everyone about Gods love.

Shopping: Not just for the Parents - a look at the Lakes Mall

2012-01-15T23:13:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I went to the Lakes mall in Muskegon with my boyfriend and his three younger sisters (Leah - 13, Abby - 10, Justina - 6). During this trip, my eyes were opened to some new tricks of the advertising trade.

Being the youngest child, this was one of the first times I had gone shopping with “little sisters,” and it make a very big difference. First, we went to Old Navy. Right when we came in the door there was a table with crayons and coloring pages - at which Justina yelled “CAN I COLOR?!” She was instantly drawn to things she found familiar...and somewhere she would sit and stay in one spot. This would be very helpful for a busy mother who wants to shop. Rather than having a child at her side wanting to leave, they would be distracted, leaving more time to browse - and buy.

Another interesting thing to draw children in were the amount of fake dogs in the mall. Old Navy had a dog, which Justina just HAD to check out. Victoria’s Secret also had a plush dog right inside the door. When she saw the dog in Victoria’s Secret, she ran ahead to check out the plush dog, calling me to come check it out. How handy for the stores - draw the children in with the fun plush animals so that the parents will also come in and start browsing - hopefully leading to more sales.

Businesses are using children to bring the parents into stores, and once inside, keeping children busy so that parents can shop. So now the question is - who is taking who shopping? The parents might be looking for something, but are willing to go almost anywhere to make their children happy - especially on a long shopping day. Just one more way the stores get more people to see more products and buy more stuff. Now, a fluffy plush dog can lead to the purchase of a $40 dollar push up bra.