An online learning space for "Culture Making in the Empire," a 2013 interim course at Calvin College taught by Rob and Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma. Content from previous versions of the course are also archived here.
12 January 2012
Fight Club
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All My Days - Alexi Murdoch
I chose the song All My Days by Alexi Murdoch for my cultural artifact. (you can find lyrics for the song here) Commissioned for 2009 film Away We Go, this song, shows two different empires, fitting in perfectly with our class theme.
The first half of the song through repeating phrases such as “I’ve been trying to find” and “All of my days” explain his expectations from a world that cannot fulfill his wants, no matter how hard he searches. Murdoch’s “days keep turning into night” with no friends and no answers.
In the second half you hear a revelation: “Now I see clearly It’s you I’m looking for.” The second half of the song is now full of hope - no more loneliness, and questions are answered, shown in the line “I know I’ll feel this loneliness no more...for I look around, And it seems He found me” Here, although the days keep turning into night, morning will still come the next day.
The music mirrors this split feel. The music starts out slow and calm, but almost mournful. After a small musical interlude, the music fades down matching the revelation shown in the lyrics. This fade allows one to feel the same change Murdoch is experiencing. After this pause, the music once again picks up, but rather than a mournful feel, it is a much brighter, happier feel.
I believe this song split into two opposite views correctly shows the contrast of the Empire and the Kingdom. In the Empire, although one may search “All of your days” will never find true happiness and will always be searching for more. But once you find the truth through converting to the Kingdom of God, questions will be answered, and love will prevail. For it is through God that we find our hope.
Discussion Questions:
- How does todays society try to fulfill the hopes of the American people?
- In contrast, how does the Kingdom of God fulfill hope?
Vogue magazine
These ads promoted all sorts of products from watches to mascara, but they all gave the same message: that to fit in you have to be perfectly beautiful. Women trying to do accomplish this impossible feat turn their allegiance over to the empire. They long to be absolutely perfect on the outside instead of looking at all of the qualities that God has given them. The ads in this magazine are masking the real beauty that God has given women and are leading them to a life of disappointment when they do not reach the peak of perfection. If the goal of these ads is to change a woman's idea of beauty, then they are achieving that goal.
The main technique of ads is to critique women's imperfections. In one ad it says, "Hey wrinkle face! That's what people could say if you use a liquid makeup that setles in lines and makes you look older." Chances are that when you walk down the street, you will not be called "wrinkle face," but this ad really targets a woman's deepest fear of not being pretty enough for the world- for the empire. Women really need to stop longing for the impossible beauty that advertisements encourage and recognize the beauty that God has graciously given them. After all, that beauty was created by God and is perfect in His eyes.
What will happen to a woman's idea of beauty if these advertisements continue to skew the expectations of the empire? What can people that live for the Kingdom of God do to help these hypnotized women?
Artifact 1 - Bones
The dark Fox comedy of Bones tells the story of a quirky group of scientists working in the Jeffersonian Museum in Washington DC. The story starts when FBI detective, Agent Seeley Booth recruits the "squints" in his crime solving endeavors of peculiar murders. In this particular episode, are several twists and turns which the team faces as they are introduced to a new tech-savvy killer. Throughout the seven seasons the show also has a side story, like any good television drama, with the two stars: Dr. Temperance Brennan and Agent Booth. Their deep arguments and partnership feeds a flame that eventually leads to them having a baby together.
In other episodes throughout the series, a case arises which evokes an argument surrounding religion, or lack there of, which needs to be addressed. Booth and “Bones” as Dr. Brennan is dotingly nicknamed, have separate views on the way the world is ran. Booth, being brought up Catholic believes in the omnipresent God being aware and working in the world and everything in it, even sin, evil, and murder. Bones finds no satisfaction in the “myth” of religion. She has such a strong belief science, that every other argument seems illogical.
I find arguments and viewpoints like those Dr. Brennan brings up very interesting, and I think that it is very important in this day and age to understand the different views of others. This artifact gives us a chance to test out our discernment skills. Every day we are confronted with temptations and opinions that jeopardize our faith and what we believe in. The witty banter between a Catholic and a Scientologist on a television show aren’t true examples of scrutiny that Christians face when protecting their faith, along with the confusion that they face when asking others about what they believe that is different. The show Bones shows the great need for intellect when fighting for what you believe in.
Discussion questions:
1. What reasons are there for a need of education in other religions in order to better understand why you believe what you believe?
2. What are the best arguments that Christians have over other religions? Can these be proved? If not then why do we believe them?
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Daily Show and The Colbert Report
For an artifact, I watched an hour of television. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are both satirical, left-leaning, political commentaries on Comedy Central. They are similar in structure and style, since The Colbert Report is sort of a spin-off of The Daily Show. Both involve mocking people or ideas to show how ridiculous they are. Stewart, of The Daily Show, has a straight forward approach, while Colbert parodies a conservative. His character is absurdly over-patriotic and selfish. He acts a bit like an Emperor, because his set is covered with American symbolism and a few pictures of himself.
The episodes that I watched both focused on the recent Republican Primaries. Stewart is quick to point out the hypocrisy of Mitt Romney during one of his celebration speeches. Romney scolded Obama for not keeping his campaign promises then proceeded to make a few lofty promises of his own. He said, "I will insist on a military so powerful no one would ever think of challenging it." Perhaps Romney was excited or taken out of context, but we all know politicians tend to make empty promises on the campaign trail. Both shows also examined the use of vicious attack-ads to gain voters. These ads are essentially imperial propaganda. There is no openness for interpretation. They present negative facts about other candidates, before literally telling you who to vote for.
Stewart's guest interview was with conservative Jim DeMint. According to Stewart, he and DeMint debated economics for over 25 minutes. From what I could gather from this interview, both believed that our economic problems (evil) are caused by ignorance and could be solved by reasonable debate. But, Stewart and DeMint seemed absolute in their opposing principles. In America, we are encouraged to believe that all problems can be solved simply by choosing the correct political party. This is somewhat of a modernist, totalizing approach. However, Colbert takes a more post-modern, apathetic view. He has a segment called End of the World of the Week. Perhaps he feels that our problems are too large to be fixed, so we should just laugh at them.
1. Do you think attack-ads are equivalent to propaganda?
2. Does America need to get more than two worthwhile political parties?
Potter Magic
Artifact 1- Vampire Diaries
For my cultural artifact I chose to watch an episode from season two of CWTV’s The Vampire Diaries. This series is a suspenseful, romantic horror series which takes place in a fictional small town haunted by supernatural beings. The main focus of the series is the love triangle between a human and two brother vampires. The episode I watched was “Kill or be Killed” in which one of the vampires has to decide to go against everything he thinks is morally right and against his natural being in order to protect himself and his lover.
This cultural artifact tells so much about human purpose. In these episodes humans are solely for vampire consumption and there is a great contrast between the two vampire brothers in what they believe is right. Stephan does not drink human blood and suffers great weakness because he only consumes animal blood. Damon however, is a ruthless killer and feeds on humans for strength and entertainment. This artifact reveals the fragility of human life and the choices those with power have to make. This artifact encourages one to hope for good to overpower evil. While Stephan is suffering from his choice the audience hopes that he will be able to overcome the hardship he is presented and prove to Damon that there is a way to fight the inner demon they are possessed with. While Damon and Stephan both have the great desire for human blood, Stephan has chosen to fight against it and that gives hope for humans as well to be able to recognize that not all vampires are bad. We can apply this lesson to the in the real world as we strive for awareness of how challenging fighting against a strong impulse can be and how love, support, and guidance should be provided to those who need it. I am aware that humans don’t often have the desire to drink blood but we are hindered by alcoholism, sex addiction, eating disorders, and mental incapability.
1. 1.How are we to reach out and support those who are struggling to turn away from life in the empire and live for the kingdom of God?
2. Although this is clearly not a “Christian” television show, do you think it is possible to derive the good versus evil theme and apply it to our discussion using a Christian viewpoint?