I'm looking through CNN.com's top news stories over the weekend and among the most notable articles is the two year anniversary of hurricane Katrina. Please take a few minutes to visit the site, read some articles, view some photos and videos, and follow some links.The difficult situation that the people of the gulf coast are faced with is one example (among many) how our lack of unity as a society contributes to our suffering. And I think that it is would be worthwhile to examine how issues of race and ethnicity, economic and social class, education, and financial viability have influenced the treatment of this situation by the government, the media, and the individuals involved.
Our society is divided along so many lines. Just think about how we divide ourselves in regards to race and ethnicity, political affiliation, economic class, religion, sexual orientation, gender roles, age, education, physical appearance and ability, and issues like the war in Iraq, the war on terror, immigration, health care, gun ownership, abortion, gay marriage, the death penalty, affirmative action, the environment etc, etc, etc.
Some of these divisions are acceptable, promote diversity, and allow for democracy. However, some divisions lead to oppression and violence, and those are the divisions we're going to focus on confronting in the course. I think that we have an obligation to seek for ways in which we can overcome oppressive practices and perspectives and promote unity (while maintaining our diversity).
Here's a fun example.
So, our friend from The Daily Show (which even if you don't enjoy it's political satire, you've got to admit that it can be funny) points out the damage that this particular division is doing to our nation. The problem isn't our contrasting opinions, but rather it's the polarization and oversimplification of political perspectives. John Stewart acknowledges how the media emphasizes and capitalizes on this division. And while The Daily Show may poke fun at political figures and their actions (some more than others), when we see this food-fight-like exchange going on on legitimate news channels and in the actual debates leading up to the presidential primaries, I think there's reason for concern.
Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality
Now, I want the class to be open to addressing all of these divisions, but we are going to emphasize the oppression associated with issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Let's follow some links and check out the definitions of these terms. (Don't skip the links, because its essential that you understand these foundational terms).
Check out the second set of definitions for the term race.
I think all of the definitions of class are helpful in understanding the term and its implications.
Now, check out the explanations for the term gender. Notice how gender, while associated with sex (male/female) and sexual orientation (heterosexual/homosexual/bisexual), is different from these classifications.
And finally the term sexuality, by which we mean sexual orientation.
Now, if you haven't already read Lynn Weber's article on approaching RCGS studies, please read it. Weber discusses at length the importance of cultural studies and she provides 6 points that are really helpful in understanding these issues. (You're going to briefly discuss these points in this week's quiz.)
Remember, though, that while we want to address the oppression present in our society, we must acknowledge the complexity of the issues. Weber is sure to point out how each of us are implicated in these oppressive relationships: "Having students address the simultaneity of race, class, gender, and sexuality can help them to understand that there are no pure oppressors nor oppressed people, and that each of them must reflect on their own privilege as well as on their experiences of oppression. They cannot deny their privilege or claim absolute victim status."
Now these are pretty radical concepts we're discussing (and I mean that both in the Ninja Turtle "radical"-as-"awesome"-sense, as well as the political "radical"-as-"revolutionary"-sense). We're talking about challenging some assumptions and practices and perspectives that lie beneath the surface of our society, and that's a seriously important, difficult task.
Check out what Princeton professor Dr. Cornel West has to say about this task.
"...to leave the world just a little bit better than it was when they entered." That's what we're talking about.
Althusser and Ideology
"...the catastrophic and the monstrous, the scandalous, the traumatic that are often hidden and concealed in the deodorized and manicured discourses of the mainstream." That's what Althusser is talking about.
Louis Althusser is working in the Marxist theoretical tradition, so its helpful to understand a bit of Marx's ideas. Karl Marx was confronted by the division of economic and social class that occurred in Europe during the industrial revolution (the proletariat the bourgeois, and the aristocrats.
In this system of early capitalism, the laborers were reduced to "productive forces" whose sole purpose was to maintain the "material conditions of production" (they were valued not as human beings, but according to their ability to work and guarantee economic progress to the upper class).
However, Marx points out, and Althusser further emphasizes, that in order for these "relations of production" to be maintained, the laborers must be unwilling or unable to challenge their oppressors. So, status quo is maintained by what Althusser terms as Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs) and Repressive State Apparatuses (RSAs). (You can find the definitions for these terms in the reading).
Since you've read the article, watch this clip from The Matrix and see if you can determine how this theory proposed by Althusser applies (in a metaphorical sense) to the film's narrative.
Oppressors providing a perceived reality to the oppressed, so that the status quo can be maintained (think ISA). This perception is enforced through violent actions of the "agents" (think RSA). The film has some real application to the issues that we're dealing with.
So, we're taking the red pill, and we're going to see how societally accepted ideologies may perpetuate oppressive relationships. And we're going to examine how American cinema (one big freakin' ISA) plays a part in our perception of these issues.
Next week, we're going to address stereotypes in film. So, we'll discuss how films' often oversimplify and misrepresent cultural groups in their representations of characters. Hopefully, as you complete the assigned readings, reflect on the points brought up here, and begin to write your Filmic Experience paper you can start connecting some dots: the powerful influence film (and the media, in general) is in our lives; the oppression that continues to occur in our society today; and the opportunity we have to confront these issues in real, even revolutionary ways.
Here's a clip from V for Vendetta that could serve as this class's metaphorical "call to arms."
Assignment
Find an article from a legitimate news source (like Katrina articles I posted) that you feel demonstrates a division along lines of race, class, gender, or sexuality in our society. Read the article carefully, 1) create a link to the site* and in a paragraph or two 2) summarize the article and 3) discuss how the article demonstrates an issue we'll approach in the course. The post is due Friday night at 12. No late posts will be accepted.
*You're going to learn some basic Html in this activity. So, visit this link to Blogger help and read the part that says "Here's an example scenario." If you have any questions, email me.
Quiz 1
Discuss the 6 points of Lynn Weber's conceptual framework for addressing issues of race, class, gender and sexuality. Email your quiz response to jmarmston@gmail.com by Friday night at 12. No late quizzes will be accepted.
