Here's another extract from the essay, this bit's about 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'.
The 2008 romantic comedy ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ has also used sympathy with a pathetic protagonist to drive its narrative, however interestingly in this case the protagonist is male. In a reversal of the normal active male/ passive female construction of Hollywood Laura Mulvey responds to in ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Film’, the story's hero Peter is dumped by his actress girlfriend Sarah Marshall, who’s career ambitions and success outstrip his, emasculating him. However while Sayuri of ‘Memoirs of Geisha’ is only permitted to find happiness in being the chosen mistress of a married man, the character of Peter replaces Sarah Marshall by choosing another, more likeable woman; re-asserting his dominant masculinity. He consequently becomes more successful than Sarah, whose career declines, whilst Peter is rewarded for realising his artistic potential and talent with the encouragement of a new more complimentary and subservient female, thus returning the status quo.
Whilst the male gaze is less apparent on the surface: the sex scenes of 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' are more comical than voyeuristic, and the elaborate costumes and make-up of the women in 'Memoirs of a Geisha' are arguably stylised to appeal to more to western women than hot-blooded men, the gaze still shapes their narratives. These examples of Hollywood cinema respond to feminist concerns, but in a defensive, not positive way. Sarah Marshall’s career ambition is seen as hard-hearted and is ridiculed whilst Peter's transformation from victim status to his Ideal Ego is celebrated. Sayuri's passivity and subservience in 1940s Japan's oppressive patriarchy is romanticised. Both of these are modern films yet perhaps surprisingly they both re-enforce passive female characters with positive affirmations and, in the case of 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' present a case of a man oppressed by feminism in its most common example: the career woman.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Memoirs of a Geisha
HELLO, last year I helped Sam write an essay on the male gaze, I had some opinionz on the film 'memoirs of a geisha' so he put them in, here's an extract from the essay:
‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ is a contemporary film set in a pre-feminist era and culture. The viewer is meant to identify with the female protagonist Sayuri when she is sold to a Geisha house to be a slave, however while this custom is seemingly treated as archaic and cruel, when Sayuri becomes a geisha all associated customs are treated with reverence and glamorised in a typical Hollywood style. This film, which is marketed at women (Marketing for the film included a promotional advert for Maxx-factor mascara, which heavily featured clips from the film borrowing from and enhancing its glamour) attempts to find a compromise for a post-feminist western audience, exoticising prostitution to the point of de-familiarisation. Prostitution is referred to as a western aberration. When Sayuri's training begins, the matriarchal figure Mameha says ‘[we] are not prostitutes’, and towards the end of the film when a fellow geisha, Pumpkin is ‘americanised’ by US troops and becomes a ‘common’ prostitute with none of the traditional paraphernalia of the Geisha and she subsequently betrays Sayuri, juxtaposing the nostalgic and exotic ideal of sanitised Japanese ‘geisha’ with the conventional western untrustworthy ‘hooker’.
The male characters in the film are presented as harmless, despite the sexual-repression inherent in their society. It is these four men who control the film's narrative, as Sayuri's actions are all centred around them as they compete to be her domo (to take her virginity and to have exclusive control over her sexuality). They can be broken into 2 pairs. The older men, Dr. Crab and the Baron, compete in a bidding war for Sayuri's virginity, whilst the two younger men (though the youngest, The Chairman is still twenty years her senior) are honour bound not to bid on her, but as they are stronger and younger the audience is intended to want Sayuri to be with one of them (despite the fact they already have wives). The Baron can been seen to represent the Male Gaze as he acts on the desire implicit in the gaze, attempting to forcibly undress Sayuri taking away some of her innocence, for which he is punished as the old man Dr.Crab is allowed to win the bidding war.
If anaylsed with the psychoanalytical methods of Mulvey’s essay, The Baron is undressing of Sayuri to demystify her and deny the threat of castration that she presents through her lack of a penis. In comparison to the violence of the Baron Dr.Crab’s use of his privilege over Sayuri to force her into sex is appears to be excused in the morality of the film. In the tiny prelude to the sexual act that we are permitted to witness between Sayuri and Dr. Crab he is pathetic; the detached camera angle re-enforces his impotence and the narrative quickly moves past the act. Within the morality of Hollywood cinema, if one of the younger men had been the one to take her virginity it would not be so easy to forgive them, as they are presented as strong charismatic figures to be admired by the audience, the Ideal Egos to which Sayuri is drawn.
Ultimately it is the Chairman who Sayuri is meant to be with, in a classical romantic sense, as she declares her affection towards him throughout the film and eventually the narrative brings them together. At the moment of resolution it is revealed that Sayuri 's actions, not just through the seen narrative but in the exposition, have been controlled by the Chairman who is revealed to have always know her identity, and made sure that she would become a geisha and protected her in the style of a guardian or god-like figure.
‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ is a contemporary film set in a pre-feminist era and culture. The viewer is meant to identify with the female protagonist Sayuri when she is sold to a Geisha house to be a slave, however while this custom is seemingly treated as archaic and cruel, when Sayuri becomes a geisha all associated customs are treated with reverence and glamorised in a typical Hollywood style. This film, which is marketed at women (Marketing for the film included a promotional advert for Maxx-factor mascara, which heavily featured clips from the film borrowing from and enhancing its glamour) attempts to find a compromise for a post-feminist western audience, exoticising prostitution to the point of de-familiarisation. Prostitution is referred to as a western aberration. When Sayuri's training begins, the matriarchal figure Mameha says ‘[we] are not prostitutes’, and towards the end of the film when a fellow geisha, Pumpkin is ‘americanised’ by US troops and becomes a ‘common’ prostitute with none of the traditional paraphernalia of the Geisha and she subsequently betrays Sayuri, juxtaposing the nostalgic and exotic ideal of sanitised Japanese ‘geisha’ with the conventional western untrustworthy ‘hooker’.
The male characters in the film are presented as harmless, despite the sexual-repression inherent in their society. It is these four men who control the film's narrative, as Sayuri's actions are all centred around them as they compete to be her domo (to take her virginity and to have exclusive control over her sexuality). They can be broken into 2 pairs. The older men, Dr. Crab and the Baron, compete in a bidding war for Sayuri's virginity, whilst the two younger men (though the youngest, The Chairman is still twenty years her senior) are honour bound not to bid on her, but as they are stronger and younger the audience is intended to want Sayuri to be with one of them (despite the fact they already have wives). The Baron can been seen to represent the Male Gaze as he acts on the desire implicit in the gaze, attempting to forcibly undress Sayuri taking away some of her innocence, for which he is punished as the old man Dr.Crab is allowed to win the bidding war.
If anaylsed with the psychoanalytical methods of Mulvey’s essay, The Baron is undressing of Sayuri to demystify her and deny the threat of castration that she presents through her lack of a penis. In comparison to the violence of the Baron Dr.Crab’s use of his privilege over Sayuri to force her into sex is appears to be excused in the morality of the film. In the tiny prelude to the sexual act that we are permitted to witness between Sayuri and Dr. Crab he is pathetic; the detached camera angle re-enforces his impotence and the narrative quickly moves past the act. Within the morality of Hollywood cinema, if one of the younger men had been the one to take her virginity it would not be so easy to forgive them, as they are presented as strong charismatic figures to be admired by the audience, the Ideal Egos to which Sayuri is drawn.
Ultimately it is the Chairman who Sayuri is meant to be with, in a classical romantic sense, as she declares her affection towards him throughout the film and eventually the narrative brings them together. At the moment of resolution it is revealed that Sayuri 's actions, not just through the seen narrative but in the exposition, have been controlled by the Chairman who is revealed to have always know her identity, and made sure that she would become a geisha and protected her in the style of a guardian or god-like figure.
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Dr. Who series 5 episode 2
muhhh?
so, the future citizens of the UK find out that an animal is being tortured for their supposed benefit and this is SO appalling that they all press the 'forget' button (which erases their memory) because they can't cope with the truth?
OK so they must all be, like, vegans in the future because meat eaters do that every day and they don't need no mind-erasey-device!
so, the future citizens of the UK find out that an animal is being tortured for their supposed benefit and this is SO appalling that they all press the 'forget' button (which erases their memory) because they can't cope with the truth?
OK so they must all be, like, vegans in the future because meat eaters do that every day and they don't need no mind-erasey-device!
Thursday, 22 April 2010
today's blog, ok?
Today I cycled from Rickmansworth to Cowley. Was tiring, really beautiful and unusual scenery on the canal though and I will take pictures next time.
Can't remember when Colour Me Wednesday are gonna be in Big Cheese but maybe I will casually saunter into WHSmiths tomorrow and have a little browse to see if we're in there. Cos I'm excited.
Can't remember when Colour Me Wednesday are gonna be in Big Cheese but maybe I will casually saunter into WHSmiths tomorrow and have a little browse to see if we're in there. Cos I'm excited.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
On Hating on 'Celebrity Culture'
So easy, isn't it, to hate on celebrity culture? But what exactly are you hating? The celebrities? ALL celebrities? People who like celebrities? People who like which celebrities? What about people who just have loads of facebook friends? What about people who are famous cos they were murdered? What about people who are famous cos they invented a miracle cure for a disease or something?
What about people who are famous for hating on celebrity culture?
eh? EH? EHHH?
I don't think I know what celebrity culture is... can you please enlighten me?
Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist, she is... let's say... a critic of 'celebrity culture' ('aren't ALL guardian journalists hating on celebrity culture' you ask? Maybe.) and in series 2 of one of my favourite tv programs Newswipe she was given a small feature where she talked about various celebrities who endorse various charities or causes and how it's bad... bad... naughty and shameless self-promotion and it's just so...tacky ... oh, unless you're Joanna Lumley of course.
Celebrities exist, they are famous because they are actors, or singers or entertainers of some kind mostly...and they usually have lots of money, and lots of time to spend that money. But what do you bloody want Marina? They're bringing publicity to the cause, it's better than just doing... whatever all the other celebrities do! I don't care if they are doing it just to promote themselves, I don't care! It's a hell of a lot better than doing fuck-all!
Most of this sniffiness about celebrities is just a nouveau version of snobbery towards the nouveau riche, it always comes from an upper class person. It's so EASY to do, it's such a knee-jerk reaction.
I looked Marina Hyde up on wikipedia and her Dad was a 'sir' and she went to Oxford so... Yeah, Marina, of course you hate celebrities, they have so much unearned wealth and status, not like you! And they're so low-brow. And working class people actually like them, the idiots!
I, for some stupid reason, wrote a comment on the youtube of the program in question. this is it:
SiLeNtPuNk1 I sort of WANTED to like Marina Hyde but I don't think she really has anything interesting to say, on this occassion, just seems like knee jerk snobbery towards celebrities and the consumers of 'celebrity culture'. At least they ARE political, at least they are doing something, bringing publicity to causes. plenty of celebrities seem happily empty headed, where are their opinions? I know if I found fame, I'd be going on about my opinions, causes I care about, injustices in the world all the time
And then, for some stupid reason, I checked my Gmail at some point and saw that some Troll-ish person had commented back.
WeNeedSomeGolfShoes Right, and how is bringing publicity to these causes in any way supposed help them? Other then give the celebrity in question a quick popularity boost?
And if you seriously find fame and start galavanting your opinion as if it would make a meassure of a difference, I garentee you I will be the first one to laugh in your face.
AND HE GOT 2 THUMBS UP FROM THE YOUTUBE COMMUNITY!
Yeah cos bringing publicity to charities doesn't help them at all! charities just want a quiet life, in fact a lot of them are SECRET charities who don't want any money or attention of any kind!
He also obviously misses the fact that Charlie Brooker is a celebrity and to a lesser degree so is Marina Hyde, and if they were some nobody on the street he most likely wouldn't have heard them 'galavanting' their opinions at all and wouldn't have so much obvious respect for them. I guess he would have less respect for them if they happened to have been actors first. In these people's minds, if you become and actor or a singer or a model, should your mouth be glued shut for the rest of time? Are they no longer allowed to participate or comment politically?
btw, fyi, if you didn't know, I LOVE Charlie Brooker, but he has actually mentioned that sexists misinterpret his affected misanthropic style as misogyny in sexist comments on the Guardian website. I try to avoid comments on Brooker stuff cos I hate seeing idiots who seem to think Charlie Brooker is one of them. Shudder...
What about people who are famous for hating on celebrity culture?
eh? EH? EHHH?
I don't think I know what celebrity culture is... can you please enlighten me?
Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist, she is... let's say... a critic of 'celebrity culture' ('aren't ALL guardian journalists hating on celebrity culture' you ask? Maybe.) and in series 2 of one of my favourite tv programs Newswipe she was given a small feature where she talked about various celebrities who endorse various charities or causes and how it's bad... bad... naughty and shameless self-promotion and it's just so...tacky ... oh, unless you're Joanna Lumley of course.
Celebrities exist, they are famous because they are actors, or singers or entertainers of some kind mostly...and they usually have lots of money, and lots of time to spend that money. But what do you bloody want Marina? They're bringing publicity to the cause, it's better than just doing... whatever all the other celebrities do! I don't care if they are doing it just to promote themselves, I don't care! It's a hell of a lot better than doing fuck-all!
Most of this sniffiness about celebrities is just a nouveau version of snobbery towards the nouveau riche, it always comes from an upper class person. It's so EASY to do, it's such a knee-jerk reaction.
I looked Marina Hyde up on wikipedia and her Dad was a 'sir' and she went to Oxford so... Yeah, Marina, of course you hate celebrities, they have so much unearned wealth and status, not like you! And they're so low-brow. And working class people actually like them, the idiots!
I, for some stupid reason, wrote a comment on the youtube of the program in question. this is it:
SiLeNtPuNk1 I sort of WANTED to like Marina Hyde but I don't think she really has anything interesting to say, on this occassion, just seems like knee jerk snobbery towards celebrities and the consumers of 'celebrity culture'. At least they ARE political, at least they are doing something, bringing publicity to causes. plenty of celebrities seem happily empty headed, where are their opinions? I know if I found fame, I'd be going on about my opinions, causes I care about, injustices in the world all the time
And then, for some stupid reason, I checked my Gmail at some point and saw that some Troll-ish person had commented back.
WeNeedSomeGolfShoes Right, and how is bringing publicity to these causes in any way supposed help them? Other then give the celebrity in question a quick popularity boost?
And if you seriously find fame and start galavanting your opinion as if it would make a meassure of a difference, I garentee you I will be the first one to laugh in your face.
AND HE GOT 2 THUMBS UP FROM THE YOUTUBE COMMUNITY!
Yeah cos bringing publicity to charities doesn't help them at all! charities just want a quiet life, in fact a lot of them are SECRET charities who don't want any money or attention of any kind!
He also obviously misses the fact that Charlie Brooker is a celebrity and to a lesser degree so is Marina Hyde, and if they were some nobody on the street he most likely wouldn't have heard them 'galavanting' their opinions at all and wouldn't have so much obvious respect for them. I guess he would have less respect for them if they happened to have been actors first. In these people's minds, if you become and actor or a singer or a model, should your mouth be glued shut for the rest of time? Are they no longer allowed to participate or comment politically?
btw, fyi, if you didn't know, I LOVE Charlie Brooker, but he has actually mentioned that sexists misinterpret his affected misanthropic style as misogyny in sexist comments on the Guardian website. I try to avoid comments on Brooker stuff cos I hate seeing idiots who seem to think Charlie Brooker is one of them. Shudder...
Unexamined Privilege Episode
Sorry to mislead you but I don't think this particular blog post is gonna be about an Unexamined Privilege Episode, but I do LOOOVE that term, I came across it in Jennifer Kesler's blogsite 'What Privilege' which features articles about Unexamined Privilege Episodes and unearned privilege and taking privilege for granted and I'm finding it hard to explain but here's a link.
Anyway, let me tell you about my weekend. On Saturday we had yoga class with my mum, Akbar came and so did Dan. Pami from work came as well but she was really late, probably due to the 222 bus service from Hounslow (emphasis on the SLOW. RIGHT? YEAH!).
On Sunday night we went to Dan's. We brought chips and tortilla wraps and courgettes and houmous ('we' is CMW, BTW) and eventually the oven made it hot and we ate it. We watched 'The Boat That Rocked' Which is a terrible film. I mean disappointing but I don't say disappointing because almost all films disappoint me, even the ones I think will be shit turn out to be shitter.
That sounds like I'm really critical. I am... but I don't actually have high standards for films, not really. Even if I know it is going to be shit, I always think I will be entertained. This is because I forget that the film industry is still quite a sexist industry and hardly any films pass the 'Bechdel test'.
In order for a film to pass the Bechdel test, at least two NAMED women in the film must have a conversation... with each other.... about something other than... a man. (MORE ON THIS)
Sounds pretty basic right? Apparently not.
I am pretty sure The Boat That Rocked featured its female characters heavily in its promotional material (which tricked me into thinking it would just be... normal and nice) but this film does not by any stretch of the imagination pass the Bechdel test. There's even a LESBIAN in it and she only says one word to a female in the whole film and it's 'lovely'.
I don't conciously try to apply the Bechdel test to films as I am watching them*see analogy below, it's just painfully obvious when a film is a cockfest and this, my friends, is a cockfestival. It's also obvious when almost all the female characters in a film are 'doormats or prostitutes'. or I guess 'Victims or Bitches' would be more accurate, it's the Bond girl dualism. I'd love to see that quiz in MIZZ magazine, 'Hey girls, which female movie character are you? Victim or Bitch?' (Mizz is one of the more aspirational pre-teen-magazines, obv.)
* Imagine...
Anyway, let me tell you about my weekend. On Saturday we had yoga class with my mum, Akbar came and so did Dan. Pami from work came as well but she was really late, probably due to the 222 bus service from Hounslow (emphasis on the SLOW. RIGHT? YEAH!).
On Sunday night we went to Dan's. We brought chips and tortilla wraps and courgettes and houmous ('we' is CMW, BTW) and eventually the oven made it hot and we ate it. We watched 'The Boat That Rocked' Which is a terrible film. I mean disappointing but I don't say disappointing because almost all films disappoint me, even the ones I think will be shit turn out to be shitter.
That sounds like I'm really critical. I am... but I don't actually have high standards for films, not really. Even if I know it is going to be shit, I always think I will be entertained. This is because I forget that the film industry is still quite a sexist industry and hardly any films pass the 'Bechdel test'.
In order for a film to pass the Bechdel test, at least two NAMED women in the film must have a conversation... with each other.... about something other than... a man. (MORE ON THIS)
Sounds pretty basic right? Apparently not.
I am pretty sure The Boat That Rocked featured its female characters heavily in its promotional material (which tricked me into thinking it would just be... normal and nice) but this film does not by any stretch of the imagination pass the Bechdel test. There's even a LESBIAN in it and she only says one word to a female in the whole film and it's 'lovely'.
I don't conciously try to apply the Bechdel test to films as I am watching them*see analogy below, it's just painfully obvious when a film is a cockfest and this, my friends, is a cockfestival. It's also obvious when almost all the female characters in a film are 'doormats or prostitutes'. or I guess 'Victims or Bitches' would be more accurate, it's the Bond girl dualism. I'd love to see that quiz in MIZZ magazine, 'Hey girls, which female movie character are you? Victim or Bitch?' (Mizz is one of the more aspirational pre-teen-magazines, obv.)
I guess if you're a (white) guy and you don't see anything wrong with these films because, hey, they paint people like you in such a great light etc. etc..... we might call that an... Unexamined Privilege Episode. YEAH! I worked it in, I'm a weaver, I weave.
I'm actually really wired on coffee right now. I can only write/think in really short sentences before my attention span shorts out.
* Imagine...
Friday, 16 April 2010
this song rocks
So what am I not supposed to have an opinion
Should I be quiet just because I'm a woman
Call me a bitch cos I speak what's on my mind
Guess it's easier for you to swallow if I sat and smiled
When a female fires back
Suddenly the target don't know how to act
So he does what any little boy will do
Making up a few false rumors or two
That for sure is not a man to me
Slanderin' names for popularity
It's sad you only get your fame through controversy
But now it's time for me to come and give you more to say
This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
So what do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave them proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down
Nobody can hold us down
Nobody can hold us down
Nobody can hold us down
Never can, never will
So what am I not supposed to say what I'm saying
Are you offended by the message I'm bringing
Call me whatever cos your words don't mean a thing
Guess you ain't even a man enough to handle what I sing
If you look back in history
It's a common double standard of society
The guy gets all the glory the more he can score
While the girl can do the same and yet you call her a whore
I don't understand why it's okay
The guy can get away with it & the girl gets named
All my ladies come together and make a change
Start a new beginning for us everybody sing
This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
What do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave 'em proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down
Check it - Here's something I just can't understand
If the guy have three girls then he's the man
He can either give us some head, sex her off
If the girl do the same, then she's a whore
But the table's about to turn
I'll bet my fame on it
Cats take my ideas and put their name on it
It's aiight though, you can't hold me down
I got to keep on movin'
To all my girls with a man who be tryin to mack
Do it right back to him and let that be that
You need to let him know that his game is whack
And Lil' Kim and Christina Aguilera got your back
But you're just a little boy
Think you're so cute, so coy
You must talk so big
To make up for small lil' things
So you're just a little boy
All you'll do is annoy
You must talk so big
To make up for small lil' things
This is for my girls...
This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
So what do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave 'em proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down
This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
So what do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave 'em proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down
Spread the word, can't hold us down
Should I be quiet just because I'm a woman
Call me a bitch cos I speak what's on my mind
Guess it's easier for you to swallow if I sat and smiled
When a female fires back
Suddenly the target don't know how to act
So he does what any little boy will do
Making up a few false rumors or two
That for sure is not a man to me
Slanderin' names for popularity
It's sad you only get your fame through controversy
But now it's time for me to come and give you more to say
This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
So what do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave them proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down
Nobody can hold us down
Nobody can hold us down
Nobody can hold us down
Never can, never will
So what am I not supposed to say what I'm saying
Are you offended by the message I'm bringing
Call me whatever cos your words don't mean a thing
Guess you ain't even a man enough to handle what I sing
If you look back in history
It's a common double standard of society
The guy gets all the glory the more he can score
While the girl can do the same and yet you call her a whore
I don't understand why it's okay
The guy can get away with it & the girl gets named
All my ladies come together and make a change
Start a new beginning for us everybody sing
This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
What do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave 'em proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down
Check it - Here's something I just can't understand
If the guy have three girls then he's the man
He can either give us some head, sex her off
If the girl do the same, then she's a whore
But the table's about to turn
I'll bet my fame on it
Cats take my ideas and put their name on it
It's aiight though, you can't hold me down
I got to keep on movin'
To all my girls with a man who be tryin to mack
Do it right back to him and let that be that
You need to let him know that his game is whack
And Lil' Kim and Christina Aguilera got your back
But you're just a little boy
Think you're so cute, so coy
You must talk so big
To make up for small lil' things
So you're just a little boy
All you'll do is annoy
You must talk so big
To make up for small lil' things
This is for my girls...
This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
So what do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave 'em proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down
This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
So what do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave 'em proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down
Spread the word, can't hold us down
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
today I went to Eastbourne
early in the morning. took Hat's camera but didn't have anything to photograph most of the time or wasn't used to having a camera. But anyway I walked to Eastbourne town and went in nearly all the charity shops but being an old-lady town there is only old lady stuff or just really mundanely naff and over-priced stuff - Jeans for a fiver, yeah? Think again Scope!- I bought some stockings and a pleated grey skirt that I plan to revamp to look like this>>>
. They have about 20 charity shops but that ain't saying much really.
I also saw some shop window that was being used to show some art that was pretty cool
cos it has a John Lennon quote and a Bill Hicks quote which was apt cos I was wearing my Hicks Lives t-shirt (which is on it's way out cos I made it in 2004!) I liked this art cos it looked kinda shambolic and thrown together, has a sixth-form-esque naivity rather than being stupidly slick and expensive and oblique and BLAAND like the art they wanted us to make at uni.Anyway then I went back to my nan's granny flat for old dears and had some soup and apple juice:
there's me in the mirror, and my nan and my dad and the window fitter in the doorway.
And my nan must smell of lollies cos I spotted she uses chupa chups body spray
(flavour: 'I love me')and my nan passes the time by perving on this pigeon that lives in the tree outside her window which she insists 'isn't a common pigeon, must be part dove', of course it is. THE END.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Chilli Sauces
It's so hard to find the perfect chilli sauce, Here is some that I have tried and reviewed in no particular order... I have also included Chilli Oils.
MAGGI CHILLI AND GARLIC SAUCE
This sauce is not too spicy, maybe not spicy enough in fact! It starts off as quite addictive but soon becomes sickly, It's the exact consistency of ketchup. I think it is thinkened with some kind of starch, too much filler in other words not enough chilli. Works with Chips. Also too SWEET! 5/10
UNBRANDED CHINESE CHILLI OIL (picture may not be accurate)
I bought this at a Chinese supermarket in china town.
it was unbranded and didnt have ingredients the first time
I bought it, it's very chinese tasting, only works with chinese food.
Later I found out the ingredients included Shrimp, Sesame oil and MSG.
the MSG made it addictive, sesame oil made it chinesey and the Shrimp made it not suitable for Vegetarians/Vegans. 6/10
VEGETARIAN CHILLI OIL (picture may not be accurate)
I got this from a foreign foods stall at a car boot sale, it is a vegetarian version of the above, was really nice but still only works with chinese food.
7/10
ENCONA WEST INDIAN ORIGINAL HOT PEPPER SAUCE
This is really tasty chilli sauce but sometimes too hot to handle, i don't think
it's important for chilli sauce to be VERY hot. I'm not in it for the macho kudos alright? I want that tasty chilli taste, I like to be able to taste the chilli but not be in pain, that puts me in a bad mood when I'm trying to eat. For some reason the taste of this chilli sauce reminds me of the smell of freshly baked bread, really nice, really wholesome tasting. Works with everything! 8.5/10
CHOLULA HOT SAUCE
This chilli sauce, imported from Mexico is hot but bearable it really only works with Mexican foods like burritos and bean chili because of the spices used.
My parents bought it for me from America for $6.45, later I saw it at the aforementioned imported foods stall at a boot sale and it was £9!! I thought, wow they got a bargain! but.... last week... I saw it in Morrisons SuperMarket
for like 99p so go out and buy it if you like mexican food. 6/10
NANDOS PERI PERI SAUCE
This hot sauce is delicious, works with all foods, Italian, Chinese, Indian,
English (Potato Products ahah), ....Portuguese!
I buy Medium cos I love the taste so I always put loads on (AND BTW I DONT EAT CHICKEN!). I think it's the onions that make it so addictive! 9/10
DILITA AFRIKANA PERI-PERI HOT SAUCE
I was hoping to find slightly cheaper alternative to the Nandos equivalent....
but.... I dont know WHO could like this sauce, I've paid money for it so I TRIED to make myself eat it but can't stop SPITTING IT OUT on reflex. It says it contains 'lemons' on the ingredients, the lemon taste is overwhelming, and I wouldnt mind if it actually tasted like lemon, it tastes like lemon sherbets (those boiled sweets) or like Flash Lemon Fresh floor cleaner. it's not natural!!! there might be SOME recipe this goes with but I havent found it yet. 1/10
[NO PICTURE] DILITA MEXIAN RED JALAPENO SAUCE
This chilli sauce was a pale translucent colour which was a bit suspicious, cos sometimes it means it'll be too sweet, only the chinese can do sweet chilli sauce okay? but that's another story. Well it didnt taste like sweet chilli sauce and it certainly didnt taste mexican. REALLY! It tastes exactly like that sweet mint/ chilli/ coriander chutney you get with samosas from indian restaurants or shops (which would be ok but it came in a small bottle so you can only have a tiny bit, unlike at Indian food shops where you get a whole cup!). So... good with samosas and pakoras, not with mexican food. It has mint in the ingredients.
4/10
THAI KITCHEN SWEET CHILLI SAUCE
A lot of sweet chilli sauces are very similar, this one was very nice!
and comes in a really big squeezy bottle. But some sweet chilli sauces taste different.... like Asda's own, which is alright but doesnt have that special... something so... in conclusion, Thai Kitchen sweet chilli sauce is a safe bet, tastes great with noodles and also potato wedges or chips. 8/10
[no picture] CHILLI INFUSED OLIVE OIL
I think... that tesco's chilli infused olive oil is the best, cant really remember cos I havent bought it for ages. but the problem I came across with sainsbury's chilli oil was that it had 'chilli extract' instead of just 'chilli' on the ingredients. so the tesco one tasted more of fresh chilli it came in a bottle with a black lable with a picture of a chilli pepper. Great on Pasta, Pizza and...wedges... 8/10
I have tried other chilli sauces but cant remember if they were any good, dont really think much of tobasco, too vinegary, cant taste the chilli, if you know of any really good chilli sauces let me know!!!
MAGGI CHILLI AND GARLIC SAUCE
This sauce is not too spicy, maybe not spicy enough in fact! It starts off as quite addictive but soon becomes sickly, It's the exact consistency of ketchup. I think it is thinkened with some kind of starch, too much filler in other words not enough chilli. Works with Chips. Also too SWEET! 5/10
UNBRANDED CHINESE CHILLI OIL (picture may not be accurate)I bought this at a Chinese supermarket in china town.
it was unbranded and didnt have ingredients the first time
I bought it, it's very chinese tasting, only works with chinese food.
Later I found out the ingredients included Shrimp, Sesame oil and MSG.
the MSG made it addictive, sesame oil made it chinesey and the Shrimp made it not suitable for Vegetarians/Vegans. 6/10
VEGETARIAN CHILLI OIL (picture may not be accurate)I got this from a foreign foods stall at a car boot sale, it is a vegetarian version of the above, was really nice but still only works with chinese food.
7/10
ENCONA WEST INDIAN ORIGINAL HOT PEPPER SAUCE
This is really tasty chilli sauce but sometimes too hot to handle, i don't think
it's important for chilli sauce to be VERY hot. I'm not in it for the macho kudos alright? I want that tasty chilli taste, I like to be able to taste the chilli but not be in pain, that puts me in a bad mood when I'm trying to eat. For some reason the taste of this chilli sauce reminds me of the smell of freshly baked bread, really nice, really wholesome tasting. Works with everything! 8.5/10
CHOLULA HOT SAUCEThis chilli sauce, imported from Mexico is hot but bearable it really only works with Mexican foods like burritos and bean chili because of the spices used.
My parents bought it for me from America for $6.45, later I saw it at the aforementioned imported foods stall at a boot sale and it was £9!! I thought, wow they got a bargain! but.... last week... I saw it in Morrisons SuperMarket
for like 99p so go out and buy it if you like mexican food. 6/10
NANDOS PERI PERI SAUCEThis hot sauce is delicious, works with all foods, Italian, Chinese, Indian,
English (Potato Products ahah), ....Portuguese!
I buy Medium cos I love the taste so I always put loads on (AND BTW I DONT EAT CHICKEN!). I think it's the onions that make it so addictive! 9/10
DILITA AFRIKANA PERI-PERI HOT SAUCE I was hoping to find slightly cheaper alternative to the Nandos equivalent....
but.... I dont know WHO could like this sauce, I've paid money for it so I TRIED to make myself eat it but can't stop SPITTING IT OUT on reflex. It says it contains 'lemons' on the ingredients, the lemon taste is overwhelming, and I wouldnt mind if it actually tasted like lemon, it tastes like lemon sherbets (those boiled sweets) or like Flash Lemon Fresh floor cleaner. it's not natural!!! there might be SOME recipe this goes with but I havent found it yet. 1/10
[NO PICTURE] DILITA MEXIAN RED JALAPENO SAUCE
This chilli sauce was a pale translucent colour which was a bit suspicious, cos sometimes it means it'll be too sweet, only the chinese can do sweet chilli sauce okay? but that's another story. Well it didnt taste like sweet chilli sauce and it certainly didnt taste mexican. REALLY! It tastes exactly like that sweet mint/ chilli/ coriander chutney you get with samosas from indian restaurants or shops (which would be ok but it came in a small bottle so you can only have a tiny bit, unlike at Indian food shops where you get a whole cup!). So... good with samosas and pakoras, not with mexican food. It has mint in the ingredients.
4/10
THAI KITCHEN SWEET CHILLI SAUCEA lot of sweet chilli sauces are very similar, this one was very nice!
and comes in a really big squeezy bottle. But some sweet chilli sauces taste different.... like Asda's own, which is alright but doesnt have that special... something so... in conclusion, Thai Kitchen sweet chilli sauce is a safe bet, tastes great with noodles and also potato wedges or chips. 8/10
[no picture] CHILLI INFUSED OLIVE OIL
I think... that tesco's chilli infused olive oil is the best, cant really remember cos I havent bought it for ages. but the problem I came across with sainsbury's chilli oil was that it had 'chilli extract' instead of just 'chilli' on the ingredients. so the tesco one tasted more of fresh chilli it came in a bottle with a black lable with a picture of a chilli pepper. Great on Pasta, Pizza and...wedges... 8/10
I have tried other chilli sauces but cant remember if they were any good, dont really think much of tobasco, too vinegary, cant taste the chilli, if you know of any really good chilli sauces let me know!!!
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
I hate logging in
yeah I hate logging in to things, having to type your password and shit.... so annoying, I especially hate how after I've logged into the new MSN Messenger, I click on my e-mail and I have to log in AGAIN! it never remembers me...
I resent all these security checks being a person who has never once had any account hacked from phishing scams or whatever, who falls for that shit, loads of ppl I know have had their e-mail, facebook and myspace hacked. Not really 'Hacked' since no hacking was really involved they basically gave their password away to some window that popped up and asked for it. haha.
I bet I get hacked now I've said that. :P
I resent all these security checks being a person who has never once had any account hacked from phishing scams or whatever, who falls for that shit, loads of ppl I know have had their e-mail, facebook and myspace hacked. Not really 'Hacked' since no hacking was really involved they basically gave their password away to some window that popped up and asked for it. haha.
I bet I get hacked now I've said that. :P
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Just in case you think I havent been doing anything
I've been making some things sometimes when I have time out of stuff lying around.
this is a fascinator made from the trim from a top Harriet doesnt want anymore and a
skull made from plaster of paris finished with pearl coloured nail varnish.
When I have made 100 things I will consider doing something with them, for now I'll just put em on this here blog.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
RIOT GRRRL MANIFESTO
Haven't blogged for a while, Kathleen Hanna seems to say it best for me at the moment, here is her 'riot grrrl manifesto'
KATHLEEN HANNA'S RIOT GRRRL MANIFESTO
BECAUSE us girls crave records and books and fanzines that speak to US that WE feel included in and can understand in our own ways.
BECAUSE we wanna make it easier for girls to see/hear each other's work so that we can share strategies and criticize-applaud each other.
BECAUSE we must take over the means of production in order to create our own moanings.
BECAUSE viewing our work as being connected to our girlfriends-politics-real lives is essential if we are gonna figure out how we are doing impacts, reflects, perpetuates, or DISRUPTS the status quo.
BECAUSE we recognize fantasies of Instant Macho Gun Revolution as impractical lies meant to keep us simply dreaming instead of becoming our dreams AND THUS seek to create revolution in our own lives every single day by envisioning and creating alternatives to the bullshit christian capitalist way of doing things.
BECAUSE we want and need to encourage and be encouraged in the face of all our own insecurities, in the face of beergutboyrock that tells us we can't play our instruments, in the face of "authorities" who say our bands/zines/etc are the worst in the US and
BECAUSE we don't wanna assimilate to someone else's (boy) standards of what is or isn't.
BECAUSE we are unwilling to falter under claims that we are reactionary "reverse sexists" AND NOT THE TRUEPUNKROCKSOULCRUSADERS THAT WE KNOW we really are.
BECAUSE we know that life is much more than physical survival and are patently aware that the punk rock "you can do anything" idea is crucial to the coming angry grrrl rock revolution which seeks to save the psychic and cultural lives of girls and women everywhere, according to their own terms, not ours.
BECAUSE we are interested in creating non-heirarchical ways of being AND making music, friends, and scenes based on communication + understanding, instead of competition + good/bad categorizations.
BECAUSE doing/reading/seeing/hearing cool things that validate and challenge us can help us gain the strength and sense of community that we need in order to figure out how bullshit like racism, able-bodieism, ageism, speciesism, classism, thinism, sexism, anti-semitism and heterosexism figures in our own lives.
BECAUSE we see fostering and supporting girl scenes and girl artists of all kinds as integral to this process.
BECAUSE we hate capitalism in all its forms and see our main goal as sharing information and staying alive, instead of making profits of being cool according to traditional standards.
BECAUSE we are angry at a society that tells us Girl=Dumb, Girl=Bad, Girl=Weak.
BECAUSE we are unwilling to let our real and valid anger be diffused and/or turned against us via the internalization of sexism as witnessed in girl/girl jealousism and self defeating girltype behaviors.
BECAUSE I believe with my wholeheartmindbody that girls constitute a revolutionary soul force that can, and will change the world for real.
KATHLEEN HANNA'S RIOT GRRRL MANIFESTO
BECAUSE us girls crave records and books and fanzines that speak to US that WE feel included in and can understand in our own ways.
BECAUSE we wanna make it easier for girls to see/hear each other's work so that we can share strategies and criticize-applaud each other.
BECAUSE we must take over the means of production in order to create our own moanings.
BECAUSE viewing our work as being connected to our girlfriends-politics-real lives is essential if we are gonna figure out how we are doing impacts, reflects, perpetuates, or DISRUPTS the status quo.
BECAUSE we recognize fantasies of Instant Macho Gun Revolution as impractical lies meant to keep us simply dreaming instead of becoming our dreams AND THUS seek to create revolution in our own lives every single day by envisioning and creating alternatives to the bullshit christian capitalist way of doing things.
BECAUSE we want and need to encourage and be encouraged in the face of all our own insecurities, in the face of beergutboyrock that tells us we can't play our instruments, in the face of "authorities" who say our bands/zines/etc are the worst in the US and
BECAUSE we don't wanna assimilate to someone else's (boy) standards of what is or isn't.
BECAUSE we are unwilling to falter under claims that we are reactionary "reverse sexists" AND NOT THE TRUEPUNKROCKSOULCRUSADERS THAT WE KNOW we really are.
BECAUSE we know that life is much more than physical survival and are patently aware that the punk rock "you can do anything" idea is crucial to the coming angry grrrl rock revolution which seeks to save the psychic and cultural lives of girls and women everywhere, according to their own terms, not ours.
BECAUSE we are interested in creating non-heirarchical ways of being AND making music, friends, and scenes based on communication + understanding, instead of competition + good/bad categorizations.
BECAUSE doing/reading/seeing/hearing cool things that validate and challenge us can help us gain the strength and sense of community that we need in order to figure out how bullshit like racism, able-bodieism, ageism, speciesism, classism, thinism, sexism, anti-semitism and heterosexism figures in our own lives.
BECAUSE we see fostering and supporting girl scenes and girl artists of all kinds as integral to this process.
BECAUSE we hate capitalism in all its forms and see our main goal as sharing information and staying alive, instead of making profits of being cool according to traditional standards.
BECAUSE we are angry at a society that tells us Girl=Dumb, Girl=Bad, Girl=Weak.
BECAUSE we are unwilling to let our real and valid anger be diffused and/or turned against us via the internalization of sexism as witnessed in girl/girl jealousism and self defeating girltype behaviors.
BECAUSE I believe with my wholeheartmindbody that girls constitute a revolutionary soul force that can, and will change the world for real.
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
hmmm
They are showing me how to make FAKE POO on blue peter. It really has gone downhill if all they can teach kids to make now is a brown blob. lol!
Monday, 9 March 2009
Pssh Capitalists
It may be an obvious point but I find it very irritating how much time and suggested compassion the news gives to failing corporations. These corporations do not provide a public service, they do not survive on welfare funding out of taxes. They are companies designed to offer something in exchange for profit. Now, they either were overly greedy and gambled all their money away or people just don't want to buy their product anymore.
Recently, the US government bailed out the car manufacturer GM. This is an example of a capitalist organisation working under the principles of the 'free market' floundering. Again, they do not offer a service to anyone, they sell cars. People don't want their cars right now so they aren't making profit. They wanted to work under a free market because it means unregulated free-for-all i.e. 'We'll try to make money however we can, independently, we don't need to help anyone and in exchange we don't need any help from anyone'. They have failed at this and that means putting lots of jobs at risk, suddenly someone has to be accountable, so here comes the government bail-out.
In this country, the news reports lament the gradual death of the Pub. A British institution? Not so much. The NHS is a British institution. The Pub is just a shop, like any other, designed to sell you over-priced and ineffective drugs along with the general 'traditional' pub experience. So pubs aren't making profit, how can they survive? They live mostly on nostalgia and social pressure without offering many other services. The ones that will survive will be the ones that offer alternative services, the ones that act as gig venues, or the ones that are aimed at students who like to drink publicly. In a recession people become pragmatic, so the myths of 'going down the pub' or wearing 'high-status' clothing go out the window (the fashion industry is also suffering).
Make the connection between intangible 'myth' and intangible 'brand' and you'll see why the UK is going to suffer in this downturn. In the Thatcher years, many of our manufacturing and exporting companies were shut down or moved overseas. Capitalist organisations put more emphasis on 'branding', 'brand identity', 'brand image' etc. rather than the product which was secondary. Many of the products we now consume were made in sweatshops and factories overseas, this method of production is down-played as poverty and worker-abuse do not do much for one's 'brand image'.
So, with very few exports and few jobs in manufacturing or skilled trades beyond the service industry, the UK has a lot of money in intangible fields, think of the stock market bubble.
There are those who believed that capitalism was the epitome of equal opportunity. That the free market gave everyone a fair shot if you were willing to work hard (conveniently forgetting the underpaid third world workers who made the clothes on their back, also forgetting that currency is finite and to make money is to take it from someone else) but to see the flaw in any system we have to imagine its ultimate manifestation or its extreme incarnation. People existing purely for profit, organisations fuelled by growth eventually leaves no room for human compassion, no room for failure, no room for sick days, no room for anything unless it is profitable.
So where do we draw the line or, more importantly, who draws the line? In the free market there is, in theory, no one to draw the line, the government does not regulate a corporation's activity so it can technically do anything it deems to be profitable. The other force here is the consumer. A believer in the free market may have previously said that the organisations are regulated by consumer interest, they offer products and they rely on the consumers to buy them. There is truth in this, so if we follow this logic, if consumers are not interested in keeping a corporation afloat by buying its products, why should the consumer still have to bail the company out through taxes when they fail?
We can only conclude that the free market doesn't work unless its ideals are followed through. Meaning: no government regulation and no government handouts, if you fail then you fail if that's how you want to play it. But we know that wouldn't work, and we can see that it isn't working, things like pubs will suffer and no amount of mourning will ever be as important as profit. When profit is put before people, you have to expect that Sipson Village will be tarmacked over to make way for a profitable third runway you also have to expect that corporations will continue to pollute the planet undeterred while it is profitable to do so.
Recently, the US government bailed out the car manufacturer GM. This is an example of a capitalist organisation working under the principles of the 'free market' floundering. Again, they do not offer a service to anyone, they sell cars. People don't want their cars right now so they aren't making profit. They wanted to work under a free market because it means unregulated free-for-all i.e. 'We'll try to make money however we can, independently, we don't need to help anyone and in exchange we don't need any help from anyone'. They have failed at this and that means putting lots of jobs at risk, suddenly someone has to be accountable, so here comes the government bail-out.
In this country, the news reports lament the gradual death of the Pub. A British institution? Not so much. The NHS is a British institution. The Pub is just a shop, like any other, designed to sell you over-priced and ineffective drugs along with the general 'traditional' pub experience. So pubs aren't making profit, how can they survive? They live mostly on nostalgia and social pressure without offering many other services. The ones that will survive will be the ones that offer alternative services, the ones that act as gig venues, or the ones that are aimed at students who like to drink publicly. In a recession people become pragmatic, so the myths of 'going down the pub' or wearing 'high-status' clothing go out the window (the fashion industry is also suffering).
Make the connection between intangible 'myth' and intangible 'brand' and you'll see why the UK is going to suffer in this downturn. In the Thatcher years, many of our manufacturing and exporting companies were shut down or moved overseas. Capitalist organisations put more emphasis on 'branding', 'brand identity', 'brand image' etc. rather than the product which was secondary. Many of the products we now consume were made in sweatshops and factories overseas, this method of production is down-played as poverty and worker-abuse do not do much for one's 'brand image'.
So, with very few exports and few jobs in manufacturing or skilled trades beyond the service industry, the UK has a lot of money in intangible fields, think of the stock market bubble.
There are those who believed that capitalism was the epitome of equal opportunity. That the free market gave everyone a fair shot if you were willing to work hard (conveniently forgetting the underpaid third world workers who made the clothes on their back, also forgetting that currency is finite and to make money is to take it from someone else) but to see the flaw in any system we have to imagine its ultimate manifestation or its extreme incarnation. People existing purely for profit, organisations fuelled by growth eventually leaves no room for human compassion, no room for failure, no room for sick days, no room for anything unless it is profitable.
So where do we draw the line or, more importantly, who draws the line? In the free market there is, in theory, no one to draw the line, the government does not regulate a corporation's activity so it can technically do anything it deems to be profitable. The other force here is the consumer. A believer in the free market may have previously said that the organisations are regulated by consumer interest, they offer products and they rely on the consumers to buy them. There is truth in this, so if we follow this logic, if consumers are not interested in keeping a corporation afloat by buying its products, why should the consumer still have to bail the company out through taxes when they fail?
We can only conclude that the free market doesn't work unless its ideals are followed through. Meaning: no government regulation and no government handouts, if you fail then you fail if that's how you want to play it. But we know that wouldn't work, and we can see that it isn't working, things like pubs will suffer and no amount of mourning will ever be as important as profit. When profit is put before people, you have to expect that Sipson Village will be tarmacked over to make way for a profitable third runway you also have to expect that corporations will continue to pollute the planet undeterred while it is profitable to do so.
Thursday, 5 March 2009
I get the appeal
I totally get the appeal now... (of twitter)... at least I think I do. In the case of celebrities, such as Slavoj Zizek, or Russell Brand, who I am following, they are saying such trivial things, it feels really personal, and they said it so RECENTLY you have instant access to talk to them. This blog nearly turned out as brief as a Tweet. I will elaborate... at the moment I feel a bit blinkered by it, I can see what people have written, sometimes in response to someone else's tweet but it doesn't immediately show you the other half of the conversation, I also have no one following me, so it really does feel like eavesdropping... to half of a conversation. In conclusion, appealing but limited. esp. without a blackberry.
EDIT: (Zizek and Brand are terrible examples of triviality as Zizek actually sparks intellectual debate and Brand is always trivial :P )
EDIT: (Zizek and Brand are terrible examples of triviality as Zizek actually sparks intellectual debate and Brand is always trivial :P )
I joined twitter
mainly because I want to follow Charlie Brooker. Tho I don't see the point (other than to stalk CB), it's just like facebook statuses isnt it?
It's in the media a lot for some reason...? Just because it's new? That gives plenty people an arbitrary reason to hate it... I'm not into that.
There's a lot of that around, hating things cos they are new, I guess people can't be bothered to actually choose what they like and hate based on any kind of real analysis so they just go with the impulse to hate/fear the different/new. You gotta hate something right? I think I wrote a blog similar to this on LiveJournal, about how people distribute their 'liking of things' as if it was a finite thing, actually ((I think I called it 'limiting sympathy' back then when I used big words cos it was before the long long uni holidays melted my brain.)) An example (I always talk about Helen lol) is Helen Meragi, who got myspace, and then a couple of years later myspace introduced photoalbums but Helen didn't want to get photo-albums because she Quote: 'felt like [she] would be betraying [her] old self'. Eventually she got them tho, after Hat convinced her! :P
Anyway, this is a small group of young people... most people that will hate Twitter are OLDDD and they just don't really know what it is and they think as people who are younger than them use it it must be shallow and immature, but also a threat because they are OLD so won't have the power to supress new media forever.
I think young people need a revolution, I personally have had enough of, every time I turn on the TV, hearing a middle-aged, middle-class person calling me stupid because I use a computer, because I write to my friends in e-mails instead of telegrams or face-to-face on a pic-nic blanket eating scones with lashings of strawberry jam and hand-whipped cream or whatever.
This rant is mainly brought on by Baroness Greenfield, a 'professor of neuroscience' who is given regular slots on TV shows, quoted in Newspapers and featured in radio programs with her ridiculous claims that Q: 'these technologies are infantilising the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights'. She also believes that in a few years children won't recognise blood, yes, blood, because they've been desensitised by Youtube... I am not joking she said children will go: 'what's that red stuff pouring out of him?'. She believes that in the old days kids read books which taught them to empathise whereas facebook turns kids into unfeeling robots...yeah... doesn't make much sense to me either!
If the mainstream media only allows these conservative "scientists" in these kinds of forums then they are shooting themselves in the foot because anyone with a different opinion (such as any young person) will air their views on... the internet and this will reduce the relevence of these old media such as TV, Radio and Newspapers. It also perpetuates class divides, typical of the BBC to respect such hierarchies, and continues this attack on the working classes which has been prevalent in the media recently (see: Benefit Fraud adverts starring chavvy looking people.) ITV, of course is supposedly less uptight and middle-class but still perpetuates this hierarchy as its 'factual' programs stir up tabloid-like fear and hatred of young people and working class people and its fiction does nothing to question the status-quo , Coronation Street, for example, has very unambitious working-class characters with low self-esteem who marry the people who live nearest to them (before changing their mind and sleeping with someone 2 doors down), the young people are all scheming or stupid or lazy or shallow, its characters rarely read books or use computers, just sit in the pub all day (though its creators are very aware of this format). ITV's american imports are all aspirational, let's-admire-rich-people programs.
You'd think Channel 4 would be better but (like the BBC) that's full of cooking shows which encourage people to cook expensively, eat fatteningly, all in the name of high-brow dining which is supposedly the antithesis to fast-food and other things favoured by the working-classes. Or there's 'grand designs' where rich people get to build their ugly barbie dream houses because they deserve it cos they are so rich. Channel five is just a magazine channel with very cheap TV shows often about other TV shows on other channels but at least it has Neighbours. And don't get me started on the Digital Channels.
Anyway, anyone want to join my revolution?
Number One, I live in my momma house
I pulled a dead flattened mouse out of the bottom of my trainer the other day.
I thought maybe it was a sock or something I'd left in the end of the shoe but I when I pulled it out it was all stiff and spikey then I saw it was a flattened curled up mouse in my hand I screamed and ran to the bathroom to wash my hands a few hundred times. I can only blog about it now cos the memory of the HORROR has faded.
Anyway, lots of gigs coming up, I wish I had more charisma...
Yesterday me and Sam and a girl called Markella gave away cakes for art... students at uni could have free cakes if they did a piece of art on a postcard. It's for Sam's exhibition People Planet
Where anyone can submit artwork or perform, it opens on the 19th March.
Apparently... Harriet wants to move away to go to uni (cos she's a traitor and she hates me) and my mum wants to turn her room into a kitchen and wants me and Sam to live in the cabin instead of moving out and pay her rent n stuff... Sam wants to paint the living room off-white. I prefer pure white tho. and we'll need a wardrobe.
I thought maybe it was a sock or something I'd left in the end of the shoe but I when I pulled it out it was all stiff and spikey then I saw it was a flattened curled up mouse in my hand I screamed and ran to the bathroom to wash my hands a few hundred times. I can only blog about it now cos the memory of the HORROR has faded.
Anyway, lots of gigs coming up, I wish I had more charisma...
Yesterday me and Sam and a girl called Markella gave away cakes for art... students at uni could have free cakes if they did a piece of art on a postcard. It's for Sam's exhibition People Planet
Where anyone can submit artwork or perform, it opens on the 19th March.
Apparently... Harriet wants to move away to go to uni (cos she's a traitor and she hates me) and my mum wants to turn her room into a kitchen and wants me and Sam to live in the cabin instead of moving out and pay her rent n stuff... Sam wants to paint the living room off-white. I prefer pure white tho. and we'll need a wardrobe.
Monday, 16 February 2009
Learning is Hard
I'm so bad at singing and playing ukulele at the same time. I can play it so good when I'm not singin, then as soon as I start to sing- spaz hands!
Actually I can play and song some songs pretty good, it's just the ones with syncopated strumming that get me. As soon as I start to concentrate on the strumming, my words trail off and go quiet, I need to re-wire my brain.
I'm so hungry right now but I don't know what to eat.
Anyway, back on topic... I really like our new songs, I've been practising them and they are so cooool! aaah, I'm sounding really fake and positive (like those people who say everything they did 'today' was 'awesome') but I'm just really excited.
Another thought I just had is sometimes I wish I lived in New York. Okay I reaaallly don't like those people that idolise everything that is American just cos it's on TV and it appears to be glamourous... and I probably have a little of that in me but the music scene just seems really great, I love so many bands that live there and when me and Sam went there we went to this great gig in a squat with the bands Ghost Mice and Japanther. In a lot of ways it's very similar to London, I'm just sick of London, sick of all the fucking expensive preppy clothing shops and sick of the tourist shops, sick of the beer company/phone company sponsored/owned gig venues that hike the prices up and make you wait around for hours for the band to start, at which point you're about 5 metres away cos they have barriers and sick of the shit chinese buffets and the adverts for musicals and the free 'news'papers full of right wing propaganda and sick of pretentious cafes and wine bars and middle class families with their middle class little kids and sick of everyone trying to rip you off all the time including Transport for London.
But there are plenty of things that annoy me about New York too.
I think I'll have a sandwich.
Actually I can play and song some songs pretty good, it's just the ones with syncopated strumming that get me. As soon as I start to concentrate on the strumming, my words trail off and go quiet, I need to re-wire my brain.
I'm so hungry right now but I don't know what to eat.
Anyway, back on topic... I really like our new songs, I've been practising them and they are so cooool! aaah, I'm sounding really fake and positive (like those people who say everything they did 'today' was 'awesome') but I'm just really excited.
Another thought I just had is sometimes I wish I lived in New York. Okay I reaaallly don't like those people that idolise everything that is American just cos it's on TV and it appears to be glamourous... and I probably have a little of that in me but the music scene just seems really great, I love so many bands that live there and when me and Sam went there we went to this great gig in a squat with the bands Ghost Mice and Japanther. In a lot of ways it's very similar to London, I'm just sick of London, sick of all the fucking expensive preppy clothing shops and sick of the tourist shops, sick of the beer company/phone company sponsored/owned gig venues that hike the prices up and make you wait around for hours for the band to start, at which point you're about 5 metres away cos they have barriers and sick of the shit chinese buffets and the adverts for musicals and the free 'news'papers full of right wing propaganda and sick of pretentious cafes and wine bars and middle class families with their middle class little kids and sick of everyone trying to rip you off all the time including Transport for London.
But there are plenty of things that annoy me about New York too.
I think I'll have a sandwich.
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Things that happened yesterday and today
Okay, my normal blogging style is one of openness and honesty. I assure you, reader, this has not changed. A thing you may notice, however, is that in this particular blog, my tone is a lot less... negative? self-critical? World-weary? This is not because I have let the lord Jesus Christ into my heart, oh no, not this time. This is because I have just had a very good 24 hours! Possibly, 24 hours I will remember forever!
Yesterday I went out, to Marylebone campus to a meeting about the third runway, in which I didn't alienate anyone (unlike SOMEONE I know) and had a lot of things to say (you forget how much you know about a topic). And Helen came so that was great!
Then me and Sam went to Brixton to see Bomb the Music Industry! at the Windmill which is a great venue with loads of stickers everywhere and posters, I even put a colour me wednesday sticker up above the bar.
Anyway, during one of the support acts I asked Jeff Rosenstock (of bomb the music industry fame, oh yes) if I could sing 'yesterday's lunch'(a Lemuria song) with him, Sheena's part. And he said yeah and then he went and started his set and the crowd went wild, well it seemed wild cos it's such a tiny venue but it was all positive and lovely.
And then he called me up on stage and everyone started chanting:
'Jennifer! Jennifer! Jennifer! Go Jennifer! GO JENNIFER! WOO JENNIFER! I love your hat.'
(this is sounding like some crazy hallucination where I'm queen of the world brought on by over exposure to dissertation, but no!)
So I got up on stage and sang the song, there weren't any monitors so I couldn't hear myself at all but Sam says I sounded good.
It was so great, when I think of it now it's like some kind of escapist fantasy... like when you've had a really happy dream and you just want to stay asleep. Then when the song was over everyone was like:
'Wooo! WE LOVE YOU JENNIFER! JENNIFER! JENNIFER! WOOO JENNIFER!'
and it was wonderful, I wasn't even nervous really cos everyone was so nice, even the guy that threw up on the stage! :P
anyway, today, I woke up and finished my dissertation WOOO!
And then me and Sam went to Tesco and bought a Gazette because Colour Me Wednesday is in it!! And the article actually isn't that bad, I mean they misquoted us a bit, and got us mixed up but that's inevitable. It's just a nice thing to have, it's kinda surreal and funny! Like it's not us, it's the media version of us... the mediation...
Anyway, it promotes our next gig and doesn't make us look like corporate bastards.
Yesterday I went out, to Marylebone campus to a meeting about the third runway, in which I didn't alienate anyone (unlike SOMEONE I know) and had a lot of things to say (you forget how much you know about a topic). And Helen came so that was great!
Then me and Sam went to Brixton to see Bomb the Music Industry! at the Windmill which is a great venue with loads of stickers everywhere and posters, I even put a colour me wednesday sticker up above the bar.
Anyway, during one of the support acts I asked Jeff Rosenstock (of bomb the music industry fame, oh yes) if I could sing 'yesterday's lunch'(a Lemuria song) with him, Sheena's part. And he said yeah and then he went and started his set and the crowd went wild, well it seemed wild cos it's such a tiny venue but it was all positive and lovely.
And then he called me up on stage and everyone started chanting:
'Jennifer! Jennifer! Jennifer! Go Jennifer! GO JENNIFER! WOO JENNIFER! I love your hat.'
(this is sounding like some crazy hallucination where I'm queen of the world brought on by over exposure to dissertation, but no!)
So I got up on stage and sang the song, there weren't any monitors so I couldn't hear myself at all but Sam says I sounded good.
It was so great, when I think of it now it's like some kind of escapist fantasy... like when you've had a really happy dream and you just want to stay asleep. Then when the song was over everyone was like:
'Wooo! WE LOVE YOU JENNIFER! JENNIFER! JENNIFER! WOOO JENNIFER!'
and it was wonderful, I wasn't even nervous really cos everyone was so nice, even the guy that threw up on the stage! :P
anyway, today, I woke up and finished my dissertation WOOO!
And then me and Sam went to Tesco and bought a Gazette because Colour Me Wednesday is in it!! And the article actually isn't that bad, I mean they misquoted us a bit, and got us mixed up but that's inevitable. It's just a nice thing to have, it's kinda surreal and funny! Like it's not us, it's the media version of us... the mediation...
Anyway, it promotes our next gig and doesn't make us look like corporate bastards.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
HATS HATS HATS
Here is a beautiful hat my nan made me. I said I wanted one with little flaps to keep my ears warm.Sorry, it's sunday, so I havent brushed my hair.
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