themediamademecrazy.com

this evening i decided to straighten my hair for the first time in 4 years. while working through the knots, i was struck by a very familiar moment…

“damn this girl’s hair.”

i heard my mother’s voice as i sprayed the ends with detangler and ensured that each strand had just the right amount of luster’s pink lotion. it made me think. does michelle obama brush sasha and malia’s hair in the mornings? if so, does that mean that michelle obama’s voice can be heard in the white house cursing their hair? awesome.

yet another reason to love the obamas: they’d make a great sitcom. bill cosby could produce.

i usually cannot stand facebook quizzes. but every so often there’s a good one; i quite enjoyed “what crazy bitch are you” (sylvia plath), but didn’t like “what r&b diva are you” (jill scott)…

“what inner nationality are you” caught me because for quite long i have been considering leaving the states, just to get away from this nearing 30-year immersion. the quiz itself includes all sorts of interesting social psychological measures including attachment to one’s mother, individualistic vs. collectivist cultural tendencies, as well as concepts of the self and other. i encourage you to check it out.

turns out i’m an american at heart. i’ve come to grips with it.

http://apps.facebook.com/whatisyourtrueinnern/

my diagnosis:

“You are highly competitive and highly independent, although you also have an easygoing and spontaneous nature. In order to hide and mitigate just how badly you want to win, you have developed a thick veneer of friendliness — in order to lull your opponents into a false sense of security, yes, but also in order to actually tame your own natural blood lust, and most of the time it even works. Because you are so mobile and ever-changing, your friendships are always in flux, and the people who are your oldest friends may or may not accompany you all the way through life. Probably not.”

so much has happened since my last post, i cannot begin to even cover it all, but i will do my best. november was a particularly difficult month. the love of my life, vinny, my 9 year old tabby, passed away 2 days before thanksgiving. we were together for 8 years and 10 months and he was, paws down, the best man in my life. i  was terribly heartbroken for weeks afterwards but tried to keep myself busy (an easy task given my workload). i went home for thanksgiving, which was bittersweet; the house seemed very empty without him.

i returned to LA for a few days to finish up the last of my work before departing on a 6-week, overland camping trip from nairobi to cape town. i didn’t think that i could spend 6 weeks sleeping in a tent, but i did, and i’m probably better for it. in fact, the first night sleeping in the test was the best night of sleep i had in months; i had no responsibilities or deadlines, i just had to take care of myself. i missed vinny hard during the first weeks, and kept picking his hairs off of my clothes and throwing them out the window. it was a strange sort of memorial, leaving his hairs across kenya, but it put a smile on my face. the trip was amazing a “life changing experience;” although i don’t feel particularly changed, i’ve tried to maintain my relaxed mentality from africa since my return to the states. truth be told, everything will get done, providing you relax and do it. internal stress is a modern phenomenon.

From namib naukluft park, namibia

i am in the process of posting a full diary at…
http://www.themediamademecrazy.com/charisseinafrica/

until then, the pictures are available at…
http://picasaweb.google.com/charisseinafrica

the trip was amazing: i saw all big 5 (elephants, rhinos, buffalos, lions and leopards), went horseback riding around lake malawi, walked with lions in zambia, took a microlight ride over victoria falls, jumped off of a gorge at the zambezi river, rode in a mokoro through the okavango delta, went skydiving and quad biking over the namibian desert, and drank wine in south africa. some parts were rough, some were simple, and i did not get malaria.

since returning to the states, i’ve been trying to get back into the swing of things, although its really felt like a holiday from my holiday. i was in LA for 2 weeks catching up on work, then spent a weekend in tampa for the SPSP conference (for which the trip was fully funded) and now i’m in NY spending time with family and friends before leaving to drive to SF with one of my best girlfriends.

as for media, i’ve been fairly detached. i spent most of my downtime in africa with my nose in a book; i didn’t speak to anyone at any length for the first 10 days, it was a delightful break from my own life and my own mind. i did not read newspapers or watch any news - i didn’t even know that there was a battle ensuing between israel and palestine until about a week after the fact. furthermore, i spent the time reading fiction (atlas shrugged, memoirs of a geisha, me talk pretty one day, the satanic verses, and a thousand splendid suns), albeit smart fiction, but a significant departure from my regular reading material.

i returned on january 20, just in time to watch the inaugural parties for obama, which was a delightful media return. its fun to be back in the states, its a new america, but it still smells the same.

this is the question that my research seeks to answer. however, apparently the onion beat me to it.

In The Know: Are Reality Shows Setting Unrealistic Standards For Skanks?

“the one drop rule is a historical colloquial term in the United States that holds that a person with any trace of African ancestry is considered black.”

although this narrow definition is no longer truly applicable as individuals now have the ability to identify with a number of groups and the concept of multiracial is no longer taboo. however, due to the dearth of researchers of color, the one drop rule emerges again in the academic realm, wherein one drop of non-white ancestry can come to define an individual and their work, especially in the fields of humanities and social sciences, resulting in a variety of outcomes.

one of the most pressing is the implicit responsibility to bring the topic of race to the table in seminars or discussion groups. i believe that this emerges from an academic (and cultural) desire towards multiculturalism and diversity. there is a sense of accomplishment that comes from the ability to “address all sides of an issue,” regardless of its validity. my point is really that this voice may speak even when distanced from the culture at hand. being raised by a single (mostly) chinese-caribbean mother, i am distanced from the black (read: african american) perspective that dominates the binary discussions around american politics, culture, and psychology. however, my social upbringing and research gives me the relative background to present *a* voice, if not necessarily *the* voice, and the aforementioned lack of diverse voices at the table leads me to vocalize my opinions, albeit with feelings of hesitancy because of my distanced perspective.

which leads to my second effect: the illusion of expertise. although i often feel that the one drop rule in academia is negative both for the individual and the discussion at hand, it affords the speaker some expertise, a strange position given the aforementioned hesitancy. suddenly, there is a person of color in the discussion, therefore they must have something important to say. i don’t consider this a positive aspect, it perpetuates a lack of progress similar to *not* having a person of color in the room, but everyone feels better about the decisions made due to the simple mention of alternative perspectives.

and this defines my overall impression of the one drop rule: although it gives the illusion of diversity and multiculturalism, true progress and perspective will only come from incorporating other voices (not just faces) in the discussion. diversity does not simply come from the existence of different colors, but from the mixing of different ideologies and perspectives. furthermore, researchers and academics will never be able to speak to the population at large because of this lack of diversity, a lack so great so as to expect *any* representation to be *the* representation. i had a conversation with a girlfriend of mine who studies video games regarding whether or not the experience of video games can ever speak to “minority” audiences if there is no representation of these groups at the development level. much like video games for girls, the development industry is dominated by white middle class men who cannot conceive of what will sell to girls or consumers of color; until we can encourage children of all backgrounds to pursue degrees in electrical engineering, computer science, and other necessary academic fields, components of our culture (video games *and* academia) will remain foreign and beyond their reach.

it is important to note that being a minority in a given group describes an experience that may be similar across various identity groups (e.g., women in science, or a boy raised in the Bronx as the secretary of state in the white house); individuals in these positions feel an overwhelming urge to explain and represent their minority experiences, while simultaneously trying to blend into the larger group and subdue their personal differences.

however, the academic one drop rule is special insomuch that multiracial individuals straddle multiple identifications, that is to say, that despite your personal identity as mixed, your department may identify you as black, thus categorizing you regardless of your own identification. i found this issue quite prevalent in the USC process; the fellowship application that i completed asked to “check one box” and did not offer an “other” or “mixed” option. i was shocked, as this was the application for the “diversity fellowship” which only emphasized USC’s need for actual diversity, not just color representation.

i apologize for my absence, but my current state of affairs deserves some comment…
it has been a long time since i have posted anything on this site. life has been very busy but moving in a good direction. this summer i worked in my lab, worked as a graduate assistant for the mcnair program at USC, and completed my masters thesis (technically to be submitted on monday). i also moved into a new spot about 4 blocks away from my old place. same neighborhood, infinitely better building. i was done with the old one anyway.

in my new apartment, i do not have a television [i’ll give you a minute to catch your breath]. i was tired of the clunky 8sqft cube of a TV that i had in my old spot, and it was flat screen or nothing. i was excited; but the day after i moved in, i rubbed my car against a pole in my new parking lot resulting in about $5000 worth of damage. the TV got postponed.

i like living without a television. i have a projector for movies and video games [you haven’t lived until you have played guitar hero on a 10ft screen] and my building has a media room with cable. its nice to be distanced from TV; i still go down to the media room to watch important things like the olympics and the presidential debates, and i dose a little at the gym, but my life has been strangely de-media-fied.

on that note, i listen to more internet radio now. i have started listening to NPR and KPCC (NPR out of pasadena community college). its entertaining stuff. i’ve never been a fan of talk radio, i don’t like people talking at me and not being a part of the conversation - but i find it relaxing to be an observer.

although i’m getting a little sick of media in any form [TV, Radio, Internet, NYTimes, Facebook] as it is inundated with political mumbo-jumbo. i am beginning to believe that there is nothing else going on in the world. thank heavens for the economist; their format ensures a discussion of other continents. furthermore, their political logic really speaks to me and addresses the issues that i find in the media that, of course, the media never talks about.

i’ve always tried not to take sides regarding politics. in the words of stan marsh, “I’d better get used to having to pick between a douche and a turd sandwich because it’s usually the choice I’ll have.” however, the 2008 election makes me wish i was a dedicated voter, because the crap that keeps coming out of the television is starting to drive me crazy. but i’ll save that for its own posting. if i were dedicated to one party, i could be excited for it; instead, now i’m just cynical about both…

moving on. i’ve been reading infidel by ayaan hirsi ali, an amazing story about a woman born in somalia struggling against the political turmoil and the muslim brotherhood. its phenomenal and offers perspective in our old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd…

wait. nevermind.

I just finished reading an article in Time magazine entitled, “Liking What White People Like,” which is a commentary on the blog  “Stuff White People Like.” The author goes on to talk about the benefit of having White people critique/mock/endorse White culture. However, as an individual of mixed heritage (Black and Chinese), the author finds herself in a quandary; she likes things that White people like!

She comes to grips with this racial divide over the course of the article, but her final conclusions leave much lacking. I truly enjoyed her postulation of what Mixed people like (“Having people guess their background… Pulling rank during conversations… Having ‘such good features’… Filling out applications”), especially since she admits, “these are things that mixed people say they hate… but secretly like.”

My qualm comes with the creation of Stuff That Mixed People Like; I think that it denies exactly what makes Multiethnic individuals interesting: the fact that no two multi-ethnics are alike. Not only is the community comprised of mixed ethnicity members, regardless of blend, but also their upbringing creates drastic differences between individuals, making group descriptions even more difficult. For example, how different would Barak Obama (everyone’s current favorite multiethnic) if his parents were switched and he was raised by a single Kenyan mother? How different would his upbringing or chances have been then? There is no single definition of multi-ethnics, or what they like, just the fact that they are multi-ethnic.

PS: Barak Obama is not #1 on my Stuff That Mixed People Like, its Prince.

after the democratic debate in south carolina on martin luther king jr. day, i was prompted to create a fun game to spice up the future debates, although they’re getting pretty feisty as is. introducing: debate bingo!

on each of these 6 cards, catch phrases and major subjects are categorized by candidate. when any of the candidates mention a phrase, you get the square! is a 6×6 design (i apologize for any of you who will miss the center square), which may take a little longer, but they’re pretty long debates [smile]. these cards are specially tilted towards the california debates on cnn, thursday, january 31.

they are all self explanatory, but just a few clarifications…

“green” is in reference to green technology, or green collar jobs. or any use of the term “green” as an adjective implying eco-friendliness
“i met a (wo)man in…” is a nod to any anecdotal story they recite about everyday americans that they meet on the campaign trail whose story “really touches” and “embodies the goals of this campaign.”
“day one” is specifically in references to the first day of the presidency
i think you can figure out the banter that requires a “he/she said” moment.

if there are any confusions, work them out with your fellow viewers, i leave content validation for your discussion.

also, much love to nick saponara for the graphic design. by the way, he recommends that you use pennies to mark your squares. i think i want to get a little donkey stamp.

stay tuned for the republican cards (california debate on cnn, wednesday january 30).

Democratic Debate Bingo Cards
Click to download all 6!

i’ve put a lot of thought into this one and i find it terribly frustrating that the term “urban” is equated with “black.” i understand the desperate need for political correctness in the white male dominated field of advertising, but this connection has since drifted into the black community and is used in self definitions. i keep getting invitations from the LA Urban League Young Professionals, where ‘urban’ is synonymous with black. unfortunately, i do not generally identify as black and i definitely do not need to put myself in a situation where i have to describe my ethnic background in order to achieve some level of acceptance. furthermore, i cannot bring friends of mine who i would define as ‘urban young professionals’ who are not black for fear of their discomfort.

it seems that ‘urban’ should be synonymous with a multiracial community as the most amazing component of city life (as i see it) is people from different backgrounds, cultures, and classes, living in such close proximity. this leads to knowledge, tolerance, and above all, diversity; but i suppose this perspective is inherently NY, while LA stands in direct opposition: people from different backgrounds, cultures, and classes, living distally and without any interaction, leading to ignorance, racism, and even greater disengagement from the larger community.

i was recently asked by a professor to answer the following questions: (1) what is the nature of human nature? (2) what is the proper social order? (3) is equality possible?
here are my answers, might you have a response?

1. What is the nature of human nature?

Humans are animals and therefore human nature is inherently animalistic. However, humans pride themselves on their ability to distinguish themselves from the animal kingdom thus creating civilization (and clothing), therefore, their legacy is much more than simply genetic. Human nature understands how posterity (i.e. other humans) will judge their actions and temper their behavior accordingly, be it positive or negative) to ensure some level of immortality. The concept of the Selfish Gene (Dawkins) extends to the selfish meme; we will kill for our ideology, be it an economic system or religion. The nature of human nature is to perpetuate oneself both genetically and ideologically.
NOTE: Strangely, we feel no need to leave our mark on the world outside of our species, a task that requires much more than simply ideas as the written word is exclusive to humans.

2. What is the proper social order?

Social order is an essential part of a community, regardless of species. We are social animals and demand some level of sociality to survive and flourish. However, I am uncertain as to what the proper order is. One might argue that the strongest and most capable should be at the top, making general decisions for the betterment of the group. However, this becomes difficult and cumbersome when groups expand to countries. Therefore, I assume that the proper social order occurs within small communities with common goals and aspirations, at which point, the hierarchy becomes tangible and each individual does not feel like simply a cog in the machine, but rather and active part of the community.

3. Is equality possible?

Equality on paper (and even in practice) is very possible, however to achieve equality in the mind is a futile task. Each individual and community of individuals must isolate themselves from the group in order to develop a sense of self. And this separation breeds feelings of superiority (ego enhancement). I think that an excellent example is the transition of racist ideology in America. In reality, there has been very little change within the minds of individuals around the country, but their actions are tempered based on the expectation of equality, thus giving the illusion of equality. This does not equal actual equality. For me, this was the most shocking part of reading Invisible Man (1952) by Ralph Ellison; so many of his statements are still so pertinent to today’s race relations, 55 years later.

New Rule: No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it’s for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff you want and having other people buy it for you isn’t gift giving, it’s the white people version of looting.

New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates.com! There’s a reason you don’t talk to people for 25 years. Because you don’t particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days — mowing my lawn.

New Rule: Don’t eat anything that’s served to you out a window unless you’re a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy’s chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Lobster?

New Rule: Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blonde teachers are permanently damaged . I have a better description for these kids: ‘Lucky bastards.’

New Rule: If you need to shave and you still collect baseball cards, you’re a dope. If you’re a kid, the cards are keep sakes of your idols. If you’re a grown man, they’re pictures of men.

New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here’s how much men care about your eyebrows: Do you have two of them? Good, we’re done.

New Rule:There’s no such thing as flavored water. There’s a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but, without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That’s your flavored water.

New Rule: Stop screwing with old people. Target is introducing a redesigned pill bottle that’s square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by the time grandpa figures out how to open it, his ass will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis.

New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a ‘decaf grandee, half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n’-Low, and One NutraSweet,’ ooooh, you’re a huge asshole.

New Rule: I’m not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering My PIN number, pressing ‘Enter,’ verifying the amount, deciding, no, I don’t want Cash back, and pressing ‘Enter’ again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy.

New Rule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn’t make you Spiritual. It’s right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to ‘beef with broccoli.’ The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren’t pregnant. You’re not spiritual. You’re just high.

New Rule: Competitive eating isn’t a sport. It’s one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN Recently televised the U.S. Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What’s next, competitive farting? Oh wait, they’re already doing that. It’s called ‘The Howard Stern Show.’

New Rule: I don’t need a bigger mega M&Ms. If I’m extra hungry for M&Ms, I’ll go nuts and eat two.

New Rule: If you’re going to insist on making movies based on crappy old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what’s playing on the other screens. Let’s remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is that the idea wasn’t good enough to be a movie.

New Rule: And this one is long overdue: No more bathroom attendants. After I zip up, some guy is offering me a towel and a mint like I just had sex with George Michael. I can’t even tell If he’s supposed to be there, or just some freak with a fetish. I don’t want to be on your webcam, Dude. I just want to wash my hands

New Rule: When I ask how old your toddler is, I don’t need to hear ‘27 months.’ ‘He’s two’ will do just fine. He’s not a cheese. And I didn’t really care in the first place.

New Rule: If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than Minimum wage, then for God’s sake don’t pierce or tattoo every available piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around saying, ‘Do you want fries with that?’

i was very excited for the final installment; although there were a few parts that fell flat, overall, i thought it was a great conclusion to the trials and tribulations of harry at hogwarts. having said that, i’ve heard quite a few complaints that the book was substandard and closed in a desperate manner that leaves the reader disappointed. i felt that the ending, “nineteen years later,” is less of a conclusion and more of a prompt. rowling has left 19 years for spin off books, television shows, and other stories to emerge. however, i can only hope that this is a nod to the millions of children worldwide who utilize the narrative to create their own fantasy world.

one of many online communities:

http://www.harrypotterfanfiction.com/

according to henry jenkins in “convergence culture” fan culture is an essential part of any good media franchise and offers the reader a chance to become deeply involved in the story and the characters. there are 19 years to fill with adventures and magic, this was not lost on rowling or the publishers. and like any good series, the character will always survive, and live happily ever after.

’saved by the bell’ (1989-1993) was one of the best integrations of race, class and gender that i’ve seen on television and decades ahead of its time. granted, children’s programs tend to integrate race effortlessly, because children will be children. however, after living in LA, i realize that it is not as simple as SBTB would lead one to believe. allow me to elaborate…

the main cast is multi ethnic: of the 6 main characters, half are white (zach, kelly, screech) while the other half are ‘of color’ (slater, jesse, lisa). although this may seem evident to the viewer, the narratives never highlighted their races or made that part of the discussion (despite living in southern california in the late 80s). the text tended to focus more on class and the trials and tribulations that come from teens dealing with these all-too-real differences: lisa is a shop-aholic, which clashes with her best friend kelly’s large family and spendthrift demands. for the other characters, class is less of an issue, although zach never sees his father because he is working and it takes a car accident to bring them together.

the characters are intended to be a slice of the american high school system (a classic tool of TV and film): the cool guy, the geek, the jock, the american sweetheart, the spoiled daddy’s girl, and the nerd/smart chick. this last category is also what draws me to the program. the smart chick, jesse spano, is both of questionable ethnicity (which is also never mentioned in the program) and remarkably attractive. she even lands the jock! it gives hope to all of us sexy smart chicks who question our own attractiveness. as for the gender reading, jesse was clearly a feminist, a label that many place on women who are too smart, too strong, or too driven. however, jesse was all of these things AND feminine. she was a feminine feminist, an elusive moniker that i try to advocate.

in short, i think that i am better off for watching ’saved by the bell’ at a key point in my development, as compared to other programs that were popular at the time, like baywatch, or melrose place.

tomorrow is still technically SPORT DEATH DAY. nestled among a historical week of tragedies (virginia, oklahoma, waco, columbine), i understand the potential arguments for and against “sporting death.” however, for those of us who are in the know, we are aware that this phrase, this symbol, and (what i had hoped for) the day has the potential to be a show of support, individuality, and nerd power. having said that, i will be wearing my pin, [and i did put those in the mail this week for anyone that requested them (see pictures)] but perhaps wearing SPORT DEATH to work may make life difficult for my fellow haüsmates.

so if you do choose to sport death tomorrow, please do so with love and in memoriam. do send pictures if you can, and i still intend for this to be an annual day. and i hope to see even more pictures next year.

SPORT DEATH DAY

NOTE: i suppose this is less of an issue for those of you on campus, but if it is, i’d love to hear about it. cause there are a lot of folks at MIT that just don’t get it.

prince’s half time show was the most amazing thing i’ve seen on television in a long time. it was beautiful, shocking, revolutionary, soft and wet. i’ve been raving about it for 24 hours and i’ve gotten some repeated comments:

1. “you know they fill the field with prince fans so that they can get footage of girls crying…”

duh. that does not negate a phenomenal performance. he had over 50,000 people in the stands singing along, not to mention the audiences at home, and around the world. i’m aware of the techniques, (raises into snobbish tone) i have a degree in television theory.

2. “half the crowd went to the bathroom anyway.”

well then they are damn fools. to walk away from a show like that. prince is a living legend, that’s like saying, “no thanks, i’m not interested in seeing ravi shankar, sir paul mccartney, and bebe king perform for free. i’ve got to use the restroom.”

more importantly, i am always affected when i know that the majority of the homes in the united states are watching and listening to the same thing that i am right now. only the lucky ones can feel the way i do too.

in dick cheney’s exclusive interview with wolf blitzer on wednesday (the day after the president’s state of the union speech), wolf asked the vice president to comment on the fact that his lesbian daughter, mary, is pregnant without a husband. dick refused to answer the question, stating that it was “out of line.”

i found that remarkably offensive; he claims that this should not be part of the discussion, but it was he and his religious fervor that raised this issue and submitted it to american debate. he should have to answer since he forced his ideology into other people’s homes. his family should NOT be exempt.

i read a great article last week entitled “not with eddie” in the LA weekly about an experience that seems appropriate in los angeles: the deconstruction of idols.

LA is the origin and endpoint of the american dream, or at least one very large, well-lit facet of it. it is all to common to spot celebrities around town, however, when they are no longer surrounded by paparazzi, models, and millions of crooning fans, we continue to frame them like posters on a wall.

two years ago, i was working at the children’s hospital los angeles (CHLA). while walking through the halls, i spotted and elderly, disheveled man walking towards me. he wore a beat up army jacket that was far too large for his frame, and his wrinkled face peeked out from a wool cap that seemed to engulf his head. i thought to myself, “that’s strange, i wouldn’t expect a homeless person wandering through the hospital.”

as we approached each other, i noticed he was looking very intently at me; as we got closer, i watched him give me the up/down. i was uncomfortable, but intrigued, and i couldn’t look away from his face. just as we passed each other, it clicked…

oh shit… that’s bob dylan.

i turned around and stared as he continued his walk down the hall. it was then i noticed that he was accompanied by two young women (under 30) and two small children. when i got to the office, i said to my boss, “i just saw bob dylan!” she informed me that his 2-year-old child was a patient.

go bob.

read “not with eddie.”

a day in the life of an american revolutionary youth…

i hate the holidays. i despise the commercialization of christmas. but most of all, i can’t stand the repeated messages of how i’m *supposed* to feel during this time of year. commercial after commercial, various companies ask me if my man is buying me a diamond, how i deal with the craziness of family gatherings, and the feeling of being kissed under the mistletoe. well here you go best buy… i don’t have a man, my family is in the process of suing each other and pretending the others don’t exist, and i’ve never been kissed under the mistletoe.

but i’m not bitter.

should hilary run? obama? mccain?

all of these seem like very reasonable, educated choices. however, i find them all to be second to the one woman who could take, recuperate, and permenantly change the white house, our political system, and our culture.

oprah for president in 2008

although she has already claimed that she will not run, i am touched by the movement that is quickly gaining ground. check out one of the websites here:

Oprah for President - 2008
Michael Moore’s Draft Petition

and you can buy t-shirts here:

T-shirts by Patrick Crowe

this has been a constant topic in my work and life. feel free to read the first rendition written with abran alaniz here and stay tuned for the sample chapter!

a day in the life of an american revolutionary youth…

My attempt is not to bore you with some extended diatribe on “what is art?” you can get that kind of conversation in your local Starbucks. Instead my question is: When does art become media? When does media become art? And which is more valuable to a people?

i’ve developed an affection for upn’s girlfriends.

i think its better than sex in the city…

there i said it.

it all came to me last night when i was watching the materialist girlfriend analyze her whirlwind marriage to a man she has recently discovered is $750,000 in debt. in order to maintain her life status, she decides to leave him. in her soliloquy she says…

“being poor in LA is wearing round-toed shoes in a pointy-toed season.”

i have just completed my paper on the emergence of the single city girl in american culture between 1960-1975. it was amazing, i got the chance to discover and develop the stereotype that i aspire to be, a single city girl living in los angeles, progressing my own career and finding some interesting, attractive boys to take me out to dinner every so often. things are working well, and the paper only manged to confirm the life that i chose to live and the contradictions inherent within.

the ulitimate quote of the single city girl is from helen gurley brown’s “sex and the single girl” (1962):

romance is a reward for, but secondary to, perfecting oneself.

the irony of this statement is unbelieveable, here is the footnote at the very bottom of my paper:

The irony of this statement is not lost on me, I was just uncertain of how to integrate it into the paper. Even though the post-feminist single girl is living for herself and does not want for a husband, the original philosophy promotes self-improvement for the end goal of marriage. And this ironic twist is often the culmination of the single girl’s pursuits (see the conclusion of Sex In the City) Brown does not recognize, nor do most of the single city girls portrayed on television, that self-improvement can be a reward unto itself. Rather, improving one for oneself becomes lip service for the ideology of the cause; that we as single, independent women do not need men.

check out the paper at:

Creating Stereotypes: The Emergence and Commodification of the Single City Girl

I think I want to start integrating this term into my lexicon as a cultural studies term. My Google search has yielded only logic definitions. At the moment, my working cultural studies definition is this:

The consumption assumption assumes that first and foremost, we are consumers. Above all else, ethnicity, class, religion, occupation or location, we are consumers. This assumption is used regularly; it plays off of our most internalized needs and desires (many of which are media-induced) and encourages us to behave in certain ways. In the same way that being a dedicated New Englander may cause one to drop $500 on Red Sox World Series Tickets, or being a dedicated father causes one to purchase a new home security system; being a dedicated consumer causes us to be particularly affected by advertising that plays on our desire to consume, and little else.

Please respond with any and all thoughts or offerings.

i’ve been going a little crazy lately. i’ve been over exposed to media. and i cannot escape it, we live in a media saturdated society. even as i write this, i am sitting in front of my television consuming my regular 3 hours a day, jeopardy, simpsons, american idol and 24. and supposedly this is relaxing.

i guess jeopardy is relaxing…

anyway, i’m immersed in media and i don’t feel like i can ever really relax. i’m planning on going some kind of spa where i hear nothing but pan flutes for a week.

but i wrote a haiku the other night that i’ve been contemplating on…

media absorbs
me engulfs me consumes me
without media.

For my television seminar, we were required to document a “media diary.” Record your consumption of any and all media in a 24-hour time period. You’ll be amazed at the amount of media you actually consume without even recognizing it. Unfortunately, since I study media, I am never really separated from it. I make a concerted effort to go swimming once a week so that I could be sans media for at least half an hour (50 laps).

Some of the highlights from my media diary:
1. I wake up to CNN Live every morning.
2. I take the bus, therefore I get to view the ads inside (which are disturbingly focused on a much poorer consumer than the outside advertising)
3. DTLA is filled with massive storefronts and billboards advertising stores. Although you may skip over this as media, each of these storefronts are strategically fashioned to entice you into the store.
4. Reading The Economist on the roof of my building.
5. Jeopardy.

Feel free to read more of my media diary at

My Media Diary

Please try this and post your observations.

i just caught a new commercial for mcdonalds featuring an attractive young black woman eating salad. the voice over is spoken word poetry, often confused with rap or hip hop. the sound of the commerical is something straight out of blackalicious, “nia” or sarah jones. this young woman is extolling the virtues of mcdonalds’ salads and their spirtitual influence, “how they affect me within.”

it is remarkable the commodification around all hip hop culture including spoken word poetry which tends to be a little too ephermal for comercials. frankly i was quite turned off by the entire thing, this aspect of hip hop for me is the most personal, and least marketable component. it is usually featured in small coffeehouses (nyoricans in NY) or def poetry jam, performed by individuals desperate for expression, hungry to change the world around them.

here, it is selling mcdonalds salads…

the final line for me was the most disturbing…

“green is the new black”

we are no longer talking about black as fashion, we are talking about black as culture. green is not only the color of salad, but the color of money. “green is the new black”

money is our new culture.

but i’m sure you knew that already.

Its now just after midnight on Christmas, 2004 and I’m sitting here at my computer in front of the television watching my mother clean up for tomorrow. And I’m thinking…

I got into a long conversation with a young man at the MIT holiday party, I told him that Christmas usually pisses me off because I can’t stand to have holiday cheer rammed down my throat 24 hours a day for 2 months a year. He then started asking me what about Christmas I didn’t like. The truth is that Christmas is fine with me, I have no problem with the theory, or the celebration, I’m just sick of the sales and the disgusting commercialization of Christmas, I know it will never change, but there is no reason for me to deal with it.

Then I stopped to think, this year I have been fairly removed from the Christmas spectacle. I have not really turned on my television and usually mute it during the commercials, by removing myself from the inundation of Christmas, I find that i really enjoy the little bits of Christmas that I am exposed to. I had to watch the Nick and Jessica Family Christmas special, it reminded me what of Christmas I don’t really like, the racial isolationism, the crass commercialization all disguised has family cheer. This couple has taken their family cheer and commodified it in order to sell advertising spots. but nonetheless, Jessica’s performance of “oh night divine” made me tear up.

But there is one commercial running at the moment, for Verizon wireless celebrating “chrismahanakwanzakah.” I really like the approach that they piece takes, doing their absolute best to merge all faiths and ethnicities, it starts off with a well dressed elderly black man, cuts to a couple of Hassidic Jews at a piano then to an Indian Santa Claus (with turban). It also features a Buddhist monk and a poor child right out of Oliver Twist. The only white woman in the commercial is essentially naked with a giant cell phone covering her business. I’m not sure exactly what that means or how it can be interpreted, thoughts?

I’d also like to note, that in their desperate attempt to include all ethnicities, races and beliefs, Christmas is still the first religion represented in the merged title.

Don’t wanna be an American idiot.
Don’t want a nation under the new mania.
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn’t meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow.
For that’s enough to argue.

Well maybe I’m the faggot America.
I’m not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along in the age of paranoia.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn’t meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow.
For that’s enough to argue.