Sleep Sweet

I've finally put forth the effort to make my dorm room to feel a bit more "homely". It's worked for the most part. But tonight, for some reason I crave to feel the warmth of someone sleeping beside me.

Status Update

"Transmissions From Camp Trans"
In this Rogerian style writing the claim opposes the exclusion of transsexual women from joining Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival.

"Dark Webs Goth Subcultures in Cyberspace"
This writing style is Toulmin and the claim states that indivduals of the Gothic subculture use cyberspace [the internet] to communicate with one another, to meet people similar to them, receive insight from others, and to share ideas and beliefs.

"The Truck Stop as Community and Culture"
In this classic style writing, the claim suggests that truckers can be compared to cowboys. [Suggests the nomadic lifestyle in which both subcultures share.]

"House for the Homeless"
In the Rogerian style piece the claim states that homeless individuals should not be entirely disreguarded like they are, they are not worthless, they are living beings.


Regarding my paper, I still feel like I have a bit to do. I want to visit my field site this weekend or within the next two weeks or so. I have arrangements to speak to two individuals, one who is currently a part of the 21st century Gothic subculture and the other who is a former Goth. I want to make a claim about religion [Atheism] but I'm not sure how much I could possibly write about that. I am looking into the Gothic fashion style and what colours represent [the stereotypical 'black' and dark colours]. I feel as if I am complete with my research, I just want to get some more insight from others. I haven't started my rough draft but will after I possibly visit my field site.

As for peer review, I would like to know how well my claim relates to the overall theme of my paper. Does it capture the reader's attention? Did I leave the reader with questions at the end?

At Town Center Mall

There are several places I was debating where I should begin my observations of the gothic culture. There is always the courtyard, specifically in front of GCB, various restaurants in Little Five Points along with music venues, and of course, the mall. I wanted to be in a place where I wouldn't feel like a total outcast but at the same time, I wanted to really be in a goth-like setting. I decided to visit Town Center mall in Kennesaw. I chose a mall that had a store called "Hot Topic". It's a store that carries merchandise, apparel, and music for those who are part of the gothic and punk culture. Hot Topic is just as its slogan states, "Everything about the music."

I headed down to Town Center around 4 or 5 p.m. and walked around in the food court for a while. I was excited when I found empty tables near a group of teenagers. There were six who were sitting at the table and a few others that kept getting up and walking around, leaving and returning. I assumed they were around the ages of fifteen and seventeen, I knew they were still in high school because of what some of the things they were discussing. For the most part, there was not much that was absolutely surprsing about this group of individuals other than their way of dress and maybe the way they were such extroverts. Overall, it was a helpful experience.

At this field site, the food court at Town Center, I observed a group of teenage goths. I was able to get a table close enough to hear what they were saying. They simply talked and ate. Two of these individuals were dating and somewhat separated themselves from the rest of the group. Three other teens, two boys and one girl, joined the group of six at a later time and continued to leave and come back to the group of six. I didn't find out what they were doing or where they were going but I assumed it was to visit other stores in the mall.

The members of this subculture interact no differently than I do with my own friends. Some of what they discussed may be different, a lot of what they discussed consisted of music and clothing. They talked about upcoming shows at the Masquerade, a music venue in Atlanta which I am familiar with and the girls talked about the new line of band shirts they had at Hot Topic. The three other teens that kept getting up and leaving the table did act a bit differently. They were a bit loud and attention seeking. The boys would purposely irritate the girl, messing with her hair or taking her bag, which would cause a scene. Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

There were some terms I wasn't familiar with or some that I had heard before but never bothered looking into. Some of these words were:

Nu Metal
Gothing Up
Poseur
Weekender

After listening to their conversation for a while, I had a few questions about the words listed above and about their music. I felt strange approaching them because I didn't want them to think I was entirely listening to their conversation, even though I was. But I got up and asked about a show at the Masquerade. I told them I didn't mean to intrude on their conversation but overheard them talking about a band that I thought I was familiar with. They seemed surprise when I mentioned the band [Brain Drill] and said that they were performing at the Masquerade in mid-April. I asked them how long they had been listening to the band and then I slowly began to ask how they got into being goth. I used the term 'babygoth' in hope that I wouldn't look stupid or completely unaware. Thankfully, I didn't and I didn't offened them either. They ended up cutting the conversation short because they had a movie to watch. I thanked them for the talk and they left the food court.

As my first outing at my field site, I feel that this is a success. I plan on visiting some workers of Hot Topic in the near future and maybe getting some more insight.

Act V

1) What makes a good field site?
The field site used gave great insight to the prisoners' thoughts and emotions. A variety of prisoners were also interviewed. Race varied along with crimes committed, length of imprisonment, and "prisoner social class". A good field site should contain all of these elements, a large, diverse population and a proper environment that will not affect the actions or emotions of the subject.

2)What observations are made by the author to give the audience a better understanding?
The author makes note of the different characteristics amongst all the prisoners interviewed. The background of each criminal is explored and stories about their childhood and families are shared. For some of the criminals, they shared the crimes committed and used the play of Hamlet to try to delve deep and find out the motive behind their actions.

3)What interview techniques does the author use to help us understand the subculture?
The author simply allows the prisoners to talk. He asks questions in which the prisoners can continuously discuss the answer. Sometimes surprising information is reveals but also helps us understand what is going through the minds of these individuals.

4)What are the norms and values of the subculture?
All men imprisoned have committed some crime. They all have limited education and can read up to the high school level. A man's social standing depends on his physical strength and how well he can protect himself.

Topic: Gothic culture

Sources:

Bibby, Michael; Goodlad, Lauren. Goth: Undead Subculture. Durham : Duke University Press, 2007.

Hodkinson, Paul. Goth: Identity, Style, and Subculture. Oxford ; New York : Berg, 2002.

Siegel, Carol. Goth's Dark Empire. Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c2005.

Spooner, Catherine, Ph. D. Fashioning Gothic Bodies. Manchester ; New York : Manchester University Press ; New York : Distributed in the USA by Palgrave, 2004.

Wolfram, Herwig. History of Goths. Berkeley : University of California Press, c1987.

Reflection:

Goth: Identity, Style, and Subculture was a great source to research. I was a bit nervous before beginning this assignment because I was afraid that the only books or articles that I could find would be about Gothic revival or Gothic architecture, topics that do not relate to the culture I had chosen. The author , Paul Hodkinson, is a sociologist who studied a great deal about the G0thic culture. Hodkinson discusses this culture and when it first emerged from Britain’s punk-rock scene in the late 1970s. When I read this, I had NO idea that the Goth scene had only been around for such a short time. I then began to think about how the Gothic culture has changed in the past four decades. I am now debating whether I should narrow my search or have my focal point on Gothic culture of a particular decade. I also may want to focus on the location of this Gothic culture. Should I research the culture in England, where it all began? Or Los Angeles, Austin, Leeds, Buffalo, New York City, and Sydney? Other things I really liked about this book are the personal accounts and experiences of individuals who are included in this culture. This is gives great credibility to the author.

Melissa Gilbert of Little House on the Prairie

This search has turned out to be much more difficult than I thought it would. I grew up watching Little House on the Prairie and I knew that it was somewhat popular. I did not think finding information about this show would be such a task. Most of the sources I was able to find were actually books that were part of the series of Little House on the Prairie. There was little or nothing about the television program itself. What I could find were short descriptions and reviews of the actual novel.

"The article (Off the Prairie) discusses historical fiction for young girls. The author begins the piece discussing her own dislike of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House on the Prairie" books, comparing those experiences with the current popularity of the "American Girls Collection" books. The article discusses several historical fiction books for girls, including the Rosie Lepidus books by Carol Matas, Deborah Hopkinson's Klondike Kid trilogy, and Kate McMullan's Dragon Slayers' Academy books (Beram, 61-67)."

After looking more in depth I was able to retrieve some information that is about the original Little House in an article titled The Real Little House on the Prairie.

"When Laura's Pa saw the tall grass prairie near Indian Territory, he knew that this was the place he had been looking for. "Here we are, Caroline!" he said. "Right here we'll build our house."
Pa took the wagon and began to cut and haul logs for the house. Today, the little house still sits on the crest of the tall grass prairie north of Caney and south of Independence, Kansas. It has been preserved by people who are devoted to Laura and her stories.
Inside, Pa furnished the house first with the wagon seat and blankets. Later, he built a bed and a table. The family all sat on the floor, which he made out of smoothed-out logs. Perhaps the most comforting thing he built was the fireplace.
Today, wild game is still plentiful on the prairie. Many people who live there hunt prairie chickens, quail, wild turkeys, deer, rabbits, and squirrels and catch fish in the rivers and ponds. On the prairie, the wind always blows, day and night.
Little House on the Prairie is a place that many people drive for miles to see. It is still much as it was in Laura's day (Alexander 10)."

After researching Galileo for a while I was able to find an article discussing the actors of the television show.

"Whoa - no Nellie Oleson? That's right, this epic mini-series based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved autobiographical adventures of an American frontier family in the early 1900s ignores the sappy '70s TV hit with Melissa Gilbert. This more loyal, robust version - starring standouts Cameron Bancroft as Charles and KyIe Chavarria as spunky ' daughter Laura - has a few maudlin family-show moments (horse lovers will cry). But the bulk of this masterfully made series is nailbiting (coyotes attack Pa in the two-hour opener!), truly breathtaking (deer run wild on that prairie) and gratitude-building (mealtime is a struggle). Oh, and Pa is darned good-lookin'!
FINAL SAY **** A pretty incredible journey (Griffiths 84)."

It seems that I found enough information regarding the show, novel, and actual site of the Little House. I moved on to looking more in depth and researching Melissa Gilbert who played the main character, Laura Ingalls in the television show. The article I found was quoting a personal interview of Gilbert once she won the SAG Award.

"The Hollywood Reporter: What do the SAG Awards mean to the guild?
Melissa Gilbert: I think that anything that draws attention to the Screen Actors Guild as an entity is a good thing. The awards certainly bring attention to the fact that we support each other, and that we are bonded together as performers in a special way. I think what will be reflected this year will be more of our connection to labor as a whole. (U.S. Rep.) John Sweeney is going to come to this year's awards, and there are a lot of labor leaders who are getting involved in this. Anything that raises the profile for labor in entertainment raises the profile for labor in the country. That is a really good thing, especially in the current climate, where we are existing in the purview of a government that isn't particularly labor-friendly (Kiefer S6)."

Looking a little more in depth of Gilbert's life, I was able to find
"Seated at the large desk in her Los Angeles SAG office-"President Mom" spelled out in building blocks behind her-[Melissa Gilbert], 38, certainly looks the part. Married to actor Bruce Boxleitner, 52, since 1995, she's the mother of two boys, [Michael Fleeman], 7, her son with Boxleitner, and Dakota, 13, whose dad is her former husband, actor Bo Brinkman (Tauber 113)."

Overall, this assignment has been much more intense that I thought it would be. I learned more about the actual characters and about the true history of the Little House.

The REAL Slim Shady...

When I first began this search I actually just typed in to the Google search engine, "interesting facts about Eminem". I immediately was offered many different fan sites and biography pages. Nothing was appealing at all. Every page had simply summarized his life into several paragraphs. His struggle growing up was addressed, the relationship with his mother was discussed, his strenous marriage to Kim was touched on, and his love for his daughter, Hailie Jade, was shared. Although his life story was interesting and moving, nothing came as a surprise. Most of what I read I had already known about. The songs Eminem writes reflect him as a person. He talks abouts ALL aspects of his life in his music. The only other facts I found that were merely interesting were:

1) Prior to his multi-platinum major debut album, The Slim Shady LP, Eminem already had an underground album titled Infinite, and reportedly sold 500 copies out of the trunk. (http://rap.about.com/od/artists/p/Eminem.htm)
and
2) Eminem is the second highest selling rapper of all time, right behind the late Tupac Shakur. (http://rap.about.com/od/artists/p/Eminem.htm).

I wasn't too thrilled with what was found. I wanted something directly from him, his own words. I wanted to know what his opinion was about the influence of hip-hop and rap music on children. I wanted to know what he thought of society and how this world constantly critiques music artists for their exploit lyrics and overexcessive pride in having money, cars, and women. After searching I found a few quotes that can help me with ethos, credibility to the author.

"Don’t do drugs, don’t have unprotected sex, don’t be violent. Leave that to me.”

"To the people I forgot, you weren't on my mind for some reason and you probably don't deserve any thanks anyway.”

"They say music can alter moves and talk to you. Well can it load a gun up for you and cock it too? WIll if it can and the next time you assault a dude, just tell the judge it was my fault...and I'll get sued!”

"Don’t do drugs, don’t have unprotected sex, don’t be violent. Leave that to me.”

All said by Eminem and from the link http://thinkexist.com/quotation/to_the_people_i_forgot-you_weren-t_on_my_mind_for/342586.html.

These quotes gave me true insight to who "The Real Slim Shady" really is. These quotes reflect his personality and his attitude. I kind of feel like I can write about Marshall Mathers on a more personal level.

"Black Noise" by Tricia Rose

Tricia Rose is currently a Professor of African Studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Her studies consist of teaching in 20th century African-American culture and politics, social thought, popular culture and gender issues. Rose is originally from New York, and received her bachelor's in Sociology from Yale University and completed her Ph.D. in American Civilization from Brown University in 1993. She frequently lectures at schools all over the United States and has been to Wesleyan, Harvard, Morehouse, The Whitney Museum of Art, UCLA, Spelman, Middlebury, Yale, Michigan, University of Texas at Austin, The Brooklyn Museum, University of California at San Diego, at Irvine, at Santa Barbara and Princeton University.

Rap recordings and tracks (music in general) are discussed almost everywhere today, from schoolyards and MARTA stations to the U.S. Senate and Supreme Court. In this novel, Tricia Rose thoroughly analyzes several aspects of the musical genre and provides an effective "remedy" or cure to the severely flawed hip-hop coverage in popular, mainstream media. She accurately traces rap's history and discusses information about the innovative rhythmic manipulations made possible by the techniques of sampling. She also makes clear the connections between rap's beginnings and the political turmoils that afflicted black and Latino urban neighborhoods throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Examples of this can be seen in Los Angeles. (We actually made a point to discuss this in class once). In discussing what is probably rap's most controversial aspect, lyrics entertaining the idea of "cop killing" Tricia Rose vividly defines the social conditions that bring about such aggressive responses to real life police hostility. Finally, she examines the often neglected role of women in rap in rewarding depth. He accredits them with their accomplishments and acheivements and shows what difference women have made in the rap industry.

Punjabi MC

It was quite strange hearing this song in class. At many Indian social events this song, "mundian ton bach ke", is often played whether it is at weddings, garba, or parties. Anyway, Punjabi MC aka Rajinder Singh Rai was born in 1971 in England. At first, he gained the name Indian MC' after performing at parties. He incorporated his own language with his songs. Out of ignorance, his fans assumed that the language he was speaking or rapping in was Indian. Indian is not a language, it is a term used to describe the region in which a person is from. After clarifying that in India there are many different languages he dubbed himself the "Punjabi MC". The hit that began his career was the song we listened to in class, "Mundian Ton Bache Ke", meaning "beware of the boys". He incorporated bhangra, a type of Punjabi dance with the Knight Rider theme song. By doing this, Punjabi MC was able to musically connect the American hip hop culture and Indian hip hop culture. After all he has done, his songs (Mundian Ton Bache Ke, especially) have been incorporated by artists, such as Jay-Z and Twista into their own music. Punjabi MC has also sampled some of the American hip hop music. There are clear similarities between American hip hop videos and Punjabi MC’s videos. His videos include beautiful women that someone is after, dancing in his "hood", and showing off his money. Although similar in shallow aspects, distinct differences can be seen. In his videos Indian culture is embraced, photographs of Mataji are shown. Classical Punjabi dance is also performed throughout the video (bhangra).

Peer Review

Peer Review was a little mediocre today. I have had better experiences. Last semester, since the students in our class were part of the same freshman learning community we were able to be a little more critical. I want people to be honest. I want to be told that there are holes in my paper and that I am not convincing. I want to be shown my weak points, I PROMISE I WON'T CRY! My topic was sharing an experience about me at a frat house. I was being hustled by an Indian guy who offered to have sex with me. I do not engage in sexual activity and when this happened, I was completely taken back. I want other people to share their experiences with me. I want to know if I am being too over the edge or oblivious to the world of college. Even though I feel like was not critiqued enough, I did receive some positive feedback. I was told that I had a good, attention-catching introduction and that the flow of my paper worked well. I would like to know how people that are not virgins feel about my paper. I know that is kind of awkward but I want to know if I was persuasive. If they felt like what I was saying was true.

What's your major? Underwater basket weaving?!

One logical fallacy [straw man] I was able to identify in PCU was that students could choose any major and successfully obtain a degree as long as the student was able to 'bull shit' well. This comment in the movie irritated me to the fullest extent. I am a nursing major and I work hard. I do not sit around in my dorm twiddling my stubby, little thumbs. I designate much time to studying. I put forth the effort to attend SI sessions after lectures, I make appointments with my professors if I need help, I participate in group study sessions before tests and quizzes. I put my heart into my work, not excrement from my rear end. This movie totally underestimates college students and does not give credibility to the students who work hard.

The Modern Day Thoreau: Chris McCandless

It has been difficult to stomach the common stereotype of a female college student. I have no problem admitting that I do not fall into this 'cool' category. I have enough respect for myself where I will not get piss drunk and wake up in the morning wondering who the naked boy is laying next to me. I go out in moderation and prioritize. I spend my free weekends exploring Atlanta with friends. I work to strengthen the relationships with my friends and family members. I attend poetry readings and watch local bands perform at The Variety Playhouse and the Masquerade. I support the members of Hare Krishna by donating whatever change I have in my pockets. According to society, there must be something wrong with me. There is no way I can have fun experiencing college the way I am. Well I think society needs a reality-slap-in-the-face.
I believe that all college students obviously further their education for a purpose,but the reasons are numerous. Some may want to conform to society and get that ‘true’ college experience. Others want to obtain a degree that will guarantee money in the long-run. Some may want to branch out and develop long-lasting relationships and create one-of-a-kind friendships. And few journey through college with questions which they want answered. The story of Chris McCandless is so sensational because it defies what a 'normal' college student should be like. Because he is one of the few who questioned life and appreciated the simple entities that completed life itself.
Chris McCandless was able to separate himself from the materialistic world. Money was not important to him. The $20,000 dollars he had in his bank account upon graduation was donated to the Oxford Famine Relief Fund. Not only does this show his lack of interest for money but his passion to help others. After his yellow Datsun broke down in July of 1990, McCandless burned whatever remaining money he had left. He did not want to have a care in the world. He wanted to experience it all first hand. “Chris McCandless intended to invent a new life for himself one in which he would be free to wallow in unfiltered experience” [Krakauer 4]. Nothing could stop him; he was determined to live his life to the fullest.
Along with being able to set himself apart from the materialistic world, Chris was able to overlook all he had in his life and start over. He was the perfect student in high school, receiving all A’s and he graduated from a highly accredited university with honors. Besides school, he was one of the top distance runners and was named captain of his high school cross-country team. While at Emory, McCandless was given the opportunity to actually be a ‘real’ college when he was asked to join a fraternity. He left all this behind and traded it all in for a fishing rod, a rifle, sleeping bag, a camera, and some books. With these few items he was able to settle himself in the Denali National Park and survive for an entire 113 days.
Every college should aspire to do what Chris McCandless did. Question life and seek the answers. Take risks; do not be afraid to make mistakes. Everything should be treated as a learning experience. Have faith and hope. One should not be afraid to test their abilities. It will only increase their inner strength.

A little more to consider

These are just some other Benetton ads that I found interesting.

AIDS Awareness

I was shocked and maybe a bit frightened when I first saw the photograph of David Kirby dying on his hospital bed. He did not look human at all. There was no life in his facial expression and his body was so frail, looking like a skeleton dipped in candle wax. Initially, I would have never guessed that this photograph was part of a campaign for the United Colors of Benetton. After the discussion in class I did some research on Benetton and their mission. When Benetton first began campaigning they had used the “United Colours” message to portray their purpose. Through this, they wanted to unite people of races. They photographed small multiracial children hand in hand and interracial couples. But that is beside the point. When considering the message being relayed in Kirby’s photograph, I do believe it is appealing to consumers.
During the early ninety’s there was a great epidemic about the AIDS virus. Ignorance caused the public to completely fear those who contracted the disease. Most believed that you could simply contract the disease from kissing or sharing glassware. Through public advertising Benetton attempted to break the tension barrier between those who had AIDS and those who did not.
This photograph of David Kirby contains all the ideal elements of what an advertisement should truly be. It captures the attention of the audience, forces them to think, and consider the product. On the bed lies a man that looks near death. He is surrounded by his family. His father, a larger man, has an expression of such hurt and pain on his face. This man is crying. I did not know men were allowed to cry? The mother holds her child against her breast. She looks scared. There is so much fear and pain in this photograph that it causes me to wonder what is happening to the man on the bed. What is he dying of? How did he get it? Is it treatable? Does he have a chance of living? After finding out that this man is dying of AIDS I pause and take a step backward. No man or woman should have to suffer like this man is. Nor should they be treated differently depending on what their physical state is or what disease they may have.
Benetton is not trying to make money off those who are suffering from AIDS. They are simply raising AIDS awareness and trying to educate the public. If Benetton were to create an ad today of a current issue, I believe the effect would be different. Right now, AIDS is no longer an issue. People have become more aware and there have been medical advancements that can help those with the virus. Today there are issues with the war in Iraq. If Benetton published a photograph with an American soldier and an Iraqi man wearing his traditional attire, this would open the eyes of America.
Despite the fact that Benetton is making money off their advertisements, the messages relayed are powerful and do make a difference. The advertising techniques are appropriate and accomplish what they should. Not everything is about money and profit. Benetton’s goals are to accept differences and reality and exercising the right to free speech. Take a little more time to consider David Kirby, his family, and they way he and others were treated because of AIDS. Then think about what the Benetton campaign did to help him and others.

Namaste

I thought this was cool.

Anyway, I just returned home from Amicalola Falls with the Incept Team. It was my first time back in the mountains since I lived in California. I forgot how beautiful the stars look in the night sky, when you can see them at least. It was interesting being among 23 people I hardly knew. I was amazed at how close we became during this weekend and by how much I ate. But, I can honestly say that I am terribly excited for this year to finally begin. I have so much to look forward to. Happy late new year everyone!