Last month I was fortunate enough to see a marvellously humble and modest little play, tackling one of the oldest societal issues of our collective human history.
A Musical, no less.
The story of a young Jewish guy from Jerusalem called Uri who moved to London was performed live at God’s House Tower in Southampton.
Please feel free to read my review or even hear from the man himself in an interview.
By the time I publish this, it is pretty much old news. According to Google Trends, it has even peaked and plummeted back to earth:
However, the ‘event’ ( ON the horizon) is so overwhelmingly surreal and wonderful it is hard not to still dwell on it. I am still so in awe of Shatner’s profound reaction, that I felt it needed to be acknowledged on this blog as a matter of principal; celebrating all things Sci-Fi and Culture.
There is absolutely nothing anyone could write that will top his own words so; here is the interview footage from Bill after returning to earth from ‘space’. Or at least the universally agreed aviation bookmark – The Karman Line.
Rest assured, what was likely intended to be a throwaway PR trick for Amazon Boss Bezos’ new company ‘ Blue Origin. It is now looking set to be a cultural ( maybe even sociological) PoMo milestone thanks to Shatner’s comments. A glorious moment now set in stone for immortality . . . (despite Bezos’ cheap attempts to spray champagne like a Grand Prix winner).
His unique poetic observations was reminiscent of ‘greater things dreamt of in Heaven and Earth, than your philosophy’ (Bezos), soaring past any of the Shakespearian influenced cinematic one liners from James Tiberius Kirk over the years.
A glorious moment that can tie humanity together as Shatner insisted that ‘everyone needs to try this’ . . you could almost see the look of pain in Bezos’ face as he imagined his profits margins plummeting to earth too.
Bless Bill’s efforts to put a humanitarian glaze on what is essentially a commercial venture to privatise space travel.
( I wouldn’t normally tag a company link like this but the idea that you can ‘book’ a flight into space is surreal enough to warrant it. I noticed there were no price tags though.)
[ SPOILERS: This blog contains spoilers but the film has been out for over 30 years, so if you wan to watch if first- a BluRay version of Subway has been uploaded to YouTube by some kind person. The entire film is now available online here ]
I don’t know if it has anything to do with the endless confinement of lockdown but the French film Subway popped into my head recently. An early film of Leon/Fifth Element Director Jean Luc Besson from way back in 1985, it also stars a young Christopher Lambert (dressed like Sting) and Jean Reno (playing drums).
Set rather eponymously in the subways of Paris – Le Metro, the story follows a suave dressed thief fleeing authorities and encountering young territorial French musicians who hang about doing the usual activities associated with outlaws and rebels, running, hiding, fighting, loving and getting a band together.
The reason I write this blog is because when watching it again, I suddenly realised it would’ve been out about the same time as Crocodile Dundee. There are few similarities in the films other than sharing subway scenes set in major metropolitan cities in different parts of the world.
Subway was the third most popular film in France in the year 1985 bringing in 2,920,588 cinema goers, popular in one cultural climate but it reportedly only grossed $390,659 dollars in the American box office.
Within roughly the same year Crocodile Dundee became the second highest most popular film of 1986 grossing $174 million in the American Box office.
Both New York and Paris had issues with street gangs in the 1980s and both films acknowledge this but in very different ways. In Subway Christopher Lambert’s character Fred is a thief on the run, immersed in social circles with other thieves, gang members and EVEN musicians. His story is told in an open and honest way. Even though he is a kind hearted and conscientious thief that values life over using violence to obtain material reward (ironically).-The climax of the narrative includes an atypical karmic consequence – a repercussion of crime to suit a pro-institutional authoritarian agenda. i.e. live by the ‘sword- die by the sword’. Or even more simply ‘ Crime never pays’.
Pictures of street gangs from both New York and Paris in the 1980s-90s below – Can you guess in which city each picture is taken?
Crocodile Dundee acknowledged the ‘reality’ of New York Street Crime but only in a way that could showcase the main character ‘Crocodile Mick Dundee’ as the alpha male ‘Hero’ in this tale: The king of the ‘Concrete jungle’ in this ongoing metaphor. This probably seemed clever amongst the within the context of such a simplistic formula on display. This was probably encouraged by the studio intended to draw in a broad audience for a higher chance of vast commercial success. Many of these scenes have become iconic as illustrated in this very well known and endlessly parodied scene:
[Street gangs made a reappearance in a scene below from the sequel of Crocodile Dundee where Mick earned their respect by pulling another aggressive violent alpha male strategy. The second film didn’t dare stray too far from the original formula. A blockbuster film is more a sequence of previous cinema industry successes, rather than concerned with any artistic merit/truth.]
Crocodile Dundee is made for American audiences that examines American ‘New Yorker’ culture from a distanced or outside Australian perspective.
Subway on the other hand was a French made film, presumably made for French audiences (The versions for American cinemas was dubbed or subtitled from French to English ). The narrative was more complex and broke away from a tediously binary good vs evil narrative at times. It found time to focus on the various relationship between members of ‘fringe’ community ( who were perhaps marginalised by French society at the time). The authoritarian figures were not heroic but rather often part of the comic relief. Two of the Police were even mimicked, referred to as Batman and Robin.
The reception of both films roughly equate to the same popularity in the countries of their projected audiences. Yet, Crocodile Dundee is unarguably the most recognised and known. Crocodile Dundee has proven to be culturally transferable to wider audiences but Subway has not. If not , why not?
It is not even a case of movie star pulling power because Paul Hogan was relatively unknown before the film and Christopher Lambert went onto star in the Box office success ‘Highlander’ alongside Sean Connery released within the same year. I am sure Lambert’s new found stardom would’ve given Subway a substantial promotional boost by mere back catalogue association . Yet to this day it remains relatively obscure in American cinema.
It could be that the language barrier was to blame but I suspect it is something far deeper. Lambert, Reno and Besson have gone onto make many English speaking Hollywood Blockbusters and work for the same industry and genre of happy endings since the 1930s that perpetuate storylines with preferences of myth over ( and killing of) reality.
i.e. The long standing tradition of going to the movies for escapism.
The comparison may be unfair with the studio behind Crocodile Dundee perhaps aiming to be more family friendly and accessible to mainstream cinema. However, three years later in 1988, even such a gritty drama of drug abuse and self excess/destruction like ‘ Bright Lights, Big City’: can be recognised by American audiences. This film was a modern day parable of drugs and excess and also set almost entirely on New York’s Manhatten island at the height of 1980s Yuppie fever. Yet, the film’s story remained critical of big city consumerism, easily produced for American cinema audiences received vastly greater Box Office yield of over 5 million dollars in its opening weekend, reaching over $16 million. Admittedly this had the star pulling power of Michael. J. Fox riding the Back To The Future trilogy but it wasn’t exactly pulling any punches in real life drama like Crocodile Dundee.
No. I feel Subway is something different and there is a clue: One of the songs featured in the film soundtrack below called ‘It’s Only Mystery ‘features some tantalising lyrics. One such interestingly line :
“How can we keep on watching that Fucking TV? so bored, we don’t even care what we see… takes our strength away.. and never shows us the way … ”
Both films are a work of fiction, that is true, However, all works of fictions are a created as a product influenced by the social context of the times behind them from the creators perspective and how they see the world around them. Both films did well within their natives cultures. SO what DOES each film say about their respective cultures?
I am NOT saying that either film is the total sum of either country’s entire cultural landscape or cinematic spectrum at all.
What I am saying is after watching the end of Subway, can you ever imagine seeing the main character die at the height of potential happiness, set in a subway with a band playing behind him … in a Crocodile Dundee film? Most of the subway scenes diced with mortal danger only to emphasis Mick’s triumphant heroism. Some kind of larger than life jungle superman that seemed almost immortal compared to the other superficial, 2-dimensional characters in the film. The ending scene where he treads over huddled New Yorkers to ‘get the girl’ -Sue and win her over the other competing love interest (a rich New York businessman and her boss) is meant to illustrate some form of moral ‘victory’ for everyone. Where the audience roots for the hero and all the other characters are 2d dimensional and expendable. We never hear their story? It is just all about this Australian Ubermensch fulfilling his own happiness by literally standing on the shoulders of New Yorkers, crammed into one of the most overpopulated and gentrified cities in the world. ( Or is he meant to be keeping them down from realising how important their own happiness is?) The story only ever focusses on the hero’s individual journey and is never meant to be more complicated than following Mick’s journey, a hilarious collage of good natured cultural misunderstandings.
We won’t see any gritty or depressing plot developments because the film is set in a genre of cinema that is only ever meant to reach a suitable climax that makes the audience warm and fuzzy. It is what is expected within contemporary western cinema. A happy ending, even when the consequences of Micks ‘out of town morality’ causes a dangerous New York pimp to pursue a vendetta and eventually get the best of him. Mick is rescued by his driver Gus (played Winslow) is in another glazed over plot escape from the reality of dangerous street crime.
Instead, the plot is welded up tight with a comedy interchange based on yet more superficial cultural misunderstandings. Escapism. To shut out the harsh grim reality of negatives experiences, like say, murder or death. Many are entitled to this luxury and have their reasons. Some deserve to come to the cinema and shut out their lives for a bit, perhaps more than others but on mass, what kind of social attitude does that encourage?
It wasn’t even enough to let Mick Dundee die in the second film, he HAD to be alive for the story to reach that proven established climax of a happy ending that audiences have grown ( or been groomed) to expect. A necessity to please the cinema industry that might argue is pleasing the market. Is this what real life is now?
My intention is not to knock the subtle cultural nuances of Crocodile Dundee for even one moment, (Mick had his own story to tell) but there has long been an acknowledged polemic gap in cultural attitudes between France and the USA, maybe even opposing attitudes to life in general. However the idea that the main hero of the story must always win, without repercussion or sacrifice, as in the example of Crocodile Dundee seems to align with one of the fundamental themes of Americans culture: comfort. The comfort of a happy ending.
The comfort of escapism, rather than reflecting on the true nature of mortality where in Subway, Christopher Lambert’s character Fred paid the ultimate sacrifice and unarguably the ultimate discomfort – he dies.
However films like Subway continue to contribute to a genuinely bigger picture, one of a more thought provoking and artistically prioritised, French cinema industry perhaps. The ending of Subway was reportedly a testament to legendary French film Directors Jean Luc Goddard imitating the ending of his 1960 film; Breathless where the climax of the films leaves the audience as spectator, left hanging, never really sure where they stand.
.
French philosopher Jean Baudrillard wrote how cinema can help highlight ‘the insignificance of the world through the image’ (Coulter [2010 ] P.7). It could assist in making the real world vunerable and thus actually real. In Crocodile Dundee, a larger than life character evades the significance of the world by ‘beating reality’ – a rehash of a superhuman character that everyone can live out their fantasy through. Perhaps even projecting their own narrative in an almost Narcissistic perspective. Making the vast biopic landscapes of nature where these narratives are set, such as the Australian outback or New York City seem insignificant, ignoring the overwhelming but fragile metaphors of mortality on display. Dundee evades the responsibilities that Fred faced in Subway. Baudrillard said that American film “simply illustrates American life”(Coulter [2010] P.8). He also found American culture and lifestyles in general “like being in a film” (P.8). So is it an indicator of why American cinema in general opts for less thought provoking and reflective content in favour of pure escapism?
i.e. the murder of the real by the unreal.
At the very least, seeing how happy Jean Reno looks playing drums at the end seems to make it all worthwhile
– Look at his little smile.
Available at https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/pdfplus/10.3366/film.2010.0041
Available at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00177/full
ttps://allthatsinteresting.com/new-york-subways-1980s
https://www.huckmag.com/art-and-culture/style/best-dressed-gang-1980s-new-york/
Here is how I see the American election business: – Politics is now measured on social aesthetic, like fashion and entertainment and thus, will repeat itself as it follows a recognisable pattern or even a pre-approved narrative much in the way of how spectator sports work. A very limited outcome resulting from a repetitive purpose.
If you wonder how someone like Trump coming into power could happen, then maybe it is because it plays out like a film, with the ‘good guys’ winning . . .i.e. the system.
Trump IS a dick and IS a phony. He tried to sire a spectator sport approach to serious political discourse, by heightening tension in political scenarios to create theatrical drama. The arena of Politics is always going to be contentious and contestable realm, so this is why political affairs are usually conducted with a calm and collected protocol. Trump attempts to remove these ‘stuffy’ procedures under the guise of fast and effective decision making. NO doubt in an attempt to reach the ‘everyman demographic who resent what they see ( or are told is) ‘ the oppressive regime.
In reality, what some might consider the stale nature of politics has evolved to be distanced and impersonal after centuries of conflict and bloodshed. Think of it this way: In the context of America history, the Civil War and War of Independence that gained freedom and liberty is simply a later reflection of how the ancient European wars shaped Europe.
After the 2020 Presidential elections, the old Good vs Evil parable is in full effect over the pond this week. The concept of Good Vs Evil is universally understood by all. However, the concept of the Myth was outlined by French writer Roland Barthes in his 1967 book Mythologies.
Here is an extract from his famous ”Wrestler‘ Myth’:
“Barthes explores the myth of professional wrestling. He describes how, unlike in the sport of boxing, the aim of theatrical stunt fighting is not to discover who will win or ‘a demonstration of excellence’, it is a staged spectacle acting out society’s basic concepts of good and evil, of ‘Suffering, Defeat and Justice’. The actors pretending to be wrestlers, like characters in a pantomime, portray grossly-exaggerated stereotypes of human weakness: the traitor, the conceited…The audience expects to watch them suffer and be punished for their own transgressions of wrestling’s rules in a theatrical version of society’s ideology of justice.“
Roland Barthes was writing symbolically about how Wrestling is a ceremonial re-enactment of Good Vs Evil in American society. Trump has eliminated any claims of subtle symbolic gesture by legitimising such political behaviour on a very real and literal level. You could say, like American Wrestling, his brand of politics has been choreographed and scripted. The modern low cultural equivalent of a Theatrical plot and prescheduled as a narrative to follow. If not consciously then maybe subconciously, where spectators aren’t even fully aware of the cues that prompt them to react to a pre-established perspective as ‘truth’.
I wonder how many loyal Trump followers are WWE fans? If you wanted some form of academic authority then Naomi Klein writes a better elaborate explanation in Chapter #4 of her book ‘ No is Not Enough’ [2017].
I have always wondered at what level fans of WWE American Wrestling have understood ( or even cared) how real the fictional aspect of the sport is. I have spent hours wondering if people are simply choosing to passively absorb the ‘spectacle’ as enjoyment. It would be assume to conclude that spectators at wrestling events are disregarding the reality aspect, as an external quality that should not affect the continuity of the proceedings and hence, their enjoyment.
As a leisure activity? Fine.
As a means of assessing governance. Damn!
Infact, the masks the wrestlers wear in Barthes’ essay above may as well be symbolic of the Democrat and Republican party colours. Both participating in a tried formula to keep the eyes of the masses glazed over with spectacle. A distraction from the real work that goes on behind the scenes. Not to engage in a conspiracy theories but the ‘real work’ could actually just be the ordinary unimpressive menial bureaucracy that is expected from anyone who has ever worked in a civil service job. Trump promised to drain the swamp but knowing this was impossible, maybe he decided to create a pantomime that he can dissemble at will to manage the expectations of his audience. Or, maybe he actually believes the crazy shit he says.
Regardless, the wrestlers in Barthes’ essay may as well be Biden or Trump…following the motions of the reconstructed battle of Good Vs Evil.
I mean, Trump was ACTUALLY a wrestler in WWE don’t forget – See the “lost footage” ( sheesh) below.
Yet, who is Good and who is Evil?
Are all Trump’s supporters truly evil? I would imagine the religious in his ranks don’t think so. What about the armed militias .. groups like the Proud Boys? Are they homogenous and expendable legions like the Imperial Stormtroopers from Star Wars? They are people, with lives and freewill. Also, as it turns out. citizens in a democracy that values equality for all. By the logic of their own ideology and their Christian pastors endorsement of Trump’s religious ( or at least) political messiah status. How can this not enforce Trumps own narcissistic view that he is the one being persecuted. I am sure Slavjoy Zizek’s might say they were set up to fail by their own ideology.
Look at these pictures of loyal religious Trump supporters ( of diverse ethnicity) praying and holding him almost fanatically. This does not look like the Emperor from Star Wars?!
If this is NOT ‘Good, then how can it be ‘Evil?’
Isn’t it interesting how the narrative of the Bible follows very similar narratives to American wrestling: Good Vs Evil. Is this because this is the founding moral principle behind the entire Christian ( and western) civilisation.
To continue the game, the next administration will likewise be milking this winning ‘Good’ mask for years to come. Trump’s quote about ‘ fine people on both sides( famously referencing White Supremacists ) probably seems neutral and unbiased from the perspetives of his white, rural American Christian fanbase.
Trendy liberal Uncle Joe (or Communist, depending who you speak to ) seems to respect the factual reality of what Antifa are ( quoting the definition from the head of the Trump’s FBI aloud in their TV debate).
Trump retorted back (in the same TV debate) that ‘ somebody needs to do something about ‘those Antifa lot’. Which, I found hilarious considering this was the President of the United States talking, seemingly already delegating responsibility in a callback to his former SEO Apprentice career.
The actual moment was shadowed by Trump’s refusal to condemn hardcore Trump supporters and the Right (White) Wing militia ‘Proud Boys’ in his now immortal sound byte; “Stand back and stand by“.
The middle ground will look different to both parties but it will still land somewhere in the middle of a very large area. One that is tailored from the perspective of American society i.e. white people.
Despite Biden’s strong African American fanbase, you have to wonder where the people in the BLM movement see themselves in this ‘ middle ground’.
Biden is already making speeches about protecting the very system that continues to profit off the social capital that African Americans were robbed off. The very same system that may still designated wealth in the form fo compensation to the relatives of people who owned slaves. When the slaves were freed, there was no paper trail. They did NOT get P45s or backdated holiday pay as far as I know.
The only reason it’s easy to say all this is because of how brazen Trump was but how many have got caught up and are now going to be disenfranchised with politics. That is a GREAT way of keeping people down… no matter how crazy and uninformed they are.
Countless French philosophers have been writing about the futility of an imperfect ‘one size fits all ‘ political system that caters for a post-imperial capitalist society. One that is mainly populated by what people for white people. It is best brought to life in the Saturday Night Live sketch below by Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock:
The system WAS broke but has it ever really been fixed?
Essentially Biden removing Trump benefits the American status quo and statistically, we all know what ‘demographic’ they fall into.
Despite the outpouring of congratulatory gratitude coming from Obama and Al Sharpton’s Twitter, it feel more like the end of the Armageddon movie than the dismantling of systematic white oppression. This screenshot of a Huffington Post article titled ‘ Black People React To The Defeat of The Racist Donald Trump’ kind of feels less 2020 and more 1960s.
As a middle aged white guy I like Joe Biden. Sure I trust him. I liked and trusted Obama or Hilary because they had experience but wouldn’t it better to read about ‘The first Black President introducing the First Black Female VP than: ‘The first Black Female VP serving the White guy who served the First Black President. Does American politics really need a multicultural chaperone? Some form of racial continuity buffer?
Now again, ask yourself: Why something like Trump could happen?
If you WANT to get rid of white supremacy then look yourself in the mirror when you do and stop listening to all the virtue signalling.
Remember, in the Star Wars movies, they always build another Death Star.
. . . .All of this within the very same system of white supremacy we need to dismantle.
Back in August, I decided to volunteer for a charity that looks after refugees in Northern France called Care4Calais. My holiday plans for this year were scrapped. My holiday to Spain back in March long. I only just got funds refunded. The ongoing uncertainty from changes in government policy at the drop of a hat, suggested any travel this year should be local. I didn’t fancy a #Staycation and Calais was closer to my home city than most of England.
So here it was.
A little bit about me and my privilege:
Technically it wasn’t a holiday. Somehow it seemed so rewarding, providing a satisfaction I have yet to experience in any of my previous jobs. Anything from working in a stuffy government office somewhere, being stuck on a phone to angry consumer privilege venting itself. This was exactly the opposite of the Care4Calais experience – A positive and constructive retake on the system we live in.
I have written a more detailed account of my experience here, seemingly from very tinted rose coloured glasses. A lot more came out of the experience on a personal level that doesn’t warrant making the article about me.
I will say that the line; “The politics behind terminology like ‘Economic Migrants’ needs to be buried .. ( I originally wrote..) along with any c*nts that are happy to perpetuate it.”
I was honest with myself from the start. I was there to see behind the media spin and found out the truth of the situation for myself. Although having been keeping up with the charity since the clearing of the now famous Calais jungle, I have been following the Facebook group and knew a few people who had volunteered, I wasn’t shocked by anything I saw.
I knew that ‘casual racism’ had been the trend in British politics for a while now. Naturally, it has been growing openly acceptable since Brexit in less obvious ways than before, under the guise of the ‘you can’t even say this anymore/ethnic cleansing for white people‘ rhetoric that had been previously reserved for old age pensioners and skinheads. This activity arguably helped block any potentially civilised debate about Britain leaving the EU, which never even got past the gate.
I saw how the former ‘Oh here come the Politically correct brigade’ crowd had formed an alliance with the ’Britain used to be a Christian (white) country’ chorus line’, as a whole generation of Political first-timers tagged along, laughing at memes. All rallying to Nigel Farage’s battle cry of ‘Getting our country back’.
That battle was over but all it took was Nigel Farage pointing at refugees crammed in a dinghy on channel to get the old band (wagon) back together. All under the not even thinly veiled pretence of ‘Patriotism’.
So my natural inclination was to just be objective to whatever the British media report, on principle. and see where it leads me. Many of my suspicions were proven correct. Turns out the French government can be arseholes as the British. Although the local Police never displayed any particular negativity towards me as a visitor, I saw and heard evidence to the contrary.
A fellow volunteer shared some stories shortly after I wrote my article, giving first-hand accounts from the mouths of the refugees themselves about how hard their lives have been.
It shows up my article for the sugar-coated feel-good story it was and contradicts the optimistic worldview that I inevitably misled people with. It is important that people should absorb as many perspectives as possible in this situation to shatter the linear media narrative and challenge the evergrowing sphere of deflective propaganda we are being immersed in.
When anyone has a perception of life that is shown to be significantly elevated above that of others. This can mean they never discover experiences they are not even aware of, often due a comfortable and easier lifestyle. Then I feel it is that person’s duty to challenge or question their perceptions of the community around them.
This is how checking your privilege works.
Below is a selection of mixed articles on the Calais refugee crisis:
Photos and interviews of refugees in Calais from a volunteer here
An article from a British tabloid newspaper publication here
A revealing article from a fellow volunteer who was present at the same time here.
#BlackLivesMatter. A phrase that must be familiar with everyone on the planet at the moment, certainly in the USA which approaches almost a week of consecutive rioting. There are many ‘angles’ on the issues of racism with numerous perspectives provided on any social media platform but ideally it only requires one: Acknowledge the plight of Black culture and heritage.
If you deflect Black Lives Matter with All Lives Matter. You don’t acknowledge the privilege (most) white people have from birth. Cop killings are just the tip of a systematically ignored iceberg. Whether you are talking blatant Neo-Nazi racism or subtle, Daily Mail institutionalised Imperialist programming. It’s all different sides of the same ‘white supremacist’ coin.
There are other ways to identify racism.
George Floyd was killed by four policemen with a diverse collective ethnic heritage, so it isn’t always simply a case of White man vs Black man. ( See the Internalized segment below)
In the current political climate, by saying ‘All Lives Matter’ you are infact saying White Lives Matter, more by default.
Why?
It’s because the average white person has a much more agreeable and easier existence, by far. We call this privilege.
Sure, Kanye West has it much easier than 60-year-old unemployed Fred White, who has to take two buses into town, where his nearest jobcentre is, dragging his arthritis stricken body after working 40 years at the same warehouse employer on minimum wage, only to be let go when his job was outsourced overseas. Likely to foreign labour that works far cheaper.
But how many Kanyes are there and how many Freds?
If Fred has a grievance he should be looking at his fellow rich white friends like Trump, who were born into a generational wealth that gives them more disposable income in a day, than poor Fred has seen in a lifetime.
These rich white people are never seen in Fred’s neighbourhood though, they live out near Kanye and it doesn’t take long for some Neo-Nazi activist to distract Fred’s anger and funnel it into the nearest (and probably only) Black person around.
Black citizens get targeted for racial profiling by a Police Force with a diversity recruitment agenda, that ends up breeding systematic racism, by painting Brown faces on it. Rather than challenging social attitudes and eradicating it. The few Black or Hispanic guys in the team don’t need the extra hassle of challenging and correcting their white superiors. They are probably too focussed on blending into the ‘locker room‘ culture.
Let’s face it. Nobody who has to work for other people to make a living, has the time or money to change the world.
When you are born into a society you are born into a social contract .This is the system.
Citizens in society waive certain rights and liberty in exchange for social security and stability. Well, White people and Europeans anyway.
A Social Contract is “an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits, for example by sacrificing some individual freedom for state protection.”
Even back in 1763 Jean Jacques Rosseau noticed it was designed by and for rich people. We all know how much rich people HATE giving things up.
I appreciate maybe some African –Americans aren’t as jaded about society as others but how do people who have descendants that were ‘introduced’ into this social contract as slaves, with no civil liberties to waive, get along in this system? By having to work twice as hard just to fit in to a crazy system built on a social capital they were not given at birth. When someone has no social capital, they cannot trade it for a better life.
(Especially when their ‘cultural capital‘ is exploited and robbed to line the pockets of richer ( whiter) involuntary business partners in everything from Black music to Fashion. Google ‘Manufacturing Cool’ or even just watch the Jordan Peele’s 2017 film ‘Get Out’.
In my blog, I make the argument that Memes are fast becoming an effective medium for cultural and sociological study, so these are the best examples I could find to illustrate the same argument as above. ( Some are actually just well-written Tweets.)
If you found any of the Memes in this Blog useful, remember they were taken directly from the social media accounts of Black people. ( Cultural appropriation, I know). All you have to do is listen and acknowledge your privilege.
#ByAnyMemesNecessary
[A fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body.]
The cyborg is not a new concept in western literature at all. Hari Kunzru takes the premise all the way back to Frankenstein’s Monster in the year 1818. The novel was famously a projection of Mary Shelley’s emotional distancing of the new life form grafted organically to her body i.e. her illegitimate pregnancy.
In my mind, the moment a cyborg was born into the mainstream social consciousness was in the 1987 film Robocop. Paul Verhoeven’s postmodern tale of a murdered Police officer called Murphy, brought back to life and enhanced with cutting edge technology. Murphy uses his newfound conscious awareness to slowly solve the mystery of his murder and piece his former life back together. The story could be considered a modern retelling of Frankenstein but with a new moral twist. The film is also a tale of the human spirit triumphantly breaking social confines of systematic repression and corruption, the victory of freewill and even the seeds of a moral debate around civic gentrification. The battle for Murphy’s organic identity (or ‘soul’) over the new corporate owned cybernetic Robocop persona, also contains a running parallel with the ‘soul’ of the city of Detroit. A city once driven by communities and local industry but now gentrified and beautified to avoid bankruptcy and commodified as an asset for the OCP corporation.
A great film on many levels. It also re-establishes Isaac Aminov’s Law of Robotics, adapted for cyborgs in the modern era. The 1984 film Terminator technically predates Robocop by featuring an onscreen cyborg but as a villain without complex morality. This issue wasn’t really addressed until the second film of the franchise ( T2:Judgement Day) arrived in 1991.
Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner dealt with the morality of androids imitating humans but only on the surface as a clear cut negation of humanity. Below the cliché’d pantomime of good vs evil narrative veneer, there were moments of great reflection of the true fleeting nature of human mortality . 29 years later the sequel Blade Runner 2049 took the movement further with a cyborg featuring as the main character and fed into a cybernetic uprising against a human led repression with technology as a yoke of social control, in a future dominated and monopolised by a private business entrepreneur. Even with an entirely cybernetic protagonist, the freewill of the ‘human’ spirit plays a part in Cyborg morality, at odds with a corporate regime that reduces life to a price. It would be nice to think that even cybernetic life-forms cannot be commodified.
In 2017 we finally saw a live action Hollywood production of the cult classic Japanese anime film; Ghost in the Shell [1995]. A film which came with a much more ready-made debate on the relationship between the intentions of progressive cybernetic technology and defining the true shape of humanity’s ‘essence’.
This territory of the idea of human-plus cybernetic evolution has also made its appearance in the serious academic world to. Donna Harraway’s Cyborg manifesto arrived in 1988. It subsequently opened up a debate on tackling the established toxic perception of humanity in a patriarchal society. The master-servant social paradigm is open for debate from many angles.
Follow the link for your own research but needless to say, their observations do not stray that far from the debates held in the aforementioned films: As this synopsis of Haraway’s book explains:
“Haraway’s cyborg is a set of ideals of a genderless, race-less, more collective and peaceful civilization with the caveat of being utterly connected to the machine. Her new versions of beings reject Western humanist conceptions of personhood and promote a disembodied world of information and the withering of subjectivity. The collective consciousness of the beings and their limitless access to information provide the tools with which to create a world of immense socio-political change through altruism and affinity, not biological unity. In her essay Haraway challenges the liberal human subject and its lack of concern for collective desires which leaves the possibility for wide corruption and inequality in the world. Furthermore, the cyborg’s importance lays in its coalition of consciousness not in the physical body that carries the information/consciousness. A world of beings with a type of shared knowledge could create a powerful political force towards positive change. Cyborgs can see “from both perspectives at once.” In addition, Haraway writes that the cyborg has an imbued nature towards the collective good.”
Many of the most popular classic Cyborg movies deal with this conscious uncoupling of pre- established moral and social norms with characters ranging from Robocop’s family orientated Police Officer; Murphy, to the psychotic replicant assassin; Batty, in the film Blade Runner. For anyone who has ever conducted decent quality social research, that external perspective is vital for reaching objective and critical observations, whilst being immersed into a culture that sometimes relies on coded cultural nuances. I guess Haraway is saying the Cybernetic elements represent both aspects of research. Analysing mortality from both a distanced, emotionless robotic perspective and also a mortal, human one. Verhoeven’s Robocop tackling the capitalists aspects like gentrification and toxic corporate sponsorship of moral institutions.
Humanity’s dependency on technology is at a very immersive and sometimes psychological and physical manifestation of this bond. Much like the activity put forward in the Wachowski Bros’ Matrix trilogy and in a far earlier film starring Keanu Reeves called Johnny Mnemonic [1995] by director Robert Longo. Trying to make sense of things from a human perspectives often requires ‘rewiring’ the way our minds think.
Ghost in the Shell has perhaps seen more public discussion since the recent ‘whitewashing controversy‘ around the casting of Scarlett Johansson for the lead role: Major Motoko Kusanagi, who is considered an Asian (anime) role. However, creator Mamoru Oshii defends the decision stating that the character is a Cyborg and her ethnicity is irrelevant. This enforces Haraway’s thesis on an ethnographic level.
The synopsis is basically a evaluation of how human memory and spirit can be contained and preserved in a cybernetically-enchanced individual made for robotic purpose, regardless of the manufacturer’s intentions. (The same way that Peter Weller’s human memories was retained in the original Robocop film). Stepping off from this future ‘golden age’ of cybernetic civil rights is a recent film currently circulating on Netflix called Elita: Battle Angel: A former 25th century cybernetic soldier is reconstructed as a second generation cyborg not only retaining memories but also physical traits and learned behaviour in the form of martial arts reflexes etc. This film contributes to Cyborg legend by bringing with it a practical take on a ‘deity’ presence, in the form of a ‘ancient’ being with higher technology and resources living in a floating city. The ‘everyday’ society is a fallen one of scarce resources and competitive scavenging of ‘lost’ but ( to us) futuristic cyborg tech. Bringing with it the realism of diminished capacity for consumerism to provide for and maintain a society. Once again, in this tale, the morality of the human spirit once again outweighs the harsh socio-economic conditions. What Alita: Battle Angel offers best is a rational perspective the logistics of human nature and ontology in general.
The Netflix series ‘Altered Carbon’ is in its 2nd series and continues to push the boundaries of the human- cyborg relationship with human bodies being representative of reusable ‘sleeves’ and the only established form of solid human consciousness/ former life memories are retained in a residual form of a hard drive computer file. Thus flipping the cybernetic paradigm that balances human and machine: The ‘organic’ body is the replaceable sleeve and the ) is the ‘true’ record of the human essence. The show continues to find ways to push the boundaries of this myriad, in ways not seen since Blade Runner in its day.
On these often dystopian futuristic scenarios, the ( often western) social values remain typically unchanged and unchallenged but the centre of the moral compass is brought back to this notional cliché that is the undefeatable human spirit. Cybernetic lifeforms are still capable of making observational moral judgements though, as in the dark subjects of prostitution and murder brought up in the series one finale of Altered Carbon. It seems even in a society with cybernetic technology that can bring unlimited lives, barbaric primal urges are still present and the good old human spirit is still corruptible from a primitive but universally understood form of ‘evil’, especially by the rich and privileged.
I highly recommend the following films as ‘Further viewing’:
So we are all locked down ready for the Coronavirus to pass us by and we have accepted it is going to be a fair few weeks. By now, you will have probably been through the usual Sci-Fi franchises; the Terminators, the Total Recalls, the Aliens and/or Predators, the Mad Max(uses) . . .maybe even the Zombielands but there is gonna be a few weeks left yet.
Personally, I enjoy setting the mood with dystopian apocalypse films that either reflect or exaggerate the ‘end of the world vibes’ that are floating around outside somewhere. So, here are my personal Top 10 recommendations . . .
One of the first dystopian sci-fi films I ever saw growing up in that morally bankrupt era we called the 80s. The film’s message has stood the test of time. A dark, violent and gritty tale of a future society eroding from poverty that is ruled by TV. A society where civil rights mean prisoners get court-appointed theatrical agents. The entire film is a life lesson in believing authoritarian media manipulation. There are scary prophecies in how far TV entertainment can corrupt our social moral fabric. In her 2017 book; ‘No is not enough‘ Naomi Klein wrote that televised US airstrikes in Syria were described as ‘after-dinner entertainment’ at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s luxury holiday resort in Florida. (P. 57). A toned-down performance from Arnie with minimal one-liners managed not to eclipse an intelligent and thought-provoking storyline. Extra star credit with wrestler Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura. To the 3 people out there that didn’t know this already, the film was based on a book written by Stephen King under the alter ego, Richard Bachman.
#2 Escape From New York [1981] 
Kurt Russell’s second most significant film of the 1980s and easily his most adult. Eerie and chilling digital scored soundtrack from John Carpenter helped transfer essential euphoria from the Halloween films. The back story itself is inspired enough to carry the film but it also contains a zeitgeist that simply couldn’t be re-created in the sequel set in L.A. 20 years later. The front cover artwork pretty much screams apocalypse, too.
#3 Original Blade Runner [1982]
Ok, so not technically dystopian but just an amazingly clever PoMo sci-fi futurist film. Although, you could argue that the nihilism of killer androids questioning the fabric of their own reality is kinda dystopian. Worth watching just for the late Rutger Hauer’s epic closing monologue.
Not really an apocalypse film but is it awesome and more importantly, there is a vital message about the rapidly approaching consequences of gentrification in our society. Coronavirus has already reminded us to appreciate the human spirit over adversity. It has taught some to learn to value people over profit and so will Paul Verhoeven’s classic digital age morality tale. Watch Robocop 2 [1990] if you must but please not the 2014 reboot. It solves nothing.
A fairly grim and dark post-apocalyptic road movie starring Kate Bosworth. What makes this one different is the lack of larger than life hero personalities. A banal tale of ordinary people trying to survive in a desolate barren wasteland that is a mixture of Americana and American gothic. Suitably nihilistic with no overwhelming moral stance. There is no great good vs evil narrative just survival and ordinary hope. Available on Netflix.
A charming almost cartoony 80s style low-grade zombie movie attempt ..but without zombies. Starring Catherine Mary Stewart from The Last Starfighter (if you know, you know) it brings a perspective of ordinary understated realism to the end of the world. The opening scenes have this great atmospheric Purple glow over the sky with wide-open landscape camera shots of a huge abandoned city. Almost similar to the opening scenes of The Omega Man. Nothing special but not too bad either. Currently available on Netflix I believe.
#7 The Last Man On Earth [1964]
The original dystopian narrative film starring vintage Horror legend Vincent Price. It still has the bleak atmospheric feeling of abandonment that carries the viewer effortlessly through so many scenes in the film. The storyline obvious to everyone who has already seen I Am Legend but is still worth watching to see how far cinematic technology has taken us. Upon further reflection, there are still some things they do better in the simple low-tech cinema of old. Available on YouTube.
The second reboot of the quintessential dystopian apocalypse formula we all know and love. Remade only 5 years after The Last Man on Earth but with a much larger budget and Charlton Heston at the helm. A similar ending but the 1960s ethos has infected the spirit of the apocalypse. A great watch still but there is a strange multi-culturally insensitive subtext that should really be extinct in a post-apocalyptic narrative. It dates the film hideously. The scale of the opening scenes is still pretty impressive and they have obviously upped the production form the former effort.
It is the year 2020 and everyone has seen and enjoyed I AM LEGEND but I wonder how many have seen the true beauty offered in the more positive alternative ending. It makes for a far superior film. It’s sadly predictable why the studio opted for the more traditional formula that we saw in theatres. The film was based on a book and is the third cinematic adaption made, the first two #7 and #8 respectively. In these opening scenes, you can see the influence taken from Omega Man but more epic and iconic architecture is used to send the message home: The world is abandoned,
#10 Elysium [2013]
This film is possibly the most realistic dystopian film available. The basic plot deals with an exaggerated continuation of our current society if current social and political trends continue. Matt Damon’s performance is somewhat eclipsed by the hectic chaos of Sharlto Coplay seemingly given artistic free reign. A great visually jaw-dropping film with a stark warning about where post-Trump/Republican humanity is headed if it isn’t stopped soon.
Finally, if you have Netflix check out the 2019 series Daybreak – a satirical PoMo take on the classic Lord of the Flies/Hunger Games formula but from the perspective of a millennial era American high school. An interesting take and also guest-starring the original Ferris Bueller – Matthew Broderick.
Whatever it takes to keep you away from the chaos outside
I am hearing this phrase more and more on social media. It is normally used as a rebuke of someone’s argument but what does it actually mean?
Well, in order to fully understand the context of the comment, you have to first understand what a ‘Baby Boomer’ is:
“Baby boomers” (also known as boomers) are the demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The Baby Boom generation is most often defined as those individuals born between 1946 and 1964″.(Source Wiki)
So basically, a Boomer is someone from an early generation where it was possible to capitalise in an earlier socio-economic period of history. Presumably, such wealth was accrued from opportunities generated by unregulated markets and the vast wholesale of state-funded assets, or even infrastructure. Much like how British Thatcherism continuously promoted privatisation of areas in social infrastructure once nationalised, run by the state and funded by the taxpayer for free and easy use to all citizens. ( The same can arguably be said about the Regan governments in 1980s USA.)
Either way, in a social climate with an ongoing austerity agenda, the borderline resentment generated from Millenials and younger could be due to a lack of continuity in social opportunities from former times. Or what you might call not ‘passing down’ to the next generations.
This comedy sketch from Saturday Night Live explains the sentiment quite successfully (even if from a satirical stance):
The premise presented here is that the earlier generations of Baby Boomers had some form of privilege over younger generations accrued by a vastly richer financial landscape. I am sure this acclimation would be countered by Boomers with the argument that people of an earlier generation are successful because they ‘worked for it’. Yet there is an undeniable realisation that opportunities of previous years are no longer available. In this current time of western history, many former workers rights and protection are no longer acknowledged: The very nature of zero-hours testifies to this. With ongoing austerity cuts, state-funded opportunities are no longer present. There are parallels examples in both the USA, UK and probably other western regions.
This famous quote from Socrates makes a lot of sense here:
“The saying that the greatness of a society is achieved when old men plant trees whose shade they may not make use of… is indicative of the unselfish character of the society.
A society becomes great when the people become responsible and unselfish. “
(Source-EnglishforStudents)
For a less ‘ready’ explanation, the Ricky Gervais radio show provides the same sentiment about 1 minute 50 seconds into the opening conversation:
The metaphor of the tree planting in the OK Boomer scenario can almost represent the lack of future planning for future generations to reap the benefit of opportunities, be it financial or otherwise. Almost like how the Baby Boomers enjoyed the fruits of the trees of their time but failed to plant ‘financial trees’ in the form of states funded initiatives or bursaries, anything from student loans, weekly family allowance or even guaranteed secure jobs with wages that match inflation.
Conclusion
So in a sense, when someone writes ‘Ok Boomer’, it could quite possibly carry resentment towards the ‘greed’ or self-centred nature of former generations that still enjoy the privilege of wealth and luxury, while young people are denied the opportunity to work for similar achievement in their lifetime. More than likely the term is simply used as reactionary meaningless rhetoric: A trend in street slang, with any additional meaning, lost or unnoticed. However, the potential cultural implications of such use could very well carry a growing resentment of the wealth driven inequality that ongoing commodity fetishism generates. In time, for younger generations deprived of financial opportunities in the future, it could become a symbolic rebuke of former generations disregard for the very society Socrates talks of in the above clip.
My recent trip to New York for five days could not have been more action-packed.
To even entertain any hope of seeing all I wanted to see, meant staying on the island of Manhatten. A lot slipped through my fingers but visiting Van Gogh’s Starry Night’ was high up. I am glad to report that I made it.
I was even more pleasantly surprised from seeing what else the MoMA had to offer.
There was:
Salvador Dali
Frida Kahlo
Gustav Klimt
A whole room for Monet
Andy Warhol
Jackson Pollock
Picasso
These Russian wartime propaganda posters reminded me of the posters for the V for Vendetta film.
There were also amazing views of Manhatten avenues leading up to Times Square.
Rant &Rave 