I don’t watch too many films and TV shows. I really don’t. I would rather go outside and walk around to enjoy what is left of the earth. When I do watch films and TV they usually pique my interest. One recent TV show that I watched with someone was a documentary on sex robots on Discovery Health. Yes, I know it sounds weird: Sex Robots. It wasn’t about sex, how to do it, why, and all that stuff, but rather, it was about men and their search for the perfect partner and reasons why they would want to have sex with humanoids and/or cyborgs. This is a fetish, a desire. This also is something that would not have happened centuries ago. This is part of a culture. There is a community out there who want that. Yet this is something that should not be condemned by anyone. You know the saying: To each his own.

Anyway, this show was, well, showing men who would want those robotic partners. They have their own personal reasons. All these reasons come mainly from insecurities. Others come from terrible experiences. There was a man who was mixed. In his childhood, because of his ethnic backgrounds, was beaten, abused, ridiculed, etc. Because of this abuse, the man has extremely low self-esteem and even though he would want a sex robot, he has gone on dates. The problem is that they don’t work one for personal reasons. I remember him saying: “No response is better than a negative response.” I can understand that but for him to be affected at such a level is worse than I imagined. I’m glad for that fact that he is still alive. Then there are other men who give their reasons for wanting a sex robot. They say that she (robot) will never leave you, won’t complain, get the pleasure whenever you want it without consent, and much more. These were the general responses.

The show also showed the advancement of the sex robots and that fact that there is a community out there. This is a refuge for those who aren’t sure about sharing this fetish of theirs. Because anything different from social norms can be looked down upon, the people who share this similar fetish keep it a secret. People could also humiliate them instead of trying to be open-minded and understanding their perspective.

This show exposes these men and their inventions in a light that doesn’t make fun of them nor does it embrace it. The purpose of it is to slowly expose the world to this idea so that when it comes out people won’t be so condescending even though they still will.

There were other parts of the show that subtlety showed that this fetish came out from technology and the alienation of humans to other humans. The show might be saying that this fetish arose from the lack of human-to-human contact and the lack of sociability towards other humans because of technology. Humans are more likely to converse and get their thoughts out through technology, as I am doing right now. By slowly alienating ourselves, humans are slowly losing themselves. I don’t know if that makes sense, but I hope it does.

Technology may be a great thing for this century and the next, but is it all necessary? Technology was created to make everyday tasks easier, simpler, and quicker so that people could finish their tasks earlier and have extra time for themselves. Instead, from what I see, this current society has become technology-dependent and we fill that time with more work. I’m not saying that it is a bad thing, but having anything in excess is not healthy. I know that I like to set some time to myself every other day away from technology as best as possible, but it’s difficult. I don’t want to lose myself in technology. Those men haven’t lost themselves in technology, yet I feel that they are disconnected from a part of society. Well, not disconnected from society, but rather, they don’t feel the need to have a human partner. The idea of technology making up a majority of our lives, for me, is slightly frightening. For the men, they may not have too much of a problem with it since it would benefit them and the creation of their partner(s).

Well, this cultural aspect of society today is steadily growing. I can see it becoming part of the norm even though it will take some time for people to accept the concept. I know I wouldn’t care if someone wants a sex robot. Why should that decision affect me in a way that I look down on another person?  Why should most things affect people’s thoughts of others?

I walked into my English class just today thinking that since we were watching a movie in class, it would be a great time to catch up on homework. The title of the movie we were going to see, Chop Shop, didn’t sound very interesting, so I dismissed any possibility of liking it.  So I turned on my Mac and started doing some chemistry homework with every intention of zoning out.  I ended up doing just the opposite.

I feel this movie preserves culture because it shows the life of an orphan child in Queens, who’s had to grow up prematurely to survive.  The film, written and directed in 2008 by Ramin Bahrani, follow’s Alejandro, a twelve year old boy living and working at an auto shop in Willets Point, through his everyday life with his sister Isamar (Izzy).  Ale has never been to school, and doesn’t know how to read, his best skills involve physical labor (stripping parts off of cars and making minor repairs).  His physical appearance is that of a normal twelve year old, short, skinny and scrawny looking, his still has child like qualities and likes to have fun, as any twelve year old would.  And yet he does work that most adults can’t even do, he lives in conditions that the average person wouldn’t even look at twice.  He works to support himself and his older sister, who, despite the fact that she went to school but never graduated,  acts more immature than him at times.  This movie shows the difficult side of living in New York, and how underprivileged some people are.  Ale certainly isn’t the only child living in New York who has this kind of life.  When people think of life in New York, they think of the bright lights and the big city, not of Queens, where the everyday people work and struggle.  Bahrani’s film featured nonactors and was shot in the style of neorealism, so while its not a documentary, its still pretty powerful.

The reason this film captures this moment in society so well, and so memorably for me is because it’s about a kid.  Ale looks like the kind of kid you’d see in sixth grade, not working on cars or stealing hubcaps in a stadium parking lot.  And his sister Izzy, is the kind of girl you’d see in high school, hanging out with friends and partying, not working in a food van and selling herself as a prostitute.  The two are loving siblings who are just trying to look out for the other and make up for the lack of an actual adult figure in their lives.  They’ve lived a life completely unsheltered from the harshness of reality, and as their situation gets worse, so does Ale’s behavior.  In the beginning he performs “honest” work, waiting on the road side for work, selling candy on the train, and working in an auto repair shop.  But once he finds out that Izzy is a prostitute he grows upset and his methods of making money become less honorable.  Selling pirated DVDs are the least of his crimes, he also steals hubcaps to sell to another auto owner, and helps that owner strip a car for parts.  During the course of the movie he and his sister talk about their goal, to buy a food van and start their own business, this dream gets crushed however, when he buys a van that turns out to be unsuitable to serve food off of.  When his happens the viewer feels his pain and his anger, and can understand how it manifests into stealing a woman’s purse and yelling at his sister that she “should be working” (meaning prostitution).

He’s just a boy, how else is he supposed to react to getting cheated out of his money?  No matter how grown up Ale is he’s still a kid, one who, because he’s uneducated, is subject to being tricked.  This film demonstrates just how much a child like Ale has to “grow up” to even have a shot at surviving the streets.  One without street smarts doesn’t stand a chance, and in today’s society, those who are naive are vulnerable.  In today’s culture we prey upon the weak and unsuspecting, whether it’s through physical means (like bullying) or in a professional setting like business (where the shrewdness is needed to succeed).  The unfairness of the sibling’s situations brings up a lot of sympathy and emotion to the viewer.  I suppose its easier to feel sorry for a child, because were this a story about a man in his twenties or thirties, we’d be less inclined to care so much.  But we have it programmed into us that children deserve a special consideration, and that they should be sheltered from cruelty.

Fake tans.

Big hair.

Rock hard abs.

GTL

Grenade!

“The cabs are here!”

“It’s t-shirt timeeeeeee.”

As much as we don’t like to admit it, MTV’s “Jersey Shore” has crept up on every single one of us.  Whether you’re caught singing the theme song, “I’m in Miami, bitch!” or you can’t put down the remote when Snookie is waddling around with bedroom slippers on, Jersey Shore has become a current part of culture.

Some of you may argue that Jersey Shore is not the best representation of young Italians everywhere, but this community of guidos and guidettes actually does exist, ever since the Gotti brothers.  Thinking back to a few years ago when the Gotti brothers had their own reality television show, almost every boy in town wanted that perfect “blow out” or that glistening tan.  Jersey Shore’s cast represents this community, perfectly, with a little exaggeration.

While it is true that if Jersey Shore did not exist, none of us would be so impacted by the Italian community, I think it’s not just about their Italian culture, but it’s about our day and age and how our youth act as compared to times before.

In the Jersey Shore, the cast is determined to go out every night, party, get wasted, get laid, and then they can call their night, successful.  The things that they do are not just a stereotype of Italians; in fact some members of the cast aren’t even Italian.  They have a love for Italy, no doubt about that, but the things that they do don’t in any way reflect everyone who is a part of the Italian community.

Nowadays, whether we like it or not, the new “in” thing to do is to go clubbing.  Clubs have always been around, but now they are even more popular.  While browsing through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, we come across pictures, statuses, and comments that talk about the way in which our friends spent their weekend—the majority of them partying it up.  The regular movie and dinner Friday date night has turned into “Let’s all go to the club, get wasted, take lots of slutty pictures, and get laid or say that we did, so we can all be cool.”  Where was this custom originated?  Although I have not done enough research to answer that question myself, it is undoubtedly a part of our American culture, especially in NYC and NJ.

Body image is also a large part of our culture.  Our teenagers face body image issues every day of their lives, whether they’re the average Joe/Jane or even if they’re as famous Demi Lovato.  Although this is sad and disturbing, this is what our society has come to.  In Jersey Shore, the guidos refer to overweight and unattractive girls as “grenades” and underweight and unattractive girls as “landmines.”  These references and names are a perfect way to show how shallow our society has become, and these are direct causes of increasing body image issues amongst girls who are different.

Sex.  Many of us feel weird when talking about it with elders or our parents, but we find it okay to broadcast how many girls or boys were DTF (down to fuck) with us last night at the hippest, new club to 800 of our “closest” friends on Facebook.  This obviously doesn’t make any sense, but it is inevitable.  More teenagers are having sex as compared to times before where sex wasn’t even mentioned in television shows for teenagers.

So, will the next generation look at Jersey Shore and think, “wow my mom was a guidette?”  Surely not.  Do we all look back at shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (thanks for the idea Michelle Martins) and think, “wow my dad must have had an afro and pre-school colored plastic pants?  Definitely not.  These two are very different shows that preserve a particular culture at a particular time.  The Fresh Prince of Bel Air portraying the black community in the 80s to the 90s and the Jersey Shore portraying the young Italian community as well as other youth in New York City and New Jersey currently.

This past Halloween, there are Snookie’s, Pauly D’s, and Situation’s roaming abour almost everywhere.  Even my AP US History teacher dressed up as Snookie during my high school’s Halloween parade this year.

Whether we like it or not, Jersey Shore has become a part of our culture and it will be looked back upon a few years from now by future generations.  It is our culture.

As soon as I read this weeks blog topic, I knew exactly what I was going to write about: “That 70’s Show.” One of my favorite television shows, “That 70’s Show,” according to my mom, is an accurate depiction of life in the 70’s.

From Steven Hyde’s Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull T-shirts to Eric Foreman’s Star Wars obsession “That 70’s Show” will forever preserve the good and bad of the seventies. Covering all the bases of pop culture, through the adventures of Eric Foreman and his friends: Steven Hyde, Jackie Burkhart, Donna Pinciatti, Michael Kelso, and Fez,  “That 70’s Show” constantly references the popular music, movies, shows, and trends of the 70’s.

In addition to dealing with issues still relevant to teens today, such as parents divorce, sex and relationships and illegally obtaining beer (going as far as Canada to do so), “That 70’s Show” devoted entire episodes to everyday events occurring specifically in the 70’s like going to the drive-in or going to a record store.

Everything about the characters, their clothes, cars, bedrooms and hobbies all teach us something about the 70’s. Jackie’s clogs and peasant dresses and Hyde’s denim jackets and work boots are both examples of different styles that were popular and the Vista Cruiser, Kelso’s Van, and Hyde’s hand-me-down El Camino are all typical of the 70’s. The bright furnishings in the Forman’s house were stereotypically 70’s and Eric’s bedroom contained all of the things deemed essential to a teenage boy growing up during the decade: a lava lamp, poster of Farah Fawcett, Kiss poster, and of course Star Wars figurines.

Entire episodes are devoted to aspects of 70’s pop culture including “A New Hope,” in which Eric and the gang go to see the new Star Wars Movie and Eric has a dream in which Eric plays Luke, Donna Leah, Hyde Han Solo, Kelso Chewy, and Fez and Jackie are storm troopers and “Red Sees Red” in which Kitty dreams that she hosts her own version of the Brady Bunch Variety Hour featuring Churro and Gene Simmons.  In other episodes, there are shorter dream sequences casting members as Jackie Chan and Charlie’s Angels as well as one or two line references to Happy Days (when Jackie dresses Kelso as the Fonz), Soul Train, and Gilligan’s Island.

Great music was part of what made the 70’s so memorable. On “That 70’s Show,” Steven Hyde, my favorite character, is the music aficionado, at least when it comes to 70’s rock, which is, in my opinion, the best. Almost every episode, Hyde dons a band t-shirt paying subtle tribute to bands including Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, Santana, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jethro Tull, The Allman Brothers Band, Blue Oyster Cult, and The Who – basically all of the musicians I love.

The teen obsession with marijuana, which was particularly big in the 70’s, is featured in almost every episode of  “That 70’s Show.” Mostly within “the circle” in Eric’s basement, “special brownies” also made regular appearances on the show, which inevitably made smoking weed look cool. Leo, the drug-saturated hippie, “chill” as he is, shows the long term affects of drug abuse and how may war veterans turned to drug use to cope with what they had experienced overseas.

In addition to preserving the pop culture and trends of the 70’s, “That 70’s Show” also shines a light on political issues that took place during the 70’s. Through Kitty and Red’s money troubles, “That 70’s Show” addresses the economic recession that took place from 1973 to 1975 and through Midge and Bob’s turbulent relationship,“That 70’s Show” reminds viewers of the women’s rights/feminist movement, which also took place during the 70’s.

Ale: Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the interruption. My name is Alejandro.

Carlos: And my name is Carlos.

Ale: We are not going to lie to you. We are not here selling candy for no school basketball team. In fact, I don’t even go to school, and if you want me back in school, today I got candy for you.

Little Alejandro is only 12 years old and is already an orphan working in the streets of Willets Point, Queens along with his 16 year old sister Isamar. Eventually he gets a permanent job and home at a chop shop where his generous boss lets him and his sister reside. Like “Taxi Driver” by Martin Scorsese and “Do the Right Thing” by Spike Lee, “Chop Shop” showcases a different side of Queens that we are not used to seeing. Chop Shop by Ramin Bahrani captures a part of the city that we all seem to want to ignore. We don’t want to accept the fact that there could be kids like this living in poverty and making dangerous decisions just for the sake of survival. This is what makes this film a perfect example of a work that preserves a specific moment in our culture. It exposes a different and controversial microcosm to the people who see the city through rose-colored glasses.

Like Ale and Isy, there are so many kids out there who live in broken homes with no parental or adult guidance. They are left alone to make decisions and survive in this cold world, at the cost of their innocence. Although Ale and Isy are both good kids, Ale ends up stealing in more than one occasion and Isy even goes as far as prostituting herself. They do all this for a naive little dream they hold of buying a used food truck that they’d be able to operate together and make tons of money off of. A dream that only children would come up with. They never seemed to think about all the additional money they’d have to use just to fix up the truck and since there was no adult guiding them in their decisions they foolishly made their mistake and their innocent dream was shattered.

Which brings me to the role of adults in this movie. There are plenty of adults around Ale and Isy and although some of them do provide them with some sort of guidance they seem to hold back. I think this is because they themselves went through the same hardships and probably deem it better for them to learn by themselves how to fix the problems of life. Ale who is younger than his sister assumes the role as the man and acts even more as an adult than his sister. Emphasis on the word “acts” because he himself does not know how an adult is suposed to act. Singlehandely, Ale finds a job for himslef, a home and even finds a job for his sister. He even goes as far as to tell her to not mess it up this time, implying that she has overlooked her responsibilities in past times, just like any other normal teenager would do.

After doing a little research on the movie I found that the characters’ names were the real names of the actors who played them. This intrigued me so I googled some more as to why that was and to my surprise I discovered that Ramin had used mostly non-actors in the film. This reminded me of Slumdog Millionaire and how they used real kids from the slums to depict the younger versions of the characters. I believe this makes both movies even more relevant and valuable because they show that these are real people and this is how they live in real life, opening our eyes to the ugly side of the world.

Although this wasn’t a documentary it sort of felt like it because the ending was so open ended. There was no happy or sad ending and there was no closure. But that’s how life is. It doesn’t end until our individual lives end, and even that’s debatable. Alejandro’s and Isamar’s story could have gone on indefinitely with many more adventures and disappointments in the future, but we didn’t need to see it all.Bahrani captured a moment in time of a chop shop and child labor in Queens and showcased it to the world. A picture has no beginning or end but it still tells a story nonetheless. If the movie had given us a definite ending it would have lost its artistic value because then the feature film would have lost its identity as a preservation of culture and instead it would have become just another fairytale movie.  By choosing to end it this way, Bahrani made it real and he became a curator of our culture.

Here is the trailer in case you want to check this movie out….which I recommend you do =)

The 1950s was a time of simplicity. The movie Little Fugitive, is the perfect example of the general mindset of the 1950s. In the movie, this is clear because a mother leaves her two young sons by themselves for about two days. Another socio-cultural factor in the movie is the sibling relationship shown between the two young boys. The relationship between the brothers is very appropriate for the time period the movie represents. A final trait of the 1950s that this movie portrays is the image of Coney Island. This movie really says a lot about the time period it was set in.

The way the mother leaves her two children, who are around 7 and 9 years old, in the house, by themselves, while she goes to visit a family member. Back in the 1950s, this was completely acceptable, because there wasn’t really much broadcasted danger, and leaving kids alone for a few days was a common thing to do. Over time however, it has become less and less acceptable to leave young children alone.

The next thing is the Joey and Lennie’s relationship as brothers. Although a lot of siblings have strong relationships with each other, this is becoming less common as the years go by. Everyone who has a little sibling knows how hard they are to deal with sometimes, but when it comes down to it, you would do anything to help and save them because you love them. In a time of crisis, siblings will cover for each other, the way Joey and Lennie didn’t say anything to their mother about what happened with Joey’s little adventure on Coney Island. Their relationship in the movie is unlike any sibling relationship today. Siblings no longer get along as well as they did back then, and at such a young age, children are definitely not as mature as they were then.

Coney Island is another story. Back in the 1950s, people were much as they are today. Unconcerned, and self-absorbed. Nobody noticed a little 7 year old wandering around and collecting bottles on the beach for two days. Those who must have, like the bottle man, didn’t care enough to say anything. Today, although most people probably wouldn’t pay attention to a wandering kid, I’m sure somewhere along the line, someone would. This shows the uncaring, laidback attitude of people in the 1950s.

Little Fugitive is a great example of the artist as a cultural curator, because this movie preserves the lifestyle and the general norm in the 1950s. Life in general was more calm and laidback, because there was less to worry about. A 7-year old wandering Coney Island for two days wasn’t a big thing to worry about either, because crime rates weren’t as bad as they have become. Leaving your children alone while you went away for days on end wasn’t a big deal either, because the children got along better and played together, and they were also a great deal more mature and responsible than children today are.

“In west Philadelphia born and raised
On the playground is where I spent most of my days
Chillin out, maxin, relaxing all cool,
And all shooting some b-ball outside of school
When a couple of guys who were up to no good
Started making trouble in my neighborhood
I got in one lil fight and my mom got scared
And said “You’re moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air”
I Begged and pleaded with her day after day,
But she packed my suitcase and sent me on my way
She gave me a kiss and then she gave me my ticket
So I put my walkman on and said I might as well kick it”

When I was a child I looked forward to when the Fresh Prince of Bel Air would show on tv. I would sit there singing along to the theme song, and in fact I still know all the words to the theme song. However as I sat there watching the show when I was younger I only really listened to what the characters were saying, and I just sat there laughing a lot. Now that I’m older, when I watch episodes of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, I can’t help but notice so many differences between things shown on the tv screen, and the way things are now.

How is the artist able to preserve images of a particular moment in time, and why would they want to do so anyway?

Walkmen and bright colored clothing are just a few of the items that immediately stand out now while watching this show. I mean do many people now even know what a walkman even is? These days all kids know are ipods and iphones.

The culture of the late 1980s and 1990s is preserved throughout this show. Within the show we are exposed to two very different lifestyles, we see the wealthy upper class portrayed through Banks family, and we see the lower class represented by Will and his friend Jazz. The very first episode exposes these differences to us not only in the way that Will conducts himself while in the Banks household, but also through the way he dresses.

There was a clear distinction between the way that Carelton would dress, and the way that Will would dress. The producers of this show made the deliberate decision to make this distinction between the classes very clear to the audience. This provides us with some insight about the culture during this time period. We are able to infer that the social distinctions between the classes were a lot more noticeable during this time period than they are now.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air also preserves the culture of the late 8o’s and early 90’s because when we see the clothing that the characters are wearing, we can associate them with a particular time period. When you see bright neon colors on clothing naturally you will associate this with 80’s fashion. By having the characters in the show wear the clothing that represents that time period, it preserves the fashions from that time period. That is why now when we watch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and think that the way that Will looks when he walks into his uncle’s house for the first time (which he’s wearing shorts, a bright colored t-shirt, and a hat that is on backwards), we think that he looks very silly, but that was the fashion of the culture that Will was representing, and the producers were just preserving this.

The difference between the classes during this time period was also shown through Will’s actions compared to the actions of the other members of the Banks family. While Carleton was a member of the glee club and was focused on his studies, Will was always portrayed as looking for adventure and never  worrying about situations. Will’s character was relaxed and free-spirited, where as Carleton was always anxious and not as free-spirited as Will. These two characters were used to show the differences in class in society since they were on such opposite ends of the spectrum.

So why is it important for the artist to preserve culture? Well from my own personal experiences, watching television shows and films set in different time periods has allowed me to learn about the life was in these other time periods. Now when I think about the 1990’s and what people during this time period were like, I will picture the theme song to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and the image of Will in his colorful outfit juxtaposed with the white mansion that was in the background. Certain themes, images and ideas define each era in history. The artist has a very important role of contributing to the themes, images and ideas that we correlate with a specific era.

So thank you producers of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for providing me with an idea of what life was like all the way across the country in the 1990s.

Documentary film is the preservation of history through art, very similar to the role of the historian, whose duty is to gather and archive ancient texts that would otherwise be forgotten. In watching documentary film we momentarily transcend the boundaries of time in which we explore a portion of the past, relive a moment prior to when we existed, and magnify a fragment of our culture through the lens of an artist.

Documentary as art is so successful at preserving our culture that it is regrettably associated with the mundane, the colorless, the history of the world—the streaming television shows we know as National Geographic and The Discovery Channel. Because of this, documentary film has received little recognition and is uncomfortably perceived as textbook information instead of being recognized for its real value as a curator of culture.

Through documentary I was able to glimpse at a time period that I would have lived in given the choice, the Golden Age of Bodybuilding, a time when health, fitness and discipline were becoming increasingly more important than getting drunk and stoned or having sex. The documentary Pumping Iron was directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore, and featured Arnold Schwarzenegger as the protagonist. It reflected an era of men who would become known as champions.

[And becoming a champ wasn’t easy.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0x8FvzV-_w

Pumping Iron was initially produced in order to draw attention to a certain minority group among the American population, the health conscious and the professional bodybuilders. At the time little was known about these men except that they lived in the same community, ate the same food, worked in the same buildings and maintained a ritual of disappearing into the gym for an hour a day. Butler and Fiore took this ignorance as an opportunity to produce an unconventional film that revealed the inside lives of the gym rats, and as a result turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into the icon of American bodybuilding culture.

The impact of the film has permeated throughout our culture. Arnold still exists as a universally renown figure and gym-goers are now stereotyped, for reasons which include spending hours in the gym, following a low-fat diet, and trying to lift things several times their bodyweight, all of which was perpetuated by the media since the release of the documentary. Even women were influenced to become more health conscious as Butler later released Pumping Iron II: The Woman. The film preserved a moment in which people actually wanted to exercise and made strong efforts to stay in good shape [as opposed to current times].

But Pumping Iron did more than preserve culture, it changed the way Americans viewed themselves. It encapsulated the growing desire to be fit and helped shape the ideals of a beach body. For instance, many fitness magazines featured athletes who starred in the film, since its release.

With the increasing obesity epidemic and its influenza-like spread in America, the documentaries of yesteryear remind me of a time when America cared what it looked like.

Oh how things have changed…

Derek Zooland: Well I guess it all started the first time I went through the second grade. I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking “wow, you’re ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career.”

Matilda: Do what for a career?

Derek Zoolander: Be professionally good looking.

This really deep and thought provoking account about how fictional model, Derek Zoolander, discovered his path in life, encapsulates the movie Zoolander. Released in 2001, it is a comedy about the fashion industry and modeling, a satire of the times. It is a movie about an extremely stupid male model trying to find his place in the world. When hearing this quote, one may laugh.

But, if you really think about it, it’s kind of absurd: Making a career out of being good-looking? Kind of odd, no? There is no real talent involved. You do not need to be smart or skillful. Yet, in 2001 and still today, our society is so enamored by modeling and models. To the point where a society’s body image as a whole, can be deeply affected by it. Girls look through magazines and wish they were as skinny and as beautiful and privileged as these girls. The movie really captures our societies obsession with celebrity and fashion and how sometimes this obsession can become ridiculous.

Even though we are not  that far removed from 2001, a lot can happen in 9 years.  When living in time it is hard to see outside of it. That is why movies can be an interesting freeze frame of time to look at and examine. Now our culture’s obsession has shifted from the industry depicted in the movie to celebrities as almost an enterprise. In 2001, the fixation with fame and celebrity was much different than it is today.  In Zoolander, the world of the models has this aura and mystique around it. As though the general public, just knows them through an awards show or an add campaign. But today the relationship to fame and famous people has slightly shifted. Now, we know everything about everyone who is famous, thanks to dangerously stalker-ish paparazzi.

I will admit, I have fallen victim to this world of glitz and glamour, of fame and celebrity. I love it. I know all there is to know about famous actors singers, models, fashion you name it. Yet I am not completely ashamed of my knowledge. There is a fine line, for me at least, between complete stupidity and the beauty of different cultural forms. I think the idea of celebrity has been blown into this completely ridiculous world. But I do believe that a “Passion for Fashion” and knowledge of pop culture is admirable. As long as you appreciate the art form instead of just liking a singer or fashion designer because you saw her in a magazine and she is famous but you have no idea what she even does.

In the film, there is a presumption and a commentary about American culture and consumerism and how thoughtless and robotic it can be. In the movie the male model Hansel blabs, “I wasn’t like every other kid, you know, who dreams about being an astronaut, I was always more interested in what bark was made out of on a tree. Richard Gere’s a real hero of mine. Sting. Sting would be another person who’s a hero. The music he’s created over the years, I don’t really listen to it, but the fact that he’s making it, I respect that. I care desperately about what I do. Do I know what product I’m selling? No. Do I know what I’m doing today? No. But I’m here, and I’m gonna give it my best shot.”

There is this notion that that we kind of just do things and believe things because that is what the media tells us to do. The models are just pawns, eye candy to get us to be intrigued by something that may or may not be useful to us.

This movie is really a time capsule for the time it was created. Right now, it may not seem so far off from the world we live in, but years hence, when our world has shifted even further away from where we are, Zoolander will be an artifact. A funny movie that people will watch and be able to make fun of the 2000s.

Youtube videos are the perfect examples of the artist as a curator of culture.  I’m sure some of you won’t agree with me, but hear me out.

Youtube preserves our culture because today our culture is ruled by technology.  There’s no escaping it.  Everyone says the Internet has radically changed our life and society, and since I’m not old enough to remember what it was like beforehand, I have to believe them.  Besides, I can’t imagine life without it, which just shows how dependent and how important it is to our culture.  I doubt any of you can imagine life without it, either.

Aside from the Internet, our culture is very much about freedom, individuality and self-expression.  For example, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. are all about documenting and following an individual’s life.  If you sat there and stalked someone’s facebook (as I’m sure we’ve all done), looked through all their pictures and videos, read their wallposts, etc., you would have a very clear picture of the type of person they are, who their friends are, and about their lives.

What better way to combine all four things (freedom, individuality, self-expression and Internet/technology) than through Youtube videos?

Youtube videos in general preserve ideas of our culture because of the four combined elements listed above.  There are virtually no restrictions- anyone with a video camera can upload a video, and it can be about whatever they choose.

Since anyone is free to upload a video, youtube videos are so diverse.  Anyone of any race, nationality, religion, citizenship, ect. can post a video, and everyone has an equal opportunity in representing themselves on the Internet.  In this way many different cultural communities can be conserved- religious ones, racial ones, geographical ones, common interest ones, or any other you can think of.

If that wasn’t enough to convince you, think of the youtube videos that people post.  They can post videos of whatever they want, and many people post videos of their daily lives- playing with their dog, showing off their baby, fooling around with friends, vlogging, etc.  They can also post videos discussing their opinion or views on certain issues in the news and media or life in general.  These youtube videos are similar to Facebook and other social media in that it documents parts of their lives and personalities, and puts it on the Internet for the public to view.

In that way they can be considered artists- a while back in class we spoke about how the artist puts themselves into their work and put themselves out there and make themselves vulnerable when making their work public.  The same is true for youtube videos- when you post a youtube video, you make yourself vulnerable to the comments and judgments of others.

It’s not at all uncommon to see comments on youtube videos saying nasty comments like, “This sucks. Kill yourself,” or something along those lines.  And getting negative comments can be hurtful which is why the artist as well as the vlogger make themselves vulnerable to criticism and rejection when publicizing their work.

All of the youtube videos together contribute to conserving our culture by representing the individual people who make up the population.  When looked at together as a cohesive unit, it is a truthful representation of the population and culture that is present today, at this moment.