What makes celebrity?

What is it that makes one a celebrity? That is, what does one have to do, create, or otherwise to gain the notoriety of the masses? In my eyes, as well as the eyes of many other Americans, the Kardashians do not deserve the fame or rather infamy that they presently have. This goes for many of the other psudocelebrities out there who are famous for essentially nothing other than appearing on reality television or in media scandals.

I believe that the great minds of today are the true celebrities who unfortunately remain in the realm of obscurity. Those making great advancements in the fields of physics, biology, chemistry, engineering, communications, and technology are the one's who I feel deserve the notoriety and fame that these present day celebrities are getting.

However, the appeal and excitement factor that draws the public to these celebrities won't likely be found with scientists and scholars. It is unlikely that a Kardashianesque sex tape will pop up featuring physicists or a cat fight between engineers. It appears that for the time being, the nature of celebrity will remain constant and consistently shallow.

"Literary" Fandom

As an avid reader, I become less confident in the literary progression of our time every time I see or hear anything related to the Twilight series. Yes, I will admit I have read these novels. Yes, I did find some enjoyment in them. However, those who are highlighting these novels as the "greatest literary works of our generation" need a trip to the library.

What happened to the days where novels were carefully written, so that every word was the best possible choice? Where did the Flaubert's and Conrad's of the 21st century go? Did they ever exist to begin with?

I understand the connection many young girls have with Twilight. They believe that they want a similar romance and will become obsessive in living that romance through their fantasies. Online communities give them a place to be with the others who think as they do. Yet, I believe they should focus their obsession on something worth merit.

I'm calling for a complete overhaul for those writing popular teen fiction. Improve your skills and more importantly, your editors. The only thing Twilight should be used for is for spotting typos and correcting them with a red pen, not obsession over mythology.

Class Conundrum

One of the shows I regularly watch, although oftentimes in reruns or after the seasons come out on DVD, is The Big Bang Theory. In our discussion about class portrayal on TV this week, I came to look at this show more critically and decipher why and how exactly they portray the class of the characters on the show.

A joke that is made consistently throughout the seasons is that of the limited earning potential of the main characters. Even though 3 out of 4 of the male leads hold doctorates in a science related field, it is joked that none of them will ever reach a large salary. With that being said, it is even more interesting examining the home life of the characters that the audience is shown. Living in Pasadena, which is notorious for being not cheap, in a relatively large apartment, as well as having all of the latest technological gadgets, seems to be stretching past the budget of two young doctors working at a local university.

In the show, the subject of class is never mentioned and therefore never thought about. All characters seem to live in their own world where money is not a problem and budgets don't require restriction. Yet, if this were reality, how realistic is it?

Not Your Average Tough Guy

After viewing Jackson Katz’s documentary Tough Guise, I became more aware that the presentation and expectation of traditional masculinity over the course of my life diverges quite drastically from the generalizations presented in the film. For as long as I can remember, my father has been a stay-at-home dad. This, according to the masculinity as presented in the film, is completely counter hegemonic to traditional gender roles set by society. By only experiencing the untraditional upbringing of having my mother work full time and my father raise my sister and me, I’ve come to form my own different view of what masculinity is. Although the aim for the “tough guy” persona still exists, there is evidence to show men are diverging from this traditional masculine role.

Using my father as an example, his job (or rather choice to not hold one) is viewed by society as feminine; hegemony says only mothers should stay at home and rear children. However, the career path he chose before my sister and I came along was one that is viewed as a “man’s job”. For 20 years my father worked as a stonemason in Florida, constructing dozens of buildings. Although he is the one who’s responsibility is to keep the house in order and cook the meals, which is viewed as an overt feminine role, he is also responsible for the yard work and being the handyman, as most husbands are “supposed to”. It is this blurring of lines that I believe has given me great respect for my father as well as a less prejudiced view of what the traditional masculine role should be.

Crossing-over the Animated Body:

After reading and discussing Crossing-over the Latina Body in class I came to notice the same preoccupation with showing ethnic women as extremely curvaceous in the media I was watching. One of the characters in the FX animated series Archer, a show about an agency of spies, is an incredibly voluptuous black field agent named Lana Kane. Not only does the vocal portrayal of Lana stress the fact that she is a racial minority, but the way she is presented visually screams it.

In comparison to the other women in the show, Lana is the femme fatale with the over exaggerated drawing style of her breast and backside as well as her sassy personality and get-what-she-wants attitude. However, the way her demeanor is portrayed is not racially neutral. In fact, it is very much stressed that she is different from the rest of the women on the show, who all happen to be white, through her blatant sexuality and seduction and flaunting of her body.

This ultimately brings up the question of why. Why are women of particular ethnicities portrayed in this particular way? What happens if a white woman were cast in a role like this? Would the same effect be achieved or would it just end up lost in translation?

Arrested Development: Stereotypes out of the norm

Stereotypes are perhaps the most prevalent device we see on television today, particularly in the realm of sitcoms and sketch comedy. This was further reinforced in class today when we watched the clips showcasing over 10 years worth of stereotypes. Although most depicted in class were racial stereotypes, I have noticed a large number of more subtle ones irrelevant to race, yet still common enough for audience recognition.

After reading Dyer’s article, I was much more critical of the television programs I was watching in particular in terms of stereotypes. One of my favorite shows is Arrested Development, which went off the air back in 2005. For a bit of background, this sitcom is centered on a dysfunctional family and their daily life after their father was sent to prison for fraud and numerous other crimes. What makes this show so funny and clever is its use of obscure stereotypes.

The mother, Lucille, is a borderline alcoholic living in her Newport Beach penthouse off of her incarcerated husband’s stolen money. Three of her four children subscribe to some of the most interesting stereotypes shown on television. Gob, the oldest son, is the oddball magician who doesn’t quite realize his over the top antics aren’t as amazing as he gives himself credit for. Lindsey, the main character’s twin sister, is the blonde, gorgeous, spoiled brat who never had to work a day in her life, which in her mid 30’s proves to be problematic. Finally is Buster, the baby of the family, who, at 30, is still very much a baby, living with his mother without many social prospects.

It is these off kilter stereotypes that make me question the formation of stereotypes and how the become to be portrayed in popular media. Although these are slightly less common, but not unheard of, they were still chosen over more popular, common stereotypes, most which tend to be racial. The question still remains though of “why”? In a land where generalizing people based on race, gender, or characteristics is the norm, what makes those in charge of popular media go outside the popularity dome to use the types that are less frequently used?

Netflix: The New Romance Novel

Over this hectic week, as a break from preparing for midterms, I've noticed that I've been watching a massive amount of television on Netflix. Now that doesn't seem too out of the ordinary, but after reading Janice Radway's article I've realized that the various shows I've been watching on Netflix have become my version of a romance novel.

Like the women Radway writes about, I go about my day, accomplish all the tasks that need to be done, for instance, go to class, do homework, write paper, eat, do more homework, do laundry, etc. When I know a task is finished I reward myself with relaxation time, however, instead of reading romance novels I mass watch seasons of TV shows. At 20 minutes an episode it seems like a reasonable break to take some time off and refocus my attention, but like novels, and unlike television of the past, there are no longer any forced gaps. With entire seasons streaming instantly at my disposal, it's incredibly difficult to force myself to step away from the computer.

It was this that made me think about how we view television in the day and age. Does the television audience get a lesser viewing experience now with the ability to skip commercials and watch multiple episodes, seasons even, back to back? Did the gaps between episodes, or even commercial breaks, make the program more enjoyable? Or is instant gratification the wave of the future?

Although I think instant gratification is a great thing, I believe there is a richer viewing experience that comes with waiting for a new episode.