Rosen's "The Naked Crowd"

In Rosen's essay "The Naked Crowd," he explained the repercussions of the 9/11 Portraits of Grief that were exposed to society via the New York Times.  These pictures portrayed the dead, mangled bodies that were products of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centers, allowing the entire world to mourn over the tragedy.  However, because little was written to celebrate the life of the deceased individuals, many people became angered by The Portraits of Grief.  They believed that a few hobbies to accompany the picture of their love ones did not do the individual justice. Rosen opens this up to a bigger issue of how our society has become disconnected from each other, with everyone watching each other and making rash judgements. He uses the example of the internet to explain how we have become disconnected and put our "trust" in individuals who carry themselves in a certain way.  Someone may have a good family background, or be a successful business owner, and with no further knowledge about his or her true personality and character, we immediately put our trust in that person based on a good resume.  He talks about the illusion of intimacy, explaining that we talk about our hobbies, families, interests, etc, in order to give the spectator the illusion of a connection, when in reality there is really no intimacy between the two strangers at all.  Rosen then opens this up to the idea of sincerity and authenticity.  Sincerity is the idea that when an individual exposes things about him or her, they are true and "sincere," but not everything that they are feeling has to be exposed.  Authenticity on the other hand is the idea that an individual exposes everything that he or she is feeling at a particular time, revealing their true self.  He concludes his argument by saying that although at times we may think we truely know a person by what we have in common on a public social network, only by sharing personal things face to face are we able to achieve a level of intimacy. 

Sobchack's "The Postmorbid Condition"

Vivian Sobchack discusses the controversial issue of violence in film making, and how it has changed over the course of history.  She explains that films made in the 60s and 70s used violence as a way of portraying the social meaning of a situation. However, nowadays more and more violence is being used in film, with no real purpose for it at all but as a time filler in a scene.  In fact, present day film violence has become so gorey and extreme that it is not believable by the audience, but merely a type of humorous entertainment.  She explains that in the famous Steven Spielberg film, "Saving Private Ryan," the murder and gore that was displayed was necessary and had social meaning for World War II.  Because this movie was something that the audience had experienced in real life, the violence in it became extremely difficult and disheartening to watch.  This was for the mere fact that the violence was real.  However, present day horror and action films use violence to such an extreme degree, that the audience understands that it isn't real, therefore watching it is not a challenge.  For instance, the profound amount of blood and guts in the movie "Scream" is so ridiculous that any spectator would realize that it was not something to be afraid of, and that it was simply an entertainment tactic.  Present day screen writers use violence in order to portray their progress in technology throughout history.  In other words, they are using it simply as a way of showing off what they are capable of putting in a movie scene. 

Cohen's "Monster Culture (Seven Theses)"

In Cohen's "Monster Culture (Seven Theses)," he explains monsters as more than simply the stereotypical terrifying beings that we normally envision.  His version of the monstrous acts as a sort of lesson to us, reappearing in situations in which we are making bad decisions or being careless.  While our ideal goal would be to get rid of our lingering monsters, it becomes almost impossible.  Just before we are about to conquer them, they escape and reappear later on when we are not expecting it.  Their constant reappearance is symbolic of the fact that we tend to repeatedly step over our intended boundaries, giving them the opportunity to attack us when we are the most vulnerable.  The monstrous also embodies every outcast, difference, and abnormality that our society looks down on today.  Although most people strive to fit in and be like everyone else, the monstrous defies the norm, longing to stand out and be unique.  It is a part of his strategy to instill a sense of fear in us, because when we are unable to classify it, it has an automatic superiority over us.   While we do fear the monster, being in his presence is almost a kind of thrill to us.  We get a rush out of being exposed to fear, because we have a belief instilled in us that good will prevail in the end, and that the fear is only temporary.  However, this naive perception is what keeps the monsters around.  The monstrous is created out of our foolishness and naivety.  Although the monster is meant to scare us and is the so-called villian, he is actually our very own creation.  Without us, the monster would have no purpose for existance.

Natural Born Killers

In the film, Natural Born Killers, two corrupted and abused adults begin a mass homicide, becoming two of the most wanted criminals in the country.  Although they are murderers and seen as "evil people," strangely enough, by the end of the movie they are almost portrayed to be the heroes of the film.  The twisted relationship and motive behind the two serial killers is greatly symbolized by the unique choice of wedding ring that they exchanged on top of the bridge.  While they are being somewhat traditional in the fact that they exchanged rings, the symbol on the rings was not the stereotypical diamond, but rather a rattlesnake, one of the deadliest creatures in the world.  This can relate to their relationship and their lifestyles, because although the rattlesnakes symbolize the evil within them, the fact that they are wearing them together symbolizes their undying love and affection for each other.  Although they both had abusive childhoods and are seen as evil people by the rest of the world, to each other, they are perfect and will never betray one another.  Also, the fact that Mickey slices his hand before joining the rings together shows the underlying evil and violence that still surrounds him, even though he is attempting to be romantic.  The entire ceremony, and the rings especially show us that despite their prior lifestyles, the couple does long for a traditional wedding and family life.  However, although they may have these desires, their lifestyles and childhoods inevitably prevent them from ever truely having a "traditional" lifestyle. 

Blog Post on Jenkins Essay "Never Trust a Snake"

                  In Jenkins's essay "Never Trust a Snake," he describes the sport of wrestling differently then usual.  He explains that the reason it is so popular is due to the fact that, unlike other sports, it involves an immense amount of drama between competitors.  Although there are a few exceptions, wrestling is a sport performed and viewed mostly by working class men.  The emotions that come out during the event are exhibited by men as well, because in wrestling it is acceptable for men to publicly show their emotions.  The sport of wrestling is greatly adored by working class men, partly because, unlike in the real world where cheating and deception often times prevail, the wrestlers strength and morality win the competition.  They are able to easily identify with the wrestlers because since most of the spectators have blue collar jobs, their strength determines whether or not they will succeed at their job.  Another unique aspect of wrestling that draws many spectators in is the fact that no matter how beaten down or helpless the competitor feels, they will keep fighting until the end.  Giving up is not an option in wrestling, making it the perfect inspiration for working class men who have to give everything they have just to make a living.

Berger's Article "From Ways of Seeing"

        In John Berger's article "From Ways of Seeing," Berger explains the difference between how males and females look at each other.  According to him, a man is more focused on the other person's appearance, whereas a woman is more focused on how the male is viewing her appearance.  Berger explains that women decide how they want to be viewed by others, and therefore carry themselves in that way.  While men are more assertive and visual, women are much more self aware of the way in which she is being perceived by others. Berger also uses the illistration of Adam and Eve, explaining that Eve ate the apple because it was beautiful and claimed to make a person wise, however Adam ate the apple because he saw Eve do the same.  Eve wanted to be perceived as beautiful and wise by others, whereas Adam was simply doing what he saw Eve do, proving what Berger had stated previously to be true.  Later in Berger's article, he explains that you are only what other people perceive you to be.  He talks about the difference between nudity and nakedness, stating that nakedness is natural, and nudity is a term given to someone because of how they are perceived by another person.  I agree with all of Berger's theories, because the way in which another person views a person or thing is truely their identity.  This goes along with the famous saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."  What one person may view as broken and ugly can be quite a remarkable sight to another person.  However, no matter what the item may be, their identity is only dependent upon how they are viewed by others.

Writing Profile

            Unlike many countries, in America the working class woman is normal and in some ways admired.  Because of our freedom, woman are now equal to men, in that it is acceptable for both men and woman to have a career and be successful.  Many notions were taken in our nations history in order to secure equal rights between men and women, and in the end they were successful.  In this particular image, this idea of the greatly admired working class woman is greatly portrayed.  For example, the fact that she is rolling up her sleeves signifies that she is prepared to work hard for her money.  Also, the way in which her scarf is tied in a knot on top of her head was a common trend decades ago, when women were cleaning or doing dirty work.  In addition to these, her clenched fist signifies her strength, both physically and emotionally, allowing others to view her as equal to men.  The combination of these three details in the image gives the viewer a clear understanding of the hard work and determination that women had in our countries history.  This is unique to American culture, because in many places, it was unacceptable for women to have jobs.  Because so many movements and notions went into giving men and women equal rights, the working class woman is still an important icon in America's culture today.