Due to the fact that we began studying Dada in class on Monday, you may disregard assignment #4. If you have already done it, you can have extra credit, or you will be exempt from a future assignment.
The students seemed to really want to study Dada, so on Monday I quickly changed my plans. OH, FEAR NOT, YOU WILL HAVE MORE ASSIGNMENTS IN THE FUTURE!
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Monday, March 5, 2007
The Rise & Fall of an American Subculture
Over the past couple weeks, we've looked at a number of videos & reading that may have left some of you a bit overwhelmed. Let me try to summarize things for you:
In the United States, political involvement on the part of citezens is difficult. Many of us are alienated from the political process. Nevertheless, many people seek alternative outlets to voice their opinions. The film "American Hardcore" lays this out vividly. As shown in that movie, a solidified group of young folks created their own underground culture that was vocally opposed to the status quo. They called it "hardcore punk". While this underground community had its problems, inconsistencies, and failures, it did indeed present an alternative. Nonetheless, it's important to note that this movement was not directly involved in political action (due probably because it was a MUSICAL movement & so many involved were young), despite their leftist political agenda/ideology.
Many of you have noticed that hardcore punk, nowadays, is not functioning in the same way it was back in the early 1980s. In fact, much of that subculture has been co-opted by the mainstream popular culture. Therefore the question is: what is/may be the current underground movement? Is it possible to create an "underground" movement that can affect POLITICAL change?
Amiri Baraka, in his speech "Language, Culture, & Meaning" seems to be making the point that language is intertwined with thought & action, and to truly understand our world, we must EXPAND, not limit ourselves. That's the most substantial thing I get from his speech.
In the United States, political involvement on the part of citezens is difficult. Many of us are alienated from the political process. Nevertheless, many people seek alternative outlets to voice their opinions. The film "American Hardcore" lays this out vividly. As shown in that movie, a solidified group of young folks created their own underground culture that was vocally opposed to the status quo. They called it "hardcore punk". While this underground community had its problems, inconsistencies, and failures, it did indeed present an alternative. Nonetheless, it's important to note that this movement was not directly involved in political action (due probably because it was a MUSICAL movement & so many involved were young), despite their leftist political agenda/ideology.
Many of you have noticed that hardcore punk, nowadays, is not functioning in the same way it was back in the early 1980s. In fact, much of that subculture has been co-opted by the mainstream popular culture. Therefore the question is: what is/may be the current underground movement? Is it possible to create an "underground" movement that can affect POLITICAL change?
Amiri Baraka, in his speech "Language, Culture, & Meaning" seems to be making the point that language is intertwined with thought & action, and to truly understand our world, we must EXPAND, not limit ourselves. That's the most substantial thing I get from his speech.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Some things never change...
An example of a contemporary Cap:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/nyregion/01splat.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/nyregion/01splat.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Monday, February 26, 2007
Jesus Camp Questions (due Wednesday, Feb. 28)
Please answer the following questions in paragraph form (that means 5-15 complete sentences in which you thoroughly answer each question.
1. What are the ideological goals of the Jesus Camp? How may these goals be seen as a "hegemonic force"?
2. What do radical evangelical Christians believe is the "other" hegemonic force in U.S. public schools that is counter to their goals? Why do you think they feel so passionate about rejecting scientific theories?
3. In what ways are radical evangelical Christians "subcultural"? In what ways are they "mainstream"? (Think of the Ted Haggard interview in "Jesus Camp")
4. What is problematic about involving kids (7,8,9 years old) in this kind of "ideological battle"? (Feel free to argue that NOTHING is problematic about this.)
5. How do YOU feel about "Jesus Camp"? What was your intellectual/emotional reaction to watching the movie?
1. What are the ideological goals of the Jesus Camp? How may these goals be seen as a "hegemonic force"?
2. What do radical evangelical Christians believe is the "other" hegemonic force in U.S. public schools that is counter to their goals? Why do you think they feel so passionate about rejecting scientific theories?
3. In what ways are radical evangelical Christians "subcultural"? In what ways are they "mainstream"? (Think of the Ted Haggard interview in "Jesus Camp")
4. What is problematic about involving kids (7,8,9 years old) in this kind of "ideological battle"? (Feel free to argue that NOTHING is problematic about this.)
5. How do YOU feel about "Jesus Camp"? What was your intellectual/emotional reaction to watching the movie?
Friday, February 23, 2007
Jeff Struck's Bauhaus T-Shirt
If any of you are wondering what my own history as a subcultural hero are, well here it is:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29492??utm_source=EMTF_Onion
Cheers.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29492??utm_source=EMTF_Onion
Cheers.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Thoughts on Monday's class (2.12.07)
Complicated class today! There are two fundamental concepts you need to know:
1) IDEOLOGY. Pardon me from quoting directly from Wikipedia, but I couldn't have said it better myself:
"Every society has an ideology that forms the basis of the "public opinion" or common sense, a basis that usually remains invisible to most people within the society. This dominant ideology appears as "neutral", holding to assumptions that are largely unchallenged. Meanwhile, all other ideologies that differ from the dominant ideology are seen as radical, no matter what the content of their actual vision may be."
2) CULTURAL HEGEMONY
This idea refers to a "coalescing" of consciousness, behavior, and ways of living among a social group in a broad sense, which thereby inhibits significantly different viewpoints (and, indeed, ideologies). As I explained in class, hegemonic forces in society act as an umbrella, protecting our widely accepted values, beliefs, behavior, and way of life. According to Antonio Gramsci, this is done mainly through "compulsory schooling, mass media, and popular culture."
In other words, according to Gramsci, "hegemony" is another word for "mass conformity," but it is particularly insidious because it inhibits critical democratic (free) thought. Gramsci developed this idea to explain why, contrary to predictions by Karl Marx & Frederick Engells, the proletariat did not rise up and overthrow the bourgeoisie in the early part of the 20th century (despite rampant growth of capatalism around the world).
In sum, think of it this way:
The hegemonic forces of society (things like compulsory schooling, mass media, popular culture, etc.) help solidify a prevailing IDEOLOGY among the people in society. A certain way of thinking becomes "de facto," and "escaping" that way of thinking becomes very, very difficult indeed.
HOWEVER!
Critics of this argue that Gramsci's theory reduces the mass of people as seemingly idiotic dupes who are easily fooled by "the powers that be." They look like victims without recourse/voice.
BUT JEFF! WHY IN THE HECK ARE WE LEARNING ABOUT THIS ANYWAY??!!
My own contention is that subcultures represent attempts to "break loose" from the prevailing ideology. Early punk rock is a great example (at least insofar as it seriously questioned "pop culture"). This is not to say that I wholeheartedly accept Gramsci's theories. (Indeed, I am no Gramsci scholar, nor am I an expert social scientist/political scientist). Isn't it interesting, though, that there are numerous examples of groups of people who deliberately choose to live in specific ways that counter identifiable values supported by society at large? Furthermore, isn't it interesting, as far as culture is concerned, that so many cultural phenomena are "co-opted" by the "mainstream" (so-called "Alternative" music is a particularly ironic example of this, given its name).
The graffiti artists that we have studied are one example of a "counter-hegemonic" subculture in that their methods undermine the fundamental value of private property. I suggested in class that subcultures represent (in often very creative ways) methods of questioning prevailing "hegemonic" forces in society. So, one of the intentions behind this class is to better understand HOW subcultures do this...(and by the way, to not necessarily condone/accept them).
I'd also like to point out that, while Gramsci was an unapologetic leftist, his ideas have been adopted by the right in this country. Evangelical Christians in particular have attempted to transform public schools (specifically by promoting school prayer and denouncing Darwin's theory of Evolution), and conservatives use this idea of hegemony by decrying the "liberal media." Conservatives argue that the media systematically presents more liberal viewpoints, thereby acting as a "leftist" hegemonic force.
These ideas were prescient during the 1990s, when the "culture wars" were in full swing in the good ol' U.S. of A.
Ok...I'll stop torturing you now...
1) IDEOLOGY. Pardon me from quoting directly from Wikipedia, but I couldn't have said it better myself:
"Every society has an ideology that forms the basis of the "public opinion" or common sense, a basis that usually remains invisible to most people within the society. This dominant ideology appears as "neutral", holding to assumptions that are largely unchallenged. Meanwhile, all other ideologies that differ from the dominant ideology are seen as radical, no matter what the content of their actual vision may be."
2) CULTURAL HEGEMONY
This idea refers to a "coalescing" of consciousness, behavior, and ways of living among a social group in a broad sense, which thereby inhibits significantly different viewpoints (and, indeed, ideologies). As I explained in class, hegemonic forces in society act as an umbrella, protecting our widely accepted values, beliefs, behavior, and way of life. According to Antonio Gramsci, this is done mainly through "compulsory schooling, mass media, and popular culture."
In other words, according to Gramsci, "hegemony" is another word for "mass conformity," but it is particularly insidious because it inhibits critical democratic (free) thought. Gramsci developed this idea to explain why, contrary to predictions by Karl Marx & Frederick Engells, the proletariat did not rise up and overthrow the bourgeoisie in the early part of the 20th century (despite rampant growth of capatalism around the world).
In sum, think of it this way:
The hegemonic forces of society (things like compulsory schooling, mass media, popular culture, etc.) help solidify a prevailing IDEOLOGY among the people in society. A certain way of thinking becomes "de facto," and "escaping" that way of thinking becomes very, very difficult indeed.
HOWEVER!
Critics of this argue that Gramsci's theory reduces the mass of people as seemingly idiotic dupes who are easily fooled by "the powers that be." They look like victims without recourse/voice.
BUT JEFF! WHY IN THE HECK ARE WE LEARNING ABOUT THIS ANYWAY??!!
My own contention is that subcultures represent attempts to "break loose" from the prevailing ideology. Early punk rock is a great example (at least insofar as it seriously questioned "pop culture"). This is not to say that I wholeheartedly accept Gramsci's theories. (Indeed, I am no Gramsci scholar, nor am I an expert social scientist/political scientist). Isn't it interesting, though, that there are numerous examples of groups of people who deliberately choose to live in specific ways that counter identifiable values supported by society at large? Furthermore, isn't it interesting, as far as culture is concerned, that so many cultural phenomena are "co-opted" by the "mainstream" (so-called "Alternative" music is a particularly ironic example of this, given its name).
The graffiti artists that we have studied are one example of a "counter-hegemonic" subculture in that their methods undermine the fundamental value of private property. I suggested in class that subcultures represent (in often very creative ways) methods of questioning prevailing "hegemonic" forces in society. So, one of the intentions behind this class is to better understand HOW subcultures do this...(and by the way, to not necessarily condone/accept them).
I'd also like to point out that, while Gramsci was an unapologetic leftist, his ideas have been adopted by the right in this country. Evangelical Christians in particular have attempted to transform public schools (specifically by promoting school prayer and denouncing Darwin's theory of Evolution), and conservatives use this idea of hegemony by decrying the "liberal media." Conservatives argue that the media systematically presents more liberal viewpoints, thereby acting as a "leftist" hegemonic force.
These ideas were prescient during the 1990s, when the "culture wars" were in full swing in the good ol' U.S. of A.
Ok...I'll stop torturing you now...
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Graffiti websites
The following are some graffiti-related sites that are relevant to "Style Wars" & feature current work by the artists in that movie:
funnygarbage.com
at149st.com
mare139.com
seenworld.com
dondiciaking.com
bladekingofgraf.com
crashone.com
durocia.com
funnygarbage.com
at149st.com
mare139.com
seenworld.com
dondiciaking.com
bladekingofgraf.com
crashone.com
durocia.com
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