Wednesday, May 21, 2008
For all
The thing I enjoyed about these papers is that they recognized the need to make the advancements of academia available to all people. A lot of the things I have learned since coming to college have felt abstract and completely disconnected from the real world. One of things I have learned that's stuck with me, however, is the idea of the world as represented by 100 people. Out of these 100 people, only one of them would have attended college. The fact that I am immersed in a college environment, that I grew up in a college town, and that I am constantly surrounded by my parent's college educated friends, makes this statistic a hard pill to swallow. I really liked that both of these papers were discussing the utilization of knowledge resources to bring real life issues to those who may not get off campus much, and to bring previously unaccessible ideas to some of those 99 people who usually don't get the chance to see them. This application of academia to real-life gives it meaning to far more people.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Reading the self
The subject is a short to medium height (a little over five feet tall) Semitic-appearing Caucasian female who looks to be in her late teens or early twenties. Brunette hair is cut mid-neck length and layered. The upper layers appear to have some blonde highlights, and the hair appears partially straightened but frizzy, suggesting that she has taken little time to style it. The subject has a small amount of makeup on but does not appear to have taken especial care with its application, again suggesting a rush to get ready. The subject sports a lip ring on the lower right hand side, but no other jewelery. She is wearing a light pink t-shirt over the top of a white ribbed undershirt. The t-shirt has two arms printed on it, one arm appearing to hold a bra and the other a lighter, perhaps suggesting her views about underclothing, more likely about women's rights. The subject is wearing a darker pink belt on low-slung green khaki capris. The pants look well worn and are cut off a little below the knee. The pants have six pockets, two in the front as waist level, two behind at waist level, and two on the sides, falling about lower thigh, but only the front two pockets contain items. The subject is also wearing flip-flops; the bands of the flip-flops are slightly faded green cloth with yellow rhombuses stitched into them. The base of the flip-flops are black, with a hard bottom layer and softer looking foam upper layer. Her outfit appears to be chosen for it's functionality, and also appears comfortable and casual. Her shirt suggests a feminist point of view. Explanation
Due to an unfortunate incident involving bleach and my oh-so-tortured hair, my hair retains damaged blonde highlights which I have been trying to cut out slowly; hence, the short hair. I was also blessed with what I will lovingly call a “Jew-fro”; styling my hair is a nearly impossible task under most circumstances so I usually try for a few minutes and then give up. In addition, since it's the weekend I tend to relax whatever standards I may have for my appearance even further than usual, accounting for the harried look.
My shirt I bought on the internet; I thought it was funny and there was a link to it from my favorite blog, feministing.com. I also owned no pink clothing before I got the shirt and thought it might be good to embrace the color. I also really enjoy the combination of pink and green (my modern dance teacher, who I always considered inspiringly creative, wore this combo often).
My pants one of my friends from high school gave me; she and I are both uber-short and we used to exchange clothes. However, due to my awkward height (it is nearly impossible to find pants since I am too tall for short sizes and too short for tall sizes) they ended up actually being too short so I cut the bottom parts off. I also wear these pants to most concerts due to how many pockets they have, so I can shove everything I need in the pockets and not have to worry about a bag. Since it's just a normal day, they aren't as packed full of important items as they usually are since I am carrying a bag. The fact that they are second-hand and also used for such active endeavors accounts for the extra wear.
My flip-flops I bought second-hand, but in mint condition. They are possibly the most comfortable footwear I own, so they are faded from use, especially as I often wear them on the beach and they have accompanied me into various oceans. I also dislike when my feet are confined to I wear them as often as possible.
All of my clothes were chosen for the fact that while it is rather warm out, I also have to go work in a cold building for seven hours later today and then walk home when the temperatures have dropped. All of my clothes were also chosen for how comfortable they are, as work rarely gives me the feeling that I need to dress to impress. I have far too much homework for that.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Project outline
Latest research question: How does branding (specifically branding in the form of advertising) reflect the role of women in Dutch society, which is widely considered to be throughly progressive?
My project is based almost solely on observation backed up by research. I may perhaps be adding a survey, but I need to look into that further before I decide.
For right now, my project is based in the idea that I am "close-reading" the advertisements I find to see what I can glean about them. Namely, I am looking at how Dutch advertisers reflect women in their ads and how representative this is of Dutch society as a whole. I currently have some books out that may provide a more applicable framework. I currently can draw many connections, however, between how Mieke Bal's article "Telling, Showing, Showing Off" was formed and my own project. Her close-reading of the Museum of Natural History had many parallels to my own project in looking at how opinions could be found in the text and layout of an area.
My project is based almost solely on observation backed up by research. I may perhaps be adding a survey, but I need to look into that further before I decide.
For right now, my project is based in the idea that I am "close-reading" the advertisements I find to see what I can glean about them. Namely, I am looking at how Dutch advertisers reflect women in their ads and how representative this is of Dutch society as a whole. I currently have some books out that may provide a more applicable framework. I currently can draw many connections, however, between how Mieke Bal's article "Telling, Showing, Showing Off" was formed and my own project. Her close-reading of the Museum of Natural History had many parallels to my own project in looking at how opinions could be found in the text and layout of an area.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Bal questions
"Telling, Showing, Showing Off"
How do you separate observation from opinion in your work?
Resoning: This question is rather general, but seemd to especially apply to this article. Mieke Bal's observations seemed to lean toward the idea that the curators of the museum had made a concious decision to order the museum the way they did. They had wrapped up their opinions in the way that they displayed various artifacts. Bal's observations also seemed to me to contain an element of opinion rather than solid fact; how does she strike a balance between opinion and truth telling in observation based paper such as this?
"Tradition"
How do you propose that new traditions be enacted/how can the creation of new traditions be hastened?
Reasoning: Bal suggests that new traditions must be created and the old ones wholeheartedly reputed if they no longer fit the culture in which they occur. In the obvious case of the Zwarte Piet, this is a much needed change. However, as traditions such as these are firmly embedded in culture, what can people do as individuals to repudiate traditions that may no longer be reflective of society?
How do you separate observation from opinion in your work?
Resoning: This question is rather general, but seemd to especially apply to this article. Mieke Bal's observations seemed to lean toward the idea that the curators of the museum had made a concious decision to order the museum the way they did. They had wrapped up their opinions in the way that they displayed various artifacts. Bal's observations also seemed to me to contain an element of opinion rather than solid fact; how does she strike a balance between opinion and truth telling in observation based paper such as this?
"Tradition"
How do you propose that new traditions be enacted/how can the creation of new traditions be hastened?
Reasoning: Bal suggests that new traditions must be created and the old ones wholeheartedly reputed if they no longer fit the culture in which they occur. In the obvious case of the Zwarte Piet, this is a much needed change. However, as traditions such as these are firmly embedded in culture, what can people do as individuals to repudiate traditions that may no longer be reflective of society?
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
scooters, vacation, fall
My project will most likely yield information about culture, which applies more to academics than the majority of the global populace.
Using "a print medium" would take this information to the proper audience, people who seek out and are interested in the specifics of the advertising microcosm I am looking into. An academicy type paper in a the library or posted online would be useful in reaching these type people. Print would only make my research available to a select few people (those who can read, those who can read English, those in a certain geographic area if the research is only printed, etc.) but those would be the people who would need to access it anyways. Posting it on the internet would give access to more academic types, who must have internet access and the ability to read, but again are the people this is aimed at.
Video would also be a good way to reach the proper audience, however, the means of dissemination to the target audience would be more difficult. Because my project is rather graphic oriented, it would be useful to have a vehicle with which to showcase these graphics. The project would also be open to people who don't speak English or whatnot. Posting it on the web would be a good way to get it out, but I feel that a video on the internet would not necessarily make it to the proper audience or be as easy to reference.
Using "a print medium" would take this information to the proper audience, people who seek out and are interested in the specifics of the advertising microcosm I am looking into. An academicy type paper in a the library or posted online would be useful in reaching these type people. Print would only make my research available to a select few people (those who can read, those who can read English, those in a certain geographic area if the research is only printed, etc.) but those would be the people who would need to access it anyways. Posting it on the internet would give access to more academic types, who must have internet access and the ability to read, but again are the people this is aimed at.
Video would also be a good way to reach the proper audience, however, the means of dissemination to the target audience would be more difficult. Because my project is rather graphic oriented, it would be useful to have a vehicle with which to showcase these graphics. The project would also be open to people who don't speak English or whatnot. Posting it on the web would be a good way to get it out, but I feel that a video on the internet would not necessarily make it to the proper audience or be as easy to reference.
Monday, May 5, 2008
In Which Confusion Abounds...
Photography
“Societies vary in the extent of the inequality in social status of their women and men members, but where there is inequality, the status “woman” (and its attendant behavior and role allocations) is usually held in lesser esteem than the status “man.” Since gender is also intertwined with a society’s other constructed statuses of differential evaluation- race, religion, occupation, class, country of origin, and so on- men and women members of the favored groups command more power, more prestige, and more property than the members of the disfavored groups.” –The Social Construction of Gender, Judith Lorber, 1991
In every culture there is some sort of conception of how people should act based on physical characteristics that they possess; while each culture has a unique view of how people should behave, the underlying theme is that of a greater and lesser class. Socioeconomically, those who have more have more power as well. Physically, those that may have more but have not male characteristics are thought of as less. The interesting thing is that even in societies that proclaim themselves to be liberal, equal-minded, progressive, etc, there are still inequalities between the genders, and inequalities abound in groups with characteristics that differ them from the status quo as well. Yet the thing that keeps these portions of the population in non-dominating roles is simply the dominating portions ideas of the way things ought to be (also the title of a Rush Limbaugh book). These ideas are disseminated in various ways, large (laws, a la Jim Crow) or small (one man’s cat call as a representation of how society views women as objects). The way society views a group becomes part of their mindset and is reflected in these large and small ways. In this project, I plan to look at advertisements, because while trying to reach the predominant audience, whether consciously or unconsciously, they say something about how the world is viewed through the eyes of the dominant culture.
“Even the covers of magazines like Vogue, Elle, Glamour, or in this case Cosmopolitan, could be mistaken for the covers of some skin magazines commercially produced and marketed for consumption by heterosexual men were it not for the teasers running down the side that tell us that the image of this woman is intended to function for its female audience not as an object of desire but rather a point of identification.”
Do advertisements reflect the culture or does culture reflect media? I plan to approach my project with advertisements as a reflection of the culture, but it is wholly possible that that the two approaches are so close to one another that it doesn’t matter which way I go. Linking back to the first section, however, there is still the reflection of the dominant society through photography. This quote makes the point that clarification is required as to the intended audience; the way the women are photographed gives a far different idea of the intended audience than one might expect, because the images given are meant to appeal to the dominant society and also to the people trying to adapt and fit into the dominant society’s mindset.
“Sometimes the exhibitionism is coy… in which the model playfully clutches the bottem hem of her knitted dress, ostensibly concealing and protecting the triangular zone from the viewer’s intrusive gaze, but, in so doing, drawing our attention more irresistibly to it.”
Fashion and the Homospectatorial Look
Diana Fuss Critical Inquiry, Vol. 18, No. 4, Identities (Summer, 1992), pp. 713-737
Although language may be an issue, reading into the way people or things in advertisements are posed can give insight into how a culture regards them. These poses could have been adopted conciously or subconciously, but still reflect how people consider the way things are. The "exhibitionism" mentioned above is meant to sell a product using sexuality in a seemingly innocent manner, perhaps a reflection of the cultures views of what they desire.
“Societies vary in the extent of the inequality in social status of their women and men members, but where there is inequality, the status “woman” (and its attendant behavior and role allocations) is usually held in lesser esteem than the status “man.” Since gender is also intertwined with a society’s other constructed statuses of differential evaluation- race, religion, occupation, class, country of origin, and so on- men and women members of the favored groups command more power, more prestige, and more property than the members of the disfavored groups.” –The Social Construction of Gender, Judith Lorber, 1991
In every culture there is some sort of conception of how people should act based on physical characteristics that they possess; while each culture has a unique view of how people should behave, the underlying theme is that of a greater and lesser class. Socioeconomically, those who have more have more power as well. Physically, those that may have more but have not male characteristics are thought of as less. The interesting thing is that even in societies that proclaim themselves to be liberal, equal-minded, progressive, etc, there are still inequalities between the genders, and inequalities abound in groups with characteristics that differ them from the status quo as well. Yet the thing that keeps these portions of the population in non-dominating roles is simply the dominating portions ideas of the way things ought to be (also the title of a Rush Limbaugh book). These ideas are disseminated in various ways, large (laws, a la Jim Crow) or small (one man’s cat call as a representation of how society views women as objects). The way society views a group becomes part of their mindset and is reflected in these large and small ways. In this project, I plan to look at advertisements, because while trying to reach the predominant audience, whether consciously or unconsciously, they say something about how the world is viewed through the eyes of the dominant culture.
“Even the covers of magazines like Vogue, Elle, Glamour, or in this case Cosmopolitan, could be mistaken for the covers of some skin magazines commercially produced and marketed for consumption by heterosexual men were it not for the teasers running down the side that tell us that the image of this woman is intended to function for its female audience not as an object of desire but rather a point of identification.”
Do advertisements reflect the culture or does culture reflect media? I plan to approach my project with advertisements as a reflection of the culture, but it is wholly possible that that the two approaches are so close to one another that it doesn’t matter which way I go. Linking back to the first section, however, there is still the reflection of the dominant society through photography. This quote makes the point that clarification is required as to the intended audience; the way the women are photographed gives a far different idea of the intended audience than one might expect, because the images given are meant to appeal to the dominant society and also to the people trying to adapt and fit into the dominant society’s mindset.
“Sometimes the exhibitionism is coy… in which the model playfully clutches the bottem hem of her knitted dress, ostensibly concealing and protecting the triangular zone from the viewer’s intrusive gaze, but, in so doing, drawing our attention more irresistibly to it.”
Fashion and the Homospectatorial Look
Diana Fuss Critical Inquiry, Vol. 18, No. 4, Identities (Summer, 1992), pp. 713-737
Although language may be an issue, reading into the way people or things in advertisements are posed can give insight into how a culture regards them. These poses could have been adopted conciously or subconciously, but still reflect how people consider the way things are. The "exhibitionism" mentioned above is meant to sell a product using sexuality in a seemingly innocent manner, perhaps a reflection of the cultures views of what they desire.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Approximately 10% of Catholic priests are gay
Isaac/Fiona/Cassie:
Focus: Squatting
Presentation: They seemed to have everything together. My only concern was how well they would be able to follow through on the human part of this project (making squatting contacts while in Amsterdam). The fact that there is public squatting (the cafes and whatnot) should help, but the homelessness aspect of Cassie's project seems like it might be a little bit difficult to make a reality. Nonetheless, the group covered all their bases and most potential problems and seemed like they had a well developed project and presentation fairly early in the game.
Ruben/Emily
Focus: Religion/politics
Presentation: My only question about their presentation is how they will draw conclusions about such a broad topic with so little time/information to go off of. I liked their idea of close-reading documents in the various religious institutions they plan to visit, but interviewing three religious leaders didn't seem like it would give the whole spectrum of responses one might need. For example, my one brush with Catholicism (in which I almost threw a used tissue in some holy water and nearly dumped my Catholic boyfriend... but that's a different story) was a Sunday service in Philadelphia that commenced with one of the church members urging everyone to rally for some anti-gay marriage legislation that was being considered. However, I do know that the Catholic church in my hometown has several out and proud gay attendees and the politics of the Pennsylvania service were not necessarily representative of Catholicism as a whole. The views of one religious leader can not necessarily represent the whole spectrum of a religion, so drawing conclusions from one place may not be wholly accurate.
Lauren/Emily
Focus: Access to health care
Presentation: I like the idea of this presentation; however, in my mind it seemed a little bit broad. Perhaps the questions needed to be less open ended, although I know that they did them just a little while before so they don't have everything ironed out yet. I think maybe another problem I had was that the some of the questions they asked seemed like they could be whole projects within themselves; access to abortion and contraception are politically and religiously loaded issues that might require a more in-depth examination, and access to women doctors for Muslims could be a very interesting research paper on its own (pipeline issues, religious issues, etc.). A final issue I had was how they were going to get their women to talk to them. They addressed this issue a little bit, but I also wonder what incentive there will be for women to take time to talk about this very personal information.
Focus: Squatting
Presentation: They seemed to have everything together. My only concern was how well they would be able to follow through on the human part of this project (making squatting contacts while in Amsterdam). The fact that there is public squatting (the cafes and whatnot) should help, but the homelessness aspect of Cassie's project seems like it might be a little bit difficult to make a reality. Nonetheless, the group covered all their bases and most potential problems and seemed like they had a well developed project and presentation fairly early in the game.
Ruben/Emily
Focus: Religion/politics
Presentation: My only question about their presentation is how they will draw conclusions about such a broad topic with so little time/information to go off of. I liked their idea of close-reading documents in the various religious institutions they plan to visit, but interviewing three religious leaders didn't seem like it would give the whole spectrum of responses one might need. For example, my one brush with Catholicism (in which I almost threw a used tissue in some holy water and nearly dumped my Catholic boyfriend... but that's a different story) was a Sunday service in Philadelphia that commenced with one of the church members urging everyone to rally for some anti-gay marriage legislation that was being considered. However, I do know that the Catholic church in my hometown has several out and proud gay attendees and the politics of the Pennsylvania service were not necessarily representative of Catholicism as a whole. The views of one religious leader can not necessarily represent the whole spectrum of a religion, so drawing conclusions from one place may not be wholly accurate.
Lauren/Emily
Focus: Access to health care
Presentation: I like the idea of this presentation; however, in my mind it seemed a little bit broad. Perhaps the questions needed to be less open ended, although I know that they did them just a little while before so they don't have everything ironed out yet. I think maybe another problem I had was that the some of the questions they asked seemed like they could be whole projects within themselves; access to abortion and contraception are politically and religiously loaded issues that might require a more in-depth examination, and access to women doctors for Muslims could be a very interesting research paper on its own (pipeline issues, religious issues, etc.). A final issue I had was how they were going to get their women to talk to them. They addressed this issue a little bit, but I also wonder what incentive there will be for women to take time to talk about this very personal information.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Hands didn't make it to the deck
Synechdoche seems to be my project as a whole; namely, I plan to use advertisements as a representation of Dutch culture altogether.
An example is conclusions that might be drawn from the advertisement below.
An example is conclusions that might be drawn from the advertisement below.
This advertisement, for a Turkish women's migrant conference in Amsterdam, stands in for Dutch culture in that shows just how many migrants there are, enough to have a whole conference around. It also stands in for Turkish women's migrant culture. The woman has a suitcase, to represent her migration, and a worried look, perhaps to show her feelings on her lifestyle change. The sky and birds in the background shows how the women might view their migration as "opening doors" to a new life or some sort of freedom. The child and the imagery of the homes in the background may signify the role of women in Turkish society, while the fact that the title of the conference is "Raise Your Voice!" may signify that Turkish migrant women face some issues in their new lands. This is just a quick overview, but this poster seems to stand in for the whole, the whole being the migrant subset of Dutch culture. Through advertisements such as this I hope to gain a greater understanding of Dutch women's roles in the culture; the advertisements will stand in for the whole of Dutch culture.
To Caffeinate, Divine
The preliminary research question for the group portion of the Amsterdam project is: "How do stores, advertising, and couture reflect Dutch/Amsterdam culture both in intended and unintended ways?" My prong of this research would be advertising, with a focus on how advertising reflects the culture in regards to women.
To do this, I plan to take a two-part approach to the project. Part one would be analysis of advertisements in Amsterdam to see how women are portrayed. It would be an outsider's view of how women are regarded overall in Dutch culture, and would also give me a chance to research the history of women's rights in the the Netherlands. Part two would be how Dutch women themselves feel about how accurately advertising represents the culture and their own role in it. This would be done through interviews with women in Amsterdam in which they would rate various advertising campaigns for "accuracy" under a variety of factors (culture as a whole, how women are regarded, etc. This is just a very basic idea at this point).
Potential ethical issues are that I would perhaps accidentally guide the women's responses through the advertisements I choose to present them; I may not get an accurate cross-section of Dutch society with my survey; and looking at advertisements is fully a subjective exercise, and open to my own preconceived notions about the culture, which could be degrading to the culture as a whole (i.e. I might be more likely to represent Dutch culture as "backwards" now that I know that women didn't get the right to hold their jobs after marriage until 1954). I am not sure how I could best objectively choose advertisements to present for the survey. However, I would like to try to be as representative of the Dutch demographics as possible (trying to look at different classes and races, which would also perhaps be factored into my project as a whole- if different races of women are represented in advertisements). My awareness that I do have preconcieved notions should help me deal with them, and I think the surveys will balance out and represent opinions beyond my own.
To do this, I plan to take a two-part approach to the project. Part one would be analysis of advertisements in Amsterdam to see how women are portrayed. It would be an outsider's view of how women are regarded overall in Dutch culture, and would also give me a chance to research the history of women's rights in the the Netherlands. Part two would be how Dutch women themselves feel about how accurately advertising represents the culture and their own role in it. This would be done through interviews with women in Amsterdam in which they would rate various advertising campaigns for "accuracy" under a variety of factors (culture as a whole, how women are regarded, etc. This is just a very basic idea at this point).
Potential ethical issues are that I would perhaps accidentally guide the women's responses through the advertisements I choose to present them; I may not get an accurate cross-section of Dutch society with my survey; and looking at advertisements is fully a subjective exercise, and open to my own preconceived notions about the culture, which could be degrading to the culture as a whole (i.e. I might be more likely to represent Dutch culture as "backwards" now that I know that women didn't get the right to hold their jobs after marriage until 1954). I am not sure how I could best objectively choose advertisements to present for the survey. However, I would like to try to be as representative of the Dutch demographics as possible (trying to look at different classes and races, which would also perhaps be factored into my project as a whole- if different races of women are represented in advertisements). My awareness that I do have preconcieved notions should help me deal with them, and I think the surveys will balance out and represent opinions beyond my own.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Adverts
My project could nearly be an example of synechdoche. Through advertisement analysis, I plan to see if I am able draw conclusions about how the adverts reflect Dutch society and women's roles in it. Thus, the advertisements become something that represent Dutch society as a whole.
An example of synechdoche within the advertisements themselves is
An example of synechdoche within the advertisements themselves is
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Cheap Thrills
For this assignment, I focused on just one of my many scattered research topics, that of advertising. I would like to focus on women in advertisements were I to do this topic, and tie that to womens issues and rights overall in the Netherlands. The best link I found for that was the Memory of the Netherlands website. This site had a backlog of thousands of advertisements from the past 150 years that I think would be useful to see how the view of women in the Netherlands has perhaps changed.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Too Much Hot Chocolate, Part II: Today, a Lack of.
Part Two: Amsterdam!
Reflect on your Amsterdam research interests/preliminary questions(s).
Today, we will be consuming a Seattle favorite: Jones Soda! The rain makes it difficult to go out for good hot chocolate.
In regards to what I want to study while in Amsterdam:
I have no idea.
This is not totally true. I have a lot of half formed ideas that I need to explore further but feel like I don't have the context yet to put them fully together.
Some general options:
Prostitution
Third places
Bike culture
Judaism
Environmentalism
Hemp
Advertising
Sports
Note: It's probably okay not to read past this point, I will now be rambling on in a stream of consciousness fashion until I figure out what I am doing.
Prostitution: One of the things Amsterdam is famous for, also falls in well with the Womens Studies bit.
Question: I don't know how to approach this one, but I think it would be an interesting topic of study...
Third places: Sitting in a cafe in the early evening while looking out over the water seems to be what people expect in Amsterdam.
Question: Where do people gather in Amsterdam? Who gathers where (How do people choose where to go? Culture? Sexuality?)? What do they talk about? How does this vary from place to place? Interviews with owners as to how who/how many people gather has changed over time; how does the internet and new ways of communicating play into use of these third places?
Bike culture: Our readings so far have murderers pedaling up to the their targets on bikes. Our culture, in contrast, would be more likely to accept a driveby (or someone wielding Catcher in the Rye). The bike thing would be slightly ridiculous. Yet in Amsterdam bikes seem rather important.
Question: I can't think of anything that doesn't include public transportation, and that strikes me a terrible place to go.
Judaism: Also a large part of our readings.
Question: Again, no idea. Also seems interesting, however.
Environmentalism: A sweeping movement in the U.S.
Question: Environmentally friendly ways of life overseas: a comparison? Views/knowledge of environmental issues in a progressive city.
Hemp: Legalization of marijuana is also something Amsterdam is known for.
Question: How has this affected hemp use? Is hemp popular in the culture?
Advertising: Just something I am interested in.
Question: With the Womens Studies thing too, I think it would be interesting to look at how portrayal of women in ads is done in Amsterdam. That would also connect to how women are looked at in the culture overall, which would be interesting...
Sports: Honestly, I just want an excuse to go to a soccer game.
Question: I could also do something about women and sports... but seriously, a soccer game is imperative.
Right now I could do any of these happily, although some seem more developed than others. I think I am mostly interested in joining up with somebody who has a similar interest but is far more passionate about the one thing and not as scattered as I am.
If you are that person, send me a postcard, or something of the like.
Reflect on your Amsterdam research interests/preliminary questions(s).
Today, we will be consuming a Seattle favorite: Jones Soda! The rain makes it difficult to go out for good hot chocolate.
In regards to what I want to study while in Amsterdam:
I have no idea.
This is not totally true. I have a lot of half formed ideas that I need to explore further but feel like I don't have the context yet to put them fully together.
Some general options:
Prostitution
Third places
Bike culture
Judaism
Environmentalism
Hemp
Advertising
Sports
Note: It's probably okay not to read past this point, I will now be rambling on in a stream of consciousness fashion until I figure out what I am doing.
Prostitution: One of the things Amsterdam is famous for, also falls in well with the Womens Studies bit.
Question: I don't know how to approach this one, but I think it would be an interesting topic of study...
Third places: Sitting in a cafe in the early evening while looking out over the water seems to be what people expect in Amsterdam.
Question: Where do people gather in Amsterdam? Who gathers where (How do people choose where to go? Culture? Sexuality?)? What do they talk about? How does this vary from place to place? Interviews with owners as to how who/how many people gather has changed over time; how does the internet and new ways of communicating play into use of these third places?
Bike culture: Our readings so far have murderers pedaling up to the their targets on bikes. Our culture, in contrast, would be more likely to accept a driveby (or someone wielding Catcher in the Rye). The bike thing would be slightly ridiculous. Yet in Amsterdam bikes seem rather important.
Question: I can't think of anything that doesn't include public transportation, and that strikes me a terrible place to go.
Judaism: Also a large part of our readings.
Question: Again, no idea. Also seems interesting, however.
Environmentalism: A sweeping movement in the U.S.
Question: Environmentally friendly ways of life overseas: a comparison? Views/knowledge of environmental issues in a progressive city.
Hemp: Legalization of marijuana is also something Amsterdam is known for.
Question: How has this affected hemp use? Is hemp popular in the culture?
Advertising: Just something I am interested in.
Question: With the Womens Studies thing too, I think it would be interesting to look at how portrayal of women in ads is done in Amsterdam. That would also connect to how women are looked at in the culture overall, which would be interesting...
Sports: Honestly, I just want an excuse to go to a soccer game.
Question: I could also do something about women and sports... but seriously, a soccer game is imperative.
Right now I could do any of these happily, although some seem more developed than others. I think I am mostly interested in joining up with somebody who has a similar interest but is far more passionate about the one thing and not as scattered as I am.
If you are that person, send me a postcard, or something of the like.
Too Much Hot Chocolate
For this assignment, Isaac, Ruben and I spent a rainy afternoon trekking from coffee shop to coffee shop to address the pressing question of how the physical properties of the shops affected their ambience and use. Primarily, we compared Star Life (a coffee shop off the Grand Illusion Cinema on 50th) and Trabant Coffee and Chai (just off the Ave on 45th), but also factored in the major elements of Café Solstice on the Ave as a point of reference.
Solstice
Café Solstice is on the Ave and fairly close to the University. It had very little in the way of street advertising, but outdoor seating gives a clue as to its purpose. The inside is not that bright, despite the numerous windows in the front area. The entrance opens into a little hallway type thing that leads to the baristas, who stand behind a bar-style seating area. The café has large tables and chairs, fairly close together, and also a raised platform with a couch and additional seating. The music playing in the café was almost overwhelmingly loud and had lyrics. There was a mixture of people talking, studying and just generally chilling. Solstice was our meeting point and not really a point of study, more a reference for comparison of the other two shops.
Star Life
Star Life is a difficult place to get to, and therefore has little street presence. One must be in the know to get there, and entrance requires one to master the stairs, then go behind a fence, then turn into a nearly hidden storefront. Once inside, to the left one encounters the barista, to the right and front, seating. The barista is hidden from most of the customer’s lines of sight once they sit down, unlike at Solstice where the baristas were visible from all points. The noise coming from the barista was barely audible. The music was also light and had no lyrics. There was a lot of natural light, and lamps scattered throughout provided a brighter experience than that of Solstice. In fact, Star Life as a whole was a more comfortable place, not only in the bright lighting, but the fact that it resembled a home. There was a fire place, random plants, and none of the chairs and tables appeared to match or belong in a commercial environment at all. It was also a smaller area overall, and this combined with the pastel colors added to the homey atmosphere. Most people there were studying or talking quietly, and the mood overall was relaxed and subdued.
Trabant
Trabant is just off the Ave and fairly well known, but seems to have very little street presence. It is a completely flat store front, which gives it the ability to blend into the surrounding area well, despite the large front windows. The windows look in on bar style seating that surrounds the indoor perimeter of the shop. The shop itself seems to be separated into three different parts; upon walking in, one encounters part one, which contains the ordering area and couple of tables. One then can go under a giant arch to find more bar seating, tables, and stairs up to part three, a balcony with even more seating. The whole shop is industrial in appearance, composed of dark blues, steel grays and brown coloring. There were exposed pipes and steel railings, which added to this industrial feeling. The chairs and tables were uniform in appearance and
black/brown. The large amount of square footage meant that the tables were far enough from each other that they seemed to be their own independent islands. Light music was playing, but it was barely audible, and the lyrics completely unintelligible. The barista was loud and audible in all parts of the shop, and the acoustics of the place meant that conversations were amplified. Not much talking went on overall, and a third of the people had laptops and were thus cut off from the people around them even more. Most sat alone. The lighting was less than in Star Life. There were a couple of plants, but they were dead/looked out of place.
Solstice
Café Solstice is on the Ave and fairly close to the University. It had very little in the way of street advertising, but outdoor seating gives a clue as to its purpose. The inside is not that bright, despite the numerous windows in the front area. The entrance opens into a little hallway type thing that leads to the baristas, who stand behind a bar-style seating area. The café has large tables and chairs, fairly close together, and also a raised platform with a couch and additional seating. The music playing in the café was almost overwhelmingly loud and had lyrics. There was a mixture of people talking, studying and just generally chilling. Solstice was our meeting point and not really a point of study, more a reference for comparison of the other two shops.
Star Life
Star Life is a difficult place to get to, and therefore has little street presence. One must be in the know to get there, and entrance requires one to master the stairs, then go behind a fence, then turn into a nearly hidden storefront. Once inside, to the left one encounters the barista, to the right and front, seating. The barista is hidden from most of the customer’s lines of sight once they sit down, unlike at Solstice where the baristas were visible from all points. The noise coming from the barista was barely audible. The music was also light and had no lyrics. There was a lot of natural light, and lamps scattered throughout provided a brighter experience than that of Solstice. In fact, Star Life as a whole was a more comfortable place, not only in the bright lighting, but the fact that it resembled a home. There was a fire place, random plants, and none of the chairs and tables appeared to match or belong in a commercial environment at all. It was also a smaller area overall, and this combined with the pastel colors added to the homey atmosphere. Most people there were studying or talking quietly, and the mood overall was relaxed and subdued.
Trabant
Trabant is just off the Ave and fairly well known, but seems to have very little street presence. It is a completely flat store front, which gives it the ability to blend into the surrounding area well, despite the large front windows. The windows look in on bar style seating that surrounds the indoor perimeter of the shop. The shop itself seems to be separated into three different parts; upon walking in, one encounters part one, which contains the ordering area and couple of tables. One then can go under a giant arch to find more bar seating, tables, and stairs up to part three, a balcony with even more seating. The whole shop is industrial in appearance, composed of dark blues, steel grays and brown coloring. There were exposed pipes and steel railings, which added to this industrial feeling. The chairs and tables were uniform in appearance and
black/brown. The large amount of square footage meant that the tables were far enough from each other that they seemed to be their own independent islands. Light music was playing, but it was barely audible, and the lyrics completely unintelligible. The barista was loud and audible in all parts of the shop, and the acoustics of the place meant that conversations were amplified. Not much talking went on overall, and a third of the people had laptops and were thus cut off from the people around them even more. Most sat alone. The lighting was less than in Star Life. There were a couple of plants, but they were dead/looked out of place.Results
In this study, we used both Jacobs’ Looking at Cities and Zeisel’s Physical Traces and Environmental Behavior in our observations of the coffee shops. In all the shops we visited, there was a mix of people studying, meeting to talk, or just generally sitting/playing games/reading. However, it was noticeable that there were a higher proportion of students than one might normally find in a coffee shop in all three shops studying, due to the proximity of all three shops to the university. It was noticeable also that all three shops seemed to have a different use. Solstice had some people studying, but seemed more like a place to meet up; the tables were larger, and the atmosphere was more jovial. The loud music and dark atmosphere, as well as placement right on the Ave made this a place for groups to get together. Star Life, meanwhile, had a homelike atmosphere, and in fact, may have even been a house at some point. This physical trace made it feel like a more tranquil place, and people used it not only for studying but quiet conversation as well. It’s somewhat hidden location, as well as placement away from the main Ave hang outs, as well as the fact that it was smaller, quieter, and had only one barista meant that overall people going there were there for a purpose, such as studying or meeting someone, and the placement off the street made it an acknowledged place for quiet multipurpose use. Meanwhile, Trabant’s layout (the island tables) made it more multipurpose than the other two, as both a place to talk and to study, but the larger size made it far more of an impersonal experience, whereas one might go to Star Life for a community atmosphere. In addition, the large windows opening to the street made it seem more connected to the outside world, then like the haven from the world that was Star Life. Each coffee shop was used for similar purposes, yet each had unique characteristics that gave them different "vibes" and modes of use.
In this study, we used both Jacobs’ Looking at Cities and Zeisel’s Physical Traces and Environmental Behavior in our observations of the coffee shops. In all the shops we visited, there was a mix of people studying, meeting to talk, or just generally sitting/playing games/reading. However, it was noticeable that there were a higher proportion of students than one might normally find in a coffee shop in all three shops studying, due to the proximity of all three shops to the university. It was noticeable also that all three shops seemed to have a different use. Solstice had some people studying, but seemed more like a place to meet up; the tables were larger, and the atmosphere was more jovial. The loud music and dark atmosphere, as well as placement right on the Ave made this a place for groups to get together. Star Life, meanwhile, had a homelike atmosphere, and in fact, may have even been a house at some point. This physical trace made it feel like a more tranquil place, and people used it not only for studying but quiet conversation as well. It’s somewhat hidden location, as well as placement away from the main Ave hang outs, as well as the fact that it was smaller, quieter, and had only one barista meant that overall people going there were there for a purpose, such as studying or meeting someone, and the placement off the street made it an acknowledged place for quiet multipurpose use. Meanwhile, Trabant’s layout (the island tables) made it more multipurpose than the other two, as both a place to talk and to study, but the larger size made it far more of an impersonal experience, whereas one might go to Star Life for a community atmosphere. In addition, the large windows opening to the street made it seem more connected to the outside world, then like the haven from the world that was Star Life. Each coffee shop was used for similar purposes, yet each had unique characteristics that gave them different "vibes" and modes of use.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Two hours of sleep and what do you get? This, I guess...
“Fitna” and “Submission” were both slightly disturbing to me for different reasons.
“Submission” was artistic and useful: I still remember reading about a woman in the Middle East heavily punished for adultery while the man got off scot-free. The things these women talked about facing are issues in most societies at some level or another, but this movie did have an extra element of interest to me, due to the fact that what these women must contend with is brought about by a male-dominated society dictated by some of the women’s own deeply held beliefs. By speaking directly to Allah, they voiced their confusion over how they could follow these laws so closely, yet their core ideals could fail them. This movie presented real issues in a way that I thought was moving, albeit somewhat targeted.
The angry organized-religion-avoiding feminist inside of me would love to go deeper into my thoughts on this clip, but must be reined in to instead analyze the disturbing images and religious bigotry that was “Fitna”. As an introduction to the fans of this movie, the “Submission” clip was accompanied by an explanation of “Fitna”. “Submission” was posted by a user named “fuckmohammad” who voiced his support for “Fitna” with, “So let's support freedom of speech and not be intimidated by bunch of savages who are stuck in the 7th century and want to impose their throwback religion on the rest of the civilized world.” I felt that this explained the propagandist viewpoint of “Fitna” beautifully. “Fitna” was all smoke and mirrors, encompassing the extremist sect of Muslims that hardly represents the whole. The news waves are filled with suicide bombings, but on the ground stands average folk.
In terms of freedom of speech, all the power to the producers. Voicing opinions is a beautiful thing. The caveat is that this film was so extreme in its portrayal of Islam that I frankly found it offensive and misleading and wouldn’t advocate showing it to an undiscerning populace anytime soon.
I did find one bit of this film ironic. The misinformation included a large section about how Muslims are all supposedly out to get the Jews. Targeting Muslims for what appears to be religious persecution by showing them as targeting what is arguably the most persecuted religious group in history is right out of an O. Henry tale, a very scary and twisted O. Henry tale that pits person against person with hyperbole and lies.
“Submission” was artistic and useful: I still remember reading about a woman in the Middle East heavily punished for adultery while the man got off scot-free. The things these women talked about facing are issues in most societies at some level or another, but this movie did have an extra element of interest to me, due to the fact that what these women must contend with is brought about by a male-dominated society dictated by some of the women’s own deeply held beliefs. By speaking directly to Allah, they voiced their confusion over how they could follow these laws so closely, yet their core ideals could fail them. This movie presented real issues in a way that I thought was moving, albeit somewhat targeted.
The angry organized-religion-avoiding feminist inside of me would love to go deeper into my thoughts on this clip, but must be reined in to instead analyze the disturbing images and religious bigotry that was “Fitna”. As an introduction to the fans of this movie, the “Submission” clip was accompanied by an explanation of “Fitna”. “Submission” was posted by a user named “fuckmohammad” who voiced his support for “Fitna” with, “So let's support freedom of speech and not be intimidated by bunch of savages who are stuck in the 7th century and want to impose their throwback religion on the rest of the civilized world.” I felt that this explained the propagandist viewpoint of “Fitna” beautifully. “Fitna” was all smoke and mirrors, encompassing the extremist sect of Muslims that hardly represents the whole. The news waves are filled with suicide bombings, but on the ground stands average folk.
In terms of freedom of speech, all the power to the producers. Voicing opinions is a beautiful thing. The caveat is that this film was so extreme in its portrayal of Islam that I frankly found it offensive and misleading and wouldn’t advocate showing it to an undiscerning populace anytime soon.
I did find one bit of this film ironic. The misinformation included a large section about how Muslims are all supposedly out to get the Jews. Targeting Muslims for what appears to be religious persecution by showing them as targeting what is arguably the most persecuted religious group in history is right out of an O. Henry tale, a very scary and twisted O. Henry tale that pits person against person with hyperbole and lies.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Haley means hero, Haylee means hayfield.
Haley Anderson’s blog is fairly typical overall; the title, date and layout template are all run of the mill. What caught my eye was her April 24, 2007 blog post, in which she writes about her observations in regards to what she is wearing, both from the perspective of an outsider and her own explanation of why she chose to appear the way she does.
The personality profile that Haley gives within part one of this post was especially interesting. Each separate part of the personality profile is given its own line; the person’s general identifying characteristics (listed as “UW student”), sex, age, race and religion all seem to have equal weight due to their occupation of their own lines. This spacing imposes order; within the great realm of text that greets a blog reader are a few self-contained and concise information bubbles that give direct descriptions of traits that help the reader visualize and identify their soon-to-be-(figuratively)-dissected subject.
By ordering the traits this way, Haley also gives a nod to socially constructed norms. For example, her listing of gender so early on as an identifier struck me as interesting. One of the things I first learned in Women’s Studies was about the social construction of gender. Because people have certain conceptions about what gender entails (a woman will have “feminine” traits such as her way of dressing, a man distinctly “masculine” traits, for example, the way he walks), it is one of our most important social identifiers. Haley seems to rank gender higher on her list of identifiers than race or age, which are also important identifying characteristics in our society, yet not as identifiable or as socially acceptable to use as gender is. Oddly enough, perhaps because she is observing herself, or perhaps because UW students are the primary form of society hereabouts, Haley has “UW Student” at the top of her list of identifying characteristics. The use of these characteristics suggests that they are important and recognizable ways of creating identities. The spacing she uses overall in this list seems to add order and indicate the importance of these characteristics as well.
The personality profile that Haley gives within part one of this post was especially interesting. Each separate part of the personality profile is given its own line; the person’s general identifying characteristics (listed as “UW student”), sex, age, race and religion all seem to have equal weight due to their occupation of their own lines. This spacing imposes order; within the great realm of text that greets a blog reader are a few self-contained and concise information bubbles that give direct descriptions of traits that help the reader visualize and identify their soon-to-be-(figuratively)-dissected subject.
By ordering the traits this way, Haley also gives a nod to socially constructed norms. For example, her listing of gender so early on as an identifier struck me as interesting. One of the things I first learned in Women’s Studies was about the social construction of gender. Because people have certain conceptions about what gender entails (a woman will have “feminine” traits such as her way of dressing, a man distinctly “masculine” traits, for example, the way he walks), it is one of our most important social identifiers. Haley seems to rank gender higher on her list of identifiers than race or age, which are also important identifying characteristics in our society, yet not as identifiable or as socially acceptable to use as gender is. Oddly enough, perhaps because she is observing herself, or perhaps because UW students are the primary form of society hereabouts, Haley has “UW Student” at the top of her list of identifying characteristics. The use of these characteristics suggests that they are important and recognizable ways of creating identities. The spacing she uses overall in this list seems to add order and indicate the importance of these characteristics as well.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Blog Post One- An Angry Email Revisited
To close read this email may requires a little background. Due to a snafu regarding a lack of computer access during Spring Break, I did not get an add code I needed for a class. Despite a waiting list I was given the code anyway, but when I tried to use the code a day and a half later, it was rejected by the system. An email to the advising office yielded a rather terse response, the important parts of which follow.
“Haylee,”- This form of address struck me at once. Usually letters/emails begin with a rather general greeting (“hey” or “hello”) or some sort of modifier (“dear” or “to whom it may concern”). In this case the sender could have used the informal and all-encompassing “hello”, a more hands-off approach, or a modifier to soften and make friendlier the blunt beginning of only using my name. However, by simply choosing to use my name, the sender gave the email a direct, pointed, and almost unfriendly beginning, but also a sense of familiarity, almost as if they were a mother about to lecture a child.
The email body- The first sentence of the email seems almost condescending; the line “Yes…unfortunately,” begins by answering my question as to possible reasons the code didn’t work. However, the syntax of the sentence strikes me as odd. Instead of starting with “unfortunately”, the word is tacked on to the end, almost as an afterthought about the situation, and thus the sentiment is lacking.
“In the future… for you.”- This sentence embodies the spirit of cooperation. Interchanging the actions each party will take (“if you need”, “we’ll hold”) suggests working together for a common goal.
“We send out… from happening.”- This portion of the email had a tone of near rebuke. The section “we can prevent this,” seemed either an embodiment of Smokey the Bear or a momentary channeling of royalty and their use of “we”. In total, it seemed like another attempt to suggest that mutual support is occurring, but in fact, the problem that occurred is solely mine to prevent in the future, as implied by the beginning of the sentence which details the preventative measures taken by the Honors office.
The closing- This gave the information I actually needed (the lecture’s resolution) and a standard, and probably default, closing which wished me the “best” of something. Tradition leads me to believe this applies to me and is shorthand for “best regards” or perhaps the best for my future, and does not apply to the sender as the “best”.
“Haylee,”- This form of address struck me at once. Usually letters/emails begin with a rather general greeting (“hey” or “hello”) or some sort of modifier (“dear” or “to whom it may concern”). In this case the sender could have used the informal and all-encompassing “hello”, a more hands-off approach, or a modifier to soften and make friendlier the blunt beginning of only using my name. However, by simply choosing to use my name, the sender gave the email a direct, pointed, and almost unfriendly beginning, but also a sense of familiarity, almost as if they were a mother about to lecture a child.
The email body- The first sentence of the email seems almost condescending; the line “Yes…unfortunately,” begins by answering my question as to possible reasons the code didn’t work. However, the syntax of the sentence strikes me as odd. Instead of starting with “unfortunately”, the word is tacked on to the end, almost as an afterthought about the situation, and thus the sentiment is lacking.
“In the future… for you.”- This sentence embodies the spirit of cooperation. Interchanging the actions each party will take (“if you need”, “we’ll hold”) suggests working together for a common goal.
“We send out… from happening.”- This portion of the email had a tone of near rebuke. The section “we can prevent this,” seemed either an embodiment of Smokey the Bear or a momentary channeling of royalty and their use of “we”. In total, it seemed like another attempt to suggest that mutual support is occurring, but in fact, the problem that occurred is solely mine to prevent in the future, as implied by the beginning of the sentence which details the preventative measures taken by the Honors office.
The closing- This gave the information I actually needed (the lecture’s resolution) and a standard, and probably default, closing which wished me the “best” of something. Tradition leads me to believe this applies to me and is shorthand for “best regards” or perhaps the best for my future, and does not apply to the sender as the “best”.
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