Fast as lightning...

Kung Foo Fighting....

When we think of the Asian Identity in film, we often think of the martial art stereotype; or the ninja.  Lego's latest range of children's toys , Ninjago,  perpetuates this stereotype  to younger generations. Shah (2003) in the article, "Asian culture and Asian American identities in the television and film industries of the United States", discusses that, "Mass media as important sites for the production and distribution of cultural symbols, can be understood as central not only to the policing of symbolic boundaries of difference between, for instance, acceptable and unacceptable people and human characteristics, but also as complicit in policies to segregate and degrade those deemed different," (Shaw. 2003. pp.2).  Thus it is seen that marketable ideas such as the ninja, are used by mass media in, the toy, film and media industries to encase a racial group into a stereotypical form that is intriguing and different from western cultural attributes. This ninja stereotype however is quite restrictive and with the ever increasing globalisation of our world, we come to know it as one dimensional. There needs to be a greater force in the world of media to propagate and celebrate global identities; that are not restricted to a stereotypical form.

Reference Work:

Shah. H, 2003. Asian culture and Asian American identities in the television and film industries of the United States.Studies in Media and Information Literacy Education, vol. 3, no. 3, pp.1-10.

Overcoming Obstacles...

The image comes from an annonymous

source, it describes 19th century America where a controversial marriage took place between a Protestant and a Catholic. Numerous years later, the couple eventually passed on- and still their relationship was not truly accepted, and they were not able to be buried in the same graveyard. So
instead we have this lasting monument to love, and the passion people have for overcoming the obstacles that people place in their way.

 In the text, "Aboriginal Spirituality in a New Age"- Sutton describes a Wik man of Cape York- Silas Wolmby and his spiritual journey combining Christianity and traditional Indigenous beliefs. Sutton states that, 'He was at one with the two roles, inside both scripts, in a profound state of serious play. There was a complete absence of self-objectification,'(Sutton. 2010. pp.71).  Australia has a 'black' history, a history of colonisation that was both bloody and damaging to an Indigenous culture that is regarded as the oldest on this earth. Yet here we have an example of an individual who is at one with the duality of modern Australia; Wolmby has incorporated two very different spiritualties and made them his own.

Throughout history differences in religious beliefs or spiritualties have caused wars, dominant cultures have imposed beliefs and traditions and blood has been shed. Differences in beliefs are only overcome by the individual's acceptance of their true self. Finding ways to express this, that push, but not break the boundaries of the social order is often a struggle but as Silas Wolmby has shown, not impossible. 

References:

References:

Sutton P. 2010. Aboriginal Spirituality in a New Age. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 21(1):

71–89. RL.

Image Source:

Annonymous

Where does one seek the truth?

Where do we seek the truth?

In recent times media publications and the federal government of Australia have portrayed those who identify as Muslim in an increasingly negative light.  Hopkins states that, "a recent survey of Islam in the media has shown that, when it appears in  mainstream media representations, Islam is usually treated negatively (Dunn, 2004) and is often associated with terrorism, war, fundamentalism, and the repression of women", (Hopkins, 1998, pp.43). In teaching a Modern History curriculum unit, based on asylum seekers and immigration, at a Brisbane based high school; media bias has never been more prevalent. When asked the question: where does your information on refugee's come from, is it the media? 100% of the senior Modern History class raised their hand. Their beliefs conformed with the stereotypical statements Hopkins address above, that Islam is associated with terror, war, fundamentalism and the repression of women.

Throughout the course of the unit it was the teachers aim to transform student understanding of asylum seekers and the negative connotations delivered to them by the government and media publications; through correct information and  the systematic deconstruction of media bias; an objective and balanced viewpoint was reached. When the idea of religion was touched on in one particular class,  the Westbro Baptist Church, in relationship to Islamic fundamentalists was compared. It was then found that each religious community has their own extreme group and that media publications will only ever focus on what they believe will get the most ratings or sell the most newspaper, even if its not an entirely truthful representation.

Reference list:

Hopkins. L 2008. Muslim Turks and Anti- Muslim discourse. Australian Journal of Communication. vol. 35. no. 1. pp. 42-55.

"I don’t have to tell you things are bad"...

"And all I know is the sun is shining, yet we fight all through the night," (Bliss N Eso, 2008).

 Bliss N Eso, an Australian hip hop group would lead you to believe that the world where it stands is currently in a critical place- "things are bad".  One such example provided from the song, 'The Sea is Rising' states,"Yeah, why are they refusing to listen, why are these troops on a mission, Why are they shooting these victims, over their view of religion,"(Bliss N Eso, 2008). The first few lines of the first stanza, takes the audience into the world of war- They ask why? Why does it matter what people believe? Have we not progressed as a society, far enough, to come to a place where the individual will not be persecuted for their religious beliefs? They believe not.

"And all I know is the sun is shining, yet we fight all thought the night," (Bliss N Eso, 2008).

 'The Sea is Rising'- takes the audience on a journey around the world, and offers a disturbing perspective on what humanity has become. The chorus tells us that" the sun is shining", an Australian colloquialism for a great day/ time. Yet here we are "fighting, all through the night". The darker side of the fight is alluded to here. For example there are still some Australian politicians who refuse to believe  in global warming, "yet all I know, is the sea is rising," (Bliss N Eso, 2008) and this scientifically proven fact which political leaders  continue to refuse to acknowledge, means that the environment becomes less of a priority and more of resource to be consumed.

"And all I know is the sun is shining, yet we fight all thought the night," (Bliss N Eso, 2008).

Adams, in his work, "Phenomenologically Investigating Mediated “Nature”- provides a sensational analogy, he states;"These media alter our interactions with the world and these alterations become more complex as media mix. For instance, the light bulb blurs the distinction between day and night, but it also serves as an extension of the eye in that it extends our vision into previously concealed realms," (Adams, 2005, pp.513). Hence we have politicians telling us one thing, the media spin machines vying for  our "consumerist" dollars and freestanding artists such as Bliss N Eso demanding that we start  paying attention to the world at large and refuse to let humanity repeat the mistakes of the past.

~

 Journeying Into Nature- a quick verse.

  

She wondered down the street near day break,

The trees gently swaying to the melody of the universe.

No sooner had she turn the corner, it was like a sign from heaven,

The sun appeared through the whispering trees, bespoken of another time.

She stopped to day dream and to ponder, what glorious path is mine?

This magnificent sight of the sun, the leaves, the fence - all combined.

Left her wondering about her life and what  priorities were hers,

For she new that the fence was a part of societies expectations;

house, husband, children and career.

Today however she kept on walking just for that brief moment in time,

The sun was her master and the trees her guide; to a different path in life.

Referenced Work:

Adams T.E. 2005. Phenomenologically Investigating Mediated “Nature”. The Qualitative Report 10(3): September, 512-532, http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR10-3/adams.pdf

Bliss N Eso. 2008. The Sea is Rising. YouTube. Accessed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmYz-RE9YmA



Is there ever such a thing as too much branding?

Connecting… … … … … ...

I wondered around "The Wheel" one night,

Pondering if my love was in sight.

I looked for answers in the sky above,

Could Christian connection find me love?

Internet dating sites are all the rage,

Why not find someone who is on the same page?

Perhaps this new online era was just the trick?

Could online dating give my doldrums the flick?

The web paged looked promising, with all the usual flare,

Though their little fish logo made me a little too aware.

So before I pressed join, I sat down in prayer,

And decided that this wasn’t the time to fulfil this particular dare.

More information can be found at:

http://www.christianconnection.com.au/

The smart phone generation.

  

Creating a product that not only was the first of its kind, but also-easy to use, easy on the eye and 'cool' contributed to Apples success in the mobile phone market. Campbell and Pastina in their article, "How the IPhone became divine," state that 'the case of the iPhone as the ‘Jesus phone’ illustrates how new media objects can possess multiple layers of meaning, which can shape how they are perceived by the public' [2010, Pp1194]. This easy to use phone, was related to the second coming of Jesus, because never before had something like this been developed. The IPhone revolutionised the telecommunications industry and now several years after the launch of the original IPhone one can not imagine living with out a 'smart phone'.  The irony of this topic is found in an event that occurred several weeks ago, whilst organising an interview time with my interview subject; Fr Gerry Kalinowski. Fr Gerry was seen to reach into his robes after mass and pull out an IPhone. This tech wiz priest, went straight to his calendar, typed in the time, my phone number then offered his hand before greeting other members of his congregation.

Standing for a few moments to take in the significance of what had just occurred, one has to laugh at the naivety of our society. There is no one who can remain untouched by the reach of mass marketing and consumerism, the busy priest of the 21st century is called on to reply to emails, to oversee webpages and as was seen later in our scheduled interview, be at a loss as to how a few of his appshad disappeared. In today's society commercial branding is everywhere, if priests carry IPhones, giant ferris wheels are labelled with television stations; what next- nuns endorsing blackberry?

Referenced work:

Campbell H. and A. La Pastina. 2010.How the iPhone Became Divine: New Media, Religion and the Intertextual Circulation of Meaning. New Media and Society, 12(7): 1191-1207.





Can Hollywood take my blues away??

Music, religion and the consumer...

To engage and interest a congregation the church uses music and musical response as one of its main devices to, "keep the congregation on its toes" and engaged in the ritual of religious service. Today for example we see however what was once a small all boys cathedral choir, who sings every Sunday at mass; tour the world to great acclaim. Music has thus become an integral part of our life, whether it be a boys choir, rhythmic chanting during yoga or mediation or even the 'club victory song after a football match'; music can not be separated from the day to day ritual of life. 

In, 'The Culture Industry'- Horkheimer, it is discussed that, "the whole world is made to pass  through the filter of the culture industry. The old experience of the movie- goer. Who sees the world outside as an extension of the film he has just left ( because the latter is intent upon reproducing the world of everyday perceptions), is now the producers guideline,"[Horkheimer, 1993, Pp.126]. Like the Sherwood Uniting Church, who interestingly this week have chosen the slogan, " Jesus is my rock and he rolls my blues away"… religious institutions are now making choices based on popular culture and the mainstream experience. The question remains however, if what we take home from a religious service, is as powerful as the consumer focused  'Hollywood' message of the 21st Century...

References:

Adorno T. and M. Horkheimer. 1993. The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception. In Dialectic of Enlightenment. New York: Continuum

Gaga for celebrities...

 Is Lady Gaga a modern day spiritual leader, are her 'Little Monsters' a part of a holy fandom where ritualistic devotion provide a communal purpose?

With 56,129,674 [current 31/3/2013] followers on Facebook, Lady Gaga outstrips other modern day world leaders; currently there are four different pages for the new Pope Francis, who has a combined total of less than two hundred thousand 'likes'.  The Dalai Lama sits currently on  4,970,078, 'likes'. New age spiritualist Neal Donald Walsch, author of "Conversations with God', has a following of 244,457. Should it be surprising that Julia Gillard comes in last on 158,946, yet Gaga for all that she is liked by over 56 million people world wide, she even edges out  president Barack Obama, who sits comfortable on 35,350,610 'likes'.  The idea then of the religion of the celebrity  is discussed by Ward, he challenges fundamentalist theology and redefines our modern day celebrity culture as a 'para-religion'. If a celebrity such as Lady Gaga is seen on the top social networking site of our era as being more popular than the Pope, the Dalai Lama and world political leaders, does this not then tell us something about the type of society we have become? Ward goes on to tell us that  if we were to studying this 'para-religion' from the perspective of traditional fundamentalist then the worshipping of celebrities lack religious structural integrity, for there are no; places of worship, religious tools, doctrinal texts, or theological grounding.

Ward then suggests that "there are, however, totemic or symbolic  elements of celebrity worship. These symbols are "meaningful," but not in the wholesome ways described in functionalist theory," [Ward, 2011, 67]. The symbols of celebrity worship are then seen to be, the latest album, the performance, and the ticket keepsake. Comparisons are then drawn  to well known religious orders. The artist's album becomes our religious text, their performance at our concert halls; our place of worship and the tickets that we pin to our walls, stick in a photo album or tuck away into a treasure box, our religious symbol or totem. These aspects of Fandom create strong parallel comparisons to religious practices, if asked right this instance to sing the "Response to the Passion"- as many Christians across the world were asked, this Easter. Without using that trusty hymn book placed every second person along the pew, could they? Yes there are prayers and hymns that one knows off by heart, but there are some that only come but once a year, and these are less known. The devotee of the celebrity however will devote hours on end,  days even weeks to the memorising their sacred text. The devotee will then recall, sing, dance to and recite in their sleep, on call and with the masses, the words of their 'spiritual' leader. That is, until the next album comes along, the new tour and the latest ticket stub to add to their collection. Perhaps this is the key to the modern era; if you want over 56 million people to follow you on Facebook; be inclusive, be different, provide entertainment and above all else;  present different and updated texts each year, which relate to current world events...

References:

Ward P. 2011. Gods Behaving Badly: Media Religion and Celebrity Culture. London: SCM Press. Ch 3 - Para-religion

Image Source:

With permission of the author; Rainer Galea- "Fluid Ink":
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/fluid-ink/121128974566421