Blog 11

So if you know me well, you’ll all know my love of the show 30 Rock. When we were talking about the uncanny it reminded me of a bit of wisdom that Frank said. Tracy Jordan wants to create a pornographic video game. Frank explains that it’s been done before. “Many perverts have tried.” However, the uncanny valley comes into effect and he explains it in terms of star wars (see below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6HNh-NeFv8

Video games are a clear way of using the uncanny. From Grand Theft Auto to the Sims, video games are trying to make humans look as real as possible but keep them at a level where we know they aren’t actually real. Seriously, you can adjust every detail of a person on The Sims when you create them from cheekbones to bra size.

The uncanny allows an audience to know what is real. You can’t see light without dark to know what light is, right? That disconnect that the uncanny brings makes one appreciate what is real that much more.

Blog 10

Theatre is more than just a forum for us to air our differences to those willing to hear them. Theatre is an opportunity to get people who normally wouldn’t hear about these things to hear them.  My example here would be commercial theatre. Big theatres in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles are kind of known for doing fluff pieces. Most musicals that actually last are going to be your Cinderellas and Mary Poppins and Wickeds. These aren’t bad things at all. I love all of these shows, however why not pepper in some of these classics with a bit of issues? Let’s create a new dialogue from shows that make money. If you do a proper mix of them both, a message will be heard. I know this is much easier said than done, I totally get that. The world of Broadway will never change overnight nevertheless in a decade, but we could be the generation that tries.  If we bring in issues of oppression then maybe voices will be heard.

Theatre isn’t the answer to help stop these big issues. Nothing will be able to stop genocide and war, but we can certainly be an agent. I believe that theatre creates a voice that can and will be heard. If we allow theatre to be the voice of many civilians, then maybe a change could spark. Ultimately, theatre cannot save the world. I wish it could, but unfortunately not enough people care.  I don’t think that half of the politicians in office at the white house would take the time out of their day to go see a play that features oppression.  But if enough people see it and are inspired by it, the more it becomes an issue that is actually cared about and then something can be done.

Blog 9

Hmmm. A cause that I care about. There are so many. Right now, I guess I’ll talk about feminism.  This is something that probably a lot of people will choose but that’s because it’s important.  This is something that I’ve been aware of for quite some time and it really impacted me at a leadership seminar this past summer. I was a counselor for a group of 120 high school juniors and we did a program called Rachel’s Challenge. After this heart wrenching 2 hours, we did a game called “Cross the Line.” It’s when a moderator will say a statement and if that statement applies to you, then you cross the line. One of the statements posed was “I identify as a feminist” and in my small group of about 25-30 students, I was one of the four people that crossed the line. And of those 4, only 3 were women.

Feminism, in all simplicity, means that women should have equal opportunity and rights to men. That’s it. Yet it has a negative connotation, so people do not want to identify with the term. This is slowly changing thanks to iconic figures like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and even Benedict Cumberbatch.

I recently saw this photo of Benedict Cumberbatch and when I think of this cause I think of something similar to this.

 I mostly want to raise awareness of what feminism is. Because once someone knows what the term actually means, the equality will follow suite.  I don’t like protests. I don’t think they’re very effective. However, if I had to do one, I would do a small, noninvasive type of rally. I would gather people that are also passionate about this cause and maybe have them wear similar t-shirts to the one pictured above. I would have signs that just explain what the definition is. I wouldn’t get my team to approach anyone unless they were approached. Just sparking that light in someone’s head about what the word really means can go a long way. You can ask anyone if they believe women should have equal rights to men and a majority of the time they will say “of course” and that’s what feminism is.  

The media could absolutely help this protest. It would help spread the definition and reach a larger audience.

I don’t know when the protest would be complete. That is actually a really good question. I honestly think it would just fizzle out. For example, if this were to take place in Free Speech Alley, there’s a moment in the day where people just aren’t in the area anymore. Fewer people approach you so you just kind of call it a day. That’s probably not the answer that Colt was looking for, but I think that’s how it would pan out.