Pandas!

In light of the class discussion today about newborns, imprinting and… pandas, I found this interesting picture connected to a fascinating idea.

A group of conservationists at the Hetaoping Research and Conservation Center in China dress up as giant pandas to help slowly introduce captive-born pandas  into the wild.  They do this so the pandas have as little human contact as possible.

This made me think of the conversation about imprinting and attachment.  I assume the conservationists are aware of the harmful effects of the pandas imprinting with the wrong species.  Some type of distress would be inevitable for the panda if it imprints with the wrong species because nothing would look like the human in the wild.  I am also willing to bet that like abused or abandoned children, if the panda is abruptly taken away from the human there will be attachment issues or even cooperative issues among other pandas which could be detrimental to the survival of the panda in the wild.  The poor panda learned about itself via the human but does not know how to interact with beings that look like itself.  Heartbreaking!

I also found this really cute picture of a cheetah cub charming an audience at the San Diego Zoo.  It reminded me of Prof. Parham’s impression of a flirting baby.

Thin Line Between Android and Human

In relation to my previous post about Data, the android on Star Trek: The Next Generation, I would like to point out what seems to be the signifier for distinguishing between humans and androids: empathy.  A great deal of weight is placed on the display of empathy.  This can be seen especially in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? in which the destruction of androids relies completely on the Voightt-Kampf Empathy Test.  Lack of empathy especially toward animals and unborn children signifies the androids lack of knowledge about worldly things and understanding of the importance of animals, in an environment where most are endangered or extinct on Earth.  But what happens when humans lack empathy?  Does the bounty hunter come and kill them off in hopes of protecting the Earth?  I find it complicated to understand how empathy can be measured as a human response when the humans in the novel have emotion devices that dictate how they feel. If anyone can rationalize this I would greatly appreciate it.

Data: More than Robot, Less than Human

I have a serious obsession with Star Trek, particularly, The Original Series and The Next Generation.  My favorite character from the Star Trek: The Next Generation is Data.  His intelligence is impeccable and his curiosity is amusing.  He knows everything but knows nothing about humanity and why things work in the human world the way they do.  The most interesting part of his curiosity is the fact that his questions are philosophical questions that people have been asking for years and when his shipmates lack answers he comes up with the most rational reasons for not knowing the answers.  Here are some videos highlighting moments of his curiosity, desire to feel human and misunderstanding of human ways.

Data gets a lesson in the meaning of motherhood and when to stop talking.

Data learns the difference between losing someone close to you and losing someone you don’t know well.

Data questions why he was creating and rationalizes the purpose of reproduction.

Data is given the gift of laughter.

Genuine laughter… or maybe a glitch.

“I See You”

I am going to attempt to explain the connections I see between Avatar, Black Like Me and Gattaca in the realm of being seen and not being seen.  First, I want to point out that there are different aspects of being seen: being seen and acknowledged for the person you are, being looked at but not being seen, and being seen but still not being seen. Sounds confusing I am sure but hopefully the clarity will come in the examples and explanations.

In this scene Neytiri starts to see (italicized see) Jake for the first time.

Avatar: “I see you.”  -Neytiri to Jake Sully when he is human

As I believe Neytiri explains prior to this very dramatic and somewhat scary scene, the meaning behind the “I see you” for the Na’vi people is the idea that you are accepted into the group, you are one of them, and they really see you for who you are.  When Neytiri and Jake first exchange this phrase it is the recognition that Neytiri and Jake love each other.  She no longer views him as this savage (ironic, no?) Marine invading her life and culture. Through the tests of warriors he has proven himself worthy of the trust of and acceptance into the community. One could argue that the “I see you” moment is still quite shallow because she is seeing and accepting him as this warrior she created.  In that sense she is still not seeing him.  However, when she saves his life he is no longer in the avatar body.  This is a body she has not seen up until this moment.  She realizes that the physical representation is not the part of Jake she sees.  Instead, she sees the person Jake always was but took time to come to light.  At this moment she is really seeing him. Something I just realized as I play that scene back is that he in turn is seeing her through his eyes for the first time.  I believe this is something important to note.  While Jake is in the avatar body, is he seeing Neytiri (and the rest of the Na’vi world) through the eyes of an avatar or is he seeing these things as the man in the wheelchair belonging to an entirely different species of life?  I think this dynamic is similar to what Griffin was experiencing.  He was viewing life of a black man in black skin but was his mind-set still that of a white man?  Another connection I see between Jake and Griffin is that once their identities are revealed, in order to receive acceptance into the communities they have infiltrated they must gain trust among the people in the form of aid to solve the problems in their communities.  The man Griffin works with learns of his identity and although Griffin does not relay any form of hesitancy on the part of the black man I would imagine that there was some questioning but things were made better by the fact that Griffin’s experiment was in the best interest of the southern black communities.  Of course that last statement was speculation but something I feel strongly about.  Jake is actually ostracized after the Na’vi learn of what he did and intended to do.  The trust wasn’t received until Jake conquered the largest ikran and assured the people that he was on their side and would lead them to victory over the intruder group he was once a part of.  Through inhabiting the bodies of the oppressed people and claiming to be what you are not there is a notion of distrust followed by an acceptance on the terms of helping.  This no longer strikes me as passing but as mimicking a group of people to become part of that people in order to carry out a larger goal, whether it is positive or negative for the community being entered.

Bamboozled

Today during class, while we discussed the differences between performing in black face in a minstrel show and what Griffin did in Black Like Me I thought of the movie Bamboozled (2000).  In this movie, directed by Spike Lee, an African American TV writer (Damon Wayans) comes up with the idea to create a black face minstrel show in protest of the stereotypical black television shows his boss wants him to write.  Unfortunately, his show becomes a hit and gets him the recognition he always wanted, which makes him lose sight of what his purpose for the show was.  This was the promotional poster for the movie

The poster itself is quite offensive and disturbing, especially during a time in which images such as these would not be put up.  However, as most know Spike Lee has a knack for racial controversy.  But back to the movie itself.  As you can see from the poster Savion Glover and Tommy Davidson star in the movie as well.  Well you might be saying to yourself, “Hmm, those are African American entertainers. Why would they be starring in this movie in which people put on black face?”  Well, they are the ones in black face.  This of course takes the uncomfortability and controversy to a new level. Black men in black face… Probably makes no sense.  But why not? Why was it okay for white people to put on black face and portray a stereotype of a Negro (as they were called during the time), an exaggerated depiction of this already oppressed race?  For the people  attending these vaudeville shows (mostly, probably only, white) this stuff was hilarious.  But once a Black man puts black face on something about the situation becomes scary, shocking, almost too real.  This brings me back to a comment Dan made in class about how frightening it was too watch The Watermelon Man (I’m paraphrasing so sorry if I have the wrong comment), a movie in which a black man is in white face but becomes black and hates what he sees in the mirror and afterward begins to occasionally act as if he is cooning.  Is it that it’s difficult to watch a Black person poke fun at the way he is perceived? Are we always expecting outrage in situations like this?  Is the black man not supposed to laugh at these stereotypes, at people “imitating” him, at white people displaying their perception of a black person?

I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me

A few days ago in class, Professor Parham made a comment that basically said we assume we’re being looked at even when we’re not being looked at.  This reminded me of this ongoing conversation I have with myself (yes I have conversations with myself): Why is it that we turn around when someone says something like, “Hey Sexy” when we don’t know a) who it is and b)to whom the person is speaking?

I have a few reasons (some of which can be attributed to the class and others from friends)

1. We recognize the person’s voice and therefore turn because of recognition.

2. We are conceited, believe ourselves as sexy regardless of whoever else is around that may be sexy.

3. There’s the idea of interprellation (the calling out) and thus feel obligated to turn.

4. We believe we’re being watched even if we’re not.

Another example comes from personal experience.  One day Dexter called me while I was walking.  I had no logical reason to be believe he was in the area but I turned around anyway.  My uncanny moment : he was right behind me.  He asked why I would turn around.  My answer was somewhat egotistical:  People don’t usually call me so when they do I assume you can see me.  So like Professor Parham said, I think people are looking at me even when they are not.  But why is that?  Is this just conceit and ego or is there something more here?  I believe there is always somebody looking at you.  There’s always someone studying you trying to figure you out.  Looking at you but not seeing you.

 

black… less offensive?

I am writing this as I’m watching Watermelon Man.  I just saw the scene in which Jeff’s neighbors pay him to leave the neighborhood because they fear the trouble his  presence (as a Negro) would bring to the neighborhood.  As he speaks to his old friends he makes a great deal of racist jokes about the stereotypical Black person and pretends to “shuck and jive” for the white man.  When Jeff was a white man he made similar racist jokes but they came off quite offensively.  His hatred for Negroes was evident and he had no qualms in expressing it.  His wife, Althea seemed to be the socially conscious liberal concerned about the condition of the Negro and how things would eventually change and encouraged him to be more aware and supportive.  However, as a Black man making the same racist jokes, they seem less offensive.  Rather than being racist towards Blacks it seems as if there is more of a satirical aspect to what he is saying.  He is not saying this is how the Negro acts but this is how the white man believes he acts or wants him to act.  Jeff is making fun of the ignorant white people not the oppressed Black who is expected to perform in such a way.  Just by the change in skin color, Jeff’s entire demeanor seems to change.  He transforms from this uppity, racist, tanning and exercising fanatic into a cooler, smoother, somewhat angrier, conscious and oppressed Black male.  What does this say about society’s perception of blackness or performing blackness?  What exactly is blackness?

jealous much?

What was the motive for the rape and the brutal beating of Brandon Teena?

For one, John and Tom did not understand Brandon Teena’s sexual identity crisis.  In their eyes he was a freak who took advantage of Lana.  This was especially a problem for John who, prior to the arrival of Brandon, was considered the man of the house and possibly the object of Lana’s affection (although it is unclear in the film whether or not Lana had feelings for John).  I feel like this point was brought up but not really spoken about in depth during class.  John seemed to be having a masculinity crisis and therefore felt the need to prove his masculinity not only to Brandon Teena but to himself.  While this may not have been his psyche during the actual rape of Brandon Teena (and by actual I mean the real life ordeal) in the movie John exhibits behaviors leading up to the rape which suggest a jealousy of the relationships Brandon formed with the women of the family, i.e. Candace, Lana and her mother.  John was being slowly displaced by Brandon Teena.  This may be presumptuous of me to say but I feel like, based on the film, even if John never found out that Brandon Teena was transgendered he would have done something to cause harm of some kind to Brandon.  I believe that finding out Brandon was transgender gave him a motive to brutally harm him, one he felt would still give him the support of Lana, Candace and Lana’s mother.

Is light skin the right skin?

Prior to beginning this course my understanding of passing was a person of color living life as a white person because they were light enough to do so. Along with this understanding came the idea that these passing people wanted to be white. It hadn’t occurred to me that they mostly wanted the advantages that came with the white skin. Or maybe the thought crossed my mind but held little weight in my sentiments of people passing in literature and movies.  From my understanding it was a betrayal of your roots.  Yes your skin is light but your features and blood indicate Black, Latina, Native American, etc.  As we explore the topic more deeply and look critically at texts in which passing is a theme I realize there is more to this idea of passing than I was allowing myself to believe. 

For those light enough the light skin opens the door to privilege. It is as if a whole new world has been created before their eyes. Ellen Craft transforms from a light skin Black female slave into free white gentleman respected by all those he encounters.  I say ‘he’ because the respect isn’t bestowed upon Ellen but upon Mr. Johnson.  Rena is transformed from a beautiful Black girl in Patesville to a fair and respected lady in Clarence.  Even Rena goes by a new name: Rowena Warwick.  This is an evident change in identity alluding to how important it is to leave the past behind to become one with this “new” society.  In this society skin color is your right of passage: boys become gentlemen and girls become ladies.  Maturity, experience and age mean little to nothing.  If your skin is too dark you’re a boy and therefore you don’t need the rights allotted to the men of society.