Seven Pounds

Seven Pounds

By Derek Plott

P.5

            Seven Pounds is a fantastic movie that is full of symbolism and duality. It is an incredibly deep, emotional film, and the cinematography goes along with the mood perfectly. There is so much more to it than what’s seen from an entertainment perspective. Everything in the movie is representative of the diegesis from lighting to focus to costumes. Upon analyzing the film it can be determined that every bit of the cinematography is full of symbolism, duality, and metaphors. Everything aligns visually to go along with the plot line. Ben Thomas is haunted by the fact that he took seven lives in a car crash, including that of his fiancé, and he gives his own life to make up for that incident. The main focus of the movie is redemption, and the delicate balance of life and death. Seven Pounds is about Ben resetting the balance of life and death by giving up everything, and the artistry of the film shows the duality of many things: life, visual symbolism, as well as the metaphorical meaning of Ben's final acts.

            The concept of duality is shown in almost every single aspect and scene in Seven Pounds. The jellyfish Ben keeps as a pet is a prevalent example of this. The jellyfish is a beautiful creature, the most beautiful in the world according to Ben, but it is also deadly. When Ben has given away everything he has except his heart and eyes he chooses to commit suicide using the jellyfish. In a bathtub filled with water and ice the tentacles of the jellyfish wrap around Bens’ arm, and intertwine with it shown in a close up shot with dim lighting, and dark colors (Seven Pounds). Bens’ life comes to an end by the hands of his only true companion. The dim lighting, and dark colors represent his life coming to an end, and fading away. The tentacles intertwined with his arm show how both lives are intertwined after the crash. Ben knows how he will end his life, and that was the purpose of the jellyfish. Since the crash, both beings floated through life, going through the motions, but never truly living. The jellyfish only ate, and Ben only arranged who would get his organs so both have a singular purpose in living. Another representation of duality in Seven Pounds is Bens’ house. It is a place he lives in, but it also represents his soul. The house is beautiful from the outside, just like Ben is handsome, and charming. On the inside it is lifeless, just like his soul. When Ben is moving out you can get a good idea of the representation of this. A shot with a shallow depth of field, focusing on a somber looking Ben who is sitting on his couch surrounded by packed cardboard boxes in dim lighting (Seven Pounds). This shot shows Ben giving up the last thing he has from life before the crash. Moving out of the house he shared with his fiancé forces him to leave behind all the memories he has there, and lose his soul. The somber look on his face shows the remorse he has, and the hard act of letting go of the last worldly possession that made him who he was before the crash besides the jellyfish which represents his life. The packed boxes are his memories being stashed away, and the dim lighting adds to the dark mood. The shallow depth of focus with objects blurred in front of the camera cutting out the bottom part of the shot produce a feeling that this is a private moment and the viewer is unwanted yet still observing. Duality in Seven Pounds is also represented by water. Water is essential for life, but it can also bring about death. In the beginning of the film Ben is swimming in the ocean back towards his house in Malibu. A long shot from the reverse god’s eye perspective shows Ben swimming through the ocean with light flooding down around him from the sun into the water; a light blue color surrounds the dark shape of Ben (Seven Pounds). The water represents his memories that are always around him constantly reminding him of his old life.  He is swimming in the ocean just like these memories are swimming around in his head. Blue is often used to portray a feeling of sadness, and the blue represents the grief inside of him. It is brightly shaded because many of the memories he had were good which only hurts him more.  The lighting from above symbolizes the life he still has, and the fact that he’s dark shows that he is already dead inside. The camera having a reverse god’s eye angle shows that instead of being god looking down on him it is the devil looking up. This is representative of the fact that the balance of life and death is in the negative for him, but when Ben is dying the god’s eye is reversed, and looking down on him because he reset the balance. The ocean is a serine place for him, and when he is there he reflects on the fond memories he has, yet it is a creature from the ocean that brings about his death. Duality is a huge concept in Seven Pounds, and it adds a lot of meaning to the film. In addition to duality, there are many examples of visual symbolism that evoke emotion from the viewer.

            Visual symbolism is everywhere in Seven Pounds. The sets, shots, costumes, directing, and editing all work together perfectly to show parallels, flush out characters, and set moods. These things make the viewer connect more to the film, and make it seem more real. A great example of this is the parallel between Ben’s suicide, and the car crash. In the car crash, Ben’s fiancé is wearing a dark purple dress, there was shattered glass, and crushed metal, and seven people died. When Ben commits suicide it looks very similar. God’s eye view, medium shot, Ben is in the bathtub wearing a pink shirt turned purple by the water with a look of agony on his face; the shower curtain is pulled down and crushed on top of him, ice cubes are on the bath tub rim and floor, and the lighting is dim with everything shaded blue (Seven Pounds). In this shot Bens shirt has turned the same color as his fiancés dress, he is in agony just like at the crash, the ice cubes look like shattered glass, the curtain looks similar to crushed metal, and the bath tub is shaped like a coffin. Everything in the scene looks very similar to the crash, and the bath tub looking like a coffin shows that he is soon to join the others that died. The blue tint is darker on the walls at the top of the frame, and lighter on the walls symbolizing that he is finally going to be rid of his sadness and pass on. The reason everything in the suicide scene parallels the car crash is because it shows that Ben really died in the car crash, but his body kept on living. The god’s eye view is representative of Bens’ life ending and his accent to heaven, as well as contrasting the reverse god’s eye in the beginning symbolizing that he has reset the scales of life and death, and redeemed himself. On top of setting parallels the film also does a great job of visually flushing out characters, and showing contrast between them. Ben and Emily are both portrayed very differently, and the scenes are designed to establish who they are and create contrast between them. When Ben comes to Emily’s house as an IRS agent, and they go inside after walking the dog the shot shows the contrast very well. The shot is in deep focus with Ben dressed in black and grey at the bottom right corner closer to the camera, and seated at a table with light illuminating half of his face while Emily is standing dressed in bright pink garbing a cup from a cupboard farther back and to the left while fully lit by the light (Seven Pounds). This shot is in Emily’s kitchen where everything is brightly colored and well lit. She is in a bright pink shirt, and generally smiling throughout the scene. This is all meant to show that she is full of life and happiness. Ben on the other hand is dressed in dark grey and black with a shadow on half of his face. This represents the darkness inside of him, and the half of his face that is towards Emily is well lit as it is portraying the face he is putting on for her; one of happiness and charm. This character coloring is the same in almost every scene. Ben is darkly colored, and Emily is always bright, same with their surroundings. Another example of symbolism is when Ben finds out what type of man Stewart Goodman is. Initially Ben wants to give Stewart the bone marrow he needs to survive, and he goes to the nursing home to see what kind of man he is. Ben only gives his gifts to people he finds to be genuinely good at heart, and finds that Stewart isn’t one. Ben talks to Inez, and she tells him that Stewart is punishing her for not taking her pills by not letting her bathe. Ben gets angry, and takes it out on Stewart. Medium close up shot in shallow focus, Ben is dressed in a grey suit with a black tie, a look of anger on his face, and light shining on the top of his hair, his hand is around Stewarts throat and he is shoving his head into glass which breaks; Stewart is dressed in a grey suit with a red tie, and he’s mouth is open from pain (Seven Pounds). The shattered glass symbolizes Stewarts shattered hopes as Ben will no longer give him bone marrow or a tax extension. Stewarts red tie shows the malice and greed he possesses. The medium close up shot with the shallow focus puts all the attention on them and what’s going on. Though Ben is in dark colors showing his grief, he is also poorly lit to intensify the feeling of anger and betrayal. The light shining in his hair creates a halo effect as he is essentially playing the guardian angel for Inez by bringing her to the bath and punishing her tormentor. This interaction also has a sense of irony. Stewart’s last name is Goodman, and Ben is looking for a good man to donate to, but in reality Stewart is far from being a good man. Seven Pounds is full of symbolism in every scene, and the crew did an amazing job of everything from the sets to the lighting to the costumes, and everything else in the scenes to bring out more emotion from the viewer, and make every little thing have meaning. Not only was the cinematography brilliant and symbolic, but so was the writing, and the symbolism behind each of Bens’ gifts.

            Ben took seven lives in the car crash, and to reset the balance of life and death he gives life to seven people. Every gift Ben gives has symbolic meaning behind it besides resetting the scale of mortality. Lungs are necessary to life. They bring in and filter oxygen from air, and breathe out CO2. Everyone has a pair of lungs that keep their life going. Ben gives one of his lungs to his brother who had lung cancer and would’ve died without the transplant. Ben’s only brother was with him throughout his whole life, enriching it just like blood is enriched by the oxygen from the lungs. Ben gives one lung to his brother; his lung is removed from its partner in Ben, so that Bens partner in life, his brother, may live. Ben donates bone marrow to a young boy named Nicholas who has bone cancer. The bones are the foundation to the body, providing it structure and support. Nicholas is a little kid who is dying, and without the transplant will not get to live a full life. The bone marrow Ben donates to him symbolically gives him a new foundation to live a complete life, just like bones are the foundation of the body. Ben donates one of his kidneys to a hockey coach for underprivileged kids named George Ristuccia. The kidneys filter out waste from the blood, and produces important hormones used to stimulate red blood cell production, regulate blood pressure, and maintain calcium levels in bones. George does all of these things on a metaphorical level for the kids he coaches. He gets them of the streets in the bad neighborhoods they live in and onto the ice, essentially filtering them out of the waste of the area. He gives them something to live as decent human beings for, and focus on symbolically producing red blood cells, and putting calcium in bones. He gives them a meaning to live, like red blood cells give life, and a foundation to build from and fall back on like bones give structure, and stability to the body. He also helps them keep a level head like the kidneys regulate blood pressure. When Ben is watching a hockey practice some of the kids get in a fight, and George breaks them up, and calms them down with a moving speech telling them to keep their heads on their shoulders and don’t let things get to them. One of the final things Ben gives, and does so with his death, is his eyes to Ezra, a blind, vegan, meat salesman. Ezra lives a simple life, and doesn’t ask for anything, he just tries his best to be a decent human being. He always sees the good in other people, even though he can’t actually “see” anything. A scene that exemplifies this is when he is in the café eating pie, and drinking coffee. Ben has been following him that afternoon, yet Ezra doesn’t know it. In the café Ezra is been talking to a waitress offering her son free piano lessons, but she brushes him off.  A medium shot with dim lighting, Ezra is seated at a table dressed in a pink dress shirt with a brown jacket looking at the waitress who is holding a coffee thermos standing to the right of the screen talking with Ezra, but not looking at him; she is dressed in a pink and white uniform with the back of her body cut off by a pillar, and her elbow sticking out behind it; the lighting is more full and colorful behind the pillar (Seven Pounds). Ezra is seated, and the waitress is standing symbolizing the fact that she thinks she’s above him. Ezra’s clothing portrays him to be open, and the pink shirt shows caring, but the brown jacket shows his plainness. The white of the waitress’s garb shows her to be pure and angelic as Ezra sees her. There are shadows on the waitress’s face showing her pity for him, and shame of being associated with him. Ezra’s face is well lit showing optimism. The black background behind Ezra symbolizes his blindness, and loneliness, while the brighter scene behind the waitress shows the eventful life she has and what she is looking forward to away from Ezra. Though most of the space between them is dark, there is a light hanging from the ceiling in-between and behind them by the waitress’s head showing hope that if Ezra can be perceived to be on her level things could work out between them.  After the waitress leaves Ben goes up to talk to Ezra. Ben asks him if he is going to ask the waitress out, Ezra looks abashed, and replies “I don’t think she sees me.”(Ezra, Seven Pounds). This quote and the entire café scene show that Ezra sees other people and is always good to them, but they don’t notice. Though Ezra is blind, he is the one who isn’t seen. This is why Ben gives him his eyes, so that he can see, and more importantly be seen by others. The only gift Ben gives that isn’t an organ is his house. Ben finds who he wants to give his house to through a woman called Holly. Holly is a child services worker whom Ben had previously given part of his liver to. The liver has many functions such as bile production for digestion, blood detoxification, nutrient storage, immune system health, and metabolism. Holly metaphorically does all of these things with the parents, and children she works with. Bile production by helping them get out of bad situations, blood detoxification by helping getting rid of bad influences, nutrient storage by giving them when they need it, immune system health by helping them stay on the right track, and metabolism by making sure they keep moving forward. Ben gives Holly part of his liver, which she symbolizes, and she helps him find Connie Tepos, who will receive his house. Connie is a mother of two who lives with an abusive boyfriend in a rundown neighborhood. Ben contacts her, and tells her he can help, but she pushes him away. Later, after yet another beating, Connie calls Ben, and tells him she wants his help. He obliges, and gives her the house. The house represents Ben’s soul, and he gives it to a woman who has two children, and lives in an abusive home. Her soul is crushed, and he symbolically gives her his own to help restore it. “I’ve always believed this place can heal the soul. I hope that proves true for you.” (Ben, Seven Pounds). Ben says this to Connie when he gives her the house. The audio is played as Connie and her kids arrive at the house, and enter it. The 7^th and last gift Ben gives to reset the balance of life and death is his heart. He gives his heart, both literally and metaphorically, to Emily. At the time of his suicide Ben is in love with Emily, yet she has a failing heart, and won’t live long without a transplant. When Ben comes over to Emily’s for dinner they have an amazing time, and end up making love. Immediately after the scene where they are in bed together, it cuts outside. A medium long shot focusing on the empty table where they had dinner; they table is still set, and it is raining with dim lighting everywhere except the table which is well lit, and inside the house (Seven Pounds). This scene represents the memories they made tonight, and the ones that will never come to be. The table is well lit as the memory is fresh, but it is raining to symbolize the sadness to come. The glasses and the candle make a heart shape in the table, though it is hard to see. The candle is still burning, showing that they are both still alive, but the rain will soon snuff it out as the fire of life inside Ben will soon be snuffed out because of his grief. Ben gives his heart to the woman he loves, so that she can live, but as the shot shows, they will never make the memories together that they want to. Ben gives seven gifts to repay for the seven lives he took, and each recipient metaphorically represents the gift that they received.

            Seven Pounds is an incredibly symbolic movie. It has duality, visual symbolism, and metaphorical meaning engrained in almost every scene. The artistry in the movie is phenomenal and every little thing in it has meaning. The duality of the jellyfish, the house, and water all add a dimension to the film that makes it more moving. The symbolism of all of the colors, costumes, sets, and actions set the mood perfectly and add more depth to the storyline. Even the gifts Ben gives metaphorically represent the recipients. The film Seven Pounds is beautifully done and subconsciously triggers all sorts of emotions and connections in the viewer. Seven Pounds is a fantastic example of wonderful cinematography and has a moving storyline that is supported by all elements of the picture. 

4/28 Music Video Artistry

     We saw many music videos in class this week. With artists from Toby Keith to Eminem. Every video had the terms we are learning about wonderfully displayed. I knew you were trouble when you walked in by Taylor Swift had a lot of good examples of the term. The plot of the video was Taylor always knowing the guys she wanted to be with would be trouble for her, but she still wants them. The scene and sequence that illustrates this is when she keeps flashing back to her previous relationships, and then forward to the present where she is broken from being broken up with. The narrative genre helps to get the message across to the viewers and convey the emotion she is feeling.

     Eminem is a great artist, and the video Stan exemplifies it. It is based on a real life experience Eminem had, and all the best songs come from real experiences and feelings. Eminem is the auteur for this video, and he does a great job. He sees himself in Stan, and can't help but relate to his plight. That is the diegesis of the video. There are all sorts of terms in it from flashback to shot types to mise-en-scene. The video is wonderfully done. We saw many videos in class this week, but those two were the ones i connected with the most.

Mad Cinematography Men

The decor in this scene of Mad Men shows prosperity, and wealth. A table full of food, ornate wall paper, men in suits, crystal glasses, and fresh, beautiful flowers. Everything in the room speaks of money and comfort. Money is power in American society, and Don Draper has guests over which he is trying to impress. It only makes sense that the decor of his house emulate power to go with his desired image.

This image from Mad Men is of the employees celebrating after landing a large contract. High key lighting is used here to show joy, and the fulfillment of a hope. The High key lighting brings positive energy to the room and the lack of shadows shows the lack of doubt with the characters. They were successful and can put their doubts to rest.

The costumes used in Mad Men clearly show the roles of the characters. Don is in a sharp suit showing him to be powerful, influential, and in charge. Betty  is in modest garb that hides her womanly features, and is pink. this shows innocence, and obedience. Sally Draper, the daughter, is dressed in the white of innocence, and baby blue of childhood. she is looking up to her father, as is her brother dressed in the classic garb of a young male; a t-shirt and shorts.

Mad Men utilizes deep space with this scene. Don is in Hawaii on vacation with his wife, yet no he is alone at a bar drinking. The camera focuses on him an his sorrow while the background is blurry and going on in the distance. It represents Don's feeling of isolation and being lost on his path in life unable to find happiness. The drink in front of him and the ashtray represent the only releases he has in life, and the only things that bring him happiness.

Three point lighting is used here to draw attention to Joan. She is dress in red as a symbol of her power as the head woman in the office. She is being pointed out by her boss due to her ability, and the three point lighting makes the viewer pay attention to her, and only her in the shot. It makes a more intimate connection.

This image from Mad Men shows contrast exquisitely.  Don and Joan are lit up focusing the viewers attention on them, while the background is dark taking away from it's presence. At this point in the show Don was in a dark place, and Joan is bringing him up again which the contrast alludes to. Dark and somber in the background to represent how Don was feeling, then bright on him a Joan for how his mood is changing from her presence.

This shot show angle of framing very well. It is Peggy's first day at work as a secretary, and Joan is the head secretary, and chastising her. This angle puts Peggy at a much lower position in the frame than Joan to show Joan's power over her.

This Mad Men scene is a good demonstration of long shot. Don is the center of the focus, but he is relatively far away which allows for a scene to take place during movement without re-framing. At this point in the show Don has yet another great idea, and is striding down the hall to share it with his partners.

This image is a medium close up shot example from Mad Men. It is a medium close up because it needs to show three characters and their level of affection towards one and other. Roger Sterling is the babies father, though no one but Joan and Roger know, and Joan is the mother. Roger is being introduced to the son he can't claim for the first time, and shows a look of inspection and hidden endearment. Joan is studying his reaction with a smile playing on her lips because she hopes the child's father will like him.

This shot displays depth of focus. Joan is being taken forcibly by her husband, even though she doesn't want it. Her eyes facing the camera create intimacy towards her and makes the viewers heart go out to her. They use depth of focus here with the chair in the forefront of the scene because it creates a sense of hidden criminality; something that is wrong, but shouldn't be seen. This fit perfectly with the culture of the show because men take what they want, and woman have no real power. if a man forcibly has sex with his wife, society will turn a blind eye, as if it were hidden, as it partially is behind the chair, but that does not lessen the woman's suffering from the act.

One World

                One World

By Derek Plott P.5

            Culture: the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. The dictionary definition of the word culture is vague, and doesn’t really define what it is in the modern day. Education, media, food, art, beliefs, politics, religion, and even basic human to human interaction make up culture as a whole. Sure there are certain sub-sects such as from Goth to nerd, Mexican to Chinese, Mormon to Islam, rich to poor. There are many different sub cultures which humans identify with, but now with globalization, and modern technology there is, for the first time in history, a global culture. Ideas, opinions, and creativity can be shared with everyone in the world in an instant. Products, natural resources, ideas, races, and religions are no longer exclusively in one part of the world, they are everywhere. Press Pause Play, Culture and Communication Parts I & II, The Empathic Civilization, The Power of Outrospection, Changing Paradigms, First as Tragedy, Then as Farce, and Craigslist Joe are all examples of how the world is becoming a more tight knit global community. Media and advances in technology have made this global culture possible. Many argue that globalization is a bad thing, but like it or not, it’s happening. Due to advances in technology every bit of information humanity has gathered is now out there for everyone to see and ideas can be shared across the world as they are formed - creating a global culture and community which allows all human beings to connect, and express their creativity in an unprecedented way bettering the world by the second.

            Humans have been using technology to make our lives easier since we discovered the use of a rock as a tool. The rate at which technology has advanced has increased exponentially as time has gone on. Since humans invented written language technological advances have become more and more frequent. Communication is key to this. As Isaac Newton said when talking about the advances he made “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” (Newton). If Isaac Newton had not read the writings of his predecessors he never would have made the remarkable discoveries he did. With the internet, and social media we no longer need to stumble across a book to gain new insight, and inspiration. Just get on a computer or cell phone, and everything humanity has ever discovered or created is there for the taking. This increase in communication has changed the world, and given it new hope. As Time Magazine said “This is an opportunity to build a new kind of international understanding, not politician to politician, great man to great man, but citizen to citizen, person to person.”  (Vie 3). With the coming of social media communication has escalated to a whole new level. Anyone in the world can communicate to someone across the globe just as easily as with their neighbor. Just get on Facebook, Skype, a blog, or a forum and communicate with anyone in the world. Mass media is a huge part of the world today. People are constantly interacting with mass media, and it shapes our culture every second of every day. “The mass media developed as an integral part of this new mass society and became the disseminators and creators of the new mass culture.”(Vie  40). Humans learn almost everything they know about what’s going on in the world through mass media be it TV, newspapers, social media, or radio. The generation living in today’s world is more educated, and has more access to information than any before it. Though communication, technology, and access to information have become better, society as a whole still has to catch up.

            Many individuals are embracing the new world and entering the global community, but society as a whole has a ways to go.  There are still too many people clinging to the old way of life to move forward, and many of those people have significant power in the world. The top 1% wealthiest people in America control 43% of America’s wealth. 90% of media is owned by 6 conglomerates. On April 2^nd 2014 the Supreme Court ruled that there will be no caps on political donations in the case McCutcheon vs. Federal Election Commission. This means that the rich can buy politicians, and their decisions at an even greater extent than before. This will surely slow down change as these rich people do not want social change because they made their fortune off exploiting natural resources, and American citizens. Luckily change is on the way as human empathy is spread throughout the world via technology such as social media and education. “Empathy is also about social change, radical social change… empathy can create a revolution, not one of those old fashion revolutions of new states, governments, policies, laws, but something much more fiery and dangerous; which is a revolution of human relationships.” (Kryznaric). This expansion of empathy comes from of interaction with other people around the world. With greater understanding of each other plights we can come together to overcome them. Are capacity for empathy is already growing quickly. “Charity is no longer an idiosyncrasy of some good guys, here and there, but the basic constituent of our economy.” (Zizek). Almost every product on the marketplace is not only a product but a cause. Every store you go into has a jar for donations to something. Someone buys a coffee cup, not only because they need a cup, but because it goes towards protecting the environment, or finding a cure for a disease or to helping impoverished children. Though few people show the commitment to go build a well in Africa, many people give money to help the world as a whole. This is a promising sign for our future, and shows society is becoming better, but there are still many things the world needs to work on. Education is chief among them. “The problem is they are trying to meet the future by doing what they did in the past, and on the way they’re alienating millions of kids who don’t see the purpose in going to school… the problem is that the current system of education was designed, and conceived, and structured for a different age. It was conceived in the intellectual culture of the enlightenment, and in the economic circumstances of the industrial revolution.” (Robinson). The world is well beyond those times, yet we still use that education system. The current education system was made to produce a good factory worker that will do as his superiors tell him. Schools are still on a factory schedule, with bells, and set times. Schools in America today are mass producing a good employee that will sit at their desk, and do mind numbing tasks for hours on end. Anyone who doesn’t fit that mold is tossed on the streets and forced to work at an unlivable minimum wage. Creativity and individuality are being crushed. Look at Monarch High School; according to counselors there are 15 pages worth of seniors with D’s and F’s because they don’t find the material interesting, and would rather ditch class to have fun, express themselves, and learn about topics they’re interested in than listen to boring lectures for an hour.  Change will come with the maturation of these misbehaved kids that grew up in a global community with all of the world’s knowledge at their fingertips.

            As the global community forms the world changes. People are fighting for social change, and using technology to do it. Ever since the Vietnam War a counter culture of individuals who care about not only their personal freedom, but the freedom of their fellow humans has taken hold. Right’s for women, LBGT’s, minorities, and every other oppressed group that have come to the forefront of society are gaining attention.  As humans learn of each other’s plights their empathy grows. “Empathy isn’t just something that expands your moral universe, empathy is something that can make you a more creative thinker, improve your relationships, can create the human bonds that make life worth living.” (Krznaric). The generations that grew up in the global community realize this, and take it to heart. Though many generations have been exposed to this fact through books, plays, and paintings the evolution of technology to the digital interface that younger generations use every day has driven it home. The creativity of the world is growing with the community. “50 years ago, people didn’t make things. People would go to photography exhibitions. They would go to record fairs. They would watch movies. Now everyone is a photographer. Everyone is a musician. Anyone can make a film.” (Moby). Because of technology everyone in the world can express their creativity in any way they please, and see how others express theirs.  This new age of sharing has brought humanity tighter together as a community, and more empathetic towards one and other. Joe Garner proved this in Craigslist Joe. When he set out he said this “Some say we have lost the sense of community that used to carry us through tough times.” (Gardner). He proved those skeptics wrong by living for a month off the goodness of other people. Traveling coast to coast, meeting people from all walks of life, Joe found that empathy is still alive and strong. Though the world is coming together and blending into one global culture every part of it is at a different point. Many people don’t have access to technology, and many that do have access to only highly censored information. It is an unfortunate truth, but it will change with time.

            The world is closer than it’s ever been, and humans have access to more information and creative expression than ever before. Though there still are many problems and conflicts, they are becoming more understood, easily resolved, and less frightening. The old ways are still here in many senses, but as the generations that grew up with the global culture surrounding them take over things will get better. The rich and powerful are old, and their ways will fade slowly with their lives and an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity will dawn on man as everyone’s empathy extends from their families to every other human, to the world as a whole. It’s undeniable that the average human is more connected than ever before, and worldwide empathy is coming about with globalization, and technological advances. Creative expression, individuality, and acceptance are taking hold on the minds of humans. Press Pause Play, Culture and Communication Parts I & II, The Empathic Civilization, The Power of Outrospection, Changing Paradigms, First as Tragedy, Then as Farce, and Craigslist Joe all show this process taking place. There are two ways the world can go: 1) to its doom continuing to be blind, ignorant, and greedy, or 2) becoming a peaceful planet were everyone can live out their dreams, and helps others do the same. The second path seems more likely given the growing trends of media, and global culture. Hopefully the change doesn’t come too late.

#25 Philosophers & Philosophies

     This week in class we watched videos by RSA Animate that illustrated points as philosophers lectured. The whole point of this was to answer these questions; what does it mean to be a human being? And how do we feel emotions, and become better people through our actions? These are the questions of life, and everyone must come to terms with them. As Rifkin says "The first drive is to actually belong"(Rifkin). He is referring to human desires, and being social creatures we want acceptances, and a sense of belonging with our peers. That is the most important thing in the human mind, and we all strive for it. In the beginning of humanity we wanted to belong with our family group. As we formed towns, and cities that strive extended to our community. As religions formed we found belonging with our religious group. Then with our nationality. Now that globalization is occurring, and humans can interact with someone across the globe just as easily as with their neighbor that drive is expanding again. Humans are starting to want to belong in the global community. Roman Krznaric says the way to belong in the global community is through empathy. "Empathy isn't just something that expands your moral universe, empathy is something that can make you a more creative thinker, improve your relationships, can create the human bonds that make life worth living." (Krznaric). By extending empathy to a greater scale in the world around us humans can become a global community where everyone feels as though they belong. Krznaric also says "Empathy is also about social change, radical social change... empathy can create a revolution, not one of those old fashion revolutions of new states, government, policies, laws, but something much more fiery and dangerous; which is a revolution of human relationships." (Kryznaric). This revolution is starting to take hold in society today, and could very well change the world as we know it.

     The old world is falling apart. The things that were standard in the past are no longer working. Our world is falling to pieces, and we need change now before it's too late. Our worlds resources are dwindling, and we continue to take from it, and pollute it. In America today the top 1% wealthiest people own an astonishing 43% of America's financial wealth. Our education systems are failing. The American Dream is no longer a reality. In order to bring about change, and save the world the first thing that needs to happen is education reform. Sir Ken Robinson says "The problem is they are trying to meet the future by doing what they did in the past, and on the way they're alienating millions of kids who don't see any propose in going to school... the problem is that the current system of education was designed, and conceived, and structured for a different age. It was conceived in the intellectual culture of the enlightenment, and in the economic circumstances of the industrial revolution." (Robinson). Kids are being taught how to be a good factory worker, and schools are even run on a factory schedule. In a sense, schools are mass producing good, simple minded, office workers, and anyone who doesn't fit the mold is discarded into the dregs of society. There was a study done on humans ability for divergent thinking given to 1,500 people. When they were in kindergarten 98% scored at the genius level in divergent thinking, but as they got "educated" in school the percentage of genius divergent thinkers dropped dramatically. Luckily, as the global community forms, reform comes as well. It's coming on slowly to be sure, but its happening. People are starting to care about others, and the world around them in an unprecedented way. Slavoj Zizek explains it well "Charity is no longer an idiosyncrasy of some good guys, here and there, but the basic constituent of our economy." (Zizek). It seems as though everything you buy is not only for the product, but for a cause. almost every product in today's market place is not only a product, but a donation. Though most humans don't go out of their way to help people in need, by say building a well in Africa,  almost every product they buy goes to helping some cause or another. Whether that be finding a cure for a disease, helping the national economy, or aiding impoverished countries, humans are constantly donating money to help the world. Green, environmentally friendly products are gaining popularity every day, and everyone is giving back to the world. It may be a long time before our empathy stretches across the world, and every thing thing is part of the global community, but it's happening, and we need it to if we are to survive much longer on this planet.

PressPausePlay

      PressPausePlay is a movie about the evolution and democratization of art. Art used to be exclusively for the elite, those who had the money to sit around and make it instead of work, or pay to see it. In modern times things have changed drastically. Due to advances in technology making art can be done by anyone. Take Olafer Arnolds for example. He is an average Icelandic man who downloaded musci software from the internet, started messing around with it, and is now preforming a symphony with the Manchester school of music. As the opening line of the movie says "The human spirit, when its allowed to be made manifest through art, invariably is going to create a greatness. It doesn't matter what the medium is, it doesn't matter what the financials are, or what the delivery vehicles are, when humans make stuff, we tend to make interesting things." Now, thanks to modern technology every human can create interesting pieces of art, no matter where they're from, or how much money they have. They can make a song, and put it on Soundcloud or Youtube. Movies can be put straight on to Youtube, and anyone can see them. They can make a piece of art and upload it to Facebook, Instagram, or Tumblr. All they need to share their creativity with the world is  a connection to the internet. The democratization of art is taking over the world, and letting everyone express their creativity for the whole world to see. 

     Though the democratization of art is coming on at a rapid pace, many people that were part of the elitist, old world art culture do not like it. They fear that art will no longer be artistic, and it will all become mediocre trash. "A young Hitchcock or a young Scorsese wouldn't make it into the movie business today. They'd slap their film onto Youtube and it would get lost in the ocean of garbage." (Moby) Though many artists share this same opinion, many others disagree. There is a lot of garbage on Youtube, but the good videos get noticed. The talented artists who post their videos on Youtube tend to have them watched more than the videos that are bad. The same concept applies for Soundcloud, Instagram, and Tumblr for other art mediums. Good work gets noticed. There are also other ways for talented artists to get their name out there, and show their ability besides the mainstream websites. Photographers and painters can enter their pieces to art shows, and have them displayed in galleries, filmmakers can enter their movies into film festivals such as Sun Dance, and musicians can preform concerts either independently or opening for better known bands. All of these things can't be done by untalented artists, but allow those with talent to make a name for themselves. The democratization of art makes doing it possible for anyone, which won't dilute and hide the good works, but allow more of them to be made and appreciated while all of the sub-par art is hardly noticed. It is pointless to be against the democratization of art because, whether you like it or not, it is happening. The democratization of art is a great thing for the world because it allows everyone to express their creativity, and provides so much more art for humans to appreciate.

Week 4 blog post: Reel Ceremony

Reel Injun, and Ceremony. Two fantastic displays of the culture of the original Americans. Reel Injun shows how Native Americans, and their culture have been portrayed in American media. From being shown as noble people to savages. It's kind of ironic that we portray them as noble people, and almost a superior culture to our own when we spent a hundred years forcing them out of their land and brutally massacring them. It is easier to show them as savages for it makes us whites feel superior, and gives us a moral justification for the crimes we committed. Personally I view Native Americans as a superior culture and people due to their sense of community, generally peaceful traditions, the way they lived off the land, and religious beliefs that I spiritually connect with. As Reel Injun shows, all the movies in the 50s were westerns, and I can't even imagine what went through young Natives heads when all they saw at the movie theater was their ancestors being massacred and shown as being lesser people both in terms of intelligence and morals. American media has long been a messed up system in terms of skewing perspectives, and Reel Injun is a highly educational film, that helps to show natives in a better light as well as how badly american cinema has shown their culture.

This week we also read further into the book Ceremony. It is a multidimensional book that shows not only Native American culture, but also the horrors of war and PTS in action. Tayo is constantly having flashbacks to the war, and the trauma of not only the fight but also losing his cousin Rocky. Rocky was not only his best friend, but a sort of idol. Rocky had so much going for him, and a seemingly brighter future than anyone else on the res. Tayos Aunt never liked him, and has always viewed him as a burden. With Rocky gone her disdain has only grown. He is alone in the world now. His best friend is dead, his Aunt hates him, his uncle Josiah is dead, and all he can seem to do is be engulfed in his painful memories of the past. Ceremony is an insightful book, though hard to follow, and slightly depressing.