I really ought to be getting to bed, but... Oh, you know.
Every so often, something comes along and gives you pause. Makes you reflect, a bit.
I first watched Shoujo Kakumei Utena when I was 14. It's been seven years. Watching it again, I remember how I felt then... Really, it had the effect of putting me back in touch with that adolescent I was, with my limited understanding, ideals, hopes, it reminds me of the things I fiercely did or did not like, I guess you could say, the core of who I was then.
Part of aging is progressing, assimilating new information, evolving your personality, your understanding, but it's all just words, and meaningless... When you buy in. To be reminded of things I fiercely loved and fiercely hated, and to see myself now, I feel ashamed. What happened to me?
Beyond that, the show is excellent itself. An interesting and layered comment on human condition, on adolescence and growing up. It's not at all immature, really, it's only with watching it a second time after these years that I can begin to appreciate its brilliance.
By Diane West.
My take on the book (summary):
The book started out by talking about the gradual degradation of post WW2 America with marketing aimed at/elevating the teenager, thus the rise of teenage, and music/culture specifically targeted at/empowering teenagers while disregarding adult perspective and adult taste… To the ‘60’s and the massive riots put on by (liberal) students with no consequences to them despite, on occasions, going so far as to take over buildings and hold staff members hostages, largely because universities did not want to upset the parents/lose money. This was the concession of culture from adults to children, and since then boundaries eliminated, “feeling good” became paramount as did “not hurting anyone’s feelings” and never saying anyone is wrong - which has resulted in PC America. And in a land where no one judges anyone, where we tolerate anything and everything (offensive art such as “Dung Virgin,” profanity on television and pornography in the corner store), how can we stand up to intolerant cultures that would destroy us (Islam)? Given that Islam, following sharia, is completely incompatible with Western values and democracy, how can we tolerate it? And given Islam’s violent history of jihad and conquest, how can we tolerate it? This tolerance will be our downfall.
Tell us how you feel (review):
This book had a very promising and interesting premise; most people will say that times are always changing, and that the older generation is always saying that the younger generation is out of control, when in reality it’s just that society has progressed and changed and is different from what they are used to. The author brings up, though, that one key thing is different in this time; that there hasn’t merely just been a cultural facelift over time due to progressing technology and social values, but that the culture itself shifted its focal point from adults and adulthood and has fixed onto teenagers and adolescence – basically, the culture has become infantilized. To this end, I continue to find myself inclined to agree.
But, having read it, I feel that the book lacking in its execution and due to heavy bias on the part of the author as well as a good amount of assumptions made by the author – which deals a sever blow to its credibility as well. Her view on Islam presented in the last part of the book is especially short-sighted and appalling – as though all of Islam is as it is manifested by Middle Eastern culture and extremists and all Muslims believe in sharia and can’t live in a democracy. While she does present some interesting ideas and explanations for the state of our culture today, it really could have been done in a much more professional way without so much obvious bias and attitude. And with some more scientific studies to back up her claims, with less opinion used as support. She even contradicts herself – at first saying that black and white simplistic thinking is evidence of our cultural childish regression (you’re either hip or square, interesting or boring) but later seeming to praise and engage in such black and white thinking herself (Western civilization vs. the Other, in this case, Islam). This leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
Also, given my general lack of knowledge about American culture in the past, and my distaste for the book, I find myself questioning the thoroughness of the information (I’ll check some of her sources listed). Did it all start as she said it did, when she said it did? If what you need, as I do, is a neutral, more science-based historical perspective, look elsewhere. I know I will.
Aaah, I feel like I've been neglecting MAL lately. Apologies to all my clubs~
Lately my job and school and other things have just been eating up all my time. I haven't even been keeping up with anime. >_< When school lets out I'll need to catch up on stuff... Right now I'm just keeping up wtih Shana II and Clannad.
It's bad, I haven't even fixed my list from when the CSS changed... XD One day.
Being that he's a sweetheart, my boyfriend surprised me with my anniversary present a bit early.
The Death of the Grown-Up has a very interesting premise; something I've been musing since I was about sixteen and saw my peers eating up the childhood nostalgia merchandise Hot Topic had just begun to pander at them. What the hell happened?
When I saw this book at the store last month or so, these thoughts again came to the fore of my mind, as well as my own disconcerting awareness of my own arrested development, which suddenly became hard to ignore or deny.
I haven't read through it all, or even most of it, so this isn't a review. Just some thoughts.
So let's face it. Society marginalizes adults. And honestly, I'm not even sure exactly what an "adult" is, behaviorly speaking. It seems abstract. Suddenly you think of someone who must be dull, hum-drum, ordinary, living a simple life and taking care of the important but dry day-to-day things. Which is a problem right there; people are led to believe nowadays that it's either This or That, Exciting or Dull, New or Old, Wild or Decent, Interesting or Respectable. That a person couldn't be living a Full Life or Fun Life of Fulfilling Life if they are ordinary, respectable, decent, etc...
And ever since the idea of a teenager came along (the word came into being around 1941), parents have been catering to it. Adolescence was a thing in itself (teenage) and not another step to adulthood (adolescents are not seen as children, they are Teenagers). And, a child aspires to be a teenager, the be thrust into the teenage world, the teenage fun, and does not aspire to adulthood.
Teenagers were given legitimacy and power once companies realized that hey, these postwar kids aren't pooling their money with their families' like they used to, they're keeping it! So they began to cater to their taste to get their money, and soon the taste of the young trumpted that of adults, and adult taste and influence on mainstream culture went out. Adult authority was undermined, and adults lost confidence in their own authority. And today, you have adults wanting to be the friends of adolescents, and acting thus anyway, further feeding into the youth-centered market and culture.
What adult role-models are there? In popular culture, I mean. Maybe it's because I'm tired, but as I try to think of adult role models in pop culture, I think of... The cast of Friends, most definitely acting like a gaggle of overgrown adolescents...
My thoughts aren't done but I'm too tired to make much sense (I've been making attempts at coherent thought but it's been failing) so I'm going to end this for now. Will be back for resolution.