This is the End, Beautiful Friend

Well, the quarter is over and I'm getting all teary-eyed. I really learned a lot from my 'Writing in the Public Sphere' class and I am so glad to have met so many interesting and fun people, including Professor Rhodes. We might not be in class together anymore, but we can still make the public sphere worth wild! I know I got a big mouth and like to use it any chance I get. I'll miss getting let out of class early and meeting up at the pub only to end up drunk and ditching the next class :) As for my position regarding the public sphere, I am proud to announce that I am looking at the world through a postmodern perspective until otherwise noted.

Complicated Intersections

I have decided to expand on the last paper and discuss the "complicated intersections" that evolve when trying to decipher "irrational/logical" explanations in the public sphere. We need to consider logical and ethical values and still consider those who may be trying to 'dummy' us 'down'. How many genres can we accept in the public sphere without it becoming disfunctional? Gays, women, and blacks were not considered an appropriate part of the public sphere until after a vote could establish them as a nation. Habermas' ideal public sphere only considered white, educated males as a logical part of the public sphere therefore; their voices dominate all others nations. This is where these intersections come into play when dealing with genre in the public sphere to determine the most logical and rational decisions for a nation. Do you think I said 'public sphere' enough?

Critical Response

When looking for a logical explanation in the public sphere, there are multiple layers of genre that present questions of truth and rationality. Portillo's film, El Diablo Nunca Duerme, presents a portrayal of some of the different types of genre that are interwoven when trying to decipher the 'truth' behind the death of Uncle Oscar. Portillo explores genres such as religios aspects, actual evidence, verbal claims and cultural representation to try and unearth the truth, only to be left with as many questions as she started out with. Each narrative or individual account veils the truth behind different perspectives which makes a rational approach hard to come by. "Complicated intersections" in genre prove difficult through the past or dealing with issues in the present.

Public Space on Campus

The CSUSB campus is wide and full of potential for the public sphere and yet it seems to lack this aspect. The open spaces of grass offer an enormous amount of room for socializing but it is bare of seats or benches and the trees only shade small areas. The area in front of the library would be a great place to permit local bands to play or amateur theater performances to take place. The only things that take up this space presently however, are the soroity cliques and small shops where people from off campus sell their wares. Spectacle could play a tremendous role in making the campus a public sphere. It is a found space for actors and a great place to bring people together if there was more involvment of students and what they find enjoyable.

Second Response

Question #1:"Complicated intersections" sounds a lot like 'truth' when dealing with Portillo's movie El DiabloNunca Duerme. Who do we trust for answers? How much should we consider to make a logical assumptions?...More to come.

Put Yourself in Somebody Else's Shoes

Throughout Portillo's documentary regarding the murders of women in Juarez, there is constant symbolism containing white crosses marking gravesites, pink crosses marking telephone poles, an empty ditch in the desert, and an empty pair of shoes among other symbols. The shoes may symbolize a variety of different things. If they are empty, possibly it is to symbolize how these shoes belonged to somebody at one point, but they are now gone. There is nobody left to fill these shoes. Maybe Portillo is suggesting that the audience should try to put themselves in one of these women's shoes trying to imagine what they went through or possibly the pain that the family endures. The shoes are empty just like the answers to solve this mystery. The visual I presented was found on the website: www.pbs.org/pov/pov2002/senoritaextraviada/update.html
This graphic picture suggests a contrast to the empty shoes in Portillo's documentary. This picture depicts the torture that theses children and women have gone through extensively with no justice or closure given to their families. The empty shoes hanging from a rear view mirror, possibly from a car or bus could suggest that the killers could be anyone. Or perhaps the family will never forget. Whatever the symbol suggests, it is one of emptiness and Portillo has hit this on the head with these images.

Black Spectacle: An Important Part of the Public Sphere

Spectacle is an important factor when considering potential prospects for the public sphere. Spectacle has been accused of losing its "rational, logical, literate debate" and "encourag[ing] passivity in spectators" (McKee 105, 108). An example in the public sphere of spectacle is rap music. The chapter has a great amount of discussion on the idea of rap music being either a rational or emotional approach for the public sphere , the argument being that one is more reasonable, and therefore better. A 'modernist' would cancel out the emotional response because it is considered irrational thinking. However, a 'postmodernist' would argue that emotion plays a resourceful characteristic of rationality. In my personal opinion, rap music has been a great influence to my life opening up a culture that is not known to me except through literature. One reason I feel that rap music should be considered part of the public sphere is similar to McKee's point that blacks have developed an oral rather than literary approach to communicating throughout history. It is different from Habermas' ideal public society in that it is not, for the most part, literary. Oral tradition has multiple patterns of commentary on politics and other parts of life such as "praise singers", "narrative poems", and "verbal jousting" (McKee 110). These have all played necessary roles in African American culture and have earned their way into the public sphere through cultural roots. If this belief is enforced, then it makes sense to take a 'postmodern' approach and consider all types of information to make a rational decision in the end. This would include spectacle in the public sphere which some argue "distract from the workings of the mental process" (from Habermas, found in McKee 107). I think that an emotional response should be considered when observing all conditions as rational. It may not be the correct response for the situation but it sparks emotion for a certain reason.

Feminicide in Juarez

After reading "Toward a Planetary Civil Society" by Rosa Fregoso, it seems to me that this result of feminicide has evolved from abuse and control in the homes in Mexico to a result of murder outside. It is obvious that gender roles are still expected to be acted out in Mexico and with globalization comes global change. The problem with the murders of women in Juarez seems to have much to do with immigrants of Southern Mexico traveling to Juarez in hopes of finding a job in the maquiladoras, possibly a chance at making a little more money to survive which has pushed male heirarchy into action. The idea of gender control seems to run rampid in Juarez with some society that is willing to murder women to make their point. The fact that this article is accessible to the public sphere allows for action to take place. But who has to read it for action to be taken? Just the fact that this news is out in the public sphere gives it an opportunity to be pushed into action. Writing therefore becomes the motive for action.

Improving Paper #1

As a public space, this bar invites all those with similar interest into it, and they can either decide to be forward and outgoing or quiet and private about themselves. According to McKee, this public space contains a great amount of "commercialization". Signs of different beer labels cover the walls and advertise a wide selection. Mirrors reflect a good time, dull lighting and also have specific beer names in print over them. Flags highlight the Nascar season as well as the Budweiser sponsor and coasters and bottles cover the tables and bar, all commercializing a certain type of alcohol. "$6.00 pitchers during football games" helps bring people in for a special occasion and convinces them that drinking a pitcher at this bar at this time is a great deal. Every night is a different experience at the bar and may be considered a public sphere sometimes but not others. However, this bar is always full of commercialization. Tonight there was unity in interests: alcohol, sports, music, community and that, according to McKee, would be considered a public sphere.

Postmodern Plumber

“Writers from working-class backgrounds have argued that their experiences, their background, give them a particular standpoint, a perspective on culture. This is a ‘postmodern’ position. It refuses a universal truth about the value of different kinds of culture, but rather suggests that one’s experiences will play at least some part in how one makes sense of the public sphere …” (McKee 77).

This 'postmodern' view that McKee mentions can definitely be seen in the election this year. The example that immediately comes to mind is that of Joe the Plumber who disagreed with Obama's idea that the more money people make, the more they should be taxed. From Joe's perspective, he started out not making much money but expanded his business to where he is now above Obama's bracket. He does not want to pay more taxes than others possibly because he feels that he had a lower income at one point but pulled himself up by his bootstraps and is now successful. This issue points out Joe's experience of how he came into his money and how it is affecting his opinion on the subject of higher taxes. If, for example, Joe had not come up in his business but had gone into bankruptcy, he might think differently about the situation. It seems very natural now for people who are involved in the public sphere to take this 'postmodern' approach and relate their opinions to personal experiences.

Commercialization for Dummies

“…commercialization is a valuable part of the public sphere: ‘dumbing down’ is another term for ‘making accessible’: and the most trashy culture provides some of the most interesting thinking about the workings of the public sphere” (McKee 67).

I think I agree with the last portion of this quote from McKee rather than the first part. Popular culture, I believe, does provide a wide range of interests in the public sphere and gives insight as to what the working class sees as every-day issues that the public is dealing with. This seems to be the case because the working class can relate to issues or situations, possibly learning a lesson from the story or maybe even discovering something about themselves they didn't realize before. It also gives these people an example of what may be appropriate or accepted by others in their relationship to the culture. These can all be useful interpretations about how culture works in the public sphere. I feel that the 'dumbing down' part of this quote enters into another realm however. From my perspective, 'dumbing down' is trying to reach an audience that will believe anything you tell them; a gullible audience that can be easily persuaded. In today's society, some of the most uninformed people might be the more wealthy class (Paris Hilton), depending on the individual. When dealing with the political election of 2008, both of these perspectives apply. Some of the working class culture might get all their information from television commercials or billboards that really give no useful information to the voter. Or perhaps the citizen is not even registered to vote because they know so little about the situation. I believe this is the part of commercialization that is 'dumbing down'. It is not making information more accessible but telling people how to think or vote. But if the working class has the initiative, has been registered to vote, then they can read for themselves and think for themselves. Certain commercialization gives us positive information which can help mold our interpretation of the election while other commercialization tells us how to think.

Getting the Facts, Not the Favorite

The political ticker I have cited in a previous post has updated categories from both the left and right sides of the debate. Producers like Alexander Marquardt or Alexander Mooney seem to be trying to represent both sides of the legal debate. The background for this site is all white which seems to represent a neutral standing for CNN. They have articles and pictures from both sides and have even quoted both the Republican and Democratic parties going back on their words. I am impressed with the titles that some of these writers of the blogs hold and even more impressed that I can see both angles from the same twisted approach that they represent. Campaign funding, clean coal and Republicans supporting/not supporting Republicans are all over the board giving the CNN Political Ticker a broad range of information given to readers. Reporting on all aspects seems fair and possibly dependable for getting the facts, not the favorite.

Winning at the Wrong Things

Diving into the public sphere of politics is something very new for me. It is interesting to read the comments posted by citizens and easy to sink into the bickering between parties. In this election, I do not know exactly what McCain and Obama are endorsing on most subjects. My main concern for this country is not the current economical status, which will always be fluctuating, but the consistent decline of the environment. It seems like the topic of a struggling economy is acting as a temporary answer to the populations' needs. Who is going to make bills for alternative energy sources? The oil consumption in America has already hit a level plane and can only continue in a permanent state of decline. Sure we will produce for a while longer, but when it's gone, it's gone. I feel that candidates should be taking this topic more seriously as a long term goal for the well-fare of the public in the future. And yet these concerns are not a serious matter of the debate, as far as it seems. When I look at John McCain, all I can think about is Sarah Palin, When I think about her, I am reminded of her background, especially coming from Alaska. Alaska makes me think of oil rigs and then my thoughts divert right back to McCain. McCain sees our future in oil, but then who knows how much longer he will be alive anyhow. He doesn't seem to have long-term goals for the environment or the population. Re-reading the article mentioned in my last posting gives me a greater idea of what the debate is really about: winning.

Political Divide Should Be Put Aside!

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/12/mccains-closing-argument-a-push-for-divided-government/

I visited the site above and feel that I am not politically educated enough to respond thouroughly to this blog, but I thought it carried an interesting topic of "divided government". From reading the blog, I was given the impression that the Republicans are afraid to lose the majority in congress as well as the presidency. Even though the last time Democrats had a "filibuster-proof majority" was thrity years ago, it seems that certain Republican party members are weary to give the other party a chance. Power sinks deep into the pockets of politicians and it is a hard thing to give up, but the idea of divide seems unhealthy for America. The Republican party being in majority for so many decades does seem a bit suspiscious in that this makes the party seem power/money hungry and fills them with fear in losing this position. Our system was created to give everyone who is eligible a voice. It does not mean that the voice will win but at least it is heard. Division is not the answer in these tough times. We must pull together and trust each other instead of dividing for gaining power. After being apart of this current ecomonic depression, I say, what's wrong with change?

Private vs. Public

Well, I'm still struggling with this whole group blog- here I am responding to myself again - but responding all the same. I would like to respond to Habermas' comment about the "private world" (McKee 54) being seperate from the public world and only when the private individual meets the public space, do their ideas become part of the ideal public sphere. I can understand this view point, but to some extent I disagree because I feel that it is part of human order to be accepted by others. Although we have individual desires in our private space, I think these desires are manipulated unconsciously by our desire to please others: to be accepted by the 'norm'. Of course there are exceptions to this theory but it seems quite difficult for most individuals to be excluded from a public atmosphere in one way or another. To agree with McKee, ...the public sphere isn't seperate from private issues of identity: it's a vital component of forming identity," (56). Private issues of the home might be soothed by an account from someone who is experiencing a similar situation thus uniting people who thought they were alone. Identity can be individual, but when bringing in culture, all of us have grown from something that has come before us and given us a specific road that we chose to follow in our own way. The fact that Habermas also leaves women out of his account in drawing these conclusions is also a major setback to his theories. When only considering half the population, Habermas might come a little closer in guessing the importance and benefits of the private space. For me, however slodarity does not necessarily seem like an escape, although I might like to escape from the constant commmercialization of today's world.

Does Writing Matter?

Writing is a form of expression that every individual should be entitled to. In pre-modern times, when literacy was not widely accepted, there were other forms of expression but these forms might be kept in private and only discussed among similar groups with similar ideals. To have a written statement of an opinion meant that anyone could view it at any time. It could evoke passion or anger and hopefully a reaction that might help to change something that a number of people saw as injust. Through Enlightenment concepts of, "equality, justice, freedom and comfort," writing opens a window of self expression that cannot be taken away from or silenced by the individual (McKee 15). One example of the importance of writing is shown through the feminist perspective where women no longer had to be silent about the mental or physical abuse they endured in the home. In writing about private issues, women in similar situations could pull together and eventually agree that they were being treated unfairly and make movements to try and overcome something that evolved into a common problem. Writing has many purposes but without it, expression of the individual is limited.