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Give Me the Green Light

After reading the following New York Times article about "green lights" in The Great Gatsby and the "green lights" of students in the real world, I found myself wondering about the necessity of green lights. I'll admit that it is important to have motivators, or "green lights", but sometimes working towards a goal that is too difficult to achieve may be more harmful than helpful. As an example, one student from the article, Jinzhao Wang, considers Harvard her green light. Being accepted to Harvard, probably one of the most selective universities in the country, would certainly be an amazing accomplishment. However it is very important to consider how realistic that might be. In my opinion it is better to find a green light that is attainable, rather than one that may be extremely far out of reach.

It seems as though these green lights are due to the perceptions of the 'American Dream'. The idea that living in America can somehow vastly improve your life isn't necessarily logical, but it may be the reason why so many people have green lights. Despite this, at least America has allowed people to create their own dreams and believe that they could someday be fulfilled.

Overall, how limited should a green light be, if at all? How do you feel about the concept of the 'American Dream', and how has it affected you?

Intangible Reparation?

As we discussed possible reparations for slavery in class today, most ended up involving money in some way. After school I remembered that February is Black History Month, and resolved to determine if this recognition of African Americans might be considered a reparation.

By visiting this website I learned that in 1915 Dr. Carter Woodson and Rev. Jesse Moorland, African Americans themselves, formed the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Their organization was meant to inform the public about the impact of blacks throughout history. From this they eventually developed Negro History and Literature Week which evolved into the recognition we know today. They chose the month of February because both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, men that as we know were both prominent in the empowerment of blacks, have birthdays in February.

However I also learned that this concept has criticisms as well. This article from USA Today discusses multiple opinions about Black History month, and in addition I found this short piece that contains Morgan Freeman's opinion.

Freeman stated, "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."

Considering this viewpoint, Black History month could be seen as a way to continue the segregation of race. Although Black History month was formed by African Americans and not something issued by the U.S. government, it seems to have been constructed nowadays in a way that makes it lose its importance. There is certainly not much recognition of the fact that February is Black History month; I've seen one small, barely filled bulletin board at New Trier that advertises it. This greater lack of awareness can support Morgan Freeman's claim.

Clearly there is a discrepancy between the importance of Black History month. Can it be seen as a reparation of slavery? If so, how should it be encouraged? Or does it only fuel racism even further because there is a distinction between 'Black history' and 'American history'? Consider its lack of acknowledgement as well.

Men Vs Women in Advertising

While I was watching the Superbowl this commercial particularly seemed to relate to our recent discussions and Herstory projects about women:

The ad specifies different things that men have to put up with on a daily basis, things that women "force" them to do. Not only does the commercial make women seem annoying in general, but it makes it seem as though men have never forced women to do bothersome activities as well.

I am wondering why Dodge decided to take this approach in their commercial in the first place. Clearly they are eliminating women as potential customers, an apparently perplexing approach. Can you think of any reasons as to why Dodge might do this? Is it in an attempt to make women feel guilty for making men sit through complaints and boring chores? Or is Dodge simply provoking men to stand up to women and ultimately buy this car?

How effective is this advertising strategy?

Academy Award or Popularity Award?

Today the nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards were released to the public, with a new change for this year which allows 10 nominees in the Best Picture category.

Here is the list of the nominees for Best Picture including the total gross worldwide to date (courtesy of boxofficemojo.com):

"Avatar" - $2,045,442,330

"The Blind Side" - $238,142,164

"District 9" - $204,837,324

"An Education" - $10,818,790

"The Hurt Locker" - $16,107,592

"Inglourious Basterds" - $313,569,648

"Precious" - $45,469,462 (Domestic Gross Only)

"A Serious Man" - $20,514,312

"Up" - $723,005,700

"Up in the Air" - $97,432,811

It is important to note that some of the films, like "Up" and "District 9" have already made it to DVD release. And certainly a more recent film, like "Up in the Air", is bound to make more money, so I bolded its current earnings along with the other 5 highest grossing nominees. 5 out of the 10 films have made over 200 million dollars, an astounding amount of money. This made me, along with Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune, question why the Academy has seemingly included the enormous blockbusters of the year in the nominees. In class we discussed how the plot of "Avatar" is nothing especially unique, and an animated film ("Up") has not been up for the Best Picture award since "The Beauty and the Beast" in 1991. So why are these movies up in the running for this prestigious award?

A possible answer lies in the economic crisis that the United States faced in the past year. Why not promote the hit films of the year and encourage Americans to spend money at the movies? By including blockbuster movies Americans are encouraged to see upcoming hit movies as well. Or the Academy is rewarding the success of these movies, yet another possible secret message to encourage spending money in these troubled times.

What reasoning do you have behind the nominees for Best Picture this year? Do you think the Economic Crisis has anything to do with it? How does this reflect upon the actions of American society as a whole?