Thursday, September 28, 2006

The Kite Runner--Great Propaganda!

September 11th 2001 is, and will always be, a day that haunts America, its people, its hearts, and most importantly—its culture. On that sad horrific day the attitude, beliefs, and ideals held by the majority of the American people were forever changed—and most for the worse. Suddenly America wasn’t as isolated as everyone had thought, wasn’t as safe, and wasn’t as loved. The American people were shocked, left speechless, and taken aback. America had never faced such horrific terrorism on its own soil, never felt the un-wrenching pain of a terrorist attack, or experienced its aftermath. As most victims, America wanted someone to blame, someone to lash out at, someone to hurt as bad a we had on that godforsaken day of September 11th. And soon we had our target—the religious fanatic Osama Bin Laden and the country that was harboring him: Afghanistan. Sadly, a lot of the American population became so consumed by their pain and hatred that they lost sight of who was to blame, who was the real monster, and sadly by association the Afghan people and the Islamic religion were deemed evil and deserved to be blamed as well for the ghastly acts that forever changed our country. The Kite Runner, a novel by Khaled Hossenini, dares to change that false opinion harbored in the depths of American’s heart by illustrating the similarities common to all people regardless of region or religion, and by shedding light on the true situation in Afghanistan and who are the real monsters. Through this phenomenal attempt to change the opinion of the American peoples’ views on Afghan people and Islamic religion Hossenini by definition is using The Kite Runner as a vessel for positive propaganda; propaganda being defined by the Webster’s Dictionary as "the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person".

Khaled Hosseinie implores the readers to forget their prejudices about the Afghan people and the Islamic religion by narrating the story about the life of a privileged Pashtun, Amir, and his Hazara servant, Hasaan to show the parallels between the American and Afghan people. For example, in the beginning of the novel Amir, the narrator, refers to Hassan and states that “…we were the kids that learned to crawl together, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that…”(p.25). This passage and the relationship that Hosseinie goes on to illustrate is a relationship that the American culture in particular can strongly identify with. One of the main beliefs in the American culture is that “all men were created equal” and that everyone should have the right to be friends with and/or marry who they wish. Therefore, by portraying the main characters in this light Hosseinie captures the reader’s heart by having them mirror aspects of our culture, by having them mirror a relationship that a lot of American’s can identify with. This in turn, draws the parallel that the Afghan people and the American people are not all that different.

Hosseinie also tries to make the connection between the two different cultures by portraying the similar struggles that Afghan people and American people face. For example, the author uses the power of the rape scene to draw parallels between the two cultures. Amir, the narrator, states:

Assef knelt behind Hassan, put his hands on Hassan’s hips and lifted his bare buttocks. He kept one hand on Hassan’s back and undid his own belt buckle with his free hand. He unzipped his jeans. Dropped his underwear. He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan didn’t struggle. Didn’t even whimper. He moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw the resignation in it. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb (pg. 76)

This scene plays on the reader’s emotional appeal to recognize that the Afghan people are just like American people; they also feel pain, suffer, have regrets, and regretfully, also have to endure tragedies. Through this scene, a scene that maps the rest of the narrative, the author uses propaganda to show how similar both cultures are, therefore, changing the way that a lot of American people feel towards Afghan people, because it is extremely hard to hate or hold prejudices against a culture or a group of people that the reader can easily identify with. How can you hate someone just like you?

Hosseinie also uses propaganda by drawing attention to the fact that the Taliban are the real monsters; that they are the ones who have perverted the Islamic religion for their own sadistic reasons, and that it is not the Afghan people who should be blamed or hated as a result of their actions. For example, when Amir, the narrator, returns to his homeland to find Hassan’s son, Sohrah, he is in complete shock about the poverty and devastation that he witnesses. For instance, he narrates, “we had crossed the border and the signs of poverty were everywhere. I saw children dressed in rags chasing a soccer ball outside the huts” (p.231). In addition to the severe poverty that Amir witnesses, he also witnesses the extreme oppression that the country is facing as a result of the Taliban. For example, when he returns to his home neighborhood, he is shocked that it is still in decent shape and states that the reason for this is because “most of the important people live [there] now, [the] Taliban” (p.260). This horrible description of the situation in Afghanistan, and the mortifying poverty that the Afghan people must endure illustrates a world of severe oppression, injustice, and devastating indecencies. A world that attempts to change the way the average American person sees and/or feels about Afghanistan, its people, and the Islamic religion by showing that what happened on September 11th was not as a result of an entire nation or religion, but rather the result of small group of unscrupulous powerful people who twisted the Koran and the Afghan culture o fit their own sick needs.

The Kite Runner, whether for the better or worse, is propaganda because it attempts to change people’s point of view on Afghanistan, its people, and the Islamic religion. The book attempt to accomplish this through multiple channels, fronts, and contexts and supplies each with an arsenal of fully loaded examples and emotional appeals. I believe that this book, although not openly communicated as propaganda, is one of the most successful pieces of propaganda that I have ever had the experience to be persuaded by. Although I was not prejudice against Afghan people, or the Islamic religion before reading this novel, it has given me new insights and lessons that I will never forget and will continue to be touched and influenced by long into the future.

Monday, September 18, 2006

A critque of The Protector

So, this past weekend my boyfriend dragged me along to watch The Protector, you know the crazy martial arts movie by Quintin Terantino.

At first I though the movie was a bit crazy and a bit corny (for example, the movie opens up with a story line about a bunch of people called "the protectors" in Asia whose job and lives are spent raising and protecting elephants for their King. Basically, they raise the elephants, protect them from hunters, and then deliver them to their kings. Then, when there is a battle, the king will ride into battle on the elephant and the protectors are suppose to protect the elephant from being harmed so that the king doesn't fall).

So you can see why at first I wasn't too into the movie???

However, if you are a martial arts movie fan, then this movie is a MUST SEE!!!!!! The Protector puts martial arts legends like Jackie Chan to shame. None of the fight scenes look "fake" or unrealistic (I mean, I am sure they are, but they at least don't LOOK that way). Some of the fight scenes are just out and out crazy!!! For example, in one of the scenes the main character, who is maybe 5'9 and 180 pounds, fights three men (and kicks their butts!) that are somewhere close to 300 pounds and way over 7 feet tall. I mean my jaw dropped to the floor in most of the scenes.

My overall opinion of this movie--go see it for a kick-ass martial arts movie, don't go see it to see good acting or a decent story line.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

The Future of Books...or is There One?

It is safe to say that what we consider to be a "book", has been pretty consistent for the past few hundred years. Nothing much has changed for the book industry, except the addition of the electronic book and the audio book, which for the most part hasn't been hugely successful with the general public.

Is the book industry the exception to the changing media world that we know? I mean the music industry has done so many changes over the past 40 years that it's hard to keep track of how many mediums they have used to sell their products. Television and movie industries have also had to endure the evaluational process to keep with changing times and technologies. Will the book industry have to do this as well, or are they the exception to this evaluational process that seems to be sweeping every other media industry?

Well, I would say that no one, at least no one in my lifetime, will ever have to worry about the book industry being swept up into this technological tornado that is causing all of the other media industries to evolve their mediums for distribution. And why not? Well, the answer is actually really quite simple...

No one wants to have to read a 390 page novel from their computer screen! It is uncomfortable(who wants to sit in the bathtub with their laptop), it is not easily transportable (its not like you can just throw a laptop in your purse for when you have a couple of free minutes to read), it is not easily markable (you can't write notes in the margins, highlight the important passages, or fold the page back to mark your spot), and most importantly, it is not personal! Let me explain this last point, because this one is the truly the most important one..

Who ever heard of having your electronic book signed by the author? No one, probably because it is not possible (or at least not to my knowledge). In addition, it is nearly impossible to have sentimental attachments to a book that is on your computer. Also, and I know that I am not the only person to feel this way, I love the look and feel of a new novel. Having the novel be tangible is a huge part of the reading experience-why else do so many people have personal libraries?

So as far as I am concerned, I don't see any real evolution in the novel/book industry happening any time soon. However, I do see electronic books and electronic audio books that you can download growing, which I think is a good thing. Maybe this reach into the electronic world will help to grow the interest in reading with our youth. Who knows, it could happen!

Monday, September 11, 2006

Putting an End to Illegal Downloading!

Advertising to stop illegal downloading: You see it everywhere! Every time you go to watch a DVD, go to a movie and now even television has commercials for it! So what's the problem? Why isn't it working? Is the marketing campaign not being exposed to its target audience? Is there not enough exposure for the campaign? Are the advertisements themselves of poor quality? Is there not enough capital to back up the campaign?

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

The problem is the marketing campaign itself! The entire campaign is based off the notion that "downloading is illegal" and that it is "morally wrong". I mean how many times have we seen the advertisement that rambles on about how "you wouldn't steal someones purse would you? You wouldn't steal someones car would you?... Well, downloading illegally is stealing. Piracy: it's a crime". Let me just say this: WHO CARES????? Obliviously, no one since it's still such an epidemic! Why should anyone care? I mean are the police going to storm your house and whisk you off to prison, or even give you a ticket at that matter? NO! In addition to that, the current advertisements don't even address who is being hurt by this so called crime. In fact, more than likely, the general public doesn't feel too guilty for taking a couple dollars from the wallets of bands like U-2 or artists like Brittney Spears. Why should they?

This is my first journalism class. Before this class, I had no idea that the top acts of a specific record company subsidize the acts of many, many others, and I would be willing to bet that the majority of the general population doesn't know this either, or at least, doesn't understand the repercussions that illegal downloading has when considering this.

That is where an advertising campaign should be focused! The advertising campaign should be focused on how illegal downloading limits the talent pool of new artists, on how it cuts short the careers of many, many new musicians, how many artists chances for success are taken away by the repercussions of illegal downloading because it greatly limits the amount of "subsidy" that can happen. The new marketing campaign should focus on how illegal downloading is killing the creative music possibilities. It should also focus on the smaller bands and artists, show their side of the story. An average person is much more likely to feel guilty or wrong about taking away from a budding band or artist, than say, Madonna.

Any thoughts?

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Is Imperialism Alive and Kicking?

Chinua Achebe's masterpiece "Things Fall Apart" gets its title from W.B. Yeat's famous poem "The Second Coming", which is based on the aftermath of World War One. In Thing Fall Apart, Avhebe, through the use of his grand talent to capture the human qualities that are common to everyone across the globe demonstrates his profound opposition to imperialism.

This simple novel about a man (Okonkwo) whose life is ruled by his own short comings and fears almost majestically demonstrates how foolish the Western and European cultures have been (and still are.?). For the first 3/4ths of the novel, Achebe entrenches the reader in the everyday lives of the a Nigerian tribe. The reader becomes immersed in the lives and customs of a culture that almost seems like it comes from an episode of the twilight zone; a culture so different that, at first, the reader connects such words as "savage" and "uncivilized" to it. However, after the British empire arrives to "civilize" it, it suddenly becomes unclear as to who is "savage" and who is "civilized".

Reflection: Has America learned from the mistakes of the past...or are we merly repeating them? For instance, the way that we seem to so freely march into other countries and declare what is right and what is wrong, how we tend to think that we are bringing them the correct form of "civilization"... What are we really doing, and what are we really saying? What message are we giving off to the rest of the world?

What do you think?

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth--Still an Issue Today?

For those of you who aren't familiar, Frantz Fanon was a writer born in 1925 in Martinique (which was, and still is a French colony). He is known most famously for his novel Black Skin/ White Masks, in which he gives his views about how a black man must put on the mask of a white man in order to be "successful" in life. In addition, his writings were some of the foundational tutelage's for Malcolm X.

In his essay, The Wretched of the Earth, he writes about "cultural banishment" as it applies to "colonized" people; how the colonizer's come in and suddenly establish the new approved culture and anyone who chooses not to follow these cultural norms are then culturally banished. Meaning, that in order to be accepted or successful in the new society, one must let go of their old culture and become submerged in the "white" culture.

Is this issue a theme even today in 2006 America? Are minorities still made to submit to the the dominant culture in order to feel accepted or to achieve success?

Unfortunately, I believe so. However, I do believe that we are making huge leaps toward a more inclusive and diversity accepting nation--or at least I would like to believe this. For example, in corporate America new "inclusive" policies are starting to emerge that insist on diversity being present in organizations--more diversity means more perspectives, which means higher levels of innovation; it's just good business sense. These inclusive policies range from cultural awareness training for managers, flexibility for working mothers, leadership training for women and minorities, diversity standards for equal representation among all levels employees, and much much more...

What does that mean for our culture as a whole? Will our present "dominant culture" go under dramatic changes as a result to become more representative the multi-cultural nation we are? What do you think?