"Brownstones to Red Dirt"

Ruth/Rachel: This is a SIFF blog to be graded for extra credit

Brownstones to Red Dirt is a film about two groups of grade school students that are pen pals with each other. One group is from Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, NY, USA. The other is from Freetown, Sierra Leone. The children from Bed-Stuy are living in a neighborhood which has been historically known for high rates of crime, especially murder as well as poverty. The school children from Bed-Stuy attended the Urban Environment School that was built in between two housing projects. This school was designed to provide an enriching educational environment that would not have been available otherwise. The Freetown kids were mostly orphans of civil war and attended the Children In Crisis School that was run by three Auntys, one of whom had originally rescued many of the children during the war. The Children In Crisis school was a safe haven for these children, but was overcrowded and lacking greatly in materials, food, water and medicine.

The children from both countries created strong bonds with their pen pals and learned more about each-other's situations. One really positive aspect of the sharing was that the kids in Bed-Stuy felt motivated to reach out to the kids of Freetown by hosting a fundraiser for the Children in Crisis school. They ended up raising about $1000 and providing serious aid to their pen pals. This funding was able to provide bedding, medicine and educational resources. I think that this helped show how even in the position of a child in an area known for poverty you can still make an impact and create a change for social justice that you care about. It also shows that there is a need for unity among all peoples. Malik, one of the students from Bed-Stuy's closing words of the film say it well. "People. Friends. Other countries. Tokyo. Sure I’m black. Sure you’re black. Sure you’re white. Sure you’re Spanish. Sure you’re Hindi. Doesn’t matter. We’re still people."

A few of the other Bed-Stuy kids address race briefly. Fred, who is African-American says he feels stereotyped against because he is black. He says that people assume that he fights and gets into trouble and that he is just "a black piece of dirt." He also was hesitant to begin skateboarding, his now favorite hobby, because he thought it was something that only white people did.

This film passed the Bechdel test for gender and for race. In fact I do not recall anyone in the film who was not a person of color. Though on screen we saw communities of color being represented, I feel that it should be noted that the director and writer (who were also producers for this film) were both white men. Not to degrade any of the work that they have done but to be aware of the fact that even when people of color and women are represented on screen they are not often behind the screen in positions of power. In the case of this documentary even though people of color and women are telling their story, the are still seen through the lens of white males.

Photos From:

Brownstones to Red Dirt Website

Quote From:

Malik in Brownstones to Red Dirt (Dir. LaMattina, Walker, 2010)

Topp Twins: Amusing Activist Allies

Ruth/Rachel this is SIFF blog 2 of 2 for regular grading

Last night I went to the SIFF opening screening of "The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls". This film showed how two down-to-earth Kiwi sisters communicated with their music & humor and used it to educate and motivate on issues which they were oppressed and those which they were allies for.

In the late 1970s the Topps' music was a part of the Women's movement and then in the early 80s they were on the forefront of marches and protests for several other issues. They addressed issues from Maori land rights and anti-apartheid to homosexual rights and a nuclear-free New Zealand. They were out lesbians on the forefront of a broad collection of movements and helped create role models for activists and LGBTQ people.

Before the screening, the Topp's came onto the stage and preformed an opening song in Maori as a tribute to their country. As well, the film showed them fighting for the land rights of indigenous peoples. The Topp's told the story of how at the last minute they had to dodge being arrested for the cause as they planned when they were summoned to perform the next day as a fundraiser for those who were being arrested. The Topps were also shown performing a song with one of the close friends they had made in this fight. Their rendition of "Nga Iwi E", a Maori song, showed their ability to create a rallying cry for people through music. With their performance before the film and their activism with in it voicing the rights and respect to indigenous peoples it makes me wonder what it would look like if non-indigenous Americans honored the tribes whose lands they occupy.

The Topps also showed themselves to be great models for LGBTQ people. Lynda and Jools Topp came from a farming country background and still carry on that as a big piece of their identity. These are 'good old country western gals' and they are also lesbian. They affirmed that being gay is about who you love, not liking certain kinds of music or being from an urban or rural background. Country musicians don't have to be straight and gay people don't have to be urban. They can also be funny. The Topps have created several campy characters that are both humorous and contain some social commentary. They reached many rural audiences and helped to normalize lesbian performers. Just as the Topps had been allies and activists for many causes they also appealed to a wide audience from rural people and steel mill workers to members of the gay community and women's movement.

Overall I feel that this film displays the work of two strong women who are allies and activists as well as entertainers. I think that the Topp Twins can be good role models for all people as to what it means to be an ally and an activist and how we can all use our talents to communicate a greater message of unity.

All Images From:

The Topp Twins Website

Trailer Courtesy:

Youtube

Lose the Fear.

Ruth/Rachel: This is not for grading about a SIFF film

"A life lived in fear is a life half lived"- Anonymous

and that doesn't just go for the guys.

This side entry does not deal much with the media, but I wanted to post about it as an ally to African-Americans and lower class people, as well as some big connections I see between myths about these oppressed groups and violence against women. This is me speaking out on something that I do not feel is right.

Today on a social networking website I received a mass warning from a friend to watch out for a man who had been attacking women in the Seattle area. The only information included in the warning about the man was that he was Black and that women should 'be careful'. Some responses to this warning included one woman saying that she had a 'creepy' black homeless man near her work and that she would be cautious around them today. Though I appreciate a warning of an attacker on the loose, I find some serious problems with the way this information was communicated. Seeing this simple warning unfold today really made me see a lot of connections between the myths surrounding gender violence and stereotypes about race, class, and gender.

Though Seattle has a small African-American population 8.4%, it is the highest of west coast cities other than Los Angeles. Among this population exists friends, family, colleagues, respected professors, leaders, community members, and advocates working against gender violence. So why is being Black used as the sole descriptor of this attacker? As a woman, should I go to class tomorrow and be suspicious of my Black male professor who is an ally for gender equality? Should I assume I need to protect myself from my classmates who are African-American men? No. The reality is that there are unfortunately many, many, many white men who attack women. Life is not a D.W. Griffith movie! Black men are not ravaging animalistic rapists on the search for their next (white) female victim! Realistically solely telling the information that the attacker is a black male with no age or other identifying characteristics leaves us a huge amount of people that one is supposed to suspect as a possible attacker and is not helpful much at all except for re-instilling myths about attacks on (white) women being carried out by black men.

Another piece that is brought up is myths about class. Often people in the lowest class or those who are sometimes seen as out of the class system, the homeless are regarded as dirty, mentally unstable and criminal. The myth that homeless strangers and vagrants are most likely on the search to commit alley way rapes and assaults on women is not very representative of most assaults. In reality, 7/10 female sexual assault victims know their attackers (Dobrovolny). The reality that most attackers are not homeless strangers brings up the rape myths that are put in place to scare women.

Rape is one of the worst crimes but is often taught to us in myths that are not true. Women are taught to be afraid of going away from the home in order to avoid rape and sexual assault. Truthfully 3/4 of all violent attacks occur within 5 miles of the home (Dobrovolny). So staying in the home and being Suzie Homemaker is not the ticket to safety from violence. Women are also told that if they do leave home they definitely need to 'be careful'. What does that even mean? Make eye contact/don't make eye contact? Be obvious/don't be obvious? Carry a weapon/don't carry a weapon? Most attackers are not strangers and these puzzling solutions may even make the situation worse.

Some strategies for preventing sexual assault that are more effective then these common ones are to:

• Clearly express boundaries
• Watch out for controlling behaviors, signs of violence and disrespect
• Educate yourself on rape myths
• Trust your inner voice
• Know who you are hanging out with
• Don't pass out in private

It is important that women do not restrict themselves from public mobility because they fear assault. They are limiting themselves and placing their fear in the wrong place. It is important to dispel the myths about race, class, and gender especially when it comes to situations of violence. If we break down the myths, we can redirect our energy into educating people on truly effective strategies to preventing violence and can bridge gaps to communities that are too often given the role of scapegoat in violent crimes (among other things.)

Assault Statistics from:

"Road Worrier" by Michell Dobrovlny

Sexual Assault Prevention Strategies from:

Rachel David's "Gender, Violence, and Social Change" course

"Farsan": Comedic Masculinity

Ruth/Rachel this is SIFF blog 1 for regular grading.

There will be spoilers of Farsan in this blog entry.

The first film I went to see in the Seattle International Film Festival was Farsan. The film centers on Aziz, an older man seeking a new lady. Aziz is a first generation Middle Eastern immigrant to Sweden who works in a bicycle shop. He lives a quiet life but is seeking some more companionship as he misses his deceased wife. He is looking forward to the expected birth of his first grandchild and is seeking a new wife.

Ethnicity is highlighted in this film mostly through Aziz and Aziz's coworker Juan. The expressions of ethnicity are also very deeply tied to masculinity. In the case of Juan's ethnicity is not specifically stated, but he is a Spanish speaker and shows some elements of the Latin Lover. He is an older 'ladies man' who has multiple dates and dances with mulitple women. He even ends up serving lamb testicles claimed as an aphrodisiac at a double date with Aziz. Aziz's ethnicity is explored in his interactions with women that could be regarded as more culturally suited for an older time and his nation of origin. His dress and a hasty marriage proposal to one woman show this. As well, Sami, Aziz's son feels a great pressure from his father to have grandchildren and carry on the seed, so much so that Sami and his wife fake a pregnancy approaching a pending adoption to cover up Sami's infertility. Aziz displays some traits of a stereotypical first generation immigrant parent. Though traits of these stereotypes are visible the characters have more complexity beyond these traits. Though this film did not pass the Bechdel test for gender it passed for race (counting Middle Eastern people as a race).

The emphasis on masculinity among the characters of Aziz and Juan is also shown in their relationship with each other. They often say "Macho, Macho" after their displays or stories of masculinity and talk about how 'well endowed' they are. Their macho masculinity transfers to their boss Jörgen after Jörgen expresses that he has sex with his wife less often than the other men find fitting. Aziz takes Jörgen under his wing to teach him how to be macho and win more affection from his wife. Aziz takes him on fulfilling extreme dares pushing him out of a car and down mounds of rocks to 'make him strong.' Jörgen takes proving his masculinity to an extreme by picking fights with his wife, Lotta to assert control, getting a tattoo of a bull that says 'DEATH' and making a "macho salad" crushing vegetables hilariously with his body for Lotta. Lotta rejects this new behavior and wants him to return to his 'wimpy' self. Jörgen's character shows the extremes that proving masculinity can go to and how comical it can be trying to achieve unattainable standards of gender roles.

Overall, I enjoyed this film quite a bit and would recommend it to other SIFF goers and felt it had a thought provoking commentary on masculinity.

Photos Courtesy of:

Tankadirr

GP

Trailer Courtesy of:

Youtube

"Ripple Effect": Disability, Race, & Relationships

Ruth/Rachel: This is the blog I would like graded for week 8.

There will be spoilers of Ripple Effect in this entry. If reading them will prevent you from watching it, go check out the film first!

The film Ripple Effect follows the life of Amer Atrash, a fashion designer who is going through a crisis in business and in his relationship with his wife and family. Amer believes that his struggles are a payback for a car accident 15 years prior where he hit a pedestrian (Phillip) and thus made him partially paralyzed. In order to end his struggles Amer seeks out Phillip to release his guilt and the burden of him knowing the position he has placed him in.

This film addresses the sexuality of people with disabilities by showing that they do not have sex or are not adequate partners for sex. Amer makes his contact with Phillip by being picked up by Kitty, Phillip's wife, at a bar. Amer follows her home on her invitation in hopes of speaking with Phillip, but he later discovers that Kitty picked him up so that they could have sex. Phillip permits Kitty to have sex with Amer and says that he just wants his wife to be happy. Amer ends up refusing Kitty and she then kicks him out of their home. Kitty's character shows that though she loves her husband and he is her life partner that he is unable to complete her sexual desires. This stereotype and assumption is limiting of people with disabilities and sends a message that they have no need or desire for a sexual relationship and the sexual desires of an able-bodied partner should come first. Kitty also displays an intense hatred to Amer when she discovers that he was the driver in the accident with Phillip and believes he deserves no amends. She really wishes that her partner was not disabled.

Disability is also addressed in the film through Phillip's character. Amer approaches Phillip seeking amends for the wrongs he feels he has done in the accident. Phillip easily provides full forgiveness for Amer, but questions if that is what is really bothering him and shares with Amer how his disability has brought him good things. I was happy to find that Phillip held no resentment to Amer and did not fulfill the Obsessive Avenger stereotype as I expected he would. However, Phillip could possibly be seen as a Saintly Sage. Phillip talks with Amer about his life, the meaning of life in a way that brings Amer solace and closer to enlightenment, assisting the able bodied protagonist and having an ethereal quality. He as well holds no resentment to his wife for sleeping with other men and tells Amer that when the accident happened he was on his way to shoot Kitty for sleeping with someone else. This could be read that the accident was fate stopping Phillip from committing murder, it could also be read as him becoming more saintly by becoming disabled.

Though Phillip could be seen as the Saintly Sage for assisting Amer I think that mostly he is a fairly realistic portrayal of a person's reaction of changing lifestyle and beliefs after a near death experience. Phillip is given the role of a professor and is looked at as intelligent by his pupils and peers. Phillip was a layered character who was defined by more than his disability and I found that refreshing.

One other positive aspect of Ripple Effect is that the two romantic relationships in the film were interracial. Though the relationship between Kitty, who is white and Phillip, who is black, was different they were shown as very much in love and at peace with one another. Amer (who is Middle Eastern) struggled in his relationship with his wife Sherry (who is white) but they are also shown as very in love and as a very realistic relationship with good and bad parts. They were not romanticized tales of passionate "jungle fever" interracial relationships, nor tales of the horror of marrying outside your race. They were complex relationships that existed without regard to race.

Overall I enjoyed Ripple Effect. I felt that it had a compelling story in addition to creating layered characters of color and with disability.

Photos Courtesy of: Ripple Effect

Trailer Courtesy of: Youtube

Murderball: Acquired Disability & Masculinity

Ruth/Rachel: This is the blog I would like graded for week 7.

The film Murderball follows quadriplegic rugby players who compete for team USA in the Paralympics of 2004 in Athens, Greece. The film shows the speed, aggression, and athleticism involved in playing quad rugby. As well it tells the story of these mens lives as people with quadriplegia. One theme throughout the film is proving masculinity. This can be seen clearly in the lives of Mark Zupan and Joe Soares.

Zupan was regarded as tenacious, confrontational, and tough by his parents and peers growing up. According to his friends and peers on the court that remained even with his quadriplegia. He was an athlete to be feared with tattoos and a spitfire attitude to match. In the film Zupan says that he has gotten into confrontations before where he has questioned "Not going to hit a kid in a chair? Hit me! I'll hit you back." showing that his disability has not compromised his masculine trait of being able to address problems with physical violence. As well, Zupan talked about how able-bodied artifacts got to him such as seeing soccer cleats or photos of him playing sports. This built up a lot of anger in Zupan which could be seen on and off the court.

Joe Soares also displays his masculinity through his aggression and athleticism. He is easily angry, aggressive and was one of the greatest quad rugby players ever. When Soares was not asked back on the Paralympic team because of age he left the US to coach for the Canadian quad rugby team in a seemingly bitter revenge-motivated move. He was furious and frustrated for not being included again in the team felt that his athletic ability (and possibly masculinity) was being challenged. As a coach he was unrelenting and vicious with opponents. His tough love attitude also channeled into his relationship with his able-bodied son, Robert. He told Robert that he should stand up for himself physically as he did when he was a child and didn't fully appreciate Robert's achievements in academics and music. Joe sought, in a typical male gender role fulfilling fashion, for Robert to be a strong man by being involved in sports and by using his physical strength to establish power and respect. Towards the end of the film and after suffering a heart attack Joe's attitudes seem to change somewhat but the prevailing message shows Joe's competitiveness, aggression, and athleticism prove his masculinity.

Another interesting element to this story is that both of these men became quadriplegic in an acquired disability. They were not born this way, Zupan was in a car accident and Soares suffered polio. I think in some ways this amplifies their desire to prove their masculinity because they may feel that they once were at a state of being able-bodied and active, as a stereotypical man should be and now feel that they have to regain that piece of masculinity.

Another point made by the players in Murderball that separates them from other people in the

disability community and affirm their honest athletic talent is their emphasis on the difference between The Special Olympics and The Paralympics. According to The Special Olympics website "[the] Special Olympics is where athletes with intellectual disabilities celebrate and are celebrated for their accomplishments." Whereas, "the Paralympics are elite sport events for athletes with a disability. They emphasize, however, the participants' athletic achievements rather than their disability." (Paralympic Games Website) In the words of player Scott Hogsett in the film: "We're not going for a hug. We're going for a fucking gold medal." Though Hogsett says he respects the work of The Special Olympics he does not want to be categorized with its athletes. In someways divided by different types of disability, but also in the case of many quad rugby players, their disability is acquired. Whereas, those participating in the Special Olympics with intellectual or developmental disabilities are born with their different abilities.

I think this brings up two thoughts. One, that people with disabilities do not generally want to be lumped together in the big category they are and often do not identify with people who have different disabilities than they do. Another that some people with disabilities may identify their disability as better, less limiting, or less effecting of gender roles than another. In the case of the quad rugby players in Murderball it seems that they have been able to create a strong male identity for themselves regardless (and in conjunction with) their disabilities though they may feel intellectually disabled athletes do not bear the same masculine drive of competition.

So what kind of athlete is most masculine? A quad rugby player, a special olympics competitor, an able bodied weight lifter? Does one have to dominate? Do sports have to be able bodied AND masculine? For the last two I would say no, but I am waiting for more media messages to tell this truth. Here's my call for differently-abled women's roller derby!

Images From:

Reel Artsy Blog

USA Today

V Generations

The Paralympian Online

Quotes:

The Special Olympics website

Paralympic Games Website

Scott Hogsett in the film Murderball (Dir. Dubin & Sharpio, 2005)

Class and Gender in the Ring

Ruth & Rachel: This is the entry I would like graded for week 6.
In America you can do anything you set your mind to, right? As long as you work hard enough, right? Maybe not. The tangibility of the American Dream in our society may well do with the strong presence of the Horatio Alger myth portrayed in the media. According to America On Film the Horatio Alger myth is "the idea that anyone in America can rise to economic success through hard work and the aid of friendly benefactors."(Benshoff and Griffin, p419) How does the Horatio Alger myth play out in terms of the working class man and how do the stereotypes of lower class men effect how these men work within the Horatio Alger myth?

Working class men are often involved in physical labor. In the media they are often portrayed as unintelligent, uncomplicated but physically strong and active. They are often displayed with bulky muscular bodies and often fit into a brute stereotype. Working class male stereotypes do not allow them the power of wealth and intelligence that upper class men have, but they are given power in their physical strength. Many times they are the center of an American Dream story, showing that if you just keep working hard enough you can have class mobility. This is often seen very well in narratives about boxers.

Rocky (and its sequels) tells the tale of an Italian-American man who is not very bright but twice as brute. He gets a chance to compete in a boxing Championship when another contender drops out. Rocky Balboa manages to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World (in Rocky II) and reaches a higher class status with his boxing income. Showing that he is able to move up the class ladder, but only by the work of his physical strength that is the power a lower class man holds.

In Cinderella Man there is the story of a once prominent Irish-American boxer James Braddock who was forced to give up boxing because of injury but continues to work hard labor to try and support his family in the backdrop of the Great Depression. Like in Rocky, Braddock is given a chance opportunity in the ring as a fill in at the last second, which leads him on to achieving the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World. Once again rising to a status of power with the hard work as described by the Horatio Alger myth, but in the mode of physical strength as prescribed to the stereotype of working class men.

Both of these men embody a great vision of the working-class hero. They both start as lower class but work their way up the class ladder with a lot of blood, sweat and tears and manage to achieve the American Dream but their method of achieving it stays consistent with the stereotypes of lower class men's greatest power being their physical strength. The narrative of the working class athlete following the Horatio Alger myth can also be seen in several other sports movies including The Blind Side which adds race into the mix with gender and class.

The mode for achieving the American Dream for lower class men seems to continue to instill the stereotype. In the challenge of being a provider for their families men may be defending their masculinity in the pursuit and display of physical strength and power. This is a contrast to upper class men are often portrayed as intelligent, attractive, well-dressed and active, but not necessarily physically. Their clothing is often more gaudy and more effeminate than that of a working class man, but because of their economic power their masculinity need not be proved by their muscles, but their wallet. It seems that class creates two standards of masculinity and that in achieving the American dream men must always be proving their masculinity.

The Horatio Alger myth when packaged with athleticism can send a message that may not be the best for the working class. It is saying that physical achievement is the only way to make class mobility and oversimplifies the chance of being selected as a well paid athlete. Though these stories are enjoyable they need to be taken with a grain of salt. Not to stop dreaming, but not to expect equity and not to pretend it is there when it is not.

Images from:

View and Review

21st Century Boy Blog

Quote from:

Benshoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. America on Film Representing Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality at the Movies. Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. 419. Print.