At this juncture, we have covered material as it relates to our developing subjectivities in different spaces. 'Apparate' or secondspace yourself into a context that has yet to exist and consider how your subjectivity would be vulnerable to either stabilizing or destabilizing in this context. In brief, invent a context you've never been in, describe based on what you know about yourself, how you might respond, and describe the visible and invisible sociopolitical messages that the given space tries to inscribe onto you. You can use each others' contexts if you like em'. Go play! Again, be sure to use class discussions, references and articles...
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I'm going to use the context of goths because I just read the article and found it interesting. I can say that if I was ever put into a goth space I would be completely destabilized. I would probably stay very quiet and would not talk to anyone unless they talked to me first. In the article it states that they dress in all black with black makeup and meet in cemeteries. This would make me totally uncomfortable because the overall message and death and darkness and not being able to control the world around you, as the article describes, is something unfamiliar to me. I also think I would be judged as soon as I walked into that space and wouldn't last very long before I would remove myself from that space.
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend is a coal miner and I often hear about his job underground. This is a context that is already invented, but I have never been in and I know that I would be terrified. It is very low and you have to crawl on your knees to get around. This would be an extremely uncomfortable way to work for nine to ten hours and knowing myself, I would be complaining all the time. The mine is also pitched black and very dirty. As sissy as it sounds, I am definitely afraid of the dark, especially after seeing movies such as The Descent and My Bloody Valentine. I would be so paranoid the whole time I would be down there that some psycho coal miner would be down there ready to chop me up haha. After reading the Goth article, I can imagine that the Goths would probably feel at home in a coal mine where it is dark and isolated. Other than the usual things that freak people about the thought of being underground in a small place, I would also feel out of place because it is all guys down there. I would probably be a little bit offended by the way they talk about women and I would also feel stupid because I would have no clue how to do anything. Probably the biggest sociopolitical message that I would experience during a day in the coal mines would definitely be the hard work that these guys do just to support their families. The coal mines also represents a simulacra because when the workers are down there, they have no other distractions from the outside world and limited communication. I imagine it to be like its own little world down there.
ReplyDeleteI think I have met so many people of different "stereotypes," that I can pretty much adapt and strike up conversations pretty readily. I'm talking about people that are stereotyped as preps, punks, athletes, goths, hippies, etc. I like many types of music and have gone to so many concerts of different genres, that I feel as if I can relate to a lot of people from different backgrounds and groups. There is one experience that sticks out to me in which I felt pretty insecure. The first hip hop concert I went to was a few years back in Philadelphia. It was a group called Subliminal Orphans. Most of the people in the crowd were dressed pretty "hip hop" and I pretty uncomfortable because I didn't know how these shows typically went. Before the group even came out, the crowd had formed a circle for breakdancing and it was really awesome to watch, even though I felt out of place. As the show continued, though, I felt more secure and I started to stabilize again, partly because a friend of mine was there with me and I wasn't there all alone. Since that first show, I have fell in love with the whole hip hop scene and have been to a lot more shows. Although I may not look so "hip hop" and don't really dress the part either, I feel a lot more comfortable in that scenario because I know what to expect and feel that I know enough hip hop now to be able to exist in that context.
ReplyDeleteOne experience that I will never forget where I felt destabilized was in my freshman year. I saw a flyer that read 2 dolla holla. It said there would be dancing and lots of new people to meet. One of my favorite things to do is dance so I decided to go and take my sister with me who was still in high school. Well the night came and there was a long line to get in. Once we were in the building, I saw there were metal detectors to go through before we went in, and as I looked around my sister and I were the only Caucasians out of the group. Not that I mind, but I definitely got a lot of mixed looks at me. I started to feel destabilized, but I still wanted to dance. When we got inside I felt more stabilized once we began dancing. I met a couple people, and they were very nice. At the end they started to give out free condoms. I immediately made the decision to leave. I felt uncomfortable with that and me and my sister left. I think the sociopolitical message from the condoms were to have safe sex. It was an odd experience because I went to a high school where the majority of race is Caucasian, and for once in my life I experienced being the minority. There were people of Hispanic and African American descent. There were a couple of Caucasian boys there and this reminds me of the article with Melanie Bush on Wiggahs. I don’t know if they truly were or not because I hadn’t spoken with or knew them. I can relate to SaraLambo when she said she was the only one not dressed in “hip hop” clothing. I wasn’t either and in fact I looked lame. It was a fun experience, and one I’m sure I will never forget.
ReplyDeleteThe four of you have posed some fascinating thoughts- I look forward to hearing more tomorrow,. great work!!
ReplyDeleteI think the most I've every been uncomfortable during my years at IUP was freshman year at a fraternity house. My best friend and I decided to hang out with a couple new girls we met in our classes. We went over their house one Friday to hang out. We didn't know that the majority of girls that lived in the house were in sororities. The place everyone obviously anted to go was a frat house, and we figured it couldn't hurt to go and try it out. Well as soon as we walked downstairs at the party, we knew we didn't like it. We didn't know anyone, it was crowded, 100 degrees, and we waited literally 20 minutes for one beer! We were the only girls not in a sorority! It was obvious that if you were not involved in the Greek life, you weren't getting anywhere there. They had jello shots the size of my pinky, and they werent selling any to us! We knew we had to get out of there. The sociopolitical message was to join in the greek life, then you won't have any problems at these parties! I was so destabilized so my friend and I just weren't interested and left.
ReplyDeleteI now have a couple friends in frats and sororities so I don't have a problem with being involved. I actually have been to a couple since then, and they were fine. I knew more people, and had fun. People grow up and realized just because I wasn't involved doesn't mean I won't have fun! I felt more stabilized then when I went freshman year.
I would like to discuss the context of the goth culture being a second space in which I know for certain I would be destabilized if placed in this space just as britanyg stated in the previous comment. The article about the goth culture clearly explained that there are sociopolitical messages that comes alone with this culture through wearing all black, dramatic black makeup, and fascination with vampires and cemeteries symbolizes the culture belief in death,other life forms after death such as spirits, and rebellion.I feel my experience within this culture will definitely go agaisnt my personal beliefs and mannerism therefore leaving no chance of me restabilizing with this particular context. This goth culture can be viewed as a simulcra in which it is another world outside of the real world...people within this culture take on this lifestyle that is not subjective to the way the world views life...hope I am making sense...
ReplyDeleteI just watched a movie that had a couple of Amish contexts in it and lead me to think, what if I was put in that context. I believe my world would be completely destabilized, at least in the very beginning. This destabilization would be contributed to a lack of TV, internet, computer and all the other materialistic goods I have deemed “necessities.” Not to mention the differences between, food, shelter, customs, and believes, which would probably affect me the most. I think not knowing what’s going on with the world around me would scare me. But on the other hand, no news could be good news.
ReplyDeleteCompared to contexts we read about in the articles, about Goths or “blacks,” raves, and piercings, I think I could see myself becoming stabilized within the Amish context, rather than such a context as Goth. The “dead” aspect of the context freaks me a bit, so I couldn’t conform to this context because of my upbringing of beliefs.
I believe the sociopolitical messages that this community would inscribe onto me would consist of hard work, cherishing friends and loved ones, and a better perception of priorities of life. The film “For Richer or Poorer” would best compare the lessons one society can learn from another, such as the Amish.
I think it would be hard at first but eventually I would become stabilized within that context, perhaps for the better. By that I mean it would tech me not to be so reliant of technology, and material thinks I deemed as “important,” and have a better scope on what is important in life.
When imaging a place that I would feel vulnerable, the one place that comes to mind would, strangely enough be living in a submarine or a ship. My cousin is in the Navy and he was just home this past weekend and was telling me what it was like to live on ships and submarines. The one thing he kept on stressing was the limited amount of space you have and how tight the quarters are. For me, there is no way I would live on a ship. I am claustrophobic and just the thought alone of living in a tight space bothers me. For me, living on a ship or submarine would be really destabilizing to my identity since those living conditions are something that I am not accustomed too. I actually have toured the submarine located in Pittsburgh and I hated every single second I was in it. Just the thought of being in such confined spaces and hundreds of miles under water is enough. I love water, but not when you are completely surrounded by it and hundreds of miles from the surface. I think the sociopolitical message in this situation would be fear. When thinking about submarines and claustrophobia together, fear plays a huge part. People are thousands of miles under the ocean and anything can happen while they are down there. Also as MegMat stated about coal mines being a simulacra, I also think that a submarine could also be considered a simulacra. People, who spend time out on ship or even in a submarine, are separated from everyone else and are not interacting with people from the outside; the only interaction they have is with the other people on their ship. In a sense, it is almost as if these people do not exist and are separated from everyone else. As MegMat said, these people are almost in their own world where all that exists is them.
ReplyDeleteA very unsettling (and settling) experience i have had was when i traveled to Poland to study for a semester. The experience as a whole was incrediable, and life-changing, but there were many moments during my 5 months that was very destablizing and re-stabilizing at the same time. For example, my first impressions of the Polish people were how beautiful they all were. Being the only American, i arrived in Poland wearing my usual blue jeans, hoodie, and a pony tail. I was startled at how greatly the culture quickly destablized me. I consider myself a pretty confident person, okay with the person i am but it didnt take long for my self-esteem to slowly melt away as i saw every Polish girl dresses in top-notch European dress, with long thin legs and blonde hair. All of a sudden, i detested my relaxed American style and wanted so badly to fit in to the "fashion" of the times. I immediatly went out and bought new boots with heals and European clothes and let out a long sigh of relief, finally i would be restabilized... or so i thought. It was a few days after sporting my new attire that i once again experienced an intense episode of destabilization as i began to see myself attempting to shed my unique style, my Americanism, and felt ashamed at being ashamed of who i was. I had to remind myself that i'm NOT European, that i AM indeed American, and that my personal stability lies in that understanding. Soon after this realization, i once again returned to sneakers and a baseball cap.It was here that i felt like myself, like an American. Even thinking back on the experience, i'm not sure how long one could live in such an environment where there is SO much pressure to conform. Where diversity is the norm,and accepted, no wonder the Goths have created such an abstract sub-culture.. because they can.
ReplyDeleteThe context that I decided to look at is the goth culture because I thought it would be interesting. Since I am just imagining myself being in this culture it would be a second space.
ReplyDeleteThis is a subculture because they have their own identities and own values as a goth culture. They have many identity artifacts that go with their culture like certain jewerly that they wear, the black cloths and makeup etc.
I would be destablized in this culture becasue it would be uncomfortable at first in this surronding. I would be shy and not talk very much to the other people around me and I would not be very comfortable talking about death and things that represented death. I would not act the way that I act around with friends because I am comfortable around them. I also would not be comfortable with this environment becasue it the article it talked about how they some goths meet in cemeteries.
I think this can go with Baudrillard concept of simulacra becasue we would never know that this subculture was known as goth unless society and media tells us that they are. It is like that they take this image as goths to escape from the normal american culture.
The sociopolitical message that comes with goth's culture is everything symobilizes death. Like all blacks clothes, black makeup, their jewerly, having meeting in cemeteries.
I think after awhile of hanging out with the goths I would become stablized because it would become more familiar and apart of my identity.
One experience that definitely made be feel destabilized was the first country concert I have ever attended. I listen to various kinds of music (from rap to oldies) and can appreciate all of them in different ways so when my girl friends asked me to go to a Toby Keith concert with them I was very excited. Once we got to the concert, I received numerous weird looks. I have my lip pierced and I could just tell people were staring at that. Knowing that people were staring at me because of this, I felt completely destabilized. I became quiet and even tried to hide my lip ring from people. A woman (with her young daughter at her side) even came up to me and asked me what the hell I was doing there and said I didn't belong. Shocked, my two best friends stepped in and stuck up for me. They had told her that I had just as much right to be there as she did and just because I had a piercing she didn't approve of didn't mean I couldn't enjoy country music. Instantly I felt stabilized again. Without my friends there I would never have been able to restabilize in such a quick way.
ReplyDeleteI was talking to some friends and they described to me an awful night they had. They went to a bar which someone had suggested to them. A majority of the people in the bar were emo and a bunch of emo rock groups were going to be playing soon.
ReplyDeleteOut of no where the music starting blasting and the lyrics were not sung but screamed.
I tried to imagine what I would have done in this situation and here it is..........
As soon as I walked in I would have scanned the bar to get an idea of my surroundings which would of included the people, decor and atmosphere. In this situation I would immediately be destabilized as I would have nothing in common with other people in the bar. It would be rude to just walk out and not give it a chance but I know I would not stay that long.
One of the visual sociopolitical messages would be how this group of people dress. It is very dark and different. They dress to express themselves and do not care what others think.
From listening to one song of this type of music group, I believe the invisible sociopolitical messages are how the lyrics are very deep and contain a lot of personal aspects and experiences. Some of these people have gone through some stuff in their lives and the only way to get over it is to let out their feelings and emotions.
This context can be directly linked to the reading on Goth. These people have their own unique style of clothes, music they listen to, how they express themselves and their beliefs. They do not care what others think or that they are not seen as the norm in today's society.
My father is a police officer in my hometown. I don't know how he does it. He is known and liked by just about everyone in the town, but that doesn't mean that he knows or likes them. It is possible that the people that act like they like him are just pretending to like him. When I talk to anyone (especially young people) I get the sense that they dislike cops. In fact, most people say that they hate cops. But why?
ReplyDeleteI think that the biggest reason for people to hate authority is their parents. You should be trained at a young age to respect authority when authority deserves it, but my father tells me of times when he walks into places and over hear parents talking to their children. They say something like, "If you aren't good they police man is going to take you away from mommy." It is easy to see how a fear of police instilled into children at a young age can turn into hatred at older ages.
This hatred is undeserved though. The fact of the matter is that people love cops. When they need them. Okay, now I am done with my rant. Back to the actual assignment.
I would not be able to handle it if i knew that people hated me for no good reason. Even if they would not admit it to my face. I am the kind of person who wants everyone to like them. Also, I am a liberal person. In general, cops are conservatives; especially in my small, semi-rural home town in western PA. I would not like to be around that type of person day to day. I also, can't stand when people say that government workers, specifically cops, are over paid.
I can relate myself to a lot of the posts above. Like Bridget I’ve had the frat experience, like Patty I’ve also felt the minority destabilization at least once in my life, and like Kennedy I’ve also had the bar experience. Despite all those incidents I think the a good destabilization experience was when I went to my uncle’s wedding. I come from a very small town and sometimes we do things that would be considered “hickish.” To us it something that everyone does and it feels normal to us. For my uncle’s wedding we had to go to Pittsburgh to this fancy wedding. We soon realized that we did not fit in very well at all. In my area it’s normal for us to hit the glasses or pound on the tables for the newlyweds to kiss, but in this up class restaurant it was not appropriate at all. We got yelled at by the employees numerous times about the things we did. It wasn’t until this experienced that I realized things that we may find normal in our traditional kinds of weddings is not normal at all at other weddings. The different things you do at weddings actually come from your customs and define who you are. You may not understand why you do them, but you can guarantee there is a story behind why you do it. When you begin to experience other customs you can feel destabilized because it’s something out of the norm for you. I was surprised to discover that a lot of my friends didn’t know what a bridal dance was. When I explained what it was to them their response was “That’s stupid. Why would you pay money to dance with the bride?” Unless you understand the customs you may feel destabilized by that statement because you realize that it is kind of stupid. Why do you pay money to dance with the bride?
ReplyDeleteI would like to discuss the context of Goths culture being a second space. If I was in a group of all Goths I would feel very destabilized. Even after being around Goths for awhile I honestly don’t know if I would ever be stabilized in that environment. I would stay in the corner of the room not talk much and would probably look at my cell as much as possible to keep my mind off of being in an uncomfortable situation. I feel that I would be judged as soon as I would walk into the room. I would stick out, and that would make me feel very uncomfortable. I also feel I would judge them just because I am not used to it. I went to a high school where there were only a few Goths, but I almost feel like they were just going through a phase because they wanted to be different.
ReplyDeleteI was already somewhat interested in learning about Goths because my cousin is one. Whenever a holiday would come around and I would see her I would just look and stair. I know it is rude to stair, but I was just amazed by the length of work it took to look like a Goth. She spent more time getting ready with her makeup, clothes, and nails then I did. When it came time for her to get a job she had to tone down her “Gothness” because no one wanted to hire her the way she looked.
In the article it stated that Goths wear black makeup, dress in all black clothes, and meet in cemeteries which represents a sociopolitical message and that is death. To me I would get very freaked out if one of my friends was like let’s all meet at the cemetery. I would probably be in shock actually, and not know what to say. To me the cemetery is a creepy place especially at night. I also feel that the cemetery is a sacred place, and should not be used as a meeting ground.
nice job bill. i love blog ranting. always entertaining.
ReplyDeleteAs long as we can invent any situation here, Im just gonna write some ridiculous stuff about time travel. Time travel would be pretty epic, but man, imagine the destabalization that would be going on. It would be INSANE! There I would be in the year 500 A.D surrounded by people thinking the Earth was flat and was the center of the universe. I would laugh and laugh, and people would probably eventually get offended and begin to threaten me. But then I could just explain to them about the Copernican Revolution and Einsteins later theory of relativity. They would be mesmerized by my stories, and I could probably hit them up for a free drink. I think in the end, it would all turn out pretty well.
Being a very shy person, I feel destabilized in most environments, particularly those which are unfamiliar or contrasting with my personal interests. Expanding on this on a deeper level, I agree with Brittany that I would feel out of place and uncomfortable within the Goth culture. For one, I simply know that I would not fit in and that they would hate me. I giggle too much and I always cry at that Sarah Mclachlan commercial about the injured animals. They would hate me. Knowing this, I would always feel destabilized in that environment, regardless of how accepting I might be towards them and their beliefs. Also, if I tried to fit in and turn myself "Goth," I know I would fail at it. I would simply be trying to hard and faking everything, so I would never truly fit in. I think it's impossible for a person to be completely stabilized if they're acting fake. This leads me to imagine another second space, which is a frat party. I completely agree with Bridget's response and I have to say that frat parties make me feel extremely uncomfortable and very destabilized. Having gone to a few of these parties with my friends, I know that it is a culture in which I could never fit in. I hate pretending that I like overcrowded basements and cheap beer and sweaty strangers and people who only care about drinking said beer and having sex with said strangers. Everyone and everything about that environment is a copy without an original-boys and girls who look exactly alike and act exactly alike and think exactly alike that it's impossible to tell who they were before they became a part of this culture. This also makes me feel destabilized because I know that I don't look like them or act like them or think like them, so I don't fit in. I can pretend that I fit in, but I don't really.
ReplyDeleteEver since I was young, I’ve always thought it would be awesome to be a medium, or a clairvoyant. This is a context I’ve never been in, and I don’t know how I would handle it if I were to put myself in that position. I’ve always been interested in ghosts, and even though I’m fascinated by them, I know that if I was in a situation where I would be in contact with the supernatural—I’d be scared. To know that these people are coming to you because they have an issue or problem where they can’t cross over to the other side, whatever and wherever that would be.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was reading the hip-hop article, I was blown away by some of the environments described. Now, as I’m writing this, I’m thinking about that space full of dead people—all needing help. The article described these places as being comfortable and neutral. If I were in a place that had dead people in it, but was used to them being there, I would be comfortable too. I’m sure at first I would be a little bit destabilized because it would be something that I have never experienced before.
One visible sociopolitical message that would go along with this space I created would be just the fact that there would be many issues that I would have to encounter in order to help these people cross over to the other side. An invisible sociopolitical message could be perhaps why I was the person to get this gift. What is it within my genetical make-up that would give me this gift? I would just have to come to the understanding that nothing is going to change about the way I am.
I'm going to discuss the context of the techno and house subcultures. I am not one for going to clubs and going dancing. When I have gone into clubs, I have always felt very destabilized. A reason that I feel destabilized I guess is because of my upbringing. I was raised in a working poor class home out in boondocks. There weren't any clubs nearby, only hometown bars. When I think of the kinds of people who go I think of the middle and upper classes. Clubs and raves never seemed the place for kids with very little money, to me. Of course the idea of going to something like the Berlin Love Parade always seemed like a great idea and an amazing experience.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just the environment, the bright lights or the loud music, that causes the destabilization. It's the massive group of people who make me feel uneasy. The bright colors, random lights, and the music cause a setting in which I have never been a part of. The fact that all of this is included with a large group of people would make me very uneasy, since it would be fairly easy to get lost in the crowd.
I know that this isn't anything spectacular but if I were to pick a context I have never been in I would probably choose a movie premiere. I know that I would be very excited (as long as I liked the movie haha) and I also know that I would feel very destabilized in an environment with a ton of movie stars. I think that a premiere like this could be a similacra because no one really thinks about the outside world at a premiere. Everyone focuses on things like dresses, shoes, and the movie itself. A sociopolitcal message that could be present at a movie premiere could be that the movie industry tries to make consumer spend money, therefore they make the premiere extravagant to make it look like the movie is great and a big deal.
ReplyDeleteIf i had to choose a context to be in that i would feel most destabilized in, it would have to be surrounding myself with the wealthy. the wealthy in todays society are always going to have the true stereotype of being better than everyone else, even with their fellow wealthy friends, everyone is always trying to one up everyone else, and this bothers me. these negative sociopolical messages is what society has come to, that we feel the need to "keep up with the jones' " with any means necesary, rich people are so rediculous in that they feel if u have money and power, you have everything ! well i dont exactly agree with the way the rich nowadays are seen as almost god like figures and flaunt it...whether it be celebrities and what have you, these people are seen and portrayed as always being better, and the media in a sense give them this power. Seeing as how most people i know arent rich at all, we all work very hard to have what we do and we are grateful for that. i think the wealthy take advantage of everything that they have and are always wanting more, if this wealth was perhaps put into good use, like for instance our countries health care or education..we would all be alot better off. The wealthy environment is a big destabilization for most people who dont have much, they feel inferior and this shouldnt be the case at all.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to delve into both a context and a popular culture that makes me feel destabilized. Society has branded what the believe to be "beautiful." In many cases, it is your typical 6 foot, thin as a pole, brunette, who has perfectly straight, white teeth and big boobs. Unfortunately, this doesn't fit the specs of your standard American female. If I were to attend a party or gala for a high fashion magazine like Vogue, I would feel the effects of destabilization before stepping foot out of the vehicle. I am of average weight and roughly a foot shorter than the majority of the women featured on the pages of Vogue. I don't feel that any situation would assist in the stabilization of my being while surrounded by the "beautiful" people of our day and age. I would feel utterly inferior to them and their environment. Barbie, an inanimate object, has created this sociopolitical message herself.
ReplyDeleteThe last place where I felt destabilized was in an airplane. By boyfriend and I went to Vegas this summer and I hadn't flown on a plane since I was like five and I was scared shitless. My anxiety started to build up and my heart was racing as I entered the plane. To make matters worse, we did not get to sit by each other on the flight out. I was stuck in the middle of two men that didn't speak a word the entire time. I was freaking out on the inside and trying very hard not to cry. I know it sounds silly but it was a big deal for me. I never liked planes and after 911, I said I would never fly. Also, the thought of being miles above ground is scary enough. All I kept thinking is what if we crash...what if something goes wrong? I didn't restabilize until the plane landed, I got off and was back with my boyfriend. Needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to the flight back home!
ReplyDeleteI think the plane would be a simulacra. It's only you and the other individuals on the plane. No one else, nothing else but clouds and sky and maybe birds! So it is like being in your own little world high above the ground.