Assignment 9-1: Weekly Written Analysis 5

The animated film ‘Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa’ was released on November 7th, stealing the spotlight as the #1 grossing movie of the week. Additionally, the film’s $63 million gross was the highest seen since ‘The Dark Night’ back in July, not to mention it was ranked the second-highest non-summer animated release in history. A large part of the pull of this film is that it has the ability to appeal to both adults and children alike- a formula that has received mixed reviews from the general public (Box Office Report, 2008). While some find the adult humor and sexual innuendo of the film to be a harmless way to keep parents entertained, others find it appalling that a childrens’ movie would contain crude jokes and mature humor, even if it does go over the childrens’ heads. The topic has been hotly debated on the Yahoo forums, and among parents nationwide (Yahoo Answers, 2008).

The trend of including adult humor in childrens’ movies is not a new idea, although it has been on the rise over the past decade. Films like the Shrek trilogy and soon-to-be Ice Age trilogy are at the forefront, along with newer titles like Open Season and Over the Hedge, all of which revolve around cute cuddly animal characters whose actions and dialogue are often far ahead of their target audience. In ‘Madagascar 2’ for example, narcissistic king lemur Julian attempts to attract fellow lemurs by cross-dressing, gets his annoying sidekick Mort kicked off the airplane for carrying scissors and hand lotion, complains about how he misses ‘the separation of the classes’ when giraffe Melman interrupts his first-class lobster feast from the economy class, and professes that one of the things he’d like to do before he dies is “Invade a neighboring country and impose his own ideology.” While the kids may giggle along, most will not understand the implications of much of the dialogue. Adult humor and political references have become increasingly common on televised cartoons as well, ranging from South Park to Family Guy. It’s ironic that a genre that was originally created for kids now contains references they couldn’t possibly understand, however, the humor does represent modern-day America, and does an exceptional job of bringing families together again, albeit in a slightly less wholesome manner.

I personally love the new generation of cartoons and CGI animation. I’m glad to see that America is ‘lightening up’ on their censorship of animation, as my generation saw the banning of animated television shows like ‘Beavis & Butthead’ for its crude humor and sexual innuendo. While I do not have children of my own, I think it’s great that once I do, there are films that we will be able to enjoy together as a family. While some of the content may be inappropriate for young audiences, it’s unlikely that the kids will notice, and I think any parent who raised children during the unbearable Barney-era will welcome Madagascar’s universal appeal.




Box Office Report (2008). Madagascar 2: Box office number 1. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 23, 2008 from http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20239181,00.html

Madagascar 2: Your thoughts, parents? (2008). Yahoo Answers. Retrieved November 23, 2008 from http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081114181129AAUQ6pW

Assignment 1-3: Journal Article Analysis

For my analysis, I chose the article “Locating the Punk Preppy” by Daniel Traber. Being 18 pages long, the article served as a very thorough speculation by a man who claimed to have no real authority, but managed to create an incredibly detailed, accurate, and honest assessment anyway. This article was definitely written for a specialized audience; namely, one interested in analyzing the often overlooked area of punk rock, and the hypocrisies and commonalities inherent in it. To anyone unfamiliar with the subject, Traber’s references to “the scene” and “purists vs. poseurs” may not be fully understood, but therein lies the article’s charm. As someone who has been heavily immersed in the world of punk rock since 1995, I’ve seen countless articles and media outlets attempt to discuss and define punk rock in a way that makes me cringe at their ignorance, but “Locating the Punk Preppy” nailed the topic dead-on with an authenticity that put a smile on my face and had me nodding along in agreement.

The article focuses around the concept of punks and preppies; two opposing forces with seemingly little in common. While punk rockers aim to shock and offend with their anti-fashion biker jackets, studs, and outrageous hairstyles, clean-cut preppies wish to give an aura of upper-class style in their suits, ties, khakis, and polos. Although individuals do use clothing to define their values, lifestyles, and social status, the article analyzes what happens when people refuse to conform to a single stereotype, instead choosing to dabble in rebellion and offensive music while still remaining conservative in dress and behavior to create the once unthinkable identity of “the punk preppy.”

Punk rock was originally created as a rebellion against boring conformist ideals, however, Traber points out that punk rock music and fashion is in a sense conformist in itself in that all bands follow a certain formula and all fans dress in a certain way, branding themselves and following dress codes in the same way that they criticize preppies for. Despite claiming to be against social rankings, a clear hierarchy exists in punk rock circles, where status is gained through full devotion, knowledge of the obscure, and time spent in the “scene” or clique. Anyone with an interest in punk who refuses to submit completely to punk’s fashion and ideals [i.e., “the punk preppy”] is automatically viewed as insincere and placed at the bottom of the hierarchy by those of higher status, thus perpetuating the same elitism and snobbery that punks criticize preppies for. While the two groups appear to be outwardly different in every way, in the end they are simply two subcultural stereotypes with their own styles, fashions, and ideals. As humans, we are able to blend these opposite cookie-cutter identities together to form our own individual style and worldview that is more unique than either the punk or preppy alone.

The organization style of the article was its weakest point, going through eighteen pages without any subtitles to break up the information. While the article was very thorough with an excellent introduction and concluding points, topics seemed to overlap throughout the article with no clear structure. The article started off talking about identity construction through music, brought in the concept of the punk preppy, discussed the diversity and limitations of punk rock, described the fashion of both stereotypes, jumped back to the concept of the punk preppy, discussed social rankings, jumped back to fashion implications, then explained the reasons for the punk preppy and how the blending of the two stereotypes can in fact be beneficial. The information and ideas presented were excellent, and the writing style was easy to read, however, the layout of the information could use some improvement.

All in all, I felt that this was a great article that provided much insight to me personally. In my adult life, I’ve often struggled with the conflicting identities of remaining true to the rebellious blue-haired teenager I once was while adjusting to the responsible future-oriented casually-clothed twenty-something I’ve become. The key idea that stuck with me from this article is that this sort of conflict of ideals is okay, and that creating your own reality and refusing to conform to any strict set of rules is the definition of true rebellion, making the “punk preppy”, in a sense, more rebellious than the punk rocker himself. After all, the respected adult who spends weekdays working for the law firm and weekends stage diving at the local punk rock show is much more capable of the radical social change punks notoriously desire than the teenager standing on the corner criticizing his classmate’s polo shirt.

The final sentence of the article struck me as the most poignant, stating “If punk ideology is to be more than a stylized pose, if ‘real’ punks really want their liberatory politics to become more than audience chants or bumper sticker slogans, they will have to embrace some of the punk preppy’s strategy of critical adaptation.” No underground revolution ever found success by remaining elitist; social change occurs on a large scale by embracing mainstream non-extremist support rather than rejecting it. Being a part of the preppy-dominated system allows the punk rocker to work for change from within rather than standing on the outskirts with his nose in the air preaching to the choir, and Traber’s article nailed this unpopular viewpoint with elegance and ease.


References
Traber, D. (2008). Locating the punk preppy. The Journal of Popular Culture, 41(3), 488-508. Retrieved October 1, 2008 from OhioLink database.

Assignment 7-1: Weekly Written Analysis 4

Converse, the iconic white rubber-toed canvas sneaker popularized in 1917 by basketball star Chuck Taylor, has become the unofficial shoe of rock n roll. Throughout the past four decades especially, virtually every musician in every genre has been spotted wearing a pair of “Chucks” at some point, and Converse has embraced the association. To celebrate 100 years in the sneaker business, Converse has released a line of musician-inspired shoes spanning various genres and decades past. Styles include The Grateful Dead’s dancing bears, a Nirvana shoe featuring drawings from Kurt Cobain’s notebook, and an all-black “We Sold Our Soul for Rock n Roll” high-top inspired by Black Sabbath. Additional releases from Pink Floyd, Green Day, The Doors, and The Who are in the works, with prices ranging from $50 to $100 (King, 2008).

Converse is not the first sneaker brand to offer music-inspired shoes, however. Vans skate shoes, a California company in existence since 1966, began offering band-inspired shoes early in the 21st century. The company’s sponsorship of the long-running punk rock oriented summer concert series, the Vans Warped Tour, solidified its position among musicians, skateboarders, and punk rockers alike. Creating shoes primarily for bands in the punk rock genre, the Ramones, Descendents, Social Distortion, the Germs, Bad Brains, Dropkick Murphys, and Rise Against have all played a part in creating a limited edition shoe for mass consumption. More recently, they have also began to appeal to the hard rock and metal crowd with offerings from Iron Maiden, KISS, Slayer and Motorhead. Prices range from $50 to $65, making them roughly the same price as the company’s non-band related styles (Didcott, n.d.).

Both Converse and Vans have been met with mixed reviews for their music-inspired sneakers. While the concept certainly is a novel idea and fans of the sponsored bands have been mostly receptive, purists in the punk rock community especially have criticized the once respected shoe brands for “selling out” and capitalizing on the bands, many of which no longer exist. I personally have purchased the Social Distortion signature Vans for myself, as well as the Slayer edition as a gift, as I found them to be a rare and unique product that cost the same price as the company’s regular designs. I do feel, however, that the Converse music edition sneakers take the concept a bit too far, charging double to triple the cost of their regular Chuck Taylors. The company’s prices have been consistently on the rise over the past decade, jumping from $20 in the late 90’s to $40 and up in 2008. The price in conjunction with Converse’s recent buyout by sweat shop employer Nike has put the brand in a negative light in recent years. This combination of factors makes Vans the clear winner for best rock n roll shoe.

Didcott, T. “Vans Shoes.” http://shopbodo.com/van-shoes/

King, B. (2008, November 3). “The Converse music collection.” Blast Magazine.
http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/11/the-converse- music-collection/