The Other Sex And Breaking Bad

When speaking of gender, sexuality, and the other in terms of hierarchical and hegemonic societal power structures, one example of popular culture that assists in further elucidating such constructs is the television show “Breaking Bad”. Having just finished its run on television, “Breaking Bad” featured a predominantly male cast, of which the majority of the characters exemplified positive traits of masculinity, and often made other characters – both male and female – subordinate to them.

            Walter White, who was once a doting father and chemistry teacher, soon turned in many different ways. On many occasions he made his wife, Skylar, feel that she was put in her place or otherwise lesser than himself. Though Skylar proved time and time again to be a powerful female character, the invisible yet unfairly agreed upon hegemonic structure of male vs. female/husband vs. wife/breadwinner vs. homemaker was imposed upon the couple numerous times. What is extremely interesting about Breaking Bad however, is that Walt is often cognizant of “the other sex” implications that arise, and will at times feel remorse for acting as such towards his wife. Consequently, Skylar often notices such a phenomenon as well, but does very little to shift the antiquated status quo for fear of unknown consequences.

            A curious question arises – what will it take for the “other sex” dilemma to disappear? That is to say, if parties involved are cognizant of the labels and statuses delineated to one another, then what is holding up one party or another from breaking from the mold of such terms? Perhaps it is the fear or anguish of attempting to break an antiquated perspective, or even as simple as a domestic dispute that may arise. Sadly, there is some oppression that exists that would disallow the “other sex” from trying to take steps towards liberation that would result in some sort of pain.

            Despite what discouragement may come, perhaps we collectively can feel less crestfallen about hegemonies imposed by the mere fact that we are aware that we follow social constructs and that we are not obligated by any means to follow them. Perhaps Walter White’s realizations of his mistreatment of his wife and other women around him will ultimately lead to steps toward a reformation of what ought to come in terms of the deconstruction of the other.  

(aoltv.com)

SuperHipster

            On the horizon there is a new hope. Where evil dares to tread and atrocities of art are being committed, he shall arrive on the scene. Abandoning his teal 2005 Moped for the less mainstream way of traveling - flying through the air - is SuperHipster, savior of our time.

            There’s not much to know about SuperHipster – you’ve probably never heard of him anyway. SuperHipster is a white male youth hailing from Brooklyn, USA. He was born somewhere in the late 80’s, thought he’s not quite positive on the year. SuperHipster was raised by his bohemian folks in a privileged suburb, wherein he honed his skills and knowledge of what is hip and what simply is not. The influences of his equally bohemian friends no doubt shaped his personality, values and shapes, as the mind can be malleable when exposed to true art.

            SuperHipster completed some college, but then decided it was a tool of the bourgeois, a social class he refuses to be identified with. He decided he can be just as cultured and learned without some silly degree that his parents would’ve paid for. SuperHipster dreams of one day opening up his own comic book studio and publishing graphic novels of his adventures himself, because no one “gets him” well enough to capture his likeness.

            SuperHipster has the base ability to deem whether or not a form of art is mainstream or cool. If indeed the form of art is mainstream, SuperHipster has the ability to change it into something more underground or avant-garde. (He also possess the ability to fly, but that’s such a generic ability.) He gained the ability to alter art when he accidentally fell into an unfinished Shepard Fairey piece at an art exhibit in Brooklyn. Apparently Fairey’s art had magical properties to it, as SuperHipster went in but a lowly ironic young man and came out only slightly better.

            SuperHipster could change, say, a copy of “The Hunger Games” into a Bukowski novel, or a DVD of The Expendables into a Woody Allen drama on VHS, but he can only influence small-scale things. SuperHipster could not, for example, alter a stadium-setting Kenny Loggins concert into Belle & Sebastian, for he doesn’t possess the power to do so.

            SuperHipster appears as a regular hipster one might see on the street – mustachioed, lanky, and fitted ironically. He looks fairly average, and he swears he doesn’t work out.

            SuperHipster calls it upon himself to save people around him from ordinary, mainstream, and boring forms of art and life. He feels that people should not be spoonfed what is created for the lowest common denominator. His true enemies are NewsCorp, Viacom -  any members of the big seven corporations, and any person who propagates the values such corporations would pursue.

            In the realm of SuperHipster, there are no other entities to his knowledge that can fly or change art, so he is an anomaly of sorts. However, in the grand scheme of things his powers are so average that no one targets him as a threat or anything more than a flying trust fund. The only perceptions people have of superheroes come from comic books they have read, and in many people’s books SuperHipster doesn’t constitute a hero more than a jazz musician or a cultural studies professor. The fact of the matter is that SuperHipster is in essence a well-off young white man that knows obscure facts and has a holier-than-thou persona regarding the arts. He is an elitist of sorts, but that doesn’t resonate much negatively or positively with the public.

            SuperHipster is necessary in that he defines the growing group of hipster millennials that are turning politically and culturally militant, in a way. He presents a faction of the United States youth that feels that their views are superior to another’s but on very little basis. That basis is, in majority, that they are upper-middle-class non-minorities with upbringings that introduced them to the arts, so all of a sudden they walk on water.

            Without SuperHipster, I’m not certain much would be lost. Perhaps the sale of Kenny G records would proliferate. In all fairness, perhaps art and culture would be altered in that the underground and alternative scene embodied by SuperHipster would be effectively gone, so that may pose a problem. What is mainstream and what is underground when the underground scene disappears? For that matter, how would one identify without some sort of underground or alternative scene? It could be argued that identity complies to some degree with the notion that one is identified to some extent by what they oppose or subscribe to. Certainly the arbiter of one’s tastes comprises some makeup of their personality and identity.

            SuperHipster suggests, in my mind, that privileged white young people are entitled and superior. To go a step further perhaps he is a remark on socio-economic class and how the boundaries still exist, especially when race is thrown into the mix. You wouldn’t likely see a SuperHipster from the lower class, unless he or she existed in a much humbler form of existence.

On Jerry Maguire and Love

            Upon viewing selections from the film Jerry Maguire a query was posed to my class. The question asked us what makes love possible in the context of the film. In what we have seen of Jerry Maguire, one could easily argue that what makes love possible is defined and contextualized in a very post-modern way.

            The point can be elucidated – post-modernism ushered in an end to period of man’s importance and belligerence of superiority. Man was no longer the Renaissance “David”, to is to say, a superhuman that could achieve anything without strife through only the means of belief in one’s self and idle determination. Nay, in post-modernism man’s achievement and affirmation of success, love, and positivity comes through the self-actualization of success and perhaps much of that is through other’s perceptions and conceptions of a person.

            What does this spell for Jerry Maguire’s involvement in a case as such? In the film, the character of Jerry Maguire is portrayed as a slick smooth-talking salesman, but ostensibly one with self-confidence issues due to his constant need to perform in the office and the boudoir. Even if Jerry Maguire scores A-list sports clients and seals the deal for riches and fame, his Freudian superego ceases to be receive sustenance if he does not meet the expectations and approval of his peers though monetary means or sexual means.

            What makes love possible through the lens of Jerry Maguire? Certainly it is predicated on other’s perception of the self to establish a base before the loving can begin. When one loves themselves-through whatever means it takes to establish that love- then they can truly love one another. In a roundabout way, love is achieved through the construction of the self in accordance with one’s peers’ self-conceptualization of the other.

            Though there may be much evidence of this very post-modern view in films, Jerry Maguire is nonetheless a fine example and a fine film at that. One may not think of Jerry Maguire as the prime example of such post-modern themes, but there is something to be said about post-modernism in art and the pieces that encapsulate such meanings – perhaps we needn’t always look to Federico Fellini or Andy Warhol when Jerry Maguire will do just fine.

(http://www.stateofproper.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/JerryMaguire0_1621001c.jpg)

Henry Rollins - The Legend Speaks

            Henry Rollins is undeniably one of the greatest cultural voices in the world. Through a massive collection of live spoken-word performances, Rollins has transcended his position in the echelon of music as the unmitigated champion of 1980’s punk music to an incredibly articulate and intelligent commentator of today’s society. A true proletariat at heart, He takes no prisoners when speaking on the topics of politics, foreign affairs, the attitudes of America and the relationships ordinary folks employ between one another.

            Henry Rollins consistently propagates that the Marxian cultural superstructure in America is mostly defunct and a tool to indoctrinate the working class with ideologies of the bourgeoisie. Of course, he doesn’t come outright and pelt his audiences with such obtuse academia - his stories and speeches such an essence of a concept can be gleaned. Rollins speaks quite often about substance abuse and how its role in communities has kept the proletariat down. To Rollins, alcohol is a substance enculturated by the superstructure as a beverage of high class and good times, when in reality it is quite the opposite – a crutch to many who are already otherwise debilitated and effectively an element that solidifies the working class to the base of the superstructure.

            In any sense, it’s highly interesting how Rollins’ identity as a speaker and thinker has played out. After having been tethered to the identity of a punk band for many years undoubtedly preaching the concerns of the working class one way or another, Rollins could arguably now be defined in terms of “high culture”. His speeches and lectures contain a great deal of knowledge, articulation, education – not to mention the man is essentially a walking encyclopedia. His punk tendencies still exist, but he has appropriated his former visage to become a figure who may in a sense fit into the ideologies of the superstructure, while avidly and ardently speaking against them.

            Henry Rollins is a man of integrity and talent, and I leave you with a classic piece of Rollins on Wal Mart

Greetings!

            Salutations! I am pleased to welcome any and all readers to my blog, PopRelevant. Through this vein of social media I will be examining, dissecting, and discussing issues related to popular culture, as well as academic readings I may have encountered inside and out of the classroom. In any case I hope to deliver thoughtful and objective writings to readers and followers alike.

            I am personally concerned with popular culture because of the enormous impact it has on our lives. Whether we consume it voraciously via means of tabloids and online columns or simply through osmosis of folks chatting in a coffee house, popular culture is inescapably a part of our culture. For better or for worse, we have forged a relationship with population culture as both a product of our media consumption and an entity that seemingly grows without provocation.

            In this blog I aim to analyze phenomenon of popular culture – perhaps trends in literature, movies, television, music – and I hope my aim is true. (Apologies, I cannot escape from referencing Elvis Costello.) While I plan on doing my best to diversify the media that I write about, I may find myself primarily touching upon film and music. The reason being is that I feel these two mediums supply some of the most captivating and thought-provoking revelations and matters within popular culture. I feel that we have culturally appropriated so much from these subsects of media, so much importance falls upon them. Be prepared to see a great deal of emphasis on popular music, classic film, and those figures involved in creating the arts. (And yes, Elvis Costello will more than likely appear in my writings I can help it.)

riffraf.typepad.com -

            One aspect of popular culture that I find incredibly interesting is how certain products of media can thematically influence our lives and personal identity. To take a page from my own book, in my teenage years I identified with the films of Wes Anderson as well as the characters and themes presented within them. In fact, I would wager I was so influenced by the likes of Rushmore and The Royal Tenembaums that I made decisions and handled relationships with others the same way I believed the characters in the films would. I wasn’t incredibly impressionable – but I identified with these characters and themes and truly believed that by living a life similar to them may ultimately lead to happiness. Deem me a hipster, indie-kid, dirty bohemian – whatever. I still identify with those films to a lesser extent than I did a few years ago, and I cannot overlook the powerful way it affected me. I believe a lot of identity now lies within popular culture and it’s great molding powers.

            Dear readers, thank you for stumbling upon this popular culture blog. I truly plan to supply you with some worthwhile content on PopRelevant. I appreciate the opportunity to give unto others reading material, and I humbly thank anyone viewing this blog. In the words of Rick Blaine, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”