Internal Struggles of a Vampire: A Response

Response to Stratis’s “Life Lessons From Twilight” http://stratisthesundayschooldrop-out.blogspot.ca/2012/03/life-lessons-from-twilight.html

          Like Stratis, I have never read one page of the Twilight series, but I have watched every movie, and am up to date with the fourth film. I’m not a Twi-hard, and I don’t wait overnight at the theatres to get the best seat for opening night. I do though enjoy the movies for comic relief, and maybe to get a glimpse of Taylor Lautner rock hard abs. But that’s another topic to be spoken about.

            Again, I agree with Stratis when he says that he went into the theatre “assum[ing] that Edward Cullen was an evil vampire and his family had come to Forks to wreak havoc upon the townspeople.” I expected a lot of blood and some crazy CGI effects, but no, it was about a love story between a vampire and a regular girl (who according to our Professor are images of a Mormon relationship).

   Edward Cullen is the struggling, redemptive vampire with morals. Like Stefan Salvatore from my last post, Edward only feeds on animals, and struggles to do so. They both have conflicting feelings when it comes to their loves; Edward has Bella, and Stefan has Elena. As Stratis states, “[Edward] is at first attracted to her blood…fights his growing desire to attack her.”

    What I particularly enjoyed about Stratis’ post was the last paragraph about showing the audience about relationships and how you have to give and get, fight for what you want even if its hard. I do believe in this, not only in relationships, but also in Christianity. A person can believe in God, but in order to reap the benefits of His world, you have to devote yourself to Him, and you may sin along the way, but there is always forgiveness and mercy. Mercy for the weaker; that being monsters. 

The Ripper

I’m just going to come out and admit it…I love the Vampire Diaries, and I love Stefan Salvatore. Ok breath, get it together, I’m ok.

So in lecture this week, we spoke about vampires and zombies and how they relate to Christianity. As stated in class, we view the vampire as a symbol of humanity seeking redemption. The attractiveness of some vampires is their struggle to feel human again, their struggle to be better than the stereotype of their species.  They stand between the liminal space of life and death but also in the space of good and evil, and we understand by watching or reading about them that the stakes are very high for them.

Back to The Vampire Diaries. In the first two seasons, Stefan Salvatore is the Vampire with a conscious. He doesn’t drink human blood (since his 1960’s binge where he was classified as “The Ripper), survives on the blood of animals, and tries uncontrollably hard to feel like he is human. His brother, Damon, is the classic Vampire, out to hunt, doesn’t care about who he kills, and tends to be wanted by the ladies for his sex appeal (which is what I got from reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula as the one of the characteristics of vampire). In the third season, Stefan has lost control and has become The Ripper again (although now he is trying to get back to being humanistic and not drink human blood for the love of his life, human, Elena).  Even though he had become “The Ripper”, he still felt bad for his actions. During his feedings he would blackout and end up ripping the heads of his victims off. When he came back to consciousness, he would place the head back on his victims, to make them seem human again.

Viewers of the show follow along with Stefan’s story in hopes that he will truly feel human again.

The following link shows Stefan who confesses to Elena that he is hungry for human blood, while trying to be sincere about his feelings towards Elena and the situation. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKLgM_m4KAg

Oh Crosby...

For all the beloved Sidney Crosby fans, his latest season with the Pens has been upsetting. The captain has been out of the season two different times with a concussion, and concussion like symptoms. Crosby was diagnosed with a concussion in January of 2011 and didn’t return until November 21^st.  He then played eight games before being re-injured against the Boston Bruins on December 5^th, and still today has not returned to the game

Sports reporters, even the ones in the video below, claimed the hit was a “blindsided” hit.  This hit, even though it’s hard to say, will probably end Crosby’s career (even though he is scheduled to be back into the game soon this month, he will never be fully recovered from two concussions in a year).  He has been experiencing concussion like symptoms like dizziness and headaches, and that’s just when he is off the ice! Returning back to the game and playing in such a high physical contact sport, is very dangerous not only to him now, but in the future. He returned too early after his first hit, which made it easier for his second concussion to occur. Crosby isn’t the only one to experience concussions this season, Chris Pronger from the Philadelphia Flyers, Eric Lindros, Kris Letang from the Pens, and Ryan Miller from the Buffalo Sabres are just a few.

The lecture this week was all about violence in sports. I believe it’s never smart to resort to violence even if it is for entertainment. These athletes put their lives on the line for our experience of the game, and for their team. Their health and their well being is being compromised because of the injuries they are experiencing. Concussions and other sports related injuries will in the end, have long-term health problems. 

Follow this link below to watch the Miller hit included with an article by The Star http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/article/1086234--gutless-lucic-collision-gives-miller-concussion

Response to Violence in sports: Necessary?

Response to Violence in sports: Necessary?

http://faithisourmedium.blogspot.com/2012/03/violence-in-sports-necessary.html

After reading jlazaga’s post about violence in hockey, this sparked my memories about sports I played in high school.

Throughout my high school career, I was on three varsity sports teams: basketball, volleyball, and softball. These sports had very little direct contact with the other team, and basketball being the highest contact sport out of the three. To think about it, the only contact sport at my school for women was hockey, unlike the men who had hockey and rugby. When I was playing basketball, there was never any physical fighting with the other team; maybe a few cuts and scrapes, but never full fighting.  It was the team and our skills that won us games, never pushing another player out of the way to score.

To this day, I cannot understand the concept of contact in hockey; the checking to the boards, (illegal) slashing or sticking. Aren’t sports supposed to be there, (excluding for entertainment), to showcase the skills of the athlete?  In basketball, if you put a hand on a player, or run into another with a shoulder, it’s a foul. If there is any kind of physical fighting, the player is usually kicked out of the game or suspended. Basketball is all about having the skills to play the game, without the need of pushing or fighting to score.

Why is it that in hockey, you have to push and shove people into the boards to get around them to score? Shouldn’t it be the skill of the athlete, the puck handling skills, and the skating abilities that help the player? I believe so. The NHL has created harsher penalties for certain hits, but it will never ban fighting in hockey.

This post is a response to Stratis' "Hey! I Just Met You, And This is Crazy. But Here's a Record Deal, So Sign It Maybe?" located at http://stratisthesundayschooldrop-out.blogspot.com/2012/03/hey-i-just-met-you-and-this-is-crazy.html

I’m just going to start off by saying that if we really think about it, it is crazy the amount of power that Justin Bieber has over the music industry. He has over seventeen million followers on twitter, sold out arena tours all over the planet, and not to mention he’s dating one of the most up and coming girls in Hollywood that Disney has popped out since Miley Cyrus.  World domination much?

After reading Stratis’ post about Carly Rae Jepsen, I was happily surprised that Justin was interested in signing her, and I believe that she ultimately did end up signing with Bieber. I love her music, and I think she has a great image that will help her sell her music to her full potential.  Her single, Call Me Maybe isn’t her first single, although it is the one that has had the highest radio play and is currently, today, number three on iTunes Canada. One could possibly say that it was because of the help of Justin Bieber and his friends that created the Jepsen frenzy. Every other station in Toronto plays her track, and its becoming well known over North America.

I do however disagree with Stratis in the respect that he says “signing Jepsen may seem like a selfless act, it is in fact a selfish one.” I never think by signing anyone in the industry is because it is selfless or helping out a friend. The industry is all about making money, making an image, and creating a commodity.  I’m almost 99% sure the reason Usher signed Bieber was because he was getting thousands of hits on his Youtube covers, and the girls were going crazy over him even before he was famous. Usher was looking to make money; just like Bieber is (even though I’m pretty sure he has enough money to last him for the rest of his life and after life!). So good for you Jepsen, I cannot wait to hear what will come out of signing this deal!

Is This Guy For Real? - Tim Tebow

Authenticity and sincerity in the world of celebrities is always questioned.  In today’s class we spoke about two very famous people in our music industry, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. Their music videos for Pray and Judas, respectively, is where they integrate their faith into their music, and were ultimately questioned whether it was all just an act or in they sincerely wanted their faith to be recognized.

The first thing that came to mind when thinking about faith and sincerity was Tim Tebow. He is the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, and a very religious man, on and off the field. The talk of the NFL season was all about Tebow and whether or not his “kneeling and praying after a touchdown” was serious or was it just a show. Was Tebow really trying to integrate his religion and his work as a quarterback into one? As viewers watched from all over America, they questioned his sincerity and authenticity when it came to his faith. Was he just trying to create news or did he truly believe?

In this video clip, the sports announcers for the NFL discuss Tebow and his representation of his faith. One of the men ask “Is this guy for real?” Then you hear “gift of influence” and “we should pray for him that he continues to stay on the right path”. There are obviously different opinions even with these five sports announcers that represent the different opinions of the public. The big question… “IS THIS GUY FOR REAL?” 

Tim Tebow is a commodity not only for his team, but also for the whole of the NFL, and I believe that people were a bit shocked with his faith-based reactions. Usually people see a touchdown end zone dance, but not a full on kneel and pray, and I can see why people were very skeptical about it.

Below is a clip from an SNL skit that featured Tebow and the uprising questions about his faith.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6cCYILZ36M

Superman Jesus

A response to Rachel's Post: 

http://gospelaccordingtobuddychrist.blogspot.com/2012/02/jesus-ill-be-back.html

Rachel,

I do agree with you with respect to the Kozlovic’s model of twenty-five attributes of a Christ figure. We still yet to really figure out why anyone would intentionally be looking for Christ figures in movies. Doesn’t it take away from the actual film? The film as an art piece is then rendered to the audience to look for non-existent subtextual Christ figures. Yes, some directors intentionally want to add the Christ figure in their superhero movie, but what does that do for the audience? Like Rachel said, would it bring out more of a crowd to Transformers if they though Optimus Prime was a Christ figure? Probably not. If people continually go into watching a film looking for Christ figures, what does that do for the experience of watching the film, and again looking at the film as an art piece instead of a religious artifact?

 

I again agree wit Rachel; this list of attributes can be associated with any super hero on the film market. From Charlie Brown to Spock, they all have some of the attributes listed by Kozlovic. I feel like it is a bit ridiculous to be associated characters of films like that, unless they are intentionally but into the repertoire of the character, and meant to be seen as a Christ figure.

To be devils advocate, the only reason in which I could find the reason why people would intentionally look for a Christ figure, would be that it allows the audience to be associated with their “real-life” Jesus. With Christ figures like, Superman for example, you can go watch the movie, or buy his comic books. He is “real life”, right infront of your eyes, instead of the real Jesus in which you can talk to him, but you can never really see him. I argue that Christ figures make Jesus more relatable and maybe even attainable to be able to see a super hero acting like him in the movies, or even in comic books. 

Lil Wayne a Christ Figure?

The topic of today’s lecture was Jesus films, and the representation/ the presence of Christ figures in films. This post won’t talk about a specific Jesus figure in film, but in a recent music video. Lil Wayne and Bruno Mars just released their newest single called “Mirror” where in there are many images of God and Jesus, and even relating Lil Wayne to Jesus. Throughout the video we see Lil Wayne painting or throwing red paint on a wall, in what we can assume to be a mural. 

Not only that but we see his tattoos, of the words like “Fear God” on his inner eyelids, a subtextual image of the tools used to make the mural (familiar with the tools used to bear the cross, like the nails, hammer, and crown of thorns). Most notably, if you can go through the entire video, Lil Wayne stands in the cross-bearing pose, and his mural is of him, in a cross bearing position with a microphone in one hand, and I believe a stack of cash on the other (the image isn’t very clear).

I personally did not go into watching this music video thinking that I was going to have material to relate it to Kozlovic’s twenty-five characteristics of a Jesus figure, or looking for characteristics, but I did. Lil Wayne’s pose of the cross bearing related to the characteristics of the Jesus Figure that Kozlovic goes into depth with (although I think I can assume that no one would really associates Lil Wayne with a Jesus). What do you think the intention of Lil Wayne was? Opinions…

Heres the link to the music videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZLUa8JUR18&ob=av3e

Make Yourself - Nike Ad

Today’s lecture about advertising showed multiple ads that effect people on an emotional level. One ad that struck a chord with me was the one about Coca Cola with comparing guns, violence, and tanks, with baking cakes, stuffed animals, and birthday candles. It was very ironic to see some of the worlds worst problems compared to everyday household items or rituals. This reminded me of a research project that I wrote about last year.

In Nike’s ad called “Make Yourself” they portray the image of strong women, building strength and showing what make’s those women proud, shine, and hot. What Nike refused to show the audience is that they are degrading women in Third World countries and creating an environment where they can’t be strong women outside of the Nike sweatshops.

Nike attracts an emotional appeal of the commercial using the athlete’s quotes and using it as empowerment. They use it against the Nike equipment and apparel with an underlying emotional message; “Rain or shine I push myself to the limit everyday” – Julia Mancuso. Empowerment of women is the message.  Throughout the commercial, we see shots of women working out to get physically and mentally stronger. They are athletes, needing to stay in shape to achieve their future goals. With the use of the athlete’s quotes and the impact of “I’m making myself (fill in the blank), either proud, shine, or hot, the women are determined and strong. The music in the background also empowers them because it is all about finding the fire within you, that you can ultimately achieve anything.

I don’t believe in shortcuts, because you don’t earn anything, you have to earn it” – Sofia Boutella. Women associated with Nike are portrayed to be strong, independent, go getters. When women like myself see this ad, they feel empowered like they can do anything. What we are not seeing is the women in the third world countries in the sweatshop being striped of their feeling of empowerment, or even freedom.

Take a look at the ad, and tell me what you think!

Response to "The Jonas Brothers and their Purity Rings"

In response to Sandra’s Post about The Jonas Brothers and their Purity Rings.

Who would have thought that I would get the opportunity to talk about the Jonas Brothers in university? The time has finally comes. I can say, that yes I was a Jonas Brothers fan in high school, and still am today, so the blog might be a bit bias.

Sandra brings up a very good example about the relationship of popular culture in comparison to religion.  The Jonas Brothers came up into the music scene in about 2006 with their introduction through Disney (Disney being the very censored, clean slate of actors in their roster.) No one really knew what those rings on their ring fingers were, but they openly expressed that they were purity rings, vowing to sustain from sex, until marriage, following the ways of the Bible. After that, none of the interviewers could stop asking about the rings. That was all they wanted to know about the new pop trio. Their music was second; their religious beliefs were first. Finally after multiple interviews, they requested that questions about their religion were stopped, so that they could focus on their music.

As soon as people found out that I liked the Jonas Brothers, all they could do was:

1. Make fun of me because I liked their music and 2. Make fun of them because they wore those purity rings. I, personally really find their vow was genuine, and if they decided to wait to have sex, what was the big issue? Was it because they were famous? Because they were open about it? Or was it because no one really openly admits that they are waiting for marriage to have sex, because in this day age, no one really values it anymore, and its not normal. Like Sandra mentioned Lady Gaga and Kanye are open about their religion and they are not ridiculed, so what’s the difference? Would be great to hear some opinions!

http://christandpopularculture.blogspot.com/2012/01/jonas-brothers-and-their-purity-rings.html

Peace, Love, Gaga.

In lecture, we spoke about the infamous Lady Gaga, and her music video of Bad Romance.  In light of the many things we could say about Lady Gaga, her music, her lyrics, or her fashion, I wanted to focus on the types of communities that she prides herself on in relation to Lynch’s arguments.

Pop Culture serves religious functions in a society – The Social aspect creating a community.

Lady Gaga has her “Little Monsters” which is what she calls her fan base around the world.  She relates to them as the socially unique, outsiders of the norm, and the creators of the new.

She also stands for equal rights for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered community.

Not only this, but she believes in bully-free world, and is, I believe, currently working on trying to make it the law to stop bullying.

Three very powerful communities. Three very powerful perspectives. Three very powerful beliefs. All following in the footsteps of the Gaga herself. Gaga might not know it, but she herself is creating a community, a leadership with followers.

Not everyone may believe in the Christian faith, nor believe in Gaga, but everyone stands for something, which is what Gaga is partially trying to express.

What I believe Gaga is trying to do is spread the word of love. Demolish hate, and have unconditional love, like in her lyrics of Bad Romance.  And who is the better image of love, than Jesus himself (in Christian beliefs). Jesus, loves unconditionally, forgives, forgets, doesn’t judge, and creates a community of followers who feel comfortable with a leader like that. Gaga is following in the footsteps of Jesus, since she is a devote Christian; one can assume she is getting her inspiration from Him.  Through her, as a popular culture artifact, she is serving the religion in a positive way, in the society. Even though Christianity is not ok with some of her beliefs, one of Christianity’s first teachings is LOVE, and the love of Jesus.

I am going to leave you with a video of her that she taped for the Etobicoke School of the Arts anti-bullying assembly.

 

Response to Miranda Simpson's post: The Gaga Gospel: http://anchor-for-the-soul.blogspot.com/2012/01/gaga-gospel.html

Whenever I hear Gaga and Christianity in the same sentence, I automatically think of her song Judas.  The music video is nothing less than controversial, but it is also, what I believe to be, crossing boundaries. The boundary lines of art, music, imagery, and religion are all blurred in the music video. From what Miranda said as “riding a motorcycle gang [of the apostles]” to a known actor “with a golden Crown of Thorns on his head and golden dreads.”

I very much agree with Miranda where she talks about Gaga looking more like the Virgin Mary, instead of Mary Magdalene with the royal blue shawl. As well as with the representation of the heart of Jesus; knowing exactly the meaning because growing up I always saw a picture of Jesus with His heart on the outside of His robes.

After listening to the song, watching the video, and adding the lyrics, I believe that her song is an overdramatic way of putting:

1.     A stereotypical relationship in which a person can’t stop going back to another even if they have done them wrong. Gaga says "forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain, even after three times he betrays me”

2.     But also she might be relating Christian temptation, of the devil, trying to live the life according to Jesus, but being tempted in an evil direction. Gaga says “I wanna love you, but something’s pulling me away from you. Jesus is my virtue, Judas is the demon I cling to”

Do I necessarily believe that Gaga had to use the name Judas as her guy, or create enormous biblical references in her music video? No. There was obviously some kind of reaction that she wanted (in which she got, rather positive or negative), but than again, everything Gaga does is eccentric and in the public eye. 

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A little confused about blogspot, but hopefully it all runs ok! Happy Blogging SMC305!!

-Felicia