Plan for the Day
- Firefly “Jaynestown” (2002)
- Black Mirror: “Fifteen Million Merits”
- Essay #1 Comments and Grades
- Support all your assertions
- Weave external sources into your essay
- Support all your assertions
- You can ALWAYS write more about any topic in this class
- Support all your assertions
We’re not meeting as a class on Thursday, 2/27, because you’ll have your Midterm Exam. It will open up tomorrow–Wednesday, 2/26, so you can take it wherever you want. You’ll have 75 minutes as soon as you start, but make sure to finish by 11:00pm of Friday, 2/28.
Firefly: Myth and Control
It took me a while to get around to Firefly. I believe I first saw it in 2013 or 2014, but I’d heard about it for quite a while. People used to say it’s the best science fiction show out there. No one was lukewarm about the show: if they saw it, they loved it. I do think it’s a great show, but I think the praise is a bit exaggerated. I posted such a remark on Facebook, and boy did I hear about it! The person even deleted my post. I do like the ideas in the show, but the actors and delivery are lacking. Anyway, the show only had one season, and they did a film after called Serenity. They did the film right, and I highly recommend it. It would be best to watch the series first, but, you can go straight to the film.
I chose this particular episode because it gives you a sense of all the characters, and it has some heavy ideas–slavery, myth, being a man, religion–in 45 mins!
Terms for Discussion
- Ideology: prevailing cultural/institutional attitudes, beliefs, norms, attributes, practices, and myths that are said to drive a society.
- Hegemony: the ways or results of a dominant group’s (the hegemon) influence over other groups in a society or region. The dominant group dictates, consciously or unconsciously, how society must be structured and how other groups must “buy into” the structure. For example, the former Soviet Union was the hegemonic power influencing the communist countries of Eastern Europe during the Cold War.
- Systemic: (adjective) pertaining to an entire system, institution, or object; something ‘systemic’ cannot be removed from the system.
- Genre: literary or other textual products “with certain conventions and patterns that, through repetition, have become so familiar that [audiences] expect similar elements in the works of the same type” (Dick, p. 112).
Structuration Theory
Before getting into myth, I wanted to highlight a theory about control. What are the things that control us? We aren’t just controlled be force–police, parents, politicians, etc.–we’re also controlled by ideology, but it’s often invisible, and we don’t reflect upon it. Mark Fisher claims that “Control only works if you are complicit with it” (22). I like to consider Anthony Giddens theory of structuration when I think of Fisher’s argument. Structuration theory proposes that humans operate under a pre-existing social structure, which controls actions. Citizens abide by and reproduce the overall structure, but this means they consent to the agents of social control that govern them. Consider the following quotations from Giddens:
- “social structures are both constituted by human agency, and yet at the same time are the very medium of this constitution” (New Rules for Sociological Method 121).
- “To examine the structuration of a social system is to examine the modes whereby that system, through the application of generative rules and resources is produced and reproduced in social interaction. Social systems, which are systems of social interaction, are not structures, although they necessarily have structures. There is no structure, in human social life, apart from the continuity of processes of structuration.” (Studies in Social and Political Theory 118)
Reflecting and advocating Giddens’s theory, James W. Messerschmidt summarizes that “structure both constrains and enables social action” (p. 77). I’ve mentioned that media reproduce ideology, normalizing it. Well, it was already normalized, but it’s impossible to determine whether or not the media (broadly) developed the ideology first or reflected the ideology. We don’t need to worry about a starting point, however, because we can identify instances where culture mediates rules, norms, repetitive behaviors, etc. We can claim that our actions are not solely individually motivated. We reproduce and justify the social system by operating within it.
Giddens’s theory hasn’t been debunked and, although there are criticisms of his initial theory, there are many expansions of his theory. Structuration theory is a useful interpretive lens for cultural studies because it allows us to focus on agents and rules. Simply put, our actions create our world; our interactions maintain or recreate the world. Why do we agents follow rules? Why are there rules? In view of our texts, do humans (or aliens or robots) have any agency, or do they just respond to rules (their code—coding, program language)?
Jaynestown and Myth
As you watch this episode, think about how myth is created. Below is a definition of myth:
- Myth: Lillian Feder’s definition–“Myth is a narrative structure of two basic areas of unconscious experience which, of course, are related….In other words, myth is a form of racial [national, social, regional, etc.] history–a narrative distillation of the wishes and fears both of ourselves and the human race” (Dick, p. 188).
“[myths] tap into our collective memory,” our unconscious. - “Myths are ultimate truths about life death, fate and nature, gods and humans” (Dick, p. 189).
What comment could this episode be making about myths? Why do you think we believe in the good of Robin Hood-type characters? How does this episode complicate our version of reality and history regarding “great” historical figures? At the end of the show, the captain (Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds) tells Jayne Cobb that probably “every man who’s had a statue built of them was some kind of [scoundrel].” I wonder if we can reflect on that in relation to Confederate Monuments…
Some Key Moments of the Episode
This episode would go along great with the novel Autonomous by Annalee Newitz, but that’s more Canadian than American, so I didn’t assign it (but, as usual, I encourage you to read it…reading good science fiction makes you a better person). The novel has the theme of indenturedness (or slavery), which is where the Jaynestown episode picks up, and the “mudders” are indentured workers (think minimum wage, and then think 1 Million times worse). Speaking of minimum wage…the great contemporary philosopher Chris Rock has something to say about it.
- The shift boss tells the crew that they “pay the mudders next to nothing and pass the saving onto you.”
- Here are some stories about Nike’s sweatshops circa 2000:
- Boss Higgins runs the town of Canton and tells Inara she can call him “Mr. Higgins” because only people he owns use the title “Boss” for him.
- Think about the nature of work and undocumented workers taking on jobs Americans don’t want.
- Simon tells the crew that the ancient Egyptians used to give the slaves beer “liquid bread” to keep them alive and sedate them from rebellion. {There has been more recent evidence that slaves were not the only workers building the Egyptian Pyramids.}
- River tries to “fix” Shepard’s Bible, but he tells her the Bible doesn’t need fixing; faith is about believing in something.
- This scene is an obvious foreshadowing of why the mudders need the “Hero of Canton.”
- Mal tells Jayne that his statue (an idea) isn’t about him; the Robin Hood myth is something the mudders need because life is too terrible without hope.
- The episode makes viewers reflect on rituals, which are habits, customs, practices that cultures share and pass on, but the members don’t always know where they started.
- Inara’s “interaction” with Boss Higgins’s son is a critique of the “losing one’s virginity” ritual. However, afterwards, the son does become a man…exploring that might be a good Essay #2 topic.
- What are some rituals that you have? Have you ever reflected on why?
- Here’s Tor.com’s summary and critique of the episode
Also, here’s a goofy cartoon (two parts) that uses Nathan Fillion’s Captain Reynolds persona.
Black Mirror: Conformity and Monotony
I do like Black Mirror, but I haven’t gotten around to anything past season 2. The show can be intense for American audiences, so keep that in mind if you venture further. I chose “Fifteen Million Merits” because, although this is a British show (so you might need the subtitles on to understand what they’re saying), there is much in the episode relevant to American culture. As you watch the episode, make connections to similar texts you know about. Also, consider the vocabulary below:
- simulacrum: the replication (upon replication) of a subject without being able to find the concrete beginning; similarity, likeness. In postmodern theory it refers to a copy or simulation of an item, event, or idea for which the original referent (the reality or real thing) does not exist.
- synecdoche: a rhetorical device that uses a term that refers to a part of something to mean the entirety of something. For instance, people used to say “nice threads” when referring to somethings clothing or outfit. Or people might say “the White House” when referring to the entire Executive Branch of the Federal Government.
- hyperreality: More real than real!?! Or, as White Zombie would say, “More Human than Human.” The idea of “hyperreality” is often associated with a viewer (an audience in general) believing the media-generated simulation is real or more real than an actual event, personality, condition, or, ultimately, an experience.
- foreshadow—to hint or present a situation that will be clarified or expanded upon later in a story.
- irony—(although there are various definitions) actively working against one’s stated or assumed goals; to destabilize oneself by actions contrary to one’s professed worldview.
- sarcasm—stating one thing but meaning another (usually obvious) thing opposite of the statement.
Below is an excerpt from an interview I did with a video gamer. Notice how “real” immersive video games feel to Brent during his experience as a helicopter gunner while playing Battlefield Vietnam (Electronic Arts). (Toscano, p. 17, 2011)
Brent’s penchant for first-person shooters suggests that he enjoys embodying the avatar’s persona: As the helicopter “gunner” in Battlefield Vietnam (Electronic Arts), Brent is in an Army attack chopper firing on the Vietcong listening to Creedance Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” and the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction”—two popular songs from the Vietnam Era. Brent was never in Vietnam, but the music and his sense of attacking the VC from a software-engineered helicopter helps him better incorporate the soldier’s persona from representations he has seen in films such as Platoon (1986) and Full Metal Jacket (1987), popular war movies he watches. The video game is a synecdoche of experience and a simulacrum at best. Unlike real war, Brent’s only risk is temporary eye strain and not serious injury or death—he is engaged in a fictional world. Juul (2005) points out that “games project fictional worlds through a variety of different means, but the fictional worlds are imagined by the player, and the player fills in any gaps in the fictional world” (p. 121). What makes the video game a figured world is that the world of the helicopter gunner is simulated via the video game’s programming and accepted by gamers who enter the “text” for this virtual experience. Like Brent’s situation above regarding what it feels like to be in Vietnam, a gamer’s interpretations come from other sources—culture. Video games (and gamers) are products of the culture(s) from which they come, and we can read the culture—its values, fears, and “history”—in video games.
Black Mirror: “Fifteen Million Merits”
Instead of direct quotes, I want to draw your attention to particular instances in the episode. Notice all the screens the characters interact with, and try to think about where they are. Is there an outside somewhere? Also, notice how the characters indulge in the fake, hyperreality of the screens, which is something Bing is upset about at the end.
- Notice the screens around Bing’s room when he wakes up. There’s an animated rooster crowing.* What technologies do you use to wake, fall asleep, stay asleep, etc.?
*If you’ve ever been to Key West, FL, you’ll find roosters and chickens all over the island. The roosters crow throughout the day and not just at dawn. - The first contestant song we hear on “Hot Shot,” the reality singing/talent show is “I Have a Dream,” which is an ABBA song. Think of this as representing the fact we assume we can live in our own world with our own soundtrack.
- The exercise bikes they ride are metaphors for monotonous work that we have to do to make money. Think about the phrases people associate with work: “the daily grind,” “9-to-5,” “going the extra mile,” etc. Some jobs are great, and some jobs, well, it’s a paycheck.
- Along the line of hyperreality, many stationary exercise bikes now provide videos that allow users to follow the road.
- Dustin, the dirt bag who rides next to Bing loves those shows that humiliate people. TruTV seems to exist only to broadcast such shows.
- There’s a social comment here that could be we (not everyone of us) are comfortable with our situation when we see others in worse situations.
- Also, think about the people you know who find a way to complain EVERY TIME they go out to eat. Dustin denigrates the workers in yellow suits for distracting him for a second while watching his shows.
- He even relishes in the video game that allows players to mow down the zombie-like workers in yellow suits. Relate this to what players can do in video games today. ***WARNING: even though this is a video game, it’s very disturbing. Not required viewing, but important if you’re interested in video game studies.
- The episode comments on advertising, specifically, our over saturation of advertising. In this future, your default is to watch, and you have to pay to skip ahead.
- An interpretation of the default being opt-in relates to the fact that we’re born into society; we don’t choose to enter. Our default is we’re opted into the culture.
- When Bing first talks to Abi (in the restroom…I guess this future doesn’t have different bathrooms based on gender), he’s bombarded by an advertisement for porn: “Hey regular user..”
- It seems that the ads cater to your feelings, so, as his body responds to being attracted to Abi, an ad pops up to meet his needs.
- The episode ends with Bing’s rant against consumerism. He believes we blindly consumer worthless products.
- Bing tells Abi we buy “stuff…goofy things we purchase.”
- Ever been to a tourist shop in Myrtle Beach? If so, you know the worthless thing people sell and make tons of money on.
- When Bing goes on, he bypasses having to drink Cuppliance, the beverage that makes contestants conform to the judges’ and the show’s norms. The others have to drink the Kool Aid.
- Bing’s rant is that the system has commodified everything–even rebellion. The irony is that the judges turn his rebellion into a commodity and give him a show to host. With the extra merits, Bing gets to live in a more spacious room with a bigger screen to help create the illusion he’s viewing nature.
- Even Bing’s Shard is commodified because one can outfit an avatar with it…for a price!
The conclusion is bleak. One interpretation is that we need to make more money to buy bigger and better illusions. Commodities are comforts we can indulge in. Check out the Zombies and Consumption Satire page if you’re interested in that connection.
A Note on Beauty
The next show from The Twilight Zone is “Eye of the Beholder” and comments on cultural standards of beauty. “Fifteen Million Merits” also has this comment. Abi gets selected to get on the show first because she’s deemed prettier than some of the others who have been there longer. No matter how entrenched the bureaucracy, you can get ahead if you’re pretty.
- Most of the characters create avatars that display conventionally attractive characteristics.
- It’s possible to interpret Bing’s attraction to Abi as just another iteration of the boy-falls-in-love-with-pretty-girl narrative. After all, Abi conveys conventional beautiful characteristics and conforms to white female standards. Of course, media predominantly use conventionally attractive actors…even when commenting on how culture shouldn’t make us conform to limited ideals of beauty.
- Another interpretation is that Abi makes Bing feel something. He pretty much goes through the motions until he sees her. She’s something real to him, and it’s a welcomed change from the fake he accesses through technology.
- Abi sings well, but she’s not wanted for her singing; instead the judges want her to be a sex worker.
- Notice that even the female judge, Charity, supports the other judges’ desire for her to do porn. She claims “some of us girls might watch you.”
- However, Charity does shed a tear, signaling she feels bad for pushing Abi that way, but, what can she do? She must conform to the business model that appeals to the male gaze.
- If you’ve seen A Handmaid’s Tale, you’ll know Aunt Lydia, who’s reprehensible because she helps the patriarchy condition women for a life of servitude.
In the end, Abi turns into an interchangeable sex worker, demeaned by a faceless man on “Wraith Babes.” Her personality is gone; in fact, Charity tells her she won’t feel any shame because “We medicate against that.” Compare that to Rikki’s sex work in The House of Blue Lights in “Burning Chrome.”
Next Class
We return to face-to-face class after Spring Break on Tuesday, 3/11. We’ll discuss Martha Wells’s All Systems Red (2017), so make sure you finish reading it. Then, we jump right into Colson Whitehead’s Zone One (2011), so catch up on the reading. Finally, your Midterm Exam will be on Thursday, 2/26 (probably open on Wednesday), and you’ll do it on Canvas.
Works Cited
Dick, Bernard F. Anatomy of Film. (5th ed.). Bedford, 2005.
Fisher, Mark. Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? Zero Books, 2009.
Giddens, Anthony. The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration. Polity Press, 1984.
Giddens, Anthony. New Rules for Sociological Method. Basic Books, 1976.
Giddens, Anthony. Studies in Social and Political Theory. Routledge, 2015.
Messerschmidt, James W. Masculinities and Crime: Critique and Reconceptualization of Theory. Rowman & Littlefield P, 1993.
Toscano, Aaron. “Enacting Culture in Gaming: A Video Gamer’s Literacy Experiences and Practices.” Current Issues in Education, vol. 14, no. 1, 2011, pp. 1-30. {available here}