Democratic National Convention

Flipping through the channels, looking for a good sitcom with a bit of substance (Modern Family), I found the Democratic National Convention on PBS.  I was expecting to watch the keynotes at 9, but was drawn in by a fiery blonde woman.  Oh, this is the Lilly Ledbetter I have heard about.  Her story is interesting. In short, she worked for a number of years, and the law said that her employer did not need to share the pay scale of herself and her coworkers, for comparison.  She found out only much later that she wasn't paid on an equal scale to male counterparts, and sued.  The case made it to the Supreme Court, and she was denied in a 5-4 split decision.  President Obama signed a bill passed through Congress, shortly after he was sworn in.  Some questions to look at on this issue:  how quickly did this make it through both houses of Congress?  Remember, the Congress would just be convening for a new session in January, and would have all new bills.  Congress would seem to deserve a little credit.  When did the Supreme Court decision get handed down?  And on what grounds did they turn her down?  This information is available on teh American Bar Association's website.  You can see who filed petitions in support of both Ledbetter, and her opponents.  You can even read the opinions of the justices.  Thomas.gov will allow you to look back at the bill in Congress, who sponsored it, who supported, and how members of Congress voted for it, as well as the wording of the actual bill.


Corey Booker, mayor of Newark, spoke at the convention today.  He was critical of the Democratic criticism of Bain, and received some heat.  He came in tonight to toss in some fire in support of the Democratic candidate.  I mention Booker because he is a very interesting case.  A rising star in the Democratic Party (or so they've been saying for about four years now), he has done well to change the dialogue in Newark.  I first came across him in the original campaign movie Street Fight, through Netflix.  It is not available for streaming, but if you get a chance to see it, it provides insight into this young man of a newer generation that seek to change the dialogue.  He fought a democratic candidate, and refuses to give up on Newark.  Worth watching. 

The Maryland governor tried to get the crowd fired up, but the liberals have a hard time coordinating their signs.  There are two simple signs:  "Not Back" and "Forward".  He mentions over and and over, "Forward", "Not Back", but the signs are not going up in the right order.  The crowd is being given multiple attempts, but struggling with the coordination.  By the way, blue is the color of the Democratic party, red is the color of the Republican party.  Figure out which color is which here. . .

Issues of Race

Having attended the opening of the Hunger Games, clearly, I was interested in the series.  There, of course, were things I was disappointed with in the movies.  That is a given.  What took me completely surprise was the reaction to the movie portraying Rue as black.  I follow a sociology blog, and was taken quite aback at the stir that popped up over Rue.

http://globalsociology.com/2011/11/15/protecting-privileged-peoples-sensitivity/

There are some interesting links embedded within this review.  Some of the comments were pretty extreme, so read with caution. 

Another blogger I follow linked to the following article concerning some of the popular films coming out lately.  Again, the issues of race and religion are confronted in the forefront.  The purpose of this is to challenge, and generate thought, not to demand change.  Just to get readers thinking. Give it a try.

http://rhetoricraceandreligion.blogspot.com/2012/07/racial-and-sacred-imagery-in-abraham.html?spref=bl

The Republican caucus was interesting.  The speakers were not exciting, but telling.  The crowd was even more telling.  Take a look and see what you see of the audience.  I tried to get the largest clump I could.  The location is Shawnee Mission East.  I wasn't able to make the Democratic caucus, and I kick myself.  Crazy thing about having a kid's birthday. . .

And, oh yeah, Ron Paul showed up to speak at the second session.  Below is a banner that spoke to those who paid for the caucus.  The interesting part is when you get past the big name politicians, and you get to the PACs. 

Images of men and women

So, what are we telling our kids?  What is important?  The clothing is "cute".  But, does it establish an understanding of what is expected?  Are there hidden messages?  What are your thoughts?

Wow.  I got to eat a very personal, private dinner with the author of our text book.  There were an additional nine college professors, and the woman who sent the invitations.  It was an incredible pleasure to sit with him.  My students gave me a list of questions to ask the author.  He was a liberal New Yorker, with a jagged outlook.  He was a lot of fun to talk to, to bounce ideas off of, and to spend an evening.  The guy is very sharp and very interesting.  As he got comfortable with me, he took to punching me in the arm.

Sociology class connection

My youngest is totally obsessing on Shrek, and so, while I sit at the computer and research the American Cancer Society's financial connections, I have one eye on the television.  And apparently, one ear.  From the movie, Mona Lisa Smile, the song that Tori Amos sings while the girls dance at the wedding reception is Patsy Cline's You Belong to Me.  That same song plays in Shrek when the big green ogre is discussing swamp rat stew with the princess.  A remade version, both times, but interesting tie in.  Tori Amos attempted to be the challenge of her day, pushing feminist ideals when the mainstream wasn't really fully behind it.  Tori Amos can be seen to inspire Lady Gaga in her music and challenging the system.  Pink followd her pattern, also, especially when you watch the video Raise Your Glass.  Compare that to the album art of Boys for Pele, and there is no denying the influence she had.  Mona Lisa Smile is a feather in the cap of multiple female actors as they showed themselves capable of making a thoughtful movie with strong female leads.  Nice review of the creation of femininity.

Halftime in America

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGMOhOYvcw4

If you haven't seen "Halftime in America", check it out.  Then, read on. . .


The first time I watched the video, when it first aired, Eastwood's unmistakable voice took me in.  Whatever he is selling, I am buying.  He is the epitome of manhood.  I wanna be just like him when I grow up.  Then comes the "Halftime" commentary.  Wow.  It didn't take long to put that together with Obama.  What an interesting commercial.  For the cost of production, air time, etc, there is no way that Chrysler didn't realize the dual meaning behind what they were saying. 

What is interesting, above everything is how encompassing the commercial is.  Every race, gender, and age is represented.  Blue collar workers, middle class families, farmers/ranchers, firefighters.  Everything that is prototypically American is in this video.  A black man dropping his kids off at school.  A white suburbanite mother driving with her daughter.  What a powerful message this conveys on so many levels.

The protest scenes are from Wisconsin, against Governor Brown, in support of the unions.  The talking head (Wendt sounds off) I haven't been able to figure out yet, and would love some insight.  But, at first instinct, it made me think Bill O'Reilly.  It was interesting that the image was shot from a television, giving the impression that the commercial viewer was watching this on television, disconnecting the viewer further. 

Is the commercial partisan?  Or does it just happen to work on several levels?  Does it matter if it is political, because isn't that ok under Citizen's United?   Ok, maybe that is a bit of a stretch, but. . .

It is interesting to see products becoming more political.  Coca-Cola's attempt to save the Polar Bear is interesting, after the fight between environmentalists and the Bush Administration a few years ago. 

So, you decide.  Is this commercial politicized?  Did it cross the line?  Write up your thoughts in the comments. 

Here are some responses that popped up when I googled for the commercial:

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/02/06/clint-eastwood-chrysler-team-for-halftime-in-america-spot/

I like this one for telling both sides.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/karl-rove-offended-by-clint-eastwoods-chrysler-ad/2012/02/06/gIQAYt3HuQ_blog.html