Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Everything Disney Taught Me About Being America

Folklore and myth play a major role in depicting the history and identity of a people or nation. Both the content of such tales and the way they change from generation to generation are reflections of the group that tells the story. One example of such a tale that has been integrated into American history is John Smith’s record of his encounter with Pocahontas and her people the Powhatans. Though loosely based on actual events Smith’s tale has grown much from the time it was fist written. Upon examination of Disney’s version of the Pocahontas story in relation with Smith’s early accounts of the tale, we can see how the story’s telling has been re-shaped to greater enforce perceived American identity and the American concept of Manifest Destiny.
                From the very beginning of Disney’s Pocahontas  we notice a discrepancy between the way Disney depicts their character of John Smith and how Smith is depicted in earlier more historically accurate documents. Disney’s characterization is of a brave and noble warrior, explorer, who is respected and loved by his peers and embraced as a revered leader figure among members of the Virginia Company. Other more historical sources contradict this interpretation.  Documentation of the events of Jamestown suggests Smith’s real relationship with his peers was much rougher than Disney portrayed.  In settler’s letters, daily life life in the Virginia Company under Smith’s leadership was often described as “a misery, a ruine, a death, a hell” (Lepore 25), indicating a dissatisfaction with Smith that was conveniently left out in Disney’s account. 
An early scene of Disney’s Pocahontas depicts the voyage of the Virginia Company from England to the new world in which Smith is on deck commanding his men through a dangerous storm. Smith takes charge and keeps his men organized under life or death circumstances, even saving his crewmate Thomas from drowning after being thrown overboard by powerful waves. Ironically, when we examine more historical accounts we find that “for much of the voyage to Virginia, Smith was confined below decks, in chains, accused of plotting mutiny to ‘make himself king’” (Lepore 19).  Disney even goes as far as to change Smith’s appearance, their tall blonde and handsome portrayal of Smith is in stark contrast to the squat, dark haired, bearded man described in Ricther’s “Facing East from Indian Country.” So, why did Disney find it necessary to make so many changes to their John Smith characterization?
                Disney’s movie is an American retelling of an American folktale, and Smith is meant to be one of the first real American Heroes. Smith then serves to embody American identity and Disney does all that they can to ensure he embodies the wide eyed wonderment, thirst for adventure, and nobleness expected in an American hero. Smith is meant to be the quintessential embodiment of the pioneer spirit. However, a more historically accurate characterization doesn’t fit that mold. In order to satisfy viewers and create a true “American” hero of Smith that we are so familiar with, a few of Smith’s select characteristics needed to be shaved away.
                To do this Disney created Governor Radcliffe, a pompous, “dignified” Englishman to serve as the villain of their story. Effectively Disney syphoned off the negative aspects of historical Smith’s persona in order to create two distinct characters. On one hand we have Smith, adventurous, bold, and respectable. On the other we have Radcliffe, greedy, arrogant, and self-centered. By creating two polar opposite characters Disney effectively created separate embodiments of early American Identity. Smith represents the identity Americans prefer to associate with, the promise of the American dream and an unconquerable pioneer spirit. While Radcliffe is a personification of what Lepore refers to as “the American Nightmare.”  He represents the greedy conquerors that “steal somebody else’s land (the Powhantans’) and reap huge profits by planting and harvesting an addictive drug (tobacco, whose sale were responsible for the boom) while exploiting your labor force (indentured servants, and after 1619, enslaved Africans)” (Lepore 22).
The clearest example of this divide in Disney’s film occurs during the musical number “Mine, Mine, Mine.”  While Radcliffe and members of the Virginia Company are busy digging up the shores of Virginia singing of riches and gold, Smith is off exploring the countryside. Radcliffe looks at the new land as product as he sings of how “it all can be sold” (Disney). Meanwhile, Smith is more concerned with taming the new world and making it his own. Smith’s characterization in this case depicts the expected and accepted pioneer spirit we associate with early settlers, while Radcilffe exhibits the characteristic American greed and materialism we often try to sweep under the rug. Now with a distinct hero and villain, viewers of the Disney’s Pocahontas can cheer for their American hero without also lending their admiration to the more distasteful version of themselves now restricted to Radcliffe.
                Disney’s Pocahontas character has also experienced a drastic change from her early beginnings in John Smith’s journals and letters. In his written account of his time in Virginia, Pocahontas is little more than a footnote hastily thrown in towards the end of his work. However Disney presents us with a fully developed characterization to the beautiful Indian princess. She is described by her peers as wild and untamed “always going where the wind takes her” (Disney). Throughout the film Pocahontas is instructed by her father Powhatan that she is to be “Steady as the beating drum” and to take the path of least resistance, but instead she continually refuses to bend her will or be conquered. Disney’s has turned Pocahontas into a representation of rural America, or “the new world” which has yet to be tamed before the arrival of the Virginia Company on her shores.
                The romantic pairing of Smith and Pocahontas, though contrary to historical evidence, now makes sense in the context of the Disney story. If Pocahontas represents the new world and John Smith the quintessential American hero then it is logical that only Smith (the early American) possessed the qualities necessary to tame the untamable and conquer the heart of Pocahontas (the new world). Their paring demonstrates the American idea of “Manifest Destiny,” the idea that America was meant for Americans, and that it was our destiny to take this land for our own. There are other details of Disney’s film that play to this idea as well.  In her meetings with Grandmother Willow, Pocahontas speaks of a dream she has had where she is running through the woods when she comes across a spinning arrow, an arrow we later discover is pointing her toward Smith. Grandmother Willow then tells her that the arrow is pointing Pocahontas down the right path for her, and if she “listens with her heart” she will find her way (Disney).  The incorporation of this dream into the story as well as the way it eludes to Native American spirituality suggests that even Pocahontas and her people knew that the future of America lay not with them, but with the Englishmen landing on their shores.
                By changing the details of John Smiths original account of his time with the Virginia Company and his encounter with Pocahontas Disney creates a modern version of this American folktale that serves to reinforce our learned perception of American Identity while reassuring the American people in our belief that this land (North America) was always meant to be “our land.”  The Pocahontas story serves as a mirror with which to view a reflection of our national identity, though said reflection may be skewed. It may be that what Disney chose to remove and alter in their telling of this American myth says more about Americans and our beliefs than the details that were included in the film’s final cut.



Works Cited
Gabriel, Mike, dir. Disne'ys Pocahontas. Disney: 23 june 1995. DVD.
Lepore, Jill. Here He Lyes. Cambridge: Random House LLC, 2002. 16-30. Print.

Richter, Daniel. Facing East from Indian Country. Cambribge: Harvard University Press, 2001. 68-79. Print.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Whats your end game?

Recently in my ethics and values class we discussed the writings of Kai Nielson and his arguments on morality and religion. Nielsons makes it a point to empahsize that, if one's sole motivation to take any moral action is to obtain an eternal reward from a god or gods, they are childish and weak minded, and that there are deeper and more profound reasons for living and being.

I'd like to argue that there aren't. Not just in the aspect of religion, but in general.

One of newtons laws states "for every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction" is this not fact? Is this not a fundemental law of science? If it is indeed a law of physical science, is it safe to say "action reaction" is a law of human science and or behavior?

Give me an action, I'll give you a reaction. Give me an action and i'll give you an end game.

I eat for energy and pleasure.

I use the bathroom for relief.

I work for money.

I attend school for a chance at a better career.

Etc.

Every action has a reaction. Even Nielson has an end game to writing his essay, Nielson writes to make the religious look childish and selfish. But his action, whether he'd admit it or not, is motivated by the estimated reaction. So, is he, by his own logic, selfish and childish aswell?

Even quote, unquote "positive action" is motivated by the reaction.

I buy my wife flowers to make her happy. (and or to get some)

I practice moral behavior to feel like a moral person.

I treat others well so that I will be treated same in return.

Action, reaction.

So class, whats your endgame?

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

X > X?

Wearing a beret to your ethics and values class doesn't mean you understand the material better than your classmates.

Reading the bible doesn't make you more religious than your brother in law.

Screaming "fuck you!" on BYU campus doesn't mean your not just another "zoobie".

Writing a blog doesn't mean your opinion means more than a tweeters.

Being married doesn't mean you know more about life than your single friends.

Playing the guitar doesn't make you cooler then someone who plays the flute.

Falsifying an intellectual conversation with your friends doesn't mean you have more depth than the guys at the bar discussing the super bowl.

X is not > than X.

So many people today choose to define themselves by what they think makes them "better" than others. The fact is, no one human life, has greater, or lesser value than you do.

sorry chaps.

What is with this superiority complex? WHY do we feel the need to thrust others down, in order to lift ourselves up? if i really am as cool as i think i am in my head, why does it matter what people think of the guy sitting next to me?

news flash:

it doesn't.

Your own self worth shouldn't be based on how many of the people around you are "better" or "worse" than you are. The need to do ridicule others to establish self worth shows major insecurity on your part, and in reality, lowers peoples opinions of you.

so wise up, find your own ways to be better, new ways to test yourself, and set some goals for yourself to reach. Further your own personal growth, and find value in you in being better than you were yesterday, not in being better than your neighbor.

Something to chew on,

the littlest blogger

Thursday, October 21, 2010

“Our Nation is going to the dogs!”

“There’s nothing good on TV these days!”

“The news is so liberal biased now!”

“There aren’t enough jobs to go around!”

“Higher education is too expensive!”

“My hot pocket is still frozen in the middle!”

Human beings are complainers. We whine and we cry, we bitch and we moan, about EVERYTHING. We complain to our families, our friends, our neighbors and teachers. We complain ABOUT our FRIENDS, FAMILIES, NEIGHBORS, AND TEACHERS. HELL! This blog itself is a complaint about how much we as a race complain, spewed out into cyberspace for all to hear! Everything is wrong, everything is broken! We’ve been so caught up in the bad lately, we’ve forgotten the good. The topics most commonly discussed around the water cooler are about what we lack, what we need, what we think we deserve. We talk about what’s done wrong, why it’s wrong, and how it’s only going to get worse. Why don’t we ever talk about what’s done right?

There’s still good in the world! It’s always happy hour somewhere right? Somewhere a child was born. Somewhere, someone just fell in love. Somewhere, someone is eating a Milky Way candy bar! So, why not dwell, just for a moment, on all that is great. I share with you my friends, a list or all that is still good, right, and true with this world. This is a list of what makes my life worth living, in no particular order. Enjoy!

1: Chocolate
2: The cold side of the pillow
3: Family and friends who love me for me
4: The Value menu, ANY VALUE MENU (Except Arby’s. Seriously guys? Really?)
5: Santa Claus
6: Steven Colbert
7: Singing the Guitar Solo
8: Shark Week
9: Random Dancing in Public Places
10: That one person who laughs when you tell a really bad joke
11: The Budweiser Frogs
12: You know what? Any and all beer commercials are pretty awesome
13: Scott Pilgrim V.S. The World
14: Spellchecker
15: Driving the highway really late at night when the roads are empty
16: Mountain Dew
17: The Platypus
18: Boy Meets World Re-Runs
19: American football
20: Air Guitar
21: The Safety Dance
22: That’s What She Said
23: Hugs
24: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
25: Listening to your new favorite song over and over just to learn the lyrics
26: Rubbing someone’s newly shaved head and making a wish
27: Rain
28: Jesus Sandals
29: Knowing all the words to “ICE ICE BABY”
30: Your favorite pair of jeans
31: Hilary Fullmer (here’s looking at you kid ;) )
32: High Fiving Babies
33: Snow Days
34: The ability to settle any dispute with a game of rock, paper, scissors
35: Any food that requires wet-naps or napkins to eat
36: A healthy colon
37: Any and all additions of Super Smash Brothers
38: Walking through the wall with an extremely attractive friend and having everyone stare out you like they’re amazed you’re together
39: You’re set of wheels from your high school days
40: Doing the moonwalk in your socks on a hardwood floor (or any other smooth surface)
41: When you sneeze and a stranger say’s bless you
42: Finally finding Waldo
43: The moment at a concert when the crowd finally figure’s out what song their playing up there!
44: 11:11
45: Per-diddle
46: Being slobby in a hotel room because you know you don’t have to clean it up
47: Homemade cookies
48: My Mom
49: Your Mom! Oh snap!
50: Finding out someone actually reads your blog other than your mother


And that’s just for starters! There is so much out there that makes life AWESOME! Think about it! Make a list of your own! Post it in my comment box! Do it! I dare, find 50 things that make you smile!

Yours Truly,
The Littlest Blogger

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Paradox in a box

"Despite your pseudo-bohemian appearance and vaguely leftist doctrine of beliefs, you know NOTHING about art or sex that you couldn't read in any trendy New York underground fashion magazine...Proto-typical non-conformist. You are a vacuous soldier of the thrift store Gestapo. You adhere to a set of standards and tastes that appear to be determined by an unseen panel of hipster judges-BULLSHIT-giving a thumbs up and thumbs down to incoming and outgoing trends and styles of music and art. Go analog baby, you're so post-modern. You're diving face forward into an antiquated past, it's disgusting! It's offensive! Don't stick your nose up at me!"

- Say Anything "Admit It!!"

How many of us know a person like this? How many of us know an individual who wants so bad to be the one to “break the mold” that, instead of reaching said goal, they find themselves thrust into another mold altogether. Instead of becoming the stereotypical jock, they find themselves becoming the stereotypical musician, or they go from being the stereotypical artist to being the stereotypical class president. Human beings want so desperately to be unique, to stand out from the crowd. We want to prove to society that we don't need their approval. But the fact is we crave it. We seek to be different, nay, we force ourselves to fit the molds of what others have defined as "different" or "unique" so society will stroke our egos by telling us how special we really are. We put forth all this effort, just so we can look down all those "no quite as special as I am."

I quote again Say Anything

"When you walk by a group of quote-unquote “normal people” you chuckle to yourself, patting yourself on the back as you scoff. It's the same superiority complex shared by the high school jocks who made your life a living hell, that makes you a slave to the competitive capitalist dogma you spend every moment of your waking life BITCHING about!"

We are a walking talking paradox! We strive to be different, but we're not! We long to be one of a kind, but instead we're just another one in a million begging to be noticed and accepted by our peers. We try to be “the non-conformist” but instead we’re just conforming to someone else’s standards of non-conformity. When are we going to realize you don't have to know the name of every indie band, watch every Tim Burton movie, or pretend to enjoy Donnie Darko to be "hip" or "cool". The thing you can do to most emphasize your uniqueness is be 100% you all the time! We strive to be “cool by the numbers” then constantly tell ourselves we’re the ones coloring outside of the lines, but we can’t deceive ourselves forever. If you truly want to be different, stand up and say “I’m done playing this game!” and carry on with being the real you!

Yours truly,

The Littlest Blogger

Sunday, October 10, 2010

I Applaud a Herald of Truth!

A few days ago in my philosophy class we were discussing Immanual Kant and his duty ethic, which is centered upon the categorical imperitive. According to Kant, any absolute or universal principle can be defined by two keys: 1) Can I will that the principle behind my actions should become a universal law? 2) Rational beings are never to be used solely as a means to an end. On the surface Kantian ethics appears pretty solid, and that is in many instances true. It is not, however, perfect. Among the several points where this system breaks down is the question of who/what consititutes a rational being? Kant, our proffessor explained, didn't believe women to be rational beings.

Now, as soon as this argument was raised, an uncomfortable silence spread through the room like a whispering spectre, and all the men in the room looked at each other knowingly. At long last a solitary champion exorcized the unwelcome spirit and vanquished the repressive silence by saying what every one of us was thinking:

'Well, women can be pretty irrational sometimes.'

When his comment was rewarded with looks of horror and stares of disbelief, he qualified it with the admission that women are, in fact, quite intelligent. But, as our proffessor so self-righteoursly declared, "There's no digging yourself out of that hole." Not a word was uttered in defense of this brave soul who offered himself as the sacrificial lamb, this yet undeniable truth. Disapproval for making such a bold statement was rendered by men and women alike, as though each of us silently agreed to make our defender of truth the fall guy so we could somehow save face, and deny that all of us - even the women - were tempted to say exactly what he said (in words at least that strong!) As this has been gnawing at me for several days, I'd like to take a minute and record what I wish I'd have had the courage to say:

***

'Okay, no! I refuse to hang this young man out to dry just to look good with the ladies! The man spoke his mind, at great peril to himself, and I say Bravo! How sad it is that at the height of this self-declared age of "reason" we have become so afraid of axioms and generalizations that we fear even the truest of truisms merely because we might just offend the sensitivities of some pour soul! The man has spoken truth today, friends! He admits, as do I, that women (with a few notable exceptions) have the capacity for great thought and achievements of the intellect. But we crucify such a prophet for the mere suggestion that, on occasion, such capacity can be marred or muddled by the intricate emotional faculties of womankind.

'Men, no doubt, often lack a degree of logic and reason behind their actions, I will concede that. I will even concede that women are more likely to look before leaping than are their male counterparts. A lack of logic and reason on man's part, however, denotes only a lack of thought behind the action. In this case, as men we occasionally wave our right (or forget to exercise our right) to think. When we do exercise thought, it's a deliberate, common-sense, experience-based and rational thought proccess which guides our actions. Women more rarely fail to exercise thought entirely, however, their judgement is in constant danger of interference from emotion, reaction, and passion (in lieu of logic or reason). This emotional interference quite often manifests itself in bahavior which is lacking in clearly-visible logic, and therefore appears irrational to much simpler men. While men certainly can and do act out of passion and many women do temper their passion with deliberate logic, the statement that "women can be pretty irrational sometimes" is generally true, and true enough of the time that a broad generalization is not unwarranted.

This in mind, friends, i applaud this herald of truth! Yes, I applaud him though i do so at my own peril, but ladies and gentlemen, even you that reject this axiom of the sometimes irrationality of womankind, you ought to applaud this man just the same. Though we all made him feel small for speaking out, he nevertheless spoke according to his belief, a rare hapenstance which has been tabooed in this postmodern age wherein the only thing worse than being stupid is being "wrong." Take a lesson, friends, from this lad of lads and speak your mind with conviction! Repent for your ostracizing and join me (if indeed there be a scrap of integrity between the lot of you) in a round of applause for this and every martyr whose dignity we have claimed in our own cowardice to take a stand!'

Your's Truly,

The Littlest Blogger

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Emperors New Clothes

We all can recall that story told to us as children, of a vain king and a crafty tailor. The king wished to comission the most beautiful and elaborate set of clothes imagineable, and the tailor promised it to him. The king provided the tailor with a small fortune with which to purchase the finest materials to create the ultimate fashion statement. However, greed overcame the tailor, and, instead of using the money to create the kings comissioned masterpiece, he instead pocketed the money, and came up with a plan to deceive the king.

The next day the tailor made his way to the castle, a large bag slung over his shoulder. When the time came to reveal to the king the beautiful garment for which he had spent so much of his gold, the tailor reached into his bag, he pulled out...nothing. He held the nothing aloft in the air for everyone to see.

"This!" he said brandishing the nothingness in his hands "is a robe made of magical cloth! most expensive and rare of all silks! It is only visible to the wisest and strongest men, good king, can you see how beautiful it is? Does this rare and beautiful garment suit you and your glory?" The king could of course, could not see the cloth, because of course, there was nothing there.

"Err..... Yes good tailor! I can see your glorious creation! It's beauty is beyond description! I would be honored to wear such a robe!" and so the king dawned the suit of nothing, and the tailor made his way from the castle, much, much richer.

The king wore the suit for days, flaunting it to his subjects. Insisting on its beauty, telling all that if they could not see it, they were foolsih indeed. One day, the king held a grand parade in his own honor, so that all the kingdom could witness the beauty of his magnificent new clothes. The citizens lined the streets, eager to see the robes that were the talk of the entire kingdom. Finally, the king took to the streets, the citizens of the kingdom could see no robes, but they oooohed, and aaaahed nonetheless, not wishing to appear ignorant, until finally a small child pointed to the king and yelled, "Look there, that idiot is naked!"

The crowd immediately fell silent, and the king angrily turned on the boy, who was laughing unceasingly at the infuriated king. slowly, a roar of laughter spilled through the crowd and soon, all the citizens of the land we're laughing and pointing at the once proud king. The king's face redened as he looked down at his beautiful new clothes, and finally he hung his head in shame. He was indeed naked.

This is a phenomena sweeping the world, we all have been blinded by the desire to feel "smart" or "hip" and have embraced styles and trends and are, in a word, stupid.

Why do so many of us love pop diva Lady Ga Ga? is it because she is wildly talented, beautiful, and ground breakingly original? or is she, infact, just NUTS!?!? We embrace her, because if we stood up and said HEY SHES CRAZY, we would be told that we lack the depth necessary to understand her unique brand of genius. Well, guess what! she's just NAKED, and your are just as stupid as she is! thanks for playing!

Another example of the phenomena at work is the movie "Inception". Thousand's of fans have flocked to movie theaters around the world to view this "Deeply thought provoking film" just to find themselves hours of their wasted lives later, stumbling out of a dark movie theater with a dumbstruck look on their face. Later, among friends, they'll pretend to get the movie, and praise it and all its glory, when in reality, deep down inside, it sill makes absolutely no sense. Why are you still confused? because there is nothing to make sense of! it makes NO sense, and wasn't meant to! you were simply presented with a long drab film that hides its inadequacy behind a mask of "artistic genius"!

I urge you, open your eyes to the naked among you, and don't be afraid to point them out to others! Don't be afraid of looking uncultured or stupid, instead, save others from a plague of rapidly spreading idiocy!

Your Friend,

The littlest Blogger