New Rule

New Rule: Engineer have to stop looking weird. We know you are well aware of the stereotype, you are engineers. You are bright, hyper-intelligent, and ready to cure cancer; but you need to stop growing out your hair into ridiculous pony tails and you need to start shaving that creepy-ass pubic mustache. Also, stop wearing shorts in 20 degree weather. We know you're freezing your ass off, and the attention you're getting isn't the good kind. It's the kind that reminds me why your 8 year old self received many wedgies and why you were always blamed for silent-but-deadly farts in middle school. Oh engineer, you know you look weird, but for some reason you pride yourself in the fact that showering has become merely an option to you while you terrorize everyone else with your stench. You know that you wear pants that are too short for your gangly legs and that your black leather New Balances are painfully out of touch with any sort of fashion that has ever existed, but yet you still trudge on. With your TI-89 and your Dungeons and Dragons manual in your back pocket, you make out with your equally awkward looking girlfriend for all the world to see while we humans stand around asking, "Why me, here, now?" We get it, you're "weird", and you'd rather be a hobbit than a real person, but for my sake just go to a Gap and get yourself a pair of slacks or something.

I suddenly feel shallow.

Two New Rules

New Rule: First class passengers must board last. I can live with the dirty look the stewardess gives the coach passengers just before she closes the curtain between the two sections. And I can live with the fact that they’re getting free champagne while the rest of us have to pay out the ass for second-rate beer. But, why the hell do I have to walk by them as they sneer at me on my way to a seat that even a midget yoga master would find uncomfortable? Just because I spend the entire flight trying to sleep without getting myself a hernia, doesn’t mean that I need to wait for first-class passengers to be all tuckered away in their seats before I can get to mine. The next time I see one of them taking their time in the aisle as I’m attempting to board, I’ll make sure to extend my leg as far as I can – right up their ass.

New Rule: Certain traffic violations should lead to the automatic revocation of a driver’s license. If you’re in the left lane going below the speed limit, consider your license revoked. Speed up before a yellow light and then jam on the break just as it turns red? No more license for you. Think it’s a good idea to apply make-up or read a book while driving? Hope you have a bike. If you wait to turn left at a stoplight and you let it go from green to yellow to red more than once… you’re walking. If these rules are properly enforced, my mother wouldn’t be allowed to so much as look at a car, let alone drive one. You can thank me later.

what's the maher-ter?

Next week we'll be discussing (actually, I hope we'll be debating) the arguments Bill Maher makes in When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Bin Laden, so for Tuesday's class, please read to page 85. Resist the urge to be a passive, I'll-let-someone-else-do-the-talking-in-class kind of scoundrel--um, I mean kind of reader. Instead, try to engage with what Maher has to say about post-9/11 American culture--its weaknesses, its hypocrisies, its strengths--with an alert and open mind. Come to class ready to mix it up with your seminar-mates about at least three of his arguments.

To get you in the mood, I want you to try out a Maher-style rant called "New Rules" for your blog post. Maher shares his "New Rules" at the end of his HBO show "Real Time With Bill Maher," and they're basically the New Laws Of The Universe that Maher would enact to make the world a better place to live. You can see examples here, here, and here. The format should look something like this (taken from a transcript of Maher's "New Rules"), and it can be as long or as short as you like:

New Rule: Mitt Romney–must stop using the state of Massachusetts as a punchline unless he prefaces it with, "You know, the state that is so horribly liberal I chose to live and raise my family there for the last 30 years." You don't hear Bush shitting on Texas or Cheney making fun of Transylvania.

You don't have to mimic Maher's politics, just his style, and you can post on everything from daily annoyances to political gripes to other people's bad fashion sense. Post as many rules as you like, but try to come up with at least one.


(Can't think of a "New Rule"? Okay, do a little research and explain to us the proper use of a dash. One good place to look might be The Chicago Manual of Style. If someone beats you to the dash, explain to us the proper use of the colon. Yes, I mean the punctuation mark.)

metacritic.com

This is a great site for those who like to read reviews before watching, listening to, playing, or reading anything. It aggregates reviews from most major newspapers, magazines, and reputable online review sites (you have the option to read each individual review) to create an overall score that will give you a pretty good idea whether something is worth your time. Looking through their Best Of lists from past years can also be a fun way to find new stuff that you may have overlooked in the past. I tend to think their cumulative scores are somewhat deflated ('300' definitely deserves higher than a 53), but its generally an interesting read.

metacritic.com

Get a person on the phone and the Sloganator

This is an amazing website that gives you the direct line phone numbers to many companies that you would have to call. It bypasses the automated tele-prompts. http://gethuman.com/us/ Also, the

Sloganator is a great way to get a good 'ol slogan together for that special event or person. http://thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi?word=Ed+Goode

For the Caffeine-afflicted

http://www.energyfiend.com/death-by-caffeine/

something everyone would love to waste about an hour at, you can calculate how much of a given caffinated beverage it would talk to kill you. try it, compare with friends. enjoy... i know some may need to take this into consideration after spring break.

TV For Free?

Two great sites are www.alluc.org and www.alloftv.net. Both of these sites provide indexes of links to episodes of pretty much every television show from the past ten years. The great thing is that both of these sites simply give the link to a handful of other sites (think youtube.com) that actually host the television shows, thereby all of the content on both of these sites is perfectly legal. So, when you have a craving to watch The Fresh Prince of Belair, The Wire, The Sopranos, South Park, or any other show that you wouldn't normally be able to watch at your request simply visit one of these sites. Keep in mind that alloftv.net has more cartoons, whereas alluc.org not only has tv shows but also has movies.

Hopstop.com

I haven't had much need to use this website yet, but I think it's a great idea. Hopstop.com gives you subway or bus directions from one point to another in any of five cities: New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Users enter the language they want their directions in, the transportation mode, walking/transfer preference and departure time (in case there are differences in service availability). I'm a born and bred New Yorker and it's pretty much the only metropolitan area I've ever lived in, but if I move somewhere else next year, I'm sure I'll live by it.

check it out! http://hopstop.com/

Mobile17.com

A great website is mobile17.com, which lets you take a song from your iTunes library and make it into your cell phone ringtone. It works with pretty much any phone and it's free! All you have to do is type in your phone number and choose the part of the song you want, and it sends you the song via text message. Hope everyone has a good break!

Customized listening: Pandora.com

The coolest website I've ever stumbled upon is free, customizable, sleek, and sweet. Pandora.com lets users (become a user by simply creating a login and password) create music stations that build themselves based on your preferences. If you choose a song, album, band, or solo performer the station will play songs with similar musical attributes, which you can then keep as part of the station or reject. You can create multiple stations, rate songs, and find out why songs were chosen. There are ads on the page, but no commercial interruptions to the music. Check it out!

Kramer is No Comedian

First and foremost, Michael Richards is not a stand up comedian. He has never been, and will never be. Before Seinfeld, the guy was a "serious actor"; the pigeon-hole/typecast the entertainment industry (and probably everyone else) stuck him in as being this funny guy was something he never previously experienced. It came as no real surprise to me when I saw the Laugh Factory incident on YouTube. The guy can't handle a little heckling. The fact of the matter is, he wasn't funny: he was bombing that night. Due to his lack of experience, he blurted out "the N word" for a few shock laughs and clearly even this was not executed properly. One of the most uncomfortable parts of the whole charade was watching this guy try and appologize on the Tonight Show. Jerry Seinfeld at one point has to tell the audience to "Stop laughing, it's not funny." Whether or not Michael Richards is actually a "racist" at this point does not matter. He is clearly an idiot, both for his rant and his attempted appology. We will no doubt see him on E! True Hollywood Story in the next 5 years or so. Condolences, dear Kramer.

South Park: Moral Compass of Our Generation

Okay, perhaps that title was an extreme exaggeration but the last few seasons of South Park have had a particular knack for hitting the nail on the head with a variety of social issues. Through it all they manage to incorporate some truly inane subplots. I really enjoyed Cartman's taunting of the "little person" that carried through the entire episode - ending with their playground wrestling match. Though absurd, it somehow related to the "nigger-guy" theme - I'm not entirely sure how, but I tend to believe that it did...you know, in my gut.

Randy's gaffe on Wheel of Fortune was a product of latent, repressed racism that seems to exist at a subconscious level. He claims to not be a racist, yet the first word that pops into his head when posed the category of "People that annoy you" and the clue "N _ G G E R S" is the infamous n-word. I admit that the n-word was the first one that came to mind for me too. Though, my defense is that I had seen a CNN.com news-clip including the scene but without the resolution so I got a skewed impression of the show. (That makes it all better, right? Guys?)

The camera-man shoots him a glare as if to say, "Do not say what I think you're going to say." The crowd is shocked and his family is thoroughly embarrassed. Does Randy saying the n-word on national television make him a racist? Or does it make him a pawn of stereotyping? There are a lot of stereotypes in society that, under certain circumstances, are completely inappropriate. It's acceptable to point out those stereotypes, whether right or wrong, on the Chappelle Show or, to a marginally funny extent, Mind of Mencia. However, during a family television show on a major network those same stereotypes are unacceptable. Further, it depends on the context within those shows. If Randy had said, "Pat, I doubt you would put the n-word as the answer, so I'm not going to guess an answer" he probably could have gotten away with thinking that the answer was "N I G G E R S." It was his deadpan, honest belief that the answer was the n-word that cast him as the "nigger-guy." Comedians get away with playing with stereotypes either because of their ownership of the word or because of their playful nature with it. It is when someone like Michael Richards takes the word and makes it serious, even in the midst of a comedy routine, that it becomes offensive.

Ann Coulter will do anything for attention...

I disagree with Ann Coulter that the term “faggot” has nothing to do with ad is not offensive to gays. First of all, who is she to say whether the term faggot is offensive to gays? She is not gay…she cites no gay friends or family members that say that the term is not offensive. And even if she did, that does not mean that most gay people would not be offended by the term. I have personally been in a room with someone who used that phrase (and they were not directing it towards an actual gay person either, which she is attempting to use as her defense) while a gay person was in the room, and I know for a fact that the gay person was offended.

She claims she meant it as a schoolyard taunt meaning “wus,” and I do not doubt that. However, the point is that attaching a negative attribute (such as being a wus) to a term that refers to gay people attaches that negative attribute to the gay community itself.

So, sorry Ann, I do not think the controversy over your comment constitutes “semantic totalitaritianism” as you claim. Rather, I think it reflects sensitivity that you clearly lack, or more likely, choose not to exercise in favor of attracting any type of attention you can.

Coerced To Use The N-Word?

Randy Marsh's gaffe had to do with the fact that he used the word "nigger." But to understand the true source of the humor, satire, or irony (whichever are at play) in this episode of South Park it seems that one must take into account the context of the situation that Randy uses the word in. The fact that he is appearing on national television, on a show (Wheel of Fortune) that is perhaps the most iconic shows on American Television is important. It seems to me that the humor in this episode is more directed at American culture, represented by American television.

In this episode it is not as if Randy says nigger to a buddy or to a black person in a social situation. Rather, he is almost literally coerced to say the word. As he says on the ride home "the only reason [he] said it is that he thought he would win money." He was only playing a game on a television show in which he was compelled to use the word nigger. He felt it was okay to use the word if he could win some money, although he knew he wasn't supposed to. He was not motivated to use the word because of any underlying hatred or bigotry. I think this brings up two important issues. To me it highlights the fact that using the word nigger is really profitable. Take any rap album. The word is thrown around without any consideration of its racial implications. So, the use of the word, while it may offend some, is really part of a broader cultural movement in which its use is accepted if not encouraged. When money is involved it seems as if people ignore the bad connotations of the word and allow its use. Like in movies or rap music people are allowed to use the word. It is as though its use is harmless in these contexts. Second, it brings up the issue of whether we, the American public, who literally hear the word nigger being used all the time in movies, music, and television, are wrong for using the word ourselves. It is almost impossible not to use a word being thrown at you all the time. There is something unfair about hearing a word used profusely in popular culture and not being able to imitate this usage of the word. I think the episode is commenting on this.

This episode also it brings up the question of whether it really is wrong to use the N-word if there is no hatred behind it. Randy's wife, on the car trip back exclaims "I can't believe you used the N-word on national Television!" No one expresses any dissatisfaction with Randy's use of the word, but more so with his use of the word on television. So, while it is pretty much universally acknowledged by everyone in the episode that Randy is not racist, and therefore the word was not used by him in any bigoted way, its use in public is still not acceptable. We all know that nigger can be used as a term of 'social-leveling', as a term of endearment, or as an insult, but does the meaning intended by the person saying the word not matter? Maybe this is the case. Maybe, publicly the word simply will never be socially acceptable—at least by a white person. Almost everyone in the audience, at the filming of Wheel of Fortune, and watching in South Park are white. They are the ones shocked by its use. The only black person whose reaction we see is the camera man. I could not help but understand the black camera man's expression as meaning "white people cannot use this word, it is our word." I think there is some truth to this statement. When white people use nigger it is seen as wrong. And historically there is a reason for this: it was used by white people to degrade black people. Therefore, no matter what meaning a white person intended the word nigger to have when saying it, it is simply wrong for white people to say the word because of the historical implications of a white person using the word.

The Onion ... on YouTube

I wasn't too surprised to find out that Tokyo Breakfast was initially created by two white guys from Ohio who had written for The Onion and MTV in the past. The humor seemed all too American, something that a film made by Japanese writers/producers wouldn't be able to grasp as comfortably. Knowing that it was in fact made by Americans, and furthermore two guys who had written for the Onion, changed my interpretation of the clip dramatically.

We picture Japanese people as being very proper and reserved, so seeing them act like overly energetic and extroverted stars of a rap video created a juxtaposition that Americans find funny. This aspect basically drove the humor of the clip (at least on the surface). However, the creators have portrayed these actors in such a way so as to bring out our ingrained stereotypes towards Japanese culture. Maybe thats part of its genius -- ignorant Americans who harbor these stereotypes think its a hilarious comedic clip while that very clip is a piercing social commentary aimed at them. Reading viewer reviews of this clip on sites like youtube and imdb.com makes this ignorance painfully clear.


Also, to relate this to the documentary we watched last class, the use of the word "nigga" occurred only in the context of the Japanese family mocking hip-hop culture. It was used so frequently (and in so many different ways) that it was clearly meant to show that these people did not really assign any meaning to the word. Additionally, the use of the softened version of the slur, where the -er ending is replaced by the -a ending takes away a lot of the racist connotations in my opinion.

Overall, while Tokyo Breakfast may seem like a lame attempt at comedy at first, being able to view at it as a social satire rather than one of the dumb non sequitur-driven skits that appear on SNL these days, makes it a lot more worthwhile.

Ann Coulter

I’m getting tired of Ann Coulter. I appreciate the fact that she holds firm to her pointed convictions, but it surprises me that, with such a narrow conception of the world, she still continues to get airtime. In this latest controversy, she speaks as though she is an authority regarding the etymology of the word “faggot,” and reduces it to a meaningless schoolyard taunt. Maybe in Coulter’s schoolyard, faggot was a commonly uttered taunt (it wouldn’t shock me to discover that Coulter was the one doing the taunting, even at an early age), but this singular experience does not detract from the possibility and, I believe, reality that faggot holds a stronger meaning in the real world.

I’m not concerned that Coulter believes that faggot is a harmless, inoffensive word. It's her prerogative to hold to her definition of the word. However, it's simply offensive and irresponsible for her to loosely use this word in the public realm, where the meaning of words is often determined by plurality. Her statement that "It has nothing to do with gays" reveals her intentional ignorance of the fact that many gays take strong offense at this word. Coulter seems to have pulled the blinders over her eyes, she must be aware that the use of the word faggot is tremendously controversial and offensive for some.

I think it only adds to the confusion that gays regard the word faggot with mixed emotions – for some it’s offensive, while others have embraced it as an endearing term. Why take on a nickname that comes with the baggage of preexisting pejorative connotations? The lack of a clear position from gays on the meaning of this word allows room for mean spirited individuals like Ann Coulter to use it in a demeaning way.

the laugh factory?

Too often does a celebrity or athlete say or do something totally preposterous and is then absolved from all blame because of some lame cover up. However, the tirade put on by Michael Richards spiraled too far out of control to be excused. Richards actually tries to defend his comments by alluding to interruptions by two black audience members, but from my experience, don’t comedy clubs always involve a certain level of heckling from the crowds? I mean, certainly Richards must believe in the words that he chose so carefully to depict the hecklers. He claims that his actions are justified because “that is what happens when you interrupt a white man”, a comment that isn’t intelligent or comical and which doesn’t even make sense. I think that Richards senses the audience is offended but instead of saving face with the rest of the audience he continues to antagonize their bewilderment and questions their ability to stomach his outrageous comments. He asks “is this too much for you too handle” pointing at the possibility that the audience is somehow inferior to him because of their lack of social perceptiveness. However, Richards’ clearly racially motivated comments illuminate his deep-seated bigotry and social ineptitude. As a result, he has lost all respect from any of the Seinfeld fans that still believed in him after he became a wash up.

tokyo breakfast

Tokyo Breakfast manages to squeeze numerous stereotypes of two distinct ethnicities into a six minute piece. I think this short film clip has many implications. First, I believe it alludes to the over-saturation of the n word in the hip hop culture (which is increasingly permeating mainstream American society). A Japanese family that wishes to be more “American” may get inspiration from popular American music and music videos, of which rap and hip hop is a big part. The family may hear the word through the media and think it reflects a modern American speech without giving much thought to its literal meaning or purpose. The clip, therefore, suggests that many do not know the history and connotations of the n word but simply lift its use from pop culture. In the film the n word is overused and misused. It is spoken by an Asian family that is clearly supposed to be of the middle or upper class and that speaks broken English with relatively strong accents. Overall, I think the piece is meant to speak to the role language plays in trends and fads and the disconnect between that and reality.

Ann Coulter

I do not understand why the American public continues to pay attention to Ann Coulter. As far as I can tell, pretty much everything that comes out of her mouth is wildly inappropriate and bigoted. It's actually very saddening to think that she has such a large following - that so many people can laugh when she calls John Edwards a faggot. Although, in this context it does not appear that the word was used particularly maliciously (John Edwards is not gay), it is nevertheless inconceivable that Coulter is not aware of the plethora of negative and offensive connotations associated with the word faggot. It is a word used by ignorant people to insult gays (much like the n-word is used to insult African-Americans). Perhaps it has a playground connotation of 'wuss' but it seems to me that even this (supposed) usage carries an accusatory meaning (and why should being gay be something that one is accused of?). How would a word end up meaning both 'wuss' and 'gay' if people do not somehow connect the two? Again, it saddens me to think that such a word even exists - it is a depressing mark of American ignorance.

Ann Coulter aside, I think that words such as faggot and n***** (is it a mark of the 21st century victim that I can bring myself to type out one but not the other?) are really complicated issues. The words clearly exist and people will not forget about them but I do not think trying to use them in an everyday context is quite right either - the words are too imbued with hatred to ever really lose their connotations. I think the better solution is actually to try and get rid of the words than to erase their negative connotations. Most likely, neither are possible - but if the words continue to exist there will always be the memory of hate.

So, essentially Ann Coulter should never have used the word. No matter who she was referring to, what context she was in, or how jokingly she used it, the word is offensive and (especially on national tv - for the whole world to see and take offense to) inappropriate. Really, its just downright mean and ignorant, and shows a great lack of moral character.

Coulter and the term "faggot"

Ann Coulter's use of the word "faggot" while referring to John Edwards was completely inappropriate because she is smart enough to know what the word means in popular culture. Furthermore, her "joke" would have been meaningless if all she really meant was to call Edwards a wuss. Her defense was frustrating to watch because she was constantly rolling her eyes, interrupting the reporter (quick question: who was the guy on the right and why was he on camera when he never said anything?), and skirting around the questions she was being asked. I have no respect for Ann Coulter and I wish people would just ignore her.

Putting Ann Coulter aside, I will admit that I did not know that the word faggot for gays was so similar to n***** for blacks. I have never used either word because I don't need to. I can call a homosexual "gay" and an African American "black." Nothing more is needed and it's not worth crossing any fuzzy lines. Anyway, I did some hard-core research (a.k.a. wikipedia) on the origins and use of the word faggot and found that it does not share a similar history to the word n*****. Although faggot does mean a bundle of sticks, it was not an established English practice to burn gay men (although it could have happened) and the term faggot was not used to refer to a gay man until the 1900's. Whereas n***** was used as a hateful term towards black people during the established practice of slavery, faggot was simply picked up by American pop culture.

It troubles me that faggot is becoming synonymous to the word n***** because the world does not need another derogatory term to get upset over. I think it's stupid that gay people are starting to embrace the word faggot and playfully calling it to each other just like black people use n*****. Why create another word whose meaning depends on race, context, class, speaker, and now sexual orientation? I disagree with Ann Coulter when she says that it's totalitarian to forbid the use of some words. If certain words like n***** and faggot have hate-filled meanings, no one should use them so life can move on.

Randy Marsh is an Idiot

Before addressing Randy Marsh's "terrible mistake," I'd like to comment a bit on the set-up. First of all, I thought the letters R,S,T, L, N, and E were given to contestants in the bonus round of Wheel of Fortune. Without the given N, it seems as though Randy choosing it was more than chance; it was almost as though the suffix "ers" immediately made him consider the N word. Additionally, the clue "people who annoy you" is by far the most creative clue even a parody of Wheel of Fortune has ever demonstrated. The clues usually suck ass with trite blandness. Another funny aspect of the set-up is when Pat offers his usual "you've got some family here watching tonight, and "I'm sure you've got some friends watching back home," followed by "well lets see if you can't make everyone proud." Clearly, Randy Marsh does not make anyone proud. While Randy proves to be the pathetic bigot idiot in this display of irony, I think the camera man's grimace of disbelief before Randy anxiously solved the puzzle proves that Randy wasn't the only one surprised with the Wheel of Fortune production team. However, no one could have expected Randy Marsh to exclaim his solution to the puzzle with such fervor. He appeared excited and jumped for joy saying "niggers" in his hopes to wine $30,000. Everyone watching in the audience and at home was still and silent, with only a few blinks as a sign that they were even alive. The biggest irony was when Vanna White turned the letter over and it was a "A." The solution to the puzzle, "naggers," is a direct and simple definition of the clue, "people who annoy you." In fact, the solution is just as bland as the typical clues given to most contestants. The significant factors at play include Pat Sajak's time pressure, Randy's eagerness, and sheer disbelief of every other character. Nonetheless, this clip doesn't stray far from Stan's consistent belief that his parents are stupid; his father is an idiot. His mother is ashamed of his father. Likewise, Cartman is stoked by the public display of idiocy.

Randy Marsh, the "Nigger-guy"

I’m not generally a fan of South Park, but I watched the episode where Randy Marsh said “nigger” on Wheel of Fortune and was surprised at how funny and insightful it was.

First, when he was on the show, Randy saw the clue “N_GGERS” with the category “People Who Annoy You” and didn’t even bother to think about the four other vowels that might fit in the space. He didn’t mean to say the word with any malice, but his saying it does indicate that somewhere, deep down, he finds “niggers” to be annoying. I think that South Park’s creators are trying to indicate that many Americans have similar suppressed seeds of racism… or maybe Trey Parker and Matt Stone were just trying to be funny.

But the best part of the show comes halfway into it.

After his blunder, Randy becomes known as the “nigger-guy.” In trying to remove himself from this identity, he founds the Randy Marsh African-American scholarship foundation and presents it in front of an auditorium full of African-American men and women. In his presentation speech, he says:

“You really don’t know how hard it is to be reminded of something lame that happened in your past. I mean I just want to move on from what happened on Wheel of Fortune, you know, and when people call me ‘nigger-guy’, they’re bringing up a painful chapter of my history and all the negativity that went
along with it… you just can’t imagine how that feels.”

They say ignorance is bliss, but in this case, it’s outright comedy. He seems to think that “nigger-guy” is the only word that can remind an individual of a painful past; moreover, he thinks it’s the only word that can belittle someone. Thus, when the tides unexpectedly turn and “nigger-guy” is used in much the same hateful way that “nigger” has been used, Randy desperately seeks a way to distance himself from the term. Instead of giving away the great ending, I’ll propose an alternative one. Maybe Randy should have started using the term in an endearing way, saying things like “how are you doing this morning, nigger-guy?” or “would you like to come play a round of golf with some of my nigger-guys from work?” On second thought, after watching that Japanese short, maybe he shouldn’t.

Richard's Triade

Richard’s use of the n-word is unconscionable in any context, but what makes his tirade more offensive to me is the other things he says before and after calling the two hecklers “n*****.” His comments “50 years ago we would have had you on your backside with a fork stuck up your ass,” and “that’s what happens to you when you interrupt a white man,” show a uncomfortable and shocking degree of racism that both emphasizes the power of the expletive and provides the context of hatred that makes the word volatile.
The audience in the clip is shocked, and rightly so. Contrary to Richard’s comments alluding to the fact that their reaction to the word is the problem, I believe that the audience’s reaction to the word is probably secondary to the other violent and racist things spewing from Richards. The scenario shows the importance of context for language. This is not to say that it is fine and dandy for a white person (or, depending on your beliefs, any person) to say n*****, but there is a difference between using the word in jest or as a sign of “brotherhood” (personally I think this is still bullshit, but that is besides the point), and using the word to deliberately cause offense to someone. Richards crossed that line, and the scene is more reminiscent of a KKK rally then ironic or political commentary.
On a side note, the comments underneath this video on utube were nearly as disturbingly ignorant as the clip itself.

Ann Coulter

In my high school, the issues of diversity and respect were emphasized often. It seemed that we had events like “Genocide Awareness Day,” “Black Culture Day,” or “ToBeGlad (Transgender, Bisexual, Gay, and Lesbian Awareness) Day” every other week. Although most of the student panels that replaced my usual classes on those special days have blurred together in my mind, there is one lesson I learned that remains vividly clear. I still remember the emotion that overcame one of my fellow students as he explained to us that the word “faggot” was originally used to describe a bundle of sticks for fuel and that the word was later adopted as a synonym for a homosexual male because the practice of burning homosexuals and other “heretics” at the stake became fairly common in England centuries ago. Because the word’s current connotation comes from such a hateful action, then, it is undoubtedly an extremely offensive term. In my mind, “faggot” and “nigger” are equivalent in that, no matter what their original definitions were, they have become tainted by their historical use as hateful slurs, and they are never acceptable to use.

I don’t know where Ann Coulter went to school, but I never heard words like “faggot” or “nigger” in my schoolyard (and I don’t imagine that most of us did) so it’s hard for me to believe that she truly thinks of the word as nothing more than a “schoolyard taunt” meaning “wuss.” Furthermore, even if Coulter does actually believe in that definition, she is a smart woman and must be aware that the word “faggot” has a negative, hateful connotation against homosexuals. While she may believe that the word doesn’t truly have an offensive meaning, she does know that it has an offensive implication. The word’s connotation has become more meaningful than its dictionary definition, and Coulter was completely in the wrong for using, no matter the context or situation.

Queen Coulter The Ambivalent

This woman is amazing. People look at poor immigrants who work their way up the social and corporate ladder to become affluent members of society and pronounce that they "embody the American dream." Wrong. Ann Coulter is the American dream -- she says whatever the hell she wants with total disregard for other people and continues to climb in her profession. Was her joke about John Edwards funny? Sort of. Not because of her loose use of a sexual slur, but because she poked fun at the ridiculousness of sending a person to rehab for using a degrading word. But come on Ann (do you mind if I call you Ann? If not, how about raging dyke...no offense of course), do you really expect us to believe that your use of that word was appropriate simply because you weren't screaming it at a homosexual male while beating him? You're telling me that that is the only time that a loaded word like that takes on its true meaning?

Just like the commonly sidestepped "n-word," context and tone can drastically effect the force behind such a volatile word. Granted Coulter did not use it as an insult to a gay man, but she must be aware that there are more than just a handful of people who hear that word as a declaration of hate. To defend her use of the word is obscene — almost as much as her using the word in the first place. But, Queen Coulter lives by her own rules, in her own fairy tale land where she can defend anything she wants to by simply saying "my liberal counterparts WOULD say that, the silly bastards." What a dyke...and I mean that in the fun-loving, "you love your sister and mom" kind of way. You understand...

slurs and satire

Alright, folks. Building on Thursday's discussion, please address your blog post to one of the following topics:

1. This film short, Tokyo Breakfast, was featured on a part of The N Word: Divided We Stand that we didn't get a chance to see. What is the film satirizing? (Need help establishing critical distance from the clip? Try thinking about the analytical words that made it onto the board today like "context," "speaker," "race," "class".)

2. The "N word" played a crucial role in last night's episode of "South Park." Randy Marsh, Stan Marsh's father, made it to the bonus round of "Wheel of Fortune," but when he tried to solve the final puzzle, he made a terrible mistake (this version is longer, if also kind of creepy; you feel like you're watching television in a stranger's living room. . .um, because you kind of are). Give us an analysis of Randy's gaffe. What are the significant factors at play here? Where do you locate the irony? What do you make of the different reactions from the camera man, the studio audience, Randy's fellow townspeople, his family?

3. You've all heard of Michael Richards' infamous tirade at a Los Angeles comedy club last November, but you might not have seen it. It's pretty jarring, even if you know what to expect. For a few seconds, it appears that Richards is trying to turn outrageous, bigoted behavior into social commentary. "Alright, you see this shocks you to see what's buried beneath," he says tauntingly to the audience, as if it is their reactions and not his that are really at issue. What do you think?

4. At last Friday's Conservative Political Action Conference, Ann Coulter used the word "faggot" when talking about Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards. Later on the Fox opinion show Hannity and Colmes, Coulter claimed that "faggot" is nothing more than a "schoolyard taunt." “It isn’t offensive to gays,” she said. “It has nothing to do with gays. It’s a schoolyard taunt, meaning wuss. And unless you’re telling me that John Edwards is gay, it was not applied to a gay person." Do you agree or disagree? Why?

mon confrères

If we haven't had a chance to talk yet, please sign up for one of the times below. We will meet in Goldwin Smith 338B, unless I can find an empty classroom down the hallway. To claim one of the slots, enter your name and the time you want in the "Comments" section of this post.

Wednesday

3:30 - 3:50
4:00 - 4:20 - Sarah V
4:30 - 4:50
5:00 - 5:20 - Erica F
5:30 - 5:50
6:00 - 6:20


Thursday

3:00 - 3:20 - Ben K (yes, eating is allowed)
3:30 - 3:50
4:00 - 4:20
4:30 - 4:50 - Jonathan F
5:00 - 5:20

how to write smart and influence people

Over the weekend, I asked you to write about something in Lenny Bruce's How to Talk Dirty and Influence People that struck you as illuminating, interesting, exasperating, confusing, troubling--in short, an event, a description, an explanation (a joke, a pun, an anecdote, etc.) that really made you think. In your small group today, you had a chance to talk about the thoughts, ideas, and associations that this section of Bruce's memoir conjured up for you. Now I want you to take this process to the next stage and write a 3-4 page paper that will be due on Thursday, March 15.

Broadly speaking, I'm asking you to write a response paper. That is, I'm asking you to respond in essay-form to a text I assigned in our writing seminar. But you may notice two important differences from many response assignments. First, I'm not telling you what part of the text to respond to. I'm leaving that up to you. Second, I'm not asking you to produce a response filled with data--facts, dates, names, etc. Instead, I'm asking you to engage in a process, to question and wonder and reflect, to try to come up something that is slightly more fresh, interesting, original than what you normally get to write. You can write a paper that closely analyzes the language/rhetoric Bruce uses in a particular section, you can make a strong but less-than-obvious point about a moment in the text (e.g. 'Someone has created the closed-circuit television network that Lenny Bruce wanted to build to connect lonely, isolated people (p. 15)--it's called the internet, and Bruce would have loved it/hated it'), or you can do something completely different. If you like, use what you brought into class today as the kernal of your paper. I'm giving you over a week to work on this paper, which is more than you'll need to. I'm trying to dissuade you from putting your writing off until next Wednesday.

Email me with any questions. Good luck!

Condom Man

I’m not quite sure, but I think masked man is about someone coming out of the closet; a masked man, with a masked identity. At the beginning of the skit, he was giving but not receiving. It seemed as if he was sleeping around and everyone was accusing him for not saying accepting anything from anyone, nor speaking about it. This point was intensified when the silver bullets were on the ground and they were exclaimed to be Masked Man’s and someone else claimed “syphilis”. This could be symbolism for his seamen which gives Masked Man another notation as I interpreted, “condom man”. Everyone was upset that he would not take anything from them, as they were men. Then once, he decided to accept a gift of anything he wanted, he asked for a male Indian. After everyone made fun of him, he and the Indian rode off together into the sunset. I think the point of the skit is to show that ridiculous off the wall experiences are tipping points to identify true sexual intentions and desire.

Cornell's biggest problem

If there's one thing I hate about Cornell it's Ithaca. Yeah that's right, fuck Ithaca. I know it's cute, with the Commons and the little restaurants and the hippie scene. How many places can you visit that have a cult-owned coffee shop next door to a TV-laden sports bar? Yes, Ithaca is home to a glut of brainpower and some really pretty gorges but you know what? Still sucks.

First of all, last call at the bars is at fucking 1:00 a.m. When I was in The City last week I was out till 3:00a.m. on a damn Wednesday - still made it to class on that Thursday too. It's just ridiculous that last call would be so early. Don't they know how dangerous it is to take 21 shots between midnight and 1am on your 21st birthday? It's just irresponsible of the powers that be to make that right of passage so perilous.

Second of all, last call at the bars is at fucking 1:00 a.m. I know that was my first point, but it has come to my attention that it's my only point. How am I supposed to be a true senior, in the spirit of Leo, when I have to leave the bars at 1? What if I was just getting into my zone? Relocating can really ruin the flow, specifically of alcohol into me.

I guess what I'm getting at is that Ithaca needs to loosen up. With the highest hippie to regular person ratio this side of the San Andreas fault line I think it's absurd that Ithaca is so big on being The Man when it comes to college students getting drunk. I don't mean to threaten, but if last call isn't moved back to at least 4:00a.m. I'm leaving Ithaca on, say, May 27th. You can quote me on that.

the library is NOT a place to hang out

I am the kind of person that cannot do homework in my house. My housemates are talking, the TV is on, and my bed looks oh so tempting to take a quick nap in. My solution: go to the library. Now normally this works just fine, except when I'm sitting next to a person that is at the library to socialize.

I do not understand why the library is a hang out for so many Cornellians. It's supposed to be quiet, the majority of the people there are miserable, and there are so many better places to be. I work at the cafe in Olin library and I constantly overhear people complaining that they've been at the library "all day." Well, maybe if they stopped ordering a sugar-free vanilla skim latte (if you ever order this drink, it's called a "Long Island" at Olin) and taking a 15 minute break every hour, they could go home a lot sooner.

A note to the library's social butterflies: even if you have to take a break every hour, please be courteous enough to go into the cafe or outside or anywhere but a study area! And don't try to whisper. Whispering, are you serious? I get to hear everything you're saying in an even more annoying, breathy voice.

Linden is the Ghetto

Most of the housing in Collegetown is less than spectacular. In fact, I would even go so far as saying that all of the houses are little shithole matchboxes. I even overheard the maintenance men outside of my house joke to the landlord, calling him "Slum lord Bauer*" (even he found his hilarious). Aside from sub-par living conditions with cracking paint, crappy sidewalks and poor heating true of nearly all Collegetown houses, houses on Linden Avenue is the epitome of shittiness. A simple walk down this street and anyone can note its deprived aesthetics: the houses are virtually on top of eachother, bearing torn screens and rust marked exteriors. However, Linden's problems far exceed the individual plight of students living there. A few weeks ago, a girl (who I happen to be friends with) was mugged walking down the road at night. Later in the month a man wandered into our house and into my roommates room to sit on her bed and watch her sleep. A mere four days later some guy was standing on the fire escape of another girl's house, watching her change her clothes.

Another collegetown creeper? Maybe. So when all of this started happening my roommates and I curiously looked up information on our fellow "neighbors." Interestingly, a sex offender lives on Linden. And there are several low-income, government subsidized houses. None of this information is disclosed by the University, who should take it upon themselves to make sure all of its students are safe. Once all of these new details came to light, I was less than shocked when the policeman (who was over doing a picture lineup in my living room with my roommate) tells us they are looking for another man who got into a girl's car when it was stuck, saying he would help her if he gave her a ride. He then proceeded to tell her it was Mardi Gras and he had yet to see any "titties" and followed this commment by asking her if she had ever seen anyone who was well endowed. Obviously, she told him to get the fuck out of her car.

My point is this: Where the hell are the university officials with information or "support" (since they have it for so many other things on campus) for those living off-campus. When locking your door doesn't seem to do the trick, I am shocked by the fact that Cornell prohibits the posession of pepper spray/ mase on campus. Yeah, I don't live on campus, but when I am walking home from the library at night to my off campus house on ghetto ass Linden I damn well better be carrying it.

*Names have been changed to protect the writer from eviction

Cornell and Competion

"Certain majors are for stupid people; philosophy majors are obviously smarter than Hotelies." Everyone here says that. "Certain fraternities are cool, and others aren't." At least that's what all the freshman are told, or led to believe when they get here. It's not like there's some official ranking, but people get the idea as soon as they drunkenly stumble into some party in some frat named after two different animals. You cannot meet someone at this school who does not tout these sort of claims all the time.

While these claims may be true, (maybe certain majors are harder than others, and maybe certain frats suck by certain standards), my point is not concerned with the social or intellectual superiority of anything at Cornell. My point is that people at Cornell engage in a sort of underlying competitiveness that pervades all aspects of social and academic contexts here. Take for instance the claim a lot of us hear all the time, one which I hear all the time because I live with an engineer: "it is hard for anyone to get above a C+ because the curve is so fucking high in CS 480: Something Really Fucking Complicated" (or whatever the class may be.) Statements like this are a product of the grading curve, which according to my calculations is employed by the majority of classes at Cornell in one way or another. The grading curve literally forces students to compete with each other for certain grades. If too many of your peers do well, you necessarily do not do as well. The grading curve exemplifies that the student body here is pressured to learn not so much for the sake of learning, but rather for the sake of achieving over other students.

Doesn't this hyper-competitive type of learning seem incongruent with what college learning should be like? I think so. Maybe this atmosphere does lead Cornell graduates to achieve more in life or get better jobs or whatever else it could potentially lead to. It just seems to me as though the process of learning, which is ostensibly one's purpose for going to college, is somehow hindered by the existence of an atmosphere which fiercely encourages each student to excel over others, or rather to do better in the place of others.

Act Up?

The lack of activism at Cornell is absolutely fucking unbelievable. In the last four years, the things that have come closest to inciting action of any kind were the destruction of a few trees never deemed valuable until the threat of demolition and a failed attempt to shoot a porn film in a freshman dorm. When three freshmen guys almost got a freshman girl to hookup with one of them in front of a camera, the story got so many hits on www.cornelldailysun.com, it crashed the site. And Redbud Woods, a patch of trees (not Redbud trees) generously described as “woods” just west of West Campus, was cut down to construct a parking lot in decision so poorly handled it may have led to the forced resignation of former President Jeffery S. Lehman. Students chained themselves to trees for weeks.
We’ve fought two wars in this time, people. 3000 soldiers have died in Iraq, North Korea has engaged in nuclear testing and there is genocide in the Darfur region of the Sudan, but thing that Cornellians care about is the time that a guy almost kissed a girl in Dickson and it was caught on camera. Apparently we’ve channeled our energies elsewhere, but it might nice if news from the outside could penetrate the Big Red bubble.

Thank You Maskman

Trying to understand Lenny Bruce’s dialect was a chore for me. It’s nothing personal, but my experience with heavy Brooklyn (?) accents is limited to the occasional expletive thrown in my direction on the rare occasion I venture into the city. Nonetheless, a few painful reviews of Thank You Maskman were sufficient to give me the slightest idea of what this animation was all about.

Maskman seems to be the ultimate altruist, embodying all that is good in American culture. Not only does he roam around, doing random acts of kindness of people and generally improving the quality of life in that animated world, but he does it all without expecting rewards or thanks. This sort of kindness, untainted by the expectation for reciprocal action, is all too often lacking in our society, as Bruce points out. Americans, Bruce seems to say, are suspicious of goodwill, and continually seek to figure out “the catch” in any seemingly charitable deed. Whether donations are made to receive a big tax break or to soothe ones’ ego, there is this deep-seeded perception that nothing is free. The characters in Thank You Maskman (caricatures of Americans) are so cynical that they even regard Jesus, the ultimate model for selfless love, as having sacrificed himself for selfish reasons. It’s no surprise that these animated individuals looked on Maskman with cynicism, and wanted to force him to accept something as a reward, just so their worldview that “nothing is free” could remain unshaken.

The latter part of the clip is disheartening – it seems to portray the death of altruism in America. Maskman becomes so enamored with receiving thanks that he shirks off further good works, feeling that he is entitled to take a break and reap the rewards of his prior deeds. Ironically, the fruits of his labor end up spoiling his altruistic spirit. I wonder if Lenny Bruce was also implying that Americans, even the exemplars of wholesomeness, reacted against religious revivals with “unnatural acts” that drove them even further from traditional American and Puritan values.

Holidays at Cornell

One of my biggest pet peeves about Cornell is the fact that campus isn’t closed on federal holidays. Now, this may not seem like a big deal to most students, but if you think about, it really should be. Who is Cornell University to say to the United States federal government that it doesn’t think that holidays like Labor Day, Veterans Day, and President’s Day are significant enough to cancel class for? Especially since not only do we have a whole college devoted to the study of labor, but three of our undergraduate colleges are partly funded by the New York State government? It is unfair of Cornell to deprive students and faculty of their government-given rights to honor laborers, veterans, and some of our greatest presidents. I understand that canceling classes for even one or two days in a semester can throw off a professor’s syllabus schedule and make it hard to cover all the course material necessary, but if offices at every level of local, state, and federal government can all manage to keep the nation running by missing a few business days throughout the year, I’m pretty sure that Cornell professors would be able to figure out how to structure their class schedules. If we ever want to be free to enjoy random weekdays off from school, students will have to become more outraged about Cornell thumbing its nose at the government and ignoring its decrees for vacation days!

Thank you, Mask Man!

I didn't expect Lenny Bruce to be a Lone Ranger fan. In fact, I always imagined people who found enjoyment in unoriginal and unrealistic westerny forms of entertainment to be inherently bland, vanilla personalities with no taste and too much testosterone. It's possible that's just my rapid-fire tendency to discriminate about other people's taste, but I have faith in Lenny's taste, and applaud his parody on Lone Ranger--both for its incomprehensible jibberish slash yiddish dialogue, and its brilliant potrayal of hypocrisy.
The masked Texas Ranger in The Lone Ranger is like Zorro or Superman or any other disguised mystery hero who hides from the public. He is too humble and busy saving the world to accept thanks or praise or kisses from swooning women. Not only is he humble, but he's proper; he uses perfect grammar and precise speech completely devoid of slang and colloquial phrases. Here's about the point in time when Lenny Bruce begins to hate Texas Ranger. And my perception of Lenny Bruce is that when/if he hates something he will proceed to make endless fun of it (and publish it). Lenny rips the character a new one in his parody when he infuses yiddish and vulgarity into his speech pattern. The cartoon clip also makes me wonder if Mask Man (and/or his creator) is(/are) drunk or high during creative brainstorming and production. This is another display of hypocrisy because Texas Ranger in The Lone Ranger definitely does not drink or smoke or subcribe to the idea of consuming highly dangerous illegal drugs, while it's routine daily activity for Lenny Bruce.
So pretty much Lenny Bruce is a druggie genius who unmasked The Lone Ranger's Masked Man for no reason except an as example of high comedy and public portrayal of his distaste with bad western television.

(Just for the record, I hate westerns and probably would shoot myself in the face with a silver bullet (hi-yo) if I had to endure more than a few minutes of Lone Ranger).

Maskman

After watching Thank You Maskman several times, I can confidently say I have no idea what the overall message of the cartoon is. Its possible that it is a satire of the Lone Ranger and Tanto, but I don't know that story, so I still have no clue as to the message Bruce was trying to get across.

I can venture a guess at what specific sections of the cartoon are meant to satirize, however. The section that stuck out was when Maskman asked for "Tanta" in order to perform an "unnatural act." The short fat dude immediately starts shouting homophobic epithets at Maskman, and the rest of the townspeople appear at the same time to express their criticism towards Maskman. Bruce's commentary also aims criticism at the government, for they way they punish homosexuals (by throwing them in jail with other men). Though I'm not sure why this scene appears in the context of the cartoon, it is consistent with Bruce's general style of satire, criticism of the mob mentality, and the government.

Thank You Mask Man

I’ll attempt to untangle Lenny Bruce, and hopefully I’m not too far off track in my analysis of “Thank You Mask Man.” After watching the video, I had the impression that Bruce uses the “Mask Man” to make a commentary on heroism and traditional values in American society. His references to the classic American icon, the Lone Ranger, and the Western scene point to a singularly American representation of the values of entrepreneurship, patriotism, exploration and heroism. Bruce uses this Western background to comment on the way American values are used and portrayed by the public, pop culture, and literature.

The Mask Man begins the clip as the classic hero, and the townspeople are full of respect and thankfulness for his appearance. However, as time moves on, the Mask Man learns that he is no longer needed to save the day since “the Messiah” has come. This is a particularly interesting scene, since two men claim that the Mask Man was only able to exist because he fed on segregation and violence. This seems to be an indictment of traditional American values of patriotism and heroism, which, according to Bruce, are only existent due to emotions and physical reactions to hate.

The irony begins here, as Mask Man feels he must make trouble because he is no longer needed since segregation and violence have been eliminated. In order to make trouble, he requests “Tonto” in order to perform “unnatural acts.” This request stirs up more anger and hatred in the townspeople, who end up pushing the Mask Man and Tonto out of town. Contrary to the claim that “the Messiah” has eliminated violence, the Mask Man becomes a victim of the problem. In the video, Bruce indicates that the Mask Man, a personification of American cultural values, is both a victim and an actor in the many discrepancies between American social reality and rhetoric. Despite the claims of freedom for all, the many prejudices and constraints on different members of the population create the need for the belief in heroism and patriotism. Unfortunately, like the “Mask Man,” these beliefs often serve to magnify problems of violence, segregation and prejudice.

Thank You Mask Man

I, too, would be lying were I to say that Thank You Mask Man made perfect sense to me. But I'm going to take a stab at it anyway. In some sense, I think Thank You Mask Man is a commentary on the mutability or triviality of public opinion. The rapid fire changes of the townspeople's opinion of the Mask Man (from 'beautiful person' to 'asshole' to 'fag') seem ridiculous when all the Mask Man is trying to do is to help them out. But as soon as the leader's opinion changes (seemingly for no reason), so too does the opinion of the 'mob.' This is particularly noticeable at the end, when all the characters gather together to drive out the Mask Man, when, just a short time before all they wanted to do was thank him.

This 'mob mentaltiy' is also detectable in the 'coming of the Messiah' scene. As soon as something/someone new (and consequently more exciting) pops up, the townspeople are ready to forget entirely about the Mask Man, except to shun him and drive him out of town.

Thank You Mask Man

I would be lying if I said I was not a little lost while watching “Thank You Mask Man.” Every time I thought I picked up on what Lenny Bruce was trying to say the cartoon would go off in a different direction and I would once again be unsure. I think Bruce, intentionally or not, packs a lot of different ideas into the piece and presents them in an almost frenetic way, which makes absorbing all of them nearly impossible, and, I think, not what one is supposed to do. However, one can and should try to grasp some of the bigger points “Thank You Mask Man” is trying to make.

I think one element of the piece has to do with the interplay of regular people, heroes, and gods. It questions which category the mask man fits into. Is he just a helpful person, is his status higher than that, or is he on par with the gods. I believe Bruce suggests that others make this decision. Some want to treat him like a god and some want to bring him back down to earth. However, regardless of what opinion the regular people hold, Bruce conveys the trivial nature of deeming someone a hero. To me, Bruce is commenting on the indecision of man. In the cartoon, the same people that admire the mask man because he does not wait around for thanks and gifts soon use that same attribute to criticize him. Overall, among other things, I think the cartoon speaks to the vacillation of opinion and the group think that permeates society.

Are You a "Senior" or a Senior?

While Lenny Bruce’s conversation is peppered with “the jargon of the hipster,” my language is infused with “the jargon of the undergraduate.”

Literally, the term “underclassman” pertains to freshmen and sophomores, and “senior” pertains to - well - seniors. But that is not the way I use those words. A “senior” doesn’t have to be in his or her fourth year.
To me, if you live in a dorm, you’re underclassman – even if it’s your fifth year of college. If you have a special spot in the library, you’re underclassman. Having a special spot at the bar, however, makes you senior, even if you’re only nineteen years old.
If you’re thinking about all the crazy things you can do before you graduate, you’re senior. Thinking about all the classes you can take before you graduate? Underclassman.
If you are enrolled in “Computational Physics,” you’re probably underclassman, but if it’s “Physics of the Heaves & Earths” that you’ve enrolled in but never attended, then you’re probably senior. If you’re taking it pass/fail, you’re definitely senior... especially if you never bought the book. Moreover, if you’re taking “Wines” and “Club Management” in the same semester, you are unquestionably senior.
Milwaukee’s Best is underclassman. Yeungling is senior. Gin and tonic is even more senior. Tipsy is an underclassman word. Blackout is senior… especially if it’s five days a week.
If Friday is the last day of your week, you’re underclassman. If it’s (at least) the first day of your weekend, you’re senior.
Never been to Wegman’s? Underclassman. Go there every week? Senior… or you have memory loss and should seek medical attention.

Most importantly, everyone graduating in May should at some point enjoy Cornell like a true “senior.” Bottoms up!

Thank You Mask Man

I really am not sure what this clip was trying to get at on a deep level but I will give it a shot. The first comment I thought Bruce might have been making is the tendency for people to make any situation about themselves. In the beginning of the clip, the characters are thankful and surprised that the Mask Man is so “selfless” and such a “beautiful person”—he takes out the garbage, cleans up the yard, and all without accepting any type of thank you gift. However, the characters soon become angry, no longer seeing his actions as selfless, but now as “snobby.” The characters lose sight of the fact that what is important is that the Mask Man is helping them and become obsessed with this failure to recognize their “thank you’s”. It is almost like they want recognition of their recognition of his actions.

Also, I thought this clip may have been commenting on how quickly public reaction can change, which I think is increasingly pertinent in today’s society. The characters go from idolizing Mask Man to thinking he is rude, to calling him a “fag” and running him out of town. This parallels how quickly the tabloid headlines change from running beautiful pictures of someone and praising them, to running the least flattering pictures of the same celebrity and criticizing them as crazy and in need of rehab.

Thank You Mask Man:

I am hoping Bruce’s clip makes sense to no one else as well. It’d be embarrassing if there was some parallel in those 7 minutes to something obvious that I just wasn’t catching onto, but part of me seems to think that this cartoon was inspired less out of methodical comedic planning and more out of a bad (or good) acid trip.

After watching the clip, I was thinking that it might be a commentary on selfishness and ego, demonstrated by both the people that want to thank the Mask Man and the Mask Man, himself.

The people that want to thank the mask man are irked that the Mask Man doesn’t even stop to accept a “thank you”, and feel slighted or irrelevant because of it. They don’t just want to be helped, but they want everyone to know that they know they are being helped. Otherwise, they’re charity cases. That’s when they get violent and forceful, and act as if they’d rather not receive any help from the Mask Man at all. A bit of ego gone awry as their pride has the potential to get in the way of their wellbeing.

The Mask Man on the other hand represents perverted ego as well. While he once did things out of decency, once he heard “Thank you Mask Man” come out of someone’s mouth, he had a trip and grew boastful. So much so that suddenly, he lets loose thinking that he’s some sort of god who thinks that everything and anything is his, whether that is telling a little kid to repeatedly thank him, or doing indecent acts with Tonto.

Or it could be about nothing at all. Honestly, I have no clue.

1 AM Means 1 AM

Friday night, I need a drink. A stiff gin and tonic sounds nice. Now I don't mind shelling out five bucks for a single shot in a plastic cup. I don't mind the bartenders locking eyes with me until I drop a couple of crumbled singles on the bar as tip. I don't mind spilling half my drink as I squeeze past hordes of prissy, primpy girls and their "watch your step buddy" meathead boyfriends as I try and maneuver back toward the cramped corner I have established myself at. I don't even mind the fact that by the time I have resettled myself and begin conversation with a friend my drink is empty, forcing me to trek back through the crowds to the bar. What I do mind is having the lights blaze on at 12:55, have the bartenders stop serving me at 12:56, and have the bouncers glare at me as if I'm making them late for dinner with their families at 12:58.

In four years I have learned to work around the 1 AM curfew imposed on us by Ithaca. I understand and respect the social patterns that are dictated by this immature close to the evening. But 1 AM means 1 AM. Not 12:55, not 12:58, not 12:59 and a half. 1 AM. I'm a law-abiding citizen (sort of). Do not look at me like I am doing something wrong when I remain in the bar, arms folded, finishing off the last drop of flat tonic water that sits in the bottom of my cup. Leave me be. I'll be out by 1 AM.

lenny bruce is still not afraid

Everyone from Eric Bogosian to Kenneth Tynan to Mort Sahl can agree that Lenny Bruce was irreverent, controversial, ground-breaking. But what about you? What have you found in L. Bruce's autobiography that merits attention? In the spirit of that question, I want you to do two things for Tuesday's class. First, I want you to find a section of Bruce's autobiography--an event, a description, an explanation--that strikes you as illuminating, interesting, exasperating, confusing, troubling. In short, something that makes you think. Second, I want you to write a half-page to a full-page account of what that section brings into focus--or brings into collision--for you. Bring three copies of your writing to class on Tuesday. If you need a nudge to get you started, consider L. Bruce's observations on pleasure and the body. Or language and innocence. Or loneliness. Or violence and war. Or entertainment. (Or, of course, forget all of these, and dig into the book on your own.)

For Sunday's blog post, please select from the following topics:

1. Give us a Lenny Bruce-inspired, stream-of-consciousness rant about something that Cornell undergraduates should care about, dammit.

2. "I'm not exactly sure, but I think that Thank You Mask Man is sort of about. . . ."



3.