Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Argument: Technology and the human body have limitations that should not be crossed. Humans create the technology and should control it. Once the technology surpasses its limitations, it will completely destroy the human bodies that created it by blurring the lines of reality and fantasy.
Ask me questions!!

Prompt 12

I think that violence is a way to support the argument that technology has a limit and should not pass it. When technology becomes too strong, it will destroy the person who created it. It is seen through this movie by Max becoming almost like a machine. He kills people without any feeling of remorse. Machines do not feel the same way that humans do. Humans take time to heal and feel the pain. There are many parts where Max will have bullet holes or huge openings in his body and he will recover from those in seconds. This shows the difference because he cannot feel the pain or have to deal with it because it will just go away.

Violence is a good way to make people actually listen or force them to do things. If someone just told Max to kill people, he would have done it. Through the use of violence, it intrigued him to watch a show that would soon take over his body and control him. It controlled Nikki’s sexual behaviors because she was fascinated or “turned on” by violence. Her sexual pleasures were controlled by violence, such as the cuttings or cigarette burn to hear skin. Also, violence also allows audiences to focus on the issues. People are normally disturbed by humans hurting other humans. It is a classic way to get emotion out of a person watching what is happening before their eyes. If things are not as direct, people will not take them seriously. But with the type of violence that Videodrome showed, it definitely makes me think because I have never watched violence for fun or for any reason actually. I don’t like it unless it is completely fake, like cheesy violence. It definitely strikes a nerve because it is different, and that is why we had extreme class reactions to the movie. And that is why Max was fascinated because it was so different.

This infection part of the question is a little hard to grasp. I guess that Videodrome was an infection because once someone was exposed to the video, they would be controlled by it. This is very much a typical type of infection on literal terms.

Overall, these ideas combine to show the true problems with technology. Technology became too strong and people were killed. This shows the negative side of technological advancements. There is a limit.

Prompt 11

The movie “Terminator 2” gives a great analysis of the mix of technology and the body. This movie is actually very similar to Neuromancer because of the machines that can think for themselves. The one difference is that the Terminators were a combination of the 2 AI’s from the novel. These bodies could take on their own form or take on the form of someone else. It was really intriguing. This movie was more interesting when analyzing the body argument, than it would have been just watching another action movie.

The argument of the body is that there are limits to the body. In the movie, scene 37, it is said that it is human nature to destroy themselves. It explains that a man made a thinking computer and it ended up killing millions of people because the machines could think and act for themselves. They could not be stopped by human things, such as guns. I think that the argument presented in this movie is that there is a limit to the use of technology because with the good comes the bad. Sarah, one of the main characters, also states at the end that a machine can know the value of human life, maybe humans can too. The point of life is to learn for oneself and to figure it out as you go along. If someone knows everything, it will end in complete disaster.

In this movie, none of the humans had any technological advances. But the superhuman computers could do almost anything. They could take on the voices and figures of other people. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character could view and analyze everything with his eyes. He could learn from people around him. He learned new phrases and learned from passed experiences. There are so many different aspect of technology combined with the body that it is hard to focus on just a few things. Great movie, even though you could tell from the special effects that it was made in the 90’s.

Prompt 10

There are definitely gender distinctions in the book. I have talked about Molly’s body modifications in another blog, but I really think hers are interesting. She is a character that links the normal modifications that are normal today to the futuristic ones in the book. Her modifications are not so strange that it is hard to understand, like Case going into Molly.
I think that women have always been considered weaker than men. They warn girls to protect themselves when they go out. Molly has a cat-like claws made of blades to protect her. This shows that Women are still considered weaker and that they need to have a technological modification to protect them.

Molly also has lenses that make it impossible to cry. Women are more sensitive, and it is appropriate for them to cry, but men are not supposed to show their emotions. Men spit and do other things that women are not supposed to do. This is shown in Titanic where Rose learns to “spit like a man.” It was not normal for her to partake in that action. By forcing Molly to spit, instead of cry, makes her less than of a human. Her nature is to cry when she is upset. She can spit, which she does, but it is definitely hiding her weaker status as a female since she can’t let her guard down and cry.

Molly also makes an argument similar to Pitts by wanting to modify the body to reclaim it. She once used her body for money in prostitution. She wants to reclaim her body by modifying it, and this is seen through her fighting against Peter who tries to control the female body. She wants to use her new modifications to help herself and others to reclaim her own body that was once hurt and misused.

Prompt 9

I feel like the book makes body modifications the normative action in society. Case is labeled a “virgin” because he has no modifications. This is completely different from the bodies discussed during the other sections of the class.

I like Molly’s modifications. I feel like women in today’s society are considered weaker than men, and they are taught that it is important to learn defend themselves. For example, my roommate carries around pepper spray when we go downtown. However, Molly has blades that come out from under her burgundy nails. The new form of modifications allows her to be protected at all times w/out having to grab something from her purse or carry it around. That modification is the most practical out of most modifications we have discussed in class. This is a type of technology because it is not normally part of the body, but something added on to help it.

I also like the concept of alternative realities. Case can easily go from the real world in his physical body to another world in cyberspace. He is not restricted by his body’s limits because he can be in multiple places at once. This is not possible without technology. (exception: standing on the city border from the movie “A Walk to Remember;” I think that is the movie!!) Not only can case be in the physical world and in cyberspace, but he can enter another person’s body. He can actually feel what other people feel. I think this is the ideal situation for women now because guys never know what women want. If they could actually go inside the women, like Case does, they could feel and view things from a woman’s perspective. Except for the fact of losing all of your privacy, it is an awesome idea. People can literally “step in someone else’s shoes.” I guess there would be huge problems with this technology, but the idea sounds cool if you are the only one that could do it. If everyone could, it would probably cause major chaos. Overall, I think the modifications in this book are really amazing because they can take on multiple meanings and have different uses, like the examples above.

Prompt 8

I alter each form of writing depending on my audience. There is a formal way of writing and a more causal one. These are determined by who the message is going to. In the essays, the paper is being graded by the professor. This paper has to have arguments that are backed up by reliable sources, and my opinion would not be considered reliable. This makes the writing style much more formal. However, when writing this blog, I don’t have to come up with experts to back up what I think. Emails are the same way, especially when talking to friends. However, the audience of the email also changes how I write. If I am talking to a future employer, I want to make sure everything is spelled correctly, with complete sentences. I would need “dear” and “sincerely” to make the email more formal. To a friend I would just say “hey!” These are all examples of writing. Text messaging and instant messenger follow the same guidelines as well. If I am talking to a friend, I will use a few words, rather than a grammatically correct sentence. It is easier and faster to communicate to a friend this way. In the workplace, a boss has a company to run, and nonprofessional writing may confuse the message or look bad in a professional environment.

For body modifications, they are judged differently by different audiences. For example, my friends have tattoos that they show to me and their other friends. The will never show them to their parents because they are afraid that their parents will disapprove. The same thing happens in the work place. My roommate has a nose ring, but she must wear a clear one or take it out when she interns in the professional environment of her elementary school. It is really hard to work and succeed in the normative society with visible tattoos and piercings that cannot be covered up.

I think we learn these different types of writings in the classroom because it is preparing us for the real work world. I don’t think that students always realize that employers look at everything we do. People are judge by how they communicate. If they communicate poorly, by having a bad resume, dressing causally at interviews, or writing with poor grammar, it will be hard to get that ideal career. Facebook, Myspace, and other blogs are also a form of expression that employers look at. Pictures with alcohol and drugs show how a person acts, which might not be good for an employer to know. I feel that learning different types of composition are important because it will be easier to transfer from the sheltered college life into the real, unforgiving world.

School has taught me that writing is all about the audience!!!

Prompt 7

In any group in today’s society, there are certain standards or ideals that people aspire to achieve. Every action that people take have political implications, no one is just neutral. By following the crowd, an individual is making a statement. They are either afraid to break out of the norm, or feel more comfortable following it.

The “radical” groups described in Pitt’s book perform extreme modifications that baffle other groups that view them. “Normal” individuals would not do flesh hangings or cover their entire body in tattoos. However, there are certain extreme modifications that are still seen as normal. These practices are used to fit in with the “norm” in an attempt to become the ideal. An example of an extreme act of the “normal” community is cosmetic surgeries. These are measures taken to achieve the ideal. For example, if a person wants to lose weight, they can have liposuction. If a girl wants to have more feminine features, she can surgically change those features. All of these surgeries have the health risks because something could go wrong. These are extreme steps that a person can take that seem “normal” in today’s society. However, these may have been very strange to people a few decades before. These surgeries have become so common that people don’t find them “radical” anymore. These practices may be just as extreme to the “strange” body modification of the “other” groups, but the majority of society has become more comfortable with these practices that they are longer a strange encounter.

I think that these “normal” acts have the same political potentials because most practices are strange when they are first introduced. However, once people become comfortable with the idea, it will assimilate into the “normal” culture. Therefore, the “radical” acts will not be radical once people become comfortable with them. This example occurred in the book with the bellybutton piercings and the Fraternity brandings. These practices started as “abnormal” and then became part of the “normal” culture.

Prompt 6

The formal writing done in class helps teach students how to effectively write and communicate in the professional world. This way of forming an argument and structuring papers helps set up a formula for students to follow. It is also a way to compare writing and see the improvement from the begging of school to the end. Everyone must learn to write this way in school. It gives a familiar platform for communicating when students leave universities and enter into the real world.

Communicating does not need to be through writing. People express themselves through the clothing they wear, their hairstyles, or body modifications. It is a way to fit into different groups, or to separate from a group. Also, people communicate through their talents. For example, music is a form of expression. People express their emotions through their instrument or voice. Music can illustrate how a person feels and can also make statements. The feminists from In the Flesh marked up their bodies to take control and make political statements about victimization. People, throughout history, have used music to communicate their political upheavals, and use it as a way to overcome these problems. The same idea occurs with other talents, which include painting or dancing. Almost everything that people do in life reflects who they are, consciously and unconsciously.

I do believe that there is always a limit to the amount of control that people have over the body. Society has created such rigid structures that it is impossible to break out. If a person steps out of the “normal” mode, he/she will fall into another mold with people like him/her. There is also a limit to the amount of modifications that people can do to the body. At some point, tattoos will cover the entire body, and there will be no space left for more. There are only so many surgeries that people can have before something goes wrong. There is a limit to everything, and no matter how much people try to separate themselves, they will still be in the boundaries set by someone that came before them.

Prompt 5

The two different sources show different views of the body. The NPR program reflects the changing of the “norm.” The guy that they interview has a job in the business world and is successful, despite his tattoos. He large tattoos completely contradict the “normal” appearance of the workplace. This guy explains that times are changing, and one day what was considered weird will be “normal.” He gave examples of guys with long hair becoming a normal occurrence. Many things considered strange in the past became normal, like bellybutton piercing. The one thing that contradicted his beliefs was his action of removing some of his tattoos. I think that is taking a step in a negative direction. If he wants to help move society in a different direction by changing what people view as normal, he needs to stick by his decisions to have massive, non-discrete tattoos. However, National Geographic represents the body in a different way. It shows pictures that represent different groups of people with tattoos and other modifications. The website does not show cultures coming together, but shows different groups and their body modifications. There does not seem to be a change in the “norm.” It still separates people into the “us” v. “them” scenario all over again. It not only separates the conservative view of the body, but separates the many diverse groups labeled as “others.”

I think that I have a mixture of these two arguments. I do think that some modifications will blend into the “normal” culture. However, I do not think that every “strange” modification will fit in. There are too many strong beliefs in this country to keep practices, like flesh hanging, out of the normal everyday occurrences. I do think some piercings or tattoos will start to mesh with the normal culture. This is already seen with earrings, bellybutton rings, and nose rings. People are scared of change and what is not familiar to them. Once people get used to the ideas, they will slowly incorporate them into the “normal culture.

Prompt 4

The Dove “Real Beauty” campaign tries to rewrite the definition of beauty. Through mass communication, the definition of what is truly beautiful has become a lie. Most women view themselves as plain or ugly because they do not look like the models in the magazines. Dove tries to reinvent how people view true beauty by placing ads to question people.

The first ad, the picture of the older woman with the questions “Wrinkled” or “Wonderful,” tries to change the definition. Women of the “normal” definition are supposed to be young and vibrant. Usually women try to hide their age because it is not the “norm.” This woman defies these ideals because she seems to be happy about who she is. She makes others identify with her, and they feel better. This ad definitely hits on emotions to make people think and discuss what “real” beauty is, rather than what the media portray it as.

Another example of their campaign is their “Evolution” video. This video shows that true beauty does not actually exist. It takes a plain looking woman and shows her transition into a gorgeous model on a billboard. This is an excellent example to make people really think and step out of the standard definition. This should guide people to step out of the boundaries that society has set up and realize that “beauty” today is technology generated, not real.

Both of these ads help separate these women from the “normal” definition. They may not fit the stereotypes made in society, but they are happy to be who they are, and the picture represents that with their joyful expressions.

Overall, I think the campaign really makes people think, but I don’t think it will make any real changes. They are trying to sell products! Their whole philosophy is that every woman is beautiful and that they don’t need the products to be that. However, they contradict themselves by stating this, and then they try to persuade people to buy their beauty products. It does not seem to make since. They also cannot make change because they are just one company. The rest of the world still markets beauty as manipulated images. It is so set in society that I doubt it will ever change.

Short Writing 2

The picture shows a young boy cleaning himself for his morning bath. Each element of the picture defines this person and explains who he is. This boy is the main focus of the picture because of his arrangement or placement in the center of the picture. The background’s lack of focus or soft focus allows every glance on the picture to move toward the boy in the center.
The picture captures a boy’s morning bath, but it does not seem to make him very clean. He bathes in dirty water outside and his unkempt hair amplifies this idea. This is different from the “normal” body discussed in class. Cleanliness, the norm, expresses confidence and a healthy lifestyle. This body expresses the opposite, presenting shy or weak characteristics. This boy is very thin, which could represent an unhealthy, dirty body.

This body expresses shy, unconfident attributes by not looking at the camera. His face is pointed toward the ground, not at anything in particular. When figures look at the audience, there is a connection with them, and that subject exudes confidence. However, this young boy does not protrude confidence because of his lack of attention to the audience. Facial expressions help understand how people are feeling and answer many questions about who they are. This boy is covering up many answers to questions with his hands over his face. This again could represent a shy demeanor. Straight body posture also represents confidence. Again, he represents the opposite idea by his completely bent over posture.

Looking at the background, the boy is the main focus. The setting around him has a softer/ blurry focus. This could mean many different things. This technique helps focus the viewers’ attention on the subject. The blurry background could represent time moving on. The progression into a modern era arrived, and the times are moving faster than this boy is ready for. Normally in the morning, people are very sluggish when getting ready for the day. This moment represents the idea that the boy is slowly moving ahead, while the world around him develops much faster. If this picture represents the same time period as discussed in class, it is a perfect example of the transition from a separate world of Native Americans to a combined world with Europeans.

The boy also lacks ornamentation, along with his absence of clothing. This Native American is barely wearing anything, which represents a less modest body. He obviously is not embarrassed, and finds it normal to not wear anything except a tiny piece of fabric.

Overall, this body represents the same ideas presented through documents by the Travel Writers. There are a few differences, but many features captured in this picture are basically the same. Every aspect of the picture, from the background to clothing, defines this Native American Body.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12295975@N05/2230298031/

Prompt 3

The two different paintings depict the same argument. These paintings show the Native Americans, in a clam and civilized manor, negotiating a treaty with the Europeans. These two paintings illustrate a completely different view of the Native Americans then the Travel Writers did. The Native Americans don’t seem like savages. Yes, they all show more skin than the Europeans, but they look calm and civilized. In both paintings, the different groups are separated. The Native Americans are on one side and the Europeans are on the other. I don’t think this has any real meaning though. When two groups come together, people stand with their side and certain leaders meet in the middle. There is not really a distinction of power though. Both groups have some people standing and some sitting. There is no distinction between the groups. They seem to see each other as two separate entities, but they still have respect for one another. There does not seem to be a power struggle or negative tensions.

The one difference is the color of the cloths that are being traded in the middle of the circle. To me, white (in the second picture) represents pure, calm, heavenly/good feelings. While red has a more negative feeling attached with it. It means, to me, devilish actions, anger, and hot tensions. Overall, the paintings show the same idea. However, the little subtle piece, which seems to be a sort of peace offering (cloth), could make a change in the whole meaning of the picture. The colors could show a difference in the true intentions of the treaty/meeting. White could show a positive direction, while the red could show a negative direction. I am not sure exactly what the artists meant by these objects, but I am sure they had significance.

Promt 2

The “new world body" is written and defined by the European travelers. They view anything different from their norms to be strange, and this is expressed through their writings. The Natives are viewed as barbarous savages with animal like behaviors. These bodies torture entire groups of other savages and then abuse the dead bodies physically and sexually. They are viewed as complete, uncaring bodies. They eat food completely different from the travelers and fall easily to disease. They are promiscuous in their dress and actions. Shelvoke states that the bodies are “swarthy gentlemen quite naked.” This explains that the Native Americans chose to wear less than the norm. This less modest body exposes more skin and sex is not taboo. Sex is natural and easily shared with strangers to trade for materials desired. They wear less ornamentation than the European travelers, which causes concern in distinguishing the leaders from the followers by outside groups. The “ideal” female body is strong and can work under any circumstance, even directly after childbirth. Hearne accounts that a woman suffered for 52 hours during childbirth. He states that ”…the poor creature took her infant on her back and set out with the rest of the company; and though another person had the humanity to haul her sledge for her (for one day), she was obliged to carry a considerable load beside her little charge…” This completely contradicts the weak, innocent beauties of the women normally seen by the travelers in their home country. However, definitions and observations of these bodies would completely transform if they were written from another observer. If the “new world body” would write about the travelers, the travelers’ bodies would not be the “norm.” Every individual holds a unique definition and no one defines people exactly the same.

The map illustrates a similar body of the “new world.” The people definitely show more skin than the “norm.” They eat differently as illustrated with the huge pieces of meat hanging near the bodies. The women have a bigger body build, which means that they do more strenuous work, like expressed in the definition above. There are a couple differences, however. The first difference is that the men are not all naked or close to it. Some of them are wearing longer robes and ornamentation. The other difference is that these bodies do not look like savages. They are having peaceful conversations and look like nonviolent people.

Atkinson Extra Credit

The Atkinson writing was very difficult to read and comprehend. The most difficult part was interpreting the dense writing with the obstacles of difficult vocabulary and sentence structure. It was difficult in general to follow. For example, on page 3, the author talks about all bodies being “fundamentally the same,” and then a few paragraphs down she contradicts that idea. She says “each culture gets the body it deserves.” I understand both arguments, but it is confusing to have both arguments in the same section. How can all bodies be the same and different?

Prompt 1

The bodies around my world are made up of the typical college students. I would like to think that we are all individuals, but society’s influence through the media has shaped how the bodies around me act and view themselves. My roommates are distracted with outer beauty. The media shapes the way that we view the world because reminders of our culture are expressed through television shows, billboards, radios, flyers, etc. There is no way to escape it! For example, when my roommate gets stressed, she goes shopping for new clothing that will make her feel good. Our society strives on material possessions to prove self worth. My roommates are realistic, but do worry about the perfect jewelry for the party or the new makeup to cover all of the blemishes. I find myself worrying about my appearance to look “natural,” as the magazines express. We all truly act within the boundaries of society. My brother and his friends want to be “different.” They dress and act outside the “norm.” However, they act within boundaries set by other “individuals” wanting the same thing. So they are not truly different if they dress and act like people with the same purpose.
Bodies today at the university level are similar to my immediate environment. We are just a sample of the thousands of people who attend the University of Texas. With the size of the school, individuals tend to get lost and do become just a number. People blur together to make one huge “Longhorn Identity.” Graduates leave the school, but still have pride and identify with it. When the student body is dissected into parts, my roommates represent a certain portion of the school. My brother and his friends are similar to another portion. Still there are people who fall in other categories. Some people are way more superficial and others, on the opposite side, do not care about what other people think. Every person may fall into the boundaries set through the generations of our society, but each still has individual skills and talents that hold together the university as a whole. Again, the school is just a small part of the entire society.