Monthly Archives: March 2011

Millennial Religiosity

 

I’m having a little trouble articulating this one. Maybe perhaps because I am included in the millennial accepted category of “undecided” where religion is concerned.  Yet, I know enough to see the stark contrast between the dark atmosphere of Supernatural and the rather fuzzy Life of American Teenager. The only thing they seem to have in common is there inherent exploration into religion in our millennial society. On the one hand, with Supernatural you have what Prothero calls a “saturation of religious representations”, and the “immense pool of religious elements and religious narratives circulating in Western society”. There are elements of folk religion and urban legends such as the psychic ( who loses her eyes) and crystal ball reference we saw. Oh and there are ambiguous angels that appear evil but aren’t? That’s strange I thought angels were little cherubs with white wings. I was wrong! Its popular myths about religion put into a blender and  then through the CW purée. There’s no one religious message operating here, instead its an exploration of our pop culture interest in religion and exploring the “what ifs” we may have. It’s certainly millennial as far as subject matter. We’re smart enough to get the inter textuality. But I’m interested in the seeming serialization/pop-culture aesthetic of the Bible. As the title of the episode references Lazarus, it engages both our knowledge of the Bible ( with the understanding that our views are diverse) and turns it into something a little “supernatural”. As Professor Stein states the process of “mediatization transforms religious ideas by using bits and pieces in new contexts” such as the angel Castiel as a less idealized cherub and darker figure who seems to want to help as he claims he is an angel of the Lord. But this challenges us to re think our understandings of religion, or was that popular culture? It appears, as though Supernatural seems to suggest to us that the lines between religion and culture have been blurred. Which is why we can make fanvids and accept the ridicule or gain followers. It’s a show that certainly challenges how we view the immersion of religion in culture. The underlying apocalyptic feel and inherent darkness of subject matter is definitely a way of engaging our beliefs in the “afterlife” or even the “ other world” and questions of morality.

As for the American Teenager…I sure hope that’s not what we consider the American Teenager. While on one hand the show tries to represent teenagers as highly sexualized or abstinent ( there are only extremes here), they are also kids at the end of the day and must always look to parents, or older generations for guidance ( see the new guidance counselor for example). There is no sense of independence that Strauss and Howe often articulate. Though the subject matter of sex and teens is nothing new. I mean MOLLY RINGWALD! Hey there 16 Candles and Breakfast Club- you were the American Teen! Now how have we changed? Ah yes Ringwald tells her daughter, “ youre only young once” as in, don’t wait til the end of the show to have sex! Start the show off with a pregnancy test, so that we show that this generation acts fast and regrets later. Or they don’t act at all, as displayed by Grace who invites everyone, “ There won’t be a sermon, I promise” but her lack of sex is a huge joke throughout the first episode , and even her religious background is subtly joked at.  The kids, and I said kids, never explain what their values are on sex. We’re just supposed to accept them, and I’m not totally buying it.  I’m not even sure if I’m supposed to belive the statistics about teen sex when they’re rattled off. Potential joke, and even a racist joke as the Asian girl rattles them off? I’m not sure. I just noticed it. Also couldn’t help as Adrian was seductively biting the apple of evoking an Eve-like temptress figure. Again, not so subtle on the religious bits. But I guess we should expect it from the same creators of Seventh Heaven. And as I think of 7th heaven I’m kind of shocked at how the kind of serial tv for teens has changed. Wow! The line about “you better not be suggesting she get an abortion” probably never would’ve ended up in 7th Heaven, but I was still surprised it was a preposterous idea while they seemed to parody religious sexual abstinence. They never would have seriously talked about sexual abuse in 7th heaven and that was the one thing I was surprised about. It gave the show a depth I was not expecting, and makes me interested in the highly sexualized drummer. So I guess for Millennials, the talk about sex is what’s revolutionary, but the teen sex itself isn’t. I was surprised however at the helplessness in which Amy was presented. She let her friends suggest a really terrible plan, and didn’t  even confront the drummer boy. I’m a little ashamed as a millennial as to how the female aspect of the “relationship” is presented.  The one thing that I found most striking however, is how the Jack questions to Adrian how can he be a Christian and a man? As if suggesting our media somehow have created a gap between the two. You have to pick one or the other: religion or masculinity. Thus what the show engages is our critical thinking on religion and sexuality. They cannot be viewed as separate in a millennial lens.

 

 

Anticipation

–noun

1.the act of anticipating or the state of being anticipated.

2. realization in advance; foretaste.

3. expectation or hope.

4. previous notion; slight previous impression.

5. intuition, foreknowledge, or prescience.

 

With the sun finally out, and lingering a little longer on the horizon these days we all feel the coursing excitement of something approaching. You hear the sound of birds in the morning and are seeing a little more green around campus… could it be? Yes. Spring is finally approaching; and with that is spring break. If the midterms don’t get us, the anticipation certainly will. We’ve looked ahead on our calendars , daydreamed, and circled this week for months. The expectations have fueled our fantasies about tropical getaways, homeward visits and the like. We don’t want to be disappointed…our imaginations have created this whole world of hope, and escape from our everyday lives as college students. But disappointment falls by the wayside through the lens of anticipation. For now, all we see are the sun’s rays and spring’s promise of joy.

 

 

 

Harry Potter and Millennial Leadership

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix…this speaks directly to my final project, in which I attempt to assess OOTP as a source of millennial representation.  What continues to strike me every time I watch this film ( or read the book) is the creation of Dumbledore’s Army- the teenage version of the dated ( Gen X perhaps?) Order. As Sirius  states “ it feels like it did last time”, only this time it is the teenagers, it is Harry, Hermione, Ron and the newly assembled Dumbledore’s Army. Unlike other Potter films which focus on the skills of the trio, this film broadens the scope. We see “representations” of diversity in members of the DA, one of which whom Harry develops a romance with. Only as in the suggestions of the Meaningful Diversity essay, they seem to sometimes be present for diverse aesthetic purposes or plot advancement. Regardless of which, they don’t get the kind of facetime or development that the trio gets.  Yet, that doesn’t negate what the DA represents. As it seems, they represent the millennial generation motivated by teamwork and a plan to change their own future. They see problems in their (VERY) corrupt government, and in many positions of authority such as Umbridge, who hosts a variety of predjudices and outdated beliefs. What these kids do together is quite remarkable. They take their own EDUCATION into their own hands, and through Harry’s leadership they use their “technology” i.e wands to prepare themselves for the future. In leading a large rebellion, they represent the action-orirented millennial generation that is all accepting. They even involve Hagrid’s new half brother Grawp, who is usually a social outlaw. But Harry and Hermione incorporate him as their own.  Harry is surprised by how much he knows, even at only 15 years old. He has been exposed to so much, but finds the skills are embedded, especially where his wandwork is concerned. More even on Harry, is the way he is deemed “ special” by the prophecy, set up at his birth: he is a millennial by this fact. Nicknamed “ the one”, he is the one forseen to change the future of the wizarding world. No doubt there is definitely a question of Christian Theology here in this “Christ complex”.  And he has grown up with this notion his entire life, so much that the prophecy almost doesn’t surprise him. He has known this. He stands up and faces the challenges head on. He confronts Umbridge and even the memories of his father’s poor choices, and mostly Bellatrix and Voldemort. As in the Christian Theology essay, he attempts to use an unforgiveable curse, but Voldemort reminds him “ you have to mean it Harry”. But he cannot, because Harry does not possess that kind of hate, that kind of ability to sin. Though he has shown throughout the series an immense capacity for power, he never abuses it.  And in terms of morality, it is Voldemort who does as he possesses Harry right at the end. Harry shows him that abusing power is wrong.  He “feels sorry”for Voldemort, and in his sympathy even for the enemy, he exercises his leadership in morality.

 

Precipitation

–noun

1.the act of precipitating; state of being precipitated.

2.a casting down or falling headlong.

3. a hastening or hurrying in movement, procedure, or action.

4. sudden haste.

5. unwise or rash rapidity.

6.Meteorology .

a.falling products of condensation in the atmosphere, as rain, snow, or hail. b.the amount of rain, snow, hail, etc., that has fallen at a given place within a given period, usually expressed in inches or centimeters of water.

 

The most obvious reason…we’ve seen far too much precipitation in the past few weeks ( months really) to last us a lifetime. Snow banks, puddles, and floods, I think we’re all getting pretty good at dodging them. Our collective agility is impressive. That’s a plus I guess? Who knew you could do a triple axel to avoid Lake Michigan on Battell beach- in rain boots even? Yes it’s bringing out the best in our athleticism. But in our moods? Quite the opposite. The permanent raincloud over the northeast, with its constant release of precipitation allows the same thing to happen with our tempers. Perhaps it’s just the gloom that we always associate with the idea of rain. Or the necessity of a raincoat at all times. In a sense, we’re always prepared for the worst lately. Anxiety runs high. It is kind of hard to imagine the onset of spring without sunlight after all. We’re always hurrying from one place to the next, with a sudden haste, and it seems as we enter the midst of midterms ( the big raincloud) we all fear falling headlong. That’s right, midterms. The time when you feel like everything from the first couple weeks of the semester precipitates from the syllabus into your already busy schedule. Some people fight through the storm, and some may lose themselves in a bout of procrastination. So the question is, do you grab a raincoat, or a pencil?

Roswell: “We can All Work Together”

Here we are in the pre 2000 era. The MILLENIUM is coming. And so are aliens! Well not really because here we are in 2011 and we’ve yet to see aliens. In fact the only “aliens” we truly see in Roswell are the ones that seem to be running amok at parties or in praise of their town’s heritage. But in Roswell, aliens really do exist. And I’m not taking about the explicit mention of “beings from outer space”, I’m talking about the prejudices created by the older townspeople. It’s an inherited prejudice in Roswell. But not where Liz is concerned.

Through voiceover narration, diary entries and a focus on her views, and life, we see Liz’s perspective. We also see her half naked a lot in the Pilot…but that’s beside the point.  Liz represents the millennial generation. She’s a working teen, a smart girl, who wants to be a scientist. But more than anything, she sympathizes with these “visitors” from the outside, or “Czechoslovakians” as her friend Maria EXPLICITLY refers to them. Yes they are “different” as Liz points out, but that doesn’t dismay her. In fact, she’s looking to cast that aside. She asks that they all “ work together”. It is the essence of teamwork that millennials so gravitate towards. And it doesn’t matter that they’re aliens or humans; they’re all collaborating to help get Max out of the hands of the police. ( I like the pattern of main characters in teen shows as children of sheriffs, i.e veronica mars).  They represent a generation seemingly more socially accepting than the previous generation.  Max Evans has the ability to change Liz’s perspective by the end of one episode. No longer does she conform to Roswell’s  fear of foreignness. They’re kids who seem to take matters into their own hands.   I was intrigued by Michael’s situation with his foster father. While at first he seemed like just a sidekick, I was struck by the (social commentary) role he carries.  The show in this sense also touches on another kind of cultural anxiety about what seems like unstable families. In this way the emotion the show means to carry is definitely subtler. Max tells him, “ maybe I don’t really know what it’s like for you.”  But that doesn’t mean he won’t try to help him; and that is millennial empathy. It is here how I understand the deep connection/following the show garners. Especially in the scene with the burning alien bodies at the “dance” ( or was it a demonstration/hate crime?), the show certainly pushes for a reaction in its viewers.  As stated by Professor Stein,“ Roswell fans sent in thousands of bottles of Tabasco sauce

(the Roswellalien drink of choice) to the WB and UPN networks to save

Roswell from cancellation on three different occasions. “ The fans are those who take action. They don’t stand by and let things just, whether it is in Roswell, or in the real world- it encourages participation. The commentary and intimacy of shared thought by Rosewell fans on 9/11 is really amazing. That says a lot about the kind of atmosphere the show creates with its viewership.

 

As a side note…teens with cell phones in 1999? How revolutionary!

 

TIME

noun \ˈtīm\

1)

a the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues : duration

 

b a non-spatial continuum that is measured in terms of events which succeed one another from past through present to future

 

2) the point or period when something occurs : occasion

3)

a : an appointed, fixed, or customary moment or hour for something to happen, begin, or end <arrived ahead of time>

 

b : an opportune or suitable moment <decided it was time to retire> —often used in the phrase about time <about time for a change>

No I’m not talking about the magazine. And I will report there were 11 other definitions. But these were the ones that struck me most. I’m a little intimidated defining and writing about something that so rules our day-to-day lives. It’s a lofty goal; but I don’t mean to challenge it in the least. In fact, I’m kind of in awe in it. It’s a completely versatile idea. There are moments when you want it to slow down, speed up, never end… Time can be your enemy and time can save you. But I’m struck by how often awareness and time intersect…or don’t. This past week felt like one of the longest weeks I’ve lived. I’m not sure why; it’s not anything particular. Perhaps it was just the monotony of routine. 50 minute classes or 1 hr and 15 minute classes? 30 minute lunch or hour long lunch? 4 hours of sleep or 30 minute nap? 40 minute show or 3 hours of homework? They all have to add up somewhere in the 24 hours we’re told are “a days time.” Sometimes I truly wish there were more, because how the hell are we supposed to get all of our work done?

 

This week I had only the weekend ( and the women’s hockey NESCAC championship ) to look forward to. But Sunday morning all the way til Friday night is a long time. I am now aware of this. Minutes felt like hours, and hours felt like days; it’s a formula for monotony. But then you take a step back and realize sometimes we’re just racing so quickly toward a fixed endpoint that we miss out on the time that we’re given. We don’t even enjoy it because we’re too focused on the moment that the clocks big hand hits 12 and the little hand hits 5. In my monotonous reverie this week I was wondering when exactly the awareness kicks in in childhood. When is the moment we snap out of our adventure and realize we’re late for dinner? Or realize that its bedtime? Damn the day that happens.  Time aids us in our loss of innocence. Strangely enough, the first time I truly panicked about time…was during my first viewing of The Wizard of Oz when I was around 4. It was the part where the Wicked Witch of the West displays that hourglass while Dorothy is trapped in her tower. At the same time it keeps cutting back to the rest of the gang rescuing Dorothy. And it always cuts back to that dreaded hourglass with its ever falling red sand…

And it is time that decays the memories we create in childhood. But there are those moments that “ time flies” and you immerse yourself in well, life. And you wake up and you’re 20 years old and you’re not quite sure how you got there. Did time fly? Or have we just been racing towards some future?  Sure it’s abstract as can be. But at the end of 24 hours…it’s inevitable.

Harry Potter and the Lively Millennials


First of all- as an avid HP fan, The Goblet of Fire is awesome.  Anywho, I think that in writing this blog, were all participating in the connection to the text that the Jenkins and Bond/Michaelson articles describe. Harry Potter is a shared experience, and it represents Millennials in more ways than simply on screen or the books. In fact, I think it is the off-screen “magic”  of HP that seems to embody Millennials the most. I knew that Star trek and Star wars had extra means of creating a community- but they just aren’t as young as the Harry Potter community. Here we have major websites created BY MILLENIALS and mostly for Millenials.   The fan fiction sites  mugglenet.com and the-leaky-cauldron.org   are run by kids as Harry Potter took off. It was kids who interviewed JK Rowling as the books/film releases emerged and it was kids that blogged about it, argued about it, you name it. You had to get a username to participate- which I guess makes it official . I thought it did at least.  It has every kind of information imaginable as far as Harry Potter. It gives movie reviews and spoilers, FAQs…the list goes on. I guess. I admit it…I was an avid fan fiction reader to get my Harry Potter fix in between book releases. Why? Because I wanted to see how other people saw the Harry Potter world. I felt like I was participating in something huge just by reading these online texts.  Was their vision similar to mine? How did it differ? And what kinds of things could people dream up? And to answer all of those: there were hundreds of possibilities. And that was the best part, is that I could come back to the site the next day and find something new.  Another aspect of the millennials and HP has to do with JK Rowling’s website. Sure she was a Gen X giving us this world, but we were the runs running it. Millennials were the ones interacting with her website (which was really cool) sending in questions to her about everything Harry potter. And YouTube videos involving the HP canon… there are millions. Especially as relationships emerged, fans found expressing their “ships” (relationship pairings)  that much easier. Interacting with Harry Potter outside of the book or movie was just so accessible. So why not?

Which brings me to my next point…

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a very good example of “millennial media”. Here we have the trio that we all know and love who every day exemplify what it means to work as a team. We have a heroine, Hermione who displays not only knowledge, but bravery, and feminine strength that even Gilmore Girls would envy. I know I looked up to her growing up.  In this particular story, we have kids from other schools coming to stay at Hogwarts, in the spirit of the Triwizard Tournament, but more importantly “ to build international magical cooperation” as Hermione puts it, “to make friends” with students from other places. It is about putting aside all differences and uniting because different backgrounds shouldn’t matter when you’re sharing in something ( magic perhaps?).  Most of the times, adults aren’t the ones realizing the true terror ( as Harry and Cedric end up in the graveyard with Harry) and the kids are the ones that have to take action. And they do it because they believe in their potential to change the future. And it’s not just the fictional characters who have this effect to give rise to the Millennial image, but even the ones that play Harry Ron and Hermione are millennials. Just as we’ve grown up with Harry Potter, they have to, and they’ve lived it. I remember WB’s search for 3 actors resembling these fairly new characters when HP first hit the screens in 2000. We were all 9 years old.  Wow time flies.  And so I I wonder though, as HP officially stops its creative representation on July 7th when the last movie comes out…will the HP world keep growing somehow? Will the magic die? Or is it up to the millennials to sustain it from this point on?

Oh but there’s a theme park… Living the dream.