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Finale

[fi-nal-ee, -nah-lee]
–noun

1.the last piece, division, or movement of a concert, opera, or composition.
2.the concluding part of any performance, course ofproceedings, etc.; end.

Wow, its already May? One minute it was September, and everyone was asking “How was your summer?” and now we’re looking forward to the next one. But within a week there is so much to do. No wonder it appears as if us millennials are moving at 100 miles a minute. In the span of finals week some may crank out about 40 pages worth of analysis, while also produce 2 lab reports, and take two three hour exams. But also pack up their entire room to be shipped halfway across the country and still save time to procrastinate…But wait, don’t you have to sleep at some point? And eat? Eh, that’s what 5 hour energy is for, and the Grill delivers, so those can be compromised. After a long year of hard work, learning and activity there’s nothing like finals week to really test our multi tasking skills. It is the grand finale of each year to be able to round up everything we’ve learned one last time.

 

For me, and for the Word of the Day, this blog in some ways serves as the “grand finale” and I wanted to acknowledge that kind of termination of sorts. This was my first blog ever, and in all honesty I’ve really enjoyed the experience of putting my words out there on what I’d like to think of as a digital journal of sorts. It’s nice to see the feedback through comments and while I know it was a requirement to comment, people were really responsive to some of the posts. Without attempting to sound cliche, and perhaps even following my research project, participating on the blog really felt like being part of a community.

“Millennials”

Excerpt from my paper as Harry Potter as a millennial representation…

 

While Harry Potter represents characteristics of the millennial generation within the books and on screen, the most profound expression of the Harry Potter millennial emerges when youth use technology to foster community, and to advocate for political and social change. After proceeding through a thematic analysis of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the 5th segment of the series, themes of teamwork, technology and activism emerged. Harry and friends teamed up to form “Dumbledore’s Army”, a group of teenagers empowered by education to fight against the suppressing forces both at school and within society. They began a rebellion, and questioned authority figures, and media sources in their lives that seemed to issue strict value systems and a limited way of thinking. In finding these faults, members of Dumbledore’s Army formed their own political views and united together to induce much needed change when others did not rise to the occasion. Dumbledore’s Army harnessed the technology available to them within the Room of Requirement, a place where they felt they could experiment and express their identities as young wizards. A resonating sense of positive possibility emerged as they were empowered by education and united by action.

Yet, the morality instilled within Harry Potter’s world did not remain confined to pages of the books, and instead pervaded into the real world that young millennials live in. The themes were out in the open for Harry Potter fans to interact with however they wished. Would they accept the rebellious nature, the teamwork and the politically active sentiment their favorite characters displayed? Absolutely. Paratexts have become the driving force of the Harry Potter phenomenon. Through YouTube fan vids we see a close interaction with the films, and we see fans explore morality. They make meaning in the form of the “authored” videos of their Harry Potter experience, and share it with a public online community such as YouTube. The authors express an innate millennial knowledge of technology, and encourage viewers to comment and respond to the video in an effort to build a shared experience and a shared authorship. Similarly, Mugglenet.com offers an online community constructed specifically to provide Harry Potter fans with a space for communication. Their “Chamber of Secrets” forums provide a kind of “ Room of Requirement” for fans to pose theories, and express themselves within the Harry Potter canon, but not feel restricted to it. It is within forums such as these where a sense of unity is fostered in a shared experience. Fans respond to comments, and build off threads such as “What did you like about the Order of the Phoenix?” But there is still a more active mode of participation, for within Harry Potter online communities such as The Harry Potter Alliance real world issues are explored, challenged and presented in a way that others can interact and make meaning as a group. Their Dumbledore’s Army philosophy is hands on activism. These fans unite in their online participation on social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook, and then use these resources to reach out and raise awareness. They use technology as their tool of activism.

While some still argue that Harry Potter is merely a children’s book, a fantasy or a means of escapism, the Harry Potter fandom will probably disagree. For it is not just the magic that has grounded a community, it is the ability to inspire hope, and promote social change. It is the simple fact that for some, they have finally felt like they belonged to a group. Though it is a group that has boundaries, and for many of them it must somehow remain close to the canon, and PG-13. Opinions in these communities may not be diverse, and in turn limit the group’s potential. But that doesn’t mean that conversation won’t continue to happen. Most recently the questions, “Will the phenomenon of Harry Potter ever dissipate?” and, “will the magic ever die?” have been posed in light of the film adaptation finale in the summer of 2011. My answer: not with this generation, and not as long as these online communities, and the paratexts continue to exist. Because the morality issues ingrained in Harry Potter have been ingested by the millennials: a generation committed to a positive future and fully equipped with technology. Harry Potter has become a part of our culture, whether we directly participate with it or not, the values of Harry Potter thus will continue to circulate. Just as a wand can conjure up just about anything, so can a millennial with technology and teamwork.

 

 

Millennial Adults

What happens when the veil of childhood falls away, and we leave the boundaries of high school lockers and family dinners? Commence adulthood. I’ve talked to a lot of people about a show like Madmen and as it appears on a wider demographically encompassing channel such as AMC, older people tend to watch it. A lot of Midd students watch it, and a lot of them watch it with their parents. Madmen is the kind of show that, similar to Glee, or maybe even Twilight, bridges the gap between generations. But the trajectory is in reverse. Now it is millennials aspiring for a more mature lifestyle, and a yearning to immerse themselves into an adult lifestyle. There is an aesthetic glamour that certainly appeals to this aspiration in Madmen, but can also be found in Damages as Ellen Parsons poses as the young hotshot lawyer to be. Continuing on a millennial media familiar trope, we see a murder plot take hold in the first episode, though how it will reveal itself we don’t know. While neither FX or AMC are channels I would associate with millennial television, millennials continue to return to their programming as a source of entertainment while also engaging in a kind of futuristic imagination. Perhaps it is the simple fact of how we will see ourselves in a few years, protégées to Glenn Close ( someone close to our parents’ generation). As Strauss and Howe argued, we oftentimes think of ourselves with the ability to change the future, and that we possess the skills to do so.

While these shows do not explicitly showcase technology in the forefront, the technologies we use to watch them, unlike our parents who may watch it on TV, represent our mastery of technology.  We make the program millennial in this way because we control how we watch it, not to mention the engagement with the programs outside of the TV show such as discussion forums and site participation. But more importantly, is the previous generations inclusion of millennials into this adult world. It’s informative in the sense that it seems to “prepare us” for what is to come, while also giving us the option to take our millennial stand by “changing the future” of what we see operating in front of us.

 

Nostalgia

noun

a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one’s life, to one’s home or homeland, or to one’s family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.

 

It’s purely coincidental. While our theme this week has been about embodying the echoes of nostalgia, remixing and replaying. But the pang of nostalgia we saw reflected within the tropes millennial television seemed to pervade beyond the screenings themselves. I didn’t realize how the sentiment would continue, that the feeling would also echo in my own life. Perhaps that’s more than a coincidence; perhaps it’s just simply relevant. As if the millennials are always anchored somehow to a time of the past. It’s certainly possible, as Facebook albums constantly remind us of our earlier days- when Facebook didn’t even exist. Or in a split second we can receive a video from home with our dog barking in the background. As if we’re there but not. Our connectedness to that feeling of nostalgia is oftentimes bound up in our technological roots. But for me, the feeling is the age old yearning to return to a former time via a series of events this weekend. I played a JV lacrosse game against my high school, and thus playing against former teammates and most of all my former coach and friend. Hearing their voices again, even in a state of play sent me back. Nostalgia makes me disbelief in the phrase, “ Out of sight, out of mind.” The feelings hover under the surface whether you address them or not, and return to you in moments like these. They make you wonder, how have I been doing without them? I realize it’s hard to replicate the familiarity with people who watched you really grow up. They knew who you have been. And what’s more of my nostalgic weekend is returning home for an evening. I haven’t been home really since December. And things have changed. The snow has melted, the sand and salt from the winter have blown away and the sun is shining. Some of the small town stores have turned over to newer ones, and I felt a little lost. What was it that I missed while being away? What else has changed? And then when my dog comes running toward me, tail wagging, she reminds me that my return no matter when it is, is a good thing.

What’s even more nostalgic is the feeling that hits campus as we enter the last week of classes. Remember September? Remember when we were all fresh from the summer, excited about the prospect of a new school year, and excited to see new faces and old? It seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago simultaneously.

 

 

Pretty Little Gossip Girl

A Gossip Girl Veronica Mars remix. What is it about the dead girl constantly influencing the story line? Though I guess the only difference here is the lack of “noir”. Similar to VMars, PLL doesn’t use flashbacks to advance plot moments, but uses what Gossip Girl thrives on: a faceless presence via technology.  As Stein states, “ we have Alison, similarly a sexually direct teenage girl, and a social power player when she was alive. Now dead, her digital extension “A” seemingly rules the characters from beyond the grave, through the millennial tools of social networking and mobile technology” Through text message, email and even age old note passing this “A” controls the social lives of these Pretty Little Liars, and nearly forces them to reconnect, which we see at the beginning of the episode, would not be the case without this mysterious “A”.  We have another “sheriff” like figure trying to dig into the lives of these young women, illustrating the male power versus female vulnerability aspect. But what I find most striking is Alison’s presence even in death; Stein states that her “digital manifestation is reinforced by her fluid and inexplicable power-through-knowledge; she seems to somehow see everything, know all” a fact that is astoundingly apparent at the end when all of their cell phones ring and we are surprised to find that it is Alison. But are we surprised? We’ve seen it before, and we know about social power, especially in this day and age. Facebook has us updated, and mini-fed at all times. Secrets are harder to keep, which we see is true in PLL.

As for Skins, we have a similar social routine via a cell phone early on. The whole ride to school this guy is on his cell phone running show. And the cheerleader is seemingly always connected at her cheer practice. They’re typical, right? Wrong. The cheerleader is not your typical cheerleader, infact she seems to hang with this  ” out cast-ish” group.  I guess I’m trying to understand this show in a revolutionary way, but I’m having a little bit of trouble: the show is jarring. Watching it was slightly overwhelming…and I’m not quite sure what to make of it. What are people looking for when they watch it? Representations of themselves? Or representations of what older generations perceive of millennials? For me it feels like the latter, and it makes me worry what older generations think of us. But perhaps that’s just the surface. Because the show actually addresses a lot of real issues, in the words of “Noggin”, it “ goes there”.  We see a more diverse cast, and it seems to include these diverse characters not just for their “aesthetic” appeal. We have the upper class social experience we see in Glee with the prep school, and then we have the public school experience where it seems the social hierarchies relay middle class experience. When they invade the party, the two societal spheres seem to collide, and it doesn’t end well. As if the divide created by generations before us still pervades, and while we attempt to intermingle, the hesitations still exist. Yet, the millennial teamwork still emerges in the end as this group of kids seem to work together, and rely on each other regardless of their issues.

 

Sunday

 

The English noun Sunday derived sometime before 1250 from sunedai, which itself developed from  Old English (before 700) Sunnandæg (literally meaning “sun’s day”. ( courtesty Wikipedia)

Not to be confused with Rebecca Black’s new hit single, Friday…Sunday is the day we all enjoy as the last moments of weekend freedom. I couldn’t help but mention Rebecca Black because I heard the song on THE RADIO, as in the song is no longer confined within the realm of Youtube. It has finally ruined the ears of many. I was pretty horrified. Yes, I know I should applaud a young artist getting herself out there. She has used Youtube to her advantage, and clearly made use of her parent’s checkbook in signing that random rapper on board. Yikes. Some of the people in her video have braces, and none of them have their licenses, yet they talk about going to parties that seemingly occur when you “get down on Friday”. Shes not someone I would pick to represent the millennial generation well, that’s for sure. Yet nonetheless, what she “sings” about still manages to resonate. It is particularly on days like Sunday, when you wish nothing more than the chance to go back to Friday and have the whole weekend ahead of you like an open canvas.  Because for now you have a whole week ahead of you, and a whole bunch of last weeks work that you told yourself you were going to do “over the weekend”, as if time management existed within that continuum. So here I write on Sunday, but this one has a bit of special meaning to it. It’s one that many people have actually been looking forward to, especially if you’ve given up something in light of Lent. People are actually walking around in their Sunday best and we wonder why it doesn’t happen more often. Today some opened Easter baskets filled with Cadberry Eggs or Peeps, or went to church with friends. It was a nice break from the usual Sunday routine, though regrettably the holiday didn’t promise better weather. Regardless, spirits seemed lifted today despite all of the confusing weather patterns and workloads.

Millennial Musical

As the title of this week is Millennial genre’s: Musicals. I can’t help but wonder…where did this phenomenon come from?

Maybe it started somewhere between the popularity American Idol and the reality musical, or perhaps “ you’ve got the music in me” from High School Musical. Both use music to touch the hearts and maybe even minds of viewers, but with the knowledge that it is the MILENNIAL generation that is watching. Music has become an integral part of TV we watch, when it isn’t there we wonder what’s wrong. If I had seen The OC without its iconic opening song, I don’t think it would’ve caught on. It’s a bit of nostalgia infact hearing “ California, here we come.”  In fact, I think some people may even argue they live their lives to a daily soundtrack. And I’m not even kidding. With iPods and iPhones you not only have your phone with text messaging capabilities, but YOUR MUSIC as well. The age of the CD player is over and the age of digital music have taken over. Imagine what the Von Trapp family could’ve done with that as they sang across Europe in The Sound of Music. My millennial imagination runs wild…

So about Glee: a new kind of musical experience. I admit, it took me a while to catch onto the whole Glee phenomenon. Why? Because it felt too clichéd and I associated it with High School Musical too much. But then I realized it was not created by Disney, and therefore wouldn’t take a similar path. And eventually someone convinced me that I actually am one of those people who frequently bursts into song and therefore needs to watch the show. I tried it, and after a few episodes and a lot of witty comments from Jane Lynch I was sold. Yes, the singing is quite good, but I think the satire is better, the wit is the real driving force. Maybe I’m completely reading the show wrong, but it seems to pose a self awareness at some of its seeming “after school special” messages or politics. It is this exaggeration on addressing issues that I think has the greatest effect. We stop and think, why are we beaten over the head with this? Perhaps there is something inherently true. It overtly plays to the stereotypes: the popular jocks versus the losers in glee club. As is expressed clearly in the Pilot episode.  As in the Hildebrand essay, and I certainly agree Glee “[operates] outside the conventions of realist plausibility, but it nonetheless makes attempts at social relevance”.  We know that the situations aren’t really that black and white. But boy don’t we want them to be, which is why Glee tries to push for representational equality. In episode 4, Kurt, the clearly identified gay character tries out and makes the football team, the cheerleader gets pregnant, and one of the ethnic members of the Glee club gets a better part than the white girl. OMG look at all of this social progress! Even the latest episode that just aired last night (the 19th), acknowledges the fact that Mercedes is a talented enough singer, but just doesn’t get the stardom she deserves. As if the episode poses an awareness of its own faults. But sadly we learn, its only one episode and after 40 minutes of enduring this challenging of norms, they will go back to normal. For as Doty states, “the first season because it trafficked in the worst kind of United Colors of Benetton liberalism. Kurt, Mercedes, and Artie were consistently used to create a colorfully diverse narrative and musical background for the straight, white, able-bodied characters. Sure, they occasionally got a “big scene” or a solo, but these stood out because of their scarcity”. The Original Song episode shows us that only the white characters get the real spotlight, and their issues are the ones that matter and the ones that effect the other members of the Glee club. And thus, what we notice are the gaps that are left when those minority characters don’t return to stardom, because they were quite good at it. Glee is a strange breed: it presents popular culture, gives us music to sing to, provides witty bits, presents us with a more diverse cast only to put them in the back row immediately. And what we find is we like when ALL voices are heard. That is a more millennial harmony we recognize.

 

 

FOMO

slang

Fear Of Missing Out”

Finally: millennial slang. A nice little acronym to go with our fast paced lifestyles. Why the need to say all four words when you only need four letters to symbolize it? Well, somebody thought of that, and created fomo.  I’ve only heard it used a few times recently, though I know its existed for awhile, and it seemed very relevant to our millennial theme. Symposium weekend, no classes on Friday…but oh so many activities! We want to relish the joys of spring, but we also need to get our mountains of work done. And therein lies the fomo. Especially as Midd kids, we hate missing out on something fun, something interesting etc. Do you go to the nailbiting lacrosse game, or the exciting lecture about Howl? Because unfortunately, we haven’t been able to time travel yet and our active lifestyles just won’t sit idly by. On another millennial note, I think facebook or twitter adds to the fomo phenomenon, especially where smartphones are concerned. We’re always socially connected, checking status updates, mini feeds, new albums etc. because we’re afraid were going to miss out on something. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so, but I think we’ve redefined what it means to be connected, and since everyone is seemingly “always connected”, the fear of missing out has elevated. You don’t want to be the odd man/woman out.


Millennials Include Noir

How do millennials deal with a genre shift? In particular, a shift to noir? We often see noir explicitly portrayed as timeless. I’ve seen The Maltese Falcon , The Big Sleep the Godfather and  Chinatown and even more recent noir films such as Pulp Fiction and  Fight Club. Stylistically they do have differences but the darkness is always present, though it manifests itself differently. Yet what does noir mean to millennials? I remember an episode of Smallville titled “Noir” that plays to the older stereotypes that emerged when noir did WWII era. The whole episode was shot in black and white, and really plays on the typical crime/thriller but it doesn’t use the style to touch on underlying issues. It’s the stereotypical nature of that episode that bothers me, because noir has a lot to offer as a genre.  As Professor Stein states, “noir offers a generic discourse rife enough with its own complexities to encompass the perceived contradictions of the millennial generation” In Veronica Mars and even Gossip Girl, they incorporate from the genre of noir to provide a rich millennial representation complete with a twist. As Braithewaite introduces, both programs offer the story of crime, and the story of investigation. Though Veronica Mars is more explicit, and perhaps even more aware of its relevancy in the noir genre. The overarching theme of Veronica Mars incorporates a toned down version of “dark brooding doom”, as far as the brutal murder of Lilly and the rape of Veronica, but it also appeals to the duality of mystery and romance aspects of noir.  The noir I find most apparent are the frequent flashbacks, both in Veronica Mars, and in Gossip Girl ( especially where Chuck Bass was concerned in the particular episode with the night he doesn’t remember). But Veronica is always interacting with flashbacks to both help us and herself piece together the overall crimes, the murder and rape. And ultimately the “outsider” aspect Veronica assumes, and seems to pride herself on. As her, and her father take on the role of private eye, always digging into everyone’s business, they are always isolating themselves from their Neptune society. But perhaps the millennial in me likes the tone of the series best: skeptical. And this is the fusion I see of millennial personality and the genre of noir. Nothing is taken to its full value, and nearly everything is questioned. Sure millennials can be bought by advertisers, but its with a grain of salt. Veronica’s voiceovers and even her own personality always cast a tone of pessimism on each scene.  Duncan’s father also says of Duncan, “ I’m so tired of your cynicism”. Yet, Duncan is just being skeptical. Though his skepticism isn’t quite like Veronica’s. As she accuses him as someone who ” stands idly by”, and not someone who takes action like her. She questions and everything while she takes action, a kind of protection and distancing  she uses to deal with the murder and the rape, themes and emotions you can even see in a character like Philip Marlowe from the Big Sleep.  Thus, while “noir” evokes a pastime, it is very present in its effective incorporation in millennial television.

As a side note… the cellphone references in Gossip Girl are very femme fetale of Blair and friends and their reaction is completely millennial. They are socially empowered with the cellphones, while at the same time trapped within their Upper East Side Culture. As for their reaction to the momentary loss of cellphones: it’s sad..we simply cannot function without them. We must always be connected to our social contacts, without them we feel like we’re missing out on something big,

 

Procrastination

verb
  to put off or defer (an action) until a later time; delay

Ah, a familiar term. We’re all well conditioned when it comes to procrastination. Is it a millennial thing? Is it a Middlebury thing? Probably not, but we have definitely found many creative ways to procrastinate. And springtime doesn’t help matters either. With this newfound sunshine, a phenomenon we really haven’t seen for months, being outside AWAY from homework is exactly where we want to be. And a weekend full of sunshine is the ultimate procrastination tool. So if you’re like me, and are just realizing the boatload of work you have to do and feel slightly nauseous as a result, never fear. Procrastinate more! Even as you look longingly at the window at from your carrel in the library there are plenty more options to defer from your studies. For example, the iphone and blackberry provide many facets of entertainment( see apps for more details).There’s also unlimited options when you have your laptop open in front of you. Wikipedia? Google? Youtube? Even catching up on TV shows online; the world of daydreaming is at your fingertips. Let’s not forget about Zuckerburg’s procrastination destination, oops I mean social networking site,Facebook. Endless browsing of pictures, mini feeds and of course facebook chat provide hours of entertainment. And yes, I mean hours. Think of how much more work we would get done if Facebook didn’t exist? But then life would be boring, and you couldn’t creep on pictures of people you may or may not know. Regardless which method you choose to put off your real life, its pretty much inevitable.