This week’s screening that I would like to focus on is The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I think Supernatural definitely has rich potential to be discussed in a religious context but based on the episode screened I feel I lack the knowledge of the storylines and the show’s mythology and therefore cannot really delve into the subject matter the way the two articles by Stein and Petersen do.

In class professor Stein urged as not to accept articles or text at face value but not to just dismiss them either. I find it very hard to just dismiss this show as terrible but I will try to look beyond the tepidly memorized recitals by these more or less gifted aspiring actors and actresses – I can’t really blame them because they are givin subpar dialogue to work with. I’m also trying to look past the cheap looking sets as I read on Wikipedia that this show is produced for a million dollar less than the average show on American Primetime television.

Overall, the show felt somewhat schizophrenic as it was moving from attempting to sound young and hip (the mother’s Gilmore-esque rant about North Korea at the beginning comes to mind) to a fairly preachy tone (so we’re allowed to say abortion but only to make clear that it’s NOT a viable option). The Christian characters seem to offer some comic relief, yet the alternatives to their lifestyle are represented as doomed and disastrous. Also “the good Christian family” we meet is morally elevated by having a son with Down Syndrom, which they obviously deal with in the most gracious manner. Also, the nice Christian boyfriend is tempted by an ethnic vixen that wants to sleep with him, probably just to prove his morals wrong. But of course, they are caught in the act – you can’t get away with sin. This seems to be the underlying message the show wants to convey hidden under the “we just want teenagers to realize that actions have consequences”-coat. Yes, they do but by judging them and portraying teenagers as perpetrators without morals or even understandable intentions may not be the way to go. Also, the perpetuation of the idea that a sexually driven teenager (the guy who got Amy pregnant) most come from a place of emotional disturbance seems a little dramatic. Sexual abuse, really? Way harsh. Amy’s likable love interest also struggles with sexual desire but these notions go out the window he gets to know because then it’s all about love – which in Brenda Hampton mind doesn’t go together with sex, at least when it comes to teenagers.

Hampton is responsible (or really to blame) for 7th Heaven, a decade-spanning Chrisitan family saga. Here, she seems to try the racy approach, instead of talking about doing the wrong things these characters at least do it. An improvement from Heaven but overall still not pleasant to watch.

With regards to the readings, unlike Supernatural this show is more preoccupied with the institution of church and the integration of faith and beliefs in the lives of teenagers. Characters are represented as either religious or very much not so – as with the entire show there’s seems to be little room for nuance. In our discussion of Millennials we talk about values and leadership as being more prevalent in this generation. I’m confused as how to apply this to this show which strikes me as offensively judgemental, portraying teenagers as almost exclusively incapable of acting responsibly or within any reach of reason but also rather inconsistent in its tone and message. It tries to portray a variety of values, ethnicities and role models but at least for me in this form and representation none of it seems intellectually coherent or appealing!

Rebecca Black \”Friday\”

Assuming that everyone in the western hemisphere at this point has been exposed to Rebecca Black’s youtube-“hit” Friday I would like to offer my thoughts on the 13-year-old Bieber-Fan that apparently has set her mind on bringing us a lot of Fun Fun Fun.

First of all, I’m kinda surprised at the harshness of the response to this. People seem to feel very threatened by the tacky video, Miss Black’s obvious shortcomings in terms of vocal performance and the sillyness of the lyrics. Well, the song is terrible but have you ever checked out the Olsen Twins’ musical endeavours? Not better or more pleasant than this. Black’s voice is weak but since when are we looking for vocal master class in teen pop? Also could a better voice have saved this song? The words to the songs are pathetic but in terms of content, singing about having fun on the weekends is rather common. A little more attention could have been paid to the ryhming patterns – well, actually nothing here rhymes here – but still, few songs on the Billboard Hot 200 have deep meaning or poetic value. Overall, yeah, it’s awful, but the hype is kind of disproportional. Maybe it’s because it’s funny and in a way seems to poke fun at meaningless pop anthems. Whether this is intented or not remains the big question.

The only concern I have with it is the fact that a 13-year-old girls seems to be hangin out with people who already drive and goes to legit parties. She’s a little ahead of her age-group there but then Miley Cyrus started sliding down poles when she was 15 so the training these days apparently has to start early. After all, who are we to judge?

In his essay Harry Potter and Christian Theology Peter Ciaccio discusses religious and moral undertones and lessons taught in the Harry Potter series. He does not try to give a definitive explicitly religious interpretation of the books but rather examines representations of Christian values and shows parallels to biblical stories and events in the Potter universe. Many of the values he highlights from the books tie in with common notions of Millennials we have previously discussed in class. A sense of community, the importance of friendship and family – in the Potter books this theme is often related to loss or the fear thereof – and individualism opposed to conformity. These topics all have politcal aspects which Ciaccio discusses with special regards to politics and education: In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the ministry of Magic tries to take control of the teaching methods and subjects at Hogwarts and through that tries to implement political views and practices upon the students. By controlling and navigating the knowledge and ability of young adults/wizards the ministry wants to intervene in society and tries to force a younger generation to adhere to their beliefs and more importantly to their benefits. The correlation between political power and educational practices is a common issue in society: Is education neglected the consequences on society can be grave but many regimes have also used education as a tool for propaganda and brainwash. All of this is alluded to in the fifth installment of Harry Potter.

Other Millennial related topics are addressed as well. By teaching his friends and fellow Hogwarts students in the Defense against Dark Magic, Harry takes on the role of a leader and has to trust in his ablities and accept his status as being special – by doing so he contributes to the good of everyone. All of the characters in Harry Potter have special gifts: Hermione is the clever one who always comes up with solutions; Ron is a loyal friend and sticks with Harry even when this isolates him from others – even though throughout the series he struggles with that; Neville’s is patricularly gifted when it comes to Herbs. By embracing those talents and accepting their individual traits, all of these characters form a strong community. This is a typical Millennial ideology: The synthesis of individuality and the greater good for your community.

A special theme of Phoenix is definitely the question of authority and loyalty. Authority, in this instance the ministry which claims to act in everyone’s interest and based on higher knowledge, is questioned and even challenged. To challenge authorities, belief systems and ideologies is a valid approach in all fields are or at least should be connected to morality: Politics AND Religion. The audience is encouraged to be inquisitive and disobedient. Loyalty should be based on personal convictions and is not tied to mere obligations to an institution or powerful figures. Instead the individual should trust his or her instincts and if necessary take matters in their own hands. This is a message that according to Ciaccio but also Strauss/Howe should resonate strongly with the Millennial readership of the Harry Potter series.

Looking at my previous Blog-Entries I realized how negative my spin on American culture has been so far. But as an American Studies major there must be something I like about it, right? I dug deep to find my single favorite cultural phenomenon from the US and am ashamed to say if I had to name the most addictive and enjoyable thing to come out of the US I’d have to say: The View.

Hear me out.

I can see it’s awful. Four or five women talking, more often shouting at each other. Segments on baking and self-help books, awkward interviews and of course the best/worst part: Hot Topics. Barbara Walthers and her patronizing ways, Joy Behar and her monopoly on liberal shrillness, Sherry Shepard who’s not entirely convinced that the world is round and global warming actually exists and Elisabeth Hasselbeck who is, oh well, Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Only Whoppi Goldberg has an impenetrable air of coolness, even though you could hardly tell based on the stuff she’s wearing. She often looks like a character from Sesame Street. It’s the crazy combination of all of these characters that simply makes great television. The political arguments often get off track, yet sometimes hit poignant marks (N-Word discussion).

As obnoxious as the panel can be, there is something insightful about American culture and politics to be found and it actually is the fact that it is not filtered that there is a ring of realness to it. It’s just people with very different approaches and fairly varied degrees of knowledge sharing opinions. I prefer this over the snoozefest of political talkshows from my homecountry any day! That being said, I’m obviously aware that this is as guilty as a guilty pleasure can be. Still, I love it. It’s the View.

The Stein Article discusses how fan forums and communities can provide both a platform and support system beyond the immediate context of the actual text it is dedicated to based on the fan community of Roswell and the example of 9/11. Even though the fansites mentioned in the article are primarly meant to give an outlet and a forum of discussion for fans of the show, allowing them to talk about characters and storylines and collectively speculate on possible upcoming events, in the wake of the tragedy of September 11th, conversations on the message boards and threads started delving into other topics such as religion and politics.

The shared experience of fandom for this particular show had created a bond that by its members and through the article is referred to as “friendships”. As previously with regards to Harry Potter fans fan communities connect people based on a common interest, in this instance and tv show, but by frequently and consistently talking about something they feel passionate about and exchanging opinions and views, relationships are developed, without ever meeting in person, that create intimacy and a sense of belonging – ultimately friendships evolve. Especially at a time of crisis, such as in the fall of 2001, these communities get together and cope together. What I found particularly striking was the fan art discussed in the article that combines fictional characters with actual events. This practice, as Stein points out, is controversial, as the line between reality and actual tragedy and events in a narrative are blended. To the artist this is a personal form of expressing and dealing with grief, whereas for an outsider this may seem strange or even inappropriate.

Based on the first two episodes of Roswell that were screened we get a vague idea of the themes and values the show conveys. Healing and interpersonal connections play a crucial role and Millennial themes such as families and support systems of friends are portrayed. More importantly though the show illustrates the feeling of alienation felt by many teenagers. The question of belonging in this world or being an outsider and the complications one might stumble upon while trying to overcome these issues are represented within a science fiction/ coming-of-age narrative. It is hardly surprising that these themes would resonate with young viewers and would result in a passionate fan following. A central love story of star-crossed lovers is certainly helpful to engage a young probably predominatly female audience. The set-up of an average girl falling in love with an other-worldly good-looking guy seems familiar – while viewing the episodes many parallels to Twilight could be recognized.

The article compares Roswell at times to Buffy, which makes sense as both shows use a supernatural backdrop to address the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. Still, it seems remarkable that the online communities around this show reacted so strongly to 9/11. It seems that bonding over universal themes such as the pain of adolescence connects viewers and allows them to actually form friendships that exceed the medial texts their based upon.

So sorry. I tried.

I love Friends, best show ever, but I just don’t get it – why do people here love Seinfeld so much. My American friends tell me it’s hysterical. I find it unbearable. This show is essentially about four mean, self-centered people who constantly brag, do terrible things to others and who have epic discussions on totally random boring stuff. What’s also interesting is that whenever I try to force myself to watch it so I might finally get it, I end stunmling across the same episodes. I’ve seen the “legendary” one with “Shrinkage”. Didn’t get funnier the second time I watched it. And then there’s the one where they try to pitch a show about nothing to NBC. How self-reflective. Not funny either. I used to think the sense of humor was lost in translation, the show is obviously dubbed in Germany. Nope, same in English – annoying and not funny. But what’s the problem?

Some say, maybe the Jewish sense of humor is not for me. But I love Mel Brooks and Sarah Silverman!

Others said, maybe I’m turned off because it’s so politically incorrect and offensive. But I loved the Chapelle Show. It was politically incorrect and offensive – but unlike Seinfeld actually funny.

There are a lot of shows with main characters who are not immediately striking as sympathetic. Hugh Laurie on House, Steve Carell on Office, and I love Alec Baldwin’s Jack on 30 Rock. The difference is that these characters are either satire or there’s a glimmering of a human being beyond the surface. The characters on Seinfeld are just shallow and I don’t think it’s supposed to be satire. They allegedly are people like you and me. Well, definetly NOT like me.

So sorry. I tried. Absolutely hate it.

A major theme of this weeks readings was the Fan Fiction and reader’s and viewer’s imagination can go beyond “professional” cultural texts and continue in others mediums and contexts. From the online newspaper “The Daily Prophet”, Henry Jenkins discusses in his article, a website effectively run by children who use their knowledge of the world of Harry Potter and turn into fictional journalism and editorial pieces, to the short stories and fanzines Bond and Michelson address. Here, readers explore possibilities of how stories could have played out or create background for characters they have come to know. A crucial point that Bond/Michelson talk about in their essay is the fear of many that commercial fiction and its spin-offs online are not nurturing youth literacy and understanding of literary text. They eventually argue though that by taking literature out of the context of school and the pressure that comes with it and allowing children, teenagers and young adults to take these stories and further develop them in the medium they enjoy to interact in daily actually deepens their connection and imaginative capability. They get to truly envision and emotionally experience the stories they read and can relate to them even more by actively engaging with the text and infusing their own desires and experience. This can also be achieved through games or discussion in fan forums.

As seen in the screening of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the Harry Potter Series delves into many topics that the Millennial generation cares about so deeply. Family is a complicated concept for Harry who misses his own parents and is raised by his aunt and uncle, in an hostile environment where he is seen as a burden and a freak. The most important ties Harry has are those that connect him to his friends Hermione and Ron. In the forth installment tensions, common for teenagers arise – Hermione and Ron struggle with their burgeoning feelings for each other, Ron is jealous of his “popular” friend and feels like he never gets his chance to shine and then there is Harry who has to deal with grave responsibilties while only wanting to be a normal teenager who’s about to fall in love for the first time. And then there is Dumbledore, a figure of guidance of looks out for his students and tries to create a support system for Harry.

Harry Potter addresses themes that teenagers and even children can strongly relate to and by letting them experiment with story-telling through whatever medium or form, not only their emotional experience of the material is enhanced but they also are enabled to passionately engage and gain understanding of literature and its structure – especially by creating something themselves.