Medhurst

In Medhurst's essay, "Batman, Deviance, and Camp", Medhurst's begins with in depth and detailed information about his views on Batman and the background of why he views Batman the way that he does. Batman was not the idol figure to Medhurst as he appeared to be to everyone else. Although not many would have ever come to this assumption, but Medhurst gives good reasoning as to why he thinks Batman is a homosexual. He uses concrete details from episodes to prove his idea. He explains the Batman lives with another man, his butler Alfred, and has plentiful flowers around the house (310). Not only that, but wears night gowns as well to bed (310). This may be seen as deviance to some, but this all relates back to camp. Medhurst tries to prove the Batman is gay in multiple ways, but in reality everyone is aware that he is not. You can make almost anything seem as something it is not. Medhurst does a great job of using camp by remaking the normal. The normal to us is that Batman is straight, but Medhurst makes Batman being a homosexual the normal throughout his essay. In the end everyone knows that Batman is indeed not gay, but this essay gives other perspective as to how idol figures such as this one can easily be interpreted as something else. As Medhurst states clearly, "Most camp humor has a relatively short life span, new targets are always needed, and the camp aspect of Batman has been squeezed dry. (318)" This idea the Batman is gay is just temporary; something new will always come along to take its place.

Boys Don't Cry

In the film, Boys Don't Cry, emotions are sure to arise. Hilary Swank delivered viewers a deep understanding of how hard it must be to live the life of being a lesbian. The opening and ending act proves how difficult it must be to allow people to know the truth about how some people really are. It is nothing that people have any control over, but some are hurt or killed because they cannot help that they are attracted to the same sex. "Brandon" kept her private life a secret because she was afraid of exactly what happened to her. She was brutally raped and died simply because she was in love with another woman. "Brandon" was a sweet young woman and respected others. She was not liked by the police too much, but she more than likely rebelled due to all of the criticism she received because she was a lesbian. She tried to live her life as a man, but she always got herself into trouble. In the beginning, the older brother of a girl she dated threatened to beat her after they found out about her secret. In the end she suffered a great amount because an entire family and friends found out their daughter had been messing around with what they thought was a man, but just so happened to be a woman. This was a expressive film an gives people a different perspective to better understand the struggles some people in our society face .

Jenkins

In the Jenkins reading, “Never Trust a Snake”: WWF Wrestling as Masculine Melodrama, he displays multiple emotions and hardships that come with wrestling. The personal experiences that are connected with wrestling vary with everyone, but through it all it builds a bond in the wrestling community that most people will never understand. Jenkins goes into great detail about the background and history of wrestling and the way the game works. Jenkins states wrestling as “a form which bridges the gap between sport and melodrama, allows for the spectacle of male physical prowess but also for the exploration of the emotional and moral life of its combatants”(Jenkins 297). Not only does this state that wrestling is an ideal place to show anger, aggression, and other emotions, but it also goes into greater detail of having authority and the ring being related to having power. Jenkins also explains how the working class enjoys wresting because they believe strength shows moral authority, which will always prevail (300). Within the “Invincible Victims” section, there is a lot said about how men in the sport will “overcome the forces which subordinate them” (306). This is where I believe the working class men are the ones who show their moral values and choose to fight back. Jenkins gave a great example of Hulk Hogan when he was knocked down and beaten, but instead of lying on the ground, ready to accept defeat he chose to get up and fight back (306). I was confused when Jenkins talks about “Seeing Is Believing”. He tells us that people recognize that the sport is fake, but pretend it to be real. I do not know what he means by that exactly, but he gives great analogies.

Berger

In the reading From Ways of Seeing, Berger grasps certain concepts pertaining to the idea in which women and men are perceived. He explains that women are classified as the "surveyed" while men are the "surveyors". Women view themselves and watch others view themselves as well. Berger states that "men act and women appear"(5). He offers a great analogy from the Bible regarding Adam and Eve. Until they ate the apple from the tree of knowledge, they were not ashamed to be naked. This provides great insight for me to get a better understanding of what he is trying to explain. The way people are viewed varies from person to person, whether it is a matter of age, gender, race, appearance, etc. Later after the biblical event, Berger states that "the shame becomes a kind of display" (6). This is in regard to the Renaissance when artists depict paintings where women and men are no longer nude. They are covered by leaves or their hands. They a have become ashamed of being naked because of the way others perceive them now. There is so much judgment in the world, it takes the fearless to think and act freely. I am still unfamiliar with what Berger says about the difference between nudity and nakedness. I feel as if he explains nakedness in more of a shameful manner, whereas nudity is embraced. This reading has opened my eyes to seeing things a bit differently. You must free you mind as if it was subconscious when it comes to analyzing others and readings. You must almost forget what you were brought up to think what was right and wrong.

Writing Profile

This picture depicts some of what the American culture could be represented as. The exceptional amount of McDonald's food spread out through the table stands out most and has a significant meaning behind it. This fast food restaurant has been one of the leading causes to obesity throughout America. The little kids in the picture just proves that obesity is progressively getting worse each throughout generation, and it is quite evident that the young children in the picture are not in the shape they should be in at this age. I cannot help, but notice the wrinkles in the childrens’ arms from their excessive amount of weight. This is not healthy by any means for them and may lead to life or death situations later on in their lives. I notice the child in the hat pointing towards something, which may indicate he wants more of something. There is already plenty of French fries and pop on the table and what looks to be like left over trash from something else they have already eaten. American culture relies a great deal on fast food and McDonald’s especially. This has caused a great deal of obesity throughout our country, and this picture proves that it is taking its toll on the younger society.