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Feb
7
Create365: Backyard Boards
Filed Under anthropology | View Comments
When I was a tween, I used to set up sawhorses in the backyard with a board running across them. It was my own makeshift balance beam. I was never in gymnastics, so I didn’t feel compelled to try to tumble across my beam. Instead, I put my ballet training to use, spinning and leaping my way across to favorite tapes.
I have many happy memories of choreographing dances meant to be performed on a narrow, elevated surface.
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that someone had built a small bridge across part of our backyard using two boards and a pair of flats. It’s not stable enough to dance across, but it always reminds me of those afternoons outside in my youth.
May
23
Fairy Tales as Historical Fantasy
Filed Under anthropology, storytelling | View Comments
I grew up with fairy tales, and the princess was always in some big, frilly, pink, sparkly dress… or she was in a dress that called to mind Medieval Europe. Then, one day I watched a version of Cinderella where everyone was in period garb right up until the ball, and then the women were all in one of five different ballgown styles, any of which would have graced a contemporary prom.
The costume designer had clearly tried to make the gowns blend into the fairy tale castle and the provenicial costumes favored by the men, but the disconnect was there. Given that fairy tales come from all over the world and all different time periods, it made me start wondering why interpretations are inevitably set in a Medieval or Renaissance setting, or refer to those time periods in some fashion.
I’m reading the Elemental Masters series by Mercedes Lackey, and I find them interesting. Each one is a retelling (some more successfully than others) of a fairy tale, and they’re all set in Victorian England. Corsets knock the wind out of a Water Master. A medium is sent away to school in England while her parents do missionary work in Africa. They don’t break that setting, and it’s refreshing.
They’re considered historical fantasy, something I’ve thought about a hundred times since my days in a Renaissance LARP. I’ve tried to capture it in themed movie afternoons that provide the background to my work sometimes. It’s interesting because fairy tales in and of themselves are historical. They were a means of teaching, a means of entertaining, which makes them perfect to my work.
Jul
12
Lessons from a panda
Filed Under anthropology, book love | View Comments
After a friend challenged me to write a book for her very young son, I started looking at picture books to see what’s already out there. It’s probably been five years since I’ve read anything beyond the basals we use at work, so asking one of my fellow teachers to show me around the children’s area of the bookstore she works at was an eye-opening experience.
She ran me through the traditional books, the ones so many of us remember from our own childhoods, and then she introduced me to Zen Shorts and Zen Ties, two charming books by Jon J. Muth.
In Zen Shorts, a panda named Stillwater meets three children, each having a problem. He helps each one think through their problem with an old folk tale. The three find their solutions and befriend Stillwater in the process.
In Zen Ties, Stillwater is joined by his nephew Koo, who speaks only in haiku. Together, the pandas and the children from Zen Shorts find out what happens when you’re friendly to someone who hasn’t been friendly to you.
The stories are well-written and are accompanied by Muth’s beautiful artwork. At the end of each book, Muth includes a bit on Zen and the ideas he included in that particular book. They’re definitely a secret treasure among picture books.
Jun
30
A love for the language
Filed Under anthropology, writing | View Comments
When asked why they write, many authors and poets start talking about how they either hear voices in their head or how they love the language.
I can relate to the ones who hear voices in their head (and I’m so grateful to know I’m not the only one). Trying to capture the random bits of story that fly through my head sometimes can be tricky. As much as I’d love to have a way to record the idea electronically, I keep notebooks stashed around my room and go bag for quick capture. Even with those, characters often deliver bits of dialogue or introduce themselves when I’m not in a position to write it down, and then I have to repeat the information to myself over and over until I get to one of my notebooks.
While the ones who hear voices make sense to me, the ones who extemporize for hours on end about their love for words don’t. I’ve read interviews where authors go on about loving how words roll around in their mouth and being obsessed with language. Some of them talk about the texture or rhythm of language. For me, words are a tool. I don’t think much about them beyond trying to get my point across.
For a while, I thought I wasn’t a true writer because while I hear flashes of characters in my head, I don’t have this odd obsession with words. I don’t have a favorite word. I don’t compare words with wine or truffles. I started thinking I don’t care about words at all.
Except I do. I may not be fascinated by the feel, texture, rhythm of words, but I love learning about etymologies. I enjoy finding out where a word or phrase came from, and using that to help me down the road. I use these etymologies when I’m talking with international friends or teaching my students (more and more of whom are international) to help them better understand our idiomatic language.
I figure that’s close enough to an odd obsession with language to allow me to say I’m a “true writer”.
May
9
Will there be Spiritbenders?
Filed Under animation, anthropology, symbolism | View Comments
I was watching Avatar: The Last Airbender episode “The Puppetmaster” tonight and thinking about how Avatar’s writers seem to approach the elements. While they present the four traditional elements- air, fire, earth, and water- they seem to work with them in a nearly Chinese way at times.
For example, Earthbender Toph can also manipulate metal, something not really covered by the classical elements. It makes sense, though. Metals (as we work with them) as mined from the ground and galvanized or blended with other metal ores. It’s just interesting to note she can bend both earth and metal, and that it’s been presented that way.
Waterbenders, as you find out in “The Puppetmaster”, can draw their water from anywhere, including plants and animals. It’s this universal way of thinking that ends up being truly disturbing by the time Avatar is done exploring the possibilities of waterbenders controlling the people around them simply by bending the water inside them.
The writers, in effect, bend traditional interpretations to create their stories.
Edit: This was written before I learned the series was ending.
Mar
27
Treat your people well
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In grad school, I did a bit of research on how hosting the Olympics impacted relations between host countries and indigenous cultures. Canada (who will host the next Winter Games in Vancouver) and Australia (who hosted the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney) both have a very interesting history in this respect.
Canada’s isn’t quite as interesting. They just built an exhibition out of sacred artifacts the Lubicon Cree may or may not have realized the Glenbow had, sparking quite the conversation between Canada and their indigenous culture, the First Nations.
Australia, on the other hand, should be very grateful the International Olympic Committee (IOC) wasn’t quite so interested in human rights in the 50s. When Sydney made their bid for the 1996 Summer Games, the Aborignes were legally classified as “flora and fauna”. As a result, the IOC awarded those Games to Atlanta (which had a minor cultural brouhaha of its own) becasue they felt this was a violation of the Aborigines’ human rights. The Australian government legally recognized the Aborigines as humans, started trying to teach them about their own history, and then Sydney submitted a bid for the 2000 Summer Games, which they won. Australia petitioned for, and won, the right to fly the Aboriginal Flag at Olympic venues (only recognized nations’ flags are allowed to fly at the Games). Winners’ bouqets were composed from Aboriginal flowers. Every venue was covered in Aboriginal art.
Nearly ten years later, Australia has finally apologized to the Aborigines for what they did.
(Metafilter recently had a post sharing some of the Aborigines’ dance culture. It’s pretty cool.)
Of course, Sydney wasn’t the only city turned down for human rights violations. The year Sydney was awarded the Games, Beijing was informed that China’s human rights violations would keep it from becoming a Host City. Clearly, Beijing cleaned up its act enough to convince the IOC to award them this year’s Summer Games. But you have to wonder if the IOC would willingly strip that honor after everything that has happened in regards to Tibet recently. (At least one country has threatened to boycott the Opening Ceremonies over it.)
It’s very interesting to watch Host City bids.
Dec
3
What a change two decades make
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The mascots for the Vancouver Olympics were announced last week. They’re cute, and quite possibly have more personality than any mascot to date.
What makes Miga the sea-bear, Quatchi the sasquatch, and Sumi the thunderbird-bear really interesting, though, is that they’re inspired by the First Nations, one of Canada’s indigenous groups. It’s a marked change between Canada and the First Nations from the last time Canada hosted the Olympic Games.
Twenty years ago when the Winter Games were hosted in Calgary, one of the local museums put on an exhibition meant to run, in part, during the Olympic Games as part of the Olympic Arts Festival. The exhibit, “The Spirit Sings”, showcased artifacts from various indigenous groups around Canada, including the Lubicon Cree, who took exception to having their sacred items on display. They loudly protested the exhibit.
While not the best publicity for Canada while it was taking a turn on the world stage, it did open communications between Canada and the First Nations and helped to build the understanding between the groups that quite possibly led to Vancouver’s three charming ambassadors.
If nothing else, it does represent progress within Canada brought about by its repeatedly hosting the Games.
Nov
19
Caution: Television causes laughter
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There’s so much comedy on television. Does that cause comedy in the streets?- Dick Cavett
Our society seems so quick to blame increasing violence in children on television shows and video games. Serious studies are being conducted on this phenomenon, and the findings aren’t terribly encouraging.
Game developers are working to make games more violent because that’s what sells at the moment, despite the findings that violent television shows and games my actually be influencing children’s behavior.
It’s become a no-win situation that is resolving far too slowly.
What would happen, though, if researchers started conducting studies on the effect of comedy in television and video games on children? Could it lead to a speedier shift in moving to less-violent shows and games? Perhaps if we focused on creating more positive alternatives, we could change everyone’s focus?
Maybe I’m just crazy in my thinking. What do you think?
It’s National Game Week. Pull out a board game and sit down with people important to you. Spend an evening connecting and laughing with friends and family. See if it makes you feel happier.
Oct
30
Halloween myths
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Given that it’s Halloween tomorrow, I thought it would be a fun to share these myth-busting Halloween facts!
However, those said, remember to make sure Halloween costumes allow your munchkin to see and breathe. Make sure to place reflective tape strategically on the costume for those who will be out and about after dark. Travel in groups (while the candy may be safe, people aren’t always).
Most of all, have fun and celebrate the Halloween spirit (or whatever fall celebrating you may partake in)!
Oct
12
That’s one way to lose fans
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There’s been this huge to-do around many of the geeky girl, feminist, and geeky girl feminists blogs this week about an interesting statement coming out of Warner Brothers. Apparently, one of the higher-ups came out and said Warner Brothers would not be making any more action movies where the lead character was female. (If I remember correctly, Warner Brothers is the studio currently working on Wonder Woman. Without a female lead, that action movie should be very interesting. *grin*)
Naturally, the geeky girls, the feminists, and the geeky girl feminists went off. It managed to intimidate Warner Brothers enough to then come back and claim that they never said they weren’t going to make any more action movies with female leads. Apparently, they have three movies with female leads in the works for next year. You may notice, as many have, that they never actually say they have three action movies with female leads planned next year, which will neatly let them off the hook when this becomes an issue again a year from now (because you know it’s not going to die quietly).
Truthfully, there have been some action movies that have tanked over the past few years. In most cases, though, I think nearly everyone would agree that what caused the movie to tank wasn’t the fact that there was a female lead. It was the fact that either the writing was poor, or whatever material was being adapted was adapted very poorly (a complaint that covers male-led action movies, as well).
It should be interesting to watch this play out over the next year or so… Maybe in the meantime, we can come up with a way to keep action movies (original or adaptation) from sucking, regardless of the gender of the lead.
