It's a Shame about . . .

SHAME (Photo credit: BlueRobot)

I got a phone call from a machine yesterday telling me that all our campuses would be closed today because of the weather (-45 wind chills!), which seemed great at the time, but now I'm kind of sorry I'm at home.  And I'm kind of embarrassed about that.  Snow days are supposed to be fun, aren't they?  Somehow, when you've been stuck at home a lot because of the weather, it loses its appeal. 

Anyway, this week I'm supposed to be writing about my "critical approach," shame theory, and I've actually read the notes on it that the prof put up on Blackboard (we were going to get hard copies today, but that will have to wait for Wednesday, assuming the weather improves).  So far, the most interesting thing about shame, to me, at least, is how shame works as a kind of social control.  If the people around you think that something is shameful (like wanting to be at school, for example), then you try to avoid doing it (in this case, by not expressing your preference for being at school).  It seems like a good explanation for how peer pressure works, and it also covers the entire plot of my film, The Four Feathers.

Now, I'm thinking about how random my example is-- I mean, why should that be shameful?  Is that something the film is saying, too?  Do the characters around Harry Faversham think that what he does is shameful for no good reason?  Does he agree with them?  I guess I've got a lot of questions.  I just hope that means I'll have a lot of material when it comes time to write the research paper. 

Related articles

• Revisiting the Thigh Gap: Thin Body Shaming Isn't Okay Either (fitisafeministissue.com)
• Internet Shaming Children (mix1041.cbslocal.com)
• Public Shaming For Cussing (royaranda.wordpress.com)

Getting a jump on the new semester

Cover via Amazon

For me, spring semester starts tomorrow, but I just checked and my English 102 class is already set up on Blackboard.  I read the syllabus and the first assignment, which is to set up a blog and do 20 posts by the end of term.  The first post has to be about the topic for my research project, which has to be a film.  I looked at the list of films, and the one that jumped out at me was The Four Feathers (all the rest are newer movies), probably because Rebbie (Rebecca, my older sister, who had a big Heath Ledger crush) made me watch it with her when she first got the DVD.  It was pretty intense for me, since I must have been about eight or nine years old at the time.  I've seen it since then -- and I have a better understanding of what's going on in it than I did as a kid -- so I think I'm going to go with it.

I also have to have a "critical approach," which I'm not quite sure I understand yet, and the one it was listed under is something called shame theory.  This makes sense to me.  If you haven't seen the film, it might not make sense to you.  The feathers in the title are symbols of cowardice that people give to men who have acted cowardly in some major way.  The hero of the story is a British army officer who resigns when his unit (or whatever it's called) is ordered into action.  He does this because he is afraid, and then he spends the rest of the film doing incredibly brave things in order to give the feathers back and redeem himself.  Basically, now that I think about it, it's all about shame.

I'm not sure how this is going to work, but I guess I'll find out more tomorrow morning (assuming we don't have a blizzard or get frozen by a polar vortex again).

Related articles

• Impact of Polar Vortex Cold Blunted U.S. Economy...Except for Plumbers (rotorooter.com)
• New Semester (ac521.wordpress.com)

Rhonda Rants: As a Christmas Movie, It's a Wonderful Life Sucks! Part 2

A distraught George Bailey (James Stewart) pleads for help from Mr. Potter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At this point, I have to quote The Movie Waffler, Eric Hillis, who writes, "So, what makes a perfect Christmas movie? The evidence would suggest it should be at least three hours long, a flop on its original release and terrifying for children. A 180 minutes extended cut of Willy Wonka sounds just right." 
Oh, those terrifying oompah-loompahs!  He has a point-- but only insofar as really superficial qualities that seem to correlate to success.  Obviously, I'm not the only person writing about the genre this year (or any other), and any characteristics I come up with are open to challenges, but I'm going to take a stab at it. 
1.  It must be set during the holiday season.
2.  The traditional Christmas ideals and values must underlie the plot and theme, with the aim of encouraging viewers to be better people and care more about their fellow humans.
3.  It must, at some point, be heartwarming.
4.  It must have a happy ending that satisfies.

That's not a lot, but It's a Wonderful Life only meets number 1 completely, with a possibility of number 3 for some viewers (not me).  In contrast, Die Hard and Lethal Weapon qualify for 1, 3, and 4, and they are generally considered NOT to be Christmas movies (because of no. 2).   In fact, the point of IaWL seems to be that George has a disappointing life because he is a good person, which certainly doesn't encourage good behavior -- Mr. Potter's only disappointment in life is that he hasn't managed to shut George down.  Otherwise, his life -- even with whatever caused his disability -- appears to have been just ducky. 

IaWL is about a man who wants to kill himself because he is going to go to prison for a crime he did not commit and thinks that his family would be happier without him and with his life insurance.  Lethal Weapon is about a man who wants to kill himself because his beloved wife died.  So, George has less reason for suicide, yet it takes an angel to stop him.  Martin Riggs, on the other hand, wants to die because of love, but he manages to find the strength to go on without divine intervention.  Isn't he a better role model for people in despair?

But that's beside my main point.  The real problem for me is number 4:   It must have a happy ending that satisfies.  This is where IaWL completely drops out of any list, or should.  (and this is also where I really wish I could lay my hands on Rebbie's copy of Connie Willis's "Miracle" -- she does a terrific job of explaining this).  Not only does the ending drip enough sap for a maple forest, GEORGE IS STILL GOING TO JAIL!  As Willis notes, giving back the money does not solve the problem:  the missing money is a known fact, and even if the police don't want to prosecute, they will, and not just because Potter has the power to insist that the charges be pressed.  Is the town going to support his family while he's away?  How is he going to feel about that?  Suicidal again?  Are there angels in training lining up to save him every time something bad happens?  

And the capper:  POTTER GETS AWAY WITH IT!  And with the $8000, to boot, which should ease his pain until George goes to jail and the business fails.  What kind of a Christmas movie lets a really evil villain off the hook?  Only the folks at SNL had the guts to produce a good ending for the film (sadly, it's impossible to find at the moment, but you might enjoy Jimmy Kimmel's take on IaWL as presented by Fox News).

I want to finish by putting It's a Wonderful Life in another category altogether.  It belongs on any list of good films that are hard to watch a second time.  Once you realize that George is going to jail and Potter will triumph, the rest of the film leading up to the hokey, misleading ending feels like someone is trying to beat you to death with the irony stick.  

So, merry Christmas, and you might to watch some real Christmas movies, like Miracle on 34th Street, Heidi (the Shirley Temple version, please), The Bishop's Wife, or your pick for the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol.    

Related articles

• People Suck. (silveracidrayne.wordpress.com)
• George Bailey - Our Favorite Fictional Small Business Owner (converstations.com)