Health problems

brenna.lavin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:12:11 +0000

I was watching Dr.Nancy on MSNBC today, and they were discussing a possible tax on soda.
I feel that this may just be a useless cause. It’s not going to stop people from buying soda, it may cause people to buy less, but it’s not going to completely stop it. I understand that it’s a way of trying to make the country healthier, but if they want to cut back the obesity in this country, how about we get rid of all of the processed crap we feed ourselves and our kids? I know I probably sound like some crazy health nut, but after reading Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, I learned that everything that we eat has some form of corn in it. Whether it’s High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, etc. I mean, the animals that we eat are fattened by corn so that they can be taken to the slaughterhouse sooner rather than later.
I’m not trying to be one of those people, the kind that give you crap for what you eat, especially because I’m eating rice cakes as we speak. However, I think that if this country could show a little restraint when it comes to this type of stuff, we’d be better off.
So what do you think?

Upcoming

brenna.lavin — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:40:23 +0000

I apologize for the lack of posting, then again, I’m not sure who I’m apologizing too. Anyhow, a new work is soon to be in progress. I’m going to be writing another essay, but this will be on a much different subject. I’ll be studying the way social networking now is similar to the early days of radio when it comes to false news coverage, and cases that cause mass hysteria, including the original broadcast of War of the Worlds.
Hopefully this will turn out good, as well as interesting…
Look forward to it!

Detective Claymation

brenna.lavin — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:09:20 +0000

I’m about to start a Claymation that will be an adaptation of Charles Bukowski’s final novel Pulp. I’m looking for voice actors as well as anyone that would be able to give me some tips and whatnot. If you’re interested in helping, feel free to leave a comment, or send me an email, brennal@leftofmainstream.com

Who Watches The Watchmen Once Their Existential Crises Are Solved?

brenna.lavin — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:58:41 +0000

Existentialism, by definition, was a 19h century philosophical movement chiefly in Europe that denies that the universe has any underlying meaning or purpose . It assumes that people are entirely free and thus responsible for what they make of themselves. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel Watchmen, originally released as a paperback comic from 1986 to 1987, follows characters that fit existential stereotypes that are each faced with different crises that commonly occur in existential philosophy . The film adaptation of Watchmen by Zack Snyder, released in 2009, also sheds light on these existential crises throughout the film. These themes, as classified in Gordon E. Bigelow’s A Primer of Existentialism written in 1961, relate back to ideas present in the works of the fathers of existential philosophy: Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean- Paul Sartre. I would like to exemplify how Moore uses different themes of Existentialism to create added value to his characters, and as a way to conclude the novel. I would also like to explore how Snyder uses these themes to his advantage in the film adaptation, to highlight some of the struggles that characters are faced to overcome.
Alan Moore’s Watchmen tries to show what the world would be like if costumed superheroes had really existed since the 1940s. It is the only graphic novel to win the science fiction and fantasy based Hugo award, and in 2005 it was featured in Time
Magazine’s 100 Best Novels of All Time. Conspiracy theories, the perception of time and self reflection are common factors throughout the novel and each chapter is structured in a way that plays on these themes. It is told through journal entries, flashbacks, comics within the comic, psychiatric medical records and excerpts from books by the characters as a way to create a larger context within the narrative itself. In spite of this, in Snyder’s film adaptation, this larger context is lost, and is only referenced to in the opening credits. The novel’s title refers to the quote “But who is going to guard the guards themselves, who now keep silent the lapses of the loose girl-paid off in the same coin? The common crime keeps its silence” from Juvenal’s Satire VI: Against Women. Moore mirrors a tone similar to Juvenal’s throughout Watchmen to comment on pop culture, science and politics.
Set in 1985 in New York City, the threat of nuclear destruction looms over the nation. The main characters consist of a group of mismatched heroes that are caused to disband their group “Watchmen” after the “Keene Act of 1977” bans vigilantes. Edward Blake, whose alias is The Comedian, is a nihilistic, cynical, yet patriotic hero who becomes a government-sanctioned worker after the Keene Act is passed. Dr. Jon Osterman becomes the godlike Dr. Manhattan after being caught in an Intrinsic Field Subtractor in 1959 and is used as a military weapon. Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II is a retired, out of shape hero obsessed with mythology and collecting owl shaped gadgets. Laurie Juspeczyk/Silk Spectre II, the main heroine of the story, is the daughter of Sally Juspeczyk/Silk Spectre, her father unknown. Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias is known as the smartest man in the world and is the head of Veidt Industries. And finally Walter Kovacs/Rorschach is a homeless, deranged outlaw, who refuses to end his work as a vigilante. The story is centered around the suspicious murder of Blake, causing the watchmen to reunite, just as the “Doomsday Clock” is set four minutes to midnight. We are thrown into their world of psychological problems and interpersonal frustrations as they investigate Blake‘s death and attempt to put a stop to nuclear war.
Edward Blake fits the stereotype of “Fear and Anxiety” from Gordon E. Bigelow’s A Primer of Existentialism. Bigelow quotes William Faulkner to explain this stereotype. “Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only one question: When will I be blown up?” Bigelow goes on to say “We cannot resolve ethical questions by subjecting our moral consciousness to an impersonal deliberative perspective.” The first time we encounter Edward, he is being beaten by a stranger, then thrown out of a window to his death. It the viewer to question why it is happening and what causes a person to deserve such a brutal ending. Through flashbacks we are shown the life of Edward as it has affected others, and we learn that he is misanthropic. While a member of the original “minutemen” he attempts to rape Sally Juspeczyk. In Vietnam he sets fire to Vietcong soldiers and kills a local woman that is pregnant with is child. In Snyder’s film version, Edward’s disdain towards humanity is emphasized. In a riot, he shoots innocent people to break up the crowd. He sees only the negative side of things, and says that modern -1977- New York is a mockery of the American dream. However, once he learns of Adrian’s plan to destroy New York City, he tries to subject his morals to Adrian to bring about a new perspective. When his perspective is denied, he becomes fearful of what will come, and breaks down at the home of former enemy Edward Jacobi (a former super villain who went by the name Moloch). He refers to Adrian’s plan as one big joke. He cries, asking for forgiveness for his actions, asking for an explanation. He says “ I mean, this joke, I mean, I thought I was the Comedian Y’know?….I mean what’s funny? …Somebody explain it to me.” He breaks down because he sees the error in his ways and is feeling the repercussions to his actions. He fears what will happen to him next, and he is killed for trying to stop Adrian’s conquest for world peace. Here is the ending of the first existential crisis and the beginning of the rising action of the novel.
Dr. Jon Osterman is paired with the theme “The Encounter with Nothingness.” This is where the individual is alienated from Nature, God, and Self. After his Intrinsic Field Subtractor accident, Jon is presumed dead, but his body began to regenerate, and when fully restored, he was deemed “Dr. Manhattan” by the government. He says, “They explain that the name has been chosen for the ominous associations it will raise in America’s enemies. They’re shaping me into something gaudy and lethal…It’s all getting out of my hands…” Jon becomes alienated from himself because of the government’s want to use his ability to control atomic structure as a weapon. He is separated from society by a media report claiming “The Superman exists, and he’s American.” The Superman of course is a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche and his philosophy that God is dead, and that the Superman is a bold creator of new values that might properly reflect the strength and independence of one who is able to finally become liberated from all more traditional values except for those that are deemed valid. In this altered history, he is the reason for the end of the Vietnam War, and the bearer of new technology. Jon’s girlfriend at the time, Janey Slater, becomes scared and says “They say you can do anything Jon. They say you’re like God now.” This causes Jon to feel displaced amongst human beings, and he begins to lose sense of reality. He is unable to view time as it happens, and instead views the past, present and future all at once. This causes frustration in his relationships with both Janey and Laurie Juspeczyk, causing them both to leave him. He is able to obtain anything he wants, and yet he is still isolated from society for his differences. He finally realizes this as he is on a talk show where he is bombarded with questions concerning Slater’s recent cancer diagnosis. He is blamed as the cause for her cancer, and is then caught in a sea of reporters asking if this is true. In the film version, Snyder emphasizes this scene by having Janey come in to the television studio, and yelling “I loved you, and this is how you repay me?” He is then shrouded in emotion, explaining he didn’t know that it had happened. He becomes frustrated with the crowd of reporters and teleports himself to Mars. He then begins to question himself, and asks if the palace was created by his hand, or if his hand was guided by what has already been laid down. He becomes discontented and is unsure of his ability. Jon is now fully encountering nothingness, encountering the estrangement from nature, God, and self. Jon’s crisis is never fully resolved, however his crisis is the beginning of the falling action of the novel.
Dan Dreiberg’s character parallels with the theme “Alienation or Estrangement.” Bigelow summarizes the ideas of Kierkegaard for this theme and says that
the good life for a person is one that fulfills the requirement that that person live as an individual. To make sense of one’s life as a whole only through personal conduct and relationships with others that manifest virtues.
Dan’s character is weak in the beginning, unsure of his place in life, nervous around women and sexually incompetent. Until Laurie leaves Jon for Dan, he is afraid of his Nite Owl II costume, and dreads the day that he would have to wear it again. Laurie brings out the good qualities in Dan, and helps him overcome his fear of Armageddon and the fear of his costume. After a late night crusade with Laurie to save people in a burning building, Dan regains his sense of self and his confidence. This ends Dan’s partial crisis and continues the falling action of the novel.
Laurie Juspeczyk’s character parallels with the theme “Existence Before Essence. Bigelow states “Human life is only understandable in terms of an individual man’s existence, his particular experience of life. A man lives rather than is, and every man’s experience is unique, radically different from everyone else’s.” He also says that rather than asking what is mankind, the person asks who they are. Existentialists insist that “each person is unique. He is an entire universe – the center of infinity.” Laurie asks of her own existence throughout the novel, and is caught questioning herself about her youth, about why she followed her mother‘s footsteps in heroism. She is the lover of Dr. Jon Osterman and lives with him in a government facility where her agenda is to keep
him in touch with reality, and keep him company. While out to dinner with Dan Dreiberg, Laurie talks about how she was only a vigilante because her mother wanted her to, and says “the Keene Act was the best thing that ever happened to us.” Laurie’s disinterest of her old profession is apparent as she is reminiscing with Dan, and she asks herself why she did it. She struggles with identity and it is apparent that her inner struggle is caused by her mother’s control over her life. In the film version of Watchmen, director Zack Snyder highlights this part of Laurie’s life through repressed memories that are brought to her when she tries to understand Jon’s altered perception of life. Each instance shows the same clip of a memory of Laurie’s parents fighting. As the film progresses, this memory is elongated and more pieces of Laurie’s life are revealed. The first time the memory is shown, we see her mother and father fighting in a bedroom about Mrs. Juspeczyk’s past as the Silk Spectre. The second time, we see them again, but we stay longer and learn of her father’s anger towards Edward Blake. Later in the story, Laurie is on Mars with Jon in his crystal palace arguing over importance of the human race’s safety, but she is having trouble convincing him that humanity is worth protecting. During the discussion Laurie becomes upset and tells Jon to show her how he sees the world. The memory is shown for a third and final time in its entirety. We learn that after Blake’s first attempt to rape Sally Juspeczyk, she fell in love with him and that he is Laurie’s father. Laurie becomes furious, and begins to destroy the crystal palace. In the novel she says “They pulled a gag on me is what they did! My whole life’s a joke. One, big, stupid, meaningless…” Here, Jon says “I don’t think your life is meaningless” and changes his mind about protecting humanity. He goes on to say
Thermo-Dynamic Miracles…Events with odds against so astronomical they’re effectively impossible, like oxygen spontaneously becoming gold… And yet, in human coupling, a thousand million sperm vie for a single egg. Multiply those odds by countless generations against the odds of your ancestors being alive; meeting; that siring this precise son; that exact daughter… Until your mother loves a man she has every reason to hate, and of that union of the thousand million of children competing for fertilization, it was you, only you, that emerged.
His speech helps Laurie understand that she is unique, and that she is a universe within herself. She now knows her true identity, and her place in the world, thus ending her existential woes, and continuing to the climax of the novel.
Next is Adrian Veidt, whose personality and situations tie in with the theme “Reason is impotent to Deal with the depths of human life.” Bigelow claims that it insists upon reuniting the upper and lower parts of the psyche, so that man can be taken in his wholeness, rather than with a double mind. He also says “Human reason is relatively weak and imperfect and there are dark places in human life which are ‘non-reason’ and to which scarcely penetrates.” It represents the ultimate leap of faith that man is meant to make for the good of humanity. In the novel when Adrian is visited by Rorschach and told of his Mask Killer theory, he appears to be unscathed and tries to insist upon other answers to Blake’s murder. Next, while on his way to a meeting, a stranger attempts to assassinate Adrian but he is left unharmed. After the failed assassination attempt, Adrian flees to his Antarctic retreat Karnack, where he is seen solemnly sitting in front of dozens of televisions tuned to different stations. As Kovacs and Dreiberg start unraveling the truth behind Blake’s murder we come to believe that Adrian is a villain. He is responsible for the death of Blake and his assassination attempt. In spite of this, what Adrian is really up to is unexpected, and causes one to question their moral beliefs. Adrian unleashes a monster on New York City, that sends a psychic shockwave to kill half the city, however the monster is not set loose for destructive purposes. In fact, this monster is set upon the people in an act of selfless love in hopes of postponing the nuclear war and causing world peace. In his explanation behind his actions, Adrian speaks of Alexander of Macedonia and how he was able to rule the world “without barbarism.” he goes on to say “…I resolved to apply antiquity’s teachings to today’s world. Thus began my path to conquest…conquest not of men but of the evils that beset them.” Adrian’s whole mindedness is the moral justification behind his actions. He causes himself to forget about ethics and morality for the further existence of man. In doing so, he takes the ultimate leap of faith that is described in Soren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling. In Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard is justifying the actions of Abraham from the Bible. He deems Abraham a “knight of faith” and says he “is obliged to rely upon himself alone, he feels the pain of not being able to make himself intelligible to others…” Adrian’s character alludes to Abraham’s sacrifice and shares the obligations of being alone and not being able to make his actions known. The film adaptation expands the number of people affected by Adrian’s plan. Selected major cities in the world are destroyed, increasing the number of innocent lives that he is left to remember. In both the novel and film, Adrian explains that with the televisions, he plans to watch for every innocent person whose life he has taken as retribution. After he sets his punishment, he is left in solitude to dwell in the happenings from his actions. This resolves yet another existential crisis in the novel, and is the climax and beginnings of the resolution of the novel.
Walter Kovacs’ character ties with the theme of “Freedom”. Bigelow states “Freedom means human autonomy. Sartre said that we are condemned to freedom… we must accept individual responsibility for our own becoming. Nothing explicitly implies that in becoming a free individual one becomes a virtuous person.” Walter was born to a prostitute who loathed his existence, and was bullied all his life because of his mother’s profession. He is seen as free because he is homeless and able to do anything he pleases. He hides his face from the world behind a mask with an endlessly changing Rorschach print. He is not tied to his true self, and only allows Rorschach to be his known identity. However, he is nowhere near virtuous. Rorschach is a wanted vigilante that refuses to quit the heroics. He breaks and enters into the homes of Edward Blake, Edward Jacobi, and Dan Dreiberg. After being set up for the murder of Jacobi by Adrian Veidt, Walter is unmasked by the police and his identity is revealed. He screams “Give me back my face!” as if Walter Kovacs is the mask, and Rorschach is his true identity. He is arrested and psychoanalyzed in prison. It is here that we learn the reasoning behind his freedom from self. He talks about the night Walter Kovacs “died”, and how from that day on he remained his masked alter-ego Rorschach. He tells the psychiatrist of his investigation of a missing girl, and how he found that she had been murdered and fed to dogs in a suspect’s home. The murderer returned home, and Walter proceeded to handcuff him to a furnace, and set the home on fire and watch in the street as it burned. He says, “This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It’s us. Only us.” He also says he was “reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally blank world.” His ideas of the world also shape his actions, and prove that his moral integrity is slightly skewed. His freedom is also shown through his reluctance to keep Adrian’s actions a secret. He threatens to tell the world what has happened, but he is stopped by Jon. Walter says “Of course. Must protect Veidt’s new utopia. One more body amongst the foundations makes little difference. Well? What‘re you waiting for? Do it.” With this statement, Jon kills Walter. This is seen as his final act of salvation, dying for the truth that is right. With his death ends the final existential crisis and the loose ends are tied together.
Alan Moore’s use of existential themes causes the reader to identify in someway or another with each character. No matter what, there is some form of existential happening going on in someone’s life no matter if it’s a loss of self identity, or alienation from a certain crowd. This helps give life to the characters and makes them less two dimensional. They gain an added weight and become more identifiable with people in everyday life. Their tribulations are further enlivened in Snyder’s film adaptation making them more realistic, and even more identifiable.

The Transformation

brenna.lavin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:11:40 +0000

As you can see, left of mainstream has undergone a transformation. It is no longer a music website that interviews bands, though we had a good run. It is now going to be an art blog…maybe. We’ll just have to see what happens. What I want to know is what would you rather know about? The latest in art shows in the Portland area(since that is where I’ll be most of the time) or if you’d just like me to go on a tangent in every blogpost about my like/dislike for certain art movements. It’s up to you!

–Brenna

Left of Mainstream » Uncategorized

Health problems

Upcoming

Detective Claymation

Who Watches The Watchmen Once Their Existential Crises Are Solved?

The Transformation