Television's South Park and film Moneyball

Last Monday our class saw segments of Moneyball and South Park. I had seen Moneyball a couple of weeks prior so I was therefore familiar with the story. And I had also seen South Park’s film and some television segments. I thought both presentations were illuminating as my classmates incorporated Postmodernism and salient points into the texts. The students made analogies of baseball’s old world order and new world disorder.  Reflecting old world order: Oakland Athletics’s potential  payroll for 2002 was large, as they had a few great players who would be expensive to keep on their roster. They had non-creative scouts, many of them old. Their team relied on homeruns to win games. Some of the new world disorder involved Billy Beane revolutionizing how a general manager of a baseball team operates. While the New York Yankees’ payroll in 2002 was $120 million, the Oakland Athletics’ salary was $38 million. The Athletics’ simply did not have the operating cash to finance keeping expensive players on their roster; therefore, they let talented veterans such as  Giambi, Damon, Isranhouse, and rookie Pena go to other teams who could afford their expensive salaries.

The new world disorder of Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics relied on a new idea of computer statistics to help the general manager obtain baseball players that would normally be overlooked. These new players became known as “island of misfit toys.”    In actuality, the new assistant general manager was Lew Podesta (he would not allow the movie makers use his namesake), a young man straight out of Harvard  whose computer research was known as “sabermetrics.” He looked for categories such as on base percentage, slugging percentage, pitching statistics hitherto not used by other teams,  players who were either overlooked or undervalued by their present team, and who could be obtained on the cheap by the Athletics. By using these unconventional methods, the Athletics had a great season, even though they came short of the championship. They actually set a record for most consecutive wins: 21 victories in a row.

  Some of the students in the project compared the slave/master relationship to that of the players and Billy Beane. Also, they compared Billy Beane as the slave versus the owner of the Athletics as the master. This reflects Hegel’s philosophy and Modernism’s capitalistic hierarchy. Actually, during the early 1970s, an African American baseball player, Curt Flood, challenged the monopolistic major league baseball’s ownership in fighting for “free agency” which means that a player can negotiate with other teams on their own thus creating more salary and less dependency on their current team. Prior to that, the baseball player had virtually no rights.  The case was eventually settled in the Supreme Court with the plaintiff, Curt Flood, winning. This changed the landscape of athletes’ rights, not just in major league baseball, but in all professional sports. Unfortunatly, Curt Flood never played again—he was blackballed from baseball.

The group also underscored  the 1950s and 1960s as a  fecund period in America for civil rights and feminine rights. Thus Jackie Robinson became the first African America baseball player to be accepted into the major leagues in the early 1950s. The Negro Leagues, however, had perhaps the greatest pitcher to play the game—Satchel Page—who was not accepted into the majors until he was about 50 years old. In addition, the Negro Leagues had a homerun hitter, Josh Gibson, a catcher, who never made the majors, was at least an equal to Babe Ruth. Gibson was known to hit 500 feet homeruns and actually hit over 800 home runs, surpassing Babe Ruth,  known as “The Sultan of Swat.”

It is quite true that profitability and large capital is skewed in favor of large city teams such as New York, Boston, and Los Angeles;  however, Major league baseball has had in place for several years what is known as “revenue sharing,” whereby the more profitable teams share their wealth with the small market teams. This is perhaps fair and more of a Marxist economic procedure. However, a perennial complaint of the teams that share their wealth is the fact that small market teams simply pocket the extra shared revenue instead of using it to obtain more expensive players, which is the rationale behind revenue sharing. It should be noted that the Brooklyn Dodgers were the first baseball team to bring in an African American, and the Los Angeles Dodgers were the first team to hire a female assistant general manager, albeit, she left the team a couple years ago to work in the front office of major league baseball’s headquarters.

The second class project was on South Park, a satirical cartoon serial TV show on Comedy Central cable television station running for 15 seasons. Actually, I had never seen South Park until the last few weeks. Ironically, I had mistakenly had an image of the television show as having gratuitous obscenity and reflecting prejudice. However, after watching a few of their television shows and their movie, in addition to listening to our classmates’ project, my opinion has greatly changed. I feel the show has intelligent commentary on current sociological and political issues, often satirizing both sides of the issues. The show is not biased.  The Postmodern philosophy of Jean Baudrillard  is reflected in South Park. He maintains “the postmodern world of communication saturation represents an over-intense advance of the world consciousness” (Barker 208).

The project’s members stated that the cartoons undermine the stereotypes to make us laugh at them with a lot of satire. The four boy cartoon characters are Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny. This last weekend I watched the film South Park, and although I laughed hysterically at times, I appreciated the intelligence of their messages. For instance, there was a segment whereby the Japanese were ridiculed by American activists for killing whales and dolphins. The irony was injected by alluding to Americans as “normal” for killing chickens and cows. The question it posits: Why is killing whales and dolphins worse that killing chickens and cows?

The group categorized Modern and Post Modern characteristics of South Park. Modern:

·        Prioritizes words over images

·        Promulgates rationalist view of world and discusses two sides of an issue.

·        Explores the meaning of Cultural Texts.

·        Distances the spectator from cultural objects.

Post Modern:

·        Draws from everyday life.

·        Contests rationalists view of culture.

·        Puts stress on visual.

·        Immerses the spectator in his/her desire for cultural object.

The topics that South Park encompasses: Race, Immigration, Capitalism, Media, and Religion.

            Germaine to our discussion on immigration, Dr. Wexler posited that western countries relaxed immigration policies to bring in cheap labor to “discipline” labor unions. Chapter 10 (Barker) deals with television techniques in juxtaposing the protagonist versus antagonist, and the hero versus villain characters, using script and camera shots as a means to an end. Fiske gives a very detailed account on the nuances involved. Also, the chapter stresses that TV shows, including news, have a cultural, political, and economic agenda influencing the audience. Louis Althusser’s philosophy of hegemony exemplify popular culture and television.

Cultural Space & Youth

Cultural Space, Postmodernism, Youth, and Resistance were covered, discussed, and reflected in segments of two films we saw last week: Lost in Translation, starring Bill Murray, and Rebel Without a Cause, staring James Dean. Lost in Translation is a more recent film depicting aspects of postmodernism: hegemony that influences in both directions, effects of globalization, and transnational corporations. The setting is an over-the-hill, famous American actor making a Japanese commercial in Tokyo. His displacement there takes on the aire of the Absurd. The urbanization of Tokyo reflects disposition of people in the margins of life, fragmentation, with skyscrapers hovering down upon the city. Murray’s character is well known in Tokyo and he is treated deferentially. Murray’s character, in trying to sell a Japanese liquor brand, reflects Hollywood’s hegemony.

            The director of the commercial barks his instructions in Japanese for several minutes like an angry WW II  Japanese general, whereupon a benign Japanese female interpreter then breaks-down the translations in one simple sentence, giving the scenes nonsensical, humorous, and surrealistic postmodern bents. Surrounding the hotel where Murray’s character and other characters are staying, skyscrapers reflect signs of transnational companies, thus making the world closer in globalization space. Other scenes between Murray’s character and a ostensible Japanese hooker reflects modernism’s absurdity, and scenes of a young American couple manifest the disconnect and fragmentation of the modern/postmodern era. To encapsulate the essence of the film, bricolage is a term that comes most to my mind, or the rearrangement and juxtaposition of previously unconnected elements producing new meaning in fresh contexts, or at least trying to do so.

The first film that we had seen first, Rebel Without a Cause, takes place in the USA during the 1950s. It reflects many of the themes we read about in Chris Barker’s chapter #13: “Youth, Style and Resistance. Parsons points out that “youth or adolescence is a social category which emerged with the changing family roles generated by the development of capitalism” (407). Since post WWII, this youth culture has more time designated to their growth and for the first time has become a separate group onto themselves. Parsons goes on to write “the transition from childhood dependence to adult autonomy normally involves a rebellious phase” (408). This is manifest in the film as the teenagers have a lot of time on their hands just to cause horrific mischief that includes unnecessary death.  If we segue and jump to the future, their knives have been replaces with guns, and their rebelling at nothing in particular has been replaced with crime from drug trafficking and battles over turf.  

This teenage subgroup in this film seems distinctly American, though, now, technology, and cyberspace have influenced hegemony going both ways , giving youth groups in all countries parts of  each other, lessening their distinctness. Barker posits “Youth cultures are not pure, authentic and locally bounded; rather, they are syncretic and hybridized products of interactions across space” (424). A major theme in this story--alienation with parents (as reflected with the characters of James Dean, Natalie Woods, and Sal Mineo) are prevalent in every generation. If not the parents specifically than the government, corporation, music, or clothing, which serve as the  parental surrogate being resisted. However, as Sarah Thornton points out (in more modern times);     

·        Youth cultures are not unified but marked by internal difference.

·        Youth cultures are increasingly fragmented.

·        The idea of grass roots, media-free authentic subculture cannot be sustained. (Barker 426)

Annie Hall: Postmodern and Radical Romance Comedy

The film, Annie Hall, released in 1977, written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman, and directed by Woody Allen, was reflective of the radical romantic comedy of the postmodern era, and a break from the past. The movie took Academy Awards prizes for Best Picture and Best Actress—Diane Keaton. The comedy is a departure from the traditional romantic comedy in a lot of ways. Allen innovates new methods or devices to American filmmaking with this comedy, innovations which he borrows in large part from European filmmakers, a postmodern process known as pastiche. These devices included Allen’s character, Alvy Singer, facing the camera and talking to the movie audience, giving it a surrealistic element, putting a caricature of himself and a lover in a cartoon for humorous hyperbole, splitting the screen and showing the two main characters, Alvy Singer and Annie Hall, having simultaneous psychotherapy session (with Allen’s session getting more prominent coverage with 2/3 of the screen), subtitles during a flirting scene between Alvy and Annie, cutting through the ostensible polite conversation by revealing their most intimate thoughts. 

In addition to those innovative devices, Allen incorporates some magic realism when he meets Annie’s Midwestern gentile family and is having dinner with them.  Alvy, who is Jewish, perceives them as anti-Semitic and as the stern appearing grandmother looks at him unsmilingly, Alvy turns into an Orthodox bearded Jew with a large hat on the screen. It’s quite humorous. This is consistent with Alvy’s self-deprecating nature as reflected earlier when he says “Don’t you see the rest of the country looks upon New York like we’re left wing, communist, Jewish, homosexual pornographers? I think of us that way sometimes and I live here.”

Tamar Jeffers McDonald, author of Romantic Comedy, explains that the “film taps into the zeitgeist [the spirit of the times] through its insistence on the pitfalls of romantic love, sexual attraction and marriage” (74). He is referring to Alvy’s two failed marriages, one of Alvy’s ex-wife, Allison , craving for sex with a turned-off Alvy,  Annie needing to smoke marijuana to relax and becoming turned-off to having sex with Alvy, and most importantly, the sober ending of Alvy not being able to get Annie interested in him romantically anymore; hence: their final (?) split. McDonald further illustrates “within the film’s three fold exploration of self-reflexivity, this ending is as resolutely appropriate to the realistic portrayal of modern love, and to the film’s acknowledgement of itself as a film text within certain traditions, as it is in conscious opposition to the usual generic ending” (74). Yes their relationship ends unresolved; however, the film audience can envision better times for the forlorn Alvy Singer, perhaps with other romantic relationships, and who knows, maybe he and Annie may wind up with each other again.

Barker's "Enter Postmodernism" Chapter and Upcoming Texts

This week I read Chapter 6: “Enter Postmodernism” in Chris Barker’s Cultural Studies. There seems to be a lot of overlapping of Modernism and Postmodernism, and  different theorists’ view appear to both concur and differ. The chapter is both dense and relatively lengthy—a attentive read took me about three hours; therefore, for my own edification, I would like review the chapter to reinforce what I learned and be able to embed the salient parts in my mind. In addition, I see on our syllabus that we will possibly be watching Woody Allen’s film Manhattan and and discuss it in terms of Postmodernity.  One of our recommended texts, Romantic Comedy, by Tamar Jeffers McDonald discusses this particular movie and length, so I plan to revisit that particular chapter also. Actually, when I learned we would be watching Manhattan, I purchased the DVD a few weeks ago. Although I had seen it forty some odd years ago, I thought it was time to see it again. I’ll defer further comments until we watch the academy award winning film as a class and have an informative discussion how it related to Postmodernism and radical romantic comedy.

According to Barker, Modernism is engendered by enlightenment philosophers such of Rousseau and Bacon, economic theorists such as  Marx, Weber, and Habermas, and novelists such as Joyce, Kafka, and Brecht; whereas, postmodernism films include Blue Velvet, Blade Runner, novelists such as E.L. Doctorow and Salman Rushdie, and philosophical thinkers as diverse as Lyotard, Buadrillard, Foucault, Rorty, and Bauman.  According to Giddens, modernity started after the Middle Ages with the advent of industrialism, surveillance, capitalism, and military power achieved through industrialization. He points out that the nation-states are a relatively recent modern contrivance wherein the inhabitants identify with their respective state machinery. Technology’s benefits and dangers are embedded in both modernism and postmodernism. Self-identity is modernistic peroson’s “reflexive  Project.”  Faust is one of the emblematic modern figures. (Barker 182).  This is all very interesting to me because this information contrasts with what I have perceived in my English literature classes. Barker  refers to Baudelaire’s flaneur as a crucial figure of modernism (Barker 183).

Some of the optimistic self-image of modernism conflicts with the darker sides as Barker points out on pages 183 & 184.  He maintains that “modernism rejects the idea that it is possible to represent the ‘real’ in any straight manner” (185). He goes on to discuss problems pf realism (185-188).  I believe Barker says that the enlightenment belief that reason can add to progress can help demystify and illuminate intrinsically  leads to modernism; however, the nuclear era has probably contributed to the postmodern era. A critique enlightenment by Horkheimer contends that while its ”logic leads not only to industrialization but also to concentration camps of Auschwitz and Belsen” ( 191).

Barker maintains that Foucault’s work has been very influential within cultural studies and expounds on it (192-193). Barker Illustrates how Foucault breaks with thepremises of classical enlightenment on pages 194-195.   Foucault feels truth is complicated and elusive and differs with the interpretation of progress. Postmodernism questions the value of epistemology (196). Rorty’s, Gergen’s and Bauman’s thinking are articulated on pages 196-197 and thereafter. Bauman offers if the promise of postmodernism is modernity as an unfinished project (197 on).  Habermas gives a sobering view of the public sphere and the deleterious effects of advertising, public relations industries, and the state as taking over our lives economically and in education (199). 

Barker posits that the “emancipatory project of modernity is best served by a commitment to ‘postmodern’ public spheres based on difference, diversity and solidarity” (200). A discussion on “the reflexive postmodern” on page 201 underscores that the postmodern culture invites the ‘other’ of modernity and seeks out its voices in terms of feminism, ethnic diasporas, ecologists, ravers and travelers (201).  On page 202 the modernist ‘regime of signification’ is contrasted with the postmodern  “figural’ (202). Historical blurring of post modern culture in which the past and present are displayed together is given the name “bricolage” (202-203). Intertextuality is very relevant in film and literature of the postmodern era.  Further markers of postmodern are bulleted on page 204, and film and television programs are illustrated as reflections of postmodern era. South Park (205) is case in point, and I see that South Park is one of the last texts we will be analyzing in our Popular Culture class.

             Culture jamming (205-206) or “subverting mass media messages, especially advertising, through artistic satire is discussed.  It seeks to resist consumerism by refiguring logos, fashion statements and product images in order to raise concerns about consumption, environmental damage and inequitable social practices” 206). Barker goes on to give some humorous examples of this with Barbie Liberation Organization and G.I. Joe dolls.  Baudrillard on page 207 is discussed in terms of simulations, hyperreality, and the “schizophrenic” effect of saturation of world of communication. (208). Jameson discusses late capitalism, simulacrum, (209), and “transgressive postmodernism is broached at the chapter’s ending on page 210, finally ending with Chambers posits on late capitalism. The chapter entails blurring, overlapping, agreements, disagreements, and contradictions almost; it is a lot to cover and I realize this is an unusual reflection. However, I written it to help me for a future review and class discussion to ensue.