I was thinking about conspiracy theories a little bit trying to get ideas for a blog post and I remembered this story (I wonder if there is some theory that says that all topics have some This American Life story related to them, because I would believe that). It aired a few weeks ago and basically, it's about a guy who was shot seven times in his living room by the FBI in May 2013. Supposedly right before he was shot, he confessed to having committed a triple murder in Waltham, MA (a little weird because I was there a few weeks ago -- it's this small, sort of rundown looking suburb of Boston) with one of the Boston bombers. The story is super weird and I'd really recommend listening to the episode or reading the article. There aren't a lot of solid facts and that + fishy government activities obviously leads to conspiracy theories.
I was thinking a little bit about how I don't find conspiracy theories intrinsically interesting -- personally I like Occam's Razor because it keeps things simple -- but I will concede that a particularly interesting one can be pretty fun. I also got pretty caught up in the This American Life episode -- just the unanswered questions themselves sucked me in. Right now I'm just finding Libra a little confusing but I'm hoping I'll get more sucked into it as I get further into the book.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
Racism & Sexism
We talked a little at the beginning of class about how in the beginning of the novel, Butler doesn't outright mention the race of either Dana or Kevin. If you're at all familiar with the plot, you'll know that Dana is black, but lots of people didn't realize Kevin was white until a couple of chapters in. The relationship starts out very normal. However, I thought it was interesting the way Butler, in between Dana's trips back in time, filled in the back story behind Dana and Kevin's relationship, showing that the race and gender divides that were so apparent in the 19th century were still very much present in Dana's time.
The most obvious example of racism in Dana's time is the reaction both Dana and Kevin's families have to their marriage. Kevin seems optimistic that his sister will be okay with it, but Dana, who has more experience with this kind of thing, is a little more pessimistic. However, it turns out that Dana is right -- Kevin comes back from visiting his sister disappointed. This is the first real mention of racism (aside from the "chocolate and vanilla" comment). We also get a couple references to gender inequality -- for example, Kevin wanting Dana to type his stuff up (my uncle said that at MIT that they just all had "the women" type their things up). Even though Kevin totally seems like a nice guy, the effects of the time are shown on him just as the effects of Rufus's time are shown through him. Casual sexism embedded in the times tends to permeate everything.
It's interesting that Butler puts it after a couple of Dana's trips back in time. The times are such a contrast at first -- Rufus is totally in awe that Dana and Kevin are in an interracial relationship -- but Butler clearly shows that the blatant racism and sexism in the 19th century definitely isn't erased all those years later. One of the things that's most interesting about Kindred is the way Butler portrays the long-reaching effects of tradition, even though they may not be immediately obvious.
The most obvious example of racism in Dana's time is the reaction both Dana and Kevin's families have to their marriage. Kevin seems optimistic that his sister will be okay with it, but Dana, who has more experience with this kind of thing, is a little more pessimistic. However, it turns out that Dana is right -- Kevin comes back from visiting his sister disappointed. This is the first real mention of racism (aside from the "chocolate and vanilla" comment). We also get a couple references to gender inequality -- for example, Kevin wanting Dana to type his stuff up (my uncle said that at MIT that they just all had "the women" type their things up). Even though Kevin totally seems like a nice guy, the effects of the time are shown on him just as the effects of Rufus's time are shown through him. Casual sexism embedded in the times tends to permeate everything.
It's interesting that Butler puts it after a couple of Dana's trips back in time. The times are such a contrast at first -- Rufus is totally in awe that Dana and Kevin are in an interracial relationship -- but Butler clearly shows that the blatant racism and sexism in the 19th century definitely isn't erased all those years later. One of the things that's most interesting about Kindred is the way Butler portrays the long-reaching effects of tradition, even though they may not be immediately obvious.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
We are what we pretend to be
Kurt Vonnegut — 'We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.'
Once again, Vonnegut says it best. This has been a theme that we've talked about a lot in class with regards to Kindred. Dana and Kevin come into the antebellum slavery world expecting to only stay a little bit and still be themselves, but in playing their respective roles, they are obviously changed. We talked about the effects of pretending to be a slave on Dana in class, but the book hints at the effects on Kevin after he has spent five years by himself (presumably fully immersed in a part after he leaves the Weylin plantation, as there would be no one with him who knows who he truly is), and the scenes after he comes back really illustrate both actually effects and feared ones of spending long periods of time in that world.
When Kevin finally comes back to the Weylin plantation to pick Dana up, she doesn't recognize him at first, thinking that he might be a minister or something. It's only after she gets a good look at his face that she realizes who he is.
Kevin recognizes her too. "'Dana?' he said softly. The question mark in his voice scared me. Didn't he know me? Had I changed so much? He hadn't, beard or no beard." According to Dana, there's no immediate real difference in Kevin despite cosmetic changes, even after five years. Kevin, on the other hand, isn't sure about Dana -- she's already spent months there, and Kevin doesn't know exactly when she came back, since her letters didn't immediately reach him. He definitely has a lot of reasons to be concerned.
However, Dana begins to have doubts about Kevin, when he starts asking her who whipped her. "His face was lined and grim where it wasn't hidden by the beard. He looked more than ten years older than when I had last seen him. There was a jagged scar across his forehead -- the remnant of what must have been a bad wound. This place, this time, hadn't been any kinder to him than it had been to me. But what had it made of him? What might he be willing to do now that he would not have done before?"
Later, Dana does notice a few differences: "He had a slight accent, I realized. Nothing really noticeable, but he did sound a little like Rufus and Tom Weylin. Just a little."
"The expression on his face was like something I'd seen, something I was used to seeing on Tom Weylin."
Despite the fact that we learn Kevin has spent most of his five years helping slaves escape, the time has still left its mark on him through little mannerisms. Later, however, Kevin seems to resolve his earlier question mark about Dana, despite all the little ways she, too, has changed: "He looked at me. 'Well. I got half of what I wanted. You're still you.'"
Once again, Vonnegut says it best. This has been a theme that we've talked about a lot in class with regards to Kindred. Dana and Kevin come into the antebellum slavery world expecting to only stay a little bit and still be themselves, but in playing their respective roles, they are obviously changed. We talked about the effects of pretending to be a slave on Dana in class, but the book hints at the effects on Kevin after he has spent five years by himself (presumably fully immersed in a part after he leaves the Weylin plantation, as there would be no one with him who knows who he truly is), and the scenes after he comes back really illustrate both actually effects and feared ones of spending long periods of time in that world.
When Kevin finally comes back to the Weylin plantation to pick Dana up, she doesn't recognize him at first, thinking that he might be a minister or something. It's only after she gets a good look at his face that she realizes who he is.
Kevin recognizes her too. "'Dana?' he said softly. The question mark in his voice scared me. Didn't he know me? Had I changed so much? He hadn't, beard or no beard." According to Dana, there's no immediate real difference in Kevin despite cosmetic changes, even after five years. Kevin, on the other hand, isn't sure about Dana -- she's already spent months there, and Kevin doesn't know exactly when she came back, since her letters didn't immediately reach him. He definitely has a lot of reasons to be concerned.
However, Dana begins to have doubts about Kevin, when he starts asking her who whipped her. "His face was lined and grim where it wasn't hidden by the beard. He looked more than ten years older than when I had last seen him. There was a jagged scar across his forehead -- the remnant of what must have been a bad wound. This place, this time, hadn't been any kinder to him than it had been to me. But what had it made of him? What might he be willing to do now that he would not have done before?"
Later, Dana does notice a few differences: "He had a slight accent, I realized. Nothing really noticeable, but he did sound a little like Rufus and Tom Weylin. Just a little."
"The expression on his face was like something I'd seen, something I was used to seeing on Tom Weylin."
Despite the fact that we learn Kevin has spent most of his five years helping slaves escape, the time has still left its mark on him through little mannerisms. Later, however, Kevin seems to resolve his earlier question mark about Dana, despite all the little ways she, too, has changed: "He looked at me. 'Well. I got half of what I wanted. You're still you.'"
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