Reaction to Presentation by James Parris

I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation by James Parris. His humor and passion for animation, as well as its potential impact on the world, made him a great speaker.

His claim that he wanted his film Pink and Blue to be “a drop in the Ocean” was very inspiring. It reminded me that efforts that may seem small can contribute to change greater than one could imagine. I like that his film showed the toys’ role in this segregation between “masculine” and “feminine activities”. They refused to cross the so-called line between the two, until one day this occurred by accident and they discovered there was no harm in this.

James brought up a real life occurrence that showed the importance of talking about issues in gender. A boy’s father was going to buy him a playstation controller, and the boy just happened to pick out a sparkly purple controller. His father wouldn’t have it, and made a scene in the checkout line. James said that that moment was going to remain with that child forever, and I couldn’t agree more. Parents have a huge impact on their child’s self image, even before the child is old enough to realize this. In order to help the next generation of children have more confidence, we must take a look at the generation who will raise them. If we can combat ignorance surrounding issues like gender roles, and give less authority to conventions, we can anticipate a generation of children who are more comfortable with themselves. The slightest bit of encouragement for children to express themselves can be a drop in the ocean that will bring upon a wave of change.

Reaction to “Life, Animated”

It was touching to see how Disney movies allowed Owen Suskind to gradually regain communication skills that faltered since his diagnosis with autism. Such media commonly has an emotional influence on people’s lives, but its impact on Owen takes this a step further by assisting in his development.

One thought that crossed my mind after watching the documentary was about the conditions while filming. Documentary filming is known to be very personal, or even intruding, throughout the filming process. I wonder how this affected Owen. While we did not see any footage of him exhibiting discomfort with the process, it might have been cut out. But at the same time, I think it would have been included because the object of this documentary was to get in touch with Owen on his easiest and most difficult days alike.

The film also depicted how the reputation of autism has changed since Owen was diagnosed. While we can say that progress has been made, I feel that steps forward have been followed by steps backward. People are more aware of autism and its symptoms than they had been in the early nineties, and it was much more “frowned upon” at that time. But Owen was still bullied in high school for his condition. The prejudice is far from over, and there is more research to be done.

This also reminds me of how the organization, Autism Speaks, impacts the autistic community. People seem happy to support the organization without knowing the facts. According to an article by an autistic person, Autism Speaks negatively portray autistic people, none of which are even on their team.  Furthermore, their funds aren’t going where donors hope. A family member of mine is potentially autistic, and when I see his mom supporting Autism Speaks, I don’t know how to tell her the truth about the organization.

So this brings us something to ponder. How can we spread awareness about deceiving organizations, without creating drama in the community that distracts from the real concerns at hand? What I mean is, how can we call out an organization like Autism Speaks to tell people to beware of supporting them, or to push the organization in a better direction, without focusing so much on our anger toward Autism Speaks that we forget that our goal is to help those with autism? Or does such anger manifest in a way that is productive enough that it does not distract from our mission?

I think the moral of the story here, whatever your take, is that we have to realize that supporting the autistic community is a constant journey, not an easy destination. There is always more to learn about the condition and how to help. We cannot become complacent.

Conspiracy Theories in Animation: The Simpsons and Trump

When it came to researching conspiracy theories in animation, it seemed most appropriate to look into those associated with The Simpsons. This is because as I use social media on a daily basis, I always see some sort of joke about the show “predicting the future”. Topics range from the ebola outbreak to Lady Gaga’s Superbowl LI performance. But one that stood out because of our current political climate was the claim that The Simpson’s had predicted Trump’s presidency. In a Hollywood Reporter article, Simpsons writer Dan Greaney claims that the “Bart to the Future” episode was “a warning to America, […] pitched because it was consistent with the vision of America going insane” .

But Greaney is claiming too much credit. As early as the eighties, Trump appeared on Oprah and criticized U.S. foreign policy, but claimed he did not feel inclined to run for president. But his statements in the 90s and 2000s showed he changed his mind. It was never an outlandish idea to think that Trump would at least give it a try. While Trump actually becoming president was another story in our heads, we knew it was never exactly impossible.

Lest we forget, Trump has always been a key player in American pop culture. Comedy shows were always quick to make him the butt of a joke (even Hannah Montana). Because Trump has always been controversial, America has always loved to talk about him, so he has stayed relevant. With that controversy, we’re forced to accept the fact that he always has some sort of trick up his sleeve. Running for president was the only one he had left after a life of luxury- the man is bored!

Considering Trump’s own statements through the years and the fact that he has always been up to something, I see no reason to believe that The Simpsons predicted his presidency. As for Lady Gaga’s performance, I’ll have to do more research.

Alexa’s Intro

Hey everyone, I’m Alexa. I’m a sophomore recording arts major from New Jersey. No, I do not hang out with the cast of Jersey Shore.

The most important thing to know about me is that I’m a music enthusiast. My life revolves around my favorite bands/artists. Each of them have inspired me to move here to study recording arts. After college I plan to go on tour for a few years as a front of house engineer, or perhaps a drummer or even a little bit of both. Once I get too old and wrinkly for life on the road, I’d like to open up a recording studio. I also plan to write throughout my life. Novels, poetry, songs…words are just cool.