January 2007 - Postmodern Critic

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Postmodern Critic - January 2007

PoMo Links

January 29th 2007 18:39

Hey people,

I'm going to take a brief break from Orble starting as of today, but before I go I'd like to recommend a few links to keep you questioning those metanarratives...

Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith's deeply personal insights into identity politics, (inter)racial identities, physicality, relationships, university culture and family life, as they relate to her novel 'On Beauty'. While you're at NPR you can listen to a film review by David Edelstein, check out the latest political debate, or perhaps remember what life was like before 9/11 by taking advantage of their extensive audio library which goes back to the 90s.

Check out one of Stupid.com's more postmodern products, The Relativity Watch:

The Relativity Watch

From the site: "Albert Einstein once said, "Everything is relative." Or perhaps it was a relative of Albert's who said it. It doesn't matter. Or maybe it does matter. And that's the point... nothing is set. The universe is in motion. Everything is relative. See, we have come full circle, even though your computer monitor is rectangular. How's that for a mind blower?
Nothing proves Einstein's theory more than this Relativity Watch. This watch spits in the face of convention. It grabs hold of "the norm" and flushes it down the toilet of conformity. And it tells time, too."

I notice something different every time I visit the enchanting world of MartiniH.com. Cuban-English web designer Ulysses Alvarez is a brilliant guy who is inspired by Derrida, Heidegger, McLuhan, Baudrillard and pop culture. In the business of creating technology for the mind, Ulysses provides an interactive introduction to his world and invites you to participate in MartiniH in whatever way you wish.

The two links below aren't all that postmodern, but are worthy of your time:

Perceval Press is a great source of alternative news pieces, with a focus on American and world politics, environmental issues, innovative discoveries and other interesting issues carefully selected by Viggo Mortensen (actor, poet, painter, photographer, political activist) and his staff. You may find a number of terse words of wisdom such as William Bronk's "We tire of the forms we impose upon space and the restricted identities we secure from them. We tire finally even of the act itself of imposition." interspersed between the articles (most in English, some in Spanish and a few in other European languages). Even better, it's updated almost daily.

I'd like to further draw your attention to The Official Rendition Blog, where you'll find a rare behind-the-scenes account of making the innovative film starring Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings' Gollum and King Kong's King Kong) and Omar Berdouni (United 93) and be updated on the latest developments in the struggle to bring more information on the dubious practice of extraordinary rendition, the abduction and torture of terror suspects which operates outside the court of law (American, international) and can affect anyone at any time. Fight for your rights by getting informed, becoming active (even if it's just by spreading the word) and staying inspired with the diverse selection of links provided...
Thank you to Andy and the blog team for linking to me!

)

Look out for a new blog soon,

Peace, love and postmodernism,
Epiphanie

Charles Moore Piazza d'Italia

Pic of Charles Moore Piazza from here
Pic of Zadie from NPR.org (link above)
Pic of The Relativity Watch from Stupid.com (link above)

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A Lesson in World History

January 24th 2007 21:16

At the beginning of 2003 I accompanied my friend Debra Xu to her hometown Shanghai, which made a lasting impression on me. One day as we were lounging in front of the TV and getting high on candy I suggested we play a word game - one where someone writes a sentence and leaves a couple of words on the next line with which the other composes their own... Here's what happened: [My side is in lime, Debra's is in fuschia, the adjoining text in bold.]

The apricots grew, undisturbed. One day, a gallant prince swept into the fields
and said : “I will bring your children syphilis and polio, and make them
become invincible! Free of mortal restraints, unrivaled in all the lands…
It so happened that George Bush had been abducted by aliens, during which
he was implanted with numerous handy household devices, the sort of thing you
can’t buy at Trust-Mart*. And so, it is only fair that the global economy
depended solely on grilled corn for nourishment. This was endemic to the culture and marveled at far and wide across
the world. It was so said that the mythical vat of fish balls could save the globe,
but it was also said that Jacko was a Whacko. Such a diversion pleased
no-one. (No-one) could tell the difference between Jeremy Irons and Eric Bana. The planet was fucked.
Then, descended, from the sky, a radiant prince! He had come to make war on the man who claimed invincibility. The state of affairs was indeed
hairy. Beautiful, George Bush thought, as he compared his own chest to the
glorious sight. He was so warmed to his heart’s core that he abandoned the war
and set off into the sunset in search of the magical boy band called Backstreet Hi-Five Sync Nuts. They galloped and galloped, until they met a tiny
dwarf who smuggled heroin across all nations! With this ally, the king was
able to forge many allies, including Sauron, Porky Pig and Che Guevara.
It was said that they always got together and baked cakes!
Giant, eclectic structures, which reminded one of phallic symbols. To make matters
worse, they vibrated every 10 minutes, making the kingdom very edgy. As a result,
stress build-up was severe amongst the townfolks. They often got together for relief orgies, which usually concerned 2 men, 2 women, a cow
and a giant canary. This addition was highly commended by all, and the canary’s figure was immortalized in gold. (In subsequent generations, the townspeople would come to view the canary as a symbol of tyranny and unspeakable evil.) The canary gave
the king hope, and his reign was characterized by the almost constant use of beer as diplomatic bribes. This encouraged many officials
to feel pleasant. This had an acute effect on spectators, who immediately demanded
plenty of pissheads along for the party. They would streak down
George St. for two hours, then abandoned the project. It was fruitless. And anyway, no other world would do for the happily thriving kingdom. King Dagamar was long remembered for his dealings.

*Trust-Mart is a Shanghainese superstore.

We were thoroughly amused. I then went into my room to pamper my darker purpose: To create a commentary. Read at your own level of incredulity, and let me know what you think:

We commence with what has since been deemed the epitome of rural tranquility by many- the humble, innocuous apricots freely growing in the wild. Alas, this simplistic picture of pastoral perfection was not to be, and is rudely disturbed by the obnoxious arrival of some booming authority figure with an unintelligible agenda…
As these things seem to occur, we just about whiplash into a time when prominent public figures undergo nothing short of plastic surgery and mutilation to achieve what would be desirable results.
I think the statement “And so, it is only fair that the world depended solely on grilled corn for nourishment,” speaks, admirably, for itself.
Quickly, cultural norms are established, and subsequently identified- the inevitable result of conflicting ideologies naturally being brought to light. The conflict depicted here, a vat of fish balls saving the world or Jacko being a whacko, tore deep into attempts to reach one indissoluble truth, and undermined the notion of an integrated, nation-wide psyche. But worse was yet to come… for the inability to distinguish between Eric Bana and Jeremy Irons indeed prompted a dubious entity referred to (perhaps in pseudonym?) as ‘a radiant prince’ to descend into a planet now in no uncertain way in the grips of tragedy! (The identity and exact purpose of this entity continues to be cloaked in mystery. Modern historians are led to infer that those who may make a big fuss on arrival and claim to be crucial to the history of the world may more than often fade into irrelevance.)
Increasingly irrelevant political figures offer speculations of an uncertain nature before abandoning even their flimsy vision in order to pursue the ultimate pop culture icon.
At this point it becomes clear that a hitherto unidentified force has been slowly but surely rising to prominence… It is ‘they’ are exposed, now, as the true movers and shakers, suddenly moving to the foreground of a tale previously dominated by the tyranny of authoritarian rule. Denied stature in the past, but now dramatically reasserting their influence, here the text introduces us to the true pioneers of society.
We are confronted by the consequences of social change: the humble dwarf, previously an unequivocal symbol of bucolic bliss, has now crossed socio-economic, hierarchial and psycho-sexual borders to emerge as a drug trafficker.
Conservative historian Jerry Cringo was quick to leap to fatalistic conclusions: “And from here, my friends, the story of the world is made indisputably clear- alcohol, drugs and orgies. That is all.” Gina Trazenberg, however will argue that these elements were present even during the over-romanticised apricot ‘Golden Years’, but merely simply concealed from sight, not documented and therefore not discussed.
It is a postmodern world indeed, in which neither the passage of time, political sensibilities or simulated realities can separate the entities of Sauron, Porky Pig and Che Guevara. Although these protagonists (or flawed heroes, as the case may be) share subversive underground connections, their incongruous union results leads to the inhabitation of a purely domestic setting.
“There would be nothing more tragic than to omit the ‘tragic flaw’ in history,” Alex Burksley writes. And the cakes they did vibrate… and a civilisation still only just emerging from its nascent stages of moral development responded in a way that oughtn’t to be excised from the annals of history. Interestingly, it seemed the sexual exploits, no matter how dubious or otherwise distasteful to a modern observer, appeared to enhance the royal vision. Not so commendably, this vision saw the influence of alcohol in passing bizarre minority votes and strange whims on behalf of the royalty of which one can only speculate.
At last we embark upon the modern day city site, whilst representative of significant technological growth and a flourishing economy, is nevertheless a new location for ungainly acts of nudity and defiance, the after-shock of a post-Dagamar culture. There is hope, however- the ‘exhibition’ was judged ‘fruitless’ by what appears to be a significant majority(?) of townspeople (here, the text is unobliging).
And now, many years after his reign, I am faced with the question of how to remember Dagamar. Surely we must not condemn him for his dubious approach to parliament, or define him purely by his idolatry of the giant canary alone? It is a textbook cliche to say that Dagamar, while hardly ruling with rigid righteousness, was in the possession of a big heart. Perhaps his period of stable but uneventful rule has made him less of a sought out figure in academic papers, but to overlook his contribution to history is to do it a grave injustice.
I maintain that is not a question of whether Dagamar was or was not a good king - it’s what he had to offer to generations of those who would inherit his legacy. And in the eyes of this historian, his ability to triumph over numerous self-important deities and opportunistic politicians, even unite the people despite the moral ambiguity of the ‘Whacko’ paradigm, and, dare I say it, rebuild society in the aftermath of the social upheaval of the Bana/Irons debacle, surely speak of a personality worth taking into account.

Bibliography:

Where, Oh, Where, Is The ‘Radiant Prince’ Now?
The Whacko Vs. Fishballs Debate, Vol. I: An introduction to the dialectic spanning centuries
The Grilled Corn Enthusiast
Little Men: Anthropological Accounts

*grin*

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Seven Types of Ambiguity [Part 1]

January 22nd 2007 18:17

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Ediition (1911):

AMBIGUITY (Fr. ambiguit y , med. Lat. ambiguitas, from Lat. ambiguus, doubtful; ambi, both ways, agere, to drive), doubtfulness or uncertainty. In law an ambiguity as to the meaning of the words of a written instrument may be of considerable importance. Ambiguity, in law, is of two kinds, patent and latent. (1) Patent ambiguity is that ambiguity which is apparent on the face of an instrument to any one perusing it, even if he be unacquainted with the circumstances of the parties. In the case of a patent ambiguity parole evidence is admissible to explain only what has been written, not what it was intended to write. For example, in Saunderson v. Piper, 18 39, 5 B.N.C. 425, where a bill was drawn in figures for X245 and in words for two hundred pounds, evidence that "and forty-five" had been omitted by mistake was rejected. But where it appears from the general context of the instrument what the parties really meant, the instrument will be construed as if there was no ambiguity, as in Saye and Sele's case, io Mod. 46, where the name of the granter had been omitted in the operative part of a grant, but, as it was clear from another part of the grant who he was, the deed was held to be valid. (2) Latent ambiguity is where the wording of an instrument is on the face of it clear and intelligible, but may, at the same time, apply equally to two different things or subject matters, as where a legacy is given "to my nephew, John," and the testator is shown to have two nephews of that name. A latent ambiguity may be explained by parole evidence, for, as the ambiguity has been brought about by circumstances extraneous to the instrument, the explanation must necessarily be sought for from such circumstances. (See also EVIDENCE.)

From Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006:

am·bi·gu·i·ty

–noun, plural -ties.

1. doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention: to speak with ambiguity; an ambiguity of manner.

2. an unclear, indefinite, or equivocal word, expression, meaning, etc.: a contract free of ambiguities; the ambiguities of modern poetry.

[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME ambiguite < L ambiguitas, equiv. to ambigu(us) ambiguous -itas -ity]

—Synonyms 1. vagueness, deceptiveness. 2. equivocation.
—Antonyms 1. explicitness, clarity.

From the MSN Encarta® World English Dictionary [North American Edition] © & (P)2006:

am·bi·gu·i·ty (plural am·bi·gu·i·ties)

noun

1. doubt about meaning: a situation in which something can be understood in more than one way and it is not clear which meaning is intended

2. statement with more than one meaning: an expression or statement that has more than one meaning

From WordNet® 2.1, © 2005, Princeton University:

ambiguity

noun

1. an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context
2. unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning [ant: unambiguity]

From the American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English language, Fourth Edition, copyright (c) 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company:

am·bi·gu·i·ty (am'bi-gyoo'i-te)

n. pl. am·bi·gu·i·ties

1. Doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretation: "leading a life of alleged moral ambiguity" (Anatole Broyard).
2. Something of doubtful meaning: a poem full of ambiguities.

From Webster Dictionary, 1913:

Am`bi*gu"i*ty, n.; pl. Ambiguities (#). [L. ambiguitas, fr. ambiguus: cf. F. ambiguité.] The quality or state of being ambiguous; doubtfulness or uncertainty, particularly as to the signification of language, arising from its admitting of more than one meaning; an equivocal word or expression.

No shadow of ambiguity can rest upon the course to be pursued. I. Taylor.

The words are of single signification, without any ambiguity. South.

From the UltraLingual English Dictionary:

ambiguity

n. ambiguities <"ámb&'gyuitE>

1. An expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context. 2. Unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning; [ETYM: Latin ambiguitas, from ambiguus: cf. French ambiguité.]

100

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An ICQ Story

January 16th 2007 03:58

The year was 2002 and I was bored with my UNSW classes, looking to my ICQ pals for some inspiration... Sometime around midnight, Andrew Tran suggested that we might transform our ICQ chat into a short story. Here's what happened...

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Robert Graysmith on the set of Fincher's Zodiac

January 12th 2007 13:46

the banner of http://zodiacfilm.blogspot.com

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David Fincher on Fight Club

January 7th 2007 22:59

-------- Fight Club -----------------

Official Site - www.foxmovies.com/fightclub/
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The Journal, Part 8

January 7th 2007 12:27

28th August, 2001

One thing that I don’t do very much of is state the obvious, and this can sometimes lead to me assuming ppl understand what I’m doing, which is not necessarily the case, so I’m going to take the time to establish a few basic structures, symbols and signs within my text, as it is so far

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The Journal, Part 7

January 7th 2007 12:18

5:55pm Friday 24 August

Through my study of Module B: Critical Study of Texts in the 2u Advanced Syllabus I have realised that post-structuralism is a movement which I’ve always kept in mind when thinking of my work, but only recently consciously identified the impact of. I find this really interesting: the amount of ideas you can be influenced by before you even know what they’re called, or within which historical context they arose. I had the same experience with similes, metaphors and other lingual features that we elucidated and gave a name to in Yr 7 English. These were features I’d been using for years without consciously recognising the technique of a ‘metaphor’ or a ‘simile’. I had the same experience with post-modernism in Yr 11 as I found out what impact this ambiguous term had on philosophy, art, architecture, music, theatre, and ofcourse literature. I had been familiar with the ideas of fragmentation, deliberate cultural/historical eclecticism as a form of embracing many but neither as absolute, the embracing of cultural dislocation and displacement and that of tradition, and was searching for a way to represent these ideas, when along came this term and summed it all up for me

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The Journal, Part 6

January 7th 2007 12:07

5:42pm Tuesday 26 June, 2001

Authors have been trying their best to break literary rules ever since they were conceived or recognised. My area of interest in metafiction is the distinction we make between fiction and non-fiction. We see them as opposites, fundamentally different in opposing ways. Yet I have often observed that the relationship between fiction and non-fiction is much more subtle and complex than that. One can take a piece of non-fiction writing and place it within a fiction text’s context, so that it suddenly serves a new purpose. It has been transformed from a piece of analysis into a tool of the fiction text’s

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The Journal, Part 5

January 7th 2007 12:01

2:18pm 9 June, 2001
I’ve decided to tackle the experience of a writer the following way:

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The Journal, Part 4

January 7th 2007 11:56

4:55pm Monday 21st May 2001

It came to my attention today that while I had so many ideas I wanted to express, I wasn’t sure of what my central one was! Perhaps that is my personal resistance to coming up with something final. But I’m going to sort this puzzle out one way or another, and explore what I really want, so I can learn something about myself through this course

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The Journal, Part 3

January 7th 2007 11:45

2:34pm Sunday May 6, 2001

Looking at the outcomes for the Ext 2 syllabus, I realised I’ve been shying away from documenting my processes in as much depth as I have earlier (which surprised me!), so I thought I owe it to my Ext 2 experience to elaborate further

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The Journal, Part 2

January 7th 2007 11:41

3:21pm, 24 January, 2001

Various ideas, those above and more as well, are floating around in my head for the Major Work right now. I need time for them to settle. Although I don’t know where I’m going I feel calm and relaxed, because I’m approaching this work in the right way (for me)- going with the flow

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The Journal, Part 1

January 7th 2007 11:28

It was part of my English Extension 2 course to keep a journal as I wrote 'The Masterpiece'... at point I was interested in turning it in as the finished product.
This might give you some background on how I approached the task (which was part of my HSC, or final year high school assessments) and how I responded to the course structure, though it might be more insightful to read The Masterpiece first. .

)

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