14 Matching Annotations
  1. Apr 2023
  2. templeu.instructure.com templeu.instructure.com
    Annotation: Epstein & Steinberg "American Dreamin'"
    8
    1. annadore 17 Apr 2023
      The discourses of therapy and kinship, the assumptions of heterosexuality and investments in its dominant institutions, the exaltation of expertise and the exceptional, and the liberal (in)tolerance of the marginal and marginalised, all work to contain and domesticate, but never quite eradicate, the radical edge and the possible alternative meanings of having a Dream.

      Yes- these factors in combination masterfully sell the liberal fantasy of America, parading as progressive, but never challenging the hegemonic powers that uphold inequality, merely repackaging them. i love the phrase "domesticate the radical edge"

    2. annadore 17 Apr 2023
      one hand you are not special but you can (appear to) be and, on the other hand, that you really are special and this can be revealed.

      i'm very interested in the duality of this idea. i think its a good thing for the media to leave space for nuanced identities and recognize the multitudes in all, yet in this context, it feels like ones identity is being reduced to something to be consumed. like the woman in this context is simultaneously the thing to be had and the one consuming it.

    3. annadore 17 Apr 2023
      It is perhaps quintessentially American to believe that “you make it happen,”15 Links to an external site. that “you can make a new and better you” or reveal the “real and better you,” that you can change your world by changing yourself and that you can change the people with whom you are involved. Clearly, dominant versions of the American Dream rest precisely on the underpinning assumptions of self-help and vice versa.

      i think another factor in the appeal of this format is peoples hunger for intimacy. in framing the Oprah show as truth among a media landscape that is full of lies, they tap into the collective yearning for something real.

    4. annadore 17 Apr 2023
      that studio audiences frequently become abusive.

      i wonder is participation from the audience is regarded as another layer of democracy, and by extension, the programs intersecting American dreams?

    5. annadore 17 Apr 2023
      escape from

      yes- escapism is what i was trying to articulate above. and because it does not take the format of what is typically thought of as escapist media, it paints an inauthentic view of our world that breeds complacency .

    6. annadore 17 Apr 2023
      the radical potentials of the Oprah Winfrey Show are undercut by the show’s problematic adherence to an “American Dream” that imagines that every boy can grow up to be president, without reference to the ways in which this possibility is contingent (not only on being a boy, but on what kind of boy you are).

      I'm interested to know if the accessible framing of the American dream is the main appeal of the program. From a media perspective, the narrative may not be truthful, but it is hopeful, and thats easier to digest. further, if the the voice of the program had any undertones of anger, i believe it would be cast off, especially because Oprah if a Black woman.

    7. annadore 17 Apr 2023
      Oprah’s challenge to the public/private split, in common with other versions of the genre, is to be found in the format and agenda of the show. Not only does personal testimony appear as the central method of the show’s inquiry into particular issues, but personal revelation and feelings are taken both seriously and as “true” in a way that is rarely validated in dominant public discourses.

      I'm thinking about, how for the voices of those being given a platform, to be seen and heard in the public sphere may be a version of the American dream.

    8. annadore 16 Apr 2023
      its dominance in the production of notions of nation, of “the individual,” of social cohesion and “break-down” and of cultural common sense.

      i think its important to highlight this point. As much as popular media reflects the world in which it was produced, it also creates the society in which it is consumed.

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  3. Mar 2023
  4. templeu.instructure.com templeu.instructure.com
    Annotation: Banks "I Love Lucy: The Writer-Producer"
    6
    1. annadore 23 Mar 2023
      We see something funny, thoughtful, wise, beautiful, or compelling, and we want to believe that such brilliance can emerge out of hard work and ingenuity. Creativity is often defined as a singular vision: so how can such singularity of mind come from a collection of, arguably, dozens of people?

      I totally agree. and on a personal level, I find this encouraging. I often feel overwhelmed by the pressure of my art- but remembering that both creating and consuming is a collaborative act distributes some of the pressure.

    2. annadore 23 Mar 2023
      conflicting notions of authorship and ownership came to a head for the guilds that represented these media workers

      I keep coming back to the individual-focused worldview we have in the west. I think our culture generally promotes the idea of individual accomplishment and ownership, while disregarding the deeply collaborative process of creating art. I wonder if this has anything to do with the conflict?

    3. annadore 23 Mar 2023
      the Screen Writers Guild could not fathom the idea that a writer could balance his own interests as a producer and as a writer. Thus, they viewed the hyphenate role of a writer-producer as a powerful new threat and a potential infiltrator into the union.

      I'm surprised to learn that writers did not hold more power in production spaces. I wonder is this has to do with creative suppression or bureaucratic systems? I would have assumed writers are more respected, especially in television.

    4. annadore 23 Mar 2023
      The more consistency there is, the more comfortable [the audience is], and the more you can enjoy everything that happens. So, rightly or wrongly, the show sounded the same each time because it funneled through me.5

      It's fascinating that these beloved characters that Americans had a very intimate relationship with are actually the voice of Oppenheimer.

    5. annadore 23 Mar 2023
      It was like inventing the wheel, as it all turned out rather well.”3

      I think this is also evident because most television still seems to follow the structure invented by I Love Lucy

    6. annadore 23 Mar 2023
      we would be ascribing its success to a particular person: the series showrunner, heralding this person (or in some instances, persons) as a brilliant leader, technician, author, and, perhaps, creator.

      Watching clips from the series- I get the impression that these characters and their universe exist autonomously and authentically outside of Hollywood production. I imagine others feel the same. I think that the two being a couple also adds to the sense that this show is their passion project and is immune to external influence. This probably makes the marketing portions of the show extremely effecting. I think it also erases the labor of those who made this collaborative project happen.

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