Iliasbakalla

Iliasbakalla

social commentator / deconstructing popular culture and theology / gender and race topics are my life blood / feedback encouraged and welcomed

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    Latest Articles

    Latest Topics

    5

    Questioning the validity of Lena Dunham's opinion through 'Girls'

    Following a Nietzschean line of philosophy: one must be deeply engaged in the world on an experiential level to obtain a respected opinion. Struggle is imperative in this process as it develops our own inner identity; through battling against a thing that we hate we become more akin to the things we love. Here I pose the question: is Girls a TV series we should take seriously on issues like gender oppression, sexual assault and racial division? Has the creator Lena Dunham been through enough social struggle to speak for groups that experience daily marginalisation, when she herself may not typically be considered marginalised?

    • What defines the validity of an opinion? I understand that you're using philosophy, but I've always felt an aversion towards having to legitimize one's own take and opinion on certain subjects. Case in point: comments that begin with "as a __," not in an assertion of authority, but in a fear of one's thoughts being invalidated. Who is 'we,' why must 'we' be a hive mind? Can certain people take it seriously, while others won't? Can we stop policing others' opinions n what is and isn't worthy of serious attention? Why is there a bar for 'enough struggle to be taken seriously'? – m-cubed 7 years ago
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    • Given the show's popularity its reasonable to assume that it speaks to a lot of individuals on a close level. Therefore it is informing broader discourse, which is a legitimate standpoint to question the validity of the central opinion as it could be perpetuating more divisions. The show is heavily criticised for its lack of racial depiction and adds to another long, long list of sitcoms that fall into that box. If there aren't standards of struggle for people in power there will be no mechanism of change, the same views will be presented which perpetuates a disparity in our social order. – Iliasbakalla 7 years ago
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    • Again to dispute the commedeia della arte of America, not every fat chick is smarter than you are. – Antonius865 7 years ago
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    7

    Teen Films as Sexual education

    This article could asses the ways teen films inform, it’s primarly teenage audience, about the social and emotional ways of dealing with sex. Given this is never addressed in the clinical and scientific approach schools take towards sexual education, its reasonable to assume that most people would understand the other elements of sexual education through alternative mediums. Teen films are a great example as they often focus around the sex quest for boys i.e. Superbad, the Inbetweeners movie, Sex Drive, American Pie etc. Its could be said these films often create a gender disparity in dealing with sex as there is barely any female representation aside from the, older and sexually intimidating character

    • This is an interesting topic as it would be worth looking at the impact also of the genre of the film on the presentation of sex in such films. For instance the role in comedy is often to amuse and this can be used to soften the awkwardness of such sexual encounters and exploration. However, some of this does also normalise and champion the pursuit of sex as a rite of passage, which can send a negative portrayal of sex. The presence of sex in horror films is perhaps one of the most disturbing as often there are undertones of rape, force and abuse, 'Cherry Falls' is a concerning one. Then the issue of teen romance films can both have a positive and negative portrayal of sexual relations, 'Girl Next Door' and '100 Girls' are two interesting and frank films that deal with unusual portrayals of the emotional connection related to sex. I think this could be an intriguing topic to discuss. – SaraiMW 6 years ago
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    • I would add that there could also be strong critique involved. The teen dramas also facilitate an idealization of sexual engagement and often promote problematic images of women. – Jonathan Judd 6 years ago
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    • YES! I'd be interested to know how newer films tackle this idea, too. – Emily Esten 6 years ago
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    5

    Political power in GOT and House of Cards

    I would like to see an article written about the different ways that political power is wielded. Foucault understands all citizens as complicity in state power (in a democracy), since one individual has a sovereign rule over us and governs our liberty, however en mass the public hold tremendous amounts of power during elections. Recent political history in Australia shows the power of public opinion polls, as leaders there have been usurped by party members due to their failing public credibility. But power also requires tenacious maintenance in a political scope Francis Underwood from House of cards illustrates the amount of time and effort he has to appease and blackmail other members of congress to retain his position. This involves calling the bluff of many different international and domestic threats to his reign. Lord Baelish from game of thrones also shows how a character with little credentials can hold great amounts of power by dancing between leaders of different kingdoms. There could also be a discussion about the gender intersection of power in both these shows as Claire Underwood and Cersei Lannister are both excellent case studies. 

    • I like this topic...I wonder who you would direct this to? The average Joe who doesn't understand politics would probably benefit from a comparison like this, because they might understand the analogies from these TV shows? Also the gender power side topic is great...Cersei needs someone to acknowledge all the hard work she does in maintaining her status! :) – AbbyMay 7 years ago
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    • I'd definitely be interested in reading this! Might be worth honing in on a particular season of each show to get a focussed analysis going. I think Claire v Cersei would be an excellent comparison! – Zujaja 7 years ago
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    Latest Comments

    Miscegenation On Screen, Why So Disparate?
    Iliasbakalla

    thank you a lot 🙂

    Miscegenation On Screen, Why So Disparate?
    Iliasbakalla

    Excellent analysis of the film, i’d never thought of it as a ‘social horror’ film, usually the genre sticks to supernatural beasts terrorising humans

    Miscegenation On Screen, Why So Disparate?
    Iliasbakalla

    I agree it is a very, very difficult balance to achieve

    Miscegenation On Screen, Why So Disparate?
    Iliasbakalla

    yes, its an absolute must!

    Miscegenation On Screen, Why So Disparate?
    Iliasbakalla

    Absolutely, so long as those representations don’t perpetuate stereotypes

    Miscegenation On Screen, Why So Disparate?
    Iliasbakalla

    yes, I wanted to go into other racial stereotypes projected through miscegenation including Asians and Hispanics (as they have quite a prominent representation in cinema) but was afraid the article would be endless. Perhaps someone can continue this line of though *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

    Miscegenation On Screen, Why So Disparate?
    Iliasbakalla

    Ahh, hopefully Hollwood will begin to reflect this sentiment!!

    Miscegenation On Screen, Why So Disparate?