National Geographic

The article “A World Brightly Different: Photographic Conventions 1950-1986” mentions, in reference to National Geographic Magazine and their use photos, that “It draws attention, at least implicitly, to things that define ‘us’ in our unmarked and usual state of humanness, that is, as people who dress and act in ‘standard’ ways” (90). Rather than trying to look at the pictures in National Geographic from a different vantage point, we look at the pictures with a Western view, in order to reinforce our way of life as the norm. Looking at those pictures does not make us feel sorry for the pre modern (when compared to the Western culture) people we see; rather it helps us to be content with what we have. All the pictures show happy people and there are no pictures of sadness. Thus, no pity is spared by the viewer for the poor in the pictures, as we assume they are content and fully satisfied with their lifestyle. Instead of analyzing the reality of the pictures, we are encouraged (by the context of the magazine) to appreciate at the pictures as art, as noted in the article, “The act of appreciating them lets the viewer see himself or herself as both human (because the photographed are still recognized as people) and as cultured (because the photograph is like a museum piece, a work of art)” (95). This is why nudity is accepted in National Geographic, because it is ‘appreciated’ as art of an exotic species, where as a topless bather at a beach in North America is looked as trashy. By doing this, youth are taught to dismiss African (or any other culture that is unlike that of the West) nudity from all its sexual associations, which further extends the label of ‘other.’ We are taught through the pictures, that they are so different from us, that we should not even be sexually attracted to their beauty. Instead, we are influenced to look at these exotic people as nothing more than interesting art.

Stereotypes and 'the other'

Debby Thompson discusses the various approaches to acting and portraying race in her article “Is Race a Trope?” She discusses the Naturalistic approach and how it states that an actor “should ‘become’ or ‘be’ the character he/she is playing,” but this does not portray the truth of a character, especially the race of the character. Anna Deavere Smith, on the other hand, believes that Smith “the goal of performance becomes, then, not authenticity but exploration of the gap between self and other, actor and character, as well as of the gaps within our seemingly linear ideological narratives” (130). I believe that this is how truth in a character can come about. In portraying someone’s race, you almost have to be prejudice or racist and label them as ‘the other’, in order to see the differences that make that race. It is not racist to understand that an African American who grew up in the ghetto has a certain way of life, based on his/her experiences, acts very similar to any other African American who grew up in the ghetto, yet both act completely differently than a white suburban male. In portraying another race, the actor has to play into the stereotypes and racial profiling, in order to bring the truth of the character out. As Smith did, you have to perform the person as if they were performing themselves. Ignoring the stereotypes and racism is to ignore race altogether, which as Carroll Smith-Rosenberg (one of Deavere Smith’s characters) states “Ignoring race enables white folks to escape the label "prejudiced and, at the same time, avoid dealing with the very real problem of systemic racism in the American economy” (135). This is apparent in many American films and television shows, where they have different races intermingling without the presence of stereotypes. This sends a mixed message to minorities, as they are influenced to believe that America is a country where everyone is equal. Smith, on the other hand, blatantly exposes the racial differences in her performances, which lets people know that racism does exist and it is not just an excuse used by minorities. This portrayal of ‘truth’ of character is very rare as it employs stereotypical beliefs, but it is the only way to provide a real voice that properly represents each reach.

Confession

In his article “Video Confession” Michael Renov discusses and analyzes the act of confessing. He notes Foucault’s theory that “We…become a singularly confessing society…Western man has become a confessing animal” (193). I think there are two reasons why Western society is a confessing society. The first is that we are a secular society, where we limit our face to face contact and rely on technology for socialization and confessing is a result of people reaching out for attention. Most people do not even know their neighbours, let alone talk to them; instead we rely on online profiles to express ourselves. Also, we are taught to keep our emotions inside and keep most relationships professional, which also leads to us not trusting anyone but ourselves. Secondly, even though we do not communicate face to face, the Western man is under constant surveillance and any secret one has is eventually exposed, which is why we confess. We want to confess before someone else finds out our secret and exposes it, which will make things even worse. Renov also notes that, “confession has been assigned a complex therapeutic value” (194). In a Western world where we have to keep secrets and our emotions inside, confessing is a therapeutic relief.

An example of this is The Chris Myers Show, where athletes are voluntarily interviewed about their life/career, and usually they reveal a secret or explain rumours. An example of this was when retired NBA player John Amaechi went on and publicly admitted he was gay. Societal pressures forced him to keep his secret hidden and his emotions trapped inside. He wasn’t able to tell even his team mates about his true self, so finally, after he retired, he went on numerous talk shows, including the Chris Myers Show, and confessed his secret. He said that feels so much about himself, even though there have been a lot of bad reactions around the NBA. I think that Amaechi decided to come out of the closet because he knew that soon, someone would find out and expose him, but also because he wanted the therapeutic value. He wanted to feel better about himself and not have to hide anymore.

As Renov notes, “it is clear that confession is not only narrativized but commodified,” which is why confessions are always being communicated via television shows because the Western world loves secrets and gossip (196). It is big money t.v., so people, especially celebrities, are encouraged to confess on television. Also, there is something authentic and more believable about seeing someone confess on a televison show that is not apparent in a book or newspaper article.

Renov also talks about the video confession between just two people and I agree with him that is very emotional and effective and with modern technology, the video confession could replace face to face confession. With web cams, editing software and video sharing software, confessing via video could become commonplace.