I hate song lyrics. No to hell with that, I loathe song lyrics. Vague phrases which are barely intelligible drive me insane. For a good portion of songs the music just over powers the lyrics so people in their cars on the way to work find themselves creating their own intuitive verses. The meanings of a song are often as varied as the opinions of the people interpreting them. I tend to be a more mathematical person so circular opinionated arguments tend to cause me brain pain. This is my soundtrack and there will be no songs. My soundtrack is instead filled with bit after bit of stand-up comedy. I find stand-up comedy to be so compelling not simply because I just love jokes but because stand-up comedy is such a great representation of so many different aspects of life. There is no greater thrill for me than realizing one of these many aspects while listening to a new track.
The Power of Comedy.
Nothing brings people together like a good joke about how white ass crackers can’t dance, or how about a good black people like fried chicken and watermelon joke. One of the most paradoxical powers of comedy is its ability to use the stereotypes meant to separate people to unite people together. Lisa Lampanelli is the champion of this technique, she is an insult comic. Here would be a great place to throw in a quote to prove my point but the trouble is comedy does not work like this. One of Lampanelli’s jokes would be highly offensive out of the context of her tone and posture and meaning on the stage. One thing I can mention though is the composition of Lampanelli’s crowd. There are Asians, blacks, whites, Hispanics and just about any other ethnicity (well maybe no Eskimos) you can think of all laughing themselves blue over the stereotypes Lampanelli’s ridicules. A racial stereotype divides people based upon the context they are used in. Racial slurs have no power if they have no context given from the racist asshole using them. It is the attitude and tone of the racist asshole’s voice and posture which give racial slurs their negative connotation. Changing the context of a racial slur removes the negative connotation associated with the slur. The contextual humor added to the stereotypes deprives these negative labels of their power. By making fun of a stereotype a comedian is revealing how fucking stupid they are and thus by destroying a stereotype comedy unites people.
This will seem insane to people who know who Rodney Carrington is but this does not make my statement any less valid. Rodney Carrington (yes including his song Dear Penis) brings part of Martin Luther King’s dream to life. Seems kind of crazy but hear me out. MLK wanted people to be judged not by their appearance but by the content of their character. This dream is fully realized in stand-up comedy. People going to a comedy show have a certain expectation. They expect to be entertained and made to laugh. When discussing a comedian people don’t focus on the ethnicity or the appearance of a comedian they discuss the content and the value of his jokes. A comedian is judged by their ability to entertain a crowd with clever, unique, or just purely vulgar humor. There may be the initial visual judgment as the comedian steps on stage (which is simply an unavoidable part of human nature) but quickly this judgment is replaced by the joke material. No one sees a comedian and thinks, “Well he does not look funny at all, and I’m leaving the show.” People wait to hear the comedian before judging him. The content judging relationship between comedian and audience is a relationship every decent human being should emulate.
Comedy is not my hobby
A hobby is something a person can buy at a store like a model airplane kit. Comedy is more than that to me. Comedy is not a just something to pass the time with. Comedy is not a fucking model train set. It is part of who I am. It defines the way I approach real situations and it defines the way I relate to other people. One reason this holds true for me is the fact that my family spends most of its time teasing other family members. I’ll give you a little example. My grandmother is like any other. She worries and she nags (mostly nags). We have a handy little system where I tell inappropriate jokes to my grandmother to let her know to chill the hell out. I’ll begin to answer common questions with things a person should never say to their grandmother. If I sniffle on the phone Grandma reacts with, “Are your allergies acting up? Do you need me to bring you allergy pills?” To this I will usually respond with something such as, “No Grandma my allergies are fine I just have the sniffles because of the gram of coke I snorted just before you called, which for your information I bought with the birthday money you sent me.” Or Grandma may ask, “What did you do with your birthday money?” I’ll say, “Oh not much Grandma, I bought a book for class but most of the cash went towards my Support the One-Legged Hooker’s with an Eyepatch Charity Fund.” Now I get the feeling I may have surprised a person or two. Believe it or not my Grandmother laughs at these things. Oh do not fret, Grandma can defend herself and she has retaliated on more than one occasion. Comedy is more than a hobby to me it is a form of communication. It is the way I think and the way I interact with the world around me. Comedy just relives me and makes life easier to deal with. Some people deal with life by slamming booze or smoking dope. I say hell no to booze because I like my liver. I say fuck no to smoking dope because I am cheap. And I say hell yes to comedy because it is the cheapest, best, and most readily available drug I know of.
Soundtrack List (Just to name a few comedians listen to any acts you come across)
George Carlin, Dmetri Martin, Steven Wright, Mitch Hedberg, Tom Cotter
Bill Maher, Lewis Black, Carlos Mencia, Patton Oswalt
Chris Rock, Richard Pryor, Robert Schimmel, D.L. Hughley
Lisa Lampanelli, Dennis Leary, Sam Kinison, Rodney Carrington, Dave Atell
Ralphie May, Craig Shoemaker,
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
SWA #6
Dr. Mallam Musa uses various signifiers to create a persuasive identity based upon the characteristics of legitimacy and a non-threatening mysteriousness. Musa’s identity is constructed in the e-mail by what is and what is not stated. It is in the best interest of a con artist to provide a decent amount of information to the potential target so as to avoid point blank rejection, and it is also imperative to leave information gaps thus using a target’s curiosity against them. There are three key signifiers present in the text of the e-mail and two more subtle signifiers.
The identity trait of legitimacy is signified to the con’s target (known as the dope from here on out) in three ways. The dope is immediately given the impression of veracity by the four line introductory heading. It introduces the con artist in a professional way. The professional heading is a signifier to the dope that the person writing the e-mail is trustworthy simply because of the fact that they are organized. Another signifier of legitimacy is the list of projects the company has performed. The list is not supposed to mean anything to the reader seeing as technical jargon is used such as “Turn around Maintenance.” A list of technical accomplishments is a signifier meant to leave the impression of legitimate business practice on the dope therefore, encouraging the dope to go along with the con artist’s request. The third signifier is the language used in this e-mail. There are a few grammatical issues in the e-mail but as a whole the e-mail is rather well written considering the use of varying sentence structure and a fairly large vocabulary. The con artist is attempting to confuse the reader by using confusing sentence structure, grammar, and somewhat incorrect grammar. Most people are too lazy to actually look up a new word or reread a confusing sentence more than twice. The con artist’s goal is to confuse the dope to the point they blindly accept the e-mail to be legitimate because of their own laziness.
There are two subtle, un-typed signifiers giving the constructed personality the quality of a non threatening mysteriousness. The reason why the dope is being offered this large lump of cash is never revealed. It makes the dope think, “Well why am I so special; why do I get this wonderful opportunity?” The con artist uses the dope’s own ego as a way to entice the dope to jump on the business deal. The combination of ego and curiosity (why is the dope worthy of this deal?) is not enough to con the dope and so one more signifier is needed. The only information asked for is a telephone or a fax number. This information is in no way threatening. Telephone numbers to private homes are listed in countless phone books all across the United States. The non threatening nature of the telephone number is the last signifier needed to con the dope because there is little danger in giving away a telephone number. The dope may be skeptical of the deal but does not feel threatened at all by this proposal. The dope then convinces himself that he should at least send his telephone number seeing as there is nothing to lose and potentially three million dollars to gain if this e-mail is the real deal.
These online identities are so successful in conning people because they carefully control what the dope feels and how the dope thinks by carefully playing with human nature. It is vitally important for the e-mail to be legitimate and mysterious in a non-threatening way. If the e-mail did not seem legitimate then the dope would not go for the bait and if the e-mail is threatening then the dope will be less willing to take the risk of giving away any information. The con artists are so successful at conning people because they control the conscious and the subconscious mind of a person through various signifiers.
The identity trait of legitimacy is signified to the con’s target (known as the dope from here on out) in three ways. The dope is immediately given the impression of veracity by the four line introductory heading. It introduces the con artist in a professional way. The professional heading is a signifier to the dope that the person writing the e-mail is trustworthy simply because of the fact that they are organized. Another signifier of legitimacy is the list of projects the company has performed. The list is not supposed to mean anything to the reader seeing as technical jargon is used such as “Turn around Maintenance.” A list of technical accomplishments is a signifier meant to leave the impression of legitimate business practice on the dope therefore, encouraging the dope to go along with the con artist’s request. The third signifier is the language used in this e-mail. There are a few grammatical issues in the e-mail but as a whole the e-mail is rather well written considering the use of varying sentence structure and a fairly large vocabulary. The con artist is attempting to confuse the reader by using confusing sentence structure, grammar, and somewhat incorrect grammar. Most people are too lazy to actually look up a new word or reread a confusing sentence more than twice. The con artist’s goal is to confuse the dope to the point they blindly accept the e-mail to be legitimate because of their own laziness.
There are two subtle, un-typed signifiers giving the constructed personality the quality of a non threatening mysteriousness. The reason why the dope is being offered this large lump of cash is never revealed. It makes the dope think, “Well why am I so special; why do I get this wonderful opportunity?” The con artist uses the dope’s own ego as a way to entice the dope to jump on the business deal. The combination of ego and curiosity (why is the dope worthy of this deal?) is not enough to con the dope and so one more signifier is needed. The only information asked for is a telephone or a fax number. This information is in no way threatening. Telephone numbers to private homes are listed in countless phone books all across the United States. The non threatening nature of the telephone number is the last signifier needed to con the dope because there is little danger in giving away a telephone number. The dope may be skeptical of the deal but does not feel threatened at all by this proposal. The dope then convinces himself that he should at least send his telephone number seeing as there is nothing to lose and potentially three million dollars to gain if this e-mail is the real deal.
These online identities are so successful in conning people because they carefully control what the dope feels and how the dope thinks by carefully playing with human nature. It is vitally important for the e-mail to be legitimate and mysterious in a non-threatening way. If the e-mail did not seem legitimate then the dope would not go for the bait and if the e-mail is threatening then the dope will be less willing to take the risk of giving away any information. The con artists are so successful at conning people because they control the conscious and the subconscious mind of a person through various signifiers.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
SWA #5
What is the one product every man needs? According to the Trojan television commercial, that product is the condom. The commercial takes place in a bar. The bar is filled with pigs trying to pick up a variety of gorgeous ladies. When I say pigs, I do not mean men behaving as though they were pigs. In this commercial there were literally farm animal pigs sitting on the stools. The women all look very unhappy and irritated by the presence of their potential pig spouses. Until one pig buys a Trojan condom from a wall vending machine and becomes an actual man thus making one woman smile and begin flirting with him.
The commercial redefines the traditional search for a spouse by changing the purpose of searching for a spouse from the pursuit of happiness to a competition between men. The newly defined reality creates a need for the condom to the potential customer because the condom is the item needed for any man to win the competition to pick up a woman at a bar. There are two powerful signs at work in this commercial. The first sign is the image of the pig. A pig in this commercial is a man without a condom. If he is without a condom he is a filthy animal whom inspires only dislike and irritation from the women he is trying to pick up. The second sign is the condom. If he has a condom then he becomes a real man and effortlessly finds a woman interested in him. The ownership of a condom is thus the difference between victory and defeat. A woman’s interest in a man is redefined from a variety of personality and physical traits to the simple ownership of a condom. The ownership of a Trojan condom is thus the difference between victory and defeat.
Commercials redefine reality to make their products more appealing. This commercial makes no sense outside of the context of the television. Women do not have condom radars and a woman knowing a man has a condom will not increase the chance of picking this woman up. If you do not believe me try picking up a woman in a bar with a condom taped to your forehead. This commercial redefines the reality of searching for a spouse for those poor lonely men, wearing boxers in front of the television, to give these men hope for their spousal futures. However, hope is only available to them if they buy Trojan condoms.
The commercial redefines the traditional search for a spouse by changing the purpose of searching for a spouse from the pursuit of happiness to a competition between men. The newly defined reality creates a need for the condom to the potential customer because the condom is the item needed for any man to win the competition to pick up a woman at a bar. There are two powerful signs at work in this commercial. The first sign is the image of the pig. A pig in this commercial is a man without a condom. If he is without a condom he is a filthy animal whom inspires only dislike and irritation from the women he is trying to pick up. The second sign is the condom. If he has a condom then he becomes a real man and effortlessly finds a woman interested in him. The ownership of a condom is thus the difference between victory and defeat. A woman’s interest in a man is redefined from a variety of personality and physical traits to the simple ownership of a condom. The ownership of a Trojan condom is thus the difference between victory and defeat.
Commercials redefine reality to make their products more appealing. This commercial makes no sense outside of the context of the television. Women do not have condom radars and a woman knowing a man has a condom will not increase the chance of picking this woman up. If you do not believe me try picking up a woman in a bar with a condom taped to your forehead. This commercial redefines the reality of searching for a spouse for those poor lonely men, wearing boxers in front of the television, to give these men hope for their spousal futures. However, hope is only available to them if they buy Trojan condoms.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Myspace Analysis
Ah, Myspace.com! What joy you give so many Internet savvy folk. Everyone gets a profile and everyone can be involved. The most entertaining aspect of MySpace is to witness the different ways people or groups of people can define themselves. Whilst searching MySpace I happened upon a Christian group I shall rename the Bible Thumpers to preserve their anonymity (though I’m sure they would prefer it that I advertise their name for them). The entire purpose of this profile is to remove the sinful veil from the reader and show that reader the error of their ways and the means to correct said error. Naturally the means of correction is joining the Bible Thumpers and helping them spread their literary seed to other poor sinners.
The Bible Thumpers use various signs to portray this message. The first sign to be discussed is the prevalent use of Bible quotations. The purpose of the quotation is obviously to provide me with some sort of tangible evidence convincing me of the wrongness of my ways. What is the most convincing tool in the Bible Thumper’s arsenal? Why the out of context quotation of course. I find it interesting how the meaning of a quote can be significantly different to a reader when it is taken out of context. Take for example the quote, “I am happy.” Since happy is a signifier without a contextual signified the person reading the sentence simply fills in the absent context with his own meaning of happy. This is necessary because without a context or a reason for the feeling of happiness it has no meaning. Perhaps the person is happy about wearing a fresh pair of silk boxers or just glad to be a lifetime subscriber to Playboy. Now to add some context; “I am happy the old bitty is dead, she smelled awful!” Now that there is a context to the happiness the meaning of the word happy has not changed but the impact the word made on the reader has changed from a good connotation to a horribly cruel one. Context determines meaning. Many of the claims made by the Bible Thumpers are proven to be true by various Bible quotations. Now let’s get high while we continue our essay, oh wait but God says I’ll burn in hell for lighting up that peace pipe. At least I’ll burn in hell if I believe the quote given to me by this profile. The quote is as follows:
Why can't I get high? It's not like it hurts anyone else
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
We are given this quote which could be used to condemn any number of negative activities. I highly doubt the Bible takes the primitive stance on drugs of Mr.Mackey of South Park. I believe the Bible Thumpers have twisted the context of this quote in an effort to further their own designs of convincing to the common reader, the sinful ways of man.
The next sign used by the Bible Thumpers is the common exclusionary tactic used on children across the world. The language used on the profile is just littered with the subject of we. We stand for God and We are against pornography and You should do the right thing and join us. The reason this device is used is because it is effective. Man is a social animal. Put a guy in solitary confinement for too long and he will go crazy. This same exclusionary tactic is used by child day cares everywhere. When the child breaks a rule, the child is excluded in “time out” until the child decides to follow the rules and rejoin the others. In the case of the Bible Thumpers God is the rule enforcing Super Nanny and we are the rule breaking children, but instead of time out we have Hell.
Yet another sign used by the Bible Thumpers to promote their goal of purifying my ways is the use of statistics. I am obliged to quote my former English teacher Mr.Carter on this topic. He said “Figures can’t lie, but liars can figure.” This quote perfectly describes the statistics used on this page. The statistics on pornography are as follows:
50% of church going men and 20% of church going woman are addicted to pornography
50-60% of pastors are addicted as well.
The purpose of this sign is to use a random percentage to prove a point. People trust numbers because math follows universal rules without opinions. I find it amusing at how EXACTLY half of the church going men are addicted to porn. Now porn addiction is never defined but the general meaning is negative. There are no references to any polls or any studies confirming these numbers, leading me to believe some Bible Thumper pulled these figures out of their holy ass. A simple number without any context proves nothing to me and thus in this respect the Bible Thumpers have failed in their goal to persuade me to the Light Side.
How successful was this profile in its goal to assist me from the sin ridden path I walk upon to the righteous mountain they preach from? Honestly, it has inspired me to crack open a beer, light a joint, and download some porn while I read the next blog about the word of God. Do not take me to be a hater of religion. I respect the different morals religion can present and I even follow a few of them. I see no harm in a person using religion to give their life guidance and purpose. What I resent is the threat of burning in eternal Hellfire should I not realize the “error” of my ways. As if I am such a lowly ignorant creature that the only way I will change is if threatened with pain and suffering. This threat coming from a person likely “guilty” of the same “crimes” as I. This threat coming from a person whom has no idea what happens when we die.
The Bible Thumpers use various signs to portray this message. The first sign to be discussed is the prevalent use of Bible quotations. The purpose of the quotation is obviously to provide me with some sort of tangible evidence convincing me of the wrongness of my ways. What is the most convincing tool in the Bible Thumper’s arsenal? Why the out of context quotation of course. I find it interesting how the meaning of a quote can be significantly different to a reader when it is taken out of context. Take for example the quote, “I am happy.” Since happy is a signifier without a contextual signified the person reading the sentence simply fills in the absent context with his own meaning of happy. This is necessary because without a context or a reason for the feeling of happiness it has no meaning. Perhaps the person is happy about wearing a fresh pair of silk boxers or just glad to be a lifetime subscriber to Playboy. Now to add some context; “I am happy the old bitty is dead, she smelled awful!” Now that there is a context to the happiness the meaning of the word happy has not changed but the impact the word made on the reader has changed from a good connotation to a horribly cruel one. Context determines meaning. Many of the claims made by the Bible Thumpers are proven to be true by various Bible quotations. Now let’s get high while we continue our essay, oh wait but God says I’ll burn in hell for lighting up that peace pipe. At least I’ll burn in hell if I believe the quote given to me by this profile. The quote is as follows:
Why can't I get high? It's not like it hurts anyone else
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
We are given this quote which could be used to condemn any number of negative activities. I highly doubt the Bible takes the primitive stance on drugs of Mr.Mackey of South Park. I believe the Bible Thumpers have twisted the context of this quote in an effort to further their own designs of convincing to the common reader, the sinful ways of man.
The next sign used by the Bible Thumpers is the common exclusionary tactic used on children across the world. The language used on the profile is just littered with the subject of we. We stand for God and We are against pornography and You should do the right thing and join us. The reason this device is used is because it is effective. Man is a social animal. Put a guy in solitary confinement for too long and he will go crazy. This same exclusionary tactic is used by child day cares everywhere. When the child breaks a rule, the child is excluded in “time out” until the child decides to follow the rules and rejoin the others. In the case of the Bible Thumpers God is the rule enforcing Super Nanny and we are the rule breaking children, but instead of time out we have Hell.
Yet another sign used by the Bible Thumpers to promote their goal of purifying my ways is the use of statistics. I am obliged to quote my former English teacher Mr.Carter on this topic. He said “Figures can’t lie, but liars can figure.” This quote perfectly describes the statistics used on this page. The statistics on pornography are as follows:
50% of church going men and 20% of church going woman are addicted to pornography
50-60% of pastors are addicted as well.
The purpose of this sign is to use a random percentage to prove a point. People trust numbers because math follows universal rules without opinions. I find it amusing at how EXACTLY half of the church going men are addicted to porn. Now porn addiction is never defined but the general meaning is negative. There are no references to any polls or any studies confirming these numbers, leading me to believe some Bible Thumper pulled these figures out of their holy ass. A simple number without any context proves nothing to me and thus in this respect the Bible Thumpers have failed in their goal to persuade me to the Light Side.
How successful was this profile in its goal to assist me from the sin ridden path I walk upon to the righteous mountain they preach from? Honestly, it has inspired me to crack open a beer, light a joint, and download some porn while I read the next blog about the word of God. Do not take me to be a hater of religion. I respect the different morals religion can present and I even follow a few of them. I see no harm in a person using religion to give their life guidance and purpose. What I resent is the threat of burning in eternal Hellfire should I not realize the “error” of my ways. As if I am such a lowly ignorant creature that the only way I will change is if threatened with pain and suffering. This threat coming from a person likely “guilty” of the same “crimes” as I. This threat coming from a person whom has no idea what happens when we die.
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