Celebrities: Merit and Talent

To be or to become a celebrity, there is an inevitable truth to the fact that one will have to give up something in one's life in order to achieve that ultimate goal. It could be one's public image, one's personal life, one's education, et cetera. Nowadays, even more people, especially the young ones, are trying to break out into the world of celebrity and I often see them giving up their college education (or high school education, for that matter). It could be very necessary to give up a vital part of one's life; after all, I am just an outsider looking through the windows of celebrities lives portrayed by the mass media. It might not be in my place to judge celebrities' life-changing decisions, but as an onlooker, it is quite inevitable to put my own input into these situations.

To say that being a celebrity is a "punishment of talent" is also true. We often comment on how excellent the actress/actor portrays a character, or how great of a performer a singer is. But in doing so, I believe we are only puncturing the celebrities' lives with needles of expectations. In that industry, if one thing goes wrong--unless one has the best publicity team--that celebrity's life will dwindle down to square one (or worse). We look on as the people of talent enter this industry and I know most of us wish or at least picture ourselves to be in their places. What we often miss is the fact that celebrities are like artifacts showcased in museums--enclosed and silenced to some degree.

Lucy Yeho Hwang
September 23, 2014

Celebrity Bodies

Prompt: “Celebrity is the chastisement of merit and the punishment of talent” – Emily Dickinson

After reading Daniel Harris’ article “Celebrity Bodies” I now look at celebrities through a different lens. He talks a lot about how close we are to them without actually frequently seeing them in person. The quote above by Emily Dickinson is in parallel with Harris’ point of view. Celebrities are selected by their talent or sometimes merely by their good looks, and for all the fame and fortune they receive, they pay the price. Harris talks about how celebrities are a creation made by the rest of us that exemplifies what an “ideal” life would be. We know all about their lives, bodies and actions. It is as if celebrities are kept captive in a small tight-knit community, whether they want to be there or not. One can even compare it to a zoo. 
 

- Elliott Beilin 

Vonnegut

Prompt: "If you can do a half-assed job at anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind"-Kurt Vonnegut 

When Vonnegut says 'one eyed', he does not clarify whether that eye has sight or is blind.

For the latter, Vonnegut is ultimately discrediting the notion of slacking off; it doesn't matter if one can reach the same level of achievement as others by half-assing a job, as long as everyone is successful. In the same sense, since everyone is blind, the number of eyes is considered insignificant.

If, however, the one eye has sight, then it becomes apparent that the beholder of the eye is not skilled enough to complete said task without a shortcut. In this scenario, any sight, be it form one or two eyes, is a considerable advantage to have over the completely blind community. Here, the number of eyes with sight is insignificant as well, for the beholder of sight is the only one with access to vision.

Ultimately, there are two ways of being intelligent: one can either be really good at one thing, or be okay at multiple things. In his quote, Vonnegut is implying that being okay at multiple things may be advantageous; while everyone else has specialized in one thing, they are ultimately blind to the others.

Generation Why

Prompt: "If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind" (Kurt Vonnegut). 

Kurt Vonnegut says a whole lot about mankind in one, straight to the point, no nonsense kind of sentence. His first point is that half-assing a job, or to put it into other words, not giving 100% of your effort, is an acceptable way to be successful in this world. And his second point is that, by not giving your all, you can still be better than most people. But, it is his last argument that is most unsettling to me, which is that an individual who slacks off will be a "one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind." The idea that a majority of the people in this world are somehow symbolically blind is troubling. And it is understanding what they are blind to that I struggle with. Are they blind to their potential? Are they blind to the fact that they are not doing their best? Or, are they blind to the needs of this world? But, based on what Vonnegut believes, if they can somehow manage to give just a little but more of their effort, then one eye will open. So, the next question I wonder about is, how can we push these people to open the other eye? And then, how can we get everybody to do the same? People tend to lean towards the pack mentality, "the blind leading the blind." But where will mankind's future lead to if no one had the courage or strength to open both of their eyes and see whats ahead of them?

- Attiyya Settle

Life Journey

Jillamika Pongsachai
9/16/14

Prompt: "I make the road, I draw the map. Nothing just happens to me. I'm the one happening." - Denis Johnson

This statement reminds me of the phrase "taking initiative." It seems that Johnson is the one starting to act or taking initiative. He makes the road and draws the map. He is the one making everything happen. The sentences "Nothing just happens to me. I'm the one happening" indicate that Johnson believes that since he is the one taking action, he should accept its consequences. "Nothing just happens to me" means that there is no external force or supernatural being that causes something to occur. You, yourself, alone is the one who begins a doing that leads to a certain result. And if you want to achieve something, you must begin the act yourself and work toward your goal while remembering to take responsible of what will follow. The words "road" and "map" suggest an adventure. When he makes this statement, Johnson might be saying that there are many journeys in life and if people desire to find a new interest or improve themselves, they have to take off. They must get off from their comfort zone and go on a new, different path even though they might not know what lies ahead of them.   

Disney: True Beauty Is Knowledge

Jenesis Veras
Prof. Jackson
9/16/14

Prompt: "Any woman who counts on her face is a fool." -Zadie Smith

For many years women were defined as child-bearers, nurturers, housewives, beauty symbols, sexual objects, but never as intellectuals. Women were mostly seen as unfit creatures to give back common knowledge to the world because they were only presentable for show and display. Some still to this day, give into to that concept and genuinely believe that outer appearance is more valuable than ideas and aspirations. Where does this common conception come from? Well, young girls start to grow in many mental areas in their Early Development. That can range from morals, ethics, intellect, and judgment. If that is the case than what is it that makes them lose hope in their mind and gain hope in their facial beauty? When many young girls turn on the television at home, they see these young women with a truckload of makeup on and who probably have been Photo shopped from head to toe. However, in the eyes of many young girls they look like perfect, tall, gorgeous supermodels that are successful because of their physical appearance. 

What young girls should be watching at a young age rather than heads on sticks strutting down a runway, are Disney movies like Mulan and The Little Mermaid. In the Disney movie Mulan, a young girl's parents' dream for their daughter is nothing but to get married and to be contained as a typical "proper" Chinese girl. Mulan then sees how her disabled father is called on to help fight in the war at the time and she ends up leaving her life behind to take her father's place acting as his "son." She fought hard and saved China, not with her beauty and delicate feminism, but with her determination that a woman can fight as hard and be just as deserving to military acknowledgment as any man. She proved that work and bravery is a more powerful tool than the outer beauty of a female. In the Disney movie, The Little Mermaid, we can see how constrained Ariel felt in the underground world. She wanted to be more than a creature trapped in a body with a tail. She was always curious about learning and being part of a world greater than her own. In her song Part of Your World, she sings "Bet'cha on land they understand. Bet they don't reprimand their daughters. Bright young woman, sick of swimmin. Ready to stand." She wanted to increase the common knowledge that mermaids had about the outside world. She simply wanted to know more, know what the humans know and get her questions answered. She even gave up her most beautiful quality- her voice. Her voice had the most memorizing sound to it but she was willing to put knowledge and ambition before beauty. Stories like the warrior Mulan and the inquisitive Ariel are the ones that should show examples to future women that true beauty is knowledge.

If They Only Knew...

Jenesis Veras
Prof. Jackson
9/16/14

Prompt: "I make the road, I draw the map. Nothing just happens to me. I'm the one happening." -Denis Johnson

Many individuals who encounter hardships in life try to place the blame on something or someone else rather than themselves. We usually hear them say things like "Why me?", "These things only happen to me" or "The universe does not like me and I simply have bad luck." Is this really true? Are we living in a world that has already been designed for us, telling us what to do, how and when to do it or do we hold the key to our own lives???

Many people feel the need to blame the universe or their surroundings when things are not going the way they hoped. It is a defense mechanism that relieves pressure from their own heavy shoulders. However, the reality of the matter is that we do hold the map to our own lives and we can control what happens to us. If we are determined and motivated hard enough to work from getting to Point A to Point B,  we sure can accomplish what we set our minds to do without allowing any negative thoughts seep them.

Speaking from personal experience, I have seen friends and family who live in the Projects, in the Bronx who decide to quit on school and simply work at any minimum wage job they can find. This is due to the created idea in their head that they can not obtain anything greater for themselves. Their reality is that they honestly believe that their life has already been planned for them the moment they were born or for many immigrants who live under these conditions, the moment they came to "the land of the free." The sad truth is that they are the ones that are not letting their own desired plans and unspoken dreams take control because of the feeling that they can not control what has already been set in stone, but if they only knew where their hard motivation could have taken them...