22nd Mar 2007
catching up on my blog posts
I’m no better than my students. Here it is, a couple of hours before class, and here I am, blogging the posts my students assigned (they’re leading paired discussions in Basic Skills, and assigning blog posts to go with them):
OK, the first presentation had to do with if I think there are hidden or deeper messages in fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood or Beauty and the Beast. Kenny and Taryn presented alternate versions of each, which had to do with darker intensities — like what if the wolf was just a hairy man and he had sex with Red? Or what if Beast left Beauty because it was so important to her that he turn back into the handsome prince? Well, the sex one makes me cringe a bit because this is a story we think of as pure and innocent, a girl finding her way through a dark forest and yet I have to be aware that one of the dangers that lurks for a girl wandering alone is possible rape. Red is fragile, a potential victim, and for some reason the story appeals because of that. So yes, I must admit that there are underlying meanings to any of these stories — Cinderella will be saved not through her own abilities but the intervention of a fairy godmother, Belle has every right to want the outside of the Beast to match the wonderful person he is, and in Peter Pan, Wendy is the responsible one. Interesting, indeed.
The other group presented on the phenomenon of American Idol, wondering what is behind the overwhelming popularity and the strangely inept voting system. I really don’t know, but given that I know waaaaaay more about Antonella than I ever wanted to, this show is a machine that just keeps on working. Do I think it’s about looks? Of course. Should the voting system be changed to voting someone off the island? Hell yes. Vote them all off, actually. Short of the auditions, which are supposed to be painful, the whole thing is much bigger than it deserves to be and twice as shudderingly bad. Fox has preempted a whole week of television (along with it, House and my love Hugh Laurie) and I could give three turds in a box about the winner of the contest. That being said, I also know that Chris Daughtry and many others who don’t actually win go on to do quite well. But did it have to take over everything? And can’t you find another woman besides Paula Abdul to be on the panel? She’s really too silly for words.
It’s encouraging to know that our leaders , pastors, professors, administrators, etc. all go through the same things as their subordinate. You’re human! YAY!
Paula Abdul has no original thoughts!
End of conversation