Dystopia

Dystopia:

from Ancient Greek: δυσ-: bad-, ill- and Ancient Greek: τόπος: place, landscape

(alternatively, cacotopia,[1] or anti-utopia)

-in literature, an often futuristic society that has degraded into a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian. (wikipedia.org)

I have read and seen many other dystopian texts. My favorite by far is a young adult book called Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix. If you've seen the movie The Village by M. Night Shyamalan, then you basically know the plotline of this book (by the way, Haddix's book came out first). If you haven't seen the movie, then Running Out of Time is a novel about a community living in the confines of a reconstructed 1840's village when a diphtheria epidemic breaks out among the children. In the beginning of the novel, the people seem content to be there, but it is soon revealed that everyone is being kept there against their will. When Jessie, the protagonist, escapes to find medicine in the modern world (1996), she's forced to adapt to the reality of new technology and social interaction.

Super Sad True Love Story is a dystopian novel because it plays on common themes that mark a dystopia. Like Haddix's novel, Shteyngart focuses on the social decline, but SSTLS also puts particular emphasis on consumerism. Whereas in George Orwell's 1984, the control of the government was to be feared, nowadays, the obsessive need for more is more pressing. In a large part, the economic roller coaster that America is on is indicative of the connection to politics. SSTLS touches on this theme as the American state is completely controlled by the whims of Asian influence. Lenny Abramov is the unlikely (and somewhat tragic) hero that strains against the lack of intimacy and emotion that marks his world. Eunice Park becomes an outlet for his affections.

Intertextuality

INTERTEXTUALITY

Intertextuality is the shaping of a text by one or more texts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertextuality). This makes me think of the saying that "we are all a product of our times". I think that, not only does Diaz make frequent reference to fantasy lore--Dungeons and Dragons, Dr. Who, and many other texts--he references history as a text. A good amount of the admittedly opinionated footnotes are references to historical places or events. These historical stories shape the novel and the ways in which the characters interact with each other. The era of Trujillo, in many ways, traps the Dominican people into a cycle of machismo and violence. Ironically, Oscar de Leon chooses "the Genres" and intelligence that is often ridiculed. He becomes a product of a different aspect of the times through otakuness. The text also feeds back into itself as an intertext. The story of Oscar's mother, Belicia, and the fuku that follws them is a story within a story that contributes in its own way as well.

Postmodernism?

I, too, have listened to teachers talk about postmodernism without understanding what it meant in a literary sense. I have taken art history, so I understand the significance of the artistic postmodern movement. There are certain similarities and differences between the two. Both seem to have evolved with the rising tide of capitalism and the recession of religion as a prominent force in the world. However, literary postmodernism, for the most part, has added a certain amount of duplicity to the written word. DeLillo plays heavily upon the postmodernist ideals in his piece, Mao II. In every conversation, there rarely seems to be a unity of the characters' thoughts. In the rare situation that the characters can focus on the same subject while together, their respective realities and/or opinions on the situation fragment what could be a meaningful exchange.

In all the definitions or explanations of postmodernism that I have read, I have found no real definition of it. Any attempt at a concrete definition of postmodernism would defeat the point of the movement. Postmodernism focuses on the individual experience and differing perspectives that may (but more than often probably will not) coalesce into a collective reality. I, for the most part, do not understand the use of a literary or artistic style that does not make an attempt to be profound or seek to unify. Yes, the individual is important, but the group can be important as well, so a healthy amount of skepticism is always necessary. Postmodernism in its purest form can become its own meta-narrative.

Test Your Might! (Blog #13)

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Corporate Free Speech - Chris Dodd
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Skate Expectations

Money shouldn't be in the American political system. But, of course, that's being unrealistic. Candidates have to campaign or, put simply, advertise themselves. Advertisements on a national scale take a lot of funds. Unfortunately, allowing donations broke the seal on Pandora's box and when corporations got their hands on it they unleashed the chaos within.

I remember hearing that money was a "new form of speech" when watching the Colbert Report last year. It dumbfounded me. It was the most idiotic and asinine thing I had ever heard in my life. But, as Stephen began to explain the situation in his satirical way, I understood. It was just another turn of the screw of a principle that I knew all too well: if you have enough money, you can control whatever you want. And corporations have a lot of money to put behind politicians.

Now, corporate money could be a good thing if it was a benevolent donation, but it's not. It usually comes with a whole lot of nudging, but more often, it's a done deal. There's nothing democratic about these dealings. The whole "e pluribus unum" crap we live by is a lie. There are good people and bad, there seems to be more bad than good. If there weren't, then more laws would serve the interests of the common people and stick instead of being repealed to serve the interests of a corporation.

The popular vote doesn't mean much if the electoral votes don't reflect it. How much of politics is just going through the motions for outward appearances? How much happens behind the scenes? Only the all-seeing eye knows. And, ironically, it's riding on the back of some big dollar bills.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree (Blog #12)

In choosing what type of business you want to work for, there are some things to consider. Family businesses may offer a more relaxed working environment, but there are somethings that small business owners just can't offer. Corporations often come with a 401K plan along with dental and/or health insurance. In terms of job security, the corporation is probably equally matched with a smaller business. In a family restaurant, or something of the like, that particular business could go under due to competition. All of that pressure is on the shoulders of the owner. In an organization, job security is minimal as well even though you're more likely to lose your job due to cutbacks than an expired lease.

In Natasha Werther's case, I feel that what makes Kinko's "a nasty old corporation" (77) is the fact that their lack of morals is so profound that it extends to their employees. Werther even says that the biggest issue at Kinko's is making sure that their employees don't steal from them. Maybe the constant surveillance makes the employees want to act out; maybe the cameras are there to keep certain people from acting out. In the long run, it probably doesn't matter anyway, because employees steal from the company anyway. They steal supplies from the store for personal projects.

Corporations make exploitation seem permissible and, in turn, they breed employees that find it permissible as well. The corporation thinks only of itself and its employees think only for themselves. But is this the fault of the corporation or that of the people?

The Great Stromboli! (Blog # 11)

I've never wondered about what a corporation is. Bakan describes a corporation as "a legal institution, one whose existence depends upon...[pursuing] relentlessly...its own self-interest" (1). They are abominations and they have as unnatural a relationship as a puppeteer and a puppet. A puppet master animates the tool of his trade, he does not imbue it with life. Perhaps that is why Louis Baker refers to corporations as “Frankenstein monsters” (19). The corporation does not follow the "natural order" of things. The conventional business hierarchy would have the government at the helm, but with the advent of the corporation, the government had to answer to something other than itself, something less worthy. It essentially handed over its power when it upheld the machinations of the corporation. In doing so, it made a monster.

Take the tobacco company for instance. Nowadays, there is a campaign against the tobacco company called truth. Through humor and shock they have been trying to bring that particular corporation to its knees. When you think about it, the CEOs of Marlboro and other brands are marketing death. What is even more sad is that people buy into it. Between 1930 and 1950, the side effects of smoking were not extensively studied. In literature and media of the time, everyone had a neatly rolled cig between their fingers. But since then, some of the glamour seems to have worn off.

The corporation is like a Frankenstein monster. Frankenstein was given eternal life. Though the tobacco company is not at its prime anymore, it has not gone under. Why is that? Is the corporation immortal? One thing is for certain: it already pulls the strings of the world's political leaders.

"Oh Brave New World with Such [Things] in it" (Blog #9)

There are not a lot of things I can think of that affects workers in a bad way. Most of the technological improvements I think of in the medical field do conflict with some of my ethical ideals; however, biotechnology often does. Something about other humans playing God just doesn't sit right with people. Take the work of Gabor Forgacs for instance:



I don't see this doing anything bad for workers. If anything, it would open up another position in healthcare for analysts and operators.

About the only kind of thing that impacts workers in a negative way would be the Nintendo Wii, and even that's a stretch. Assuming that physical therapy or physical fitness can be considered a distant form of the healthcare field, then I suppose that videogames could be putting some people out of work. Imagine a physical therapy clinic where, instead of many therapists for many people, there was only one therapist who relied upon the help of a videogame to cater to many clients. A machine cannot provide the human connection and motivation that some people need to heal. "I only said it was lovely here because … well, because progress is lovely, isn't it?" ~Brave New World