Saturday Night Live Political Skits

Political spoofs have been a part of media culture for ages and nobody does it better than the cast members of Saturday Night Live.  Every Saturday, without fail, they have a skit that is devoted to mocking the politicians of the United States, as well as other countries.  Even in SNL’s first season, the cast was performing political skits.  The premiere season in 1976 had Chevy Chase acting scenes as a clumsy presidential candidate Gerald Ford.  Chase later said in interviews that he wanted Jimmy Carter to beat Ford in the presidential election, which is part of the reason why he mocked Ford on the show.  Ford may have been one of the first, but he is certainly not the last politician to be mocked on SNL.  Nobody is off limits and everybody from President Obama to Hosni Mubarak is fair game for the political skits. 

The question that I want to know is how do these political skits affect voters?  Are uneducated or undecided voters swayed by the way the cast members portray these politicians?  If that is the case, perhaps the Democrats have an unfair advantage.  SNL is known for having a strongly Democrat cast, if not entirely made up of Democrats and they have a tendency to poke fun at Republicans in their skits.  Tina Fey’s impression of Sarah Palin on SNL has become immortalized and people are still talking about this impression, years after Fey retired from SNL.  Her impression of Palin was mentioned as recently as last Sunday night at the 2012 Emmy Awards.  

But that does not mean that the writers of SNL only make fun of Republicans.  During the 2011 SNL season when Obama’s ratings were really low, there were repeated skits mocking our president.  Fred Armisen portrayed Obama in scenes and mocked the way he spoke and his mannerisms, portraying Obama as almost an idiot who didn’t really know what he was doing in office.  The portrayals and skits about Obama are not the harshest and most straightforward criticisms of the President, but one can tell there is some underlying frustration with the President in such skits.

Just this Saturday, Seth Meyers did a segment on the weekly skit “Weekend Update” called “What Are You Doing” that was directed at Obama.  In the skit, Meyers pointedly asked Obama what he was doing in his political campaign after the president made the comment “You can’t change Washington from the inside, you can only change it from the outside.”  Meyers was asking Obama why he was putting his foot in his mouth, especially when Romney had made Obama look better by making himself look stupid that same week.  Meyers described Obama as “the criminal who gets away with murder and then starts sending the cops puzzles to figure it out”.  The skit was also critical of Romney, but it is an example of how the cast members and writers of SNL will poke fun at members of all parties.  A link to the video is below.      

These examples bring me back to my previous question of how these skits affect the voters and public opinions of the politicians they make fun of.  I believe that there are many people that draw conclusions about politicians and can even be swayed as to whom to vote for from information they receive from popular culture.  The majority of the views expressed are biased and Hollywood is known for being mainly composed of democrats, perhaps leading the younger generation, who are strongly influenced by these people, to vote democrat.  SNL cast member Kate McKinnon references this idea of the cool and popular Hollywood stars supporting Obama this past week when she portrays Ann Romney and says that as a republican, the only famous people she gets to meet are Jon Voigt, while the Obamas, as democrats, get to hang out with Jay-Z and Beyonce (video link below).  Celebrities, like Chelsea Handler on her late night television show, use their fame as a platform for expressing their opinions and promoting certain political candidates.  When she calls her viewers who vote or support Romney idiots and helping to ruin our country, she is influencing the minds of those who have not decided on who to vote for yet.  When a popular actor like Ryan Gosling is pictured wearing an Obama t-shirt, his political opinions are expressed and influence those who admire him.  If you watched Chelsea Handler's show or loved Ryan Gosling and you see who they are voting for, want to be cool like them, and you are undecided, you would probably vote for Obama after remarks like that. 

Because Americans are so engrossed with celebrities and popular culture, the politicians that are supported by the rich and the famous have a huge advantage.  They have a huge influence on voters.  Young voters may think that it is “cool” to vote for one candidate over another simply because a certain celebrity that they admire promotes that candidate.  Obviously celebrities have every right to express their views as to which politician they support, but sometimes they take it a little too far.  They should understand that they are in the public eye and that their biased views are going to be heard by a lot of people and to remember that when they express their opinions.  When they make harsh comments about one politician over another, they are making a strong statement that is going to be heard and read by millions of people and that statement is going to have consequences.  I am not saying that I don’t think celebrities should be allowed to express their opinion or that people like the cast members of SNL should not do political skits.  No matter if it is a democrat or a republican that is being promoted or being mocked, it is in my opinion that Hollywood needs to be a little less biased and perhaps promote voting in general, not matter who it is for.  Remind everyone to vote because it is a right that not all people have and that many people fought just for us to have this right.  They should spend more time stressing the importance of voting, than promoting their political opinions    

SNL Weekend Update- Ann Romney

SNL Weekend Update- Obama

Les Miserables

So I know that what I am about to post is not necessarily related to politics, but in a way it is.  I just saw this movie clip that is all about the making of the new Les Miserables movie and I had to share it with somebody, so I am sharing it on my blog!  The story IS related to politics because it takes place in France before and during the June Rebellion, also known as the Paris Uprising in 1832.  The musical is based off of Victor Huge's novel Les Miserables, which is very famous and well known.  It is a great literary example of taking a historical event and writing a novel based off of it.  It follows many different characters around, including a young man named Marius who is a student and also apart of the Paris Uprising in 1832.  This uprising was a rebellion by the Parisian Republicans, a group that was largely composed of students, who were fighting against the monarchy.  Many of the scenes take place on a barricade that has been set by the students and members of the rebellion to protect themselves against the monarchy and their soldiers.  

I am so incredibly excited for this movie!  I love musicals and I think this movie looks like it is incredibly well made.  Just wanted to share with y'all! Enjoy!

War

In class on Monday we discussed a television show from the 1960s that aired in Poland.  It was on tv during the Cold War and huge reason for this tv show was to influence the way the Polish viewed the Russians.  The government wanted to remind the Polish that even though the Russians may be invading their country and attempting to enforce their rules, at one point in time, they were the ones who saved Poland.  They were the liberators and that was important for people in Poland remember, especially as the Russians starting becoming the invaders.

The class discussion got me thinking on the importance of images.  Not necessarily propaganda images, but images of war.  I think that many times, as Americans, we separate ourselves from the brutality and the ugliness of war.  The Civil War in the 1800s was the last time we had a war on our soil, with the exception of the attack on Pearl Harbor.  I have grown up in a generation who has known war, but only from a distance.  And as long as I keep the news turned off and limit what I look at in magazines and on the internet, I do not have to be reminded of the horrible things that are going on.  I can remain ignorant to it.  I think that this is wrong.  I think that we need to be continually reminded of war.  We need to be reminded of what the men and women of the armed services are fighting for, even if we do not agree with it.  I think that many Americans have become desensitized to the violence of war because of movies and video games, but I can only hope that the actual images from battle seem to shock us back into reality.  I think it is important for us to see these images because it makes it real and it helps us to understand the sacrifices people are making.  It reminds us that not everyone has it easy and we are very fortunate to live in the country that we do.

Whenever I see an armed service man or woman, like in the airport, I make it a point to thank them for their service.  I cannot even begin to imagine the horrors that they have seen and I will forever be grateful for the sacrifices they have made to protect me.

I think that Americans need to educate themselves on war and they can start by looking at the images from it.  Only when we have a complete understand of war and what it is we are fighting for, can we make a decision as to whether we think it is right or wrong; as to whether we not we think it is something worth fighting for.

    

Facebook

My newsfeed on my Facebook has been going crazy these last couple weeks with comments, statuses, picture postings, etc about politics and the election.  Basically anything and everything that has to do with the election is being broadcasted by my friends on my newsfeed.  It is funny to me that Facebook has really evolved into a public forum for people to post their opinions on political and social issues.  It is no longer a place just for people to connect and post pictures and updates on their lives; it has become a means of social activism, a soapbox for everyone to share their views with their Facebook friends.  You name it, one of my friends on Facebook has probably posted a status about it.  To be honest, it gets quite annoying to be constantly inundated with uneducated (majority of the time, at least) opinions about politicians, political views and statements, essentially anything that relates to the election.  But it is their right to be able to post whatever they want on Facebook... that is freedom of speech for you!  No matter what your views or how much knowledge or lack of knowledge you may have on a subject, it is your right as an American to be able to post as much as you want on Facebook about said views and beliefs.  It is just my opinion that typically these posts are written by people who are not educated on the topic and are speaking simply from a place of emotion and using words that they may have heard their parents say or something that they read online. 

A perfect example would be my roommate from my sophomore year of college.  During the 2008 election, she was all for Obama and his preachings about change and new hope.  She did not know anything about his political views or what it makes a Democrat or a Republican, but she saw people talking about how great Obama was on different social media websites like Twitter and Facebook and she was suddenly a Democrat and a huge supporter of Obama.  And then one day, her dad saw one of her Facebook statuses about Obama and the great changes he was going to be making for this country and was not pleased with his daughters uneducated Facebook statuses.  Her father is a Republican and is educated on political issues and needless to say, he put my roommate in her place and educated her about what Obama's election would mean for his company and how it would effect her personally.  She instantly changed her views and became super anti-Obama.  She voted for McCain in the 2008 election.  Four years later, I can't help but wonder who her vote will go to?

  

I feel like this is a classic case of how Facebook has become a way for people, who do not really know much about politics, to rant and rave about their political opinions.  There are, of course, people on Facebook who ARE educated about politics and the government, but I feel like they are not really the ones posting their views.  It is the people who hear something on TV or see another Facebook post that seems educated and correct in it's political statement and these people, in turn, feel like they need to post it as well to prove that they are politically savvy.   Those people who understand politics rarely post, in my opinion, because they don't want to get into a long diatribe over Facebook with the idiots who pretend to know what is going on.  It may be a harsh opinion, but it is mine.

Facebook has also become a perfect way for political parties to sway and get the vote from the younger generation who are using Facebook.  I think a huge reason why my roommate became all about Obama in 2008 was because she was constantly seeing the posts about him and thought, "Wow, he must be a great candidate if so many people are posting information about him!".  I have "liked" both the Obama and Romney pages of Facebook in order to see what they are posting about and it is a constant stream of pictures and short quotes from the politicians, all trying to win the favor of the younger voters.  Below is a chart that I have found that illustrates how the different parties use social network sites.  It seems to be pretty much even across the board as to who uses these websites more.  All parties are using social networks to their advantage and it appears to be working.  

  

The Berlin Wall

Today during our discussion of dissent and propaganda, we discussed the Berlin Wall.  This past April I went to Berlin while I was touring around Europe with my best friend.  Everyone is familiar with the story of the Berlin Wall.  It is something that is taught in history classes and the image of the Berlin Wall coming down is one that most people are familiar with.  It is one of those seminal moments in history that many things are compared to, such as the removal of Saddam Hussein's statue being pulled down in Baghdad.  But even though everyone is familiar with the story of the Berlin Wall, I don't think many people really understand how this wall profoundly impacted every single citizen in Berlin.  I just really wanted to share my previous knowledge and experience after I visited the Berlin Wall Memorial in Berlin, Germany.

Prior to my visit to Berlin, my knowledge of the Berlin Wall was the standard information that is learned during a high school and college history class.  I knew that it was a wall that was built in Berlin during the Cold War, dividing East Berlin (controlled by the Soviet Union) and West Berlin (controlled by the Allies).  I knew that people were rarely allowed to travel between the two cities and that families were torn apart.  I knew that the Berlin Wall did not come down until 1989.  There were many things that I did not know.

My friend Liz and I were staying at a hostel in Rosenthaler Platz (The Circus Hostel in Berlin is amazing if anybody goes to Berlin!!).  We are both very interested in history and knew that we wanted to visit some of the sights of the Berlin Wall and were fortunate that our hostel was only a short walk from the Berlin Wall Memorial near Bernauer Strasse.  Visiting this memorial really put everything into perspective for me and brought the whole history of the wall into a new light.  The memorial was an incredibly powerful statement.  I looked out and saw where the wall ran and looked at images of how it grew from a simple brick wall to one that was large and concrete with barbed wire on the top with fully fortified walls and watch towers to observe the other side, reminding me of a war zone.We spent a couple of hours reading the information at the exhibit, looking at images, hearing and watching first hand accounts, and looking at actual pieces of the wall, including the death strip where people were shot trying to escape from East Berlin into West Berlin.  It may sound naive, but I was so completely unaware of how these citizens lives were so completely halted and ruined, how they were separated from their jobs and loved ones, from their lives and everything that they knew.  Like most people my age, I knew the history of the wall and I knew that it separated families, but I do not think you really understand the actual extent of it until you are actually in Berlin.  It goes from being a history lesson that you hear in class, to something tangible and very scary.  The stories that I read and the images that I saw of people jumping out of windows and crawling under barbed wire to try and escape East Berlin will forever be ingrained into my mind.  The wall was essentially built in the course of a couple of days and nobody really understood what was going on until it was too late.  I cannot even begin to imagine the terror that the citizens of Berlin must have felt when this wall went up and the misery and sorrow they must of felt for multiple decades while this wall remained up.

There are so many stories of separation by the Berlin Wall that we are unaware of; stories that really helped my friend and I understand the impact it made on peoples' lives.  The memorial is located by a church that was essentially split in half by the Berlin Wall.  Families could no longer visit the graves of their loved ones because the graveyard was on the other side of the wall.  I think about stories like that and how heartbreaking it would be to not be able to visit my mom's grave.  It just breaks my heart when I think about it.  Liz and I stood at a memorial with images of each 136 people who were killed at the wall and listened to their names and stories being read aloud and it brought us to tears.  It is something that I will never forget.

I think it is important for us to remember the Berlin Wall and for us to be reminded of the image of it coming down.  It was a huge moment in history and in the lives of countless people.  It was a moment that the world will never forget and it is moments like that, when evil is torn down and lives are put back together, that need to happen more often.  Human beings are capable of some sick and horrific things and we need to remember what mankind has been through and remember the history in order to prevent such things from happening again.  It is these images, like the ones associated with the Berlin Wall, that hit us emotionally and will hopefully remind us of where the world has been and where we don't want to end up again.  We are a society that is driven by images and we need to continue to use them as a reminder for our past, present, and future.

Below are pictures that I took at the Berlin Wall Memorial.

 

Support The Arts!

On Wedesday night I attended a lecture with guest speaker Blithe Riley.  Riley is an artist and activist who has been heavily involved with the Occupy Wall Street movement, as well as multiple branches off of that movement.  I found her lecture to be very enlightening and educating.  It may sound naïve, but I was completely unaware of how greatly involved New York artists were, and many still today, with the Occupy Wall Street movement.  I left the lecture with so much more knowledge of the art world and what people are trying to do to fix the problems within it.  I was completely unaware of so many of the things that she discussed, like Sotheby’s record profits during a recession and how they locked out 42 of their art handlers/teamsters.  I was incredibly grateful to be able to listen to Riley speak and educate us on art and activism.    

Riley spoke a great deal about the Arts & Labor group, who operates from the Occupy Wall Street movement.  On their website they say, “Arts & Labor is a working group… We are artists and interns, writers and educators, art handlers and designers, administrators, curators, assistants, and students.  We are all art works and members of the 99%.  Arts & Labor is dedicated to exposing and rectifying economic inequalities and exploitative working conditions in our fields through direct action and educational initiatives.”  After perusing their website, I must admit that I am thoroughly impressed by this organization.  They have really taken it upon themselves to unify and fight for people in the art world.  I admire that this organization is educating themselves, as well as other art workers, in order to be able to intelligently fight for the rights of all art workers.  They want us (I include myself in the category because I am an art history graduate student) to be paid for our work, whether it is internships, exhibitions, or writing.  Arts & Labor wants their ideas to be shared and for solidarity to be built among art communities all over the nation.  They encourage people to meet together, to speak their minds about problems and potential solutions, and to educate themselves as well as each other.    

I think that this organization and their beliefs are so important to the art world.  There are so many artists, interns, students, teachers, etc who are not supported or paid for the work that they are doing.  It is important for us to stick together and work as one for the greater good.  Perhaps by doing so, we can take art away from the “cultural elite” and bring it back to the people.  She reminded us in her presentation that the arts should be free for all; it should not just be for those who can afford it.  I believe that the arts need to be brought back into our lives, and the place to do that is in our schools.  Children need to be challenged and allowed to express themselves creatively from a young age.  If it were not for the fact that my school county had a magnet program called the Center for the Humanities where we studied the arts, I would not have found my love for art history.  I would probably be suffering my way through medical school (if I could have gotten in) because that is what my parents suggested I do. 

All of this talk of activism in the art world is good, but the ideas need to be acted upon.  And without the support from our government, we will never see the necessary changes.  I would like to hear a political candidate talk about supporting the arts.  I realize that politicians have an endless number of things that they should support, but the arts are a huge part of our daily life and culture.  I would like to see one of them say that they believe in and support the things that Arts & Labor or other organizations like them stand for.  I would vote for that candidate.   

Visit their website! 

http://artsandlabor.org/