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xxxafterglow · 09-28-2007, 05:14 AM

serlindsipity - it sounds like you're working on an art project????

I have to put on my Fine Arts major hat here and suggest that you start rethinking your idea and be EXTREMELY specific about the critical point you are making.

It's common for works dealing with themes of "White Guilt" to be so cliche as to further promote the ideas they are criticizing (e.g. White people have the privilege of feeling guilt and therefore have the privilege of forgiving themselves for injustices done against other people). Dances With Wolves and The Last Samurai present the idea that some White people were good and came to the rescue of the oppressed. Ok, do you feel the irony that the Last SAMURAI is some white dude parading around with a big sword? Even Memoirs of a Geisha falls prey to the same old Oriental cliches. It's the white man's fantasy of old Asia which is, to put it succinctly, a crock of shit.

By the way, it's worth noting that market globalization is the new imperialism. There's a lot to be said about the way the fact that kids in Asia want to eat McDonalds or how ethnic trends are co-opted, packaged and marketed in the West as the "next big thing" (see Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Girls). Whatever you want to say about laissez-faire capitalism, I hate seeing all these freaking Starbucks' where they shouldn't be (they finally shut down the one in the Forbidden City, woot).

Anyway, I just wanted to point out that you are dealing with a very hairy issue. I'd suggest starting with one instance you find interesting and exploring that in-depth. Read up on the meaning of imperialism. Read up on contemporary instances of imperialism (you do want your piece to be relevant to today and not a shallow rehash of some historical event). Find a story that you care enough about to WANT to research it extensively.

It's a deep issue that is still a reality for many people; don't treat it lightly.

09-28-2007, 05:14 AM	#30 (permalink)
xxxafterglow Crazy Location: Berlin	serlindsipity - it sounds like you're working on an art project???? I have to put on my Fine Arts major hat here and suggest that you start rethinking your idea and be EXTREMELY specific about the critical point you are making. It's common for works dealing with themes of "White Guilt" to be so cliche as to further promote the ideas they are criticizing (e.g. White people have the privilege of feeling guilt and therefore have the privilege of forgiving themselves for injustices done against other people). Dances With Wolves and The Last Samurai present the idea that some White people were good and came to the rescue of the oppressed. Ok, do you feel the irony that the Last SAMURAI is some white dude parading around with a big sword? Even Memoirs of a Geisha falls prey to the same old Oriental cliches. It's the white man's fantasy of old Asia which is, to put it succinctly, a crock of shit. By the way, it's worth noting that market globalization is the new imperialism. There's a lot to be said about the way the fact that kids in Asia want to eat McDonalds or how ethnic trends are co-opted, packaged and marketed in the West as the "next big thing" (see Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Girls). Whatever you want to say about laissez-faire capitalism, I hate seeing all these freaking Starbucks' where they shouldn't be (they finally shut down the one in the Forbidden City, woot). Anyway, I just wanted to point out that you are dealing with a very hairy issue. I'd suggest starting with one instance you find interesting and exploring that in-depth. Read up on the meaning of imperialism. Read up on contemporary instances of imperialism (you do want your piece to be relevant to today and not a shallow rehash of some historical event). Find a story that you care enough about to WANT to research it extensively. It's a deep issue that is still a reality for many people; don't treat it lightly. __________________ Uh huh her.