bathroom literature

of all the things to read on the walls of a bathroom stall--

today i notice a 'who should be president' political debate

in pen, pencil, and varying penmanship

running half the width of the door, and three quarters of the way down.

sub culture

Naomi Klein in No Logo writes a chapter (12) on Culture Jamming. culture jamming is described as "the practice of parodying advertisements and hijacking billboards in order to drastically alter their messages. (280)" it "baldly rejects the idea that marketing--because it buys its way into our public spaces--must be passively accepted as a one-way information flow. (281)" Jammers essentially want people to look closer at the message the advertisement is really giving.

there is much argument about the ways to 'culture jam' and whether it is always the effective route; or even what the reasoning behind the jam itself is. there are two primary reasons to jam. the aforementioned reclamation of public space, and the moral/ethical questioning of: 1) the message the advertisement is distributing, 2) the corporate practices (i.e. use of sweat shops, unfair lay-offs, etc).

culture jamming is illustrated in an act against billboards/advertisements. but the idea of acting against an image, by overlaying it, stripping it down, or acting out against it in provocative or controversial ways interests me.

what would making a product and packaging it to closely resemble a popular item be called? theft? infringement? a lack of creativity? good marketing? i'm sure there is an actual term. could it be culture neutralizing? adding to the clutter (a marketer's concern).

if the product was good and wholesome? does the above answer change?

strolling through a "christian supply" store (which i go back and forth on how i feel about that name) i see what? the use of pop culture as a medium to connect people to good and wholesome products? a provision to satisfy trends? sales strategy? a resource? neutralization? recourse? an attempt to re-image (okay, that may be a stretch). other?

is it "just business" leslie... it is the harmless distribution of products..? could be. and why would it matter.

utter randomness

it has been a while since i posted from my purple journal, a poem, or excerpt from some 'project'. and it is friday (a day, if any, traditionally set for that sort of thing). nothing would be recent. i can't remember when i penned my last poem.

i dig out my purple journal--ah, there is nate's lock combination hastily scribbled on the inside cover... alas, nothing new--and nothing i would post here.

i should post something
light-hearted and fun
today anyway. i could replicate
a conversation
sean and i had this morning,
but then you
would wonder if the blog had been
pirated
by a 7th grader's sense of humor
(euphemistic tendencies).
yeah, i'll spare you.
but, it was fun.
i like that kind of
unguarded silliness.

trade

'trading on assumptions' came to mind the other day, and not without the influence of this pop culture course i'm taking. much dwells on the ideas of images, commodities, mediums, and what is 'real'.

i think that many would say that to assume something about another is not really the wisest course (ass-u-me). 'profiling' would have a negative connotation; even as we meticulously fill out profiles on our pages.

and why would we insist on meticulousness (spend 20 minutes on diction)? because we're good students and follow instructions well? hardly. we don't want others to make mistake; you are rounding yourself out; giving pertinent information. maybe the valuable practice of providing connections with people. fill in the spaces with specificity. if you know yourself, it is reflexive, it is easy?--filled spaces reflect this? what about the idea of filling spaces to avoid room for assumption to enter?

not leave room....i think we make sure that the image is one we could trade on ("to see me is to know me" and surely we'll both benefit from this knowledge) is an image solely about drawing out assumptions? no. can it be used to secure an assumption? of course. do we use this?

do i dress as a way to express my aesthetic values? because this is what i can afford? it was a present/free? it's code? i need for you to know something about me? my ethos demands it? i was told any other way implied negative consequences? expected? obviously the answer can be yes to more than a few.

if you were to percentage yourself, how much is individual expression and how much is 'trade'? by 'trade' i mean: depending on others to draw conclusions about multiple aspects of me: my thoughts, beliefs, actions.... and then i would add to the grid the different locations where life takes place (work, home, weekends, church). the box would ask two simple questions changes? doesn't change? as compared to home (and home as in "own home" not "parents home").

there has been scorn expressed (in my pop culture discussion group) over people purchasing complete images; even more than just becoming an image through a lifestyle (in which you accumulate accessories to promote the overall expression). i agree that it does speak to a lack of personal creativity; but conviction? i'm not sure if it warrants as much disdain.

in the daily marketplace, amidst the various layers of our interactions and intra-actions, we are multi-dimensional persons. it is a quick paced, heavily populated world. the short-cut; we are "job interview" away from a relationship that could matter?

i am not trading on an assumption, thinking you might understand what i mean, where this is coming from, or where this is going.

going...i could just say outright that in typing this out (coherently or no)---if 'trading' is common and not solely unacceptable (via the majority vote)---what about "fake it until we make it?" and what about the pay off?--a heard-of dilemma: authentic image, projected image; etiquette/code and "what is the big deal anyway"?___i would think on most sides it could come down to "its a point of pride"--my answer (and the comfort in which i make it).

action figure

is there something you do that reaffirms your 'you-ness'? if you were to not do this, you would start to feel a disconnect from yourself, resulting in a glance in the mirror and wondering who that blank gaze belongs to, and a depression in a more general sense?

does such a something exist? and if it does; why do you think that is?

what do you think about action affecting identity? not, 'what you do says who you are'; but what you do/don't do causes you to feel about who it is that you are. action in the enclosure of yourself; without considering others, or the consideration of others. addictions, i believe, function in this way. i'm thinking of a more positive facet; an aspect of your human condition existing in a life.

if i do not do ______ i begin to realize that i do not feel like myself (whether you have a clearly defined self, or no).