LYCHEE: Corporate- and self-delusion

Alzarin’s comment to my protecting birth control entry forced me to contemplate from where I keep myself informed (or at least attempt to do so) and how do I choose what sources to trust. While teaching a unit on media literacy, frustration abounded as I discovered not only my students’ lack of thought about where media messages came from (I cannot say for sure that at age 15 I had a clear concept of what an ad agency does – and most adults probably do not either), but at their lack of awareness of how the media intentionally manipulates them into thinking or acting in the creators’ (not the viewers’) best interest. Of course, as the teacher and adult, I like to think that I know better. I found it hard to teach this unit and these concepts without falling into a depressing cynicism. Maybe I am just blindly choosing a different wolf in sheep’s clothing. It can’t be all that bad, can it? If there is not good in the world, then what is the point in doing what I am doing, unless it is to breed a generation of conspiracy theorists? Winter break came along and saved us all from this unit, but clearly, the issues are still taunting me.

For instance, who to believe regarding these issues I started writing about yesterday?

I read an article on Alternet.org, “Miracle Malpractice,” as which recalled an email exchange between Alizarin and I last week. Is everything in our lives a form of propaganda meant to use us as pawns in the game of corporate gain? In the article, Dr. Deyo, being interviewed about a book he co-wrote, says:

The problem with me-too drugs is a big one. Me-too drugs are chemically very similar to other drugs already available, yet they are typically marketed as if they were important new breakthroughs, and typically with very high prices. We found in many cases that new, expensive me-too drugs are not necessarily better than older generic and less expensive drugs. Because new and heavily marketed drugs seem like they must be better, manufacturers can command higher prices. That is an important driver of drug costs.

Moreover, he connects this to the commercialization of actual medical services:

I argue we should be trying to get the most health care for the most people as opposed to getting every last minute of life for an individual who may have a terminal illness. But words like "rationing" are taboo. We can't talk about it. . . .

The problem is that well-insured patients are pulled away from community hospitals that offer a full range of services and those hospitals may find it harder to stay in business. Emergency room care, burn care, and psychiatric care – those are less profitable services that are at risk of disappearing.

This is already happening in Los Angeles where several hospitals closed down emergency rooms, often in neighborhoods that are in most need of them due to violence and poverty that leaves many with emergency rooms as their only choice for health care.

How can I be an informed person if I am getting so many conflicting messages? After all, is Dr. Deyo really concerned about me or just trying to sell a book? What about my doctor? I would like to think she has my best interest at heart, but is she also just an unwitting pawn in the hands of corporate (in this case pharmaceutical companies) propaganda?

To make it worse, last week the supposedly breaking news was that many of our ‘news’ stories are ‘fake.’ What, all those stories I hear on the news are not real?! Here is the email exchange with Alizarin – Video News Releases and Fake News:

Lychee:

Here (KCRW's "To The Point" on 3/15/05) is something I thought you might find interesting, if you already don’t know about video (or audio) news releases. I remember when I first started editing these working in corporate video. VNRs, in fact, are a big source of income for many video production houses. I was surprised, though not shocked, to find that many of the glossy news stories were pre-packaged reporting. After all, who has time to go out and shoot new stories EVERY day? Like why should I chop vegetables, grate cheese, roll the dough myself when I can just pop a ready made pizza in the oven. The shocking part is how much companies (and, according to this talk show, government agencies) spend on these videos (I’ve worked on some that had budgets up to $40,000). Since the government is non-profit and not know for their efficiency, I would not be surprised if they spent double on their versions.

 

Alizarin:

I've heard about the video news releases paid for by the Bush administration. I found it very easy to see happening and I know people who probably are involved in their production on the conservative/*** News crowd side.

When [Alizarin’s hubby] and I saw this last night on the news, [Alizarin’s hubby] mentioned that it's every three months like clockwork to get people all freaked out. . . .

 

Lychee:

[Alizarin’s hubby] had an interesting observation there and I agree. The further we get into the war and our stumbling economy and the further we fall behind in education, the more the media/government work to keep Americans in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety and panic. I guess the thing is that government is paying, but I think I knew that for a long time, on a certain level. Anyway, what bubble have all these people been living in? I find it hard to believe that the host on NPR and certainly any journalist at NYT is just discovering how prevalent VNRs are in news. Anyway, that hubby of yours definitely has his insights. I always thought you just married him for his cooking and boyish looks.

 

Where does our outrage really begin and end? And are the news stations to be blamed? Also, why are we only getting hyped up about this now? For example, anytime I hear any medical or health story on the news, I assume it is a VNR that has been produced and distributed by some pharmaceutical corporation. It might have been sitting around for a week or so and shuffled into today’s news because there were 30 seconds that needed filling. Do I do anything about it? No. What could I do?

Bringing me back to teaching, the one place I might be able to do something by simply talking bout it. It is frightening to read a book like Brave New World with my students and realize that the blindness with which most characters accept their sleep teachings and soma is not one that we can criticize without some hypocrisy. Maybe we each have our choosen 'reliable' sources because it is just too hard to question everything and because we want, in the end, to have the luxury to not have to take on all the responsibility of making blind decisions. As a teacher, I see this is often the easy way out. From yoga, I learn the easiest way is rarely the most rewarding. As a blogger, I have the luxury of not having to have a point at the end of all this.

LYCHEE: Right to choose your birth control!

Call to action from Act for Change website. Sign up to be on their email lists and I will not keep posting them here. Well, maybe if it something really, really crazy, like this. This is just ridiculous. Does this mean that if I don't believe in smoking cigarrettes I can refuse to sell them to smokers? (True,since I work in a school, selling them would be illegal, but lets go back to my days at Blockbuster -- could I refuse to rent movies I think are bad to customers? For instance, that overhyped "Lost in Translation"?) Where does it end? What am I talking about, you ask? Here, as Ms. Keenan already eloquently explains it:

Dear ActForChange Member,

It usually happens like this: a woman goes to her doctor and receives her birth control prescription, and then gets it filled at the pharmacy. Right? Wrong. Welcome to the anti-choice movement’s latest — and most insidious — attack on a woman’s right to choose.

Here’s what’s happening: In as many as 20 states, pharmacies are able to refuse to fill women’s prescriptions for contraception — including the morning-after pill.

It’s truly outrageous. When a woman and her doctor decide that a prescription for contraception is in the woman’s best interest, a third party has no right to override that decision. Pharmacies must ensure that their customers get their doctor-prescribed medication without delay or inconvenience.

Click here to tell our nation’s biggest pharmacies — Wal-Mart, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens and Eckerd — not to stand between a woman and her physician. . . .

Sincerely,
Nancy Keenan, President
NARAL Pro-Choice Americaa

LYCHEE: Here come two more, Steve

Alizarin, I am honored to be invited as a guest writing on Loser Takes All. I think this is an appropriate first every blog entry:

Recently,

I read an article where Steven Levy asked, “Since anyone can write a Weblog, why is the blogosphere dominated by white males?”

Well, Steven, a better question is why are white men so blind to all that is non-white or non-male? Although Levy does address this in his article and challenges the top 100 bloggers (mostly white and male) to link to a non-white or non-male blog, is this not just another way to appease their guilt and put the blame back in the laps of those whose voices are being squashed?

To deconstruct how trite this question is let’s look at things that are not dominated by white males: poverty, homelessness, being victims of rape, being victims of discrimination, yoga classes and peace movements (had to include something no one could argue is undesirable), elementary and secondary school teachers (generally underpaid professions), child care workers, nurses, caretakers, feminism, sub-standard healthcare, anorexia, bulimia, prostitution (except, maybe, as clients?) . . .

True, I have not done any research to support this (besides my time spent as a social work, teacher and activist). It is a hunch. Maybe some white male corporation will pay to do the research to prove me wrong. Then again, with all their money and control and free time, they probably will put it all into contorting reality enough to show me that somehow they are the true victims rather than actually attempting to transform our world for the better.

Back to Mr. Levy’s question. If you look at the factors above that plague mostly women and non-whites, blogging is not as easy and simple as sitting at a computer and writing. We could blog until we are blue in the face (or fingertips) and for most women that will not help them feed their children or pay for healthcare on their own. Who is going to pay for the computer or internet access when the family does not have proper clothing? Who is going to cook, clean, pay the bills, shop, play with the kids while I blog? Even if I do write, unless it is about my private orgasms, I will only be called a virago. White men may think they are dominating the blogosphere because they are smarter, hipper, or otherwise more valuable; however, in reality, they are the only ones who have the time, have all their basic needs met providing endless hours wondering where all the women are online, and have a lack of initiative or awareness to pursue anything other than what reflects your life and beliefs.

Disclaimer: I am not a single mom, or mom of any sort, or living in poverty, though I am a teacher and feminist. I do have full healthcare and would never be mistaken for anorexic or bulimic and have never received money for sex . . . the point is I know that I know this computer on which I type and my lovely apartment where I work and the time I have to sit and type this is a privilege many do not have in our country. So, rather than asking where are all the other women bloggers, the poor, the weary, the underprivileged, the black, Latino/a, Hispanic, Asian, Jewish, Middle-Eastern, and any other non-white-male bloggers waiting to partake in democracy, I will seek out the ones who are there (easier said than done, true) and I will at least try, as an educator, to bring this option to more people. Finally, if I ask questions they will be real ones, like why the hell do we have computers labs at school if they are never open for students to use? (see future entries for links to women bloggers)

LYCHEE: Thank the SUVs

Southern California has apparently (or is damn close) to reaching the title of wettest year ever in the history of record keeping about the wetness of each year. I am so glad all those rumors about global warming are not true. On one hand, I imagine all the SUV owners I daily curse are thinking “I’ve got my money’s worth now.” Or at least the one honking his horn behind me I cautiously proceeded through the monsoon last night. In my economical compact car that gets 30 to 35 mpg I thought it wise to wait and see if they car in front of me made it through the lake in the intersection. At first I felt I should apologize for being so cheap (economical) for not going thousands of dollars in debt and getting an SUV, but then I realized, hey, if it weren’t for guys like the one honking behind me, we might not be getting all this rain. The Universe has poured down on Southern California what it has earned. Taking for granted all the beautiful weather and trees and wealth that so many earn from this beautiful place on earth, flaunting it, wasting it, destroying it with our own egos. I apologize to all the otherwise good people who have convinced themselves that SUVs are not destroying our universe and are not representations of the materialistic, consumerist, egotistical culture of Americans. I really have worked hard to not think badly about you as a whole person. In fact, I have dear friends who drive SUVs. I just don’t get it. They are not sexy or attractive cars. They don’t really fit on the narrow streets of Los Angeles. They don’t fit in the numerous compact parking spots in LA (though many do not seem to realize this). So, if you are working on your plans to seduce me, get a motorcycle or a sleek sports car that cradles you in well-sculpted seats, the kind of car that makes it difficult to keep your hands to yourself. How did this turn into an erotic sports car fantasy. Must be the cute guy sitting across the café. He probably drives a Hummer.

LYCHEE: "Their Eyes Were Watching God" -- The Movie

One of the best aspects of teaching is my own continual education and growth. I recently decided to teach Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God for my 11th grade American Literature class. My goal was to do a unit on the Harlem Renaissance and I wanted to include one novel (all that I could expect my students to get through in a quarter) and female writers. In rereading and researching this novel, I absolutely fell in love with this book and with the genius and vitatlity of Hurston. Many, including her contemporaries, would consdier this an unconventional choice for studying this movement in American literature. I hoped that my students would gain a better understanding of the dynamics that spurred the Harlem Renaissance by grasping the radicalness of Hurston's sytle and choices in creating the character Janie and in depicting the ordinary lives of African-Americans in Florida. In actuality, Hurston endured much criticism from male Harlem Renaissance writers and, eventually,was shunned as a writer for portraying the revereing the real, honest portraits of African-American life rather than transforming them into something more palatable and reflective of mainstream (at the time White) approval. Hurston died poor and anonymous. Today, she leaves us with unparallelled anthropological studies of African-American culture.

With all this enthusiasm, why, then, did I have mixed feelings about the fact that ABC would be airing a movie version of this novel. Surely, the women at the helm of this movie recognize Hurston's contribution to American culture and will celebrate the legacy of this great American writer. First, I felt relief and a certain smugness that the movie would air one week after the paper and test were due for my class. To my students' frustration this meant that they would actually have to read the book and could not just wait and watch the movie. Secondly, I was pleased that a novel that had only been rediscoved in the past 30 years had garnered enough respect and interest to become a movie. However, when I saw that the movie would star Halle Berry, my heart sank. I vowed to have faith despite this fact. (Yes, I am in a minority who, depite the little gold man, thinks that Ms. Berry cannot act. If she could not deliver a convincing line in a 007 movie, how could she depict the complexity and dignity of a character like Janie?) Yet, in collaboration with prominent African-American women -- Oprah Winfrey and Suzan-Lori Parks and Ruby Dee -- I had hope that the movie would faithfully reflect Hurston's radical story.

I was wrong. Somehow, Janie was not good enough. Having gone out the night the movie aired, I sat down to watch the taped program the next evening. I was excited to see the beauty of Hurston's prose transformed by Hollywood movie magic. I wanted to believe that not even Berry's mediocre acting could completely ruin this. I suffered through the introductory scenes where Berry carried herself with a haughtiness more like a woman who had returned from some Hollywood action movie war than a woman who just survived wading through the floods of a hurricane and lost the love of her life, a love she waited decades to find. I conceded the filmmakers the overly sensual first kiss where Berry excuded the sultriness of a whore more than the awkward innocence of a teenage girl experimenting with her blossoming feelings of sexual awakening and kissing her first boy. I chalked it up to the oversexualized Hollywood culture and gave the creators credit for more or less sticking to the story. Howver, I couldn't get beyond when Janie and Joe's first night in Eatonville where, in bed, Janie whispered to Joe about how he could become mayor and make the town something big. Apparently, the thoughts and lines Hurston gave to Janie were not up to par for modern women, so the writers gave her Joe's self-aggrendizing lines. Essentially, Berry's character emerged as the opposite imposter of the real Janie, who didn't care about such things as power and posturing the antics of whites. She just wanted a lovely, quiet life where she could be herself, where she would expeirence pure love like the peach tree mating with the honey bee (my students loved the peach tree metaphor, even if that is the only thing any of them read in the book), and she could live a dignified life as a black woman in America continuing the beauty of African-American culture without judgement. Apparently, Hurston's celebration of a black woman being herself and engaging in the enjoyment of storytelling, checkers, and music is not acceptable enough. Instead, Janie, in order to be a proper role model for modern African-American women, needs to be a calculating, ambitious, hyper-sexual woman. I knew the only thing left to look forward to in the movie was the dirty-dancing inspired scenes with Tea Cake. I did want to subject the images of heroism, love, and true beauty that Hurston painted with her words to be soiled by this shoddy and irresponsible representation of an artful expression of a too often misrepresented or underrepresented part of American culture.

In the end, the filmmakers ended up judging Janie as much as the women on the porch did when she returned to Eatonville in her overalls without Tea Cake. Only, rather than only imagining how fate would justify their own discomfort with Janie's self-assurance by bringing Janie down to their own level, these privileged modern women were actually able to bring this lesser woman into our fictional reality. I mourn the fact that there may be a generation that will now turn to this bastardized version of Hurston and think this is the radical outcome of one of the greatest writers of the Harlem Renaissance era.

LYCHEE AND ALIZARIN: Reintroduction

After a brief hiatus, Alzarin has teamed up with Lychee to revive this blog. Lychee and Alzarin first met while working on a video project. Lychee was struck by Alzarin's impecable sense of style and to this day remembers her disbelief that someone in such a chic, faux-fur-trimmed sweater coat (a subtle purple/fushia blend) could be a Republican. Perhaps it was the incongruity of their intellectual connection with the friendly challenging of personal preconceptions that led to a great friendship.

After about a year of infrequent communication, Alizarin, over drinks, offered Lychee a much needed place to live while transitioning from New York to Los Angeles. Though sharing an apartment with friends is always a risky move, for Lychee and Alzarin, it only solidified their friendship. Here, you will be able to share in this unique dynamic as well as the individual insights of these two women, bringing together the best of Los Angeles and New York. Bi-coastal, bi-political . . . and most certainly heavily biased.