Author Archives: Bal Artis

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and LGBTQ Representation

Posted on March 29, 2016 | 1 comment

tumblr_n605rvdHlw1tbnb01o1_500I LOVE Buffy the Vampire Slayer (evident by the fact that I binged all seven seasons over the summer). Also, Dr Maurantonio and I discussed how this is a thing in the academic field. That said, my favorite character quickly became Willow Rosenberg. (It’s been almost 20 years since the show debuted, but…spoiler warning) Willow starts off as the quirky friend/sidekick to the show’s protagonist, Buffy. However, over the seven season run Willow’s character is developed and in season four, after previously having love interest in two male characters, her sexuality is explored during her time in college. I’ll let the attached link further explore the significance of how her coming out and sexuality are represented in the show, which was a mainstream staple in the late 90s/ early 00s. But, I think this is a nice point of departure to analyze how similar scenes play out in popular media today. (Also, I love Willow but I was initially on the fence about the openly lesbian character being a witch. However, I think it’s a truly beautiful narrative when the larger Buffy context is considered)

NYU’s Professor Portwood-Stacer’s Queer Analysis of Buffy

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Video

Fake Professor Prank

I grappled with which Youtube video I wanted to upload here. I was torn between three videos: a video from William Derediewicz who focuses on the “disadvantages of an elite education;” a spoken word piece from Suli Breaks titled “Why I Hate College But Love Education;” and the selected video you see below. Regardless, I wanted to draw attention to how each critiques the educational system in America. So, I hope you enjoy the most comical critique of the three!

So, what did you think? Are you wondering how a prank, albeit amusing and relatable, points out hegemony in education and critiques the ideologies bred by it? Well, here’s what I think. I analyze this under Goldman’s assumption that “throughout history one of the primary goals of comedy has been to illuminate the ways in which we live in the world politically and to critique our legislature and laws.” This allows the video to function as an examination of classroom rhetoric and socially-constructed power dynamics in a classroom. Though clearly distinguished by the setting -a grand, populous lecture hall at what we could assume is a public university- wouldn’t we all fall for the same prank on the first day with a professor we have no prior knowledge of? Especially if the false professor appeared how we expect a professor to look. Wouldn’t we act accordingly because of conventions surrounding classroom decorum? I’ll leave that to you to discuss in the comments.

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Posted on February 3, 2016 in Uncategorized