The Great Depression vs. The 2008 recession

Some debate over which one was worse is in the critics mouths, however no one can undermine the severity and impact each had on the country, and the world.  During the stock market crash of 1929, the height of unemployment shot to a crazy 25%.  The 2008 recession, also coined the term "The Great Recession" displayed unemployment at 10% at its peak, which is still a huge amount of people without jobs or anyway to support themselves or their family.  This caused the economy to slow down in both the depression and the recession which then in turn had a domino effect that lowered demand, which then led to even more people being laid off. 
       Both the depression and the recession were very scary events that pointed out the consequences of all of the events leading up to each.  The biggest difference between the two would be how the government responded. During the 1929 crash, the federal government did not make any bold moves and even made policies stricter, which did not help matters improve.  During the 2008 recession, they reacted differently and enacted many bailouts of huge companies and banks, and in 2009 the stimulus package also had a positive impact on the economy, even though it might have been small it was still a step in the right direction.  Overall, both economic disasters had their fare share of differences, but both enforced the notion that the economy is a complex system that can turn from good to sour in the blink of an eye.

*Source: http://www.ketv.com/money/2008-worse-than-the-great-depression/27757236

Pjotr Sapegin's Madama Butterfly

     I found Madama Butterfly a unique animation that challenges social norms.  When the animation turned sexual I was taken by surprise and I questioned the seriousness of what I was watching.  As the story progressed, I felt the pain of the women as her child was stripped of her and the symbolic string of life that was connected to it was cut. 

   As the emotions escalated so did the music in the background which was opera and I felt this had a good impact on portraying the women's pain.  Towards the end I found it interesting how the main character seems to run out of the frame as she begins her downfall.  As she disassembled her body I  was taken back at first, but then I realized what I think Sapegin was she was so broken down about the encounter, that she actually disassemble her own physical body.  When her body is resurrected into the butterfly, I drew a connection to the beginning of the story, when the butterfly appeared as she met her former lover.

Birth and Life of Opera

     The Birth and Life of Opera showcased the evolution of opera and the impact it had on culture and nationalism.  It was interesting for me to learn about how opera was born because I previously did not know too much about the topic.  People are always striving to improve and for the next best thing, so it makes sense that they created opera as a way to blend music, poetry, art, and performance all into one.

    What surprised me was how much of a role opera played in the lives of so many people and how fast it spread.  The more emotion the opera provoked, the more people got drawn into the art of opera and became obsessed with the entertainment aspect of it all.  Opera shines as one of the original forms of multimedia and I am now beginning to understand to appreciate it more for what it truly is.

Neo-Baroque Era

     It is clearly apparent that we are living in a neo-baroque era, possibly even a rococo era, and I see it every single night.  Go out on any night of the week on South Howard and you instantly see a plethora of girls dressed head to toe in tight dresses, extensive make-up, and designer hand bags.  The men are for the majority in collared shirts and wearing shiny new watches that mommy and daddy probably bought for them. 

     I am not saying this is the entire general public, but the majority of people are very materialistic and use their own bodies as a marketing tool to show the world what they possess.  Spending hours to get ready and trying on dozens of new outfits before a simple night out for a few drinks seems the same to me as back in the baroque era women wearing those huge ridiculous wigs.

     This materialism and shallowness is also very apparent in the rap / hip-hop genre.  The music has shifted from artists story telling and the use of quality poetry like rhymes, to ignorant lyrics boasting about the possessions that they own and all the girls that they can acquire.

     All of this can be related to the Latin term 'bread and circuses, which originated when the Roman Empire began and people were only worried about 'bread and circuses' while their attention was being diverted from what was really going on.  The government would give out free food and put on huge shows in order to keep the public happy and distracted in the meantime.*   

   So many people today are still distracted and oblivious to what is happening in the world.  They wake up, flick on the t.v, go to work, not really doing anything with passion but just being stuck on auto-pilot.  As long as they get there drinks at the end of the night and t.v when they wake up they are fine, they don't question anything, they don't strive for more in life.  That is why I feel it is time to wake up and not take anything for granted. Strive to educate yourself as much as possible constantly challenging your perspective on the world, in order to grow and develop as a person.


*(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bread+and+circuses)

Deus ex Machinae

    Meaning "God out of a machine", Deus ex machinae originated in Greek and Roman drama as an improbable resolution to a plot in the theater.  A present day example of Deus ex machinae would be in the latest Batman movie, 'Dark Knight Rises'. 

    When the nuclear bomb is about to explode and all hope seems to be lost, Batman miraculously comes up with the brilliant idea to chain the bomb to his ship as the ticker gets closer and closer to detonation. Not only does he somehow have enough time to fly it far into the ocean away from the town, but he also ends up surviving the seemingly impossible task.