Comments for Wurdackl's Weblog

Comment on Tommy, Follow The Flock by lalondmc

lalondmc — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:58:45 +0000

It’s true that people often lose a sense of who they when they only wear the latest trends and fads. And I must confess that one thing that really irks me is how girls that shop and Hollister and stores like that look like carbon copies of each other. But after I saw the ad, I must say I was a little frustrated. Yes, it’s annoying that so many people follow trends just for the sake of being in style, but what if people really do like the new trendy style. If you really like a certain that everyone has, then who cares? Just because you have the bag, doesn’t mean you have to get Uggs. I just think that people should wear what they are attracted to because for some reason or another they are attracted to that item. And because you like, then shows a bit of who you are.

Comment on Barack Obama Comes to JMU by callahak

callahak — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:03:11 +0000

I wish you could have seen him! It was such an honor to be in the Convocation Center that day! It’s amazing to think now that I was sitting literally ten feet away from the future President of the United States! Even if people are not supporters of Obama or are even strong republicans, everyone should take advantage of that awesome opportunity to see a presidential candidate! Thankfully, my friend’s mom from high school was waiting until 8:00 in the morning and saved us a spot in line. Otherwise, like you, I would have had to sadly watch it on TV. Waiting in line, freezing to death, and being bored out of our minds, all in all, it was certainly worth it to be able to hear his breathtaking speech, stand amongest the happiest crowd of all, and actually see his award-winning smile in person!

Comment on Studies In Art History: GenEd Conference 2008 by wurdackl

wurdackl — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:02:12 +0000

It is very possible to feel connected to a painting without actually going through the same actions they dealt with. She wanted to feel the pain of the woman undergoing the execution because she felt as though there was no one there for her. The women in the background of the painting were crying for the woman in white, but the presenter still felt as though the people walking through the museum should have given her the time of day instead of admiring the artist’s work then moving along rapidly. The presenter was actually an actor within the theatre program here and as such she has to pull up specific emotions through her own personal experiances in order to make the acting seem more real. I felt as though she may have done the same while looking at this painting. She may have recaptured a time that she felt captured, or unable to escape a situation she didnt want to be in; something like that. There are a million ways to relate to characters within the paintings, all you have to do is read into the portraits and discover.
London was incredible, by the way. I went for a week with my mom the summer of 2007 and visited every art museum I could find the time for. The portraits were incredible and I could not believe it when I stood before a Rembrant a Monet, and a Remoir in the same building. The architecture is incredible as well and you absolutely must take a trip to Trafalgar Square. You’d love it all!

Comment on Brent Staples, Just Walk On By by tunneldn

tunneldn — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:57:42 +0000

I do agree that the second version of Staples work was disappointing but at the same time are you sure that it was not his true identity? Although we would like to imagine him as a harmless victim just dealing with the discrimination he faces, this might not be his true self. I cannot even imagine being able to strike that much fear in someone, simply by innocently walking by them. Eventually I feel like I would get sick of this feeling and have to make it into a game as he said he did. It sounds horrible to consciously strike fear in others, but all Bordo is doing is playing into their fears as a result of their stereotypes. I cannot say that I agree with what he is doing because he is just perpetuating classic stereotypes of black men being aggressors. However, in the second work he is speaking to an audience that is closer to him as a writer than the first and therefore he has to speak the truth of his actions. The second audience who is reading his autobiography is more likely to understand and excuse his actions because they understand the issues with discrimination that he faces daily.

Comment on Tommy, Follow The Flock by reesecm

reesecm — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:28:20 +0000

Personal style is all about things one loves. Knowing what trends one does want to follow is the real question, because the point of consciously dressing is monitoring what look is desired to portray. If one is comfortable with oneself but not one’s clothes, an internal conflict gets in the way. Some people take the concern about clothes too far and end up too self-conscious, to their detriment. Losing a personal style over a trend is not acceptable as it would compromise the individuality, but its important to note that if that were to happen, one has to really believe in themselves to do it and look good.

Comment on Studies In Art History: GenEd Conference 2008 by mercersl

mercersl — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:52:01 +0000

So, I really like your blog except i’m a little bit confused. The Lady in White is a painting right? But the person who told you their story at the tonference had a personal connection to the painting? Did she know someone who was executed? If you could just clear that up it would be great! Other than that though, you did a really nice job painting the picture with words in your blog. I felt as though I could see it. Art is a crazy, wonderful form of expression that can be interpreted in so many different ways. It can be as deep or as shallow as one wants it to be and I think that’s pretty amazing. By the way, you got to go to London!? How was that? I absolutely love Europe but I’ve never gotten the chance to go to England yet.

Comment on Tsui: Philip Morris Coverup by simpsotg

simpsotg — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:05:19 +0000

I agree with you about the name recognition now with cigarettes and other such things as 18 year olds. As a minor, I remember the Camel brand being very popular in advertisements, whether they were on buses, billboards, or just thrown away on the ground, i saw them everywhere. Now if i were to buy a pack of cigarettes, never having done so before, i would probably be tempted to go with the one that i’ve heard of in the past and select Camel’s. The same thing is happening with Philip Morris and his ads saying that kids shouldn’t smoke because when they’re older, he knows that his brand name will have influenced them and if he’s hooked them correctly, he will be receiving another customer to pay him thousands of dollars in the future.

Comment on Tsui: Philip Morris Coverup by frymm

frymm — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:57:40 +0000

I completely agree with you on the fact that PM has discovered what subliminal messages can do for their company. You would think that kids would be off limits to these messages but for the heartless marketers everything is fair game. School is supposed to be a safe place where kids go to learn lessons not only education wise, but also life lessons. I just think that it is especially wrong for these advertisements to be on book covers. The example that professor Martin showed us in class of these book covers made me realize how obvious the subliminal message was and it is sickening.

Comment on Tommy, Follow The Flock by tunneldn

tunneldn — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:45:12 +0000

I definitely agree with what you are saying here about being tempted into wanting the current trends in clothing. I have attended private school also for the majority of my education, however we only had a dress code instead of a uniform. Being fashionable and dressing your best was always of importance there and I generally felt like I was constantly being judged by what I was wearing. Many times I had been tempted into buying something that was cute at the time but looking back I realize that it just looked ridiculous (remember the gauchos fad?). I feel like this is a common sentiment. Most high schoolers are just trying to blend in and fit with the flock so to speak. Actually, I feel that this is something that hasn’t changed since high school. Most of the people here at JMU are just trying “to fit in and be overlooked” as you said. This seems to be a common problem within our society; everyone is just trying to follow the fashion norms to avoid being viewed as an outcast.