Emiris

Contributing writer for The Artifice.

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    Latest Topics

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    Post-Modernism's Representation in Media

    Post-Modern ideas have been spreading since the 1960s when the birth control pill came out and liberated women. Since then, we've seen a rise in claims of a Patriarchal society as well as the increasingly casual nature of sex. This article could investigate media representations that seem to purposefully place women in a position of power over men (ie short dialogue lines, Dinsey Channel characters, commercials). Comment on the nature of Post-Modernism. While Post-Modernism has helped advance females in society and has created new questions about meaning in the wake of "the death of God", as Friedrich Nietzche put it, has Post-Modernism lead us to an age of hypocrisy? Anti-Social social media, diversity that is divisive, and affirmative action that results in lack of merit. Investigate current thinkers on the matter.

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      Sexuality in Black Mirror Striking Vipers

      After watching all other seasons of Black Mirror, it seems apparent that sex isn't as pervasive in other episodes. Black Mirror seems to have focused more on Psychological Thriller, whereas this episode focuses almost exclusively on sex. This article could breakdown the questions asked by this episode: Are online matters considered cheating? When IS it considered cheating? Investigate how sexuality is questioned in this episode and comment on societal changes to our approaches of sex and sexuality.

      • I made a similar observation after watching this episode, and I think even though it's one of the weaker episodes of the show, it definitely plays with themes of sex and sexuality in interesting ways. I do think that some episodes address sexuality more clearly (the famous San Junipero episode comes to mind immediately), but Striking Vipers seems like a more modern take on same-sex relations because the climactic kiss in the rain was treated as a casual, logical next step, and they were not necessarily concerned about being gay; it was all about finding out if they were actually interested in one another. Closer to the observation you are making, I think the questions of sex, infidelity, and the digital spaces we inhabit is fascinating. This episode definitely raises more questions than it answers, but they are important questions as we move further into a 21st century relationship world. I hope this topic gets picked up. – Aaron 5 years ago
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      • I think it's fairly obvious that yes, it is cheating. The way the episode is framed makes it abundantly clear that the main character knows he's cheating. He feels constant guilt, and it causes a strain on his relationship with his wife. It only becomes not cheating when his wife gives him permission to hook up with his friend online on his birthday at the end of the episode (it's marked on the calendar and she's the one to give him the VR set, indicating her permission). Regarding the themes of sexuality, I think many viewers are missing the mark. It's not truly about sexuality. This is made apparent when his best friend reveals that he's been having sex with several other characters, including a polar bear, but it isn't the same when it's not with the main character. This is because they're very close friends and understand each other on a deep level. It's about intimacy, not sex. Their irl kiss just proves this point further. I don't think either of them are gay. His best friend simply wants a partner who truly knows him on every level, which he's been unable to find in the real world. Striking Vipers makes the main character available to him in a way that he isn't- and never could be- outside of VR. – JPost 5 years ago
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      Latest Comments

      I’m glad I’m not the only one that finds they write best at night. There’s something about being the only one awake that opens the world for exploration. While everyone else dreams, you write… Or try to. I like the author’s note about needing to find the best way of articulating oneself. I struggle so hard sometimes to write down what I can say so well. If I could communicate through speech all the time, I would, but there’s something about capturing those ideas in a more fleshed out form that makes writing worth it.

      The Act of Writing: A Semantic Exploration

      This section I’ve copied from the article is fantastic. Without people to bring Satire to certain ridiculousnesses, it would be hard to look at the other side of things. Trolls force us to look at the flip side of what’s popular, tilt our heads and wonder. The author perfectly describes that here.

      “Their politics may occasionally be questionable, condemnable even, but internet trolls occupy a position alongside cultural borders that allow the rest of us to better understand our roles within society. Like the Athenian Philosophers and the Tricksters, they bring ideologies into focus, into conflict. The internet troll calls back to the mythological past of various global cultures and forces us to consider what kinds of future may lay ahead for us. But equally important, if we do let the internet trolls point the way ahead, we must consider, as the Sophists did, what other alternatives exist beyond the borders that trolls make readily apparent.”

      The Art of Trolling: A Philosophical History of Rhetoric

      I loved the revenge streak running through Arya. I’d say just about the only thing her and the Hound had in common was that they were driven to harm the ones that harmed them (and were pretty stubborn which made for great tension and a unique relationship between them). I
      ‘d like to compare her and the Hound to Jon and Ned. While Jon followed suit in Ned’s blindly honorable footsteps, we see the Hound, having taken on a father figure role to Arya, convince her in the last season to abandon her greatest desire for revenge on the Queen and save her own life.
      Perhaps the contrast between Jon following in Ned’s footsteps and leading himself through more trouble than was worth it, compared to Arya accepting that there is more to life than completely embodying one emotion, was meant to show that the true danger we face as humans is not the evil of an emotion itself, but the danger of gaining pleasure from seeing its ugly acts through.

      Revenge in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones

      I think that Fin breaking out of the Stormtrooper mold in The Force Awakens is reflective of a Post-Modern sentiment coursing through North-America’s veins as we speak. With the fear of overlords and movement towards non-conformity, I’d like to touch on the point of Communism. Even though many felt they were breaking the mold and doing the non-conformity thing by becoming Communist, it was the conformity to fear of Communist overlords and rules that caused much of the destruction echoing still from the 20th century.
      With a return to these ideas felt through Post-Modernism, I’m asking myself not how Star Wars could relate to this even further. Perhaps Darth Vader, when he kills Sidius and saves Luke, both breaks the Sith mold and conforms to the prophecy he was slotted into as a child – the prophecy which weighed on him in such a way that it tipped him towards the dark side.
      Overall I think that this article touches on an interesting strain of Western thought, but I’ll still think of the new movies as a curse from the Dark Side.

      Star Wars, Nazis, and the Politics of Nonconformity in American Pop Culture

      This will definitely result in the expected Twilight/Batman mashup memes. I agree with the position entirely. Roles like this are the fun of Hollywood because they keep old fandoms alive with new life in our favourite characters. I wasn’t even aware this casting was planned before reading, but now that you mention it, Pattinson, having mastered the brood as Edward Cullen, might be able to pull this off. I’d watch the film, and I’m sure the casting in itself will attract both 20 somethings and 40 somethings who were Team Edward. Definitely a flick to look forward to.

      To Succeed, Robert Pattinson Needs To Embody Matt Reeves's Vision of Batman