TREAT YO SELF
Oct. 19th, 2011 02:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
methrowrock
And it is time for the obligatory weekly Parks and Recreation emotions post! Yes, to sum it up in a concise equation, Parks > rest of my life. It was an episode of catharsis this week, with Leslie summoning a merry band of Goddesses in reaction to the boys-only rebuff from the Rangers, Ron realising his way of living may not be for everyone, and Tom and Donna dragging Ben along on their annual "TREAT YO SELF" day. I really liked the scene in which Leslie talked to Ron over the bonfire. His genuine confusion at the boys' unwillingness to be Rule 1: BE A MAN was a nice touch to his character. The slight unease that he may have become obsolete or irrelevant in these days, it brought him beyond the infallible and indestructible Swanson Gladiator persona. And Leslie, sending out those flyers, getting the descriptions spot-on, assuring him there is always room for the Swanson way in this world, can she be any more caring and considerate?! Their firm and understated friendship hits me in the soft spot. And then, there was Donna and Tom reaching out to connect with Ben, who have been bottling up so much. It was a nice contrast, seeing the deadpan Ben play off the energetic and expressive duo, and then, the reversal of roles towards the end. Ben is sadness, but Ben has friends now to remind him of his overtly sombre side! It was sweet, their sincerity in trying to cheer Ben up, even if they do not exactly know what is bogging him down. Not to mention, hilarious, with the many many throwaway gags (Game of Thrones! Ann's need to be liked! Jerry's eventual settling in of the hug!) and one-liners ("Accounting. Trigonometry. Stamps, I suppose") that made me cackle with laughter, like... Andy's facial and verbal expressions. Such love, such fun. I shouldn't spend so much time on this, I know. But it does put me in such a good mood.
That's the thing about pop culture, the polarisation of experiences. Some guy in my discussion group was anti-East Asian pop culture and it showed in his derisive scoffs and supercilious tone when speaking about it during tutorial today. It irked me to no end. Yes, Korean entertainment may be manufactured and mass-produced (even then, there is a plethora of niches and diversity amidst the K-entertainment industry), but that does not equate to an inherent inferiority in the product's quality. And just because people consume and like the dramas, idol groups, etcetera, it does not mean that they are vacuous fools who blither in the throes of feverish adoration. Liking something isn't a blind endorsement of everything the product represents or is represented by; similarly, awareness is not equivalent to support. Okay, then what is it? Haha, that is a good question. Appreciation of aesthetic values, identification with themes and contemporary issues covered, embodiment of aspirational lifestyle choices, projection of desires... my basic answer is like because one likes and enjoys it? Which is not enough, because the personal is always political right? Think I ended up confusing myself again. Brilliant. Hmm. Did an interesting reading about the feminization of consumption in the kpop arena. Yang writes that there is a dominant economic discourse, which invisibly posits rationality as the universal benchmark and minoritizes and constructs kdrama fans as a spectacle to be consumed by the rational public. At the same time, this commercial sector provides fantasies for kdrama fans whose frustrations stems from the failed promises of the public sphere. And that, this is linked to how women's outrage against gender injury is translated into female complaint, an irrational spectacle to be consumed, and safeguards patriarchy. Man, the connections here and there... it was a dense reading to get through. x_x Got a few questions about how effusiveness can be equated with irrationality and the deterministic relationships between the factors, but okay, definitely food for thought. Maybe for when I don't have 5 deadlines in the next two weeks. Hehe, oh man. But anyway, my main point was that the guy was douchey and too judgmental, which annoyed me. What a roundabout way of expressing dissatisfaction. I suppose I wouldn't mind a crown for being queen of passive aggression. Hahahaha. Good night.
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Date: 2011-10-21 02:49 pm (UTC)anyway debate with the douchebag gagga!
em
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Date: 2011-10-23 09:24 am (UTC)yeah, i wished i had confronted him there and then. pfft. and magneticcarrot!? haha
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Date: 2011-10-24 04:36 pm (UTC)in secondary school our x-country jersey was orange and this other school said we that we looked like carrots. so we called ourselves carrots lol
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Date: 2011-10-24 07:32 pm (UTC)