Labels, Race, and Profiling, Oh My! # 9

               Race was not originally divided by physical attributes, but more so with physical features. Discussed in our group presentation, Nakamura relates the idea of cybertyping to that of stereotyping, in the old and new senses of the term. In printing, a stereotype is a mold or form that images are printed off of. Identities are "typed" like images in a printing press, even in the virtual realm they are still "mired in oppressive roles even if the body has been left behind." (Nakamura, 4) 

                Nakamura explains, the way the internet and other new media adopts the same racial stereotypes as older more traditional media. In comparison to the relationship between Nakamura’s ideologies of historic resemblance on race, she goes on to explain how the internet is regarded as a post racial democracy where everyone is equal, the text suggests that this is not true.  In the Power of illusion website, it seems as though they are beating around the proverbial racial bush by explaining how our historic backgrounds based on government caused the sub groups of racism. “As the race concept evolved, it justified extermination of Native Americans, exclusion of Asian Immigrants, and taking of Mexican lands. Racial practices were institutionalized within government, laws, and society.”(Is race real: fact 5) In the 1970’s when people were able to label themselves into a sorted race, this began the government census of labeling people separated by race. We can blame the government like this website seems to portray, but we all know that racial discrimination and labeling has gone on for MANY years. This website is very informative in the sense that they have historic documents to show this phenomenon.

Works Cited -->

Adelman, Larry. "RACE-The Power of an Illusion."PBS.ORG. PBS (California Newsreel), 2003. Web. 27 Oct 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/race/000_General/000_00-Home.htm>.

Nakamura, Lisa. Cybertypes: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity on the Internet. New York Routledge, 2002. Print.

CR 18 - Nakamura, Lisa. "Race In/For Cyberspace." Ed. David Bell and Barbara M. Kennedy. The Cybercultures Reader. London: Routledge, 2007. 297-304. Print.

Cyber Types and Racial Sluuuuurs Blog # 8

Cybertyping is an interesting method for labeling figures based on a web or media cultures. Our group had the presentation on this format and I found our discoveries to be quite alarming, but realistic. The second half of Cybertypes deals with the way the internet and other new media adopts the same racial stereotypes as older more traditional media. It goes on to explain how the internet is regarded as a post racial democracy where everyone is equal, the text suggests that this is not true. 

We complied that, the text “Race In / For Cyberspace: identity tourism and racial passing on the Internet” by Lisa Nakamura is a study on the way race is presented and viewed in the online video game, LambdaMoo. In this game users are able to adopt an online persona and customize it, by choosing a specific gender and race. In the text Nakamura describes the habits of players and suggests that their habits are representative of the general population online. Most often the choices made create online characters that are different from their real life counterparts, who are typically white males, and promote harmful racial stereotypes.

In street fighter 2, the examples of Nakamura’s explanations are represented. Each character available to choose from is based of a culture and country. Ryu and Ken are shown being from America, Chun Li rooted from china or Japan. These Characters are designed to look like they are directly from the country. Clothing, skin color, and attributes are all part of these dynamic parts.  Sagat is a representation of the Middle East. These characters are ridiculous in the sense of how they relate to their countries. Even when the battles start they sometimes have a flag or a visual description stemming from the country they are derived from. I personally loved street fighter growing up, I still do, especially now that they have remade the game with modern technology and more characters, all still having the same Identified tourist theme.

Nakamura, Lisa. Cybertypes: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity on the Internet. New York Routledge, 2002. Print.


CR 18 - Nakamura, Lisa. "Race In/For Cyberspace." Ed. David Bell and Barbara M. Kennedy. The Cybercultures Reader. London: Routledge, 2007. 297-304. Print.

SUPPPPAAA MARRRRRRRIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOO

Blog #7

Starting out with Mario, his body type is a short, fatter character with fewer hops than say Luigi. Luigi is taller and slender, which allows him to jump higher and float longer in the air compared to Mario. Both these brothers have altering body types and it’s apparent based on their physical attributes that they are different skills. After playing the three different men in the game, Toad has a faster pace style. If gender were to come into play it seems as though Mario and Luigi are the “male” versions, hence having the male Italian names and body build to support that. (minus the suspenders..haha) Toad is presumably a male, although his vest and shroom head could be a resemblance of a young male or homosexual. Since Princess is the only “female” in the game, she has a very generous style game play with smoother motions and light weight (when you jump). Her dress is a little excessive, considering it’s a pink dress with a puffy bottom to it. “Monstrous off-spring of science: an idealized, eternally young female automaton, a malleable, well-trained techno-puppet created by and for the male gaze” (MIT  12). This is an example in the readings where obvious display of a female, by clothes, hair, etc. must be apparent to display attributes of a woman.

Differences are obviously less than desirable, but im sure it would be quite difficult back then to make a custom character, or change appearances. Showing the difference in times, since this game was originated in 1988, I’m sure many more men played video games rather than women, so that would explain the gender placement. Understandably, the apparel of the characters is going to be hard to give detail to, since technology was so limited in 1988. This game will always be a hit to the gaming world because it shaped our culture to love Italian bro’s and delve into a new world, Super Mario World.

Schleiner, Anne-Marie. "Does Lara Croft Wear Fake Polygons? Gender and Gender-Role Subversion in Computer Adventure Games." MIT Press. 34.3 (2001): 221-226. Print.

Blog #6

The way Avatar dichotomizes gender is obvious, and apparent throughout the movie. The head scientist in charge of the “Avatar” experiment is a woman named Dr. Grace Augustine. In the storyline, Grace is a very powerful figure. Grace is strong, persuasive, intense, and intelligent. In the movie, the male population, from the beginning to end, is shown as a “jarhead” stereotype. In my opinion, the main general of the marines is a “meathead” with weapons and machinery. This portrayal is shown throughout the movie with force, mainly coming from destruction with the use of killing and brute force instead of a diplomatic, patient attempt. Grace uses a calm approach to reasoning with the Na’vi race. She is persistent to reason with the race with persuasion and technique (a sensible method) like how she’s creates human avatars to go within the world of Pandora. In other words, the women in the film are more sensible, calm, reasonable, caring, and powerful, rather than the male population claiming all of these characteristics along the lines of the typical male stereotypes.

“James Cameron’s movie sensation, AVATAR, is about race, obviously. In a classic venue of white man versus nature, the white man is made the traditional enemy of the environment and its more natural, morally superior habitants–persons of color. This is such a basic, anti-white fantasy, one has to wonder at the implications of the movie’s success. Are there that many non-whites in America, or, Are there that many guilt-mongering whites in America? Perhaps it is a combination of both audiences. Combine that ‘liberal’ moral appeal with the compulsive lure of computerized, extravagant “photo-shop” creativity.” (Yeagley)

Jake Sully begins the movie as a jarhead, ex marine, called upon to take the place of his brother (PhD) who died in action prior to the storyline. Jake has the easy go lucky “whatever” approach to the whole idea behind the Avatar world. Once Jake begins his journey through Pandora he finally realizes there is more to life than the shitty world outside of Pandora. In Pandora Jake is something, and is loved by one of the Na’vi, Neytiri. As soon as he realizes what he was put forth to do wasn’t the right way, he literally switches sides and supports the Na’vi, battling back at his own kind, the human race. I’m sure the Avatars like the way they are portrayed switching from race to race. Each charater is stretched quite a bit. The only real resemblance shown is in their faces. Grace is shown as a tall, slim, “attractive” Avatar. Jake is transformed into a mucular macho Na’vi with a certain swagger, he lacks to have in reality. Throughout the film, Jake has very limited personability other than jarhead turned to lover, literally. Not much to broaden in that sense.

 Yeagley, David. "The Blue People: AVATAR Race Fantasy." Bad Eagle Journal (2009): n. pag. Web. 4 Oct 2010. <http://www.badeagle.com/2010/01/19/the-blue-people-avatar-race-fantasy/>.