Browse Category: Social Issues

Cultural Appropriation in Belly Dance

Hi, dear readers. It’s been a long time since I posted. I seem to go in sporadic waves of inspiration with writing. I wanted to post something today because of a topic that has been coming up a lot in my social media feed: cultural appropriation in dance. Discussions on this subject have been heating up in the past year or so with regard to the style of Raqs Sharqi, or “belly dance,” that I have been studying since 2014, FatChance Style (formerly known as American Tribal Style). Although I am just a hobby dancer, not a teacher or a professional, I take this discussion very seriously.

Me in FatChance Style costume, 2018

What Is Cultural Appropriation?

First off, let me explain what I mean by cultural appropriation (from Google Dictionary):

  1. The action of taking someone’s culture or subculture, typically without asking for permission from those who are culturally or subculturally related or who understand said culture or subculture. 
  2. The artistic practice or technique of reworking art (including, but not limited to, dance and movement composition, literary composition, musical composition, and visual arts) in one’s own work.

In discussions about appropriation, typically, we refer to someone from the dominant culture taking something from a non-dominant and/or colonialized culture. There has long been a debate about whether dancers from non-MENAHT (Middle East, North Africa, Hellas [Greece], and Turkey) cultures who study, perform, or teach Raqs Sharqi (and FatChance Style comes out of Raqs Sharqi traditions) are engaging in cultural appropriation. While the debate around FatChance Style is more new (since FatChance dance is a modern fusion style that was only codified in the late 1980s and early 1990s in San Francisco) the overarching issues have been around for hundreds of years. (I won’t get into the whole history of Orientialism here, but it’s important to read about this movement and what is problematic about it. See “Further Reading” for some sources.)

Me in costume for a street performance, 2019

My Place in Belly Dance

As a white American woman of European heritage, I do not have any cultural or family connection to MENAHT cultures, from which much of FatChance Style’s dance moves come (as well as our typical costume pieces and jewelry). I just began doing belly dance because there is a vibrant belly dance scene here in northern and central California, and some friends were taking classes from local teachers. I gave it a try and got hooked. While I have listened closely to the criticisms I have heard about non-MENAHT dancers doing Raqs Sharqi, it’s not easy to make sense of where I stand. I do not want to contribute to oppressing or offending people from MENAHT (or other) cultures, nor do I want to abuse the privilege I have as a white woman who has not experienced the same discrimination or oppression as have people of color and women from many MENAHT cultures. But I also don’t think I believe that a white person can never study and appreciate dance (or other art forms) from cultures that are not their own.

For me, part of figuring this out involves how to be respectful and informed. This includes listening to people from the cultures that inspired my dance form, studying the history and music of MENAHT cultures, and learning more about the cultural aspects of costuming. While I am careful to avoid some of the more obvious forms of appropriation and racism (such as using makeup to appear darker skinned or using an “exotic”-sounding stage name), I wonder, can a white dancer ever really avoid appropriation when participating in this dance culture (or doing yoga, studying other forms of cultural dance, etc.)? Is it wrong for me to wear a decorative bindi? To wear Afghani or Rajasthani jewelry and belts? To dance to traditional MENAHT music? There is no definite agreement among dancers I have talked to about it, including dancers from MENAHT cultures. But, that said, there are certainly a lot of problematic aspects of the dance culture in America, so there is a need for continued examination and evolution.

A well-known article on this subject was written by Randa Jarrar, an American woman with Egyptian and Palestinian parents, who grew up in Kuwait, Egypt, and the United States, for Salon.com. She takes the stance that white women who belly dance are always engaging in cultural appropriation. In a different article, Jarrar noted that it’s not simply that MENAHT people want to protect belly dance; it’s that they protest “… the right [of white people] to take anything they want and not be criticized for it.” I can certainly understand that point. In addition, the belly dance community has been criticized for not making the environment more inclusive for people of various genders and for Black dancers.

These issues are ones I will be pondering as I continue to examine my position as a white dancer in this world. I hope I can continue to learn and perform this form of dance without believing I am doing harm. If I do come to the conclusion that I can’t avoid doing harm, I would need to find a new hobby and passion. But for now, I will continue to do my best to navigate this dance form while educating myself about its roots and impacts.

Further Reading

Çelik, Z. (1992). Displaying the Orient: Architecture of Islam at Nineteenth-Century World’s Fairs. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Jarrar, R. (2014). Why I can’t stand white belly dancers, Salon. https://www.salon.com/2014/03/04/why_i_cant_stand_white_belly_dancers/

Nochlin, L. (1983). The Imaginary Orient, Art in America, 119-191.

Saïd, E. (1978). Orientalism. New York, Pantheon Books.

The Pain and Pleasure of Remembering

Every so often (more now that I am getting older), I feel a twinge of …. something … when I think of the past. Maybe it’s when I’m thinking of an old flame, remembering an experience from childhood, or reminiscing about a carefree moment in my 20s: Along with the memory comes a feeling that is akin to emotional pain. Yet, it’s not altogether unpleasant–there is happiness mixed with the sadness. This is nostalgia.

My dad and me, 1968.

What Is Nostalgia?

According to Wikipedia, the word nostalgia comes from a Greek compound of nóstos (homecoming) and álgos (pain or ache) and was coined by a 17th-century medical student to describe a psychological disorder displayed by Swiss mercenaries at war away from home. At that time, nostalgia was considered a serious and even possibly fatal (due to suicide) form of extreme homesickness. It was seen as a form of melancholy, a term used to define what we now call clinical depression.

Family holiday gathering, 1973.

Nostalgia is not just the act of remembering the past, it also involves yearning for it. The yearning can feel both “positive” and “negative,” although I don’t like to label emotions in this way.

As I said, I have noticed that I experience nostalgia more often now that I am in my 50s than I did when I was younger. It seems that nostalgia is a condition more common in older age–it’s rarer for children, teens, and young adults to wish to go back to an earlier time in their lives than it is for older people. This makes sense, as we begin to experience the physical decline of aging and often must take on more responsibility (e.g., career, family) as we age so may look back on our younger, stronger, healthier, and perhaps more carefree selves.

What Is Nostalgia For?

One of the aspects of nostalgia I have noticed is that it has a physical sensation to it–it’s not just emotional or cognitive. I feel it most in my chest and stomach. It’s hard to define specifically, but it’s similar to a sad feeling one might get watching an emotional movie. So, it definitely has a flavor of sorrow, but it also feels sort of good. And, in fact, the current view on nostalgia is that it has some emotional and cognitive benefits: some psychological experts feel that experiencing nostalgia can improve mood, increase social connectedness, enhance positive self-regard, promote self-growth, and provide existential meaning.

Decorating the tree on Christmas Eve, 1989, with my mom.

However, some nostalgia can be personally or socially harmful. A negative form of nostalgia is having an overly romantic and idealized view of the past; for example, some Americans consider the 40s and 50s “the good old days” because the economy was strong and many middle-class white families were doing well. However, this sort of nostalgia is a form of denial, overlooking the fact that this time in U.S. history also involved the social oppression of and barriers to people of color, women, and many others. It can also be a form of privilege or insular thinking–only looking at one’s own past in a bubble and not in the context of larger society.

Being blind to the layers of the past hinders us from moving forward and improving our social systems. And using denial and avoidance of our own difficult past experiences or emotions can result in unresolved feelings and emotional numbing or stunting.

Nostalgia Triggers

I felt some nostalgia this holiday season, the first since my mother’s death and the first I have not spent back East with family, due to COVID making travel risky. I’ve also had some strong nostalgic feelings when looking at old photos, hearing old songs, or thinking about past fun times and trips. It’s such a strange mix of feelings.

Tahiti vacation with BFFs Laurie and Cathy in 1996.

Certain smells and songs can be powerful nostalgia triggers. One reason smell is so evocative is that it’s the sense with the most direct path into the brain. Also, the region of the brain that processes smell is closely connected to the regions that are involved with memory and emotion, the hippocampus and amygdala.

And I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of music waking up strong, vivid memories. Various studies in the late 2000s and early 2010s found that listening to music engages broad neural networks in the brain, including brain regions responsible for motor movement, emotions, and creativity. Like the brain regions responsible for smell, those processing music are connected to the areas involved with feelings and memory.

Summer fun with friends Rachel, Mia, and Vanessa, 2001, in Philadelphia.

Looking Ahead

Today is New Year’s Day 2021, the start of a (hopefully) better year after a very painful, challenging, and anxiety-provoking 2020. It’s a natural time to reflect on the past as well as look to the future. Today, I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic about my mom, about all the things I used to enjoy doing that were not possible or had to be seriously altered in 2020 (e.g., getting together with friends or family, going to restaurants or bars, seeing live performances, visiting museums and galleries, traveling), and about other memories. Allowing ourselves to feel nostalgia and to reflect is important. In addition to the benefits nostalgia can bring our minds and hearts, reflection gives us the chance to take stock and decide what we want to carry with us into a new year and what we want to let go of or alter.

In San Diego with cousins Jill and Elizabeth, 2010.

Wishing all a happy New Year and a better year ahead!

The Psychology of “A Christmas Carol”

A dear friend who is an American Sign Language interpreter recently shared with me a video of a virtual performance of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that she helped interpret. I hadn’t read or seen a film version of A Christmas Carol in many years, and I’d forgotten what a touching and timeless story it is.

While A Christmas Carol, a novella written in 1843, was a story of its time, meant to promote understanding of and empathy for the industrial-age urban poor in England, its messages remain salient today. And, there are deeper meanings in its story.

Portrait of Charles Dickens, age 30,
painted by Francis Alexander in 1842.

Layers of Meaning

In addition to its more obvious meaning as a story about compassion and charity, the story is also a powerful archetypal tale. It speaks to universal human needs for for meaning and community. What’s more, it illustrates the Jungian “hero’s journey”–Ebenezer Scrooge starts as a flawed, cold, and closed-off man who is transformed as he goes on an odyssey through his past, present, and future.

The Ghosts’ Lessons

The first of the three main motifs in the story, represented by the Spirit of the Past, is a Jungian battle between ignorance/repression (represented in the novella by fog, smog, dusk, and darkness) and awareness (represented by light from fires, candles, street lamps, and the ghost’s flaming crown). Scrooge must go through the pain of seeing his evolution from an innocent youth to a selfish and miserly adult. He begins to realize what he has lost in this process.

The Spirit of the Present brings the story’s second motif–want (represented in the novel by cold, ice, frost, and sleet) versus charity (represented by warmth, being well fed, and fine alcohol). The second spirit allows Scrooge to witness people coming together and bonding. Seeing this brings into the light his own loneliness and aloofness. As his journey continues, Scrooge must start facing his sins and their impact on others to become self-aware. The ghost also shows Scrooge two emaciated children called Ignorance and Want and warns him to avoid Ignorance at all costs.

The second spirit’s lessons help Scrooge bring his dark side further to the surface and begin to integrate his dark and light parts into a cohesive self. It is only after knowing himself that Scrooge would be able to more fully connect with others. The spirit also shows Scrooge Tiny Tim, a cheerful but ill child; this awakens some compassion in the miser. Tiny Tim represents youthful optimism and joy, love, and the promise of what life could be. Scrooge is saddened when the ghost tells him Tim will die.

When the third ghost, the Spirit of the Future, arrives, he is frightening and silent. He forces Scrooge to confront his mortality and the meaninglessness of his life–others don’t care that he dies, steal and sell his possessions, and have few kind words to say about him. The spirit also shows Scrooge that Tiny Tim has died, and people do mourn the loss of this pure little soul.

Scrooge learns that that for his life to have purpose, he must use the lessons learned through his odyssey: He must see all facets of himself and take responsibility for what he’s done to others, he must cultivate emotion and compassion for others, and he must use his wealth to help people. Scrooge has completed the hero’s journey and emerged as a new man.

Salient Lessons for Today

On the surface, we see the lessons Dickens intended for the capitalist upper classes of his time: Scrooge begins to run his business with mercy toward his debtors, give money to the needy, and treat his employees well. These are certainly messages that apply to our current world as well.

The deeper, and also timeless, lesson of Dickens’ tale is for us to live our lives seeking to really know and accept ourselves so that we can fully participate and contribute to the world around us. It is only by rejecting ignorance and denial that we can become integrated humans capable of empathy and connection.

My Wish for You

We’ve gone through a terrible journey of our own in 2020. My wish for anyone reading this post is for a peaceful holiday season and that 2021 brings good things for you, and for all of us. I also wish for you to be able to see and accept yourself as you are while striving to cultivate your higher self. Count your blessings, and share them.

The Clarion Alley Mural Project: Street Art, Social Justice, and Gentrification

One of the murals of Clarion Alley. Photo by Blair J. Davis.

A few weeks ago, I was feeling stir crazy from staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic (other than walking in my neighborhood and taking a few trips to the grocery store), so I drove to San Francisco’s Mission District to see the Clarion Alley Mural Project. The project is a series of murals, mostly with a social justice theme, painted in Clarion Alley, which runs for one block between 17th and 18th streets and Mission and Valencia streets. Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) was established in 1992 by a volunteer collective of six residents/artists who were inspired by the murals of Balmy Alley, another Mission District alley covered in murals that were created in the early ’70s as an expression of artists’ outrage over human rights and political abuses in Central America.

Murals of Clarion Alley. Photo by Blair J. Davis.
Murals of Clarion Alley. Photo by Blair J. Davis.

I can’t believe I hadn’t seen Clarion Alley before! I still remember the first time I heard about it: It was 2006, and I was working as a therapist-in-training at my first practicum position, at my graduate school’s outpatient therapy clinic. A young man I was treating for mood and social problems asked me if I knew about “that alley in the Mission with all the murals.” Despite going to the Mission District all the time and being an art lover, somehow I had never made it to Clarion Alley (or Balmy Alley, for that matter). After my client asked me about it, I forgot about the murals, and strangely, I never came across them during any of my days or nights walking around the neighborhood.

Doorways of Clarion Alley. Photo by Blair J. Davis.

One of the important messages embodied by Clarion Alley is that there should be a place for artists in San Francisco. Gentrification, prioritization of corporations and the wealthy, and a lack of affordable housing and work spaces have pushed artists, as well as many other longtime residents of the Mission, out of the area. Many of the murals address other social justice issues and pay tribute to prominent community members.

My trip the alley was just OK. The murals and other street art in the area were amazing and inspiring. However, it was hard to fully appreciate all the beauty and meaning: With the pandemic going on, I don’t have as much enthusiasm for exploring. Also, I felt like I was doing something wrong by leaving my neighborhood–not following the spirit of the shelter-in-place directive. On top of that, I was sad to see so many homeless people out and about, some in pretty rough shape. Not that that’s unusual in San Francisco, sadly. But the number of people who appeared homeless and were acting out (e.g., yelling, throwing garbage) seemed less typical, plus none were wearing masks. Homelessness and poverty, as well as untreated mental illness, are for sure the types of issues the artists of Clarion Alley are trying to highlight.

Despite the problems of my visit, I am glad to have seen Clarion Alley. After going, I did a lot of online research to learn more about the project. And, next time I feel inspired to leave my neighborhood, I would like to see Balmy Alley. Read more about the Clarion Alley Mural Project and Balmy Alley to learn about the history of both projects.

Note that photos of the Clarion Alley murals are not to be used for any commercial purpose, and permission should be obtained from CAMP before using the site as a location for photography. I attempted to contact CAMP before publishing this blog post, but I did not receive a reply so am hoping that my reasons for showing my photos of some of the murals–to inform my blog readers about CAMP–will fit with the project’s intent.

“Trash” Entertainment: Where Did It Come From, and Why Do We Love It?

Still from Tiger King, the Netflix documentary series on Joe Exotic.

The Current State of Things with COVID-19

Wow, how things have changed since my last post on March 14th! At that time, things were heating up with the COVID-19 pandemic, but I was still going to work at my university counseling center job, and we were not yet “sheltering in place,” which started in San Francisco, where I live, on Tuesday, March 17th.

I hope everyone is weathering the ups and downs of this frightening situation as best they can. We all have our particular layers of stress and difficulty. Some of us are isolated and alone. Some are out of work and frightened about how to make ends meet, and some have lost their health insurance along with their job. While some folks have been busy scrambling to transition to working at home with little time (and in some cases, little tech support) to prepare, others are bored with too much free time. Some are living with others, navigating the pressures of being in a confined space together and not being able to get out or have much personal space. Many are struggling to balance multiple roles, such as working from home while parenting 24/7 and overseeing their children’s schooling. Still others are sick or concerned about friends and loved ones who are sick. Then, we have our heroes on the front lines of health care who are putting themselves at risk to take care of the ill. We also have those working in other essential jobs who are at increased risk of exposure but are doing what they have to do.

My heart goes out to everyone. I’m navigating my own ups and downs through this and finding my ways of coping. We each have our own needs and styles. I’ve been coping with being isolated (working at home and living alone) by reading, watching TV and videos, listening to music, taking virtual dance classes, going for walks, doing photography, and overcoming my introvert tendencies to stay in contact with friends more than usual.

I have been aware of my mixed feelings about some of the media I’ve been consuming. I’ve felt the need to limit my overall exposure to news and to avoid certain COVID-related stories. News overload and particularly frightening articles can make me fearful and anxious to a degree that doesn’t feel healthy, so I’ve been more careful about taking breaks and choosing what I read.

Reality TV

In addition to noticing the impact of news on my emotional health, I’ve also been pondering some of the shows I’ve watched that fall into the category of “trash TV”: The two I recently binge-watched, much to my chagrin (although I’m by no means alone), are Tiger King and Love Is Blind on Netflix. For anyone who hasn’t heard of these shows, Tiger King is a documentary series about a man with a private zoo (mainly containing big cats) whose life is a morass of chaos, conflict, and controversy. Love Is Blind is a reality show in which contestants spend a couple weeks “dating” “blind”–each in a separate room, talking to their date but not being able to see them. The contestants were encouraged to propose to the person they liked best, go on a trip together, live together, and get married, all within about a month and a half.

Still from Love Is Blind on Netflix.

I was entertained by both shows, although I felt alternately titillated, disgusted, judgmental, curious, and ashamed throughout watching. In the recent past, I haven’t spent too much time on reality TV or salacious programming, although it’s not like I’m totally above this kind of entertainment: I was an avid fan of The Real World and its spin-off, Road Rules. I’ve watched various reality shows and tabloid talk shows, been a reader of Perez Hilton’s low-brow gossip blog, and been fascinated by trashy true crime series and alien abduction investigation shows. I’m still a huge fan of Project Runway.

The History of “Trash TV”

When you look at the rise of reality TV, particularly the trashy variety, it can seem like a purely contemporary phenomenon. Reality programming (with different degrees of sensationalism) really took off the 1990s with shows like Survivor and various tabloid talk shows, among others, and in the 2000s with a whole slew of shows–the Idol and Real Housewives franchises, Keeping up with the Kardashians, The Amazing Race, Fear Factor … But these shows had their roots in earlier “reality shows” of the ’40s and ’50s, like Queen for a Day and Candid Camera. There were sensational shows throughout the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s (e.g., The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, Geraldo) that were a part of the lineage of what we think of as modern-day reality TV.

Still from The Newlywed Game, 1970s.
Still from The Newlywed Game, 1970s.

An Ongoing Taste for Sensationalism

In thinking about this type of entertainment, I became curious about our taste for gossip, unscripted real-life drama, and salacious tales before TV was ubiquitous. Some of us may have a romanticized view of the past, thinking that maybe people used to have better taste or higher standards for entertainment. But that isn’t true.

As far back as recorded human history, we have been drawn to consume and tell stories. Psychologists have said that one of the most prominent evolutionary features that separates humans from other primates is our mirror neuron system, which allows us to quickly perceive and relate to what other people are doing and feeling. Because humans have this ability and an inborn and adaptive interest in the lives and stories of other people, we have been able to create complex cultures and languages (Stromberg, 2009) and to engage in storytelling. This long history of oral history and telling tales contains many branches, one of which is sensationalism.

One form of sensational storytelling is gossip. Although technically, gossip can be defined as “talking about someone who is not present,” whether positive, negative, or neutral, we usually use the word to refer to saying negative things about someone, spreading rumors, and betraying secrets. Studies show that there may be an evolutionary benefit to talking about others, so we can bond and share social information across a larger network than our immediate connections (Gottfried, 2019); thus, gossip could have some positive functions. However, the negative form of gossip serves to denigrate, judge, and betray those about whom we are talking.

“A Little Tea and Gossip” by Robert Payton Reid, 1887.

When it comes to salacious stories and gossip, there is evidence that they have been with us for centuries. Professor Mitchell Stephens (2007) notes that the Acta Diurna, daily summaries of current events and human interest stories that were posted on public message boards in ancient Rome, were often sensational (and miscommunicated through word of mouth). Stephens also reports that books of the 16th and 17th century used salacious tales to teach moral lessons, as well as entertain. Between 1867 and 1876, the London magazine Belgravia, edited by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, who wrote sensational popular novels, provided shock and titillation on a wide range of subjects with an attention-grasping writing style (Gabriele, 2009). There were many other salacious novels and periodicals through the years.

Acta Diurna, the world’s first “newspaper?”

A related phenomenon is the desire humans have for “celebrity gossip,” which is partly rooted in ancient tales of gods and heroes and stories of royalty. In more recent times, our focus has been on actors, musicians, and athletes. Probably the first gossip tabloid in the United States was Broadway Brevities and Society Gossip, launched in New York in 1916. Initially, Brevities covered high society and New York’s theater world, but by the 1920s devolved into covering society scandals and gossip, eventually leading to the tabloid being shut down in 1925 when its editor and some associates were convicted of fraud and accused of blackmail. Other celebrity magazines of the early 20th century varied from fawning over stars to promoting beauty products to gossip.

Actress Seena Owen on the cover of the November 1922 issue of Broadway Brevities.
Article from PhotoPlay magazine, 1934.

Why Do We Love Trash?

Why do we enjoy these forms of entertainment so much? There are a few reasons. To a degree, one reason is the previously mentioned mirror neuron system, which makes us curious about, empathetic to, and responsive to other people. But, there are also parts of our psyche, for better or worse, that compel us to compare ourselves to others, look for others’ flaws and weaknesses, and at times, want to see others struggle and even suffer. There is “good” and “bad” in all of us. We all have the capacity to build others up and tear them down–to delight in others’ successes but also to take perverse joy in their failures and foibles.

As a therapist, I believe it’s normal and healthy to recognize and accept all of our parts, even those we dislike or feel ashamed of. But, we always have the choice to feed and cultivate our better, more prosocial traits and put less time and energy into those aspects of ourselves that can be destructive. So, enjoy the trash TV and tabloid news if you must, but save some time, energy, and attention for those stories and activities that strengthen your healthy sense of self and your desire to connect with, celebrate, and support your fellow humans. Now more than ever, we need to build those aspects of human nature that bring us together.

Additional Reading

Gabriele, A. (2009). Reading Popular Culture in Victorian Print: Belgravia and Sensationalism, New York and London, Palgrave Macmillan.

Gottfried, S. (2019): The science behind why people gossip—and when it can be a good thing. Time.com, September 25; https://time.com/5680457/why-do-people-gossip/.

Stephens, M. (2007). A History of News (3rd ed). New York: Oxford University Press.

Stromberg, P. G. (2009). Why is entertainment so entertaining? Psychology Today.com, August 29; https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sex-drugs-and-boredom/200908/why-is-entertainment-so-entertaining

School Violence: What Works to Prevent It?

I’ve been feeling pretty sick and hopeless about the number of school shootings that have occurred in our country recently. It seems like every week, there is another horrible account of young people killing and being killed. As of May 8, 2019, according to CNN, there have been 15 school shootings in the United States in which at least one person (not including the shooter) was hurt or killed. These shootings have occurred at elementary, middle, and high schools and on college campuses. FIFTEEN school shootings since January!

Why Does This Violence Happen?

There are no easy answers, but there are a number of factors that are related to adolescent violence. Tolan and Guerra (2002) state that four basic trends related to this violence are: 1) Violence is prevalent throughout our society and has been for a long time. 2) Much violence occurs among acquaintances (and thus young people are more likely to commit violence against their fellow classmates and teachers than against strangers). 3) Adolescence is a time of heightened violence and is also the stage of life with the greatest risk for victimization. 4) Certain young people are more at risk of violence than others: those who are poor, live in cities, are male, and are African American.

Tolan and Guerra note that a large percentage of adolescent violence in the United States is situational, meaning that factors other than individual violent tendencies, individual pathology, or relationship difficulties (e.g., conflict, relationship abuse) contribute. Some of the factors that lead to situational violence are poverty, discrimination and oppression, timing (e.g., more violence occurs on weekends), availability of handguns, and alcohol and drug use.

Tolan and Guerra go on to say that at an individual level, adolescents are more likely to commit violence if they have impaired cognitive functioning and low academic achievement, poor peer relational skills, and biases and deficits in their thinking. Additional risk factors for committing violence are family problems (e.g., poor parenting skills, lack of emotional connection in the family, abuse, and inadequate family problem-solving and coping skills). Associating with violent peers and community and societal factors also play a big role.

What Does Not Work?

What works in preventing school violence? Well, research has shown that what doesn’t work are “violence prevention programs”: They produce no long-term decreases in violent behavior or risks of victimization in schools. In fact, in some cases, they cause nonviolent students to act violently (Tolan & Guerra, 2002). According to Johnson and Johnson (1995), the reason these programs don’t work is that 1) they fail to target the violent students, 2) they lack the follow-up necessary to maintain program quality, 3) they often use potentially violent “street tactics” in the classroom, and 4) they underestimate the power of non-school social forces.

What Works?

Then, what does work? Tolan and Guerra state that on an individual level, family therapy may be the most effective type of intervention. Cognitive-behavioral interventions, behavior modification, and social skills training also can be effective in preventing violence.

In looking at what may prevent violence among groups of young people, Tolan and Guerra say that trying to shift peer group norms, peer mentoring programs, and redirecting the activities of antisocial peer groups and juvenile gangs don’t seem to work. However, integrating young people who have prosocial norms with at-risk youth in groups that work to positive peer culture is one effective strategy.

Johnson and Johnson state that acknowledging that conflict will happen and teaching young people constructive ways to manage conflicts seems to be effective in reducing violence. So does creating cooperative, and not competitive, school environments. It is also vital that three risk factors for violence in schools be reduced: academic failure, alienation from schoolmates, and psychological pathology.

Smarter gun regulations are also necessary to reduce school violence, and I am proponent of better gun control. However, gun control alone is not enough. The underlying problems causing violence among young people–and in our society as a whole–need to be effectively addressed.

These ideas are not new. It’s tragic and disheartening that more of these strategies are not being implemented. When will the needless violence stop?

REFERENCES

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1995). Why violence prevention programs don’t work–and what does. 52(5): 63-68.

Lou, M. (2019). There have been 15 school shootings in the US so far this year. https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/08/us/school-shootings-us-2019-trnd/index.html

Tolan, P., & Guerra, N. (2002). What Works in Reducing Adolescent Violence: An Empirical Review of the Field. Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado, Boulder.

Street Art and Gentrification in Oakland, California

When I lived in Oakland, from 2005 to 2010, there was a decent amount of street art, but nowhere near as much as there is now. When I visited West Oakland and downtown this past weekend, I was blown away by the explosion of murals and graffiti. I used to frequent these areas when I lived in Oakland, but in the past few years when visiting, I haven’t spent much time in these neighborhoods.

  • Downtown Oakland street art.
  • Downtown Oakland street art.

Changes

I used to hang in West Oakland a lot because my partner was a metal artist who worked out of a large co-op in that neighborhood. Back then, the neighborhood was a mix of industrial and low-income housing, as well as blocks of dilapidated houses, abandoned buildings, and trash. It was an interesting place and not a very safe one: There were many break-ins and robberies, and there were bullet holes in the walls of buildings. On the plus side, people without a lot of money could still afford to live there–both long-time neighborhood residents and many struggling artists and “makers.” The influx of money was creeping along slowly then, with a couple condo buildings going up here and there but very few new businesses in the area.

When I drove through West Oakland yesterday, and I could hardly believe the changes since 2010. There were street art murals everywhere–too many to count. The sidewalk along Mandela Parkway was all fixed up with nice landscaping and fancy streetlamps. What used to be deserted streets were full of joggers and walkers (mostly white). There were new condo and apartment buildings as far as the eye could see, as well as coffee shops boasting organic coffee and WiFi.

  • Downtown Oakland street art.
  • Downtown Oakland street art.

Feelings About Gentrification

I have mixed feelings about the changes to West Oakland (and the whole Bay Area). On the one hand, I love public art and organic coffee. I’d rather live in a clean and safe apartment than a dilapidated hovel or an illegal warehouse. I like being places with vibrant business and people out and about. I have had a lot of privilege that has allowed me to live in places like these through most of my life.

But, that said, I wish that a neighborhood could grow and evolve without getting so expensive that the former residents (particularly low-income residents and people of color) can’t afford to stay. I’m not an expert on economics, but I imagine that federal, state, and local governments have to put specific programs in place to make this happen–leaving it up to the free market typically results in the wealthy winning out.

I did a little research on gentrification in Oakland and West Oakland in particular. After World War II, West Oakland became a thriving arts district and cultural haven for African-Americans, boasting many blues and jazz venues, as well as other businesses. However, economic changes starting in the 1950s and intensifying in subsequent decades led to the gradual deterioration of the neighborhood. Public projects damaging to the area’s fabric (such as the razing of homes to build the train station) also contributed to the area’s decline.

Regarding more recent changes to West Oakland, according to one article, “[Long-time residents] say newcomers are “Columbusing” Oakland—appropriating the city without any regard for the people who were here building community long before Oakland was the “it” place to move to. Others are happy to see changes, such as bike lanes, street repairs, and new businesses, come in. However, one thing that I can’t imagine anyone is happy about (except landlords) is the price of rent. A search of Craiglist revealed that rents in West Oakland are generally $2000 to $4000 for a one bedroom. Rents in the Oakland neighborhood where I lived, near Lake Merritt are similar, having doubled and tripled in the past 10 years. I would not be able to afford a one-bedroom apartment there now.

… Back to the Art

I could go on about gentrification. But to go back to the art: I was thrilled to see so much public art in West Oakland and downtown, and that inspired me to read more about that, too.

The Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP) has been around since 2005 and has been a major force in the creation of murals around Oakland. The nonprofit aims to beautify and cultivate healthy communities through public art.

The History of Mural Arts

An article on CRP’s website gives a fascinating history of mural art. The article chronicles the art from the earliest-known murals in France (created in 30,000 B.C.) to the early 20th-century Mexican mural arts movement associated with Diego Rivera to the Chicano art movement and African-American community mural movement of the 1960s to the 1970s and 1980s graffiti culture of Philadelphia and New York to contemporary aerosol and mural art.

Commodification of Street Art

One thing I hadn’t thought of (brought to my attention by another article on the CRP website) is the commodification of street art by private sponsors. Some developers see graffiti and other street art murals as “must-have amenities” for their properties. On the one hand, I think it’s great that these artists get paid for their work. But, I can also see the problem pointed out by CRP: Private mural sponsors may promote a gentrification agenda that displaces low-income residents, including artists, and fail to engage the community in creating the art.

More Mural Projects in Oakland

I saw several articles about the Oakland Mural Festival in 2018, which resulted in several new public works in the Jack London Square area. The Festival’s website says the event was planned to “use mural arts to engage East Bay youth, local Bay Area artists, and the Oakland community through beautification and placemaking activities … and to call attention to social issues, honor the legacy of Oakland’s historically industrial waterfront, and celebrate Oakland’s cultural identity.”

  • West Oakland street art.
  • West Oakland street art.
  • West Oakland street art.

Future Goals

I’ve always been drawn to public art, particularly graffiti art. I’ll have to make some more trips to Oakland to take more photos of these beautiful creations.

The Psychology of Horror Movies

Jason Voorhees

With Halloween coming, many people’s minds are on monsters, witches, and scary movies. Just why do people love horror movies? Actually, only about 30 percent of people in the U.S. do. According to Dr. Glenn Sparks, a professor at Purdue University, a third of people seek out scary movies, about a third hate them, and another third could take them or leave them. Full disclosure: I am somewhere between “hate” and “meh” when it comes to horror movies. Definitely not my favorite genre. But, I am always interested in why people do what they do and like what they like.

Arousal

Dr. Margee Kerr, a sociologist who studies, writes, and talks about fear, believes some love horror because fear stimulates the body’s “fight or flight” response. While the feeling of fear in a real-life dangerous scenario is unpleasant, in a controlled situation, like watching a scary movie, fight or flight causes the body to release dopamine, leading to good feelings.

Sparks states that it’s not the fear itself that makes film viewers feel good–it’s the relief after the scare is over. This fits with the “excitation transfer theory,” which states that arousal caused by one stimulus can intensify the excitation response to a different stimulus because the excitement from the first stimulus remains. In other words, the (usually unpleasant) jolt of fear a viewer feels when the bad guy axes a victim produces chemicals that arouse the body. This physical arousal continues after the shock is over, leading to heightened feelings of relief and pleasure: Just think about how people often laugh just after screaming during a horror film.

The Taboo

Horror film critic and co-producer of the movie Found Footage 3D, Scott Weinberg, has a different theory about the love of scary movies. He believes that it’s the illicit nature of horror flicks that explains their appeal. There is a thrill in doing something that you’re “not supposed to” do. The themes of horror movies are typically death, danger, paranoia, the dark side of human nature–things that are often considered taboo. Add to this the fact that many horror movies intertwine sex and sensuality with death and horror, adding to their seductive, and disturbing, nature. Just think of all the horror films in which the monster is alluring (like a vampire), or those in which the teens having sex are the most likely to be killed (e.g., Friday the Thirteenth). Many people have a desire to seek out what is forbidden, or they at least have a sense of curiosity about things that are outside the typical realm of everyday life.

Politics?

Interestingly, freelance writer and actor Hugo postulates that in the United States, horror flicks are more popular and/or more likely to be produced during Republican presidencies. He states that two of the top three horror flicks according to IMDb (Internet Movie Database) came out during Republican administrations, as did three of the top five horror films according to Rotten Tomatoes. He states that this may be because “… [Republican presidents] presided over incredible moments and turbulent times in history. These times have been consequential and sometimes scary. These conditions expose society and bring about a sense of vulnerability.” If it’s true that Republican administrations see more turbulence, perhaps these are times in which people need the controlled thrills of horror as an escape from reality, or the themes of horror reflect the anxieties that are more prevalent during these eras.

I am not sure whether the years under Republican leadership have always been more turbulent than those under Democrats. I do know that most Republicans are conservatives, and conservativism, by nature, involves a resistance to social change. This resistance often comes with fears of others and of the unknown, as well as a sense of the world as dangerous. Perhaps the same social trends that prompt the American people to elect a conservative leader make them more likely to be attracted to horror movies, which tap into our fears of being killed and tortured by a dangerous “other.”

Regardless of whether Hugo’s theory is correct, movies often do depict, directly or indirectly, what is happening in society at the time. For instance, a lot of the “invasion” movies of the 1950s and 1960s reflected fears of communism and subversives, such as the horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Filmed in 1956, it is the most popular of several similar movies (e.g., Invasion of the Saucer Men, The Brain Eaters, and Invaders from Mars) in which aliens take over the minds and bodies of the people of Earth, reflecting Cold War paranoia. Another good example of a film reflecting the political or social climate is Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed 2017 Get Out, which used both horror and black comedy to expose the myth of a post-racial United States amidst renewed media attention to and activism around racism and violence against black people.

Summing Up

So, going back to the point made at the beginning of this post that about 30 percent of Americans like scary movies, one could assume that this 30 percent is made up of thrill-seekers, or one could theorize that the Trump era is a time in which fear and paranoia are on the rise, making us more likely to seek out horror.

Whatever the explanation, horror movie season is upon us. Whether you are a horror lover, a horror hater, or indifferent to scary movies, I hope that you get some thrills this Halloween season and/or find some ways to escape from any anxieties you may be feeling about the current social and political times in which we live.

This post references the following pieces:

  1. “Republican Administrations Beget Better Horror Films” by Hugo in the online publication Medium, August 3, 2018.

  2. “The Psychology of Scary Movies” by Jason Bailey in the online publication Flavorwire, October 27, 2016.

“Blindspotting”: My Favorite Movie so far in 2018

Blindspotting movie poster

If you haven’t seen the movie Blindspotting, written by and starring Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal, I highly recommend it. I was blown away by this film, which manages to be touching, complex, and also funny while highlighting the important and timely social issues of racism, police brutality, classism, gentrification, and gun violence. Set in Oakland, California, the movie is about two lifelong friends, Collin (Daveed Diggs) and Miles (Rafael Casal), and the three days that could make or break Collin’s getting off of a year’s probation for a chance at a new beginning. I learned that Diggs and Casal, like the characters they play, are longtime friends, and that this was the debut feature film by director Carlos López Estrada.

Having recently visited Oakland, a city in which I lived for 5 years, I was excited to see some familiar places and scenes. I love the diversity, culture, art, music, food, and laidback feel of Oakland and grew to really love living there. I am also aware that my living in Oakland and a lot of the things I love about it are the result of gentrification, which gave me pause in thinking about my part in some of the problems highlighted in the movie.

I won’t write much about the film so as not to spoil it for anyone who plans to see it (in fact, you may not even want to watch the trailer, as it gives a lot away), but I will say that I will be thinking about the multi-layered stories and themes, as well as some powerful dream sequence scenes, for a long time.

 

The Importance of Representation in the Media: Black Panther

Black Panther film posters, photo by David Holt
Photo by David Holt.

Last month, I saw the comic book-based Afrofuturist film Black Panther, which got me to thinking about how much representation matters: Seeing positive images of people who share your gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. makes a difference in how you feel about yourself and see the world. Black Panther, a black superhero movie, got raves from viewers and critics alike for its exciting action, beautiful costumes and scenery, and fine acting, but more importantly, it broke new ground in Hollywood by featuring a black superhero. Black Panther tells the story of the first black superhero in mainstream American comics.

The emotional responses many black viewers had to the film show how powerful and necessary it is to put black heroes front and center. Since the 1960s, researchers of television and film have noted that what is shown–or not shown–in mainstream media shapes how we see the world and what we believe to be “normal.” The absence or underrepresentation of certain groups, such as African-Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos results in what media scholars call “symbolic annihilation.” George Gerbner coined this term in the 1970s to explain how the underrepresentation of certain groups in mainstream media perpetuates social inequality and undermines the legitimacy of their identities. Misrepresentation, or stereotyping, is also a sadly frequent and prevalent phenomenon in the mainstream media. Lack of representation, underrepresentation, and misrepresentation skew viewers’ understanding of the world, perpetuate racism and other -isms, and can damage the self-esteem of those who are not depicted or depicted poorly.

Previous filmmakers, with few exceptions (such as Stephen Norrington, who directed Blade, with the tituar character played by Wesley Snipes), made the black superhero a secondary character alongside white ones (such as Storm in the X-Men movies and War Machine in the Iron Man series). In contrast, Black Panther‘s director, Ryan Coogler, brought to life the story of T’Challa, a modern black superhero who is respectable, imaginative, powerful. According to Coogler, “I think the question that I’m trying to ask and answer in Black Panther is, ‘What does it truly mean to be African?'” This is a question that has long gone unexplored in mainstream film.

Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther.
Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther.

I’m not even a fan of comic books, and I thoroughly enjoyed Black Panther, both because it was a really well-done movie, but also because I recognized the cultural power and importance of the film. Hearing the voices of black directors, writers, and actors and seeing them take a central role in Hollywood is long overdue, and I hope there will be more and more movies like Black Panther being made. I also hope to see growing (positive) representation of other groups whose voices have been absent, underrepresented, or misrepresented for too long.

To read more about the history of Afrofuturism, check out this CNN article, “Afrofuturism: The Genre That Made Black Panther.”

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