L.A. Today

The Wait Is Over

2008-05-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

It has finally happened. After 9/11, I knew it would happen, I just didn’t know how long it would take. With the closure of the writers’ strike, several of the newly formed businesses (2-5 years old) in the entertainment industry had the opportunity to transform and transcend the traditional business models of production companies, management firms, financing groups, and agency’s by meshing them all together. What I mean is that new businesses have emerged within the industry that now have the capacity to fully finance, produce, cast, and distribute a feature film without necessarily reaching out to an extended network of companies that was so imperative before.

One company that mirrors this metamorphosis is The Collective. Founder Michael Green was joined in 2005 by Jeff Golenberg (previously head of 3 Arts Entertainment), Sam Maydew (founder of Popart Entertainment), and Aaron Ray (founder of Nine Yards Entertainment). The partners of The Collective have done some of the biggest deals in the last decade in all areas of media. Besides generating over a billion and a half dollars worth of music deals alone, partners in The Collective are responsible for film Franchises such as Big Mommma’s House and The Fast and the Furious. Besides creating traditional media deals and managing clients, The Collective represents a diverse array of talent, writers, directors and media companies as well as RKO studios and all of its library and intellectual profitability.

So what, the company has a list of their own a-list clients, deals with media, and can produce films? That’s just the beginning…The true change in the business models has come with film financing. Unlike before, and definitely believed to be the first of its kind for a management company, The Collective has a Finance and Sales division that focuses on serving producers, financiers, and distributors of all levels. Everything can be done “in-house” to get a picture developed and released.

My point in over-exploiting the structure of this company is to reveal that the traditional platform for success has completely been revolutionized, both in the entertainment industry and in politics. Post 9-11, Republicans became a little bit more like the Democrats and the Democrats a bit more like the Republicans. This has forced political candidates and politicians to take on more of a bilateral approach, often selling and winning over voters on their “middle-groundedness.” This notion has truly come to the forefront of political ideology in the 2008 Presidential election. Hillary Clinton’s political plans are conservative enough that she might win over some republican voters who might have otherwise voted for McCain. McCain’s agenda seems liberal enough in some areas that some democrats might throw their support his way. And for Barack? He is nowhere to be found, as most republicans seem to fall for Hillary before Barack. Why? Perhaps because they point the finger at him because he is “black” or “inexperienced” or even for because he does not fully support the war in Iraq. This is particularly worrisome for me, being a Barack supporter, because he just does not seem to play the “middle-ground” role so well and if he is voted as the democrats Presidential candidate, he will loose a large amount of votes because of this.

Presidential candidates, especially the Democrats, have always relied on Hollywood for enormous financial support. Barack and Hillary raised a majority of their funds from people involved in entertainment, and even McCain did too. The change in the platforms and structures within politics and entertainment will continue into the future as these new models for success become ubiquitous.

$110 Million & America's Future

2008-04-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

$110 million. Thats the combined amount that Sens. Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton have spent on TV advertisements to this point (CNN). John Kerry spent around $20 million to lock his presidential nomination from the democrats, and Obama has already tripled this amount spending nearly $70 million. Considering the race for a democratic presidential nominee is still not over, and that this $110 million does not include the republican party's spending, isn't this all a bit outrageous?

The wild spending is indicative of the transformation in the role and power that media has on potential voters. Television has always been the best way to reach the largest audience, but now that more channels of communication have opened, such as online advertising, candidates have even more opportunities and places to funnel their money in attempt to "capture" potential voters. Campaigning used to be a way for a candidate to raise awareness about their prospective political agenda, but now seems like it is nothing more than a battle between candidates for face-time with upcoming voters. I understand that political campaigning is imperative to each candidates eventual success, but I believe that there should be some limit or cap on how much money a presidential candidate can spend on their campaign, which should be monitored by congress or some third party in order to ensure fair play.

Check out all the recent Presidential television advertisements here.

Regardless of how much money the democratic and republican presidential candidates spend on their campaign's, a winner will emerge who will be faced with the prospect to change the way the world views the United States. Hopefully the upcoming president will have learned from his predecessor's mistakes that economic and military might do not give a country the ability to successfully impregnate its views elsewhere. Solving international problems requires a multi-lateral approach, which means talking to your enemies, not just your friends. With a Democratic win, one of the first moves will be to close, or reconfigure, Guantanamo Bay. It would also be wise of the winner to be involved in a massive American and European re-engagement, including Iran and Syria, both of which are crucial in bringing peace to the region and helping the United States to hamper terrorist networks throughout the Middle East.

Although it seems as though there is no simple military solution in Iraq for the U.S., it appears that in the near future our involvement will be limited to protecting Iraq's oil supply and assisting Iraqi forces to prevent terrorist cells from growing/emerging. The presence of American troops will always be necessary, at least within the next ten to twenty-five years, but as the number of troops diminish in size we can rely more on outsourcing our aid to Iraq through private security forces like Blackwater. As China's economy continues to grow and eventually surpasses that of the United States, we will be forced to recognize that multilateral cooperation is not important, but essential to our survival and dominance. The decisions that the new President of the United States will be faced with soon after being inaugurated will shape the future of the world.

"Either Democrat would be better than John McCain....and all three of us would be better than George Bush." - Barack Obama

2008-04-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are patiently awaiting the results of the 2008 Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania. Up to now, the race to determine who will be the best Democratic candidate to face McCain in the Presidential election has been difficult for democrats to figure out, to say the least. Obama is currently in the lead with 1,644 total delegates while Clinton holds 1,498.

But the race in Pennsylvania is also “different.” Obama’s fundraising efforts, that reached nearly $41 million just from the month of March, has enabled him spend about $31 million on his presidential campaign in the region, compared to Clinton’s $22 million spending budget. Earlier in the week, the two senators publically took stabs at one another. Clinton continually criticized Obama’s campaign for “misrepresenting” itself, while Obama criticized Clinton’s plans for universal health care. Despite their differences, that seem to be vividly voiced and accentuated by the media, Obama and Clinton truly do disagree all that much on the substantive issues– economy, health care, housing, crime, war in Iraq, and other foreign policy matters. This is why the two seem to fight about the less important issues, often pointing out the problems with one another’s campaigning or Washington experience. With 158 delegates at stake, the results of the Pennsylvania primary could force Clinton to finally consider dropping out of the presidential race and endorse Obama.

What is most interesting is that state officials claim that hundreds of thousands of new voters have registered, many of who are about to vote for the first time. These voters represent what Wolf Blitzer has termed “a surprise factor.” These virgin democratic supporters represent an element of the political equation that could “tip the balance.” The emergence of new voters in the presidential election is also a huge issue that both McCain and the awaiting democratic nominee will soon have to grapple with.

Outsourcing…It’s not all that bad, or is it?

2008-04-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

“The future of outsourcing is to take the work from any part of the world and do it in any part of the world.”
-Ashok Vemuri, Senior Vice President at Infosys

The mere term “outsourcing” has a negative connotation – a way of cutting labor costs by employing people in other parts of the world. Some estimates claim that over three million jobs in the United States will be lost to this trend by 2015. People fear that with the increase in globalization and as more and more companies broaden their boundaries, individuals will continue to loose their jobs to workers in India, Mexico, China, etc. who can get the work done for half the cost.

But, there has been a dramatic increase in the world’s nations to outsource everything from their military to their postal services that, if executed correctly, can revolutionize what defines a country and bring in tremendous amounts of revenue. For instance, Jordan recently entered a five-year contract worth nearly $4.2 billion to attract investors to manage the kingdom’s ports, postal services, and public transport. Our own government just recently re-signed with private security contractors Unity Resources Group and Blackwater to help our troops fight the war in Iraq. In the UK, the British Telecom Group manages the military’s telecommunications services and members of the government have noted an increase in multi-directional communication that has positively impacted the military’s productivity.

Outsourcing has played an integral role in India over the last fifteen years, as the country has become the hub for corporate call centers. India has become the “preferred outsourcing location” because the call centers offer a wide variety of advantages. One website notes the following advantages:

1. Large and educated workforce
2. Specialized call center outsourcing services
3. Time Zone advantages
4. Latest Technology and High-end infrastructure
5. Cost-effective

Not only are big businesses profiting when outsourcing production or service jobs to India, but the companies in India that offer such services are generating extraordinary profit margins too. Infosys Technologies Limited is an Indian based company that has provided outsourcing services to companies throughout the world, employing over 88,000 professionals and bringing in annual revenues close to $3.1 billion in U.S. dollars in its fiscal year. The company manages communication networks for Bank of America and Goldman Sachs…you get the picture yet?

The flip side to all of this is that outsourcing can have a negative impact on businesses in the United States. Outsourcing reduces our skilled labor force while producing jobs specific to the service sector, which do not pay as much as manufacturing jobs, do not create as much national wealth, and often lack the innovation necessary to foster growth and development. The local markets loose out to the multi-national competitors and as a result, our economy seems to take a hit. However much we continue to globalize and outsource everything from call centers to military services, we must keep in mind that what matters is at home and we must try and find a way to grapple with outsourcing so that we manage to protect our local markets in order to stay true to who we are as Americans.

Travel to Survive

2008-03-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries."
- Aldous Huxley

In the modern world, traveling is not important, but vital. It is often said that traveling broadens the mind, enriches the soul, and heals the heart. Even more so, one cannot understand the political position the global community holds towards the United States without immersing oneself in other cultures. Today, we must travel to survive.

People who speak of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict without having visited the region lack a specific type of knowledge about the perspective cultures and how each group lives their lives that produces their current set of beliefs. This is why every President soon after being inaugurated travels to foreign countries to meet with other world leaders. The mere physical contact with other cultures and places broadens one’s worldview, which today happens to be an essential component to maintain our position as a world power. In reference to the above quotation, traveling enables the traveler to be exposed to the lifestyle of an indigenous group, possibly witnessing the compassion and kindness exhibited throughout a community by its members, often forcing the traveler to leave his travels with a richer understanding for those particular natives that he originally might have felt otherwise about.

In addition, the only way to continue to preserve our dominance and face the economic competition posed by the rest of the world is to work with our competition. Global mergers and acquisitions as well as our rising desire to outsource U.S. production to Mexico and China can only continue as successful if we are willing to truly understand and accept the cultural differences between America and the rest of the world, which is accomplished through traveling and sharing cultural identities. Having not frequented other place throughout the world diminishes the validity behind ones expressions and belittles their worldviews.

Often, politicians will highlight their traveling experiences as they campaign in order to increase their “worldly” appeal and draw attention to their ability to get along with leaders outside of America. Most recently, Hillary Clinton attempted to implement this tactic and disclose her battle experience by discussing her trip to Bosnia. In attempt to prove that she was more battle-ready to be commander-in-chief than Barack Obama, Clinton claimed that upon arriving in Bosnia in early 2000 that she “remembered landing under sniper fire…there was supposed to be some kind of greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.” CBS exposed the fallacies in Clinton’s most recent speech by displaying images of Clinton debarking her plane and taking photographs with troops and Bosnians on the airstrip during the “greeting ceremony” and suggesting that nobody on that day had any memory of imminent danger or sniper fire. This endeavor by Clinton worked in Obama’s, favor, showing voters that Clinton is truly not more “experienced” than she claims to be.

Here is a picture of Clinton during the "greeting ceremony" in Bosnia:

Clinton’s attempt to paint a picture far from the truth demonstrates her longing for acceptance as a worldly individual, one who has faced military experience or battle in her travels. As the terrorist threat increases for America and our economy continues to fall, we must make an effort to travel in order to educate our youth about the cultures of both our enemies and our allies, taking away a greater understanding of not only how and why the world views the United States but also of ourselves.

Defining The New American Generation

2008-03-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

On March 17th, Paramount Pictures will be debuting the trailer of their upcoming feature film Tropic Thunder starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. So what’s the big deal? Robert Downey Jr. is now black. His performance centers on acting as white man cast to play a black soldier in a satirical film. This particular motion picture suggests that the surge of media portrayals perpetuated by the entertainment industry are now truly crossing, blending, and transforming racial boundaries and ideas surrounding race and ethnicity. In conjunction with this notion, I began to think about the presence and representation of multiracial individuals in the mass media and their influence on America’s view of multiethnicity, as my own racial background is in line with the “multiethnic.”

Here's Downey in the upcoming film, he's behind Stiller:

Every time I am asked to define my ethnicity I have to stop and think about which aspect of my multiethnic background I should attempt to expound upon the oh-so-lucky inquisitor. Will I start by informing the individual that I am South African and Israeli? Or should I just save my energy and time, escape the awkward “oh really?” situation, and notify the ethnic reader that I am White? Or American? Participating in the grueling college application process was the first time that the question of my identity was truly brought to the forefront of my personal dilemmas. Being forced to check only one box to inform universities across the country of my ethnicity and racial background simply was not enough; doing so would just give a falsified representation of whom I am. White, a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East accounts for half of me, but what about the other half? My phonotypical features are most closely associated with being White, but can I really disregard, not to mention disrespect, my South African ancestry? Where is my box!

Society today is based on a set of codes that dictate how we interpret ethnicity, forcing us to make sense of the surrounding physical world by attaching particular generalizations and judgments to ones associated cultural and social experience. The Theory of Racial Formation suggests “everybody learns some combination, some version, of the rules of racial classification…forcing race to become common sense – a way of comprehending, explaining, and acting in the world.” The problem with this notion is the mere fact that race has become a matter of “common sense” rather than a process of outlining ones unique and distinct characteristics which serve to create and perpetuate their individuality. As a result, American culture identifies ethnicity by relating a variety of racial assumptions (the majority of which are false) to ones particular phenotypical traits.

As previously discussed, Americans today are not comfortable in their interactions with one another unless they can visibly identify ones ethnicity. Such identification creates a safe haven where both individuals know what associations, conversations, and behaviors are acceptable, providing each involved party with a sense of comfort. It is only now that a generation of multiethnics is emerging as a result of increased immigration in the previous generations.

In conjunction with this notion, I believe that it has become easier for multiethnics to hold on to their identity and refute the need to fit into today’s monoethnic culture because of the recent lust for the exotic that has been facilitated through modern forms of entertainment. Because I live in a generation characterized as the “most racially diverse population in the nation’s history,” such portrayals of multiethnicity have sucked the media dry of monoethnics. In addition, what is characterized as exotic, diverse and different appeals remarkably to the general public. What is most interesting about the representations of these individuals throughout the media is that as more and more multiracial individuals move into powerful positions in our economy and government, the media has been forced to downplay the racial stereotypes that are often associated with people of “mixed” descent. The entertainment industry, instead of marginalizing, trivializing, and placing multiethnics as the Other, are now forced to glorify blurred ethnic diversity as desirable and enviable. The lives of celebrity’s such as Mariah Carey, Tiger Woods, and Paula Abdul, are just a few icons that have managed to hold onto their multiethnic backgrounds, helping to create a more progressive view of multiethnicity. For instance, when Lenny Kravitz, whose mother is black and father is white, was asked what advice he might have for the growing number of biracial youth, he says he would “tell them that it’s a blessing to have an interracial background.”

The rising era defined by multiethnic individuals that has emerged has forced a breakdown of traditional views surrounding what it means to be of mixed descent. Parallel with this suggestion, the technological revolution of the twenty first century, which is the result of increased global broadband speeds, is paired with members of my generation, the generation of the exotic. As we continue to be the biggest advocates and experts on the issues that surround the coming technological era, race will become less and less of an issue in this rising digital world. In addition, modern forms of entertainment have already begun to lift their misconstrued portrayals and associations of race and ethnicity to the general population as more and more multiethnic individuals move into positions of power throughout the global community. Although this is promising, there is still much room for improvement as racism and the violence it provokes continues to exist throughout the world today. Examining myself as a true blend of cultures and ethnicities stemming from my maternal and paternal ancestors is something to be proud of. Even if I never have a box to check, I will always, as does Mr. Kravitz, view my multiethnicity as a hallmark of beauty.

Technology...it's killing us..well, sort of.

2008-03-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

We are digital, and Apple knows. On March 7th Apple unveiled their SDK software development kit that finally makes the iPhone compatible with Microsoft Exchange, allowing businesses to bring the hip phone into the corporate world. This merger serves as a prime example of how companies have been appropriating new technologies that truly inhibit the growth of face-to-face communication. Particularly within organizations, the decrease in communication that relies on physical interaction has lead to an increase in employee dissatisfaction, a decrease in job identification and worker productivity. The technological revolution that has taken place over the last twenty-five years has transformed all forms of modern communication, but no one seems to have noticed the enormous shift that has taken place in human interaction and communication as a result of this digital transformation. Technology has replaced human relationships, the foundation for procreation, social stability, and personal development, with the digital screen. In order to combat the negative affects that the technological world has brought on human social interaction, we must understand how technology has changed our ways of behaving and thinking and consciously make an effort to hold on to traditional forms of interpersonal communication.

The average attention span has decreased tremendously because we are always thinking in a three-window world dominated by the television screen, the computer screen, and the mobile phone. The huge number of teens today who are diagnosed with Attention Deficient Disorder and given prescription drugs serves as an indication for just how much technology has truly impacted our behavior. People are no longer able to spend time with one another without their cell phone going off or worrying about scheduling a meeting in their blackberry. With the advent of the mobile phone, a plethora of associated behaviors have been attached to being a cellular phone user. If you call someone and leave a message for that person, that individual is expected to return the phone call within a matter of hours, at most, days. If a person does not return a call within the sociably acceptable time frame they are quickly cast into a category of disproval. Also, the use of cellular technology to communicate eliminates the facial expressions, gestures, and physical innuendos exchanged in traditional forms of communication and may result in confusion and dissatisfaction from all parties involved. Newer technologies, such as the mobile phone, the Internet, and social networking sites, have proven to be addictive forms of communication where users are constantly attached to digital devices exchanging information. Moreover, individuals today feel a sense of withdrawal from units of technology when not completely entrenched in them. So, why does all this matter? To survive…

The reliance on human interaction and relationships throughout the past has provided a framework for education and global stability, the pillars that the future of our existence rests upon. Fewer and fewer people indulge in the act of reading a book because there are merely easier, less effort driven ways to be “entertained.” What is extremely worrisome is the suggestion that today’s children are educated by the Television and Internet and less by their schools and their parents. The lacking of a physical presence in an educational environment tends to remove all emotion involved in learning, an essential component of gaining knowledge and searching for truth. The reduction in the importance of simple behaviors that make a tremendous difference in interpersonal communication, such as eye contact and how to shake someone’s hand, is often the result of technology, as you don’t have to look someone in the eye when you talk to them on the phone. In conjunction with this notion, time and time again leaders throughout the world have claimed to obtain a greater understanding and trust for one another during a physical meeting, visit, or discussion; one can “just tell” a lot about an individual through sharing the same physical space. We must now be consciously aware of technology’s ability to reduce and take away from the power of physical interaction and interpersonal communication and attempt to reiterate this notion to ourselves, and our children, in order to ensure the best possible future for us all.

The Modern Public Intellectual in Los Angeles

2008-02-23T20:09:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles is often considered the capital of global entertainment and world media, and has enabled intellectuals of the twenty first century to host their ideas and thoughts both virtually and definitively throughout the city’s various networks. The city’s connection to major news organizations, like the Los Angeles Times, as well as the dominating relationship between the city and the motion picture industry, can not be overlooked when examining the modern public intellectual. In addition, L.A. is a host to some of the nations most prestigious academic institutions, which fosters an alternative environment to the “brainless” world produced by the entertainment industry. The rich cultural atmosphere in Los Angeles stems from the racial diversity present throughout the metropolis, not to mention the vast amount of museums and exhibits located all over the city. All of these factors have aided in generating a unique fertilization between the intellectual community and the general population and blended the two worlds together.

This proposal may seem difficult to understand at first, so let us examine the work of one of the city’s Public Intellectuals in order to clarify my suggestion. Stacy Smith received her Ph.D from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and joined the faculty at the University of Southern California in 2003. Her research focuses on children’s responses to mass media portrayals of violence, gender, and hypersexuality in television, film, and video games 1. Dr. Smith is hired by organizations in the entertainment industry to examine issues of representation in hope of creating more realistic and fair portrayals of gender and ethnicity. Her most recent work with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media reveals that movies “need to create more female characters with aspirations beyond romance” and that movies and certain TV categories “need more characters of color, especially female characters of color as main characters, minor characters, narrators, and in crowds.” In altering the current standards for film and television, individuals exposed to these particular “misrepresentations” will no longer think that they are appropriate or right. So, why does this matter? Dr. Smith is making a “public argument, grounding it in reason and evidence” to “puncture the mythmakers [the entertainment industry] of our era 2.” She destroys the tale created by the motion picture industry that males should always be the star of a film, playing leading roles way more often than females. As Stephen Mack notes, “the measure of public intellectual work is not whether the people are listening, but whether they’re hearing things worth talking about.” Dr. Smith’s work is worth talking about, and even more so, worth acting upon to create positive change in the mass media.

Another public intellectual based in the Los Angeles community is Mike Davis. Davis’ work focuses on examining the political and social topography throughout the city, looking at the role of public spaces and natural disasters that dominate the region. His literature takes on a negative and dark tone and has become part of Los Angeles’ urban dictionary, “redefining L.A. almost overnight 3.” Although he is a college graduate, his work does not stem from academic knowledge but rather from his profound connection to the place he calls home. Davis brings up issues throughout his elaborate theological discussion on Los Angeles that directly relate to the public, for he is talking about the city in a fashion that should draw concern from its inhabitants. Davis is now a professor in the history department at the University of California, Irvine.

Each of these figures relationship to major universities in the greater Los Angeles area illustrates the important role that academic institutions play in producing intellectual knowledge that allows the public intellectual to make some larger statement. This is not to say that a public intellectual must be endowed with a college degree of any kind, but to suggest that the major universities positioned throughout the city help to produce certain ideas that are of serious ‘public concern.’ For instance, both the University of Southern California and the University of California, Irvine function as centers for research. Stacy Smith would not have been able to comment on gender portrayals in the mass media without empirically analyzing the data. The observations that are made and the findings that are uncovered allow intellectuals to become public intellectuals when they reveal their results (that must be of public importance) to the greater population.

These two particular ‘public intellectuals’ are figures that make their ideas and suppositions a matter of concern for the greater Los Angeles community and work to break down the barriers between the intellectual community and the general population. The ‘modern’ public intellectual understands the importance of transcending this barrier and addresses their audience in a way that previous intellectuals have failed to conquer – by being part of the group they are speaking to they are able to take issues of concern and expound the importance of addressing these concepts upon a given community. Even more interesting, the role of being a public intellectual in Los Angeles is done so in an inimitable way found no where else in the world. What I mean is that Los Angeles fosters the growth and development of public intellectualism in a multitude of professional fields, where each character is able to transcend the limitations of their own calling to communicate with others in the area on issues of ‘deep public concern.’ The academic community has been able to communicate directly with those who may not be directly involved in the “university world” and vice versa.

The digital revolution that has taken place over the last twenty years has aided in forming the modern public intellectual. Los Angeles’ role as a leader in this new age of communication has allowed public intellectuals to address issues of concern to an entire community in a matter of minutes. But just because someone makes a statement on his or her online blog regarding issues of public concern does not make that individual a public intellectual. I agree with Mack in that the statement must be bounded by “reason and evidence” and also believe that the larger community must recognize the issue as important and deem it worthy for discussion and action. The public intellectuals that reside in the Los Angeles community have an air of influence over the city’s social and political climate. Policymakers and public officials often rely on these intellectuals for guidance on what issues to address and act on in their individual campaigns. It has become a qualification for those involved in the arts and cultural events that frequently take place in Los Angeles to partake and understand the ‘intellectual ideas’ in circulation throughout the city. It has become easier to be a public intellectual in the twenty first century because of the elaborate and numerous ways to infiltrate the ‘public,’ but what has not changed is the necessity for the issues discussed to be of significant importance to the larger community.

The Importance of all Public Intellectuals

2008-02-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

The notion of a “public intellectual” dates back to the early formulation of human societies where certain individuals valiantly expressed ideas surrounding a given topic relevant to the larger, public concern. Although they might not have been deemed worthy of such a title at the time, public intellectuals have been able to challenge conventional thought and bring about the possibility for both social and political change. In other words, a public intellectual is not someone who decides to ‘go public’ with his ideas, but rather someone who takes a set of ideas relevant to the masses and makes them public. Still confused? I know I am…

Lets look at the work of Antonio Gramsci, one of Italy’s most profound political theorists, who clearly represents qualities of a public intellectual. An important part of his discussion centers on the idea of counter-hegemony and its importance in maintaining a capitalistic state. Before looking at counter-hegemony, we must first understand hegemony, which revolves around two key ideas: first, dominant ideologies do exist, but they rule by consent, not coercion, and they are often presented as “common sense” and second, that these dominant ideologies are always in tension with other forces and thus are constantly in flux. These two concepts suggest hegemony can be seen as a framework for a group or society to share a set of common ideas, but also provides the basis for counter-hegemonic forces to exist. Counter-hegemony, then, relates to those ideas and views that do not fit in the dominant positions of the larger, mass population. Counter- hegemony, although seen as a threat by some, is essential and important for what they offer, an opportunity for oppositional forces to be heard fostering the possibility for social and political change. Counter-hegemonic ideology may go against the larger and more accepted viewpoints but acts as a necessary form of checks and balances to ensure one dominant group or ideology does not rule authoritatively. Gramsci’s work serves to inform the ‘public’ of a particular knowledge that is relevant to every individual; it informs them on how capitalism functions and how to preserve it in the most democratic way. He clearly is a ‘public intellectual.’

As we continue to move forward in the current ‘information age,’ an air of uncertainty attached to the term perpetuates as a multitude of scholars attempt to define what it means to be a public intellectual in their own unique way. Richard A. Posner, a judge on the United States Court of appeals for the Seventh Circuit, is regarded as one of the most influential legal and political theorists today. He has written nearly forty books and has touched upon the subject of the ‘public intellectual.’ He suggests that a public intellectual is “that individual who speaks to the public on issues of political or ideological moment,” but refuses to recognize those outside of “academics” as true public intellectuals. As William Dean explains in his review of Posner’s work, which seems so to be more of a critique, “Posner’s main claim is that the arts and humanities should be kicked out of public intellectualdom 1.” What about the vital influence of the great philosophers such as Aristotle, Descartes, St. Augustine? What about the political implications of Machiavelli’s The Prince that directly manifests throughout American democratic and republican ideals? And Shakespeare? Should we discount the political and social undertones/messages throughout his works because his knowledge stems from the arts and not this “privileged” world of academia?

What is important to recognize is that public intellectualism should not be exclusively open to only those who have a direct connection to the academic world, but all individuals who have a genuine knowledge on a particular issue that is both relevant and important to the public. The public connoted by the “public intellectual” should not consist of only middle and upper class policy makers, administrators, and professionals, but also the knowledge from all communities, particularly the ideas and thoughts that stem from local communities dispersed throughout the nation. In the United States, we are now faced with an economic recession that has dragged the economy into political and social unrest. We must rely on our citizens, whether their knowledge stems from academia or humanities, to fornicate significant topics of conversation that will aid in propelling our country’s image, economy, and political climate forward. As Stephen Mack notes, “our notions of the public intellectual need to focus less on who or what a public intellectual is- and by extension, the qualifications for getting and keeping the title. Instead, we need to be more concerned with the work public intellectuals must do, irrespective of who happens to be doing it 1.”

By failing to implore this “broad” definition of a public intellectual, we intentionally reserve part of American democracy for guidance by experts, inferring that the average citizen needs direction and management in order to survive. I firmly disagree with this submission, for the power of American democracy lies in the country’s ability to recognize the knowledge, information, and ideas that every American citizen promotes: Democracy!

The 21 Year Old Super Delegate: The Power of The Youth in 2008

2008-02-11T17:56:00.000-08:00

Who the hell walks out on breakfast with Chelsea Clinton to make it to class on time?

Well, his name is Jason Rae and he has more than just Chelsea chasing him down. Rae, a 21-year-old junior at the University of Wisconsin, is a “Superdelegate.” He is a member of the Democratic National Committee from Wisconsin and is one of 796 free agents who can back any candidate in the upcoming 2008 Democratic nomination. Superdelegates compose about 1/5th of the total number of delegates voting in the 2008 Democratic National Convention and are selected based “solely on their status as current or former elected officeholders and party officials.”

On Feb. 11th, Rae was asked to join the former (and possibly future) first daughter Chelsea Clinton at the University of Wisconsin for breakfast. The conversation at the table surrounded the issue of electability and mobilizing the youth of America to get involved politically. Clinton also pushed talks about the strength of her mother’s campaign and the power behind her political experience over Senator Obama’s. Because the current campaign for the democratic national nomination for presidency is so close, the importance in gaining the support of these Superdelegates has become vital to the ultimate success of winning the nomination. Before the conversation could get too intimate, Rae politely excused himself and “hustled back to campus to get to his afternoon classes.”

According to CNN, it is not just young Chelsea trying to gain the support of Rae, but her father, former President Clinton, as well as former secretary of State Madeleine have called Rae on his cell phone in attempt to “woo him to the Clinton side.” Massachusetts Senator John Kerry also has contacted Rae pushing for Rae to endorse Obama.

What is most interesting is that Rae (along with a huge chunk of the population in their twenties) has never voted before in a presidential election because he turned 18 after the Election in 2004. This group of potential voters, who are soon to be politically “de-virginized,” has been given little attention and de-emphasized by both the Democratic and Republican party campaigns. Despite their attempt to contact every superdelgate in the country and offer them a lunch with a member of their family, the majority of political campaigns continue to eradicate the value of these first time voters. The youth in the past has demonstrated their inability to get up and vote, but the importance of the upcoming election juxtaposed with the current dissatisfaction with the Bush administration has been echoed loudly throughout the country, fornicating a national sentiment that this time the youth truly will “Vote or Die.”

Los Angeles: Fighting To Remain Centerless

2008-02-02T17:04:00.000-08:00

“It is hereby earnestly proposed that the U.S.A. would be better off if that big, sprawling, incoherent, shapeless, slobbering civic idiot in the family of American communities, the city of Los Angeles, could be declared incompetent and placed in charge of a guardian…the size of the place nor the incoherence of its government accounts for the lunacy of the place (Engh).” It is this “shapelessness” and “lunacy” that most inhabitants of Los Angeles would argue makes the region so profound. In1938, when Westbrook Pegler announced this particularly strong viewpoint to the world, an enormous migration to the West had already begun to take place, altering the fundamental framework of the United States. A plethora of individuals from across the nation and often from around the world came to Los Angeles in hope of discovering a “land of opportunity.” Because modern Los Angeles developed from a conglomerate of scattered towns and villages during this time, the formulation of the city resulted with no distinct central point. Most cities today have some sort of center, offering citizens a geographical location to use as a common ground that ultimately generates a sense of harmony throughout the region. Los Angeles has been criticized for structurally going against this norm, often seen by outsiders as a hindrance in bringing it’s populous together. On the contrary, the urban center’s ability to fight off a clear-cut nucleus has served to promote a diversity and heterogeneity throughout the city, but the current “Manhattanization” of downtown Los Angeles threatens this unique identity the city lends to its members.

Before entering a discussion surrounding the development of downtown Los Angeles and the associated cultural ramifications, a deeper understanding of why Los Angeles promotes such a unique identity must be surfaced. The ethnic and racial diversity of the population that emerged in Los Angeles, coupled with the need for discovering financial success, fabricated a variety of occupational and economic opportunities that continues to persist today. Unlike other metropolises that are dominated by one industry such as steel, machinery, or automobiles, Los Angeles offers a “compound of enormously diverse, flexible production sectors, including financial and business services, high-technology industry, and various craft, fashion, and cultural products industries ranging from clothing and jewelry to motion pictures and music recording (Scott).”

The immense range of professional careers available throughout the city draws individuals with a variety of specialized talents and diverse backgrounds from around the world. The technological revolution that has been forwarded by the innovations and start up companies based in the San Fernando Valley have brought a movement of “techies” to the area. In addition, acting as the center for global entertainment hosting most of the major motion picture studios such as Paramount, Sony, Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros., an entire cast of directors, producers, actors, writers, agents and many more who whore themselves to the entertainment industry now gather in Los Angeles. The infamous depiction of the city as containing some of the world’s best food has captivated and lured culinary experts from around the globe away from the common conception that France is the only place to truly partake in fine dining. The point is that the multiethnic population that characterizes the Angelino identity resides in having massive opportunities for individuals to find their particular economic niche, whatever it might be, within the parameters of a twenty-minute drive.

The distinctive nature of the city that grew out of urbanization offers individuals today a chance to participate in a dual identity; expressing simultaneously a feeling of both small town and big city life. The particular development of the city’s geography created sub-city’s within Los Angeles, resulting in the formation of areas such as Santa Monica, Brentwood, Hancock Park, West Hollywood, etc. As a result, people today truly can become attached to their immediate suburban environment, treating it just as if they were living in a small town, while at the same time latching on to the views, beliefs, and overall identity as a member of the greater Los Angeles community.

Heathervescent, a native Angelino blogger, describes her affinity with her own defined sub-city noting, “I rarely venture east of Vine, west of Beverly Hills, not usually north of Hollywood or south of Beverly. I've got the whole of LA collapsed and distilled down to small Hollywood. Walking to the subway every day takes less time than trying to drive to work. Plus, everything I could want is right in my neighborhood (or among the other subway stops). Which is a funny thought, when you know how vast our fair city really is. (Heatherevescent).” Here, Heathervescent expresses this sentiment of a dual identity, capable of latching onto small town traditions like walking to dinner and getting to know her neighborhood while at the same time recognizing that she also acknowledges “how vast our fair city really is.” In revealing the duality intrinsic to her identity, it is apparent that the fundamental geographical structure of Los Angeles can offer its inhabitants the intimacy of a small town in the midst of one of the world’s largest metropolises.

As the population in the greater Los Angeles area continues to expand, the need for more space has become a major issue and has risen to the forefront of political and public discussion. Populist publisher Bruce B. Brugmann of the San Francisco Bay Guardian coined the term “Manhattanization,” which refers to “a vertical urbanism where the entire city serves as a bedroom for a dominant urban core that is chock-full of cultural attractions (Kotkin).” Included in this notion is the idea that the need for upward expansion stems from the tire for outward expansion and the demand to fit more and more people into developed regions of a city. Advocates of the Manhattanization of Los Angeles see the “densifying” of particular areas, such as downtown, as a solution to the current housing problem the city faces. These proponents are mostly city officials and corporate developers who are financially driven, disregarding the enormous consequences of the process.

The attempt to create a center to Los Angeles through “Manhattanizing” the downtown area directly threatens the assortment of industries and racial versatility present by artificially homogenizing the distinct districts of downtown into one giant center. The ten-square-mile stretch of city blocks, lacking a real center, is a collection of districts thrown together that has come to be known as downtown. “Among these are the financial district; the fashion district (largely wholesalers); Bunker Hill, home to the Walt Disney Concert Hall; South Park, site of the Staples Center and the coming L.A. Live, a $2.5 billion entertainment center; and the so-called Historic Core, an area teeming with discount stores (Smith).” What is so great about the current state of downtown is the existence of all these different districts and the different cultures, lifestyles, shopping and food each has to offer. After listening to the Los Angeles Philharmonic play in Bunker Hill at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, you can head down the road to Little Tokyo, where you can then indulge in an endless number of sushi restaurants, karaoke bars, and Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art. Returning to the discussion at hand, included in the vertical housing development of downtown is the move to bring in large retailers. In doing so, local markets and the authenticity of these unique districts will be destroyed as corporate vendors take over, ultimately forcing the current and authentic residents within these areas out. This has already taken place as the 50,000 square foot Ralph’s supermarket lurks over the corner of 9th and Flower placing traditional food vendors and family owned markets in the area simply out of business.

Residential West, a real estate development company that has opened 750 residential units in the past 12 months in the downtown Los Angeles area, plans on providing its residents with retail and entertainment, offering them an Asian-style restaurant, a coffee and juice bar, and 25,000 square feet of retail space (retailers have yet to be determined) in their newly refurbished office building near the financial district where commercial space goes for about $20/square foot (Smith).” The company provides us with a perfect example of how the authenticity and the vivid cultural qualities of the region are truly being destroyed. The construction of a their Asian inspired restaurant in the location where an authentic, family owned Mexican restaurant once resided illuminates just how detrimental the gentrification and develop of downtown Los Angeles is to the city’s cultural identity.

It is important to note that I am not by any means suggesting that the current state of downtown Los Angeles is in any way acceptable. Although the preservation of the diversity in the area is essential to maintaining a sort of Angelino identity, the countless number of homeless people and safety concerns throughout the area must be addressed, especially as cost-efficient housing becomes less and less available due to development. According to the Los Angeles Times, there are estimates that around 10,000 homeless people currently occupy the area, with the majority concentrated near skid row (Third Street and the surrounding blocks). People simply do not want to go downtown because they think they are going to be harassed. “There is a perception about downtown, and it’s not just local, it’s international (Smith).” Supporters of the countless development projects taking place downtown ignore the severity of the poverty situation and fail to provide solutions and aide, disregarding that their attempt to revamp the area will only further displace the homeless, not help.

Mike Davis, author of 199’s City of Quartz and the more recent Ecology of Fear, is considered one of the city’s most influential authors and theorists. His work has redefined L.A. by analyzing the use of public spaces while also looking into the disasters that define Southern California, and he is most infamously known for predicting a period of social violence a few years before the Rodney King riots. As suggestive in my previous arguments, the unique identity of Los Angeles will be called into question as the attempt to artificially create a center to the city continues, forcing a destruction and gentrification of downtown. Davis agrees with this notion, positing his dark depiction of the areas future, purposing that the upcoming years will be characterized by “a surveillance of downtown space, private vigilante security forces, prison-like schools, and public preference for replacing social spending with prison budgets. In addition, Los Angeles’ future geography will consist of an urban core of homeless people, a violent inner-city, blue-collar crime-watch suburbs, affluent gated communities, and a gulag rim of prisons on the outskirts (Davis).” Although his arguments and propositions are definitely extreme and must be taken with a grain of salt, his work is important, as his estimations about the future have proven to be right before. His work implies that this Los Angeles identity that is so different from the personalities of other cities is what makes the city so spectacular.

Even if we are “doomed” as Davis notes, the preservation of this identity is essential to the survival of the urban center, and the Manhattanization of downtown Los Angeles must be delicately approached as not to forcibly create a homogenized center. The “shapelessness” and “lunacy” that was once thought to be so horrid has emerged as one of the city’s most essential, beautiful, and defining characteristics. The scattered towns and villages that surfaced at the turn of the twentieth century have managed to maintain their presence today as sub-city’s throughout the area, providing inhabitants a feeling of intimacy while still managing to be a member of the greater Los Angeles community. People today throughout the world still can not comprehend how such a huge city can not have a center, and how downtown Los Angeles is not where citizens flock to hang out on the weekends (at least not yet). The heterogeneity of the population, geography, and professional opportunities that persist today continue to fight for the preservation of our structureless city.

Obama, Obama, Obama

2008-01-28T12:46:00.000-08:00

"It is time now for Barack Obama"

Early Monday morning, Senator Edward Kennedy officially handed over his support to Presidential Candidate Barack Obama as he warned Americans to "reject the counsels of doubt and calculations" that surround the Presidential Candidate, for "it is time for a new generation of leadership." The move to support Obama carries a great deal of importance, as a huge population of Americans still exist today who lust for a period remotely related to that of the Kennedy Era, characterized by a unified country with a "common purpose." Throughout the 20-minute address, Senator Kennedy praised Obama for his outstanding leadership and devotion to key issues, as well as his unique ability to "transcend" the boundaries of race. He also noted that Obama has opposed the war from the beginning, a statement that Hilary Clinton and other Presidential Candidates seem to fiercely reject as "just false," pointing to moments of ambiguity in Obama's campaign.

The competitive nature of the campaign to win the Democratic Nomination erupts on Super Tuesday (Feb. 5th), when the greatest number of states hold primary elections to select delegates to the national conventions. It seems clear that the Democratic nominee for President will be between Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton, but the question undoubtedly surfaces when considering each one's candidacy; is the Democratic party doomed for destruction? Are they setting themselves up for failure by promoting the nominations of a woman and an African American? Is the country even ready for a female or black President?

Creating Something New

2008-01-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

In 2007 The Hood Internet released their second mixtape, which illustrated their overt talent as digital music artists, finally placing the group in the realm of musical legitimacy. They have become a powerful and influential source for altering "original" tracks and creating something new. It is the foundation of the rising Digital Revolution of the twenty-first century which allows the artists behind the Hood Internet to do what they do so well and perpetuate their creations throughout the global community. In conjunction with this notion, the question arises regarding the direction and/or future of the music industry...will it ever be the same?

Check out some of their tracks:

DJ STV SLV - When The Last Time I Left You

Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg VS Fujiya and Miyagi - The Next Collarbone

The Weekend Ahead

2008-01-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

Friday:

Talib Kweli concert at the House of Blues on Sunset strip. Mirah plays with The Blow at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Safari Sams.
Largo on Fairfax hosts a comedy night with B.J. Novak, Nick Swardson, and Greg Behrendt.
If you like Booze with your movie? Take your date to a "special" screening of Sweeney Todd or Cassandras Dream at the Arclight Cinema's in Hollywood, where they will be hosting their weekend 21+ screenings.Special because it's 2 in the Arclight's special 21+ movie showings of

Saturday:

The Jam (Bruce Foxton & Rick Buckler) perform at the El Rey. The Sweet Hurt at Pehrspace and MGMT at the echoplex.
Skylight Books hosts the editors from The Onion for an introduction to their new book Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of Planet Earth.

Sunday:

The Civic Auditorium hosts artLA, a 60-gallery exhibit displaying a "cross-section of the local and international art scenes, offering cutting-edge pieces and outlandish performance art rather than high-end traditionalism. Window shoppers and collectors alike can also check out the lectures, presentations, and are books galore."
Tongue and Groove, a "monthly offering of short fiction, personal essays, poetry, and spoken word" at the Hotel Café

New Flashing Lights Remix

2008-01-25T14:28:00.000-08:00

The rumors are true. Kanye West's album entitled Graduation is said to be chopped, diced, remixed, and remastered by the end of the year. Yesterday, the first of many tracks to headline the Graduation Album - Remixed was leaked. R. Kelly scooped up the track "Flashing Lights" and laid some new (crazy) vocals over the top. We wonder if this is just another attempt for Kells to brag about his sex appeal, wealth, and exceeding good looks. Hopefully this video won't contain girls under the age of 16.

Download the mp3 here: Kanye West Feat. R. Kelly - "Flashing Lights (Remix)"

Heath Ledger's Nick Drake Video - "Eerie Postscript To Actor's Death"

2008-01-25T13:57:00.000-08:00

Before his death on Tuesday, Heath Ledger had reportedly just finished filming and editing a music video tribute to his favorite artist Nick Drake. The song entitled "Black Eyed Dog," referrers to a Winston Churchill quote detaililng/outlining an intense emotional depression, which happened to be the last song Drake recorded before overdosing on anti-depression medication in 1974 at the age of 26. Ledger admitted his "obsession" with the artist where he was quoted reporting the following:

"I was obsessed with his story and his music and I pursued it for a while and still have hopes to kind of tell his story one day," a soft-spoken and fidgety Ledger told the assembled media, though he also said that any such aspirations had "faded away."

WEIRD!

LA Restaurant Week - DON'T MISS IT!

2008-01-25T12:11:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles is best known for setting the bar when it comes to Fashion, Arts, and Media...But how can we forget the city's ability to offer up some of the finest dishes throughout the world? During LA Restaurant Week, some of LA's best Chef's are offering you a unique opportunity to indulge in a "specially priced three-course menu" for a limited time. The promotional week aims to provide visitors with some insight into the plethora of diversity and expertise found throughout Los Angeles' restaurant scene.

2008 Dates:
January 27 to February 1, 2008
February 3 to February 8, 2008

Check here for participating restaurants in your area...Restaurant Week: participating-regions