Below is a link to a Rap News episode on Australia Day. I think the video shows, in artistic poignancy how engaging media platforms are able to be used by anybody to communicate issues, in this case issues stemming from colonialisation and continuing on through globalization and immigration.
The video discusses the 'grand theft auto of Australia' and what it meant for the Traditional Owners and how this recurrent issue plays into an even more culturally diverse and globalized Australia. Please be warned the language is a little obscene at one point.
This week's article discussed in part, the increased public discussion of religion due to immigration (Herbert 2012). I will apply this discussion to Australian asylum seeker discourse.
An example of the increased reporting on religion due to Muslim asylum seekers is the discussion about Islam, or rather the fear of Islam in Australian mainstream civic milieu. Muslim refugees who seek asylum in Australia are greeted with fear from Australians, as their ethnic minority group features religion 'playing a more prominent role' then in our 'secularized majority population' (Herbert 2012, p. 96).
This rhetoric in not only refugee but immigration milieus has caused a 'sense of being part of suffering' within Muslim communities (Herbert 2012, p. 95). Whatever the causation and responses of the increase scope of religious coverage in media, the causation can be inextricably linked to globalization and the modern phenomena of predominantly intra-state conflicts. These types of conflicts have resulted in an increase in forced relocation and refugees.
This increase of displaced persons whom are forced to relocate results in the blending, combining or clashing of distinctly differing cultures, some secular some state-religious. All of these factors contribute to the increased visibility of polemic religious discussion via media platforms.
Reference
Herbert D. 2012. Why has Religion Gone Public Again? Towards a Theory of Media and Religious Re-Publicization. In Lynch G. and J. Mitchell with A. Strhan. Eds., Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader. pp. 88-97. London and New York: Routledge.
This weeks reading discussed the idea of plural cultural identities in the mirror of post-colonialism, capitalism and globalization. I plan to discuss the articles framework with my personal experiences in rural Thailand.
Globalization has opened 'up new possibilities and positions of identification' through the diffusion of culture (Gillespie 2012, p. 99). For instance in my experiences in rural Thailand, many shopkeepers and merchants fully embrace their Theravada Buddhist beliefs, while still employing capitalist ways of life and attitudes. Many local Thai's would engage in Takbha, worship and meditation engaging in discourses that emphasize the flippancy of material goods, while still bolstering their respective business'.
This is an example of how the people 'learn to inhabit at least two identities, to speak two cultural languages, to translate and negotiate between them' (Gillespie 2012, p. 99).
Reference
Gillespie M. 2012. The Role of Meia in religious Transnationalism. In Lynch G. and J. Mitchell with A. Strhan. Eds., Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader. pp 98-110. London and New York: Routledge.
Indigenous Australians suffered a lot socially, environmentally but also spiritually, however nothing was 'more devastating than the pervasive doctrine of Aboriginal worthlessness' (Stanner 2009, p. 84). Although Indigenous Australians were regarded as sub-human and heathens, upon study of their spirituality it was found that their faith was something 'inseparable from the pattern of everyday life and thought. The connection was so intimate that there is no sharp demarcation between secular and sacred life' (Stanner 2009, p. 84).
For instance, it is common in Indigenous Australian milieus to discover that great guardian spirits exist to look after the living peoples (Stanner 2009). However not all spirits were thought of as ancestors or as human-like, some where thought to be quasi-animalistic, ethereal, formless or indescribable in form.
Even though Indigenous Australian spirituality is often referred to as one of the least materially minded faiths, the ordering of the cosmos through nature and spirituality helped construct the socialization of the 'body, mentality and social personality' though stages of life (Stanner 2009, p. 88).
Reference
Stanner, W. E. H. 2009. 'Religion, Totenism and Symbolism'. In A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion. Ed., Michael Lambeck. Blackwell Publishing: Oxford and Victoria.
The somewhat contested underground sub-genre of music, witch-house, is an interesting phenomenon. It has been described as any of the following: occult-based house music, sluggish tunes with stop-timed beats, shoegrazing, noise and drone, dark melodic or dark music-cult. The music itself is usually dark and slow, but the severity of the darkness of the music wavers. Another common feature in this genre is audio loops of people talking or quietly wailing about politics, spirituality or other unintelligible emissions.
Another unique feature of the genre is that most of the artists names are typographic and include symbols like crosses, triangles and other elements of unicode. For example: ~▲†▲~ , ∆N∆ZT∆Z†∆, DE▲th▲Co▲ST, K▼L▲M†††B▲R▲NG or WIZ∆RDS. Part of the reason for this is aesthetic solidarity but also partly to make it harder to find on the internet or to download and to keep it underground.
Common features in the album artwork or the names of the artists are supernatural in content. Lots of crosses, ethereal figures and mystical images. In fact the very name witch-house is explanatory enough. I thought this an interesting example of young people still engaging in spirituality through music, albeit the darker side of spirituality. Below I have posted a video clip for the witch-house artist LAKE R▲DIO who also goes by the alias Ritualzz. The clip features audio loops of the following lyrics:
Ghetto Ass Witch, I'm writing rhymes on Ouija boards,Ghetto Ass Witch, Satanic swag and wicked ho*s, Ghetto Ass Witch, I'm ghost-riding blasting drone, Ghetto Ass Witch, Big magic hustling demon dope
Traditional Owners do get mentioned in the media negatively, or from within a paternalistic white privilge rhetoric. The media tends to negatively report only on issues of alcaholism, domestic and sexual violence or poverty. The issues being faced by the Indigenous Australian community is important to be voiced, however the paternalistic way in which these reports are made and discussed echoes feelings of 'white mummy and daddy talking about their black children', so to speak.
Although it is important to report on and address the issues and possible strategies for Indigenous Australians, it should not be wholly done within the white frameworks, without Indigenous prescence. The media tends to take the attitude of reporting on the issues faced by the 'mischevious black children' and the prices that 'white mummy and daddy' will have to pay for the acts. The fallacy in this discourse is that the issues Traditional Owners face are all a direct result of colonisation, genocide, ethnocentricsm and racism caused by our caucasian ancestors.
The cultural memory of white supremacy and Indigenous Australians and other non-caucasians as threatening or below us still continues. These historical prejudices or cultural memories are now more passively implemented though, through media portrayal, governmental attitudes and filter down through the ranks to the civilian. It is no coincidence that some of the less desirable members of our society use offensive slang terms to refer to the Traditional Owners. Below I have posted a video from Australia Day 2012 Aboriginal tent Embassy, where some Traditional Owners were peacefully protesting and the police officer exhibits quite egregious aggression.
Sport can be examined as a cultural system, that is religious or spiritual. Geertz argues that sacred symbols 'function to synthesize a people's ethos - the tone, character, and quality of their life, it's moral and aesthetic style and mood' (Geertz 2008, p. 58). Sport does fit this theoretical model as a competitive, engaged and athletic religious mood. In addition, the character and aesthetic style of sport is continuously reinvented through advertising on television and in newspapers.
Geertz continues to describe religion as:
'(1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic' (Geertz 2008, p.59).
To analyze sport as a religion by Geertz's first point, is simple. Sport has the symbols of team jerseys, logos and the sporting equipment itself. These symbols are tools for engaging in the religion, but when portrayed in still form, also evoke an emotional response in the sports fan, as he or she might reminisce or be eagerly reminded of a match.
Secondly, the symbols do 'establish powerful and long-lasting moods' in the fan (Geertz 2008, p. 59). For instance the sports fan will feel a rush of ecstasy when his/her team wins or loses a match and will often create discussion for weeks to come, if not longer.
Thirdly, sport does formulate concept for existence in our society. A widely accepted 'mens' or 'boys' past time is sport, generally speaking, it is right and perhaps necessary for a male to be interested in sport. The fourth point continues on to say that this assumption should be clothed in actuality. In our society it is accepted that men, but mainly men are the fervent sports fans. However, this assumption leaves out the plethora of avid female fan, even though the assumption is widely referred to through male and female vernacular.
Fifthly, Geertz discussed that the motivations and aura seem realistic about the spiritual experience. Sport conforms to this theory once again as the moods and motivations are for the favourite team to win, which seems a realistic goal. On a deeper analysis though, the moods and motivation seem quite unrealistic: for men to separate themselves from each other, don different coloured clothes and engage in athletic games to see who wins, only to try to prove their athletic superiority over and over again. Sport relies heavily on a constant state of transformation, path to success. It needs the constant striving to survive, like other religions who market a better version of self
Reference
Geertz C, 2008 Religion as a Cultural System In. A Reader in the ANthropology of Religion Ed., Lambeck M., pp. 57-75. Blackwell Publishing: Malden, Oxford and Victoria
Just a pair of revolving doors, no more special than any others. Mundane, transparent glass cased in a metal embrace and once, only once will the doors land parallel to one another, giving one unsuspecting traveller entry to pass through them and transcend with ease. The doors swing, whine and spin all day, awaiting a parallel union. I'm walking towards them, only thoughts of the morrow bearing in my mind, all else oblivion. My hand rests upon the cool steel of the handle, but it needs no force. I continue through the opening and reach the next revolving door, only to find it parallel to its twin. I walk through the door with nonchalant ease. The clock suspends; at that moment, that precise moment, the universe rushes forth. Physicists theoretical formulas prevail, autotrophic truths, personal awareness, intergalactic intelligence and sacred geometry. This knowledge beams down upon me in an instant of profound consciousness. All questions have been remade statements, all is known, yet it all breaks down to the elementary. Instead of wailing for complexities and scribbling anomalies', we need only ask the simplest of questions. Is it love or fear? Is it for love of betterment or fear of failure? Is it for love of pleasure or fear of reality? Is it for love of stimulation or fear of being alone with ourselves? To meagre me, it all shines true, i choose my intangible path precisely and inwardly salute the chance of the two parallel, revolving doors. I step through the doorway and depart the metal embrace, walking on as though I never flinched.
A completely non-related video, but thought it was interesting as the lyrics are quite religious! Band: Fenech-Soler, Song: Stop and Stare.
There is much contention around 9/11 discourse and the representations of Muslim, but the representation of Westerners should also be noted. The media, as our keystone of information in instantaneous events, is dualistic, that is, it represents and shapes attitudes not singularly, but of both concerned groups (Middle East/West). Even moderate Westerners who acknowledge acts like 9/11 are not a truthful or blanket representation of Muslims, hesitate to think of media representation of Westerners in the Middle East that may lead to incorrect 'knowledge of "them" and "their" knowledge of us' (Hoover 2012, p. 75).
Another factor that needs to be considered is media as a religion, as a 'public ritual of commemoration and mourning' (Hoover 2012, p. 76). The 9/11 media frenzy is an example of that, as the images of the towers it etched in the minds of those exposed to technology. This public and instantaneous public mourning and imagery did create a feeling of community and it could be argued it further insulated the "us" group from the "them" group, through the very process of mourning. Through loss and sorrow, ratified and legitimized previous misconceptions were re-embraced. In fact, information and education about 'others can lead as readily to mistrust and misunderstanding as to trust and understanding' (Hoover 2012, p. 78). This is due to the fact that context, bias and representation of by the media occurs. A typical example would be the framing of Muslims as conservative, if not archaic, fundamentalists with an affinity for chemicals and also Westerners as immoral and sexually deviant.
The 9/11 event was a tragedy, however many other tragedies have occurred with less shock and less media coverage. Although in the article Hoover proposes it was more because of the unprecedented nature of the where the act took place, I think it was mainly due to the 'global media landscape [believing] not all human lives are of equal worth' (Hoover 2012, p. 77). The reason for a higher volume of coverage for this event is not because it was unprecedented or unusual, as most events such as Tsunami's or genocide's are to a certain degree unexpected. For instance, the world was in partial disbelief on the release of information about Pol Pot, the Khmer Rogue and the genocide which followed. Most large scale events like these are unexpected or generally action would be taken, or media reporting occurring.
It could be argued that because Western countries do contribute financially, numerically and geographically the most to media, via the myriad of frameworks, that so much reporting occurred as so much of modern media is caucasian or Western. The event could have shocked due to the very event being a target to Westerners, as targeted Western suffering may not be as prevalent on the media.
Reference
Hoover S. 2012. Religion, Media and 9/11. In Lynch G. and J. Mitchell with A. Strhan. Eds., Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader. 75-88. London and New York: Routledge.
This week's lecture on representation made me think of the cult medias I collect and how they represent G-d, philosophy and spirituality.
There are two stand out cult media items that I think present a quite interesting view of the cosmos. The first is the animated movie Waking Life. The film follows the main character who keeps dreaming and wakes up to find he is in another dream and the perpetual state continues. The film shows the main character going through this cyclic lucid dreaming state and having conversations with some characters in his dreams about free will, dreams, consciousness, politics and existentialism. One scene depicts a man and woman in bed engaging in pillow talk. The man ponders the thought of dreams and describes how when someone falls asleep and wakes up, thinking they have slept for a long time only to find they have been asleep for ten minutes or so. This highlights how distorted and how much longer time is in our subconscious state. What if life was just a dream? Dream time is so much longer and fuller, we could just be in a long dream. I thought this point was interesting, as the current era is touted to be an era of rational thought, science and despite this, there is so much popularity with existentialism, dreams and the subconscious and spiritual states. As spoken by one of the characters in the film, 'the worst mistake you can make is to think you're alive, when you're really asleep in life's waiting room'.
The second cult media is a graphic novella called The Universe is a Dream by Alexander Marchand. The book also discusses the idea (in visual comic style) that the universe is a dream through the idea that our current lives are in duality (Marchand 2010). Duality between sacred and profane, conscious and unconscious, spiritual and rational. Therefore (the book posits) the universe is a dream, as reality is purely non-dualistic; it is pure oneness with no differences or binaries. The book further argues that G-d is a dualistic, he creates imperfect things, punishes, recognizes separation and so G-d must be a dream as well, that we project (Marchand 2010).
How does this tie into representation you say? Both these types of graphic novellas and cult films are exceedingly popular with the youth of today, so even though we talk about this era as an age of information, of empiricism, of rationale and science, the numinous and the intangible have proven (again) to be ever present, appealing and popular. However, for there to be a rise in popularity of philosophies (however mirthfully presented) that represent life as a dream, indicates to me, the ever present whimsical, spiritual or philosophical state of humankind. Inextricably and inescapably embedded in our mental process' is the yearning for transcendence, or to understand the spiritual or the intangible. The universe as a dream also indicates to me a quiet yet self-conscious apathy, an almost passive fear-ridden philosophy. 'Oh don't let's worry about G-d, the universe, our dreams and life after death, it's all a dream, it's all a dream'. Is this self-soothing for the new era?
Reference
Marchand, A 2010. The Universe is a Dream. Inspired Arts Press: Worldwide in Cyberspace.
Video
Waking Life- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk2DeTet98o
In Mecca Cola and Burqinis: Muslim Consumption and Religious Identities, Nabil Echchaibi discusses the growing and gigantic Islamic marketplace. Islam, as with most religious traditions today, have had to find new ways to reinvent, 'sell' or market their values and ideologies as the world has changed. For instance, last week we discussed religious communication and prayer through social media platforms and now we discuss consumption and religious products.
An at first seeming-paradox of some of these anti-Western sentiment products is that although they denounce and serve as a means for campaigning against said Western or American values, they use the very Western framework (capitalist consumer market, mimicked products) to achieve the success' of their products. Upon closer inspection these business practices may not be paradoxes at all as 'their creative inversion- not rejection- of the flow of global cultural products' and their aversion and denunciation of the secular or Western market really aides and reinforces their religious identities, which in themselves is anti-Western (Echchaibi 2012, p. 32). In fact it could be a genius and witty business and social move; to renounce disliked values or social systems by using the very same social system to renounce it. Such clever witticism. It's more than that, it's the king of all rebuttals in a wordless, consumeristic debate!
In the article Echchaobi discusses the Fulla barbie-esque doll, created for young Muslim girls. The Fulla does mimic the original Barbie but the big difference is obviously that it invests it with new values (Echchaibi 2012). I do partially disagree with the article when it seems to infer that the burqa and other aspects of the Fulla is an exemplification of patriarchy. By all means, of course this can be the case in some instances, but it is not the rule. In her book Barefoot in Baghdad, Manal Omar discusses as an American born Muslim working for an NGO in Iraq, she was belittled, laughed at and even insulted for wearing the burqa and traditional Muslim female attire. When her local compatriots found out she was American, the laughter reached a crescendo. In the area Manal was working, the women fancied themselves as fashionably progressive Muslims. They definitely were not wearing skimpy Western clothes and the women's fashion identity was still strongly Middle Eastern, but within Manal's working circle, the burqa was seen as terribly archaic.
I also had a close Muslim friend of mine whose husband is indifferent to the niqab, however she chooses to wear it as her interpretation is romantic. She told me the idea of a part of you being saved and only being seen by your love was the most beautiful idea she could have imagined. I cannot do her words justice, when she described it to me though, I thought wow! How beautifully poetic. In addition she did note that she also enjoyed not having the pressure of looks, figure and body. She said what better way to have control over your own sexual and romantic self, where your partner can only judge you on your true inner self and not be swayed by outwardly appearances, ultimate female control. She does have a point there. Besides the Muslims fashion industry for the burqa and niqab is amazing and growing very fast! My friend could be described as what I call an archaic modernist. The whole idea of people seeing an ancient or older tradition as being romantic, whimsical or tres chic. For instance, when young people decide to become a 'fashionable Buddhist' or New AGe. As in the romanticism of historical ritual, philosophy and orthopraxy is so appealing due to it's age. Even vintage clothing etc.
References
Echchaibi N. 2012 Mecca Cola and Burquinis: Muslim Consumption and Religious Identities. In Lynch G. and J. Mitchell with A. Strhan. Eds., Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader. pp. 31-39. London and New York: Routledge.
Omar N. 2012 Barefoot in Baghdad: A story of Identity, My Own and What it Means to be a Woman in Chaos. Sourcebooks: Chicago
As discussed by Cheong in his article, faith tweets and online rituals are changing the way religion functions and forms connections. The internet has provided more ways to shape the blogosphere, and create new faith connections (Cheong 2010).
These online rituals and forms of sacred communication do not merely serve as an 'easy out', but provide congregation members ways to still connect in prayer or discussion during a physical absence from the church. This enables the believer to 'construct a connected presence and affirm their religious identities within an environment where wired communication is a significant part of everyday life' (Cheong 2010).
This new avenue of religiosity has created some friction also, as some church members may not approve of the tweeting during the sermon, or further see the social media platforms as devoutly secular and at odds with religiosity. However since the waning authority of the church, new modes and avenues to the transcendent will be deemed necessary.
Reference Cheong PH, 2010. Faith tweets: Ambient Religious Communication and Microblogging Rituals. M/C Journal: A Journal of Media and Culture.
Online religious experience. Online religious conversion. Online proselytizing. Online activism, or better known as 'slacktivism'. This week's lecture highlighted issues on the authenticity of online religiosity. The internet has connected the world, it enables us to not only communicate with others far away, but also serves as a platform for campaigning, conversion, activism.
Slacktivism, is the term coined for activists who operate exclusively on the internet. The colloquialisms came about from said activists seen to be lazy and not making any real difference from their armchairs. Are keyboard warriors completely useless though? I think not. In order to raise awareness and harness support for some issues, the internet can be a powerful tool and using the internet as a platform also engages the youth of today.
However what about situations like KONY2012, where Uganda has been in a state of peace for six years and the tyrant has long since fled? What does the 'tres chic' KONY movement accomplish, besides dredging up a dark past for the survivors of trauma? Clearly slacktivism needs to be examined on a case by case basis. Motives are a factor also. Money, power, politics.
Similar discourse occurs within online religion, with many believers who are purely online worshipers and preachers being labeled as lazy, inauthentic and phonies. I agree that believers who already have a strong physical peer group can enhance that with online tools as well, but what about pure online faith? I think the sense of community and physical atmosphere is a necessity for transcendence.
Below is a video I made for a course at UQ and to campaign against child labour. i call this 'vacktivism'. Video activism.
Today's lecture on fast and slow religion was most poignant. Slow religion being usurped by New Age spirtiualities and fast religion does hit a wistful nerve in me. I think the old religious 'marketplaces', rituals and orthopraxy are so beautiful and wonderfully collective. However as Australian society has become more fast paced with work, studying and generally a 'busy' connotation, fast religion is becoming more necessary. A believer can now use their iPhone or foxtel to catch the weeks sermon while on the bus, or walking to work. This individual experience meshes with the privatization of self that we see people exhibited in these age. When you catch a train or bus most people have their ear phones in, locked in their private world. It is a good thing that religion can adapt and change to meet societal needs.
In saying that, the religions that are categorized as 'slow' religions, may be incorrectly viewed as authocthontic, however they were once 'fast' religions. For example the rise of Christianity in the Hellenistic world. In that era Christianity was branching out, using different modes and methods of experiencing the (transcendent) and to gain followers. I think this shows us that in order to survive, history has already shown us that religion and spirituality needs to be adaptive and reflexive of the society.
In between university exams, assignments, reading and journals, I sneak off to read philosophical novellas by great wordsmiths like Milan Kundera and Hermann Hesse. In one of those private indulgent moments of time, Hermann Hesse described so vividly, so poignantly the stillness and power of nature in such a numinous way I had to share it, even though it's a bit long. Absolute craft in arrangement of words.
“For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. They are like lonely persons. Not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like Beethoven and Nietzsche. In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfil themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. When a tree is cut down and reveals its naked death-wound to the sun, one can read its whole history in the luminous, inscribed disk of its trunk: in the rings of its years, its scars, all the struggle, all the suffering, all the sickness, all the happiness and prosperity stand truly written, the narrow years and the luxurious years, the attacks withstood, the storms endured. And every young farmboy knows that the hardest and noblest wood has the narrowest rings, that high on the mountains and in continuing danger the most indestructible, the strongest, the ideal trees grow.
Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.
A tree says: A kernel is hidden in me, a spark, a thought, I am life from eternal life. The attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches and the smallest scar on my bark. I was made to form and reveal the eternal in my smallest special detail.
A tree says: My strength is trust. I know nothing about my fathers, I know nothing about the thousand children that every year spring out of me. I live out the secret of my seed to the very end, and I care for nothing else. I trust that God is in me. I trust that my labor is holy. Out of this trust I live.
When we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree has something to say to us: Be still! Be still! Look at me! Life is not easy, life is not difficult. Those are childish thoughts. Let God speak within you, and your thoughts will grow silent. You are anxious because your path leads away from mother and home. But every step and every day lead you back again to the mother. Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.
A longing to wander tears my heart when I hear trees rustling in the wind at evening. If one listens to them silently for a long time, this longing reveals its kernel, its meaning. It is not so much a matter of escaping from one’s suffering, though it may seem to be so. It is a longing for home, for a memory of the mother, for new metaphors for life. It leads home. Every path leads homeward, every step is birth, every step is death, every grave is mother.
So the tree rustles in the evening, when we stand uneasy before our own childish thoughts: Trees have long thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives than ours. They are wiser than we are, as long as we do not listen to them. But when we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy. Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is. That is home. That is happiness.” ― Hermann Hesse
Book
Hesse, H, 1917 Wandering, Picador Publishing, Germany.
This weeks reading on religion, music and culture highlighted how music can evoke spiritual feelings in the maker or listener groups. Christopher Partridge uses the example of listening to the King's College Chapel at Cambridge and how the feelings the music evokes can make you feel 'a refreshing withdrawal and escape from the everyday pressures of things' (Partridge 2012, p. 183).
Throughout the article, Partridge examines how music embodies listening, feeling, identity and the transcendent. It could be argued that popular night clubbing or bush doof culture is the religion of disenchanted or subcultural youth. Weekend after weekend participants line up to go into small clubs just for a few hours, to 'lose subjective belief in their self and merge into a collective body' (Tramacchi 2000, p. 201). Many weekend clubbers or bush doof goers also take illegal drugs or psychedelics to enhance their transcendent experience. These altered states of spiritual consciousness and the events that drive them, could be modernity's ethneogenic ceremonies. These sacralized events 'share many features of mystical states and are not uncommonly interpreted by the experient within an idiosyncratic religious framework' (Tramacchi 2000, p. 202).
In addition, attendees of night clubs often engage in 'sacrificial and pilgrimage behaviors', whereby they become affiliated with a favourite club or haunt and sacrifice time, money and distance to spend their evenings there (St John 2008, p. 150). Clubbers enter a liminal phase as they get ready to go out, by stripping themselves of their mundane attire and proceed to put on clubbers wear. Initiates then enter the clubs, parties and doofs and engage in a collective community, leaving the mundane world behind for the duration of the pseudo-ritual. Night clubbers are now 'standing out from the surface of life's contingencies...[enabling] a more profound contemplation of being' (St John 2008, p. 153). Finally, as the sun begins to awaken, the initiates are reintegrated into mundane society.
Subcultural groups like ravers, hipsters and indie kids, all use the 'aesthetic and mind-body technologies...to produce a particular affective space' (Partridge 2012, p. 187). The problem with these modern rites and rituals is, there is no guide, shaman or sage to demarcate the healthy spiritual path from the overindulgent path.
Here is a video of one of Northern Rivers bush doofs, called Rainbow Serpent. You can see some of the attendees are engaged in ritualistic behavior and ecstatic experience.
References
Partridge, C 2012, 'Popular Music, Affective Space and Meaning', in Lynch G, and Mitchell, J with A Strhan (ed.), Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader, Routledge, London and New York, pp. 182-193.
St John, G 2008, 'Trance Tribes and Dance Vibes: Victor Turner and Electronic Dance Music Culture', in Victor Turner and Contemporary Cultural Performance, Berghahan Books, London, pp. 149-173.
Tramacchi, D 2000, 'Field Tripping: Psychedelic communitas and Ritual in the Australian Bush', Journal of Contemporary Religion, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 202-213.
Below is a poem I wrote called 'Warsaw'. In light of Sylvie's lessons on how the world around us can evoke whimsical, spiritual or existential feelings; I thought I would write a little something about how I reflected on Warsaw in Germany, in Holocaust milieu.
Warsaw
Grey jungle flusters
Masses wildly subsist
Shun vile clusters
We scantly exist
Divest antique cheeks
We taboo order
Venom alone bespeaks
Quell the border!
We scantly exist
We scantly exist
By Billie Mackness
Here is a video by the band Live, in response to 9/11. It was an emotional experience for the lead singer as an American Buddhist and this song was his way of expressing his feelings about life and such events through song. I think my poem and this song exemplifies how in hard times or faced with hard decisions, humanity turns their faces upwards to the sky and in prose and reflection, reaches out to spirituality.
Here is a video montage of one of my favourite surrealist poems, as an example of rich imagery, even absurdist writings and the power of the imagination.
Since modernity and the growth of capitalism spirituality has been practiced, lived and believed in more ambiguity than established religious traditions. Spiritualism is 'celebrated by those who are disillusioned by traditional institutional religions and seen as a force for wholeness, healing and inner transformation' (Carrette and King 2012, p. 59). We can see this in our society by the popular crystal healing and New Age type stores and with internet psychics and mediums selling their wares.
In this weeks article Carrette and King discuss the historical top-down change of capitalism on religion. How capitalism has entered into the religious or spiritual sphere with a 'specific economic agenda' (Carrette and King 2012, p. 63). One only has to go to a shopping centre and see books like You Can Heal Your Life, or spiritual iconography in fashion, cosmetics, books and movies. Capitalism has discovered a renewed economic source within spirituality and has moulded it for re-production and economical expansion in the age of technology and industrialization.
With many shows like Crossing Over and Lisa Williams Live, and also spirituality laced self-help books, what needs to be examined is if these media actually help, hinder or even make a 'change in one's lifestyle or fundamental behaviour patterns' (Carrette and King 2012, p. 62). What now arises, is questions of authenticity. If you examine advertisements for such spiritual healing shows or books, one key loci of the ad is to promote the reality or authenticity of the experience and how that is attainable for the listener or watcher. This modern day mass mediated spirituality 'exploits the historical respect and aura of authenticity of the religious traditions' and it turn the authenticity is always firstly promoted and questioned by promoter and questioner alike (Carrette and King 2012, p. 64).
A few key questions we may need to ask is; Does the economic agenda subtract from the pureness or authenticity of religious experience? Does the media produce and re package spirituality just for profitable gain or is it meeting the media demands for the technological age? For instance, is media re packaged as blockbuster movies and psychic television shows because now in our age, that is the preferred mode of engagement?
Here is a video for the aforementioned Lisa Williams psychic, just for interests sake.
Reference
Carrette J and R King 2012, 'Spirituality and the Re-branding of Religion', in Lynch G. and J. Mitchell with A. Strhan. Eds., Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader, pp. 59-70, London and New York, Routledge.
Photos
The photo is from my own personal collection of photos I have shot myself
I plan to use this week's theoretical reading and apply it to a specific example of Islam and mediatization. Firstly though, credence and respect must be payed to the relationship between modern media and religion. Modern media's discussion and portrayal of religion through movies, news reporting and so forth has made the intangible, tangible. Hjarvard states that 'the metaphysical realm is no longer something you can only imagine or occasionally see represented in symbolic forms in fresco painting or pillars of stone' as now movies like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings has made the supernatural a lived experience, albeit vicariously (Hjarvard 2008, p.9). Hjarvard here clearly exemplifies how ironically in our currently perceived secular state, we are put into contact with the numinous exponentially.
The media does not seek just to represent facts about religion but it also stakes opinions and incites changes to 'the ways in which people interact with each other when dealing with religious issues' (Hjarvard 2008, p.11). For instance Hjarvard discusses Joshua Meyrowitz's discussion of media as conduits, where media engages in a cycle of sending and receiving symbols and images between audience and writer. Media colloquialisms and messages in this context can embody acrimony, as they implement negative trending attitudes towards groups of people, such as Muslims. For instance, on news television shows that report on Islam, the majority of reports embody images of violence, bombings, patriarchy and home made terror videos. This consistently portrays part of society in a certain demoralizing light and alters the way the public views Muslims perennially.
Secondly, if we examine media as languages our focus turns to the way media constructs negative stories about Islam, which in turn legitimizes the fear as a real and substantiated fear in the reader or watcher. A model of this was when the rumor of piggy banks being removed from British banks adverts due to Muslim offense. The media jumped at this opportunity, even in Australia where the story went to print like wildfire in the Daily Telegraph, the Mercury, the Advertiser, the NT News, the Newcastle Herald and the Courier-Mail, as well as online websites of Channel Nine, the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald (Aly 2011). One particularly prominent Australian newspaper's version told the public quite manically that the banks were 'not merely withdrawing piggy banks from advertising, but no longer giving them to children...[and how]... the Muslim world is starting to control our thinking and actually our lives' (Aly 2011, p.50). This in particular reminds me of a certain character of The Simpsons, who always cries out at opportune moments "will someone please think of the children!". This example of media as languages through online, printed and oral news, shows the power between religion and the media and how the media if given the right mustard seed, can pugnaciously grow from it a moral panic.
Thirdly, we can examine media as environments, as how different facets of media operate communicatively with the subject, the story and the listeners. An example of this would be on talkback radio, when screening callers for a discussion on Islam and Muslims, only the most vehement callers would actually feature on a negatively inclined show for aggrandizement. This also allows the media to attempt to scapegoat societal problems on the current opinion of the most dangerous and threatening "other". An example of this scapegoating holds 'Muslims falsely responsible for an impressive range of social crimes from banning Christmas to risking the lives of hospital patients with unprofessional hygiene standards and mob violence against returned soldiers' (Aly 2011, p.53). In this instance the media exploits an already seated fear of the "other" in the once passive listener and transforms him or her into an agent for perceived justice, or more rightly incited moral panic. The media in such cases acts with ideological fundamentalism, that is the media heightens "us" and "them" attitudes to meet societal attitudes and fear, for impact and for entertainment.
This is a funny video of Uncle Sam, a comic from the show Salam Cafe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSsAY0U66hE
References
Aly, W 2011, 'Monoculturalism, Muslims and Myth Making' in Gaita R (ed.), Essays on Muslims & Multiculturalism, Text Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 49-92.
Hjarvard, S 2008, 'The mediatization of religion: A theory of media as agents of religious change', Northern Lights, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 9-26.
Photos
Muslim woman- http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=download&id=490619
The sun rising over Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Sitting on the buffalo grass overlooking this slice of nature, amidst the asphalt and concrete jungle, a feeling of insignificance always emerges. This feeling is carved from the gargantuan spiritual and natural cosmos which has sustained human life and disposition. When you grasp those few moments of stillness amidst nature, one can't help but feel spiritual or whimsical as the beauty transcends our industrialized, mundane life, even if only for a moment. As the Sustainable Soul blog pronounces so poignantly:
'The Earth is Sacred. Beyond our differences; beyond religion, politics and culture, Earth remains, the (literal) ground of our being. Disconnected and distracted, we search for meaning. Overworked and overwhelmed, we struggle. Leave the struggle and the search behind. Whether or not you practice an established faith tradition, you are welcome here. By virtue of being a human being, you are connected to this Holy Ground. It is your birthright. Welcome' (Hecking 2010, p.1).
A date with an elephant in Ayuttaya, Thailand
Perhaps as our modern lives have become so preoccupied with careers, goals, families and our metropolitan worlds that nature has evoked spiritual wonderment exponentially. Do not most of us prefer to go on holiday away from our cities? Do we not escape from the hustle and bustle of our lives to just exist, somewhere else even if only for awhile?
References
Hecking, R, 2010. The Sustainable Soul: Nature Spirituality, http://www.thesustainablesoul.blogspot.com.au, 14/03/2012.
Photos
All photos were from taken by myself and from my own international travels.
In keeping with this weeks supernatural theme, I found a discourse which interests me; Traditional Owners "ghostology" in comparison to popular culture's portrayal of ghosts. In Indigenous Australia, ghosts or spirits make frequent appearances in the stories and lore. The numinous is integrated into stories and the cosmology as a way of constructing and interacting with the outlying world. In Indigenous Australian ghost milieu spirits or ghosts 'protect the country and uphold its protocols, ...[and]... watch human activities closely' (McDonald 2010, p.52). Ghosts are known to exhibit aggressive or disaffected behaviour towards new people or people who do not behave in the right way.
In autochthonic ghost stories, ghosts and spirits are terms sometimes used interchangeably to describe the dead or ancestors via allegories. This is an important part of the tradition, as Ancestors are seen to watch over their mortal counterparts. After a loved one's death ghosts 'live normal human lives, traveling through the bush, devising song ceremonies...' (McDonald 2010, p.57).
Popular culture's relationship towards ghosts is very different, despite some commonalities. Ghosts are often romanticised through humanisation. For instance, in any of the popular ghost hunting television shows like Ghost Hunters or Paranormal Detectives, the typical fear element is cogently portrayed on initial investigation. As the episode unfolds, the cast members often discover some story of a wife who died in childbirth, a man who lost his children or some such similar humanisation. It is like these shows build and encourage the fear up into a rising crescendo, then reintegrate the ghost back into the mortal world, where we humans can make sense of it once again.
Traditional Owners vernacular also uses stories and tales to make sense of death and ghosts, however popular culture's portrayal is much more distanced as we lack kinship connections to the featured ghost to connect as wholly as Indigenous Australians. In Indigenous Australian milieu 'ghosts and spirits...help them to make sense of events occurring in their environment' (Clarke 2007, p.141). Meanwhile in popular culture, although the ghost stories evoke emotional responses in the audience, there is a core goal of detached entertainment.
Below is a music video by Indigenous Australian artists-Makaratta Mob. The song is aptly named 'Ghost Trees'.Avant-garde and quite moving.
References
Clarke, P 2007, 'Indigenous Spirit and Ghost Folklore of "Settled" Australia', Folklore, Routledge, London and New York, pp.141-161.
McDonald, H 2010, 'Universalising the particular? God and Indigenous spirit beings in East Kimberley', The Australian Journal of Anthropology, Australian Anthropological Society, pp.51-70.
