SIFF: THE BEAUTIFUL GAME



In the SIFF movie, The Beautiful Game, the struggles of disability, race, class, and gender all were portrayed through the lives of Africans who learned to deal with and eventually triumph over these struggles through the game of soccer. Every one of these Africans was born into a poverty stricken family and environment, but that didn’t stop them one bit from finding something that would take that pain of the struggle away and that could give them the confidence and discipline to keep going in life. That something was soccer.

Nearly 40% of Africans live below the poverty line, yet almost every single kid in Africa plays soccer (The Beautiful Game). Some create makeshift balls out of wrapping plastic bags upon plastic bag, a majority of them play barefoot, and the field usually is the street or essentially any patch of surface available (the movie showed them playing in areas where water was about knee height others were shown playing in straight mud and dirt and others playing under overpasses of major roads). This was incredibly intriguing for me to see because it made me realized how privileged I was to be playing on nice turf fields and with all the equipment pretty much readily available for me; it really made me appreciate how they play and how their lifestyle was. It didn’t matter to them that they were playing in these less than ideal conditions because they were doing what they loved to do. One player said it kept his mind of the conditions he was living in, which is why he loved playing and played it every day. Soccer essentially allowed them to enjoy their lives regardless of the struggle they were in.

One of the things I found extremely disturbing during the film was the fact that such a large number of talented Africans players were often taken advantage of by people who posed as agents and managers. These people come and scope out the talented players and tell them they can work with them to get them exposed to major teams and the players get excited and confident, so they give these “agents” all of their and their family’s savings to get overseas to play and the “agent” tells them they are going to talk with the teams and the players never hear from them again. One player said that he had given one of these fakes nearly $10,000 to play in Europe and the “manager” left him behind and never talked to him again.  Another player said this happens far too often because there are some people with immense talent and they are so determined to get out of the current living conditions that they will take the first opportunity given to them and put full belief that it will go through. It’s appalling and rather disgusting this happens so frequently because those “agents” are killing their dreams to make it big as a soccer player and essentially their hope and confidence that they will get out of those conditions, as well as the chance to help their family financially; everything about it is just wrong.

When in Africa and you are born with a disability you are deemed useless by society and are often ignored. When a pretty talented player was diagnosed with polio and lost his ability to move one of his legs he didn’t succumb to this label of the disabled and he didn’t allow others, who were disabled, in his community to be seen like this either. Soon after being diagnosed, he started a camp/school that allowed children with a disability to participate in and learn the game of soccer. He said, “All they [the people with disabilities] want to do is to feel a part of something, to know that they are able to do something.” He essentially wanted them to know and actually see and feel that they aren’t by any means useless. This was also portrayed in the movie Murderball with the players who are in wheelchairs, but find rugby as a way to cope with their disability; more specifically when Zupan goes to the hospital to recruit new players for the team and finds the guy who not long before was paralyzed and you could tell from his face and willingness to try the chair (as well as hitting something with the chair) that it gave him hope and internal confidence about being in a wheelchair and moving on with life regardless of being disabled.

Every person, no matter your race, class, if you have a disability or not, if you are a woman or a man, should/needs to find something that can take their mind off the real world for a little while and do that something every day. It will improve your outlook on life because you will have less stress and worries when you come out of doing that activity. Whenever I play soccer, even if it is just juggling the ball for a little bit, the rest of my day is without a doubt better; I get in that zone and it’s like nothing else matters in the world except that moment and its incredibly refreshing.

Because you are Wearing a Pink Shirt

            The most common and easiest way people judge others is by a person’s appearance. It is the first experience of the person you get, so it is what you base one of your first impressions on. Homosexuality is greatly associated with bright/neon colors, predominantly pink and purple or even more widely known, all of the colors within the rainbow.

In one of the Simpsons episodes, Homer was thrown in an asylum because he wore a pink shirt to work one day. When he showed up to work he was immediately ridiculed by his coworkers and punished by his boss by being interrogated. He then failed a psychiatric test because Bart answered all the questions with yes and was put in an asylum because he was “not right in the head.” He was being treated like this just because he was wearing a pink shirt! We are taught it is more feminine, therefore associated with being homosexual.

This sounds familiar doesn’t it? The cinema workers who were openly homosexual were constantly harassed by peers and coworkers. A majority of them lost their jobs and were not welcome in the work place specifically because they were homosexual. This wasn’t only consistent with homosexuals in Hollywood, but it was the treatment of all open homosexuals, transgendered people, and even people who were less “gender appropriate,” for example men acting more feminine. Discrimination and harassment against the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community still takes occurs significantly today. You constantly here stories and news reports about an occurrence where a person, usually a teenager or young adult who has been harassed to the point of being physically abused by peers and even causing some to commit suicide due to the intensity and frequency of the harassment. It really is pretty disturbing and even more saddening that people can treat others to this severity.

One subtle thing I noticed the sign for the asylum Homer went to said “Home for the Emotional Interesting.” Having the sign read this reinforced or poked fun at the fact that people associated homosexuality with a mental illness or thinking that homosexuals need to be fixed and some people still think that today. This is because the heteronormativity mindset of America, which is the thinking that the normal sexuality is that of being heterosexual.   Is it appropriate to say that America is straight centered, dominated, and identified? I would say yes we predominantly are. Although, an increasing amount of people in higher positions in society are coming out, such as actors, entertainers, athletes, and political leaders. The rise of homosexuality and the support of homosexuality is on a slow rise.

FOOD!

The documentary Food Inc. is a great start to the exposure and fight against the food industry and the many skewed components involved in the food industry such as the oligopoly of the food industry, the work conditions, animal treatment, pesticide use, and the list goes on. This film has definitely changed my perspective on what I consume; I pay attention a lot more to where the food is coming from, for instance was it produced local or not, if it is organic or inorganic, and what companies have produced it. I also have completely stopped eating any type of fast food; it is quite sickening to me. The whole time through the movie I just felt sick discovering what I have been eating without any preconceived ideas of the conditions it was being manufactured. I think that is why it is such a powerful documentary because it actually shows you what the conditions are like; it gives you an up close and personal view of the production by going right to the source. It takes you through chicken coops and farms, through slaughterhouses, and even gives you a look at how the workers treat their animals by using hidden cameras on worker’s bodies. All the people that I have talk to and that I have shown this to, except for the narcissistic couple have found the same reaction to this film. They have also made a change, even in the most minimal measures, to their diets to avoid supporting these practices; that is all that it takes awareness and action to make a change, even the slightest change.

                In the film there were many allies and potential allies (I guess potential allies wouldn’t be allies at all) throughout the film. Some farmers wanted to speak out against and present the conditions of practices they were required under contract to carry out, but the companies the farmers worked for threatened to shut down their farms and terminate their contracts. They have been in the line for so long that they can’t afford to lose their means of income, which is reasonable. But, this is the constant pressure most of these famers must work under due to the fact that the government does not want the public knowing about the grotesque circumstances of food production. Disregarding the threats of the government, one chicken farmer let Food Inc. interview her and invited them inside the coop to see her chickens. This farmer was incredibly upset with the abnormal growth rate of her chickens due to the antibiotics the companies require in the chicken food. Although her contract was terminated and she was fined big time, her willingness to challenge these authorities has made a difference in many many people’s lives by giving them point of view and truthfulness of the problem right from the source of the problem.

One Step Closer to Equality

What language can people from all around the world understand? The game of football or in America, soccer. Football is the world’s game; it is the most well-known and played throughout the world. It connects people using one thing, a ball. Football is more than just a sport it is a life enhancing drug because it teaches a person cooperation, it builds character, and it allows people to constantly gain confidence. Most of all, it allows someone to be a part of something; a team and a culture. This is precisely why the Homeless World Cup takes place annually.

                The Homeless World Cup is a 4 on 4 football tournament that takes place in a different country every year and 48 countries have a team. There are qualifying tournaments throughout the country to see what players get to be on the national team. All players qualify to compete in the Homeless World Cup only if they have never played in a Homeless World Cup before and if they meet one of these criteria: have been homeless since Jan. 2010, they make their main living off being a street paper vendor, they are asylum seekers currently without positive asylum status or who were previously asylum seekers but obtained residency status after Jan. 2010, or if they are currently in drug or alcohol rehabilitation and have been homeless in the last two years. This creates an equal setting for these players. They don’t have to worry about being judged by the other players or discriminated against because they all have gone through the same thing. In fact it probably creates a stronger bond between the players because they all have that horrible experience in common.  This creates a comfortable atmosphere for these people, something they probably aren’t used to.

                Being a part of a team creates responsibility for these players as well as discipline to show up on time to every practice and games. This gives these people the determination and self-esteem to go into the real world knowing they can handle responsibilities and that it actually pays off to complete their responsibilities. Playing in a setting where people are gathered around watching and cheering for you gives an immense amount of confidence and pride to a player. It offers the feeling of being a part of something big and an abundance of self-worth.  The homeless society doesn’t really get to have a chance to feel these needed self-esteem boosters.

                Creating these life changing opportunities, especially for the people who have limited opportunities available allows them to pursue and release that same confidence and responsibility out in the real world. Actually making the national team and making it to the Homeless World Cup reinforces and promotes the ability to reach the American Dream through perseverance and hard work.

                If we get more intensive news coverage and more events going related to the Homeless World Cup we can get more people exposed to the lifestyle of the homeless. This is a chance to show the world, especially the United States, that the homeless are not hopeless and that they really do exist! We need more local events so we can start small and grow. If we have a large number of these poverty and homeless exposing events over large amount of land, then it will be easier to inform others and to spread the idea that we in fact do need a change to this poverty. We need more documentaries on this topic, and even more on this Homeless World Cup (there is one already called Kicking It check it out on Netflix), possibly having one about the players in the tournament and how their lives after to see how it changed for better or for worse. I know there are a few local branches throughout the U.S. similar to the Homeless World Cup, one of them being in Seattle, but I feel like there aren’t enough. It is at too small of a scale. There are an abundance of homeless people that are wanting a chance to change their lives and a chance to compete and be a part of this positive environment.

                

The Revenge of the Nerds

There are two very distinct stereotypes throughout the movie, The Revenge of the Nerds and they are pretty obvious, the Jocks and the Nerds stereotypes. The ways these are presented throughout the movie are at the absolute extremes for both of them. The features that make them “jocks” or “nerds” are much exaggerated to present the dramatic difference between them both. Although these are by far the most predominate stereotypes, there are not the only ones present. The classic blonde bombshell, the false representation of a Native American, and homosexual stereotypes are presented throughout this movie.

The “jocks” were the typical footballs players, who were part of a frat, extremely popular and good looking, always getting the ladies, and throwing outrageous parties. This was clearly presented in the very first scene that we encounter the “jocks.” They are all drinking intensely, doing stupid things (such as stair diving into a pool of beer), and essentially doing whatever they wanted. In this opening scene Ogre (one of the main “jocks”) is shown holding a guy off the top balcony and begins chanting Nerd! Nerd! Nerd!  To show how they feel about the so called nerds of the campus. Ogre is also showed holding and drinking beer out of his trophy, which presents his strength and dominance. The first time we see the main leader of the “jock” side, who is also the quarterback of the football team, he is shown kissing and falling onto the couch with the head cheerleader. From the beginning of this movie we are shown the lifestyle and the personalities of the “jocks” as being more pristine and outgoing while being in need of social attention.

The “nerds” on the other hand, all they wanted throughout the movie was to be socially accepted and treated with equality by their peers. Although this is was tremendously difficult for the for the “nerds” to reach because of the way they were very distinguishable from the popular social status of the “jocks.” The “nerds” were presented as more intellectual, socially awkward, more sensitive, and physically weaker than the “jocks.” In the very first scene of the movie Gilbert’s sensitive side is shown (which was extremely rare for any of the “jocks” in this movie) by him being nervous or worried about leaving his mother while he goes to college. Additionally, in the first scene at the college, Gilbert and Louis, the two main “nerds” are shown having trouble lifting a dresser and repeatedly having trouble moving it by being clumsy and they were always in the way of someone else ultimately being a nuisance to the other students. Instead of drinking and lifting weights as the “jocks” did on their free time, the “nerds” played chess, made robots, and played video games. The appearance of the “nerds” was much different than that of the “jocks.” The “nerds” were dressed in the pen protector shirts with of course the supply of pens, “high water” pants with the occasional overalls , and the thick pairs of glasses; compared to the “jock’s” letterman jackets and polo shirts with the khaki pants. The dialect of the “nerds” was far more sophisticated and intellectual; they also constantly spoke using abbreviations and acronyms for things. The names of the characters were extremely different between the two stereotypes. Names such as Betty and Stanley were used for the head cheerleader and the quarterback, but names such as Gilbert and Point Dexter were used for two of the “nerd” characters. These characteristics are the extreme features of the two stereotypes and they were highly exaggerated throughout the movie. Even the way Gilbert, Louis, and Louis’ dad laughed was highly exaggerated to sound “nerd” like.

The approach the two groups took to overcome/triumph or dominate/oppress the other varied greatly. The latter of two carried out by the “jocks” and dominated the “nerds” through a series of physical strength, popularity, and good looks.  For example, the “jocks” used their physical strength to win the arm wrestling competition and to destroy the “nerds” house. They used their good looks and popularity when they had the kissing booth operating and Betty and Stanley are the heads of the Greek Council, which you earn by winning the homecoming rally. The “nerds” however used their wit and intelligence to overcome the “jocks.” One of the events in the homecoming rally was to complete a thirty lap race and after the completion of one of the laps they had to drink a beer. The “nerds” had a pill that prevented the effects of alcohol and Takashi won the race. Also, Lamar’s hobby of aerodynamics won him the javelin throw competition because he designed an exceptionally aerodynamic javelin that was accustom to his approach to the throw. What made them a “jock” or a “nerd” essentially helped them triumph.

Throughout the movie Takashi is presented as a foreign student from Japan. His extremely thick Asian accent, he didn’t understand how certain things worked such as poker, smoking, and drinking, and his actions (my roommate pointed out that he was taking shots out of a Saki shot glass and was wearing a headband with the Rising Sun of Japan’s flag on it) distinguished that he was Asian. But at the end of the movie when Takashi was operating the pie booth and when he was playing in the show he was wearing a feathered headdress and was dressed as a Native American. There was no reason for this. He was singled out to wear that because he was a little more dark-skinned than the others and he was foreign. He was dressed like a Native American and was assigned to play the gong!! A little bit ridiculous.

                                                        

Betty, the head cheerleader is what we would call a blonde bombshell. She is blonde, has big boobs, is thin, and is what the men want. Throughout the story there is an ongoing battle between Stanley, who is already with her, and Louis, who first gets rejected, but after trying relentlessly he finally goes to the moon with her and wins her over in the end.

The very first scene of the movie our ears are given the qualities of the “nerd” stereotype through the song, “Revenge of the Nerds” by The Rubinoos. As Gilbert and Louis are riding to the college for the first time this song is playing the background. Here is a verse from the song:

“We Wear Horn-Rimmed Glasses With A Heavy Duty Lens
button Down Shirts And A Pocket Full Of Pens
straight A Students, Teachers' Pets 

they Call Us Nerds But With No Regrets”

On the other hand, the ending song, “We are the Champions” by Queen, helps to exaggerate the triumph of the “nerds” over the “jocks”  

Would it be fair to call this a nerd-ploitation? From the very beginning the “nerds” were let down by the system; they went into college with a new state of mind thinking they weren’t going to be bullied and considered nerds, but they lost their dorms to the jocks and found themselves at the bottom of the social chain again. However, they did triumph over their oppressor. By gaining more and more confidence with each little battle they won, they were able to succeed over their oppressor and gain social acceptance by their peers by the end of the movie. A nerd would be the protagonist in a nerd-ploitation, just as an African American is the protagonist in a Blaxploitation film. The oppressor in a Blaxploitation film is the white male, while in this nerd-ploitation the oppressor and antagonist is the jock.

Even though the “nerds” triumph over the “jocks” by the end of the movie, it still gives a standard for what a “nerd” and what a “jock” is. This allows kids or people to classify others by these standards, which ultimately leads to bullying and the feeling of superiority over another person. If we want to minimize the amount of bullying and discrimination in U.S. we have to minimize the amount of exposure to these stereotypes, which comes at the responsibility of the media and Hollywood production.

• http://www.6lyrics.com/revenge_of_the_nerds-lyrics-the_rubinoos.aspx
• http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Louis+from+the+revenge+of+the+nerds&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS408US408&biw=929&bih=931&tbm=isch&tbnid=uV3bqHCGbhd9ZM:&imgrefurl=http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/backstage/100317-flicks-gibson-small-store-solution-hard-economics.html&docid=ma_fQT7yvwjGFM&imgurl=http://www.wreckthetapedeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/revenge-of-the-nerds-comic-con.jpg&w=400&h=591&ei=8CukT-LlEIqciQLkra3ZAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=388&vpy=498&dur=2535&hovh=273&hovw=185&tx=90&ty=137&sig=104009252073431766803&page=2&tbnh=147&tbnw=100&start=27&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:27,i:139
• http://www.google.com/imgres?q=stan+gable+from+the+revenge+of+the+nerds&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS408US408&biw=929&bih=931&tbm=isch&tbnid=Zs8Q6s2kViHsoM:&imgrefurl=http://images.mitrasites.com/brian-tochi.html&docid=hQA5kbW9b39nUM&imgurl=http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6055/6342495178_476d62f76e.jpg&w=500&h=375&ei=2S2kT6zYFOqmiQKD1ayqAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=299&vpy=483&dur=478&hovh=174&hovw=234&tx=127&ty=109&sig=104009252073431766803&page=2&tbnh=126&tbnw=173&start=24&ndsp=29&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:24,i:142
• http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Stan+in+revenge+of+the+nerds&um=1&hl=en&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS408US408&biw=929&bih=931&tbm=isch&tbnid=pcFIzn4WfyPtOM:&imgrefurl=http://thepaulies.tumblr.com/post/6867310426/13-biggest-dicks-in-movies&docid=WRMYpaZs6vYMLM&imgurl=http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnawf4ETfQ1qe6vsbo1_500.jpg&w=409&h=516&ei=rDCkT5C3EozYiQKoyZi2Ag&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=271&sig=104009252073431766803&page=2&tbnh=140&tbnw=113&start=22&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:22,i:134&tx=73&ty=79
• http://www.google.com/imgres?q=revenge+of+the+nerds+takashi&start=250&um=1&hl=en&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS408US408&biw=929&bih=931&tbm=isch&tbnid=S4S-z6qG4HO-vM:&imgrefurl=http://www.youtube.com/video_response_view_all%3Fv%3D8mkADGdqI-8&docid=RTPtvjPHcuXorM&imgurl=http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/8mkADGdqI-8/hqdefault.jpg&w=128&h=96&ei=NDCkT5i_MMWriQKJiJWiAg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=318&sig=104009252073431766803&page=10&tbnh=76&tbnw=102&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:20,s:250,i:183&tx=48&ty=30

http://www.inquisitr.com/224402/valeria-lukyanova-model-seeks-to-be-real-life-barbie-doll-photos/

Barbie’s Perfect Body

            She is almost there! Valeria Lukyanova has nearly reached the Barbie body through a series of surgeries and many hours working on her hair and make-up. Valeria looks incredibly convincing as a human Barbie.

            Body image has become incredibly important to many people around the world. They constantly want to change their body to meet the “ideal standard of beauty.” But what is the “ideal standard of beauty?” is it the constant change to your body through surgeries to look like a perfectly proportioned doll or is it being comfortable with the body you have, the one you were born in? I choose the latter of the two. Is it really necessary to have a set standard for all people? I think it should be want you want to look like as an individual; what is natural for you. People are willing to go to any height to get to what they think we would look like; what we have been presented and taught from a young age as what is attractive, sexy, and successful.

            This is too realistic and if she gets success as a model by looking like this it will not be good for the young women who already think they need to reach the perfect beauty queen look. Valeria is just another agent putting out the messages that there should be a standard of beauty, as well as contributing to the pressures to meet this standard. It gives the young women the idea that they have to fit the stereotypes of looking good if they want to become popular and sexy, additionally if they want to become a model later in life. Valeria is also presenting the ease and the ways to the opportunities to get this “perfect barbie body” through surgeries. She is exposing young women to the availabilities of plastic surgery.

            The standard of beauty will become even more skewed if more and more women undergo the surgeries necessary to look this “perfect” (although the comments, made by women, throughout this article suggest that some women do not like the appearance and what Valeria has done to herself; they don’t want to look like that). If the number of surgeries that are needed to meet the standard, increases, then there will never is an end to the altering of our bodies needed to constantly have a better, beautiful body. As soon as that standard is met by a large amount of people, then that will be average and no longer the standard of ideal beauty, thus a new standard must be made. It’s a never ending process.

            Young women are under these pressures the most because they are in a stage of life where they strive for the acceptance of their peers and they desire the feeling of fitting in. According to the article “The Plastic Surgery a Model Needs to Look like Barbie,” 5% of 13.1 million body parts that were surgically altered, in 2010, were carried out on a person under the age of twenty; that is about 650,000 surgeries!

            It all starts with the media, what is in our reach, and what and who were interact with on a daily basis. Ranging from the commercials we watch during our favorite TV shows to the billboards we drive by everyday on our way to class and work to the mass media news that we read in newspapers and see on television, there are agents that influence us to act a certain way and believe certain things. If we want to diminish stereotypes, the standard of beauty, and the ideal body image, we must decrease the availability of these media agents and messages, as well as change the way these ways of living are portrayed and presented to us. We must also exercise our freedom to have an open mind and to develop an individual who you want to become; not a robot programmed to live a certain life.

Sources:

·            The Inquisitr. "Valeria Lukyanova: Model Seeks To Be Real-Life Barbie Doll." The Inquisitr. Inquisitr Ltd., 23 Apr. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://www.inquisitr.com/224402/valeria-lukyanova-model-seeks-to-be-real-life-barbie-doll-photos/>.

·                  Weiss, Piper. "The Plastic Surgery a Model Needs to Look like Barbie." Yahoo! Shine.       Yahoo! Inc., 14 Oct. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://shine.yahoo.com/fashion/the-plastic-surgery-a-model-needs-to-look-like-barbie-2584798.html>.

http://www.wimp.com/awesomeman/

In this video, the classic stereotypes of men, women, and Muslims are portrayed and carried out by every day Americans. The fact that we have preconceived judgments of people based on their looks, clothing, and race is really disappointing. Nobody should be judged on just these factors; get to know someone before you make an opinion about them. The length of waiting time was directly related to the gender, race, and clothing of the person in distress. For the woman, people jumped to her aid more than half the time of the time for the white male. Nearly thirty minutes passed before one single person stopped and helped the Muslim male in comparison to the two minutes waited by the white male and about thirty seconds for the female. Also, every male they asked said the females looks, the blonde bombshell persona if you will, definitely influenced them to act as fast as they did.

 One thing I did found extremely interesting was when one of the guys commented on not stopping for the Muslim male, “He looked like a perfectly capable young man to change a tire.” Yet, greater number of people stopped for the white male who looked just as capable, just as young has the Muslim man did. What was the real reason? His looks, his beliefs, and the object he placed on his head. People make these grand assumptions that this person is evil or this person is dangerous based solely on the preconceived stereotypes other people have created about that person’s ethnicity, gender, and religious affiliations. These stereotypes usually come from the worst and most radical perspectives of these factors.

Most men are largely influenced and more attracted to the sex appeal of woman and people are extremely judgmental of people based on how someone looks. People need to be more like the young man at the end and do things without judging someone first. Try to get to know someone before you make an opinion of them. 

"Stuck on the Road: Who Would You Help?" ABC News. ABC News Network. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/video/stuck-road-16091432>.