Note: These are college papers. I talk openly about some adult themes, so just a heads up.
Tim Wong
Smith
6/5/14
The Monster in our Midst
Whether we care to believe it or
not, it is a fact that stereotypes have permeated every fiber of our American
society. Everyone has some assumption or misconception about a group, society,
or culture. Music, movies, and literature have all perpetuated and nurtured
these stereotypes into the subtle behemoths they are today; stereotypes about
race, gender, occupations, and ideologies are all nested quietly in the backs
of our heads. While there, these stereotypes slowly shape and malform our ideas
about the world. Rather recently, the movie Godzilla was released in theaters.
While a movie about a supernatural Japanese monster may not immediately strike
someone as a movie about stereotypes, stereotypes are certainly present. In
fact, Toho’s Godzilla movies have historically featured strong stereotypes,
primarily those of a brash military, the arrogance and ignorance of mankind,
and our view of nature, and all of those have carried over into this newest variant
of the Godzilla formula. Through an examination of these three stereotypes
throughout the movie Godzilla and its predecessors, I will show that
stereotypes are not only prevalent in America, they are dominant.
Our military is subject to many
assumptions and stereotypes most of which, regardless of whether they are
positive or negative, stem from the media’s representation of our soldiers and
armies. Movies like Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers give a harsh but
heroic view of our soldiers; we have learned to look up to them, to support
them, and even to glorify them. In fact, the practice of supporting and
praising our troops and veterans is common, if controversial in America.
However, Japan portrayed their military differently in most of the Godzilla
films. In most scenarios, the nation was faced with a monstrous danger: a
Kaiju. That is, a giant and supernatural monster, such as the reptilian
Godzilla, or the three headed King Ghidorah. When faced by this massive threat,
the military immediately seeks to destroy it; in this year’s Godzilla, our
American military tried to wipe out the rampaging monsters with a nuclear bomb.
The immediate desire to resort to radioactive weapons is a stereotype directed
towards our military, but also towards America itself. Many other countries
view us as violent and arrogant. However, resorting to nuclear weaponry and
mass destruction was a concept used just as much in the Japanese Godzilla
films.
In these older films, the giant
monsters featured were always challenged by the Japanese military, whose futile
attempts to stop them were always shrugged off. Originally, in the very first
Godzilla movie in 1954, this military action was viewed as heroic; the
rampaging monster was finally defeated through the use of the terrifying
“Oxygen Destroyer” and reduced to a skeleton. However, as the movies evolved,
Godzilla transformed from a wild beast to a savior of earth, a force of nature
that sought to defend its planet from anything. And so, when mankind tried to
destroy this new Godzilla time and time again, it became an act of arrogance.
What is man that it should seek to destroy the forces of nature that defend it?
This same question was brought up in the new Godzilla film, where the creature
is once again shown as a force of nature, and a savior of earth. Despite its
rampaging and destructive nature, it defends the humans from monsters that
would have been an exponentially greater threat than itself. When Admiral Stenz
approved the use of nuclear weapons to destroy the monsters, my initial thought
was that the American military was incredibly foolish and arrogant. These
thoughts, if not checked, quickly turn into long lasting stereotypes.
Similarly, the capture and containment of the MUTO brought to mind images of
arrogance; we seek to control and manipulate that which is not ours to control.
All the Kaiju featured in the
Godzilla movies, whether good or evil, are either forces of nature or
manipulated by forces of nature. This is a theme that is perpetuated throughout
the movie Godzilla and is summed up when Ken Watanabe’s character iconically
says, “The arrogance of man is in thinking that nature is in our control, and
not the other way around. Let them fight”. In saying this, Ken Watanabe not
only affirms that man is indeed arrogant, he is stating that man is no match
for nature. When two forces of nature collide, it is best for us to step back
and let them be. However, this statement reveals two more stereotypes, those
being that humans either seek to obliterate nature, or hold an awed reverence
for it. Both of these apply to the movie Godzilla. While the American military
seeks to destroy the monsters, the rest of the world comes to view Godzilla as
a mighty force of nature, one that cannot be controlled and that ought to be
respected.
In summary, Godzilla features three
powerful stereotypes, namely the rash violence of the American military, the
arrogance of man, and man’s conflicting view of natural forces. These stereotypes
have been prominent in Godzilla movies for the past 50 years; those movies have
shaped the minds of many in regards to the military and man, and have
influenced many stereotypes. If I were to judge America based solely on its
representation in this most recent Godzilla movie, I would say that our
government and military, while seeking the safety of our people, are too prone
to violence and wanton destruction. I would also say that mankind is arrogant,
foolish, and irreverent. And finally, I would conclude that the powerful forces
of nature override class, gender, and race. Regardless of who you are, what you
are, and where you stand in society, nature will still run its course. I
believe that this is notion is important to consider; American media places too
much emphasis on exploiting, balancing, and or fixing the myriad of stereotypes
that have been built around race, class, and gender and have dominated our
minds. Our society is so focused on political correctness that we forget about
the world around us. While we will not necessarily be attacked by giant
monsters, the concept that nature is greater than we are still applies. We are
simply cogs in the wheel of time. The true monsters are the stereotypes that
have crept into our everyday lives. And so, I return to the words of Ken
Watanabe. The arrogance of man, since we truly are an arrogant race, is in
thinking that nature is in our control. When we realize that we are in nature’s
control, our ideas of race, class, and gender suddenly seem less important. Our
stereotypes are the true monsters, and we will not be able to simply wipe them
away with nuclear weaponry. If it is possible to eliminate stereotypes at all,
it will be through much time and effort; they are the monsters in our midst.
Tim
Wong
Kerri
Smith
6/12/14
Examining Our Idols
Inventing a religion is no easy
task, especially if one already adheres to another religion. I am a devout
Christian, so this paper will be particularly interesting for me; I must
approach the topic from a very cautious position. And, as a Christian, I
already have guidelines for myself; all my ideals are already in place. So,
instead of creating a religion that is designed for me specifically, I will
instead create a religion that is designed around modern America. This religion is based on what I believe to
be America’s three greatest aspects: Pleasure, Power, and Prosperity. What
separates it from other religions, and makes it so perfect for the American
mindset, is that one need not change much in their life in order to conform to
it. Its central principles are individualism and relativism; the world revolves
around everyone, and everyone revolves around me. Its guidelines are simply to
continue in one’s everyday life, but everything they do is “worship”. The only
rituals it requires are those we perform every day, such as eating or sleeping.
It is based on comfort and individuality. So, through an examination of
America’s most prominent aspects, Pleasure, Power, and Prosperity, I will
create Americanism: The Modern Pantheon.
The first set of “gods” are those
focusing on Pleasure. There are four gods of pleasure. They are Libida, Gulus,
Lacertus, and Proclivitus, and each focuses on a way that Americans find
comfort or pleasure. Libida is the Goddess of Sexuality and love. She
represents the sexual mindset of America, namely the idea and effort to expand
on the concept of “sexuality”. She embraces everyone regardless of their sexual
proclivity since she herself is pansexual and a shapeshifter. She also revels
in the darker sides of love, such as adultery, divorce, and prostitution. Gulus
is the god of Gluttony and Excessiveness. He loves food, and so do all of his
worshippers. He also loves excessiveness in all its forms, whether that applies
to food, money, or kittens. His dark side is his reign over the majority of
physical disorders, especially those related to food like Anorexia or BED. Then,
there is Lacertus, the god of Physical Training and Appearance. Lacertus
represents bodybuilders and jocks throughout America, and has dominion over
exercise, yoga, and any other form of physical training. He hates the fact that
he cannot sit with the gods of power, so he trains endlessly in an attempt to
join their ranks. His training is so intense that he disregards most other
aspects of life, and his obstinacy only pushes him further away from the gods
of power. What he doesn’t realize is that power is more than physical strength
or attractiveness, and that misconception falls to many of his followers as
well. Finally, there is Proclivitus, the god of Addiction, Substance Abuse, and
the Underworld. His worshippers are those who are addicted to alcohol, drugs,
tobacco, or any other addictive substance. When he is not in the Underworld
enjoying his substance of choice, he is in America, and mingles with humans
more than any other god. Since his followers need to be addicted to something,
he is constantly getting drugs and alcohol into the hands of those who least
need it.
The next set of gods are those of
power. First is Proelius, the god of War and Conflict. He is the one who sits
in the minds of presidents when they make the order to launch a nuclear strike
or attack another country. Like the Greek god Zeus, Proelius would be
considered the leader of this pantheon, and is the father of many of the other
gods and demigods. He was with the pilgrims that first founded America, and
instigated much of America’s early bloodshed, such as the Revolutionary, Civil,
and World Wars, as well as the oppression of the Native Americans. Second is
Genus, the god of Assimilation, Immigration, and Civil Rights. Genus is the one
that is constantly incorporating new aspects of other countries into America,
such as food and vocabulary. He is always trying to get on the good side of the
other gods; he brings Gulus new foods, Proclivitus new drinks, and is
especially interested in pleasing Libida. As such, when it comes to “civil
rights”, he is particularly supportive of those she agrees with, such as
homosexuality or feminism. He is cautious and deceptive by nature; he knows
that if he is not careful, he will find himself outside of America and unable
to return. Then there is Tempus, the Goddess of Time and Technology. Tempus is
the God who manipulates your sense of time when having fun or working. She is
also constantly discovering and creating new technologies and placing their
seeds in the minds of inventors. However, Tempus can also be quite lazy, since
she has all the time in the world. Unfortunately, this sense of laziness can
also spread to her genius followers, who have significantly less time than her.
Finally, there is Diatriba, the goddess of education. Diatriba was once the
most intelligent of all the gods besides Sensus (the goddess of intelligence).
However, that changed when Tempus came to her with the idea of a public
education system. Diatriba readily accepted and implemented the idea, but both
she and America seem to have been worse off for it. Diatriba’s mind has been
slowly and surely failing, and she now spends most of her days frivolously with
Gaudia (the goddess of Adolescence and Luck).
The third and final set of gods are
those of Prosperity. Laborus, the god of Work, Careers, and Money is a
workaholic in every sense of the word. He works tirelessly and is easily the
most prosperous of all the gods; he has accumulated more wealth than even
Materia, who is the goddess of Material Wealth. However, he often finds himself
bored and always tired. He has more money than he could possibly spend, and has
nothing left to spend it on. Materia is the goddess of Material Wealth and the
wife of Laborus. She puts his money to better use and is constantly acquiring more
goods. In fact, the other gods tend to look down on her for hoarding, and
Laborus has to constantly watch his money. Then, there is Sensus, the Goddess
of Intelligence and Innovation. When Tempus is sleeping, Sensus is there to
inspire her followers, many of which also worship Sensus. Additionally, many of
Diatriba’s old followers, those with genius minds but no proper education, turn
to Sensus as well. Finally, there is Gaudia, who has dominion over Adolescence
and Luck. Gaudia is the one who organizes all the parties and revelries that
keep the other gods entertained. She is actually quite prosperous, but her
prosperity does not necessarily flow down to her followers. However, there are
a few of her followers that have great natural ability and can succeed in life
regardless of whether they whittle away their days in revelry. As they mature
from adolescence to adulthood, they step out of Gaudia’s wing and seek out
Tempus or Diatriba.
This pantheon caters to and was constructed
solely for the American mindset. Obviously, this means that it excludes
anything or anyone that is not American. However, America is a country that is
fairly welcome to outsiders, and it is very possible to join Americanism if one
is willing to become “American”. In creating Americanism, I primarily drew from
the Greek, Roman, and Norse Pantheons. Some of the gods have stark similarities
to other Greek or Norse gods. For example, Proclivitus draws from both Hades
and Hermes, and both Libida and Genus have characteristics from Loki.
Americanism sums up what it means to be American; this modern pantheon is
designed to revolve around each individual. But at the same time, it just goes
to show how corrupt our society truly is. And so, I end with this central
principle of Americanism: the world revolves around everyone, everyone revolves
around the gods, the gods revolve around me, and I revolve around the world.
This encapsulates the two primary aspects of Americanism, which are
individualism and relativism. I believe that the scariest part of Americanism
is that, in essence, it already exists. Everything in Americanism is simply a
part of America; the worshippers are everyday citizens, and the gods are our
own depraved minds. This religion ought to be a warning to America; let us open
our eyes and look at what is important to us. Let us examine our idols and
rethink our lives.
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