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Tuesday Presentations

Jake’s presentation was focused on the Godfather’s representation of Italian Americans and the impact it had on the perception of Italians as a result of the movie. I found it interesting that he mentioned that the director’s Italian ancestry was important to the film’s production. Also, I had no idea that Italian mobsters actually took what the seen in the film and applied it to their actual lives. It will be interesting to see his take on the role the Godfather has had on Italian stereotypes. 

I was fascinated with Aamir’s presentation on the changing perspective of the role of religion in society with increasing globalization. Thinking about how people can now begin formulating their own moral and ethical frameworks due to an increase in communication should be interesting, especially in relation to the portrayal of religious organizations and morality in crime film. 

In Adriana’s presentation I felt her analysis of the impact Crime Scene Investigation shows have on real life murder cases was very insightful. I especially feel the inclusion of juror statistics and sociological theories on the subject made for a compelling argument. I never considered how much the judicial system pays attention to the influence crime film and tv programs have on juror biases. 

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Challenge Post 13: Spoofing is the Highest Form of Flattery? (Response)

This image comes from the Simpsons episode entitled “Marg on the Lam”,  a spoof on Thelma and Louis, where Marg befriends her neighbor Ruth Powers after Homer neglects to spend time with her. By the end of the episode you find out that Ruth actually stole her ex-husband’s car when she refuses to pull over even though several police vehicles are chasing them down. They don’t realize they are driving up to a cliffside until Homer thinking they are about to commit suicide uses the megaphone to apologize to Marg. The women stop the car in time, but Homer, who is inside one of the police cars, drives off the cliff accidentally landing in a landfill. Interestingly, unlike Thelma and Louis, both women are get what they want in the end. Homer has a new found appreciation for Marg and Ruth escapes being charged of theft and actually is able to force her husband to pay child support which is the reason she stole the car in the first place. 

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Thelma & Louise (1991) dir. Ridley Scott

“That guy was hurting me. If you hadn’t come out when you did, he would’ve hurt me a lot worse. And probably nothing would’ve happened to him ‘cause everybody did see me dancin’ with him all night. They would’ve made out like I’d asked for it. My life would’ve been ruined a whole lot worse than it is now. At least now I’m havin’ some fun. And I’m not sorry that son of a bitch is dead. I’m just sorry it was you that did it and not me.”

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Challenge Post 10: If these (prison) walls could talk (Response)

frWhile watching Orange is the New Black I was interested in the internalized racial divide that the prisoners seemed to accept as part of the prison culture. I found it compelling that inmates made assumptions about other’s social circles and experiences based on their racial/ethnic identity. I found an article by the Marshall Project that takes testimonies from current prisoners and their experiences with race while incarcerated. What Orange is the New Black portrays is a racial system that is heavily held in place by the prisoners themselves, however based on prisoner testimonies the prison system itself also enforces racial barriers in day to day activities. In California, prisons separate prisoners based on racial identification for 60 days, in other words white prisoners are held with white prisoners and black prisoners are held with black prisoners for 60 days. This is said to reduce racial violence, however the justification for that rational is contested. On the other hand prisoners report that they understand the desire and instinct to surround oneself with people who look life they do and have similar experiences. White and Black self segregation can equally be about racial prejudice as it is about self preservation and perceived safety. However, there are some who report ‘racial transcendence’ where there is a point when even with racial barriers you can’t help but empathize and fight for someone of a different race. Arthur Longsworth, held in Washington, stated that their humanity takes over when they are being beaten and they see their fellow prisoners suffering in the same way. What caught my attention the most however is Arthur also said that he feels that a ‘free-world racist’ would not make it in prison. That someone who would freely spout racial prejudice would find life in prison brutal and difficult. Orange is the New Black does an interesting job at showing the complex relationship with race, especially with the crossing of racial barriers and the formation of race specific areas and activities. 

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/08/24/prison-is-a-real-life-example-of-the-world-white-supremacists-want

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Taxi Driver (1976)

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Challenge Post 16: Gendering the Serial Killer Label

The labeling of women as serial killers actually brings me back to my case study on Griselda Blanco, a notorious queenpin in the narco-trafficking business in the 70s and 80s. Blanco was prosecuted under 3 murder charges while she was already incarcerated for ‘conspiracy to smuggle narcotics’, however her death toll is said to range from anywhere between 40 to 200 people. I find the idea of a female serial killer interesting in regards to Blanco because while conducting my research she was never labeled as one. She was most certainly thought of as a ‘monster’ and her sanity was put into question a number of times, especially as there was evidence to suggest that she was abusing her own ‘products’. Not to mention that it is well known fact that she murdered her own husband, Alberto Bravo, and was responsible for the assassination of a 2 year old boy. While in court she plead guilty to all charges as the evidence against her was said to be overwhelming. Ironically, she is remembered almost as a historic female figure in American and Latin American history, but most certainly not known for being a ‘serial killer’. Based on the articles that I have encountered her femininity actually gives the public more reason to celebrate her, seeing as how she broke through the male-dominated drug industry and actually made a name for herself. The attached video is an example of a news broadcast after the announcement of her death in 2012, going over a brief history of her life and discussing her well known manicure “The Godmother”. 

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But we were making more money than we knew what to do with.

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Trump paid for a full page ad condemning the young boys (who were later exonerated.)

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American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson | “The Verdict” | dir. Ryan Murphy

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Griselda Blanco was a notorious drug lord from 1970-1990 and ran the Medellin drug cartel as well as helped spark the Miami Drug Wars. She was known as La Madrina (The Godmother), The Black Widow, and the Queen of Narco-Trafficking. Her real life resembled that of a crime movie, as she was heavily inspired by the Corleone family from The Godfather. She is suspected to be associated from anywhere between 40 to 200 murders and under her rein the Colombian drug cartel brought in $80,000,000 a month. Lifetime recently released a movie based on her life starring Catherine Zeta-Jones as Griselda.  However, this film has received heavy criticism for the decision to cast a white actress to portray such an infamous Latina in American and Latin-American history. The exclusion of a Latina actress fails to authentically capture the gender divide that is heavily present in Latin American countries and Griselda’s story as an immigrant in the United States. Jennifer Lopez is expected to also take on the role of Blanco in an up-coming HBO special. The continued fascination with Griselda’s success as a women in the male dominated drug business and her ruthlessness is still present to this day.

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FEBRUARY 15, 1943 - SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

The Godmother Griselda Blanco 69, a Colombian drug trafficker, known as the “Queen of Cocaine”, has been shot dead by gunmen as she was leaving a butcher’s in the city of Medellin, Colombia.

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The next time I write in this diary, Mother will be dead. How odd… yet how pleasing.

Heavenly Creatures (1994) Dir. Peter Jackson

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This massive sign on the side of a mountain overlooking the city of Juarez, Mexico, visible from some parts of El Paso, Texas, translates as “Juarez City, the Bible is the truth. Read it.”