#american cultural references
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today's thoughts before passing out: the demon blood plot reading as a metaphoric fear of miscegenation, a result of classic Western tropes told through a Horror framework.
demon blood is a boundary crossing substance, invasive and transformative. Sam violated in the crib functions on one level as a rape metaphor, but its done so through demonic blood coming in to dilute his human blood. the violation then, comes in as a literal theft of identity. his body becomes the literal battleground between two forces - the domestic world of his family vs. the invading, monstrous outsider. Azazel snatches and preys on civilised children from the crib as a means of recruiting them to his tribe army, literally corrupting them on a bodily level, claiming them from their blood families as his own. and the more demon blood Sam drinks, the less 'human' he becomes (the less of his family's blood in him). Dean's anger over Ruby also ties into Sam's sexual relationship with her, of which the blood drinking is a component. the blood drinking is especially transgressive because it echoes deep-rooted settler colonial anxieties, expressed through the language of pop culture - fears over losing one's blood, family, and identity to a savage Other.
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(4.21)
what got me started on this line of thinking was a recent rewatch of John Ford's The Searchers (1956), a movie so ingrained in the modern American cultural mythos that nearly every first year cinema studies course makes it required viewing lmao. it's a subversive Western, concerned with exploring the porous boundary dividing white settler communities from Native American communities, the defining line between the 'civilised'/'uncivilised', the colonial subject and the savage. it was released during an era when America was grappling with undoing laws around racial segregation, and reflects those anxieties through classic American mythology.
so. Sam is a modern interpretation of Martin and Debbie from that movie, and Dean is a modern variant on its leading anti-hero, Ethan Edwards (rather John is our initial Ethan figure, but we spend most of the show with Dean, who takes on his mantle). just to emphasise the connection between the show and this movie - Star Wars heavily references it, and Kripke's always been explicit about this show's two leads as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. well, i'd argue this show definitely owes more to The Searchers than Star Wars does!
Martin is Ethan's adoptive nephew of partial Cherokee descent, made an outsider to his family, by his uncle, at the film's outset due to his blood. he joins his uncle on his revenge mission after a Comanche tribe destroys their home and steals his adoptive sister - Debbie. this mission becomes his coming-of-age journey into rugged frontier manhood, as much as it is his path towards integration into white, 'civilised' society.
the protagonist of the film is Ethan, a soldier who gets consumed by his seven year long, bloody, vengeance-fuelled quest to recover his niece. when he finds Debbie, however, to his dismay he discovers she's no longer the 'pure' innocent he remembers. upon finding out that she's married to the tribe's chief - he literally disowns her as his blood kin, and at one point, even tries to kill her. Martin becomes the one to save her from his uncle's shot and the one to convince her to return home. he later convinces Ethan to recommit to rescuing her, and he ends up doing so.
(15.17 - Sam over s4 functions as a Debbie figure, but Jack also takes up her role. Dean disowns him as Ethan disowns his niece)
over the movie, we see Ethan descend into ever increasing violence and 'wildness', grown closer to his enemy after years spent on the frontier, hunting them down. Martin gets to go home, his civilising mission completed as he marries into a white family. Ethan though, stands at the threshold in the iconic concluding shot below. he's been transformed by frontier violence to the point he no longer belongs to the domestic, civilised world. he wanders back out into the desert, alone.
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anyways. Supernatural owes so much of its dna to the classic Western, and to this movie in particular. what The Searchers was to collective white American anxieties over desegregation in the late 50s, this show was to collective white American anxieties over multiculturalism at the new millenium, in the wake of 9/11. Sam's demon blood is a critical defining line between him and his brother, as Martin's mixed race status is the defining line between him and his uncle. 'monstrosity' on this show metaphorically stands in for savagery; one brother gets thrown out onto the frontier, a journey towards 'taming' his own nature. and another brother drifts further and further away from civilised society the longer he spends fighting at the frontier, protecting civilisation from its monsters. 'blood don't end with family' comes to a screeching halt when it addresses the prospect of monstrosity. what is demon blood standing in for on this show? what does a monster represent, truly? who gets to step over the threshold into civilised society, and what is the price of that acceptance?
#spn#spn meta#incoherently kicking the hornet's nest!!! and now time to pass out#would love to see more analysis of the show through its references/tropes/archetypes tbh#all fifteen seasons of supernatural: john ford's the searchers (1956)#this show's brilliance lies in its marriage of cultural anxieties across genres -> classic westerns + modern (80s-90s) horror#“racism is the curse of the american soul”#my meta#supernatural is a modern western#j.txt
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Trying out some new designs (aka playing dress up)
#hi hello it's so soon isnt it :)#anyway i decided cwil deserves some 70s clothing#cus it's just right up my wheelhouse in terms of mix between favourite colors and cool clothing#quackity got a nice zoot suit. it's more of a late 30s/40s style but it's very cool and has lovely cultural aspects.#i do believe the style here is specific to mexican americans that took up the suit because of the more muted colors and stuff#but don't quote me on that! I'm not as well versed in the post 40s pre 70s period alright#i hope you lot enjoy this tiny piece <3#i do have some interactions between the two of them coming up soon hopefully but this came to me at midnight and i just finished it#it's 5 am for reference. this is a testament to my dedication#I've ranted enough alright bye-bye xoxo#my art#cwilbur#cquackity#dsmp fanart#fennec.art
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if team galactic members are all named after celestial bodies there has to be some guy named Betelgeuse
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
O: YO I know that guy!!!!!!!!! Sweet fella, works in the heavy machinery department. Absolute UNIT. Even taller than I am!! We meet around the cafeteria sometimes and talk about bug types. He's like, really good with them. Dude is super talented AND he can lift me like a bread stick, no kidding.
#oc: orion#team galactic grunts#team galactic#Oc: Betelgeuse#??????#ANON I KNOW YOU MEANT AMERICAN POP CULTURE BEETLE JUICE BUT i had no clever way to reference this into a responce#because ive....never seen....the movie#idk who beetlejuice is except that he crazy lookin SOBS#also wtf i read about betelgeuse like. astronomically#really cool star. Big red giant#had to visualize another cute grunt for it#also get it Big B#cause he also like bugs#B as in..........Bee.................And hes big and round like a bumble bee#anyways
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the thing no one tells you about hyperfixating on british media is that you will subsequently become fascinated by british culture
#doctor who#dw#dr who#heartstopper#broadchurch#my american brain is very weak#the incurable urge to know everything#i just want to understand all the cultural references is that so much to ask?#like i still have no clue what a gsce is
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not that anyone is familiar with psych or cares but season four had some Real banger episodes for such a silly show that I remember watching as a very young teenager & being Obsessed with like shawn gets a shot in the dark and mr yin presents... which in turn had me watch all of hitchcock's films to catch all the references
#another good part of rewatching it as an adult is that i get more of the cultural references#obviously not all because i'm not american and cant bother but significantly more than when i was 14#it's a very bingable show in that i dont have to pay 100% attention but also in between some chill episodes i get jems like shawn gets a#shot in the dark which made such an impact on me i would have dreams of being at the same scenario as shawn#also lmao i had erased abigail from my memory. like clean slate forgot she existed#no wonder i couldnt remember how shawn and juliet get together#amd this time i have a much greater fondness for lassie i have to admit#also jules <3 my girl#psych#m
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yeah seconding luna in that this kind of “martyr” language being used by non-palestinian leftists is really really uncomfortable lol… i think coming from westerners it inevitably has the implication that palestinians who die choose to die on some level. or at least that their deaths serve some higher cause of idk. fighting western hegemony or imperialism or the us military industrial complex or something. the idf is killing babies who are a couple of days old i don’t think they have any idea why they’re being killed. and there are absolutely people on here for whom the idea of palestinians as martyrs for the Cause of anti-imperialism is like. why they care. rather than the fact that human beings aren’t meant to exist in these conditions and like what if it was your parents or your siblings or your cousins.
#and yeah i also think the easiest way to make idk mainstream liberals care is to be like what if it was your own children#and not try to talk about the deaths of palestinians with language you would never use to refer to the deaths of your own family#i understand for palestinians it’s cultural but it does not come across the same way coming from americans who aren’t palestinian
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I love how Lovejoy songs tend to have one of three themes:
A) Hey girl, you know you deserve better so how about you leave that prick for someone better (like me)
B) We’re not compatible but fuck if we’re not going to be toxic about it as we stay together anyway
C) Fuck the way politics has turned out in the 21st century
#lovejoy#after such a high saturation of American centric songs I have to say it's so refreshing when I hear one of their political songs#because yeah fuck the tories but also hell yeah look at these songs that you can tell were made by brits#there's pub culture vibes and references to our local political situation#which just feels great as someone who has never encountered songs like that before
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Here are some of my Nomad headcanons!!
I based some of his clothes on traditional gaucho fashion, mainly the belt, leather, and Poncho patterns
They always seem to be unarmed in the series, so instead of a facón, I just gave him a pouch and spare cloth
The tassels and bells make all the shaking and jingling sound effects in the show
Sometimes, their critters bring him little flowers or shiny trinkets. He loves this and has some of them pinned on his poncho
The antler stubs are there to push my similarities-to-the-otgw-beast agenda
#also he/they nomad!!#ik the show seems based on tex/mex culture#at least with the mix of southern and spanish accents#but i wanted the nomad to be a bit different so i put some argentine stuff on him#theyre still 'from' nowhere unlike don paragon#still based on a latin american country#but different all the same#if they did speak itd be with an argentine accent instead of a Mexican or southern us one#could just be bc i stayed in argentina for a while and am projecting too lol#i just love the nomad kiss kiss kiss#nomad of nowhere#the nomad#my art#my stuff#non/kon#referring to nomad and knight of nothing
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American Emo Miku!!!!
#hatsune miku#miku trend#emo miku#american emo miku#maladaptivemisanthrope arts :3#if anyone gets the song reference i will be amazed#described#emo#american emo#my art#digital art#artists on tumblr#miku in your culture#international miku
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devasting! the online fanbase for this british show is overwhelmingly american
#NOT saying which one it is because everyone there does seem to be very nice and also very young so i'm cutting them slack#this is so unimportant in the grand scheme of things but its also so annoying when the entire vibe of the fandom is so american#like 'omg teehee i can't believe they made X joke' thats just gallows humour for the love of godddd#not in a 'you're too sensitive' kind of way more in a 'idk what you expected from this' kind of way. also in a 'you're explaining#a cultural reference from a place your not familiar with and it comes off as very condescending' kind of way.
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Kinda don't like how the term "Puritanical" started being used as shorthand for "anyone who disagrees with me is a conservative" instead of you know. What that word actually means. And that people don't want to examine how cultural Christianity actually works and affects mainstream western culture, especially American culture, and instead opt to use it as a bludgeoning tool to shut down anyone who doesn't agree with them.
#It is an extremely fascinating topic to me that american ''secular'' society is basically just regular Protestantism but with all references#to god removed & how that has massive ramifications for american culture#And also that historically christianity wasn't tied to conservative beliefs to the extent that it is now#At some points in time christianity has also been associated with ''progressive'' beliefs eg the quakers#While the actual history behind this is very relevant and important people who have little knowledge or interest in it use it in#an almost ad hominem manner? idk if that's fully the right term to use but people just use puritan as an insult without fully understanding#the context lol
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yknow, fascinating culture we’ve got that you have to clarify “anatomical” for it to be clear that you’re talking about how hearts actually are shaped, in our actual bodies, and not this random ass shape we’ve decided is equivalent
❤️ <- you are the result of frankly staggering amounts of cultural telephone and i love it
#when you think of heart you think of THIS#a completely arbitrary shape!!!!! fascinating#obviously i am very specifically referring to american culture and the places it’s touched (for better or for worse) (lbr for worse)#text✨#anthropology
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You out here hookin for cheeseburgers again Randy?
mans gotta eat.
You know how Ricky love weed so much ? That's me with food ( and weed )
I'd say I'm more like that with food than randy. While I respect Randy's love for fast food, I am more of an entrepreneur of sorts with it. ( For lack of a better word. ) It is an art craft for me as well as a general source of enjoyment and relaxation. I love breaking down the flavors and taking a moment to appreciate and acknowledge them before moving on with the experience. ( Especially if the chef is present ! )
Which is how I feel Ricky is with weed given he is a plug and a grower. Because I'm not just a feedee, I'm a cook as well 👨🍳 .
#MY FIRST TRAILER PARK BOYS REFERENCE IN MY ASK BOX I MUST CELEBRATE#my non tpb watching followers are likely confused yet intrigued by my choice of TPB gif#if you are transmasc this show is for you BTW especially if you come from the lower class#u don't even have to be grom a trailer park to understand it bc im not from one and I understand them and their ways but im Floridian so#maybe it cancles out that im not from a trailer park specifically because I feel like all of Florida is just one big trailer park maybe#that's why I love the show so much#also every trans man ever is either Ricky bubbles or Julian i dont make the rules#maybe randy#my old roomate is a transman and he acts very silumar to julian#it's great because I act like Ricky in terms of personality so we have a pretty good dynamic#I don't often make shows about personalities but you can't deny that there's a bleed over from TPB and lower class queer culture#you cannot tell me that lower class American queers especially from the South and Midwest don't relate to that show#its ok if you don't but i feel this show is massively slept on by the queer community#TEHRES A TRANS WOMAN IN THE SHOW TO#and from what i remember they dont misgender her?#remember this is a Canadian show not an American one.#I noticed most of the shows that I have to worry about bigotry popping up and giving me whiplash are American baised#ALSO U SHOULD DM ME ABT TPB I LOVE THAT SHOW !!!!!!!#also sorry for the yapping i just havent seen TPB in so long bc it's not on hulu ):#sad face
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Whilst I avoid both going to bed and my academics, I thought it a good time to say that when an American says they're “restoring a language” or “of X ethnicity”, they don’t mean they're from X. They know their nationality, they know where they were born, that's not the point.
When someone says they're Irish and are from America, it's just shorthand for “Irish American”. We put everything in a shortened form here because we all know what we mean and collectively remove redundancy.
When we say we're learning Z language because we're X, we don't mean it in terms of exoticism. The only people who do that are ignorant kids and folks who are going through a cultural/identity crisis. The rest of us are trying to learn these languages because our predecessors lost them or had them trained out. It is a dead language to us because these parts of us have been killed off, that's why it's a revival.
While I do research, I often hear people say something around the lines that “You are where you're from, not where your predecessors are from” which is true, to a certain extent. I am an American, a U.S. citizen. If U.S. culture was a bit more similar to how most other places in the world did it, I would say that I was from X state, an Xian. Here, though, we are more defined by our subcultures; little pockets of pooling culture brought in from where we originally hale.
This probably wouldn’t be the case if most of us had come here out of a desire to be here rather than having been forced out of our homelands. My family came here around 1930 and our records say it was because of food insecurity caused by a failed crop (and a surprise frost). The folks who settled the U.S.? Genocidal assholes, fuck 'em.
But back to the point. When someone says they're trying to get in touch with their culture— we're not trying to be you. We're trying to get back what was forced out of the people before us in order to survive over here. Our families came here with what they had and our culture has changed throughout the years. St. Patrick's day is odd (especially since Patrick was colonizing Ireland) and is over the top; that is the point. Not a single one of us thinks that to be Irish is to be bathed in clovers, downing alcohol, and belting about rainbows. It's a noxious, loud, proud declaration that we're still here. It is, at least by its origins, a public protest.
#Ethnicity#culture#American#Irish heritage#Scottish heritage#(less mentioned but I was also thinking anout it while writing.)#It's really comdescending and rude how some people talk about those of us trying to learn.#You guys know that the folks you're complaining about-#The ones who think about Ireland and Scotland as magical fae-mess-#Those are literal children? You're making beef with kids. A bit weird my dude.#Though I do think a part of the issue is a langiahe and cultural barrier#Given that most places refer to nationalism the same way us Americans do our heritage#—That one miiight be down to the fact that this is a literal settler state. The people who colonized this place had the culture of bleach.#In order to live here- you kinda have to bleach away who you are and where you're from.#And if you cannot because where you're from comes with visually obvious characteristics#Then you're screwed.#America
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I’m gonna be honest I’ve never seen the wizard of oz so even if I see the detailed explanations with the characters and the theories that keep going around with the wizard of oz and season 8 I’m still so confused like okay 🙂
#and this is what happens when you don’t grow up learning american pop culture but mexican pop culture while in america#but everyone enjoy theorizing it’s always fun#that’s why a lot of the movie references that chimney makes fly over my head until I see someone point it out#more of steph’s random thoughts#911#911 abc#911 season 8
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