#our last thoughts are not of ourselevs

[outcasts-redeemer]

Ruby: “Jaune. Please! Let us help you.”

Jaune: *Visibly shaking* “And then what!?” *Turns to her eyes wide and shaky* “The moment I open up. The very moment I let myself feel! They leave! Every fucking time! And so will you!”

Pyrrha: *Reaches her hand towards him* “Jaune...”

Jaune: *Grips his hair as he growls in anguish* “My Parents! My Sisters! My friends from before Beacon! ALL OF THEM LEFT! I try! Oh gods do I try! Be a good son! Be a good brother. Be strong. Learn to stand on your own! Fight for your DREAMS!”

Weiss, listening from around the corner: *Tears start to fall from her eyes*

Jaune: “Don’t let them see you struggle because they’ll get sad! Watch them go about every day unopposed and with full support from everyone around them while you waste away unable to even get a good try! Always on the sidelines. Always looking in. When I’m out of sight I’m forgotten. When I’m visible I’m in the fucking way!”

Yang: *Steps forward but is stopped by Ren*

Jaune: “All I want to be is useful to people! To be a hero! To have a fucking reason to live! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?” *Falls to his knees and clutches his head* “THE VOICES NEVER STOP! USELESS! FAILURE! WEAKLING! DO IT! DIE DIE DIE!!!”

Ruby: *Tears falling from her eyes*

Jaune: “A-and no matter what I do, it’s never enough! You Pyrrha Yang Nora! REN! FUCKING CARDIN! All of you! It comes so fucking easy to you! You don’t even pay attention and you grasp everything the teachers say! Why!? WHY IS IT SO HARD!?” *Begins to sob* “I J-JUST WAN-WANT THIS TO E-END!”

Ruby: *Kneels down in front of him and wraps her arms around his head, dragging him to her chest*

Jaune, cracking to pieces: “W-why? You’re s-supposed to l-leave...”

Ruby: *Is joined by the rest of WBYNPR and they wrap their arms around him* “We’re only strong together... One of us breaks. We all fall. And I’m not going to let you go through this alone.” *Sniffs*  “None of us are.”

Jaune: *shatters*

Ruby: You can't kill yourself! We'd miss you! Suicide is selfish.

Jaune: So I'm supposed to suffer day in and day out for decades because you would 'miss me?' Who's really the selfish one? That's strike one.

Ruby: W-well...

Jaune: Well?

Ruby: Suicide is never the answer?

Jaune: Saying 'suicide isn't the answer' has never helped anyone. In the history of ever. You get one more.

Ruby: Please don't. I love you.

Jaune: *flinches*

Jaune: That was below the belt.

[henrymidfields-blog]

Review: Review: Persona 4 Dancing All Night - Atlus's MeToo response? - SPOILERS

Originally posted in Serenes Forest - Link

Last month saw the first anniversary of what marked the beginning of the MeToo movement, which were the sexual abuse accusations against Harvey Weinstein. From there, the #MeToo movement spread amongst women in showbiz across the United States and eventually other countries as well. Well, except Japan. Japan (my home country) did not see the same level of activity in the MeToo movement, where the wrong kind of conservatism prevails. However, there are three cases that spoke out against it (and possibly more that I am unaware about). The first, and ongoing one is a journalist named Shiori Ito who was raped by a senior journalist. The second, and more relevant to this, was Perfect Blue, an animated movie which is a story of an ex-idol's desparate attempt to further her career in showbiz, and discussed sexual exploitation in showbiz years before MeToo did. The third one, which basically dropped the same anvil as the second one was Persona 4: Dancing All Night.

The Gameplay

Persona 4: Dancing All Night is a rhythm and dancing game with a "Where are they now" story after the canon epilogue of Persona 4 Golden. As a persona who has only passing interest in dancing games, this was perhaps the only one that I actually was interested in, and played fairly extensively.

Considering that, the game was easy enough to get used to. The interface and controls were intiutive, with the notes spreading outwards, indicating which outer buttons on the PS Vita I need to press or hold down, and it was easy to follow the notes. You can play the various songs from various Persona 4 entries, with many remixed by various Japanese artists, in which they appear at certain points in Story Mode, or as a score attack in Free Mode. Bonuses for high scores and story mode progressions appear in the form of extra costumes which you can buy using in-game currency in this game's versions' Tanaka's Amazing Commodities, or pay and download via DLC.

As for the difficulty of this game, it is very easy to get used to (as mentioned before), yet very difficult to master. There are four modes in score attack, which are Easy, Normal, Hard, and All Night. Easy is very much for beginners to the genre, while Normal is also managable. The former two settings are also the modes available in Story Mode, which means that you can enjoy the story without having blisters on your fingers. On the other hand, Hard is quite challenging, while only the best rhythm gamers will be able to even have a go at All Night, let alone master this difficulty setting.

So far, this sounds like what a good rhythm game should be. So why did I pick up this game and not, say, Dance Dance Revolution, PaRappa the Rapper, or even Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight?

Story Part 1: Overview

What Persona 4: Dancing All Night had which others generally lacked is a story - while less substantial than the main game, was nevertheless a story very much worth watching, and was the main reason I got into this game. 

So, Rise Kujikawa, the J-Pop idol who went back to the city (presumably Tokyo) after her adventures in Persona 4 (Golden), and was going to join an all-star concert with the upcoming Kanamin Kitchen as her comeback debut. And she wants Yu Narukami and his friends from their old school (who all solved the serial murders together) join in as backup dancers for her debut. However, the game soon takes a darker turn which focuses on the other idols gone missing, and it is up to the Yu and his Investigation Team to solve the case.

Yes, sure, there is quite a lot of fanservice in this game, but the story is much more than that; not only did its take on tatemae and honne resounded with my mind, it also helped me appreciate some of the basic aspects of the #MeToo movement. Zhiqing Wan has wrote a review that I almost wholeheartely agree with, so expect a number of quotes from her. (I strongly urge readers to read her review too.)

Story Part 2: Being ourseleves and acceptance

One of Dancing All Night's discussion is the dark side of people's true self versus people's perceptions. Wan wrote:

Dancing All Night follows a slightly different path and instead deals with issues like meeting the expectations of others, and putting on a façade or adopting an entirely different personality so as to be accepted by the majority. ... [omission]

[omission]...How many times have we felt unappreciated or unloved for being ourselves? And how often have we tried to change who we are just to fit societal expectations? Persona 4: Dancing All Night tackles these questions with finesse and, just like Persona 4, proves to be a very human game that we can latch onto easily.

I can very much relate to the above paragraph that Wan wrote, as I had a similar issue with my classmates. Back in 1997, my family and I returned to our hometown of Tokyo from San Francisco, where my dad worked as a bank's branch manager. And the conformist Japanese classroom was as such that I felt punished for acting assertive or even honest, whether it was through the regimented curriculum, or the bullying I experienced from my classmates. It felt like Atlus questioned the usage of tatemae (the veneer we all have in our lives) versus honne (our real opinions) in modern Japanese society, and how we should be not afraid to be more honest with ourselves.

Story Part 3: J-Pop Idols and sexual exploitation

The other, more timely, moral that Atlus explored was the lives of Japanese pop idols. This is the industry where older people (mainly men) are attracted to the idols, which we see has some of the strictest lifestyles of Japanese professionals (both private and public). Wan described it succinctly here:

...Dancing All Night doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to exploring the lives of Japanese pop idols either. There are a few narrative sequences in the game where we get to witness the emotional turmoil of the four Kanamin Kitchen girls, and the struggles they face within the industry. These sequences are all incredibly stylized within the game, of course, but just like in Perfect Blue, it’s shockingly easy to draw parallels between the in-game events and real life itself.

The story's critique got me curious and I had a look at some of the stuff that idols had to go through. Many of the idols have to follow codes of behaviour that demands a high level of politeness and purity: the extent that bans having boyfriends and requires prior permission to marry. One idol member from AKB48 shaved her head and made a public apology for going out with a boyfriend - something many of us do as part of our teenage lives. Even worse, unlike stars on the Disney Channel which at least has the justification that they are starring on a children's show, the situation surrounding the J-Pop idols are basically the hypocrisy of the managers and audiences alike. Hannah Lee, a Law/Asian Studies student from Australian National University writes, for example:

Most fans who follow groups like AKB48 are middle-aged men. The idols themselves are teenagers, who begin performing at around 13 years old. Idols are often presented in cute school outfits and perform in synchronised groups. Whilst sexualisation of women is not limited to Japan, Japanese idol groups specifically pander to a young girl fetish, which is encouraged for the sake of record sales.

But what young girl would ever consent to this? If consent is ‘free and informed’, there is simply is no way that a girl, at 12 years old, can knowingly consent to being sexualised by men four times her age.

Equally disturbing is the fact that this idol fad came as the counter-response to the first wave of Japanese feminism in the 1970s (referenced from the link). Japan Subculture Research Center describe's AKB48's founder, Yasushi Akimoto, as:

...a Zegen [sex merchant] with a vision – having never been popular in high school himself, he recognized the deep sexual frustration and vast need for sexual fantasies festering in the educated and dateless Japanese male. When he came out with “Onyanko Club” in the mid-1980s, people were blinded by the sheer genius of this man. Here he was, peddling quite ordinary high school girls on TV, who all got up on the studio stage to teasingly sing “oh please don’t take my school uniform off, no-no-no!” to an audience who could never hear such titillating pleas when they were 18 so was totally stoked to hear it now...

And the above mentioned are just the articles written in English - there are more on that on Japanese news sites. As for myself: While I enjoyed watching the so called gravure idols in their swimsuits (and to some extent still do), this has made me have second thoughts about the stuff they possibly have to go through. The game (and the subsequent research) was quite enough to make me feel uncomfortable about myself, and acknowledge that I have my fair share of misogyny that I may have contributed.

Story Part 4: Ashly Burch as a mature Rise Kujikawa

And my thoughts do not end here. I also noticed that this game was released a couple of years before the Weinstein scandal had its cover blown last year. Granted, it probably did not have the effect in kicking off the MeToo movement anywhere near the level of other factors, and it definitely has not in Japan, sadly. But I cannot help but think about how the release had such perfect timing.

The other thing is that the English localisation had a response in implying a possible reconstruction of the idol's role. While a lot of people seem to miss Laura Bailey as Rise's English VA, I actually welcome the more mature treatment of Rise by her new VA, Ashly Burch. It seems like Rise asked her agency for permission to assume a more mature persona for her new idol role, allowing her to shed her airhead-ish role of her old idol persona, and it seemed like she did so assertively too. It's a very good thing, considering how idols should be able to grow up and be more independent like the rest of us.

Conversely, it's to my high disappointment (and my only disappointment in this game) that the Japanese original of the game did not do so in the first place - either Rie Kugimiya (the Japanese VA) should have toned down the chipmunky voice Rise turned out as, or Atlus should have casted someone else to sound more in-line with Ashly Burch.

Story Part 5: Other comments

There are also some interesting tidbits to read from the characters speeches as well. The characters don't get much character development per se, partly because the story only takes 2-3 in-universe days at most, and also because I think, understandably, everyone in general wants to be more like silly, carefree teenagers after their harrowing work in solving the serial murders in the prequel. This particularly applies to Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko, as they are in their final year in high school and will be having their university/job entrance exams soon - this is their last opportunity before they need to get serious again.

However, there are many retrospective reflections that come into play when they interact with each others, and with the idols they are saving and befriending. Many are very heartwarming and awesome to see, precisely because of how they reflected upon their own issues, and how their generally honest interactions with each other over the past year in the prequel strengthened their friendships, and how they became more confident with each other.

The majority of the story piggybacks the prequel which is Persona 4 Golden (the main story) - as such everyone should play before this game, as they won't be able to appreciate Dancing All Night's story otherwise. (See here for my reviews of that game.) Both this and the prequel are on PS Vita, so if you can play this game, you practically have no excuse to not get Golden! Special props goes to Uncle Ryotaro and Nanako Dojima:

Back in Persona 4 Golden, Ryotaro was unable to come to terms with his late wife (killed in an hit-and-run accident) and how he has to raise his daughter Nanako on his own, therefore himself emotionally fleeing into his work as a detective. Nanako, on the other hand, was lonely at home, having to do many of the house chores by herself, until Yu and his friends started to befriend her. Here, Ryotaro does his detective work just as his duty, and yet still enjoys his time with Nanako. Nanako, on the other hand, fully trusts her father, and is even befriending Kanami the idol.

Conclusion

So there you have it. If there was a game that not only wrote a story worth reading, but highlights some of the social issues Japan's biggest fad has tucked away conveniently, this is the game. I encourage everyone to either borrow a friend's copy of Dancing All Night (or even better buy a copy, but not before understanding the story of Persona 4 Golden) and look up "the dark side of japanese idol industry" on Google. And maybe spread the word. I'm not sure how I myself can do to address the issue that Dancing All Night rightly raises apart from acknowledging my contribution to misogyny, but at least I can say that Atlus has done a great service in raising the social issue, and they should not be ashamed for it.

Verdict: Buy the game. (But play P4G first!) Other recommendations: Look up the info on the social issues. 

[thesimplyluxuriouslife]

262: 9 Ways to Let Go of the Myth of a Perfect Life

"When we learn how to spot the narratives that get in the way of our happiness, we improve our chances of taking control of the stories that have for so long controlled us." —Paul Dolan, author of Happy Ever After: Escaping the Myth of the Perfect Life

"There are countless stories about how we ought to live our lives . . . as such, many of these stories end up creating a kind of social dissonance whereby, perversely, they cause more harm than good. They become . . . narrative traps, which together form the myth of the perfect life."

1. Understand the difference between having wealth and being rich.

Wealth is defined as accumulated assets in the form of savings, investment and property and is more difficult to measure. Rich is often understood to be a numerical amount of cash earned in income. Looking at one's wealth is a better reflection of a person's purchasing power. In other words, simply because someone "looks rich", does not mean they are rich.

"Getting richer does not necessarily bring more happiness, partly becasue we upwardly adjust the people we compare ourselves to."

2. A happy life doesn't require you to have children

"Happy and fulfilled lives are often supported by, but certainly do not require children. There are good reasons not to have children, both at the micro and macro level. It is not helpful, therefore, to push the 'have your own kids' narrative on everyone. Finding a way to celebrate rather than undermine people's decisions to remain childfree by loosening our hold on the social narrative can have a positive societal impact."

3. Stop comparing yourself to others and putting yourself in a position to be tempted to compare.

Nolan suggests, if you are going to make comparisons, to make a comparison to any one of the other 7 billion people on our planet. Most likely you are doing very well financially. Not only will this provide perspective but also humility.

4. Let go of the pursuit for more money

Once you have a enough money to live a life in which you are not struggling for the basic necessities, Nolan suggests taking the path to "just enough". Why? When we become aware of what we truly need, we are demonstrating we are cognizant of the social comparisons and status markers that may have pushed us to pursue more in the past. Understanding why we are pursuing what we are pursuing, to truly get to the core of the urge, is to make sure we are indeed thinking for ourselevs and not being unconsciously led around by the nose due to the narrative traps we are unaware surround us constantly.

Once you stop pursuing more money, "you can stop constantly worrying". And what a gift to give yourself as your everydays will elevate immediately.

5. Reexamine what your success looks like, and let go of the pursuit for status

Conscious living is at the heart of what we're talking about today, and becoming clear about what we are pursuiting and what is pushing us to achieve it is crucial to live a more contented life.

If at the core of why you are pursuing a particular career is because of the status it will bring, applause you imagine will happen, then you are being led around by a narrative trap; however, if you are instead pursuing a field of study that ignites you, allows you to come to life and aligns with talents that naturally are easy to share, then you are on the right path for the success that will be unique to you.

6. Pursue a career in which many skills are utilized and your contributions are valued

Dolan found that those individuals who work on a job that uses a variety of skills are happier. As well, if your work is valued, that too cultivates a work environment of enjoyment. Not only is a job that asks our minds and sometimes bodies to work different skill sets and tasks healthy regular exercise for our brains and beings, but it leads to a feeling of productivity at the end of the day which is very satisfying. Add the knowledge that what we are doing is contributing something of value that we are proud of that the pair is the perfect natural medicine for a sound and peaceful night of rest.

7. Women and girls and education

Nolan found that receiving a basic education for girls had a significant effect on the overall happiness of their lives. In other words, making sure all people, but especially girls enables them to have agency over their own lives. Largely because the world is dominated by patriarchies, educating women to understand the world they live in and how to advocate for their own rights as well as navigate in the world that may not, depending upon where they live, want them to think for themselves, is crucial for the individual's happiness.

8. Understand the difference between passionate and companionate love

"Given the way that love is portrayed in literature, film and the media, the prevailing narrative clearly places a high premium on its passionate aspect, most often in manipulatively uplifing ways."

As shared previously on TSLL, being married is not the causation of happiness, but rather, if the happiness lasts beyond the short-term (as it does bring a feeling of euphoria to have met society's standard or expectation), it is due to two happy people finding each other. In other words, they knew how to be happy on their own and the happiness together, being happy in their choice to come together, likely increased their feelings of contentment. Nolan points these findings out as well.

When it comes to falling for the trap of passionate love and trying to mold it into happily ever after, I have fallen into that narrative trap as well. The narrative of intense chemistry swirls around us constantly in the media, and it is up to us to be aware of what it is and what would be best for a long-lasting, healthy, loving relationship.

9. Be married, be single, it does not matter when it comes to happiness

More and more studies are revealing that those who are married and happy are no more happy than any other group - single, widowed, divorced.

The social narrative of promoting marriage as the goal is prevalent in our society and has been for decades in our modern lives (in previous centuries, due to lack of equality laws, it was often a necessity). When we can recognize the narrative trap, and be clear about what is speaking to us for how we wish to live our lives, we set ourselves free to live our best lives - whether that is with or without someone.

Nolan books continues on to explore many other topics such as health, volition, monogamy and altruism. I encourage you to read it as it provides an exercise for the brain regarding the narrative traps we may have stepped into and did not realize it.

To make a blanket statement and say that all social narratives are bad is not wise, but all should be explored, and likely, at least for me, you may find that most should be challenged. That is the difficult part as you are going against the grain of what society expects. Dolan reminds that any narrative that is predominant "always serves the interests of those in power, the groups they serve best will depend on the context". What he is suggesting we keep in mind whenever we talk about or consider and examine any narrative is to closely look at the narrative to understand all of the nuances and not make sweeping assumptions or statements.

Fundamentally, when we let go of what no longer serves us, we set ourselves free, and much like fall and the as the quote below reminds, it is a lovely revealing of what we have the opportunity to experience as we go about living a life that will bring us far more contentment than we ever thought possible.

"Trees are about ready to show us how lovely it is to let things go." —Emily Ley, A Simplified Life

SIMILAR POSTS/EPISODES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

5 Things to Stop Romanticizing

Being Single is Luxurious Living, episode #170

7 Components of Healthy, Strong Relationships, episode #11

Why Not . . . Live Consciously?

Petit Plaisir:

~Play with the pumpkins

~Downton Abbey, the film

https://youtu.be/tu3mP0c51hE

Tune in to the latest episode of The Simple Sophisticate podcast

[metamorphosingbrick]

One last time

st He is back and i have no clue whow to deal with the vaccum. I have no feelings but my heart starts beating really fast. I dont want to care to be honest but the truth cannot be denied. It feels awfully bad to not have what you desire and that person living under the same roof. 

This is probably the last time i will mention anyone, anything- I will probably stay silent. Choose to stay quiet in the lot and be on my own. I want to be the girl i was who when someone ignored, went right upto them to remind them that I gnore your more than he ignored me. 

I wish to be the fearless girl who once in office just knew that every problem has a solution and it cannot be justified if someone did not come up with one. Live is much difficult around here to give two fucks to be honest. 

I want to validate every thought but not with you anymore. I have greater things to do and more important things to take care of. So, i am going to just study and get done with my part of the job. The main idea is to not lose focus and concentrate as much as possible in my life. 

We all fall apart but giving up is not an option. We don’t give up on situations because every problem has a solution. Studies are better than exam - they love you if you love them dearly. Better than cigarettes which does not ruin your health or wealth. You say no to them and a no means no. Anxiety or no anxiety, it does not make sense if one has to deliver eveything by themselves. Every task on this face of earth is doable. 

Except making a person love you or care for you. Stay silent and that’s all which can be regarded. Just shut yourself down and you’ll know how many things you notice and observe 

We cannot take into account the beauty of concealing the scars. What we can regard as important is the emrgence of understanding the dept of the wound and how things can be responded in accordnace to that. The wounds will be lovely in the skin, a gush of invisible blood - pouring into the ears of people. It is the expectation and desire of human which makes a person hover over the flat surface and cry out loud for the point it is required to make. The dramatic dilemma added into the soil can be understood wth the tears flushed down the drain. 

This is a situation i cannot run over in my head but simply behave with the flow. The love is incurable disease which once entered our heart - it shuts logic down. It becomes inexplicable to the people in front with the idea of incurabiliy and no ray of hope or no light in the end of the tunnel. We can rejoice with the choices made over the past or just accept the incurability of the situation. It is a virus which runs through our blood and probably an external blow of injection can cure the disease. The crying or leaking your feelings over others will make things worst. This year has already taught me so many lessons, it becomes a beautiful journey in itself to enjoy and ponder on. 

Starting from the new year’s eve, the night where i wrapped myself with a human who was no stranger to my heartbeats and enjoyed the power he had over me. The fun and frolic a person feels when they have the other perosn over their impression is a beautiful feeling. I know because i am no starnber to the spell myself. It’s an unconscious thing. Trying ot handle every part of my asisgnment which coudl not be caotured in the rear view of the situation but alas, i lost the hope and faith. But from 16th I reconquered myself with the amount of life i need to breathe in a few justification of success. A thridt to prve myself my value and if i see a hollistic view, the pang and animosity will take me noweher but breaking the jedgements of peopel and the fun of tastig success will be my endeavour. I will recapture every battle i lose wih the grace of god and balance my life the way i want it to go. Not wasting more than 10 minutes talking. Not bothering about anybdy exceot the people i really care aboutlike my family. Not talking and wasting time over love and bullshit. There is no thing as love. What someone said recently to me, was the idea of being emotionally stable which is important. If someone can be logical and practical in controlling their emotions- they win the battles in life and rule the world. When i pass this course, i will rule over the world and enjoy my life to the fullest like everyday is my last. 

The most achieveable things is what you dream and if you can dream it, you can do it. Finishing everyday goals through taking action and making the world a better place by contributing your ideas for betterment. I know no guy will be with me until i learn to be with myself. At that time i was ready to be with myself hence somoene could love me. I was willing to help through the process to myself and heart break was not a big deal to run through. 

You see yourself, 5 years down the line. I can see a heart broken girl who has hidden her feelings and emotions inside her files and papers. A very cynical individual who does not beleieve in stopping the wheel, who believes in breaking the wheel and asking people to run behind her in every sense. People will treat ourselves as we treat us, if i treat myself with repsect - people will do the same. If i am all work and no play then they will take me serously, how difficult is it, to make things different without context. One thing i have learnt firstly in this house more because of steoehn is how to ignore things whenever possible. Ignoring people followed by ignoring the person’s feelings. But no more, i will treat myself according to the time gifted to me by the universe. Utilise every bit of it and relish the ideas to make myself a better human my parents would be proud of. It’s true when maa said that when things go wrong, they blame the mothers and daughters themselves. Each day i will remind myself of all teh sufferings i went through to be a part of this universe. the anxiety and horror of the situation which i faced just to emerge enlightened and loved by myself. I will commit from today onwards to my books and career because it wont wake up one morning and say i dont like you like that anymore or god wanted this to happened and leave. I will have a stable guy who i dont love and be independent of all the needs and desires. 

From today onwards, i will talk less and less possible and work more and more as i advance. No give a shit about what people feel and just do my work like laying the brick mostly perfectly as a brick can be laid. The watch is the time keeper which will witness my chnage and sing with joy in every success melody. I will talk more logical and insightfully by doing homeowrk and keeping lists.

The world is there to eatch you and not punish you. Just the humans are not believeable and not worth spending time about. My phone and anxiety will be doble tapped to knock out. The peron beside me will hear no voice of mine untill - he or she thins i am intimidating. The world would be a different place and I would be a different perosn. The one who just talks when required and every word would make more sense to everyone that they will quote me. That is how i want to be, knwoledgeable and bold, Who cannot be hurt or bend over to have fun with or bullied to the point where she shuts and reflects on her decisions. There will be no advancement in the issues anymore and everything i say will be taken seriously with the idea that my words add value to the world. Be it James or Stephen, nobody can come cose to the idea because i wont be scraed or timid or expressive anymore but bold, fearless and unapproachable. We all change and become the humans we were destined to be, I will be the same and i will be successful in everything i touch because i will lay the brick as perfectly a brick can be laid to build the wall around me to not let people see my emotions.I will be that person quite soon. We come into the world with a purpose, when someone is earning money, nobody cares to ask the rank because its evident that money is equal to a high rank. I will recah that rank very soon and accomplish what i have came here to accomplish. In the coming months, I will talk less without emotions getting involved, pull my guards up and not talk that i will regret and stay away from Stephen. laugh and smile less to the point where people see a serious face. The interesting thing wil always be how people thought i was the fool who understood nothing but i will turn out to be the branie. Yes, this reuqires practise but learning the hard way - we change ourseleves and becime who we were destined to become. No talkings and not caring what they say about you - we are the real deal. I can visualise my tomorrow starting to end the Agile framework by 3 and lseeping till 7 am to wake up and go for a run for 15 mins and yoga for 10 minutes with stretch and surya namaskar - this goes with a bath and then leaving for college to work on the case study. I will discuss and put forward right points to the meeting and make james think and go yes. I will conquer tomorrow’s discussion. Post meeting i will start off iwth the 5th and 6th prt of agile by 4pm. Sit with Shalu from 4 to 6 to start my campaign on marketing for movies. Make a logo and download adobe to create an instagram channel talking weekly themes and genres and wriitng how it could have been marketed differently. How movie marketing can be started off with the blend of digital media and outdoor campaigns. best of movie outdoor campaigns- best ambient movie ad- how can you apply it too ypur shirt documentary - collab with documentary. Then come back home to read the questions and answers to explore the qestions in the website. This can be followed by reading up all the questions and answers in the leaflet to understand the frameworks and agile techniques again. tomorrow i wont be clulesless and thisis exactly how the day wil go and I will learn to do smart work. this would make me regret less about my existence as i am in control of every frame of the situation. Love the way you can behave and make things better ofr good of the people. DOnt forget to eat fruits and not smoke and pray to god for such a life. You are talented and gifted but the actions you atke now, the future self will be proud of you. Beautiful in every way possible. Love you and love your ideas. Talk less, remember to control your emotions and not react to everything. You protect yourself and if you mean no harm to anyone then yes, you should not feel bad about anything. I love you a lot 

[thestudyofaudiences-blog]

Aiman Zafar Audience Experience Blog Post #1 Thursday, October 5th, 2017

        When thinking of audience experiences before getting into the depth of this course, I thought of audience experience as audiences reactions toward specific genres in films, televisions, and other sources of media also, that in order to be an audience member and gain an experience, we have to initially experience the event by physically being there and witnessing it ourseleves. When I think of media audiences now based off the course material we have learned, audience research is much more complex and raises a deeper meaning behind each context. When I think of audience experiences now, considering what we have learned so far, they are prosperous and versatile. Through one perspective of an audience experience, it can be identified as something personal, since it can be taken place with our families, our homes, and isolated spaces. With that being said, the audience experience becomes a topic of conversation and recognizing with others in our social circles. On the other hand, audience experiences are also seen as logic for the marketplace to essentially spend a lot of money to catch our attention brining people together or apart by interacting us with media today.

       Based of the textbook, Media Audiences Effects, Users, Institutions, and Power, audience is based of two notions: information-based and meaning-based. These two notions are distinct when looking at the perspectives of an audience. Information-based audience is essentially the action of hearing what is being spoken and watched. This view of audiences emphasizes the actions of communications required by two perspectives, a sender and a receiver. In terms of this action, the sender transmits a message that the receiver mediates as noise. As the message migrates towards the receiver, the message targets the receiver competing thoughts or feelings that put into perspective of the message. The second notion of an audience is meaning-based. This notion carries on with the information based notion except the meaning of the message is taken more into perspective than the information. Based of my knowledge of audiences experiences regarding the material of this course, a real life experience that I remember of that can be put into the context of this course is witnessing the powerful hurricane Maria located in Puerto Rico.

       My experience of witnessing the Puerto Rican hurricane was much different than any other audience experience I have witnessed. Although there are other experiences that are similar to hurricane Maria storming into a country causing destruction and leaving people in poverty searching for the basic psychological needs, the Puerto Rican hurricane that has hit this year has caused complete destruction leaving the country that is already poor and in debt in an extremely greater poverty-stricken situation with additional complications within their government system.

Originally posted by Getty Images

Source: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/9/26/16365994/hurricane-maria-2017-puerto-rico-san-juan-humanitarian-disaster-electricty-fuel-flights-facts

Irma Maldanado stands with Sussury, her parrot, and her dog in what is left of her home in Corozal, Puerto Rico on September 27 after Hurricane Maria. 

In this picture, we can see one result of what the hurricane has inflicted on the people of Puerto Rico. This picture was posted by Joe Raedle who contributed to the awareness of the hurricane by taking several pictures. His images portray the after affects of the hurricane. 

        History of Puerto Rico 

 Puerto Rico is essentially a small island located in the continent of the Caribbean, dependant on the United Staes of American territory. Originally, Puerto Rico is essentially populated by the indigenous Taino people. The island was ultimately claimed by Christopher Columbus in 1493 for the Crown of Castile during his second journey. Later, the country encountered invasion attempts from the French, Dutch, and British. Within 4 centuries of colonial Spanish government altered the islands physical, cultural, and ethnic landscapes generally with a sense of diaspora of African slaves, Canarian, and Andalusian settlers. Ultimately, Spains administrative control carried on up until the end of the 19th century aiming to create a idiosyncratic hispanic culture and language that was able to incorporate different ethnicities from the Africans, Liberians, and Native Americans. Following the American and Spanish war, in 1898, the United States seized Puerto Rico given the terms of the Treaty of Paris. In due time, during 1917, Puerto Ricans were officially presented by law as citizens of the United States of America and are eligible to commute back and forth between the island and North America as they please. 

Picture on the left: Originally posted by Cuba, la Isla Infinita Picture on the right: Originally posted by Pictame

Sources (left): http://cubalaislainfinita.blogspot.ca/2014/07/la-invasion-de-estados-unidos-puerto.html

Sources (right): http://www.pictame.com/media/1271391751376105308_1200712202

These pictures essentially define the history of Puerto Rico and

          Although Puerto Rico has experienced a lot of animosity towards their independence and the people, overtime the island has still accomplished a lot throughout their years within the boundaries of their culture, ethnicity, and physical presentation providing the Island with a strong and proud community that came together creating the beautiful island it was meant to be.

Picture on the left: originally posted by Thrillest Travel Picture on the right: originally posted by Pinterest

Sources (left): https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/the-most-beautiful-places-in-puerto-rico

Sources (right): https://www.pinterest.ca/alysborri39/los-encantos-y-lugares-de-puerto-rico/

In these pictures, this was the present view of Puerto Rico. ultimately, Puerto Rico was an island that catered to many tourists providing a beautiful vacation for many people.   

        However, behind the scenes of the natural environment, that Puerto Rico consists, earlier this year, the crisis of debt faced Puerto Rican government conflicted serious issues for the government and the people of Puerto Rico. The superior debt has risen to $70 billion with 12.4% of unemployment. Over time, the debt has been increasing along with a long recession. This issue is essentially the second major financial crisis that has affected the island following in position of the Great Depression. Presently, early August 2017, Puerto Rico is in debtor at least $72 billion including a 45% poverty rate (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-puertorico-debt/puerto-rico-oversight-board-orders-furloughs-governor-defiant-idUSKBN1AK2AG).

         Along with this debt, as mentioned as before came the hurricane. This has essentially ruined the island and has brought complete debt and more poverty. After the hurricane hit Puerto Rico, there has been several sources of information, whether videos, pictures, articles explaining the crisis of the situation. After witnessing what has been posted on social media, I became aware that what I was witnessing was heartbreaking and horrible to experience. Seeing what people are going through and not being able to physically help affects me as an audience because this crisis is real, live, and current. Along with the crisis, what also affects me is the U.S.President, Donald Trumps reaction and assistance toward the issue. 

Scary First Videos Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico

This video was published on Youtube on Wednesday September 20th, 2017  the very single day the hurricane hit. This videos shows viewers exactly what the hurricane has done to the Island. Currently, this video has about 179,000 views which essentially means that everyday viewers are growing and aware the issue. Ultimately, the media allows audiences to watch what is going on before and after the hurricane, that would have not been eligible before technology has advanced. This also changes the views of audiences. For example, if this situation was held in a time where technology was vague, views would only have one perspective where as today, viewers have many perspective from different sources of medias.

Trump Visits Puerto Rico, Jared and Ivanka’s Private Email Domain - Monologue

This video was published on Wednesday October 4th, 2017 with 233,000 viewers that have already watched the video. 

       In this video, the content I believe that is in relation to the course can be the three models of audiences, which are the outcome, mass, and agent. First being the outcome, the outcome will essentially audiences that are affected by the news which would most likely be majority of the people who are involved in watching social media. Second is mass audiences. Based off my understanding of this model of audiences and the video, I would say that Donald Trump and his voters are the mass of this situation. In the textbook it states that mass audience is a large group of people that are dispersed across time and space who essentially have little knowledge to the experience they witness. Donald Trump and his voters are a perfect example for this category because he appears to be unaware of the severity and by that, he shows this in the video during his visit in Puerto Rico throwing paper towels at the people of Puerto Rico. This shows that he is ignorant and that he is aware that the public is skeptical of how much he is helping Puerto Rico so he tries to make it known by bragging about how much money he had to spend to help the country almost making Puerto Rico come across as an inconvenience. Ultimately, this proves that he has model of audience is mass because of the little knowledge he is aware of his people and that he does not care. This can also be proven because everyone knows that he is racist so he essentially has no interest in these people. Last, the agent, I believe that I am the agent of this situation and so is Seth Meyers in the video. An agent is basically are audience members that choose what they want to experience and how they feel about the experience. In terms of this situation, I chose to be affected by the situation and based off my knowledge of Puerto Rico, I sympathize the humanitarian crisis.

      Although many people may not be able to sympathize or relate to the crisis based off their audience experience, there are many people, or to be more specific celebrities that are trying to help the island by donating money and stressing for their fans and people to donate to certain non-profit organizations.

Celebs REACT To Earthquake In Mexico & Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico

Given the reactions of celebrities to the crisis in Puerto Rico and Mexico, this shows that their audience experience involves power. As mentioned in the textbook, power is basically the movement of an actor or motivational figure to be able to alter a persons decisions. In this case, certain celebrities are eligible to accomplish the act of getting people to donate for a good cause.

Ultimately, from my understanding of the course context, I believe that the crisis in Puerto Rico has taken an affect on me and many people. Knowing a good amount about audience studies has altered my experience and as proven to me that watching or reading about a certain situation is not just about watching or reading, it is also about listening and understanding why certain things are being published and recognizing and what affect it has around the world and how each persons perspective is important.  In either case or situation, I feel that this is important and learning about this course has clearly opened my eyes and Brought more value to my life about audience experiences.

Blog post #1 ends here.