Marie89, 4/22

I found bell hook’s article to be very interesting and different, and I enjoyed our discussion in class on Tuesday. bell hooks suggested that our culture is extremely focused on “the other” in that we study it, analyze it, exoticize it, want to be it, want to commodify it, and use it as a means to call attention to products or cultural aspects. In today’s culture, we continually consume things that people may call “the other” even if it may be offensive, etc. as they are entertaining. In a sense, we have become absent-minded observers in that even though things may be offensive, we still find entertainment value in them and search for “othering” or to “other” products in every aspect of society. For example, the media continually “other” products as a means to make products seem better in comparison. This cultural aspect annoys me as it shows a lack of creativity in advertising and marketing. Why is it that other things must be made strange to humans in order for them to approve of something else? This aspect says a lot about our culture as a whole and the ways in which we view things that may be different from the norm. Another cultural aspect that I now find strange after reading bell hooks as well as taking this class is that after we “other” something, it becomes known and therefore normalized. In this sense, nothing is that strange to anyone after a certain amount of time as we live in a society in which commodification is extremely prevalent. Once we are exposed to a certain thing a number of times, we no longer find it different, but rather integrated into our culture. Holistically, our culture lacks motivation to challenge the other when seen for entertainment purposes, internalizes the ways in which the “other” is portrayed, and views the “other” as a means for advertising and marketing purposes. In other words, we let the media take control as we sit back and observe without hesitation. The media and therefore the workings of the “other” have become vital parts of our culture and appear to be normal rather than socially constructed ideologies. But I guess that is what this entire class has been about.