Analysis of Disability With Regard To Institutional Systems

I believe that in some respects having a physical disability places you among the oppressed. For instance, the Nazi vision of a perfect human race had no place for Jews, Gypsies or disabled people in particular. People with disabilities are systematically oppressed by institutions in place. As a person with a disability, I face many barriers that are interweaving but may seem negligible if viewed microscopically. Many times people think that I merely have trouble walking or something like that when my disability entails many more things. I can actually walk pretty well as long as the distance is not too great, but my problems are mostly invisible. To someone who sees just that aspect of me, I can easily overcome that one obstacle. The obstacles I face however interweave. Due to my disability I also have trouble writing small and neatly. Furthermore, my hands tire faster than most people. I share this fact with few people because I don’t expect people to understand.

Two models can be used to analyze this situation: the bird cage model and Hallie's institutional cruelty.

 The bird cage model is a good way of explaining oppression because people do not feel as defensive upon hearing the explanation. The bird cage model is basically the systematic arrangement of barriers that are interwoven, resulting in being trapped. If you look from the outside, it appears that you can simply step over the barriers (a macroscopic view of the bars). But with your internal view the bars are arranged to stop you from moving. As a result the obstacles you face can appear invisible. It is also quite simple, to its benefit. In my description of myself, I note the existence of individual obstacles I can overcome but at the same time these obstacles work together. Because I have trouble walking great distances and have trouble with motor control I am I have more difficulty with activities than other people. In particular, many sports and other physical activities are both too involved and intricate for me. Due to my poor motor control, I also struggle with drawing and even some motion-controlled video games such as Okami (though the video game itself may also have been at fault).   Through these multiple examples it is clear to me that I am oppressed under the bird cage model.
 
 Hallie’s explanation of oppression requires re-reading and lots of additional thinking. As an ethic/racial minority and a person with a physical disability, I want to know how I can apply both models to myself. The Hallie model has four criteria: 1. Substantial cruelty, 2. Built into our institutions, 3. Operates at edge of awareness, and 4. Has a power differential. Under criteria 1, people with disabilities often face ridicule or even more serious consequences, including becoming homeless due to discrimination; they are often treated inhumanely as well. Our institutions, under prong 2, clearly create barriers. The institutions of society glaze over disability and focus exclusively on the able-bodied person. For example, someone with Attention Deficit Disorder would likely have difficulty learning in many classes because of how classes are often taught. With effort this barrier can be overcome but the existence of such a barrier is problematic. School should be accommodating for different types of learning so that anybody who wants an education can get one. By getting an education, I mean an education that suits their strengths rather than a prescribed, set path. If you feel that your needs are not being serviced because you fall out of the norm – usually the case for disability – then you will feel a crushing of self-respect. People with disabilities are also constantly fed with information about what a person should be like. The normal person does not need cane, mobility scooter, or walker, nor does the normal person need to wear ankle orthoses at night; the normal person can talk to other normal people without needing to sit down. These ubiquitous images also diminish self-respect. Furthermore, our institutions only poorly accommodate disability nor do they usually acknowledge its existence. Criteria 3 stipulates that the institutional cruelty operates at the edge of awareness.  Disability is rarely talked about, even though many people fit such a category in some respect. Depression, amongst other mental health concerns, is usually either ignored or viewed with derision, for example. Indirect evidence also comes from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 being far more well-known than the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Lastly, a power differential is created because numerically disabled people are a minority and because they have less economic power. One could go further and say that educational and economic opportunities can be diminished (depending on the disability). Under Hallie's model, I would conclude that people with disabilities are an oppressed group.

Using both Hallie's and Frye's models, I determined that people with disabilities are an oppressed group -- That is to say that having a disability means navigating interweaving institutional barriers.

He Slid Across the Room As If It Was Ice Physics

[Dedicated to ArgonMatrix.*]

“Friction is gone,” he said,

“And force resisting motion is gone.”
Yet I could not help but wonder
why?

Was it some esoteric motivation,
or did his motion continue in the same direction

unimpeded.

He slid across the room like it was ice physics,
as if I was playing Snowhorn Wastes
and watching Fox slide helplessly everywhereundeterred.

“Friction is gone,” he said.

“Scales will destroy Dinosaur Planet”, I stated matter-of-factly,
“And ice physics has doomed benevolence.”
“But how can a fire dungeon have ice physics”, he asked.

He slid across the room like it was ice physics,
and damned us all to domination by the Sharpclaws,

As if he close to ignore any realistic physics.

“Perpetual motion is a lie,” I said;
“Friction is gone,” he reiterated.

“It and human error always stop sliding motion,” I insisted.

“No, I am sliding onward along firm ground,” he retorted.

“My motion is unchanged,”

He said as he slid across the room like it was ice physics,

Forever dooming video games to unrealistic motion.

*ArgonMatrix is an LPer on YouTube. His LP of The Wind Waker featured a moment where one of the enemies – a Bokoblin – slid across solid ground in a display of unrealistic fire dungeon physics. The title is a quote by him. In this same video he dared the viewer to make a song built around that line.

The Video That Inspired This Poem/Song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=79QMsl9YyOM

10:23 to 10:30

An Update of Sorts

Since, Fire's blog pretty much appeals to the same audience, I'll link to it in this post.

Obviously I"m doing this to my destructive end, because doing something for someone else reflects selfishness to the highest degree. His writing's pretty good, so go read it. One of you amorphous internet people also read the prologue to his mystery, as well.

FragMentalGaming

For my personal blog I showcase my thoughts on music while also showing song picks and such. I also show off my own writing, remixes and music.

Nighttrail

Lantern Marsh

I finally arise. The town lies outstretched in its wake the utter stillness I was part of. My memory faintly recalls life beyond this town, but nothing concrete, as if it were a desert devoid of water.

I look around.

The nearest building has a broken lantern hanging solemnly in the darkness of the dying sun; its purpose had wavered over time, leaving shadow. I see…that this building is an old house. Someone used to live here, perhaps me.

A winding trail moving across the former town square leads me onwards. What lies beyond?

Memory failing me, I follow it to a building whose rooftop was partially caved in, revealing books. The old library – but no memories return, just the usual meandering. A lingering fear hangs in the air, never able to fade; it holds inertial mass, even against the fabric of time. From here hangs another broken lantern, likewise fixated in its situation. Along its perimeter I move, seeking something to catch my eye.

I feel a chill. The wind gently sweeps in, a breeze that gives the slightest nudge amidst stifling. The debris is in place, not swayed by any interaction. This place once had life – this aspect was the most gripping.

My expectations fail. The library sits silently, barring the tattered curtains fluttering on the barely shifting air. Scarcely they move yet still they remain the only other source of action. Entranced I watch them. I force my gaze downwards and manage to walk past it.

Many buildings bear similar signs of desecration, of aging, as if they had simply grown old and withered in resentment and inaction. The death present in the air is continuous yet memory quietly protests; it’s locked in something barely describable due to lack of realization. The path leads to the answer…the only one within reach.

Past the sea I move; towards the creek that feeds into it, towards what lay beyond. The town falls behind as a new panorama stretches out. Wind physically remarks upon the shadowed realm. Nearly silent water ripples calmly, the marsh water otherwise hidden by thick grass. At its edge I sit, struggling to remember. The waters keep swirling.

What Music Is Scary Pt II

Part I: The Contribution of Atmosphere

In my efforts to elucidate “what is unnerving music” I remixed the Silent Realm Guardian theme from the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword with the express goal of altering its atmosphere. The original song is adrenaline-inducing and quite unnerving in context and reflects a chase, which is actually what it accompanies. Music that can be described as pounding often has an unnerving effect to it, especially in a video game where music impacts how a person plays. The Space Pirates theme from Metroid Prime has a similar feel to it where the atmosphere of the piece creates anxiousness in the player. Music being unnerving is highly subjective, but from my experiences a pounding sound is unnerving. To many Penderecki’s Kanon for Orchestra and Tape is extremely unnerving, but I find it beautiful. All three of these tracks have a dark, even rough feel to them that makes them ominous. It is interesting what music unnerves me and what doesn’t. The contribution of atmosphere is, simply put, the unnerving nature of a piece due to its overall feel, regardless of how it is written. (At the same time, composition goes hand-in-hand with atmosphere.)

[Silent Realm Guardian Theme]

It starts off slow but it builds to the main part of the theme:

[Space Pirates Theme]

[Kanon]

Now that you have heard the original, hear the remix:

[Silent Realm Guardian Theme Remix]

At first the remix seems to be just a slower version – as one of my friends noted – but through this change it attains a more ethereal and even more eerie atmosphere. The music becomes less solid and more dreamlike, taking away the concrete sound that many listeners expect; wet reverb was also used. The tempo of the original made it pounding but when I slowed the theme down I noticed how the same feel was still present, suggesting the role of composition. Speed/tempo alone does not make music creepy. I’ve heard upbeat songs that aren’t unnerving and slow songs that are a bit scary. As previously stated the components of a song merge to make eerie music; the parts cannot be totally isolated.

I added another subtle touch that perhaps changes the atmosphere as much as the reverb and change in tempo. This change draws upon the listener’s expectation of tonality or at least some form of structure. I added a flute, an instrument associated with the Western classical tradition, and essentially placed random notes. At the same time I mixed the flute low into the remix so that the listener can barely pick it out; the effect likely psyches him or out a bit. At the same time, he flute sounds clean. If the flute were more audible it would not be as perturbing. Its soft sound also creates an odd contradiction with the ominous piece. It adds to the atmosphere and makes it odder, while adding a new timbre.

Part II: The Contribution of Composition

This part was veritably an accident. A while back I showed my friend the raw recording of a song I named “Gangster,” obviously inspired by the Godfather. This piece was at that time focused on the piano, so the effect of other instruments is trivial. He likes piano and he plays but he found the dissonance and complete atonality (there is a structured form of atonality pioneered by Schoenberg and others) to be distasteful, even slightly unnerving. The simple yet violent piano playing was “random” to him and chaotic, so clearly the issue was based upon composition. To some people at least the lack of melody is offensive and makes the music hard to follow. Dissonance and lack of melody often make music perturbing to listeners of differing backgrounds. “Gangster” was in fact a minimalist piece dominated by lower pitches, which aided in a jarring sound. As I noted in Part I, listeners tend to be more unnerved by lower pitches (which the body feels more than hears). These elements converged and ultimately created that darker tone, thus fulfilling my objective for the song.

I realized that though I had reached my goal perhaps I was being too harsh upon the listener. I realized that my friend had a valid point which led to another: perhaps this song is indeed too demanding. To counteract the song’s unnerving nature I created a high-pitched synthesizer that modeled strings so that the sound would become fuller and therefore less disturbing. Admittedly my friend enjoys music where multiple instruments play against each other. The widening of the sonic arrangements make the song more accessible but retain the dark edge I want. In terms of the synthesizer’s composition I went for a drone approach; in other words, I used mostly sustained notes.

Since “Gangster” will be going on my as-of-yet-unfinished album, I’m not going to show people it. Instead, I’ll show my song “Statues” where the lack of structure did not necessarily create a harsh sound; the piano solo focused on high pitched instruments and created an icy sound, rather than an unnerving one.

[Statues]

Part III: The Contribution of Production
In some cases the production may make music unnerving, especially in the case of lo-fi music. Black metal – which tends to be low-fidelity – for example is harsher and has that increased capacity to unnerve. At the same time indie rock, which has a similar trend to a lo-fi sound, is usually not unnerving on any level; this observation lends strength to the importance of atmosphere and composition over production. Screamo for example, which tends to have a cleaner sound, can be as unnerving due to similarities in how they play. In some cases production can have a role but it has to be in the way instruments are mixed. The perceived volume of music does not have a great impact, at least not for the track as a whole. One case where production could be useful is in taking an instrument and distorting its sound to create creepy music. Honestly, production has a greater capacity to aggravate the listener, even though a rough sound can unnerve.

For example, Bathory’s music is very lo-fi but the weak production values result in an annoying, forgettable sound dominated by mediocre vocals and generic black metal guitar. The music itself is not unnerving and in fact is fairly boring and predictable. Low fidelity is not the absolute way to create a creepy sound and can only be a small help.

Two of the songs I listed, Silent Realm Guardians Theme and Space Pirates theme, are both fairly clean-sounding (at least compared to Bathory) and do not get a creepy sound from production; at the same time, the instruments mesh well and nothing is particularly louder. These two songs quite frankly throw a wrench into the impact of lo-fi production upon the scariness of music.

Scary Places and Games: Introduction

Someone who plays games a lot –even a more casual gamer – has probably noted that scary places are in a lot of games. “Scary” does not necessarily mean a place is inherently frightful: context plays a huge role as well. This “area” appears in many games ranging from Mt Pyre in Pokemon to the composers’ crypt in Ocarina of Time and even Dry Bones from the Mario universe. Discussions of death are found – since these truly are the “scary places” of art – are found in even the franchises considered more juvenile. Some franchises explore death fully, such as Fatal Frame and Resident Evil, both of which focus on survival horror style games.

This gothic exploration in many games does not seem to be merely aesthetic due to its prevalence. Gaming allows for a more personal exploration of death as well, which gives the medium a particular strength in this area. You play a character, and then you die – rather, the character dies but you feel some connection to him. Controlling a character whether through motion control, buttons , or some mixture, gives a sense of intimacy and interactivity. In Resident Evil 4, for example, the game over screen reads “You Are Dead.” Playing such a game lets you see “yourself” die and possibly consider the ramifications. In a platformer game where lives are plentiful you die many times. This experience with death is “shallow and transient yet gaming still lets you explore death to some capacity more than in a play or a movie. (In these mediums you more or less see the death, though of course death can still be impactful upon the audience.) Of course all mediums can be effective in portraying a medium.

Games mix visuals, music, video, interactivity, and text to tell a story and speak across the screen. The ability of this medium to feature its own approach to discussing death makes it stand up as a true medium of art. Conveying messages – no matter how shallow – is a hallmark of art, so clearly video games’ ability to do this means that they are inherently a form of art. So clearly this discussion of death happens to some capacity. Why it happens stems directly from humanity’s fascination with death and to a degree the fascination has been re-wired back into modern society so that death becomes something cool to reference.

Death, however, is fascinating for a variety of reasons, so it only makes sense to analyze several different cases across several franchises:
1. Shadow of the Colossus

2. Metroid Prime 2

3. Resident Evil 4

4. Super Paper Mario

5. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Updates-wise, I’ll post each subsequent part marked with the post name (Scary Places and Games) with an esoteric upload schedule.

My Top 30 Favorite Anime | 10 ~ 6

10) Honey and Clover (both seasons)

Honey and Clover surpasses the anime medium. Honey and Clover is life. An adaptation brought to life thanks to the brilliant writing of Chika Umino, the notorious juggernaut of a josei encompasses two seasons of sheer realism. The characters all reside in college life (an art college at that), something atypical for the medium - especially at the time the show aired. The story shifts between the various perspectives of the three guys and two girls as they learn their way through life and romance. H&C is extremely amazing at profound messages delivered through the introspection of its characters. The entire cast has differing personalities and themes that are evoked from said personalities, but the true strength of the show is its astounding ability to juggle all of these themes into a continuity that accurately depicts the trials of life and the conflicts that humanity shares in common. Even the pacing is that of the rolling, unrelenting flow of life, never ceasing or waiting on its players. Oh, and did I mention the animation is especially vibrant? Not to mention the music is heavily piano-based and tugs at your heartstrings in response to the problems each characters tackles. Conflicts cannot be resolved in one episode for H&C. They will always stare back at the character, engulfing them for life and the entirety of the series. The characters simply cannot escape from who they are and what challenges them.

Why I Chose It: Brilliant characters. Astounding romance. The true meaning of the "slice of life" genre. Touching music. Heartwarming animation. It touched my heart when I watched this, and I wasn't even in college yet. Now that I'm at the age of wandering, wondering what to do with my life and how to improve myself as a person, I can only look back at this experience with warm regard for what it taught me and what it prepared me for. I understand how to approach life now because of this show. I know that no matter how bad it gets, I have to keep pedaling on my worn-out, tattered shell of a bicycle. I know my direction in life, but how to get there is the toughest lesson of all. I want to meet the people that can change me as much as this show did. After watching this, who can simply give up? As a college student, there is no other show that can compare to how much I've wracked my brain around understanding the world and myself like H&C.

9) The Tatami Galaxy

The essential Groundhog Day of the anime medium, The Tatami Galaxy is about a young college student who decides to live out his youthful days in search of the perfect rose-colored life. However, he becomes trapped in an endless loop of time for each different choice or path he makes, sending him back to the beginning when he fails to learn or realize anything about himself. The Tatami Galaxy is a great analysis on weighing the consequences and decisions of one's life with one another. The characters and setup of each episode are all the same but occur in different circumstances, giving the viewer multiple perspectives from which to judge to main character in his journey to discover the perfect days of youth. The animation is unique and abstract, as if the characters themselves are paper cutouts. The series is framed in a predominantly episodic approach where one "loop" of time is played out for each episode, only eventually culminating into the finale at the end. By the way, the OP was done by Asian Kung-Fu Generation. AKFG, MAYUNS. Otherwise, The Tatami Galaxy provides stellar characterization and a style unlike any other; the snark-witted exploits of the protagonist and his fellow acquaintances are refreshing regardless of how many times you've seen his miserable college life play out.

Why I Chose It: I'm a real sucker for endless or infinite time loop stories. Okay, so Endless Eight isn't the best example, but I love the concept of repeating time until one comes to a realization of either their own self or the world around them as a result. I actually had the pleasure of watching this one while it aired, and boy was the wait each week cruel. I enjoy the pathetic and sardonic nature of the protagonist as he tries to change external circumstances, only to have to reset each time without knowing that the true root of the problem lies within his own internal heart. The character cast as a whole is very memorable for their own various wicked natures and their interactions with one another as the main character observes his life unfold multiple times. Oh, and despite how serious I make the show out to be, it also strikes comedy gold with the ridiculous scenarios and paths that Protagman takes. By the way, I only use that label because since he's the narrator, he never explicitly states his name. Go figure.

8) Serial Experiments Lain

Lain Iwakura is just a normal middle school girl. However, this simple fact changes when one of her fellow schoolmates suddenly commits suicide. Soon after, a string of bizarre incidents occurs all around her, eventually leading her to acquire her own computer and enter the world of the Wired. The Wired is the sentient manifestation of the current Internet, breaking down the barriers between illusion and reality. Among the merits of Serial Experiments Lain, atmosphere outranks any other show by far. The utter confusion and surrealism of the experiences Lain endures in the show is demonstrated in a nonchalant wave of sheer insanity. Even after the show, the viewer still does not understand the mystery of the Wired and the strange occurrences around Lain; as such, multiple viewings may be needed to truly understand the queries that the show provides. Excellent music and pretty incredible 90s animation mesh well to accentuate the subdued environment. In addition, the concept of human identity and the advent of the Internet is questioned heavily in Lain. What constitutes a human? Is the alternate reality better or worse than the actual reality? Regardless, Lain is not just a show. It's a tangled web of an experience.

Why I Chose It: As stated previously, computer science is my major. Spending most of my free time on the Internet, I had developed a strong interest in what provides communication between two people who are thousands of miles away. The question remains: If the Internet ever develops to the point of another distinct reality, will it stand as its own identity against the actual, "obsolete" reality? I still have many questions about the show to this day; I ponder a lot about the future of humanity and how technology will alter our course. Lain merely provides one of several possible futures, but it does so with an amazing atmosphere of quiet ambiance. I can't help but think of the positive and negative consequences technology hands us once we begin to evolve past humanity in its current form, much like Lain does throughout the entire show.

7) Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket & Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

I might as well call this my top 32 favorite anime, huh? I just couldn't choose between the two of these shows, especially since one of them only has 5 of its 7 episodes completed at the time of this post. However, both shows bring out the brilliance of what Mobile Suit Gundam has to offer in vastly differing approaches, yet they accomplish the same goal. This is why both shows deserve the same spot. With that said...

War in the Pocket is a unique offering to the Gundam franchise in that barely any mobile suit action takes place throughout the course of its six episodes, leaving it up to the characters to fill in the gap left by the lack of action.  The story is told through the eyes of a 10-year old named Al. He's merely just a part of normal society. Unfortunately for him, the One Year War between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon is going on in the midst of his normal life (see: the original Mobile Suit Gundam for more details on the OYW itself). A Zeon special forces unit is dispatched to Al's colony in order to unearth information about a supposed new Gundam unit being created by the Feddies. Among these forces is a young officer by the name of Bernie, whom Al quickly befriends. Al also encounters his former babysitter and neighbor, Christina, who happens to be the test pilot of the new Gundam unit. See where this is leading yet? 0080 executes a touching divide from the perspective of the normal commoner between the identities of "commoners" in opposite camps of one another. Childhood innocence can no longer be maintained as Al realizes the unnatural effects of war and how it destroys his normal life completely. All of this leads to a climax that I wish not to spoil, but it truly depicts the harsh reality of the battlefield.

Gundam Unicorn is the long-awaited adaptation of the light novels meant to conclude the cursed time period known as the Universal Century, the main timeline for the Gundam franchise. As such, Unicorn is best watched under the premise of knowing the previous tragedies and wars in its preceding shows (MSG 0079, 0080, 0083, IGLOO, Zeta, ZZ, Char's Counterattack, etc.). The year is U.C. 0096 with the show beginning at a developing colony known as Industrial 7. Banagher Links, a young college student who went through life without knowing of his father, encounters a mysterious girl by the name of Audrey Burne who has stowed away on the colony. By meeting her, he's propelled into a conflict involving a secret known as Laplace's Box, an item said to be able to change the course of history. Unicorn provides absolutely amazing action and conflict between mobile suits with fluid animation, harking back to the old days of the Universal Century. The show also successfully captures the course of history and its impact on the fallen Principality of Zeon, who now only exists as a faction known as Neo Zeon. More than anything, Unicorn manages to combine all of the promising elements of the Gundam series, successfully fusing the action of the UC shows with the desire for peace in the newer AU shows without compromising characterization. Overall, Unicorn has been a thrilling conclusion to the UC saga. I can only hope that it will continue its amazing trek for the final two episodes.

Why I Choose These Shows: I first fell in love with the Gundam franchise after watching the original Mobile Suit Gundam. I felt compelled by the great action provided from over 30 years ago of all things and the themes of war it tackled in the process. Before that, I had previous viewings with the SEED and 00 shows, but they never managed to capture me as much as the UC shows. Watching Gundam reminds me of my childhood - I watched a lot of American shows like Transformers and Power Rangers. I've always enjoyed that type of action, and Gundam manages to satisfy that need for me. I also enjoy its themes and lessons about war despite the fact that I hate the way newer Gundams "evangelize" from the cockpit. Gundam has been creating the same story over and over again for the past few decades, but one day I hope that they will nail it perfectly. And as far as I'm concerned, 0080 and Unicorn are by far the closest to hit that point.

6) Cowboy Bebop

Many others have covered why Cowboy Bebop is one of the most essential shows in the anime medium to watch. Bounty hunters in space that only roll through each day of their lives to obtain the money they want to survive, Spike Spiegel and Jet Black start off alone. Then a dog named Ein, a striking and loudmouthed dame by the name of Faye Valentine, and a young computer genius called Ed join the ranks of their bounty hunting gang one by one to form one of the most memorable crews in all of anime history. Bebop is focused primarily on style, beating out any other show in this category with its upbeat jazz score by Yoko Kanno and the sheer brilliance of its direction under director Shinichiro Watanabe. I cannot add much to what has already been said about Bebop, but I will highlight that it's a great gateway into anime that has withstood the test of time as one of the greatest stories ever made.

Why I Chose It: Great mix of action, characterization, themes, and style. It's an experience and feeling I'll never get from anything else. I remember renting the movie a few years back after watching the show, deciding to skip school in favor of laying low for a day of relaxation. I think I learned a lot more from those few hours than I ever had in the entirety of high school. Sure, I got in trouble with my mom for staying home... But can you blame a guy? This show taught me to appreciate the directionless course of life for what it is.