Entry #7: "Fresh"

As much as the analysis of media is incredibly entertaining, it is just as important to do the very same kind of analysis when faced with certain outlets like News and, what I'll be discussing, documentaries.

For the purpose of this entry, I will be talking about the documentary "Fresh"
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637620/



Going into the analysis, we will be ignoring any personal preexisting prejudices about organic farms versus industrial, and recognizing that, like most documentaries, this film has a clear bias. Firstly, it is not a bad thing that the film has bias, but it would be a problem if the film attempted to hide its bias.


The film is certainly not afraid to show the darker side to industrial farming in order to raise the idea of organic farming as high as they can, and nor should they be. Having already undergone a culinary class in High School, I already knew about some of the more inhumane and morally bankrupt sides to industrial farming, but many people still don't know about some of the horrors involved with milking (pardon the analogy) as much efficiency out of animal slaughtering as possible.  Those who are aware, however, are pressured to ignore such brutal processes by the vast wealth of meat-processing companies, and, on a lighter note, the good that comes from introducing industrial farming to the more impoverished and famished countries of the world.

Just as I was, they could also be swayed in the opposite of the intended direction by the horrendous actions of radical groups such as PETA, whose brutal acts of violence toward men, women, children, and even the animals they supposedly live and die by, are only detrimental to helping the vast problems they claim to solve with but the pettiest of attempts. A fact that I loathe to no end. That, however, is a rabbit hole for another day.

Unlike the aforementioned radical groups, this documentary uses far, far more than mindless fear-mongering and brainwashing to get their point across. The film mainly seems to express the proof that, on a smaller scale, organic farming is far more efficient than industrial farming. The proof comes from many facets, one of which being that industrial framing breeds bacteria, as well as animals, at an alarmingly swift rate. This means that animals need to be given antibacterial medicine to avoid tainted meat, which can create stronger infections that require yet stronger medicine, etc. The point of organic farming is not that "giving medicine is unnatural and therefore bad", as many assume, but that giving medicine is simply unnecessary if the animals are treated well, and are given the resources to live more naturally.


As a skeptic of organic farming, it was very important that I ignore my own prejudices and took the film at face-value. Instead of scoffing when the film introduced an idea I disagreed with, I treated it as a given that the documentary knew more than me, and cross-referenced the information with my own previous knowledge, and new research. Even if the documentary was wrong, or lied, it would still have done its job of bringing information about organic farms, even if that wasn't the creators original intention.

Entry #6: Over-analysis

As my mission statement and the title of my blog suggests, I love over-analyzing stories of all kinds. I believe it is a very fun and effective method of bettering your understanding of the things you read, no matter how mundane or trivial.

There are those, however, who turn this pastime into an issue. I'm sure you've heard the jokes about how English teachers will demand that symbolism be found in the smallest of details. This is an example of when over-analysis is mistreated. When analyzing art of any kind, it should be understood that it is subjective. That any interpretation is just as valid, if not more so, than even the author's own intention. I, among many others, have fallen victim to the tyrant that requires a symbolic rendering of something so simple and literal as a house.



Let that sink in.

Many children in English class are required to elaborate the potentially infinite interpretations of such mundane and simple concepts, yet are "corrected" when their interpretations are "wrong". One example would be when I was told to provide the symbolism of Gatsby's home from the book "The Great Gatsby". Among other things, I said that his home would be a safe-haven, or sanctuary, as it is almost universally understood that a person should feel safe in their home.

My teacher informed me that I was incorrect, because Gatsby was killed in his home.

As silly of a problem as this may seem, it is very important to address, as children all across the country are being reprimanded for the crime of having original thought. In this world, the ability to "Dig Deeper" is one of the greatest that one can have, as it gives them an advantage over others that don't fully understand the copious amounts of information that is bombarding our eyes each and every day. This way of thinking is being suppressed among the public, to the point where it almost sounds like a "1984"-esque conspiracy theory that the government wants to "control the masses" or something along those lines.

I encourage anyone who has gone, or is going through, such a failure of education to think about whether or not you agree with your instructor's interpretations. Think about why you agree, and what lead you to such a conclusion. For the purpose of the course, give the answers that your instructor wants to hear, but in your own mind, think about which ones you believe and which ones you don't. Don't worry if you disagree with them all, and don't worry if you disagree with none. As long as everybody can keep their own beliefs intact, this problem should, hopefully, be gone within a few years.

Entry #5: "When Mayhem Strikes"

As much as I love "Digging Deeper" into entertainment, I feel as though it is just as important to do so for a more practical purpose.

When one reads, watches, or hears the news, one must understand not just what is being told, but how they are learning of it, and by whom. If you were to read a news article on Fox News' official website, you could see their own interpretation to a certain event. If you were to go to a lesser new source, however, you might just as well find someone else's interpretation of Fox News' interpretation of an event that you have yet to know about firsthand.

Apart from news, this applies to common advertisements as well. Take Allstate's famous "Mayhem" commercials for instance. These ads are famous for a good reason, as they are excellent in their purpose and provides entertainment for the viewers.

The advertisements range from hilarity, to startling reality. The general formula of these ads is thus: "Mayhem", sharply-dressed man, causes great damage to person or property that could be avoided or negated by insurance. The purpose is clearly to convince the public to buy Allstate insurance, however, this is done in a way that is not only entertaining, but insightful, as the audience is given the opportunity to decide whether or not they would be willing to risk the possibility of any of the aforementioned incidents occurring when they did not have the proper insurance to recover. Moreover, it shows the diversity in types of insurance, which not everyone would be aware of, and in doing so, promotes the many types that Allstate provides.

Entry #4: "Weird writing"

When writing a story, one might not follow any given structure, template, or prompt. "Weird writing" is what I like to call these forms of writing that deliberately avoid what is typical or expected. An excellent example is the breed of internet campfire stories known as "creepypastas". These stories are often attached to a stigma of poor, unprofessional writing and awkward attempts at horror, but more particularly, I will be discussing one subset of creepypastas that became known as the "SCP Foundation".

If one were to accidentally stumble across the popular website dedicated to "SCP's", they might be immediately immersed in its form of "weird writing".

http://www.scp-wiki.net/

Originally starting as a single creepypasta posted on 4chan, the first article was far different from the usual post. Instead of being a simple story about a scary creature or terrifying hypothetical situation, it was written with very precise, clinical language, in a structured format. Here is an excerpt:

"Item #: SCP-173

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: Item SCP-173 is to be kept in a locked container at all times. When personnel must enter SCP-173's container, no fewer than 3 may enter at any time and the door is to be relocked behind them. At all times, two persons must maintain direct eye contact with SCP-173 until all personnel have vacated and relocked the container.

Description: Moved to Site-19 1993. Origin is as of yet unknown. It is constructed from concrete and rebar with traces of Krylon brand spray paint. SCP-173 is animate and extremely hostile. The object cannot move while within a direct line of sight."

This format was incredible, in that it set up a sort of "horror punch-line". As the Sculpture's holding cell is described with specific details, it leads the reader to being making assumptions about what the description will entail before they even read it. This structure spawns dozens of other articles and SCP's with their own designations, item numbers, special containment procedures, etc. before dozens became hundreds, and hundred became thousands. Despite its very unprofessional and obscure beginnings, the SCP Foundation has made its way into the mainstream and is enjoyed by millions of readers, writers, and even gamers, alike.


Speaking of games, another interesting form of "weird writing" is what is known as an "ARG": Alternate Reality Game. These fascinating, and sometimes disturbing, tales are meta upon meta levels of storytelling. The best part is, they can come in just about any form. They can be a series of YouTube videos with a hidden meaning, such as "Poppy",

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8JE00xTMBOqKs7o0grFTfQ

or "Petscop".

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZKQv0ZFHpeIUkOtNjtq4KA

Or they can be cryptic websites with even more cryptic messages waiting to be deciphered, such as "Cicada 3301", a sadly discontinued string of puzzles, or "Forgotten Languages",

https://forgottenlanguages-full.forgottenlanguages.org/

a website written in a fictional, decipherable language that leads to references ranging from alchemy, to ancient religion, to science fiction alien technology.


ARG's are a mind-boggling experience that goes far beyond the interactivity of video games, and into the real world where clues might need to be found in real life hidden locations. "Weird writing" is a medium that I hope continues to grow in popularity as it has for the past few decades, and in this world of social media, I predict that it will.

Entry #3: Show, don't tell

The concept of the rule "Show, don't tell" comes from film making, and states that instead of spewing exposition via dialogue, the audience should see information rather than hear it.

This concept is also praised in video games such as Half-Life and it's sequels where control is very rarely taken from the player, forcing the designers to attempt to grab the player's attention in various other ways.

When applied to writing, however, it's slightly different. Instead of your goal being for the audience to see rather than hear, your goal is to make the audience feel through emotion instead of see by reading words. Emotion and imagination can be far more powerful than any written word, but the issue is that not only is everybody different, and just about no one can relate to every given situation, difficulty arises in that you must create emotion through written word.


For example, This afternoon, after eating lunch and taking the bus home, I was horribly overheated and sweaty. I became parched, so I decided to get water on the way home. After a long, crowded bus ride, the problem only became worse when the Circle K by my house had a problem with their water pumps. Instead of waiting until I got home, I made a different decision. Soda would only worsen the issue, I don't like tea, and I abhor Gatorade, so instead of a beverage, I found an even better, alternative way to cool down and soothe my dry mouth on the way home. I bought a small, circular, plastic package. opening the package was quick and easy, and when I shook a tablet into my hand, it was almost as if I could feel the ice cold sensation on my palm. I popped the tablet into my mouth and bit hard. My teeth immediately broke the tough and rigid tablet into a fine powder, and immediately, my entire face became ice cold. my mouth began to water at the intense flavor, so intense it almost hurt. I chewed and kept the tablet in my mouth as it continued to cool me off. The tingling sensation bordered on true pain as it traveled to my nose. I popped another tablet in. The sensation lingered before I bit through the second one, and as I swallowed the first, my throat was coated with the coolant, and I was now prepared for the hot and dry trek home.
.

Now, without ever having said the word mint, just about everybody could guess what I was talking about. I never said what flavor, I never said what brand, I never said how large the tablets were, or the shape, but still, anybody could form a clear mental picture of the scene.

When going about this method, it definitely helps to make the language more poetic and drawn out. It helps for people to fill in the gaps themselves, and in doing so, they inadvertently place themselves in the position of the subject, and perhaps they think of their favorite brand of mints, or they think of a similar situation that happened to them, etc.

If you hit a wall, think about the five senses: Touch Taste Sight Smell and Hearing

In my example, I "showed" quite a lot, but if I were to have "told", you would have walked away with simple summary of "He was hot, he didn't have water, and he ate a mint". Though this general rule of thumb is not always necessary, or indeed, I believe, possible, it is almost always recommended.

Entry #2: The Hero's Journey

Joseph Campbell is well-known for his theory of the "monomyth". A theory that claimed that all stories' hero revolves around a certain pattern. This pattern is known as "The Hero's Journey" or "The Hero With a Thousand Faces".


Here is a comprehensive walkthrough of the cycle, detailing its use in "The Matrix", "Star Wars", and "Harry Potter".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB_Q1gFsvIw\

It's important to note that not all of these steps must be followed, nor do they have to be in a particular order. The "Special World" or "Other World" can be entirely metaphorical. The Inheritance Cycle series, by Christopher Paolini, and one of my personal favorites, is an example of a figurative "Other World".

(Some minor spoilers for Eragon)
The story begins with a young man named Eragon who lives his life as a simple farmer in an ordinary world. Due to outlandish circumstance, he happens upon a mysterious "stone" that hatches to reveal a newborn dragon. A species known to be nearly extinct. He accepts the call to responsibility, and raises the dragon in secret, only to accidentally attract the attention of some menacing figures who call themselves the "Ra'zac" who are acting upon the evil King's orders. Eragon, at first refuses the call to act until the Ra'zac burn his home and kill his father-figure in suspicion of Eragon. He turns to the only man in the village that knows anything about dragons, Brom. In doing so, he meets the mentor that helps him cross the threshold of peace into war by taking him to the rebels known as the Varden.

I could continue, but I'm sure you understand by this point.
Many people already know of this practice of testing the "Hero's Journey" formula by plugging in various other stories, yet it is still quite fun to Dig Deeper into the formulation of your favorite stories. In doing so, you might notice that Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, and Eragon, all begin as simple men who work in a field, that, by the request of a wise and powerful white-haired mentor, who then go on a quest to overthrow an evil ruler with a strong liking to the colors black and red, eventually receiving a blue, magic sword that puts them above others.

This is not exclusive to books or movies, as well. This same logic could be applied to video games.


Let us choose Samus Aran of the Metroid series, a character and setting vastly different from what one might consider when thinking about a "myth":

A young girl is with her parents on an alien world, when suddenly, they are attacked by a faction known as the Space Pirates.

She is overwhelmed by a wish to fight these invaders, but must refuse until she is strong enough.

She is taken in by the only survivors of the attack; a wise race of alien mentors known as the Chozo

The Chozo train her to be a great warrior, a skill she uses in the Galactic Federation before becoming an independent bounty-hunter.

She is finally in a position to strike back against the Space Pirates that had attacked her.

She is given "supernatural help" by way of ancient Chozo technology stolen and stored by the Space Pirates.

She encounters the very creature that personally killed her parents, Ridley, and defeats him.

Fully armed with ancient and new technology, she faces the commander of the Space Pirates, Mother Brain, and destroys her.

Samus narrowly escapes the detonating planet and returns to a more quiet life traveling the stars until she is needed again.


I could have even stretched the formula over the entire Metroid series, instead of only the first game. That is how powerful this formula can be.

Personally, I find this exercise not only tremendously entertaining, but also good practice for analyzing material, or writing it yourself. If one wishes, they could attempt to write a story that deliberately straddles this formula, for the sake of a consistent theme, or one could avoid the pattern altogether, and create a story that breaks the formula. One way or the other, it is a very helpful tool for writing fiction.

Entry #1: Digging into other blogs

It may very well be hypocritical to say, but I have never been one to enjoy most blogs.
All too often, they are the same forms of propaganda that push an agenda, rather than effectively deliver important information.

To show why, I will be "reviewing", so to speak, other blogs of various context.

To begin with the most popular blog site (As of August, 2019), The Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/

Firstly, to identify the blog as any one category of "professional" "corporate" "personal", etc. would be inconsistent at best. With so many writers for one blog, there are many articles that follow a proper professional tone, many more that follow the "casual/professional" category, as does mine, but still so many that follow a personal tone.

Scrolling through a site like this tends to give me a sort of emotional whiplash. They push dozens of topically relevant articles, which itself is fine, but then you're cascaded with divisive politics about gun control, immigration, or freedom of speech, only to be bombarded with the Amazon rain forest's burning, then: Wacky 250 pigs bust out of enclosure and cause shenanigans! Only to return to the likes of "politics blamed for mass shootings".

Some would argue, and I would agree, that such a diverse collection of information would be good for a news blog like The Huffington Post, but in doing so, it eliminates the existence of a core theme apart from the aforementioned divisive politics, and with dozens, or hundreds, or thousands of journalists writing articles for one site, it can create a very exclusive audience.


Next, Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com

Starting with the "Tech" tab, we can see many articles involving technology, to be sure, but right off the bat, we see many, many titles that connect vague themes of technology to politics. They barely try hide their obvious opinions of political figures. To its credit, beyond the eye-catching titles, the articles seem to adhere to a much more professional, objective tone. Most of my complaints are to the tune of the above comments on The Huffington Post, albeit to a far lesser extent. Not much more to say on that front.


Last, and possibly by a great bias, not least, the "Nerd's News" site, Kotaku
https://kotaku.com/

As I said, my enjoyment of the Kotaku site is certainly biased, although that doesn't take away from the fact that the issues I had with The Huffington Post and Business Insider are next to non-existent here. The tone of writing is far closer to a personal style, but still remains a more professional air. Articles span the likes of "I loved X while playing Y" and "Interesting facts about Z". In a breath of fresh air, instead of annoyingly political titles, I see titles like "Brand new Halo action figures", or "New Joker movie shows promise despite fan apprehension", to paraphrase.

As a gaming-centric blog, there is a more traditional game review tab that displays the top 12 games for a given console. Concise, it details a quick summary of a game, and has a pros-and-cons bit that accentuates who would or wouldn't enjoy the game based on their expectations for said game.



In the end, my general opinion on most blogs has not changed, however, I urge others to Dig Deeper when reading articles. If the article is supposed to have a professional, objective tone, try to see if you can determine the author's opinions and if they affect the author's final judgments. If you can, chances are they may be acting on some ulterior motive.