A Note on Public Behaviors and Decorum

I suppose it's fair to say that most of us have examples of "open mouth, insert foot" episodes. It's part of being human and not always controlling our respective linguistic output. However, there's a difference between calling out, in jest of course, someone at your Thanksgiving table as opposed to yelling at a public figure when millions of people all over get to experience you in all of your unencumbered verbal glory. That has got to be as a good a reason as any to go into therapy. Or anger management. Whichever is easier to get into. If I had a dime for every time I've heard people say 'where have manners gone?!', I'd probably have an unlimited supply of Starbucks.

I've been thinking about public outbursts of bad linguistic behavior lately and this past week was, alas, fecund when it comes to illustrating this very point. Let me start with last Wednesday night when President Obama delivered his health care speech at a shared session of Congress. When the president was still mid-paragraph, Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina interjected: 'you lie!' The incident may be viewed here.
I felt embarrassed. For everyone involved. I don't know if Rep. Wilson has Tourette's or if he has general impulse control issues. I really don't know nor am I interested in exploring the question. This is an example of total disregard for place and decorum and with a public job comes an obvious sense of responsibility.

Naturally, it is hard at times to keep one's self from reacting somehow when hearing things one might find controversial, difficult to accept, comical, and so forth. I am still reminded of an episode back in grade school when the teacher was scolding the class as a collective and I had this unctrollable urge to laugh outloud. If I knew back then was anyerisms were, I would have thought I was about to give myself one. But still, I knew I had to do all in my power to hide the laughter and appear serious if only to avoid unpleasant consequences. Consequences, I could understand. Maybe Rep. Joe Wilson didn't have a strict education growing up. Or maybe he skipped dinner and as a result his blood sugar was out of whack. Maybe. Be that as it may, when the representative of the highest office in the land speaks, it sort of makes general sense that you listen even though the content might not necessarily align with your own views.
Ouch, very ouch.

Enter episode two from Saturday night when Serena Williams was playing against Kim Clijsters at the US Open semifinals.

On match point, Serena Williams was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct. Protesting the line judge's call, she went over, shouting and cursing, pointing at the judge all the while thrusting the ball toward her.
Some of what Serena said was: "If I could, I would take this ... ball and shove it down your ... throat." Hmm.
Now, Serena was obviously under a lot of pressure and the call was not correct. It happens. Unfair treatment happens but it's probably not a good idea to get into a battle. And again, there are cameras out there, folks.
However, I do have to say something here about gender.
Back in the day when John McEnroe used to throw tantrums, most people would be understanding and John would usually get a 'oh, he's a boy being a boy.' Still, Serena was fined $10.000 among other things so she is facing the consequences of her behavior.



Episode Three: The Video Music Awards

I did not watch the Video Music Awards last night mostly because I privileged the season finale of Hung over on HBO and also because the majority of musicians who are featured on the VMA's don't play an active role in my playlists, ergo, there wouldn't have been much of novelty and therefore interest for me to consider it. The only act I was interested in seeing was Muse and that, thanks to YouTube, I got to experience this morning.

When I woke up this morning I noticed that Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC's Morning Joe was talking about Kanye West stealing the thunder from Taylor Swift and radically embarrassing himself on the VMA's. You may consider this particular incident as yet another sabbatical from decorum here. Very ouch.



People say that Kanye is a genius and therefore all the temper tantrums are somehow forgivable. No, not quite. Another petpeeve of mine is how easily we throw the word 'genius' around. I don't know why Kanye is a genius. I don't know if we should believe such a title because, well, he tells us so. Be that as it may, genius should not preclude the need for manners and decorum for without them how can we maintain order and civility? In all candor, I have found myself in public spaces where they play "Stronger" or "Jesus Walks." My first impulse reaction is to say, "Oh, please, play something else. Please!!" But I don't say so outloud because, obviously, a lot of people like Kanye's music. Respect needs to be conferred irrespective of who gets it. I'd rather hip and hop to T.I., but de gustibus non est discutandum.

In sum, maybe a bit of anger management and a visitation of the lessons learned in kindergarten, would do these folks some good.

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Muse at the VMA's

Kanye,
This is how it's done.

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Ode to Muse, Similar Tastes, and General Essence

If you can't wait till September the 14th to get your Muse fix, go here and check out the sound of their new out-of-this-world album, The Resistance. It's so beautiful, it will rob you of your senses for a bit. Trust me. It is that beautiful!

Lake Como is the place where the incomparable Italian author Alessandro Manzoni washed his words and gave re-birth to Dante's Italian. Lake Como is also the place where Muse recorded its latest album, The Resistance which will be released next Tuesday, the 14th, is a very much anticipated experience for me. Their new track, "Uprising," was already released a couple of days ago on iTunes and if you haven't already gotten it, make sure to do so.
It's a transformative piece.

I can always tell if I'm seeing a band playing instruments they learned how to play in their parents' garage soon after dropping out of college. By the same token, it doesn't take a big music connoisseur to discern real talent on the stage. That's how Matt Bellamy and co. are on stage. The way they handle their respective musical instruments on the stage almost makes you want to weep. To me, the experience of watching them live was exactly like the one I had when seeing a live production of Puccini's Tourandot, which come to think of it also happened around the same time in 2004.
Man, what a year!

I often talk about the year being a game-changer for me. The reason why it was so is mostly due to the art I experienced and the artists I got to meet and intimately know. I firmly believe that when we don't deny ourselves of the kind of art towards which we naturally and experientially gravitate, great things are bound to happen. The reason why this is so, in my view, is that this same art expedites a myriad of other self-empowering things. Art, after all, isn't just about entertainment. It's primarily about didactic experiences.

Enter, Muse.

Muse is not an act you encounter often. As an avid music follower and supporter I cannot think of one single experience that even mildly compares to seeing these musicians practicing their art live on stage. I often talk about experiences that manage to evoke a 'sense of visitation' as Henry James put it. Muse's music does that for me. I'm reminded of a very lovely dinner I had a few weeks ago while visiting in another country. We dined on a balcony facing the inspiring lights of the big metropolis. The music on the background was Muse's album Black Holes and Revelations and, more specifically, the long and shorter versions of the mind-blowing track "Map of the Problematique." There is no better way than music to journal an experience, folks. Not for me, at least. And very few acts have this kind of experience-recording power. Ergo, my interest in the art that Muse creates is fundamentally personal.

This summer I reconnected with a favorite person from my not-so-distant past. One of our high-frequency conversations revolved around Muse, their incomparable sound, and how it encompasses so much. A number of other art signs were discussed at length as we spent tens of hours discussing the importance of the arts and how what we lean towards artistically reveals much about a person's general essence. A few months ago I did a videocast about tastes and why we like the things we like. The core message of this videocast states that we like what we like mostly out of fundamental narcissism. We tend to like that in which we see ourselves and our basic aesthetics reflected.

I often reference my first Muse concert here. It happened in 2004 and, as a result, that whole year was radically morphed into a most unique and transformative time for me. I have always surrounded myself in life with artists. It was, however, during that year that I finally got it cognitively what it meant to be utterly helpless when it came to controlling my own creative impulses. When I am in the presence of art, my true nature can't help but jump out and the sense of yes I tend to feel out of genetics and acquired experience becomes a dominant trait.

It's quite a thing to live during those moments when your general essence is utterly espoused and what expedites such moments is certain art forms. And Muse did this back in 2004. And it does it with their new albums, The Resistance. Their track "Uprising" which can now be purchased on iTunes, has a strength of sound that I have not sensed in a long time. I don't know what Matt Bellamy eats but I sure hope he keeps this same diet for a long time to come. Their music is the stuff of inspiration, it's the stuff that's engendered not only out of true artistic expertise. It's mostly born out of artistic genius. Whoever the muse it to whom they pay tribute, one thing is certain, the momentum of Muse is spectacular.

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Mysteries of Pittsburgh, a Review

Mysteries of Pittsburgh is available OnDemand now. I thought I'd give it a careful look this time.
It's a tricky thing, this watching-film-based-on-literature thing as the viewer already had a preconceived notion of plot in mind.
Michael Chabon's first novel by the same title served as the inspiration for this film. Loose inspiration. Very loose.
As I was informed by a HetPer reader who also kindly sent me the screenplay to this film a few months ago this production was a rather sophomoric attempt.
I agree with him now.
But the film still has one important redeeming quality. I'll explain.

I gave the screenplay a looksee and it did seem to differ much from the novel. But then again, filmic adaptation is supposed to bring a number of differences and much novelty with it.

You see what makes Michael Chabon so brilliant is his infallible instinct about gender and gendered traits. Few authors can decode gender and sexuality the way he can. Naturally, his unique instinct is rather challenging to translate on the big screen and some understanding is required when judging any director's effort who attempts to adapt him.

One of the things that bothered me about Mysteries of Pittsburgh, the film, was the fact that they completely erased an entire character, Arthur.
Another thing which sort of relates to the first plot problem listed, is that the character of Cleveland who in the book is portrayed as rather heteronormative was turned into the love object of both Jane and Art.
Bad decision there.

Even though the usually brilliant Peter Saarsgard played Cleveland, it still left me, the reader/viewer wanting for more. A waste of talent, really.
One of the things that makes the book so poetic is the Art/Arthur relationship. This is at the very core of the book and it is entirely left out.
Ah, and then there's the Sienna Miller-played Jane who is too much in the center of the film. Miller has range but in this case her range was a little too wide. Less of her would have been more for the overall film.

Mena Suvari's Phlox could have been used more as the few minutes she's on the screen she does somehow bring you back to the novel. Suvari's version of Phlox looks like the French major Phlox in the book. Alas, she wasn't used enough.

And then there's Nick Nolte's 'Dad' character who could have been clothed with better lines but, of course, wasn't.
The one thing that delivers in this film is the city of Pittsburgh itself. I am lucky to be one of those people who gets the area and its references. This is a part of the country that one needs to see/experience to get. The heavy industrial traces of huge bridges and once productive factories are captured well enough in this film. They're not captured the way Curtis Hanson so brilliantly did in his version of the Chabon-inspired Wonder Boys, however.

Cities like Pittsburgh are difficult to capture for the big screen as they are truly multilayered. Even though they ooze concrete urban and industrial vibes, they're also somehow rustic. It's an odd combo but it's also what makes this neck of the woods so uniquely beautiful.
Even though geographically I tend to privilege the West, there's something truly poetic about Pittsburgh. It's one of those places where literature can get inspired.

Mysteries of Pittsburgh has many cinematic flaws.
It's one redeeming quality, however, is its capturing of Pittsburgh.
After those of you whom I know in real life have had a chance to see this film, I know I'll most likely receive texts saying, 'I liked the book better.'
As you should.
However, I find myself espousing a kind of compassionate leniency that's informed by one thing and one thing alone: Pittsburgh.

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A Note on the Cohen/Port Case and Freedom of Speech

Words are rarely inconsequential. Language resides in the very heart of human life and sociality and while it can be most helpful when used correctly, it can also be most noxious when not.

Many people who choose to live their lives in a reason- and civility-informed fashion tend to believe that cyburbia much like suburbia, subscribes to certain rules of engagement apply. Or at least it should for without rules how can we all function properly?

In cyber space much as it is the case in real life, some people will deviate from generally established rules of decorum and decency and, more often than not, end up hurting a lot of other people in the process. Freedom is not free of the rules and regulations appended on the fine print, folks. And thank goodness, it isn't. When O'Henry said: "give me liberty of give me death," I very much doubt he had a kind of freedom in mind that was utterly free of personal responsibility. What kinds of free people can we be without common respect for one another?

I've recently thought about the Liskula Cohen and Rosemary Port case. Port's abominable online behavior has served as a vexing appetite suppressor on at least two occasions.

For those of you who don't know of this case (which cannot really be possible as I saw it featured on international papers as well while I was traveling this summer), do a Google-search on it and you'll learn much. Maureen Dowd observes:
"It began eight months ago when Liskula Cohen, a 37-year-old model and Australian Vogue cover girl, was surprised to find herself winning a “Skankiest in NYC” award from an anonymous blogger. The online tormentor put up noxious commentary on Google’s blogger.com, calling Cohen a “skank,” a “ho” and an “old hag” who “may have been hot 10 years ago.”

In a nutshell, the case involves an anonymous blogger who's now been revealed to be Rosemary Port and a model by the name of Liskula Cohen. Port started an anonymous website the sole mission of which apparently was to provide a hierarchy and ranking of the 'skankiest' people in New York. That's right. Skankiest. I'm not joking. Now, I'll be brutally honest here. I had no idea what the semantic and etymological nature of the word 'skank' was but thanks to the media coverage of this case I've learned much about it.

And, folks, 'skank' is not a good word. It's a vexing word. It vexes me, at least. There are so many great words that start with an 's' that one could use. So many. But Ms. Port was particularly fond of this one.

Now, I knew of Skank the Brazilian britpop band. But I can't say I'd ever had an opportunity to use 'skank' in a sentence. At least not the way Port was using it on her blog. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for teaching me that it's not OK to use bad language when talking to and about people without being prepared to face the consequences. I still remember the day I called my first-grade friend Aleksander 'stupid' on the playground. I still feel badly about it. And I called him 'stupid' in plain daylight. Aleksander heard me. I apologized and we continued being best friends. I was burdened with guilt for days, though. I remember thinking my bad behavior had caused rain in the summer and all sorts of other bad things. You've got to love guilt, though, right? It straightens you out and it purges so well. But as a seven-year-old I learned a valuable lesson. There are other ways to make a point when you feel you are being treated unjustly. You could take Aleksander aside and tell him that he shouldn't cheat when you're playing ball. But you shouldn't just call him 'stupid.' That won't solve anything.

What I find especially sickening about Ms. Port's behavior is that she still maintains that Google infringed upon her rights by revealing her true identity and that she has the right to express whatever she wants.
No, Ms Port.
Simply put, "No way!"
This is not quite how it works in Adult-landia, you know, the place where we have rules when we're on the playground? You see, when you defame somebody, you need to face the consequences. I know, it's odd that freedom isn't quite 'free' but it's how it is. Freedom is not free of consequences. It's not. You're close to 30 and if you haven't had an opportunity to find this out by now then I am sorry. Maybe all the current media attention will help elucidate this point for you.

Freedom, Ms. Port, comes with a lot of privileges but also a lot of duties and responsibilities. You can't just spew hate, anonymous hate, and then demand that the First Amendment come to your rescue when you encounter hard times.

I've never cared about anonymous comments. Granted, anonymity is a First Amendment right, among other things, but when should one have the right to stand up for one's good name when it is dragged through the mud in a cowardly fashion? I didn't know who Liskula Cohen was before this debacle but I can now say I'm on her team. This, to me, is one of those very rare instances in life where I see myself picking a team and sticking with it.

Anonymity when used to disperse malicious reports and damaging language is not only wrong. It is cruel. Are you hearing me, Rosemary Port? Spewing hate anonymously on the internet and in real life is cruel. Plain cruel.

I, Brikena Ribaj, of www.brikenaribaj.com, am publicly pronouncing my opinion here. As a long-time blogger and supporter of Web 2.0, I am ashamed of your actions. I hope you learn to rectify your mistakes and behave with more respect vis-a-vis people and language in the future.

Drop your 15 million suit to Google for violating your First Amendment right. Drop it. Instead, find ways to be a productive member of society, detox your system from the hate you seem to have so much of, and move on. It is easier to live without hate. And better. So much better.

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Thought on Minimalism

Two women whose faces and bare backs suggested that they were in their 50's but whose clothing items seemed to have been co-opted from a spoiled teenager's closet, were sitting in the same area I was also occupying during one of my very recent travels.

The area, as I describe it to my person over text, was an almost too balanced a fusion of a somewhat-anxious, post-Wall-Street-crisis-informed, nouveau riche-pretending space and affected Bohemia.

I found myself sporting a smug smirk which, had I actually seen it in a mirror, I would have detested it. But that day I didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that I was looking smug for it seemed to be an appropriate reaction.

To my left I see another woman in her late 50's or so whose shoulders were evidence of a rather disciplined regimen of yoga and pilates and her darker skin color suggested that her visits to her local tan salon were at least bi-weekly. The hair seemed to say, 'Hey, look at me. A French-speaking stylist named Robert (who leaves the 't' out when pronouncing his name) with genius hands and out-of-this-world-smelling shampoos was frolicking with my locks for well over an hour. The result: absolute lusciousness.

And, as these thoughts were swimming in my head, I could feel the smug smirk approaching the enclaves of my face again.
How's this for minimalistic? I ask.
Yeah, B.R., how do you like them apples?

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Mad Men: Taking Advertising and TV by Storm

Mathew Weiner is the brain and creative force behind AMC's mega hit drama series Mad Men. The writing is fabulous as I have already noted here at different times and the acting follows suit.

If you have one hour to spare a week, make sure to see this. Mad Men just started its third season and the first episode is available in full on the official AMC site. You may view that first episode here. It's aesthetically pleasingly, culturally fascinating, and intellectually stimulating. How often can we say this about TV programming these days?

And Jon Hamm continues to deliver. A true gem of a production.

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Karen O, Spike Jonze, and the Upcoming Feature: "Where the Wild Things Are"

I'm looking forward to Spike Jonze's upcoming Where the Wild Things Are. I'm especially looking forward to Karen O's music which will be featured in it.
The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Karen O are such a strong, strong favorite.
If they are playing in your neck of the woods, make sure to go see them. Karen O is spectacular!
Read more here.

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Darwin and Synchronicity

Just recently I was thinking about Darwin and evolution and as I stepped out I saw this. The tattoo made me laugh. Synchronicity, anyone?

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The Smiths, Big Night, Extrinsic Motivation

While conversing with two friends of mine last night, the concept of extrinsic motivation came up. I mentioned it while recounting old college stories and how a dear person during those days used to use that phrase every time he had finals or midterms coming up. Extrinsic motivation is never inconsequential and that is because it, more often than not, leads to valued productivity and tangible results.

It was while writing today (and listening to The Smiths) that for some odd reason my synaptic connections led me to think about this film from 1996 called Big Night

I became familiar with it a couple of years ago thanks to this very talented artist I met the summer of 2004. What I love about artists is the amount of inspiration they give me by virtue of their mere presence. To me they are so beautiful and indispensable to my very own creative process. My liking them is mostly need-generated, you see.

This particular artist had a hard time making a living via the art of choice and the blog-featured film of today, i.e., Big Night, was the cinematic text that was used to make the point that one's love of/for one's art of choice is not to be compromised.

I generally watch films on the big screen to be challenged and [hopefully] educated/informed. But after watching Big Night on our rather minimalistic screen and seeing one of the lead characters, Primo, who sees cooking as a pure form of art and refuses to make 'cheap,' 'mass-produced' dishes for the people in the 'new' world, I felt a good measure of emotion.

Watch it. You will enjoy.

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