Jason C. Romero's Blog - Latest Comments

Re: Status Updates for 2009-08-25

Ann Kime — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:09:31 -0000

You crack me up! Photographed your reflection in a bus window, why wouldn't I think of that? Welcome back to the motherland.

Re: I saw two hats fly off heads on the way home.

Michelle — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:27:50 -0000

Nice story. It does seem random moments like that stick out in my childhood memories, at least. Sweet to think she might remember in years from now. Well done, Romerosan.

Re: Sherry Turkle’s Ethnocentric Stance on Texting

ailsa — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:33:33 -0000

I concur; I hadnt thought about it being ethnocentric, but if you place what you believe to be proper in the centre of the universe...
I hadnt experienced it in her earlier writing, In life on the screen and second self she had seemed to consider the ways we might be shaped without being moralistic.
The ability to engage in conversations more than might have occurred in the past is congruent with what my research participants tell me, as i talk about in my blog on this subject
http://amusingspace.blogspot.com/2009/06/textin...

Re: Sherry Turkle’s Ethnocentric Stance on Texting

angieandriot — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:59:45 -0000

Hmmm...I see two avenues toward ethnocentrism here. Either she's trying to apply a basic developmental/psychological model (Erikson, psychoanalysis, bleh) to all people everywhere, or just to Americans... but doesn't bother to clarify that point. And we don't have enough information here to know which is the case.

Regarding adolescence as an important developmental time which is thwarted by constant texting, I wonder how this compares to kids with lots of siblings, sharing a small house space, and no privacy? Do they have the same "developmental issues"? Somehow I doubt it. She brings it up as a "move from 'I have a feeling, I want to send a text' to 'I want to have a feeling, I need to send a text.' - a constant need for validation. I can see why this would not be good. But what's the evidence that texting somehow causes this?

Not sure about the Korea example. Based on my very vague understanding of differences between Korea and America, I would say that this constant texting and connection will have a different impact here, and maybe even does "threaten" something that previously existed in our case more so than in theirs. A shift, but even in shifts something is being left behind. The question is whether to mourn that change. She does.

Excellent point about intimacy and difficult conversations, though. I concur.

In the end, she comes off sounding like the grumpy old man complaining about "kids these days" and how "society is going to hell in a handbasket," but I think part of that is the editing. She doesn't sound quite as bad in the interview.

And though I disagree with the following quote, I like it on aesthetic grounds and think they should have worked it into the article: "teens need stillness to develop their identities, but there's no stillness if you're vibrating 80 times a day."

Re: Status Updates for 2009-07-02

Icon — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:25:44 -0000

The Wire finishes out pretty strong through season 4 and 5, I don't know if I like season 3 or 4 the best.

Re: Aloïse Corbaz at the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art

Marion Lesher — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:47:05 -0000

I think her painting are a bit unusual to say the least. But I was wondering if she ever did an actual oil painting. I came upon an oil painting that looks like an older picture of her that is signed in what looks to be what may be her signature. The painting came from theStar Gallery at 10 Bouverie Place Paddington,W2 1RB .... If you can help me find out anything about this painting I would be grateful.... Sincerely Marion Lesher

Re: Laptop Battle Tokyo Vol. 5

BETAMAXNOMATES — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 05:20:49 -0000

JaQwa was pretty special, alright. Have to say though the standard was really high all round. I'm glad PlaPla Pinky got it in the end, if not for his music, then at least for - what one of my friends dubbed - his constant 'O' face.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=...

Re: Laptop Battle Tokyo Vol. 5

Control Freak — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 05:03:42 -0000

Thanks for the report! Yeah JaQwa was my man of the match! Have to say tho, even tho DJ Take was spinning other peoples tracks has was doing it in quite a witty way, could have been more current tho. Was happy to see Pla Pla Pinky win, his live performance using the monome was really impressive! http://twitpic.com/7sqed

Thanks for uploading the videos, so quickly too! I'll link to this blog. If you're planning on writing anything in more detail would love to know your thoughts!

Re: Daily Journal Entry #11827 05/17/08 Sat

jasoncromero — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:39:44 -0000

I get that. The problem is that, like the NPR story said, it seems to cast the net too widely. If consent to sex is consent to sex with a particular person, then that would make anonymous sex rape as well. There has to be a way to consent to sex without knowing the identity of the individual. I also don't think that someone lying about who they are should turn sex into rape.

I agree that the Revenge of the Nerds scene is rape. It's just difficult to articulate it in a clear manner that doesn't include other situations that don't fit. "Consent to sex, with a particular individual" helps a little bit, but is still somewhat incomplete, I think.

Re: Daily Journal Entry #11827 05/17/08 Sat

LLS — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:20:33 -0000

To clarify why the Revenge of the Nerds scene is rape:

Rape is not sex by force, it is sex without consent. And, "consent to sex" is an incomplete notion. It should more accurately be stated "consent to sex, with a particular individual."

Think of it this way - if you were engaged in sex with your partner, and a stranger burst into the room and raped you before you could get disengaged from your partner, how would you feel about the rapist's defense lawyer saying, "well, you were consenting to sex in that very moment, so all's fair." Your reply would be, "No, I was not consenting to sex in general in that moment. I was consenting to sex with my partner only."

In other words, going back to the movie, the very act of the nerd character putting on the mask to conceal his identity shows he knew he did not have her consent to sex with him. That is rape. Consent is more than the consent to just the act, it's also consenting to who that act is with.

Re: The Burden of Happiness

jasoncromero — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:57:59 -0000

Haha, yes, haven't read it, but am quite familiar with that book. I refer to it, or Gilbert rather, all the time when I tell people that, on average, there is a drop in happiness when a couple has kids that doesn't rise back to its previous state until the kids are gone. I think I first heard about him and his book on NPR.

Re: The Burden of Happiness

angieandriot — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:38:08 -0000

Stumbling on Happiness

Re: The Burden of Happiness

jasoncromero — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:14:31 -0000

I wasn't saying that teaching isn't meaningful and rewarding. I have also experienced it as such. What I was saying is that in spite of this, it is not enough, and I don't want to personally rationalize it as being sufficient.

Re: The Burden of Happiness

angieandriot — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:01:58 -0000

Ah, see I was reading it as a conscious effort on your part to be sad - to me, saying that "Every time I feel pleased, happy, or comfortable I try to remind myself of that and remember the others who don’t have the same privileges that I do. I must find a way to rid myself of this burden of happiness" sounds like making an effort in the direction of sadness, not having it or this mindfulness spontaneously occur. What you're saying now, in this response, sounds more like a *mindful* happiness, not a ridding of it. That, I get.

I also get what Aaron was saying, and that makes sense to me. It just sounded to me like you were disagreeing with him, saying that wasn't it. And in your post, you talk about making that conscious reminder as a reaction even to comfort, not just exuberance. That's what tripped me up, I think. Though don't think anyone could sustain exuberance for a lengthy time, anyway.

I think teaching can be very rewarding, but not when considered as a simple pedagogic approach. I'm thinking more of the mentoring that can go along with it, though the actual classroom stuff can be meaningful, too. Even with the Phoenix class I'm teaching, I've already seen some positive outcomes in students realizing their own racist assumptions. Only about 4 students have actually demonstrated growth in this way, but I think opening people's minds like that is pretty meaningful. And if I really wanted to get more meaning out of it, I could always engage more with the students on a personal level. I've had just as many seek advice on life issues - maybe it's the anonymity of the online environment that allows that, or the extent to which I interact with them here instead of in lectures, but this advice-seeking is new for me.

But I don't see this as a rationalization to make myself feel better. I honestly believe that teaching and mentoring makes a difference and find it meaningful and rewardiing.

Re: The Burden of Happiness

jasoncromero — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:37:05 -0000

I'm certainly not proposing that I should be depressed all the time. I
agree that would help no one, since it would inhibit my ability to act
on the behalf of others. I do realize that I have to take care of
myself before I am able to take care of others.

I suppose what I'm really opposed to – for myself, in my own life, at
least – is exuberance, in particular escapist exuberance. Aaron
spotted this very clearly. I don't have a problem with holding a
neutral, moderate, somewhat cheerful demeanor. I just don't want to
lose myself in deriving too much pleasure from things that don't help
others.

One other thing I want to make clear is that while I can nudge my
affective experience one way or the other bit by bit, there are some
aspects of it I ultimately have little control over, and this is one
of them. I can't help but feel sad about the experiences of others in
the world. Admittedly, this isn't something that I even want that to
go away. I carry it with me as a constant reminder of what I need to
do, what I should be doing, and what I have failed to do, if that ends
up being the case. I don't think I would like myself very much if I
didn't feel this way.

The little experience I've had with teaching and other pedagogical
situations have been sufficient in letting me know that that is not
enough to make this go away. I also don't want to indulge myself in
this sort of rationalization to make myself feel better.

A friend once told me that while we can't help everyone, we can help
those around us, as a way of making peace with this kind of situation.
However, I've also made decisions along the way that have put me in
contact with some groups of people and not others, so while I do
understand that "we do what we can on the scale that's available to
us," I also understand that in various ways I have chosen that scale
– and, as I outlined in my post, my fear is that the scale I have
chosen is dissatisfactory.

Re: The Burden of Happiness

angieandriot — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:38:34 -0000

My own happiness doesn't cause me guilt, but I tend not to think of happiness at an individual level. I think of it more as a social phenomenon. There is sadness in the world, but adding to it out of what you liken to "survivor's guilt" only makes *more* sadness. I don't see how it helps, and in fact, I think it makes matters worse by increasing the sadness in the world. And yes, I realize I'm taking a very functionalist approach to emotion.

On the other hand, research does indicate that empathy predicts social action, at least at the individual, small-scale level. Empathy matters in a specific, reactive context. And although feeling sad because random others out there somewhere are sad is a form of empathy, it's too broad to provide much direction regarding subsequent action. I think this is why people tend to pick a cause close to their hearts. They can direct their empathetic tendencies and desire to help in a tangible, focused way.

Regarding what you can do, what about teaching? That's an aspect of being an academic, too. You do your research to understand, and basically present it to the vacuum that is your field. But don't you have a real opportunity to impact people positively in the classroom? Sure, it's not curing cancer, but not everyone is going to help in such grandiose ways. We do what we can on the scale that's available to us.

Re: The Burden of Happiness

Kate — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:02:16 -0000

I read The Road a couple of months ago. It changed my thoughts on many things and was something I am glad that I read. More later....

Re: The Burden of Happiness

jasoncromero — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:26:49 -0000

I guess I just feel guilty when I am happy because I know that there are others who are not. It just goes against my sense of fairness and makes me sad. A vicious cycle.

I do also try not to let my own happiness lead to apathy, and while that isn't what this post was about, it certainly is another one of the reasons I constantly try to remind myself of the suffering of others.

Re: The Burden of Happiness

Aaron — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:58:15 -0000

Being comfortable might not necessarily be a good thing, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean by reminding yourself of others who are not as well off when you, yourself, feel happy. Happiness isn't always idleness, so do you just mean to remind yourself to not let moments of happiness lead to apathy toward others?

Re: Aloïse Corbaz at the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art

jasoncromero — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:40:26 -0000

Oh my...

Re: Aloïse Corbaz at the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art

Angie — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:33:39 -0000

Clearly you were thinking of this picture, which I think bears a remarkable resemblance to this artist:

http://jillianmaxine.tumblr.com/post/121290987

Re: Aloïse Corbaz at the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art

jasoncromero — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:11:28 -0000

Yeah, that is very similar to what I was picturing, but the one I have in mind has even bigger eyes. The one I remember is doing the same gesture though and is also religious art.

Re: Aloïse Corbaz at the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art

Angie — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 11:19:39 -0000

Damnations, I mean this one:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ikon/palamas.gif

Re: Aloïse Corbaz at the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art

Angie — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:29:39 -0000

This one: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ikon/palamas.gif

My html was completely ignored. What's up with that?

Re: Aloïse Corbaz at the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art

Angie — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:28:09 -0000

I think this one is a good comparison. It has a lot of similarities in the eyes, the halo, the nose shape, plus the posing is similar. And the images both have the same sort of stillness about them.