Author Archive

Spirituality, Excess, and the Pleasures of Survivor: South Pacific

December 13, 2011
By
Spirituality, Excess, and the Pleasures of <em>Survivor: South Pacific</em>

Religion is a prominent concern on this season of Survivor. In an early episode, returning cast member Coach told Upolu tribe mate Brandon that it will be a struggle to play the game as moral Christian men. How well did these men do with this task? In the last episode, after saying he’s playing...
Read more »

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Perspectives, TV | 7 Comments »

The State of Reality TV: The Pain of Watching The Bachelor

February 2, 2011
By
The State of Reality TV: The Pain of Watching The Bachelor

This season is painful to watch, but not in a fun, carnivalesque way. Rather, the pain seems to be much more serious and reveals the emotional trauma that we can experience when we blindly submit ourselves to normative ideas of patriarchy and the nuclear family.
Read more »

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Columns, Perspectives, State of Reality TV, TV | 12 Comments »

Late to the Party: It’s a Wonderful Life

December 8, 2010
By
Late to the Party: <i>It’s a Wonderful Life</i>

For me, Jimmy Stewart and my hometown became one. As a teenager, I hated my hometown and small-town life in general. Why on earth would I watch the film on which my town based its image?
Read more »

Tags:
Posted in Columns, Film, Late to the Party, Perspectives | Comments Off on Late to the Party: It’s a Wonderful Life

When Sports Talk Radio Converges: The Relevance of Callers’ Hometowns

June 2, 2010
By
When Sports Talk Radio Converges: The Relevance of Callers’ Hometowns

The town names of callers allow listeners to construct an imagined regional map, an extended network of communication of which they are one point in their material environment that they comprehend through the car window
Read more »

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Internet, Perspectives, Radio, TV | Comments Off on When Sports Talk Radio Converges: The Relevance of Callers’ Hometowns