BMDN - Everything Ends (Nov 30th)

"Too much of a good thing can be wonderful."

Ohai there!

I was thinking about a novel way to end this month's blogging adventures, contemplating a something along the lines of 'The Best Finales Ever', or anything to do with stuff finishing. Instead though, I think I just want to reflect on what's been an interesting month.

In the true spirit of BEDM, I present you with November's final blog on the 1st of December! It may have been haphazard and inconsistent at times, but for me blogging every day this month has been an enriching experience. Think about what we've covered! We've talked pop culture oddities - Megan Fox's hidden passion, 'RuPaul's Drag Race', Derren Brown's 'Apocalypse', a surprisingly honest acceptance speech. We've talked music - Lana Del Rey, Woodkid, Lana Del Rey again... OK, mainly Lana Del Rey. And oh boy have we talked film! Skyfall, 'Looper', 'Untouchable', 'Drive',  'Blue Velvet', 'Bring It On' and my beloved 'Perks of Being a Wallflower', on which I gushed considerably.

But for all that I've enjoyed talking about the things I'm passionate about (maybe not as passionately as Megan Fox), for me, I think the real reward has been talking about myself...

Not so much because I crave attention (though read blogging everyday how you like), but because it's all been quite cathartic for me. Talking about growing up, national identity, honesty, and even my inability to take compliments has led me to reflect on where I used to be, where I am now, and where I want to go next. Thank you for being a part of that.

I really do mean that. This would have been half the fun it was had people not responded and supported it. I'm glad that people have shown agreement to what I've said, as well as challenging my opinions - how boring would it be if we all felt the same about things?

I hope it's worked the other way as well! I hope that this blog has made you think about things in your own lives. I hope you said yes to something you wouldn't have before (as my friend Martha encouraged me to do when I was considering leaving school - best decision!). I hope everyone starts writing about things now, not just because vlogs are so 2009, but because you'll think about very unexpected things. I can only recommend this as a wholly worthwhile experience.

When I was talking about hipsters, receiving pearls of wisdom, or discussing, in believe it or not the most popular blog of the month, dungeons and dragons, it sometimes felt like too much. I began to flag about halfway into the month. But whenever I was exhausted, and lacked the motivation to put my all into this, I just remembered one of my gran's favourite sayings... Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.

And it was. You'll be hearing from me soon...

Tara x

BMDN - Lana Revisited: The Paradise Edition (Nov 28th)

Ohai there!

Hows life? Sweet like cinnamon? Like a fuckin' dream you're living in? Yep, we're talking LDR again, but for two good reasons!

Firstly, I received this lengthy post from my friend Chris, a fan of Lana Del Rey who indirectly broke my last 'Born To Die' when he played the song 'Without You' (more on that later). It was in response to this blog that I posted on November 9th, discussing my thoughts on 'flash in the pan' artist Lana Del Rey. Here's what he posted:

"Ok! I've got Kate Nash on, I'm in my heels and I'm ready for Lana Del Ray discussions! The main point I wanna draw attention to is that feminism is about equality. Specifically important to my argument is that equality means choice. 

The way I read Lana's album is that she desperately (perhaps pathetically) is in love with some dude (or the idea of some dude). A dude who works all day, comes home tired and who she looks after. She wants to dedicate her life to being with him and will do anything to please, to help etc. This is easier to understand when he's some labourer (i.e. in Video Games, this is what I imagine).

I can see why you'd think of Video Games as a clever wink to view on women, but I believe you're wrong. I believe Lana LOVES her life on the song. She loves to watch the dude play video games. She loves doing anything he does ("tell me all the things you wanna do") and is more than willing to dedicate her life to be with him. She doesn't think this is a waste ("[life is] only worth living if somebody is loving you") and I'm not convinced that she is wrong. If the meaning of your life is to dedicate it to someone and for there to be mutual love, then fine; sounds better than maths, eh? :p This is her choice and she can't possibly express misogyny via individual choice.

Also, I think the only reason Video Games is sad is because she hasn't found the man that she believes can bring her happiness (via dependance)

Ok. I'm maybe a little drunk but if you get my jist you can now extend this to the rest of her album. Except, she's rich, probs has loads of cool rich friend etc.

So, if you extend this idea to the rich and famous it leads to many problems! Your man doesn't need looking after and this leads to materialism, attention seeking and probs sadness. This defines many of her songs from her album.

Now I'm bored and tired. I think I stopped my argument earlier than I hoped. But basically, my thoughts are:

Dependance is a (not-that-crazy and certainly not individually sexist) choice.
Extension when rich => sadness.

Hmmmmmm... this is probs all poo."

Since I very much like it when people respond to my blog, I of course cannot pass up the chance to return to everyone's favourite Valley Girl once more.

I actually agree with a lot with what is said (not poo at all!), yet I feel your argument very openly undermines itself. I think you are right to say that equality means choice. I even agree that satisfaction can be found - and is found for a lot of people - in looking after others. It's a noble thing to do. However in the case of the Lana Del Rey character of the album, I feel she has disregarded herself in search of this. You're right, it is pathetic the amount she is devoted to him and how he doesn't reciprocate - it's not healthy for her. Though instead of acknowledging that she knows living this way isn't right, she maintains her position. She basically says living underneath a man is acceptable for her, and that message is what I find misogynistic. In my limited knowledge of the feminist movement, I'm pretty sure empowerment is a big thing! And that's before we counter in the fact she's loaded...

Then we reach a place of 'first world problems'. Oh no Lana! You're unsatisfied with the president boinking you!? Why don't you get a bad boy to take you downtown on his motorcycle instead? Oh, now you miss the rich older men objectifying you and buying you diamonds? I have a solution: You should definitely write an album of morbid songs about it. Then we shall all sympathise and buy it because you sound vaguely gangsta!

OK, I don't hate her that much. But you can see it doesn't take a lot to get you to that point. You have to take her with a pinch of salt to enjoy her music. Basically, dig the atmosphere but ignore the lyrics. It's a similar on the EP attached to the re-release of 'Born To Die', which I listened to because I'm dedicated to the blog! This is the second reason why I'm back on the Del Rey thought train.

Dubbed 'Born To Die - The Paradise Edition', the extension mostly offers more of the same, with a couple notable songs which suggest positive new directions. In general, the songs surge with a bit more drive despite the fact she's still riddled with the same problematic character. Her new single 'Ride' is enjoyable enough if you're into her already (though perhaps it's a bit too vocally challenging on the low parts), but the standouts come in the finale. 'Yayo' is a weird ethereal little song that suits her a lot, and while it's still about her running off with a bad boy, it's to escape the broken life she currently leads ("You have to take me now/From this dark trailer park/Life now"). It even has quite nice other lyrics! I enjoy "Hello Heaven/You are a tunnel lined with yellow lights/On a dark night" especially. 'Bel Air' has a catchy piano hook that masks a hidden depth, and is a promising end to a samey EP.

Of course, I hate a lot of it. The first line in 'Without You' is what put me off Lana Del Rey in the first place. "Everything I want I have/Money, notoriety, and rivieras" epitomises everything I hate about her. But evidently she fascinates me. I don't know what it is. I think it's to do with the potential she has to be brilliant, but the fact she squanders it with her persona and underdeveloped vocals. Her style may be what makes her for a lot of people, but I think it's what is holding her back.

Now, let us never talk of Lana Del Rey again.

Tara x

BMDN - 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' Review (Nov 27th)

Ohai there!

When the marketing folks at Summit Entertainment first sat down and watched 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower', Stephen Chbosky's film adaptation of his cult young adult novel, I'm not sure they knew what to do. What they had was a gem of a film that probably soared above their expectations of a precocious indie flick. A comedy drama about a 15-year-old dealing with extreme social anxiety problems and making friends with a flamboyantly gay senior and his step-sister, herself battling low self-esteem, is very understandably hard to market. So what they did was, on reflection, very clever indeed. The film was presented in the trailer and on buses as a 'Juno'-esque 'outsiders coming together' piece of Hollywood cheese that the studio knew people would go and watch. They then let the reviewers bring in the rest of the audience that would assume the film wasn't for them. And of course, having Emma Watson didn't hurt...

I must precede the rest of this review by saying that I absolutely love the film and its big earnest heart to bits, and it begins and ends with the three lead performances. Logan Lerman as protagonist Charlie is endearing from the very first scene, playing awkward innocence to perfection. His performance as he discovers a new social world, all the while fighting inner turmoil, is never anything but completely compelling. There's no sign that her time at Hogwarts has badly affected Emma Watson either, as both her grasp of character and American accent convince greatly. She manages to poignantly hint at the extent of Sam's bruises, and the chemistry between herself and Charlie is tender and somehow feels unique - despite the love interest long being a genre staple. And then there's Ezra Miller. Best known for playing the psychopathic titular character in Lynne Ramsay's 'We Need To Talk About Kevin', he could not be further away from that role, always having a zinger to toss into the mix to uplift situations - and the film. Miller's interpretation of Patrick is the perfect final cog in the trio, and his ability to mix high comedy with a grounded character is what helps the film hit its unique tone.

What is particularly impressive about 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' is that it is always dancing on the edge of cliché and coming out triumphant. It shouldn't work - first loves, teen suicide, abuse, outcasts - but it just does. It's all because the movie is clearly a labour of love from director Chbosky, and he truly understands what being a teenager is like. Even the takes on things such as Patrick's homosexuality seem refreshing. What lines seem like clunkers in trailer ("Let's go be psychos together!"/"We accept the love we think we deserve.") ring true when contexualised and rolling off the tongues of the fine cast. 

The film also has a wicked sense of humour - when you're not being touched, you're laughing. They're not afraid to go dark for laughs (a speech about Charlie wanting terminal cancer is blackly hilarious), and the repartee between the characters is always tinged in a gentle humour, especially when Patrick is around. It goes a long way in winning over the audience to invest in the more serious moments. During the second screening of the film I went to, the audience were even trying to laugh at the emotional moments, before the repercussions of them became apparent. The contrast between light and dark make the emotions felt by the viewer even more powerful.

And boy, does the film have an emotional gut punch towards the end. For someone who has read the book, and who knows the twist the film alludes to throughout, I felt a genuine sense of dread. Said twist comes off better in the film than in the book in this reviewers opinion, and when the moment comes, I was not the only person in the cinema shedding a tear or fifteen. That's a testament to the quality of the film. On the other end of the spectrum, the film has several moments of cinematic euphoria (I'm looking at you homecoming dance, and tunnel sequences). The movie works primarily as a visceral experience for the viewer, and since it's about teens and their heightened emotions, that's the way it should be.

If I really wanted to I could quibble. Some of the lines, while better in the film than the trailer, still come off a little clunky. Also, it can sometimes feel there's one trauma too many, and the final twist didn't hit me quite as hard on a second viewing (read: I didn't weep).

That's all a little redundant however, because 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' is a beautiful film. This kind of thing won't seem like a lot of people's cup of tea, but the movie just resonates with you so strongly. So I cheer 'OMG best thing ever' along with the rest of the target demographic, and for those older folks, I'm sure there's a warm nostalgia to be found in Charlie's coming-of-age. Brilliant stuff.

*****

Tara x

BMDN - What's Your Nationality? (Nov 26th)

(Edits have been made to this post to reflect a change of opinion on reflection, and the fact that I sounded like an arse hole in the way I expressed that opinion. I apologise to anyone I may have offended.)

Ohai there!

Today I'm going to talk about identity, and not through films for once! Though just for the sake of dropping some films in here, I had a hungover watch of this gem recently:

COMEDY GOLD. An instant classic. Keeping my eyes peeled for the direct-to-video sequels: 'Bring It On Again', 'Bring It On: All or Nothing', 'Bring It On: In It to Win It', and 'Bring It On: Fight to the Finish'. But let us depart.

People often ask both officially and unofficially what nationality you are.  And there always seems to be three pertinent answers for me to choose from: Scottish, British or Shetland. The other larger options such as European or 'citizen of the world' sound too vague or hippyish to be taken seriously by anyone.

I must say I do have an answer to this. My go to is Scottish, and here's why...

Though I was born in Shetland, my parents are from Glasgow and Dundee, two major Scottish cities. I never grew up with a Shetland speaker in my house, and while my parents were decently integrated into the Shetland community (my dad being a bartender helped), I feel me being a full-blown Shetlander is sort of hindered by the fact I'm not a Jamieson or a Moncrieff or an Irvine.

I love where I'm from - the fellow Shetlanders I associate with are nothing but kind, accepting and fun. I do feel there is a certain exclusivity that exists within a small subset of people in the Shetland community that I find off-putting. Because my family's name doesn't go back generations, I'm never going to get an automatic invite to an Up-Helly-Aa hall or nip up to Skeld for some red tins. A lot of me not feeling solely a Shetlander is I think also to do with my stereotyped view of who a Shetlander is, which is my misgiving, not the misgiving of the actual populace. I don't know what it is, but when I hear 'Shetlander', I think to fisherman and crofters (nothing wrong with this, just not me), not the other Shetlanders I see on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps someone could enlighten me as to why I might feel that way, a way which I know is inaccurate? Am I putting too much weight on history when it comes to national identity?

Exclusivity did come up when we made the documentary about poverty, social exclusion and inequality in Shetland earlier this year:

So that's why I don't feel like a Shetlander, despite how great Shetland is in general. The reason I don't feel British is largely political. We live under a government at the moment whose ideals I strongly disagree with, and I feel a British identity ties me to those ideals, as well as other things I disapprove of like the monarchy. I don't love the world's associations with being typically British, therefore I don't feel British.

But I do feel Scottish. It's a happy medium between the small and the broad. Scotland has this grit, and unwavering patriotism no matter what state we find ourselves in that I find very charming. It's your associations (and maybe stereotypes) with being a certain nationality that is the definitive factor for me. Home is where your heart is!

So while I may not be this guy...

...I do feel like a true Scot.

Tara x

The inspiration for this came from my friend Louise who's doing a project on national identity. If anyone that's not her quotes me for the same project, I will sue! And find out where you live.

BMDN - It's Like Christmas Came Early (Nov 23rd)

Ohai there!

I'm feeling awfully merry today. I don't know what it is, but I just want to sing! I think it might be something adrighdl... something sdfgjhdfg.... something to do with...

ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SAID TO ME

Hold it one hot second. It's the 23rd of November. Why am I hearing the faint bells of a certain bearded gentlemen? Because we are understandably obsessed with Christmas as a country, and I feel that it is because of this, we will ruin it for ourselves.

Imagine the holiday as the epicentre of all joy in the world. It is incredibly concentrated on one momentous day, with a serious glow attached to its two neighbours. Now imagine that epicentre being yanked and yanked and yanked in all directions until the joy is so spread out that nobody can even remember why we're supposed to be happy anymore.

I'm really not a Scrooge when it comes to xmas. I love it just as much as the next person: the presents, family coming together, great food, the presents. My 6-year-old self devolved into hysterical cackling on the floor on Christmas Eve because I was so excited for Santa's arrival! I'm just concerned we're gonna make it not as special anymore at this rate. I suppose no matter if we started getting ready for festivities in May, no one could truly ruin Christmas. I even understand why people think starting celebrations earlier would add morale to what are trying times at the moment. If only it weren't just to sell a stack load of shit.

Supermarkets wait at the starting line on the 31st of October, waiting for the pesky monsters to shimmy on by so they can set up consumerist shrines to ol' Saint Nic. It makes me feel sad that they're exploiting such a joyous time for mucho dinero, but even worse that I have to see reindeer trying to sell acer aspires on the 5th of November (leave it to Megan Fox). This time of year is all about warmth, and I don't feel the heat radiating from Tesco's cold heart.

Despite my hypocritical anti-capitalist ramblings, and the fact that we're not even in the 12th month yet, I can't deny my excitement for Christmas. I know it's going to be wonderful. It always is. Play us out Ella...

Tara x

31 days till Christmas/my 18th... oh, did I forget to mention I'm the Messiah. JC signing out.

BMDN - Lynch and his Ladies (Nov 21st)

Ohai there!

So, in case you all didn't know, I'm a dropout. Not a proper one mind you - just a 6th year dropout. There was something I clung onto longer than the rest though, and that was my english dissertation on the subject of how director David Lynch portrays the American Dream as unattainable through his female characters. I was intending to use three of Lynch's films - 'Blue Velvet', 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me', and 'Mulholland Drive' to explore the idea but didn't quite get that far.

Though I did write quite a bit on the subject of 'Blue Velvet' and I thought it would be a shame to let it go stale on my hard drive, so I'm sharing what I managed to get written today. So without further ado, my incomplete dissertation.

(NOTE: IT CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR 'BLUE VELVET'.)

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While David Lynch’s diverse filmography contains many recurring elements - notions of good and evil, meticulous sound design, a dream-like sensibility - there is perhaps none more fascinating than his portrayal of American society.  Offering nightmarish visions of suburbia, idyllic small towns, and hope-filled metropolis’, the director soared to popularity by utilising his unique surrealist vision as a subtle critique of life in the USA. The unifying factor in his four-decade film career, however, is not the places but their inhabitants. The typical “Lynchian” characters will toy with the American dream: some embracing it fully; some being soured by its shortfalls; and some abusing it for their own nefarious purposes. This cannot be see more clearly than in his women. Presenting an intriguing blend of innocence and corruption with his female characters, they are always profoundly affected by their environment and the sensitivities of living in such a pristine culture. The very fact that his female roles suffer similar plights despite their diversity only reinforces this fact. Within Blue Velvet (1986), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) and Mulholland Drive (2001) there are takes on the 50s femme fatale, drug-addled homecoming queens, and aspiring starlets who all suffer in their attempts at the American dream. It would seem Lynch believes they were destined to fail. The land of the free he portrays is a society whose ideals are fundamentally unattainable due to, ironically, the nature of life in the country itself. This paradox provides inspiration for some of the thematic and cinematic qualities that make David Lynch’s films so surreally compelling.

Having achieved art house success with his debut feature Eraserhead (1977), Lynch eventually broke through commercially in the 80s with his much respected The Elephant Man (1980), garnering numerous prestigious award nominations. Following the failure of his next project, the epic Dune (1984), Lynch expressed a desire to return to a more personal film-making. The result was Blue Velvet - the tale of a nightclub singer tormented by a gangster whom is holding her family hostage. The film tapped into the national psyche, offering a warped view of Americana in which the kept suburban veneer is shattered, revealing an underworld of crime and abuse. It centres on Jeffery Beaumont (played by Kyle MacLachlan), a college student returned to his humble home of Lumberton in order to see his ailing father. When he finds an ear on the way back from the hospital, he begins to investigate with sweet high school student Sandy (Laura Dern). Their sleuthing leads them to torch singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), and from here Jeffery he is drawn into the illicit circumstances of her life. Vallens is living under the thumb of the psychopathic Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper), who has kidnapped her husband and son in order to gain sexual favours. He forces her to engage in unsettling acts of emotional exploitation and sadomasochism to the revulsion of Beaumont, whose obsession with her results in a physical relationship and an unhappy Booth. During the climax of the film, after Frank has intimidated Jeffery through violence and substance abuse, the protagonist hides from the gun-wielding villain in the closet where he first witnessed Dorothy’s molestation. He manages to eventually trick Booth and shoots him in the head, killing him. The film closes on a montage where Dorothy is reunited with her son. 

Blue Velvet bestows Rossellini’s character much thematic significance. She is clearly the victim of an irrepressible society: a society which allows her to be humiliated, degraded and taken advantage of. By explicitly showing the criminal underworld of quaint Lumberton, and all its bizarre characters, a stark contrast is created between the suburban dream and harsh reality. The beautiful homes are built on foundations of evil and corruption. This is the basis on which Lynch’s embellishments - his casting decisions, locations, symbolism, commentary - lay, and Dorothy Vallens is the result of an America which attempts to paint over its appalling problems.

Of the film, Lynch had this to say:

“This is the way America is to me. There’s a very innocent, naive quality to life, and there’s a horror and a sickness as well. It’s everything. Blue Velvet is a very American movie. The look of it was inspired by my childhood in Spokane, Washington.” - Lynch

Within the movie the contrast between “a very innocent, naive quality to life” and “a horror and a sickness” transcends even the plot, the very film itself being a constant struggle between an enjoyable romantic movie and a dark exposé on the beaten and forgotten. This is best epitomised when looking at the environments of the two female leads. Sandy seems to appear in “American approved” locations such as high school, Arlene’s diner or house parties; as opposed to Dorothy’s seedy clubs, dingy apartment building or weird brothels/drug dens. Where Sandy has to deal with trivial issues such as troubles with her boyfriend, Dorothy has to come to terms with rape and the abduction of her family.

How does Lynch create these two different worlds? A pertinent example is the film’s opening. It begins with a tilt shot from the picturesque blue sky down to a white picket fence protecting a bed of blood red roses. The image is very saturated and colourful, perpetuating the clean suburban paradise one has come to expect. This is then succeeded by numerous shots of everyday life in Lumberton (schoolchildren crossing the road, men waving from passing trucks) scored by an upbeat version of the song ‘Blue Velvet’. Through these cinematic choices, a certain message is conveyed: that this simple suburb is one to be idolised. This set-up lends itself well to the irony about to follow, and pre-emptively justifies the naivety of Sandy’s character and curiosity of Jeffery in a very succinct manner. Living in a closed garden of white picket fences had meant its inhabitants have little knowledge of what lurks just beneath them.

With this established, Lynch’s directorial flourishes begin to set in and the contrast becomes evident. While hosing down the garden, Jeffery’s father has the collapse which sets the film in motion. In the suburban world this is a tragedy, and and the director cleverly uses the idea of tragedy to connect this world to that of the criminals, where tragedy is commonplace. From the dropped hose the camera moves on a dolly through the grass, finally settling on a dim shot of black beetles burrowing through the earth. This is part of the bug motif which recurs often throughout the film, but is used each time in different contexts. It is clear that the pests symbolise members of the criminal underworld, that need to be exterminated through brute force. Bugs are reviled by most, yet they are inconspicuous and commonplace. They are also part of the national ecosystem, much like organised crime.

Yet it is not just sequences, but many cinematic elements that support Dorothy and Sandy as the leads of their own very different pieces. There is Angelo Badalamenti’s score, which offers luscious Hollywood classic string cues to Sandy’s scenes, and almost goofy cymbal and double bass investigation music as she schemes with Jeffery in Arlene’s diner - the film, like America, unwilling to take their plight seriously. The use of pop music also gives a modern feel. Dern is dressed in typically teenage clothes such as homely pink jumpers, her blonde hair adding to her “girl next door” image. Dorothy is portrayed amorously throughout.

Dorothy's portrayal is thematically of note, and the subject of much debate amongst Lynch’s critics. Dorothy Vallen’s power exists solely in her sexuality. It is the only reason her husband and child are still alive, though were she not attractive her family would perhaps not be put through such strife. Due to this fact, she has gained a twisted view of sex grown from a personal resentment. This is displayed in her desire to be demeaned during sexual acts (ie. commanding Jeffery to “Hit me!”) and taking pleasure when she is abated. The brutalised Dorothy uses her sexuality to manipulate power dynamics. When she first discovers Jeffery in her closet and assumes it is so he can watch her undress, she instructs him himself to “get undressed!” thus she feels in control of the situation. It is a comment on the inherent sexism existing within America - that women are sexualised and seen as objects, toys, and in an unsettling sadomasochistic scene with Frank, mothers, on which we can leech. When her tormenter grasps the strip of blue velvet from her dress as she sings in the club, it shows he owns her. Her objectification is a direct contradiction to the ideals of equal opportunity for every person that the US purports.

Whether the auteur’s work is deemed satirical or celebratory it is clear examining sex is a part of his search for a more personal film-making:

“Certain aspects of sex are troubling - the way it’s used as power, for instance, or the way it takes the form of perversions that exploit other people. Those things are not good, but I think a lot of people find them a real kick and it’s a fairly common sort of behaviour.” - Lynch

That he believes sexual perversions are quite universal is antithetical to what is portrayed in the film. In fact, in what appears to be satire, he equates the odd characters with the dangerous and unstable. Throughout the film, the unusual character’s are seen as corruptive. Dorothy, Frank, and his entourage (including Ben, in light drag) are all unconventional people who’s behaviour is seen to be irrational, psychotic or destructive. Even the voyeuristic tendencies of Jeffery are subdued by his straight-laced values. It would appear Lynch is commenting on the way Americans view people who do no fit the mould that the tight spectrum of the American Dream allows. Aspects such as the casting of Italian Rossellini and the feminine qualities of the male characters detach them from ‘typical citizens’, so are seen as an assault on the average way of life. The characters are actively portrayed as violent. In perhaps the movie’s most surreal scene Ben lip-synchs to a performance of Roy Orbson’s ‘In Dreams’. The scene is hypnotic in its dreaminess, and after the viewer is charmed, the character lands a brutal punch to Jeffery’s stomach. We are encouraged not to be seduced by oddities, to instead clutch on to traditional ways and moral standards.

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Tara x

BMDN - Is Honesty The Best Policy? (Nov 20th)

Ohai there!

There are some social conventions I will just never get my head around. One that drives me crazy is when people refuse to either open or close a window on a bus despite ridiculous conditions. I was once tootling home when Shetland was again blessed with its omnipresent horizontal rain. The window (which was very far away from me) remained open for TEN MINUTES in freezing temperatures before somebody decided it was maybe time to keep the heat in. On the bright side, I didn't need the shower when I got home.

But one of the main problems I have is what I want to discuss today - what I can't cope with is pussy-footing around issues. Our culture has an awful problem with not facing things head on (see: every political issue) as, though we are excellent at talking about how we're going to face things head on, things tend to buckle when it's time to put your money where your mouth is. The same exists in day to day life. If we're unhappy about something, we tend to let it fester typical because we're fearful of what dealing with it would involve. This eventually leads to unhealthy outlets, for example incessant bitching, as well as a whole load of worry for all involved as the things bottled up intensify and increasingly fill. Or you just leave nasty anonymous messages on spillit.

That is why I've always taken pride in the fact that I am an honest person. If I have a problem with something or someone, 90% of the time I will confront it. But is that really a good thing? In my eyes, being honest about how you feel is one of the most liberating things you can do, as long as there are not serious consequences to your honesty. And I'm not just honest when problems arise, it's all the time. Let me use the latest 'Twilight' film as an example. Coming out and saying it bluntly, I think the franchise is mostly a pile of shit used to squeeze money out of insecure teenage girls. When customers and colleagues talk about how much they enjoy 'Twilight' the books and Stephanie Meyer's 'writing', I don't agree with them and pick out aspects I also like as would be polite, I smile and nod and say nothing. Because you can't be dishonest when you give nothing away.

Occasionally, when friend's ask my advice and I don't sugar coat the truth (which is the bane of being really honest), my bluntness can come across as rude. It's a similar case when I feel strongly about something. What I'm curious about is if the end justify the means?

I am legitimately interested to know what you think.

Tara x

P.S. - Tell you what stupid social convention I do abide by...