Fashioning the Body: Versions of the Citizen, the Self, and the Subject

So being a bit melodramatic and very emotional, I decided to think about why I didn't feel very alienated from this movie at all (and wasn't bothered by dolls hardly moving, or that they didn't have facial expressions, or so-called cheesy dialogue). I have a good adult friend and we play dolls together. She uses them as practice for her writing. To her, the dolls are full-fledged people, that can express in situations what she cannot always express. So that doesn't feel unsettling either, the use of dolls as people. The funniest bit in the movie, I guess, was when the children were lamenting their terrible tight-knit, oppressive family. That was funny. I don't think this is what the director was going for, but it got me thinking about how cynical, snobbish, and just plain un-romantic it is to be all high-brow and critical about popular culture. It's like criticizing the act of giving cards and flowers -- not just to lovers, but to friends. It is like criticizing romance in general.

Certainly, analyzing popular cinema requires just as much care to the context and the participants in the debate as hip-hop? And is it all bad to make people feel good, to have no loose ends? I would argue that, dammit, it is o.k. to escape into something that may not happen in real life. Not because it makes you not act on the world, but because (perhaps?) you already do enough acting on the world in your life and need a break?

This is not a response to Brecht, because I think in the long run, Brecht and I would probably agree on a lot of things. But deciding what art "can" or "cannot" do, or what "should" or "shouldn't" be allowed, needs to include the voice of the artist. And after you have done a lot of research into the industry and the artists. And I think it is important to be critical of popular culture. But Pretty Little Liars, Harry Potter, or Nancy Drew carry lots of depth. And please do not forget romance. It is important to give flowers and cards to those we love.