This week we discussed how some believe Globalisation ‘erodes’ national and religious identity; how Governments and other Institutions will, ad hoc, create catergories to suit their agenda (Srivasta & Moore 2012). To flesh out this theory we were asked to view a movie released by Nina Paley, Sita Sings the Blues that juxtaposes an ancient Hindu fable, the Ramayana, with songs from 1920s Jazz singer Annette Hanshaw. This film could be viewed as questioning the ‘inherent characteristics” (ibid.) postulated by Governments and Institutions; how is it that an Indian epic poem from circa 500 BCE is so compatible with 1920s American Jazz music?
Another example of postmodern ‘art’ appropriated from religious material is the LOLcat Bible. This is a rather controversial work that was created almost entirely on Wikipedia under a Creative Commons License. Some read this as a work of blasphemy, but another view is as a translation of the Christian Bible. The LOLcat bible translates bible verses into the LOLcat 'language'.
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| Ceiling Cat is the LOLcat Bible's translation of 'God' (Source: The Bible within the Social Network 2012) |
Consider the following rather homophobic bible verse: “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable” with the LOLcat Bible’s translation “No can has ghey... srsly. srry, but no [sic],” (Leviticus 18:22). Perhaps this translation is a little more effective than traditional translations, perhaps this is simply another entertaining method of spreading the Christian God’s dogma?
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| Basement Cat is the LOLcat Bible's Satan (Source: The Bible within the Social Network 2012) |
Sita Sings the Blues and the LOLcat Bible suggest a commonality amongst all people regardless of race, religion or epoch: a need to be loved and acknowledged; fear of death; and the need to create rituals to satisfy or minimise these emotions that are perhaps better representations of the “inherent characteristics” (Srivasta & Moore 2012) of humanity.
Moran, D. (2009), Dylon Moran on Religion and Polticians, accessed 27 August 2012 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odFJr3Krr3A>
Srivastata, S. & Moore, C. (2012), ‘Global’ media, ‘local’ identities, accessed 27 August 2012 <https://d2l.deakin.edu.au/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?tId=1586862&ou=31220>
For starters, the film Sita Sings the Blues, isn't a fable because Sita and Ramayana are actual gods of the Hindu Religion and this was just an adaptation of the actual story. The plot of the film is a true one and not a fable, in-spite of the cartoon characters and the supernatural element. Aside from that, your blog post was quite fun to read and had some insightful points :)
ReplyDeleteHey Lincoln! Another great post. I wouldn’t say globalisation has not the some national and religious identity but rather bridged barriers. I loved how you brought to my attention the question of how is it that this fable is compatible with jazz from the 20’s? I just watched the film and accepted it as if nothing was unusual. This is the great thing about globalisation now though because we can take other cultures and familiarise ourselves with their stories by “narrowcasting” them to a language or style that we are familiar with.
ReplyDeleteBeing a big supporter of religion I found your blog really interesting- although you weren't able to change my mind you did make me think and wonder which is a really good trait to have especially in a blog. This blog was a really interesting to read and despite the colloquial you tone you use, his post does have a very knowledgeable tone. I had a good read.
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