I wrote this piece for a course called “Race and the Pastoral: Aesthetics, Landscape, Embodiment.” The course is, in short, about the pastoral. I am fascinated by “difference” and the pastoral, particularly Jewishness and the pastoral. This is a review of the film Avatar. In it, I refer to Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis and Hegel’s Philosophy of History. It is intense. It talks about the “white man” and notions of body, self, and identity. It is honest, as well — more on the side of a freewrite. Anyways, here it is.

I saw Avatar after not only reading Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis, which itself is an adequate enough preview, review, and analysis of this Christmas 2009 blockbuster (already I’m detecting some bias), but I saw the film after engaging with notions of white guilt, blackness and otherness, and the pastoral. I read one review, before I saw the film, which positioned the film in the same position all alien/zombie/freaky-strange creature movies place the white man and the “other.” But Avatar was all too “real.” While District 9 (I think – I did not see it) made these “others” authentic sci-fi CGI aliens in the traditional sense, Avatar made the others wild savages who were sexually engaged with each other and nature and who resisted the big muscled Western White man. These others took human form and thought with human intellect. The music played while they were on screen, the clothing they wore, the way they spoke English, and even the supposedly “weird” color of their skin reminded me of Africa and its inhabitants. But even then, the Navi people are not really that different – they live in the forest, speak the White man’s tongue, and ultimately embrace the White man.

I saw the New Atlantis operating among among the White men and among the savage others. First, Jakesully, or “Jake Sully.” He was the half-muscled White Marine who’s initial assignment was to infiltrate the Navi people to help America capitalize upon this gorgeous pastoral place. However, he falls in love with the savages. He does not want to let them go. He becomes their savior. He frees them. He becomes their Jesus Christ. Jake Sully reminded me of Joabin the Jew from Bacon’s New Atlantis. Both characters are hated and loved, at the same time. Joabin is the dirty rat who is “different” and deviant from the Christian norm. He is circumcised and physically “deformed.” Joabin is not even really a Jew, he is a bad Christian. But at the same time, he is honored with a position and title in the highly-regarded research institution in Bensalem. So is Jake. Jake is at first an outcast in the Navi culture. The elders distrust him and the people do not acknowledge him. He is dirty. In the end, though, he “becomes” one of them, even though at heart, he still occupies a human body and was raised with human values. He only embodied their form, but was still physically different. Jake and Joabin occupy the same positions within the societies they live in.

Jake Sully is also New-Atlantan on another level, this time among the White men. He is physically different from the rest of them. He was just different enough. He was the one assigned to evacuate the different “things.” Joabin, the Jew, too. In relationship to the greater community of Jews, he is different. He is still a Jew, but is he? One could say the same about Jake – is he inhuman because he does not have the use of his legs?

Avatar can also be seen through an analysis of Hegel’s ideas about history of the world and the philosophy of history. In Hegel’s view, Africa is contained in a loop of itself – it cannot “progress” for it is perpetually imitating itself. On the other hand, Europe and America imitate each other, in a sense, which does create “progress.” The same is true with Earth and Pandora, the Navi land. It is far away and does not progress, it is contained within itself. While Earth and America are propelling themselves into the future, the people of Pandora do not even know the worth of their own land. they need the White man to “save” them.

While science-fiction movies in general position the White man above the other, Avatar made this “other” into the Black man. It explicitly approved the cultural, historical, and environmental rape and colonization of Africa by White men, while at the same time making the audience feel “good” about themselves, for the “other” was saved by the White man. The New-Atlantan and Hegelian views are only two questions and interpretations of Avatar, the film is littered with small things, like language and animation choices. While the film was disturbing on a philosophical level, it was also distressing on a practical level. Why were “earth” and the “earth” people all Marines, all American, and led by White men? Why couldn’t Pandora save itself? Was the audience really unable to relate to the Navi people, and was this why the “figure” who saves the Navi was a White man? And here is my biggest and most immediate problem with the movie: Why did they use 3D technology that not only made my head hurt but forsook the use and necessity of new and emerging technologies?

KfL.

Second Semester has been busy — busier than I had expected. In short, I have been taking five courses (Intro to Psych, Hebrew 101, Philosophy and the Arts, Computing: Simulating Reality, and Race and the Pastoral), and, in addition, have been going through Moderation here at Bard (I will write about this in two weeks). I have also been working at SPARC here at Bard, and have continued to Co-Lead the Bard Jewish Students Organization – been fun, but busy.

Anyways, here are three new essays from two courses and the third is for my moderation (actually, it is a revision of a past essay, but I’m adding this one in addition):

“Free Will”, Revised for Moderation download
“What do you see?”, Philosophy and the Arts download
“Identifying Pastoral”, Race & the Pastoral download
Link to my other essays.

Anyways, I will be writing here more as I go on Winter Break in about two weeks – until then, however, I am swamped – projects, essays, exams, and Hanukkah!

Talk to you soon.

KfL.

I’ve finally started posting old posts and writing new posts. It’s been a while, but there is a lot to come in the near future. I feel ashamed, in a way. I let all of you slip out of my mind. This past year, I was focused entirely on my writing for college. I mostly wrote philosophical essays on topics ranging from the nature of obedience according to Socrates to a response to ancient, modern, and postmodern interpretations of dreams. You can read some of these essays here. I had an unbelievable year. But, I am here now, sitting under this hot light while my hands moves through the sticky air. I initially intended this post to focus on four elements of life, but I think three should suffice. This is a look over the past and into the future. So, here it is; my life, Facebook, and my writing.

Me this year.

My Life

I changed a lot this year. I’m studying philosophy, first and foremost. I truly enjoy reading the beautiful words of Plato and struggling with the impenetrable ideas of Nietzsche. However, this preoccupation with the past and the ancient has not shattered my love for the now and the new. In fact, my studies of Ancient Greece have only renewed, redefined, and rebooted my interest in social technology, politics, and art. Today, I feel I can call myself a philosopher, technologist, and artist. I engaged my mind in new ways during my first year of college.

Next semester, I am expanding my course load, for this past year was heavily rooted in philosophy (Ancient Greece, Socrates, and Nietzsche), not that there’s anything wrong with that! In September I will be taking Intro to Psychology, Intro to Computing: The Semantic Web, Art and the Internet, and Philosophy of the Arts.

However, despite what you may be thinking right now, I didn’t just lock myself in my room and read all semester. I had, held, crashed some of the best parties and conversations. Though I am shy, I need people to survive. Shutting the world out and reading Plato is not what philosophy is about. For me, it is about an experience in the world. I am, as a human, a social being. I need people.

I learned things about myself I did not know before – intellectually and socially. It is reassuring that being a philosopher does not require, though it may beg, solitude. So, that is me. I’ve enjoyed sharing these bits of my life with you, the Internet. I have been in Boston for the summer working as a research assistant with Chris Csikszentmihalyi. I’m around for about another week. If you’d like to chat, email me!

Some friends.

Facebook

I’m trying to develop a new channel of communication and rethink “friendship.” I’m trying to figure out my online life, in a sense, if not practically, philosophically (of course). I recently rebooted my Facebook Fan Page. I initially created it as part joke and part curiosity. But I see more realistic uses for it. As of last month, I had near 800 Facebook friends. Far too many, in my book, but by August, I cut that number. Now I have under 500. I’m not de-friending people out of spite or hostility. I’m simply removing the people who I’m not friends with. I’m getting rid of those whom I don’t have conversations with. I don’t like the idea of “filtering” my friends list. I’d rather just cut the _real_ number down (in life, you can’t apply the “Bard” filter, or the “Family” filter – it’s all there). I’m trying to make my private Facebook private.

My Facebook fan page.

This is where the Fan Page comes in (even though I hate the name). Lets call it a Public Profile, for now. This more open and public page will let me interact with those of you who are not my friends. It will let me share things with you strangers, and let you strangers share things with me. And, who knows, maybe after talking, we’ll add each other as friends. I felt disconnected with my Facebook friends. At one point, I was really interested in collecting Facebook friends. No more. I’m not interested in mass interactions, but rather close interactions. It really should not be a popularity contest. If you get cut, I’m sorry. There was just too much crap on my home page. The same thing has happened to me with Twitter – I have been slowly vetting my following list, adding those I have conversations with while removing those who are just there.

Let me know what you think of this plan. I’d love to hear your thoughts on private kabren vs. public kabren. How are you managing your online life? If you are my friend, you’re my friend; do not add me as a fan (thanks, Colin, for pointing that out).

Writing

I wrote a lot this year. I’ve posted select essays from my first semester in college, and I’m now posting essays from my second semester. Bear in mind, these are mostly philosophical essays. Let me know what you think. Here’s a link to my writing.

Finally

There’s more to come: posts, ideas, etc.Let me know what you think.

Just thought I’d mention I posted two new essays on my website I wrote as final projects for two different classes. The first is called “Free Will,” which I wrote for my Intro to Philosophy class, and the second is called “The Apprehensive,” which I wrote for my First Year Seminar. “Free Will” is about whether or not human beings have freedom of will, using the texts of Descartes, Nietzsche, and Richard Linklater. “The Apprehensive” is about the role of philosopher in society according to Descartes.

Download “Free Will” and “The Apprehensive” as PDF’s. Let me know what you think!

Also, be sure to check out some of the other essays I’ve written – I plan to keep that page updated over time.

The LoveSac in my dorm room.

LoveSac is a company that makes “Alternative Furniture,” things like bean bag chairs, couches, and blankets, stufed with DuraFoam, a long-lasting stuffing material unlike beans or feathers. I bought a GamerSac, a 3-foot diameter bean bag chair. They are expensive, but my first impressions are that this product is amazing!

Why?

I needed a comfortable place to sit in my room. Dorm rooms do not, by nature, have good furniture, and they really don’t have good places to sit. A bean bag chair seemed like the perfect solution. Believe me, it was. It is a great place to read, write, and study. Along with the standard, plain, Khaki LoveSac, you can order some amazing covers – I got “Earth MicroSuede.” The LoveSac is the most comfortable bean bag chair I’ve sat in – when you get up, it doesn’t just sit there, it “regrows,” so to speak. If you’re room is big enough, pick one up, you won’t regret it. The only major downside is the price, which is more than a bit high. If only they could lower their prices some and offer discounts for college student. The LoveSac is also bulky; only get one if you’re sure you have the space.

Where do you sit?

Email Me.

My Blog Moleskine.

My blogging practices have evolved a lot lately, especially now that my entire life is structured differently (being in college and all). i’ve been thinking a lot about the purpose of my blog, especially since I made several design improvements over the past few weeks. I thought I’d give a brief outline of how I blog and my thoughts and ideas for the future of the blog, content wise.

How I Blog

During the 3 week intensive workshop in Language and Thinking I took in August as part of my matriculation into Bard College, my instructor had us write, by hand, for five minutes each morning – a free write, no limits, no directions, just write. I enjoyed putting pen to paper, I have never enjoyed it so much in my life. I hand write almost everything these days, from essays to blog posts. I urge you all to try writing freely for five minutes each morning – it helped connect my thoughts with my pen. I have a Moleskine dedicated to blog posts. Not every post I write in the notebook makes it to the blog. Hand writing gives me the opportunity to get all of my ideas out freely, and hand writing makes a great first draft – it is, in my opinoin, much easier to edit my own writing when going from pen and paper to the computer. After I hand-write a rough draft, I type it up directly in Wordpress, and modify specific words, add subsections and images, and check the overall spelling and grammar of the post. When I hand-write, my honest opinion comes out, my exact thoughts. I also try to write my first draft away from the computer, so the post contains my true, honest thoughts (the computer is also really distracting). Whereas when I write on the computer, it feels detached. Blogging has greatly improved my own writing (in and out of school), and I’m willing to bet that it will have the same effect on your writing too.

Future of the Blog

THis is a personal blog, it’s not for tech news and reviews (that’s what my podcast, Nerd News Radio, is for), but it is for content relating to my life. At times, a review of some sort may pop up, only if it has a direct impact on the way I conduct my life. In the future, I see myself writing more about technological philosophy and politics. Now that I am separated from the EduTech program I created in high school, I will probably write less about academic technology, but we’ll see. I also added Skribit, a “blog topic suggestion application,” to the blog, so please, make suggestions!

Conclusion

Now that I started writing by hand, I find it much easier to sit down and focus on writing a blog post without the distractions of the Internet (don’t worry, I still love the Internet, but at times, it needs to be quiet!). I used to hate writing with pen and paper, but today I love it, so give it a try. Please give me suggestions, I want to hear what you think about the blog and what you would like me to write about.

How do you blog?

I’ve been at Bard College for a month now; the Workshop in Language and Thinking is over, and I began my “real” courses last Monday. I went home last weekend to see family, pick up my bike, tennis rackets, and relax. It feels very different having upperclassmen on campus now(they arrived last weekend), Language and Thinking was a lot like high school, everyone had (almost) the same schedule, and studied similar material, but now that courses have started, everyone seems a lot more independent.

L&T was truly amazing – now that the workshop has ended, I appreciate what I learned even more. My teacher was fantastic, and I’m happy to have him as my First Year Seminar teacher, too. He helped me most with my writing and development of ideas. He is also the reason I’m now taking Ancient Greek. During L&T, we read such amazing texts; Hannah Arendt, Aristotle, Samuel Beckett, Susan Sontag, Franz Kafka, Charles Darwin, Prigogine and Stengers, and more. My final essay was surrounded around the question, “Why do we speak?” It was a political analysis of communication and media throughout history. I talked about the idea that speech makes us human, and humans are, by nature, “political animals,” in reference to Aristotle and Arendt. I also talked about Internet Censorship in china, and the importance of sharing our opinions using free new media tools available on the Internet. I touched upon sousveillance, or inverse-surveillance, surveillance as a means of speaking. You can read my essay, but please don’t steal it or use parts of it without my permission. Download it as a PDF.

My class schedule.

I started courses on Monday, Labor Day. Here’s what I’m taking: First Year Seminar, Media and Society, Intro to Philosophy: Philosophical Classics, and Ancient Greek. All of my courses have been great so far, though I have spent a fortune on books, 22 in total. To me, it is strange having most classes only twice a week.

My side of the room.

College has been an overwhelming positive experience, so far. On Friday night, I attended Shabbat services at Beit Shalom Salaam – twenty people showed up, in contrast to the two or three who would show up last year, the upperclassmen tell me. The school just got a new Rabbi, who really wants to reinvigorate Jewish life at Bard. I helped cook dinner, too – we made Challah, lasagna, and salad. I have not yet recorded a new episode of Nerd News Radio, but hopefully I’ll get around to that next weekend.

What was your college experience like?

I’m in college. A little early, but that’s the way Bard College does it. All freshman take a three-week workshop called “Language and Thinking.” So far, being at Bard has been an amazing experience. I love being in such an intellectually stimulating environment. I have an excellent teacher, Thomas Bartscherer, and a great class – everyone seemed to get along, right out of the box. L&T moves fast, and the course started in “the deep end;” no introductions or family histories. The class works, as Thomas said today, no one is sitting it out, everyone is involved.

I have never seen an entire class get along so well, so soon. In fact, the class began by writing for five minutes. Over the past few days, I’ve grown to love free-writing with a pen and paper. It’s nice to be unplugged. In middle and high school, free-writes never had a purpose, they were a filler, and if anything, they were too structured. The campus is so beautiful. Today with some people from my dorm, we went walking around the campus, hiking around, I forgot my camera, but I’ll be sure to make the walk again and take some photos.

My pen. On my paper.

My dorm room is almost all set up, only a few small details to tend to. Bard is great, I’ve been having a good time. I’m happy to have an actual break this weekend, though, I’ve been in “meet new people” mode for 7 days now, need some time for myself (you know, I’m a very quiet almost anti-social person). I’ll keep blogging. Podcast next week Sunday, I hope.

My desk.