March 4th Questions

Annabelle Sreberny: The Global and the Local:

After reading this article, I began to compare two proposed thoughts. The first is about “exporting meaning” from first world countries into third world countries, this can be looked at as a “hypodermic needle”. The argument of this side is “meaning is not exported in Western television programming but created by different cultural sectors for the audience in relation to their already-formed cultural attitudes and political perceptions.” However earlier stated in this article was the idea that the “local” (being exported) is really the “national”, while the truly “local” is being ignored. I think there are two ways to look at this. The worldwide TV media seems to “export” the national, most important news and ideas, thus giving power to the individual to become the “norm” or react to “the norm”. But other, newer, forms of worldwide media, like twitter, facebook, youtube, seem to harvest their growth on the personal identity of people/groups/businesses/etc giving power to the individual to be an individual. Do you think that the worldwide TV media will still be more powerful then the other forms of media in the future?

Diasann McLane: Unwrapping the bwat sekre: The Secrets of a Haitian Monry Box.

This article was about a bwat sekre (Haitian money box). The examination of color on the box is what I found most questionable. The author, Daisann McLane related the importance and choice of color to a vodou warrier. In Haitian Vodou the colors red and blue belong to Ogun, the warrior lwa. Ogun is the fighter, protector, and swordsman, iron and metal are his elements, the battlefield is his ground. However, the material, scrap metal, of this object originates from a company in New York. This scrap metal was intended to be used for can tops of “Nevr-Dull” wadding polish, but was not up to company standards and shipped off to Haiti in global recycling efforts. It is hard for me to believe the importance of the color (chosen for this object) belongs more to the Vodou traditions of Haiti than the color/product choice of the US company producing this metal. Agree or disagree?

[These articles are related by both examining how first world ideas/products come into the third world and are manipulated to suit specific needs or desires. The message from the First World media translated by the Third World and the metal from the First World (can tops) was discovered in Haiti and used to make these money boxes: nothing like the intended use in the US, but a suitable one for Haiti.]