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Culture
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by Anne Moore
So both of the hippie doctors I go
to (my acupuncturist and my chiropractor) are vocal proponents of the
idea of "manifestation" – that we can call things into
being by thinking about them. For instance, if I really want to move into
a new house, the most important thing I can do is imagine myself in that
house making breakfast and doing yard work; if I act as if I've already
gotten what I want, then I will get it. Frankly, I'm not so sure about
this. After all, "manifesting" the house might help me get it,
it's true, but the material help I could count on from my rich parents
shouldn't be ignored. Similarly, the idea that someone can think herself
out of poverty seems to ignore the realities of unequal opportunity.
That being said, it can't hurt to imagine yourself
getting what you want, right? One of my favorite things about the end
of the year is those lists you always find in the entertainment section
of the paper that contain the ten best and ten worst things of whatever
category for the year. So I was thinking that I'd do a little preemptive
ten-besting. You know – manifest them. So here goes:
Imagine yourself eleven months in the future.
You've had a good year – avoided the things you didn't want, and
received those you did. You're sitting down in a comfortable chair to
read the December issue of Out in the Mountains (whose readership
has tripled over the course of the year!)...
It's hard to narrow my list of the best
things of this tumultuous year down to five, but I'll do my best.
5) The Feminist Pop Idol: Maybe the least expected event this year was
the feminist co-op started by pop stars Lindsay Lohan, Ashlee Simpson
and Avril Lavigne. After Lohan's highly publicized nervous breakdown following
her split with That 70's Show star Wilmer Valderamma, she emerged
from the hospital with newfound political consciousness. In a now-infamous
TRL appearance in March, she showed up with no makeup on, told Carson
Daly he was "irrelevant except maybe as, like, a mannequin for designers"
and launched into a screeching cover of John Lennon's "Oh Yoko."
Surprisingly, Lohan's shift gained followers
rather than alienating them, and she and the other aforementioned pop
icons have fired their managers and formed a co-op, and now donate over
half their profits to pro-choice and global justice nonprofits. Their
collective manifesta, Revolution is the New Black is de rigeur at the
high school where I work, even nine months after Lohan's breakdown.
4) The Oscars Sweep: In an upset of the last five years of the best actress
Oscar going to women who are "normally" pretty, but have uglied
themselves up in term of class or gender in blatant Oscar ploys (Julia
Roberts as Erin Brockovitch, Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena and Charlize
Theron as Aileen Wuornos), the only likely contenders for Best Actress
this year are women who have never fit into the traditional Hollywood
mold. I like to call it "Year of the Fat Old Ladies."
Tyne Daly, for instance, is generating massive
Oscar buzz for her portrayal of Bella Abzug in Jane Campion's biopic of
the boundary-testing politician and women's rights advocate. Similarly,
Imelda Staunton is hoping to follow last year's Oscar win with another
for her role in Mike Leigh's Notes from East London. An Academy
insider, when questioned about perennial favorite Nicole Kidman's absence
from consideration this year, responded, "that girl really needs
a sandwich."
3) Nancy Zerg's Jeopardy Reign: After ousting Ken Jennings last December,
Zerg has gone on to beat his record, winning over $3 million. In a press
conference after she surpassed Jennings' $2 million mark, Zerg said that
she plans to use her winnings to found a nonprofit that will help struggling
progressive grassroots organizations find real estate where they can base
operations.
2) The New Queer Cinema: Forever, it seems, there have been only two kinds
of queer films – the tragic tale of the queer martyr or the romantic
comedy. Don't get me wrong, these are great genres, and there's definitely
something that feels affirming in seeing same-gender couples find happiness.
But I hadn't realized how limited this offering was until this year saw
an explosion of queer-themed movies in previously untouched genres like
the action movie (Sylvester Stallone in Queen City), sports movie
(Queen Latifah and Holly Hunter in the LPGA tour movie Bogey)
and what seems to be a new genre, the "buddy-with-benefits"
movie (I'm thinking of the Josh Hartnett / Tom Cruise vehicle Two
for the Road).
1) The Ascendancy of Independent Media and Breakdown of Fox News: After
Bill O'Reilly's public breakdown in March when he punched Howard Dean
in the face and then began weeping inconsolably, the bloom has faded from
this corporate giant. The network attempted to revitalize itself with
new graphics and countdowns, but when they declared a new level of terror
alert (mauve), it finally pushed them to the level of self-parody, and
their ratings have been steadily slipping all year, even in stalwart red
states like Alabama. As a result, people are turning more and more to
independent media outlets like local (non-Gannett) papers and considering
the source of their news information a bit more carefully.
There you have it – now, if only my
fantasy would manifest, our world would be so-o-o much better off!
Anne Moore lives in Winooski and plans to spend 2005 manifesting her
own personal revolution.