richardt@orstcs.UUCP (richardt) (08/26/85)
Apparently, most of the Militant Feminists (i.e., any who describe themselves that way) either (1) don't watch videos, or (2) can't understand sarcasm. I'll assume possibility one, although number two is awfully tempting and I have seen a number of examples. An interesting thing about the Madonna video "Material Girl." This particular video is a (fairly) clear case of sarcasm. The lyrics are enough to get anyone angry, and I was surprised the first time I heard the song. It didn't match with her previous style, which (even with the current Playboy and Penthouse issues) was a fairly standard "There's a whole lot more to love than sex" attitude. Then I watched the video, with some interesting results. In the video, there are two lines of activity: one is acting out the song, and film clips are usually taken from that portion. The catch is, at the same time, she is going out with her boyfriend. This fits with the song... except for the minor (:-)) fact that he's driving a truck that looks like it will fall apart sometime in the next three seconds, he's borrowing the money for the date, and both of them are obviously fairly low-income. And who says that modern performers don't know the meaning of the word 'sarcasm'? Regarding her dressing habits: I lived in Seattle for a few years, between '81 and '83, and I saw things running around the U district that make Madonna look tame. In fact, I'd suggest that wierdness for the sake of wierdness is on a steady increase, although I don't know why. For a closer to home example, look at net.bizarre and the volume of traffic on it. I doubt that anything any major performer could do would stop this trend. I'm only glad that Madonna happens to be trying to instill some values, among them a more healthy attitude towards pornography than our society currently advocates, while flowing with the outward appearances of this trend (bizarre dress, etc.). It's certainly more than you can say for most other performers these days. orstcs!richardt "Ah, Mr. Frye, but what type of fan are you? An industrial fan? A 600 watt blowdryer fan? A mosquito fan? What?"
chabot@miles.DEC (All God's chillun got guns) (09/04/85)
> Apparently, most of the Militant Feminists (i.e., any who describe themselves > that way)... I must have missed some postings--who here has done this? > ... either (1) don't watch videos, or (2) can't understand sarcasm. > I'll assume possibility one, although number two is awfully tempting and I > have seen a number of examples. An interesting thing about the Madonna video > "Material Girl." This particular video is a (fairly) clear case of sarcasm. > The lyrics are enough to get anyone angry, and I was surprised the first time > I heard the song. The problem in not understanding all sarcasm, but some people probably have different reactions to different instances. You yourself relate that the first time you heard the song you were surprised. I think the problem might be that some see or hear it, are appalled, and don't listen to it for a second time. Misunderstanding an instance of sarcasm is a problem even in a usenet posting rife with little smiley faces, even by people who post sarcasm themselves. But your insight about the video is appreciated! Thank you. L S Chabot ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot