I think an “area of mastery” is tough to consider when reflecting on some of the hobbies and activities I do but my interest reach a full spectrum of people I believe. I mentioned in a previous assignment that one thing I like to do is read manga and watch anime. I find it to very interesting and unique in being able to portray lighthearted comedy to dark political commentary. My other favorite hobby that ties in to the first is movies. I enjoy watching and learning about the background of movies. When you to take the time to learn about all the moving pieces that are crucial to creating giant blockbuster movies, you really appreciate more. My last interest consistently belongs to sports, being enamored with games like basketball, football and soccer. I enjoy seeing the amazing feats these athletes perform as well as the competition factor.
During my research I noticed that some controversy span both the portrayal of a character and whether it was believable in a space of art, and how actors playing dark and disturbing character change how a viewer may view the world. This made me think,
- How often if at all do actors receive therapy?
When it comes to sports I noticed that a lot of controversy came from the responsibilities of leagues and the government to take action when athletes commit a crime as well as when giant organization like the NFL and the MLB fail to act in a way that counteracts their community first initiatives. This made me reflect on my own ties and ideas to these leagues and I came up with,
- Why does the general public hold athletes in such high esteem?
- Do athletes have to meet and go beyond the expectations of the general public?
When it comes to anime, I found that a lot of topics ranged in depictions of women and men especially when it comes to race and sexuality. There are also threads that seem to question how some of these stories impact the development of people. I started to compare American animation to Japanese animation, and I noticed w a major difference in story development.
- Why does western animation lack adult topics when children in eastern animation handle the situations?
Kenneth, you bring up so many interesting points of departure (for learning) that it is hard to pick one. Movies, sports figures, society, psychology — your queries touch on these areas and more. I will respond first with a few questions of my own:
have you read any good film criticism lately? do you have a rudimentary knowledge of the craft of cinema? For instance, I have never been to The Museum of the Moving Image at the famed studios in Astoria;
Have you? You might enjoy that. You mention hearing the back story behind films. I also really enjoy that. What about some good film journals? There are tons. Here are some things I found:
https://moviefail.com/category/movie-reviews/
http://www.movingimagesource.us/research/guide/type/23
https://www.filmcomment.com/
Plus there are podcasts…I know that if you ask our Librarian about this category, that she could probably direct you to a lot of magazines that would probably charge you $ to read Online, but that you can get for free.
Sports, and why society idolizes athletes…what another great concept. I think that the study of an individual athlete, plus the money/salaries/contracts, plus the way that (individual) sports have changed, and the general psychology of what it takes to be a sports personality in the public eye these days — all fascinating. I would defer to a Librarian here as well. And I will just say, a good topic here, too.
Do actors get therapy? heck, yeah! If you are interested in different psychological modalities, fads, and also maybe some scandals of the past, you would have a field day here. Only a proviso: the tone could get “dark,” as you go down some twisted psych paths. I mean, just thinking about The Joker…ug. Makes me shudder.
So: mull on that, and spend some time looking around at “key terms” that come up. see where they lead you and then pick one and let’s ask a Librarian to help you.
Nice ideas!