Gaga: Chile Edition

"Highway Unicorn"

First, I would like to write down some of the things Lady Gaga said and did during her performance last night (11.20.2012) in the Estadio Nacional in Santiago:

> Marijuana.... "Who's smoking marijuana here and not sharing any with me? Seriously I have to do this whole show smelling that. Where's my Chilean grass?"
> Her body. Slowly lifts up her skirt and shows her ass. Multiple times.
> Trying to speak Spanish and failing. Gringa accent to the max. And having to ask one of her background dancers how to say things and then repeating them poorly. I'm pretty sure most people understood her English better. It's weird though because her parents immigrated to the US from Italy. You'd think she'd be able to adjust to different accents/languages.
> Chilean flag. Dancing with it and wrapping it around her.

> "Who's that girl without the shirt?" "Are you legal? How old are you?" Doesn't understand the English. "What's your age?" Finally gets it and answers 20. "Keep your shirt off then. Nice tits."
> Dicks and pussies.... "I know it's hot and crowded up here. But it's time to get your dicks and pussies off the floor, Santiago."
> Fuck... "Do you give a fuck?" "Do you have work tomorrow? Well guess what?! I don't give a fuuuuuccckkkk! Let's just party and drink."
> Overt sexuality in the show. Clear sexual imagery on multiple occasions with both guys and girls dry humping her and pretending to perform oral sex through her costume.

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In general, I think Lady Gaga is absolutely brilliant in so many different ways...

I. Musically
She does such a great job of incorporating several different styles and decades into her music. She's got a lot of 80's Madonna type stuff, modern pop, some bits of rap in her songs, even screaming in "Bloody Mary." All of this seems to come together to create albums that go together well and, in my opinion, contain no bad songs.

II. Social message
Lady Gaga understands sociological phenomena such as the gender binary, sexism and racism at a level that most people do not, especially not those in the entertainment industry responsible for the perpetuation of these oppressive societal systems. Beyond that, she is able to acknowledge and challenge them in ways that are accessible to both those who understand and identify them as such and those who do not. One does not need high levels of education in the social sciences in order to see that songs such as "Black Jesus" or "Born This Way" challenge these established sociocultural systems.
Perhaps Lady Gaga's most significant social messages have to do with sexuality and sexual orientation. She has always been very supportive of the queer community. 

"I met a girl in east LA...
We fell in love, but not in court" 

-Americano

I also admire Lady Gaga for her stances and openness about sexuality in general. She does not shame sexual desire in any way or any sexual practice, paid or free, oral or vaginal, solo or in multiples.

"I love that lavender blonde
The way she moves
The way she walks
I touch myself can't get enough
And in the silence of the night
Through all the tears
And all the lies
I touch myself and it's alright" 

-So Happy I Could Die

"I'm gonna love you with my hands tied
Show me your teeth
Just tell me when
Show me your teeth
Open your mouth boy"

-Teeth

"Put your hands on me,
John F. Kennedy
I'll make you squeal baby
As long as you pay me"

-Government Hooker

III. History, religion and geography

As with the sociological concepts above, Lady Gaga understands historical and religious patterns and is able to incorporate them brilliantly into pop songs. For instance, "Bloody Mary" comes to mind in regards to history. 

 "Love is just a history that they may prove
And when you're gone I'll tell them my religion's you
When Punk-tius come to kill the king upon his throne
I'm ready for their stones." -Bloody Mary

 

The religious imagery both in the lyrics of her songs as well as in her stage sets and costumes never ceases to amaze me. In terms of songs, there are: Black Jesus † Amen Fashion, Fashion of His Love, Electric Chapel, Bloody Mary, and Judas.

"My body is sanctuary

My blood is pure...

Pray for your sins

Right under the glass disco ball" 

-Electric Chapel

"Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain

Even after three times, he betrays me...

A king with no crown, king with no crown...

In the most Biblical sense I am beyond repentance

Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind" 

-Judas

Gaga also shows knowledge of geography and geographical stereotypes.

"Something about my cool Nebraska guy...

I'm a New York woman, born to run you down..."

-Yoü and I

"I grew up in New York City,
Since I was born on Broadway, baby!
Moved downtown when I was just nineteen,
To start a new life on the New York scene."

-Black Jesus † Amen Fashion 

IV. Fashion
Lady Gaga's style consists of:
a) unconventional materials

From LA Times

b) shapes and structures not normally considered attractive

From Now Magazine

c) revealing and sexually provocative

From USA Today

Gaga clearly understands that fashion is a tool for the control of publicity and image.  In addition, the specific trends shown above show that she understands the power of fashion as self-expression of internal qualities and as the demonstration of ownership over one's own body and the way it is projected to the world. The use of unconventional shapes and materials shows a lack of conformity to the norm of beauty and challenges people to think outside of the box. Similarly, her sexually provocative clothing shows pride about and ownership of her sexuality. Again, she's challenging popular views about sexuality and its inherent "badness," especially when experienced by females.

V. Marketing, publicity, image
Lady Gaga has mastered the art of creating and controlling her image to maximize her popularity and the impact of her social messages. She is a genius in regards to when and what to release. She is constantly pushing boundaries (meat dress, strange outfits, sexuality, ambiguous religious references, etc) that land her in the press due to controversies, but not the trashy kind. She is never in the press for getting a DUI or filing a restraining order against someone. It's always due to planned actions on her part.
She appeals to the international market via:   
a) the inclusion of different languages in her music (Spanish in "Americano" and "Alejandro"; German in "ScheiBe"; small bits of French in several songs)

"Mis canciones son de la revolución

Mi corazón me duele por mi generación

If you love me we can marry on the west coast

On a Wednesday, en el verano en agosto" 

-Americano

"I don't speak German
But I can if you like, Ow!
Ich schleiben austa be clair (It's very clear to me),
Es kumpent madre monstere (I have the name mother monster)"

-Scheiße

b) appeal to different cultures via languages, history, religious motifs, racial recognition, and transnational social causes

Anyways, I really do admire Lady Gaga for her complete brilliance and her dedication to social causes.

Stay-at-home Dad in Latin America

I have yet to meet one person in Latin America who I know was raised with a male as their primary caretaker. Nor have I met anyone who did not assume that my father was the primary bread-winner and that my mother was in charge of cooking and cleaning.

When asked about my parents, the first question is usually, "what does your father do?" or, occasionally, "what do your parents do?" I tell them that my mom is an accountant and my dad stays home with my sister and my dog. The next set of questions is usually a combination of some of the following:

• Why? (Mom made more money when I was born.)
• Are they married? (Yes.)
• When does your mom cook/clean? (She doesn't. My dad does.)
• Did you have a nanny/maid/house cleaner? What about an aunt, grandma... that helped? (No.)
• How did you learn to sew, cook...? (Some of these things I never learned and never really desired to. Others my dad taught me.) 

Finally, they are left with only one option, reality: my father is a stay-at-home dad who does all the normal "feminine" tasks of cooking, cleaning, and child-raising in addition to the traditionally "masculine" chores of yard work, killing spiders, fixing broken things, etc.

But they are not done yet. They usually feel the need to offer some sort of commentary on the situation. So far, I have gotten two types of responses. One is admiration. Many women who are or have been stay-at-home moms admire what my dad has done. In many ways, I agree with them, but I also think it's because they don't realize that it is easier to be a stay-at-home dad in the US than in Latin America.

The second response is the regurgitation of cultural messages about gender roles. It usually involves implying that he is "poco hombre" (not very much of a man, effeminate) and informing me that "many latinos would call him a faggot." I get the feeling that they would call him that if they weren't talking to me. 

I love my dad and I wish people here could first see him as a great dad instead of a different dad or a dad being a mom. There is no reason why a man should not be a stay-at-home parent.

Personal and shared space

Personal bubbles are a lot smaller in Chile than they are in the US. People are a lot more packed in by the time they start to feel uncomfortable on public transport. Friends and acquaintances do the whole kiss routine in the air next to your cheeks. Friends touch each others shoulders and arms. There is no need for the empty chair between groups in public eating areas. If you're sitting next to someone in a waiting room, bus, etc. it's ok if your sides touch.

Personally, I prefer this smaller personal bubble. It's much more practical and makes relationships more affectionate. In terms of efficiency and economics, it makes a lot more sense. Less metro trains or buses are needed. Lower fares are possible. Waiting rooms and dining areas take up less space. In essence, everything involving more than one person takes less space for the same level of comfort.

Humans crave affection, physical touch. I don't (necessarily) mean romantically, but just generally. We like hugs, kisses from grandma, hand shakes, etc. Personally, I find it natural that friendships would include this kind of affection. The physical comfort and closeness seems like a natural extension to the emotional connection. It shows trust and care.

As I often do, I relate things in the human world to those in the canine. Not in a bad way... yes, I am comparing humans to animals, but you have to understand that I love and admire dogs. A lot. Anyways, when I see a dog, I approach it slowly and watch its reaction. I then move my hand close and see how it responds. I pet it in non-threatening areas, usually its back or side. Eventually, it might let me pet it head and neck or roll over to pet its stomach. A similar process occurs between dogs. These actions leave the dog vulnerable, its vital parts--neck, head, etc-- exposed to you, showing that it trusts you. It's the same with people. Physical closeness shows trust that you won't abuse it.

The physical closeness and affection that I have grown used to is something I will miss when I'm back in the US.

Boxed milk

Milk should not come in 1 liter boxes from a shelf and have an expiration date 6 months in the future. But here, and pretty much all of Latin America, it does. In the grocery stores, there are aisles with boxes and boxes of 1 liter containers of milk. Different brands, exact same stuff. Leche descremeda. Leche semidescremeda (1.2-1.5%). Leche entera. Leche semidescremeda chocolate, frutilla, chocolate plátano, chocolate manjar... Apparently they use some sort of super heating method that extends shelf life but leaves the milk tasting burnt. I find it pretty terrible, in fact. I'm looking forward to real milk again when I get back to the US.

Perros de la UC

There are a lot of street dogs in Chile, really in Latin America in general. I like to call them "perros callejeros" (street/vagabond dogs).  But it's sort of a misnomer to call the dogs that live on Campus San Joaquín perros callejeros. They have really adopted the campus as their home and the students have adopted them as their pets during the school day. I love dogs and I love observing and making friends with the campus dogs. They all belong to certain areas of campus:

There is a larger black dog who is always with the guards at the front grate. In the humanidades quad, where I have most of my classes, there are two gordas negras regalonas that are often caught sleeping in the computer lab under the desks during bad weather. One is above to the right. The other one is a little taller.

Towards the front of the engineering area next to the food garden, there are several younger skinnier playful dogs that are always wrestling and chasing each other. On the northern side of the engineering area, Titi (a very friendly little black and light brown girl) and a dog I call "oso" are usually sleeping. You can see why I call him/her "oso" above to the left. Although, in this picture, oso moved from her/his usual area to my Chilean geography class in the humanidades area for a few hours.

There are other dogs that are permitted to wander, especially smaller dogs into the humanidades area because the two gordas regalonas are usually too flojas to actually get up and kick them out. The one to the right, for instance, came into my World Regional Geography class and slept underneath my chair for an hour. There are also others that are just perceived as non-threatening by the other dogs because of some aspect of their affect and behavior. The one to the left sleeping inside the hall universitario is a good example. For whatever reason, he is just allowed anywhere he wants to be. I think maybe it's because he doesn't go begging for food in other dogs' territories.

But, there are some dogs who are very territorial and other dogs that just incite territorial responses. The younger dogs I mentioned who hang out near the food garden are usually that way. They are playful only with each other. The other dogs get barked at and chased out. They sometimes even end up with bite wounds on their shoulders. The dogs that hang out near Starbucks (pictured on the left) are another example.

And in regards to the people... some of the dogs have psuedo-owners on campus, usually the guards or maintenance workers, that they follow around all day and get lunch from. But most dogs beg for food during lunch (left) or get food from Animalia UC, a student organization that feeds, de-parasites, sterilizes, vaccinates, puts up for adoption, takes to the vet, and dresses (collars and sweaters/shirts during winter) the campus dogs. Most of the dogs are very nice to people and enjoy being pet, but some have the bad yet cute and protective habit of following you everywhere for the rest of the day if you show them any sort of affection or give them food.

I will miss these dogs when I leave. And I will miss having dogs around 24/7 in general. But I will be happy to see my baby Lucy. I miss her so much!

Tampon Taboo

Anyone who has ever searched for or had the luxury to actually find and buy tampons in Latin America knows how rare they are. They are usually hidden in some corner behind the counter at the pharmacy or buried behind piles of every kind of pad you could imagine. When you finally find them the excitement is short-lived. They're the most expensive thing on the shelf, come in packs no larger than 12, are small, and have no applicator, plastic or otherwise. After settling on these sub-par products as your only option, you have to endure the judging eyes of the cashier as she rings you up.

The geography of tampon use is not something we think about in the US and Canada, where 70% of women use tampons. We just accept it as a fact of womanhood and are comfortable asking our friends for one, buying them in stores, and keeping them in the cupboards of shared bathrooms.

However, only 10% of women outside of the US and Canada use of tampons, and, in Latin America, only a tiny 3%. In this largely Catholic region, there exists a strong religious taboo against their use even though the Church has no official stance on the matter. The popular perception is that women can lose their virginity through the use of tampons, especially those with larger applicators. Even doctors, most of whom are males, often hold this misconception and know only of vague outdated statistics about the risk of toxic shock syndrome. They know very little about the risk-reducing improvements in labels, instructions, and product design achieved in the last decade.

This may sound a bit dramatic, but I strongly believe that tampon availability and education is a necessary part of the women's movement in Latin America. A woman confined to pads is like a woman confined to skirts and heels. She meets some sort of unspoken patriarchal quota of femininity and pureness at the expense of mobility and personal choice. A woman limited to pads cannot swim and feels uncomfortable running, biking, or doing any manner of physical activity. In other words, she has little power over her body and, in particular, how her reproductive cycle affects her daily life. Availability of tampons can help women regain this power.

The second aspect, education of women and doctors, is important in a more theoretical sense. The current discourse regarding tampons centers around the ideals of (female) virginity/ religious purity and unquestioning trust of the medical profession.
a) Virginity is a social construct that gives men the power to "take" something valuable from women, perpetuates a double standard between the sexes, creates a hierarchy of women based on number of sexual partners, shames natural sexual desires and actions, and places sole authority over what constitutes "acceptable" sex in the hands of the Church, namely the institution of "holy matrimony." Not using tampons to "preserve one's virginity" only furthers these societal structures.
b) The medical profession is conservative, heteronormative, and male-dominated, ill-suited to address the needs of many of the people who most need it-- the sexually active, pregnant, etc. Blind trust of physicians, especially by women, should not be an ideal worth upholding.
It is essential that women understand the true facts and risks of tampons in order to weaken the monopoly that men and the Church hold over knowledge and female bodies in Latin America.

Source:
http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-­‐130159

Mixed messages and generational gaps: my host family's views on gays

One of my older host brothers is friends with a gay man who was recently elected councilman of one of Santiago's more hip cuica comunas, Providencia. This is a big deal in Chile, especially because he didn't hide it. The councilman elect was openly associated with Movilh as part of his political platform. During the campaign, my host family, including my host parents who are around 70-years-old, were supportive of his candidacy. The three youngest (26-40 years) siblings especially admire his openness and appreciate the social significance.

"En Providencia fue electo el primer concejal públicamente gay" -El Ciudadano
"Jaime Parada becomes Chile's first openly gay councilman" -Gay Star News

Yesterday, my host mother's cousin and his son came over for lunch. The son is probably in his late 30s and is a professor at the Catholic university I attend. He is gay and seems to live his life pretty openly. His appearance and voice is pretty masculine and stereotypically "straight" expect for a set of hoop earrings on one side. Even those are not uncommon to see on straight, masculine Chilean men.

He was talking about the yelling and honking he and his partner receive if they engage in any kind of PDA on the streets of Santiago. He also talked some about his experience at the university and the bipolarity of it. On the one hand, the university is very LGBT-friendly in certain departments (namely the arts and humanities, especially psychology and sociology) and has a university-recognized queer student group. However, there are priests and professors of certain departments (medicine, engineering, economics, etc.) who are frequently in the national news for anti-gay comments posted on Facebook, hosting lectures on 'ex-gay therapy,' etc. My host family seemed to sympathize and agree with this commentary. They also mentioned France's and Spain's recent legalization of same-sex marriage. But, again, there was a palpable (though not verbally expressed) difference in the enthusiasm and level of understanding among my host parents and my younger host siblings.

The confusion and large verbally expressed generational differences among my host family are found in regards to members of the military serving openly. My host mother's views can summed up as a) homosexuals in the military should stay in the closet, b) other countries will defeat Chile if they know there are gays in the military, and c) the existence of openly gay soldiers will invite other countries to attack Chile. Although this makes little logical sense and reflects a very stereotypical view of gay men as feminine and weak, my host father seems to agree with this sentiment despite being less verbal about it. The two oldest siblings (40-50) tend to agree that gay soldiers should remain closeted but can see the fallacy of their mother's other arguments. The three youngest siblings are more verbal in arguing against their mother on all three counts.

In general, I feel that my host family is a prime example of the evolution of the LGBT movement over time, each generation pushing the boundaries and opening their minds a little more. I can only imagine how 'normal' and equal my six host nieces and nephews (ages 1-14) do and will see homosexuality and same-sex relationships. After all, three of them were there yesterday as we discussed gay PDA and LGBT university life with a gay relative over lunch. Granted the kids were more interested in finishing their food so they could jump on the couch, but I'm sure it will sink in slowly over the years. I am happy that their parents (especially the friend of the councilman) have made the effort to include these people and dialogues in their children's lives. Living in a conservative Catholic macho society as they do, it is important that they counter these sociocultural influences for the betterment of society and the of their children in case they later question their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Wanderlust

 

"Not all those who wander are lost" -JRR Tolkien

"We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar  and an urge for the strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known." -Carson McCullers

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." -St. Augustine

"There are two ways of getting home, and one of them is to stay there." -G.K. Chesterton

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux

"The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land." -G K Chesterson 

All of these quotes are beautiful. And incite within me the internal battle I fight between my great desires, dreams, lusts in life. Sometimes, I want stability and comfort... cultural, geographic, social, lingual. Then, I am reminded of my great pull in life to explore, to wander. The need for constant change, challenge, learning, discomfort, uncertainty, independence, self-sufficiency. 

Steps towards equality

Thank You  

Maine  Maryland  Minnesota Washington 

for voting on the side of equality!

la Amalia

 My host niece, Amalia, reminds me in many ways of myself as a child. Curious about everything. She has to know how and why everything happens. Every time anyone says anything, you know she'll chime in with "¿y por qué?"

Por ejemplo:
La Pilar está sentándose en el jardín, haciendo mensajes de text en su iPhone. La Amalia se acerca a ella y toca sus aretes.
A: ¿Por qué llevas estés?
P: Porque a mí me gustan.
A: ¿Y porqué te los gustan?
P: Porque son bonitos.
A: ¿Y cómo quedan en sus orejas?
P: Porque tengo pequeños huecos. Mira, tengo dos acá y otro acá al otro lado.
A: ¿Y por qué?
P: Para poner aretes. Mira que la Sara tiene muchos más.
La Amalia camina hacia yo y empieza con la misma rutina de preguntar sobre todo y examinar mis orejas que llevan ahora cinco. Ella nunca se brinda de hacer preguntas.

The other thing that we have in common is the love of languages and words. We are always looking for new ways to express ourselves more accurrately. She is always bringing books to the table while people are trying to eat so that they can read them to her. Every week, she learns a new word or phrase that just excites her for whatever reason. One time, she learned the word for "rollie-pollie" (in Spanish, but I forget what it is) and spent the whole time digging through the yard for them. Another time, she learned the phrase "todo el rato" and all of a sudden, everyone was doing everything "todo el rato." A couple weeks ago, she learned "pechuga" and kept looking at her grandmother's chest saying "pechuga" and touched my shirt saying "pechuga." Personal boundaries don't seem to matter to her in her quest for knowledge and new ways of communicating it.

La Amalia has inspired me to renew these traits in myself-- curiosity about the world and its languages. I'm too old to get away with asking "¿y por qué?" after everything, making stories up in order to practice phrases, or violating social boundaries. But I can definitely try to regain some of that passion for life.