Although music is something that flows through our ears quite naturally and is free, the way in which we want to experience that sound may not be. A platform like YouTube is free for everyone, and we can share sounds and music that way, bit having a deluxe album on your iTunes is not. Going to a Billie Eilish concert is not. Having a limited addition record in your bedroom is not. The music itself cannot be bought, but the vessel it comes in can, and for good reason. In my paper, I will be discussing why free music and paid music experience is distinguished rightfully so, and how whilst paid music sharing platforms and experience are necessary, free music files are as well.
Author Archives: isabelle amorello
No Headphones, No Travel
Since the time that I got my first real iPod, I never leave the house without it. I feel like I’m going nuts without my headphones in while I’m traveling in the city, particularly when I’m going on the subway. The characteristic sounds of the city that really defining the fast moving life within it have never been a novelty to me like the way a tourist might hear it. Things like the crazy local crackhead, to the roar of the trains, to the obnoxious honks of impatient taxi drivers are not something that I ever revel in. I know all these sounds already, and they are not interesting or exciting to me, they are quite the opposite. That being said, it feels like so much more of a chore to travel anywhere in the city at this point without my Apple Music, because when I have my headphones in, I create a little personal bubble for myself. This makes for a much more relaxing, peaceful environment to the one I live in. Don’t get me wrong, I love the city, and I don’t think I could ever live a quiet, boring suburban town. But I’m constantly immersed in the loud, rough and tumble of the city, that its nice to have an hour of my day consist of a more tranquil tone.
This video is montage of small clips taken in New York City with a slower pace soundtrack in the background. Notice how the dream like music adds to the true dreaminess that is New York….
thesis statement
Although Berger describes women as being depicted as passive and for the pleasure of the man, in both photos and oil paintings alike, this photograph of Donna defies gender norms of what an “acceptable woman” is with the use of her more traditionally masculine and aggressive tone she exudes from the photo.
She’s OWNING it and Doesn’t Give a Fluck
The photo above goes against all the traditional European oil painting norms. This woman is standing her ground and is exuding power. Power that belongs to her and only her, and not for the purpose of a man’s gratification. her head is tilted upwards, with a slight smirk, making her look confident in herself and not as if she is trying to please someone else. her feet are planted firmly and spaced apart, a commonly thought “man’s” stance. the sign she is holding is incredibly powerful, “I am your worst fear, I am your best fantasy”. this is alluding to the fact that men constantly fantasize about women, but feel intimidated when they have power or an edge over them in some way. Whatever the case may be, this photo oozes confidence, individuality, and independence. but not just independence in paying her bills, and independence that she has to speak up and not be held down by someone with opposing views. And oddly, this is seen as powerful and encouraged in much of todays society in America, in the sense that the feminist movement is urging women to speak up about their rights, and equal rights for all. Whether that be gender, sexual orientation (like what is being protested here), and race. This is all directly AGAINST what Berger spoke about in the third episode of “Ways of Seeing”, where women were always being depicted as subservient to the men staring back at her.
this video shows how a bisexual muslim women stands up for her rights to be herself, and others like her.
Supreme is Dumb and Everyone Knows It
This is Supreme ad illustrates wealth in today’s society, particularly in New York City. this brand name is incredibly expensive, and the same sort of items, that are similar looking and are for the same purpose are available on the market for a fraction of the cost of this stupid chest-fanny pack looking thing. This is similar in a lot of ways to the European oil paintings shown in the third episode of “Ways of Seeing”. In this episode, we see many of the rich citizens depicted are wearing extravagant clothes and jewelry that only the wealthiest would be able to afford, as seen in this ad. There is also a certain emotion coming from the model that can be related to the attitude eluded from the paintings. this model is not looking directly at the lease, and is in a relaxed position, almost as if to say, “yeah I’m wearing supreme and I don’t even care, I have money to burn.” Although the men and particularly women in the wealth inspired painting are much more uptight as this Supreme model, the attitude is still the same. these paintings scream, “I’m so dang rich, I’m surrounded by stuff that I don’t even use on a regularly basis and they are worth more than your entire estate.” not to mention, none of these people actually NEED such expensive things….no one.
enjoy the very accurate meme provided below
My nipples feed infants, not grown men
As women, many of us are told to cover ourselves up, that men will look at us with lust and that they “simply can’t help it” and they’re just boys being boys. Funny, that’s hysterical. In Berger’s second episode of “Ways of Seeing” he talks about how women are a sight for men in nude paintings. When the woman is looking passively at the spectator of the painting (most always a man) that woman gives that man the power, and shows that she is subservient to him. He also eluded in the episode to the fact that a woman’s naked body hold so much more meaning compared to a man’s. That once a woman removes her clothing in a painting, or even has a partner alongside with her, that it is all about the man’s sexuality not hers, she is simply an object for that man to use to his pleasure. This reminds me A LOT about the “Free the Nipple” campaign. An organization that takes a stand against the objectification of a woman’s chest. No one is offended if a man removes his shirt on a hot summer’s day, but people go nuts over a woman simply FEEDING her baby in public!…..why can we not do that peacefully in public? That is why we have breasts….. to breastfeed.
below is a URL to a youtube video, to get a glimpse of the Free the Nipple movement. There are breasts exposed, as a warning, but I shouldn’t even HAVE to warn you, they’re just breasts.
my mother never knows where I am…..
I was 11 years old, walking to my middle school when I bent down to tie my shoe near a bus stop. When I looked up, I noticed the advertisement behind the glass. It was a photograph of a young boy sitting on a brownstone stoop, with the caption, “Its 9 AM, do you know where your kids are?”. In episode one of Ways of Seeing, Berger talks about how reproduced images can be warped and manipulated anyway one sees fit, and how that image can have a completely different meaning than the original when put into the right context. Without those bold letters of that caption, it could have very well been an advertisement pushing back to school clothes, or even an ad for a DS. If I had seen that child sitting on those steps at nine o’clock with my own eyes, I would have thought nothing of it. However, with that quote on the photo, it gave the image a more serious and urgent tone, a warning to anyone with a young child. Turns out the ad was a campaign to boost attendance in New York City schools with the hope of limiting the number of drop outs per year. As Berger said, cameras made it possible for images to convey all kinds of messages. That image sent out a very powerful message, which would have otherwise been just an average child sitting on his apartment steps.
