Neoliberalism & The Danger it Poses to Society

In class this week, we analyzed the terms neo-feminism and neo-liberalism. Neo-liberalism is defined as a political philosophy that advocates support for free trade and open markets and increasing the role of private sector in a modern society. 

On December 14^th of last year, a man went on a killing spree in Newtown, killing 26 people, including 20 children. For an article on The Week, Neil Clark explains that there will be more examples of killing sprees, such as the one in Newtown and in Britain recently due to the fast-paced changes in a neo-liberal United Kingdom. “The answer is that we've Americanised our economy, and consequently are paying a very high social cost.”

Henry Giroux, author of “Youth and the Politics of Disposability in Dark Times” argued in a recent article that the rise of financial meltdown presents a problem for the youth. Giroux defines neoliberalism as; “the latest stage of predatory capitalism [and a] part of a broader project of restoring class power and consolidating the rapid concentration of capital.”

One of the important questions to ask when considering commercial films, national culture and its relationship with neo-liberalism is if there are any benefits. One of them can be the film industry in Argentina. The country’s government is characterized by neo-liberal economic reform that which has benefited greatly for its film industry. “The film industry in Argentina has witnessed a recent `boom' in commercial blockbuster movies that is bringing audiences back to see national films. These high budget productions are produced in part by large television channels that are utilizing state subsidies for these projects. While this translates into healthy growth for the film industry, it is transforming the character of national film production from a cultural project to a commercial product.” (Media, Culture & Society)

On the other hand, it seems to defeat the purpose of neoliberalism if the government benefits. In an article in The Guardian entitled: “Our economic ruin means freedom for the super-rich”, George Monbiot explains:  “Neoliberals claim that we are best served by maximising market freedom and minimising the role of the state. The free market, left to its own devices, will deliver efficiency, choice and prosperity.” Therefore, the role of the government should not be so influential in the industry as private enterprises.

I think it's important to note that the private sector, especially in concerns to films is very influential. Apart from the economy, it's also important to note that neo-liberalism has seeped into films and education.

Picture Credit

The (Blind?) Glorification Behind Modernization

My parents and I have always had an interesting relationship to say the least. Don’t get me wrong, I love and cherish them greatly. However, when it comes to seeing eye-to-eye on certain matters, a clashing does occur. I have never wondered or gave the topic a second thought until Phil Cohen’s ‘Subcultural Conflict and Working-class Community’ was assigned as a reading for class last week.

In order to explore some tensions behind parent and youth cultures I decided to visit my mother’s old house. Forty years ago, my mother lived, with her family, in Musheireb - as did many of the locals in Qatar. It was where a strong community once lived. Regardless of the poor state the inhabitants of the area had a strong bond. I’ve noticed that many of my father’s friends, including my dad, are able to speak Persian and Indian. This is because most children that lived in that close community played outside and bonded on a day-to-day level.

While exploring the area of Musheireb with my mother I can sense the personal attachment she has for the area, even though she hasn’t lived there for twenty-five years.
Around twenty-five years ago the locals began to move out of the area. “Gradual depopulation” was evident at the time. The government bought some of the houses to concentrate on “building new estates.” An example of this would be the expansion and reconstruction of Souq Wagif.

Modernization has its advantages of course; redevelopment brought more opportunities and bettered the “material conditions” of many. However, a clash between parent culture and youth culture is somewhat present. Traditions of the past seem to no longer or rarely exist. When my parents speak of their childhood there is less emphasis on material consumption and more on how strong their community was. The different lifestyles that their children have and the one they had years ago differ to a great extent. It is only natural that parents worry about the BBM lifestyle and the vast changes that seem to swirl around them. The ideology of spectacular consumption and the traditional ideology of production seem to clash. There is a great emphasis on consuming products, especially with some of the youth culture. Also, there seems to be less interest in producing as opposed to consuming. Some of the youth culture in Qatar seem to have “weaken links” in relations to “historical and parent culture.” However, some events taking place in Qatar seem to try to reconnect youth to traditions of the past. For example, on Tuesday November 13th, I attended a Dhow event that took place in Katara. It showcased the traditions of the past and had mini stalls that show how pearl diving was and fishing was conducted. The event could be trying to reconnect and educate youth about past times and also give the parent culture a trip down memory lane.

It leaves me to wonder how things will be in twenty-five years. The thought is almost haunting.

Subcultures and Deviance

This week we discussed subcultures and deviance, so I decided to watch a local band practice for their upcoming gig to try and find out if they were a subculture, and hopefully a deviant one.

The member of the band who let me come watch their practice a few times and take pictures on a few visits, who I’ll refer to as H.O. throughout the post, is the electric guitarist. He’s an artist, and dropped out of high school to pursue his dreams for the last 2 or 3 years. The rest of the members didn’t want to be named, even by initials, but their professions range from teachers to editors to radio broadcasters, but all produce some form of art. Three of the members, including H.O., are permanent members, while the others come in and out depending on their day jobs. They perform mostly experimental and rock music, and practice in one of their homes.

One aspect of non-material culture I noticed that really narrowed them down as their own little subculture was the language they used – they referred to different “sets” they wanted to practice and had different names for instruments, their positions in the band, the level of volume they were playing at, and ways of signaling when they were taking a break. They come from all over the world, so they speak English as their common language and it was fascinating to see how they adapted their own slang. Although certain terms were borrowed, this group definitely created many because they had specific references to the band itself weaved in the language.

I (happily) noted a lot of deviance from the regional norm in their material and non-material culture. From the cigarettes and ashtrays scattered around the room, to the unfamiliar looking bottles next to the mike stands, and even their hipster-style and grunge styles of clothing. On one particular day, H.O wears a pair of purple skinny jeans and black sneakers, has an unusually styled goatee and a thick-framed pair of black glasses on. His band mates are dressed similarly, with the girls in espadrilles and both males and females in colored blazers and hoodies. The heavily printed clothes they are wearing are not of a style that originated anywhere in the Gulf region or even the MENA region – definitely not the norm, and could even be seen as a form of resistance. The substances they consume and the music they play go hand in hand with the style of clothes they have adopted, and again seemed to me like signs of deviance, although maybe not to most, but definitely mark them out from the crowd.

In class we discussed how subcultures are shaped by globalization and this band is definitely a result of the flow of culture from an external source and into Qatar, where the band members all live. The style of clothes and music that they have chosen to consume, as previously discussed, definitely come from somewhere else. Speaking of consumption, just as was stated in class, their subculture is based mostly on just that – purchasing a style from the supermarket of style and creating an identity out of it. Ironically, they decided to have McDonald’s for dinner after practice, topping of the globalization sundae.