DWA #8

Medhurst's work was very interesting to read. He describes how the old school Batman was a homosexual and gave off homosexual vibes to viewers. He uses Wertham's opinion as evidence to support his own. He describes Batman as being a threat to innocent children who watch his shows. Batman tends to sway his audience towards a homosexual world. Little boys watching Batman are already going through that stage where they resent girls. Batman takes this stage a step further by portraying women as mean, evil villains. This creates an even stronger resentment towards women and moves them a step closer to the homosexuality nature. The men in Batman are also given strong, masculine features which gives little boys in the audience a sense of admiration towards these men. The piece describes Batman's house with its decoration of feminine flowers. This gives off a homosexual vibe. To me, the writer is looking too much into these subtle occurrences. I do not believe Batman is gay and I disagree that watching Batman will turn little boys into homosexuals. This is absurd. These over the top features are only meant to draw in the audience and entertain the youth of the day. Medhurst also tries to describe camp. Camp is theatrical over exaggeration that is known to be over the top and cheesy. I had a hard time understanding camp. I still have a hard time understanding camp. To me, camp seems to exaggerate the opposite of what things are meant to be, but in a way that's evident to the audience as well. For example, Batman acts goofy and silly throughout the show. Batman, however, is a superhero who takes his duty to the welfare of the people seriously. So when these two aspects of Batman are put together, camp is created. The subtitles "POW" and others add to the campy feel of Batman. I thought this reading was interesting, but I though it was a little out there. I don't agree with Medhurst and Werthams' views to a certain extent.

DWA #6

       In the movie "Boys Don't Cry", Hilary Swank plays a daring role as Brandon Teena. Brandon was born a girl. He is, however, attracted to females and longs to have a male body. He sexually identifies himself as a male and plans to eventually get a sex change. Brandon faces many physical and emotional dilemmas throughout the story. His natural instinct is to pursue sexual relations with females, but his female body prevents anything serious. Brandon finds himself at a low point in his life. At the bars one night, Brandon meets Candace who eventually introduces him to Lana Tisdel. Lana is at a low point in her life as well until she meets Brandon. Brandon and Lana attract one another and give each other some purpose in their lives. They form this conditional bond that creates a powerful sense of trust and love. They both hope for a future together. Lana, however, doesn't know about Brandon's sexuality. She believes Brandon is truly a male. When she eventually finds out Brandon is a female, she is shocked. She does not, however, turn on Brandon and resent him. She still shares a bond with him that will never go away. She loves him, no matter what his sexual orientation is. This, to me, is a symbol of true love. Love is an everlasting bond that does not just disappear when faced with obstacles. It is a bond that unites two people forever. Lana and Brandon both truly care about each other and love each other. This love is dependent on the personalities of the two, not on their physical appearances. They share a deeper love that isn't just apparent on the surface.