Post Class Reflection -Beads Bodies and Trash

I really enjoyed our class discussion today about the book Beads, Bodies and Trash. I have found that my fellow classmates are very insightful, intelligent and interesting. Having not been in an academic environment for many years (at least not at a university level), today was "one of those days" that reminded me of everything that I have enjoyed about being within an academic environment and the intellectual stimulation that results. Not only did I enjoy listening and reflecting on the ideas of my fellow classmates, I also found your (i.e., Angela) experiences with being on a Krewe in New Orleans to be intriguing.

You  may recall my reflection about Chapter Three of Beads, Bodies and Trash wasn't very positive. I had an "aha" moment during our class discussion today as we got onto the topic of theory. Some of my classmates commented about the theory that was discussed in the book and how Redmon related theories to his analysis of the significance of Mardi Gras beads. You (Angela) also made a comment about the a significant aspect of Graduate Studies involves the application of theory and the important role that theory has in expanding our understanding of concepts.

With this in mind, I decided to re-read Chapter Three and intentionally focus on some of the theories within this chapter (example: Durkheim, Simmel, Goffman). I found that by doing this, I was better able to reflect on the importance of the various theories and the role that they played in helping to understand the social significance of the Mardi Gras beads. I could also see how David Redmon used various theories to extend and explain his understanding of concepts.  The reflection made me realize why it is important to have a sound understanding of the various theories related to recreation and leisure studies. This is an area that I am going to focus on strengthening as part of my academic goals.

Source: http://www.permanentculturenow.com/introduction-to-theory-2/

Reflection -Chapter Four -Mardi Gras: Made in New Orleans

Source: http://www.bigspringenvironmental.com/mardi-gras-trash-cleanup/

Chapter Four of Beads, Bodies and Trash by David Redmon is was about the Mardi Gras bead's final "pit stop" on the commodity chain: the trash.

In this chapter of the book, the reader is introduced to a number of people who are connected to the beads "as trash". We meet the clean up crew at the Superdome, members of VerdiGras (an environmental movement group),Bucket Brigade (another environmental group) and various artists (example: Katrina Brees and Jack Lawson). These are people who have an interest in the beads once they are disposed of once as Mardi Gras is finished each year. We also learn about the problems that discarded Mardi Gras beads cause to the environment and to the health of people who are exposed to them.

David Redmon, states that he wants to focus his discussion in this chapter "on the effort of the Verdi Gras movement to experientially transform plastic beads into aesthetically deviant objects through sensoral encounters with them" (page 98) and that he wants to "explore the sensuality of deviant objects embedded within the impacts of globalization" (page 99). The focus is on describing the sensory journey of these beads and on what happens to them (and to the environment) when they are disposed of (not only in New Orleans but also the world).

Frankly, the impact of these beads to the local and global environment and also the health of the people who come into contact with these beads is quite scary. It is amazing that the beads "leech" into the environment once they are disposed of and also that the beads are made of some very hazardous materials such as lead. After reading this chapter, I have decided to never purchase those beads again and will be spreading the word among my family and friends about how harmful they are.

I thought that it was interesting how many of the people who are part of the environmental movement in New Orleans want to change people's value on the beads by moving them away from being seen as a status symbol and changing them to a stigma symbol. They want people to be aware of how harmful the beads are to the environment, the local economy and to the health of those come into contact with them. While it was noted in this chapter by one of the artists, Jack Lawson, that this movement is new, he also said that there is starting to be more interest in it. Hopefully these environmental advocates and artists can work towards a transformational change within the culture of Mardi Gras and New Orleans before it is too late and the damage done to the environment is too significant.

Reflection -Chapter Three: Elementary Forms of Sensual Life

source: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/origins-flashing-beads-mardi-gras/

This blog entry is a reflection of Chapter Three of the book Beads, Bodies and Trash by David Redmon.  This chapter is titled "Elementary Forms of Sensual Life" and covers the Redmon's interpretation of the bead's "symbolic and sensoral power" (page 51).

David Redmon goes to great lengths to describe the journey of the beads based on his observations through his senses as they arrive on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras. He uses a lot of descriptive, sensoral language to describe his observations such as stench, scream, chanting, camera flashes, nudity etc. as he describes the environment in which the beads are in.

Beyond a description of the author's sensoral observations on Bourbon Street, the chapter gives a description of ludic leisure and an analysis regarding the reasons why people engage in the exchange of beads for deviant/pleasurable acts. 

So what did I think of all of this? Well, to be honest, I did not have a lot of patience in reading about the various "tricks" that people engaged in exchange for Mardi Gras beads. I was also less interested in reading about the reasons why people engage in thsi form of ludic leisure. Their "rationale" is so far removed from how I live my life. While I could understand the rationale, I just could not relate to it or appreciate it.

My personal approach to life is to try to focus my time and energy on being optimistic and thinking positively. While I identify as a "free thinker" with a humanistic perspective, I was raised in a family with a christian belief system. I have found the following biblical passage to be inspirational and "wise counsel" and it came to mind as I was reading this chapter:

  

source: http://www.365daysofinspiringmedia.com/articles/message-mondays-think-on-these-things/

None of the activities on Bourbon Street meet my personal criteria as things that are "noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy". As I read the deep analysis and description about various "tricks"  on Bourbon Street, I questioned what academic or personal benefit I would gain from reading about them.  I was already aware of what "goes on" during Mardi Gras prior to reading this book. The reasons that people would engage in various "tricks" in exchange for beads as described in this chapter seemed obvious to me prior to reading the chapter.

I find that in this chapter and throughout the entire book, the author's writing style is hyper-articulate. Once I "waded through" what he trying to explain, I believe that if we had a class discussion about this prior to reading this chapter, I think that as a class we could have come up with the same reasons that were included in this chapter. I kept waiting for there to be a "revelation" and reached the end of the chapter only to discover that there wasn't one. 

If I consider the benefit to reading this chapter might be about reading about how to conduct research by focusing on the senses, I agree that this chapter did do this. However, I feel like there are other chapters in this book that also do this and that I personally enjoyed reading these chapters more than this one.

On an optimistic note, I am looking forward to participating in the class discussion on Thursday. Maybe the class will bring to light new insights in this chapter that I hadn't thought of. 

Well, this has certainly turned into a negative reflection!! After writing it, I am going to start to read Chapter Four and am hoping that this chapter is more productive.

Hmpf!

Post Class Reflection

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_flag

In this reflection, I will comment on Maggie Miller's visit to the class where she discussed her graduate research and presentation "Trekking through graduate research: Willing and the Nepali mountainside". 

Through Maggie’s presentation, she described how she used both a photographic journal and also audio recordings to document her journey through the Nepali mountainside in order to conduct preliminary research for her graduate studies.   As I was listening to her present, I had an “aha” moment about the benefits of incorporating the senses when conducting research. The photos that she shared with the class of her journey documented the visually the rugged mountainside and how challenging the terrain would have been to navigate.

However, it wasn’t until I heard her audio recordings of her journey that I really understood how difficult this trip was for her. It made me realize how gathering information from using a variety of senses could be so beneficial for research. When I heard the audio recording, it was if a “veil removed” and the information was so much more vivid and rich. It wasn’t until I heard her audio journal that I truly understood her experience.

Her visit has made me appreciate the book “Beads Bodies and Trash” more. I feel like I am “getting” David’s research more and why he has chosen to study the “sensory experience” of the beads as they travel the commodity chain. I have always wanted to watch David’s documentary “Made in China” however, with this “aha moment”, I am even more interested in watching it. It think that it will allow me to gain further understanding of his research because of the auditory and visual experience of watching it through the documentary (in addition to reading the book). 

Reflection -A Continuum of Leisure Studies and Professional Specialties: What if no Connections Exist?

This reflection is about the World Leisure Journal article "A continuum of leisure studies and professional specialties: what if no connections exist?" by Karla A Henderson. 

In the article, Henderson describes a "crisis" between the academic community and the practitioners working within the various specialized areas of recreation and leisure services. As the leisure community has grown and developed specialties, Henderson pointed out that a dilemma has developed regarding how the academic community and the specialties are going to work together. Henderson proposes that “leisure studies and professional specialties are at two ends of a continuum and that they have had a range of interrelationships in the past which are under major examination going into the future” (page 77).

It seems to me that another way of saying this is that leisure studies and professional specialties are experiencing "growing pains" in how they will work together.  This is natural considering how young the field actually is. As noted in the article, the concept of leisure only became formalized after the Industrial Revolution and it wasn't until the 1960’s that people started studying leisure more intensely. We are a young field!

As the field of recreation and leisure has grown, it has diversified into various areas of specialties. Universities and colleges have responded in a way to prepare students for employment upon graduation. For instance, at University of Waterloo, undergraduates can opt for a variety of majors within Recreation and Leisure studies such as Recreation and Sport Business, Therapeutic Recreation and Tourism and Parks Management. At Conestoga College, in addition to the Recreation and Leisure Services Program, there are post-graduate opportunities to study Recreation Management for Older Adults Program, Volunteer Management, Event Planning etc.

As the field grows and diversifies, the people who work within this field (both directly and within the academic community) will have had to examine/readjust the linkages that were once established. Personally, I would not call that a crisis and am a bit puzzled as to why Henderson thinks that it is. To me that is “life”. Change is the only constant and it is up to all of us to grow and adapt to that change.

Perhaps I have not been exposed enough to the academic community and I am naive in my thinking around this.  I do agree with Henderson who believes that we need to keep leisure studies as a common ground amongst all of the specialties. As the field continues to grow, it seems to me that the challenge will be determining how to most effectively do that.

Chapter Two: Mardi Gras: Made in China

Source: https://blog.etsy.com/en/2010/mardi-gras-made-in-china/

Well, if the theme of the first chapter of the textbook was "intrigue and skeptism", my overall reaction to the second chapter of the book would be that it was an "eye opener".

Occasionally, my daughter (who is ten) enjoys going to the Dollarama as a treat to buy toys and candy. I have never given much thought about where their entire inventory comes from. Yes, I knew that it came from China and yes, I knew that the working conditions of the Chinese workers were poor. I just didn't realize the extent and truthfully, I think that I subconsciously chose to "live in ignorance" so that I wouldn't have to feel guilty about buying from the Dollarama.  It seems that I am no different than the party-goers at Mardi Gras who were interviewed in this chapter of the book. For the most part, never questioned where their Mardi Gras beads came from! They also don't want to know because it would put a damper on the celebration.

Well, my head was pulled out of the sand in the second chapter of the book as the author described the working conditions of the Chinese teenage girls who make the beads that are shipped to Mardi Gras. In short, their working conditions are very oppressive. They are paid $62 US per month and work 15 hours per day for 6 days per week. The factory that they work in is fenced in with barbed wire and is patrolled by security guards. Every move that they make is monitored and they must adhere to unrealistic expectations in terms of rules (quotas, no talking etc). They even have to wear red hats so that they can be seen more easily and therefore monitored better. I could go on and on but then I would just be summarizing the Chapter and not really reflecting on what I thought of all of it!!

In this chapter, Redmon tries to interview the teenage workers at the factory. Initially he is told that he can interview anyone that he wants to because Roger (the factory owner) knows that none of them speak English. When Redmon hires a translator, they are initally followed around by one of the managers and a security guard so that they can find out what the workers are saying about their working conditions to the author. Even the translator is "in on the act" because she does not really translate what the girls are saying. She just says that they all say that the working conditions are good when in fact they girls are saying that they are not.

Redmon also described the sensual relationship that the girls have to the beads. He describes sensations such as the loud machines that are used to produce the beads, the stained arms of the girls who paint the beads and also the calloused/injured hands of the workers.

So, what did I think of all of this? Well, I was sickened by the working conditions that were described and was struck by how unjust it is.  I feel so sorry for these girls because they do not seem to have a lot of choices in their life and it made me aware of my own "white privilege". Most of them come from rural China where the working conditions are also difficult. They rationalize that at least they are getting paid when they work in the factory. 

At the same time, now that I have this information, I have considered whether or not I will continue to shop at the Dollarama with my daughter and I have decided that I will continue to do this. This seems to be similar to the interview that Redmon has with the owner of the bead distribution company in the US (i.e., that buys the beads from Roger in China). He justified “doing business” with this factory because if he did not do it, then another business would step in and pick up where he left off. He also stated that he thought that the workers were given an opportunity to improve their lives by working at the factory and therefore felt justified in his decision.

Chapter One: Introduction

source: http://www.mylpl.info/mardi-gras-bead-art/

The book, Beads, Bodies and Trash by David Redmon is about the author's multi-site, ethnographic journey in which he examines the sensory relationship of Mardi Gras beads to the global political economy and the social environment. Redmon used a camcorder to videotape the multi-sensory experience of the beads as they traveled through a commodity chain from a factory in China to Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans and then their ultimate disposal when the celebration is over.

In the first chapter of the book, Redmon introduced the central thesis of the book "that the senses shape, form and govern the commodity chain of Mardi Gras" (page 7). He elaborated that he "aims to understand the beads as sensory objects that both unit and divide people through the experiences connected to the objects" (page 10).

My first impression of the book consisted of one part intrigue and one part skepticism. In this reflection, I will "speak to" the skepticism first. One of the first things that I noted was that Redmon was a 20 year-old, male university student and my first thought was "it figures" that he would write a book about Mardi Gras beads. I wondered if he somehow was trying to impress girls with his ties to the academic community. As I envisioned him on Bourbon Street with his video camera recording lewd acts and the interviewing people afterwards, it all seemed a bit creepy to me and I questioned his motivations.

On the other hand, I must admit that the first chapter of the book intrigued me and I could relate to Redmon's curiosity about people who perform lewd acts for beads. I thought that the stories that he shared were quite poignant --especially the dichotomy between the desperate lives of the teenage workers at the factory in China and the hedonistic lifestyle of the Mardi Gras revelers on Bourbon Street. One of the things that struck me is how meaningless the lives of the workers were and also how ultimately meaningless the ritual of exchanging beads seems to be to me. I realize that the exchange may be meaningful for some people but truthfully, I struggle to see it from their perspective. Based on my value system, it seemed to me that there were similarities as well as contrasts in the existence of the workers from China and those who exchange beads for sexual acts.

I also noted that Redmon's book is an emergence of his documentary Mardi Gras: Made in China which has won 21 national and international awards. I have made a note to watch the documentary after reading the book.