A Touch of Levisism

F.R. Levis, a key cultural theorist, was, at times, an incredibly cynical man who would, together with his wife, Queenie, rip cultural texts apart and attempt to discredit the creative minds behind them. In this post, I do the same for a media text which I consider to be amongst the lowest of the low in cultural terms. The media text I have chosen is the film Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.

The object of this film appeared to be to portray the cultural differences between the black people and the white people living in South Africa and how the great Nelson Mandela overcame these issues and created his rainbow nation. I believe this to be a great premise for a film with optimistic views on a difficult political situation. I do not, however, as the film appears to suggest, believe that the cure for the conflicts between the races was the rugby world cup.

A film made by Americans, starring American actors, albeit those with relatively convincing South African accents, maintains the arrogance we now associate with America. Rewriting another country's history and retelling the tale of another culture's hero is just the sort of thing we have come to expect from them, particularly after the absolute shambles that was Valkyrie.

This film neatly ties up the story of the culture clashes by suggesting that South Africa's world cup victory in 1995 solved all the problems faced by the country and glazed over the fact that it is still a country facing widespread discrimination and poverty. This 'happy ending' approach seems a cheap way to satisfy a westernised audience and offers no further insight into the facts, the history or the future of a troubled country placed in an even more turbulent continent.

What does 'culture' mean to you?

We were asked in a lecture at university to outline one media text which we associate with our own personal cultures, however culture is an incredibly ambiguous term and, as such, I find it hard to identify just one text which truly represents mine. I have therefore decided to describe three different ones so as to give a more accurate depiction of myself.

The first is glossy magazine, Cosmopolitan. This is something I have shared with close female friends for many years, from the age of 13 when I read the less sexualised CosmoGirl, right up until now when my housemates and I pass the grown-up version between us each month and share in the fashion, gossip and lifestyle advice. This is something that I feel represents my culture as a woman and associates me with many others who read the same or similar titles.

As Cosmo affiliates me with an incredibly large cultural group, and I think culture is about far more than gender, I move on to my second media text - the Harry Potter films. These films were shot close to where I grew up and it was common place to have some sort of connection to them, everyone knew someone from the set and in my case I actually was in two of them. If I tell people outside of the Buckinghamshire/Berkshire/Oxfordshire areas this news appears to be incredibly exciting but to me and those who grew up nearby it is nothing that special and is just a part of our culture.

I have now covered aspects of my culture relevant to gender and location, the third and final media text I wish to identify is related to my own personal interests and is the trade title PR Week, which I have only recently started reading. I think that culture is more than about where you came from, it is also about where you are going and, as I hope to enter a career in public relations after I graduate, I feel that this magazine represents my aspirations and goals whilst including content that meets my general interests as a PR student.

These three texts, although quite different, give a basic view of what culture is to me and how I see mine. I think that each individual's culture is forever changing and developing. I find it interesting that my attitude to various aspects of my culture is altered depending on my circumstances. For instance, when I am in the north of the country I feel proud of the fact that I am a southerner, however, when I visit my home-town I take pride in the fact that I moved away and am experiencing something new.

I think that culture connects us with others who share our views, opinions, beliefs or who just happen to live nearby and I think it is something to take pride in and share with other people, after all, that's what it's all about, isn't it?