Week Two Discussion Questions

1. Digital Zapistas- So today's article was about how the NYU community was making an international statement within their own community. But how can the internet blur borders between international communities? It seems that cyberspace hazes the definition of physical space, so if users have access to "physical space" on cyberspace belonging to and affecting communities across borders, how does can one community affect others across the border. Could NYU student shut down other University websites temporarily to make a statement? Across state lines, and further country lines, and continental lines? Not having this prior knowledge, how much freedom is there on the internet to cross borders people are unable to cross in reality?

2. Tourist Performance in the 21st Century- When I first read about this amusement part, it initially confused and sickened me. But as I plowed my way through the article and I realized how much this park is an adaptation that incorporates Mexican patriotism and symbolism that attempts to open eyes, redress wounds, and honor the past. One thing that struck me in the article was the recreation of the underground railroad and the author's disgust with its diminishment of authenticity from the first time the author attended the park to the second time he went with his students. At what point does diminishing the past disrespect the memories and lives of those that once underwent that specific event. There is absolutely a fine line between simulating the past verbatim and creating an adaptation that becomes meaningful to the present audience and participants. I walked away from this article feeling as though, at least through the author's eyes, Caminata Nocturna, does just that. So if this is a respectable honorable artform that can honor and pay tribute to the past, at what point does that line get crossed to becoming tasteless, disrepectful, and irreverent; especially when physical liability of the participants comes into play? How can diminishing the past misrepresent it as well?

Questions for Jan 10

The readings this week on the Camina Nocturna demonstrate the commonalities between the Mexican and US government objectives in the use of this immigration theme park attraction yet the very different meanings that tourists may take away. This has always been a risk in theatre productions but how dangerous of a risk is it in such an attraction? Most of the comparisons of the Camina Nocturna to other simulations are not solid because most other simulations do not display a current tangible reality. Civil War simulations demonstrate history and Space simulations demonstrate experiences that are quite difficult to attain otherwise. What dangers could come from simulations that demonstrate such a contested reality? Do these risks need to be examined further or should they be left as an performative ambiguity enhancing the experience within the simulation? Additionally, how effective are these simulations in deterring illegal immigration when the roots are arguably from the success of attractions in Las Vegas, where many of the staff has come from? Are the simulations effective enough in creating jobs that immigration will lessen? What are the benefits and costs of the simulations and how should they be handled as the attractions grow and continue?

Actual Questions for this week

1. As we are a theatre class and are attempting to define this hot political and trans-national issue in terms of theatre, I found it fascinating that there is an acutal theme park in Mexico dedicated to reenacting and simulating the border crossing. Does that count as "participant" or "invisible" theatre? Taking into account the concept of the border as theatre and the differences and similarities between theatre, spectacle, and politics, does a theme park count as a theatrical experience?

2. In what way is the concept of "citizen" theatrical? Chavez cites Bosniak in explaining four different concepts of citizen: citizen as legal status, as rights, as political activity, and collective identity. How do these concepts require us to play a role or be a member of a specific cast, so to speak? How does this contribute to ideas of "other" and "us vs. them" mentality?

Media Influence & Digital Zapatista Reach

A couple of questions I had while reading this week's pieces...

1. Media Influence: Through reading Leo Chavez's excerpts on the Minuteman Project and the role media spectacle plays in society, I began to wonder whether people's stances on immigration largely come organically (through self reflection and examination of the issues at hand) or from the media's poking and prodding, seeming to insist every person have a strong view, one way or the other. I think perhaps groups and people like the Minuteman Project activists and supporters probably develop their beliefs, feed them to the media (the stage for performance), then sit back and watch as the rest of society joins the spectacle as a player on either side, provoked by activists' strong urgings (however diluted by the mode of communication). The video "Frijolero" we watched prior to last week's class is one such example of media spectacle creating heightened drama around the border.

2. Digital Zapatista Reach: I wondered, toward the end of reading Jill Lane's "Digital Zapatistas," about the performative reach of such electronic disturbances software like FloodNet creates. I understand that in the NYU example, the disturbance would have caused NYU's entire website to go down. But what about when FloodNet requested nonexistent pages from the Mexican government's website and got back "404 error-reply" time and time again, saying things like "justice not found on this site"? Perhaps I don't fully understand what function this performs in terms of website function, etc., but I wonder who exactly is their audience for this? Just the site's digital memory? If the only audience is a website's memory, is it performance for the sake of the performers? Or is there another audience I don't understand is there?

Another thing I noted that isn't really a question is that in the Caminata Nocturna tourist border-crossing adventure, the "border" performs for tourists in the way Dana suggested last class it performs for immigrants (rather than immigrants necessarily performing, as Nield suggests). The crossers are the audience, and the border and its inhabitants are the players, creating a new experience for each audience.

One more thing...I wonder when the term "illegal" began to carry such a negative connotation. In terms of definition, it is the opposite of being legal. But the same word can describe running through a stop sign AND smuggling drugs into a foreign country. I just wonder when the word sort of tip-toed over to the negative end of the spectrum and became a noun used to describe a group widely despised by those who use the word "illegal" in such a way.

Re: Shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and Current Events

Dear all,

Thanks to Carl and Christine for bringing current events into our discussion. I would posit that Giffords's stance on partisan issues, including immigration policy, has much to do with this tragic attack. Here is more information on the shooting, including statements by the Tea Party and Sarah Palin's famous map of Democrats to be 'taken out:' http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/live-blog-representative-giffords-shot/?hp#tea-party-group-calls-shooting-a-terrorist-act

Clearly this course is not an excuse to use education as an 'escape' from the events of daily life, but rather a chance for us to process and analyze the meanings of real events transpiring around us. Apropos of this point, I propose the following EXTRA CREDIT-earning optional assignment: At the beginning of each class, we will be talking briefly about current news stories that are relevant to the course. If you bring up a news story and synopsize it for the class, explaining its relevance, you will have the opportunity to gain extra credit points. **No repeats allowed, unfortunately**

Shooting of Gabrielle Giffords

Well, this is breaking news, and nothing is clear yet as to the motive behind it. But I thought it extrmely ironic that as I was sitting down to watch the movie for this week's discussion, my roommate told me to come in and watch the coverage in Tuscon, AZ, regarding the shooting of Congresswoman Gabbrielle Giffords. I did a little research, and I know this doesn't necessarily have to deal with the readings that we're doing this week, but she is a moderate in a district VERY close to the Mexican border and initial thoughts are that the shooter was a right-wing extremist. Just goes to say that these issues that we're talking about safely in our classroom in Evanston are the same issues that people are dying over in Arizona in broad daylight.

Week 2 Discussion Question Instructions

Hello all. Here is our forum for posting weekly discussion questions. If you do not know how to post, you can go to www.blogger.com, and you should be able to access this blog by registering/signing in with your email address and password. Then you can post, and at the bottom-right corner, opposite "post options," is a box that says "Labels." You can write in a label for your post: i would suggest either "Week X" (depending on which week's question this is) or "cultural outing," if this week's post is about your cultural outing.

If you have more questions, read the 'help' section of blogger.com or ask me. Good luck!
Best, Katie