School Daze, Untied: A Vlog Post (Part 2)

I had mentioned in a previous blog post about expanding on why I chose to do my midterm as a vlog than writing some form of an analysis, and maybe even expanding more on the complex relationship I am creating with School Daze and Tongues Untied.

Here is that expansion!

I am really trying to learn to be more articulate when explaining my ideas. I have trouble in the classroom sometimes; my talking points become tangential or, as it often happens, I can visualize what I am saying but cannot find the right words to explain myself. So, I wanted to put myself to test and really practice the way I speak about my thoughts. I think it’s especially hard to talk about a subject (in this case, sexuality and blackness) that you are still exploring, so I tried it out and hopefully it worked out

I am still thinking about this violence that grows in the institial space of blackness and homosexuality that both School Daze and Tongues Untied create, not only in it’s content, but the way the two films are filmed and directed. I touched upon it in my vlog, the jarring nature of the cuts and overlapping sound in Tongues Untied or the language of intimidation that is inherently homophobic in School Daze. I wanted to tie my thoughts together a little bit before I finally squash this topic, but please comment with any thoughts! I’m still trying to figure it out myself.

School Daze, Untied: A Vlog Post

Look forward to a part 2 sometime this week, talking about the choice for doing a vlog instead of a write-up and still trying to unload the complexity of these films.

I also encourage everyone to please comment below and start a dialogue! Maybe even responding in video format would be cool, too! I want this to be as engaged as possible. This is a continuous conversation that doesn’t stop here.

Trippin’

What do we do when we see someone stumble? As for me, when it happens, I first hope that they’re okay (or at least I believe this about myself :B). Then, provided they are unharmed, I hope to laugh together with the person at what we both know was visually amusing. I apply this to my skateboarding falls/fails. Falling is an occupational hazard when one does something that requires balance. Standing and walking are the same. Conversation and dialogue are analogous.

Snaps to That

I have been wondering about Tongues Untied in the context of School Daze. In fact, I’ve been wondering about framing School Daze by some of the themes and motifs brought up in Tongues Untied. Piggy-backing from the idea of Spike Lee not being able to handle sexuality as well as he could, especially sexuality within the black community, I must say that I completely agreed and Tongues Untied solidifies that for me.

My Man Freddy

Thomas helped me to better understand the continuity between Do The Right Thing and School Daze. The two films function as an exploration of leadership within the black community.