Sarahel's Semiotics 4U

related to annoying use of "baby" in love songs: why so much 2nd person for all time?

I'm trying to think if I have a party persona ... as opposed to me, only louder and more talkative

btw nice use of the gerundive periphrastic there lj

xxp um lol?

the 2nd person usage is all about identification and such

aw elmo 'twas nothing *blushes*

back to the waffl3 sh0p thing:
"Waffle Shop is an experimental platform for media production and public dialogue that combines a restaurant with the production of a talk show directly on the premises.

At Waffle Shop, our customers are also our stars, as we film each night, inviting interested patrons to express their unique opinions and personalities. These recordings are streamed live through this very website during our open hours, and then produced into episodes which are broadcast publicly 24 hours a day in the windows of the storefront, and made available through our online archive.

Upcoming plans include: a changeable analog phrase system designed for the vacant billboard space above the shop, a live weekend world news show, an independent record label that produces and distributes music recorded live during our nighttime show, and a weekly radio show."

2nd person is problematic, though -- its use often leads to the assumption that the song is romantic in nature, even if the addressee of the song is not a romantic object

do you mean 2nd person in love songs, or 2nd person in general? I mean, there are plenty of songs about "you" that are very obviously not romantic.

Waffle Shop thing sounds like a packaging of what oughtn't be packaged

a former collaborator of mine did something there recently, and I was trying to come up with a way to do something in a talk show format that would be a relatively subtle critique of banal positivism. There's this focus on "service" ... that art has to be a service to its audience, hence the restaurant idea. There was a guy locally that did an ice cream stand as an art project.

It just seems to me like they're trying to package the 'human drama' of an easily-accessible social situation...it's like selling us air, or erecting a viewing stand on a busy high street

definitely ... one of the guys behind it is the dude that did that "Learning to Love You More" project with Miranda July

I know you linked that earlier...but what was that again? A crash-course in endearments which would supposedly strengthen love's bonds with their proscribed multiplicity?

no, I didn't ... it was a web project and then became a book

http://www.learningtoloveyoumore.com/

the prescriptive nature of these assignments is intended to guide people towards their own experience.

urrrrrrgh this is still patently about the collectivism of experience

besides the fact that it is implying what one's experience should be like.

"baby" is favored in music for its simple, melodic capabilities. Nice alliteration and two different vowels that can stretch on forever. Ref: Everly Bros

is "two princes" by spin doctors based on something literary?

One, two, princes kneel before you
(thats what I said, now)
Princes, princes who adore you
(just go ahead, now)
One has diamonds in his pockets
(that sounds great, now)
This one, said he wants to buy you lockets
(aint in his head, now)

This one, he got a princely racket
(thats what I said, now)
Got some big seal upon his jacket
(aint in his head, now)
Marry him, your father will condone you
(how bout that, now)
Marry me, your father will disown you
(hell eat his hat, now)

The best art and writing is almost like an assignment; it is so vibrant that you feel compelled to make something in response. Suddenly it is clear what you have to do. For a brief moment it seems wonderfully easy to live and love and create breathtaking things. In this section we have archived some of the work that has commanded us in this way. In a sense, these are assignments -- in the same way that the ocean gives the assignment of breathing deeply, and kissing instructs us to stop thinking.

holy hell who are these dipshits

"ee" is actually not the easiest vowel to stretch out vocally ...

him

and her

xp: well all you have to do is dreeeeeeeeeam, dreeeeeeeeeeam, dreeeeeeeeeam, dreeeeeeeam, dreeeeeeeeeeam, dreeeeeeeeeeeeam, dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeam

serious about the "ee" ... probably why a lot of pop singers sing "bay beh"

maybe "a lot" of pop singers don't sing. I'm thinking of the greats.

she was just seventeen and you know what I mean

which came first -- the proliferation of "baby" or that of "crazy"?

facebook wants me to become a fan of a particular brand of deodorant, if I'm a fan of people wearing deodorant ... and over 133,000 people are fans of this brand of deodorant. I'm a fan of not having waxy gunk in my ears, and Qtips are pretty good for removing waxy gunk from ears, but I'm not going to "become a fan" of Qtips ...

I just wonder is this fandom authentic or ironic. Is it an attempt to make the ad go away and see what comes next? I'm fascinated by this, because it is thoroughly baffling to me.

declaration of allegiance to a particular product is a declaration of individuality

if I'm a fan of people wearing deodorant

how did facebook posit the question? "If you looooove wearing deodorant, join Arrid today!"?

xp - The thing that gets me the most about the deodorant thing is that it's a product that isn't a traditional "I buy this, I'm a this kind of person" type of product.

the question was literally, "if you're a fan of people wearing deodorant, become a fan of (brand name) deodorant..." then under the picture, "133,xxx people are fans of (brand name) deodorant"

haha what a weird way of phrasing the question. "if you like to eat, join the McDonald's Facebook group..."

I do think deodorant brands do make an effort to map themselves onto different personality types: Axe is for, well, it's obvious, Old Spice has the stink of old money, Mitchum is for no-nonsense people who want no odors.

in many ways, deodorants are just practical perfumes

so do brands of tampons, but unless the type you buy are organic or something special and virtuous, I just don't see the appeal of advertising one's fandom of a product that is functional and corrective of bodily functions one doesn't want to advertise. ...

facebook isn't really too surprising a venue for this type of behavior, as its success lies in the ability for its users to concoct the perfect admixture of movies, TV shows, music, quotes, religious views, blood type, etc. to stand in place as their avatar online. stanning for a particular brand of deodorant to me seems like a natural extension; you could probably start a deodorant poll on ILE right now and get 100 new replies in 24 hours.

it totally makes sense for this type of advertising to exist on facebook for the reasons you mention, but the way the question was posed and the particular product and the 133,000 + fans made me go wtf

xxp I dunno, I can't tell what kind of tampons are in use when walking on the street, but I certainly can tell when someone walks by who has just liberally applied Axe all across the chest of their open faced polo.

to me, deodorants are a way of aspiring to the use of a perfume as identifying marker without actually admitting that it is one's purpose; i.e. someone for whatever reason doesn't feel comfortable with the idea of buying a perfume or cologne to give themselves a distinctive scent, thinking it's too forward, or foppish, or whatever, but feels perfectly alright with buying a deodorant with a distinctive scent since it's for a 'practical' purpose, and well one has to use deodorant anyway so why not choose a brand one likes?

^^ sounds like that's more of a guy thing then?

open faced polo? I meant to say popped collar. I guess open faced was my way of describing the accompanying look of not having any of the buttons fastened.

I roomed with a guy for a summer program once whose toiletry kit consisted entirely of Gillette products. Gillette razor, shaving cream AND shaving gel, aftershave, deodorant, body wash, probably some other products I am forgetting. he would also bring back all the bottles of beer he had drunk and line them up next to his bed. he was part of a fraternity.

xp yeah, it's a way for guys to have a 'scent' without being accused of foppish tendencies.

this was a deodorant for women ... or at least the ad had a woman in it with her arms outstretched. I think I used said brand for a little while as a teenager.

hah, then I have no idea. oddly enough this discussion has given rise to the desire to proclaim what deodorant I use, which is Gatsby Unscented.

I have no brand loyalty for products like that ...

takin it way back to croquet and use of the word "baby"

i call my BF baby sometimes, is this bad? i dont think i do it in an annoying way. no one has ever really called me that, though i did date a guy who said "babe". i was ambivalent about it tbh

my current boyfriend went to a Grey Gardens-themed croquet party thrown by our very flamboyant friend and he got mad and hammered the ground with the mallet

lol

No, I don't think it is bad ... it's one of those things I'm ambivalent about, because on one hand you have the "infantilization" thing, but it has become so ingrained in culture, that there are other signifiers as well that cloak it.

croquet story is lol ... did he make a hole?

okay - I've been thinking some more about what I find weird about the woman's deodorant fandom on facebook thing:

Historically, the objects of fandom were aspirational: sports teams/athletes; cultural works/artists, authors, musicians, actors; political parties/politicians; religious movements and figures. Other historically common objects were things that were associated with pleasure: food/alcohol, architecture, nature, sexual practices. With further advances in capitalism, people became fans of particular brands of goods - though these were generally associated with public display and/or leisure, fashion and cars, to name two obvious categories.

For something like a women's deodorant to command or demand fandom (which connotes a public display of appreciation/liking), is definitely a departure from these historical categories. Primarily, because it is what I would call a corrective product: something one would use to remove deficiencies in order to conform to societal norms. By expressing public appreciation for products like this is to the publicly admit that one has these deficiencies.

Granted, one of the trends of advertising is to more prominently and frankly discuss these deficiencies -- it wasn't until the 70s that feminine douches were advertised on American television, partly to make up for loss of revenue due to the ban of cigarette ads. However, these products tend to be things that people use and if they work, are grateful for, but aren't likely to publicly praise.

There are definitely products that are exceptions to this, though these tend to be things that are more uniquely liberating, in that the deficiencies they correct aren't universal. Contact lenses are a good example of this. I can understand someone being a fan of contact lenses, because they allow their users to appear like those fortunate to not require them. Deodorant, on the other hand, is not.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/primrosehill/lolatlife.jpg

^^^the incident covered upthread

well, right after it tbh

guess I shouldn't be too harsh on croquet, since I'm entertained by mini-golf ...I think my problem with my ex being a croquet aficionado was that it was just another signifier of a certain sensibility that came to seriously annoy me.

the word "momma" in songs. do you like it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oiLfTnrC40

posted this in that thread, partly for cute animals, partly because due to years of going to loud shows my hearing is kinda fucked and I honestly mishear lyrics a lot.