Pie in the Sky :: Essays Papers

Pie in the Sky Among the oddballs and exhibitionists who clustered around Andy Warhol in the 1960's and 70's perhaps the scariest was Brigid Berlin, a chubby, motormouthed rebel from an upper-crust New York City family who relished the way her "underground" celebrity embarrassed her proper conservative parents. Her father, Richard Berlin, a friend of Richard M. Nixon and an admirer of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, ran the Hearst Corporation, which he had helped save from bankruptcy in the 40's. Her mother, Honey, was an elegant, ladies-who-lunch-style socialite of the old school. Ms. Berlin was one of Warhol's favorite telephone companions, and she taped hundreds of hours of their conversations, some of which were adapted into a play called "Pork" that flaunted the Berlin family strife. Like many of Warhol's acolytes, she fancied herself an artist and was one of the first art world personages to work with a portable tape recorder and Polaroid snapshots (she specialized in double exposures). Her more notorious antics included a theatrical performance in which she telephoned her parents from the stage without their knowledge and broadcast live her mother's furious tirade about her lifestyle and choice of friends. That lifestyle included an addiction to speed (in the 1966 Warhol movie, "The Chelsea Girls," she played a pill-pushing lesbian who shoots up in front of the camera) as well as an eating disorder that pushed her weight to 260 pounds. Despite her obesity, Ms. Berlin often appeared nude in Warhol's movies, displaying not a trace of self-consciousness. Excerpts from her taped conversations with Warhol and with her mother run through "Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story," Shelly Dunn Fremont and Vincent Fremont's unsettling close-up portrait of Ms. Berlin, which opens today at the Film Forum. This fascinating but somewhat repellent documentary repeatedly contrasts interviews with Ms. Berlin filmed two years ago when she turned 60 with excerpts from the mostly black-and-white Warhol films in which she radiated the aggressive ferocity of a B-movie prison matron. Much slimmer today than in the Warhol years, Ms. Berlin, who lives on the East Side of Manhattan with two dogs, looks sleek and matronly at 60. But when she reminisces, it becomes clear that she retains a lust for the spotlight along with a continuing inability to edit what comes out of her mouth. As she chattily recounts a life of squandered privilege and wasted opportunity, the movie casts a bitter chill.

Functions of the Family Essay

Over the years, the textbook definition of â€Å"the family† has disappeared. Every family is unique and has its own dynamic and for the most part, society has learned to adapt to these changes. From homosexual couples, to dual income families or even single parents, families have learned to survive based on their unique situations, as opposed to the functionalist idea of the ideal family which involves heterosexual parents and children, who through proper socialization and acceptance of social norms, work to meet the needs of society (â€Å"Functionalist†). Although each family is different, there are six functions of the family that work together to keep each society functioning. Each one of these functions plays an important role in each household and works to keep Canada a strong country (Holloway & Witte, 2010, p. 8). Coming from a single parent home, my family has always battled the stereotype that single parents cannot support their children. Just like sociologist Marrissa Hick says in her article The Single Parent Battle on Stereotypes, this is not always the case. Single parents can be just as capable of caring and providing for their families as dual parent households (Hick, 2014, p. 1), and I am living proof of this. My dad has raised me as well as my two other sisters and we have never had to worry about our economic situation. Just like most other families, we successfully take on the sixth function of a family by performing the economic function of producing and consuming goods and services (Holloway & Witte, 2010, p. 9). For a family of four including one man, and three teenage girls, grocery shopping is a mandatory part of our weekly schedule. By grocery shopping, we are not only building the economy and supporting the government through taxes, we are also helping business owners make money and continue to sustain their work. Without families like ours constantly providing for these businesses, many of them would fail and the government would not be as strong since not as much money would be coming in from businesses. My dad is not simply a single parent, he is also a Doctor, and his income helps provide for our family as well as provide support to families in need of his services. The family is both the fundamental unit of society as well as a major source of a countries economic success, which is why my families’ role is a very important one. People do not always understand the fragility of a  first impression, so we often take them for granted. We refuse to acknowledge the fact that these impressions have the ability to gravely shape a relationship or precede us wherever we go. It is for these reasons that I believe that the third function of a family; socializing children, is one of the most important ones (Holloway & Witte, 2010, p. 8). In his book Key Ideas in Sociology, Martin Slattery talks about anti-social behavior, as behavior that threatens the values and norms of society. This behavior can lead to acts of discrimination, crime or deviance of any kind (Slattery, 2003, p. 134). Growing up with an African father, I learnt very young that none of these behaviors would be accepted, so I was socialized in order to act in an appropriate manner no matter where I was or whom I was with, which made me a very adaptable person. This function relates heavily to the law enforcement system in Canada since several anti-social behaviors often lead to criminal acts. Some Common examples of anti-social behavior are; excessive noise and nuisance behavior, being drunk or rowdy in public places, vandalism, graffiti and other damage to property and leaving rubbish or litter lying around. An ASBO is a court order, which can be made on anyone aged 10 or older who has acted in an anti-social manner. An ASBO is a civil order, not a criminal penalty, which means that it won’t appear on a person’s criminal record. However, breaking the terms of an ASBO is a criminal offense, which could mean a fine or a prison sentence of up to five years (â€Å"Anti-social behavior†). When families properly socialize their children, all of this trouble can be avoided thus keeping the child as well as people around them safe. My parents started having children very soon after their marriage since as very religious people, procreation is very important to both of them. This is why they see the first function of a family; reproduction, as the most important role. As I have continued to grow, I too have begun to see the great value of this function. Having children is no longer the economic necessity it used to be; children aren’t needed to work to support their families, or needed as soldiers or even created just so families can fight the high child mortality rates (Holloway & Witte, 2010, pp. 11-12). Children no longer have such rendering responsibilities and are often born simply to bring happiness to a person or persons. Although this may be so, for several institutions in Canada, having children is still very beneficial. According to a functionalist, the  function of the family is to ensure the progression of society by reproducing and socializing new members (â€Å"Functionalism†). Population growth promotes a wealthier economy as well. Children are consumers of goods and services which helps make money for businesses and the government. Children are also a very important part of the education system, since without children many school systems would not be necessary. My dad always tells me that children are our future, without children there would be no possibility of a future for Canada. Many religions also value children, so they also see this function as very important. For example, in Islam, a woman is meant to be married and bear children as part of her duty in life, sex is not for pleasure it is only to ensure that procreation is possible. It is believed that the strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home. This belief is the reason that the way a family functions is so important; families are needed in order for a society to thrive. A country can only truly be successful when each family, no matter the dynamic is working hard to properly perform their function. Whether it is by supporting, businesses, the government, and education systems or simply adhering to religious customs, family functions work with other institutions to maintain balance and success within a society. Reference List Anti-social behaviour. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/anti-social-behaviour Functionalism. (2011, May 6). Retrieved September 13, 2014, from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/functionalism.htm Holloway, M., & Holloway, G. (2010). Individuals and families: Diverse perspectives. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. Slattery, M. (2003). Key ideas in sociology. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.

Modern Cinema And Its Effects On American Cinema - 1469 Words

World Cinema is a term which questions the dominance of American Cinema. It is a Transnational Cinema, where many different nationalities come together as one. American Cinema, i.e. Hollywood, is considered the ‘norm’ to society, as these are the films that are shown frequently in cinemas. Large cinema chains, such as Odeon or Vue typically only show films distributed by an American production company, therefore this is all we are really aware of, for example, ‘Warner Brothers’ or ‘Marvel’. However, films from the category of ‘World Cinema’ will only be shown in art-house cinemas, and small independent cinemas. World Cinema films are from the rest of the world excluding the USA, ranging from British to Chinese. European films such as†¦show more content†¦It is an award-winning, transnational film, written by American Director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. It was also produced by an American distributor. A summary of Babel, ‘4 interlocking stories that are all connected by a single gun, they all converge at the end and reveal a complex and tragic story of the lives of humanity around the world and how we truly aren’t all that different’. (Mac, n.d). Babel is an American distributed film with a South American director, however it can be seen as transnational as it explores so many themes in the World Cinema genre. It is a complex film with so many meanings and themes behind it. It follows an American couple on vacation in Morocco after the death of their child, a deaf Japanese girl’s relationship with her father, a Mexican nanny attending a wedding and having problems getting back over a border, and two young African children who come across a rifle and misuse it. Each of these narratives represent World Cinema as they are all from different countries around the world that have positive and negative relations with America. Globalisation features both positively and negatively in Babel. It is shown positively where the two communities, Moroccan and American, come together at a time in need. However, it is shown negatively when the two children are left with a rifle, this shows irresponsibility and how loose parentingShow MoreRelatedSome Theorists Believe Cinema Must Be Realistic And May1725 Words   |  7 PagesSome theorists believe cinema must be realistic and may only be seen as art if it remains in its original form—a static image on film stock. Others, however, argue that cinema is an important and relevant art medium no matter its form. Digital cinema, while making use of new and different technologies such as animation, is the next step in the evolution of film. 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