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Historical/ social

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Should we watch old movies with one eye on the time and place in which they were made, or view them through a more modern mindset? That is the question the Twittersphere has been pondering after a video depicting some of James Bond's most misogynist moments went viral on social media.

In chopping together scenes in which Her Majesty's top spy takes advantage of vulnerable women, slaps bottoms and physically restrains women until they submit to sex, a YouTube cut-and-paste merchant who goes by the name Guru Kid has even missed most of 007's nastiest behaviour. For starters, how about when Sean Connery's Bond tries to beat a confession out of Daniela Bianchi's Tatiana Romanova in 1963's From Russia With Love? Or when Roger Moore threatens Gloria Hendry's Rosie Carver at gunpoint in 1973's Live and Let Die?

In truth, early Bond films were considered problematic long before the #MeToo and Time's Up campaigns - and not just for their celebration of sexist attitudes. Live and Let Die would be one of the better 007 movies were it not for its casually racist and ham-fisted riff on blaxploitation. Dr No has equally jawdropping moments, such as the bit where Bond orders John Kitzmiller's black Cayman Islander Quarrel to fetch his shoes, as well as the casting of Jewish-Canadian Joseph Wiseman as the titular Chinese-German villain.

caitlin 💀 (@extracaitlin)
personally I don't think we need a black or female James Bond, we need James Bond to stop being a thing entirely. It's outdated, misogynistic and well, just shite

Bond producers have acknowledged 007's status as an unreconstructed brute in more recent episodes. When Judi Dench's M first meets Pierce Brosnan's suave super-spy in GoldenEye (1995), she lambasts him as a "sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the cold war", while she describes the Daniel Craig version as a "blunt instrument" in Casino Royale (2006) and berates him for causing the death of "sacrificial lamb" Gemma Arterton in Quantum of Solace (2008).

In many ways, Dench's M was a a rare counterpoint to 007's caddish brutality - a righteous, critical female voice. Now that Ralph Fiennes has taken on the role of Bond's boss, that sense of balance has been lost.

The uncomfortable truth is that many of the secret agent's grimmest moments are among the spy saga's most memorable. For it is when 007 is at his cruellest, most savage and, in Craig's case, his most damaged and unhinged, that the secret agent is most watchable. Moore was never better as Bond than as the lean, mean killing machine of Live and Let Die, rather than the cheesy eyebrow-raising lightweight of the later movies. By contrast, kind-eyed Timothy Dalton seemed to treat the "Bond girls" of his two 1980s appearances with more genuine consideration than any of his predecessors or successors, yet rarely tops the best Bond lists. George Lazenby, the only 007 to get married and fall in love, is often at the bottom, though there are, admittedly, other reasons for that.

If we do enjoy Bond for his dark side, perhaps it is time to accept that this most enduring of characters no longer fits the archetype of a hero. It would be much easier to accept his spiky edges if the dapper secret agent were not sold as the epitome of British suavity and a role model for young men. He simply doesn't fit the mould in the modern era, but the millions in corporate sponsorship dollarsthat production company Eon receives every time a Bond movie hits cinemas depend on 007 being an aspirational figure.

Mainstream Hollywood is now more complex than it was in the 1960s and 70s. Is it possible for characters who do not fit the traditional heroic template to flourish today? Case in point: last year's Logan, which easily had the best depiction of Hugh Jackman's antiheroic Wolverine, despite his hideous crimes of the past. Tom Hiddleston's Loki is, when on form, Marvel's most watchable creation, while Star Wars fans have been clamouring for decades to see the morally dubious bounty hunter Boba Fett get a standalone adventure. If it had not been for director Josh Trank's unfortunate fall from favour three years ago, they would likely have got their wish by now.

None of the above characters are role models, and maybe Bond fans must accept that 007 isn't either. Just because we do not always approve of his behaviour does not mean we cannot continue to enjoy his adventures.
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Time's up for James Bond: is 007 too toxic for the #MeToo era?

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Should we watch old movies with one eye on the time and place in which they were made, or view them through a more modern mindset? That is the question the Twittersphere has been pondering after a video depicting some of James Bond's most misogynist moments went viral on social media.

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Political

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The OPEC oil embargo was a decision to stop exporting oil to the United States. On October 19, 1973, the 12 OPEC members agreed to the embargo. Over the next six months, oil prices quadrupled. Prices remained at higher levels even after the embargo ended in March 1974.﻿﻿

A review of the history of oil prices reveals they've never been the same since. The chart below tracks both nominal and inflation-adjusted oil prices since 1946. During the OPEC oil embargo, inflation-adjusted oil prices went up from $25.97 per barrel (bbl) in 1973 to $46.35 per barrel (bbl) in 1974.

Since the embargo, OPEC has continued to use its influence to manage oil prices. Today, OPEC controls about 42% of the world's oil supply. It also controls 60% of oil exports and 72% of proven oil reserves.﻿﻿ ﻿﻿

Key Takeaways

In 1971, President Richard Nixon prompted the embargo when he decided to take the United States off of the gold standard. As a result, countries could no longer redeem U.S. dollars in their foreign exchange reserves for gold. With this action, Nixon went against the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement. His move sent the price of gold skyrocketing. The history of the gold standard reveals this was inevitable. But Nixon's action was so sudden and unexpected that it also sent the value of the dollar down.﻿﻿

The plummeting value of the dollar hurt OPEC countries. They depend on the petrodollar for their government revenues. Their oil contracts were priced in U.S. dollars. That meant their revenue fell along with the dollar. The cost of imports that were denominated in other currencies stayed the same or rose. OPEC even considered pricing oil in gold, instead of dollars, to keep revenue from disappearing.﻿﻿

On October 19, 1973, Nixon requested $2.2 billion from Congress in emergency military aid for Israel. The Arab members of OPEC responded by halting oil exports to the United States and other Israeli allies. Egypt, Syria, and Israel declared a truce on October 25, 1973. OPEC continued the embargo until March 1974. By then, oil prices had skyrocketed from $2.90/barrel to $11.65/barrel.﻿﻿

The oil embargo is widely blamed for causing the 1973-1975 recession.﻿﻿ U.S. government policies helped cause the recession and the stagflation that accompanied it. They included Nixon's wage-price controls and the Federal Reserve's stop-go monetary policy. Wage-price controls forced companies to keep wages high, which meant businesses laid off workers to reduce costs. At the same time, they couldn't lower prices to stimulate demand. It had fallen when people lost their jobs.

To make matters worse, the Fed raised and lowered interest rates so many times that businesses were unable to plan for the future. As a result, companies kept prices high which worsened inflation. They were afraid to hire new workers, worsening the recession. Fed officials learned through the history of U.S recessions, they had to manage businesses' expectations of inflation. Since then, they've been consistent in their actions. More important, they clearly signal their intentions well ahead of time.﻿﻿

The oil embargo aggravated inflation by raising oil prices.﻿﻿ It came at a vulnerable time for the U.S. economy. Domestic oil producers were running at full tilt. They were unable to produce more oil to make up the slack. Furthermore, non-OPEC oil production had declined as a percentage of world output.﻿﻿

It also worsened the recession. First, higher gas prices meant consumers had less money to spend on other goods and services. This lowered demand. It also weakened consumer confidence. People were forced to change habits, making it feel like a crisis that the government tried unsuccessfully to resolve. This lack of confidence made people spend less.

For example, drivers were forced to wait in lines that often snaked around the block. They woke up before dawn or waited until dusk to avoid the lines. Gas stations posted color-coded signs: green when gas was available, yellow when it was rationed, and red when it was gone. States introduced odd-even rationing: drivers with license plates ending with odd numbers could get gas on odd-numbered days.

It also reduced the national speed limit to 55 miles per hour to conserve gas.﻿﻿﻿ Nixon instituted daylight savings time year-round for 1974 and 1975.﻿﻿

The oil embargo gave OPEC new power to achieve its goal of managing the world's oil supply and keeping prices stable. By raising and lowering supply, OPEC tries to stabilize the price of oil. If the price drops too low, they would be selling their finite commodity too cheap. If too high, the development of shale oil would look attractive.﻿﻿

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The Truth About the 1973 Arab Oil Crisis

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The OPEC oil embargo was a decision to stop exporting oil to the United States. On October 19, 1973, the 12 OPEC members agreed to the embargo. Over the next six months, oil prices quadrupled. Prices remained at higher levels even after the embargo ended in March 1974.﻿﻿ A review of the history of oil prices reveals they've never been the same since.

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Alvarado's Theory on racial stereotypes 

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Alvarado's Theory on racial stereotypes 

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Useful for MWTGG

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Alvarado's racial stereotypes theory (1987)

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Alvarado's racial stereotypes theory (1987)

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Links to Spectre

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Here's one thing we know: Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is not a Mexican version of Halloween. Though related, the two annual events differ greatly in traditions and tone. Whereas Halloween is a dark night of terror and mischief, Day of the Dead festivities unfold over two days - November 1 and 2, the same as All Saints Day and All Souls Day in Christianity - in an explosion of colour and life-affirming joy. Sure, the theme is death, but the point is to demonstrate love and respect for deceased family members. In towns and cities throughout Mexico, revelers don funky makeup and costumes, hold parades and parties, sing and dance and make offerings to lost loved ones.

The rituals are rife with symbolic meaning. The more you understand about this feast for the senses, the more you will appreciate it. Here are 10 essential things you should know about Mexico's most colourful annual event.

1. It's recognised by UNESCO

Thanks to efforts by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, the term "cultural heritage" is not limited to monuments and collections of objects. It also includes living expressions of culture - traditions - passed down from generation to generation. In 2008, UNESCO recognised the importance of Día de los Muertos by adding the holiday to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Today Mexicans from all religious and ethnic backgrounds celebrate Día de los Muertos, but at its core, the holiday is a reaffirmation of indigenous life.

Day of the Dead originated several thousand years ago with the Aztec, Toltec and other Nahua people, who considered mourning the dead disrespectful. For these pre-Hispanic cultures, death was a natural phase in life's long continuum. The dead were still members of the community, kept alive in memory and spirit - and during Día de los Muertos, they temporarily returned to Earth. Today's Día de los Muertos celebration is a mash-up of pre-Hispanic religious rites and Christian feasts. It takes place on November 1 and 2 - All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day on the Catholic calendar - around the time of the autumn maize harvest.

The centerpiece of the celebration is an altar, or ofrenda, built in private homes and cemeteries. These aren't altars for worshipping; rather, they're meant to welcome spirits back to the realm of the living. As such, they're loaded with offerings - water to quench thirst after the long journey, food, family photos and a candle for each dead relative. If one of the spirits is a child, you might find small toys on the altar. Marigolds are the main flowers used to decorate the altar. Scattered from altar to gravesite, marigold petals guide wandering souls back to their place of rest. The smoke from copal incense, made from tree resin, transmits praise and prayers and purifies the area around the altar.

4. The skulls have literary roots

Calavera means "skull." But during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, calavera was used to describe short, humorous poems, which were often sarcastic tombstone epitaphs published in newspapers that poked fun at the living. These literary calaveras eventually became a popular part of Día de los Muertos celebrations. Today the practice is alive and well. You'll find these clever, biting poems in print, read aloud and broadcast on television and radio programs.

5. And a female icon

In the early 20th century, Mexican political cartoonist and lithographer José Guadalupe Posada created an etching to accompany a literary calavera. Posada dressed his personification of death in fancy French garb and called it Calavera Garbancera, intending it as social commentary on Mexican society's emulation of European sophistication. " Todos somos calaveras," a quote commonly attributed to Posada, means "we are all skeletons." Underneath all our manmade trappings, we are all the same.

Sugar skulls are sold in many forms across Mexico. This colorful group has sequins for eyes in Mercado Benito Juarez.

Photograph by Tino Soriano, National Geographic

In 1947 artist Diego Rivera featured Posada's stylised skeleton in his masterpiece mural "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park." Posada's skeletal bust was dressed in a large feminine hat and Rivera made his female and named her Catrina, slang for "the rich." Today, the calavera Catrina, or elegant skull, is the Day of the Dead's most ubiquitous symbol.

6. You can eat 'food of the dead'

You work up a mighty hunger and thirst traveling from the spirit world back to the realm of the living. At least that's the traditional belief in Mexico. Some families place their dead loved one's favorite meal on the altar. Other common offerings:

Pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, is a typical sweet bread (pan dulce), often featuring anise seeds and decorated with bones and skulls made from dough. The bones might be arranged in a circle, as in the circle of life. Tiny dough teardrops symbolise sorrow.

Sugar skulls are part of a sugar art tradition brought by 17th-century Italian missionaries. Pressed in molds and decorated with crystalline colours, they come in all sizes and levels of complexity.

Drinks, including pulque, a sweet fermented beverage made from the agave sap; atole, a thin warm porridge made from corn flour, with unrefined cane sugar, cinnamon and vanilla added; and hot chocolate.

7. Costumes are everywhere

Day of the Dead is an extremely social holiday that spills into streets and public squares at all hours of the day and night. Dressing up as skeletons is part of the fun. People of all ages have their faces artfully painted to resemble skulls, and, mimicking the calavera Catrina, they don suits and fancy dresses. Many revelers wear shells or other noisemakers to amp up the excitement - and also possibly to rouse the dead and keep them close during the fun.

8. And so are decorations

You've probably seen this beautiful Mexican paper craft plenty of times in stateside Mexican restaurants. The literal translation, pierced paper, perfectly describes how it's made. Artisans stack coloured tissue paper in dozens of layers, then perforate the layers with hammer and chisel points. Papel picado isn't used exclusively during Day of the Dead, but it plays an important role in the holiday. Draped around altars and in the streets, the art represents the wind and the fragility of life.

Thanks to recognition by UNESCO and the global sharing of information, Día de los Muertos is more popular than ever - in Mexico and, increasingly, abroad. For more than a dozen years, the New York-based nonprofit cultural organisation Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders has staged the city's largest Day of the Dead celebration. But the most authentic celebrations take place in Mexico. If you find yourself in Mexico City the weekend before Day of the Dead this year, make sure to stop by the grand parade where you can join in on live music, bike rides and other activities in celebration throughout the city.

10. There are plenty of places to experience it

Countless communities in Mexico celebrate Day of the Dead, but styles and customs differ by region, depending on the region's predominant pre-Hispanic culture. The spiritual home is Oaxaca, but here are a few places that stand out for their colourful and moving celebrations:

Pátzcuaro
One of the most moving Day of the Dead celebrations takes place each year in Pátzcuaro, a municipality in the state of Michoacán about 225 miles west of Mexico City. Indigenous people from the countryside converge on the shores of Pátzcuaro Lake, where they pile into canoes, a single candle burning in each bow, and paddle over to a tiny island called Janitzio for an all-night vigil in an indigenous cemetery.

Mixquic
In this Mexico City suburb, bells from the historic Augustinian convent toll and community members bearing candles and flowers process to the local cemetery, where they clean and decorate the graves of their loved ones.

Tuxtepec
This small city in the northeastern part of Oaxaca state is best known for its sawdust rugs. For days, locals painstakingly arrange coloured sawdust, flower petals, rice, pine needles and other organic materials in elaborate, ruglike patterns on city streets. Traditionally made for important processions, Tuxtepec's sawdust rugs are judged in a contest held during Día de los Muertos.

Aguascalientes
Located roughly 140 miles north of Guadalajara, Aguascalientes - birthplace of engraver José Guadalupe Posada - stretches its Day of the Dead celebrations to nearly a week during its Festival de Calaveras (Festival of Skulls). The festival culminates in a grand parade of skulls along Avenida Madero.

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10 things to know about the Day of the Dead

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We've all heard about the Day of the Dead or seen the classic sugar skull paintings - but what does this celebration really represent?

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Disciplines > Storytelling > Characters > Propp's Dramatis Personae

As well as finding the 31 narratemes, Vladimir Propp also identified a limited set of eight broad character types in the many tales that he analyzed.

The Hero

In every story there is a major character with whom the reader will normally associate most strongly and who is the key person around which the story is told.

Although this person is often a hero in some sense, they may also take another form, such as a victim or a seeker after some treasure or knowledge. Or maybe they are all of these.

The Helper

The Hero is supported in his or her quest by a Helper, often a wise old man or magician, who appears at critical moments to provide support. Thus Obi Wan Kenobi appears to help Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, even after Kenobi's death.

The Helper may also be found in a support role, such as Sherlock Holmes' Dr. Watson or Don Quixote's Sancho Panza. The contrast between the limitations of this person and the hero may provide a further elucidation of the hero's defining characteristics such as intelligence, determination, courage, etc.

Other helpers appear along the way as friends or random people who act pro-socially to support the Hero.

The Villain

The sharpest contrast against the hero is the villain, who struggles directly against the hero. This is the clearly bad-guy person such as Darth Vader in Star Wars or Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes. The Villain typically is morally bad, highlighting the goodness of the Hero.

The Villain may seek to prevent the Hero from achieving the goal or may quest after the same artefact. The Villain may also be a tempter, such as when Darth Vader tries to seduce Luke Skywalker over to the 'dark side'.

The False Hero

A variant on the villain and a potential complication within the plot is the False Hero, who appears to act heroically and may even be initially mistaken for the real Hero.

The False Hero will try to steal the Hero's thunder, grabbing the credit and perhaps trying to marry the princess instead. The False Hero is thus an usurper, a thief perhaps of the worst kind, who plays on people's good nature to boldly steal in broad daylight.

The False Hero may also gain the respect or other control of the Princess's Father, thus frustrating the Hero's ability to gain the hand of the Princess.

The Donor

The Donor is a person who gives the Hero something special, such as a magical weapon or some particular wisdom. They may typically be Gods, Oracles or Wise Persons, although they may also be as simple as gatekeepers.

This role may be combined with that of a Helper. The Donor may also be capricious and not easily swayed and may not give up their gift without setting the Hero another task, from a simple riddle to a whole other quest.

The Dispatcher

An early role in the story is that of the Dispatcher who sends the Hero on the mission. This may be a family member such as a mother or father. It can also be the Princess's Father, who gives the Hero a set of quests to be completed before he gains the hand of the Princess.

The Dispatcher may also be combined with another role, for example the False Hero who then trails along behind (perhaps disguised as a Helper).

The Princess

The Princess may take two forms. First, she may be the object which is deliberately sought by the Hero, perhaps finding where the Villain has taken her. Secondly, she may be the reward, such that after completing some other mission, he gains her affections or hand in marriage.

The Princess may be seen very little in the story, perhaps appearing only at the end, or may be an integral character, for example where she accompanies the Hero on his mission, where he may win her heart by the courage and determination of his actions.

The Princess may be wooed by many, in particular by the False Hero. When we see the Princess being won by the False Hero we may rail and rant in frustration as we see her falling unwittingly into her clutches.

The Princess's Father

Finally, there is the Princess's Father, who constrains the Princess or who may Dispatch the Hero on his mission to save the Princess.

The Princess's Father is a key figure for the Hero to persuade, as the Father is almost always protective of his daughter. The Father may also be in competition in some way with the Hero for the Princess's affections and a triangle may form.

See also
Propp's Morphology of the Folk Tale
Propp, V. (1927). Morphology of the Folktale. Trans., Laurence Scott. 2nd ed. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1968

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Disciplines > Storytelling > Characters > Propp's Dramatis Personae As well as finding the 31 narratemes, Vladimir Propp also identified a limited set of eight broad character types in the many tales that he analyzed. In every story there is a major character with whom the reader will normally associate most strongly and who is the key person around which the story is told.

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Test your knowledge

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Deconstructing the Man With The Golden Gun film poster Diagram | Quizlet

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Start studying Deconstructing the Man With The Golden Gun film poster. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.

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Deconstructing the Spectre (2015) poster Diagram | Quizlet

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Spectre Official Teaser Trailer #1 (2015) - Daniel Craig Movie HD

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The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) Official Trailer - Roger Moore James Bond Movie HD