https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax Made to inspire and confuse. en-us 2021-06-17 08:18:35 UTC 2021-06-17 19:08:13 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/267b.png pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1611834558 Hello, my name is Paul Fimbres, and welcome to my Cultural Identity Collage, produced under the inspiration/guidance/duress of my EDEL 4190 class at CSULA. In this class, my goal is to develop a better understanding of the process of teaching social studies to elementary school students. For the sake of this assignment, I have been tasked with creating a collage that reflects my identity, as well as serving as a model of the kind of exploration of identity and self-reflection that I would want my students to engage in within my own classroom.
In that sense, I have had to make something of a sacrifice. If I were to task my students with making collages, I would want them to have it reflect their unique personality. But, my personality isn't exactly a great model for this exercise for others, particularly not small children. What child would want to make a collage with limited pictures and thousands of words of text? So, this collage is me, and nobody else. If I were to use this exercise in a classroom, I would consciously present my collage alongside other sample cultural collages, for the sake of illustrating uniqueness and differences in presentation and identity.]]> 2021-06-17 08:20:44 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1611834558 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1611840161 When it came time to select the medium I would present this collage in, I did feel even a momentary twinge of hesitation. I knew I did not want a static image of any sort, but a presentation made in a dynamic and browser-based application. Anything else simply wouldn't be reflective of my culture.

This version that you are viewing is a static PDF, but only because of the limitations of the assignment submission process. I actually originally envisioned this collage as a series of hyperlinks connecting each other, somewhat akin to a Wiki. However, that wasn't particularly conducive to being presented in a PDF format.]]> 2021-06-17 08:24:39 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1611840161 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1611862084 While perusing this document, I recommend that the audience be listening to the album "Entroducing....."
This album, by DJ Shadow, is not my favorite album, nor is it a famed cultural milestone for most people. However, I believe is the optimal soundtrack for this collage due to two major musical historical milestones.
The first bit of significance to the album is that its production was built entirely on piracy. DJ Shadow is the first noted artist to produce an entire album without ever recording a single note of original music. Instead, the album was produced by illegally "sampling" from thousands of commercial records, and stitching them back together in an entirely unfamiliar fashion. This album serves as a sort of hallmark/watershed moment in the evolution of our modern remix/piracy culture, as well as being a literal collage.
The second intriguing thing about this album is that Entroducing..... is often referred to as one of the major predecessors of the "Lo-Fi" genre of electronic music. Lo-Fi, for those who are unfamiliar, is also often referred to as "Music to study to," and is now one of the most-listened to genres of music in the world (at least according to major music streaming services).]]> 2021-06-17 08:41:28 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1611862084 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1611875528 I grew up, and continue to live in, a world where intellectual property theft is ubiquitous and socially acceptable.

In all of my submitted school and professional work, I actually make sure that my products have properly cleared licenses. Whenever I tell this to anyone, they are baffled. Most people don't even know what reproduction licenses even are. I have seen fellow teachers nearly burst into tears when I explain that yes, their "Baby Yoda" pictures in their classroom presentations are actually a crime and not a representation of Free Use doctrine. Usually, I then have to explain that I don't care about piracy and that my refusal to engage in certain forms of IP theft are a conceit of my own personal neuroses. I act in alignment with my values in regards to this subject, but I don't aim to push them onto others. The reality is that we live in a culture where these things are normal and accepted, and the only thing pirates need worry about is getting caught.]]> 2021-06-17 08:51:59 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1611875528 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612767110 I grew up in an ultra-conservative middle class suburb in California. The town's biggest claim to fame was being the setting for a low-budget Keanu Reeves movie. However, it wouldn't be fair to say that this town is the culture that raised me. I may have physically occupied a particular location in space, but my culture and identity have always come from text. I grew up in books and on the internet. I was the quiet loner who spent all his time reading. My physical presence was largely irrelevant.]]> 2021-06-17 17:40:01 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612767110 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612784647 The short answer:

Because I like text.

The longer answer:

I cover the subject in more detail in "Piracy as a Social Norm" and "Remix Culture", but this entire collage is legal. Most collages aren't. It was important to my sense of identity that I make this collage legal, and that required making sure everything inside it was either my original work or properly licensed.

Beyond that, as mentioned in "My Background", my sense of identity was forged primarily through reading and writing. Therefore, it only makes sense for a collage that reflects my cultural identity to be made up primarily of text.

]]> 2021-06-17 17:49:27 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612784647 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612827020 I believe that current intellectual property laws are too strict, and don't reflect the landscape of our modern society. However, rather than resort to criminality, I try to model a way that one can live an alternative lifestyle. In a society that has embraced piracy and "remixing" existing works, it is necessary for people to embrace new paradigms, such as "Open Source" and "Creative Commons". In many ways, this illustrates the era in which I grew up on the internet- the early 2000's, when bright and idealistic pioneers believed the internet would be a platform for a new collaborative cultural framework. This, of course, turned out to be a load of nonsense, and the internet was quickly taken over by governments and corporations for the sake of profit and control. However, culturally, those values still define me, even if I recognize them as pipe dreams of people who have since largely been persecuted and executed by the state.]]> 2021-06-17 18:13:56 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612827020 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612866840 2021-06-17 18:38:29 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612866840 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612868108 The following works, authors, and websites have left a lasting imprint on my identity and view of the world. I considered writing a description or annotation for each of them, but ultimately decided they fit the collage mood better when juxtaposed without comment or explanation. The only thing I wish to say here is that one shouldn't assume I'm a fan of the work just because it's included here. Unlike the above segment, this collection is not deliberately focused on a more narrow band of cultural information, but rather just a limited snapshot into a few of the nigh-endless works I have consumed.]]> 2021-06-17 18:39:16 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612868108 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612869387 2021-06-17 18:39:56 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612869387 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612871547 2021-06-17 18:41:18 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612871547 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612874794 2021-06-17 18:43:28 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612874794 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612883950 2021-06-17 18:49:46 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612883950 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612884727 2021-06-17 18:50:19 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612884727 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612885660 2021-06-17 18:50:57 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612885660 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612886554 2021-06-17 18:51:36 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612886554 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612887886 2021-06-17 18:52:30 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612887886 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612888850 Warning: This website is highly obscene and offensive, and most of the ads are pornographic. However, its influence on society is not up for debate.]]> 2021-06-17 18:53:08 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612888850 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612891999 2021-06-17 18:55:23 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612891999 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612893088 2021-06-17 18:56:08 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612893088 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612896955 2021-06-17 18:58:44 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612896955 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612897305 2021-06-17 18:58:59 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612897305 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612898317 2021-06-17 18:59:44 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612898317 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612899463 As far as I concerned, my family consists of my immediate family. My extended family, and the specific form of "Mexican Culture" that spawned them, needs to be eradicated from the face of this earth. Cartels, child molesters, bandits, Coyotes and violent criminals have no place in decent society, and I've wasted more time on this subject here than it deserves.]]> 2021-06-17 19:00:36 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612899463 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612903417 2021-06-17 19:03:22 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612903417 pfimbre https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612904854 As with family, if something isn't included here, it's because it is not particularly important to me. Yes, that includes partisan political squabbles.]]> 2021-06-17 19:04:18 UTC https://padlet.com/pfimbre/946f61ew5ogh8gax/wish/1612904854