unpacking ‘nope’
I am a HUGE Jordan Peele fan. Like anything he puts out can do no wrong in my book. To me, Jordan Peele is one of the most creative human beings that has ever lived on our planet. If I could go on a day-trip inside his brain I totally would.
I had really high expectations for Nope and I was not disappointed.
Jordan Peele movies aren’t for everyone.
If you left the movie theater confused and disappointed, then this movie probably wasn’t for you. Peele joints are for people who “get it.” Like, you take what he’s showing us at face value and then you see all the underlying messages, meanings, symbols and ironies. His films are packed like a suitcase you have to sit on to shut. If you don’t come ready, you’ll run out of space to take in everything he’s giving us.
If you’re still perplexed about Nope’s meaning , you probably didn’t have a very big suitcase.
I haven’t even looked at any of the fan theories or ‘explanation’ videos yet so my interpretation is completely my own–untainted by the internet.
I think the movie is representative of how humans, and more specifically Americans, keep trying to control and tame everything we lay our eyes on (literally).
Everyone who died in the movie tried to control and tame the UFO. ‘Jupe’ literally could not resist profiting off of the UFO which led to his death and the death of 40 other people who bought tickets to his weak-ass show. The TMZ guy thought that footage of the UFO would be his big break and looked straight at the UFO. He died. A painful death too. Peele uses cameras as a vehicle of power and control of the UFO. If you can get a picture of it, you will have all the money and power in the world. They call it the “Oprah shot.”
Peele highlights that theme of good ‘ole American greed, power, and control through the dynamic between trainer and horse. The ‘usual’ way to go about domesticating a horse is for the trainer (usually a white western man) to be all masculine and dominate the horse until it realizes its subordination. Peele juxtaposes this theme with black characters (the Haywoods)–who by society’s terms, do not have the same power that white western man does–but train and domesticate horses the right way. Peele’s characters respect the horse and its needs which in turn allows the horse to trust their trainer.
So what is Peele’s message?
We will all die if we keep trying to control everything we see?
We can reap the benefits of what the world has to offer when we respect it rather than subject it?
There is no such thing as “wild” and “natural” anymore?
We should pay more attention to clouds?
I think those are all statements that Nope supports.
One last thing,
It amazes me that Peele can create movies with virtually no white characters, and still dominate the box office. Think of Get Out. It was the most profitable movie of 2017. From a budget of $4.5 million, the movie grossed over $255 million worldwide.
How can a director manage to obtain a strong and loyal white audience, even though the white folk in his films are usually antagonists?
There was not one single white hero in Get Out. In fact, every white main character was vilified and died by the end of the movie (go ahead and think about it, yep. It’s true). And their racism was depicted in the most obvious and intense ways.
What does this say about Peele’s skills as a director–and more broadly, as a creator?
Well, I think Peele has mastered the art of creation. His work transcends race, gender, age, and sexual orientation.
Maybe we should listen to him.
Just a thought though.
reflections on George Floyd in the classroom
I am doing a summer teaching fellowship with a wonderful organization that emphasizes ending racial injustice and inequity in education.
About 95% of my students are students of color.
I have had a great time getting to know my other teaching fellows and my students. I spent my spring semester at Brown building a literature curriculum and looking at how to be the best teacher possible in an inherently oppressive system, so I felt extremely prepared to be an English/Reading teaching fellow.
But instead, I got assigned to Law.
Which isn't a problem–it was just my second choice.
I used to want to be a lawyer. I went into college thinking of majoring in English and then getting my Law degree (I quickly realized 4+ more years of school would NOT be reasonable for me). By teaching this class, I’ve rediscovered how passionate I am about justice reform. The only formal learning I’ve ever done about law was in my 9th grade civics class (hey Mrs. Holst!).
Fortunately, you don’t have to know much about Law to teach this curriculum, because it focuses more on critical thinking skills and “speaking like a lawyer.” The Law curriculum’s theme this year is environmental justice. Most of the cases we look at fall into that category. Think oil spills, private property, clean water cases, air pollution, endangered animals, etc…
It is week 4 and I’ve been so impressed with my student's ability to show up to school during the summer and willingly learn new material. Throughout the weeks, I’ve allowed my students to debate and argue for settlements which they’ve LOVED. They’ve handled each case with care and curiosity. However, I received feedback from a couple of my students that they want to look at cases that are more relevant to their lives.
I was thrilled to hear that. I wholeheartedly agreed. I wanted to teach something that affected their lives. By the next day, I had a new lesson plan.
I have learned that every lesson should have a measurable outcome for the students to achieve by the end of class. My measurable outcome for this lesson plan was for students to better understand the elements and strategies of a lawyer’s opening statement. I wanted to show them a real-life example so that they could emanate the lawyer when we do opening statements in class. I asked students to take notes on the prosecutor’s body language, tone, eye contact, sentence structures, and hand motions.
I thought of the most momentous case my students had ever heard of in their lifetime so far (I have 7th and 8th graders). I immediately thought of the death of George Floyd and the trial of Derek Chauvin, which is still making headlines today. I knew my students would understand the case well and have their own opinions on it. I thought if they could come into class with an opinion, then they would be able to evaluate the prosecutor’s opening statement with consideration and interest. I easily found the full video of the prosecutor, Jerry Blackwell, delivering the opening statement.
I trust my kids, and verbalized that to them, which is why I wanted to put them in the position to watch a mature video and maintain classroom expectations.
If we want our kids to grow, we have to put them in positions to do so.
I prepped my students the day before by telling them that our next class would be heavy, so to get all the jokes and giggles out before they come. I think this built anticipation for class–something middle schoolers rarely feel. My colleague and I combined our classes for this lesson, which was another level of difficulty. Could my students handle their friends from other classes in the room learning with them? I was interested to see how the classroom dynamics would change and how this bigger group would handle the content.
From the minute my kids walked through the door, I could feel a sense of readiness for the class. I truly believe my kids wanted to show me that they can be trusted with this. I think they enjoyed the feeling of being recognized as mature and capable students (with the way the school system is, I don't think very many of their teachers consider them as such).
I witnessed a lot of growth in a 50-minute class period.
Once again, my students blew me away. Any expectation I had for the class was surpassed in the best way possible.
Here are my takeaways from bringing George Floyd into the classroom:
10-13-year-olds CAN handle heavy content
While I did prep my students before class, they already understood the magnitude of the case. We all live on the same planet. With social media, our kids have seen content way beyond their years. My students handled this subject with poise and care. I was impressed with the atmosphere of the classroom and the strength it took for each of them to sit in a seat listening to the re-telling of a traumatic death at the hands of the police. I know emotions must have been raging, but my students were calm and collected. That was impressive.
When the topic is relevant enough, everyone will have something to say. Even your quietest students.
This case worked its way into every kid’s life. On that notion alone, a student has something to share. I noticed students who are usually very hesitant to speak, voice their opinions and memories when given the space to. They also completed the notes that I asked them to. They were completely engaged.
Verbalizing trust in your students allows them to trust you.
It feels good when someone tells you they trust you. It makes you want to keep that trust. My kids didn’t let me down. They trusted that I knew what I was talking about. Creating trust in a classroom setting is a two-way street.
Respect was already assumed.
I didn’t have to explain why my students should pay attention in class. They already came in with their own reasons to listen and focus. There was already respect for the content from the beginning. I truly believe that when kids care about the content they will respect it and respect the person teaching it.
If I had to label myself, I would call myself a radical educator. I strongly believe we have to completely revamp the way schools operate. Every. Single. Part. Of. It. I know there is a generation of new educators who are primed and ready to do this work. This summer has given me great insight into the world of education and I am forever grateful to have had this experience.
If you were alive in 2020, you lived through history.
There is nothing inherently political or controversial about the death of George Floyd.
So, bring it to the classroom.
If you have any questions about the lesson or about my work this summer please reach out!
on britney griner
You’ve probably heard bits and pieces of information surrounding WNBA star Britney Griner’s detainment in Russia. In my opinion, it's been publicized more than any game, player, or moment in WNBA history. While I understand her detainment is mixed in with critical political relations, I can’t help but imagine that many people didn't know who she was before this happened. There are social implications to her detainment and that is the angle I want to speak on in this blog post. I will not be commenting on whether or not she was in the wrong, or what President Biden should do.
I want to speak on Brtiney becoming a political pawn, why she was in Russia to begin with, and the intersection between being a lesbian black woman.
On BG as a political pawn:
It is believed that Russia intends to use BG in a trade to bring Viktor Bout, an arms dealer known as “The Merchant of Death,” back to Russia. Now, to put this into perspective, Bout is a former Soviet military translator, and previously used air transport companies to smuggle weapons into various locations. It seems as if both countries recognize BG has great worth in this position. They are treading lightly around the situation…However, I think it is unfair to view her as a political pawn. BG goes through her daily life as an underpaid lesbian black woman in the U.S where we don’t embrace those identities. The U.S realizes the weight of the situation and BG’s importance right now, but not any other time. Therefore, her importance right now is only recognized by the U.S because they want to keep the peace with Russia. If/when she comes home, she will fall back to the bottom of the “america’s-who-we-care-about list.” I empathize with BG because she just wants to go home. She never signed up for this. She wasn’t in Russia to become a political pawn.
On why she was in Russia to begin with:
She was in Russia to make a living. Russia pays their female basketball players more. If we paid WNBA players enough to survive, she wouldn't have been there. Enough said.
On the intersectionality of BG:
It is not lost on me that America is in a position to ‘save’ or ‘rescue’ the lesbian black woman. Correct me if I am wrong, but has America ever saved a lesbian black woman? I am watching the decisions made with BG and continuously comparing them to how we handle the U.S straight white males who are detained in foreign countries. Any mishandlings prove there is a lack of care for individuals outside of the majority.
As I often do, I am lifting up those who worked to keep BG’s name relevant–who kept the story on everyone’s feed.
I choose to end my blog posts by reminding us of our power, and how we can make the change by joining together.
To read more visit https://wearebg.org/
Mychelle spoke about Miles and i listened
If you follow any sports pages, your highlights and trick shot videos were interrupted this week by Mychelle Johnson’s post exposing the abuse she has endured at the hands of her NBA husband, Miles Bridges.
I want to speak to this.
First and foremost, I believe women when they speak. I don’t believe women have ulterior motives when coming forward about abuse. I take what they say as the truth until proven otherwise. So I saw Mychelle’s post and believed her. My heart sank at the photos of the damage he left on her body. The same body that gave him two children. In Mychelle’s photos, not only were the most recent scars and bruises documented but also those underneath that had healed and ceased actively bleeding. Women all over the country saw those photos and looked at our own scars, physical or not.
I want to acknowledge the courage that it takes to tilt the light on the darker side of the world’s shining stars. As a society, we seem to believe that our stars have no faults. But they do. Mychelle reminded us.
I already knew whose side the comment section would take. Despite the irrefutable evidence of physical harm done to her body, the Instagram and Twitter judges found Bridges not guilty on the basis of, “hoes be lying.”
So not only has Mychelle endured harm by whom she shares a home but she has also been harmed by a society that won’t bear her truth.
I don’t care how angry Miles Bridges was, or what Mychelle might have said. He hurt a body that he should be protecting and cherishing. The home that they cultivated together was demolished each time he layed his hands on her.
And let’s not forget, the children who witnessed all of this.
Bridges might not have hit his children, but he damaged the fragile idea they had of love, family, and what a father is.
My heart goes out to these kids as well.
I want to say that Bridge’s stat line does not justify the harm he did off the court. His violence in his home is not excused by his accomplishments.
Believe Mychelle. Believe those who couldn't post about it. Believe those who haven't made the courageous steps to verbalize their pain yet.
This isn’t just a sports problem, it isn't just a black, white, or wealthy problem. It is everyone’s problem. It is everyone’s responsibility to cherish, not abuse, our partners and to believe others when they muster up the strength to speak about the abuse they've survived.
