momobi. “Capitalism kills Love.” 29 Oct 2011. Online image. Flikr. 5 Aug 2016.
Introduction
Our goal for the conference is to explore the ways in which the voices of some Canadian’s are silenced through the forces of capitalist oppression and neoliberalism. We want to find ways in which society can subvert these forces and diversify the face of Canadian literature.
Area of Interest
We, as a group, are interested in how twenty first century Canadian Literature has been defined by the whims of capitalist, neoliberal and nationalist sentiments. Through this we hope to better define how works may have been canonized as “Canadian Literature”, and look into how the established narrative can be changed to be more inclusive of the diverse Canadian populous.
In this video “Be Suspicious of Stories”, Tyler Cowen discuss not only the dangers of the sources of narratives shaping stories, but the bias we humans have to specific kinds of stories.
Area of Research
As suggested by Roxanne Rimstead in “Utopian Longing and Literary Futures“ and Lorraine York in “Agents of Literary Culture,“ the everyday voices of the oppressed and ignored are the future of Canadian literature. Unfortunately, due to our neoliberal system that values profits over all else, corporately backed outlets neglect to publish any such unique narratives for fear that they may not sell. This principle may be applied to all forms of art, beyond our literary scope of study. In conjunction with this, Herb Wylie’s article “Neoliberalism and the Future of Canadian Literature”, explains how corporate autonomy, lack of intervention from the state, and an insufficient commitment to social welfare will affect literature. Wylie argues that the only voices we will hear will be from those who can afford to engage in art, who write narratives that are guaranteed to sell, and are approved by the publishing companies who are motivated by profit.
Our fear is that the notion of art for art’s sake, will be replaced with media for sale’s sake.
Through this research, we wish to find and call attention to solutions that can be implemented to change the narrative of censorship for capitalistic gain and divert neoliberalism by increasing the value of diversity in art.
Works Cited
Cowen, Tyler. “Be Suspicious of Stories.” TedTALKS. 8 November 2009, https://www.ted.com/talks/tyler_cowen_be_suspicious_of_stories.
Hi there, I love that you chose this topic (as morbid as that seems)! I follow a few authors on Twitter along with actors, activists, etc. and along with the call for better representation in TV shows and movies (if you haven’t heard of the backlash over, in just one example, Emma Stone being cast to play an Asian character in the movie Aloha, I don’t know what rock you’ve been living under haha) there is also a movement called #WeNeedDiverseBooks. Basically, the aim is to draw attention to the fact that diverse books — with POC main characters, LGBTQ characters with their own story arc, not just the “sassy best friend” — are sorely lacking from the industry. Or if they are written, they are written by white men (generally), who edge out ACTUAL diverse authors with real, firsthand accounts of life as POC, LGBTQ member, or disabled person in society. I want to leave this link — http://elloellenoh.tumblr.com/post/139448275729/dear-white-writers — to an article by a women that elucidates the movement’s efforts perfectly. I think it fits rather well with your team’s conference goals; that is, how to introduce marginalized voices with stories to tell into an industry that favours big names, easy sells, and profits over authenticity. I look forward to seeing how your project pans out!
That’s so true about the film industry. There was the same kind of backlash over Scarlett Johansson playing the main character of Ghost in a Shell for the live action reboot. And in literature, the minority stories that are told are more often than not appropriated and fetishized by outside writers rather than from someone with direct experience. Thank you for the comment and the link. Hopefully we do the topic justise.
Cheers
Hello! Thank you for addressing this topic – it’s definitely been something that I’ve thought about and wondered about before as well, and yet I still can’t seem to understand why it happens. To my own understanding, the narratives in “mainstream” movies and literature are biased because there is a demand from the public for a very specific type of voice and appearance. Leading off from this, through a very basic economic rule, where there is demand, there will always be people who find a way to make supply to meet those demands. I wonder, in this case, what the best route to take would be: would it be to reach out to the general public to emphasize the importance of liberating the voices that have been oppressed up till now, or would it also work for mainstream media to begin working with more diverse people – which would then allow these minority voices more exposure? I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with in your research project! 🙂
HI Amelia,
I understand what you mean. I watched something awhile ago that address the public demand diving a bias. I can’t find the link, but it was a Philip DeFranco Youtube video talking about the Scarlett Johansson playing as the lead in a live action remake of the Japanese anime, Ghost in a Shell. The source isn’t academic or anything, but in it he discuss how a different big director argued his choice of a white actor in a POC role in a different movie. The director said that the movie would not have gotten funding if he had proposed it with a foreign sounding name in the main role. And though the movie tanked in the Americas, it made amazing profits in outside markets. So through the publics’ acceptance of the film as it was, the were never any consequences. I think that you’re right in saying it is up to the general public to spark change in how we all absorb media and what kind of media we want. But I think that it is also fair to say that the ones in charge of producing and distributing media need to have their mindset readjusted to not just produce and distribute for the biggest profit gain.
Cheers
Hi Team Blue,
I am very excited to check back in on this site as it progresses, you’ve picked such an interesting topic, and one that I too often think of. My team’s conference relates to the ideas of representation and the resulting stereotypes There are too many examples in the media of misrepresentation and controversies around the continued use of Native American mascots for high schools and professional sports teams (NFL teams). There seems to be two dominant portrayals of Indigenous people. That of historical figures living in tipees or as modern people relating to poverty, addiction and lack of formal education. Such views are incredibly limiting and cripple any attempts at shifting paradigms. I am looking forward to your future research and to see how it parallels to our own!
Best,
Navi, Myth Busters