Not Quite "Just Another Girl"

On November 11, 2013, the Killers released Direct Hits, an album comprised of their greatest hits in honor of their ten year anniversary. While the album is predominately a celebration of their most successful songs, two new singles were produced for the album; Shot at the Night and Just another Girl. The music video for Just another Girl captures the sentimental essence of the album by paying homage to the band’s career up until the album’s release. The video utilizes semiotics, specifically symbols, to depict the band’s noteworthy career.

The video opens with a shot of a marquee letter “K” which is quickly illuminated. Blurry scenes from a select number of the band’s previous music videos begin to appear on screen, spliced together with close-ups of a person’s walking feet. The camera then pans up to reveal a woman, who begins to lip sync the song. Throughout the video, the woman walks through a production set, where she frequently stops to shoot different music videos and make wardrobe changes. At the end of the video, she releases confetti which rains down throughout the set. The final scene of the video mirrors the first, as the marquee “K” darkens.

The initial blurry scenes are included in order to enhance the meaning of the media product. Throughout the video, symbols reference some of the band’s previous music videos for other songs included on the Direct Hits album. If audiences are not familiar with previous works of the Killers, they will not comprehend the video’s purpose; to celebrate the band’s career.

The video first utilizes symbols in its costumes. Throughout the video, the actress wears clothing inspired by the outfits lead singer Brandon Flowers has worn in previous videos. When she first appears, the woman wears a black suit jacket adorned with feathers. The jacket is nearly identical to the one worn by Flowers in the band’s music video for their single Human from the earlier stages of their career.

An additional outfit, which includes a black vest and blue bow tie, is a reference to the music video When You were Young. The video depicts the failing relationship of a married couple and also includes scenes of the band performing in a bar. The same formal attire Flowers wore in the video is worn by the woman in Just another Girl. She even dons a mustache, an additional symbol, which Flowers’ had at the time When You were Young was originally shot.

The costumes and the mustache symbolize the band's lead singer. The continual references to Flowers’ outfits and physical appearances from different music videos highlight the band's evolution and the changes they experienced in the first ten years of their career.

The woman herself is also a complex symbol. On a basic level, she symbolizes Brendan Flowers, since she assumes his previous roles within the music video. However, she also symbolizes the subject of the song; a woman whom Flowers' can't seem to forget despite the encouragement from his friends. According to Flowers, the song is  a narrative, which is reflected in the story-like plot of its video.

The depiction of Flowers as a woman suggests that the woman whom the song is written about has remained to be a significant part of his identity throughout the band's career. Although the band undergoes many changes throughout the video, Flowers is continually depicted by the same actress. Her constant role in the music video signals that Flowers' feelings have never changed. She not only symbolizes the lead singer, but also his enduring feelings.

Finally, the marquee letter "K" carries symbolic meaning. While many symbols in the video symbolize Brendan Flowers, the marquee letter symbolizes the band as a whole. The letter is a reference to the band's name, the Killers. However, it can also symbolize the band's evolution.

The music videos for Just another Girl and Human both begin and end with the same shots of the marquee letter. In a 2009 interview, Flowers revealed that Human was the band's biggest worldwide hit. The single strengthened the band's global presence in the music industry, which was a significant moment in their overall career. Therefore, the marquee letter symbolizes the music video for Human and the success it brought the band. 

The symbols in Just another Girl play a crucial role in the music video. The symbolism of the band’s previous works highlights their impressive career while simultaneously conveying a nostalgic tone. The music video celebrates the Killers’ history, mirroring the purpose of their Direct Hits album.

Shakespeare and She's the Man

In the movie, She’s the Man, Viola, the female lead character pretends to be a boy, her brother, Sebastien, in order to play soccer. Since the girls’ team at her high school was cut, she attends her brother’s boarding school while he leaves the country to perform his music with his band. As a man, a girl named Olivia falls in love with Sebastien, who is actually Viola. However, while at the school, Viola actually falls in love with one of the boys on the soccer team, Duke Orsino, and finds herself in a situation in which where she gets caught in her lie. At the end of the movie she reveals that she has been impersonating her brother the entire time she has been at his school. Although her coach and everyone at the school is upset that she lied to them, she helps them win the championship soccer game and proves that girls are just as good at soccer as boys.

This movie was based off of William Shakespeare’s play, Twelfth Night. In his play, he writes about a woman named Viola who wants to get a job under the Duke of Illyria, so she disguises herself as a man. Throughout the play she quickly falls in love with Duke Orsino. However, Orsino is in love with Countess Olivia, which creates a love triangle between the three people. The movie She’s the Man is a modern take on this movie. The entire movie is an example on intertextuality, for the two story plots of both She’s the Man and Twelfth Night are almost parallel with each other. The same names for the majority of the characters and places are the same such as Viola being the female lead in both the play and the movie as well as the other characters and where both medias are placed, Illyria. In Twelfth Night, Illyria is the kingdom in which the story is set. Likewise, the college that Viola goes to and pretends to be a boy in order to play soccer is name Illyria.

Although the play and the movie have almost parallel story plots and the same names for characters, the most important reason for making this movie shadow the play is to highlight the fact that a girl was able to overcome prejudices in order to obtain what she wanted. This contradicts what is ‘normal’ societal roles are. Both of these pieces of media portray the strength a woman possesses when she is unable to do something according to the power of men. She’s the Man was created in order to appeal to the modern generation and give instances that people of the twenty first century could relate to.

For instance, instead of Viola dressing as a man in order to obtain a job in Shakespeare’s play, she pretends to be a boy in order to play soccer because the girls soccer team at her school was cut. While both of these types of media were made for entertainment foe whoever watched them, She’s the Man created for a young audience since the entire movie is set in high school. As previously stated, the reasoning for making both the play and the movie were for entertainment. However, there is a deeper meaning within both of these. Although women are being subjugated under men in both Twelfth Night and She’s the Man, the prevail by showing men and others around them that they have the capability to do anything a man can do and in the case of She’s the Man, Viola contributes to the men’s soccer team’s win in the championship game.

In conclusion, She’s the Man incorporates Twelfth Night almost in its entirety with all the
examples of intertextuality weaved in throughout the movie. By integrating aspects of Shakespeare’s play into the movie, it sheds a light on how important the play is to convey to audiences of today. The message throughout both the play and the movie is to not listen to those who look down upon people because of gender because it’s never certain what they are capable of accomplishing.

Beautifully Unattainable

Set in an African Savannah in the 1950s, surrounded by wildlife and cameras, Taylor Swift brings us one of her latest music videos Wildest Dreams. The project was directed by South Korean Joseph Khan, which was also involved in other of Swift’s projects such as “Bad Blood” and “Blank Space”. Wildest Dreams tells the story of two actors, Taylor Swift and Scott Eastwood, who are making a movie, non-coincidentally titled Wildest Dreams. At first glance, the video is about these two actors that have an on-screen and off-screen relationship that comes to an end when the movie production concludes, and each of the characters has to return to their own lives. However, once one analyzes the music video with the song lyrics, Wildest Dreams is about a doomed romantic relationship between two star-crossed lovers that is worthy only for its memories. This romantic yet superficial relationship is beautifully unattainable and ill-fated, in fact, it is the “Wildest Dream” that the narrator, Swift, is talking about.

Swift that was once a sweet teenage girl, writing songs mostly about perfect loves and sweet romances, now writes songs and creates music videos that try to more accurately resemble real life. A love story that is destined to fail is the main theme that surrounds this astonishing video. From the start of the song, Swift uses juxtaposed words and phrases to hint that there is something bad happening in the relationship. Swift says things like “He’s so bad but he does it so well” and “I can see the end as it begins” displaying an evident conflict existing between the two characters and their troubled relationship. He is wrong for her and she knows it but she does not care, not yet at least. Taylor’s immense desire to have someone is stronger than the reality of the situation and makes her keep holding on, creating this fantasy of a perfect relationship but actually she is just fooling herself. All the juxtaposition she uses is to alert the audience and herself that all those moments she is living and all that magic she is feeling will eventually vanish.

This whole idea is encompassed in the first shot the couple films for their movie. Swift and Eastwood share a kiss once the director gives the signal and the shot is just perfect: rightly timed, with a picturesque setting, the characters perfectly placed in the middle of the portrait, surrounded by matching warm colors, full of passion and in simple words fairytale-like. However, at the same time the shot and the moment itself is pure illusion, just like a dream. The audience can see the cameras, the crew, and the director who are filming the shot. The whole moment is completely made up. This gives the idea that these kinds of relationships are too good to be true, and therefore unreal just like the love stories we often see in films.

Nevertheless, Swift also wants to make the point that even though these relationships are doomed from the beginning, they are still worth having for the memories they bring. In other words, from time to time one should get into a relationship with no future simply because the unforgettable memories and breathtaking moments will compensate for all the negative things that happened. In the video, when Swift is thinking about those worthy memories, we see flashbacks of the good memories lived with her lover. These shots, unlike the others we have seen, are more “real” and seem more “authentic” in a sense since we do not see the cameras, crew or director anymore, we only see her and her love interest. With this recollection of memories, the audience can relate and sympathize with Taylor.

Still, to what extent are these flashbacks and these memories entirely real is completely uncertain. They might be only a product of Taylor’s imagination, maybe she modifies them, or maybe they’re just a dream. The one thing that it is known for sure is that the memories she makes, or thinks she makes, with her lover are the only thing that stays with her when the movie is over. Once the production concludes, the relationship ends and the characters part their individual ways. Swift and Eastwood are brought back to reality when you see the green screen and realize that the jungle and the wildlife they were immersed in was all an illusion just like their relationship and the love they shared. This is the tragic yet inescapable reality of star-crossed lovers, they just form part of a dream that will eventually end when one of them wakes up. 

The real question about Wildest Dreams is what is Taylor Swift really singing about? Maybe she wants to make the point that relationships among celebrities are just a fantasy trying to imitate what they will so frequently do in movies but at the end of the day completely superficial, fake and just for the media. Personally, I believe the song and the video are about Taylor Swift herself and her romantic relationships that are doomed to fail. Swift is always in the media, presuming her new boyfriends every year, however these relationships never last that long. Wildest Dreams is about Swift and her struggle in finding real love. She only has memories of her relationships but to what extent are the memories she makes with these men real? To what extent are these relationships authentic and could they ever be? Maybe it is all created for the media and for this reason the illusion of encountering true love is just Swift’s wild dream: fleeting and unattainable.

The War on Drugs

In this blog post, I will be analyzing the messages and significance of the music video "Crooked Smile" by J.Cole featuring TLC. The song was released on June 4th, 2013 and was dedicated to Aiyana Stanley-jones, 7 year old girl shot and killed during a police raid back in 2010 which was nationally known and stirred some controversy. The song has been one of J. Cole's most popular songs that he's written. The song and music video's main reasoning is to fight the controversy on the war on drugs. J Cole wanted to bring attention to the war so people are aware of the violent acts that have been ruining families.

In the music video, there is a perspective of two people on opposite sides of the spectrum. J.Cole is a drug dealer and the other actor is part of the Federal Drug Administration. It starts out by introducing J.Cole's family, which consisted of his little sister and his mother and father celebrating the little sister's birthday at their house. It also introduces the FDA agent's daughter who he very much cares about and raises on his own. This introduction of family is very significant to the video's meaning as a hole as the importance of family is the reason why J.Cole wants the war on drugs to be over. As J.Cole's character get ready to sell his drugs, the FDA rolls up to his house to bust him. However, what is controversial here is that J.Cole's little sister is also in the house as well. During the bust, the little sister comes out of her room to see what was going on in the house. Alarmed, the FDA agent sees the girl come out of her room and pulls the trigger and takes her life. The scene right after this occurrence shows J.Cole's shock and the death of his soul as he falls to the ground in vain. Th next scenes imply the moral of the music video as it takes on the perspective of both J.Cole and the FDA agent after the shooting.

It shows J.Cole's memories of his sister and his sadness as he sits in the van and it shows the emotions of sadness that the FDA agent also feels as well. Then the scene is followed up by an imagination of J.Cole's sister and the FDA agent's daughter in school together in what seems like heaven. It also shows J.Cole and the FDA agent looking at each other, both dissatisfied from what had just happened. This symbolizes the strength of love for family members and that it is not worth losing innocent lives and family members for drugs. The way in which J.Cole and the FDA agent look at each other in dissatisfaction is a form of symbolism of how much this drug bust doesn't mean anything positive because of the death of the girl. The director sets this point of symbolism by introducing the two perspectives and their beloved family members (daughters) so they can relate to each other and feel each others pain. J.Cole does a great job of making the viewers aware of the problem on the war on drugs by bringing attention to what happened to the little girl.

The music video does a great job of creating suspense and displaying emotions throughout the video with its media effects. First, the spiritual music they play after the death of the little sister enhances the meaning of the death and is a good addition to the music video. The slow motion video effects for the iconic parts of the shooting, celebration, and aftermath really focus the attention to those parts, making them more effective. The camera angles of the shot and J.Cole falling to the ground from that same angle make the viewer engage to comprehend what just happened.

I believe this music video strongly tells the story of how the war on drugs are not worth the risk of taking innocent lives. The storyline of how a beautiful day with family turns into sadness create the ironic thought of the controversy. With the media effects, demonstration of sadness on both sides of the spectrum strongly portrays the wrong in the war. Overall, the message is well converted into the music video and serves a great purpose using the life of two sides in the war on drugs and portraying the emotions of both sides.

84 Lumber Super Bowl Advertisement

By: Kevin Grube, pledge

The “84 Lumber” advertisement was released on February 5th, 2017 during the NFL Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. The advertisement that appeared during the game was only one minute and thirty seconds long. However, the full-length version of the advertisement can be seen on YouTube, and runs at approximately five minutes and forty four seconds. The full version has 11,109,826 views on YouTube, and was published on YouTube on February 5th, 2017. 84 Lumber Company is a construction store that sells various materials such as lumber, doors, siding, and engineered wood products. Moreover, 84 Lumber Company has locations nationwide, but is headquartered in Eighty-Four, Pennsylvania. The CEO of 84 Lumber is Maggie Hardy Magerko.

The ad centers around a mother and daughter’s journey from Mexico to the United States. While the advertisement is well-intended in nature, the end product has been described as extremely political, ultra-nationalistic, and tremendously stereotypical to those who are immigrating to the United States. This advertisement certainly feeds into the dominant ideologies about how U.S. citizens view immigrants, especially those traveling from Mexico.

The advertisement is extremely controversial on various levels. In the full-length version, the mother and daughter reach the United States after overcoming numerous environmental, physical, and emotional obstacles. They hitch a ride with “coyotes” (people who get paid to transport illegal immigrants), hop on trains, walk through desert on their path to a new beginning. When they finally reach the United States, they are shocked by what they see. A giant wall stands in their way to freedom. In the end, they walk through a humungous door (made from 84 lumber) that has a crack in it, which symbolizes peace, freedom, and hope. While this sounds like a happy ending, the advertisement clearly supports President Donald Trump’s idea of building a giant wall to keep out illegal immigrants.

The CEO of 84 Lumber, Maggie Hardy Magerko, is a “staunch” supporter of President Trump’s proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, despite saying that the advertisement wasn’t about the wall, but rather the mother and daughters “treacherous journey” to freedom. In an interview with “People” magazine, Magerko stated, “We need to keep America safe… America needs to be safe so you and I can have the liberty to talk… The wall, I think it represents, to me, security. I like security”. This statement clearly indicates that the CEO was lying, for why even have the “wall” in the full advertisement? Interestingly enough, FOX actually rejected the original Super Bowl ad with the “wall” in it because it was too controversial to air on national television. The ad was only accepted by FOX after 84 Lumber condensed the length of the commercial and changed the ending. Regardless of the backlash and controversy, the company still published the full version of the advertisement on YouTube.

As stated earlier, this advertisement is also blatantly stereotypical and supports dominant ideologies about how many Americans views of illegal immigrants. The mother and daughter are from an impoverished village and are depicted as virtually penniless. They use their money to pay a “coyote” who smuggles them in a stereotypical truck that’s filled with other Mexican people traveling to America. They hop on trains illegally to lessen the physical toll on their bodies. They walk through desert with very little food and water. At one point in the ad, a generous Mexican man gives them water. They barely make it to the giant wall.

While they do walk through the “door of freedom” in the end, the “journey” doesn’t illustrate the path all immigrants take. Not all Mexican immigrants take this crazy journey and overcome insurmountable obstacles in order to reach the United States. In addition, it’s not clear whether these are illegal or legal immigrants, but one could assume that they are illegal since they go through a “coyote”, hop on trains, and travel by foot to reach the United States. Thus, this add subconsciously generalizes the voyage immigrants take to the United States, in particular Mexican immigrants.

Traditional gender roles and stereotypes are reinforced in this advertisement. The main characters are a struggling mother and young daughter who travel from an underprivileged village in Mexico. Although they eventually reach America, they are portrayed as virtually powerless and reliant on men, for the “coyote” and bighearted person who gives them water during their journey are both men. In addition, all the 84 Lumber construction workers in the commercial are men. Why couldn’t any of these characters be women? Thus, this ad unintentionally reinforces dominant ideologies about traditional gender roles, for the men are depicted as the “hardworking, strong, and dedicated” workers who handle powerful tools and machinery.

In summation, the “84 Lumber” Super Bowl advertisement is highly controversial, political, and stereotypical, despite intending to inspire hope and opportunity. The CEO is a supporter of the U.S.-Mexico wall proposed by President Donald Trump. The wall in the advertisement is undoubtedly in support of the President Donald Trump, despite her stating that the wall wasn’t meant to be political. FOX only agreed to air the commercial without the wall. Moreover, stereotypes are reinforced in terms of traditional gender roles. While they do overcome various obstacles on their own, men are the one’s who help the mother and daughter reach their destination when they need it the most. Thus, the advertisement sparked controversy due to its clear political stance of being ultra-nationalistic and ultra-patriotic. Moreover, dominant ideologies about immigrants and their journeys to the U.S. are reinforced, in particular those traveling from Mexico.

"Bitch Bad" by Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco, a very successful rapper from Chicago, is known for going against the grain in almost every aspect of life. His anti-establishment views from his personal life often spill over into his music. Initially, he had a strong dislike for hip-hop due to its vulgarity and misogynistic view of women, but developed an interest in it after discovering that not all hip-hop is the same. Ever since, he has been flipping the "rap game" on its head.

One of his proudest moments of his career was the release of his 2012 single "Bitch Bad". The single received praised from critics and other artists such as Kanye West and Janelle Monae. The single itself challenges hip-hop's use of the word "bitch" and its effect on children. The song is also a mockery of mainstream hip-hop as Fiasco even dumb downs his flow to match the simplistic and elementary flow of mainstream rappers. The title is a play on a common phrase used throughout hip-hop--"bad bitch"--which is used to describe a very attractive and voluptuous woman.


In the first verse, Fiasco discusses the effects of a single mother reciting the lyrics, "I'm a bad bitch", in front of her 5 year old son. Fiasco explains that since the boy is so young, he has an underdeveloped perception of women and he still does not understand what is exactly right or wrong yet. So the boy is learning to associate the word "bitch" with his mother and his view of respect towards women is now skewed.

The song's chorus represents female empowerment and a call to action to discontinue the use of the word "bitch" to refer to women as Fiasco raps "bitch bad, women good, lady better, they misunderstood." He is attempting to shift the mindset of hip-hop to start referring to females as women or even better ladies. He is demanding that women be treated with dignity and respect especially in the world of hip-hop. Fiasco is also targeting women who are fine with being referred to as a "bad bitch".


The second verse explains the effects that hip-hop music videos have on a group of girls aged 9 to 12.  Hip-hop music videos usually feature very attractive and voluptuous women dancing in a sexual manner and rarely shows their faces. The main focus is on their bodies and the rapper portraying the women as trophies and showering them with money and alcohol. Back to the second verse, the group of girls are watching videos on the Internet, most likely without parental clearance because they understand the Internet better than their parents. Fiasco explains how their young minds can be manipulated to believe that being a "bad bitch" is something they should aspire to be. He states that the girls are less worried about the rapper in the video, but are fixated on the women in the video. They began to believe that if they want to attract males that they have to emulate the women in the video to get what they want.

The final verse displays Fiasco telling his intentions of creating this song and merging the children from the previous verses. He immediately shuts down critics by saying that he is not using the song to teach children the word "bitch", but to use it against hip-hop norms and attempt to change the way people treat and respect women.

 The next line features the little boy meeting one of the little girls from the previous verses. Fiasco explains how the boy and girl both have different meanings of the phrase "bad bitch". The boy views the phrase "bad bitch" in a disrespectful manner, but the girl views it in a sexual way. In her mind, she thinks that he is attracted to her just because she looks the part of a "bad bitch", but the boy does not find her attractive because of the way she is dressed. The boy's first experience with the phrase "bad bitch" was with his mother so he is comparing how is mother used it to how the girl is using it. Fiasco explains that the girl is caught in an illusion as he raps "Bad means good to her, but she really nice and smart/ but bad mean bad to him, bitch don't play a part/but bitch still bad to her if you say it the wrong way." This difference in ideologies results in heavy miscommunication and can cause an entire generation to be heavily divided when it could have been easily avoided if parents were careful not to expose their children to certain forms of media at an early age.

Lupe Fiasco's "Bitch Bad" is call to action, especially for the hip-hop community, to discontinue the mistreatment of women. He effectively discusses the very possible consequences and effects of this mistreatment among today's youth. He wants to restore respect towards women in the hip-hop community and in society, in general.

Sanjay’s Super Team: A Personal Story of Cultural Division

Amid evil-battling Hindu deities and the tensions between father and son, Pixar emerges with a 2016 Oscar winning short film which uses self-expression as a way to accurately represent the personal experience of being both Indian-American and a second generation immigrant.

Sanjay’s Super Team, Pixar’s first Indian-based short film, illustrates the cultural differences which can divide a household into two, with first-generation parents holding onto their native heritage, and second-generation children preferring to adopt a new one.

The portrayal of two clashing cultures, one American and the other Hindu, is not only an important step towards minority representation, but by telling an individual story of understanding between a boy and his immigrant father, it contributes to the diversity of experiences within the second generation and Indian culture.

This short, which was showcased as a prelude to the Pixar Film “The Good Dinosaur,” tells the story of Sanjay, an Indian-American child consumed with a superhero television show, and his devote Indian father who instead prefers to practice Puja, a Hindu prayer, at his shrine. Despite Sanjay’s initial reluctance to understand his father’s culture, while daydreaming about Hindu deities battling a terrifying villain, a parallel to his television show, he comes to finally understand and share his father’s joy of Hindu culture.

While groundbreaking in image representation, the short is particularly innovative for being one of Pixar’s first personal stories. In Vulture, Sanjay Patel, director and creator of the film, discusses some of his initial hesitancies to share a self-expression of his own life. Yet as Vulture notes, one of the major features of the film was not that it was necessarily about Hinduism, but rather it depicts the unique relationship of an individual and his father who struggled to understand each other’s worlds coming from entirely different circumstances.

The animation opens up to the morning routine of both Sanjay and his father. Despite sharing the same space, the two couldn’t be more divided as they each face opposite sides of the room. Sanjay, wearing superhero pajamas, watches his TV screen with delight at his superhero characters, white, blonde, and blue-eyed. The embodiment of America.

All of this clashes with his father’s own traditional clothing, and antiquated shrine which houses Hindu relics. As Patel notes, “Every morning, my dad worshiped his gods, which were the Hindu gods, in his shrine, and every morning I worshiped my gods, which were superheroes.” This image illustrates the separation between immigrant parents who still have strong ties to their ethnic culture, and their children who rapidly embrace the American culture.

In the film, the father clearly wants his son to share his appreciation for Hindu culture, at one point smiling with joy and clapping approvingly when young Sanjay lights the candle on the shrine. Yet just as his father doesn’t understand Sanjay’s joy for superheroes, Sanjay visibly groans when he begrudgingly joins his father in prayer.

By attempting to escape this chore, he dives into a dream-world. Here, Sanjay is able open up and understand his father’s culture by integrating it with his own. In the face of a terrifying smoke demon, Sanjay summons the very same deities his father was praying to before. Yet they are no longer stoic statues, but rather stimulating and powerful beings who bear slight resemblance to his television superheroes.

Not only is this blend of American super-heroism with Indian characters a dazzling animation, but the assimilation of two cultures effectively presents what Sanjay experiences as a second generation child, teetering the line between American and Indian culture. As Sanjay is able to identify with his Indian heritage, he is able to open up to his father’s Hindu culture to finally understand where his father is coming from, as well as understand a part of himself.

Sanjay depicts an individual Indian-American child’s attempts to understand a world that is separate from his own. An experience many minority groups living in a majority-dominated world endure in their own lives. This unique perspective contributes to the broader range of representation among different cultural groups without using stereotypical motifs to achieve it.

Cultural theorist Stuart Hall emphasized the importance of individualized expression within the media to effectively display the diversity of minority groups. In What is this "black" in black popular culture? Hall states, “We are always in negotiation, not with a single set of oppositions that place us always in the same relation to others, but with a series of different positionalities.”

What he indicates here is that as people, regardless of our racial, gender or sexual backgrounds, we are not defined by one set of differences but rather numerous differences. Hall’s notion of individualized expression is effectively presented in Sanjay’s Super Team.

Much of the bias in media representation of minorities stems from the overt focus on the differences based on central concepts of race, gender, or sexuality. This opens the door to stereotypes, or cultural appropriation, to depict these differences. In contrast, the Pixar short is not a story that narrowly focuses on an Indian-American child and Hinduism.

Rather, the short re-tells a personal story in which the differences in cultural identity between father and son is one instance of the difficulties second generation immigrants experience. This type of expression contributes to a diverse representation of second-generation immigrant lives.

While not every second-generation, or Indian-American child has the same background or situation as Sanjay, it is an important story to tell because it emphasizes that minority groups are not all identical, but composed of distinctive unique members with diverse experiences.

Ultimately this makes the representation of both Indian and second generation immigrants authentic and meaningful. As Patel notes in Wired, “I never got to see an image of people from my community in the cartoons…What kind of miracle this is—to be able to craft something that I can give to my nieces and nephews and all these other immigrant kids.”