arts / 8

New Westminster history strikes a
chord with Kickstarter campaign

» Trials and triumphs of fundraising for the arts

Cheryl Minns
Arts Editor
Marts
@theotherpress.ca

 

was completely smitten with
Orange is the New Black
when I first watched it—and I
still am. The reasons being that
(1) it excites me, (2) it surprises
me, and (3) it passes the
Bechdel test with flying colours.
This series is absolutely laying
new ground for television,
and (this will probably be
the most controversial thing
I say) Breaking Bad pales in
comparison.

Looking at Orange “under
the feminist microscope,” we
can check off a few things
from our list. First, the cast is
predominantly female and the
show was created by a woman,

which are rare characteristics to :

encounter. The story is based
off the memoir of real-life
prison inmate, Piper Kerman
(played by Taylor Schilling in
the Netflix comedy/drama).

middle class Piper Chapman,

a white yuppie on the verge of
success with her artisan soap
company. Recently incarcerated
into a low-security women’s
prison, her references to getting
her product on the shelves of
the well-known department

: store “Barnes” are a striking

: juxtaposition to her new

: surroundings. Incarcerated for
: being a drug mule to her then-
: girlfriend Alex Vause (played

: by Laura Prepon), her past

: hits her hard as she struggles

: to reconcile her current image
: of herself with that of years

: ago. Now ina long-term,

: monogamous, heterosexual

: relationship, she struggles to

: keep her fiancé. Under such

: trying circumstances, she

: is forced to face questions

: regarding her sexuality.

 

This brings me to my

: second checkpoint: the

: show is completely unafraid
: of queer and transgender

: issues or versions of female

: sexuality transgressing from
The story focusses on upper : heteronormativity. Orange
: features just about every

: version of female queer

: activity you could think of.

: As with everything else, the

: scenarios and characters are so
: complex that the relationships
: are authentic regardless of

: any possible stereotypes

: imposed on them. Without
: the constraints of a public

: television network, the creators :
: are unafraid of portraying

: female sexuality from a female

: perspective. There are plenty of
: scenes of female intimacy made
: for women to enjoy—now how

: often do you see that?! What

: happiness it brings to see such

: things as if they were the norm,
: and not having to search for

: them in the deep dark recesses

: of the cutting room floor, or

: male-oriented pornography.

The third and final

: checkpoint is the way that

: Orange exposes patriarchal

: misuse of power. In addition

: toa fabulous cast of female

: inmates, there are also the male
: guards. With a moustached

: pervert, “Pornstache” Mendez

: (played by Pablo Schreiber),

: anda homophobic counsellor

: named Sam Healy (Michael

: Harney), the show is able to

: successfully portray (in a very

: handy metaphor) the problems

: a patriarchal society imposes on :
: women—with Healy being the
: worst.

Originally favouring

: Piper on the grounds that she
: is white, middle class, and

: educated, his assumption

: that she is “different” and

: therefore in some way above

: the other inmates leads him

: to believe that she will subvert
: to him. When she disobeys,

: what is ultimately revealed

: is his hideous insecurity and

: character.

In her article, “Orange is

Now CSNW has turned to Kickstarter to raise funds
for a professional studio recording of the musical to
reignite the interest in this production that captures
the legacy of New Westminster.

: the New Black, and How We

: Talk About Race and Identity,”
: TF Charlton writes: “Healy

: represents the benefits that

: accrue to white women who

: ally with ‘benevolent’ white

: patriarchy, and how this sort of :
: patriarchy relies on hierarchies
: and divisions between women
: to maintain its power.”

Since Orange is so sound

: froma feminist perspective,
: we can afford to look at it from
: aracial perspective, as well.

theotherpress.ca

Many have criticized the show

: for having a white female lead
: and for stereotyping black and
: Latina women. However, the

: show successfully bites back

: at the white, upper middle

: class with its self-awareness

: and, most importantly, with

: the complexity of Piper’s

: character. We don’t need to like
: her! Her selfishness, naivety,

: privilege, and ignorance are

: not at all lost on us. Through

: her interactions with Healy,

: we can see clearly the struggles
: of awoman trying to find

: justice in patriarchy, and its

: effects on all the relationships
: in her life. Healy’s final failure
: asa law-enforcement officer

: can almost be seen as a direct

: representation of the results

: of women feeling trapped in

: the need to compete with one
: another in patriarchy.

All this being said, the

: show is in no way “man-

: hating.” Part of its beauty

: is that it effortlessly creates

: circumstances that expose

: certain truths about women,

: part of these truths being that

: their lives can centre around

: self-discovery, camaraderie,

: and internal conflict—struggles
: traditionally reserved for male-
: dominated film and literature.

But what else can I say? Just

: watch it!

 

Rdio will make you sing a new tune

» A review of the music-streaming service Rdio

Aidan Mouellic
Staff Writer

 

etflix has changed the

way we watch video
content—so much so that video
rental stores are practically
non-existent now. What
Netflix did for movies and
television, audio-streaming
website Rdio might do for
music: make it more accessible
and inexpensive to consume.

One of the most popular
music streaming sites in the
world right now is YouTube,
but it’s designed for watching
videos and includes adver-
tisements, which makes it
an awful option for listening
to music; this is where Rdio
comes into play. You go to the

: website and you can stream

: practically any song or album

: you want in great quality audio
: with no ads. Just like Netflix,

: though, this service is only

: free fora short trial period (for
: up to six months on the web,

: or for two weeks off mobile

: devices with Rdio Unlimited).

The Rdio subscriptions

: are reasonableat a regular

: $9.99 a month, and are much
: less expensive than pur-

: chasing album after album

: on iTunes. College students

: can get a discounted Rdio

: subscription rate for $4.99 a

: month—but this only applies
: to US students, and is good
for a maximum of four years.

My iTunes has seen little

: use lately since I’ve been using
Rdio for almost all of my music
: needs, and I’m extremely

: pleased so far. Unlike other

: popular music streaming sites,
: suchas Spotify and Pandora,

: which are only available in the
: USand other nations, Rdio

: offers an excellent streaming

: platform for Canadians.

My favourite part about

: Rdio besides the great selection : |e
: of music and ease ofuseishow  :
: simple it is to synchronize

: devices. No matter where you

: are, you can be connected and

: listening to your library of Rdio
: favourites. On my Android

: phone, the app is fantastic:

: not only can you listen to your

: music, but the mobile Rdio
capabilities allow you to use

: your phone as a music remote

: control. At home, I will often
leave my laptop connected to

: my sound system and play Rdio
: throughout the house, using

: the Rdio app on my phone

: to change what’s playing.

 

 

 

&

OR) QOPenemac me |

 

| -

Screenshot of Rdio app // By www.wired.com

Developing a personal

music library can be tedious
; and expensive. For pure

: convenience and pleasure,

: Rdiois much more ethical than :
using torrents or streaming
ripped copies on YouTube.

Sure, Rdio has some

: obscure tracks missing from

: its vast library, but I don’t

: mind since it offers me the
: freedom to enjoy my music
: without Apple products or

ads. It has allowed me to

: explore new musical avenues
: I might not have otherwise.