Tuesday, January 26, 2016

A Guide: Jailhouse Wine

The next installment of the "Jailhouse" series once again follows Tyler, as he shares his recipe for 'hooch', or 'toilet wine'. Baudrillard says it is "extremely naive to look for ethnology among the whites, or in some Third World - it is here, everywhere, in the metropolis, among the whites, in a world completely catalogued...". We seem to think that only the most profound differences between cultures around the world are worth noting - but the more subtle, close to home details are worth noticing, too, Baudrillard seems to say. What better an example than learning about the tricks the incarcerated use to come close to the perks of being out of jail? Though living within what Baudrillard would almost definitely consider a 'First World Country', the confinement and restriction of freedoms of those serving time leads to new and ingenious (if not a little gross) methods of achieving 'freedom'. Most of these techniques seem alien to most, if not all, of those who have never done time. I found it fitting that the video would end with the profoundly felt air of homoerraticism, because even boys can get lonely sometimes. (On that note, why has there never been a gay sex scene set in prison that hasn't been represented as gang rape / violent sexual assault in any film, ever? ((more on that later)). This, paired with clips of the various internetting ventures we pursued that night, gives an unprecedented view into the lives of aging alcoholic townies.

3 comments:

  1. your videos and ideas always make the class laugh and give thought provoking ideas into what happens in the prison systems. great stuff!

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  2. It seems it is through isolation that one can begin to understand the strength it takes to relinquish freedoms, and maintain your vision of self and capabilities. I appreciate the way that you portray Tyler and his stories through authenticity and a social setting. This series is resonating with me on how one can take an inaccessible experience and create, to extent, a bridge across that discomfort.

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  3. I really enjoyed both of the tutorials and I think it would be cool if you made it into a series that developed over time. I like how real the content is and Tyler is very funny. I would rather learn to cook from him than Martha.

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