Cultural Appreciation and Differences between Generations- Reservation Dogs

Film and Television shows can mirror the emotions, ideas, and merit of the cultures that create them, they play a role in shaping, establishing, and changing a person’s beliefs or way of life. In Reservation Dogs, culture is central to the series, particularly through the central focus on the lives of the Indigenous youth and their communities in the small town of Okern, Oklahoma. The elements of Native American culture within the show often include Navajo slang such as “Aho!” or “Cvpon”, communities and groups, along with traditions and references to traditional practices (Rituals, Dances, Legends, etc). However, the general divide between the youth and elders of the community is ever-present. Within the NARDS youth summit, the portrayal of different views on heritage, culture, and the undefined term of decolonization adds only confusion to the young members of the Rez Dogs and the NDN Mafia about what they are trying to learn from this culturally inclined Native American youth seminar.  

In season 2 episode 6 “Decolonativization,” the episode takes place at the Okern health clinic, where elders such as Rita Smallhill, Dr. Kang, and Fixico, host the “Native American Reclamation and Decolonization Symposium (NARDS) youth summit. The NARDS youth summit is conducted by Younger Elders, MissM8tri@rch, and Augusto Firekeeper to educate the youths like Bear Smallhill and includes the central focus groups (Reservation Dogs and NDN Mafia). The cultural forum of generational differences portrays the insignificance of Native American culture of both the young elders and the teenagers attending the seminar, along with how both sides of the age groups view their heritage. This also includes how they question, try to uphold, or simply forget about their Native American traditional values. The young members of the Rez Dogs and NDN Mafia are encouraged to participate in team-building exercises and share experiences while learning from the young elders about their view of Native American Heritage. 

One of the notable instances of this age divide of appreciation is the manner and tone of the NARDS youth seminar. Led by Augusto Firekeeper and MissM8tri@rch, who try to establish a ritual-like tone to the seminar, the seminar starts in an amusing yet forced manner, which unfortunately fails to resonate with Bear and the other youth members attending the seminar. The young elders’ quotes and methods seem confusing and completely different from the expectations of the adolescent participants. Many of the youth attending, like Cheese, find themselves questioning the purpose of the activities and the meaning of “Decolonization” and are more interested in cultural wisdom and relevant advice on how to live their lives and embrace their identities as modern, young Native Americans. The shared confusion and discomfort among Bear, his friend Cheese, and the other participants of the seminar show the disconnection from the formal traditions that aren’t relatable to the experiences the youth have experienced in their lives. 

 

 Another instance lies in how the young elders are unfamiliar with their own culture. Their attempts to reconnect their younger audience to Native American culture, seem to be more about team and trust-building exercises. MissM8tri@rch’s lectures emphasize trust-building, a sense of community among people with the same ethnicity, and a blend of references. Although her lectures and talks are well-meaning, they seem strict, irrelevant, or partially true. When one of the youth members is sharing personal stories or happy moments, Jackie, one of the youth and the leader of NDN Mafia, refuses to share a personal memory with the youth group because the members of the Rez dogs are present. The young elder responds with a: “That is a colonized way of thinking. We never had enemies amongst our own back in the day. We could fight, yes, but mostly we just made love and ate berries. Sometimes the deer would even eat out of our palms, it was beautiful”.  

 

 

Although it’s a nice attempt to create trust amongst adversaries, the response is a historically inaccurate understatement of intertribal fighting amongst Native American tribes and how they took good care of the land before European Colonization. It’s not surprising that MissM8tri@ch later states in a lunch conversation with Willie Jack that she is just as disconnected from their culture as they are when she mentions she is from the city. Despite where she is from, she embraces her Indigenous identity as a Native American: “My spirit lives with my ancestors”. The meaning of the lectures is vague, but how they represent their identity is through themselves.

By the end of the episode, the younger people don’t completely grasp the idea of identity in their own culture. Still, they make progress in understanding each other, even their enemies. Decolonization is how people of Indigenous ethnicities embrace their identity in their culture in their lives, such as how they express themselves, present themselves in looks, think, feel, act, and so on. It’s all about how they learn and carry themselves through everyday life. Reservation Dogs uses “Decolonization” to explore the age gap in Native American communities. The differences in the ending ceremony between the elders and youth highlight the differences in experience. Although the youth have not grasped the idea of their coming-of-age moments yet, they’re barely scraping the surface of maturity, and learning from their mistakes. 

[Blog Producer & Scribe: Than Cheng, Photo Editor: Denise Espinola, Social Media Manager: Lucian Zuniga, Writer: Corey Landa] 

Intersectionality: The Trials and Triumphs of The Beef's Fierce Tina Marrero

“I just had possibly the worst day of my life” Tina Marrero said to Michael Berzatto on that fateful day in The Beef in The Bear’s Season 3 episode “Napkins”. Prior to Marrero’s impromptu job interview/therapy session with Michael, Tina had sadly been fired from her job of 15 years, causing her already financially unstable homelife to be further thrust into turmoil, (coupled with her husband’s stagnating doorman job and their shared home’s rent being increased). However, even though that day had shaken Tina, the path that Michael would set her on would allow Tina to discover new aspects of her identity, as well as her passionate nature mixed with her developed relationships with her fellow chefs at The Beef that challenge her to grow. 

Tina, who had initially been introduced to the series as The Beef’s hardworking but innately stubborn line chef, is far more than meets the eye. A dedicated wife, mother, and employee, but someone who has an incredibly difficult time requesting help or guidance from another, both shown during her quarrel with Sydney in Season 1’s episode “Dogs” as Sydney attempts to correct Tina’s cooking methods, taking it not as assistance or guidance but as demeaning and insulting from someone she views as less experienced and beneath her self-perceived seniority. This is further explored during “Napkins” as Tina’s hunt for a new job across Chicago proves fruitless in spite of her assertiveness and willingness to accept any openings offered, attempting to handle this all on her own without any help from friends or family, only then finally relenting and breaking down emotionally once she enters The Beef and meets with Michael, finally accepting his offer to join The Beef as a new chef. This all alludes to Tina’s psychological need for independence likely being a product of her environment, both living in the bustling chaos of Chicago as well as the cultural implications of Tina being Puerto Rican, taking great pride in her own ability to be self-sustaining for both herself and her loved ones.  

Another interesting aspect of Tina’s characterization is that of loyalty and respect, both of which are to be earned in her eyes, not freely given. This could also once again be a product of her environment, as a Puerto Rican woman living in Chicago, she likely needed to learn to become someone not to be trifled with in any capacity, which also further explains her ability to keep up with and often times match the chaotic mania of The Beef’s kitchen. This aspect of Tina is best highlighted through her relationships with Michael, Carmine, Sydney, and the establishment of The Beef itself, as all of these people and the restaurant have allowed Tina to showcase her values as well as grow as a person. Beginning with Michael, his compassion and friendship which he freely gave to Tina as well as relating to how bad things can get at times in both their lives during Tina’s emotional break was at first seen as a general act of kindness and understanding in Tina’s eyes, trying to at the very least relate to someone and make light of a rather hopeless situation. However it was then when Michael offered Tina the line chef job that her loyalty to him and The Beef as a whole was forged, creating a psychological sense of gratitude for The Beef through Michael’s kindness, as even after Michael passes away Tina’s dedication to The Beef as a chef is shown time and time again and even evolves the same way The Beef itself evolves into The Bear.  

As for Tina’s relationships with Carmine and Sydney, these are both perfect examples of how Tina begins to accept change which adds to her growth as a chef once the two earn her respect. Both Carmine and Sydney at first appear to simply be two blow-hard newbies in Tina’s eyes, who attempt to boss everyone around with new and seemingly strange at times cooking techniques and communication, which disturbs Tina’s comfortability with Michael’s, (a man who had already earned her loyalty and respect), established “system”. However, as their time together goes on, Tina begins to see both Carmine’s desire to genuinely take The Beef and run the restaurant to the potential it deserves as well as Sydney’s passion for cooking, which in turn earns Tina’s overall respect and loyalty, as her deep seated gratitude toward Michael and The Beef for giving her the chance she fought so hard to gain to no avail is then psychologically honored by Carmine and Sydney’s efforts to make the establishment the best it can be. 

 Overall, Tina Marrero’s characterization in The Bear is one of the most interesting to watch evolve, as her hard work and dedication to both herself and The Beef allows her to change for the better thanks to the fellow employees and chefs of The Beef. And if there is anything anyone should glean from observing Tina Marrero, it’s that she should never, under any circumstances, be underestimated or overlooked, because if she is, she’ll sear you just as well as she sears prime steak.   

(Blog Post Credits: Writer: Sam Kunkle, Photo Editor: Rebbecca Corpus, Producer: Robert Barrera, Social Media: Abigail Newman, Scribe: Kaitlyn Villarreal)

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Education Meets Intersectionality: Insights from Abbott Elementary

Season 2, Episode 7, “Attack Ad," Abbott is hit with negative commercials aiming to paint the school as an ineffective source of education for the neighborhood. The commercials were produced by rival charter school Legendary Charter Schools, ran by Draemond, a former student of Barbara. The commercial focused on the quality of education Philadelphia students deserved, emphasizing the lack of funding faced by Abbott and suggesting the limit of opportunities students would face attending Abbott, categorizing Abbott based on their economic status. Intersectionality is displayed in “Attack Ad” when dealing with economic and educational disparities that reflect real-world tensions between charter schools and public schools, specifically those underfunded like the likes of Abbott. The episode highlights the societal narratives of underfunding and the education that comes with public education. With teachers like Janine and Barbara, those narratives are aimed to be broken. Janine is put into additional challenges as a public school educator, not only now trying to provide to her students on an underfunded budget but also trying to maintain and advocate for her students facing societal biases in order to keep them from transferring out. Barbra is faced with the challenge of having to teach her former student again as to why it is important to uplift instead of putting down public schooling and education. At the end, Barbara was able to use her knowledge and reputation against her former student to highlight how low funding can overcome societal narratives put onto underfunded teachers, as she was able to do with Draemond years back when she was his teacher. Not only was this a good ending to the episode, but it highlights the lasting effects and connections teachers leave on their students no matter the socioeconomic status they might be in. 

Janine

Janine is a prime example of a multiface persona that influences her experiences, obstacles, and aspirations over the course of the show. Race being the most important, working in a public school with a large African American student body presents challenges for Janine, a black woman. Her understanding of the social disadvantages her students encounter on a daily basis and her compassion for them are all influenced by her race. It also affects how she interacts with her coworkers and the greater educational system, where racial disparities frequently affect the resources and assistance that students can access. While gender is also an effect, a woman must deal with the social pressures that frequently come with traditional gender roles, particularly in the compassion field of teaching. Her understanding approach to her students and coworkers demonstrates her femininity, but she also battles the pressures placed on women to always be “nice” or in other similar ways. 

Barbara

Barbara, while also dealing with race and gender like Janine, faces other challenges as well, like regional upbringing. Barbra has worked in Philadelphia for many years and has a strong connection to the neighborhood. She is well aware of the unique challenges faced by the students and their families, many of whom are from low-income families. Her local connections also help to explain her no-nonsense demeanor; she has witnessed the consequences of long-term neglect in the educational system and has learned to adjust with fortitude and realism. She also deals with sexuality and family life. Barbra’s marriage and family are both essential parts of her identity. She embodies traditional feminine values, such as nurturing and caregiving; however, she also commands respect in a way that reflects her confidence and authority. She holds herself to high standards and expects the same from her students and colleagues, reflecting a balance between warmth and discipline.

Melissa

Melissa's character's intersectionality can be found through her Italian-American working-class upbringing by bringing a toughness and loyalty to her family and community. Melissa occasionally shares old-school values and approaches differently than the younger teachers at Abbott which creates disagreement with them when it comes to new ideas and methods. Because she mostly embodies a “do what it takes” attitude, it reflects the expectations of female educators to be nurturing yet resourceful. She does whatever it takes by bending rules and calling out favors to help out what her school or students need. This reflects the kind of strength and pressure that is faced by women educators in underfunded schools. Although she doesn't face discrimination she does face stereotypes and often makes jokes to navigate her background which creates pride within her identity.

In conclusion, these intersectional identities fundamentally influence the individual’s history, engagement, and perspectives, creating a multi-dimensional individual who cannot be defined simply. Struggles, successes and cultural background frame their view and in some cases their style of teaching and interpretation. It is this varied background that also shapes their approach to teaching and how they relate with the wider society, building relationships through common experience and comprehension. In the end, the overlapping of these different identities creates an active being in which one’s past and work life are always impacting and enriching each other. The diversity of the characters backgrounds and different archetypes creates comfort for the viewer, it makes the characters more relatable and opens up more opportunities for satire and humor.

The Writing on the Wall: The Wall’s Utopian Struggles in Solar Opposites

Most sitcoms typically contain an A-B story structure in each episode, consisting of a main plot and a subplot. Solar Opposites, while an animated series, follows these same rules, but also takes advantage of them by choosing a unique approach to tell its stories within an episodic format. While the show's core plot follows the Shlorpians trying to adjust to Earth’s customs in a comedic fashion with little continuity between the episodes, a subplot featuring shrunken humans living in the Wall is told in an unexpectedly dramatic way with its own sequential story. What was once thought to be a quirky running gag in the cartoon instead turns out to be an entirely serialized story of its own, detailing how the Wall’s prisoners have attempted to cope with their new lives by transforming it into its own secluded utopia.

At first glance, the Wall doesn’t look like there’s much to it beyond its purpose of being a decoration in the replicants’ bedroom. The inhabitants of the Wall were originally put there by the replicant Yumyulack as his way of punishing adults who crossed him, mostly for petty reasons such as mispronouncing words or simply wearing a red shirt. It’s revealed as the series progresses that the Wall has transformed from merely a human ant farm to a rapidly developing society where the inhabitants have mostly accepted their fate as shrunken humans, complete with a government, military, and even religion. Despite these developments, the Wall functions as a post-apocalyptic dystopia ruled by a man known as The Duke. To counter his ruling, a resistance group is formed by Tim, an ordinary man before getting shrunk, who aims to overthrow The Duke’s tyranny after writing letters to the citizens of the wall during his imprisonment, with his lover Cherie accompanying him to further his cause.

The penultimate episode of the first season titled “Terry and Korvo Steal a Bear” is a bait-and-switch in that it exclusively focuses on the inhabitants of the Wall and the events of the “Great Wall War,” starting a trend that continues in the following seasons and serves as a sort of “season finale” to the subplot that ties up all of the loose ends, with the Shlorpians being relegated to being background characters and having no audible dialogue. The episode reveals that The Duke’s office had a hole that allowed him to escape to the outside world. While Cherie is ecstatic to find out that everyone has an opportunity to escape the Wall, Tim stands his ground that the Wall has to evolve into a utopia free from the mediocrity he had to endure in the outside world, seemingly killing her in retaliation.

The second season demonstrates how the Wall operates as a utopia under Tim’s regime as the other inhabitants are blissfully unaware of an escape hole in the office. Plant life has been growing alongside improved housing with a nutritionist named Steve who comes by the neighborhood to give people fresh fruit, who were previously given candy courtesy of the replicant Jesse. However, things take a turn for the worse when Steve’s dead body is found, leading to some of the Wall’s residents believing a serial killer is on the loose, despite others being convinced it was a cricket. Halk, who became a war hero after the events of the Great Wall War, finds out that the serial killer is Ethan, a rock climber with murderous tendencies whose life was saved by Halk after starting an avalanche made from Nerds candy. As a result of Halk’s heroic acts, Ethan develops a god complex that enables his endeavors as a serial killer. This ultimately suggests that even if someone does good deeds to ensure a utopia will come to pass, they can also indirectly cause it to go right back into inevitable corruption, making the resistance’s efforts to bring an end to The Duke’s reign of terror all for naught and subsequently repeating the cycle of authoritarianism.

As the episode “The Apple Pencil Pro” indicates, even though Tim overthrew The Duke to combat his dictatorship, he ultimately didn’t change any of the fundamentals that were the root of the corruption and ruled the Wall as a manipulative leader, playing off people's empathy and convinces Halk to lie about the killer's identity. This cemented Tim's position as the Wall’s main antagonist in stark contrast to his protagonist role in the previous season, a freedom fighter who changed nothing for the better when put into a position of power. When Cherie is revealed to have survived Tim’s attack, she returns to the Wall after taking refuge with The Duke in the backyard and giving birth to Tim’s daughter, the first miniature-born baby. Cherie allies herself with Halk to bring Tim to justice, only to find him psychically deteriorating due to drinking out of a Burger King glass that causes lead poisoning. After Tim's death, Cherie reveals to the Wall's residents that a hole to escape exists in Tim's office. As a response to this revelation, the church nuns try to appoint her as a leader, with Cherie suggesting that the Wall should be run by a democracy with elected leaders instead of adhering to dictatorship.

Solar Opposites offers more than just a quirky subplot regarding the Wall, it becomes a critique of utopian imagination. As the Shlorpians go about their day by embarking on comical hijinks and causing destruction in the outside world, the Wall depicts a serialized drama about social structures and collective responsibility. It also suggests the probable consequences of fighting for a cause, as it may end up going right back to square one and solving nothing in the long run.

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(Credits: Scribe/Social Media Manager: Manuel Alvarez; Writer: Charles Tucker; Photo/Video Editor: Hunter Degioanni; Producer: Brody Bush)