South Dakota Politics

Is King Kong Racist?

We've had lots of discussion here at SDP regarding King Kong.  I'm about to incite even more.

I haven't seen the movie and don't really intend to.  However, I believe that Ron Briley, Assistant Headmaster at Sandia Preparatory School, is taking his view of King Kong a little too far:

Jackson’s King Kong, unlike the 1973 remake and various low budget cinematic reincarnations of the giant ape, is an attempt to do a faithful adaptation of the 1933 classic film; albeit with the flash of computer technology and contemporary special effects. Like his lavish Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson’s King Kong is an entertaining film, but what is perhaps most interesting about the continuing cultural fascination with the giant ape from Skull Island is how the legend of King Kong plays upon the racial insecurities of white Americans.

Kong represents both the brutality and nobility of the savage, while blond Ann Darrow (with Naomi Watts reprising the role played by Fay Wray in the original) as Kong’s captive symbolizes both the purity and vulnerability of white civilization. The mythology of King Kong draws much of its power from the contrast between Kong’s blackness and Darrow’s whiteness. Darrow is both repelled and attracted to the primitive Kong. The sexual ambiguity is titillating, but in the final analysis whiteness and civilization must be rescued by an appropriate white savior (in Kong this role is played by Adrian Brody as the writer Jack Driscoll) to remove the threat of miscegenation posed by Kong. It is no wonder that the 1933 version of Kong was reportedly Adolph Hitler’s favorite film and played into his racial theories outlined in Mien Kampf. The cultural appeal of Kong to Americans, however, probably resonates best with the history of race relations between white settlers and Native Americans as well as black and white Americans dating back to the brutal institution of slavery. These images of conflict are, of course, also apparent for the threat to white culture posed by the Asian and Latino “other.”
...
It is within this cultural context of racial relations and captivity narratives that we must place the powerful mythology of King Kong. Jackson attempts to offset the racial implications of the story by introducing a heroic black sailor Hayes (Evan Park), who is paternalistic in his caring for the young white Jeremy (Jaimie Bell) rather than sexually aggressive toward Darrow. Nevertheless, the natives of Skull Island, which is supposedly located near Sumatra, still tend to resemble the stereotypical Africans of an old Tarzan film, and they seem to enjoy placing the helpless young blond woman in bondage. Peter Jackson’s film is an entertaining high-tech action picture, but it is well worth remembering the powerful and dangerous cultural myths which have clouded our history and are embodied in the legend of King Kong.

I tend to agree with two comments left by the readers.  The first:

It's merely a movie about a giant pretend gorilla and makes no statement about anything, no more and no less meaningful than the cartoons children watch on television. It's purely and simply a money maker for the producers and actors. Did the first movie, in the early 1930s, draw comparisons to the culture of those years, did it just scare the audience or were they titilated, as the author suggests, by the possibility a pretend gorilla and blonde beauty might become a romantic couple? Why does every stupid movie need a message or a meaning?

And in response:

This so-called "context of racial relations" is just another attempt to exploit guilt. Briley's obsession with race runs counter to old issues many - white and black - would like to just forget about.

What do you think?

Theatrical Ambiguities

Professor Schaff makes light of the word "theatre" in a recent letter to SDP.  Intrepid reader Patrick Abbott responds:

I just wanted to write in defense of the pro-Kong e-mailer's
grammar.  "Theatre" is the art form while "theater" is the actual
building or stage.  I knew Drama I class would come in handy one day. 
Great blog by the way!

I have two responses:

1. I knew that!
2. I disagree!

Actually this distinction is a very useful one, but I doubt that this usage is consistent outside the drama class.  My Merriam-Webster dictionary page gives both meanings under the American English word "theater."  Theatre, I think, is standard English usage (or, as one of my friends puts it, limey-talk).

What I am curious about is the record of six movies in 35 years.  Does that include those he watched on the telly?  And which six movies were they?  I can easily imagine someone really liking Kong 2005.  It was a lot of fun in a lot of places.  But that ice skating scene . . .

Matt Pottinger

Matt Pottinger, former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has joined the Marines to fight for freedom.  Excerpt:

A 32-year-old former Wall Street Journal reporter has joined the U.S. Marines.

"When people ask why," Matt Pottinger wrote in a column last month, "I usually have a short answer. It felt like the time had come to stop reporting events and get more directly involved. But that's not the whole answer, and how I got to this point wasn't a straight line."

Among other assignments, Pottinger covered China for the newspaper for seven years.

"Friends ask if I worry about going from a life of independent thought and action to a life of hierarchy and teamwork," he wrote in that column. "At the moment, I find that appealing because it means being part of something bigger than I am.

"As for how different it's going to be, that, too, has its appeal because it's the opposite of what I've been doing up to now. Why should I do something that's a 'natural fit' with what I already do? Why shouldn't I try to expand myself?"

In China he was arrested for writing about corruption. "I was standing over a toilet," he told ABC News recently, "with a bunch of Chinese policemen standing around me shredding my notebook, page by page, and flushing it down a toilet." Freedom took on new meaning for him.

"I would come home, and you didn't feel coming home to the United States from abroad that we were a country at war," he said. "I was surprised by that ... and that disturbed me. It gave me a sense that we were being a little bit too complacent."

Coffee with the Clerks

Progress for America will be in Sioux Falls a couple days from now, where you'll have the chance to meet two former law clerks for Judge Samuel Alito.  From their press release:

On behalf of Progress for America-South Dakota, you are invited to join former Judge Samuel Alito law clerks John and Hanna Smith for a reception on Wednesday, January 4 from 11:45 AM-1 PM.  The reception will take place at the Sheraton Hotel's Fontenelle I room in Sioux Falls.

John and Hannah Smith served as law clerks for Judge Alito in 2001-2002.  Hannah Smith also served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

John and Hannah Smith will talk about their personal and professional relationship with Judge Alito, discuss the qualifications that make him a great choice to be the next associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, directly address unfair attacks and mischaracterizations from his critics,  and provide valuable insight on the Alito nomination hearings that begin on Monday, January 9. Several local attorneys will also be on hand to provide a South Dakota perspective to the Alito nomination.

The "Coffee with the Clerks" reception is free of charge.  Please feel free to invite your friends and colleagues to this event.  Coffee and cookies will be served.

What: Progress for America-SD "Coffee with the Clerks" Reception

When: Wednesday, January 4 from 11:45 AM- 1 PM

Where: Sheraton Hotel's Fontanelle I  room  in Sioux Falls

How will Tim Johnson vote on Alito?

WPO

Watertown Public Opinion:

Friday, December 23, 2005 11:55 AM CST

Leadership Role

The Associated Press reported earlier in the week that Republican Sen. John Thune could be moving into a leadership role with his party as early as next year. Thune is considering the move which could make him chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

An appointment like this would be notable for the state of South Dakota much like the role former Sen. Tom Daschle held. Sounds like the country is watching our South Dakota senator closely.

A Dissenting Voice On Kong

A reader chimes in:

In the last 35 years I have seen perhaps 6 movies.  Two of those were 'King Kong'.  Yep, I saw it, then went back the next week and saw it again.  It was simply the best entertainment I have ever seen.  Far out?  Absolutely.  That was the mission of the film, an adventure in the fantastic. But hey, if things like lots of ledges and cars tossed hither and thither trouble you, maybe you are not theatre material. Well, I'm outta here. Gotta go catch my favorite movie again.

The best part of this email is the way he spells "theatre."

Truth Hurts

Contra Prof. Blanchard, what really happens when I go through airport security is they say, "Look at that nattily dressed man.  He couldn't possibly be a threat.  You may go right on through."  They then go back to beating the loser with baggy pants around his ass, his baseball cap on backwards, and his untucked t-shirt declaring his love for some no-talent vulgarian rapper.  My how I love this fascist police state. And argyle sweater vests. 

Lost In the 50s

I have been remiss in linking to this Washington Post article about the precipitous decline in male college attendance (hat tip, Joe Knippenberg).  It is an interesting question as to why our boys/men are an ever declining percentage of our college students and graduates.  This trend has all sorts of implications, most of them negative.  I won't take the time to go into them, but I simply refer you to James Q. Wilson's The Marriage Problem.  I wonder if Terrence Moore hasn't diagnosed part of the problem (I think Joe K led me to this article, but danged if I can find his post).  I don't buy into everything Moore says (he's a little too 1950s in his parenting advice), but I think he diagnoses the problems of young males very well.  He is also generally correct in his solutions.  I am personally an advocate of single sex education, but the chances of that catching on are right up there with my chances of playing center field for the Twins. 

For further parenting advice see girlfriday and Julie Neidlinger. 

More Lap Dancing

The Aberdeen American News expresses some editorial doubt about Gov. Rounds's plan to put computers in the laps of every South Dakota high school student.  The short editorial does contain this information:

Education Secretary Rick Melmer said the money comes from $9 million accumulated in the state's Technology in Schools account and $4 million from ''leftover state aid.''

Studies of schools where laptops are used show that achievement scores go up, students are more motivated in their classwork, and laptops provide access to self-pacing programs, Melmer said.

I would like to see these studies suggesting use of laptops improves achievement scores.   As I have written previously, the evidence seems to be to the contrary.  I continue to believe that the $39 million total cost of this program could be spent more wisely, for example on increasing teacher pay. How about a program that targets those who want to teach in rural districts? 

Go to this Bureau of Labor Statistics website.  You can search average wages by state and occupation.  As you can see, the average South Dakota elementary teacher earns $33,560.  In Minnesota that teacher would earn $45,340.  I know, the cost of living is higher in Minnesota.  But it isn't just shy of $12,000 a year higher.  I have a friend whose daughter is a top notch teacher at a rural school in South Dakota.  He recently suggested that maybe his daughter should consider moving to Minnesota.  There just isn't a future teaching in rural South Dakota, he said.  She could do much better financially in Minnesota, or at least in Sioux Falls. One thing is for sure, rural South Dakota has a hard time recruiting and keeping the best teachers.  How about $39 million to help remedy that?   

Ice Boating

Rapid City Journal:

When the winter wind sweeps across South Dakota, Dick Brich is a happy man.

Far from huddling in his home to escape the icy gales, Brich uses them to slide across frozen lakes and reservoirs in his ice boat at speeds that often exceed the velocity of the wind itself.

“It’s really fun. There’s nothing like doing 45 mph six inches off the ice,” the 55-year-old Rapid City resident said. “I wait during the rest of the year for winter to come.”

Winter is officially here. And wind is never far away. So when he isn’t handling his chores with the student information system at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Brich is searching for the best wind-blown lake surface to speed across.

RCP

Check out Jay Cost's editorial over at Real Clear Politics entitled "Bush and Congress: What Went Wrong?"  Then tune to ESPN at 10 o'clock for the Iowa game.

ICT

Jim Holland of the Rapid City Journal has an article in Indian Country Today entitled "Pine Ridge golf program gets First Tee chapter status."  Excerpt:

Snow fell throughout the day and temperatures hovered in the teens. Nonetheless, organizers of a youth program said Dec. 1 was a great day for golf in Pine Ridge.

A fledgling golf program has been granted chapter status by a Florida-based organization dedicated to teaching youngsters not only the putts and strokes of golf, but also the positive life skills that go hand-in-hand with the game.

The announcement from St. Augustine, Fla.-based First Tee came out of the blue to Lawrence Eagle Bull, vice president of a seven-member governing board of the Lakota Golf Association, which is overseeing plans to expand the game on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

God's Budget Plan

Here are some wise words about the confluence of politics and religion.  It is fairly clear that God wants us to care for the poor, defend human life, have justice in our economic dealings, and to basically keep our privates to ourselves unless we are married.  But God is a bit ambiguous about the means to achieving those ends.  Some of these matters are more open to ambiguity than others, but we should always be guided by prudence (I was going to link to an Allen Guelzo First Things article on Lincoln's prudence, but, dang it, it's not online yet).

Wind Power

Argus Leader:

Native American tribes in North and South Dakota are setting an example for tribal wind energy development across the nation – an example that is both inspiring and cautionary.

The Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota built the first tribally owned wind turbine in 2003 near St. Francis, and the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota followed suit in September.

Both succeeded partly because of high-profile exposure: contributors included Ben & Jerry’s, former President Bill Clinton’s foundation and – starting with the Rams-Eagles game on Christmas Day – the NFL.

A company called NativeEnergy has marketed the projects as a way for those contributors to both help impoverished tribes and fight global climate change. Wind energy replaces energy from fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change by releasing carbon dioxide.

Farmers Union

Rapid City Journal:

SIOUX FALLS (AP) — Organizers of a petition drive to put a later school start on the November 2006 general election ballot said that the South Dakota Farmers Union will help collect signatures.

The measure would add this sentence to existing law: “No regular school term may begin prior to the last day of August.” The coalition is receiving support from families with children in 4-H, teachers, parents and businesses. The initiative requires about 17,000 petition signatures filed by May 2. In 1984, South Dakota voters decided to start school after Labor Day. The Legislature repealed the law in 1992.

UPDATE:  SD War College weighs in.

My New Years Predictions-2006 Edition

1.    Chad Shuldt will become very angry over something that Professor Schaff or myself shall say about "the left."  Meanwhile, he will say something like this about "the far right of the GOP in South Dakota":

I guess this is another one of the things on their agenda to move us back to the good ol' days of the 1950s when women were barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, minorities knew their place, and kids got their due whipping.

Wow, that was quick.   

2.  Jon Schaff will be stopped by airport security when that Easter-grass green vest of his sets off radiation alarms. 

3.  The economy will grow so fast that homeless people can afford to install aluminum siding on their boxes, and dead people who voted in the last Arkansas election will be offered jobs starting at above minimum wage salaries.  Many of those positions will be filled.  The New York Times will announce that the economy is weaker than expected, and that many have seen warning signs on the horizon. 

4.  The role of the blogosphere in this year's election will be larger than ever before, as many distinct voices on the left and the right challenge both the government line and the mainstream media.  The Northern Valley Beacon will announce that Big Brother is in control and we are now a totalitarian nation. 

5.  Jason Heppler will continue to post a half a dozen fascinating articles daily, but will change his last name to Helper, in order to relieve the strain on TypePad's spell check. 

6.  Nancy Pelosi will convene her fellow Congress-persons in order to forge a party consensus on Iraq, Social Security Reform, and Energy policy.  Afterward she will announce that there are many important and dynamic policy ideas within the caucus, but she will refuse to say what any of them are. 

7.  Having determined that Antonin Scalia is 19 times funnier than Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the New York Times will go on to conclude that Jon Schaff's wardrobe is 7.83 times funnier than Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

8.  Articles in Nature and Science will appear indicating that the climate is turning cooler and wetter, and that the antarctic ice sheet is growing.  This will be seen as further evidence of global warming.

9.  A professor at Dartmuth will announce that one of his students was kidnapped by Homeland Security and forced to watch hours of Fox News, all because he googled the words "Al Franken."  Ted Kennedy will cite the incident in a New York Times opinion piece, and the Daily Kos will mention the incident 747 times.  It will later be revealed that the student was actually a bar tender in Boulder, the professor was actually a retired auto mechanic, and that there is no such place as Dartmuth.  It will incidentally be revealed by Bill O'Riley that Al Franken is only two and a half times as funny as Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

10.  At the end of the year it will turn out that Jon Schaff is indeed still taller than me.  It will also be true that he is still twice as ugly, though the NYTs will point out that both of us are uglier than Ruth Bader Ginsburg by factors of 6 and 3 respectively.

Corporate Farming

A year ago, a Nebraska state legislator challenged that state's ban on corporate farming.  On December 15, a judge ruled that the ban was unconstitutional, saying that it "violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution and the Americans With Disabilities Act."  At the end of December,  Attorney General Jon Bruning set forth arguments for appeal.

Nine states passed laws in the 1970s and 1980s that restricted corporate farm ownership.  In 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal that declared South Dakota's ban on corporate farming unconstitutional.  That ruling, from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said South Dakota's Amendment E was unconstitutional because it interfered with interstate commerce.   The ruling also said there was little evidence that a ban on corporate farming would have been effective in preserving the family farm or protecting the environment. 

According to a 2002 study by the Friends of the Constitution, anti-corporate farming laws in general have helped agriculture-dependent counties fare better (less families in poverty, lower unemployment and higher percentages of farms realizing cash gains) than agriculture-dependent counties without such laws.  For more on anti-corporate farming laws, see "Anti-Corporate Farming Laws in the Heartland."  For an excellent study on the debate over corporate farming, see Jon Lauck's American Agriculture and the Problem of Monopoly.

The Paranoid Left

William Kristol has a great article in tomorrow's Weekly Standard entitled "The Paranoid Style in American Liberalism."  Also, see Richard Hofstadter's 1964 article "The Paranoid Style in American Politics." 

The Big Story

RCP:  The Big Story of 2005 (Someone Tell The New York Times)

King Krap

I just returned from King Kong, and like Prof. Blanchard, I find myself underwhelmed.  I think I liked the film even less than he did.  I saw the film with a friend and his twelve year old daughter, and they pronounced the film "awful."  As my friend put it, "When King Kong and Ann Darrow start skating in Central Park, I wanted to call in an air strike."  I would not classify the film as awful.  The story is too inherently good and the special effects are too astounding for the film to be without its merits.  But here is one of Schaff's rules of movies: When you start praising a film for its special effects, it probably means that there was not much more to praise.  Kong is no exception. 

The film is told in three acts.  Act I: We get to Skull Island.  Act II: We're on Skull Island, and it's really freakin' scary.  Act III: New York New York! It's a wonderful town...to smash up.  The first act is harmless.  The second act is too long and even in the film world of suspended disbelief this film is unbelievable.  I can believe there is an island with 25 foot gorillas, real live dinosaurs, and really big and creepy bugs, but I cannot believe that Ann Darrow can be flung around like a dish towel by Kong and not even break a nail.  I can't believe characters can fall down 100 foot crevasses and just be a little sore.  And here is one of Schaff's movie pet peeves.  I can't stand it when a character is falling and they save themselves by franticly grabbing a ledge.  They should rename Skull Island the Island of 1000 Ledges, and this movie has people clinging to every single one of them.  I also can't believe that people can survive a brontosaurus stampede unscathed.  OK, some minor characters do get stomped.  This is definitely a film where you don't want to be a character without a name.  You will die. The third act was also way over produced.  How many cars do we have to see Kong smash?  And if I had to see on more minute Ann Darrow scrambling around on a sky scraper in high heels, I was going to go nuts!  And why is there snow all over New York, but not on any buildings?  Ack!

There is one interesting item about the film.  The film is one of those "movies about movies."  We are often reminded that this is a film about a film making project.  We see how far a director will go to get his shot.  We are often brought back to the fact that people are enamored with spectacle, and it can bring out the worst in us.  I think it is no accident that Kong's New York rampage takes place in the theater district.  I found this aspect of the film engaging.  Before revealing Kong, Carl Denham reminds his theater audience that seventeen men died in order to bring Kong back (of course, they were really at Skull Island to shoot a movie).  Did anyone care?  Has our entertainment culture become one vast technological Roman Coliseum?  What beastly activity will we eagerly see, with only the price of an admission ticket or a cable subscription needed?

One beastly thing I saw today was King Kong: beastly low in quality that is. 

The Economy

Paul Mirengoff:

Most serious economists believe that "productivity" -- measured by output per hour for the nonfarm business sector -- is the best single measure of what leads to differences in economic performance over time. In fact, Paul Krugman believed this when he was a serious economist (and he may still believe it, for all I know).

Arnold Kling reports that the average productivity growth from 2000-2005 is 50 percent higher than it was from 1995-2000, and about twice as high as during the previous ten years. Indeed, the average productivity growth rate in the last five years is the highest over the past half century. This means, in Kling's words, that "the economy today is in great shape."

Kling emphasizes, correctly, that the productivity numbers tell us nothing about economic policy under President Bush. Productivity growth, he reminds us, "is the economy's gift to policymakers, not the other way around." Productivity has a huge amount to do with the tools employees have to perform their work. Thus, technological breakthroughs can increase productivity, as can a better educated workforce. To the extent that government policy promotes technological breakthroughs or education, it does so only over time. While one can make intelligent arguments about which policies (and whose) might be affecting productivity, Kling warns that "we do not know how much of today's productivity growth reflects Clinton-era policies or Reagan-era policies or even the deregulation that began under President Carter."

Also, I don't normally do this, but check out the Carnival of Personal Finance and Carnival of Investing.

A Very Good Year

Joel Rosenthal of SD Straight Talk has a post entitled "John Thune - A Very Good Year."  Excerpt:

From day one local and national Democrat pundits and bloggers raised the expectation that South Dakota really blew it by sending Tom Daschle packing. They said Ellsworth AFB was a gonner, that Sioux Falls would not get it’s share of the pork in having their downtown rail yard relocated, that the highway bill when enacted would be a disaster for South Dakota, etc. etc. etc. Well the record is clear, John Thune delivered on all these local issues and more.

Check out the whole thing.

Rendition Policy

Happy New Year!  For our first story of 2006, it turns out that the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" policy began in 1995 under President Clinton.  So much for the supposed support of "torture" by the Bush administration.  Ed Morrissey has the story.