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SOUL

Jacqueline Perez

COM 105 Media and Society

FALL 2020

December 6, 2020

Blog post #5: Superhero Films: What should the future of this genre be?

SOUL

Alter ego: Shea Rincon J.D

Place of origin: The Bronx, New York

Abilities:

· Elite Level Marital Artist and hand to hand combat

· Master negotiation and persuasion skills

· Freak athlete

· Expert parkour practitioner

· Chess Grandmaster

· Gifted artist

Origin Story

Born on April 4th, 1974, SOUL’s secret identity is Shea Rincon. She is the founder of F.B.R. (Foundations Built Right). FBR is a nonprofit community group that provides opportunities in impoverished, lower socioeconomic, high crime neighborhoods in New York City. Born to a Haitian mother and a Puerto Rican father, Shea’s parents were community activist and renowned jazz musicians. They would actively participate in civil rights movements during the sixties and seventies. Unfortunately, due to the drug epidemic terrorizing New York City during the eighties, Shea’s parents fell victim to the devastating ripple sending its shock waves all throughout. Both her mother and father succumbed to drugs, by way of overdosing. This tragedy happening when Shea was just two years old, put her in custody of child protective services. She would bounce around foster care, residential programs, and group homes until the age of sixteen. At age eight, in 1982 The Bronx was filled with abandoned buildings and rubble from those very same buildings being burnt to the ground, you could easily find children at play in these buildings and surrounding rubble. In these buildings, she would develop and enhance her skills, jumping from floor to floor, roof top to roof top. This would help her tremendously with her love of graffiti. She would eventually take control of the paint can herself, tagging under the moniker of “SOUL 1”. During this time to get away from the constant shootings, robberies, gangs, and drug abuse, when she was not roaming around, doing graffiti or enhancing her parkour skills, she would constantly go to the library. Shea would become an avid reader and befriended an elderly man named Don Campos who taught her how to play chess, box, and educated her on life. During the day she would roam around practicing her art, parkour, playing chess for money and reading. In 1990 at 16 she became tired of her living circumstances within group homes and decided she would take control of her destiny and look after herself. She supported herself by going downtown to New York City parks and playing people at chess for money. She was able to rent out an apartment in a brownstone Don Campos owned. After about eight years of learning how to box from Don Campos, SOUL joined a martial arts gym to learn other fighting styles. From age eight to twenty-one, her life was constantly repeating the activities of chess, graffiti, training how to fight, and reading for hours upon hours. During a tragic home invasion, Don Campos, the only parental figure she ever truly acknowledged was murdered. The city’s homicide rate was at an all-time high, which hindered the police from ever finding the criminals behind the murder. Yet another tragedy, in the tragedy that was SOUL’s life. Becoming very cynical, SOUL went in search for the criminals. This pursuit forced her be tactful about how she was going to carry out this mission. She ultimately came up with a disguise to protect her identity. Along the way she had to gain information from gang members, drug dealers, and vicious people. She would search for active crimes, stop them, and question the criminals for information about the Don Campos murder. After obtaining the information she needed she would tie up the criminals, call the police and tag her moniker, “SOUL 1”. SOUL would go on to find the murders of Don Campos, bringing them to justice. This would be just the start of her crime fighting life, as she would actively go on to help solve crimes and stop criminals for many years to come. The name SOUL was well known throughout the city and praised by police groups and politicians.

Present Story

Standing at 5’9 and 150 pounds of pure muscle, SOUL continues to hone the skills that made her a hero in the first place. However, when she is not SOUL, she is just Shea. She operates non-profit F.B.R. (Foundations Built Right) and is well known for community activism and the mentorship she provides for the younger folk in the city. After solving the murder of her parental figure, Don Campos, SOUL went and got her G.E.D. She later went on to graduate from college, eventually attending Bronx Community College, New York University, and Colombia Law, all, respectively. This allowed her to actively advocate for the rights of people who cannot correctly advocate for themselves. When not fighting for the rights of others, SOUL is actively fighting crime and still tagging her moniker, “SOUL 1”. She uses this as a calling card and to warn others to lead a life away from crime. SOUL loves to spray beautiful murals all over the city, expressing thoughts on freedom, love, and peace. SOUL most resembles Batman from the DC UNIVERSE in this respect. Batman like SOUL were both orphans who possess no real superpowers like the ability to fly or teleport. They both possess the ability to work hard and use their environment to succeed. SOUL graduated from lower-level criminals, and currently fights criminal enterprises, and corrupt politicians. SOUL works in conjunction with the New York City Police Department and other federal departments, like the FBI and DEA to stop the flow of drugs coming into the city. This has presented incredible difficulty to SOUL’s plight. This due to the constant corruption within the city’s institutions. SOUL’s greatest challenge ever came from a woman named Throne Rayburn. Rayburn was mayor or New York City and appeared to support the same ideals that SOUL had. This was all an elaborate stunt however, as Rayburn was responsible for many corrupt and shady practices going on in the city behind the scenes and out of the public view. Mayor Rayburn also had a personal vengeance to destroy SOUL’s public image. This is because SOUL posed a threat to Mayor Rayburn’s success. SOUL eventually uncovered a mind-blowing scandal involving cartels, and other nations, working with Rayburn to bring in drugs. SOUL worked diligently to stop the flow of incoming drugs, going as far as going to the countries where the drugs were and getting rid of criminals responsible. Soon through, SOUL realized that this feat was bigger than what she would be able to handle on her own and with just capturing criminals. SOUL would go on to ask a Dave Hand, a journalist for help in showing Mayor Rayburns true nature. She would consistently supply Hand with information about the corruption of Mayor Rayburn. Unfortunately, Hand betrayed SOUL and found her identity. Hand would go on to expose this to Mayor Rayburn, later killed Hand so that he would not reveal SOUL’s identity to the greater public. At this point Rayburn had all the firepower she needed to make SOUL’s life miserable by means of politics. First, she was able to frame SOUL by getting her disbarred as a lawyer, framing her for the misuse of funds for her non-profit. Rayburn then proceeded to use criminals to burn down all of SOUL’s community F.B.R. locations. SOUL being of tenacious spirit and character realized that she needed to leave the city to escape constant police investigations and news articles assassinating her character by leaving the city. She flew to her biological mother’s home country, Haiti, and spent time there to figure what her next move would have to be. During this whole time, Mayor Rayburn continued to increase the flow of drugs and corruption, knowing that SOUL was out of the picture. Meanwhile, the whole of New York City was asking where is SOUL? The time away from New York, was much needed for SOUL. She was able to gather her thoughts and connect with her roots. She visited many important revolutionary sites in Haiti and became inspired again for fighting the fight against evil and wrongdoing. She realized the only way she could beat Mayor Rayburn was by revealing her identity and to tell her story to the FBI and the public. The last thing Mayor Rayburn would ever expect SOUL to do. SOUL told a federal agent she trusted by the name of Richard Gomez, her story and about how she wants the public to know who she is. Agent Gomez advised against this, but SOUL reiterated that it would not matter because if she did not reveal who she was, Mayor Rayburn would surely do so. Agent Gomez and SOUL agreed that they would conduct an investigation and use SOUL as a key witness in bringing down Rayburn. For the time being Agent Gomez told SOUL to stay in Haiti. After a year of investigating, the FBI indicted Rayburn on counts of murder, conspiracy, and drug trafficking. The star witness was SOUL, who was able to reveal her story to the public. Throne Rayburn quickly accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to only 10 years in federal prison if she agreed to cooperate and be a witness.

Future

The indictment and testimony of Throne Rayburn changed the landscape of the city. The city instantly became a much more peaceful and safer place. Not 100%, but a substantial changed was made. SOUL was celebrated and casted into the national spotlight as a heroine. She avoided the spotlight and moved back to Haiti. A statue sits in the middle of Central Park as a commemoration for all that she had done for the city. The CUNY Law School was renamed The Shea “Soul” Rincon Law School. She inspired many and sacrificed so much to make the city a better place to live for others. She donates all the money her organization receives and continues to receive to lower socioeconomic locations all over the world. She is considered to be a true civic leader and inspires so many.

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averee · 4 years ago

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Perez, Jacqueline

COM105 Media and Society

Fall 2020

November 22, 2020

Blog post # 4 Animated Films: Forgotten & Overlooked Cartoon Movies

In both Fantastic Planet and Watership down you find an overlap of themes that relate to each other and can be compared to issues in society. The first theme is displacement and the attempt to find new homes as a result of that displacement. In Fantastic Plant we find humans who have lost their planet and are now in a new planet with aliens known as Draags. The Draags treat the humans as property and kill with no regard. This eventually leads to a revolution and ultimately the Draags do not treat the humans as poorly as they did before.

In Watership Down one of the rabbits foresees a tragedy happening and warns the other rabbits with who he lives with. Luckily able to escape in time before the start of development for a massive construction project by humans which will overtake where the rabbits live. This displacement leads the rabbits on a journey for a new home. In both films we see the effects of displacement by greater, stronger forces lead to death and tragedy for some of the weaker characters of the film.

This draws parallels to the explorers of Europe coming to the Americas and displacing the indigenous tribes who inhabited the land at that time. Some were taken captive, and some were killed. Some were casted away to deal with the unknown dangers of navigating a new land with no safe zones. This theme was shown in both films, the rabbits avoiding death from other animals trying to find a new home they can call their own.

The humans avoiding death from Draags and strange creatures that roam the land to also find a place they can call home. A central figure who fights for the freedom and liberty of his people in the face of death is another theme that can be found. In Fantastic Planet that central figure is Terr. He fights extremely hard to liberate his fellow humans amidst all the adversity that is placed in his way.

In Watership Down, Hazel, similarly to Terr, shows bravery in leading the rabbits to the mountain top while trying to escape danger at every turn. This theme reminds me of Martin Luther King, Malcom X, and many other civil right leaders who fought for liberties while facing death threats and assaults along the way and standing strong to carry on the mission.

Lastly, another theme which shares comparison to issues in society is a stronger group trying to control a weaker group for self-advancement. In Fantastic Planet, the Draags do this to the humans. In Watership Down, General Woundwart runs his boroughs trying to control the other rabbits and will hurt or kill anyone who disobeys his orders. This reminds me of what we see throughout human history, one group enslaving or conquering another for self-advancement.

It is my belief that there are historical lessons in both films, and they do matter today in 2020. As mentioned above when writing about how themes in the movie compare to issues we have in our own society, we find parallels between the two. The civil rights movement and how dangerous our self-advancement can be for other creatures who share the planet earth with us. We must always come up with new ways to explain the history of our world. Sometimes merely stating facts will not resonate as much as telling a story and using that story as a metaphor for past events. Fantastic Planet does this with the civil rights movement. Terr is a central figure in leading the revolution of humans so that they may gain freedom from the oppressive Draags. The lesson here being that all should be treated equally and there is always something to learn from one another which is what the Draags and humans ultimately find out in the end. In Watership Down, the humans' need for advancement causes danger and harms existing rabbits who live there.

In today’s world before something is built, in most cases there must be an environmental impact report. This is not always the case unfortunately, which causes more bad than good. An example of this today is the burning and deconstruction of the Amazon. Forcing many inhabitants of the forest to relocate and suffer the harmful effects of this. The Earth also suffers from this as well. The lesson here being that we must do a better job of making the planet sustainable not only for us but for every living thing. It is not until there is death, imminent danger, and relocation that both human groups come together in Fantastic Planet.

The pivitol moment was when two Draags were passing the entrance of the park where the Oms were and were attacking the two groups that the Oms were forced to kill one of the Draags. This catalyst leads to cohesion and ultimately finding a way to make the Draags submit to what they wanted.

In Watership Down, I believe three of the most intellectual characters were Hazel, his brother Fiver and their friend Big Wig. Two anti-intellectual characters are General Woundwart, and the Chief. The conflict between Hazel’s group, the Chief at the beginning, and General Woundwart in the end leads to them fighting for freedom and avoiding capture. This affects their community as the Chief loses his due to stubbornness, and the General due to pride.

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averee · 5 years ago

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Perez, Jacqueline

COM105 Media and Society

Fall 2020

October 25, 2020

Blog post # 3 Violent Media And Its Psychological Effects

Irreversible by Gaspar Noe is single handily one of the most graphically disturbing films I have ever seen. My opinion however doesn’t take away from how unique this piece of art is. The film which follows Marcus (Vincent Cassel) and Pierre (Albert Dupontel) throughout Paris as they journey to extract revenge on a man known as Le Teina (Jo Prestia) who brutally raped and beat Marcus’s current girlfriend/Pierre’s ex-girlfriend turned friend, Alex (Monica Bellucci) into a coma. What makes Irreversible so unique is that although everything happens in one day, the sequence in which the film is shown is in reverse. In other words what happens at the end of this grim day in Paris is shown at the beginning of the film with no context. Just very dark music in the background, chaotic brutality, and graphic sexual content. As the film progresses, we see the events that lead up to what was the most disgusting and shocking eight minutes I have ever seen on film. Which in comparison with a club scene in the beginning of the movie, makes it seem from a whole other planet. The also very disturbing scene finds Marcus and Pierre searching for Le Tenia, only to see very graphically Marcus getting his arm broken and Pierre beating a man viciously with a fire extinguisher to come to his defense. Going further into the film after the rape scene, the movie takes a much lighter approach and was enjoyable in my opinion. It portrayed a group of friends partying and have a good time with company. Making jokes and commuting their way to the actual party. The film ending with the start of the day and potential good news for Marcus and Alex.

A phrase used at the end and at the start of the film was, “time destroys all things”. I believe that Noe’s intention with Irreversible was to convey this phrase throughout the scenes in the movie. The sequence of events being in reverse, how the shots we never stable and more chaotic at the end of the day while ultimately easing up on these effects as the film progressed, showing how the day started. Noe was intentional with his choosing on how to arrange the scenes to portray this concept. Another theme shown in this movie is Paris nightlife and the culture surrounded by it. I have never been to Paris but aside from all the drama at the start of the film, I found the people to be very free with how they love and who they choose to love. Marcus was very open and friendly with his girlfriend’s ex-lover, Pierre. Alex, Pierre, and Marcus openly discussed sexual history and made jokes along the way. During the party scenes, everyone at the party seems to be okay with having public relations with one another. Paris seems to be so free and not as possessive as maybe we are in America. Noe did a great job of conveying this message to myself.

Ultimately, I did not like this movie. Although, I do think the content is deep and gives you something to think about, I didn’t know what exactly that was. I would recommend Irreversible for movie watchers who don’t mind all the graphicness and brutality and would like a movie that makes you think about what the deeper meaning behind it is. My letter grade of this film is a C in my opinion. This isn’t a movie for your usual prototypical movie watcher. This movie has a lot of layers and hidden meanings. I didn’t quite get what they were, so that is why in my opinion I gave it the grade that I did. The over the top violence and sexuality of the film was a lot to chew on. Buckle up if you’re going to watch this movie because you’re in for a ride. I do however appreciate the art of the film. In other words, even if I didn’t fully understand the deeper meaning of what it all meant, I still enjoyed how different from conventional movies it was. The reverse sequence of events which fits nicely with the title. The scenery of Paris transportation and the apartment. The freeness of spirt the characters in the film had at the beginning of the day. I enjoyed it from that aspect. Everything else was bit much for myself, in my opinion.

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averee · 5 years ago

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Perez, Jacqueline

COM105 Media and Society

Fall 2020

September 14, 2020

Blog post # 1 Examining Youth Culture

As a child, I remember older adults, either family or friends, reminiscing on their childhood and would always say how different it was growing up in their time. Whether it be the childhood games they played, being bullied in school or experiencing their first kiss. The adults would always reflect on how times have changed for the youth. Today, I find myself in the same position. Now, I am the adult, the mother, big sister, who can’t help but recognize the enormous change in the culture of the youth. From the music they listen to, the clothes they wear and the influences that surround them. I can only imagine what my children’s children will experience in their childhood.

Television was one of the major influences for me growing up. Shows like Family Matters, Martin, Saved by The Bell and Fresh Prince of Belair, portrayed a more delicate picture of life but also with a message, most of the time a positive one. Great shows in my opinion. However, growing up in New York City, a lot of those positive messages pushed by what many called the “idiot box” was quickly erased by what was my reality. Drugs, gangs and violence was normal in my neighborhood. Though as a youth, I would say we all had some type of guidance that kept us in line. Some of us made some mistakes and managed to make it out while other may not have been so lucky. In School, I wouldn’t compare the students there to the characters in Saved by The Bell. Most of us were from rough neighborhoods where peer pressure was always high. Honestly, Zach Morris wouldn’t survive in my environment. Things just weren’t as easy as the show made it seem. I will say the show gave us a choice and many of the episodes did provide a message that gave me some type of guidance growing up. On the flip side, the gangsters and drug dealers did the same. Many whom knew my family well would even tell my parents if I was doing wrong or skipping school. I still love watching old episodes of Saved by The Bell and I believe the youth of today would enjoy it as well, but I can’t say it would be something they can relate to in their world today. I believe Euphoria is a show that they would definitely relate to more than the shows I watched growing up. The culture for the youth today, I feel, is rawer and more unapologetic rather than discreet and protected as things were during my childhood. Not only that, the influence for them is everywhere and I mean everywhere. From television, cell phones and social media, music, advertisements, friends and family, many influences are exposed to the youth. This is why Euphoria is a great show for their culture. Sex and drugs are way more popular to the youth nowadays. Instead of just regular marijuana, its pills, lean and K2 that are classified as fun drugs. Zendaya’s character Rue is a prime example of what is normal in their culture today. Rehab doesn’t even appear to be embarrassing to her as much as it is to her family. Many of her friends are consumed with the pressures of fitting in mixed with many other social distractions amongst their families. Jacob Elordi’s character Nate is faced with the internal conflict of his father, who is sexually active with both young girls and boys, leading to mental strains within himself and with his girlfriend Sydney, played by Cassie Howard. Barbie Ferreira’s character Kat at first is ashamed for being a virgin as well as her weight but ultimately folds to the pressure of her peers resulting her using the internet to sell sex fetishes to older men. Similar to todays only fans page, which the youth of today are using to exploit themselves for money. It has become a major fad during the pandemic. Sex is more open to the youth today as well. The LGBTQI community has much more support in todays culture than in the past which is another subject highly projected to the youth in Euphoria and Hightown, another show which depicts Monica Raymund’s character Jackie as the wild alcoholic lesbian, attempting to solve a murder while battling her own demons of drug use. The movie Kids, which I believe was the first movie I saw that could be compared to the explicitness of today’s shows, was the first movie that exposed me to the real reality without filter. Though I was aware of this growing up, no movie or television show really showed what it really was like for the youth growing up. The movie, the 90’s, was another movie similar to Kids, though it was released twenty-three years later, focused on the conflict of identity. Sunny Suljic’s character Stevie was only thirteen years old being exposed to sex and drugs. Encouraged by his friends Fuckshit and Fourth Grade, to name a few, though not the best role models, cared about little Stevie a.k.a. sunburn in a funny way. This was shown at the end of the movie after Stevie’s near-death accident. I was able to relate to this because I too had friends growing up that weren’t the best ones to hang out with, but I knew they genuinely cared. Some of them I consider family. The Breakfast Club came out when I was a baby so I couldn’t really relate to how the culture of youth was during those times, but I did enjoy the movie. Judd Nelson’s character, John Bender, was the wild card of the group. On the outside he plays the tough guy role but in reality, he too has problems at home. After watching the movie, I assumed most of the characters did not have the best relationship with their parents, which was probably something the youth had problems with at the time.

In conclusion, youth culture has changed dramatically through the years. Today’s world has so much more influence, forcing us to focus more on everything we do. COVID-19 hasn’t made it any easier either. The internet has become the primary platform for everything whether it’s good or bad. It is a part of the youth now and will always be in the years to come. One can only hope it influences them in more positive than negative ways?

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