Olivia-LAS-470

Below is a clip from an episode of “Seinfeld,” an American sitcom from the 90s. The basic premise is a group of friends living together in NYC and the show revolves around the random happenings in their lives. In this episode Jerry Seinfeld (red shirt in the clip) has convinced his friend to invest money with an accountant. They see the accountant randomly at a restaurant and he cannot stop sniffling. The two obsess over this and are convinced the account is doing drugs – which would explain the sniffling. That is the context for the scene attached below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlBDxRdPSwg Seinfeld is one of my parents favorite tv shows and as I was sitting with them a few nights ago as they were watching reruns I was struck by this scene. A very mindless show, I don’t usually do much thinking when I watch with my parents and I am far more entertained by their extreme amusement with the various happenings then with the actual content of the show itself. But this scene...

            Reading a selection of Marx in conjunction with watching the movie “Roma” provided an interesting lens through which to view the film. Based on my reading of Marx I approached Roma through the lens of viewing labor as a commodity and people who perform labor as commodities to be consumed. Cleo and her relationship with the family she works for is an interesting juxtaposition as their interactions span a wide range from employer/employee behavior to family like interactions.             There are a couple of scenes in the movie that stuck out to me as when Cleo’s commodification was most prominently displayed. The first is when Sofia is on the phone and slaps Paco for eavesdropping. She immediately is overtaken by guilt and hugs and cries with Paco apologizing profusely. However, in that same moment she screams at Cleo for not stopping Paco from listening in on her conversation, displaying...

This article raised some really interesting question about the idea of consuming bodies, particularly in the context of sexual relations between Cubans and foreigners. For me the most compelling aspect of the introduction to this book is the idea that one’s body is a commodity that they can sell in an economic context. Daigle emphasizes that bodies being involved in the economy creates an economic environment that is “not purely economic but deals also in affect, love, and solidarity” (Daigle). When an emotionally charged act or feeling like sex or love becomes involved in the economy it adds a layer of complexity that isn’t present when the economy is simply buying and selling goods. Once you add the idea of buying and selling feelings, bodies, and actions the economy because a much more personal and cultural entity. The concept of Cuban women selling their bodies through the action of sex to foreign tourists reinforces the power dynamic between the USA as the superior and Latin Am...