The Two-Face(s) of Justice in the City

So we were all drawn to this class by how great a teacher Mr. Dean is ... along with the Batman quote that he used at the end of last school year to entice us to sign up for this class, "Joker: They'll be doubling up at the rate this city's inhabitants are losing their minds. Batman: This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good." Batman -- the Dark Knight. But why the Dark Knight? What happened to the White Knight?

This takes me to one of the iconic Batman "villians" Harvey Dent, better know as Two-Face. Starting off as the clean-cut district attorney of Gotham City and an ally of Batman, Dent goes insane after a criminal throws acid on him during a trial, hideously scarring the left side of his face. Due to this, Dent becomes schizophrenic, bi-polar and adopts the "Two-Face" persona. He becomes a crime boss, choosing to bring about good or evil based upon the outcome of a coin flip. Occasionally he is on the side of Batman and other times he is trying to shoot him.

Once the White Knight of the city, pursuing justice under the law, Harvey Dent becomes a metaphor for the duality of the city. A district attorney and a crime boss, a hero and an enemy. The definition of good and evil is too complex in the city, as shown by a schizophrenic psycopath flipping a coin to make the decision on what is just. What this is saying is that in the city there is always going to be good with the bad and justice in the city is obscure in definition. Was it just that Harvey Dent be scarred for life on shit luck? It brings about a new type of justice in the city, one that is not so politically correct. The White Knight's chivalric justice is gone. One cannot expect the White Knight to just kill the bad guy while following the rules. Now to be able to do good one must also break some rules (the idea of the ends justify the means).

What Two-Face also shows is that it really is not possible to have a White Knight in the modern city. Two-Face throughout his career has represented good and evil combined, the hope of the city and the destruction of the city, and the pure luck that the city is ruled by. This complexity skews the ability to obtain justice through the old style of chivalry that the White Knight used. Due to this complex idea of good vs. evil and justice vs. corruption, it is simply impossible to avoild breaking the rules to achieve "true" justice.

Two-Face's approach, although encompassing this idea, is unhealthy. Batman is the true Dark Knight because he has been able to balance the good and evil to maintain justice in the city. He might break some rules to get to a good conclusion. For example, in the movie The Dark Knight (2008) Batman takes the blame for all the people Harvey Dent killed, after he kills Dent to save the son of a man Dent kidnapped. This way the city could look upon Dent as the White Knight district attorney he used to be and not the maniac he became. It is easy to see the complexity of this "justice." Although it came at a price and followed no set rules, he was able to achieve the closest thing to what he believed to be good. Even then the end might not be complete justice, but this must do for the Dark Knight.

"It's happening now. Harvey is that hero. He locked up half of the city's criminals, and he did it without wearing a mask. Gotham needs a hero with a face."

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Here is another clip I found that has many of the same ideas. It seems that the Joker really has this seered into his head, this idea of justice.

One Great City

The musical group, the Weakerthens, began playing together during 1997 in Winnipeg, Canada. The members of their band are John Samson (lyricist, guitar, and lead vocals), Stephen Carroll (guitar and backing vocals), John Sutton (bass, backing vocals), and Jason Tait (drums). Their music is a reflection of where they are from and John Samson’s lyrics focus on issues of hope, isolation, and survival within a society riddled with injustice and a culture commodified in every possible way.Their song “One Great City” is about their hometown, which happens to be Winnipeg where they formed

.

The song is told from different angles beginning with the underground of the city working its way up until it reaches the highest point. The song lyrics and its title are contradicting because the words of the song paint the city to be repetitive and something far from great. It begins with the day ending, and the night shadows covering the city with a “darker gray”. The song describes a lot of the cities features and personality through its lyrics.

The first verse of the song introduces the city starting from the below the ground. It sings, “a thousand sharpened elbows in the underground,” and this refers to the underground mall which is called Winnipeg Square. It is nicknamed the underground and is located underneath Winnipeg’s downtown and major office buildings. Its location makes the vast majority of people who go to the mall there mostly business people and the description of “a thousand sharpened elbows” refers directly to the business people. The following line of “that hollow hurried sound of feet on polished floor,” adds to the description of the high end working class who move swiftly and the fact that the floor is polished lets us know that the mall is well kept because it is meant for the wealthy. The next line takes the angle of the city to above the ground and says, “In the dollar store the clerk is closing up and counting loonies, trying not to say I hate Winnipeg.” This line is meant to show how the other half of Winnipeg lives aside from the wealthy. The dollar store clerk works to provide for himself, while the high end probably shops at the underground mall. The idea of the store clerk counting loonies hints that there are probably people in a worse living state then the clerk which would make it understandable for the clerk to say I hate Winnipeg.

The song then switches the perspective to a normal person on the street.

the driver checks the mirror seven minutes late

crowded riders' restlessness enunciates

the guess who suck, the jets were lousy anyway

the same mood every day

and in the turning lane

someone's stalled again

he's talking to himself

and hears the price of gas repeat his phrase

I hate Winnipeg

This verse then goes to talk about life in general in Winnipeg. How it can be repetitive and the most interesting thing in someone’s day would be being late to where they have to go in their schedule. Everyone has the same attitude everyday and their mentality towards things in their life never change because they rarely experience something new or better. The lines, “and in the turning lane, someone’s stalled again,” may refer to how a person has a chance to change his life or the direction they are headed, but is stuck and just can’t escape the city. The ending line of this verse that says, “And hears the price of gas repeat his phrase, I hate Winnipeg,” just implies one of the few problems of society.

up above us all,

leaning into sky

our golden business boy

will watch the north end die

and sing 'i love this town'

then let his arching wrecking ball proclaim:

"I...hate...Winnipeg"

This last verse talks about the golden boy which is located on top of the legislature and was the highest point in Winnipeg. He faces north because that was where the founders of the city believed the future of Winnipeg was held. The ironic part of this is that the North End of Winnipeg is the rough end of the city. The Statue which was suppose to symbolize hope,

business, and a promising future, points to the dying north end which is referred to in the song. Like in the song, he is meant to sing “I love this town” ,but rather he truly represents the rest of the town in symbolizing the corruption that occurred in Winnipeg.

The title of One Great City may not seem to mesh with the lyrics, but the role of this song I believe is to have people reflect on their hometowns as well. Every town is like someone’s Winnipeg. After living in a place for so long, things get old, people begin to notice the flaws in the city, and when people try to leave they always manage to return. The city is a part of them as much as they are part of the city. There is a hidden love for their hometown under all the negatives. It is where a person is from making a town like Winnipeg One Great City.

The Suburbs

The TV show Weeds, created Jenji Kohan, critiques and compares inner city and suburban life in America. Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) plays a white, middle aged, widowed mother who begins to sell marijuana in order to maintain her wealthy suburban lifestyle after the death of her husband. Nancy lives in a wealthy suburb called Agrestic in California. Agrestic is a symbol of a perfect, wealthy, white, American suburb. In every episode, Kohan critiques this "perfect" white suburban lifestyle with the theme song "Little Boxes" written by Malvina Reynolds.

"Little Boxes"

Little boxes on the hillside,

Little boxes made of ticky tacky,¹

Little boxes on the hillside,

Little boxes all the same.

There's a green one and a pink one

And a blue one and a yellow one,

And they're all made out of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses

All went to the university,

Where they were put in boxes

And they came out all the same,

And there's doctors and lawyers,

And business executives,

And they're all made out of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf course

And drink their martinis dry,

And they all have pretty children

And the children go to school,

And the children go to summer camp

And then to the university,

Where they are put in boxes

And they come out all the same.

And the boys go into business

And marry and raise a family

In boxes made of ticky tacky

they look just the same.

There's a green one and a pink one

And a blue one and a yellow one,

And they're all made out of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same.

"Little Boxes"

"Little Boxes" portraits white suburban life as dull. Everyone goes to the same university, everyone gets the same job and goes to the same coffee shop before work. Reynolds argues that this wealthy white American dream causes people to conform to what society believes is the correct way to live and raise a family. However, it really just makes everyone into the same boring person.

Nancy breaks the mold. Although, she still wants to enjoy her life in suburbia. She doesn't have a really job or money to support her family, so she resorts to selling weed. This brings up an interesting contrast. For many wealthy white families, the attraction of the suburbs is to avoid the violence, drugs, and conflict of the inner city. However when Nancy decides to start selling weed, she brings these inner city problems to Agrestic. For instance, at the end of season 3, Nancy buys protection from Guillermo, another drug dealer from the city. As a result, Guillermo begins a "war" between rival drug dealers to protect Nancy's business in Agrestic. However, when Guillermo burns down a local weed farm, it causes Agrestic to catch fire and burn to the ground.

Weeds also illustrates the racial tension between white suburbians and Nancy's black drug dealing partners. In an episode in Season 3, Nancy buys a grow house in Agrestic, and her black friend and partner Conrad moves in. When Conrad's sister and mother go on a walk in the neighborhood, they meet a jogger, who waves and smiles, then runs to the other side of the street to continue jogging. This jogger shows the tension between races that can still make some people uncomfortable. Suburbia has high taxes and is for high income families. As a result, wealthy white families are usually the ones who move to the suburbs. So when this jogger sees Conrad's black mother and sister, she becomes uncomfortable because they just seem out of place.

Fast Car Meets Paradise City

Both Rock songs “Paradise City” by Guns and Roses and “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman tell the same underlying message. “Paradise City” was produced in 1987 and “Fast Car” was produced in 1988. Guns and Roses is a white rock band and Tracy Chapman is an African American artist, both giving the same view on the city from a different perspective. They sing of the city as a wondrous and great place to be at a first glance, but in reality it is not the pretty picture that it’s painted to be.

The lyrics from the chorus of “Paradise City” state “Take me down To the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty, take me home.” This portion of the song is stating the city as a place of paradise; it makes it sound like the place to be. Tracy Chapman does the same in her song “Fast Car” with the lyrics, “We won't have to drive too far just across the border and into the city you and I can both get jobs and finally see what it means to be living.” In a later verse she describes the feeling she remembers from the city, “See I remember we were driving, driving in your car the speed so fast I felt like I was drunk city lights lay out before us and your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder.” She describes the city as a place where she can make something of herself and that being there gives her a good feeling. She describes it as an inviting place.

Now looking at the rest of the lyrics from each song, the city is described as a cold, a deceitful, and a hard place to live. From the Guns and Roses point of the alternative aspect of the city is expressed in the lyrics, “Just a' urchin livin' under the street I'm a hard case that's tough to beat.” He compares himself to an urchin which is a bottom feeder on the sea floor. In another verse the lyrics state, ”Captain America's been torn apart Now he's a court jester with a broken heart.” Here Guns and Roses is talking about America as the mighty nation it is as corrupt and torn down. Tracy Chapman gives her perception on how the city will be at first, ”I know things will get better you'll find work and I'll get promoted we'll move out of the shelter buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs.“ She knows she will have to work from nothing and build her way up. Later her lyrics express another understanding of the city, ”You got a fast car and I got a job that pays all our bills, you stay out drinking late at the bar see more of your friends than you do of your kids.“ These lyrics express how city life can change and corrupt people and their values.

It is interesting how these two different artists from diverse backgrounds come to the same conclusion about the city.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/gunsnroses/paradisecity.html

http://www.elyrics.net/read/t/tracy-chapman-lyrics/fast-car-lyrics.html

Jamaican Me Crazy

When people think of visiting Jamaica, they imagine a tropical paradise of beautiful beaches and green mountains where people do nothing but dance and listen to reggae music. And this is the Jamaica most tourists will see.

But my freshman year at St. Stephen’s, I got the opportunity to see Jamaica as it really is with the soccer academy. The beaches and mountains are not as picture perfect as the brochures suggest, and life is sometimes hard for Jamaicans. Still there’s a lot of beauty and joy to be found even in the hidden Jamaica I saw.

When we first arrived in Montego Bay, on the northwest coast of the island, we did experience something of the stereotypical Jamaica. The song “Welcome to Jamrock” was playing loudly over the speakers outside of the airport, and the smell of ganja was thick in the air. On the two and a half hour bus ride to go sixty miles across the island to Kingston, the stereotype was quickly replaced by less familiar impressions of Jamaica. First the drive itself was pretty scary because the roads over those picturesque green mountains were narrow and steep.

Second, the city of Kingston was much poorer and more rundown than you might see in the beach side resorts. Even the nicer areas of town would lack what any of us would consider to be basic features such as clothes dryers. The prep school where a former St. Stephen’s boarding student went looks no nicer than the oldest and most neglected schools in our city, quite a contrast to St. Stephen’s. Without the school’s name on the side, one might easily mistake it for a prison.

Life is also not a nonstop party. On our trip we visited an orphanage, not a place most tourists would visit. Still, despite the poverty, the Jamaicans we met were almost universally happy and friendly. The orphans greeted us with smiles, merchants along the road were happy to introduce us to local snacks, and life in many ways seemed very similar to life here in the states. The cities in Jamaica that I saw were rougher and dirtier than I was expecting but were also warm and welcoming.

Brazil: Where hearts were entertaining June

“Brazil,” by Terry Gilliam, is a 1985 science fiction noir film about the dystopian society of the future. The film follows the story of Sam Lowry, a government employee working at the Department of Records, a massive government bureaucratic organization that keeps records and track of all individuals in the "Brazil" society. The story revolves around the character Archibald Harry Buttle, who is mistaken as the terrorist engineer Archibald Harry Tuttle (played by Robert De Niro) and killed in custody. Jill Layton, a neighbor of Mr. Tuttle, tries to report this mistake to the Office of Information Retrieval (which is highly reminiscent of the Gestapo from both their uniform and tactics), but is instead marked as a terrorist herself for insisting the government made a mistake. Sam Lowry becomes obsessed about this woman because he keeps seeing her in his dreams, and as such he finally accepts a promotion to “The Department of Information Retrieval ” in order to get her classified information as well as clear the charges against her. However, Sam Lowry gets detained due to abusing his power, and is tortured at the end of the movie. The movie ends with him going crazy during torture and imagining that he escaped and lived a happier and simpler life in the countryside.

Although this film is primarily a critique of bureaucracy, the film also gives us a unique perspective on how the physical features of city actually reflect both the levels of corruption and inefficiency within a society. Near the beginning of the story, Sam Lowry goes to a fancy restaurant with his mother, and one of the noticeable features in the restaurant is the number of unsightly ventilation tubes snaking above the tables (as seen below).

Later in the movie, Tuttle explains that only the Central Services are allowed to work on ventilating systems, and as such the sloppy ventilating system visible in the restaurant is the work of Central Service Employees. This brings up an important idea that looking at a the physical characteristics of a city, especially the parts that the government runs, one can actually tell the efficiency of the government and the society as a whole. Thus, Just looking at the restaurant, one can already see the visible levels of bureaucratic and inefficient that plague the government. Another example of how the physical features of a city reflect its efficiency is shown when Sam goes to Jill’s apartment building. The camera first shows a propaganda poster, and the camera pans out after this shot to show a dirty and impoverished community, a reflection of the government’s inefficiency and the inequality rampant in the society(something which the masses are visibly displeased about, as shown in the pictures below).

Notice what is written over the H in Happiness on the picture below:

Notice the change as the camera shot above pans to the shot below:

The idea of using physical features to understand city works not only with the cities of “Brazil” but also with actual cities. For example when you look at a street in Austin, you can tell the presence the local government has in an area by observing subtle features like trash bins or street cleanliness (aka does the city of Austin Garbage Department regularly come by?) to more overt features like the nearness of police stations. Terry Gilliam uses these same techniques and features in his movie “Brazil,” albeit on grander scale than one would find in the real world.