I Will Always Love You, Leslie Knope.

It must have been five or six years ago. My fiance, who was (and is still) a big fan of The Office, told me that there is a really funny show that I would like and should watch. Thus, I was introduced to Parks and Recreation, which he, like some, had described as a story about a "female Michael Scott." Well, that was then. Now, at the end of the show's seventh and final season, Leslie Knope is an iconic character who is one of the funniest, most relatable, most admirable, and most feminist women on TV.

I'm going to leave all the talk about the development of the show and Leslie's character to the regular writers of reviews and such. What I really want to write about just a couple of hours before the series finale is, however briefly, what Leslie Knope means to me.

So, It's Oscar Time!

I love movies. I love talking about movies. I'm not a critic and don't really do movie reviews (unless it involves my thoughts from a social justice angle), but I know some people like to get a sense of what a bunch of people think about certain movies so they can determine which ones are worth seeing (or if they're on the fence about a particular movie), so for the benefit of those people, here's what I thought of the nominated films that I have seen. And no, these are not predictions. Just random, rambling thoughts about some of the categories. I have some predictions, but that's a completely different and (for me personally) uninteresting matter.

May contain non-specific spoilers, depending on how you interpret the word "spoilers."* Also, if you don't know anything about the famous people in the nominated biopics, yes, there are spoilers. But probably not much more than if you just watch the ceremony.


Best Picture

Whiplash: Haven't seen this one, but would definitely consider seeing it. I hear J.K. Simmons is fantastic (see below).

American Sniper: Haven't seen this one either. As much as I resent contributing to box office sales of a movie that beat the record previously held by my all-time favorite war movie (Saving Private Ryan...what can I say? I was a 90's kid), I feel like I probably should watch it, so that I can form an informed opinion about the film and its political implications. Despite my distaste for Clint Eastwood's political views, I'm actually a pretty big fan of him as a director (Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, and Invictus all make my ridiculously long personal list of great movies). I'm thinking I may actually like it as a movie.

Birdman: OK, my feelings about this film were kind of a surprise to me. People have been raving about it, and I had wanted to see it since I saw the trailer for the first time some time last year. The seeming oddness of the film gleaned from the information I had prior to watching it suggested it was the kind of film I would really like. Actually, I did like it. I thought it was a good film. The acting was fantastic (see below). But I didn't absolutely love it like I thought I would, and honestly, I'm not sure if I can get behind the degree of enthusiasm that is behind this film. As good as the film it is, I'm actually hoping it doesn't win Best Picture.

The Grand Budapest Hotel: I was extremely and pleasantly surprised when it started making the awards season lists. I happen to love Wes Anderson's brand, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. So, a fantastic film like this being given mainstream recognition by a Best Picture nomination (he's been nominated for Best Original Screenplay twice before) has been a happy development for me. This is a film with great actors, lots of laughs, and Anderson's signature melancholy. It may have been my favorite film from the past year (maybe with the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy, which is obviously a completely different type of film).

The Imitation Game: Good movie. I really liked it. Intriguing portrait of a talented man who suffered a cruel fate because of who he was. Totally deserves the nomination but not the win, in my opinion.

Selma: This. This. This. This. Extraordinary film in so many ways. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire movie. It was raw, powerful, and still so relevant today. I am certainly not of the demographic who should be making any claim about the voice of the African-American community and all that, but the story-telling was just incredible. Yes, I am partial to films with a social justice dimension, but I am also partial to quirky comedies and/or dramas (as you can probably guess from my partiality towards Budapest). I'm not going to rewrite what I've already written about the film, but this is the film. And without watching Boyhood (which is the most likely film I haven't seen that could change my mind on this), this would be my personal pick for Best Picture. I certainly think it is the most deserving for so many reasons.

The Theory of Everything: I really liked this film. I actually liked it a lot more than I thought would (I thought I would like it but not as much I did). I think what got me was that it was neither dull nor melodramatic. And the fact that it was about Stephen Hawing, the person, and not Stephen Hawking, the genius (OK, yes, it was about the person, who happens to be a genius, but you get my point). The film really focused on the heart (rather than the brain), the development of relationships between human beings, and a deeper human love rather than romantic love. I felt the trailers did a disservice by making the film seem like it would be a love story when it said much more about the human relationship between Stephen and Jane Hawking. Anyway, good film, well-deserved nomination, but I wouldn't give it the win, even among only the films I've seen.

Boyhood: Unfortunately, I haven't yet seen this but really want to. As much as I tend to not root for the "favorite" films, this could be a film that would not make me disappointed if it wins.

自由の国・アメリカの「自由」の限度？

アメリカ社会が日本社会よりもはるかに個人主義的で、個人の「選択の自由」に重きを置いている事は誰の目にも明らかである。個人に選択の余地が与えられることは、基本的には悪いことではない（むしろ、いいことである）。だが、アメリカのように個人の自由を尊重する社会であっても、法律、規則、常識などによって個人を制限するものであり、個人がすべて好き勝手に何でもできる訳ではない。問題は、どの程度の制限を課すかという点にある。

近年、アメリカでは、個人の選択の自由を中心に掲げた反ワクチン運動（anti-vaccination movement；反ワクチン思想の人たちをanti-vaxxersと呼ぶ）が論争の種となっている。反ワクチン運動は、予防接種が自閉症や脳傷害等の健康被害につながるという（医学界の主流では既に信憑性を損なっている）研究を信じ、子供の予防接種をさせない親たちや同様の思想を持った人々によって構成される。このような思想を持った親の人口が少しずつ拡大している模様であり、昨年暮れから、2000年にアメリカ土着のものは撲滅されたはずのはしかの感染が、ディズニーランドを震源地として広がっているのも、反ワクチン運動の影響であるとされている。

Re-watching Friends as a Self-Aware 28 Year-Old Feminist

OK, Netflix. I've done it. I've watched every single episode of Friends in order.

I had a different appreciation for it as a person in her late twenties (having experienced, is experiencing, or having close friends experiencing the stages of life the six friends go through over the course of the show), but at the same time, I felt a hyper-awareness for the super-prevalent gender stereotyping that dominated sitcoms of that era and beyond.

To be sure, the show was not devoid of feminist moments and had some progressive moments for its times (most notably, the "lesbian wedding" episode aired years before same-sex marriage became a viable public policy issue). However, there are too many moments when laughs are drawn from gender stereotypes or traditional notions of gender. Such tropes include repeated assaults on beta males Ross and Chandler's "masculinity," the women's constant demand for romance from attractive guys, and the women playing "mind games" with the guys they like. A VICE article summed it up bluntly but quite accurately in a subheading: "Men Are Pathetic; Women Are Bitches."

スーパー・ボウル・サンデーに見るアメリカ社会の現状

アメリカでは、毎年2月の第一日曜日に、全米最大（そして世界最大級）のスポーツ・イベントであるスーパー・ボウルが開催される。スーパー・ボウルとは、アメリカン・フットボールのプロ・リーグであるナショナル・フットボール・リーグ（NFL）のチャンピオンを決する試合であり、アメリカン・フットボール・カンファレンス（AFC）とナショナル・フットボール・カンファレンス（NFC）の各優勝者が出場する。（ちなみに、開催地は、試合開催の数年前に決められており、地元チームがその年のスーパー・ボウルに出場した事は未だかつてない。）アメフトがアメリカで一番人気のスポーツであることや野球のワールド・シリーズと違って一試合限りの決戦となることなどもあり、毎年スーパー・ボボウルが開催される日曜日は「スーパー・ボボウル・サンデー」と呼ばれ、アメリカでは事実上祝日化している。

多くのアメリカ人は、アメフトが特に好きだという訳でなくても、スーパー・ボウル・サンデーにはいわゆる「スーパー・ボウル・パーティー」という友人や同僚らとの観戦パーティーに出席する。全米各地で開催されるこれらのパーティーでは、凄まじい量の食べ物が摂取され、感謝祭に次いで最大の摂取量が記録される。食べ物の種類としては、トルティーヤ・チップスとサルサ又はワカモレ、バッファロー・ウィングスなどの手羽料理、ピザが典型的で、飲み物はビールかソーダ。試合開始数時間前から集まって皆で一緒に飲んで、食べて、そして、試合が始まったら観戦。試合の視聴率は、近年、年間最高視聴率を誇っており、このため、スーパー・ボウル放映の際のTV広告には多額の資金がつぎ込まれ、宣伝企業は、観客の気を引こうと、様々な形で印象的な広告をスーパー・ボウル用に作り出す。アメフトに特に興味を持たない人でも、これらのスーパー・ボウル広告（Super Bowl ads）を毎年楽しみにしている人も少なくない。このような人たちのためには、広告の他にも、ハーフタイム・ショーがある。スーパー・ボウルのハーフタイム・ショーは、有名歌手やバンドによるミニ・コンサートのようなものであり、誰が選ばれるかにも毎年注目が集まる。

このように、スーパー・ボウルというイベントは、構造的にアメフトに興味がない人にでも参加し、楽しめるように構成されており、実際、このような人の多くも観戦パーティー等でスーパー・ボウル・サンデーを楽しんでいる。スーパー・ボウルは、良くも悪くも、アメリカの現状を反映するイベントとも言えよう。