Metin Vardar
E R U T L U C
D N A H AT IDENTIT D N A E V LIFE, LO
Y
– An Anthology
Lindhardt og Ringhof
CULTURE AT HAND Af Metin Vardar © 2016 Lindhardt og Ringhof Uddannelse, København – et forlag under Lindhardt og Ringhof Forlag A/S, et selskab i Egmont. Forlagsredaktion: Ulla Benzon Malmmose Grafisk tilrettelægning og omslag: Ulla Korgaard, Designeriet Billedredaktør: Ulla Barfod Korrektur: Jette Brinkel Rosenberg Mekanisk, fotografisk, elektronisk eller anden gengivelse af denne bog eller dele heraf er kun tilladt efter Copydans regler. Forlaget har forsøgt at finde og kontakte alle rettighedshavere. Tryk: Livonia Print 1. udgave 1. oplag 2016 ISBN 978 87 70 666 527
CONTENTS
Forord
5
CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
7
Polly Vernon Grindr: a new sexual revolution?
9
Mike Butcher How Blackberry, not Twitter, fuelled the fire under London’s riots The Social Network. Film from 2010 directed by David Fincher
17 20
Marc Ramirez The game of love: More finding romance playing online games
22
Review of the chapter Digital Cultures
27
CHAPTER 2: GANGS, DRUGS, AND PROSTITUTION
29
Paule Marshall Some Get Wasted
30
Bret Easton Ellis Less Than Zero
41
Trainspotting. Film from 1996 directed by Danny Boyle
46
Rachael Marcus Confessions of a Teenage Prostitute
49
Review of the chapter Gangs, Drugs, and Prostitution
55
CHAPTER 3: RELATIONSHIPS
57
Stephen Dobyns The Happy Vacancy
58
Dilys Rose Tony's Dream, Claire's Insomnia
69
Fay Weldon Sharon Loves Darren
75
American Beauty. Film from 1999 directed by Sam Mendes
79
Hilary Mantel The Long QT
81
Review of the chapter Relationships
86
CHAPTER 4: NEW YORK, FEAR AND LIES
87
Tom Wolfe Bonfire of the Vanities
88
Do The Right Thing. Film from 1989 directed by Spike Lee
95
Vivian Gornick A Ride on The New York Subway
97
Empire State of Mind. Song by JayZ feat. Alicia Keys. From the album “The Blueprint 3” 2009
105
Review of the chapter New York, Fear and Lies
109
CULTURE AT HAND
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CHAPTER 5: SUBCULTURES Chris Brown Bovver
111 112
Abram Shalom Himelstein og Jamie Schweser Tales of a Punk Rock Nothing
119
Kelefa Sanneh Don't Blame Hip Hop
129
The Ungroundable Southpark, episode 14, season 12
135
Review of the chapter Subcultures
137
CHAPTER 6: INDIA
139
Salman Rushdie The Free Radio
140
Manik Bandyopadyay A Female Problem at a Low Level
150
R.K. Narayan Engine Trouble
159
Gandhi. Film from 1982 directed by Richard Attenborough
166
Tim Sullivan Indian outcast millionaire mulls caste, riches
169
Review of the chapter India
174
Credits 175
4
CULT U R E AT H A N D
FORORD Culture at Hand er en tekstantologi, der fokuserer på kulturer i forskellige kontekster. Bogen udspringer af et ønske om at arbejde med tekster, der i høj grad appellerer til kursisterne, og samtidig indfrier kravene på engelsk B-niveau. Mine erfaringer viser, at kursisterne bidrager langt mere i undervisningen, når teksterne på et eller andet plan berører deres eget liv som det f.eks. er tilfældet med onlinedating. Målgruppen for bogen er ungdoms- og voksenuddannelserne, idet teksterne spænder lige fra fattigdom i Indien til onlinedating. Bogen præsenterer nye og skæve vinkler i temaerne: ”Digital Cultures”, ”Gangs, Drugs, and Prostitution”, ”Relationships”, ”New York, Fear and Lies”, ”Subcultures” og ”India”. Tillige tilbyder bogen som noget ganske nyt arbejdsspørgsmål til udvalgte film, der er knyttet til hver af de i alt seks temaer. Bogens arbejdsspørgsmål er inddelt i tre overordnede kategorier. Fælles for alle tre kategorier er, at de lægger op til engagerede diskussioner, fokuseret tekstanalyse og fortolkning samt kreative skriveøvelser. Kategorierne er som følger: •
Text based activities
•
Cooperative activities
•
IT activities Formålet med at inddele arbejdsspørgsmålene i tre overordnede kategorier
er at sætte fokus på undervisningsdifferentiering samt skabe et overblik over de forskellige læringsrum. Som titlen antyder, er bogens omdrejningspunkt kultur i forskellige kontekster. Samlet set giver bogen indblik i kultur, samfund og historie, ligesom der trækkes linjer til globale og lokale forhold. I valget af tekster er der lagt vægt på udgangspunktet om, at teksterne skal formå at ryste elevernes visheder gennem provokerende og tanke-vækkende perspektiver. Bogen indeholder en bred vifte af genrer: fiktion, sagprosa, lyrik og digitale medier. Kort sagt: Culture At Hand er en bredt-favnende tekstantologi, der tilstræber at træne eleverne i kernefaglige kompetencer gennem kreative og udfordrende opgaver og tekster. Der skal lyde mange tak til forlaget Lindhardt og Ringhof, Ulla Benzon Malmmose og Eva Pors for deres støtte og feedback, og sidst, men ikke mindst, kolleger og kursister på HFC Efterslægten for hjælp og inspiration. Metin Vardar, forår 2016
CULTURE AT HAND
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6
CULT U R E AT H A N D
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
DIGITAL CULTURES CULTURE AT HAND
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CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
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CULT U R E AT H A N D
CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
Grindr: a new sexual revolution? Polly Vernon
5
Grindr is a free phone app which lets
terrace of a bar in east London by my
gay men instantly pinpoint each other
friends J and W. J launched the app
using GPS technology. It has already
on his iPhone and I got palpitations
transformed the sex lives of 700,000
as the grid of portraits (ordered in
men around the world. But could it
terms of geographical proximity – your
work in the straight market? And would nearest Grindr user is posted at the it mean the end of monogamy?
top left) instantly unfurled itself across the screen. All these men, effectively
10
Ever heard of Grindr? If you have,
coming on to – well, not me, but still…
I’m going to guess that you are male
It is literally a sexy app and the
and gay; or male, technically straight
overflow of that sexual potency, the
and somewhat curious; or the straight
decadence, sweeps you along on a wave
friend of a gay man. If not, allow me to
of lust, regardless of who you are and
enlighten you.
what your gender or sexual orientation might be. I was reminded of the first
15
20
Grindr (pronounced “grinder”) is a
time I entered words into the search
free downloadable iPhone app which,
criteria on Google, of the first time I
it promises, will help you “Find gay,
downloaded music from iTunes – I
bi, curious guys for free near you!”
knew I was engaging with a bit of
Grindr harnesses GPS, allowing you
technology that would alter things on a
to establish who else in your direct
profound level.
pinpoint – lokalisere præcist monogamy – monogami enlighten – oplyse harnesses – udnytter vicinity – nabolag gridded display – skærmbillede opdelt i gitterlinjer in feet – fod (måleenhed 30,5 cm) intoxicating – berusende roof terrace – tagterrasse palpitations – uregelmæssig hjertebanken proximity – nærhed unfurled – foldede sig ud decadence – dekadence furtively – i smug pixelated – pixeleret reconfiguring – ændrer equivalent – modstykke
vicinity is also using Grindr. It shows you – on a gridded display – who these
I scrolled on and on through the grid of
men are and what they look like; it’ll tell gay offerings, furtively trying to match 25
you how far away from you (in feet, and
the pixelated images with the real-life
even more thrillingly, fractions of feet)
men ranged around me in the bar.
they are standing; and it will allow you
30
to “chat” them, if they take your fancy.
“But do you want to know the funny
Although buried deep in the Grindr
thing?” J said. “The best nights you can
ethos is the idea that you shouldn’t do
have on Grindr are the nights when you
in cyberspace what you could be easily
stay in.” And he laughed, wickedly.
doing in person. Don’t “chat” when you could actually, you know, chat.
Grindr is reconfiguring the landscape of human relationships. Partly because
36
Grinding is an intoxicating experience.
it’s sex in an app, the sexual equivalent
I was first introduced to it on the roof
of ordering take-away, or online fashion CULTURE AT HAND
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CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
gleefully – skadefro facilitate – formidle significant – betydningsfuld liberating – befriende socially enabling – som giver mulighed for at udvide ens sociale netværk diminishes – bliver mindre intertwined – sammenflettet wiry – tynd hectic – hektisk flourishing – blomstrende AOL – (America Online)Amerikansk internetudbyder og medievirksomhed unfortunately – uheldigvis, desværre
(my friend Kevin calls it “net-a-port-gay.
after gay icon Stephen Fry told the
com”, and he’s so pleased with himself
boorishly straight Jeremy Clarkson all
for this, he says I can use his real
about it during an interview on super-
name. Everyone else asked to remain
hetero TV show Top Gear.
anonymous). Grindr was launched
5
on 25 March 2009; now more than
So Grindr would matter even if it
700,000 (and counting) men in 162
was not in the process of developing a
countries around the world are using
straight version of its sexy self. But it is.
it to phenomenal effect, if J, W, Kevin
It is likely that the Grindr experience
and the other gay men I’ve asked are
will be open to a straight market by the
any kind of a guide. “I’ve never, ever
end of 2010.
10
had so much sex in my life!” R told me gleefully. “I’ve probably had as much
“Oh, at the very latest,” says Joel
in the past eight months of Grinding as
Simkhai, the founder of Grindr. He’s
I have over the 20 years since I came
a wiry, neatly handsome 33-year-old
out. Maybe more.” It’s only going to
man with an American accent, a hectic
get bigger, to facilitate more sex. Two
manner and a sharp business edge.
thousand people download it every day,
I meet him for coffee in a chic hotel
and a BlackBerry-friendly version of
in London. This is where he’s basing
the app launched less than a month
himself while he checks out Grindr’s
ago – a development which could triple
flourishing UK market; he usually lives
Grindr’s reach.
in Los Angeles. “The UK is the second
15
20
biggest country for Grindr after the But Grindr is more significant even
US,” he tells me. “London is the third
than that suggests. It marks a major
biggest city after New York and LA.
evolution in how all of us – gay,
You love us.”
25
straight, alive – will meet and interact
10
with each other. Depending on who
Simkhai was born in Tel Aviv and he
you talk to, this is either brilliant
and his parents moved to New York
(liberating, socially enabling – the end,
(“State, not the city”) when he was three.
even, of loneliness and boredom); or a
He came out in his mid-teens “just as
potential disaster (signalling the end of
AOL was taking off. I was born – gay-
monogamy, facilitating sex addiction).
born – with online. And that was a huge
Either way, it matters. Arguably we
help to me in terms of meeting people
are living in a post-gay era. The divide
– people who unfortunately were a ways
between gay and straight worlds
away in Wyoming or wherever – but
diminishes daily. Gay culture and
still, I was meeting people who were gay
straight culture become increasingly
and who weren’t freaks.” But Simkhai
intertwined. For example, Grindr’s
says he still felt isolated as a young gay
biggest boost occurred in June 2009,
teenager. He found himself asking:
CULT U R E AT H A N D
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CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
“The question. I think every gay man
“Ha! No. My notion was use GPS, see
starts asking it, from the moment he
who else is near. Simple as that.”
realises he’s gay. You are somewhere 5
and it’s: ‘Who else here, right now, is
In August 2008, Simkhai contacted
gay? Who?’ You are looking around,
Morten Bek Ditlevsen, an app developer
you are constantly wondering. Because
based in Denmark. “He had a passion
coming out is a lonely process.”
for GPS, just as I did. He’s straight, but
complete – komplet commotion – røre politicised – at gøre noget til et politisk spørgsmål community – lokalområde queer – homoseksuel
he liked the idea; he had a full-time Still?
job, but he said: ‘Yeah, I’ll do this as a hobby.’ Didn’t ask for much money.”
“Yes! Very much so! And every gay man 10
who asks himself that question also
Simkhai brought another friend,
thinks: ‘Wouldn’t it be good if there was
“Scott Lewallen, an expert in branding,
some way for me to tell? Some way for
marketing and design”, into the fold.
me to know?’ Every gay man has had
Both still work on Grindr. It took
the idea for Grindr.”
Simkhai, Bek Ditlevsen and Lewallen six months and $5,000 to build Grindr.
15
Nearly two decades later, after Simkhai had finished a degree in international
About the name: where did it come
relations and economics and worked for
from?
some years in finance, Apple launched 20
25
its second-generation iPhone. “It was
“Nowhere specific. We liked the word.
almost as if someone was handing
We liked the notion of a coffee grinder,
Grindr to me on a silver platter. The
mixing things together… And there’s
first iPhone didn’t have GPS, and it only
the term ‘guy finder’ in there, too. We
had about eight apps. They were all
wanted something that was masculine
Apple apps, too – you couldn’t develop
but was not about pride flags. Was not
your own. It really wasn’t that great a
about…”
device. But in the same announcement of the second-generation phone, they
A politicised idea of gayness?
said: ‘This phone will have GPS and 30
now you can create apps!’ I was like:
“Yes! And was fun! And was in a way
‘Wait a minute! I know an app I want
– not about being gay. I’m gay; I am a
to do!’”
proud gay man. It’s not that we have any issues, right? But Grindr’s not
35
Did he have a complete notion of what
about gay rights, or gay anything. It’s
he wanted from Grindr? How it would
about finding guys. Being among your
work, what it would look like, what sort
peers. Socialising. Being part of your
of commotion it would create?
community. It’s not about: ‘We’re here, we’re queer.’” CULTURE AT HAN D
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uptake – tilgang trumpets – udbasunerer unifying – forenende immediate – umiddelbar toing and froing – tovtrækkeri reintroduces – genindfører Second Life – Virtuel online – 3D – verden precursor – forløber editorials – ledende artikler procuring – formidle proximity – nærhed
So Grindr launched in spring 2009. For
Second Life. It is not a virtual world.
the first few months uptake was steady
It’s a tool. It enables real life, it doesn’t
but modest. Then Stephen Fry showed
replace it.”
it to Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear “and 40,000 men had downloaded it within
And it leads, I say, to very real sex. None
a week. Amazing.”
of this virtual nonsense.
Simkhai talks with great passion
Simkhai pauses.
5
about his creation. He builds a beautiful case for Grindr. He trumpets its
“Er… From my perspective… it’s not sex.
international, unifying aspect, making
It’s a precursor to sex. It’s just before.
it sound like the United Nations of
That’s how I see Grindr. We want to
gayness. “Here we are, 8,000 miles from
be sexy. We think sex is part of life,
home and we have 50,000 guys here in
the basis of life. But Grindr is sexiness
London. How? What? I haven’t been
rather than sex.”
here for 10 years – the first thing I did
10
15
when I landed at Heathrow was launch
Simkhai is concerned, perhaps, about
Grindr! Sydney. Melbourne. Singapore.
the conservative elements of the US
Tokyo! Tokyo is our fourth largest city,
media. Editorials on the danger of
one of our top cities! I’ve never been to
the “new gay hook-up app” pop up
Japan! I don’t speak Japanese!”
periodically. Simkhai is keen to make
20
the point that Grindr is not uniquely He points out that Grindr is a response
concerned with procuring sex. “I meet
to online dating, which causes as many
guys all the time who say to me: ‘I know
problems as it solves. “With missed
it’s for hooking up, but… ‘ But they met
connections and back and forth, and:
some really good friends. But they met
‘Oh actually, this week I’m in New York,
their boyfriend. But. But.” Simkhai says
and you’re in LA…’ Online dating is
his main hope for Grindr is it will help
frustrating! It is a lot of work!” Grindr,
young gay men through the process of
on the other hand, is immediate.
coming out.
25
There is no messing about, no toing
12
and froing, no building up your hopes
I am moved by Simkhai’s passion, by
via weeks of emails only to discover
the tales of the non-sexual impact of
on your first physical date that you
Grindr. I appreciate that it is still not
just don’t fancy whoever in the flesh.
easy to come out, and how important
You see someone’s picture on Grindr,
that sense of geographical proximity,
you meet immediately, you establish
of being part of a visible and accepting
whether or not you’re attracted to each
community, would be. The David Laws
other: “Grindr reintroduces the aspect
story breaks a fortnight after I interview
of chemistry. And – it’s real. It is not a
Simkhai; a high-profile, sad piece of
CULT U R E AT H A N D
30
CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
5
10
evidence that gay men still encounter
about it,” says one. “You have to work out
problems in making their sexuality
what’s too young for you and stick to that
public. Yet the men I speak to tell me
limit. But – you’re always honest about
Grindr is all about sex. “Internet’s for
who you are. You’ve got to be. You can’t
dating; Grindr’s for sex,” D tells me.
say you’re younger or hotter than you
“Well, sometimes the internet’s for sex,
are; you can’t post someone else’s photo.
too, but Grindr: definitely sex.” I ask
If you lie you’re just going to get found
around and am inundated with Grindr
out, and that pisses people off, obviously.
stories, all of which end in a sexual
Lying isn’t done on Grindr.”
encounter – møde inundated – oversvømmet obligation – forpligtelse literal traffic – trafik i bogstavelig forstand stifling – kvælende segregated – adskilt tempted – fristet the vast majority – de allerfleste
encounter. “Sometimes you don’t really fancy them , but…” There’s a sense of
Cheating, on the other hand, definitely is.
obligation to have sex anyway? “Yeah. But that’s OK.”
“You always see on Grindr: ‘Oh, I’ve got a boyfriend – just interested in
15
20
I begin to develop an idea of the culture
chatting!’” says Matthew Todd, editor
that surrounds it. Many gay men see
of gay lifestyle magazine Attitude. “Oh
Grindr as a way to round off an evening.
really? Why? Why do you need to chat
“I’d had dinner at a friend’s house in
to people? Why do you need to be on
West London and I was walking back
Grindr? Call your mum up!”
to the tube; thought I’d launch Grindr, see what was going on. This guy pops up
A gay man who is in a long-term
and chats me: ‘You’re near!’ I chat back:
relationship tells me he’s aware of
‘I know… ‘ He says: ‘I’m here with my
Grindr, but is choosing not to try it.
boyfriend. Come and see us.’ So… I did.”
“It would change everything. I’m very tempted, of course I am! But ultimately
25
Others use it as you might a glass of
I don’t want to go there, and I don’t want
wine at the end of a stressful day. Kev
my boyfriend F to go there either.”
lives near a major station: “And so I get 30
35
a lot of literal traffic. Men get off the
“The vast majority of guys on Grindr
train on Sunday night after a weekend
are in a relationship,” says P. “And I
somewhere stifling, probably with their
reckon a quarter of the guys who use
parents; they launch Grindr – guess who
it are straight. Not curious or bi or
pops up first?”
whatever. Straight.”
It’s mixing formerly segregated elements
“The straight ones are all talk!” says
of gay society. My 30- and 40-something
D. “They love the idea that sex with a
gay male friends tell me they’re having
stranger could be that easy, could be
much more to do with younger gay men:
downloaded on their phone… But when
“Which is weird, and yeah, sometimes
it comes to it, they won’t do anything.”
not totally comfortable, if you think CULTURE AT HAN D
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CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
enamoured – begejstret condemn – fordømme addictive – afhængighedsskabende compulsive – tvangspræget dehumanises – umenneskeliggør low self-esteem – lavt selvværd inevitable – uundgåeligt repression – undertrykkelse undeniable – ubestridelig inconsequential flings – ligegyldige affærer undergraduate – studerende accommodate – tilpasse complexities – indviklede forhold the ebb and flow – opgang og nedgang tedious – kedelig pursue – forfølge conquest – erobring
Not every gay man is enamoured of
people you are having sex with.” He
Grindr. Attitude’s Matthew Todd has
puts me in touch with G, a man he
reservations. “A friend with an iPhone
met while seeking treatment for sex
showed me it about a year ago and
addiction. “I’ve lost entire weekends
said: ‘Can you believe it?’ I rolled my
to sex,” writes G. “Downloading porn,
eyes and thought: ‘There is no way of
going on Grindr, meeting men whose
stopping this.’ Find any new technology
names I don’t find out, having sex;
– we will always bring it back to sex.”
downloading more porn…”
5
Todd’s used it (“I dip in and out”) and he knows from feedback that Attitude’s
“Low self-esteem,” says Todd. “I see it
readers are using it a great deal. “I
a lot in gay men – it’s inevitable after
think it’s good for people to be able to
years of repression and shame. And
connect. Especially young people. It’s
what’s better for self-esteem than
good to be able to see that there are
someone having sex with you?”
other gay people around, and to be able
10
15
to interact. But at the same time I think
Could Grindr work for a straight
it’s a very adult world. The commercial
market? There is, I think, an
gay world – which Grindr is part of – is
undeniable gender divide on the things
a very adult, very sexual world. And
that men and women will do for sex,
I worry when I see these young kids
and the things they expect and want
coming out on to the gay scene, and
from sex. Yes, women are capable of
everything is about sex. There’s no real
having inconsequential flings. We are
concept of relationships.”
capable of one-night stands. We are
20
capable of having sex without becoming Others condemn it more directly.
emotionally involved. FitFinder – which
“Grindr’s addictive,” writes one man –
allowed undergraduate users to post
the ex-boyfriend of a close friend – by
descriptions of people they’d seen and
email. “Grindr and Gaydar [the UK’s
fancied on their university-dedicated
biggest gay dating site]… A lot of gay
website – became extremely popular
men have addiction issues. I feel crap
earlier this spring, before university
even writing it, but there it is. We
authorities banned it, which would
drink, we use drugs and we use sex
suggest that there is a straight market
to overcome the shame we feel. And
for a location-specific dating concept.
we feel worse because we know we
But I’m not sure Grindr could fully
shouldn’t feel shame, we should feel
accommodate the complexities of
pride – so we abuse drugs and sex more.
male-female interactions. The gender
Things like Grindr and Gaydar enable
politics, the power games, the ebb and
25
30
35
that sort of sex, sex which is compulsive flow of interest, the tedious but totally
14
and which dehumanises you; and
authentic need most men feel to pursue
means you in turn dehumanise the
a potential sexual conquest…
CULT U R E AT H A N D
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CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
5
I ask a handful of straight women –
I do.” Furthermore: “We’ll redesign it;
some single, some not – if they think
we’ll call it something different, market
they might be interested in a Grindr
it differently. We have to. Gay men are
equivalent; they say they can just about
very territorial. They want to keep it
envisage it working, although none of
all to themselves, but they say: ‘If you
them would commit to the notion of
have to make a straight version, call it
using it themselves. The straight men I
something else. Grindr is ours.’”
envisage – forestille sig concede – indrømme requests – anmodninger sceptical – skeptisk fulfilling – tilfredsstillende monopoly – eneret Pandora’s box – Pandoras æske (græsk mytologi)
poll say they’d think less of any woman 10
who “advertised herself like that” – and
I am still sceptical, but then Simkhai
then all insisted on downloading gay
says: “This notion of: ‘Who is around
Grindr on to their phones, “just to see
me? Who is in this room now? Who
how it works”.
else is like me?’ – this is not just a gay thing. And this thing where: ‘I want a
15
20
25
If anyone can make and sell a straight
more fulfilling life. A richer life!’ This
Grindr, Simkhai can. He does concede:
is not just a gay thing either. Gay men
“I’m a gay man and I know how to think
don’t have the monopoly on loneliness
like a gay man… actually, my sense is I
and isolation.” He is right, of course.
know how to think like a man. I’m not
As I say goodbye to Joel Simkhai, I
a woman. I don’t know how to think
find myself thinking: however straight
like a woman.” Yet he says he gets more
Grindr plays out for us – even if it opens
requests for a straight Grindr from
up a Pandora’s box on our sexuality,
women than he does from straight men.
alters forever the way men and women
“Many more. Which might be because
relate, leaves us vulnerable to a whole
straight women are often friends with
new world of emotional and sexual
gay men, so know about Grindr… But I
complications – bring it on. It’s going to
do think it would be relevant for women. make life more interesting.
CULTURE AT HAN D
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CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
TEXT BASED ACTIVITIES 1. What is Grindr and how does it work?
IT ACTIVITIES WWW 1. Compare Tinder and Grindr in relation to dating
2. Who is Morten Bek Ditlevsen?
(www.tinder.com and www.grindr.com). How are they similar and how are they different?
3. In what way is Grindr evolutionary? 2. Research what kind of magazine Attitude 4. What are the negative and positive aspects of Grindr?
(www.attitude.co.uk) is and write a review of 150-200 words. Hand in your article to your teacher.
5. What is Matthew Todd worried about in relation to teenagers using Grindr?
Interactive Whiteboard
a. Do you agree with him? Explain.
1. Watch the music video Same Love by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Mary
6. What are the non sexual impacts of Grindr?
Lambert in class, on your interactive whiteboard, and discuss the lyrics of the song in relation to
7. Comment on the sentence: “There’s no real
being gay in contemporary America.
concept of relationships.”(Page 14, lines 22-23,
The music video can be found on Youtube,
left column).
and the lyrics at www.azlyrics.com.
8. What is the tone of the article?
COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES Role Play
9. Who is the target audience of the article?
1. Divide the students into four groups. Teacher is moderator.
10. Why do you think gay men who are in a relationship also use Grindr?
Group A: Parents Group B: Teenagers Group C: Representatives of Tinder
11. Find examples which support the following statement (Page 10, lines 31-36, left column): “The divide between gay and straight worlds diminishes daily. Gay culture and straight culture become increasingly intertwined.” 12.What is your own personal opinion of Grindr?
Group D: Representatives of Grindr Each group prepares for a public debate about teenagers' use of dating applications for sex. Questions that can serve to initiate the debate: a. Why is there a concern that teenagers are developing an unhealthy relationship to sex by using either Tinder and Grindr? b. Reports suggest that certain dating applications have caused an increase in STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). Should we ban them altogether? c. In what way can Tinder and Grindr contribute to help fight the rise in STDs?
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CULT U R E AT H A N D
CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
How Blackberry, not Twitter, fuelled the fire under London’s riots Mike Butcher
5
10
15
Over the weekend parts of London
The background to the current riots
descended into chaos as riots and
are convoluted. In 1985 a notorious riot
looting spread after a protest organised
on the Broadwater Farm Estate after
around the yet unexplained shooting
Cynthia Jarrett, an African Caribbean
of a man by Police. Of course, there
woman, died during a police search
was huge amounts of chatter on social
of her home, later saw a Policeman,
networks like Facebook and Twitter,
PC Keith Blakelock killed. That lead
with the latter coming under enormous
to years of mistrust between Police
amounts of criticism from the UK press
and local communities, not helped by
for fuelling the fire. But while Twitter
the fact that parts of North London,
has largely been the venue of spectators
around Tottenham, remain to this day
to violence and is a handy public venue
areas of ongoing economic deprivation.
for journalists to observe, it would
The latest incidents over the weekend
appear the non-public BlackBerry BBM
appear to have been sparked after a
messaging network has been the method
peaceful protest outside Tottenham’s
of choice for organising it.
police station over the fatal shooting of
descended – sank ned riots – optøjer looting – plyndring unexplained – uforklaret chatter – snakken latter – sidstnævnte fuelling the fire – puste til ilden venue – mødested spectators – tilskuere BBM – (BlackBerry Messenger) PIN baseret meddelelsessystem convoluted – indviklet mistrust – mistillid economic deprivation – økonomisk forarmelse incidents – hændelser fatal – dødelig
CULTURE AT HAN D
17
CHAPTER 1: DIGITAL CULTURES
alleged – påstået hijacked – kapret thugs – bøller, voldsmænd looters – personer som deltager i plyndring public spending cuts – offentlige nedskæringer affordable – økonomisk overkommelig, billig high functioning – avanceret wide range – lang række disaffected – utilfreds favoured – foretrukken
local man Mark Duggan, killed during
In addition, BlackBerrys are high
an alleged gunfight with police on
functioning phones but can often cost
Thursday, was reportedly hijacked by
less than smartphones like Androids or
thugs and looters.
iPhones, which are typically the choice of Twitter users due to the wide range
But while Twitter and Facebook became
of client applications. And remember,
the venues for public protests around
Androids and iPhones don’t run the
public spending cuts it is the affordable
free BBM network, and no other group
BlackBerry handset and its near free
messaging app has yet taken hold
BlackBerry Messenger network where
in the UK. As a result BlackBerrys
group chats take place, which appears to
have become the weapon of choice of
5
10
have fuelled these riots. To communicate, Britain’s disaffected youth. According
18
BBM users have to exchange their
to last week’s Ofcom study while the
phones’ PINs, making their messages
iPhone is more popular among 25-34
private, but PINs can be spread by any
year old Brits, BlackBerry is favoured
means – including, of course, Twitter
by as much as 37% of 16-24 year olds and
and other social networks – but also via
37% of 12-15 year olds precisely because of
(still non-public) SMS.
the free BlackBerry messenger service.
CULT U R E AT H A N D
15