C'mon, Macbeth, Be a Man!

"Eat that bug or you're not a real man!" "Oh, come on, be a man!" "Kiss her if you want her to think you're a real man!" From recess to relationships, it seems like men are constantly being questioned. You're too emotional, not a real man. Are you wearing a fedora? Definitely not a real man (personally I'm against the institution of fedoras as a whole, but that's not what this blog post is about). In Shakespeare's Macbeth, a whole new level of "be a man" is brought to the table. We've gone from "jump the farthest and you're a man" to "kill your BFF alongside several other important figures in your life and you're a man." So, what is this "manhood" about which we so wildly speculate and how is it different now than it was when Shakespeare wrote about it?

Reading Macbeth for the first time has caused me to speculate about expectations of men in today's society and how young men are raised to act, feel, speak and think. Surprisingly, I can not find many differences between expectations of men in modern situations and the expectations that Lady Macbeth and society as a whole had on Macbeth. Granted, Macbeth's situation is a tad more amplified than most modern ones, but the idea remains the same. Men are often expected to do strange, unexpected, and foolhardy things for the sake of being "manly," and often, the only argument that is required is "be a man." When trying to convince Macbeth to stop having a panic attack about Banquo's ghost, Lady Macbeth literally asks if Macbeth is a man. This stigma of being "unmanly" is not something that has not really changed. As women's rights have become prominent, the requirement for men to provide totally for a family has been eliminated, but the stereotypical man image still remains and the expectation of manly qualities such as strength and bravery exists.

Personally, I believe that there are no specific qualities that make "good men," but that there are good people. Good people are kind, honest, giving, etc. I do not think that one needs to be particularly brave or strong to be a good person. My views are vastly different from those in the play, because Shakespeare's world presented two mutually exclusive roles of "woman" and "man." For example, Lady Macbeth literally begged the spirits to make her a man so she could have power. During that time period, it was nearly impossible for women to gain any power without being married to a man with it (Lady Macbeth would have been a true fan of Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)"). I think that for any position of power, the candidate with the most potential to thrive in the position should be selected, however, very rarely have women been seen in real powerful positions. For example, the United States has yet to see a female president. I think Lady Macbeth had the right idea (before she convinced Macbeth to start killing people) about gender roles in society. A true example of forward thinking in history.

CAM

At the Contemporary Art Museum in Downtown Raleigh, I chose to analyse the work Make Out by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. This piece was created in 2008 and is a 104.5 x 80 x 12 centimeters HD Resolution display with a computerized surveillance system which monitors and reacts based on movements of the viewer. Lozano is a 47 year old artist who was born in Mexico City. However, the work was made in 2008 as a reaction to the explosion of internet use during the modern era.

This is a representational work that focuses on the subject of internet availability and use, particularly videos of couples making out. This work is certainly a new media, as it contains technology within technology. It really does not convey any traditional art, especially with the unorthodox picture of hundreds of pairs making out.

The colors of the work are widely varied based on the millions of videos that are included in the piece, however the shape is very important. the shape of the viewer directly affects what is seen. The portion that the viewer is covering based on the computerized surveillance system is the only one to move, showing the pairs kissing. the other part is unlit and still. The new technology is more powerful than traditional media because it further conveys the artist's message. 

 The work serves to comment on the power of the modern internet-user. When the viewer is out of the view of the camera, the screen shows only couples looking at each other, but when he or she moves into the line of the surveillance system, the couples begin to kiss. based on the amount of coverage of the screen, the viewer can choose the proportion of man-man, woman-woman, or man-woman kissing based on the coverage of the screen. Lozano is commenting on the ability of the modern computer owner to quickly access any information, including sensitive videos. In addition, the video can stream for 8 months without looping. This means that 8 months worth of short clips of couples making out exists online. Lozano is also attempting to comment on the gargantuan amounts of information available online.

Citations:
"Make Out." Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.
http://www.lozano-hemmer.com/make_out.php

The piece can be viewed here: http://www.lozano-hemmer.com/videos/artwork/makeout.mp4

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