Somewhere in an imaginary future I have been asked by the U.S. government to collect items for placement in a time capsule to be opened in the year 2111. These items will show American material culture and values. I can put as many items as I want; for now I have come up with these three future artifacts:
Item 1: A copy of Entertainment Weekly's summer movie preview. The summertime is when big blockbuster hits come out, ones loaded with action and the latest CGI technology: the perfect mindless entertainment for the hot summer days. This summer's crop of movies features many sequels and superhero movies. These show Hollywood's lack of faith in the general population's willingness to see new characters and original stories as well as the immense financial (if not critical) success of these franchises. The superhero movies are reinterpretations of classic American pop culture figures and are this era's myths and legends. Even though Thor is drawn from Norse mythology, his story is first set in America and was created by an American artist. Also, the magazine is printed weekly, with a new edition put out every seven days (as indicated in its very title), which can be interpreted to show how quickly popular entertainment is digested and how often we want (or need) something new to amuse us and capture our attention-- even if only for the brief period of time between sitting down at the toilet and giving it a flush.
Item 2: Abercrombie and Fitch's padded bikini top for girls in size small. This are actually not available right now but cause a big outcry when it first came out in March, and I'm sure I could find one if I really tried; after all, I've been given this task by the all-powerful, all-knowing U.S. government. Sexualizing little girls is nothing new, nor is the production of bikini tops for girls. But a padded bikini top subtly suggests that the wearer needs a little more work in the chest area, that she's not good enough and needs some help. If I were eight or nine years old I know I'd be attracted to the bright colors and (depressingly enough) the chance to feel more grown up by wearing something that more closely resembles a bra. While this product caused a stir in this day and age, I fear that it will be old hat by the time it is found in 2111. While body awareness and acceptance seems to be encouraged more, the same old beauty ideal of looking like a real-life Barbie pervades.
Item 3: A picture of the celebrations had in any major city on the night that Bin Laden's death was announced. Not all Americans had the same patriotic jubilation at this announcement, but I think it's still very telling of American attitudes. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Most of the people in the photograph were probably shouting the same word, the same three letters, thinking along the same lines: that his death meant something in the grand scheme of things, in the big picture of our War On Terror. It's likely that this will be just a blip, a transition sentence in the chapter about post-9/11 America.
A friend of mine at Umass Amherst said that there were droves of people in the streets surrounding the dorms and through the campus just going nuts, chanting USA, and drinking. While I may not approve of the celebration, or believe the revelers really even cared what they were celebrating I understood why they did it. Because it was an excuse (albeit a poor one in the big picture) to come together and just be happy.
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