Movie Review: An Education

When I rented the film An Education, I expected it to kind of be like a moderner day version of Pride and Prejudice from the 1960s. Although it ended up being nothing like my favorite classic, it definitely touched on several important issues throughout the movie. It served as a reminder that you are your most important thing. People will come and go but you always have to live with yourself, so it's important, especially as women, to be self-supporting and create our own successes.

The movie is about Jenny, a mature and intelligent 16-year-old schoolgirl, who falls in love with an older man, David. As they continue to see each other, Jenny becomes enthralled with his world full of art, music, gambling, traveling and culture. As a young woman who was focused and adamant on going to Oxford to study English, she begins to doubt the point of her education as she thinks of a prospective life with David full of fun and leisure.

Unfortunately, all that glitters ain't gold, and Jenny shortly discovers after dropping out of school upon accepting David's marriage proposal that David is in fact already legally married to another woman. Jenny's attraction to the (seemingly) glamorous life and belief that she could take the easy way out by marrying David instead of constantly challenging herself at Oxford quickly comes back to slap her on the behind. After persuading her schoolmaster to allow her to come back to school, Jenny bulldozes through another year with regained unyielding focus and ends up being accepted into Oxford after all.

After the truth about David unfolds, he vanishes from her life as quickly as he entered it, and after having questioned the whole purpose of getting a higher education, the importance is reinstated in Jenny with a higher reverence. A defeated-feeling and heartbroken Jenny says,
"I feel old, but not wise." While I understand why she feels like a fool for not being able to see through David's facade, I do believe that the experience ended up molding her in a positive way.

She is such a bright girl, and I think in a sense this traumatic experience was necessary for her to
come back with a new sense of determination, purpose and self-worth. She undoubtedly learned from her experience running with an adult crowd living on lies. It also goes to show that, even though one may be intellectually equal or superior to another who is older age wise, it's one's experiences and life lessons that are just as important in getting on in the world as unscathed as possible.

I actually really enjoyed this movie. It wasn't corny or unimaginable; it is realistic even by today's standards. Originally I pitied Jenny for losing her virginity to a man who was a liar and cheater, but then I realized that Jenny's biggest mistake was throwing away her previous desire to go to Oxford when she thought she could live an easy life off David. Luckily, Jenny's pride didn't get in the way of her seeking the help of her former English teacher to assist in persuading the schoolmaster to grant her permission to come back and finish high school. It was refreshing to see her own up to her mistake and bounce back from it. I also found it admirable that Jenny surprisingly handled everything with grace. Instead of giving up or sinking into depression, she truly acted as an adult and took responsibility for her actions.

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

(The photo on the left of Jenny in her school uniform is the life she feels bored with. The photo of Jenny and her older friend on the right is the glamorous, exciting life for which she wishes to trade in her school books.)

Book Review: Shop Class as Soulcraft

I recently finished the book Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford. I'll be honest and admit that I originally didn't expect to enjoy this book, mostly because I'm not really a "let's get our hands dirty" kind of girl--I can hardly cook, I do laundry about once a month (and average about at least one ruined article of clothing per wash), and I grew up having my dad do any necessary house/car/misc. repairs. But while there were many parts of the book where it was a little hard to relate, I still understand Crawford's main points.

First, here's a little background on Crawford. He has a Ph.D. in political philosophy from the University of Chicago, served as a postdoctoral fellow on its Committee on Social Thought, and is currently a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia. He also happens to be very passionate about motorcycles. In fact, he owns and operates Shockoe Moto, an independent motorcycle repair shop in Richmond, VA. So basically, this guy is the real deal.

In Shop Class as Soulcraft, Crawford describes some of his jobs after getting a higher education. To his disappointment, he found that most of the work he did stuck in a cubicle did not actually require him to challenge himself mentally. To make a long story short, he ended up opening up a motorcycle repair shop, and he enjoyed it much more than simply doing chug and plug autopilot kind of work in which he never got to see physical results. When he was describing the kind of work he previously did and how unsatisfactory it was for him, it really got me thinking about my own level of content with my own job. In describing the intricate and oftentimes frustrating process of learning as you go and figuring things out through trial and error while repairing motorcycles, it made me gain an appreciation for the work of mechanics that makes my life so much easier. It's a shame that blue collered jobs are looked down upon and viewed as "lesser than" in today's society, although their work is so important. It made me realize the backwardness of someone having a college education receiving more value than a tradesman who may actually produce more viable work.

Society today is pushing for everyone to have a higher education, and while I think that there are many great institutions out there, I don't think college is for everyone. Also, depending on the field, more knowledge may be acquired while getting actual hands-on experience in the work place than in a classroom. I really respected Crawford's decision to break from the conformity of society to do what he really feels passionate about. I don't think many people today with a Ph.D. would turn away from a white collar job to open up his/her own motorcycle repair shop. From Crawford's experience it made me realize that for some, in order to find true happiness it may require rejecting a life course mapped out by others as obligatory and inevitable. To some it may seem crazy and stupid, but it's your life, and you should do what you need to do in order to be content. As Crawford would say, "Live well."

Lastly, Crawford asserts that in order to be a better worker and to challenge yourself, you must learn to accept failure. You can never know too much; there is always something else to be learned. I think that is something we all forget from time to time as we become comfortable in our jobs and fall into a monotonous routine. We should continuously challenge ourselves even if the outcome isn't what we had hoped it to be, and in doing so, we will become improved individuals who will take that experience and apply it to the next, thus doing what it takes to "live well."

So ask yourself, are you content? With your career? With your life? Are you doing what you want to do or are you simply following the path that society has already shown its approval towards?

MoSex

I recently visited the Museum of Sex on 5th Ave, NYC. I'm not sure if it was quite what I expected...but I'm not sure what I expected in the first place. Although the content was interesting, I didn't think there would be so much reading involved. I should have brought my glasses! I guess that's part of what a museum is all about though--to educate.

The museum has three floors with a different exhibit on each floor.

Action: 'Sex and the Moving Image'

The first floor focused on the emergence of sexuality in film and how it evolved over time. There were several TVs that displayed sex scenes from films throughout time that went along with the literature.

Rubbers: The Life, History & Struggle of the Condom

The second floor was divided into two separate themes. The first room had old nude pictures, art work, sexual bodysuits, a sex film made from using paper cut-outs, and other miscellaneous things. The other part of the second floor was the Rubbers exhibit. It detailed the history of the condom, while displaying old condoms, condom dispensers, wrappers/tins, etc. It also discussed the importance of using protection and recalled the syphilis outbreak in Europe that made it's way to America and threatened soldiers in combat during WWII.

The Sex Lives of Animals

Lastly, the third floor was an exhibit on the sexual behavior of animals. Long story short, the exhibit objective is basically to prove that humans are much more similar to animals than we'd like to think --animals are sexual beings that perform sex acts for pleasure and not just for pro-creation too; they masturbate and often perform homosexual acts. There was even a case of rape in which a duck smashed into a window and died in the hopes of escaping its attacker.

The majority of the information provided at the Museum of Sex were things that I already knew due to taking several Women Studies courses, a class on Animal Movement & Behavior, and a class on AIDS & Other Communicable Diseases, but for someone who may not have had as well-rounded of a curriculum, one could certainly learn a lot from it. My only warning is that you have to have the patience to read everything and have at least two hours of time to explore the museum fairly thoroughly to make it worth the $15 admission fee. But of course, the topic of sex makes the information pretty interesting to begin with, and it appeals to both men and women alike.

College Or No College?

I read an article in NYTimes yesterday about how going to college may not be the best solution for everyone. While I do agree that some are just not "school" kinds of people, the article does report statistics that the majority of those with college degrees make more money than those without degrees and that their chances of being unemployed is less. That to me makes sense because if students are going to school for a few years to become knowledgeable about certain topics, and they are paying thousands of dollars in the process, they should be rewarded for their dedication, time, and money put into furthering their education with a good job afterward. I sometimes shudder when I think about how much money went towards getting a dual B.A., but I just have to hope that it will pay off eventually.

Today, I think it has become not only increasingly important but also almost expected of young adults to continue on the path of achieving a college degree after graduating high school, but I also understand that not every benefits the same amount by continuing school. While a college or university can help culturally enrich lives, cultivate new, open-minded outlooks, and serves as a great place to network, others may argue that those who go straight to the workplace are more prepared for what it takes to live in the real world. I understand that becoming a part of the workforce helps to develop a whole new set of problem solving skills that may not be achievable in the classroom, but I really think it just depends on the individual and how he/she makes use of the time out of school in order to make the claim that the individual gained more than a college student.

While it's difficult for me to understand why one wouldn't want to stay in school for as long as possible (partly because I am a nerd and like learning and partly because college is so much different than high school, it is like a whole new experience), I do think that one who does not attend can still be successful as long as there is determination and self-discipline to make use of that time.

In the Times article, Morton Schapiro, an economist who is the president of Northwestern University said, “I’m not saying don’t get the B.A. I’m saying, let’s get them some intervening credentials, some intervening milestones. Then, if they want to go further in their education, they can.” I like what Schapiro is saying here. Since job competition is growing fierce, it is important not only to get that degree but to also gain some "real" experience in addition. Building up one's resume while in college is ideal. Schools are now stressing those summer internships more than ever, even if they are unpaid, because experience is essential to landing a good job, not just the name of the university you attended.

I'm nervous about finding a job for myself, but the young adults to come are going to have to be even more intelligent and experienced. Yikes!