Ignorant Educated People Make Me Crazy

I went to the second class of my "Films of Alfred Hitchcock" art history insanity situation today. Last night we watched Nosferatu, which was produced in 1922 by Murnau, a mentor of Hitchcock's. The film is basically based on Bram Stoker's Dracula. It's a silent film, and parts of it are quite hysterical because of the intense facial expressions, but that discussion is for another day.

So, at the beginning of class the professor asked why it is that human beings are so fascinated by horror films. A number of excellent answers came out of those in attendence. Escapism...Identity with the characters...Pursuit of a thrilling situation My answer went something like, "People like to view the grotesque because society does not allow us to partake in desire."

She made no comment about my comment until later in class, when she gave a 30 minute lecture on desire and how society forces us to supress it. She did this by talking about Freud. And what she had to say about Freud. well, it was ALL. WRONG. She said that Freud says everything we desire is all about sex. Ok, that's partially true and I'll give her points for trying but still, let's not generalize people.

Freud said that society did not allow us to express our desires. As in more than one type of desire. Sexual desire is one type of desire. It's the only one we're allowed to partake in to any degree and even then, sex is not always fulfilling of what each individual desires sexually.

Then, she began analyzing the characters. There's a feminine female character who ends up saving all the other characters from the vampire at the end of the film. She's extremely intuitive. Then there's a male protagonist. He's goofy and light-hearted and extemely dim-witted. Firstly, she said that the female character was portrayed in an extremely lovely fashion. That her natural abilities, as a woman, to be in tune with her emotions were like those innate animalistic behaviors of wolves and stuff. I thought I was going to scream. She said it all matter-of-fact, like women are primitive and that is the truth and that is lovely. Women, omg...professor...women are so so so much more than primitive and I would even argue that men are more primitive and women are more balanced and rational than men. Then she said that because the male and female characters were such opposites that they really complimented one another well. That they were fit to be a match and that that match should be played out in marriage. That marriage was this perfect gift from God, and should be the ultimate goal of men and women. That men and women were meant for each other.

*pause*

My mouth dropped. I had no idea what to say. I thought my brain was going to explode and little bits of Bertha brain were going to bubble out of my ears and spew all over that auditorium. The only thing I could muster to do was to write the word, "gag," all over my paper. I wrote:

"Hitchcock--marriage (male symbol + female symbol = perfect union GAG GAG GAG GAG!!!" and I underlined the last "GAG!!!" three times in scratchy black ink.

Even now, I cannot begin to explain how this experience makes me feel. My mouth continues to hang open and my body is convulsing with discomfort. My hands are sweating and my heart is pounding.

How can such an educated person, a woman!, with the title "Dr." in front of her name, who I'm sure went to an Ivy League undergraduate college and like some really difficult and perplexing graduate program (or perhaps three) be so incredibly ignorant?!

GAG!!!