For people who love to shop, “fast fashion” — cheap, trendy clothing — allows them to indulge in the shopping experience more frequently. For those of us who don’t enjoy shopping, the opportunity to buy inexpensive new clothes helps us save money without having to put in the effort to find good clothing at secondhand stores.
But the cheap, on-trend items that we buy now and discard in a year or so are problematic. First, there are environmental costs to fast fashion. Clothing factories dump harmful chemicals, such as toxic dyes, into waterways. Fabric and clothes are shipped long distances in order to take advantage of cheap labor. Much of the clothing we buy is made using synthetic fabrics, which shed microfibers every time we wash our clothes. Too small to be trapped during wastewater treatment, these fibers end up in our waterways… and the food chain. And worn-out and out-of-date clothing often ends up in landfills at the end of its (short) lifespan. Synthetic materials in particular take a very long time to break down.
So part of the solution is to buy natural fabrics such as cotton, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Conventional cotton growers use a disproportionate amount of pesticides, exposing farm laborers to toxic chemicals. Growing cotton also requires lots of water. Organic cotton is a better choice. Wool is also a good choice, but there are drawbacks, including — again –water usage. Silk is fine, though it may disturb you to know that silk production is harmful to silkworms and moths. Bamboo sounds great — after all, it grows like a weed — but the fabric production often requires a lot of chemicals. In addition, bamboo’s growing popularity may be encouraging unsustainable farming practices. Producing linen from flax can contribute to water pollution. Hemp is a sustainable choice, but it can be challenging to find. It’s even more difficult to find unusual fabrics made of things like stinging nettles and coffee grounds.
In other words, some fabrics are better choices than others, but virtually all choices have some drawbacks. It’s best to limit our purchases altogether.
Fast fashion isn’t just bad for the environment; it’s bad for laborers. In many cases, the people who work in clothing factories receive extremely low pay to work under dangerous conditions. When factory fires occur, workers may be trapped inside the building. Fires aren’t the only danger to workers. In 2013, 1,134 people, including garment factory workers, died when the building they worked in collapsed. Even in U.S. factories, workers may be paid well below minimum wage. In some cases, our cheap clothing is the product of slavery. Slaves may pick the cotton that goes into our clothing — another reason to be careful about selecting cotton clothing. You can also find slavery in garment factories, both overseas and in the U.S.
What can we do about this?
The most important thing we can do is to buy only what we need. If you enjoy shopping for clothes, you can still do that, but you will be doing it less often. That means you’ll need to find some substitutes for that dopamine hit you get when you go shopping. Donate to charity, do an act of kindness, exercise, spend less time on your computer and more time sleeping, listen to music, take up meditation. I know this is easy for me to say as someone who hates shopping, but buying less is a very effective way to change things.
Need clothing but don’t have a lot of money? Buy used instead of going to [name of your favorite fast fashion store here]. I confess this advice is hard for me to take. Shopping online or in a store is so much easier than shopping in thrift stores or consignment shops. If you find a top you like but the size you picked doesn’t fit, you can usually get the same item in a different size if you’re buying new. In used clothing stores, you’re out of luck. Nevertheless, it’s far better to save money by buying used clothing than buying clothing that contributes to human suffering and the destruction of the environment.
If you have the money and don’t want to buy used clothing, purchase high-quality clothing that’s made to last. Look for organic, natural fibers and fair-trade garments whenever possible. Again, I know this isn’t easy. Sustainable fashion has come a long way from the dumpy Earth Mother look of the ’90s, but our choices are still fairly limited. Nevertheless, there are an increasing number of clothing companies out there with an ethical focus — and they don’t all charge an arm and a leg for their clothing, though the clothes will cost more than fast fashion. Consider retailers such as Fair Indigo, Indigenous Designs, and Mehera Shaw.
It can be challenging to purchase a sustainable wardrobe. Although I have made sustainable purchases, I’ve also made plenty of conventional purchases simply because it was easy. But every time we choose not to buy clothing we don’t need, or to spend a little time and/or money on making a sustainable purchase, we’re taking a small step toward changing the world for the better.
H.P. Lovecraft is one of the most influential horror writers ever, inspiring many writers inside and outside that genre. You can find his imprint all over geek culture — in role playing and board games, in fanfiction and fan art, in filk music, in cosplay, and in countless crafts.
How do you reconcile your love for someone’s art when you can’t stand their beliefs? In Lovecraft’s case, many people have written their own books within the Cthulhu Mythos that directly engage with racism.
I first encountered this sort of fresh take on Lovecraft when I heard an interview with Victor LaValle, author of The Ballad of Black Tom. About a year later, I learned about Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys. Intrigued, I decided to read these books… but to truly understand them, that meant I needed to read Lovecraft.
Until recently, virtually all of my knowledge about Lovecraft’s literature was second-hand. I read The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath when I was a kid, but with its armies of cats and glibbering, meeping ghouls, it is more weird fantasy than horror. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t feel the desire to read more Lovecraft either. Instead, I took in Lovecraft in other ways. I saw The Curse (a horrible movie based on “The Color Out of Space”) with a college boyfriend. That same year, I played endless games of Call of Cthulhu. When I started going to cons, I enjoyed Cthulhu sightings among the arts and crafts on display. And I read Neil Gaiman’s amusing “A Study in Emerald,” a mashup of Lovecraft and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
I finally picked up a collection of Lovecraft’s short stories and novellas last year. I read “The Horror of Red Hook,” on which LaValle’s book is based, “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” which inspired Winter Tide, and much more. At first I thought, “This isn’t that scary.” Then one night I had a disturbing dream that mixed “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” with “At the Mountains of Madness,” and I had to set Lovecraft aside for a while. Other people may have had different experiences, but I found that Lovecraft’s horror is the kind that creeps up on you, grabbing you just when you thought you were safe.
Once I was better acquainted with Lovecraft, I was prepared for the books by LaValle and Emrys. In addition to those, I also read Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff, which I ran across in a library display.
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
The Ballad of Black Tom is a short but masterful retelling of “The Horror at Red Hook” from the point of view of a black man. Tom is drawn reluctantly into the world of Robert Suydam, a white man with an interest in the Old Ones. I don’t want to give too much away, because the story didn’t go where I expected it to go. I will say that LaValle has developed a brilliant twist on Lovecraft’s original story. Tom is a complex character, neither victim nor hero — and in the end, that’s what makes this book so good.
Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys
Unlike the other two Lovecraft-inspired books in this post, Winter Tide isn’t horror. It’s a melancholy, beautiful novel that turns “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” on its head. Lovecraft’s Innsmouth is peopled by monsters. Emrys asks, “What if the people of Innsmouth were viewed as monsters simply because they were different?”
The story takes place shortly after World War II. Prior to the war, the U.S. government rounded up the people of Innsmouth and placed them in an internment camp. By the time Japanese Americans were sent there, only a few of the original prisoners were left. At the war’s end, Aphra Marsh and her brother, Caleb, were the only “people of the water” to walk free.
Aphra surrounds herself with others on the fringes of society: the Japanese American family that became her second family at the camp, the gay bookseller she works with, a gay Jewish FBI Agent she sometimes assists, a college student who — as a woman — is denied access to the knowledge available to men, a black woman who is a secret agent for the FBI. At the government’s request, Aphra and her teammates search for someone who has knowledge of bodyswapping. But Aphra and Caleb have a more personal quest: to find what remains of their heritage and their people. Winter Tide is a good read that adds depth to the Mythos. In July, Tor released Emrys’ follow-up novel, Deep Roots.
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
Lovecraft Country is a novel made up of short stories, each of which propels the plot forward. The book is set primarily in 1950s Chicago, though characters journey to other places, even outside the known universe. Lovecraft Country begins with Atticus Turner, a black man who discovers that he is a descendant of Titus Braithwhite, a slave-trader and dabbler in the occult. The current living Braithwhite patriarch and his son have also discovered Atticus’ ancestry. They’re eager to make use of the fact that he is related to them, yet “lesser” in their eyes. Each story within the novel is told from the point of view of one of Atticus’ family members or friends, all of whom are drawn into the orbit of the Braithwhite family and its enemies — living or dead.
The stories range from terrifying to amusing. “Horace and the Devil Doll,” told from the point of view of Atticus’ young cousin, is truly frightening. “Dreams of the Which House” has occasional tense moments, but the main character’s stubborn determination to own a house, even though it is haunted and in a white neighborhood, pushes the story from horror to comedy by the end. I loved all three of the books I mention in this post, but Lovecraft Country is my favorite — the sort of book that is hard to put down.
LaValle, Emrys, and Ruff are hardly the only people to re-imagine Lovecraft in liberating ways. Bryan Thao Worra’s essay (linked to above but also here for your convenience) has given me new avenues to pursue. And since I started my Lovecraftian journey with The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, I almost certainly should read The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe. There is no shortage of writers willing to use Lovecraft’s Mythos to engage the very things that trouble us most about him. Looks like humankind is triumphing over the bleak chaos of Lovecraft’s gods after all! 😉
It’s been two years since I wrote about buying fair-trade Halloween chocolate, so it seemed like it was time to revisit the subject.
What I Found (or Didn’t Find) in Target
The bad news is that the landscape in my local stores hasn’t really changed. You can still buy bags of Justin’s mini peanut butter cups at Target, but at about 3.5 3-piece servings per bag, you’ll have to buy a lot of bags. You’ll find them in Target’s regular candy aisle, not the Halloween section. Certain flavors of Dove dark chocolate are Rain Forest Alliance-certified, so you could go that route. Dove just seems like an “adult” candy — probably because it’s marketed to women.
What’s Available Online
At first it looked like there wasn’t much to report regarding the online landscape either. You can still buy Endangered Species Bug Bites, but you’ll have to get them through Amazon.com. Equal Exchange still sells minis, but they no longer appear to offer “Halloween kits,” which included coupons you could give to the parents of trick-or-treaters. Divine Chocolate still offers minis and larger “snack” bars.
And then, as I was searching for something — anything! — new, I ran across a wonderful blog post on making Halloween more sustainable. The blogger’s first tip includes some new ideas for Halloween candies. I’ve tried the first candy she mentioned, Sjaak’s organic chocolates. I agree that they’re delicious. I’ve also had Alter-Eco. She suggests getting candy bars, but if you’re going to buy Alter-Eco, I recommend the truffles. Like Dove Promises, however, these seem a little “adult.” I’ve never run across Ocho or Go Max Go; both look like intriguing possibilities.
I’m disappointed that it’s so hard to find fun-sized fair-trade chocolate in major stores, but we do have options. If you order your candy soon, you’ll have it in plenty of time for Halloween. Just don’t eat it all before the holiday!
My mother’s family has a great love for books. Visit any one of my maternal relatives, and you will not want for reading material. Over years of visits to my grandparents’ house, I made friends with many of the books in their extensive home library. Every time I’d go to their house, I’d find myself returning to certain favorites. Among the books I loved was The Brandywine Heritage, which features the art of Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, and James (Jamie) Wyeth. I leafed through the book many times, looking at the pictures, but I never bothered to read the introduction.
The Brandywine Heritage was published by the Brandywine River Museum in 1971, the year the museum opened. The museum features the art of the Wyeth family and other area artists, including Howard Pyle, who founded the Brandywine School. If you know Pyle, you know that he was an outstanding illustrator active in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He taught several students who went on to have successful careers, among them N.C. Wyeth, also an exceptional illustrator. Three of Wyeth’s children — Andrew, Henriette, and Carolyn — went on to become artists themselves. (Neither daughter is featured in the book; to be fair, Henriette’s most famous work — a portrait of Pat Nixon — was painted several years after the book was published.) James, Andrew’s second son, also became an artist, studying under his aunt Carolyn.
I’m not recommending this book because of its size. I recently requested it through interlibrary loan and was shocked when I picked it up; I’d remembered it as much larger. It has 18 color plates and 80 black-and-white illustrations. Beyond the nine-page introduction, there is no narrative text. It also does not include Andrew’s most famous painting, Christina’s World. I had sworn I first saw the painting in this book, so that was another surprise.
Despite its small size, I still love this book, because it provides a fascinating look at four generations of artists. You can get a sense of that even without reading the introduction. But I finally bothered with the introduction this time, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn a little more about these artists.
Of course, the art is beautiful. You’ll find Pyle’s pirates and some of his illustrations that are themselves stories. Before the section on N.C. Wyeth’s art, there is a series of paintings completed by Pyle and his students, including a marvelous Canadian trapper viewed from a point somewhere near his feet. The section on the eldest Wyeth begins with drawings of Native Americans from the Southwest and includes some of his illustrations for Treasure Island. Andrew’s section includes engaging portraits and spare landscapes. The section devoted to James includes some of his studies of the Kennedys, his finished painting of JFK, and a number of paintings that focus on one thing: a bronze bell, a boat, the base of a tree trunk, a pig.
The Brandywine Heritage is out of print, which is a pity. It chronicles not only the work of four generations of painters but also the beginning of a museum. While experts on these artists may find that this book is not enough to satisfy them, people like me, who appreciate art but are not art historians, will enjoy exploring the chain of influence from Howard Pyle to James Wyeth.
Most of my “making a difference” posts have been either practical tips or meditations on different subjects. I decided I’d like to add another type of post: interesting stories about average people who are trying to make a difference. I don’t anticipate including these stories often, but I hope this story won’t be the last of its kind.
Mark Walden lives in Chicago, Illinois. Nearly nine years ago, he and his wife established Jubilee Affordable Housing LLC as a way to invest in property that they try to manage ethically. I sat down with Mark this summer to discuss the ups and downs of his venture into property management. Full disclosure: Mark is my friend, and I have invested in a couple of his properties. Although both Mark and his wife are involved in Jubilee Affordable Housing, Mark plays the more active role, so I focused on his story for this post.
How Mark became a landlord
In 2005, Mark was working at a chamber of commerce and learning how property owners shape neighborhoods. He wasn’t a home owner at the time, and he was beginning to think about how old he would be when a 30-year mortgage was paid off. Mark and his wife couldn’t find anything appealing in their price range, but they wanted into the market, so they decided to buy a duplex and rent it out. They figured they’d sell it later and buy their own place.
A while later, another duplex two doors away became available. This one had a storefront. Mark began to see the potential of using property as a retirement plan. He envisioned buying multiple properties and then living off either the rental income or the proceeds from selling the buildings in retirement. Because there was little demand for a storefront in the neighborhood, Mark ended up adding that space to one of the duplexes.
The third building, a four-unit apartment, became available during the recession. By this time, Mark had created Jubilee Affordable Housing. His goals as a landlord were to buy property close to his own home, to keep rent affordable, and to make green updates to his buildings. He took on investors, either to help pay for properties or, as in the case of his first building, to help pay for rehab work to a property. His promise to his investors was that they could buy 1 percent shares of his properties with a 6 to 8 percent annual return on the investment.
Mark purchased his fourth property, another small apartment building, in foreclosure. Along with the investors, he and his wife now own a total of 12 units. In addition to these four buildings, Mark recently purchased a house with the help of investors. The house is being remodeled for resale.
What’s going well?
Mark and his wife are proud to be preserving affordable housing. They’ve set rent at 20-30% below the market rate for apartments in their gentrifying neighborhood. Although they are deliberately foregoing potential income, they have been able to pay the mortgages every month and have not lost any of the apartments. In addition, Mark has chosen to hire people in the neighborhood to improve and repair the buildings, which contributes toward local employment.
Overall, things are also working for the investors. Speaking as an investor in his third property, I can say that Mark has paid us the promised 8 percent interest every year. Mark had to delay interest payments to investors on his fourth property after sinking quite a bit of money into improvements, but has now paid several years of annual dividends. And as Mark invests in improving the property, the value for his investors has been increasing.
The situation with tenants has been a mixed bag. Because the apartments are rented at below-market rates, Mark has his choice of tenants. The low cost also makes the turnover rate low — about one unit every year. The average apartment turnover rate nationwide is around 50 percent. He has had to formally evict one tenant and informally evict another. That’s not bad for 12 units over nearly 10 years, but it was still hard on Mark.
Mark also noted that being a landlord has added to his skill set.
What’s not going well?
Mark and his wife had hoped to be making money off of the properties by now, but with property taxes and other expenses, they aren’t there yet. Mark also said that he’s grown grumpy since he became a landlord (this from a person I would never have described as grumpy). “People are late with their rent. A tenant might not mention a problem until Friday evening.” (Repair people generally charge more if they are called in to work at night or on a weekend.) In fact, my conversation with Mark was on a Saturday, and while we were chatting, he received a call from a tenant about a problem and had to text a repair person to see if they were available.
Mark’s advice for would-be landlords
If you’re interested in following in Mark’s footsteps and trying to become an ethical landlord, he has some advice:
Take your time looking for property.
Expect perpetual aggravation, but know that being a landlord can also be fun.
As a landlord, you may end up with “frienants.” You may become friends with your tenants, and you may end up renting property to some of your friends. This can be wonderful, but beware. Becoming a friend’s landlord may ruin the friendship.
Mark noted that what is true for “frienants” can also be true for your relationships with contractors.
The real estate mantra is true: Repairs will be behind schedule and over budget.
Mark’s foray into ethical property ownership isn’t a glowing success story, but that may make it all the more valuable. You can become a landlord in a way that will benefit the neighborhood. Just don’t expect it to be easy.
Do you know an ordinary person who is making a difference in an interesting way? Please let me know about them!
Post updated on 11/18/20 to reflect the new series title
I’ve always told myself I wouldn’t use my “something wonderful” posts to review things that were already quite popular, so I initially thought I’d never write about Studio Ghibli. It seems like everyone I know is familiar with at least some of co-founder Hayao Miyazaki’s work. But a short conversation with someone outside of my circle of friends made it clear to me that many people haven’t even heard of Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro, much less watched them. So I decided to cover Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki after all.
If you are among those who have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s a brief introduction to Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.
What is Studio Ghibli? And, who is Hayao Miyazaki?
Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio, co-founded in 1985 by Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Takahata created excellent animated features during his lifetime, but Miyazaki has a magic touch; he wrote and directed the studio’s best-known films outside of Japan. If you have watched only a few Studio Ghibli films, I’m willing to bet that they were all Miyazaki’s work.
Miyazaki is a master storyteller, and his movies are always beautifully animated. Although each of his films is distinct from the others, certain themes pop up frequently in his work:
Flight. Miyazaki has the heart of an aviator. Castle in the Sky involves airships and a floating city. A witch’s ability to fly is at the heart of Kiki’s Delivery Service. Porco Rosso is about an aviator, and The Wind Rises is about an aeronautical engineer.
Magic. Miyazaki is one of those people who, to steal a phrase from a friend, “Went to fairyland and never came back.” His films frequently feature wizards, witches, or mythical beings. Miyazaki’s world is infused with magic.
The environment. Many of Miyazaki’s films touch on the importance of preserving nature. Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind both feature a conflict between humans and nature. Ponyo’s father, the sorcerer Fujimoto, is deeply concerned about what humans are doing to the world, particularly to the oceans. And when Ponyo decides to become a human, she throws the balance of nature out of whack.
War. Miyazaki is hardly the only Japanese film-maker and animator to touch on war. You can find the scars of Hiroshima and Nagasaki everywhere from Godzilla movies to Star Blazers. War is present in many of Miyazaki’s films, and it’s never glorified.
Absentee parents. Many people have noticed how many Disney characters are motherless children. Similarly, one or both parents are often missing in Miyazaki’s films, though they aren’t necessarily dead. In My Neighbor Totoro, Satsuki and Mei’s mother is in the hospital. In Ponyo, Sosuke’s father is a captain on a fishing boat, so busy with his work that he’s never home. Pazu and Sheeta, the main characters in Castle in the Sky, are both orphans. And I’m just getting started.
Strong female characters. If you want great female role models for your children, Miyazaki’s movies are the way to go. Girls are often central characters in his stories. They are brave and powerful. San and Lady Eboshi, two female characters in Princess Mononoke, are strong opposing forces in the struggle between humans and nature. Chihiro of Spirited Away is on a mission to save her parents… and in the process, she rescues other beings in the spirit world. Ponyo is unstoppable in her quest to become a human.
Joe Hisaishi’s music adds to the magic.
Miyazaki’s masterful storytelling isn’t all that makes so many Studio Ghibli features masterpieces. Many of his best films have gorgeous scores composed by Joe Hisaishi. Search for “Ghibli Music” on YouTube and you’ll find several long compilations of music from the movies; most of the songs on these compilations will be Hisaishi’s. You can listen to jazz versions, piano versions, harp versions, music box versions. And like John Williams, Hisaishi composes concert-worthy film scores.
Disney has played a key role in bringing these films to the U.S.
Before Disney got involved, Miyazaki’s work was already making it over to the U.S. in subtitled or dubbed versions. But Disney knows a good thing when they see it, and in the mid-’90s they began distributing Studio Ghibli films outside of Japan. They arranged for high-quality English dubs and re-dubs, bringing in renowned actors to do the voice work. While I generally prefer to watch anime with subtitles, I enjoy most of Disney’s English dubs.
What follows is by no means an exhaustive list of the works of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. I couldn’t get my hands on one Studio Ghibli film — Ocean Waves — and Miyazaki has had a very prolific career. Several of his short films can be viewed only at the Studio Ghibli museum in Japan. That said, I included as many films as I could, and even a couple of television series — one that Miyazaki directed for a while, and another that was co-produced by Studio Ghibli. Unless you are a big Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli fan already, I hope that this list will either introduce you to these films for the first time or at least introduce you to some work that you didn’t already know.
I’ve arranged this list from “must-sees” — the movies that I strongly urge you to watch, even if you never watch another Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli film beyond those — to a few that I encourage you to skip, unless you are a die-hard fan who feels the urge to watch everything. Although most of the trailers I found don’t capture the movies the way I wish they did, I’ve included trailers whenever possible to give you a taste of each film or series.
Must-Sees
Castle in the Sky (1986) — Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
When I think of my favorite Studio Ghibli films, this is the first one that comes to mind. A fantasy with a touch of steampunk, Castle in the Sky jumps into action right from the start as an airship is attacked by sky pirates. Miyazaki delivers lots of adventure studded with moments of quiet beauty, such as a visit to a garden on a legendary floating island. This is a great starting point for people who are new to Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki.
My Neighbor Totoro (1988) — Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
My Neighbor Totoro is the classic Studio Ghibli film. Totoro is incorporated in the studio’s logo, and you can find all sorts of stuffed toys and other gifts featuring the character. This sweet film is one of two ideal Studio Ghibli starting points for young children (the other is Ponyo). The action and adventure in this movie are on a smaller, more personal scale than Castle in the Sky, well-suited to a younger audience. I don’t know anyone who isn’t completely taken with the magical creatures in the story — not only Totoro (particularly the big Totoro) but also “soot sprites” and a Catbus.
Spirited Away (2001) — Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
When Spirited Away won Best Animated Feature in the 75th Academy Awards, that may have been the tipping point that moved Miyazaki from a cult favorite to a famous name in the United States. This story is a fairy tale in which the hero, a girl named Chihiro, must rescue her parents from a curse and escape from the spirit world. As in many fairy tales, Chihiro befriends magical beings who help her on her quest. While the formula is classic, the story and characters are like nothing you’ve seen before. Except for the soot sprites…
Princess Mononoke (1997) — Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
This powerful film is not for young children. A fairy tale with strong environmentalist themes, Princess Monoke is about a war between humans and the beings of the surrounding forest. The characters are complex; neither side in this war is wholly good or wholly evil. The movie is very violent and very moving.
Ponyo (2008) — Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
This is the other film that I consider a great Studio Ghibli starting point for young children. Ponyo, the fish-child of a sorcerer and a sea goddess, escapes from home and befriends a human child. Once she has had a literal taste of the human world, she will let nothing stop her from rejoining her friend as a human herself — thus upsetting the balance of nature. The story is clearly inspired by “The Little Mermaid,” and it’s the best take on that fairy tale that I’ve ever seen (albeit very different from the original).
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) — Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Howl’s Moving Castle is based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones, though it has been simplified for the screen. While I can be a purist about these things, I think the simplification was necessary. Most of the Miyazaki movies I love best are original stories or, in the case of Ponyo, complete reinterpretations, but this is one of the happy exceptions to that rule. It’s also one of the few Miyazaki films with a full-fledged romance.
The Cat Returns (2002) — Written by Reiko Yoshida and directed by Hiroyuki Morita
The Cat Returns is the only non-Miyazaki anime from Studio Ghibli that I consider a must-see. Although the animation isn’t as beautiful as the other movies in this group, I enjoy the story and characters. Haru is an awkward teenager who rescues a cat. Unfortunately, he turns out to be cat royalty, and his father sees fit to reward Haru by arranging for her marriage to his son. With the help of Muta (a cat), the Baron (a cat figurine that comes to life), and Toto (a raven), Haru tries to escape an unwanted marriage and gains confidence in the process. This movie is actually the sequel to Whisper of the Heart (below), but it stands on its own. The score, by Yuji Nomi, is lovely.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) — Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was created before the founding of Studio Ghibli. The story is an environmental fable about a post-apocalyptic world in which humans fight for survival among poisonous forests filled with angry insects. It’s pretty heavy, so I don’t recommend it for small children. Despite the serious subject matter, I strongly suggest you don’t miss Miyazaki’s breakthrough film.
Highly Recommended
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) — Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
My child was offended that I listed this film as “highly recommended” instead of “must-see,” but this is, after all, just my opinion. Kiki’s Delivery Service is a lovely story about a young witch who moves away from home and establishes (surprise!) a delivery service. The movie is cute, your kids (if you have any) will love it, and you will enjoy watching it with them; however, I don’t think it measures up to the very best of Miyazaki’s movies — perhaps because it was based on an existing book rather than coming straight from his imagination.
Porco Rosso (1992) — Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Once upon a time, an aviator named Marco was turned into a pig… or rather, a sort of pig-man. Porco Rosso takes place after that transformation. It’s a sweet story, but it is probably more to adult tastes than many of Miyazaki’s movies.
The Wind Rises (2013) — Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
The Wind Rises is Miyazaki’s last film to date. A loving tribute to a Japanese aircraft designer, this movie is both sad and beautiful. Before you watch it with your children, keep in mind that there is some disturbing content, including an earthquake and a character who suffers from tuberculosis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QFBZgAZx7g
The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) — Written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Based on The Borrowers, The Secret World of Arrietty is an engaging film that retains the spirit of the book, but — like Kiki’s Delivery Service — it doesn’t have that spark that makes it a must-see. It also lacks the depth of most of Miyazaki’s films, so while most adults won’t mind watching it, the movie probably has greater appeal for children.
My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) — Written and directed by Isao Takahata
This sweet, funny anime is a series of shorts about family. The animation style is very different from most Studio Ghibli films, but it is beautiful in its own way. Overall, I thought the movie was a delightful exploration of the ups and downs of family life.
From Up on Poppy Hill (2011) — Written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa and directed by Gorō Miyazaki
You’re going to see the name “Gorō Miyazaki” pop up occasionally on this list; one of Hayao Miyazaki’s sons, he has begun directing some anime with mixed success. From Up on Poppy Hill is probably one of his best-loved anime, a coming-of-age film set in 1960s Japan. Much of the focus of the film is on a convoluted romance between the two main characters, so it will probably appeal more to older children and adults.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-rhgSCAqDU
Whisper of the Heart (1995) — Written by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Yoshifumi Kondō
The Baron from The Cat Returns was first introduced in this movie, though his role here is very different. The Baron never truly comes to life, except in the imagination of Shizuku, a young writer. This coming-of-age film gets a bit angst-y at times and has a somewhat awkward romance, but it’s worth seeing, despite those bumpy patches.
Only Yesterday (1991) — Written and directed by Isao Takahata
This slice-of-life movie alternates between the story of 27-year-old Taeko, a woman on vacation in the country, and flashbacks to her childhood. At times, it felt like it dragged on, but sometimes the most mundane scenes — such as one in which the adult Taeko assists with a harvest — are absolutely beautiful. The story continues into the end credits, so don’t stop watching when the credits roll.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013) — Written by Isao Takahata and Riko Sakaguchi and directed by Isao Takahata
The Tale of Princess Kaguya is one of the most beautifully animated movies I’ve ever seen. Based on a Japanese folktale, the film tells a heart-breaking story about a miraculous child who is forced into a role she doesn’t want. Its runtime is more than two hours, but it never bogs down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM6hcHp0_kU
The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) — Written by Hayao Miyazaki and Haruya Yamazaki and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
This is another of Miyazaki’s pre-Studio Ghibli movies, part of an enormous body of work about Lupin III, a master thief. Miyazaki had already done work on part one of the Lupin III television series when he was hired to direct The Castle of Cagliostro, the second theatrically released movie. This isn’t really like Miyazaki’s later work — after all, he was working with a pre-existing character — but it’s fun and action-packed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJudurbkv1E
Not Bad, But…
Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter (2014-15) — Written by Hiroyuki Kawasaki and directed by Gorō Miyazaki
This series almost doesn’t count as a Studio Ghibli film; it was co-produced by Studio Ghibli, but the animation was done by Polygon Pictures. The series is an extremely faithful adaptation of Astrid Lindgren’s Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter — in fact, while I’m normally a fan of faithful adaptations, I feel like they could have made some cuts and hurried the story along a little. The animation bugged me and my child a bit in the beginning, but we got used to it. Overall, it’s a high-quality series — the kind that might run on PBS. Right now it is streaming on Amazon Prime; according to Wikipedia, it will eventually be released by GKIDS.
Grave of the Fireflies (1988) — Written and directed by Isao Takahata
Grave of the Fireflies is an anime classic, so I feel a little guilty about putting it on this part of the list, but it is extremely depressing. I do willingly watch and appreciate sad movies, but in my opinion, the merits of this one don’t outweigh how hard it is to watch. The movie definitely does a great job illustrating the horrors of war.
When Marnie Was There (2014) — Written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi
When Marnie Was There is based on a book by the same name. At the time of this writing, its Wikipedia entry notes that the critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes is that it is “still blessed with enough visual and narrative beauty to recommend, even if it isn’t quite as magical as Studio Ghibli’s greatest works.” Perhaps that lack of magic is why I couldn’t bring myself to put this on my “highly recommended” list. Yes, it is beautiful, but now that I’ve seen it once, I don’t need to see it again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZq4uuMP8ss
Sherlock Hound (1984-85) — Various writers and directors, including Hayao Miyazaki
Miyazaki directed the first six episodes of this Sherlock Holmes-inspired series. It is a not-unpleasant cartoon for young children, but after five episodes, I thought, “Okay, that’s enough.” (This was before I realized that Miyazaki had not directed all 26 episodes in the series. I might have powered through one more, but by the time I learned that I had only one Miyazaki episode left, I didn’t feel that going back to watch that episode would change my opinion of the series.) I wouldn’t go as far as to say, “Don’t bother,” but I also don’t think you need to make an effort to see these.
Only for Die-hard Fans
Tales from Earthsea (2006) — Written by Gorō Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa and directed by Gorō Miyazaki
Tales from Earthsea is very loosely based on some of the Earthsea novels, particularly The Farthest Shore and Tehanu. (Apparently Ursula LeGuin said, “It is not my book. It is your movie.”) This is one of the least popular Studio Ghibli movies ever produced, although apparently it did well in the box office in Japan. Even if the movie stood on its own and didn’t pretend to be based on LeGuin’s novels, it’s surprisingly dull for its genre. Or maybe I was just sleepy when I watched it.
Pom Poko (1994) — Written and directed by Isao Takahata
Maybe I don’t like Pom Poko because it doesn’t speak to me culturally. The movie is an environmental tale about a group of tanuki, Japanese raccoon dogs, that declare war on the developers who are destroying their forest. Certain elements of Japanese folklore about tanuki show up in this movie — including the notion that they have shape-shifting powers, as well as an emphasis on the size of their testicles. While there’s a lot of humor, Pom Poko is also very sad. There are scenes that are littered with dead tanuki. And while the movie is “only” 119 minutes long, it seems to drag on and on.
Panda! Go, Panda! (1972) — Written by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Isao Takahata
I used to check Panda! Go, Panda! out from the library for my child to watch (without actually watching it myself — shame on me). She enjoyed it, so when I started working on this post and found I could no longer get the movie from the library, I bought it, thinking it would be a worthwhile addition to our collection of Miyazaki and Ghibli-related films. That was a mistake. The dubbing is extremely annoying — particularly the voice for Papa Panda. My child has seen a version with subtitles and claims that’s much better, but you are far more likely to run across the dubbed version that I bought. The DVD technically has two Panda! Go, Panda! movies on it — the original and Panda! Go, Panda!: The Rainy Day Circus. I made it through the first movie and couldn’t bring myself to continue.
In addition to being annoyed by the dub, I kept thinking about how the story wouldn’t fly today. A young grade-schooler, Mimiko, is left alone at home for several days when her grandmother, who is her caretaker, goes to an out-of-town funeral. While Grandma is gone, Mimiko lets a baby panda, Panny, and its father into her house and decides they should be a family. She is Panny’s mother, and Papa Panda plays the role of father to both of them. Nothing creepy about this story at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mtKB92WQEI
Bonus Video
On Your Mark (1995) — Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
“On Your Mark” is a music video to a song by Chage & Aska. The video tells a sci-fi story about two policemen who rescue an angelic being; the story jumps back and forth in time, offering alternate endings. If you have the opportunity to view this short work, I highly recommend it.
One way to fight human trafficking: Raise awareness, perhaps through symbolism.
I’ve written about modern slavery, or human trafficking, before. I’ll continue to do so, because fighting slavery is important to me. There are many different actions we can take in the fight against slavery. The most important thing we can do is to value victims and survivors of human trafficking.
Stop Blaming People Who Have Been Enslaved
We shouldn’t blame people who have been enslaved for their situations. We should blame those who have chosen to enslave others.
Kanye West was speaking about historic slavery — not modern slavery — when he said that slavery was a choice, but that statement insults both people who were enslaved in the past and those who are trafficked now. When people view slavery as a choice or embrace the notion that people “create their own reality,” they show a lack of respect for those who have been used by people who are ready to oppress others for their own gain. Victims of human trafficking are people who are struggling. They try to make the best choices they can with the resources available to them. They choose whatever they think will help them survive. That’s not the same as choosing slavery.
We also frequently fail to support victims of trafficking through law enforcement. Although the United States is getting better about not charging people who are coerced into prostitution, there are still far too many instances in which these people are jailed. Sometimes they are imprisoned to force them to cooperate with an investigation, or even because appropriate help is not available.
And because many victims of human trafficking are undocumented workers, the recent crackdown on illegal immigrants in the U.S. can discourage people from seeking help.
Start Thinking Beyond Escape
It’s important to think beyond helping people escape slavery, wonderful as that moment of freedom may be.
As one human trafficking survivor points out, people who have been enslaved lack resources. They may need education or access to counseling, health care, and financial assistance. They certainly need jobs. And they need to be fairly compensated for their contributions toward fighting slavery.
Entrepreneurs might want to start businesses that are designed to provide new job skills to survivors of human trafficking. The rest of us can help out by buying from businesses that employ these survivors.
Listen to Survivors
In 2016, the U.S. government released its first-ever report on human trafficking based on significant input from survivors. The U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking put together a list of ways to fight slavery, including improving anti-trafficking training, increasing awareness of human trafficking, providing comprehensive services to survivors, and protecting vulnerable workers.
Survivors of human trafficking have escaped situations in which their human dignity was not respected. We dehumanize them again when we take the attitude that we know better than they do. Survivors are not poster children to be trotted out when we need a good example of what slavery looks like. If they choose to be involved in the fight against trafficking, we need to invite them to be full participants in our discussions about slavery. And when they speak, we need to respectfully listen. (Much of what I’ve written in this paragraph was inspired by a resource from The Advocates for Human Rights, which includes advice from women who are survivors of sex trafficking.)
It’s easy for those of us who are privileged to think we’ve attained these privileges solely due to our merits. It’s a simple step from there to placing ourselves in a “savior” type of role. I know I’ve done that many times. But when we try to solve people-centered problems like human trafficking (and other forms of oppression), we need to be humble enough to take an approach that is not centered on ourselves and our own ideas — no matter how good they may be — but instead take an approach that focuses on the people we wish to serve.
Want to make your geeky friends happy? Have them over for a double feature: Trekkies and Galaxy Quest. Both movies are joyous celebrations of fandom, particularly Star Trek fandom.
Trekkies
When I first watched Trekkies in 1997, I had not yet been to any sort of fan convention. I didn’t know what filking was and had never read fanfiction. I’d never met a person who would now be called a “maker” (the term wasn’t being used at the time). But I was a fan of Star Trek. Trekkies fascinated, thrilled, and amused me with its stories of people who took their love of Star Trek to great lengths.
Trekkies is a (mostly) loving tribute to Star Trek fandom. Denise Crosby (Lieutenant Tasha Yar, Star Trek: The Next Generation) acts as the host in a series of interviews and conversations. The movie features several actors from the different series. They tell great stories, sometimes funny, sometimes moving. But the heart and soul of the film are the fans who are allowed to tell their own stories. Viewers meet a dentist whose office has a Star Trek theme, a maker who recreated Captain Pike’s chair from “The Menagerie” in the original series, and a woman who wore her commander’s uniform while she served as an alternate juror during the first Whitewater trial. There are times when most viewers will think, “That’s weird,” but the response of more than one fan is, “I’m not hurting anybody.” And, as one person points out, there’s little difference between an enthusiastic Star Trek fan and an enthusiastic sports fan, other than the object of enthusiasm.
Galaxy Quest
In 1999, Star Trek fans were in for another treat: Galaxy Quest. Galaxy Quest revolves around a fictitious, Star Trek-like TV show, cancelled years before the action takes place. Fandom plays a key element in the movie. The story begins with the show’s former actors at a convention, interacting with fans. When the actors find themselves aboard a real spaceship that was based on their ship in the TV series, a teenage fan — who reminds me a bit of a teenager in Trekkies — saves the day with his detailed knowledge of the show.
Aside from the film’s amusing and loving take on sci-fi and fandom, it has great actors. Alan Rickman’s performance is especially wonderful.
People who don’t care for Star Trek and don’t understand fandom may watch Trekkies and Galaxy Quest and come away believing that Star Trek fans are just weird people. But anyone who loves Star Trek or participates in a fandom will “get” these movies. Any fan who has gone out to eat in cosplay (or gone out to eat with people in cosplay) will relate to the Trekkies scene featuring Klingons ordering hamburgers. And fans of Star Trek will appreciate the tropes that appear in Galaxy Quest.
Whether or not you’ve seen one or both of these tributes to Star Trek and fandom, I recommend watching them back-to-back as the ultimate fannish double feature.
Note
I’m giving myself a break from the blog for the rest of the month. I will be back on Labor Day.
Also, if you are into Star Trek or similar fandoms, check out my book, Geek Culture. The book focuses on what may be the largest volunteer-run sci-fi convention in the United States. You’ll read about a bat’leth tournament, party rooms hosted by a Star Trek fan group and a group of Klingons, and plenty of things related to other fandoms, such as Doctor Who and Ghostbusters.
About a week and a half ago, I was shaken by the death of someone I knew. Doug was the well-loved leader of a department that I worked in for many years. He was only 63 when he died suddenly.
His death made me thoughtful. Of course, I thought about the things one usually does when someone dies. I thought about how important it is to say things like “I love you” and “thank you” before we lose that opportunity. I thought about how you shouldn’t put everything off for an imaginary golden future, like retirement, because that day may never come.
Grandma, I Want to Be Just Like You
I also thought about the year I lost all three of my grandparents, one after another. (I’d never known the fourth.) The last death — the death of a grandmother — hit me the hardest. I found myself yearning to be like her. Although there were many qualities I admired about her, I latched onto her elegance, perhaps because it is one of the ways I am least like her. For several months, I tried to become a more elegant person… but there was a problem. I was trying to become someone I’m really not.
Had Grandma been able to talk with me, I don’t think she would have wanted me to honor her like that. There were so many things about her that were far more important. She was a dedicated volunteer. She loved her grandchildren fiercely, and she let us know it. She was a good friend. She was a woman of faith. Her elegance fascinated me, but it paled in comparison to the qualities of her heart.
Letting Doug Teach Me How to Lead
As my former coworkers shared their memories of Doug online, I reflected on his leadership. I also thought about my own supervisory role and asked myself, “How can I be more like Doug?”
Doug was great about recognizing good work. He would write a note to the person or team he was praising and to their supervisors. He’d post a copy of the note on a bulletin board in our conference room. Celebration and togetherness were important to him. We had an annual off-site retreat that was a combination of work and fun. We celebrated birthdays and had an off-site Christmas party. These said a lot about how he thought of us as a sort of family. But he didn’t ask us to spend so much time in the office that we sacrificed our relationships outside of work. Work was not a substitute family. It was an additional family.
I’m very different from Doug. I cannot be just like him anymore than I could be just like my grandma. But I can think of what we all admired about him and try to carry that spirit into my own supervisory role.
Our Lives Are Our Legacies
How do you want to be remembered? How do you want people to honor you? What sort of legacy do you want to leave?
Few of us will be able to leave large gifts of money. And of those gifts that we leave behind, some will create ripples of long-lasting good (think of gifts that help preserve wilderness areas or that establish college scholarships), but others will stand for a while and then fade away. Colleges really do need to replace old, out-dated buildings, but someday the new buildings also will need to be replaced.
Few of us will do great things. We may admire the people who change the world, but most of us will effect change on a much smaller scale.
Few of us will leave behind works of art or inventions that will touch lives for generations to come.
Instead, our very lives must be our legacies. We need to live in such a way that we inspire others to imitate our best qualities.
I believe that if we could speak to our departed loved ones and tell them that they inspired us to be better people, they would feel like we had honored them in the best way possible.
When someone dies, we express our love and our grief in all sorts of ways. We decorate graves. We light candles. We make donations in their names. We hang on to mementos.
None of these things are bad. Making a donation is quite good. But one of the best ways we can honor those who have gone before us is to learn from them. We don’t need to try to become someone we are not, but we can think of what we most admire about others and how we might express those virtues in our own lives. Perhaps someday someone who reports to a person you mentored will say, “I love the way my boss shows how much she appreciates people. I want to be like that.” They may never know you or the person who inspired you, but the legacy will live on.
If you’re familiar with Gilbert and Sullivan, you know what a patter song is. They didn’t start the fire, so to speak, but the flame burned brightly in their capable hands.
For years, I’ve enjoyed songs that I’ve mentally categorized as “list songs.” As it turns out, I’m not the only one to lump certain songs in that category. Many of the ones I enjoy have cultural references, but others are seemingly random.
These songs include everything from Antônio Carlos Jobim’s “Waters of March” to ’80s songs like R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” and Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” As I continued to reflect on my fascination with these songs, I realized it was more than the list quality that attracted me. I also enjoyed the rhythm and pace of the songs. Again, I’m not the only one who has thought of this. The second part of a recent two-part episode of Hit Parade compared the aforementioned R.E.M. song to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and to Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues.”
Upon more reflection, I asked myself if these songs weren’t just modern patter songs. Once again, I wasn’t the first person to think along these lines. You can find a whole list of patter songs on Wikipedia, including several of the songs I’d been thinking about.
This is where we can get into debates about what exactly constitutes a patter song. The Wikipedia list includes “Mediate” by INXS, a relatively serene song when compared to much of what I consider patter. “Waters of March” also moves at a relaxed tempo, but if “Mediate” can make the list, why not Jobim’s jazz standard?
If you haven’t yet thought of patter songs in terms of popular music, here are some of my favorites.
The song starts out deceptively slow, and then it really picks up. It wasn’t until I started doing research for this post that I discovered “I’ve Been Everywhere” was originally an Australian song, which has been covered by artists from around the world who substitute place names from their own countries. Pick whichever version is your favorite. I will always love Johnny Cash’s cover the best.
It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine) by R.E.M.
If no other song in this list truly counts as a patter song, surely this does. Given its pace, there’s no doubt this is a challenging song to sing. Maybe there should be prizes at karaoke bars for people who make it through the song without stumbling!
Bonus tip for parents: friends of ours once told us that it’s fun to sing the chorus when your toddler is having a meltdown.
We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel
In this song, Billy Joel delivers a fast-paced history lesson covering 1949 to 1989. Although it’s a speedy song, when Chris Molanphy compared it to “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” in Hit Parade, he pointed out that Joel sings 96 fewer words in a song that is “nearly a minute longer.” No wonder it sounds easier to sing!
I Want You by Savage Garden
This doesn’t qualify as a list song, but the verses definitely have a patter quality. If you’re ever in an anime trivia contest, it may help you to know that this was used for the end theme of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable.
You Get What You Give by New Radicals
This one’s a fairly normal pop song, but the band put in eight lines at the end that could be considered patter:
Health insurance rip off lying
FDA big bankers buying
Fake computer crashes dining
Cloning while they’re multiplying
Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson
Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson
You’re all fakes, run to your mansions
Come around, we’ll kick your ass in
The song is catchy, but the video is disturbing.
One Week by Barenaked Ladies
This song has two sets of completely unrelated lyrics. The core is about discord between a man and a woman. The patter lines were improvised, giving us lyrics like this:
Like Kurosawa I make mad films
Okay I don’t make films
But if I did they’d have a samurai
Gonna get a set of better clubs
Gonna find the kind with tiny nubs
Just so my irons aren’t always flying off the back swing
Gotta get in tune with Sailor Moon
Cause that cartoon has got the boom anime babes
That make me think the wrong thing
Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” has influenced many songs on this list: “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” (according to Molanphy), as well as the two immediately below this one. The video is a must-see. (By the way, from what Molanphy reported on Hit Parade, this comes in at about 129 words per minute verses R.E.M.’s 153 words per minute and Joel’s 104 words per minute.)
Bob by Weird Al Yankovic
It’s hard for me to pick a favorite song by Yankovic, but this is definitely high on my list. His Dylan impression is flawless, and the lyrics are brilliant.
Mediate by INXS
As I mentioned in the introduction, this song is slow enough that I’m hesitant to call it patter, although it certainly is a list song. Regardless, the video is clearly influenced by Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues.”
Águas de Março / Waters of March by Antônio Carlos Jobim
You can find excellent versions of this song in its original Portuguese, in English, or in both languages. The lyrics are mostly a list of words and phrases, making it, I imagine, hard to memorize:
A fish, a flash
A silvery glow
A fight, a bet
The range of a bow
The bed of the well
The end of the line
The dismay in the face
It’s a loss, it’s a find
In Portuguese, the phrases mostly begin with “it’s,” such as “It’s a fish, it’s a flash, it’s a shining silver.”
There’s no doubt that “Waters of March” is a list song. I would argue it also falls into the patter song category — at least when sung in Portuguese.
Did I miss any of your favorite popular patter songs?
