Comments on: Preliminary Notes from Amsterdam, 2008

By: Amsterdam Revisited « The Uncanny

Amsterdam Revisited « The Uncanny — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:05:48 +0000

[...] Easter Weekend, along with countless Spaniards, Italians and Germans, in the early spring sun. Last time I was in Amsterdam was in June of 2008 and I went alone for a conference. This time I went with my wife and we lived in a delicious and [...]

By: kfallon

kfallon — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:40:45 +0000

I totally agree with lani that our society feels the need to disguise our feelings in order to appear “strong” and “superior” in everything. Clearly it is not possible to completely ignore all of these unwanted feelings, so we turn to sports. In our culture, even the spectator can release their pent up emotions. However, when we cannot achieve this through sporting events, we travel to Europe to experience this other, more tolerant world in Amsterdam to release our desires. This release is not necessarily a healthy outlet though, for while the people of Amsterdam have found a happy medium in which to express themselves, Americans go to the red light district and get outrageously intoxicated. The examples of Americans that Professor Vila gave in his blog represent just how dependent Americans are on achieving the extreme, thus we have no other consistent choice than to turn to sports to fulfill our desires.

By: ltwright

ltwright — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:48:17 +0000

I think that one of the reasons cities such as Amsterdam have these “red light districts” andjextremes that we continue to bring up is because we are forced to suppress so many of our inner desires. We spoke in class about males being forced to disguise any homosexual or sentimental feelings they may have toward other men. In reaction to this, we find hyper-masculine men jumping all over each other in an area that supports this: sports. Sports are a “socially acceptable” way for us to work out aggression, frustration, any emotion. I think sports can sometimes simply be replacements for alternatives such as the red light district or church. On one hand it is a place to work out any sexual desires and on the other it can be a sanctuary that protects you from the outside world and provides clear guidelines and boundaries. You can be someone on the field that you’re not in your daily life. Walk into a bar in Boston on a Friday night and the people you meet there will most likely act differently than if you were to meet them on a Tuesday afternoon. All of these things allow us to be someone that our society won’t.

By: benoshell

benoshell — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:45:38 +0000

I strongly agree with Ashley’s point that the idea of extremes carries over into sports and that spectators love seeing athletes trying to do the impossible. Lance Armstrong’s pursuit for seven consecutive Tour de France victories after surviving cancer, captivated America. As we all know and have discussed in class, bike racing, like soccer, will not keep Americans glued to their television for too long, but the superhuman qualities and obstacles Armstrong prevailed launched him into a venerated role in American culture.

The idea of extremes has had such an impact on sports that the X Games have a permanent slot on the ESPN network. The X Games, which focuses on extreme action sports in both summer and winter, has had an enormous impact on sports. Whether it is the summer skateboarding “big air” competition or the winter Snowboard Best Trick Showdown, the X Games mesmerize Americans as the athletes competing attempt to take their sport to the next extreme by attempting unprecedented stunts.

By: hbabcock

hbabcock — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:54:25 +0000

I like what Anj wrote about being a spectator at a sporting event and fulfilling out desire to experience extremes. I think that that is a very true statement. We have been talking about wars and tension and conflict all stopping just long enough to watch the game and then everything starts again. The ability of a sporting event to stop armed conflict is incredible to me and yet going with Anj’s statement the war doesn’t actually stop while everyone is watching the game; their need for extreme has just been transfered over to a “war” in which they are not directly involved. All of this goes off in another direction from sex and other comments that any of us have discussed so far but it is so strange to think of this as a possibility and another just another “extreme” desire to fulfill our need for constant action. Isn’t that something in our culture that we are dependent on?

By: anjulidemers

anjulidemers — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:19:40 +0000

Based on this article and these comments, I think it is interesting to focus on the idea of extremes and our need to experience them. I think we all have a desire to experience extremes in life, and this is accomplished not only through direct participation, but also through observation. Having just traveled to Amsterdam, I am aware of the culture of the city and the representation and commercialization of sex that is present there. Whether or not one participates in the market of sex in Amsterdam, everyone in the city remains an active spectator.
Relating this to sports, I feel as though being a spectator to a sporting event once again fulfills our desire to experience extremes. Despite the lack of active participation, by witnessing these events we seek to appease this desire. As we continue to be part of this world of extremes, we become more dependent upon it, failing to be fulfilled by what would be considered average. We become dependent on a culture that provides these representations of some basic desires (sex), in order to fulfill our needs.

By: abairos

abairos — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:18:37 +0000

I think Hannah’s last comment about sex being a necessity is an interesting one. There are basic necessities such as food and water that one cannot live without, but thinking back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (yes intro Psych!) there are many other categories that must be satisfied in order to be considered an ‘efficient’ human being. In fact, sex is listed as a physiological need as according to Maslow.
I am impressed that Amsterdam appreciates the growth of commercialization and uses it to make its culture a richer place. That sounds weird to say legal prostitution makes Amsterdam a richer culture, but I am referring more to its ability to make a melting pot of many different things, seem so fluid. I have never been, but it seems from Hector’s description that things work quite smoothly in Amsterdam, and perhaps it is because it embraces all these things that American society would scorn.
I absolutely believe the idea of extremes carries over into sports. We desire to see men of super human strength do the impossible every time they step out on the field. If you think about Phelp’s in the 2008 Olympics, spectators watched religiously as he did the impossible and became the most decorated athlete. The Olympics soon became all about Phelp’s and the idea of the superhuman athlete is one that we idolize in American culture, and often exploit, tying back into the commercialization of anything we can get our hands on, which Amsterdam seems to do quite effectively.

By: hector

hector — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:21:13 +0000

Hi, I really like the idea of “dependent.” I like it because, in Amsterdam, as in many other places, ie Nevada, the notion of “sex,” as it’s taken to the marketplace via legalized prostitution insinuates that we are “more dependent” not simply on sex, but rather, on a kind of “perverse dependency,” if you will. “The prostitute” therefore “sells” a representation of sexuality that is extreme.

How then does “dependency” stretch or become something necessary to appease our desires taken to such extremes? How then does the “representation” of such extremes, whether one partakes or not, become something we dependend on? What does it say to us?

And, does this carry over to other areas, such as sports where we see or want to see–desire–the representaton of extremes in ability, performance, as well as in ideals that we strongly believe are fundamental to the maintenance of our civilization?

By: hbabcock

hbabcock — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:12:02 +0000

I like some of the comparisons that Andrew made between Chicago and Amsterdam but then again I disagree with a few of them as well. I can’t speak for Chicago because I have never been there. However, the description Andrew gave of his trip to work sounds very dissimilar to the way Professor Vila described Amsterdam. I doubt very highly that in Chicago- or any American city for that matter- do bikers ride around easily through crowds of people successfully. Nor do the police keep things in order just by being present. I think these types of things though just small descriptions made by Professor Vila demonstrate the real difference between life in cities like Chicago and life in Amsterdam.

Having no experience in either city I have opinions based solely on what Andrew and Professor Vila have written, but I have to say that despite the obvious differences and the ones I pointed out before, Andrew’s comparison between Chicago and Amsterdam is agood one. No, sex is not something we embrace/allow in the way it is in Amsterdam, but it is still there under the surface as a “neccesity” much like food and water. Which is why I agree with the idea that Amsterdam is more horizontally structured, as Andrew said, regardless of whether it is obvious or under the surface, everyone is indeed dependent on the same things.

By: adeloach

adeloach — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:42:25 +0000

This summer I worked in Chicago. If I described my daily routine going to and from work, I think people would have a hard time discerning my portrayal Chicago from Professor Villa’s sketch of Amsterdam—it’s not only the wind that makes these cities similar. By the time I exit the train and walk onto the platform at Ogilvie Station, I am surrounded by a multitude of different colors, languages, and religions from all over the world all mixed together; the difference is they are all hastily scurrying to their respective destinations rather enjoying a “laid back approach to labor” as in Amsterdam. Emerging from the terminal and onto the streets I am usually huddled into a pack of people that move together like clockwork. Amongst the taxis, bike messengers, and pedestrians—all experts in navigating the busy Chicago streets—the “EL” tracks ascend above street level to play host to an additional group commuting Chicagoans (Chicagoans being a contrived word to describe the melting pot of culture in the city). The “EL” is dwarfed by the high rise buildings, however, which only appear to lean over the boulevards and avenues due to their tremendous stature. At street-level, these businesses and apartment complexes double as restaurants as far as the eye can see. Although it may not compare to the canals of Amsterdam, the river-walk along the Chicago River is the most scenic strip of my cattle call to the office in the morning. All in all, Chicago sounds pretty similar to Amsterdam—until you hit the red light district. We talked in class about how many ancient traditions and primitive customs have been manifested into modern culture, like football player praying before games. It seems analogous then, that our basic needs would also resurface in our culture: The rows of houses and apartments serve as shelter; the plethora of restaurants provide food. Chicago is missing another basic need. Amsterdam is not. Sex. All the other basic needs have been harnessed by commercial tycoons for financial benefit, so it seems logical that sex would follow. Maybe that is why prostitution is so rampant across much of the world. As professor mentioned, “money is everything.” Fundamentally, money is at the root of everything we debate. Which brings me to my only critique of Professor Villa’s account of Amsterdam: the city has turned all of man’s needs into commercial gains. Whether or not people are rich or poor, they want food, shelter, and sex. So to call Amsterdam a vertical society seems to deter from the fact that, regardless of social status, everyone there—whether indulging or gaining from it—is dependent upon the commercialism. It seems like a pretty horizontal structure to me.