experts

‘Barbenheimer’ and What We Can Learn From It

admin — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 15:56:31 +0000

‘Barbenheimer’ and What We Can Learn From It admin Thu, 07/27/2023 - 11:56

The simultaneous releases of Barbie and Oppenheimer in U.S. theaters over the weekend generated an enormous buzz among movie fans enchanted by the seemingly dichotomous nature of the releases, film critics eager to dig into the art of both movies, and cultural critics interested in the baggage and promise inherent in both films. We asked some of our experts on pop culture, representations of technology in media, and feminism to weigh in on the blockbuster event of the summer. Here’s what Professor Carol Colatrella, Regents’ Professor Lisa Yaszek, and Assistant Professor Ida Yoshinaga had to say:

There’s been so much media excitement over the premieres of these two movies in contrast to the opening of other highly anticipated blockbusters this summer, such as Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse, or The Flash. Why?

Yaszek: Because the Atomic Bomb and the Atomic Blonde are two cultural icons central to the modern American imagination! Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project ushered in the era of truly world-changing technosciences and catapulted the U.S. into a position of global leadership. Barbie was the first mass-produced doll that invited girls to imagine adult roles for themselves outside of motherhood, emerging in tandem with the beginning of the sexual revolution, the revival of feminism, and the start of modern conversations about sex and gender. These are two the key ways we define ourselves as Americans! It doesn’t matter if you know the details of Oppenheimer’s specific role in the creation of nuclear weapons, or if you ever actually played with Barbie and her pals. Everyone knows that “Oppenheimer” is shorthand for our complex feelings about the promises and perils of modern technologies that both sustain and threaten to end civilization as we know it, and everyone knows that “Barbie” is shorthand for our complex feelings about new social and sex roles that somehow both radically depart from — and yet also still echo — more conservative ones from earlier eras.

Yoshinaga: In the financial context of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes as well as most of those other franchise films not meeting with summer box-office expectations, I think some industry watchers are hailing Barbenheimer’s killer opening weekend as a sign of hope for the entertainment industry. Barbie has enjoyed the largest open for a female-director-led movie in history, and Oppenheimer drew a respectable box office take as well. Both Barbie and Oppenheimer, drawing strongly on the last century’s sociopolitical context, promise some intellectual engagement, some critical thinking, some historical insight of who we are as a society.

Colatrella: That audiences connect the films — one representing the story of Barbie as documenting varying and shifting views on feminism and the other documenting varying and shifting views about the atomic bomb — resonates with contemporary concerns about women’s independence and with our wartime concerns about developing and using weapons and other technologies that have unforeseen consequences. It is interesting to me that Barbie incorporates the doll’s creator as a character and that Oppenheimer acknowledges the protagonist’s technological contributions and his subsequent restraint in using what he helped create. The films present revisionist histories demonstrating the force and fluctuations of political ideologies over time.

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Why should we see Barbie?

Colatrella: It’s great to see a film that celebrates feminism as a force enhancing gender equity, personal development for women and men (Kenough!), mother-daughter bonding, and community decision-making in BarbieWorld. In developing my book Toys and Tools in Pink, I met with Lego marketing and production executive in Billund, Denmark, and was impressed with their commitment to design construction and building toys that could appeal to girls as powerfully as Barbie does. They valued that children’s toys could contribute to collaborative play.

Yoshinaga: In the growing landscape of feminist directors, writer-director Greta Gerwig has carved out an intelligent, sensitive approach to portraying women on film—from the delightfully twee Frances Ha, which she co-scripted with director (and frequent filmmaking partner) Noah Baumbach, to the critically lauded Little Women and autobiographical, regionalist Lady Bird, all of which display her signature style of gentle observational humor, gender role insight, and quiet yet powerfully accumulating ethics. By making the screen story postmodern and feminist, she’s now viewed as having successfully “cracked” Barbie, a complex and potentially sexist/problematic IP that other skilled female comedy writers, including Diablo Cody and Amy Schumer, had not been able to pitch effectively.

Yaszek: First and foremost, we should all see the Barbie movie now because it promises a bit of hope and fun in a moment when our news cycle has become an endless loop of doom and gloom clickbait headlines. Having said that, I also think we can double or even triple our pleasure by having some serious fun with the Barbie film. The history of Barbie is one of changing ideas about sex and gender. The doll debuted in 1959, just as the feminist revival was taking off and women were beginning to challenge simple gender binaries that suggested men were naturally suited to paid labor in the rough and tumble world of the public sphere while women were naturally suited to unpaid nurturing and caretaking in the home. With her many different careers and a Dream Home that originally was all dressing room and no kitchen, Barbie seemed to capture the excitement and possibility of the early Women’s Liberation Movement. In a toy market flooded with baby dolls that demanded their owners act like little mothers, Barbie offered kids whole new imaginative play possibilities and, of course, whole new ways to think about sex and gender beyond the simple, pseudo-Darwinian binaries popular for much of American history. So I think it’s no surprise that while Barbie is always popular, she’s having a real moment right now, as we once again grapple with expanding sex and gender ideals.

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Why should the Georgia Tech community, especially, see Oppenheimer?

Yaszek: I think members of the Georgia Tech community can use Oppenheimer’s life story as a kind of test case for thinking through technoscientific and ethical dilemmas they might encounter in their own lives. Oppenheimer’s role in the Manhattan Project was to supervise the translation of abstract concepts from theoretical physics into practical applications — in this case, the creation of a working nuclear bomb. Along the way, he had to negotiate some serious moral and ethical issues, including his own excitement at seeing the work progress and misgivings about what would happen if these weapons were really used. While most of our graduates are unlikely to be in that exact position, our students often do go on to work at the intersection between pure science and applied technology and as such, may well grapple with ethical questions and unseen social impacts in relation to their work. It’s always instructive to see and hear stories that engage the issues we face in our own lives; they are virtual laboratories for testing certain courses of action before we act on them in the real world. And they give us ways to keep asking and exploring important questions about the impact of our actions on the world, long after the story itself is over.

Yoshinaga: One of my colleagues who teaches at a private aeronautical university — a Florida science-and-tech school with much less race and gender diversity in its student population than Georgia Tech — taught a section of her science-fiction studies course about the Manhattan Project. And some of her young undergraduates responded by claiming that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was “fake news.” This is the kind of dangerous misinformation trend that we faculty and researchers need to address, discuss, and teach/write about. Oppenheimer’s focus on scientific ethics in the context of both U.S. and global geopolitical history does just that.

Colatrella: I want to see it to better understand the man and the historical forces contributing to and judging his work. But I’d also like to read the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin because I wonder if having more women on the Los Alamos team would have made a difference.

What’s your most lasting memory about Barbie and her friends, or about the nuclear age, of the postwar era?

Colatrella: When I was young, I enjoyed playing with Barbies with cousins and friends; we would sew outfits for our dolls and imagine what decisions they would make about romance, education, and work. When my daughter was growing up, I bought her a Barbie Dreamhouse because I always wanted to have one, and I was reluctant to let it go until I could give it to the daughter of a Georgia Tech alumna who had been one of my students.

Yoshinaga: When I was a very young child, my parents couldn’t afford to buy me a Barbie doll, so I went without one for much of my early years. Besides, I’d always asked for mythology books! So it was my uncle who finally got me a classic Barbie, but by that time, I was in my late elementary-school era and didn’t know what to do with it. I was reading a lot of Marvel comics by then, so I would put Barbie into action-sequence fights with my little brother’s GI Joe. When it comes to the postwar era, I’m too young to remember the nuclear-attack drills and propaganda of the 1950s and ‘60s. Still, all the sci-fi dystopias I saw in the movie theaters involved a nuclear apocalypse as the start of the end of the world. So I always believed a mushroom cloud was just around the corner. There was also a sense that we were the “good” empire and the Soviets were “evil”; that we were helpless, caught between this global battle of geopolitical giants that might end up incinerating all of humanity.

Yaszek: I remember getting in a tussle with my mom over Barbie versus Stephie, the crafty country mom from the Sunshine family of dolls. My mom was a good second-wave feminist, very earnestly devoted to making sure her kids escaped the grip of the American beauty myth, and she thought Stephie, with her trim but realistic proportions and cute but modest clothes, was the role model for us girls. But all I wanted was the Barbie doll with the diamond jewelry and the pink satin jumpsuit! I felt that way in part because I was and still am a big fan of shine and sparkle, but also in part because Stephie’s clothes only seemed appropriate for one role, that of a crafty country mom, while I could imagine Barbie’s clothes taking her anywhere — from paid work as anything from a teacher to astronaut to working on her car in Barbie’s Dream Garage to dinner and dancing, depending on her hairstyle and accessories. To my mom’s credit, she did give in and get me the Barbie of my dreams. Plus, it turned out that my little sister, who was teething, loved chewing on the Sunshine family dolls, so everyone was happy in the end.

Interested in more?

Here are some suggestions for pop culture books, films, and TV series to extend your 'Barbenheimer' experience:

The atomic age and women’s roles in it:

Yaszek recommends:

Caroline Herzenberg and Ruth Howes’s Their Day in the Sun: Women of the Manhattan Project
Martha Ackman’s The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight
The writings of postwar science fiction luminary Judith Merril. Her short story “That Only A Mother” is one of the most often-anthologized stories in science fiction history, and her novel Shadow on the Hearth was adapted for television as part of the prestigious Motorola story hour as “Atomic Attack!”

Yoshinaga recommends:

WGN America network’s Manhattan, which focuses on the wives and families of the scientists behind the bomb

Feminism and the cultural importance of Barbie

Colatrella recommends:

Her book, Toys and Tools in Pink: Cultural Narratives of Gender, Science, and Technology, as well as her forthcoming Feminism’s Progress: Gender Politics in British and American Literature and Television since 1830

Yoshianaga recommends:

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, a once-banned filmed in part with Barbie dolls by Todd Haynes, a filmmaker of stylish LGBTQIA+-themed movies

Yaszek recommends:

Breanne Fahs’ Burn It Down! Feminist Manifestos for the Revolution to better understand the centuries long history of feminist thinking
The National Women’s History Museum’s online exhibits on the four major waves of modern feminist activism.
Her own The Future is Female! volumes

Summary sentence

With the simultaneous theatrical releases of Oppenheimer and Barbie, three Tech professors share how the "atomic bomb and the atomic blonde" remain cultural icons central to the modern American imagination.

Summary

From examining the hubub over "Barbenheimer" to dishing on their earliest memories of Barbie and nuclear-war culture, Ivan Allen experts discuss 'Barbie' and ''Oppenheimer.'

Dateline

Thu, 07/27/2023 - 12:00

michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu

Contact

Michael Pearson
Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts

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Society and Culture

A break in the baby formula supply chain

bwaye3 — Tue, 31 May 2022 13:47:02 +0000

A break in the baby formula supply chain bwaye3 Tue, 05/31/2022 - 09:47

A national shortage has parents and families across the country struggling to feed newborns as store shelves have been left bare of baby formula products – including many brands critical to young children with specific vulnerabilities. Retailers are having to ration their supplies, some parents have resorted to shipping in formula from overseas, and social media sites have been used to crowdsource goods to be shipped to parents nervous about where their children’s next meal might come from.

Georgia Tech economics expert Tibor Besedes says it has been a perfect storm of issues to create this stress-inducing situation.

“Like many other industries, the formula producers have faced supply chain issues with respect to ingredients and containers. Waves of Covid-19 infections have affected their workforce and how much formula they can produce,” explained Besedes.

The final straw that may have led to this nationwide shortage: an Abbott production shutdown in February 2022 after several babies were sickened and two died from bacterial infections connected to consuming baby formula from the Sturgis, Michigan facility. A recall followed, and that facility is believed to make at least 20% of all formula bought by consumers nationwide.

“It is one of a few plants in the U.S. producing formula,” said Besedes. “That fact itself is a bottleneck as those few plants operating in the U.S. produce 98% of all formula sold in the U.S.”

“The formula market has been highly concentrated for a long time,” explained Lindsay Rose Bullinger, Georgia Tech assistant professor of public policy. “Now we’re dealing with a crisis and it’s hard to be proactive.”

The overwhelming majority of those formula products are only made by four different companies, explains Wendy White, a nationally known food safety expert.

“Because infant formula is the sole source of nutrition and targeted at such a vulnerable population, it has extra regulations in the Infant Formula Act of 1980,” explains White.

This includes mandatory registration for any infant formula manufacturers and requirements for all formulation, processing details, and ingredient lists to be filed with the FDA.

The regulations are critical, according to Bullinger.

“We’re trying to make a product comparable to breast milk. Newborn children can’t digest many of the proteins in cow’s milk,” she explained.

Formula is developed by scientists in highly regulated environments for infants that are incredibly susceptible to sickness as their immune and digestive systems have just begun adapting to nourishment outside of the womb.

Diluted or homemade options do not provide the right balance of nutrients that infants need at the most critical time of their lives. Manufactured formulas are made in highly sterile environments to avoid harmful additions from getting into these mixtures.

“It’s incredibly hard to get that right in a home environment without introducing bacteria,” Bullinger said.

Those strict regulations also mean that possible scenarios to help alleviate this formula shortage have been complicated. Just shipping some in from another country? Not so fast.

“Foreign manufacturers need to obtain FDA approvals to begin exporting to the U.S. to make up the shortage,” said Besedes. “The FDA is now looking at manufacturers based in countries with similar regulations to expedite their approvals and increase shipments to the U.S.”

The first relief came from overseas within the past week – a shipment of about 70,000 pounds of formula. More foreign shipments are expected in the coming days, but the supply may only last for about a week as issues continue to compound.

“Once there was a recall and parents heard, they started stockpiling formula,” said White. The result is taking already short supplies and stretching them even thinner.

“The supply chain has to also deal with the unneeded bullwhip effect due to shortage gaming and hoarding behavior, making the situation even worse than what it should be,” says Operations Management Associate Professor Morvarid Rahmani.

White also says that 50% of the infant formula in America is purchased through government subsidies.

States who provide this assistance often sign exclusive contracts with one of these four formula manufacturers. Abbott carries the contract in nearly two-thirds of U.S. states – complicating the purchases for families with infants in those locations.

“Families in communities that are economically disenfranchised may be disproportionately affected,” explained Bullinger. “But even if you have the money, if you cannot buy formula how else are you supposed to feed an infant.”

Families who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also commonly known as food stamps) or Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) may not be able to choose which brand of formula they can receive. They can only get the formula their state has a contract with. If it is out, they may just be out of luck.

Some of the most hard-to-find infant formulas are the specialized products developed for newborns with milk allergies or other digestive issues. There’s a special emphasis on sourcing those products for parents in need.

So how much longer could this shortage impact American consumers? At least a few weeks, Georgia Tech’s experts say.

“Abbott is estimating that it’ll take about two weeks to get production to resume but another 6-8 weeks to get formula back on supermarket shelves,” says White.

That means the closed facility should be open in late May with production back up to full speed sometime in August. Limited diversity in the market has left parents in a bind.

“A shortage could be alleviated by increasing output of other plants and manufacturers, which is being done, but it is difficult to replace an entire plant,” explained Besedes.

“Ramping up production has been difficult because of shortages in labor and ingredients as well as production scheduling challenges,” explained Rahmani.

Some desperate parents have had to resort to extreme measures. But pediatricians have said infants should only be fed formula or breast milk. Anything else is likely deficient. Using alternative feeding methods could lead to long-term problems.

“There is a risk that a shortage will mean babies will not be getting the nutrition they need to develop. That could lead to a range of health problems affecting their physical growth and brain development,” explained Senior Research Engineer Maureen Linden from Georgia Tech’s Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation.

“Consumers should listen to their pediatricians and other experts and follow their advice. Pediatricians may have available samples they can give out,” said Besedes.

They can also offer advice for alternative baby formula (to the one in shortage) which is available. Medical experts are strongly advising against diluting formula or trying to recreate it at home which could cause long-lasting damage.

“We may see a rise in the rate of developmental disabilities in the age group that is presently reliant on formula – those presently six months or less,” says Linden.

Nutrition is the most important thing in an infant’s life. It’s the number one priority – making sure we are feeding them and they are developing,” explained Bullinger.

That’s why infants often get so many checkups – to make sure they are growing and gaining weight. Proper nutrition is critical for that to happen.

In the meantime, consumers can take their own action. White says it’s worth trying to buy online or shopping around at different stores.

The federal government has relaxed regulations for SNAP and WIC recipients to be able to get products with increased flexibility.

The White House has also invoked the Defense Production Act which is aimed to help manufacturers ramp up output quickly.

“Those companies will have first dibs at materials and ingredients that are needed to make formula,” said Bullinger.

“This shortage should be temporary, as demand settles, and supply is replenished from the reopened Abbott plant and FDA-approved imports,” says White.

Regardless, Georgia Tech experts have said we should have seen this coming and could have been better prepared and quicker to act – particularly for the sake of the youngest among us.

“The FDA, Biden’s administration, and baby formula manufacturers have been slow in taking actions during the past few months to prevent that. This crisis could have been prevented by timely actions,” said Rahmani.

“Infants always get the short end of the stick. They can’t speak for themselves,” said Bullinger.

Experts in this story:

Tibor Besedes

Wendy White

Lindsay Rose Bullinger

Maureen Linden

Morvarid Rahmani, associate professor, Operations Management Scheller College of Business

Summary sentence

Georgia Tech experts explain how we got here and how long this shortage could last

Summary

Georgia Tech experts explain how we got here and how long this shortage could last.

Dateline

Fri, 05/27/2022 - 12:00

snorris@gatech.edu

Contact

Steven Norris
Director, Media Relations and Social Media
Georgia Tech Institute Communications

Location

Atlanta, GA

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Source updated

Fri, 05/27/2022 - 13:29

experts

‘Barbenheimer’ and What We Can Learn From It

Interested in more?

The atomic age and women’s roles in it:

Yaszek recommends:

Yoshinaga recommends:

Feminism and the cultural importance of Barbie

Colatrella recommends:

Yoshianaga recommends:

Yaszek recommends:

Keywords

News room topics

Categories

A break in the baby formula supply chain

Keywords

News room topics

Core research areas