Minor Post #3 by Yiyan Pan

 As someone without much knowledge of genre studies, I found the case study of Michael Jackson in "Television Genres as Cultural Categories" to be compelling. Michael Jackson's situation exemplifies how the music video genre intersects with important cultural practices, including debates around race and the genre's intended audience. The genre's textual "essence" is not necessarily fixed, but instead is shaped by cultural forces, with television being particularly responsive to these changes. While I do not have any particular thoughts on television genres at the moment, discussions of film noir have reminded me of its recent localization in China. The conventions of film noir make it a safer space to express discontent with the government, compared to more explicit forms of expression. Filmmakers can argue that they are simply adapting a popular US genre, while using its familiar plot and characters to convey their message. Probably a counter example of how genre does not reflect some progressive problems under censorship.