Stop Being Pessimistic: The Power - Atrocity Cycle is NOT Inevitable

I hear you. The power-atrocity cycle is inevitable. People are inherently selfish. Things supposedly  can get better, but it is all a facade. Great. Wonderful. Perfection is impossible. Let's all go contemplate the helplessness, hopelessness of life. We have been doing it all semester. 
In a way I agree. Perfection is impossible. As Jacob convinced me, there are always trade-offs in a seemingly good thing. And maybe, in the long term, improvement in the human condition will always prove itself a fickle thing. I could go around in circles with you on this topic all day. In fact, I would love to. Nevertheless, I think there are valid points to be made supporting the proposition that certain cycles are not inevitable, at least in the 'short term'. We discussed the prime example in class today: the repetition of history concerning cycles of power and atrocity.
James Tiptree/ Alice Bradley Sheldon's short story We Who Stole the Dream exemplifies the idea that this pattern is inevitable, yet it contains all the necessary elements which I believe, if properly capitalized on, could prevent the pattern from repeating itself. 
*disclaimer: This is not a lit review/fully flushed lit analysis or SIS final paper, so my arguments are shortened to their basics, but if you want to chat to discuss it more in depth, hit me up* 
1) Find allies within the system
       - Tiptree describes one Terran on page 368 who appears sympathetic to the Joilani situation. This shows that not all Terrans are hopeless brutes. If Joilani continued to find people like that Terran and created a group of allies from within the Terran system, sustainable change could have been made to topple the Terran's system of Joilani mistreatment from within the system itself. 
       - Proof that this works in real life: The abolitionist movement in the United States. Movements for women's equality within organized religion. 
2) Justice and retribution
       - Tiptree acknowledges issues of lingering hate and hurt between oppressors and the oppressed when she describes how some Joilani needlessly killed cornered Terrans on page 377. If the need for justice and retribution is realized and addressed by both parties in a fair and equivocal manner, this can prevent cycles of problems occurring due to lingering resentment.
       -Proof this works in real life: https://youtu.be/G422U9faPSg 
3) Empower the subjugated
       - In We Who Stole the Dream, this is symbolized with nourishing the young Joilani with the Terran food and witnessing the positive effects it has on the physical size of the children. Those with a history of subjugation need to be given the resources to reach an 'equal' playing field. This could take the form of representation in the government, accessible education, affordable housing, or even an assured avenue for employment.
      - Applied in real life: Obviously many cultures have struggled with this part as particularly evident in the United States. Nevertheless, that does not mean the U.S. has failed to make any strides to meet this need, hence affirmative action and EEOC policy. The situation for most previously subjugated people is far from perfect, but each stride towards empowering those people is a step in the right direction. 
4) Reminder of the mistakes of the past
        -There was the potential for the elder Joilani and the Terran ship the Dream to have played this part in the Joilani empire. Unfortunately, in the story, the 'new' Joilani focus on using the ship not as a symbol of what will occur if the Joilani do not watch their actions, but as a source of information to build their empire, and they shun the symbol of the inevitable effects of their actions (the 'old' Joilani) in an isolated area separated from the rest of society.
       -Example of the use of symbols and remembrances of past atrocities: https://www.ushmm.org/
5) Religion/Values
       - The Joilani value of sharing, depicted on 372, could have easily been used as a tool for preventing a society committing atrocities that they so abhorred in the past. Unfortunately, as h0lt mentioned in class, religion/moral values of a society are often misused to perpetuate violence that in their essence, they actually condemn. This dichotomy is represented in the discord between Bislat and Jivadh at the end of the story. Nevertheless, if cultural values or religion is employed in the process of enacting change or fighting cultural violence, the change will be much more sustainable.
        Proof in real life: Making Peace with Faith: The Challenges of Religion and Peacebuilding edited by Michelle Garred & Mohammed Abu-Nimer 

I remember a comment from one of peers that was along the lines of "talking theory is great, but in the end discussing it is not going to make a change." I feel as important as learning theory is, I have noticed in our class that elongated discussion of it tends to foster feelings of hopelessness and pessimistic views of the suck-i-ness of society. Valid as that is, and important as it is to acknowledge, I hope that in conversations in the future, we will allow ourselves to imagine a ridiculously ideal society and begin to ask ourselves what would need to be done in order to get there. For this Holiday season, give yourself the gift of (very possibly) idealistic, positive thinking; put the hopelessness in a box and compartmentalize it.