Without Representation

As a member of the Republic of China, we are huge fans of I-Kiribati, especially after their recognition and acceptance of our newly implemented One China policy (Wikipedia). However, the first issue we had to address was the fact that we deserve to take over the dredging contract, despite what Van Oort says about their experienced dredging. One thing that one should think about before siding with such a company is the fact that they were accused of dumping illegal waste near Indonesia, which resulted in one of their dredgers being seized (Maritime Bulletin). How can one trust a company that is having their dredgers seized to successfully carry out a dredging project. Furthermore, if sustainable dredging is what we are aiming for, Van Oort the waste dumping company cannot be trusted to maintain an environmentally friendly dredging plan. Their efforts will leave Kiribati as an ongoing project and the I-Kiribati people will never have a chance to get back to their beloved land of Kiribati. As a country, we have reflected our concern and care for the I-Kiribati people China is concerned not only for the project of dredging, but also and most importantly for the safety and well-being of the I-Kiribati people who support our one China policy, which has been respected through our economic aid we’ve been providing Kiribati with (Wikipedia).

Overall, I felt that the simulation was very confusing and it was hard to get all of our ideas out with the set-up. I did enjoy hearing the creative conversation, and watching my classmates execute their gift of debate. One thing that really struck me about simulation two, was the fact that dredging was such a dominant factor in the discussion and not the people of I-Kiribati. If there were more focus on the people of Kiribati, the transformation of our policy would have been even more time consuming because of the debate that would have ensued over human rights. If an I-Kiribati representative were present, then there would be a better communication around what the I-Kiribati people really need and want from outsiders trying to help. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93Kiribati_relations

https://maritimebulletin.net/2019/04/10/dutch-dredger-seized-for-alleged-waste-dumping/

Now we all know what sustainable dredging is!

This simulation could be agreed on being one word- sustainable. Sustainable in a different sense because the class was ever persistent in prolonging (or sustaining) the debate and analysis of dredging to go on for quite literally, infinity.
My group with Molly and Kiran represented the South Pacific Business Development. Between sitting in the back and not saying a word for the entire 7000-minute long conversation about dredging, many of my friends asked afterward what was up… well, here it is.
As a microfinance group, our main motives were formulated around the people and our integration plan, which unfortunately got shut down quick, thanks to EJF. We chose not to speak during the dredging debate as it was secondary to our primary focus and by mentioning our opinion, we feared our main motives would then be glossed over. We wanted to keep in line by only mentioning and speaking directly on the issues that the SPBD does and did not want dredging to appear as a primary concern of ours. Additionally, by hearing the other groups' perspectives on this issue, we were able to spend time revising our amendment in attempts to make it fit within the guidelines followed by each group. Although our amendment was not discussed long, I was glad it was able to be mentioned as it represented the SPBD and summarized our strategy document in the best way possible. It would have been interesting to see more of what the other groups thought of it and possible revisions that could have been made, however, I am glad our group was able to mention the SPBD’s main objectives, even if it only lasted 2 minutes of discussion.
Something I enjoyed most about this simulation is how authentic each group was to their motivations as a country or organization. In attempts to follow suit, the South Pacific Business Development has pre-existing work with both China and Japan, as well as an interlocking base with many institutions similar to the other groups present at the simulation. This is why our amendment was proposed with the hopes of involving all the other groups, as a microfinance project does not stand alone and needs sponsors, funding, and support from countless organizations and countries. Overall I appreciated the structure of this simulation as it felt more natural and relaxed, as opposed to the previous simulation. My only wish would be that we had more time to genuinely discuss more issues… and maybe we could have added another word!

Blog Post #12: How we judge

This new type of framing of "knowledge of the other" versus "knowledge of the effects of different cultural practices" is very interesting when thinking about the ways we pass judgement on those with these different cultural practices. I think that it's actually very important for us to shift from thinking about these differences through a moral lens to better-supported empirical claims.

There will always be judgement passed on people seen as "the other" who engage in these different cultural practices, but by framing them more as empirical claims it is more productive in a way. If you think about this in terms of the human sacrifice example, by just saying it's wrong, there is a moral judgement passed and a strong superiority/inferiority relationship implied. However, by framing it more as an "inefficient way to organize a political system with long-term instability," it allows for people to really think about what is being said and what the implications of human sacrifice are. This allows for less of a moral judgement, but rather a factual judgement that proves this is wrong. There is still a superiority/inferiority implication as one group is still saying this is wrong, but it allows for more of a discussion surrounding the topic.

Even though this is a better way to pass judgement on others, this is still a reassertion of the kinds of hierarchies that Todorov argues that we need to call into question. I don't, however, see how we can get rid of these hierarchies as there is always this concept of superiority and inferiority involved with passing judgement. We see this a lot with members of the developed world passing judgement on members of the developing world. Countries like the United States can make so many judgements on practices like gender roles in countries in the developing world and simply say these are wrong and there needs to be more equality. This reinforces this hierarchy, with the developed world thinking they are superior to the developing world, even though they haven't experienced the challenges and cultural practices of that country. Playing into this, I don't think there can be the correct dismissal of alternatives because it comes down to the sheer cultural differences between the two groups. You can't ever truly dismiss someone else's ideas because you haven't lived their life and don't have the cultural experiences to make that claim.

To bring this back to Todorov's three axes of alterity, I don't think they can be mutually exclusive. The axiological level of value judgements will always exist between two entities as these cultural practices create differences which cause each of them to pass judgement on the different practices. In terms of the epistemic level, this knowledge of the other's cultural practices can never be "perfect" in a sense because judgement will always be passed as one continues to learn and compare different practices. The only way this judgement can be mitigated is by framing them as more empirical claims to generate discussions about the issues and work to eliminate the moral component.

Reflection Week #14

So this Thanksgiving was really different than last year and it's something I've been thinking about a lot and want to reflect on. Just as a precursor, this is going to be a pretty personal post briefly discussing death and suicide.

So last year, my cousin Purple was alive. Last year, my ex-boyfriend Matt spent some time with my family on Thanksgiving. Last year, my cat Ambrose was still alive. Last year, I was a senior in high school and still living at home. This year, all of that was different. 

I am still working through a lot of pain associated with the loss of Purple, who committed suicide in April. I still don't think I know the full extent of what I'm feeling, but it's something that I'm trying to give myself space for. It's also making it very important for me to spend time with family and share the grief and love that we feel even more. 

Breaking up with Matt has been emotionally difficult and I am still working through all of my feelings. I am, however, coming to terms with the fact that he's always going to hold a special place in my heart and I'm always going to care about him, even when I'm trying to move on. 

The loss of Ambrose has also been hard, especially on my other cat Barnaby. It makes me more thankful that I still have him to cuddle up next to and pet when I need a little comforting. 

The immense amount of change that I've experienced over this summer and now after almost a full semester of college has been a lot to handle, but I'm thankful for the community I've started to build at AU and I know I'm starting to build my home here. 

I am still dealing with a lot of personal issues and I'm not getting help right now which is something I know I'm going to need to make a priority once finals are over. I am a work in progress and will always be a work in progress. I'm so incredibly thankful for my entire support system, be it my immediate and extended family who never fail to comfort me and hold me up when I'm down, or my high school friends who are either right down the street or 3,000 miles away and who will always laugh and love with me, or my new family at AU who have brought me so many new experiences and continue to make me feel less alone in a place that is so easy to feel isolated. 

I cannot truly express my gratitude for the people that surround me and help to make me who I am because without them I wouldn't be half the person I am.

Adaptation -- Week 14

Before I delve into the topic for this week, I want to follow up on last week's reflection post about trying to talk about the history of Thanksgiving. When I actually brought up the topic with a few family friends, the conversation drifted quickly to the idea that the victors write history. This then turned into a debate in which one of my particularly chaos-loving cousins decided to play devils advocate and contend that (maybe not so jokingly)the Sons of Liberty were literally terrorists and that many British people were assaulted and cold-bloodily harassed by colonists in the pre-Revolutionary War time period. The basic premise that was being argued after dinner was whether or not the colonists would have been historically referred to as ruthless, overly-violent terrorists if they had lost the Revolutionary war. This then began to craft a conversation in which a younger cousin innocently (probably without realizing the depth of implication he had employed) suggested that if victors write history that is in some way bias, might certain truths that we take for granted historically OR presently, be false in actuality? That's when collectively the family decided to break out the pie and avoid a rabbit hole of intellectual debate (or torture and warfare as its referred to at the Thanksgiving dinner table).

So, back to my topic for the week--adaptation. It occurred to me before leaving to come home this week that I had really been at college for over three months, and it had already become natural to my way of life. Only a very small part of my entire life has been spent here at AU, but right now it feels like everything. Back at home, seeing my family, living in my own house, sleeping in my own bed, frequenting old hometown favorites with my old hometown friends: it all felt surreal. At many times I felt like I was living someone else's life, or maybe reliving a previous lifetime of my own. However, by the time the short, chaotic, action-packed break came to a close, I felt like I was used to this old lifestyle and to the surroundings of my home. Now, back at AU once again, I feel that same uncomfortable feeling that I felt when arriving home for the first time. I know that in the next couple weeks that feeling will shake off and be replaced with a cycle of finals-related stress, only to be gained back again when I go home for winter break.

If that last paragraph seemed like a crazy, mumbo-jumbo whirlwind, that's because it was and I intended for it to be that way. The chaos and constant change a college student such as myself experiences during this time is more than enough to completely disorient and unsteady someone. Somehow, us as young humans are very good at a particular skill: adaptation. When I realized how much I've been forced to adapt, change, and reflect in my recent life, I became quite proud of my ability to be flexible in regard to instrumental changes in life, and I hope this is a skill I retain even when I'm not the same naive young freshman.

Pre and Post Thanksgiving Thoughts

Pre-Thanksgiving Reflection:

Lesson plan idea for last class --
Step one: Split up into groups of 3 or 4
Step two: Each group chooses a current event of their liking (Hong Kong protests, new technology advancement, etc)
Step three: Each group then finds at least two reports, blogs, videos, and/or news articles on the topic
Step four: categorize the articles (based on the descriptions on pg 230) if the reading/video most closely aligns to Duran, Motolinia, or Sahagun writing.
Step five: answer questions in a small group-- 1) How did that particular style affect your opinion of the topic?     2) Is it good, bad, necessary?   3) Why did the author use that particular style?     4) Are there certain times when one style is necessary/ more prone to be used than another?
Step six: Come back as a large group. 2 minutes for each group to present their findings
Step seven: Discuss as a group: Is Todorov successful in fullfilling his goal on page 247? How much does his writing style differ from Duran, Motolinia, or Sahagun?
Goals: Todorov does a critical analysis of other writers, and he claims to be different. This class is an opportunity to apply the same critical lens on Todorov and have an important discussion questioning if unbiased writing/analysis if even possible. Using current events also allows us to make connections from theory and a 1939 book to modern day events.

Post-Thanksgiving Reflection:

Tips to avoid talking to family about off limit subjects, touchy issues, or topics that you know will add tension to the air --
1) Before dinner talk to your Aunts and Uncles and gather as much basic information about cool new things your cousins or other relatives are doing, so that when a possible tenuous topic risks being brought up, you can easily swerve the topic to something your grandparents/ family is obligated to be interested in.
Example: *comments are being made that risk touchy issues being brought up*
You: Hey Cousin John, I heard you just started track season, how is that going?
--It is best to be preparing follow up question in your head as the point of deflection is talking.--
Example: You: That sounds super cool cousin John! Uncle Dave, you must enjoy going to the meets... any high lights from the season so far?
2) Plan with your family before hand. Optional determination of a safety word. Make sure every member of the family is aware of which topics are off limits. That way when such topic arises you have a group of people backing each other up and using their collective brains to figure out how to steer the topic away from that subject or feign an issue that you simply must go deal with now.
3) Bring games and activities.
4) If the topic cannot be avoided, but you have to much dignity to pretend that you agree, but you also don't want a fight to break out: practice "matching the affect." This is a good therapy technique in almost any situation, but it also comes in handy at family gatherings as well. In simple description, matching the affect means, rather than reasoning with someone, you say things like "Wow, that must be super frustrating for you" or "Gosh, I see why that annoys you." Usually when a person feels empathized with, it diffuses the tensions in the air, and it minimizes the risk of the topic arising again because of the individual feeling like they were not heard.

Queue up "Christmas Hits"

It is  officially Christmas season so as many may expect, given my namesake, I will be going HARD. 

Thanksgiving break happened… it has never been my favorite holiday and it was especially isolated as all my family is scattered around the country so it was just my mom and I and our little tofurkey (which was amazing, I recommend Tofurkey to everyone). I did get to watch Frozen II (again!) and the new Mr. Rodgers movie.. as well as the entire new season of The Crown, so it was a successful break for TV and films! I also got to spend a couple hours with my best friend and the huge hugs her family gave me made it feel so much more like home, in addition to the bruise on my arm developing from her football tackle when we first saw each other. I got to FaceTime my sister with my mom a bunch to see the holiday decorations in Disney World and hear more about the “behind the scenes”. Although she will also be missing Christmas too which is definitely unfortunate, Disney and Christmas are my two favorite thinks so it just set me up to start getting more excited for Christmas. 

Christmas is arguably the best time of the year and I truly just love all the days leading up to the actual 26th more than anything as people are so much friendlier. Especially in New Jersey… we need that friendliness!  I do wish they didn’t need an old guy in a red suit to spread joy, but I guess pickers can’t be choosers. I also love making gifts for people and cannot wait to get some fun AU/DC gifts for my friends and family. 

I am SO excited to be back with this American family for the next two weeks, even though it is finals time (*screams*). The days off of school were a nice calm before the storm of an insane amount of essays and the craziness of the end of the semester. I am definitely not looking forward to the impending showers of stress and anxiety. 

It is also insane to think that the semester and all my classes will be over after these next weeks. Time has flown by and I cannot imagine not having World Politics every week! WIth that, I’m looking forward to the simulation this week and how it will be a different experience to our previous one. At the time of this post, there are 23 days, 10 hours, and 24 minutes until Christmas….