Brittany Liu Blog #8 Reflection On The Process

In my very first blog entitled "Science of Humanity" I discussed the connection between nationalism and communities.  I said that "communities are formed from nationalism and they are imagined through the kinship of humanity."  Humanistic qualities link people together regardless of race or ethnicity and serve as the base of a community that is sustained by nationalism.  I feel that my community is within the U.S. not necessarily because I was born here, but because of the deep connections I have made with  my friends and family.  Throughout the course my belief in the community based on the natural collectiveness of humanity has been reaffirmed through our films and activities.  In Amigo the natives are invaded by the oppressive Americans.  Although the Americans rule over the natives, they actually become integrated into their community.  They learn the ways of the natives by taking part in their festivities and one young soldier even tries to create a real relationship with one of the young female natives.  Although they are different races and are from different countries, the bonds of humanity blur their line of division.
Of course, within our class we have many different races and backgrounds, but through our bridge activities we have found where we are connected.  I think one factor that is holding us back as a community is the setting that we're in.  In many classrooms the desks are arranged in individual rows and columns that separate each individual.  Sometimes school can seem just about getting the grade and then putting it on the transcript.  Yes, there are group projects, but what really matters is the final individual test that leaves you thinking about how well you did in the class and not about how well the group performed.  In the end it is only you who gets the grade.  I know I have this problem of just thinking about myself during school because I want to do well.  Having this self-oriented mind does not work well when forming a community.  What I propose (if possible) is to take our learning outside of the classroom.  By changing our setting, our minds will separate from the constraints of school and turn our class into a community.  The classroom setting creates the parameters of a group, but it is the interactions of the people when the parameters are pulled down that make it an imagined community.

Guy Carmeli Blog 7- I'm the One

American nationalism! Whatta topic, am I right? Especially for all of us who grew up during the Bush (or Blair) years. Let's just get into it.

Nationalism is hardly new. And American nationalism isn't either; it's about 250 years old. And while our particular iteration has some pretty nifty characteristics (such as the delightful ability to police the rest of the world, or the inability to refuse a refill of our sugar-drinks), I still think it's probably a bad idea.

Hillblom, the focus of Billionaire, is a perfect example of nationalist thought in action, albeit in a much more subtle way than this:

Rather than use physical violence to ensure that people of color know their place as lesser beings a la Edward Norton's character, Hillblom used his money to buy sex with adolescent girls. The money is just as powerful as any weapon. And the subsequent legal battle was only a continuation of the same imperialist attitude. The American agenda is one of supreme and sublime selfishness, of taking and hoarding, all the while ordering others not too make too much noise about their lot in life.

Nationalism is often tied to right-wing groups. The ability to offer a simple solution (kick out foreigners/cut back on welfare) to a complex problem (a changing nation/budget issues) draws many uneducated folk towards an extreme right-wing view. The American xenophobia problem has always existed, though.

So what do we as a community do to combat this problem?

Firstly: sharing openly. Jonno told us a story about a time that he offended somebody by being less than tactful about race on the rugby field. While I'm sure it was embarrassing at the time, by sharing with the group we were all able to learn from his situation.

Secondly: taking a solid look at the effects of these attitudes. The curb-stomping scene is incredibly heavy. Many of the people in the class did look away or gasp at that scene. But nobody reacted that way to Billionaire. Or to Who Killed Vincent Chin? In order to address these inequalities we must first realize how extreme they are in every iteration, especially the ones that pass by our gaze the first time. We must constantly self-asses ourselves.

Jessie Ede Blog 8

Going back to my first post was painful. I don't say that because it was particularly poorly written or I disagree with anything I said, but because I can tell from my writing style that it just was not me. I try to write how I speak, and that first post was not how I speak at all. I think it reflects my initial misgivings about taking this class and represents a careful crafting of my words and tone to stay an arm's length away. If I were to rewrite that post, the essence would be the same but the word choice would be different. I think the shift in my writing is indicative of how I have grown along with the class. As someone who is not necessarily quiet but most definitely shy, I appreciate how our class has grown into more of a community. I do think, however, that we are not as cohesive as we could be. Within the William and Mary microcosm within our nation, our class is yet another layer. Observing the class, we seem to be split into groups based on the geography of our room - surely an interesting commentary on the role geographical proximity plays in nation building. It appears as though even a room of no more than 40 individuals cannot resist splitting themselves further, all the way down to pairs or trios. I am not pointing this out to make anyone feel as though they are being called out, or to suggest that forced mingling or changing seats is in order. There is a comfort in establishing smaller communities within larger ones, and I think these groupings are natural. The in-class divisions do not really seem to fall upon particular lines outside of where people choose to sit in class, though I suppose it is possible people who knew each other before taking the class sit together and thereby reinforce those friendships that were formed based on interests.
I am going to be up front and admit that I have zero brilliant ideas about projects that are vital to the positive imagination of our community. To me, that wording suggests that there is dissatisfaction with the level and strength of our class as-is, which is something I do not feel. I think the easiest way to make people feel close is circumstances that force them to really work together, but engineering a crisis specifically for SexyRacy seems extreme. In my mind, the easiest way to continue to build a positive imagined community is to keep lines of communication open. So far, everyone has been respectful of other's contributions and engaged in questioning and idea building, which goes a very long way toward this end. I really hope there are classmates out there who are more creative than I am!

Nathan's Blog Post 8: Oops was that racist?

I have a Nepali friend named Arati. I met her a few years ago in college, at William and Mary. We grew to be great friends, but in the first few months of us knowing each other she told me that I was her first Black friend. She moved from Nepal while just before 9th grade and lives in Northern Virginia. One night, while she and a few other (white) good friends of mine were hanging out, she blurts out "what up, mah nigga". Right after that one of the white people we were hanging out with replied "you can't say that". Me the only other minority in the group sat there quiet and not displeased but actually apathetic. It wasn't until that moment where I found the distinction between ignorance and racism.

I had forgotten all about this moment until Thursday's class when Jono explained how he something racist out of a lack of cultural information. That comment by Jono lead the class further into a discussion about the classification of Oriental and someone replied that it wasn't racist because they came from a ethnically un-diverse community that did not discuss these types of things. I feel that people lump ignorant and racist actions together. It is imperative for people to distinguish the two, I believe the major difference between the two is the emotion behind the actions. The words that are actually spoken are not the crucial part of a racist statement, the important thing being conveyed is the emotion. Arati did not have an elitist attitude about the term "nigga" she thought it was a term of endearment, and when confronted with new knowledge she stopped using it.

Words are powerful but they only get their power from the emotion behind them. Beaner, Chink, Coon, Cracker all are meaningless without hegemony. Essentially the racist attitudes come from the hegemony not the words itself. So yes a person can say a slur without it being racist/sexist they are just lacking knowledge. As long as the person is willing to gain knowledge it is not a problem.

Chris Phillibert Reflections and suggestions (8)

After reading my first blog, I think my writing sounds a little too stiff and methodical. The thought process was clearly traceable but I think my style of writing reflects someone who was trying to cling too hard to the question in order not to divert from the point. I think now I'm a little more comfortable putting my own thoughts and ideas into the blog instead of simply answering the question in an overly logical manner. When attempting to define a nation I was thinking too abstractly. I referred more to the establishment of institutions and how they will serve the people they represent instead of focusing on things like what the reasoning behind forming a nation may be and how a nation represents itself in the daily lives of the people who choose to live within it. Again, this comes from trying to hard to focus on answering the question directly instead of thinking about the context of the question in what the instructor was trying to teach or what I was supposed to learn from the question itself.

I think my community and to some extent myself view the information we have learned so far as if observing animals or other aquatic life at an aquarium. We observe and are fascinated by what we see and may study the things in front of us intensely, but after this process is finished we simply move forward leaving what we just observed behind us. I think this approach may be useful for simply being aware of information, but there is an alternative that would work better than the aquarium approach. I'm not quite sure what would definitely work for every student because of course every student is different. However, moving beyond simply observing and studying information and phenomena is certainly necessary, the information would become so much more meaningful if the students found a way to incorporate the information into their minds and lives to make them better people.

A project I feel would be vital to the positive imagination of the community would be a painting session. The students would be given canvasses, paint, and other necessary supplies to construct a painting of whatever they wish with the supplies they have. When the students are finished, they would have to explain why they painted what they painted as well as what they want the students to take away from their painting. I think this would build our community around the common values of imagination and creativity similar to how the looting and ransacking of the minority-owned business united the skinheads in American X around the common cause of hating minorities and blaming them for unfavorable circumstances in their lives. This painting activity would also inspire us to work together. When the time comes to explain your painting, students will work together to learn more about each other and be united by creative interaction. This is similar to how the people who attempted to block Larry Hillblom's estate from being inherited by his children were united by their collective greed and were encouraged to work together in order to grow themselves by being enriched financially.

Guy Carmeli Blog 6- Protest Songs in Response to Hegemonic Aggression

American gun owners have, in reaction to increase scrutiny from the public eye on firearms in general, adopted an anticipatory strategy to retain their guns (and thus their identities) and separate themselves from those who disagree with their ideology. Interestingly, this particular strategy is not an entirely new one. Rather, it is the rapid evolution towards extreme anti-authoritarian (and often racist/xenophobic) rhetoric in the public sphere that belies the true magnitude of this shift.

In response to shifts in hegemony, certain individuals feel their identity as Americans is being threatened. Many gun owners are proud hunters and feel that their weapons are important tools in maintaining their self-sufficiency, a trait which defines them. This is in no way wrong. However, when the laws regarding those tools change, it can cause a visceral reaction.

As someone with a healthy amount of paranoia and distrust of any government, I find myself agreeing with the video and essay responses from gun owners far more often than gun control activists, especially when the idea of self-defense is mentioned. But all too often, racist and sexist tirades against "liberals" or other people who do not match the outdated hegemonic ideal of white protestant America follow and leave me disgusted.

To summarize: conservative gun owners are becoming fundamentalists in their quest to maintain the status quo. While this cleanses the group of outsiders who are not committed enough to the cause, it also creates a situation in which there are no outside perspectives being taken seriously, which furthers the rapid march towards extremity. Unfortunately, this does second-amendment activists a great disservice, by building those in favor of gun-control a convenient strawman to attack in the public eye. Furthermore, alienation of moderates also weakens their attempts to garner public support.

Tonisha Spratte Blog 8

Blog 8 A Look Back/Black Feminism

Anderson describes a nation as something that is quite natural and unchosen.  Stating in chapter 8 “As we have seen earlier, in everything ‘natural’ there is always something unchosen.  In this way, nation-ness is assimilated to skin-colour, gender, parentage and birth-era – all those things one can not help.”  He also says “Even in the case of colonized peoples, who have every reason to feel hatred for their imperialist rulers, it is astonishing how insignificant the element of hatred is in these expressions of national feeling.”  In my very first blog, I wrote about what ties one to a nation.  First I tried to describe what a nation is.  I looked online at Merriam-Webster and had to dig a little until I found what I thought was a good understanding of the word.  I then went on to describe what ties one to a nation.  We had just seen the film/documentary Passing Through, in which an adopted Korean American was basically searching for his roots, trying to figure out where he belonged.  I argued that he felt the strongest connection to the place where he cultivated those memories of his childhood and growing up and where his family was.  Although he went to Korea, he had no real feelings of connectedness and even had to extend his sixth month stay in order to try and create or find these feelings.  In the end, despite the fact that he did finally get in touch with his biological family, he still ended up having the strongest ties with the people and to the place he was raised.  This led me to think about my own community.  What community do I belong to and how can I try to bring my classroom community closer to this other community I belong to? 

So, what community do I belong to?  Well, there’s the William and Mary community, which is one that I am quite proud of!  There’s the Virginia community or Suffolk community.  Maybe more generally, I should be grouped with blacks, or women, or, better yet, the community of black women!  I’d have to say that is a community I definitely identify with.   This community is one that is built less on nation-ness and more on race and sex.  We have talked about feminism and black feminism and watched a film or two which address it either directly or indirectly.  The most direct pieces were found in the Colored Museum, in the scene with the wigs, and the woman with the egg.  These scenes addressed the image, her hair, and the value, her offspring, of the black woman.  We also watched La Noire de, which was about a young Senegalese woman who went to work for a white woman in France.  This one was a display of the treatment of the black woman.  Diouana’s boss treated her as if she was a slave, manipulated, and then degraded her in order to get what she wanted from her.  The latter sentence is basically a summary of colonialism, but I digress.  I believe that screening these films was a great way for the classroom community to become better acquainted with black feminism, even those of us who are in this community (of black women) can benefit from the discussion of the topics displayed in these films in class. 

Inspired by documentary, Passing Through, I started blogging about what ties someone to a specific place.  It all boiled down to the relationships and memories a person has in a specific place which will lead the person to call the place ‘home’ or feel connected to it.  This relates to what Anderson talks about in chapter 8, these are the things one cannot choose which influences one to have specific feelings about a certain place.  Nathan could not choose the place he grew up in or the people he grew up with and this relates to nation-ness because they are all unchosen.  This led me to think about the community I most relate to, which is that of black women, and even though it is not based on geography, I feel that it is just as real or significant a community as any other.  Black feminism is an area that has been created in order to explain and rectify the mistreatment of black women and I think educating the community of this subject will be one of the best ways of increasing the pool of knowledge shared in the classroom.  But there is something that perplexes me; why is there a difference between feminism and black feminism?  What is the goal of feminism and since its been around for quite some time, why aren’t its goals reached?  Why hasn’t feminism been more successful in creating the desired environment?  Chakraborty says it’s because the feminists can’t get along enough to unite for the common goal; “Because the notion of subject formation is crucial to the feminist academy, a host of theoretical, identitarian, and seemingly generational differences have come to interrupt feminisms timely arrival in a post-patriarchal future.”  But one could argue that even with all the fractions within feminism, since they have the same goal it should be able to be accomplished.  Is there more to feminism’s slow ability to change or is it merely lack of unity within the movement itself?  Do those in power, the men, even listen, or could it disrupt hegemony?  Or is it just that the forerunners in this movement have not been as progressive as they should have been?  Or have they been too progressive that they have scared off needed supporters?  

Coleen Herbert Blog 8

In my first post, I began by discussing Anderson's points about Marxist historiography. It was a great introduction to the course in that it immediately changed my mode of thinking about a certain subject. I wrote about the American nationalism surrounding 9/11 and what it was like to grow up in a fractured nation, a nation that desperately tried to repair its nationhood after a national tragedy. I also wrote about how privilege   affects how we interpret each other. Since then, I've discovered that the best way to work beyond privilege is to confront it. We've had several discussions in class that have confronted privilege and what it's like to be outside of a discourse. The least successful way to have discussions about social change and issues is to ignore privilege.
What is my community and where is it? I ask myself the latter question in that sentence more often than I do the first. The first thing that people probably notice about me is that I'm White. The second thing that people probably notice about me is that I'm a woman. We've definitely talked about women and race in class. Lastly, they notice my appearance. But what does my appearance say about me? When I came out, many people acted very surprised. I got a lot of, "But you don't look like a lesbian," and, "Remember that time you had a boyfriend?"  Some people don't realize it, but these comments were some of the most ignorant things that I had ever heard. I heard some of them from "progressive" people. It's not up to you to decided whether or not I get to pass. I welcome you acknowledgement of my sexuality and the role that it plays in my life. I don't welcome your policing.
I'm combining my statement on privilege and my identity into a project on Queer women's lives in Iran. My project will use the recent film Circumstance (2011) to highlight contemporary queer issues in Iran. I'm also using some contemporary articles that either comment on the film or speak on the lives of LGBTQ people in the Middle East. Teaching both inside and outside of a discourse has been a learning process for me. I'm not Iranian. I think that this project also integrates a lot of information that we haven't had the chance to cover yet. In a way, it also leads into the next section of the course.

Sarah Smith Blog 8: Nationalistic Passion

In my first blog essay, I wrote about the role of sheer chance in the composition of a nation. I myself did not actively accomplish anything that allows me to participate in the United States of America. I did not “make the cut” or “get picked” based on some strength of my own. I was merely born here in the US, like so many others who were merely born in the US. And now, together, we comprise a community. Sheer chance.

Two months and seven blog essays later, I believe there is still truth to this. I also believe, though, that my sense of nation has grown more complex. While we were brought together by sheer chance (in most cases), we have expanded upon that sheer chance to foster a camaraderie that goes beyond fate. Shared experience has yielded shared sentiments. The person who cares about her nation, even just a little bit, also cares about her fellow countrymen. In Chapter 8 of Imagined Communities, Anderson addresses the role of love as a unifier in communities--in nations. And I want to mention that because that is something which was entirely absent in my first blog essay and my prior conception of nation. There is something about a nation that makes many people willing to die for that nation. They love it so much that they would die for it. Thus, there is a shift from sheer chance to great passion even unto death. A nation, then, is made of many people, united under a single flag or government by chance, but unified on a deeper level by their upholding of the nation’s ideals and their desire to protect those ideals at whatever cost.

I think immediately of Amigo. In the film, we observe several parties representing several nations, each of which believes in their cause and is willing to defend it. They protect their national ideals to the point of death. This is, for me, where I begin to get frustrated and ask questions. How can people on such different sides be so sure that their side is right enough to die for it? I am not a history or government or political science major, and I would imagine such majors discuss themes like this one in class and probably have more answers than I do. For me, it’s just a frustration. It’s just a question. But it really shows the power of nationhood, the passionate quest to defend the ideals of the place where you come from, of the notions of state that you were born into and indoctrinated with since birth. Of course, some of this is broad generalizations, but there’s truth to it. I guess my concluding question is regarding whether or not the good outweighs the bad. Is nation as a unifier truly good, or does it just lead to factions that end up sparring with each other? Can nationalism become blind faith in misunderstood ideals? Obviously, we look back now at imperialism and see that we erred in possessing regions and peoples who we thought inferior to ourselves--but it was motivated by nationalism.

How do we curb the tide of nationalism? How do we encourage pride in nation without letting it become blindly following an emblem to the point of recklessness? That’s my question. People brought together by chance and united by love: this is nation. But the next step, to not let passion cloud judgment as we honor our nations, is the national idealism that I believe we should strive for.

Laura Menzel, Blog #8: Community Reflections

In my first blog, I focused on how the purpose of a nation was to unify its citizens in a shared, imagined narrative.  Anderson calls a nation an "imagined political community" (6).  Looking back on our class experience thus far, I agree with my original analysis of a nation/community.  After talking with one of my friends who took this class last year, we agreed that each batch of Sexy Racy is different.  Different concepts and groups are emphasized, and the people in the class, leading discussion and guiding the direction of the class, is different.  Even though Francis has a similar general syllabus for each semester, because half of the class is a student led conversation, the content of class discussion is up to us.  We have created our own community with it's own hegemony.  There are a few regular and frequent participant in class discussion and very many more who participate rarely.  (I use the term 'hegemony' loosely - I do not mean to imply that the participation is imbalance is a bad thing.  I respect that each person has a choice to participate however much he or she would like).  What is interesting is that we created a structure within ourselves, as we rely less on Francis to direct discussion.  The first few weeks of class, even though we were arranged in a circle, we still directed our attention to the professor and waited for him to direct us.  Francis still occasionally jumps in to guide our conversation, but I think we look more to ourselves for a prompt now.

While we may be an imagined community, we do not fit Anderson's concept of a nation.  A "nation inspires love, and often profoundly self-sacrificing love" (Anderson, 141).  Perhaps we've made some strong friendships in this classroom, but I don't think any of us feels inclined to be self-sacrificing for this class.  Part of the reason for this is that we all chose to be in this class, and we choose how much we put in to it.  Anderson writes that "nation-ness is assimilated to something unchosen" (143).  He notes that this is how racism is born.  Our community is much more open and accepting because we all chose to be a part of it.

As we finish the semester, I wonder, where will we take our community?  What topics have we left to explore?  Our class if full of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.  We are all on different parts of our journey and we all have different perspectives to offer.   We've learned a lot from each other already, and I am excited to see what we will explore in the future.

Tenille Jensen Blog 8

In my first blog, I talked about what makes a nation from my own perspective someone who immigrated to the United States with my immediate family. Nations are ultimately comprised of people so I felt that loyalty that was an important aspect of what nationhood truly means. The United States is a perfect example because this land is comprised of various nationalities and origins; what makes us one as a nation and one community is our loyalty to the idea of being “American” and have created an American culture aside from the unique backgrounds we all come from. In this day and age, this idea of loyalty to land becomes extremely important as well because we have quickly become a globalized community with people traveling and living abroad all over the world, inter-racial marriages, and a blending of cultures, so it’s not unheard of for nations to be communities solely defined by a racial, cultural, and religious distinctions (although there most certainly many nations primarily defined by these unique characteristics).

The main lesson I have learned so far through the wonderful movies we have seen and the insightful discussions we have had is that human nature transcends race, culture, language, and even money. Emotions are not unique to any particular to race or culture: we all cry, laugh, we all feel pain, we all long for acceptance from someone, we yearn to be loved, we believe in something, we see the importance of family, we all laugh, we all have dreams, and we feel in the core of our beings what is morally right and wrong (whether we choose to follow it or not). I believe that is the very focal point in which we all fit into this continuum of race, sex, power relations, history, and culture despite all coming from different communities. So I would propose a project that allowed the participants to see just how similar we all are rather than focusing on the differences we face and then trying to bridge the gaps from there. I think we would all be surprised at the similarities and how we all face the same emotions, desires, even insecurities; our experiences on Earth is is what has created our modes of expression. I think it would be great to purpose an exchange where we find a person believed to share nothing in common with you and live their life for a week…I think people will be surprised how similar people really are. To be honest, I believe the imagined communities we really make are the ones where we try to find the differences amongst the human race. As we continue to globalize, I believe we will see just how similar we all really are. 

Desmarie Sherwood: blogs 1-6

Blog #1

The ability to define one’s borders and support its inhabitants, who share a common culture, is what makes a nation.  The presence of severe discord does not obstruct this definition but is calls into question the nation’s identity.  Worlds are divided into 1st and 3rd  countries based on its resources and the global value of those resources.  I do not believe anyone could purposely envision the integrated world-market that currently exists.  But I do believe the goal was to gain holdings that help guarantee the success of a nation’s people.  That success can only be achieved through an appropriate foundation upon which to move forward.  There is nothing stronger than being able to confidently express where you came from?  It is a way to pin-point one’s existence and draw meaning from it in a very big world.  Nathan definitely had trouble understanding where is it he belonged and why.  Being Asian in an all-white community today seems obvious.  It doesn’t  necessarily incite insecurities within ourselves.  Not when everyone we know wants to be different.  

Where are you from Des?  

Jamaica.

Oh that’s so cool, are you going back?

Uh, no.  I live here.

I will not forget the girl who always asked her mother why other people thought she was different.  All the while she herself could not see it.  She would ask how they knew.  And to see that as an adult she still struggled with her core identity is utterly fantastic in its purest definition.  It goes to show the power of the psychological.  Something we cannot see has such a great impact on how we imagine ourselves.  A mirror does not see everything there is to a person.  

Blog #2  Where are you from?

I immigrated from the country of Jamaica when I was 12.  When I first arrived, most Americans looked identical.  Although I grew up watching television, with a predominantly white cast, it never registered the subtle differences that manifested between each person.  Green eyes, blue eyes, blond hair, brunette, the only idea that registered was they were not like me.  I had black hair with dark brown eyes and frankly so did many people I knew from childhood.  As diverse as Jamaica is, with its Asian and Latin Jamaicans these European traits were more or less indistinguishable to me.  

Upon moving to the States, these traits became more defined and exotic.  They were all exotic except it became increasingly apparent that I was the foreigner.  I spoke differently, I spelled words using the Queen’s English and worse, I had no inkling for their social cues.  All of the material things they sought after with such reverence was not something I shared.  It is not that I thought of myself as better.  It was simply that what they sought were not things I could easily obtain.  I often asked myself why?  In Jamaica, being the smartest student determined popularity.  Being sent to a bad high school was equivalent to death.  For the people I met, wearing $200 Jordan’s (shoes) seemed much more important than being able to pay a $1.98 for their lunch.  

In Twilight: Los Angeles we saw many people looting, rampaging through the streets fighting and injuring themselves and others for “free” goods.  People running through the streets with flat screens, shoes, clothes jewelry, food in vengeance for what happened to Rodney King.  George Bush said, the riots were not about King.  He said they were simply people misbehaving with the King incident as an excuse. He said “the LA riots are not about civil rights.”  Meanwhile the makers of “Birth of a Nation” dubbed the riots the LA Rebellion.  Both these comments carry an implied meaning.  They carry a certain perspective intrinsically linked to each person’s socioeconomic experience and overall grasp of life’s available opportunities. As a “black” American, it is incredibly difficult to judge nearly 20 years into the future the actions of rioters.  The level of violence during the so-called LA rebellion (against bystanders and other rioters alike) definitely deserve partial blame to all those involved.  

Anderson states one of the ideas that lost hold on society recently is the idea society should be organized around “high centres—monarch who were apart from other human being…” The LA Riots, I believe, at least embodies a rebellion against this conception.  I believe, they saw particular groups of people who benefited from the disparity between groups.  Some sought rightfully so to address these issues but were unfortunately underrepresented in media due to the riots.   KRS-One said in “Birth of a Nation,” “strengthen your community by protecting it.”  The problem is how does one do that in a  fragmented community one understands from experience to be completely belied with injustice?

Blog #3

Over the past ten to fifteen the US has had an evolving atmosphere to the inclusion of non-English speakers.  I remember often non-English were greeted with forcefully in an attempt to deride their willingness to come to the States.  The general consensus was if you wanted to come to the US, one should first learn English.  However as time progressed and the demographic changed, the prevailing attitude had become more welcoming.  Some may say for more political reasons than for genuine acceptance.   There are signs, labels, company standards of procedure written in Spanish.  Being able to speak Spanish can be the difference in whether a candidate is hired at all.  I believe Anderson would agree due to the changing demographic of Latinos in the US.   At one time, Latinos were greeted with intense fear.  Their importance has now been an indisputable fact that comes with many political consequences.  It was often said during  the last presidential election that the republicans would never win again without being more inclusive.  Becoming more flexible on issues like immigration could greatly affect how our leaders are chosen.  Anderson speaks about the idea of imagined communities and these changes in the US almost mirrors the demise of one community (all white majority) to the growing reality of a majority minority amidst the graying of America.   Anderson said due to the printed word there was a shift in how people viewed their world.  It added the dissemination and flow of info across all boundaries in time.  Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense that was able to inspire a nation to revolution.  In our own time the internet has had the same effect on our population.  The internet can be seen as this intense paradigm that can expand the world of billions of people simultaneously.  It can provide insurmountable amounts of knowledge and yet there a people without access.  There are still people who are illiterate. Are people too concerned with with their own success to worry about others?  I have certainly been guilty of this in my own life.  I also think it is safe to say the rioters in ‘92 were guilty of this as well.

Blog #4

As an immigrant, I have always thought of myself as a Jamaican first.  When I first arrived the simplest things seemed incredibly odd.  Something as ordinary as drinking orange juice for breakfast was unusual.  As a British descendent, we drink tea, like the Queen.  Cold substances are thought to give you stomach aches so early in the morning.  In general, I ascribed and still prefer my own Jamaican culture first and foremost.  I am of course very biased towards my own culture which I suppose is the entire point of Anderson’s chapter on Creole Pioneers.  He discusses the struggle of how and what criteria people should use to define their existence.  Once they have done so, the next question is to incorporate the various restriction imposed on our identities by our social environment.

He mentioned if the father was not in Spain when the child was born, he would be considered creole.  Even though in truth he may well be otherwise indistinguishable from a regular privileged Spanish born child.  Anderson said, “Yet how irrational his exclusion must have seemed.”  I agree.  To be excluded from an ancestry that one’s birth, station and patriarchy tells you is yours based on your father’s location.  It seems ridiculous from my own perspective. I couldn’t imagine how incredibly illogical it must have seemed to those men who lived during that time.  It is safe to say, for the amount of emphasis given to one’s birthplace, other people who were fortunate enough did not easily forgive this oversight.  

Blog 5

The colored Museum

The colored museum is a great collage of what influences the modern day individual via a '90's perspective.  It is outlandish, entertaining, immensely colorful and intricately presents the complicated state of being an African American.  The varying scenarios outline primarily different aspects of black culture.  It addresses the core identifiers that help to define our collective identity, one of the most important of which is our black women, our black hair, our shape, our outlandishness.  The film also explores the difficulties that also come with black culture.  It always seems to be in conflict with the prevailing culture of the US., of what is most acceptable to a white society.

 The scene with a woman arguing with herself and her wigs.  Which wig was more acceptable her natural Afro or more European looking hair.  Even more so illustrative of the difficulties women face is the sketch done in drag with Ms. Roz.  The skit extrapolated all of what "Ms. Roz" felt affected not only women but men as well.  It is interesting however, that a woman was the chosen vehicle of analysis.  The actor, a man, could have done the show as a man.  He chose a woman.  Women represent the beginning, from where all life starts.  They represent the focus of the center stage spotlight.  The character is bejeweled in bright colors with her muscular figure most visible and a vestige of strength emboldened by confidence.  Though it becomes clear as the skit rolls on that this body, this personality and identity have be struggling to emerge whole against continuous opposition.  Ms. Roz speaks about the fight and her refusal to accept anything other than the right to enforce her own defense and be respected for doing so.

Black Girl
        The most important scene in this film occurs when Diouana decides to redo her hair in a native style. It was incredibly striking because what she did was what I do with my own hair.  I am unsure if anyone has noticed but I always wear hats.  The truth is my hair is in plats, those braided spiky locks Diouana constructs for herself in the scene.  It really is a great moment to see her re-embrace her heritage.  After everything that has happened with the family she recognizes that her original and true identity is embedded in her Senegalese culture.  Still, the obstacles that affect women unfortunately extends across social and economic boundaries to further negatively affect womanhood.  The relationship with the wife seems to be the most pivotal connection for Diouana.  Particularly since her suicide speech revolved around wife’s faults and lies.   Their womanhood, their connection drastically changed as the societal roles each was expected to play came into greater conflict.   The dream was to become more affluent for each, more western and successful but those new spheres came with unexpected obligations that heavily poisoned their relationship.  The functionality and mutuality of their womanhood became ineffective with the move to France.

Blog 6

To be frank, I cannot think of any personal experiences that I can hold as an strong example in regards to the question.  My mind wanders over to conversations I have overheard from other people.  Mostly minorities who feel the dominant class have resorted to social pressures which are near undetectable to reinstate the discriminations laws now undo.  At work or school are where the largest amount instances occur.   We love to believe all classes are fully capable of besting adversity through sheer will and perseverance.  Nevertheless, they claim this is not the case.  They claim the fight is almost never-ending.  I presume it is not all people in position of power but it really only takes one.  The anticipatory actions invoked tend to be subtle and guised discreetly among normal supervisor/employee interaction.  I imagine the discrimination operates in general behavior, the mood, the body language, the meanings in-between the lines.  I say imagined because for as often as I have heard these conversations I cannot actually say I have felt the same way.  That is not to say it does not exist, that would be immature but it makes me wonder when I will encounter these situations.  

Truthfully, I wonder will it ever happen at all? Interestingly enough, I feel that last statement was born and bred in my acceptance of the “American Dream.”  No, I am not interested in a white picket fence.  The dream I am referring to leaves me free to pursue any profession I please without  a constant miasma of dissention pertaining my lifestyle choice from the people I meet. (And  don’t meet.)  My mother always says she will do anything it takes make sure I get what I want. (And no one will stop me if she has anything to say about it.) I always think, “who the hell is going to stop me, but ok.” I will be working soon enough and really I want to see this phenomenon for myself.  I am sure it’s real but to what extent is what truly concerns me.  Then I will know what is the “anticipatory actions” of a dominant class trying to remain in power are.

The best example of this in Amigo, the general’s anger when he returned to find his soldiers partying with the locals. He quickly disbanded with the cohesive atmosphere the soldiers had developed with the locals.  He thought coexistence without fear was a betrayal to their duty as American Soldiers.

Blog 8: Our Community -Matt Antezana

In my first blog post I discussed Benedict Anderson's definition of a nation as an ""imagined political community and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign" (Anderson, 6). This was way back in the first week of the class at the beginning of the semester. Since then we have touched upon subjects such as nationalism, nationality, imperialism, language, feminism, and theories such as Spivak's subaltern. We have watched a variety of movies that have touched upon these topics that have aided in our understanding of these topics and the way they are portrayed in different forms of art. All the way we ourselves have grown as a community in the classroom.

I want to specifically touch upon one aspect of an imagined community that Anderson highlights and says is required for such a community. Anderson writes the community is imagined because "the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship" (Anderson, 7). This quote, in my opinion, describes our class. At the beginning of the semester we were simply a class filled with over thirty students who didn't really know each other and it seemed just like any other lecture class. As time went on trust began to build among us leading to people coming out of their shells either through talking or participating in the group activities. We have gone from a class to a community because we now engage in comfortable discourse and have built a comradeship. Since the beginning forming a community has been a highlight of the class and I believe that through our interactions we have accomplished this. We have all contributed to the community by either contributing to in-class activities and through our blogs where we have expressed our thoughts on the material of the class. The directors of the various films we have watched portrayed their thoughts through their film and we have learned to the same in our class in order to build a community. I feel that a project that would be vital to the positive imagination of our community would be to compose a short documentary style video of the entire class. I feel that such a video would show our transformation into a community instead of a class and display much of what we have learned. In future iterations of the class this could possibly be a documentary that is filmed in bits throughout the entire semester and presented at the end of the semester; to make such a project more coherent and representative of our class/community.