Laura Menzel Blog #9: Clybourne Park Musings

As a graduating senior, I have been thinking about the future increasingly often lately.  Even though I am headed towards more years of schooling, I am still entering a broader section of the real world.  With that in mind, I've been mulling over the question posed at the end of last class:  Are we really post-racial?  This seems to be the million-dollar question as we continue in the class and prepare to apply what we have learned in everyday life.

We have certainly come a long way in integrating society and celebrating our differences.  I see our generation as very accepting and full of hope.  We form friendships based on similar interests instead of similar racial or economic backgrounds.  However, even as I write this, I realize that these friendships were largely made possible because of the college community that brought us together.  Had we all remained in our hometowns, we would likely still be associating with people who shared our background.  Even with all the potential for acceptance, we are limited if we remain in our own cultural communities.  Elif Shafak, who I mentioned in my presentation, has a lot of interesting things to say about cultural communities in her TED talk (Elif Shafak TED Talk).  One of the things she talks about is her experience in international school.  Even in such a diverse setting, people of the same race tended to associate with one another.  This still happens today.  We associate with people who are similar to us because that is who we are comfortable with.  Mass media creates some of these divisions.  There are several networks targeted towards specific ethnic groups of the population (see I Want My Hyphenated Identity MTV for an example of this).  These networks bring people together, to connect people who may feel isolated otherwise.  However, an unintended consequence may be that it encourages us to seek out the company of those who are similar to us.  By staying within our comfort zone, we may miss the opportunity to learn something new.  As we prepare to graduate from Sexy Racy, I propose we actively try to seek out the company of those who are different from us, and encourage others to do so, just as this class has brought so many different people together.

Coleen Herbert blog 9

Our community projects demonstrated that the “personal” is the public. We were supposed to teach on a community that we “personally” belong to, but not everyone interpreted this the same way. What I learned from the projects is that a lot people believe that a community extends beyond the traits of its members.

In my opinion, everything private is public in a community. In Clybourne Park, we noticed as a class that the discussions about race changed when characters were in front of different people. We observed the detriment of ignorance and silencing. “Privacy” is a term that is often used to describe the “personal”. Is racism personal? Is sexism personal? It’s a personal choice and system of beliefs, but it is also a public reflection. These beliefs are tied to a wider realm of collective, personal hegemonies. I’ve noticed that people often apologize in our class for using anecdotes that are too “personal”. The way I see it, the private informs the public and the public polices the private. Speaking about our personal lives and experiences is a way to enact a sort of grassroots dialogue in response to hegemonic oppression. What we are taught is to turn away from speaking about ourselves and to speak about others. But is this action not also “personal”? The nation is deeply invested in my "personal" life. I'm not speaking about only sexuality, but gender, race, and class as well. The ideologies used to police our freedoms pervert the distinction between what is public and what is private. There is no "private" in the United States nor anywhere else.

Clybourne Park challenges the distinction between public and private life, as does the article on white flight on Blackboard. Is white flight a private choice or a public one? It's really both. You get the sense that there was supposed to be a delicacy in the article, but that it was wiped out by inherent racism. Should we compare our progress to 1970 or should we re-evaluate our standards? As Jonno noted, the article tries to mask pain. This made me think of Russ’s pain and what should be kept private. I believe that the play is in a sense about public pain, about lingering dissent over an enormous lack of change. This lack is revisited in Bev's final words to Francine before  Kenneth's suicide: "I know it's been a hard couple of years for all of us, I know they have been, but I really believe things are about to change for the better" (Norris 84). 

The Public and Private Sphere, Blog 9, Jessie Dzura

Little these days is private in any community. Globalization and the advent of the internet, 24/7 communication, and an aggressive media have dictated a culture that is constantly in tune and hooked to streaming news. People's relationships, addictions, pregnancies, etc. all become fodder for an eager nation that strives to be "in touch" with the latest gossip and news. So that brings us to the question, what (if anything) is private in our community? Race, certainly, is not. Race is something at the forefront of our daily lives. Even if a person is of mixed race, their perceived race becomes a public persona that is transplanted on them by others. Sex, once again, not private. People are judged immediately to either be male or female, even if there are other categories. What about sexuality? Sexuality CAN be more private. But as of late, sexuality is something to be celebrated, rather than hidden. Consider the gay rights movement!

As a private person, I do, however, have some semblance of control over my public life. I keep my emotions relatively hidden, only share things with friends that I trust. So what becomes public for my community? It is clear that I am a young white female. I choose to dress a certain way, talk a certain way, and associate myself with certain people. HOWEVER. I do choose to hide certain aspects of my personality. For example, I have a very large tattoo, that no one can see unless I choose to show it to them. I also have several physical deformities from lots of athletics injuries. Clearly, I choose to hide these. So what role does the nation play in my life? Firstly, I have to admit that I do not really relate to any nation. I choose (that word again) to drift between identities. I am molded by the outside community, however. Through my friends I am exposed to different cultures, music, food, etc. So, to answer the question. The nation affects my personal life through the outside world and what I let in. Whatever is public becomes internalized privately and vice versa. Whatever I identify as or with in my private life becomes public in my mannerisms.

Curt Mills Blog #3

Do you speak English?  How does the United States* configure in Anderson’s notions on the role of language and literacy in imaging a nation?

Anderson is the propagator of the term “Imagined Communities,” and has the book by the very same name.  The only type of community that is real for Anderson it seems is one that is based on every day  face to face interaction.  For instance, in a sense, our course in Sex and Race may be a community for Anderson.  In some sense, we as a class are more of a community than even the United States a whole, or William and Mary, and so on. 

The United States is asterisked here, but I will choose it as my nation to comment on.  I am familiar with no other home, so it would disingenuous for me to comment on another.  The United States is a great nation, but is it a great community?  Myriad factors conspire to divide its citizens: race, wealth inequality, inequality of opportunity, land and geography (how much does someone from Maine have in common with someone from Idaho?), and diverse economy (how much does the West Virginia coal miner have in common with the Silicon Valley tech mogul?). 

The US is divided by language and literacy certainly, but not the MOST divided by language and literacy.  Our literacy numbers are high, and most people speak English.  The same cannot be said for say, Iraq, a country torn apart by war, and with less innate purpose as a country than the US (much of the modern Middle East was determined by the British Empire after WWI on a rather arbitrary basis).  Literacy is lower there, and there are multiple languages, religious sects, and dialects.  The divide between someone who speaks Arabic and someone who speaks Kurdish is probably a greater gulf than the divide between English and Spanish in the US (when the US and Mexico were fighting a war in the nineteenth century, Iraq or even the idea of Iraq was long from existing). 

Yes, I speak English.  

Rachel Choi Blog 9

At first I was extremely worried that my presentation would not be good enough for the community or that I would fail to deliver the purpose of my project.  But as soon as I saw the variety in which everyone presented his or her projects, I felt relieved to know that the community would actually listen and take into thought the ideas presented.  What made me even more astonished was the fact that many people came up to me and talked to me about the film that I would have chosen to show.   It was interesting in how they brought the topic up by saying that they shared the film with someone else.  For this, I would like to thank my community for listening and treating me well.  Our transition as a community continues to surprise me every class day that passes.  A lot of private thoughts have now become public since we have developed an environment that is accepting and benevolent to each other. 

Anything left unsaid or not discussed I guess would be kept private.  Anything openly discussed or said would be public in the community.  But, often times our privacy is compromised and it has shown to lead to increasingly hostile relationships in communities.   Privacy is something that is highly valued in all cultures and is something that is uniquely one’s own right.  This right however has become harder to secure and enforce as many people tend to step over boundaries that are meant to be kept for the respect of another.

A nation is something I am constantly reminded of, and thinking of.  As I may identify with two nations, I cannot identify with any at the same time.  It is always in the back of my mind, in the conversations with my friends, and will probably be in my thoughts for the rest of my life.  

Tatiana Bull Blog 9

      I think that the Teach My Community exercise presentation was an excellent idea.  The bond that we have built over the course of the semester made it so much easier to present to the class.  With this exercise, we were able to show what we were interested in and which movie best fit our interest.  It was interesting to see the variety of movies used, from a comedy like borat to a whole bunch of extremely serious movies.  I enjoyed how Professor Aguas gave us the freedom to teach whatever we wanted how ever we wanted without feeling pressure to follow specific rules (like how other teachers normally would).  It personally allowed me to go up and present without worrying if I was going to do well or not because I felt like there wasn't really anything I could do wrong in the presentation - everything was pretty much up to me; all I really had to do was be prepared.
    I would like to say everyone did a good job over the last couple of weeks presenting their presentations.   I am truly interested in seeing pretty much all of the movies that were presented and although I have already seen some of the movies people presented, I am still interested in seeing how they would teach the class if they actually got the full three hours - it would be fun to have a student teach a class session.
  I t's sad knowing that this class is coming to an end because we have built such a great community within this class of 25-or-so people.  Everyone is so friendly and everybody's opinion counts - i'm pretty sure that this class makes everyone feel welcome. Professor Aguas challenges us and pushes us to exceed our own expectations.  This is why I love this class :)

Victoria Olayiwola Blog #10: Finding my way home-taking the long route home.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was LOST but now am FOUND,

Was BLIND, but now I SEE.

There is no doubt 332, has been a journey for me. I came into this class not knowing what exactly will be discussed and covered but I knew whatever it was that we would  discuss and whatever it was that we saw, it would be weighty and the issues we will touch on will be intense and serious.

Have I changed? Yes...I have learnt about the importance of race, its meaning and its relevance in each and every facet of our lives.

But more importantly my perverse actions have been brought into sharp focus. As I said during my presentation in class, I implied someone I liked very much was racist, this was because I took stereotypical racial features to be something that we can all laugh and joke about. It was stupid. I never, NEVER EVER should have done it or felt that way.

But to me, race was one of those things that I felt fit into the category of "let's have a laugh about it". Putting race into this category meant that I point-blank refused to acknowledge or respect the feelings of those who had been called horrific names or those who had been abused just because of the color of their skin. It meant I point-blank ignored the pain and sorrow that people of color felt when they were so thoroughly insulted and so badly put down just because of the color of their skin. 

When I decided it was a bright idea to write and send my message to X, I was a member of the community of Thea 332. I say I was a member of 332, but even though I attended classes, what I was hearing clearly "was water of a duck's back". I wasn't applying what I had learnt to my life or the way I interacted with people. Lawrence Fishburne said to one of his students in "Higher Learning" that people come to college to learn how to think. I wasn't thinking. I wasn't thinking at at all. What I was learning in 332 never had that much of an impact on me until the moment when X made it clear to me in no uncertain terms he was not impressed by my behavior and that my accusations, accusations made in jest, were “despicable and inexcusable”.

I have never felt so much anguish, I don't think. Why? I ask myself why do I feel the way I do? I guess because a) X didn't deserve it b) I liked X and didn't want him also having a bad impression of me and c) because I felt we could be good mates if nothing else. [I once said to X: I hope you are not stupid enough to think I am in love with you? X said no. I hoped X was stupid enough. I hoped X was very stupid enough.:] As I said in my presentation, I have a record of offensive behavior. I outed somebody. I hijacked and stole their story when I had no right to. This person is one of the nicest people at the school...he too, didn't deserve it...why did it have to be YZ? Of all the people at W&M, why did it have to be YZ?

So after committing the second offense I felt moved to change my ways. Now I acknowledge, that prior to my re-education, I chose to make light of people's plight, like Kunte Kinte’s. I chose to make light of all the insulting things the couple Diouana (in 'Black Girl') cooked and cleaned for and their friends said about Africans and even added my own very special spices to their insults. For that I can never forgive myself. I chose to make light of racism, a problem that had been amplified through Derrick's character in American History X and through various characters in the play Clybourne Park. Racism is real. Like Laura aptly mentioned in her blog, unless people are forced out of their communities to talk and communicate with others of other communities, racism will never go away. Derrick, for example, was forced out of his communities by racist acts of violence he committed. He was forced to work with a black man in prison and had no choice over the matter but it was through being in close proximity with this other person, talking and working alongside, that Derrick's ideologies and views towards black people began to change for the better. His eyes were opened. He was no longer BLIND. For making light of the plights of others whether it be the plight of the Filipinos under the thumb of the Americans or the plight of Vincent Chin’s mother when her son was taken from her prematurely because of mistaken identity… I will always be ashamed. Race and the plight of others is not a laughing matter. 332 taught me that. Yet I chose to view it as one. But no longer. I have changed. I am no longer BLIND, I SEE and this class-Francis and it's members-I thank for that.

I can confirm that I was able to talk to YZ and apologize directly to YZ for my actions.YZ and the class didn't read my whole open letter, despite that YZ comforted me and accepted my sincere apology. I also thank for the community of 332 for listening and respecting what I had to say. Who would have thought that a group of college students could be so mature and so understanding and so respectful? That all of you guys, no doubt. Who would have thought a group of college students could give such sound comments and advice? That is all of you guys. I would like to say that the maturity of the class was expressed and shown in its full light on the 9th April. When voting on which film to watch in class, we, like Francis said we voted on strengths not weaknesses. Nobody talked down anybody's presentations, rather people chose to highlight the greater strengths found in one film that was not found in great quantities in another. This exercise spoke to the level headedness, the good character, maturity and the great magnanimity of this community, our community. I think we should all be proud to be members of it. 

Now, back to X. Sadly, X still doesn't want me anywhere near her/him. And trust me, I have tried. I have tried to the point where I don't have enough strength or insult-proof equipment to try again. When X said to me "Jesus, I don't even know you". That was it. All I was trying to do was make things better. All I was trying to say was you have misunderstood everything I have ever said or done. And that is not your fault. You were right to be angry and I have never hated you for it. All I was trying to say was that I sincerely hope in time we could become friends. All I was trying to say was I like you, like you. Like....like you-like you. Yes like....Like you! And that I think you never knew. Yet it has always been the case. But I would rather settle for your friendship than nothing. That's all I was trying to say. Then X denied me like Peter denied Christ. And at that moment X hit the last nail into coffin. Ever since I have come to realize X is really not worth the hassle, my time, or my frailing strength.

This was the end of my open letter:

AS FOR THE PERSON I WROTE THAT RACIST EMAIL TO. I AM SORRY TOO. I WANT TO TELL YOU I AM NOT ANGRY AT YOU. I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU REACTED THE WAY YOU DID. 

IF YOU WOULD ONLY ALLOW ME TALK TO YOU. IF YOU WOULD ONLY ALLOW ME EXPLAIN. 

UNFORTUNATELY, YOU WON’T.

YOU HAVE HUMILIATED ME AND REFUSED TO TALK TO ME. YOU HAVE SHUT MY MOUTH AND SILENCED ME. AS MOTHER SAYS YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER BUT YOU CAN’T FORCE IT TO DRINK! I HAVE LED YOU TO THE WATER X AND YOU HAVE REFUSED TO DRINK. 

I SHAN’T LEAD YOU ANYMORE…I SHAN’T FORCE YOU TO DRINK. 

I HOPE IN TIME YOU, BY YOURSELF, WILL CHOOSE TO DRINK THE WATERS OF FORGIVENESS. BECAUSE THE WELL WILL NEVER DRY. THE EXTENDED HAND WILL NEVER RETRACT. YOU HAVE MY WORD.

But now I don't even care. Don't care at all. I have tried to say sorry. I have tried to make things right. X doesn't want to know. This person won't stop painting herself/himself as the victim no matter how or what I do, he/she always comes out looking the victimized saint and I the devilish insane persecutor. So sorry, yes I am sorry things ended the way they did and I am sorry I can't apologize. But I will not allow what happened cripple my mind, behavior and progress a moment longer. They say time is a great healer. Yet in the case of X it seems not matter the amount of time that passes or the matter of space we give each other nothing will change the situation between us. No amount of hope will avail. 

It is important that I add, that just because the class is over, that does not mean that my learning and my re-education is over! Not for one second. As Francis said to Sam Quinn's sister, this class is about asking questions and not looking for answer. My learning process is not over. I will continue to ask questions and question my actions in all aspects of my life.

The memories I will forever cherish. The memories of you all I will never forgotten. I will take them with me and even if I happen not to grace the land called America and the school called William and Mary, I have memories. Memories of you all and that, yes that, is good enough for me. 

Thank you Francis and Thank you the community of 332.

Without you guys I would have remained a wretch.

Thank you Francis and Thank you the community of 332.

Without you guys I would have remained a lost.

Thank you Francis and Thank you the community of 332.

Without you guys I would have remained a blind.

Thank you

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was LOST but now am FOUND,

Was BLIND, but now I SEE.

Jonno Marlton Blog 9: Anderson, Norris, and White Flight in Defining Private vs. Public

After reading Clybourne Park, I feel like I have a new appreciation for my own ignorance.  I am not saying that I am embracing it, but rather I am claiming it in an effort to eventually move into a better position to be able understand my place and how I can use it to achieve an equalization that I am truly hoping does exist.  Bruce Norris reminds us that race matters, and that the racial differences between members of a community serve as almost an excuse to keep separate.  It is convenient to stick to one’s own kind because then one does not have to take the risk of breaking out of the little box that defines the intentionally separate.  The self-containing mentality appears to be a lingering one, in the sense that Steve attempted to have a conversation that was doomed from the beginning because no one involved was able to consider the other side (and even that it was assumed that the community conversation has just two sides.)  As Anderson points out on page 150 of his book, “racism was a major element in the conception of ‘Empire’ which attempted to weld dynastic legitimacy and national community,” meaning that it was not just race, but racism, that functioned as both a community builder and a tool for maintaining hegemony.    

I am having a particularly difficult time distinguishing between the public and the private in a community.  As we can see from Clybourne Park, the private insecurities of a community or a sub-community manifest themselves publicly as the demographics of a neighborhood change or as individuals in a community band together against others of that same community.  I am tempted to identify the private aspects as fear and insecurity, but then again the anger and the violence that plagues any society (which I would categorize as public) are bred out of the private fears.  The building blocks of our nation, according to Anderson, include hatred.  Therefore, the pain that people feel is a public one.  But, the fact that we haven’t found a way to recognize and use our differences constructively speaks to the public/private divide. 

The white flight article on blackboard takes an upbeat tone, celebrating the fact that black and white residents are happy in their integrated Hampton neighborhoods.  It is not until half way through the article that we stumble upon a description of the inconclusive findings of the census in explaining what may not even be considered white flight in Hampton.  The article is an optimistic one that avoids the pain that I imagine many feel is involved in the integration and changing demographics of a certain neighborhood or area.   My point is that this sort of article puts into the public consciousness a tidbit that is only partially reflective of our community.  So my question is, how much of the pain and hurt is kept private, and how much of the public confusion and anger that we see is properly reminiscent of the private concerns?  Also, how related are the public and private?  What are some possible distortions between the realm of public and private, and have they come from an effort to protect a certain way of living? 

Blog on "The Queer Limit of African American Memory" Sam Quinn woop woop

Just thought i'd throw the 'woop woop' in there to add some excitement to my blogpost, ya know. A Lot of people say I text/write/email so similarly to how I speak that they can imagine me saying what I wrote...butttttt since I don't text cha guys that much guess you wouldn't know? Anyways now you DO! :)

Sorry for the tangent...I already forgot what I have to blog about, so I'm gonna save this and go look, brb.

YES the talk given by Matt Richardson last Wednesday in McGlolthlin hall titled "The Queer Limit of African American Memory," which discussed the lack of acknowledgment shown to queer African American history. Richardson described himself as a femminist, activist, and writer, who Professor Meyers asked to come speak at WM!

What he had to say was really insightful, especially because it was on a topic I had never given much thought before: and that was the point. He highlighted the fact that their are definite modern consequences due to the failure to recollect specifically QUEER, Black History. One of these consequences is considered the inability to grieve at a collective level. By cutting out the lgbt blacks, or segmenting and ostricizing them from their community, it leaves the group at large less able to galvanize as a whole, and gain national recognition. The Meuseum of Black Diaspora is meant to memorialize the struggles of the African American community, but fails to represent queer people. Instead, it exhibits gender as static, even when trying to morph images of humans into different races to show connectedness, the genders never change...heterosexuality is dominant.

Richardson also talked about how most people understand Queer and Black as 2 seperate entities, and have trouble thinking of them overlapping. As a result, he gave many examples of Blacks who have been 'abandoned' by other black people, since their gay/transgender selves make them seem like traitors to blackness (EX: Duanna Johnson, 2008).

Richardson ended the talk with a Q&A, in which students asked how to address this overlooked issue at a collegiate level. He gave us some good advice, suggesting that we make sure to have an open forum for community learning and discussion about such topics, so they seem less taboo. In addition, if you identify with as a "queer black" person, Matt said your strongest self defense is to be open with others, and true to yourself. It forces them to face the reality, and learn to cope with it, rather than choose to ignore such things.

Overall, I'm really glad I went to the talk...I learned a lot, plus there were some great snacks afterwards! Please talk to me about it if you have questions, I took a bunch of notes, it was really awesome!

Yue (Ivy) Blog #9: Internet and Data Mining

Privacy in the modern world is a hot topic, especially in light of the Internet and data mining.  A while ago I came across an article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/business/yourmoney/14wal.html?_r=0) about what Wal-Mart knows about your consumption habits. According to the article, Wal-mart holds 460 terabytes of information, twice as much data present in the Internet. The suggested extrapolations made possible by this only went as far as to assert that there is a rise in the demand for Pop-Tarts during a storm and that beer is a top-selling item pre-storm. In my opinion, there is immense value in knowing why people purchase things. Walmart has spent $4 billion, and is projected to invest even more, to be able to track an individual item from its point of production to its end consumer.

Coincidentally, I was told a story. A teenage girl’s father starts getting massive amounts of coupons for diapers even though there are obviously no infants in the household. Infuriated the father takes the coupons and gives the Target manager a piece of his mind. Several days later the daughter admits the inevitable as she can no longer maintain her secret.

Does target know more about our daughters than we do? Yes and no.

Even now as I type away about diapers, I am protected (by a computer screen) because I am not myself. I am one of my voices, which I have practiced to detach from what I really think about what I am saying and how it pertains to me. You will notice, I’ve given you mostly facts and interesting connections between them, and all the while we have communicated. But has it been private or public?

It is hard to tell.  

Chris Phillibert Blog 9 Privacy and publicity

Within a community, there are a set of rules and guidelines that every member of the community must follow. Corresponding to these rules are customs that members of the community must adhere to in public. Public life is constructed on a community scale and is made up of rules that most members of the community agree on. Where private life and public life differ is that in private life, the rules and customs that are established are decided on by a much smaller group of people, sometimes even an individual. The rules sometimes resemble the rules that are established in public life, but they don't necessarily have to. A private life is the binary opposite to the public life and should be as guaranteed to members of the community as a public life is. The ability to switch between these modes of operating in the public life versus operating in the private life at our leisure is also a liberty that should be valued within a community. I believe that within a personal life, the nation plays the role of providing the template of how to construct your private life, but should also vigilantly fight to protect the citizen's right to construct their private life how they please so long as it doesn't hurt anyone else.

When we give presentations to the class, there is a perfect juxtaposition of the public and private life coming together to complete a task. The guidelines and rules for the project were given publicly in class and these guidelines had to be followed by the students as a template. However, so long as we met the necessary requirements for the project, we could construct the presentation in whatever manner we pleased. The ability to personally decide how to structure your presentation and privately thinking about the methods and goals you wanted to achieve while teaching your unit represents a liberty of privacy allotted to members of our social community. We agree on a general set of rules and guidelines to be followed, but the methods used and goals constructed for the project itself could come from the privacy of your own mind to be put on display in public. Michael Mann touches on the privacy of the citizen as a necessary rebellion against the government's natural desire to know all in "The Rise and Rise of the Nation State". He writes that the state needs to allow privacy and resist its desire for omnipotence or else the subaltern and oppressed will rise up to overthrow the state. I like to believe the class wouldn't have a rebellion if we weren't allowed a certain amount of customizable aspects to our project, but I do believe that allowing students to privately come up with ideas on their own is a way of fostering a good relationship between the authority and the governed in a community.

 I can't help but return to the idea that the mind is the ultimate realm of privacy. To my knowledge, we don't have the technology to read minds as clearly as we would hear speech spoken to us. Even though this technology can be mentally conceived, it should not be something to aspire to accomplish. Privacy is a completely necessary aspect of the psyche. If people and their thoughts were constantly being under watch by some sort of authority, there would be no balance between public life and private life at all. The mind in all of its intricacies should not be something to be judged or constantly surveyed by people whose minds themselves are no better than the ones they would preside over. Though this reality is only manifested in an oppressive Orwellian "1984" regime, this example highlights the importance of a balance between the public and private life and the ability to switch between the two at will through the use of our own private thoughts.

blog #9 Public Private

            Private or public in a community revolves around the consequences.  The results of any action is the most important aspect of any decision.  The best way to start is to determine a method of how to distinguish between what is necessarily public community information. Therefore, relevance is the key.  Especially since doing the most good for the most people is always the general goal. I decided that the extent to which the spheres or sub-communities that are most affected is what decided public vs. private. An action may be done in private but eventually have community wide repercussions.  I believe it is possible to suss out the immediate drawbacks of any action, then such analysis can be used to recognize if it need be public or not.  Of course such a  definition can leak over into more controversial territory but in general I think this rule works. 
          On the surface I would not say nation has a place anywhere in my life. A nation is not something I consciously think about. I remember where I am from but not in the ideological terms that are discussed here.  There are no political ideas attached to my memories or associations.  Though it does make me wonder about the particularly American or Jamaican things I do.Nation is involved with the activities I take part of and with the freedoms I have. For instance, the everyday struggle with consumerism along with various addictions that seems to plague mostly American citizens like shopping, excessive eating or hoarding.  I find it hard to believe such compulsions are as common anywhere else.  I suppose nation a should occupy my mind on days like July fourth but they do not.  I see them as days people shop. If I am incorrect please tell me.  A nation occupies my mind when I fill out official documents like: driver's license or applying for citizenship.  Or while I try to decode which box I should check. Am I black?  Or do I write Jamaican in the "other" line?  A nation, I guess then, does not play a pivotal role in my personal but a subtle one at best.

Return to Article One blog #8

The simple answer is that our class has devised a community surrounding the topics of discussion held each week.  While this is true it is harder to truly define our community in terms of where we are specifically.  As a community I can say we do have the most important classification to define ourselves as such which is interaction and common interests.  The relationships we have built through discussion have developed into familiar setting that many people feel free enough to express themselves or sit quietly.  Prof. Agaus once said that the space now feels physically smaller.  I believe this is true because even if we don’t know all people in the class we have crossed the awkward barrier.  The barrier that prevents others from moving within our individual personal spaces.  No one feels odd walking in and sitting down next to someone new anymore.  Not to mention, we have gone out together in support of each other for events and the like.

Most of the films we have watched are centered around conflict as the major theme.  We watch how the primary players interact with the existing norms of a particular place.  We watch the bitter resolution and question the film's internal bias.  We as a class however, are more compatible than the film's portrayed community.  We may strongly disagree with each other at the worst.  That being said, I think we fit more with Passing Through by Nathan.  He spent the film exploring his identity and his heritage of both American and North Korean background.  I think we as a class try to explore the same through discussion, blogs and presentations.  We try to explore the same ideas.  We try to understand what constitutes the core ideals of our personality and beliefs and what we perceive as normal.  And more so we use each others knowledge to supplement what we don't know regarding the subtler parts of American life.  

Brittany Liu's Blog #9 Internal and External, Community and Nation

I relate private versus public with internal versus external.  Externals are usually associated with the formation of a community.  People are attracted to commonalities because it gives a sense of comfort.  Commonalities are usually found externally, which includes appearance, body language, and vocal communication.  As we have read in Anderson's Imagined Communities, language is a major unifying agent and I believe this includes visual and audible.  Something a little unsettling about communities is its homogenous ideal, which can lead to the loss of self identity.  I believe self identity is created privately and then is expressed publicly.  However, one's true identity is within themselves.  In the 2012   French film Tomboy, a young girl moves to a new neighborhood where she introduces herself as a boy.  Immediately the community of kids welcome "him," which encourages her to continue the facade.  Unfortunately, the truth comes out and the community of kids not only exile her, but also attack her.  This brings up the question of if a community can actually be damaging to one's self identity?  Externally, in the biological sense, she is a girl, but internally she is a boy and that is what she keeps private from her mother and father.  The neighborhood community she desperately wanted to be a part of forced her to be ashamed of her true self-identity.  My question is how much of our public identity goes into the formation of a community and how much of our private identity should be contributed to a community?

When I think of community I associate it with something smaller than a nation.  As Americans we have the right to a private life that is not interrupted or invaded by the government.  It is our freedom that allows us this privacy.  On the Internet, we are allowed to send emails that are protected and communicate privately on the phone unlike other countries where everything is screened.  We have the right to express our own opinions on this blog.  I believe this free communication, especially through technology, has given a voice to each citizen of our nation.  Anderson talks about simultaneous actions that unite people and the Internet is one of them.  I know that I felt part of this nation more than ever when I watched the inauguration (especially Beyonce) on the Internet knowing that billions of other Americans were watching it with me.  Ritual gives me a sense of nationalism because of its harmony and collectiveness.  The Pledge of Allegiance unites our voices, showing our strength in numbers.  We are made up of so many individuals, but we stand as one as we celebrate the freedom of our country.