Images and Artifacts #4

Merry Christmas from the streets of Wilmette!

Tea Parties and Rattlesnakes

The other day as I was exiting our driveway I looked over in our neighbors yard. They have a large flag pole. Right below the good ole red, white, and blue was a yellow flag. At first I didn't know what this flag represented. When I looked closer there was a image of a serpent with the phrase "Don't Tread on Me" below. My mom told me that this is the flag that was adopted by new the Tea Party movement.
From my previous knowledge about the Tea Party I have figured that they were a predominantly Christian Conservative group. I wasn't sure why they would choose this flag to represent their political party because the serpent represents betrayal and has very negative connotations in literature. In the bible, Adam and Eve's encounter with the serpent represented temptation and the devil figure. I was curious to see why the Tea Party had chosen this flag to represent them.
After researching a bit about the history of the "Don't Tread on Me" flag, I found out that it was originally called the Gadsden flag. This is a very historical flag that was named after a general. Originally, this flag was used as a Marine Corp motto. The rattlesnake coiled up ready to strike is suppose to represent a symbol of the early colonies during the American Revolution. In 1775 Philadelphia, the first marine companies were enlisted into the army and they carried these Gadsden flags. This was the first record of the Gadsden flag's symbol. Later, the star spangled banner (stars and stripes) took over and came to represented the United States.
In modern day it is seen as a representation of either American patriotism, disagreement with the American government, or support for civil liberties. It is interesting because Nike used the symbol of the coiled rattlesnake on soccer balls to represent the US men's Soccer team. Metallica on their "Black Album" has a song called "Don't Tread On Me" and on the album cover there is a picture of a coiled rattle snake in the right hand corner.
In 2009, the Tea Party adapted this as there flag to assert their disagreement with what they perceive as expansion of government while at the same time remaining patriotic to America. What do you think about the Tea Party choosing this flag to represent them? What are they trying to convey through using this flag?

Show me the Money?

This afternoon I went to get the car washed. I got my change and observed some purple ink on the dollar bill that was returned to me. It read "See where I've been. Track where I go next! www.wheregeorge.com" Immediately, I was curious. When I got home I went directly to my computer and typed in www.wheresgeorge.com to the web browser. The web page was professional. I typed in the serial number and it found that this dollar bill is originally from Sanford, North Carolina. It has been tracked for almost two years now and has traveled all the way to Chicago. I will get reports on wherever this dollar bill roams in the country or world. The "Currency Tracking Project" is clever. You can register, stamp your own bills and watch your web grow. The "top" George tracker has stamped and tracks over $1.6 million dollars---the guy has become a fanatic for this sport. I guess some people have more time on their hands than I do! It is fascinating to think about how money is passed around and how much of an influence it holds in connecting the people of our nation. Naturally, I have been thinking about what I should to do with this dollar bill next. Obviously, I want to drop it back into circulation. However, with family coming from all over the country I am debating whether to give it as a birthday present to my cousin from San Fransisco or send it home to Connecticut with my great aunt or to just use it at the next place I need a dollar bill in the neighborhood. Checkout the website, maybe make your own bill to track. In any event, keep an eye out for George or Ben or Andrew or Ulysses or Abe! click here to visit the website

Witchcraft

This week in American Studies we started reading the play “The Crucible”. The Puritan society described in this play is run by religion. In Act 1 hysteria has broken out over “witchcraft”. Ironically, haven't I heard this alarm go off in 2010 America? In the recent political election there was a candidate named Christine O’Donnell. She is a Tea Party Republican from Delaware who was running for the Senate. Christine O’Donnell in 1999 appeared on Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” where she said, “I dabbled in witchcraft.” The media and the political pundits ate this statement up. Responding to the media air horn, one of the first things Christine O’Donnell’s 2010 campaign commercial feels the need to clarify is, “I am not a witch”. (watch campaign commercial click here)

There is so much hysteria in our current political field. To me it seems counter productive and in a way turns me off of our entire political system. The superficial drama generated by the media to sell media does not do anything to benefit our country. It does not help the struggling American citizens and in fact works to stir up emotions of fear, frustration, disgust and divisiveness. The system pits one side against the other in a black and white choice never imagining moderately working together in rational compromise.

The hysteria in the Crucible tore their community apart. Tituba, the black slave is associated with the town's young girls who are caught dancing and chanting in the woods. This scandalous behavior is so threatening to the ministerial reputation of Reverend Parris that he stokes up the paranoia and fear. His power in the community enables others to jump on the band wagon. Neighbors suspect neighbors, logic is lost and fear creeps into every judgment. Each individual that has their own personal problem or agenda finds an opportunity to vent their frustration and anger. Your beliefs are either Christian or Satanic and there is nothing in between.

When I watch politicians during this last campaign the frenzy got as deranged as 1692, Salem add to it 2010 technology. The only protection we have is education, moderation and a good sense of humor. That is why I loved Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert's "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear". At that rally, Jon Stewart said, "If everything is amplified you can't hear anything". He was referring to the media coverage of the election. Now I know (mainly from talking with my Republican grandfather) some people find the humor of Stewart and Colbert biased too. I get it. But Stewart made the analogy of driving in traffic through toll booths and tunnels, we all have to compromise and take our turn. We have to look hard for the facts and listen to opposing viewpoints.

Images and Artifacts #3

Happy Halloween All! In the Spirit of Halloween thought I'd post this brick wall I saw as I was walking in Wilmette. This made me think of our reading Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. I wonder who was immured...

META-POST!

The first thing I notice in reviewing my blog is my use of photography. I have one running blog posts called "Images and Artifacts" which shows pictures of things that literally pop out at me in my everyday life. I usually record those impression on my iPhone. My collection of visual objects almost linger in my mind longer than the representation of words in my blog posts. I love his part of my blog because it is ongoing and fun. In the end, I hope it is a log of the time spent. It makes me a more conscious, creative and observant person.

I tend to choose topics that are more tangential, personal thoughts over class topics or pop culture. Consequently, my blog has a wide variety of blog post topics. As our A.S. class progresses, my blog has become more connected with our discussions in class.

I love the flexibility of blogging. On some days after class I feel that I am really excited to get home and blog. Other days, after I get home from practice, eat dinner, and start my homework the excitement to blog has worn off. Occasionally,I become baffled on what to blog about. Timing is one of my challenges with blogging. I think that blogging is an interesting new way for us to learn and share. My favorite part about blogging is hitting the button that says "post blog". I feel very successful when I publish.

Next to the "Images and Artifact"entries, the blog I would most like others to read would be my post called "Fidel's End-of-Life Confession". I thought this was one of my more thoughtful and interesting blogs to read. It was satisfying to read a current event and respond with expertise from my personal travel.

Which is the proper term, Native American or Indian?

In the interest of being racially sensitive, I was wondering what the most proper term is to refer to the people who occupied North America before the Europeans arrived. In my grade school where my teachers were always politically correct we studied the “Native Americans”. We have a cabin in the North Woods of Wisconsin on an Ojibwe Reservation. The people in northern Wisconsin, both white and Native American, refer to the Ojibwe people as “Indian”. While there is plenty of prejudice against the Ojibwe in that area it is not over the term, Indian.

So, which term should we use? Slate Magazine had a 2004 article entitled, “Native American v. American Indian”. It was prompted by Bush’s dedication of the National Museum of the American Indian. In this article they report:

“Despite the wave of political correctness in the 1990s, during which "Native American" was often trumpeted as a more sensitive phrase, American Indians remain split on which term is preferable. A 1995 Department of Labor survey found that close to 50 percent of American Indians were perfectly happy with that label, while 37 percent preferred to be known as Native Americans.”

They go on to say that individuals would rather be referred to as being a member of a specific tribe (i.e. Ojibwe, Kiowa, Sioux, etc). This is the most authentic term since there are so many different The one big mistake that should be avoided is that Native Americans should be referred to as “American Indians” not to be confused with Indians from South Asia.

A Cherokee writer and producer of the website All Things Cherokee, recommends:

“In the end, the term you choose to use (as an Indian or non-Indian) is your own personal choice. Very few Indians that I know care either way. The recommended method is to refer to a person by their tribe, if that information is known. The reason is that the Native peoples of North America are incredibly diverse. It would be like referring both a Romanian and an Irishman as European. . . . [W]henever possible an Indian would prefer to be called a Cherokee or a Lakota or whichever tribe they belong to. This shows respect because not only are you sensitive to the fact that the terms Indian, American Indian, and Native American are an over simplification of a diverse ethnicity, but you also show that you listened when they told what tribe they belonged to. 

When you don't know the specific tribe simply use the term which you are most comfortable using. The worst that can happen is that someone might correct you and open the door for a thoughtful debate on the subject of political correctness and its impact on ethnic Identity. What matters in the long run is not which term is used but the intention with which it is used.”

ANSWER: Native American or American Indian, preferably the individual’s specific tribe

http://www.slate.com/id/2107102/

What's in a Name? Indians and Political Correctness


by Christina Berry, All Things Cherokee

Images and Artifacts #2

A folk art pin. The message seems particularly relevant today. Why is there so much anger and hate out there?

Blogging in the 中国 (Center Country)

Since we've been ask to jump into the "blogosphere" this semester, I have been wondering what this new arena is like in other, more censored parts of the world. Blogging in our democracy is the latest place where people can voice and vent their opinion-- no matter who they are or where their beliefs fall, whether you have "followers" or write to no one at all. Blogging in the United States is simply and obviously for us protected by the first amendment-- freedom of speech. I wonder how it is for bloggers in China. China is the emerging nation that is said to be the next global superpower. Chinese production and energy is said to be leaving Americans in the dust. Since 1949 China has been ruled by a communistic style of government where one council is controlling and screening the information and messages that their public sees.
As their government as opened up economically and jumped into the global economy they have to manage opening up technologically too. This week I read an article from the New York Times called Power to the (Blogging) People(click here to view article) by Thomas Friedman. The Chinese generation like my own has the ability to blog just like us. However, it seems that generation of Chinese people grew up thinking that they were being oppressed by the west, being considered the backward, rural economy that Mao built. Their government sold that idea in their controlled message to their people to motivate and stir nationalism. Apparently, the message got beat into them loud and clear. The article says that this generation through blogging is showing nationalistic views and is angry with the government for compromising or trying to be too diplomatic with the US/Western world. The odd thing is that the Chinese government is now the one trying to be a moderate player in the world community while the Chinese people are saying to forget about accommodating the US! The Chinese blogs claim they can do it on their own, that they are the superpower and they are the ones who should be directing the international community.
It is interesting to me that the Chinese character for China is 中国. Because the second character is pronounced "guo" meaning country and the the first character "zhong" means center. Which shows us the historic view the Chinese have had of their global position. They believe China is the center of everything. The blogoshpere in China is their only place for democratic expression. As the bloggers express different opinions from the state it should be interesting to see how the Chinese government controls the blogosphere.
Will the Chinese government move toward moderating their communistic ideals and controls? Fidel Castro recently kind of renege on communism in the economic system (see last week's blog), will technology push the Chinese communists to loosen or at least change the state messages they feed their people? It seems like lots of walls are crumbling down- power to the blogging people.

Images and Artifacts #1

Right after I called mccandellis a wanderer and quoted tolkien this bumper sticker came in to my view at a farmers market in Wilmette, IL.





I'm going to use the convenience of the phone camera to track the artifacts and images that come in to my awareness over the year.

Fidel's End-of-life Confessions

(there is no advertising anywhere just graffiti honoring the dead leaders of the revolution)

"After I've seen what I've seen, and knowing what I know now, it wasn't worth it all," recently responded Fidel Castro to a question about his own action during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. At the time he urged the Soviet Union to launch nuclear weapons against the US during the Bay of Pigs incident. Apparently the 84 year old retired dictator has had a number of opinion changes in his old age and recently sat down with Jeffrey Goldberg who writes a blog for Atlantic magazine.


(Revolution Museum in Havana has pieces of different US spies planes they shot down during the Bay of Pigs & Cuban Missile Crisis as evidence/trophies of US aggression against them)

This interview jumped out at me because I had the opportunity to go to Havana over last winter break---legally. I got a humanitarian license from the US State Department and travelled to Cuba with a group called Global Exchange from San Francisco. From my viewpoint, there were three things that were working in Cuba:
1) Health care- everybody got really good coverage of everything
2) Free, really good education for all through university!
3) Gender equality- they need all hands on deck to make a living and get things done so there is not much gender discrimination.

What clearly wasn't working was:
1) the economy- the stores were practically empty (below)




2) the economy- our taxi driver was a trained veterinarian, but he could make more money in the tourist industry driving a cab (above)

3) the economy- everybody has a house to live in, but it was kind of based on what your family grabbed at the time of the revolution in 1959 (or if you had a connection to the government office that allocated housing)

Back to the interview, when commenting on the Cuban economic system Castro actually confessed, " The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore." That was pretty amazing to me. My question back would be that I have to believe the US embargo for 50+ years hasn't made it easy. Right now they are mainly sucking in foreign exchange from European tourist to buy and build what they need. Everybody in the rest of the world can travel there freely. Just think how much they would make if Americans could go there. It is only 90 miles off the coast of Florida!

You really get to see how well capitalism distributes goods and services when you go to Cuba-except for maybe health care, education and equal rights--this might be where we need government intervention in our system (and we have it). It was a really interesting trip. I really recommend going before the old system disappears. It was a really great living history lesson.

Anyway, if you want to hear Castro's comments on SNL and Fidel scolding Ahmadinejad over anti-semitism, check it out:

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/fidel-castros-doubts-about-cuban-communism-and-iranian-anti-semitism/

Labor Day?

As I bask in the accumulated homework I have over this past long weekend I wonder, how did this day called Labor Day come about?

Labor day represents for me the ending of summer, and the beginning of the new work year. It use to be when I was little the day we would pack up at our summer cottage in the Northwood’s of Wisconsin. We would have to clean the boathouse, clean up the fridge, the beds, bring the buoy in, turn off the water, lock everything up, take the raft in, put up the “caution: thin ice” sign, and many more tiny tasks. I remember I would sit on the dock at the end of the day and watch the sunset fall. As I watched the sun fall I kept thinking how much I couldn’t wait for the next summer’s sun to rise. Now as I have grown up it has been more of an extra day off school, a day off from my sports team, and a day to finish up all of my extra homework. As I get older and change so does what happens on Labor Day.

So to commemorate this Labor Day I wanted to discover the true meaning of this holiday. I went onto Google and typed in “Meaning of Labor Day.” The first Labor Day was September 5, 1882. It became a federal holiday in 1894. It was originally could have been on May Day (May 1st) but president Grover Cleveland didn’t think that was appropriate because he did not want it to have it associated with the Haymarket riot here in Chicago. All the workers were protesting for better working conditions. And when one protest got out of hand and number of workers were killed by the US military the president Grover Cleveland decided to devote a day to celebrate the workers.

What was even more interesting is that we usually expect to get weekends free but actually the concept of a “weekend” did not come around until 1926 when Henry Ford would shut down his factories for Saturdays and Sundays. It did not become widely accepted nationwide until 1940.

As this Labor Day concludes I reminisce on what this day means. It means a day off for those who work hard every day of the year. I see how society has changed from having no weekends to expecting to have at a minimum two days off per week. This day is dedicated to those who have built this country from the ground up. I just want to extend my thanks on this day to all those who work hard today so they can help create a better tomorrow.

Hey