Get The Facts

While there were many interesting presentations in the rotunda this past week, Laura Kesnig's poll of ESM honor students stuck out to me because it reflected how people, especially young people, can start regurgitating other people's opinions and believe them to be facts. She asked news-related questions, and the responses were tinged by bias. For example: of the students asked "Is global warming really happening," 50% responded that global warming does not exist.
The uncomfortable truth that Laura's survey brings close to home is that people do not look for differing perspectives before synthesizing their own. They simply accept what opinions their parents, or the major news outlets offer, and regurgitate these.

In AP English Language and Composition, one of the types of essays students are required to write is called a synthesis essay. The test offers a concise statement about some news issue, such as global warming, and provides the arguments of people who either agree or disagree with the statement. The student must absorb all of this information, and use the provided arguments to form their own opinion, which they must then argue for. This skill is essential, especially in this age of hyperpartisan news, and AP students can thank Mrs. Wilcken.

Students polled by Laura might not have had Mrs. Wilcken, or the sentiments they expressed may have been the result of their careful synthesis. However, issues such as global warming simply cannot be contested, as it has been scientifically proven to exist and to be a product of human activity. The fact that people still consider this information to be a matter of personal opinion is disconcerting. Their is so much information in the world in 2015 that to ignore that which conflicts with your opinion is a disservice to the society in which we all live.

The Entwives #11

All of the projects in the rotunda were interesting so it was hard to pick a single one to reflect/respond to in a blog post. Yet here I am and the project that spoke to m the loudest was Genevieve’s about the Entwives. The illustration was detailed and lovely and the paragraph that accompanied it was short and sweet. The Entwive comes to life with the expression and posture he takes on the page. His face is solemn as he strides across the page while he seemingly contemplates his situation. As discussed in The Lord of The Rings the Entwives were once creatures that roamed Middle Earth in abundance. But then they disappeared, seemingly without reason. However their vanishing is attributed to the industrial destruction of the forest. This situation shares many parallels with our own reality. Sadly in our current era the Earth’s forest depletion and loss of species of both flora and fauna.

In Tolkein’s world the blurred knowledge of the Entwives is discussed with a sense of regret, because they won’t come back into existence. This is something that today many people don’t take seriously or at least as seriously and they need to be. Deforestation across the planet is occurring at an alarming rate. This piece and not only shows the lore from a great piece of writing but it also can be applied to today. The use of trees to serve the developing world is increasing everyday. I hope that if have not read the Lord of The Rings then I highly recommend you do and while you are reading why not give an article about forest preservation? Thanks for listening.

Love and Revolution

   This weekend I watched Steven Soderbergh's two-part film, Che, based on the participation of Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Fidel Castro's 26th of July movement and the Ñancahuazù Guerrilla group in Bolivia. The revolutionary was portrayed by Academy Award-winning actor Benicio del Toro.

   The first part of the film followed Fidel Castro's overthrow of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista in 1959 with the assistance of Che. It alternated between Guevara's December of 1964 addresses to the UN and his assistance in the guerrilla warfare that eventually took down Batista's regime.

   The second part covered his actions in Bolivia from 1965 to 1967, where the democratic government, assisted by the United States, attempted to capture him in an effort to prevent a revolution similar to that in Cuba. This half had a more somber tone, as he was eventually caught and executed by the Bolivian army.

   What I found to be most interesting about the film was the overall portrayal of Che. He was, by most standards, a communist, which, especially in his day, carried a heavy connotation. Marxist/Leninist ideals are often regarded as "only good on paper" and utopian rather than practical and realistic, and its proponents commonly have self-interest in mind, rather than that of the people.

   But Guevara seemed to have a radically different view that was, if anything, more truly communist than most. I began to see this when, in Part One, Castro and Guevara are leading troops through the Cuban jungle in order to reach target cities. Along the way they passed through many villages and farms, often while in dire need of food and supplies. Yet they never stole or harassed the peasants; instead they paid for everything and, if nothing was for sale, went on their way. Thievery within their army was punishable by death.

   At first I believed this to simply be good public relations; any attempt to oust an oppressive regime would be pointless if those posing as the "good guys" blindly berated the peasants who they would soon govern. Instead, they treated them fairly, even offering medical attention when needed.

   Che, however, seems to view this as more than the necessary custom. This becomes apparent in a statement he made during the 1964 Afro-Asian Conference in Algeria:

   "Socialism cannot exist without a change in consciousness resulting in a new fraternal attitude toward humanity, both at an individual level, within the societies where socialism is being built or has been built, and on a world scale, with regard to all peoples suffering from imperialist oppression."

   Guevara believed in the brotherhood of mankind above all else, not just the communist platform of government. Perhaps this ideal was the most utopian of all, but it showed a tremendous amount of dedication to the people that other regimes across the Atlantic Ocean lacked. As the "architect" of the 26th of July movement, this belief was a strong driving force in Castro's assertion of power, which stressed Cuba's independence from all other sovereignties, their only similarity with other communist governments being their framework.

   Whether or not Cuba maintained or ever held the faith of Ernesto Guevara, he did try and spread it elsewhere. And, all along, he carried a simple and ringing message.

   In the film, he is asked by interviewer Lisa Howard, "What is the most important quality for a revolutionary to possess?" His answer:

   "Love."

#10 Reality Check!

On the topic of conspiracy theories this week, one my favorites has been the Hollow Earth Theory. I'm not 100% sure why this idea is so fascinating to me but it is. However like most good things there is another side. In this case reality has come to wreak havoc on my hopes of ever petting a woolly mammoth. Lets start with the outer crust. According to most of the diagrams I've run across, they leave the outer crust completely unsupported with a giant void in the center. This is undoubtedly a major problem. The gravitational force would make this outer shell of the Earth to collapse on itself. But what about the second sun? The fact that a secondary sun within our planet means nothing more than a brightly burning star is lurking beneath the surface.

Problem number one with having a star in the center of the planet would be the outward and inward thrusts. As the fuel on the surface of the star burns there would be releases of large amounts of energy. This energy is likely to be light and heat energy both of which would cause problems to the small oasis. First off the light would be too strong and condensed to allow for any life(let alone plants and animals). The distance from the star (no matter how small) would be too short to be habitable. Next the amount of heat as output is most likely to cause temperatures close to that on the surface of Mercury or Mars. And if you passed 5th grade science you would know that these are not habitable places. At least not in term of lush greenery and flowing bodies of water. And as if this wasn't bad enough the outward thrust exerted by the star would be great. Such a force could cause a number of outcomes such as: the outer crust being ripped apart, the Earth's rotation and gravitational axis being altered or entirely thrown off or even causing the eventual slipping of the outer layer falling into the pull caused by the star's own gravity.

With these reasons and countless others I say with a heavy heart that a hollow Earth is not physically possible. Physics has a twisted way of making things dull some times huh? But don't throw out all of the hollow earth memorabilia you've bought just yet. You can make a cool indie band and use the diagram of the supposed hollow Earth as your logo or even use it as album art! Or on the flip side you can continue to follow the threads and envelop yourself in the idea of such a cool hidden place. Whatever you choose stay curious my friends.

The Irresponsible Poor

We often hear the excuse of those against programs like welfare that those receiving assistance "are not responsible enough" and "put themselves in that position". They complain that they see poor people with iPhones and designer bags and are still struggling to sustain their children or themselves. What most overlook, however, is that these people are not spending their welfare checks on these frivolous things. More times than not, that designer bag is a knock-off bought on the street. The iPhone they are using is old or was a gift. Just because certain facets of these people's lives don't appear to fit their stereotype, assumptions are made immediately.

The assumptions don't stop there though. Because this person is spending their government-handout money frivolously, that means that they are not trying to better themselves by getting a better job, making them lazy. That person is bad at decision making, which is what got them in their position. The minds of those who believe this simply don't stop. We've all seen the lengthy copy-paste posts on Facebook about this, but it's something to consider. Next time you see someone clearly at a low in their life on an iPhone, catch yourself, because you might be making assumptions without even knowing.

Conspiracy Theories Affect on History

Conspiracy theories have played an important role in human history. During times of international war politicians and military leaders on both sides of a conflict will suspect that their opponents are engaged in several conspiracies. They will thus scrutinize their enemies’ actions and rhetoric carefully. Conspiracy theories are in fact an essential tool in warfare and are required for effective anticipation and countering of enemy strategy. On the other hand conspiracy theories can contribute to the creation of corrupt establishments. A classic example was the Nazi dissemination of conspiracy theories about Jewish / Zionist covert influence over world affairs. And more recently conspiracy theories about Al Queda terrorist networks were used by western governments to justify the introduction of fascist policies both domestically and in foreign affairs.

http://youtu.be/2tN4Zulagb8
Recently I saw this video while scrolling through facebook and immediately thought of humanities. This has been such a relevant topic within society and culture today. Personally I love slam poetry and think it's amazing form of art and expression, especially when completed in ways such as this. The message she is presenting is so powerful and needs to be discussed. It can even go along with "diet racism."
Sometimes we don't realize what we are saying and how it may offend someone. We all need to be more aware of the things we say and the things we do. This video is a perfect representation of why we need to be actively aware of out words.