Month: December 2019

Earlier I saw a play called the Hunting Ground and was basically about rape cases on college campuses and how they are handled. It is very scary to observe and what how often this happens. The protection order system is very poor when it comes to handling these situations. In the movie, one of the scenes describes how they treated a sexual assault case as a slap on the wrist, meanwhile the victim is scared for life and has anxiety over the entire situation. This was interesting to relate to our class but I think it relates in the sense that in order for a leader to gain more followers and accomplish more towards whatever the movement is attempting to do, it is important to make sure that all followers are accepted by the leader and there is room for all walks of life. In this situation, the colleges are trying to protect their campuses look and reputation which is why they try not to give these cases attention.

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I attended The hunting ground screen earlier in November, this film showcased the reality of rape and sexual assault on college campuses. It gives stories of college students who had been sexually assaulted and explains how they began a fight for justice against the administrators which was a very difficult battle to fight. The administration often denounces these cases in order to preserve the overall reputation. The movies also explain how these survivors were doing after their experiences and actually how hard it is to actually recover from a situation like this. These victims are constantly harassed by peers. He finally explains that there is a culture that not promotes rape but enables it to happen. Overall it was a very interesting documentary and one that I would recommend everyone else see.

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I found Yasha’s speech to be very interesting. I think its really scary think about the “internet as a weapon” because as explained its a very dangerous game. He also explains that the world is wired, everything is connected to the internet, our economy and more importantly our safety. I’m nervous about our future because he said that computers were made to fight wars whether it be drone strikes or cyberattacks they can always affect us in some way which would be detrimental to society. The Cambridge project was something I had heard about earlier but when he mentioned it I figured out what it was. It was a super interesting project in which allowed him to spy on different leaders of the movements of the new left. And this technology makes it so surveillance video is indestructible.

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In November I attended Pure Confidence, a play written by Carlyle Brown performed at the Modlin Center with a few student actors and the rest of the cast comprised of hired and professional actors. The play details the story of a slave who is attempting to pay his way to freedom by horse racing. Simon Cato and his horse Pure Confidence attempt to race their way to freedom and though Simon is not leading a large audience, he is an example of working hard to achieve something. Though the system of slavery is corrupt and immoral to begin with and it is incredibly difficult and unfair to escape, Simon and his motivation to escape the system can be seen as an inspiration to other slaves who can raise their morales to escape as well.

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This talk was part of the Jepson Lecture Series which focused a lot on technology and the digital age. I went into this talk by Yasha Levine expecting to hear about Russian interference in our elections, online terrorist “recruiting,” the dark web, and more things along these lines based on the title and that fact that Levine’s job description is “Russian-American investigative journalist.” However, this is not the talk that I got. He started with a brief (aka not-so-brief) explanation of the origins and history of the internet. He explained that it was at least designed by the military to act as a tool. This does not surprise me, especially after taking this course, because our government pours a lot of money into military endeavors, and we’ve talked a lot about how economic motivations are ALWAYS at play. He then went on to explain how the internet became available to the general populous and slightly into the rise of social media.

I was a little disappointed at this point in the speech because he chose to bring it to an end. It felt like there was no wisdom or final message. It ended in a very “that’s just kinda the way it is” way. I was very unsatisfied by this and I think a lot of fellow audience members felt the same because many people asked questions that recognized that this may be the way it is currently but also asked what we could do to change the internet so that it is no longer weaponized. I was once again dissatisfied by his responses because they felt like he himself had given up any semblance of hope regarding the internet. I may not be an expert on the topic, but I am also not someone who settles for things that I am unhappy with. I wish that Levine had taken this opportunity to teach his audience more than history.

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Michele Norris is a former journalist on NPR and now is the head of the Race Project. The Race Project asks people to describe their experience and relationship with race in six words or less. She started by leaving postcards everywhere she went, with the address already written on the cards so that they could just stick them in the mail and the cards would be sent right to her office. Norris has been collecting these cards over the course of the years. During her presentation, she shared a number of cards with us. A lot were as I expected, minorities talking about their experiences. I was surprised to see that there were a lot of cards about gender or sexuality because neither are what the project was initially designed for. Michele Norris said that this surprised her too, but what she discovered is that when people are given an avenue to expose their true feelings, they are going to take it.

I think my favorite moment about her talk was who she handled differing opinions. She showed a race card from a white man from Wisconsin. It said something along the lines of “I’m white and I pay for it.” When she put this card on the scene, the mood of the room definitely shifted, and you could hear grumbles and objections spike up in the room. She immediately addressed these by saying that the race project is designed to facilitate conversation and does not aim to judge. Everyone has a story to share, and every single person’s story should be valued equally to each other’s. I think that this point is really important because that it something that we as Americans fail to do a lot. Our highly polarized, partisan world means that people judge without listening. I think that the Williamson article echoed this idea of listening and trying to understand one another, which is part of why I liked both that article and this talk so much.

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I went to a Marshall Center Lecture series. Joshua B. Kaplan was the speaker for this event. Kaplan works at the political science department at Notre Dame. Kaplan talked about the consequences of electoral college reforms that have been proposed. He states he believes the electoral college is not good. He stated that even the biggest fan of the electoral college would use it if we started over. He talks about how each proposal has its own bias. He believes these consequences could be worse than what we have. He talks about the electoral bias is in its geographic location. One of the revision plans is the Automatic plan which states we would keep electoral votes but not the electors. Each state would get the same amount of votes.

I found this lecture very interesting because we can see in elections how one candidate might win the popular vote nd the other the electoral vote. The one with the electoral vote will become president. These seems to be odd considering a majority of the population wants a certain person. During the time of the constitution this was used to suppress the masses because the elite didn’t want them to have to much power. You can also see during elections which states usually vote a certain way. This makes the electoral vote easy to get for the candidate of the party that state favors.

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I went to one of the Marshall Center lectures where Raymond O. Arsenault spoke. He is a professor of southern history at the University of Florida, St. Petersburg. He lectured on Author Ashe. He wrote a biography on Author Ashe. He wrote the first biography on him. Author Ashe was a great tennis player but Arsenault focused on him as a person. He was born in Richmond and was alive during the Jim Crow era. He was unable to stay in Richmond and left to go to Missouri.

He was the first African American to go on the mens tennis tour. He was alone during this time and was playing during the civil rights movement. He worked hard to integrate Richmond into the desegregation movement. He tried to get an African American hall of fame. He had to come out after his career and tell the public he had aides. He then became an aides activist. There is now the Author aides foundation.

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Earlier this semester I went to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts where they sectioned off a part of the museum for a Roman exhibit. The exhibit was pertaining to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the effect that it had on the city of Pompeii. The exhibit had a variety of Roman artifacts from paintings, to sculptures, to the technology they had during the time period. I had taken Latin throughout high school which is what interested me in the exhibit. The detail and craftsmanship in each of these individual artifacts were incredible. The Romans for their time period were so advanced and ahead of their time with the technology they had invented. The Romans were the ones who had invented running water and drainage systems. Last year over winter break I had the privilege of going to the Roman Baths and witnessing the complexity of these drainage systems and it was extremely impressive. I was extremely happy to have had the opportunity to have gone to the museum and witnessed the amazing pieces of art and artifacts. The complexity and detail placed into them was astonishing.

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In the lecture I attended on October sixth a multitude of different topics were discussed. The speaker began the lecture discussing the irreversible damage that humans are placing upon earth. In his lecture, I quoted him as saying “Humans are a geological agent who has placed irreversible damage on earth.” He further elaborates on this idea by discussing the seventy five percent decrease in the insect population in the last twenty seven years due to the effects of global warming. This drastic drop has directly impacted the food chain causing shortages in food for certain species causing a domino effect throughout the hierarchy. He also discussed topics such as landscape archeology, industrial modernity, the Hittite empire, but what truly grabbed my attention was ISIS’s destruction of the Gardens of Babylon and ancient treasures/artifacts. After learning in his lecture that ISIS was destroying these ancient artifacts I decided to do some research of my own. What I discovered was sickening but the one that truly grabbed my attention was the destruction of a Roman theater in Syria using explosives. The reason for this is their belief in destroying ancient monuments or artifacts that contradict their views on the Islamic religion and describe such events as “cleansing”. The reason why they are destroying these cultural sites is due to their significant loss in territory. In an attempt to seek revenge they destroy these artifacts. It puts a sickening feeling in my stomach knowing that these priceless artifacts which draw in thousands of tourists are being destroyed. Not only are they depriving tourists of cultural experiences but they are also depriving these countries of tourism which brings a lot of money into these economies. With the destruction of these sites people have less reasons to visit these countries. The reason why ISIS is able to get away with these crimes is because of their control over portions of Syria along with the western and northern part of Iraq. Since there is no military in these areas under ISIS’s control there is no one and nothing to stop them. As mentioned above they justify their actions using religion and describing how these artifacts threaten their religion. The worst part is that ISIS documents the destruction via cell phone cameras and uploads these videos onto youtube. Placing these videos on a public platform is truly what aggravates me because the documentation is used as a scare tactic. An example of this is their seizure over the town of Palmyra as well as the nearby ruins. The ISIS militants initially promised to leave the site untouched but unfortunately this was not the case. They publicly executed the head archeologist as and released photos of the 1900 year old temple being rigged with explosives and the explosion that soon occurred afterwards. For the reasons stated above as well as many others that is why this topic in the lecture captured my attention. These artifacts once they are destroyed have no way of being restored or brought back which is truly sickening to me.  

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I attended a presentation by L. Antonio Curet titled life, death, and remembrance at the center of the Cosmos. While I thought Mr. Curet was a fascinating man with a  wealth of knowledge. I believe the way in which he delivered his information, as well as his presentation style, was lacking in a variety of ways. I felt as though he came into the presentation underprepared and found his points of discussion during his presentation. In addition, I wish he would have placed more text in his individual slides to highlight the main points he was trying to convey allowing the audience to understand the main topics. I hate being so critical over his presentation style but I felt as though if he was able to communicate the information in a more effective manner I would have been able to understand his presentation. What I did understand from his presentation was this Pre-Columbian culture called the Saladoides which is in present-day Venezuela as well as the Carribean. It is believed that this culture is from the lower Orinoco River near what is today Saladero and Barrancas in Venezuela. They migrated from the Orinoco River and established themselves in the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola. They inhabited the wetter and more fertile islands which allowed for their success in agriculture as well as their profound skills in pottery making, bead making, and jewelry making. The craftsmanship and details placed into their ceramic bowls as well as jewelry were incredible. The Saladoides were present from 300 B.C. to 600 A.D. which after that the Ostionoides came into the picture. The origination of the Ostionoides is still debated and they originally were thought to have come from the Saladoides but new research indicates that they primarily evolved from Archaic people who had migrated from Central America into Cuba and Hispaniola. This society of people was known for their complex societies and skilled agricultural practices. However, unlike the Saladoides their pottery and craftsmanship were far less complex. Their pottery was known to have simple black smudging, basic structuring, and an orange-red slip applied to the entire ceramic piece. Many of these artifacts which have been recovered today have chips in them due to the thinness of the pottery. Whereas many if not all of the Saladoide artifacts found today are in perfect shape. As mentioned above their pottery was far more complex due to the natural resources which allowed for better quality clay. On account of this better clay, the Saladoides were able to trademark their pottery with elegant designs such as rectilinear incisions, crosshatched designs, punctuation, appliqué clay ridges, and small geometric and zoomorphic lugs. What was also very interesting about the Saladoides is that for burials they would bury the dead in one place with marking. The reason why this was the case is to express the idea that during and afterlife this culture of people will always stay together both throughout life and throughout death. 

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I really enjoyed pure confidence. The premise is there is a slave who is also the best horse jockey rider in the south and he wants to become a free man. I thought that this play was really informing and overall I had a good time. I thought that this interpretation of what it was like in the south during the civil war with people who didn’t support slavery. I also thought it was interesting how the play made the northerner people out to be the bad guys and how they were more racist than some people in the south. I thought that that was really political and I was surprised but the play portrayed the southerners to be more supportive of the cause. I think this play has very interesting messages about the south and the north during this time period and how no one wasn’t racist.

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In October, I attended the College Democrats and College Republicans debate. Two students debated on the Democrats side and two students debated for the Republicans side with a Moderator asking questions and making sure the debate did not get out of hand or anything. The debate focused on various policy issues which are very relevant in politics right now especially with the race for the 2020 Democratic nominee to take on Donald Trump in November. There were three main policy issues which the debaters focused on: namely gun violence, immigration and the environment. Though the debaters disagreed significantly on all of these issues, they all managed to remain civil and intellectual when addressing the other representatives. The issues which were chosen are each prominent issues which are complex and difficult to untangle or argue. Both sides represented the prominent arguments of the actual Democrat and Republican parties, which become difficult to argue against as they become strengthened into each party and cemented into each member of the respective party.

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The Last Lecture series gives faculty at the University of Richmond the opportunity to speak on a topic as if it was the last lecture they would ever give. I listened to Dr. Laura Knouse, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Richmond, give her “last” lecture entitled “Being Human is Hard.” Dr. Knouse’s points really opened my mind. She talks about how being a human in today’s society is harder than it has ever been because of modern technology. Dr. Knouse explained that we should be able to make ourselves happy all the time with access to much information. This is not the case, though. I have never lived in a time where information was not available in the blink of an eye, and Dr. Knouse’s talk pointed out problems that I didn’t even know I had simply because I have never experienced anything else.

Dr. Knouse then moved on to talk about a more personal topic. Her son was diagnosed with autism, and this was one of her greatest fears while she was pregnant with him. She struggled with the idea that she would not be able to connect with her son. She said that “giving others a window on your own authentic struggle, your vulnerability, is one experience that can free others to choose a vital life for themselves.” Basically, Dr. Knouse suggests that by being open with your struggles, you can help somebody with your own. It is ok to be vulnerable and accept imperfection.

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“Digital Dystopias” was a speaking by Yasha Levin about the internet. He started the speaking by showing a video about the internet from when it first became a thing and how they displayed it as a wonderful, happy thing. However, people now are afraid of the internet especially in politics as it is believed that the internet has been turned into a weapon.

I liked this speaking because it provided quick history of how the internet came to be and how peoples views of it developed as the internet did.

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“Pure Confidence” is a play that I went to most recently and took place at a time where slavery was prevalent. The play mainly revolved around the main character Simon, who is a horse racing jockey that is hired to race for money for his owner. As the play continues, Simon is able to become free from being a slave.

I think that this play intertwined well with this class as it displayed domination and subordination. Simon was a subordinate to his dominant owner. Despite his determined and intelligent persona, Simon was unable to free himself from slavery on his own. Labeling him a subordinate. Overall, I enjoyed watching this play and seeing its relations to readings in class.

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Appropriate was a play I was able to see earlier this fall and I found it very interesting. It is about a family uncovering the past of their deceased father while visiting their old childhood home. After finding a disturbing photo album, they find out that their father was an advocate for the Klu Klux Klan.

This play was filled with a lot of hatred and anger towards each of the characters as well as the deceased father. I think that it was interesting to see who stayed loyal to their father based off of the type of relationship that they had as children. One character defended and denied her father and tried to convince others that there was no possibility of the photo album being his. However, the other two characters were appalled at the fact that their father would support such a terrible thing. But that just goes to show how each character got along with their father.

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This article furthered my knowledge of the media and how it has effects people. The beginning of the reading talked about how Donald Trump tweeted the press was “the enemy of the American people.” The media is very powerful and this example shows the impact that social media has. Social media impacts people’s viewpoints more than it ever has before in pst. In recent years people are very much influenced by social media.

Archer then talks about fake news and how it is very difficult to know if it is fake or not. This is because it is hard to understand or know what is true. The internet and social media can be dangerous in how people can manipulate certain information.

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I went to the speaker on 11/19 about the internet. I found it interesting in the beginning he talked about how families are hesitant to let their children use the internet due to its problems. He explained how some families believe that the internet is hijacked. He explained how the internet is a weapon for some people. Another interesting fact he said was that 7/10 of the world’s richest men came from the tech industry. This does not surprise me but still, I found it interesting. He then talked about how different programs came about. He said there was a new program that developed that allows the pentagon to put in data and work with data that they have not been able to do before. The program is a mixture of Excel and a database. I liked hearing this presentation because it was very cool to see how much the internet has changed but also how people view it today.

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The play “Pure Confidence” relates directly to the topic of dominants and subordinates that we covered in class. The permanent in equality in this performance was between white slave owners and black slaves. The dynamic between the dominant and subordinate did not exactly line up with Miller’s view, though. Miller claimed that once a dominant was established, the subordinate was labelled as defective. In “Pure Confidence,”the slave had an outstanding talent of jockeying, and this talent was a large part of both the slave and the slave owner’s identity. However, the play did have some parallels with the Miller reading. Miller also claimed that when subordinates develop characteristics such as competency or intelligence, there is no way for them to apply them in a productive way. For example, Simon Cato, the male slave, makes enough money to buy his own horse, which he hopes will make him enough money to buy himself out of slavery. Even though Cato is proactive in his attempt to free himself, his slave owner makes his price impossible to pay, thus proving that he cannot apply his intelligence in a productive way.

Another theme that is present in both Miller’s work and in “Pure Confidence” is that subordinates often know more about dominants than vice versa. At the beginning of the play, Cato is able to manipulate the slave owners by striking deals and racing for different white men. His knowledge of the behavior of the white men allows him to maximize his profit to get what he wants.

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