Month: December 2019

I just watched Raymond O. Arsenault’s lecture titled “Courage and Civility.” He talks about the life of Richmond born Arthur Ashe, who has been the focus of much of Arsenault’s career. Today, Arthur Ashe is remembered as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. However, Arsenault argues that Ashe is one of the “greatest Americans of all time.” Ashe’s impact as a civil rights advocate and activist against AIDS transcends his tennis career.

In 1968, Ashe won the first US open. During the same year, he was in uniform at West Point. Jefferson Roberts, a black minister in D.C., invited Ashe to speak in church. Although it was his first time speaking in public, Ashe became inspired to speak out against race matters, and motivated other athletes to do the same. We are no longer in the defined civil rights era, but that doesn’t mean that the fight for civil rights in our country has ended. The legacy of Arthur Ashe lives on as a model of a man who was able to leverage his platform in order to change the world.

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In the reading, “Redefining leadership in the Next Century” McFarland talks about some points that were very interesting to me like when he talks about how he believes that everyone can be a leader it made me think of leaders and that they are after all just a normal person and that anyone can be a leader. The one thing that needs to change is the perception of who can become a leader he says in the reading. This made a lot of sense to me because when he describes the typical leader that is what I think of when I think of a leader. The typical leader figure that we all think it to be which is the autocratic, militaristic model empowering model.

He starts to say that this is the first step in changing how we think of leaders nowadays. He also starts to talk about what qualities leaders in the 21st century should have to be successful. He first states that leaders should have the ability to inspire others and bring out the best in them. I agree that this is true with all leaders so that if you want to be a successful leader than you should bring out the best in people. One thing I noticed is that he said most of your results come from the people themselves which was an interesting viewpoint. I would think that if you were a leader advocating for a change then seeing changes in the government side would be the best place for results. All in all I liked his arguments and viewpoints regarding leadership.

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The article by Williamson was extremely interesting and brought to the surface some important content. The point that he made about how we must correct our past before we can move forward as country was very crucial to our day and age. The fact that racial bias is still occurring and has been practically since slavery is outrageous. Today we still have talks about racism and the topic gets circulated quite a bit but for some reason as a country we have not solved our problem and we are still having racist attitudes towards people who aren’t in deserving of it. His point really resonated with me because before I also know that you should move on from your mistakes with a lesson learned but never really thought of a bigger setting such as America. In a bigger setting, it is crucial to be able to go to the past and grab things in which need to be fixed in order to move forward in an efficient way. 

All in all, from both articles, the main points made find a way to focus on the strength of a community. For example the problems exemplified in Williamson’s article are in desperate need of a leader in which McFarland portrays. For a great idea or movement to be expressed to the full capacity a great leader needs to be able to compassionately get through the followers and make room for all people with all walks of life. 

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Earlier this semester I attended the play held on campus, Appropriate. Appropriate was a very interesting show. The setting was a living area in a plantation house. Frank, who is the first character introduced in the play, has a dead father who was the owner of the house. Frank also has two other siblings, Bo and Tony.  Bo, is also at the house with his wife Rachel and their two kids. One of their kids discovers what Rachel says is pictures of “dead black people” and the other child discovers old body parts and bones being preserved in jars. This brings up one of the themes of the show which is racism. I think this play brought up a heavy topic in an interesting and creative way. It exposes horrible things from the past and brings them to the present. It reminds me of how our campus has a heavy connection with slavery. To buildings being named after slave owners, and our campus having the site of a salve graveyard. 

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There are some qualities of leadership that will always remain constant, however, there are also some that must change with the times. The way leaders lead must always evolve based on their environment and what situations they are being put in. Leaders must also be flexible as what may work for one leader, won’t work for another. McFarland gives examples of some old beliefs that must be revised to form new habits. “If I’m the boss, I’m supposed to have all the answers. If I’m the boss, I’m not supposed to make any mistakes” (457). This type of thinking puts leaders on a pedestal and if followers start to believe in this, they begin to idolize these leaders. You need to reinvent and both the organization and the leaders, not just one or the other.

 

There are six different themes that emerge from this reading. The first is that “leadership is no longer the exclusive domain of the ‘boss at the top'” (458). Leaders are not the only ones in an organization who are responsible for leading. Followers are also given the opportunity and have the obligation to lead as well. The second is that “The new leader must facilitate excellence in others” (458). This reminds me of the transformational leadership we learned in class earlier in the semester. The third is looking for “The distinction between leadership and management” (458). It is important to be able to differentiate between the two as leaders have people who follow them while managers have people who work for them. The fourth looks further into “the newly emerging, sensitive, and humanistic dimension to leadership” (458). There has been a shift recently towards being more empowering and bring the best out of people, getting tied back to the second theme. The fifth is concerned with “the growing need for leaders to take a holistic approach, embracing a wide variety of qualities, skills, and capabilities” (458). Like many occupations, leaders have to be very well-rounded and have many qualities that span across many different fields. The last is “a mastery over change… predicting and redirecting change before it comes up” (458-459). Leaders should be open to change and embrace it, not try to stick to the status quo.

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In the article “Beyond Red and Blue” by Thad Williamson, the fact that Democracy is failing is focused on, and addresses the things that people need to do in order to save it. I found that the point that our nation really needs to work on is the moral humility/ courage point. Williamson states that he means “awareness of the possibility that however deep one’s convictions, one might be wrong, that others views may have morally decent reasons for holding the views they hold” when talking about moral humility (p 7). I think that this is so important to our nation today due to the intense polarization between political parties, that impact how much our government can get done. People are so caught up in the mentality that the only right way is there way, and nobody will hear out the other side. This is key to Democracy, the art of compromising.

I find it very interesting how Williamson not only outlines what people should do to save and make Democracy better, but also discusses the problems that have led to the majority of the people’s frustration and dissatisfaction with the government today. Our political system is hyper competitive, and it makes it so the people in charge are not meeting the demands or needs of the people, instead they are trying to make sure their side stays on top. I think that this is a huge problem, and a major reason why people don’t really care about politics anymore because it’s about seeing who can get the farthest, not about who can do the most for the people, and I think that that is sad.

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I thought this essay was very interesting. It brought up food points about democracy and the state of our government today. I found it very interesting that he brought up how our government has changed over the years and is not as efficient as it use to be.

The government today is very polarized. This is a problem when someone tries to pass legislation. I found the comparison of the political parties to sports team very effective because it seems like each side is trying to win now, not help the people out. I agree that in order to have a better government and society there needs to be change. Our democracy was created in a different state of society and changes need to be made. We can not live in the past and except it to work for the future.

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In this reading the author touched on some interesting aspects of democracy.  The part that was most interesting to me is when Williamson talked about the three civic virtues. He says the three civic virtues are awareness of others, a sense of fairness and fair play, and the ability to find the right balance between moral humility and moral courage. I like how he then breaks down each virtue and explains why people need to know them and understand them for a democratic society to work. After reading his in depth description of each virtue, I agree that those things are needed for a democratic society to function.

Out of the three civic virtues, the one I found the most interesting was having moral humility/courage. I also think this is one that a lot of people in today’s society do not possess. The requirement of this virtue is the ability for a person to somewhat have an understanding to other people’s views even if they are opposing views. Most people have a set view of their own and if it’s not their belief then it’s just wrong all together.

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I found the article by Williamson to be very interesting. The points made about how we need to first deal with our past, especially in terms of racial bias, was very accurate because we do still see race come up as some kind of inequality in America to this day. Bringing this point in with the leadership article, the difference between management and leadership is something I didn’t think about really but now that I am aware of it, it makes sense. It’s one thing to just tell people what to do but it’s another to have the skill of leading people to do better, and that’s the kind of service we need in our democratic state when dealing with these issues unsolved.

Overall, I think one of the main points from both articles is to focus on some kind of community strength because the issues brought up by Williamson need leaders in this new perspective given by McFarland. Leaders who understand human emotion and are sensitive and all that need those skills in order to bring people up and our government needs to work on equality of the people since, from the example of the founding documents, the people are the ones who should be the true leaders.

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Williamson makes several great points about the origins of the Constitution of the United States in contrast with our reality. He talks about how the things mentioned in the constitution sound great but has never truly been enacted. All of these desires may have been the poor English white man’s dream which brewed inspiration to go and seek out a better life. However, to do so the “founding fathers” took those same realities from another group of people to promote their agenda and then reframed the picture to make themselves look good.

I love that Williamson talked about the definition and reality of the word democracy that the US claims so proudly. It requires “sense and fairness” and “democracy is not a form of government that guarantees justice.” Williamson also explains that when this equality is missing from the idea of democracy, doors are opened to constant grievances, moral resentment, social rancor, and social instability.”  In order to truly fix our government and create a nation that is what it has pretended to be for centuries, we must all be educated on the past. Everyone needs to learn the truth about the past and present horrors that exist in our country. You can never fix a broken pipe if no one ever acknowledges that it was broken. And it would equally as unwise to fix the pipe without investigating and finding out what caused it to burst in the first place. We need to fix the root cause and replace the pipe and we need to stop pretending like the pipe is not broken. Only after we acknowledge this will we be anywhere close to a truly democratic government that grants its people life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

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Okay so honestly this post has been one of the most intriguing to me in a while. the discussion about how technology is affecting how we lead kinda caught me off guard, it makes sense though that corporations can effectively change how a person communicates and subsequently gets information to their followers. this as McFarland points out challenges us to change our viewpoint how leaders ought to lead as well not just how we lead. the idea that we need to forget that a leader, should have all the answers or that they are always right, kinda seems scary but, makes sense over all just relying on one person for all your information is scarier than the alternative.

These readings  give me hope as well, because it just reinforces that Humans can change, not just physically but mentally.  Our ability to adapt to the needs, especially in democracy, of the culture around it to reinforce it or change it completely. This is happening as well, the mindset that everyone is a leader and should bring out the best in people is flooding higher management causing a trickle down effect through the management in businesses.

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When reading the sub-header of this article (“What students need to learn if American Democracy Is to Survive and Thrive”), I became very excited because I feel that this class reads a lot of negative and pessimistic things about American Democracy, both past and present. Based on this sub-header, I went into this article expecting more concrete and tangible advice; while some points hit this on the nose, I think others missed their mark. With the three civic virtues, I really liked how under awareness and moral humility/courage he recognized the fallibility of humanity, saying its ok to not get it right every time but as long as we are aware of the ideal and keep working towards it, mistakes and missteps along the way can be forgiven. I had some questions during the fairness section. Williamson called for having faith in the system to be fair and just, but often our system is neither of those things. In terms of elections, sometimes the popular vote winner does not match the electoral vote winner. Do we have an obligation to continue believing the system is fair? In 2000, there was a recount dispute that ended with Bush winning Florida by 537 votes, well within the margin of miscount error. Again, should we trust that elections are fair?

He goes on to address this in the moral humility/courage section, but I don’t think he answered the above questions well enough. In both those cases above, I believe that an injustice was committed, but many others do not. How can we differentiate bias from how we see things as just or unjust? How can we differentiate a person raising a grievance from a sore loser, and how do we determine which person is which?

The second half of his paper I enjoyed much more than the first. He touched on a lot of things we’ve previously discussed in class including Lincoln: the man vs. the myth. I really enjoyed the writings of Frederick Douglas because they echoed Williamson’s sentiments of before: we are all imperfect and being imperfect does not make you inherently bad. If someone can start their journey in a country where they are considered property and then continue on in their life to write about America and its democracy in a positive light, then it gives me hope that our democracy can survive this period of extreme polarization. It’s nice to see a more hopeful note for the future for a change.

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During one of my AASU meetings, we had Dr. Lu and Dr. Erkulwater came in and we had like a mini panel for the members of AASU. They talked about how it felt to be one of the only Asian, female faculty members on campus. It was interesting to hear their responses on when students ask them about their ethnicity and how they respond to it.

One of the points hit was that Dr. Erkulwater said it was worse when students did not use “Dr.” but instead said “Mrs.” or something because she earned her degree. She also mentioned how she does not feel obligated to be a mentor like figure to other Asian students necessarily, but that being a mentor comes with the job description so any student who may seek her help, she would be willing to give it.

I found it especially interesting when Dr. Lu said that being one of the only Asian faculty on campus did not bother her that much. She tended not to think about it and when she did get homesick, she would just go home. She mentioned that the most awkward situation she was in on campus was in fact our meeting because it was a specific place that other Asians were gathering, in an area that was not predominantly Asian, and that it was very weird for her. However, it does not deter her from working here because she likes to think of her job as more important than the fact that there are not many other Asians around. Both Dr. Lu and Dr. Erkulwater said they were very happy they liked each other and got along because it would be a bit sad if a few of the only Asians were NOT friends.

I think it is interesting to hear that some of their fears or setbacks are not necessarily from being Asian, but are common feelings that could be expressed by any other professor, especially the “Dr.” thing. They are definitely highly looked upon for us and their help with pulling off Asia week into something a little better than the original plan was greatly appreciated and they put in the work for what they want, regardless of race but because of work habit.

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In early November, I attended a title known generally as the Last Lecture. Last Lectures are based on the concept that if a professor discovered that they were dying but they had one last opportunity to talk to their students, what would they say? The best of these talks relate to the common human experience, while drawing on their own experiences to spread their wisdom. I have seen a lot of these lectures myself, and when the professor does not actually have the pressure of their own looming death, they tend to default to their own area of study, neglecting the emotional component that makes these speeches so powerful. At Dr. Laura Knouse’s Last Lecture titled “Being Human is Hard,” it appeared at first that she had fallen into this trap. A psychologist by background, she used lots of data and studies to emphasize that being a human, specifically a human in the 21^st century, is different from that of non-humans because modern day technology allows us access to more information and connections than ever before; in theory, we should be able to use this unlimited access to make ourselves happy.

It was at this point that Dr. Knouse went onto her more emotional, philosophical, and profound points of her talk. She did not explain how to avoid suffering or how to find happiness specifically, but instead emphasized that we must recognize being human is hard. To do that, we must not be too hard on others and more importantly, not be too hard on ourselves. Instead of putting ourselves down, we should instead realize that because life is hard, we will make mistakes; accept that the flub was just that, a mistake, and start to move forward. She used the example in her personal life of her son. When she was pregnant, she thought that she could handle a variety of potential disabilities both physical and mental, but the one she thought she would not be able to handle was autism. Of course, nine months later, her son was born with autism. Using the philosophy of the title of her speech, she decided not be so hard on herself for hoping against what ended up making her son unique. She forgave herself for having short patience or needing to take “time off.” She also vowed never to foster resentment or blame towards her son for the way that he is. This mindset allowed her to focus nothing but love and attention to her child.

Dr. Knouse advocated for this mindset because it allows a person to become more productive and successful when they are not dwelling on past mistakes, most of which will have little-to-no effect on the future. After doing the reading “Beyond Red and Blue,” I saw a common give-each-other-some-lack-attitude when Williamson talked about working to understand one another; he also raised the point that we must forgive ourselves and each other when we make a mistake because it is all part of a learning curve towards a more accepting and inclusive society.

 

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When reading the Archer reading, I was very intrigued by how Trump interacts with the press and how his condemnation of certain medias has led to these sources being considered less credible by many people, likely Trump’s supporters who take everything he says at face value. The idea that these sources would be less credible due to falsely predicting the results of the 2016 is abhorrent to me, there are many factors which led to that false prediction which had nothing to do with the media’s credibility and had much to do with people lying about where they would cast their votes or not speaking up in any polls at all.

I was especially interested in the fact that Trump considers Fox News a highly credible source because it presents him in a tremendously positive light unlike many other sources. It seems very hypocritical that he would approve of and promote a media source which reciprocally promotes him.

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In this essay, Williamson discusses the interesting period of change we are in now and tells us what the younger generation should know about democracy to keep it going. Williamson says that the growing human-technology relationship, coupled with the rapid advances in technology, is moving faster than democracy can. An “old v.s. new” conflict. (This is a conflict McFarland also talks about with leadership techniques). I found that statement interesting because the ideals that Williamson proposes are… kind of old news. In fact, the sources of Williamson’s civic virtues are historical figures and philosophers. It’s an interesting balance. The futuristic advances being balanced out by long-held values. However, these long-held values are so often forgotten by so many. Being only 19, I cannot say for sure whether that was always the case or not, but this essay claims it “feels different this time” (2). Awareness of others and moral humility are BIG values that I think could make a world of difference if they were more widely believed in/genuinely considered. It really is a cognitive exercise, depending on the issue… it isn’t easy. People don’t like gray areas, but the US (as we’ve read) has always been one BIG gray area.

This gray area is shown by Lincoln and by Fredrick Douglas’ description of Lincoln. How Lincoln was a prejudiced, white man. He was a “president of white men”, but he couldn’t have achieved what he did (abolishing slavery, which was an amazing thing) had he been anything else. Realism = gray areas. And this is why looking at all sides of one argument, understanding that you could be wrong, and trying to think about the situations of others is SO SO SO important!

**Tangent: It makes sense that this essay was written by someone who lives in Richmond. Richmond is the epitome of one of the crossroads Williamson mentions: accepting/embracing the new reality vs using public policy to blockade that reality. The monuments are a prime example. And Kehinde Wiley’s sculpture “Rumors of War” that is about to be placed in front of the VMFA is an example of the opposition.

 

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