Author Archives: sm2664

Modern Primitives

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A very interesting discussion about how societies framing of peoples has reflected shifting stereotypes throughout history was lead by GRF Sam Legasse in this Rose Cafe. It was interesting to hear about, as well as see, the way displays of culture have been reshaped and relabeled over time. One example of this was shown in a video of Josephine Baker as she performed in a jungle setting wearing a banana skirt and swinging from trees. The striking part of this performance was the instigation of societies stereotypes surrounding the idea of African primitivism. While Josephine Bakers performance can be view as a personal pursuit of fame and fortune it can also be viewed as a challenge of peoples view of peoples as modern versus primitive. We talked a lot about how this could also be a representation of a larger social trend. The movement to change stereotypes by taking ownership of them has proven to be very effective. When society imposes misconceptions on a group of people, if members of that group begin to claim the stereotype for themselves it loses its oppressive effect.

Another point of the discussion that stood out to me was the pictures of museum displays. This seemed like a commonplace thing at first but upon further discussion, I began to realize that the act of putting other peoples cultures on display plays into the societal tendency to impose stereotypes on facets of society. Viewing important and distinct cultural artifacts in this light influences the ideas we have about cultures that are modern and cultures that are primitive.

How to Look and Feel Your Best

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This Wednesday Nicholas Carbonaro discussed how to look and feel your best here at Cornell. Nicholas emphasized the importance of allowing your appearance to reflect positively of you while still being maintainable. For example, many famous soccer stars can have an elaborate haircut with a tight fade that never fades (haha). On the other hand, a college student could not maintain their appearance if they chose these haircuts that need constant maintenance. We also discussed the importance of being realistic about your “getting ready routine”. It is not realistic or healthy to force yourself out of bed at five in the morning to do your hair for your 8am. This leads me to another point of the discussion that I personally found very interesting. The fact that your appearance on the outside is a direct reflection of your health on the inside is a fact many students overlook. When we eat poorly whether it be not enough, too much, or the wrong types of food it will be reflected in not only how we look but how we feel about how we look. Another way health can affect your appearance is through our mental health. In an environment like Cornell, it may seem we are under constant inescapable stress. Stresses and other obstacles to our mental health do in fact manifest themselves in our physical appearance and these changes on the outside often further stress out students. This discussion about appearance made me realize that health is something you cannot accomplish in facets but must tackle as a whole. Our health on the inside, on the outside and mentally all affect each other and are crucial to our success.

Fake News

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At our Rose Café with Professor Dan Schwarz we discussed what fake news really is and how it plays a role in our lives. In an environment where there is a constant flow of media it may be difficult to decipher what is true and what is not. There are multiple versions of similar stories as well as instances of news that simply is not true. Not only what is reported but how this information is reported can be crucial to how the public perceives credibility of a news source. Professor Schwarz explained CNN’s method of reporting breaking news a soon as possible to draw viewer attention. Unfortunately, this method leaves room to criticize the accuracy of stories reported by CNN as they fail to digest and accurately report news. The New York Times engages in investigative journalism because they have the staff to assign reporters to possible leads in hopes of uncovering news-worthy information. There also exists sources of news that are simply not truthful including tabloids and many online claims. We often assume that if you see something on the internet it is true. We read a news clip on Twitter and assume truthful reporting. What I personally concluded from this talk is that news consumption is simply choosing your personal bias. “What point of view/lens/bias would you like to read this story from?” is the question we are faced with. While the presence of simply false new exists, the modern meaning behind the term fake news more so refers to the discrepancies between biases and reporting methods.

Disability at Cornell

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This past cafe’s discussion about disabilities spoke about both visible and invisible disabilities here on campus. I personally found our discussion of extra exam time and other academic accommodations very relevant and interesting. In such a competitive academic environment people often view disability accommodations as an awarded advantage. We spoke about the reality that students with disabilities that effect their learning are simply compensating for the obstacles they face in order to create a “level playing field” so to speak. On the other hand, students who receive these accommodations often feel it is sign of weakness to have a disability or that their situation is illuminated by alternate testing situations and curious peers. Ultimately the solution to this ignorance to the reality of academic disability accommodations is solved by educating not only people who have disabilities but entire institutions in order to remedy the social stigma surrounding them.

 

Love and Relationships @ CU

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This Saturday I was hesitant to attend a “real talk” about love and relationships as we all know this can be a strange topic. At the end of the talk I had gained a lot of good insight and I think everyone felt a little more comfortable talking about something that we all think about but don’t want to voice.

In an environment like Cornell composed of busy and driven people a relationship of whatever nature often seems like a burden or an impossible commitment. I know personally that my days are all planned to the hour and being in a relationship on campus would be another thing to balance in my day-to-day routine. We also reflected on the different relationship and hookup cultures on different college campuses. Having a lot of transfers at the talk we mentioned that here at Cornell there is definitely a hookup culture but there seems to be very few people who commit to relationships. The sometimes overlooked fact that relationships are work, and a lot of it, is probably what prevents many of the students at Cornell from seeking love.

Another important part of our discussion was in a world of technology, how do you pursue someone and how do you know when someone is interested? We often trade in-person interaction for over-the-phone texting and snap chatting. It can be hard to know if your texts are wanted or a burden or if a person is not an adamant texter or they are not interested in talking to you? At the end of the conversation we came to the conclusion that it is very hard to interpret on-line communication and it will usually be easier to interact and interpret interactions with people in person.

Relationships are hard in any setting but especially in such a high pressure, busy environment like Cornell University. While phones and obligations make it hard to navigate the world of love, craving companionship is natural and relationships are rewarding.

The Role of Politics in the Court Room

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It is a known fact that politics has a predominant place in the court room. This knowledge though did not allow me to fully understand how politics effects all aspects of a court room and the cases tried there.

Judge Miller made evident the role personal bias plays as it was necessary for him to give a disclaimer that he cannot be quoted on any opinionated matter and that, as a judge, he is not allowed to give his personal opinion on current political questions.

The selection of a jury is also a process littered with political obstacle. The jury is often an institution within the courtroom that we do not think about. Who are these people? How and why were they selected? How will their personal values and beliefs effect the way they conceptualize this case? Analyzing peoples personal bias’ can be difficult when you must rely on generalizations like, “Females are often critical of other females” and ” African Americans often sympathize with other African Americans.” These generalizations many times place people into categories of judgement that do not reflect how they might view the case in reality. Another impediment of the jury selection process is the difficulty of assembling a diverse jury for reasons such as availability or diversity (lack-there-of) in the surrounding residential areas.

Inefficiencies of an Efficient System

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With over 14,000 undergraduate students, 91 degrees offered, and 745 acres of land, it is often perplexing how a system like Cornell University efficiently functions day by day. It almost seems like “they” have it down to a science.

At my first Rose Scholars event, ,our group discussion made clear to me the inefficiencies present in a much larger efficient machine. My peers and I lamented over the challenges that come with living in the Gothics. The Gothics are beautiful, historically protected buildings that coexist with the more recently constructed main buildings of West Campus like the Flora Rose House. Unfortunately, these tangible representations of history and beauty have made it difficult for the university to maintain equal living conditions among all students, who pay equal housing costs. There are falling chimneys and at-risk-of falling stone roofs paired with a lack of toilet paper, soap and adequate shower curtains.

It is easy to gripe over annoyances of everyday life but such small inefficiencies are almost always present to some degree. We discussed the fact that one small transfer of funds in a multi-million dollar budget can cause our bathrooms to go a few extra days without service or a quick-fix net to be put over dangerous chimneys rather then permanent repair. It becomes difficult to not only remedy but initially identify these inefficiencies as those who manage things like staffing, budget, scheduling, etc. are often far removed from the students who are directly effected by these seemingly simple decisions.