Author Archives: ldd52

Game Night

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Game night was a welcome break from one of the most stressful academic weeks at Cornell. Everything is hectic after Thanksgiving, and students are rushing to complete major projects before finals. It was nice to come to the Rose common room for a bit of fun, even if I couldn’t stay long. The room was full of people casually studying and others quietly enjoying everything from scrabble to solitaire. At a time when everything else feels like it’s out of our control, it is lovely to be able to come together for a moment of relaxation.

It feels like a breath of fresh air. I greatly enjoyed going through a series of playing card games with friends in between writing term papers. There is a sense of solidarity as we all look around the room at each other’s stacks of worksheets, color-coded notes, and laptops precariously balanced over boxes of pictionary. The mood is cheerful, but subdued. There is something to be said for a quiet evening in with new friends!

Zootopia!

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Zootopia is a fantastic family film that deals with a number of contentious political and social issues in a deceptively simple way. It is the unassuming story of a bunny that becomes a cop in a world of diverse and complex species. What I have always found interesting about the film is its attempt to present a perspective on things like prejudice and bias from two sides. In the film, the world is largely divided into two groups: predator and prey. The predators appear to hold the majority of the power; they are in high positions of authority, leading the government and the police force. They easily trample on those smaller than them, sometimes gaining advantages over prey animals through sheer force and intimidation.

At the same time, prey animals retake some of that power throughout the film. Our bunny becomes a cop, and cracks a big case wherein she initially tells the world that predators are inherently violent as a result of their biology. What confuses me most about this is the film’s analogy. At this point, it appears to crumble; predators account for only ten percent of the population, and they are the animals feared for their “innate” tendency toward violence. They hold power, but are subject to extreme prejudice. In fact, it would seem that every species is subject to some form of harmful stereotyping in the film. On some level this makes sense, but it also feels dangerously close to equivocating the experiences of oppressed groups and those who oppress them.

I know the movie is about coming together to celebrate difference, but I do not believe that it is perfectly analogous to the world we live in. To believe such would be to accept that every person is capable of delivering the same amount of harm on one another through things like bias and stereotyping, and this is not true. There are discrepancies in power that should be exposed and challenged. The film’s focus on law enforcement is an interesting context to choose for the message of the movie, which appears to be that the world is complicated and everyone can be small minded. I understand the thought behind it, but there are moments that make the film feel less like a metaphor for inclusion, and more like a dangerous palliative that tells us we are all given access to the same set of opportunities, and all have biases to overcome regardless of social location. Thoughts?

Rose Cafe with Michael Fontaine

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It is a rare lecture that can transport you back in time. This Wednesday evening, we were all treated to such a talk at this week’s Rose Cafe. Professor Fontaine gave a detailed political history of the Rome that followed its transition from a republic to an empire. There were a number of fantastic pieces of information, but one of the sets of facts I found most interesting was the conditions that women lived under during the republic. Before Rome became the vast, sprawling Catholic empire most of us would characterize it as, women enjoyed a variety of rights not offered to them in other ancient western societies. The two rights that intrigued me most were their ability to divorce easily, and their ability to own property.

Of course, conditions were far from perfect. They did not have the right to vote in the republic, and enjoyed far fewer rights than their male counterparts. Rome may have been somewhat progressive by Greek standards, but it was in no means “progressive” or any beacon of hope for how equitable societies should be run. The reason these facts struck me the way that they did is because of how these rights changed with the spread of Catholicism. It goes with out saying that laws surrounding marriage were drastically changed, but other rights women had enjoyed changed as well, including things like property rights.

I think it would be interesting to consider the global historical rise of Catholicism from the perspective, as a study of rights and privileges that women lost as it spread.

Election Watch Party

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The energy in the room was palpable Tuesday night; everyone, regardless of politics, was brimming with excitement as the CNN countdown clock ticked in the corner. Like many students here, I voted not in Ithaca, but in my hometown. at the election viewing party, I was lucky enough to meet a few new folks living in Rose, and hear about their experiences. For the most part, this was not anyone’s first time voting. Everyone knew how the process went, and had a general idea of how their local races would go. At the same time, there were a few watches we were all eagerly watching. There are a number of contentious congressional districts, for example, that became battlegrounds in a larger political war constituted by the American two-party system. I am pleased to say that I learned quite a bit about fellow Rose community members, and was ultimately reminded that we each have visions for the future, regardless of party lines.

Raptors!

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There is nothing more incredible than seeing a live bird of prey opening its wings just feet away from you. It was truly a privilege to see these animals up close, and hear about them from dedicated students that answered questions about everything from their diets to the evolutionary logic behind their sharp talons and intricate  markings. For me, one of the birds stood out; Ellie, a red-tailed hawk. She had suffered wing injuries, making her unable to survive in the wild; for birds living in the wild, the ability to soar is necessary to hunt. Ellie was fantastic, with rich reddish-brown feathers and large wings that fluttered throughout the presentation. What I found most interesting about her and her fellow red-tailed relatives was how adaptable they are. I learned that some are so adaptable, in fact, that they have chosen to live in New York City, nesting in high rises and preying on “juicy” rats and pigeons below. I never could have dreamed that something I had deemed to be so wild and unreachable could thrive in one of the most densely populated cities in North America. Still, for as show-stopping and awe inspiring as Ellie was, the students handling her were equally impressive. The students were incredibly knowledgable, and truly wonderful to listen to. They gave in-depth presentations about each of the birds, and spoke to particular physical characteristics of each species; I learned that the vision of a falcon is 8x better than that of the best human’s vision (in addition to many other things)! More than anything, this lovely event proved once again how fantastic Cornell students are in their vast array of knowledge and interests.

Forms of Protest

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In our discussion of Colin Kaepernick, a single issue was bugging me: the question of permissibility. This is not a question of the legal implications of Kaepernick’s acts within the labor law context; it is one of personal opinion, but one I feel may be important in terms of how we approach these discussions. The question of whether or not Kaepernick’s act of kneeling constituted a “permissible” form of protest is fraught with issues, the first being that standard of what is and what is not permissible is always disproportionately applied to people of color. In Kaepernick’s case, there have been a number of acts committed by white players that have ranged from insensitive comments about particular social groups to acts of violence. And yet, when these players commit such acts, they are not dropped by their teams or banned from playing–their acts go unnoticed, and are often not followed up with questions of branding and “image” for the NFL. Which begs the question: Why is Kaepernick’s decision to non-violently protest police brutality such a contentious issue, where acts of extreme violence committed by NFL players is not? If there is a difference in how these acts are received (and there is), how do we then resolve this question? How can we both apply standards that protect the rights of players like Kaepernick to protest, while forcing the NFL to take accountability for the culture it breeds? Perhaps the question should not be whether or not Kaepernick’s action constituted a permissible form of protest, but whether the notion of standards of permissibility are productive, or at risk of being grossly misapplied to shut out future forms of resistance.

Entrepreneurship at Cornell: The Next Big Idea

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Our discussion of entrepreneurship began with introductions; each person went around the room, and explained why they had been drawn to this particular talk. A common theme quickly emerged: the majority of students in attendance were interested in pursuing their own unique ideas as business ventures. Regardless of major or college, Cornell students have a strong, innovative spirit. Our speaker was one such example; as a Cornell student, he founded his own clothing company. The company’s mission was to use sales to improve access to and quality of water in nations lacking water security. The business began out of his dorm, as he and his peers worked to build it as they fulfilled other requirements as full time students. He now helps a variety of students trying to come up with the next big idea by facilitating programs that offer not only funding, but valuable mentorship and guidance.

I have never imagined that I could build up my own small business projects, but this discussion made me realize that it was possible to do as a student. There are even a number of great resources on Cornell’s campus to get things started, not including invaluable mentorship from incredible professors. If any of you have an idea worth pursuing, now is the time to try. Who knows? It might just be the next big thing.