Author Archives: sv357

Torture

Posted on by

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Rose Cafe hosted by Dr. Nick Cheesman, from Australian National University, and his colleague, Pornpen, a human rights activist from Thailand. They explored the use of torture, which Cheesman argued is never justifiable, as a “ticking time bomb” scenario never actually exists, and argued that we should try to find the reasons why it still happens.

One hypothesis, which Cheesman and Pornpen hinted at, as evidenced by Pornpen’s work in the South of Thailand, is this idea that torture is a sort of satisfying ritualization, or a catharsis, which attacks and issue without really solving it. Thus, victims might be interrogated and tortured for a crime they might not have even committed, simply because this provides immediate satisfaction. This relates to the structure of power, or perhaps a desire to express that through the inhumane subjugation of another human being.

I think we need to take a long look at our own society, which often takes a cavalier “let em have it” attitude towards victims of torture in this country, ascribing this to the idea that they are terrorists or criminals. Why do we have this attitude toward our fellow human beings? Is it because we don’t stop and think, or is there something far more sinister in how we all view the world?

The Future of Rose Scholars

Posted on by

I greatly enjoyed last week’s Rose Cafe with Dr. Hill. As usual, he was quite candid, encouraging the rest of us in the room to express our thoughts, concerns, and ideas about the Rose Scholars program. I think the discussion was quite productive, and will hopefully result in a number of positive outcomes.

I agree with the theory behind the Rose Scholars program. Those who are on top of their plans and those who choose to be active in the community should be rewarded for doing so, instead of simply being able to tag off more active residents so they can live in a West Campus House next year.

There are two suggestions which I do support.

  1. We need more social events or games. Why not have a jeopardy contest, for example, with prizes, or some social events with games so we can get to know each other? I feel like if we became closer friends with one another, that would be the best way to encourage greater participation in Rose House events. Not to mention that games would bring out the spirit of competitiveness and result in more lively activities.
  2. We should allow scholars to attend more lectures and events on campus. The drawback from this is that people may be less motivated to attend events in the House itself, or that they may be dishonest while going, but I hope that that would be kept to a minimum. I greatly enjoyed the Heather Ann Thompson lecture, for example, and it showed the best of what can come out of Cornell.

Hidden Figures

Posted on by

I greatly enjoyed last week’s screening of Hidden Figures. I think few movies can really stir up real emotion within us, and I noticed that several other students in the theater were also moved to tears.

After reading through some of peers’ responses, I was drawn to that by Ilse in particular. I think she made several good points about how the film adopted some elements of white saviorism, by incorporating fictional white characters who assist the main three Black heroines on their way. That said, I think there are good reasons to disagree with this interpretation too.

From what I saw, a number of hostilities were clearly directed by characters such as Harrison, Mitchell, and Stafford towards Goble, Vaughan, and Jackson, ranging from passive aggression, condescension, and insensitivity. This is not even to mention the outright racism inflicted by some of the supporting or minor white characters on them. The film’s message is one of reconciliation, one that ends with the “hidden figures” largely at peace with these white leads, who eventually come to admire and respect them for their hard work. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad signal to send, especially in times of racial strife. I think it would have been worse for the film to portray every white character as a one-dimensional racist.

That said, I do think the film might unwillingly promote the idea that “hard work” can get anyone ahead, and that outside intervention might not be necessary at all. It promotes the American ideal of individualism, yes, but it relegates the civil rights movement and its social organization to the background. But then again, you can’t fit everything in one film.

Democratic Change and Ethanol

Posted on by

I really enjoyed last week’s Rose Cafe with Andre Simores from the Mato Grosso do Sul State University in Brazil. During the talk, he touched on a multitude of topics related to his native country, but I particularly enjoyed two of the topics in particular, because I believe they can be related to events in our own country in recent times.

Simores mentioned how in Brazil, there exists fuel made from 100% sugar cane ethanol, and how this supports a vast agricultural industry while also reducing fossil fuel emissions. I mentioned that in the U.S., we also have fuel partially made from ethanol, although in our case, it’s made from corn. I have conflicted feelings about the use of ethanol. On one hand, as Brazil demonstrates, it can be quite effective in cutting down on pollution, but in the United States, it has caused a negative economic impact due to the existence of vast, unsustainable subsidies provided to agribusiness (I wonder if this is also the case in Brazil?). In the end, I think I would support its usage, although I wonder if there’s a way to easily break up agricultural oligopolies in existence.

I also asked Simores about the recent impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. He claimed that this was the exercise of democracy in a nation which had only recently transitioned from authoritarian rule, but qualified that the policies made by the Workers Party of Rousseff and her predecessor, Lula de Silva, had benefited many by bridging the divide between the poor and the rich. He also seemed to imply an impeachment had been politically motivated. I think this raises interesting questions about President Trump. Would it be fair to remove him from office, or would this be an abuse of our democratic institutions?

 

What do you think?

Posted on by

I thoroughly enjoyed Sam Beck, the Director of Urban Semester NYC, speaking to us last week. His style was wholly unorthodox, as instead of giving a lecture and then asking for questions, he merely gave a brief statement at the beginning. This was then followed by him engaging with every student in the room, asking what their own personal studies and ambitions were. He spent at least two or three minutes with every person in the room, and more than any of the other Rose Cafes (which were generally quite good), I think he completely enraptured the audience through his statements.

For me personally, I think this cafe helped resolve some of the concerns I had on a personal level about my own future. I told Dr. Beck that I was a government major, one who would probably be facing down unemployment in the near future, since I had not connected my career goals with my studies. He said this was ridiculous, and said that it was perfectly possible to connect government to my own personal wishes, such as law or public service.

What I liked most about Dr. Beck was his emphasis on what the student thinks. He pointed 0ut many professors often regurgitate a lecture, and then expect students to recite it back to them on an exam or a paper. He emphasized that his goal was to actually understand our hopes and desires, and our own intellectual ideas. And he definitely succeeded in doing that.

Fat- Does it ever stop?

Posted on by

I really enjoyed Dr. Robins’ talk last week and all the fascinating anecdotes and facts he brought into the room with him. We live in an age where we’re often told “sugar is the new fat”, and that fats, after all, might be good for you, despite what we’ve been preached since elementary school. Robins is extremely skeptical of any attempt to label anything as “the new fat”, and he criticizes the capriciousness of trends in health discourse.

In addition, Robins informed the crowd that whale oil had been commonly used as late as the 1960s, a stunning observation when one considers who anachronistic we view that practice. He also noted how the rise in vegetable oils has not hurt demand for animal fats, but actually increased them. For example, when soybeans are harvested for oil, that still leaves their solid content largely intact. This then becomes an easy, cheap source of feed for livestock, increasing production of meat. Therefore, you have a situation where this acts as a positive feedback loop.

Considering the gross amount of resources fats cost us and how much land (due to livestock and crop production) they use up, I wonder what role government regulation could play in managing them. Perhaps there should be a tax for fat production, instead of subsidies for this industry (as is done excessively for ethanol, for example)? I am no fan of the nanny state, but this may be needed to make us reconsider the role fats play in our lives.

Attica

Posted on by

I had the distinct fortune of attending Professor Heather Ann Thompson’s talk about the Attica Uprising in 1970. I was stunned to learn that I, as someone who always thought of myself as well-versed in U.S. history, had never heard of this event, which resulted in the death of forty-three people amidst a bloody massacre. But what was most stunning was the cover-up story which Thompson described. The New York State government had falsely negotiated with the prisoners holding correctional officers hostage, when it had intended to use force the entire time. After the state police stormed the facility, gunning down forty-two individuals, the state had then proceeded to destroy evidence of its actions, pinning all blame on the prisoners. In the spin devised by the New York Justice Department after the conflict, and in the press conferences in the days after, the authorities even went so far as to claim one prisoner had castrated a correctional officer. In addition, the state give minimal settlements to the families of correctional officers without telling them that this precluded future action on their part. Not to mention that many prisoners were wrongly convicted of and incarcerated for homicide decades afterward. And perhaps most tragically, this event sharply turned the public against prison reform, leading to the incarceration nation that has risen up in this country in the last fifty years.

But what inspired me about the talk was the story of perseverance; Thompson worked tirelessly thirteen years to uncover the truth, while the victims and their families never stopped speaking out despite against all odds. And in the end, their efforts paid off. I remember looking at Attica survivors in the auditorium, fighting back tears near the end of the talk.  I think this is a valuable lesson, reminding us never to stop fighting for what we believe in, because if you are in the moral right, chances are that eventually the odds will turn in your favor. And slowly but surely, I think the tide is shifting in favor of humane conditions in our prisons.

Posted on by

I thoroughly enjoyed viewing Nicholas Carbonaro’s artwork last Wednesday, complemented by copious amounts of nachos and guacamole. His pieces are thick and rich in color- abstract enough to enthrall, but concrete enough to be recognizable (see the piece attached above, nicknamed Journey).  I was inspired that he was a graduate of Ithaca College and a longtime resident of this city (we are in the midst of such talented people).

What I really connected with was Carbonaro’s artistic philosophy, and how he endeavors to show human emotion. For example, during his talk, he expounded upon the meaning of one of his works in particular after an audience enquiry- one which portrayed his experience with plastic surgery. This immediately grotesque image attracts our attention, and draws us in. Carbonaro spoke about how this piece relates to his rhinoplasty, and the complex, disconnected feelings he felt for years following it. Like our feelings, it isn’t clearcut, austere, and obvious, but muddled, intense, and questioning; by looking at this piece, we can attain some understanding (however small) of his state during that period in his life.

I am generally not a fan of modern art, but I appreciate its engagement with what’s most human about us, and for that reason, I hope to see more of Carbonaro’s work in the future. At the very least, it has helped me appreciate aesthetic more.

The Last Great Communal Event

Posted on by

I am no fan of football, but I cannot help to be moved deeply each by this singular event, which brings together Americans from all walks of life in a single act. Whether they’re excitedly cheering for a favorite team, waiting anxiously for innovative commercials, or enjoying the spectacle of a halftime show, there’s nothing else like it. In a world where more and more people have been drawn apart from each other due to the advent of social media and the like, the Super Bowl is a rare opportunity to sit down with the ones you love or cherish and engage with them (a process repeated in millions of homes and schools across our nation).

This Super Bowl did not fail to disappoint in playing to our collective emotions. Aside from the Patriots’  extraordinary and unprecedented comeback against all odds, we saw bipartisan cheers for the elderly, ailing former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, as he entered NRG Stadium in a wheelchair to perform the coin toss. In a time when partisan divisions are at an all time high, this was particularly moving to me, as was the regularly scheduled performance of the national anthem.

And of course, Lady Gaga’s elegant, but breathtaking halftime show left us all mesmerized. I don’t think we’ll ever see the likes of it again, and it cemented her as one of the all-time great artists of our age. Combining the power of her voice, spectacular acrobatics, and suave dance moves, she gave a performance that I suspect will resonate decades from now.

May all future Super Bowls try to live up to this one.