Dissent Equals Delays!

Its seems that there is a thin line between the beginnings of nonviolent protest and the havoc caused of all-out hostile takeover. Two international airports have been subjected to heavy duty protesting this past Thanksgiving weekend in Thailand, that actually halted countless flights in both directions, leaving tourists deserted costing the tourism industry incredible losses.The protesters claim that they will remain there until their demands are met. Both the Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airport are under siege because the people are demanding that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resign and that there be a reformation of government. This is an eerily familiar scene for officials, being that two years ago protesters staged a coup that removed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from office. Military personal are quelling rumors about another coup in order to avoid further rioting and panic. The protests apparently started about three months ago, but the tension escalated earlier this week and moved into more commercialized areas. The people went out of their way to cause disruptions and in these airports alone, have left thousands of travelers looking for alternative forms of transport. The military air base is now taking passengers who are considered a “priority”, due to families or serious conditions. They will soon offer transport going in both directions and offer shuttles to other airports around the country. This ongoing movement have taking a devastating toll on Thailand’s economy. Tourism has had over four billion in losses, stocks have plummeted, and investors are running for the hills. Although the Prime Minister sees what is going on in front of him and is being advised to open up elections again to satisfy the people’s demands, he refuses. If he didn’t listen when they tried to negotiate and now that they have resorted to violence, has his mind not opened up to reason. How much money would his country have to lose for his mind to change? How many people will have to die?

Breaking The Mold

An incident this morning made me think about a discussion we had in class about gender roles, and the biases that exist supporting them. My fifteen year old brother has somehow become the self-proclaimed “king of the household”, believing that my mother and I are there just to bring him his breakfast, do his laundry, and serve him in every way we possibly can. Finally, today amid a shouting match he announced that he ‘could not take it anymore!”, and that our requests for his help around the household were “driving him to the edge.” I have to say that was quite an ironic statement on his part, for he is not the one being subjected to his silly demands. I guess I just have to sit back and wonder why my brother failed to grasp the new wave of values about female independence and the idea that they are no longer slaves to their male counterparts. What is it that has continued the vicious cycle of oppression and disrespect that seems to drive his beliefs? My parents? Me? His peers? Society itself? Well, to knock some sense into him my father has taken him off our hands. Now, my father used to be the one who would walk in, put down his briefcase, sit at the table and say “What’s for dinner?”, regardless of what my mother was doing. This is the same man that now resides in the kitchen, wearing an apron making soggy spaghetti, and helping my six year old half brother with his homework, while his ‘young, modern’ wife relaxes on the couch. Obviously, I don’t agree with putting all the work on one partner, but oh, how the tables have turned. For centuries women have been dealt the short end of the stick, and now, in the 21st century when you think that the younger generations are different, it seems that they still have a long way to go. Women were expected to be good at cleaning, cooking, sewing, nurturing, and when they weren’t they are ruled unfit as wives or even deemed failures to their sex. However, it seemed when they did comply and serve as homemakers, their work went overlooked, and unappreciated. All that work was to be expected, as if part of the job description. Wives and mothers began to complain about this injustice and in the seventies began demanding payments for their hard labor. Washing windows, cleaning bathrooms, doing beds, caring for children and cooking meals were all services people could be paid to do, and these women were doing them for free! No more, they called out. They wanted a change. Posters, associations and grand marches rang out across the globe commemorating an International Women’s Day to remind everyone about women‘s role in society and their desires to be respected and equal. Then, when they wanted to further break away from this stigma, they ventured out into the workplace to show the world what they were capable of. Once in, they demanded equal wages and opportunities. There was a need to prove that women could indeed break barriers and hold prestigious positions, like those kept by men. Yet, although we may take stands and fight, and many believe we have reached a point of equality, I believe that we have not. Even the legal system has not legitimized our position in society. The Equal Rights Amendment, for example, that was first proposed in the 1920’s and was then put forth again in 1971, was shot down by the states. It would have granted equal rights regardless of sex, and had received the necessary two thirds vote from Congress but couldn’t obtain the ratification of the requisite of 38 states. Wow, 38! But aren’t we supposed to be equal already? Would passing this amendment make such a significant difference for the states? What if we put it forth again today, what do you think would happen? These are all questions that come to mind when these kinds of situations come up. However, it has been shown that through banding together for a cause, spreading their message through images and even designating a day that would further legitimatize their mission, the women’s movement became a force to reckon with. These events join women on an international scale, and spreads the message at an astounding level. More people just have to listen.

Mixed Greetings

As we all well know, the win for our new president elect was received with cheers and cries of joy, as well as hisses and jeers. It is to be expected, in a country in which the people chose the leader, there is obviously going to be a losing side and they may be sore ones at that. However, when it comes to a momentous election like that of 2008’s, we have to take a closer look at the people’s reactions.

I have to say, that there is money to be made with Obama merchandise. Pins, buttons, t-shirts and caps are popping up everywhere and on everyone. People show their support for the win by wearing these accessories but also feed into the whole wave of Obama-mania that is streaming through the nation.

Everywhere I go, whether I am on the train, and there are MTA problems, I hear, “Watch, Obama will fix this.” If we’re passing a business that is closing down, or someone is telling me about a bill increase, I hear, “Don’t worry. Obama will fix this economy.” Well, Mr. president elect so far you already have an incredibly long wish list to fulfill. I wish you luck.

Others who believe in Obama’s message of change and hope have used art to get their support across. One artist has used a humorous and racial perspective in his poster, by using the common line, “Once you go black…” but finishing it off with, “We’re outta Iraq.” It shows how a drastic change to the presidency was needed to get our soldiers out of the war zone and that Obama is here to get things done. It supports the route of change Obama represents. Another artist shows our new president looking forward, as if to the sky and painted in a mixture of red, white, and blue. The word “Hope “ resides at the forefront, while words representative of him and echoed in his campaign trail, “progress, change…” are in the background. It is symbolic of our vision of the new president, almost as our ray of “hope.”

Canvas isn’t the only thing being stamped with the image of our forty-fourth president on it, or words of change. People are flocking to tattoo parlors to get Obama’s face, or even his inauguration date imprinted on their skin. Gilbert Arenas from the Washington Wizards basketball team got the words “Change we believe in” and the number “44” tattooed on his left hand. I guess, this historic event wants to be remembered by some in a far more permanent manner.

However, while some have created works to honor our new leader, others have gone out of their way to voice their disapproval of the win. There is even a site dedicated to “I Hate Obama” merchandise, which I think is horrible, but then again, there is a thing called free speech right?

But when does free speech go too far? There has been speculation that there has been a surge of hate crimes since the win, like that of the seven teenagers who killed the Ecuadorian. There has also ben an onset of hate related graffiti appearing across the country, some that I have come across myself, saying “Kill Blacks”, “Go back to Africa”, or outright threats, “Kill Obama.” There have even been reports of second and third graders in Idaho chanting “Assassinate Obama!”, in the school bus. Now, obviously a 7 or 8 year old does not pull a word like “assassinate” out of thin air. An adult told them to say that, and it makes me sick. Why corrupt a young child with a message of hate?

An artist in Seattle painted an image of Obama in military attire with the words Hussein beneath him. An onlooker came by and painted over it. The battle continues…

Another artist painted a portrait of Michelle and Sasha Obama at the Democratic Convention looking rather inattentive and disinterested. While one might interpret their body language as being tired like, a result of hectic scheduling, another perspective is that they are bored, unsupportive and anxious to leave. The original painter has not made any comments on his motives for the paintings, but I have to say that I don’t like it at all.

Its sad that hate still exists in this country after centuries of struggling to make it better. Obama’s win brought many together through, but it also brought the nations true colors out as well. Hope has lead to the creation of beautiful works of Obama art commemorating this historic event. Meanwhile, anger brought the ever-present prejudices that still lingers today’s society into more focus, and I hope that we can do more to address them instead of sitting back and taking it.

Knowledge May Come at a Higher Price...

Yesterday, LaGuardia Community College students came together, in front of the E-Building, in a rally to declare their opposition towards tuition hikes. Although I did not personally attend the rally, I did fill out a post card a week ago that served as a petition against these increases at CUNY schools. With the possibility of $300 increases in two year schools and $600 in senior colleges, students and staff have made efforts to raise awareness of the issues and to keep these regulations from following through. The predominant messages that rang through today’s crowd was “Wall St. wasn’t too big to crash. Don’t let our education system crash too.”, and “Education builds our future. Invest in CUNY.” They related this issue with the current financial crisis and tried to propose the idea that education will only provide solutions in these times of desperation. Raising tuition will only make it harder for students to pursue their degrees, will dig into governmental funds and will only continue the cycle of debt when loans are needed to pay the dues. I believe, as many of the protesters, that tuition hikes will only hurt us, more than they will help us. When I got out of class I saw bike racks piled up on the side of the building that must have served as barricades, but from what I was told, the gathering almost spilled onto the street! A rush of disappointment ran through me, because I had not been a part of such an event. Of course it is too soon for me to verify if the rallies taking place all over CUNY colleges made an impact on the decision, or if it was due to the swarm of letters, emails and postcards, but apparently, now the raises will not be finalized until the next fall semester. =) Maybe we can hold more rallies and delay the installments longer.

Art and Change

During my visit to the Art Student’s League of New York, my Art, Politics, and Protest class took a look at the Art from Anxious Times exhibit. I have to admit that many of the works were incredibly striking, and thought provoking. They brought forth a collective message that resonated in my ears: “What is our world coming to?” Current issues, such political corruption, social inequality, war, climate change, technological dependency and the power of the media were coming at us from all directions.

One painting that still lingers in my mind is “The Defeat of Anthropy.”, by Jean-Pierre Roy. It was the first painting I saw upon entering the room and certainly one of the largest. It is definitely a masterpiece, and because it is done in oil it looks like a photograph. Roy’s technique is simply amazing. The image shows the ruins of a once mighty skyscraper being engulfed by a forest’s canopy. The painting is void of signs of human life, hence the title, and only serves as a memory of the greatness we once possessed. It captures the essence of a post-apocalyptic world; a world in which nature has reclaimed what is rightfully hers.

The destruction could have been caused by a nuclear attack, an earthquake, a hurricane, a tsunami, or something beyond our imagination. Overall, it seems that we are the ones that will lead to that demise because our pollution promotes climate change that cause these radical storms, and we ourselves continue to use war as a solution. I guess, this painting just makes me think about how this could one day be the reality, and how we could be wiped clean from the planet with only buildings to tell other life forms about our existence.

On a lighter note, there was the “Unity Puzzle” by David Opdyke that really made me think about our nations and how we have created these divisions between each other. Wars are fought over these borders, and over the territories. Bloodshed based on parameters! The puzzle itself has attachments to each individual piece as if to say the piece can be removed at any time, so basically nations can come together to form larger nations and cease to exist. The borders are drawn in pencil to signify the ability to break these barriers, and how we really are all part of continuous land masses, we are all one already. The only ones stopping the real integration is us.

In terms of political corruption, conspiracy theory, and media censorship there was “Impeachment off the table.”, by Robert Cenedella. What a find! There is a collage of images: Bush as a puppet, Abu Ghraib-victim shaped hole in the one of the towers, stock numbers running at the bottom, and emphasizes on big time corporations like Disney and themes of religion. The symbolism is quite extraordinary. It’s a dark and in-your-face portrayal of America today.

Then, one contraption that caught my eye as I made my way around the room, was “The Last Minute”, by Ligorano and Reese. It looks like an alarm clock but it has a television screen and as it ticks and keeps time, it shows images of a person’s everyday habits, like scratching your head, or tapping your foot. They try to show how we have become slave to time and that we seem function in accordance with the clocks hands. If you watch closely, the movements correspond with the seconds. Its kind of scary, I never realized. Apparently, as they also show, as the hands slow down, so do we.

The last piece that really called out its message was “Googlegram 7: Tsunami”, by Joan Fontcuberta. I have to say the title does not fit the image from far away, because it shows a calm beach sunset with two palm trees. But as you approach the image you see that it has been created from countless smaller images, which of course I tried to take in as much as possible. There were images of corpses, crying children, media figures like Mr. Bean, and obese women in bikinis. I have to say if you stood there long enough you could laugh, grimace, wince, and see repeat offenders, all in one work of art. It is amazing what you can to with photography, the internet, well, technology itself.

Overall, the exhibit was amazing and really captured the true essence of our protest art. I left with many new things to think about and paintings to reference. All I can say is that I truly recommend the exhibit, and if you cannot go definitely look up the works that were displayed there, because you definitely missed a good one.

Food Chain Ethics

In the midst of our planet’s evolutionary mayhem, humans just happened to place themselves on a pedestal. This act can be described as speciesism, similar to racism or sexism, in which one group exudes superiority over another. Humans seem to believe that they have the right to govern over all other living things, plant or animal. Lumber companies bulldoze through our rainforests and beautiful landscapes with no regard for the biodiversity or the destruction left behind. Corporations simply expand residential areas, section off resorts, and maintain the land’s precious resources at their disposal. When it comes down to it, animals just equal food or material for clothing, and plants just equal food or material for furniture or paper. We seem to believe that we that we have the right to harness all the life that lays before us, and globalization only feeds that relentless hunger. What can the planet do to fight? If we look at movies like “The Day After Tomorrow” or “The Happening”, we can see how climate change and pollution effects the environment and what could two very extreme possibilities for consequences. Either we enter another ice age, or the plants seek revenge! No, really, what can we do to fight? Many have protested and organizations have risen from these needs to come together to save the world and its inhabitants. Fighting for the animals, we have the ever so eccentric PETA. Their mission is to certify the ethical and compassionate treatment of wildlife, whether they be pets, live stock, or found in shelters. They argue against fur and animal testing by passing out educational literature, streaming graphic videos on their official website , and through nonviolent protest in cages or in the nude. They are also notorious for throwing paint on fur wearers, and preaching about vegetarianism to the extent that they have even suggested switching our main calcium intake from cow’s milk to human breast milk. Ben and Jerry’s graciously declined. Although, their methods may seem a bet farfetched for some at times, there message always rings clear. They do make an impact on those who they come across, whether you willingly find yourself on their site or happen to be the one on the other side of their rants. The members of PETA simply want to fight for life forms that otherwise could not fight for themselves, and I commend them for that. Now, in terms of plants, they need a bit more help, being that they are relatively stationary. There have been many attempts to save forest land in the last century, especially because of the increase of deforestation. This slow process of forest removal , for example, is greatly affected by the great demand for paper and lumber, making the logging industry one of the leading factors in South America’s deforestation. The trees are sawed down, towed away, until a bulldozer dislodges the remaining stumps. The lumber, later, makes its way to distributors in Europe and the United States. The forest cannot replenish itself as fast as it is being destroyed. Leaving the soil exposed, there is erosion and further depletion of nutrients. Of course we may think we don’t see that here in North America, but that is because we barely have any true woodlands left, except for those reserved for parks or nature reserves. Most of our trees take decades to grow and become as strong as they are, so cutting them down for supplies or square footage is not only furthering an unsustainable market but detrimental to the environment. This is where tree-sitters come in. This longstanding, or should I say “sitting”, form of protest involves attuning oneself with the cause, literally. The protester climbs a tree that is to be cut down, secure him/herself to a branch or build a platform, and remains there until the tree can be saved or the police come up after them. This form of protest involves a lot of organization, and loads of teamwork, even tough it may seem like an individual venture. Food and supplies need to be delivered daily and slop buckets need to be lowered and dumped. Its sound messy and somewhat unhygienic, but from what I can gather it tends to bring people closer together and make their motivations stronger. Power is in numbers and no matter how bad the experience may seem, it may indeed make the group bond through it. These activists truly hold the power of life to its highest regard and are willing to fight for their beliefs in the faces of others. We may not always agree with all the points a specific group is trying to make, but it doesn’t to listen, for they just want their message to be heard.