"A More Perfect Union."
9/23/15: Seminar reflection: One of the things that stood out to me in the seminar very distinctly was a comment that Domi made about the Federal government. He stated that smaller governments were more likely to become corrupt then larger governments. He believed this because smaller governments have less of a spotlight that is shown on them through the media entailing that they are more able to get away with corruption. This was a very thought provoking concept to me. On one hand I see this being very true I see that when people are not being observed that they are sneakier. On the other hand I believe that there is a lot of corruption that is going on at the larger level and not being noticed. I think that this is due to how information that media and rhetoric are manipulated. This makes me reflect that freedom of the press really is a vital ingredient when concerning democracy. Another discussion that I found intriguing during our seminar was that concerning the power of schools being in the hands of the state or the government as well as the argument of standardization. An argument that I herd for the standardization of education was that stander's gave disadvantaged schools the achievement incentive to do well. Evidence for this argument was that impoverished schools were asking for standardized tests so that they could be recognized for funding. I fundamentally disagree with the idea that standardization is beneficial. It is complex and hidden but I believe that standardization is on the contrary very oppressive. One thing that standardization does is set up the facade that there is an achievement gap that we need to achieve between some people and other people. It paints the picture that disadvantaged students who primarily are students of color are just stupid and need to be brought up to speed. The reality is that there is not an achievement gap but rather an opportunity gap of services being provided to people. Even the core concept of standardization is questionable in my mind. the reality of people is that we are diverse and complex if we observe any sphere of identity we will repeatedly find that theory's of binary's are being thrown out to seemingly new knowledge of how diverse we truly are. Why then would we use an educational model that is catered to only one type of knowledge and success? Standardization is a breading ground for keeping only one type of people in power forever, leading us away from the core values of Anti- Federalism and the decentralization of power. To speak to the point of Disadvantaged schools asking for these tests I think we need to analyze things deeper. Of course people are asking for these tests if it is their only avenue or option available.
The Biggest sense of clarity that I gained about state VS. local government and the concepts of Federalism and Anti- Federalism are around the dual nature that the concept and word of Federalism has in certain eras of time. In the 1700's and 1800's Federalist were a group of people that had the ideology of giving power to a strong central government as well as power to the elite. It is interesting because now someone that would be referred to as a federalist would be someone with the value of a strong central government while having the value of power being invested in the common people. In the 17th and 18th century Anti-federalists were people who believed in the decentralization of power and in power given to states and "the Common Folk," these were the people involved in shay's rebellion. This is also interesting because today someone against the Federal government is more interested in the free market and wealthy, elite and "more successful" individuals having power.
9/23/15 Fundamental beliefs: The personal value that lead me to place myself as a person that wants to see a strong federal government as well as power to the people largely stems from the truths that I hold about human rights. I think that the way to achieve a more perfect union is by fighting to deconstruct oppressive systems that do not allow all people the opportunity to experience the brilliance, comfort and safety that is their birth right. I hold a value of diversity, I believe that it equals health success and stability. I hold a value in as many people as possible working together to make things work because there are many faces of success. This is why I place myself in the area of power to the people. I also but myself in the area of a strong federal government for although I highly value the diversity of the states I believe that the federal government is key in forward movement around social and environmental justice. my values name is social justice!
9/15/15 Origins of the Constitution: I thought that the concept of Federalism and Anti Federalism are interesting. One of the things that really captured me was the concept of power and stability in government. I think that the idea of power and change being safe guarded by the elite is interesting because it shows that once people have power they immediately make sure that they will not loose it again. I disagree with the concept of money giving people economic inequality resulting in natural differences in people is a false idea because it does not account fro the fact that people with more money got through an unequal system where they could exploit people like slaves.
8/8/15 Power: Power is the balance and flow of control and chaos. Power can manifest in positive ways and in negative. Power can be found in microcosms and in macrocosms. power occurs when there is relationship whether it be internal relationship or external relationship. There needs to be parts to a whole for there to be power dynamics. Power can be achieved through the creation of norms and social constructs as well as by physical and concrete force. Different forms of power support each other in there ability to be upheld. Power can be taken away from people on many levels of choice. Is there a point where our power can't be taken away.
8/31/15 How I See Myself Making The Union More Perfect: I see my ability to understand perspective and pick up on people's emotions as attributes to making America a more perfect union. I would like to apply myself in areas where I could either manipulate unjust and unfair laws by use of communication and influence or give compassion and aid to people on a psychological level. I see myself in areas of social interaction whether it be in the way that society works or the way that our individual human brain responds to experience and trauma.
8/31/15: One of the things that could be important to focus on are the effects of the school to prison pipeline that are present in Durango Colorado today. The school to prison pipeline is a phrase used to describes the policies and social interactions that cause our nations disadvantaged and previously oppressed children fro,m school systems into prisons. Although Durango may appear as a privileged town with no such problems the issue of the school to prison pipeline and the policies surrounding it are alive and well in Durango Colorado. I believe that educating powerful members in our town such as the police force or school boards would be an action project that we could take on in making a small chip in Durango's youth experience.
8/31/15 Political Philosophy Free Write:
After reading The Market and the Polis I am inspired to think of politics in the light of what they are essentially. It seems that essentially Polis comes from the relationships and power structures that are born from the human species being a communal one. One thing that i find interesting about this reading is how the idea of the market and the Polis are contrasted as opposites. In many aspects I see the difference from a communal approach to relationship and a simple self interest to motivate and govern all actions. However on the other hand I believe that Market is in fact governed by the same forces as Polis. It seems that the real world that many dynamic forces such as passion and influence govern how market works. I also see that market in our country ends running the Polis because we as a nation have invested such deep belief and even fear in ideologies of self interest and gain. I think that thinking of market as a static straight forward entity is harmful to our experience because it is so very far from the reality. I believe that it is harmful because at the core humans are a collective species and do not function on self interest alone.
8/31/15 A More Perfect Union Free Write: One of the people that I believe has made America a more perfect union is Chief Justice Kennedy. I think that in being the leading supreme court justice to push marriage equality is a marker of an individual dedicated to create a more perfect union. This quote from Obama’s in his speech on the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday conveys the true fact about what creating a more perfect union takes, “We honor those who walked so that we can run. We must run so our children soar.” This quote shows us that the The race to unlearn prejudice, injustice and oppression is not a sprint but rather a marathon or even an 100 miler if you will. This quote makes me think of Chief Justice Kennedy because of the long and arduous process that was endured to take another step in making our nation better. As was the struggle for marriage equality, change is not a single moment or a single person but rather a trickle of minute boulders shifting into a torrent of a rock slide, It is not Paul Revere but rather a storm of cloaked horsemen all on the same mission.
8/28/15 success in writing: For me success in writing manifests when the following components are present. I find that successful writing is born when a message about the human experience is conveyed so that we can sit longer as well as feel and think deeper about our experience. I think that successful writing can take any form, style and genre as well as can come from any ability level. However I think that successful writing moves people to deeper places in their experience whether it be physically, emotionally or mentally. In its purest form writing is a form of communication and so I believe that successful writing successfully articulates and conveys its message to its audience. To me the most successful writing is wrought with soul shattering prose, as I believe that writing is art and so should be produced with the desirable outcome of beauty. I also appreciate writing that taps into the aristotelian appeals of both pathos and ethos. I also believe that successful writing lasts the test of time and can capture the hearts and minds of readers down the road for a long time even if it speaks of an experience that is not their own.
8/31/15: One of the things that could be important to focus on are the effects of the school to prison pipeline that are present in Durango Colorado today. The school to prison pipeline is a phrase used to describes the policies and social interactions that cause our nations disadvantaged and previously oppressed children fro,m school systems into prisons. Although Durango may appear as a privileged town with no such problems the issue of the school to prison pipeline and the policies surrounding it are alive and well in Durango Colorado. I believe that educating powerful members in our town such as the police force or school boards would be an action project that we could take on in making a small chip in Durango's youth experience.
8/31/15 Political Philosophy Free Write:
After reading The Market and the Polis I am inspired to think of politics in the light of what they are essentially. It seems that essentially Polis comes from the relationships and power structures that are born from the human species being a communal one. One thing that i find interesting about this reading is how the idea of the market and the Polis are contrasted as opposites. In many aspects I see the difference from a communal approach to relationship and a simple self interest to motivate and govern all actions. However on the other hand I believe that Market is in fact governed by the same forces as Polis. It seems that the real world that many dynamic forces such as passion and influence govern how market works. I also see that market in our country ends running the Polis because we as a nation have invested such deep belief and even fear in ideologies of self interest and gain. I think that thinking of market as a static straight forward entity is harmful to our experience because it is so very far from the reality. I believe that it is harmful because at the core humans are a collective species and do not function on self interest alone.
8/31/15 A More Perfect Union Free Write: One of the people that I believe has made America a more perfect union is Chief Justice Kennedy. I think that in being the leading supreme court justice to push marriage equality is a marker of an individual dedicated to create a more perfect union. This quote from Obama’s in his speech on the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday conveys the true fact about what creating a more perfect union takes, “We honor those who walked so that we can run. We must run so our children soar.” This quote shows us that the The race to unlearn prejudice, injustice and oppression is not a sprint but rather a marathon or even an 100 miler if you will. This quote makes me think of Chief Justice Kennedy because of the long and arduous process that was endured to take another step in making our nation better. As was the struggle for marriage equality, change is not a single moment or a single person but rather a trickle of minute boulders shifting into a torrent of a rock slide, It is not Paul Revere but rather a storm of cloaked horsemen all on the same mission.
8/28/15 success in writing: For me success in writing manifests when the following components are present. I find that successful writing is born when a message about the human experience is conveyed so that we can sit longer as well as feel and think deeper about our experience. I think that successful writing can take any form, style and genre as well as can come from any ability level. However I think that successful writing moves people to deeper places in their experience whether it be physically, emotionally or mentally. In its purest form writing is a form of communication and so I believe that successful writing successfully articulates and conveys its message to its audience. To me the most successful writing is wrought with soul shattering prose, as I believe that writing is art and so should be produced with the desirable outcome of beauty. I also appreciate writing that taps into the aristotelian appeals of both pathos and ethos. I also believe that successful writing lasts the test of time and can capture the hearts and minds of readers down the road for a long time even if it speaks of an experience that is not their own.