Ethical Challenges 1/16
In the beginning of filling out the activities, I was skeptical of the exercises in Ethical Challengesbeing of any use to me. Activities #1 and #2 were basic, I appreciated that it was specified that it was okay "to include more than five or to choose fewer or to add other values". It made the process of ranking MY values, very personal. Activity #2 made me realize that although for the most part I do treat people the way I want to be treated, I expect more from people than I am currently giving.
Once I got to to Activity #3, I started to see why these activites may be important. I had a hard time trying to find vices of deficiency and excess. For the virtue "honesty" the only vice of deficiency I could come up with was "liar" and "too open" for the vice of excess. I don't feel that I am necessarily a liar, nor do I feel that I am too open. But on Activity #1 I didn't rank honesty highly at all. This activity made me think about the different spectrums of being virtuous.
Activity #5 was interesting, because I scored mostly in the middle for my variations in ethical intuitions. It also made me question the double-standards I hold people to.
Activity #11 made me notice the relationship between ethics and law, economics, self-interest, religion, and opinion. For example, in my understanding, if a prisoner tells his attorney that he is guilty it is unethical for the attorney to represent him, but it is against the law for the attorney to implicate his client. For economics, it isn't illegal to make money, but it is if the means of making money happens to be against the law.
Writing the card for Activity #14 made me think of the image of having an angel over my shoulder begging me to make the right decision. It was helpful because it could serve as a reminder the next time I overreact or expect too much from people. "Ethics would be a meaningless exercise if it weren't for free will" (Elliott, 14). I found this quote interesting, especially when Elliot claimed that "we all bring baggage from the past and have hidden motivations to our decisions." I was aware that people often project their own understanding of events on people, but for me it is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that no one but the person is really aware of their true motivations behind their actions. I assume that our leadership essay will allow us to contemplate our goals as future leaders as well as reflect on our priorities, possibly similar to the way the activities in Ethical Challenges have made me consider my responsibilities and whether they benefited me or if others.
My response to Activity #6:Roles and Conflicts of Commitment
Rank
1. Sister
2. Daughter
3. Student
4. Friend
5. Roommate
My response to Activity #7: Recognizing Conflicts of Commitment
It's difficult for me juggle being a good friend and being a good roommate. As a friend, I feel like it's my responsibility to be accepting and not judgmental but there have been instances where I can't be honest with my friend/roommate because I don't want to upset her. For example our opposite conceptions of tidiness didn't bother me as a friend because as a friend I accept her, but as a roommate I like my room to more organized. It took me a long time to vocalize my opinion, but because she is also a good friend, she understood my predicament and has since organized her side of the room. Compromise was key to solving that conflict.
Overall, I enjoyed Ethical Challenges. I don't necessarily think I wouldn't have come to the conclusions I had come to on my own, but I also don't spend enough time thinking about ethics in relation to the decisions I make and the people I try and protect. On page 30, Elliot asks the question "What makes some entities worthy of moral protection and other things not?" She uses the ethically unsound example of arranging the killing of another child in order to access a needed organ for her son to further her argument that "being in the moral community means that every individual has the same basics," and while her role-related responsibility is to take care of her son, every child has equal rights to life. I believe that this argument can cross over to ethics in relation to many things, especially the treatment of animals.
Ethical Challenges has left me with many things to think about.
Overall, I enjoyed Ethical Challenges. I don't necessarily think I wouldn't have come to the conclusions I had come to on my own, but I also don't spend enough time thinking about ethics in relation to the decisions I make and the people I try and protect. On page 30, Elliot asks the question "What makes some entities worthy of moral protection and other things not?" She uses the ethically unsound example of arranging the killing of another child in order to access a needed organ for her son to further her argument that "being in the moral community means that every individual has the same basics," and while her role-related responsibility is to take care of her son, every child has equal rights to life. I believe that this argument can cross over to ethics in relation to many things, especially the treatment of animals.
Ethical Challenges has left me with many things to think about.
Earthlings Part 1 1/23
I knew before class on Tuesday that I would definitely be crying through the majority of Part 1 of Earthlings. I had only seen clips of Earthlings before and just the few clips that I saw were enough to turn me vegetarian. Since our last class, I've been considering going vegan. I had no idea that dairy cows were milked to death and treated so horribly. Initially, the majority of the feelings I was recording were angry. I felt furious, unforgiving, agitated, heartsick, disgusted, and sickened throughout the entire first half of the movie. When the clip about the treatment of dairy cows came around, I felt a whole different set of emotions. I felt so guilty, ashamed of myself for thinking I was doing all I could by being vegetarian. Cows are my favorite animal and I had been fooling myself into believing all the commercials about happy dairy cows living in California, minding their own business and living a lush life every cow deserves were true. Instead I was assaulted with the images of a poor cow being drained and dragged out of its cramped stall to be made into fast food. I thought I would be disgusted with the people involved in the animal abuse, but by drinking their milk, I feel just as guilty. I don't think the movie Earthlings' goal was to turn the world vegan, perhaps the movie just serves as a reminder to be more conscientious of where exactly our food comes from and realize the suffering those animals endure. I was shocked at the amount of times the narrator noted that all the procedures done to the animals were done without an anesthetic. So many species of animals are being mutilated just so that the average American can consume an insane amount meat per day. One line from the movie illustrates just how unbelievable American's consumption of meat has become. "Americans currently consume as much chicken in a single day as they did in an entire year in 1930."(p.346) I researched exactly how much meat an average person eats a day, Huffington Post reported that Americans eat, "At least 12 ounces of meat per day, almost 50% more than the recommended daily amount."
I wasn't prepared to see the suffering pets endure. I love my dogs so much and to actually see those dogs and cats being euthanized and thrown into the garbage made me so sick I felt like I was going to throw up. It needs to be realized that animals "shall not be measured by man." (p.338) It is not for us to decide the worth of an animal. Too many people get a pet on a whim and refuse to neuter or spay them, but when caring for their pet becomes too difficult they abandon them. Earthlings reported that "An estimated 25 million animals become homeless every year." With 9 million dying on the streets and another 16 million being euthanized each year, I feel hopeless. It amazes me that "50% of the animals brought to shelters are turned in by their caretakers."(p.339) What kind of people are so cruel as to take on another innocent life to be responsible for and then leave them to die. I don't think this is something I will ever be able to make peace with.
By watching Earthlings, I will be more prepared to witness the conditions pets like the ones pictured in the video live in and do my best to get animals adopted. I am so grateful for the volunteers at Austin Pets Alive that work so hard to continue to keep Austin a "No-Kill" city.
In comparing animal abuse to the Holocaust, I was torn. I questioned whether a comparison could even be made, but reading David Sztybel's article changed that opinion. While I do believe that the life of a human obviously bears greater weight than the life of an animal, I was able to see parallels between the two. On p.364, Sztybel explained that "it is obviously not suggested here that anyone who is a speciesist is also a racist" and that "all this is truly being indicated...is that severe oppression is equally present on both sides of the comparison." The Oxford English Dictionary defines speciesism as the "discrimination against or exploitation of certain animal species by human beings, based on an assumption of mankind's superiority"(p.399) and in looking back on the ethnic cleansing that has occurred in history, where people were most definitely treated like objects and abused because they were deemed inferior by a group of people, I wonder what it would take to have the world as a whole notice the obvious connections between racism and animal abuse and choose to value the life of all living beings.
My emotions during Earthlings : Agitated, heartsick, tearful, disgusted, sickened, nauseated, furious, unforgiving, repulsed, remorseful for drinking milk, enraged, mortified, vengeful, ashamed, angry, sorry, violent, and hopeless.
* I only used the words in the Course Anthology Vol.2 p.546 because it was harder than I expected to accurately express the emotions I was feeling during the movie.
This quote left me heartbroken:
"...dolphins never abandon wounded family members. Mothers and babies call out in distress as they are separated, hoisted up and dragged off...soon to be mercilessly hacked to death. These are benign and innocent beings...and they deserve better." (p.350)Earthlings Part 2 1/25
Interestingly enough, by part 2 of Earthlings my anger was more apparent to me than my sadness. I am furious at the idea that there are people in this world who could torture these animals as if they were nothing. It was disgusting to watch as men rubbed chili powder into the eyes of the India cows and slaughtered them in front of each other. I cannot image the fear those cows felt as they watched these evil people hack their dull blades into the other cows knowing they were next and there was no escaping. To have so little regard for the lives of other living creatures, I will never understand.
This section of Earthlings covered clothing, hunting, animal testing and entertainment.
India cows are purchased from poor families in India "who sell them only after assurance that the animals will live out their lives on farms"(p.351). It is sickening to know that families are being lied to about the cows' fate. In my opinion, it is important for people to know where their clothing truly comes from and the traumatizing slaughter the india cows face just so that humans can wear their skin. Equally as repulsive is the mass capture and killing of defenseless wildlife for their fur. According to Earthlings, "over 100 million wild animals are murdered for their pelts every year, 25 million in the United States alone" (p.353). The images of the animals being skinned alive and left for dead left me reeling. It is devastating to know that fur can be so important to some that they would ignore the incredibly brutal killing of so many animals. I think that people in general find it easier to live in ignorance than to comprehend the manner in which the animal they are wearing was tortured.
Hunting is definitely controversial, especially in a place where so much of it occurs. Personally, I don't see how shooting an animal is even considered a sport and it's amazing how young children begin hunting as well. I'm thankful that there are regulations in place, but I have no idea how strictly the regulations are followed. Earthlingsstates that "hunters kill over 200 million animals every year" (p.356). I have been told by countless friends and family the myth of fish feeling no pain. Earthlings asks to "consider that their sensory organs are highly developed, their nervous systems complex, and their nerve cells very similar to our own, and their responses to certain stimuli immediate and vigorous" (p.357). Fish do feel pain.
The cruelty behind the animal testing seen in Earthlings was remarkable. Although I do my best to stay clear from purchasing products that were tested on animals, it is virtually impossible with so many companies testing their inventions on innocent animals before the human trials regardless of the fact that "results maintained on animals aren't necessarily applicable to humans." To combat animal testing people should be aware of what products were tested on animals. (PETA offers a large list of items to steer clear from)
As for the entertainment portion of the movie, I found the abuse to the elephants particularly alarming. The man who is screaming at Becky the elephant as though she should be able to understand his commands was infuriating. The man clearly enjoyed inflicting pain upon the poor animal, evident in his hollering and threats. It is unnatural for any animal to be doing insane stunts to entertain humans and they would not be doing them were it not for their fear of being punished.
The Starfish Story perfectly illustrates the notion that to save just one animal is making a difference. PETA suggests that the best thing we can do is "respect all species and their wonderful attributes and beauty" (p.414). Respecting all animals and sharing one's knowledge of the treatment of animals is essential to stoping animal cruelty.
This section of Earthlings covered clothing, hunting, animal testing and entertainment.
Hunting is definitely controversial, especially in a place where so much of it occurs. Personally, I don't see how shooting an animal is even considered a sport and it's amazing how young children begin hunting as well. I'm thankful that there are regulations in place, but I have no idea how strictly the regulations are followed. Earthlingsstates that "hunters kill over 200 million animals every year" (p.356). I have been told by countless friends and family the myth of fish feeling no pain. Earthlings asks to "consider that their sensory organs are highly developed, their nervous systems complex, and their nerve cells very similar to our own, and their responses to certain stimuli immediate and vigorous" (p.357). Fish do feel pain.
The cruelty behind the animal testing seen in Earthlings was remarkable. Although I do my best to stay clear from purchasing products that were tested on animals, it is virtually impossible with so many companies testing their inventions on innocent animals before the human trials regardless of the fact that "results maintained on animals aren't necessarily applicable to humans." To combat animal testing people should be aware of what products were tested on animals. (PETA offers a large list of items to steer clear from)
As for the entertainment portion of the movie, I found the abuse to the elephants particularly alarming. The man who is screaming at Becky the elephant as though she should be able to understand his commands was infuriating. The man clearly enjoyed inflicting pain upon the poor animal, evident in his hollering and threats. It is unnatural for any animal to be doing insane stunts to entertain humans and they would not be doing them were it not for their fear of being punished.
The Starfish Story perfectly illustrates the notion that to save just one animal is making a difference. PETA suggests that the best thing we can do is "respect all species and their wonderful attributes and beauty" (p.414). Respecting all animals and sharing one's knowledge of the treatment of animals is essential to stoping animal cruelty.
Sympathetic Imaginations 1/30
At times I wonder why people find it so hard to project personalities onto other animals besides their own. I assume it's easier to project onto an animal that lives in your house, but I feel that people would benefit from an exercise similar to that of the one exhibited in Homer and Ann's story. On page 565, Adam Smith suggests "as we have no immediate experience of what other men feel, we can form no idea of the manner in which they are effected, but by conceiving what we ourselves should feel in the like situation." At least for me, by putting yourself in someone else's shoes and pondering what their life must be like it is harder to think of them negatively. Like Homer and Ann's story, Calvin's Story is successful because the narrator is Calvin the dog, we experience what Calvin feels while at the pound. While a human visiting the pound may feel saddened by what they are seeing, Calvin, or any animal waiting to be adopted, has it worse. If given the choice, no animal wants to spend their life in a cage.Dogs love unconditionally, like Homer the dog said in The Odyssey, "If there is one word a dog has the right to use it is [love]" (p.807). I remember a time when I accidentally slammed the door on Maco's tail and not a minute later, he was giving me kisses to comfort me instead of the other way around. Dogs are loyal and selfless and deserve our love. So many dogs are not given the chance to bond with a family and this needs to change.
"The sympathy that people might naturally feel towards a being who is suffering, coupled with reasoned moral principles, would probably cause most to object to these institutions. While it is not possible for everyone directly to experience the effect of each and every one of their actions, that is no reason not to try" (p.571).
Power Animals 2/4
I used to believe that one's spirit animal was their favorite animal, so I was surprised to realize my spirit animal was a buffalo, not a dairy cow. I had heard about spirit animals before this class in a camp I had gone to as a kid. There they had told us that spirit animals, or power animals, represented a feeling of protection. When I was a sophomore in high school, the image of buffalo's appeared everywhere to me and I decided that buffalo's would represent my protection. For this experience, I wanted to be more specific with the type of buffalo that represented me. I discovered that there are many types of buffalo in the world; an American bison, European buffalo, or wisent, water buffalo, and the African/Cape buffalo being the more common. In reading about the buffalo's, the African buffalo stood out to me the most. This buffalo's herd is highly centralized around the female buffalos. The African/Cape Buffalo also does not mock charge, which is unusal compared it other buffalo. So in other words this buffalo charges to kill. Humans fear this buffalo for it's unpredictable behavior and dangerous charge, making this bull entirely undomesticated.
"When we learn to speak with the animals, to listen with animal ears and to see through animal eyes, we experience the phenomena, the power, and the potential of human essence, and it is then when animals are no longer subordinates." (p.111). This quote reminded me of the exercise we will experience when we go to an animal adoption center. The bit about the "potential of human essence" seemed important to me because references to human nature are powerful, mankind constantly challenging their superiority."Then he pointed to a man who was bright red all over...as he pointed, the red man lay down and rolled and changed into a bison that got up and galloped toward the sorrel of horses of the east." (p.127). This quote from Black Elk Speaks was effective in illustrating the power of the bison to Native American tribes. I had always thought of the buffalo as a strong animal who protects the members of their herd and defends gallantly. By putting myself in the mindset of a buffalo, I can imagine that I would enjoy my freedom to roam and graze effectively by being surrounded by the other buffalo.
The Longhorn, Our Totem 2/6
Before reading about Frank Dobie and his perceptions of longhorns, I had not thought about why exactly the longhorn was the University of Texas at Austin's mascot. Through reading his various depictions of wild longhorns and mustangs, I noticed the character similarities between Longhorns and the students on this campus. Longhorns are our totem because they, like the cattle that Dobie described, represent perseverance, resourcefulness, and "efforts to maintain freedom." (p.145). Both the stories of Sancho and Table Cloth illustrate a longhorn's never ending quest for freedom. To Sancho, freedom meant grazing outside of the Kerr's cabin on Esperanza Creek enjoying the occasional hot tamale. For Table Cloth, freedom meant roaming as a wild longhorn. "Hadn't Table Cloth fairly won life and liberty?"(p.150) This question is posed following the boss's orders to bring back Table Cloth's carcass. I don't think animals should have to work so hard to free themselves from the grasp of man, but any animal as persistent as the one's illustrated, further prove this point. Animals deserve the chance to live their lives free of cages and shackles.
Relating the characteristics of these "outlaw" Longhorns to the students at this university, I can see many similarities. Having the Longhorn as our totem allows students a symbol to represent the University of Texas and the diligence, hard work, and determination expected of students. Sharing this totem also serves in unifying the campus. In 1916 T.B. Buffington, class of 1892, presents "...the University of Texas a mascot or protecting spirit that now and in future years will bring good luck to the institution and it's teaching" (p.154)
Dobie himself inspired in students traits that a Longhorn like the one's depicted in his stories would bear. "Dobie protested when they fired the president of University Homer Rainey in 1944, when they tried to censor the Daily Texan, etc. He was always on the side of the students."(p.129). From the way he was described, I believe Dobie taught students, through example, to fight for what they believed in. Today I can look around on campus and see a diverse body of students exercising their right to protest, raise awareness, or share differing points of view.
In my first semester of college here at the University of Texas, I was taking an introduction psychology class where the professor told us all to look around the room at what everyone was wearing. As a class, we noticed that the majority of the people in the room had on UT Longhorn paraphernalia of some sort. We were told that people are always looking to be included and the burnt orange Longhorn was an emblem of inclusion for this campus. Just by advertising our affiliation with UT, we are given the sensation of being a part of a larger group. Totems are described as being "worshiped or esteemed by members of the clan bearing its name" (p.152). Our longhorn totem, Bevo, "stands for the fighting spirit of progress" (p.154).
Again, while reading The Mustangs, I was reminded that even though I'd like to believe that longhorns, mustangs, and all animals meant to be wild remained wild, sadly most are in danger of being domesticated.
Dobie describes a mustang "...trembling with fear before his captor, bruised from falls by the restrictive rope, made submissive by choking, clogs, cuts and starvation." Dobie assesses that the mustang "... had lost what made him so beautiful and free. Illusion and reality had alike been destroyed. Only the spirited are beautiful."(p.165). What we admire in the longhorn is their freedom, endurance, and drive, but by the mass breeding and capture of longhorns for their horns, meat, and hide, what makes the longhorn so majestic and inspiring is being stubbed out.
"As the great longhorn was free to roam the wilderness of Texas, so must the University be free to roam the world of thought, unhampered and unafraid." (p.154)
What is Sustainability? 2/11
To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting very much from the lecture. I thought it would be a one sided conversation about sustainability and protecting our limited resources, and while we did discuss the concept of sustainability and recycling, I was pleasantly surprised at the different view points offered. Dr. Baird Callicott, Dr. Sahotra Sarkar, and Jim Walker (Director of Sustainability at U.T.) all had differing opinions concerning the ways in which we attain sustainability, but their unique standpoints made the lecture much more interesting to watch.
The lecture began with Lawrence Abraham, Interim Dean of Undergraduate Studies, introducing the moderator Jim Walker and Dr. Callicott and Dr. Sarkar.
Jim Walker is locally and nationally known as a major player in the development of sustainable communities, one in particular being the Miller community here in Austin. Personally, I was really impressed by the moderator's ability to state his own opinions of sustainability while equally respecting both Dr. Callicott and Dr. Sarkar's arguments.
Dr. Callicott is a distinguished philosophy professor at the University of North Texas, co-editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, and involved heavily in the conversation of sustainability.
Dr. Sarkar is a professor of philosophy and biology at the University of Texas at Austin. He specializes in systematic conservation planning and is known for his criticism of hereditarian thinking in biology.
Dr. Callicott began by talking about how skeptical people are of the concept of sustainability. He told us how he prides himself on being a contrarian and actually thinks the concept of sustainability is quite clear. He simplified the concept by using the example of a runner in a race, their pace being sustainable for a certain amount of time. While the definition of sustainability is clear, it is also relative. It's naive to plan on sustainable agriculture to last millions of years, the process is relative. He stressed the significance of understanding the "temporal metric" of sustaining anything. He also stressed the importance of recycling and modeling our economy after the economy of nature.
Dr. Sarkar agreed with Dr. Callicott in that as a community we must take better care of the world around us that isn't human. He uses owning a baseball team and spending a certain level of money each year to achieve success as an example to explain large scale sustainability. He brought to our attention his work on the protection of the Jollyville salamander that is going extinct, speaking about him being told that the protection of animals has to do with sustainability. (In my understanding, he disagrees that the extinction of animals effects sustainability.) He thinks that instead of taking on large scale sustainability, it is more important to have small scale individual solutions so that the next generations can enjoy our world as we do.
Jim Walker presents the question, "Why aren't we moving forward on teaching this?" He claims that nothing measurable has really happened in the past 30 years.
Dr. Callicott disagrees with his assessment, blaming his optimism. He finds 21st century problems so complex that they require interdisciplinary conversation. He then goes on to tell us about the Clay conference.
Walker states that his pessimism stems from the big data, asserting that there is an absence of urgency with the big data. He notes that the it is hard to conceive global action when such large examples are used.
Dr. Sarkar brings up the the clean air act, clean water act, and the endangered species act. He speaks about the unwarranted fears of the world collapsing due to increasing population (7 billion people) and poor environment. Sarkar then summarizes Haldane in Possible Worlds who says that the job of a university professor is to make students think. I loved this point in the lecture because I've always felt that the teachers who have impacted my life never told me what to do, but allowed me to make my own decisions and take different positions. Dr. Sarkar says, "We aren't denying any service to students by talking about fuzzy concepts..."
Dr. Callicott discusses liberal education, saying that is obviously liberating. He says, "Education enables you to think freely." He goes on stating that we humans are subject to the same laws of biology that all creatures are. Our cultural values and attitudes can effect our behavior. He brings up population control, using the example of European countries like Italy being less fertile because women are achieving economic opportunities and gaining control of their reproductive lives.
Walker summarizes the discussion with the question, "How are your actions relevant to the people around you?"
Dr. Callicott argues that the most important thing we can do to make change is to vote for representatives that want policies to protect us. An example being the no smoking policy implemented at U.T. and apparently U.N.T. as well.
Dr. Sarkar agrees with Callicott on the importance of voting for representatives that want sustainability, but also argues that "it is a collective problem that requires collective action."
I think that overall I agreed more with Dr. Callicott's stand point. I did find some of their metaphors a bit hard to follow, but for the most part I understood what they were saying. Something that really shocked me was the question from the guy who made the conscious decision to not reproduce. I think that the concept of reproduction is completely different for men and women. People want to have children for a plethora of reasons and I seriously doubt that anyone who makes the decision to bring another human into this Earth does so to ruin the environment.
Jim Walker noted in the beginning of the discussion that the lecture aimed to try and get students to think about ethics and critical thinking. At least for me, the lecture was a success. I'll definitely be looking out for next year's conversation!
The lecture began with Lawrence Abraham, Interim Dean of Undergraduate Studies, introducing the moderator Jim Walker and Dr. Callicott and Dr. Sarkar.
Jim Walker is locally and nationally known as a major player in the development of sustainable communities, one in particular being the Miller community here in Austin. Personally, I was really impressed by the moderator's ability to state his own opinions of sustainability while equally respecting both Dr. Callicott and Dr. Sarkar's arguments.
Dr. Callicott is a distinguished philosophy professor at the University of North Texas, co-editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, and involved heavily in the conversation of sustainability.
Dr. Sarkar is a professor of philosophy and biology at the University of Texas at Austin. He specializes in systematic conservation planning and is known for his criticism of hereditarian thinking in biology.
Dr. Callicott began by talking about how skeptical people are of the concept of sustainability. He told us how he prides himself on being a contrarian and actually thinks the concept of sustainability is quite clear. He simplified the concept by using the example of a runner in a race, their pace being sustainable for a certain amount of time. While the definition of sustainability is clear, it is also relative. It's naive to plan on sustainable agriculture to last millions of years, the process is relative. He stressed the significance of understanding the "temporal metric" of sustaining anything. He also stressed the importance of recycling and modeling our economy after the economy of nature.
Dr. Sarkar agreed with Dr. Callicott in that as a community we must take better care of the world around us that isn't human. He uses owning a baseball team and spending a certain level of money each year to achieve success as an example to explain large scale sustainability. He brought to our attention his work on the protection of the Jollyville salamander that is going extinct, speaking about him being told that the protection of animals has to do with sustainability. (In my understanding, he disagrees that the extinction of animals effects sustainability.) He thinks that instead of taking on large scale sustainability, it is more important to have small scale individual solutions so that the next generations can enjoy our world as we do.
Jim Walker presents the question, "Why aren't we moving forward on teaching this?" He claims that nothing measurable has really happened in the past 30 years.
Dr. Callicott disagrees with his assessment, blaming his optimism. He finds 21st century problems so complex that they require interdisciplinary conversation. He then goes on to tell us about the Clay conference.
Walker states that his pessimism stems from the big data, asserting that there is an absence of urgency with the big data. He notes that the it is hard to conceive global action when such large examples are used.
Dr. Sarkar brings up the the clean air act, clean water act, and the endangered species act. He speaks about the unwarranted fears of the world collapsing due to increasing population (7 billion people) and poor environment. Sarkar then summarizes Haldane in Possible Worlds who says that the job of a university professor is to make students think. I loved this point in the lecture because I've always felt that the teachers who have impacted my life never told me what to do, but allowed me to make my own decisions and take different positions. Dr. Sarkar says, "We aren't denying any service to students by talking about fuzzy concepts..."
Dr. Callicott discusses liberal education, saying that is obviously liberating. He says, "Education enables you to think freely." He goes on stating that we humans are subject to the same laws of biology that all creatures are. Our cultural values and attitudes can effect our behavior. He brings up population control, using the example of European countries like Italy being less fertile because women are achieving economic opportunities and gaining control of their reproductive lives.
Walker summarizes the discussion with the question, "How are your actions relevant to the people around you?"
Dr. Callicott argues that the most important thing we can do to make change is to vote for representatives that want policies to protect us. An example being the no smoking policy implemented at U.T. and apparently U.N.T. as well.
Dr. Sarkar agrees with Callicott on the importance of voting for representatives that want sustainability, but also argues that "it is a collective problem that requires collective action."
I think that overall I agreed more with Dr. Callicott's stand point. I did find some of their metaphors a bit hard to follow, but for the most part I understood what they were saying. Something that really shocked me was the question from the guy who made the conscious decision to not reproduce. I think that the concept of reproduction is completely different for men and women. People want to have children for a plethora of reasons and I seriously doubt that anyone who makes the decision to bring another human into this Earth does so to ruin the environment.Jim Walker noted in the beginning of the discussion that the lecture aimed to try and get students to think about ethics and critical thinking. At least for me, the lecture was a success. I'll definitely be looking out for next year's conversation!
Natural Science Museum 2/15
The Mustangs statue at the base of the Natural Science Museum is dedicated to the "spirited horses that carried the men who made Texas." Humans believe horses to be powerful animals who represent the a variety of things for different cultures. In America, horses represent the past, fighting for freedom and building community, a possible meaning behind the statue. By looking at the statue, it can be inferred that humans like to make totems of revered animals because they believe they serve as good representations or reminders. The latter more visible in the dinosaur items on the north side of the Museum.The north side of the museum is home to seats that are modeled after the vertebra from a mosasaur, a large marine reptile that lived during the Cretaceous Period. The seats are actually 8 times the length of the real vertebra, but do work as an interesting reminder to humans, that animals like these used to exist. The seats, like the exhibits in the museum in a way, are a form of experiential learning. By seeing a real physical manifestation of these ancient animals, or even animals that are still around, humans are given the opportunity to learn about these animals in an exciting way.
Located on the first floor, (if coming in on west side of the museum, to your right against the wall) is the top of a Steppe bison's skull. According to the information card, "the steppe bison lived in the dry grasslands of North America and Mexico 500,000 to 10,000 years ago." The skull of this animal is being used to educate students and other visitors on an animal that once roamed this planet. To see an animal on display in a museum is very different to seeing an animal on display in someone's home as a trophy to a hunt. As my power animal however, I can imagine that the act of displaying remains of anything is quite unusual. I would wonder why humans felt the need to exhibit animals in this way and if the animals being shown were killed or died of natural causes.
On the third floor, there was a display case of a family of American bison. In the case, you could see a large male, and a medium size female and her young calf. The note on the case described how the majority of bison were slaughtered in the late 1800s due to commercialized hunting. I found this portion of the animal exhibit to be extremely interesting, because seeing true to life representations of these animals helped me imagine them more clearly. I did ponder at how the museum attained the stuffed animals and was comforted when I saw a sign advertising that very question. After calling I learned that only a fraction of the stuffed animals I was observing were actually real, the rest being mock ups. This wasn't disappointing, because it meant that not very many animals were harmed to facilitate this form of learning, but it also left me feeling that it was very ambiguous.The fourth floor had the most information, I felt, displayed with the animals. For instance, depicted below is the human skeleton being compared to the skeleton of a chimpanzee.
More than likely, again my spirit animal would feel that the remains of these animals, however educational, served no purpose because to really learn from an animal it is best to observe while truly living free in its original habitat. If the roles were switched and I were one of the animals on display, I would feel like a science project, watching person after person walk by and stare. Personally though, I think that it is important for people to learn about all of these different animals in any way they can whether it be through observing them in the museum or in their natural habitat. I do not believe the animals on floors 1, 3, and 4 were being displayed in a disrespectful manner, rather in way to represent the way they may have been in life.
Why Are You Here?/Liberal Education 2/20
The readings on the interpretations and importance of liberal arts reminded me of something Dr. Callicott said during the sustainability lecture. He talked about liberal education, calling it obviously liberating. He says, "Education enables you to think freely." This theme of freedom being obtained through liberal education was shared in the assigned readings.
Liberal education can be considered "training in how to discern those essential human values that make us free; training in how to express, in speech and writing, our commitment to those values in order to keep us free." (p.235). A liberal education teaches one to express themselves. By focusing on liberal arts, the magnitude of our personal freedoms can be realized. We are no longer chained by the inability to say what we are thinking, we can express ourselves intelligently.
I've noticed that the idea that students "have to study something that will lead directly to a job…" (p.242) has become more popular. Earlier this year, I had been dealing with a similar dilemma, questioning whether or not I wanted to major in Studio Art. There is a noticeable pressure on students to study something that they can easily get a job with and more and more I began to worry that majoring in Fine Arts would not be the safest financial decision I could make. Eventually, I made the decision to switch majors to Liberal Arts. There were a handful of benefits to studying liberal arts listed in the reading, claiming that "studying the humanities improves your ability to read and write...will give you a familiarity with the language of emotion...[and] will give you a wealth of analogies." (p.242)
Peter T. Flawn, president of UT at the time, stated during an address to the faculty on Oct. 16, 1984, "that liberal education was the cultivation of the intellect." (p.225) Through fully immersing myself in my liberal education, I gain intellect. I don't lose anything through my decision to have a liberal education, I can only gain knowledge.
Liberal arts is defined as originally being the "distinctive epithet of those 'arts' and 'sciences' that were considered 'worthy of a freeman': opposed to serval or mechanical." (p.236) I found this definition of liberal arts to be entirely different from the offered definition of liberal education, which states that liberal education, in it's "grammatical sense is supposed to servile, and by "servile work" is understood, as our catechisms informs us, bodily labor, mechanical employment, and the like, in which the mind has little or no part…" (p.228-229)
Liberal arts offers a well-rounded education, that has a variety of benefits. Having this form of education can aid in expressing ourselves. Unlike the popular belief that studying something many people perceive as more "practical" is the better decision, having a liberal education is more beneficial in the long run. Liberal education frees us.
Leadership/Alumni 2/27
Through reading the testimonies and biographies of some alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin I got a better grasp of how much U.T. has changed over the years, but also how key professors are to the educational growth of the students. While the biggest change for me since attending U.T. has been added responsibilities, I realized that the level of which I retain information has increased drastically. I feel that the classes that I have done greater in is a result of the the amount of respect I have for the professor teaching the class. For example, I didn't expect to be so wrapped up in my art classes that I would forget to eat and hardly sleep because I would be working so hard on my projects but I realized by the end of the semester that I wasn't working so hard because I loved the projects but
because I respected those teachers so much that I didn't want to disappoint them. That definitely didn't happen for me in high school. Those experiences have taught me that before I attach my name to anything I want to be sure it is the best I can possibly do in the time allotted and has made me better at managing my time.
Denton A. Cooley said about U.T., "...the lack of personal attention and support of individual students imparted a spirit of independence and competitiveness that offset the most theoretical disadvantage of an oversized student population." (p.865) I completely agree with his statement. I was used to having some what "one on one" discussions with my teachers in the past, but at U.T. it has been my responsibility to follow my progress and work to make good grades. I think that has been an important factor in the change that I have noticed in myself since coming here. Even better, the UGS course has given me the opportunity to maintain a good relationship with students around the same age, which has proven difficult in larger classes. To have a class of 300 where I have spoken maybe 3 sentences directly to my teacher and to go to a class of 18 is awesome. I have the same pressure to do well, but I can build awesome friendships and gain a better sense of the diverse community U.T. harbors.
Not only does U.T. encourage personal growth toward more independence, it also allows its students to speak their mind and express themselves. By having a large body of students who are willing to be leaders of their causes, U.T. has seen it's fair share of the expression of the first amendment.
Betty S. Flowers comments on the boycotting and rallying that students were doing at the time she attended U.T. saying, "We were terribly self-righteous. We had no sense of the fragility of institutions, of the ease with which something precious and complex like a university can be damaged." (p.881) U.T. has proven itself to be a strong institution that encourages freedom. While of course we are not completely free to do what we want, we can express ourselves in a manner that causes no harm to others. Which is fine by me.
-Arctic Fox
Sadism 3/4
The book describes sadism as “the unconscious impulse to acquire unrestricted power over another person, and to test the fullness of this power by destroying that other person..." (471). In my opinion, it is the sadistic human beings who contribute the most to the high amounts of human and animal abuse in the world. Someone who takes pleasure from another person or animal's pain is sadistic. This sadism creates a never-ending cycle of abuse that occurs because when one person harms another, the abused person in turn will reenact what was done unto them or what they witnessed done unto another person. One of Socrates' most important beliefs was the belief that one should do no harm to another person even if they themselves were harmed, but in stories like the one of Phoenix the pitbull, children "who have witnessed such abuse or been victimized themselves" are engaging in "abusive reactive" behaviors. (485). While there have been many steps to protect both animals and humans from horrendous abuse, it is difficult to pinpoint where abuse is happening before it reaches unimaginable levels. “Before 1990, only six states had felony provisions in their animal-cruelty laws; now 46 do.” (483).
"...Animal cruelty has long been recognized as a signature pathology of the most serious violent offenders."(483). I've heard this before, that a telltale sign of a future murder was abusing animals as a child. This type of behavior could be seen in people like Jeffrey Dahmer or Dennis Rader for example. According to Robert K. Ressler of the FBI, "there are kids to never learned it's wrong to poke out a puppy's eyes." (PETA.org). Sadistic behaviors are creating a cycle that can be difficult to break. If a person is abused, he or she too is at risk of developing aggressive behaviors that may lead them to become the abuser later in life.
To end unnecessary suffering for people and animals, known abuse needs to be targeted immediately and people need to become more educated on noticing abuse. Because sadistic behaviors can be transferred to the abused, it is imperative that societies uphold greater punishments for abuse and offer the abused opportunities to cope healthily. Without institutions who work actively to end the cycle of abuse, sadistic behaviors in communities will spread.
- Arctic Fox
CATS! (Not the musical, the species...) 3/20
Before high school I never had much experience with cats, but not for lack of trying. For some reason my entire family loathes cats. I'm assuming because of the long standing competition of cats versus dogs. Apparently one simply cannot appreciate both.
What I love about cats is their obvious attitude. "The cat, more than any other domestic animal, has kept her independence, spiritual and physical..."(825). With most dogs, I've noticed that even if someone were to yell at them or abuse them they will come back to their owner because they love them unconditionally. I have yet to notice the same behavior with cats. You must earn the affection of a cat. My friend described the love between a cat and its human as a mutual understanding. "You feed me and take care of me and I'll keep you company and try not to scratch you."
The line, "His tired gaze--from passing endless bars--has turned into a vacant stare which thing holds..." (818) from Rilkes poem 'The Panther' reminds me of what the cats at Austin Pets Alive and the cats at countless other adoption centers go through each day that they are not adopted. The majestic panther no longer carries the mysterious spark in it's eyes because it's right to experience life has been stripped. The cats in the shelter have been saved from starving in the streets, but unless they are adopted they are doomed to live out the rest of their lives behind bars in an uncomfortable cage.
"Oh, men do us vast injustice, And we look for thanks in vain; They misunderstand completely All our nature's finer strain." (846) 
A cat confined to a cage can no longer roam as it pleases, observe the happenings of daily life, or enjoy its existence. I felt that the line in Schefell's poem about humans misunderstanding cats was very true, at least for myself. I have a hard time coming up with ways in which cats effect my life. I do not own one and I rarely see cats, therefore I am a strong advocate for leaving them alone. I am not going to chase down a cat to "save it" unless it is dire need for help, something I would do for a dog. It's strange, I know, but I've always felt that cats were much more self-sufficent than the canine species. In my opinion, a cat strives on freedom. Strip a cat of its freedom and it is loses what makes him a cat.
- Arctic Fox
Nature 3/27
Veerayatan, a Jain institution, works to preserve the environment in a variety of ways but the education they provide the villagers stuck out to me the most. "Villagers are taught moral and ethical values, including the protection of animals, the phasing out of their sacrifice, and the importance of protecting natural resources..." (p.771) Working to gradually to end the abusive treatment of animals by changing villages way of perceiving animals changes the treatment of animals for the better more reliably.
"The Bombay Humanitarian League has worked tirelessly to stop animal slaughter at religious functions, as well as the custom eating of meat, working at both the individual and societal level. The league has saved thousands of animals from slaughter." (p.765) It is important that people work to relieve animal suffering and educate people on the sufferings of animals. I can agree that the Western world has become more disconnected with nature and a way to mend this would be through education.
In the section discussing the limitations to the practice of Ahimsa, it was stated that Absolute Ahimsa was impossible. I appreciated this inclusion because I'd always wondered how one could spend there entire life without killing anything, even accidentally. The book said, "You have to destroy life in order to live." (p.761) This was interesting to me because it offered another way of looking at things. It is understood that our bodies work to destroy bacteria, so they specify that this is what makes Absolute Ahimsa unattainable.I pondered over the quote,"Westerners generally destroy their dear horses and dogs when they are in acute agony and when there is no way of relieving their sufferings." (p.761) I've thankfully never had to make the decision to put down a pet. I can't say that I would be able to. I do understand why people have to make the tough decision though. While the animal doesn't have a say in whether they continue living in pain or are put down, I have faith that the majority of veterinary clinics perform euthanasia only in dire circumstances.
- Arctic FoxSpeciesism/Racism 4/1
"The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?" (698) An animal cannot be faulted for not having the ability to speak for its interests and communicate with us humans. They cannot beg for their lives when they're being slaughtered. So we must fight for them and speak against the unnecessary brutality behind the mass slaughter of animals for meat in a society obsessed with consumption. "The hierarchy of meat protein reinforces a hierarchy of race, class, and sex." (p.700) This quote was interesting because I had never come to recognize those connections on my own. Still it is strikingly similar to the mass killing of humans. I am not comparing the supposed "value" of the different species but the actual right to life that I believe every life on earth deserves.
Racism is "a belief that human races have distinctive characteristics" that make them superior to other races. (p.701) While speciesism is "a belief that different species of animals are significantly different from one another" enough so that one species has the right to rule the others. These definitions are shockingly similar and it strikes me as odd that a majority of Americans and people across the world ignore the blatant abuse of animals due to the false belief that humans are rightfully superior beings. Even if this belief were warranted, just because one may hold this belief it gives them no right to inflict pain on an innocent life.
Buffalo on the Platte River 4/17
Worthington Whittredge’s oil painting Buffalo on the Platte River was produced in 1866. The painting shows a western landscape depicting a group of buffalos drinking from a river and other buffalos grazing in the distance near a tree. This style of art was not uncommon during the mid to late 1800’s. A number of artists in America specialized in painting the Great Plains of the United States.
Whittredge’s decision to include buffalos in his landscape is meaningful because during the 1800s, commercial buffalo hunting had increased significantly due to the creation of railroad systems. Although the railroads disturbed Indian lands, large parties of hunters would shoot wild animals from the train cars. This huge increase in hunting resulted in the almost extinction of American bison, a source of food the Indians relied on.
The relationship between humans and animals in this painting is non-existent, which makes the inclusion of the animal important. Whittredge chose to depict the beautiful Great Plains landscape as it is without human intervention.
From The Blanton website:
"This is a rare western landscape by Thomas Worthington Whittredge: one of the best-known American landscape painters of his generation, he lived in New York and typically painted east coast subjects. But in 1866 he traveled with an army expedition along the eastern portions of the Rocky Mountains and New Mexico, finding himself drawn again and again to “capture the fleeting atmospheric effects of the low rolling landscape,” as he stated in his autobiography. In his writings he reflected on the natural marvels he encountered, stating that he was never captivated by the obvious drama of the mountains, but instead loved the plains, with their vast expanses and uncanny silence. In this placid scene, most likely painted from sketches back in his studio, buffalo graze peacefully under banks of fog, while small disturbances on the water’s surface are quietly noted."
An artist named Theodore R. Davis made a sketch of that style of hunting which appeared in Harpers Weekly on Dec. 14th, 1867. (The picture below) Davis was an American artist during the 19th century who was famous for painting significant American political or military events.
Above is Worthington Whittredge's painting Crossing the River Platte (1871) which is included in the White House art collection. In this painting you can see an Indian encampment near the river, Indian men on horses crossing the river. The mass killing of the American bison made it difficult for Indians to find a reliable source of food. Tribes went hungry without having many American bison to hunt. When Texas Legislature was working to pass a bill to protect the buffalos, General Phillip Sheridan defended the removal of Indians and the mass murder of buffalos saying, “Send them powder and lead, if you will; but for a lasting peace, let them kill, skin, and sell until the buffaloes are exterminated. Then your prairies can be covered with speckled cattle.”
John Fire Lame Deer wrote :"The buffalo gave us everything we needed. Without it we were nothing. Our tipis were made of his skin. His hide was our bed, our blanket, our winter coat. It was our drum, throbbing through the night, alive, holy. Out of his skin we made our water bags. His flesh strengthened us, became flesh of our flesh. Not the smallest part of it was wasted. His stomach, a red-hot stone dropped into it, became our soup kettle. His horns were our spoons, the bones our knives, our women's awls and needles. Out of his sinews we made our bowstrings and thread. His ribs were fashioned into sleds for our children, his hoofs became rattles. His mighty skull, with the pipe leaning against it, was our sacred altar. The name of the greatest of all Sioux was Tatanka Iyotake--Sitting Bull. When you killed off the buffalo you also killed the Indian--the real, natural, "wild" Indian."
Bob Bullock State History Museum 4/24
Throughout the museum, Texas was being portrayed as a strong state known not only for it's struggle for independence from Mexico but the overall perseverance, spirit, and leadership shown by the Texas community. In the museum, this belief was sent through the writings off to the side of the displays, the entire Spirit performance, and through the design of the exhibits. The Texas star can be seen all over the Bob Bullock museum and is mentioned in the Spirit Performance. The star is symbol of the strength and leadership that lives in everyone, born in Texas or not. Through the words spoken by "Sam Houston" in the performance and the words written about Texas women in the actual exhibit, I felt empowered and proud to be a Texan...most of the time. To be honest, I was not impressed with the Spirit performance, which may have to do with the number of times I had seen it before, but never the less I didn't leave feeling as proud as I had in the past. I thought the portrayal of the Mexicans travelling to Texas was comical and I couldn't concentrate much past the accents used to depict the men and women of Mexico AND Texas. I'm sure others felt that the movie did a great job at instilling the "Texas Spirit" inside us, but I don't necessarily agree that the movie was as successful as the exhibit, in my opinion. I learned from wandering The Texas Women Exhibit that women played a much larger role in developing Texas than I had originally believed. I read the stories of women in Texas and learned about the importance of gender roles during that period. One portion of the exhibit that stuck with me the most was the display of the Honeymooners by George Peters. The book was a how-to-guide for new brides to learn how to cook, clean, and care for a child. I was amazed that the book was actually written by a man and that plenty of newlywed women must have relied on books like this to learn how to be a "successful wife". The book serves as another example of the common belief at the time that women were meant to be happy homemakers.
< DeSoto's travelLeadership meant different things to different people. The Caddo, Nabedache, and (Commanche chief) Quannah Parker most likely considered leadership to be making strong decisions to protect their tribes, or, at least in Quannah Parker's case, evolving to keep power. Parker led his people on and off the reservation.
To an explorer like DeSoto or DeLeon, their understanding of leadership was exhibited through their conquering of lands and other grand discoveries. They had much pride in finding lands that hadn't been claimed and strived to find more land and more riches.
Texas Rangers such as Charles Goodnight or Bigfoot Wallace both believed leadership to be incredibly important, especially in their endeavors. Charles Goodnight was said to have "approached greatness more nearly than any other cowman of history" according to J. Frank Dobie. Bigfoot Wallace fought in a number of wars and protected Texas proudly. Both Goodnight and Wallace led men or cattle to further the development of Texas.
To an ordinary soldier, missionary, farmer, or rancher, leadership was important as well. Every Texan during this time was proud of their state and worked hard to ensure it's safety and prosperity. Missionary's hoped to spread the word of God to people who had yet been exposed to it and aimed to better the lives of others. Soldier's prided themselves on making important decisions during times of war or to protect and ensure the safety of all Texans. Farmers and ranchers strived to better their crop and further the reach of Texas cattle to further Texas economically and to provide food. Women like Minnie Fisher Cunningham led other women to argue on behalf of securing women's suffrage. I do believe that the Texas Spirit is alive in every person who is ambitious enough to be a leader.
I think there is pressure as a University of Texas student to lead. I am proud that I come from a state which has fought for it's freedom and safety so strongly, but I prefer to lead differently. I think that UT offers students so many opportunities to lead, whether it be through an organization, club, or team. We can be leaders in our classes or in the community. There was an interactive part of the Texas Women Exhibit that consisted of recordings of ordinary people who have visited the Bob Bullock talking about advice they wish to extend to their children or grandchildren, women who have inspired them and why, etc. When watching the videos I realized that every person has the potential to be a leader in their own lives and our leadership is rarely as public as the ones depicted in the Spirit performance or elsewhere in the Texas exhibit. I am proud to be my own leader and am confident that every person, Texas Spirit or not, has the potential to make themselves a leader.
- Arctic Fox
Diversity in College 4/29
Like others in the class, the readings affected me because I could relate to several of the essays. I know how it feels to be singled out because of something you can’t control, like the color of your skin or where your family comes from. My mother lived in Mexico for the majority of her childhood and my father did as well, although their experiences were very different. My mom lived in Matamoros, Mexico and my dad lived in an expensive part of Monterrey.
My dad (on the left) went to the American school and his friends came from a variety of cultures. His mother, my grandmother, was from Joplin, Missouri and went against her parents’ wishes in marrying my grandfather. Although she married a man of a different race, according to my father, she struggled with accepting my dad’s choice of girlfriends. My mom went to private all-girl schools for a good portion of her education and went to UT for graduate school. My mother’s experience at UT was less than pleasant; she recalls being treated unfairly by some faculty and students. What I've noticed is that because of the bad experiences she’s had, she too will occasionally come off as slightly racist towards ethnicities that have been racist toward her in the past. Luckily, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been treated poorly because I am Mexican. The first time was when I was 9, a girl who I’d gone to school with since I was 4 told me to “go back to Mexico where I belonged” after my team beat her in kickball. I was shocked. I wasn’t from Mexico, I thought, and even so why did I belong there? I was from Austin. I just couldn’t comprehend why someone I’d known for so long would say something so hurtful. When I told my mom she was furious and talked to me about racism. My dad told me to laugh it off because obviously the girl had no idea that I’d been born and raised in Austin, Texas. My parents’ experiences with racism were very different and affected the manner in which they explained racism to me. My father passed as white and always had an open mind to all cultures while my mother was treated differently often and felt she had to always protect herself. In fact, ironically enough my mother caught my father’s eye because she wouldn’t shut up about how much she disliked American girls. He found it funny and even hid it from her that his mom was one of those “American girls”.
Like Alessandro, I have felt like "I didn't quite fit in the Latino community that was supposed to be a support group for me" (240, Alessandro Melendez). For those who didn’t already know I was Mexican were surprised when they found out which didn’t sit well with me. Why did it matter what ethnicity I was? I will never understand. Some people from the Latino community in high school called me a “coconut” when I would try and talk with them in Spanish which infuriated me. Couldn’t I just be myself? I also felt pressure from my mother to prove myself as a strong Mexican girl, not an “American girl” like she calls me. Like Vincent, my mother “…made the classic emigrant mistake of assuming that [her] kids would retain all their "heritage," including language, even after [she] had decided to put us through a Western educational system." (248, Vincent Ng) I spoke only Spanish until pre-school when my mother enrolled me in University Methodist. There I was taught English and was told that I should only speak English at school so I wouldn’t get confused. Obviously I found that logic very confusing. Because I stopped speaking Spanish when I was young, my pronunciation now is poor, which upsets my mom.
I wish no one cared where you were from or where your parents were from because even though one’s ethnicity factors in to one’s identity I think if people stopped worrying about the implications behind a person’s ethnicity students would have a better chance at developing their own unique beliefs, free of racial pressures. My mother can’t help it that sometimes she has unfair thoughts towards people from other races that treated her badly, but she is smart enough to know that one person does not represent an entire ethnicity. I am too. Diversity is essential to create a good learning environment because due to the variety of cultures present at the University of Texas at Austin anyone can find their niche, whether it be with other students that share their ethnicity or not. I’m thankful that I was brought up by parent’s with very different experiences because I was able to see both sides of the spectrum.
(Above is a picture of my abuelo on my mom's side. I called her parents Abuela and Abuelo and my dad's parents Grandma and Grandpa.)
BEST AND WORST BLOGS
4/16
My week was relatively normal with no major highs or lows. The best of my week would have to be dancing at a party I went to on Saturday. I've always wanted to be a good dancer, but my passion for it clearly doesn't translate on the dance floor. On Saturday though I met someone who was an impeccable dancer and he taught me that anyone can look like a good dancer if they have a good leader! I had a blast swing dancing and I felt free, exhilarated, and alive. I welcomed the chance to be more outgoing and am glad I ended up going out that night. The worst of my week is less of an actual incident, but just a feeling of numbness I have been handling lately. This happens to me a lot, but for some reason this past week I have felt numb, insensitive, and detached from my friends. I hope that this lethargic feeling doesn't follow me into this week, I'm not a fan of feeling dazed.3/19
I felt very thankful to have a week off from school because things were becoming slightly overwhelming and I benefited from the down time by sleeping, studying, and enjoying the company of my friends. The best things to happen to me this week came about because of SXSW. One of my best friends managed to get us and a couple of our other friends on the VIP list for Willie Nelson's Heartbreaker Banquet. I was able to meet the lead singer of My Morning Jacket (Jim James) and Shakey Graves and his family.
Later in the week I met Justin Chatwin at a VEVO after party! I felt elated, surprised, lucky, and grateful for all of these things. It also helped me appreciate just how awesome Austin, Texas really is. The worst of the week happened when I let down several of my friends multiple times so I could go to different shows. I feel like I disappointed one of my best friends who I rescheduled with the night before to see a show and again shortened our time together the next day for the same reason, even though he was heading back to college the next day. At the time I convinced myself I was doing the right thing, but I've been feeling guilty for days because of this. I feel like a terrible friend, guilty, apologetic, desperate, liable, and sorry.
3/4
2/11
Best: I felt acknowledged and appreciated on Thursday and Friday when I listened to my friend's problems and gave them advice. It made me feel proud and trusted that they would view me as a dependable friend and tell me how they were really doing, when most of my friends, including me sometimes, choose to keep things to themselves.
Worst: I felt disgusting and depressed this past weekend because I got sick for the first time in a long time. On top of that, I feel miserable and stressed because I had to scramble to finish my homework and have been unable to study for tests I have on Tuesday and Wednesday because of how weak being sick has made me. I'm hopeful that with rest and the medicine I've been taking, I'll feel better soon.
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