Human Interest

How about "cross-polination" and "cross-fertilization" in cultures?

unit 3

Unit 3

Admittedly, I've got a thing for monuments in the cultural landscape.  This is a very nice article for a historical geographer on how memory and heritage are enshrined in the landscape; this process politicizes history in ways that shape the national narrative, and that shapes how we think in past.   Using historical geography to understand the debates in the news?  No way!!  Here James Loewen writes in the Washington Post on the topic for a general audience. 

http://www.bharatemployment.com/

Additionally, here is a list of 13 honest books about slavery that young people should actually read.  

All I have to say is....wow. 

It's saddening to see the persistence of such antiquated hatred in the 21st century; for a self-proclaimed age of enlightenment, we continue to act very ignorantly. France has long since prided itself on the ideas of equality and freedom that it put forward to the world during their tumultuous revolution, but that is not being reflected in both its treatment of Muslims and, particularly, its Jewish minority. The fact that 1% of the nation's population accounts for over half of its racist attacks is a jaw-dropping statistic, and indictment of a lack of tolerance as a whole in French society. I often read of the frustration of French Muslims- many of whom are of Algerian descent- who feel ostracized in the nation they call home. A Franco-muslim soccer player, Karim Benzema, summed up this sentiment when he said, "When I am playing well, I am French. When I'm playing poorly, I'm "just" a Muslim." I must imagine that the Jewish population feels much the same way; to feel such open discrimination must make one feel like an outsider in your own home. I hope that the current French Prime Minister, who has said that they plan to take a much firmer stand against this anti-semitism, stays true to their word and takes the necessary measures to insure the safety of ALL French citizens.

The mass migration of Jews from Europe is an underreported story in the United States. Many people wrongly assume that Anti-Semitism  ended when the allies emerged victorious over Hitler and his Third Reich. However, the recent rash of religiously motivated attacks against Jews is demonstrating that the historical strand of Anti-Semitism still exists in Europe.  The number of attacks on Jews in France over the past few years is staggering and shocking. The people of France should feel ashamed that such acts are occurring in a nation that prides itself on the rights of man. The problem is much broader than just the tragic events in France. Anti-Semitism is on the rise in many European nations. I would shutter to think that the Western World is entering another period of violence and hatred directed and aimed at the Jewish community. Europe must act fast, or we may end up with an entire continent without a Jewish population.

How we view each other is often incredibly rash. This cartoon displays this very well. Other cultures often seems as alien as other species. However if one looks closely they can find many similarities in their cultures. This misunderstanding of culture has been at the root of many disputes and the understanding of culture has been the road to understanding  and peace. Unit 3 Culture

This picture definitely sums up almost all the wars in history, how one side is right, and one side is wrong, but according to the two sides the enemy is the one who is evil.

This is great because we are taught historically what our side sees. For instance, when Britain was fighting us they saw us a rebelious bunch, and we saw them as tyrannical. Now this is where we need to see we need a fair 

Before I even read the article, my first thought went to the Linneaus classification.  That really damaged history with this one chart.  I think people still think of Africans and blacks(very dark blacks) as dirty or unintelligent.  Which is horrible and couldn't be further from the truth.  Misinforming the public is criminal.  News media and social media need to be careful and educate properly.  I've been asked from a customs offical, "Have you been to Africa in the past 6 months?"  Which is a very blanket question because Africa is a continent.  There were areas that were not hit with Ebola.  

Those who deny the continued influence of racism in our society are blinding themselves to the truth. Contemporary influences of the racism that plagued the preceding centuries are still found in most major media depictions of Africa. The Ebola epidemic has served to highlight the bigotry that plagues Western media, as the assumption that all of Africa is diseased and dirty is continuously perpetuated (when, in reality, Ebola only affected a very small part of the continent). Africa is presented as "other," a backwards continent that is in desperate need of Western help and guidance- in what was is that different from the European colonizers who also viewed their actions as benevolent attempts to "civilize" the uncivilized? That mindset has not left Western circles, and yet we continue to pat ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves for suddenly being so tolerant. The insensitivity of Western audiences to the concerns of black individuals both at home and in Africa related to the prevalence of racism highlights how determined mainstream media is to deny the existence of a problem. Until we recognize the Eurocentrism that continues to plague our media and make the necessary moves to correct the practice, harmful depictions of Africa will continue to loom large in Western media and in the opinions of many Europeans and Americans alike.

Africa has long been treated by the western media as a dark , brutish, uncivilized place. Africa is a place were people starve and murder each other in large numbers. There is so much more to Africa than the picture I just described. The problem is, many people just do not accept the existence of a culturally complex Africa. That narrative would destroy the traditional  darker narrative of the past 500 years. A narrative grounded in the beliefs that blacks are inherently inferior beings. During the Ebola crises, the calls to cut off travel to Africa were quick and demanding. Had the crises been in England, would those same calls have been so loud? I think we all can guess the answer  to that question. Much progress has been made, but we still need to change our cultural depiction of Africa.