Author: anthony maag

In class, we discussed the poem this connection of everyone with lungs by Juliana Spahr. As a group, we spoke of the poem in terms of the 9/11 terror attacks and the themes of air, breathing and the connection between all humans. We discussed the references to the destruction of the twin towers and how air quality became toxic.

The class discussion prompted me to read the poem again. With a new mindset I found a link between Spahrs’ ideas of the connection of people to the environment.

I interpreted the themes of air, breathing and the connection of lives with an additional viewpoint, an environmental perspective. The poem makes reference to air and breathing. Spahr describes how the destruction of the twin towers caused the air inside everyone was filled with “sulfur and sulfuric acid and titanium and nickel and minute silicon particles from pulverized glass and concrete.” 

I took a step back and considered this connection of everyone and the connecter of air, on a global level and with the ideas of Judith Butler in mind.

Right now, the air quality is many places around the world is at a dangerous level. The top countries include Iran, Mongolia, India, Pakistan, Botswana. The WHO estimates that over 2 million people a year die prematurely from bad air. [1] From looking at the list I noticed that they are mostly non-western countries.

After viewing statistics on the areas with the worst air pollution on the planet, I began thinking with a mindset formed by our discussion of Judith Butler’s chapter “Survivability, Vulnerability, Affect” in her book, Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? In the chapter Butler is urging for recognition and change of how human lives are seen as “precarious” and “greivable.” Butler argues for valuing all lives, and that idea prompted thoughts on the environment and humans. From what I believe Butler is sharing, could some people (like the West for example) not grieve or value lives being ruined or lost from pollution. Could it be that in some places that the people are not relatable or in places that there is conflict with between countries. Are their lives less valuable? Will this only become a larger issue when it affects us or people we relate to?

Both this connection of everyone with lungs by Juliana Spahr and Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? by Judith Butler pose a greater consideration on world connections, and from my perspective, a consideration of the environmental impact which us humans all share.

 

 

 

Juliana Spahr, This Connection of Everyone with Lungs (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005).

Butler, J. (2010). Frames of war: When is life grievable?. London: Verso.

http://science.time.com/2011/09/27/the-10-most-air-polluted-cities-in-the-world/

Nature is increasingly being seen as a commodity rather than as the basis of life and spiritual center that it is. At the UBC Museum of Anthropology, the Amazonia: The Rights of Nature exhibit features a collection presenting the area of the Amazon basin and its traditional inhabitants who have lived with the land for over 11, 200 years. One element of the collection focuses on the environment. The environment of the basin like other regions on the planet has and continues to face lethal attacks through logging, mining, farming and a dreadfully vast collection of other activities. The walls of the exhibit starkly display horrifying statistics on topics of deforestation, resource extraction and mining. One statistic shares how 84% of the Peruvian amazon’s surface is dedicated to oil production. The exhibit strikingly showcases the relationship between the physical land and the people, and the challenges they both face.

One artifact from the exhibit that got my attention was the newspaper article from March 6, 1989.The article reports on the efforts to stop the construction of a dam by some members of Indigenous groups from the Amazon. The dam that was proposed was expected to destroy parts of the forest and flood the land causing the displacement of hundreds of people. The so-called development seen through productions such as dams, result in death of land, people and culture. The challenges and atrocities faced by the Indigenous people of the Amazon basin are sorrowfully not unique. Around the world many cultures and indigenous groups face similar atrocities and struggles. Many are confronted with loss of traditional territory and resources as well as horrors faced by indigenous people like how within a twelve-year span there were 891 targeted assassinations of indigenous people.

Having taken an anthropology class from professor Wade Davis last semester, I had the opportunity to learn about a wide range of groups, including the Penan people of the forests in Borneo as well as the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic. The Penan can be seen as an example of the damage of the past and as a prophecy urging change for the future. Much like to the people of the Amazon, the forest for the Penan is all. Shared by professor Davis in a lecture, the Penan say “from the forest, we get our life.” This life and culture that has been lived has come to an end. Due to the horrors of mass logging with the country accounting for a third of the worlds tropical timber exports, the Penan in one generation have lost their land, and thus much of their culture. The rivers run polluted and the forests lay bare. Women who were raised in the forests are forced to work as prostitutes and servants at the logging camps. Their livelihood and way off life are extinguished.

The events of the Penan cause me to reflect locally and globally. The forests of my home, British Columbia and the land of Canada, must not get destroyed. Activities such as oil extraction are posing threats to this land. Traditional territory of Indigenous Canadians faces danger much like the danger to the land faced in the Amazon and that overpowered the Penan. The exhibit Amazonia: The Rights of Nature has educated me on events and culture of the Amazon as well as the issues it has and continues to face.

 

 

 

 

Porto, Nuno, curator. Amazonia: The Rights of Nature. 2017. Museum of Anthroplogy. Vancouver, BC.

Wade Davis UBC professor November 18 A Poor Man Shames Us All

Previous to visiting the Kogawa Fonds at the Rare Books and Special Collections reading room, I had come to the understanding that the book Obasan written by Joy Kogawa was undoubtedly well received right from the beginning and embraced by publishers and readers alike. It was shocking when I discovered the magnitude of Kogawa’s struggle while producing her book.

At the RBSC reading room, I encountered a document from a publisher written in 1980, the document was an edited and critiqued draft of Obasan, by who I later learned was the publisher that finally produced the book. The document was generally positive and offered constructive feedback, but the few negative comments mostly related to the quantity of historical content and the prominent role of the Aunt Emily character. The publisher was persistent in their advice to lessen Aunt Emily’s role. This theme of dislike for Aunt Emily carried into the majority of the other documents that I examined.

The other documents were rejection letters for the publication of Obasan by a collection of publishing houses. Each rejection letter had the common criticism that the historical evidence was far too dreary or tedious as well as the dislike for Aunt Emily; many of the publishers mentioned how her character needed to be minimized. The rejection letter from Doubleday Canada Limited states that they “see problems with the marketing of this story” which I believe could stem from the apprehension to discuss a shameful period of Canada’s history. Kogawa wanted to share the story of the Japanese internment and urge a recognition of the atrocities in hopes to help heal the disregarded pain. Publishers seemed to be hesitant to be at the forefront of a notion of reconciliation for those affected by the internment. I do understand that publishing companies focus on the financial success of the book and their concern for selling copies could override their will to share the story. Though I feel that the important story that Obasan shares is extremely valuable and should have been released faster.

The letter from the publisher who ultimately published the book urges Kogawa to create a “I just couldn’t put it down feeling” and make Obasan able to “be read in one sitting.” The advice relates to another document I read, a letter from the Prime Minister replying to the copy of Obasan that Kogawa had sent. The letter back mentions how he will read it “hopefully during [his] summer holiday.” The belief that the book is light reading and should be a fast read speaks to how the Japanese internment had not been addressed or given much serious thought. It saddens me to think of how difficult it was for Kogawa and others to bring attention to Canada’s dark past and an attempt at resolution.

Living my entire life in the Vancouver area and having numerous close friends whose grandparents and great-grandparents were interned has given me some idea of what happened but by reading Obasan and by visiting the Kogawa Fonds I have gained a deeper understanding of the atrocities committed and the journey to reconciliation.

 

Kogawa, Joy. Obasan. Penguin Canada, 2017.

http://rbscarchives.library.ubc.ca/index.php/joy-kogawa-fonds;rad

In an interview with The Believer magazine, Marjane Satrapi responds to questions about her literary work, Iran, and the world.

The Believer magazine: “I think the broad appeal probably has to do with how your stories humanize a mostly unknown place. The popular notion about Iran is as a terrifying theocracy, brimming with lunatics who want to kill the West. As if every single Iranian has a bunch of flags in their closet, all lined up for the next Death to America/Israel protest. And then your books come along and tell a different story, about people with the same problems, sorrows, and joys that we have. And fears—here are Iranians who are just as afraid of the Iranian regime as we are.”

Satrapi: “Absolutely. Here’s the problem: today, the description of the world is always reduced to yes or no, black or white. Superficial stories. Superhero stories. One side is the good one. The other one is evil. But I’m not a moral lesson giver. It’s not for me to say what is right or wrong. I describe situations as honestly as possible. The way I saw it. That’s why I use my own life as material. I have seen these things myself, and now I’m telling it to you. Because the world is not about Batman and Robin fighting the Joker; things are more complicated than that. And nothing is scarier than the people who try to find easy answers to complicated questions.”

Marjane Satrapi’s quote caused me to reflect on divisions, the divisions of good and evil, western opinion and eastern reality, and black and white. The theme of division presented by Satrapi is seen beyond this particular quote, as it occurs in her graphic narrative Persepolis. In the book, the visuals are depicted in black and white. The black and white demonstrates opposing sides of which some examples from the book include the character Marji’s opinion of the veil, Marji’s relationship with politics and religion, as well as the groups for and against the regime. This visual representation of division, the black and white, also relates to certain views of Iran, the Islamic Revolution, terrorism and the country’s relation with the west. Some views from the west exhibit the stark idea of the “west being good and the east being evil” and the hijab being solely oppressive.

As Satrapi discusses in the quote, this “right or wrong and black or white” way of thinking is problematic. Very rarely does an issue have exclusively only two possibilities, thus the black and white way of division has another component. There is grey. I believe that Persepolis is shown in black and white because through the text the audience can understand the grey. The grey can be seen in the faltering opinions and feelings of Marji or in the people of Iran. In regard to the quoted interview, the grey can be understood by the fact that not all Iranian people “want to kill the west” and that not all easterners are terrorists. The idea that the hijab is nothing but oppressive is also a demonstration of division and of a “right or wrong and black or white” mindset. In an article discussed in class, women explain how the hijab is seen as a tool for expressing identity, showcasing feminism and also can be a personal choice. The information shared by the women, exemplifies the “grey” area and how there are more than the two sides- how the hijab is not forced by faith, and can be a personal choice.

The problematic “black or white” mindset transcends Iran and islamophobia. It speaks to seeing situations as more than two -sided, the “grey” way of thinking is widely applicable.

 

 

https://blogs.harvard.edu/juliayu/2014/05/08/week-13-cont/

https://www.believermag.com/issues/200608/?read=interview_satrapi

https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/01/06/do-non-muslims-help-or-hurt-women-by-wearing-hijabs/wearing-the-headscarf-is-a-matter-of-feminism-aesthetics-and-solidarity-for-me?mcubz=1

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/amber-rehman/feminism-hijab-canada_b_2808850.html

During this month of September, the country of Mexico was hit with multiple devastating earthquakes. The destruction and fatalities generated a response from people all over the world, generally sending an outpour of support and condolences, the majority using the medium of social media. Days after the initial earthquake I went online to further learn about the extent of the damage and the state of the people. Like usual, I drifted around from the news article to the other apps on my phone. I found myself scrolling through and browsing on Instagram. My Instagram feed was filled with pictures of the rubble in Mexico posted by users with captions of support. As I continued to scroll, I noticed that more and more of the photos were of Mexico, but to my surprise some of the images were not of the disaster. Paying closer attention I observed that people had posted photos and “throwback pics” of their trips to the country, accompanied with captions showing (mostly genuine) support. While viewing these images I contemplated the legitimacy of the support, were the photos a way of demonstrating caring for the suffering citizens or were they an excuse to post a selfie on the beach?

A very similar concept is brought up by autobiography scholar, Kate Douglas, in her article which we discussed in class. Douglas explores the shifting view of selfies taken at memorials and sites of trauma by re-evaluating the ways we view witnessing. After being exposed to the new ideas presented in her article, I reflected on other criticism placed on groups and ideas, criticism which need to be reconsidered. From reading the article I understood the disapproving views about selfie culture but could also see the validity of how the youth of today might not be the completely narcissistic and insensitive people that they are perceived to be. Ideas and concepts just like this new form of witnessing are result of a changing world. The critics of the new form of selfie witnessing need to recognize the importance of altering viewpoints. At one time movies were considered a fad and not a true art form to those unwilling to accept the new technology and ideas. Charlie Chaplain once said that “the cinema is little more than a fad. It’s canned drama. What audiences really want to see is flesh and blood on the stage.” Today we can see how colossal the film industry is. The criticism of a changing time and medium parallels the issues presented by Douglas. Kate Douglas’ article illuminated that our judgement or disapproval must not draw a line in the sand, never to be crossed. We must evolve with the changing world in this new form of witnessing.

 

 

 

http://www.filmbug.com/dictionary/moviehistory.php

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1750698017714838

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/23/americas/mexico-oaxaca-earthquake/index.html

https://www.bustle.com/articles/67753-12-modern-inventions-that-were-met-with-severe-criticism-and-definitely-proved-the-skeptics-wrong