A Closer Look at Citizen (X2)

Mohema Hussain, Admir Kasneci,Wesley Hoa, Lucas Fee

Presentation Explanation: For our presentation, we decided to create text message conversations based on the events described in the book, “Citizen: An American Lyric” by Claudia Rankine. The book is a mixture of different writing styles, including poems, interviews, information, etc. The book focuses on racial relations within the United States. It was published in 2014, but includes events from different years and eras in the narrator’s life. Through text message conversations, we hope to portray the deeper meaning behind the writings shared in the book, such as underlying themes and metaphors

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Kyle Kovacs, Ashley Shukman, Evan Zhou 

Citizen: An American Lyric Walkthrough: The book-length poem Citizen: An American Lyric by Clauida Rankine highlights personal and historical experiences of African American indivduals consistently facing microaggressions in a world considered “post-racial”. The book consists of seven poetic sections accompanied by images of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and screen grabs. The poem is broken up into multiple chapters each showing personal and media produced examples of how racism and microaggression exists in the 21st century. In the beginning, Rankine focuses on microaggressions aimed at 'you', the unimagined narrator, she uses 2nd person pronouns in order to get the reader emotionally involved within each experience. Because there is a change of point of view, the reader can feel emotions based on their personal reaction with being involved in each scenario. For example, in the scenario with the airplane, the reader images themselves sitting in the row and being approached by a woman and her child. Based on their interaction of disappointment of their seats and the mother making sure she sits next to the narrator, the reader is able to assume the mother’s uncomfortableness and can feel angered and hurt. By creating this switch in perspervie, it reveals the micro-aggression which takes place in society and allows for the reader to experience the problems African American citizens face in everyday life. In the book, both sighing and tennis can be considered a symbol. The sigh represents a disadvantaged disposition to the world. It seems more upsetting than using moan, which is a more acceptable means of communicating sadness in society. For each sigh, the world responds with "stop that," and yet the narrator continues to sigh (71) which reminds the emotional experience of the narrator to the audience. On the other hand, Tennis is represented as the black’s experience in the world. It was initially brought about by describing racial incidents in the career of tennis-player, Serena Williams, which reveal the dark side of the sport to readers. For example, the line judges observe and address Serena's black body, and the whole complex seems to reject her presence. Fouls are called when they are not deserved, and emotions are kept inside at other times. It allows the readers to experience the problems that African Americans are facing. Coming to court is the same as taking on America's racial problem. Rankine’s ability to portray the modern African American’s life living in a state of consistent injustice both creatively and persuasively highlights the dualistic nature of living life as a black American. That is, one’s life lived in a multitude of normalized spheres. Some stem intra-culturally within black communities and some of which extend into grander societal norms that they must conform with, (American society as a whole). It’s necessary to understand the implications of alienation upon populations, Rankine argues. The need to bring issues to light not only using intricate writing styles but also through vivid imagery paints a vibrant flag of dire action, that is action to duly and justly support an integral part of American society. Stories have previously portrayed life of the black American through normalized stylistic choices, yet Rankine notes the back and forth tennis battle for equality that these individuals strive for on a daily basis complemented with sighs and a lack of individualistic identity for people at whole, creating voices that come from seemingly nowhere, but escape the void long enough to tell their stories collectively. 

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COVID-19, a Rupture in Time

Throughout a person’s lifetime, huge cultural shifts can occur in the community that they live in. In fact, each decade can even have its own personality. Whether we are discussing the 1920s, the 1970s, or the 1990s, we can associate certain cultural traits to each era. These shifts can take place naturally, or they can be driven by a single event; a rupture.

These historical ruptures are typically a single event that steers a massive cultural shift. Past examples of this are the Great Depression, World War II, 9/11, etc. The cultural transformation that followed each of these events subtly transformed day to day life into what it is for us now.

The characters in the film, “The Big Lebowski,” portray what these cultural ruptures do to the daily lives of people. In their case, the cultural rupture was the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Two characters in specific exemplify this the most; Walter and The Dude. Walter is an obvious product of the Vietnam War. His actions are brash, aggressive, and quite frankly, they are dangerous. He lives his day to day life, half in California and half in Vietnam. The war will always be on Walter’s mind and will forever dictate how he acts. The Dude was also greatly affected by the Vietnam War, but to the opposite effect that it had on Walter. The Dude became a pacifist who embodied the essence of a war protestor in the 1960s. His laid-back and nonchalant demeanor is due to his views on the decisions of the United States Government at the time. Both of these characters adopted personality traits due to the “rupture” in their lives.

Looking back at all of these ruptures in time, we must ask ourselves if the COVID-19 pandemic is a rupture. We can’t know this yet, but it absolutely has the potential to be one. The radical change to people’s lifestyles, the trauma it is causing some families, and the general fear that it incites leads me to believe that this will be one of those ruptures that defines a decade. I think that culturally in America, there will become a stigma towards people who aren’t extremely cautious when it comes to spreading germs. Gone are the days of walking over to a friend's apartment and touring surfaces without washing your hands. I think that we might start to wear masks more regularly than before. Detailed in an article by The Atlantic, they state that it has become a sign of civic responsibility to wear face masks in Eastern Asia since the pneumonic plague in 1910. I think that wearing masks in public could become a cultural norm in America.

By Max Balanevsky

Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/america-asia-face-mask-coronavirus/609283/

The Formerly Invisible Workers of America

In America’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed unprecedented attention being paid to a group usually marginalized, forgotten, and left-behind by the media: the working-class citizens among us. In a world where this class of American often never makes it into the history books, the national response and uplifting of the working class may finally push some to realize how integral these people are to our society. When working-class people lose their jobs, the very structure of American life crumbles. We can only hope that this is a lesson history will remember.

In perhaps the most visceral example for much of America, parents across the nation who have been forced to begin homeschooling their children have taken to social media to share their newfound appreciation for teachers. Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes wrote on Twitter, “Been homeschooling a 6-year old and 8-year old for one hour and 11 minutes.  Teachers deserve to make a billion dollars a year.  Or a week.” Over 600,000 likes and tens of thousands of replies later, it was clear that parents across the nation shared her sentiment. “Nothing like homeschooling during a pandemic to make parents realize how truly invaluable teachers are,” replied one user; “The coronavirus has showed … teachers and supply chain workers need to be paid more,” wrote another.

Source: Daily Mail

When was the last time you saw somebody tweet about their gratitude for the cleaning staff? “Thank you for all that you are doing to keep people safe!” wrote Twitter user Christina Noor in response to a custodian.  It is a very underappreciated job, but I think this time has made people a little more open to those still putting in effort day in and day out.” Thousands of other users began to tweet in their support of workers under the hashtag #SaveWorkers and began to raise money for the working people who face dire times throughout the pandemic.

To me, this makes me consider most our conversations about Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. In the same way that Ellison felt at times like a faceless, meaningless ghost floating around the white-dominated society of his time, the working class of America – the grocery store employees, the bank tellers, the custodians, the factory employees – who do the laborious work that keeps society moving for the privileged and unprivileged alike, have felt a similar invisibility.

It is precisely because of this coronavirus that people are beginning to realize how critical these employees are to the fabric of our nation. People are reckoning with the fact that if the delivery man gets sick, if the Amazon warehouse workers get sick, if the construction workers and security employees and custodial staff get sick, parts of our lives will grind to a halt. People are understanding how difficult of a job it must be to clean or teach all day, every day, for little money. Most people might say that they are relatively self-sufficient people, but this shared experience of a pandemic that does not discriminate by class, race, or salary, has made Americans of all types understand just how reliant we are on our working class.

Just as Ellison was ignored in a society largely built on the backbreaking labor of blacks in America, the modern-day working class is historically ignored in the society which they form the backbone of. If America learns its lesson during this pandemic, we might be more conscious of our working class in the future, instead of taking them for granted as history has done time and time again. Perhaps by doing this we can find, and maintain, our shared humanity, as opposed to continuing to hammer home the class divide over and over again.

America is a country that often seems to have trouble learning from its past. We can only hope that now, from this time of global chaos, uncertainty, and distress, we can come out a stronger and more united nation that continues its newfound appreciation of the working class.

Just a New Yorker

During this confusing and rather quite difficult time, I wish everyone is staying safe and healthy and has tried to make the most of this new reality that certainly will be written in history books for the following years. Covid-19 has impacted New York in ways I’ve never seen in my 21 years living here and something my parents only heard old folk stories about from the Spanish flu.

However, when it comes to responses from public figures, one that struck out to me the most in terms of educating, providing facts, opinions, and leadership is our very own governor. Gov. Cuomo provides real leadership, well-spoken, clear, straightforward statements about Covid-19 that New Yorkers need. He keeps it real and concise about what our current state is and what he plans on doing moving forward. He has been the leader we need here in NY and not only for us but for across the country as well. You can be a liberal or a conservative but you cannot deny his leadership in NY has been outstanding over this period of uncertainty. Cuomo expresses clear empathy and genuine care for the people of NY and has even been the first governor to promote the mental health concern for NYers.
Recently, Gov. Cuomo made a very powerful Covid-19 briefing that really caught my attention about the “American identity” and especially what it means to be identified as a New Yorker (Link Below).

Cuomo states, “When you are united there is nothing you cant do, and because we are New York tough, we are tough, you have to be tough this place makes you tough, we’re gonna make it, because I love new york, and I love New York because New York loves you, New York loves all of you, black and white and brown and asian and short and tall and gay and straight, New York loves everyone, that’s why I love New York it always has and always will, and at the end of the day my friends, even if it is a long day, and this is a long day, loves wins, always, and it will win again.”

What makes this moving is not only what he says about the identity of New Yorkers, are toughness, our ability to bounce back, but how raw, real, emotional, and unscripted this broadcast was to our fellow New Yorkers. Not only does this create a movement strong enough to stay united even at a time of social distancing but also acts as a catalyst for statewide participation in lowering the curve, remaining socially distant but also still bring there for each other during these stressful times. That’s what being a New Yorker is all about. And its working, as of today the curve is plateauing, we may not need as many ventilators as projected and have lowered the estimated death toll significantly due to the active roll fellow New Yorkers are taking in making sure we get through this and remaining New York tough.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-UavOADhqn/

Admir Kasneci

A Generation Misguided

The Background

Decades of films and hundreds of literary manuscripts have done their best to decipher the dense question of what it means to be a man. The reason that they're so profitable and widely analyzed is that if some writer had a true answer for what it all means, we'd be better off as a society. Yet, there's no universal outline as per what it is and isn't.

In the past few years, the world has seen a rather drastic attack on any form of socially traditional masculinity to be even narrowly accepted into modern culture. The media portrays us, men, as toxic individuals that have "harmful" components such as competitiveness, dominance urges, and aggressive behaviors as core parts of our personalities. So schools tell doctors to drug us from a young age, saying "young men shouldn't act out like this" and "young men shouldn't encourage that" so here's some Ritalin for your troubles. Households aren't much better as divorce rates skyrocketed these last 30 years, with nearly half of all children belonging to single-parent households, (nearly all single mothers). This gets rid of any form of influence from a father's masculine side as 83% of the time as women hold sole custody of the child, most of the time father's giving up custody because of courts siding with the mothers as primary caregivers.

As I began my own journey to find what masculinity truly is, I looked back through all the great films and books I've read to discover one thing: today's society has been and is creating a group of lost boys. There exist hardly any natural positive influences unless you go out and look for yourself. However, when you spend your whole life living this type of lifestyle, it's hard to believe anything else is out there.

The Big Lebowski

Pre-21st Century movies have some of the richest storytelling and theme explorations that are known to modern cinema. In fact, some of the world's greatest directors had most of their content in the 1900's, such as Kubrick and Chaplin. Yet, what the Coen brothers decided to do with The Big Lebowski's hidden understanding of the meaning of masculinity was not only spot on but also rather thought-provoking.

The concept of Dudeism reflects many theories of Stoicism and its principles of not being worrisome at any time due to the capacity to fix one's current situation. The Dude reflects this in all aspects and times of his life, only stimulating significant negative emotion when his testicles, aka masculinity, are threatened to be stripped from him. He describes to Mr. Lebowski that a man is merely what is between his legs. To that, Mr. Lebowski combines his rather philosophical definition with that "insight" from The Dude. It's not only the ability to act with virtue in doing the right thing no matter the cost, but also the biological appendages that an individual is born with. It's what creates these urges to be competitive, to dominate, to be aggressive that defines a man's individualistic true purpose. As said for many years prior: A man has the burden of performance. 

James Bond and The Red Pill Documentary

As for what young men look up to, ask many boys what their favorite movies are, or at least movie topics. Often times James Bond and his corresponding movies about action, adventure, and heated romance retain strong impressions in the minds of many. His suave, elegant, yet lethal image allows a persona to be created reflecting that which can switch between protecting and charming within a matter of seconds. A gun-toting, shaken not stirred, devilishly handsome man allows one to achieve what other men only dream of. And that is all it is. A dream. An illusion. A falsity in a modern world that deems that all of these aspects of what millions of men look up to and sense within themselves to be perfect harnesses of one's nature to merely just be "toxicity". 

Cassie Jaye was a feminist that cultivated these same ideologies about traditional masculinity but took on a different perspective and had the rational point of view of attempting to understand just why so many men couldn't find themselves. Stemming topics include why millennial men were unproductive with their lives or why there was an increase in "kidults". To learn from the other side of the spectrum, she did a documentary called "The Red Pill" essentially doing a deep dive into the existence of the Men's Rights movement and why it even was necessary since we live in some form of patriarchy. What she found was rather shocking to her. Men have unresolved issues with society just like women. Her movie centers around a lot of the issues that aren't talked about and is certainly worth a watch, however, some of the most prominent issues regard the absence of domestic abuse centers for men, false rape allegation justice, and the lost battle of child custody in the court systems. It's not that women's issues didn't exist, but merely that the MRA wanted to bring forth some issues to the gender debate, yet were constantly downplayed because of the idea that "men have a society made for them". Masculinity was under attack, as she saw. So were its underlying principles, conventions, ideologies, and abilities to function under normal circumstances. There lie little taught in the way of what it means to be a man, but from her view, what is taught to not be a man, which is almost everything conceivable.

It is masculinity that is being challenged and has the necessity to withhold its definition despite a lack of clear widespread meaning. It is masculinity that builds the positive character of men who consistently work to be leaders through the practice of Stoicism and boys who are discovering their inner-James Bonds at the mere age of five. It is masculinity that can be a positive influence in both boys and girls to learn how we can coexist and progress society farther than berating the polar opposite. And it is masculinity that has created a society for thousands of years to be rejoiced, retooled, and redefined towards better harmony between genders and species alike.

I'm writing this in the hopes that we can, as Ms. Jaye says, "stop expecting to be offended". As a man living in the modern age, I can only see the damage this society had done to not only my own image, but also my image of masculinity at hand. The movies from years prior highlight some key principles of being a man and allowed men to explore their own senses of masculinity to find out what works for them, but nowadays we stray so far from the point of utilizing traditional masculinity as a tool. Sure, being a man is a bit more than just having testicles, but it's also important to recognize how these Dudeism/Stoic/Bond-Esque principles contribute to creating a positively masculine man in the face of adversity. Bit by bit men must recreate a positive image of the dominant drives that flow through our brains and how to utilize them for good, even if it is downplayed as just "traditional masculine urges". Power, after all, is merely an entity. It is how one uses it that defines it's good or its evil capabilities. Those that wish to get rid of power are merely scared of it, as when the power is gone so is their feeling of inadequacy.

Masculinity In Films

Masculinity in films

            Sitting home during this COVID-19 crisis I was browsing Netflix and I came across Taxi Driver directed by Martin Scorsese. I watched the movie a few years ago and re-visiting this I had Doctor Strangelove in my mind the whole time. Both directed by both legendary directors. I wanted to talk about masculinity as both movies touch upon this topic.

To begin with the film, In "Taxi Driver," Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is a war veteran, horribly scarred in Vietnam. He encounters a 12-year-old prostitute named Iris, controlled by a pimp named Sport. Sport wears an Indian headband. Travis determines to "rescue" Iris, and does so, in a violent act. A letter and clippings from Iris' parents, thank him for saving their girl. But a crucial earlier scene between Iris and Sport suggests that she was content to be with him, and the reasons why she ran away from home are not explored.  In another plot, Travis becomes infatuated with Betsy, a campaign volunteer for Senator and presidential candidate Charles Palantine. After watching her interact with fellow worker Tom through her window, Travis enters to volunteer as a pretext to talk to her, then takes her out for coffee. On a later date, he takes her to see a pornographic film, which offends her, and she goes home alone. His numerous attempts at reconciliation by sending flowers and apologizing over the phone are rebuffed, causing him to become embittered and convinced that she is exactly like the "cold" people he detests in the city. He finally confronts her at the campaign office, berating her before being kicked out by Tom.

These two women are what builds the character of Travis. Travis develops hatred towards the lifestyles that reject him which inflates his egotism. For Iris, is the rejection that she does not need saving and for Betsy the rejection of a normal lifestyle/ fitting into society. As a result, the themes of status and masculinity begin to sync with Travis which triggers his rampage to kill Palatine and Sport. Killing them gives him a purpose in his life which he eventually goes on a killing rampage at the end of the movie. Travis makes himself believe that his revenge is motivated by altruism, from rescuing them from repression, but in reality, it is his way to show his masculinity.

                                                Travis Bickle Taxi Driver

To me, it reminds me of the infamous character Jack D. Ripper from Doctor Strangelove. Ripper is having this persona that we should start a war because he believes that the communist poisoned the water. To add on, the scene where Ripper is unleashing bullets into the opposing army shows his macho and masculine side of him. To add on Cpt. Mandrake sits behind him where he hides from the shower of bullets coming in. Mandrake is portrayed as a feminine character as he is unable to feed bullets to Ripper and not being able to fire a gun. What shows Ripper’s ego is when Mandrake barges in and asks if he can have the recall code. Ripper blatantly denies this request, displaying the risk he puts a country in with his personal interest. To add insult to injury, he kills himself so that no one gets the recall code and now there’s no chance for the missile to be sent back. Causing an indefinite act of war against another country. An action of one man has caused the potential of total annihilation against the whole world. This is caused by one man who puts his ego first before thinking straight.

                                   Jack D. Ripper Doctor Strangelove

These two characters Travis and Ripper are two people who believe that they are doing the right thing. However, what’s right to them is wrong to others. It’s nice to see that recent films like Joker and The Irishman bring attention to masculinity as a theme in society. Especially Joker where it displays a man with a social disability trying to fit in society.

PS: Interesting that Robert De Niro also stars in every movie I mention except Doctor Strangelove. He is truly one of my favorite actors.

COVID-19: The Spread of Injustice

COVID-19, more commonly known as the Coronavirus, has been the main highlight of several worldwide news sources for months. The global pandemic has come to affect a wide, and growing, variety of people in an array of ways that were almost unimaginable just a few months ago. The quickly spreading disease has seemingly put society at a halt, causing the advocacy of social distancing, mandated quarantine and self-isolation, as well as sickness, anxiety, and in many cases, death.

Many people know now that the virus originated in Wuhan, China. As this information spread, along with the virus into the US, many people began to fear coming in contact with the virus. Today, people all over the world are constantly talking about the virus: where it came from, how it spread, how to prevent it, and various associations they have with COVID-19. People all over the world are stressed and anxious about catching the infectious disease, and are very wary of the people around them who may have it. Thus, many are staying home and watching the news as a way to keep up-to-date with the virus’ status, where they ultimately see the leader of the country referring to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus.” This extremely inappropriate, insensitive, and blatantly incorrect association made between China and COVID-19 made by President Trump is very obviously not the correct way to handle the situation. Because of this, many people are seriously relating COVID-19 with anyone of Asian descent, which has ultimately led to false accusations, racial slander, as well as racial hate crimes, using COVID-19 being the “China virus” as an excuse.While the racial stereotype of Asians having the virus became prevalent even before Trump’s nonsensical term for it, his propaganda has made the situation worse, and is ultimately creating a divide among US citizens during a time in which the country should be united.

This current situation is very relevant to our course material, specifically relating to our topics of racism and social injustice. Our class has focused heavily this semester on the stories of real people and their real experiences with racism, segregation, social injustice, and prejudice. For example, in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, the narrator speaks to his experience as an “invisible [black] man” in his society. The narrator recalls his struggles in trying to find his identity, equality, and quite simply, his worth and value to society. He recalls times of racial prejudice, his first-hand experiences of a societal racial divide, as well as the physical and mental abuse he was forced to endure simply because of his skin color.

This main idea of being judged and persecuted because of your racial background has never completely disappeared from society. However, it is very obvious that the issue is much more prevalent today than it was several months ago because of the Coronavirus. With the support of biased news sources, fictitious speculations, and even our own president, the Coronavirus has unfairly been associated with the Chinese, and Asians in general. Like the part(s) in Invisible Man when the narrator recalls physical abuse by white people and the police because of his skin color, Asians are now going through a similar experience. There has been an increase in physical hate crimes against the Asian community because people are taking their anger out on them, blaming them for the spread of the Coronavirus. People all over the internet are making insensitive jokes, making biased speculations, as well as blatant racist comments using the virus as an excuse to persecute the Chinese. This type of behavior is extremely uncalled for, unfair, and, in my opinion, is exactly the type of behavior Ellison loathed about in his novel. 

Overall, the current COVID-19 pandemic is a very relevant topic of discussion today. While the virus is very serious and is extremely multifaceted, the way in which the public is reacting to it is racist and disrespectful. The way society is acting today greatly relates to our course material discussing racism and social injustice, and is extremely similar to the topics covered in Invisible Man. We are living history, and it is important to recognize our actions and learn from our past mistakes. 

By Kevin Espiritu

Lesson to be learned from COVID-19

A picture I took on the highway while going home

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that not only affects public health and safety, but it also affects history as it will be an unforgettable event for all of us. Everything we say or do is accounted for in history, even if it is something minor. Most information is easily accessible through the internet and with the growing use and innovation of technology, it becomes much easier to find. For future reference, it is important to be able to analyze historic events such as this pandemic to aid people in any situation they encounter. Just as Kurt Vonnegut wrote Slaughterhouse-Five to express his experience and feelings towards World War II, articles and responses on the COVID-19 pandemic are outlets for others in the future to understand what we are currently going through as well. I believe that there is a lot that we and the future must learn from this pandemic. A huge issue that we are encountering today is the lack of readiness. My sister and relatives are working in the frontlines in hospitals, risking their lives to protect others. The biggest problem is the lack of resources they need in order to not only protect the patients but also protect their healthcare workers. We live in NYC where it is the epicenter of this pandemic and it has taken a huge toll on neighborhoods such as mine. I live in Elmhurst where they call it “the epicenter of the epicenter”. The reason why my area has been affected badly by the virus is that our local hospital has become a testing and rehabilitation site for COVID-19. With people walking around not knowing whether or not they have the virus after visiting the hospital to get tested, it increases the likelihood for my fellow neighbors to get infected. Elmhurst has one of the highest rates of severely crowded housing in NYC. When someone gets infected here, it infects more than one family and can easily spread to a large group of people. Although the US government was prepared with their stimulus act, they were not prepared with enough resources for a pandemic. There is a shortage of face masks (the ones that actually protect you), ventilators, hospital beds, hospital space, etc. It has almost been 3 months since it has been declared an international concern and the US is still underprepared with resources. Thankfully, China is shipping over its own resources to help control this, and both local and international people are sending aid in some way as well. The whole world is in a war against this virus and we must come together to defeat this, just like how alliances fought together against their enemies in World War II. This blog post that I am typing will hopefully be an outlet for others in the future to help understand the possible severity of situations like this and put more focus on preparation. Life is about trial and error. We must learn from this pandemic to ensure that this type of situation will not become this severe again.  

A picture of my sister wearing 2 masks because she has to reuse her n95 mask due to shortage

How Have Epidemics Changed?

Everyone must have known the “SARS”(Severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003, a terrible epidemic, for which many fresh lives have left this beautiful world. This year, December 2019, a new coronavirus was discovered in Wuhan, Hubei. The "new crown" broke out and spread throughout the country. At this time, during the Spring Festival in china, whether it is on a mobile phone, TV, or in the community, the words people hear the most are not "Happy New Year, congratulations on making a fortune", but "wash hands frequently, ventilate less, go out less, you must wear a mask when going out" Propaganda, and the cause of this phenomenon is the protagonist "new coronavirus" that has spread from Wuhan, and must be controlled and isolated by the whole people.

Passengers outside the Shanghai Railway During COVID-19

At the beginning of the epidemic, it was seen from the TV news network that there were several cases of virus infected people in Wuhan. People didn't care much, thought that Wuhan was so far away from us, and the virus could not spread to the United States, so we lived and went to school as usual, and everything was calm. But people were wrong, the virus began to spread viciously, from the original cases to dozens, hundreds and thousands. Many people in Wuhan returned to their hometown because of the reunion in the new year. The virus began to spread to the United States, but Americans stills didn’t realize the rapid spread of the virus, people would still go out and travel to countries such as Italy which is having a severe COVID-19 outspread. Soon, the number of people infected with the virus in the United States begin to rise from the first few to more than 20,000 people, and now almost 400,000 people have been infected with the virus which surpasses China and Italy. People start to panic after state emergency have been announced from multiple states.

Times Square During COVID-19

In the past, more than a hundred years ago, the primary focus of epidemiology was on containing the spread of epidemics such as cholera, SARS, and polio. We spread knowledge about disease transmission, improved sanitation, and provided vaccinations which have made many of these diseases either manageable or eradicated them. The primary challenge for stopping the spread of COVID-19 has shifted to focusing on lifestyle-related complaints such as obesity, inactivity, and no freedom of choice. The United States has a have weak social norms and a high tolerance of unusual behavior compare to other countries like China and Japan which causes the government to have a hard time issuing new rules and requirements to help prevent the spread of the virus. Often, these can be more difficult to treat given that the lifestyle changes that they require both individuals and government to make are more far-reaching and complex than simply improving sanitation or getting vaccinated. 

Time waits for no one! Time is precious! We are racing against the virus and the epidemic with all our strength. History have shown that we as a nation have the ability to fight against the treats in our path. As a result, there is a greater need to educate the public and to encourage changes in habits and behavior, such as going out, ordering deliveries and crowd gathering. The whole nation needs to be involved because everyone has an obligation to help stop the spread of the virus. We also need to pay tribute to the people who are persistent in helping us fight against the virus. In order to save protective equipment, they often drink less water, go to the bathroom less, wear heavy protective clothing, and their faces are worn due to wearing masks for a long time. Even some medical staff are infected with virus because of the day and night treatment work. They are the most respectable and worthy of our study! Now is the time for us to come together as one and defeat this virus once more.

            

Americans Involvement in World War II

I decided to compare the experience of war provided by Kurt Vonnegut in Slaughterhouse-Five to the “Americans and the Holocaust” virtual exhibit from the website of Washington D.C.’s Holocaust museum. I find it interesting that when we discuss wars or any past historical events, it is an expected tendency to categorize all soldiers or people from a country with having the same intentions or knowledge base. Something that stood out to me in this virtual exhibit was that although Americans supported Jews and other minorities during the second World War, the exhibit emphasizes that Americans could have done more to prevent the countless murders which occurred. As most perspectives of World War II attempt to regard, the Holocaust Museum’s exhibit focuses solely on the Jewish perspective and how the Jews caught by the Germans were let down by so many countries. 

After reading Slaughterhouse-Five, I was opened up to the perspective of American soldiers that were dragged into the war, such as Billy Pilgrim. At times, it can be easy to disregard the damage the second world war has on the outside countries which participated in the war, although the countries may have not been as prominently acknowledged in our perception of history. The exhibit later displays the efforts Americans put in to putting an end to the war and Nazism occuring during the time, however, as many Americans protested Nazism, including a petition created in the spring of 1933 in which tens of thousands Americans signed in opposition to the Nazi’s treatment of Jews. Vonnegut seemed to represent Billy Pilgrim as one of the sympathetic Americans that not only wanted the war to end, but wanted those around him to be safe as it was difficult to constantly see death and pain surrounding him. The exhibit and Vonnegut both make the clear point that this war was a bloody one; people were dying and getting hurt constantly, sometimes even from those who should not be in opposition to them. The Holocaust Museum also displays a video as part of their exhibit which shows clips of many different protests held in America of Americans coming together, marching against Nazism and anti-semitism. These protests were held before the American government involved themselves with the war. As I mentioned before, it can be easy to presume an entire country has the same goals within a war, however, these American citizens holding protests and marches proved to provide support for the Jews being abused by Hitler far before the American government took action. 

I believe the “Americans and the Holocaust” virtual exhibit provided useful infortmation regarding the second world war and America’s involvement in it. It was interesting to compare Vonnegut’s experiences expressed through Billy Pilgrim to the exhibit, as the exhibit was more factual and provided a clear timeline of Americans going through this war, while Vonnegut illustrates a more emotional and empathetic narrative to the American soldiers in the war. I recommend others to look through this exhibit themselves, as it has many different parts to observe!

The exhibit link: https://exhibitions.ushmm.org/americans-and-the-holocaust/main

-Becca Schwartz

Villains Could Be Humane

What does President John F. Kennedy’s assassinator and Batman’s arch nemesis have in common? Well, Lee Harvey Oswald and the Joker both have been written off as villains in society. Whether it is fictional or a real life event, the public has been informed to fear and oppose these people due to their heinous and inhumane acts. However, if you were to learn about their stories before they were considered evil or corrupt, would your perspective change? Don DeLillo, the author of Libra, and Todd Phillips, the director of Joker, both used Lee’s and Joker’s background information and their situations to rewrite their storylines in order to create more humane “villains.”

            

            Other than being considered the antagonist in someone else's story, Lee and the Joker share similar background situations. We learn that they were both bullied, tormented, isolated, and mistreated by their peers. Already from early years in life they endured many traumas, and knowing this causes the audience to sympathize for them. In Libra, Lee struggled with dyslexia and was bullied almost every day. It got so bad that he would skip school and was served with truancy. Lee did not have friends, nor did he trust anybody enough to confide in. The only place where he felt safe was the library because books and learning about Communist and Marxist figures were the only things he felt like he could connect to. Spending time learning about Trotsky, Lenin, and Stalin sets the tone as to why he opposed Democracy and supported Communist/Marxists efforts; these figures have been through isolation and torment, therefore, their efforts could serve the public best. As for the Joker, we learn that his name was Arthur Fleck, and all he wanted to be was a stand-up comedian. Comedy to him was about joyfulness and laughter. He loved kids, loved to smile and he took care of his mother, despite the fact that he was dealing with his own mental health issues due to abuse as a child. In the beginning of the film he talks to his clinical social worker and states, “I hope my death makes more cents than my life.” In this scene you feel for him because he does not have anybody to talk to because he is deemed a “freak.” Between these two characters their innocence were taken away from them due to societal factors, and some of these factors are what pushed them to do the things that they did. Since the audience has learned about Lee’s and Joker’s struggles in life, you are forced to see them in a more humane way to the point where you are able to sympathize for them. 

 

Even though DeLillo and Phillips  both try to recreate humane villains, they take different approaches. DeLillo used a factual event, the assassination of JFK and the Cold War, and rewrote the story based off the theme of conspiracy. The conspiracy aspect of the plot was that three FBI agents manipulated Lee into assassinating the President. DeLillo stylistically and structurally designed abstract hypotheses, altered reality, introduced characters, and even added some of his own critiques into the text. On the other hand, Phillips directed Joker as a downward spiral in which Arthur Fleck is falling into madness, and slowly becomes the Joker. The audience first sees how Arthur yearns to be a part of society but is continuously mistreated and disregarded.  Due to continued abonnement and mistreatment, Arthur turns into the Joker and realizes that his life is a comedy in which people treat others with disregard and disrespect for their own self-gain. Ironically, the Joker becomes a political figure for the lower social class. Despite the fact these are different realities and different approaches, DeLillo and Phillips explore the origins and the stories of Lee and Joker. 

By focusing on the situations and identity of Lee and Joker, DeLillo and Phillips emphasize that stories are not one-sided but rather filled with complexity. I personally learned that life is all about perspective and that society has to do better. Society is based off human interaction where we grow, protect, and support one another, and it is up to us to make sure that everybody is a part of that, so we do not create more villains.

By: Etana Sissoko

In the face of crisis. now vs. past.

The COVID-19 is causing one of the most significant crises we have seen in American history. The role of culture certainly plays a vital role during this dire time. Since the COVID-19 crisis is a global pandemic, the cultural differences between countries and regions are shown in this pandemic.  

Growing up in Hong Kong, coronavirus is a familiar term to me since it was one of the most affected areas during the SARS outbreak in 2003 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus) I still remember my preschool was canceled due to the SARS outbreak. I had to stay home for months. History repeats itself, my school got canceled again due to coronavirus 17 years later. Different from last time, I witnessed how this new coronavirus developed over time and how it transform from an epidemic to a global pandemic.

Hong Kong People wearing masks during the SARS outbreak

Starting from early January, I have already seen numerous friends from Hong Kong sharing Hong Kong news articles saying how the COVID-19 could be as detrimental as SARS from 2003. People in Hong Kong learned a hard lesson from SARS and started to take serious precautions to prevent the virus. Hong Kong is also known for having a "tight and tense" social culture, which played an essential role in helping the city to contain the virus and demonstrated a great response to COVID-19. Both being metropolitan cities, New York City has a different drastic situation due to the various social cultures, government regulations, experiences in dealing with a pandemic situation.

Empty New York City streets due to COVID-19

The United States has a relatively loose social habit (have weak social norms and a high tolerance of deviant behavior) compare to countries like Japan and Singapore. This has caused the government a hard time instituting new rules to take preventive measures. Other than the social cultures, unclear government guidances also contribute to the severe outbreak in America. The conflicts among political parties, state governments, and federal government caused the slow response to COVID-19, and now America is already the area with the highest infection number. America is one of the strongest countries in science and medical fields with abundant resources and advance manufacturers. The United States is fully capable of dealing with this virus, but first, it should act like its name, united as one, like how it dealt with the WWII crisis. 

“Arsenal of Democracy,” this is the slogan used by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt during WWII to describe how efficient the United States was in utilizing its resources and providing essential support to the Allies during the WWII crisis. Citizens, nonprofits, and corporates need to take proactive actions in aiding the government to deal with the virus, and most importantly, strictly abide by the rules even when they sound unpleasant. 

American history has shown us we have the ability to deal with a collective threat and defeat our common enemy. Now is the time for Americans to come together once more and defeat this virus as one. 

Distorted Realities and The Act of Killing (What Even is a Communist, Anyway?)

Quarantine is a word that has a completely different connotation for me than it did a month ago. The emotional tenor of these past few weeks has made the fear and confusion surrounding this virus a palpable reality– a reality similar to that of cold war America. The only difference, though, is that this reality exists more prominently in the domestic sphere– at home. Don’t get me wrong, seeing Times Square completely empty is an unprecedented– and alarming– indicator of something gone wrong, but the focus of the “flatten the curve” rhetoric has been centered around staying home in isolation from others. Therefore, my days are dedicated to finding unconventional ways of feeling productive as a means to put the threat of destruction evoked from COVID-19 on the backburner.

One way that I’ve been able to drown out all the chaos surrounding the virus is through film. In movies, realities are created and, at the same time, destructed to make the viewer comfortable, or uncomfortable, with the fact that our lives resemble or diverge from the reality shown on screen. In many ways, the documentary masters the art of “creating” and “destructing” realities.

I recently watched The Act of Killing– a documentary directed by Joshua Oppenheimer that brings light to Indonesia’s complicated history of executing “communists.” Here, Oppenheimer is seen to follow the contemporary lives of some of Indonesia’s most infamous “communist” executioners of 1965-66. This documentary elicited a number of emotional responses for me, but the biggest thing I took away was the way these executioners framed history and therein imposed their own reality on others. Oppenheimer gives Anwar Congo and Herman Koto– two of Indonesia’s most lethal executioners– a second chance in telling their side of the story and the result is more disturbing than you could imagine.

Throughout the film, Oppenheimer tasks Congo and a few of the other Indonesian executioners with making a “movie” aimed to depict the brutality of the murders they took part in 50 years ago. Here, it is revealed to the viewer the way that not only the executioners have become desensitized to death, but also the way that the word “communist” has become stigmatized and used to characterize anyone that is a threat to the larger Indonesian state. This reality built around the “communist” as being the biggest threat to civilization has many resemblances with Vietnam war America where a similar attitude toward communism was made palpable by writers like Joan Didion, Kurt Vonnegut and Michael Herr. Therefore, this film reveals the distorted “reality” around “communism” and contextualizes it to the global narrative.

In many ways that Portrait of Jason disturbed me, so too did The Act of Killing. In addition to the documentary’s ability to expose this distorted reality, it also raises the same ethical questions around the director’s intention in documenting this reality in the first place. For Shirley Clarke, I could understand why she was passionate about filming Jason in the beginning, but toward the end I was left questioning her motive. In the same way, I was left questioning the motive and intention of Joshua Oppenheimer after he voluntarily allowed the Indonesian executers to create their own film depicting what they remember about the 1965-66 mass executions which seemed primarily to just glorify death and execution while further stigmatizing “communism”– which really just meant being conceived of as a threat in the eyes of the state. Nevertheless what Oppenheimer’s intentions were, the film does an incredible job of exposing a distorted reality that we cannot revert back to… I guess one of the costs of telling any story is to challenge the storyteller’s motivation behind telling it in the first place.

Anyways, please add this documentary to your quarantine watch list

Stay safe

–Sam Elbedeiwy