For the upcoming Great Issues Forum on Economic Power, I’d like for each of you post a question here by Thursday at the latest.  The questions do not need to be elaborate.  In fact, short and  direct inquiries will be more likely to be used by the moderator.  Here is the website for the event–again, a most impressive line up: http://greatissuesforum.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=76

Sorry to post my response to the “Great Issues Forum: Political Power” so late.

I found the event extremely insightful and educational touching on numerous topics ranging from the war in Iraq, to the Israeli- Palestinian issues, genocides around the world, climate change, the upcoming elections in the United States and the changing role of the United States in the global arena.

When asked about the role of the United States in the conflicts around the world, all three speakers stressed the importance of multilateral coalitions and open dialogue. I completely agreed with this assessment. In order for the United States to resume its role as a world leader, it is important for the country to engage in dialogues and discussion with other countries. It cannot act without any cooperation or approval from other countries. Mary Robinson made an important distinction between the war in Iraq and war in Afghanistan in terms of human rights violations. She said she supported the war in Afghanistan but the war in Iraq was a violation of human rights and it was necessary to be condemned as such. It raises the question of when invading another country is deemed okay and when military force is condemned by the international community.

Regarding the biggest issue that needed to be addressed in the near future, Brzezinski indicated the over-consumption and the general lack of responsibility that pervades the American society as a major problem. He discussed the irresponsibility in the government. Over-consumption has always been an American way of life, which Brzezinski believes has contributed to the current economic crisis.

Mary Robinson and Kristoff both pointedly said that humanity shines the brightest in the midst of abject violence, poverty, and conflict (Malushka also mentions this in her review). This humanity is what helps them both overcome and change the grim and often hopeless situations into something, which could be resolved with persistence, faith, and determination.

I really enjoyed this event. The speakers had clear, blunt, and precise if sometimes a differing view on the path America should follow, especially after the election of a new presidency.

Hi all,

I finished watching the movie, “Obsession”. I have to admit I did not watch the last ten minutes. The people in this film did not even have an accurate definition of the word jihad (which means struggle, not holy war). There were a number of sensationalist claims and the overall message was that terrorists are infiltrating our minds and we should hide our children.

The reason why I am sharing this is because I am having a difficult time reading some sources, which might hurt my research. We are all conveying certain messages with our research. Obviously, we all have an agenda. Our interest and desire to do research stems from a certain passion that we all have, whether only academic, personal or both. Mine goes beyond the academic scope. Having viewed Islam in a certain way and studying it has poisoned my mind into viewing it as all-positive entity. I cringe when I read something that goes against my view of it.

I spoke to my advisor regarding this yesterday and he made an insighful remark (using an example from Christian doctrine — Religious Studies geeky stuff) about how the I could never accurately understand a topic without truly viewing (or at least, attempting to) both sides of an argument. I think it would be a mistake to not look over the “enemy” sources. A lot could be learned from them. Therefore, I will make it a priority to review them and try to include them in my annotated bibliography. I think all of you should do the same.

With all of this said, I still think that the film left a lot to be desired. *sigh*

Have a great week off.

P. S. Roy: There was a scene regarding anti-Semitic propaganda (from a popular soap opera, I believe) where two Jews kidnapped a little boy and were going to drink his blood or cook him. Also, there was some Arabic rap which called George Bush and Israel’s leaders “Shaytan”. You would find it interesting. If Lee doesn’t mind, I could give you the DVD.

~Milushka

Nandini, this PBS report on the Barefoot College in India will be of interest to you.  It involves social entrepreneurship and a successful method to educating women who have no prior education to become solar technicians in their home villages.

Look at it here: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/social_issues/social_ent/

Hello all,

First off, I just wanted to mention that the Art Speigelman lecture was extremely enlightening and humorous (in a dark, sardonic way). He was engaging, personable and yet seemed to be a man who would suffer no fools. Conclusion: It was pretty neat and I definitely recommend going to see him speak if you’re at all interested in the comic creative process.

I think the feeling of Spiegelman’s lecture is best summed up in his own words.  In reference to Maus (his best selling Graphic Novel) Spiegelman mater-of-factly stated that he felt “like a blues musician with a crossover hit.” No where is this more true than in his early work, as detailed in his new book (and subject of the lecture) Breakdowns. As he spoke I realize if nothing else Spiegelman is an ADD genius; ideas flow freely from his head never lingering past the audience’s applause and laughter. Yet, it is only when this creative energy is channeled into ink that we are given the time necessarily to fully understand and appreciate his work.

To Spiegelman, “comics are diagrams” of human thought. He explains that we all think in small iconic images and in small phrases, thus the combination of thought bubble and frame is able to “pierce our critical defenses.” Comics speaks to us, directly to us, in a way no other form of media says Spiegelman. “Comics allow you to the projector of the film,” guiding the action and allowing the reader to move at his/her own pace. And so it comes as no surprise to Spiegelman that the Graphic Novel is one of the few remaining  areas of growth in the literature market (that and religion).

While Spiegelman did not directly address the subject of religion in comics, he did insist (and I paraphrase, I wish I had be able to quote) that the very first comics were the painted glass depictions of that superhero who turned water into wine. This is especially interesting in light of the fact that the first commercial cartoons were to come out in Newsprint on the Christian Sabbath, thus directly competing with God for readership (or so said turn of the 20th century fundamentalists). Thought I think the church can hardly be angry at an art form that borrows so heavily from their content and form. It stands to make sense that comics would be a good tool to use when depicting religious events, most notably the apocalypse.

Spiegelman explained that comics are by their nature ephemeral and thus “appropriate for the end of the world.” Paired with the ability of cartoons to reach their reader on their own terms makes Graphic novels immensely powerful cultural agents. And when there is humor, this only makes the comic more powerful. The root of all humor lays in hostility and violence asserts Spiegelman, what scares and bothers us is what makes us laugh the hardest and brings us together. He sited the propaganda of WW2 as an example, be it the racist depiction of Jews in Germany or of the Japanese in America. This theory could also be applied to End Times, I can think of few subjects of competing violence and destruction.

Those are the general points of Speigelman’s lecture and what I found most relevant. In closing, I just want to leave you with my favorite quote of the night.

“The great thing about comics is this: if you don’t get a painting, you assume your stupid. With a comic book, if you don’t get it, you assume the writer is stupid.”

– Jesse

I have a different take about your class question. Instead of reading off questions at the end, the Moderator incorporated them all the way through. The issue of not having time at the end was about not taking questions from the audience. You as Macaulay students were highlighted. Macaulay students were thanked twice for having posed questions, first by the President of the Graduate Center, William Kelly, and then by the Moderator. In my view, he integrated your question with one that another student had asked (which was part of your brainstorming too and reflected in your formal question) and that was the question about empathy. Malushka has written wonderfully about Robinson’s response and also Kristof’s to that part of your “glorious question.” It’s time to start thinking about what you would like the next panelists to address on Economic Power.

Comment by lquinby — October 4, 2008 @ 6:54 pm

There were several issues brought up during the debate. As stated in the description, topics such as the limits of political power and human rights were brought up, but the debate took a more modern direction and the three debaters related issues of political power to not only their personal experience, but to the American experience, which was insightful.

The debate began by Kristof and Brzezinski talking about our current involvement in foreign affairs and the negative toll that it has had on our image. The debate shifted at this point to the war in Iraq and the damage that has been created and the delicate balance that exists between “hard power” as well as “soft power.” Possible suggestions were offered by Brzezinski, such as quick-acting rejection of corrupt policies (i.e., Guantanamo Bay). Interestingly enough, the message of his suggestion was centered on demilitarizing and depoliticizing the country and its policies as a method to remedy the relationship that the United States has with the rest of the world. In a sense, it almost seemed counterintuitive, but the logic behind his argument was the fact that the lesser the military involvement the more that both parties will benefit from such a relationship.

An intriguing question posed to Mary Robinson was the one of how she maintained enthusiasm when meeting certain individuals (well-known for their crimes against humanity) and how she had not fallen victim to cynicism or nihilism. Robinson responded by saying that her empathy was great and that although one could concentrate on only verbalizing the bad, the entire picture is not captured in that manner. Survivors, she said, were the most resilient ones and one was to “harvest resources to solve problems” in order to solve their situation. Along the same vein of thought, Kristof stated that in the worst atrocities, the best that humanity has to offer is displayed. I thought this was specially meaningful being that a lot of the material that I am reading right now deals with humankind and its potential for cruel and selfish actions, always an emphasis placed on the darkest aspects of individuals.

A very relevant comment was also made by Kristof when asked for techniques he used to engage a self-centered audience regarding remote topics. He stated that the method he used to grab these people’s attention was through empathy and surprisingly he admitted that the process was not only irrational, but difficult. He also stated that his method is constantly remodeled due to its complexity. The writer brought up how social psychology (!) has attempted to tackle such an issue and the fact that individuality seems to be valued more than the group. I found this especially relevant because as writers, our projects, although specialized, should still be appealing to the general public, something that I have not made a priority. In addition, to hear such a skilled and experienced writer admit that the process was difficult and never-ending, made me realize that this is an issue that is faced constantly and no panacea exists for it. As writers, one might have to sacrifice certain aspects in order to let others shine.

Overall, the talk was informative and useful. I enjoyed it and was delighted that the debaters ventured into challenging topics.

Hello all,

So, as you known, I will be writing my Thesis on the depiction of the Apocalypse in Graphic Narratives.  My interest in End Times was part of the reason I took Professor Quinby’s Apocalypse course last Spring term. For one of our final assignments I chose to make a short film.  I decided to show one man’s journey into madness as he locks himself in his basement and waits for the end of the world. This version is a bit condensed simply because YouTube won’t let me upload anything over 10 minutes, but I think the film still works. Below is the link if you’d like to see it and perhaps understand what goes on in my head.  Enjoy.

It is entitled “Descent”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mz31LlNkwI

– Jesse

The Center on Terrorism at John Jay has a series of lectures on Fridays (see list below for place and time) that should be of particular interest for Milushka’s project, but may also be of general interest to others. I am attending the one this Friday (10/3) on “Leaderless Jihad” because Sageman’s book has been controversial on this topic.  Come if you can!

Friday Seminar Series at John Jay Center on Terrorism

Hey Jesse,

Think you might be interested in this event:

October 22 07:00PM – 08:30PM

The creator of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus explores the comics form… and how it formed him! The first part of Breakdowns traces the artist’s evolution from a MAD-comics obsessed boy in Rego Park, Queens, to a neurotic adult examining the effect of his parents’ memories of Auschwitz on his son. The second part presents a facsimile of Breakdowns, the long-sought-after collection of the artist’s comics of the 1970s, the book that triggers these memories. Art will share his poignant, funny, innovative memoir with us.

**events are held on the second floor at the 828 Broadway location

http://www.strandbooks.com/app/www/p/calendar/#1318

– Chris