Reflection Question 5

• As you move into the next phase of your life, how will you try to affect change in the world regarding these issues?

As I move forward, I will try my best to stay true to the issues that matter most to me.  I will go by my values and stay true to my developed opinions.  If something is truly wrong to me, I will stand up for that.  There are no issues in particular that I do not believe in helping, but there are some that I am very passionate about.  Those ones will remain in the forefront of my endeavors, but that doesn't mean that I'll ignore the rest of the issues.

Reflection Question 4

• What is the biggest threat facing our Canada in the next 50 years?

I feel that the biggest threat facing Canada in the next 50 years will be the pressure put on it to resolve the worlds problems.  First, Canada has a large percentage of the worlds fresh drinking water.  Once the rest of the world starts to run out, we will be expected to help out and provide some of our water.  This will put us in a tough spot because we need our water, too.  Not to mention Canadas many lakes and wetlands are crucial ecosystems that can't be taken from.  Another issue Canada will have is rationing its plentiful oil deposits.  When the worlds fossil fuel continues getting depleted, nations will turn to Canada for oil.  This will be difficult to deal with for the same reasons as I mentioned with water.  Combined, these issues could put stress on Canada politically as more powerful countries could place sanctions on us unless we share.  Lastly, an issue that will trouble Canada will be the opening of the arctic circle as a trade route.  With military threats already being overhead, imaging what will happen when the circle opens fully.  Although Canada is not being threatened directly, we are acting as a stage for Russia and the USA to play out a potential conflict.

Reflection Question 2

• What have you learned about yourself during the course?

Wow, what a philosophical question!  During this course, I have learned that I am very interested in and passionate about politics.  Out of all the areas we have explored during this course, I have resonated with the political ones.  I think that this changed my everyday behaviour to try and make somewhat diplomatic decisions.  This is to say the I try to make choices now that benefit everybody involved.  I am more eager to solve problems now, rather than before where i let problems work themselves out.  All in all, I would say this course has made me more proactive in general.

Reflection Question 1

• What was the most important/interesting thing that you learned during the presentations of your peer, and how does this change your perspective on the world.

During my classmates' presentations, there was one that stood out to me as something unique, but at the same time obvious.  It was an issue that everybody knows about, but nobody really knows why.  Opinions are formed based on conversations with parents and friends, and the issue at hand is handled in a pseudo-economic bias.  The issue I am talking about is the debt in the US.  This issue is so common but nobody really knows why it is happening in full detail.  My classmate James did a fantastic job in presenting his findings in a completely concise yet detailed manner.  I learned so much about why the US is in debt and what started the whole thing.  Having the entire argument along with all the facts laid out helped me to understand the issue and how it effects me. 

James' presentation also opened my eyes to the reality of the 1st world vs. developing nations.  We see developing nations as impoverished nations who are constantly at civil and political unrest.  This image lingers for us, because we don't know what is happening so we go with what we see most.  The interesting thing is that those developing nations are looking at us and seeing our problems, and judging us base don those.  This made me realize that just because we have different kinds of problems, our reality and developing nations realities are similar, in a way that we have immediate problems facing us.  This helped me relate to how some nations are suffering.  Of course, being in the midst of a civil war is much more devastating than an economic crisis, but it still shows how our society is not perfect.

Reflection Question 3

• What are the 3 most important issues that you've learned about during the course?

The 3 most important issues that I've learned about this year have been the ones that I had no previous knowledge about.  This is to say that, before I took this class, I had no clue these things were happening:

• Human trafficking in Canada
• FGM in Africa
• Coral Reefs

The reason I found Human Trafficking to be a serious issue is that i had no clue it was happening in canada.  With issues like this, one usually assumes they only take place in 3rd world or developing nations.  When the impact it has on Canada shows itself so plainly, its very enlightening and justifies the need to see this issue as very important.  The other part of this issue that mad eme think was the fact that penalties for human trafficking in Canada are so loose.  In order to set a positive example and be part of the solution rather than be part of the problem, Canada needs to clean up itself before it thinks about assisting other nations.

The reason I found FGM in Africa to be so important was because, again, I had no idea things like this were happening.  I really fully realized the differences between my culture and the culture of those in Africa: FGM would be a massive issue in Canada, but in Africa it is seen as part of their culture.  Nevertheless, it is cruel and unhealthy and ,even though it is not our place to assert our culture where it doesn't belong, I feel that FGM is violating basic human rights that should be granted everywhere, regardless of cultural restrictions.

Lastly, I found the depletion of the coral reef to be an important issue.  Although I was aware of this happening, I had no idea as to what scale.  Also, I did not know that the coral reef is such an important ecosystem.  I think the reason I did not know that much about it was because it doesn't immediately affect any environment around me, but once you realize that its like an underwater rainforest housing hundreds of different species, the need to perserve it shows itself as crucial.

• Do you agree or disagree with this statement: Abuse at home and domestic violence should be punished. 

I absolutely think that these crimes should be punished.  Domestic violence is still violence, and letting it go unpunished is only promoting it further.  Domestic violence has not only negative immediate effects, but can lead to psychological and physical disability further along in life.  Children who learn abuse at home at a young age are far more likely to exhibit that behaviour in public and, as they grow into adults, in their own home.  There are absolutely no reasons that exist that justify domestic abuse.  Even though it is a private matter that some say the government shouldn't have control over, the fact is that it is violence. It is inappropriate in almost every situation.  The only situation where it would be appropriate would be when it is used for self-defence.  Other than that, domestic violence and abuse should be handled by the police and should be illegal absolutely.

David Suzuki Quote

• “We're in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyones arguing over where they're going to sit.” -David Suzuki. What do you think this quote means in terms of the environment and the future of the earth, and where would you sit in the "car"?

I think what David Suzuki meant by this quote was that the environmental situation on our planet is imminent, and instead of trying to work collectively to fix it, the earths populace is arguing over hw to fix it, and where everyone comes it.  In my opinion, the environmental crisis that exists is fueled by mankin, but has some natural elements to it as well.  There is no doubt that we must act environmentally sustainably, as to perserve life for all beings on EArth.  At the same time, however, we must spread our focus across many issues.  The looming environmental threat is a slow-moving process, instead of a war somewhere in the middle east.  The fact of the matter is that people are not going to be as interested in global warming, because they dont see the effects immediately.  I agree with David Suzuki, and if we do not start working towards fixing the problem we will start to see immediate effects that will hopefully cause a change in personal conduction.  I would hope to be in the backseat of the car, because I am not toally educated on the issue, and any contribution by myself would be based off sheer opinion.

Marijuana

• What do you think the affects of legalizing and de-criminalizing marijuana use would be?  Should this be enforced?

I think that once Marijuana is decriminalized, the world will get a little more laid-back, and a little less insane.  I do not believe in full legalization and production of marijuana.  If this were to happen, the same decline in quality and increase in price would be seen as was with tobacco.  When mass-produced, marijuana prices will rise to $30/gram for bud that costs $10 in todays market.  Also, in order to keep a stable product, harmful pesticides and poisons will be pt in the plant, making it a lot less safe and making the companies producing it a lot richer.  For a smoker, this is a nightmare.  Instead of this, the world should do as Alaska has done: make it legal for an adult to posses up to an ounce for private use.  When it comes to distribution, cannabis should be first taken off the Schedule I list of drugs, then a dont ask dont tell policy should be put in place.  As of now in Alaska, it is technically illegal to traffic marijuana, but that raises the question: how do the people that are allowed to smoke it acquire it?  Well, you can't explain that. 

The Aral Sea

•  The Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since 1960s. Why is there no attention towards the drainage of the Aral Sea?

The reason the Aral Sea hasn't been getting much attention is because of all the pressing issues in our world.  Also, since the target audience from which organizations seek support is young people in North America, it proves difficult to come up with a snappy, clever, badass, heart-string-tugging appeal.  After all, our generation has a lot going on.  More important issues selfishly blind teens: Do I have enough money to go buy those jeans?  Can I go out this weekend?  Since things are happening so fast and since the generation in question is always 'on the go', it is difficult to get a teenager to take time out of their day to care about some sea in Asia.

Although I personally find it sad, the above paragraph is sadly the truth for the majority of my generation.  Along with this tragic reality, there are so many things happening that it is hard to be independent from the news and take on an issue on your own.  For example, if Syria is dominating the news stations, that is the only thing people will be talking about.  This can be said with every issue that exists in our world today.  If an issue is not attractive and won;t bring in high ratings, news stations have no incentive to broadcast about it.  Besides, isn't watching roadside bombings and terrorist negotiations much more thrilling than watching a sea dry up?

Vladmir Putin

• Vladamir Putin was recently elected back into office at the Kremlin. Do you think the election was a good representation of what the people wanted?

Absolutely not.  When Russia was communist, they were in the heat of a cold war with the US.  This whole war started because there was a conflict wether post WWII Europe should be rebuilt capitalist or communist.  Capitalism won, which spited Russia to a point where this war began.  Many years of overhead nuclear threats later, Russia finally caved and agreed to become a 'democratic nation'.  This is an overstatement if one ever existed.  All Russia did in 1999 when communism fell was take the leaders of the Communist state and put them in charge of the Democratic state.  The same people are and will continue to run the country, be it Putin or Putin's successor.  Unless there is a legitimate revolution from the inside, the state of Russia will forever remain in the hands of those who know how to keep the unstable nation stable.  If someone were to get elected who had no past experience in the Kremlin, all hell would break loose in Russia.  Thanks to the huge involvement of Mafia and corrupt bureaucrats, Russia is a state that can not be tamed.  All that the current administration is doing is keeping it under control.  

Non-Violence?

(1) Discuss this question in a blog post: Which is a more effective strategy in terms of social action - non-violent peacekeeping and activism (MLK, Gandhi) or aggressive peacemaking (Malcom X)? Consider both sides in your answer.

Depending on the situation, different types of protest are appropriate.  Obviously if one were looking through a humanitarian lens, non-violent protest would make the most sense.  If a body is faced with an issue that is non-violent in itself, why resort to violence to fight it?  That makes no sense.  This being said, the contrary argument also is valid.  If a body is presented with an unrelenting, violent force, pacifism can only go so far.  Unless there is some form of intervention from an outside body, pacifism will ultimately crumble under violent force.  An example of this is the late Black panther Party.  Although they were a reasonably agressive force, their pacifist rallies showed their weakness.  When met with an aggressive body (in this case the Nixon administration), the Black Panthers were infiltrated, assassinated and arrested.  

Violence in Society

What do you think causes violence in society?

There are a number of factors that cause violence in our society.  In children, violence can be almost instinctively picked up as a result of abuse.  The documentary 'Child of Rage' depicts a young girl in America who was sexually and physically abused at a very young age (1 year old).  Even though she could barely talk, walk and communicate altogether at this age, the abuse she was a victim of changed her.  She never developed a conscience, was unable to give or receive love and had no social boundaries.  This is an extreme case, but shows how even when children are barely sentient, abuse can change them for the rest of their lives.  In less extreme cases, absentee parents have an effect on children in the same way: they never teach their children right from wrong and never provide their child with a figure to model their behaviour after.  The opinions of parents can also influence what a child is like.  For example, if a child has outspokenly racist parents, the child will more than likely grow up a racist.

With all these factors considered, it is clear that children learn violence from their environment and role models.  As the children grow up, their violent acts become more prominent.

Child of Rage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME2wmFunCjU

Kony 2012 Question

"Should HSC participate in Invisible Children's 'Paint the Night' initiative on April 20th to spread awareness about Kony 2012?"

I do not believe that HSC should part-take in the 'Paint the Night Black' event.  My main reason being that slacktivism doesn't do anything.  I watched as in one night, over 500 of my facebook friends changed their profile pictures to 'Kony 2012' and shared a short video about what their new change was about.  The total time taken to do complete this process was more or less 35 minutes.  So all the people that had so tirelessly changed their profile picture and watched a video now sat back and were content with their big accomplishment.  Instead of promoting this raising of awareness, the masses must assemble and realize that direct action is the only real solution to this problem.  Granted, this is a very idealistic thought, but a solution could be to package the idea of raising awareness and direct action into one big effort.  This being said, I do not feel that 'direct action' and 'direct intervention' are synonymous in this situation.  The only real way to solve this problem is to aid the nations who are directly effected by this problem, rather than policing them and doing it for them.  The reasoning behind this is simple: we do not know every intricate detail of the Kony situation.  There is so much more behind the issue that slacktivists do not know about, so it would be unjust for nations like America to go into this country and, say, set up a military base.  Rather what should be done is provision of aid, food and arms to assist the effected nations have their own uprising, solving the problem absolutely instead of putting a band-aid on it temporarily.