Just Because

Ok so yes I haven't written a blog all summer, but truth be told nothing has really stimulated me mentally to come down with some amazing conclusion about life. Not saying that this summer was bad, it was amazing actually...AHH more in sec

Tired...Cansada...Fatiguée

Currently Listening A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar By Dashboard Confessional The Brilliant Dance see related

Ok, so it's two am and I'm still workin on a TOK paper....here it is...well sorta, I'm going to fix it tomorrow morning when I'm "rested" hahaha....funny how ironic that is Never really knew how much I valued my sleep until now

RIGHT! I forgot to mention what it's about! *woops*. It's about the implications and the problems of knowledge with the Danish Cartoons about the Prophet Mohammed.

Let’s Just Talk about It

            The date today is March 23, 2006, the era of communication is well developed; the internet, for example, has become the fountain of all information available and yet somehow through all this development a great failure has occurred. The fact that this information is available has not yet meant that there is understanding; which to some extent is crucial. Misinterpretations, confusion, and even conflict arise due to the lack of comprehension. Just because material is available does not mean that one’s responsibilities end, but now with all this information we are obliged to clarify it. Therefore expressions of opinion as biased as they may be are easily misinterpreted; such is the case of the Danish cartoon drawings that caused riots and discontent among some Islam-based nations. The implications of these cartoons, and the expression of freedom they represent, almost lead to global war but further lead to division of an already divided group because of the lack of ‘civilized’ communication.

            The first problem of knowledge that is faced when dealing with political cartoons is interpretation, who is this directed to, who is the audience, how well will people understand what they are trying to say? Political cartoons are intended to push buttons, the cross the line so that closed lines of communication are reopened; in the case of the Danes this did occur...eventually. To an uninformed, relatively ignorant person these cartoons would seem to be xenophobic of Muslim Arabs. Therefore the medium of the cartoons has to be analyzed. They were printed in a newspaper, which can be bought at any street corner shop. Therefore it is available to whoever decided to buy the newspaper on that specific day, so is the message then portrayed to an educated audience? Judging from the results, this was not the case. The problem of language, in this case visual and graphic language, also arises. Of course, cartoons do not use the common written language but an international language of vision and again interpretation varying by region, so consequently they are available to anyone who sees them and the person will observe what they choose to observe. This does not limit a target audience because now not only the Danish will see and assess the cartoons. A newspaper has a tendency to spread, especially if the message it carries is dubious. Whether or not they considered these factors as they printed the controversial images is uncertain, but the outcomes are blatant.

            East versus west faces many irreconcilable differences, one could say, beginning from questions of basic lifestyle and belief. The great dream is that of a peaceful world, for that to occur greater understanding and tolerance would have to be attained, but this dream is inaccessible if the gap is widened by what would seem insignificant drawings, imagine what something bigger would cause. These drawings instigated a movement of hatred against all non Muslim peoples assuming that they all felt the same way. In the same way the author of the drawings stereotyped the religion of Islam into propaganda of terrorism and loathing. Yes, this is the belief of many, but a cultured person would recognize that Muslims are a people of peace. Both sides, reacted in violent ways, turning this into a ‘he said, she said’ competition without first opening the lines of contact to listen to perspective of one another. This event furthered the dislike on behalf of the Western Islam world, converting this into an indoctrination of children of hatred, children that are burning flags, and cursing the name of others, not understanding why they are committing these acts. How is the world, then, supposed to progress into one unified entity? The tolerance that is expected of a civilized person is supposed to be mutual; one accepts the other acknowledging that although one may not agree with their point of view they are willing to accept it as a particularity of their character. The outcome now has finally reached communication, this event has forced people to think outside of the comfort line and maybe even to some, come to realize that there is a world outside their own. Of course, a main question through out has been that of freedom of expression, and how far is too far? Had they limited these illustrations within an educated circle of people they should be free to express themselves however they please, but once they print this in a public media source they then have to consider the larger reaction of the people and should then at least place a disclosure claiming the aim or purpose. The communication that incurred as a result is step forward, even though this event brought people a few steps back. Greater understanding and respect will hopefully be outcomes of this large misunderstanding.   

            The results of the Danish satiric cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed lead to an international crisis due to the problems that arise from interpretation and perception hindered by passion of belief. This serves as an example of the phrase “a picture says a million words” and without the proper context those images seem to be racially prejudiced because they lead one to believe that Muslims in general are all terrorists out to conquer the world. This also serves as a reflection of the importance of open and amenable interaction as this will lead more often than not to solutions. The future rests on the example the youth is given, what do we want to be conveyed?

It's a work in progress....enjoy

Currently Listening Based on a True Story By The Starting Line Stay Where I Can See You see related

Hmm....gathering of thoughts

Ok so Sean started his blog again and somehow he makes me think about random things and now i feel lazy for not writing in my blog because I do have time for it but I'm being lazy and procrastinating hardcore but ok *buckling down*...Time to face reality...

Where to begin? I lack certain abilities to write amazing prose and say something elegantly, I'm not that type of person, as much as I would like to be, I'm direct and at the same time take thirty different turns in the way of getting there. I like to question the truth and explore every angle of it, I will not believe you if you just tell me something. You have to prove it to me. I'm just cynical that way, I guess.

I feel so sheltered sometimes. I wake up in the mornings and think about the most ridiculous things..."what will I wear, who am I going to talk to, I wonder if those shoes match that top?" I mean, I'm a girl, so of course those things matter to me, but I don't want them to overshadow more important things. I feel so angry at not seeing reality for what it is and learning to accept certain aspects of the world around me. I don't just want to be another person; I don't think I could take that.

I started this Theory of knowledge class, and *drool* it's my ideal class, well the format of it isn't excellent but whatever, I like learning about things like that. Talking about alternatives to reality, questioning everything! That's what life should be about....I don't want to accept that my country is in the brink of implosion because politicians are corrupt. I don't want to accept that there is hatred out there for something that people know nothing about. I can't stand that! How can you get anywhere if you aren't educated? If we don't learn something everyday then we're just not living. I mean we come here to grow right? The concept of time applies, time passes and supposedly you grow older every minute physically? Shouldn't it be the same with our minds?

But now that I think about it; what's the point of being angry at who I used to be? What is that going to solve? It just frustrating being surrounded by people who value everything on appearance, money, heritage. Ok, so a person walks in with a dior handbag and some gucci shoes...ok, so what? I walk in with my worn adidas and sweatpants...Would that make me less of a person? Would that place me in an inferior level to that person? Am I not as worthy because I have brown hair and dark eyes does that put me below the blond haired, blue eyed girl next to me? It's just a question...I thought the world was past that

It's a question of tolerance. It's a question of acceptance. It's a question of respect. It's a question of ignorance vs. illumination. If we don't learn how to accept people for what they are, but not necessarily like them; we're not living in a barney theme show, where everyone loves everyone, but at least try to understand them.

Look at the world from a different angle, everything changes then. Then you can truly judge. It's one of the ways of knowing, it's first person experience where you are the authority figure. If you don't try things outside your little box you're missing out on A LOT. This is world is as huge as it is small.

It's crazy...in less than three months I'm going to be turning 18 years of age. 18! That's ridiculous. And now listen to people and think back and realize how much things change from a year ago to now. I want to be this person but I'm not sure how to get there and I'm scared that I never will get there. I don't want my priority to be myself, I want it to be something bigger because there is only so much I can do for myself but what I could do for others is boundless. I have an image now, that I have no plans of taking away but whether people recognize it or not I'm changing. Really slowly I must add, but I am... It's not so much how others perceive me or even how I perceive myself. Lend yourself to criticism, it's not pleasant but it helps. You see things for what they are sometimes. Even though it hurts, you're not dead, you can always change it.

I knew I would get off topic, and there we go I did again...But this is the begining of what I hope will be more coherent thoughts.  

Yumm cherry...lol

it's been snowing allllll week...it's crazy. So beautiful, it should really look this all year... except that it's freezing....soooo coolllldd...haha and I am wearing a tank top...lol, Go me!!

Ok well this week has been kinda crazy...I am comming to terms with a lot of things in my life. I dont even know where to begin...

This is a really bad time for everyone! lol, seriously I've never talked to so many angry people at the same time

Anything I say right now is basically obsolete and redundant...i am not even going to bother....