Sunday, March 22, 2009

Discussion #6

There are many things that can be done to help improve the lives of people all over the world. I think it's important to educate people about the concerns and issues of consumerism so they can understand the situation. Maybe more commercials about the negative effects of these problems and how people can do their part will motivate some. Consumer habits need to change. It would be great if people only consumed things that they needed to survive, nothing extra or more. With this idea, there would need to be a stop in producing the many things we don't need. I think attitude also needs to be changed. The government's focus needs to shift back to the people. People should stop worrying about achieving more power or being in competition with others. Shopping as a way of life should stop being promoted because it makes people buy more and more things that are unnecessary. Instead of shopping people should spend their time on things that matter, like with family or friends. Maybe if people did activities that involved interacting with the environment they would appreciate it more and do less to destroy or exploit it. This may lead to better waste management and preservation of the environment. Outsourcing and overusing resources needs to stop. Resources should be used in a way that it can keep up with the demand and prevent from being depleted. Corporations need to stop thinking about themselves and not exploit those in third world countries and take land from people. These are just some ideas but I think combined they will help lessen the gap between the rich and poor and begin to make life more sustainable.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Discussion 5

It seems that people in small-scale subsistence-based societies make a living through hunting and gathering and sharing/trading. In Ongka's Big Moka they did this through pigs, and turtles in the Miskito tribe. They both are very dependent upon these animals to provide them with what they need. This system allows for social interactions between various people and closeness among the community. Because these people gather enough just to survive, they avoid depleting their resources. One of the difficulties they face is dealing with natural disasters. What do they do when their resources get destroyed because of a drought, flood, etc? Another difficulty is dealing with the pressure to change and keep up with technology. This system differs from our own market-based capitalist system in that focus is placed on the individual, rather than the community. Everyone thinks of themselves and how to invest their money to make profit.

Modernization and the global economic system and negatively affecting these small-scale societies. For the Miskito tribe, it has caused the turtle population to decline. Once the turtle population becomes depleted, how will this society make a living since it was what they depended on for income? This is also causing some conflict in some societies about whether or not they should stick to their original cultural ways or conform to the current system.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Discussion 3

Roots – God, respect, trust, hard work, kindness, love and care.

Trunk – dance, sing, sports, cook/bake, play instruments, over think, silly, shy, religious, honest, friendly, loving, helpful and thoughtful.

Branches – Asian, female, young adult, Roman Catholic, Middle Class, student

I don’t think my values or actions connect to the labels because those labels don’t define who you are as a person or people. Being Asian doesn’t make you a person that values this or does that. There are many young adult, Asian, female, Roman Catholic, Middle Class students but none of them are exactly the same. Values and actions differ around the world and can change as we grow so it’s very difficult to connect them with labels.

Who Are My People?
My people can be this or that
We vary as individuals
But we all share a common bond
We are Filipino.