Journal Entry for 4/27 (Thursday)

MK Gandhi, from Mind Swara:

The reading talks India’s freedom and machinery. The author notes that indian people need to be free of english political and economic rule in order to free themselves. Author uses interesting analogies to describe relationships and explain his arguments such as “if master’s house is to be dismantled, it cannot be done with master’s tools” (Gandhi, 200). The people of India need to break away from cultures and ways imposed by the Englishmen such as machines and materialism in order to be free. However, I think this would be hard to break away from cultures imposed by other people if it has been around and adopted for so long. In class we talked about how there is no one culture, there are many different variations. Each culture adopts certain things and change certain aspects, creating a new culture. There is no clear distinction or boundary. But the author here is saying that in order to be free, one country cannot use anything the higher authority has imposed. Author also mentions the term Swaraj which means self-ruling. When we see a problem, we need to act on it and try to fix it rather than just sitting still and observing.

The author also discusses the concept of machinery. Machinery is the reason to India’s impoverishment. I thought it was interesting how the author portrayed the machinery not only as a symbol of modern civilization but also as a representation of great sin. The more implementation of the mills, the more Manchester was reproducing in India. The author acknowledges the presence of mills and machinery, however preventing the increase in mills will help free the country.

C.L.R James from Beyond a Boundary:

James discusses the debate of cultures of resistance and cultures of oppression. I thought it was interesting when the author notes that he did not join and choose to follow codes within culture, he was just brought up into it. It shows, how most of the time we do things just because that is how we were taught and grew up with. Relating back to Stuart Hall’s notion of how culture defines the framework of how things should be and how there is constant struggle b/w conformity and resistance. The author includes examples of resistance and conformity in different aspects of culture such as education, family, and sports. James’s example of cricket demonstrates one. The team is made up of a diverse group of children that come from many different kinds of families and background. Yet, when they are on the playing field, they are united, and obey umpire's decision without questions even if it can be unfair. They learn to play for the team rather than just thinking about themselves. This is how they were taught and brought up, therefore they conform to the rules. However, the author mentions forms of resistance as well as students cheat and go against school codes.

Thurs 4/26

The text by James mentions the debate between cultures of resistance versus cultures of oppression in the context of the educational institution and sports. I do feel that any social institutions require a certain degree of conformity and it would make sense that the author felt oppressed from keeping up with his excel academics and “good student” image. However, people also learn how to resist (everyday resistance) when they are conforming at the same time. Though the conformity effort overshadows the resistance effort in most cases, so it this constant battle fair or not? Or, do the players have control over how much they can resist rather than conform and still survive in the system?

Moreover, James defines the culture of imperialism as "everything [that] began from the basis that Britain was the source of all light and leading, and our business was to admire, wonder, imitate, learn" (p. 205). In the simplest words, the oppressed follow standards invented by the oppressors. This statement, again, reflects the connection between power and truth, where the public follows a set of societal rules that are deemed as truth and truth is dependent on the source of power.

In relation to the British colonization in India. I can see how the culture of imperialism applies. In the context of India during the British imperialism, Gandhi argues that the oppressed who were physically enslaved were also mentally enslaved, not by force but by cultural conformity. When people believe that it is normal for themselves to be oppressed, of course, their thoughts would eventually make this into a reality. This also shows how powerful our minds are in turning unimaginable thoughts into reality as long we believe in certain ideologies.

He also advises readers that in order “to break the classic economic dependency that binds the colony to colonizer, [one must] free oneself mentally and spiritually from Western machines and materialism” (p. 200). I like that Gandhi delves deeper in this historical phenomenon that it is not solely about the physical, public behaviors that led to this, but also the intangible thoughts in people’s heads. They desired and worshiped the materialists that belong to their oppressors, and eventually, become dependent on the oppressors as an answer to their greed.

Blog #6: M.K. Gandhi and C.L.R. James

In the article by Hind Swaraj, he mentions the dominance and influence of Western technology, specifically machinery in India. This greater dependence of usage begins to weave itself into the daily lives and culture that makes India. There is a sense of losing original values and adoption of a new one. He argues that in order to free India, we cannot use what the dominant power has given us. In order to dismantle the master's house, we cannot use the tools that have been given to us. I don't necessarily agree with this statement as we must consider the context of the country or place or group being oppressed.

Historically, we see that it is usually developing third world countries that are taken over and influenced by another greater world power. In the case of India, Britain has imposed their machinery in order to increase rates of production, as well as importation of foreign goods and products. The benefits that machinery offers is something far more advanced and efficient than what the people, resources, or technology that India itself could have provided. Through time, the use of Western education and influence begins to infuse itself with Indian culture. We see that present now as India is seen as a developer and intelligence hub for computer and IT aid.

There are some benefits that come with the introduction of Western intervention. It supplies the country with more resources and jobs for workers. To withdraw both physically and mentally from this dominant power may not have similar advantages. This economic dependence is what makes it worthwhile to be connected to its colonizer. The struggles and discourse that India would undergo in order to free itself of their control would have been costly. The slow usage of their machinery to benefit India's economy is the best way to slowly chip away at their dominance, while maintaining true values and beliefs of their culture.

Critical Reading Journal: M.K. Gandhi and C.L.R James

In the excerpt of M.K. Gandhi from Hind Swaraj, Gandhi discusses two

topics: India’s freedom and machinery. For India’s freedom, Gandhi

explains that the slavery in India does not apply to all of India so if those

who have been enslaved become free, then all of India is free. Gandhi

also talks about how Swaraj, which is self-rule, of India will free India. I

interpret this idea as those who have been corrupted by the English

social and economic culture have the perspective that everyone else

around them has also been affected even though it is really just them.

The ones who have been corrupted can only save themselves. I wonder

though how those who have been corrupted will become self-aware of the

reality of their situation. With machinery, Gandhi acknowledges that

machinery has contributed to the enslavement of the Indian workers in the

mills. He explains an increase in mills must be prevented. The sacrifice of

not consuming machine made goods will contribute to the state of Swaraj

for India. I believe less reliance on Western machinery will imply less reliance

on the social and economic culture of the Englishmen. This in turn can lead

towards India being completely free.

In the excerpt of C.L.R James from Beyond a Boundary, James examines

the societal ideal of Britain being the all mighty power and challenges how

this ideal is imposed on each individual since childbirth. I believe it is very

hard to deter from the ideals of society that are taught to you early on in your

life. It takes a lot of self-awareness to come to this realization. When growing

up with this imposed ideal, it is very easy to impose this ideal on others

because you are taught to believe this ideal is always right.

Journal 5: Monkey Dance and "Laotian Daughters: Working Towards Community, Belonging, and Envorinmental Justice" by Bindi V. Shah

Politics scares many people. In fact, it is the topic that people refuse to talk about, the reason being that it brings up conflicting views between two parties. However, maybe it is time that we redefine what "politics" is. Politics is essentially power, but the word has become associated only with government since they are in power. However, power structures and power blocs are EVERYWHERE. This be in legal structures, but the within each one is social power bloc. The youth are seen as a weak, illegitimate voice since, to quote Blink-182 "kids can't vote, adults elect them...[there are] signs that caution 16 [is] unsafe." (Anthem Part 2, Blink-182). Sure, we can't vote, but that doesn't mean that we cannot actively patriciate in politics and resist the power structures that tell us to shut up. The Laotain youth of the LOP and APEN prove this.

It is amazing what this organization has done. In the reading, we see that they created a safer, more effective city wide alarm system, fought an anti-bilingual bill, and even made schools more efficient for their community. Thinking about it, it seems that the Laotain youth are the prime people to be doing this kind of campaigning; older generations lack the resources to do such activism. Many do not speak English, which bar them from getting their message across the others. Others fear a repressive response from the government, something that they faced back home in Communist Laos. The Laotian-American youth face neither of these issues, seeing how they grew up in America.

Regarding proposition 227, I find it amazing that these Laotian girls, while they all speak perfect English and do not require bilingual education, still fought in blood and sweat for it. They care so much about their community and I guess are fighting for people of color and their right to proper education. Given, I think the proposition is incredibly stupid: teaching someone English in a year? Psh, not gonna. I agree with Lon, who claims that we need both. Honestly, unless you live somewhere like the San Gabriel Valley, you gotta speak English to perform well in American society. I am not against other languages, but realistically, you gotta know some English. I do not think this because I think that foreign tongue would "undermine the American nation". Not at all. But am I racist for thinking people should know Enlgish?

The connection to Monkey Dance is the idea that the youth have a huge stake in resisting power blocs that tell them they are worthless and to do as they are told. It seems that a lot of the Colombian youth just "wanna have fun", as the CVS worker said. While these people are not actively changing laws and policies like the APEN are, they are, in their own way, fighting power blocs and establishing their own voices in outright ways. They are not going to sit back and let some hegemonic assholes rule over them. No...they are gonna fight.

Journal 5 Monkey Dance and Laotian Daughters

In the film monkey dance, there were teenagers who were acculturating to America. One of them was a gymnast, another liked to hangout with friends a lot, and another worked and liked to stay out late. The acculturation seemed to let these people create their own identity, which can sometimes conflict with their parents’ traditional side. I am guessing the teenagers were second generation so they would be more into American lifestyle than their parents. I think the resistance comes from them wanting to create their own identity, and that requires them to step out of the traditional side to explore more of what the world has. They are taking a stand to develop their own lives. The gymnast was doing some breaking in his routine. Breaking is part of hip hop culture, which is all about freestyle and expressing your own self. I think the monkey dance is a way for these teenagers to express their traditional and personal self. It’s their own dance.

The chapter talked about the Laotian community and their youth. The model minority myth makes it seem like the API community is only interested in math or science studies. They were not considered to be political activists at all. The APEN group was trying to challenge this and take political action to get a better representation of the API community and get their views into the system. They did door to door knocking to get people to sign their petition against proposition 227, which stops bilingual education. They wanted multilingual education and better school counseling. I think good school counseling is really important for academic success. It can provide motivation and academic support to help the student keep going in school, and it can be a place for advice and seeing other perspectives. I think this all contributes to better mental health. I think the activism allowed the Laotian community to gain a stronger identity in America.

Power of the youth. Bindi V. Shah

In the reading written by Bindi V. Shah, we hear about the political complications and neglected treatment of Laotian people. But more importantly, we hear about how some young women attempt to challenge the conditions and call for better conditions. It is interesting how much emphasis this article has on the children of immigrants, those who are second and third generations more specifically. Those children are in a unique position where they act as a bridge between the two cultures: their parents native culture and the culture of the place they immigrated to. Often immigrants attempt to assimilate into the immigrated culture to help better their ability to function a different society. Although not as apparent in today’s culture, conditions such as education and politics indirectly forced immigrants to accept American culture. Those who did not were often at a disadvantage in many aspects and treated differently than those that adhere to the current culture. The children can experience aspects of both cultures and are usually not limited to cultural barriers such as language and understanding. They have a unique choice to completely assimilate, hold on to their roots, or forge a hybridity of the culture. In the text, the girls attempt to oppose authority and systems. These girls are attempting to build a transnational identity. Through the organizations stated in the article, communities can form that allow for students to bring their own cultural identity to attention and cross cultures with other. The children are able to use their cultural identity and oppose the hegemony many immigrants are left with.