The reason why the world will not become cosmopolitan and peaceful, but really just Westernized.

          In Cosmopolitanism, Appiah seems to develop a main idea that revolves around the need not for understanding, but for dialogue. In other words, he believes that maintaining peace in a globalized world depends not on the unification of cultures or on their subjugation to one supreme culture, but actually on the simple existence of dialogue between cultures. In theory, it should lead to understanding and peace. However, history tells us a different story. In many cases, societies are molded by ideologies that include warfare and the destruction of the enemies of this ideology. Nowadays, this can obviously be linked to Islamic extremists that seek the destruction of the USA. However, Western culture itself is also to blame, perhaps more so than any other. Consider, for instance, laws considered almost “evil” by most Westerners, such as the sharia law that was in place during Taliban government in Afghanistan around the turn of the century. History gives us examples that range the human sacrifice traditions of Pre-Colombian American peoples to the massive military expansion process by Muslims in the beginnings of Islam and the tradition of female genital mutilation in Africa. Dialogue, in these cases, cannot suffice not because of the existence of such cultures and their practices, but because in other part of the globe reigns the Western Judeo-Christian tradition. While some Africans may not consider a woman a true mother unless her genitals were mutilated, Europeans and Americans immediately recognize the tradition as a most serious breach of human and women’s rights that demands some sort of intervention. From our (Western) point of view, they are being submitted to terrible atrocities, but they believe it is necessary. Although at first, dialogue may lead to toleration of these differences; the fact that Western culture considers those who fail to intervene against a crime guilty themselves leads to the need to do something about it. As a result, NGOs create campaigns with the sole purpose of “teaching those poor Africans what is good for them.” Campaigns become national interest, national interest becomes UN rules. UN rules makes those African families who practice female genital mutilation criminals. And these so called criminals, most importantly, eventually want to fight back. Perhaps not in the near future for most of them, but this is indeed another focus of hate against the West waiting to explode. In the long run, however, Western culture is likely to dominate all others, effectively destroying such issues forever. For now, different theories exist that try to predict which culture shall dominate in the 21st century and beyond. 

          In The Global Soul, Pico Iyer describes a new global citizen that formed as a direct result of globalization, an individual that will not cause conflict between cultures because he is used to more than one of them. However, he fails to consider the fact that globalization is more likely to create “global citizens” with Western values than true “global souls” willing to accept even the darkest characteristics of every society. Globalization, one must not forget, is a process dominated by the West and its culture. It may even be considered the spread of Western culture. Of course, if it suddenly changes due to the influence of non-Western societies, the emergence of Iyer’s “global soul” would be more likely. Unfortunately, as of today; globalization is not forming global souls that respect all cultures, but in fact global citizens that were born in Asia, studied in Europe, live in the USA and despise genital mutilation and sharia law traditions that have shaped North African and Southeast Asian societies. Henry David Thoreau, a great American philosopher from the 19th century, is known to oppose the traditional Western way of life and its most important characteristics, such as a culture of infinite consumption, mentioning that "A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind." He also mentions a certain quest for happiness, wanting to "live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life". In other words, he defends those who wish to run away from society. Unfortunately, the modern world has rendered such a lifestyle, although idealized by the movie Lost in the Wild, in fact outdated. In a world of interconnectedness leading to end of cultural differences in favor of Western culture, escaping is the wrong choice, as one has no chance of success. Eventually, despite all the disadvantages of modern society, it manages to reach even the most remote locations, transforming such adventurers into mere homeless people.

Globalization is not about this:

 

but really about this:

 

          Meanwhile, Planetary Culture by Gary Snyder seems to defend the idea that all cultures are “illuminated”, having a righteous place in this world, and compares their qualities to the destiny that awaits them due to the expansion of Western culture in the modern era. He goes as far as saying he could “imagine further virtues in a world sponsoring societies with matrilineal descent, free-form marriage, “natural credit” economics, far less population, and much more wilderness.” Although I agree with him on the population and wilderness issues, it is my belief that he is wrong to assume such a world would be beneficial to humanity. The societies described by him are about to become extinct for a reason, and that is the superiority of Western societies. Now, I am not referring to the supposed superiority of Western values, but to the actual military and economic superiority of the West itself. The time period where such “natural societies” can exist is about to end. Humanity should save the good values they have, while abandoning their problems, instead of complaining about their end. It is inevitable.

Genocide in the modern era - Is the West responsible?

     The term genocide was first used by Raphael Lemkin in the 1944 book Axis Rule in Occupied Europe. Lemkin was a Polish Jew who managed to reach the United States in 1942. Although at the time, the Holocaust was considered by most to be the only known genocide, by 2013 the existence of many other cases has become known, including the modern Darfur genocide, Rwanda and the former Bosnia in the 1990s, Cambodia in the 1970s and the Ukrainian famine perpetrated by Stalin in 1932-33. Not surprisingly, the Western and American forces who claim to be the leaders of the international community failed to act effectively to prevent genocide on all of these occasions.

     Although one might argue that Western forces have no duty to intervene in the actions of problematic third world countries, one can easily trace the causes of genocide in the third world back to colonial times, when artificial borders were created and the possibility of tension between ethnic groups after independence and of independence, for that matter, were considered completely irrelevant as preventing future problems represented no benefit for Western powers. However, today these same nations argue for a “stable” world, apparently without realizing they are the ones who destabilized it. As long as Western and P5 leaders do not realize the importance of their nations on the global stage and the consequences of its actions, genocide will continue to happen.

Among recent genocides, the slaughter of 100,000 Mayan Native Americans in Guatemala during the Reagan administration surprised me due to direct involvement of the American government.

     Recently, I learned that doing nothing in face of another human being’s suffering is denominated “bystanding”, a term usually associated to incidents between citizens. However, it is my belief that this term can also be applied to nation-states, especially to the Western powers who failed to act in so many cases. Some will argue, of course, that I as an individual person should try to do something to prevent and stop genocides in the 21^st century. Considering my power today as a 15 year-old student, however, I do believe bystanding is, in my case, justified. While I alone am almost irrelevant, the leaders of Western powers and P5 nations are not. Theoretically, I could perhaps convince a maximum of fifty Brazilian students, teenagers, to fly to Sudan and try to stop the genocide in Darfur. Barack Obama, on the other hand, could send in the US Marines. If he used special forces to topple the regime in North Sudan, casualties would be kept to a minimum, while my 50 teenagers would be almost inevitably captured and executed or traded for ransom. The individual human being cannot be expected to act and effectively prevent or stop crimes occurring on another continent. In my case, the chances of success are so low that it is simply not worth a shot.

     The following image is the entrance of the Nazi extermination camp of Auschwitz, one of the most famous sites where genocide was committed by the SS.

     

     I believe that the average citizen, Western or otherwise, does not have the duty to intervene in order to prevent or stop genocide in nations other than the one where he lives. However, it is my belief that Western and P5 governments have indeed the duty to intervene, even though intervention will likely always involve breaching the sovereignty of another state. As the former Imperialist ambitions of the West created genocide, now the West must do all that it can in order to prevent such crimes.

The Rwandan genocide, when Western powers failed to intervene once again.

     However, each and every human being does have the duty to prevent and stop genocide, or at least try, when it occurs in one's homeland or when one perceives the chance to successfully intervene. Although the majority of individuals who did not intervene in the past did so because of fear, it is fear that allows genocide to be committed. When the population fears the government, the government is able to do whatever it wants, including all sorts of crimes against humanity.

IB and Career Orientation

Although career orientation classes have not revealed anything new about my interests, they have shown me much more about myself than I could possibly know. I am a person of numbers and logic, and having my personality determined by a test was especially interesting. My IB program guiding, however, has been up to this point mostly irrelevant. Take the opinion survey we recently took in class, for instance. It included all the courses that the school could possibly consider offering if we demonstrated interest. Honestly, I would like all those courses to be offered, which resulted in me writing too many neutral scores for them and not actually choosing my favorites, apart from Physics HL and Chemistry HL, the latter of which is extremely unlikely to become part of the ISC curriculum considering the lack of interest from my peers and the widespread fear of failure in my class. Hopefully the school will get back to us soon with more concise choices and actual guidance. I do not feel particularly ready for the IB, but I believe it cannot be much harder than Sophomore year. All I have to do is work hard.

 While the results of my Holland codes and Meyer-Briggs indicators did not surprise me at all, as the exact sciences have been my area of interest ever since I can remember; the results showed me a great number of majors not closely related to this field but that should still satisfy my personality, giving me a wider range of ideas to choose from. However, I am very unlikely to choose another area, as not only do I prefer Mathematics and Science; I am actually better in these areas. Meyer-Briggs, by the way, was a method initially developed by Swiss psychotherapist Carl Jung, considered the founder of analytical psychology.

I am a little worried by the fact my personality tests seem to indicate my best occupation would be working as some sort of computer programmer or physicist/mathematician for a big company or a university. Although I can imagine myself being really happy as a scientist of some kind, I would prefer a career that has some real power. From politics to education, I witness incompetence on a daily basis in Brazil. It is my belief that I should actually try to improve my country and, if possible; the world in some way; not simply spend my life working in some lab or office, even if the work results in a Nobel Prize. Still, I am excited by the fact the surveys have confirmed my preference for the exact sciences. Math and science might not be the areas most global leaders come from, but they are my favorites and I am quite sure I will be happy if I choose a career in this area.

In order to actually put what I have learned this semester in practice, I believe I will actually have to dedicate some of my time towards developing an effective online image and associating it with my areas of interest now, not after I finish high school. Honestly, I find it hard to connect myself to the scientific community before actually joining it, especially considering I am not some kind of computer genius who has been developing apps since he was 12. However, I believe I will be able to achieve my current goals because sooner or later, an opportunity to develop something meaningful will show up. All I need to do is prepare for it. Moreover, if others have become student-scientists during high school before, I can certainly do the same. Dedication is key.

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about.me

Response to Seattle Boycott Article

     Although I am aware of the necessity of testing students, I believe MAP tests are perhaps one of the greatest examples of money wasting I have ever seen. They are simply completely useless. I recall that last time I took them, I believe only seven or eight students actually did their best out of a class of about twenty. Not everyone is willing to spend their time doing a test that has no influence on their lives or grades whatsoever. Why work for 50 minutes on a test when you can click 50 answers in five minutes and do whatever you want for the other 45?

     I am no expert at this matter, but I believe students, teachers and schools will be better served by an annual student report, which may or may not include an electronic portfolio with links, videos and all the rest. In my opinion, an English essay, a math project or test, a science project and something from history would suffice. I am well aware that these cannot be turned into numbers as easily, as that is the exact reason I chose them. If someone wishes to check the efficiency of a school and its teachers or the quality of a student, they may as well take the time to look at the damn stuff. Numbers cannot define a person, especially when they are wrong. According to http://conceptualmath.org/misc/MAPtest.htm, MAP tests are rotten to the core, and can be so inaccurate as to say a student is one year below the standard while a student from the same class is one year above, that being the change in scores from one semester to the next. The website includes very well explained mathematical evidence. Right now, I feel bad for the students whose needs are identified according to these tests.

     Being aware of the terrible problem MAP tests have become, I am now both worried and sure there are similar problems involving the higher level of standardized testing: SATs. According to http://hypertextbook.com/eworld/sat.shtml and http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N44/sat.html, SAT scores are no more useful than a pair of dice when trying to determine a High School student’s level of achievement as a college student. And the fact that the very same scores are used to determine the quality of a college only worsens the situation, creating a cycle of ignorant selection that ultimately results in colleges choosing not the best students, but the best test-takers.

     I have to say I admire the courage of the Garfield High School teachers, who have put their jobs on the line in an attempt to ensure a better future. However, I think they are unlikely to succeed on their own. To ensure the end of useless testing, which has become quite a problem in America, especially for teachers, action on a larger scale would be necessary. Although they have received extensive support, it looks like not many people are willing to join them. The boycott may be spreading according to the blog Process of Living, written by history teacher William J. Tolley, but will it spread fast enough to survive when the Garfield teachers lose their jobs?

     Although the Seattle boycott focuses exclusively on the testing aspect of education, anyone with half a brain is able to realize that the severe changes that have impacted the world in the last couple decades should be accompanied by changes in education, unless our generation is willing to let completely unprepared kids meet certain failure due to decaying education methods. Knowing several teachers who have already begun to move away from traditional methods, I am sure this change is not an option, but really a necessity.  Here is Sir Ken Robinson on one of the reasons why:

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

                                                                                                                        Eduardo Berg

Reflection Post #2

Although I understand the basics of how to get accepted into college, and I know what are some of the top US colleges in my area of interests, I still have a hard time deciding what to do if I fail to get in, in which case I’d have to decide between the best Brazilian colleges and some other American schools, which I know very little about. If I get accepted into the colleges I plan on aiming for, I probably will face some of the hardest academic challenges of my life, and thanks to IB Prep and AL classes I already know some strategies that will help me succeed.

The interview tips presented to us last class will probably be very useful, and so will be the list of most common questions. Although I can speak about subjects that I know well, the idea of being bombarded with questions designed to result in mistakes and humiliation makes me feel completely unprepared. I simply have no idea how to answers the most random questions and have to think for several minutes, if not hours, to answer some of the most complicated common ones, especially those that ask about my previous achievements. I don’t think I have any great achievements to talk about, but I also want to go to college in order to achieve great things in life, so it’s a complicated situation. I need to find out how balanced does the “perfect college student” has to be; should I work hard to be seen as a mountain of potential or should I focus on creating an impressive curriculum before college? After all, before discussing college interviews I never really thought about making recruiters impressed with my achievements, assuming that grades were enough. My grades are not even that good, which is why I need to focus on SAT for now, and obviously, on the IB exams later.

Up to this point, although I am not sure about how being an “aware Academic Leader” will help me with interviews, I am well aware of the fact this class will help me a lot in the process of being accepted by making be a better and more impressive student in general. Knowing how to work with and lead a group will benefit me not only in college, but also during my entire life, and colleges know that.

The aspect of applying to college that seems the most complicated to me is looking like an interesting and diverse student, instead of just some guy with good grades. Right now, I am lacking in extra-curricular activities, except for sports, and this is probably the area I should focus on for the next couple years, second only to standardized tests. The Academic Leadership individual project will hopefully be one of my biggest allies in the process of looking more interesting to colleges and interviewers. Also, because I plan on making a project based on Physics, Engineering, or Science in general, I will probably have an advantage when applying to Science-focused institutions.

Eduardo Berg – Academic Leadership Journal Entry 1

"Political language -- and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists -- is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." ― George Orwell

"In our first two weeks, you have read several articles, seen several videos and been engaged in several discussions related to the concept of academic leadership. At this point, and in your own words, what does the concept mean to you? What subjects or interests do you have a sophisticated, intellectual understanding of that you may want to turn into a major academic project in this class? How do people sometimes abuse academic knowledge to manipulate others? How would you feel if someone used your work to manipulate others (as Jared Diamond claims Mitt Romney has)? How can creating academically sophisticated, intellectual leaders help prevent such people from taking advantage of others the way they do? How can this create a stronger democratic society?”

I believe academic leadership is about having the abilities necessary to ensure the effectiveness of a group, which may or may not be involved in traditional academic activities. Abilities acquired in this course will be useful throughout our lives, not just during school and university. In fact, I believe they will be more useful outside of school and universities. For my AL project, I am seriously considering writing about Physics or science in general, its benefits and dangers, how science has shaped the last century and how it will shape the 21^st century.

Academic knowledge can, and usually is, easily abused to manipulate others and occasionally justify one’s actions, including lies and murder. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, for instance, can be used to “justify” racism, the extinction of species, world hunger and poverty, and the killing of innocents. This is quite an extreme example, though, while many other academic concepts can be found in use by politicians to gain the support of a certain audience. Mitt Romney, for instance, clearly tweaks Jared Diamond’s ideas to gain votes from people who feel, consciously or unconsciously, that there is something “special” and superior about the US and Western culture in general. Israel, another example he uses, is widely known as an “advanced outpost of the West”, whose success was possible only because of Western support. After all, it was the Western nations that deliberately went to the Middle-East and secured an 800x200 km piece of land for the Jews a Western nation had blamed for its defeat in war and economics. Jared Diamond, a highly educated man, was probably very much offended by Romney’s misuse of his theory. Diamond dedicated several years of his life to find scientific explanations for European dominance that are more accurate than the once traditional excuses that involve culture, religion, or even only exploitation. Romney managed to say that Diamond’s theory states the exact opposite: The idea that Western culture is superior, and that “culture makes all the difference”. For such reasons, I agree with Diamond when he says Romney has not read his book(s). Because if Romney has read them, then he is either a liar or simply incapable of understanding a theory that uses more than one factor to explain an event. If I were American, I would be worried.

By creating a new generation of academically sophisticated leaders, the number of politicians and other leaders that consider academic knowledge merely an instrument would certainly decrease, because they would be familiar with concepts such as plagiarism and would have a better understanding of honor and respect for others’ work. Moreover, they would be smart enough not to say something that presents them to intellectuals around the world as not smart enough to be a leader. They would know that true leaders do not deceive their followers, and we would see politicians comparing ideas instead of simply attacking each other and evading questions when attacked. With more such leaders, they would also know the importance of investing in education, which would lead to the improvement of society as a whole. There would also be no place for corruption or tyranny in such an educated society.