Craftivism= Craft + Activism This quilt was created by the students of the First Year Seminar Craftivism class as an exercise to introduce them to practicing craftivism. Each student was given the opportunity and freedom to create a quilt square however they wish. Their artistic expression could be something abstract, personal, or political. Craftivism can perhaps be best described by the Craftivism Manifesto, as found on craftivism.com and in part on three of the corners of this quilt.
James Baldwin essentially confronts Americans with their history in I Am Not Your Negro by giving a clear view of the racial problem between white and black people. I think this film is so important because it portrays Baldwin’s work in a visual and audible way so that Americans can more easily grasp the facts that need to be faced in order for the racial problem to change. The quote from Baldwin most striking to me is “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Facing the demons that still haunt this nation is what will ignite the necessary flame of change.
I believe that the work of Baldwin strongly resonates with the state of the world today, in 2020, with the Black Lives Matter movement and political divide. Implicit racism has always existed in America from its roots of slavery, but it became extremely amplified in 2020 after George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer. The Black Lives Matter movement emerged from the buildup of injustice, racism, and rage that America has taught black people to silence and suppress inside of them; this relates to the time of Baldwin’s life in the 1950’s and 1960’s, during the Civil Rights Movement. Baldwin’s incorporation of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evans provides Americans with strong models of how change can be enforced. With their leadership and dedication during protests and rallies, they sparked the nation with passion that will forever be remembered as it demanded equality for all and acknowledgement of racism. Because all three of them were murdered, I believe that Baldwin wanted to convey how the racism in America overpowered their efforts— the very thing they were fighting for fought back harder—, further identifying how great of a change needs to be made to solve this problem: “I still believe that we can do with this country something that has not been done before…You need passion. And this is proven by the history of the world.” I think that if Baldwin was alive today, he would argue that America is taking a step in the right direction with the Black Lives Matter movement; it sheds light on the issues that have been ignored and suppressed for hundreds of years, but work still needs to be done until every white, American citizen can realize their privileges and prejudices that stem from their past.
I think that if Baldwin was alive today, he would argue that America is taking a step in the right direction with the Black Lives Matter movement; it sheds light on the issues that have been ignored and suppressed for hundreds of years, but work still needs to be done until every white, American citizen can realize their privileges and prejudices that stem from the past.
Something significant I learned from Baldwin while watching the film was how white people invented the “negro” because they needed them (for the slave labor that built America) and now white people want to neglect them and deny their rights as a human (with segregation and inequality). Baldwin poses this to conclude how change will not occur until racist Americans question themselves why the “negro” was invented in the first place. The title I Am Not Your Negro aligns with Baldwin’s argument that he is denied his identity as a human man when called a “negro,” implying that he has not only faced and but also rejected this invention that the white man coined solely to divide. In a hopeful light, he suggests that America must form a new identity of needing each other; denying anyone participation in this new identity will cease the progression of equality. I think that when white people can stop placing distinctions upon black people, internally denying them their right to be human just the same as them, is how the change can occur that James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Medgar Evans, and countless other Americans fought for. The fight will continue on in the future as the younger generation is being exposed to and joining the Black Lives Matter movement; the demons are finally being faced and Baldwin’s message is rightfully being spread.
For my research project piece I decided to make a zine. I felt this would be the best way to reach my target audience, which is middle school and/or highschool students as well as their counselors and parents. Each page of my zine is a basic introduction meant to be representational of an entire lesson encompassing the main topics you would find in a comprehensive sex ed course. I used bright colors, eye catching graphics, and affirming language to be sure to give the reader an informative and positive experience with a topic that can sometimes be seen as taboo or is met with resistance.
Epicureanism Through a Feminist and Indigenous Lens
by Kara Sutton
Many philosophers and stoics hold similar outlooks on the ideologies of life, but when comparing ancient philosophies to some of the ideas and movements of today, these cultural standards can be very different. Modern-day feminism presents itself in many ways, and through a feminist lens, epicurean concepts are significant, and contradictory. Through viewing the epicurean philosophy and comparing these ideas to those of a modern-day, indigenous feminist, evolution of the human population, philosophies, and our modern-day society are apparent.
through a feminist lens, epicurean concepts are significant, and contradictory.
First, the epicurean philosophy, also commonly referred to as Epicureanism, is centered around living life in moderation, and avoiding engaging in hedonistic practices; this movement was started by ancient philosopher, Epicurus. Epicurus lived through 341-271 BCE, just after the Golden Age of Philosophy, and was born on an island called Samos, in Greece (Green et al. 355). Epicurus was a student under another Grecian philosopher, Nausiphanes, who taught him the works of Democritus and many others; it is believed that after Epicurus finished his studies under Nausiphanes he moved and became a teacher in Lampascus (“Epicurus”). He taught individuals of all backgrounds, and even taught women, which in this time, was a very controversial move.
Moreover, the epicurean philosophy is also described by Epicurus as “the removal of all pain… and he holds pain of the mind e.g., anguish and fear, to be worse than physical pain” (Green et at. 355). This Epicurean idea goes against many other stoics, for the simple fact that he believes that individuals should not suffer or deal with pain, whereas many other stoics believe that pain should be endured. This means that while Epicurus appreciates a life lived without hedonistic behavior and values, the only real way to be truly happy and satisfied with life is to be without pain, implying that living without pain means living in harmony and satisfaction. While this is true, his philosophy is very materialistic in nature; this is very interesting, because Epicurus makes points in his “Letter to Menoeceus, on Happiness” to address the idea that materialism and hedonism have the potential to coexist due to overwhelming desire, but that individuals have to draw the line between necessary and unnecessary desires (Green et al. 358). Additionally, one of Epicurus’ highest held values is friendship. He believed that friendship was a catalyst for a happy and fulfilling life, without pain, but pleasure (“Epicurus”). He explained that friendship is a natural and necessary desire, and without friendship, “we are pained because of the absence of pleasure [not sexual pleasure]” (Green et al. 358). This quote truly shows the significance and value that friendship holds in Epicurus’ eyes.
While Epicurus advocated for strong relationships and positive experiences, he would often advocate against speaking about political issues regarding these topics, and involvement in politics in general, because he believed that politics can be especially harmful (Pascale). While there is no outlined political theory, it is believed that Epicurus would withdraw from politics and advise others to do the same.
On the other hand, although Epicurus did accept and teach female students, which can technically be considered a feminist practice, because he advocated for the education of women and supported the idea that women should be taught in the same ways as men, this does not imply that he would’ve been an early feminist. It can be assumed that Epicurus’ strong dislike for politics is, in turn, an anti-feminist practice, since a large aspect of feminism is involvement in politics, which would also disqualify him from being an ancient feminist philosopher.
the idea that women should be taught in the same ways as men does not imply that he would’ve been an early feminist.
Through a feminist view, Epicurus holds important values, until, as previously mentioned, it comes to politics. Feminism is a movement based on the advocacy for equal rights and opportunity for women in the workplace, politics, societal ranking/classification; another important aspect is the fight to be recognized and held to the same standards as male-counterparts, rather than being seen as inferior. A large part of the feminist movement is involvement in politics, therefore, with Epicurus’ standards in mind, the feminist agenda is not supported. It is a bit difficult to compare the ideas of feminism to those of Epicurus because these ideologies are centered around different factors; the only element that is comparable are the viewpoints of both parties on politics.
On another note, the ideals that Epicurus held are somewhat similar to that of Cherokee beliefs. The Cherokee believe that a good life is achieved when one reaches a balanced and harmonious life, all while respecting nature. Not only are these aspects important, but another imperative idea is the idea of friendship and strong relationships within a community. Additionally, the Cherokee believe that having a strong spiritual connection is an important factor in having a satisfactory life. This is also a belief that Epicurus holds. Epicurus states that “the greatest evils happen to the wicked and the greatest blessings happen to the good from the hand of the gods” implying that those who believe in and worship a god/gods, are destined for good things because they put kindness/goodness into the universe (Green et al. 357).
The Cherokee believe that a good life is achieved when one reaches a balanced and harmonious life, all while respecting nature.
Overall, the ideas represented through the epicurean philosophy are difficult to compare to those of modern-day feminism, and there isn’t any true overlap aside from the idea that women and men should be educated in the same way, but there imperative contradictory viewpoints. On the other hand, Epicurus and indigenous individuals belonging to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians share similar viewpoints in terms of friendship and spirituality. Through examining the epicurean philosophy through these complex lenses, we can see that there are similarities in cultural values today, as well as differences.
Works Consulted
“Children’s Web Magazine… Entertaining , Educational, Fun,Informative and MORE.” Political Philosophy: Epicurus, www.kingsnews.org/articles/political-philosophy-epicurus.
CRESPO, HIRAM. “An EPICUREAN GUIDE to Living More Pleasantly in Times of Coronavirus.” Humanist, vol. 80, no. 3, May 2020, pp. 22–24. EBSCOhost, 0-search.ebscohost.com.wncln.wncln.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=143605447&site=ehost-live.
“Epicurus.” Famous Philosophers, www.famousphilosophers.org/epicurus/.
Green, Keith, et al. “Epicurus.” The Asheville Reader: The Ancient World. Asheville: Copely Custom Publishing Group, 2004. 355-359.
Zinkin, Melissa. “Two Kinds of Feminist Philosophy.” Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 99, no. 2, June 2018, pp. 207–227. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/papq.12163.
The debate over gun control is not a new argument. For many years, there have been those who support and those who oppose gun control. What has reignited the debate in the past was the increase in mass shootings over the past few decades. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence reports that “on average, 32 Americans are murdered with guns every day.” (Lunceford, 2015) Mass shootings and other violent acts of this nature, fuel anger and distress, pushing many to question the need for firearms in our society, while others see these incidents as a reason to remain armed.
The political scenario in Brazil has been unstable and unusual for a couple of years now, and it has impacted the population in a major way. Former Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, member of the Worker’s Party, who served from 2003 to 2010 was convicted on charges of money laundering and corruption and was arrested in April of 2018. Da Silva attempted to run in the 2018 presidential election, which brought more chaos to the country and made many Brazilians furious, but he was disqualified under Brazil’s Clean State Law. Da Silva was succeeded by Dilma Rousseff, who was from the same party. After finding her guilty of breaking Brazil’s budget laws, Rousseff was impeached in August of 2016, and the vice-president at the time, Michel Temer, took office temporarily until the end of the term. In her last speech as president, she tried to defend herself against supposed falsa allegations. She said, “I do not have bank accounts abroad; I never received bribes; I have never condoned corruption” (Lopes 2). According to Lopes, “Rousseff appeared to believe that a ruler’s actions cannot be challenged as long as he or she rose to power through popular support” (2).
These events made the Brazilian population rethink about who should govern the country and if a major change was needed, which lead to the election of Jair Bolsonaro in the 2018 elections, who has “consistently and openly promoted a racist, homophobic, misogynist discourse in which he has argued in favor of torture and dictatorship and expressed a strong hostility to human rights” (Castro 1). Many questions arose after the far-right congressman and former army captain was elected, but most of them were related to one central question, why did Bolsonaro’s supporters vote for him? After conducting field research on a variety of ages and backgrounds in the run-up to the first round of voting in the presidential elections in early October 2018, Castro stated that “Bolsonaro’s supporters want change-and not just a change of political parties, but a change to the entire system in Brazil” (3).
Many people describe Bolsonaro as fascist and neo-Nazi, as well as a threat to democracy. One example of how Bolsonaro’s actions might go against democratic views was the situation with American journalist Glenn Greenwald. Greenwald was charged with cybercrimes for unearthing messages from the government, “accusing him not just of publicizing the information, but of taking part in a “criminal organization” that hacked into the cellphones of several prosecutors” (Londono and Casado), and people doubted if Bolsonaro was involved in this decision. Londono and Casado say that “Mr. Bolsonaro’s office declined to say whether the president or his aides were consulted about the decision to charge Mr. Greenwald” (“Gleen Greenwald in Bolsonaro’s Brazil: ‘I Trigger a Lot of Their Primal Rage”), but according to Rodrigo Maia, the center-right Speaker of the House, the case was a threat against freedom of the press. He said, “Without a free press there is no democracy” (Londono and Casado).
During times of instability, we can see an increase in demagoguery, or practices that seek support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people, rather than by using rational argument. This concept was seen a lot during the 2018 Brazilian elections, and it can still be seen to this day in Brazilian politics. To analyze how people use demagoguery when talking about politics in Brazil, and more specifically when mentioning the name of Jair Bolsonaro, I will use the concept of binary thinking, explained in the book Demagoguery and Democracy by Roberts-Miller, where we see people with the same views as us as good, and people with different ideas as evil. I will also use the concept of charismatic leadership, where followers blindly believe the leader’s statements. Additionally, I will use Lloyd Bitzer’s idea of the rhetorical situation, or propitious moment for action to explain how it positively affected Bolsonaro’s election, and how he used a moment of crisis to gain more followers and support from the people. Lastly, I will employ Rhetoric by Aristotle to analyze how some of the rhetorical techniques helped Bolsonaro in his run for the presidency. Specifically, I will use ethos to explain how Bolsonaro’s character and background influenced his popularity in the 2018 elections.
During times of instability, we can see an increase in demagoguery, or practices that seek support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people, rather than by using rational argument.
Mr. Bolsonaro has not been receiving good feedback since he assumed the presidency. After showing “opposition to the system and corruption” (Castro 2), referring to the previous government, he was accused of criminal conduct by his minister. According to Londono, Casado, and Andreoni, “President Jair Bolsonaro was already struggling to govern effectively when his star minister resigned and accused him of criminal conduct” (“A Perfect Storm in Brazil as Troubles Multiply for Bolsonaro”). Even after all the claims that he has made related to fascism and the struggle to govern the country, there are still people who support him. Lago and Orofino say “the truth is more disturbing: Mr. Bolsonaro knows what he’s doing” (“Bolsonaro Is Bizarre. But He Knows What He’s Doing”), a couple of lines after saying “Far from taking control, Mr. Bolsonaro has reveled in chaos” (“Bolsonaro Is Bizarre. But He Knows What He’s Doing”). This is an example of charismatic leadership, which “satisfies our desire to be part of something bigger, and, paradoxically, to hand all power over to someone else can make us feel more powerful because we think that person is the best version of ourselves” (Roberts-Miller 59). Here, the authors “blindly believe the leader’s statements” (Roberts-Miller 58), and “his followers are his eyes, ears and teeth” (Lago and Orofino ), meaning that no matter how absurd Bolsonaro’s statements are, his followers will support him because they have as much difficulty admitting flaws or errors on the leader’s part as they do on their own (Roberts-Miller 59).
Mr. Bolsonaro needed a strategy to gain popularity before the 2018 elections, as well as to make people put aside what he has said and done in the past. He used the demagoguery strategy of binary thinking, where “actions are either good or bad, rather than lying somewhere on a range” (Roberts-Miller 54). Castro said that “According to many of his supporters, Brazil faced a choice in the election between God and the devil. For them, the choice was between good and evil, dark and light, shadow and sunshine” (4). Bolsonaro did this by attacking his rivals, and “the violence of his words has been matched by his body language: his main campaign symbol, which went viral in social media, was to cock his fingers like a gun with which to shoot his political enemies” (Castro 1). Referring to his enemies as evil or bad wasn’t enough to keep Bolsonaro’s popularity high; he needed to silence another important mean of communication, the media. He has said several times that the Brazilian population should not rely on “traditional media outlets to get information, because they don’t have anything good to say about Brazil” (Barbara). Instead, the population should only watch his live broadcast, where according to Mr. Bolsonaro, “there is no misrepresentation, you get the news straight, as it is supposed to be given” (Barbara). This strategy is used by Mr. Bolsonaro to prevent people from getting negative information about him and to take control of the news.
Favelas in Rio, from CatComm, Rio favela facts,
He was able to use the concept of binary thinking because of the poor political situation that Brazil was going through at the time, and the events involving members of the opposed party, such as the imprisonment of former president Luiz Inacio Da Silva and the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, gave him a reason to attack them, as well as a response that fitted the situation. In this case, the response related the former government to the devil and him to God, who would save Brazil from the horrible situation it was going through. This concept of a propitious moment for action is called Kairos in rhetoric, and it “invites a fitting response, a response that fits the situation” (Bitzer 10), which was used effectively by Mr. Bolsonaro in his political campaign.
Mr. Bolsonaro relied heavily on the rhetoric ethos, where “persuasion is achieved by the speaker’s personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think him credible” (Aristotle I. II). His campaign “drew heavily on religious imagery, socially exclusionary rhetoric, and a strong nationalist ethos, exemplified by his slogan: My party is Brazil” (Castro 1). Although these strategies helped him to gain votes in the election, it has caused thousands of deaths during the pandemic that we currently face. Londono stated that “Mr. Bolsonaro’s cavalier handling of the pandemic has contributed to a national response that public health experts regard as one of the worst in the world” (“Brazil’s Bolsonaro, Leading Virus Skeptic, Says He’s No Longer Infected”). By trying to maintain this image of a strong guy, who has served in the army and is not scared of anything, “he sabotaged quarantine measures imposed by governors by attending rallies, shaking hands in public, and urging Brazilians to continue working” (Londono), which made the virus spread quickly.
Although these strategies helped him to gain votes in the election, it has caused thousands of deaths during the pandemic that we currently face.
We can notice from the examples above that demagoguery is a useful tool in politics, especially in political campaigns where a candidate is trying to deteriorate the image of his or her competitors. The less information people have about demagoguery, the easier it is to persuade them by exploring emotions and ignorance, and that is why it is important to know how to recognize demagoguery in someone’s speech and propose an alternative to this problem. The best thing you can do to not fall into this trap and recognize when demagoguery is present, including in politicians’ speeches, is “you might choose to argue with family, friends, or random people who are repeating demagogic talking points” (Roberts-Miller 101). To do that, it is important to get familiar with fallacious arguments, because being able to name a fallacy in an argument is very helpful (Roberts-Miller 109).
In the world of politics, you should be able to recognize when the fallacy “false dilemma” is being used. This happens when there is a “limited number of options, generally forcing one’s hand by forcing one to choose the option he or she wants” Roberts-Miller 112). This was seen in the 2018 Brazilian elections when Mr. Bolsonaro stated that the population has to change the political party that is running the country, otherwise they will never see any improvements. Another fallacy you should know is “straw man,” which means dumbing down the opposition argument, where a rhetor is responding to arguments their opponent never made (Roberts-Miller 119). Mr. Bolsonaro did this when he used the imprisonment of former president Luiz Inacio Da Silva to argue that all politicians from the same party as him are corrupts and thieves, so people should not vote for them.
Events involving politicians from the workers’ party caused hopelessness in the Brazilian population, and that made people desperate, which caused the increase in demagoguery and the rise of a controversial candidate who used the situation in his favor. To avoid a similar situation in the future, people should start to argue with others who are using demagogic talking points, as well as being able to distinguish between good and bad arguments, where you will face a variety of fallacies that you should be able to recognize and discuss. This is important not only in politics but in all aspects of life. You will face arguments that shifts the stasis to group identity and that labels you as an out-group member when discussing issues such as climate change, gun control, immigration, and even the pandemic that we all currently face with the COVID-19, to name a few, so we must start to reveal which arguments are reasonable and valid, and which ones are based on demagogic talking points, which should be automatically rejected.
Click image for link to website. A picture of a mom with a sign that says “Moms demand protect kids, not guns” Schumacher, Elizabeth. Gun Control Protests across the US Demand Action from Congress, 2019
