Stuff

I was actually a little surprised by what I found I had. In my mind I always visualize the possessions that are most important to me as my only possessions. If I were asked randomly on the street what I owned I would immediately list possessions such as my skis and gear, as well as my laptop and other toys. I might even mention some of my bigger “toys” that I left at home. In reality there are a lot of necessities to comfortable modern life that make up almost half of my junk in my room. Laundry detergent and silverware for example are objects that I rarely think of although frequently use (no I don’t rank my social class by the number of dinner guests I can host in my dorm room.) Another thing that surprised my was that I had forgotten about my meds, Excedrin and Sudafed. I take both regularly to prevent effort migraines. They are an absolutely crucial part of my life. However I hadn’t even considered listing them until after class today. I guess people really define themselves on a group of possessions vital to their image. I base my self on ski gear and colonists defined themselves relative to their fork supply.

Macbook
Alarm clock
Cameras-4
Desk lamp
Ski magazines-4
Planner
Desk organizer
Ipod
Headphones- 4
Cell phone stapler
Usb drives- 2
iPod dock
ski movies- 9
movies- 1
water bottle
folding chair
camera bags- 5
video camera
printer
fan
sunglsses-2
shampoo
soap
toolbox
bowl
plate
laundry detergent
stain stick
shoes- 10 pair
longboards- 2
helmets- 2
goggles- 2
gloves- 2
shirts- 14ish
pants-4
socks/underwear
shorts-2
office supplies
Kleenex
Umbrella
Whiteboards- 2
Garbage can
Science goggles
Silverware
Mug
Plastic cups
Shovel
Extension kit
Wax kit
Skis- 2
Ski boots
Ski bag
Backpacks- 2
Psp
Bandanas-4
Electric razor
File case
Hats- 4
Kleenex
Toothbrush
Retainer
Shoulder bags -2
Laundry hamper
Lamp
Textbooks
Art portfolio
Zomig- (medication)
Excedrin Extra Strength
Sudafed
Keg

What if Natives were of a different species? How would this affect cultural assimilation/branding?

I was watching Distric-9 the other day and I had an interesting thought. How would New World relations have been different if the Native American population had evolved into another hominid, or even another species? Although this concept is far fetched, lets consider culturally they were the same as in reality. It would present a huge barrier in the American’s ability to assimilate to European culture. Perhaps it would have resulted in the complete extermination of the native population. Or perhaps some American born disease could have ravaged the European population—but I’m getting sidetracked. In colonial New England, John Rolfe probably wouldn’t have married Pocahontas. John Smith might have described her and the other natives as demons. We might have never even considered to “play Indian” and government symbols could be purely European.

Disclaimer- not high/drunk

If interested here’s a link to a pbs page about human evolution. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/humans/humankind/index.html

Where does America begin? What is American?

I argue America begins with the removal of the Native American’s. It is that point that colonists are able to claim the land as their own and create an American culture.  The use of Native American symbols in government represents a long seated jealousy the colonists had over the Native Americans. This jealousy is referenced several times in Zinn. Powhatan ‘asks’ “Why are you jealous of us?” in a plea to John Smith. It is as if by replacing the natives they felt they had gained some sort of connection to the land and culture before them. They had proved that they could survive in a hostile land, and that made then better than the natives. Not only were they morally superior, but that they also had the power to dominate a land that was initially threatening.

As You Reminisce Over Them

As American’s sometimes it seems like we don’t often take the take to appreciate what we have. Maybe because we have so much it’s hard to realize our own prosperity. This song helps me think about what I have.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewGK6D3zPAg

I’m grateful to be part of a community that values education (and doesn’t consider college a “painful necessity”). I’m grateful for being raised by a supportive and open-minded family. I’m grateful for being a skier and a Coloradoan.  What about your life do you appreciate most? (Bonus points will be awarded if you post an “I’m thankful for list” from third grade)

Landscape Perspective

I’m very intrigued by how people of different cultures can view the same landscape in very different terms. The wilderness can be as seen as something to be feared and something to be awed by to something that should be celebrated. A College campus can be viewed as a place of positive by education by some or a breeding place of corrupt American values.

 It is interesting to note the context we place on the landscape as individuals. For example when I go backpacking in the mountains with my father I can’t help to view the forest as a playground. I imagine all the lines through the trees I could ski if they were piled high with snow. Meanwhile my father views the same trees and glades as an ecosystem, identifying the variety of plant species and listening to birdcalls. Neither perspective is “incorrect” they are just taken in vastly different context.  I feel these two views eerily mirror the differences in culture between American and Pueblo society. American’s view the potential of what a space can become and the Pueblo viewed what a space already is. Both my father and I, and the Pueblos and Americans, are trying to bring some sort order to the wilderness, but in vastly different ways. (there is also an interesting similarity in age: Father-Me, Pueblo-USA)

Swentzell— a.k.a. miss sensitivity

Landscape defines a culture by creating the environment that a society becomes familiar with.  The puritan’s centered their villages around spirituality and community, the Pueblo’s formed theirs around nature and community, and today American society builds its landscape around function and efficiency. At least this is the argument of Rina Sentzell. Her article also implies that people insert or find their familiar landscape in alien environments. As American’s we build schools and houses out of processed materials in replace of nature, while the Pueblo children seek nature in our structure. Concrete may be cold and harsh to the Pueblos, but the materials we construct our homes from still, in essence, come from nature.

Swentzel is overly sentimental about the idea of people being in tune with a land that is “honored” and left “domesticated.” She seems to ignore the reality that the Pueblo clearly dominated their environment. They built homes and planted fields—they had the foundations of an industrious society. I argue that environment creates the limitations of a society, but that the landscape is the product of humans trying to domesticate that environment. Whether through close interaction with nature, or God, or technology, humans are all trying to bring order to their surroundings. 

 –I really need to work on my flow, but it's too late for a re-write

Campus

The “Campus” article from Wednesday’s (9/29ish) reading emphasizes how the American college system is a unique form of higher education. College is a driving force in American culture and defines many American's transition from youth to maturity. College is a first glimpse at the real world.  It's the first time many teenagers get their first taste of freedom: Freedom to chose, freedom to learn, and freedom to get shitfaced. College is the transition point where people begin to develop ideals and principles that can make then even more independent of their family and home (and sometimes from society altogether). It seemed fitting for the article to reflect in the author’s own decisions in how he analyzed American campus.

“These choices naturally reflect my own background and interests, as well as my interpretations of the historical forces that have shaped the collegiate design.”

            Similarly, a college campus reflects the backgrounds and interests of its student body and professors. It builds and unique experience off the choices of former classes, constantly shifting and modifying to meet the needs of the next student.  While the choice of classes offered and professors hired is in the hands of administrators, the student population still controls the culture of a school (which for some can be the most appealing aspect of a school).