Cosmopolitanism in Real Life

From the chapter "Imaginary Strangers" page 99:

The problem of cross-cultural communication can seem immensely difficult in theory, when we are trying to imagine making sense of a stranger in the abstract. But the great lesson of anthropology is that when the stranger is no longer imaginary, but real and present, sharing a human social life, you may like or dislike him, you may agree or disagree; but, if it is what you both want, you can make sense of each other in the end.

I think this passage very well sums up a lot of the the social interaction here at UK. This is because as being a first year student, there are many strangers around me each and every day. Part of my experience here has been getting to know people, some of them become friends, some of them do not. However, when we each take the time to converse, the stranger is no longer imaginary, and becomes concrete and sensible. And just as the passage states, "if it is what you both want, you make sense of each other in the end." So as each of us enters this new phase of our lives together, we should all be open to meeting new people and getting a chance to connect with them to share ideas and philosophies.

More Second Life Notes

This week in second life, I got the privilege of taking part in some of the islands scheduled events. These are the times when there seems to be the most activity taking place as far as user interaction. The events generally take place at 8pm second life (about 11pm in real life), which shows that the users like to get on to play at night time. The event I attended was trivia night. I arrived a bit early, just to see what was going on. There were several people dancing out on the main dance floor, socializing with one another and having a good time. When 8 rolled around, we headed over to the club for some trivia fun. Everyone seemed to enjoy answering the general knowledge questions, some of them were pretty tough. I also observed people playing some of the games positioned about, there seemed to be some video games and things people could play. All in all everyone got along really well and seemed to enjoy each other's company. I like the way the people in this land can come together to have a good time, despite the various looks of the avatars. It seems that there are no outcasts here, everyone just wants to have a good time. I also noticed that this place seems to be more of an active place than a place to relax. Perhaps during non-scheduled event time, people will take a rest and relax by the pool, but during this time, everyone seemed to be actively engaged in socializing and dancing. I look forward to the final observations to make about this place that will come in the next week.

Cosmopolitanism, The End(CH 10)

Basic human rights are the understandable rights that should be followed and not violated by every culture across the world. These are things such as free speech, the right to own a home, a family, get married, etc. To follow up on my last blog, I stated that there should be a point of intervention when to stop a culture from committing a heinous act(in our eyes at least). I stated that I did not know where to draw this line, the line between respecting cultural values and preventing harm of individuals. Well it is now much more clear as to where to draw this line- if a right is violated form the UN declaration of rights, then we must intervene. This is because these are the universally accepted rights, and they are not subject to being violated. When this happens, cultural differences must be ignored and intervention must take place to protect the individual. This is the obligation we have to others, one that cares for them. I am glad that this document has been brought to my attention, as I now feel much better about the line of intervention. Whereas before, I felt as though individuals would be harmed and their feelings dismissed as "cultural differences", now I am assured that there is a global boundary already laid out, to assure that this doesn't happen.

A cosmopolitan at UK is anyone who understands the two fundamental principles of cosmopolitanism, the obligation to others, and the care for the individual. A cosmopolitan here would have to feel obliged not only to those here at UK, but to others in surrounding areas and across the globe. This goes back to the local versus global. It is good to make an impact in your own community, reaching out to strangers and discussing ideas, but one can only be a true cosmopolitan when they expand to a global level. This is when we truly interact with imaginary strangers. Here at UK, even if we see strangers, they are not that strange. After all, we are roughly the same age, live in the same state, and go to the same school. To be a cosmopolitan, we would need to explore people with much different backgrounds and experiences. Nevertheless, people can still act in the cosmopolitan mindset in the local setting, as long as they pay attention to the needs of others, and attempt to listen to their values, even if they differ from their own. Acting towards others in this way could really make our community come together and become more unified, or not, depending on the values we decide to pursue.

Cosmo Chapter 9

A cosmopolitan at UK looks just like you or I, that is the problem, it could be anyone of us, and one can not distinguish who is an counter-cosmopolitan until it is too late. A counter-cosmopolitan is one who appears open to acceptance, seems to want harmony among all individuals, and wants to connect with strangers. What a great person you say, it sounds as though they are trying quite hard to bridge the gaps between social interaction. But this is a fallacy, although they are eager to converse, they are in reality trying to convert their acquaintances to share the same beliefs as them. This is quite a blow to cosmopolitanism, because instead of being open to discuss beliefs of others, they are immediately in the mind set of proving the opposition wrong right from the get go. It is important to be aware of these people and their manipulations in the real world, maybe it is ok to listen to what they are saying, but one should also get the chance to respond with their own thoughts.

This next issue, the one that "people don't matter" is a tough one. We have spoke of this in class before, the question of "when is a cultural practice just too much to bear?". On one hand, we don't want to ruin their beliefs, but on the other, if we disagree with those beliefs, we feel as though they should be stopped. There is a line drawn between these judgments, and I'm not certain of where that line stands. One must really reflect and think about what should be universally important, such as the suffering of an individual. I for one think this is never ok, and if in theory(or maybe in practice) there is a culture out there that ritualistically tortures people, I think this should be stopped. Just because it is their custom doesn't make it right. However, one could flip this on its end, and say that maybe I am not right...who knows, it all comes down to subjectivity and what you believe in. On one end, we might say it is not our place to interfere, but on another, the one that obliges itself to the feelings of other people, we say that practices must be stopped.

More SL Findings(an interview)

After having an interview with Baddie Boucher, I learned some valuable information. It seems that the large mansion in the corner of the island isn't part of the Atlantic Waves district, it just belongs to someone who owns that portion of the land. This seems to mean that there isn't a large heirarchial view in the community, but simply that someone has decided to live here because they liked it so much. Concerning the market place with mature content, it seems that these places have just been rented out to anyone willing to buy them. I asked Baddie if this threatened the safety of the islanders, but he assured me that no one has ever acted violently thus far. I talked to Baddie in a large club, currently undergoing rennovations for a halloween maze. There weren't a whole lot of people around currently, but he gave me a schedule of events for the month that should alert me as to when more people should come. He also informed me that Sue Saintlouis is the creator of the island, I will certainly attempt to speak to her in the future. Here is a portion of the actual interview for my records:

You: can you tell me more about this place?[18:28]
Baddie Boucher: this maze or Atlantic Waves?[18:28]
You: both I suppose[18:28]
Baddie Boucher: well Atlantic Waves is a club where people gather for events[18:28]
Baddie Boucher: usually theres alot of dancing in themed contests[18:29]
Baddie Boucher: and sometimes there are horse races and innertube races[18:29]
You: really?[18:29]
You: sounds exciting[18:29]
Baddie Boucher: this maze is for halloween but we havent decided what else do with it yet other than to make it a maze lol[18:30]
You: so when do more people usually show up?[18:30]
Baddie Boucher: Sue just recently added a games area to the dance club[18:30]
You: neat[18:30]
Baddie Boucher: well not today but here let me give you a schedule[18:30]
You: great thanks[18:30]
Baddie Boucher gave you Atlantic Waves Schedule of Events for October 2008.[18:30]
Baddie Boucher: we sometimes have concerts here too[18:31]
Baddie Boucher: the October schedule isnt fully complete until Sue can confirm dates for when they show up[18:31]
Baddie Boucher: this place is usually packed for the concerts[18:31]
You: ok great[18:32]
Baddie Boucher: trivias every wednesday[18:32]
You: can you tell me who lives in that big house?[18:32]
Baddie Boucher: what big house?[18:32]
You: theres a big mansions thing[18:32]
Baddie Boucher: oh i know, thats not part of Atlantic Waves[18:32]
You: really?[18:32] Baddie Boucher: thats just some people who decided to live there[18:32] You: what IS part of it then?[18:33]
Baddie Boucher: hmm....pretty much everything except that house lol[18:33]
You: even that market that sells drugs and weapons?[18:33]
Baddie Boucher: probably[18:33]
Baddie Boucher: is it a small house?[18:33]
Baddie Boucher: i mean a small store[18:33]
You: yes[18:34]
Baddie Boucher: yea Sue offered space for sale for people to set up shops[18:34]
You: ook[18:34]
You: I was wondering though[18:34]
Baddie Boucher: Sue Saintlous is the person in charge of all this[18:34]
Baddie Boucher: Saintlouis*[18:34]
You: doesnt the selling of guns and drugs kinda make the relaxing feel go away?[18:35]
Baddie Boucher: as long as no one rezzes them and starts shooting then everything should be fine lol[18:35]
You: but still, isnt it a little strange?[18:35]
Baddie Boucher: one thing I really appreciate about this club, is that there is never any drama[18:35]
Baddie Boucher: i've been coming here since April and never once cause a bad vibe from anyone
















Me and Baddie Boucher inside the club













Also, after getting a tour of the island, I learned that it is divided into a few regions, there is the club, the main dance foor, the mall, the games area(pool, darts, greedy, word) and bumper cars. These seem to attract a lot of attention

Second Life Observations I (A Second Life Ethnography)

Naturalistic Feel

This site is highly aesthetic with its sandy landscapes dominated by waterfalls, pools, and palm trees. The landscape is mostly flat, which goes along with the beach feel. The environment is open and relaxing in places, and slightly overwhelming in others due to large amounts of things to interact with. Both of these areas will have their own uses depending on if one wants to relax, or to socialize. The region is incredibly inviting, with its slew of activities ranging from just sitting or relaxing by the pool, racing around in the bumper cars, or browsing the wide range of shops in the market district. Some of the shops are simple and humble, others appear to be more mature selling items like tattoos, drugs, and weapons. It is a bit strange to me to see these things appearing on an island that seems to be intended for a relaxing stay. I will be interested to see if the relaxing side of the island is ever interrupted by a drug war with guns and violence...this is sure to scare away potential island goers, which brings me to wonder what kind of people will in fact come to this place. It is quite unique that this island can contain both these inviting and off-putting elements, although I suppose it all comes down to the value systems which one believes in. Most of the areas seem public and sociable, including places to dance, pools to swim in, and markets to browse together. However, there does seem to be a large mansion on one of the corners of the island, I wonder who it is intended to be used for? Could perhaps the creator of the land live in here? I will certainly pursue this question.

Interpretive Significance

A major symbol of the region is a rotating sign called "The Bong Zone". This area seems to encompass the shops dedicated to mature things. Here one can purchase drugs, guns, and tattoos. It still seems strange that this area would exist, but at least this sign distinguishes it as different than the rest of the island. This symbol represents a darker side to the people who created the environment, as this region greatly contrasts the vibe given by the rest of the island. It shows that the creators intended to give people choices on the island, whether they want to relax, or whether they want to purchase their malicious items. Perhaps this is a scheme to make money, or perhaps there is some sort of hidden motive behind it. I would like to explore why this area was created. It is hard at this juncture to say what the values of this community are, by the looks of "The Bong Zone", I feel as though the community is malevolent. However, judging by the rest of the island, I feel as the community just wants to have fun and be socially interactive. Once I am able to observe a larger amount of avatars, hopefully their values will become more clear.

Cosmo 7-8

CH 7, question 1) Culturual Imperisalism seems to be the way in which one culture dominates another or is supreme in its own rite. I believe that this can not be, as each culture is different, and they all have something to offer. By studying cultures, we can learn from them, no culture needs to feel like they are obliged to dominate.

2) The Golden Rule is "I am human, nothing human is alien to me". This definition means that humans can all relate to each other on at least some base level. We are all human, and we all live on this earth, therefore, we should all be able to connect.

3) Cultural purity is an oxymoron. This claim has a lot of truth to it. This entire book is about the way values are formed and interpreted by cultures and individuals. For a culture to be "pure", it needs to satisfy the values in which the culture believes in. This would mean that this culture saw their society as pure and moral. However, what I think is pure may not be what you think is pure. It is for this reason that purity is subjective, and that one culture can never be "pure" in everybody's eyes.

CH 8
1) Art is cosmopolitan because it can easily be moved between local and global. Art is always created on the local scene, there is a lot of art that is important to the community in which is was created in. However, art can also be respected on a global basis, people can view different art from all over the world created in communites unlike their own and learn from the art by viewing it. Different artists will represent different things, then we can look at and analyze these new things.

I agree with Appiah when he says we must make sense of strangers. This is the only way to learn new information and view points about the world. Trying to speak to strangers and learn more about them might be tough, but it is important to remember that as humans there is common ground that we all share between us. By identifying in this common ground, we can then bridge the gap into thicker issues, ones we may not agree on, but certainly should discuss. In fact, if we never made an effort to talk to strangers none of us would have any friends. Part of life just happens to be meeting new people and learning about their personality and thoughts.

An instance where I was able to connect with another despite our differences at UK came pretty early in the semester. One night, me and my roommate were relaxing in our room, tired from the days activites, it was the evening, not too late, but late enough to be tired and in the mood to rest. During this time, a few clearly inebriated girls showed up on our floor, banging on doors and causing a stir. This was quite disruptive to our rest, as it was to many others. We went outside to investigate, and then saw that another guy was bothered in the same way we were. We didn't know this kid, he was from a different state from us and was a total outsider, however, we were then able to connect about this incident and have now become pretty good friends. Maybe it isn't the best story, but it allowed us to bridge the gap to another human and interact with him.