Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Response March 20: LGBTQ

These sites informing us on the LGBTQ organization in Jerusalem were neat to read about because it is easier to relate to something when the same thing is currently going on in our own country, and many other places globally.  Mostly when I think about Jerusalem I think about the Israeli Palestinian conflict.  I've never really put much thought into the other issues like the discrimination people face for being gay.  It's an issue many people face in many countries and can actually help link people across boarders.  It is also something that can help link some Palestinians and Israeli's, being that it's not based on religion or ethnicity.

Some people on the sites were talking about how this was a religious issue in Jerusalem, but it is actually a religious issue here as well.  Those opposed to things like gay marriage or gay rights will use things like the Bible to justify their opposition just as some in Jerusalem are doing with the Torah.  I found it interesting in the City of Borders documentary clip how he compared hiding their gay identity to Jews hiding their identity in Europe.  When he puts it this way I would expect that people who have been forced to hide their own identity would be more open to others sharing their true identities, but it is actually something most people around the world have trouble accepting. I also found it interesting that some thought Palestinians were more accepting of Israeli's than gays, while the opposite is true of Israelis.  I wondered why this was and couldn't seem to really find any definite answer, if there even is one. 

Reading Response for March 18

While these readings were pretty different from anything we've had in the past I think there were important lessons to be taken from each story, true or not.  The story about the gas masks seemed sort of unimportant to me at first until someone makes the comment about fear. It brought to mind that a lot of things groups of people do to those they hold power over are simply to incite fear into the masses so they won't know whats coming next and they will be afraid to rise up against.

The story about the dog and her passport definitely seemed ridiculous but brought around the point of just how hard it is for people to get passports.  Through a false story it shows how much of a hassle the boarder checks and stops all along the ways are for people just trying to do something as simple as take their dog to a decent vet.  The feminism aspect of this story also fit in with the last one about Jerusalem in general being a female.  I wasn't really sure what to make of this one and the main point I took out that was trying to be made was that Jerusalem is not owned by anyone.  She should welcome all and all visiting or living within her gates should respect all of her traditions.  They should respect those who have come and lived and ruled before them because they are a part of her past as well.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Weblog 4

For me personally I wouldn't say that music plays a significant role in my everyday life, it is more something I use as background noise when studying, driving, showering, etc.  I mostly listen to country music, old and new, and I suppose that genre carries a specific aspect of defining those who like that kind of music.  Whether its true for all fans or not country music mostly has a stigma of being particularly pro-American, small town U.S.A., and often right-winged.  For me it reminds me of home, it's what all my friends and family listen to and what I grew up around especially during summers at the lake. 

 I see music mostly used for communication through song lyrics.  Songs can help unit people behind a cause or help give them a strengthened voice to speak out against some type of injustice.  When people are in a bad situation its sometimes hard to find the right words to communicate how you feel you're being wronged, in that case its usually easy to find a song that will say it for you.  Often people will use some sort of a song as a rallying cry like "We Shall Overcome" was used during the civil rights movement.  During that time there was a whole group of "protest singers" like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, who performed at Civil Right marches.  Their songs gave people inspiration and showed in a non-violent way how people could rise up and tell their government and oppressors what they were doing was unjust.  I think that music also is used by many people as an outlet.  When feeling angry about something it can be used as a way of escape and I think this is one possible way people in conflict areas might use music as well as for protest.