Stickies

So, you know how Macs and Window's Vista and 7 have a "stickies" app? Well, during Friday's class I took sticky notes :) , listing all these potential topics for my reflection blog post:

potential blog subjects:

what is overlooked in the IR theories we've studied?

"speaking for others"

if this article is about the micro, why should we care? aren't we studying WP? shouldn't we focus on the powerful creating the WP?

Marx's Theory of Alienation?

the silent majority pose a threat because they will play a part in future world politics.

majority of the world is poor. pay attention on the smallest minority.

why do people not speak out?

how do you break that barrier between the "minority" and the people who "made you a minority"? *Marginalizing* (Charmed: Bare Witch Project)

why are people oppressed?

When does a group become so marginalized that a violent uprising becomes justifiable?

Who needs addressing and why/how?

Or do we need to address the powerful oppressing the minority and keep them in check? <-- hasn't the US tried to do this?

Impersonal forces vs. personal responsibility

Not all suppression is directly related to what's happening in world politics.

What do you do when the problem is no longer a person/personified? (ie Global Economic System)

Is twitter IR?

Is the International Economic System like a Hurricane, both unchangeable?

-responsible for the reaction

As a fan of the supernatural TV shows, I'm gonna try to address the question addressing marginalizing. How do you break that barrier between the "minority" and the people who "made you a minority"? Well, if you're Lady Godiva, then you break the barrier by riding on horseback completely naked in front of the entire town...

...but this actually happened in Arizona. It definitely got the media's attention, but it may be too much...but that's just my opinion...

So, I have two possible, untested solutions to free the oppressed:

1. At the risk of sounding like a cheerleader... Stand up! Be Proud! (Shout your name out loud! We are the Mavericks!) ... *awkward silence as you judge* I was captain of the Drum Corps and not the cheer squad for a reason. But as corny as that cheer is, it bears some truth. The best way for a marginalized group to become un-marginalized is to stand up for themselves and make a name for themselves. I am an advocator of non-violence, so try not to start a major war when doing so, but I sort of feel like a war may be inevitable for marginalized groups that have been seeking equality for a while...

2. Build a time machine or cast a spell that spends you to the event that caused your marginalization and STOP THAT EVENT FROM HAPPENING! And yes, oppressing your feelings from people who deserve/need/should know about how your feeling and will cause you to be marginalized.

See?

Just a bunch of farmer talk*...

If one perspective is accurate, it does not necessarily mean that others are wrong. When analyzing Bretton Woods institutions from the perspectives of a realist, constructivist and liberal, almost all the points from all the perspectives were accurate, it was just another way of interpreting a situation.

Let me phrase it this way:

Why would teachers make us write papers analyzing books or defending or refuting a statement? If only one perspective is accurate, then the ENTIRE class would have to modify their thoughts and opinions to reflect the "correct perspective" instead of analyzing the material and displaying their analytical ability.

Why read other people's blogs? If there is only one right point of view, find it and stick to it. Live in a freakin' bubble, accepting that there is only one way to look and the world and life. If only one perspective was correct, then why does everyone in this class have to blog and publicize our opinions on the internet for our classmates and the rest of the world to read? What would be the point?

There is a reason why people's perspectives are valued. It opens our minds to unexplored thoughts and ideas. Things we hadn't even considered become evident by listening to other people's experiments. Putting these different perspectives in boxes labeled "realism," "constructivism," and "liberalism" is only beneficial when trying to explain the world to budding scholars.

The fact of the matter is that the egg came before the chicken and the theory of evolution explains why the egg came first. Similarly, the world's political climate and history came first, the IR theories are just a way for scholars to discuss and explain events that have already happened.

*I am not a farmer...I just like to garden :)