https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga MSc Social Anthropology en-us 2020-10-06 15:29:41 UTC 2020-12-26 10:42:10 UTC hello@padlet.com B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/807160138 After George Floyd's death, we saw an abundance of social activism in the United States, namely Black Lives Matter protests. Some areas are still being rocked with protests on a daily and nightly basis (Portland, Rochester, etc.). These protests, peaceful or not, are facing mass violence by the police officers who are being asked to keep the peace. Isn't it ironic that the response to a demand for abolishment of the police due to excessive police violence is being met with intense police violence? This is immediately what I thought of when during the lecture, Toby mentioned that police often use violence as they need something spectacular to remind those watching that they 'protect' the population and that they have unchecked authority.

By now, the police, OSP and federalized deputies have been banned from using CS gas in Portland, OR, but if you follow independent live-streamers on a nightly basis, you will see that when they do not use CS gas, they are more physically aggressive to compensate for a loss of tactic. The article claims that roughly 10% of protestors are arrested in Portland on a nightly basis despite many reports that the protests remain largely peaceful until the authorities engage violently with protestors. ACLU among other legal organizations have already begun to sue not only the Portland Police Bureau but also the feds and the city of Portland for excessive violence, targeting medics and journalists clearly displaying press and medic badges as well as the use of hazardous waste (CS gas) against protestors. 

]]> 2020-10-06 15:32:23 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/807160138 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/824311582 When discussing how policing can lead to the perpetuation of inequalities, we can look to the War on Drugs as a prime example. The below book extensively discusses how instead of harm reduction, the arrest rates in black communities during the War on Drugs  skyrocketed due to the criminalization of drugs. The disproportionate arrests for petty crimes has resulted in long-lasting inequalities within minority communities as explained below:

'Four decades later, the number of Americans behind bars has grown by 350 percent. By 2017, more than 2.2 million Americans were in prison or jail, and nearly 60 percent were black or Latino. Today, 1 in 9 black children has an incarcerated parent, as does 1 in 28 Latino children.'

- Betsy Pearl and Maritza Perez in 'Ending the War on Drugs' 
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/criminal-justice/reports/2018/06/27/452786/ending-war-drugs/

The way that power and inequality are unequally distributed are illustrations of politics as every day life. Politics is everywhere.]]> 2020-10-13 10:21:00 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/824311582 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/824350076 Border zones are a place of anonymity - social and moral codes seem to be tossed out the door.

The Illegal Traveler discussed performance at the border. I found this video interesting as we are hearing the stories of 'illegal' children through the mouths of 'legal' children.

I think this can be linked back to the question of where one can find politics. As Toby mentioned in the first lecture, "Politics is a mixture of hope, fear and other intense feelings".  I am certain that they children reading these accounts feel politics. The children being detained live politics. While as a child, understanding the torture at the border is challenging, reading these stories can contribute to their understanding of the impact of politics on one's life even if they are personally in a place of privilege.]]> 2020-10-13 10:48:07 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/824350076 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/835184656 Bayat's text about quiet encroachment of the ordinary paints life as politics. Some everyday examples of Life as Politics may be street vendors without permits fighting for their right to sell, bikers in the Netherlands securing their bikes to street signs, etc. While these are examples of more spontaneous and quiet encroachment, there are also collectives who try to live out politics and direct action on a daily basis.

One current example is those resisting evictions in Portland, OR. With the wildfires and raging pandemic, many tenants in gentrified areas have been faced with violent evictions. While resisting evictions is nothing new in Portland, it is slowly becoming a part of some resident's everyday lives. Many BLM protestors and anarchists have been camping outside of certain homes to ensure that the vulnerable families within are not evicted. Those who cannot sleep outside of the home or stay during the day have pledged to feeding those acting as guards, financially supported the families at risk and so on. ]]> 2020-10-16 10:57:29 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/835184656 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/837877779 As has been witnessed throughout the 'Summer of Floyd', a majority of BLM protestors are white. While it is inspiring that many white people have joined the fight, their place is symbolic rather than strategic. While articles such as the one that I linked argue that this affinity is generally good, they will not be able to attack systemic racism at the root. This is why I think leadership within protests should always be led by POC and other marginalized voices as their identities intersect in ways that a white person will never experience.

My thought process came from Bayat's explanation, that many low income people don't feel comfortable protesting due to issues such as illiteracy, abstracted ideas of social activism, or living 'illegally' in an area which is heavily policed. While middle-class actors are necessary in social movements, the stratified backgrounds, intersecting identities and varied political behaviors of POC and marginalized people should designate them the leaders. White middle class actors should be working harder to provide aid to those who have the potential to realize sustainable change.]]> 2020-10-17 18:30:33 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/837877779 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/840518634 I have followed Matthew Desmond for a number of years. He followed and documented the eviction crisis in the US. A few years ago, he reported on how families and neighbors resisted eviction, non-collectively for the most part, but his most recent article about evictions during pandemic times demonstrates how individual struggles became collective and due to group efforts, a group of MN tenants were able to evict their landlord.

Again, this is a perfect example of Bayat's concept of quiet encroachment of the ordinary. This demonstrates the power of actors who partake in non-movements and social movements alike.]]> 2020-10-19 10:56:35 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/840518634 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/869049943 As we have witnessed throughout history and modern times, the United States (US) police force disproportionately brutalizes black bodies. The US's police force is a great example of structural violence as it is systemic and institutionalized. Originally, the police force was instated to catch slaves. For this reason, among others, racism is built into the system and the over-policing of marginalized communities perpetuates inequities and prohibits people from meeting their basic needs. For example, mass incarceration of black father's may force young children into the workforce at a young age, prohibiting them from receiving a complete and comprehensive education. Mass incarceration and over-policing are just a few issues which contribute to the cycle of the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

Can a system reliant on structural violence be reformed?

“We need to dismantle the whole system and really rebuild it again.”]]> 2020-10-28 10:23:13 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/869049943 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/881749412 Mbembe uses climate change as an example of Biopower in Necropolitics. He explains that the ultimate expression of sovereignty resides in the power and capacity to dictate who may live and who must die. 

Countries such as Guatemala suffer the adverse effects of climate change to a much more extreme degree than those residing in the global North. The droughts, tropical storms and other recurring natural disasters disproportionately affect Guatemala and other vulnerable areas, creating an onslaught of emigrants in search of security. As the article explains, while refugees fleeing from the effects of climate change exist, the 1951 Refugee Convention is not a plausible excuse to obtain rights abroad.

This blatant denial of the effects of climate change in countries such as Guatemala, is an example of necropolitics. When major polluters, such as the United States and China blatantly neglect their duty to be responsible stewards of the earth, they demonstrate their immense biopower. ]]> 2020-11-02 09:54:07 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/881749412 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/881778681 The boundary between fighting for freedom and committing an act of terror is blurred. While outsiders may perceive a PSB as an act of terror and death, the actors themselves are symbols of life and of survival (Hage, 2003).

I believe that on a lesser level, the terrorist-freedom fighter dichotomy can be explored in the context of Anti-Fascism in the United States (US).

While those who claim to be Anti-Fascist (Antifa) argue that they are fighting the Fascist state - alt-right organizations and politicians depict Anti-Fascists as terrorists who want to see the demise of the state. While Antifa protestors are not committing acts of terror or exerting psychological violence through their direct action, our understanding of symbolic violence constitutes our interpretation of their their actions - this is especially true among the upper class in the US. 

As explained in the attached article, Trump would like to brand Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization and a majority of the far-right is behind him. The uprising of the proletariat and middle class threatens the comfort of the upper class. The imbalance of power and its apparent instability, is what spurs Antifa to direct action and equally terrifies the upper class. ]]> 2020-11-02 10:07:56 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/881778681 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/894018007 The words we attribute to violent actions influence our perception of them. Semantics may influence our response to so-called 'atrocities' (Das, Ch. 11). This can be illustrated using the case of protesting or 'rioting' in the United States (US). According to a recent ACLED report (attached), 42% of respondents believed that BLM protestors were inciting violence and destroying property. ACLED claims that 93% of protests connected to the BLM movement were peaceful. The violence and destruction of property in more urban areas, such as Portland, OR and Rochester, NY was reportedly limited to a few specific blocks and neighborhoods.

While multiple databases claim that 93% of the protests remained peaceful, many media outlets, authoritarian figures (i.e. police)  and the president declared peaceful protests riots. Due to the labeling of protests as riots and calls to action by Trump, violence has erupted due to the presence of counterprotestors, such as the white supremacist group, the Proud Boys. In cities such as Portland, the Proud Boys have made regular appearances, heavily armed and in search of fights at demos, marches and even vigils which have been labeled riots in advance (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election/proud-boys-portland-protesters-oregon-salem-arrests-2020-election-black-lives-matter-b420663.html)

This again relates to the terrorist - freedom fighter dichotomy discussed last week. While the Proud Boys believe they are protecting the city from rioters, they are actively inciting violence and putting more lives at risk.]]> 2020-11-05 14:09:30 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/894018007 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/894188347 The United States (US) declared a 'War on Terror' following 9/11. For many years and even more so during the Trump presidency, the American people have been warned of religious fanatics, specifically radical Islamists, threatening the security of the US by use of terror. The conflation of terrorism and Islam have fostered feelings of xenophobia and Islamophobia among many right wing North Americans who want to protect their country from a perceived threat of atrocities.

While terrorist attacks carried out by religious fanatics in the US are not unheard of, they are rare. The biggest domestic terror threat is white supremacists - homegrown terrorists. According to the Guardian (attached), white supremacists have been responsible for 67% of domestic terror attacks and plots during 2020 alone.

]]> 2020-11-05 14:45:15 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/894188347 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/926671205 Is interpellation as a social process integral to social movements?

When protesting, it is necessary to subsume a sort of collective identity. Often, protestors and actors in social movements refer to themselves as 'the people' but 'the people', a social group, does not actually exist. As Althusser would argue, it must be hailed into existence. When this collective identity is hailed into existence, participants of social movements can adopt certain values and ideologies. When a collective of individuals adopt these values and ideologies, they can resist apparatuses of power which may have been invisible previously. 

As explained in the attached article, interpellation is not always subtle - it is realized through action and behaviors. Collective chanting in protest is a great example of active interpellation. While it is often interpreted by the outsider as performative, the participants are realizing shared truths through the verbal exchange of chants. ]]> 2020-11-16 11:19:09 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/926671205 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/1004013185 Populism can be defined in a variety of ways, but generally, it is 'the people' challenging structures of power and institutions that are seemingly corrupted. The discrediting of institutions is especially dangerous right now as we are amid a pandemic. Many right wing populists in the United States (US) have voiced that they will not wear masks, social distance or accept the vaccine as they do not want to bend to the power of what they refer to as the liberal agenda. This puts not only right-wing populists at risk, but also all those who they come into contact with.

As this article explains, populist arguments are often appealing to politicians as populist messages do not require policy commitments. Instead, they claim to fight corruption. This is a strategy Trump has used as he has found it easy to mobilize right-wingers against the 
'corruption' he claims to fight. Essentially, right-wing populists have felt unheard and as if previous politicians have failed to solve issues regarding immigration, free trade and so on - hence, when Trump and other right-wing politicians encouraged skepticism over COVI19 regulations and vaccines, populists took it and rolled with it.]]> 2020-12-09 20:37:45 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/1004013185 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/1005661937 Populism contributes to the 'us vs them' mentality and identity politics which has the potential to polarize nations. Populism facilitates collective adopting of certain ideas and harshly rejecting others. The rejection of certain ideas is often accompanied by intense criticism of anything that does not align with the populist idea of what is right. This fostering of an 'us vs them' mentality allows for stronger ties within populist groups. The collective identities formed, both left and right, result in further political polarization - polarization so strong that is creates tensions in cities, neighborhoods and even between family members.]]> 2020-12-10 10:55:49 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/1005661937 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/1013685049 Who are the people? As US Americans, we are told that every vote counts although the presidential election results are based on the electoral college rather than the popular vote - the true vote of the people.

While electoral voters are encouraged to cast their votes based upon the popular vote of their state, this agreement is not binding. Faithless voters, those who vote based on their own preference, can skew the presidential election outcomes. 

Is the electoral college really the voice of the people? I think. not.]]> 2020-12-13 15:21:19 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/1013685049 B179201 https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/1016125054 Often, it is assumed that violence has no place in democracy. As protests and riots exploded across the US during the summer of 2020, they were met with political violence in the form of police violence. Many who accept state governance believe that a police presence in order to preserve state security is protection rather than state-condoned violence. While movements may use violence to achieve goals and to realize recognition, the democratic state utilizes political violence in order to maintain power and demonstrate authority. This can be executed in blatant forms such as police brutality against protestors (which may be perceived as necessary by 'the people') but it may also be sweeping homeless camps and forcing evictions during a pandemic.]]> 2020-12-14 14:49:58 UTC https://padlet.com/b179201/1y2gpnj1zvf6gvga/wish/1016125054