Caribbean Civilization - Portfolio by Stephanie Bissoondial https://padlet.com/stephanie_bissoondial/ao0wdkdcfxhu Made with no regrets, whatsoever en-us 2017-11-24 18:58:51 UTC 2024-05-13 16:24:58 UTC hello@padlet.com Objective 1: The Dangers Of A Single Story stephanie_bissoondial https://padlet.com/stephanie_bissoondial/ao0wdkdcfxhu/wish/210840212 The outlook of Caribbean people who have been exposed to only a few people and “stories” is very similar to the experiences described by Miss Adichie. Her experiences are not limited to Nigerians, Americans, or Englishmen. The dangers of the single story is as clear as day: perspective is important when forming opinions and an opinion or outlook should not be formed by any single perspective. 
Her examples are all incredibly valid in all parts of the world. She once thought that Fide’s family has nothing to live for and live by, because her outlook was formed solely on the perspective of poverty, and she learned the true extent of this upon visiting the United States and Mexico.
She learned that due to the perspective of the single story that Americans believe, they cannot fathom technology, vehicles or even happiness in the enormous continent of Africa. Of course, this heavily applies to the Caribbean and my own experiences in Trinidad and Tobago solidifies this. The single story creates biased and unfair stereotypes. It is common knowledge that canine meat is considered a delicacy in China, but many Trinidadians refuse to research or understand the cultural, traditional or religious reasoning behind this, and as a result they believe that all Chinese people consume dog meat.
Further examples include Trinidadians not believing that American people face hardships such as unemployment, poverty and homelessness due to images on the internet and American TV shows portraying generic middle and upper class families, and this is similar to Ms. Adichie’s own experience upon learning that Americans believe Africans cannot be middle or upper class. I’ve also met Christian boys and girls whose parents taught them that those who follow Islam are evil murderers due to the single story of ISIS that floods the minds of many Western people. 
She had a single story of Mexico due to American media, but she did not have a single story of America because she met many Americans. She read many American novels. This is how she succeeded in not having only a single story – a single perspective, of people.
Overall, her idea of the single story heavily applies to the Caribbean, from my own experience.
]]> 2017-11-28 12:15:57 UTC https://padlet.com/stephanie_bissoondial/ao0wdkdcfxhu/wish/210840212 Objective 2: Caribbean Influences On Its' Diaspora stephanie_bissoondial https://padlet.com/stephanie_bissoondial/ao0wdkdcfxhu/wish/211342613 The study of Caribbean Civilisation has impacted my understanding of my social environment in a significant manner, as I’ve learned how the Caribbean impacts the rest of the world in many ways. The Caribbean used to be a hub importation, but now we export goods, services and even culture to the booming metropoles, as our cuisine, music, and spirits are influencing their respective markets in most positive ways. Many American citizens now opt to purchase Trinidadian-made “doubles” or Guyanese “pepper pot” rather than burgers or fried chicken. It is also noteworthy that the opposite applies, with the heavy popularization of KFC and pizza within the Caribbean. 
Our fine spirits have also gained global acclaim, as Angostura and El Dorado have received acclaim for fine quality beverages around the globe. As alcohol is heavily taxed in some territories, the Caribbean nations that export it can benefit greatly. Metropolitan societies have also adopted the ever-growing Caribbean music genres of calypso and reggae, and this greatly popularizes Caribbean culture as many Caribbean artists spread throughout the metropoles and perform in concerts and other events.
 Carnival may be considered one of the greatest cultural events for Caribbean people, and this is also true all the way in Brooklyn and Notting Hill, where Caribbean culture is celebrated in the same way. Studying Caribbean Civilization can open one’s eyes to these marvelous aspects of the effects of Caribbean society on the entire world, and whereas the discussed factors do not relate to my immediate social environment, it is significant on a much larger scale and in the current era of information and social interaction via the internet, one’s social environment is much larger than ever before.]]> 2017-11-29 11:54:03 UTC https://padlet.com/stephanie_bissoondial/ao0wdkdcfxhu/wish/211342613 Objective 4: Self Evaluation Of Learning For The Semester stephanie_bissoondial https://padlet.com/stephanie_bissoondial/ao0wdkdcfxhu/wish/211829985 It had been an exciting journey throughout this course of Caribbean Civilisation. I have learned a lot and it is to my surprise that knowledge, that was previously taught to myself in school was untrue information. The online lectures were quite enjoyable as the moderator would usually start and end each lectures off with a Caribbean origin song. These tutorials and lectures were very informative as I have gained new found knowledge on the Caribbean in areas such as our Caribbean Identity, Gender, Babylon and those who were here in the earlier days of the Caribbean such as the Paleo-Indians, Meso-Indians and the Neo-Indians and that the Caribbean Basin was the cockpit or war zone for the Europeans.
Even though there were some challenges I faced using the Blackboard Collaborate software program to fully attend/listen to the online lectures and tutorials, in my experience it was still and enjoyable and very informative process. The tutorials were helpful in a sense that, it gave more insight and a clearer understanding to what I was unsure of in the lectures. Overall, the Caribbean Civilisation FOUN1101 course was beneficial in many ways, not just one. It enabled students like myself to understand and appreciate our history of long hardship and labor which contributed to what made us Caribbean individuals today.]]> 2017-11-30 13:40:49 UTC https://padlet.com/stephanie_bissoondial/ao0wdkdcfxhu/wish/211829985 Objective 3: Freedom Of Movement Within Caricom stephanie_bissoondial https://padlet.com/stephanie_bissoondial/ao0wdkdcfxhu/wish/212142880 CARICOM’s Single Market and Economy (CSME) is a socio-economic system that relates to the free movement of goods and people within CARICOM nations. Goods and services do not encounter restrictions, and therefore the main issue lies in the transfer of people with skills, as cultural attitude, nationalistic xenophobia, and bureaucratic political red tape and geographic distance are all factors which contribute to the inability of most people to work across borders. CARICOM nationals who are artists, musicians, university graduates, media workers and athletes do not require work permits in order to be occupied in different CARICOM nations. 
This prevents members of all other categories of employment from contributing to the overall development of the Caribbean as a whole, as they are confined to their own countries. The barrier of cultural attitude stems from the perception that people of separate cultures are unable to understand or integrate into their culture and therefore cannot function within new societies. Xenophobia in the Caribbean is deeply rooted in distrust and fear of foreigners, especially the fear that foreigners will essentially take jobs and leave none for locals. Bureaucracy’s role in the division of the Caribbean is also important to note, as transport between nations is more difficult than necessary, but the CARICOM passport is a major advancement to the idealistic goal of CSME. ]]> 2017-12-01 04:09:01 UTC https://padlet.com/stephanie_bissoondial/ao0wdkdcfxhu/wish/212142880