A Prophecy

Let technology be a more efficient way of solving a problem. For instance, a obsidian spearheads are a more efficient way of killing prey, and VOIP is a more efficient way transmitting phone calls. Now then, whatever technology exists will spread. No one will choose to get less bang for their buck. The spread of technology is inevitable.

Merely by initiating contact between the Old and New Worlds, whites guaranteed the eventual destruction of Native American society. We have established that the adoption of white technology by Indians was inevitable, and this happened. Horses spread so quickly that they completely transformed the society of plains Indians before whites knew the plains Indians existed. The destruction of Native culture was inevitable and occurred by no intention of whites. Genocide was not inevitable and was intentionally conducted by whites.

Unless you can stop people from experimenting and trying new things, the discovery of new technologies is also inevitable. Thus the perpetual advancement and spread of technology is inevitable. This is my prophecy.

Notes from Interview

Owatonna chapter meets once a month for dinner and then a meeting afterwords at the AFR Ed Center, chapter provides some food and the members pull together the rest by potluck, about 80% of those who go the meeting also eat dinner, atmosphere is polite discussion/debate, often a speaker is brought in

    Maintain their fish & wildlife display, sell popcorn and conduct a raffle at the Steele County Free Fair (mid August)
    Ahlborn Woods Wildlife Area - 21+ acres of woodland and restored prairie
    Operate the Alfred F. Reding Environmental Education Center
    Own and maintain public access to Oak Glen Lake & Minnesota Hwy. 218 Wildflower Route
    Adopt a Highway (Minnesota Hwy. 218) - 4 miles
    Cooperate with Owatonna College and University Center to restore 4 acres of prairie
    Host Rip Roarin' Rummage Sale in mid-September (outdoor items)
    Undeveloping 4 1/2 acres of native prairie at Ulrich Acres
    Adopt a River (MDNR), the Izaak Walton Creek and the Straight River (3 miles)
    Fundraise to purchase 45 acres of wetland to add to Somerset Wildlife Management Area (WMA) - the project is completed as of 9/2010 with help from Lessard Outdoor Heritage Funds ($180,000)
    Make annual contributions to the Minnesota Division Scholarship Fund and Legacy Fund and also the Izaak Walton Camp at Deep Portage Learning Center

Land Stewardship Involves invasive species removal, not just letting it sit

For Gary Schwarz, the ideal life is that of a farmer in the 1950s. That was how he grew up, as a hunter/fisher on a small farm, and he fit his own career and some facts about the IWL into a a framwork of society declining from that ideal lifestyle. As farms consolidated, you couldn't just hunt on your friend's farm, and people started to look for places to go hunting and fishing. In the East, the IWL bought up a lot of land, and people became members to have access to it. Here, the IWL helped the gov't acquire land, for example they donated Rice Lake to the DNR. Nowadays, IWL members have more diverse interests--there are many people who just like to go out and hike/canoe whatnot, and not necessarily consume anything, like anglers do. Also, there are a lot of people are interested in conservation practices, such as used less water/fossil fuels, or polluting less. When IWL people travel, they ask the hotel not to wash things, and other small practices that conserve resources. Also, women are now allowed to join and they often do

1975-friend signed him up, involved in earthy events in college, sustainability 1995 became more involved in IWL, these days a "national directer"
Board and membership meeting every month, newsletter, minutes, promoting events, respresenting national events to local

Save our Streams criteria for evaluating health, high school kids often use this for evaluating streams

Ikes local, could also be Izaaks or Waltonians, in term promotes camraderie
Albert F. Reding Environmental Education Center, instead of clubhouse, seats 100 people, kitchen, electricity, parking, etc, appx 20 acres of surrounding land, 1990s UofM built it for Agriculture and the Environment, program for 6th graders, when the program was shut down the center was given to the IWL

Land maintanence--woods for ed center donated by member in 1965, Buckthorne removed by Eagle scouts, prisoners and conservation corps hired by grant, Ike volunteers

Prarie restoraton--roundup till fallow 3x, plant prarie seed 

98% join because of recommendation from friend. They don't do a lot of highly active recruiting.

Members don't usually interact outside of meetings.

Chapter provides some food, members bring some item, 80% of those who come to meetings also come to dinner

Not a lobbying org, doesn't support candidates, does support issues


How have federal or state environmental policy changes affected your group (positive and negative affects)? No He didn't know a lot about legal issues, but in general supported increase regulation
More reporting to fed, out East people just looking to enjoys views have had to get invovlved, some chapters not filing paper work


He would like to see more members and have the current members more committed, working with kids is good publicity
Usually 50+, younger people usually busy, originally older, moved back, now moving forward, having trouble getting young people to join, not enough money, middle class is shrinking

"Change comes from the one person who wants change organizing and making it happen."

Email project when we're finished presike1@live.com

The Genre of Blck Elk Speaks

Understanding the genre of a work is crucial for interpreting it. If Black Elk speaks is an apocalyptic prophecy, then we need not worry if the accounts of battles are consistent. If it is a history of a nation, then we needn't bother to interpret the dream sequence.

Much like the Bible, Black Elk Speaks is composed of many different genres, and assigning one label is a doomed endeavor. Some sections are history, some prophecy, some biography. Readers must remain aware of this, and interpret different sections according to different standards.

We the People

I had just found out that the US had been allies with apartheid South Africa, and I was feeling worse than usual about being an American. This Cuban who was there pointed out that this had happened before I was born, and I was in no way responsible. So why was I feeling guilty?

This same question came up in class today, as people talked about all the horrible things "we" had done to Indians. Why do we feel guilt for sins from 8 generations ago?

Guilt is a social phenomena, based on fear of judgement from our peers. There is ample evidence to show this--psychologists know that masked people feel freer to commit crimes, and that if in a scientist in a lab coat asks subjects to deliver a fatal electric shock, they will gladly kill. Historians know that moral standards have risen significantly over time (in medieval Europe torturing cats was a popular form of entertainment.), showing that moral standards (and thus our sense of guilt) derive from society.

So, "we" feel guilty about what "our" ancestors since we know that other nations and ethnic groups also remember, and base their current opinion of us off this.

Advice on Speaking from Flatland

The Persuasive Speaking Unit from Iowa State University makes many specific recommendations, but the overall theme is to use multiple lines of evidence. Consider this example structure:


Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
Best pattern to use for a personal action appeal.
Five Parts: Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, Action; but only three main points.
ATTENTION
In the Introduction
A scenario of a heart attack
NEED:
I. We have a problem with heart disease and heart failure in America.
A. Every year thousands of Americans die from heart attacks.
B. Only a small part of the population knows how to save someone who is suffering from a heart attack.
SATISFACTION:
II. If more people were trained in CPR more lives could be saved.
A. You can get trained in CPR by attending a Red Cross class.
B. You can get trained in CPR here on campus.
VISUALIZATION:
III. Once you are trained in CPR, you can save a life.
A. Let's look again at the opening scenario.
B. Statistics show that communities that have a large percentage of the population CPR certified have lower rates of death from heart attacks.
ACTION:
In the conclusion
Call to the audience to get trained in CPR

The speaker uses a story with emotional appeal, statistic, and facts about the audience to make his/her point. This same multi-pronged approach appears repeatedly throughout the unit.

Transcendental Jamestown

The Jamestown colonists were driven by wild dreams and endless optimism to the New World, where they did little work, and thus had little food and shelter come winter, and most of them died. The Transcendentalists were driven by wild dreams and endless optimist to the frontier, where they did little work, and thus had little food come winter, and most left.

Bertrand Russel started a school where students were not required to follow rules. It's not hard to guess how that turned out. Society can certainly be improved, history has shown that those who propose to remake human nature are consistently disappointed.

The Golden Mean

Emmerson believes that nature has many uses, the least of which is resource. This a step in the right direction compared to many environmentalists, because it implies that although we cannot completely wreck the environment, we can still use it. Likewise, although nature exists to serve humanity, if we destroy it will not be useful. This is a very balanced and plausible perspective that promotes moderation in the use of natural resources.

Growth and Progress

The growth of the rail industry in the 1800s follows the same pattern as the growth of the computer industry. An initial invention can do something really efficiently. Vast landscapes of profit dance before the eyes of entrepreneurs, and everybody rushes for the same opportunity. The big fish eat the little fish, and the panoply of small companies consolidates into a few giants. Things then run efficiently and smoothly, and people take their new technology for granted.

The Hudson River School of Painting

The Hudson River School of Painting foreshadowed a nature cult that thrives in America. This is the second thing that comes up when I search for pictures of mountains. It shows vast sweeps of land and dramatic feats of nature, similar to the HRSP. Although painting is no longer a major art form, the same concept has moved to other media. The above is an excellent example of nature photography, and nature documentaries are common. As with social capital, we must be careful not confuse a change in media with a disappearance.

A Small Town in a Big City

Bellah et. al. wrote about how distracted American urban sprawl is, and how small towns could be xenophobic but at heart were focused. As I read this, I kept thinking of Fremont, a neighborhood in Seattle.

If you're walking around downtown Fremont and see barhoppers dressed as zombies, it's a perfectly normal day. Did a neon green stretch tandem bike just pull up to a stoplight? That's pretty standard. All Seattle and Portland have a reputation for quirk, but Fremont separates itself by taking this to an extreme. This isn't isolationist at all--welcoming anything and everything is one of the most open minded ways to separate yourself. More importantly, civic associations are built around this identity. The most flagrant example is the Fremont Arts Council, which every year stages a massive solstice parade.

Tocqueville's idea of social capital--though he didn't call it that--has resonated with a lot of people. Putman and Bellah et. al. both believe that people are drifting father and farther apart. Fremont is an example of the city environment that Bellah et. al. criticize remodeled into a vibrant community.

Correlation and Causation

Perhaps he addresses this in his book, but in the article Putnam's argument has a subtle flaw. He provides much evidence that involvement civic associations and positive social attributes, such as trust and economic productivity, are correlated. However, his only evidence that civic engagement causes positive social attributes is one very generic sentence without a citation:

"In fact, historical analysis suggested that these networks of organized reciprocity and civic solidarity, far from being an epiphenomenon of socioeconomic modernization, were a precondition for it."

This "suggestion" is the crux of Putnam's argument. All the evidence he presents that there is a correlation is totally irrelevant. What he needs is proof of causation, and the article lacks this.

Five Year's Time

In 1835 Alexis de Tocqueville published the first book of Democracy In America. America was an energetic place, bustling with citizens seeking fortune, reform, or just good company. In 1840 he published book two, and wrote that in a democracy "there is little energy of the soul" (703).

What happened? In five year's time, his attitude reversed entirely. Though this is the only direct contradiction I have found, most of book one praises democracy and briefly mentions it's dangers, while book two warns that democracy could degenerate into Soviet Russia and briefly mentions the benefits of democracy. Though ends by saying that the pros and cons of democracy are roughly equal, there is a major change in tone between the two books.

Patriotism

It seems to me that all wars originate from the worship of something, be it your country, your religion or your neighbor's land. The Dispossessed by Ursala le Guin refined my view of patriotism in particular. Though she agrees that absolute love of your country can inspire war, love of your country  and a feeling of home is harmless and probably healthy. De Tocqueville discusses this brand of patriotism says that Americans don't have it, and introduces a third brand which neither Ursala nor I had considered--a kind of creator's pride combined with activism--that I hear from a lot of people who call themselves patriotic. It doesn't mean supporting the current government, just a belief in your ability to change it.

"Democracy In East Asia" by Alexis de Tocqueville

On page 222, de Tocqueville writes: “There is nothing as irresistible as a tyrannical power commanding in the name of the people, for while being clothed in the moral strength derived from the will of the greatest number, it also acts with the decision, speed and tenacity of a single man.”

In a tyranny, no discussion is necessary, and decisions are quick. Why not combine this popular support, and achieve a very desirable government? This idea has obvious appeal. It also has a serious lack of truth.

Compare China and India. The explosive growth in each is similar. They pursue GDP with equal "decision, speed and tenacity." Yet India has a democracy while China has a tyranny.

De Tocqueville has had several important insights on democratic culture, but his political theory is lacking.

The Paradox Of De Tocqueville

The tricky thing about de Tocquville is his mixture of dated information and insight that spans ages. On page 61 he states that each state is almost an autonomous nation--certainly no longer true. Just a couple of pages later, he says that local governments provide citizens with a chance to enact their democratic spirit and see the process in action. Earlier today an ASG candidate came campaigning to my door. This observation is certainly still true.

The Culture of Equality

America, writes De Tocqueville, is more equal than Europe, with less inherited wealth.

That was probably true in 1830 when he visited the US. Now the relationship is reversed. Many European countries, particularly in Scandinavia, have superior systems for supporting the sick, retired, and unemployed.

What De Tocqueville has discovered that is still relevant is that inherited wealth sounds inherently wrong to many Westerners, and this notion took flight in America in the 1800s. The idea has been exported back to Europe. A Swedish St. Olaf student, when I was telling him about the holes in the justification for the American revolution, said:

"Don't you think the founding fathers were geniuses?" This is my evidence that the desire for equality, which Europeans have come closer than us to achieving, ultimately originated in America.

Religion and Politics

Have you ever seen a Mac vs. PC debate? I encounter them a lot. Each side passionately believes that their operating system is superior. Each has an excellent rationalization for why their system is superior, but you can tell from people's tone that really the conflict is emotional, and that the factual arguments flying back and forth will never convince anyone.

Anyway, one of these debates sprang up during a guitar orchestra rehearsal. To get us back on track, the teacher said "Shall we end the religious debate and get back to practice?"

Strictly, preference in operating system isn't a religion, since it doesn't help explain the world. Though he may not have realized it, the insight that my guitar teacher had was that preference in operating systems is a deeply held opinion that we pick up from those around us, especially our parents, and sometimes confuse for a fact.

Cullen briefly referred the Declaration and the Constitution as America's "political religion." We learn from the OS story that a preference for democracy is an opinion that is ingrained so deeply in American culture that it may be confused for fact. No amount of logic will change anyone's position; in this kind of argument reason is a tool used to justify the party line. This religion isn't a complete religion either--it doesn't ban otherwise enjoyable activities--but this view of political systems does show that justifications from political science are ultimately irrelevant. Politics is really a question of culture.

A Lasting Impression

After visiting Europe this past summer, I became haunted by the question of what our era will leave behind. Europe has a lot of history: stone buildings, statues and artwork, literature and record books. America has lots of beautiful natural features, but little lasts that is manmade. At the time, I assumed this was because westerners had only come to America a few centuries ago. I thought there hadn't been time to build up a lot of history.

McLoughlin has insight to offer on this topic. The trail goes cold at the industrial revolution. Of all the sights that I saw in London and Paris, only Sacre Cour (surely misspelled) and the Eiffel tower were built between 1700 and 1950. Since 1700, cheap, disposable structures have prevailed on both sides of the Atlantic. The concept of building a cathedral that will not be finished for several generations befuddles our modern brains. This cultural short-sightedness is a source of efficiency and wealth, but also of climate change and pollution.

Back In the Old Days

Back in the old days, a single figure altered an existing religion. It was now highly democratic, and extolled the necessity of helping the poor. It became very popular, but lost it's initial momentum when it had expanded as far as it could and became institutionalized. So early Christianity began.

In the 19th century, a few energetic, charismatic preachers altered existing religions. They were now more democratic, and accompanied pushes for social reform. These new religions became very popular, but lost their initial momentum when they had expended as far as they could and institutionalized. So conservative protestantism began.

Set Theory

What makes a group of people? Amy Frykholm discusses the view that a group of people is made by boundaries--that conservative protestants were conservative protestants because "drinking, dancing, smoking, watching movies, playing cards, and swearing were forbidden," (Rapture Culture 23) creating a clear line between members and nonmembers. She proposes instead that what makes a group is something that most people have in common. Reading books like Left Behind gives conservative protestants something to gather around.

This issue is relevant especially to this period in American history, because of the civil war. This pushed to the fore the question of who was American and who wasn't. How can we know if "what binds us together is greater than what drives apart" if we don't know what holds us together?

Temperence

Mark Noll in his "History of Christianity in the United States and Canada" defines temperance as "liberation from the bondage of drink.” In several places he implies that the spread of religion in the 2nd Great Awakening is beneficial. He attributes this spread to successful missionary work, and the success of the Methodism in particular to it's spiritual accuracy. In general, Noll shows a bias towards religion.


Why do I associate a fear of alcohol with a religious attitude? Religions frequently include alcohol on their list of forbiddens. I may have been calling on my Puritan stereotype of portraying pleasures as sins, and thinking of my high school classmate whose Mormonism prevented her from watching R-rated movies.

Erik On Democracy

Technically, in a democracy every issue is a referendum. Officials are few and with limited power. Whitman has suggested that a political system is a merely a prerequisite for democracy, and that in a democracy literature is simple and cheery. Viewing democracy as a social condition instead of a political system is preferable for AmCon, since America is a republic and not a democracy. However, Whitman’s particular variation of this idea is improbable self serving. By proclaiming literature as the most significant art form, he inflates himself to the herald of an age of literary giants. That golden age never came; Whitman himself started writing more nuanced works after the war, including  a great deal of all the evils he say should never be mentioned in great literature. The US only became THE world leader after the cold war, that only lasted a few short decades. Our main cultural exports were movies and music—British books are at least as popular is American ones, even here in the US.

Speaking of Britain, Whitman seems to think that the only democratic nation is the US. Surely he had read the Magna Carta and the Declaration of the Rights of Man. It is nowadays found all over the world, spread as much by European democracies colonizing as by the US.

In this cultural democracy, democracies and republics are interchangeable. Though we usually vote for representatives, similar assumptions underlie both systems. Each vote is equal. Everybody in the relevant group gets to vote. Whichever person or decision gets the most votes wins. Take the process of electing a president as an example. The vote of someone from Wyoming counts for a lot more than of someone from California. However, each voter in a district of California has equal power to elect a representative. Thus the present system seems fair enough, and it hasn’t yet been changed.                      

It is impossible to escape the assumptions of the society we are born in, and democracy is embedded in every American. The Nobel Peace Prize this year went to a Chinese dissenter, Liu Xiaobo. As westerners with democratic ideals, the prize committee sympathized with the dissenter. The Chinese government, understandably, felt that giving Liu Xiaobo the prize made no sense whatsoever. How could a peace prize go to someone who was undermining progress in a perfectly peaceable country? At worst, democracy clouds our judgment and prevents us from seeing that there are other ways.

I mentioned this story in class already, but this time I’d like to highlight a different aspect of it. Pinochet offered a referendum on whether or not he should stay in power. The democratic culture in Chile was able to peacefully remove a violent dictator with military support from the US. Because we absorb democracy as children, everyone agrees on the gist of it, if not the details. Even Pinochet believed that if the majority was against him, he must be doing something wrong. The best aspect is that it provides a convention on how to decide things without conflict.

This way of deciding applies just as much to everyday life as to brand political movements. When my friends and I are debating what kind of pizza to buy, we usually take a vote. Because we all believe it’s best way to decide things, we rarely challenge the results. The Board of Regents elects the president of St. Olaf, and many day-to-day decisions are made by committees of faculty members who discuss and then vote on issues. Shareholders vote on the board of directors for a company, who elect the chief-whatevers-officers who actually run the company.

Lincoln's Interpretation of Democracy

Lincoln sees himself as continuing the democratic ideals of the founding fathers, as do our current presidents and politicians. The interpretation of those ideas has evolved significantly over time and varies greatly from person to person. If "all men are created equal," does "men" include women? Does "equal" mean equal incomes? Equal votes? Marx values economic equality; libertarians value equal rights. Even though so many claim to follow the same basic ideas, wars have been fought over how shape the ideals into a political system.