This week's post is just a simple invitation to discuss your first experiences with your agency and any concerns, questions or surprises that came up. What do you anticipate some of the challenges will be?
You may also continue our seminar discussion on the Roberts book. Danielle mentioned that she found several inspiring "words to live by" in the text. What inspired you? What did you wish we had spoken about in class?
I am also aware that I'm writing this on 9/11 as CNN covers the reading of the names at Ground Zero. As you enter the world of your agency, working for justice in some corner of New York City, what might be the connections (if any) between the problems (and solutions) you see locally and issues of national security, international relations and social justice around the world.
You don't have to respond to all of these points, just the one(s) that speak to you. The most important thing is to jump into the blog, so comment away!
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11 comments:
THE FOLLOWING COMMENT IS BY DANIELLE,NOT PROFESSOR REITZ. I just started a book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, titled "The Black Swan." In Western Australia, someone discovered a black swan, falsifying the 18th century assumption that all swans are white. What was unknown and unpredicted was thought to be impossible or untrue.
Follow me for a minute: Let's say its the summer of 2008, and Jane had to use the bathroom on a plane. Accidentally, she opens the door to the cockpit instead of the restroom and scared the pilot. Hearing this story, Joe Shmo of Airplane Safety realizes that locking the door of the cockpit would be a good safety measure, at least keeping the pilot free of distraction, at most preventing a hostile takeover. The rule goes into affect 9/10/01. This rule most likely would've prevented the 9/11 attacks. According to the author, 9/11 was a Black Swan event. A) the event was a surprise B) the even had major impact, and c) after the fact, the event is rationalized by hindsight, as if it had been expected.
We are always looking at events through hindsight. Although I always get aggravated having to take off my shoes and risk getting athlete's foot or having to buy a $5 tiny bottle of water in the airport after going through security, those discoveries prevented what could have been a surprise attack with major impact. So I guess we can celebrate it by continuing to go through the annoying process. The point is, now that suicide bombers know that we've taken this measure, it's highly unlikely they'll attempt to bring another bomb via shoe or water bottle. But we're doing something active by taking those options away from them.
I started writing this because I sort of disagreed with Mason's statement that Vera is proactive. I saw Vera's organizations as those created to actively respond to current problems evident in the CJ system. As I'm writing this, I'm realizing the parallel between being active and being proactive. By working on problems of the past, they may be preventing problems in the future; problems we couldn't predict today. Say we began locking the cockpit on 9/10/01. Joe Shmo could have passed away on 9/12/01 and would've only been known for his new door locking rule; not for saving the towers, the pentagon and flight 91 from a hijacking.
At our agencies, we're going to have a lot of questions; some that might seem so obvious we're hesitant to even ask. We should remember that we're fresh eyes (like Sturz whenever he began new work) and in our interactions with staff and clients, we may be able to prevent a black swan event by seeing something so obvious its being overlooked.
THE FOLLOWING COMMENT IS BY VAUGHN, NOT PROFESSOR REITZ.
The problems we face in the city are the same around the world but on a more microscopic level. The September eleventh attacks is an event that invokes a vivid recollection in every ones mind. I as I'm sure every one else on this blog remembers where they were and what they were doing; I myself was in fourth period fresman year paying absolutely no attention to the lesson at hand. What was special about about that day was the aftermath of the attack. There was a weird sense of togetherness in New York that id never seen Before, in the days to come there was sort of a social change. People actually showed common decency to one another. I recall it was one of my neighbors who i always see on the way back from school who drove me home that day. Any other day it would be a honk and a YO! For the first time i wasn't happy school was cancelled! Nevertheless a week later we were back to our old ways. The same ways that create our problems locally and internationally, no one cares until something drastic occurs.
That's one of the attributes of Vera and all the agencies were placed in, they care all the time. Unlike most governmental institutions Vera takes a proactive approach. Speaking from an international level the September eleventh attack was to some extent known by different governmental agencies foreign as well as domestic who because of stubbornness refuse to cooperate. The cooperation of individuals who at the time see no benefit to personal interest is paramount worldwide. Locally we are willing to watch a child head down the wrong path and jail he or she when they arrive. We are willing to wait until released offenders revert to their old ways. Why wait until four African Americans are shot two being police officers to shed a light on racial profiling. internationally, why wait until an attack claiming thousands of lives occurs to take the precautions that could have saved them.
In reading the posts, I am fascinated by the connections made by Danielle, Vaughn, and Elias between 9/11 and our criminal justice system (A similar disaster? Another missed opportunity? One more sucker punch? )
Art Speigelman’s “In the shadow of no towers” articulates (or more accurately, illustrates) the palpable void created by a large scale disaster. What Speigelman sees in the big holes in the ground, where the towers once were, are the reverberations of other profound losses-such as the ones suffered by his parents, who witnessed the Holocaust from the vantage point of a concentration camp in Poland. We build memorials to these victims which commemorate them but do little to change the ideological channel on the underlying causes of the trauma.
In your making explicit the association between 9/11 and the-perhaps preventable-tragedies of institutional and personal violence that characterize the criminal justice system, you remind me how few memorials have been built to all the kids neglected by crack addicted moms, whose unemployed boyfriends were swept up by police just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and imprisoned, in places where the guards are brutalized by their workload and shrinking paychecks. You remind me that these things are not separate at all but part of what Robert Jay Lifton would call the “psychic numbness” that makes us look the other way: ignore the airplane memo about Al Queda, pay the female student in the corner with the black eye no mind, turn the page when we read about the economic depression that has been going in some communities from way before Lehman Brothers padlocked its doors. A lot of the criminal justice system is a silent disaster, not waiting to happen but already happening in our neighborhoods and homes.
I expect that there will be a ton of times during your internships where you feel really helpless, frustrated, angry at all the wrong people just cause they are the ones in front of you. You will be figuring out ways to pick up the bodies, like the first responders at the Twin Towers, only your bodies will be alive (and will kick you, too). The job is significant and humbling. I echo Vaughn’s plaintive question: Why Wait? I agree, when it comes to the criminal justice system, there is really no time anymore for moments of silence.
So far my experience with Esperanza has been a very positive on. The office atmosphere is great and the more I learn about the agency, the more I appreciate being placed there. Friday was more of an orientation than a full day of work, but I am already researching community resources to which to direct clients. Apparently, there is a dearth of such services in Queens. As a Queens resident, I volunteered to scout some community resources and programs as I have often stumbled upon such finds but had no real incentive to investigate further. I hope to familiarize myself with Esperanza's goals this way so I can soon plunge into the more challenging and exciting work my mentor and I have discussed.
Ever since 2001, September Eleventh makes me think of the insularity we experience living in the U.S. As a society that places individuality on such high a pedestal, most of us seldom think of the outside world and in many cases even of others.
I love the United States. As an immigrant, this country has provided me with the incredible opportunities, a high standard of living, and the safety that my country could not. However, having been raised in another culture has always made me sensitive to certain peculiarities about this society that most Americans simply do not think twice about.
We are an "us vs. them" culture regarding most issues whether they are politics, "race", religion, gender, sexual orientation, I could go on and on. There is very little sense of community or fraternity between most Americans and unfortunately this attitude seemingly extends to our elected officials and, though I hate using the "slippery slope" argument, our relationships abroad. American interests come first, business interests come first. I really do not wish to go into a rant and I am certainly not excusing the events of Sept. 11th, but as someone who has experienced and studied America's disastrous foreign policy in Latin America (in this case Plan Colombia) my voice is one of millions calling for America to heal its relationships abroad. However, until our mentality and culture shift in a more united and egalitarian direction at home, our nation and government as an entity wont. This shift must start with each of us and for those of us fortunate enough to be involved with the Vera Institute, this is our opportunity.
In continuing our discussion of 'A Kind of Genius,' I was looking through the New York Nonprofit Press, which I picked up at my agency. As I was looking through it, I stumbled upon an article in which Vera Institute of Justice was named 'Agency of the Month.' The article/story is very nicely put together which goes through a little history of how Vera started out and where it is today. Here is the link to the article (I highly recommend that you read it) -- http://www.nynp.biz/index.php/agencies-of-the-month/1317-vera-institute-of-justice-the-mother-ship-for-nonprofit-human-services
My second week at HSI was transcribing interviews. I am glad that I am being exposed to these interviews prior to going to the facility because in transcribing these interviews, I began to feel a sense of helplessness. I believe this will better prepare me to who I may meet at the facilities and what I may experince.
I still remember quite clearly where I was on 9-11-01 and the anger I felt when it happened. As time went on, I began to think about the issues that we have with other countries, for example - North Korea. Because of North Korea's relationship with other countries, they are constantly testing out their missiles & firing it towards the United States. I believe that the relationships could be fixed (or at least become better) with more peace talks.
THE FOLLOWING COMMENT IS BY ELIAS, NOT PROFESSOR REITZ.
Having read some of the blogs posted, I want to begin by sharing my thoughts about the tragic Semtember 11th, 2001, attacks. I unfortunately had not yet moved to this country when the attacks happened. Nevertheless, the attacks were a dark life-changing experience for all people not only of this country but around the world, but more especially for the people who lost loved one in the attacks. Like Danielle mentioned in her blog, the day of semptember 11th was not an inccident that affected a few people only but the public in general. The attacks revealed to all Americans and foreign governments that even the most powerful, most advanced in technology and experience is vulnerable. And inccidents like the September 11th, which leave dark scars, test the unity and solidarity of all people. Even people from foreign countries felt the hit as well. For years, the United States has helped less developed third world countries such as El Salvador, where I am originally from. On that unforgettable morning of September 11th, when the Salvadorean National News announced that twin towers had been destroyed, all TV and Radio Chanels broadcasted the news. People from El Salvador just could not believe it. As I remeber, I was 14 years old so I was not sure what was really going on. I had never before heard of the twin towers. However, the dark news impacted El Salvador as much as it did in the United States that the Independence Day of El Salvador, which is celebrated on September 15th, was cancelled. The governement announced nationally that it would be disrespectful and rude to celebrate the Independence Day when something like the 9/11 attacks had happened to a allied and friendly country. Anyways, I am by blood not an American; nonetheless, now that I have learned and so much about this country and the opportunities it offers, I feel like as if I were. The best thing we can do now is be proective and prevent future attacks that will threaten our peace and freedom, and that I believe cannot be done from the outside only, it has to start from the inside. We must all take into account that we have surrendered our freedom to the government in return for protection and peace. I will leave it at that for a reason..... and that is because I want all those who read this blog to continue what I begun and share what they believe.
THE FOLLOWING COMMENT IS BY ANA, NOT PROFESSOR REITZ.
The day of the 9/11 attack, like many other classmates, I was at my speech class at John Jay. I remember leaving the school hysterical because the panic of the people had infected me. Yes, everyone was afraid and that fear united people. The feeling of togetherness that emerged months after the event cannot be denied. I felt proud as a New Yorker to have survived such a tragic event.
However, I feel that these feelings of togetherness quickly transformed into feelings of hate and prejudice. All of a sudden it became okay to fear and attack the muslim community. Shortly after that, the government declared war on terrorism, and it became okay to retaliate against our perceived enemies. The aftermath left many Americans feeling hostile against foreigners, and that has caused many injustices against minority groups. I was forced to put on hold my college career because the state decided to double the tuition to non-residents. I am a New Yorker at heart, I have received all my education in this country, but that didn't matter. I felt I was being punish for not being American. I have also observed how latinos in particular have been used as scapegoats for society's fears. I have seen people obsessed with the U.S/Mexican border, claiming that terrorist enter thorough it. I have witness how latinos who come to work and pursue the American dream have been facing extreme hate and discrimination. Today, it is more difficult for Mexicans to resolve their legal status than it is for any other nation. I understand that national security is a priority, but we have to be aware that there is a very thin line between healthy nationalism, and nationalism that isolate people and make them hate everyone else.
It is apparent from just the few postings on this week’s blog that once again, we’ve got a great group of students in the Vera seminar—thoughtful and reflective.
Reading through the comments makes clear to me that we are constantly struggling to negotiate so many contradictions that impact all our lives. How do we maintain the sense that we live in a “free” society when we’re subject to constant surveillance? Indeed, how do we prevent our liberties from being chipped away in the name of protection? In fact, what have we already lost since 9/11 in that regard (e.g., the Patriot Act, the name of which is itself a clever tool--Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act)? How do we ensure our national “security” and still embrace the ideals that the Statue of Liberty represents—the woman at the harbor, greeting “the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free”? In what ways did our political leaders capitalize on the 9/11 tragedy, playing on our shock and our fear to bring us to war, more destruction, more horror? Why do some events get memorialized and others forgotten, other people forgotten, silenced—including, but not limited to the thousands and thousands and thousands of dead civilians—men, women and children in Iraq and Afghanistan? Can we be forgiven that because “others” are making decisions on our behalf? Elias mentions being deeply troubled by US foreign policy in Colombian (where, among other things, the US is currently seeking to expand its military presence with an eye on Colombia’s neighbors). The US has a sorry foreign policy history throughout Latin America and the Caribbean—including in El Salvador, Guatemala, Chile, Dominican Republic, Haiti, etc. How do we reconcile that history with the present, with current foreign policy practices? In what ways have our foreign policies contributed to the displacements of peoples in their countries of origin, to the migration movements and trends we have been witnessing? Ana writes poignantly about what it is like to be cast as the “immigrant other” in the post-9/11 era when our domestic and foreign policies seem to lead to divisiveness, not togetherness, to suspicion and hate, not understanding and community. How can we translate Ana’s experiences into social policy and practice that is humane, and truly just? What is the connection between US foreign policy around the world and acts of terror such as that which occurred on 9/11/01? Would a different kind of foreign policy create a different outcome? I believe that “violence begets violence,” even if it sounds cliché. I also believe that most people don’t want to go in that direction, and would welcome a different paradigm, a different model for how to organize society—if they weren’t made to feel that they might lose out on something if they buy into an alternative (the current health care "debate" illustrates this point so well).
I think all of this—no matter how grim it may sound—is critically important, for once we can clearly identify the true obstacles to social justice, we can then know what among our actions help or hinder getting to that goal.
I have had a very hard time thinking on what to write for this blog, the topic is no easy discussion for me. For starters I will begin my internship on Friday, so I cannot, as of yet, say anything further than what I have already reiterated in class. As far as the discussion concerning 9/11 is concerned, while I was reading though all of your comments, I couldn’t quite decipher how they made me feel, or even worse, how to express such feelings into words, although I did agree with a lot of what was said. Like all of you I also remember that day clearly. I was in the sixth grade in Queens, in a beautiful summer like day, and out of nowhere the teacher steps out of the classroom and comes back in with such a grim expression on her face... She then announced to the class that the towers had been hit by planes... As a child, an immigrant child who has never even seen the twin towers but in postcards, the perspective I had back then was so different. One by one my classmates started to leave, and I was certain I would not. As the class got quieter and quieter, my grandaunt finally came to take me home, and then I realized that this was a serious matter.
I went home and it was all over the news, on every channel; I watched the images on the screen and then changed the channel to watch cartoons, which thankfully they kept on. I had had enough.
The tragedy did not really affect me that much... I didn’t lose anyone in my family, suffered any financial losses, or faced any health related problems. The only difference was the sensitivity that overwhelmed the country. Walking down the streets, the houses were adorned with flags, "how patriotic" I thought to myself, although it was nice to see the country overtaken by so much unity. I agree with a lot of what has been said in this blog so far, yes it could have been avoided, and how upsetting is it that it took a tragedy of this magnitude to unite the country, but honestly I could not agree with Professor Waterston more. It seems as if the government has truly capitalized on the whole thing, and what's worse, as was stated before, it is puzzling how such unity can turn into hate so quickly. The "us" versus "them," nationalism at its worse.
I find Elias' post very shocking in particular. El Salvador suspended the celebration of their independence, which is four days after the tragedy to show respect towards the U.S. As sweet, commendable and sympathetic as it sounds, I can't help but to question whether there were other motivations involved. This was a political move after all. This of course is why I have had difficulty with this topic, it always makes me a bit uncomfortable, it makes me feel guilty because I am not as sympathetic as most other are, and writing this, I realize now just how blessed I am and that that’s probably why I can feel the way I do and hold onto my skepticism. I do consider myself patriotic, I am a proud New Yorker and American, but patriotism and condolences do not have to blind people and become manipulations. This all just reminds me of Marxist attitudes toward the government, masses being manipulated, used and abused. As much as I adore this country and state, clearly, much needs to be done.
I too remember hearing news of the attack on the twin towers while sitting in class in 8th grade. I remember being shocked and deeply affected by the tears of teachers
and classmates who were worried about loved ones. But perhaps the memory that most remains with me from that day is a fellow classmates words to me, "your people did this." I was stunned.
My people? I was from India...and regardless, what did anyone who sat in that classroom have to do with that tragic incident? How were any of us to blame for the actions of terrorists?
But if a 13 year old boy could say such things to me, I can only imagine how those more easily
spotted/targeted (women wearing hijabs or men with turbans) dealt with the outpouring of hate, anger, and a need to blame someone. Of course there are two reactions to a tragedy and the other manifested itself as a sense of unity and nationalism: as Marling said, flags were put
up everywhere, strangers who never used to look at one another began to smile and say hi, bus drivers were thanked, and in this time of tragedy, NY was temporarily forgiven for its liberal ways and there was an outpouring of love and sympathy. However, many years later I think New Yorkers are still trying to get past that day. We are still dealing with extra policemen and fierce dogs guarding our subway stations and reminders to be watchful and report "any
suspicious activity." But I think we have all forgotten what we learned from that day; that sense
of unity has slipped from our hands. If you ask anyone what this war we are fighting is for, not
one person can give you a clear answer. Replies include vague references to 9/11, al qaeda,
fighting terrorism, and so on but no one truly knows why we are invading Afghanistan or what
we are trying to accomplish there. The government truly has capitalized on this tragic incident, but despite all our complaints, we are standing by and letting them do it.
This brings me back to Robert's book because it makes us wonder: what is our responsibility
as citizens of this country? Why do we stand by and allow things we do not agree with to happen?
How can we make a difference in our world? What makes Sturz so great is that he got to the bottom
of things. He asked questions until he got the answers he wanted and then did something about the
root of the problem he found.
Professor Reitz mentioned in class that Bill Gates (I think?) says he addresses problems he can find a solution to and perhaps the problem is that many people do not feel that they are able to solve the problems around them. They are disabled by a feeling that they lack power, resources,
and networks to even begin to think about solving the problems they see around them. I started
listening to the Zizek and Lukes discussion and Zizek's comments about charity are racing through
my head. He makes an important point I think that people often do feel a sense of relief when they donate a little money or walk for Breast Cancer or serve food at a soup kitchen. However, when you feel very small in a very big world, sometimes little things are all you can do and it does not take away from the fact that you are doing something good--someone is benefiting from your actions and also a lot of people doing little things adds up to a lot. As to buying a Starbucks drink because it'll help a starving child, I think people will buy the drink regardless and maybe they'll feel better about spending that five bucks but I don't think that argument makes or breaks their decision to get a Java Chip Frap.
My experience within Wildcat has been pretty good so far. I have helped conduct research for a program called “Path Ways Out of Poverty.” The main goal of this program is to help low-income people within specific areas in New York City find and retain jobs, while at the same time fix the houses in their community. They are specifically working towards training people, not just with work ethic, but in the field of weatherization. They will be trained on how to repair weatherization machinery and other forms of carpentry. Other jobs can include auditing homes on energy sufficient projects used. However, this is just the idea, right now I am helping them research grants that will last about two or more years and supportive services for the employees. I’ll admit the work is a little dry, but I know that it is an important foundation for the program. As they say money makes the world go round, without it we have got nothing but ideas.
I think my main challenge is trying to get fieldwork, I have always been a hands on person, and working in an office is a bit of a change for me. Although, I know that this will help make me well rounded and understand “office ethic.” Also, I am still struggling on what career path I should choose(law or journalism,) and Wildcat is showing me that working in an organization or just the field of social work can burn you out. I mean you are working towards changing peoples lives, and that is a lot of responsibility for a person. I know some say don’t get too personal and put your heart into your clients or work, and I don’t think I could do that. I am a very passionate person, especially when it comes to writing about people’s lives, and I think that for your work to be truly great you have to divulge yourself whole heartedly into your work.
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