An Uphill Battle

It was not too long ago that the Quebec government promised $103 million in student grants to the students of Quebec. In February of this year the government revised this promise and said that the grants would be converted into student loans. This was a major knock against students hoping to get a grant. A grant helps stuents by establiching programs to help them raise the money to pay for school. Loans students deeper in the whole, this especially effects the poorer students in Quebec. It is obvious that the government will benefit more from giving away $103 million in loans. Not only will the government ge the money back they will make an additional interest.
This event relaes to the conepts of hegemony and moving equilibrium. Hegemony is where certain social groups exert authority over other groups. This is not done through force, it is accomplished by getting the lower classes to accept their roles.
The subsequent strike from the students is a great example of the moving equilibrium. This moving equilibrium is essentially the shifting of power. The government and the ruling elite use things like the media to get the lower classes to accept their roles. Even TV shows that paint a picture of the nuclear family out pressure on society to focus on raising two children and having a white-picket-fence. Having a poitician with slicked hair using language that even flys over his head is another version of this hegemony. But when the people push back, through strikes and through the construction of unions we are pushing the moving equilibrium back too. This is exactly what nearly 200,000 students did in Quebec. Sometimes that is what is takes to keep the ruling elite in check.

Againt the Grain

On Oct 14, 2007 a Polish immigrant was tasered at the Vancouver International Airport. The man was confused, he had been waiting for a very long time, and he could not even speak English. Obviously he was annoyed and agitated, who wouldn’t be? The RCMP officers then proceeded to shoot him with a taser, which sent him onto the ground in what was an obvious case of helplessness. The man later died on the scene and the tape of the incident has just lately been released (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=eM44P3J0IF0&feature=related).

This is horrible, it is very sad, but it is all that seems to be on the news. Children are starving around the world and violence is erupting as we speak. We hear nothing about the plethora of issues that exist elsewhere. Instead, the media will concentrate on one issue, such as this one. When the media does this, when they concentrate on a couple of issues they are limiting our information. We are getting used to only having a few news channels now and only a few stories for which they speak of. This phenomenon is called ownership concentration. The fact that the few control so much causes us to get used to the mainstream.

We began to see ownership concentration with the introduction of companies like Clear Channel. Companies such as these will monopolize an inustry until they essentially dictate what goes on in that industry. The scariest thing is that these corporations are not only dictating a product, they are ictating what we see, how we rhink, and subsequently how we act.
I suppose that one can relate this concept to the events on Oct 14 to the Polish immigrant. The man is confused and he is looking for information. This is the same thing that many Canadians do when they access YouTube Videos or watch the 6 o’clock news. We are just looking for information, we are looking for answers. When we do not behave like everyone else is than we are confronted with the mainstream. We must conform to what is considered the norm. If we do not than the mainstream goes against us. The power of this stream stuns anyone who goes against it. This mainstream can be represented by the four RCMP officers, in matching uniforms, who tasered the man and then paced their knees on him.
This takes away from democracy. The people do not have free access to information. This allows politicians and news agencies to push certain agendas. A great example of this can be seen in the introduction of the War in Iraq. Bush and his administration paint any opposition as “evil doers” and makes claims that they have weapons of mass destruction. If this is all that the American people hear than obviously they are going to jump on the bandwagon. They have no other options; they do not have free access to information. View this video to see the sort of mainstream agendas that are pushed due to our limited scope of reality due to our lack of free information (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=gMStCHtUNeY).

Read All About It

The article The Tabs: No Men allowed is a story about the FACT that women dominate the tabloids. Whether you are standing in line at the grocery store or witnessing it on TV women are unfairly targeted by the tabloids. If something does happen to a man then the blame is usually split between the man and a women. Tom Cruise was criticized for his strange beliefs in scientology, but Katie Holmes was dragged in to help take some of the blame
(http://www.slate.com/id/2128041/late.com/id/2128041/). Countless female stars have been on covers of Star Magazine and the International Inquirer for having eating disorders or drinking problems. They are painted as monsters; they are the scum of society. All these girls do is drink and party, and then put their fingers down their throats, or at least that’s how the tabloids tend to paint it. Eating disorders and drug addictions are not just physical dependences they are mental problems. Owen Wilson was recently in the news for an attempted suicide but was he painted as some sort of deviant of society, some sort of freak? No, he wasn’t (view this clip of Ben Stiller talking about Wilson http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/09/28/watch-ben-stiller-talks-_n_66319.html_n_66319.html). Articles regarding the event showed pictures of Wilson looking good, some even showed pictures of past movies he’d been in. He was not criticized, and why should he be, this is a serious metal problem. Drug addiction and eating disorders are also life threatening and they are not really given any level of seriousness or treated with any sort of compassion. The tabloids treat women as second class citizens.
This is the same way that women are treated in other cultures. In Punjabi cultures in England women are also treated as second class. Traditionally the eldest son will live at home with his parents. He will even raise a family of his own in his parents’ house. He will, all the while be supporting them financially. This is how things go. Because of these traditions parents hope for a boy to be born. Girls are viewed as financial burdens, their birthdays aren’t even celebrated, but a boy’s birthday is. In China there exists a one-child-policy where parents can only have one child, as a way of reducing the ballooning population. This also forces parents to hope for a boy so that the family name can live on. There have been cases of female babies been found in dumpsters outside hospitals for this very reason.
This is a horrible thing. It may be a bit of a stretch to compare some ridiculing in a tabloid to this kind of treatment but it is inequality all around. Women are still fighting an uphill battle, as they have been since the beginning of time. Although the inequality is not as profound in North America it is still an issue. The fact that women are treated differently by the tabloids and the media acts as a good symbol of the way that society thinks.
How does this affect the way that we communicate? Even in everyday situations males are often given more respect and authority than a female. I have noticed that it takes my female professors longer than my male professors to get the class to settle down. There is far less talking my lectures with male professors than the ones run by females. This directly affects females because they are the ones that need to try harder to grasp someone’s attention.
To conclude I will saying that the unfair treatment of women in the tabloids is, in fact gender inequality. The way media portrays women is a good scope of how people tend to think. This can be seen in everyday situations, like in lectures, and professors varying levels of authority, depending on their gender. Gender greatly affects our communicative relationships, whether you are a Punjabi in England, or a reader of the tabloids.

Is our Virtual Village Becoming Overcrowded?

Technology is an amazing force in our lives. The evolution of technology has changed how we communicate and manage our lives for the better and for the worse.
Let’s start with the positives. Technology has made travelling easier, and has helped in communicating over long distances. It has also made many scientific findings and innovations possible.
On the same token we are beginning to see many problems arise from the unveiling of new technologies. The main force behind this is, of course the internet. The internet is truly the gateway to any sorts of information that anyone could possibly want. Thanks to the internet I can now go into Google, type in “homemade bombs”, and have almost two million web pages of information at my disposal.
Then let’s look at the invention of file-sharing programs like Limewire or Kazzaa. Massive amounts of information can now be shared illegally, and , again with easy access to anyone. The makers of Kazza and Limewire took advantage of people’s thirst for information.
Then Apple invented iTunes, a legal, and safe way to download music, videos, and text documents onto the ipod. They allowed users to hand pick the songs and videos that they wanted instead of having to buy an entire DVD or CD album. They found a middle ground between illegal downloading and having to buy the full version. While doing this they were injecting much money back to the artists that they would have never otherwise seen. But of course technology creates problems, so on came the lawsuits and disputes.
Another quality example is Facebook. It is "an online directory that connects people through social networks at schools”, according to a Facebook spokesperson (http://www.elon.edu/e-web/pendulum/Issues/2006/01_19/features/specialfeature.xhtml). It however, does much more than that, it is now the most popular hangout for stalkers and is a breeding ground for gossip (Facebook Stalker Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FahBBnfHAQ). This video is downplaying the seriousness of the issue. Pictures and postings can be up for everyone to see.
All of these technologies are beginning a movement called the “third wave” movement. This movement is where technology is becoming so imbedded in our lives that there are no seams. This trend is only going to get worse with inventions like the DoCoMo, a combination of all the products I mentioned earlier, and all their problems. This is sort of like Satan’s cell phone if you ask me. You can download files, go on facebook, and it has a GPS so other people can see where you are. The DoCoMo can also unlock your doors and can stay in constant communication with your refrigerator to let you know when you need more milk. Yea, your phone and your refrigerator can talk to one another, maybe soon they can get their own Facebook accounts.
This movement is frightening if you ask me. Privacy is now out the window and Facebook stalking, lawsuits, and identity theft are all in. Everywhere we go now technology is a part of our lives. Except now, because of this third wave movement technology is becoming our lives. This website can attest, for 65% of Americans are now spending more time with their computers than their significant others (http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196902629). Technology is a virus, pardon the pun, that is killing our interpersonal relationships. It is doing this through our need and desire to communicate and have access to information.

Importance of Non-Verbal Communication

When communicating it is not necessarily what is being said that has the greatest impact. Often people underestimate the significance of body language or non-verbal communication. View this video to see the importance of eye contact when meeting someone for the first time. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzezbYtLvtM). A man may approach a woman and if he is aware of eye contact then he has a definite advantage. The same can be said for a good communicator. An effective communicator is miles ahead when they can interpret others body language and control their own. A tremendous percentage of our everyday communication is done through movements, eye contact, and through tone of voice. Another important area of body language is the context that something is said in. If I was preparing a meal for someone and it was the greatest meal I had ever made and then they complimented me on it I would be pleased. If I burnt the chicken, the vegetables were overcooked, and the pasta was tasteless, then they complimented me, I would be offended. The words coming out of their mouths haven’t changed, but the context has.

China is hoping to expand economically into Africa for their natural resources such as oil and taping into an African market to sell Chinese goods. China is being a smart communicator in their efforts to expand into several African nations. China is making an effort to adjust their body language to convince these nations that they will keep the best interests of these countries in mind. In the case of Sudan the Chinese president, Hu, wrote off a $70 million debt. He then followed by granting a $13 million interest free loan. China also hosted a summit for 40 African leaders. These leaders may have been skeptical of the intentions of China in their countries. Stories circulate the international stage of Chinese pollution and their greed to expand. So what does China do? They think like a good communicator and they control their body language. When the countries came to visit they reduced the amount of traffic and they even shut down the factories temporarily to reduce the amount of pollution in the air. I think that this is absolutely ingenious. Perhaps the leaders of these nations would now go back and say, “China did not seem as dirty or as overcrowded as I had heard”. In doing so China has made a huge impression on these leaders without having to say a word, much like what an effective communicator can do to a listener.

You May Kiss the Robot

The landscape of marriage and relationships has changed a great deal in Canada in the last 30 or 40 years. In the 60’s and 70’s it was very rare to see an interracial couple walking down the street. Now it is even legal for gay couples to become united under the recent law to allow gay marriage. These movements are great, but where is the line drawn?
Recently an artificial intelligence researcher professor in the Netherlands named David Levy made the prediction that by 2050 we will begin to see movements to legalize marriage to robots. When I first heard this I was shocked, I have heard nothing along the lines of saying “I do” to a walking computer. I discovered that related studies and analysis has been going on for over 50 years. A man named A.M. Turning wrote Computing Machinery and Intelligence, in this he spoke of the “Imitation Game”. This game attempts to answer the question “Can machines think?” According to David Levy he believes that in 2050 machines will not only be able to think, they will act as humans, they will have human mates, and they will have sex with humans.
Upon further examination it seems as though this is entirely possible. Robots can be programmed to meet the needs of the individual, although artificially. This theory takes our time binding and space binding society to an all new level. Now we can go online and look for a relationship, meet someone, and keep contact with a webcam as if a couple were in the same room. Combine this with the fact that every second counts now a days and robot relationships seem entirely feasible. Many people do not have time for human to human relationships; marriage to a robot would be the ultimate in convenience for some. Much of the required technology is already out there, or it is in the process of being developed. Some dolls are available on the internet, and they are selling for close to $10,000 each.
Now we know that this is possible, what implications might it have on the way that we communicate? If we can have robotic mates than we can have robotic friends, robotic doormen, and robotic co-workers. We will completely lose every sense of personable relationships and genuine communicating. Technology may develop to the point where a robot can think or converse, but it that really communicating? I am going to take the stand that it is definitely not. This form of technology is called artificial intelligence because it is artificial. The concept of it becoming legal or even thinkable to marry a robot is merely an imitation game, it’s not real.

Poor Voter Turnout - What Would Pinker the Thinker Do?

The results of the Provincial Election and referendum on Wednesday took focus off of another critical pierce of information. On Wednesday night “The turnout was worse than a previous record low of 54.7 per cent set in 1923” , as reported by CBC. The low voter turnout also ties in with the fact that many people barely knew the details of the referendum, I know this, I volunteered at the election. I heard one woman quietly inquire at the poll about what the referendum was regarding. The lack of interest in politics from voters is a critical issue.
This issue stems from the fact that we are a time-binding society. Every second counts, therefore it seems more of a hassle to vote than a privilege. People are always rushing; this includes meals, traveling, and all daily activities. Families spend less time together, therefore less time talking about things like politics.
With this being said I am going to take the stance that society is the main culprit, but so are parents. It is well known that children absorb the most information when they are in the early stages of their lives. If parents instilled a feeling of political importance in their children at an early age this would not be a problem. This can be compared to Steven Pinker’s analysis of learning and language. In Piker’s article, Chatterboxes, he makes reference to deaf children learning sign language. Pinker makes the point that deaf children that are born to signing parents than they learn sign language “the same way that hearing infants learn spoken language”. Deaf children that may be born to parents who don’t know signing are put behind from the start. When they grow up and seek deaf communities they learn it but they “struggle with sign language as a difficult intellectual puzzle, much as a hearing adult does in foreign language classes”. Again he reiterates that the successful learning of language must be done at a critical time.
Just as parents need to teach language to their children early in life they need to introduce them to politics. When children are not exposed to something for many years than why would they suddenly develop the desire to vote, and have the aptitude to understand the way that our electoral system works. The fact of the matter is that there was ample information out there on the referendum, $6.8 million (this video is a piece of the wealth of information that was available, but not utilized - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez6IRIrW-98) of information to be exact.







Look forward to my blog next week on
Steven Pinker's study on the
difficulties of communication while under the
influence