分类： 赛事资讯

The Missing Anthropological Exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History serves 5 million visitors annually, ranging from elementary schools to foreign tourists. Although massive displays like the dinosaur halls are famous draws, the museum is also well known for its anthropological exhibits, which include the Hall of Asian Peoples, the Hall of African Peoples, and so forth. However, for 148 years, the museum has decided to not create a hall for Europeans. The museum, in order to present visitors an updated view of anthropology, must add a Hall of European Peoples.

The idea of more European culture in our institutions can sound unnecessary, and even racist, to many. But before judging, ask yourself: What are the consequences of portraying Europeans as above anthropology? When only people of color are exhibited in the museum, visitors learn that there must be something intrinsically different about European culture. The exhibits teach this because they are rooted in a white, 19th century worldview. Although updated, the exhibits still reflect a time when European artifacts were considered “art” or “history,” while other artifacts were labeled “natural history.” The museum’s European superiority was so extreme that, in 1897, six Eskimos were displayed solely as “a source of amusement” for visitors. Such racism in anthropology was common at a time when anything European was considered “civilization,” while anything else was labeled “primitive.”

Admirably, anthropologists have worked for years to replace racism with more modern principles. These principles include that all cultures are equal and deserve respect, and that anthropologists shouldn’t label a culture “primitive” just because they are different. What the museum has not done, by excluding Europe from display, is teach visitors that all cultures deserve the same level of scientific scrutiny. The truth is that anthropology should apply to all cultures, and no ethnicity should be above scientific study. Margaret Mead once said that “the more complex a society becomes, the more fully the law must take into account the diversity of the people who live in it.” I would argue that the more complex our view of culture becomes, the more fully our institutions must take into account the diversity of the people who visit.

If the museum is truly for all people, then it must be about all people. There is nothing intrinsically different between Europe’s culture and that of the rest of the world. All cultures are equally complex and impressive. The only reason to isolate the study of Europe from the rest of the world would be because Europe is somehow special, something we know to be false. European culture is unique, but not uniquely superior. Yet, until Europeans are included in the Museum’s Anthropological Halls, visitors will learn otherwise.

Works Cited

Kaufman, Michael T. “About New York; A Museum’s Eskimo’s Skeletons and Its Own. The New York Times. August 21, 1993.

Popova, Maria. “Margaret Mead on the Root of Racism and the Liability of Law Enforcement”. brainpickings.org. 2014.

The Collateral Damage of Defending Democracy

CIA-operated drones are leaving an unjustifiable amount of damage in their wake. Fahim Qureishi was thirteen years old when seven of his family members were massacred, he lost one eye and had shrapnel impaled in his stomach. Sadaullah Wazir was fourteen years old when four of his family members were murdered and he had both of his legs amputated. Nabila was eight years old when her grandma was obliterated in front of her, and Nabila suffered from severe burns and shrapnel in her shoulder. All of these children paid a high price despite the fact that there were no militants present.

When drone operators aim for specific individuals in what Barack Obama termed “targeted killing,” the intended target is rarely killed the first time. In running multiple airstrikes, many innocent lives are taken as collateral. United States’ officials claim that these strikes are “precise” even though they are based off intelligence that has resulted in twenty-eight people being sacrificed for every suspected criminal. In Pakistan, twenty-four men were targeted, but 874 people were murdered including 142 children. John Brennan, former CIA director, stated in 2011 that drone strikes apply “targeted, surgical pressure to the groups that threaten us,” but Fahim, Sadaullah and Nabila were not dangers to national security. Therefore, these drone strikes must end as there is no way to prevent innocent lives from being lost in an attack that may not even eliminate a potential threat.

Under international human rights law, the targeted individual must pose an imminent threat that only lethal force can prevent. Furthermore, Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.” Simply being suspected of some connection to a “militant” organization or fitting the profile of a terrorist in an area where terrorists are known to operate is not legally sufficient to make someone a target for killing. The United States cannot constantly reprimand other countries for their lack of regard about civilian life when the drone war itself overlooks these ethical values.

The United States supports the practice of due process of law and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; however, overseas drone strikes do not uphold these values that are so frequently preached. 3,674 people in Iraq and Afghanistan have been massacred throughout this war that started with George W. Bush and still continues today. This murderous campaign is completely indefensible. The targets are only suspected of crime, and even if that suspicion was founded, executing them without a trial is unjustified. These attacks contradict the basic values of this free country, and should not be used to “defend democracy.”

Works Cited

Ackerman, Spencer. “41 Men Targeted but 1,147 People Killed: US Drone Strikes – the Facts on the Ground.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 24 Nov. 2014. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.

Akbar, Mirza Shahzad. “Obama’s Forgotten Victims.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 May 2013. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.

“International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.

“Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations, United Nations. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.

The Asian Misnomer: What the Affirmative Action Debate Misses

One Scantron bubble and five letters: “Asian.” That’s all the College Board needs to encompass the heritage of thousands of students and 48 countries. Those five letters are also what many college admissions officers use as the basis for establishing diversity through affirmative action. While some institutions provide options such as “Chinese,” “Asian Indian” and “Other Asian,” a glance at official demographics reports shows that they don’t actually care; all of these ethnicities are still homogenized as Asian.

Proponents of affirmative action commonly argue that diversity improves critical thinking, creativity and race relations. Colleges like Caltech, which admitted 42 percent Asians in 2016, are then doing a disservice to their students by not exposing them to a variety of perspectives. This train of thought assumes that all “Asians” have similar cultural values, namely prioritizing academic achievement and exam scores.

Painting all Asians with the brush of the model minority — assimilatory and successful — is not only false, but dangerous. Though 72 percent of Indian-Americans and 53 percent of Chinese-Americans have a college degree, Hmong-, Laotian-, and Cambodian-Americans drop out of high school at rates approaching 40 percent. Grouping Muslim- and Chinese-Americans makes them both appear well-adjusted on paper, but in person Muslims are faced with severe xenophobia. Even if Chinese- and Indian-Americans have an unfair advantage in college admissions, lumping all Asians with them causes underprivileged Asian subgroups to not receive the attention and government services they need.

More shockingly, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China are not the same place; progressive Americans seem to think Democrats and Republicans have different countries of origin, yet they assume Muslim-, Burmese-, and Chinese-Americans all live in Confucian homes and celebrate Chinese New Year.

In fact, the Muslims in Bangladesh celebrate Eid, in Myanmar people throw water during Thingyan, and neither country places a heavy emphasis on Confucian values; do not conflate Asian with Chinese. Asia encompasses a series of rich, complex cultures, and claiming a high concentration of Asians will destroy on-campus diversity is not only false, but erases the unique perspectives offered by Asian students.

Promoting racial diversity is undoubtedly important to college campuses, but the definition of diversity is flawed. Asians are not a monolith, and should not be treated as such; schools should actively recognize all 48 linguistic groups currently encompassed by “Asian.” This is not to single out Chinese students as the problem, but rather to remedy affirmative action’s unfair discrimination against disadvantaged Asian subgroups. Understanding the intricacies of “Asian America” would allow college admissions officers to create richer on-campus diversity, while simultaneously granting visibility, and potentially economic or social aid, to underrepresented “Asians.”

Works Cited

Chang H, Sharon. “The Growing Poverty Crisis That Everyone Is Ignoring.” ThinkProgress. 27 Sep. 2015.

Saulny, Susan and Steinberg, Jacques. “On College Forms, a Question of Race, or Races, Can Perplex.” The New York Times. 13 June 2011

Bollinger, Lee C. “Affirmative Action Isn’t Just a Legal Issue. It’s Also a Historical One.” The New York Times. 24 June 2016.

Progress 2050. “Who Are Asian Americans?” 28 April 2015.

Office of the Registrar. “Fall Enrollment 2016-17.” Caltech. N.d.

Ramakrishnan, Karthick. “National Origin Data Would be Helpful in Understanding Asian-Americans.” 16 Oct. 2015.

The Anguish of the Rich

China has experienced unprecedented economic growth in the past 30 years. A widely accepted positive correlation between happiness and wealth predicts that this growth should lead to higher life satisfaction, especially among the upper classes. Contrary to traditional understandings that equate increasing economic prosperity with increases in a nation’s overall happiness, however, a recent paper on the paradox of Chinese progress draws an unusual conclusion:

In recent decades in China, life satisfaction declined dramatically at precisely the time of its unprecedented economic growth. More educated respondents, those in urban areas, and those with insufficient rest and leisure, are much less satisfied with their lives than the average.

The unhappiness of China’s growing middle class illustrates the futility of equating material success with happiness. Long working hours and high workplace stress are usually the prerequisites for ascension to higher socio-economic status. Exposure to ever-higher standards for success triggers a persistent feeling of extreme pressure to succeed, and this phenomenon is especially conspicuous among the educated. Many find that their higher aspirations are combined with an increasing lack of security in the turbulent modern economy. A vicious cycle is formed, and those trapped within it begin experiencing feelings of anxiety and depression. An increase in the incidence of mental illness is a long-term manifestation of this phenomenon: China’s psychiatric hospital admissions have increased by 183.21 percent from 2002 to 2012.

Karma Ura, president of The Centre for Bhutan Studies and GNH (Gross National Happiness) Research, has introduced a formula to gauge a nation’s wealth according to the following criteria: access to a “ravishing environment,” “vibrant health,” “strong communal relationships” as well as “meaning in life and freedom to free time.” If this formula is used as the benchmark for success, China’s economic development has clearly been achieved at the price of many people’s happiness.

In order to boost productivity, Deng Xiaoping converted the institutions of the highly-centralized planned economy to market institutions. This shift engendered a period of economic growth. While bringing economic prosperity to many, these largely-successful reforms also led to unchecked exploitation of land and natural resources, soaring average work intensity, rising income inequality and loss of communal beliefs. The legacy of reform includes severe environmental problems, a breakdown of social safety nets, and a conviction among the middle class that materialistic pleasure equals spiritual happiness. All these elements combined to create a sense of unhappiness among the bourgeoisie.

It is time that Chinese society prioritized mental health over economic success. The government should encourage this change by introducing GNH as a complement to GDP, placing more emphasis on improving people’s well-being and enacting policies that encourage a healthy work-life balance and a fair and secure environment for all.

Works Cited

Graham, Carol Shaojie Zhou, and Junyi Zhang. “Happiness and Health in China: The Paradox of Progress.” Brookings Global Working Papers. Brookings Institution. 10 Jun. 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

Ryback, Timothy W. “The U.N. Happiness Project.” The New York Times. 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 1 Apr. 2017.

Easterlin, Richard A., Fei Wang and Shun Wang. “Growth and Happiness in China, 1990-2015.” World Happiness Report 2017. Web. 1 Apr. 2017.

Chow, Gregory C. “Economic Reform and Growth in China.” Annals of Economics and Finance. 5 (2004): 93-118.

Stopping Bullets With Locked Doors and Silence Is Already Pulling the Trigger

It has become very familiar for high-school students to practice the infamous level-three lockdown. In all cases, we all share the semi-nervous chuckle of “wow, maybe we get Swiss-cheesed today” and sit in a corner, stare at our phones and text our friends. Only very recently, after a vivid dream — more a nightmare — of a school shooting, did I realize that sitting in the dark and stopping bullets with locked doors and silence is the exact opposite of what one would want to do. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon the fact that the “people shot and killed in the Columbine library sat there for five minutes before the shooters entered and shot them.” My school is full of able-bodied kids, and surprisingly, a great chunk that has had experience with self-defense and even marksmen training. So why sit and wait?

To say that the drills today are relevant is a mistake. They do more than just offer very little protection; they also endanger students and teachers more so than ever before. The lockdowns I’ve been taught over and over again, sitting in the dark, actually tell future active shooters exactly where we’re going to be — cornered. More so, in The New York Times article, “In Shift, Police Advise Taking an Active Role to Counter Mass Attacks,” studies conducted by law enforcement in the Virginia Tech shooting showed that “the students and teacher blocked the door with a heavy desk and held it in place, [the shooter] could not get in, and everyone lived,” compared to those that tried to “hide or play dead,” in which almost all were shot or died. It is shown more clearly here than ever by making the vital choice to barricade and move as a means of security will utilize finite time better and save lives.

Many educators and parents have questioned the authenticity and have begun to develop alternatives for active-shooter lockdowns. The ALICE project is one such adaptation. Developed by a former SWAT officer Greg Cane, ALICE stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate. It provides specialized tactics for K-12 and higher education schools. Fundamentally, a moving target is harder to get an aim on than a stationary one. That same difference marks ALICE’s method from the old one; it encourages movement, distraction and most importantly, it encourages direct action from students and teachers. This significantly decreases the number of lives lost and helps me sleep a little bit better at night knowing that if the time ever comes, I’m not idly waiting to become Swiss cheese.

It’s unnerving that the students of this country must learn how to cope with active shooters.

It’s even more unnerving that current procedures say that they should sit, wait and die.

Works Cited

Lupkin, Sydney. “School Safety Experts Disagree on Lock Down Procedures.” ABC News. ABC News Network, 16 Dec. 2012. Web. Mar. 2017.

Cane, Greg. “Active Shooter Response Training — ALICE” ALICE Training Institute. ALICE, n.d. Web. Mar. 2017.

Goode, Erica. “In Shift, Police Advise Taking an Active Role to Counter Mass Attacks.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Apr. 2013. Web. Mar. 2017.

Losing the Internet

On March 28th, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a rule which would have forced internet service providers (ISPs) such as Comcast (similar to NET in Brazil), to obtain their clients’ consent before selling their browsing history. This is a major defeat in the fight for privacy rights, and could eventually lead other markets to also start selling their clients data. We must ensure that this loss does not happen elsewhere and keep lobbying our representatives for changes and the preservation of our rights.

Experts such as the attorney Dallas Harris say that the information provided by the browsing history is vast, and could be used to discover users’ sexuality, medical and banking history, and more. Furthermore, the vote potentially leaves the door open for other issues: If a corporation is allowed to know what a client does with their product, shoe companies could then be able to track their costumers, for example. To authorize these companies to do all of this without their client’s consent means that privacy, as we know it, is over. Our personal information is no longer ours, since others can obtain it, buy it and sell it without restriction.

Also relevant is the influence ISPs have over Washington. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, ISPs spent over $30 million on lobbying last year alone, so it is far from unexpected that lawmakers are benefiting these companies, even if the consequences of such harms citizens.

It could be argued that the increase in profits leads to cheaper services, and that customers could simply choose an ISP that doesn’t sell information. However, as reported by the National Broadband Plan, cable companies are practically monopolies. 96 percent of Americans don’t have access to more than two providers, and many are lucky to find more than one. Therefore, since the competition is so restricted, a reduction in the cost of service is very unlikely, as it would not increase demand, and finding an alternative, fairer provider is impossible for most. And this is far from a new issue: Matt Richtel from The Times proposed in 1998 a different type of service for these companies, one that could end the monopoly and the onerous fees.

Citizens of all countries are already being excessively spied on by their own governments, as seen in Snooper’s Charter and the Snowden leaks. And now, corrupted politicians have allowed yet another fundamental right to be lost to some of the most hated companies in America (proven by a recent 24/7 Wall St. study). It is fundamental for every internet user to call their representative in order to make sure the vote is eventually repealed, and ensure that other rights, such as net neutrality, remain.

Works Cited

Center for Responsive Politics. “Influence and Lobbying: Top Spenders 2016.”

National Broadband Plan. “Chapter 4: Broadband Competition and Innovation Policy.”

Richtel, Matt. “In Search of a Free ISP.” The New York Times. 4 Nov. 1998.

Sauter, Michael and Stebbins, Samuel. “America’s Most Hated Companies.” 24/7 Wall St. 10 Jan. 2017.

Leave the Citizens to Their TV Shows

Soon after South Korea and the U.S. issued a joint statement confirming the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea on July 8th, 2016, Korean TV shows began mysteriously vanishing from mainstream media outlets in China. Though a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman has denied any official clampdown on Korean entertainment, the blow to the industry has been remarkable. Proponents of continuing the unofficial ban on Korean cultural products believe that its economic impact makes it worthwhile. Unfortunately, they fail to realize that such a ban is actually counterproductive and that there are more effective ways for China to make its disapproval of THAAD.

It is undeniable that China’s entertainment industry is less competitive internationally than its Korean counterpart. Even domestic audiences criticize Chinese shows for being cliché and lacking creativity and depth. According to a New York Times interview with the Chinese journalist and long-term Korean entertainment industry analyst Fan Xiaojing, “The Koreans continue to do well because of the details. China just can’t capture the romance.” The innovative themes and delicate scenery featured in Korean shows have captured the hearts of millions of Chinese viewers.

The recent widespread introduction of Korean shows in China has helped Chinese entertainment gain new insights in the field. The Chinese version of “Running Man,” a popular Korean reality show, got a national rating of 4.167 percent in the first half of 2016 — over double the average rating — thanks to the contributions of original members of the show’s Korean production team who assisted with the Chinese version’s creation. Since South Korea and China are East Asian countries, they share similar cultures and values, which makes it easier for them to learn from one another. Banning cultural exchange with South Korea actually serves to block the future development of Chinese show business.

Even worse, such an informal ban runs the risk of solidifying the anti-Korea sentiment already brewing in China. The de facto exclusion of Korean entertainment sends a dangerous message, suggesting that the position of the South Korean government directly stands for the opinions of its people. It is now common to see comments like “Get out of China!” below Korea-related Chinese internet posts. Will this narrow-minded nationalism lead to extreme consequences? One can hardly predict.

Instead of imposing unofficial and counterproductive limits on cultural exchange, the Chinese government should continue working on a diplomatic solution to the THAAD crisis by continuing to promote multilateral negotiations among the countries involved, including North Korea. If such negotiations fail, then the government could consider imposing explicit and clearly-defined economic sanctions against South Korean industry to better express its strong opposition to the missile defense system while leaving citizens to their TV shows.

Works Cited

Amy Qin. “China’s Love Affair With Irresistible Korean TV.” The New York Times. 20 Jul. 2015.

Nicola Smith. “South Korea’s ‘K-pop’ Stars Caught in the Crossfire of Diplomatic Spat.” The Telegraph. 4 Dec. 2016.

Chris Buckley and Somini Sengupta. “U.S. and South Korea Rebuff China’s Proposal to Defuse Korea Tensions.” The New York Times. 8 Mar. 2017.

“2016 Shangban Nian Zong Yi Jie Mu Shou Shi Lv Pai Hang Bang” [Rating List of TV Variety Shows in the First Half of 2016]. 22 Jul. 2016.

In Nothing We Trust

Like many American children, I have, at one point or another, dabbled in door-to-door sales. I eventually graduated from peddling Girl Scout cookies with my mom to knocking on my neighbors’ doors alone, attempting to lure them into supporting my high school marching band with citrus fruits. However, selling alone, I soon encountered a problem: I knew almost none of them by name. Additionally, even after explaining that I lived just down the block, I often noticed the homeowner eyeing me with suspicion, questioning what business I could possibly have on their front porch.

Gone are the halcyon days of perpetually unlocked doors and packs of unsupervised kids roving the neighborhood. America has entered a new era: the Age of Mistrust. Nowadays, suburban homes are outfitted with security systems fit for federal penitentiaries, and children aren’t allowed out of the house without a chaperone. It is no coincidence that as we have lost trust in those around us, loneliness levels have also been on the rise; whereas between 11 and 20 percent of people frequently felt lonely in the 1970s and 80s, that number is closer to 40 percent today.

Unfortunately, the disease of mistrust hasn’t just been eroding our happiness. The American public is also rapidly losing faith in its most valued institutions. Today, in the country that once considered the newsman Walter Cronkite “the most trusted man in America,” only 32 percent of people have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the media. According to the Pew Research Center, an abysmal 19 percent of Americans trust their government. So where did all our trust go, and how do we get it back?

In a bygone America, neighbors relied on each other to watch the kids or borrow some sugar. The moment we started locking our doors was the moment we began to lose faith in what once made our country great. Social scientists have noticed the steady decline in interpersonal trust has led to an inability “to engage in spontaneous, voluntary cooperation.” What it boils down to is this: when someone can’t even trust their neighbor, how can they trust their president, or a refugee from a foreign land?

As bleak as the situation may seem, we can learn to trust again. Communities across America demonstrate the possibilities every day, whether by rallying around a local child fighting cancer, or organizing a fund-raiser to help feed the homeless. Trust is key; a community can’t unite for the common good without believing in each other.

America has lost its way, but the solution is simple: love thy neighbor.

Works Cited

Elving, Ron. “Poll: 1 In 5 Americans Trusts The Government.” NPR. NPR, 23 Nov. 2015. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

Entis, Lauren. “Chronic Loneliness Is a Modern-Day Epidemic.” Fortune. 22 June 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

Heath, Joseph. “Is Trust Still Possible in the U.S.?” The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Nov. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

Levine, Cecilia. “Community Rallies For Fair Lawn Girl, Cousin Both Fighting Cancer.” Fair Lawn-Glen Rock Daily Voice. 01 Apr. 2017. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

Slade, Shelby. “Bowls for Humanity Rallies Community, Artists around Helping Homeless.” Daily Herald. 01 Apr. 2017. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

Walsh, Kenneth T. “Distrust of Media at Highest Level Ever.” US News. 15 Sept. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.