Athabascan Potlatch= Food and Dance.

This has nothing to do with my post, I just really like this picture

Life is good.  Our group- Adam, Brianna, Cory, and I- have made a command decision to dump the Aleut dance project (due to lack of information) and focus exclusively on the Athabascan practice of potlatch.  Initially our group was in the depths of despair as precious days passed with nary a scrap of solid information about Aleut dance, but with our change of topic resources abound, research is being accomplished, and spirits are high.  Our decision to study a cultural aspect of the Athabascan was largely influenced by the geographical proximity to Fairbanks; Athabascans are indigenous to interior Alaska, traditionally residing between the Brooks Range in Northern Alaska and the Copper River in South Central Alaska.  Because of the large demographic of Athabascans in the Fairbanks area we were certain that plenty of resources would be available for research.

Potlatches are tribal gatherings among Athabascan clans that incorporate at least two elements that our group members feel passionate about: food and dance.  Cory is the resident artist and Brianna is a dancer, Adam is interested in tools to create art, and I, if you can't tell by looking at me, really like food.  There is currently no Wiki page specifically dedicated to Athanbascan potlatchs, so our audience is as wide ranging as those who use Wikipedia: fellow college students, bored office workers killing time surfing the 'net, and inquiring minds from across the globe.  I am optimistic because we live in the heart of Athabascan land, and we have the privilege of sharing a bit of our community with untold Wiki users who have never heard of the Athabascan, let alone, "potlatch".

Not surprisingly, I have volunteered to research the types of food prepared at a potlatch, Adam and Cory have taken the responsibility to research the types of dance performed at potlatches as well as particular clothing used for the dances, and Brianna has takent the role of historian, researching the history of potlatches and occasions that warrant a potlatch.  After we conduct our individual research, we will compile our information and create our page in one fell swoop.  With clear cut duties and responsibilities, I am confident that our group project will pass with flying colors.

I've already checked out several resources from the UAF library to comb through in search of potlatch lore in books such as biographical accounts, traditional Alaskan food cookbooks, as well as several newspaper articles.  Though I have three other classes that I attend, I plan on doing as much research as early as possible to give myself some "breathing room" before this projects due date.  By compiling pertinent quotes from my resources and sending copious amounts of emails to my group, I feel that our ability to share information and coordinate resources will be the driving factor behind the success of this group.  Look us up on Wikipedia- because life is good, and so is our group ;)


  

MUSSOLINI DISCORSI-PADOVA 1938

An Exercise in Bombastic Buffoonery

Benito Mussolini is a blowhard. After reading his speech “Man of War” several times, I can think of no other way than to put it as succinctly as possible. On second thought- Mussolini was a blowhard- he's been dead since 1945. What is maddening is that he was an effective blowhard, as evidenced by the sheer volume of people that turned out to hear his speeches during World War II (see next blog post). What made "Il Duce" such an effective communicator? I identified several themes that Mussolini used in "Man of War"; I will highlight two of them.

Mussolini makes excellent use of nationalism in his speech, hailing his audience as “Blackshirts of Rome” and the “authentic, real, great Italian people”, while contrasting them with the English, who are made out to be liars and hypocrites. Appeals to nationalism is often effective in speeches, particularly in wartime, as it builds cohesion among the people and unifies them against a common enemy, in this case, the Allied powers. An unfortunate consequence of falling prey to nationalistic vitriol is that one very quickly accepts what the ruling party tells them, without critically thinking about the ramifications of doing so. Such folly was rife in Nazi Germany and led to the greatest genocide the world has ever seen. Speaker such as Mussolini are able to bypass the part of the mind that deals in reason and logic and appeal strictly to the emotions of the listeners. Falsehood can become truth when shouted loud enough and long enough.

I like absolutes. Absolutes provide a framework for humans to relate to their world in a concrete manner; the laws of logic, the scientific method, and, whether you like it or not, moral absolutes. Absolutes can also be manipulated or invented, particularly in language, so that a proposition becomes a certainty, and subjective opinions become dogmatic one way streets. “Man of War” is without exception: “We will crush...when and how we want” promised Mussolini, “the Italian people will have their day” (and they did, when they executed Mussolini), and, for some unfortunate souls, “history takes one by the throat and forces a decision”. Let it not be said that Mussolini lacked emphasis! In addition to dogmatism one can manufacture an air of authority simply by making declarative statements as though they were fact.

I found “Man of War” to be slim on substance, yet his followers undoubtedly did not. I couldn't help but feel as though Mussolini was patronizing his listeners with words of grandeur and cheap analogies, shouting in their collective ear “Victory, Italy, peace with justice among peoples!”.

Of Dolphins and Dinner Menus

Clearance sushi: tuna or dolphin?

I had heard little about The Cove prior to watching it in class; I knew it was a documentary about the killing of dolphins in Japan, but had no idea what the controversy presented in the film was. I expected a grainy, poorly edited film with Japanese sub-titles and gratuitous shots of dolphins being torn apart, stuffed into tuna cans, and shipped off to unsuspecting Westerners.

In reality, The Cove was well produced by experienced documentary film makers, it was obvious that all those who were involved in the film were invested emotionally in ensuring their message was presented with the least bit of ambiguity possible. The message was to bring attention to the dolphin harvesting practices of Japanese fishermen in the town of Taiji where dolphins were being killed for their meat as well as being sold into captivity.

Among the arguments presented, I found the appeal to the dolphins sense of personality to be outrageous. My jaw dropped when Richard O'Berry, esteemed trainer of “Flipper” turned dolphin activist, recounted the day that one of his dolphins, Cathy, allegedly committed suicide in his arms. The implications of such a statement, which he later voiced, was that dolphins were self-aware creatures, much like humans, and on that basis, they should not be killed or “imprisoned”. The flaws in such argumentation are obvious: what standard is O'Berry using to make his moral judgment? Is that standard authoritative, and if it is, are we obligated to follow it? Why has O'Berry chosen dolphins to assign anthropomorphic attributes to as opposed to clams, or even krill? Does O'Berry own or use any products that have animal-part derivatives? His premise breaks down miserably when it is examined further. I can't help but wonder if O'Berrys drive to “liberate” dolphins to the wild is fueled by the guilt of driving Cathy to “suicide”. Perhaps in freeing other dolphins he is, in a way, freeing Cathy, and absolving himself of guilt. If this is the case, one can see why he's so fanatical about dolphin liberation. Aside from O'Berrys appeals to emotion, the film presented another argument; evidence detailing the high levels of mercury found in dolphin meat. I found this argument to be very persuasive; in addition to the medical concerns of consuming tainted meat, Japanese people, according to the film, hadn't been made aware of the dangers of dolphin meat that contained high levels of mercury.

The comparison of the Trojan horse to this movie seems odd at first, but with a little theorizing the similarities emerge- omnivorous viewers that are converted to the belief that killing dolphins is wrong may welcome this film just as the Trojans welcomed the seemingly innocuous horse; when they do so, their meat eating presuppositions are overwhelmed and broken to bits, much like Troy was. The ideology behind this film leaves no room for neutrality, once their premise of dolphin killing as being wrong is accepted, it is a short, slippery slope to full-blown vegetarianism. I can't live in a world like that, I love my steak too much!

There is great tension between the possible Japanese response to The Cove; on one hand, Japanese tradition and culture, at least on the coast, accepts the killing of dolphins as a way of life, just as fishing is an integral part of many coastal communities in the United States. On the other hand, those Japanese in larger cities that were interviewed by cast members of The Cove seemed to have no idea what had been taking place in Taiji. As was mentioned in class, the cultural differences among the world's populations virtually necessitates that the decision on whether or not harvesting dolphin, or any other type of animal, is a choice left up to individuals. Such freedom allows people like me to “have my steak, and eat it too".  And eat it I shall.