Student Dialogue with Eboo Patel (IUC)

I really enjoyed the student dialogue with Eboo Patel today in the Shults Center gym. I was surprised at the number of people that were there, I expected there to be 20 or 30, not a couple hundred. Anyways, I loved hearing the students' stories in particular. It was really great to hear where other people come from, their religious or non-religious backgrounds, and the things that have changed their lives. I can really relate to Jigme's story of how he once hated all Muslims because he thought they were bad people. I too struggle with that stereotype because the bad Muslims are the ones we always hear about. September 11th, the genocide in Darfur, suicide bombers...the list goes on and on. Furthermore, one of my favorite shows on television is NCIS, and although it's an awesome show, it too gives Muslims a bad representation. When all these lies and misrepresentations are surrounding us on a daily basis, it's so easy to generate bad feelings about people. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't go so far to say that I hate Muslims, or people from any other religions, but in all honesty, they scare me. This brings me to my next point. I believe that one of the major factors in religious intolerance is the fear of the unknown. We don't understand each other and we have all these stereotypes and false beliefs about one another. We don't know anything about each other except for the bad things we hear, because we all know humans tend to talk about the bad rather than the good, and it makes us scared of each other. I think this is a huge problem, and something the whole world needs to work through, including myself. Although I only attended one interfaith conference event, I think I chose the right one. The entire panel had great points and ideas, and I walked away with an open mind and a greater will to bridge a gap between me and the unknown.

Giving Thanks

LST 217 has really opened up my eyes to a lot of things and for that I am truly thankful. I really value the group and class discussions we so often have, and even moreso, I really appreciate and value the guest speakers we have had the privledge to listen to. I have really enjoyed listening to other people talk- it's nice to hear other people's opinions and ideas because they make me see things in a different light than my own. I am honored to have been able to be present at the presentations by first and second generation genocide survivors. It's a sad thing that only few people in this world will ever have the opportunity to do the same. The course content and the students and faculty involved have really made the class a fabulous experience and a real eye-opener. I am thankful for having been able to be a part of this class, and I appreciate all the hard work that has gone into it. As we fly through these last few weeks, I hope to take in even more from our readings, discussions, and presentations. It will be sad to see the class end, but at the same time, our learning and our activism will always continue.

Reflecting on Monday's Class Discussion

In response to our class discussion about taking the right steps to acknowledge the Armenian genocide, I feel that it is key that the United States first and foremost admits its own faults. I say this for 4 reasons: 1) because it is the right thing to do, 2) fessing up to our own crimes will prevent other nations (especially the current Turkish government) from pointing their fingers at us, 3) admitting our crimes will set a good and positive example to US citizens, and to the rest of the world, and 4) there are a lot of people in this country that need the US to recognize that there was a Native American genocide and slavery of African Americans. Having a recognition and apology would really help the healing process for current Native Americans and African Americans.
To change things up a little bit, I want to turn to our current issue- whether or not the United States should acknowledge that the Armenian Genocide happened. I'm sure the United States could argue dozens of "reasons" why it is in "our" best interest not to acknowledge the genocide, but what it all comes down to is the question, "Is the US willing to do the right thing despite all of the consequences it may face for doing so?" It will be interesting to see how things play out in the following months.

Reflecting on Bonnie Abrams' Presentation

I've really enjoyed listening to our speakers these past few days and appreciate their willingness to speak to our class about such a traumatic event as the Holocaust. Bonnie Abrams' song "The Legacy" has a really powerful message. The last stanza of this song says "Our family tree was burned; From ashes we arose; How can we ever learn? If just the martyr knows..." This song speaks to everyone, not just the children and relatives of Holocaust survivors. Although our family trees may not have been "burned", it is still important that we learn about the Holocaust, especially from it's survivors. The world needs to know about the Holocaust, and all genocides so that we can learn how to help the victims of genocide and so that we may also learn how to spread awareness and prevent future genocides from happening.
The other thing I liked about Bonnie Abrams is the fact that she is using her coping style to help others cope with their problems as well. I love how she teaches her music to students and helps them to make sense of, and overcome their difficulties.
All in all, I really appreciate those that share their stories- whether they are first or second generation survivors, and so on. Hearing individual stories makes events seem that much more real, and its easier to sympathize/empathize when we hear stories rather than by just reading textbooks.

Digesting the "Ambulens" Video

While we were watching the "Ambulens" video, I knew what was coming but I just kept on hoping it wouldn't. I was amazed at the Jewish man's courage- his silent, non-physical resistance. When we talk about resistance, we are often thinking about physical resistance- fighting the enemy, running away, etc. I think that peaceful and calm resistance has a much deeper affect than any amount of physical resistance could ever do.
The man in this video was a hero in my eyes- he didn't instill fear in the children, he didn't argue or try to get away, but instead, he stood tall and proud and didn't let the Germans take his dignity away. This man's resistance was so incredibly powerful.
Although the video doesn't tell us who the message is intended for or what the message even is, I think it sends a strong message to the Jews. Any Jew that witnessed that man's (the Jewish man in the video) courage and pride could be lifted up and encouraged to do the same. The fact that the Jewish people practically had no other options but death, they still managed to resist- and in this way, the Germans could take everything from them but the thing that mattered the most- their pride and dignity.
Though this video was sad, at the same time it was inspiring. The resistance shown in the video made me feel proud, even though I'm not a Jew. i really admire the courage of those who resisted.

Tangled

If I could describe our world in one word, it would be tangled. There are many words that come to mind like corrupt, lost, messed up, etc, but tangled just seems fit after our class discussion today. It's like its impossible for the Armenian Genocide to be acknowledged by the whole world, and genocides are going to keep on happening because some nations give off the "You can't touch me" vibe. To put it another way, the Armenian Genocide denial situation is kind of like a murder trial with a witness that refuses to testify. The witness saw what happened, and could take the stand and make the perpetrator pay, but the perpetrator has connections and has threatened to kill the witness's family if he testifies. Thus, the witness won't testify because he doesn't want to risk losing his family. The witness is "tangled" in the middle of everything.
This is the same deal with the United States- we have proof that the Armenian Genocide was in fact a genocide, yet our government won't "testify" because they fear how Turkey will respond. To the United States, oil, aircraft bases, waterways, etc are more important that telling the truth- just like the murder trial's witness's family is more important than the truth to him. Any of us would like to think that if we were in charge we would do what was right regardless of the consequences we may face. But in reality, would we, really? This is one tangled up situation, and unfortunately, there isn't any easy solution either. How can we begin to untangle this mess? What could we, as American citizens do to start paving the path to acknowledgement?

Processing All of This

At the very beginning of this course, we heard a little bit about the methods of genocide...the gas chambers in the Holocaust and "deportation" of the Armenians, etc. It didn't really bother me that much to hear about these methods, not because I don't think they're awful, but because it was all stuff I had learned about before. Now though, as we have been getting deeper into our readings and class discussions, learning about the various methods of torture used, especially in the Armenian and Rwandan genocides leaves me speechless. Smashing heads in vice grips, beheading, burning alive...all these brutalities are just awful. I just can't believe, Just World Theory or not, that people can do this to each other! How incredibly selfish governments are- taking innocent lives because they are in the way of more power. Learning about all this makes me so mad- and I wish I could directly do something about it- like making governments see that people's lives and freedom are more important than power- but I know that governments don't even care. I guess it's probably not right to stereotype all governments, but it seems like they are so selfish- even the United States government! So anyways, learning about the many genocides that have occurred, and that are still occurring in our world really takes me a while to process. I like learning about this stuff, but at the same time it sets my emotions awhirl.

Reflecting on Anais Salibian's Presentation

Today our class was privileged to meet Anais Salibian, an Armenian woman whose parents survived the Armenian Genocide. Anais shared many of the horror stories she was told as a child, reflecting on the tortures and cruelties her relatives faced. Her presentation brought things to life for me- it put a face to the victims, and gave me insight into other people's worlds. Although I will probably never fully know or understand what victims of genocide have gone through, and continue to go through, hearing stories like Anais's and taking this class will surely move me closer to full awareness, and teach me how I can be an ally.
There were two things Anais said today that will stick with me for a very long time. The first thing she said was "it's not over when it's over." Just because the torturing and murdering of the Armenian people is over, doesn't mean their suffering is. Once one has experienced something has awful and gruesome as genocide, his life can never be the same again. The second thing Anais said was, "Don't look at everything in black and white." She used this quote with the story of an Armenian woman who was married to a Turk but eventually divorced him and moved to the United States where she married an alcoholic and abusive Armenian man. Anais reminded us not to see all Turks as bad, and not all Armenians as good. The same goes for any situation. This really gave me something to think about.
All in all, I think it took a lot of courage for Anais to get up and speak to our class today. This woman has clearly been through a lot, even though she wasn't a direct victim of genocide herself. It was a pleasure to listen to her speak, and I'm sure her article will be wonderful when I read it as well.

"The things seen are beyond describing. When you actually see them for yourself, you know what you're fighting for here." (pbs.org)

This quote is a very powerful quote, and certainly hits home for me. As I said in my last post, its so easy to forget about the bad things that are happening across the world when they don't directly affect us. Today I volunteered at Saints Place in Rochester for Nazareth's MLK Day of Service. Let me tell you, it was quite the eye opener for me. While at Saint's Place, I got to help refugee families "shop" for clothes. I witnessed adults and children alike wearing old, tattered sandals in the middle of winter, kids without coats, two-year-olds without pants or underwear on (in winter yet!), and so much more. Besides getting to meet new people and have a really great time, volunteering at Saint's Place really got me thinking. I was nearly in tears at the thought of these innocent people having to flee their homes, being seaprated from their families, and having a shortage of food, water, clothing, and other life necessities. I found myself asking "why?"- "why are people doing these things to eachother?", "why aren't there enough clothes for these refugee families when they come to the United States?", "why is it that Americans have soooooo much money, beautiful homes, closets packed with clothing, and blow money on going out to eat every day, yet, we allow others to get by with justthe clothes on their backs?" and "what can I do to help these people?". Seeing the faces of the people who suffer from genocides really makes me want to fight for them. Obviously I haven't got a clue as to how much people have suffered and continue to suffer- I've never witnessed a genocide, but I've met some of its victims and it bothers me a whole lot.

Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to my blog! Today was the first class of LST 217, Accounting for Genocide. Dr. Nowak and Dr. Schaff started off class with a powerpoint filled with photos and a video about genocide, accompanied by the song. "Civil War" by Guns and Roses. After their introduction, they asked us to write down how we felt about what we had just seen and heard. It's sad, but it took that presentation to remind me of the oppression that once occurred in our world, and it reminded me that brutalities like this are still going on today.
It seems like it's so easy to forget about the bad things that are happening in the world when they don't directly affect us. We feel bad for the people that are being targeted, but then we just forget about them and move on with our lives. Does anyone else feel this way too? I hope LST 217 with change all of this for me. I don't want to be ignorant anymore.