Author: vaske.16

Text Review: Star Trek: The Next Generation

by

Star Trek: The Next Generation Essential Episodes | Den of Geek

One work which discusses challenges in identity is an episode from Start Trek: The Next Generation called “The Outcast”. In this episode, the crew of the Enterprise is working with a species that is androgynous – they do not have gender and find the idea of gender among their species to be unacceptable. One individual, Soren, reveals to Commander Riker that she feels female and wants to be female, but is too afraid to speak up for fear that her society will make her an outcast. She describes how many people on her world identify as male or female but upon speaking out, they are seen as “ill” and are taken in for “treatment” after which they no longer identify as a gender and find the notion to be offensive.

This story is a wonderful example of an identity struggle in which Soren feels deep down that she is female, she knows that she is female, but she lives in a world that would rather violate its own laws of bodily autonomy by operating on her without her permission than let her be herself. Soren feels lost and alone, like she does not fit in anywhere – she cannot relate to her own people who identify as androgynous, but she cannot relate to the humans who fully identify as male and female. In a way, her situation of feeling lost between two peoples is similar to Deming’s in The Leavers, who both identifies and does not identify with his Chinese friends/family and American friends/family. Both Deming and Soren feel not quite enough of either side to identify with them, which leaves them lost in the middle. Soren’s story also depicts a One vs Other relationship in which her government and society, who believe in androgyny, set themselves up as the One and therefore “Other” those like Soren who identify as a gender. Essentially, Soren is seen and treated as less-than and potentially mentally ill for wanting to express herself in a way that aligns with a gender.

Obviously, this situation is a direct parallel of our society in which we experience the opposite situation – people who are born one gender or the other do not identify as that gender. They are mistreated and “Othered” by a society that historically has forced “treatment” on them and altogether outcast them simply for wanting to express themselves differently. This show inspires conversation around identity by forcing us to compare our society to another that faces the same fundamental challenges. I believe the creators of this show want their audience to consider the following: Is Soren doing anything wrong simply by wanting to live her life as a female? Is it reasonable for Soren’s government to outcast her and force a procedure on her that will fundamentally change her as a person? How does Soren’s dilemma compare to those in our society? Is it therefore wrong for men/women in our society to want to live their lives differently?

TikTok and Black Voices: Diary of Systemic Injustices Showcase

by

An example of a systemic inequality that I have noticed recently is in social media and the lack of emphasis on black creators and platforms. I don’t really use much social media, but I do spend time on TikTok. I have recently noticed and heard discussion of the algorithms for this platform and how it identifies what videos to put on the “For You Page”. This company want to promote “viral” videos/videos that they deem to be viral-worthy in order to boost their views. It turns out that their algorithm is extremely preferential for white people and thus black people are not being represented and their platforms are not being discovered. A video I watched recently detailed how the typical facial recognition software determines “beauty” and it is supposed that faces/bodies that are recognized as inherently more appealing are given preferential treatment by the algorithm and get more views. It was noted that this software conforms mostly to caucasian and European beauty standards which is not only a problem in and of itself, but also means that black creators aren’t seen by the programming as having enough dark/light contrast, and thus receive a lower beauty score.

The systemic injustice in this is obvious – the literal systems we use are programmed (intentionally or not) to silence black creators and prevent them from being seen. This is infuriating for many reasons, but the problem that this development stems from is cyclical. TikTok doesn’t promote black creators because they don’t get as many views and “likes” as white creators, but by not promoting black creators they are simply perpetuating the problem and becoming the cause for the lack of views. This example relates most to Spivak’s concept of the subaltern. In this context, black people are able to control how they present themselves in their videos, but they are unfairly being denied the same representation as other white creators. So when questioning whether they can speak, I would say that black creators can speak, they are simply being ignored by some and consequentially unheard by others, which is in line with Spivak’s point.

Some examples of this are seen in this video (below) (7:00-17:00) which describes how some of the most popular, world-recognized dances created within the past several years, including the “Renegade”, were created by black and POC creators who received no credit whatsoever while other attractive white people received Hollywood-level fame for copying it.

This is not necessarily the fault of the people who were just replicating dances, but it does represent the systemic injustice present within social media platforms (and society at large) that create and use programs that view white faces as generally more presentable and desirable to watch, thus preferentially elevating the voices of white creators while silencing the voices of black creators.

Week 6 Context Presentation: British Colonialism in Late 19th Century Nigeria

by

Things Fall Apart (1958) written by Chinua Achebe is set in a small fictional village (Umuofia) in Nigeria in the late 1890s during the beginning of the European colonization of Nigeria (Kenalemang, 2013). The text was written in response to European novels that portrayed Africans as inhuman beasts who needed European help towards enlightenment and proper civilization. Achebe depicts pre-colonial Igbo society as imperfect, but still rich in culture, religion, and social practices. He does this in order to show how Igbo society was changed as a result of colonialism, both positively and negatively.

Before diving into this story, it is beneficial to note some of the changes that accompanied British rule in Nigeria such as implementation of Western education, the English language, and Christianity. “New forms of money, transportation, and communication developed; and the Nigerian economy became based on the export of cash crops” (Falola, “Nigeria as a Colony” para. 3). In fact, because there was such a significant emphasis placed on these crops, many Nigerians all over the country were forced to move to work as tenant farmers or had to acquire new skills altogether and work in cities as artisans, traders, and wage earners.

There emerged two tiers of government: local and central. Local government was based on the concept of “indirect rule” in which traditional chiefs were left in control, though they were subject to guidance from European officers while colonial citizens typically experienced their own colonial authority. Central government was more powerful than local authority and was run by the governor-general who was ultimately held accountable by colony secretaries based in London.

The British implemented a divide-and-rule policy in which Nigerian groups were kept as far removed from each other as possible in order to prevent any united rebellion against British authority. In order to influence Nigerian culture as much as possible, British authorities continually attempted to spread Western education and Christianity throughout Nigeria which spread rapidly in the south but were more heavily resisted by Muslim leaders in the north.

In order to prevent any radical means of obtaining reform in Nigeria, the British conceded to many political reforms during their rule until Nigeria became independent in 1960.

 

Falola, T. O., Ajayi, J.F. Ade, Udo, Reuben Kenrick and Kirk-Greene. Anthony Hamilton

Millard (2020, December 8). Nigeria. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Nigeria

Kenalemang, Lame M. (2013, January 11). “Things Fall Apart: An Analysis of Pre and Post

Colonial Igbo Society”. Karlstad University. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:648320/FULLTEXT01.pdf