GLBTQ Readings

The readings for today were not anything I was expecting to read during this semester. For me, Jerusalem has such a history of religious significance that I never imagined it much beyond that. My perception of it was so limited to that, that there have been many ideologies of Jerusalem presented in this class that have broadened my understanding. You can chalk this one up to that as well.

To start, I was very interested to see how the backlash towards the GLBTQ community in Israel would be. I wasn't overly surprised about the religious backlash referenced in the film, or the institutional backlash mentioned in the other websites. I was amazed to see how the local municipalities and police departments have just as much resistance to the GLBTQ community as does the religious right. I think my perception of Israel as a historical religious place is prevalent to them as well. It seems that in the eyes of many Israelis, that anything that could hamper the "pure" or "religious" side of Jerusalem is a problem and some people are willing to resort to violence in order to solve it. That is incredibly sad and wrong.

An interesting thing I noticed on the websites (though I may have overlooked it) was that there are very few or any specific rights mentioned that the groups are fighting for. The vast majority of the time it seemed like they were fighting against general persecution and discrimination. The discrimination was limited to just that word as compared to laying out how they are discriminated against. When comparing that to the GLBTQ movement in the United States, they lack the specific cause, i.e. marriage equality that the Americans are fighting for. In my mind, lacking that makes it harder for people to relate to where they are coming from.

Just as I have said so many times for all of my posts, the willingness to relate is a key to solve any conflict. I truly believe that if the GLBTQ community in Israel could begin to specify their fight as to how they are persecuted in a real way, people would be able to relate to them better. As it stands right now though, all people hear is this abstract idea of persecution and they do not know how exactly that is played out. It truly is amazing to see the similarities that this movement in Israel has in the United States, but its differences seem to be apparent and are the reason why they seem to be less far along the road as the GLBTQ community here. Both, have a long way to go.

Readings for the Day

The reading we had for today really intrigued me. I found the writing style to be very readable as well as enjoyable due to the sarcastic nature of the authors tone. At the same time though, that sarcastic nature made it hard for me to truly understand where on earth she was coming from. It also created some confusion for me in regards to how strong her anger was.

The main example I struggled with was when she brought her first dog, Antar, to the vet to get her rabies vaccination. The exchange when the vet was asking questions in regards to Antar's breed is where my struggle is founded. When asked what breed is the dog, she replied "Can one consider a baladi a dog breed?". Now I understand that term to be negative in connotation and so from my perspective, Saud was making just as much of a derogatory remark about the nature of her female dog as the vet did. The anger that she then expressed seemed to be one sided since she originated the negative perception of the dog in my mind.

I cannot discount her experience as a female in Palestine though. It saddened me to not only hear of the situation related to the "gas masks" that she told in the first chapter, but moreover how women are treated in Palestine as a whole. The other article we read made logical sense to me in that there is such a strong patriarchal heritage to Jerusalem and the Middle East as a whole that with out a doubt makes being a woman in those regions difficult. That being said, I cannot blame her for her anger and frustration with the vet as stated in the previous paragraph, even though under those circumstances it may not have been well founded. It truly saddens me to hear how a woman's heart can be so sensitive to the words of a man and it is all based on how society views her.

Musical Memories

Music has been an essential part of my life from the start. Music has been essential to my development both socially and personally and this journal has made me realize even more how important it has been. I can remember many nights where my mom would sing me a prayer to the tune of Edelweiss from the sound of music. I can also remember the many times I was sitting at camp up in Okobojii, Iowa listening to my favorite song Refugee by Trace Bundy.

Growing up in Iowa, I was exposed to many types of music but the main ones that my group of friends would listen to were classic rock and country. Some of my fondest memories of my time with them would be driving in our trucks or Greg’s mustang listening to the country songs that typify us. Way Out Here by Josh Thompson always brings me back to the bon fires we would have on top of frozen lakes while sitting in truck beds. The best memory in regards to music with my friends comes from the time I was in the hospital recovering from my brain tumor. While sitting in my bed, four of my friends came in right after they got back from a mission trip from China with shaved heads and were as full of energy as always. After singing Day Man from Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the nurses came in and told them they needed to quiet down or else security would have to remove them.

So I have many memories in regards to music that make me smile. At the same time, it was times like that where my friends drew us together even more. I look at music as having that amazing ability. Just think of the songs for Ohio State. We have our fight songs to get everyone jazzed up for athletic events. We have Carmen to sing together after a big win or a sad loss. No matter the situation, the music in those situations is what brings all of the people together and grow us as a community.

With that in mind, music represents a way for people to express themselves and how they feel. When people join a community such as Ohio State or are born into a nation such as the United States, they are introduces to music that represents them. That is why national anthems come about in my mind. The music is a way for people to express their identity in a beautiful way and as a means to show their pride in who they  are. That is why music offers so much hope in situations of crisis.

In those situations, I believe it is best for people to express themselves in a peaceful and constructive manner. I would so much rather have people coming together and singing songs about who they are rather than them coming together and arguing about the status quo. Music offers a means of expression where the arts act as the medium of communication rather than just a conversation. Just as music was the way my group of friends identified and expressed ourselves, people groups do the same. By hearing the music of other people, we begin to understand their identity and what they desire. To me, music and the arts are the epitome of peace.

Rap Readings

I am not going to lie, I have a hard time connecting with these readings. This is mainly because I do not have much connection to rap/hip hop coming from Iowa where country music is king. Moreover, I was raised by a mother who had a fascination with classical music and that is where my heart has ended up. I will say that I understand it has an amazing cultural aspect to the African American community and it has become a main stream way for people within that community to express themselves.

The article that intrigued me most talks about how there can be some disconnect with people like me except in an Israeli sense in regards to rap as a form of musical expression. The Haaretz article spoke most on this and it had a statement about an Israeli rapper from the Tel Aviv suburbs who began to engage in rap. This may seem contradictory at first but then I started to think of what rap music has traditionally tried to express.

The Haaretz article didn't spare and expense when it came to speaking on that as well. Rap has traditionally been a means for a group such as the African American community in the United States who faced extreme cultural issues as a means to express themselves musically. I can see the natural connection and desire for Israelis who feel the same way to use rap as a means to communicate their cultural struggle.

That being said, what has traditionally turned me off to rap music is the violent nature of some of its lyrics. It makes sense why a group who is facing some sort of persecution to want to have their own identity when it comes to their musical style, but that can so easily become a means to use that musical style to express a negative response. I think that is where the violent nature of the lyrics can come in. It saddens me when people use music and the arts to promote anger and hate as compared to the special way music can draw people together.

That being said, I love the idea of people having their own cultural way of expressing music. From reggae to hip hop, to the rock and roll of the 70's, each generation has seemingly used music to express themselves. That generational gap is what makes it hard for me to connect with certain forms of music, but at the same time I still need to respect it. I just hope and desire for people to use music and the arts as a way to promote unity though a peaceful means as compared to using it to promote marginalism and hate.

A Wall, Water, and Power

The journal that I read sparked my interest for a number of reasons. The first on was the title which is shared by this post, and it also referenced a scholar here at Ohio State being Alexander Wendt. I was lucky enough to take a course under him and found his thoughts to be utterly fascinating. The journal spent a lot of time reflecting on issues related to my thoughts on the Israel/Palestine problem and went more into detail as to why they are going to be a difficult problem to fix.

Alexander Wendt's quote on Israel and Palestine that spurred the journal on is:

"A social structure composed of inter-subjective understandings in which states are so distrustful that they make worst-case assumptions about each others' intensions, and as a result define their interests in self-help terms."

That brought me back to a lecture I had by Wendt where we talked about this very topic. The idea is that everyone in the Middle East desires three things and they are peace, justice, and security. In the case of the Israeli's and Palestinians, these are the same desires. The Israelis claim to desire security more so than justice  and they justify the building of the separation wall, in the very self-help terms mentioned, in order to attain that. While at the same time, the Palestinians strongly desire justice arguably more than security. That desire stems of the 1948 war and the exodus of the Palestinians that followed.

Now while both desire peace, their desire for their respective situations to be dealt with first takes precedence over that. Each of them was addressed later on in the article with having other major issues related to the two state or one state solution. The water situation will be a problem in the case of a two state solution and a one state solution has major issues with the division of power.

In order for all of these issues to be resolved, the problem Wendt proposed needs to be dealt with immediately. As long as each group is acting in its own self help terms, then we will continue to see problems such as the separation wall being built for Israel's security, and terrorist acts as an act of justice via vengence for the Palestinians. What needs to be addressed first is the misguided social structure based on how people view each other rather than the facts of the situation. That is why there is great hope in the dialogue. Through this dialogue we have communication of facts and are able to understand where everyone is coming from in this situation.

Trottier, Julie. "A Wall, Water and Power: The Israeli ‘separation Fence’." Review of International Studies 33.01 (2007): 105. Print.

Artistic Hope

Today's readings brought back many of my memories from when I was in the West Bank and viewed the separation wall for the first time. I remember thinking how out of place it looked curling up and down the mountains around Jerusalem. It was strange seeing a concrete barrier winding its way around hordes of historical holy sights in the city. It was even more strange seeing all of the graffiti on it from the Palestinian side, often graffiti that was beautiful and horrific at the same time.

The reading from OSU spent a lot of time talking about how national identity very much putting the us vs. them mentality into action. The separation barrier is a great example of that. While Israel says it is for security reasons, the very core of this issue is the us vs. them mentality. Without that, there would be no need for the separation barrier because there wouldn't be any difference between the Israelis and Palestinians. To me, the issue of the separation barrier tells how the Israelis view themselves differently than the Palestinians and they then need to build the separation barrier to define that.

The artistic response of the graffiti artists is amazing to me. When I was first in Israel, I viewed the graffiti as simply a form of rebellion through vandalism. While that may be there, I never had reflected on graffiti as a form of political expression. I admire the peaceful approach to the conflict of the separation barrier over any of the violent alternatives. I wish I had this understanding when I visited Israel the first time.

More than just the geopolitical issues surrounding it, the issue surrounding it to me was/is how it has ruined a pristine and beautiful piece of global history. While it has some severe human right issues related to it, to me the issue is how it has ruined the splendor of Jerusalem and Israel as a whole. At the same time, the separation barrier has provided a new form of history. It has become and avenue of expression that would not be there otherwise. While in some senses the wall is a form of aggression, at the same time it has become one of the most beautiful means of communication and that is of the arts. That combined with projects such as the Western-Eastern Divan Orchestra provide solutions and means for dialogue that I believe will hold the key to solving the issues surrounding Jerusalem.

Final Project Outline

Here ya go:

The idea for my final project is based off of the HBO series Newsroom. This has quickly become one of my favorite shows mainly because it addresses facts and fiction in a highly entertaining and informative way. I also am a theatre guy which has given me some thoughts as to how to approach this.

To start, I will be working with Ben for the script and I will have a couple of friends in the theatre department help me with the acting. The filming requirements and location have yet to be finalized, but the set will be that of a newsgroup's set. I will be acting as the anchor and moderator who will be interviewing a representative of the Palestinians and one of the Israelis.

Where it will get interesting is in the script. The topic at hand will be a current event taking place in Israel. It will be a fictitious one based off of real events so that we can address typical arguments made by both sides.
The representative of both parties will intentionally be biased to show what the common argument is so that the anchor will have the opportunity to speak on a factual basis. The acting will intentionally be emotional and argumentative to represent the passion made on both sides. The anchor's main job will be to rebuttle all of the arguments on with on a factual basis.

I like this format for a number of reasons. The first one is because we can address the arguments typified by each party. This format also allows there to be objective fact in a debate that so often is based on emotion alone. Secondly, this format gives me artistic discretion to drive the facts home. I believe I have the experiences, resources, and most importantly some amazing friends that will help this be a very special project.

Here are some links to clips from the Newsroom format that give some meat to the bones of this idea:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAjX2aiX3PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdeSsnjuS0Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBnk2aKsIQA