Cultural diversity: The Dead

When we hear the word "Dead", our brain make a relation with something wrong.

We are people from Chile, and here, the dead is something sad, bad, and sometimes we consider this a punishment.

But now, all your thoughts will change (maybe a little), because I will show you the Mexican culture, because, in my opinion, is the best way to show you something very different to our culture, and very interesting.

So, we are going to start with our first curiosity:

1.- Renacentist and Reunion: When someone of the family have just dead, for dead's family is somenthing to celebrate, because He/She will meet with all His/Her dead family in the heaven. They celebrate, because He/She now is in peace, and will never suffer again.

2.-Day of the Dead: 

This is one of the most important celebrations in Mexico. This day starts in last days of october or in the first days of november. Is the day when all "spirits of dead people are in live": It means that is the day when live people is with dead people, but, live people have to give something to their dead family, and there you have a list of things that mexicans share with their lovely family:

-Cempasúchil flower:

-Copal:

->It a stone, and mexicans used this stone for "el altar de muertos".

->It has a symbolic means.

 -Cross:

-> This cross means the travel to an other world, in this case is the heaven.

Summarizing, deads means to mexicans something very important and beautiful, and they celebrate this day because for they, it means "lucky", because you go to a more beautiful life in the heaven, and you will not suffer again in this world: The Earth.

Hobbes thinks that we are people with self-steem, I mean, that when someone dies, we cry for us, not for him, because we are who lost someone important for us, but, we never think that (maybe, it depends of our beliefs) this person is happy now, this person went to a best world, or He/She scapes from this coonflict world. 

Something that not all people consider when miss someone: "Are we really alone?", and this question is answered by Buda: "We are never alone, because all people lost familys lost someone important for they, and the dead is something that allways comes." 

Are a lot of beliefs about the dead, but this is the most different of us, I wanted to show you something different, because I want that people starts thinks  about diversity, real diversity. 

Here I share with you 4 links, the first one is about more information about Mexico, the second one is about other countries with other beliefs abput the dead, the third one has more information about "día de los muertos", and the last one is a documentary about this day in Mexico:

http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Mexico.html

http://apoyoalduelo.com/la-muerte-en-otras-culturas/

http://www.cdi.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=562

This documentary is very interesting, and show to us how chileans looks other cultures, in this case: Mexican culture.

What do you think about the dead? When you lost someone: You cry for you, or for He/She?

Native Americans and alcoholism

If there is one thing that caught my attention after reading and getting to know a bit more about the book "The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian" is that it has something very specific in common with the movie "Thunderheart", alcoholism is an issue at Native Americans reservations.

"Native Americans were first introduced to alcohol by the European settlers and traders. Alcohol was often traded for Native American goods, and possibly used to relax the Native Americans in order to receive a better trade. The newness of the substance had a great influence on the Native American culture. But over the years, research has shown that alcohol’s effects on this culture are also due to genetics.

From a genetic standpoint, certain ethnic groups have a gene mutation that causes adverse reactions to drinking large amounts of alcohol. Groups that possess this “protective gene” include Chinese and Japanese populations, causing them to feel rapid heartbeat, headache, nausea and extreme drowsiness. Other groups, including Native Americans, do not possess this gene mutation, consequently reducing the side effects of heavy drinking." (Bethany Winkel. Source).

Isn't the fact that almost half of the Native American population has suffered from alcoholism very alarming? Before this course, little did I know about this problem. And to think that it probably is an endless circle. Native Americans live secluded (in reservations) from the rest of the population of the USA. They sure have identity crisis, a lot live in poverty, not to mention the lack of opportunities of having a better life (compared to white Americans). Alcohol seems an easy way of forgetting about heavy thoughts and problems, right?

There are lots of theories about the causes of alcoholism amongst Natives, but one thing is for sure, the consequences can't be any good.

So tell me your thoughts on this. What do you think is the main reason alcohol became such a huge addiction for Native Americans? Any ideas on what could it be done to help?

                            

Non Violence

The last century undoubtedly was the most revolutionary in history. Many wars and revolutions succeed, and the most powerfull movement was the NON VIOLENCE. Which is the Non Violence? It's a Pacificist Movement, was consolidate in the XIX and XX century. This movement encourage the peace for to produce the social changes and search for the equiality. The greatest representants of this movement are Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. 

In the XX Century the discrimination and the racism had in their peack. In many parts of the world, the black people lived a different life, but why? 

In the India ocurred a similar case of the discrimination by the  British settlers. Mahatma Gandhi without guns and violence he reached the independece of India in 1947. He stared a revolutionary movement,in 1930, which helped him to involved a lot of people on it.

He practiced the fast, and then he transformed in one of the most important person in the history. "I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent" Gandhi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3tjIiWIkAQ

After this happened, in the South of the United States the black people lived a similar case of the discrimination, but this was a legal. Black and White people lived a different lifes, in different ways. Blacks and Whites couldn't go to the same School, they didn't sit in the same seat. Martin Luther King Jr. Started a pacific movement. Inspired in Gandhi with the Non Violence, Martin archived with his hopeful  speeches ended with the segregation's laws. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools" M. Luther King. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74XJJ3Tq5ew

In Southafrica the situation was very similar. Black and Whites lived a separate lifes. But they called Apartheid which separated the people in different groups, the Whites, African, Blacks and Indigenous. The distribution of the resources depended of the social gruop. This generated social unequeal. Nelson Mandela Inspired in Gandhi, Mandela started a revolutionary movements against apartheid. But in 1967 Mandela was arrested for a second time. Was centenced to life in prison for the rest of his life. After 27 year, he was released. In 1994 Mandela was elected President of the Southafrica.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk5_epATpaI 

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use the change the world" N. Mandela

I Belive that these revolutionary mens with the use of the Non Violence changed a reality of his people. Gandhi inspire to us to change the world  with this powerful revolution. 

So we like a future teachers we can change the world. What do you think about this? 

Gandhi Vs Martin Luther King Jr

Very often, people tend to see Martin Luther King Jr. as the spiritual succesor of the ideals held by Mahatma Gandhi, and with good reason. The defensor of the civil rights was inspired by all the actions and ideals that the indian leader had.

From The Salt March, to the non violent movements, Martin Luther King Jr did his best to follow up all the steps that the Indian independance movement stood for. Freedom and peace.

Everyone says that if they existed in the same period of time, they would have been the greatest "freedom team"

Or would them...?

This is the great thing about the internet. You can find parodies about everything, and I repeat, everything.

And thus, YouTube users, EpicLloyd and Nice Peter put up a video about Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. competing directly, neither in a pacifists reunion, nor in hand to hand combat, but in a Rap Battle, in their popular internet show:

Epic Rap Battles of History:

Gandhi V/s Martin Luther King Jr.

(Warning, there is NSFW Language in the video)

I think this is hilarious, just how people's imagination can make parodies of such a deep and engaging theme as independance and civil rights leaders.

Now, the video itself really shows the fact that their creators know what they're dealing with (hence the name) and because of that, they have such a popular show. Everyone watches this because, everything in here is so accuarate, that it's funny. And I really think this is an amazing way to engage people into history, I learnt about Martin Luther King Jr. through this video when it was released a couple of years ago.

The thing that caught my attention is how through out the video, you see that, in a really entertaining way, they show us what they stood for. I also love how the battle ends. (SPOLER ALERT) With a hug between the two.

I see this as a way to show that, after all, their ideals lived and now, it's our turn, not as whites, neither blacks, but as humans, to show our respects to their now fullfiled ideals. And overall, thank them for their efforts to make this world a better place for them and for all of us.

I encourage you to see more of this videos in the oficial ERB channel, there are many characters represented in there, there's even a battle between Hitler and Darth Vader! and that's is so random, but at the same time, entertaining and great.

What do you think about the ERB concept, or this video in particular? Funny? disrespectful? weird?

I'm looking forward for your comments :)

Mississippi Burning

Can you believe that between 1870 and 1970, just for been black, you will have to suffer, scape, run away, specially if you were born in the south of Unitad State?  

It was a very hard period of time, when be a white person practically mean be perfect. Look it in this way, if you were in a game, and this game will be about living in USA, you can choose the difficulty to start this, white will be easy, and black will be extremely hard. And, why ?. Because they couldn't have the same houses, the same schools, means of transport, even the bathroom were separated, also all the fraternities and clubs had prohibited to admit black people.

The opportunities in practice were not the same for blacks and whites. For example white public schools received more money, while black schools were receiving the minimum possible money. A dramatic case was that the black singer Bessie Smith, victim of a car accident . The ambulance that took her, visited all the hospitals in  Mississippi ,in search of a blood transfusion, but none of them allowed to enter because they were "hospitals for white". Bessie Smith bled on the gurney, and after all this STUPID moment, she died because of this "legal" segregation. This fact, and many others, gave rise to the movement for equal rights for blacks, led by Martin Luther King (1929-1968).

There are many cases like this, but in this moment is not necessary to mention them, but that doesn't mean they are less important, the history create conscience, YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST !

This is why i want to share this movie with you. ----> Mississippi Burning.

"In a small town in a southern state of the United States disappear three activists for civil rights, fighting for equal rights. Two of them are white and one black. The FBI responsible for two officers to investigate the case. One of them is Ward, who comes from the North and is liberal, and the second is Anderson , former sheriff in Mississippi, a cynical man who knows southern society. Each of them has their own idea of how solve this issue, but this is not going to be a easy case, because the black people were afraid of talk with the police. The film is based on real events". 

"The day in which blacks are not pointed with the finger or observed in the streets as something "exotic", will be the day that we will have made progress".

I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT. 

Slave Name: Losing their identities

The greatest boxer Muhammad Ali used to be called Cassius Clay, that was his slave name, and he rejected it, therefore he changed his name to a name with that he could felt identified.
If you want to know more about the history of Muhammad Ali, click here->I AM THE URL o/

During the XVIII and XIX centuries african slavery was legal in the United States. To enslave africans, slave owners changed their last names to identify them as their own and to have an easier way of name them.

The name change that caught my attention was the new name of Malcolm Little. He changed his name to Malcolm X. I think that it was the most protestant name against discrimination and the years of slavery that their ancestors lived, because he used a "X" as surname. An X in mathematics is used to identify an unknown number, in this case he used a X to show that he had an unknown surname.

In a TV show, a man interviewed Malcolm, that man asked to Malcolm X about his surname and Malcolm gave an explanation about how he had no surname, the father of his father lost his surname when he was enslaved. Regrettably, the man don't understood it and continued asking the same. That was when Malcolm told him that he completely rejected the name.

Here is the video to you to understand better what happened:

If we think in our culture, it may be that our ancestors were Mapuches, then probably we also have lost our identity because of colonization or slavery. African Americans were deprived of their authentic culture, maybe our community were deprived of our authentic culture too, without notice and without concern for the loss of a very rich culture. Do you feel that you don't belong to this society? Or do you just feel comfortable with the surname that you have? Even if it doesn't was originated here in Chile?

I want to share some Mapuche's surnames and their meaning:

I hope you enjoy this and share your comments with me :)

Emotionality in the world

Yesterday I was waiting in line to get into the National Stadium to the One Direction concert. The feast of emotions was endless. From pure negativity, to boredom, physical pain, stress, desperation, hysteria, happiness, ecstasy. Name an emotion, it could be any emotion, I can assure you it was there.

Some were singing, some were fighting, others crying, and screaming or chilling out. When people jumped the queue some went insane, I was even afraid someone would start crying or go and hit those individuals. And not to mention how it was inside the stadium.

That got me very curious. To be in such an emotional enviroment about the intensity of Chileans' feelings and how it would be in other countries.

I searched for that, and I found an interesting investigation which was done a few years ago about the subject.

"In a survey of more than 150 nations, Gallup conducted telephone and in-person interviews with about 1,000 people ages 15 and older in each country every year between 2009 and 2011. Residents were asked whether they experienced 10 different emotions a lot the previous day, including five negative emotions (anger, stress, sadness, physical pain and worry) and five positive emotions (feeling well-rested, smiling and laughing a lot, being treated with respect, enjoyment, and learning or doing something interesting). The average of people who said yes to such questions was taken into consideration."

Above there is a color-coded map of the emotionality in the world. As it appears, Chile is one of the most emotional countries (I wasn't surprised in the slightest by this) and in general Spanish and English speaking countries are very emotional and happy as pointed out in the survey.

Here and here are the links to a more complete view of this investigation.

Tell me your thoughts on this. Do you agree? How do you feel about the subject in the countries you have been to? Why do you think some show less emotions than others?

 

In this class, we learn about cultural diversity, and sometimes we learn about the History about countries like England.

But... The Simpsons are going in the foward, because with their chapters we can learn about Cultural Diversity and History, and we don't know that we are learning!!! It's something too incredible!!

 

  The Simpsons are always showing stereotyopes of a country, people, etc. But today I will show to you about England and the last class.  In the last class, we learn about Elizabeth Queen History, but in the middle of the class I remember that I learn about this class in other place...Then I thought: In The Simpsons!! 

 Homero was Enrique VIII, and he was unhappy because he can't get divorsed of her wife by the Catholic Church, so, he decided create the "Igloesia Anglicana", and he get divorced 6 times, and he has got 6 wives. The next par of this history is your dutie. I will leave the link, because I relly want to search with you my way to learn something.


http://www.lossimpsonsonline.com.ar/capitulos-online/espanol-latino/temporada-15/capitulo-11

I really want that you watch this chapter. You will laugh a lot!!

Other Thing that I didn´t wrote, is the Cultural Diversity in the different chapters, I recommend you watch The Simpsons If you want to learn about History in a different way.

I think, that The Simpsons is a really intelligent TV show, because this program search the way how to make conscience between people, and make us think about the thi

ns that are happening in our world.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS TV SHOW!!

Rastafarian Movement

 I have only one ambition: to see humanity all together, blacks, whites, everybody living together.                                             Bob Marley.

The Syncretism there are  a culture mixture. One of the most important Syncretism is the Rastafari Religion which is a socio cultural movement, it mixes elements from the Bible, Pan africanism movement and Caribbean culture. 

When I hear Rastafari one of the thing that comes to my mind is the Dreadlocks and reggae music. But The Rastafari movement is more than this. 

The Rastafari is one lifestyle, its a espiritual philosofy based on the revolutionary essence of the Peace and Love , one different form to see the creation. 

This revolutionary movement was created in Jamaica, in the XVIII century but it makes strengths in 1930 when Haile Selassie was proclamaited King of the Ethiopia  who was to the Rastafarian people like the black Messiah.

One of the most important represent of the Rastafarian Movement is the Singer Bob Marley who with his music to develop the Peace and Love, the union of the people. 

 Check this link about the  Bob Marley's mysticism and the Rastafarian Movement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHGqPh370sc

Ireland: A country rich in culture

How much we know about the culture of the country whose symbol is the clover and green goblin?

The Irish are very charismatic, in the street they greet all but at the same time, do not support demonstrations of affection in public. But what do we know about the dance jumps and the typical Goblin both representing them?

  There are two types of Celtic dances, the set dancing and step dancing, there are two types of dances. The set can dance it any person, independent of their capabilities, on the other hand, the step, has ancient roots and is the most complex form of Irish dance popularized in the 1990 thanks to the Riverdance ensemble, and later to show Lord Of The Dance. Therefore, experienced dancers represent this dance.

St. Patrick's day is celebrated on 17 March to commemorate their employer bearing the same name. 

  A Christian tradition says that Patrick explained the mystery of the Holy Trinity using a three-leaf clover. So that day has been established as usual wear a Shamrock in the celebration of his feast. It is also common dress in color green and even dye with this color the beer in honor of Ireland, also nicknamed the 'Emerald Isle'.

The parade of the day of Saint Patrick in Dublin, capital of the Republic of Ireland, part of a festival that lasts five days and more than 675,000 people attended it in 2009.
A fundamental part of the feast of St. Patrick are numerous parades that take place in different parts of the world. From small towns and villages in Ireland and Ireland of the North to the big parades in New York, the largest in the world dedicated to St. Patrick, in which participate in one way or another hundreds of thousands of people each year. Other cities with major celebrations in honour of the Irish patron are London, Montreal, Chicago, Paris, Toronto, Buenos Aires or Manchester, among others.

 

The Celtics in our classroom

It's been arround 2 months that we started our first year in the university (most of us), and certainly, there hasn't been any work that was neither funnier nor spectacular as the maps exhibition.


Our job was simple, but complex at the same time, work in groups to prepare a physical representation of a certain region of the English speaking world. My region with my group of course, was the Celtic Fringe. (see the leprechaun? yeah, those people... kidding)

Well, our mission was to talk, give a representation, and inform the other clasmates about the different countries that surrounded the Celtic culture, such as Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Cornwall... well, Cornwall isn't exactly a country, but it's a region with it's own language, so it does fit in the group.

Me and my other classmates divided the work in 13 total points, those included weather, organization, languages, lifestyles... a lot of things! everything possible so everyone could understand everything about the Celtic Fringe.

We, as a team, also learned a lot, we discovered (well, I did at least) the fact that Cornwall isn't actually a country, every single region speaks English in some degree, and everyone follows a same pattern of social reverences that show the fact that they've always kept their essence as Celtic.

We (now all of us) learned a lot about the religions that appear as predominant in the regions, we also learned about each of the region's political administration, for example, Ireland has it's own president, while all the other ones have a first ministry and are under the jurisdiction of the UK, all while keeping their common culture, wich is the Celtic.

But yeah, our main goal was to show our classmates everything we could about the Celtic Fringe, and to see how our own classmates react to the fantastic world of the Celtics. How each and everyone of them understood it, it's up to them, but other than learning the fun about the multidiversity that can be found in a region like the Celtic Fringe is amazing, and I hope all of them catched that part at least

Finally, the geography is beautiful, everything that involves oceanic weather with tons and tons of hills, not to mention mountains, is amazing. In general, the Celtic Fringe has a lot of lakes and rivers that are well known, like Lough Neagh, wich is the biggest of the whole UK or the Loch Lommond, wich is the largest Natural one.

But yeah, the Celtic culture is amazing, I hope we can work with it more often!

Bloody Mary

Mary I , was queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death. Her executions of protestan caused her opponents to giver her the sobriquet "Bloode Mary". This part of the history caught my attention, because in her reig, killed 300 protestans, for this reason i want to search more about her. And this i what i found:

His intention was at all times to restore Catholicism in England, she abolished many of the laws promulgated by Edward VI and imprisoned the Protestant bishops. In 1554 she married Philip II, heir to the Spanish Crown and son of the Emperor Charles V, who hoped to establish an alliance with England to isolate France .

During his reign he suffered two false pregnancies, so it was speculated that it could be due to the pressure to create an heir. His death occurred November 17, 1558 in St. James's Palace. While his testament was collecting his will to be buried next to his mother, she was finally buried in Westminster Abbey, who would later share with Isabel I.

" I think that this Queen was a very strong woman, and I think that no one could make her change of opinion".