Colonial Mentality in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a prosperous and multicultural city that once had colonized by Britain for more than 150 years before sovereignty was handed back to China in 1997.  However, according to Lahtoo, a reporter from The South China Morning Post, we can easily trace the marks of British colonization even at today’s  Hong Kong. He pointed out, Caucasian people have a larger advantage for finding jobs in Hong Kong compare to people of other races with the same qualification simply because of being “White”. Meanwhile, though Hong Kong’s motherland People’s Republic of China now is the second largest economy in the world: millions of mainland Chinese traveled to Hong Kong every year with incredibly strong purchasing power that contributed Hong Kong’s economy largely, nonetheless, Hong Kong people still are unwilling to call themselves Chinese and admit their Chinese identity. 

From Frantz Fanon’s book The Wretched of the Earth, we can find possible explanations for those scenarios that Lahtoo mentioned in his report. In an advanced society like Hong Kong, such obvious job inequalities based on employee’s races would not expect to happen. However, according to Lahtoo, Hong Kong people do not feel weird by that. Fanon states that Colonization caused indigenous people’s inferior status and Settler’s superior status in the social relations. Meanwhile, besides physical inferiority, indigenous people would also feel they are mentally inferior to the settlers; this mentality can be hardly washed away unless there is a violence clashed, in this way can liberation be truly gained. Fanon also states that violence is a cleansing force that is able to free  the natives from the inferiority  complex and from their despair and inaction. However, When we trace back to Hong Kong’s handover history, there was no sign of such a “cleansing power”. Both British and Chinese government agreed mutually through negotiations and talks. This would also give Hong Kong people the mindset that that Hong Kong is still not fully and forcefully liberated and humanized from the century-long Colonization.

Report Link: http://m.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1873833/white-worship-hong-kong-you-cant-end-it-if-you-refuse

The Reasons for the Deaths of Patriots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNYmK19-d0U

In 2011, an operation took place that killed Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is responsible for the 9/11 attacks that killed over 3,000 American lives. After 9/11 the United States invaded Afghanistan because the Taliban was harboring Al Qaeda leaders and their training camps. The United States still occupies Afghanistan and is still fighting the Taliban for complete control of the country. Many American lives have been lost due to this battle and for many years the American people were frustrated with the fact that the leader of Al Qaeda was still at large. When the United States finally killed the brutal terrorist in Pakistan. Obama's speech announced Bin Laden's death and Obama

Obama's speech announced Bin Laden's death and Obama explained how the deaths of all of America's fully deployed were not in vain. He also talked about how the families of those who were lost on 9/11 can rest easy knowing that the man who took away their family members has tasted American justice. This speech is comparable to Pericles Funeral Oration because Pericles is trying to explain to the people of Athens that we cannot allow the deaths of their loved ones be in vain. He tells his people to keep up the fight because the men that have died fighting for their country deserve the victory. Obama does the same thing in his speech by telling the people that we cannot allow the terrorists who are still at large around the world win. He explains how for now the American people can rest easy knowing that the face of evil has been killed, but the fight is not over. He says we must continue the fight against terrorism in order to avenge the deaths of our loved ones, and continue to protect our loved ones from further acts of terrorism. Pericles, Obama and other Leaders of nations throughout history need to make these speeches in times of war in order to keep the people in the fight, and to let them know why young men and women are fighting overseas.

Might is Right

In Thucydides' Melian Dialogue, Thucydides explains a debate between the Athenians and the Melians.  The Athenians tell the Melians that they will either invade Melos and take everyone prisoner, provided the Melians don't fight back, or they will kill everyone in Melos.  The Melians attempt to argue with the Athenians, and provide reasons why they should not do either of those things.  They give a few different arguments.  One argument is that Sparta is an ally of Melos, and Melos will call upon Sparta to save them from the Athenians.  The Athenians are not convinced, and say that Sparta will not come to save them.  Sparta will not waste their resources on Melos, as it would turn into a bigger mess for them than if they just let Melos go.  The Melians argue that the Athenians should not enslave or kill them because they have not done anything to provoke the Athenians.  It would not be right of Athens, and the other states around Athens will feel threatened if Athens invades.  The Melians argue that this will cause the other states to go to war against Athens, to protect themselves.  The Athenians main point throughout all of this is that they are mightier than Melos, and therefore have a right to do what they want.

The above cartoon illustrates this point that the Athenians made, a concept that Thucydides supported.  This is the concept of "might is right."  Calvin tries to make the point that ethics do not matter, that all that matters is who is mightier.  He says, as Athens does, that he will leave it up to others to discuss whether it is right.  Athens asserts that whether it is right is irrelevant, as they have more resources and are bigger.

Women love Machiavelli

In her post New York Time's opinion post, Emily V. Gordan discusses the natural phenomenon of competition that develops in the female world. In her article "Why Women Compete with Each Other," Emily relives her younger years as an adolescent girl trying to fight the stigma of being different while at the same time finding herself becoming of the catty nature of females. While she goes on to discuss how important it is for modern females to debunk the idea that women have to compete with each other, what she does not discuss is what is at the center of the phenomenon: the fight for power.

Women have been stigmatized into thinking that their can only be one woman in power at a time so when one shows promise of being different, of having the ability to be in power, we tear each other down. The "Sensational Six" (Gordan) suddenly becomes the Exceptional Enemies as they play on Machiavelli's ideas of power. Machiavelli believes that one should not form any relationships or allies unless one is wiling to give it up at any moment, and this is the ideology of women, So quick, we are to throw a friend "under the bus"in exchange of attention, recognition or for power. The power dynamics Machiavelli talks about is scene in the struggle for power between common day women. As we fight to gain recognition and power we presume acts of "cruelty" to those around us to make ourselves be seen as more appealing in any and every situation.

Power against power

One of the first people we looked at starting our unit on Power and Violence was Nicholas Machiavelli, author of the The Prince.  What first made him interesting was that he was the first author we had looked at that was not an actual philosopher. He regarded himself, and is now universally regarded as more of a thinker. The second aspect that made him interesting was learning that his book The Prince, was a shot towards to the Medici family. The family had previously ruled Florence for 60 continuous years, having just lost power as Machiavelli was beginning his education in the city. A couple years later, the family came back into power, taking control of Florence once again and ending its government structure as a Republic. Machiavelli responded to this takeover with The Prince, despite not being published until after his death. The book's main point was how leaders should gain power as well as how to maintain it. One example he gives is that any leaders must to strive to preserving the state, and the best way to do this is by preserving stability within the state.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS09U73gib4

This is a link to rap star Tupac Shakurs last album in 1996. Tupac became so intrigued by Machiavelli and The Prince he would go on to later make the name his stage name. He was quoted in one of his interviews about the album saying “ We don't need no more rapper, we don't need no more basketball players, no more football players, we need more thinkers”. Tupac strongly believed, as he constantly expressed in the album, that the African American community in the United States was suppressed by law enforcement and the government. He believed that as an icon, it was his duty to gain power in order to fight the injustices the African American community was faced with. The first thing this comparison shows is how even though he was not a philosopher, his works was still relevant hundreds of years later. What makes this even more impressive is that it can be related and compared with the modern day society and the culture. While Tupac was, in his words, “at war with the police”, Machiavelli was fighting the monarchy imposed under the Medici family. The major difference in this however, is Tupac was fighting for more power, while Machiavelli was fighting to change power. Ultimately however, they both strived to fight the injustice present in their communities. In history, we often looked at people chasing power as evil, not only because of why they wanted it but also what they did to get it.  As the given examples shows, people may not always want to gain power in order to gain control over others, but rather to fight another source of power that is not shown responsibility.

Power through public speech

Donald Trump is currently the leading Republican presidential candidate in the polls for the 2016 election so far. Due to his speech's to his supporters. Because of his background and current profession. Donald Trump has been able to distance himself from the stereotypes of the common politician. The best way he does this is in his public speech's. He lacks the care for maintaining political correctness in his rallies. He says what he thinks. As his supporters say "Echoing what a lot of people feel and say." This speaking style helps portray that he is not a run of the mill politician who constantly watches and corrects everything they say so that they will not loss any possible voters. And because he is open in his speech's, his supporters and the public can feel a better connection with him than other politicians.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/23/us/politics/why-donald-trump-wont-fold-polls-and-people-speak.html?_r=0

When you compare Donald Trump's speech's to Pericles Funeral Oration, T\the argument that power can be gained through speaking becomes stronger. Both Trump and Pericles rely on the beliefs and thoughts of the people. For Pericles it was that the people of Athens were unsure of what their soldiers had died for. Pericles used this to garner support for the war. That these soldiers had died for the greater good. that their deaths were purposeful in order to protect the Athen's way of life. And by changing the publics opinion and installing a sense of patriotism. He was able to gain power to continue the war. Trump is able to gain political power and support by appealing to the public. He is able to work of the public's fear of our current foreign and economic policies. And by echoing what his supporters are thinking and confirming he believes the same things in his speeches working about staying to true to what the public thinks. He is able to garner himself more support (Power) to continue to campaign against his opponents. Because both Pericles and Trump are able to appeal to the public, they are able to maintain and gain more power through public speaking.