Friday, September 30, 2016

What is the Price of Peace?

What is the Price of Peace?

Colombia has been at war with itself for over half a century. The FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) is the guerrilla movement responsible for this civil war. They follow a Marxist-Communist ideology and have been in at the forefront of most major kidnaps, extortions and terrorist acts in Colombia since its formation in 1964. The war between the FARC and the Colombian government has been the defining characteristic of modern Colombian life, and most Colombians cannot remember a time when the country was at peace. However, it seems the peace might not be as distant as it once was.

A new dawn might be looming over the Colombian horizon, as the FARC is currently conducting peace negotiations with their government to put an end to the conflict. The FARC wants to legitimize their movement into an actual political party. Timochenko, the leader of the FARC, has enthusiastically told his followers that their ”greatest satisfaction will always be that peace has won”. Likewise, the Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos has strongly encouraged his people to vote for this peace referendum that will take place on October 2, 2016. The “Yes” campaign has received overwhelming support from prominent members of the political left, centre and right, and has even seen the approval of the nation’s most famous celebrities like Shakira and Carlos Vives.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are many Colombians who openly oppose this peace agreement. Among their biggest complaints is that no members of the FARC will serve time in prison for their involvement in the guerrillas, despite the movement’s direct involvement in the deaths of over 220,000 people. The newly formed FARC political party would also be guaranteed 10 seats in Congress if the referendum were to pass, which is a term former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe has strongly opposed. The referendum is also seen by many as being unconstitutional, as it basically legitimizes drug trafficking and violence by letting all of the FARC’s crimes slide. The debate has been very heated over the past couple of months, with one side opting for some long-needed peace while the other advocates for law and justice.

The ball is on the Colombian population’s court now, as they alone will decide the future of their country. What lengths would a country ravaged by war and violence go to for the sake of peace? Is this referendum simply Colombia giving up to terrorist demands, or are they doing what’s best for their war-torn country and for the future of their children? It’s really hard to say, and the polls seemingly agree, as the decision appears to be split right down the middle. It’s easy to overlook how big some decisions can be, and how small everything else in comparison. One thing’s for sure, for better or for worse the future of Colombia will be decided on October 2, 2016. The times they are cambiando.



Friday, September 23, 2016

Don't Stress About Trump's PTSD Comments

Don’t Stress About Trump’s PTSD Comments

How is anything that Trump says controversial anymore? He has already offended pretty much everyone he has ever addressed or spoken about, so it really comes as no surprise that he would also undermine the character of people suffering from PTSD in the most offensive way imaginable. His view on the matter is that PTSD is a result of weakness in soldiers, and that anyone suffering from it has only themselves to blame. He has also publicly stated that POWs don’t deserve the respect attributed to war heroes because they were stupid enough to get captured. But honestly, who cares at this point? What is the story here? “Donald Trump offends another subset of the population”? “Donald Trump has a controversial opinion on a topic most sound-minded people agree upon”? These should not be worth anyone’s attention, even if the guy is running for president of the United States.

The list of demographic groups he’s disrespected is vast, and includes: the disabled, about 1.7 billion muslims, the entire population of Iowa, Mexicans, women, and the list goes on and on. When I read news about Trump offending people, I find it very unlikely that any of these people are being offended by him for the first time. There is simply no value in constantly addressing Trump’s latest exploits. It’s like watching a sitcom in which a character has extremely politically incorrect views on everything (like Al Bundy from Married…With Children), after a while the audience becomes desensitized and expects him to be rude to others. Trump’s antics have become a running gag that’s given way too much media attention. Honestly, when someone reads an article like this, what do they take out of it? “Oh, I guess Trump is still an inconsiderate douche. Well, good to know that nothing’s changed”. Yet, somehow, it makes headlines every week! There is no new information here, thus there is no news. I’d be like the New York Times publishing a weekly column on how Barack Obama is still the first black president of the United States.


There is a lesson to be learned from the over-Trumpification of media outlets: media consumers like consistency. Despite what you might think, the status quo sells. We expect certain things to happen, like celebrities abusing drugs and alcohol, or popular sports teams winning championships, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting when they do happen. Likewise, we expect Trump to be crass and rude, and yet when he is we all lose our minds over it. He once again becomes the topic of dinner conversations, or class debates, gets retweets by the millions and of course headlines in all major news networks. But there was no news, no new development, it was just Trump being Trump again, for the millionth time. At this point, everyone knows who he is and what he stands for. Everyone also knows whether they agree with him or not. Despite the overarching consequences that this election will have on everyone’s lives, I cannot wait for this period of relentless un-news to be over. 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/03/politics/donald-trump-ptsd-suicide/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/10/03/critics-exploded-over-trumps-ptsd-comments-but-many-veterans-who-support-him-dont-care/


Saturday, September 10, 2016

Neil Degrasse Tyson: Charismatic Celebrity or Stellar Scientist? Why Not Both?

Few men of science can lay claim to as many accomplishments as famed astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson. World-reknown for helping debunk Pluto’s false identity as the ninth planet in the solar system, he is also notorious for his status as a scientist-celebrity in a wide array of mediums. His ideas and charisma have shaped the mass population’s current perspective on science and the cosmos, and the course of the study of the universe. Throughout his life he has shown time and time again that intellectualism is not a dying breed, as many public intellectuals seem to think.
            How does such a passionate man emerge out of the shroud of ignorant apathy that many argue defines contemporary life? According to Tyson, his curiosity about the universe was sparked when he visited the Hayden Planetarium near his home in the Bronx, where he witnessed for the first time a sky full of stars. This juxtaposition between the pitch black sky he looked up to every night and the dazzlement of constellations that he found out was actually up there caused such an intrigue in Tyson that he later recalled that “he had no choice in the matter. The universe called (him).” He developed a consumptive hunger for astrological kowledge, and became a dedicated attendee of the planetarium’s classes on that subject.
            His zelousy for science caught the attention of many local experts, including acclaimed astronomer Carl Sagan. Tyson has since stated that Sagan’s approachability and wisdom showed him what kind of scientist he wanted to become. Despite this, he declined Sagan’s offer to enroll in Cornell University, opting instead to go to Harvard to obtain his undergraduate degree in physics. After graduating in 1980, and receiving a degree in astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin just a few years later, he became an astronomy lecturer in the University of Maryland. Tyson concluded his studies in Columbia University, where he earned both an Mphil and a PhD in astrophysics.
In the mid-90s, Tyson closed the loop by returning to the Hayden Planetarium, becoming its director in 1996. He was able to give return the favor to the institution by not only overseeing its reconstruction, but also by striving to inspire future generations of cosmologists as Dr. Chartrand had done for him in his youth. He still serves as the planetarium’s director to this day, and closely follows the examples set by his mentors.
Most of Tyson’s research has focused on studying the nature of stars, from their formation to their explosions and everything in between. He has been recognized as one of the leading experts in his field multiple times, particularly by former president George W. Bush in 2001 when he appointed Tyson to serve on an exclusive commission in charge of the future of the United States Aerospace Industry. His work on the commission concluded in a 2002 report that served as a guideline for promoting efficient space exploration and transportation. Bush followed this by appointing him two years later onto another commission, this time focused on the United States Exploration Policy. Tyson and his team organized an agenda for American space programs in the years to come. Furthermore, he showed his versatility by grounding some of NASA’s most ambitious projects into achievable budget friendly ones while working on their Advisory Council.
Even before working under an extremely constricting budget, Tyson had been an ardent supporter of NASA’s expansion. He frequently argues in favor of doubling NASA’s budget from .5% of government spending to a whole 1%. His proposal of using “one cent on the dollar” for space exploration has sparked a very successful nonprofit organization to help spread this idea, aptly named Penny4NASA. While the end goal may seem unrealistic to some and downright abusive to others, Penny4NASA has collected countless donations through online petitions and helped spread awareness of the space program’s lack of funds through social media.
Arguably his most noteworthy contribution to astrophysics, and one that hit close to home for a surpring amount of people, is his role in the now famous reclassification of Pluto as a dwarf planet. While this action received widespread disapproval from the masses that had grown accustomed to inhabiting a solar system with nine planets, the facts are hard to argue with. When Pluto was first discovered back in 1930 by Clyde W. Tombaugh, it was almost immediately accepted as a the ninth planet orbiting the sun. But, as technology advanced, Pluto’s measurements became more accurate and estimated its diameter at a mere 1,500 miles. For years the scientific community had been having doubts about Pluto’s planetary status, as it more closely resembled some of the cosmic objects in the Kuiper Belt, which orbits Neptune. In 2005, a Kuiper Belt object even larger than Pluto was discovered, which drew even more controversy to its classification. In the end, Tyson and other cosmologists agreed that Pluto could not be considered a planet because its mass was insufficient to be the dominant gravitational body in its orbit.
Another of his most famous and quirky discoveries relates directly to his origins in New York. He discovered a unique phenomenon in which the sun perfectly coincides with the streets and skyscrapers of New York City before and after the summer and winter solstices. Due to this light spectacle’s similarity to the one that that biannually occurs in Stonehenge, he officially dubbed this event the “Manhattanhenge”, and it has become a popular photo opportunity for the city’s natives and tourists alike.
Beyond these contributions, Tyson is also credited with popularizing astronomy and making it approachable to a wider audience through his many writings. He penned several books including “Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries”, a collection of his most wide-reaching articles to discuss knowledge, nature, the universe, and the meaning of life, among other things. He has also written dozens of weekly columns for the Natural History magazine, in which he adresses most of the same issues in an entertaining manner. With his unique comedic value, Tyson managed to further the spread of scientific inquiry in the modern world, which goes against many common misconceptions amongst the intellectual crowd regarding the “dumbing-down” trend in popular culture and media.
It seems almost natural for public intellectuals to assume that their values are being set aside by the younger generations, but this notion has been around for hundreds of years and it is simply inaccurate. Neil Degrasse Tyson shows how one seemingly insignificant moment can reroute a life towards the incessant pursuit of knowledge, and how entertainment can help a wider audience embrace intellectual thought. His science documentary TV series, “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” has turned into a viral phenomenon, reaching tens of millions around the world and inspiring his passion for cosmology unto newcomers through his blend of interesting scientific concepts with powerful hollywoodlike imagery and a rich, soothing voice. While it is undeniable that entertainment has pervaded almost every aspect of modern life, Tyson and many others in the industry show us that this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Just like Tyson himself owes much of his early obsession with science to mentors like Carl Sagan, he is compelled to follow in their footsteps by making intellectuality part of popular culture.  In his own words, “one of my goals is to bring the universe down to Earth in a way that further excites the audience to want more”.
            Despite this, conservative public intellectuals such as John Donatrich fear for the future of their cognitive breed. He takes it as a given that Richard Hofstadter’s idea of American anti-intellectualism is an everpresent fact and an issue of deep concern for the traditionally enlightened. The impact and appeal of Cosmos prove otherwise. American popular media is in fact much more intellectually stimulating than it was a few decades ago, with nuanced shows such as Breaking Bad and arguably smart talk shows like John Oliver’s taking the forefront in popular television. One could argue that what the aging public intellectuals of yesteryear actually fear is the loss of exclusivity amongst their ranks, as being highly educated is rapidly becoming a widespread opportunity rather than a priviledge reserved for the aristocracy. Most young Americans aspire to achieve higher levels of education and intellect than their forefathers, which is represented by their slightly more sophisted caliber of media preferences.
Unlike Richard Posner, who studied the concept of a public intellectual as a means of distinguishing an exclusive inner circle of people considered intellectual enough to be considered relevant, Tyson wants more than anything to broaden this circle til it becomes all-encompassing. By contracting the definition of a public intellectual and compiling a list of the “most intellectual”, Posner is dissuading involvement from the outsiders. Tyson seems to be on the opposite side of the spectrum on the matter, as he makes it one of his life goals to aid science reach a much wider audience. By promoting the idea of a decline in public intellectuals, Posner merely accentuates the problem, while Tyson more progressive views make it easier to embrace education and intellect.
One of the main reasons the theory of anti-intellectualism is given so much weight may simply be that it is a belief commonly shared by people who are widely considered to be public intellectuals. For example, academic author and sultural critic Neil Postman spent his life ardently defending his stance on the mindnumbingness of all forms of technological media, like television and the internet. In his 1985 best-selling book “Amusing Ourselves to Death”, his deep technophobia and antiprogressive views on entertainment are shown to be completely uncompromiseable. Postman argues that contemporary life is defined by a mass hedonistic pursuit for amusement, and that the prime culprit is the decline of print media as the primary source of information. In his mind, when seriousness is subtracted from a subject it loses all potential value for intellectual discourse, and he is frightened of living in a world where the line between reason and enjoyment is so blurred that the mere idea of a public intellectual is unfathomable. He fails to see entertainment as a medium of expressing intellect in a more palatable manner, which is exactly what Neil Degrasse Tyson strives to do. StarTalk, one of Tyson’s scientific podcasts, is a prime example of his unorthodox approach to teaching about cosmology, as it prominently features comedic celebrity guest appearances. Postman would argue that Tyson is robbing science of its integrity as a serious endeavor by turning into a comedy show, but it has provided a scientific base for people that want to know more about science without being subjected to boring pamphlets and manuscripts.
By frequently showing up in talks shows and being in the forefront of some major scientific discussions, Neil Degrasse Tyson has quickly become the face of modern science. Being one of the few african americans in a field dominated by caucasians has also had an impact on his notoreity, and he has said that simply being in such a visible position can give others like him the confidence to pursue their ambitions. He has publicly acknowledged that there are countless structural hurdles imbedded deep in the system that make it a lot harder for minorities to suceed in the sciences. Over the years, he has actively tried to distance the issue of racial inequality from his scientific work. Tyson stated that he “declines every interview that has (his) being black as a premise of the interview”, simply because he doesn’t want his race to distract people from his real passion: astrophysics.
Despite his tendency to keep his mediatic persona separate from his private life, in 2006 he published a pretty biting article for the Natural History magzine on the uncompromising conflict between the pursuit of knowledge and faith in a deity. In it, he argues that simply believing that a higher being is necessary to explain the unexplainable goes against the drive of scientific inquiry, and shows how Newton and Laplace, among others, discovered ways of logically analyzing the world around them by distancing themselves from God. He firmly believes that secularity tendencues are a key ingredient in experiementation and opening ones mind to the complex reality of the cosmos. His scoff of a benevolent god in a universe that is constantly trying to kill us, either through disease or by the mere design of human beings as a species. His arguments have received controversy, but he firmly stands by them and goes on to say that he “doesn’t want students who could maje the next major breakthrough in renewable energy sources or space travel to have been taught that anything they don’t understand, and that nobody yet understands, is divinely constructed and therefore beyond their intellectual capacity”. His passion for the accesibility of science to the masses is prevalent even in his religious beliefs, or lack thereof, as he centers his argument on its inate hinderance of intellectuality. From Tyson’s point of view, accepting intelligent design is succumbing to the willful destruction of intrigue and curiosity.
While religion is unquestionably a big component of Neil Degrasse Tyson as a person, he rarely speaks about it. Most of his ample time in the media is dedicated exclusively to scientific pursuit and its dissemination. His countless awards and recognitions are a testament to this. These include, but are not limited to, a NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, an Isaac Asimov Award from the American Humanist Association, and a Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award for spreading public awareness of space programs. However, his real prestige from the cosmological community rests on his Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Reality Show Host and on being named People Magazine’s Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive in 2000. Now that’s range!
Throughout the years, Tyson has made a name for himself as a powerful link that connects people from all walks of life to an inescapable sense of wonder and a incessant desire for discovery. Whether it be through watching Cosmos on Netflix, reading his articles on scientific journals, or simply paying a visit to the local planetarium, Tyson has an unquestionable influence in all aspiring scientists, and those of use that like to consider ourselves public intellectuals in the making.