A movie and debates on society

Last night I watched the movie “Baraka” with my roommate. It’s kind of like “Koyaanisquatsi,” but a little shorter and with a bigger focus on humans and human nature.  The whole experience of watching it corresponded with a conversation that I had had earlier in the day with my boss about cultural anthropology.  I couldn’t … Continue reading →

two more responses to toolbox

As I continued reading the introduction to the Toolbox, I jotted down these quick responses to some of the sub-sections within the chapter.  They’re presented a little informally – just how I wrote them at the time. .one. response to “autonomous communities” section: yes, it’s great and all to idealize little communities that share everything… … Continue reading →

Walking

So I’ve been a little under the weather lately – a nasty head cold that came about for several reasons (those listed in the previous entry; the significant change in weather to literally freezing, almost constantly; etc…).  While it is frustrating to be ill, it’s been nice because I’ve stayed home from work yesterday and … Continue reading →

the individual society, rant 2

I was talking with my mom yesterday about the issue of mental illness in this country, and I realized – this is another strong example of our culture’s intense focus on being individuals. We do not bother to take care of our mentally ill. Especially in Austin, you will notice that so many of the … Continue reading →

the individual society

I read this quote in an issue of the VISTA “newsletter” thing we get every once in a while.  This comes from a woman who grew up in poverty, and she thought herself a lesser person than the rest of society.  She has since become a VISTA and is working to eliminate poverty in South … Continue reading →