Happy Four Twenty

May you enjoy it more than my homework will allow me to.

The Dark Legacy of the Bible in Africa.

I'm reading the book "The Construction of Nationhood" by Adrian Hastings. This week I'm reading about the influence of evangelism on the creation of ethnic identities in Africa. It's really interesting.

Before colonization, there were many places in Africa that did not have a written language. When language is no written, there are no standard rules and so the "language" varies considerably more than what we think of as languages. In Africa, an oral language would have many dialects and would vary from location to location. The economic and cultural situation did not necessitate a written language, so they didn't have one. But then came the missionaries, and how are they supposed to convert these people if they can't give them a Bible? So, these dedicated missionaries begin trying to learn the languages. They record the grammar structures, and create dictionaries. When they think they've got a grasp of it, they make a Bible. The only problem was that they were usually learning the language from a limited number of people and so when the final copy was written, the language might make sense in that specific area, but walk 30 minutes away and it's no longer useful. So, the missionaries would use the language as long as they could and when it no longer made sense, they'd start the whole process over again. But many of these languages were closely connected and the people who spoke them closely connected. By making their specific dialect a language, though, the missionaries inadvertently created an identity. Now two groups of people, who might belong to a similar identity, were now two separate groups.

"What's the big deal?" I hear you thinking. Well, language is something that is closely associated with national identity. Think about it. We're furious because there are so many people in the U.S. that don't speak English well if they speak it at all. The French are furious because American globalization is englishifying the French language.

Well, a very long time ago Europe went through a period of time where it published texts and oral languages gave way to written languages. However, it was a very long process. Centuries went by as different groups of people clustered towards French or Italian or whatever. In Africa, however, the process was rushed because the eternal souls of these people depended on it. So, rather than a slow evolution of eliminating dialects and flocking to a central tongue, missionaries recognized every single dialect. The result was an overabundance of languages, and therefore an overabundance of national and ethnic identities. One of the greatest complaints about Africa is that there are so many different kinds of people there, how can we possibly have them get along? Well, that's the fault of the missionaries and other groups like them who created identities from a sense of urgency and convenience rather than allowing Africa to develop identities and nations on its own.

Now, however, it's too late. These new identities are so ingrained into the way of life there that the old identities, loose as they were, no longer exist. The great challenge of Africa will be to shrug off the identities given to them by the missionaries and begin merging together with some of the other nation groups around them. Imagine, though, for a moment how difficult that is. Think if someone told you that you had to shrug off your American identity and try to become Mexican because some people messed up a few hundred years ago and made you separate when you shouldn't have been.

Madness.

Lend the Chick Your Thoughts.

My mother has been diligently blogging and has been having some slow responses. I'm going to remind you all that you should take a look at her blog and jump in every once and a while. She would dearly appreciate it.

winetravelandmusings.blogspot.com

Today she's discussing the guest worker debate of Mexicans in the U.S. Hmmm....

All the hope in my life has been sucked away.

You have no idea how difficult this semester has been for me. I've spent the semester studying the hopelessness of the human situation, and I can hardly stand it. I began the semester by studying the Bosnian War and the War against Kosovo. At the same time, I was learning how democracy is failing across the world for the opportunity of intolerant religious groups to obtain dominant political structures. I've learned that the colonization of Africa, the Middle East and Asia has left these countries with a model political structure of violence and intolerance. I've discovered that the U.S. has made foreign affairs decisions that effectively destroys any opportunity of aiding instable countries to obtain stability. I've learned that children today are being forced to fight in civil wars, women are risking rape on a daily basis to secure food for their family, and if the U.S., Europe or the UN attempted to do something about it, we would be killed.

I need some chocolate.

My professors criticize their students when we try to hope that there are solutions, we just have to keep fighting for them. They laugh and say snidely, "Well, that's optimistic!" I know they do it because they don't want us to underestimate the complexity of these issues, but sometimes I wish they would give us hope that by studying these issues and being open-minded, we will be rewarded with the solutions.

The Despair After the Wait.

I remember learning that someone was going to make a live action version of the Lord of the Rings several year before the movies came out. It was one of the films that I would check up on every couple of weeks to see if this film could possibly be a fraction of the greatness of the books. I remember my excitement when I discovered it was going to be three films released once a year. I remember my distrust when I heard they cast Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins. I watched and waited with such intense anticipation for so long, I don't think I can adequately express it. Those last few minutes before seeing The Fellowship of the Ring were brutal. My fears seemed to be confirmed when someone sitting next to us said, "They cut of Tom Bombadil." All hope is lost.

Then the movie started. When I watched the first 10 minutes, a lovely monologue by Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, covering briefly the history of the ring, I was consumed. Never again would I simply be a fan of Tolkien. I was now a Tolkien/Jackson fan.

The two years that followed were no less stressful than the years before. Could the next two be as good as the first? What academy awards were waiting for these excellent films. What of the storyline would be added in the additional footage of the DVDs? The thrill of the wait had been extended and I was completely engrossed in the whole process.

It ended so abruptly. I watched "The Return of the King" extended edition, and that was it. There was no more waiting. There was a sudden dissappointment that there was no other film that could possibly fill that need for a sense of anticipation.

I had almost forgotten this process until I watched "The Mummy" this weekend on TBS. It's not an exceptionally great movie, but at 9:00 on Saturday morning, there are worse things to watch. Then, to my horror, an outline of Galndalf appears on the screen, dancing around to a weird musical theme of "The white, white wizard." It was a commercial for The Fellowship of the Rings, which would be playing at 6:00, I believe, Saturday night. That's it. For all the beauty of these films, that was all that was left. Now, they will be corrupted by the advertising whims of cable networks.

I have other issues of cable television to address, but not today. Today is reserved for the memory of greatness that was those three movies, and the anticipation they gave, which was justly deserved.

OIL and a Sinus Infection.

Forgive my absense. I've been sick and I've been at Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature. Quick rundown:

Senator [MsBlackandWhite] Cannot Read

Well, one of the bills that came up in session at OIL was the bill prohibiting home schooling in Oklahoma. The poor girl who wrote it had no idea of the trouble she was getting herself into. I was serving as the President's clerk at the time, but the moment I knew that bill was going to be up on the floor, I got down as quickly as possible. I and another girl who was home schooled offered our perspectives of the bill. Needless to say, by the end of questions and debate, there was only one person (the author) who voted "yes." Even the people arguing in proponency of the bill turned their arguments into a joke, holding me as example, "Look at Senator [MsBlackandWhite]! Clearly she cannot read or function in society, so vote yes to prohibit homeschooling!"

My conservative side

Another bill up for consideration was to force large corporations to pay a month of maternity leave for every mother. I did not argue strongly, because again I was working as the President's clerk, but I voted "No" on the bill. I saw eyes of hate meet me when I made my vote coming from the women in the Senate, but I was unmoved. Somehow Americans feel that by the pure quantity of business that corporations produce that they do not pay a proportional level of costs. So, we pass laws to pile on all these benefits for the employees of these corporations, and then we wonder why companies like GM are stuggling with the possibility of bankruptcy. Could it be they are spending more money on health care of their workers than they spend on steel? Hm.

My liberal side

Miss Black and White arguing for abortion? Surely not! I could hardly believe the words coming out of my mouth, too! Yet, I did. The bill was to require that women receive permission from the fathers before having an abortion. If the fathers refused to allow them, the women would carry the child, deliver it, and immediately turn the child over after birth. I have no problem with this in theory, but there is one problem: Rape. A very simple event can make the whole thing impossible to deal with. A woman is raped. She doesn't know the attacker and doesn't report it for one reason or another. Trauma can affect people's rationalities negatively, and I don't think a woman should suffer for something that is not her fault. A month or so later, the woman discovers she's pregnant. She goes to an abortion clinic, but they demand proof that the father has been notified. Since she has never filed a report, how can she prove that she was raped? Will the clinic go off her word alone? In that case, any woman who does not wish to tell the father can claim they were raped and didn't file a report. If not, then every women who fails to file a report must carry through with the pregnancy. I do not think it is fair of the State to demand a woman carry a rape child to term. I would do so if it were me, but I don't demand it of everyone else.

That was OIL in a nutshell. ::shrugs:: I was also give the title of one of the three most fabulous babes, which amuses me greatly. However, I a much more impressed with my intellectual achievements: I had two bills (one on Genocide in Darfur and another on Torture) given the recommendation of Do Pass, essentially give immediate passage. Unfortunately, though, neither of those bills made it to the floor. Oh well.

What is the reasonable temperature?

It is 75 outside right now with a slight breeze. My thermostat in my apartment reads 75 degrees.

My roommate got up and turned on the air conditioner.

I'm puzzled.

I turned it off.

Open the windows, turn on the fans, throw off the thick winter blankets, absolutely, but turn on the air conditioner to lower the temperature by 3 degrees?

She turned it on again.

I turned it off again and told her that when she pays for half the electricity, we can negotiate the temperature settings. She pays a fixed rate on the rent, and any cost over that my brother pays part of and I pay part of. We offered her a place to live after she pissed off her last roommate, which allowed my brother to jump out of the lease before May 31st, when our lease is up.

So, until she pays more, I decide the temperature, and unless the thermostat reads 80, take a cool shower, because I'm not turning on the air conditioner.

At what temperature do you turn on the air conditioner?