by Aviram Nessim, October 21, 2023
Author: sbubrooklogue
Food Insecurity in Jewish Communities
by Brian Hakimi, October 7, 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic was a crisis which had a profound impact on the contemporary world. We have all witnessed the lingering effects of the pandemic on the United States; many stores and restaurants were forced to close their doors, and the cost of basic necessities has dramatically increased—especially for that of food. Naturally, this resulted in an exponential rise regarding the rate of food insecurity in the United States (Kakaei). Although the worst of the pandemic is said to be behind us, its effects on society remain extremely prevalent; many people are still struggling to make ends meet, as the cost of living remains at the elevated state it was placed in by the pandemic. This is reflected in the consumer price index, a principal measure for inflation rates in the United States, which increased exponentially from 2020 to 2021; the CPI skyrocketed from 1.4% to 7.0% in just this one year and it has remained at that level ever since (Hicks).
Fortunately, the United States government has programs in place to assist people who are struggling with food insecurity. For example, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) currently runs a federally funded program known as TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program), which was designed to provide low-income households with food at no additional cost. TEFAP, along with other government sponsored programs, certainly help many families across the United States put food on the table. However, TEFAP has not been able to help everyone in need of food security assistance as the food they provide cannot be consumed by everyone.
One particular group of people which this applies to are religiously observant Jewish people, who are an ethnoreligious group of people located all around the world. One prominent belief held by Jewish people is that the food they eat must be deemed “kosher,” which restricts the types of food they are allowed to consume. Unfortunately, TEFAP does not provide many food options that are compliant with Jewish laws, meaning that impoverished Jews struggle to receive the necessary assistance from TEFAP. An article published by the Met Council—a New York based, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing kosher food for families in need—outlines why Jewish communities, as well as other communities that follow dietary restrictions, are in the situation they are currently in; “Our nation’s emergency feeding system is not designed to meet the needs of kosher and halal observant households” (4). The fact that food insecure Jewish communities are unable to receive the proper assistance because the USDA does not provide enough kosher food options is unjust, and it is essential that the USDA provides more kosher food options; not only are Jewish people struggling just as much as everyone else during these unprecedented times, but eating kosher food is extremely important to their cultural identity and an integral aspect of Judaism.
As mentioned before, people who are observant of Judaism are only allowed to eat food that falls under the category of being kosher. In order for a given food item to be considered kosher, it must follow a certain set of dietary regulations. A peer reviewed research paper published by Nature goes into depth on the requirements for food to be considered kosher; this includes the fact that the animal in question must be kosher, the animal must be killed in a certain manner, among other requirements (Mortas et. al). Additionally, it is prohibited under Judaism to consume any food that contains pork or any pig derivatives; any food that is even suspected to have traces of pork or pig derivatives cannot be deemed as kosher, even if every other aspect of the food follows the proper regulations (Mortas et. al). This process is extremely deliberate, and it is of utmost importance to religiously observant people that the food they consume follows these guidelines. In addition to this, a supervising process must take place during the production of kosher food, which contributes to its higher cost; this supervision is conducted by a certified Rabbi, who must be associated with a kosher supervising agency (Mandel). The manner in which the animals are raised and killed also contributes to the escalated cost of kosher food. In order for the animal to be kosher, it must be healthy and treated with care while it is being raised. Furthermore, the blade that is used to kill the animal must be as sharp as possible in order to ensure that the animal is inflicted with the least amount of pain possible (Moshe). These aspects of the production of kosher food naturally result in it being more costly overall, as these supervision and nurturing processes are reflected in the final price of kosher products.
This problem has hit closer to home than ever, as it is something that I am experiencing first-hand in my own life. Over the past couple of years, I have witnessed the price of food in the kosher restaurants in my area skyrocket to levels that I would have never thought were possible. This increased cost is likely due to supply chain issues, meaning that, overall, Jewish people have much less access to kosher food (Hanoka). I feel very fortunate that my family has been able to withstand this extreme rise in the cost of kosher food. However, other families are not as fortunate as mine, as I am seeing first-hand other people in my town feel the effects of this inflation on their cost of living. When taking this into consideration, I can only imagine the difficulties Jewish people in even more impoverished areas must be going through during these difficult times.
Not only is kosher food generally more expensive than non-kosher food, but the pandemic has affected the cost of kosher products to a significantly greater degree than non-kosher products. An article published by The Jewish Chronicle (a Jewish newspaper) estimated that the price of kosher food had increased by roughly 25% in 2022, which is around four times greater than the price increase of non-kosher food. Additionally, the Jewish charity GIFT (Give It Forward Today) has noticed a remarkable increase in the number of Jewish families that require support since the pandemic began, which certainly makes sense when taking the drastic inflation into account (Doherty). The fact that the cost of living for Jewish people has increased to such a ridiculously high degree indicates that food insecure Jewish people require support more than ever, which further proves why the USDA needs to implement more programs and policies that will cater to their needs.
Fortunately, organizations such as the Met Council and GIFT are able to provide a good number of impoverished Jewish families with the support they need. However, these organizations can only do so much—whether or not this issue can be solved is ultimately up to the federal and state governments since they have the necessary funds and resources to provide food security support to all of the impoverished Jewish families and communities across the nation. If the proper measures are taken by the USDA to cater to the needs of all these people, then the support they provide, along with the support that is provided by these organizations, can help so many struggling Jewish Americans.
Overall, food insecure Jewish people are in desperate need of support. Although the assistance of other organizations would help tremendously, gaining more aid from the USDA would be especially impactful since they are directly linked to the federal government. Since keeping kosher is a fundamental aspect of the cultural and religious identity of Jewish people, for them to disregard this belief would be a major violation of Judaic principles; therefore, eating non-kosher food is simply not an option for the religiously observant families and communities. Additionally, the effect of the pandemic on the general price of kosher food does not make it any easier for these people. On top of the inherently greater costs of kosher food incurred by the supervising process and the fostering of the animals, the price of kosher food was inflated by the pandemic to a far greater degree than non-kosher food; due to this, the cost of living for religiously observant Jews has generally become far more expensive than for non-observant people.
The previously mentioned article published by the Met Council does suggest some potential solutions to this problem. One of the main resolutions suggested by the Met Council is that the USDA should establish an office which is specifically geared towards addressing the dietary needs of these communities. More specifically, the purpose of this office would be to oversee the process of making sure that healthy, culturally compliant food reaches these communities (14). This is an excellent idea, as dedicating a specific subsection of the USDA to address how kosher (or other dietary restricted food) can be made available to low-income families seems to be a very effective and efficient way of helping the problem. The Met Council also revealed that the USDA are simply not familiar enough with the dietary restrictions that are associated with religions such as Judaism, so they typically do not have the right programs to address the needs of these communities (4). Ultimately, the best way to address this crisis on a large scale would be to spread awareness of this issue. This can be accomplished if we all come together as a community and further educate ourselves and others on the beliefs of not just Jewish communities, but all other communities of people who observe some sort of dietary restriction.
Works Cited
Doherty, Rosa. “Jewish Children Going to Bed Hungry in Kosher Cost of Living Crisis.” The Jewish Chronicle, 26 May 2022, https://www.thejc.com/news/news/jewish-children-going-to-bed-hungry-in-kosher-cost-of-living-crisis-4FCckFZ76BNLT5d11POR4K.
Hanoka, Yitzchak. “How Changes to the Supply Chain Affect Kosher Certification.” OK Kosher, 5 Apr. 2022, www.ok.org/article/how-changes-to-the-supply-chain-affect-kosher-certification/.
Hicks, Coryanne. “How Inflation Affects Your Cost of Living.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/inflation-cost-of-living/#:~:text=After%20spending%20more%20than%20two,to%206.5%25%2C%20in%202022.
Kakaei, Hojatollah, et al. “Effect of Covid-19 on Food Security, Hunger, and Food Crisis.” COVID-19 and the Sustainable Development Goals, 22 July 2022, pp. 3–29., https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-91307-2.00005-5.
Mandel, Bethany. “Kosher Food Is Already Expensive and Inconvenient. Now Thanks to Covid, There’s a Lot Less of It.” The Forward, 18 May 2020, https://forward.com/life/446702/kosher-food-is-expensive-and-inconvenient-thanks-to-covid-theres-going-to/.
Mortas, Mustafa, et al. “Adulteration Detection Technologies Used for Halal/Kosher Food Products: An Overview.” Discover Food, vol. 2, no. 1, 20 Apr. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1007/s44187-022-00015-7.
Moshe, Jordan. “Why Kosher Meat Is so Expensive.” Jewish Report, 4 July 2019, https://www.sajr.co.za/why-kosher-meat-is-so-expensive/.Virtual Listening Session on Food Insecurity in Kosher- and Halal-Observant Communities. Met Council, July 2022, https://sbubrooklogue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/40df5-whvlreportonfoodinsecurityinkosher-andhalal-observantcommunities.pdf.
A Brief Analysis of Ennui in Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground
by Namal Fiaz, September 29, 2023
The term ennui, a French loanword, describes a state of boredom induced by a lack of purpose and feelings of dissatisfaction with life. In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, the narrative captures the reflections of an embittered, reclusive man whose thoughts are tightly chained by that very state. Several philosophical revolutions were simultaneously developing throughout Europe in the 19th century – namely nihilism, a glaring threat in Dostoevsky’s eyes. Published in 1864, Dostoevsky’s novella was a polemic against the Russian nihilist movement gaining traction in the nineteenth century. In Notes from Underground, the relationship between the narrator’s ennui and consciousness lead him to live a dreadful existence, one that rises directly from his nihilist mindset.
Nihilism is the supreme catalyst of the underground man’s ennui. In order to effectively analyze the role of ennui in the narrator’s consciousness, it is necessary to establish a brief philosophical definition of nihilism. The term was popularized following Ivan Turgenev’s 1862 novel Fathers and Children, in which it was contextually defined as someone who rejects authority and principles of all faiths. It follows the Latin nihil – “nothing” – implying the nihilist is ultimately “pursuing nothingness.”1 Additionally, this philosophy asserts a lack of an objective meaning to human life. Existential nihilism, a more developed concept, states that existence itself is ultimately pointless given that all action and suffering does not have a meaning.2 Efforts to create meaning are therefore impractical in their futility.
The unnamed narrator in the novella, the underground man, is an extreme nihilist. He eponymously lives underground alone in St. Petersburg after retiring from his work as a civil service officer, though his isolation is entirely self-imposed. His contempt for other human beings, skepticism of society, spiteful attitude, and eventual retreat to a life of seclusion are key influences of his nihilistic mindset. The character expounds on his beliefs in a series of confessional diary entries. His pessimistic outlook on life is derived from his intense self-awareness and critical nature, which naturally leads to – or rather intensifies – feelings of ennui. The underground man personally attributes his ennui to acute consciousness, claiming that “to be too conscious is an illness – a real thorough-going illness.”3 He explains the difference between men of consciousness – like himself – and the “stupid,”4 or direct men. Those who act on their thoughts and beliefs – direct men – are able to do so because their minds are at ease. In contrast, the underground man’s habit of dwelling on each thought, event, and emotion through deep analysis causes him to have an overactive and restless mind. He believes he is therefore burdened by his superior intellect.
“There in its nasty, stinking, underground home our insulted, crushed and ridiculed mouse promptly becomes absorbed in cold, malignant and, above all, everlasting spite. For forty years together it will remember its injury down to the smallest, most ignominious details, and every time will add, of itself, details still more ignominious, spitefully teasing and tormenting itself with its own imagination. It will itself be ashamed of its imaginings, but yet it will recall it all, it will go over and over every detail, it will invent unheard of things against itself, pretending that those things might happen, and will forgive nothing.”5
The acutely conscious man ruminates and dissects his thoughts to the extent of dehumanizing himself; he calls himself a mouse.6 Though it is of course a metaphorical statement, the lively imagery created by the underground man’s descriptions provide crucial insight into his self-perceptions: by shrinking such a person to the size of a small rodent – one that is known for its tendency to flee at the shadows of the slightest danger – the narrator characterizes himself as timid, self-conscious, and withdrawn. According to the underground man’s further commentary, the direct man, when seeking revenge, uses justice as a motive to commit the action. Meanwhile, the “mouse” is unable to do the same as his acute consciousness diminishes the emotion by dissecting it. He will overthink and create doubt in his own mind, and then rework it with other details and possibilities, all of which make his mind relentlessly spiral. The conscious man’s tendencies can be equated to thinking oneself to death. The narrator mentally torments himself out of boredom since his mental state renders him incapable of having a meaningful life and intimate human connection. By convincing himself that he is limited in his actions, the narrator remains stationary in the place he rents underground.
This inaction – called inertia7 – is another consequence of possessing an acute consciousness along with ennui. As a result of the narrator’s isolation, his existing ennui greatly reinforces itself through a melancholic, repetitive mechanism. With very little to keep him occupied, he traps himself in a cycle of rumination — an idle dweller in his self-constructed prison cell.The fight against ennui is very much a continuous and lifelong struggle. As exemplified by the character’s situation in Notes from Underground, nihilistic thoughts promote a swift resignation to even attempting to live a fulfilling life. The prevalence of this feeling of ennui, especially in current times, is largely due to the way many naturally begin to find comfort in its presence after a prolonged period of despair. The underground man has lived in his depraved hole for nearly two decades during the time of his writings, and he is thoroughly comfortable in his position; he finds solace in idleness. Breaking through the fog of ennui may bring about bouts of discomfort and anxiety that may discourage many people – avoidance is simply a more bearable response. However, in order to live a meaningful and authentic life, ennui requires direct confrontation. The act of acknowledging that one exists in a state of ennui itself is daunting, it may rouse uneasiness in an individual’s pride, among other things, but it is a necessary step towards a fruitful existence.
There is also a necessity, perhaps above all else, for conscious effort. Allowing ennui and nihilism to take over the conscious mind is akin to digging one’s own grave – while still alive – convinced that the only thing left to do is lie in it. In the face of absurdity – “an unfulfillable desire for complete fulfillment,”8 as defined by existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre – the happenings of daily life can appear bleak and devoid of meaning. An individual must therefore exercise conscious effort and recognize that they have the ability to construct personal meaning in life. Dostoevsky’s allegorical Notes from Underground serves as the first, and arguably the most profound, existential novel. His exploration of the human condition through the cynical underground man character conveys life in the depths of nihilism where free will is used to choose a path of misery. Unlike the underground man, people can use their abilities to take control of their situations, such as the hopelessness that ennui brings, and make decisions that lead to personal contentment. After all, knowing that we possess the power to make conscious decisions towards fulfillment, such as finding pleasure in the mundane, is the tide that washes us of misery.
Footnotes
1 Petrov, Kristian. “‘Strike out, Right and Left!’: A Conceptual-Historical Analysis of 1860s Russian Nihilism and Its Notion of Negation.” Studies in East European Thought 71, no. 2 (2019): 73–74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11212-019-09319-4.
2 Pratt, Alan. “Nihilism.” Internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Accessed October 15, 2022. https://iep.utm.edu/nihilism/#H3.
3 Kaufmann, Walter Arnold. “Dostoevsky: Notes from Underground.” Essay. In Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre. Edited, Selected, and Introduced by W. Kaufmann, 56. Thames & Hudson
4 Kaufmann, 59.
5 Kaufmann, 60.
6 Kaufmann, 60.
7 Kaufmann, 64.
8 Irvine, Andrew. “Existentialism,” 1998. https://people.bu.edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/wphil/lectures/wphil_theme20.htm.
Bibliography
Irvine, Andrew. “Existentialism,” 1998. https://people.bu.edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/wphil/lectures/wphil_theme20.htm.
Kaufmann, Walter Arnold. “Dostoevsky: Notes from Underground.” Essay. In Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre. Edited, Selected, and Introduced by W. Kaufmann, 52–82. Thames & Hudson: London; printed in U.S.A., 1957.
Petrov, Kristian. “‘Strike out, Right and Left!’: A Conceptual-Historical Analysis of 1860s Russian Nihilism and Its Notion of Negation.” Studies in East European Thought 71, no. 2 (2019): 73–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11212-019-09319-4.
Pratt, Alan. “Nihilism.” Internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Accessed October 15, 2022. https://iep.utm.edu/nihilism/#H3.
The Power of Social Influences
by Joshua Isakharov, September 29, 2023
Ever wonder why a person is suddenly motivated to do something that they know is wrong? Incredibly, psychological influences have more power over people than they might believe. Oftentimes, good people commit deviant behaviors. A good person is a person who otherwise displays actions and qualities that are intended to promote the welfare of society. A deviant behavior is an action done by an individual that breaks or defies social norms. A social norm is the behavior typically expected by an individual from the society they live in during that time period. Thus, a good person committing a deviant act can be defined as a typically moral individual who generally promotes social welfare through their actions but at times commits actions that violate the morals and norms of society. While the greed factor is often touted as an explanation for deviance, neutralization theory and the pressure to conform are far superior explanations for why good people commit deviant behaviors.
Neutralization theory is a theory stating that people (or in this case good people committing deviant behaviors) will make use of one or multiple justifications in order to neutralize their actions (Bernard). According to this theory, a good person will cognitively justify their deviance in their mind through a train of thought. A neutralization, or rationalization, is a thought process that a person will undergo to explain or justify their action. In fact, neutralizations are considered to be one of the most, if not the “most important explanation of deviant behavior” (Kaptein and van Helvoort 1261). The theory can therefore be used to explain why a good person will “do bad” as “they did not know it was bad” (Sampson 123). The reason why the otherwise good person failed to acknowledge their action as bad is because they neutralized the action in their mind.
In this context, the usage of the word “bad” is used interchangeably with deviant. For example, if an otherwise upstanding citizen steals a little bit of money from someone else, they can rationalize the action in their mind by telling themselves that it’s not a bad thing since other people do it or that the person they stole from did not really need the money. This rationalization has the effect of cognitively convincing a person that their action was not bad and did not defy standard social norms. This justification is indeed how “a good deal of ethical misbehavior starts [as] a small misstep at the beginning, a recognition that it doesn’t do much harm, and a continuance, until one has developed behavior that is habitually perverse” (Duska 23). This neutralization is exactly how the infamous swindler Bernie Madoff justified his Ponzi scheme, as “he cheated a little bit at the beginning, got away with it, and fell into a pattern or habit of taking from one person and giving it to another” (Duska 23). Although Bernie Madoff may not be an example of a star citizen, one can argue that he was not such a deviant person before he started his Ponzi scheme. There are many other Bernie Madoffs in this world; otherwise good people who neutralized one deviant action before that one deviant action became a habit that made them into a monster.
Neutralizations are a critical component of explaining deviant behavior. A popular saying in society that exemplifies neutralizations is “the ends justify the means.” According to one psychologist, “if an outcome is important, [people] begin to believe that the ‘ends justify the means’” (Riggio). When a person begins to believe that their actions are okay in context, then they can engage in ego protection and can freely commit acts of deviance, especially if their actions result in something meaningful to them. If a person’s end goal is to make as much money as possible, they may not care who they trample on in the process as that end goal is so important that any and all actions leading up to their end goal will be justified even if deviant. Through their studies, two psychologists named Cressey and Matza argue “that delinquents possess a system of rationalizations that allow them to (temporarily) view crime as acceptable in particular situations” (Thomas 7). The work of Cressey and Matza illustrates the very concept of “the ends justify the means” as the delinquents studied neutralized their behavior situationally in order to justify the means to their end goal.
Furthermore, “prior work has shown that situational rationalizations and general moral beliefs are not strongly correlated and are distinct constructs” (Thomas 7). An otherwise good, moral person can thus situationally exonerate themselves of any deviant behaviors as their morals are not really related to their system of justification. The fact that these two systems are not connected only reaffirms the idea that good people can commit deviant behavior. The idea that morals and situational rationalizations are distinct explains why “among U.S. adolescents, 93 percent report disapproval for hitting another person and 97 percent report disapproval for stealing, while the prevalence of such behaviors is substantially higher” (Thomas 8). Many otherwise moral youth are good people who have strong beliefs and know what is morally right and wrong based on societal norms, yet many still engage in behaviors that defy societal norms such as hitting others and stealing. Once again, “the concept of situational rationalizations addresses this” phenomenon “because it denies that delinquents must outright approve of delinquency and holds instead that they temporarily approve of it given certain circumstances—that is, they are able to sidestep their abstract disapproval of delinquency by applying a rationalization” (Thomas 8). In order to free themselves from society’s bounds, people will rationalize their behavior based on the situation they are in so that they do not have to break any moral beliefs they might hold. Through this strategy, a person can fully believe that their behavior was not in any way morally incorrect, offering a straightforward explanation as to why a person can commit a deviant act in one moment and then carry on with their lives as if they are a good, not deviant, person in the next.
Most acts of deviance are internally justified. One popular justification of deviancy is “‘Everybody does it’” (Duska 24). This popular saying is a form of ego protection as it allows an individual to neutralize unpleasant feelings that may arise from their actions. After all, “the maintenance of self-esteem and self work [are] among [the] strongest and most persistent human goals” (Bersoff 28). Ego protection is an extremely integral part of human existence and allows for neutralizations to occur. An example of this would be an underage individual engaging in illegal alcohol and drug consumption and then telling themselves it is okay because “everybody does it.” Although the underage individual may know that it is wrong to drink alcohol and take illegal drugs, they will utilize this saying in an attempt to neutralize any unpleasant feelings associated with their deviant behavior. However, it is important to note that “there are situational differences in the difficulty of applying a rationalization” (Thomas 11). An individual may not be able to hit an elderly man and steal his money as easily as taking illicit drugs, as it might be harder to say that “everybody does it” to hitting an elderly man than it would be for taking illicit drugs.
Additionally, a study conducted by David Matza suggests that part of the reason why people commit deviant acts is social (Thomas 7). Humans are social beings. As a result of being social beings, “people learn to behave in accordance with the wishes or habits of those who lead their tribes” (Duska 23). Since people will often follow their leaders, their actions can often be attributed to social pressures. It is why a person will commit deviant behavior based on the wish or command of a boss as they are socialized in a manner that teaches them to follow the leader. Despite an individual’s belief of being “autonomous and self-ruling,” studies such as Milgram’s experiment illustrate the “large extent [to] [which] people are likely to respond to authority” (Duska 24). Milgram’s study involved participants being told to administer a shock to another person if they got an answer to a question wrong, with each successive shock being higher in voltage, and thus more fatal. Even when the participants did not want to administer the shock, an authority figure strongly encouraged obedience (McLeod). The fact that most people were obedient to authority elucidates how Nazi soldiers carried out terrible atrocities, even if they did not want to. Therefore, a big reason why otherwise good people commit deviant behavior is because most people are socialized into believing that they need to be obedient to authority and need not question it. Consequently, most people justify their actions as being of those in authority instead of their own.
Besides possessing a strong obedience to an authoritative figure, people are most often loyal to their group and feel the need to go with the group rather than against it. Oftentimes, when members of “a group [engage] in unethical behavior, individuals are far more likely to participate in or condone that behavior rather than risk standing out” (Bradberry). Due to the need for approval and acceptance, an individual would rather let members of their group commit unethical actions or even join in on the deviant behavior than go against the grain and condemn the deviance. People dislike confrontation, and going against the group you are a part of risks confrontation and possible expulsion from the group. Therefore, since “people have a tendency to keep their heads down”, “ethical behavior at times requires heroic effort” (Duska 23). Rather than be a hero and risk standing out for their morality, an otherwise good person will commit deviance for the sake of conformity and group cohesion, which they can later neutralize in order to protect their ego.
Although there may be additional reasons for why otherwise good people commit deviant behaviors, the neutralization theory as well as the feeling of needing to conform are the most influential. Some may argue that money is a largely influential factor in deviant behavior. However, in the case of stealing, “research on employee theft does not support the theory that workers steal, in general, because they need the money” (Bersoff 29). In fact, “three out of four shoplifters can afford to buy the merchandise they have taken, and many are even caught carrying enough money to pay for the lifted items” (Bersoff 29). Money may very well play a pivotal role in why good people do deviant things, but it is not the most influential. As shown by the aforementioned research, it is more likely those who shoplifted did so as a consequence of social pressure or as a rationalization of the action as “not bad,” allowing them to protect their ego and steal despite possessing the capacity to pay.
It is abundantly clear that people will justify their deviant actions in some manner in order to protect their egos. However, not all hope is lost as there are ways to combat our own deviancy, as we are all capable of committing some degree of deviancy. One such way a person can do this is by strengthening their mind and increasing their willpower (Duska 24). In his book, Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds, David Goggins relays many techniques he has used to increase willpower and offers practical solutions to help others increase their own willpower. Although mastery of such a technique may not come easy, it can be very effective and can improve a person’s lives in various ways besides simply preventing deviance. A solution against group influences would be to “recall what your mother said when you asserted that everybody does it. Your mother would say, ‘I don’t care if everybody does it (jump off the bridge, jump off the cliff ), that doesn’t make it right’” (Duska 24). According to Duska, this popular saying was found to be universal among students of different cultures in some form or another (24). This conveys how although a person can be influenced by social pressures, they can still resist and do not have to take part in deviancy. Therefore, through the use of anti-rationalization techniques, a person can protect themselves against committing potential acts of deviancy and can thus contribute to a stronger moral character of not just themselves, but those around them as well.
Works Cited
Bernard, Thomas J.. “Gresham M. Sykes”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Oct. 2022 https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gresham-M-Sykes. Accessed 24 February 2023.
Bersoff, David M. “Why Good People Sometimes Do Bad Things: Motivated Reasoning and Unethical Behavior.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 25, no. 1, Jan. 1999, pp. 28–9., https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167299025001003. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023.
Bradberry, Travis. “14 Psychological Forces That Make Good People Do Bad Things.” Inc.com, https://www.inc.com/travis-bradberry/14-psychological-forces-that-make-good-people-do-bad-things.html.
Duska, Ronald. “Why Good People Do Bad Things: Applications to Financial Advisors—The ‘WIZARD.’” Journal of Financial Service Professionals, Sept. 2013, pp. 23–24.
Kaptein, Muel, and Martien Van Helvoort. “A Model of Neutralization Techniques.” Deviant Behavior, vol. 40, no. 10, 1 Dec. 2018, p. 1261., https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2018.1491696. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023.
Mcleod, Saul. “The Milgram Shock Experiment: Summary, Results, & Ethics.” Simply Psychology, 8 Mar. 2023, https://simplypsychology.org/milgram.html. Accessed 18 Mar. 2023
Riggio, Ronald E. “The Science of Why Good People Do Bad Things.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 1 Nov. 2014, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201411/the-science-why-good-people-do-bad-things.
Sampson, Steven. “Good People Doing Bad Things.” Journal of Legal Anthropology, vol. 5, no. 1, 2021, p. 123., https://doi.org/10.3167/jla.2021.050105.
Thomas, Kyle J. “Rationalizing Delinquency: Understanding the Person-Situation Interaction through Item Response Theory.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, vol. 56, no. 1, 26 July 2018, pp. 7–11., https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427818789752. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023.
Religion and Herbs: Women and Childbirth in Ancient Greece
by Ayesha Azeem, April 12, 2023
In recent years, there has been a large shift in medical research towards a focus on birth and early childhood, especially on environmental factors that can affect fetal health. This area of interest in obstetrics, however, is not something new and was actually demonstrated in Ancient Greek medicine, albeit with some misunderstandings. While Ancient Greek medicine got some things right – the main objectives of the Hippocratic oath, medical terminology, and human dissections﹣ a lot of it needed improvement. Specifically, Ancient Greek doctors and scientists hyperfocused on the differences between male and female anatomy rather than recognizing their overwhelming similarities, and this translated into their care of patients. The majority of medical care for women focused on menstruation and childbirth, mainly because female fertility played a large role in societal expectations of women living in Ancient Greece.
Ancient Greek Culture and Women’s Reproductive Health
The emphasis on the childbirthing process in women’s medicine stems from the roles and expectations of women in Ancient Greek society. The practice of marriage in Ancient Greece existed primarily with the aim of birthing a legitimate heir, and the suspicion of infertility was a common cause of divorce (Dasen). Women were expected to produce sons that would grow up to become good citizens, contribute to the family’s bloodline, inherit their father’s property, and oversee the care of their parents in old age (Wise). This importance was emphasized through the worship of gods like Artemis, Elieithyia, Aphrodite, Zeus, and Demeter for their healing powers or association with childbirth (King). Artemis was worshipped in particular to seek assistance in labor and a safe birthing process, as she was known as the protector of young women, specifically as they transitioned from girl to woman and began motherhood (King).
In addition to reliance on religion, midwives were available to assist women through the arduous process of giving birth. Childbirth was mainly handled by other women as midwives in ancient society, and men were rarely present during this moment, except as physicians (Dasen). Midwives were referred to as maimai or latrine and received training to help safely deliver children from other midwives or doctors (King). It was believed that Artemis herself was a midwife, and assisted her mother in giving birth to her twin Apollo (King). Despite this, childbirth was extremely dangerous due to a lack of understanding of female anatomy.
Medical Practices in Ancient Greece
The Ancient Greek practice of medicine focused their research mainly on gynecology, and this was reflected in their writings and medical treatment of mothers through the birthing process. Hippocratic writings on women’s medicine primarily concentrated on menstruation as a factor for disease. In Diseases of Women I, women are categorized based on whether they have given birth before. Women who have never been pregnant were believed to become more seriously ill from difficulties with menstruation compared to women who had children because they were denser and more robust (Hippocrates 9). Women were considered to be more porous and have softer flesh because they did not exert themselves physically as often as men, who were fitter (Hippocrates 13). Generally, diseases in women stemmed from menstruation, regardless of whether her symptoms were related to her sexual health or not. For example, if a woman was having trouble breathing, this was said to be due to her uterus suffocating her (Howe). Hippocratic writers believed that the uterus could move around inside a woman’s body and cause disease, a condition known as “wandering womb” that resulted in women experiencing “hysteria,” or suffocation caused by the womb (Zeltzer). The most common treatment prescribed to women during this time was to ‘dampen’ their uterus to keep it in place, either through sexual intercourse or pregnancy (Howe).
Once pregnant, Ancient Greek physicians recommended several practices to ensure the birth of a healthy newborn. Pregnant women were told to participate in passive exercise on a stool or take a short walk to prevent the fusion of bones due to lack of use (Sonarus 20). Physicians like Sonarus also advised pregnant patients to eat neutral foods that were not greasy, fat, or pungent vegetables; avoiding pungent foods would ensure that the ‘seed’ is not ‘softened’ (Sonarus 20). They were also encouraged to avoid intercourse for the duration of their pregnancy, as doing so would agitate the uterus and cause the seed to discharge (Sonarus 20). Women who did not follow these rules would have a fetus that is weak and malnourished, according to Sonarus (Sonarus 21). Pregnant women also wore amulets, with the belief that wearing objects with special powers would protect them and their child from harm. These amulets were made from different materials, like aetites, the “eagle-stone” or the “pregnant stone,” because they resembled embryos (Wise). The eagle-stone was wrapped in the skin of sacrificed animals and worn throughout the pregnancy, not to be removed until delivery because doing so would cause the prolapse of the uterus (Wise).
Other rituals were performed during birth to hasten delivery or protect the mother and child from potential dangers associated with the birthing process. Such rituals included placing a Jericho rose in a bowl of water during labor, as the rose would unfold when exposed to moisture and ensure that the labor pains are brief (Wise). Despite these practices, complications in pregnancy were incredibly common.
If complications in pregnancy arose, the woman was solely to blame for having a problem with her body. If a woman could not get pregnant, it was because her cervix or uterus was misshapen due to an imbalance of the humors in her body (Howe). Once a woman was pregnant, miscarriage was common, likely due to a lack of accurate knowledge surrounding women’s bodies. Women were blamed for having miscarriages as well, and Hippocratic writers cited an unhealthy or slippery uterus as the most common cause (Howe). Other causes included if a woman was beaten, fainted, was frightened, lost control over herself, or ate something she was not used to (Howe). The lack of hygienic precautionary measures, cesarean sections, and treatments like antibiotics or blood transfusions meant that any complications in childbirth that arose would likely lead to the death of the mother, infant, or both (Wise). Artificial abortion was rejected by ancient physicians with the reasoning that the natural creation of an embryo should be preserved and protected; Sonarus, however, supported abortion if there was a medical need for it (Sonarus 6). Despite this, Sonarus supported contraceptives over abortion, and recommended measures like pomegranate peels, the flesh of dried figs, and honey water to abort the fetus or avoid pregnancy altogether (Sonarus 24).
Conclusion
The process of childbirth was one of the most significant moments experienced in the lives of Greek women, as this marked the transition from girlhood to womanhood. Through pregnancy and birth, women were able to contribute to the continuation and success of Ancient Greek society. The incredible value placed upon pregnancy and birth can be seen through the Hippocratic works published with guidelines for women to follow throughout their childbearing, the presence of amulets and rituals to ease the process and ensure the protection of the mother and infant, and the worship of gods and goddesses specifically for conception and pregnancy. Because it was deeply valued, childbirth came to be seen as the sole objective of a woman’s life, and medical care focused solely on this part of female anatomy and health. While pregnancy and childbirth is an integral part of women’s health, women were solely viewed through this lens in Ancient Greek society, evidenced by Ancient Greek physicians’ ‘expert’ advice during this time in a woman’s life.
Works Cited
Dasen, Véronique. “Childbirth and Infancy in Greek and Roman Antiquity.” Core, https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/79426554.pdf. Accessed 26 Nov 2022.
Hippocrates. Diseases of Women I. Accessed 26 Nov 2022.
Howe, Keelin. “Pregnancy & Childbirth in Ancient Greece.” Women in Antiquity, 31 March 2017, https://womeninantiquity.wordpress.com/2017/03/31/pregnancy-and-childbirth/#:~:text=Eileithyia%2C%20commonly%20associated%20with%20Athena,goddess%20of%20midwifery%20and%20childbirth.
King, Katherine. “Who to Trust When Giving Birth in Ancient Greece, Gods or Midwives?” Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens, 5 May 2021, https://aaia.sydney.edu.au/who-to-trust-when-giving-birth-in-ancient-greece-gods-or-midwives/.
Sonarus. Sonarus’ Gynecology. Translated by Owsei Temkin, Johns Hopkins, 1991.
Wise, Susan. Childbirth Votives and Rituals in Ancient Greece. 2007. University of Cincinnati, PhD dissertation.Zeltzer, Naomi. The “Cure” is the Affliction: Pregnancy and Childbirth as Healing and Harming in Ancient Greek Gynecology. 24 May 2021. Vassar College, Senior Capstone Project.
The Neuroscience of Habits: How Subconscious Neural Activity Holds Control Over Our Daily Lives
by Aviram Nessim, April 8, 2023
Among the notable findings that Wendy Wood, a social psychologist at the University of Southern California, illuminated throughout her decades-long career is that an astonishing 43% of daily actions are enacted on the basis of habit (Wood et al., n.d.). A habit, or psychological disposition to repeat past behavior, is gradually acquired through repetition and is reinforced by desirable outcomes (Wood et al., 2021). Habits can be subdivided into a continuum of strength, where habits of weak and moderate strength are performed less frequently and/or in more variable contexts than strong habits (Lalley et al., 2009). To better understand the causation of both beneficial and harmful habitual behaviors, it is critical to consider the various facets, both at micro and macro levels, impacting human behavior. Fortunately, extensive psychological research has delved into the neural mechanisms responsible for habit formation and perpetuation by way of unconscious, automatic actions, thereby promising valuable insights into their development and propagation. With this in mind, this article seeks to investigate the interplay of habits with regards to cognitive neuroscience, providing a more nuanced comprehension of habitual behaviors, their potential implications, and feasible solutions to eradicate unnecessary behavior for greater individual and societal benefit.
Within the brain, two major neurotransmitters, dopamine and glutamate, serve as the backbone behind the neural mechanisms involved in the habituation process. Dopamine acts in reward-motivation learning, while glutamate functions in the formation and strengthening of neural connections. When accounting for common cases in which a behavior is associated with a reward (such as gratification upon consumption of unhealthy food), dopamine is released into the striatum, invoking a pleasurable response (Volkow et al., 2010). Over time, the gradual release of glutamate will strengthen neural connections that underpin the behavior, fostering its automaticity and reducing reliance on volitional thought (Gardner, 2011). Therefore, once a behavior is reinforced, its chances of reoccurrence increase.
Aside from this, a larger group of subcortical structures known collectively as the basal ganglia are responsible for habit formation and maintenance. The basal ganglia consists of several nuclei, including the striatum, which is composed of the caudate nucleus and the putamen, in addition to the globus pallidus. The striatum is the primary site for habit formation, while the globus pallidus is affiliated with inhibiting habitual responses (Gu et al., 2020). With its extensive regulatory framework, the basal ganglia orchestrates a feedback loop, which serves to strengthen the conduct of the behavior in response to a particular cue or contextual stimulus. To the basal ganglia, however, it is of least concern as to whether this stimulus is advantageous or deleterious; if a person habitually reaches for unhealthy food in times of stress, the basal ganglia will proceed to reinforce such conduct whenever they encounter analogous circumstances or experience a comparable degree of stress. This subsequently makes the behavior more likely to occur in the future, even in the absence of conscious thought or effort (Seger et al., 2011).
Although habits are largely involuntary (Marsch et al., 2014), they are capable of being altered through habit reversal training (HRT). The process entails pinpointing the cue that prompted the behavior and substituting it with a more preferable one (Heinicke et al., 2020). In the same case of a person habitually reaching for unhealthy food in stressful situations, a substitution attached to an alternative behavior, such as taking deep breaths, necessitates a deliberate attempt to supplant the automatic response with the forceful implementation of a new habit.
The intrinsic nature of habit is one of ubiquity and omnipresence﹣a universal, primordial relic deeply embedded within every human. While old habits die hard, gaining an understanding of the neural mechanisms involved in habituation can lead to greater control over conscious decision-making and initiative-taking in our lives. Through the continuation of global research as well as driving home the ways habits intertwine with daily life, we can be driven towards a more conscious society and a far more empowered world.
Works Cited
Gardner E. L. (2011). Addiction and brain reward and antireward pathways. Advances in psychosomatic medicine, 30, 22–60. https://doi.org/10.1159/000324065
Gu, B. M., Schmidt, R., & Berke, J. D. (2020). Globus pallidus dynamics reveal covert strategies for behavioral inhibition. eLife, 9, e57215. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.57215
Heinicke, M. R., Stiede, J. T., Miltenberger, R. G., & Woods, D. W. (2020). Reducing risky behavior with habit reversal: A review of behavioral strategies to reduce habitual hand-to-head behavior. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 53(3), 1225–1236. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.745
Lalley, P., Van Jaarsveld, C., Potts, H., & Wardle, J. (2009). How are habits formed: Modeling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998-1009. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.674
Marsch, L. A., Guarino, H., Acosta, M., Aponte-Melendez, Y., Cleland, C., Grabinski, M., Brady, R., & Edwards, J. (2014). Web-based behavioral treatment for substance use disorders as a partial replacement of standard methadone maintenance treatment. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 46(1), 43–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2013.08.012
Seger, C. A. & Spiering, B. J. (2011). A critical review of habit learning and the basal ganglia. Frontiers in systems neuroscience, 5, 66. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2011.00066
Volkow, N. D., Wang, G. J., & Baler, R. D. (2011). Reward, dopamine and the control of food intake: Implications for obesity. Trends in cognitive sciences, 15(1), 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.11.001
Wood, W., Mazar, A., & Neal, D. T. (2021). Habits and goals in human behavior: Separate but interacting systems. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(2), 590–605. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691621994226
Wood, W., Quinn, J., & Kashy, D. (n.d.). Habits in everyday life: Thought, emotion, and action. https://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/545/docs/Wendy_Wood_Research_Articles/Habits/Wood.Quinn.Kashy.2002_Habits_in_everyday_life.pdf
The Philosophical Lens of a Camera
by Grace Sargent, January 24, 2023
Introduction
In American philosopher and writer Susan Sontag’s In Plato’s Cave, the concept of photography is examined from a philosophical standpoint and connected to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. She details the way in which we as humans interact with photography and the large role it plays in our lives. Ultimately, Sontag proclaims that we remain in Plato’s cave by emphasizing how our consumption of photography is flawed—that we take photographs to show the truth, when in reality, they are mere versions of it. The ideas she presents are incredibly insightful and should be taken into greater consideration by our media-centered society. Philosophers like Sontag encourage valuable introspection that could likely afford each of us a healthier mindset pertaining to media consumption, and ultimately improve our relationship with the media.
Greater Context and Connections
To begin the discussion of Sontag’s piece, we must first understand the work from which she draws upon: Plato’s Allegory of a Cave. Although Sontag’s In Plato’s Cave talks specifically about photography, Plato was actually interested in investigating our relationship with knowledge and our view of the world as a whole, and he painted an obscure picture in order to set the stage for his theory. Plato describes an alternate universe where a group of people exist who have experienced their entire lives within a cave, and they have been restrained in a way where they are only able to view shadows of statues created by other people. For a long time they view these shadows as a true form of something—a man, woman, or horse. However, when they are forced out of their protective cave, they come to the realization that the shadows they took to be the truth were mere versions of the real objects that exist in our world. Plato then connected this with our perception of our surroundings, explaining that we are constantly misinterpreting false forms of reality as the truest ones. Overall, he implored us to seek greater knowledge, education, and understanding. Though his work is thousands of years old, its message is timeless; as a society, one of our main goals at all times should always be to actively search for new knowledge and make an attempt to constantly enlighten ourselves, moving ever-closer to the actual “truth.”
Sontag’s Standpoint
Sontag takes Plato’s brilliant approach and applies it specifically to humanity’s relationship with photography, aptly pointing out how centered it is around absolute reliance. She heavily emphasizes Plato’s aforementioned theory of forms, which is a crucial concept. Sontag clarifies how we believe photographs to maintain “narrowly selective transparency,” and contrasts it with photography’s subjective reality (Sontag 4). In other words, we see images as the entire truth and fail to recognize how they are manipulated and presented to us. A wonderful example Sontag provides is one quite common to us: not believing in something until we are given a picture of it, consequently proving its existence in our eyes. This directly correlates to the group of people in Plato’s cave, and how they wrongly viewed the shadows to be the absolute truth. In our modernized situation, the photograph is the misinterpreted truth, while the subject of the image is the real truth.
Here it becomes crystal clear how, despite all the time that has elapsed since Plato’s allegory, we as a society remain stuck inside his cave—we have not yet mastered the ability to reach a greater depth of understanding regarding the media presented to us. In order to fully understand where Sontag is coming from, we must be shown instances where her point is validated. In her piece In Plato’s Cave, she gives the strong example of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) photography project conducted in the 1930s, where people from this organization were sent out to capture images of the effects of significant events such as the Great Depression. While one may believe that these photos are irrefutably unbiased, such an assumption isn’t necessarily accurate due to the intentions of the photographers as they capture their carefully planned shots. At the end of the day, they were trying to present images of impoverished, grief stricken people. The pictures showcased to the public emulated this strong bias, similar to how the countless amount of photographs in our life now contain hidden truths. It is because of this that we cannot take images as entire truths of something. Rather, we should be more inquisitive of what is presented: what is being photographed? Who is photographing it? Why is this photographing taking place? These are all contextual questions that can help us uncover the truth that is being obscured, and can—referring back to Plato’s desires—aid us in our journey to acquiring greater knowledge and understanding. Furthermore, they will propel us further out of where we remain: Plato’s cave.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both Plato and Sontag present extremely thought-provoking approaches to areas of our life we tend to shield from deep questioning: knowledge and photography. Through their developed discussions, we are able to gain a better understanding as to where they are each coming from, but also to use them in conjunction with looking further into a singular idea. By listening to Plato, we realize that he has found a flaw in our interpretation of the world, urging us to take necessary steps in improving it. Subsequently, by listening to Sontag, we recognize those same faults in our viewing of photography, and how we should alter our damaging behaviors. By intently listening to each of them and viewing them as pieces in conversation, we are one step closer to reforming the way in which we approach modern photography.
Works Cited
Plato, and J. M. Cooper. Complete Works /Edited with Introduction and Notes by John M. Cooper. Hackett, 1997.
Sontag, Susan. On Photography. RosettaBooks, 2005.
Staying Politically Informed in the Age of Partisan Media: News Literacy Week 2023
Our Voice: The Speaker in “In This Place (An American Lyric)”
by Marie Yamamoto, January 21, 2023
“In This Place (An American Lyric)” is a poem written by National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman that presents empowering ideas surrounding American patriotism, identity, social justice, and hope. As the title suggests, it is a lyric poem presenting the metaphor that American history is a narrative poem in which every American has the power to contribute to. Characteristic of lyric poems, the work has no structured plot or identifiable speaker; rather than tell a story, it instead ultimately aims to rally Americans of all races, classes, and statuses to assert their place within the United States using striking retellings of the past and present that instill hope in the reader. Furthermore, despite narrating parts of Gorman’s life, the speaker does not directly refer to themself within the poem, which makes their identity ambiguous. As a result, the speaker takes on an almost omnipotent quality essential to the poem’s themes surrounding unity and Americans’ shared responsibility to empower themselves and others. The speaker of “In This Place (An American Lyric)” by Amanda Gorman may be read as both Amanda Gorman herself and the personification of America, which drives the poem’s ultimate message that every American has the power to shape history.
Gorman’s allusions to her own life draw on the readers’ and listeners’ pathos to highlight the beauty in the triumphs of marginalized groups within the United States from her point of view. Among the other stanzas in the poem, the speaker recounts:
… a single mother swelters
in a windowless classroom, teaching
black and brown students in Watts
to spell out their thoughts
so her daughter might write
this poem for you (Gorman).
This heartfelt anecdote makes reference to Gorman’s own mother, an English teacher in Watts who encouraged Gorman to read and write from an early age. Since she wrote this lyric poem to be performed, the specificity of these circumstances and her indication that this specific poem has been written for the listeners make it appear as though the speaker is Gorman herself. Beyond this, the inclusion of her background is a promise to others growing up under similar circumstances that they can find their voice despite the obstacles they face. Should children like the black and brown students she references here come across this poem, the speaker’s declaration that the poem is written for them may read as if she is acknowledging and appreciating their existence. As a black woman growing up in an impoverished neighborhood, Gorman’s allusion to her childhood serves to uplift those who may despair that no one may listen to them.
Another possible allusion to Gorman’s life is the speaker’s mention of “her friend Rosa;” the speaker is aware that “[Rosa] knows hope is like a stubborn / ship gripping a dock” and believes she embodies the promise that “… you can’t stop a dreamer / or knock down a dream” (Gorman). The speaker’s inclusion of “my friend” to describe Rosa gives this stanza an autobiographical touch. Especially when this is being performed by Gorman, she would appear to be the speaker of the poem as she is both endeared to this person and understands her mindset and conditions she is fighting for. Furthermore, Gorman’s personal connection to Rosa gives her dimension outside of her undocumented status. This stanza serves as a stark reminder that undocumented immigrants are not a homogeneous group of nameless people; they are all individuals who must fight to be accepted within the United States. Considering the other stanzas in the poem, however, the speaker may simultaneously take on a different persona.
The speaker may also be read as the omnipotent personification of America due to the multitude of perspectives the speaker presents throughout the poem and the solidarity they express towards the listeners and readers. From protests to hurricanes, the breadth of events and perspectives that the speaker calls upon reach across time and space. The speaker even tunes into America’s geography and architecture, describing Lake Michigan as “a great sleeping giant” and “a poem begun long ago, blazed into frozen soil, / strutting upward and aglow” (Gorman). That the speaker is unified with the voices of the American people and is even able to feel the land itself makes it appear as though the spirit of the country itself is speaking, perhaps through Gorman. This large-scale multifaceted perspective emphasizes the value of each person’s experiences in the grand scheme of American history, including the listeners and readers. The all-encompassing unity that the speaker feels toward the listeners and readers underscores the need for minority groups to remain hopeful for the future and continue to fight for equal treatment and acceptance within the United States. The speaker knows that those in power will try to oppress those fighting for social change but urges:
There’s a poem in this place–
a poem in America
a poet in every American
………………
who sees that our poem penned
doesn’t mean our poem’s end (Gorman).
Here, the speaker feels history being crafted in the very moment that the poem has the reader and listener’s attention; the reference to the present moment in the repetition of “there’s a poem in this place” reads as though the speaker is reaching out to the reader directly just as the speaker was reaching out to the past. Every person’s collective effort to establish themselves within the United States’ historical and political playing field is acknowledged and urged by the speaker even if their narrative is being actively drowned out by their oppressors. Thus, Americans are intertwined in and watched over by the grand narrative of the United States.
Whether the speaker is read as Gorman, the personification of America, or both, the ultimate plea of this poem is to keep the spirit of America alive by fighting for justice. The speaker gives those who come across the poem both a glimpse into Gorman’s life and the larger history of the United States to create an overarching picture of what it means to be American. Overwhelmingly, the reader comes away from the poem with an understanding that they are not alone. Regardless of their race, sexuality, gender, immigration status, religion, or social class, the reader is supported in their efforts to establish their place within history in both the past and present and to uplift the voices of those who may be oppressed.
Gorman’s poem may be read here.
Works Cited
Gorman, Amanda. “In This Place (an American Lyric).” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets,
Timelapses and Traditions: What Did We Lose During the Pandemic?
by Vineeta Abraham, January 21, 2023
“10…9…8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3…2…1!”
The last bell of senior year goes off, followed by a chorus of cheers and whoops from the class of 2019. It’s a mess of tears, laughter, and breathless cries of “we did it!” as the familiar tune of the Sweet Caroline anthem plays us out of four long, exhausting high school years.
I look around one last time at the people I have grown up with for the past seven years. It’s not hitting me quite yet that life is about to change so drastically for every single one of us. It didn’t hit me when I saw last year’s graduating class go through this same ritual, nor did it the year before that, or even before that. I always imagined it would be now, in this moment, that the collective realization would strike us speechless. But it doesn’t feel like that. I suppose it won’t until I find myself looking back at these memories four summers from now, reminiscing over old friendships and the walls I used to call home.
And this moment. I’ll never forget this singular, loud, excruciating moment.
As we slowly resurface on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic and the almost two-year “time freeze” it imposed on society, there seems to be a lot of buzzwords floating around like “return to normal” or “back to how things used to be.” We’re now beginning to see the implications of such a return and uncover some of the complications that we may not have foreseen.
I don’t remember hearing of a graduating class before mine that didn’t participate in that jovial, last day ritual. Every year that I got to witness it, there were differences and modifications, but the end result was always the same: the graduating class gathered in their beloved lounge on the last day of classes, counting down the last ten seconds until the final bell rang. True to tradition, our own class followed suit, as we expected every class after us to do. We never saw an alternative.
Herricks High School’s class of 2020 did not get the opportunity to carry out this beloved tradition — nor did the class of 2021.
My sister, three years younger than I was, can still recall as a freshman watching my class count down to that last bell in 2019. When June of 2022 rolled around, I waited at home on her last day, expecting to hear about her own version of this bittersweet milestone.
But her version never happened. As she tells it, her grade simply did not do it.
Maybe half of the grade hadn’t even seen the tradition play out three years ago. Maybe those who did forgot about its existence. Whatever the reason, listening to my sister talk made me wonder somberly: was this tradition lost forever?
After all, as most traditions work, we learn from those before us. But with nothing to observe, would the next graduating class even know about this tradition, let alone others? Would they realize all the things that they would never experience because they had never learned of them?
It doesn’t stop at high school. As a twenty-one-year-old just dipping her toes in the sea of corporate life, I find myself wondering: what workplace traditions may I be missing out on? What workplace nuances got left behind when everyone packed up their offices in a frenzy in March of 2020? What is it like to physically visit your boss’ desk for two minutes? What exchanged glances across the office or inside jokes will I never get to “watch and learn?” How does happy hour even work with your colleagues?
With an odd mishmash of employees who are cautiously beginning to return to in-person work and employees who have permanently set up camp in the comfort of their homes, how can I – or anyone else in this up-and-coming generation of the workforce – reasonably expect to learn all the ins, outs, and in-betweens of the office?
Do we even want to?
All this talk of drifting away from the old brings in a whole other topic of discussion: drifting towards the new. Will we, as the new generation of employees, seek to dig deeper into office roots to uncover the subtle traditions and conventions of years past? Or will we abandon these ideas altogether and brainstorm new and innovative traditions of our own? And if we choose the latter – leaving old rituals to gather dust in the bottom drawers of our supply closets – do we risk resentment from long standing employees who crave, as we hear in the midst of the buzz, a return to their idea of normal?
SBU Brooklogue 