Brianna Ortega

Prof. Jean-Baptiste

SOCL 256 001

1 May 2018

Final Portfolio: My Newly Altered Perceptions

I am not speaking in hyperbole when I say that this course has completely altered the

lense in which I view the world. College is a place for cognitive expansion and personal growth,

however this past semester in this class has taken this phenomenon to an extreme. Although the

college experience is enlightening, it is still framed in such a way that can exclude integral

information as minute or unimportant. This course takes “little” facts and completely dissects

them and puts their garish guts on display for us to regard, process, and ruminate on. Being a

Global and International Studies Major is about garnering a familiarity with the world that is not

right under my nose, yet in all the courses I have taken for my major, this course has opened my

eye the most to global inequality and institutionalized injustices that go unrecognized and

unresolved due to lack of media coverage and exposure. There were numerous articles,

documentaries, and discussions that lead to personal reflection and emotional drain, yet put me in

a place that I hope will push me to inspire more valuable conversations that can produce change

in small, or big, ways.

The first article that altered my global perspective was Hilary McD Beckles’ ​Capitalism,

Slavery and Caribbean Modernity​. McD Beckles’ article is a in depth discussion of how

capitalism justified slavery, creating a level of sustainability for slavery to continue in the future.

McD Beckles use of the Haitian Revolution as a contrast to Western ideas of the black
community as “savages” and “uncivilized” is not something that is taught in traditional

schooling, nor is prevalent in the media (Mcd Beckles 1997: pp. 778-779). History classes are

often framed to depict black folks as largely complacent and there is never even a mention of the

Haitian Revolution as a testament to their, successful, fight back. McD Beckles changed my

point of view by providing an example of the community’s resilience that can be seen only a few

other times in heavily documented history: Harriet Tubman, the Civil Rights Movement, etc. The

article also freely discusses the problematic nature of white people and the degree that

colonization negatively affected minorities which, especially in grade schooling, is never

discussed. Also, when discussing topics such as slavery, discussion usually focus on the obvious

horridity and paint the picture of the African slave’s plight, but never really on their stories of

positive success and freedom. McD Beckles not only enlightened me in regards to the Haitian

Revolution, but also provided me with a greater understanding of colonialism and its negative

repercussions.

The second article that shook my previous understanding of the globe was ​Michael

Novak’s ​Defining Social Justice​. The definition of social justice is not often discussed and is

generally argued to be ​implied​ when mentioned in discussion or in politics. However, Novak

discusses the concept and points to the fact that it is largely undefinable, which points to the

problematic nature of the way the entire concept is portrayed in society (Novak 2000: p. 1). His

argument pushed me to question how social justice has been spoon fed to me my entire life and

turned everything I had previously thought on its head. He defines social justice as a combination

of group effort and justice for the greater good, rather than justice centered around personal

benefit (Novak 2000: p. 5) This has prompted me to think of the greater picture as opposed to
what immediately affects me when it comes to justice and how that can translate into benefiting

the greater global population. Novak has also pushed me to question the definitions that I am, or

am not, provided and how true they really are. Novak transformed my perception of social

justice by pushing me to question what social justice exactly ​is​ and how I can go about the world

with this definition in mind.

The third article that promoted change in my line of thought was Jon B. Alterman’s ​The

Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted. ​Altman’s central argument in the piece is that, although social

media such as television has proved to facilitate important political conversation and inspire

movement, social media alone cannot drive entire movements and promote change alone

(Altman 2011: p. 104). His use of Arab Spring to prove his point that in-person discussions,

arrangements, and protests are necessary for real change put me in a more realistic place when

thinking of recent social media movements such as the Women’s March and March for Our

Lives. Social media is, in fact, a powerhouse, but real, human connection is what truly creates a

pathway towards change. Many of these movements were initiated on social media platforms,

but were honed and fine-tuned in person. Also, not everyone has the luxury of the internet, let

alone electricity, so social media really cannot be considered a soul social movement driver.

Altman reshaped my idea of social media movements and how tweeting a hashtag is not enough

to change the future.

In relation to Atlman’s article, the docu-film ​Hotel

Rwanda ​opened my eyes to the importance of media,

specifically television, in spreading the word about

political issues in periphery countries that would likely go

between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority in Rwanda, Africa. Prior to watching this film,

I had only a small level of understanding of the Rwandan genocide, but I honestly had no idea as

to how important media documentation was to, not only creating a level of global awareness of

the horridity of what was occuring in Rwanda, but to push for a solution. If it weren’t for the film

crews that were avidly documenting everything in an honest way, then the genocide could have

lasted much longer than it did. The film prompted me to wonder what injustices are occuring

today that are​ ​not​ being shown on television or the internet. Altman does discuss in his piece the

sheer importance of media in enlightening the world,

especially those living in core countries who do not explicitly

see such issues every day, but had the resources to make a

change.

Another documentary that we watched was the “restavek”

documentary that focuses on the poem ​Ti Sentaniz ​by

Maurice Sixto. The documentary, presented in the format

of a cartoon, chronicles the life of a “restavek”, or a child

slave, in a Haitian household. The young child, a girl given

away by her father due to lack of ability to care for her, is

forced to work in an upper, middle class household and

endure horrible treatment and starvation. I had never heard of this occurrence of child slave labor

in Haiti, but it left me dumbfounded and heartbroken. The restavek is such a blatant practice of

child slavery, yet it is considered commonplace within Haitian society so nothing will likely end
 the practice. The girl is forced to cook, clean, wake up

before the family wakes up and after they fall asleep,

all the while wearing the dirty clothes, eating little to

nothing, and walking miles in the hot sun. If this

practice was highlighted more rigorously in global

media, perhaps, there could be a greater level of

activism and a solution could be found to end the practice. The cartoon opened my eyes to the

global inequalities that go unresolved in peripheral nations due to lack of exposure to the global

eye.

One global inequality issue that I wish we had discussed in class are LGBTQ+ issues on

a global scale. As a queer woman of color who has the privilege of living in a state where

LGBTQ+ people have a considerable number of rights and freedom in comparison to the rest of

the globe, learning about LGBT issues on a global scale would be beneficial to broaden my

spectrum of understanding. On an international scale, LGBTQ+ issues are the most diverse and

the political actions taken, or not taken, for reform land on a vast spectrum. According to a recent

Los Angeles Times ​by Ann M. Simons entitled, “Seven striking statistics on the status of gay

rights and homophobia across the globe,” equality is still seen as far from existing on a global

scale with countries such as Yemen, Iran, and Egypt having some of the highest rates of

inequality and punishment for the LGBTQ+ community that often go undocumented. With this

in mind, learning of these global inequalities is an important as it is highly valuable in garnering

understanding global politics and how they contrast our own. However, Maria Nogueria, a

researcher on global politics on LGBTQ+ rights, states that, “The strong political opposition of
some states and their “shameful silence” regarding violence against LGBT people contrast with a

growing international movement of NGOs, experts, and states that advocate for the placement of

LGBT issues within the human rights framework,” (Nogueria 2017: 548). Learning about the

negative, the death penalties and illegalities, could also be offset by the knowledge of more

positive political actions and NGOs in place across the globe toward equality. We live in a

privileged nation, yet there are surely some people who are not even properly educated about the

LGBTQ+ community in general so an overall education would be valuable to those who consider

themselves unfamiliar.

In conclusion, this class has completely changed my way of thinking about the globe and

the continued injustices that often go unnoticed. In the future, I hope to continue my

self-education and hope to garner an even better understanding of the world around me. The

materials we covered were necessary learning tools that gave me insight into little pieces of the

large global puzzle. The documentaries especially were useful in nurturing the visual learner in

me and putting a “face to the name”, if you will. The restavek documentary was something I

never would have seen in my entire educational career, let alone my life, so I am so unbelievably

grateful for the opportunity, despite its heavy nature. Do I know what to do with the knowledge

yet? No, not in the slightest. But, I am still grateful. In terms of making the class better, there

really is not anything I can think of that needs embettering besides, maybe, a greater discussion

on what to do with the information we learn. The topics we cover are super heavy, such as

restaveks and slave trade, and knowing that there are opportunities to use the knowledge to,

potentially, create change would be comforting. I often left class feeling selfish or privileged and

had the desperate urge to ​do something​, but couldn’t. However, having Andrew come in was
super valuable and I think having him come in in increments would aid in the emotional blow of

the class. Overall, this class has shaped me, not only into a more enlightened global citizen, but a

more considerate person in terms of the identity of others. Thank you, Professor Jean-Baptiste,

for providing me with knowledge that I did not know I needed, but am so grateful to have with

me as I continue my life’s journey.

Altman, Jon B. 2011. “The Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted.” ​The Washington

Quarterly. ​103-116.

Nogueira, Maria Beatriz Bonna. 2017 "The Promotion of LGBT Rights as International

Human Rights Norms: Explaining Brazil's Diplomatic Leadership."​ Global Governance​, vol. 23,

no. 4, 545-563.

Novak, Michael. 2000. “Defining Social Justice | Michael Novak.” ​First Things​, 1-5.

McD Beckles, Hilary. 1997. “Capitalism, Slavery and Caribbean Modernity.” ​The John

Hopkins University Press. ​777-789.

Simmons, Ann M. 2017. “Seven striking statistics on the status of gay rights and

homophobia across the globe.” ​Los Angeles Times.