Didn't those mission walls around the Alamo work out great for those Texans way back when?
Didn't you feel safer during the Cold War after the commies put up the Berlin Wall? I bet they did too!
That wall that's so great that you can see it from space - wow! That thing really held back those Mongols nicely huh? (and also the Japanese over and over again)
That new "wall" we're building down on the Mexican border - won't that be a big success? I bet we'll never see another Mexican again in these parts! And no more drugs will get in anymore either! Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Drug War Won by Border Fence! Viva la Fence!
Aren't gated communities cool? Sure, I'd live there. (not) Don't you like to hang out with such people? Me too!
Have you ever seen the Japanese internment camps in the California desert? You've got to drive out there and see that wonderful idea! Something to be proud of! Won the big war for us for sure!
The wall the Israelis are building now (with our money no doubt) - I predict another great success! I bet the Arabs will absolutely fall in love with the Jews now! Peace will break out all over! Oh no! With all that peace breaking out, our economy will collapse (some more) (if that's possible) - who's gonna buy our guns and rockets and stuff? I almost forgot - the Israelis get all that stuff from us for nothing! Let's rethink this. If war is the natural state of things between the Israelis and Palestinians, who are we to mess around with their status quo? I mean, maybe they'd miss all the fun they've been having all these years. And what about our poor little military-industrial complex? On second thought though, that wall is a shovel-ready economic stimulus project, right? Hmm........
Sarcasm 101... And I thought I was the only one. Very good examples throughout history of walls being put up with some initial success but failure towards the end. Its interesting enough to see the balance of words as our country slightly cautions Israel on the placement of its wall while building our own wall along the border of Mexico. Strange times we live in. Its also interesting that we have constant arm sales with the Israelis, yet we gave almost as much money and arm sales to the Egyptians, who many have accused of smuggling weapons into groups like Hamas and Fatah. So in a strange way the US is fighting a proxy war against itself, with the palestinians and Israelis using our weapons and cash to fight eachother. And than, to top it off, our money is being used to create this wall between the two. STRANGE TIMES!
ReplyDeleteWhile I appreciate your enthusiasm, I want to remind you that the project is supposed to be about using social studies skills within a real world problem (see below). Your post needs to include more supporting evidence than just your wit. Now the challenge would be to write a corresponding post that takes the exact opposite stance (with analysis and evidence please). Don't go for the easy out, or your first response, really think through all sides of the question, and then question how you go about analyzing the information you have in front of you.
ReplyDeletefrom the instructions: "Then analyze this bit of media for us. Be explicit about the assumptions you are making, the social science tools you are employing, and the analytical connections you are creating."
All the walls in history seem to have served the same purpose and I don't know about all of them, but I don't think they were totally successful or worth the money and work they took to erect. Some of them were definitely an amazing feat of human strength, representing power and persistence. But the contradiction of funds and ideas they have created do seem confusing and worthy of sarcasm.
ReplyDeleteAll the walls in history? Do any of you have a fence around your yard? Why? What do you want to keep in, and what do you want to keep out? Why do we have borders to our states? why is there not free movement of people (and thus labor) in our world? If all walls are bad and worthy of sarcasm why do we build them? Do the emotional walls blogged about earlier count as walls?
ReplyDeleteI don't have a fence around my yard. Sometimes they are for keeping pets or children in safely and others for keeping other people or animals out. I do have small fence around my vegetable garden to keep the deer out. It would depend on the purpose and the circumstances surrounding their use. Also relevant would be how many people will be effected negatively or positively by the wall. If they are built for controlling and selfish reasons that will only benefit a small few, I think they can create more problems. But if they are going to be for the good of many, then they won't have as many negative results.
ReplyDeleteI have no fences on my property nor do I have any desire for them. Building and maintaining a strong community is much more powerful and effective in keeping its members safe and secure than any fence or wall can ever hope to do.
ReplyDeleteFor those who choose to do wrong and find themselves in prison, I DEMAND a wall to keep them in and my kids out. For the irresponsible person who makes the foolish choice to keep a dangerous dog, I DEMAND that a strong fence be built to contain it and more importantly to safeguard the children and adults and pets in the community.
Zoos need walls/fences or visitors become lunch.
In Mexico, beer distributors are surrounded by high fences with razor wire and machine-gun toting police to secure the precious commodity within. This I also understand in spite of my desire for a free beer.
My point is that there are some extreme needs for walls and/or fences, but they often represent some kind of societal failure.
There is a neighbor down the block who did build a fence. He is regarded by the people in the neighborhood as the "Weird Dude" which is an apt moniker for a paranoid recluse, I suppose.
Don't get me wrong - we don't always get along perfectly. One of my other next-door-neighbors is a state government bureaucrat/general pain-in-the-ass who gives me crap about my music (too loud) and my weed control philosophy (Agent Orange when I can get it.) In spite of our general coolness, we do look out for each other and take care of each other's lawns, plants and mail/newspapers while we travel.
This makes another point. Neighbors don't have to love each other to get along reasonably. We have a common interest in maintaining a strong, safe community. If there was a high wall between us, I'm sure we would both lay in bed at night dreaming up some weird crap about what the other must be doing over there to do me wrong somehow.
Isn't this just common-sense? I know the situation is exponentially more extreme in Palestine/Israel or whatever we are supposed to call it, but don't the Israelis realize that their wall will only make things worse? The existing cultural, linguistic, religious, historical, philosophical, political and economic divide is already wide enough. Won't this wall simply serve to widen it? How can it do anything different?
"Peace ain't easy,
but yellin' over high walls don't never make it happen."
Dan Bergthold, Philosopher/Grammarian
2009