First as Tragedy: Entry 5

Zizek takes us on an enlightening path concerning the "New Spirit" of modern capitalism in the section "The 'New Spirit' of Capitalism.  He begins by pointing out that it is truly a fear of the Other (meaning any neighbor) that causes us to have empathy with others, insofar as they are reduced to simply "fellow men" engaged in whatever emancipatory liberal struggle is being fought for.  To illustrate this in a rather gross manner, he applied this concept in another one of his books, Violence.  Believe it or not (although it shouldn't be hard to believe considering the state in which it happened), a California sex-products-based company has began sponsoring what they call the Masturbate-a-Thon.  The name isn't deceiving: it's nothing more than a big public masturbation fest.  (Yes, this has actually happened)  As disturbing as this is, it has proved to be an interesting study for psychologists.  The hosts of the M-a-T sell you the idea that you are being "open" and "secure" in your sexuality, by being your "own best lover."  But this free-love hippie bullcrap is far from the psyche of the freaks who participate.  Truly, these people are fearful of everyone else out in the world, and it comforts them to engage in crowd activities like this because only in times such as these are they truly alone.  Zizek poses the question: is it more embarrassing to masturbate in front of your spouse, or to have sex with them? Obviously masturbation.  And so the most intimate experiences are the ones we share with only one more person.  But the people who participate in the M-a-T are fully comforted in their activities because every person in the crowd shares the same solipsistic perception that no one else really exists.  This is the way modern capitalism is: we box ourselves off in our little communities and donate generously to charities out of our surpluses, but we really just pretend the people on the receiving end don't exist at all. 

Charity is another problem with modern eco- or green-capitalism.  As I mentioned last time, Starbucks tries to sell you the idea that "it's not what you're buying, it's what you're buying into."  They claim to buy only free-trade coffee beans, pay the fairest prices, support the greatest humanitarian efforts, etc., and yet they make money off of it all (why is their coffee more expensive than everyone else's?).  The problem with this idea of charitable giving is that it simply "keeps the poor alive," per se.  If you really want to end poverty, you must completely reform the economic system so that it is IMPOSSIBLE to be poor anymore.  Otherwise, you are like Bill Gates, Soros, and Starbucks: you give with one hand what you take with the other. 



Perhaps the indigenous people working to produce these coffee beans in Africa, say, would much rather grow the plants for themselves, rather than being paid and sold manufactured crops in return. 

First as Tragedy, Then as Farce: Entry 4

"Human, All Too Human..."

The fact that the modern era generally classifies itself as "post-ideological" most likely means that we are more immersed in ideology than ever before.  An example is how the modern (bourgeois) liberal society relates itself to MLK Jr.; as a welfare-capitalist movement that "has a dream" of equality in general, forgetting that many of the efforts the man fought for were formerly reserved for communists and socialists.  Worker unions, the right to strike, universal suffrage, etc. were all considered communist ideals until recently, as they have become part of modern "people-friendly" capitalism.  In fact, as I read through the demands at the end of my copy of the Communist Manifesto, I see the following included: "Every German over 21 years of age shall be able to vote and be elected, provided he has no criminal conviction," "All means of transport: railways, canals, steamships, roads, posts, etc., shall be taken over by the state. They are to be transformed into state property and put at the free service of the needy," and "Universal and free popular schooling." Now, how many of your typical hippie-capitalist CEO's of Starbucks and other such smiley-face corporations will disagree with those demands? Do we not swallow those down today as goals capitalism itself should pursue and protect?  And yet, what would these profiteers think if they found out these same ideals were Marxist?  That is what Zizek means when he asserts that ideology most often appears as its opposite, non-ideology.           

One of the major reasons for this disavowal of ideology is an elementary Freudian one: we repress our real social actions and behaviors and substitute a deeply emotional and "humanized" story of our "inner self" instead.  If it's true that an enemy is someone "you've never heard their story from," is it true we could sympathize with Hitler if only he were to tell us of his personal struggles? Of course not. We should resist that idea altogether. The reality of a person is what you get under psychoanalysis, occasional tongue-slips, or with some people, in candid conversation.  That is why your biggest capitalists like to relate themselves with humanitarian figures today--they mask their latent exploits, scams, and selfish schemes and desires with charities and stories of personal struggle.  Sure, this is a bit of a generalization. But if there is ever to be resistance to the problems we face in modern society, there's always need of a little generalization.  Nietzsche would be proud to have his book title acknowledged in such an aggressive social analysis. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Slovenian Castles (Current Events 2)

For my next current events entry on Slovenia, I decided to highlight a major tourist attraction that the country has to offer...castles.  There are about 500 castles, manors, and ruins in Slovenia, and many of the castles have been restored to serve other purposes.  Bled Castle, the oldest in the country, stands on a giant rock face above scenic Bled Lake.  The restored interior has wine cellars, a museum, and other attractions for tourists.  Ljubljana Castle is an example of a very old structure that was once transformed into a prison.  It probably dates back to the 9th century!  Fuzine Castle was designed by the well known Slovenian architect, Joze Plecnik.  It is often times accessed by mountain bikers.  Many castles contain medieval objects, showcased in their museums.  Stanjel Castle is surrounded by a wall that was used to defend against the Turks in the 15th century.  Predjama Castle, perhaps the most famous of Slovenia, was actually constructed in a cave.  Overall, the many restored castles of Slovenia are perfect destinations for travellers looking for ancient historical artifacts, a cool drink, good food, recreation, or a sublime view of the countryside.  They can be accessed by bus, car, or bike. 

http://www.castles.info/slovenia/

                                  Predjama Castle

Joze Plecnik (architect)

First as Tragedy: Entry 3

(last entry was emailed)

In this entry I will attempt to cover the next section of Zizek's book, "The Structure of Enemy Propaganda."

In the last section, we saw how ideology is often used to defend the current functioning political system against any opposition by saying it is the only system that aligns with unalterable human nature.  Alain Badiou (The Communist Hypothesis) postulated that all enemy propaganda fights something to which it is structurally blind; it does not fight direct counter-forces, but the possibilities of such threats.  Propaganda is cynical in that it truly believes its on words, that it is the least bad option, and that any other option or system would just make things worse. 

The financial world is a semblance of the reality of social conventions.  It rests on a cornerstone, something the psychologist Lacan called "the subject supposed to know."  The players in the stock market and other speculators base their actions on the words of these "subjects supposed to know," i.e. the top economists, authorities, politicians, etc.  But if this subject falters in any way, panic effectively ensues.  The funny thing is, the subjects supposed to know were already of little importance because of deregulation, and the belief that the market economy is always cyclical and depends on the masses themselves. And so, whenever there is an economic crisis, the people become angry with their subjects supposed to know, and this lasts until the time comes to reconstruct new subjects to advise ways to escape the crisis.  An example of this subject was Alan Greenspan.  When he came under fire during the credit meltdown, being accused of failing to regulate too-low interest rates on mortgages and encouraging fraudulent banking activities, he claimed that he was shocked to find out that the ruling ideology of free-market self-interest had failed.  It is evident, then, that Greenspan believed the ridiculous premise that lending institutions would act responsibly in the short-term to avoid long-term explosions, forgetting that these same institutions knew the government would bail them out if it ever came to long-term problems.  Similarly, in today's digitalized capitalism where big corporations can also interfere on a major level with people's private lives, many forget that state regulation is oftentimes needed to protect the very autonomy it is supposed, by the libertarians, to endanger. 

Thomas Frank, in his book What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America, outlined how the underlying social class dichotomy between the blue-collar working class and the wealthy lawyers, bankers, etc. has been transposed into a (false) dichotomy between "hard-working, honest, Christian Americans" and liberal (in today's sense), decadent, internationally-focused snobs.  And so they stand for an economic policy of "fewer taxes, fewer regulation," which effectively frees up the big corporations to exploit the working class and drive the "hard-working, honest" Americans out of business.  Populist conservatism shoots itself in the foot. 

So if these "Sormanesque" versions of capitalism are too blunt and paradoxical to be considered hegemonic, what is today's hegemonic form of global capitalism? The answer is eco-capitalism, or green capitalism.  Capitalism is shifting from a material-based to a spiritual/humanitarian-based paradigm.  The ruling belief is that invisible hand market forces can be used to counteract humanitarian issues such as world poverty, eco-disasters, hunger, etc.  Could it be that capitalism has even lost its psychological appeal?  Are these rich investors finding that they need a meaning for their lives other than simply generating endless profit?  The problems with eco-capitalism will be discussed later, but it is evident that the former ideological Real of capitalism (individualist greed, cheap labor, managerial society, technological innovation) is being separated from its social reality (relations between people in consumer/producer society) and transformed into a spiritual/"green" Real while keeping the social relations intact. 

Visuals of modern ideological examples:

 Alan Greenspan

 Tea Party Protests

First as Tragedy, Then as Farce: Entry 1

Slavoj Zizek begins his inquiry into modern-day capitalism and its ideologies by questioning why the 2008 financial crisis was such a surprise to most Americans.  The media, demonstration/riot/protest-busting policemen, and purposeful ignorance do play a large part, but Zizek reminds his readers that it was the famous economist Keynes who said that the market economy is based on social speculation: decisions in the stock market, for example, are not based on one's individual judgment nor on mass judgment; instead, they are based on the speculation of what the average opinion speculates (beliefs about other people's beliefs).  Here, Zizek quotes John Gray: "We are forced to live as if we were free." Thus, in theory, the market could react positively to the bail-out money simply because of a mass belief in its potential to do so. 

Slavoj then points out a contradiction inherent in the Republican oppositions to the bail-out money: why do they insist on it being a socialist measure, when the very class the funds are being given to is the rich, Wall Street speculative class? So it seems as if even the Democrats believe in the effectiveness of "trickle-down economics"; they apparently believe the best way to save "Main Street" is to save "Wall Street" first. State intervention is possibly very much a capitalistic means of stability and progress. To support this conjecture, Zizek points out how part of the 2008 meltdown, the housing crisis, was sparked when the US gov't  decided to make housing credit easier in order to compensate for the huge losses caused by the dotcom bubble bursting in 2001. Similarly, the US gov't pays American farmers of main staple crops much more than is invested in foreign, and often times higher-quality, markets of the same crops (Malian cotton and beef, for example).  Thus, there is another seemingly inherent contradiction in formal capitalism as well: nationalism always seems to thwart true free market (global) competition. True laissez-faire economics would allow the weakest links to disintegrate, but when those links are Wall Street traders, the US gov't does whatever it needs to do in order to counteract the quite natural effects of the free market.

In my next entry, I will focus on the next section of the book's Part I: "Crisis as Shock Therapy"

New Country/New Author/2nd Nine Weeks First Entry

As I am switching to Slovenia for my next country of study, I have decided to read a non-fiction political critique by the pop philosopher Slavoj Zizek. The title of the novel is First as Tragedy, Then as Farce, being a spin off of one of Marx's famous lines.  I believe it is important to read political non-fiction from other countries because it is sometimes necessary to learn from foreign ideologies in order to counteract the typical American news biases, infestations, and presuppositions that feed us everyday.  And it is only fitting that this book is an inquiry and critique on the basis of our American political, social, and economic lives: capitalism.  But as I have just begun reading it, I shall postpone any commentary on the first section until the next blog entry. Below are informational points on Slovenia, and some basic biographical information on Mr. Zizek.

Slovenia

•                                      
• Capital: Ljubljana
• Official Language: Slovene
• Government: Parliamentary Republic
• President: Danilo Turk
• Prime Minister: Borut Pahor
• Approx. Population as of '09:   2,054,199
• Currency: Euro
• GDP per capita: $28,118
• Predominant Religion: Roman Catholicism

Slavoj Zizek

• "The most dangerous philosopher in the West." -New Republic
• "The Elvis of cultural theory." -Chronicle of Higher Education
• Professor at several universities; senior researcher at the Institute of Sociology, Univ of Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Subjects of study: Marxism, Hegelianism, Lacanian psychoanalysis
• Atheist
• 2 documentaries: "Zizek" and "A Pervert's Guide to Cinema"

     

For an interesting synopsis of a Zizek thesis, watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpAMbpQ8J7g

U.S.-Poland Relations

• Diplomatic relations established in April 1919
• Relations stagnated during the heat of the Cold War, but were significantly improved afterwards when a consular agreement was signed in 1972
• 1974- Gierek, first Polish leader to visit the US, was proof of an improved tie between the two countries
• During the Solidarity movement in 1980, the U.S. provided $765 million in agricultural assistance for Poland
• When the Polish government tried to ban the Solidarity trade union, U.S.-Poland relations dipped a little, only to be reestablished in 1987
• Poland continues to be a loyal supporter of U.S. military endeavors, including anti-terrorism, human-rights issues, and UN reform.

U.S. Ambassador (Poland): Lee A. Feinstein

EDWARD GIEREK


LEE A. FEINSTEIN


http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2875.htm

Heart of Darkness: Entry 6

As Part III begins, and Marlow is still talking with the Russian trader at Kurtz's station, the trader tells Marlow that he must take Kurtz with him immediately.  He gives a long discourse on how he had first met Kurtz, how he had indeed enlarged his mind, and how he has been nursing Kurtz through several diseases.  The Russian trader admits that Kurtz had sometimes acted inhumanely; he had threatened to shoot the Russian over small amounts of ivory and had raided several countrysides, but the trader insists that Kurtz can not be judged on the basis of normal human beings.  But the Russian brings urgent news to Marlow, telling him that Kurtz is very ill at the time being and that there are no medical supplies available at the station.  He also informs him that the Company had recently ditched Kurtz.  As the trader is talking, Marlow spots the severed head of "rebels" on sticks encircling the station.

Suddenly, Kurtz appears on a makeshift stretcher accompanied by pilgrims and surrounded by natives.  Mention of Marlow is made to him, to which he replies that he is glad to see him.  He then boards the steamship while Marlow is noticing an extravagantly-ornamented native woman outside the ship, whom he is informed by the Russian trader is Kurtz's mistress.  The trader remarks that her influence over Kurtz has caused him much trouble, and even says he would have probably be willing to shoot her had she come on board.  In the meantime, Kurtz is yelling and criticizing the steamboat crew for coming solely for ivory instead of assisting him, which of course seems ironic.

Marlow is told by the steamboat crew manager that Kurtz's unsound and unorthodox methods will be reported to the Company, to which Marlow replies that Kurtz is undeserving and is a "remarkable man." From that point onwards, Marlow is considered in the same light as Kurtz, being alienated from the Company's more "civilized" agenda.  The Russian also informs him that Kurtz had organized the attack on their steamer in hopes that they would assume he was dead and abort the mission.  Marlow is asked to keep Kurtz's reputation in high esteem, but Marlow replies that he has overheard plans to hang the Russian.  After hearing this, the trader leaves the site by canoe.  It is now obvious that Kurtz was symbolic of the many faces of imperialistic colonialism, being a scapegoat for the manager and pilgrims, a traitor (having had an African mistress), a destroyer, and even somehow a wise man all along.

"She [Kurtz's mistress] must have had the value of several elephant tusks upon her. She was savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent; there was something ominous and stately in her deliberate progress. And in the hush that had fallen suddenly upon the whole sorrowful land, the immense wilderness, the colossal body of the fecund and mysterious life seemed to look at her, pensive, as though it had been looking at the image of its own tenebrous and passionate soul." (Conrad 106)
African headdress

Heart of Darkness: Entry 5

Marlow begins to discuss Kurtz, mentioning that he had a fiancee back in England, whom he called his Intended.  He speaks on the fact that Kurtz seems to talk as if he possessed everything--ivory, women, land, etc.  Although this somewhat troubles Marlow, he digresses on the subject, remarking that it is his fault that Kurtz's memory exists whatsoever.  It is apparent that Marlow's curiosity in Kurtz is rather unusual.  He recalls a report that Kurtz submitted to the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs, in which he writes, "Exterminate all the brutes!"  But Marlow suggests that Kurtz had undoubtedly assimilated into Native customs and rites, and that his words had a sacrificial basis. 

As Marlow struggles over the justification of the killings committed by Kurtz, he drops the thought altogether to return to his sailing, the dead helmsman at his feet.  He blames his helmsman's death on the fact that he decided to shoot at the natives on the shore without restraint, which is ironic considering that the whole crew's motives are unrestrained and imperialistic.  Marlow throws his dead body overboard, to the cannibals' disappointment.  As he and the crew discuss what blows must have been dealt to the attacking natives earlier in their passage, the Inner Station where Kurtz is supposedly stationed comes into sight.

A Russian trader on the shore steps onboard to speak with Marlow as the rest of the crew go to retrieve Kurtz.  He agrees that the ship's wistle works best at scaring off the natives, but says that they probably mean no harm, they simply just want Kurtz to stay (which seems contradictory, considering the supposed mass murders of natives on Kurtz's behalf).  The trader's portrayal Kurtz is odd altogether, as he says that one can only listen to Kurtz, not converse with him. 

"Restraint! What possible restraint? Was it superstition, disgust, patience, fear--or some kind of primitive honour? No fear can stand up to hunger, no patience can wear it out, disgust simply does not exist where hunger is; and as to superstition, beliefs, and what you may call principles, they are less than chaff in a breeze." (Conrad 83)

This quote by Marlow seems to justify the motives of the very groups of people they acknowledge as "savages."

"[We whites] must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of supernatural beings--we approach them with the might as of a deity. By the simple exercise of our will we can exert a power for good practically unbounded...Exterminate all the brutes!" (Conrad 92) -Mr. Kurtz in his report

This quote seems to portray the Hitleresque world view that the extermination of "primitive" peoples is an endeavor for good and the betterment of humanity as a whole.

M. Gandhi was outspoken in his oppositions to imperialistic racism and debasement of oppressed peoples. He advocated purification, altruism, patience, and civil resistance towards oppressors and unjust authorities. It is unfortunate that the natives of the African Congo did not have such a strong political and spiritual leader to organize civilized revolts against the powers that plundered them of their pride and resources.

Heart of Darkness: Entry 4

As we begin reading Part II of Heart of Darkness, the story proceeds with Marlow's steamboat heading along the river, as they supposedly approach the mysterious and enigmatic Mr. Kurtz.  They come upon a hut containing firewood that is next to a note claiming it is for Marlow's crew.  As they sail on, becoming more and more worried each minute that their boat will break down, they hear a desperate scream followed by the incomprehensible mumblings of unseen savages coming from the woods.  The whites onboard, being quite frightened by the outburst, are told by the leader of the cannibalistic savages on board that they wish to eat whoever screamed.  After not eating anything substantial in days except for rotting hippo meat, the cannibals were craving humans.  There has been no time for anchoring the ship to stock up on supplies.

As they continue onwards, getting closer and closer to Kurtz's station, their visibility becomes severely inhibited by a dense fog.  Suddenly they are swarmed by tribes of ambushing natives, arrows flying.  Marlow runs to hide in the pilot-house.  Marlow's crew fights back with rifles, and his helmsman (an African) is speared as his feet as he steers the ship.  Repulsed, Marlow hands the steering wheel over to his crewmen as he changes out his blood-stained socks and shoes.  At this point he is worried that Kurtz has been killed too. 

As Marlow tells this narrative, one of his listeners interrupts to note Marlow's "absurd" behavior. Knowing that this particular man was a rich man living a comfortable life, Marlow tells him that he is too ignorant of this lower end of life.  But he admits that while his actions may have been odd, they were certainly justified by his chief aim of finding Mr. Kurtz.

Mr. Kurtz's supposed uniqueness and superiority are summed up in the following key quote from Part II:

"The point was in his [Kurtz] being a gifted creature, and that of all his gifts the one that stood out preeminently, that carried with it a sense of real presence, was his ability to talk, his words--the gift of expression, the bewildering, the illuminating, the most exalted and the most contemptible, the pulsating stream of light, or the deceitful flow from the heart of an impenetrable darkness." (Conrad 89)

Perhaps this quote suggests that Kurtz is a very polar but acute man in his speech, being able to "illuminate and bewilder." Maybe he possesses the ability to disguise his truly dark intentions under a veil of light. Could this be a reference to the nature of imperialism? Or is Kurtz the embodiment of the ends and purposes of imperialism and conquest? We will have to wait until he is found by Marlow.

Political cartoon of British Imperialism: "The Ass in Lion's Skin"

Heart of Darkness: Entry 3

Marlow is currently on board a French steamboat as they begin the colonization and resource extraction processes along the coast of Africa.  His convoy periodically stops to land soldiers and other routines, making Marlow feel quite lonely.  When they reach the mouth of the Congo and Marlow boards a new steamboat, the captain of the ship informs him of a Swedish man who had recently come down for the same purposes but hanged himself just before their entrance into the African interior. 

When Marlow arrives at the Company station, he is disturbed by what he sees.  Old and dilapidated machinery, environmental destruction, and black slavery enforced by chains, rifles, and soldiers. Disgusted and reminded of the many downsides of human nature, and their extremes in what he saw in the Congo, Marlow walks to a grove of trees where he finds a group of dying native workers.  Marlow offers them a biscuit.  When Marlow meets the chief accountant of the Company station, he is informed that he will inevitably meet Mr. Kurtz: an agent with the Company that supposedly sends back more ivory than all the other agents combined, making him automatically destined for a position upgrade.  He tells Marlow to tell Kurtz when he meets him that everything is working nicely at the Outer Station, but the accountant refuses to send a letter, for a mysterious fear that it will be found in the Central Station. 

Key Quotation:

"There was an air of plotting about that station, but nothing came of it, of course.  It was as unreal as everything else -- as the philanthropic pretence of the whole concern, as their talk, as their government, as their show of work.  The only real feeling was a desire to get appointed to a trading-post where ivory was to be had, so that they could earn percentages...there is something after all in the world allowing one man to steal a horse while another must not look at the halter" (Conrad 61). 

This quote shows how oftentimes people disguise their truly selfish intentions under philanthropic titles and veils of lies.  Sometimes it is done with such subtleness that the man himself forgets his own facade.  These imperialists in Heart of Darkness had one chief aim: to generate riches for themselves by breaking the backs of African natives for the ivory that their land contained.  The last part of the quote quips at how some people seem to be above the general laws that unofficially govern the rest.  Had the natives of Africa turned to imperialism towards Britain, it would have undeniably been wrong; the Europeans, however, viewed themselves so honestly as superior to all other races, and so this heartfelt belief justified their actions in their minds.  I find this type of behavior very prominent in modern society. 

Heart of Darkness: Entry 2

The main character, Marlow, has just signed an employment contract with the Company.  He recalls a memory of the man in his position before him, Fresleven, who engaged in a quarrel with natives in the Congo over hens.  After he struck the tribe chief, the chief's son stabbed Fresleven to death.  Because of their superstition, the natives deserted the area, leaving the imperialist's bones behind.  Nothing afterwards was ever heard about the hens. 

After he signs his contract, Marlow is taken to be inspected by a doctor who measures his skull.  The doctor remarks that he unfortunately doesn't get to see the men who come back from Africa, but that it doesn't matter; "the changes take places inside," apparently meaning there are some major changes that take place in one's mind after the experience that Marlow is about to embark upon.

As he is about to depart, Marlow's aunt gives him her hopes that he will play a big role in civilizing the tribal people of the Congo.  Marlow basically blows off her comment, knowing that his business is not about benefiting humanity, but instead about plundering humanity for riches.  This bit of slight foreshadowing again emphasizes the book's central theme of the downsides of imperialism. 

I am currently reading a "manifesto" (I quite disturbing one, if you ask me) called "You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows,"  written by the likes of Bill Ayers and the other radicals of the 60s terrorist group, Weather Underground.  I was informed of its existence by Glenn Beck, who encouraged his viewers to read it, just to know the mindsets of some of the more influencial people in power right now.  There central theme (besides establishing world socialism) is that the U.S. is not only imperialistic towards other 3rd world countries, but that the U.S. is also imperialistic and oppressive towards the African Americans living within our borders.  While I disagree and believe strongly that this was a propaganda tactic used to advocate a silly socialism, I find many similarities between that and Heart of Darkness.

Below are people from the African Congo

Heart of Darkness: Entry 1

I have begun reading Joseph Conrad's (Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski) book Heart of Darkness, a story of boat captain Marlow's crew as they sail through the rivers of the African Congo in search of ivory and the mysterious figure, Kurtz.  The plot is deeply allegorical, and the relationships established between the civilized English sailors and the natives of the Congo outline Conrad's objections against imperialism and his pessimistic view of human nature.  When once asked about human nature and human endeavors, Conrad replied thus:

"The mysteries of a universe made of drops of fire and clods of mud do not concern us in the least.  The fate of humanity condemned ultimately to perish from cold is not worth troubling about.  If you take it to heart it becomes an unendurable tragedy.  If you believe in improvement you must weep, for the attained perfection must end in cold, darkness and silence.  In a dispassionate view the ardour for reform, improvement for virture, and knowledge, and even for beauty is only a vain sticking up for appearances as though one were anxious about the cut of one's clothes in a community of blind men. (Collected Letters, vol. 2, pp.16-17)."

This "Camusesque" absurdism is to be expected when reading Conrad's works. 

Here is a quote from Ch.1 that I have come across that tells of Marlow's views on imperialism, or world conquest:

"They [ancient Roman armies] were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force--nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others...It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind...The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away form those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much...what redeems it is the idea only. (Conrad 41)." 

For information about imperialism in the Congo, visit the following website:

http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~jobrien/reference/ob111.html

My New Country of Study: Poland

Switching from Sweden, it looks like I'm now going to be researching Poland and its literature for my project.  Below is some current news from Poland, the Polish flag and a picture of Poland, a link, and the first book I'm planning on reading.

CURRENT POLISH NEWS:

• The Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, was killed along with important political and military leaders on April 10 of this year.  The Russian aircraft that was transporting them crashed while trying to land in dense fog.
• A cross standing 13' high outside the presidential palace to commemorate the president has ignited controversy between the religious and nonreligious. 
• Youths from Poland recently were pushed back by police after throwing eggs at homosexuals during a gay parade.

SPECS ON POLAND:

• Capitol: Warsaw
• Population: 38.5 million
• About the size of New Mexico
• Independence gained in 1918

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/poland/index.html

I will either begin by reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad or another book by Sienkiewicz

Current Events in Sweden

The country I plan to do for our project is Sweden. The following is a list of major news in Sweden as of August 15, 2010:

• Social Democrats in Sweden, apparently very similar to those in the U.S., are currently firing attacks on Moderate party tax cuts
• Roads are currently closed and flooded in southern Sweden (including Malmo) following torrential downpours.
• Facing blames of treason here in the U.S., Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is applying for a Swedish publishing license to protect his controversial footage of U.S. military activity in the Middle East
• As demand rises for Swedish automobile companies Saab and Volvo, the two corporations are increasing supply, fueling the national economy. 
• The country recently passed a federal law prohibiting prostitution, but signs are showing that, like the formal U.S. prohibition of alcohol, there may not be too much improvement.

http://www.thelocal.se/

(The current U.S. ambassador to Sweden is Matthew Barzun)

I plan to read Vilhelm Moberg's The Emigrants as my first novel for the country of Sweden.

About Me

My name is Will Hayes, and I am a pretty interesting 17 year old. I go to Greer Middle College Charter High School and enjoy a couple different hobbies, including: playing piano, bass, and guitar by ear, reading philsophy, and basketball. I have read a couple of different philosophical works: Daniel Dennett's Consciousness Explained, Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, Henri Bergson's Creative Evolution, Plato's Timaeus and Critias, Albert Camus' The Plague, Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra (still reading), C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, and Soren Kierkegaard's The Sickness Unto Death.  I really do not know why philosophy piques my interest, but it really does open your mind to a completely new framework of thought and a new outlook on life.  When I first began reading philosophy, my favorite subjects were logic and metaphysics, then I transitioned to evolutionary philosophy, and now I am beginning moral philosophy.  Although I am mainly disposed to Western thinking, I have a friend who claims he is a Zen Buddhist.  I, on the other hand, typically side with Christian beliefs...but I am interested in reading Eastern works in World Lit so I can become more educated about the other half of the world. 

As far as music, I have been playing piano by ear since I was 4 (I used to pretend I was playing on the hearth of our fireplace). A couple years ago I picked up the bass guitar and have loved it ever since, along with electric guitar.  My most favorite bands are Boston and Rush, but I love just about all 70s-80s music. 

I recently gained a huge interest in the philosophical problems and theories of consciousness, and it has made me think about a future job in the field of neuroscience/neurophilosophy. 

I am a huge Clemson fan, the kind that beats up house furniture when we loose a heartbreaking game.  I hope to go to 1 or 2 games this year. 

I got my license earlier this summer on my second try, and I am currently memorizing the Lil' Rebel menu in order to get a drive thru position there.