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Power has several entries in the Oxford English Dictionary. Here is one:
I. As a quality or property.
1. a. Ability to act or affect something strongly; physical or mental strength; might; vigour, energy; effectiveness.
b. Political or national strength.
2. a. Control or authority over others; dominion, rule; government, command, sway. Freq. with {dag}of, {dag}on, over.
b. Authority given or committed. Also: liberty or permission to act. Now chiefly merged in other senses, as senses 3a, 5a, etc.
c. Capacity to direct or influence the behaviour of others; personal or social influence.
d. Political ascendancy or influence in the government of a country or state.
e. With distinguishing word: a movement to promote the interests or enhance the status or influence of a specified group.
black, flower, pupil power, etc.: see the first element.
3. a. More generally: ability, capacity. Also fig.
b. As a count noun: a particular mental or physical faculty, capacity, or ability. Freq. in pl., sometimes with singular sense.
4. a. Capacity in an inanimate thing for producing a certain effect; efficacy; an active property or principle, spec. the active property of a stone, herb, etc. Also occas. {dag}concr.
{dag}b. spec. with reference to language: (a) Grammar the force, function, or meaning of a conjunction; (b) Phonetics the sound expressed by a character or symbol (cf. POTESTAS n. 4); (c) the meaning expressed by a word or phrase in a particular context. Obs. Cf. FORCE n.1 9.
{dag}c. Mining. The thickness or depth of a vein. Obs.
5. a. Legal ability, capacity or authority to act; delegated authority; authorization, commission; legal authority vested in a person or persons in a particular capacity.
b. Law (orig. Sc.). A document, or clause in a document, giving a person legal authority to act for another, esp. in a particular capacity. Now chiefly in power of attorney n. at sense 5c(b), power of agency n. at sense 5c(a).
c. Law.
(a) power of agency n. a document or clause conferring the authority to act as an agent on another's behalf in a particular context; (also) the authority so conferred.
(b) power of attorney n. a document or clause appointing a person to act as another's representative in legal or business matters; (also) the authority so conferred. Also in extended use. Cf. ATTORNEY n.2 2.
{dag}6. The limits within which administrative power is exercised; = JURISDICTION n. 3. Obs. rare.
II. As a person, body, or thing.
7. {dag}a. An armed force, an army; (in pl.) troops, forces (cf. FORCE n.1 4a). In early use also as a mass noun: armed force. Obs.
b. Law. power of the county (also {dag}shire)n. = POSSE COMITATUS n. Now hist.
8. a. A powerful or influential person, body, or thing; spec. (in early use) {dag}a person in authority, a ruler, a governor (obs.). Freq. with in.
b. the powers that be and variants [after Romans 13:1]: the authorities; the people exercising political or social control.
c. A state, nation, city, etc., with regard to its international authority or influence.
9. a. A powerful celestial or spiritual being; a god, a divinity, esp. a pagan god. Freq. in asseverative or exclamatory phrases, as by (all) the powers!merciful powers!
b. spec. In medieval angelology: a member of one of the orders of angels (the sixth in the ninefold celestial hierarchy of Pseudo-Dionysius). Usu. in pl. Cf. POTESTATE n. 2b.
This use (see ORDER n. 1) is founded on a traditional interpretation of certain passages in the Pauline epistles (esp. Colossians 1:16) which scholars now believe to be making oblique reference to ‘the political, social, economic, and religious structures of power, Jewish and pagan, of the old world order which Paul believed to be obsolescent’ (G. B. Caird Lang. & Imagery of Bible (1980) xiii. 242).
10. A large number, quantity, or amount; an abundance of, a great deal of; a lot of. Now chiefly Eng. regional, Irish English, and U.S. regional, except in a power of good (colloq.).
{dag}11. In biblical translations and allusions: a woman's head-covering. Obs.
[Translating ancient Greek {elenis}{xi}{omicron}{upsilon}{sigma}{giacu}{alpha} (in the phrase {elenis}{xi}{omicron}{upsilon}{sigma}{giacu}{alpha}{nu} {elenisacu}{chi}{epsilon}{iota}{nu} {elenis}{pi}{gigrave} {tau}{ghfrown}{fsigma} {kappa}{epsilon}{phi}{alpha}{lambda}{ghfrown}{fsigma}), classical Latin potest{amac}s power (in the Vulgate in the phrase potestatem habere supra caput), used in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 11:10) to mean (perhaps) a veil as a symbol of female majesty or dignity.]
The first Wycliffite version reads a veyle on hir heed; the second reads an hilyng on hir heed. The Revised Version(1881) reads ‘a sign of authority on (margin authority over) her head’.
III. Scientific uses.
12. {dag}a. Geom. The square constructed on a given line as side. Obs.
{dag}b. Geom. in power [originally translating ancient Greek {delta}{upsilon}{nu}{gaacu}{mu}{epsilon}{iota} (Euclid)]: with regard to the squares of magnitudes of lines being compared, as distinguished from the magnitudes themselves. commensurable (also incommensurable) in power: (of two magnitudes) having commensurable (or incommensurable) squares. equal in power (also of equal power): (of a magnitude) having a square equal to the sum of the squares of two or more other magnitudes. Obs.
c. Math. A quantity obtained by multiplying a given quantity by itself one or more times, the number of times the given quantity appears as a factor of the resulting product being indicated as the exponent of that quantity (thus 23 represents 2 × 2 × 2); (in later use) also generalized to fractional and negative exponents (see note below). Also: an exponent. Freq. with a preceding ordinal number (as (to) the third power) or a following cardinal number (as (to) the power five, (to) the power of five). Also fig. (cf. to the nth (degree, power) at NTH adj. 2).
The first power of a given quantity is the quantity itself; the second power is the square, or product of the quantity multiplied by itself once; the third power is the cube, or product of the square multiplied by the given quantity.
Powers in which the exponent is negative, or not an integer, are defined so that the equations (xy)z = xyz, xyxz = xy+z are satisfied; any power in which the exponent is zero is defined as equal to unity. E.g. 4{half} is the square root of 4, i.e. 2, since 4 = 41 = (4{half})2 = 22; 3-2 = , since 1 = 30 = 32 × 3-2 = 9 × .
d. Math. power of a point n. (with regard to a circle or sphere) the square of the distance from a given point to the point of contact of a tangent drawn from it so as to touch the circle or sphere; (equivalently) the product of the distances from the given point to the two points at which a chord drawn from it cuts the circle or sphere.
13. Mech. In full mechanical power, {dag}mathematical power, {dag}mechanic power, {dag}power mechanic. Any of several simple contrivances by which force may be applied in a convenient way, commonly reckoned as the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, wedge, inclined plane, and screw; = MACHINE n. 7. Now hist.
14. Optics.
a. The capacity of a lens or combination of lenses for increasing the apparent size of an object; = magnifying power n. at MAGNIFYING n. Compounds. Also: a magnifying lens.
b. = refractive power n. at REFRACTIVE adj. Special uses; spec. the reciprocal of the focal length of a lens.
15. a. Any form or source of energy or force available for application to work, or applied to produce motion, heat, or pressure; spec. (a) mechanical force applied to overcome a resisting force such as weight or friction; (b) mechanical or electrical energy as distinguished from manual effort.
atomic, nuclear, solar power: see the first element. See also MOTIVE POWER n.
In quot. 17281: the force of gravity.
b. A supply of energy, esp. a public supply of electricity (often viewed as a commodity); (also) electricity as used for purposes other than lighting; heat, motion, etc., obtained using an electricity supply.
16. a. Capacity for exerting mechanical force or doing work; (Physics) the rate at which work is done or energy is produced; the rate at which energy is converted from one form into another. Also fig.
E.g. the power at any instant of a force acting on a moving body is equal to the product of the force and the velocity of the body in the direction of the force; the power of a d.c. electrical circuit is equal to the product of the potential difference across the circuit and the current flowing through it.
b. U.S. slang. Engines or machines collectively. Also: an individual machine.
17. Math. The property of a set that is the same for any two sets whose elements can be placed in a one-to-one correspondence (in the case of a finite set, equal to the number of elements it contains); = POTENCY n. 6, CARDINALITY n. 2.
18. Statistics. The probability of a statistical test rejecting a null hypothesis that is false, i.e. of giving the correct result.
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RMG Entry: 3/25/10: I overheard a few friends discussing super heroes and the powers that each possessed. They discussed the different powers of each and how one power trumped the power of another. Specifically I heard them talking about Superman and Flash and debating who possessed the greatest speed and therefore the ability to beat the other in a race.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis: In this simple exchange, the whole notion of the word power, as it pertains to one’s abilities, is situated around the colonial idea of dominance over another. There is no attempt to decolonize how power is looked at; the discussion simply indicated a common interest in understanding how power shifts forms (in this case, changes according to the specific abilities of each super hero) to continue to control the actions of others.
RMG Entry: 3/25/10: “Yet these communitarian impulses endemic in American reform…rarely actively and persistently engaged the multiple sources of power that created inequality and persistent discrimination…”
ReplyDelete(Sanchez, “Crossing Figueroa: The Tangled Web of Diversity and Democracy,” Foreseeable Futures #4, p. 19)
Analysis: In this passage, Sanchez invites an understanding of power as a detrimental force. By doing this, the use of the term “power” is taken from its colonial references of dominance as a tool to rise above another, decolonizing the notion of power from a positivistic sense of simply making one the best in an area, by directly addressing the detrimental effects of the colonial use of the notion of power. In this sense, Sanchez notes that power needs to be rethought and maneuvered to restructure and eliminate the inequality and discrimination that is bred from colonial uses of power.
TRACY 03/26/10
ReplyDeleteAffirmative Action and Prop 209. To start off my first entry, I just wanted to talk about a documentary I watched the other day for the bridges intern class. (I will find out the title and repost this). Although I'm sure the term "power" itself was used throughout the video, I want to go straight into talk about the concept of power and its implications with Prop 209. As I was watching the historical context of affirmative action and its opponents, I was disgusted at the pure discrimination and ignorance. How scary is it when the upper class, white, and privileged elites have the power to control access to public institutions? The moment a white person felt threatened or "reversely discriminated," the campaign against affirmative action went into full throttle. It's amazing to see how many accessible resources they were able to utilize to pass Prop 209. And let's not forget the bill writer Ward Connerly who is actually part black himself. It's amazing to see how power can corrupt and deceive.
03/25/10 via Google
ReplyDelete"Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups"
This was my first attempt to google the word "power." I found the above quote in some forum discussing something about the government. This quote is actually very powerful as I fundamentally addresses the revolutionary factor of power in numbers. Whether the members are made up of ignorant or radical individuals, there is power in all large groups. This is why a revolution (a real revolution) needs mobilization in large numbers. And if the movement gets caught onto the wrong people, the message can be drastically skewed, sabotaging all our hard work. However, another interesting point is that power in numbers is not always necessarily needed. For example, whenever the elite, upperclass people want something, they make it happen with just a few phone calls here and there. Privilege.
03/25/2010 via NYTIMES
ReplyDeletehttp://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/solar-power-up-your-iphone/?scp=4&sq=power&st=cse
To me, the iPhone has been an icon of consumerism. But now as it has partnered up with SOLAR POWER, I can only image its increase in future sales. Not only does it sound environmentally friendly, but it also keeps your phone on 24/7. Which means more texting, more emailing, more applications, more digitized lifestyles. Having your life solar POWERED is a form of colonization in itself. Just the fact that the sun will be able to control your life through an electronic device sounds like a self-form of oppression.
"the iPhone version is $80, while the iPod Touch model is on sale for $53. Both are available in either black or white, with other colors to come." And course it is yet another expensive accessory inaccessible to underprivileged, low income consumers. So does the power literally on lay in the hands of the rich and elite?
This quote emerged from my first attempt of googling the word “power.”
ReplyDeletehttp://thinkexist.com/quotations/power/
“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.” - Lao Tzu
This quote heavily reflects conversations we have had in this class surrounding the idea of self-acknowledgment. Gloria Anzaldua first comes to my mind. She felt it was important to not only recognize the intersecting aspects of our identity, but to accept them. I think one of her poem powerfully captures this idea of self-acknowledgment: “I am a wind-swayed bridge, a crossroads inhabited by whirlwinds. . .straddling walls between abysses. . .What am I?. . .They would chop me up into little fragments and tag each piece with a label. . .Who, me, confused? Ambivalent? Not so. Only your labels split me” (18). In other words, Anzaldua finds power in the evasion of binary categories and static labeling. She refuses to be stuck on a bridge between identities, or within one of her many identities. Rather, she feels that individuals should have the power to travel from bridge to bridge that connects all identities within a human being. Thus, she believes the power is in the very ambivalence that others hope to rid her of.
This quote also emerged from my attempt of googling the word “power.” This quote has also always been one of my favorite quotes of all time.
ReplyDeletehttp://thinkexist.com/quotations/power/
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”- Jimi Hendrix
I am going to quote Anzaldua again here, because her words are just so applicable to this quote as well. She not only feels the need to recognize our intersecting identities, rather than attempting to ignore them…she also claims that we need to learn to love them. Then after learning to love ourselves, we can learn to reconstruct society as a whole through the powerful tool of love. This idea of mastering the self before mastering society can be seen as reflected in Anzaldua’s poem El Mundo Surdo (the Left Handed World). Anzaldua writes, “The day of I am is now. I discard the wings and claws I wear to disguise my humanness. . .One will prepare the way. Love is the doctrine. . .Give it up, give up that hatred of yourself, rise up, reach. Come to me my sister-brother. We will share the moment” (37). Thus she capitalizes upon the idea of self-love, love for others, but also the power this love has to bring together marginalized people to begin a kind of decolonization of thought and a decolonization of being, to quote Mignolo. By this, Mignolo believed the decoloniality of being meant recognizing the reality that beings that are different, are not somehow less or inferior in any way. In addition, the decoloniality of knowledge recognizes other epistemic perspectives, not just European ones. In other words, Mignolo felt we need to delink from the hegemony of Western thought and from the Renaissance and the Enlightenment to the postmodern and postcolonial society (324)- and I quite agree.
“Slavery and ‘Jim Crow’ segregation institutionalized possessive identification with whiteness visibly and openly, but an elaborate interaction of largely covert public and private decisions during and after the days of slavery and segregation also produced a powerful legacy with enduring effects on the racialization of experience, opportunities and rewards in the United States” (Lipsitz 202).
ReplyDeleteThis quote comes from George Lipsitz’s book The Possessive Investment in Whiteness.
I think the chapter I read from this book was so powerful, because not only did it discuss the power relations that found their birth in slavery and became even stronger during the Jim Crow Era, but this book also focuses upon the power found within white privilege, that so many white individuals do not even realize they have. Thus, the power of white privilege is found within its invisibility. Lipsitz claims, “as the unmarked category against which difference is constructed, whiteness never has to speak its name, never has to acknowledge its role as an organizing principle in social and cultural relations” (201). The effects of slavery and arguably of white privilege are not just in the past, but rather, are very much a part of the present. Therefore, I believe that white individuals, myself included, need to at least recognize that we benefit from white privilege every time we are not followed in department stores, when we are not “randomly searched” at the airport, when we have equal access to a good education, housing and the job market. And although I do not believe that white individuals should necessarily denounce their white privilege or their race, I agree with Lipsitz who believes that “those of us who are ‘white’ can only become part of the solution if we recognize the degree to which we are already part of the problem- not because of our race, but because of our possessive investment in it” (211).
Queer activist groups such as Queer Nation have become visible sites of politics which are “meant to be confrontational- opposed to gay assimilationists and straight oppressors while inclusive of people who have been marginalized by anyone in power” (188).
ReplyDeleteThis quote emerges from the keyword article regarding the word “queer,” written by Siobhan B. Somerville.
Such queer political groups have not achieved this inclusive nature, but they have sought to dislodge homophobic ideologies in the American society. Essentially then, this quote describes the battle against power held by heterosexual individuals who serve to marginalize individuals that claim to be a part of the queer community. In other words, queer communities constantly have to battle against the power of heternormativity- what Somerville describes as “a term that refers to ‘the institutions, structures of understanding, and practical orientations that make heterosexuality seem not only coherent- that is, organized as a sexuality- but also privileged’” (189). Furthermore, Somerville continues on to claim that heteronormativity is a “form of power that exerts its effects on both gay and straight individuals, often through unspoken practices and institutional structures” (190). Thus, this idea of heternormativy, namely the privileges that heterosexual individuals gain in a heterosexual society very much echoes the privileges felt by white individuals in a very white oriented society.
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has already made the history books, and now she’s written a new chapter in wielding power.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote was found in the article called “Pelosi Notches a Win for History” found in the Sacramento Bee, dated Mon, March 22, 2010.
This article describes the power that Pelosi has wielded in order to rally for the new health care bill to pass. This power has proved to be incredibly strong with the passing of the $940 billion health care bill, which passed Sunday night. The article continues on to state that Pelosi “has flexed all her muscles and developed some new ones in rallying a narrow Democratic majority against unanimous Republican opposition. Thus, in a slightly different vein from my other posts, this article brilliantly highlights the use of political power in the hands of Nancy Pelosi in order to get a new and progressive health care bill passed- in an attempt to equalize the access that all individuals will now have to health care.
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ReplyDeleteRMG Entry: 3/27/10: This entry came out of thinking about power in relationship to Chandan Reddy’s keyword “modern”.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.apple.com/ipad/ipad-video/
Analysis: I recently heard about Apple’s iPad tablet and thought about the power that the apple company wields in the area of technology. With its new invention, Apple has the power to control a market (quite literally) by creating a product of unmatched comparison, control peoples’ perceptions of what they should own to be “up to date” and “modern”, and consequently, what their lives should be like in a “modern” society. In today’s world, if you do not own an iPod, or god forbid a computer or a television, you are seen as backwards and way behind the times; Reddy comments that the this idea of being “backwards” is considered a mark of older or declining civilizations frozen in earlier moment in human history (keywords, 161). Thus, the rubric of modernity that is created by society is what makes it possible (and justifiable) to classify whole societies, peoples, and art forms as primitive, degenerate or modern (Keywords, 161). In this way, modernity is an extremely powerful subject where this “power” is linked to technology as well as modernity and progress.
RMG Entry: 3/27/10: This entry is a result of googling the phrase “10 most powerful”
ReplyDeleteThe Ten Most Powerful Families in History:
http://listverse.com/2009/02/14/top-10-most-powerful-families-in-history/
Analysis: I found this chronicle of families to be an extremely interesting addition to the process of thinking about power. Some of the common threads between the ten families selected are great business achievements, development and rule of culture and political systems, many were emperors, dynasties, investors, and they all are of great wealth and standing. Essentially, they all wielded power over large groups of people and influence in multiple social and political sectors of life. Also, the majority of them are white. These commonalities among these “most powerful families” are very telling about how society has historically thought about who deserves to be in positions of power.
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ReplyDeleteRMG Entry: 3/27/10: This entry also is a result of googling the phrase “10 most powerful”
ReplyDeleteForbes Most Powerful.
1. U.S. President Obama
2. China President Hu Jintao
3. Russian President Vladimir Putin
4. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke
5. Google founders Sergey Brin & Larry Page
6. Telmex chief executive Carlos Slim Helú
7. News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch
8. Wal-Mart chief executive Michael T. Duke
9. Saudi King Abdullah bin Adbul Aziz al Saud
10. Microsoft founder Bill Gates
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2009/11/12/2009-11-12_obama_tops_forbes_most_powerful_list_but_the_pope_fails_to_make_the_cut.html
The article states: “President Obama is the most powerful person in the world, at least according to Forbes magazine.”
Analysis: We might expect that Obama would be an obvious choice for the most powerful person in the United States (he is the leader of our country; he was able to unite millions of people under his presidential campaign, etcetera). But I have to question what makes him the most influential in the world? The article evaluated their selections using a “four-part formula to rank the world's most powerful, considering the number of people a person influences, their ability to project power, control or access to wealth and how actively a person wields their power.” I find it fascinating that with all of the options for how someone could qualify as powerful, (for example: Obama’s ability to inspire goodwill among millions), it boils down to influence, ability, wealth, and how actively power is wielded. I think that in some oppressive sense, power will always be linked to access and control, where those who are not in the same positions of power or those in opposition to those who are, will be forced to struggle against the accepted hegemonic framework of societal power.
“He explains: ‘I experience reality as a system of power…everything imposes on me its system of being. The world is full, plenitude is its sytem, as a final offense this system is presented as a ‘nature’ with which I must sustain good relations in order to be ‘normal’…’”
ReplyDelete(Sandoval, Chela. Methodology of the Oppressed. Pg 142)
Analysis: Sandoval was quoting Barthes and his understanding of reality, identity and love. He views himself as oppressed by those in power. He views every component as being imposed on him even though those things he is suppose to enjoy. It made me wonder about the reality of enjoyment of actions we engage versus the satisfaction attributed to them by society. Many people may state that the action is enjoyable in order to appear normal when in reality they do not find it that enjoyable. Barthes is able to view the power relation embedded within his daily actions.
After I googled the word power, I came across this image of the Power Rangers:
ReplyDeletewww.coloring.es/.../power-ranger-84.php
Analysis: The image of the Power Ranger is for children to color the rangers’ suits. Like many superheroes the Power Rangers only gained or were able to display their power when they had their special suits on. Without their uniform they were normal civilians with no special distinctions. This is true for many authoritative figures such as police officers, and firemen. The power they exude is primarily linked to their clothing and not the individual.
After I searched power in the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper website, I came across a link to this article:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/27/thailand-protesters-try-to-oust-army-from-streets/
Analysis: The article describes the success of Thailand protesters to force the army from the streets of Bangkok. The protesters are aiming to overthrow the government and eliminate military suppression. After the soldiers left a protest leader, Weng Tojirakarn stated: "What has happened is a testament to the power of the people.” The protest leader attributed the success to the unity of people. People possess more power as a collective rather than an individual. They were able to succeed in removing the military as a collective striding for change.
I encountered a news article on Lamar Odom improvements as a player in Los Angeles Lakers in the Los Angeles Times after I searched power.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-web-20100329,0,1484133.story
“Odom is starting at power forward while Pau Gasol has moved over to the starting center spot.”
Analysis: The word power is used in the article as part of the title of the position Odom plays in the Lakers. The power forward plays offensively with their back to the basket and positions themselves under the basket when they are on defense. The article focuses on Odom’s improvements defensively and in his free throw shooting. The author glorifies Odom’s success in spite of his shoulder injury. The article focuses on the physical power attributed to this particular athlete. The media continues to focus on physical power possessed by men. Female athletes are not given the same amount of media attention as male athletes. This is reflective the larger patriarchal society. The image of physical power is shaped by the media.
I continued by search of the word power in the Los Angeles Times and came across an article titled “Shadow of drug war falls over rural Texas, apparently following Mexicans who fled violence.”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-drug-war-border-schools,0,1991765.story?page=2
“...have been relatively serene. Schools in metropolitan border areas like El Paso and San Diego have their own police forces, backed up by local law enforcement, as well as counselors on hand to help students. Impoverished towns including Fort Hancock...”
The search of power resulted in a article which used the word forces. The search for power resulted with a synonym.
Analysis: In the article, Weber discusses the impacts of drug war violence on children living in the small town of Hancock as it borders with Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. Many of the children and their family have been victims of the drug wars some are directly involved but others are not. Teachers and staff have to council student who have just witness very violent acts such as their father getting murdered. Some of the school buses have been followed and suspicious men have entered the school gymnasium causing a sentiment of unsafe. Hancock does not possess the resources that other border cities due in order to combat with such events. The school district does not possess the power to help its students cope with these harsh occurrences in their life. The effects of derailed power by drug wars in Mexico have a great significant impact on the American side of the border especially on border cities. The powerlessness is felt by the students and staff of Fort Hancock.
"The competition between the Jesuit missionary priests and the mamelucos in Rio Real, in Arari, and in the nearby sertao revelas much about the influence of go-betweens. There was a complicated interplay between persuasion and violence. Deep in the sertao, the power of the go-between rested solely on his ability to persuade, whereas violence was a tool used more commonly in the nearby sertao." pg 255
ReplyDelete- Go-betweens and the Colonization of Brazil by Alida C. Metcalf.
Analysis: In this book there is a whole chapter called Power which focuses on the colonization of Brazil. In this chapter they focus on the power of mixed race people called mamelucos who are able to cross cultural boundaries and work for the benefits of either the Portugese colonists, of the native Brazilian people. They also focus on the Jesuits' role in the penetration and setllement of native peoples within a colonial frame and they focus on the violent approach of the colonists to subdue the native populations. It was interesting that the author claims the road to power was either persuasion or violence - kinf od like assimilation or denunciation today.
Goods, Power, History: Latin America's Material Culture by Arnold J, Baurer.
ReplyDeletePg 242 of the Index "power. See colonialism"
Analysis: I was going to look for the term power in the book. When I turned to the index and looked for power, the book told me to search under colonialism, transforming them into synonyms. Under colonialism in the index there are the subcategories of clothing, Columbus, construction, food, forced purchases, independent trade, and liberalim. Not only that but colonialism in the index also told me to see "civilization" which then led me to modernization. So the index had me follow this trail: power- colonialsim - civilization - modernization
Power by The Temptations
ReplyDeleteMy hands are clean, my heart is so pure
The world is sick, I am the cure
I don't want no money, or golden gifts
Give me your mind and souls to lift
Put your faith and trust in me
I'll move your marchers watch and see
All you poor, all you needy
All you're doing, is giving to the greedy
All you poor, all you needy
All you're doing, is giving to the greedy
Get off your knees, belive in me, I'll set you free
All I need is a little
Power
Power
Power
Power
I have for you, a master plan, (tell it)
I'll lead you to the promised land
I'll give you peace (peace)
Top40db.com
Top40db.net
Top40db.org.
I'll give you pride (pride)
I'll save you from the suicide
I'm your hope
One salvation
One man united nation
All you poor, all you needy
All you're doing, is giving to the greedy
All you poor, all you needy
All you're doing, is giving to the greedy
Tell me your fears, I'll be your friend, I won't don't you in
All I need is a little
Power
Power
Power
Power
I'll make you all, the master race
Just put me in my guarded place
We must work down on our feet
In the lands fields of oil and in the lands of wheat
Power
More
Power
I want it
Power
More
Power
One thing I must make, perfectly clear
Power
Nuclear weapons, all men fear
Power
Their hands sweat, their fingers itch
Power
I'm the only one you can trust with the switch
Power
Give it to me
Power
Power
Power
Power
Power
Give it to me
Power
More
Power
Give it to me
Power
More
Power
I need It
Power
Got to have it
Power
I must have it
Power
More
Power
Give it to me
Power
More
Power
Give it to me
Power
More
Power
More
Power
More
POWER!
Anaylsis: This song addresses the greed for power and the subjugation of people based on race. It also addresses how through their work, the poor fuel the power of the rich and enable them. This concept goes can be related to the neocolonial psychic condition addressed by Jameson in The methodology of the Oppressed.
Power 106 - Southern Caliornia's hip hop stations
ReplyDelete"POWER 106 – Where Hip Hop Lives
Power 106, (105.9 Los Angeles) is a cultural icon in Southern California.
Big Boy in the Morning is syndicated in 43 markets nationwide. Power 106 is the nation's premiere hip-hop music outlet.
Power 106 strives to serve Southern California and its listeners."
- at the bottome of power106.com
Analysis: I googled power and I saw the station. It states it is the "premiere hip-hop music outlet." Hip-hop is normally associated with minorities and in calling the station "power" I think it refers to the power of the common people - of the majority (minorities), the energization of their music or the power of their music.
The police are extorting you (money!)
ReplyDeletebut they live of what you are paying
and if they treat you like a criminal (thief!)
is not your fault, give it thanks to the regent.
We have to uproot the problem,
and changing the government of our country,
to the people who is in the bureaucracy,
those people who likes the crumbs.
I therefore complain and complain,
because here is where I live I'm not a fool anymore
who does not watch the government positions,
there are people who are getting richer.
People who live in poverty,
nobody does anything because no one cares it.
The people up there hate you,
there are more people who want to drop their heads.
If you give more power to power,
harder they're coming to fuck you.
Because we were a world power
we are poor they mishandle us.
Chorus:
Give me give me give me give me all the power
to fuck you.
Gimme gimme gimme gimme all the power
so I can come around to fuck you.(2x)
Give me it, Give me it, Give me it, Give me it, all the power
Give me it, Give me it, Give me it, Give me it, all the power
(Yes it is faggot, fuck you faggot dumbass)
Because we were not born where there is not to eat,
we do not have to ask ourselves, how can we do?
If they drawn us as sluggish,
we are not VIVA MEXICO CABRONES
Let’s feel the Mexican power!
Let’s fell it! All together as brothers,
because we are more, we pull more together.
Why are we following a bunch of assholes?
Who lead us where it suits them
and it is our sweat what support them
which it keeps them eating hotcakes
that bread is the bread of our people.
Chorus (4x)
The people united will never be defeated,
El Tito y el Huidos, will never be defeated
From: http://lyricstranslate.com From: http://lyricstranslate.com
Anaylsis: Its better in spanish. They address the real power of the people and their subjugation by those in power. They also address how the poor ultimately give more power to the elite - another refernce to Jameson's neocolonial psychic condition of a postmodern subjectivity. Specifically talking about Mexico they are talking about the lack of food because of the government and how they are lead by the government and they fuel the government through their sweat. Its intersting to see the power held within the proletariat but also their suppression.
In this article titled “Power Tools,” the author attempts to illuminate us on the relevance of "power functions" which is commonly known as exponential functions. The author explains that a “mathematician needs functions for the same reason that a builder needs hammers and drills. Tools transform things…but instead of wood or steel, functions pound away on numbers and shapes and, sometimes, even on other functions.” In this sense, the value of a power function is derived from its ability to “transform” and shape those in contact with it, whether it is numbers, shapes, or even other functions. This mathematical tool illuminates an important quality about power and those who wields it: whenever two groups/entities meet and interact (i.e. contact zones), the group/entity with “power” is often the one that has the ability to transform, mutate and “pound away” at the essential, defining qualities of other group/entity. This ability to transform the other group is critical to maintain power for the dominant group because it establishes an asymmetric relation—one of dominance and subordination—legitimized by the dominant group’s ability to shape and control the subjugated group. For example, the creation of the "model immigrant" is an effort of transform and reprogram people of color who have migrated to this country to conform to an ideal modeled after the dominant middle-class, White Protestant population.
ReplyDeletehttp://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/power-tools/
ReplyDeleteLink to "Power Tool" article mentioned previously.
http://congress.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/03/27/words-have-power/
ReplyDeleteIn this article, “Words Have Power,” the author quotes Nancy Pelosi’s statement that, “Words have power, they weigh a ton,” to emphasize the seriousness of the current frenzy and chains of threats directed at politicians of both parties surrounding the health care debate. From threatening emails to coffins sent to the home of a congressman, tensions are escalating on both the Left and the Right and Democratic and Republican representatives are fanning the flames, egging on their supporters and publicizing their questionable reports of victimization. The debate has “devolved the spin and propaganda to an unprecedented state,” to the point where “nearly every fact is shaded.” The author urges the public to take heed of Pelosi’s warning that, “We have to take responsibility for words that are said.” Words are real in that they have real, sometimes irreversible consequences consequences. Like a bullet, even if you do not see the actual flying bullet, you can definitely witness its impact manifested in its wounded/dead target. In this sense, power is often invisible and intangible, disguised in various forms (words, institutions, laws, the imaginary, etc.), but they are real in the ways we feel their impact and consequences.
http://theithacan.org/am/publish/newsupdate/201002_Girl_Power_makes_a_comeback.shtml
ReplyDeleteThe author titles this piece, “Girl Power Makes a Comeback,” to describe the success of this year’s annual Valentine’s Day production of Eve Ensler’s popular play “The Vagina Monologues.” In the article, the author describes various performances at the Monologue and reflects that “some monologues were light and humorous while reflecting larger social issues,” but the conclusion of “The Vagina Monologues” ended on “a more somber note, depicting the countless women raped by soldiers everyday in the Congo,” so that “while one may still giggle at the word ‘vagina,’ one cannot help feeling more apt to stand up for women’s rights in the future.”
In this article, “power” is used to ascribe a sense of unity based on a common denominator – in this case the global struggle to end violence against women. Power can promote cohesion, as in “girl power,” but in restricting its membership to a particular subset of the population, power can thus simultaneously exclude and create borders. In this way, this type of power often functions through the silences of others. Thus, it is important to engage in critical inquiries into centers of activities that utilize power as a unifying tool.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aon-takes-home-more-risk--insurance-magazine-power-broker-awards-than-any-other-broker-84789032.html
ReplyDeleteThis piece is advertising the Aon Company as top notch in the risk and insurance industry because they are currently employed with the most brokers who were recipients of the “Power Broker” award. The outstanding qualities that set these brokers aside from the rest, making them deserving of the title “Power Brokers,” include their ability to “do whatever it takes” for their customers and their reported ability to “know their customers sometimes better than customers know themselves.”
Here, power is applied to a selected group of elite individuals who claims to dedicate 110% of their efforts into their work and has the ability to know their customers better than they know themselves. In this sense, “power” is legitimized and assigned to the group that not only has the skills, resources and knowledge, but who also knows what’s “best” for the other people, thereby they are doing these other people a favor by leaving them better off than they would have been without their assistance and management. This same line of reasoning has often been used by dominant powers to legitimate their “power” and control over the subjugated population, claiming not only intellectual, economic and biological dominance, but also their grace in helping these poor, wretched souls become more “civilized” and “modern” under their supervision and management.
http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/02/19/power-in-numbers/?test=latestnews
ReplyDeleteThe focus of the talk revolved around the concept of “power in numbers” at the Conference of the United Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) in Chicago. Based on the newest Latino demographics and voting facts from the 2010 Almanac of Latino, which Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) has named “La Biblia of Latino politics," the governor enthusiastically discussed how Latino voter turnout could hold substantial sway for the 2010 political landscape. "We think that with a coalition of progressive Whites throughout the South and African Americans together with Latinos and Asians, that we can begin to change the politics of that region,” said Dr. Juan Andrade, Jr. President USHLI.
Although the position of dominance in various contact zones throughout history has not been exclusively reserved for the group with the majority population (i.e. apartheid South Africa), “power in numbers” have often been exercised as a strategy for forging unity in order to reach specific goals, attain certain benefits and privileges, and establishing a form of authority supported by the threat of violence and numerical supremacy. This conventional knowledge about the value of “power in numbers” makes it a commonly used tool, not only for the dominant group to maintain control, but also by minority populations as a basis for coalition building for their movements of resistance.
04/05/10
ReplyDeletehttp://www.powermag.com/business/A-Primer-on-Optimizing-Fleet-Operations_2575.html
This is an article from a "Power Magazine," which is about business and technology for the global generation industry.
It states "If your utility, company, municipality, cooperative, or government agency owns or operates one or more power generating units, then it has a fleet operating in a market." All i have to say is, I have no idea what it is talking about. I pulled this from its "business" section, and I assume all of these terms refer to economic topics of capitalism/corporatism. This language used here in the context of power indicates that power is a source of energy or supply. The magazine itself seems to be dedicated to progressive energy renewable and sustainable sources. While I appreciate its motives, it is entirely inaccessible to uneducated communities-- those that need to know this information the most. It ends up only reaching the educated elite.
"Two Power Producers Set Pact to Merge"
ReplyDeletehttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304168004575178183383060158.html
I found this article in the Wall Street Journal, which basically discusses the merger between two powerful companies: Mirant Corp and RRI Energy Inc.
This article claims that the "Mirant-RRI merger is the second major power-sector deal announced this year." The article continues on to state that "the all-stock deal, which would produce a combined entity with a market value of around $3.1 billion, wouldn't give shareholders of either company much of a premium for their shares." Thus, this merger represents a powerful merge of two already powerful companies.
If anyone has an interest in the merging of powerful companies, or power in the hands of corporations, this article may be of interest to you.
"Va. Offers Fresh Lesson In History's Power To Sting"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125710673
This article was found on npr.org and concerns the place that history has in the present. The article begs the thought-provoking question: "Why do events that happened decades ago still have the power to trigger fierce reactions?"
The article claims that "Many historians suggest that debates about the past are central to the formation of national identity — to a nation's sense of itself. The stories a nation chooses to remember are a way of determining its values." Recently, historians seem to argue that what binds people together is a shared experience of the past, and not necessarily race, ethnicity or culture. Put in another way, some individuals believe that in constructing history, a nation also serves to construct it's national identity.
This article also demonstrates examples of current arguments that have occurred over past occurrences, that have resurfaced in the present. This article is quite interesting.
"The Power of Oprah"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailybestarticles.com/the-power-of-oprah/
This article came from Daily Best Articles.
This article essentially highlights Oprah Winfrey’s "enduring hold on the levers of power, which was very publicly evident during the rise of Barack Obama, and persists despite her recent announcement that she intends to retire from her chat show next year." In other words, this article describes the power that many celebrities hold in their hands and thus hold over the heads of others.
This article can be applied more broadly to the power that media has over its audience.
RMG Entry: 4/11/10: Disney Villains: Ursula from the Little Mermaid and Facilier (a.k.a. the Shadow Man) from Princess and the Frog
ReplyDeleteAnalysis: Looking at each of these villains, I noticed that they share many similarities in the representation of and the way that they assert their power; namely, they exploit the insecurities of people. To make my analysis more concrete I looked at the lyrics from each Ursula and Faciler’s “theme song”.
The Little Mermaid-“Poor Unfortunate Souls”
URSULA
The only way to get what you want is to become a human yourself.
ARIEL
Can you do that?
URSULA
My dear, sweet child. That's what I do. It's what I live for.
To help unfortunate merfolk like yourself.
Poor souls with no one else to turn to. I admit that in the past I've been a nasty
They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch
But you'll find that nowadays
I've mended all my ways
Repented, seen the light, and made a switch
To this
And I fortunately know a little magic
It's a talent that I always have possessed
And dear lady, please don't laugh
I use it on behalf
Of the miserable, the lonely, and depressed (pathetic)
Princess and the Frog-“Friends on the Other Side”
Facilier:
Don't you disrespect me little man!
Don't you derogate or deride!
You're in my world now
Not your world
And I got friends on the other side!
Sit down at my table
Put your minds at ease
If you relax it will enable me to do anything I please
I can read your future
I can change it 'round some, too
I'll look deep into your heart and soul
(you do have a soul, don't you, Lawrence?)
Make your wildest dreams come true!
I got voodoo
I got hoodoo
I got things I ain't even tried!
And I got friends on the other side.
Each set of lyrics continue on in similar form, going through the villain’s supposed philosophies; to help those who are unfortunate, “miserable, the lonely, and depressed” and to “look deep into your heart and soul and make your wildest dreams come true”. These examples hark in on the rhetoric of colonization—the myth that all of the people WANT to be helped and need to be assisted by someone who can save them from whatever backwards or miserable state they seem to be found in. However, similar to colonization projects, in both cases receiving any type of aid from these characters does not come without dire consequences. In Disney form, they use dark magic—whereas their colonial counterparts use their “superior” intelligence and civilization—to “assist,” “civilize,” and assert power over the people that they come into contact with
"Shadow Elite: Warrantless Wiretap Case & Obama: Abuse of Executive Power?"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/janine-r-wedel/emshadow-eliteem-warrantl_b_529769.html
This article was taken from the Huffington Post.
In sum, this interesting article is mainly about: "the troubling implications of a steady increase in executive power around the world." This article essentially traces the path over time of "expanding executive power in the U.S., and look at whether President Obama's defense strategy in the warrantless wiretapping case was a case of overreach."
This article also begs the question: "If an administration is at liberty to invoke the state secrets privilege to prevent litigation from moving forward, thus eliminating independent judicial review, could not the administration use the privilege to conceal violations of statutes, treaties, and the Constitution? What check would exist for illegal actions by the executive branch?"
This article certainly serves as some food for thought.
"American Debt Threatens Status as World Power"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/08/eveningnews/main6377088.shtml?tag=currentVideoInfo;videoMetaInfo
This article was taken from CBS news.
This article quotes: "America's prosperity and power dominated much of the 20th century. But, asCBS News Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Lara Logan reports, the world has changed." In other words, this article highlights the reality that for quite a while, America as reigned as arguably the most powerful nation in the world. Yet, this article argues that American is no longer the sole power towering over all other nations in the post-Cold War era. Not only is America losing some of its power, but simultaneously, other nations are gaining more power. This is in large part due to the fact that the nation's debt is the largest in history.
This article argues that the solution is "to accept that many nations now have a seat at the table and can influence world outcomes."
RMG Entry: 4/11/10: I saw this image of John Carlos and Tommie Smith holding up their fists (the sign of black power) during the national anthem at the 1968 Olympic Games in New Mexico City after taking 1st and 2nd in the 200 on a shirt today.
ReplyDeletehttp://epistemysics.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/black-power-salute-jpg.jpeg
Analysis: I began to think of how signs become symbols and how those signs become more powerful as they acquire meaning and as they are employed in specific contexts. I found this article:
http://www.wisdomsdoor.com/rc4/hrc4-20.shtml
in which the author states that “symbols are very powerful and can be extremely useful tools in the creation of your world. The Ancients understood the power of symbols and used them extensively…Naturally, the use of a symbol on an object for a particular task does not in itself bring about these conditions; consciousness must do that…In this way, symbols are like road maps, leading the individual toward a desired goal…However the main governing factor for how well a particular symbol will work lies in its use over time. You see! The more a symbol gets used for a particular thing, the clearer the energy pathway will be. This increasing effectiveness through use explains why certain symbols were carefully handed down from father to son and from generation to generation. Each passing generation, utilizing the same symbol, built up a clearer energy pathway and the results derived, from that symbol, increased.”
Essentially, the ideas expressed above relate the power of symbols to the consciousness, thought and awareness that back them. Additionally, the usefulness and the power of symbols is linked to the progressive repetition and context under which the symbol is used.
RMG Entry: 4/11/10: Having a conversation about the power dynamics in a restaurant.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis: A friend started talking to me about the shifting power dynamics that emerge when dining at a restaurant. He and I discussed how when you walk in you hold the power because you are paying for the service and food. However, at the same time, the power is shifted to the people running the restaurant, as they have control over the menu, whether to serve you, the speed at which you are served and even (to a large extent) how your food is cooked. Then there are also dominant power structures that are in place (coming from society) in terms of the expectations of behavior, dress, etc in certain types of restaurants that can then be maintained and enforced by restaurant owners, managers, and employees. Then the power is shifted once again to the diner in that they have the choice of whether to go to that restaurant again. This example, clearly demonstrates the fluid quality of power.
RMG Entry: 4/11/10: Money, Power and Respect— The Lox ft. Lil Kim & DMX
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZBQU2GLbiA
Lil Kim opens the song stating (edited for language):
See I believe in money, power and respect
First you the money
Then you get the power
And after you get the power
You get the people to respect you
Analysis: This song links the concept of power and the possession of it with the possession of money. Then the artists assert that the power that comes from money leads to the acquisition of respect (which I would agree is a fairly common way to think about the power that money brings). I also believe that Lil Kim’s presence in the song and her agreement with this notion of power structures serves to refute the hegemonic ideas that power (money and respect) are held in the hands of only men.
RMG Entry: “Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsV2O4fCgjk (2:10)
Analysis: This excerpt, in the context of President Obama’s speech, recontextualizes the idea that power structures are exclusively hierarchical; meaning that there are few that hold power and control a majority below them. In many ways, this idea of millions uniting to create an unstoppable power flips that power structure upside down and the majority at the bottom of the hierarchy becomes the force that controls the actions of the powerful elite. Thus, power is stripped of its being an exclusive property. In addition, the way in which multiple people’s voices are juxtaposed over Obama’s furthers this idea that the power is not exclusive (even to the person who asserts it). Also the statement that “voices are calling” deconstructs the idea that power is manifested from either violence or domination, and can instead come from desire and hope.
KMyles. “Racism vs. Race-ism: The Changing Language of Race in America.” Wachita
ReplyDeleteNAACP Blog, 22 Apr. 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2010.
In this blog, the author enages in a discussion on the “power of words.” The blogger comments on “how the assimilation of a given word, phrase, or slogan has the power to construct, modify, or retard mental imagery and ideas.” In this way, words can be wielded as a weapon in this “war of ideas,” and although this weapon does not take a tangible form, it becomes visible through its consequences. The blogger argues that the modern tragedy of contemporary society is that the word race “has become such a polarizing subject that at its very mention, it causes us to reflexively retreat to our ideological battle positions, thereby preventing us from truly listening to each other.” By wielding words as a weapon for our own cause, we can only see words of the opposing camp as weapons that threaten us, thereby eliminating the potentially transformative act of listening. The blogger emphasizes on the importance of critical analysis and societal introspection because productive, sustainable change is “only achieved by those who are willing to look honestly and critically at where we stand, looking hopefully and optimistically at where we must go, and working passionately and deliberately to get us there.”
This blog is particularly of value because it reminds us that words, like “diversity,”
“social justice,” and “equality,” are sites of contestation and is constantly shifting and changing under different social contexts. This means that these keywords can be a space of innovative and active resistance, but it can also become a counter-productive site in the war of ideas.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/08/eveningnews/main6377088.shtml
ReplyDeleteThis article titled, “American Debt Threatens Status as World Power,” questions whether the U.S. can still remain as the world’s “greatest power” while simultaneously being the world’s greatest borrower. As the national debt soars to a new record high of over $12 trillion, economists and politicians alike are concerned because they all recognize that debt threatens dominance. The author states that the problem for America is that “its greatness has always been rooted in its economic dominance,” and the only solution it to “accept that many nations now have a seat at the table and can influence world outcomes.”
Here, we see the relationship power and economics. The access to and possession of assets, resources and other sources of wealth is an important determinant of who holds power in any given arena. Money doesn’t always equal power, but even if economic dominance is not sufficient to secure power, it is often a necessary component that legitimizes authority. Hence, becoming a debtor country not only dampens economic prowess, but also delegitimizes American capitalist system as it no longer guarantees stable economic growth. In this sense, economic power is linked with political power, and a disturbance in one can destabilize the other.
“Knowledge is Power -and- Education is Liberation”-Anonymous
ReplyDeleteIs the status of one of my friends on Facebook. “For also knowledge itself is power” was originally stated by Francis Bacon in Meditationes Sacrae (1597). The phrase “knowledge is power” has become extremely popular and can be found in many classrooms. Knowledge as power has come to signify the opportunities and influence one can receive by gaining an education. When one gains knowledge one has the information about different situations and can take those into account when making different decisions. An education also provides the opportunity to move up the socioeconomic ladder.
This quote reminded by “Of the Coming of John” in The Souls of Black Folk. The story revolves around the story of John Jones, a black male, who leaves town in order to obtain an education. When John returns he is no longer the same person that left. He gains knowledge about the inequalities he faces and becomes angry. He becomes the teacher at the Negro School in his town but is fired because he was teaching about the French Revolution and equality. John was considered dangerous because he was spreading knowledge and they wanted blacks to remain in the workforce. Knowledge is power in the sense that it gives you the opportunity to move up from the working class.
“President Hu warns Chinese officials against temptations of beautiful women, power” was published in the Los Angeles Times on April 7, 2010. In a speech during a campaign on examining and improving the development of the Communist Party, President Hu cautioned officials to be aware of the temptations of money, power and beautiful women. “China has targeted graft in the past with campaigns warning officials to stay away from hostess bars and not to take mistresses, which can run up costs and lead to an abuse of power.” The government has struggled against corruption by high level officials which has threatened social stability. A campaign which educated officials on maintaining stability and implementing services was implemented.
ReplyDeletePower is described as a force that can be abused by governmental officials. High level officials might be tempted by money, power and women. Women are described as a temptation due to their sexual appeal which might lead to higher cost and abuse of power. Women are described as the founder of a chain of negative things. A warning is being given to the possibility of the abuse of power by high profile officials due to the harm it causes it the image and stability of the government.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125710673&ps=cprs
ReplyDeleteThis article, titled “Virginia Offers Fresh Lesson in History’s Power to Sting,” discusses the heavy onslaught of criticisms directed at Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell for his declaration of April as “Confederate History Month” and then refusing to apologize for the atrocities and oppression of the slavery system, but also omitting slavery altogether from Confederate history because it wasn’t “significant” enough to be mentioned. The author argues that the reason why Gov. McDonnell's failure to recognize slavery was such a sore point is because “old wounds still sting.”
“The fact that slavery was a historic evil is now a settled fact,” the author states,
“Denial or even lack of acknowledgment of crimes that are considered central to
an understanding of the past causes ongoing pain, and even the sense that a fresh
crime is being committed.”
Hence, according to this argument, history matters because of its “power to sting,” its central role in the formation of national identity. The “power of history” is predicated upon its discursive nature. History as a discourse, as “the stories a nation chooses to remember” and record, is powerful because it is a means of determining the nation’s values—who can be forgotten, marginalized, omitted and written out of history and who gets to be remembered, honored, studied and leave a legacy.
“No man dares sit on this Nigerian throne: In Kumbwada, a curse has assured that only women will reign, locals say. And so far, the current queen pronounces, it has worked out better this way” published in the Los Angeles Times was published on April 6, 2010. In the Islamic north women are banned from ruling except in the kingdom of Kumbwada. Any man who attempts to rule becomes ill. The last man who attempted to overthrown the queen was the father of the current ruler. He became ill after he voiced his desire to succeed his mother as a ruler. He did not die but he never returned to the kingdom. Women generally hold a secondary role in Islam nations. They attribute the quick death or illness of male rulers in Kumbwada as a curse caused by black magic. The current queen is proud to be a women and a ruler she states “My only handicap is that I don't have a Western education, because in my time, people didn't educate their daughters. I'm not educated in the modern way, but in the traditional way, I have wisdom in my dealings with people. I'm proud to say that it would be hard to find someone educated who could rule as well as I can". She does not tolerate domestic abuse and women being treated as slaves. She urges women to get educated and hopes to live to see a Nigerian woman president.
ReplyDeleteIt is very impressive to know that a woman is a ruler of Kumbwada yet sad that her power is said to be due to a curse and not her hard work. She seems to be a great ruler yet her ability to do so is simply admitted because of a so-called curse of black magic. A woman in power is rare and accomplishment is being dismissed as a ruling by some source of higher power.
(entry #5) 04/12/10
ReplyDeleteGoogle'd: Power lyrics
I was pleasantly surprised that the first set of lyrics that came up for this google search was Power to the People, by John Lennon. While the Beatles represent a very revolutionary era, they were still an all white man band trying to sing to the "hippies" about fighting for their rights. In all instances and events that include such a main stream demographic, it definitely means there also exists a group that was silenced and excluded from the situation. For example, during the Vietnam War protests, many of these activists and revolutionaries fought for ending the war in Vietnam. But from a Vietnamese perspective (talking to my mom), she has helped me see the other side of the picture: American withdrawal essentially made her country fall into communism. Although I am not informed enough to fully agree or disagree... it is nonetheless a case where the oppressed people lose their agency and voice in a space that is dominated by an elite class where they can afford the social medium to express their problems. Meanwhile, 3rd world struggles are hardly ever recognized through song and creative expressions. So while John Lennon praises power to the people, I choose to recognize the individuals' power to fight, facing all these injustices, discrimination, and oppression.
“Karl Rove appears in new ad urging residents to fill out 2010 census forms” is an article in the Los Angeles Times discussing the importance of filling out the 2010 census. Karl Rove urged citizens to fill out the census in a public service announcement. He used to be a political adviser for former President George W. Bush. Dorothy Height was the president of the National Council of Negro Women and leading voice during the 1960s. She stated "You have the power to benefit your community for the next 10 years. You have the right to be counted," Height says in the ad. "It is your civic duty. Don't let anybody or anything stop you." People have until mid-April to return the 2010 census.
ReplyDeletePower is being attributed to being counted by the government. Many people had difference opinions of whether to fill out the census or not due to the specific classification of different race categories and obliqueness in which is information will be used. Those in power can use this information in order to help or hard certain communities. The power of helping your community by identifying yourself in the census is not guaranteed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/nyregion/07sharpe.html?src=mv
ReplyDeleteThe article “From a Seat of Power to One on Greyhound” talks about former mayor of Newark Sharpe James’s bus ride home from his 27 month sentence for fraud. Convicted in 2008, Mr. James was found guilty on federal charges stemming from the sale of city properties to a former companion for a fraction of their cost. When asked why he chose to ride the Greyhound instead being comfortably driven back in his personal limousine, James explained that he is like everyone else now. He explained that success once brought him power and influence, but “one must remember the Monkey Theory: the higher you climb in life, the more you are exposed.”
This is an interesting footnote on power that is not often discussed: with greater power and success comes greater vulnerability and unwanted attention. Power requires management, control and maintenance—it can only function if the power is legitimized rather through coercion, economic dominance, ideology or all of the above.
“Power entails both privilege and responsibility; it entails both freedom and restriction. That is why reversals are an essential part of redefining power; both dominant and subordinate have to learn the other side of the mirror in order to build consciously a new social arrangement that is more democratic in nature than what we have experienced so far” (Hurtado, 32).
ReplyDeleteThe Color of Privilege: Three Blasphemies on Race and Feminism by Aida Hurtado
Hurtado analysis the dominant feminist movement and how it was representative of the struggle of white woman. The concerns of women of color were not addressed or acknowledge by the dominant feminist movement. Hurtado describes power as a privilege and responsibility in order to understand others. Power can oppress some while it liberates others yet an understanding is needed in order for change to be obtained.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_173170.asp
ReplyDeleteThe article “The Power of Yet” discusses the author’s theory in the power of “yet” in reference to the Masters Golf tournament. The author believes that “yet” is “one of the strongest words in the English language” and gives the example that golfers who embrace the word “yet” can always avoid the word “can’t.” In this case he was referring to Phil Mickelson’s comeback at the 13th hole when his nervous tee shot wound up in the trees, but he replaced doubts of “I can’t hit a good shot” with “I didn’t hit a good shot yet” and ended up not only hitting it out of the trees but the ball scant four feet from the pin. The author describes this moment as the manifestation of the power of yet, the essence of the beauty of golf – each hole gives a player the chance to start over so it’s never over “yet.”
In this article, the author not only gives an example of the power of words, particularly the power of “yet,” but also illuminates on the power of something that defies a conclusion, an end, a concrete and definite future. Keywords is powerful in this sense; it is dynamic, constantly in transition, never complete. This fluidity and ambiguity presents a potentially transformative space for innovative and active resistance and rearticulation.
Tracy
ReplyDeleteEntry #6 (04/12/10)
urbandictionary.com: "power"
This website is known for providing definition for terms in the context of an urban culture. Because it allows anyone to post and define any term, a lot of the posts are actually very humorous and outrageous. The definition results are ranked by popularity--determined by the way other users vote. So when I typed in "power," I scrolled down to the most interesting definition.
Post #6: Urban street slang for the narcotic cocaine.
The use of power to define the effects of a drug represents an induced consumption to obtain the feeling/representation of power. It goes to show that power can be an addiction-- both substantively and mentally. Drugs then becomes form of colonization as it controls the body and makes one dependent on the consumption of it.
Entry #7 (04/13/10)
ReplyDeleteVIA ask.com: http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_power.html
From white presidents to black feminists, to western philosophers, this website provides a very wide range of power quotes that essentially all say very different things about the term power. Through these quotes, there evokes a sense of empowerment and motivation, just as many quotes serve to do. A quote that stood out to me was Jimi Hendrix's:
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." In this quote, power is used very ..powerfully (for a lack of a better word) to mean two different things. The power of love can be interpreted to manifest through passion, strength, change, determination, drive, etc. The love over power is almost like an antithesis that contributes to the idea of greed, corruption, and domination. For such power to exist in absence of another power is such a paradoxical concept, all the while making all the sense in the world. The end of the quote really grounds the two different powers by stating that the simultaneous moment of that moment will bring peace.
Entry #8 (04/13/10)
ReplyDeleteVIA amazon.com: "power"
http://www.amazon.com/Laws-Power-Joost-Elffers-Production/dp/1861972784/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271193660&sr=8-1
The first thing that popped up on amazon.com was a book titled "The 48 Laws of Power." The description of the book outlines itself as a guide to maintaining power just as the "great figures from the past who have wielded - or been victimised by - power" in the last 300 years. Looking at the reviews, it seems like this book is popular among many business leaders and politicians. One reader recommended it as a tool to understand how the people at the "top" work. This just reinforces the normative idea that the power always lies among the people from the top-- that control is only possible if you climb the ladder/hierarchy.
Entry #9 (04/13/10)
ReplyDeleteVIA theonion.com: http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-angerpowered-cars-may-revolutionize-the-way-we,1118/
The article titled "New Angerpowered Cars May Revolutionize the Way We Drive" is a satirical comment on the way our auto industry is progressing. With energy-efficient cars becoming the next big thing, the article pokes fun at the "revolutionary" ideas we keep on claiming these cars to be. In actuality, such vehicle are very inaccessible to everyone because they costs so much to purchase. I think the author of this article also used "anger" as a source of power to comment on how society has become very impersonal and routine. Everyone's always in a rush-- angry and grumpy all the time. Thus, "anger" as a source represented the unlimited supply to fuel the cars. Power, used in this context, fulfills the purpose of verb. It allows us to imagine something abstract (anger), being used from something concrete such as electric cars. Thus, "power" becomes very important in giving importance and concreteness to just about any concept we choose to. For example, power of love or recycled power.
Entry #10 (04/13/10)
ReplyDeletevia foodnetwork.com :http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/peach-power-up-recipe/index.html
Rachael Ray's Peach Power Up recipe sounds like a delicious choice after a long, hard day simple because of the term "power." When we're eating food, particularly healthy, fresh foods, "power" is always a goal to obtain. It sells itself for athletes, older people, men, and on-the-go business folks. The idea of food being powerful gives a sense of confidence and boost in energy for everyone to perform their daily tasks. But in reality, the Rachel Ray's recipe is super simple without any such power enhancements: peaches, oranges, and ginger? Perhaps the face that it is natural ingredients make the "power" aspect even more believable (also, vice versa). Power is able to dress up any dish as the more appealing choice. In a society where we're always trying to be skinny and fit a certain body image, the power drink will seem like it will serve as a dietary choice as well.