Re: Butterflies and life

From: Dorie Evensen (dhd2@psu.edu)
Date: Tue Apr 05 2005 - 04:18:31 PDT


Kevin - I agree (although I think Rodriguez' position is a bit more complex
- at least as it is represented through his video essays) - but his
seduction is interested in comparison to the situation of the students in
the example Yrjo offers (the Hoeg narrative) - both suggest a violence that
is implicit (or maybe it's explicit) in the process of development.
Dorie

At 05:36 PM 4/4/2005, you wrote:
>Dear Dorie, David, et al,
>
>Actually one of the striking things about Rodriguez's book, imho, is that
>it is a well-wrought chronicle of one who, though extremely articulate,
>ultimately seems to reflect a near perfect form of internalized
>oppression. While he recounts painful experiences of having his
>race/ethnicity/cultural values ripped apart or ripped away, rather than
>condemn the oppressor he, instead, chooses to embrace the notion that
>assimilation at the expense of family and cultural ties is "the way" and
>now reflects that viewpoint in his politics being often anti-bilingual
>education or anti-affirmative action, etc.
>
>Rather than critique the oppression itself; he seems to embrace it and
>lend his political voice to its work.
>
>In Peace,
>K.
>
>Dorie Evensen wrote:
>
>>David - The book is about the author's experience as a child of Mexican
>>immigrants educated in quite traditional Catholic schools in California
>>(1960s). It's the story of his "losing" his family and ethnicity as he
>>came to embrace the discourse of traditional (and mostly classic)
>>education. The book has undergone criticisms because of Rodriguez'
>>position against affirmative action - he was admitted to (now here is
>>where my memory fades), I think, Yale (I also think it was a graduate
>>program) under affirmative action protocols - his argument is that af.
>>ac. should not be for people like him. He winds up refusing the
>>position. Rodriguez works now for the Pacific News Service and does
>>occasional essays on the The News Hours (PBS). What remains with me
>>about the book is his vivid sense of loss coupled with a strong desire
>>for the new development he is so aware of having experienced.
>>Dorie
>>
>>
>>At 05:02 PM 4/4/2005, you wrote:
>>
>>>Dorie,
>>>Sorry for not knowing the person, but could you please say more about
>>>this book?
>>>David
>>>
>>>David Preiss
>>>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>-
>>>Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile: www.puc.cl
>>>PACE Center at Yale University: www.yale.edu/pace
>>>Homepage: http://pantheon.yale.edu/~ddp6/
>>>Phone: 56-2-3544605
>>>Fax: 56-2-354-4844
>>>E-mail: david.preiss@yale.edu, davidpreiss@puc.cl
>>>
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Dorie Evensen [mailto:dhd2@psu.edu]
>>>Sent: Monday, April 04, 2005 1:38 PM
>>>To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>>>Subject: Re: Butterflies and life
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>I wonder if people think that Richard Rodriguez' autobiography, Hunger
>>>of
>>>Memory, provides some insights into losses associated with development?
>>>Dorie
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>At 01:28 PM 4/4/2005, you wrote:
>>> >Well, those butterflies and some notion of an elsewhere or other that
>>> >is unfettered... Would that it were so. I am especially fond of the
>>> >Monarchs -- an endangered species precisely as they travel across
>>> >space. Actually, the butterflies - we could think of them as actants in
>>>
>>> >some species of ANT - part of the system and with no autonomous agency
>>> >-- feed along the way on milkweed, treated with pesticides as a
>>> >"noxious weed", as well as genetically-modified corn that produces a
>>> >protein toxic to the larvae of monarchs, and their habitat in their
>>> >wintering grounds in Mexico is being lost to devastating logging,
>>> >resulting in a huge drop in the population of Monarchs.
>>> >
>>> >And so here we have a kind of cautionary tale about the impacts of
>>> >"development" <science, construction, the economy> on forms of life and
>>>
>>> >living. The kinds of loss produced by "development" produces an
>>> >interesting line of inquiry.
>>> >
>>> >Mary
>>> >
>>> >On 4/3/05 7:48 PM, "Marie Judson" <mjudson@ucsd.edu> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > > It does relate to the topic, Kris, in the sense that
>>> > > the butterflies come across the border freely, unlike
>>> > > the humans.
>>> > >
>>> > > Marie
>>> > >
>>> > > --- Kris Gutierrez <gutierrez@gseis.ucla.edu> wrote:
>>> > >
>>> > >> THIS IS OFF TOPIC BUT IT CAN'T GO
>>> > >> UNNOTICED--SOMETHING CLOSE TO HOME
>>> > >> FOR THOSE OF US IN THE SOUTHWEST and hopefully
>>> > >> something else to
>>> > >> ponder: KRIS
>>> > >>
>>> > >> Soldados Mexicanos Muertos en Irak" (Xenophobes of
>>> > >> the Minutemen
>>> > >> Project want to play soldiers on the
>>> > >> Arizona-Mexico border, hunting
>>> > >> down "illegal aliens." Meanwhile, Mexicans are
>>> > >> dying in Iraq for the
>>> > >> US government) -- FULL TEXT:
>>> > >>
>>> > >
>>> <http://montages.blogspot.com/2005/04/soldados-mexicanos-muertos-en-> > >>
>>> > >> irak.html>
>>> > >> --
>>> > >>
>>> > >> Kris D. Gutierrez
>>> > >> Professor
>>> > >> GSE&IS
>>> > >> Moore Hall 1026
>>> > >> UCLA
>>> > >> Los Angeles, CA 9009501521
>>> > >> 310-825-7467
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>> > > Marie Judson
>>> > > Ph.D. Candidate
>>> > > Department of Communication
>>> > > UCSD, Mailcode 0503
>>> > > 858.643.9090
>>> > > mjudson@ucsd.edu
>>> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>> > >
>>
>>
>



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