Language and Power

An Introduction to Istro-Romanian and Dying Languages This week, I will be talking about the Istro-Romanian (Vlashki) language and culture. Istro-Romanian is a language that is primarily spoken in the Istrian Peninsula of Croatia in the Balkans of Eastern Europe. This language is not very well-known and is considered to be a "dying language" or at least an endangered one. I will include the specifics of these topics in the video attached to this blog. References How I discovered Istro-Romanian Languages spoken in Croatia Demographics of Croatia History of Istro-Romanians More Istro-Romanian history Revitalization of Istro-Romanian Image of Croatia map made by Minestrone "Cross-Cultural Language" image made by Council of Europe Video of "The Sound of the Istro-Romanian language" by ILoveLanguages! Video of Istro-Romanian culture by pelasgianwarrior

Surveillance States and Power In the video I put into this blog, I discuss the surveillance state in China and how power is transmitted through this medium. Surveillance technology (as well as technology in general) is getting exceedingly advanced with each passing year. This advancement in tech can be used to either benefit or repress society with increasing ease/efficiency. This leads us to naturally think about how technology is used to influence our lives and whether the widespread use of the average person's data by companies and governments is ethical. In the following video, I go into further detail about this topic to stir ideas about power and how, as Foucault would describe it, power is "everywhere". Reference China - Surveillance State or Way of the Future? (2021)

Silence Surrounding Racial Discourse It is important to have racial discourse in society. With it, we can further progress discussions surrounding race and racism. However, there is a stagnation regarding racial discourse today. This stagnation of racial discourse is largely perpetrated by the silence around it and even the active effort of silencing such discussion. A process that I think can be equated to a form of "social policing". What Does "Silence" Mean? Silence refers to the normalization of "not talking about things" or "deeming certain topics taboo" through the absence of communication surrounding these topics (this includes discourse around race, for example).  Silencing refers to the active effort of reducing discourse/communication surrounding a certain topic. The silence/silencing around racial discourse is often present in schools as a way to avoid talking about racial dynamics and power structures in society as they relate to race

Sources Jobe, Jessica N. “Transgender Representation in the Media.” Encompass, 2013. https://encompass.eku.edu/honors_theses/132/.  Allen, Megan. “Processes of Racialization through Media Depictions of Transracial Violence.” Bridgewater State University, 2016. https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1371&context=undergrad_rev.

The Point of the Film (Photo created by the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office) "Tough Guise 2" is a film about violence and how it closely relates to masculinity as a concept. The film states that violence is primarily a men's issue and that American society is unable to properly view the issue of violence in America in that way. Scapegoats, Distractions, and Language Shifts The film mentions how media outlets look to blame violent video games, films, drugs, etc., as the primary cause of violence instead of masculinity. The film states that we generally fail to focus on men's issues in any meaningful way. Media outlets will oftentimes imply that violence is "genderless" as a means to prevent/distract people from examining violence as a men's issue. Or if the media does focus on a group, it is never explicitly white, heterosexual men. The media only involves race, for example, if a minority was involved in the violence it is covering. American men a

Michel Foucault: "Power is Everywhere" Michel Foucault talks about power as being something that is all-pervasive, something that is "everywhere". Power is not easily-seen, the strongest form of power is "normalizing power" as it is subtle and without actual violence but it uses the threat of violence to keep people "in check" so to say. This power seeks to label what is "normal" and what is not. It, very subtly, guides us in our daily lives to do go about doing things in certain ways (what clothes one wears, what music one listens to, what accent one speaks in, etc.).  "Normalizing power" is contrary to "repressive power" which is overt and violent. People, regardless of socioeconomic status, are subjected to normalizing power in one way or another. Power is also typically backed by science and ever-changing truths (the truth today is much different than the truth of 1955, for example). Generally, we have five major