Dear Well-Intentioned Allies at Eastern,

Thank you for accepting me somewhere I feel out of place. You come to me absolutely ecstatic to support the queer relationship I’m in. While I appreciate your enthusiasm, it can come across as alienating and objectifying. By excessively celebrating my queerness, you effectively treat me as a two-dimensional character instead of relating to me as the whole person I am.

Many of these encounters involve you communicating with me exclusively because I am in a same-sex relationship. Other parts of me seem unimportant compared to the rarity of my open sexuality on campus. Instead of approaching me as a valuable and individual person, I am related to as an idea; all conversation pointing to a fraction of my identity. My identity becomes Queer Person and leaves me feeling like an object to be celebrated, rather than a complex, multi-dimensional individual.

When you talk to me, much of our conversation is centered around how “cute,” “brave,” and “important” my existence as a queer person is. This constant barrage of shallow celebration leaves me feeling uncomfortable, different, and alienated rather than supported and accepted in my community.

Your support is appreciated on a campus where affirmation is hard to come by. However, I urge you to consider the way you relate to the queer people in your life. Are you supporting them as an individual person, or are you approaching them as no more than their sexual orientation?

I challenge you to reflect on your actions and relationships with the queer people in your life. Has your affection and support for diverse sexuality become more important than the person themself? Is your support being conveyed appropriately, or are you accidentally marginalizing the very people you are trying to encourage? I urge you to approach your relationships with queer people empathetically, instead of as an object to celebrate. While I am grateful for your support on this non-affirming campus, I hope these sentiments help you to relate more completely to the queer people in your life.

Sincerely,

A Fellow Human

In recent years the popularity of the sport ultimate frisbee, frequently referred to as ‘Ultimate’, has grown both nationally, and on the Eastern University campus. Internationally ultimate frisbee has been recognized as a sport, and will likely participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics. On campus, the Eastern Exiles enjoy this sport during weather-permitting fall semester weekdays.

Eastern Exile athlete and first-year student Caitlin Casey describes the sport to be enjoyable not only for its exciting and fast-paced atmosphere, but because of the relationship building necessary to Ultimate. The requires teamwork, decency and fairness from its players. Not only is Ultimate self-refereed by the players in the league, it is also one which uniquely requires team-building. In order for the team to succeed at Ultimate, communication and chemistry is vital. The players must be able to anticipate their teammates movements before they make them, and make up for whatever moves not interpreted ahead of time with quick communication.

Playing ultimate frisbee is a supportive and inclusive environment for Casey. She describes the dynamic of her team as familial, adding that they all have a place in the family: team ‘mom’, ‘dad’, ‘grandma’, etc.. It matters less whether the team wins or loses, but rather that they play well together and have fun.

Another fun part of Ultimate is the almost mandatory team cheers at tournament games and frequently before or after practice. Teams cheer at halftime, and at the conclusion of the game. Often, teams can be found making cheers based on rhymes about the other team’s name, or simply to encourage them and thank them for playing. These cheers sometimes involve a call and response; where one team makes up a cheer and the other team responds with a fun new cheer. This dynamic encourages teams to be gracious and fair to each other during and after the matches. Though sometimes the game can be intense and even rough, players are encouraged to have good sportsmanship with their fellow players.

For people interested in the sport of ultimate frisbee, the Eastern Exiles practice Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 on the AUX field behind Kea-Guffin dormitories. They participate in local tournaments, as well as campus-wide tournaments. On November 23rd, Eastern Exiles will be hosting the Freeze Your Socks Off tournament as a finale for the season. This event is open to all Eastern students, as well as the general public. Players will be placed on randomized teams to play against each other for an afternoon of fun.

For more information on the upcoming tournament or practices, email exiles@eastern.edu.

In this modern era, social media permeates all aspects of our political life and has resulted in a huge shift in politician-to-constituent communication. Today a voter doesn’t have to travel miles to stand at a rally for hours in order to hear their candidate speak. Instead, each morning many of us wake up and scroll through endless updates for the goings-on of political election candidates.

We have a virtually limitless mode of communication with fellow voters across the continent, and in the case of candidates with far-reaching messages, across the globe. At any moment a voter can access several different interpretations of a single sentence spoken by a candidate a decade ago.

This extensive rate of information and transparency has changed the game for political commentary and advertising, especially. Candidates are now forced to come face to face with choices they have made and speak in defense of their actions. We now see not only the manicured politician, but the two-dimensional, human person we are voting for.

In the case of political campaigning, however, it has become much easier to create a smear campaign against opponents. These challenges have prompted a number of conversations surrounding free speech and the ethics of targeted advertising.

Recently, Jack Dorsey, CEO of the social media platform Twitter, made the decision to ban political advertising on the platform, to come into effect on November 22. He cited the unfair advantage of candidates’ more financially capable of micro-targeting as one of several reasons for this ban. This action is in contrast to the several congressional hearings where Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, has been questioned about advertising ethics.

Zuckerberg has spent most of these hearings defending his company’s policy of not fact-checking ads as a right of free speech. However, as Facebook has grown from a platform for connecting with friends and family to a tool for social movement, many criticize the upholding of this policy. In the wake of several scandals including Cambridge Analytica and voter targeting in the Trump election, these criticisms have become more serious.

The new Twitter policy has brought into question not just the ethics of deceitful political ads, but political ads as a whole. With communication between constituent and politician being more prevalent now than ever, people follow the candidates they are interested in hearing from. However, specifically targeting political ads based on nuanced demographics is incredibly damaging to the otherwise curated feed a person views. These ads tend to look similar to a normal candidate social media post, and therefore it is easy to mistake fiction for fact.

This phenomena was most heavily observed during the 2016 presidential election, as many social media users were deceived by advertisements made by opposing candidate groups and PACs. With the buzz of the upcoming 2020 election beginning to permeate social media, many question how this change in political ad policy will affect this upcoming election.

Faith and Politics: 

This spring semester class is for students interested in social change.

Although Spring semester registration has come and gone, many students are left looking for classes to fulfill credit needs or major/minor requirements as classes are often in flux semester to semester. One of the most exciting classes offering itself to students this upcoming term is POLI-415 Faith and Politics. This class will be offered this upcoming spring as both an elective or major requirement depending on the student’s field of study.

This class is based primarily in discussion, as it pulls apart the nuances of faith applied to political theory in the modern day. The interaction between faith and politics is a fascinating one, and a class worth taking not only for political science majors, but for any student interested in social change and faith. Many pre-law, sociology, economics and social work students are encouraged to take this class as an elective due to its nature of conversation and debate. POLI-415 helps hone the practical and vitally necessary skill of productive conversation and communication, especially from a faith perspective. Additionally, it helps students to look at politics through the lense of faith, instead of as separate issues.

Much of the dialogue in this class surrounds hot-button foreign and domestic policy issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, education policy, abortion, homosexuality, capital punishment and public policies of economic redistribution. Applying traditional Catholic and Protestant thinkers to these modern issues makes for a very interesting class and conversation. The goal of this class is to better understand the interest of wealth and power as it interacts with faith in the realm of politics.

If you’re looking for an additional class to add to your Spring semester schedule, perhaps this class is the one for you. Professor Alexios Alexander’s analysis of the interaction of faith and politics in POLI-415 is an exciting, discussion-based class great for students interested in social change!

by Kay O’ Keefe

 

Writing for Publication:

Inside the class being co-taught by Professor Gidjunis and Professor Todd.

This spring the English department will be offering the course Writing for Publication. Writing for Publication is a writing course that specializes in helping students learn the ins and outs of the publishing world—including the more non-traditional routes. Students will learn how to craft cover letters and how to deal with rejection in all areas of publishing. According to Professor Rebecca Gidjunis, this course was designed specifically because she found that while the advanced writing courses Eastern offers help students hone their skills and passion, they don’t exactly provide any paths to publication. Thus, she and Professor Katrina Hayes put their brains together to develop this course for students who want to go further with their creative writing. Both of these professors have experience in the literary world and wanted to share that experience with their students.

This spring, Gidjunis is excited to ‘team’ teach with Professor Sarah Todd who brings to the table experience in novel publication.

“With my experience as a poet and managing editor of a poetry press and Professor Todd’s experience as a former bookseller and current fiction writer, students will learn a variety of revising, editing, networking, workshopping, social media postings, and submission techniques in regard to publication,” Gidjunis said of her expectations for the class this spring.

Students who want to pursue their creative writing talents in more concrete ways are encouraged to take the class.  The class will be offered this upcoming spring (2020) and the meeting times will be Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. Those interested in taking the class must have passed at least Creative Writing (or one of the other listed writing courses) before they can register for the class.

by Cait Wooten

 

Psychology of the Family:

Learn more about the class being co-taught by Dr. Turner and Dr. Stoppa.

Eastern offers a lot of diverse and interesting courses, but not many are co-taught by two professors. Fortunately, one class offered every spring is Psychology of the Family (PSYC 319), a course designed to introduce students to theories and practical approaches to working with families resolving issues affecting family systems. This course is taught by Drs.Turner and Stoppa, and one of their goals is to expand undergraduate students’ thinking about working with families.

“When people think about counseling, they typically think about the individual,” Dr.Turner said.

Many do not realize that when counseling a family, there are different approaches.. One of the main elements taught in the course is how to apply psychological theories to understanding and analyzing family issues. Students not only learn this through class discussions and reflective assignments,   but through watching videotaped family therapy sessions and thinking about what they are learning within the contexts of families in real-life.

In the beginning of the course, there are several activities to help students break out of the traditional thinking of what a family is and look at concepts with fresh eyes.

Next semester, the class will be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays. The class requires a grade of “C” or higher in PSY 100 and PSY 205, 206, or 207. Although the class is full for the upcoming spring semester, the class is offered every spring, so if you could not register for it this upcoming year, keep it in mind for the future. It is a class that will not fail to open you to new perspectives.

by Nicole Markert

 

Interpersonal Communication:

Inside this class where students sit in a circle in order to learn about the topics in-depth in a more personal setting.

Communication, which seems simple, is something we all participate in every day. What if there was a class offered that is geared towards improving your relationships, improving your communication and understanding the way others communicate? Luckily, such a class exists. Dr. Julie Morgan, a professor in the communication department (who is also the Interim Department Chair this semester), teaches the wonderful course. COMM 201 (Interpersonal Communication) will be offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11 a.m.

Why should you take this class? Well, for starters, it is a requirement for communication majors with an interpersonal concentration. For other students with communication majors and minors, the class counts as a communication elective.

“It’s one of those classes that will have an immediate impact on your life,” Dr.Morgan said when asked why students should take the class.

When taking the class, students take turns presenting different topics that are discussed in the course textbook. Rather than being lectured by Dr. Morgan, students sit in a circle and discuss the topic in depth. While this class is one that actually requires you reading to understand the concepts, these readings will change your life,  the way you look at your relationships and your communication style.

I took this class last spring, and I am happy to say it is a class that truly impacted my life. I find myself applying topics from this class on a daily basis. Due to the deep discussion-based style of the class, I have genuinely made some amazing and supportive friends in the class whom I would have never otherwise met. If you have some space in your schedule and want some positive change in your life, take interpersonal. I guarantee that you will love it.

by Lillie Allen

This past Friday, November 8 Julie Pennington-Russell of First Baptist Church of Washington D.C. spoke at Windows on the World. Julie, as well as being the Senior Pastor at her church, is a self-proclaimed feminist, Enneagram type three, and Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk fanatic. She has been featured on the television broadcast 30 Good Minutes, Day-1 Radio, and the Festival of Homiletics with her message of peace and grace for christians across denominational boundaries.

Pennington-Russell began her speech by speaking of her home town of Washington D.C.. Her home in the U.S. Capitol has historically been the birthplace of some of the most horrific slave trades in United States history. In recounting the first time she learned about the home of the largest slave trade, in the National Mall, Pennington-Russell described the horror and shame she felt upon learning this.

In addition to this, her church the First Baptist Church of Washington D.C. was founded by Reverend Obediah Brown; a prolific slave owner and trader. Brown’s portrait hangs on the wall outside her office, a constant reminder of the blindness which perverted early christianity and continues to scar the christian tradition to this day.

Her message compared this blindness to the blindness christians approach the separation of families at the border with today. Pennignton-Russell went on to explain that we approach politics and our understanding of people with binary: black or white, gay or straight, liberal or conservative. This binary results not only in the erasure of whole groups, but \ in a blindness to the diverse creativity of human nature. In approaching issues with a binary, instead of open hearts, we fail to proceed with the grace and love of Christ.

Pennington-Russell then explained three ways in which we can approach our fellow humans with the love of God, instead of with our own human ego, fear, and sense of self identity. First, we must be aware when we are operating solely through our Ego and sense of self. Instead, we as Christians are called to exist through our deepest identity in God. By approaching relationships and ideologies through God’s love, we are able to deny the pride and fear associated with getting stuck in our own perspective.

Second, Pennington-Russell recommends we pay attention to when we are operating solely in the rational and analytical mind. In the modern age it is easy to get caught in this mindset, instead of approaching each person as a unique individual, bringing with them experiences, perspectives, and understanding different than your own.

Her final and most important point was to notice when our velocity of movement exceeds our ability to be present in the moment. Pennington-Russell explains that cherishing and taking seriously peace and mindfulness allows us to walk through the world in love instead of fear.

When we become absorbed in our earthliness, we are subject to acting in our own self interest instead of God’s perfect intention for our lives. On our own we inadequate for dealing with God’s creation, and the complicated mystery, grace, suffering, sexuality, death, and love associated with humanity.

I the end of her speech, Pennignton-Russell urged her listeners to walk through life with a heart of contemplation. We must see as God sees: with eyes clear to the complicated mes of humanity.

We are called to see beneath the surface features and differences of people, and instead approach them with the love and grace of God. In the prophetic words of her son, “That’s the thing about love— it changes features”. When we see our life through the eyes of God, eyes filled with love, everything changes.

Mischief at the Mutter

by Kay O’Keeffe

The Mutter Museum will be holding its fifth annual Mischief at the Mutter night on October 31, from 6:30 p.m.  to 11:00 p.m. just in time to enjoy some creepy medical anomalies while the air is still static with Halloween energy. The event will include pop-up performances, collaborations with local artists, spooky snacks and a costume contest with prizes. Tickets to this event comes with late-night access to the museum and surprise performances throughout the night, promising a truly eerie experience for your enjoyment.

For people native to Philadelphia, the Mutter Museum brings fond and sickening memories of walking through tight halls of medical oddities, anatomical specimens, and chock full history of the most disturbing medical practices known to humankind. The Halloween season brings no relief from these gruesome yet fascinating exhibits. In fact, the infamous museum goes out of its way to make its viewers cringe during this spooky fall season.

If you’re wondering what to do Halloween evening in the spirit of spookiness, a trip into Center City for Mischief at the Mutter might be just the activity for exploratory and seasoned veterans of Philadelphia’s most sinister museum, alike. The Mutter Museum is also open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are several permanent displays of atrocities hosted throughout the building, as well as special exhibits each season for your viewing pleasure. The Mutter Museum offers a student and military discounts to those with ID, as well as a low-traffic rate for Mondays and Tuesdays.

Source: Muttermuseum.org

 

Lancaster County Farmers Market

by Cait Wooten

Fall is the time for fresh air, warm, drinks and cozy outings. This is why the Famer’s Market on Lancaster Avenue, a mere five minutes from school, is a perfect fall activity. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, in fact for the first semester I spent here at Eastern I didn’t even know it existed and I passed it weekly, but when you finally make it inside the place greets you with warmth, smiles and the welcoming smell of homemade Amish pretzels. The market itself offers a variety of produce and products. When you walk in, directly in front of you is a large fruit and vegetable section which is homegrown on various vendor’s farms. Throughout the rest of the space, there are vendor stalls for flowers, meats and cheeses.

Many of these stalls feature samples so before you make your choice, you can accurately decide which homemade product you would like to purchase. Some of the more ‘fun’ (not fruits and veggies or particularly healthy produce) items for purchase are various dips for your chips and an array of delectable pastries ranging from amazingly unique cupcakes to actual cakes, including adorable personal size cakes. No, not a cupcake, an actual personal sized cake.

Additionally, there are various stalls that sell ready to eat meals. I stopped for a sandwich, which included apples, goat cheese, walnuts, honey and turkey. If one is looking for a fuller meal, the market features a restaurant in the back corner that serves breakfast and lunch. Their breakfast menu features typical breakfast items and also a variety of crepes! One can even find sushi at one stall in the market. There truly is something for everyone.

Those who are not hungry can still enjoy the market as there are a few stalls that sell non-food products. From reusable market bags to pajamas, the products range in necessity and uniqueness. Lastly, on your way out, you can grab a handmade Amish pretzel and apple cider as a snack for the road. Lancaster County Farmers Market is a must for your fall activity list.

 

The Bates Motel

by Nicole Markert

In Glen Mills PA, there is a horror attraction that embodies the halloween spirit and mayhem we all crave during this time of year. The Bates Motel, which shows the darker side of Hollywood. This attraction is filled with special effects, soundtracks and special lighting. It is an experience that is up close and personal with actors who put their all into giving its visitors a scare. Dubbed as one of the best haunted houses in America by Fangoria and CNN Travel, it focuses on giving their customers a realistic and haunting experience. As you continue through the attraction that makes you feel like you stepped into another universe, you will see supernatural spirits, creaking floorboards and moving pictures. This is so terrifying that they do not recommend that children under 8 attend, as well as people with heart conditions.

The Bates Motel is not the only spooky event you can attend, but they also have a haunted hayride which includes over 75 actors and up to 25 scenes. It has been mentioned in various publications including USA Today and Hauntworld Magazine, listing it as number one. It is definitely worth the money, as the ride is 25 minutes, features a plethora of actors covered up in professional makeup with the assistance of props and digital FX. This year they are featuring the Headless Horseman, which they claim is a customer favorite. In addition to the Hayride, they also include a Corn maze, Zombie Laser Tag and Double Edge Ax Throwing (along with a professional coach to help you master the craft).

The pricing for the Bates Motel is $15, The Haunted Hayride is $20, The Corn maze is $15 and the combo special is $40. They also offer VIP passes starting at $75. Right now they are offering a 5 dollar off coupon on their website, and if you bring a student ID, they will give you a $10 student discount off of the combo special. It is a great deal, and an amazing way to get into the Halloween spirit!

Source: Thebatesmotel.com

A few weeks ago, the 2019 U.S. Open Finals were held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, Sept. 7 and 8. The finals featured Serena Williams versus Canada’s Bianca Andreescu for the women’s singles match and Rafael Nadal playing Russia’s Daniil Mendvedev. Both of these finals offered great record-breaking potential for Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal, and an exciting tennis season for fanatics everywhere.

Six-time U.S. Open Champion Serena Williams earned a silver medal, losing to Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu and 19-year-old rising star. This win was not just impressive in comparison to her accomplished competitor. Bianca Andreescu is the first Canadian to win a major singles title, as well as the first player to win the U.S. Open born in the 2000s. These firsts not only made history, but changed the game for Canadian and next generation tennis players.

Andreescu’s ascension to her No.5 ranking came with incredible speed: from barely making the U.S. Open qualifying rounds to her impressive win against Williams on Saturday. Andreescu’s rise has been so fast-paced that even Pam Shriver of ESPN is quoted saying, “I don’t think I’ve heard of you,” in an interview after the star won the semifinal round on Thursday. However, all eyes were on Andreescu by Saturday night when she won Grand Champion against Serena Williams. Many are excited to see where Andresscu’s career goes. As she is already so young and talented, there is lots of room for improvement and success in her fledgling career.

On the other side of the net, Serena Williams’ last win was at the 2017 Australian U.S. Open. This win finished her career’s biggest dry spell: prior to 2017, not winning any major titles since 2014. This is a significant fall after coming tantalizingly close to beating Australian tennis player Margaret Court’s Grand Slam Record. Serena Williams’ twenty-three grand Slam championship titles passes every other player in tennis history–man or woman–except for Margaret Court’s twenty-four Grand Slam titles in 1975. The 2019 U.S. Open championship offered Williams a chance to not only redeem herself, but meet Cort’s historic record. This would have been monumental for Williams, however it seems her ascension through the ranks as an international tennis sensation may be coming to a close. This upcoming year will be a good indicator for the trajectory of Williams’ career.

In the men’s singles match, Nadar came one step closer to beating Roger Federer’s twenty Grand Slam championship titles. His win against Daniil Mendvedev awarded him a 19th Grand Slam championship title, taking away what could have been 23-year-old Mendvedev’s first championship title.

Both of these matches left viewers on the edge of their seat as age-old sensations battled young, up-and-coming prodigies for record-breaking Grand Slam titles. Rafael Nadal’s win and Serena Williams’ loss made for a gut-wrenching couple of matches for the conclusion of the 2019 U.S. Open. It will be interesting to see how the two fair in upcoming matches, and where the careers of these young tennis sensations will go from here.

Sources: Time, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, New York Times

This past summer break brought a slew of changes for the Eastern University community in the form of abrupt staff cuts. Faculty changes are always challenging for both the students and remaining faculty, but in such a tight-knit community as Eastern the results are amplified. 

As with any major change in a community’s essence, the students and faculty alike were left reeling after such a substantial loss. Many were left wondering if faculty members left, were asked to leave, or were outright fired. What would happen to the faculty after such an abrupt loss of income? Who was asked to leave? Why had certain professors left and not others? 

With a complete void of communication, and a geographical separation natural to the summer break, students spent the summer piecing together the full extent of the loss. In addition to an already jarring change in the community, students were left guessing at what they would return to this Fall semester.  

Even now, months later, it is unclear what the full impact of these cuts were. With such a jarring loss, a statement from the university or an email of explanation was expected, and perhaps owed to the students and remaining faculty explaining the full extent of the cuts. Universities across the nation are reacting to financial issues, and as a result, banding together and strengthening their community ties during hardship. However, it seems our school did just the opposite. The students and faculty were met with silence, a void of information, and, consequently, a hindered healing process in the wake of shared hardship. 

Instead of taking the route of transparency, humility, and benevolence, it seems Eastern University has decided to meet this challenge with a very different mind-set. In choosing to make these staff cuts in a nontransparent manner, as well as continually over several years instead of all at once, Eastern has chosen the more harmful route to inflict a necessary damage.  

Lack of communication between an institution and its employees and students is unethical for a number of reasons. Eastern University has a commitment to its faculty and student body. This commitment is that of respect, honesty, and trust. By applying, financing, and attending this educational institution, we as students expect more than simply education in return, but rather meaningful community. This is not any way to treat a community of people dedicated to faith, reason and justice. 

Furthermore, it is largely agreed upon in ethics that harm should be committed quickly and all at once in order to minimize injury. When staff cuts are extended over a number of years, each professor lives and works in extended uncertainty. Instead of presenting one challenge for the community to heal from, it turns into a culture of fear and anxiety. This mind-set affects professors’ ability to teach, and teach well. 

It is understandable that during hardship, in order to preserve the university, challenging decisions must be made.  Whether letting go a large number of faculty and staff will ultimately help the university flourish is not my judgement to make. Instead, I question whether it was necessary to keep students in the dark as to the significant and largely implicating changes made in their own community. I hesitate to permit these actions as acceptable toward faculty members who continue to be a part of our community regardless of their employment status. 

If Eastern University is simply a vehicle by which we are to obtain a degree before continuing onto the next part of our life, then this lack of transparency is acceptable. However, I choose to believe that an education from Eastern University means more than that. Together, we as students, faculty, and board members embark on a journey of education, self-discovery, and flourishing into well-rounded humans. We partake in something beautiful: the pursuit of knowledge, and the training in better understanding faith, reason, and justice. The actions taken this summer did not reflect the pursuit of such lofty ideals. 

By becoming a part of the Eastern community we as students and faculty took a leap of faith and put our trust in an institution expecting to be treated with dignity and justice. If the goal of this institution is not building a loving, tight-knit community, then actions such as these are acceptable. However, with the ambition of faith, reason, and justice, we expect more from our university. 

A recent conversation revolving around intentional and accidental misinformation across social media and news platforms has arisen in light of the Amazonian forest fires. The conversation began with a tweet from Cristiano Ronaldo asking for prayers for the burning Amazon Rainforest, claiming it produces “more than 20% of the world’s oxygen and it’s been burning for the past 3 weeks.” Celebrities, ecologists, and Presidents across the G7 (seven largest economic countries in the world) lept at the opportunity to save “the world’s lungs.” While this seems like the enthusiastic response to climate change issues many people were looking for, its result was a hallmark for the quick spreading of misinformation. 

The first important thing to understand when approaching this issue, is the international consensus that the Amazon rainforest forest fires are not a result of climate change, but rather a contributor to it. Ecologists across the globe agree that these fires were deliberately lit. The firestarting was set by agricultural industry actors for the purpose of clearing brush for cattle grazing, crop growing and logging. In fact, the only person insisting the fires should be attributed to a natural phenomenon is the environmental minister of Brazil, Ricardo Salles. 

Ricardo Salles was named minister by the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right conservative notorious for weakening environmental protections and slashing the Brazillian environmental protection agency budget by 95%. Bolsonaro’s attacks on indigenous communities in favor of Brazillian industries were promised during his campaign for presidency, as he praised the U.S.’s efficiency in exterminating the existing natives. 

Bolsonaro has gone out of his way to revoke indigenous land and violate their rights in favor of agricultural lobbyists. To Victor Guillen, Eastern student and Venezuelan native, Bolsonaro’s actions hit close to home: “It would be like if you gentrified national parks. F**k the guy.” 

Growing awareness of the setting of the Amazon forest fires has sparked worldwide interest in saving this international treasure. However, it has also become a platform for online scamming and a spread of misinformation. This situation is particularly alarming as the misinformation spread to the level of world leader action. 

The seven strongest economic powers in the world held an emergency meeting to send funding to Brazil to “put out” the fires. While these funds were initially not accepted by President Bolsonaro, he later used the funds to send Brazilian military into the forest, furthering his anti-indigenous agenda. 

The Amazon rainforest does not need resources or prayers. It needs eff ective diplomacy. It needs pressure from the world’s leaders on Bolsonaro to change his environmental policies and constant attack on the indigenous people. Real change needs to be made and real pressure needs to be put on America’s leaders to reject placing economic gain over environmental and social effect within Brazil and across the world. 

This, however, is very easy to say as a student of Eastern University, four thousand miles away from the injustices happening to the Amazon rainforest. So what can we, as students of Eastern University do to help this international crisis? 

Donate to organizations which enact real change. In particular, The Rainforest Action Network purchases land with donations given and works with local indigenous-led organizations. Pressure local representatives and senators to reject legislation working with President Bolsonaro and which negatively impacts the environment in favor of economics. Eat less beef! This is a really easy way to “vote with your wallet,” in order to show you don’t support agriculture (particularly beef) in Amazonian territories without going vegetarian.

In a world obsessed with differences and division, it is tempting to believe that the art of politics has been lost or perhaps never even existed at all. It’s hard to remember a time when two politicians sat down to have a genuine conversation about peace, unity and fellowship in the community they were elected to represent. 

However, the disheartening reality of U.S. and international politics today does not take away from the true meaning and art behind politics. The purpose of politics is that of unity, fellowship, peace, protection, harmonious living and human flourishing. The challenge that faces us in the political sphere is an encompassing one. It revolves around the very identity we have endowed ourselves with and how we choose to live our lives in relation to the people around us. Politics attempts to find unity in the face of great division. We as Americans and humans are divided across cultural, educational, geographic, religious and ideological boundaries, which sometimes seem almost impossible to breach. The rift between identity has grown and swallowed our very understanding of human nature and innate rights. 

While this challenge is one well worth pursuing, it is by no means a science. Throughout time, philosophers have argued and came to very different conclusions about what is the solution to division. The true art of politics is the skill, commitment and passion for pursuing unity, truth and human dignity. This kind of artistry comes from years of learning and experiencing the world. It cannot be found in textbooks, decades of education or persistent debate. Instead, this art can only be mastered over time and patience devoted to true human flourishing and peaceably living in community. 

Mastering the art of politics does not come from a place of corruption, power or deceit. In fact, it cannot. There is no formula for resolving human conflict and no equation to determine the correct ratio needed for fellowship among people. No amount of convincing or conversing can establish the correct and moral way to govern a society. Instead, both the plight and salvation of the art of politics is its dependency on human connection. Politics does not, and cannot, be effective without looking past our own prerogatives in favor of pursuing harmony. It is an essential condition of human relation to approach people with empathy, grace and a recognition of undeniable humanity. In resolving conflict between people so vastly different, yet so fundamentally similar, there is no other way to approach a resolution than to recognize the uniquely complicated experiences and understanding of the world which informs each person’s politics. 

In order to master the art of politics, one must first master the unity, respect and love for humanity which is necessary to being a public servant. Without a devotion to these things, the chasm of division which separates our country and world cannot be resolved. It is up to us, civilians and politicians alike, to pursue these skills and master the art of unity in politics.

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