Final Thoughts on%u2026

Final Thoughts on…


The other day I was talking to some buddies of mine about this comedy show I’d watched. It was “The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour”, a social comedy group made of four comedians of Middle Eastern descent. I was telling them how hilarious it was when one of my friends, he’d just arrived, spoke up saying, “I don’t care about those people… We're just minding our own business over here and they’re dragging us down into their shit…”,  “Tell that to Halliburton,” I retorted, “Tell that to Dick Cheney , I don’t think they were just minding their own business.” He shrugged and nodded his head, “I feel you,” he said in acknowledgment of what I was suggesting. That we are not here in an isolated world all of our own, living locally and thinking locally.

I agree that my examples where quick and a bit clich'e, but at least they where true. I was merely trying to make a point about the very real repercussions such a mind set create of detachment from our past can have. It's flat out dangerous when 'patriots' forget, or don't care to learn about our nations history. It's very complicated, difficult, fantastic yet controversial history. That is my narritave in the floating world, I take responsibility for educating, discussing, and debating our global history in an effort to make a difference.

Over the past five months I've been participating in a multi cultural literature class at California State University Chico. The over-riding theme of the course has been the exploration of authors who are English voices of the world. Our first novel, Kazuo Ishiguro's An Artist of the Floating World, revolved around accepting and healing from the consequences of war. Another of our novels, Jasmin by Bharati Mukherjee, is the tale of womens journey through life. From a village girl in India to an immigrant widow, to a woman of substance. Both of these stories dealt in the realm of the global mind. The "floating world" if you will, a realm for those of the migrant world. Whether it's in just in the mind or in the flesh too, citizens of the floating world have no choice but to come to terms with the global aspect of their existence. The characters, as well as the authors who created them must and have come to understand their personal narratives and how they have morphed through time and even space. "It is only when we learn how to stand outside ourselves... that we come to realize the extent to which our choices are compromised... by values... adopted by ourselves and by the communities to which we belong". (Burton 131)

Mukerjee and Ishiguro have made an ethical decision to be ambassadors for the understanding of the world from  a frame of conscientious thinking and accountable practices. They are subaltern voices who have gained a foothold on the beaches of mass media for the non-western world. They have both immigrant and national perspectives. It is their articulation of the feelings of the global citizen that they bring. Reading their literature forces one to feel locally while thinking globally. Through their words I better interpreted the human experience.

I gave my buddy a call the other day and went over to his house to watch a movie. I brought with me a copy of "The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour," he gave me a hard time at first. Five minutes later he was crack'n up on the couch, doubled over in laughter. These men are also ambassadors of the floating world, bridging gaps in our society. Examples of what we must do if our world is to continue to exist as it is.  They are speaking locally and thinking globally. This is the crucial point, the key to "living with both roots and wings." (Burton 132) Using the "model of doubling and "one-in-the-other." (Burton 125) framing as globalization continues to permeate all cultures. Instead of ignoring "those" people or reducing another's humanity by disassociation. It is important of embrace the floating world and maintain locally while we think globally.

It is, in fact the continued globalization of our world’s cultures that is not only forcing the issue but is an inspiration for the this evolution of thought. Historically our nation has had an isolationist mentality. Even in the age of a “shrinking world” Americans are more comfortable thinking of themselves as the say all end all. Watch any National or Cable news network on American TV and just try and get a world news report. There are three categories of “world news” that’s reported over here: If the President, or some other high ranking official is in a foreign country, if there’s been some kind of devastating natural disaster, or where ever we are at war. Those are the only international stories you can guarantee to be broadcast.

I find this trend extremely disturbing and detrimental to our nations growth and credibility. If our President’s not their, if we’re not bombing you, or if nature’s not destroying you, we don’t care… What is that?! This is the reason people can say that we where just here minding our own business. With the spread of international corporations and global food trade practices that our nation has spear-headed going on every where around us, many of which involving unethical practices that the average American would deplore should they be going on in their own backyard, but yet have continued for a hundred years, how can anyone still say that we were minding our own business. It is our business and you can’t even hear about it in our nightly news.  As Ishiguro writes from the perspective of his character Ono, “Indeed… I am now quite prepared to accept the validity of such an opinion,” (p123) so must we begin to come to terms with the validity of a global opinion regarding some who wave our flag and pound their fists to chests as corruptors and mongers.

How do we shed the wool from our eyes, how to we leave the binary concept of “loves us or get out” and instead begin to come to terms with the cultural improvements that must evolve in our nation if we are to maintain our freedoms and truly spread freedom in this world. Ishiguro and Mukherjee would seem to suggest that a change must begin with an acceptance of our weaknesses. In Mukherjee’s, Jasmine, the heroin experiences many phase changes and mental shifts as she grows through life, all are proceeded with an epiphany or realization of her weaknesses and acceptance of them allow her to overcome them. Ishiguro’s character Ono cannot shed his hidden shame of World War II until he accepts his own insignificance. His personal mindset changes from one of “I must fix this because I’m responsible” to one of “I must accept myself and allow change to occur.”

Just as the characters Jasmine and Ono evolve through life and years, our country and it’s views must, and will, evolve and grow. As globalization takes place the technological playing field begins to level out; economics, religion, capital and the Internet are bridging cultural gaps. Through this process, the youth of our nation is becoming increasingly apparent. Like a young twenty something fresh out of college wanting to change the world, our nation’s ideals have blundered and blindly stumbled over many around us. Citizens of the floating world would suggest that it’s time to grow up and take responsibility for our actions of the past and the present. The “love it or leave it” mentality, that has permeated our culture for far too long, is that of the playground, were best friends become enemies over unshared milk and cookies. The importance of leaving that mentality behind is crucial if we are to maintain a role of importance in this shrinking  world.