#modernimperialism

[thetreasuredbelongingofaref-blog]

Notebook 3

Marcus Yu

12:00-12:50

America Martinez

Notebook 3

                For this ‘Zine although the Vietnam War is deeply involved with this object, the focus will remain on the object and the frameworks particularly involving this object rather than the frameworks that involve all of the Vietnam War.

              For the Mai Family and for many other refugees produced by the Vietnam War, the United States appears to be a savior for them, and for many Americans, the Vietnamese refugees appear to be a social burden when in reality these refugees are victims of exploitation colonialism. Sold upon the American Dream, these refugees flee their homelands and escape the devastation of exploitation colonialism to participate in settler colonialism.

              The relation between exploitation colonialism and settler colonialism is part of the disappearance of Indigenous Americans. By 1975 Indigenous Americans were viewed as mostly dead. In a more horrifying light, the indigenous fate was perceived to be justified by popular American culture since they were barbarians (even though that was far from the truth). For most of the Vietnamese refugees, the story of the people who lived off the land they were about to occupy hardly mattered. The survivance of the Indigenous people came second to their survivance.

              Both products of Western imperialism, but the narrative of these two groups of people are very different. Colonialism destroyed both groups’ homelands, so the Mai Family flees their homeland to occupy another people’s stolen homeland. It is cruel how the Master Narrative justifies the theft of so many nations’ land, and paints the current occupiers as righteous for letting people live with them on that stolen land.

              Tragically, this relationship persists to this day. American imperialism has not ended. America continues to bring devastation to other people’s homeland for America’s self-benefit and continues to paint itself as a savior for letting the affected refugees occupy stolen land with current Americans. Modern imperialism currently affects Trinh Mai. Her nephew served in the military for 20 years and went to the Middle East for 2 tours. After standing trial when he was a teenager, he was given a choice of prison or the military. After serving his mandatory 2 years, the nephew chose to stay in the military. His grandfather fought the Communist regime with Americans in the Vietnam War and even was sent to a concentration camp for opposing the government, and after being exposed to the military Trinh Mai’s nephew felt inspired to continue to serve the military that served alongside his grandfather. This idea that a descendant of refugees would participate in a war that creates more refugees begs the question colonialism is cyclic.

              In particular, this prayer book represents Western imperialism through the letters in the book. Vietnam was a victim of Chinese colonialism until the French came to make Vietnam a French colony. To distance Vietnam from China and to make the Vietnamese language easier for French people, the Vietnamese alphabet is Latin-based. Catholicism was also a product of Western imperialism. Another justification of colonialism, both settler and exploitation, during the 18th and 19th century, was the “need” for Christians to convert the colonized. When the prayer book was passed to Trinh Mai she transformed it using techniques she learned at San Francisco State University, an American university brought into existence due to settler colonialism.

[free-speech-network]

Only through a comprehensive state run propaganda campaign by the mainstream media is the public manipulated and misinformed to the point of believing other countries hate the US because they’re jealous of our alleged freedom #truth #redpilled #openyoureyes #militaryindustrialcomplex #oligarchy #empire #kleptocracy #plutocracy #invertedtotalitarianism #guideddemocracy #manageddemocracy #warmotives #warispeace #propaganda #fakenews #staterunpropaganda #manufacturingconsent #orwell #georgeorwell #orwellpredictedthis #1984 #americanpropaganda #americanexceptionalism #modernwarfare #modernimperialism #stateviolence https://www.instagram.com/p/B0M6__YnuCM/?igshid=13newf0gt5tga

[uhcmoderneurope]

(1) What similarities or differences do you see between the two ads? (this can be in terms of graphics, slogans, subjects depicted, copy, strategy, etc.)

In terms of the graphics present in each of the advertisements, the Victorian one has more colors and shapes, ranging from the detailed depiction of the Queen and the rural scene at the left corner. The modern advertisement does not make the same use of colors and details, on the contrary, the drawings look like sketches. In both cases, however, the respective authors made sure that the figures presented in each of their ads were recognizable for everyone.

(2) What is the Victorian ad selling? This question cannot be answered by just naming the product. How does the ad motivate a potential consumer to buy? What promises does it make, both explicitly and implicitly? Again, you should note differences or similarities between this ad and the modern one.

On a superficial level, the Victorian add is selling British superiority in terms of production capabilities. This is explicitly stated with “England’s gift a blessing to all nations��. However, on a less superficial level, the ad does not only assert British superiority concerning production and technology, but it also justifies British imperialism. The author carefully places the Queen in a dominant position, quite literally looking down on the people handing her the cooking stoves. The ones giving the final product are colored people, presumably workers from one of the British colonies. The colored workers do not seem to be bothered by the fact that they are clearly not at the same level as the Queen —the one giving the present to the Queen is literally kneeling down— on the contrary, there is no sign of them being sad or bothered. The other people appear to be from different ethnic backgrounds, all of which seem to be in line waiting for something. The author thus justifies British imperialism on the basis that it benefits everyone, regardless of their social status or their origin. Similarly to the Victorian ad, the modern ad also has an evident meaning, equating Hitler and Castro. Although this is very straightforward meaning in comparison to the Victorian ad, the author uses it as a way to validate US expansionism. If communism was already perceived as a negative system by most of the US population, by putting Hitler and Castro together, the author manages to eliminate any type of doubt that people may have regarding the validity of the comparison. With this, the author deliberately evokes all the feelings associated with the Second World War, therefore turning everyone against Castro.

–Cony Matta 

[bookish2bookish]

Readings on #EconomicImperialism / #ModernImperialism are some of my favorite! #allnighter #historian #globalhistory #globalstudies #globalization #history #reader #OneOfTheseDaysIdStartWritingMyIdeasOnTheseTopics #foodforthought

[wadadahii]

#capitalism #1% #onepercent #falserule #mammon #baal #gad #ingodwetrust #annuitcueptous #haves&havesnot #corruption #babylon #babylonianconstruct #babel #towerofbabel #modernimperialism #neocolonialism