"A Siege of Salt and Sand"

      "A Siege of Salt and Sand" was a very insightful and informative documentary. In particular I think it  is important to see how world issues such as climate change impact individuals lives and culture. Often these big issues are presented through facts and predictions of what will happen in the future however this documentary highlighted how entire groups of people are having to adjust numerous aspects of their lives currently. This perspective displays the significance of climate change not only for the future but also for today.In developed and underdeveloped countries climate change is not always viewed with equal importance as economics or politics unless individuals are directly impacted by these issues.

     This film discussed distinct issues that inhabitants of Tunisia are experiencing beginning with a lack of policy. In 2011 the country experienced political reformation in its shift from dictatorship to democracy. This lack of policy has left many individuals in social and economic despair. There is also  a huge lack of water and diseases are that were not present before, are now arising . Leishmaniasis is a public health issue in Tunisia that is transported to humans through the bite of  a sand fly. This issue along with many others has surfaced due to the changes in the environment. Along with the  lack of water, temperatures have risen which aids the spread of infection.Lack of water serves as a huge issue economically, agriculturally,politicically etc. As one could imagine, farmer's of this land have extreme difficulty.Much of the land is not suitable for vegetation and even small amounts of land that are suitable for vegetation are often destroyed by the powerful winds. Individuals have created systems of irrigation however there still does not seem to be enough water flow.

     In southeast Tunisia people are experiencing a problem that is different but just as devastating as the environmental experiences in southern Tunisia.There seems to be no more fish in the sea and water has advanced the shore turning land that was once filled with palm trees into salt flats. Economically this is devastating for businesses.Culturally, lands are being wiped away that hold great significance to its people. Places that once were able to take advantage of having their businesses sit close to the shore of the water, will  now face a safety hazard of the water flooding their businesses. 

     Overall in various parts of the country citizens will have to travel elsewhere for safety concerns, economic concerns and in general, hope for more governmental support. Individuals are forced to immigrate to other places for each of these reasons not because they want to but because at some point they may have to. This leads to a question of where and how? Where will these displaced citizens be able to go for new opportunity and how will they build there lives in other place with no support. Particularly, I wonder what this will mean for children that are growing up in the midst of this environmental and political uncertainty. Another factor that is important to consider is what does the instability of this country mean for the surrounding regions and for foreign politics. 

     Many of the issues in this country seem to stem from issues that would not be present if governmental support was provided to the citizens'. For example the spread of leishmanias may not have been as harsh if proper health care was provided to people or if the individuals in southern Tunisia were properly supported in creating successful systems of irrigation and successful methods of blocking the sand.The environmental circumstances that this area is experiencing may cause other states to intervene in order for Tunisian citizens to have access to the basic necessities that they deserve as human beings.

My Political Identity

The 'others' in our communities

     In all communities that we encounter throughout life there is often an in-crowd and individuals that are outcasts. Typically the "other" group has less in common with most of the individuals in the community. Sometimes people fit in or out of a group based on one specific attribute such as money or religion. As an individual encounters different communities throughout life they will be considered a part of the in-crowd of some communities and an outcast in other communities.For me, there are a few different groups that I clearly belong in and others that I am a clear outsider.
     To start, in my home community I would consider myself an insider. I know the culture of my neighborhood, how it functions and how to act in this area. One key attribute that makes me an insider in this community is that I can recognize certain actions or behaviors made by people in this community that would not be made clear without words to individuals who are not apart of this community.On the other hand another community that I am involved in would be the Dickinson community where I would consider myself an "other". I consider myself an outsider in this community for many reasons, first being a minority at a predominantly white institution.
     When individuals lack similarity in culture it impacts many aspects of those peoples interactions such as differences in expression, communication and relatability. In addition to this I am not an athlete nor am I in a sorority which are two key attributes that make people belong in this community.This impacts my perception of how I define these groups.For example many people would probably describe the Dickinson community as  "better" in comparison to my home community because it is an academic community where people from different backgrounds can live and learn together.However my personal perception of this community is that although I can thrive academically there are more aspects to life than academics and because this community lacks diversity of individuals that I have more in common with, for many additional reasons I would not consider this community "better".Although this community provides some benefits it lacks some aspects that allow me to thrive in my home community.
     The idea of "othering" is very practical.Naturally ,people will always gravitate towards individuals that they have more in common with and stay clear of individuals who they have less in common with simply because its easier to get along with people you agree with."Othering" can be a big social conflict especially when individuals are treated as outcasts for reasons that are not within their control.I think treating someone as an outcast because of their race or economic status is on a completely different spectrum than treating someone as an outcast because they are not in a sorority or don't play a sport. In this I am saying that "othering" can be worse in certain instances. Being in a sport or greek life is an interchangeable attribute that can allow an individual to become apart of the in-crowd where as characteristics such as race, gender and religion are not.
    Socially, individuals can use this to their advantage by only entering communities that are predominantly filled with individuals that have similar attributes as them or being a leader and deciding what attributes are required to be considered apart of the in-group of that community.In discussing Orientalism this idea of othering was prevalent and obvious. In one part of the reading by Edward Said there is questioning as to if there is a true need for cross-culturalism.This sense of resistance in the beginning of the reading set a stern tone towards orientalism, it was very clear who the "other" was.At times the reading describes orientalism as "a discourse from sameness and a problem of difference".Socially I find this very troubling because it very closely reminds me of other societies.For instance the Rwandan genocide is an extreme example of what can happen when "othering" takes a turn for the absolute worst.Although I describe this as an extreme example the harsh reality is that in comparison to other instances in history many other groups have undergone similar instances of othering.
     If I had to define othering I would describe it has having a lack of sensitivity for differences amongst individuals within a given community. At times the reading also describes orientalism as outdated. Despite the differences of orientalism amongst islamic culture there is much to appreciate for what orientalism offers historically and culturally.Too often in society we see confliction as a negative aspect of a community whereas more often than not it can be a great opportunity for collaboration in some way.