Month: September 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has been many things; a global health crisis, economic downturn, migration reset, and experiment in proper communication. As someone who was forced to start working from home it was hard at first, as I’ve never done it before and the uncertainty of my employment was looming overhead. The article “The important of communication while working from home” makes great observations and arguments on how to effectively work from home. I am in a managerial position within one of the most effected job sectors impacted by COVID-19 (Commercial Real Estate), and the struggles of trying to manage my essential staff who is on-site while I am at home was extremely difficult. As the article states “.. it is important to be patient and proactive.” While having strong leadership is “extremely important”. It was vital for me to communicate effectively via virtual outlets and guide my staff to complete tasks while there was no manager on-site.

The Politico article “How Corona Virus Could Make People Move” presents the idea of mass migration out of large urban areas and solidifies my own ideas on living outside of Manhattan. “Why choose to stay in a crowded city where body bags piled high during the worst parts of the pandemic?” This is the most important question to me; why would I choose to stay in New York City when it serves as a petri dish for disease? Surely I can earn a good living and live somewhere more rural. It would even fit my likes/needs more, and is something I’m considering. “Sell city, but country” is something that hits home for me. The only reason I’m here is because my job pays the most and exists in the greatest abundance in NYC – otherwise I most likely wouldn’t live here. “Cost of living is a decisive issue as well. For youth, especially, the coronavirus economic shock is proving far more devastating than even the financial crisis.” The cost of living in NYC is astronomical, and is usually offset by the amenities available to residents and social services provided, but once the pandemic hit and everything came to a screeching halt there was no more “value” in living here. Just despair.

Migrant children (migrants in general) in detention centers have been facing difficulty and uncertainties during this pandemic. While children are not necessarily the most at-risk demographic for COVID the effects still weigh on them equally. “It is not only the physical health of children that is under attack, but also their mental health. Children living in detention centers and shelters face heightened fear and stress on a daily basis, and many have already faced major traumas in life.” The mental aspect of this all may be more than some can overcome, and proper care should be taken. The isolation techniques for stopping the spread can have lasting mental effects as we need social interactions to thrive as human beings.

 

As earlier stated my own migration has been greatly effected, although not as bad as others. Once the quarantine began I was forced to work from home for months and navigate this new business landscape from home, armed with nothing but my laptop and some notes I gathered on my last day in the office. It could have been worse and I am sympathetic for all those who were effected by the pandemic, but I used the extra time I gained from having no commute/being at the office to learn new skills such as cooking and painting. I also took professional development courses with my newfound time. My migration has been limited; no vacations this summer as originally expected. I am used to traveling the world and all of that has come to a halt. My migration from home to work, or work to events have essentially disappeared. It is actually beneficial for me though as now I have a better quality of life with my family as we find more time to be together. School being completely remote is amazing for me, as I no longer have to rush from the office and then go sit in class for 2 hours a night when I really just want to be home. The hustle and bustle of working/learning in Manhattan is gone – good riddance.

Thoughtful Questions:

• How will the pandemic affect office leasing in NYC? How will the workplace transform?
• How long can employees effectively work from home while advancing their careers?

 

4/5

Narrative Criticism by Sonja Foss does a great job of methodically providing the procedure, structure, and purpose behind what a narrative criticism is. When applied to the accompanying Narrative Analysis Guideline, it allows the reader to follow the principals and effectively analyze stories. I learned about the two event characteristic (either active or stative) for making a narrative and how important having a timeline for the events can be. When hearing terms like “narrative” and “artifact” they seem very normal to me, as I know what the term means and have familiarity with the concept. I interact with narratives and artifacts on a daily basis as I read the news, engage with social media, and watch shows on TV but I have never viewed them as such.

Examples of meaningful artifacts I have come across and could write about are:

• NYT Article How climate migration will reshape America (Link)
• Recent stories about forced sterilization and hysterectomies while in detainment (Link)
• Social Media Memes depicting current event issues

_____________

Artifact: #2 photo of See-saw between US/Mexico border

How does the seesaw between the US and Mexico remind us that at the end of the day, we’re all human?

Q: What problem is the narrative identifying? Who does the problem relate to?

A: The narrative identifies the issue with humans associating others by their appearance, skin color, or nationality. The problem relates to all as we identify each other as American, European, Mexican, etc.

Q: What assumptions does the narrative make?

A: The narrative shows a light-hearted side of the story and throws out the old assumptions that align with an “us vs them” mentality. The image shows children on either end of the border playing on the seesaw with each other. This allows those who engage with the narrative to feel a sense of togetherness and humanity. Mexican children and American children are simply just – children. Children know no boundaries, arbitrary or physical.

Q: What are the strength and weaknesses of the narrative?

A: The strengths of the narrative are the heartwarming image that is portrayed. In an otherwise barren field, with an intimidating wall there is a splash of color and happiness as the children play together. It does a great job of bridging the gap between children (and humanity) on either side of the border. The weakness shown on this singular artifact comes not from the photo but the caption,  as it says “the installation… lasted half an hour”. This makes it seem as though it was not done from a place of goodness but only to garner social outrage and make for a good story to push an agenda. (I do not necessarily agree with this but recognize it as a weakness talking point).

 

Thoughtful questions:

• I wonder how many narratives I’ve mentally “subscribed” to without realizing I was part of a narrative.
• Should we be more thoughtful when posting stories, images, and blogs? We could influence a story, or share a story that might not tell the whole truth.

4/5

 

While listening to This American Life’s podcast titled “The Out Crowd” we learn about the horror stories from the southern border. Immigration from the southern border is met with a fierce and unjust opposition. This was truly one of the most brutal and frightening podcasts I’ve ever listened to.

Some key points that stuck with me:

• The story of the family getting raped was tough to sit through.
• The cartel member telling a father that his child was old enough to harvest organs from made me sick.
• Cartel members target border cities knowing desperate people will be attempting to cross.
• Even under the old rules, the asylum seekers appeared before a judge and many were sent back to Mexico. Is there genuine hope for these people?

I find it important to hear the stories directly from the source. Although this may mean that the story is told in a different language than the audience, the audience can pick up on audible clues and emotion that is being expressed through story telling. This creates a more meaningful delivery and impacts the listeners; it is very raw.

 

Podcasting has become extremely prominent in today’s culture. It is a new source of audio reporting on the scene, although podcasts themselves have been around for a while. I believe “The Out Crowd” won the award for its rawness, urgency, and message. There are injustices happening around us and it’s more impactful to hear it being told than to read about it.

• In modern time Columbus is a controversial figure.
• We as a society are looking to celebrate the indigenous people of North America instead of the colonization of America by europeans .
• Columbus set sail in chase of adventure, wealth, fame, and land ownership.
• He brought with him disease and death for the indigenous people.
• Italian Americans use Columbus Day as a way to celebrate their heritage.
• As an Italian American, I don’t necessarily identify with Columbus, but don’t have an issue with the man himself.
• It is important to consider that the time when Columbus lived, the world was incredibly different from the world we live in today.
• I believe it is important to celebrate or acknowledge both sides of history.
• Both Columbus and Indigenous people should be celebrated, Columbus should not be lost to history as he ‘paved the way’.
• Italian heritage should also be acknowledged in conjunction with indigenous people (month of October).

When prompted with the word ‘migration’ I immediately thought of the great migration of Wildebeest. This is the largest animal migration on the planet and truly a spectacle to observe. The herds of Wildebeest migrate to nutrient rich grasslands which offer the best environment for them to raise their offspring. The migration is not without its own trials and tribulations as many animals fall prey to predators such as crocodiles and big cats. Many more also die during the migration from environmental and natural causes.