I will be the first to admit that I was, and still am to an
extent, unconversant in the topic of jihadism. So to help explain I went to my
friend Gabby to “dumb it down” for me. Even then, I needed to do internet
research while she was explaining things.
Jihad translates to struggle, and in the concept two
different types were born. Greater jihad is about inner struggle while lesser
jihad is about the struggle against those seen as a threat to the religion.
This is the jihad that has become associated with terrorism.
The goal behind jihadist globalism is spreading Islam
worldwide. The structure is not hierarchical; with globalism it has a horizontal
web of leadership now.
Now, the really interesting thing about any type of
globalism is the myth that it can be regulated. Most sectors in globalism can
be regulated; however, jihadist globalism is not one of them. Militant Islamic
groups are fighting a religious war and rules that apply to collaborative
knowledge or economic ties cannot be applied to jihadist globalism.
For a better understanding of meaning in the term jihad, I
recommend this TED Talk.
So a few weeks ago, Cynthia and I decided we were going to
do thing in Austin we hadn’t done before. I’m warning you now that this blog
post isn’t terribly exciting, but I did get a little taste of some of the
things I want to further check out in Austin.
For breakfast we headed over to the Texas School for the
Deaf for their pancake breakfast. Cynthia is a member of the American Sign
Language Club and asked if I wanted to tag along. I like meeting new people,
and I like Kerby Lane pancakes, so I was in. Proceeds went to help the deaf
community, and I had such an interesting time that I decided to join the club
also.
One of my first real jobs was working on school buses,
watching the kids that rode the short buses. Some of these kids were deaf, so
it felt satisfying learning a new way to communicate again. We played a version
of the game telephone, and now I know how to say, “The train left.”
After that we went back to South 1st and tried a
food truck, Mellizoz Tacos. I thought they were delicious. I had the Padre and
the Shroom and was in heaven. Seriously, I think I should just dedicate a blog
to the tacos of Austin, since it feels like that’s all I eat. Even tonight,
Gabby invited me over for some shrimp mango and avocado tacos. And it was just
as delicious at it sounds.
But back to my day out with Cynthia. After Mellizoz we
wanted to go to the Bob Bullock Museum to see the Hobbit in IMAX. I wouldn’t
have minded checking out the actual museum as well, but neither Cynthia nor I
are made of money and Middle Earth was calling to us. There’s still plenty of
time to go back, and I will.
Well, we had more than an hour to spare, so I convinced
Cynthia to walk around the UT area with me. I’ll let you in on a little secret;
I’ve always found UT to be intimidating with its size and hipster population
that I always steered clear of it. But then I reasoned that I’ve lived in
another country away from my family and friends. I’ve traveled Europe, been
stranded in foreign terminals, and navigated cultures that were different from
my own. UT wasn’t so scary; it was just another place to explore. Of course we
didn’t have enough time to truly look around, so that too will be another place
I revisit. (I really want to see the Blanton.)
So that was then.
Last week, I got off of work and decided I couldn’t possibly
spend more hours in front of a computer screen even if it was for the sake of
my education. I told Cynthia that I wanted to spend the beautiful day out in
the city. See, we recently got a cold snap and because of the “ice” the city
shut down. We like to joke about it, but there were over 200 car accidents on
the first bad weather day alone.
We went to Hey Cupcake, got some pie at Home Slice, and did
a little shopping on South Congress. I think it was a victory, even if Cynthia
pretended she didn’t know me when I stopped in the middle of the crosswalk to
take the iconic picture of the view of the Capitol.
Every time I drive by Austin City Hall there is someone
protesting against something. Sometimes it’s as little as three people, braving
the cold in sleeping bags while holding signs that hope to spark outrage. But
sometimes, sometimes it’s a movement, and one of the biggest one to spread to
Austin was Occupy. That was a couple of years ago though.
Admittedly I’m a bit confused on the topic of globalization.
It’s such a huge topic with many different facets to it. My understanding of
justice globalism as a movement is to bring awareness to the wide gap in the
economy due to corporate greed and its spread into political sectors and promote
financial fairness and equal economic resources.
Now, with James Surowiecki’s TED Talks still in my head I’m
wondering about the fine line between awareness leading to action and blind
activism. And by blind I’m talking about activists, some of who don’t realize
what is fully happening. I’m actually starting to see some of them as ants
marching in a circle. Before I’m misunderstood I want to say that I support
non-violent protests. However, I do believe that some people go out with only a
handful of facts—strong, powerful facts—but they don’t see the larger picture.
Perhaps I’m a jaded individual and have a difficult time
seeing the effects of protesting. But perhaps that is the danger of
in-activism. If nobody speaks out against injustice, then things will remain
how they are.
A few weeks ago met up with some friends at Opa! Coffee
& Wine Bar to check out a band. I had the good fortune to meet a young
woman from the Ukraine, Svetlana. Svetlana is actually working on her masters
at St. Edward’s and while we talked about how her move here went and the
differences she’s encountered, she told me about the unrest that is happening
now in the Ukraine. Sometimes governments need to be kept in check by the
people.
