Gray Skies

In corresponding with Mark, one of the Chinese students that chose my autobiography, I was asked about my car. In my autobiography I mentioned that I bought and continue to pay for my own car and it's maintenance. This spurred him to ask the question: "It is expensive?" He follows the question with the statement "In China, the answer is ‘Yes’. And we don’t have extra time for a job, and, if does, the salary is a big headache, for the salary is too low." For me, my car makes my life significantly easier. I'm able to get where I need to be without having to rely on anyone else or having to worry about what the weathers like. So I began to wonder why students in China don't value a vehicle as a luxury the way we do in the United States. The answer is also within Mark's reply. He suggests that bikes are a more green alternative. In China, pollution has grown to astronomical levels.

China currently has the fastest growing economy in today's world. You know what that means: outsourcing and big industry. China emits more carbon pollution than any other country. The government has had to step in and limit the amount of pollution allowed. They have instituted ways to combat and attempt to reduce the pollution, but correcting the issue will take decades. In the past recovering the air quality has been nearly impossible for other counties. China has the capabilities to begin the switch to greener energy but the transition will be very difficult. The people are directly affected by the pollution and its a growing concern. On average, protests regarding environmental issues grow 29% each year in China.

It now makes sense to me why my gas guzzling car seems impracticable to Mark. It would only contribute to their already out of control issue with pollution. I've created a link to a website with many pictures with illustrations that really show some of the worst conditions in China. What came to mind when I was flipping though the images was a song that I had originally heard in Toy Story: A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. He highlights the beautiful things in nature. In China these sites are deteriorating. It made me realize that we need to appreciate the things that we have, and that I should consider getting a car with better gas mileage. The small things that we take for granted such as a blue sky, are things that a rarity for others.


Citations

Alec. "Pollution In China Is Out Of Control: 33 Shocking Photographs." All That Is Interesting. N.p., 27 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

D'Almeida, André Corrêa. "Low Carbon Cities in China, Serious Challenges and Signs of Hope." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 08 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

Mark. "Re:Anna's Autobiogra​phy." Message to the author. 7 Nov. 2014. E-mail.

Implicit Bias/Face to Face Response

Implicit Bias:
The took the Race ITA. I'm not sure how they figure the results to this test but I don't see how it gets the results it does. To me, I don't think there's anyway you can accurately measure ones views of another race; or really their opinions of any. I don't believe in yes or no questions, because there is always more to the story.

Face to Face:
Watching the Face to Face videos really open your eyes to a different perspective of tragedy. I feel like everyone knows that people have different views on situations, but the personal stories make it real. I enjoyed  the testimony from Amna Chaudhary. (Using the word "enjoyed" when referencing theses stories about tragic events made me uncomfortable, but that's the only word that came to mind.) She talks about what it's like being Muslim after 9/11.  She talks about the aftermath of the tragedy and what it was like living in a world that was, at the time, terrified of the Muslim community. She says, "we called ourselves as being put under house arrest for a little while because of what was going on in the country and the uncertainty of whether or not people on the street are going to react negatively to you because either you wear a scarf or you just look foreign." I can't imagine what it would be like to be afraid to leave my house because of a negative stereotype.