Optimism in 1958

I stumble upon this article called “Continuity in Burma: The survival of historic forces” by U Kyaw Htet while reading a blog written by Aung Kyaw (a great blog on Burma; I strongly recommend checking it out). The article is interesting for several reasons:

First, U Kyaw Htet gives a short and well articulated exposition of Burmese history up until 1958. Second, he recognizes the influence of Buddhism and the “continuity of historical attitudes and behaviors”. Last, and certainly not least, his support and optimism of Burmese socialism during his time. And what optimistic times it must have been for the Union of Burma! Despite the concurrent problems of the day. U Kyaw Htet sums it up as such:

[The elected leaders] first severe tests came almost together with independence from Britain in 1948. The pathetically late but inevitable bid made by the Karens for a completely separate national existence, the determination of the Communists to seize power, the treachery of ambitions politicians who did not stop short of assassination (General Aung San and almost his whole cabinet were murdered in cold blood)—all these conspired to force the government leadership toward authoritarianism. Both politically and economically, the country was temporarily in ruins. It was tempting to think of dictatorship as a quick and justifiable means toward worth-while ends. But our leaders stood firm; they decided that Burma would in the long run gain more in terms of fundamental rights and happiness if they could muddle through without sacrificing the forms and principles of democratic government.

Only four years later in 1962, U Ne Win took over and created a dictatorship aggrandizing a facade of socialist progressiveness while instilling an iron clad rule till 1988. On the likely hood of an army take over he stated thus:

The army has acquitted itself well and contributes significantly to national morale. Its work does not stop with military operations against the insurgents. It is helping to integrate the frontier regions into the Union, and after the rebels are driven out of any given locality, the army sets in to rehabilitate it, organizing schools and building roads, bridges and hospitals. It has become the most disciplined and dedicated arm of the Union Government. Is there a danger that the army, realizing its strength and prestige, might try to control the Government? Could Burma follow the familiar pattern of other small states where the military, in the name of the people, or efficiency, or national honor, have taken over complete control? I think this is most unlikely.

If only his assessment had proven right; we might have gone a different direction. Yet, indicative in his analysis is something that disturbs me on a personal level.  He had described Burma’s success back in the day to be the result of promoting a Buddhist Welfare system through socialist governance. Although the strength of Buddhist beliefs have shaped the Burmese culture one cannot extol that as a national system of governance. By doing so, it created two notions that I think have persisted till today:

(1) we are a Buddhist nation not a unified country of various ethnicities

(2) the strength, unity, and progress lies in governing actors ability to steer the people in the right direction.

Many have this nostalgic period of a prosperous democratic Burma prior to General Ne Win’s rule. Its true that we were leaders in South East Asia, but looking back not many countries were as developed. When the real time came for change we lost out. When our neighbors were laudably claimed as the “tigers” of Asia we were at best a kitten. Even in the 14 years of democracy that we had, we were struggling for order. The communist that fought as hard for the freedom from colonialism had been knocking on the doors of Yangon. Insein was a battle zone. At the risk of sounding like an apologist for Ne Win, one has to admit that he had brought a certain level of stability by driving out rebel factions.The army seeing itself as the protector of Burma’s sovereignty had stepped in to save itself from breaking down. Up till today the top brass of Burma will testify that if it wasn’t for them Burma would be a whole different country.We never gave federalism a chance to prosper. Its easy to blame the military coup d’etat  as the source for all our problems. But in reality we were struggling to overcome different ideologies, political fractions, and long divided factions within Burma. So what does the future hold for Burma? I don’t know. If only what U Kyaw Htet predicted came true. Maybe its the best glimpse of an alternate universe in which things had worked.

The entitlement generation

My aunt once said to me that we are called the “entitlement generation”. She was commenting on my angst of being fresh out of college without a job.  To her I seem to have been too flustered and annoyed that I haven’t gotten a job. She pointed out that it has only been three weeks out of college and I feel as though something should be coming my way.  It was the first time that I had ever heard the term, but it stuck. A couple of days later, one of my housemates were complaining about how he is entitled to be treated with more respect at his work and that he should be paid more. Without thinking too much, I said “you know, we are called the entitlement generation, we expect too much.”

More often that not, I have been wary about commenting on social trends, generational behaviors, and collective social changes. In my personal opinion, I have always thought that these categorizes or sweeping generalizations were not all that useful. However, this “entitlement generation” or what I understand of it so far has intrigued me and feel compelled to provide an exposition what this social phenomena means.

I read two articles that discussed what the “entitlement generation” means. The first was an article written by New York Times Columnist Roosevelt titled Student Expectations seen as Causing Grade Disputes and the second – probably more pertinent that the first-is a book review  called Generation Me.  Twenge (the author) states the following:

GenMe’s focus on the needs of the individual is not necessarily self-absorbed or isolationist: instead, it’s a way of moving through the world beholden to few social rules and with the unshakable belief that you’re important. It’s also not the same as being “spoiled,” which implies that we always get what we want; though this probably does describe some kids, it’s not the essence of the trend… We simply take it for granted that we should all feel good about ourselves, we are all special, and we all deserve to follow our dreams. GenMe is straightforward and unapologetic about our self-focus.

The second article had discussed an increased trend in students challenging professors on grades. What’s stunning (at least to me) about the study is that students feel that if someone attends classes regularly and hands in assignments they should do well in the class. In a sense they feel “entitled” to receiving acknowledgment for their participation; regardless of whether or not how they performed to the expectation of the professor.

The author had described that in searching through news articles, there is a change in trend from using communal words such as “community, world, and us” to words more relevant to self such as “me, I, or you”. Articles more often talk about how certain phenomenon affects you personally and less the community. I don’t know if I necessarily buy his argument about a changing culture of new articles. And maybe this feeling of entitlement has always been there. What would you call the generation of the 50s when most people in the United States lived the “American Dream” feeling “entitled” to their needs.So the change in trend is still (at least to me) questionable. But what I do believe is that the medium to which we are exposed to(and connected with) has increased exponentially. The internet has allowed bloggers (like me), facebook enthusiast, and youtube artist to really present themselves to the world.  Maybe or exposure of media that tells you that “you are unique” might have increased. It could also be possible that societal trends tend to foster a persons ego by telling you that you can do “special things”. College seems to wave the illusion of success by extolling the quality of their education and producing leaders of tomorrow. Many don’t go on to do great things, they just live a life where they pay the bills and settle down. So why fluff it up? Why tell this generation of a “uniqueness” if we are not sure that they do.

In my humble opinion, the fact that we are exposed to different mediums doesn’t make us unique. It has however given us greater medium to give ourselves the illusion of our importance. Take me for example, a few weeks before graduation, I was feeling very confident about my job prospects. With a shiny resume’ in hand I sat and waited for the offers of great organizations to come in. Sadly, the pickings were slim. Naturally, I had happened to be upset, cursing at the organizations. Didn’t they know that I had great GPA? I got into four honor societies? Got myself an academic award? I AM ENTITLED. But was I really?

The fact of the matter is, I am not sure as to what I feel entitled to. When I come to think of it, my resume’ had in reality been a meager mark of small achievements. The grandiose image that college had built up for me belied many faults that I had. So why build it up? To get disappointed later down the line? What am I entitled to for my achievements? Not much.

Many of my friends have this same feeling of empty entitlement. A claim for something that we feel is needed. Here a list of concerns I have heard lately:
“I NEED to travel the world”

“I NEED to experience new things for MYSELF”

“I SHOULD be getting MORE MONEY”

Maybe this need for instant gratification has created a whole generation of youngsters who believe in their qualities without knowing what they are.So am I advocating that we drop down a notch and reevaluate ourselves? Absolutely! Why aim or believe in an “entitlement” that isn’t full deserved? Why disappoint yourself further?

Complaints over football

A good friend of mine has been blogging about football (or as you all call it in the United States, “soccer”) and the beauty of the game.  I thought that as  a person who enjoy the games immensely, I might do the same. Although I enjoy the 90 solid minutes on the pitch, activities off the pitch are inherently interesting too. The institutional structures and the rules of governance that is held in football intrigues me. The players-managers-officials interactions are hierarchical in structure and this “top down” process creates a governing body that is intolerant of criticism. Why do I say so? Well first of all I am a Manchester United fan, and as we have seen Sir Alex Ferguson throws tamper tantrums like a pampered child.  I do have to admit that in many instances his complaints are unfounded, however, in certain cases he has rightly spotted critical errors made by the referee. For much of those complaints that Ferguson has presented, he is fined,banned or appropriated a similar punishment by the governing bodies. Why? Basically its disincentives him from expressing his beliefs.  Something similar had happened during and Intermilan and AC Milan derby when Jose Mourinho was fined heavily for gesturing “handcuffs” during the game where three of his players had been sent off.  The referees had expressed desires to go on strikes if he wasn’t punished by the football association. In my opinion, such fines are abuse of power where mangers are not allowed to question the manner in which referees execute their decisions. After all, without healthy debate to express one’s frustrations, how will the football governing institutions learn from their mistakes? Its true that one can write up letters of complaints or to appeal decisions made by such institutions. But in any civil society, expression of grievances work in two ways, protests through official and non official methods. In this case, I believe that Morinho was justified in physically and symbolically expressing his grief to the  spectators.

Dabbling on a variety of topics

For the people that know me, I am an internet junkie when it comes to news. Every morning (more like every time I on the internet) I would scan over a variety of news articles. Of course there’s the on goings of Haiti, the bombing in Pakistan etc., that always makes the headlines. Yet there are also trivial topics that appear in the headline that really irks me. What am I talking about? Well, I believe that obsession with  high profile affairs, and unfaithful marriages are not as important as other matters that could have made the headlines.

The most recent reports are about South Africa’s leading ANC politician Zuma and England Captain (now stripped of his title) John Terry. Both are guilty of extra marital affairs. Zuma’s is an interesting case, in Zulu culture polygamy is accepted and, with three wives and about 19 children, he thought it would be fitting to have an affair. John Terry on the other hand, was in various relationships with a teammate’s girlfriend (looks like the passion for England wasn’t the only thing that they shared). So what happens when the press gets a hold of such news? Well, John Terry is stripped of his captaincy of England’s prestigious football team and Zuma has repeatedly apologized for his actions. Justifiably so? For me, its a resounding NO. So here’s my argument for it:

A person’s personal life should not affect his/her public positions. As far as I am concerned, England’s football captaincy did not require that the player be “faithful” to his wife, neither does a politician job require such measures. What happens, is that we project an image of perfection or a relative set of standards outside of their duties to their positions. Why? Because we want them to be perfect! But here’s the question, if they are given these positions for their skills then what does it matter whether they are in good marital standings or not? Because John Terry had decided to sleep with his teammate’s girlfriend doesn’t mean that he won’t be able to execute his duties as a captain and play wonderfully as the defender that we have known (and possibly chose) him for. Similarly, the sweeping reform that Zuma’s ANC party has provided, whether it be on economic reform or changing existing legislation still remains the same whether or not he decides to sleep with anyone else. He’s said to have apologized because its affecting his party, the only reason that it’s affecting his party is because the public decides to. Have you forgotten why you elected him? Its certainly not because you thought he might have a good chance of being faithful to his three wives was it? If it was then I feel sorry for you.

In other news, there was a bleeding blizzard that hit Good ol’ Westminster (one of the reasons I have had time to write this really long blog). So we decided to stay in while a foot or so of snow collected outside of our house. There was a feast and I thought I might entertain you all with photos! Here goes:

Chicken, chick peas and spinach

Talapia braised in milk with spinach and spices

Chicken Tikka Masla

and Finally… the blizzard

College Eating Habits

A college student often needs to ensure basic necessities to have a place to stay, sleep and eat. When it comes to housing one is sufficiently provided by the college. Whether it be a small dorm room or a house full of friends one way or another those pursuing education in the United States are ensured of housing. As for sleep it is up to the discretion of the student of how much or how little he/she wants to participate in that endeavor. So this leads me to eat and dietary needs. Although the cafeteria suffices as a place to fulfill oneself and ensure that one isn’t starving, many can attest that the food isn’t all that great. So this leads to either eating out or cooking for yourself (more often than not its better to have a kitchen for the latter option). Eating out is an expensive luxury- at least for students with tight budgets. So as many of you will know  fiscal conservation is as critical as water is in a desert.

With fiscal conservation in mind I have come to explore ways in which taste isn’t all that compromised in the face of what many would call a “shoe string” budget. The cafeteria is a good place to eat for lunch, mostly for students running around and busy. However, its also a great place to collect ingredients for dinner. Collecting ingredients at the cafeteria requires skill and at times it takes “questionable” strategies to  get it back to the kitchen. So here’s what I got:

Besides the curry powder, salt and miscellaneous flavorings on this dish all were taken from the cafeteria. The ingredients are spinach (from the salad bar), onions (lift the burger bun and you’ll see a couple of them on it collect as much as needed), broccoli (like the spinach is often at the salad bar), chicken (from various dishes- slightly cooked to whatever dish it came from) and last but not least olive oil (from either the salad bar or the pizza stand). Mix them altogether and cook according to taste. For me its a hybrid of available foods with slight altercations to at least accommodate a Burmese taste.  There are other ways to do so too…

A visit to the motherland

Coming back to the cooler climate of North America and having a day before classes began, I thought it would be a good time to write my very first blog on a reflection of the motherland. As I sit in the halls of a collegiate environment sipping on extra bold coffee spiked with copious amounts of sugar (to keep meself awake) I thought of the various emotions, experiences and things that I saw during my short time there. So here goes:

Burma:

Despite its frequent blackouts, the heat, and humidity it certainly has it charms and mysteries. This was the first time that I have been back for a year and a half. For the first few days, I had a hard time figuring out what had struck me as awkward and outlandish. After all, this is a place that I grew up in. But somehow the International House back at McDaniel seemed more familiar and like home to me than Yangon had been. The absence of order was the first thing that had really started to annoy me. As I came into Mingalardon Airport, I filed in the line that read “Myanmar citizen”- only for me to have known that I was the only one following directions. Everyone else had queued up at places most convenient for themselves and had passed through immigration fairly quickly. An immigration officer stood by and asked for people to line up in other areas and I asked him why that has to be. The only response that I got was a stern look as if I had wronged him by questioning his authority. This harsh hierarchical structure runs in every facet of Burmese bureaucracy. If a cop pulls you over, its best to slip him a couple of thousand kyats and be on your way. Try challenging him on the legality of him pulling you over and you are looking at unnecessary conflict.

The frequent blackouts, hectic driving was the second thing that had got on my nerves. Even without traffic points to direct cars during blackouts and the background noise and smell of generator exhaust everyone seem to be going about their business. I express all these concerns and I am then labeled: “A foreigner Burmese talking about a superior life style in America”. Sadly it seems that we have come to accept it as a way of life not a problem to workout. Yet these people that tell me I am a foreigner – especially my extended family- parade me through out neighborhoods as the “special one” studying in the United States seems like a huge achievement or that or reaching Nirvana.

Despite all this, the affection, openness, and hospitality of us is unparalleled. If you are invite to dine with anyone you are expected to be fed lots of food. Friends are always frank and straight to the point. Teashop conversations haven’t lost their qualities yet. Sometimes Burma in general reminds me of a well run mafia, there are a lot of things that’s wrong with it. But once you are part of the group you are family- everyone takes care of you. The juxtaposition of fine dining restaurants and beggars on the streets is almost surreal. One doesn’t have to do extensive research to realize that the ap between the mega rich and everyone else is widening at an alarming rate. I don’t think that the saying “as long as you have money you can have everything you want in Myanmar ” is a joke. There’s coffee and deserts that are comparable to the prices that one would ask at good restaurants in the United States. When one looks at the youth back in the motherland, there are very little of them left wearing longyis are thamanes, everyone has hoodies, skinny jeans and mini skirts. A wave of Korean mania, and the motto “everything foreign is good” seems to be top of their agenda. But I really can’t blame them, after all, back in high school I was part of crew of metal heads that though it was cool to wear black in sweltering hot weather.

Yet despite all this, tradition, culture, family and friends have always been a welcome experience. There is a charm, an addiction, and an affection of Burma that I feel. I can’t quite describe what it is. For most of us, that have studied abroad, I think Burma is like a grandmother. Adorable, a good visit to take part in from time to time but certainly not someone that you would stay for the rest of your life with- a small dose country. Statistically, most of the people of that I graduated with would probably not come back. But somehow my short and eventful visit has confirmed my desires to work and live a life in Burma. Why? I don’t really know, opportunities, challenges-or maybe its just simply the fact that its HOME and home is where the heart is.

Growing up and growing old in the motherland

I have been back in Myanmar for a good week now and I am learning a whole different side of Yangon that I might have overlooked or just never have seen in the first place. Internet connection is sparse so I haven’t been able to write down all the things I want to. Maybe I’ll start when I have some time alone to recollect my thoughts. So far I have had mixed emotions coming back home. There’s always the things I am glad about; family, friends, food and the ones you love. But there’s a whole face of Myanmar that is upsetting. The crippling poverty, lack of motivation, red tape… the list goes on

Things to accomplish during Thanksgiving

Its thanksgiving for my American peers its a time to give thanks and reunite with family. I guess going to my uncle’s house means I will be doing that, but more importantly it’ll be time get alot of work done. During this time I have made a pledge to finish 2/3rds of my senior seminar and enjoy not having classes for nearly a week.  Right now I am just sitting around with my friends and played a round of zombies, its fun yet unproductive. Well, my life and priorities aren’t really that important. In my adopted culture, I guess it would be a good thing to give thanks to the things I know I should:

I am thankful for the unconditional love of my family, friends and significant others.  The inspiration I get from them is life changing. I look up to all of them and their lives have taught me more than I can ever learn from even the best textbooks.

I am thankful for some of the tragedies that I have had to go through. Despite the heartache and problems, I have learned to be a stronger person.

I am thankful for all the wonderful moments that I have.

I am thankful for all the teachers that have taught me to learn and expand my ideas, challenge my beliefs and molded my character.

Thank you,

Lin

Ode to my motherland

The sweeping rains of monsoon
A warm plate of mohinga,

the boisterous hustle of the streets

the bustle of a teashop,
Mother’s cooking,
Father’s comforting words.
The company of friends
Burma, I miss her so
Take me back
Flying over a naga
Back to my homeland
Shiny zedis
The early morning blessings of monks
the frequent blackouts
back to the land where I came

The Oo, Shaffer theory on Bump and Grind & Line Dancing in Bar Scenes as a Freudian Unit of Analysis on Sexual Supression: The Oedipus Complex Revisited

This conversation had started off as a joke with a friend of mine when we were discussing Bar scenes. After a couple of hours of writing my senior seminar I thought it would be fun to take a break and write a completely ridiculous Freudian analysis on line dancing and bumping and grinding in the bar scenes.

Synopsis

In bars with the presence of alcoholic beverages, sufficient dancing space and relevant music played to a general audience one can observe an interesting phenomenon of different dance activities. Two significant dance activities that pertain to this research are that of line dancing and bumping and grinding.

In this analysis, we will argue one’s rational is inhibited that with the presence and consumption of alcoholic beverages . This correlation of increased consumption leads to engaging in a socially selective processes of identifying sexual partners to which one’s repressed Oedipus Complex can be easily identified outside of one’s suppressed id. In order to express this in an “acceptable” social setting, an individual male identifies a female figure in a selective manner during dance maneuvers executed during a “line dance” (for a further analysis see Analyzing the Cupid Shuffle- Oo, Shaffer 2008). During this time, the individual male fights for the attention of a selective group of females in the presence of other male figures. These male figures are identified during his alcohol induced trance in a line dance as various reflections of the “fatherly figure” present throughout his life.

By warding off competition during the dance, the male figure is fighting an attempt to gain love and attention from the female “mother figure”. Upon completion of associating with a likable dance partner, the pair will then engage in bumping and grinding when the opportunity arises when appropriate music is played. In this instance, the female figure will walk back into the pelvic area of the male companion (note here that male to male or female to female participation has been observed, but general analysis is usually male to female). She then continually move her hips in either a clockwise or counterclockwise motion tempting the male sexually yet withholding a possibility of full sexual intercourse thereby completing the act of bumping and grinding.

In this instance, the male has fully dominated other male figures and as such with the state of intoxication has conquered different episodic challenges that he perceives in his mind as a fatherly figure thereby completing his conquest of acting out the Oedipus complex in a socially permitted environment.