Sumblog 13 Samuel Huntington

This week's reading was very interesting.  Samuel Huntington saw a different way of mapping the world due to the consequences of globalization.  His main thought was that the different cultures of the world would create the future conflicts. He saw that civilization identity would become more important with about seven or eight major civilizations becoming powers.  Cultural differences among these civilization would be the cause of future conflicts.
The Cold War would be a good example of how cultural differences can cause conflict.  The Cold War began after the end of World War 2 when two superpowers rose.  It was the west against the east, United States and allies versus the Easter Bloc, the Soviet Union.  Both superpowers wanted to influence the rest of the world.
The Cold War was essentially a 'war' between two different ideologies.  Americans feared a communist attack while Russia feared an American attack.  Russia's fear of the American's atomic bomb and America's refusal to share nuclear secrets.  Russia's need for a secure western border and its aim of spreading world communism.  America wanted a balance of power in Europe and sent aid to help, the USSR refused the aid for Eastern Europe.  The space race and the Olympic games also showed the clashes of these powers.  This feeling of suspicion lead to mutual distrust because of the differences in culture.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ9ev0qYVn-_PsTg1CNVOC7klBaOykuVQSd2Ay-DPPuC3o2ES0T
This was not a war with just two countries against themselves.  This war affected the world with each area picking sides.  Countries invaded other countries over capitalist and communist ideas.  This shows how cultural ideas can cause conflict.

Sumblog 12

Anthony Giddens theory of modern society was quite interesting.  He believes that modern society can be described along four dimensions:  displacement and reembedding, intimacy and impersonality, expertise and reappropriation, with privatism and engagement. I found displacement and remmbedding to be very interesting.  Displacement can be described as feeling isolated and not connecting with others while remmbedding is the ability to connect and interact with others. 
I think in modern society the internet shows this dimension well.  People may not want to leave their homes and have difficulty fitting in so they instead go on to the internet to interact with people they may not know but share the same interests.  These people may begin to live in a fantasy world where they have remade themselves to be everything that they ever wanted.  While doing this, they may isolate themselves from reality and real relationships.  I think video games can do this to a person too.  My kids do not really care what is going on when they are playing their games.  They can sit up in their rooms for hours playing if I do not stop them.
Others use the internet for reembedding purposes.  They connect and interact with people they know or organizations they participate in.  They usually do not pretend to be something that they are not. 
I like how this idea shows how one or something can be reconnected or how it can become more isolated.

 

http://barefootrunninguniversity.com/2012/03/28/gamers-will-rule-the-world/

 

 

Video games and the internet can make people feel more isolated in a society that they do not fit in with or..

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=isolation&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=yQ2eUsDFOIGMygH6roCoDg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1680&bih=930#q=social%20isolation%20video%20games&revid=918542280&tbm=isch&imgdii=_

 

make them feel more connected as a group with interactions between them.

 

I think these photos show how the games can get a person to go off in their own world or how the games can create a time for interaction between people who share the same interest.