It is no surprise to friends and colleagues that one
of the books I read this summer was Beyond
War: The Human Potential for Peace, by Douglas Fry (2009). What does surprise some is the author’s
thesis: For most of human history, humans have found ways to solve problems
without war, through courage, conflict resolution, generosity, forgiveness,
humor, and creativity.
As an anthropologist, a student of humanity, Fry
criticizes the tendency of many historians and anthropologists to over-emphasize
war in the history of human behavior.
For the present and future, his research “suggests that humans have the capacity to replace the institution of
war with international conflict resolution procedures to ensure justice, human
rights, and security for the people of the world….” In spite of the fact that many people think
that peace building is impossible, Fry sees this potential for active peace
building in human beings today, and he wants us to focus upon this positive
view of human potential. So do I.
When I go looking for peace in the news, I can find it:
people doing the impossible—using courage, conflict resolution, generosity,
forgiveness, humor, and creativity. The
problem is: I have to look for peace news—it doesn’t seem to make the front
page. Our media seem to focus on the bad
news instead, using the unfortunate motto: “If it bleeds, it leads.”
That’s one reason the United Nations declared
September 21 the International Day of Peace “devoted to commemorating and
strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.” It is hoped that we can take one day, at
least, to focus on the promise of peace.
Investigating
the media: September 11-21
During the month of September, in the days between September
11 and September 21, my students and I investigate the effects of the media on our
perceptions and emotions. The
anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001 comes quickly during the
opening days of school. The tragedy
offers a host of important learning opportunities for our students and our
country. Yet, this event is too often
covered in the mainstream media with a harmful absence of critical thinking and
background information.
In the May/June 2002 Columbia Journalism Review, journalist Russ Baker (2002) chastised fellow
members of the press for “wrapping themselves in stars-and stripes graphics”
rather than asking tough-minded questions about the attacks and the American
response. He continued with a helpful
clarification that it is necessary to “distinguish between patriotism, love of
one’s country, and nationalism—the exalting of one’s nation and its culture and
interests above all others. If
patriotism is a kind of affection,” he writes, “nationalism is its dark side.” Students are able to understand this
distinction, and it helps them evaluate media coverage of such events as 9-11.
The
Center for Media Literacy offers us five questions to help us analyze media:
1. Who created this message and why are they sending it?
2. What techniques are used to attract and hold attention?
3. What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in this message?
4. What is omitted from this message? Why do you think it was left out?
5. How might different people interpret this message?
1. Who created this message and why are they sending it?
2. What techniques are used to attract and hold attention?
3. What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in this message?
4. What is omitted from this message? Why do you think it was left out?
5. How might different people interpret this message?
My
students and I also use the research of Robin H. Gurwitch, modifying ideas from
her Building Strength through Knowledge
lessons for our students.
Students keep simple media logs in the days surrounding September 11th. They determine the emotional effects of
specific media coverage in a category called “Promotes Healthy Mental Outlook
vs. Hindrance to Healing.” Next, they tackle the category “Informational and
Factual vs. Sensationalism.” Some students
are quite astute at seeing sensationalism for what it is. They appreciate
historically comprehensive coverage while chastising channels for repetitive
replaying of the burning Twin Towers, manipulation of images, and intrusive
interviews, for example. Finally,
students determine whether coverage “Promotes Patriotism vs. Nationalism and
Isolationism.”
Students build understanding of words that will help
them analyze media coverage of 9-11: patriotism, nationalism, emotions, empathy,
empowerment, resiliency, media, opinion, fact, sensationalism, manipulation,
terrorism, and isolationism. Family participation is key to a
meaningful outcome. Indeed, in a letter home to families explaining our
rationales, we strongly encourage adults to actively participate in the exercises,
to discuss their own understandings and feelings with their children, and to
listen to their children’s responses. We assure families that we are not asking
them to immerse themselves in media coverage of 9-11, but that we want students
to evaluate the effects of the various media upon them.
We
move from investigation of media coverage of 9-11-related events to local and
global peacebuilding efforts.
If the only knowledge students (and sometimes
parents) have comes from superficial news coverage, teachers have to work
extremely hard to bring historical perspective, controversies, and multiple
sources of information into the classroom. And students appreciate it! Further, if the only emphasis on current
events is on negativity and violence, students do not appreciate the tenacity
of local and global heroes working non-violently for justice and peace.
Returning
to the same online and print news sources, we celebrate International Peace
Day, September 21, with an analysis of neighborhood and international peace
news.
Before
we can celebrate, however, students come to class complaining, “Mrs. Cannon, I can’t find anything
positive in the news.” Their complaints
lead to discussion of why media focus on negativity and violence. A perfect example is the fact that most of my
students have heard of the Kony 2012
video that went viral in the spring. It
described the Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army’s war
against the government and people of Uganda.
But most students never heard of the Ugandan peacebuilder, Betty
Bigombe, Ugandan government minister and peace activist who has worked for
peace in Uganda for decades. She says,
“When you bring a political solution to any kind of violent conflict, then all
these other underlying causes are addressed, and therefore people can start
living together in harmony. Peace is
absolutely possible….” I introduce her
to them through a short online video.
After we watch the video demonstrating Bigombe’s
courage and creativity in working for peace, we bring the search for peace news
closer to home. We identify issues of social
justice, human rights, global outreach, and environmental sustainability to
help students see that there is good news to be found—if they look hard enough. I model such discoveries often, sharing with
them news of neighbors beginning food banks and urban gardens, children
starting animal shelters, and courageous peacebuilders around the world
creating frameworks of durable, active, peace.
We use these examples as models to emulate—beginning our efforts in the
world of our classrooms and school, working to make them safe, respectful, and
welcoming places for all.
From
9-11 to Peace Day, students appreciate the chance to interpret media influence
on their lives. We
can inoculate students to resist the mind-numbing impact of media in their
lives. By helping students develop tools with which to engage with various media,
questions to ask about the origins and purpose, and opportunities to discuss
their emotional and critical reactions with parents and teachers, we can
introduce a lifelong habit of critical—versus thoughtless—media consumption to
our students and families.
Finally, with a practical optimism about humanity’s
potential, we can also help students identify the peacebuilding work going on around
them—on Peace Day and every day. Surely,
they will feel empowered to join the effort to build a peaceful future.
- Link to
Douglas Fry’s Beyond War: The Human
Potential for Peace
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Anthropology/SocialCultural/?view=usa&ci=9780195384611 - Link to the
Center for Media Literacy: http://www.medialit.org/
- Link to
Robin Gurwitch’s 9-11 as History:
http://familiesandwork.org/site/work/youth/911ah/lp_6-8_rg.pdf
- Link to Teach for Peace: Media Literacy
& Online News Sources: http://www.teachforpeace.org/think/Media-Literacy-and-Online-News-Sources
- Link to
Betty Bigombe video—Building Peace
in Uganda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG7icDkOOHk
- Link to Peace One Day—Promoting Global
Truce 2012: http://peaceoneday.org/
- Link to United Nations International Day of
Peace: http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/
- Link to Peace Day Philly, with resources
for teachers, students, and community members: http://www.peacedayphilly.org/
