Friday, June 3, 2011

photography, spring semester sophomore year

Self Evaluation of the Final Project-Kacey Harasimowicz

In my photographic journey for this final project, I chose to explore the topic of work and why people do it. Being in a point in my life where I work at a burger joint and am majoring in something I have no idea how to utilize, this project was more than just a way to practice photography. It was and is a study of finding some sort of purpose in life through a career.

At the beginning, I planned on photographing and interviewing ten people in varied places of work and using one image per shoot. I soon realized that there was no way I could capture both the emotion and the action of work in one image. In the narrowing of my project down to five subjects, I gained a better focus, but lost the sense of unity within the series. For a while, the project became a group of character studies that were in-depth but disjointed from each other, and therefore the whole purpose of my project was scattered. All my shooting done, I had to sit down and figure out what information I wanted to present through my photos, and that involved tearing apart everything I had been focused on. In my frustration, I asked my professor, Ellen, for whatever help she could offer. She took all my images, picked the best ones, and put them all in a line from lightest to darkest, based on the changing light of each day. That literally hurt me to see. She had picked my best images compositionally, but had taken three from one subject and one from another and put the property manager next to the McDonald’s general manager and the nurse next to that. Needless to say, I took the idea home to sleep on it.

Where was the purpose behind each job? I could not see any. The single image of the day care worker barely showed her face, and the two pictures of the property manager were separated by at least five other images. How would people know that the job involved both personal interaction with tenants and loads of paperwork? How would they see the ties between the mundane tasks and the fulfilling ones? In the midst of this struggle, I thought back to the interviews I had done with my subjects. One stood out to me in particular; the subject had said that all jobs, no matter how meaningless they may seem to a bystander, fit together like a puzzle in order to keep the world moving. I then understood why Ellen had mixed my photos together. Lesson learned: No career in which you interact with other people can be just about itself. Sure, you can find personal fulfillment in your career, but what good does it do if it does not help others in some way? We are all interconnected. Of course the property manager has the responsibility to evict students who didn’t pay their rent, but he also has the privilege of giving turkeys and mashed potatoes to the students who cannot make it home for Thanksgiving. Sure, the McDonald’s general manager works mostly with teenagers who come and go on a summer basis, but she is able to find joy in the ones who grow up under her mentorship and cry on her shoulder when they leave for a new job.

I saw these beautiful things in all of the subjects I photographed, these things that give their work meaning. Yet I also saw the day-to-day journey these people have to take in order to see that meaning realized. It’s not fun and games when you work with three-year-olds at a daycare where if one kids gets sick with a runny nose, all the kids get sick with runny noses. It’s not all happiness in healing when your patient is a state-supported drunk who checks into the hospital on a regular basis for a nice meal.

These two things in combination, the positive impact on others and monotonous tasks of the day-to-day, are what I chose to represent in my final project. Expanding upon Ellen’s inspiration, I laid my images out in a way that walks the viewer through a day in the life of a person at work. These results were based on the interviews I conducted with each subject.

In the first image, we see the farmer in a tractor. It is an image of him, but we cannot see his face. The farmer starts his day off early, often before the morning light, and is essentially faceless. No one sees the work that he does but himself.

In the second, there is the property manager and an assistant, sharing as coworkers in order to complete a task. Depending on the day, this relationship may be a curse or a blessing, yet always a challenge.

Thirdly, we join the nurse in her journey down the spotless halls of a place that while providing rest and rejuvenation for its patients, gives to its workers stress and long, late nights of constant movement.

Next we are captured by the gaze of a small child, a creature whose well-being is for many the reason they work nine-to-five every day of their lives. While those people work, they leave their treasures with another person who is willing to dedicate a part of themselves to what they do.

Halfway through the day, we pause for a moment of rest and reflection. Perhaps we think only of the mission in front of us, but maybe we are thinking about the bigger picture, about the son who is graduating or the father who is sick. How are we going to get through the rest of the day and still have energy for family or friends?

There being little time for rest, we are then faced with the challenge that makes each day different from the rest. It is the one that challenges us, forces us to be resourceful, and makes us, and maybe someone who looks up to us, a stronger person.

We see the nurse again, this time she is in a situation where she is doing what her job requires of her even though the patient is playing up his illness. Sometimes, we have to put on a game face and remember that we might change a life by accident.

Nearing the end, it takes every last ounce of will to make us finish the paperwork. We know it is just part of the requirements that keep our job available to us. We are lucky to have it, and maybe someday we can hire someone else to do out paperwork for us.

At the conclusion of the day, we have to have something to show for the hard work we have done. We can find fulfillment in the compliments of our superiors who witness the fruit of our labor.

In the last image, we see that the work is never done even as the sun sets on the day. We carry our work with us as we juggle finances and put food on the table, so that when the next day comes we will have renewed drive to work yet again. We can learn to thrive in this cycle of challenge and then fulfillment.

For this project, I was able to utilize the skills I developed throughout this photography course. Putting myself in work environments that I had never been in before challenged me to be fluent in the language of my camera and how it was going to explain what I was seeing. I had to quickly adjust the settings according to various lighting situations, from tungsten to window light to direct sunlight. I did not want my subjects to pose, so I was forced to explore each space and find new angles to make the images interesting without manipulation. Lastly, I developed my ability to talk to my subjects in a way that would keep them comfortable and natural-looking in the present of a stranger with a camera.

Throughout this journey, while fine-tuning my photographic techniques, I discovered some aspects of work that will remain with me in whatever future endeavors I pursue. In many ways, this assignment was a reflection of those aspects. This course, and ultimately my college career, was very much a type of job. It required day-to-day detailing and constant repetition, but the long hours in the lab with talented people and great conversation grew me in many ways. I can only hope that whatever work I do in the future is as fulfilling.

photography, spring semester sophomore year

Artist Statement of Kacey Harasimowicz

“Why We Work”

Being a college student, I am repeatedly faced with the question of what I plan to do with my life. What I wouldn’t give to answer with grand schemes of travel and glory and riches, but in all matter of reality, my future will be more average than I’d like. Yes, yes, one must have big dreams, because you can succeed in anything and everything for which you have passion. However, the real lesson of life lies in finding fulfillment in whatever you become, whether it be a famous war photojournalist or a high school civics teacher. This hypothesis was the one I researched and eventually accepted in my final project. I interviewed and photographed subjects in various careers, ranging from nurse to restaurant manager, and was able to find that common thread. There is purpose in any work. Why else would we do it every day if not for some sort of fulfillment? Sure, we clock in every morning in order to pay the bills, but we dedicate our lives to it because anyone anywhere can make a difference at any time. The end justifies the means, but the means have meaning, too.

intro to political science paper, fall semester sophomore year

Terrorists or Patriots?

In modern America’s comfortable and fairly peaceful society, when one hears of militias, a common assumption is that they are violence-raising, utopian-seeking groups of terrorists. This perception is not entirely inaccurate. There are extreme militias in the world today that have strong ideologies based on unrealistic beliefs, and they choose to call attention to those beliefs through violence and terror. However, history has shown the positive results brought about by militias with revolutionary ideas of freedom and independence.

The United States of America was born on the spirit of revolution within a radical militia. People like Samuel Adams and other members of the Sons of Liberty were considered extremists by other colonists (Kiernan 153) who were mostly loyal to the British throne. If these “terrorists” of the monarchy had not stepped up and formed their own group of fighters, America would currently lack the freedoms of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Today our government is, for the most part, still a government by the people for the people. It still seeks the best welfare for its citizens. However, some militias disagree, and it seems that our guaranteed individual rights are being overlooked. If this keeps happening, what will the people be able to do if the government becomes tyrannical? If that ever were to happen, we would have lost so many of our rights and opportunities that we would have no hope for revolution. Militias must not be banned, and should in fact be encouraged because the idea of forming militias embodies some of the most important rights we as Americans have. We have a responsibility to learn of and exercise those rights instead of lolling in passivity. We have to be prepared to mount a loyal opposition to tyranny in order to defend our Constitution.

The United States Constitution was ratified in 1789 by the original thirteen states. It gave an outline of the branches of government and the role of the states in the union, but several of those states only agreed to sign the document after the Massachusetts Compromise (Dutton). This was an agreement that amendments to the constitution including a bill of rights would be considered by the first Congress. Within three years, in 1792, the first ten amendments, or the Bill of Rights, were ratified. Our inalienable rights as Americans were then laid out on paper, and these are what enable us to form militias.

Citizens of the United States of America must not be hindered in addressing the government on its actions. The very first amendment in the Bill of Rights protects the rights we have to make a fault known and what we are able to do to demand its resolution without government interference:

“Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech…or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (The Constitution…)

Though obscene speech can be discouraged, the Supreme Court of the United States is very lenient when it comes to political speech, because it is vital to a healthy democratic society. The Court once issued a statement saying that political speech “may indeed serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest (Terminiello v. Chicago).” Militias are not meant to be a bunch of crazy people running around with guns. They are to make known their mission of defending the constitution and be prepared to defend it if need be. The first amendment also guarantees the right to assemble. Militias are simply citizens engaging in political discourse, uniting in preparation for defense of their rights.

With all the struggles over gun laws in the US today, it’s hard to believe that in 1808 the government actually offered to buy and provide guns for every able-bodied white male in the country (Arms and… 3). Back then, The Founding Fathers actually wanted armed and ready citizens. They saw it important that the people would always be able to defend themselves like they did against the British, less they fall meekly into the hands of tyrants (McGrath). The fear today is that our own government may someday become the tyrant. The second amendment to the Constitution is as follows:

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” (The Constitution…)

This amendment is what most militias look to for verification and assurance that what they are doing is lawful and even necessary in order to keep the federal government in check. Militias cannot be accused of violence they haven’t committed just because they have the means. Gun acquisition is in preparation of the worst possible scenario, if the government refuses to redress its grievances.

Because we are guaranteed these rights in our Constitution, we are stewards of the laws created based upon it. Though those laws were developed from the interpretations of flawed men, they were supported by the majority enough to be pushed through to inception. As a militia loyal to the United States of America, they are under penalty of those laws. Mike Johnson, an administrator for the North Central Florida Regional Militia, said in an essay that forming a militia “does not give the group as a whole any more legal rights or privileges than the individual members had to begin with.” Some laws are just formalities, such as registering all guns and conforming to any building codes, and some are more prominent, protecting the safety and happiness of citizens. If the actions of the militia are acts of terrorism or sedition against a legitimate government, that government has the right to prosecute those who are responsible.

Even though these rights are guaranteed in federal law, individual states are not required to follow them under the legislation from Presser v. Illinois in 1886 (Polesky 1612). Or rather, states are able to develop their own definition of what a militia is or is not. Over half of the states in U.S. have decided militias are not something to be encouraged. How do these states find ways to avoid such important rights? Based on the first amendment rights of free speech and right to assemble, militias are allowed to organize, yet they are not allowed to train (Polesky 1595). These anti-paramilitary organization statutes disallow functioning militias, eliminating the possibility of them ever being to take a stand if the need arose. Some states, such as Oklahoma, require all militias to be authorized by the state (Nimmo). This legislation is believed to have been developed out of fear of another “militia sympathizer” bombing such as the one by Timothy McVeigh of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. This is a law that militias should respect, however, only as long as our rights of free speech, peaceable assembly, and bearing of arms for protection are not restricted. For example, New Hampshire specifically restricts organizations’ becoming militant, in everything from the possession of firearms to the wearing of uniforms. This heavy control is in fact what encourages more militias to form. As states continually restrict their citizens, they reduce our ability to resist the federal government’s infringement of our first and second amendment rights. The more rights we lose at the state level, the less we can do if the federal government becomes tyrannical.

A constitutional militia is one that seeks the greater good of America and its citizens based on the freedoms presented in the Bill of Rights. If the government attempts to restrict and manipulate its constituents, citizens of the U.S. must join together in peaceful assembly and speak out about the problems. The government cannot choose to allow the exercise of these rights only if the political speech is to its benefit. Samuel Adams was an advocate for citizen militias. He saw a standing army of the federal government as being necessary in some situations, but can pose a threat to the liberties of the people (Marina). The government has to be willing to accept surveillance, not only built into the system but from outside sources. Who better than the citizens? This is where the militia comes in. If the government refuses to acknowledge and discontinue its misdeeds, militias should stand up and be ready to fight, whether with words or with guns.

Citizen militias are typically defined as a social group that meets regularly to practice weaponry in preparation for government tyranny or terrorism (Weeber and Rodeheaver 188). Most of the militias in the country today were developed out of fear of the federal government, fear that it is growing rapidly, becoming more and more corrupt, and may eventually interfere in private family, financial, and religious matters. Even if the movement is at first relatively peaceful, if the government responds with strong anti-terrorism legislation, that movement may rebel further and resort to violence. An example of this occurred in Waco, Texas at a compound of Branch Davidians, a peaceful religious sect that was accused of stockpiling weapons for protection. They were invaded by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and what started as a simple search warrant turned into a shoot out in which over 80 people died. Social action in the form of militias rises from some sort of strain (pg 182). Whether it is economic, social, or political, if the citizens feel powerless they will want to mobilize. Our title as Americans should allow us to do so without fear of our elected government. A government earns legitimacy by having support by the majority of its constituents. In the same way, militias may form and train at any time, whether backed by the public or not. Yet if a militia is to be constitutional and legitimate, it must have the interests of the people in mind. In the words of the Ohio Unorganized Militia, 3^rd Battalion from their website: “Pray for the best…Prepare for the worst!”

Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying: "a little rebellion every now and then is a good thing." When a militia stands up against a tyrannical government, it is to uphold the Constitution and our God-given rights, not for personal gain. The legislation that some states have passed places militias in the same realm as gangs such as the Klu Klux Klan (Nimmo). Militias based on constitutional rights are not meant to terrorize fellow citizens. Over the years, some individuals have had violent ideological missions and that distracts from the true patriotic purpose militias are supposed to have. In the 1970s, Ted Kaczynski, the “Unabomber” bombed airlines and universities out of fear of the federal government for nearly twenty years before being caught. In 2008, James Cummings, a Nazi sympathizer, built a bomb with the intention of using it on the White House before his wife killed him. These men are not accurate representations of what kind of people form militias. They had extreme ideologies of a new world order, one that placed their ideas or race at the top, regardless of the rights all human being have. Though forming a private military may be considered extreme, legitimate militias are out for the good of America, not just one segment of the population. In the same way as racism, sedition against a legitimate government is not a characteristic of a constitutional militia. In early 2010, a “Christian militia” based in Michigan called Hutaree attempted to murder several law enforcement officers who they said were corrupt. In reality, Hutaree was an anti-government group that was creating a conspiracy in an attempt to undermine all forms of government by killing innocent people (New York Times).

Militias are not only important if the government were ever to become tyrannical. Militias at peace can be an assistance to a legitimate government and it constituents. In Arizona, along the Mexican border, local citizens have banded together to keep illegal aliens off their property, controversially using guns. Though it is their right to defend their property, critics say that these people are violating other human rights by making citizen arrests based on racist stereotypes (Reel). Now, Arizona state senator Jack Harper is making plans to lawfully use those determined citizens. It costs an estimated $10 million a year to employ the National Guard on the border, yet a civilian force would cost significantly less. Harper is planning legislation to be introduced next year that would create a government-sanctioned militia. This militia would report all illegal activity to local law enforcement and assist in apprehension. Though this government authorization should not be required for all constitutional militias, it exemplifies the way militias and the government can work together. One of the commitments of The Southeastern Ohio Defense Force militia, found on their website, is to train in the “implementation of disaster services,” whether natural or war-caused. Another militia, the Ohio Defense Force, makes it one of their missions to assist state and local law enforcement upon request (Gellman). Even when not at war, militias can be patriots “committed to the US Constitution without being anti-American.” (Weeber and Rodeheaver 195)

One of the current goals of our standing military in foreign countries is to disband “illegal militias” who pose a threat to our soldiers (Scahill 6). These militias in countries such as Lebanon and Iraq are violent and depend on terror to accomplish their goals, and because of that we have right to fight them. However, if those militias were peaceful, it would be a perfect opportunity for the United States to support the next “American Revolution”. In the same way that we revolted against the British, militias from other countries could arise from within and encourage change in their own societies. Constitutional militias of our own, based on the inalienable rights all humans have, would set an excellent example for the citizens who have their rights suppressed by their countries.

If a movement starts rolling, leaders will emerge and they will need to be vibrant and charismatic. More importantly, the leaders need to be educated in their rights as Americans and what they can lawfully do to stand up to the repressive forces. They will need to be pragmatic and level-headed like the Founding Fathers in the American Revolution, not hell-bent on some violent ideology. We as Americans need to be educated citizens so that we are able to rule if need be, instead of submitting to a tyrannical government. The Declaration of Independence states the purpose of militias perfectly: the government should organize its powers in order to effectively protect the life, liberty and happiness of its constituents, and if it fails “after a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them [the people] under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such a government, and to provide new guards for their future security.” George Mason, “Father of the Bill of Rights”, said in 1788 that militias “consist now of the whole people” (Marina). We the people are meant to be a constitutional militia. We are to embrace the freedom to stand up to an unjust government, unafraid of the consequences.

References

“Arms and the Man.” Economist 352.8126 (1999): 17-19. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2010.

“The Constitution of the United States.” Amendments 1 and 2.

“The Declaration of Independence.”

Del Puerto, Luige. “Harper Proposes State-Sanctioned Militia to Patrol Border.” Arizona Capitol Times 24 Nov. 2010. Print.

Dutton, Alan R. “Civics”. Iowa: Alpha Omega Publications Aug 2007. Print.

Gellman, Barton. “Locked and Loaded.” TIME 11 October 2010. Print.

Johnson, Mike. “Modern Militias.” Afn.org. Web.

Kiernan, Denise, and Joseph D’Agnese. “Signing Their Lives Away.” Pennsylvania: Quirk Books 2009. Print.

Marina, William F. “Militia, Standing Armies, and the Second Amendment.” The Law and Liberty Summer 1975. Print.

McGrath, Roger D. “The American Rifleman in the Revolutionary War.” The New American 13 Sept. 2010: 34-39. Print.

Mpna.com. Ohio Unorganized Militia, 3rd Battalion. Web.

The New York Times. “Hutaree.” 31 March 2010. Print.

Nimmo, Kurt. “Oklahoma Passes Bill Outlawing Militia Recruitment.” Infowars.com. 28 April, 2010. Web.

Polesky, Joelle E. “The Rise of the Private Militia: A First and Second Amendment Analysis of the Right to Organize and the Right to Train.” University of Pennsylvania Law Review Vol. 144, No. 4 April 1996: 1593-1642.

Reel, James. “Men with Guns.” Sojourners V. 32 No. 4 July/August 2003 26-31: 26-31.

Scahill, Jeremy. “Mercenary Jackpot.” The Nation 4 Sept. 2006. Print.

Sodf.org “The Constitution of the Southeastern Ohio Defense Force.” Web.

Print.Terminiello v. Chicago, 337 U.S. 1, 4 (1949).

Weeber, Stan, and Daniel Rodeheaver. “Militias at the Millennium: A Test of Smelser's Theory of Collective Behavior.” The Sociological Quarterly 44.2 2003: 181-204.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

delirious ramblings.

It is nearly 2:30 in the morning.
The past few days I have not felt like sleeping very much, but because of that I have felt sooo brain-dead.
There is so much going on in my head.

I feel like I am struggling with being honest.
I feel like no one knows the whole me, except God of course, but in that case He needs to start filling me in about who I am.

Late at night is where the thoughts come out, so I should try to share them when I can.

Friday, May 13, 2011

introducing rebellion.

my new kitty.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

relationships in the rebellion.

Life is beautiful. It's amazing what spring can do to remind you of the great parts of life that never leave us.

It's lovely outside. And I am surrounded by lovely people. Just like last year, my last couple weeks I have managed to connect with new friends that I am so sorry I will be leaving. But I am once again thriving in that knowledge. I feel that short relationships have many advantages. There is no time to experience the drama that comes with being friends for years, and you learn to enjoy each other's company for what it is, not what it could be in the future. There is no room to try and change people. Also, I feel I have to be the best I can be for those people because they won't be near me very long. Still, I will miss them and hope to see them in the future.

Now, my dear friends with whom I have been close to for a while. Do not fret, you are a treasure to me as well. Lately, I have been reforging ties with my old friends from my younger years. And those relationships are so amazingly rich because I can look back and see how both we and our relationships have grown and changed. I am reminded of how we are constantly growing as people, and those friendships that survive regardless are the ones that will last forever. In this time, I seek to devote myself to the development of those relationships. Also, I hope to find new people with whom I can become old friends.

It is rather sad for me to say this, but breaking up with my boyfriend was one of the best decisions I have ever made. That hurts for me to say, because I still consider him the most amazing man I have ever met. Kind, respectful, and level-headed. But right now, I need to be crazy and form bonds with people that being in a relationship prevents. Not just with boys, mind you. I am not the teenager I once was. I want to spend time with all my people and not be tied to one, having to spend a majority of my time with him.

I desire to grow closer to God in all this as well. So much of this period of self-discovery depends on the identity I find in Christ. Of anything I am experiencing right now, this area is the one where I feel most torn. Where do I draw the line between having experiences and maintaining my witness? But I am reminded of the way God uses our decisions for His good, regardless. So I have no choice but to do the best I can, being cautious, but mindful of the forgiveness He offers us.