Weekly Reflection 3

This week we had to read an article called, “Can Matthew Crawford Deliver us from Distraction”, written by Michael S. Roth in the Chronicle Review for The Chronicle of Higher Education. During our class time Julie picked out 8 themes from the article and in pairs we had a discussion about one of these themes. The theme my partner and I got was “What is truth”. At first we thought that truth was an individual concept in that something that is true for one person may be different for another person. For example, my favorite color is purple, which is a truth for me. However it’s also true that my discussion buddies’ favorite color is pink. Truth is a function of reality, and it’s possible for the each person to have a different perception of reality. But then there are also things that as a population we consider to be true because they are a fact. For example, oranges and other citrus fruits are acidic because they contain citric acid. This is something that has been studied and observed to be true to everyone. So then how can history books, which are supposed to contain the truth about the events from the past, be so controversial. Everyone agrees that the Second World War occurred from 1939 to 1945 and that the Allies won the war. However the details about the war can sound completely different from one text book to another because everyone perceives events differently. The history of the war from a U.S. text book is certainly going to sound different from the history of the war from a German text book. Both text books are considered true, but the truths in each book can be contradictory because the perceptions of the war from each side was different.

Ignorance also makes the concept of truth more complex. In a dictatorship, where information is censored, people can’t know that the information that they receive is falsified or is missing parts. To them, the news they hear and read is true. Someone outside of this censorship with access to more information can easily say that the ignorant people are silly for believing such lies from their government. But, if you put yourself in the position of a citizen of that dictatorship, they don’t and can’t know that what they know is not the truth. Communication plays a large roll in Truth, and without uncensored information, people can’t know that the information they have is false.

This discussion of truth is relevant to my research project because the theater shows I have seen and the demonstrations that I have done research on, all aim to inform their audience about the truth of their situation. In Germany, many refugees who don’t speak German, and certainly can’t read German, have accidentally signed their own deportation papers because the officials didn’t tell them what the papers were. Refugees are also not allowed to learn German, receive any other education, or work. The refugees must also live within a 35km radius, and they can’t leave that area without special permission and even then they must be back within their zone within the same day. There are many other examples of the unjust immigration laws in Germany and the rest of Europe, and my research is looking at how these groups use theater and demonstrations in order to share the truth of their situation and the situation of others. Through art, these refugees are able to have a voice and share their stories and feelings with their audience. Through demonstrations, which are often meant to be shocking or slightly disturbing, demonstrators are able to make people stop and contemplate the horrific events that are happening within Germany and Europe. Even if the people who witness a play or demonstration don’t themselves become activists, having conversations about what is going on is just as important. As I said earlier, people can’t be blamed for their ignorance, but once they are provided with new information they should at least spread awareness through discussions about the event with friends and family.

At first I had chosen activism through theater because it was something outside of my normal studies and it seemed like it would be cool to go see some plays. After seeing a few plays, researching demonstrations, learning about the immigration laws, and hearing the stories from refugees and asylum seekers, I am actually incredibly interested in my project. Tomorrow I will be doing an interview with one of the actors from the Ballhaus Naunynstrasse performance that I saw the first week here in Berlin, and I’m excited to learn about his perspective as a refugee who has made a career out of performing in political theater. I have learned so much in the past few weeks, and I can’t believe our time here is almost over. I know this last week will be filled with just as many insights and activities, and I can’t wait to see what Berlin has in store for me.