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San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Compassionate courage moves beyond ‘cancel culture' to challenge systemic racism – but it's hard work
Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content. Pushpa Iyer, Middlebury (THE CONVERSATION) It is common to read news of someone getting fired for speaking or acting in ways that harmed members of another race. Our current call-out culture often advocates publicly shaming and humiliating wrongdoers, destroying their reputations and making them lose their jobs. Further, this culture prioritizes the impact of people's words or actions over their intent. In higher education alone, there have been many cases of such call-outs. Greg Patton, a professor at University of Southern California, had to step away from teaching in the MBA program for using a Chinese word that sounded like a racial slur during a Zoom lecture. At Smith College, staff members who were falsely called out for being racist suffered health issues and left the job. UCLA accounting lecturer Gordon Klein was suspended after he did not agree to relax his grading policies following the killing of George Floyd. Though ultimately reinstated, he said that 'it remains to be seen how horribly damaged my reputation is.' As an activist, scholar and practitioner who has studied peace and conflict for more than 20 years, I have witnessed and researched racial, ethnic, gender and religious conflicts around the world. This experience, combined with teaching and leading anti-racism efforts in higher education, has allowed me to develop and practice a conflict resolution technique that I believe is less divisive than call-out culture and more effective in resolving conflicts. I define compassion as empathy in action. It is not enough to put yourself in someone else's shoes to understand their pain; you must walk with them through their grief. I define courage as staying true to your values even when you experience discomfort or suffering. The closest I have come to seeing compassionate courage in practice is in my research in Mindanao, a group of islands in the Philippines. The marginalized Muslim minority of these islands, the Moros, have led a separatist armed struggle against the government since the 1960s. The long conflict has led to divisions among the Moros, the Christian majority and the Indigenous Lumads. One village, tired of war, decided to do something to keep their community peaceful. Members from all three groups heard and listened to stories and counterstories of their prejudices against one another. They defined what respect and harmony between them would look like. They decided any act of violence or discrimination would be brought to the attention of a committee representing all three communities. Justice would be served and the community as a whole would take responsibility for actions coming from one of them. Then they worked together with the military and other armed groups to establish sanctions for those who might break the peace. When war broke out again between the armed groups and the military, the communities supported one another instead of being pulled in different directions by the armed actors. Many conflict resolution strategies, such as dialogue and truth-telling, emphasize listening to others and building empathy. They assume action will follow. Sometimes action does follow, but by leaders who step in to correct the wrong when in fact they have responsibility for the systemic issues in their institutions. Further, those who caused the harm have no role in the resolution except to receive punishment. They are not considered part of the solution. Compassionate courage changes both how a conflict is defined and the goals of its resolution. A case study Say, for example, a university faculty member highlights the lower performance of students whose first language is not English. Calling out would involve labeling the faculty member racist and asking for them to be fired from their job. Calling in – an approach that Smith College professor and feminist activist Loretta Ross describes as calling out, but with love – would involve the faculty and the concerned students engaging one another to transform the damaged relationship into one of respect. This approach appeals to the humanity of the person causing the harm and allows them to reverse the damage they caused to a community. Compassionate courage, on the other hand, would bring the school community together to seek clarification on the statements made, the intent, the harm caused and the fear of future injury. Participants might learn, for example, that the faculty member's frustration lies with the school's grading policy that prevents them from being flexible. Instead of ending the process there, compassionate courage would then bring the university's students, faculty and leadership together to discuss the school's grading system, and how they can make it more just and more reflective of the strengths of its diverse student body. The compassionate courage approach not only addresses systemic inequalities, but it also ensures the change is equitable and more widespread beyond one faculty member's class. Building compassion and courage In the above example, I believe the university leaders, the faculty member who made the statement, and the group of students who were harmed by the statement all need to build compassion and courage. Sitting at the table and listening to the very people who may be responsible for your frustrations and challenges can be difficult. But this is what the practice of true compassion involves. Exploring the possibility that a statement may not have been inherently racist but emerged from a systemic problem puts the responsibility on all sides to examine their values, beliefs, attitudes and behavior. This, I believe, is courage. Accepting responsibility and taking action together can change the status quo and make the institution more equitable. This is what I call compassionate courage. In my experience, it is challenging to have both compassion and courage at the same time. And if all sides are not committed to this approach, then the one going in with compassion and courage will be more vulnerable in this process. However, I believe the benefits to both the institution and its members makes it worth striving for.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
100-million-year-old dinosaur eggs recovered in Jurassic America
100-million-year-old dinosaur eggs recovered in Jurassic America Central Utah, 100 million years ago, was a very different place–covered in forests and water. It was a lush, watery landscape on the edge of the Western Interior Seaway. In this landscape, dinosaurs and early mammals drank from the same water sources, while ancient crocodiles hid beneath the surface, to attack their prey. Dense forests and rivers supported a wide variety of life. This region was part of a dynamic ecosystem where survival depended on constant adaptation. Recent fossil discoveries from the Mussentuchit Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation—including bones and broken eggshells—offer a rare glimpse, helping scientists understand the creatures that once thrived in this ancient, ever-changing environment. 4000 dinosaur eggshell fragments found buried in 20 sites For over a year, paleontologists assumed that there was just one type of dinosaur egg buried in the to their assumption was proven wrong after the researchers collected more than 4,000 eggshell fragments from 20 sites and examined them under scanning electron microscopes and light microscopes. As the eggshells split into at least six distinct ootaxa- a scientific term for fossil egg species, showed that several different animals shared the same nesting grounds. 'The most interesting thing about this for me is the multiple types of elongatoolithid eggshells, which correspond to multiple types of oviraptorosaur dinosaurs', shared Dr. Josh Hedge, a visiting assistant professor of biology at Lake Forest College. He added, 'I think historically we have been guilty of thinking there is one kind of each dinosaur in a given ecosystem, but we are finding more and more that multiple species of each group are likely coexisting.' Their research suggests that at least two or three oviraptorosaurs of different sizes were laying eggs in that Utah ecosystem at the same time. Dinosaur egg diversity Many of the eggshells found belonged to feathered dinosaurs called Oviraptorosauras. These eggs were long and narrow, similar to the modern bird eggs, a shape that might have helped the embryos breathe while buried in warm sand. Other eggs belonged to plant eating dinosaurs that walked on two legs called Ornithopods. But perhaps the most surprising find was Mycomorphoolithus kohringi, an egg type previously found only in Europe, indicating that a crocodylomorph, a prehistoric relative of crocodiles, also lived in North America during the Cretaceous period. About the egg layers Most Oviraptorosaurs were mid-sized, feathered omnivores with strong beaks and stubby tails. Among the recent skeletal finds, Moros, a horse-sized early tyrannosaur, and lani, a beaked plant-eater were also found. Meanwhile, Ornithopods were the workhorses of the Cretaceous West. They left abundant tracks but rarely complete skeletons. They were dry-season grazers or wet-season thick-walled eggs support the idea that they buried their clutches in vegetation, much like today's megapode birds. What eggs clue about the ancient ecosystem Clutch spacing, shell thickness , and pore patterns tell us about the soil moisture, vegetation cover, and parental care behaviors. The six ootaxa signify: shallow buried mounds for crocodile cousins, sand plastered rings for oviraptorosaurs, and leaf-blanketed pits for ornithopods. Microscopic and scanning electron analysis revealed crystallite patterns thinner than a human hair, allowing the scientists to match tiny fragments to broader evolutionary groups. This wide variety suggests the characteristics of an ecosystem, rich in microhabitats, where animals could partition the resources and thrive side by side. Also read | Is the 'doomsday fish' a real omen of disaster? Here's what scientists say
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This Philippine Scout fired his rifle with one hand to save his squad
Among the outcomes of the Spanish-American War of 1898 was the transfer of the Philippine Archipelago from Spain to the United States. It was followed by another war when Filipinos led by Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy, who had rebelled against the Spanish in 1896 in hopes of establishing an indigenous republic, found their country seized by the U.S. instead. After yet another brutal conflict, fought between 1899 and 1902, Aguinaldo and his forces were defeated and the Philippines became the strategic protectorate of a new conqueror. Within a few years, the predominantly Catholic, Tagalog-speaking Filipinos in the northern islands resigned themselves to the current situation and some became part of the U.S. military forces enforcing order there. As early as 1901 the U.S. Army had organized the first Philippine Scouts, whose familiarity with their home terrain made them an invaluable asset. In the years leading up to World War I, the principal enemy these units still had to fight were various Islamic sultanates in southern islands such as Mindanao, Jolo and Sulu, collectively dubbed Moros. Under their previous overlords, the Moro sultans had enjoyed a degree of autonomy from the Spaniards, who found that policy preferable to provoking unnecessary trouble. The Americans, however, were more serious about assimilating the entire archipelago under their rule, resulting in a series of the sort of savage campaigns that the Spanish had tried to avoid. It was amid those violent years that Pvt. José Nisperos had his moment in military history. José Nisperos Balítón was born on Dec. 30, 1887, in San Fernando, La Union province, on the island of Luzon. He enlisted in the 34th Company of Philippine Scouts in December 1907, altering his name to be less confusing to the Americans (in its Spanish-based form, Balítón was his mother's family name, while Nisperos was his father's). He finished his tour of duty in 1911, but a few months after his discharge, he reenlisted, citing his occupation as 'soldier.' On Sept. 24, 1911, Nisperos was attached as an interpreter to a small naval detachment involved in a multipronged operation against Moros on Basilan, the largest and northernmost island in the Sulu Archipelago. Disembarking at Semut from the gunboat Pampanga, the squad, led by Ensign Charles Hovey, with a local guide, Hospital Apprentice Fred McGuire and Nisperos, advanced toward the town of Lapurap ahead of four other enlisted seamen: Jacob Volz, John Catherwood, Bolden Harrison and George Henrechon. As the four-man vanguard approached their objective, they came upon a village of nipa huts, from which shots suddenly rang out, instantly killing the guide, grievously wounding Hovey and wounding Nisperos and McGuire. About 20 Moros then burst from hiding behind the huts, armed with obsolete muskets, spears and kris knives, and charged the party. In spite of his wounds, McGuire countercharged, emptying his rifle into his assailants and then using it as a club while placing himself between their assailants and Hovey. Nisperos, who was shot in the left elbow and speared through the body, fought on, propping himself on his disabled arm as described in his citation: 'Having been badly wounded (his left arm was broken and lacerated and he had received several spear wounds in the body so he could not stand) continued to fire his rifle with one hand until the enemy was repulsed, thereby aiding materially in preventing the annihilation of his party and the mutilation of their bodies.' The seamen bringing up the rear charged to assist the advance party. Catherwood was wounded early on but fought on from the prone position, Volz assaulted his adversaries, Harrison killed three Moros with a double barrel shotgun and Henrechon, after suffering a gun jam and breaking his rifle butt over a Moro's head, drew a service pistol and continued fighting. With other landing parties moving up to aid Hovey's, the surviving Moros retreated. As McGuire reverted to his proper role, tending to the wounded, Nisperos insisted that Hovey be taken care of before himself. Hovey died of his wounds shortly thereafter, however. All five of the Navy enlisted men were subsequently awarded the Medal of Honor. Later, as more details of the fight near Lapurap came to light, on March 19, 1912, Nisperos' immediate superior, 2nd Lt. Arthur Cody recommended him for the medal as well. Consequently, on Feb. 3, 1913, the wife of Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Bell (himself a Medal holder) made him the first Filipino and Asian Medal of Honor recipient. Although promoted to corporal, Nisperos did not remain long in the Army. He was discharged in June 1912, and appointed a deputy sheriff of Basilon by the commander of the 28th Infantry Regiment and given a lifetime disability pension of $55 per month. On Sept. 1, 1922, however, he died in his hometown of San Fernando at age 34. He is buried at Lingsat Public Cemetery. Later, his Medal of Honor was stolen and sought out by his family until 2010, when his great-granddaughter learned of it being auctioned in Manila. After further negotiation, the buyer finally returned it to the Nisperos family on June 7, 2012.
