DRAFT PROJECT POST 11/26-Nelson Nunez

Chapter 8: Ethics

Quote 1: "Quite the opposite: they were engaged in a struggle for racial purity, hierarchical power, and military domination. They were the Nazis. The Nazis were evil, racist, and genocidal. They committed crimes against humanity that can never be forgiven."

Quote 2: "The art of propaganda lies in understanding the emotional ideas of the great masses and finding, through a psychologically correct form, the way to the attention and thence to the heart of the broad masses. "

Short Response: In this chapter, the authors that activist creative strategies and emotional appeals can be dangerously effective when used for unethical causes. The example of the Nazis, who exploited propaganda to manipulate the emotions of the masses and promote antisemitism, genocidal agendas. This shows that without ethical grounding, activism can support destructive movements. Activist need to consider the messages and consequences of their methods as they pursue their goals.


Chapter 9: Utopia

Quote 1: "The implementation of Senate Bill was merely an objective, which, while it crucially needed to be met, was only one step toward a, whether they are aware of, care about, or understand our specific problems or objectives, are likely much larger goal. A goal that others, whether they are aware of, care about, or understand our specific problems or objectives, are likely to want to reach with us."

Quote 2: "We can be activists against fascism, or we can be activists working toward a world in which cultural difference is celebrated, and true democracy is enacted. To be æective, we need to ask ourselves whether it is the problem or the outcome that is really motivating us."

Short Response: Although accomplishing an objective, like passing a bill, is important and necessary, it is only a step towards creating change that captures and involves others. Activists need to think beyond the goals that they can accomplish at the moment, instead, they should focus on collective visions. By connecting individual actions to a collective vision, activists can engage more participation and work towards transforming the system rather than just building temporary fixes.



Draft Project Post

My performance art activism project focuses on the exploitation of immigrant agricultural workers in the US. Workers who produce much of the food that feeds the country are heavily exploited by their bosses. The reason why I chose this topic is that immigrant farmworkers experience some of the harshest working conditions in the US, with wages under the federal minimum, long working hours, harsh weather conditions, exposure to pesticides, and a constant fear of deportation. Although their work is essential, their suffering is often ignored by those whom they help feed, and many consider them enemies to the nation. With my performance, I aim to make people stop and confront the reality that American agriculture depends on the exploitation of immigrants, exposing how the country directly benefits from immigrants while denying them fair treatment.

To symbolize the exploitation, my performance consists of picking up pennies from the ground in front of an Immigration Center. The performance aims to simulate the physical labor of Immigrant farmworkers who spend hours bent picking crops in harsh conditions, only to receive small wages. For my performance, I will need a hat and a worn-out long-sleeve shirt to dress similarly to how many farmworkers do, around 300 pennies that will symbolize the crops, and a bucket to deposit all the pennies, similar to the ones immigrants used to carry crops.


References:
‘They treat us like machines’: migrant workers’ conceptual framework of labour exploitation for health research and policy - PMC.


Four Charts on Immigrant Worker Exploitation in America - Inequality.org