Ai Wei Wei

I believe that culture and carrying out cultural tradition is very important. Culture allows people to express themselves and feel like they belong, but as newer generations are born, they may feel that they cannot relate to the older customs of culture. There are many new, modern ways that individuals can convey characteristics seen in older versions of their culture.

An example of this would be Ai WeiWei, as his story was told in the film Never Sorry. Ai WeiWei is an artist who was breaking traditional norms. His pieces of art created lots of buzz within his community. A specific piece of art is a picture of him dropping Neolithic pots in front of a camera. Ethan Cohen is interviewed about this picture and he states that Ai WeiWei published this piece of art because he wants to break away from traditional art forms from his culture. He loves and cherishes his culture, but wants to try something new. Ai WeiWei is testing these waters by creating modern art that makes citizens think about their culture and government. Some may find his art offensive, especially the piece previously talked about where he dropped the Neolithic pots.

Being an active citizen and active in a community is a way to make change happen, just like the video Active Citizenship explains. A brave individual will see something they do not like or do not agree with and speak out about it. That draws attention to the issue and allows for change, even if it is slow.

Ai WeiWei did this by being a political activist that is known for “… his political outspokenness” and also “…triggered various forms of repression from Chinese authorities” (Cunningham 1). As a result of Ai WeiWei’s outspokenness about the Chinese government, he has been targeted by police and jailed previously. Ai WeiWei also spoke out about China’s human rights and the way that they view democracy, wanting to bring attention to the cruelty that exists. Ai WeiWei is trying to convey the voice of the people that are under the rule of the Chinese government.

To conclude, AiWeiWei is an artist and activist that is active within his community. He is bringing awareness and making Chinese citizens think about their government through numerous outlets.

“Ai Weiwei”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 25 Oct. 2016

<https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ai-Weiwei&gt;.

Democracy

Democracy allows all citizens certain rights that are guaranteed, as long as they respect the law and the rights of others as they are exercising them. In a democracy, the political leader is chosen through open elections, which allows them to vote for whichever candidate they would like. Everyone has a say in a democracy if you exercise your right to vote.

In Bhutto’s essay, she talks about Democracy and Islam and wishes her country could become a democracy. Bhutto says that the West is at fault for not allowing Muslim countries the right to become Democratic, and then goes on to explain how compatible Islam and Democracy actually are. She says “Not only is Islam compatible with democracy, but the message of the Quran empowers the people with rights (democracy), demanding consultation between rulers and ruled (parliament), and requiring that leaders serve the interests of the people or be replaced by them (accountability) (185)”. This passage validates Bhutto’s saying of how compatible Democracy and Islam are, with evidence from the Quran.

In terms of Aristotle, he believes that a state must have complete equality between the rich and the poor in order to achieve a fully functioning democracy. The laws must be supreme, and each citizen must be represented. Aristotle says “The reason why there are many forms of government is that every state contains many elements (62)”. This means that there can be many different forms of democracy, based on who or what makes up the state because each citizen has different views, and not every state consists of the same citizens.

In our contemporary American society, the rich and the poor are not equal. It is most likely that the rich have attended a four-year university (at least), and have gotten a degree which allows them access to a successful, well-paying job. For the poor, it is most likely that they did not have the ability to attend a four-year university in order to get a higher education and degree to advance themselves in the workplace. Aristotle would not be happy with our form of democracy simply because the rich and the poor are not equal.