Peacekeeper Truth Serum Blog

One thing I love about waiting tables is being able to interact with people. Even the interactions with the less-than-polite customers (“Give me a warm chocolate tart”—“Listen lady, I can’t give you anything. If you’re looking for free food, the soup kitchen is down the street”), it allows me to practice patience. Kant would be ashamed of some of these people–every once and awhile you can find customers who are interested in you as a person, not just a means to acquire some sustenance.  A few weeks ago I had two business men come in for breakfast. It was fairly quiet that day, so we conversed about my time in Belgium. The older gentleman at the table asked me what I wanted to do after college, to which I replied “Something in the humanitarian field.” His response surprised me: “Really? You don’t seem like that type at all.” His companion agreed.  They thought I seemed much more likely to be interesting in acting or modeling—“You are studying in New York, of all cities,” I was told.  I didn’t know how to take what they said, and I’m still not sure. One of my co-workers today turned me on to Joan Kilbourne, who is one of the leading lecturers on women and the media. As I was skimming her impressive bio, this article came up “Jesus is a Brand of Jeans.” It’s interesting to see an academic explanation of behavior I’ve observed first hand—people as things, or even less than things. Ads that are glib and humorous are promoting more than the products, but a behavior as well. Selling variety of products for “those afraid of commitment,” advertisements are as Kilbourne put it: “Ad after ad portrays our real lives as dull and ordinary, commitment to human beings as something to be avoided. Because of the pervasiveness of this kind of message, we learn from childhood that it is far safer to make a commitment to a product than to a person, far easier to be loyal to a brand.”Advertising also poses a strong threat for young women. Linked on Joan’s website is a great little flash bit that illustrates how easy it is to alter photographs with Photoshop to “correct” so-called “imperfections.” Young boys and girls are being exposed to hyper-sexuality and violence through television considering the fact that the average American watches 4 hours of TV per day, meaning more and more exposure to commercial advertisements.Working in at a cosmetics company has certain stigmas, most people associate makeup with flaws—women need makeup to be beautiful. PeaceKeeper has a different (and admirable) philosophy about beauty. Wrinkles are to celebrated, experience is an asset.  What’s your favorite wrinkle?Peace,Alice

Now that all the Phelps mania has subsided (who am I kidding, this kid is like global warming, he just keeps getting hotter) I’ve been continuing to watch the swimming portion of the Beijing Olympics. Two of my good friends swim at my university, so I’ve spent many an evening sitting in the humid bleachers cheering them on in their endeavors. Because they both are in the distance division, I’ve been looking forward to these events. Last night I was reminded as the event started, I’ve been meaning to write about Natalie du Toit ever since the last Olympics post. I’m sure many of you have read about her in the New York Times or in your local newspaper- but Natalie competed today in the Women’s Marathon 10k in Beijing today, being one of the few disabled athletes to compete in the able-bodied Olympics. I’m a sucker for these kinds of stories about overcoming obstacles and it makes me happy to see a woman with such incredible inner and physical strength she deserves.  Natalie was only 17 when she lost her lower leg in a motorbike accident in her home of South Africa while preparing for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.  I think it’s important (and not to mention difficult) to keep reaching for goals after facing setbacks. By never losing sight of her goal to compete in the Olympics, Natalie was back in the water after only five months. (I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but click here for the results from the race.)

I had read an article awhile back on veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq trying to return to civilian life after surviving horrific wounds that left our service men and women amputees. There has been an unprecedented increase of military men and women amputees due to the dramatic increase of medical technology that allows them to survive wounds that would been fatal in the past. IAVA, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America made a movie about six US servicemen and women who used their amputation as a starting point for athletic success. You can find more information about the unique conditions for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan here.

Peace,

Alice

While I was cooking dinner last night, one of my roommates tuned into the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, The Beijing Olympics have turned out to be rather controversial. From the beginning, certain politicians and NGOs around the world protested the International Olympic Committee’s decision in regards to China’s questionable human rights records. The torch running was marked with protest in several countries, mainly stemming from the political situation between China and Tibet. I hadn’t made the conscious decision to not watch the Olympics; I’ve been busy this past week, almost to the point where I had forgotten the games were going on. I had forgotten how amazing the Olympics can be, these men and women represent the best of the best as well as ambassadors of peace. It’s hard not to be awed by the feats of athletic prowess like Michael Phelps or the teamwork illustrated by any of the women on the soccer field. I was looking at some of the photos from the awards ceremonies, like Jamaica’s 4x100m women’s team who won the gold metal this year, and it’s incredible how beautiful women can be. PeaceKeeper is all about women with natural strength and courage. With an inner glow like that, a little lip gloss is all you need.

Be that as it may, the Olympic Games in Beijing have also been host to the international plague of the media’s idea of beauty. The New York Times recently published an article revealing that the face of the Beijing Olympics, the young Lin Miaoke who was broadcasted internationally singing the anthem of the games was lip-synching. The third grader wasn’t miming due to performance anxiety, but the voice that came out of the stadium speakers was that of Yang Peiyi The Chinese government decided last minute that Peiyi, who was chosen to sing at the ceremony because of her talent, would not be suitable to represent the nation of China in the international arena because of her looks. Peiyi was not told until fifteen minutes beforehand that she would not be performing. It saddens me that the media’s construction of what is beautiful is so pervasive it’s spilling into little girls’ childhoods. Unfortunately this debacle is just another illustration of how the Chinese government has taken every attempt to control the public perception of China. From detaining and jailing journalists to suspending You-Tube, the Chinese government’s improvements made to the country in preparation for the Olympic Games are only lightly draped over the country’s somewhat grim political and social situation. Whether or not you support the Olympic Games or not, I hope that this time of international unity will bring some focus on what needs to be done to ensure  a more permanent equity to all human beings all over the world not just for two weeks every four years.

Peace,

Alice

My co-worker and fellow PeaceKeeper passed on this article that appeared in today’s edition of the METRO newspaper. The New York City’s Metropolitan Transport Authority is starting an ad campaign aimed to bring awareness about sexual harassment on public transit. Designed after a similar program instated in Boston, the MTA will be posting information that seems commonsense to most of us, like SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE, etc on subway cars and buses. This has been a long time coming, as most people know from either witnessing or experiencing sexual harassment on public transportation. The seemingly backwards results of such campaign (i.e. more reports of sexual harassment) are as columnist Courtney Martin stated: more women are realizing that you can report harassment, not just accept it for a fact of life. There are a couple of organizations that are working in conjunction or supporting the MTA’s new program like RideRights, which provides women, transgender and gender queer individuals a free ride home on the weekends to designated areas in New York City, along with The Street Harassment Coalition.

Other countries have taken different approaches to the same problem. In Mexico, women have the option of taking female only public transportation (a solution that opens a whole other feminist can of worms). The metro system comparable to the subway has open cars, so it’s easier to escape an attacker in between metro stops. A discussion in the office led to sharing stories, as well as a common conclusion that these ads aren’t going to be of help to women if there isn’t a resource instituted to deal with the inevitable influx of reports. Do you think there’s a better way to address the problem of sexual harassment?

Peace,

Alice

Heya PeaceKeepers!

Although I can’t say much, I wanted to let you know about a little project that Jody and I have been working on this summer called Makeup Artists for Peace. We’re getting some of the best (and I really do mean the best) celebrity makeup artists to donate a hot tip for YOU. And believe me, it’s going to be fabulous. We’ll be posting it on our website later on this month, I’ll keep you updated!

Peace,
Alice

One thing I love about the internet (besides the obvious implications for my ability to procrastinate) is that it has become a global forum for information sharing. I have easily lost hours upon hours of my life to the all-knowing Wikipedia reading up on anything from mythological sea serpents to how the Electoral College process works. Recently I’ve been tuning in to Queen Rania of Jordan’s video logs that are all about spreading knowledge and understanding. In a post 9/11 world, images and descriptions of “Islam” and the Middle East (usually involving suicide bombers and tales of insurgencies) have been flooding the media. Queen Rania has bravely accepted the task of addressing the stereotypes and misconceptions of the Arab world.

In March, the Jordanian royal invited the internet and YouTube community to send her their perceptions, opinions and questions to be answered by Rania herself as well as some fellow Arab v-loggers. Interspersing serious subject matter with pop culture humor (what do you mean Jack Bauer isn’t real?), Queen Rania and fellow Arabs discuss how stereotypes affect their daily interactions as well as what they would like to see in the future. One of the most important issues illustrated was the terrorism directed at other Muslims, a fact that many have forgotten or chosen not to recognize. Reading through the comments is just as informing as watching the clips posted by Queen Rania, although some of them illustrate the attitudes that need to be changed. Encouraging intercultural and international dialogue should be a priority in our ever expanding world- whether it be through trying a new food, studying abroad or logging on to YouTube.

Peace,

Alice