42 Matching Annotations
  1. Feb 2024
    1. re in continual jealousiesand in the state and posture of gladiators, having their weapons pointing, andtheir eyes fixed on one another, that is, their forts, garrisons, and guns, upon thefrontiers of their kingdoms, and continual spies upon their neighbours: which isa posture of war

      Is he saying that jealousy causes these wars against man? This is an interesting idea.

    2. And therefore, if any two men desire the same thing which nevertheless theycannot both enjoy, they become enemies; and, in the way to their end, which isprincipally their own conservation and sometimes their delectation only,endeavour to destroy or subdue one another.

      Isn't this the goal of our society? We strive for competition because it makes for a show. Competition proves who is better than the other, who is more capable than the other. Our capitalistic society is moreso like this than anything. We may not being "killing eachother", but we're killing buisness in hopes to gain capital.

    3. The first maketh man invade for gain; the second, for safety; and the third, forreputation. The first use violence, to make themselves masters of other men’spersons, wives, children, and cattle; the second, to defend them; the third, fortrifles, as a word, a smile, a different opinion, and any other sign of undervalue,either direct in their persons or by reflection in their kindred, their friends, theirnation, their profession, or their name

      I find this aspect of man so interesting because I can clearly see the point Hobbes in making. Men have personal reasons why they want the things they do, not simply because of love or loneliness, they do the things they do because it looks good on them. They marry someone with a pristine reputation to have them to build up their own reputation, to make them look better beside their spounse. They now have someone good in their corner. Whould this be considered selfish? I don't know, but it interests me.

    4. when going to sleep, he locks his doors; wheneven in his house, he locks his chests; and this when he knows there be lawsand public officers armed to revenge all injuries shall be done him; what opinionhe has of his fellow-subjects when he rides armed; of his fellow-citizens, whenhe locks his doors; and of his children and servants, when he locks his chests.Does he not there as much accuse mankind by his actions as I do by mywords?

      A man who does these things, knows himself and therefore, knows others. He knows what he would do if another man didn't lock his doors or his chests, so he doesn't want those actions reflected upon him. This may be considered a guilty conscience because he doesn't trust himself or another man to act in a civil and lawful manner when obstacles have been lifted.

    5. For such is the nature of men that, howsoever theymay acknowledge many others to be more witty or more eloquent or morelearned, yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves, forthey see their own wit at hand and other men’s at a distance. But this provethrather that men are in that point equal than unequal.

      This is such an interesting point. We like to assume that we better than, in any aspect, our peers, but when it comes down to it, we are all equal. We all carry that belief that we are better then someone else, believing we are unequal to said person. They may carry that same idea about you, they think they outrank you in some aspect, making them believe they are better then you. Therefore, we are all the same. The same arrogant people.

  2. Jan 2024
    1. It is clearly not easy for men to give up the satisfaction of this inclination to aggression. They do not feelcomfortable without it.

      This is so important. Men are not comfortable without aggression. They have the urge to conquer those around them to prove that they are better than, not only women, but other men. If a man isn't aggressive in his craft or in his manner, he ins't respected. He isn't praised. That's all he wants. Kinda selfish, but at least Freud had something right.

    2. Genital love leads to the formation of new families, andaim-inhibited love to 'friendships' which become valuable from a cultural standpoint because they escapesome of the limitations of genital love, as, for instance, its exclusiveness.

      It's interesting that he refers to genital love as exclusive. I'm sure the was more so the case for his time period, but nowadays that's not necessarily the case. Genital love isn't exclusive anymore. It's not taboo as it once was.

    3. Moreover, what we haverecognized as one of the techniques for fulfilling the pleasure principle has often been brought intoconnection with religion;

      This is such an interesting point. I believe that religion could be a way to fulfill pleasure because we are always looking to someone for guidance and religion sort of fills that gap for many. Religion also promotes acceptance and compassion, which helps people feel good...that they are good. Is that always true? No, but we need to feel good somehow.

    4. The most remarkable example of such a process is found in the anal erotism of young human beings.Their original interest in the excretory function, its organs and products, is changed in the course of theirgrowth into a group of traits which are familiar to us as parsimony, a sense of order and cleanliness -qualities which, though valuable and welcome in themselves, may be intensified till they becomemarkedly dominant and produce what is called the anal character. How this happens we do not know,but there is no doubt about the correctness of the finding.

      How does this happen? That's an interesting question because to me, I would say our parents have implanted this change in us. From a young age they teach us to become this anal character, so that when we step out to the real world, we have that order and cleanliness instilled within us. That is something that has been passed down from generation to generation. It's almost a right of passage.

    5. we welcome it as a sign of civilization as well if we see people directing their care too to what hasno practical value whatever, to what is useless - if, for instance, the green spaces necessary in a town asplaygrounds and as reservoirs of fresh air are also laid out with flower-beds, or if the windows of thehouses are decorated with pots of flowers.

      This is such an interesting concept to think about. We have created our civilization by tearing down large plots of vegetation that once kept our air quality top-grade housed thousands of animals, but now we pride ourselves on greenery and making sure the places we go to have some of that. It's kind of ironic. We want beauty, but there was more beauty when we weren't in the picture to ruin it.

    1. pg. 49

      Menial labor is just another way for white people to show that they think they are better than everyone else, I swear. The fact that people of color make up these jobs the most despite being the minority, is insane (Although, times are changing to white people are becoming the minority). They know that they can do the bare minimum and get the higher-paying job that holds more title than a POC with the same or better qualifications. They know we just have to pick up a random job to survive in this capitalist society.

    2. pg. 56-57

      "Why should such acts be interpreted as symptoms of social injustice?" This is such an important idea because it makes me think of violence in black neighborhood, particularly in poor black neighborhoods. What do people think would happen when you put a poor people into one area with deteriorating homes, a lack of fresh food and grocery stores, heavy police surveillance, and schools that continuously leave kids behind because they can't provide support to each individual student? People get fed up. They get angry. They get violent. It's not their fault. They are being pushed into a corner and are told to deal with it because there is little opportunity to get out of it.

    3. pg. 50

      I can finally say I understand why older people are so angry all the time. It must feel awful to spend your whole life leading up to some material gain by working in our capitalistic society, and then being cast aside by that society due to aging. Being forced into retirement to make room for someone younger and more able has to be frustrating and somewhat insulting. The life you once lived and did continuously for decades, almost a never-ending routine, and then that routine is broken not by you, but by our ageist society.

    4. pg. 47

      I can't explain the sadness I feel when I can actively see the comparison between how women will put their entire being into their male partner, but will not receive the same energy from said partner. What is it that causes one to sit through a relationship knowing that you can't provide the same level of love and support that is being given? Is it simply that? Men know women are nurturing and more sensitive, so they know they can take advantage of that by staying in this one-sided relationship. On the other hand, women assume men are emotionally-repressed, so they deal with not being loved as hard as they do. Sad.

    5. pg. 39

      I think the conversation of "looking beyond the model of sovereignty" when taking about oppression is so important because there are a lot of non-oppressed people who truly don't understand what it's like to be a part of an oppressed group. Sure, we aren't being actively pointed out by a designated ruler who can single-handedly make us oppressed, but now we have to fight against jobs giving hire to the less-qualified white person over a well-qualified POC, just because they are white. inadequate medical support, food deserts in our neighborhoods, etc.

  3. Jun 2022
    1. History cannot be changed. It cannot be moved like a statue. What is done isdone. The Civil War is over, and the Confederacy lost and we are better for it.

      Another great point. Why keep these reminders of a history that was detrimental to many when history wasn't even in favor of the Confederacy.

    2. So relocating these Confederate monuments is not about taking something awayfrom someone else. This is not about politics, this is not about blame orretaliation.

      This is such a positive way of saying that the city needs a bit of "spring-cleaning" from the confederacy statues in the city.

    3. Another friend asked me to consider these four monuments from the perspectiveof an African American mother or father trying to explain to their fifth gradedaughter who Robert E. Lee is and why he stands atop of our beautiful city

      I wish other cities would take in account this situation. It would be hard to explain this type of thing to kids, especially when it isn't kid-friendly to explain.

    4. He said in his now famous ‘corner-stone speech’ that the Confederacy’s “corner-stone rests upon the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; thatslavery -- subordination to the superior race -- is his natural and normal condition.This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon thisgreat physical, philosophical, and moral truth.”xxxi

      This idea is probably still within the heads of people in power in the south.

    5. This ‘cult’ had one goal - through monuments and through other means – torewrite history to hide the truth, which is that the Confederacy was on the wrongside of humanity.

      I understand that New Orleans is in the south and the south is going to have these ideas about Confederacy and whiteness, but what took so long for someone in power to realize that these statues are inappropriate.

    6. “A great nation does not hide itshistory. It faces its flaws and corrects them.

      I think that this is something the whole country should consider. While I appreciate Landrieu for saying this, not every state and its legislation would abide.

  4. May 2022
    1. Law's Mississippi Company collapsed, stopping the flow of investment money to New Orleans.[8] Nonetheless, in 1722, New Orleans was made the capital of French Louisiana, replacing Biloxi in that role.

      So how did Biloxi come to be in Mississippi? Like was it not a part of the Louisiana purchase, so that's why it's considered a part of a different state?

    2. Much of the 18th-century architecture still present in the French Quarter was built during this time, including three of the most impressive structures in New Orleans—St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo and the Presbytere. The architectural character of the French Quarter, including multi-storied buildings centered around inner courtyards, large arched doorways, and the use of decorative wrought iron, were ubiquitous in parts of Spain and the Spanish colonies,

      It's interesting see how each ruler (Spain and French) had some sort of effect on the architecture, but when you think of New Orleans, you think more about its French background.

    3. After the significant destruction and loss of life resulting from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the city would bounce back and rebuild in the ensuing years.

      It's still trying to bounce back and with Hurricane Ida being not that long ago, that just increased the time gap.

    4. Damage to levees and cities along the Mississippi River adversely affected southern crops and trade for the port city for some time, as the government tried to restore infrastructure. The nationwide Panic of 1873 also slowed economic recovery.

      As I read through this page, the amount of text that relates to levees breaking or being under construction is way too much.

    5. With a relatively large educated black (including a self-described "Creole" or mixed-race) population that had long interacted with the white population, racial attitudes were comparatively liberal for the Deep South.

      I'm really surprised by this. I kind of thought that all of the south was the same.

    6. Following studies begun by the Drainage Advisory Board and the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans in the 1890s, in the 1900s and 1910s engineer and inventor A. Baldwin Wood enacted his ambitious plan to drain the city, including large pumps of his own design that are still used when heavy rains hit the city. Wood's pumps and drainage allowed the city to expand greatly in area.

      It's interesting to see that some of New Orleans' greatest inventions had to do being able to drain the city. I don't think I've never seen drainage being included in history.

    7. In 2014 Nagin was convicted on charges that he had taken more than $500,000 in payouts from businessmen in exchange for millions of dollars' worth of city contracts. He received a 10-year sentence.

      It's one thing after another for this city.

    8. On August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana, passing through New Orleans on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. A citywide power outage and significant damage was reported.[49] The post-Katrina levee system successfully defended the city, but some suburbs without levees or where levees were still under construction flooded.

      I feel like the city should be more prepared for these types of things. If you know the city is susceptible to flooding and power outages so soon, I feel like they should be more prepared for the aftereffects of storms, so month long support to rebuild and regain power can be shortened,

    9. In 1805, a census showed a heterogeneous population of 8,500, comprising 3,551 whites, 1,556 free blacks, and 3,105 slaves.

      I wonder how many of those enslaved people were fee slaves mistaken for being enslaved.

    10. In the final third of the Spanish period, two massive fires burned the great majority of the city's buildings. The Great New Orleans Fire of 1788 destroyed 856 buildings in the city on Good Friday, March 21 of that year.

      Why is that as soon as the city is getting to a good standpoint, there is some form of sabotage to ruin it.

    1. Significantly, Butler abolished French-language instruction in city schools. Statewide measures in 1864 and, after the war, 1868 further strengthened the English-only policy imposed by federal representatives. With the predominance of English speakers, that language had already become dominant in business and government.[58] By the end of the 19th century, French usage had faded.

      It's interesting to see how the language was banned, but it manages to be used by modern-day citizens in New Orleans.

    2. claims that "New Orleans is subsiding (sinking)":[96] Large portions of Orleans, St. Bernard, and Jefferson parishes are currently below sea level—and continue to sink.

      It's always something that is affecting the city. I never even thought to consider erosion as a factor in the city falling further below sea level. I can only imagine this getting worse after every storm too.

    3. The average elevation of the city is currently between 1 foot (0.30 m) and 2 feet (0.61 m) below sea level, with some portions of the city as high as 20 feet (6 m) at the base of the river levee in Uptown and others as low as 7 feet (2 m) below sea level in the farthest reaches of Eastern New Orleans.

      I can only imagine what it will be like in the next years with water levels rising.

    4. When six-year-old Ruby Bridges integrated William Frantz Elementary School in the Ninth Ward, she was the first child of color to attend a previously all-white school in the South

      I did not know this took place in New Orleans. The number of stories I've read about her and didn't know this.

    5. Anti-Italian sentiment in 1891 contributed to the lynchings of 11 Italians, some of whom had been acquitted of the murder of the police chief. Some were shot and killed in the jail where they were detained. It was the largest mass lynching in U.S. history.

      I watched a true crime story on this, and I truly couldn't believe how savage these white people were during this time. They only believed it was the Italians because when the police chief died, his last words were a slur towards Italian people.

    6. Dixiecrats passed Jim Crow laws, establishing racial segregation in public facilities.

      I know that Dixiecrats are different from Democrats, but it's funny to see the different variations of their name throughout history.

    7. Wartime damage to levees and cities along the Mississippi River adversely affected southern crops and trade. The federal government contributed to restoring infrastructure. The nationwide financial recession and Panic of 1873 adversely affected businesses and slowed economic recovery.

      It's surprising to hear how the levees have been failing the city for so long. You would think that by now there would be a solid construction of these levees.

    8. Despite its role in the slave trade, New Orleans at the time also had the largest and most prosperous community of free persons of color in the nation, who were often educated, middle-class property owners.

      I literally did not know this until right now. I just thought all of the south had enslaved people.

    9. The City that Care Forgot, used since at least 1938,[29] referring to the outwardly easygoing, carefree nature of the residents.

      I feel like this a southern personality trait, kind of like southern hospitalitiy.

    10. major redevelopment efforts have led to a rebound in the city's population. Concerns about gentrification, new residents buying property in formerly closely knit communities, and displacement of longtime residents have been expressed.

      Not surprising, since the levees "broke" in the lower ninth ward. It was probably planned in an attempt to gentrify the poor neighborhood.

    11. New Orleans has increasingly been known as "Hollywood South" due to its prominent role in the film industry and in pop culture.

      While I have never heard this reference towards New Orleans, I can see why it is called that, especially music-wise.