For the past two weeks in class, we have been discussing and focusing on the topic of The State and Sovereignty and what it really means through the minds like Weber and Brown, and through the famous text of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Throughout our discussions I have seen the argument of where the power lies and what is the true definition of The State, and for me the more we spoke about it the more complex the two terms have become. I find that the best way for me to really grasp complexities such as these is to have some sort of visual of what it may look like and how it functions. A good advantage that we have is media entertainment that likes to put a spin on perspectives and the expanded concept of power.
For instance, this past weekend I have been watching a television series called The Walking Dead and for some reason every time I watch it I think about our Rhetoric War & Peace class. I feel like the show really exemplifies prime examples of things that we discuss and make it so much more interesting to see it pan out. The entire series to me, symbolizes war and peace in itself. It’s the situation of a zombie apocalypse and follows one particular group of people who are just trying to survive everyday hardships but also the chances of being killed at any given moment by a zombie. But the main character name Rick, it the leader or the power of the group really. He makes all of the decisions for the greater good of the group and is constantly battling with them and himself on what he should do next and whether or not to submit himself to the harsh cruelty of what the world has come to or still hold on to his humanity and help people out on occasion out of difficult situations. There are times where he keeps secrets from the group or he has moments of having nervous breakdowns but still tries to prevail for the sake of his people. And I feel this show gives a good insight and twist on the pressures of being a leader and displays whether certain decisions are really represented on behalf of all the people or just the leader.
The concept of Sovereignty is pretty much displayed in all movies, TV shows and books now days. But of course, the best example is in how this country and other countries themselves. Countries such as Russia, China and Africa have all found their own way of keeping power whether it is through shunning out others and keeping to them self or trying to dominate in other regions from their own and expand. I personally believe that power is the foundation to life but it is also the maker of destruction and at times utter madness. The history of power has really taken shape over the years, like when I think about the beginning of sovereignty I don’t initially really think about “the founding fathers of the U.S.” because, in all honestly I think of it as a weak example to be the first one on my mind. In actuality I like to think about the ancient times of Kings and Queens and pharaohs, particularly King Tut or Queen Cleopatra. I find that era of power to be so remarkable and interesting how these rulers were looked upon as Gods and Goddesses watching over the people and ruling them with such charisma and grace. In these times people gave them the title of being a deity but in actuality these Kings and Queens only thought of their rule to be right under God. With that said it makes me think about how the view of the people have really shaped the ways of power and how to look upon a matriarch as either a representation of the voice of the people, or a person selected by a higher power to rule. I have to ask the question of how people came about selecting whether or not each ruler was a deity or just a representation of the state.
With dealings of the state, in my personal opinion, I feel as though there are less questions answered about what is may be rather than what it really is. I thought of the definition of the state to be the actual people who make up a particular region. I found myself questioning the actual power of the state at times. I sometimes think about all of the issues the U.S. faces within its own territory like our education system, poverty, healthcare, Medicare, environmental factors etc. I say this because there are a lot of issues that people in this nation are worried about for the better of this country and the people, that I feel are sometimes deferred from primal duty in order to with stain stable power in the eyes of other countries. Priority is always questioned for those in power and at times it seems that the peoples voices and matters aren’t of any concern.