I think it’s odd that I have this picture on my camera, and within less than two weeks, there’s this picture on the news:
The world moves so fast, and I suppose it’s so large it makes sense that there are a million different things happening, but it seems to strange that when certain events happen, the world doesn’t just stop.
I know I’m fast-approaching the end of my project, and I should attempt to reign myself in from the tangents. But I’m not going to. This week I was watching a talk-show host's segment “Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That” where he speeds through as many news stories as possible, asking questions and leaving them unanswered because ain’t nobody got time for that. And of course it’s funny, but it reminded me of something that had piqued my interest my first few weeks at the Senator’s, and that is: the lifespan of issues.
As you can imagine, from my experience at the office, most issues have a shelf-life of about two weeks. Certain extremely important ones with a high-level impact (healthcare) will result in people calling in longer. But most calls concern what is in the headlines.
I don’t mind people calling about headline issues, but I do wish they would call about other ones as well. It does make you realize, though, how effective a single ad can be at encouraging people to call (though not necessarily at ensuring that they know what they’re calling about; I’ve had multiple people this week tell me that if the Senator voted for the Affordable Care Act, they would never vote for him again).
That’s my tangent. The office is becoming a flood-zone again. Before 3 PM on Wednesday, when the power went out (yup, for the whole block) we had received about 400 calls, most of them about healthcare.
Between phone calls, I am currently working on a spreadsheet of the largest local businesses in the Arizona counties. While some have beautiful websites that list the largest employers and important businesses that have made the county their home, others have nothing. I wonder if this is a difference in funding, a difficulty of consolidating information, or some other factor.
(Apache: http://www.co.apache.az.us/
Maricopa: https://www.maricopa.gov/)
In terms of project developments, to narrow my scope further and because I seem to have an affinity for Apache County, I think I will look at how living in a rural area affects the political efficacy of Native Americans in Arizona. For my data, if I can find it, I think I might compare the voting patterns of Native Americans in Apache County with those in Phoenix. I think the largest challenge here will be taking the many tribes that we have here in Arizona, and consolidating them in a way that keeps my research manageable without erasing the distinction between groups.
I am happy that you finally have a concrete focus for this senior research project. It seems, however, that you are no longer referring to Ancient Greece. Is there any reason as to why you have seemingly stopped comparing to Ancient Greece, or are you using Ancient Greece to define democracy. In other words, how are you using the comparison to Ancient Greece?
ReplyDeleteHello Aidan,
DeleteI've not forgotten Greece! I've found a book in rural ancient Athens that I'll have to get through at some point, but essentially I want to see if the problems that rural Athenians faced linger in modern America (with a few obvious differences). This would serve as a piece of historical context for my research.
Hi Nicole! I am glad to see that you found a solid focus for your project. Will you eventually compare this to Ancient Greece? I'm looking forward to hearing more about your project!
ReplyDeleteI am interested in bringing in areas outside the Athenian city center to see if the problems with rural political participation are ones apparent in the history of democracy. I didn't mention that in this blog post (there was already so much to say!), but that's the plan.
DeleteHello Nicole! I really like your tangents (even if they aren't perfectly directed toward an end goal), especially this one. Similarly, I think looking at the differing voting patterns of Native Americans will be very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I think (I'm not sure how much time I'll have in the end) I would like to see if voter turnout and political efficacy varies for tribal and federal/state elections.
DeleteHey Nicole! I love the picture of you, Lauren, and Alex. You guys look really cute. I would also like to know when you will compare this to Ancient Greece.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people are wondering that apparently. I haven't abandoned Athens, and I'm looking forward to seeing if there is a link between citizens in rural Athens, who feel like outsiders from the polis, and similarly people in rural America, who feel like outsiders from the major cities of their state feel additionally removed from government decisions. The major distinction here would of course be that Athens was a democracy while the US is a republic.
DeleteHi Nicole! I think this tangent is still very relevant to not only your project but also a major issue in America. Have you noticed whether international events such as the UK Parliament attack have relevant impacts on voters' concerns in America? This more focused plan for your project is great, especially because you will be able to focus on specific trends in voting. I can't wait to see how it comes together!
ReplyDeletePeople tend to call where it hits home. International events definitely impact voters' concerns in America, but (from what I've seen) this is mostly when international events have already impacted American policy. There are of course many exceptions, where the process is reversed and constituents can help to establish a policy when none is in place--think Kony 2012. But I do wish more people would call in about international events; the Senator is on the committee for Foreign Relations, and we always have a place open for people calling about the humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Nigeria now. But I can't say too many people are calling in telling him to take action.
DeleteHi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI actually find your tangents very interesting, and unlike most people commenting, I can see how you are connecting this to Athens. How do you plan on distinguishing the groups in Apache County?
The reservations in Apache county are largely held by the Navajo Nation, the White Mountain Apache tribe, and the Zuni tribe, so I think that three groups are manageable. I will be looking at their tribal structures (particularly elections). What might complicate my project is that many of these tribes extend outside of Arizona.
DeleteHi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteEven though they seem tangential to you I find your discoveries and observations very insightful. Your plan to compare political efficacy between Native Americans living in rural settings and those living in Phoenix is definitely interesting and not what I was expecting. I can't wait to see your results from that study.
Thank you so much. I'm sure when my blog first started, you had no idea this is where it would lead (I certainly didn't).
DeleteHi Nicole, your tangents are really interesting and it is also really surprising about the idea of the time continuing despite all of our world's catastrophic problem. Isn't this really the core problem behind political efficacy, the belief that politics no matter how bad it goes won't change the world at all? How would you combat this and does this same strain of though appear in ancient Athens as well?
ReplyDeleteHello Nicole! I don't know much about ancient Greece, so I have so many questions about it. My main one right now is were there cycles like the two-week cycle you described earlier?
ReplyDeleteHey Nicole! It's always exciting to hear your adventures at the office. What do you think you might find in comparing the voting patterns of Native Americans in Apache County with those in Phoenix?
ReplyDelete