Elves Are Influencing Icelandic Government

We have recently finished The Crucible and having discussions about it. One of the last points someone in the class made was that they were surprised that so many people believed in witchcraft back during the Salem Witch Trials. Mr. O'Connor compared that to the fact that a lot of people believe in angels today. Even though I am Christian, I believe, like Mr. O'Connor, that angels do not exist. 

I recently came across an article that I thought was just completely over the top. This article claims that more than 50% of Icelanders believe in invisible elves. And I thought it was unusual for someone to believe in angels! Even though this data was taken in 1998, these beliefs have been around for centuries and it is unlikely that the percent of the Icelandic population's opinion would change much in a decade. 

According to the Icelanders, elves have their own community similar to that of humans. Elves have different types of jobs like humans, typically live in single floor houses, and attend church. If one disturbs an elf's home, the elves become "fierce" and serious consequences may arise such as the spraining of an ankle, mechanical breakdowns, or in some cases... a cow may die. There was even a case when the people of Iceland persuaded the government not to move rocks because it was "The Troll's Pass". 

As you can see, the Icelanders take the elves very seriously. The elves are occasionally reason for "local concerns" and the Icelandic government says that if a "certain location is cursed, or if supernatural beings inhabit a certain rock, then this must be considered a cultural treasure". Essentially, the government is stating that it respects any cultural beliefs its people have and that the responses of the government officials have been varied (some officials believe in elves, some do not). 

What are your opinions on supernatural forces? Do you think people's beliefs of the supernatural should influence the government like it did in "The Crucible" and Iceland?

King of the World

This morning, I read an article that really shocked me. It was breaking news about America's relationship with foreign countries. There has been a lot of discussion recently about the NSA and what they have the right to do regarding the American people's privacy inside the United States. 

A breaking news story indicates that the US is spying on other countries, specifically China, by surreptitiously inserting tiny USB cards into their computers. This cardinfects the computers with malware (aka spyware) which will allow the US to track what the Chinese do on their computers. Once the Chinese person connects the USB cord to their computer, American spies can tap into their computer.  They put a briefcase filled with gadgets nearby, which are then able to connect to the Chinesecomputers, so the US government can read their computers. To me, this whole process seems kind of James Bond-like. 

Coincidentally, China had been doing the same thing to us. When President Obama found this out, he was infuriated and "protested" this kind of action against the United States. Hmm, doesn't it seem a little unfair that America spies on China, but when China does the exact same thing to us, we get angry and demand that they stop? It does to me. 

That's the whole idea of American exceptionalism - we can do anything we want, but other people aren't allowed to do the same things to us because we're America. In America's world, we're the kings. Sometimes this mindset can be good, and sometimes it can be bad. Do you think the idea of American exceptionalism is beneficial to America or do you think it hurts us more than it helps?

Same-Sex Marriage Deja Vu

Within the past couple of years, love has been more accepted as many states legalize same-sex marriage. Utah was a recent convert after a surprise ruling by a US District Judge which said that the state's ban on same sex marriage violated those couples' constitutional rights. After this ruling, over 1,000 same sex couples were married in Utah.  But just a few days ago the US Supreme Court granted Utah a "stay" on the ruling which allowed the republican Utah Governor Herbert to stop all officials from marrying same sex couples. This puts those 1,000 couples in limbo as their fate is decided. There is a devastating possibility their marriages will be dissolved.

It is bad enough when gay couples are not allowed to get married, but it is worse when their right to get married is taken away from them. They have had a taste of freedom and now it's gone. The citizens of Utah have been left dazed and confused.  One Utah resident who was planning to get married to his partner, but didn't do it in time said "It feels like we are second-class citizens during the stay." Many predict that this will go to the US Supreme Court.

I think that allowing gay couples in Utah to get married then taking that privilege away from them was a bad decision and will only make same-sex marriage more desirable. In the past when this happened in California (2008), same-sex marriage was legalized within the constitution but then banned again by an amendment called "Prop 8". Many people got together and made peaceful speeches and demonstrations in favor of same-sex marriage. Demonstrations were now more passionate than they had been before because the people of California had already experienced the freedom of being able to marry whomever they wanted. This ended up being taken to the US Supreme Court in 2013 and they overruled Prop 8 with a vote of 5 to 4, legalizing gay marriage in California.

Based on what has happened in the past, taking away a privilege from people who have already known what it's like to have that privilege has not worked out well. If the Utah case goes to the US Supreme Court, I think they will legalize same-sex marriage just like they did for California. The Court's decision to grant a "stay" indicates their interest in the case, and the same nine judges sit on the US Supreme Court as did for the decision in Prop 8, so they are likely to vote the same way.

Although the gay community of Utah has lost hope for marriage equality, when we look at the past, we see promising outcomes. Utah is a hopeful case and if we keep our fingers crossed same-sex couples all over the nation will reap the benefits.