The Battle of TikTok

There was once a beautiful neighborhood in the hills of Los Angeles where almost all of the biggest TikTok stars lived. Bella, one of the biggest TikTok dancers at the time, was moving into a new huge mansion in a street where there was only one other house. Little did she know that she was going to be the neighbor of Zach, another dancing icon on TikTok. As she was moving in all of her stuff she decided to make a quick TikTok showing her new house, “What’s up everyone Bella here just wanted to show y’all this awesome new house I got! Expect a lot more content coming”. Zach was looking out his window and realized who Bella was and the following she had on TikTok, so he quickly thought, “Oh my god I really have to get a collab going”. Zach wasted no time and went outside and began talking to Bella and telling her that he would love to collab on a video. The next day Zach went over to Bella’s house and told her he was ready to make the video, so Bella went to grab her idea notebook. “Ah, she has an idea notebook! if only I could get my hands on it” Zach said cynically. Once Bella returned they looked through the book and found a dance that they both thought would get millions of likes. However, right before they were about to start Bella’s manager calls her so she steps outside. In this little time Zach was able to look through her notebook and steal a dance idea where he will be on top of the hollywood sign. After stealing the idea Bella comes back and they make the TikTok together, and as soon as they posted it they got over one million likes. “This is dope! Hopefully we can make another vid soon” said Bella not knowing Zach stole her idea.

The very next day Zach made his way up to the Hollywood sign where there were already other TikTokers making a video at the base of the sign. “Move out the way I’m about to dance on top of the sign and become the biggest TikTok dancer of all time” siad Zach arrogantly. As he made his way up the others told him to not do it and that he’s crazy, but Zach responded, “gotta do what you gotta do to be famous”. He said this while his legs were shaking and palms were sweaty, but he still managed to get to the top and make the video. Little did Zach know that he dropped the page from Bellas notebook as he climbed and the others there found it and saw that it belonged to Bella. Zach posted the video and got over two million likes in just one minute. However, as he drowned in his fame the other TikTokers there posted the notebook page on twitter where Bellas fans saw this and began the hashtag, #CancelZach, which quickly blew up and he lost all of his fame and followers. Bella thought that no one would help her because Zach was more known in L.A., so she hid in her home and was very happy that her fans put Zach on blast. 

Later that day Bella hears a knock at her door. She goes to open it and sees that it was Zach. “Bella, please open the door so I can explain everything” Zach said pitifully. Bella lets Zach in, knowing that they were going to be neighbors for a while. “I’m so sorry Bella I don’t know what got into me” exclaimed Zach. “I’ve just really been stuck in getting new ideas and started losing followers.”. After some time Bella replied, “I know what it can feel like to be stuck, but the way to overcome it is to wait and give it time, the idea will come when it comes.” A little confused Zach replies, “That’s a little counter intuitive, then ima lose followers”. “Yea that wasn’t too good. I heard it in some stories a while back, I think by some dude named Aesop” said Bella comedically. “But it’s true just give it time and it will all solve itself”. Through all of this drama Bella was able to forgive Zach and they still collaborated here and there, but she now learned to never leave her idea notebook up for grabs.

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Review: Hello everyone, I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to read my imitation of a compilation of a couple of Aesop’s famous fables. You might be wondering what made me decide why I wrote a short story instead of going with some sort of imagery. First, I wanted to do a short story just because I feel like there is not much reading of short stories in today’s society due to the accessibility to videos or other forms of imagery. I fall victim to being gravitated towards watching or listening to something instead of reading, but there is no better feeling than flipping through pages or reading something word for word and wondering what is going to happen next. Moving on, I decided to use characters that are TikTok stars for the simple fact that this social media app is one of the biggest out now, and I felt like many people would be attracted to this. With this story being more of a comedic story I also felt like TikTok has a humorous connotation with it where many people associate a cringe feeling when they hear about these famous TikTok stars and I tried to use it to reel people in. If it wasn’t so clear I decided to base my story off The Eagle and the Fox, The Foxes on the Bank of the Maeander River, and The fox with a Swollen Stomach. I decided to go with these stories because they have lessons of betrayal, consequences of boasting, and time solves everything. I think that these lessons and ideas are something that is still relevant today and I feel like in some of the stories we can’t really tell what the lesson is. Overall, I was trying to retell these famous stories in a fun laid back manner, while still including some important lessons and ideas.

-Francisco Alonso 

Avatar Advocating for Environmental Justice

In his essay, A Sense of No-Place:”Avatar and the pitfalls of ecocentric identification.”, Hannes Bergthaller talks about how the motion picture Avatar embeds ideas of how ecological crisis is something caused by modern people to nature. Where he states that ecocentric identification and a ‘ sense of place’ are used as a way to remedy this crisis, also being a foundation for deep ecology and environmental justice. In his essay Bergthaller states, ”The Na’avi exemplify the project of a sustainable society modelled on the life of pre-modern indigenous peoples, characterized by a place-based spirituality and sensual intimacy with the natural world. Yet the film’s ability to compel spectators to identify with the Na’avi appears inseparable from its capacity to aesthetically dislocate them from their ordinary lives. Even as Avatar‘s narrative advocates a ‘return to one’s senses’, it in effect threatens to exacerbate the condition it criticises” (158).

This quote is saying that the Na’vi people are a model of a society whose ideology is based on place-based spirituality and showing love and respect for the natural world and environment. Also stating that the film is trying to make a connection between the Na’vi and viewers, but that they can only do this by first pulling the viewer in with aesthetic imagery. In turn, this is hurting the film’s ability to make the connection between viewer and Na’vi. 

I think that Bergthaller is mistaken when saying this because he overlooks the fact that making this aesthetic connection between viewer and film is what makes the viewer even begin to think about an ecocentric relationship. An example of where aesthetic dislocation is used in order to support ecocentric relationships is the scene where Neytiri and Jake are leaving the home tree after Jake was accepted into the tribe and the film shows the vast and beautiful terrain they traveled through in order to reach the area of the trees of voices. As they arrive we are shown these intricate species that fly and how the glow of the floor and trees makes this a very beautiful and calm area. In doing this there is a connection being made between the viewer and the environment in which the characters are in. Then the film goes to a scene where the corporation is driving big machinery and they are carelessly destroying these trees of voices. The mix of showing this beautiful scenery and then showing it being destroyed is showing that the film is successfully using aesthetic dislocation because they make that emotional connection between viewer and environment, then in turn shock the viewer with images of this land being destroyed. This shows how in our own reality we are the ones causing damage and are ignoring environmental justice.

-Francisco Alonso

Being A Part Of The System

In Rudyard Kipling’s, The Jungle Books, in the chapter, “Servants of the Queen”, we can see a conversation between an Afghan chief and a native officer where the chief asks about the intelligence of the animals seen in a British military parade. The native officer then replies with,”They obey, as the men do. Mule, horse, elephant, or bullock, he obeys his driver, and the driver his sergeant, and the sergeant his lieutenant…”(Kipling, 136). So the question is why does the native officer have more of an understanding of the levels of power than the Afghan chief or Amir. It can be said that the native officer knows more about the system than the Afghan chief or Amir because he was a part of the system, while the others are at the top of the system holding power over everyone else. 

In other words the Afghan chief and Amir can be seen as a leviathan in their states. This being said they are not really aware of what the lives of the rest consist of. While the native officer has been through the ranks and understands who does what and who gets to say what. In addition, there could also be an overlying power for the Amir and the Afghan chief which they see as a leviathan, which would make them a part of a system, but they do not hold the same power so they are not as aware.

-Francisco Alonso

Justice For All

In, “Indigenous Environmental Justice: Anti-Colonial Action through Kinship”, Kyle Whyte argues that, “reciprocal bonds with ecosystems and the plants, animals, insects, and humans who dwell in them is a precise way to express environmental justice” (275). Kyle is part of the Potawatomi tribe which has traditions of relationships with many different vegetables but mainly with corn where they plant all of these in order to create sustainable ecosystems and still gather food for their people. This is a good example of reciprocal bonds where the humans are providing for the environment and the plants are providing them with a source of food. Ideas similar to this can be seen throughout many Native American fables.

In the fable, The Meeting of the Wild Animals, the animals of the forest wanted to figure out a way for humans to have less of a chance to hunt them. The leader of the animals was the Bear who wanted to make winters longer so humans would stay in their homes, but the Bear was not thinking about how this would affect the plants and smaller animals. Then the Porcupine stood up and said that this was a bad idea because the plants would die therefore leaving no food for all of the animals. This story shows Whytes idea of reciprocal bonds because if the large animals change the ecosystem which they live in in order to better their lives they could worsen the lives of other animals. Therefore, the Porcupine symbolizes the mediator for all living things in the ecosystem which lets all of the species survive. As for relationships with humans we cannot really say that they result in environmental and social justice because in this example the animals are trying to limit the humans ability to eat, but it can be said that in splitting the seasons the animals are still giving the humans a chance to thrive from the ecosystem. Overall, this story shows how the ecosystem provides for animals while the animals still have to take the well being of all species and the ecosystem into account for all of them to survive.

-Francisco Alonso

Lets Go Animals!

In the Case of Animals Vs. Man, we can see that both the humans and the animals are posing good arguments, but at the end the animals are providing stronger evidence. The human arguments seem more like statements that set them up to be countered by the animals because they provide little to no evidence to back up their points. Therefore, giving the animals a chance to respond with well supported answers that makes the humans look completely wrong. Throughout the fable we can see many examples of this from different animals.

One animal that makes good argumentative points is the delegate of the beasts of prey, the jackal. For example, in chapter 31 the humans try to argue that they are masters and the animals slave by saying that they have fine clothing and garments while the animals have very coarse clothing  and rough hides. Where the jackal then replied with, ”Why, he cited among their merits this and that article of fine clothing and soft covering. Tell me, human, would you have any of the things you boast of had you not taken them from others, from other animals, by force?’”(pg. 260). The jackal is making a good point by saying if it weren’t for the animals they would not have any of these fine clothing that they boast of. Also the jackal says that the humans take part in the work of a slave where they have to work to get the hides of the animals ready to be worn, but are hurting their body over time until they die, which the jackal says is a punishment from God for killing the animals. This is not the only time that the animals respond with a great answer. 

The delegate of the carnivores is also able to defend the animals when the humans say, “‘Because, of all the parties gathered here, none is wickeder than you, O predators. None is more heartless, useless or noxious, none is more ravenous or bloodthirsty!’”(pg. 262). Where they then reply with a strong statement, “Said the delegate of the carnivores, ‘We learned this from you. We modelled our actions on your treatment of these beasts.’”(pg. 262). Here the animals have a clear explanation of how the humans have made them reframe from their old ways of life. The animals said that before the creation of Adam and his children they had no need to hunt and kill other animals because there were naturally already enough carcasses for them to eat. Showing us that the humans actions have caused the animals to change their ways and when they are just trying to survive they become labeled as evil merciless beasts. Overall, the animals have shown that they have evidence in order to back up statements that they make and to be able to counter the statements of the humans.

-Francisco Alonso

Where Does The Pig Stand?

In the book, The Case of the Animals versus Man, we see a huge argument between humans and animals about if animals are truely the slaves of humans. Throughout this argument the humans were able to state their side of the argument while the animals were able to counter using their personal experiences. The humans main argument is that they have a body that is superior to those of animals and therefore they need to enslave them in order to help them survive. However, the animals disagree with this and say that each animal, including humans, were created with a purpose in mind and that the form of their body contributes to this purpose. Which then lets the animals go into arguing about the maltreatment they have been experiencing, and they were making very good arguments until the pig was asked to speak. From pages 119 to 121 we see the pig state his feelings about how humans treat them, but takes a very odd stand that in some ways hurts the animals arguments. As soon as the mule asked the pig to speak there was a huge argument that both humans and animals took part in about if the pigs are part of the cattle. Humans began saying that pigs are not part of the cattle and others said they were, but others even said that they are a cross between beast and animal. The pig then responds with, “Good Lord! I don’t know what to say or of whom to complain, with all the welter of conflicting things that are said of me”(pg. 120). This shows that the pig is struggling understanding what is even being argued and is battling his own problem. This was a big flaw in the argument for the animals because the pig is showing confusion on the problem at hand and showing that there is not much unity between the animals. Also however the pig goes on to state that some humans hate even being around his species while others really value what the pigs bring, which makes the pig feel valued and show again that it really is stuck in deciding what point to take in the argument. The last thing the pig said was, “No wonder we’re confused. We don’t know whom to thank and against whom to complain of injustice.”(pg. 121). Overall, this last line goes to show that there is also a problem in the animals themselves because in ways some animals treat the pigs in the same way that a human does and knowing that most of these animals are domesticated one can say that the animals have learned this from being around humans.

-Francisco Alonso       

The Effects of Domestication

“The wolves said to the dogs: ‘Why, when you are so like us in all respects, don’t we come to some brotherly understanding? For there is no difference between us except our ways of thinking” (216). This is a line from Aesop’s fable, The Dogs Reconciled with the Wolves, where some wolves were trying to convince a pack of dogs into handing over a flock of sheep. Once the wolves saw that the dogs were sympathizing with them, they took no hesitation in killing all the dogs and feasting on the flock. Throughout Aesop’s fables wolves are seen to be evil tricksters who will do anything in order to get a meal. While dogs are seen as noble and loyal animals whether that be to their owners or other animals. However, morality is something that one has to be taught or exposed to by someone who has some sort of power over them. The story, The Two Dogs, has a line that says,”Ah! You should not blame me but our master, for it was he who taught me not to work and to live instead from the work of others.”(175). Where a hunting dog was complaining to the guard dog that he had done all the work and the hunt was still divided evenly. The dog’s behavior is not something that came naturally, but more something he inherited by being domesticated by a human. In Aesop’s fables it can be seen that there is a division in the sense of morality between dogs and wolves. However, this is due to the fact that humans have the power to domesticate the dogs while not having success with wolves.

-Francisco Alonso

“The Lion and the Wild Boar”

One can argue that the idea of fairness comes up when reading through Aesop’s ploughman and lion fables, but there is one that stood out to me. The fable of, “The Lion and the Wild Boar”, is about a Lion and a Wild Boar who stopped at a spring to drink water, but began to argue over who should take the first drink which led to a life and death fight. However, they set aside their differences when they see vultures waiting nearby and agree to become friends. This story as well as many others shows that the negotiation of fairness in Aesop’s fables is ultimately decided by the stronger or bigger animals. This being said the stories give the smaller animals a powerless or degrading image, which opposes the idea of fairness. Similarly many other fables have this notion where all the problems that arise are solved with violence either for revenge or to benefit oneself. However, in the fable, “The Royalty of the Lion”, we see all the animals working together to find solutions that have benefits for all. I think that other fables deviate from the equality and justice seen in this fable because Aesop believed that animals are incapable of being moral beings. Marc Bekoff opposes this in his writing, “Wild Justice, Empathy, and Fair Play: Finding Honor among Beasts”, where he states that animals are capable of being fair to one another and that this helps them be cooperative with others in order to have strong social groups. Overall, showing that animals are capable of negotiating fairness was not Aesop’s main focus, but studies show that they are more than capable and that they depend on it for survival.

-Francisco Alonso   

Does, “The Eagle with Clipped Wings and the Fox”, Show Animal Morality

The Eagle with the Clipped Wings and the Fox is one of Aesop’s fables, which tells the story of how a man caught and clipped the wings of an eagle only to have it live with the poultry on his farm. Another man later comes and buys the eagle and fixes its wings using myrrh letting the eagle fly once again. The first thing the Eagle did was catch a hare and give it to the man who saved him, but a fox who saw this whole situation told the eagle, “You shouldn’t give the hare to him. You should give it to your first master. The second is naturally good. But you ought to give a present to the first one to deter him from catching you and clipping your wings again” (Aesop, pg.54). After reading this sentence I began to think this was a contradictory statement for the fox to make. Then after the story the book states that the moral of the story was, “Thus, one should generously repay the favours of one’s benefactors and prudently keep out of the way of wicked people.” (Aesop, pg.54). I feel like this message is not really being shown in the the story because it is deviating from the fact that the frist man was committing an act of animal cruelty by imprisoning the eagle for no real reason, and later wanting him to be rewarded.

I believe that these fables begin to bite at the idea of environmental justice, but it is not the central idea. It can be said that the first man fits into the anthropocentric theories of justice, which Steve Cook says in his essay ,Justice beyond humanity, “ Anthropocentric theories of justice generally view non-human animals and the environment as resources, valuable only insofar as they contribute to the good of humans.”(Cook, 280). Seeing this shows that the farmer fits into this definition where he has the eagle roaming around with the poultry as a form of protection or as a form of showing off, but it is not explicitly stated. Also, the story give the eagle a sense of sentience where they describe him being able to feel sorrow, which goes to show that when writing they believed the animals had the capacity to feel and have emotions. The second man also adds to the moral of environmental justice because he is saving the eagle from captivity. Overall, I thought this was a good way of sending a humanly moral story, but it can be argued that the story could also help in pushing environmental justice.

-Francisco Alonso