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Jaye Cho

Final Reflection: A Simple Poll

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-What did you learn?

User Testing is really helpful and important in developing an experience. More importantly, a more random testing body other than family and friends is going to be a lot more helpful. I was able to spot a lot of issue through user tests, but I think I could have done better if I was brave enough to reach out to more strangers about it.

 

-What feedback did you receive? Any reflections on critique itself?

Marina Zurkow, the visiting artist brought up the important question of fostering a space for conversation, discussion. I agreed a lot with it, and felt it was something I planned in the project’s “results” section, but failed to deliver during the actual presentation due to nervousness. I wish I could make it a lot more clear in the presentation.

 

-What might you do differently in terms of process or content?

I will shorten the actual experience part, do 2 questions instead of 5, and make sure I spend more time in explaining the entire experience if possible. I did rehearse my presentation slides, however, I only did it in my head. I really should start rehearsing out loud even though it feels odd at first. That is probably the only way I can get the true or at least a lot more accurate estimate about how things and time might run.

Another big mistake I realized I did, was not having the Poll’s QR Code on slides after the initial introduction. I later found out in chat that some classmates missed the first opportunity to scan the QR code, and thus was not able to participate throughout the entire exercise. I have already made a quick change by including a tiny QR code to the poll on each slides after the initial instruction slide.

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Ideally, I wish I can create a tool that I can automatically turned all the polls into instant pie charts for the result section. I was doing everything manually on spot using 2 laptops and a phone during the live presentation: count the vote, generate the pie charts, and put them into the slides. I was not able to multitask as great as I thought I would, so only ended up finishing the first poll on time. I hope I can make this part smoother in future, and thus have time for actual conversation and discussion about the question with the participants.

 

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I also really wish I present and explain the form, inspirations, and research process more in my presentation. I had 5 slides of curated bibliography that I planned to briefly talk about, hoping to share some of the uncommon knowledge with the audiences.

 

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-What was inspiring? What parts?

I am not sure how I did with content warning, and how it foreshadow my project experiment. I was inspired in doing it this way by couple of the standup comedies I’ve seen recently. However, I think I can do better with it, and finding a balance in the wording as well as presenting it is tricky.

 

In addition, I was inspired by many other classmates’ works, especially resonate with Elizebeth’s Sunscreen Project, and Nicole’s through and clear walkthrough of her project development.

 

 

-Revisit the assignment prompts: how did your project relate to the original prompts, in terms of critical lens, audience, tone, etc… 

I think I stay pretty close with the assignment prompts, and especially feel my project does aim to provide an alternative, or hidden history that shifts power structures; as well as facilitated the formation of a new community arising out of an identified need. Hopefully through the simple poll, I can plant the seeds in some people the desire to make a material change, or maybe at least think about history in a broader sense with other cultures in consideration.

 

-How did you balance research and experimentation? Which is easier for you? How can you focus more on the areas that you shy away from?

Balancing research and experimentation is probably the most difficult part to me as always, I have the tendency and desire to lecture, or maybe even set up doctrine. I needed to constantly reminding myself that “show, don’t tell”, as well as the idea that nothing will be digested by audiences if the food is being forced into their mouths. Subscribing to the concept of having PowerPoint Presentation/Lecture as a form of performance art might be a way for me to blur the line between research and experimentation, but can also feel like cheating, I am not sure (lol).

 

 

Topic 2: User Testing

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I tested with three different people, one is a classmate, another is my friend, and another is my older sister.

My project involve using third-party applications for live polling results. I’ve tested several applications, and make final decisions on which one to use based on user experiences feedback. I’ve tested apps like Slido, RateCX, Google Form, QRThumbs, and many more.

 

 

 

 

 

Some users told me my original poll questions are too aggressive, making them scared of answering, thinking it might be a judgmental question.

I went in and revise the questions, and in the second version, there are some feedback of sentences being unclear or too clear, I continued to work on making the questions better. Better in the sense that making participants feel comfortable answering while also staying engaged.

I also have feedback about the poll questions not feeling personal enough, lack an interest in truly engaging, so I made some of the questions into scenario questions for people to imagine.

 

 

 

Topic 2: Meet with Librarian + Bibliography

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I was not able to meet with Margaret the Librarian via Zoom, but we had several email correspondences. She suggested some additional reading related to taboo words in languages, which I found interesting, and make perfect sense.

 

Bibliography

Listverse. “10 Historical Swastikas Unrelated To The Nazis,” August 1, 2015.https://listverse.com/2015/08/01/10-historical-swastikas-unrelated-to-the-nazis/.

“77 Years Later Swastika Likely to Be Declared Not Guilty as Calif. Senate Public Safety Committee Clears Bill – Indica News.” https://indicanews.com/2022/06/24/77-years-later-swastika-likely-to-be-declared-not-guilty-as-calif-senate-public-safety-committee-clears-bill/.

“A Group of Protesters Demanded That a Native American Swastika Be Removed from an SLC Market — but Were They Right?”https://www.sltrib.com/news/2017/08/29/uproar-at-salt-lake-city-market-raises-decades-old-question-will-the-ancient-native-american-swastika-always-be-a-symbol-of-nazi-hate/.

Argyle, Samuel. “In Japan, a Debate about Swastikas Takes on New Urgency.” The Outline. https://theoutline.com/post/6998/buddhist-temple-swastika-japan-maps-olympics-2020.

Azzaro, Gabriele. “Taboo Language in Books, Films, and the Media.” In The Oxford Handbook of Taboo Words and Language, edited by Keith Allan, 0. Oxford University Press, 2018.https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198808190.013.16.

Burridge, Kate, and Réka Benczes. “Taboo as a Driver of Language Change.” In The Oxford Handbook of Taboo Words and Language, edited by Keith Allan, 0. Oxford University Press, 2018.https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198808190.013.10.

 

“California Biennial Runs Scared of Swastika Artwork.” Accessed November 21, 2022. https://artreview.com/california-biennial-runs-scared-of-swastika-artwork/.

“Can the Swastika Ever Reclaim Its Original Meaning?” https://qz.com/1757244/can-the-swastika-ever-reclaim-its-original-meaning.

Culpeper, Jonathan. “Taboo Language and Impoliteness.” In The Oxford Handbook of Taboo Words and Language, edited by Keith Allan, 0. Oxford University Press, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198808190.013.2.

Dewaele, Jean-Marc. “Linguistic Taboos in a Second or Foreign Language.” In The Oxford Handbook of Taboo Words and Language, edited by Keith Allan, 0. Oxford University Press, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198808190.013.12.

City of Bartlesville. “Did You Know: The Misunderstood Swastika,” December 8, 2021. https://www.cityofbartlesville.org/the-misunderstood-swastika/.

Doctor, Vikram. “The Swastika Problem: Symbol of Peace or Hate?” The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/onmyplate/the-swastika-problem-symbol-of-peace-or-hate/.

Gruver, Tim. “Should Buddhism Reclaim the Swastika?” The Seattle Globalist (blog), May 9, 2016. https://seattleglobalist.com/2016/05/09/swastika-buddhism-reclaim-tokyo-olympics-seattle-buddhist-temple/47643.

 

“Japan to Drop the Swastika from Its Tourist Maps | Japan | The Guardian.” Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/20/japan-to-drop-the-swastika-from-its-tourist-maps.

“‘Kanye Was Rite’: Jewish Cemetery Vandalized with Swastikas in Suburban Chicago.” Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/kanye-was-rite-jewish-cemetery-vandalized-in-suburban-chicago.

Mecklin, John. “BTS, the ‘Atomic Bomb Shirt,’ and South Korean Attitudes toward Nuclear Weapons.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (blog), November 19, 2018. https://thebulletin.org/2018/11/bts-the-atomic-bomb-shirt-and-south-korean-attitudes-toward-nuclear-weapons/.

NEWS, KYODO. “Japanese Buddhist out to Educate West on Swastika of Good Fortune.” Kyodo News+. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2018/12/ccd8c3f2984d-feature-japanese-buddhist-out-to-educate-west-on-swastika-of-good-fortune.html.

The Hamilton Spectator. “Opinion | The Swastika Can Never Be an Innocent Symbol,” September 7, 2017, sec. Contributors. https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/2017/09/07/the-swastika-can-never-be-an-innocent-symbol.html.

The Swastika: Constructing the Symbol. London: Routledge, 1994. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203993873.

Northern Star. “Red Indian Tribes Ban Swastika.” May 2, 1940. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article95506847.

“Religious Groups Call for Education on Swastikas before Ban on Nazi Symbol Comes into Effect – ABC News.” Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-26/faith-groups-push-swastika-education-before-nazi-ban/101575932.

AP NEWS. “Sacred Navajo Symbols on Art Often Confused for Swastikas,” August 18, 2018. https://apnews.com/article/6ed35e0b1d734190be066ef4ffe3c7a9.

Sosa, David. Bad Words: Philosophical Perspectives on Slurs. Oxford, UNITED KINGDOM: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2018. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nyulibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5451964.

NBC News. “South Asians Want People to See the Difference between Religious Swastikas and Nazi Symbols.” Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/south-asian-americans-complicated-relationship-swastika-rcna18599.

City of Albuquerque. “Swastikas.” Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.cabq.gov/artsculture/kimo/history-of-the-kimo/kimo-history/swastikas.

“The Buddhist Swastika Becomes Popular Slang In Japan.” https://kotaku.com/the-buddhist-swastika-becomes-popular-slang-in-japan-1822404738.

“The Controversial Shirt Jimin Wore Gets Sold out | Allkpop.” Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.allkpop.com/article/2018/11/the-controversial-shirt-jimin-wore-gets-sold-out.

Topic 2 Interviews

For the interview, I talked to two people in my life. One is my friend, Nic, a 31 years old American scholar. Another is my uncle, Wen-Pin, who’s a 62 years old Taiwanese guy, practice Taoist Buddhism his whole life and  have never been to any western countries if not including Hawaii. 

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Are you familiar with the origin history of the Swastika symbol?

Nic: Of course. It was borrowed from ancient religions.

Wen-Pin: Yea. The Buddhist one is the opposite from the Nazi’s one, it’s different! But aside from Nazis, I believe the Crusades and maybe something else also used the symbol in war and invasions. 

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Do you know many of the Native American tribes also used the same Swastika symbol for thousand years, but voluntary dropped it after the Holocaust happened? 

Nic: Interesting. I did not know.

Wen-Pin: No, but I’m not surprised. 

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Do you think Buddhist and other religions using similar symbols should also stop using the symbol to avoid confusion?

Nic: I don’t think so. 

Wen-Pin: Of course not? Each country should mind their own business. I respect the suffering and the tragic of the Holocaust, but I don’t think the West should have a say on what we’ve been using for centuries. 

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Do you think we should help reclaim the original meaning of the swastika?

Nic:…..okay….this is a tricky question. I don’t think it’s an appropriate topic at the moment. Things have been really sensitive and anti-semitism is still a very real issue in our society. 

Wen-Pin: I think it would be nice if the West learn and educate the public about the history of the symbol. It is important to respect where everyone’s coming from.  But also, this is not really my business, as long as nobody is coming to my home and banning the Buddhist swastika in my own family shrine. 

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Public and Counterpublics

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Mike Diva, an American film director, special effects artist, musician and YouTuber, created this video work in 2016, 5 months before the presidential election. I believe the intended audience was young people who Mike Diva felt connected with, young people on the internet who are somewhat familiar or at least have some interest in Japanese pop culture. However, the video blew-up, and I think it was actually well-received from both pro-Trump and anti-Trump, or completely politically indifferent people.

 

The video is similar to the style of videos that Mike Diva made over the years, a little bit craziness, with strong nihilism vibe. I think the intention is to poke a little fun of the craziness we were facing in reality. However, I also assumed when Mike Diva made it, he did not take Trump’s possibility of actually winning the election seriously at all. Thus he was able to make such free and fun video. While the video first went viral, it was generally being celebrated, except some mainstream news channel mistaken it and took it literally as a celebration and show of affection for Trump. The creator had to go on to social media to clarify that he was in no way seriously showing love for Trump as a candidate.

 

Fast forward, 5 months later, when Trump actually got elected, some people went back to this video and the creator, accusing them to somewhat help boosted the popularity and coolness of Donald Trump. Through this case, we see an interesting shift of public and counterpublic. Before the election result, the public seems to be people who too find the video funny as Trump seemed to be no real danger at all. The counterpublic at that time might be the people who actually loved Trump already, and did not enjoy this sort of goofy and stying of making fun of him. After the election result came out, some of the people in the original public group might become the counterpublic, as they now suspect a level of association that creation like this might have undermined or helped Trump to gain votes from younger generation. As to me, while I have had a sense of odd feeling whenever watching it, my love for this art piece has never change.

 

Topic 2 Janky Prototypes

Start a 501 Non-profit organization.

 

1. Toy Drive with Swastika sign

 

 

2.Having World Leader embracing the swastika sign

 

3. Running Campaign of fighting against hate with the swastika sign

 

Ideas Arrangements Effects Response

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IAE Mapping:

Idea:

The swastika symbol and its similars represent hate and evil because of the Nazis.

Arrangement:

The symbol(s) is prohibited or scolded indefinitely in our global society, including in cultures that have used the swastika symbol to represent joy and positive energy for thousand years prior to the Nazi stealing it.

Effects:

Certain countries’ “common sense” seem to be prioritized over others. Cultural domination through globalization.

Topic for the 2nd Assignment

Initial Thoughts:

For my next research project, I’m thinking of doing something related to the swastika symbol.
Needless to say, it’s almost a common “fun fact” that Nazis borrowed it from ancient religions, which was originally a symbol of blessing. While there’s no doubt about the unforgettable horrible things the Nazis had done, and how there are still people out there who still admire the Nazis, and hence embrace the symbol of it, as an Asian growing up in a Buddhist home, I was never really sure what to do with an odd feeling associate with it. Of course, the two are slightly different, but it’s easy to trigger people when using the Buddhist symbol, 卍。

Before Covid hit, while Japan was busy preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, one of the major news was the government’s decision of removing the 卍 sign at Buddhist temples, due to the fact that “many western foreigners protested about it.”

I’m curious if I can do deeper research not only on the history of the use of this symbol worldwide (I think Native Americans used it too, and probably others as well), but also on the debate on whether it’s disrespectful to use the 卍 symbol, even though it’s not the Nazis symbol, and has been there for over a thousand years old. Also, can this whole issue of canceling the swastika in general be seen as a completely different set of issues from the Nazi issue? Can the former be used as a critique of post-colonialism and cultural hegemony?

On a related note, while I’m not sure if it’s too much of a stretch, I’m also thinking of recent years, saying the mandarin word “that” and the Korean word “I am”, which both sound like the US tabooed N-word, had become a controversial issue, so serious that there are couple cases of US professors getting fired for saying those words. I wonder where we can draw the line of showing respect, not just to one side, but both sides, and what is considered too far and what’s not through research.

 

Narrowed down focus after a week:

Topic:  A discourse on the power dynamics of the dominant culture(s) through the lens of the swastika symbol in contemporary societies.