Fearless Activists: Katharine Hepburn and Harvey Milk

Katharine Hepburn, A woman before her time.

Katharine Hepburn was an icon on screen and an inspiration in real life. Known for her fierce independence and quick wit, stage and screen actress Kate Hepburn was an unconventional movie star who did not keep her views quiet. She was very independent in her thoughts and actions and she holds a special place in American film and popular culture.

            A true artist and an unlikely Hollywood star, Kate Hepburn was born in Hartford, Connecticut on May 12, 1907. She was the second of six children. Her father was a surgeon and her mother was an early feminist: They educated their children about important political and social subjects and they encouraged her to speak out. The Hepburn’s were leaders in radical causes that were not popular in conservative Hartford. Neighbors threw bricks through their windows and the children were frequently forced to defend themselves in fights.

Kate Hepburn acted on and off Broadway before landing a role in the 1932 film A Bill of Divorcement, opposite John Barrymore. She is a theatric veteran and appeared in over 50 motion pictures. The characters Hepburn played were usually wealthy and intelligent, often strong and independent. She liked to play the roles of strong women, yet these tough characters tended to be humbled in some form and revealed to have a hidden vulnerability.

In a career lasting several decades, Katharine was an iconic figure of twentieth century film. Her lifestyle was unconventional for the time and through her acting she helped redefine traditional views of women’s role in society. She was acted in the suffrage movement, leading the Connecticut fight to win voting rights for women. Kathy frequently accompanied her mother passing out brochures and marching in parades. She embodied feminine beauty but also an inner strength and reserve. She was an important cultural icon and a forerunner for women of the 20^th century who lived with greater independence and freedom of action.

Hepburn is one of America's most celebrated actresses, and I had never thought of her as a political person. Turns out, Katherine Hepburn was an extreme liberal, pro abortion and openly atheistic: A mind so clear, opinionated, unafraid, Kathy lived life somewhat reclusively but she lived it the way she wanted. She was truly an American original and one of the most admired women of her time. Hepburn was an icon and I think it’s time that people began to appreciate her political impact.

Hepburn wanted to face the movie industry in her own way, and she was known for being fiercely private and would not talk to fans for much of her career. She often displayed a standoff attitude to the media.  While she was demanding, she retained a sense of humility and humanity: She distanced herself from the celebrity lifestyle; she wore casual clothes that went strongly against convention in era of glamour. She was dismissive toward other female actresses and reluctant to sign autographs or give interviews. She even turned down an offer to run for the US Senate. However, Katharine’s relentless energy and enthusiasm for life with a headstrong independence became key to her celebrity status. She was famously blunt and outspoken and critics either loved or hated her.

In Hollywood today, leading men are permitted to age on screen while their female colleagues are required to keep at least one toe dipped in the fountain of youth, Katharine Hepburn defied sexist ageism. Liberalism is a political philosophy, a worldview founded on ideas of liberty and equality for all. Hepburn’s dream for a better tomorrow and her hope for equality, was soon shared by a man who symbolized the freedom to live with authenticity.

At a time when homosexuality was considered a mental disorder, a liberal activist found his voice as a leader. Harvey Milk became the city’s first openly gay officer to be elected to office in the United States. It was a time when being gay was illegal and there was widespread harassment and victimization of homosexuals. Milk influenced our social perceptions and human sensibilities. The story of Harvey Milk represents his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights. His desire for identifying genuine cultural differences and similarities across difference lines, Milk pointed his supporters in the direction of the desperate young person struggling in isolation with his sexuality.

A visionary civil and human rights leader, Harvey was born on May 22, 1930, in Woodmere, New York. Harvey and his one sibling came from a small middle-class Jewish family. He knew he was gay by the time he attended high school, where he was a popular student with wide-ranging interests. His courage, passion, and sense of justice rocked a country and stirred the very core of a put down and pushed out community, bringing forward new hope and a new vision of freedom. Harvey showed us all what one person, standing up loudly and clearly, against a fierce societal fear and prejudice can accomplish. He created a rich and vivid message of hope and an enduring dream, teaching us how to create our own and leaving them for us to realize.

In the 1970s, people regarded gays and lesbians as very different and dangerous people, and the public and media treated them as a scourge. He suffered intolerance and unfairness, and the fate of a figure like him is destined to be fallen. But Milk was a skilled politician and a kind man: A Simple publicity stunt came to define Milk’s career as a official, not only because he knew how to garner media attention for his cause, but also because it represented his desire to solve everyday problems.

Harvey’s election in 1977 took San Francisco politics by a storm when the groundbreaking leader was elected to the Board of Supervisors. His ability to mobilize gays and straights alike resulted in the defeat of a statewide proposition to severely limit gays’ employment rights. The media labeled Harvey Milk as someone who belongs to a minority group as ‘First gay on board,’ The world’s first openly gay elected officials, and its most visible one, contributed to the freedom to millions of LGBT women and men around the world.

Unfortunately, Harvey served less than a year in public office before his brutal assassination. However, his life profoundly changed a city, state, nation and a global community. His legacy of fighting for gay rights has inspired a new generation of civic activists across the United States, fighting for sexual equality and the expansion of civil liberties for gays and lesbians.

Activism and change come in a variety of venues. Katharine Hepburn and Harvey Milk are among a few fearless people who tried to create social change in areas of sexual discrimination. Anyone can make a difference in this world, whether it’s locally or nationally, it can happen in small everyday actions as well as creative large-scale venues. The media plays a critical role, but the most important steps we can take are simple and can make a big difference.

                                   ‘Hope will never be silent.’ – Harvey Milk

The Manipulation of Advertisements

            

We are exposed to 5,000 advertisements a day. They come at us in many different ways, and we should know what they’re trying to do to us.

             Advertisements aren't essentially bad, but many use manipulative tactics that influence us in ways we don't even realize, despite how much we think we ignore them and how little we may believe they affect us. They use sexual imagery to hook us chemically. They attach themselves to causes we already care about; it’s called ‘cause marketing.’ Brands seem human and caring, when in reality they are often less generous than they appear. They use ways to manipulate us and they make us feel insecure about ourselves.

Therefore, I don’t watch a lot of commercials, but I am glad I found this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwb0VeYmP9Q

            Advertisements aren’t simply for interruptions. Luckily this is funny. I am suddenly craving chocolate, and I really want to find that chocolate in particular.

            While the concept of advertising isn't inherently problematic, we've moved on to cinematic messages that are designed to create significant memories of a product, whether it’s good or bad. And ultimately, that effects how we think and the choices we make. The woman sneezed with her eyes open. And it is a fact that eyelids snap shut when a sneeze comes on because it is a natural reflex. A piece of chocolate distracted her from breaking a new world’s record. It must be significantly delicious.

            There are all kinds of ads, but in general they all aim to keep you from thinking and, instead, make your buying choices based on an emotional response.

‘The whole world has its eyes on this one Asian woman.” Race is detected with the use of an Asian woman. It is a fact that the current world record for not blinking is 24 hours and a guy named Milad Khakbazan holds the title. 

             There are stereotypes of Asians that often manifest in media. For example, we often categorize Asians as over-achievers, so I wasn’t surprised that they chose and emphasized ‘Asian’ in this commercial. Another stereotype describes Asians to have small eyes. Asians don't really have "tiny" eyes; they simply have a patch of an epithelial fold above their eyes. All of our eyes are really the same size. I found that very amusing in this commercial, but how will Asians interpret it?

            Finally, she bit the chocolate, and she immediately experienced pleasure in a sexual behavior. And suddenly this ugly wide-eyed creature became a beautiful and sexy woman. This is a form of sexual harassment. Is that why they selected a female to promote their product?

            In today’s business world, women are used as an object to attract consumers’ attention to the products firms sell. They are exploited as a marketing instrument in a wide range of firms’ activities. Companies will find any reason to show some skin, even if their product has nothing to do with it.The use of women as a sexual object has a great number of negative effects on individuals and societies. The fundamental views and attitudes of society can lead to sexual assault. 

            There are effective prevention strategies that address the issues underlying these problems. They promote positive advertising that does not reinforce confusing messages and harmful gender roles. Stereotypes have mainly negative repercussions for people.  We can avoid the negative effects associated with so much of what we passively experience. We have to be careful in putting our money where our mouth is.

            In a society that profits from your self-doubt and insecurities, loving yourself is a rebellious act. Personality begins when comparison ends. Love yourself first, so you know what you deserve. You have to love yourself because no amount of love from others is sufficient to fill the yearning that your soul requires from you.

World Wildlife Fund: WWF’s mission to save the Pandas.

Humans are not the only species on this planet, what about the animals? Animals can feel things, just like humans can? Is that not obvious?

Humans are largely responsible when animals become extinct, endangered or threatened. Humans destroy spacious habitat, the natural environment of a living thing, when they fill swamps and marshes, dam rivers and cut down trees to build homes, roads and other developments. Oil-spills, acid rain and water pollutions have been devastating for many species of fish and birds.  Many animals are over-hunted because their meat, fur and other parts are very valuable. When animals or plants arrive into a new habitat from a foreign place, they sometimes introduce diseases that the native species can’t fight. These ‘exotic’ species can also prey on the native species.

According to the history of World Wildlife Fund, ‘in 1961, a limited number of organizations around the world, such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and The Conservation Foundation, were trying to meet conservation needs, but were desperately short of funds. The first call for broad support was the Morges Manifesto, signed in 1961 by 16 of the world’s leading conservationists, including biologist and African wildlife enthusiast Sir Julian Huxley, IUCN vice president Sir Peter Scott and director-general of the British Nature Conservancy E. M. Nicholson. The Morges Manifesto stated that while the expertise to protect the world environment existed, the financial support to achieve this protection did not. The decision was made to establish World Wildlife Fund as an international fundraising organization to work in collaboration with existing conservation groups and bring substantial financial support to the conservation movement on a worldwide scale.’ 

World Wildlife Fund, Inc. (WWF), the U.S appeal, became the second national organization to be formed in 1961. In its first year, the Board approves five projects totaling $33,500. Early projects include work with the bald eagle, the Hawaiian sea bird, the giant grebe of Guatemala, the Tule goose in Canada and the red wolf in the southern United States. WWF granted $38,000 to the Smithsonian Institution to study the tiger populations of the Chitwan Sanctuary in Nepal, allowing scientists to successfully use radio-tracking devices for the first time in 1973. WWF also purchased 37,000 acres adjacent to Kenya’s Lake Nakuru. Nearly 30 bird species depend on the lake, including a million flamingoes for which the lake is the principle feeding ground. WWF started to focus not only on species-related conservation projects, but also on protecting habitat by establishing national parks and nature reserves. With critical support from WWF and the United Nations Environment Program, the IUCN in 1980 publishes the ground-breaking World Conservation Strategy, stating that humanity exists as part of nature and has no future unless nature and natural resources are conserved. Through these debt-for-nature swaps, WWF will convert portions of national debts into funding for conservation. In a New York Times editorial in 1984, WWF vice president Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy sets forth the concept of using Third World debt reduction to protect the environment. School children across the U.S respond to WWF’s ‘Pennies for Pandas’ campaign in 1984, donating more than $50,000 for panda conservation. Nancy Reagan personally delivered the gift to the Chinese government during a visit to Beijing.

Central china is a treasure house of rare and unusual animals that live in the bamboo forest of Sichuan Province, also known as the Sleeping Dragon. It’s a land of surprises with one and half meter of water dragons that make their home in the region’s many rivers. And there are flowers of surpassing beauty in the forests. Many of the creatures have lives that are shaped by bamboo; non-else than the giant panda. Bamboo is an immensely useful plant and the Chinese have used it for centuries. This giant grass has a thousand uses from medicines to building materials. Every Chinese village has its bamboo grove and for the local people, the hollow canes are an invaluable resource. Split canes can be woven enabling the village craftsman to make everything from sun hats to baskets.

But while larger kinds of bamboo are useful to people, small amount varieties are crucial for many of the Sleeping Dragon’s wild creatures. Probably the most dependent on bamboo is China’s most enigmatic animal: the giant panda. The bamboo’s fibrous nature has molded many of the panda’s features. Its teeth are flattened and its large cheek muscles provide the grinding power, giving the giant panda its round appealing face, but giant panda’s short gut, more suitable for digesting meat can only absorb a tiny bit proportion of the panda’s nutrients. 

So these animals live on a nutritional life aid, only just extracting efficient energy from the foliage to survive. The bamboo’s creative growth is prodigious; from small beginnings, it races towards the light and up to 12cm everyday. New shoots are juicy and high in protein and far too tasty for a giant panda to ignore. Spring is a good time for a giant panda; this is when the bamboo is at its most nutritious and they thrive solely on shoots. Their appetite is enormous, each one eats 12 kgs of shoots a day.  

A newborn is about the size of a stick of butter, but giant pandas can grow up to 150kgs as an adult.  The rarest member of the bear family, pandas have become the universal symbol for conservation. There are only 1,600 left in the wild. More than 100 years ago, giant panda bears were once hunted for their beautiful black and white fur coats. Many people would kill for these animals, and they did. Giant panda bears made it to the endangered species list. These wonderful animals are facing many obstacles that are getting in the way of their survival. 99% of their diet consists of bamboo, and when they eat all of it in one area, they move to another. But with the habitat occupied by humans, they have nowhere to go, and may die from starvation. China has a population of more than one billion people. As those people build more cities and farms, the pandas lose their homes.

China’s breeding program is finally going strong. With so many new irresistible cubs, Wu Long has become a tourist attraction, and more success has followed. In the year 2000, Wu Long broke even its records with eleven new cubs. Wu Long’s success gives us a certain optimism about the future of giant pandas, but with this comes another problem. What will we do with the surplus of captive cubs? Their natural habitat is vanishing. China’s human population puts enormous demands on the land: farming and logging or clearing the forests where pandas once lived. Pandas are pushed higher and higher up the mountains into the toughest terrain where there’s less to eat. To combat this problem, the Chinese government has set aside 32 reserves for the giant panda. However, the reserves are spread far apart, and fragmented. The panda population is actually split into small little islands of populations and there’s no exchange of individuals between these areas. Recent research indicates that we can put the pandas in habitat corridors that they put between the islands, to encourage them to come down out of one island, traverse through the corridor and up to another island and this will give genetic exchange and reduce the problems of inbreeding in the small populations.

But panda fieldwork is still tackling the basics and researcher Matt Durnin joined Chinese colleagues at 9,000 feet to study pandas in the wild. He wanted to find out just how many pandas are left and where they are. Twenty years ago, researchers relied on live animal traps, and the pandas were radio-collared and released. Today, new technology gives us a way to study pandas without actually ever seeing them. A high-tech method uses a simple barbed wire that plucks hair of the animal as they walk underneath. Through advanced DNA analysis, these collected hairs can tell us not only how many pandas are left in the area, but it can indicate their sex, age, and who’s related to whom. Matt is also finding the pandas need more than just bamboo. They have learned from previous work, if pandas simply relied on bamboo, then there should be more pandas up there. And the question remains: what may be limiting the size of that population.

It’s possible that there are too few den cites. It seems female pandas choose larger trees for their dens, yet unfortunately, logging has taken the biggest and the best of them. If there are in fact too few large trees, we may for example want to introduce artificial den cites to try to help the female pandas reproduce better and near their offspring. With an increase in captive population, there’s a growing hope for reintroduction. The information we know about the behaviors that we’ve learned from captivity in the information we’re graining from our work in the field are going to be crucial to the success of any future reintroduction. What we learn about giant pandas in the wild will make a big difference in how we care for them in captivity and more importantly we may one day know enough to be able to return them to the Bamboo Mountains where they belong. ‘Pandas play a crucial role in the bamboo forests where they roam by spreading seeds and facilitating growth of vegetation.            The panda’s habitat is at the geographic and economic heart of China, home to millions of people. By making this area more sustainable, we are also helping to increase the quality of life of local populations. Pandas bring huge economic benefits to local communities through ecotourism.

This peaceful creature with a distinctive black and white coat is adored by the world and considered a national treasure in China. The panda also has a special significance for World Wildlife Fun because it has been WWF’S logo since their founding on April 29, 1961.

According to WWF, the inspiration for their logo came from Chi-Chi: a giant panda that was living at the London Zoo in 1961, the same year WWF was created. WWF’s founders were aware of the need of a strong, recognizable symbol that would overcome all language barriers. They agreed that the big furry animal, with her appealing black-patched eyes would make an excellent choice.’ Today, WWF’s trademark is recognized as a universal symbol for the conservation movement.

WWF was the product of a deep concern held by a few eminent gentlemen who were worried by what they saw happening in our world at that time. Its first office was opened on September 11 that same year in Morges, Switzerland. Its creation is marked by the signing of the founding document called Morges Manifesto that lays out the formulation of its establishments. And since those days, WWF has grown to be one of the largest international non-governmental environmental organizations in the world.

The idea for a fund on the behalf of endangered animals was initially proposed by Victor Stolen to Sir Julian Huxley, and with the help of Max Nicholson, in an effort to protect endangered animals. Today, it is known globally as the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and its goals have expanded significantly.

Almost all their work involves partnerships and they team up with local non-profit agencies and other global NGOs to form relationships with village elders, local councils and regional government offices. In this day and age of globalization, they work in businesses that are willing to change.

The World Wildlife Fund

 The organization was registered as a charity and its missions to raise funds for wildlife began. The founders started by supplying grants to non-governmental organizations based on the best scientific wisdom accessible at the time. One notable early project involved assisting the Indian government in creating reserve for project Tiger. The World Wildlife Fund also help set up reserves in Africa, Asia, and Latin America as part of the tropical rainforest campaign. This developed into the WWF’s forced program, which work to conserve both tropical rainforest and temperate wooded areas. In the 1970s, the organization set up a number of sanctuaries for marine life in a large-scale campaign called the Seas Must Live. Soon, the focus of the WWF shifted from endangered species and habitat destruction, to tackle other conservation-related issues as well. The groups set up offices in different countries to promote its numerous far-reaching projects. The mission and strategy was further adjusted when the WWF merged with the Conservation Foundation, along with the preservation of nature. 

The group now also aims to maintain biological diversity, encourage the usage of sustainable resources, decrease pollution, and develop communication and collaboration with locals. Even more new goals were set in the 1990s. While conserving forests was still deemed important, the WWF added freshwater, ecosystems, oceans and coasts to its roster of causes. Today, the WWF continues working to reduce our ecological footprint, but also concentrate on the conservation of over thirty species and eco regions considered to have the most exceptional and biologically diverse habitats. In addition, the global program framework includes global initiatives, concerning the Amazon, the Arctic, smart energy, smart fishing, and more. Throughout its history, the WWF has attempted to bring about policy changes by both collaborating with and lobbying world governments. For instance, international moratoriums on whaling and the ivory trade are partly the result of the group’s efforts. Debt for nature swaps are another example where developing countries can both lower their foreign debt and yield funds for conservation efforts. The organizational was also instrumental in convincing government to endorse climate change conventions during the 1992 United Nations conference on Environment and development. The WWF now works with businesses, banks, scientists, and other groups on their campaign as well. 

‘Because water is essential to nature, communities, and business, The Coca Cola Company and WWF launched a transformational partnership in 2007 to help conserve the world’s freshwater resources. Expanding this focus and building on their progress, they have renewed their collaboration through 2020 to achieve even greater impact by helping address the natural resource challenges that impact fresh water. WWF and Coca-Cola will work together to conserve some of the world’s most important places spanning Asia, Africa and the Americas. Driving innovative, climate-smart solutions to freshwater challenges through basin-wide engagement and comprehensive policy support, they will focus their efforts on the catchments of the Mesoamerican Reef and the Yangtze River. In addition to their freshwater conservation efforts, WWF and The Coca-Cola Company joined forces to help protect the polar bear and its habitat. They launched the Arctic Home Campaign in North America during the 2011 holiday season to raise widespread awareness and funds for these efforts.

Since April 2009, Bank of America has offered a World Wildlife Fund BankAmerica Cash Rewards™ Visa® credit card and checking account to support our global conservation efforts. Bank of America contributes to WWF for each new qualifying credit card and checking account opened and activated. Bank of America will contribute $100 to WWF for each new qualifying credit card account. Support WWF even further with a World Wildlife Fund personal checking account, featuring checks and debit cards with the WWF logo printed on them. WWF will receive a $10 contribution from Bank of America for each new qualifying account.’ (WWF)

            As climate change becomes an increasingly significant issue, Earth Hour is an example of social entrepreneurship. The annual event organized by the WWF raises global awareness, where people are turning out their lives to signal their concern about the future of our life on this earth. Through online media, they challenged millions of people globally in a fun and easy way. To help people make better choices and be accountable for them, Earth Hour launched an ‘I will if You Will’ campaign that aims to drive participation by making ‘doing’ more rewarding and more exciting. ‘I will if You Will’ encourages people to go ‘Beyond The Hour.’("I Will If You Will – We're Supporting Earth Hour To Save Our Planet." The Yammer Blog. Customer Stories, 26 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2014)

By working with locals and non-governmental organizations to learn about how cultures effect the environment, the group also encourages countries to invent their own conservation strategies. Since the WWF is a charitable foundation, it receives financing from outside sources. Gifts and individual donations make up the majority of funding. Through governmental agencies, institutions and corporations contribute as well. However, this organization’s weaknesses led to criticism. Some have accused the WWF of bias campaigning due to its relationships with certain big businesses. Despite the group’s contributions, the underperformance of some of its programs, plus the alleged misrepresentation of certain risks, and order to attract more funding have also drawn criticism. Since its creation, the WWF’s approach to conservation and the environment has evolved from a preservationist plan to one that examines development issues. Now the World Wildlife Fund seeks solutions for global environmental security and hopes that humanity will one day live in harmony with nature.

WWF’s focus has evolved from localized efforts in favor of single species and individual habitats, to an ambitious strategy to preserve biodiversity and achieve sustainable development across the globe, including finance, business practices, laws, and consumption choices. WWF’s mission statement is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment, and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. To do so, they conserve the world’s biological diversity, they ensure that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and they promote the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Their guiding principle is to be global, independent multi-cultural and non-party political, and to run its operations in a cost effective manner and apply donors’ funds according to the highest standards of accountability.