Native Oil
Oil, a source of wealth and power, is often a contested ground of conflict. This conflict is further intensified if erupting between parties of different cultural backgrounds. Then again, conflict over oil assumes further intensity still if accompanied by acts of mass displacement of native populations. The enjoyment of wealth becomes, accordingly, a double crime of capturing natural resources illegally and occupying native land. The case of Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota is one most insightful example (McDonald).
Red Tipped Arrow, or Tex Hall, is a tribal leader who controls, via a board, one-third of oil production in North Dakota. To Hall, "Sovereignty by Barrel" is a mantra which boils down to holding free reign over vast oil reservoirs in North Dakota under claims of historical ownership, a claim contested, paradoxically, by Marilyn Hudson, a claimant of royalties which she and he her husband secured. The Fort Berthold Reservation has, moreover, witnessed worst oil spill in history of all reservations, raising growing concerns of environmental damage for big money gains generated from constantly sprouting oil flares. This situation, coupled by a white outsider's involvement, only highlights how controversial Hall's position is both as business owner and regulator of numerous oil fields in North Dakota. Notably, not all tribal members benefit from oil profits generated by Hall's business. This situation is, at core, one of misplaced cultural affiliations in order to serve interests of 1% elite.
If anything, reservation status is one of most contested in U.S. history. The historical claims of land ownership have resulted in distorted land reallocation deals based, of course, on each party's bargaining power. Instead, a gradual approach should be adopted in order to better serve community's collective interests. This should include renegotiating ownership rights, oil revenue taxation schemas and, not least, deeper review of board election processes.
Global Tenets
If anything can describe current principles now assuming a clearer shape world over, universality is one best choice. The overlap between global and local (usually referred to as glocal) is now leading up to a set of values and principles defining how Global Citizens should act and communicate. Specifically, key principles – I choose to call Global Tenets – assume centrality in guiding how world citizens (as opposed to citizens of nation states) should be in a (Really) Brave New World.
These Global Tenets include but are not limited to: (1) Global Citizenry, (2) Environment Stewardship, (3) Web-Enabled Communications and (4) Diversity. By Global Citizenry is meant an emerging pattern among citizens of (so far) nation states to act on a global scale instead of national and/or local scales. By Environment Stewardship is meant a growing awareness among global citizens of global character of environment issues. In contrast to isolated approaches to environment issues at local or national scale, stakeholders of all walks – including, most notably, governments, corporations, activist organizations and key local figures – now adopt sustainability practices as critical in order to cater for environment needs at a global scale. By Web-Enabled Communication is meant a dominant pattern of communication between individuals and corporate entities using ICT-enabled innovations and platforms including social networking platforms. By Diversity is meant more inclusive laws, policies and regulations adopted by different stakeholders of historically underprivileged communities including colored ethnicities, women and physically challenged people.
For implementation, Global Citizenry can be enabled by more participatory roles of grassroots movements and organizations, across conventional national borders. Environment Stewardship can be enabled by stricter adoption of environment sustainability policies and practices at government, corporate and community levels. This can be achieved by developing environmentally-friendly building designs, recycling and waste disposal programs and, not least, incentivized programs for reducing carbon footprint. Web-Enabled Communications need only to rationalized for heavy users and offered for communities of most need in world's most underdeveloped areas. This can be achieved by subsidizing web connectivity, offering hardware and software facilities for educational institutions, local governments and medical organizations. Diversity can be further promoted by adopting inclusion polices and laws in specific areas or organizations experiencing historical bias against specific ethnicities, genders or sexual orientations.
The Cultural Being That Is Me
Born a Digital Millennial, I experience day-to-day encounters different from an older, albeit culturally similar, generation. For me, cultural identity based on ethnicity is no longer particularly relevant. Instead, modes and patterns of web communications, social networking connections, extracurricular activities and clothing style define who I am.
As a Global Citizen, I belong to a generation connected across conventional national borders and bound up together more by interests. Indeed, "interests" is one best word capturing my cultural identity as I would identify with. Given how I rely on web-based communications – particularly social networking platforms as Facebook, Twitter and SnapChat – for day-to-day interactions and networking, I would define myself, first and above all, as a digital native consuming infotainment content for education and personal amusement. The community I belong to is one spread across countries and one which speaks different "local" languages but one global language of common interests based on sharing visual content of personal experiences in different life settings.
Off campus, I also identify with "culturally" similar communities. By choosing to ice ski during winter breaks, participate in community service activities and, increasingly recently, flashing uncommon tattoos (in support of specific causes), I belong to global communities of common global beliefs and values. Indeed, moving across boundaries (as opposed to belonging to one specific community based in a given physical locale) is a fundamental feature defining my own cultural identity.
Works Cited
McDonald, Brent. "On Tribal Lands, Oil and Trouble." Online video clip. The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 29 December 2014. Web. 12 May 2016.
