The World Systems Theory (Oct. 12th )

    The class kicked off with Mr.Paterson introducing three new food scandals in Japan. This topic was introduced because many students had asked about it in the blogs. So this was a reminder for me to write my pure reactions about class and any questions I want to ask. Regardless, to no one's surprise, no one  had known about these scandals, even though products like Shiroi Koibito are infamous amongst Japanese citizens. However, this could actually be one factor to why this scandal did not reach the eyes of many. Some articles criticize the companies saying Ishiya Trading Co. (the company that makes Shiroi Koibito) potentially deepened consumer trust of food manufacturers all across Hokkaido. In my opinion, these cookies are a representative souvenir of Hokkaido. Moreover, their main issue with this scandal, milk, is a substantial marketing trait in Hokkaido, which makes this issue more problematic and inconvenient for other confectionery companies as well. Nonetheless, that does not make it acceptable for the media to be concealing food scandals. When I searched up the scandals in Japanese, mainstream sources did not have any articles exposing the truth. For one thing, spreading this news may diminish the profit companies earn, but using expired milk in their products is no longer an issue the manufacturers can be giving their opinion on, because consumers are the ones who are directly effected. Adding on, manipulating the mainstream media could be affective to certain extents, but the people who have acquired the concealed information, and taken the red pill have the responsibility and capability to spread the word. To begin with, hiding such influential scandals only aggravates consumers being skeptical of other countries hiding their fraud, which leads to a declining profit in various products. Notwithstanding, our society has been constructed in a way that allows media to be manipulated, so that is why the readers who have taken the red pill should be leading the conversation. 

    Apparently, Mr.Paterson had originally planned to watch a video in class, but there were some technical difficulties occurring so we had a change of plans, and Mr.Paterson gave a lecture on the world-systems theory. I was absolutely fascinated by Mr.Paterson's flexibility and capability to respond to whatever unprecedented difficulties happening in class, because I always have to devote hours to prepare a single hour-long presentation. Nonetheless, the detailed and passionate explanation on the World Systems Theory was intriguing and probably stimulated many. The World Systems theory focuses on looking at how the world has adapted over a long course of time, alongside identifying the benefits that a small fraction of the world obtains, and contrarily, the exploitation happening in poorer countries (perifery countries). At first, I was startled by the number 400, because I had predicted a few decades, at most. Since a century already seems to be bundant time to inspect and reflect. Notwithstanding, when Mr.Paterson elucidated on the changes that have taken place in the past few centuries, starting from before the war, I comprehended the importance of looking at a longer time span. I do not have any plans to study international relations in university, but knowing there are plentiful theories out in the world, and the majority of them not adequately explaining contemporary society is information we can all benefit from. Although this may not become my profession, I want to hear for myself on how professors perceive international relations, and what view they propose. If there is manipulation in school books and even university professors' lectures, that is truly devastating and noxious. 

Notes:

various views on international relations. such as realism, liberalism, even a feminist view. i wonder how professors perceive international relations. Emanuel Wallerstein developed this theory to explain how international relations work. 

Shiroi Koibito

snow brand milk

meat hope co.

Krondratier waves 70 years or more. they are concerned with the change in technology. AI, Biotech, Nanotech. they all started within the last 30 years

within reason, most of these "ages" of energy sources are in 70 years of duration. 

core (the new inventions go here first) after it gets so established, and so old, the middle countries start to get it. and then finally the poor people. more widespread and then finally the poorest get it. technology being passed down, by the time it reaches the end, it is not cutting edge. 

http://www.shippai.org/fkd/en/cfen/CA1000622.html

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2007/08/19/editorials/another-confectionary-food-scandal/

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/world/asia/31iht-31japan.8123604.html

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/07/18/business/meat-hope-co-files-for-bankruptcy/