Author: Nam

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What is the Bystander Effect?

The bystander effect is a psychological effect. It’s a theory that claims people are less likely to help someone when there is a crowd present.

So, I was walking around a national park a few weeks ago and I saw this lady slip on some ice. She was maybe in her late 50s to early 60s.

She laid on the ground for a while and I wondered if she was ok. There were a lot of people around, but no one walked over to her to check. I considered doing so, but there was this resistance that kept reeling me back.

I just thought to myself that there are so many other people around -people that were most likely more qualified than me to help her. So, I just stood there looking at her.

And as time ticked away, people just imitated me as they stood in place and observed her from afar. No one went over to check on her

This experience, which is very likely fiction (it is), is a social psychological theory called the Bystander Effect. Continue reading “What is the Bystander Effect?”

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What is Ethnic Cleansing?

The term ethnic cleansing has been tossed around a lot lately. But not many people are explaining what it means. So in this article, you will find out its definition and examples of its uses.

Ethnic cleansing is just the worst, isn’t it? (hint: it is.)

This happens when, as Merriam-Webster puts it:

“The expulsion, imprisonment, or killing of an ethnic minority by a dominant majority in order to achieve ethnic homogeneity.”

In laymen’s terms, ethnic cleansing is pretty much a dominant ethnic group coming into another nation and tries to remove the original ethnic group from that land via deportation, displacement, evictions, mass killing, or whitewashing.

Additionally, the ones who “cleanse” will also turn the land they attack into their own nation. They will remove the original laws, cultures, and traditions, and replace them with their own.

They pretty much jack the land and turn the original occupants into second-class citizens. Continue reading “What is Ethnic Cleansing?”

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The Story of Victoria’s Chinatown

Victoria’s Chinatown

Are you curious about Victoria’s Chinatown? If so, read on and learn the story of one of the oldest Chinatowns in North American history.

I was initially doing some research for an article on Victoria, B.C. because I visited it many times when I was younger and wanted to learn more about it. And through my research, one fact caught my eye more than anything else –Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia!

Okay, just joking! That’s not the fascinating fact that I learned, though I didn’t know that prior to my research. The interesting tidbit is that Victoria’s Chinatown is the second oldest Chinatown in North America.

I always thought that New York’s and San Francisco’s Chinatowns were the two oldest. But nope, San Fran and Victoria are home to the two first Chinatowns in the Americas.

Intriguing right? Continue reading “The Story of Victoria’s Chinatown”

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Divide and Conquer and Racism

Divide and conquer is a sociological and political concept where one group pits other groups against each other. So, how is it being used systemically?

I recently came across this video on Instagram that talked about the attacks on Asians that’s been happening since the start of the pandemic.

In it, the host brought up how some people claim that these attacks aren’t because of white supremacy (or colonialism) because, in many of them, it was black people who committed the crime. She said that this was a lazy way of looking at the problem and that the people who claim this don’t understand the larger structure of racism.

I admit -I was initially confused by this statement. But then I started to think about it. And I remembered this theory that I learned in a sociology class called “divide and conquer.” Continue reading “Divide and Conquer and Racism”

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‘Stillness is the Key’ by Ryan Holiday Review

“Stillness is the Key” by Ryan Holiday is a great book if you’re looking to find some clarity in your life.

2020 was a rough year for me, as I’m sure it was for many of you.

It was filled with uncertainty and misinformation, which only fueled my anxiety and paranoia. I didn’t know where society was going and where it was going to end up.

I was also isolated a lot too and didn’t have many people to interact with. Luckily for me, however, I’m an introvert and had an outlet. I was able to blog and journal, which helped me cope with my feelings.

Additionally, I’m fortunate enough to own an e-reader. This allowed me to escape reality for a moment each day. It was also a tool that helped me deal (or change my views) with all that was going on in the world.

And a book that helped me do that was Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday.

This book by Holiday talks about how achieving stillness (to be calm, collected, and focused) can help you be content.

He draws on the lessons and experiences of great philosophers, politicians, and athletes to show you how stillness can be achieved and what it can do for you. Continue reading “‘Stillness is the Key’ by Ryan Holiday Review”

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Vikings Are Not What We Thought

So, this is kind of silly, but over the past few months, I’m been really into Vikings. And the reason why is because of the series Vikings.

I watched it daily via Netflix and got really into it. I started researching about them and studied maps of where they were from and where they raided (I absolutely nerded out).

When I visited my niece and nephews, I even pretended to be a Viking and chased them around their house. It was super childish, I know.

But what I’m trying to get at is that I was infatuated with Vikings.

However, I came across this article earlier this week that dismantled almost every fact that I thought I knew about Vikings. Continue reading “Vikings Are Not What We Thought”

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What is The Milgram Experiment?

The Milgram Experiment was a social psychological study conducted by Stanley Milgram in 1961 at Yale University. It was an examination of obedience in men.

With it, he wanted to test the limits of obedience in men. He wanted to know how far men were willing to go to obey an authority figure.

Milgram wanted to know if they were willing to disrupt their personal conscience for the sake of obedience. Continue reading “What is The Milgram Experiment?”

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