tysontrips

From his underground laboratories in Sao Paulo, Brazil it's tysontrips travelblog:

25, July, 2005

Why I’m Weak
Just a couple of days ago I read an alarming headline one a respected news website. It didn’t say “Idiotic, ill-conceived, illegal US invasion of Iraq ironically makes world much less safer.” Indeed, it wasn’t political at all. And starting now, at the risk of giving others the false impression that I value their feelings and opinions, neither am I. I have decided to be less politically motivated in this travelogue. I have to say it’s difficult though, traveling internationally and seeing the negative impacts of US foreign policy on the rest of the world. Wow, there I go, already going back on what I just said. This all stems from an incident a couple summers back. You see, in 2003 I set out on the road to some of the poorest areas in South America with what I thought was a good idea for a travelogue: To try to make sense of the historical and contemporary exploitation of South America. I wanted to write what I learned while roaming the continent. As I traveled I found contradictions and exploitations from top to bottom, from the systematic extermination and enslavement of the natives upon the arrival of westerners hundreds of years back to the contradiction of my own contemporary financial exploitation of South America as I traveled as a rich free gringo with excessive resources. As I wandered, I documented the ideas that came to my head – as much for entertainment as anything else. But I really felt strongly about some of the inequities I witnessed. Because I was writing ‘from the heart’ I got myself into a little row when I made the decision to criticize the Peace Corps (see archived ‘Para Why’, etc). I received email from one unhappy reader who I didn’t know (I had a reader!) who defended the ideas and projects of Peace Corps like it was the best thing that had ever happened to the developed world. Another anonymous reader made a post to the website I was writing for saying that my article was full of errors (tragic errors such as that I had misspelled one of the words of the native language of Paraguay, Guaraní – which is, by the way, a language which had no written version until Europeans ascribed the Latin alphabet to it. Oops, I should be punished.). Quizzically, both of these dissenting readers turned out to be former Peace Corps volunteers (and I have an inclination that they felt it necessary to defend Peace Corps in order to self-justify their own beliefs). On the other side of the bias coin was a Paraguayan-born US citizen who wrote to me and thanked me for coming to his country and writing about it. He said he loved what I had to say about his homeland, and thought it was interesting to see the way we gringos interacted with his countrymen.

Sally Struthers Called...And She Wants Her Tears Back
I learned some things from these two types of feedback. One is that it’s kind of fun to publicly ruffle a few feathers. Two, that people love to criticize and harshly. And three, that taking a political stance is not always the best way to get through to people. Unfortunately, even the supposedly neutral have interests; even those hard-working Peace Corps volunteers, who heroically served the third world entirely out of altruism. Their work was only for the benefit of the host-country’s citizens – whom the volunteers knew nothing about before traveling to the country – and had no roots in self-enhancement. Riiiiiiiight. No, almost everybody has some bias and it is often the result of self-interest and self-preservation. These are natural instincts. We must protect ourselves and protect our own. A man and his offspring would not last long if he acted as an ant and worked only to preserve the colony (community) and not himself. Why? Because the other ants on this anthill called Earth don’t operate this way, at least not anymore. With few exceptions, to make such a sacrifice would mean you would die hungry and your genes would be squeezed out of the ant world as other ants continuously accumulated more ant wealth (like pieces of bark and leaves and maybe a few dead insects). The reason inequalities exist is because of this inherent greediness; this natural instinct to get what’s yours and then some. I believe there are plenty of resources for everybody to share in this world, but the power structure which keeps the elite in control of these resources will never allow them to be equally divided. Why would they, lest their life become more difficult? This greed is why communism doesn’t work. This wealth structure is why much of Africa is in disorder or quasi-anarchy. This inequality is why the US – the most prosperous empire of all time – has ghettos of thousands of impoverished. And this is why most of the world lives on less than two dollars a day. This was the point of my South American travelogue. But, like always, people with their interests got involved. (I guess that’s what happens when you expose yourself [not literally, fool] on the World Wide Web.) So I am going to try not to be political in this travelogue. I will attempt to describe what I see as objectively as possible. Without my first-world attitude problem, without my education and bias and without a political stance. I will try to just accept what is and not ignore the causes of, for instance, the hundreds of millions who are dying unnecessarily from disease and hunger and poverty. It’s okay because I’m not.

This Just In: Don’t Believe Anything You Read (Except This)
Back to the newspaper I was reading this morning. In effect, here’s what it said: “Research study concludes one-third of all research conclusions don’t hold up” The irony in this headline is so obvious that I wonder if the newspaper’s editors (CNN) were cackling as they added it to their website. Before I even clicked on the article I started thinking about what the team of researchers was thinking when they began to conduct their study. “Dr. Johnson, I think we should find some data that prove that, as researchers, our very existence is superfluous much of the time.” Or maybe they thought, “By golly, we should extract data that undermine the conclusions of our own study.” It must have been quite exciting for the noteworthy scientists to come up with such staggering results: one-third of all research is faulty! More so, it must have been endlessly frustrating to realize that there is at least a 33% chance that their own assertion is an error. How unsatisfying! Well, science is the pursuit of truth, and it is admirable that these scientists are finding and reporting the truth: that one out of every three times scientists are failing to find and report truth. This report made me think long and hard about the branch of ‘science’ where I have made my niche: Public Health. What is public health, by the way? Knowing what public health is is important. But what public health isn’t is also important, depending on what you definition of is is. Public health researchers in the US conduct hundreds of millions of dollars in research every year to gather and evaluate scientific data which are used to dictate important public health policies. For instance, the US Department of Health and Human Services has tons of grants which fund researchers who are trying to study trends in obesity. The epidemiology of obesity is studied by finding out which populations are obese and where are they are living (Alabama). When this information is obtained, further research is conducted to elucidate why these people are obese (deep fried pickles dipped in peppercorn ranch). The end results aid policy makers in creating goals and recommendations for healthy living, targeting those who are at the highest risk. An example of policy development to decrease obesity could be the USDA’s Food Pyramid, which outlines how much of each kind of food should be eaten each day.

pyramid
Above: Man, I’m totally peaking

Dude, Are You Seriously Still Writing About Public Health? Give It A Rest!
One of the most difficult classes I took in my Master’s program at UAB was a course entirely dedicated to quantitative analysis and epidemiologic methods. Booooooring. Uh huh, and even more boring to study. But what I learned was surprising. After months of evaluation of epidemiological methods, computerized scientific coding, model-building, and statistical analysis of an enormous data set, I learned exactly what public health isn’t: Science. I realized that as an investigator, by tweaking whatever data you have, you can almost come up with any conclusion you wish to find. All you have to do is put a sugar coating on it by explaining your conclusions in order to make it sound appealing to a journal. Maybe this is why one-third of all research conclusions fail to hold water in the end (unless the research which produced this result fails to hold water in the end). Furthermore, health policies which arise from the research are always dictated by the politics and interests of various groups, whether or not government related (the Hostess Twinkie lobby has deep, cream-filled pockets). Now let me get to the point of this piece of writing. After reading this headline I thought about why people do science or why people do anything as a profession. ‘Science’ at least sounds noble. The futility of some of the other professions I am aware of, and many I have taken part in (read: server at Applebee’s in North Las Vegas, Nevada) makes me wonder why I would ever want to have a 9-5 job again, whether in science or food sales. Not that there is no use in the world for an obnoxious waiter in the face of some overweight patron of Applebee’s suggesting that they try an Appletini_ or using ‘sizzle words’ to try to ‘up-sell’ ‘something sweet’ (at Applebee’s, we use ‘sizzle words’ to make an item sound more appealing to any already overly-satiated diner, ‘up-selling’ to convince the patron that they need more to eat and to increase restaurant sales, and we say ‘something sweet’ instead of dessert so the customer doesn’t associate dessert with overindulgence). (Author’s note: I have some deep, unresolved issues with repression and such concerning my 8 month gig at the North Las Vegas Applebee’s that are better left to be evaluated by a professional. Even reminiscing about the events which transpired there could be psychologically damaging.)

APPLETINI
applebees The trendy green martini. Stolichnaya Vodka and DeKuyper Pucker Sour Apple Schnapps hand-shaken with ice and just a touch of lemon- lime soda. Served with a cherry in a chilled martini glass.

Wait, Er, This Is Important
Now, I have had employment which I briefly enjoyed, such as coaching kids’ soccer camps during the summers across Washington State and Oregon and pulling weeds for a living in Lacey. Seriously, I didn’t hate these jobs, at least not to the point of quitting during the short length of time I worked them. What I disliked was that I had no choice but to show up to work in semi-acceptable attire at an appointed time five days a week with a positive attitude and a coherent mental state. Oh, and not to swear in front of the kids. That might have been the toughest. But when I work these types of jobs I constantly realize that what I am doing is completely meaningless to me, if not unnecessary in general. And if the company believes it is necessary, that they could easily find somebody else to do the job just as well or better than I do it. That leaves one (me) with an empty feeling. I think, “Why do I waste my time doing this job? For money?” I’m not going to whore my body and mind out (anymore) for small sums of cash. I don’t want to be a slave to the system. I certainly don’t want to be tied down to the work-a-day world where you only have enough time to go to work and then back to sleep, leaving you with a few hours for leisure on the weekends and a few days of vacation for the whole year. There has to be a better way to do things. When I voice these complaints, sympathetic but seemingly brainwashed citizens – who must be too conditioned to the system to try to question it – tell me, “Oh, don’t worry; you just have to find something you love to do.” Two things on that: If I love to do it, wouldn’t I do it for free rather than demand that I am paid for doing what I love? And secondly, I might love to do something, like pull weeds, play soccer or sell food using ‘sizzle words’ like the corporate tool bag that I am, but that doesn’t mean I want to do it all the time, day in and day out, for the rest of my healthy adult life. Maybe that’s why people have to get paid to do what they love. They are paid to give up their free time and life energy.

My Résumé Speaks For Itself
In 2004 I was hired for my first ‘real job’ which was a higher level, higher paying ‘Program Coordinator’ position in Birmingham. At 27, this was my first real taste of the working world. Hey, the job was alright. I had my own computer, my own desk, my own hours, and much of my own discretion. The downside was that to realize the small jump in salary level and self-monitoring I had to make a tremendous leap in responsibility, dependability and reliability. No more messing around on weeknights, no more long weekends and no more sleeping in and ‘missing class.’ I really did like it better than any job I have ever had. And I even lasted longer than any fulltime job (except for my performance-enhanced career at mother ? ? © |< ? ? ? Applebee’s).But more and more I found myself rationalizing my long hours, annoying co-workers and menial tasks by saying, “Well, at least I’m getting’ paid, bro!” Coincidently (wink!), about six months after starting this new job I was ‘forced’ to move to Brazil in order to complete some graduation requirements. This event gave the job some closure and precluded the unfortunate, yet imminent situation of me prematurely resigning when the travel bug came back and bit me, infecting me with some sort of disease that causes work headaches, uncontrollable dreams of tropical beaches and this strange symptom where I trade my credit card number for a one-way ticket out of the US. And so I left, and definitely at the right time. I was already being forced down the path to burnout. To this day I still wonder when I will find that rewarding fulltime job that I love. (Attention prospective fulltime employers: If you are doing an internet search as a hiring process background check on Tyson Volkmann, you have reached this page in error. Tyson A. Volkmann is a very dependable, loyal employee who cares deeply about you and your organization. Please make a note of it.)

And Now, Jerry's Final Thought
jerry springer I was sitting at an outdoor café with my Brazilian friend, Álvaro, on Sunday in an upscale, mountain resort town called Campos do Jordão, a few hours outside of São Paulo. We had driven there that same day from the beach and now sat in our surfing attire among extremely wealthy Paulistas – well-dressed families and stylish couples – bundled up in sweaters and weighed down by sacks of purchases, walking by rows after row of expensive boutiques and artesian shops. Now here is how the cycle of excess commerce seems to work: A consumer decides, for whatever reason, they want something which is not vital for their survival. Maybe because it was well-marketed to them or they are keeping pace with the rest of society. In order to buy this item the must work longer hours and/or spend a greater proportion of their hard-earned money to afford the luxury. The company makes a profit. With this profit the company is able to produce more marketing and more goods which leads to even more spending and more working by the consumer. The cycle never ends; it’s a trap. My friend told me that, more and more, middle class and higher Brazilians in São Paulo are working harder and taking on longer hours (most workers in developed countries get at least a month of vacation a year), so that it is starting to resemble the US. He was making the point that – as all the consumers rushed around on their day off – people are working so hard they barely even had enough free time to spend the money they earn. Consequently they go on spending sprees during their free time and are always in a hurry when they should be relaxing. He said Brazil is not traditionally like this; that generally people tend to live more simply. A Brazilian stereotype of the US, he described, is that everybody works too many hours and works too hard, and that there is no time to enjoy life. He is worried that nearly unhindered capitalism is producing this same kind of result in parts of Brazil. And it is. To sum this all up in one sentence, this conversation reminded me of what another Brazilian friend of mine had said to me just earlier that week: Americans live to work while Brazilians work to live. A truer statement had not been uttered to me in a long, long time. If you need me I will be living in Brazil.

For more information on Brazil’s capitalistic rise read this recent article: http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/07/15/business/daslu.php#

AND STAY TUNED for my next entry which will answer the age-old question: Which is the one correct religion? Plus an inside scoop on how all other human souls suffer in the afterlife should they choose the wrong one, especially if they were born before the creation of this one true religion.