Girls Vs Boys

This week in class we discussed the differences between girls and boys. How the media affects them and how their culture affects who they become when they grow up. Girls are ultimately represented by the color pink and boys with the color blue. But I say, what if a baby boy had his first crib in a pink room? How would that truly affect who he is in later years. Just because he has a pink room as a baby doesnt mean he will be gay or love pink things, that is just people's preconceived thoughts. If a girl grows up in a blue room it doesnt mean she will be a boy or necessarily act like one. Yes, growing up with only a mom or only a dad is difficult and tends to skew the actions of kids, but a girl that has only a dad wont automatically be a "dike". I feel like the media has a big affect on people because they are telling parents how kids SHOULD be. Girls should like pink and boys should like blue. Girls should like make-up, shopping, and singing. Boys should like sports, eating, and fighting. These are all considered sex related norms. But in today's society people are more accepting of boys and girls breaking the norms. Girls can play sports where as boys can sing in choir. Overall I have learned just how apparent the media pushes girls and boys in opposite directions to satisfy how society should be.

Homeschooling

This week in class we discussed the topic of homeschooling. For me it's weird to think that some teenagers don't get the full life experience. Missing out on high school is literally like missing out on a part of life. High school is said to be "the best years of your life" but when you don't go you miss out. Sure home-schooled kids will still get a good education but maybe they will miss part of the curriculum, they won't be able to put on their college applications that they graduated from a prestigious high school like ours for example. I can't imagine not having a social life and no friends from school. It would be really hard to go into the real world or college after being home-schooled. My friend told me that someone she knows is home-schooled and the only social interaction they get on a regular basis is from going to church. Sure church is a social gathering but it is more conserved and not a place to goof off with like you can sometimes at school. Basically I would hate my life if I were home-schooled and I would be so out of the norm it would be hard to adapt later in life.

Nature Vs. Nurture

The nature vs nurture idea prevails in our society. In psychology we learned about how different behavioral sciences could either be described as nature or nurture. Nature is something that you are born with, it is natural, you don't have to think about it. Nurture on the other hand is something that we learn how to do, that is taught to us based on our society, and that we eventually won't have to think about. Society tends to affect mostly only nurture because nature we can't control, it's part of our genes, our family, and our biological making. When we are nurtured into something it may be something well practiced like playing a sport, an instrument, or even social skills. No one is just born a basketball star, a mini Beethoven, or a great public speaker, all of those things take talent. Yes, some people may be said to be "naturally talented" but that doesn't mean that it is natural to dribble a ball or strum a guitar. Some families for instance may all be good at one thing, but that is because it's in their genes, but even so this still takes nurture. In reality, the idea of being naturally talented is trash because talent is essentially just something we work hard at and eventually become skilled in.

Tuesdays With Morrie-Work

I think that Mitch puts work too high up in his list of priorities. Yes, work is an important part of survival in life because working leads to money, but it shouldn't be everything. In America people are too focused on work to slow down and smell the roses. We try to do so much that life just slips away and we miss out on the things that are actually worth living for, like love, family, and hobbies. Mitch put work above all else before he started to realize that Jenine and Morrie were people that were more important to him than any report could ever be. It is not true for my parents, I think that with my dads job going from March to October every year he is able to spend the entire months of the winter focused on just our family and my mom doesn't even work. I feel that the "workaholic" syndrome does start in high school with those students who are so concerned with grades and homework that they have no time for a social life or trying out hobbies that make themselves happy. We can all succeed in something different and that doesn't have to be in the working world. Success is based on whatever makes you feel happy personally and that should be all that matters.

Language

Language is one of the things we looked at during class. We talked about how language reflects certain cultures. My friend's older brother had a softball team so my friends and I wanted to be the managers. Each of the back of our shirts reflected something from our personal culture. My one friend just put "manager" because it was her brother's team and she doesn't really have a culture besides American that she associates closely with. Another friend put "Mur" because it is part of her last name and her last name connects to her family's Polish/Italian heritage. The last one put "la jefe" which means "the boss" in Spanish because she is part Mexican. On my shirt I put Keezheekoni which means "burning fire" in Native American language because I am part Cherokee. Not only did our names reflect our cultures but also our personalities. The manager is obedient to her elders, Mur is proud of her family name, the boss thinks very highly of herself (in the nicest sense possible), and I am simply a burning fire. Overall this is just one example that shows how language is reflective of culture. We may speak the same language as people in England, but the way we use it is different because of our surroundings and the people that influence us.