our developing "selves"

In our society, we are predisposed virtually at birth to be concerned with what others think about you.  We are told from a very young age to act a certain way, talk a certain way, and interact with others a certain way in order to fit with the flow of society.  Our “true” self is built up through our experiences and knowledge that we gain throughout our lives.  As children, it is not easy to know what kind of person you want to be right away.  Kids tend to experiment with different personas and act in different ways, almost as if they were “trying on” different selves.  Now in our society it is even easier for kids to try on these different selves with the aid of all the technology available.  It is easy to create different or even multiple personalities online that aren’t really what these kids are in real life.  The self is almost allowed to develop faster because it is so easy for kids to try many different personalities and selves that they can find the one that fits them the best faster.  I think many adults are very skeptical about the use of technology and how it is becoming so prevalent in the everyday lives of kids.  But I hope they are able to realize that no where in the near future will technology not be available and not be constantly advancing, so it is to the kids benefits to be able to get accustomed to the technology and use it to their advantage.  I have even noticed from my time in middle school when technology was first starting to become very prevalent to now all the changes in kids and society due to the technology.  For example, when I was in middle school, we would AIM each other, but we didn’t have cell phones or social networking sites to also be in contact with each other. It was hard to get to know kids outside of your classes at school because you weren’t able to communicate with them easily. Now, my little brother is in 6^th grade, and with all the advances in technology, it is super easy for him to be friends with and keep in touch with almost everyone in his grade and that he used to be friends with.  Now the middle school students use SKYPE, which they can also videochat with, and text on their phones. I have noticed that my brother and most of his friends are much more confident than I ever remember anyone being when I was in middle school.  I think this shows the changes being made to kids and society by technology, and that they are able to find their “selves” faster and easier.

human rights

                The Purse of Hope presentation really encompassed what our society values compared to other societies.  The human trafficking going on in these foreign countries is huge and definitely not uncommon, whereas human trafficking in our society would be unheard of.  For many of the girls involved in this dangerous lifestyle, this is the only means of survival for them.  Our society values human rights and dignity and that everyone has a right to control their own body and life.  In these other cultures where human trafficking is uncommon, their values are obviously a whole lot different than ours.  With AIDS plaguing the people there as well, the value of life has declined greatly and the only thing the people really care about is whether or not they are going to get their next meal, not what might be in store for them in the long haul.  It was interesting to learn how the males in these countries are really nothing like the men in our culture, and that the men there don’t really have any respect for the women or the women’s lives.  It really is astonishing to see how many cultural differences there are between our culture and these other country’s cultures.  The values are almost completely on opposite ends of the spectrum, with our culture putting great worth in human life and rights, while theirs is merely based on getting another meal and not really caring what happens to them in order to get it.

you're weird...

Our value and norms in our society are unlike those in any other society.  Americans value money and individualism more than anything.  There is a wide variety of norms and values in our culture and society, mainly because of the huge diversity of the people that live here.  The things we value and normal day to day activities that we don’t even think twice about may be totally frowned about elsewhere.  Asking someone “How are you?” in Europe would lead to a ten minute conversation about how their day actually was, whereas in America, it is just a common thing that people don’t actually mean.  Also, it is considered extremely rude in other countries to end a conversation because you have to be somewhere on time, because there really is no sense of time there. 

                In class, we discussed the different values of our culture that are looked down upon.  Folkways, misdemeanors, taboos and felonies are all different levels of breaking the social norm.  Things like interracial dating and marriage, insulting a dead person, and using certain language in public are all things that most people in this society do not agree with.  The ways people interact with each other in this society and how they view others is all based on their opinions and if the people follow the social norms and values or not.  If a person dresses or acts not according to the norms, people tend to stay away from them and try not to associate themselves with them so they don’t look like they’re not following the norms either.