Blog #2

The last few weeks of class have be very beneficial in seeing the many different view points or narratives of another. Whether it be "No Reservations" by Anthony Bourdain and how that not only portrayed Chinese culture, but also the way in which he himself viewed that specific culture. Another example would be all the different examples of feminism movements we learned about. I agree with and I disagree with some, but it is interesting to know that people do have these very different believe systems that sway from the norm.

A big issue I have with our society is that we seem to be offended and argumentative about everything. I myself always try to hear people out and never get into arguments about this kind of stuff because a.) I'm probably not right about the situation and b.) you're most likely not going to change the way somebody thinks. Not only that, but we also are stuck in our own ways and a lot of people think it's their way or no way. The reading for today's class about woman in the military and the discussion about transgender individuals really back this up. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who are totally against trans people even though it's none of their business. Also I'm sure there are many against women in the military altogether. Reading her narrative though, I didn't get the sense that her experience was much different than a man's even though society would tell you otherwise.

My favorite quote from Dr. Hicks piece was " and I insist you understand my experience on my terms, I insist that my narrative be mine". I agree 100% that we need to not only broaden the way we think, but also accept that people live their own experiences and no one has the same one. Another big issue currently is the issue with transgender and bathrooms. I admittedly don't know much about the issue, but going on Facebook it seems to be a never ending debate about it. Constant arguments with people who refuse to acknowledge the views and beliefs of another person. It's the same with others who had opposing views on this past election.

The "Fear" piece by Andres Gomez was also very relatable for me. I had experiences growing up where I would be scared to let my arm hang off of the bed because I thought something would grab it. Although I knew nothing would, I had some paranoid feeling that something was there. I knew it sounded crazy and I very rarely ever told anyone because not only did it make me feel weird, but it made me feel as if I'd be wrongly labeled. That wasn't how a man should feel or at least that's what we have been told. Reading this really made me think about just how many people grew up with this same exact fear.

I guess what I'm attempting to get at here is that I wish people would accept different view points to the extent that they at least listen to it. You don't have to like it or agree with it, but at least listen and see why others feel that way. Taking a second to look at life through another person's perspective for me goes a long way in seeing their narrative and learning how they feel about a topic. Looking at narratives could be beneficial in not only seeing how other feel, but also that other people may feel like we do even when we think that's impossible.