February Blog Post #2

Carly Whittaker

Christina Ivey

Comm 160

February Blog Post

            Out of everything we have gone over and read about this month chapter 6 of the book really spoke to me. Identity and different perceptions are everywhere, and page 100 explains identity, perception, and communication very well. I have two specific quotes form this chapter that spoke to me. The first one is from Chuck Palahniuk, “Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known” (p.100). I also like the question the author asks on page 99, “Who am I?” In this chapter the author explains identity as what shapes a person through culture, social, and political factors. They want to know what types of experiences people have had and how those experiences shape us. The author also talks about perceptions, which are how a person sees the world. A person can and is influenced by different aspects of the world and it helps to shape them in certain ways. I like how the author uses a real life experience of a young African American women and how she got to where she is today. For me I have had a different life experience for sure and many other people will have very different life experiences. Like take for instance my parents have been a big influence on my life. They have helped me with money, school, and have kept me on track all of these years. Sports have also helped to shape me with working with many different teams and having to come together as one to reach a common goal. I have also been shaped by the many different jobs I have worked and the co-workers I have met. Some later on became like family and some were even family. I would also say that school has helped shaped me into the person I am today as well. Just learning what to do in the classroom and helping me get the necessary skills I will need to succeed. Each of these experiences have influenced, helped, and shaped me into the young women I am today. I would say I identify myself as different because many different people have influenced me throughout my life. I would have to agree that it is hard to truly think about and truly figure out who I am based on the different perceptions, who I identify myself as, and how I communicate those ideas. Without identification we wouldn’t have a communicative idea or perceptions. Chapter 6 has really got me thinking about where I fall in this idea of identification. It is an idea that I will continue to think about and hopefully one day I will be able to figure out the true reason of who I truly am!