February post

The past few weeks of class have been very insightful by opening my mind to different perceptions that people experience the world through. Everyone has a lens in which they see the world and no two lenses are ever the same. They do have a chance of being similar but everyone has their own experiences from each event. Over time the over lap of perceptions can create a mutual perception between people, which is how stereotypes are created. One major deciding factor of what makes us an individual is what we choose to say. In Communication- A Critical/ Cultural Introduction they talk about a concept called Symbolic Interaction, which I think helps explain what I am talking about. George Herbert Mead coined this term in 1962 and it gathers that language (as a symbol system) and how language depending it implications defines who we are. As I’ve grown up I have started to realize the true impact my words hold. Every encounter we experience will come to an end so making sure what you do and say reflects who you are as a person is important. With age comes responsibility but also more freedom from childhood boundaries which have been set by parents or society. We are given this freedom but with it comes a lot of power that one may or may not know what to do with. Positionalities force us away from each other and give us different perceptions. Our Positionalities could be our race, religion, or economic background. No Position is right or wrong as longs as they conform to some sort of civil ethics. People who are from different backgrounds are likely to think differently and will have different styles of function but for the most part will have to perform the same daily function like having a job and providing for themselves.