comm 160 001 sept blog post - kyle cady

Kyle Cady

Comm 160 001

Ivey

Sept. Blog Post

Sentence – pg. 98 ch. 6: Most of the time we use perception and identity in pretty simple ways.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/head-games/201612/how-do-people-view-men-tattoos

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/annie-singer/tattoos-in-the-workplace-_b_9321408.html

            I wanted to talk about this sentence because I found some inaccuracies. Identity and perception really aren’t simple topics, especially in today’s society. Perception is a big deal to me personally. I am someone who is young, financially stable, employed, I have my own house, and along side of all that, I have more than a few tattoos. When people see me, they don’t see any of the “positive’ things about me or any of the success I have achieved in my life. All that they see when they look at me or their perception of me, is that I have a lot of tattoos. Therefore, they tend to come to the conclusion that I am a bad person, a criminal or just a dirty and rugged individual. When I got my tattoos, I didn’t get them for anyone else. They are on MY body, and that is all I care about. Tattoos make me happy, despite my fear needles, I don’t mind getting drawn on with a tattoo needle. I enjoy it and see it as a type of therapy. The most disturbing thing someone had said to me one time regarding my tattoos happened just a few months ago at the beginning of summer at a local auto parts’ store around the corner from my house. I was sitting their on my custom Harley-Davidson talking to a buddy of mine that works at the parts store when an elderly woman pulled up, leaving her car running. She got out and explained that her battery was dead and she didn’t want the car to die. It was at that moment she looked at me with a straight face and said, “please don’t steal me car..” I did not know how to respond. I was in shock at first and looked at my buddy like “what the hell just happened?” That woman’s perception of me was that I am a thief, a criminal and up to no good. Little does she know, I made the dean’s list with honors at BSU the last two semesters, and I am actually pretty well of for someone my age. That didn’t matter to her though and that bothered me quite a bit. Perception is a big deal and often overlooked when people have preconceived notions about others. Instead of approaching and getting to know someone, people tend to judge from what they see right in front of them. This is something that personally, I am working on in my own life with others around me with the hope that they begin to do the same to others in their life.

            When it comes to identity, this is a touchy subject for most people due to the fear of alienating or offending someone that may have a different belief. I feel a certain way on  a lot fo issues, politically and socially. However, at the end of the day I absolutely do not look down on people just because they are different in some way than I am. There is no point to that. It creates unnecessary drama and social problems. If people were just a little more open minded when it comes to other peoples’ happiness or what gives them more self confidence, then this world would be a better place. This is where communication plays a big part. Most people when they talk about touchy subjects, don’t know how to appropriately convey a message in a manner that can be discussed openly. People that are passionate about certain issues tend to overlook other peoples’ feelings and as long as they get their point across, then who cares how others may react or feel. There is a right way and wrong way to do things. Just because something is right, or allowed, doesn’t mean that it is appropriate or necessary. I am a firm believer in the 1^st amendment and everyone’s right to express themselves and I will stand up to anyone regardless of personal beliefs, in order to defend that. My issues lie when arguments become personal attacks and the whole point of the display or presentation becomes meaningless. This is exactly why I became a communication major; I wanted to master communication so that in the future, I am prepared in any situation. Personally, I don’t care what people identify as or what they do in their bedroom or whatever the topic may be. It doesn’t affect me. Where I tend to run into issues is when I am trying to have an open conversation with someone who believes/feels differently than I do, and the discussion quickly turns into attacking my credibility. I would never tell someone they are WRONG for what they believe. All I can do is talk to them. Whether they change their mind or not is up to them. Now, if I don’t agree with someone else, I just walk away or change the subject. There is no point and nothing positive that can come from being verbally abusive with someone.

            Perception and Identity are important topics of discussion and I look forward to the day that neither myself nor another party is looked down upon for their beliefs and feelings. A perfect world would be where people of different backgrounds can talk openly with others despite their differences in opinions. That all starts with communication.