“If one takes for granted that something is ‘natural,’ it saves mental energy…” - The Curious Feminist.
I think the word natural is used so very frequently in today’s society. We see something happen, and a lot of times the first thing we assume is that it’s simply natural. Like the quote above says, it’s so much easier to just recognize things as normal instead of thinking deliberately about it and searching for the truth. Picking apart a situation, a person, or a message is a lot more work than just throwing it into one of our many “stereotype boxes” that we have created in our own minds.
Another thing that falls closely in line with these ideas is the concept of perception. I really enjoyed watching the perception video tests. It’s incredible how much we can miss just because we aren't looking for it. I think this affects us tremendously in our everyday lives. We are constantly bombarded by messages, images, etc in social media, tv, people around us, advertisements, and even the shows we watch on Netflix. It’s interesting that although perception plays a large role in the way we see the world, it is also something that we can’t always control. Our perception is influenced by the social, political, and cultural experiences that frame and make us. We are constantly being told what to wear, what to eat, what to want, who to be like, etc. As we are shaped by the influences around us, this then causes our perception of everything around us to change too. We see people differently, we talk to people differently, we are slowly morphed into these socially constructed beings. I don’t know if that’s a scary thing or not, but I’ve always thought it seemed like a pretty scary concept. Because who are we really?
This point leads perfectly into the last thing I really took away from our last few chapters: Stage metaphor. The question we asked in class: “What does it even mean to be a girl/woman or a boy/man?” I’m watching the show on Netflix called Dexter right now. It’s about a man who is a serial killer. He can’t help but kill people. The thing is, no one knows about his secret addiction. He is living two completely different lives. He is “Dexter, the loving boyfriend and hard-working forensics police officer” to everyone he knows (front of stage/presenting self), but he is also “the deranged serial killer who obsesses on killing murderers who escaped justice from the law.” (backstage/hidden self)
Maybe, in some way, we’ve all been shaped so much so by our surroundings, and by our culture, and by our families, and by the media, that in the midst of all the frenzy we’ve lost who we really are. We’ve lost our Identity. (or are constantly losing it and regaining it and the cycle repeats) And I know our identity is made up of many multiple parts that combine to make us our unique selves. But who are we really? And who would we have been if we had been born in a completely different century, or different part of the world? Most people I meet are strongly living a sort of “double life.” Most people are living this Stage Metaphor. I wonder why this is so common. Is there something about our culture that shapes us to be this way? Or is it human nature? Just some thoughts I had throughout our lectures. I don’t think they all have answers, but it’s really interesting to think about.
Ari Dawson
02/27/18
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