Blog 2

Brittany Yann

Christina Ivey

COMM 160

9/28/17

Blog #2: Identity and Perception

            In class, we discussed identity and perception from chapter six of our textbook. Warren and Fassett write about how our social world influences our identity and how we perceive others and the world. Identity refers to who we are, but our perceptions are “someone’s point of view that is framed by social and/or political experience,” (Warren & Fassett, 2015). Social construction influences our identity and perception by emerging our social world through actions and rules we must follow. These “mandatory” rules can be defined as norms, “a standard, modern or pattern,” (Dictionary.com, 2017).

            A social norm that we tend to follow are stereotypes, “easy conclusions about people that reduce them from unique individuals to predictable types,” (Warren & Fassett, 2015). Stereotypes are broken down into three definitions. The first being that stereotypes are cognitive structures that contain the perceiver’s knowledge, beliefs, and expectancies of a social group. Next, stereotypes are abstract knowledge structures linking a social group to sets of traits and behavior. Third, stereotypes are consensual beliefs about the characteristics of a group. (Michigan State University)

            In my life, I’ve experienced negative stereotypes because I am Asian. People assume that I am very good at math, eat dog, date other Asians. For those of you who don’t know, I am a communication major, clearly a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences. I do not eat dog because I grew up in America where we do not eat dogs. Americans should realize how blessed we are to have dogs as a companion rather than see it as a last resort for a meal. Just saying folks. Last, I’ve never been interested in dating Asian guys. Most Asian guys I grew up with had this patriarchal mindset that disgusted me. Also, I spent much of my childhood growing up in Idaho, so that pretty much defines my type.

            There are plenty of stereotypes that make wrongful assumptions of people, but it comes from our social world. Our identity and perception of people stem from a specific culture, and often we do not properly understand other cultures. What makes us special as humans is that we all have our own identities, but we should educate ourselves in what stereotypes we believe. Our perceptions can determine whether or not our interpretation of an individual is accurate.

References

Dictionary.com. (2017). Norms. Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/norms?s=t

Michigan State University. (n.d.). Stereotypes. Retrieved September 28, 2017, from https://msu.edu/course/psy/442/stereotypes.ppt/sld001.htm

Warren, J. T., & Fassett, D. L. (2015). Compassionate and Critical Listening. In Communication: A Critical/Cultural Introduction [Red Shelf version] (2nd ed., pp. 63-76). Retrieved from https://platform.virdocs.com/app/v5/doc/80520/pg/1/toc

Blog Post 2

Fear, ultimately, is the reason I have survived. 

 -Andres Gomez, Man Up.

This article was an incredible read. It felt like I was reading a novel about Carlos's life experience and the difficulties he faced. The term 'Man Up' while is meant with good intentions should replaced with other terms to encourage the ability to over come hardship and adversity. When Carlos was told to 'man up' it meant to overcome his fears and the hurdles that he would face in his life. The problem with this phrase is that it is implies that being tough and strong is quality held only by men. Like I stated earlier, the ability to be strong and overcome adversity is an important skill for any person to have to succeed in life. But it is also essential for all people to have. A big problem within the United States is the division that is taking place between races, religions, and political believes that people have. While terms like 'man up' seem exclusive, this country needs to be much more inclusive. There are many traits that are stereotypical for women that I'm seeking to be better about in my life, like empathy, and patience. Some of the most powerful people, that I admire most, posses qualities that are not stereotypical to there gender or race. In our culture don't need more powerful men, or more gentle women, we need more powerful humans. More gentle humans. This video shows a young coach telling a young boy, that it is okay to cry as a man, but as a man he needs to power through those things. As stated before his intentions are good, these qualities are exclusive to gender, religion, or political affiliation. By being more inclusive as a nation, as human beings we can make this world a better place. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpZFCubE6Ag

Blog 2

One statement that hit me was "men are not allowed to be afraid". This statement hits me because it's true in our society. Like the reading says "men puff up their chests and curse and yell and fight and to die to avoid being afraid".

As a woman, we are told to act like a lady and with class. We aren't supposed to fight back and stand up for ourselves. Both men and women are allowed to be afraid.
The world is scary and we never know what to expect. Men are allowed to be afraid of anything. Men's lives, careers, financial problems,relationships, and children are all things men can be afraid of in their lives.

Growing up I wasn't a goody-two-shoe, but I also wasn't the worst child out there. I've made bad decisions to the point that I've made my dad cry because he feared for my life.
Brave men in law enforcement and military serve their lives to protect ours. They probably fear everyday for their lives whether they're going to make it to another day or not. They have the right to be afraid of what ever obstacles come towards them.

Blog2

I have to focus on Roland Barthes, Mythologies here and in particular the excerpt on Einstein in his Mythologies. The part that stood out to me was about how we thought back in those days and how we approached anomalies that we encountered. Barthes writes about a famous picture of Einstein connected with wires to a series of seismographs. Where Einsteins legend comes to fruition from this photograph is how the people conducting the test are asking him to think of relativity. Barthes explains that the researches had hopes that thinking of such a complex idea would make the seismographs needles move violently. This was Einsteins myth. I can only imagine they thought his brain was bigger and heavier too. As myths go, the belief Einstein had this extraordinary brain that was super human couldn't be like everyone else, but infarct his brain was quite ordinary.

As myths is really a series a information that is widely accepted but typically isn't true. In this case, Einstein's brain was believed to be a robot's brain. A brain beyond human comprehension, so naturally it shouldn't function like a normal brain. I think this is why I like myths. They're inspiring regardless of truth. Who wouldn't want a brain that is like Einstein's myth. Just this story alone could move someone to do whatever they can to gather knowledge. And with this line of thinking, the outcomes of what we're capable of start to razzle the mind. Now this isn't to the level of myth as Einstein's brain, as that almost touch a little bit into the make believe, but there are some myths that seem like obtainable goals or even challenges for others to strive for. For NFL prospects, coming out of college normally means you're headed to the NFL combine to get evaluated.

Since the combines inception, the 40 yard dash has been the top performance evaluation for the event. The magical number for the longest time has been a 4.4sec 40yd. The athletes of the 70's and 80's knew that the 4.4 was the determining speed factor for excellence. A funny thing happened during the early 80's, athletes started breaking the 4.4 time. Scouts didn't think it could happen. So as time went on, a myth started to manifest, “No one will ever break 4.3sec” for the 40. Well, rumblings of individuals started to make waves in the scouting communities of privately recorded 40 times by individuals destroying that 4.3 mark.

Bo Jackson is said to have run a 4.18 and Deion Sanders recorded a 4.27. None were official run times but a funny thing happened, athletes began focusing more on this event. Suddenly the myth of the 40 yard dash wasn't just an unobtainable time, it was a goal. So what was once seen as not true as the definition of a myth goes, now it was a goal that was set. Today, there are currently 15 sub 4.3 run times officially recorded—and a new myth. Breaking 4.2 is the new legend and the way things are trending, that myth will be debunked and a new one will take its place. So, as I said a myth is more like motivation and inspiration. Regardless if it's based off of fictitious facts and hearsay, I don't think they're bad in anyway (I hope that wasn't implied). I think they're told and re-told for the sole purpose to inspire. With Einstein, they said he had the greatest mind the world has ever seen, today we have 100 Einsteins. Like the athlete's being told, “You'll never break a 4.3 40” now the talks are about how 4.2 will never happen. These myth's only seem to be set goals to achieve. Something fun to debate and so forth. Really, they're reason to keep moving forward.

https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/sports/2017/02/28/top-10-fastest-40-yard-dash-times-at-the-nfl-scouting-combine/98429534/ 

Blog #2

There was very interesting quote that jumped out at me in the reading of chapter 6 this week.  

"In this way, any study of the social world-the world we live in- is always a study of communication: our everyday talk, the messages we glean from the internet and other media sources, how our bodies move through space, and so forth, all build the rules and norms that guide our actions. In this sense, our identities are socially constructed" (102). 

This quote sums up why I became a communications major in the first place.  I was always told that communications a vague and inapplicable major when it came to the real world but that could not be farther from the truth.  This quote is proof of that.  Communications is woven throughout every aspect of our very humanity.  How we talk and what we say has a greater impact than we can ever imagine.  Communications defines who we are and who we become depending on what type of communication we project or search out.  Our very identity are shaped by the language that we send and receive.  I used to think that we were all born with one identity and that was the mold we were stuck with for the rest of our lives.  There would be no way to change it and we would just have to play the hand that we were dealt. That could not be farther from the truth.  

There are so many perspectives to look from.  What media sources are we researching from? Who are we hanging out with? What types of messages are we sending? Where do we find ourselves spending the most time on the internet? Our generation lives in a digital encyclopedia world that is available right in fron of us.  What information are we perceiving as right and wrong? What side do we find ourselves agreeing with most of the time? How does that affect our character in our everyday lives with everyday people? I could go on and on but the bottom line is I think it is so important to take a step back in our own lives and examine questions like this when applied to us.  It is important because it has the ability to affect who we become as a human being.  When something as important as character  is at stake, it is so important that we pay attention because who we are shapes the decisions we make and the paths we take in this one life we are given. It is because of posts like this that communications will forever be my favorite subject to study. 




http://www.criticalmediaproject.org/about/key-concepts/

Derek Bryant - Blog Post #2

As I was reading an excerpt of Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood by Carlos Andrés Gómez, I found myself relating to a lot of what he said. Growing up, I was never a "man's man". I liked to help my grandma bake sourdough bread and dig in the garden, while my older brother and my dad were busy skating and playing football. I never felt that masculine urge to fight things or catch the old pigskin, I was happy staying inside and trying the newest recipe that my grandma had found in her monthly cooking magazine subscription. 

I felt the judgement from other people at very young age, this idea of masculinity is instilled at a very early stage in one's life, but I was lucky enough to have a family that was supportive in my own hobbies. In today's society, men are held to a standard that is very basic and one dimensional. If you are born as a boy, the only point in life is to become a "man" and pass that knowledge onto your future son. The only issue for me is that men don't bake and garden, that's for the "dainty housewives" according to my sexist math teacher who was recently divorced and very obviously lonely. I saw a lot of my friends struggle as they tried to come to terms with their own identity and where they fell on the spectrum so to speak. A very close friend of mine could never receive his dad's approval and he ultimately ruined his own life to try to get that approval. It seems that as a father figure, you are to teach your son to be masculine and strong, regardless of the emotional and mental abuse that they might endure because that's just part of becoming a man. A quote that showcases this mentality beautifully is this one, "since you think you are a man and want to make man decisions and walk out of my life, I am going to treat you like a man.  And there are a lot of things that are wrong with you... if you do not fix them you are never going to succeed in your life." (Gómez 56) To make up for his own shortcomings, he places a majority of the blame on the boy who is not yet a man. By writing about his own experiences, Gómez talks about a topic that, ironically enough, men are too afraid to talk about. As Jared Yates Sexton says in his article America's Toxic Masculinity, "masculinity might temporarily shelter men from the pressures of their daily lives, inevitably it robs them of their lives." 

Blog post #2

Quote: I was taking control of making myself into a man.

-Andre Gomez Fear (Pg. 41)

            I choose this quote because the topic of masculinity has come up so frequently in my classes recently. When the topic of gender identity or fighting against gender stereotypes appears in media, it is often shown how minority groups are effected by stereotypes. However in all of my communication classes, they have also mentioned how society expects men to act. While I do believe the women have it far worse than men, as a man I am very interested in my representation in this issue.

            In Gomez’s book, his motivation to conform to society’s idea of a man was anchored in fear. In his mine, and what I believe society imagines is the archetypical man is, a man show not show or even fell afraid of anything. Men that are afraid are seen as “sissies”. At some point this lead to the concept of men beginning to act like wimps and pushovers, not manly, lead to the idea of The Dewussification of America. Its premises was to turn men back into “Men”, and was for headed by those from older generations.

            The quote also reminds me of the documentary Tough Guise 2, which I have seen twice for two different classes. It talks about how men are often seen in media as naturally violent “let boys be boys”. It touches on the social expectations for men to look or act, man should be muscular, play sports, be in charge of the house. If you don’t satisfy these qualities you might be seen as “gay”, a wuss, or just not manly. That social feedback will demoralize people without a support group, thankfully this is less common.

            So for me this line should represent falling in line to social norms. However, looking at it again I would like to spin it on its head. “I am taking control of making myself into a man, the type of man I want to be.

-Robby Meier, Comm 160