Blog Post #3

Blog #3
Matt Walton
Comm 160



“One of the general characteristics that makes us human is our sense of self” (192)

As humans we are vulnerable and susceptible at an early age to outside influences. We use these outside influences such as family, location, and interactions to form our sense of self. Forming our own unique to ourself identity. Identity obviously is influenced by outside factors we experience in life, but I believe genetics will also play a pivotal role. This sparks the Nature vs. Nurture debate. As we get older we align things in our life that play to our identity, incorporating hobbies and interest. We move around to different locations and schools based on what interest or fits our personalities best. As humans we are constantly evolving and picking up new interest along the way. Ive personally been to three different universities, played two different college sports, and moved away from home to Boise, ID from Ohio. All these have played an influential role in forming my sense of self. Ive personally picked up Boxing as another outlet to channel my energy and was something I've always been interested in. This fall I will be studying abroad throughout Europe, with the home country of Cyprus. I'm sure upon my return I will have a different perspective on the world outside the US and myself as a person. I will continue to look for different avenues and places along my journey through life. I believe this is essential for growing as an individual and expanding your comfort zones.

POST #3

Omar Farfan

Blog Post

COMM 160

4/3/17 

“One of the general characteristics that makes us human is our sense of self” (192)

            This quote off of chapter 10 of our text stood out to me the most. Reason being, I believe we as humans from the moment we are born, we pick up every little detail from everybody that we meet and learn how to shape yourself on who you want to be based on those experiences. For example, from the beginning we start remembering and start thinking by ourselves, our parents were the people we first gained this “sense of self”. At a primal level were we only know that they are our parents and caretakers. Also, that they will always be there to rely on, in some cases. From personal experiences my parents have always gave me comfort and support and I hold that to my sense of self. Because I know I can rely on them when I need something. And as we get older we meet friends and people, for example, in high school is where we all are trying to attempt to see where we exactly fit in. Not necessarily fit in in the world, but where do we stand and who exactly we want to be. Finding our true sense of self is a long troubling journey. But in the end, it’ll all be worth it. After college, I personally feel it’s were the real work starts on finding true sense of self. From all the experiences prior to finally living on your own will give you the proper knowledge on how to approach different people. Whether it be business, family, friends, or strangers. We will know how to approach situations and know true sense of self.

Blog Post #3

 "Critical family communication research pursues these commitments, as the name aptly suggests, within family contexts. In engaging with harmful norms, abuses of power, inequities, and contradictions, this research describes both what exists, and also what should (not) exist within families. Auto ethnographers use personal experience to describe and examine intersections between."- Berry and Adams " Family Bullying"

Family bullying seem to have always been people haven't acknowledged to be a problem. Because we as a society and with the family values we have are so key in having healthy, happy, families that are together. Because of that it seems like family bullying is something not really cared about. When I read this article it reminded me of a Youtube family that were once all over Youtube. they for a little while were a popular channel but then people started to notice the the verbal, sometimes physical abuse in the family. You would watch their videos and see the parents and their 4 kids. One was their youngest boy where time and time again you would see the parents yell at him for things that didn't happen. There would be times where either one of the brothers or even the dad would push and shove him and then everyone would just laugh. The family saw it as a joke and entertaining but Youtube saw it as abuse and took their channel down. The problem with family bullying is that it isn't seen as bullying because it's just family teasing each other. The one thing that really frustrated me when it comes to this article is the part where the author talked about how his cousin every time he saw him the cousin would beat him up. Throw him to the floor. punch him, kick him, wrestle him. Often the entire family would be in the same room watching this happen and never do anything about it because it didn't seem problematic. I am curious if there is a line from family teasing to bullying and abuse? That line seems blurred because families have a weird idea on what is or isn't okay sometimes. I believe with the newer generations we are more aware of mental health and acceptance that things like family bullying aren't as problematic. But that is not all cases, when will we get to a point when family bullying and school bullying are one in the same. Because being blood related or not the pain and anger hurt just as much then the other. Family might hurt even more because with school you can escape it. With Families you really can't. This article taught me a lot about what family bullying looked like so I could put a label on it and call it out. It also gave me some personal stories from those who experienced it and I was able to see how it was solved later down the road. Family bullying is something important to acknowledge and do something about. Because it is something that can be dangerous and we need to start noticing it and doing something about it.

Blog Post 3

Blog Post 3

“Perhaps one of the greatest injustices that film and television commit, for us as people trying to make relationships work, is the way these storytellers imply that relationships are easy”. I know that almost everyone has seen those sappy, romantic movies, that show us that relationships fall into place or easily can be successful. But can we really have the perfect relationship? Movies visualize relationships as flawless, when in reality relationships can be the farthest thing from flawless. Film and television rarely show the negatives or flaws of relationships, but rather just focus on every positive aspect of them. They idealize beauty, perfection and romance, but don’t express the fights, personal problems, hard times, etc. According to a study done at the University of Michigan, more exposure to romantic movies led to a greater tendency to believe that “love finds a way” and can overcome all obstacles. This is not at all true. I know when I finish watching "The Notebook", I can’t help but to feel hopeful. Film and television lure people into believing in unrealistic expectations or relationships. It is important to be able to recognize this in films and televisions. I think people these days that have never really been in a relationship assume that relationships will be perfect and it is important to not get wrapped up in the relationships shown on television and movies, because they are not an accurate representation of what relationships are really like.

Blog Post #3

Nihilism- "Characterized by a kind of doom and despair, a sense of meaningless and hopelessness cause by prolonged oppression."

This term has really stuck out to me since we discussed it in class. This whole idea of not having hope and just feeling like things are not going to get better and I am only one person who has no way of making a change. I was this person not too long ago. I can't say I have completely transformed, but my mindset it beginning to change. I am 23 and have not voted in one election. ESPECIALLY presidential elections because government class in high school never gave me much hope my vote actually mattered. It wasn't until recently, when all of these mass shootings and killings have been taking place around the country my heart began to hurt. I felt this nihilism. It was awful and sad. The thought of, "It is never going to stop. No one will ever make a change," crossed my mind every time I heard of another tragedy.

One day in my UF 200 class I really began to feel this to my core, this nihilism. We watched a documentary on a man who was bullied so terribly he decided to do something about it, brought a gun to his college campus, and killed another student. The remainder of that day, I was mixed with emotions.. anger, confusion, sadness. I couldn't put my thoughts together, but it made me begin to realize that we can't get stuck in nihilism. I might be just one person, but if you grab another person, and another you soon have a group of people all believing and fighting for change. As cheesy and cliche as it sounds I have gained hope in this thought.

Post the documentary and awful feelings, I attended the rally at the capital building downtown Boise, March For Our Lives, and marched with what seemed like a million people making their voices heard; not giving into the thought that even though nothing has changed since the beginning of times, there is still hope and we can't not fight for a change.

Post #3

After completing these readings for the month, my favorite chapter to read was Chapter 10. Chapter 10 talks about Interpersonal Relationships in Culture. One sentence that particularly stood out to me was written on page 202 in our textbook. It states, “indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.” This was written by J.K. Rowling. 

I found this sentence interesting because I had never really thought of it that way. I had not thought that by ignoring someone’s differences, you could be doing more harm than just simply disliking someone. 

However it is true. It is so important to not only accept but to acknowledge our differences, because we all have so much to offer. The topic of interpersonal relationships in culture is very broad. I found lots of sources helping to develop this quote and the importance/meaning behind it. 

This quote starts to explain that differences can affect a relationship. J.K. Rowling explains it as ignoring the differences can be harmful. However, an article written about the Role of Culture in Interpersonal Relationships states that “individuals internalize cultural values, which then affect the ways in which they relate to important others in their environment. ... The end result is that individuals from different cultures develop a very different sense of self, especially with respect to how the self is related to important others.”

In the end, both of these sources are talking about how the differences need to be used positively. Do not ignore our differences, instead use them in a way to benefit your interpersonal relationships.

Lalonde, R. N., Hynie, M., Pannu, M., & Tatla, S. (2004, September 1). The Role of Culture in Interpersonal Relationships.