YouTube. BBC Radio 4, 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.

Personal Identity: Crash Course Philosophy #19. Perf. Hank Green.

YouTube. PBS Digital Studios, 27 June 2016. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.

Arguments Against Personal Identity: Crash Course Philosophy #20. Perf. Hank Green.

YouTube. PBS Digital Studios, 11 July 2016. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.

Goffman, Erving. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.

Garden City: Doubleday Anchor, 1959. Print.

Introduction:

My goal for this paper is to introduce the idea of personal identity struggling against a larger groups. I want to jump start a discussion within my peers. My original idea was almost entirely different; I restarted with a stronger point, and less repetitive statements and observations. I struggled with finding a structure that tied all of the quotes together, but eventually managed to find common ground. If I could change anything, I would delve deeper into the idea of a community deciding your self worth.

Essay:

Individuals that are a part of a group have an inherent conflict between acting in their self interest, as an individual, and following a group’s ideals. In this environment, there is a delicate playing field of striking a balance between being yourself and still belonging to the group. We see this conflict play out in satire, science fiction, and in our daily lives.

The selfish behavior of forced superiority is especially difficult to control. A review of the popular book ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell analyzes interactions within the group of animals. “The thoughtful reader must be further disturbed by the lack of clarity in the main intention of the author. Obviously he is convinced that the animals had just cause for revolt and that for a time their condition was improved under the new regime. But they are betrayed by their scoundrelly, piggish leaders. In the end, the pigs become indistinguishable from the men who run the other nearby farms; they walk on two legs, have double and triple chins, wear clothes and carry whips.” In the beginning, the pigs act in the best interest of the group; help conduct a revolt, and devise a new system. As time goes on, they see the benefits of acting for themselves as individuals. In their quest for self gain they became the oppressive farmers they had supplanted. The pigs claim to be a part of the group, but have seized a more powerful role. This is a clear case of Primus inter Pares, meaning first among equals, someone who is above the others in their likeness. While the pigs claim to be group members like all of the other animals, they clearly develop a sense of self that they are “more equal” than the others.

Your being is often decided by those around you; affecting your interactions and ideas of self-worth. In ‘Flowers for Algernon” written by Daniel Keyes, the main character Charlie Gordon expressed very little self interest beyond the benefits of being a part of a group. Focusing almost exclusively on fitting in did not bring the lasting happiness he craved. “How strange it is that people of honest feelings and sensibility, who­ would not take advantage of a man born without arms or legs or eyes-how such people think nothing of abusing a man born with low intelligence. It infuriated me to think that not too long ago I, like this boy, had foolishly played the clown. And I had almost forgotten. I'd hidden the picture of the old Charlie Gordon from myself because now that I was intelligent it was something that had to be pushed out of my mind. But today in looking at that boy, for the first time I saw what I had been. I was just like him! Only a short time ago, I learned that people laughed at me. Now I can see that unknowingly I joined with them in laughing at myself. That hurts most of all.” In this moment Charlie realized that he had never truly been accepted. He had unknowingly made fun of himself to be a part of the group. His focus was always on belonging, even when he grew intelligent and didn't feel like he belonged, he yearned for it.

Not all individuals choose one path or the other. They adapt to their surroundings to survive. This habit is often used in social situations, like changing speech patterns or body language to best fit the situation. In the new york times article, Why ‘Self-Identifying’ Is Different From Coming Out by Wesley Morris, Bill Kennedy, a professional basketball referee, has different identities for different groups. In public life he allowed people to assume he was heterosexual, until recently when he publicly came out. Those close to him knew about his homosexuality beforehand. His decision to have two separate identities most likely spawned from an effort to gain acceptance into two different worlds. “There was no ritual to Kennedy’s announcement. He’s a self-identified gay man who, again, has a job best done with little to no identity. News reports reverted to ‘‘coming out,’’ which, clearly, is what this was. But it was also something more complex. ‘‘Self-identified’’ alters the tenor of the outing. Not only does it imply ownership of the identity. It also implies that the person coming out was, under the circumstances, not actually in. He just wasn’t out to you. If you’re self-identified, you might have cultivated a life that’s self-selected, meaning the people aware that you’re gay know because you’ve told them.” In his personal life he was able to act more selfishly with less risk of rejection. Kennedy could focus more on his individuality, while as a referee there was more pressure to conform to the group ideology. His existence was considered irrelevant unless someone was there to validate it.

The complex actions of individuals assimilating into a group or a set of groups are split between acting with themselves in mind or adopting the mindset of a community. Balancing these two behaviors is critical to an individual's identity within a group and whether or not they will be accepted by that group. Without it, you aren’t even the beginning of a concept.

Works Cited

• Keyes, Daniel. "Flowers for Algernon." New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966. Print.

• Soule, George. "In 1946, The New Republic Panned George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'." New Republic. N.p., 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.

• Why ‘Self-Identifying’ Is Different From Coming Out. New York Times, n.d. Web.

Introduction:

In this essay, my goal was to explain what comes along with nationalism, and how it relates to patriotism. While writting this essay, I was able to understand the world slightly better. Being in SLA allows me to interact with different people while giving me willingness to learn about others. These are experiences that many people might never experience outside of this school, city, or country. In a sense, I was brought back to the real world. Writing this reminder that the world, is not perfect.

Essay:

Throughout the world, people are separated into different categories, which impacts their lives completely, in a good or bad way. Possessing a classification is completely inevitable, especially when the whole world is built around classifications and division. There is a reason why people are divided in this world, and it's all because of something most of us, see no problem with. Nationalism.

When a nation comes into being, an invisible barrier appears at the border of this nation. Inside of this barrier, lies a certain kind of belief. Thought. State of mind. A mindset that all of those, inside of this barrier possess. This mindset isn't unique to this nation, as all of the other nations also possess the same kind of mindset. People in these barriers are connected to one another when it comes to their own nations. They feel pride, love, and hope, as their nations succeeding could mean their own success. When they accomplish any great dead for their nation, they feel patriotic. These people would give their lives to keep those inside of the barrier safe, and to keep the barrier from shattering. Political activist, Emma Goldman, who criticizes the mindset behind patriotism, states, ¨“When the child has reached manhood he is thoroughly saturated with the belief that he is chosen by the Lord himself to defend his country against the attack or invasion of any foreigner…” This quote perfectly touches upon the mindset of those in a nation. Inside of this barrier people will be shaped from young, to protect it from any other outsiders who are not from within the barrier. This mindset isn't something new either as it reaches as far back as ancient times when knights would protect their homeland from intruders.  The moment you become part of a nation, being patriotic becomes something extremely important. Especially when trying to fit in. When everyone possesses the same mindset, the only way to fit in with everyone else is to possess the same mindset as well.

Nationalism plays a huge role when it comes to people's refusal of understanding other nations. These people are completely blind when faced with the truth. They believe in something completely imaginative. A concept, which restraints and shackles them to their own nations, preventing them from interacting with one another. Making learning and understanding each other much less probable. These are done through various ways as social media, education, books and many other things within a certain nation can cause a person to be this way. Especially if purposefully created to guide someone´s mindset, as we see today in North Korea and China.

These shackles and these barriers could be easily taken down as long if their ignorance and arrogance were to disappear. If they didn't allow themselves to become mindless sheep and followed their own thoughts, they wouldn't be like this. A quote from Benedict Anderson´s book, ¨Imagined Communities,¨ uncovers this, “It's an imagination because the members of even the smallest nations, will never know of their fellow members, meet them, or hear about them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion” These people will never truly be capable of truly understand one another. They share the same mindset and choose not to go through the barriers of other nations to understand them as they are patriotic towards their own, even though, not a single one of these people know everyone in their own nation. “Indeed, conceit, arrogance, and egotism are the essentials of patriotism. “ This quote from Emma Goldman and her piece, ¨What is Nationalism¨, is perfect for this idea because it shows the reasons why many of these people, choose to not understand others. Even though patriotism can be seen as prideful, successful and helpful, in truth, patriotism is formed from arrogance, segregation, greed, and other evil ideas.

There is a reason we go to war. This idea of being better than others that nationalism brings, allows countries to become greedy, causing conflict with one another. Russia going after Ukraine, England and the many places it colonized many years ago, colonizers. The greed overshadows their emotions as even the cruelest of things, becomes something acceptable, just because they are doing it for your own nation. Emma Goldman declares ¨We Americans claim to be a peace-loving people. We hate bloodshed; we are opposed to violence. Yet we go into spasms of joy over the possibility of projecting dynamite bombs from flying machines upon helpless citizens.¨ This quote is a complete summary of how nationalism can turn people into beasts. Normal people who have never seen blood in their lives, from young to old, accept other citizens being killed for the sake of their greed. As long as nationalism exists, humans will never be able to come together and live in peace as Benedict Anderson states, ¨No nation, Imagines themselves, continuous with mankind.”

Bibliography:

Anderson, Bennedict. "Imagined Commmunities." Rebels library. N.p., n.d. Web. Jan. & feb. 2017.

In the beginning, my goals were for this paper to explore a side of me that I never really have before. Although this writing process was sort of non-existent I discovered things about feminism both within myself and out in society through research. The one thing about my essay is that I wished it was more personal.

Essay -

It all began in the year of 2013 when Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines was released and was a major hit on all of the radio stations. I heard it going to and from school all the time and I always thought it was super catchy but I didn’t really know what the song was about. However, that all changed one day when I was in the car with my step-mother, the feminist, and she was ranting about how the song was normalizing rape and in a way that everyone can enjoy. A few weeks later I was at a family and friends party and Blurred Lines came on. I started to get really angry when everyone was dancing and singing along and asked them if they knew what it was about. They said they did, but it was ok for us to listen because they were feminists. But how could they listen to such a degrading and oppressive song and still consider themselves feminists?

In an article from Vice magazine, Monica Potts talks about what it was like to grow up being one of the only feminists in redneck country. Potts talks about how people in her town would make sexist jokes and remarks and many people would just laugh but she would feel uneasy about it. Similar to my Blurred Lines story, Potts deals with being surrounded by normalized sexism and misogyny in her community, although mine is a little lower scale.  I believe that this kind of upbringing can affect anyone’s identity, it just depends on where they go with it. Potts says in her article that “The subtle messages women pick up starting from an early age are part of the reason women become nurses instead of doctors, and teachers instead of engineers.” This quote tells us a lot about how being a feminist can get you further than you would have if you had not been. Engineers and doctors are normally roles taken by men. However, any woman can become head of a male dominated career with feminism by proving that her abilities are just as valid as any man.

Even though feminism in the end is how you see yourself, in this day and age it is hard not to be influenced by what we see in media and through social interaction. Being a feminist can put you at the top of some social pyramids and on the very bottom of others. According to a recent Harvard study “While young Americans have strong opinions on gender advantages, however, they appear to reject labels. Only 27 percent of young Americans consider themselves feminists (16 percent of men and 37 percent of women). However, 49 percent of those polled "support" feminism.” The entire meaning behind “supporting feminism” has never been fully clear to me. However, this is what I get from it; If you support feminism you can see the reasoning behind it, but can’t fully commit to it yourself, and if you are a full-fledged feminist you support the ideas and reasoning behind feminism. Anyways, So being a feminist and learning that only 27 percent of the young U.S. citizens are feminists made me feel as though I was some sort of minority, especially that the other 73 percent either support feminism or are not feminists. In another article the author states “She is focused on getting women into boardrooms and into high-level jobs, doing away with the idea that there's something wrong with women being bosses or ‘bossy.’” This idea that women are “bossy” when really they’re just doing their jobs is another reason for women to let feminism affect their identity. “Bossy” is such a negative word that as soon as most women hear it being used to describe them they back down and let men take the stand. Though, there are the few who simply reply with “insert clever feminist remark here” and continue with doing the jobs they were hired to do.

Introduction

My goals for this paper were to make sure my analysis and evidence was well balanced. Also to make sure there isn't more evidence then there is analysis.I feel like I did a great job process wise completing this assignment considering I had it done a couple days early. I had plenty of time to revise and I think that will play a big part in the outcome of my essay. Overall, I believe I did a better job balancing my analysis and evidence and had a great topic to expand on.

The Rules Unbeknownst In Our Society

Advertisements combined with the media are constantly flooding our brains with ideas, stories that influence the way we think, unbeknownst. These influences impact what we like and how we think. It alters what we believe is right and what we believe is wrong. The media constructs rules on how we’re suppose to look and act in our society. If the guidelines are broken, we are judged and looked at differently, making us feel isolated from society resulting in a system where people need to change who they are and what they do to fit in and not be called weird or different.

As advertisements influence us without our consent, standards are being built. Whether its watching a commercial about clear skin or a commercial about underwear where they only show “slim” and “skinny”models, you are constantly seeing this, making you think if underwear is only for those kind of people. While advertisements build standards and create rules, social media is what basically enforces it. You might not or might notice how advertisements influences you, but in social media people would go post with the idea of the standards that were built with the advertisements. Now the posts on social media are reflecting back upon these standards.

In a article “Teen Girls And Social Media”, by Nancy Jo Sales talks all about teenagers and their struggle in social media. “She says girls face enormous pressures to post "hot" or sexualized photos of themselves online, and she adds that this pressure can make the Internet an unwelcoming environment.” From experience I have seen girls get more likes on pictures that were “hot” or “sexualized” photos. I'm not saying that you can not get attention or fit in with not posting “hot” photos, but it is difficult. It was almost like if you weren't posting any sexualized or hot photos, you wouldn't attract a lot of attention or you would not be fitting in. The more of these posts that are seen, the standards ore being pressured upon girls in social media.

It's a similar standard for boys as well. In a story “It's Complicated”, it has a short introduction titled, “Why do teens seem strange online?”. They questioned, why would the boy lie to the admission committee about what he's about, when the committee could easily find out online?. “perhaps this young man is simply including gang signals on his MySpace profile as a survival technique.” Survival technique in this situation would be fitting in. The young man’s posts included gang signals, but the reason behind it was to fit in. He was trying to blend in with his local community, and if he did not try to blend in and post the things he posts, he would be looked at differently and judged.

Being judged and the pressure to be someone you not is hard for some people. Especially when there's advertisements showing you what's perfect, right and pressuring you to be someone you not. In a short blog post, “False beauty in advertising and the pressure to look 'good'”, by Jo Swinson, she takes us through her perspective on advertising on beauty. “From smoothing skin and erasing wrinkles to enlarging muscles and slimming waists, airbrushing, or "photoshopping," men and women to so-called perfection is the norm in advertising. These images don't reflect reality, yet from a younger and younger age, people are aspiring to these biologically impossible ideals.”. In this quote she shows how advertisements paint a picture of what perfect is and set a standard for people to obtain. Although, these standards are nearly impossible to reach. “People unhappy about their bodies can develop eating disorders, turn to diet pills or steroids, or try cosmetic surgery and Botox injections.”  People using steroids so they can have that nice toned and muscle to getting a botox injection, so they can have a nice butt, these standards are now casting standards upon people to change their lifestyle just so they can fit in this society.

Annotated Bibliography

Keyes , Daniel . "Flowers For Algeron." Pdf. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2017. <http://www.sdfo.org/gj/stories/flowersforalgernon.pdf>.

Boyd, Danah. "Its Complicated." Pdf. Yale university Press, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2017. <http://www.danah.org/books/ItsComplicated.pdf>.

Sales, Nancy Jo . "Teen Girls And Social Media: A Story Of 'Secret Lives' And Misogyny." NPR. NPR, 29 Feb. 2016. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/02/29/467959873/teen-girls-and-social-media-a-story-of-secret-lives-and-misogyny>

The goals of this paper was to bring up the issue of pre-chosen identities based on the values and standards we as a people created and implicated in society. Reflecting on my final product, I think my goals were met, however next time I have a stronger sense on how to achieve those even more. I believe my process was good when working on this essay and that my main idea was interesting to explore and write about.

Essay:

Identity is how we as a species have changed throughout life and tried to individualize ourselves. However, what if our identities are pre-chosen for us based on the standards of the old society we created? In the dominant American society, we can see patterns of identifying based on socialism throughout the entirety of our history as a nation and as a people. All people want to do is to fit into boxes and limit themselves based on what is more desirable in certain communities.

America has had the system of classes for as long as people can remember. High class, low class, middle class, these are just everyday terms Americans discuss frequently. However, the classes might not be as clear cut as they seem. Patricia Cohen points out, “The feeling of comparative deprivation and the ultrarich separating themselves from the rest of society helps explain why only 1 percent of Americans accept the rich or upper-income label. Even most people earning over $250,000 — the top 5 percent of wage earners — identify as middle class. There’s always someone wealthier around.” (Cohen). This ties into the feeling of wanting to identify with someone else or a larger group of people. In the United States it seems like people don’t want to be shamed for having a certain amount of money so the majority more or less puts themselves in the middle. This idea of wanting to fit in can not only be seen within the classes of America, but as a species, humans do it all the time. Everyone tries to fit in because they are scared of not fitting that standard society places.

Not only do we notice the behavior of trying to fit into society’s view of having the most popular or desirable identity in America’s political system, but it also makes itself known in American literature. Flowers for Algernon, a popular book written by Daniel Keyes, explores identity in terms of being intelligent and how that self proclamation affects the community and other people. One quote states, “Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart.” (Keyes, 1) As seen here, Charlie (the main character) believes being “smart” is the best thing to be. This point of view can also be taken out of the book and into real life as well. It is drilled in every student’s head that they need good grades to get into college, that students have to go. And the idea that “smartness” can be measured by a number is also a way society has pushed us to identify as. And once again, people usually like to be near the middle of that spectrum of between a genius or being stupid.

Trying to change your identity on the surface is also another way people want to fit into a larger group or system. In another book, Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg, the idea of changing your outward label was a major decision the main character, Rafe, decided to pursue. He was not satisfied with being labeled as different and wanted to fit in in the “normal” crowd. This idea is immortalized in the following quote, “I was thinking about how snakes shed their skin every year, and how awesome it would be if people did that too. In lots of ways, that’s what I was trying to do.” (Konigsberg, 11) Trying to change people’s views on your own identity can show that you are in fact, trying to transform yourself, no matter how small, to fit in with the popular option.

Throughout American culture, the idea of fitting into a system which is deemed more likeable and/or popular fuels how people identify today. This idea has increased drastically in the current generation due to the rapid and ever changing social media fads and trends. What is considered acceptable or not in terms of identity has always been based on the society standards we created as a people. And in reality, just having society to blame for this constriction of self is untrue. We have always been constricting ourselves.

Works Cited:

• Cohen, Patricia. "Middle Class, but Feeling Economically Insecure." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Apr. 2015. Web. 18 Jan. 2017. <https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/11/business/economy/middle-class-but-feeling-economically-insecure.html>.

• Keyes, Daniel. Flowers for Algernon. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966. Print.

• Konigsberg, Bill. Openly Straight. New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine, 2013. Print.