We are supposed to be like that?...

Learning our roles as men and women or boys and girls has been shown to us when we are little kids. Last week we learned about what girls are modeled to be and what girls think they should look like when really the way you are is just fine. This week we learned about masculinity and how guys try to live up to that. Guys think they have to be built and independent and scary to be considered manly. When they don't live up to that people start calling them "fags" or "pussies" or "bitches" because they are considered feminine. This is when school shootings occur. Some guys even say that shooting made them seem like more of a man and made people respect them. Schools are now taking the initiative to stop bullying and having kids be called those names. There are also peer groups and counselors that they have made available for those that need someone to talk to. The shootings have become part of the media more because they are happening in suburban areas with white boys. They make it more dramatic because they shouldn't be like that and they are seen as the better kind of children or better educated. I think that since they may have more money they have better access to guns. Girls and boys both need to sit back and be what they want to be and look like what they want to look like, not what the media shows us. They also need to realize that that person that they are seeing in the magazine is not what they looked like when the original picture was taken.

Model ? I don't think so....

Today in class we watched a couple of Dove commercials on how all the pictures in the media that we see are fake and digitally changed. It was crazy how much they changed these girls into the way that people wanted to see them. It's really sad how younger girls and even teens try to change themselves into being like these girls in the magazines which is completely impossible and they don't even know it. My sister is completely affected by this because she always reads the magazines and watches MTV and only being 13 she falls for it all. The sad thing is she thinks she's fat when she isn't at all. My mom and i have to talk to her about it and convince her that she's not. If this can happen with my little sister and just one person that i know just imagine how many other people in the world have this same type of view. More girls die from eating disorders than you would know and the numbers only grow each year.

wild child... ?

Learning about feral children this week really got to me. I never really understood the extent of what child abuse could become, nor did i know just how many people were "wild". When Genie was found she couldn't speak or move like every other child that was her age. Not having physical contact and being able to have a conversation with someone on a daily basis or even at all made her unable to function normally. Also seeing that one girl that was raised by dogs really freaked me out. In the video that we watched of her she ran around on all fours and even sounded exactly like a dog when she barked, they also said that she preferred being like that than walking on two feet! There are so many people out there that we don't even know about that are like this and we don't fully understand how to react to it because they aren't "like us". Without contact with other humans we don't learn how to act and how to behave and how to socialize and learn the english language. Most of the way we live our lives comes from our parents, whether you notice it or not they make you who you are, besides your peers this this your biggest influence. People are important and we take that for granted.

Tuesdays with morrie

Watchig Tuesdays with Morrie made me think about our culture in so many different ways. I like how he looked at most things with a completely differed view. I learned that not being independent was what is good, you need others to go through life and you cant always do things on your own. This movie was very sad and it just goes to show you that you should live life to the fullest and have no regrets. know what your living for and don't wait to find out until you 40 or 50 years old or even beyond that. Also just make the little effort it takes to keep in shape and don't loss touch. Even though work may get you money and being successful is important it is even more important to have the ones you love in your life.