Surfs Up!

I spent the last week in San Diego and Los Angeles, California.  I loved the atmosphere there, but I couldn't help but notice how different it was from Chicago and other cities I have visited.   Many people know about the laid back California stereotype.  Some think of California as all surfers or stoners.  But really it was all sorts of different people.  Yet every single person I met seemed so carefree!  I knew that California was known for being relaxed, but every single person seemed to just go with the laid back flow of the environment. Coming from the stressful life I lead balancing school, friends, family, and other day to day obligations I was blown away with how people in California balance all these tasks and still seem to handle life with a laid back attitude.  Although I am able to balance these things and still hold a positive attitude, being in California just really changed my views on things. It made me take my life into perspective. Have you ever been somewhere that had an atmosphere very different from what you were used to?  Did you realize anything about your own life after noticing how people in that atmosphere lived?

The "Reliable" Speaker

A couple weeks ago in class we discussed the "reliable narrator." I was thinking about this idea while living my daily life.  I realized this is something that people are judged on all the time when they are speaking, if not every single thing they say.  It is not only being a "reliable narrator," but being a reliable speaker as well. When listening to person talk, others are always deciding whether that person is reliable or not.  Are they speaking under self-interest, outside influence, inexperience, or ignorance?  A listener had to interpret a person's speech and think about if they can truly believe what they are saying.  I know that I definitely do this whenever I am listening to someone.  Do you think that when you listen to people around you, you are deciding whether or not they are a reliable source?

What is Race?

Most people THINK they know their own ideas about race and that they could say what they consider race.  However, when actually faced with this question confusion arises.  Is race just a skin color? Is it physical traits? Is it culture?  Birthplace? Genetics? What IS race? It is hard to say. For many years, it was strongly believed that people in certain "races" were genetically similar.  It was thought that one race would have an advantage over another because of a difference in chromosomes.  Blacks were said to have an extra muscle in their legs which made them better athletes, but at the same time, they were said to be diseased and unhealthy.  These genetic ideas about race are very inaccurate.  In fact, genetic variation is much higher (85%) within a race.  Race is simply a social idea.  Stereotypes are created about people who fall under socially-invented "races."  People are placed in categories by skin color, body form, eye shape, hair type, and other physical characteristics.  Walking on a street, a person could not just look at someone and know their personality exactly and what kind of person they are.  However, people are automatically stereotyped and judged based on their physical traits.  People try to connect race to genetics and make it into a scientific idea.  Searches continue for genetic similarities in specific "races" so that there will be an excuse for this categorizing.  For me, race is a judgmental, stereotypical and social idea.  What is race for you?