Norms

Growing up in Ukraine and then moving to the U.S. was a shocking experience not only because I had to learn a new language, but also because of the cultural differences and different norms. On my very first day of school, I showed up dressed formally, with a tie, and with flowers in hand. When I met my teacher, I gave her the flowers, to her great surprise. In Ukraine, the first day of school was always very important, and festive at the same time. Teachers were, and still are, very respected and it was customary to bring your new teacher flowers on your first day. Also, every school started on the same day throughout the entire nation, grades 1-12, and ended on the same day, too.

Raising your hand to speak in class was odd to me. In Ukraine, one would get called up to the board by the teacher to do work in front of the class or speak. You would also always stand to speak to an adult; it was much more formal.

In the U.S., I disliked most people that I met at first because they all seemed fake. In Ukraine, it's not customary to say hello to strangers as you walk by. You don't ask random people how they're doing. It all just comes down to how you were raised and what you feel comfortable with doing. While behaving one way might be normal in one country, it could be disrespectful in another.

Micro-Macro Dynamics and Racism

The movie was set in a very racist time in American history. While African Americans had equal rights, they were not yet completely socially integrated and accepted. On a smaller scale, C lived in a very segregated neighborhood. In fact, I would have a hard time coming up with a set of neighborhoods more segregated than the 1960's Bronx.

The Italians live in the Italian neighborhood. The Latin Americans live in the Latin American neighborhood. The Irish live in the Irish neighborhood. And the African Americans live in the African American neighborhood. Of course, these rules are not written; people simply just know.

Naturally, we humans have a "pack mentality." This means that we are drawn close to the people we consider "our own" and naturally assume that anybody else is an intruder and an enemy. Because of this, the Italians in the Italian neighborhood are prejudiced against the African American boys when they come hrough their neighborhood. The "pack mentality" in addition to the high level of racism in the U.S. in the 1960's creates a violent and unnecessary situation.

When C tells his father about the possibility of him dating a black girl, his father is not blatantly racist about it, but states that it would be proper of C to "keep it in the family." C comes from a family of pure-bred Italians and his father is a very traditional man. I don't believe that C's father's disapproval comes from racism, but rather from a desire to keep his Italian genes purely Italian.

I'm glad that society is moving away from such a close-minded way of thinking. It would be bad if my family disapproved of any girl that wasn't Ukrainian that I dated. But, we do live in a very open-minded region.

Roles

As we go through our lives, we are all influenced by our surroundings: the people we meet, the places we go, and the things we do. We have a role in all of these aspects and understanding roles in groups can help us to understand why people are how they are. Your role in the classroom may be a student, but your role at your community center may as a mentor or a teacher. Every role shapes us very differently.

Community Service

In Mrs. Hoffman's Writing for College, she told us about a community service opportunity with a man named Aaron Lawlor; he is running for the United States Senate. I wrote him an e-mail asking about the volunteer opportunity and am awaiting his reply.

I think that this would be a very interesting and beneficial opportunity seeing as having political connections can never be a bad thing. Also, politics and government interests me, so this could be a valuable learning experience for me.