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.

Sociological Mindfulness and YOU

Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku explains the progression of Human society. Civilizations are classified into Type 0, 1, 2, and 3. We are currently a Type 0 civilization. If you're interested, google it. He has YouTube videos for those who can't be bothered with a book. But anyways,

Sociological mindfulness is vital in the progress of Human society. Progress as a civilization is defendant on more than progress in science and medicine. Humans themselves must progress, both as individuals and as a group. We have survived due to individual ingenuity, but on the evolutionary scale, humans have existed for only a moment. Imagine the life of the Earth as a fingernail. The material that comes off from running a file against the nail but once represents the life of Humans on Earth.

If we hope to survive on a galactic level, we must learn to think as a society as opposed to concerning ourselves with individual interests. Seriously, think long-term.

Who Am I?

I'm somebody who likes to live in the now. While the future concerns me and I make accommodations for it, I try to enjoy life in the present as much as possible. At the same time, I'm a meticulous planner. It sounds contradictory, but I pull it off. I was born in Kiev, Ukraine and moved to the U.S. with my mother and older sister when I was four. In the future, I have no idea what I'll be doing and I don't think that's a problem at this stage. I do want to go to U of I.

I work at Cosi as a barista. I'm also a baker. I make bread. It's awesome! My co-workers are borderline retarded and I'm expected to always smile at customers and ask them how they're doing. I don't do that out of principle because I refuse to ask someone how they are when I genuinely couldn't care less. It's just illogical and we're brainwashed into believing that it's polite. And people get weirded out when you don't constantly smile, especially when you're the cashier. I'm at work and it's early. Why would I be standing there grinning? To me, it would look odd for somebody to be happy to be at their minimum wage job on a Saturday morning, in that stupid hat that makes my hair poke my eyeballs and the stupid tucked in shirt.

Well, we've got some space to kill, so...
About me...
I'm seventeen in a week. I like to snowboard. I like music. I like chilling and enjoying life, living it to the fullest and all that jazz.
The bell just rang so I'm out,
Peace,