Learning about feral children, and especially seeing the video of the feral girl from Ukraine who was raised by dogs and adopted their traits, made me realize just how much of our human behavior is learned. The girl walked around on all fours and even panted. Dogs pant because they can't sweat; that girl had sweat glands, but just chose to pant. You'd think that something like that is natural, but apparently even panting is learned behavior.
It's also interesting that once brought back into society, they began re-adapting quickly. But the feral children were still most comfortable acting like they were raised. This shows us that after the first five or so years of one's life, their brain stops absorbing information at the rate that it had done so earlier.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tuesdays With Morrie - Love
On one hand, I think that American culture often frowns upon expressions of affections as it shows weakness and goes against what a "man" should be. Refer to Red Forman for an example of what the proper American "man" should be like.
On the other hand, I believe that many people overuse the word "love." People will express their love to somebody that they've been dating for two weeks all the time. People yell about how much they love a singer or an actor. Infatuation is often mistaken for love.
"Romantic love" can be defined while true love can not. Speech is a man-made creation and words describe things that all mean the same thing to people; cold is cold and warm is warm to everybody. Ask anybody on the street to define love and every person's definition will be different, that is, if they are even able to come up with one. I think that we are "afraid" of love largely because it is different for everybody and thus, so difficult to discuss. It is almost taboo to openly discuss the intricities of love.
On the other hand, I believe that many people overuse the word "love." People will express their love to somebody that they've been dating for two weeks all the time. People yell about how much they love a singer or an actor. Infatuation is often mistaken for love.
"Romantic love" can be defined while true love can not. Speech is a man-made creation and words describe things that all mean the same thing to people; cold is cold and warm is warm to everybody. Ask anybody on the street to define love and every person's definition will be different, that is, if they are even able to come up with one. I think that we are "afraid" of love largely because it is different for everybody and thus, so difficult to discuss. It is almost taboo to openly discuss the intricities of love.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Human Nature
I'd like to discuss Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs to further explain what I was saying in class about human nature.
The first basic human need is physiological: breathing, food, water, sleep, homeostasis
If you do not achieve all of these, you are not concerned with anything else; that is your primary concern and only when all of those needs are fulfilled can you worry about your safety needs. Human safety needs include security of body, employment, resources, morality, family, health, and property. It may seem that these are of equal importance, but if one is starving, they will only worry of their next meal. When they are fed, they will finally try to devise a way to tap a steady supply of food.
Once all of one's basic needs are taken care of, we seek a sense of love and belonging: friendship, family, and sexual intimacy.
Esteem comes next: self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, and respect by others. This is the level on which most U.S. citizens are operating. Our basic survival needs are taken care of. Subconsciously or consciously, we crave respect and achievement, usually in the form of progress; this is partially why video games have the potential to be "addictive."
This is where unnecessary material goods come into play. You want that new Escalade on a conscious level because it looks nice. You may even attempt to justify the purchase to yourself by looking at features that it has that may be useful to you that aren't related to looks. But let's be honest, you bought that ridiculous, overpriced atrocity with an engine block made of volcanic rock and amusing safety ratings to impress people. You are fulfilling the fourth level of Maslow's
hierarchy of needs.
At the tip of the pyramid is self-actualization; most people never even attempt to satisfy this level because they are never truly satisfied with their esteem. This final level includes morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, and acceptance of facts. One may trick themselves into thinking that they are fulfilling this level, but all of these things need to occur on a subconscious level for them to truly be fulfilled.
That beggar on the street doesn't have different values from you; they aren't enlightened. Or maybe they are. Who knows? The point is that they are simply trying to fulfill the very first level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs; he just wants to feed himself and his family. Or maybe he needs crack money. A physical addiction can easily come on the same level as, or even replace, necessities such as food.
When he gets fed and gets his fix, maybe he'll look into getting a job to fulfill the second level of security. After that, he'll be working on his love and belonging level. And guess what's next. The Escalade. The Escalade is what is next for our crack-loving friend.
The first basic human need is physiological: breathing, food, water, sleep, homeostasis
If you do not achieve all of these, you are not concerned with anything else; that is your primary concern and only when all of those needs are fulfilled can you worry about your safety needs. Human safety needs include security of body, employment, resources, morality, family, health, and property. It may seem that these are of equal importance, but if one is starving, they will only worry of their next meal. When they are fed, they will finally try to devise a way to tap a steady supply of food.
Once all of one's basic needs are taken care of, we seek a sense of love and belonging: friendship, family, and sexual intimacy.
Esteem comes next: self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, and respect by others. This is the level on which most U.S. citizens are operating. Our basic survival needs are taken care of. Subconsciously or consciously, we crave respect and achievement, usually in the form of progress; this is partially why video games have the potential to be "addictive."
This is where unnecessary material goods come into play. You want that new Escalade on a conscious level because it looks nice. You may even attempt to justify the purchase to yourself by looking at features that it has that may be useful to you that aren't related to looks. But let's be honest, you bought that ridiculous, overpriced atrocity with an engine block made of volcanic rock and amusing safety ratings to impress people. You are fulfilling the fourth level of Maslow's
hierarchy of needs.
At the tip of the pyramid is self-actualization; most people never even attempt to satisfy this level because they are never truly satisfied with their esteem. This final level includes morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, and acceptance of facts. One may trick themselves into thinking that they are fulfilling this level, but all of these things need to occur on a subconscious level for them to truly be fulfilled.
That beggar on the street doesn't have different values from you; they aren't enlightened. Or maybe they are. Who knows? The point is that they are simply trying to fulfill the very first level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs; he just wants to feed himself and his family. Or maybe he needs crack money. A physical addiction can easily come on the same level as, or even replace, necessities such as food.
When he gets fed and gets his fix, maybe he'll look into getting a job to fulfill the second level of security. After that, he'll be working on his love and belonging level. And guess what's next. The Escalade. The Escalade is what is next for our crack-loving friend.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, September 18, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
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.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
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.
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.
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