MASK PROJECT
Society, Making It’s Effects Known.
“OMG! She is wearing THAT to school?!?!?” I heard this as the other girl was walking by. She was wearing jeans with a graphic t-shirt with a lot of jewelry, on her feet neon high top sneakers. I thought she looked fine but I guess the other girls didn't. I just stood there in silence, not knowing what to do. I felt like a fragile flower, I was either gaining nutrients by being positively socialized or getting stepped on when I am negatively socialized. I am being socialized both negatively and positively by being a teenage girl and by being Hispanic.
Society is the one that tells us what we do and how we behave. If we think for ourselves we are wrong, but when we think from society’s point of view we will be in the right. Do this and do that, you can’t be here because of this, you can’t wear this, this is what looks “good”, all of that is determined by society. There is a socialization cycle as Bobbi Harro writes in her article “The Cycle Of Socialization”, that all of us live in. “The beginning” (Harro, 5) is when you are born, it is as simple as that. Then comes “first socialization”,(Harro, 9) this is when you are told what to do by the people that raised you and who your are close to. For example, your dad could have told you boys don't cry, or your mom might have told you that because you are a girl you have to like dolls and like to cook. When you get older you have to go to school. That part of the cycle is called “industrial and cultural socialization” (Harro 12), you get all of this right and wrong things to do so you can be cool in school. You can't wear this on this day, or you have act like this when you are around a certain group of people. After that you have the “results” of all of the things that you have been told that have affected you. The results can be compared to a flower. Either you bloom with all the positive socialization or you are dead with all the negative socialization. Then you grow older and can think for yourself, you now are in the part of the cycle that is called “directions for change”. With all that you know, about how society has influenced you, you can either continue with the cycle or break from it and make a change. After all it is what society thinks and says but it is up to our piece of mind that decides what we do or what we wont do.
Living in a society as a Hispanic teenager can have both a positive and negative result. Seeing all the “white girls” posts and comments on social media and all of the light skin and blondes makes me feel different. The white Americans have more power over Hispanics, and sometimes us Hispanics have no power at all. In this American society, all the White Americans have pretty good jobs like lawyer, doctor, software developers and a lot more,(http://money.usnews.com/) unlike the Hispanics Americans usually cleaning the houses of the wealthy upper class White Americans, Hispanics get paid minimum wage or less. Society makes it seem like a normal thing, all the #whitegirlprobs in my news feed, all the conflicts between the Caucasian white Americans and the Hispanics. The real question is, is this normal?
Social media has a huge impact on what I think of myself. Scrolling through my news feed and looking at all the hashtags and the pictures and selfies is something I cannot really avoid. We all want to be normal or accepted by society and the people around us, sometimes we let that mold us to who we are. Almost all the teens want to be in the latest news, have the newest fashion, be one top of things, have the newest IPhone model. That is what all the social media causes, but as a middle-class Hispanic teenager I cannot afford to be the newest of everything. Of course I want to be on the “radar” but with my race being different it is really hard to. The social media makes the standards on society. It does not matter what your gender is everyone wants, or wants to be, a skinny girl and have a perfect complexion. It is a stereotype that Hispanics are fat and break out all the time. All of the stereotypes of the Hispanics are mostly caused by the social media. In many surveys around the U.S. 90% of the teenage girls in public school are put down by social media standards. According to dosomething.org nearly 43% of kids have been bullied on line and to 1 in 4 of them it has happened more than once. The dosomething.org also says that 90% of teens have seen social-media bulling and they have ignored it, 84% of teens have seen others tell cyber bullies to stop. Social media is a helpful way to stay informed and connected but also very self harming. It is self harming because cyber bullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to commit suicide or commit actual self-harm, ( www.dosomething.org). Social media is fun and all but with all the statistics it shows me to be careful and makes me want to do something good for someone. This also shows me that even though I might stand out of the crowd, for whatever reason, I don’t need stress all over about it. I believe that even though I am not a “white girl” I can still be on the radar in society.
At school there is always a popular group or clique. When you see all of them together they are mostly all made up of whites. It is like a lot of movies, like Mean Girls; the group usually consists on whites. Even they so they do not, sometimes they do discriminate us, Hispanics; because of our race. All the girls being what is now called “ white girls” and having “ white girl problems” , they do that just so they can stand out and be the center of attention. The way that you are defined if you are in the popular group is that if you are pretty and if you are very skinny, then you are wanted in that popular group. The popular’s usually do not want someone from another race or with a lower income to be in their group. What they will do is make a day to wear this or to wear that. Sometimes I do not want to talk to them because some words I still do not pronounce correct and they will use that against me. So at school I will stay in my own clique, and be my own Hispanic self. There are always cliques in high school as http://www.buzzfeed.com/ tells us, for example the jocks, populars, Asain dancers, nerds, and your friends.It is how you classify, even the friend groups are classified as cliques. It doesn’t matter what you are into there is always that one group you are going to be in.
The conflict between Hispanics and whites is a negative impact on what I think my race is like. Watching the news and seeing all the conflicts that are between these two different races, is just something that is sad and should not, in my point of view, happen. This usually causes false stereotypes, they say that Hispanics are violent, have no self control, want to be the center of attention, and a lot more like that. The results of that on me is that all that I knew before is confusing and all of what the news is saying and from what I see different. All of the conflicts are because of power that the Hispanics usually do not have, and the whites refuse to give them just a little more power. When watching the news and looking at all of the people that get deported everyday and they have to be separated from their families it is devastating. www.decodedscience.com/ says that all of the immigrants come here just so they can have a better life, they go after the American Dream. Back in 2011 a Liliana Ramos’s family was separated when she got deported back to Mexico. For all of the 21 years she had lived here all her records were clean and all of her taxes were paid. All of her three children were born and raised in the US. She was a good illegal immigrant she did nothing wrong and she was hoping that with all of what she did for this country and for all the time that she had been living here she would be able to fix her situation. Whenever she talks to her youngest daughter all there is are tears they so to each other “ I miss you, I love you.” (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/) With this story and with so many more like this how can the situation not change? It is heartbreaking reading these stories and knowing that it happens everyday. I also remember talking to my grandma and she mentioned that with all the violence and the mafia it is hard to live with and all people want to do is escape from that and live better, parents or grandparents don’t want their children or teenagers to grow up like that, that is why she came here. I find it very hard to watch that and see all that going on. Sure the border patrols are doing their job, but is it necessary for them to kill someone who is trying to have a better life? Sometimes all of that makes me feel like I don’t belong here and that no one wants me or my family to be here. Then I think and I say to myself, at the end of it all I find it very unnecessary, after all we are all human are we not?
Having to live in this society has to have an influence on me. I can decide if i want to be a beautiful fragile flower that will keep on growing strong or be a one that no one notices and be stepped on. I have learned to be proud of my race and culture, I am also grateful that I am young and can do more change for the good in this society. My clothes should be what I like and not what everyone is wearing, I can stand out and be heard. Be a beautiful flower with whatever color and shape. We are all human and we can make a change on society if we put our minds to it. Living in this society we should always look for the positive socialization not the negative.
“OMG! She is wearing THAT to school?!?!?” I heard this as the other girl was walking by. She was wearing jeans with a graphic t-shirt with a lot of jewelry, on her feet neon high top sneakers. I thought she looked fine but I guess the other girls didn't. I just stood there in silence, not knowing what to do. I felt like a fragile flower, I was either gaining nutrients by being positively socialized or getting stepped on when I am negatively socialized. I am being socialized both negatively and positively by being a teenage girl and by being Hispanic.
Society is the one that tells us what we do and how we behave. If we think for ourselves we are wrong, but when we think from society’s point of view we will be in the right. Do this and do that, you can’t be here because of this, you can’t wear this, this is what looks “good”, all of that is determined by society. There is a socialization cycle as Bobbi Harro writes in her article “The Cycle Of Socialization”, that all of us live in. “The beginning” (Harro, 5) is when you are born, it is as simple as that. Then comes “first socialization”,(Harro, 9) this is when you are told what to do by the people that raised you and who your are close to. For example, your dad could have told you boys don't cry, or your mom might have told you that because you are a girl you have to like dolls and like to cook. When you get older you have to go to school. That part of the cycle is called “industrial and cultural socialization” (Harro 12), you get all of this right and wrong things to do so you can be cool in school. You can't wear this on this day, or you have act like this when you are around a certain group of people. After that you have the “results” of all of the things that you have been told that have affected you. The results can be compared to a flower. Either you bloom with all the positive socialization or you are dead with all the negative socialization. Then you grow older and can think for yourself, you now are in the part of the cycle that is called “directions for change”. With all that you know, about how society has influenced you, you can either continue with the cycle or break from it and make a change. After all it is what society thinks and says but it is up to our piece of mind that decides what we do or what we wont do.
Living in a society as a Hispanic teenager can have both a positive and negative result. Seeing all the “white girls” posts and comments on social media and all of the light skin and blondes makes me feel different. The white Americans have more power over Hispanics, and sometimes us Hispanics have no power at all. In this American society, all the White Americans have pretty good jobs like lawyer, doctor, software developers and a lot more,(http://money.usnews.com/) unlike the Hispanics Americans usually cleaning the houses of the wealthy upper class White Americans, Hispanics get paid minimum wage or less. Society makes it seem like a normal thing, all the #whitegirlprobs in my news feed, all the conflicts between the Caucasian white Americans and the Hispanics. The real question is, is this normal?
Social media has a huge impact on what I think of myself. Scrolling through my news feed and looking at all the hashtags and the pictures and selfies is something I cannot really avoid. We all want to be normal or accepted by society and the people around us, sometimes we let that mold us to who we are. Almost all the teens want to be in the latest news, have the newest fashion, be one top of things, have the newest IPhone model. That is what all the social media causes, but as a middle-class Hispanic teenager I cannot afford to be the newest of everything. Of course I want to be on the “radar” but with my race being different it is really hard to. The social media makes the standards on society. It does not matter what your gender is everyone wants, or wants to be, a skinny girl and have a perfect complexion. It is a stereotype that Hispanics are fat and break out all the time. All of the stereotypes of the Hispanics are mostly caused by the social media. In many surveys around the U.S. 90% of the teenage girls in public school are put down by social media standards. According to dosomething.org nearly 43% of kids have been bullied on line and to 1 in 4 of them it has happened more than once. The dosomething.org also says that 90% of teens have seen social-media bulling and they have ignored it, 84% of teens have seen others tell cyber bullies to stop. Social media is a helpful way to stay informed and connected but also very self harming. It is self harming because cyber bullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to commit suicide or commit actual self-harm, ( www.dosomething.org). Social media is fun and all but with all the statistics it shows me to be careful and makes me want to do something good for someone. This also shows me that even though I might stand out of the crowd, for whatever reason, I don’t need stress all over about it. I believe that even though I am not a “white girl” I can still be on the radar in society.
At school there is always a popular group or clique. When you see all of them together they are mostly all made up of whites. It is like a lot of movies, like Mean Girls; the group usually consists on whites. Even they so they do not, sometimes they do discriminate us, Hispanics; because of our race. All the girls being what is now called “ white girls” and having “ white girl problems” , they do that just so they can stand out and be the center of attention. The way that you are defined if you are in the popular group is that if you are pretty and if you are very skinny, then you are wanted in that popular group. The popular’s usually do not want someone from another race or with a lower income to be in their group. What they will do is make a day to wear this or to wear that. Sometimes I do not want to talk to them because some words I still do not pronounce correct and they will use that against me. So at school I will stay in my own clique, and be my own Hispanic self. There are always cliques in high school as http://www.buzzfeed.com/ tells us, for example the jocks, populars, Asain dancers, nerds, and your friends.It is how you classify, even the friend groups are classified as cliques. It doesn’t matter what you are into there is always that one group you are going to be in.
The conflict between Hispanics and whites is a negative impact on what I think my race is like. Watching the news and seeing all the conflicts that are between these two different races, is just something that is sad and should not, in my point of view, happen. This usually causes false stereotypes, they say that Hispanics are violent, have no self control, want to be the center of attention, and a lot more like that. The results of that on me is that all that I knew before is confusing and all of what the news is saying and from what I see different. All of the conflicts are because of power that the Hispanics usually do not have, and the whites refuse to give them just a little more power. When watching the news and looking at all of the people that get deported everyday and they have to be separated from their families it is devastating. www.decodedscience.com/ says that all of the immigrants come here just so they can have a better life, they go after the American Dream. Back in 2011 a Liliana Ramos’s family was separated when she got deported back to Mexico. For all of the 21 years she had lived here all her records were clean and all of her taxes were paid. All of her three children were born and raised in the US. She was a good illegal immigrant she did nothing wrong and she was hoping that with all of what she did for this country and for all the time that she had been living here she would be able to fix her situation. Whenever she talks to her youngest daughter all there is are tears they so to each other “ I miss you, I love you.” (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/) With this story and with so many more like this how can the situation not change? It is heartbreaking reading these stories and knowing that it happens everyday. I also remember talking to my grandma and she mentioned that with all the violence and the mafia it is hard to live with and all people want to do is escape from that and live better, parents or grandparents don’t want their children or teenagers to grow up like that, that is why she came here. I find it very hard to watch that and see all that going on. Sure the border patrols are doing their job, but is it necessary for them to kill someone who is trying to have a better life? Sometimes all of that makes me feel like I don’t belong here and that no one wants me or my family to be here. Then I think and I say to myself, at the end of it all I find it very unnecessary, after all we are all human are we not?
Having to live in this society has to have an influence on me. I can decide if i want to be a beautiful fragile flower that will keep on growing strong or be a one that no one notices and be stepped on. I have learned to be proud of my race and culture, I am also grateful that I am young and can do more change for the good in this society. My clothes should be what I like and not what everyone is wearing, I can stand out and be heard. Be a beautiful flower with whatever color and shape. We are all human and we can make a change on society if we put our minds to it. Living in this society we should always look for the positive socialization not the negative.
Mask Project Reflection
What is socialization and how does it affect your life and our society?
Socialization is the way that you have been told to act around everyone around you. This could either be positive or negative depending on what you have been told and what you have seen. In my life of course there has been both negative and positive socialization. I would say that all the negative socialization in my life is all the bad experience that I have seen and been in. All of those experiences have taught me that not everyone is who they seem to be and that I should stay away from the negative socialization. I go back to thinking of the metaphor that I used in my essay; I am a fragile flower that with all of the heavy words or raindrops I could get destroyed. On the other hand all of positive socialization would be by all of the things that I have enjoyed and all of the great experience I have lived. With that I have learned that all of the negative socialization shouldn’t be important and that we all should pay more attention to the positive socialization and be happy. In our society there is what I would say is a negative influence or socialization. There are these ideas on how it is supposed to be, and what everyone should like and how we should behave. Social media, magazines, television shows and other make a lot of stereotypes up. You can’t stand out because you will be self-centered, you can’t express yourself because everyone will look at you as weird. Do this and like this, don’t like this or you can’t do this. All of this is shouldn’t matter after all because all of the positive socialization is the one that is the most important after all.
Describe the project as if someone who's never been to Animas wants to know what you did. Explain the essay and explain how your mask represents your essay.
If someone that did not go to Animas came up to me and asked me about my project I would gladly explain what all of it was about. I would start off by explaining what we have learned about Society and all of its effects that it has been to everyone living by all of the ideas of it. Then I would tell them about the cycle of socialization (the beginning, first socialization, industrial and cultural socialization, enforcements, results, directions for change, actions). I would then explain my essay like so, “My essay was about how I have been effected living in this society as a Hispanic teenage female. There is a lot of negative socialization that I get but I try not to pay attention to all of that. Unlike all the negative socialization is there I try to go to the positive socialization because it is more important. Even though society gives a lot of ideas of the perfect girl, I just want to be myself. I am trying to break the cycle from which we all live in and be myself while doing it. No matter what the society says I will always be proud of being a Latina.” My mask is a visual of what I am trying to say. To explain my essay I said this, “ The fragile flower on my cheek is me. The flower is getting good nutrients from the sun and its rays. Or it could be getting destroyed with the lightning storm and heavy rain. The heavy rain is all the heavy or hurtful words that all of the negative socialization is saying. I made that a smaller part of the mask because it is not important; it is something that you should no focus on. On the other hand the sun is letting out powerful sun rays, these are the positive socialization and the words that you should believe in and be proud of that. This takes up more space on the mask because it’s what should be important.” After all of that if they have questions I would be happy to answer them.
Describe the process we went through as a class in writing our essays. What important ideas and techniques did you learn?
The process that we went through with writing our essays was very long, but at the end it was worth it. First draft then a refinement, second draft then a refinement, third draft then on last refinement. There was always something that there was to improve. Finding good convincing evidence was hard for my essay. I think that the most important technique was of the refinement process. It was a complicated process but it was the one that was what made all of the essays the best that they could be. I learned that with specific feedback the best of the essay will be brought out and all of what needs improvement will be helped.
Describe what you are proud of so far in your first year at Animas as a student and a person, and what you are looking to improve upon. This can be something inside or outside of Humanities class.
Something that I am proud of so far in this year is all of what I have learned in humanities. All of the history will help me with the future and the present. This class has helped me realize the importance of turning you work in on time. I still need to improve on that though in all of my classes but it is something that I will try hard to accomplish.
What is socialization and how does it affect your life and our society?
Socialization is the way that you have been told to act around everyone around you. This could either be positive or negative depending on what you have been told and what you have seen. In my life of course there has been both negative and positive socialization. I would say that all the negative socialization in my life is all the bad experience that I have seen and been in. All of those experiences have taught me that not everyone is who they seem to be and that I should stay away from the negative socialization. I go back to thinking of the metaphor that I used in my essay; I am a fragile flower that with all of the heavy words or raindrops I could get destroyed. On the other hand all of positive socialization would be by all of the things that I have enjoyed and all of the great experience I have lived. With that I have learned that all of the negative socialization shouldn’t be important and that we all should pay more attention to the positive socialization and be happy. In our society there is what I would say is a negative influence or socialization. There are these ideas on how it is supposed to be, and what everyone should like and how we should behave. Social media, magazines, television shows and other make a lot of stereotypes up. You can’t stand out because you will be self-centered, you can’t express yourself because everyone will look at you as weird. Do this and like this, don’t like this or you can’t do this. All of this is shouldn’t matter after all because all of the positive socialization is the one that is the most important after all.
Describe the project as if someone who's never been to Animas wants to know what you did. Explain the essay and explain how your mask represents your essay.
If someone that did not go to Animas came up to me and asked me about my project I would gladly explain what all of it was about. I would start off by explaining what we have learned about Society and all of its effects that it has been to everyone living by all of the ideas of it. Then I would tell them about the cycle of socialization (the beginning, first socialization, industrial and cultural socialization, enforcements, results, directions for change, actions). I would then explain my essay like so, “My essay was about how I have been effected living in this society as a Hispanic teenage female. There is a lot of negative socialization that I get but I try not to pay attention to all of that. Unlike all the negative socialization is there I try to go to the positive socialization because it is more important. Even though society gives a lot of ideas of the perfect girl, I just want to be myself. I am trying to break the cycle from which we all live in and be myself while doing it. No matter what the society says I will always be proud of being a Latina.” My mask is a visual of what I am trying to say. To explain my essay I said this, “ The fragile flower on my cheek is me. The flower is getting good nutrients from the sun and its rays. Or it could be getting destroyed with the lightning storm and heavy rain. The heavy rain is all the heavy or hurtful words that all of the negative socialization is saying. I made that a smaller part of the mask because it is not important; it is something that you should no focus on. On the other hand the sun is letting out powerful sun rays, these are the positive socialization and the words that you should believe in and be proud of that. This takes up more space on the mask because it’s what should be important.” After all of that if they have questions I would be happy to answer them.
Describe the process we went through as a class in writing our essays. What important ideas and techniques did you learn?
The process that we went through with writing our essays was very long, but at the end it was worth it. First draft then a refinement, second draft then a refinement, third draft then on last refinement. There was always something that there was to improve. Finding good convincing evidence was hard for my essay. I think that the most important technique was of the refinement process. It was a complicated process but it was the one that was what made all of the essays the best that they could be. I learned that with specific feedback the best of the essay will be brought out and all of what needs improvement will be helped.
Describe what you are proud of so far in your first year at Animas as a student and a person, and what you are looking to improve upon. This can be something inside or outside of Humanities class.
Something that I am proud of so far in this year is all of what I have learned in humanities. All of the history will help me with the future and the present. This class has helped me realize the importance of turning you work in on time. I still need to improve on that though in all of my classes but it is something that I will try hard to accomplish.