Week 8

Identity and Social Interactions

After watching all the TED talks and hearing all the different situations and the different social interaction that some people had to endure, it correlated with that person or group's identity. I believe that I have drawn the conclusion, that social interaction and identity depend on each other. Your identity is dictated by the way you interact within you social environment and your social interaction can become your identity. It’s almost like the chicken or the egg situation, no one know which is first.

However, in Jane Novogratz’s TED talk she explained the story of the woman who lives in a poverty stricken village, and how the woman initial identity when was that of a prostitute, as result of that being her only resort to make money. Her social interaction was negative, Jane even said that the woman felt embarrassed that she had to do that sometimes to make money. However once the woman invested money in the credit system and started her business up, she was able to change the way that she socially interacted. As shown in the pictures you could tell that the woman had a different outlook on her identity as she previously did. She was now able to go out into the village and sell her merchandise, instead of sell her body, which a major social interaction change. That was an example of how your social interactions and identity can change without you changing your physical environment.

Tan Lee’s TED talk was very emotional as well as insightful. Her story depicted how identity is not just singular, but in fact can be plural in some situation. Lee spoke on how she got to a point in her life where she felt that she couldn’t go on, she said that her mother reminded her that she was around the age as she was when she decided to leave their old life. She also said that  her mother told her ,“Just do it…Don’t be what you're not”. This only made sense after watching Lee’s entire TED talk, and after she spoke on her grandmother experience. It clarified that the identity of the women of Lee’s family have been shaped by their experiences and their social interactions.  After watching the TED talks and hearing how people identify based on their social interactions or how the social interactions help create their identity. I begin to do introspect on myself and I believe that my identity is based on what I have been through as well as what I go through on a daily basis, my social interactions. I am confident enough in this theory to say that it is trust for everyone, because everyone has a different identity, just as everyone has different social interactions.

Week 6: Theories of Difference

As we all know the differences between one individual to another is easy to see, we are all different from each other yet we are all the same. However the difference that we have also play are role in how we live our live, from things that we can control to thing that we can't control. The differences that we possess from one person to another makes up our identity. Also the differences from one group to another plays a major role in the way we interact within different groups in society and vice versa. When thinking of my identity it automatically create differences and different groups that I'm not a part of. I would say that I am a young, black heterosexual, male, son and brother, student-athlete as well as first generation student. The oblivious difference person from myself would probably be someone that not black or male whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual, they are probably the only child that does not play sports or attend college. Although, it seems that me and that person don't share individual characteristics we also differ in groups as well. Adams talks about "the possessive investment in whiteness" the only reason that individual might acknowledge that they are Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc. ...Mostly because they are NOT white and that the way it has been since the arrival of the British to the United States. First they made the natives feel wrong for being Native Americans then slaves. Asian had a period in American history were they were largely discriminated only because they were not white and we are starting to see the same thing happen to Hispanic people. Mia Birdsong’s TED talk held a great solution on how we could use our differences to our advantage and help the people in our groups. For example finical disadvantaged people that are seeking change are the only individuals that know what they need that would help them get a start on improving their lives. So if these people could team up and bring a different resource to the table that will eventually help them out in the end. There also cultural differences that separate us within society whether it is religion, marriage, or certain people deal with death. In the text Grandfather’s funeral there was a very distinct point that was made about letting the people be as sad as they could be about the death of the individual, and that this death was lead way to them being able to cry about the hardships in their lives as well as the death. This also reminds me of how the New Orleans culture deals with death, it is almost the total opposite of the Dagara funerals, the New Orleans culture celebrate the life of the individual in contrast to grieving over the death of individual. They also perform a dance ritual for the dead called “second line” dancing where every family member and individuals from that person community flow a second line band down the streets dancing and drinking in the name of the deceased. As much as we are different we are the same we are all human and we all have the same feelings. I actually like the differences that we have although when we use the difference to discriminate against one another is when I dislike being different the most.