Spending Family Time versus "Spaving" Money

After reading the first chapter of the book about the Age of Affluenza, I realized just how accurate the analysis of a typical American is. We don't realize it as easily because we live among it every single day. From advertisements, to complimenting someone's new shoes, to spending an afternoon at the mall, we've been raised to live with this idea that spending money and shopping is a perfectly acceptable way to spend your time. I thought it was ridiculous and surprising that many families spend more time at the mall than they do with their own children. I think that as a whole, American society is losing the emphasis upon family values and the importance of family in everyday life. Granted, this "Spaving" frenzy is only one aspect of the problem, it is definitely a main contribution that can definitely be avoided. If you think about it, what really matters in the end: a new purse or a family member that you consider your friend? It's not a difficult question for me to answer, but for some people it may be...

Racist?

In the movie A Bronx Tale the different areas of the neighborhood are extremely segregated based on race and ethnicity. From a young age, the children growing up in these areas were taught certain things about the other groups in the city. Italians had their opinions of blacks, and vise versa. I've learned in school over the years that various stereotypes and racist feelings existed, but I didn't realize how prevalent it was in everyday life across America during the 1960's. I can't imagine living in a time where the area in which you could live your life was defined by the color of your skin or the culture from which you come. When I saw the way that C's friends felt and acted towards the black kids in the neighborhood I was sickened by their racist beliefs and attitudes. However, it brought me to question whether or not these kids were actually responsible for the views that they had come to posess. In a way, they were just living with the morals and beliefs that their parents had taught them when they were young. What amazed me about C was that even though his dad was very racist and had strong feelings about Sonny's way of life with the gang, as well, C still followed what he wanted to do, and formed his own opinions about the people in his neighborhood.

Taking it for Granted

After reading the first chapter in the book Gang Leader for a Day, I learned some things that truly shocked me. I, thankfully, live in a very safe, low-crime area. This reading opened my eyes to the everyday life of someone who has almost nothing to call their own, someone who calls a staircase home, someone who resorts to crime, drugs, and violence because that's all they have. I think that most people in the area where I live take everything for granted: from the schools we attend, to the cars we drive, to the clothes and material items we buy. People don't appreciate what they have. I bet any of those people in the inner-city gangs would give anything to start over and be given a chance to prosper and belong in other ways that gave them a secure future ahead of them. I had never really thought about gang activity as anything other than frightening, violent, and unnecessary, but I now see that this is how many of these people live their lives in order to survive, and simply to get by. I don't think that the violence is justified, by any means, but it showed me another culture, another way of life, that truly made me feel thankful for everything I've been given. I think that many people need to remember that it's not important to compare yourself to the person who just got a new Porsche, or the girl that just got a pair of True Religion jeans, but think about the people that would be forever grateful for a roof over their heads, guaranteed food on the table every night, somewhere they can feel safe and loved...we forget about these things because it seems so ordinary in our area. We need to really open our eyes to the world around us, and realize that we are really lucky.

Schwalbe Reading

Most people don't think that they're judgemental or stereotypical. This reading really opened my eyes to how many people, who actually think they're open-minded, live their lives within such strict boundaries. I realized that even though I feel as though I try to see people for who they are and not based on categorizing, at times I fall into that same group of people that unknowingly group other people. Another aspect of this reading that really touched me was the whole idea of what mark you want to leave on the world, and how short life really is. Part of my nature is to be concerned about others and the world around me. I started thinking about the impact I want to leave on the people I leave behind, and I want people to remember me as someone who did her best, cared about others, and really tried to make a difference.