Crash

Sometimes we feel so lonely and isolated that we just crash into each other. In our deepest times of despair we find who we really are by seeing how we behave. For instance, in the movie Crash the man of middle-eastern descent was so angry because his store was ruined that he went to kill this one man who tried to explain to him that he needed to replace his car door. While it didn't work out he resorted to violence in his darkest hour, and blamed someone who really didn't do anything to harm him. I don't like to make generalizations, but the man's true colors is that he is a violent human being. Luckily there were no bullets in the gun but blanks so everyone turned out alright. At the moment before the blank was shot however, as the daughter was running out to her father both the eyes of the middle-eastern man and the innocent one collided, and that's when they had they're collision. They had crashed into each other, and although it was a dramatic moment they didn't feel so lonely.
Adieu!
~Jessie <3

Race

Going into this week on standardized tests and college applications I identified myself as white. However, it has become clear to me that I'm more than that. While I am so pale that people look to me as being white, not only are there different shades of white, there are also white people all over the world. So it's kind of weird that people think of me as white when in reality they don't know what my roots are.
Everyone says that there are certain traits of Jews. The have big noses, they like to bargain, and they have thick black hair. However, the only thing that identifies me as Jewish is my hair. Everything else about me can pass as another religion, or in some cases race. I have passed as being Irish before ( I have lots of freckles and burn easily) and also have passed for being German (that was once and I'm pretty sure that person was mentally ill). The point of it is that while I have learned that my race is now "other" on these forms as I am a Jew, I can be identified any way I choose. We all can. This is the big issue. The world is having a huge identity crisis as we speak.
Maybe it's time not to take race into account. After all, we're all people and unless we share the world peacefully with one-another we will probably lead to the end of it.

Yours Truly,
Jessie <3

gender roles

Right away, from the minute we are sent home from that hospital we are put into our prospective gender roles. Even down to the most hideous baby outfits- girls usually wear a bow on their heads to show their gender as infants (so people don't mistake them for males). Girl nursery's are usually pink while males are usually blue. This isn't because each color seems to be more stimulating toward one gender verses another, rather this is to put a child into their appropriate gender role.
Once the child reaches preschool, girls are usually enrolled in dance class while males into some sport like T-ball or hockey. Not many dare put their child in an activity that doesn't match the gender of the child because they are scared their child will grow up differently than how they are supposed to.
Until now, it never occurred to me how much I've been socialized to be a woman rather than being one on my own. When I was little, I hated shopping, but I was dragged so much I learned to love it. While I wasn't a tomboy, my closest friends were male up until fourth grade. I was actually the co-creator of an ultra not-so-secret spy society on the playground, which now that I look back was very unladylike of me. We would run around the playground on foot or scooter keeping order. When students accused me and my best friend (who was male and the other co-creator of the spy society) of being married, we denied it and ran away to our secret club house (under the slide). I now realize they did this because that's what we thought men and women did- get married. But I wondered why people couldn't just accept us as friends.
People like to categorize everything, and it gets annoying when they can't figure out what gender to place a person. That is why we are put in these gender roles- because people are ignorant and not open to new ideas. However, with breakthroughs in technology and Transexuals becoming more prevalent, people are going to have to change their traditional views of males and females.

BE WHO YOU ARE!

~ Jessie <3

Life

Morrie was lucky- he had time to reflect on his life and make amends with people before he died. He got to teach a new lesson to one of his most precious students: life. We all wonder about it. How we got here, who we are, and most importantly why we are the way we are. That third question is something that can be answered through studying sociology. We can see that we do things like stand up on two feet, speak and understand language, and even wear clothing because of being nurtured. Through studies like Genie, where she was isolated for 13 years of her life, we can see what is in our nature as well. Making a connection with other beings is something that is innate in humans. The want of acceptance is also something that is innate with humans, but the reason for that is that we can't survive by ourselves. Morrie even said that he didn't understand why it was a shame to depend on other people and machines for survival- because in the beginning and end of our lives that's what we do. Being human is more than just walking and speaking it is also those things that make us innately unique.
Have a good evening!
Jessie

Norms

I break some type of norm every day. Yeah, they are folkways but still without even knowing it I break a norm or two. For instance, yesterday I was so tired I was walking on the wrong side of the hallway! Or on Thursday when I decided to eat a tuna sandwich for lunch (many people I sit with think tuna is gross, but I actually think it's really good). Also yesterday I was in a restaurant and my parents gave me this very oversized mug with the Michigan logo on it, and for a picture my grandpa told me to put it on my head! I obliged even though people probably thought I was crazy because no one in their right minds puts a mug on their head in the middle of a restaurant!! Each day we all break a minor folkway, at least in the most interesting of lives. I think subconsciously I do it because I am not a big fan of routine and school is all about routine. If I break a folkway it makes each day different and puts some humor into my day. Therefore, I'm not going to change my ways for society. They may just need to change their ways for people like me.

<3 Jessie

Language

It is so interesting to think how language has changed over the past four years. As a freshman, I didn't use half the terms I use now. For instance, take the term "legit". People now use it as a filler word because they think it's cool but really it is WAY over used. It actually means Conforming to the rules. So it barely makes sense when anyone says it. For example, we say that an event that happened was "legit" to say that it really happened. Like " I legit just fell down the stairs". We also use the term to describe if something is cool like "this house is so legit" (it basically means the house is really cool). A new term that also came about is from Jersey Shore (or as I like to call it "Jersey Whore") is entitled "fist pumping". While this is a gesture that mostly celebrities do, Jersey Shore brought it not only around America, but also into everyday lingo. People use it all the time. There were songs made about fist pumping, people even made fist pumping cereal for the marketing class at SHS! Language has changed so much just this year, it will be awesome to see how it changes in the next year or two.

~ Jessie

This is SO Stereotypical

Freaks and Geeks is probably one of the best shows on the planet because as outrageous as it seems it accurately depicts high school. There are many social groups including, the jocks, the geeks, the outcasts, the druggies, etc. But watching this show made me realize something about myself: I'm not defined by one certain social group. Rather, I like to go from group to group. And then I wondered- is my lack of identifying with a certain social group proof that I am going through a severe identity crisis? For a while, I panicked. I mean, what else was I supposed to do? My identity was already lost, so I thought.

It turns out that it is because I go from group to group that I don't have an identity crisis. Yet I am so comfortable with who I am that people from a vast majority of social groups feel comfortable around me. From these people I learned that while they may be part of one certain social group, they aren't defined by it by any means. Rather these students prove to me every day that there is more to them that meets the eye.

Groups don't define you- you define yourself. As Eleanor Roosvelt said "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent", don't let anyone make you feel that you are a geek or a nerd and that you aren't good enough. You are. There is no such thing as a geek, it's just a term people made up to feel more powerful.

Enjoy the weekend!

Sincerely,

Jessie