tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36584869995963546652024-02-20T08:14:07.622-08:00Unconcealed Thoughtsyolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-1003854294834945952012-05-16T23:54:00.001-07:002012-05-16T23:56:16.856-07:00Cover Letter<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Ramirez, Yolanda<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Professor Dinsmore <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">English 114B<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">May 16, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">First Year As A College Student<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">First year of college has officially
come to an end. I have experienced many things that I thought I would not have
to go through at this age. College is definitely very different from high
school. Professors expected me to learn
things by myself and did not take the time to get to know me as a person. They
expected so much from me but gave me a little to work with. I had to learn to
search things by myself and not get help from anyone. Not only did I struggle
to get a better grade but I also had to compete all the other students in
class. College is not what others say it would be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> This year I
had to take English 114 A and 114 B because my writing skills were not college
level yet. I had to take this class for two semesters (1 year). I like the fact
that we got to spend more time to get to know the professor because, usually,
you do not get an opportunity like this in college. This class focuses on the
writing style of each individual and how they could work with it. We went over
many factors that can affect writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The first thing we learned in this
class was to put out ideas in a paper. We brainstormed our ideas and then tried
putting them in order that would make sense to the audience. When writing an
essay, we had to keep in mind the type of essay we were writing and the
audience that we were presenting it to. We also used many factors that
influenced the audience response. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos were some of the
important factors that we had to use in our essays. Each one of these factors
gave the audience a bit more of understanding on what the essay was about<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This is what we focused the most
during the first semester of the class. On the second semester of class we
discussed many topics. Some of the main topics we discussed during the second
semester were identity, gender roles, Nature vs. Nurture. These topics were
related to each other in some ways and it was easier to connect with them. Some
of the books that helped me understand these topics more were “The Surrogates”,
“Persepolis” and “As Nature Made Him”. These books dealt which each of the
topics we discussed this semester. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The first topic we talked about
during the second semester was about gender roles and how society views it. The
book we read for this topic was “The Surrogates” which talked about how gender
identity affects society and the way it thinks. Society has standards for each
gender and there are rules that have to be followed in order to “belong” and be
accepted. This topic was also related to identity and how they are both defined
by society. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The second and last essay we
addressed in class was the topic of Nature vs. Nurture and how this is a very
controversial topic in today’s society. The main point on this essay is the
fact that people do not understand that both nature and nurture affect a
person’s identity. Yes, nature identifies the person you are since you are born
but nurture shapes the person someone grows up to be. Both of these topics are
very confusing and can be misunderstood by society. The book we had to read for
this topic was “As Nature Made Him” which is based on the life of an identical
twin boy who, by mistake, had to change his gender into a girl due to an
operation that burned his genitals. The book talks about whether if nature or
nurture play a role on this case and how it affected the life of this poor boy.
At the end of the essay I just stated my view on the topic and what I learned
from it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Taking this class has helped me
improve my writing skills and how to put my thoughts and ideas into paper. It
is easier for me to come up with topics to talk about and how to expand one
little idea and write a whole paragraph on it. I know I still need to improve
my writing a lot more, but this class has definitely improved my writing way
more than I had expected. I now know that I have to keep many factors in mind
when writing an essay. I definitely learned about my writing, how I can
identify with it and how I can improve it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-33943545806390537072012-05-16T23:53:00.002-07:002012-05-16T23:56:11.367-07:00Essay #1 - Gender Roles<br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br />
Ramirez, Yolanda</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Professor Dinsmore</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">English 114B</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">May 16, 2012</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Living Up To Society’s Standards</span></u></i></b><b><i><u><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f9f9f9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Question number 4 explores</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> gender roles in both
the “Gamer” and/or “The Surrogates”. The movie “Gamer” addresses how women are viewed
and used. I will attempt to explain how this topic sets standards for people
and why they feel the need to use avatars to interact with each other instead
of themselves. In addition, discovering the reason why people choose to be
different genders while utilizing an avatar form. Lastly, will compare both “Gamer”
and the “The Surrogates” and explore their theory and similarities with gender
roles. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The
movie “Gamer” deals with people who are wealthy and use avatars to do things
they don’t usually would do themselves. Video games play a big part in this
movie since everyone who is wealthy spend most their free time playing them.
One of the public’s favorite games is <i>Society,
</i>this game allows the player to control a real person and make them do
whatever they desire. The “characters” of this game, are usually poor people
and they do this as a job.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">In
this movie, women are usually viewed as inferior to men. For example<i>,</i> men usually decide to play a woman
avatar and make her do nasty things, they dress them with not much clothing and
make them hurt themselves or do things women usually would not do in their
right minds. They also make them have sex with women and men. Also, when the
avatar gets hurt, the player does not feel the pain, only the avatar. The
avatar feels the pain but since they are being controlled, they cannot do
anything to stop it.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The
movie also projects how people are anti-social since they prefer to interact
with each other through avatars instead of actually meeting each other in real
life. Are people really scared of how another person is going to think of them?
Obviously they are, because another factor I noticed throughout the movie is
that every avatar is beautiful. They fit the standards society has for them.
Usually, the people controlling the avatar are completely opposite. People are
so scared of what society would think about them that they rather hide behind a
computer and pretend to be someone else.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Another
factor that also plays a big part in gender roles is the fact that people want
to feel beautiful. Society sets “standards” that everyone has to fit in order
to be socially acceptable. That is one of the main reasons why people use women
as sex toys. Women have to be beautiful in order for people to like them. When
men choose to play a woman, they choose someone who is sexy, not someone who is
not considering being “beautiful” by society’s standards. Every avatar woman
you see on the game is beautiful. This video game called <i>Society</i> had become part of people’s lives.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> “The Surrogates” is a book that also focuses
on the topic of gender role. In this book people also use their avatars to do
what they would normally do in their daily routines. People have gotten so used
to use their avatars all the time that they have completely forgotten what is
like to interact with real people. One of the main characters in this series is
<i>Victor/Victoria</i>. He is the creator of
the avatars yet he also wants to destroy them. He takes a double identity, as a
woman and a man. It seems like being a man did not satisfy his needs therefore
he decided to create a female image of himself.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">After
watching the movie “Gamer” and reading the book “The Surrogates” what I learned
from both works is that people seem to hide who they really are behind these
“machines” because they are too afraid to be themselves. Society makes people
believe that they can be happier if they play by its rules, using other people
in order to be happier with their own life sounds like a much more interesting
way to enjoy living. What they do not realize is they are society and can
change the rules of the game. By using avatars they are living a lie, they are
not being themselves therefore cannot make themselves happy because they are
not satisfying their desires but someone else’s.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">These
are just a few great examples of how people actually view themselves. Although
women have obtained a higher position in today’s society they are still
portrayed as the weaker sex. Women feel like they still have to impress society
and they want to feel “socially” acceptable in every way possible, they would
change their image and the way they act in order to fit in. They work harder
than men because they still feel like they have to prove themselves “worthy”.
Men also feel like they have to follow certain standards to keep being on top,
but what they do not understand is that they are society. They set their own standards
and even though they do not agree with them, they do not do anything to change
them because they are afraid of change and the fact that someone might go
against them. If they would only express how they feel, they would all
understand that everyone is on the same page and maybe instead of hiding behind
avatars, they would interact with each other and create a better society.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-19439836603864188152012-05-16T23:52:00.003-07:002012-05-16T23:56:21.818-07:00Essay #2 - Nature vs. Nurture<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br />
Ramirez, Yolanda<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Professor
Dinsmore<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">English
114B<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">May 16, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Torn Between Two Identities </span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Being
a male or a female becomes a significant part of one’s identity. Sex is
determined by genetic makeup. Children are exposed to these roles since they
are babies. Girls are given dolls; they wear dresses and play with other girls.
They are unconsciously being put to the idea that they have to take care of the
house and their children by playing with dolls as little girls. Whereas
boys are given cars, video games, they play manly sports like football, soccer,
etc., where they have to use their physical strength more thus making them
“manly”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Nature
vs. Nurture has been a topic that has cause a lot of controversy for the past
30 years. The case became more popular when “David Reimer” decided to share his
personal experience with the world. The case talks about how “David” had to go
through a surgery that would change his life and the person he became. This
case raised many questions in the science field that at this moment haven’t
been answered yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">“David”
had to go through a “sex reassignment surgery” when he was just 22 months old
because his penis was destroyed by a surgery when he was 8 months old. “David”
had an identical twin brother but didn’t have to face any of the problems that
“David” had to face because his penis did not suffer any damage. Since there
was nothing doctors could do to save “David’s” penis, they along with his
parents decided to change his gender into a girl so he would not feel out of place.
Since he was still a baby, he did not have to know the truth and could live a
“normal” life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">“David’s”
transition from a boy to a girl began when he was 22 months old. The first step
was to remove his testes. He also had to take hormones that would “help” him
feel like a girl instead of a boy. It would help him grow breast and look more
like a girl. What proceeded after this surgery and the intake of hormones was a
series of psychological consultations that would help “David” through the whole
process. This is how “Brenda” came to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Dr.
Money was the surgeon in charge of the procedure of “sex reassignment surgery”
and the psychological consultations that would help “Brenda” grow up as a
normal girl. He believed that children were not born a certain gender but were
rather influenced by the environment. The methods that Dr. Money used were
clearly not the right way to treat this case. He would use the twins and force
them to practice sexual acts. He would make them practice different positions
where he would let each know what their gender roles were. He thought that by
showing them what the role of the girl and boy were, “Brenda” will adapt easier
to his “gender”. Dr. Money's rationale for these various treatments was his
belief that "childhood 'sexual rehearsal play'" was important for a
"healthy adult gender identity" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Dr.
Money reported that this case was going exceptional, everything was going as
planned and “Brenda” was acting like the girl he was supposed to be. But as
time passed, “Brenda” refused to go visit Dr. Money and fell into depression.
His condition kept increasing and got to the point where he attempted to commit
suicide many times. His parents decided to tell him the truth about his gender.
“David” decided to stop taking the hormones which made him feel like a girl and
took the decision to change his gender back to what he was originally, a boy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">“David”
had to go through many operations and treatments in order to reverse the
reassignment he went through in order to become a girl. “David” revealed that
the hormones he took which were supposed to help him “feel” like a girl did not
work because he never felt like a “female”. The girl clothes did not help
either, he felt he was trapped in a body that did not belong to him. The whole “treatment”
he went through, the hormones, the change of gender, the way he was raised, the
clothes he would wear and the psychological therapies he attended did not
succeed by trying to make him feel like a girl because he admitted that he
never felt like a female. The whole “experiment” was a failure.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">In
the society that we live in there are certain “rules” that each gender has to
follow in order to fit in. For example, the roles of a woman include being in
charge of the house, the kids, and take care of their husband are a few of the
roles a woman has to follow. Whereas a man is supposed to take care of his
family by providing them with a roof, food and do take care of the physical
work around the house. These are the roles children grow up learning and they
are “forced” to think that that is how things work around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">There
are many factors that shape people’s identity. For example, TV plays a big role
in children’s lives. Children are exposed to cartoons at a very young age. We
can see how cartoons and TV shows teach children how to behave. For example,”
Dora The Explorer” teaches kids to help others in need. “The Simpsons” taught
boys that they have to break rules and behave like the bad-type like “Bart
Simpson”. Whereas “Lisa Simpson” was calm and very studious and followed rules
like girls should. TV shows shape the way children act at a young age and that
is an example they follow during their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Society
shapes people to act and be a certain way. People are afraid of what other
people are going to say and think about them that they are forced to change
their ways. People prefer to be part of the “norm” and follow whatever people
think or say is the right thing to do. People need to feel accepted by society
that they would change the way they are and think just to please their families
and the community where they belong, this is why “Brenda” never said anything
about feeling different than most girls. He thought that he just needed to
follow what was expected of him and he would eventually fit in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">This
case raised many questions whether scientist can cheat nature and change the
way people are born. Well clearly the case of “David” turned out a failure. Dr.
Money tried playing the role of “God” by thinking that he could change the
identity of “David” Dr. Money did not realize there were many factors that
prove that his theory would not work. For example, “David” being an identical
twin and sharing the same genes, was obviously going to noticed differences on
the way he felt. Being a twin myself, I can see how connected my twin and I
are, we are not identical twins but we can feel and share many traits with each
other. I can only imagine how “David”, being an identical twin, connected with
his twin and felt like he could relate more to his gender.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Clearly
Dr. Money did not know the difference between being raised in a certain way and
actually being born a certain way. You cannot cheat Mother Nature. People are
born a certain way and there is nothing that can change that. You can change
the way someone looks but cannot change the way they feel. Nature is the
identity we are born with and it is impossible to change that identity.
However, nurture makes us believe differently, our environment shapes us to be
the people we are “suppose” to be and we believe that is who we are and we take
that identity to be part of us. If you are raised a certain way, you will
behave that way all your life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Identity
is a thing that can easily be confused by experiences and our surroundings. One
thing that we can be sure about is that no matter what we go through, the way
we feel inside can never be changed. In my opinion, I believe that Nature and
Nurture go hand by hand. Yes, we are born with a certain identity but the way
we are raised gives us a different identity. We need to learn how to combine
these two different identities. That is the only way we can be sure that we are
actually the person we are born and believe to be.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Work Cited<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Colapinto,
John.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>As Nature Made Him.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></u>New York: Harper Perennial, 2001.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Plomin,
Robert and Asbury, Kathryn.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>Nature
and Nurture: Genetic and Environmental Influences on Behavior</u>. 2005<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-2001063432289634122012-04-30T03:59:00.002-07:002012-05-16T22:45:13.367-07:00Nature vs. Nurture<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Ramirez, Yolanda<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Professor Dinsmore<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">English 114B<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">April 29, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Nature
vs. Nurture<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Nature
vs. Nurture has been a topic that has cause a lot of controversy for the past
30 years. The case became more popular when “David Reimer” decided to share his
personal experience with the world. The case talks about how “David” had to go
through a surgery that would change his life and the person he became. This
case raised many questions in the science field that at this moment haven’t
been answered yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“David” had to go
through a “sex reassignment surgery” when he was just 22 months old because his
penis was destroyed by a surgery when he was 8 months old. “David” had an
identical twin brother but didn’t have to face any of the problems that “David”
had to face because his penis didn’t suffer any damage. Since there was nothing
doctors could do to save “David’s” penis, they decided to raise him as a girl
since he was still a baby, he wouldn’t have to know the truth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“David’s”
transition from a boy to a girl began when he was 22 months old. The first step
was to remove his testes. He also had to take hormone that would “help” him
feel like a girl instead of a boy. It would help him grow breast and look more
like a girl. What proceeded after this surgery and the intake of hormones was a
series of psychological consultations that would help “David” through the whole
process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Dr.
Money was the surgeon in charge of the procedure of “sex reassignment surgery”
and the psychological consultations that would help “David” grow up as a normal
girl. The methods that Dr. Money used were clearly not the right way to treat
this case. He would use the twins and force them to practice sexual acts. He
would make them practice different positions where he would let each know what
the role of the girl (David) was. He thought that by showing them what the role
of the girl and boy were, “David” will adapt easier to his “gender”. Dr. Money's rationale for these various treatments was his belief that "childhood 'sexual rehearsal play'" was important for a "healthy adult gender identity" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Dr.
Money reported that this case was going exceptional. Everything was going as
planned and “David” was acting like the girl he was supposed to be. But as time
passed, “David” refused to go visit Dr. Money and fell into depression. His
condition kept increasing and got to the point where he attempted to commit
suicide many times. His parents decided to tell him the truth about his gender.
“David” decided to stop taking the hormones which made him feel like a girl and
took the decision to change his gender back to a boy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“David”
had to go through many operations and treatments in order to reverse the reassignment
he went through in order to become a girl. “David” revealed that the hormones
he took that were supposed to help him “feel” like a girl didn’t work because
he never felt like a “female”. Neither the girly clothes he would wear. The
whole “treatment” he went through, the hormones, the change of gender, the way
he was raised, the clothes he would wear and the psychological therapies he
attended did not succeed by trying to make him feel like a girl because he
admitted that he never felt like a female. The whole “experiment” was a
failure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In
the society that we live in there are certain “rules” that each gender has to
follow in order to fit in. For example, the roles of a woman include being in
charge of the house, the kids, and take care of their husband are a few of the
roles a woman has to follow. Whereas a man is supposed to take care of his
family by providing them with a roof, food and do take care of the physical
work around the house. These are the roles children grow up learning and they
are “forced” to think that that’s how things work around. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Being
a male or a female becomes a significant part of one’s identity. Sex is
determined by genetic makeup. Children are exposed to these roles since they
are babies. Girls are given dolls; they wear dresses and play with other girls.
They are unconsciously being put to the idea that they have to take care of the
house and their children by playing with dolls as little girls. Whereas boys are given cars, video games, they
play manly sports like football, soccer, etc., where they have to use their
physical strength more thus making them “manly”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">There
are many factors that shape people’s identity. For example, TV plays a big role
in children’s lives. Children are exposed to cartoons at a very young age. We
can see how cartoons and TV shows teach children how to behave. For example,”
Dora The Explorer” teaches kids to help other in need. “The Simpsons” taught
boys that they have to break rules and behave like the bad-type like “Bart
Simpson”. Whereas “Lisa Simpson” was calm and very studious and followed rules
like girls should. TV shows shape the way children act as a young age and that
is an example they follow during their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Another
big factor that shapes the identity of a person is in the atmosphere they grow
up in. If the family is supportive and comprehensive then it’s more likely for
a person to go against the rules because they are not forced into believing or
doing something against their will. But if the family and friends are stricter
on their beliefs it would be harder for a person to go against them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Society
shapes people to act and be a certain way. People are afraid of what other
people are going to say and think about them that they are forced to change
their ways. People prefer to be part of the “norm” and follow whatever people
think or say is the right thing to do. People need to feel accepted by society
that they would change the way they are and think just to please their families
and the community where they belong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This
case raised many questions whether scientist can cheat nature and change the
way people are born. Well clearly the case of “David” turned out a failure. Dr.
Money tried playing the role of “God” by thinking that he could change the identity
of “David” Dr. Money didn’t realize there were many factors that prove that his
theory wouldn’t work. For example, “David” being an identical twin and sharing
the same genes, was obviously going to noticed differences on the way he felt.
Being a twin myself, I can see how connected my twin and I are. We are not
identical twins but we can feel and share many traits with each other. I can
only imagine how “David”, being an identical twin, connected with his twin and
the way he was more than the person he was supposed to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Clearly
Dr. Money didn’t know the difference between being raised in a certain way and
actually being born a certain way. You cannot cheat Mother Nature. People are
born a certain way and there’s nothing that can change that. You can change the
way someone looks but cannot change the way they feel. Nature is the identity we
are born with and it’s impossible to change that identity. However, nurture
makes us believe differently. Our environment shapes us to be the people we are
“suppose” to be and we believe that’s who we are and we take that identity to
be part of us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Identity
is a thing that can easily be confused by experiences and our surroundings. One
thing that we can be sure about is that no matter what we go through, the way
we feel inside can never be changed. In my opinion, I believe that Nature and
Nurture go hang by hand. Yes, we are born with a certain identity by the way we
are raised gives us a different identity. We need to learn how to combine these
two different identities. That’s the only way we can be sure that we are
actually the person we are born and believe to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Work
Cited<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Colapinto, John. <u>As
Nature Made Him. </u>New York: Harper Perennial, 2001.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Plomin, Robert and
Asbury, Kathryn. <u>Nature and Nurture: Genetic and Environmental Influences on
Behavior</u>. 2005<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-9316961131237662532012-04-16T06:57:00.001-07:002012-04-16T07:01:01.104-07:00As Nature Made Him - Response 2After discussing the book in class, I started thinking more about "Nature vs. Nurture". I find this topic very fascinating. How can a person really know which one is right? It seems like Dr. Money thought he could do God's job, and cheat nature, but in my opinion, nature can't be cheated. Yes, maybe technology and medicine have taken a big step since then, but even now, I don't think humans are ready to do something close to changing how a person can feel. I also learned to consider how "gender identity" plays a big role on who you are. Society expects you to act the way you look. If you are born a girl, you have certain standards to follow. But what I learned is that the way you look does not identify the person you are. One example that has played a big role and is very controversial is homosexuality. In homosexuality, you like a person of the same gender. Which means you are born in the "wrong" body. We can clearly see, that homosexual people didn't go through the process David went as a little kid. They connect with the opposite sex more than with the gender they were born into. They don't suffer, as much, psychological trauma as David because they weren't forced to be someone who they are not, they were born that way. No one, not even the most prestigious doctor in the world, can change how you feel inside. Yes, you may look a certain way on the outside, but you can be someone else on the inside.yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-82966225613216725122012-04-09T00:43:00.001-07:002012-04-09T00:43:20.800-07:00As Nature Made HimAfter I finished reading the book, I started questioning whether what the doctors and parents of Bruce did was wrong. Of course, Bruce's parents wanted the best for him and were just looking after him. The Dr. just wanted to be known as someone who took a big step into science. This is a HUGE case dealing with "Nature vs. Nurture". In my opinion, I think nature will, most of the time, win over nurture. Nature is something you are born with, you don't have to learn it, you are already know it. Nurture teaches you to do things a certain way. That's what went wrong in the case of Bruce. Although he was taught to act and look like a girl, he never felt like one. Deep inside he knew he was different. How can someone know they're not supposed to be the person they were taught to be? That's how big and mysterious science is. You can't cheat nature.yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-39473375215882785312012-04-09T00:26:00.000-07:002012-04-09T00:26:24.851-07:00Persepolis: How Does Space Influence Character?In the book "Persepolis" we can see how space affects the way Marjane views the world. Everything she goes through, shapes her to do the things she does. Different spaces get different reactions. One of the best examples about space is where she lives when she was a little girl. Marjane lived in Iran as a little girl. From reading the book, we know that in Iran, women didn't have a voice at all. Whatever they wanted to do, they had to get their husband's consent before doing it. This mostly occur in public places because it was against the "norms". The decisions Marjane made were influenced by the people around her. But once she moved away from Iran, Marjane realized that people didn't have to tell her what to do because she had the choice to decide what she wanted to do. The space she was in now, made her realize that things change and don't always have to be the same in every place. She was not able to control her life instead of being controlled.yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-75148851409542918412012-03-24T19:37:00.000-07:002012-03-24T19:37:41.206-07:00Project SpaceFor project space, my group and I decided to focus on parks. Each one of us chose a park and we had to describe our findings of the place. The park I decided to write about is Runyon Canyon Park. I went to the park on Monday afternoon, around 6 pm, when the sun was about to set. My observations of this park is that is consider more of a "hike" and "dog" park. People take their dogs for a little walk. A lot of people seem to go to the park at that time since the sun is going down and it's not as hot. There's more women than men and they're mostly white people. People who go there seem to be very active and they usually go accompanied by friends. What I found interesting about this place is that people who go there are people who are in shape and seem familiar with the place. People seem to be more friendly than people you encounter on the streets or any other place on a daily basis. People enjoyed watching the sunset and the city at night. I honestly think people go to places like these to get their minds off of frustrating things like work, home, etc.yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-12693547078351550162012-03-05T01:18:00.001-08:002012-03-05T01:18:06.273-08:00Project Space<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My
group and I decided to explore the Botanic Garden which is located right next
to the Chaparal Hall. The reason why we chose to visit the Botanic Garden was
because it looks like a good place to relax, reflect and admire the
surroundings. We got there around 10 in the morning. As we made our way through
the little trail there was, we noticed that there was no one around but us but
our guess was that it was too early for anyone to be there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">We
continued to the trail but it was soon over so we decided to go out of our way
and we found ourselves in a little Green House. We decided to take a look
inside. There were two ladies working there and we asked them if we could go
inside to take a look at the plants. They agreed to let us in. There were three
little rooms full of plants and flowers. As soon as we stepped inside the
rooms, we felt the humidity. They kept this temperature for the plants. Each
plant and flower had their own description. There were dozens of different
plants and flowers around. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
like the fact that students can come and learn about different plants and
flowers and admire the surroundings that the garden has to offer them. I think
that the garden serves a good purpose to the students. When the students feel
frustrated, they can just go to the garden, take a little walk to clear their
mind. There are also benches where they can sit and admire the atmosphere. By
going to the greenhouse they will also be learning. Besides being a place to
relax, it is also a place to learn new things about our community and school. <o:p></o:p></span></div>yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-10445234164747202542012-03-05T00:45:00.001-08:002012-03-05T00:45:29.837-08:00Gender Roles<br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Ramirez, Yolanda<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Professor Dinsmore<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">English 114B<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">March 5, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Gender Roles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Explore gender roles in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Gamer</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and/or<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Surrogates</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #F9F9F9; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> this essay I will be
addressing question number 4 which explores the gender roles in both the
“Gamer” and/or “The Surrogates”. I would first address the movie “Gamer” and
how women are viewed and used. I would also go deeper into this topic and
address why people use avatars to interact with each other instead of
themselves. I would also explore the reason why people also choose to be
different genders when they are using their avatar form. After explaining the
movie “Gamer” I would then proceed to explain the book “The Surrogates” and how
it explores gender role. I would then proceed to compare how similar both
“Gamer” and “The Surrogates” are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
movie “Gamer” deals with people who are wealthy and use avatars to do things
they don’t usually would do themselves. Video games play a big part in this
movie since everyone who is wealthy spend most their free time playing them.
One of the public’s favorite games is “Society”. “Society” allows the player to
control a real person and make them do whatever they desire. The “characters”
of this game, are usually poor people and they do this as a job. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In this movie, women
are usually viewed as inferior to men. For example, in the game “Society”, men
usually decide to play a woman avatar and make her do nasty things. They dress
them with not much clothing and make them hurt themselves or do things women
usually wouldn’t do on their right minds. They also make them have sex with
women and men. Women are view as a sex symbol and people who usually play women
use them for that, sex. Also, when the avatar gets hurt, the player doesn’t
feel the pain, only the avatar. The person playing the avatar feels the pain
but it’s not in the right mind to process what is going on therefore can’t
control it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
think that the movie also projects how anti-social people really are. They
prefer to interact with each other through avatars instead of actually meeting
each other in real life. Are people really scared of how another person is
going to think of them? Obviously they are, because another factor I also
noticed throughout the movie is that every avatar is beautiful. They fit the
standards of “society”. Usually the people controlling the avatar are the
completely the opposite. People are so scared of what “society” would think
about them that they rather hide behind a computer and pretend to be someone
else. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Another
factor that also plays a big part in gender roles is the fact that people want
to feel beautiful. Society sets “standards” that everyone has to fit in order
to be socially acceptable in society. That is one of the main reasons why
people use women as sex toys. Women have to be beautiful in order for people to
like them. When men choose to play a woman, they choose someone who is sexy,
not someone who is not consider to be “beautiful” by society’s standards. Every
avatar woman you see on the game is beautiful. This video game called “Society”
had become part of people’s lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Another
interesting article that also focuses on gender role is the book “The
Surrogates”. In the book “The Surrogates” people also use their avatars to do
what they would normally do in their daily routines. People have gotten so used
to use their avatars all the time that they have completely forgotten what is
like to interact with real people. One of the main characters in this series is
Victor/Victoria. He is the creator of the avatars yet he also wants to destroy
them. He takes a double identity, as a woman and a man. It seems like being a
man didn’t satisfy his needs therefore he decided to create a female image of
himself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
movie “Gamer” and the book “The Surrogates” have a lot of factors that make
them similar. They both address how people seem to rely on their avatars to do
things they would not normally do. In both articles, women are portrayed as the
weak “sex” and are used as sex icons. Men also seemed to play women’s roles
when using avatars. Seems like they prefer to do “bad” things when using a
woman that way their reputation does not get ruin. Both articles portrayed
women in a bad way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
my opinion, after watching the movie “Gamer” and read “The Surrogates” what I
got from both articles is that people seem to hide who they really are behind
these “machines” because they are too afraid to be themselves. “Society” makes
people believe that they can be happier if they play their game. Using other
people in order to be happier with their own life sounds like a much more
interesting way to enjoy life. Instead of improving their own life, people
choose to live a different life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I feel like this should apply in “real” life. These are
just a few of great examples of how people actually view themselves. Although
things have changed a bit about how women are portrayed, that doesn’t mean that
society doesn’t still view them that way. Women feel like they still have to
impress society and they want to feel “socially” acceptable in every way
possible that they would change their image and the way they act in order to
fit in. Men also feel like they have to follow certain standards to keep being
on top. But what they don’t understand is that they are society. They set their
own standards and even though they don’t agree with them, they don’t do anything
to change them because they are afraid of change and the fact that someone
might disagree with them. If they would only express how they feel, they would
all understand that everyone is on the same page and maybe instead of hiding
behind avatars, they would interact with each other and create a better
society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-53772769810270139952012-02-19T23:55:00.000-08:002012-02-19T23:55:32.473-08:00Essay TopicsFor the essay, I am planning on combining topics #3 & #6 because they both have to deal with the interpretation of visual content. I am going to interpret what the visual content is trying to say about each situation and what it means. I am also going to compare how the signs relate to real life.yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-11201387622532556612012-02-12T23:28:00.000-08:002012-02-12T23:28:20.530-08:00Responses to "Gamer"The movie "Gamer" is about video games that are played by people who "buy" or "rent" another person who volunteer themselves to be played with. "Society" is a video game that consists of making your own avatar. The player chooses a person who they would like to be and how they want them to act, dress, talk, etc. The comparisons I can make between this medium and real life is that the player wishes to do the things he/she makes the avatar do. Every single human has desires to do things they are afraid to try themselves, therefore the player makes the avatar do it because they are technically "not doing" themselves. "Gamer" is similar to reality shows because people in reality shows are "being" themselves and in "Society" the player is "being" him/herself. In my opinion "Society" was created in order for people to be themselves but use other people to do things they are afraid to do.yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-68606527311036466232012-02-06T07:39:00.000-08:002012-02-06T07:43:25.910-08:002) Write a blog arguing for or against the proposition that the heavy use of RPGs can blur one's ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality.After reading "Video Games, Avatars, and Identity", in my opinion, the heavy use of RPG's can blur one's ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Personally, I've never really played any video games. Occasionally I play with friends, or cousins but rarely. But I have a little brother who can spend our playing video games. He is addicted to COD. He communicates to his friends and they start killing people (or whatever they have to do in the game). Although my brother plays video games, I'm glad to say he is not addicted. He also spends a lot of time outside of the house which is good. Personally, I haven't met anyone who is very addicted to games, but I've heard about some cases where kids cannot wait until they get home to play games. I actually believe that video games play a big role in children's (and some cases, adults) lives, specially boys. Since they are very young and their minds haven't developed completely, they can easily loose sight of what's real and what isn't and think that their lives are based on video games. In order to prevent this from happening, we have to be more social that way we can spend more time outside instead of playing video games all day.yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658486999596354665.post-71584071673663389602012-01-29T22:05:00.000-08:002012-02-06T07:25:30.398-08:001) Implications of User Choice: The Cultural Logic of "Myspace or Facebook?"As I was reading the article I started to notice that a lot of the things mentioned by students actually applied to me. I started using Myspace around 2007 because all my friends had a profile. It seemed like the "cool" thing to have at the time. All I did on Myspace was talk to the same people I hung out in school and post pictures of my friends and I doing something "cool". At the beginning of 2009 I started hearing people talking about a new website. As time passed Facebook became more popular and a lot of people were making the switch from Myspace to Facebook. I decided to give it a try and I made a Facebook profile. I had Myspace and Facebook because, as mentioned in the article, I had some friends who hadn't made the transaction yet. The only thing I liked about Myspace was probably the fact that most of my friends had one. But I have to admit that it is "ghetto" and it only causes drama. People were always posting something about someone else and how they don't like them, etc. People were always getting involved in each other's business and ended up in an argument. People always tried to be someone they were not. Although that is a problem that occurs everywhere now a days. That was one of the reasons why I left Myspace, besides the fact that the people I was interested in talking to were no longer on Myspace. Facebook seemed to be more for people who were more "educated". Now, I only use Facebook. The reason why I like Facebook more it's because people not only talk about drama. There's actually people who care about school and it has actually come handy to me for school work. People seem more responsible, depending on how your friends are. I'm only friends with people I know and I have in classes. I don't like to add random people. I feel like Facebook is more safe than Myspace because you can actually block people and choose who can view your profile. I rarely use Facebook now though. The only reason I still have it, is because it helps me stay in contact with family and friends who live far. I guess everything is just a trend and people use it because it's the "cool" thing to do.yolie_1393http://www.blogger.com/profile/00420808274669688995noreply@blogger.com1