Draft of Identity paper

Max Beverly

1/26/15

Dr. Kirsten Kaschock

ENGL 102

Identity paper

I grew up in Massachusetts, a primarily blue state.  I enjoyed the privileges from the public school and the good health care system.  Because of these benefits, I am a liberal.   It’s easy to be liberal when you grow up in a state that is mostly democrats.  I think that liberal is a relative term, depending on where you grow up.  I wondered what would make others in other countries define themselves as liberal.  I wanted to know what would make someone liberal in a place in the world that has different ideals and a different government.  I have a friend who also grew up in my home town in Massachusetts, but she is going to a University in England.  She has helped me better understand the difference in culture and politics from the United States and England.  Liberals in England are similar in thought to liberals in the United States.  There is a kind of universal thought that can define liberals in any culture.  This attachment can be used to compare and contrast the two nations and their peoples.  The nations differ because they come from vastly different backgrounds and histories.

When someone identifies himself/herself as a liberal, this person could be defining their political, social, or economic viewpoints.  To which of these viewpoints the person is referring depends on how and where he/she grew up.  “Liberal” is a relative term in many cases, however, there are some fundamental ideals that all liberals follow.  However, these ideals are so general, most people understand them and follow them whether they are relatively liberal or not.  The origins of liberalism are centered around “‘sustained rational examination of self, others and social practices.’” (Tate)  In the free world, being able to judge yourself and others in a society is a right, so I will not be talking about liberalism this generally.  In the United States, someone is likely to be considered liberal based on their social views of current controversial issues.  However, in England, social topics are generally not debated as often as economic ones: “Most parties in the uk disagree on economic issues and policies, not social ones.” (Griesmer)  The liberal spectrum in the United States doesn’t truly take economic viewpoints into consideration because there is not a large difference in economic views in the United States. This is similar to the fact that in England, social “topics aren’t controversial. They’re legal and not about to be banned anytime soon.”  Not everywhere do people define themselves as liberal for the same reasons.

I identify myself as a liberal because of my ideals, however, one may find oneself in liberal culture by voicing your opinions more publicly.  In the United States, people are voicing their opinions about controversial social views and some economic issues.  For example, in the United States, there recently was the Occupy movement, whose slogan was “We are the 99%”.  This meant that about how the top earning 1% of people in the United States share nearly 25% of wealth in the country.  The rallies were to promote a higher minimum wage and greater taxes on the extremely wealthy.  The people who are a part of this movement are considered liberal because of their economic views.  In England, there are liberals who are also working to raise minimum wage and to get rid of tuition.” (Griesmer)  In this way, liberals in the United States and in England share a common goal which is making level ground economically for those from any economic class.  

If one regards liberalism in a relative way for each of the respective countries, one could say that the United States is becoming more liberal when England is becoming less liberal.  Socially, the United States has accepted many new policies that are considered liberal, such as in issues like women’s rights, and equal marriage rights.  Even in an economic standpoint, the United States has become more liberal with its new healthcare system.  However, England could be considered to be becoming more conservative, because they’ve “hiked uni tuition in the past 10 years, [and] they’re privatizing their healthcare system to model it after the old one in the US.” (Griesmer)  This is economically more conservative than before, because “up until 2001 I think, their university system used to be free.” (Griesmer)  It seems that the United States and England may see the political gap between them grow in the future because of the divergent ways.  

Whether we like it or not, your political values are affected by where you are from.  I see myself as a liberal because of my social and economic views and how they relate to the rest of the country, I do not look on a worldwide scale to see how my views lineup.  The cultural difference in the US and in England provide a difference in how people define themselves as a liberal.

Griesmer, Sadie. "American versus English Liberalism." Online interview. 26 Jan. 2015.

Griesmer answers my questions over facebook.  I ask her 10 questions on what liberalism is like in England and how it differs from American liberalism.  I was able to get a very good idea of how one is determined to be a liberal in England and she points out my predisposition to what liberalism truly is.  She states how the culture between liberals in England and in the United States is not completely comparable, but the similarities and differences are seen.

Hatcher, Richard. "The Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government's "free Schools" in England." Educational Review (2011): n.pag. ProQuest. Web.

         This article speaks on the benefit and downsides of free schools in England.  It explains the economic, social and political impacts of allowing free schools in england.  It also compares schools in England to schools in the United States and Sweden.  I find this to be a useful article because I think that education is a very important political policy and I think it reflects a countries liberalism.  The US has a public school system that is free from ages 5 to 18.  This is similar in England, however, students pay drastically less in tuition and fees to go to university in England than in the US.

Pestritto, Ronald J. "Founding Liberalism, Progressive Liberalism, And The Rights Of Property." Social Philosophy and Policy 28.02 (2011): n. pag. ProQuest. Web.

         This piece looks in detail at the change of liberalism in the United States.  I found that a background of the change to modern liberalism in the US was helpful to see a difference in the politics of England and in the US.  The piece speaks specifically to traditional liberal topics such as property ownership and freedom.  While the piece does talk about an older era, it still provides insight to the fundamentals of liberalism and what it means to the United States.

Tate, John William. "‘We Cannot Give One Millimetre'? Liberalism, Enlightenment and Diversity." Political Studies 61.4 (2013): n.pag. ProQuest. Web.

         This final piece speaks to the philosophical views behind liberalism.  These views are worldwide, as they are made by famous philosophers.  The statements made in this piece link the views of these great philosophers and liberalism as a whole, including the freedom of the human soul, and a human's right to property.  It will be useful to me because it will provide insight to a worldwide view of liberalism, and I can see the United States' and England's differing view on this philosophy.

Responses to peers

WEEK 1

Gabrielle,

I am science-minded.  I'm sorry to say that I don't know too much about art or making art.  That being said, when I feel moved by a piece of art, weather it be a painting, a song, a piece of literature, or any other medium, I value it all the more.   I struggled through the mandatory art classes at my high school, because I'm not too good at creating "conventional" pieces of art.  I agree with you're definition of who is an artist, because it allows anyone to be an artist.  My dream, and many others, is to do what I love.  I believe that if my work consist of doing and creating things that I love, then I have made my own art.

Max

I really enjoyed your piece because I also identify as an outdoorsman.  I took survival class in my high school in junior year, which means that I was on a solo camping trip in the middle of winter.  I had my own site for myself where I set up a shelter, and had an area for fire.  I was in the woods in January for 3 days and 3 nights.  Also this is in Massachusetts, so it got very cold at night.  We were provided a sleeping bag, a knife, water, and food, as long with other various tools.  The hard part was making the shelter and making a fire for the food.  After 2 days I could really appreciate the wilderness around me.  It is one of my most cherished memories and I love going into the woods now.

I agree, Chris.  I think acknowledging the awkwardness of a situation is really being mindful.  We're expected to always say the right thing at the right time, but when we don't, there's suddenly something wrong with you.  Being able to laugh at an awkward situation is realizing that we're just humans, and we don't have to be right all the time.  I also think that there wouldn't really be any humor in the world at all if it weren't for awkward situations.  We need to be able to laugh at yourselves sometimes to be able to laugh at other things, and I think you really understand that.

Zach

I think one of the most important things about respect is self-respect.  I believe that if one does not respect oneself, everyone else will have a very hard time trying to respect this person.  Anyone deserves respect as long as that person acknowledges this fact.  I think that that store clerk who's a jerk to his/her workers won't get respect from you is because this clerk doesn't respect his/herself enough to be a decent employer.  

I know that when I am not respected by someone who I have never spoken to before, it's one of the worst feeling I can get.  I am always trying to be respectful to people that first meet because of this.

WEEK 2

Max,

Out of your extreme struggle you were able to better yourself.  Confidence is a weird thing because you can only have it if you use it.  I don't consider myself a very confident person, but being able to show confidence when you were in a unnerving situation is impressive, even more so because you experienced a similar difficult situation.  Your ability to overcome the disability you faced is incredible.  You may have felt uncomfortable in your situation but you came out stronger.

Chris,

I remember you saying that sometimes you feel socially awkward sometimes.  I know that it's hard to try to be in a group, especially when the other kids know each other.  However, I think the best thing you could do is just approach the guys.  I know this is easier said than done but if they really are nice guys then I sure they wouldn't mind if you just hung out and played smash bros.  Also, I got respect for the Wii-mote.

Hey Zach,

It sounds like you really gave the wrestling team your all.  You got through a whole season which is a feat in itself.  However, when another hobby came along, you tried to balance the two and school.  This was obviously a tough decision to make which is why you really tried doing both for two whole weeks.  However, in contrary to what intimidating coaches say, some things are not possible.  You chose the hobby that you had a real passion for, and I can respect that.  

WEEK 3

Hey Chris,

As someone who has gone in and out of many board/card games, I know that the reasons and stories of getting behind one of these games can be really interesting.  I also think that the fact that you're sitting across from the person you're playing against in real life makes the game more fun and makes a better community.  Maybe you could talk about how sitting across from your opponent changes the game, compared to a computer game.  I really want to hear about the competitive side of the game, and why some people take it as seriously as they do.

Max, 

I like how your questions really span the experience of a product designer in the professional world.  It seems like a profession that, like any profession, takes years of experience to become an expert, including ups and downs.  Asking someone with so much experience will be interesting to see how great things can go when designing a product and how horribly wrong it can go too.

Zach,

You have clearly chosen a very powerful subject, and you have a close resource to tell you a lot about being a cancer survivor.  It sounds like your father must have struggled greatly with the disease, but I know your interview will provide insight on hardships he faced.  I like that you ask about the community, because I know that when many strong people band together some incredible things can be done.  I look forward to the paper.

Gabi,

This seems like a very interesting subject, but your readers probably don't have much previous knowledge on it.  I think giving a good background like you did in your post would be very helpful for your readers.  I like how you introduced the fact that the practice is controversial when used over traditional medicine, it adds another level of interest to the paper.

WEEK 4

Hey Chris,

It sounds like your introduction isn't completely done.  I think you do have a good start which introduces the game well to people who may not know anything about it.  to better your introduction you'll probably want to talk about your topic of the essay, which is not just Magic.  Maybe you want to talk about the person you interviewed, and what it means to be a player of the game.  You probably know this because you said it's not done yet, but those are my ideas.  

Max

I like your introduction so far.  It not only is interesting and grabs my attention, it gives me a good introduction to what a product designer does.  You may want to add more to it, such as what you will be writing about and introducing you interviewee.  I think this is a good start to a really interesting essay!

Gabi,

It sounds like you have a great start to your essay.  You started with an interesting topic that many of us young adults face or will soon.  However, the strange twist on the topic made your paper seem more interesting.  I like how the paper that will come after really means something about your future and wellbeing, which is very interesting.  I think the question posed at the end of the paragraph was implied by the rest of the paragraph, so maybe you might want to end it a bit differently.

Zach

Your introduction states what you will be writing about and the reason that you are writing it.  I think you have a very good opening to your essay.  Perhaps you would want to start the paragraph with more of a hook, because your paper seems like it will be very interesting to read.  Also, maybe mentioning how your father has been effected by the disease will give a better introduction to your paper.

Prompts

WEEK 1

I am from Massachusetts.

I know this sounds like a very boring statement, everyone is from somewhere.  However, I believe that because of this fact I have gotten to where I am now, and I will have the future that I want because of it too.  I can define much of who I am from this fact.  The reason I am from Massachusetts is because of the choices of my parents.  My mom is also from MA, but my dad is from North Carolina.  He decided to move to Boston after college for job opportunities.  I am from MA because thats where my parents wanted to live, I had no input on the matter.  This identity was given to me.  

This identity has made me who I am today.  I grew up in a town that had a very good public school system, I was able to realize my love for science at a fairly young age.  When I got into my junior and senior years, I could take advanced science courses that prepared me for college courses.  This is all because I am from Massachusetts, a fact that I had no control over.  It is also the reason why I can go to this school in the first place.  Drexel is an expensive school, however it's engineering program and coop system made it great opportunity for me.  The only reason that I could go here is because of my parent's economical status, something else that I did not work for or choose.  One more way that being from Massachusetts has changed my identity is that I am a democrat.  This isn't just because Massachusetts is a overwhelmingly blue state, or because my parents to.  It's because I have seen the benefits to great health care and fantastic public schools.  I want everywhere to be as good as Massachusetts, and I want everyone to have the same opportunities that I did.  I am very grateful to be from Massachusetts. 

WEEK 2

I grew up in a pretty normal suburban town.  I had friends from elementary school that I enjoyed being friends with because they were nearby and fun.  I wanted them to be in my classes when I moved onto middle school.  Not particularly because we shared a special emotional bond, but because I knew them, and they were my friends. These friends were my friend because of similar reasons.  We grew up close by, and we knew each other.  We had very few similar interests.  They liked a lot of sports and rap music, and by the time we were getting older, they started doing drugs and treated me not really like a friend at all.  I'm not saying that I felt endangered or saw my grades drop because I was around them, they were just my friends (However, I do remember a specific instance of going home crying after a particular day of them making fun of me, and I tried to hide it from my parents).  However, something strange started happening.  By the time I was in high school, I could talk to whoever I wanted, people all around my hometown, not just my friends.  These people were weird and nerds and silly.  They did something that I didn't know the name for at the time, but I do now: they respected me.  I got over a weird social bump where I realized that I could make decisions for myself and friends could be who I have mutual interest with and respect for.  After a day of choosing to be with some new friends over my old ones I remember being questioned by my old friends the next day:

"Where were you yesterday?"

"I was hanging out with Gabe."  I remember reluctantly admitting it.

"Is he that gay kid with blonde hair?"

I felt a distinct sense of betrayal, as if I was doing something wrong.  I wasn't supposed to be like this, I should just stay with what I know.  However, years past, and I made the choice to stay with the friends who actually care about me, because I cared about them too.  My parents would ask me "Hows Damien been?" to which I would respond " He's good I guess."  And as I chose my mew friends over the old they would ask "Have you seen the guys around here recently?"  I had to explain "I just don't hang out with them anymore really."  While this may not be the most explosive or heart-wrenching examples of someone rejecting a culture that was set upon them, it is one that I can still remember to this day, and my decisions made me into the person I am today.

WEEK 3

1.) I am going to ask my friend from my hometown in Massachusetts who is studying in England about how liberalism in England is different than in the United States.  My questions look to see how liberalism is viewed differently in these two places and how the people view topics differently.  I will be conducting my research online, through Facebook instant messager.

Is there a relatively liberal party in England and how is it viewed by the public?

How do the political parties in the United States (democrats and republican, liberal and conservative) differ to those in England?

How does the scale of liberal to conservative differ in England to the United States? (Who is considered radically liberal in England?)

Would you consider the young people in England to be more liberal than those in the US?

How are controversial topics viewed in England? (topics such as gay marriage, abortion, ect)

Do radically liberal parties (such as socialist) hold weight in nation-wide politics?

Do young people of England talk about politics on a normal basis?

Do you see benefits or downsides to living in a country that has different political stances to the United States?

Are you able to see people generally becoming more liberal in England, such as changing views in politics?

How does the political history the country reflect it's liberal views?

WEEK 4

I grew up in Massachusetts, a primarily blue state.  I enjoyed the privileges from the public school and the good health care system.  Because of these benefits, I am a liberal.   It’s easy to be liberal when you grow up in a state that is mostly democrats.  I think that liberal is a relative term, depending on where you grow up.  I wondered what would make others in other countries define themselves as liberal.  I wanted to know what would make someone liberal in a place in the world that has different ideals and a different government.  I have a friend who also grew up in my home town in Massachusetts, but she is going to a University in England.  She has helped me better understand the difference in culture and politics from the United States and England.  Liberals in England are similar in thought to liberals in the United States.  There is a kind of universal thought that can define liberals in any culture.  This attachment can be used to compare and contrast the two nations and their peoples.  The nations differ because they come from vastly different backgrounds and histories.

Read/Resonds

WEEK 1

The first essay speaks to identity because the author identifies himself as an American.  He proves this by dressing up as Captain America, "The ultimate American."  Some people on the streets have a hard time accepting that Captain America could be someone other than a blond-haired, blue-eyed, well built man.  The author challenges these people's beliefs and shows that Americans are not one race or ethnicity.  The second essay is all about identity.  A fifteen-year old boy identifies himself as a 25-year old law expert, and answers people's questions online.   He answers these questions with accuracy and speed, and the users of the website benefit.  However, when she decides to be truthful about his identity, he is unable to help others like he did before.  The connotations associated with age and classical education are shown in this piece and are proved to be pointless.  A teenager was able to prove himself as a better law expert than those with formal training.  The last piece showed how the identity of a man alters the way others treat and see him.  The color of his skin made strangers around him treat him as a danger to their well-being.  The author had to go out of his way to identify himself as someone who is not dangerous by whistling a happy tune or wearing professional clothing.

The first article speaks to American culture by asking "Who is an American?"  Maybe the first person who you think of is a blond-haired, blue-eyed, white man.  The author questions American culture by showing that anyone, as long as they were born in America, can be American.  "Faking it" begins by explaining how business culture changed in the year 2000.  New technologies were surfacing, and the Internet was becoming an everyday thing.  The Internet allows someone of any age or background to be someone important.  The business culture only allowed people with classical training and education to be an expert.  These two cultures, the Internet and law, clashed and created a difficult situation for a fifteen-year old boy.  "Black men and Public Space" shows how American culture views black men.  They are seem as a danger, as something that you need to take precautions against.  They could only be considered docile if they are proved to be, such as by wearing formal clothing, or whistling a happy tune.  They have a presumption of guilt against them that is created by American culture.

"My first victim was a woman--white, well-dressed, probably in her late twenties."

This quote in the opening sentence in "Black men and Public Space."  I think it some the piece up very well.  A person was walking near a woman on the street and she decided to run away.  The only reason that this woman acted the way she did was because the person was a man and black.  I am not saying that this woman was at fault in these actions, she was worried for her own well-being.  The one to blame here is America's racism problem that is very problematic today.  This problem is why the woman acted as she did.  It is America who is making black males out to be predators, taking victims in the night.  This quote on its own may not truly show the power behind it, but with the context, this is a very powerful quote that shows America's predisposition to viewing black males as preditors.

WEEK 2

A common theme in each on the pieces was that it is easy to go with the flow.   The first video spoke about how a young woman was unable to stop automatically acting the way her mother taught her to act.  Even when she is in a class or in a professional meeting she cannot turn her "instincts" off.  She was taught to keep quiet and keep to herself, and that's how she is, against her will.  She was unable to be how she thought that she should be because she had always viewed herself as less important than the natural flow of things.  She wanted to be quiet in a loud world.  The second video spoke to a more general example of "going with the flow."  The author states how as humans, it is our default setting to drudge through everyday life with the mantra of believing that I am the center of the universe, and when things go poorly for me, the universe has done something wrong.  However, there is a duality in the fact that everything is random while nothing is.  Everything in this world has happened for a reason, whether you believe in fate or not, the cause of anything can be described with enough foresight.  However, to a passerby, these causes will never be known, and the action seems random.  When we go out of our way to find these causes and see the true mechanisms of the universe, we better ourselves, and become more mindful.  But this is a hard process, and it is a hundred times easier to just keep walking, and let your prejudices fill in the gaps.

The last piece is much more about society's willing ignorance to the true feelings of the women in our culture.  The guilt trip that is described in this piece sets a burden on women from the day they're born to muscle through those gritty emotions and put them in the trash.  A face thats easier for everyone to accept is a face that doesn't cause problems, one that stays quiet and in the corner.  To reject this burden is to make everyones life harder, after all, if you always assume your prejudices are correct, you never have to learn, and learning is hard.

WEEK 3

Hatcher, Richard. "The Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government's "free Schools" in England." Educational Review (2011): n.pag. ProQuest. Web.

          This article speaks on the benefit and downsides of free schools in England.  It explains the economic, social and political impacts of allowing free schools in england.  It also compares schools in England to schools in the United States and Sweden.  I find this to be a useful article because I think that education is a very important political policy and I think it reflects a countries liberalism.  The US has a public school system that is free from ages 5 to 18.  This is similar in England, however, students pay drastically less in tuition and fees to go to university in England than in the US.

Pestritto, Ronald J. "Founding Liberalism, Progressive Liberalism, And The Rights Of Property." Social Philosophy and Policy 28.02 (2011): n. pag. ProQuest. Web.

          This piece looks in detail at the change of liberalism in the United States.  I found that a background of the change to modern liberalism in the US was helpful to see a difference in the politics of England and in the US.  The piece speaks specifically to traditional liberal topics such as property ownership and freedom.  While the piece does talk about an older era, it still provides insight to the fundamentals of liberalism and what it means to the United States.

Tate, John William. "‘We Cannot Give One Millimetre'? Liberalism, Enlightenment and Diversity." Political Studies 61.4 (2013): n.pag. ProQuest. Web.

          This final piece speaks to the philosophical views behind liberalism.  These views are worldwide, as they are made by famous philosophers.  The statements made in this piece link the views of these great philosophers and liberalism as a whole, including the freedom of the human soul, and a human's right to property.  It will be useful to me because it will provide insight to a worldwide view of liberalism, and I can see the United States' and England's differing view on this philosophy.

WEEK 4

I feel that when I really want to use a quotation in my sentence I often do not take into consideration the grammar of the same sentence.  While I write, I will be using one tense or group of people, and when a quote doesn't use the same tense or has a singular subject I quickly get frustrated.  Sometimes I chop up the quote but that feels awkward to read.  I'm glad I read this article because know I have an example of changing my own text to fit the quote.  Also, I feel that I'm not bad at introducing a quote, I follow some of the tactics that the author mentioned here, however I never thought of setting up a quote so the reader will read it in a specific mindset, and will have something to expect in the quote.  I will try to start doing that in my writing.