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.