Wow. It is true that disney films are stereotyping masculinity. I love those disney movies, so its weird to see that i was exposed to it so early. It causes girls to think that they want a guy to come sweep them off their feet, like every guy in a disney movie. Our culture should promote nonviolence in men, so guys wouldn't feel like they have to live up to the expectations of being violent. Some television programs do not promote violence. Like in the Office, Jim, the perfect guy, isn't violent and is thought of as being funny and cute. It works!

Fear in U.S.

I found Bowling for Columbine very interesting to watch. It was really surprising when Moore went to the leader of the NRA to ask questions about rallys he held in cities that just had killings caused by a gun and he couldn't answer. I also learned that even though Canada has so many guns, and is a prime hunting country, they have so very few deaths caused by guns there. In the US, we have over 11,000 deaths caused by guns. I think the reason for that is fear. US media and news has filled their citizens with so much fear in every news story. The news channels purposely try to find the story that sounds most dangerous to people. This may be a major cause of fear in the US and could be the reason there are many deaths caused by guns. It was funny how so many people, mostly adults, would say that child shootings were caused by Marylin Manson music. When people can't find the cause of a problem, they make quick reactions to make them feel safer.

Dependence

Americans are afraid of dependence because we learned to grow up depending on only yourself. It's a trust issue that keeps us from allowing ourselves to rely on anyone. The capatalism cycle is to grow up, become successful and independent. When we think about our future, we think about only ourselves; how will I become successful?; what do I want to do? We believe that our friends and family will have a way of connecting themselves into it, but sometimes they don't. I depend on my parents, which does bother me. I really want to become independent from my parents, but I want them in my lives. I just don't want to depend on what I'm used to them giving me. I really want to become strong and independent. I'm hoping those calls for life advice to my mom will slowly come to an end when I'm in and out of college, but I have a feeling they won't.

absolutely nothing

The "nothing" assignment was something i really enjoyed. To be in a public place, and truly doing nothing really makes you stop and see everything around you. A lot of people had said that when doing it people were checking up on them. Some people wouldn't allow them to do "nothing". Although, in my case, I was outside the Union Station so not many people stopped to check if i was O.K. Everyone down town seems to always be in a rush: the way people drive, the hurried walk across the street. When I took a moment to stop and take things in, I was really able to enjoy the city. I was able to set apart all the different sounds of the city. I was also able to do a lot of people watching, which is something I already enjoy to do. You notice a lot more of what's around you once you sit back and actually let yourself notice.

Wow. I think the videos of the different countries and how they drive are very interesting. When crossing the street at the same pace, I would be way to scared that someone wasn't paying attention or didn't time their speed right. And India was a mess! Cars were just trying to overpower their right a way w/ them all turning right at one time. It's all in hope that the cars will let them pass, and not hit them. All cultures have these unspoken rules, and I think that's the hardest part of understanding them. I want to be able to visit a lot of cultures in the future, and i wouldn't want to defend anyone by something that's accepted in our culture. If only there was a way to decode this secret language of every culture. In those traveling language decoders, they should add in what gestures mean.

Bronx Tale

Bronx tale really showed how your views on certain things can't change because of how you've grown. In the movie "C" didn't want to be racist, but there's some part of him that always will be because of his surroundings. This movie also shows how everyones life contains groups of people that affect them differently. In this movie I believe that C and Sonny would be in their own group, other than C being in Sonny's crew. C and Sonny share a different relationship, and grow very close. Sonny is someone C always would listen to, and admire. Sonny didn't want C's life to turn out like his; he wanted him to be safe always. I think C's master status throughout the movie is "Sonny's boy" because everything he does relates to Sonny's influence on him. In the beginning C always wanted to know Sonny, and in the end he is running to Sonny trying to thank him for saving his life. The Social Construction of the italian neighborhood seems to be Sonny's crew, and then everyone else. The entire neighborhood understands not to get in Sonny's way or to get involved with Sonny. The neighborhood doesn't approve of the blacks passing through their neighborhood.

Roles

The idea that we play a certain role in everyones life means that we affect different people in different ways. As in, you'll act differntly around your work friends than you do your actual friends, or you may act differently around your actual friends and your family. I'm not sure if that's the case for me, though. A few of my close friends I've known since 1st or 2nd grade, and my others I've known since 5th or 6th grade. We were never those kind of people that drifted apart, which I find pretty sweet! These friends would almost fit into my family circle because I basically play the same role with both of them. In my family circle I play the role of being a sister. I have two older sisters who I am very close with. They come to me when they need help, and visa versa. We hang out every chance we get, and are comfortable sharing new ideas with eachother, even though our ideas are usually the same since we think pretty much alike. Just like my friends, My sisters and I share the same sense of humor because we've grown together. It's interesting how when we are around some people, we are only comfortable acting a certain way, and with the people close to you, you have no limits.