My perspective

As class comes to the final end. I would like to add that I have learned how to critically think and engage myself to important topic on issues such as Race.  

I remember during class, we once discussed that can these ongoing problems regarding race ever end? Movies that we saw in class such as The Help and Bamboozled   make me think, like others that race in general and stereotypes regarding race are always going to be a continuous problem in society.

However, as we grow as individuals and prospectively learn about the world around us it is important to become critical of how we can make these positive changes.  As we see individuals maintain this equal balance of fighting for “rights” and seeing the negativity around us, it is important for us to first acknowledge that we can make a difference, by small little actions in our daily lives.

hook states in her article Choosing The Margin As A Space Of Radical Openness “We are transformed, individually, collectively, subjectively, which gives us a new location from which to articulate our sense of the word” (Pg 153).I found this quote very powerful because it helped me understand that every day we are developing and learning more about our surroundings.

Although we might assume that change is hard to accomplish, it would be better for us to learn to batter ourselves before we go out and battle others. This can be done by questioning ideas we might see on media and understanding why voicing one’s opinion is important, especially when the topic matters to you. I find that it is also very important for us to make small changes in how we talk and perceive things, since language does truly influence us.

I can relate this to my life, because there was once a time where I would not question what was shown on television. How Blacks and other minorities were portrayed in society, which gave me an instill picture about how the members from the group were, but as I entered college and even throughout high school I learned that what we are used to seeing in media does not portray or reflect individuals at all, because everyone has a story that they carry with them.  The best way to discover these stories is to see people as individuals rather than group members.

Taking psychology classes, I have learned that group thinking influences individuals. Research indicates that group-thinking collectively can be positive but can also have a negative impact because it build this oneness or unity that individuals might not truly value or believe in. This is why I think it is important for us to take time to think individually and critically by giving ourselves an open space. These are the exact same reasons, why I think it is important to be critical about the information that we are presented with in our daily lives.

Have you ever believed that information about individuals or an individual reflected who they were as a person? Did this lead to a negative relationship?

Do you think that it is important to become critical of how every information is presented to us? Or is it okay for us to take information as it is? Is there any positive aspect of taking information as it is?