To define a community, the average person may perhaps say it’s “a group of people living in a particular area,” and while this is the general idea of a community, it is also vague is so many ways. We are surrounded by communities and the variety is endless. In this day and age; the internet alone is not only a nest, but a breeding ground, of an array of millions of different types of communities and the billions of people that make them up. Regardless of what the topic, situation, or scenario; one can find their own corner of the World Wide Web or a place in the real world itself, in which they eventually become a part of. Once a group of people living or coinciding together exists, the community forms and begins to take on a life of its own as people feel more secure and begin to feel free enough to share their ideas and opinions and start to get along. Communities are often based on religion, race and in some cases, even sexual orientation – a plethora of different types. In addition to the World Wide Web, colleges are also a part of life that includes a large number of communities. The assortment of different fraternities, sororities and other groups of people within the campus thrive on those groups who are living and learning together as well as trying to get along while creating or expanding their personal identities. Choosing the right college or even city to live in is an important task and should not be taken lightly because communities can create influences that can affect one’s future.
In colleges all around the United States, students join and partake in an endless category of different groups. From band and choir, to major sports and educational study groups that take place before, during or after school; many of these extracurricular activities have a competitive edge to them and this can often become the main aspect of what the student considers the most important part of college-life. Sororities and Fraternities can also be competitions; many trying to be the biggest or smartest or the one that stands out the most. These activities and elite groups become such a factor for a high school graduate when they are seeking out the perfect college that it can often skew ones decision when ultimately deciding on a college because they want to be on that winning sports team or in the more well-known Fraternity or Sorority. The students don’t just join college; they join tribes. This can be detrimental to ones future and can greatly influence it because of choosing the school based on non-educational aspects of it. “What endlessly impresses me is people losing sight of how arbitrary it is,” says Robert M. Sapolsky, a Stanford biologist who specializes in the links between social life and stress (Derreby 120). Choosing a great college that has great academic history and a superb lineup of professors and teachers should certainly outweigh choosing the school with that sorority that is known to drink the most amount of beer every weekend, all year long. Surprisingly, academics often get overlooked when it comes to something that appears to be more fun or competitive. Professor Sapolsky later describes this type of thinking as “nutty, but palpable” (Derreby 120). However, it is not always detrimental to ones future, these elite groups and activities, can also shape a student into a more responsible, sharp or well-rounded person because they’ve surrounded themselves with similar, like-minded individuals. While many of these groups are competitive-only, there are also many that are highly educationally-driven, with students majoring in the same or similar subjects, meeting together, and partaking in activities such as study groups and even partaking in “mock trials” for those studying law. These quality groups can bring out the best of these students and can positively influence ones future. Some students also pick their colleges strictly by the city or state they are located in. Those looking for sun, may be likely to choose Arizona State University or those looking to go skiing or snowboarding may be more prone to apply at Colorado State University to be closer to the prime mountains in Aspen. They are choosing a hobby or lifestyle, then their college, and this could certainly affect ones future as they may be choosing location over academics.
The place of birth can also have an impact on lives. When it comes to the city or state that one grows up in, there are also a huge number of scenarios that can either help or hinder one’s future. Someone who may be very intellectual or creative may be born into a community that is very stereotypical and could be exposed to a life of violence, drugs and gangs. This person, while very smart with a huge amount of potential may be a prime candidate of falling victim to their surrounding peers and violent, drug-filled atmosphere. Because this is what they were born into and have been associated with; this may be their life as they know it - it then may become very hard for them to break out of this culture they’ve become adjusted to. It can happen all over the world, people with loads of potential being hindered by how they’ve been raised or where they were born. These communities are often a large percentage of the same race, income or education and it takes a very strong-minded person with a huge will to break the mold of their peers and those in their community and be able to have a future using their smarts, intellectualism or creativeness they’re born with. Positive futures are more likely the outcome for those who are born within a community that provides a good educational school system, are limited on drugs, violence and gangs and that has an overall supportive community with their peers around them being productive members of society. Many people all over the world are born into positive communities such as these although it’s troublesome that the place a person is born, that of which they have no choice, can also negatively affect their future.
From one generation to the next, people have been exposed to clichés, such as “the smarter you are, the fewer friends you have.” It is widely believed, that if you are book smart or cared about your education that you weren’t as fun or sociable. These are types of clichés and judgments that can also greatly affect ones future. The peers we are surrounded by within our community, be it school or neighborhood, can be both helpful and supportive of our educational aspirations or when portrayed negatively, it can be very discouraging to the individual who is consistently being paid attention to less or not at all, because they may place their education before their social life; however, they may want an equal balance of both, but are often not given the opportunity. “I’m a junior in high school and African-American. From a young age, I noticed that being book smart can make you unpopular. This is an especially difficult issue for minority youth, and in my opinion, affects the minds of black youth the most,” says Kumi Hodge a high-achieving student at Alameda Community Learning Center (259). Stereotypes can also be detrimental to the future of some students; because it is often thought that a black student that has interest in his education is acting “too white” or is trying to be a show off. Kumi goes on to say, “I’ve even read statistics from a public policy journal that say the popularity of black students slopes negatively when their GPA reaches 3.5” (259). This is a dominant stereotype that not only happens against the race of African Americans, but others as well. It’s unfortunate that a person’s grades determine their social life. Kumi, decided his education was much more important than the temptation of fitting in or not being the butt of some jokes his peers were saying, ultimately saying “I’m not giving up” (259).
All of these stereotypes and situations that take place across the country and the world can be very discouraging and often makes a person just want to give up and fall back into the mold they’ve nearly broke out of and back into the flow of how those around them act within their community, or race (in a situation like the later). Each person needs to strive to be happy with whom they are, reaching for their dreams and goals and not let their community determine and affect their futures; however tempting and likely it may be. Curt Johnson, a high school student of the 1970’s said, “I remember when I was in school, there were different groups and cliques, and to be honest, I was a part of some; but looking back now, nearly 30 years later, I realize that we were not allowing ourselves equal doses of reality. We were stuck within the realms of whatever group we were a part of. This can definitely shape or alter a person’s future, because they may not ever break out of the pack and will constantly be surrounded by the same people their entire lives. It’s important to break-free and take charge of your future.” It’s important to choose the right college, community, school groups or anything else one may have control over, thus surrounding themselves by good influences and other smart, like-minded individuals. This would certainly shape ones future, and more likely than not, it would be positively.
REVISION
To define a community, the average person may perhaps say it’s “a group of people living in a particular area,” and while this is the general idea of a community, it is also vague in so many ways. We are surrounded by communities and the variety is endless. In this day and age; the internet alone is not only a nest, but a breeding ground, of an array of millions of different types of communities and the billions of people that make them up. Regardless of what the topic, situation, or scenario, one can find their own corner of the World Wide Web or a place in the real world itself, which they eventually become a part of. Once a group of people living or coinciding together exists, the community forms and begins to take on a life of its own as people feel more secure and begin to feel free enough to share their ideas and opinions and start to get along. Communities are often based on religion, race and in some cases, even sexual orientation – a plethora of different types. In addition to the World Wide Web, colleges are also a part of life that includes a large number of communities. The assortment of different fraternities, sororities and other groups of people within the campus thrive on those groups who are living and learning together as well as trying to get along while creating or expanding their personal identities. Choosing the right college or even city to live in is an important task and should not be taken lightly. Communities can create influences that can negatively affect one’s future.
In colleges all around the United States, students join and partake in an endless category of different groups. From band and choir, to major sports and educational study groups that take place before, during or after school; many of these extracurricular activities have a competitive edge to them, and this can often become the main aspect of what the student considers the most important part of college-life. Sororities and Fraternities can also be competitions, many trying to be the biggest or smartest or the one that stands out the most. These activities and elite groups become such a factor for a high school graduate when they are seeking out the perfect college that it can often skew one's decision when ultimately deciding on a college because they want to be on that winning sports team or in the more well-known Fraternity or Sorority. The students don’t just join college; they join tribes. This can be detrimental to one's future and can greatly influence it because of choosing the school based on non-educational aspects of it. “What endlessly impresses me is people losing sight of how arbitrary it is,” says Robert M. Sapolsky, a Stanford biologist who specializes in the links between social life and stress (Berreby 120). Choosing a great college that has great academic history and a superb lineup of professors and teachers should certainly outweigh choosing the school with that sorority that is known to drink the most amount of beer every weekend, all year long. Surprisingly, academics often get overlooked when it comes to something that appears to be more fun or competitive. Professor Sapolsky later describes this type of thinking as “nutty, but palpable” (Berreby 120). However, it is not always detrimental to one's future, these elite groups and activities, can also shape a student into a more responsible, sharp or well-rounded person because they’ve surrounded themselves with similar, like-minded individuals. While many of these groups are competitive-only, there are also many that are highly educationally-driven, with students majoring in the same or similar subjects, meeting together, and partaking in activities such as study groups and even partaking in “mock trials” for those studying law. These quality groups can bring out the best of these students and can positively influence ones future. Some students also pick their colleges strictly by the city or state they are located in. Those looking for sun, may be likely to choose Arizona State University or those looking to go skiing or snowboarding may be more prone to apply at Colorado State University to be closer to the prime mountains in Aspen. They are choosing a hobby or lifestyle, then their college, and this could certainly affect one's future, as they may be choosing location over academics.
The place of birth can also have an impact on lives. When it comes to the city or state that one grows up in, there are also a huge number of scenarios that can either help or hinder one’s future. Someone who may be very intellectual or creative may be born into a community that is very stereotypical and could be exposed to a life of violence, drugs and gangs. This person, while very smart with a huge amount of potential may be a prime candidate of falling victim to their surrounding peers and violent, drug-filled atmosphere. Because this is what they were born into and have been associated with, this may be their life as they know it - it then may become very hard for them to break out of this culture they’ve become adjusted to. It can happen all over the world, people with loads of potential being hindered by how they’ve been raised or where they were born. These communities are often a large percentage of the same race, income or education, and it takes a very strong-minded person with a huge will to break the mold of their peers and those in their community and be able to have a future using their smarts, intellectualism or creativeness they’re born with. Positive futures are more likely the outcome for those who are born within a community that provides a good educational school system, are limited on drugs, violence and gangs and that has an overall supportive community with their peers around them being productive members of society. Many people all over the world are born into positive communities such as these, although it’s troublesome that the place a person is born, that of which they have no choice, can also negatively affect their future.
From one generation to the next, people have been exposed to clichés such as “the smarter you are, the fewer friends you have.” It is widely believed that if you are book smart or cared about your education that you weren’t as fun or sociable. These are types of clichés and judgments that can also greatly affect one's future. The peers we are surrounded by within our community, be it school or neighborhood, can be both helpful and supportive of our educational aspirations or when portrayed negatively, it can be very discouraging to the individual who is consistently being paid attention to less or not at all, because they may place their education before their social life; however, they may want an equal balance of both, but are often not given the opportunity. “I’m a junior in high school and African-American. From a young age, I noticed that being book smart can make you unpopular. This is an especially difficult issue for minority youth, and in my opinion, affects the minds of black youth the most,” says Kumi Hodge, a high-achieving student at Alameda Community Learning Center (259). Stereotypes can also be detrimental to the future of some students; it is often thought that a black student that has interest in his education is acting “too white” or is trying to be a show off. Hodge goes on to say, “I’ve even read statistics from a public policy journal that say the popularity of black students slopes negatively when their GPA reaches 3.5” (259). This is a dominant stereotype that not only happens against the race of African Americans but others as well. It’s unfortunate that a person’s grades determine their social life. Kumi, decided his education was much more important than the temptation of fitting in or not being the butt of some jokes his peers were saying, ultimately saying “I’m not giving up” (259).
All of these stereotypes and situations that take place across the country and the world can be very discouraging and often make a person just want to give up and fall back into the mold they’ve nearly broke out of and back into the flow of how those around them act within their community, or race (in a situation like the latter). Each person needs to strive to be happy with who they are, reaching for their dreams and goals and not let their community determine and affect their futures; however tempting and likely it may be. Curt Johnson, a high school student of the 1970’s said, “I remember when I was in school. There were different groups and cliques, and to be honest, I was a part of some; but looking back now, nearly 30 years later, I realize that we were not allowing ourselves equal doses of reality. We were stuck within the realms of whatever group we were a part of. This can definitely shape or alter a person’s future, because they may not ever break out of the pack and will constantly be surrounded by the same people their entire lives. It’s important to break-free and take charge of your future.” It’s important to choose the right college, community, school groups or anything else one may have control over, thus surrounding themselves by good influences and other smart, like-minded individuals. This would certainly shape one's future, and more likely than not, it would be positively.
Works Cited
Berreby, David. “It Takes a Tribe.” Remix. Catherine G. Latterell. 2nd ed.
Boston: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2010. 119-123.
Hodge, Kumi. “Making The Grade.” Remix. Catherine G. Latterell. 2nd ed.
Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2010. 259-260
Johnson, Curt. Personal Interview. 25 April 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment