Today you read the "Belonging" in class. Please answer the following questions:
How important is it to you to "look right?" To "act right?" To "fit in?" How do you feel when you don't belong? How does it affect your self-esteem? When in a child's development is he or she most vulnerable to issues related to "in" and "out" group behavior? Are adolescents more or less vulnerable than young children? Would you have joined the Hitler Youth if you lived in Germany at the time? Why or why not?
18 comments:
I was very surprised to learn that German citizens would inform the Gestapo about suspicious neighboor activity. It was shocking to me see the women deny that she wrote a letter even though she recognized her signature on the letter.I could not believe that a father asked Hitler for permission to kill his own son. But I like the muvie, because I learned a lot about what culture from Germany during WWII.
I feel that it is important to everyone to fit in. Although there are many people who try very hard not to conform by having a unique style, interest, etc. everyone attempts to fit in with a certain crowd eventhough that crowd may not be the status quoe. I do not feel that it is possible to be truley happy if you are not accepted by at least one group of people. This is why it was so hard for the Jews in Germany; not only did they not fit into society, but they were ridiculed and told that they were cancers to society. The Nazi's were able to create this animosity towards Jews by manipulating the very vulnerable youth and creating a common enemy on which the Germans could place all of their problems. If I lived in Germany at the time I would probably join Hitler Youth because I would most likely be conditioned to feel that it was a noble organization.
I think that everyone at some point in their lives wants to fit in somewhere. I personally dont feel that pressure as much anymore but i did when i was younger and I think that it's more common for adolescents to feel the pressure to be accepted than it is for young children. I think this is why it was so hard for the Jews in germany. Even adults would give them a hard time for their religion and no matter what they did they couldnt fit in. Hitler youth targeted adolescents because they are so vulnerable and becasue they felt the need to comform, they were easily sawyed to think and act like the Nazi's. I think that if i were in Germany at that time i would feel so pressured by everyone around me that i would join the Hitler youth.
I do believe that people want to fit in with a certain group of people and sometimes, people pick a group and conform themselves to fit or they just find other people like them. So in that case, I think 'fitting in' can mean a lot of different things. For me, I stirive to do what makes me happy and surround myself with people who make me happy. I found a little group of people that can do that. We are all actually very different in our outward appearances which I think there is much emphasis on. If I were living in Nazi Germany, I would definitely join the Hitler Youth, I'd be too scared to be different because I wouldn't want to die or be tortured. Also if I were any younger I probably wouldn't see harm in it because I would be so unaware. As people grow up they become more aware of politics and leaders and older people make more opinions on those leaders. When you're older, you realize that sometimes the leaders of the current world aren't always the most 'fit' (no pun intended) to rein. I think that the Nazi's also used a lot of fear as a tactic to get people to conform. This is highly wrong, but effective. Therefore, if I were living in Nazi Germany, I'd (unfortunatly) be a member of the Hitler Youth. In today's society, this couldn't come to power but if it did, say tomorrow, I would not join and I would stand up for what I believe in.
I think that everyone identifies with some kind of group and they're not necessarily trying to look right it's just that people with similar personalities dress the same way and do the same things. I think it affects self esteem a lot if you don't fit in anywhere especially at the younger ages, you have to have some peer group. I think adolescents and children are very simularly vulnerable children will just go along with the crowd to fit in almost naturally, but adolescents probably actually feel the pressure to fit in more. I feel like it depends on what age, I was indoctrinated in the Hitler Youth. If I was forced to join at a young age like ten years old, I can see how it would be easy to be conditioned to support Hitler, but I also think as you get older like at are age we would already have certain strong beliefs and I would do my best to avoid the Hitler Youth by getting out of the country or something.
I believe that adolescents are more vulnerable to higher influence because during teenage years kids are trying to find out who they really are and will likely approach many things with an open mind. Just from being in high school and middle school Ive seen kids change drastically and search for what truly made them feel like they belonged. I believe that fitting in is important to everyone to a certain extent, it really makes no difference if whether you fit in one group or another because everyone is going to feel like they belong to a certain group of people and feel like they clash with another. If I lived in Nazi Germany as a young child I have little doubt that I would not join the Hitler Youth. People do incredibly stupid things to fit in a certain group and throwing away a few morals and values doesnt seem to impossible to give up in exchange for the feeling of being apart of something bigger than yourself and giving you a deeper connection with other people/ideals. I believe Hitler targeted children because it was the easiest and most promising way of carrying on his ideas and hatred of the Jews. Also, the children he targeted weren't children forever, and when the boys became men you could argue that Hitler had a very intelligent plan of recruitment for his German Military.
Personally, I think "looking right" and/or "fitting in" is very important to humans in general, but not as important to me. We are social creatures, and thus belonging in a group of people is a very important part of our lives, however that often comes at the cost of individuality. Where I like "fitting in" because I've been conditioned by our society to think that it is good, I don't find it painful to not belong to certain groups; I like being myself. This preference for individuality was probably due to events or interactions that took place in my early development stages, around the time that "right" and "wrong" were discovered. Most people though tend to develop with a desire to be accepted into the "norm" of society. What is sad is that this human predisposition to belonging, a seemingly positive thing, caused the deaths of 6 million Jews. As much as I'd like to say I wouldn't join the Hitler Youth had I lived in Germany at the time, I doubt that I would have known any better. I would have grown up in a society that believed strongly in belonging, and would have been conditioned to believe it too.
I do believe people change themselves in order to fit in with a certain group, usually by trying to impress them. In some situations I guess doing so, is just so that you can feel as tho you belong. In other cases I it is just as Chris mentioned that you just happen to identify with that certain group. As for me, just like Katie mentioned my group of friends are people who make me happy. I am able to identify with them even though we have different backgrounds and appearances. If I lived in Nazi Germany I definately would have been like the girl in the second example that we read. I would have been hesitant to join the Hitler Youth but I would have done so anyways to protect myself. However beause this was Nazi Germany, I wouldn't have had this option because of the color of my skin. Therefore I'd be in a similar situation to the Jewish boy in te third example that we read.
In my opinion most people want to fit in and if they say they don't I think it's because they don't really know what it feels like not to fit it. To me (and I think most people my age) fitting in is important, just not the most important thing. I agree with Hannah that younger kids try more to fit in and the older you get the less of an issue it becomes. I've never felt like I didn't fit in but if I did, I highly doubt I would like it. If I was alive when joining the Hitler Youth was an option I probably would have joined because I would have been brainwashed at a young age into thinking it's okay to treat people that way and that I'm better than everyone else.
I believe that it is important that people have their individuality but still kinda "fit in" within a group of people. I don't mean complete assimilation but instead integration of different people/races/religions. People should look okay and I mean acceptable "okay". I probably would have enlisted myself in the Hitler Youth, but if I was Jewish depending on how old I was, if it was now I would probably be proud to be who I was but, if I was younger I would probably just "go with the flow" instead of fighting against it for my originality and individuality.
I agree with Hannah. Everyone at some point wants to fit in with the crowd and to be socially accepted. The younger you are, the more need you feel to fit in although teenagers feel a special kind of pressure to do so also.
its sound crazy to me that parent actual asked hitler if they can kill there child just because there ill.The Nazi's were able to create this anger towards Jewish people so no one would like them and want to intermintate them as a whole race.
like i said during the discussions in class i thought that in the first paragraph it was interesting that the boy figured that it would be exciting to go to the german hitler youth program during the summer he expected it to be like summer camp... and the second paragraph where the boy who went into the german youth to protect his grandparents and then he enjoys it when he gets into it. he practically gets brainwashed. also...... what rreeaallyy disturbed me was when hitler recieved a letter from a man asking him if he could kill his child due to mental disabilities.
I think that it is very important for people to “look right”, “act right”, and to fit in, especially at a young age when they have not yet developed an identity. Acceptance by peers is a basic human desire, and when a person is rejected, it absolutely hurts their self-esteem. I believe that children are most vulnerable to group behavior when they start to shape their identities, which I guess happens in the pre-adolescent years and adolescent years. I would say that adolescents are actually less vulnerable than younger children because some adolescents have their identities fully formed already. I without a doubt would have joined Hitler Youth if I lived at Nazi Germany at the time. If I was a kid and everyone else was doing it, there’s no way I would have the ability to distinguish between what was right and wrong; I would have just gone with the crowd.
In my opinion, most people do want to fit in. Most often, people do not want to be left out. I agree with max when he said that there are plenty of people who try not to conform, but that does not need to mean that these people want to be alone. Personally, I don't err want to be left out. It is upsetting. All too often kids get their feelings hurt due to not fitting in. I think this issue could be seen at any age. I do not know whether or not I would have joins the Hitler Youth but j could easily say that I would feel the pressure to join. While reading the packet I noticed that even though these kids did not want to join, they felt that they had to join in order to survive. At the time, I may have given in, especially if my life was on the line.
I do think that it is important for people to fit in. This is something that is big for adolescents in particular. Whether the person is striving to fit in with the "popular" crowd or just any old crowd, its very important to fit in. I agree with Max and that it is important to fit in with someone so that you have someone to turn to. Therefore, Hitler took advantage of the fact that adolescents strive to fit in and therefore he made it fashionable to become a part of the Hitler Youth program to get kids to join. I unfortunatly would have felt pressure to join and due to my fear I would have given in and joined. I probably would have believed that what I was doing was the right thing because Hitler was able to get in their heads and convince them that. Fitting in greatly affects the self esteem of and individual, therefore, in order to fit in with the other in Germany, the adolescents joined the program, directly benefitting Hitler.
It is important to fit in and feel accepted. The Nazi Hitler Youth not only provided acceptence, but gave honor and pride to you and your family for being part of what was than considered a noble cause for a man who truely understands the German people and can bring back the life they lived before WWI. As a kid i believe i would have been raised and indoctorined with Nazi beliefs. I most likely would have joined the Hitler youth.
to me, looking right, fitting in and belonging are relative terms that society uses in order to force everything into a neat little category. i could not care less, to be honest. we are all human beings, and we are all connected. that's all the belonging i need. everything else is based off of sterotype and results in inevitable exclusion. i think that one is most vulnerable to feel like they don't belong when they have low self esteem or are trying to figure out who they are. typically this means adolescents and children, but there are even adults who sill struggle to find themselves. this is difficult for me to relate to becasue i have a strong sense of self and am happy with who i am and how i live my life. i would have joined hitler youth, if it would have kept my family safe. but not for purposes regarding conformity or a need to belong.
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