This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Friday, September 10, 2010
PERIOD 7 - "LITTLE BOXES"
Today you read the story "Little Boxes" in class. Please share your thoughts about the story and the class discussion that followed in a reflective post. Make at least one comment about another student's post.
I think that if you stick to one label in a box it's hard when you hail from a variety of backrounds. I don't have this kind of trouble because I hail from Romania however my Identity was formed differently when I came here and grew up. Yet I still at occastional times thought who would I have been if I grew up in my country of origion.
I agree with Mr. Wright and what he says in his story about the offensiveness of generalizing people based off of anything that has to do with their appearance or name. And there should be more options for the "little boxes", and people like Mr. Wright should not have to check 'Hispanic' when they are 'Ecuadorian'.
Like Matt, I have also not had as much of a problem when identifying myself using the little boxes, but even so, whenever it is required, and I know that I will choose Caucasian anyway, I still hesitate and read through all the options thoroughly, though there aren't many.
I agree with the author and how he says that generalizing can lead to an identity crisis for many people and can be offensive. This is especially true for people who come from a multitude of backgrounds and shouldn't be confined to a box that says they are from just one.
I agree with Matt when he says its hard to stick to one label when you come from a combination of backgrounds
I agree with what Nick said about the idea that generalizing can cause crisis, especially in regards to people with many different backgrounds. People like to generalize because it helps them to make sense of the world, as stated by the doctor's statment at the end. However, when it comes to generalizing one's own being, it can be difficult and it isnt really fair to do so.
I totally agreed with the author that trying to make people choose one 'little box' that encompasses their whole identity can be offensive and is often difficult for the person. I don't thing a person's identity can be confined to one thing or one box. I also agree with Nick that generalizing and forcing somebody to put their whole identity into one category can cause divisions and social problems.
I feel that defining someone by just little boxes can be misleading. In my group, we had a debate about whether or not people from Spain/Portugal should be considered Hispanic or Caucasian. Also, I was born a Catholic but do not agree with a lot of the Catholic views. This means that when I try to check off my religion it becomes not only confusing but controversial. I feel that defining a person using little boxes is a very poor representation of their true self. I also agree with Tara that generalizing can be offensive and appear judgemental.
I believe when filling out an application, you are limiting yourself. Similar to Anthony's explaination about identity and where he came from-he had a different lifestyle because of his Latina mother, and his father who is white, Asian with Irish roots while living in New York City. He never really knew who he was. I agree with Matt's statement about sticking to one label in a box, you are limiting yourself.
The author brings up the prospect that although there may be a box that represents what is seen on the outside, it doesn't necessarily agree with what is on the inside. His example of a person who is white by birth but who grows up in the Black inner city and adopts that culture really made me consider what it means to check off a box. I agree with Mike that trying to confine oneself to a single box is controversial and is a poor representation of one's identity.
The author brings up the prospect that although there may be a box that represents what is seen on the outside, it doesn't necessarily agree with what is on the inside. His example of a person who is white by birth but who grows up in the Black inner city and adopts that culture really made me consider what it means to check off a box. I agree with Mike that trying to confine oneself to a single box is controversial and is a poor representation of one's identity.
I think that if you stick to one label in a box it's hard when you hail from a variety of backgrounds. I don't have this kind of trouble because I hail from Romania however my Identity was formed differently when I came here and grew up. Yet I still at occasional times thought who would I have been if I grew up in my country of origin.
I agree with the author on how forcing one to check off a little box resembling their identity can be very offensive. Although I have not had this problem, I can understand why this may be very difficult for someone who has a diverse background.
I agree with Nick's comment that generalizing can cause and identity crisis and lead to being very offensive.
I agree with the author’s statement saying that he doesn’t deserve to be generalized or classified, because he knows himself well enough to know that his entire identity cannot be defined by his race. He realizes that therefore, he cannot generalize others based on their race, because their identity goes far beyond just their race and the generalizations associated with their race.
I agree with Pat’s comment that some people may find it offensive by being forced to check off a box on an application or survey to represent their identity when they have a very diverse background.
I agree with the author in that it can most certainly be a confusing and frustrating experience when you are forced to reduce your ethnicities to one little box. It is however difficult to relate because i've never had to think twice about checking my box, being 100% caucasian. Although i can relate to Mike, as i was raised catholic, but do not agree with many catholic beliefs, so i often hesitate whether or not to check catholic as my religion
I think that having to generalize your identity to a predetermined box, puts your identity in crisis because it defines a person to a general identity and nothing else. People’s identities are more complex than just a list of different boxes with different nationalities. Generalizing does not allow a person to express themselves as the person they truly are. Not all people fit in perfectly to a box to be checked and it is not fair to them to have to generalize their identity, if it isn’t their true identity. I agree with Mike because trying to define a person by the box they may check is confusing and controversial and also not fair because most boxes are too general and forces people to define their identity to only the choices listed and to be able to show who they really are.
I also agreed with Mike Ceruolo in saying that it is a difficult thing to deal with when you have to limit yourself to one ethnicity and not wanting to have to choose within yourself if your a variety of ethnicities. I was in his group and I didn't concider being Portuguese hispanic. My father is 100% portuguese and most certainly not concidered a hispanic. But this was very relateable to me being 50% Portuguese and 25% Puerto Rican, I wouldnt want to show favorism to one ethnicity.
I agree with the author that being forced to check off one box can often be very difficult because often that one box only stands for a small part of yourself, and by being forced to check off one box can often categorize you into the masses, taking away the feeling of individuality. The author of this book feels that by having to define himself by one box, gives a poor and inaccurate depiction of oneself and often leads to a lack of self identity, I agree with mike in that using boxes to define someone often leads to a misunderstanding and an inaccurate portrayal of oneself.
i agree with the author of "little boxes." For some people i is a hard decision o decide which box is theres and which one does or doesn't describe them. Because of this problem, some people allow these boxes to change their identity.
I agree with Mike, sometimes with certain questions it can be vwery hard to decide which one to check.
18 comments:
I think that if you stick to one label in a box it's hard when you hail from a variety of backrounds. I don't have this kind of trouble because I hail from Romania however my Identity was formed differently when I came here and grew up. Yet I still at occastional times thought who would I have been if I grew up in my country of origion.
I agree with Mr. Wright and what he says in his story about the offensiveness of generalizing people based off of anything that has to do with their appearance or name. And there should be more options for the "little boxes", and people like Mr. Wright should not have to check 'Hispanic' when they are 'Ecuadorian'.
Like Matt, I have also not had as much of a problem when identifying myself using the little boxes, but even so, whenever it is required, and I know that I will choose Caucasian anyway, I still hesitate and read through all the options thoroughly, though there aren't many.
I agree with the author and how he says that generalizing can lead to an identity crisis for many people and can be offensive. This is especially true for people who come from a multitude of backgrounds and shouldn't be confined to a box that says they are from just one.
I agree with Matt when he says its hard to stick to one label when you come from a combination of backgrounds
I agree with what Nick said about the idea that generalizing can cause crisis, especially in regards to people with many different backgrounds. People like to generalize because it helps them to make sense of the world, as stated by the doctor's statment at the end. However, when it comes to generalizing one's own being, it can be difficult and it isnt really fair to do so.
I totally agreed with the author that trying to make people choose one 'little box' that encompasses their whole identity can be offensive and is often difficult for the person. I don't thing a person's identity can be confined to one thing or one box. I also agree with Nick that generalizing and forcing somebody to put their whole identity into one category can cause divisions and social problems.
I feel that defining someone by just little boxes can be misleading. In my group, we had a debate about whether or not people from Spain/Portugal should be considered Hispanic or Caucasian. Also, I was born a Catholic but do not agree with a lot of the Catholic views. This means that when I try to check off my religion it becomes not only confusing but controversial. I feel that defining a person using little boxes is a very poor representation of their true self. I also agree with Tara that generalizing can be offensive and appear judgemental.
I believe when filling out an application, you are limiting yourself. Similar to Anthony's explaination about identity and where he came from-he had a different lifestyle because of his Latina mother, and his father who is white, Asian with Irish roots while living in New York City. He never really knew who he was. I agree with Matt's statement about sticking to one label in a box, you are limiting yourself.
The author brings up the prospect that although there may be a box that represents what is seen on the outside, it doesn't necessarily agree with what is on the inside. His example of a person who is white by birth but who grows up in the Black inner city and adopts that culture really made me consider what it means to check off a box. I agree with Mike that trying to confine oneself to a single box is controversial and is a poor representation of one's identity.
The author brings up the prospect that although there may be a box that represents what is seen on the outside, it doesn't necessarily agree with what is on the inside. His example of a person who is white by birth but who grows up in the Black inner city and adopts that culture really made me consider what it means to check off a box. I agree with Mike that trying to confine oneself to a single box is controversial and is a poor representation of one's identity.
I think that if you stick to one label in a box it's hard when you hail from a variety of backgrounds. I don't have this kind of trouble because I hail from Romania however my Identity was formed differently when I came here and grew up. Yet I still at occasional times thought who would I have been if I grew up in my country of origin.
I agree with the author on how forcing one to check off a little box resembling their identity can be very offensive. Although I have not had this problem, I can understand why this may be very difficult for someone who has a diverse background.
I agree with Nick's comment that generalizing can cause and identity crisis and lead to being very offensive.
I agree with the author’s statement saying that he doesn’t deserve to be generalized or classified, because he knows himself well enough to know that his entire identity cannot be defined by his race. He realizes that therefore, he cannot generalize others based on their race, because their identity goes far beyond just their race and the generalizations associated with their race.
I agree with Pat’s comment that some people may find it offensive by being forced to check off a box on an application or survey to represent their identity when they have a very diverse background.
I agree with the author in that it can most certainly be a confusing and frustrating experience when you are forced to reduce your ethnicities to one little box. It is however difficult to relate because i've never had to think twice about checking my box, being 100% caucasian.
Although i can relate to Mike, as i was raised catholic, but do not agree with many catholic beliefs, so i often hesitate whether or not to check catholic as my religion
I think that having to generalize your identity to a predetermined box, puts your identity in crisis because it defines a person to a general identity and nothing else. People’s identities are more complex than just a list of different boxes with different nationalities. Generalizing does not allow a person to express themselves as the person they truly are. Not all people fit in perfectly to a box to be checked and it is not fair to them to have to generalize their identity, if it isn’t their true identity.
I agree with Mike because trying to define a person by the box they may check is confusing and controversial and also not fair because most boxes are too general and forces people to define their identity to only the choices listed and to be able to show who they really are.
I also agreed with Mike Ceruolo in saying that it is a difficult thing to deal with when you have to limit yourself to one ethnicity and not wanting to have to choose within yourself if your a variety of ethnicities. I was in his group and I didn't concider being Portuguese hispanic. My father is 100% portuguese and most certainly not concidered a hispanic. But this was very relateable to me being 50% Portuguese and 25% Puerto Rican, I wouldnt want to show favorism to one ethnicity.
I agree with the author that being forced to check off one box can often be very difficult because often that one box only stands for a small part of yourself, and by being forced to check off one box can often categorize you into the masses, taking away the feeling of individuality. The author of this book feels that by having to define himself by one box, gives a poor and inaccurate depiction of oneself and often leads to a lack of self identity, I agree with mike in that using boxes to define someone often leads to a misunderstanding and an inaccurate portrayal of oneself.
i agree with the author of "little boxes." For some people i is a hard decision o decide which box is theres and which one does or doesn't describe them. Because of this problem, some people allow these boxes to change their identity.
I agree with Mike, sometimes with certain questions it can be vwery hard to decide which one to check.
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