This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Monday, September 10, 2012
PERIOD 4 - 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.
45 comments:
Anthony Phillips
said...
Although it was hard for me to relate to the story because all I need to do to classify myself is put a check mark in the box with the word white next to it, I still found it interesting in the sense that the options weren’t detailed enough to describe him. The question that I thought about in the most depth was “when does a special designation become a box that limits a person?” If the boxes are meant for identification purposes why there isn’t a section for the different sections of Asia because for example Western Asia is not alike to the other regions of Asia but there is usually only one box for all of Asia.
I thought that this article little boxes was a perfect example of how some people feel today. Some people may be too afraid to be called something or maybe they are scared of how their peers might react. I think little boxes was a good example that there shouldn't be a single box to classify someone because it limits that person and he said it the article.
Anthony Wright was multiple ethnicity's so it was hard for him to define who he was by simply making a check in a little box. He was Hispanic, White, and Asian so it he felt he was unable to choose which of these defined him as a person. Anthony had to end up accepting who he was as a person and giving credit to all the parts that made him up. So in the end Anthony felt the little boxes were to general and were a barrier for the person he was and wanted to be.
I agree with what Anthony said how there is usually one box for that whole continent but if it came to a situation where you had multiple back grounds and you didn't want to be classified as 1 race or something then that may limit you but can also be your own problem.
The article Little Boxes that we read in class today dealt with the unfortunate fact that people in todays world make immediate assumptions about a persons ethnicity. Because there are so few options of boxes to check off, people have to be general in either saying they are "white", "black", "hispanic" etc. This generalization causes false assumptions to be made, because there are many stereotypes, good or bad, that go along with particular ethnicity groups.
The article "Little Boxes" was about the issue of judging people based off their ethnicity and the stereotypes that go along with it. Anthony Wright specifically talks about the fact that he is not sure which box to check off on the race category. Anthony is Hispanic, Asian, White, and Irish; Therefore, when these boxes appear on things like the census or job interview sheets he doesn't know which box to check off. He also may not know how to act because he isn't just a part of one culture, he is part of many. I think that people shouldn't need to fill in race boxes because we should be judged off who we are not what we are.
I agree with what Kyle said about the fact that the generalizations of a certain ethnicity causes false assumptions, due to the stereotypes that acompany these groups.
Similar to Anthony Phillips, I could not personally relate to “Little Boxes” because I am able to check off one specific box without any overlaps of multiple ethnicities. While reading the article though, I could completely understand Anthony Wright’s dilemma because it made him question who he was and which of the many ethnicities fit him best. Since it is not a distinct choice for him, it must be confusing to have to consider one over the other. Although ideally it would be best to not have to fill out that section, I also understand why it is necessary at times, because in most situations like college applications, or health forms, they do not ask to be racist in any way, but to show an individual’s unique quality. In his case, there should be an “other” box, an option to check off more than one box, or a fill in the blank.
I felt that the article "Little Boxes" really captured how people sometimes feel nowadays. Even though it is somewhat easy for me to check off these boxes myself, I understand why people feel unsure. These boxes should not be what defines people today. I feel, after reading much more into this article, that those boxes really limit people's personas. Someone may very well have African American, Irish, and Hispanic roots. So how would they show that with a checked off box? These boxes force people to limit themselves, when they shouldn't be.
“Little Boxes” demonstrates how difficult it is to classify a person into one category when many of us fall under two or more categories. Anthony felt isolated because he did not fit in anywhere in society or in the ethnicity boxes. He had trouble identifying who he was because the ethnicity box only wanted one answer. It was wonderful how he now feels comfortable enough to put “other” and thoroughly explain his identity. He is proud of his heritage even though he does not always feel comfortable in situations he is in, for example, his school. He wants others to know who he truly is and by checking off the “other” box, he is achieving it.
I somewhat agree with Annie. I believe that the current system of ethnicity boxes is not effective enough. In order to be more precise i think that you should be able to check off multiple boxes or even explain in paragraph form what your identity is.
I agree with Sean Corcoran when he said “Anthony felt the little boxes were to general and were a barrier for the person he was and wanted to be” because I think that the little box itself was a metaphor for him feeling limited to his choices, and feeling like he was “boxed in”.
This article "Little Boxes"is a prime example on how some kids feel today about their ethnicity. Anthony (the writer) was a mix of races and when he had to fill out boxes that described his ethnicty he found out that he couldnt decide what he was. This story brings up valid points on how we shouldnt try and characterize people in such broad terms becuase there are people that are out there that dont fit these little boxes.
I guess I never really thought about it the way the author did. I just kind of checked the little box and went on with my life, but they really do group you with people you might not want to be grouped with, or people you don't identify with. A single box shouldn't define a person.
Little Boxes was an opinion piece that I felt was very interesting and addressed a point that really made me question the reason and accuracy of those sections. This article addresses the fact that people’s identity and ethnicity cannot be contained into a cm by cm box. Anthony Wright felt strange when answering these sections because of his very diverse ethnic background. I felt that this story opened my eyes to the problem of generalizing people by “asian” or “hispanic”. I believe that little boxes addressed a very important situation and Anthony Wright has the right to feel upset or confused by the idea of generalizing people using little check boxes.
“Little Boxes” was an interesting piece to read because it really had me thinking in a different perspective. To me I have never thought twice about what box to check or what would be made of it. Along with me I guarantee a lot of whites don’t think twice about it either. However if I was all different ethnicity what would I put. In society today many people are often judging other races, although we do not like to think so it does happen. Therefore I would consider what ethnicity is less looked down upon and put that one. This article has opened my eyes to thinking that although the boxes may be to help minority they also change a person being true to themselves.
In response to Anthony, I agree that this article changed my thought towards what the boxes meant. It is so true that one box could mean so many different things. Although they mean different things they stereotypical view on this ethnicity could cause a negative thought towards what the person checks off.
Although I do not relate to this story, I feel that it's more than just checking off a certain box, but more of who other people want you to be and who you think you should be. This person had trouble checking a box because he was unsure about who he really was, and at the same time didn't want other people to judge him based on which box he checked. People are so worried about what others will think of them, that they forget who they really are
I think that the article is right about how the classification boxes could make a person feel as if he or she does not fit if not placed any either box. I may not be making any sense I just came from a xc meet and am exhausted.
I think "Little Boxes" was a great article that made you think. I never really have to think on which box i have to check off, i just do it. When I read this I came to realize that this is what some people must struggle with when they fill out documents. The options are so limited that there is sometimes no way to classify yourself. I feel like some people are confused on what to check off when it comes to such limitation. I felt bad for Anthony Wright because i feel like he couldn't identify himself and he was also confused on what to even categorize himself as. At the end of the article, it made me think about how many options aren't even an option.
I think that the article is right about how the classification boxes could make a person feel as if he or she does not fit if not placed any either box. I may not be making any sense I just came from a xc meet and am exhausted.
I agree with Zachs comment about how at first the guy was afraid and uncomfortable of putting his ethnicity down in the box because he felt different and out of place but now feels confident in himself. I feel that Zach did a good job of explaining what this story is truly about
I think that Anthony Wright shares his problem with many people. Checking off boxes is not a simple task. Although he was Hispanic, Asian, English, and Irish; he had to choose one box to describe himself. He also could not describe his wealth or education in one word. He saw himself as very complicated in these categories and had a hard time checking off the boxes. I thought this article described how many people feel when checking off boxes about themselves.
“Little Boxes” is an example of how people are classified and profiled in today’s society. Anthony Wright had several ethnic backgrounds and he felt it was difficult to define himself by only checking off one box. He felt that the boxes were to vague and by only checking off one, he would be generalized only as that specific race or culture. I have never really thought about this because I only have to check off one box, but after reading this, I can see how this can be difficult for people with multiple racial backgrounds.
I agree with Kyle in that these generalizations can cause prejudice or stereotypes by simply checking off a box. They should consider adding more boxes to prevent this generalization or just get rid of these boxes all together.
Reading "Little Boxes" made me think not only about how Anthony feels when he checks off boxes, but how he feels in everyday life. It reminded me a lot of the book "Brave New World" which I am reading in English class in which there is a white boy being raised among Native Americans. He is often left out of the sacred ceremonies because he is different even though he has been raised among the Natives his whole life. I wonder if Anthony was excluded by his peers because he didn't really fit into the categories of White, Hispanic, or Asian. I know he said a lot of other Hispanics did not really consider him to be Hispanic, but I wonder if other teenagers felt this way towards him as well.
I agree with Anthony Phillips. I also had a hard time personally relating to the story because I am not of mixed race. For this reason I was not really able to emphasize with Anthony Wright, but I did learn a new side of being of mixed race which I will carry with me.
"Little Boxes" demonstrated how much society classifies people into narrow categories that don't truly describe who they are. Before reading this I had never thought much about the boxes that you check off on surveys,forms, etc. because I do not have as much diversity as Anthony Wright does. I am a white female and both my parents are Irish. However, after reading it i realized that those classifications are not enough to describe the person that I think I am, and for some people it does not describe them accurately at all.
In response to Dhayna Fajardo, I agree with you that it is unfortunate that many people are limited by what the options of the boxes are, and I think it is especially unfortunate for those that don't fit into any category, such as Anthony Wright.
Anthony Wright’s identity was being threatened by the specification of what his ethnicity truly is versus how he appears and how he is stereotyped based on his appearance. Since he doesn’t look like someone of his ethnicity, those around him generalize him solely based on what they think. The story highlights this problem and directs attention towards the ignorance of those who stereotype people based on their appearance rather than the content of their character.
This article was right about how people feel as if they don’t know what to check, It can be very difficult on the person if they really don’t know what to identify themselves. Especially with people with many racial backgrounds and this article really made you think about how some people struggle to pick a box, just like Anthony Wright he had three different backgrounds and he didn’t know which to choose from. It really had to you thinking that some people also feel like if they don’t check a certain box then they wouldn’t “fit in”
In response to Stacy's post, I agree that checking off the boxes made Anthony unsure of who he really was, and that he was worried about how he would be judged based on this.
I think that the article "little boxes" really showed how people are often categorized just by how they look or by what race they are. People often never think about who that person actually is, what their personality is like, or what they might do to suprise you on a daily basis. People cannot be classified just by checking off a box that shows what race they are, and this article shows that by using the character Anthony Wright
In response to Alaa's post, I agree that it is hard for people to classify themselves into one box. i think that they should have a small paragraph written describing who they are and their background.
This article perfectly exemplifies the point that we are all different in many ways and that we cannot be identified by any one characteristic like race. Anthony Wright is someone who cannot simply check off one box to define himself as one type of person and in the real world, none of us can. We all are diverse, complex people with our own characteristics and personalities, and we should not be limited to defining ourselves in one specific category because it simply is not possible. The article "Little Boxes" makes this very clear and shows all of us that we are all different and unique and shows how we should stick to who we are in that sense.
In response to Randy Belcufine's post: I agree with what Randy said about how Anthony's identity was being threatened by essentially the existence of the little boxes and what they represented. It was hard for Anthony to stay true to who he was and define who he was when he had to check off a certain box with a specific race, so his identity definitely was threatened.
@Matt LaMountain. I didn’t think of it at first as a way to stereotype but now that I think about it many studies come from forms with a section alike to this. The studies thus lead to stereotyping in which people feel even safer stereotyping because there is evidence to support it.
Jack Curtis said... I agree with Zach about the fact that you should be able to check off more than one box. I think the article did a good job of showing that some people can't define themselves by one race. I think that as the United States becomes more diverse there will be more cases like Anthony's so it will be harder to classiffy a person in one box.
I agree with Kyle Lemack because of the general terms of the boxes it causes people to judge people. Which leads to people having false assumptions on who they areas a person.
it was a little hard to relate to this story because i see myself as white and i don't struggle when i have to check off a box. this story was definiely eye opening and i twas interesting to see someone elses opinion.
45 comments:
Although it was hard for me to relate to the story because all I need to do to classify myself is put a check mark in the box with the word white next to it, I still found it interesting in the sense that the options weren’t detailed enough to describe him. The question that I thought about in the most depth was “when does a special designation become a box that limits a person?” If the boxes are meant for identification purposes why there isn’t a section for the different sections of Asia because for example Western Asia is not alike to the other regions of Asia but there is usually only one box for all of Asia.
I thought that this article little boxes was a perfect example of how some people feel today. Some people may be too afraid to be called something or maybe they are scared of how their peers might react. I think little boxes was a good example that there shouldn't be a single box to classify someone because it limits that person and he said it the article.
Anthony Wright was multiple ethnicity's so it was hard for him to define who he was by simply making a check in a little box. He was Hispanic, White, and Asian so it he felt he was unable to choose which of these defined him as a person. Anthony had to end up accepting who he was as a person and giving credit to all the parts that made him up. So in the end Anthony felt the little boxes were to general and were a barrier for the person he was and wanted to be.
I agree with what Anthony said how there is usually one box for that whole continent but if it came to a situation where you had multiple back grounds and you didn't want to be classified as 1 race or something then that may limit you but can also be your own problem.
The article Little Boxes that we read in class today dealt with the unfortunate fact that people in todays world make immediate assumptions about a persons ethnicity. Because there are so few options of boxes to check off, people have to be general in either saying they are "white", "black", "hispanic" etc. This generalization causes false assumptions to be made, because there are many stereotypes, good or bad, that go along with particular ethnicity groups.
The article "Little Boxes" was about the issue of judging people based off their ethnicity and the stereotypes that go along with it. Anthony Wright specifically talks about the fact that he is not sure which box to check off on the race category. Anthony is Hispanic, Asian, White, and Irish; Therefore, when these boxes appear on things like the census or job interview sheets he doesn't know which box to check off. He also may not know how to act because he isn't just a part of one culture, he is part of many. I think that people shouldn't need to fill in race boxes because we should be judged off who we are not what we are.
I agree with what Kyle said about the fact that the generalizations of a certain ethnicity causes false assumptions, due to the stereotypes that acompany these groups.
Similar to Anthony Phillips, I could not personally relate to “Little Boxes” because I am able to check off one specific box without any overlaps of multiple ethnicities. While reading the article though, I could completely understand Anthony Wright’s dilemma because it made him question who he was and which of the many ethnicities fit him best. Since it is not a distinct choice for him, it must be confusing to have to consider one over the other. Although ideally it would be best to not have to fill out that section, I also understand why it is necessary at times, because in most situations like college applications, or health forms, they do not ask to be racist in any way, but to show an individual’s unique quality. In his case, there should be an “other” box, an option to check off more than one box, or a fill in the blank.
I felt that the article "Little Boxes" really captured how people sometimes feel nowadays. Even though it is somewhat easy for me to check off these boxes myself, I understand why people feel unsure. These boxes should not be what defines people today. I feel, after reading much more into this article, that those boxes really limit people's personas. Someone may very well have African American, Irish, and Hispanic roots. So how would they show that with a checked off box? These boxes force people to limit themselves, when they shouldn't be.
“Little Boxes” demonstrates how difficult it is to classify a person into one category when many of us fall under two or more categories. Anthony felt isolated because he did not fit in anywhere in society or in the ethnicity boxes. He had trouble identifying who he was because the ethnicity box only wanted one answer. It was wonderful how he now feels comfortable enough to put “other” and thoroughly explain his identity. He is proud of his heritage even though he does not always feel comfortable in situations he is in, for example, his school. He wants others to know who he truly is and by checking off the “other” box, he is achieving it.
I somewhat agree with Annie. I believe that the current system of ethnicity boxes is not effective enough. In order to be more precise i think that you should be able to check off multiple boxes or even explain in paragraph form what your identity is.
I agree with Sean Corcoran when he said “Anthony felt the little boxes were to general and were a barrier for the person he was and wanted to be” because I think that the little box itself was a metaphor for him feeling limited to his choices, and feeling like he was “boxed in”.
This article "Little Boxes"is a prime example on how some kids feel today about their ethnicity. Anthony (the writer) was a mix of races and when he had to fill out boxes that described his ethnicty he found out that he couldnt decide what he was. This story brings up valid points on how we shouldnt try and characterize people in such broad terms becuase there are people that are out there that dont fit these little boxes.
I agree with Sean. The little boxes made Anthony unsure on who he was and so it indeed did make a barrier from being the person he wanted to be.
I guess I never really thought about it the way the author did. I just kind of checked the little box and went on with my life, but they really do group you with people you might not want to be grouped with, or people you don't identify with. A single box shouldn't define a person.
Little Boxes was an opinion piece that I felt was very interesting and addressed a point that really made me question the reason and accuracy of those sections. This article addresses the fact that people’s identity and ethnicity cannot be contained into a cm by cm box. Anthony Wright felt strange when answering these sections because of his very diverse ethnic background. I felt that this story opened my eyes to the problem of generalizing people by “asian” or “hispanic”. I believe that little boxes addressed a very important situation and Anthony Wright has the right to feel upset or confused by the idea of generalizing people using little check boxes.
“Little Boxes” was an interesting piece to read because it really had me thinking in a different perspective. To me I have never thought twice about what box to check or what would be made of it. Along with me I guarantee a lot of whites don’t think twice about it either. However if I was all different ethnicity what would I put. In society today many people are often judging other races, although we do not like to think so it does happen. Therefore I would consider what ethnicity is less looked down upon and put that one. This article has opened my eyes to thinking that although the boxes may be to help minority they also change a person being true to themselves.
In response to Anthony, I agree that this article changed my thought towards what the boxes meant. It is so true that one box could mean so many different things. Although they mean different things they stereotypical view on this ethnicity could cause a negative thought towards what the person checks off.
Although I do not relate to this story, I feel that it's more than just checking off a certain box, but more of who other people want you to be and who you think you should be. This person had trouble checking a box because he was unsure about who he really was, and at the same time didn't want other people to judge him based on which box he checked. People are so worried about what others will think of them, that they forget who they really are
I think that the article is right about how the classification boxes could make a person feel as if he or she does not fit if not placed any either box. I may not be making any sense I just came from a xc meet and am exhausted.
I think "Little Boxes" was a great article that made you think. I never really have to think on which box i have to check off, i just do it. When I read this I came to realize that this is what some people must struggle with when they fill out documents. The options are so limited that there is sometimes no way to classify yourself. I feel like some people are confused on what to check off when it comes to such limitation. I felt bad for Anthony Wright because i feel like he couldn't identify himself and he was also confused on what to even categorize himself as. At the end of the article, it made me think about how many options aren't even an option.
I think that the article is right about how the classification boxes could make a person feel as if he or she does not fit if not placed any either box. I may not be making any sense I just came from a xc meet and am exhausted.
I agree with Zachs comment about how at first the guy was afraid and uncomfortable of putting his ethnicity down in the box because he felt different and out of place but now feels confident in himself. I feel that Zach did a good job of explaining what this story is truly about
I Agree with Annie King with the fact the little boxes shouldn't even be an option because in this point in time, it shouldn't matter.
I think that Anthony Wright shares his problem with many people. Checking off boxes is not a simple task. Although he was Hispanic, Asian, English, and Irish; he had to choose one box to describe himself. He also could not describe his wealth or education in one word. He saw himself as very complicated in these categories and had a hard time checking off the boxes. I thought this article described how many people feel when checking off boxes about themselves.
I agree with Sarah's post. These boxes really limit people to who they are.
“Little Boxes” is an example of how people are classified and profiled in today’s society. Anthony Wright had several ethnic backgrounds and he felt it was difficult to define himself by only checking off one box. He felt that the boxes were to vague and by only checking off one, he would be generalized only as that specific race or culture. I have never really thought about this because I only have to check off one box, but after reading this, I can see how this can be difficult for people with multiple racial backgrounds.
I agree with Kyle in that these generalizations can cause prejudice or stereotypes by simply checking off a box. They should consider adding more boxes to prevent this generalization or just get rid of these boxes all together.
Reading "Little Boxes" made me think not only about how Anthony feels when he checks off boxes, but how he feels in everyday life. It reminded me a lot of the book "Brave New World" which I am reading in English class in which there is a white boy being raised among Native Americans. He is often left out of the sacred ceremonies because he is different even though he has been raised among the Natives his whole life. I wonder if Anthony was excluded by his peers because he didn't really fit into the categories of White, Hispanic, or Asian. I know he said a lot of other Hispanics did not really consider him to be Hispanic, but I wonder if other teenagers felt this way towards him as well.
I agree with Anthony Phillips. I also had a hard time personally relating to the story because I am not of mixed race. For this reason I was not really able to emphasize with Anthony Wright, but I did learn a new side of being of mixed race which I will carry with me.
"Little Boxes" demonstrated how much society classifies people into narrow categories that don't truly describe who they are. Before reading this I had never thought much about the boxes that you check off on surveys,forms, etc. because I do not have as much diversity as Anthony Wright does. I am a white female and both my parents are Irish. However, after reading it i realized that those classifications are not enough to describe the person that I think I am, and for some people it does not describe them accurately at all.
In response to Dhayna Fajardo,
I agree with you that it is unfortunate that many people are limited by what the options of the boxes are, and I think it is especially unfortunate for those that don't fit into any category, such as Anthony Wright.
Anthony Wright’s identity was being threatened by the specification of what his ethnicity truly is versus how he appears and how he is stereotyped based on his appearance. Since he doesn’t look like someone of his ethnicity, those around him generalize him solely based on what they think. The story highlights this problem and directs attention towards the ignorance of those who stereotype people based on their appearance rather than the content of their character.
This article was right about how people feel as if they don’t know what to check, It can be very difficult on the person if they really don’t know what to identify themselves. Especially with people with many racial backgrounds and this article really made you think about how some people struggle to pick a box, just like Anthony Wright he had three different backgrounds and he didn’t know which to choose from. It really had to you thinking that some people also feel like if they don’t check a certain box then they wouldn’t “fit in”
In response to Stacy's post,
I agree that checking off the boxes made Anthony unsure of who he really was, and that he was worried about how he would be judged based on this.
I think that the article "little boxes" really showed how people are often categorized just by how they look or by what race they are. People often never think about who that person actually is, what their personality is like, or what they might do to suprise you on a daily basis. People cannot be classified just by checking off a box that shows what race they are, and this article shows that by using the character Anthony Wright
In response to Alaa's post,
I agree that it is hard for people to classify themselves into one box. i think that they should have a small paragraph written describing who they are and their background.
This article perfectly exemplifies the point that we are all different in many ways and that we cannot be identified by any one characteristic like race. Anthony Wright is someone who cannot simply check off one box to define himself as one type of person and in the real world, none of us can. We all are diverse, complex people with our own characteristics and personalities, and we should not be limited to defining ourselves in one specific category because it simply is not possible. The article "Little Boxes" makes this very clear and shows all of us that we are all different and unique and shows how we should stick to who we are in that sense.
In response to Randy Belcufine's post:
I agree with what Randy said about how Anthony's identity was being threatened by essentially the existence of the little boxes and what they represented. It was hard for Anthony to stay true to who he was and define who he was when he had to check off a certain box with a specific race, so his identity definitely was threatened.
@Matt LaMountain. I didn’t think of it at first as a way to stereotype but now that I think about it many studies come from forms with a section alike to this. The studies thus lead to stereotyping in which people feel even safer stereotyping because there is evidence to support it.
Jack Curtis said...
I agree with Zach about the fact that you should be able to check off more than one box. I think the article did a good job of showing that some people can't define themselves by one race. I think that as the United States becomes more diverse there will be more cases like Anthony's so it will be harder to classiffy a person in one box.
I agree with Kyle Lemack because of the general terms of the boxes it causes people to judge people. Which leads to people having false assumptions on who they areas a person.
it was a little hard to relate to this story because i see myself as white and i don't struggle when i have to check off a box. this story was definiely eye opening and i twas interesting to see someone elses opinion.
i agree with zach that it is difficult to classify a person as one thing because many people have several backgrounds.
I was absent this day.
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