Social Codes

We had a lot of fun that night—prom. Upon leaving she walked briskly ahead about three feet in front of me. That is when, in front of a dozen or so people, she tripped on her high heels and long, sleek red dress. She sat there on the ground laughing without a care in the world. Maybe that’s why she seems so attractive to me.

As she sat on the ground, society typically would laugh. Frankly, that’s exactly what society did. Rather than feeling shunned and embarrassed, her apathy became her freedom. By not caring of what everyone else thought about her the tension so commonly appearing between the individual and society never came to be.

-

Sitting in the CGS hallway outside Ms. Bilodeau’s room, it’s 7:18 am just before first period. Look left and see a cluster of CGS students outside Ms. Parham’s room. Look right and see an abundance of minor BMHS groups circumnavigating the hallways. We are caught in between. We are the bridge through the cultural divide.

Brien McMahon and CGS, together forming somewhat of a bipartisan school, has one commonality in the social code—conformity. Often CGS stays within itself; McMahon does the same. One or the other. Pick a side. We few stand in the middle. Though we are comparatively few in number we have adopted our own chosen stance—working for a tripartisan school.

-

Walking back from the servery, having just grabbed a slice of greasy, cold, overpriced pizza, a docile girl sped by me. She was attractive. Inquiring why salad was her daily meal, I called out to her in puzzlement.

“Because I’m on a diet.” she responded.

“But I told you, you’re in great shape. You work out all the time.”

“Okay, be honest. Do you think I’m fat?”

“NO!”

Every day she asked me that question. Every day I gave her the same answer. Knowing her for three years, I quickly learned she loved to eat. It isn’t so much that she worries of being overweight; she worries about what other people might think of her. I know this. She is trapped in the web of common societal understanding and belief and by herself she’s not strong enough to escape.

-

No one likes warm-ups in gym class, that is, except for one. After ditching study hall and joining a few friends in gym they quickly point out to me a particular character in the center of the gym. “Apparently it’s the Olympics in here, bro.” He was stretching on his own, headphones in. Jog down-and-back turned into a sprint. High knees turned into higher knees. Ten push-ups turned into thirty. And while we were mocking his “try-hard” nature on the side the rest of the gym classes did too. All he could here though was his own music.

“It’s just gym.” Those were the words of one PE teacher. Those were also the words of nearly every other student in proximity. That kid became an outcast nearly every day for not conforming. To everyone he’s “that kid that goes hard in gym.” It’s a hole society built around him that he may dread every day—by being looked negatively upon by those around him.

-

I left for Rowayton midway through fourth period. I needed to get the Chemistry homework from a friend. To the housemaster there are four sections in the cafeteria of which would be called up to eat in any random order: 1, 2, 3 (where I sit), and 4. But to us students, there’s only 1, 2, 3, and Rowayton. Everyone knows where Rowayton is. Wherever you find a few young and wealthy high school boys in khakis, Rowayton is not far away. It never changed.

Rowayton stayed within itself. It takes a few years to be fully inducted as a member of the family. Where you live helps. Social status helps. And some wealth helps your social status. Regardless, it was a VIP club where few people came and went.

-

He walks from class to class hunched over because of the weight of his backpack. His t-shirt (which is a little too tight) is tucked into his jeans at the belly-button. On his belt is a clip to hold his phone. It doesn’t look as if he’d shaved in quite a bit. And as a result, most of Brien McMahon laughs at him (inadvertently).

Clothing is simple at McMahon. The key is conforming. For guys, conforming is a simple, normal top and bottom along with a nice pair of shoes. For girls, it’s makeup, leggings, and any standard, normal top. The boy wore an obscure shoe for McMahon. That means Sketchers or Merrills. He wore a tight shirt that showed his slightly out-of shape figure. He wore a belt clip. His appearance will forever be ridiculed by society. Why is that? Because he didn’t look like everyone else.  

The True Theme Behind Henry David Thoreau's Walden

Page 263 – First Full Paragraph

Though many may think otherwise, Henry David Thoreau exemplifies the overall theme of Walden as he states “if one advances confidently in the nature of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours” (263). Within this paragraph, Thoreau uses his ethos, diction, and an incredible metaphor to put light on the true thesis of his novel.

In this paragraph, Thoreau indirectly recognizes and inevitably admits that the true, most successful lives are not those that endeavor to live in the woods but rather those who endeavor to live the way in which they want to be. Life, then, is valued in the eyes of its beholder. Later, he realizes that if one lives life the way he or she wishes to live it happiness, is inevitable. If you live the life you have always wanted then “solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness.”

Throughout Walden, Thoreau explains his two years, two months, and two day experience in what many today would call solitude. Living out in the woods near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, he thoroughly explains the benefactors of nature without civilization by his discovery of enlightenment, himself, a sense of purpose so called the world. Here he calls it his “experiment” where he “put some things behind” and lived “with the license of a higher order of beings.” In it of itself, this is Thoreau’s story; it is the same story where he gave up society, a home, humanity and countless other relatives of civilization in order to acquire a new outlook on the world, one that let him look past all the fog that lies obstacles in life and, as a result, place himself upon the brightest thinkers humanity has ever seen.

After recognizing his ethos, the reader comes across a use of diction not very common throughout Walden, one that is extremely simple and direct. Thoreau’s word choice is here quite simple, with the most troublesome words possibly being: liberal, proportion, and solitude (Yes, ironically the most troublesome words are hardly at all troublesome). Through his use of simplistic sentence structure and short, sweet sentences, Thoreau established a sort of rhythm that made his paragraph all the more striking. His words and their use hit home and develop a sense of awe.

The last crucial piece of his paragraph lies as what I’d like to call a hanging metaphor, or a metaphor that is not explained but rather sitting there to be, or not be, picked up by the reader: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them” (263). In other words, no aspiration or dream can be too big; all that remains after they are dreamt is the hard work and life required to fulfill that individual’s desires.  

Outsourcing: Bose on How it May Not be Too Catastrophic

Though many would like to argue that outsourcing negatively affects its host country through loss of jobs and a larger wealth gap, Indian architect Apurva Bose reveals a few clues as to why it may not be that bad after all. Making many strong claims, one of the first Bose is makes is that “the outsourcing bandwagon is experiencing unprecedented growth” and that will inevitably force some sort of economic change. This change after all may not be a bad thing, for she also mentions that outsourcing develops strong relationships between companies and between countries and therefore enable cultural exchange. This exchange, entirely due to technological advancement in communication, can happen easily and swiftly as if the two parties were ten minutes down the road from each other.  The last major claim Bose reveals to us is that from outsourcing comes a sense of inter-economic dependency between the two parties. By monopolizing work forces in certain populations outsourcing can unfortunately eradicate any sense of individuality within that field. However, for anyone to understand her claims one must realize the true reason as to why countries like China, Mexico, and India are so attractive to western companies—they provide means of which to hire a cheap workforce and thereby save money for the company.

Apurva Bose’s voice throughout her editorial functioned as a key rhetorical device. Working with her incredibly simple diction, it was able to produce an article appealing to the reader. Though many recognize “outsourcing” as a trigger word, Bose approaches the issue in a very practical manner. She comes across very neutral and extremely sincere, not at all authoritative. By using simple word-choice and an adequate  grammatical structure, Bose enabled herself to become relatable to the reader which could have made a huge difference pertaining to the fact that this editorial was released in London, England.  For example, her juxtaposition of argumentative paragraphs allows the reader to flow from one reason to another and understand how they are connected. Lastly, she personifies outsourcing as something that “seeks the blessings of an unswerving relationship and an understanding between the two parties involved.”      

Egyptian Outsourcing and Offshoring

Throughout the turmoil of present-day Egypt, the offshoring and outsourcing of jobs has inevitably pulled the Egyptian economy to great new heights.Being named the 2010 Offshoring Destination of the Year, the Egyptian economy has never looked so promising. Unfortunately, due to the spreading of jobs outside national borders and rising national unemployment, Egyptians has grown mixed feelings about the system. Run primarily by the private sector, outsourcing and offshoring of jobs have received extreme attacks from the Egyptian media which, not surprisingly biases the Egyptian public. One main reason for the success of the private sector then is that Egypt contains human resources that together “multilingual in 16 different languages” (Egypt’s ICT, Magued Osman). The pure lingual manpower therefore attribute to the success of the Egyptian private sector in many different countries worldwide. Altogether, the chairman of the European Outsourcing Association announced that “[Egypt] has proven itself to be both a strong player for European outsources and a gateway to the Middle East and Africa.” In essence, Egypt’s geographic nature and climate will amount to economic success. Besides oil, the Middle East and most of central to northern Africa does not do much prolific business with countries like China, Japan, Britain, or France. By opening up the Middle East in the international marketplace, Egypt will and has wreaked the rewards other nations had to offer. Therefore, if the current state of Egypt has resulted in varying perceptions and ideas about the outsourcing and offshoring of jobs, private organizations and corporations will continue to help the basis of the Egyptian economy which will give back to the Egyptian people over time through wealth, jobs, and culture.

Ibrahim, Mohamed. "Egypt as a Global Offshoring Destination." Egypt as a Global Offshoring Destination. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

"Egypt Named Offshoring Destination of the Year at the Inaugural European Outsourcing Association Awards." -- BRUSSELS, June 29 /PRNewswire/ --. PR Newswire, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

Osman, Magued. "Egypt's ICT A General Overview." Mcit.gov.eg. Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

Code Switching--Dialectic Speech is Unique to its Own Dialect

Language, through its distinctive and differing forms of expression, can inevitably give a specific class of people a form of identity.  These dialects can be either inclusive or exclusive based on the culture of said group.  One example lies with Formal English, with which this paragraph is written, is a language that can be taught and spoken in almost any defined setting where formality is appropriate.  However, a colloquial slang is a language that is not entirely accepted in any defined setting.  As a teenager in school, one may find that slang is acceptable when Formal English may not.  However, in a formal workplace, slang is not acceptable under any circumstances.   

One example of a formal sentence could be:

The young man became fully enraged and excerpted his anger in a rather grotesque nature.   

How we speak, though its different sometimes, determines who we are.  The languages we speak can welcome or exclude anyone at any given time.  Standard English is one example because it’s the normal English we speak every day.  It’s simply natural.  Then there’s Formal English that has a few gray areas.  In most cases it can be spoken practically anywhere.  But then there are places where it is too quote on quote “formal” for an occasion.  In school Standard English is entirely acceptable because it is literally how we speak.  Formal English may not be acceptable based on the culture of the school you’re in.  In a school like McMahon, where slang is more predominate than formal, Formal English would not be widely accepted. 

One example of a standard sentence could be:

The guy was really mad and he let it all out in a pretty weird way.

How a person talk sometimes different.  But a right cuh would know that your either in or your out.  Thats just how it is.  All these guys speaking formal n’ shit.  Thats for work and stuff bro.  That stuff dont fly around here cuh.  A straight n*gga would know that.  If they think that shit flies then they can come down.  In McMahon you either speak normal or you don’t.  Theres no gray area.
                  

One example of a “slang” sentence could be:

This n*gga was wallin’.  Then he started actin sus as f*ck.

Formal, Standard, and Colloquial English follow suit to a standard societal hierarchy.  It starts at the top with Formal, then goes to the bulk where Standard is, then reaches the bottom with slang.  Society built to look at it that way, its not fair but I mean oh well.  At the peak of the chain, those of formal spoken English regard within their language a set of grammar rules and principles that give them a sense of “formality” and thereby benefit from the social cues of society.  A sense of strict grammar puts a “civilized” look on people.  And then the bottom chain gets nothin’, like they don’t exist.  At the opposite end of the spectrum society grants slang an immature, barbaric label.
 

No matter what we language one speaks in, society place a label upon you.  In Norwalk, those who speak in the “formal” dialect will be deemed well educated and most likely wealthy.  Those who speak with slang will then be labeled less educated and less financially fortunate.  Is this entirely correct in all cases? No.  That is just what label society puts on a particular person.  When writing above, the most difficult to speak was colloquial.  This was puzzling because, in fact, I spend a lot of time around slag at Brien McMahon.  Those who speak in slang have only a handful of words to choose from.  Occasionally, words are made up but, unfortunately the “dictionary of slang” is rather bleak.  In contrast, Formal English is the easier to type in due to its wide array of words to choose from.  Standard English, however, is the easiest simply because it is the dialect I speak in.  In my opinion, Standard English is defined as the common ground between formal and slang; it is the middle class so to speak where the bulk of the population exists.  As you may have noticed in the first paragraph of my Recap I rotated between each dialect with each ongoing sentence.  This form of code switching can be extremely difficult when one is trying to type a complete thought.  Simply put, there are connotations, figures of speech, and just ways of speaking that these dialects don’t share.  Identity then, is granted in how we speak, not in what we say; there is a plurality of methods for one to express their beliefs and they cannot be interchanged between dialects.     

**I apologize if I offended anyone in the writing of this blog.  I do not feel hatred to any race, gender, ethnicity, language, or religion.  This blog is merely acknowledging that how we speak to one another can create communities, cultures, stereotypes, or any other societal trait imaginable. 

                                                                                                                                                         

Lust for Oil--The Everlasting Phenomenon (Bonus Blog)

 Ukraine, as seen in the political map below, is a country rich in oil—the “liquid gold” of the 20^th and 21^st century.  Finding this out frightened me for one significant reason, nearly every Middle Eastern encounter the United States and Russia have played a part in, with or without the other, has been for a lust of today’s oil.  According to recent polls, at the rate of world consumption the Earth will dry up every known oil stockpile by the 2050s.  Big countries like the U.S., Russian Federation, and Republic of China have economies placed on the backs of oil consumption.  If the world was to dry up this nonrenewable resource will devastate almost every country’s economy, especially those with larger populations. 

Reaching back to 1979, what was known as the “White Revolution” was taking place in Iran by it’s supposed Islamic government.  Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi, the shah or king at the time, was placed into power by the U.S. government to combat the previously “Pro-Soviet Union” shah who was supplying Iran’s northern neighbors with tremendous amounts of oil and money.  Pahlavi took control and attempted to “westernize” his Islamic republic.  Causing extreme turmoil and counteraction against his corruption, the Iranian Revolution broke out in 1979 where, unfortunately, several Americans were taken hostage from our embassy.  Have you ever seen Argo? Well, yeah. 

Though the same argument for U.S. lust for oil appeared on several other cases (including the Gulf War and Iran-Iraq War), the Ukrainian conflict is the most similar that the issue explained above.  In both cases, Russia initiated conflict and spread its spheres of influence further so to slowly gain more and more control.  The Crimean region of Ukraine is the province of which the most number of inhabitants are Russian or speak in that same tongue.  On the border of the black sea with huge cities Sevastopol and Simferopol, this region can act as both a port to the Mediterranean Sea and a “reason” for other nearby provinces to join Russia.  In this case, Vladimir Putin, the president of the Russian Federation, took advantage of public distaste for their current ruler (just as the United States did in the years prior to 1979), and gave the Ukrainian people an “alternate” solution.  If Crimea joins Russia, you can count that other close provinces may as well.  But why is this a fear for me, a citizen of the United States? Ever since the dawn of the Cold War, both the U.S. and Russia have been enacting a foreign policy of militarism.  At its climax, a conversation between our president and their prime minister contained the recognition that the U.S can “destroy” Russia “over 3000 times” which was followed closely by “we can [blow you up] only once, but that is [fine] with us.”  Simply put, practically the entire eastern portion of Ukraine is Russian (or speaks Russian).  A supermajority of Ukraine’s largest oil and natural gas fields lie in the East.  And so, Russia has a window to gain. 

What frightens me about the situation is that whenever Russia “infringes upon” another nation’s natural rights, the United States most often plays the role as the “Global Police”.  The military power at hand, if the U.S. and Russia enter a conflict, will be enough to cause world-wide devastation not only to economies but to lives.  A theme has arisen where Vladimir Putin pushes Barack Obama, and Obama puts him back in his place.  Putin is not afraid to challenge America.  That’s what scares me. 

The Bluest Eye Response (#4) -- A Curse or a Crutch

One common theme that arises in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye is the role of society in determining one’s own beliefs.  In the novel, the very first page of the prologue reiterates the story of Dick and Jane repeatedly three times.  Seen today, many look at that piece as one prominent source of gender stereotyping.  In 1970, when Morrison’s book was first published, it may have had a different meaning (but that is for another day).  The key is that this novel introduces stereotypes and forms of judging others right upon the dawn of its first page.  Moments thereafter appear with a similar pattern—cause and effect.  At first, society’s love for the white race puts Claudia, a poor black girl, in a position lacking fortune.  The beloved standard for a little girl has been set and Claudia is not among them.  Cause.  She goes on to receive dolls for Christmas and her birthday.  Instead of treasuring them, she dismantles them tearing their arms in horrid directions and creating a figure found in horror films.  The once cute, white, blue eyed dolls became unsalvageable.  Effect.  Later, Cholly Breedlove falls victim to alcohol and unemployment.  Dating from his misfortunes his family plummets deeper into the hole of poverty they have been entrenched in ever since their migration north.  Cholly put his whole family, especially his daughter Pecola, in a vulnerable position in society.  His sleeping naked and his abuse of his family gives the fangs of society a chance to bite.  Cause.  His son, Sammy, runs away.  His wife, once a hard-nosed, self-respecting woman, turns to becoming a house maid for a source of income; she becomes the servant for a white family, among them a young toddler girl.  Pecola becomes ostracized within school.  She is constantly made fun of and bullied.  Effect.  Soaphead Church marries the love of his life, only to be divorced and heartbroken.  Cause.  He results to child molestation and becomes a sociopath.  Effect.  The point of these scenarios is that society builds a commonality, a stereotype of who you should be.  Claudia, the Breedloves, and Soaphead Church challenge these stereotypes and become separated from society, distanced from the rest of the world.  The human body, its mind and its actions, define how you as a person are viewed by the group.  One commonality among all these examples is that the view, as readers, we display is either sympathy, disgust, or both. We created these perceptions and, in Pecola and Claudia’s cases, the character has no choice but to make do with the situation they adopted upon birth. The opportunity then arises to either abide by society’s beliefs (as Pecola did during a majority of the novel) or ignore them for one’s own sake (as seen through Soaphead Church).  Overall, the novel displays the idea that the body is either a curse or a crutch based off the iron fist of society.  Cause.  The mind, however, is beautiful, because it enables us to be happy despite the scenario we adopted upon birth or misfortune.  Effect.