As a Child
As I child I was told (I’m sure like many), I can be whatever I want. I later learned that it depended on what I actually wanted to be. I have heard that women will never be president. They’re nice to have in positions of government but they are too emotional to be in a position that powerful. As a child I was told that, as long as I work hard I can achieve anything. Later I learned that hard work will get me far but inevitably money and status play a major role in success. I remember hearing as long as you love yourself others will love me too, but if you are fat and ugly……well I better make sure I have a great personality. Although my statement sounds a little extreme, these are dilemmas many people face. Socialization plays a major role on even the most confident and non-traditional person. Yet, the cycle of socialization overtly creeps into people’s lifestyles. For those individuals who try to break apart from their ascribed roles in society often face some scrutiny and may even be ostracized, but they are needed them because they to help promote change. How much does socialization really make who we are? Are we limited to our titles in society? We will try to explore this subject. Growing up in Southern California I didn’t initially think that I was a minority. Growing up around people from Mexico, Cambodia, Philippines and the U.S. I learned that my friends may look and talk different but for the most part we are very similar. We all watched the same cartoons and play on the same playground; where’s the difference? I held this opinion until I was in the third grade and I was sent to Michigan to live with my grandparents while my parents settled their divorce. While living with my grandparents, I was taught that since I was an African-American, life for me would be different, harder. People would assume that I was ignorant because of the color of my skin. They told me I would have to work harder to prove myself. Both of my grandparents were originally from Mississippi and outside of their work environment lived racially, segregated lifestyles. When they would tell me things like that it made me feel confused and frustrated. “Why did I have to work harder?” It didn’t seem fair, why can’t I do the same amount of work as everyone else? As I started school in rural Michigan, I did began to notice a difference in comparison to my home in San Diego (which I later learned was an inner-city).