Keeping
in mind the class discussion on social norms and cultural roles and
expectations, how much freedom do we really have in our
choices/behavior. Please be sure to defend your position.
Due November 15, 2012
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11 comments:
When I was in the sixth grade I had found a box of old books in the garage. One of these books was Captain Blood by Rudolf Sabatini, and the moment I started to read I was entranced. I have read this book throughout the years and as I get older and with every re-read of the book I find something new, not only about the story but about life sometimes. The book is about a 17th century gentleman that through misfortune finds himself convicted of a crime that he did not do, sold into slavery to a Jamaican plantation owner, turns pirate, becomes rich while being hunted throughout the Caribbean and eventually finds love and redemption as well as the govern ship of Port Royale.
The key point in this tale that has shaped my views on “how free are we,” is from a part of the story, just after he is sold into slavery on the Island. The other rebel convicts that arrived with him work in the fields under amazingly horrible conditions. Some have already died from maltreatment and disease. It was discovered that Mr. Blood was a surgeon and doctor, and since the slave owner new how to make a profit, he put his slave to work in the trade that he was more than qualified for. Mr. Blood led a relatively free life to come and go throughout the town on errands without supervision and without the brutal conditions of the others. He even found that he was falling for a woman but on one day he looked out over the town, past the beach and out to the endless expanse of the ocean and knew he still wanted to be free. The writer emphasized this point by quoting that famous line by Richard Lovelace: “Stone walls do not a prison make nor iron bars a cage.”
Now, I know that I am taking license with Lovelace’s quote, but it was the first time in my life that I realized that we are not as free as we think we are. I realized that the way I brought up shaped a number of my choices in life. The culture I was brought up in shaped my views on what I should and should not do. Even the economic status of my parents shaped what decisions I thought I had in life. For years I resigned myself to a steady job that I was miserable at because I made ‘good money’ and it was secure with retirement and benefits. I finally made a decision to try something else, and with the fear and concerns of my friends and family haunting me, I went into the life insurance industry. People said it was too good to be true or that the companies I was looking at were scams. In the end, I chose to not listen to what others say and make a go at it for myself. I ended up being successful and seeing new agents go through the same thing with their family and friends, or with agents that were struggling. Everyone (family, friends and co-workers) wanted to keep everyone else in the same situation they were in. Lord forbid that someone gets out of line and does something different and is successful. That make people think they wasted their time or lives. So with your background and your social status, there are limits that we impose on ourselves as well as others impose on us that limit our freedom and our choices.
Crystal Bmenavides
Americans are a more free than most people in the world. As a woman in this country I am free to walk down the street without my husband or father by myside. I am free to drive myself where ever I please. In my religion I don't have a husband waiting for me to marry and even if i did that would be part of my religion I would have the freedom to practice that. I posses the freedom of speech and won't be killed if my beliefs don't comply with what my ruler expects. America has countless flaws in their systems however I am more than happy to be one. No matter how upset I get with the actions taken in the White House I am not going to pack my bags and flee this country because even if Romney was president I would still have my unalienable rights and those are the most precious freedoms to me.
Freedom is something we all choose to have. We’re all free to do what we like but they have good or bad consequences. Our behavior, whether we are happy or mad, can impact our choices. With our choices, they can impact our freedom. With all these they can led to how much freedom we actually have. We all have choices to make we just need to thorough think them through before we choose a direction.
Matt Martinez
We have every choice to do what society and we deem to be "Good" or "Bad". I believe we have rules as a society that most are pretty much basic.Do not kill someone who does not deserve it,Do no harm to those who mean no harm to me,do not drink poison,Drink half a handle of rum and go driving.Most laws are common sense that someone with a stroke of brilliance or with disregard most likely did.It is built into our psychology to have a sense that maybe we shouldn't be doing something or this is right do it every time.Not to say people with some kind of mental illness does not change circumstances moderately to severely.I believe i will be completely free when i am dead.We can be as free as we let ourselves be.I have heard a lot people say a law doesn't mean your free or your not because we can always choose to be free from the laws our society has set.But its a lot more fun playing the system and learning how to truly be free every day.Nobody can tell you if you are or are not free.It is all how you look at it.A judge can only temporarily lock someone up eventually we all return to the earth,whole or burned.The US does have a lot more "Freedom" Then most.It is not a surprise some things will never completely go away but maybe if we can stop waring so much people can truly be free to be everything we can be As Humans and scientifically.I don't think we would share some of our biological knowledge with other countries still just because our country can.Maybe someday our species will know true freedom and visit Saturn who knows.This election also showed people do actually Enjoy Freedom,who knew..
Are we free? no .Being a Native American/Navajo who was Not raised traditionally and don't know the rules but only cannot marry or date anyone within your clan. And i to have a non navajo last name-Valdez but am full blooded navajo. But each tribe are different and have there traditional- don't and do's. The elders also have there say Why don't you speak your language but even that is fading away. We each live different by the way we were raised and once we are older we choose to either live that way or move on but we do still have to follow the rules of the law or end in jail.
Mentally we can say we are free to choose what we think but not follow through if it won't hurt yourself or others But again you have your religious ways also that God know all.
As Americans that’s what’s grate we have the choice over what we do we are the country of the free, or are we? Yes we are the country of the free allowed to make are on choices, but free or not do we? I don’t know my choices and beliefs would probably be completely different if I was born and raised in a different place. I’m not saying that we are brain washed by the places and people we grow up around but I think it has a big influence on what we do. So I would have to say that in a way no we are not that free but we will continue to think that we are because it makes life easier when you think that you are in complete control and a unique individual when you are actually a product of your surroundings.
Jeremy Taliman
I feel like we have freedom but with limitations. This freedom comes with a great deal of sacrifice. America is known as a free country mostly because of democracy. A good example of limited freedom would be a discussion we had in class a few weeks ago. It was about states whose electors that do not have to side with the popular vote. If that is true in some states, then why should those people feel like their vote even counts? Another good example is trying to take womans rights away about abortion. Where is the freedom in that?
In my opinion i feel we are free. Free to live, go where we please, free to drink the same water as everyone else. There are bigger walls that certain people have to break through to feel free and yes i do believe there is a sense of oppression in most areas where freedom to escape their reality is a trial. But again a person has the ultimate choice to escape those realities and move out of that sense of oppressed area. No matter what everyone has a choice to change their fate, choose their path in life so ultimately we are free.
Well........we do have a lot of FREEDOM living in the United States of America! But, there are limits! The word FREEDOM sounds as if we ''really can'' do what ever we want! But that is not true at all! There is a huge discrepancy in the meaning of the word FREEDOM! We still need to follow laws, which are made to protect. Some people might feel that they MUST act somewhat within the ''social norm''. But out of the two previously mentioned, the last is not as important as the first.
I feel that freedoms here are many.We are sometimes encouraged by our families (assuming they are quite traditional)to date within our race. I say this knowing this story has repeated itself with both african american as well as latino friends I know, heck arent all Jewish families encouraging their daughters to go "find a nice Jewish boy". Its our choice who we want to be with. Many countries think America is incorrigible and blashphemous for our beliefs. In fact most consider us amoralistic heathens. Imagin the America they see on the television! I do agree thouh that w hav culteral norms that are accepted as "normal" and when we buck these we are ostrasized for being different.
I think the first thing is how each of us individually define freedom and that values that accompany that. I do think that we are as free as we allow ourselves to be. Depending on where we live, We are free to walk down the street, or express our opinions about the government and to choose a mate in life but I find most people live lives of expectations. Their parents want them to be a lawyer but they want to be a writer, yet they make the decision to become a doctor because they cannot bear to fracture their relationships with their families and need that validation. I think all of us make decisions, big or little, based on roles or expectations that others have for us. Meanwhile, some people don't have physical freedom but they have mental and emotional freedom. I think when it comes to freedom, it is how we define it for ourselves and more importantly how it manifests in our lives by the choices we make.
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