E...I...E...I...X?

Upon completion of the Harvard Implicit Assocation Test I felt the results were not credible. I feel that the predetermined responses were far to vague and did not accurately describe any feelings that I had toward either whites or blacks. I cannot catorgorize anyone as simply good or bad, black or white. I can't understand how these questions derive any scientific result. I can say that I agree that I do have a greater familiarity with European ancestry than African ancestry simply because I grew up in a 98 percent majority. However, I do not believe that one race is inherently better than another because I do no believe any person is inherently better than another. I wish I could continue my thoughts, but I really don't have much more to say about this test. To me, it simply is unscientific and the results don't seem to based on anything more than reflexes.

Taking political correctness into consideration...

As our instructor, Mrs. Keith, has proposed, we communicate with others because we want something from them. In order to maximize the effectiveness of our encounters with others, especially those whom we may be unfamiliar, we utilize various communication aids to strengthen the connection we develop with them. This, in my opinion, is where being politically correct comes into play.

Being politically correct, essentially, is to avoid including slang, metaphors, or anything that may be objectionable in our transactions with others. We utilize political correctness as a way to facilitate smoother communication with others in order to more easily attain what we want from them. The most common field where this can be applied is politics, and this is why we refer to this idea as political correctness. Such as in politics, we keep in mind the symbolic attachments our words or phrases may have so that we can either hide our motive or at least appear to be unbiased and/or unaffiliated with certain beliefs.

I don't believe that being politically correct impedes our ability to communicate with others. In fact, as I have already mentioned, I really believe that it is a speaking tool that we use to further the amount that we receive from our transactions with others. We use this aid willingly to hide our agendas or motives. I do believe, however, that it is a way to be dishonest because we hide the beliefs that we hold true to ourselves in order to convince others we are something that we are not (at least in part) and to gain from them. Again, we refer to this function as political correctness because that is the way of politics; utilizing a manufactured image of ourselves in order to better facilitate communication to further our agendas with others (because, in reality, we are always looking to better our position before others).

Also, I would argue that we only act in such a way when we regard the opposite party as neutral or even opposite to our views. We do this, as I have restated, to further our personal agendas, or to obtain more from others. When we are really interested in just communicating with people we have already established a relationship, we often disregard being politically correct. So, in a way, this speaking aid is optionable, and we avoid utilizing it when we are already comfortable with the person to which we are speaking to. Simply, if we know a person well, we cut the bullcrap and, more often then most, freely voice our opinions whether they are politcally correct or not because we already know that we are in welcome company. I, and I am sure everyone reading this, can recall an occasional when somebody we are close too should have been politically correct when they expressed certain beliefs. We may have felt reservations about what was said. However, we go along with it because we care for the person and respect them deeply enough to look past what was said.

I like to listen to what others have to say about themselves

Listening, as others have already mentioned, in a skill. I believe this is absolutely true and, while considering my preferred style of listening, it became clear to me that I am primarily focused on trying to make a connection with others and coming to an understanding with other people. I try to empathize with other people's feelings and as a result I would consider myself a people-oriented listener.

My base instinct, when participating in conversation, is to try to see other people's interpretations of what they are expressing. I like to see how other people feel about things because this challenges my own interpretation of said things. To me, it seems, this is the most rewarding way of listening and I derive the greatest pleasure from conversation that allows for different points of view. Also, when participating in this sort of conversational environment, I get the greatest chance to debate or to offer my own interpretation of what is being discussed. Therefore; I am primarily focused on what other people have to say or how they feel about a particular subject.

Aside from trying to see other people's point of view, challenging my own ideas, or trying to offer a contrasting point of view, I really like to offer a friendly ear to those who need it. I feel I connect with people and reach a better understanding in this regard. I can't explain why this comes naturally to me, but perhaps it is a trait I developed because of my family members similar listening styles. In any case, I believe I have an ability to feel for other people and, in this vein, can usually offer emotional support or, in some cases, relevant advice. And, like I said, I derive the greatest pleasure from connecting to others in this sense. I sort of view myself as that friend who is always willing to listen to both the good the bad news regardless of the context. In fact, I hope to find future employment as a therapist and, chiefly, a professional people-oriented listener.

Let me offer you my thoughts on stereotyping...

Personally, I am an outspoken advocate of equality in all matters. I feel that, regardless of a persons culture, background, and/or lineage, they deserve respect simply because they are a human being. Abject criticism has no place in my court. Therefore; watching Crash actually kind of annoyed me because the movie relies on flagrant stereotypes to draw inaccurate conclusions about our perceptions of others. Not all people are racist, nor are all people even judgmental of others. I would agree that most individuals might fall into either category, but there are an awful lot people who are humanists and know that they are unable to judge a person until they've had an adequate amount of time to meet them. I personally feel it is completely unreasonable to make conclusions about people until you've met them and each human being is completely unique from another.
Each human is unique, and, in my opinion, has infinite potential. To me, it seems, that we are only limited by the judgment and interference of others. If human beings were to allow one another to coexist naturally then our civilization would excel. However, I believe that we, in our own fight for dominance, intentionally limit others so that we can outdo them and it is our ignorance that compels us to continue this unhealthy practice. However, I also believe this is learned response and comes from an instinctual urge for dominance over others. It is only through delving within our own psyche do we realize that we constantly make unfair judgments of others. And, through my rant, I hope people begin to realize this and consciously become aware of doing it. When we are aware of this, we can begin to reverse our learned behavior.
Perhaps my tone seems idealistic, but that's because it is. I derive my feelings from truly believeing in the potential of mankind. I understand that I am on my soapbox and diverging from topic, but I would like people to consider what I am saying. By extending stereotypes, even as an allegory for change, we teach people to judge others. The focal point needs to be moved away from stereotyping. Rather, we should teach individuals that everyone is different and come to acceptance with that which is different from what we are used to. Acceptance is the key to harmony. When we become aware of this, that we can eventually appreciate these differences, and learn from them. Our culture can absorb the lessons of other cultures and eventually gain greater understanding of the world in which we exist from seeing it from many different views. We are all human beings, and that in itself is a reason for unity! (Just think of magnitude of what was necessary for our species to flourish)
So, if it is not already apparent, Crash will have absolutely no influence on my future interactions. I will continue to try and become more aware of the true nature of reality and what really is important. Stereotyping has no place in today's culture and I hope for every human being to realize this. What brings us together (cultural unity, familiarity, common beliefs) also tears us apart (ethnocentrism, ignorance of unfamiliar cultures, and dissidence with those who share a belief uncommon to our own). We need to stop applying labels to divergent beliefs, and instead welcome the unknown and try to learn from the multitude of perspectives that exist in our world today. The only thing we can pass on to the future generations when we die is the knowledge we've acquired in this lifetime. Rant complete.

Why do we focus on some things and not others?

Human beings observe the world around them using their only tool, the five senses. No matter how observant a person may think they are, it is important to remember that the senses are subjective and distorted by emotional bias. This bias is different for every individual and is based on a person's past experiences. Therefore; we focus on some things and not others because we are biased when we observe information. We use our senses and past experiences to interpret what we are observing and sometimes this limits how much of the actual picture we see.

In addition to the senses being inaccurate, people organize information as they observe it further limiting what they see. It is impossible for a person to analyze the myriad of details involved in the observation process. People use subjective reasoning to select the details they focus on. Often times these details are superficial and are general assumptions based on previous experience; they do not accurately depict what is being observed. We then organize these partial details in order to make sense of them and then assign meaning to the limited details we had just taken in. Since we observe using senses which are subjective (distorted by emotional bias), we compartmentalize the information to make sense of it, then interpret the sum of this information (which is often general and superficial) it becomes easy to see that there is a lot of details we simply neglect to take in.

Further limiting our view is the actual way we interpret this information. Even after we have missed many details through the observation process, we then limit what we are focusing on based on how we choose to create a perception. Like I said before, we usually generalize while observing to more easily interpret and organize the information we take in. We use this information to draw conclusions about what we observe and perceive in order to make sense of it. But, when we cannot fully realize what we are perceiving, we start to fill in the gaps based on internal information. We start to attribute certain information to long held assumptions which are internal. Although we may not directly observe the details we focus on, we indirectly connect them to what we are actively perceiving so we can believe we see the full picture when, in fact, we are almost entirely creating this picture ourselves. This causes us to further distort what we are observing and perceiving making the picture we actually see marginalized.

So, to restate the idea of why do we focus on some things and not others, we are humans beings. Most of how we interpret comes from preconceptions we develop based on past experience. These preconceptions find their way into our senses and make us limit what we observe. We then generalize or compartmentalize much of what we are taking in to make quick sense of it. If we cannot make direct sense of what we are focusing on, we then use concocted notions to fill the gaps which actually paints a false picture. This causes us to inadvertently miss more details.

If my explanation did not make sense, then maybe you were focusing on something and missing something else... (another cheesy joke)

The Inevitable...

Am I for or against cell phone/pager/beeper use in public?

It is difficult for me to precisely answer this question. I believe that there is not a simple yes or no to such a question. As far as I am concerned, I straddle the for and against, but...

For:
Cell phone use in public seems inevitable. In our society, the normal person carries a cell phone 24-7. And for those who don't, society has come up with a colorful term; living off the grid. In addition to the all pervasiveness of cell phones, when you purchase a cell phone you enter into a certain kind of social contract. You cannot ignore calls if you're available. If you aren't available then you better send a text immediately after a missed call to explain that you are not currently available. If you send a call straight to your voicemail then you better call the sender later with a damn good explanation... As technology gives us better and better ways to stay connected, then these solutions have a way of becoming completely integrated into our lives; and cell phones have not escaped this vacuum. And so, I suppose that I am for the idea of cell phone use because I think they are an inevitable part of my and everyone else's' lives regardless of whether or not I like them.

Against:
As I appreciate any other form of courtesy, I appreciate cell phone courtesy. What I mean is I believe that, like everything else, there is certain etiquette one should follow when they become a cell phone user. The only real reason I am against cell phones is because of their obnoxious use in public. This, however, is a very big concern for me. I really detest when I hear cell phones in the wrong places (such as a movie theater) as well as when their users are unusually loud. (although this is not an unusual occurrence) In the consideration of others, one should monitor their behaviour. Regardless of what some people think, there are other people aside from themselves and these people have rights, thoughts, ideas and feelings. I don't want to hear how your girlfriend has that exotic bedroom ritual. Just keep your discussion at a level where I can tune it out...

...precisely where I stand is hard to figure. I would think I am more for than against. However, I refuse to acknowledge that our world is black and white. I am both bothered by the device(s) and enthralled by their connectivity. But, why go against human advancement and achievement because a few in the lot decide to act like jackasses? Plus, like I said, you better not ignore that call, or you have a new human problem caused by ever changing technology. Go figure...!

Intro to Jeremiah Tapper 101

Well, I would like to confess that I have never blogged prior to this particular post. The idea of sharing personal information through an open forum such as this makes me wonder how much of my personality is accurately perceived. I prefer old-fashioned, face-to-face conversation with non-verbal cues and eye-to-eye contact. This web stuff just isn't my preferred channel. (That's right, I read the text) Therefore; I will treat my first blog post as I would an exchange between myself and any one of my fellow classmates for this semester. (That's You!) I would also like to use this first post to tell something of myself because I am almost certain everyone will, inevitably, be required to read this.

Hello, my name is Jeremiah Tapper. You can call me Jerry. (Sorry for the Deja Vu) I am a bit of sarcastic person; which should show through the design I have chosen for my blog. I very much enjoy music and my personal relationships over anything else. Aside from that, I would like to include that I enjoy being outdoors immensely; including activities such as hiking, cycling, disc-golf, and any sort of general adventure. I am fairly open-minded and eclectic; and so, I feel that I can find something I like in almost any individual.

I definitely fess up to having some negative traits. I am a little introverted and when I first meet people I tend to clam up. But, give me some time and I share too much information. In fact, I look forward to taking Interpersonal Communication and meeting my classmates so I can get a chance to both make friends and work on my poor communication habits. But, really, if I seem like someone you might be interested in having a conversation with just come up to me and we can go from there.

I am a freshmen this year. I am a pre-major but intend on taking both social science and psychology majors. I expect a lot of myself and my time here at Keystone College. At the time I am writing this post I have been here three days and I already feel rather comfortable here. The campus is rural and has a relaxed atmosphere. People hold doors for me and are thankful when I do the same. That must count for something. Basically, so far, so good...

Well, if you've read this far into the post, congratulations you are a determined person. Thank you for having enough interest in me to read about, well..., me. However, now that I have shared a little about myself, I kind of expect a little information in return. Otherwise I feel a little short changed in this transaction. (Wow, what a cheesy joke. I'll leave it at that...)