Vicology

    Rudeness is defined as behavior that violates social or organizational norms. If a person’s action is not considered acceptable in society, then they are labeled as rude, impolite, disrespectful, etc. But through this idea of ill mannered behavior emerges a different perspective: does our idea of what is or isn’t acceptable behavior differ according to cultural identity?      After reading articles on polite speech in different cultures, I’ve concluded that misunderstandings and miscommunications are at the core of deciding if someone is rude or polite. For example, Japanese people tend to use indirect speech tactics, such as saying: “Could I possibly bother you for a moment?”, whereas the German language puts more emphasis on direct, short constructions like: “We need to talk”. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Germans are less polite but differences in language patterns can lead to misunderstandings and offense where none was intended...

     Inspired by this week’s reading, Just A Walk On By , I decided to explore the differences of fear in women and men, specifically their psychological responses. The definition of fear is as follows: an unpleasant emotion abused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. When faced with fearful situations, it’s previously been believed that men and women react the same way; a common reaction known as the fight or flight response . This is a process triggered by the perception of threat and prompt the body to either fight the danger source or flee the scene entirely. Now, that belief is starting to change with more and more research about the psychological responses to fear.       Shelley Taylor, a psychology professor at UCLA, proposed that there’s another behavioral response that only exists in women.  Tend and befriend . It’s a process that states that women are biologically predisposed ...

     Who was your favorite Disney prince/princess growing up? Was it the girl with the tiny waist and long, luscious hair? Or the charming prince with a dashing smile and striking hairdo? See how generic these Disney descriptions are? Up until the mid to late 1990’s, any royal character would’ve fit this criteria of a Disney prince or princess. But then  Aladdin  was created, breaking the past universal image of a Disney princess; followed by  Pocahontas ,  Mulan , and  The Princess and The Frog .    The most striking one of all was Mulan. In the first song of the movie,  Honor To Us All , gender stereotypes are clearly woven into the lyrics themselves. “ Boys will gladly go to war for you”  and  “A girl can bring her family Great honor in one way  By striking a good match ”.  Although she was born into a royal family, thus making her a princess, she decides to go against gender stereotypes, refusing to live up t...

     This past week, I was introduced to Deborah Tannen’s “There Is No Unmarked Woman”, a short essay that provides a closer look at the judgement women are subjected to in society. She describes the ways women are stripped from their societal freedom because of the decisions she makes.      When discussing Tannen’s story, Ms. Valentino asked a few questions for us to answer in our notebooks. The one that stood out to me was: What styles do other people at Troy High have? As I was answering this question, I started to scan the classroom to see if I could find any patterns amongst my classmates’ styles. I observed that most, if not all, boys in the class had the same laid-back, casual style, which consisted of: sweatpants, sweatshirts, plain t-shirts, and tennis shoes. In contrast, the girls had a range of styles, varying from a preppy style, with cute cardigans and skirts, to a trendy style, with a cool bomber jacket and jeans. As I subconsciously analyzed ...