Class #4

Today in class we had a big class discussion on resiliency. We talked about how resilient people can push through on their own but others may need help to get through it. Relating resiliency to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, people may need to go into different systems to find help depending on what they are going through. For many people, looking in their microsystem would be enough support. Whether it be family or close friends. However, depending on what you’re going through, others may need to extend into the exosystem such as a professional therapist. Over time what began as a distant relationship may begin to form into a much stronger connection. Once you begin to trust that person more then it may turn into more of a microsystem connection than an exosystem. We also discussed the gender roles that society has given everyone, both male and female. The idea behind the females is that sex sells. The main idea behind men was to ‘be a man’ and to ‘grow some balls’. Which is exactly how media portrays us and as far as marketing goes that is still the best way to make sales. However, it is something that needs to change. Some minor changes have begun to happen. Although, it is a very long road to success. One change that I noticed in my own schooling experience was with clothing rules. Girls weren’t allowed to wear tank tops or too short of dresses. By the time I was in high school, the same rules applied to the boys as well. In gym class, I used to wear muscle shirts all of the time. Once I reached high school I was asked to change and could no longer wear it. I often wonder how long it will be until all of those gender roles are erased from our community or if we will ever be able to get rid of those stereotypes. We also briefly touched on the idea of the game of cowboys and Indians. Which is a game that needs to stop. As a child, I played a similar game but we played cops and robbers. Which doesn’t paint a bad picture of a certain race or culture. Maybe children will think bad things about robbers. However, it would be better than having negative feelings towards an entire culture.