Socialization/Adolescence Final Blog

Today, I chose to wear plaid blue boxers, white Hanes socks, blue and white K-Swiss shoes, blue jeans, a grey Aeropostale shirt, and a green jacket. We aren't born knowing clothing brands or what matches what, so I would say style is basically completely by nurture. In the future, I want to be some sort of scientist, but the parts nature/nurture play in this aren't as clear-cut to me. My grandpa is a scientist, so maybe the science gene was in my blood. However, I also had 4 years from 7th-10th grade with amazing science teachers, who may have nurtured my love for ciencias.. Could a great teacher really have that sort of impact on what you want to do when you grow up? I don't think I showed any keen interest in science before 7th grade. It probably is a combination on the two in that case, with my grandpa planting the seed for success and the slew of memorable teachers watering it.

Adolescent social status power is as life-consuming as it is because for most teenagers, it is the only power they wield. Adolescents don't have much economic power because adults don't trust them to handle the kind of responsibilities associated with a real job. Also, we have to be in school until we turn 16, which means we can't work the same number of hours of a grown-up. This was not the case back in the 70's and earlier, where labor laws were more lax and it was seen as a socializing power for a teenager to work alongside adults at a construction job or in an office. Now we're stuck with silly jobs like working Summer Camps or Movie Theatres where the only people we interact with regularly while on the job are our teenage peers. Teenagers also don't have any political power either, as they are legally under parental control until 18 years of age. Social status power is the one power we can achieve and compete for with people our own age. Almost all teenagers strive to be the ideal character in their social groups/cliques. This affects the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, how we talk, the people we associate ourselves with, what "extracurricular" activities we participate in, etc..

Socialization for children has changed drastically since my parents were young, what with the television becoming a necessity in every household. Consumerism is on the rise thanks to constant bombardment of advertisements -- both on television and in real life -- which from a young age teaches kids they aren't happy if they don't have stuff. We're quickly developing a developmentally destructive lifestyle. Sitting down, turning your brain off, and acting comatose for many hours is not a scientifically proven way to lose weight in our increasingly obese society. Many parents are leaving the job of parenting to the TV or the internet, from which kids can't receive the physical in-person interaction of a parent or a friend. Once high-school comes around (Even starting in Middle school these days), the Facebook effect kicks in. We begin to think about life Facially, or what I like to call FaceThink. An example of how this works is how teenagers think about how they can't wait to get home and change their Facebook status to tell the world what they've just done. The majority of the time, absolutely nobody has any interest in these silly quips about your day. Attención horses can really go to town with FaceThink, typing up the most cryptic, embellished, woe-is-muah statuses possible. This is definitely not healthy socially. We spend time on Facebook when we could be hanging out with friends or learning a new hobby like artisan snow-cone making or inventing liquid cheese. (Someone really needs to get on that)

Gender differences impact how each gender perceives and feels about itself. At least in American culture, girls are told to be pretty or witty, men to be strong, charming, or funny. Boys far more often than girls take on the role of "class clown," and girls generally don't walk around with their pants (all 3 pairs) falling down in the popular gangsta' style of 'da boyees. These differences may partly be the fault of woman's subordinate social class standing in relation to men in our country's history. I like to cook. Stereotypes say the women should be in the kitchen, and although this obviously is a falsity which most acknowledge, when people ask me what I'm interested in, I won't always mention this because it might be seen as socially unacceptable or strange to someone who has just met me. Most of the gender differences are trivial, yet they dictate the hobbies and lifestyles socially "normal" individuals can partake in.