Today, we discussed why we read, to gain an understanding of man (and woman), how we create our perceptions and how those perceptions cause us to view others.
For tonight, pick a book, a movie or an historical event where perceptions caused conflict. Explain how this conflict could have been better handled if these perceptions were not created. Finally, discuss something that you have perceived one way only to find out that it was another.
23 comments:
A historical event in which perceptions caused conflict is the event of 9/11. Now a days, people sometimes percieve Muslims and Arabs to be terrorists just because the terrorists from 9/11 were from there. A lot of racism these days could be solved if people wouldn't be so judgemental and weren't affraid of the Muslims and middle eastern ethnicities. If people would just actually get to know the other ethnicities then people wouldn't be affraid of terrorists in the country. One time I perceived something that turned out to be the complete opposite is when I met this girl named Dana. I heard she was snotty just because she went to an all girl's school and she was decent at volleyball and I never got to know her. But then at volleyball tryouts I was behind her and being the friendly person I am, I started talking to her. Come to know she was really cool and really funny. So if I would have had a different perception we may not be friends today.
I have recently read the book How to be Popular by Meg Cabot. This book is about a girl that gets made fun of all the time because of one little thing she did. When she was in 6th grade she sccidentally spilt a big red slurpee on the popular girl's white skirt. The popular girl just thinking that she was some loser caused everyone to make fun of her all the time. Eventually the un popular girl stood up for herself and tried becomming popular. In the end, se becomes popular and the origional popular girl ended up looking mean. This all could have been avoided if the popular girl didnt assume the girl that spilt on her was just soem loser. Instead, she could have looked at it from the other girls position and realized it was just an accident.
I have percieved a lot of things that i have found out it wasn't true. For example, I thought my Foods final was really easy as i took it. I breezed rite throught it and finished with a lot of time to spare. It was only 2 days later when i looked online that i found out i was wrong. I ended up getting a C+ on the final for Foods. It was the worst grade i got on my final, but it was the final that i thought was easy. If i would have a different perception and thought it was hard, i would have taken more time on it. I have realized that i need to look at things from different perceptions.
My historical event is going to be world war 1. Before world war 1 women hadnever served in a war. Nor did women have jobs the men did. People found out that women could do jobs just as well as men could and serve in war are nurses and helpers just as men could. this was an example of how the US percived women as stay at home individuals. One example of a timw where i percived something that i later found different was when i thought white people were more supirior then others. I later found out were all equal. I thought this because of slavery and hitler with the jews.
An event in history that different perceptions has caused conflict would be the war in Middle East going on right now. People in Afghanistan and Iraq viewed Americans as rich pigs and hated them. Americans were no saints though because we generally view them as terrorists. Afghan religious extremists flew planes into the twin towers and the pentagon which led to a war that is still going on today. These different perceptions led to a war which is the worst conflict of them all. One time where I misjudged someone is usually on the first day of school where people generally make first impressions. I misjudged people but when you get to know someone my opinion of the person changed and realized that I have been wrong about them.
A movie and book that represents a conflict caused by perception is A Walk to Remember. The main character, Jamie, was percieved as nerdy, religous, and someone who always followed the rules. Due to this perception people teased and excluded Jamie for most of her life. Little did her community know, Jamie had leukimia. She faced this conflict everyday, when it could have been avoided completely. If more people had tried to understand her maybe she would have been accepted. From my own expierience, i too have made a perception only to find out i was very wrong. A couple weeks ago, at a volleyball tournament i watched a team we would soon play and judged them as an easy win. Later that day when we were matched with them the beginning score was 7-0, and we were losing. My team and i recieved a wake up call and worked hard to gain back our lost points. Eventually we pushed through winning both games but i learned the negative effects of making uneducated judgements.
A historical event where perception caused conflict is 9/11. People thought that people were terriost if they were of Arabic or of another race or religon. If people didnt make judgements of people before they really get to know them then we could all just get along. Plus if we learned about other peoples beliefs and way of life then some things that happen could be avoided. Something that I perceived is a piece of art work. I thought that the artist was trying to get across a really meaningful meaning hower when I read why the artist did the painting and what message they ment to get across was totally different then what I thought the painting ment.
a historical event that has taken place becaus eof perception is the holocaust, like how the germans perceived the jews to be a nuecents among the people and even the world so they tried to abolish them but failed. now days like people like to make fun of and poke funny jokes towards jews just because of the halacaust and how they were treated. we could fix the problem by having everyone see how the jews are just like us americans or christians or whatever you beleive in. there living breathing mammals like us. but anyway a perception i had in my life was when everyone said this certain kid was a snob, stuck up, and other cruel names. but i visited this kid during lunch and had a steady conversation with him and now him and i are pretty good friend but if maybe i had the same perception as everyone else i woud of missed out on having a great friend.
A movie that perceptions caused conflict is "Avatar". In Avatar, scientists are trying to claim a world for themselves. The scientists believe that the inhabitants are vicious creatures. But they aren't. They are a peaceful species. If the scientists thought differently then there wouldn't have been any damage done. I perceived high school as a bad place to be. But after a while it got better, and m perception was changed.
Chris Daniels
I recently read a book called Saving Zoe. In the book, one of the main characters, Marc, is perceived as a bad guy and possibly even a murderer after being the last to have seen his girlfriend before she disappeared. These perceptions of Marc turned to accusations and his personal life with his family and friends was quickly beginning to digress until finally, he had nothing left. This conflict could have been handled very easily by not throwing out gossip and accusations at an innocent man that most of the town didn't even take the time to get to know.
I have perceived many of my friends in certain ways to find that they were amazing friends, kind, and just fun to be around. I've have perceived a lot of people as something that they are not.
A movie where perceptions cause a big problem is The Ugly Truth. This movie is mainly about the perceptions between men and women. The main girl is trying to get a new doctor, sensative, handsome and nice boyfriend. A new employe is a relationship expert. She gets his advise and it is exactly the opposite of what she is. She gets the doctor, dumps him then goes for the new employee. If there was no perceptions that were wrong there wouldn't have been this movie. I perceived that this semester my spanish class would be easy, like last time. It is not going to be at all. Everyone makes perceptions and they all like to be right.
In the movie The Notebook, perceptions cause conflict. The young couple are faced with the differences in their family life; Her family is wealthy and his is poor. Although her family does not approve of him they struggle to be together. Without her parent's perceptions of him, they would have been able to overcome their problem and be with eachother. When I was younger and I was new to my dance studio, I was terrified of the girls in the level before me. I thought they were mean and didn't like me even though I had never talked to any of them before. When I finally talked to them I realised that I let my perception of the girls get the best of me. I am still best friends with the girls to this day! It helped me to realise that we shouldnt let the perceptions we have prevent things or cause conflict in our lives.
When perceptions get in the way it can create several things, like chaos.a perfect example of when perceptions get in the way, is in the movie "the color of friendship". in this movie the main character Mahree is a white female teenager who lives on a farm in south Africa. Mahree goes on a "foreign exchange program" to a wealthy family in California. What Mahree did not expect was that her host was black, this is when she decides to separate herself from the family. As the movie comes to an end Mahree finds out that white people are not the superior race and starts to think that everybody is equal. she starts to get along with the family and actually has fun doing it despite how she grew up. One Perception that i thought was true ended up being false and just the opposite. the perception started from watching movies that then sunk into my head and i brought it to high school were the fear of senors was not as evident as the movies perceived.i found out that there were senors that were actually nice and cool to hang around with. this is how perceptions can complicate situations in movies or real life.
The Holocaust is a huge historical event where perception caused conflict. This event wouldn't have happened if perceptions weren't made. If Hitler wouldn't have perceived the Jews as bad for the world, he wouldn't have gone off and killed them. We might have had more Jews nowadays if he wouldn't have done that. I have perceived many things differently then they turned out to be. For example, I thought my gym final was going to be a piece of cake. It turns out that i got my lowest final grade on that gym final.
an event right now that is going on is how the alqueda and that groop hate the western way of life. they hate it because they cant understand it. it goes against what they balive. you see the same thing happen with the hole wars. like the crusades, the christens didnt understand the Muslims and vice versa. this misunderstanding caused wars and death. this misunderstanding could be better handled if we expland are views and tryed to just let each other be. im fine with whatever other people baleve or do as long as its not eating other people. thats how the world should salve problems like that. understanding and accepting is the key.
Sam Taranek
Most movies involve conflict with people who vary in perception. As in the movie Fame; there are many talented dancers. The dancers feel as if they are the most talented around, while the teachers perceive them differently. The teachers analyze what they can do, and actually reject most of the dancers of future jobs. If I was one of these dancers who thought I was the best, I would want to know if I was thinking incorrectly. I would want to perceive the way the teachers would see me. Fame is a perfect example of differences in perception.
Way back when, men were always viewed as "better" than women. Men could vote, women couldnt. Men could work outside of the home, women couldnt. Men would get treated better as well. Women were discriminated just becaue of their gender, which isnt fair. If women were treated equally in the first place, a conflict would have never arose. Now women are treated the same as men. They have the same jobs, can vote, can join the army, can do basically anything they want.
One time i perceived something one way to find out it was another was when i read the Twilight saga. I heard about the books and thought they were stupid and everyone was making a deal about nothing, but then i read the books and absolutely loved them. I guess the saying is true, you cant judge a book by its cover!
A book where different perceptions caused conflict is the book the choice by nicholas sparks. In this book the neighbors perceptions on life vary. The man believes everyday should be an adventure and the lady is a workaholic. Where as the lady works everyday and thinks the man is nuts. The situation of Molly the ladies dog becoming prego could have been better handled if the hadnt judged each other so quickly. If they were both more open minded about each other they wouldnt have been jumping to conclusions in the first place. When this one girl came to our school i thought she was going to be all stuck up and snotty. In reality she is a sweet heart and is now one of my best friends. If i hadnt been so quick to judge her i probably wouldve became her friend earlier in the year.
A book that I think shows where perceptions have caused conflicts is in the series The Clique. Clique is about a group of popular girls who boss and bully other girls around. A new girl ends up coming to their school and they of course make life horrible for her. They tease and bully her because shes different from all the other girls at their school. Their school Briarwood, is more for the wealthier groups of people and the new girl doesn't meet up to their standards. Throughout the story, the group of friends cause conflicts against each other by talking behind each others backs and making storys up about each other. As it goes on, girls become mad at each other and they stop being friends because they decided to gain up on the new girl. They make her do things that she doesn't want to do and embarass her as much as they can which makes them all turn their backs on each other. If they haven't caused the perception of judging the new girl and making guesses about what shes like and how she acts, then girls wouldn't have to pretend to be her friend and they all wouldn't have to talk about each other behind their backs. They could all just be friends in the end.
One way I have perceived something is about my brothers girlfriend. I decided I didn't like her the first time I saw her because I thought she looked different and more stuck up then all of my brothers old girlfriends. I then made the pact to not like her because of what I thought. Later on, I was forced to go out to dinner with her. After talking to her and hanging out with her, I noticed that I only disliked her because of what I saw and what I thought of right when I saw her. I'm so happy that I made the decision to truly see what shes like and I know now that I shouldn't judge or make perceptions.
In a not so recent movie, Glory Road, there were MANY different instances in which perceptions caused conflicts, both racial and societal. In Glory Road, a coach named Don Haskins of Texas Western University changes history and the game of basketball forever by creating the first ever all African-American starting lineup. Coach Haskins’s perception of these African-American men wasn't that they were humans who were different from him because they were of a different race and didn't deserve the same rights that he once were given; Don Haskins saw these men as the best athletes that can work together and play the same way as ever other man that stepped on that court. But of course, not everyone agreed with this. With the change in society and politics at that time, some people began to agree with the black’s acceptance in society. The South, ironically where these men were going to school and playing, was very slow to come around. This difference in perception caused many problems. For instance, when the Texas Western Team went into a diner to eat, one African-American player went into the bathroom where he was soon met by 3 White men who felt he didn't deserve to be playing and beating all of these white teams. Those 3 men beat up that Texas player and left him to walk out of the bathroom bleeding and battered. In addition, many times the team would come back to their hotel only to find their rooms and belongings completely vandalized and when playing at certain schools they would run onto the court being harassed, booed, and sometimes have things thrown at them. Now, if the members of society hadn’t been racially biased then I believe everything could have changed. African-American players would have been treated the same as any other player, they would have got the playing time they deserved, and much sooner, they would have been able to have the opportunities that coach Don Haskins gave them.
I have most definitely perceived things in the wrong way. I am ashamed that I have even done this before but once I was playing in a softball league and on the opposing team there was a girl that was different then all the rest of us. Not in a racial way different but in the fact that she didn’t look like the kind of girl who was in any way athletic and she used equipment that wasn’t the “in” brand, or in other words, inexpensive. Of course, I came to find out that my perception of this girl based on her looks and what equipment she used were false as I watched the line drive sail over my head. If I hadn’t have wrongly perceived and underestimated this girl then maybe I would have known to play deeper and possibly have caught that ball.
A historical event in which perceptions have cause conflict could be September 11. After this happening,everyone one who was a the Arabic race was getting dirty looks, comments, and people treated them differently. this is still happening today. People just choose to not like or disrespect this race and races like this. People need to just learn to be less judgmental and worry about themselves. any race other could have done this for any reason and we would be treating them the same as how we are treating the Arabic race. There have been times when I perceived things different than they really were. for example, if i am playing i sport i could look at my opponent and if they are small i may assume they aren't very strong or not as good and be proved wrong once i play against them. Judging doesn't usually get you in a good place so you shouldn't do it.
~Taylor Matteson
A series of historical events that happened due to perception cause many conflicts, segregation is one of them. Segregation happened back in the day when the whites thought they were better than blacks. Whites percieved they were superior over other races which caused war throughout the U.S. One way this could have been avoided is by more whites stepping up to show that everyone is equal because maybe they would have been heard. The whites should have never started this and should have found out that the blacks are just as equal as whites. I also have percieved something that was not actually what it seemed like. I judged a new kid on my hockey team last year and I thought he was going to be a really weird kid by the way he acted and he is actually one of my better friends today. I leanred that you have to get to know something or someone before you make a judgement.
Absent
One of my favorite movies is called Notorious, which showcases the life story of rapper Biggie Smalls (A.k.a. Notorious B.I.G). In the movie, the real life disputes of Biggie (East Coast) and rapper 2pac shakur (West Coast) are shown. The two were friends at the begining until 2pac was shot at a hotel on his way to visit Biggie. The shooter is still unkown but a song written by Biggie tittled, "Who Shot Ya" with East/West Coast refrences led 2pac to think it was Biggie and he then percieved Biggie as a backstabbing murderer. Because of this event, both rappers were killed by eachothers gang. This called all have been prevented if Gang viloence wasn't so frequent. I percieved some students as unsocial and unsmart before I became a T.I.E.S and after talking government and politics with some of my students at lunch I realized I was wrong. They are smarter than myself and with a little push, are just as social. It put a smile on my face.
A book that perception caused conflict is the New Moon. Bella thinking that edward and vampires are good and Jacob thinking Edward and vampires are bad because vampires and werewolves hate each other. This caused a conflict for bella becasue she has to chose between her best friend or the lov of her life.
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