"The difference between dogs and people is that dogs know how to be dogs." - Sociologist Peter Berger.
Of course there by stating that people don't know how to be people. And this quote I happen to think is both wise and true. Peter Burger was the sociologist most well known for his discussions that relate society to the individual. I was already interested in the role society plays on an individual; pertaining to how people act and why they act like the way they do. It was always interesting to see how people developed based on their lifestyles, music choices, and role models.
Many believe, that people are they way they are by the way they were raised. Of course this doesn't apply to everyone. I believe it applies to a fair amount. A common stereo type to those who were raised "poorly" are those who are rebellious, uncaring, very harsh in personality. The reason why is that at an early age, this child who seems to have already broken the bonds he/she has with her parents will already have given up on relying on their help. Then you have those who are put in this situation, but tend to stand up stronger and allow themselves to be successful through hard work and dedication. Though these people come in scarce amounts, i applaud them for what they do and how they do it.
It happens to good eggs too. Some are very polite, intelligent, respectful. And there are those that just don't give a damn.
The previous situation, however, is only related to the individual. This is why i don't thoroughly believe that people are the way they are because of the previous situation. Most likely, society had to have stepped in and molded the human being. You have about 6 billion people, and within that 6 billion, lies an infinite amount of personality. You got jocks, blondes, gangstas, mexicans, asians, nerds. Which clearly supports the fact that we just don't know how to be people. So I ask, how does one act like a person? With so many different personalities out there, who is the one whose doing it right? Our minds and thoughts have developed so much that we forget just exactly what we're supposed to do.
I've generally come to the consensus that in order to act like a person, you're supposed to observe the people around you... and do the same thing. As a baby, you develop your mind through curiousity. As a toddler and through the rest of your life, you learn by copying other people. You look at this strange thing with liquid in it, turn to the person next to you who has the same thing and watch them as they put it to their mouths, tilt the cup, and drink the liquid inside. You turn on the tv and find a person who wears their hat awkwardly, shirts down to their kness, and pants down to their ankles, and you do the same too... sadly. You listen to what they say and what others say and you begin to talk like them... sadly. And whats worse, you find people who walk and talk exactly like them and you be friends... sadly.
and that my friends is how gangs are formed.
But on a serious note, this probable happens to everyone else in differnt ways, people who watch the hills, people who listen to metal, people who watch cnn or bbc. They'll all turn out differently. Wich gives me an idea... if human kind allows it - i'd like to take like 5 babies and raise them differently and control what they watch, who they hang out with etc. Would they have the power to break away from what they've been influenced by?
Cuz lets face it... when you ask someone do you know how to be a person? They'll probably be like sure i'm doing it now... (prolem with that is that's technically not the same answer for everyone)
sometimes i wish i were a dog... woof woof.
ta ta kids.
