briannaaiello

[briannaaiello]

Stereotypes

Before the in class conversation, I felt as though stereotypes were evident but did not affect me personally. Growing up as a 3rd generation Indian American, I adapted a more Americanized persona. This often confused the white people around me, asking if I’m Brazilian, Puerto Rican, African and many more, but they never guessed Indian. I’ve received the comment that I am quite “white” for an Indian several times before. But I will never understand this comment and what it actually means. I can’t help but feel offended, just because I’m more americanized than other Indians does not make me “white”. I will never be white. I will never want to be white. After the in class conversation, I came to the realization that there is no single stereotype that fits everyone in the category. The media today doesn’t seem to understand this reality, often displaying indians as being the unpopular, nerd who makes a fool of themselves. A stereotype that is often deemed untrue. For me personally, I’m judged by both sides of the spectrum, F.O.B.’s and white americans. I’ll never fit under a specific stereotype because there’s no stereotype out there made for people like me. Which makes sense because there’s not a single person in this world who completely matches the stereotype they are labeled with. Just because I don’t compete for the highest gpa, have a thick accent, or constantly smell like curry does not mean I’m disconnected with my own ethnicity. It means that I have had a different upbringing than the F.O.B. stereotype placed on Indians. Stereotypes are a false prejudice belief fueled by everyday media and carried out by everyday people.

[briannaaiello]

STEREOTYPES

I always thought that stereotypes were always a negative assumption about someone based on their race, religion, or gender. I never actually thought about the fact that some stereotypes are good and that sometimes people want to live up to their stereotypes. When talking with my group (aka Riya and Erika), I realized that everyone no matter what has some sort of stereotype. It could be from a sport you play, a class you take, or even the clothes you wear, but most importantly a stereotype could arise from your age. Our generation, specifically, is stereotyped as a whole bunch of teenagers who are too obsessed with social media to know anything about the world. I know that I, personally, don't fit that stereotype so it really Irritates me to no end. What I really took away from this discussion is that everything and everyone is stereotyped in some way, but each stereotype holds some truth.

[briannaaiello]

Hey everyone, I finally finished painting my research project! If anyone has any type of feedback then please like, reblog, or comment on this post! Thank you!!

[briannaaiello]

Parents should be aware of their actions because they never know what actions/habits their children might pick up.

[briannaaiello]

"Once I found the strength to be myself, I had no need to be myself"

In my opinion, this quotes means that once you find yourself, you become afraid of the thought of being your own person because you've never known that person. In 9th grade, I was quieter and was trying to fit in with the crowd, but over last year and this year, I've finally accepted myself. Due to the acceptance of myself, I've made new, now close friends that I probably would've never been friends with in 9th grade and for that I'm grateful. Although, being myself was scary and it took a long time to fully accept who I was and who I was becoming, I am no longer afraid of being myself.

[briannaaiello]

there is an unmarked man

Men have a choice. They have a choice to be invisible and they have a choice to be visible, while women do not have that the same choice. Women are always visible and are always judged for every choice they make. If you look in the entertainment industry, you'll see that if a man poses naked for a photo shoot he's just having fun and enjoying his life (and he's hot), but if a woman were to pose naked as well then she is considered a slut and inappropriate. The double standards are ridiculous. Why is it that we treat women differently than men? Do we not deserve the same respect and opportunity? Women earn a lower pay than men and have less job opportunities, and I honestly want to know why? Women have to work harder than men in order to receive half the recognition. It doesn't make sense to me why, in the 21st century, do we still consider one sex to be better than the other?

[briannaaiello]

Why can't a woman be more like a man?

Who really says that a woman can’t be more like a man? Other than the biology aspect, a woman can posses the same traits as a man and act the same, but the only difference is that she would never be accepted as one. Society looks down upon those who change genders, even though it can be seen in the entertainment industry and throughout the U.S. A woman can’t be accepted as a man because of societal values that were created by man a long time ago that no longer apply to our generation. Society’s values must change as we change. A woman can be more like a man, but it is whether or not she would be accepted as one is the real question.

[briannaaiello]

the mask

I realize that my mask changes due to who I surround myself with, for better or for worse. Looking back at a past group of friends, I noticed that I pretended to be someone I’m not in order to be accepted by them. I wasn’t even happy with myself or who I was becoming. I lost myself in the mask and I guess one day, I just knew that I wasn’t being completely true to myself. I distanced myself from those people because the mask that I wore around them was a version of me that I didn’t like. And, it’s important to like yourself and who you are becoming. Eventually, I began to surround myself with people who I knew would only make me a better version of myself. I fully embrace the mask that my positive, supportive friends have forged for me which is the mask that I am currently wearing to this day. While wearing a mask seems to have a negative connotation, it can only be negative if the mask, itself, is negative. We choose the masks that we wear.

[briannaaiello]

My Second Prototype: This drawing is in more detail, therefore it brings my idea to life even further than before. From the last tumblr post that we did on our first prototype, you can see that I applied Andrane’s advice to this (new and improved) drawing. I really liked how this drawing turned out, especially compared to the last one which was extremely rough. Although I love this prototype, I still believe that it can be improved even more. I was having some issues with it because I felt like the saying could represent my claim and theme better. When Katie, Zaeem, and I paired up again to discuss our revised prototypes, I told them of my issues with the saying. Katie suggested ‘Education is Equality’ which I really liked and I think I will be using on my next prototype/sketch. Katie, Zaeem, and I literally work amazing together, therefore if we ever do any other group assignments, we need to work together (we’re a squad now).

[briannaaiello]

My First Prototype: This drawing is obviously a rough sketch of my idea, but I think it is a pretty good representation of what I want my final product to look like. In the beginning, I was actually going to attempt this with spray paint which isn’t the best idea because I’ve never really used spray paint before. In my sketch, the burka was originally the design of the American flag, but Andrane suggested to mix of the America’s and Pakistan’s flag. Andrane and Erika both suggested that I try to include more representation of the female gender. Andrane’s idea was to draw girls from all over the world in uniforms to help represent that not all girls in this world have the right to an education. She also suggested that instead of making the inside of the burka all black, make it a woman’s eyes full of emotions (from anger to confusion to sadness). 

The main thing I learned from this process was that if you ever need advice on any idea, ask Andrane. 

[briannaaiello]

Claim (because it’s not pictured): When the people of America hear stories of a certain group of individuals from another country that do not have the right to an education, they begin to realize that other countries are still fighting for all their citizens to have basic human rights even though America has yet to achieve gender equality .

The Process: I honestly loved this process and my group (shout out to Katie and Zaeem) because the three of us together came up with great ideas. We all bounced ideas off of each other and every idea just evolved into something better. The idea that I decided to use for my research project was graffiti art/painting. 

My idea: Originally, I had only planned on doing graffiti art which I now realize is going to be extremely difficult because I don’t know how to do it or what I’d do it on. The idea of a painting received the same amount of votes, therefore I decided I would combine the two. I will use a paint brush to bring my prototype to life instead of spray paint. Although, I will use a different technique to paint in order to make it look as though I actually used spray paint. The inspiration for my prototype is Banksy because he’s awesome and if any of you don’t know of him or his work, you need to look him up now.

[briannaaiello]

When you think it’s a good idea to dog pile while sledding (it’s not). Also, thank you Jordan for capturing this beautiful moment.

[briannaaiello]

We got in a fight with mean little kids.

[briannaaiello]

“We’re not going to have a snow day tomorrow. And I’ve never been wrong.”

-Gentle Instructor

[briannaaiello]

work and play

How do the values of work and sports affect the way we see ourselves and the way we live our lives?

First we must ask ourselves one simple question: What do sports teach us about ourselves ?

They teach us how to cooperate with others which helps also to form friendships.

They teach us that you will not always be the best at everything you do, but you can work toward becoming the best with practice.  

They teach us to be competitive because someone will always be trying to take your position.

They teach us that if you work hard enough, then you will be able to do whatever your heart desires as long as it is somewhat realistic.

They teach who we are as individuals, the best of the best or the worst of the worst (kind of negative, but some coaches and employers can be so mean).

Now let’s answer the original question! I think that sports are extremely important for children and teenagers because it shows them what the real world is actually like. Children who play sports learn to be competitive, to practice, to put in a lot of effort, to create friendships, and to be louder. This does not necessarily mean that children who do not partake in sports as children will lack these qualities, but that these qualities will possibly be more prominent in those who do participate in sports. Sports help to prepare teenagers for the future because it forces us to learn that the only way to succeed is by working hard and communicating (with refs, coaches, fellow sports players, etc?). Sports help us see our own strengths and helps us apply them to our own life. The strengths that we learn from these activities help us choose what we want to do for the rest of our lives.

[briannaaiello]

I Am Malala Part Six: The Epilogue

The epilogue mainly focuses on how much her life has changed after moving to the UK and how much she misses Pakistan. Even though there were many flaws in their society, it was the only home she had every had. She feels all alone and has lost her own identity. This part honestly made me sad because all she was doing was fighting for a women’s right to an education and instead she had been forced (and shot) out of her own country. She has been through so much and she just recently turned 18. I don't know any 18 year old today that would be able to say that they’ve accomplished as much as her. Although, I consider her accomplishments a good thing, sometimes they can be seen as a bad thing. She has so much and yet, so little. She has this amazing platform that makes her able to encourage others to join her mission, but she doesn’t have a home anymore. She had endured far too much for her age which has resulted in her becoming far too mature. The many events that she has encountered has made her too mature for her age, but has also helped to shape her character and make her as strong as she is today. She has become an advocate for basic human rights which is what I consider education to be, a basic human right. She is truly an inspiration. 

[briannaaiello]

I Am Malala Reading Part Five

My abstract theme: Alienation of GENDER

In the next few chapters (23-24), Malala wakes up about a week after the shooting and is terrified because she doesn’t know where her father is and she doesn’t know how her father is going to be able to pay the hospital bill. None of the doctors or nurses were answering her questions regarding her family and that was irritating her to no end. Her left eye kept watering and blood kept coming out of her left ear, she was extremely confused to say the least.  When she first woke up, she was confused as to whether she was still Malala and confused as to what happened to her. She slowly began to remember everything. Eventually, her parents decided to go to Britain to stay with her and when she found out she demanded that they bring her school books for she needed to prepare for her upcoming board exams. She believed that she would be going home soon. Before her parents came, she discovered that she couldn’t walk properly and that she would need to go through physiotherapy. She didn’t know that her story had gone worldwide, but it was soon known to her when she saw all the letters and packages that had been sent to her. She realized that the Taliban shooting her made her campaign global. She was getting recognition from huge celebrities and she just couldn’t wait to tell her best friend, but this was before she learned that she can go home again. Her family finally arrived and were shocked to see her unable to walk, unable to hear out of her left ear, unable to speak in anything but baby languages, and unable to smile or laugh. She was having a surgery to repair the left side of her face’s nerves. The operation went well and she slowly started being able to use her left side of her face again (still not the same as before) They also put a hearing device in her left ear to allow her to hear again. She also got her other half of half reattached. She started to go to school in the UK because it was no longer safe in Pakistan. She still misses her friends, the warmth, her home, and her village. Her feelings about the Taliban and her mission have never changed even after being shot, she still believes that every child deserves an education and she wants to help make that possible. 

This section wasn’t exactly focused on gender alienation, but it was the effects she faced after fighting for equality. She could never go back to her home again, she’d never be able to see her friends again, and she could never go back to Pakistan again. I cannot imagine to be in her shoes and to never be able to go home again. She knew the risks of speaking out against the Taliban, but she took them anyway because it was right. I don’t think I could’ve continued my mission after being shot, I would’ve lived in constant fear, but not Malala. She used her shooting as a platform to help her campaign grow. She took a negative situation and made it positive. I don’t think, actually I know I don’t, have the same determination or courage as her to do the same.