To Assimilate or to not Assimilate...

...That is the question.

To assimilate, in sociological terms, means to merge the cultural traits of a previous distinct culture group with   that of another. In the play, The Raisin in the Sun, assimilation is found when the character, Beneatha, desires to become a doctor. During her era, African Americans were discriminated and White people were in the dominance of the spectrum of high-quality jobs. Yet, she wished to become like them and be a doctor, even though, she might face the challenges of hate speech. This shows the strength in the play to implement the courage within Beneatha to desire to assimilate, despite, the adversity that she could possibly face. 

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Assimilation prospers within our society. It can easily be detected in our daily lives, if you are paying attention to detail. Primarily within the media. For instance, a brand new alcohol flavor is advertised on the television. And, what is viewed? The smiles on the faces of the jubilant people consuming the intoxicating liquid. What the advertisement is trying to achieve is for the viewer to perceive alcohol consumption as a fun thing to do and something that will make you happy. The assimilation reveals itself, in this case, in the form of peer pressure on the minority to converge with majority. Some teens, for example, feel it is necessary to accompany their myopic peers (who are apart of the prevailing culture) into consuming alcoholic beverages, in order, to feel accepted within a popular clique. 

I believe I am apart of the long list of prey of assimilation. I'm of a family of strong Mexican culture. But, it's slightly embarrassing to be apart of it purely because of the harshness of society. I mean, I'm not one to care about how people view me, but when it comes to employers discriminating me because of a myopic stereotype, then, yeah, I will be concerned with how I am viewed. Which is why I have tried to sophisticate myself to that of a higher class citizen to be able to be accepted in such areas.     

Le Family or Le Me?

Well, it seems like my classmates are choosing the answer that is socially acceptable: To put your family before yourself. I, feeling a bit rebellious, have this urge to say the opposite: Put my desires first. But, that would just be ridiculous of myself because my family will always and forever come first.

Left to Right- Father, Sister, Me, Mother (roughly 3years ago)

My family means the world to me. Especially, my immediate family. My parents built me into the person I am today. They taught me moral values and how to be the best person that I could be. And, my parents calmly went through the roller coaster ride I gave them during my early teen years. They always stood by me the whole way through while giving me their wonderful advice. Speaking of which, their advice is godly! They completely understand what I am going through in these peculiar stages of my teen years because they themselves went through the same thing, so they just know exactly what to tell me. I couldn't thank them enough.  

Left to Right- My Grandfather, Me, Sister, My Grandmother (roughly 3years ago)

My Grandfather suffered a stroke nearly 2 years ago. And, to see him, in a matter of days, go from his everyday self to be imprisoned within the rails of a hospital bed and to have the left side of his body completely paralyzed put me into a bit of a depression because him and I have this special bond that I dearly cherish. He is my rock. He always understood me even though we speak different languages. He always went out of his way to do something nice for me. I couldn't love anybody else as much as I love my Grandfather. 

My Grandfather suffering a stroke made me realize a golden rule that I was too ignorant to notice prior. Always cherish your family. They will always stand by you and be your guidance and inspiration to the path in life in which you desire to take.

An Old Cliche

Oh, now time for a blog about the old cliche "The American Dream." Well, that cliche could vary among Americans,  but I think the majority of the people see it as, basically, going from rags to riches. In other words, to grow up stricken by poverty, but, through determination and will, be able to achieve great fortunes at the end of the road.

My American dream is exactly what I just explained above. I desire to live long and prosper (yes, that's a Star Trek reference). I mean, come on, who in there right mind would want to be content with just an average life? Not me! I want to pursue my dream until I have grasped it in my hands. In case you're wondering, my dream is to be an accomplished musician with a world- renowned recording studio. Sounds far fetched, but, hey, it is after all just a dream.  

"Insert Witty Title About Myself Here"

Where do I start? I guess I'll start with the negatives and end it with a little sunshine. When I was born, I was already being faced with the trepidation of death. The umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck like a constricting python. Luckily, I was born in a pretty decent hospital so the doctors reacted quickly and saved my life. Pretty negative, huh?

 Well, enough of that, let's move on to the plethora of positives in my awesome life! I grew up with the wonderful music of Heavy Metal and the wonderful sport of Basketball, thanks to my Dad. I've been a big fan of the Heavy Metal culture, but no so much the same with Basketball. Between the ages of 5-13, Basketball literally controlled my pre-pubescent life. Then something EPIC happened! I fell in love with the beautiful sport the tennis players call, Tennis. I've been playing that since I was 14 and I am now 17.

This sums up my view of music.

I picked up my first guitar when my grandfather bought me one for my 8th birthday. I immediately fell in love with it! It's what gets my gears going! Just the ability to create something unique and my own amazes me. I honestly plan to make a living out of playing the guitar.

Onto my personality now. I tend to be a blunt person most of the time, but that's just due to my odd sense of humor. Speaking of which, I try to make things humorous because the basic black and white is so tasteless and bland that it literally just disgusts me. And, due to my lack of social skills, I'm working on being a charismatic person (just because poor social skills won't get you anywhere). Also, I'm quite an ignorant person. I see myself of a superiority to others. But, I think that's just due to my competitive nature. Lastly, I am a pessimist. Purely because I view things logically.