*One of the favorite concepts we covered*

In Chapter 6, Rigid Role Relations was introduced. "Each must decide whether he or she feels more comfortable playing a dominant part, or one-up role, or a more submissive part, or one-down role." (Trenholm. P. 148) The chapter goes on to talk about the Complementary Pattern, where one partner takes the one-up position and the other takes the one-down roll. Also the Rigid Complementarity, the submissive partner soon resents always giving in or when the dominant partner gets tired of being in charge. In Competitive Symmetry, both partners fight to be the one-up position. And the Submissive Symmetry, both as indecisive people. There was a week we briefly discussed this, though it stuck out to me and I've applied it into my life. I've began to think of the relationships I've been in and determine why they didn't work out. And also, what kind of pattern relationship I'd need to be in, for it to work and for me not to get frustrated with my partner. I'm a leader at heart, though in relationships, I don't need to always take the leader role. Also, it takes a toll on me, with limit time with school and work, to commit so much time into the relationship as a leader. Therefore, I'd be able to find more of a balance within the Competitive Symmetry role, I'd allow the other person to take charge with some planning and take less stress off me for always needing to be the leader. Overall, in my future relationships, I'll understand more of what kind of person I can be in a relationship with, and those that I'll get frustrated with.

*What I've learned throughout the class*

I've learned a lot of new concepts and some I've learned in the past. Though, this class refreshed a lot of new and old concepts, which is always good. For instance, I've learned about Aristotle and Ethos, Pathos & Logos. Though, I was able to read more of the history be hide the terms and how the concepts were put into use. Also, I remember learning about the signifier, signified and the sign, though the book was able to use different examples and illustrate them differently. Some new concepts were the Filtering Theory and the Shared behavioral standards, along with Duck's Relational Dissolution Model, these were a few that jumped out to me. Which makes it my most favorite thing about the class; learning new concepts and learning how to apply them into my own life. The least favorite would have to be, the online interaction. I know this is an online class, though the class seems like a wonderful group of people and with a great instructor. It would had made a wonderful on campus class. I wouldn't improve anything about the course, I really enjoyed the open communication and how easily we were able to communicate with our instructor.

*One of the most interesting concept in class*

In Chapter 5, Cultural Display Rules was touched on. "People in some cultures learn to be "stone-faced" and stoic, whereas those in other countries learn to be highly expressive." (Trenholm. P. 119) In America, both gender's are taught to show emotion differently. For men, they're taught not to show emotion and not to fear. Women, are more free to express themselves with emotions and display of smiles. Even though when smiling at a man, they may suddenly think the girl is interested, when that isn't the case, may just be friendly to all. "In Japan, the smile is not only a way to express happiness, but it also a way to reduce embarrassment and promote harmony." (Trenholm. P. 119) I found this interesting, because we live in a very diverse area, with all kinds of different cultures. And I think it's important to understand each culture's non-verbal, in this case the emotion and what it means to smile. It's also a good thing to keep in mind, while next time passing by someone in a different culture.

*Concept from Chapter 2*

Adam and Betty introduced the Elements of a Psychological Model and during the encoding/decoding they filter messages through Mental Set. "A Mental Set consist of a person's beliefs, values, attitudes, feelings and so on." (Trenholm. P. 26) It goes on to talk about how mental sets can lead to misunderstanding and miscommunication. Because, each person has his or her own meaning for a particular word. For instance, when I was apart of a social website, my profile stated, "Christian". When someone reads that, they have different meanings on how a Christian should act or that, I must act or look a certain way. Also, because I have two tasteful tattoo's, tattoo's hold a certain attitude or belief to someone else. Or even the word "love", the word can hold a deeper meaning to someone else, and for instance in dating, if someone says "I love you", the other person may feel obligated to say it back. Although, later they may say, "I love you, yet not IN love with you." People have different meanings and beliefs towards words, that's why I found this interesting to read. Because, I always thought this and as years go by, I feel that having understanding, clarity and meaning with someone is very important, with all sorts of forms of relationships within life. "Communication is most successful when individuals are "of the same mind"- when the meanings they assign to messages are similar or identical." (Trenholm. P. 27) Take time out to understand the other person, there will be less miscommunication or misunderstanding.

*Pragmatic Perspective*

I agree with the Pragmatic Perspective and that after time, communication is a patterned interaction. People form communication connections on a daily basis, whether it being a passing by a stranger and connecting with a smile, interacting with a co-worker/classmate, or connecting with a long time family member/friend. I do believe the amount of time spent with the person, determines the amount of communication of shared interests and or decision to move forward with the person. "When people decide to communicate, they become partners in a game that requires them to make individual moves or acts. Over time, these acts become patterned, the simplest pattern being a two-act sequence called an interact." (Trenholm. P.32) Another way I look at this view is, dating; people have their desires and needs, and after a first date, both people decide to move forward or not. It is very much playing a game, you need to play and lay out certain cards at a time, if not then you'll need to "roll the dice" and keep playing. "Players become interdependent because their payoffs depend on their partners actions." (Trenholm. P. 32) In dating, mostly the female is the one that mirrors off how the date is going to be, if she signals an interest and wants to kiss the guy right away, then why wouldn't the guy want to. But then he may not take the girl or the date too seriously at that point; each set of people and situation are different. Life overall is a game, you have to lay out the right cards in order to progress to the next step, in this case of being a student, I must pass my classes, in order to move onto the next level.

*Social Constructionist Perspective within our culture vs. another culture*

Well, Social Constructionist Perspective people exist within and perceive themselves and others around the communicative practices of their cultures. So how does our culture within the United States build world through communication, simply by our communication that surrounds us and therefore holds our world together. For instance, we live in the "land of the free", where people can live and dream the American Dream. Though some countries may hate us, others really love us and want to be "like us". Our culture talks a lot about achieving the dream and our country has the tools for it. We are blessed with education tools, more then enough living supplies and sources we can turn to with Internet, media outlets and freedom of expression with our religion views (if any) We're in a flashy culture, chasing the dollar bill, fancy material things and having the new latest and greatest. Our cultures may not have enough sources like us or outlets to turn to, to help them reach their "magical" dream. I say "magical" or "living the dream", because I dislike placing these categories on a higher pedestal. What makes us better then the next person or the next country? Overall, with the pressure from the media, what we should own and how we should live; and that we should reach our American dream, can be a negative thing as well. And our culture can just very well be one of the unhappiest cultures, because of the stress and work overload we must do to achieve the dreams. Other cultures may have half of what we have here, yet some may seem more happy then us. Maybe because it is less pressure and their not as competitive.

*Concept from Chapter 13*

I appreciated reading about the concept of, "Smile and the world smiles with you"- because with first hand experience, I find this concept to be very true. No matter what kind of day I've had, I always try to keep a smile on my face and smile at strangers passing by me. And because of it, people naturally gravitate to me and I have positive outcomes in life. "Studies show that smiling people are perceived by others as more positive on a variety of measures, including optimism, sincerity, intelligence and kindness." (Trenholm. P. 390) With the many challenges we all face in a day, there is no reason not to have respect for others and common curiosity. Whether it be holding the door open for someone, giving a seat to an elderly or simply smiling at someone that is frowning. Therefore I found this experimental study research to be interesting, because the researchers tested the effect smiling has on others. "By showing this nonverbal behavior of smiling, it wide-reaches the effects on helping behavior, the study gives hints on how to get people to like you and be more generous toward you; its by one way is simply to smile." (Trenholm. P. 391) =)

*Moral dilemmas that face ethnographers*

First off, when I think of moral dilemmas, in general it means to decide on either A or B options; to morally choose an action wisely. As far as ethnographers, they research observe others and use different approaches such as, covert role, overt role, take field notes, informant or presupposition less research. Every situation they're in, they choose which form of research to use and it may effect their results. "Ethnographers want to understand how members of other cultures interpret their world. To do so, ethnographers immerse themselves in a culture in an effort to see it through the eyes of its members." (Trenholm. P. 379) Depending on the case I was given to resolve and to observe, depending on the location and the person; I'd prepare as much information and knowledge that I knew before hand. I'd use the Imformant Method, because people like when someone shows interests within their hobby or culture their apart of. And I feel like I'm a great interviewer and I'd be able to get answers that I wouldn't be able to get by just sitting down and not talking to an individual. People naturally like to be shown their interesting and knowledgeable; therefore I'd get more in sight and information with someone one on one.

*Research Method in Table 13.3, I found most interesting*

The Performance Research method in table 13.3 was most interesting to me; mainly because last semester I took a Performance Ethno. Class and I learned how to analyze performances. We also performed the performances in front of the class and acted out as different characters and as ourselves as well. Performance Researchers focus on, "Analyzing the social and/or aesthetic meanings of performances. Sometimes they write about performances they have observed; at other times they uncover the meanings of texts by actually performing them." (Trenholm. P. 375) If I were to study some aspects of deception, my research question would be; "How does an interviewee perform in front of an interviewer to indicate they are the best candidate for the position." I'd choose to use Performance Research to answer the question; mainly because it's consisted of stepping in the shoes of the other person and seeing their prospective. Also, the interviewer has been in the interviewee's shoes at one point in their career, therefore they can give the person the benefit of the doubt. And make their best decision using indicators and can discover the uncover meanings of texts and read between the lines.

*Concept from Chapter 8*

Communication is used in several different ways, depending on the location and the situation. For example, the way you speak to your best friend, you wouldn't use the same lingo communication with your boss at work. Individuals are taught to switch up their tone, depending on who they're communicating to. " There are unique types of communications, or communication genres, that occur in organizations. Business letter, memoranda, meetings, interviews, and so on, are widely recognized genres in American business." (Trenholm. P. 217) The term "genre", are rules of discourse in which the way we should or should not communicate. If we communicate the wrong way, it may be a red flag and once we're stuck in these negative bias, its hard if not possible to change the person's mind. I recently read an article on yahoo, in which was titled, "Don't Be a Victim of Interview Bias", I found it very helpful because it pointed out ways of how to act and to communicate to the employer. I enjoy reading professional helpful articles, because the way we communicate can be the only thing in our way; from landing the job. I'd suggest, over preparing for an important school/work meeting or even an interview; because the more prepared you are, the less nervous you are and naturally your "genre" will shine through positively.

*Marshall McLuhan's Theory*

Yes, I definitely agree with Marshall McLuhan, that the format is just as important as the content. It affects the viewers and how they think during a segment. The messages are geared to catch our attention to a certain product or stir us in the way they want the viewer to go. I've worked within the media before and know how commercials are made. There are what is called " a teaser". For instance, with TV news, they show a clip of what seems to be of importance and that viewers must watch. And the "teaser" clip is shown at the end of the TV news hour, so they had the viewer to watch all the way through for a 10 second clip that isn't of urgency or as importance like they edited it out to be. Each media medium has it's own way of drawing in a viewer. According to to McLuhan's theory, "each medium has its own logic, and each affects how we experience the world." (Trenholm. P. 307) For example, in radio, they may have a contest and tell the listener to wait for a certain song to play within the hour; therefore they have the listeners listening to the radio station for that whole hour and have the contest at the end of the hour. Television can be thought as a "Cool Medium", because of the ability to visually capture the viewers attention with a powerful visual clip and it leaves you on the edge of the seat wanting to watch the full clip.

*Friendships made from cyberspace*

The good ol' Internet-I was introduced to the Internet with web instant message and chat rooms through AOL at the age of 12 years old. Yes, that sounds very young for a child to be on the Internet, I wasn't aware of the effects of online chat. Although, I used common sense and never gave my personal information out to strangers. Connections were made with male and female friends, we were "pen pals". It was very exciting to be able to chat with someone from a different background then mine and also from another country. It was only a click away, to chat with someone over sea's and share common interests with them. It allowed me to know them inter- personally, before jumping to conclusions and pre-judging them from the outer appearance. This is what makes face to face relationships different, we see the person and have bias about them and they may interfere with getting to know the person more. Whereas with communicating online, we can hide behind the computer and have that disconnection between the other person. "We can hide in the back of a classroom or make ourselves unobtrusive in a committee meeting, but when we communicate face to face with one other person, we cannot hide." (Treholm. P. 141) With face to face communication, there is no hiding the face expressions or the non verbal body language. Therefore, that's the main difference with online relationships and face to face interaction.

*Concept from Chapter 7*

In Chapter 7, there is the concept, "Hidden Agenda's". "A hidden agenda is a personal goal that lies below the surface and that can get in the way of the group performance." (Trenholm. P. 189) Which is why interviews are so important, such as job interviews, the companies try to feel out the candidate. Both interviewer and interviewee are trying to feel out one another, to see if it will fulfill their needs. Which is also why references are so important or knowing someone within the company, because this has more of the creditability affect. Because at the end of the day, you never know someones hidden agenda and what their motives really are. It can waste both parties involved time and the company money on training a new person and having them just quit a couple months later. This definitely takes a toll on the group members performance and may cause a snow ball effect, with other members wanting to quit as well. I've been a Marketing Coordinator in the past and have noticed such behaviors. And during the weekly training I held, I pointed out the bad behaviors from those that had a hidden agenda and that the company would not tolerate behavior such as that.

* Steve Duck's Filters*

In Steve Duck's Filtering Theory, he talks about, how we use a series of filters to judge how close to others we want to become. As for me, I do in fact filter out potential partners, maybe a little too much. Within time, is when you start to get a feel for a person and get more information from them, to decide to move on with them or not. Being a busy college student and a worker, time can be my worst enemy, when it comes to putting time aside for potential partner. So what I do is filter them out from basic foundations and what is really important to me, in which I'd like the other person to have as well. I like to think I live a balanced life and if someone seems to be out balanced in a certain aspect of their life such as; drinking too much, going clubbing too much or a gym rat is unattractive. Also, having a negative attitude, being a cussing sailor or being disrespectful is no good in my book. Duck's four filters, sociological or incidental, preinteraction, interaction and cognitive cues definitely made sense to me. For sociological, I do believe the location of each person can take a toll on the relationship after awhile. This one time, I tried to keep in touch with someone all the way in a different country, as he was traveling for work and it got to be too much, and it felt like just pen pals. Although I think long distance is possible, it just depends on the two people and what they are looking for. As far as preinteraction, everyone has their own preference and what their attracted to, it may be because, the person reminds us of a hot ex, a movie star or maybe even our dad's. (I read somewhere, where if girls have good relationships with their dad's, they seek for that in their mate, same goes for guy's seeking a girl like their mother) Interaction and cognitive cues were interesting as well. I have the type of personality where I feel comfortable with most people, although, sharing my heart with someone can be nerve racking, because of possibly being heart broken. And if someone give you that feeling and shares deep connections such as beliefs and values; then of course I'd consider them and throw the other cue's out the window.

*Rigid Complementarity, Competive Symmetry, Submissive Symmetry*

Rigid complementarity, Competitive Symmetry, Submissive Symmetry; there definitions are real interesting to read and yet there are truth in all three definitions. I've played in both roles before, as the dominant or non-dominant person. From experience, I've found Rigid Complementarity to be the most difficult to change. In one of my first relationships, the guy was super sweet and would bend over backwards for me. Although it was cute during the honeymoon stage, it began to get annoying after awhile. And I began to give him tasks to take on and take charge, although he failed at simple tasks and couldn't take the leader role. So therefore, I resented him and ran away from him. The most damaging would be Competitive Symmetry, I haven't experienced being in a relationship like this one. Although I can imagine all the fighting and trying to have the upper hand would get annoying. I'm sure I've been on dates with people like this before, although it seemed to be too much ego in one relationship, so it didn't last so long. As far as Submissive Symmetry, because I'm a leader type overall, I haven't experienced this before. I would get annoyed fast and decide on a location or a place to eat. I'm independent, so I'd do my own thing whether the person was going or not. The most damaging to the self- esteem, or at least mine would be, Rigid Complementarity; because I have a high hope for someone that they can take charge and follow through with their plans. Although, after time, its like trail and error, and I'm just disappointed and bummed all my time spent on trying to "change" the person's role, doesn't work.

*Concept I found most interesting in this week's reading*

In chapter 12, I found "Cultural identities are overlapping" to be most interesting. Because, we really are apart of many different cultures, not just nationality, but all the aspects that make up who we are. "We all belong to national, regional, class, ethnic, religious, professional, age and gender cultures. At various times, one or more of these identities may become crucial while the rest fade into the background." (Trenholm. P. 347) This is very true, say for example, if I'm at church on a Sunday morning, my spiritual side will come out more. Then if I'm at work, my professional side comes up and I'm all about work, focused, Then of course, when I'm with my ladies, my female role comes out more and we do what girls do best. Different situations bring out our layers of identities. This is why it takes multiple times of hanging out with someone, to really get to know them and see the different cultural sides of them. Therefore, each individual has something different to bring to the table, we've all had different experiences and paths. "This allows us to be unique individual rather then cultural clones." (Trenholm. P. 347) The way I see it, no single individual has the exact same finger prints. We're all very unique and are brought onto this earth for different purposes.

*Rationality Premise-Perfectiblity Premise and Mutability Premise*

Rationality premise, perfectibility premise and mutability premise. All three cover three different meanings and what they are all about. First off, Rationality premise is the belief that most people are capable of discovering the truth through logical analysis. I can see where this meaning is coming from, it kind of makes sense. Through careful thinking and really analyzing a situation, I believer it can be true that we can find the truth. Each one of us have a gut feeling and it normally stirs us in the right direction. With a clear mind and thoughtful thinking, it is possible. Secondly Perfectibility premise, humans are born into sin but we are capable of achieving goodness with effect and control. Again, I can see the point the meaning is trying to make. Such that, we are born into a world full of sins and it is up to us to fall into sin or not. Which isn't that easy, and it does take self-control and daily reminders to one's self to try to walk down a straight path. And with time and experience, we can learn from our mistakes. Thirdly, Mutability premise, is assumed that human behavior is shaped by environment factors and that the way to improve humans is to improve their physical and psychological circumstances. Yes, the environment we live in has a huge factor on how we live and the resources we live off of. For instance, here in the Silicon Valley, we are so blessed to have all the resources we have; not only to have basic living but we also have the jobs and great schools. Overall, our society as a whole we have our own social institutions. And United States have set social norms for us to up hold. We choose and set our paths, although lots of the factors have to do with what is thrown onto us and what is the right and wrong thing.

*"We are Creatures of our Culture"

To an extent, I do agree with Ruth Benedict statement, as us being "Creatures of our culture". If you think about it, we are born into a culture and cultural norms are pushed onto us. We learn about the ways of living and beliefs through the eyes of the people within our culture. The right and wrong, how to act and maybe even what kind of foods to eat. It is when we begin going to grade school, that we are exposed to more people other then just our own culture.
Then, we start to question our own beliefs and cultural norms. "Our cultural norms appear to be natural and right, and we can't imagine acting differently." (Trenholm. P. 344) It can be a sense of a culture shock, when we begin attending school in our early years and notice the other cultures of people. As for me, I grew up third generation Mexican-American. Therefore, my parents, parents are from Texas and Mexico. With a background of Mexican and American, I had two grounds to cover. Though at school, some Mexican children couldn't understand why I didn't speak Spanish and I told them, my parents choose not to teach us Spanish. "Cultures are templates for living, that have certain basic characteristics. Cultures are learned, shared, multifaceted, dynamic and overlapping." (Trenholm. P. 343) For me, I felt more comfortable with the "white" culture, because they accepted my non-speaking Spanish side. Yet, I wasn't fully like them, because of the color of my skin and darker features. I wasn't "white" enough, nor was I "Mexican" enough; that can be rough trying to discover that common ground as a child.
Overall, yes I believe our habits and beliefs are shaped by our culture. It is passed down from generation to generation. Our parents have their cultural norms and teach the kids they raise how to be the same like them. Like I mentioned, I am third generation Mexican-American and slowly the Mexican culture is fading away. It seems the later into the generation, the more open minded we are to other cultures and cultural traditions begin to fade. I believe, the more we learn and understand other cultures than our own; we can begin to break through the limits of our cultures.

*Concept from Chapter 5*

The concept I found interesting in Chapter 5 was, "Personal Space". Many of us are aware of this term and that we like our space to breathe. Whether it be walking on the streets or even on the road, cars tail gating us. We seem to like our personal space in several different public situations. "Personal space, acts as a kind of portable territory that we carry with us wherever we go." (Trenholm. P. 128) We like our space on trains, buses or at a public super market, wherever life may bring us. Although our ideas of personal space may be very different from one another. As for Eastern Culture, their more of a group society and like being right next to another, shoulder to shoulder. Our society is different in that aspect and we like to keep our distance. We may even feel too crowded and that our personal space has been violated. "If others come too close, we move away until we feel comfortable." (Trenholm. P. 128) Unless of course, we're interested in the other person and are cuddled up close, because we like the person. All and all, we seem to like our personal space unless someone close within our social circle. As for me, I don't mind the personal space so much. If meeting someone, I don't shake hands, I give them a hug. By doing that, I may be violating someones personal space; although they don't' seem to mind.

*Do men and women use language differently?*

Yes, men and women certainly do use language differently. Both genders are built very differently and our minds focus on different things. For example, women are more visual and multi-taskers. While men are one track minded and focus on the today's result. While giving directions, women are most likely going to describe the streets store locations and/or the color of the houses. When men will describe more "army base", the streets names and the compass point. And of course the most talked about, "feelings"; women tend to be more sensitive and more in tuned with their feelings. While men tend to be more on the surface and are taught not to show emotion. They have emotion as well, though they are pushed away from showing "weakness" or tenderness. Therefore, we use language differently. Women will give a man hint after hint, beating around the bush and leaving the man guessing. But men are problem solvers and they first need to know the problem. So ladies, let's be easier on our men and speak their language; because they're not going to speak our language anytime soon.

*First Impressions, do we judge right off the bat?*

By nature, everyone has first impressions on one another. The old saying goes, "First impressions are important." This holds truth, we need to "dress" the part, especially on important first meetings such as; interviews or to an important meeting. Because once a person makes up their first impressions mind, it takes more energy to stir the person in the other direction. We judge one another based on age, gender, race or even social crowd. A lot has to do with how we were raised and also our experiences. If we had a bad experience with a certain kind of person, our minds automatically have negative vibes. After time and keeping positive, is when a bad judgement on someone can disappear. The media also is very racist, in all aspects of race, gender, religion or even the social crowd. Our minds constantly are overwhelm with negativity on how we're suppose to feel or act in a certain situation. Therefore, it is not possible to perceive others without first judging them. It's our human instincts and our pre-judgments get in the way of getting to know someone great. Overall, it is up to us as individuals to clear our minds and have an open mind. We shouldn't allow negative vibes or false judgments get in the way. Give the person the benefit of the doubt, you most likely will find common grounds with the person and be glad you gave it a shot.

*Concept from Chapter 10*

One concept I found interesting in Chapter 10 was, "The Audience Adaptation". The reason I found this useful is, I'd like to be able to connect with an audience while speaking. I've had jobs that have allowed me to speak infront of a large audience. The jobs consisted of media and marketing gigs. And I was one of the representative's for the company. I've been prepared and knew excactly the message I'd give; although, I felt like I just told the message. Rather then actually connecting with the audience. "A good communicator uses information about the audience in constructing at least threee aspects of a speech; it's central ideas and structure, it's supporting materials and it's style." (Trenholm P. 278) Mainly my speeches were to inform the audience about an up coming event, prize give-a-ways and about the company. The number of people in the audience ranged from 10-100's of people. For the most part, it wasn't the number of people in the audience that intimidated me, it was me leaving the stage thinking to myself, "did I make an impact on the audience?" And I remember feeling like I wanted to interact and connect with the audience. "The structure of the speech should also be adapted to the beliefs of audience memebers." (Trenholm P. 278) This would have been useful, to be able to know how to adapt to the audience and how to relay out the message, so I can speak their tone and style. I should have thought more about the audience beliefs and interests. Also the age or gender group. I think of myself as a decent speaker, that is prepared about my speech. Although, after reading about The Audience Adaptation, I will research the audience more. So I'm aware of their common ground, interests and using a familiar style of speech. I can certainly use this on my next speech and gain the audiences attention on a deeper level.

*Influenced by a speaker*

When thinking about an influential speaker, pastor at my church came to mind. His name is Pastor Mike, he really knows how to relay out a message and create the message so we can use it within our own lives. He's not a boring, old fashion pastor speaker; he communicates the message to us as an adult audience. He also uses props and video clips, for visual learners and I'm one of them. Each 5-8 weeks he has a different series he speaks on and his main purpose is to communicate it to us, so we understand and hear the good in the message. He really is a motivator, encourager and a personable speaker. He makes you feel like you're the only one in the audience and has the kind of approach that makes you want to come back. On the other hand, pastors need vacations too; so therefore they have guest speakers. I've seen guest speakers there before but this one time, the church didn't select the best pastor to guest speak. Or it also may be, different styles of communicating or where they are from. This man had a Texas accent (nothinng wrong with Texans) He was just hard to understand with some words. He also was an older man, so his style of communicating to the church was a more old fashion western kind of way. It may have been unfamiliar environment and that he didn't know the audience. He wasn't as personable and wanted to just talk for the sake of talking. He didn't make clear points and rambled on a lot off topic. I also noticed he kept repeating "you people", when normally a speaker would say "you" and make you feel like the only one in the audience. Who knows, maybe "you people" is a Texan thing. Overall, I was happy when Pastor Mike came back, his style and way of communicating a message is a better approach.

*The Social Constructionist perspective

From the moment we are born, we are thrown into a world set with ways of thinking, a certain year and location. We are taught from our guardians and teachers/mentors what is right and wrong. Our own world begins to mold as we communicate more with our peers, guardians and mentors. "We construct our world through communication." (Trenholm P. 30) A lot has to do with where we grew up, our generation, the people we hung out with and even the family we were born into. Each generation has different ways of thinking and have different perspectives on life. The media has changed a lot as well and the leaders in the office, our presidents. For my parents generation, it was a huge deal to have a man of "color" as president and for my generation, we're more open minded to new changes. As far as the TV news media, it is always a hot topic in the United States and we seem to focus more on what kind of dog Paris Hilton has, or what celebrity got the latest DUI or even the latest divorce. And also what the latest hot fashion trends are and how to dress more scandalous. I've had the chance to travel out to England and Australia and noticed their TV news is very different then ours. The news focused more on politics and world news. Not much about celebrity gossip or worthless news. And the people seemed more down to earth, not as much into their looks or having the latest hot item to own. Our culture feeds off of having the latest and greatest, mimicking celebrity fashion trends and/or getting plastic surgery done. Overall, living here in the United States can have it's pro's and con's. We live in the "land of the free" and plenty of tools with great opportunities. Although, it can be very expensive to live here, we seem to consume more then we can own and are obessed with our looks. People in England and Australia seemed more relaxed, down to earth and not so up-tight. Let's not work ourselves to the ground, to just to "fit in". Dare to be different and communicate that concept to another person!

*Introductory post*

To Professor Carol Perez and classmates,

Hi! Firstoff, welcome to Summer session 2010! I'm glad the sun is out to play, because on my h/w breaks, I'll catch some sun too! Of course outside of working part time too; oh the life of being an independent women, working hard to pay those bills! Like most, I try my best to live a balanced life, school, work, family/friends, sports and church! Some days being over productive can get the best of me, but at the sametime I love it and enjoy being on the go-go! It makes me appreciate what I have and not to take anything for granted! This pretty much sums me up and I'd like to remind you all to be motivators and encourages! Theres no better feeling then being a helping hand and learning from others along the way.

Cheers!

-Linderz143-