You have probably heard it said (often, if you are in the second year of my class!) that context is everything. Okay, so I admit, it is definitely a cliché, but I would also like to suggest that it is a whole lot more than that.
I recently read a blog post in which a woman detailed a story about attending a church service that was very "charismatic." In other words, people were very vocal and enthusiastic in their worship style. She was okay with that, at least at first. But it really started becoming annoying to her when a woman behind her started yelling "Glory!" and sometimes, "Glory, Glory, Glory!" during the service and the preacher's sermon. Once was fine. Twice or three times was pushing it. But when it became constant, the blogger had enough. She had formed a judgment about this woman
and it wasn't a complimentary one.
After the service, the blogger stopped to speak with the pastor's wife, who was a friend.
The pastor's wife asked, "Did you happen to notice the woman who sat behind you today?" The blogger commented that yes, indeed, she had noticed her, but she stopped herself from saying anything negative or judgmental that she might regret (she was in a church, after all!). That was when the pastor's wife said, "Her son was killed just last week in a drive by shooting." The pastor's wife went on to share what an inspiration the woman had been to everyone at the church in the way she had clung to her faith through her pain, "It's truly beautiful," she said.
In that moment, everything changed. No longer did the blogger see the woman as an obnoxious, over zealous church goer. The woman calling out, "Glory!" had suffered unspeakable loss and tragedy; she was a human being who was bravely confronting her pain and suffering. The blogger posted these words: "When we know context, we are slower to judge, slower to write people off, slower to feel disdain, and slower to puff ourselves up in self-righteous [or indignant] pride."*
Communication and social interaction processes are an integral part of our every day lives; at school, at work, and at home. In each of these situations, both our culture and the unique context of our individual lives and situations play a role in how information is communicated, received, and most importantly, understood. This is such an important revelation as you take in the flurry of information hurled in almost rapid fire succession at you everyday. Whether in watching the news, paging through advertisements, engaging in hallway gossip, or just making your own observations, you must always consider the role that the larger context of that message or sound bite is playing.
This should inspire this question in us all:
Who is judging you without a context today? All of us can
do only so much to allow others to see the "bigger picture." But ultimately; in a world of Snapchats, Instagram, Facebook Posts, short tweets and snippets of time that people may see us in the grocery store, hallway, or out on the field, they are going to see what they want to see, make of it what they will, and form an instant judgement. This shouldn't surprise us; after all, we live in a hurried, "instant" world. Personally, I'd like to hope that people who see me out and about, at my best
and my worst, will give me the benefit of the doubt...
I have attached a video link here that highlights the results of a very interesting experiment. Several photographers were hired (unaware of each other) to photograph the same man. Each photographer was given a simple background or "context" of their subject. None of them were true, and all were very different from each other. It's very interesting how it affected even their artistic choices! Please watch it by clicking this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-TyPfYMDK8
Share what you learned in the video, and what your own life experiences have taught you about the importance of context.
We live in a fast moving, rapidly changing world of quick reactions and snap judgements. Maybe it would do us all good to stop, take a deep breath, and consider all the experiences, emotions, interactions and relationships that have brought us to this very moment. Maybe it would do us all
one better if we took the time to stop and consider all the possible factors that have brought each individual we encounter to this moment, as well...
(*Booker, Adriel. "Context is Everything,"
I Still Belong blog, 2017)
What I learned and took away while watching the video was that everyone has a story and that we need to slow down and take time to get to know a person as who they are and why they are who they are. We can sometimes come to conclusions fast and make harsh judgement before getting to personally know a person. As Mrs.Caraway said,"Context is EVERYTHING". I put this into my own words as every one has had their journey and situations they have faced and it can shape who they are and how they are portrayed. My own life experiences that I can relate to is when I went through my parents divorce. I am not going to further explain how it taught me about the importance of context because it is personal and do not want to share. However, I learned a lot and experienced a lot throughout my childhood and it in some way(big or small) shaped who I am and how I react to obstacles in my life.
ReplyDelete(Jaquelyn Sanchez)
ReplyDeleteI learned from the video that information that people know about you, including a lack of information, can affect how they feel around you and how they see you as a person. The photographers were given different stories about the man, which affected how they felt about their time with him (some felt comfortable around him, others felt uncomfortable). It taught me that you shouldn't judge a person by what they've done or what you've heard about them. I've had a issue with judging people by what they've done in the past. I've felt uncomfortable around several people just because I've seen a vague glimpse of what they're like, when usually, they're very good people. It's important to get to know others and not just hear about them from other people. They might have their own opinions about them, which affects yours. It's best to look at a person as they are,both the good and bad parts, and form your opinion about them from that.
The context of a situation is crucial to our understanding of it and how we perceive it. This was seen through the various images and emotions portrayed by the man in the portraits. It was intriguing to see how the photographers all had a unique spin on their images, based on the context and information they were provided with. I have learned that my personal relationships are affected by context, because the background of a situation often alters how people act and how people respond in turn. There have been certain days where my friends have gone through something and have mistreated me, but something bad or upsetting had happened to them earlier that day. Without understanding the context of their situation, it is easy to mistreat them in return. This changes the overall status of my relationship with that person, and it is important to be aware of your friend’s status and how they may act in certain situations. This will help to further improve your relationship with that person, and allow them to grow closer to you in the process. Context is imperative, not only for the understanding of certain situations, but in your personal relationships.
ReplyDeleteWhat I learned while watching the video was that we live in a society of judgement, and within our society, people are quick to decide how they view someone. They don't take their time when it comes to learning about someone and assume how they will act. When watching the video, I also realized how different everyone treated Micheal. They all seemed to worry about what they said and how they said it; they were all worried about offending him. This doesn't make me feel that great because this shows how censored our society is and that we have to literally have to anticipate every action we undergo, due to the fact that we may offend someone. I feel that this needs to change, people should be able to display their views without the worry of possibly offending someone.
ReplyDeleteThat video was really powerful to me and it showed how quick we are to make assumptions about people and then base our actions upon what we believe to be true. It is really hard to discern what we believe to be true about a person when we don't actually live in their shoes. I have been the victim of quick and harsh judgement from something as simple as my religion. It is easy for someone to assume that we all fit into specific compartments due to stereotypes within a group. When really, we are all so different and individualized and that's a wonderful thing. I try my best not to judge others based off of minute details and I have noticed that when I try my best to consider others' contexts, my relationships with others are much better. Everyone has a different story to tell and it's important that we listen and patiently try to understand them.
ReplyDeleteI think that 'we' as people feel the need to connect with people on a more personal level. We make friends based on similarities, choose partners based on background and communicability and overall need to make personal connections to with relate with people. So when it comes to relating with strangers, by instinct, we rely on stereotypes and statistics to relate. We find out as much as we can about a person in it time we have and we use that to draw conclusions about what we don't know. In the grand scheme of things, this instinct is an adaptation of social animals so 'we' as humans can relate to each other and create bonds in short periods of time. It allows us to socialize with strangers and close gaps between societal differences. For example, when context is given for the man, the photographers shape their entire image based on the assumptions they've made and how they can be represent that through their art forms. While this allows humans to sympathize, the assumptions we make do not make a whole person and yet in our minds they do. I found it really intriguing how the little information we know about people affect the way we frame them. The information was there, the man in photo walked in room with friendly demeanor and a smile in his face; and even so the photographers framed him solely based on the context they were given. If he was the millionaire he was framed professionally, the fisherman was posed in a relaxed demeanor and so forth.
ReplyDeleteWhat I would really like to see is an extension of the experiment done in the video where the photographers are given a basic description of the person like was done in the video. The photographers would take their pictures of the man. Then the photographers would receive a more detailed description of their past, their background and a story behind the man's basic description. The descriptions would lean positively or negatively, this would alter the experiment's data so the data could collect data on how context deeper context's affect the assumptions we make.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love videos like this that explore society and various social experiments. Another company that I would recommend that does this is Line-up and they put out a lot of intriguing social experiments like this.
ReplyDeleteI loved this video because I think it was interesting how different photographers could represent a completely different personal of the same man. I also saw that the photographers tended to define the man by his 'past' even if his story was changed in the 'present'. For example, the photographer who was told the story of the recovering alcoholic presented him far away with a scowl on his face. I thought this was interesting because they were told he was a recovering alcoholic, not a current alcoholic. I think a lot of times humanity defines a person unfairly by their past rather than the direction they have not placed themselves on.
I think overall it is important for man-kind to try and look holistically at a person and try and understand what they are going through and where they plan to go before they judge them. I think this will simply with more awareness and causing self-reflection with videos and experiments like this. We need more lessons like this!
In this video, I learned that society is mainly rub around judgement of others. We as humans judge people of what they have done or on their looks rather than actually getting to know that person. Each photographer saw this man differently because of who he said he was, and with that information, they each took completely different photographs. This shows how divided our society is when it comes to just meeting or seeing someone. I personally can not think of a time were something like this has happened to me but I remember it happening to others. I see and hear people talk bad about someone because of the way they look or what they have been through and that paints a false image in peoples heads. I feel like what we need to do is stop judging based on what we see and get to know people, talk to them, understand their side of the story because their side will always be correct and more valid than what your mind comes to right away, everyone has a story and deserves it to be heard.
ReplyDeletesociety is mainly run*
DeleteEver since I was young my mother has always taught me to take into consideration as much as I can about a person before making a snap judgment. As a kid, although I understood what she was saying I found it almost infuriating after a certain point because I felt as if I could never make a fair judgment about someone because I couldn't possibly know everything about them, or fully understand the context they were living in, but, what I've learned is that the point of this cliche isn't to scold you out of making judgments about people (because this is inevitable) but rather to teach you to keep an open mind and be aware of the fact that your judgment isn't necessarily the truth. I try my best to keep this in mind when I'm at school and that one kid slows down a lesson, or when I'm on the soccer field and one of my players isn't playing as well as she normally does. As the quote states, I think it would do us all some good to stop and take a deep breath before we get frustrated by people actions, having a little more patience not only makes the person in question feel better, but it prevents you from experiencing any unnecessary bad vibes.
ReplyDeleteFirst off that video was so cool! I really loved how the different stories played a role on how the photographs came out. What I learned from the video was that different people have different stories and it shapes how they seem to be. I also love photography so seeing how that first interaction shaped all the photographs differently was so amazing!
ReplyDeleteGrowing up with a disabled twin made me live with "looking through different lenses". People would stare and whisper whenever we went out as a family. I remember two major incidents that I ran into with two completely different people. When I was about 6 I remember going to Dillon's BBQ with my family. I remember waiting for a table and this little girl pointed at my brother and said, "Look mom! A big baby.". When I first heard that little girl say that I was furious, but then later that day I remembered that she isn't used to seeing wheelchairs. She is only used to seeing strollers, so that is probably why she said what she said. The second incident was my elementary school's carnival. The parking lot of that school was complete dirt and all the handicap parking spots were used. So we had to park our car in the dirt parking lot all the way in the back. My mom and I got the wheelchair out of the trunk and we had to literally carry the 100+ lbs wheelchair across the huge dirt parking lot. We would pass by people and all they would do is stare and not help us. I remember my mom and I were upset that people saw us struggling and didn't even ask if we needed help. People who don't understand the struggles families with special needs people in them have everyday and the only reason I was so frustrated was because no one understood. I had the gift of growing up and being able to understand others in a way that they couldn't understand my family. Some people don't see it as a gift but I do because I'm able to relate and help others when they need it.
What I learned in this video is that people’s stories shape how they are perceived. Even though, we need to dig deeper and look past their one story. All of these photographers were told his “story”, so they tried to highlight his experiences. I found this interesting because, if I were told that this man was a recovering alcoholic, I would photograph him looking very happy. This would show his progress and growth throughout his journey. I learned that people try to make people with these stories have a familiarity with the situation. For example, when the photographer was told that he was a self-made millionaire, he made him look more intimidating and serious. This is due to the assumption that a lot of millionaires are big-money tycoons. For the alcoholic role, instead of making him look happy and rejuvenated (to represent his growth), they made him look troubled and kind of bad-tempered.
ReplyDeleteDo you know the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover”? It is my belief that we don’t judge books by their cover as much as we judge them by their stories. I have learned this throughout my life because I’ve never been one to judge based on appearance. Appearance is irrelevant when first meeting someone because it’s about finding out what’s in their soul. If you don’t like that part of them, fine. How this plays into context is because it changes our perceptions on everyone, as if placing a certain filter on your eyes. I have learned that people are quick to make assumptions because it’s just human nature. What we need to start doing is looking at covers, stories, personalities, appearances, hopes, and dreams. We can’t judge if we don’t know the context, even if it is our natural instinct.
In my own life, I have been definitely been deceived by context much like the photographers in the video. When trying to get to know someone, I let the people they hang out with and what I assumed to be their personal beliefs get in the way of what they were actually trying to tell me about them self. I ended up falsely assuming this person was a 'bad boy,' and felt terrible when I found out he was quite the opposite. Since then I've learned not to let my preconceived ideas of a person get in the way of our conversations and as a result I've made some amazing friends that I would've never talked to before learning this lesson. I think this is especially important in high school, where there are gossip and rumors constantly circulating, so I think once we take a step back and take off our own personal and foggy lenses, we can more clearly see the people right in front of us for who they really are.
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot about this from my past experiences because there have been a lot of times when me or some of my friends would be talking badly about someone without knowing their story. From these experiences, I have learned a lot about staying aware of context and also realizing that it can be very hurtful to people and myself. I liked how the video related to this idea and showed how people are portrayed differently based on their past experiences. I don’t think that this should be a valid point to base our opinion off of since people can change and it’s unfair for stereotypes to reflect a persons character.
ReplyDeleteWhat I learned from the video and from my own personal experience is that it is so easy to interpret things how only we choose to. There is so much complexity to one person and they aren't always who we perceive them to be. This also connects to hpw stereotypes play a constant role in our everyday lives rather it be regarding race, career or hobbies a person has. Being aware of this, whenever I feel negatively towards someone I always try to put my own personal bias behind me (although it's hard) and realize I have no idea who they truly are and what they've experienced.
ReplyDeleteI think this video is something that more people really should see just to open people's eyes to the idea that everyone has a different background and it's not fair for you to judge them before you know them. It was even a good reminder to myself to be aware of who you are talking to and to be nice to as many people as you can because you never know who needs the extra smile or talk that day. We all go through some difficult times and you may not even be aware it's happening to your best friend so I try to be nice to everyone but sometimes I even mess that up.
ReplyDeleteI was pretty much raised this way to not judge people for being different even based on appearance. Growing up being a darker skin color than my entire family definitely taught me how it feels to be treated differently and it was a crappy feeling. We would go to stores and people would ask my parents if I was there child and I didn't understand it then because I thought it was a normal thing. People today are still surprised when I introduce my siblings and they don't have the same skin color as me. I've learned that it really does suck to be made fun of or questioned for just because you look different, and I wouldn't want to judge someone before knowing who they are or things they have done. It's important to me to be kind to every person I meet and try to get to know them before having an automatic negative reaction as to how they look or talk or walk.
I thought the video was interesting but I wished that the people who were taking the photos had been given more vague information about who they were taking pictures of. It was rather obvious to tell which photo was about a fisherman, who was a self-made millionaire, etc. Alternatively, I wish they had said things like "this man is very wealthy", or "this man spends his time in the wild", to see how the photographers interpreted that, instead of giving them an very defined template of how to work. I also think it would have been interesting for them to have been told the partial truth, and then one false thing in his story, to see how that one false thing changed their style and portrayal. Overall, I think the video could have used more vague terms to portray the different uses of context in different ways.
ReplyDeleteOf course, context IS everything. But what about when it's not? I think sometimes there IS an absolute truth that is unchangeable. Some things, we see as changeable depending on the situation. For example, to kill another human being is not accepted in society at ALL, but those who fight in defense of our country must often do so. Though there are instances like this and I fully support that active-duty military do what they must, I think it's good to understand when something can change due to context and when something does not.
The video taught me how much the perspectives of people about other people changes based on what's told to them. It really is fascinating. In my own life I've learned not to judge anyone really, to just see everyone as people and not care any farther than that, as context matters. Whether it was the PewDiePie controversies, yellow journalism, or the views of people on the internet going in outrage culture over other dramas and controversies, context always matters. It makes and breaks situations. Its manipulated to make us think things that may not be true, things that we my normally not want to think. All in all, don't believe what you see and here at first glance, find the context before anything else.
ReplyDeleteThe video was very interesting. I think that it is amazing how the smallest encounter with someone, or a little comment that is said about them, can affect the way in which people view them. I definitely think that it is easy to judge when we don't have context. Often times people tend to forget that context is everything. When there are times that I am quick to judge, I have to remind myself that there is probably a good reason why that person is acting a certain way. For example, when I come home from school and see that there is no prepped dinner and my mom is laying on the couch looking tired; I wouldn't get mad because I knew that she was working in Scottsdale for the entire day.
ReplyDeleteThis video really shows the effects that context has and I can totally understand why and how this happens. Nowadays people, especially young people, tend to make quick and inaccurate judgments instead of actually trying to get to know someone. This video is a prime example and proves my point. However, It is important to consider what photographers must do for the sake of their job. In that situation in particular, the photographers had to think fast and create assumptions that also seemed to be warped by their own personal life, because that is how they make their money. Due to these circumstances, "A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by what is in front of it."
ReplyDeleteWhat I seemed to get from this is that when meeting someone, your personality changes and depending on what interests them, the topics you bring up vary. The reason I say this is because I am guilty of doing the same thing. It not necessarily a bad habit I have but it is just the way society has forced me to behave in order to make good impressions. The context and information that I provide people is solely based on what which persona will benefit me in a certain environment. For example, in school I behave in a more focused and serious way and I don't really talk much so that usually leads to people thinking I always act that way. However, behaving this way just makes it easier for me to effectively understand topics in school. Being less talkative is very beneficial for me because I tend to get distracted and would rather not risk talking over the teacher. Overall, most people that don't know me well either think I am shy, uninterested, or serious, but I would consider myself being pretty mellow and sociable. These traits are just more evident outside of school, where I can relax more. Society as a whole, I think, should just take things a tad bit slower and more leisurely without having our actions driven by money and general personal gain That way we can all understand each other on a deeper level without making inaccurate judgments/assumptions.
When we are younger we are taught to not judge people by what we see, however as we grow older we tend to. These photographs show that naturally as humans we are susceptible to what we hear and it influences how we perceive people without any thought as to their actual story. However I really liked how even with some of the more negatively connotated backgrounds, the photographers weren’t as quick to judge and instead made some positive remarks.
ReplyDeleteIn my own personal life I can relate as I both judge and have been judged. I’ve always been a different race from the people I go to school with, some of my facial features aren’t naturally seen as a “beautiful” thing to some people and some negative remarks or snarky comments about India and Indians are made when I introduce myself as being Half-Indian. They don’t know who I actually am yet, my hobbies, my dreams, etc. They typically just seem to throw hints at making a joke not necessarily about me but what makes me me. (I have heard a lot of Dell tech support jokes & arranged marriage jokes)
What I learned from this video is when we hear one thing about somebody or seem them in a certain way, we will judge them based on our perspective and views points in that situation. Before judging somebody we should really get to know them and who they really are. My own life experiences have taught me this because freshman year when I first met some of my best friends, I didn't think they would be my best friend because when I first looked at them and saw how they acted out of context and me not knowing them personally, I didn't think they would be the right people for me to be good friends with but when I actually got to know them, I realized they are amazing people and really good friends. More life experiences have come with asking people what their first impression of me was. I have heard all kinds of different first impressions of me and looking back on them, if the person who has just met me knew who I was, they wouldn't have thought that. If they would have known some context they might have seen me differently.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video, I understood how much the eyes can deceive you from one snippet of information. It’s an instant reaction to judge someone, almost sometimes like you do not have control over it/ notice it. For example, if I was walking down the street and saw the man from the video, I would most likely look at his physical characteristics and think he may be a little intimidating. However, that's not fair at all and that is still a judgement of someone else that I don't even know nor have I lived his life. This video really made me reflect on no matter how much you can convince yourself that peoples' judgements of you do not matter or that they do not even judge you at all, in the end, it's simply not true. You are being judge every second of your life from everyone that catches a glimpse of you. Now my response to that is, you either let that statement bring you down or you take that information and turn it around to be more positive and be your best self so that those people are more likely to see YOU and not who they want to see. In the end, it is your choice.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has something going on in their life, yet most people do not like to admit it because of what people might think. I personally do not agree with that because I find it more normal and typical of life to have that something going on in your life than if you don't. Because if you think about it, how can you further improve your life if you do not first admit to what needs improving? You simply can not be on top of the world all the time, it would soon become mundane and then you would take advantage of what the smallest action can do to make your life a whole lot better. I guess my final message to everyone is, be proud of who you are and where you have come from because if you are proud of yourself, then why shouldn't everyone else be?
This video was very eye opening for me in a sense that we as humans can go our whole life without really knowing the people in front of us. Our perception of them is blinded by what others say of them, yet, we never try to understand them ourselves. In the video, we saw how the context given to the photographers had both a positive and negative affect on the subject. It is our automatic instinct to judge others and no matter how hard we try, this instinct will always be there. However, I do think that we can be more open and loving towards others despite their past and the context we receive.
ReplyDelete(Eliza Hess)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about the importance of context! It was very interesting to watch how the photographs of one person were so different.I think this video really opened my eyes to see someone for who they truly are, not only based on their appearance OR experiences. This video made me think of the video that we watched earlier this year on "The Dangers of the Simple Story". I thought this was another great example of how with only one description of a person, or a single story, the photographers thought that they knew a lot about the person they were working with. Just like we categorize people from similar racial backgrounds, it appears that we do the same with people's experiences. For example, when one photographer was told that Matt was an ex-convict, she made the picture more dimly lit and Matt had almost a regretful look on his face. I believe this demonstrates how a single story of life in prison can make us view a person differently. What if Matt was an ex-convict and during his time in prison he had come to know Christ? He may regret the crime he did, but he may not regret going to prison because he found hope there. Overall, we all desperately need to see a person for who they are, not what they've been through or who they appear to be.
This video reminded me of the truth in society of how we tend to treat each other if we have incorrect or incomplete context surrounding someone. It caused me to reflect on my own life and how I have been on both sides of this situation. Semi-recently, there was a situation over the summer where I lost a group of friends I had just made. They stopped liking me due to incomplete context of a situation and made me feel alienated because of it. I have also been the person to dislike others because of incomplete context about them, even recently. This video helped me see these situations in a new light and reflect on how I can be better.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the pictorial perspective video, it became apparent to me the true importance of perspective. Like the video stated, “A photograph is shared more by the person behind the camera than by what’s in front of it.” We live in a world of “instant”, people skim through news papers, social media, and many other forms of communication without ever really digging deeper. It is even apparent in our schoolwork as most can relate on skimming through texts, especially in history. However, this poses a danger, a danger to misrepresentation of what is reality. People make harsh, instant judgements of people, places, events, and without any real context. Whether it be online, in the hallways, at work, it is very important to consider all perspectives and contexts before forming a judgement. It was very intriguing to see how different photographers in the video could portray almost a completely different person based on the context they were given. Overall, I learned that it’s necessary to seek all information and context before formulating judgements.
ReplyDeleteThis video represented society almost perfectly in my opinion. In our society today it is easier to judge others without much context, than to reflect back on yourself. Judgement of others also is just natural and can be a self defense mechanism in humans to avoid getting emotionally or physically hurt by the person they judge. The people who I tend to notice judge others the least are the people who are truly confident in who they are. No matter what situation these people are in, whether it is alone or surrounded by others they have a strong sense of self and what their own weaknesses and strengths are. These people tend to judge others less because they understand that other people also have problems in their lives and deal with those problems in different ways.
ReplyDeletePersonally I was raised to respect everyone and not judge people immediately without getting to know the person first. I definitely struggle with this because judging people can seem very easy and efficient. In the past I tried hard to not judge people and found that it is easier to not judge people if you let them judge you first. In some ways this worked because by letting people judge me based off of other peoples opinions and their own observations made it easier for me. I was then able to connect with them and make a judgement based of talking with the person themselves. In some ways though this did not work because some people naturally assume since I don't seem interested in them then I must dislike them. That of course is not the case as I'm just trying to not make biased judgements. I'm working on finding a balance between the two and using it to judge as little as possible.
In class, we had been talking a lot about the importance of context, especially as we prepare to read Hosseini’s book "A Thousand Splendid Suns". I really enjoyed watching this video because it is a clear representation of how society is quick to judge a person they see. The video depicts how the ways others describe you to a stranger can truly influence how they view you. I know that there have been times in my life where people I don’t know are quick to judge me based on a certain mistake or misunderstanding. These strangers have no idea who we are, so they base their judgments on how we perform ‘exteriorly’. But, they will not understand you ‘interiorly’ unless they get to know you better. Everybody has their own unique story that only they will truly understand. Therefore, people should slow down and get to know someone without automatically jumping to conclusions. I also found it very interesting how some of the photographers in the video actually asked the man some questions before beginning the shoot. This helped them photograph him to fit the "personality" they believed he had. Just as Mrs. Caraway always says, context truly is everything.
ReplyDeleteThis video gave off a clear representation of society along with how labels or stories play their part in everyone. I am not sure where the saying is from but I have learned to, "never judge a book by its cover". Not necessarily books but with everyday people, the example of the blogger and the woman in church, we tend to judge everyday people based on their actions without any knowledge as of why. Generally speaking, I would say how people facing similar circumstances would understand the conflicts of others. Before I have had conversations with my cousin about societies expectations, what we would talk about is how in today's society, there is no way to do anything or what you want without getting judged.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in a rough situation with my life to begin with, throughout my whole life I have had the mind set to never judge anyone. Being judgmental is a serious characteristic in anyone in my opinion. This is because when anyone is judgmental, there is no story needed for them to put a label on them. But due to my parents, I was raised to never judge anyone not because it is not right but because there will always be information that I do not know, not giving me the right to judge anyone. Although in todays society, it can be well said that judging someone is very easy. A mindset I set for myself everyday consists of treating others how I would like to be treated, and as easy as it is to judge anyone, it is unethical and improper. You can't dislike someone or think anything of anyone by a simple action or reaction, it isn't right.
First I just want to say how much I loved this video! It was very eye-opening to me and showed me how much society is really like this. Everyone always says to not judge a book by its cover, but in reality its easier said than done. I learned a lot from watching this video. I learned that context is so important before judging someone! It is so easy to make a snap judgement on someone based on what you have heard or seen about that person without actually knowing the entire story. I think everyone could learn from this video, especially because it shows the important lesson of trying not to make a quick judgement based on one side of a story you hear about someone. When I was growing up, I was taught to treat everyone with the same respect no matter who that person is. I was always taught kindness above all else. In the past I have made judgments on people based on what I have heard about them. It is so easy to make a quick judgment then to spend the time to get to know someone and really get to know their story. I try my best now to not judge someone and wait to form my own opinion on them after I get the full story.
ReplyDeleteI've learned "not to judge a book by it's cover". That saying that we have been told for so long is what the video embodies. The perspectives of the 6 photographers was all their own and was never the person actually being taken a photo of. From my own personal experiences I have judged a book by it cover whether it was about someone from someone else gossiping or another problem. In the end you should never do that because you could totally upend someones day or just the way they live. By putting thing in your perspective rather than in the other person's you have already made up your mind about them and on what side you are leaning towards which should and is a judgement of character on our part that is not kind and should be fixed. In the end just "Don't judge a book by it's cover" and "Put yourself into someone else's shoes."
ReplyDeleteThe video taught me a lot about perspectives and how they are formed. I knew before watching the video that context is important but I thought that a person’s actions and words defined their character and you could judge them or form your opinions on that. I like to think that I’m not quick to judge people but I still know that context plays a big role in a person’s actions and words. Like if you saw a person smoking, you might think that they are being inconsiderate and that they do not care about their bodies or the people around them, without knowing that maybe they got into smoking through unfair circumstances and are trying to end their addiction.
ReplyDeleteNow I also realize that these people judged a man not based on what he did or said but on what other people said about him. And the photo they took of the man was based on a combination of things. It was based on what they thought he did and either what they thought it meant about him or their idea of what it was. I like psychology and I would want to learn more about why this is but I still think it is interesting. It also gives a lesson on checking the validity of your sources and says that you cannot believe everything that you hear.
Before watching the video I hadn’t fully considered the topic. I learned from watching it how differently we are perceived depending on our past. In other words, one single past action is enough to change our “reputation” and causes others to judge us accordingly. This was very apparent in the video as each photographer perceived the man and judged him completely different depending on what they believed to be the man's past. Personally, I try very hard to stop myself before using someone's past to judge them. I feel that, although it may at times be difficult, it is important to always consider context before judging others from their past actions.
ReplyDeleteWe associate meaning with every word that we hear. In this way, every word has a connotation that we delegate to it subconsciously. Since we all have biases based on our background and upbringing, we simultaneously associate words with the meaning that best fits how we have encountered that word during our lifetimes. In the same way, some words that have positive connotations for some people, have negative connotations for others, which is why people with different backgrounds and upbringings might interpret a piece of literature differently. For this reason, it is crucial when reading a text to consider its context, just as it is important consider a person's background and story before judging or labelling them.
ReplyDeleteI think that people mix up what they see, with what they expect to see. When they met the guy, the photographers each viewed him as a different person, because of the preconceptions that went with whatever story they were told. In the photographers' minds, they wanted to shape their picture around what they knew about the person, because of how they felt about the story they heard. I thought it was super funny, because the lady even said she wanted to bring out the things that people don't know about someone, and treat everybody equally, even though this experiment exposes her for doing the opposite. This reminds me of how if I heard that this person in my neighborhood was an ex-convict, and I never wanted to approach them. However over the years, I have found out that he is actually a very nice person. I think the moral of this is that we should consider everything about a person, and not listen to the "One Story".
ReplyDeleteI noticed that most of the photographers did not rely on the label that the introducing man said about Michael. They had asked him questions and found it more accurate to find their perspective by getting to know him. Also Michael was a very good actor so the photographers were mostly impacted on their initial impression of him. Like when the woman was told that Michael was an ex-inmate and he jolted away from her when she tried to fix his shirt. Also when he pretended to be the self-made millionaire he kept his face up high and raised his eyebrows, making the photographer intimidated. I believe it is natural to make a snap judgement, because it is human nature to react to the world around us, almost like survival instinct. Just as it is human nature to know that snap judgments are not usually accurate, especially when it comes to other people and their experiences.
ReplyDeleteFrom this video I got to see first hand how an interpretation can make someone look. The individual who thought he was a millionaire saw him as illuminated and depicted him that way while the person who thought he was an ex-con put him in the dark. I also noticed how the different people approached Michael based on what they had been told about him, if he was a millionaire they approached him quickly and got right to business, if he was an alcoholic or ex-con it was more hestitant and calculated. This study gives a physical depiction of how labels and context can really affect how we judge people. I personally have experienced judgments on what kind of person I am based on how I look, before the person gets to know me. We all admittedly or not look at people and assume who they are and what they like based on looks and what we have heard about them because it allows us to prepare ourselves for an interaction with them. We allow ourselves to put up our mental walls in order to protect ourselves, based on who we think that a person is.
ReplyDeleteThis video showed when these photographers are given a statement about the man, they take pictures to show off that identity and how they see these identities. But when they all came together to look at their photos, they noticed that the photos are different because they heard different stories about this man. This video taught me that I shouldn't judge people off seeing or hearing one thing, that I have to know more to understand why they are acting like they are or why they look like how they look.
ReplyDeleteIn my life I have seen many different people for only a second/minute and I make a judgment straight away and I think I know them based on just seeing them for a couple minutes. But I also know that I shouldn't do this and that there is more to that person's story than we know from just one minute hearing or seeing people.
While I do think that the above video displays the importance of perspective I do think in part it was a bit misleading. The artists all seemed under the impression that they were meant to portray the essence of their subject and who he is as a person, and if they had very little information about him this is presumably what they would use to form their conclusion. Had they been given no instructions and just been took to take pictures I think this experiment may have achieved what it aimed to do much more efficiently. Though this doesn't mean I disagree with the message. Not to get too "TOK" or anything, but perspective is truly so important. In my mind the answer to nature vs. nurture will almost always be nurture. While some grow up with genetic predispositions, it's truly the environment and attitude you were exposed to as a child that has shaped how you look at the world today. We are what were exposed to, our perspective is all we know so when we attempt to look at something it will always indirectly be through the lens of our past, our "nurture."
ReplyDelete"A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by what is in front of it." These words speak more truth to me and have a different meaning after pondering over the consistent occurrence of judgement than before. The video explored how different photographers can capture an image based on what the model "Michael" life is like. However, each of the photographers were told something different. For example, one was told Michael was a self made millionaire while another was told he was a recovering alcoholic. With the photographers only knowing this about him, they tried to capture a tone that reflected him. When all the photographer came together and knew the real plan for the session, they began to discuss how there photos looked like different people in comparison with each other. This video was able to help me understand more of how when we are told one thing or see one thing about someone or something, we have trouble seeing anything else. However, when we known more about them and their context or background, we are able to connect and see people for who they truly are and their situations in life that lead them to this point. I also know from personal experience, that power of context is key when trying to fully understanding someone's behavior, actions or life. We need to look at more than just their single story.
ReplyDeleteWhat I learned from the video is that how you are seen by someone is how they will just portray you, without any other information. For example, when in the video he was said to be a millionaire the photo had him look smug, but then when he was said to be an alcoholic they had him looking sad, like his life was not going well. It was interesting to see him portrayed as happy with his life, but then when someone else took his picture, he looked like he regretted a lot. I also noticed that when he was portrayed as an ex-convict he looked really tough, not at all approachable, but then when he was portrayed as a lifesaver, he looked like the most approachable guy ever. In short what this video showed me is that if you make a quick assumption on someone without all the context or information, you will not get the real view of the person, and will instead only see a fragment of them.
ReplyDeleteWhat my own life experiences have taught me about this is, there was this person I knew we got along, but sometimes when he brought up someone, he would say he hated them, just because of this one side of them that he saw. Whereas I would have seen the opposite side of them and not understood why he sees them that way. So it really showed me that just because we had seen different parts of a person, we had created completely different views of how that . So that taught me that i needed context in order to get a correct view of a person, in order to see that person for their real personality.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat I learned from the video was that we are often quick to make assumptions about people, and based off of the assumptions we create our own image of who that person is. This video reminded me of the single story where stereotypes shape the way people are seen. Rather than jumping to conclusions about a person, we should realize that there is more to a person than one thing that we have heard about them. The 6 pictures in the video were completely different from each other and none of them truly represented who the person was. The photographers based their photos off of one thing that they heard about the subject and assumed that that was all there was to that person rather than digging deeper in an attempt to truly represent who they are.
ReplyDeleteI can think of some instances in my life where I have been quick to judge someone based off of something that I heard about them. This video I think will help me not to base my view on a person off of assumptions but rather get to know them better and build an accurate viewpoint on them because people are always more than what assumptions say they are.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe saying that a picture is worth a thousand words takes a whole new form and perspective after watching this video. The video tells a story of photographers trying to capture the essence of an individual with a different background each time. The video ends with the concluding idea that everyone has a different opinion and interpretation about the people around them based on context. Everyone has opinions but it’s important to base those opinions with context before forming an initial assessment. This video highlights the importance of knowing facts over opinions and assumptions and I think this video tells and interesting story about how important it is to learn to appreciate everyone's different backgrounds. You begin to appreciate a person more when you have an understanding of what they’ve been through. Everyone has a story in life and you can’t base a true opinion on someone until you understand what they’ve been through.
ReplyDeleteI found this video very interesting. These photographers were given what they thought was ONE fact about this man. One fact changed their whole perception of this guy. This shows me that we may know one thing about someone, but we shouldn't judge them based on that one thing. You should to know someone better before making those judgment. We shouldn't let one thing define a person that much. However, I know that is difficult because we are only human.
ReplyDeleteIn my life, context can be a huge thing. For me and other people, we go through these periods where we shut other people out and are acting in a really negative way towards others. Other people might at first see us as just being jerks, but once we tell them that we're having a bad day or are depressed, their perspective changes and they become more sympathetic. Context is also important when I've had differing opinions with someone. I might not understand why they have that kind of opinion, but then once they tell me something about their background, then I understand.
This video helped me understand that in society it doesn't matter so much what is portrayed but how its portrayed. Like Mrs. Caraway said, we live in a day and age of many media platforms that only give scraps of a person or portray certain types of people in order to gain popularity (while that's not really who they are). I thought it was interesting that as soon as the photographers heard about the man's occupation/life choices they began associating certain characteristics to him which affected how they interacted with him. We all subconsciously do this, and I think it's important to be aware of it in order to better control these stereotypes we place on people as it can negatively affect them and ourselves. Throughout my life I've learned about the importance of context and although this isn't directly relevant, the importance to forgive others. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has different trials and backgrounds in life. You, therefore, shouldn't be quick to judge as you dont know what's driving their choices. Doing so also maintains relationships and helps others to remember to understand your context before making judgments about you in the future.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the perspective video, I found it very interesting how each photographer conveyed a different tone based on the information they were given. I do think, however, if we wanted to see how the photographer portrays them differently, each photographer should get the same information and pose them to their own thoughts on how they should portray that information. It would test whether the photographer would portray a millionaire as serious or humble, a criminal as fierce or respected, a first responder as an idol or an ordinary man. Context is important based on what information the model gives the photographer, but the context and background of the photographer is also important because it explains why they portray a person as they did. I, myself, have seen this with writers. While most people have a different genre they love to write, it's interesting to give multiple writers the same genre and see what they do with it. If multiple writers have different genres, it's expected to have clear differences in the plot and character development which context is important in itself. It allows readers to see what is going on in the story and why the characters make the choices they do. However, if writers are given the same genre, more of the writer's choices are seen in the story. Characters develop differently based on how the writer sees them and how they expect the plot to move along. There is an infinite number of ways one can write a specific genre, each one based on what the writer has read and learned in the past. It all depends on their own stories.
ReplyDeleteI loved this video! Sometimes, I feel like people are quick to judge others, or that people form an opinion about someone off of somebody else's experience with that person, not having any contact with the person themselves. I love the way the video showcases people's bias towards one prejudice, instead of the whole person. I think this video helps to highlight the quick to judge attitude that many people have now days, which should not be the case. People need to remember that one small detail doesn't make a person, and that nobody should be so quick to judge others.
ReplyDeleteThis video was very powerful and an accurate representation of how we view each other in society. People will always be quick to make judgments about others without even knowing them. However, these assumptions are often false as we do not have much context about the person or the situations they are in. This video helped me realize that even though it may feel natural for us to quickly think a certain way about someone, we must stop and realize that we are only formulating these opinions based on appearance, or if they fit a specific criteria. For society to become a better place, I feel that we should not “judge a book by its cover” because that cover may only be a small portion of that person’s story or life. Overall, this video helped me further understand how much context truly matters in everyday life, not only in books or writing.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the video because it gave the view and interesting topic to think about. Judgement happens in our everyday life all the time. More than we even realize. This also makes me really think about what our day to day life is like. We alter our natural way of doing things consistently based on what others around us are saying or doing. If you see a "weird" looking man walking down the street you might go to the other side. If you see a white van you may be more cautious. These everyday assumptions change how we function everyday. I have seen this in my own life because automatically as a girl I feel like more assumptions are put on to us. Not only to be have to be cautious about every suspicious looking male around us, we also are a lot of the time assumed who we are based on how we look. The appearance though also has to do with men too. So on the daily I am always changing and doing things because of assumptions from past knowledge for my own health ans safety.
ReplyDeleteI really loved this video because it is so relevant to how we treat people every day. Like the photographers, we all have different perceptions of people when we first meet them whether it’s something we have been told or simply based on appearance. Many times I have met someone and judged them in a positive or negative way, then later I hear something completely different about them from someone else. It's always a shock when this happens, but it's simply because of context. This shock is likely what the photographers felt when they found out that the man wasn’t really who they thought he was. The only conception they had of this man was completely based off of false rumor and popular stereotypes. Likewise, the only conception we have of people can depend on something as simple as the setting where you interact, who’s there, and even if they’ve had lunch yet today. Maybe they were so nice to me because I met them when they were hanging out with friends and were rude to my friend because they met during fourth period--right before lunch. I’d act completely different in both situations! This is the case for everyone, and people should always consider the entirety of a person, not a single snapshot like an image on social media or the excitement of a popular rumor. There’s always something going on behind the scenes that we don’t know, so it’s really important to take this into consideration when making judgments about a person’s character, especially if we want that same treatment in return.
ReplyDeleteI learned from this video that it is very important to take into account what goes on in the lives of others when making judgement of them. I also learned from my own personal experience that it is wrong to judge a book by its cover because misconceptions are commonly made when we infer who a person is, that's why whenever I meet somebody new I keep an open mind about who I might think they are.
ReplyDeleteThat video was very interesting in that it showed how much one person can be judged by a title and a short introduction. The difference in the photographs was crazy to me. I can't remember a specific experience where context became very vital to the situation, but I do remember that my mom used to tell me all of the time to be nice to everyone, because you never know what they are going through; in other words, you never know the context for the way a person may be acting or the things they may be doing.
ReplyDeleteI really loved how the video showed that context is key in knowing the story or person. I loved how it showed that making uninformed judgments about people was not only bad but also that it showed how it affected a person. It showed the judgments people get and the effects of it when passing a stranger. I know personally I have experienced times were people assume things about me or my family. Not only have I had times where random people judge me about something but I have also had friends who assumed something about me with no context to my story. It's really sad to see people create something completely untrue in their heads because the don't know the context and didn't bother to ask. I think we need to always know the context behind whatever before making an untrue assumption and if you can't get the context don't make any because it is not your place and not your business. Even though the lesson of not to judge a book by its cover was taught when we are young it feels like it is disregarded as we grow up. I think instead of tearing everyone down with fake beliefs about a person we should be positive towards them and support them. Not only that bring positivity to that person and you but it will help break the chain of fake hurtful beliefs about a person.
ReplyDeleteI thought the video was very inspiring because it ended up showing me how people, including myself, quickly judge others. In the video, the man was 6 different personas and 6 different pictures. Some of the pictures made him look scary and some made him look happy. This was all based off of what one person told them about his "past." This comes to shows that people automatically made assumptions about a person without even getting to know them personally. A great example is the lady praising at church. The women thought it was unnecessary and annoying without taking any consideration. The woman who was praising had a son who passed away in a car accident a week ago who was speaking to god for help and happiness because of such a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteIn my life, I judge people based on their looks and how they act and most people do. It is not a good habit what so ever though even though most people need it for survival purposes. But in lots of situations, I try to let that all behind me and listen to the personal background or life story before I can say anything. The video itself made me think about how I should look at people differently and know what they have been though because everyone has a different story. Most people who are mean and aggressive ended up having a parent or someone in their life be aggressive towards them. No matter what, I need to know what has happened in someone's life before judging.
I learned from this video that we all see people in different perspectives and think differently about their situations. I liked this video because it reminded me much of our world today. Many people look at others the way that they have heard about them without really knowing their story. People are quick to judge others based on what has happened in their life, while not knowing how they actually act or how they are on the inside. In the video, the photographers based their pictures off of a statement that they heard, not even thinking if it is true or false. Their reactions at the end showed me that they looked at him and assumed his feelings and to find out the truth was shocking because they had already seen him in a certain way. This video put my mind in a position to where I should not judge people based off of what I have heard about them, but rather getting to know who they actually are.
ReplyDeleteThis video had a lot to say, and I mean this by how judgment and beliefs control the view of someones personal connections to a subject/ story of any kind. When there is something new for one to learn/ hear they are very quick to attach their connections and have an immediate bond. This video was eye-opening as you see the different aspects and how someone can say something that may or may not be the truth and another can draw up a story and life connection very quickly without even truly knowing how not to judge on a negative or positive view. A major part that this connects to my life is NOW how generations and peoples beliefs have changed from the original way of society, this has been a dramatic change, I say this because formulating some sort of bond without knowing the whole story in my eyes makes people confused and they end up having an impulse bond. With that being said context is super important but no matter what judgment and connections will have a major part when something is told to someone and something that is very important and never taken seriously is RESPECT and the fact that it is taken advantage of most of the time and because of judgment that has been a heavy toll on context.
ReplyDeleteWhat I learned from the video is that what ever preconceived notion you have of someone, shapes who they are in your eyes. I found it really interesting how all the photographers tried to capture the man based on what they were told, and it makes me think about just how different one person can seem to different people. Everyone is perceived and judged based on their interactions with others, or what they hear about that one person from their peers. Because of this, I think that we should base all of our judgement on the interactions we have after meeting someone; let the person speak for themselves. Although it is human nature to judge someone immediately, trying to curb those judgements upon meeting someone is somthing we should all aim for.
ReplyDeleteThere have been a few instances in my life where I have pre-conceived notions of someone based on what others have told me, and I would regret it later. Never judge a book by it's cover. Very famous expression, but I believe whole-heartedly in it.
I learned from the video that most people will make quick judgement about someone as an instinct but that it is more beneficial to step back and get more context about who they are before determining how you feel about them. Social media and the internet today make it that we have to put ourselves into catergoires based onour likes, interest, and who we asscoaite with in order to place ourselves into a group. This then becomes apart of us and is not easily changed. I think that in roder to get an accurate perspective on someone, it is necessary to look at their past, present, and future in the sense of who they have been, who they are, and who they are trying to be along with what they've accomplished and what they are working on or planning to accomplish. All of these questions require time and energy in order to answer making it that rash judgments cannot be made in order to fully understand someone.
ReplyDeleteWhat I saw in the video was a true show of "context is everything". Each and every bit of "context" let the artists make small judgments on the Micheal's character, they then began to make these small stories in their heads. It was then that the context was decided for them and for a teenager it's very easy to fall into that trap, making someone as something. I know personally this has happened more than once for myself and it has lead to some fairly negative conclusions. The only way I've found to combat this is to have context for everything , to know as much as possible so that I don't ever assume things. Doing this however has some of its own problems as not everyone has the context you do so then you may upset or offend while trying to do the opposite. So with this in mind I will always think about context
ReplyDeleteI learned from the video is that everyone looks at people different and how we do shapes our idea of that person so it's easy sometimes to judge a person a certain way or put them into a certain category. It was interesting how the photographers tried to take a picture of the person they were told he was rather than the person he really was. This video shows that we can't make judgement of appearance or opinion but we need to get to know a person ourselves to really make an opinion.
ReplyDeleteThis is Noah Caraway
DeleteWhat I learned from this video was that, everyone has their own presumptions about another person and it is hard to distance yourself away from what you think you know about that person. This also showed me how dangerous rumors can be, because it can completely shatter how others view that person without ever knowing if it is true. It also occurred to me, that, it is very much possible that a different "me" exists to other people. Depending on how much time I spend with that person, only certain personality traits come out which can shape me to look like a completely different person to others. I think that after this video, I will try my best to not focus on what I "think" I know about that person, and base my own judgments after personally getting to know them, and associating actions with their words.
ReplyDeleteWhat I learned from the video is that people can have their own perception of others sometimes without meeting the actual person. The photographers were only given a brief description of the person they were photographing. However, when you look at all the pictures it seems like many different people than the same person. Their own perspective of the person affected the way they portrayed him in a picture. I think this happens all the time even if you don't know you're doing, people think of other in a completely different ways based on what others say about them. Or at other times you may not have an actual conversation with them but just by looking them and judging their appearance. By doing this people make assumptions of what someone may be like even if they are no where near what you thought. Then when you share these opinions/thoughts with others they may not look at the person the same way which can lead to people being judged unfairly.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have learned from the video is everybody is their own individual person, some people see things from completely different perspectives based on their background and bias. These are important characteristics to remember we do indeed have but it is important to put your personal opinions aside and remember that everyone has context, someone may not seem as happy or as pretty as another but it should not be assumed that person is exactly what you think they are. This reminds us to be kind, and remember not everyone, or everyhting we hear about someone is true.
ReplyDeleteThis is cassidie seibel
DeleteAfter watching the video, it helped me truly understand what context can affect, and how we make our judgments based on it. In the video, after the photographers were given a background on their subject, they had judgments about him already when he met with them, and it affected their interaction and way that they photographed him. Context shapes our perspective of others and is what we mainly use to formulate an opinion about someone, even if we don;t have much to go off of.
ReplyDeleteThrough past experiences,context has really played a role in how I interact with others. I used to be a judgmental person, and had judgments about other people, even if I had interacted once with them. However, after getting to know more people and listen to their story, rather than formulate an opinion about them, I've learned to not let context shape too much of my beliefs, and instead try to always get the full story.
What I learned from the video is that everyone has their own perspective. Everyone thinks differently so it is understandable that people can think differently about one thing. Context manipulates people's thoughts even deeper, such as how the photographers captured the subject in different ways based on the brief description and their perspective. Context is always an important thing to have because it allows for better understand and thought process, such as when I have to convince my mom about something, I give her context of that situation that she will understand.
ReplyDeleteThis video reminded me of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Ted Talk on "The Dangers of the Single Story". Each photographer was given minimal background information, a single story, from which they were to derive this man's essence. This made it impossible for each photographer to see this man as anything other than what they were told. This resulted in six tremendously different depictions of who this one man is. As a millionaire he is shown to be pleased, as an alcoholic he is stoic, as a hero placid, as a convict sinister, as a psychic carefree, and as a fisherman tranquil. Who he was said to be had an immense impact on the tone of the photographs, but this was not the only factor. In this video I found many connections to theory of knowledge. Not only was the photo impacted by the knowledge the photographers were given, but also by their own past experiences. Our experiences set a precedence for how we will view people or events in the future. This determines whether the photographer would depict a millionaire as arrogant or content, a hero as brave or ordinary, a former alcoholic as aching or healed. Their own experiences, connotations, and contexts of or with these types of people would greatly impact the tone they set. This makes me wonder what people think they know about me, what they have been told, and what associations they have created. It makes me wonder how others see me and how they have come to this perception of me.
ReplyDeleteI learned from the video that everyone has a different perspective based on their personal story. I thought this experiment was incredibly interesting and I loved how it clearly shows the culture of judgement in our society. We're so quick to make a story about a person based on one fact, without first hearing their own story. I think we should take more time to consider a person's perspective and background before we jump to conclusions.
ReplyDeleteI didn't learn much from the video that I didn't already know. Context is key to making accurate, comprehensive judgments about people, literature, music, visual art, philosophy, etc. Without context we lose meaning, we can't comprehend as fully as we could, and worst of all we make incorrect or reductionist judgments about what we are observing. For example, Taming of the shrew goes from a lighthearted comedy to a dark, anti-women reflection of society with the loss of it's spoken context. The musical piece by a pianist in Auschwitz becomes a dissonant jumble of seemingly random notes from what was a deeply emotional composition about the author's struggle. Context can radically change a person's opinion on a subject, and it should always be explored.
ReplyDeleteSammi Lacey// When I was watching the Youtube video it was very eye-opening and really made me realize how important context and your word choice that you use is. With each different photographer the man was portrayed i n different ways in which he described him as. Context can make the reader or viewer have a completely different view point on the character/ item. Overall I am now aware with context and how it can portray many different things.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very interesting how each of the photographers was able to convey his personality with the type of shot and pose. They chose to capture him completely based off of that one fact and stereotyped him in his expressions. In film we focus a lot on the context behind the process of making the film and the directors intentions and that helps to shape our opinion of the movie. A very confusing or abstract movie can go unappreciated if you do not bother to discover the context behind it.
ReplyDeleteI learned that the description of someone can affect how a photographer takes a photo of them. I have had many situations out in the public where I see how someone is dressed or looked and devise preconceptions about the persons personality. Also, when I am talking to my friends and they tell me about people I have never met and their actions which cause me to develop images and ideas in my mind about them which usually turn out to be very false. Through these experiences I learned that context is the most vital component when determining your ideas and views about a person.
ReplyDeleteFrom Alex Coreas: In the video that we all watched, I noticed a few important things, one thing that stuck out to me is that the multiple different perspectives that they portrayed of the same person somehow managed to fit their narratives chosen. As each picture did give off the same viewpoint the person who was taking the picture was given, even if it was just a simple change in the camera’s angle.
ReplyDeleteOne way that I can relate my own experiences to context is whenever I am joking around with my friends. Many of my jokes can be related to the context of the people who I am with, as they form a much stronger impact than just making a random joke, even if random jokes can be funny. However, the opposite could also be said true, as if I also know the context between my friends and it carries a negative feeling with it, I will decide to not bring it up for the sake of all of our feelings.
From Carlyle: I’ve always told myself to be conscious of people, and obviously everybody has instinctual challenges concerning this prevalent profiling trait. My strategy to help combat it is to accept it then to put it into context. I feel this way because if you were to see a dog barking boastfully and ready to jump over a fence you won't think of the possibility the dog just wants to play because it's lonely. You have to run and get out of there then contemplate the situation by talking to the owner. I learned the common themes that come to mind with trigger words such as fisherman and alcoholism. Is that we as humans are quick to judge which may be good or bad but, there is never a time of reflection or legitimate support for one another in communities. Although this phenomenon can't be stopped I feel it is caused by the constant sorting and categorizing humans create. If someone chooses to express themselves differently we tend to put them in a bubble with other individually personalised and unique people just to make ourselves feel normal and accepted. I also noticed the direct association in TOK class we express and talk about our preconceived and formulating ideas brewing in a sorting machine of a brain.
ReplyDeleteWow. This part got me: "We as humans are quick to judge which may be good or bad, but there is never a time of reflection or legitimate support for one another in communities." That is something to really think about! It's impossible not to categorize. Our brains do that. But it IS possible to be aware of it and question it! :) Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteI will be the first to admit that I am quick to judge others but I stop myself as soon as I make a judgment about someone and think about what it is that they have to live through everyday. Something that has really had stuck with me was an experience I had with a coworker. When I first met this coworker I didn't think much of her but as time went by she because very irritating to me. We didn't get along at all and to our luck we were always scheduled together. I was always very quick to judge her but upon asking another coworker what they thought of her, they told me she had a lot of struggles in her personal life. After learning this I changed my attitude towards her and we became closer. This truly shows how context can mean everything because once I realized where she was coming from and what she had to go home to after work all I wanted to do was make her life a bit easier.
ReplyDelete