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)
I didn't learn anything new in the video, but rather reinforced what I already knew about context. Context is in fact everything considering lacking it can drastically impact how you view someone or something. Having a young wheelchair bound mother that can still walk on occasion has led to many people judging her situation before they know her situation. Growing up seeing so many people judge before they know context has taught me to try not to judge unless I know the context so I don't judge people poorly.
ReplyDeleteThe context of a situation can really change how you view and react. In the video, I learned more about how specifically reactions change based on the context or the situation. I also learned that color plays a very important role in the context. The context, as well as color, can impact reactions from unknowing people who are witnessing a situation. In the video, I saw that the different perspectives the photographers were told impacted how they portrayed Michael. I learned that color and context go together to form stronger or change the reactions in a situation; as well as the prior knowledge about a certain topic impacts how a situation or person can be seen.
ReplyDeleteAs a photographer myself, just hearing what the video would be about, I knew how vastly different each image would turn out. When you create a photo, you are trying to portray a certain emotion, feeling, or idea to the audience, and the difference behind each artists' intent really impacted the way they chose to create each image. This video not only speaks to different perspectives and the need for background/context to properly portray things, but also the freedom of art and judgement. Even with the full and true context, interpretations and judgements can be made against someone or something.
ReplyDeleteFrom the video, I learned the importance and the power of the person taking the photo to display the subject in a certain manner, I don't think I had ever really considered how different the energy can be from the different photographers. I know from my own life experiences of both seeing and later meeting other people that context can be extremely valuable. I know of a number of people who from a distance seemed bothersome, but after getting to know them became quite likeable and friendly. I am sure the same thing has happened between me and other people before, though I may not know. The best memory I have regarding the importance of context is actually from a fictional character, Boo Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird, for some reason he sticks in my mind as a character and a lesson towards the importance of context.
ReplyDeleteI did not learn anything new from this video, but was reminded not to judge someone or something based on how they look on the outside before I get to know who or what they are in the inside. I agree with the statement of "Context is King" because the only way for a person to understand someone or something you have to get the full context of that person or thing before you can judge. Sometimes I will admit I do forget that "Context is King" but when I do look at the bigger picture of who the person is or what the thing is, it makes it so much better. The saying "Context is King" goes along with the saying of "Don't judge a book by its cover". I will always try to make sure to remember not to judge before I have the context of the person or thing.
ReplyDeleteYes-- I think here though, they were judging the man before they even met him based on what they were told his background was, so it wasn't really appearance in this case. It makes it clear that whatever background we are given on someone or something definitely impacts our impressions of them/it.
DeleteThis video taught me the power of perception. Six different photographers from all different walks of life. They came in with their preconceived notions, cultural influences, and personal beliefs and merged that with the subject. Whether we mean to or not, our culture and beliefs are ingrained in our everyday decisions. When pairing our own beliefs with a subject we tend to make assumptions, judgements, and build the character of a stranger in our minds. Without context our minds trample over the individualized personalities of the people we meet by substituting them with our partial conceptions.
ReplyDeleteIn my life I am heavily influenced by art and music, and I love learning about what kind of headspace the artists are in when creating their works. Specifically, I heard a song with extremely vulgar lyrics that honestly shocked me. I could not believe that someone recorded this and said this over a microphone with all of the passion in the world. I was quick to label this artist ludacris, immature, and creatively destitute… and then I learned where the song came from. The song was intentionally written this way because it was supposed to reflect the perspective of one who was mentally unstable, someone who couldn’t control their actions, and someone who needed help. This was explained later on the album, but I had originally not stuck around to gain the full context. This artist has become one of my favorite musicians, and he has changed his style since the release of that album a decade ago, but if I hadn’t tried to understand or gain the context for this song I would have completely closed my self off to an artist who I have grown to love.
How interesting! I would love to know who the artist is if you wouldn't mind sharing with me, and learning more!
DeleteFrom: Jessica Herrera, Year 2
ReplyDeleteThis video reminds me very much of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TedTalk on the "Single Story", without context and with only one piece of information (or a piece of information with more emphasis than any other detail) to judge something off of, we are left with an incomplete stereotype or things. In life, human beings naturally try to categorize things and people into groups of "us" and "them", this often negatively affects our worldview. This video emphasizes very well how easy it is to shine a different light on someone and see them as a totally new person. It is impossible to truly get to know someone based on a glance from across the room or a first impression so we have no right to treat them accordingly. It's important to know the background before you developed a prejudice against something/someone.
I loved the idea that the videographer proposed, context is not a new concept in my life, but the way that he was able to focus on teaching others the true importance of context and how it really does change the way people view others was really astounding. It was a very inspiring reminder to always take into consideration one's context before making any prejudices about their life.
ReplyDeleteWith being a very self-conscious person most of my life and still feeling that way in some scenarios, I have learned to stay away from prejudging others. So, I try to make sure that I do not make any assumptions about a person unless I know their story and the reason why they act the way that they do, which is never the case with strangers.
The video reinforced how it is human nature to judge someone based on the information you hear or perceive about them. The photographers in the videos learned minor details about the man’s life, and based on what they learned, made assumptions about his character. I related this back to the idea of a single story and how people create prejudices and stereotypes based on basic information that they are given by others. I think this is something that society really struggles with, judging immediately without having the truth revealed. Applying this to my own life, I have realized that you cannot judge a person until you fully know their background and what they are truly going through. From past experiences of having people judge me and from me judging others, I have come to terms that most prejudices and stereotypes are made simply from lack of knowledge, truth, and context.
ReplyDeleteWatching the video, I have been reminded not to judge a person from the information you have heard about them. I learned that even the slightest information that may not matter, can make a huge difference. The photographers different perspectives that they had captured shows that context can influence action and opinions. In my own life, I struggle with judging someone right away rather than thinking about the context. If someone were to judge me without knowing my full story, I know I would not like that. This reminded me that I should not judge someone without knowing the whole story and opening my mind up to acceptance.
ReplyDeleteDanielle Young:
ReplyDeleteWith A few words, a people’s perspective or outlook on the changes. All of the photographers approached the man differently when they were given his background. And how they looked at him changed to fit that alias. It really shows how someones out view on others can change with given context, real or not. But besides that the video went off what I already knew out of context and bias.
This video, while it did not help me learn anything new, did remind me how important context is. The information about the man that the photographers were given really changed their perspective of him and how the pictures were shot, showing just how important context is.
ReplyDeleteThe video represents the narrow viewpoint we all focus people in on. You zoom in on who they are, from only the little bits of information you recieved. If you had only heard a one minute story about them, you may have only learned about one day, week, month, year, etc of their life, rather than the whole picture. We learn something about someone and fit in into a box about them. That box becomes the only thing we see about them, rather than everything they are. Ive seen in my own life the different ways people percieve me. No single person knows of everything Ive been through, my constant thoughts, my health issues, and how all of this affects me but people simply make judgements about me that are far from who I am. I have never met two people with the same judgement or opinion of me and that is simply because they each got different snapshots of who I am.
ReplyDeleteI found the video incredibly interesting. Even before they started talking to the person they were photographing, you could see the difference in simply the way that the photographers greeted him. It's interesting that being given minimal information about someone can shift the way they are viewed in such a profound way. Every single photograph that was taken showed a different person, and demonstrated the idea that the way we see somebody can play a role in how we treat them.
ReplyDeleteI have found that it is incredibly easy in a split second to make a judgment on someone. It's easy to become annoyed with small things people do, or to be mad at people for things they don't always realize they did. So, as much as I try to see both sides of the story, I know that I rarely ever do. Making assumptions about people is natural, but it is amazing how much that perspective can shift when you realize that what you thought about someone is entirely incorrect. You never know what another person is going through.
- Ally Bill
I think it's fascinating that human beings paint these pictures of people in their minds based off of the most basic snippets of one's identity. The photographers (whether consciously or not) created a "single story" of this man. They got a small piece of his story, which influenced their perception of him altogether. While this behavior is pretty natural and rather difficult to avoid, I think this video serves as a helpful reminder to think before we head straight for judgement.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I used to be a pretty judgmental child. I picked people apart in my head, analyzed the smallest behaviors, and made assumptions based on what I saw. I thought that I was a good judge of character, when really I was only perceiving the surface level of these people's identities in a prejudicial way. As I grew up, I faced a multitude of challenges that required me to fight through people's judgement of me. I think the most memorable example is perhaps during my cross country seasons during freshman and sophomore year of high school. People often quickly judged my ability to do cross country based on my outward appearance, with little regard for any underlying issues I may have had. I learned from firsthand experience how inaccurate perceptions of people can be. It took a lot of time, but I slowly began to learn that I literally knew nothing about anyone. I knew nothing about their life at home, their internal struggles, their culture, their family, etc.
It's difficult to not judge people and to remember that context is indeed king. But I believe that in order to be successful in L&L, and especially to be successful in life, this is a principle that needs to be of paramount importance.
After watching the video, it’s a good reminder that you never know what someone is going through or has gone through in the past. Context is important, not just for yourself but the people around you. It goes to show that knowing a piece of information on someone, whether good or bad, can completely change your perspective on them. A perfect example is shown in the video, 6 completely different photos were taken of the same man all because their perspectives on him were different. It’s a good reminder to never judge a book by its cover and that with context, the light we shine is much more clear.
ReplyDeleteI found the video really interesting to see how these different photographers displayed their perspective of this man through their photos and through the ways they interacted with him and how it differed based on the story they had been told. I also found it interesting to see different stereotypes in the way they presented him. The fisherman was presented as down to earth, the millionaire as confident and most obvious the inmate as a little threatening.
ReplyDeleteI wonder where these stereotypes and preconceptions about who a person is and how they look come from. Are they ingrained in us by a judgmental society, the media, or are we born with them?
Why do we think of these single stories when we know that people have so many dimensions and stories to tell? If we focused on a different aspect of a person's life what would we see and what would we think?
This video was a reminder to me to work past these preconceptions and look past just singular labels to grow my perception of the people around me.
The video taught me that the context does not just affect the perception of an object, it can also change the object. Context is vital because it can be found within everything, from its conception to its perception. Within my own life, I have observed that not everyone's as villainous as they seem. Everyone is the hero of their own story, and so by understanding why it is that they believe they are the hero, a better understanding of the person can be achieved.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video it helped me see the importance of context in life. It also reminded me about the importance of being open-minded and that no matter who somebody is we should still treat them as an equal. I have seen this in my own life with random people you see on the streets. It kind of goes with that "dont judge a book by its cover" quote. We often look at people and before even meeting them we create this whole persona for them even though in reality they could be completely different.
ReplyDeleteI found the difference between the photos incredibly interesting. I wonder if the photographer's personality also affected how they envisioned the photo. This video showed me how people often make judgments about others based on the little information they have. We never truly know anyone's life story and why they act the way that they act. We should refrain from making harsh judgments until we have context.
ReplyDeleteWatching the video, it's so interesting to see not only the entire person each photographer built from the tiny bit of information they got, but also how they chose to portray their given persona. Some of them used the props and furniture while others used only the model, showing how they interpret character. They used every aspect to portray the story they were told, using lighting, facial expressions, and eye contact. How the fisherman is more laid back and relaxed, the millionaire is confident while looking straight into the camera, the inmate is in gray, more serious lighting with an intimidating expression, the life saver is in bright light with a joyous expression, and the psychic staring at the camera with a serious expression, as if he’s trying to read your mind. Their portrayals truly represent how an entire person can be built off of one little piece of information, showing how we do the same in our everyday lives. I find myself creating stories for people I see on the street, in grocery stores, anywhere I go, judging them based on one little interaction I’ve had. Sometimes it’s difficult to remind myself that one look at a person’s life will never reveal everything about them, but I try to do the same to myself, and ask myself how someone else would perceive me if they looked at me right now and at what I’m doing. Of course it doesn’t accurately represent my entire personality and life, so it’s a helpful way to stop doing the same to other people.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how each photographer showed their own unique perspective of the man through their photos, and also how it affected the way I saw them as well. This video reminded me to rely on my own perception and not to "judge a book by its cover" or believe stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteMadeline St. Louis
DeleteThis video only stems to confirm something I and I believe the rest of the world should believe in too. Something that's been taught to be my whole life and that is that context is key. No one piece should be taken out of its original context because if that is done then there's no reason behind that piece of existence, other than to take up space. Context is what makes things, beautiful, happy, disgusting, sad or any emotion for that matter. It's a difficult concept to think about but when you do, you'll see that our world would not exist as it does today, without context.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how preconceived notions from a person can shape another persons entire identity from a single prospective. Which was shown even in the beginning of the video as you could tell from the shift in the photographers behavior to the way they thought about how to set up their picture. It really makes me think about the creation of identities can be shaped based on narrowed down context of a person and self judgement knowing the full context of your character. The creation of an identity without knowing the context of a person is something that I am guilty of although it is human nature to do so. Before even getting to know someone based on looks, mannerisms, or even just hearing a persons character from the grape vine there is a seeded perspective about that person without really getting to know them; condensing them down to a "single story" when there is so much more to people than we could imagine. So this gives me a reminder to have an open mind and set aside those biases to get really listen and get to know someone.
ReplyDeleteFrom the video, I learned that it is what is seen on the outside and the context that is given about you that shapes the way people look and perceive who you are as a person. Each of the six photographers were given different contexts and "images" of the man that they were taking pictures of and as a result, in the end the each of the photos looked like they were depicting a different person, even though the person was the same. Context is key and I have learned in my life to not judge others on my own observations and others' words alone. Some of my closest friends, when I first met them I would have never imagined that I would eventually become as close to them as I am now and visa versa based on some stories that they have told me. Without context and truly trying to understand who someone is or what is going on, the world can be shrouded in bias and the truth would remain hidden from view
ReplyDeleteI picked up on the way they adjusted to what they knew about him to interact differently. It was really interesting. I thought it was cool that they were more sensitive, aware, considerate, and adaptive as they learned about this new person.
ReplyDeleteI've never looked at it from the angle of "context is everything" but I have tried to implement the "you never know what someone's going through" phrase into my life. Some days are better than others. Just like the blogger it's so easy to get frustrated and judge or make assumptions but those are clouded by emotions and opinion, we don't know everything someone is going through and need to take a step back and acknowledge that. I have had people completely misinterpret me as a person as well as certain situations not just because they are caught up in how they feel but because they don't know me and my life. We need to be considerate and patient. We're all human and you don't know everyone's context and background info, it's important to recognize and utilize that understanding.
The video really served to reinforce what I know about stereotypes. It was fascinating to me that every photographer had a very limited amount of props to choose from, yet there was very little overlap in the props. This showed me that our minds work to fit a person into our stereotype and adjust what we notice about them to best fit the story we've created.
ReplyDeleteIn my own life, I know that I am often quick to judge, sometimes before I've even met the person. I put a lot of trust in the opinions of my family. So when I meet someone that they've told me about, I have usually already passed judgement on them and will be working against this stereotype I have of them because I don't know their context. Another thing I have noticed is that once we learn about someone's context and form our opinions of them, we return them to a box. I have experienced this recently as it seems I'm like Mr.Darcy ("when my good opinion is lost, it is lost forever"). A few people I know have lost my good opinion which is making me only see their faults and overshadowing the good things they do. I recognize that I am doing this but it is so hard to stop shoving them into the box I have in my head. I also do this with people I like as I am far more willing to let them off the hook when the do something I disagree with, just because I like them. With this vague story, I am trying to explain that we make the context of others in our heads and will adapt their context with the new information they give us.
The video was really fascinating and shows how we as individuals take 1 context, you could even call it a single story, and use it to shape how we see a person. I was also reminded how psychologically speaking we are very quick to judge, and biologically that is supposed to help us but in the world we live in today it can be a detriment. It is very easy to form a first impression of a person and never change it, despite if the person changes. The video also revealed the bias we have based on titles and what we expect from those titles. Overall it was very intriguing and eye opening to watch, we even talked about it briefly in our TOK class! :)
ReplyDeleteAn example of context being key in my own life was in 5th grade. I had 2 friends that I was close with but they hated each other. It was all based on 1 interaction they had in 3rd grade, since I had spoken with them each individually I heard their own contexts and it was clear it was nothing more than a miscommunication. I couldn’t convince them to talk to each other to explain each perspective and so it was never resolved. It was a case where hearing the context of another person would’ve completely changed the outcome.
Also a funny example that I read somewhere was the difference between saying “Sorry my bad!” At a soccer game as opposed to a Forrest fire or explosion.
Not to make light of Forrest fires or explosions of course.
Delete:) That was funny!
DeleteAs I watched this video, it was a humbling reminder to never judge someone that you don't truly know. Each person has a different perspective on the information they hear, as well as the way they view other people. Many people can easily just spread false information based on their own prejudices, yet it may not always be true. Personally, I have had people do this to me where they make assumptions about my character before they truly get the chance to know me or to understand what occurs behind the scenes and I know this is a terrible thing that many people struggle with in today's society. I think this video should be a friendly reminder to stay open minded and to always treat others with kindness.
ReplyDeleteI thought this video seemed pretty similar to what people today experience such as being judged by the way someone appears to look like. Just like how these photographers assumed differently towards the subject and captured different points of view of the subject. I also find this similar to what I have experience before. Often when I wear my glasses in public, people would assume I'm intelligent even though I'm not as smart than I look. This video is a good reference to reflect back on because it shows how today's era, people judge by an appearance which is not good habit. You don't know a person until you actually know the person. -Jared Mamaradlo
ReplyDeleteThe video showed me just how different photos can be based on who is taking them, and by extension how different people can be to the people who are observing them. I personally was recently assumed I knew what to expect from a person who I was doing a group project with, I thought that they would be one of the kids who did nothing and that my group would have to do more work to make up for there portion. It turns out I was wrong and me and the person I thought would slack off ended up doing practically all of the work while the other members of the group did nothing. This showed me that I was just making assumptions based on the small interactions I had with that person and just how important context can be to truly understand people.
ReplyDeleteI thought that experiment was really interesting. It truly shows that preconceived notions about others truly affect the way people treat them. The photographers were given a concept and went with it, they used their own judgments and built a different person than who he was. In my own life, I definitely know that everything happens so fast and I think honestly that snap judgment is a survival mechanism that we have come to rely on. We want to form an opinion of someone within seconds to know if it is safe to engage with them. As cliche as “don’t judge a book by its cover” is I think it is pretty important. I have heard so many stories of people making judgments of their friends and never going any deeper until they do and in one moment their whole perspective has changed. I have a friend who I thought was just very happy and content with everything until we had a conversation and he talked about the tough nature of his home life and you would never tell from his outward expression. It just goes to show that when you make snap judgments, you set yourself up for a biased view of who someone truly is.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Vazquez
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video, I realized how much we take into consideration of small piece of information about someone or something and can overall affect that person's entire perspective. We take what's been given very easily and shape and form everything that we know and think from that. There have been some times in my life where I have learned that context is very important like when I was with a friend who is known for being very spirited and fun, but ended up being one of the most hurt people I've came across to. It taught me a lesson of not everything is what's directly in front of you and there's always more to someone's "single story."
I found the video to be very thought-provoking. I think the experiment performed in the video was a provocative one, which truly makes you reflect on whether you judge someone based on hearing a simple story or simply just looking at them. In my own life experiences, I have realized that I can often go through the same process of trying to understand a person in my life. Working in a fast-food restaurant for the past eight months, I have met such a wide variety of people. It is most intriguing that I have had the opportunity to communicate with people who are deaf, disabled, bilingual, and overall people who are facing different experiences in life. This video has made me realize that whenever someone comes off as rude at the drive-thru, I should not be quick to assume that they are taking their anger out at me, and blaming me. I understand now that I should take a step back and acknowledge that I do not know this person’s story, and maybe they are going through something far more difficult than I could understand. I am going to make it a goal and aspiration to treat everyone with consideration and kindness, despite not knowing what is going on in the inside
ReplyDeleteThe video gave me an interesting take on what different contexts can do to how one can perceive or approach someone and strengthened the importance of proper context. I do feel like in my nature I may judge too quickly sometimes or push people away before getting to know them and I should probably open up more to better myself and my understanding of others.
ReplyDelete-Danae Martinez
I didn't learn anything new from this video. However it did further emphasize how context, or the lack thereof can impact our perception on a person drastically. I feel also that this video reminds of a the game telephone where an person says a word from one person to the next and once it reaches the end, the word is drastically different, this is sort of what the video demonstrates as from person to person with different contexts their image of that person changes.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have always appreciated the concept of "context being key" because in the world we live in it is easy to be reactive without proper understanding first. In the video, I loved how the message of perspective based off context was portrayed.I enjoyed watching the people's reaction to meeting the model (Micheal) based off the description they were given and then seeing how they interpreting his character into a photograph. I feel as though the video goes to prove how quick people are to judge someone or something based off what they hear. Having a mother who learned Spanish as a first language,there have been many instance where context of communication is confusing. Due to delayed translation, our conversation often bounce back to certain topics we talked about minutes or even hours about which mixes up the context. Knowing the context of our conversation is important to understand to truly listen to each other.
ReplyDeleteGabriel Kreuzer
ReplyDeleteWatching this video, it really showed me the power of context, as the power of a single story is enough to change the artistic views of the photographer. With this in mind, I plan on working on developing more holistic views of the individual before I make a judgement on their character.
Though I found the video very interesting, I didn't particularly learn anything new. It reminded me of how much of what we do throughout our daily lives is based on our personal context. I remember a moment in elementary school where before recess I wanted to ask my teacher a question. I tried explaining the context behind my question first (something to do with kickball) and she stopped me, saying "a question must start with a question word" so I just said "is that allowed?", she said "is what allowed?" and I said "I was trying to explain but you said I couldn't" I always make sure to hear all of what someone is trying to say before reacting to it because I know the context is essential.
ReplyDeleteThe part of the video that stuck with me most was the quote at the end: "a photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by what is in front of it." This communicates so strongly the power we as individuals have to alter perception and truth, often without even realizing that we are. We think that we see the world through the correct lens, when really our biases and preconceived judgments distort our view. Putting aside what we think we know, and accepting that we are not always right, is such an important discipline. We need to be active seekers of the full context, so that we can truly understand and portray the world as it really is. I definitely think I'm going to make this a resolution for the year.
ReplyDeleteThe video taught me that prior knowledge and context is very important in how others see people. People are unable to keep bias away from what they present to the world, regardless of whether they are certain they are right in the perceptions or not. It seems understandable to me that the photographers could not integrate their perceived notion of who they believed he was and their purpose to take a photograph reflecting who he is. In my personal experience, I know that people will believe what they hear from others. If people talk bad about a certain person or good about another person, that will impact how someone will view and individual so context is important.
ReplyDeleteThis video was fascinating because it really shined a light on the judgements we make on people before having even met or talked to them. The different tones the photographer had in mind with their photos were very different from one another which highlights the implicit biases that all people hold about one another. I have also seen the importance of context in my life, especially in the relationships between people online. It is very easy to find claims made on social media that make a certain person look bad but if you look into the full context you will find that the person didn't say anything objectionable.
ReplyDeleteThis video highlights the immediate emotions/reactions people tend to have when they hear even the smallest amount of information about a person. Whether it be true or false, it is easy for the mind to run free with these ideas and shape an opinion about a person. In my own life I often believe what people tell me about other people. But when I truly get to know the person they are so much different than what I built them in my mind to be. I like to interact and meet people myself. I realize that this is my way of getting real context without even realizing. It is impossible to guess someones entire life story due to it's intricacy. Being understanding and open-minded towards others is truly such a valuable trait.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I first heard “context is king”, I thought I understood its extent; however, this video showed me a new perspective. Seeing how different people shaped something as simple as a photograph with such a small piece of information taught me how important context truly is. It made me realize a variety of scenarios where the perception of the circumstance would be significantly different without context. Considering these scenarios, it teaches us the importance of seeking out the full context in every situation to ensure that we truly understand the world around us and that our perceptions are not built on false accusations or claims. This is something that I have had to consider in my personal life. As I encounter different people and experience new things, I have had to learn that perception is not understanding. I will take this lesson and apply it as I move forward, as context will allow me and those around me to understand other people’s truths rather than casting misperceived judgements.
ReplyDeleteThis video showed me how making assumptions about a person just from someone else's word can go completely wrong. Being judgmental is something I need to work on myself and so I can relate to this video. I've had many situations where I am proven wrong about what I think about a person after seeing how they handle a situation or something like that. It's interesting to see how even the nicest, most caring people can end up being judgmental subconsciously without having any intention of making a bad assumption of someone. Context really is king in every situation, and deciding what to think of somebody after I actually have an interaction with the person is something I would definitely like to get better at.
ReplyDeleteThe video taught me that context of any situation can alter one's perspective entirely. I found this video extremely thought provoking between the interpretation of this man through a series of different photographs, and how little to no context of one's character is enough for someone to form an opinion, which in hand is pretty sad! Personally, I've tried to work on improving my abilities to avoid judgement upon first meeting someone, I used to be really bad at forming an opinion on someone before ever getting to know them, and I noticed that it blocked my ability to form new thoughts on the person. Luckily I have felt I've grown in this skill, and this video further reinforces how important yet fragile perspective is, as everything around you shapes it.
ReplyDeleteWatching this video made me understand how being told who someone is before meeting then should not be taken as something as important because through these photographs it shows that the perspective or feeling toward that person has changed. I doesn't matter if your an ex-inmate, a recovering alcoholic, a life saver, or a psychic as everyone can change and learn from their past. I appreciate being shown this video as it helped me see a better perspective on how people can take on how they view a person just by being told something about them.
ReplyDelete- Lukas Miskov
The video showed me how the lens that we look through about something shapes how we perceive it and transform it. This means that context is very important. In my own life experiences, I have learned the importance of context through my interactions with my friends and family. For instance, whenever there is a disagreement within my family, the circumstances surrounding it can help us resolve the problem.
ReplyDeleteThis video has taught me to always search for context before passing judgement or making an assumption. It was interesting to see how differently people perceived the man in the video after being told about him. It just goes to show that you never really know a story or a person until you take the time to understand and learn the context behind everything. You can learn so much from just taking the time to appreciate the context, it's so important and I've learned that it is a vital key to almost everything.
ReplyDelete-Allyson Mills
Sarah Emmett, Year 1:
ReplyDeleteThe video taught me that it is very important to know the context of something so that one could have an appropriate response and understanding. The photographers were given a different story about the man's life so they all saw him in different ways. To an audience, the photographs are just portraits of one man but with more context we can see a story and know that behind that picture is a man with a life and story to tell. From my own personal experience I've found that knowing more about someone and having more of a context for why they act the way they do changes the way I might react and respond so that I may be more respectful, understanding, and nice.
Eva Hert, Year 2
ReplyDeleteI found the video incredibly interesting in the light of context. It wasn’t anything new really, but it helped solidify the fact that context and knowing context is extremely important. This applies to something that happened today- which I admit was my fault completely. My coworker had been talking to me about her friend who was having a tough time at home and needed somewhere to stay. My coworker then went on to explain how her mom was trying to help, and then showed me a text sent from her mom. At first glance, the text message made it seem as though her mom was making the situation about her. My coworker, ever the patient and kind one, quickly explained that her mom was just upset she couldn’t do more for her friend. I apologized immediately because I was definitely in the wrong, but this is a big example of waiting to know or not judging before knowing context of a situation.
Emmaline Walser, Year 2:
ReplyDeleteThis video didn’t help me learn anything new, but it did reinforce previous knowledge. In my life, I have to remember the importance of context in driving. I tend to get frustrated when people don’t drive well or are acting below my expectations of a “good driver”. However, I try to remember that they may be going through something. For all I know, they could be a new driver. There’s so many circumstances in life that can effect how someone is viewed in a first impression, which is why it’s important to remember that I can’t form a good judgement without knowing.
This video really showed me how important context is and how after people make their initial judgement of a person, they never truly try to look past that judgement. Instead, it feels like they only look for ways to support the judgement. I myself have sometimes found myself doing this exact thing and always try to look more in-depth at a person and not just what their appearance or attitude gives off.
ReplyDeleteI really like this video because it really gives you the opportunity to be more open-minded when it comes to people and situations, I like the message at the end where it says “no one sees it like you” because I think that really captures the message of “context is key” and in this video, because one thing can mean something to you but something else to another person it's just all about the context that you have received. This video shows that we often tend to judge or shape people based on a certain detail or experience that we receive even when it isn't the full story and that can either be positive or negative and most of the time that's not really who that person is. Context plays a big part in my life because I have a lot of “that's not the whole story” situations which for me can either be serious or not a totally big deal but when it comes to people I hear and see multiple perspectives of certain people and it paints a picture of that person for someone that they probably aren't until I actually get to know them.
ReplyDeleteI really like the video it was a nice experiment and like other experiments it was simple easy to follow. The video portrayed how context can affect artistic and creative choices. The photographer was looking to encompass the person so when told a different context what they were encompassing changed. Personally in the video I felt a bit of trust from the man being photographed and the photographer. I feel this way because I think context is something that people don't share lightly. Whenever I think most people meet someone for the first time they have little to no context about said person. Context is something that is learned overtime and its from the time and gain of context that we begin to understand someone more and more.
ReplyDeleteThe video reinforced the idea that I already knew about which context is important. It was really interesting to see how the photographers displayed the man compared to how they interacted with him. The video taught me that it is always good to be open-minded and to treat people with respect/equality. Don't judge a book by its cover.
ReplyDeleteAubrey Montgomery
Jeremy Mequi
ReplyDeleteWhat I learned from the video is how people will view someone in a certain way with certain mannerisms based on knowing one fact about them, when in reality everyone is a complicated person with a complicated background who cannot be defined by one single context. I have noticed quite a bit of the importance of context in my own life. Most people I know know me in the context of school, mostly as a nerd. This leads some people to be shocked when they hear me swear for the first time, thinking that I did not do that (I try not to in public though)
What I learned from the video is mostly things that I have learned elsewhere, that our perspective of others is heavily shaped by our own assumptions of them based on their actions or what we have been told, which is often not the entire picture.
ReplyDeleteIt is a problem that we often see on various social media, where past posts are taken out of context just to make someone look bad to stir up drama within a community, and I think the world would be much better if people took the time to research a source to make sure they form their opinion off of information from a variety of sources rather than believing everything they read.
The information we have at any given moment is what we use to make our decisions, big or small. This goes beyond the way we interpret people but for now I’ll stay on topic. I feel as if we treat the people around us too much like characters in our own movie, forgetting that everyone has just as much depth as ourselves. People are decades worth of experience, yet we use the little instances we notice them to form our idea of them, filing whatever small moment we share with them into their labeled folder in our brain’s file cabinet. People have so much information and there can be so much learned from the people around us. More often than not, we don’t make any effort to get more information about people, leading to a limited understanding of them, causing us to treat or think of them differently than how we would with more information. It can even sometimes even be considered rude to try and get more of this information. I think it’s important we recognize that the ideas we have of the people around us will never be complete. There is no way for anyone to share the exact same experiences and there is no way to know completely how someone feels. A good example of the misconceptions when understanding people is how it’s very hard to guess someone’s favorite color, unless they express it greatly in their clothes or belongings, and yet even those could give off a wrong idea. Our favorite color is often the result of various memories or certain moods. The people we become and personalities we use are the result of various memories or certain moods. Context can never fully explain us, but it creates us. The photos of the video are objective evidence of the difference a small moment can make when interpreting people. The photographers are given a small moment of information, causing them to develop different ideas of the man, yet his demeanor is almost exactly the same towards every photographer. The photographers would then portray him in a certain light based on their developed idea of him. You can’t really be mad at the photographers as we are all guilty of this same mistake. Since it takes a great effort to form a good understanding of someone, we should think of and treat people with the imperfections of understanding in mind, which requires no effort at all.
ReplyDeletePeople judge without knowing situations that lie beneah the facade that people carry. Shy kids are often veiwed as stuck up because they have a harder time communicating feelings. The video revealed to me that I should gain a little more understanding, I know that something happens an impression could be left on me for that person for a long time and it's hard to go back on it when in reality i was probably just a perception issue.
ReplyDeleteThe video itself did not teach me anything new. It did, however, reinforce my understanding of its importance. Context is one of the most important pieces of information anyone can possibly have. My own experiences have taught me to always have as much context as possible.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video, I truly realized how quick we as humans are to judge. We know very few about those around us to nothing at all and we are so quick to judge and form opinions. I can think of a few times where I was given small information about someone and I judged them, then later found out there was so much more to their story. The video and the story in this blog emphasized the importance of context.
ReplyDelete- Jacelle Martinez
DeleteI've always thought context is key, as knowing everything about what is happening is impossible, so keeping context in mind at all times is an important part of keeping an open mind. Many times I have been too quick to judge because I didn't have all the context, and as a result I've had to change how I've looked at things as a whole.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video, I didn’t necessarily learn a lot of new things but it rather reinforced my opinion of knowing and realizing that as humans, one of the first and strongest things we do is judge. The video also showed me that instead of getting to know someone what you’re told by others and even the first impression left is what your main ideas of someone are. In my own life, I have definitely judge people based off of what I heard and what I’ve seen but when I tried to get to know this person, she became one of my best friends and I realized that she wasn’t the person she used to be and even if she still is, it’s not the person she chooses to be. So although bad decisions may have been made, we both moved on from our initial opinions on each other and have taken the time to get to know each other and are now friends. The opposite has also happened where someone I know used to be nice and was super sweet but then when she hung out with other people and wasn’t being watched she became a different person. My initial idea of her was good but then when her context changed, her true colors showed and I actually got to know who she really was even though this time it wasn’t for the best. Both of these examples have taught me that the context of situations may change but with it people change too.
ReplyDeleteWatching the video kept making me think of this phrase that I heard a while back and just stuck with me. The first thing you think when you see someone is what you were raised to think. And the second thing is what you have learned. Often times I will see someone and think “Wow she really chose those bangs with that hair?” and then immediately catch myself and go “Whatever its their hair, and it doesn’t affect me, they can do them” I try to do that, and stop myself from completing those split second judgements. Every day in my job I see probably hundreds of people, each of them with their own rich inner thoughts, lives, and stories, usually as rich and deep as my own and I don’t know everything about them. We tend to form opinions of people based solely on snap judgements, probably as a leftover survival instinct needing to decide if someone is a threat or not quickly. It’s up to us, now beings with a full-fledged consciousness to hold ourselves accountable for these judgements and try to unlearn our prejudices just because we lack the full picture.
ReplyDelete~Wendy
DeleteThis video really shows the importance of understanding context and how much it can change perspective. Everything should be viewed through multiple lenses for a fuller and more accurate understanding. Ignoring context can lead to improper and premature judgement. In order to understand anything fully, multiple perspectives need to be taken into account, which allows a complete picture to be created.
ReplyDeleteCharles Gregg