ATA 5
Assignment 5 was all about committing nice deeds for other people for a week. I learned that it feels less personal and more intrusive when it is a requirement rather than doing nice things for people naturally. I personally try to “pay it forward” at least once a week, sometimes more. Having a requirement to do something almost everyday put pressure on me and made it seem less sincere. I do think however that the person on the other end of the deed probably did not care about my feelings on it and was just appreciative of the deed. It is my hope that these instances gave the recipients a nudge to also “pay it forward”.
The photo below is how I imagine the “love” being spread if the recipient of the nice deed decides to also pay it forward. Happiness and love is multiplied by each subsequent act.
Image from: https://thepreachersword.com/2018/07/24/pay-it-forward/
ATA 4
For assignment 4, we were to take the Love Styles questionnaire and analyze our results. For this assignment I also asked my partner to complete the questionnaire so I could compare. What I learned was, at first take, somewhat shocking. However, it made sense once I really took the time to think about the results. I found that I have a slightly deceptive and neurotic love style which I believe has been influenced by my husband’s highly manipulative/deceptive, manic love style. Both of these characteristics have led to a rollercoaster relationship and that is evident in our results. This assignment was helpful in understanding some of the dynamic in my personal relationship with not only my partner but also with my friends.
The photo I chose below is just a funny representation of how I interpret Manic love- possessive, passionate, and obsessive.
Image source: https://www.google.com/search?biw=1275&bih=646&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=TK7fW5-vJuKD_QbdirTIBw&q=ludus+love+memes&oq=ludus+love+memes&gs_l=img.3…56263.59668..60419…0.0..0.78.980.16……0….1..gws-wiz-img…….0j0i67j0i10j0i30j0i5i30j0i8i30j0i24.DHblRAkQTUk#imgrc=r7ORPd2f9JsWiM:
ATA3
Assignment 3 was about whether or not I believe Michael Richards’ tirade was racist or an exaggerated reaction to a heckler. In short, it was racism. It is my firm opinion that you cannot say racist things and not be racist. If you were TRULY not racist, you would be vehemently calling out people who say racist things, even if they are “jokes”, because those jokes (ESPECIALLY against marginalized people) still contribute to oppression. As seen in our text, racism does not have to be overt, and comparing ones self to an overt racist does hurt the general perception of racism and it’s existence because it denies the fact that subtle racism exists.
I’ve attached a photo of a flow chart about whether or not it is acceptable to say the “N” word. In summation, no. It is never acceptable for a non-black person to say the “N” word because it is a word bred from the oppression of white people.
Image from: https://medium.com/@Toppic_/dear-white-people-you-have-a-weird-obsession-with-the-n-word-9bfee8ee5c44
ATA2
For this assignment I think my biggest takeaway was that I rarely get time to myself. I know “a picture can say a lot of words” but it also does not tell the whole story but it is truly accurate, as shown by the photos of myself, that I do not have much “me time” and most of my time is spent with other people. Even doing basic tasks like going to the bathroom or showering- many times I have a toddler wander in asking or needing something. In the same token, I have learned that a lot of who I am, is who I am to other people- mother, lover, friend, healer, helper, etc. The people I am surrounded by help define who I am as a person. I have included the most recent photo of myself- which happens to be with my sons. True happiness in this photo.
