Does what surrounds us; our home, our family, our friends and enemies affect us? Does it affect how we talk, think, act and who we are. Does it affect our identity?
What affects us is the media, it is set up, planned, structured so that we as the consumers will want what the company is trying to sell. Because in the end; we all want to be that leader, that cool kid, that person that we all look up to. A company will want to take advantage of your hero, because if your role model does it you will want to do it to. When Star Wars was launched everyone was obsessed with it. An anti-smoking company made a commercial with two of characters chatting about how smoking is awful. This is an example of how companies take advantage of us in a positive way but there are numerous negative ways too. Smoking companies try to light you up; they are not concerned about how it weakens our health. Even though the packaging is decorated with the horrifying lungs of a smoker they still get millions of people started. Smoking companies spend one billion dollars a year on advertisements. Because if the affect it has on the consumer is shown directly on the packaging no one, literally, no one would fancy that. They spend this much funds on the carefully printed lines the elegant name on purpose. It’s not just there to be appealing; it’s there to grasp your eye.
There is a explanation behind banning smoking in movies. In the United States they have expelled, exiled any character or actor smoking, why? It’s not a significant; is what you would say, but in actuality it is. As a child you probably pretended to smoke because you wanted to be mature, you wanted to seem older, you wanted to be cool. You could grant a two year old a cigarette and they would know how to hold it, because they are affected by their surroundings. In International School Bangkok’s health class period one, a plastic cigarette was given to all the students to demonstrate a lesson, the teacher pointed out that no one cupped their fist around the cigarette and that every single student knew how to hold it, how to use it and breathe in and out. Because of the movies we’ve seen the rebels in Grease, the monkey in the Lion King our childhood heroes have influenced our behavior and who we are.
Peer pressure we all know it, heard about it, talked about it, done it. Our friends have at least convinced us to do something more than once. Even if they are just trying to make you listen to a certain artist. But they influence us they modify us. What if the artist you unwillingly were forced listened to was amazing, so breath taking you couldn't stop listening to them. This could construct your personality who you like, the music you enjoy, your favorite color and who you are. Say James convinced Gregory to start using Facebook, and Gregory would unwillingly try to use it. Gregory could start loving it, getting addicted to it; he would be labeled as a computer addict and that would be his identity to the ones who surround him.
We get pressed to do something that we strongly have an aversion to but it could change us. What if you realized that you had a talent, that you were a remarkable dancer, actor, a runner, an athlete what would you say? You would probably be flattered, and decline the compliments but secretly enjoy the attention. But the people who move on with this talent become famous amazing entertainers, accountants, lawyers, etc. Because they push themselves into the figure they want to be. There have been many ‘accidents’ when a person gets persuaded to try something new, to get pushed out of their comfort zone and realize that they are breath-taking.
The way we operate is because of the community and things that surround us. The people you socialize with create you, and formulate you into who you are. A person is most likely told more negative things then positive. If you are told that you are ugly, a disgrace, a scandal or anything else that hurts you; pushes you down to the ground. You will stand up and your scraped knees will heal gradually. But if you are bullied it is different, you have no time to heal, no time to process it, because all the sharp edged words come and hit you in the face every single day. You become unconfident, you are afraid, you have nothing, which builds depression you will go into a deep abyss of hatred on yourself, and because of what? It can also work the other way, if you are loved ever so dearly, given everything and have everything you would ever want, you will be a narcissist. You will feel the power you have over others surging through you, you will feel stronger than others and will do anything to gain more power. In the future you will see yourself at a job interview and either they will decline you because your résumé isn’t as amazing as you thought it would be; or you would be accepted because of your confidence, you are self determined, you are honest and that is all they want. A small remark changes who you are, what you will become and how you will end up in the end.
A person learns from their friends, their siblings, their parents, and their peers. If your friend is full with confidence you will compete with him or her you will want everyone to like you as much as them. Your friends are your teachers by sharing their moments of hesitance, their moments of humiliation and their moments of anger. You carefully observe your older siblings; you learn how to make excuses and lie as a teenager because you remember what your brother or sister did. They are the first ones in your family to go into the real world and you will be equipped for it all because you will look up to their decisions. Our parents build us they teach us the basics of life and that you need to say a thank you with a little smile, because a simple smile will make someone’s day. A person is learns day by day and we learn from how are parents taught us, if our parents educated us to dream because they set up that model for us, because they themselves are dreamers. We would become dreamers too. A person isn’t built to be someone genetically its due to their surroundings. Bet you that there are more than two people that made you, you. That person that made you confident, prepared, is your parent. In the beginning they have full formation privileges on you they can make you a polite nice young child, but once you get into school you will become loud and for the next year it will get worse, because you are like the quote are finding yourself.
Our surrounding affect us intensely they have full control on us, it’s not where you live or how you live it’s the media and the people you socialize with. They make you stronger. They make you wiser. They make you less arrogant. They make you; you without even knowing it you will become what surrounds you. No matter what you are labeled as. You will still grow into a stronger or weaker person. Smoker, addict, popular or loser this is all influenced by the ones around you and the media that pushes you into buying a certain product. They make you who you are.