Corry Arcomano

Section 1
Draft #2

This Is Me

A small child is brought into this world on the 21st of February 1999, yet little does he know that his own
parents, the ones who love him, will teach him to be racist, influenced negatively through media, and to
be sheltered by living in a socioeconomic middle class community. And this is exactly what happened to
me. Not that I am blaming my loved ones, because they were socialized by their elders and so on, but
my goal is to inform and even spark a change towards how we are socialized. And what does being
socialized mean? A simple answer, and very straightforward. To be socialized refers to the lifelong
process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies, providing an individual with the
skills and habits necessary for participating within any persons culture. So yes, I have been socialized to
be a racist, I have been taught and given negative opinions, through media, to accept and take pride in
my socioeconomic class and to take pride in living in a racist country, And I have been socialized to
believe that living in the community I live in has given me a close-minded opinion towards lower class
establishments.
I have been socialized to think that racism is okay. I was born in small Santa Fe, New Mexico. From birth,
my parents have been teaching me how to fit in as a human in my culture. Dont be a wimp. Dont cry.
Wash your hands. Yet they were also teaching me a less visible lesson. Through media and everyday
conversation I was learning that it was okay to be racist. I do admit to partaking in racism, In a less
serious and more playful way, yet it is still racism nonetheless. I have developed an Asian stereotype
impression, that will often get a few laughs, even from my Asian friends. Yet it shouldnt. The fact that
my peers and I have accepted my impression shows how serious the racism problem in this country is.
During one Humanities class, we talked about the Cycle of Socialization, a procedure that allows us to
analyze the common socialization of our homosapien culture. In Bobbie Harros online article, The
Cycle of Socialization, Harro states, We are socialized from birth on a personal level, through people
we love and trust. This troubled me. My own parents were unknowingly teaching me to impersonate
an Asian stereotype, and find it to be greatly entertaining. But this isnt new. As I am sure you know,
racism has been part of our American culture for quite some time, yet this being on a much more
intense level. The Klu Klux Klan, or KKK, has been around since 1865, and is still in existence. For those
who dont know, the KKK believed that your color of your skin determined your loyalty to god, therefore
making all those who were African American a form of sinners. They would, throughout the next one
hundred years, end up killing over two hundred African Americans. My point is that our country as a
whole has always been racist, and racism is to much of a part of our culture to accept change, yet we
may be able to save future generations. My advice? Accept one another as equal, and not judge based

on color of skin or difference in culture and religion. We need to stop the racism, as judging people
based on difference shows nothing but immaturity in a country that preaches diversity.
I have been socialized to have a narrow opinion towards lower socioeconomic classes, other than my
own. Since birth, I have lived in upper middle class communities, Santa Fe, Seattle, Durango. All places
where my neighbors and my family have flourished in nice homes, with money to spend, and nothing
but opportunity. Yet what about communities such as Compton? The Bronx? Harlem? Watts? I have
again been taught unknowingly by my loved ones to have a close minded opinion and outlook on lower
class establishments. Since I was three, my family and I have been visiting New York City. Through our
visits, we have gotten lost in the inner city nearly a dozen times, all of which were from taking wrong
turns into ghettos. As a child, seeing the barren and broken down neighborhoods of the Bronx, or
Harlem, was frightening and somewhat revolting. Why would anyone live that way? I would think to
myself. What I had yet to learn was that that lifestyle was not a choice, and that the people who were
living it had been through hardships unimaginable through my eyes. This proves that I have infact been
sheltered. These past few weeks, we have been reading a book called Mexican White Boy. In Matt De
La Panas book, Mexican White Boy, Pana states, Life in the ghetto was a messy affair. And Danny
knew it, as that was his home. Life was sketch, and every corner hosted at least one person riddled with
drug and alcohol abuse. I find this quote to be not only true, but to show even more validity towards
my point, due to the authors experience growing up in a ghetto. This opens my eyes, as it should
yours, and gives me a clear, yet brief, insight into these lower class establishments, which has ultimately
changed my perspective on these ghettos. When reading this book, I couldnt help but think to myself
how fortunate I am to live comfortably. This thought then sparked a fire in me to go out and immerse
myself in different lifestyles. I feel that what really has helped me open my eyes to see the hardships
that surround me was the constant research that I conducted throughout this project. I have been
socialized to have a close minded opinion about my socioeconomic class, yet I am constantly changing. I
need to continue to remind myself that we are shutting off those who need our help, and that doing
what I know is right is the only solution. I encourage you to do the same.
I have been socialized, through media, to be both racist and have a close minded opinion on my
socioeconomic class. Media has always been a huge part of my life, whether its through television, or
social media. Media has been teaching me to trust, to be respectful, to learn. But it has also taught me
some less interesting and more harmful lessons. Racism is a MAJOR part of television. When watching
television shows, such as the Breaking Bad series, you see african americans and other minorities
displayed as gangsters and gang bangers. Although we have become more accepting of minorities, we
still keep stereotypes strong and continue to fall back to old habits. In Jeff Cohens article, Racism and
Mainstream Media Cohen states that 99 percent of news anchors are caucasian. This proves the
point that media is in fact racist, and at a young age I was being taught to be the same way.
I have been socialized, through media, to have a narrow opinions on how I should show my
socioeconomic class. Media has always been showing high class homes, with people who have four cars
and are making an annual income of 7.63 bagillion dollars. Reality television shows are a great example
of this. In the reality television show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians One of the protagonists states
that she is Too damn rich and too damn sexy. Not only do the protagonists in these reality television

shows become extremely hostile and cocky, due to their sudden power with making that amount of
money, but they portray the life of one who has never ending amounts of money. They portray to
teenagers and kids that living under the roof of a mansion, and being coddled by every person you
know, is the accepted and even prefered lifestyle. Overall, I feel that if we could be more varied in the
media and portray to the children a different message, we would be a lot better equipped for a bright
future than if we do otherwise. We should start by adding more minorities to our news programs,
casting people who are of colored skin, and just accept others more in general.
Our culture is in a crisis. As you read this, we are teaching an upcoming generation how to judge
and hate on those other than themselves. The bullies in school, the homophobes who are against gay
marriage, and the neverending racism that lurks over our everyday lives. Although we arent exactly in a
life changing crisis at this moment, if we dont change our ways soon, it will happen. We need to put
away our fears, because believe it or not, thats exactly what stopping us. We as humans are afraid of
change. In Bobbie Harros article, The Cycle of Socialization, Harro states that The core of the cycle is
Fear, Ignorance, Confusion, and Insecurity. And that is whats holding us back. So Im making a promise
for change, and I beg you to do the same. What am I going to do to spark a change? Give up the asian
impression for starters, but encourage others to give up their racist ways. I feel that if we can get
enough people to partake in a change and put away their fears, we can save a generation of
homosapiens. Together, we can do this. Otherwise? We are doomed.

My mask represents my three key points (Media, Racism, And Socioeconomic Class). Using one eye as a
television set, the other as a darker color with an X through it, and the mouth and nose as dollar signs
and bills.