Critical Thinking, Personal Experience, and Dialogue on Facebook

   My recent blog on Sexual Assault Awareness Month, if you read it, highlighted some of the ways that our own experiences can shape our perspectives, but opinion alone should not always the sole element that defines our perspective. One must understand the perspective of others. It is always hard to wrestle with different notions that confront our own gender/religious/social world view. Here are some things to think about when we debate and/or use our Critical Thinking abilities in dialogue with others.

Coffee with a Cause

What seemed like a totally normal day in my Lifespan Development class turned out to be anything but normal. The class is so thought provoking and leaves me feeling intellectually stimulated. For real, every axon feels charged in the best possible way! After our usual 7:30 break, we got a guest speaker. I lowered my laptop so I could see her (I sit in the back row), excited to receive the message. I had no idea what it was going to be about, but I knew it was going to be good!

above: Ms. Missy Zivney (in pink)

Fandoms, Respect, and You at UT Tyler

Fandoms and You

   Being a kid in college is all about finding out what you like, dislike, and what you can listen to in polite conversation without losing your cool. You’ll be around different people talking about a variety of subjects, from TV shows, to bands, and even Professors that people prefer, etc…

  An example that I think is relevant as an example would be the fact that Doctor Who is back on the TV channels, now will into what is actually the middle of its 7^th Season. The series is awesome, however it is a show that is also highly dependent on understanding certain aspects of the series: The Doctor has changed actors many, many times because he undergoes ‘regeneration’ after he dies, ie: the show pops in a new start when the previous one wants a way out. The Doctor ( who is an alien ) always has a human companion with whom he shares his weird/amazing adventures.

    I have encountered people who lovingly welcome newcomers into this fandom while on campus here at UTT. It’s a popular show, has a lot of fun, geeky appeal, and it’s a hoot. Sometimes, however, people go too far into their ‘fandoms’ and they can become negative, even rude, when somebody disagrees with something about the show while engaging in conversation. Or, worse, sometimes people ridicule and scoff at others for talking gleefully about their favorite things/hobbies. While I have always been a very large believer in the fact that most people don't care about D&D enough to mock it, I have on occasion heard the rare jape or mocking comment from a person. While it doesn't expressly bother me, it can bother others and it might

then become harder for the person who got offended to raise their voice about what they like in the future.

   I must also admit - I have been the mocker, on occasion. I have never meant anything outwardly by my tone except to be overly dramatic for comedic flavor, but I have insulted people's own fandoms because I might not have A) Liked the writing style of the book somebody talked about, B) Disliked something because of an external factor irreverent to the fandom in question, or C) I was inadvertently just being an ass.  This has been very big with Twilight and ( sometimes ) Harry Potter. I need to always be aware that people don't find me funny all the time and that not everyone needs my comments. My writing this blog is to make sure people I know are aware that if I can't tolerate that from others, I shouldn't do it either!

Simple Kindness

      Last night, after a nice late meal at Ihop, my friends and I decide to make  a quick Walmart run. This story actually begins at the end of our run as we are loading our stuff into the trunk. A man gets out of his truck and begins to walk toward us. We immediately stop and stare in order to be ready for anything that could happen and as he walks towards us he explains that he's from out of town, has run of gas, and needs some help. My friend who was also about to purchase gas tells him okay and he would help. He didn't want to give him money in case he was gonna use it for drugs or something. He has him pull up to the gas station and buys him enough gas to help him get home as we all stand around to protect just in case. After we bought our gas, we were then on our way.
      The point of this story is to remind everyone how a simple act of kindness can still go a long way. Nowadays most people are reluctant to help others and shy away from people asking for help. This simple act reminded me how much of a significance we can make in people's life by simply helping in a small way; Something people seem to be forgetting lately. It might not even be money but just taking time out to listen to a friend or helping with a task. Hopefully this serves as a reminder to you too.