Surviving influences with sense of self Essay Example for Free

Surviving influences with sense of self Essay Although many people tend to think that media and advertising are two of the worst culprits that are destroying good moral values, what is right and wrong has always been a subject of debate in history depending on who perceives it. The cowboys and the Indians both had reasons to live in the same territory but had to fight for their rights. Western conventional medicine dominated the east but Westerners use Chinese Traditional Medicine. It is not very easy to see what is right or wrong and even if one does perceive what is correct, there is no guarantee that he or she will do the proper thing. One’s strength of character and moral values are needed to establish a sense of self that will fight the bad influence that society usually promotes. It is very easy to influence someone with poor a poor sense of self. Convincing words and vivid pictures leading to a certain desirable outcome can easily sway someone who lacks backbone to do what is being asked. The mind can easily form pictures of what could be desirable and easily sway one to making decisions – whether good or bad. Poor self-esteem can assist advertising in making false promises. In the article entitled, â€Å"In the Shadow of the Image,† written by Stuart and Elizabeth Ewen (2006 p. 207), the authors mentioned the disillusionment of Frank Miller who watched John Wayne movies and got influenced into taking up his own cause against Southeast Asians who simply triggered a bullet on his chest to his dismay. The movies he had watched were meant to boost its audience’s self-esteem but it went further to influence Miller’s way of thinking and perception of other cultural minorities. Due to his poor knowledge of who he really is, he has failed to show respect for others and ultimately based his ego on the outcome of his own cause. According to the Ewens, he felt betrayed by the images he had seen. Miller failed to identify himself properly and now feels depressed that he let himself be influenced by Hollywood. He does not realize that it was his own choices that led him to act on film influences. Low self-esteem can be infectious. A person with poor sense of self will rely on a group of people with the same problem to acknowledge a false common factor. Being part of a group can be advantageous to boost self-esteem but it can go toward the wrong direction if the group exercises its strength by being prejudiced. Biases can take the form of skin color, the way people talk, or even how people move. Vertamae Smart-Grasvenor’s essay entitled, â€Å"When You Meet Estella Smart, You Been Met! † shows how her grandmother actually overcame the problem of prejudice by relying on her sense of self to perceive what is right and wrong. Instead of giving up eating rice to avoid being the butt of many jokes, she decided to â€Å"get rid of nothing that was worth keeping† and continued to eat rice and talk like a Southerner in a northern community. (232) People with poor self-image tend to cover this flaw by making it look like they are superior compared to others simply because they are â€Å"in† or part of a larger group. These people tend to look down on others who do not think the same way that they do. Estella Smart had been the object of many condescending comments because she refused to embrace the impractical way of life that her northern community encouraged. Comments such as, â€Å"Think she is something! She ain’t no better than nobody else! † (232) are obvious signs of jealousy that could have hurt a person who did not find strength in his own identity. However, for people like Estella Smart who know themselves better, gossiping people can say whatever they want for all they care. Another effect of advertising that is truly pushed by poor self-esteem is the fact that people tend to cover up their feelings of insecurity by buying products to make them feel better. Advertisements prey on people’s insecurities and poor self-image to entice its audiences to use their products to boost their self-worth. The Ewens mention a student, Gina Concepcion, who works so hard in their local supermarket just so she can be fashionable and wear Jordache clothing. She thinks that the pants may be very expensive but they â€Å"fit better and she fits better. † (207). Gina obviously bases her self-esteem on how people think about her and her pants. She has become enslaved by her insecurity to belong and had fallen prey to Jordache’s advertising scheme. Advertising and media can be very powerful influences in everyday decision-making but the real root of the problem lies on one’s sense of self. Most people easily fall into the trap of commercials because these ads know how to use their products to cover up for whatever insecurities a person has. If a child had grown up knowing that he has the power to choose what is good and bad for him (instead of grown ups simply telling him to follow instructions), then more people would probably be more resistant to promotional schemes. Knowing that one has the power to direct one’s life is essential to help people fight for what they believe in. Without the realization that destiny is simply in one’s hands, it becomes easy for humans to get depressed and be suffocated by the many crimes that can often be read on newspapers or seen or heard on the news. Not knowing that one has the power to change things or fight against what is wrong can ultimately develop fear in one’s psyche which has led to numerous suicide attempts and successes. Beverly Jackson’s suicide incident that the Ewens mentioned, happened only because the woman felt helpless and hopeless. If she had enough sense of self to know that there are many ways to protect and empower one’s self against crime, then she could be still alive by now. Advertising and pop culture can only devour people who have poor self-image. More often than not, commercialism’s effects on its victims may not be detected because the brain has been deceived to see great solutions to the insecurities that people have. Only people who have been raised to know that they have the distinct power to put direction in their lives by using their choices can inevitably resist the temptations that pop culture has in store for every one. Estella Smart knew this and overcame being a domestic helper (which she despised terribly) by learning how to sew during the evenings after her work. (Smart-Grasvenor 232) It all boils down to how people have been raised. Advertising and media have been goons that continue to affect man’s choices and ways of life. However, the reason behind this success rests on poor self-image. If people learn to develop the power that is within them and use them to do what is good, then pop culture would diminish. It is one’s sense of self that can triumph against the negative influence of any culture. Works Cited Ewen, Stuart and Elizabeth Stuart. â€Å"In the Shadow of the Image. † Reading Culture. Ed. Diana George and John Trimbur. Place Published: Longman, 2006. 205-209. Smart-Grasvenor, Vertamae. â€Å"When You Meet Estella Smart, You Been Met! † Reading Culture. Ed. Diana George and John Trimbur. Place Published: Longman, 2006. 231-234.