This semester, we studied 'Culture and Society', what culture is, how people perceive it, and how it is incorporated into society. We discussed human rights, and why we have them, what they seek to achieve. And we discussed the role they also have in shaping our society. This reflection seeks to be an explanation and a summary of all that I have learned this semester, simplified down into how I understand two specific themes. The first theme, is the one spoke of by my group for assignment 3, and is Expressing Identity. The second theme, is Human Rights.

In order to knowingly express your identity, you have to know what identity is, first. I agree with Lawler's (2008) definition of identity as being 'who you are', but I also think it is much bigger than that. Identity is who you are and what you are, how you perceive yourself. In our group presentation, we discussed how it was possible to have a national identity when we have a multicultural society. The answer is, that we all share our national identity. We're Kiwis/New Zealanders, and with that identification comes a sense of pride in our country, and our country's symbols, like Kiwiana. But we all have our own cultures and beliefs. It is our national identity that brings us together during sports events, and other entertainment events. And it is our multiculturalism which separates us at all other times. Neither of these things are bad, they're simply different.

For some, identity is those around them, their friends, and their family, who have shaped them into what and who they think they are. For others, identity is their culture or their religion, which has helped to shape their morals and their beliefs. For some people identity is very special talents or skills. For some people, identity is drunkenly being in the top 18th people in the world on Rock Band 3, to sing Breaking Benjamin's Breath.

Being able to express ones identity vaguely falls under the Universal Rights Act under articles 18 and 19. The Freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the freedom of opinion and expression. Human Rights are a set of rights universally acknowledged as belonging to every human being on the planet. However, they are not set in law, and are, instead, viewed as being something to attain in the long run.

Human Rights are greatly important, as they should place everyone in the world on an even playing field, and allow all people the same freedoms. However, this does not appear to be the case at the current time, as poverty, homelessness, and discrimination are still heavily apparent in both our society within New Zealand, and the international community. It is apparent in society that while we aspire to achieve all Human Rights, we pick and choose which ones we will accept within our communities, often associating stigma and shame with things in order to make ourselves feel less guilt over dismissing something we should accept or acknowledge under the Human Rights Act. For example, mental illnesses are still heavily stigmatized despite Article 25, which states that all are entitled to medical care suited for an adequate state of living. We would never treat cancer patients the way we treat mentally ill, you would not tell a cancer patient to go and kill themselves, would you?

We also encounter discrimination when expressing our personal identities or cultural beliefs, values and practices if they vary from what is perceived to be the 'norm', to the point where we stereotype an entire culture as having one specific, extremist set of traits. For example, the idiotic and problematic belief that all Muslim people are terrorists.

Over the course of this semester, I've learned that human beings are really quite terrible at following through on plans, and that no matter how accepting a country/community may claim to be, there are still problematic tendencies hidden just out of sight, especially when it comes to identity or the following of Human Rights.

References:
Lawler, S. (2008). Identity: Sociological perspectives. Malden, MA.
United Nations. (n.d). The Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved 29^th May. From: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

Reflection.

I enjoyed this photo board assignment quite a lot. It was fun seeing everyone’s opinions and comparing them to mine.

Lawler (2008), looks at identity as being ‘who I am’, and as such, I chose to use a picture of my family to represent this. It is my family whose beliefs and values raised me, and though I may not now follow those same beliefs, they are what made me who I am today. As a Maori family, and really into whanau, my family has always been there, always been very close to me. I know I would be a different person if I hadn’t had such a close connection with them, especially with my cousins, seeing as I’m the youngest. I was always the one protected and cherished, coddled if you will, and so whatever identity I carved out for myself, was whatever they allowed me to be.

According to Ryan (2010), culture is a part of our everyday lives, it is something we practice subconsciously. My culture is the mixing of Pakeha and Maori, and I show it every day that I sing Maori songs with my dad, and greet people in English or Maori. I show it in the way I respect my elders, and in the way that I dress. I show it in the way that I mix Maori and English together when I speak. And the picture I chose conveys the mixing of these two ethnicities perfectly.

Article 25 of the Declaration of Human Rights says that everyone has the right to medical care and an adequate standard of living. Except, if this was true there would not continue to be stigma around mental illness. The pictures I chose show part of the struggle those who self-harm face, the knowledge that there has to be more to life than self-harming, but never being able to see it, along with the idea that the only person who can save you, is you. When you’re dying of cancer, no one comes and sits beside your hospital bed and tells you ‘just get up, stop complaining, life isn’t fair’ and that you deserve to die for not keeping yourself from self-destructing. That’s what cancer is. It’s your body destroying itself, and depression is the cancer of the soul. The only person you can look to for support is yourself, and it shouldn’t have to be that way. Because if the only person fighting for you, is you, and no one hates you more than you do, well, it’s a miracle if you survive.

People always look at Historical Influences as being heroes. As being the people who saved the day, or took a stand. But that’s not all historical influences are. Historical influences are people who made a difference, whether it was a good difference or a bad one. They inspired change. And that is why I chose the picture of the Nazi symbol, since Hitler and his Nazi regime caused so much chaos and destruction, but they also brought about the motivation for the Declaration of Human Rights, and for the formation of the UN. The Nazi experiments also brought about the Nuremburg code of ethics, which was the foundation for the current ethical codes used today.

References:

Lawler, S. (2008). Identity: Sociological perspectives. Malden, MA.

Ryan, M. (2010). Cultural studies: A practical introduction. New Jersey, NY.

United Nations. (n.d). The Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved 7^th April. From: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

Historical influences are people and events that inspire positive or negative change. The effect of the Nazi regime, eventually, lead to the push for Human Rights and the establishment of the Nuremberg Code. This shows negative influences can lead to positive change and that it is possible to learn from past mistakes.

Retrieved from: http://www.virtualjerusalem.com/judaism.php?Itemid=11169
On: 27/03/2015

In high-school, a friend and I wrote a list of those in our year we knew self-harmed/attempted suicide. We stopped at 120. When I was 15, I sought professional help after attempting suicide. They told me it was my fault. I should have the right to valid help for my depression.

P1 Retrieved from: http://www.towip.co.uk/en/news/self-harm-support-group/12124.html
On: 16/03/2015
P2 Retrieved from: http://www.canadianbfrb.org/2014/08/11/dermatillomania-vs-self-harm/
On: 16/03/2015

My personal identity is largely shaped by my family, specifically my cousins. As I grew older, so did they. We grew up together like step children jumping back and forward between mum's house and dad's. My family represent my personal identity, because I wouldn't be me without them.

This is a Taranaki haka being performed by my cousins and I. It shows the mixing of my pakeha and Maori sides, the maori haka being performed in non-traditional dress. The two sides mesh together to form one unit, neither solely Maori nor solely pakeha. This is my personal culture.