I think symbols are very important in any culture. Every culture has recognizable symbols that everyone knows what they are and people deal with on a daily basis. The most important symbol in my life is the cross. To me the cross reminds me that The One True God sent his only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross and take away our sins. Not only did he die on that cross but he also got off the cross and ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God. This is why I have two crosses on my right arm. To remind me everyday what is important in life and what God did for me. That is also why the crosses on my arm are both empty, showing that Jesus got off. I see the crosses on my arm everyday and multiple times throughout the day. When I wake up, when I eat, when I am in class, and so many other times throughout the day I am reminded.
I also like that other people who may not know Jesus, see the crosses and symbols on my arm too. I always like when people ask me why I got the tattoo or what the Bible verse means because then I get to share the Word of God with someone who has never heard it before.
The cross is a symbol that can unite people. The cross is by far the most important symbol in my life and there is not many people in our world today that doesn't know what it is or where it came from but it is my goal and the goal of other Christians like me to get people to know what the cross really means.
I really like Goffman's views on the presentation of self. I think that he put things in a way that we can easily understand. His analogy of a theater and stage and plays really make it easy for us to grasp. I myself have never been in a play but whether or not you have ever been in one or even seen one, we all know the main components of plays.
He explained the status as being a particular position, for example I am a student, brother, and a son. He also explained the role to be the expected behavior of a particular status. For example, I am a student so I am expected to learn, study, and graduate. His explanation of self label was also good. This he explained to be an identity that one presents to others in an attempt to manage their impression of him or her. This makes sense and we can relate to this every day. To some people, like my friends, my self label is a little less formal and maybe inappropriate. Whereas my self label around older adults and parents would be more formal and reserved, wanting them to think the best of me.
Dramaturgy and the components of Goffman's theory are also very interesting to look at. In our every day lives we perform small plays, in every setting, in every situation. This may sound confusing but if you really think about it you put on an act in every situation. In class you act a certain way, with your friends at home you act a certain way, and at a sporting event you act a certain way. These are all little plays that you act out without even realizing it. We also have props in these plays. Props like, your car, your house, your clothes and even your friends can be props.
I really liked Goffman's analysis of the presentation of self and it opened my eyes to things that I didn't even realize. I really like this video because it talks about Goffman's presentation of the self in terms of theater.
I really liked the activity we did about the Facebook connected with the I or the Me. I think it put the I and the me into perspective. I think the Facebook status can go either way. On one hand you are posting stuff that maybe you would normally never say in person. However, on the other hand you are posting something that everyone else can see and that creates a filter for what you post. You wouldn't necessarily just post all of your initial thoughts and be like the "I" because we all have sinful thoughts and would not want everyone knowing what you are thinking in general. I think the fact that your status updates are filtered through knowing that everyone will see them kind of stinks. We should be able to say whatever we want without being judged but we cannot.
I think Twitter is more like the "I". Although it is still filtered through the fact that everyone will see it, it is more of just tweeting exactly what you are thinking at a certain moment. I know I myself does that a lot with Twitter where I will just tweet out whatever dumb thoughts I have in my head. From reading other peoples dumb tweets I know that a lot of people do this too.
I think Mead's concept of the "I" and the "Me" are very good and also a
very intellectual way of looking at yourself and thinking about your
behavior and your actions. Here is a short video going over Mead's stages of self concept and giving great examples of each.
