Advanced Essay #3: Perception

Author’s Note:

My goal for this essay is to help people realize how the angle you view culture through can change everything. In a world of opinions, perception can affect everything and immigrants a lot of the time are subdued to a negative portrayal. I am proud that this piece of writing leads readers to question if their own opinions on a culture that is not theirs are truly valid and whether or not there is something more they could do to become more educated on a variety of different cultures and not fall for the misconceptions and stereotypes set.

Perception:

In a Refugee camp in Greece, a baby boy smiles, chocolate splattered around his face like war paint. His pink gums show through, teeth not having yet emerged. Sparse brunette hair sprinkles his head, yet to have fully grown out. His eyes piercing green, reveal all he has seen but not understood. A thick worn-out blue and white striped onesie keeps him warm, so fuzzy it makes him look like a bear cub or caterpillar. The boy is held by a woman wearing a red sweater on top of a black jacket. She is looking the opposite way, facing the tents nearby. Red, grey, brown and camo scatter the dirt ground. In one of the tents, four children can be seen, looking shyly, scared but curious at the same time. Even further in the distance, three figures can be spotted wearing black, seemingly officers in discussion looking towards the camp, their facial expressions, and emotions a mystery.

Interpretations and opinions are created through one’s own experiences and personal exposure to information. From place to place, communities can vary, as they grow, they can become their own unique and independent cultures, holding different ideals and having particular cultural norms and traditions. Perspectives can be built on other cultures depending on the differing aspects of the culture and one’s own, spreading stereotypes. Most of the time, the lack of understanding and knowledge of another culture can cause ignorant opinions to be formed. With the widespread of media, it can become more prevalent what the impressions of different cultures are. Especially with developing countries, people from developed ones start to get a savior complex, feeling it is their moral duty to give people the ability to live as they do. With the development of opinions and biases, people can get lost in their preconceived notions of a culture, being blinded and not understanding the culture until they open themselves up and step out of their comfort zone to meet people they would not usually talk to.

In the film Beasts of the Southern Wild, a scene is portrayed where the Bathtub, their home is raided and they are taken to be assimilated into society. This scene is very powerful in that it shows the different perspectives people from distinct cultures can have. To the people who took them, the people in the Bathtub were not living a desirable, good lifestyle. This is why they felt a duty to bring them out of poverty, gaining a moral reward by assuming the people of the Bathtub would be grateful. Instead though, the people of the Bathtub are unhappy, wanting to return to their lifestyle that was familiar, safe, and their own, being acclimated into society not being something that attracted them. This shows how just because sometimes a given culture can be seen as not desirable for oneself does not mean that it should be seen as inferior to another culture. Another example of this in the film is when Hushpuppy, the main character mentions how in the “dry world” (society,) “Daddy always saying…they got fish stuck in plastic wrappers, they got their babies stuck in carriages, and chickens on sticks and all that kind of stuff.” This specific quote highlights how the “dry world” is viewed as a place that has limited freedom compared to the Bathtub. Thinking of the world today in these terms can really change your point of view and make you realize the importance of perspective and the risk of assuming without a better understanding.

The book Enrique’s Journey discusses a unique and under-told view of how Central American immigrants are perceived by Mexican locals during the dangerous trip to the United States. During the journey, when the 17-year-old boy named Enrique, the focus of the book, gets beat up and jumped, he goes around the town nearby asking for help. When the county seat Adan Ruiz passes by, and he is asked to help Enrique, he responds with “This is what they get for doing this journey.”(pg. 47) In the many of the nearby Mexican towns on the path taken to the United States, the local people do not help migrants passing through, mainly either for the fear of gang members or for the idea that Central America is sending them all of their problems. In this kind of situation, where getting help from someone can mean life or death, having a negative image portrayed and pushed onto immigrants can be dangerous. At the same time, this brings up the question of: Should the local people there have the obligation to help passing immigrants? As in that area, Central American immigrants are seen as inferior, they do not get much help or sympathy as they struggle to escape adversity and reach a place of opportunity. The strong negative perceptions of immigrants without documents clashes with the immigrant desire for a better life leaving them more vulnerable.

Humans naturally build opinions on topics. Becoming exposed to a culture that is different than yours either through talk, imaging, or experience can cause you to compare your culture to the other. A negative outlook can become especially problematic as anything different will appear as something bad, setting roots for stereotypes and discrimination. Staying open-minded can lead to a real understanding and helps form more educated opinions. In society, immigrants are viewed negatively a lot of the time, judged and not accepted for being different and having other traditions. All societies are built on traditions, which can be a key part of one’s identity. In the end, looking at something through another lens and perspective can help you better understand your own culture and others as well as, what a community’s role is in society.

Beasts Of the Southern Wild. Beverly Hills, Calif. :20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2012.

Nazario, Sonia. Enrique’s Journey. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2014.

J, Peter. “16 Children – 16 Photos: Click the Black Background and Switch on Their Reality.” Politiken, Politiken, 28 Feb. 2017, https://politiken.dk/fotografier/art5849931/Click-the-black-background-and-switch-on-their-reality.