Can Nations, States, Regions and Communities Develop Their Own Personality?
‘Don’t you ever say anything like that ever again,’ the woman fumed, ‘that’s racist and we just don’t appreciate such statements in front of this Board’. The Board, by the way, was a Community Development Corporation in a depressed Latino community. It could have been in any one of hundreds of similar communities in the U.S.
I had been addressing the Board laying out the problems that monolingual Spanish speaking immigrants have when setting up a business in the U.S. I had given a rather detailed analysis of agrarian Mexico, upward mobility and why business success was as much a personal and cultural perspective as finances, marketing and sales. I was somewhat knowledgeable being bilingual/bicultural and had just finished doing research on a farmworker project in Salinas, California.
I had made the statement that folks from the great Mexican state of Michoacan were more reserved, proud and self conscious than those of us from Veracruz. In my view this was certainly not a put down but something many Mexicans know. It’s the same as asking where the best food is in Mexico…Veracruz of course.
I mentioned that we in Veracruz are known for singing, dancing, partying, drinking, eating, loving, laughing and in general having a good time regardless. We really don’t care if someone laughs at us because we are laughing too.
I had actually done research with farmworkers from Michoacan showing that they felt self conscious and did not sign up for English as a Second Language (ESL) course or remedial courses in Adult Ed. I was able to demonstrate that if a group of these farmworkers went as a group and applied at Adult Ed for a course, their sense of self consciousness would relax enough for them to enter. Once they entered, all was fine. But like many things in life, the first steps are the hardest ones. Farmworkers from other Mexican states did not seem to have this problem.
The fact that all these farmworkers were from Michoacan was missed by this well meaning Latina business woman. What she heard was I was racially and ethnically stereotyping a group of people and that was a no-no since she had just attended a series of minority workshops and was told everybody and everything on the planet is equal. The same.
Thank goodness it isn’t. Part of the reason I enjoy going to my jungle ranch in Quintana Roo is my Maya pals aren’t depressed. Even though I am clearly a foreigner we can talk and carry on as if there were no differences between us. They may be poor but they are not collectively depressed. If they have money they buy chicken and if they don’t they hunt. Simple. The fact is my friend Poot is a jungle man and about as far away culturally from California as he can be, yet we are pals. But to some if I make the statement we are different then that is construed as being racist.
Note that I did not say one or the other was better. In the jungle Poot can constantly point out things I can’t see. He is in his element. But go with him to town and he quiets down and looks a bit nervous. I’m not sure how he would react in Mountain View or Cupertino but one thing is for sure he would be as lost as me in the jungle.
So what is a stereotype? If I meet 100 people from Michoacan, and 90 have a certain detectable character trait, is that stereotyping? If it were just me, I might wonder. But many other Mexicans say the very same things about Veracruzanos and Michoacanos. Are we all wrong? Or is perception reality…
In Northern California, especially the Bay Area, we are famous for being doom and gloomers. The sky is falling, Cheney sold us out, and tomorrow we all die from nasty toxins. The collective depression is clear and evident, even to those of us that live in it.
On a recent trip to San Diego my surfing, dirt biking son had an interesting comment. I asked him what differences he saw in Southern vs. Northern California. ‘Dad’, he replied immediately, ‘the folks down south are so happy. They are so busy doing things…everyone is smiling and no one talked about how lousy the world is.’
See? Is it just me? You could say like father like son but is it just us? If everyone sees it and acknowledges it is it still a stereotype or simply the truth?
Maybe I’m all wet. But when I can speak with someone and tell by their demeanor or outward behavior where they are from…well, that’s not stereotyping, it’s good people skills. I’ve spent a lifetime working on those skills and don’t need a narrow minded board member to tell me I’m racist how can I be racist with friends like Poot?
In the collective thinking world there are no differences…yet where we come from may in fact largely determine how we think, feel and act. It’s called culture and perception.
And that, amigos, is no stereotype…
Jack D. Deal has both a Mexican and American personality. He is also the owner of Deal Business Consulting and can be contacted at jddeal@jddeal.com Related articles can be found at http://www.jddeal.com and http://www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com
Streets and People Sense: What It Takes to Cross the Street and Get Along with Others
I didn’t personally know any of these three people. I did speak on occasion to two of them but it was never any sort of conversation; simply a statement in passing. One of them I never spoke to. Yet each in his own way taught me something that I did not know…and for that, I am grateful.
Supposedly Oscar was a college student before something snapped. Several people said his parents were rich and he could afford to buy whatever he needed. Oscar used to push his train up and down Mission Street. One day I was walking out of the bakery and I offered him a pastry but he said he preferred his beer.
I suppose there is some psychiatric term for Oscar’s condition but I’m not sure what it is. He is certainly not unique as many communities have ‘residents’ that push carts and collect paper, especially plastic. Oscar would pick up trash and objects along the street and save them. He somehow got wagons and formed a ‘train’; I saw him with up to three different wagons he was pulling. He always had a big smile.
Oscar used to pull his train over at night and sleep in the center divide on Bay Street going up to the University. I would always marvel at how he could pull such a weight up a hill. Oscar was a big man. It must have taken him hours to get back to his campsite but I guess time is relative and Oscar lived on his own time. And except for his wagons, time was all he needed.
One day returning from San Francisco down Highway 1 we saw him just below Half Moon Bay…some forty plus miles outside of town. How did he get there and what was he doing? Who knows…I’m not sure if he knows. I haven’t seen him on Mission Street for over a year…maybe he snapped back into our everyday reality and is working in a bank. Wonder what his apartment looks like…
The next young man I never met. I only saw him from the curb as I was waiting at a traffic light. I think this was the time they were trying to figure out just how severely disabled residents could be at the halfway house near my office.
I had just missed the light and stopped for the red. This young man was among a group of obviously challenged adults that was waiting to cross the street. He could tell the light had changed and he stepped anxiously onto the street and then back up on the curb. In the minute I was stopped he did it probably ten times. His counselor or aide was letting him try. He kept smiling and shaking his head as he would back up to the curb.
He never made it across on his own. At least on that try. I assume he finally crossed the street with the help of his counselor but it appeared he could not do it on his own. He wanted to…and I could see it in his eyes. His smile was one of frustration and I could see the look of anguish as he regrouped psychologically and made another attempt. I wonder if his whole life was spent trying to regroup.
He caused me to wonder. I wondered how I would feel if he were my son. I wondered what set of skills and aptitudes are required to walk down the street; something most of us do without giving it any thought. My conclusion is that something simple like crossing the street is really an incredible array of mental processes. Some of us don’t have it and probably most of us that do certainly take it for granted.
The third person was known around town simply as Granma. She stayed at the halfway house on the next block and I would see her walk by my office window many times a day. I guess she had a set path she walked as I only saw her going in one direction.
I spoke to her twice on the street and then no more. She was probably in her early sixties and walked briskly. She always had a frown and never did I see her smile. When spoken to she would raise her voice and curse like a sailor. It was somewhat surprising to see this grandmotherly looking woman cursing at everything and everyone that came across her path.
We locals knew her and didn’t think much about her after a while. She never did anything but walk and curse. From my office window I could see the crosswalk she used as she made her rounds. She would just walk right out into the street which is not very safe where I live because there are a lot of folks whose focus is not on the street when they drive. At any rate she would walk out into the crosswalk and suddenly stop and let out an invective at some poor tourist who had stopped and was left wondering what the heck he did to tick her off. We used to laugh because it was funny.
So what is my point here? I’m not sure, even though I’ve thought a lot about it. I still think of the young man going from the curb to the street and back again; not being able to pull all his faculties together to cross. I think of Oscar and wonder if he’ll ever come back or is he pulling his train across the country.
And I think of the Granma that can’t have a conversation without cursing vehemently at whoever speaks to her. Can’t have many friends that way…what a living hell, no?
I’m reminded of the saying ‘and there but for the grace of God, go I’. Well, I’m not sure if it’s God’s grace or what but there is probably only a thin line between me and the three characters in my story. And as I get older I could at obviously end up at some point in my life like any of these three.
Actually come to think of it, you could too. It’s actually a thin line for all of us…
Jack D. Deal writes promotional and marketing articles. He can be contacted at jddeal@jddeal.com Related articles can be found at http://www.jddeal.com and http://www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com
The Psychology Of Anti Social Personality Disorder
There are numerous personality disorders under the realm of Psychology and some of these personality disorders will be quite apparent in some individuals and be very hard to tell in others. The anti-social personality disorder might be hard to define because the symptoms mimic those that are shown when a person is immersed in a schizoid state.
Some people think that an anti-social person is the way they are because they do not like crowds or people. Their behavior is indifferent to one or the other and the show of no emotion over either is a typical symptom shown in people with anti-social disorder. They are also indifferent as to whether they inflict harm on someone or if they harm themselves, but they are ready to fight at a moments notice.
A person with an anti-social personality disorder is easy to spot at a funeral. They show no emotion and do not possess the ability to feel sorry for anyone including themselves. They do not have the ability to show any kind of emotion when they are exposed to events such as a death in the family.
The person who suffers from a anti-social personality disorder has probably been in trouble with law because they are unable to conform to rules and will commonly get arrested numerous times and not get emotional about their long arrest record. School counselors will know which students have this disorder because they do not conform to the policies of the school.
Anti-social disorder patients are indifferent about getting to class on time. Any attempt at getting someone who is anti-social to act normal will be met by the direct opposite reaction. Some people are greeted by a person who is very egotistical and thinks that they are better than anyone else that they come in contact with. This is why they do not obey police officers and why they continue to break laws. They think that nobody can or will stop them.
The anti-social personality disorder affects men mostly. A person with anti-social personality disorder will probably never marry because they are non-conformist who do not believe in, or adhere to any of the regular rules that run our society. They are indifferent to marriage and are non-pulsed when people think that they simply act weird. Their impulsive behavior is probably a turn-off for most women anyway.
People with the anti-social personality disorder are perfect models for wearing the “No Fear” t-shirts because they fear nothing and feel nothing. As a child, they were probably not bothered at all when their Mother’s threatened them with restriction, or a spanking. Since they have no fear an anti-social person will attempts stunts that are very painful and act as if nothing happened.
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How Hypnotism Works
As many of us think hypnotism is not some thing like a black magic which can be performed only by a blessed few. The fact is that hypnotism has nothing magical in it. It is only a technique by which a person performing hypnotism gives suggestions to a person undergoing a hypnotic therapy. The person who performs the hypnotic therapy is called the hypnotist and the person under going the hypnotic therapy is called the subject.
Normally the suggestions given by the hypnotist will de designed in such a manner to influence the behaviour of the subject of hypnotic therapy. If the suggestions are to be accepted by the subject it should be designed in a positive nature. If not the subject will reject the suggestions made by the hypnotist.
Contrary to our belief, one cannot make a person believe any thing and every thing through the procedure of hypnotism. Hypnosis is not a state in which the subject falls into a completely unconscious state of mind in which the hypnotist can take full control of the person so as to make him obey all the suggestions and commands made by him.
Even in a hypnotic sleep, the person under going the hypnotic therapy will be in full control of his mind. He will reject all suggestions that come against his belief. He can even come out of the hypnotic sleep if he feels any thing annoying during the hypnotic therapy. As most of us still believe it is not possible to extract every thing from the mind of person without cooperation from the part of the subject.
Hypnotism does not always require the presence of a hypnotist. It is possible to perform hypnotic therapy by a person who wishes to make himself subject to hypnotic therapy. In such cases both hypnotist and the subject will be a one and the same person. This type of hypnotism is known as self hypnosis.
Manifestation techniques such as meditation can be cited as an example for self hypnosis. By practising the techniques of self hypnosis one can easily inject positive thinking to his mind to increase the confidence level of his mind.
Hypnotic therapy is now widely used to correct behavioural problems of men by providing positive suggestions to such persons. It can also be used effectively in building self respect, controlling weight, improving personal relationships, treating alcohol and drug addiction, reducing stress and many other similar problems of individuals.
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