Yoshino#1: In today’s society many racial minorities are forced to act white. Many immigrants feel as though they need to change their names or behave a certain way to become successful U.S citizens. They feel afraid to show their true self’s because they want to fit into the “mainstream”. For example, Yoshino mentions how famous actors such as Martin Sheen have changed their names in order to cover their ethnicity. Sheen sacrificed his original name Ramon Estevez for his professional career. He figured that it would be more difficult to book jobs as an actor because of his “non- American” sounding name. Yoshino’s claim is unfortunately true. Being an immigrant in America is not an easy task. There is always a lot of persecution and hardships that come along with it. Our president has also made this task more difficult by constantly bashing immigration and the Mexican border. Sometimes people are forced to decide whether they want to fight against the president of the United States or, conform to the “white culture that seems to be more acceptable in many areas. It is terrible that people feel the need to hide their ethnicity.
Yoshino #2: Most people today hide behind a false version of themselves in order to keep their “True Self’s” covered. Our “False Self’s” come out when we want to please other’s or fit in with the crowd. For instance, in Yoshino’s article, he talks about his own story and how he struggled with hiding his “gay self” which was his true self. He would act like everyone else around him so that he would not get treated differently. This idea of having a “True Self” and a “False Self” is a very interesting concept because we all tend to act differently depending on what situation we are in. We should not feel like we must change who we are when we are around different people. Covering our “True Self’s” is exhausting and it causes us to be insecure about who we are. If we continue to hide who we really are then, we will not have anything that separates us from others. This people pleasing mind set has the ability to take away our true self’s for good.
Hallward #2: Shame is dangerous because it is at the root of many issues including depression and suicide. Shame is what causes people to internalize their feelings leading to very strong negative emotions. In Hallward’s TED talk she mentions how the feeling of shame is when someone thinks that if they talk about their feelings they will be judged or persecuted. This leads to suicide because the person feeling shame isolates them self with the intention of keeping their issues from the people that want to help them. Shame is an emotion that can cause many terrible issues if left alone. Everyone struggles with feeling shameful about something. It is very important that those feelings are expressed to somebody. This emotion is taken too lightly meaning, not enough people acknowledge how dangerous it truly is.
Hallward #2: Vulnerability is a form of generosity because having the courage to tell a difficult story can save others. When one person tells their story it gives people who are in a similar situation hope. For example Hallward was in charge of teaching about dementia to a group of doctors. Instead of solely talking about dementia in a professional way Hallward decided to add a personal story into her teaching. Her approach was to talk about the effects of dementia on her family. She proceeded to talk about the shame that she felt during that time which resonated with many of the doctors. It turned out that they appreciated her vulnerability even though it was “unprofessional”. Being vulnerable is not an easy task but, it is a cure for shame. People tend to seek help for themselves once they know that they aren’t alone.
