Who I am?

Well I just made an excellent blog and after 30 minutes of writing I pressed publish post but for some odd reason it deleted and didn't save. Now I am going to try to sum up what I wrote. My name is Carlie Dobkin. I am a teen, a gymnast, a Dobkin, caucasian, upper middle class, a girl, and American. All these different groups that I am apart of influence my life. First, I am a teenager who has no role in society besides school. Thus, we try to focus on school so much that it starts to control us. We live our lives by grades because those are the only recognitions of hard work. If I wasn't a gymnast, I would be a completely different person. As a gymnast, I have learned time management and I have developed skills such as focus, determination, diligence, and mental strength. I am also a Dobkin. My family has really influenced the way I live my life. The whole nature vs. nurture debate is pointless. We are born with traits and then our family helps us develop them. We need both of them to become fully human. I am also white. I have never been in a minority and I view the white race as supreme. I don't believe I am racist but we live in a society where white is the superior race. It all began with Kipling's poem "White Man's Burden." He only saw the obvious. To him, whites were more advanced and thus better than all the other people of color. Yet, to the people of color, white people may have seemed backwards. In many countries, white is the superior race. Yet, if I lived somewhere in Africa, I would be totally different. My life would be changed because I would be a minority. Maybe I would have special privelages or a better chance of getting into universities. Who knows? I am also a part of the upper middle class. I am so lucky to have a home, more than one car, a bed, clothes, food, the ability to travel, etc. We take that all for granted because we only live around other upper middle class people. Thus, we compare ourselves to the richer. In all actuality, I am in the top percent of the world. There are billions of people that struggle to put food on the table. It may be obvious by my name, but I am a girl. My gender has influenced my life tremendously. As a girl, there is this model that I have to fit into. Many times, I act a certain way unconsciously because I am girl. I also thought that the clothes I wear are my style. However, I am actually copying the style of girls I see on TV. Headbands woudn't be in style again if it wasn't for Gossip Girl. The media plays a huge role on self image these days. Finally I am American. As Americans, we value independence, success, efficiency, and money. I never realized that I actually base my life around these values. I work hard so I can succeed. I live by a schedule: wake up, school (controlled by time), gymnastics, homework, sleep, repeat. I have my own room so I can be by myself. I love money and I love getting cash for gifts because money = power and freedom. Sociology has definitely changed the way I define myself. Who I am isn't just a biography with a few fun facts. Who I am is the different groups I belong to and how they influence my everyday life. Thanks for a great class that truly opened my eyes to the meaning of life, Mr. Sal :)