I think I'm addicted to sunflower seeds.

I'm going to be honest--not having class tonight was kind of a relief. Not that the circumstances for the cancellation are at all what I'd like them to be. I hope Mrs. Mahoney is alright!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is confused about the paper assignment. I don't want to be unprepared, but I hope next week we can all clear things up with everything together. Are we really supposed to have a paper written? For now, I'm just going to blog here, and post for assignment part 1 for today and assignment part 2 can follow later on. Hopefully not too much later though.

As for assignment part 1, I think each of us can relate to what Ramage says about identity. We are, or have been, college students who have been faced with the search for identity at one point in our lives or another. Some of us are still going through an identity crisis or transformation as I post this blog. Do we really consider what it is that we are going through though? Do we really ponder over the components that make us individuals? Have we ever stopped to assess the determining factors that make us who we are? I thought it was interesting how Ramage broke identity up into three parts--these parts encompassing all that identity could be. Like many have said before me in their posts, Ramage broke up identity into three categories: the given, the readymade (which include workplace readymades, consumer readymades, and cultural readymades), and the constructed.
It is tough to say that one constructs the entirety of their identity, although this can be a common misconception. This is the reason why Ramage includes the given, and the readymade as an identity category. The given is nothing we can change necessarily; it's our inevitable past and upbringing (or lack thereof), which we did not determine for ourselves. The readymade, I feel we have a bit more control over--we usually have a choice in what profession we pursue and thus what workplace setting we place ourselves in. What we cannot control, however, are the perceptions that people have as a result of our choice of occupation, which is where I believe Ramage was driving at.
So many of us would like to claim that we were special, or different from anyone else in existence today. But the truth is, we share so many common threads, that we all just make up the same piece of fabric that is humanity. Granted, we might have different hues or shades, but our overall makeup us basically the same. Even the so-called "Rugged Individualist", who thinks he goes against the rest of all the grain, he is aligned with all the other rugged individualists who share his ambitions. Everyone wanted to be a Marlboro man, tough, daring, and self-made, and because of this, they all did became the Marlboro man--the same Marlboro man. If everyone who bought a Harley were a genuine individualist, they'd put the bike up for sale as soon as they saw one pass on the highway, for the sake of maintaining their personal individuality. This reflects Ramage's idea that "...in order to possess an identity in the fullest sense of the term, one must possess the capacity to say no to some of the given and ascribed elements (63)." So for those of us who are still trying to forge their own paths and determine their own personal identities, let us develop the ability to say no to that which shouldn't be part of us or contribute to our betterment and yes to that which evokes our passion and drive for success. Let's break the mold and make a statement. Embrace that which you've been given and who you've become as a result of your experiences, but at the same time, challenge yourself to discover what really excites you or ignites your thriving for living.

Until part two...