This essay is about a man who had always struggled to make it through life. He finally felt he belonged to something when he joined the KKK. He developed a deep hatred for black while in this group, and I think this is just because he wanted to make sure he fit in. Eventually, he ended up changing his views to be completely opposite and gained many black friends.
My agenda item is: Do you think that you can try so hard to fit in that you end up developing beliefs that aren't your own? Almost as if you were brainwashed into believing them?
Posted by CarolineJones at February 25, 2005 03:28 PM | TrackBackI think it is possible for a person to be so depressed that they tend to do things that they would have never done if they had never been in that situation. There are even many instances today where people are doing things that they would have never done if they were not in such a bad situation like you said, it is kind of like they were brainwashed into doing this. I would definitely say yes to your answer, it has been happening back then and it is still happening now
Posted by: ChinazomOnubogu at February 26, 2005 11:17 AMI think it is possible for a person to be so depressed that they tend to do things that they would have never done if they had never been in that situation. There are even many instances today where people are doing things that they would have never done if they were not in such a bad situation like you said, it is kind of like they were brainwashed into doing this. I would definitely say yes to your answer, it has been happening back then and it is still happening now
Posted by: ChinazomOnubogu at February 26, 2005 11:17 AMI really think that this is possible. If someone really wants to fit into something or some group bad enough just so they have a place in which they feel they 'belong', I think they would do anything, say anything, or believe whatever they have to. I think a prime example of this, even though it is not to the extreme as the case in this essay, is looking at kids in middle and high school. Some kids just want to fit into a group so they change their appearance and sometimes what they believe or who they really are just so they can fit in.
Posted by: Amanda Herold at February 27, 2005 03:25 PMI think it is very possible for someone to become "brainwashed" so that they fit into a group of people. The sense of belonging is very important for many people. If you look at today's youths. Many do outrageous things at young ages to BELONG. I think that it is sad that people will believe what someone else tells them to belong, and its even worse when a group of people must pick on someone because they feel bad about themselves.
Posted by: Jen Sherbo at February 27, 2005 11:41 PMI agree with you that someone who needes to fit in will establish beliefs that are not their own, and they keep hearing them and then they soon believe them as well. And I believe that that is the case in C.P. Ellis
Posted by: Kayla Lukacs at February 28, 2005 06:17 PMI swear it Caroline, you never watch TV... Brainwashing is for sure there, and it can happen. If someone wants something bad enough, like the belong to a certain group, or be excepted, they will do just about anything. When you tell yourself something over and over again, you start believing its true.
Posted by: Mary Bonner at February 28, 2005 06:30 PM