What makes me who I am

I am optimistic, creative and funny. All of these qualities help make me who I am.

Another thing that helps make me who I am is my friends and family. My Parents have taught me so much, and helped me grow up to be the person I am today. Without the rules, and punishments, which I hated when I was younger, I would be different. Another thing my parents have done is take me, my brother and my sister to church. At the church we attend I've been baptised, confirmed and maybe even someday married. I think that going to church is a good thing that my parents did for me, and contributes to the strong, faithful person I am.

But like I said, my friends are my life, without them it would be boring. Whenever I'm with my friends I just be myself. There's no pressure to be something I'm not, or act a certain way because I know the reason I have them is because they like me for who I am, and without my awesome friends I wouldn't be me! This reminds me of the quote "A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway" -Fr. Jerome Cummings. This quote relates to friends becuase it's saying that they like you for who you are, and thats true friendship.

My friends and family have helped me so much through certain problems I've faced throughout my life, and I love them for it, they are truly amazing and I couldn't live without any one of them, they help to make me me!

Both of my parents come from big families, on my Dad's side I have 16 cousins, and on my Mom's 22, and that's just first cousins. On my Mom's side I'm about in the middle, age wise. When ever we all get together for holidays, or partys etc. I am constantly helping out or playing with all of my younger cousins. They look up to me, and that's something I find complimenting. They will always say "Julie, can you be my partner for hide and seek?", or "Julie, can you play with us?". Because of being around kids all the time, between cousins, and babysitting, I learned to be more patient and kind. It helps make me who I am.

I am Julie Snyder, and that's a little bit about what makes me who I am.

pop culture; what is its effect on you?

Pop culture effects everyone in many ways, whether its magazines, TV, music, or even styles and the newest trends.

I am one of the many teenage girls who has a list of shows they watch every week. Shows from, Americas Next Top Model, to One Tree Hill, and even the Hills. Televising in our society is huge. Along with TV, music is another huge thing. Everyone always knows the top songs on itunes or the latest great song. I'm also one of the thousands of teenagers who always has an ipod earphone in my ear, and am always downloading the newest hits.

Magazines are another huge part of our society. From People, to Seventeen, to US Weekly and so on. Magazines are things that everyone reads to stay connected to the celebrity world and learn about the newest trends and styles. From reading magazines, teenage girls especially, get an idea in their head of what their suppose to look like. Even if it's not true, or healthy the media shows us what we should look like, and if we don't, we feel different or bad about ourselves. I think that this is part of the reason some people are anorexic or bulimic. Even though its not right at all, some people feel pressured into looking like their favourite celebrity.

So I think personally that pop culture has a huge influence on everyone. Even if its just so they know the newest and greatest music, or if its to a further degree of finding out what they should look like. Even just buying a magazine or looking up on the Internet about the latest movie your favourite actor is in. Pop culture effects everyone differently, and on different levels.

Prejudice, is it an every day thing?

As a class we just finished reading the book "To Kill a Mockingbird". This book talks about the prejudice against other races. I think that everyone at some point feels prejudice against others. Even if it is just at home, to your brothers and sisters or a more serious case, like to strangers you dont even know, you just judge them based on there culture, race, appearance etc.

Being Prejudice against someone else is something we all do, but its also something we should all try and stop. Judging someone based on the clothes they wear, or their body, or even their hair style is wrong. But I would be a hypocrite if I said that I have never judged or talked about someone else because of some of those reasons. I remember a time when me and my friend where judging a girl because of the clothes she was wearing and her hair style, when we never even talked to her before.

Being prejudice is something we do without even realizing that we are doing it. If you think about it, prejudice is a form of bullying. Even if your just joking around with friends about the girl over there who's from a different culture, and because of that dresses differently. I personally think that for example Muslim people get easily judged for how they dress, even though it's there choice. They are the same as everyone else, but dont get treated that way, just because of their culture.

Overall, prejudice against others happens every day. Sometimes, even when we don't know it, we are being prejudice to others. It is something that happens so offten in our society, that everyone has done it at some point in their lifetime. As an indivudal, I am going to try and stop judging others and being prejudice, taking this small step might make a difference.

My Connection

I am connected to the web in many ways. Facebook, email, MSN... all these websites keep me connected, and aware of the things happening around me. I keep connected to friends and family living in places like British Columbia, Alberta, and Itally. Email lets me stay up to date with them, and its fast, easy and free. I am also connected to the world by television.