Archive for category: Sam’s Writing

At the start of the semester, reviewing the syllabus, I had not fully understood what was meant by the phrase “the American way.” Although now I have more insight as to what was implied by this statement, I had absolutely no idea what the material would be like in reference to it. With genius and madness, the topics were obvious in how related they were, but “the American way” confused me.

As the course progressed we started getting into conspiracy theories and paranoia in American politics. It was not until Hofstadter’s piece, that I started to get an idea that “the American way” implied the general mindset of American society in relations to several topics, the first of which is conspiracy in government. Furthermore, after reading the opposing thoughts of Fenster, I started to fully understand how conspiracy and paranoia is deeply entrenched in not only American politics, but also in our culture. Both works, when discussed together, allowed me to fully appreciate a value of my society I had not seriously noticed or considered. After this topic ended, though I had thought perhaps that was the only topic we were going to cover in regards to “the American way”, but I was happily surprised when our discussion turned to individualism.

When the topic shifted from conspiracy theory and paranoid style to individualism and its relation to American society. Although I had read Emerson’s Self-Reliance as well as Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience before, reading them in the context of American individualism made me see them in a different light. Their infamy only framed their representation of American’s as an individualistic people. Furthermore The Dark Knight became so much more rich and powerful after the discussions in class, turning it from just another amazing action movie to one that makes a commentary on the morality of individualism and vigilantism.

Finally, the subject we are currently discussing in class, psychopathy and serial murder, added another layer of the tropes and themes within American culture and media. For my entire life, I had thought psychopaths and serial murderers were studied in every society, and that most cultures have some kind of interest in these topics. However, after several readings and viewings, as well as in class discussions, I started to understand the psychopath/serial murderer topics are very much American in their nature. Not that other societies don’t have those concepts or tropes within their culture, but that this is truly a part of American culture. This where I came to my final realization of what “the American way” really is.

The American way is comprised of many defining characteristics, some of which include paranoia, individualism, and deep interest in psychopathic phenomena. Though some of these characteristics may be viewed as negative, they are not, nor are they positive. These traits are simply part of our society. They may not be original in themselves, but these traits are part of a larger representation of our culture, what our interests are, and how we perceive the world. In all, I learned what the American way represents, and that our culture is one to appreciate for its uniqueness.

When considering nature and nurture, it is impossible to select one as the main influence on development, for one cannot exist without the other, and both are paramount in determining aspects of a person. Without a genetic code, there is nothing to nurture, and without an environment, and organism can never form. In development, nature sets conditions and capacities while nurture responds to these operants and determines the extent to which limits are reached. However, some traits depend on one more than the other. For example, height is primarily determined by genetics assuming that a minimum level of nutrition is met, whereas obesity, although some people may have genetic predispositions to fatness, is primarily determined by food and activity. Intelligence, in the traditional sense, is an example of a trait that receives huge influences from both nature and nurture. This can be observed between my siblings and me. We differ in interests and levels of ambition. However, we all share similar appearances, mannerisms, and personalities to a degree. In short, the issue of nature vs. nurture is far too complicated to choose a single side.

Read through the powerpoint pdf