This post was one of the more influential ones for me. I am beginning my first serious relationship and it has worried me. Not knowing how to be or how to act around this girl that I am now together with. It is all new to me. I agree with this man and his beliefs on what a man should be but it is a concept that has been lost in the media. I found it very interesting that he does point to "being brainwashed" by the media, videos, and images that have become major influences to the generations out there. The thing is that although this man does describe "the perfect man" these influences he points to have not only become influences to men but women as well. I know there are girls out there that are just looking for this "sex and money" type of man. Although I would say the amount of girls that are looking for this dream man than those that are the "goldigger" stereotype; there are girls just like boys that shy away from this type of relationship where everything is out of the open. Where you can be strong but timid and not be afraid besides your partner. It scares women as much as men in my opinion and the media does really do a number on what our generation wants when looking for a partner. I believe that in relationships, sometimes just both partners are afraid to let their partner "in" and it creates communications problems and this is because today's generation, just there are so many stereotypes that want to be either met or beat and there is no middle ground. There needs to be a medium found. These characteristics that are described in the above post, to me, describe that middle ground. I think though that although men due tend to be the aggressor in the relationship, women do not always realize how right men try to do at times. Our failure sometimes, can only be attributed to lack of knowledge towards women and relationships in general.

This was an incredibly powerful story. I was just blown away. It made realize a number of things about my own life. Firstly, I realized just how sheltered I truly am. This letter sounds like something out of an Oscar-winning drama. It just doesn't seem possible to me because I can not imagine having to live in a world like that, in a world of fear. So many things are wrong with this story that just upset me. These parents are just unbelievable. They can not be considered to be parents. They seem to be of pure evil. How does anyone do this to their child? They were abusive, rapists, liars- overall it sickens me. These "parents" are sick people and it just seems like they got what was coming to them. How can one not say they wouldn't have done the same thing? or that this man was not right in his actions. They clearly had money according to this man for his father had a sports car and an airplane. Coming from an upper middle class family, this was a very interesting component of the story because normally you believe that people with money are more than willing to spend and treat their family well. You also think that everything with that family is fine and there are no problems. Just goes to show that nothing is truly as it seems. It would seem to me that this man's best option at life was in prison. The abuse and neglect that he had to go through as a youth is just unimaginable. He was taken at his prime stage for molding and stripped of love and care and it was replaced with fear. These qualities that need to be nurtured upon oneself left him to not be able to function in society and it seemed that this was the only option. They may have physically failed at murdering their son, but it is clear that they did kill him and killed any hope of a normal life he could have had.

In the posting "Who am I?" I really found myself able to relate to this man. His story seemed to be one of the common misconception and that people always seem to be quick to judge based on stereotype and skin color. Being Jewish, and coming from a strong Jewish family, I have been involved in my fair share of stereotyping and then showing those same people they are wrong. The misconception goes so far in today's world, sometimes as far as determining who employers will hire. I believe this JVG, prided himself on being proud of his race and his heritage and I found that extremely relate-able. I also found JVG and myself to have some similarities when we have been victim of stereotyping. Despite being constantly stereotyped he does not once become offended but instead he sees everyone as somehow the same and related which is a very interesting concept and view on things. I especially liked the beginning when the author listed the names that he has been called by the public and he does not seem to fight it yet embrace it and I think that all goes back to his view about everyone in the world being related. I think the passage really just showed the similarities between everyday normal people and these "lifers" and it just shows that they too are everyday normal people.

Reading "Remember" brought a lot of emotion for me. I was taken back by the reality of this prisoner's situation. He can remember what put him in prison and it seems as though everything from the outside world that he had to live for is gone. It just seems like now that his days all take place behind a cell, they are filled with regret and remorse. And of course, why wouldn't they? It just becomes very real when one reads this passage because fights that come out of drunken stupidity happen all the time here in college. It just goes to show that one's life can change with one swift decision. When all the emotions that he talks about in this passage come into play, it is difficult to think of anything else at that time. I know that when my pride is questioned, it is very difficult for me to hold back on acting upon that situation. He shows that one needs to realize his situation and think. This man can't remember all the things that made him happy before he would up in prison and now all he remembers are the things that got him there showing you really can not escape the decisions you make.

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