What's in a Name?

Blog Post 2

I like my name. Steven is a Greek name, that derives from the word for crown. It is a versatile name, I can be called Steve for a change if I wish. One of the things that I do not like about my name is that there are various spellings for it. I do not like that Stephen is another way to spell my name, because it messes people up and I always have to clarify. I have a similar problem with my last name as well. Most people want to spell my last name as Costello, instead of Kostello, which makes identification difficult. Whenever I am verifying my registration for something with a person I have to end up spelling out my first and last name, even though neither of them are very complicated. Even Blogger doesn't recognize Kostello as a word, but suggests Costello as a spelling change. Steven can also be a bit of a common name, which annoys me, especially if I don't like another person who is named Steven, because it feels like they are damaging my name and there is nothing I can do about it. Despite these difficulties, I would not change my first or last name if I was given the opportunity. My name feels like it fits me, and after everything I have gone through while named Steven Kostello, I feel that I would lose some of those experiences if I lost my name.

There have been numerous instances when I have been both an individual, as well as part of a greater whole. In any sort of sports team, you have to be part of a whole, and put the best interests of the group in front of your own. If you can either give several people on your team opportunities to score multiple points, or you can score one point, a good teammate will allow others to score the points for the better of the team. Some people have trouble swallowing their pride and allowing other people to score points. This is part of the dilemma of being both an individual as well as part of a greater whole.

Blog Post 1

Image @ http://photos.wingyounghuie.com/p709406511/h7960348f#h7960348f

The picture that I chose by Wing Young Huie was one of a young man at a bus stop with a sign that says "Equality for the Undocumented". This is from Huie's We are the Other collection of photographs. Similar to the other photos by Wing Young Huie that I looked at, this photo seemed very sad. This could easily be attributed to the boy in the photograph's expression, which is one that people would associate with sadness. The man is also sitting alone, which generally creates a feeling of pity or sadness in someone who sees that. The man in the photograph is Latino and based on his sign about justice for undocumented immigrants, the viewer of the image can generally assume that the man is an immigrant.

People are generally thought of differently if they are an immigrant, as opposed to a natural born citizen, even if there is no reason for the difference in status. This is definitely an example of othering in real life, like in The Handmaid's Tale, how Handmaids are thought of differently because of the nature of their situation, rather than their personalities or actions. I think it is interesting that othering occurs at all, that people feel a need to exclude people no matter what situation or circumstances they are in. Exclusion occurs all throughout life, and can be found in many situations like bullying, job applications, group memberships, or even simply purchasing items at a store. The Handmaid's Tale illustrates people's need to exclude others well, from wives excluding handmaids from drinking at birth ceremonies, or Marthas not being allowed to go out shopping for the ingredients that they are going to cook with.

Overall, othering seems unavoidable. It occurs through all aspects and ages of our societies, and does very little good for anyone, if at all. If people just relaxed and let go of what they believed was absolutely right, the world could easily end up being a much happier and more peaceful place.

Steven Kostello