I’ve been thinking lately about the ways that internet and technology have affected human socialization. Too often I meet people that find it hard to communicate with others face-to-face because they are so used to communicating via text messaging, social media, etc.
Most folks growing up in modern American culture are not taught how to cope with intense emotions, social isolation, psychological trauma, or other hardships that affect how we interact with others. Thus, it makes sense that the internet has become an outlet for many people experiencing trouble in their life.
I personally was not taught these things and I didn’t realize until adulthood how my lack of communication about my feelings and desires was affecting my relationships. This realization made me think back to my internet activity as a young teenager. I was willing to share my deepest, darkest emotions to strangers online (those following my Tumblr), yet completely unable to express the trouble I was going through to anyone around me. Perhaps it was easier to write things down, edit them, and send them out (seemingly) into the abyss of cyberspace than to unload that emotional baggage onto others in person. I didn’t know how common this form of online self-disclosure was until quite recently.
While I think that there is certainly a limit to the extent of self-disclosure online, I don’t necessarily think it is a bad thing. It can often help you connect with others who are having the same experiences and may not be willing or able to share them with the people around them. The problems come when internet use becomes a barrier to face-to-face communication. It is important to reach out to people in your life even when it seems difficult. The more secretive and selectively-presented persona of online users can often lead to being taken advantage of or to disclosing too much information about yourself.
As I’ve grown and learned more about myself, I now find it both inappropriate and unnecessary to self-disclose personal information online. I still enjoy sharing my passions and occasional tribulations with those who follow my blog, but I have gained the communication skills to share deeper things with my offline support system. Ultimately, I think others should try to do the same.
BQ 11.1: This is a clip from Danny Bhoy's stand up comedy in Canada from 2012. Bhoy is the son of a Scottish mother and Indian father which gives him a unique race and he uses this in his stand up in many jokes. This particular clip is about drinking in America vs drinking in Scotland. I chose the clip because it shows some aspects of Clydesideism because he talks about drinking a lot, which is a theme/stereotype that is present in much of Scottish life. Also, Bhoy's stand up is very relatable to working class citizens because that is where he comes from and many of his jokes relate to that life.
The film I chose was "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" directed by Ken Loach. I have seen the film before in my Irish Literature class and I really enjoyed it that is why I chose this film. The clip I chose was the trailer for the film and it is a good summary of the film. The movie relates perfectly to our class and films we have watched, like "Michael Collins," and is set during the time of the Irish War for Independence and the Irish Civil War. The film does a good job showing the divide between Ireland when the treaty was signed and the country was split. In the film two brothers who fought alongside one another during the War for Independence are divided when the treaty is signed and fight on opposite sides of the war. This shows how strongly people felt for their cause and their stance on the treaty.
BQ 5.2: This clip is from Vice News Ireland and is discussing the celebration held every year on July 12th, celebrating the victory 300 years ago by Protestant King William over Catholic King James; it is celebrated by Protestant and Loyalist citizens in Belfast, Northern Ireland by burning huge bonfires around the city. The clip is from Belfast following the parade and preparations for the celebration and gives a background on the situation. Every year during the celebration there is controversy between the Protestants and Catholics. During the celebrations huge bonfires are lit and on them are Republic of Ireland flags and Sinn Fein effigies, which can be seen as provocative and disrespectful to the Republic adding to the Troubles. Also adding to the tension between the two sides is the high levels of unemployment and poverty currently in Belfast causing each side to blame the other. The clip relates to our class because we just currently finished talking about the Irish Civil War and the War of Independence which created the two separate nations, and divided the city of Belfast between Catholics and Protestants. The clip is a good indicator of how things have progressed over the decades between the two sides and is a good update on how their relationship is now.
BQ 5.1: I chose this clip of Irish comedian Tommy Tiernan doing stand up from his "Crooked Man" tour in 2011 at Ulster Hall in Belfast. I chose this clip because I found it interesting because Ireland is known for being very religious and it has been a point of controversy throughout their entire history, and the comedian is poking fun at religion. One of the first things Tiernan addresses in the stand up is stories from The Bible which is the holy writing of Catholicism, the prominent religion in the Republic of Ireland, which I found interesting because I assumed that religion would be somewhat "off limits" from comedy. The material that Tiernan covers relates to our class because the differences between Protestants and Catholics helped to break the country apart after the Irish War for Independence.
BQ 4.2: I chose this clip about the 1974 Guilford Pub Bombing to show how the Troubles continued far after independence was won and that the conflict still carried on. In 1974 a pub in Guilford was bombed killing innocent people and injuring others, 4 Irish citizens were arrested and accused of the bombing. They were arrested and jailed for 15 years with no real evidence against them but they were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The video clip is in memory of one of the "Guilford 4," as they were called, Gerry Conlon who died earlier this year. Gerry's story is representative how The Troubles effected Irish and British people alike. Conlon was accused of being part of the bombing, mainly because of him being Irish, when the bombing was actually carried out by other IRA members. This is significant to our class because were are currently studying the Irish War for Independence and the Troubles and the video shows how long after the War ended the Troubles continued. The video helps to understand how the Troubles caused stereotypes and profiling based on ethnicity.
BQ 4.1: The above photo was taken immediately after the Easter Rising in 1916 on Sackville Street, Dublin. The photo shows the destruction and loss that was felt as a result of the rising. The image is significant because it shows how much damage and destruction of property the rising brought to the city and as a result why civilians were outraged by the rebellion. While the early stages after the rebellion were seen as a failure, the British response to the Rising actually helped the rebels gain support. The brutal treatment of civilians and the murder of the Rising's leader's brought about a new found support for the Republican cause. The picture's relates directly to what we are doing in class because some the ringleaders of the Rising were Eamon de Valera and Michael Collins, who we are currently focusing on, both lived through the Rising and went on to keep the war for independence going. The image helps to understand just how devastating the Easter Rising was on the infrastructure of Dublin and how the population reacted.
BQ 2.4: I chose this clip from The Quiet Man to show some of the Irish stereotypes in the film. There are more than just shown in the clip but I found a few in this clip. For one, it portrays the Irish as somewhat of "drunks," especially Michaleen, who always appears drunk in the film. Also, it shows the Irish stereotype of being short tempered and ready to brawl at the slightest annoyance. The clip also shows the romanticized version of Ireland that many reviews were critical of, in the clip they are somewhat hostile towards Sean, but when they discover his ancestry and that he wants to buy them a drink they burst into song and good spirits!
