More than just words on a page

Literacy is not just the ability to read and write; it is so much more. Without literacy you would not be able to hold a conversation with anyone. You couldn’t talk or even comprehend words. This is just the beginning of literacy though. From my experience, to be literate also means you can understand where a person has been in the past, where they’re at in their lives, and where they’re going, just by “reading” them. A literate person can tell a lot about another person simply by looking at them. A person’s body language gives off their attitude, their tone of voice shows their personality, and even the topic of conversation tells of their interests or hopes and dreams. All of this combined creates a person’s morals and beliefs. And when all this is put together, it forms a person’s culture.

From personal experience, I believe that the ability to read people is a part of literacy.  Knowing how to understand people a little without having to ask questions but rather simply by reading their vibe is part of being literate. I believe that everyone is capable of reading people, and that this is how friendships are made. Throughout my entire life I have made friends who are similar to me in more ways than not. I believe this is because the first time I met these people I was able to pick up a vibe from them. People who were similar to me ended up being my friends and people who were not really like me did not. I believe that this ties into literacy.

What do you think? Do you think friendships are based off our ability to read people? And is reading people a part of literacy?

No more lost boys

An interesting aspect of our culture that I feel is recently becoming more prominent is how much kids are in a hurry to grow up. I think that certain aspects of this are normal because it seems like kids are always wanting to grow up, but it is getting to the point where pre teens are like little adults.

When I was growing up I would put on my mom’s heels or try to fit into hand-me-downs that were too big for me because I got them from my friend who was a year older, I thought it was cool. I also remember trying to act like my babysitter because she was older than me and that was cool too.

But pre teens today have gone to an all-new extreme to try to act older. Not only do they dress like older kids, they also wear makeup earlier, have cell phones (even iPhones!), have Facebook and twitter accounts, and even talk like teenagers. I see this firsthand through my sister. She is only in eighth grade and already has a cell phone, wears makeup and heels, and steals my clothes. Eleven and twelve year olds are shopping for adult clothes at adult stores before they are even teens. My sister doesn’t have a Facebook but I know many of her friends do (they’ve added me as a friend). I see the way they talk online and what they post. They are swearing and commenting inappropriate things.

I don’t know why pre teens today are trying to grow up so fast, but it is definitely a noticeable part of our culture if you have younger siblings or know someone who does.

What do you think about pre teens acting older than they are? Do you think pre teen behavior has changed?