Movie Response #2

[Tanya Voytus]

Answer this question in a good paragraph by Thursday's class:

How am I not myself?

or, perhaps this:

When am I not myself?

[Jack]

There are a few issues I have with this...

How can you be sure you even know yourself? It sounds dumb and
melodramatic, but people are constantly changing. I'm not the same
person I was five years ago. I'm not the same person I was one year
ago, or even one month ago. More generally, what defines a person in
this context (or lack thereof)? It's a really difficult question for
me to answer.

I don't think there's ever really a time where I could say "I am not
myself" and really be that. Everything I do is a conscious choice and
everything in my life is a result of my choices. The only time I could
think of other people saying "I'm not myself" is when they make a
mistake. Whether one likes it or not, though, you're always yourself.

How redundant. :c

[Tanya Voytus]

I think you hit the nail on the head here, Jack. How is it possible for someone not to be his/herself if he/she is always making choices.

In the context of this movie, I think that they are trying to ask Brad if he is being true to himself - when he puts on a front to make friends and succeed in business is he really acting the way he wants? The way he should? The way he thinks is right?

What do you think about this? Is his acting like this being himself because his strongest desire is to succeed?

[Lexie]

I agree with Jack. I don't know if you can ever not be yourself. Even
if you try, a part of you is always going to come out. You can try and
pretend to be a certain way or feel something that you don't or not
feel something that you do, but you're still you when you go home and
you're alone. How are you not yourself? It's impossible. No matter
what you do, you're still you.
But when are you not yourself, that's different. More like, When are
you not being yourself? When I'm around certain people, I act
differently than I usually would. But I'm still me. I just don't laugh
at the things I would if I was around Steve or someone I was
comfortable around or maybe I wouldn't be quite as honest or say
everything I would like to. Even when I try to not be myself, noone
notices. You just can't really hide.

[Tanya Voytus]

I think that's an interesting point you bring up, Lexie. The idea that when you go home, and you're alone, you're truly yourself. If that were the case, though, I would almost never be truly myself outside of that scenario. I act a certain way around my students, and a certain way around my family, and a certain way around my friends, and an entirely different way when I'm by myself. Does that mean I'm not being myself when I'm around other people? Or is it an extension of who I am?

[Lexie]

That's true. There are so many aspects to who we are. So maybe we're
never not being ourselves, we're just showing a different side of who
we are.

[Stephen Fischer]

I don't think you can ever not be yourself. You can act or pretend
that you aren't, but whether you like it or not some part of you is
going to come out. I think of it as hiding in plain sight--it's
consciously invisible, you don't notice it, but the people around you
do. Change may be the only thing that can somewhat be thought of "How
am I not myself?" I'm definitely not the person I was five years ago,
things change, and I definitely have, but logically speaking I'm the
same person.

It's hard to say when you aren't yourself. I mean, like Lex said, I
would act differently than I would other people. If Lex were to tell
me a joke I would probably react differently as opposed to someone
else telling me the joke. For me, I probably wouldn't say everything I
wanted to or be honest to that person if I barely know them or aren't
comfortable with them. I guess it's a matter of comfort levels in
different scenarios and with different people. You can't hide from
yourself, can you? You're always there.

[Tanya Voytus]

So what if you act in a way that you know you don't agree with? Or a way that you don't want to because of the scenario that you're in?

[Stephen Fischer]

Realistically, if I were to act in a way that I know that I wouldn't agree with, I would consciously acknowledge that and change that immediately. But, for arguments sake, I better have an adequate reason as to why I am acting a certain way. Hypothetically speaking, if I were in a situation where I have to defend myself against someone violent, as much as I would hate myself for hurting someone, I might have to.

[Tanya Voytus]

Well, you happen to be someone who can't imagine acting against one's beliefs. However, it's hard to imagine, for example, someone who cheats on his / her significant other that really believes it's the right choice. Yet this person continues to do it for whatever reason. Are they being themselves even if they know they're acting wrong? Does acting wrong have anything to do with being yourself? Or is acting wrong part of who that person is?

Stephen - you don't have to answer these questions directly, just some food for thought.

[Jeremy Haug]

When am I not myself? When I feel that myself is wrong, People rarely see "myself", just what I find to be acceptable.

[Tanya Voytus]

How do you determine what is accceptable?

[Jeremy Haug]

From what I am told. and from what i determine through my utilitarian mental equation. So it varies strongly from situation to situation.

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