Branden+P’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2017



How do you define yourself? I’m 5’3 so I call myself short. I can’t share clothes with my size medium friends, so I call myself fat. I hate waiting so I call myself impatient. I love being around people so I call myself an extrovert. I like to write so I call myself a writer. All of that together and more make up Branden.

Self definition, by definition is, “ the evaluation by oneself of one's worth as an individual in distinction from one's interpersonal or social roles.” Basically it means you know who you are, and what your role is in society. I’ve found most people our age don’t really know what their future role in society is, and that’s okay. We’re expected to know what we want to be, and role we play, even before receiving a high school diploma. Finding a meaning in something is a popular hobby between humans, with everything needing a meaning and reason behind it.

Many people are defined by labels, social labels at that, but what really matters is how you define yourself. We know who’s “cool” and who isn’t, we assume someone driving a porsche is wealthy, and a girl who wears anything that doesn’t cover her whole body a slut. The real issue is what society thinks is acceptable and what isn’t and that needs to change.

Many people like to be different. They define themselves as outsiders, or people who don’t fit in, here at Foothill being an outsider makes you cool. Being pessimistic about everything is a plus, and if you’re not having a break down every week you’re doing something wrong. For the most part these people don’t like to be defined as anything, but they are usually seen as trendy and by definition cool.

People seem to like people who don’t draw attention to themselves, people who do are labeled as annoying. Some people live to please others, and conform with their visions of what’s cool and what’s not. They let other people define them, without really leading themselves on the path to find who they truly are. The correlation of physical possessions and someone's status needs to come to an end, not because it’s wrong, but also because the line between cool and uncool has been blurred and almost flipped. Take this example:

My group of friends like being loud, and having fun is the number one rule. We gather attention both negative and positive. We are seen as annoying, drama filled, and exclusive. By definition we are popular. From the plastics, the heathers, the group of friends from jawbreakers, and even our favorite group of friends in the high school musical movies. They are all by definition popular.

Here at Foothill being labeled popular seems to be a bad thing. If you’re not sitting around complaining about everything with a $7 drink in your hand, and wearing turtlenecks in the spring, bootcut jeans, and one article of clothing found at a thrift store at all times, you might as well not come to school. The “you can’t sit with us” mentality is very much alive, but found in a different clique.

Here the plastics would have minimal power and will just be labeled as annoying; having to be dismissed at every turn. No one cares about who’s with Aaron Samuels and who’s about to win spring fling queen and king. The real important thing is, what did they get on the last DBQ? I was recently called popular since I seem to have everyone's number on speed dial and everyone seems to know of me at the very least. The person next to me remarked with, “that sounds horrible.” How horrible, I have a large network of people I can talk to ,homework help is a text away, I always have plans, I almost never have time to just sit alone, I’m a real loser.

That example shows being cool is uncool and uncool is cool. Maybe that’s just Foothill, I don’t know. That goes without saying, being defined as something when you think you're something else is pure agony. You want your image of yourself to be reflected, even though the image they already have of you will take precedence. They defined who you were in the back of their heads without ever speaking a word to you.

If you define yourself as an artist, mathematician, popular, outsider, athlete, actor and so on it doesn't matter. Today if you don't have art work posted somewhere, solve math problems in a snap, know every person in a crowded room, smoke cigarettes at a Grrlz concert, participate in a school sport, or have a starring role in a movie, no one will believe you anyways. I wish you didn't need proof of something for everything, and that needs to change.

People should be allowed to explore their options before they enter the world knowing only one thing, because they were too afraid of what other people thought. Someone may be an artist at heart, but was too afraid to show anyone in fear of maybe they weren't that good. A singer that's never used their voice, too afraid that someone else won't listen. A superhero too afraid to fly, in fear of people standing on their cape.

All in all, I wish in America’s future people will define themselves and not let the world define them. I want them to realize that finding themselves is a personal journey. I hope no one is left to question why my niece is loud in the hallway, or why my kid likes to wear weather appropriate clothing and drink a beverage that’s under $3, or why my nephew actually cares about being homecoming king.

I hope to see an America where people go after what they want. People identify as to who they really are, not what people think they should be. If anyone is to humiliate someone for trying something new, and I'm there to witness it. I hope they know that they’ve already had their last seven dollar drink.