Reflection 8

I wish I could not answer this question, but there have been times where I have let my emotions get the best of me and pushed me to the edge of breaking my moral code. For me, I am passionate about my work and my friends, and as many may already know, blending friendship with work can lead to problems. When I was in High School, I worked with my father in the family business as a home remodeler. I loved working with my father and I was able to do something that came natural to me while learning new skills as the years went on. It was like the phrase “it is not work if you enjoy doing it.” But once the financial crisis hit the United States, my job became problematic. We started losing clients because they ran out of money or they did not have money to afford a remodel of their kitchen or bathroom. The pay checks decreased and the tension between my dad and I did as well. I was used to getting paid on a normal schedule every two weeks. At first it was the size of the check that began to shrink, even as I put in more hours than normal. I approached my dad and let him know he could lower my checks so that we could pull more money in for the family than myself. This worked temporarily, but then I started getting nothing. I was not concerned at the time because it was my father and I knew the stress he went through every day as he tried getting more clients. But it was causing tension between my father and I, and when it hit 2 months without a pay check, I lost my “cool.” I fought with my dad and said things that I wish I could take back. I had lost my moral boundaries and I almost ruined my relationship with my father. I refused to talk to him and I practically shunned him for awhile. Eventually, I realized I had clearly over reacted, and my mother wanted to make sure our relationship was mended before I started college. Of course I was mad at my dad, but what I should have done was just stopped working for him and help him out instead of lashing out on him, adding more stress on him. My emotions clearly got the best of me, but it was an event in which I will always remember that I let myself go too far.

Having abilities that are hiding, unless activated, would allow living a normal life much easier than having visible abilities that pick out of a crowd. Being someone like Night crawler would prove to be a very difficult task. No amount of “makeup” or clothes can hide the blue skin and the tail; his abilities are for the world to see. Trying to live a normal life would almost be unbearable. You couldn’t walk into a room without anyone not staring at you and hearing people whisper the word “freak” as you walk by. What is sad is that this actually happens in real life. People who are different than the ideal individual are criticized for being different. For example, those who have physical disabilities or handicaps are permanently left with their condition. Someone who comes back from a war without legs will never get those legs back. When that individual rides into a coffee shop in his wheel chair, people turn and look at the areas where he used to have legs. Now, if someone had powers similar to storm and Jean Grey, living a normal lifestyle would be much easier. Their abilities are hidden unless activated, so they can walk into a coffee shop and order their latte without being stared at. Someone from the LGBT community can live a lifestyle of “normality” because their “difference” is not necessarily a physical attribute. You cannot point out someone out of a crowd and confidently say “oh, that girl is a lesbian.” However, someone may dress to the social expectation of someone that is homosexual, in which then the physical attribute will point them out of crowd, but that is because they chose to dress that way. Nightcrawler was born blue, he did not get to choose what he looked like when he woke up in the morning as he got ready for the day.

By showing the struggles the mutants like Nightcrawler face, can be a source of reflection for those who want to find a place in society. People can identify with this struggle and understand that they are not alone. Nightcrawler and Beast find themselves a place in society with the X-men, even with their “disabilities.” This could be the sign for those looking for a place to fit in to help them on their quest to find it.

When it comes to relating to a specific mutant, I would have to say I connect more with Magneto surprisingly. The reason why I say this is because I agree, to a certain extent, that those who mistreat the underprivileged or those who are considered different in society need to be brought to justice. Hate crimes leave me speechless and, unfortunately happen too often. I see Magneto as a symbol of “Justice” for the minorities in this world. Magneto is a minority himself, or was one, during a time of intense hatred towards the Jewish population in Germany in the 1940s. And he is a mutant! I know this seems really corny, but I want to see better treatment of those who are less privileged and those who are thrown out of society because they are different; basically, I want to see a just world.