Socialization is the way we all get our knowledge about society and how we view

everyone around us. Everyone has been socialized at one point in their lives which as a result
creates images in their mind for how we should talk, act, and live our lives. This can be good
thing, but it can also cause problems. For example, someone may view another race as inferior
based on how theyve been socialized. Some of the main agents or spreaders of socialization
are the media, family, schools, and peers. Without exposure to these agents our views on
society cannot be formed which as a result does not allow us as individuals to become a part of
or contribute to society. An example of this would be the story of a girl named Genie, who in
1970 was found locked away in a room from 20 months old to 13 years old. As a result of this
incident, Genie was not socialized at all and because of this she could not speak, and could
barely walk. This is an example of how socialization can be one of the most important parts of
our lives. I personally have been socialized by these agents to believe that all teenagers are
distant and defensive, every male has to be strong and emotionless, and that whites are never
the minority in America.
Throughout my life Ive been socialized to think that all teens are defensive and not at all
friendly or easy to talk with. Now that Ive gotten to the age where I am considered to be a
teenage, Ive decided that I dont want to be the kind of hateful and argumentative that all adults
fear their children will turn into. This however is not the case for all kids entering the teenage
range. In the article A Stereotypical Teenager the author states, For many people,
stereotyping does more than just become a bothersome hassle. For a handful of teenagers, the
effect of stereotyping makes them feel pressured into behaving like a stereotypical teenager.
What this means is that some kids have heard of all these stereotypes from their peers and
through other agents of socialization and have decided that thats how theyre supposed to live
their lives. This is a negative example of socialization and as a result, we as a society have
helped create some of todays most troublesome age group.
Another way that I have been socialized is through this idea of the Man Box. The man
box is a non-existent box that dictates how men should act, dress, talk, etc.. Every male has
been exposed to the Man Box at some point in their lives. Generally early on as our fathers are
the main agents passing this knowledge of how to be onto us. In the video A Call to Men Tony
Porter explains some of the basics of how we become socialized through this Man Box,
Growing up as a boy, we were taught that men had to be tough, had to be strong, had to be
courageous, dominating -- no pain, no emotions, with the exception of anger -- and definitely no
fear; that men are in charge In another part of this video Tony continues to explain the effects
of the Man Box on his father, ...the limousine empties out. My mother, my sister, my auntie,
they all get out, but my father and I stayed in the limousine, and no sooner than the women got
out, he burst out crying. He didn't want cry in front of me, but he knew he wasn't going to make it
back to the city, and it was better me than to allow himself to express these feelings and
emotions in front of the women... These two quotes are perfect examples of the horrible effects
that the Man Box can have on all men. This box has created a state of mind in all men that
forces them to question themselves and make sure that what theyre about wont remove them

from the Man Box. The man box has socialized me by molding me into a person that blends in
with the others around me that have similar interests.
The last major way Ive been socialized is through my views on race and minorities and
majorities. Through socialization I have come to see all minorities as the main causes of crime.
The website NAACP lists multiple facts about the incarceration of minorities such as Hispanics
and African Americans. The one that stands out the most would have to be this, Together,
African American and Hispanics comprised 58% of all prisoners in 2008, even though African
Americans and Hispanics make up approximately one quarter of the US population. Even
though this was seven years ago, this data clearly shows that minorities have a much higher
incarceration rate than that of a minority. Another example would be from an infographic on
prisonpolicy.org. It reads that out of 100,000 people in each racial group, 380 whites get
arrested, 966 Latinos get arrested and 2,207 Blacks get arrested. The difference is astonishing
and because of that, its no wonder that even from a young age white children view some of
these minority groups as more
troublesome.
Everyone that has ever lived has been exposed to this cycle of socialization and has
allowed it to affect them so much that we are now afraid to leave this cycle when in reality, thats
exactly what we need to do. We as a society need to break this cycle as all it leads to are social
standards that are almost all negative and lead to problems in social environments. Bobbie
Harro, the author of The Cycle of Socialization states, Some of us that are targets try to
interrupt the cycle, because for us the discomfort has gotten larger than the comfort. This is a
perfect example of why we should try to stop the cycle. For some people its great because they
were born into the upper class as a white male and as a result of that they are not in the same
target group as those in the lower class, females, or minorities. So why do we still allow the
cycle to control us? Because no one wants to get rid of it as the fear that they we become an
outcast in society when in reality, those who break out should be envied. For they no longer
have to answer to the cycle. So lets all break out and create a new society in which we dont
look at people and immediately judge them for how they look but instead, decide to actually talk
and interact with them before creating an image of them in our minds.

Bibliography:
Evidence 1:
(A Stereotypical Teenager)
http://www.teenink.com/opinion/discrimination/article/150008/A-Stereotypical-Teenager/
Evidence 2:
A call to men. Tony Porter
https://www.ted.com/talks/tony_porter_a_call_to_men/transcript?language=en
Evidence 3
Peter Wagner
http://www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/raceinc.html
http://www.naacp.org/pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheet
Evidence 4
Bobbie Harro
http://www.library.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/CycleSocialization.pdf