Handling Opposition

I have always been non-confrontational. When faced with a difficult opposition, I have been known to back down and give up, like a dog lying belly-up to show the other dogs that he is no threat to them. As I grew older and matured I realized that I needed to stand up for myself and not let anyone take advantage of me. In “Psst: Human Capitalism” the author states that “There’s cultural capital: the habits, assumptions, emotional dispositions and linguistic capacities we unconsciously pick up from families, neighbors, and ethnic groups- usually by age three. In a classic study, James S. Coleman found that what happens in the family shapes a child’s educational achievement more than what happens in school.” I don’t think I had the kind of nurturing as a child to help me overcome conflicts. Usually my sister and I were ignored at home, our parents took little interest in what I did, and my parents were never impressed with my artwork. I think that is one of the reasons why I started drawing so much. I always wanted to draw well enough to impress my parents, yet they never cared. This was one of the oppositions that I was fighting against without even consciously knowing it. When it came to school, however, I avoided every conflict I could. Instead of trying to make friends I would avoid other children, probably from a fear of rejection. In that way, Katie reminds me of myself. In Handling Room 15, Katie spends time with a handicapped man. The nurse told Katie that “Daniel had established a bond with her that they had never seen before. The nurse said he might have fallen in love with her on some basic, incomprehensible level.” After that experience, she never went back to visit Daniel again, effectively avoiding the awkward and difficult situation. In all honesty, I cannot say that I would have reacted differently. I probably would have just avoided the situation all together and just stay away from opposition. Now, I will face opposition, but only if it cannot be avoided, normally I like to just stay away.