Terministic Screens

Terministic screens are the way in which we view the world based on who we are. Everyone has a different terministic screen, but I think mine is based around me growing up in Maine being a white female and the family I come from.

I grew up in Maine which is the safest state in the nation. Because of this I see the world in a way where I think people are inevitably good. As I have come to college I have noticed people, girls especially, be scared to Uber by themselves or even without a man. This really surprised me because I just think, this is the Uber’s job and the majority of the time they are just trying to make some money so why would it be worth it to them to put you in harms way. Back home I didn’t have to lock my car doors, you could walk around at night if you wanted (most people didn’t because its really cold) and there was really no crime at all. While sometimes I see my mindset as naive, am I overlooking something I should be more focused on? Overall I think that always thinking positively and not living in fear makes me more courageous and easy going because I am not caught up on the “what if?”

Me being a white female is another part of my terministic screen because it alters the way I look at the world. I realize that being a white person I have had the opportunity to see people like me be successful and victorious in the media which is always beneficial when you are growing up. It made me think that I could do anything in the world if I worked hard enough. Being a woman is a different viewpoint in the way that I think I am very empathetic toward people and I have grown up being told that showing empathy and feelings is okay and good. I think that would be different for a male, depending on their family and where they grow up. Other than that though I think that I am just as capable to do anything then someone of the different sex, I have never been told that I couldn’t do something because I am a woman so that has never been in my head. My Nana always told me that I march to the beat of my own drummer, and that being independent and capable are important. This has definitely pushed me and given me confidence to be those things and do what I want in this world no matter what. I understand that that is different for some women but I do believe that the world is progressing and women can do anything a man can do.

When it comes to my family, I really think that they have shaped the way I look at the world. They have always been really open minded and told me to go after anything I wanted. This has made me into a really hard worker and driven person. As far as the open-minded concept, I come from a white-town in Maine and so there is little to no diversity of people. I think for a lot of people this results in a narrow mindset, either because of in-exposure or because of what they have been taught. Thankfully for me my parents have always been really adamant about opening my mind and realized/appreciating the different people in this world and I think that has largely impacted how I view/do things in my life. Going back to the female screen I look through, I think that that was also affected because I have a brother and growing up me and him were always equal. We were both encouraged to do sports, both told to do well in school and we always had the same expectations on us. This furthers the thought that I feel equal to men and other women because growing up I was.