Great Pretenders

1. Specify the location of what you found most interesting and describe it in your own words (i.e., do not quote the author or plagiarize); the answer may be any word length. Specify which title section it falls under. E.g.: “The part of the book I found most interesting falls under the “Crime Specialization” section. The author wrote that stigmatized people have anxiety over how they will be treated by ‘normal’ people.”

2. Specify what you found interesting about that part; this should be at least 100 words. Your answer should address each of the following: whether you personally experienced that “something”; why you think you did, or did not, experience it; and, how it shaped who you are, what you do, who you want to be, or what you will do in the future. E.g.: “I found that part interesting because I have personally experienced that sort of anxiety. As a professor with tattoos, I often wonder whether I should cover them up while at work. More specifically, I wonder how my colleagues will react to me having so many tattoos. It is possible that they will treat me worse because of it. Therefore, sometimes I cover up my tattoos by putting on pants and a jacket, sweater, or long sleeve shirt. That is not comfortable in hot weather. Also, that anxiety restricts where I get tattoos. For the foreseeable future, I am holding off on hand or neck tattoos despite wanting them.”

3. Specify the practical implications of what you found interesting and your experience; this should be at least 100 words. Your answer should address each of the following: whether you think “we” – as a society – need to change things; why (not); how to change it or keep things the same. You must take a position, not “be on the fence.” E.g.: “I think ‘we’ should be less judgmental of people with tattoos. This is because, for the most part, tattoos do not directly affect people’s ability to do things of societal importance. For example, whether I have tattoos does not affect my intelligence and education. Nor does it affect whether I am friendly, funny, or otherwise likeable. How to change discrimination against tattooed persons is a tricky matter. The only way that I can improve non-tattooed people’s negative views of tattooed persons is to be a good ambassador. I get the sense that when many conventionally-oriented strangers see me, they judge me negatively. But once they find out that I am a doctor (PhD) who is a criminology professor, they seem surprised and treat me better. Hopefully, they also start to rethink their negative stereotype of tattooed persons and related treatment of them. If enough tattooed people act as good ambassadors, I think views of them will shift from negative to positive.”