Work

Another question, another week:

If (and when) you've had a job, when did you realise that you were 'good' at it?

What's implied in this question? I guess the understanding that beyond the mastery of a set of particular skills is a recognition of same by co-workers, a pattern of 'fluency', and - ultimately - that a 'good worker' is identified as having acheived a certain status within the group.

When I asked a question last year for this topic, I queried: At your job, have you ever been taught a technique (a way of doing something to make the work easier, more interesting, more efficient) by a co-worker as opposed to more formal training? If you are really stumped by the above question, I recommend thinking it through this lens.

And, if you haven't had a job - which as far as I'm concerned includes such things as being a babysitter, a structured past-time with skills and responsibilities like a sports team, and even being a student - well, nicely done.

Ethnicity

As I said in class, these tended to fall into four categories. Many quickly identified an ethnicity based principally on origin (Scottish, Trinidadian); some didn't want to limit themselves to one ("on my mother's side... / on my father's side...", although "Heinz 57" and "Mutt" are emic terms also employed); some thought themselves no different from friends and neighbours that they didn't think it a 'significant' part of their identity or sense of self; lastly, some proposed Cape Breton as an ethnic group. All told, distinctiveness was the operable concept. All very cool.

1. For me, the concept of ethnicity includes ancestral background, race and physical appearance, culure, language, and religion as organizing principles. My ethnicity is a major part of my self-identity, especially in terms of ancestry and culture. I am of Scottish descent on both sides of my family and my maternal grandmother emigrated from Glasgow to Canada in the 1950's. Most of our family culture is therefore Scottish in origin whether it's an undying obsession with Scottish sweets (thanks to my grandmother) or mistrust for anyone with the last name Campbell (my maternal grandfather was a MacDonald with ties to Glencoe). It's through my ethnicity that I feel the most connected with other people and it's also a static part of my identity - no matter how I change I will always be Scottish. It's also been important to me since I was a child and is something that I will pass down to my children.
2. Answer- An ethnic group or ethnicity is a population of human beings whose members identify with each other. Ethnic groups usually share common culture, linguistic, religious, or behavioural traits. I strongly believe that ethnicity constitutes a significant part of your self identify. It what you grow up learning. It is determined by certain experiences and observation of close others. When you are first born, you dont have ethinicity. It is something in which you learn and build on. For example, if someone was french, they wouldent start to develop their ethnicity for it untill they reach maybe age 4 or so. Ethnicicty is strongly determind by child development and certain involvment.
3. Yes, my ethnicity constitutes a significant part of my self identity. I come from a Scottish and Irish background. My Father's side being Gaelic Scottish and My Mother's side is Irish. As far back as I can remember my father would rock me to sleep every night to celtic music including Gaelic songs. When I wasn't at home I spent the alot of time at my grandparents house, who were Irish from NewFoundland. I heard alot of the same music there. My grandfather like to listen to the radio, alot. The Jack Pelley show, it played newfie tunes, Irish and Scottish music. Everytime my Dad picked me up from Brownies we listened to the Donnie Campbell Show, more fiddle tunes! I remember my sister and I always complained when we had to go on long trips in the car because we had to listen to fiddle tunes, but now that I'm older I really appreciate the music and my background. My Grandmother traveled around Cape Breton to different festivals to step dance. My mother is a step dancer, and my sister and I were also in step dancing growing up. My parents and there friends, who are musicians get together about once a month and have a jam session playing their celtic music and when I'm there, sometimes I do a little step with my Mom. Although I've come to appreciate musical part of my background, I vow that when my kids misbehave I will take them for a long drive in the car and play nothing but fiddle music!
4. basically, no.For me,i dont associate myself strongly to a strong feeling of ethnicity.If i were to cling to my concept of ethnicity as pertaining to my origins, be they religious or referring to where my family "came" from ,then i would say definately my ethnicity is not significant to my identity.I am ,for the most part what is losely called a heinz 57.In fact only this september after the death of my gandfather, did i find out that he was Polish, and not Ukranian as previously pounded into my head as a child.With my father's side of the family being a vast mixture also, I just dont associate myself with any distinct culture In a larger setting, i suppose I could define my ethnicity as belonging to the group known as "cape Bretoners".Indeed I was born in Cape Breton, and I reside here,but i dont feel any special ties here,besides of course my family living here.Most of my professional life was basd on th mainland, and the next 40 years of my life i hope to spend elsewhere.So as far as an ethnicity having to do with my feelings of similarities with a group and desire to maintain that closeness, I dont believe that type of ethnicity constitutes a significant part of my identity either. My identity,my sense of self identity is for the most part, a changing process.
5. I think my Cape Breton side is important to my identity. Growing up we never talked about my Maltese side, it has only been in the last few years that I have started looking into my culture. I was really happy when I happened upon my father speaking to his aunt back in Malta. It was cool to hear my language. Everything about me is Cape Bretonish. I am a proud Cape Bretoner.
6. I think my ehtnicity has a significant part in my identity. I see my self as a young woman who grew up in a small area where lobsterfishing fiddle music and gaelic were a strong part of the community, I grew up in North Shore but ended up moving to Baddeck when i was 8 so i spent the rest of my childhood years with friends who had very different view how to live during the summer, although only being 45 minutes away from where i had started my life, it was very different. and more civilized I was surprised when my friends laughed at me when i said i played in the dirt pile for fun.
   now when i think back I miss thoes days! and i think it has made me become a stronger more independent person. I still look forward to my lobster fishing adventures and fiddle and gaelic music are a huge part of my life now, i am always listening to it. I loved growing up where i could have some space from my parents. When living in north shore I could remember my parents being alot more easier on me when it came to rules. but when i moved to baddeck they wern't just knowing that i would be out near a street scared them, but knowing that i would be playing in the woods didn't ...funny thing eh??
7. Ethnicity can be defined in many different ways with regards to racial, national, or cultural group. I consider myself a Cape Bretoner above any other ethnic group I may be a part of because it constitutes a significant part of my identity. There are parts of my personality that ultimately comes from living in Cape Breton and being engrossed in the culture all of my life. The way I view the world around me has been shaped by my experience growing up in Cape Breton in a home that is enriched in Cape Breton traditions; such as its music and stories. To me explaining why identify as being a Cape Bretoner is hard because it is not something I can explain; it is something I feel. I am proud to be from Cape Breton it is my home.
8. consider that my ethnicity does impact on my self identity in a number of ways. In many ways, the effect is stealthy. I don't feel I have any real connection to old traditions or folkways until I meet someone from my own culture who is immersed in them. Half of my family is Irish, and the other half is Scottish. It's a fairly even split with a few anomalies. I haven't lived in Nova Scotia all of my life. When I went to Alberta, I felt most isolated. Even though there were plenty of people from Newfoundland or Nova Scotia, they didn't seem to be quite the same. Something of our ethnicity seems to be motivated or informed by our environment. Another way in which my ethnicity has impacted me, seems to be how accepted I am in society. I come "from here", and I'm accepted whether I'm walking in to a shoppe to talk to someone, or meandering into a fire hall during a dance to seek someone out. I get stopped to talk, I get calls of "Who do you belong to now?" from older ladies, and "Now did I know yer' father?" from the men. Something about the way I speak, the way I look, the way I move, or other intangibles, screams out my ethnicity to the air around here, and more often than not I will find that family ties reaching back a considerable distance relate me to total strangers.I feel that my ethnicity might not be as much of a defining factor as it would be if I were absolutely raised within it, but that it certainly has had a dynamic impact on not just my interpersonal relationships, but definitively upon how I think about myself. From the Scottish and Irish poetry I studied as part of looking into my own ethnicity (which actually drove me to begin writing as a hobby, and later a little more seriously), to the incidental knowledge I've picked up in ancient culture, rituals, and the legends of old Ireland, it's all informed by where my family's been before. And that seems like enough of a working definition for "ethnicity" to me.
9. this question has caused me to think quite a bit about what is being asked. for myself, i don't think my ethnicity is a significant part of my self-identity, but it is part of it. i am scottish cape bretoner, and very proud of this fact. i'm not 100% scottish, but it is the part of my backround i am most proud of. although i'm not a big klit wearer, or bagpipe player, i do enjoy the occasional celtic tune and dance. my father is very proud of his roots, and tells us all about our family history, how we came to cape breton, and what the mackinnon clan was like in scotland. i believe that without this knowledge and pride i have for my name, i may not be the same person i am now. to me, name doesn't mean everything, but it still means something.
10. Since I grew up in a Canadian community predominately populated by people of Christian/Caucasian/British ancestry– which I myself am also a part of– I never considered my ethnicity as a part of my self-identity. The majority of the people around me all practiced the same traditions and customs that I did; i.e. Christmas, Easter. When the chance came to practice traditions or customs that were not part of my own ethnicity, I was unsure whether to participate or not because I felt that these were not my own to practice. I realized then that my ethnicity is a part of my self-identity as it can subtly prevent/cause me to participate in everyday activities.
11. I am a mutt. There are so many different bloods in me that I fail to remember them all if I am asked. It is because of this "muttness" that I go out of my way to identify with one of my backgrounds or groups. One example of this is my French heritage, which my family has uncovered thanks to a simple project that began in grade nine. We now acknowledge ourselves openly as part French as well as part Irish, English, Scottish and a myriad of other ethnicities. The best part of this is that I can connect my family to pretty much anyone who has family in L'Aoirdois. Weird. Regardless, French is part of who I am, and even though I do not speak it well, I am happy to be part Frenchie.
12. Yes ethnicity makes up a part of my identity because ethnicity includes ethnic traits, background, allegiance and association which are part of my identity which makes me who I am and gives me a chance to learn more about different groups and lets me have a "sameness" with who I am already similar.
13. I have always defined ethnicity as where your roots lie. As in where your parents. and grandparents are born. Holding to this I would define myself as Canadian technically, as both my parents were born and raised in Canada. However my dad's parents were not, so because of this, while I still consider myself Canadian, I recognize that I have significant Indian (from India, just to specify), roots as part of my ethnic background. On my mum's side though, her family has been in Canada forever, but it is the best guess that her roots lie in a mix of French, English, Scottish and Irish. I don't believe that my ethnicity constitutes a significant part of my self identity because I grew up in Canada, with out any influence from either the White Christian heritage of my mother, or the Indian Hinduism heritage of my father. As both my parents were raised away from their respective roots, I too was raised in a mixed household that allowed self-exploration through interests and personality rather than that of where my families had come from.
14. Ethnicity plays a role in my life but only to a certain point, my hometown constitues a significant part of who I am but besides that, Im my own person. I consider my hometown as a ethnicity because it played a role of who I am today. By being a part of a community of approx. two hunrdred people played a role as me being friendly to everyone, knowing everyone within the community and learning alot more about neighbours, history, etc.
15. When it comes to ethnicity I really don't think that it really shapes who you are. I think if I was part of a different ethnic group I would still be the same person. The way I was raised makes me who I am today not my race. We are all the same in many different ways. My family taugh me right from wrong and how to act in different situations. My family is a very close nit family and everyone in it had a part of raising me. I am who I am today from all the experiences in life I had, and from my family raising me to be who I am today.
16. Yes, I think it affects me. I didn't really understand the question that much just because I never actually sat down and thought about it affecting my life in anyway. The only things that I could actually think about was how some things we do are different from other countrys or even other provinces. For example, some gestures we do could mean a totally different thing to someone not from around here. It doesn't affect me in everyway. I was raised, I believe, just like any other child. Other people may think the way I was raised, or what my mother did was wrong or weird but the only way I could see what she did differently would be to go to another culture and see how they do it. It would be very interesting to be able to see how different everyone in the world actually is. Its different from the amount of food you put on your plate to the way you wave, so I definitely believe it affects my life in many ways.
17. think my ethnicity play a part of who I am, my self identity becuase I think its hard for it not too. I am proud of who my ancestors are and love to hear about there struggles and triumphs. On my fathers side I am english and on my Mothers side I am Dutch. I try to learn some dutch when I am with my grandfather and hear about their stories. We follow some traditions around the holidays that were passed down from different generations. I am a strong roman catholic. My Grandfather on my fathers side is very religious and hold some morals, beliefs close to his heart which have become very important and sacred to me. Theses different things make me proud of who I am, where I came from and help me make sense of why I believe the things I believe.
18. When I think of ethnicity I think about where people come from. Not only their ancestors but also where they grew up, their language, religion, and family life; all play a part in someone’s ethnicity. I think that my own ethnicity does constitute a significant part of my self-identity because what I went through made me who I am today. My grandfather was German and my grandmother was Scottish I grew up to see parts of me that come from their backgrounds. I never grew up to know my other grandparents and therefore do not see any of my personality coming from there backgrounds. However my grandparents backgrounds are only part of my ethnicity because I am born and raised a Cape Bretoner, and that where most of my ethnicity comes from. It is not only where you come from that makes your ethnicity but also where you are right now. That is why my ethnicity is a significant part of my identity.
19. Yes, I defiantly believe that my ethnicity is an important factor in my self-identity. My ethic background plays an important role in my beliefs, values, and of course my personality. I believe that ethnicity helps define a person’s background, where they came from, who they are, and also helps shape and impact their future. It helps people identify with other people, and also it helps them relate to other people about such things as religion and cultural traits. Some of these issues are very important in a person’s life, including my own life and also my families as well.
20. It's hard for me to tell how big an influence ethnicity plays in my identity. My identity as a white person is not something i am conscious of on a day to day basis. Even being of scottish heritage I don't participate in any traditions that would be considered strictly scottish or celtic but i still consider myself scottish. My ethnic characteristics don't distinguish my identity. I believe my personality makes up my identity, but where you come from still plays a small part.
21. Being out of my own country and studying in Cape Breton where my race is obviously the minority, I do find myself defining myself by my ethnicity. My ethnicity is a major part of my self identity, it is probably one of the more known ways I or people define me. I’m not white, yellow or black, I’m brown and I’m from the Caribbean. People ask me if I’m Indian, and even though my ancestors are Indian, my answer is usually no, I’m Trini. I am from Trinidad and Tobago and it constitutes a major part of my self identity because much of our customs are different and can be quite noticeable in the way I present myself, in my accent, slang and music.
22. I think my ethnicity somewhat affects my character, maybe because the way I was raised. The reason why I think this is because many ethnic groups have different beliefs and morals when teaching their children. Other cultures also have different traditions that set us apart from one another and maybe affect our character.
23. I think ethnicity does constitute a large part of your self identity. It should anyway. Whatever you consider your ethnicity which maybe your home town, province, country or family orgin. I for one am thankful of all 4. I am proud of my Scottish backround, you have to believe that many of your ancestors have the same traits as yourself and I like to think that Scottish people as a whole are very friendly. The same thing goes for Canada and Nova Scotia in general.
24. My ethnicity affects my identity. I have an English and Irish background. I celebrate some traditions that trace their roots back to these countries (i.e. the celebration of Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day etc.) The main thing about having this background is that I don’t have unique traditions for this area because people with these backgrounds are part of the majority. However this part of my ethnicity is not the most important component of my heritage. Being Canadian is what makes me who I am. I feel it is important to celebrate Canadianness (yes I just made up a word). As a Canadian I tend to act in the way Canadians are thought to act (i.e. being polite, generous, honest, etc.). This is just a great country and we enjoy so many rights and freedoms that it is hard not to love this country. It is a significant part of my identity because I am proud of being a canuck. I participate in government by voting and do what I can to better my community through volunteer work. When I was in England this past summer it was awesome being a Canadian because everyone looked up to us. This example just goes to show how respected Canadians are on the global scale.
25. In some aspects my hellenic 'ethnicity' constitutes a minor part of my self identity but not a major part whatsoever. While I enjoy Souvlaki and more roasted lamb that i can stick in my face, I do not participate in the cultural activities that the other young adults of my culture participate in. I do not observe the cultural holidays in which I am expected to celebrate. For example when it is my name day I am likely to thank the person who is wishing me a happy name day rather then to tell them I do not celebrate it at all.

C'mon people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, learn to love one another right now