Something I Learned About the Community (Extended Version)

After this week’s reading, I learned that people’s aspirations directly correlate to their civic places, concerns, the people they do and do not associate with, their “place,” sources, and stereotypes.
People aspire on the behalf of themselves and people in their current situation. For example, a person may aspire to become a company manager because of the pay raise (the behalf of themselves) and the opportunity to make certain company policies more applicable to its employees (the behalf of others).
How does it relate to others? Keeping in mind the previous example, the workplace is a civic place because it is a place where people get together and talk. Also, there is usually a company dress code and behavior policy (norms). There is much more diversity in the work place now than there was 20 years ago, but that does not isolate employees from each other, it allows them become more aware on other people’s perspectives.
Aspirations also align with concerns. If you want to achieve something, of course there will be possible concerns. Going back to the policy change example, you decide to go to two different sources as a bounce-board for your policy change idea. First you visit a Catalyst who agrees with your idea and praises that it will be a success. However, you also visit an Official Leader (i.e. CEO of the company), and he/she strongly recommends against it. Now you have a concern: which source is more valid? –and which source should you listen to? Though the Catalyst in competent about the company’s policy, he/she is still not a qualified official of the company. However, the CEO may not be reliable because they may have a hidden agenda (perhaps trying to keep lower employees pay low so the higher up employees can maintain their high salary).
If you told someone one of your aspirations, and that person disagreed with your aspiration, it would be doubtful that you would associate with them outside of the workplace. People tend to congregate with others who have similar norms, values, and aspirations. It is usually more plausible to make your aspiration happen if you have people around you who will support your idea.
If one has ever been in a high school cafeteria, then you understand how aspirations and “places” correlate. In a high school cafeteria, students interested in sports usually sit at the same tables, while students in theater, cheerleading, or any other group organization usually end up in the same places. Again, achieving an aspiration is easier when you are surrounded by a group of people who support and are going for a similar aspiration.
Sources and aspirations also relate simply because people use certain sources to achieve those aspirations. For example, it is doubtful that a doctor researching the cure for caner would use Yahoo, Google, or Wikipedia as a regular research tool. The doctor would use MRIs, Cat-Scans, PET scans; refer back to other doctor’s research, etc.
Stereotypes and aspirations do go hand and hand. Think back to the high school cafeteria division example stated previously. In high school, students who were into sports are often stereotyped as “egotistic” or “jerks” (of course, this is a much gentler word than what term is actually used…), theater students as “dorks,” and the list goes on. It is easy to stereotype student who aspire to succeed in athletes as “egotistic” due to their constant display of team spirit via wearing team jerseys, talking about how great their team is.