Conscious Selves
Stephany A
Professor Gomez
English 1A
04 March 2014
Conscious Selves USC Trojans fans, Christians, and Republicans or pageant moms all have one thing in common, according to an article written by Walker Percy called “Short Quiz.” Percy writes that there are different subcategories of consciousness of self that play a role in how people act and live. The cosmological self, the Christian self, and the diverted self are one of the many subcategories Percy goes on to explain in his article, and that are very common in U.S. contemporary culture. The cosmological self seems to be the most notorious of them all since, “… it is identified with a cosmological myth or a classificatory system” (14.) In academia, people usually identify themselves with whatever campus they are attending, for example USC Trojans; whether one actually attends the campus or not, they will identify themselves as Trojans. A very common, everyday section in the newspaper also falls into this category: astrological signs. A person will be categorized under a sign with specific personality traits, according to their date of birth and identify themselves exactly to what their horoscope says. This phenomenon is also seen in celebrity fan clubs and groups. The most commonly known examples are Justin Beiber fans, who call themselves “Beliebers,” that will buy his merchandise and wear it as a representation of their affection and loyalty. A very well and socially acceptable group called the Christian self is also very well into play in U.S. contemporary culture. Christians fall into, “The self sees itself as a creature, created by God, estranged from God by an aboriginal catastrophe, and now reconciled with him” (14.) There is ministry called “Not of This World” that sells shirts, stickers, necklaces, and all the proceeds go to fund their ministries; a lot of the times followers of this self stick the “NOTW” sticker on their car somewhere because it is a Christian business and therefore are
Professor Gomez
English 1A
04 March 2014
Conscious Selves USC Trojans fans, Christians, and Republicans or pageant moms all have one thing in common, according to an article written by Walker Percy called “Short Quiz.” Percy writes that there are different subcategories of consciousness of self that play a role in how people act and live. The cosmological self, the Christian self, and the diverted self are one of the many subcategories Percy goes on to explain in his article, and that are very common in U.S. contemporary culture. The cosmological self seems to be the most notorious of them all since, “… it is identified with a cosmological myth or a classificatory system” (14.) In academia, people usually identify themselves with whatever campus they are attending, for example USC Trojans; whether one actually attends the campus or not, they will identify themselves as Trojans. A very common, everyday section in the newspaper also falls into this category: astrological signs. A person will be categorized under a sign with specific personality traits, according to their date of birth and identify themselves exactly to what their horoscope says. This phenomenon is also seen in celebrity fan clubs and groups. The most commonly known examples are Justin Beiber fans, who call themselves “Beliebers,” that will buy his merchandise and wear it as a representation of their affection and loyalty. A very well and socially acceptable group called the Christian self is also very well into play in U.S. contemporary culture. Christians fall into, “The self sees itself as a creature, created by God, estranged from God by an aboriginal catastrophe, and now reconciled with him” (14.) There is ministry called “Not of This World” that sells shirts, stickers, necklaces, and all the proceeds go to fund their ministries; a lot of the times followers of this self stick the “NOTW” sticker on their car somewhere because it is a Christian business and therefore are