My Social Location

Social location, or the status in life that people have because of their place in a society, have a huge impact on everyone. The impact that social location created could be neutral, but most of the time it will have a positive or negative impact on people. For example, an African American could be discriminated because of his ethnicity, or a patient will choose an older doctor when he needs a treatment. Different social location that we have will affect our decisions in everyday life, and most of the time it happened subconsciously, which means we don’t realize that the decisions we make are based on our social location. Like everyone else, I was affected by my own social location, both positively and negatively. One of my social locations that affect me the most is probably my ethnicity. I was born in southern China, and live there for almost 13 years. Unlike America, China is a high-context society, which means people often avoid talking to stranger, and will emphasis interpersonal relationship with other people. I, too, will subconsciously avoid talking to strangers, and will automatically keep a distance with them. In America, that is often a negative thing because it could makes me harder to develop trust with a stranger. The ethnicity that I have brings me not just the negative impacts, but also some positive impact as well. In Chinese culture, people will have a tight bond with their family members. I remembered that few years ago, a conflagration occurred in San Diego and burned down lots of homes. At the same time, there were lots of phone calls that were from my family relatives, asking if we are okay. Even a relative from New York gave us a call, making sure that we are all safe. It touches me greatly, and I am very glad that I have a strong bond with my relatives. Like culture, education also has a great impact on my life. For the past 13 years, I had spent most my time in school, and I will need to spend 6 more years to finish my education.