Leisure and Society
Writing Assignment 1

In order to understand me from my cultural perspective, I think it is wise to first take a look at how I got here today. I spoke with both my mom and dad’s parents to gain a perspective of where my ancestors came from. My dad’s parents said that their parents both came from Germany in the early 1900’s. This would make sense to me because it rationally provides explanation for my very German sounding last name (Stenger), and my blonde hair and blue eyes. In addition to having ancestors from Germany, my mom’s parents also said I have ties to Poland and Norway. My Grandma’s relatives came over from Poland, and my Grandfather’s relatives were once Norwegian before coming to the United States in the late 1800’s. With the combination of German, Polish, and Norwegian ancestry, one could accurately say I am 50% German, 25% Polish, and 25% Norwegian. However, if you ask me, I’m 100% American. I was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska before coming here to Northwest for college. I have a very large extended family, and a very close actual family. My mom Amy is an elementary school teacher, and my dad Jeff owns a small computer company. I have two brothers; Mitchell and Brandon. Mitchell is a sophomore here at Northwest, and Brandon is a 7th grader. I have one dog named Kobe which may seem unimportant to some, but to me my dog is everything. Why am I describing my life like this? For me all this is crucial in detailing myself from a cultural perspective. Having always been close to my family, many things my parents do have naturally rubbed off on me. An example of this is we share common political views, and my parents and I also practice our faith by means of Roman Catholicism. One way my culture has dramatically changed is when I went to college. Growing up and being so close with my family I always stepped in my parent’s footprints. Since I have gotten to Maryville, I have stopped going to church as much as I used to when I lived at home. Not necessarily a good change, but a change to my personal culture none the less. The main way I built my own unique personal culture in terms of leisure was part nature and part nurture. Growing up in the United States has had a tremendous impact on me due to the values of this country. As a nation we place a high value on sports and entertainment. For the entirety of my life sports have played a monumental role. I grew up doing sporting leisure activities such as playing baseball, football, and basketball. Although I do not play sports for my school anymore, they still play a large role in my life. I participate in intramural sports, as well as just playing them for enjoyment. Playing sports has large intrinsic and extrinsic benefits for me; however a large part of my personal culture is just watching sports and not participating. While this is purely an intrinsic leisure activity, it still has played a marquee role in sculpting my personal culture. All these factors have had a large role in shaping my world view. Growing up in the United States, and in particular a privileged family, have added a unique element to my view of the world. I generally think positively about the world and its’ inhabitants. Although my personal judgment is somewhat biased due to the quality of life I have lived so far, I generally view all people as equal and all deserving a chance to live peacefully. In addition to my friends and parents being the largest role models to me, the media has also served a large role in shaping this world view to me. Without the media I would be unaware about the situations across the world, and I wouldn’t realize how lucky I am. The media is a reliable source of information, and allows us to view others and their leisure activities. Although I grew up in a predominantly white community, my parents raised me to always be respectful of others, and to never discriminate. As I said above I generally view all people; no matter their race,