Groups

This week in sociology we watched an incredible movie called "A Bronx Tale". This was an amazing film that described the life of a boy, Calogero and his hardships and how he got passed them. He turned out to be a good guy who came from a bad neighborhood. He did have some struggles throughout his childhood though. “They’re all smiling.  I was smiling too, but I was dying inside. I wanted out, but I couldn’t get out of the car.  What was I gonna’ say?  Let me out, I’m afraid, I’m a chicken.  I could never go back to the neighborhood. They would call me a punk, a dog a mutt.  They would say I got no heart.  I kept hearing my father’s voice in my head, ‘don’t blow it , son; these people will hurt you, son; don’t waste your talent, son.  Then I kept hearing Sonny’s voice, ‘be careful C, don’t lose it C, keep your head C.’  Somebody pulled the chain and I was going down the toilet.” Caloger or "C" as he was referred to belonged to many different groups. He was the son of two italian parents from Sicili, He was part of Sonny's crowd, part of Slicks group who he grew up with. He was a son, a friend, a person who touched the lives of many people. He and Sonny were part of the same group, but they were really in their own groups when it came to the way the lived. Sonny helped C realize he did not want to live the life that Sonny had. He wanted to be a "working man" as his Dad had always said. He was a guy that was a part of all these groups. But in reality, he was a part of his own group because in every group he belonged to, he didn't agree with the stuff they did. Like Slicks group for example, they hated the colored people and were very violent to them . He went along with it, but he really cared about them just as much as he would care for any other stranger. He eventually realized he had to be his own person. By the end of the story, he realized unconditional love was the most important thing; Sonny was wrong when he said fear lasted longer.


In my life I can relate to what C went through. Although I didn't grow up in the "Bronx", I still have had similar situations with groups. I was with a bad group just like C was. I didn't agree with how they treated others and what kind of people they were. But I was afraid to lose friends and I didn't want to be a loner. Eventually  I learned my values were may more important than any group in high school. I dropped them and currently I've never been happier with my decision.