In his article “Becoming a marihuana user,” Howard Becker explained that there are several steps to take in order to be an user of marihuana. And there are also changes in attitude toward marihuana while taking these steps. First of all, if a person wants to begin smoking marihuana, he usually cannot understand why other marihuana users are doing it at the first moment. Why is it? It is often because he is not “properly” using marihuana. Specifically, the amount of air he is taking is too much, or stuff like that. He also does not know what will it be like, what other people are feeling. Therefore at first he will feel nervous and will not believe that marihuana is making him feel better. What should he do to really enjoy marihuana? The answer is to ask older users how to use it correctly; those users know the sensation of the marihuana. With the advices from other users, the person gets to use drug for pleasure. However, even though he has realized the sensation of marihuana, he will someday experience new problems related to marihuana especially when he tries new types of marihuana. Now he has two ways to choose; either to ask advice and “redefine” the feeling of marihuana again, or to quit it.
I found that this procedure can totally represent the situation where I enter a new culture. For example, I recently got a cashier job, and it is my first time to work as a cashier. I was so nervous at first because I was afraid to make any mistakes that can make customers and the manager feel bad. I didn’t feel well on my first day. Being in a new social construction, in this case, the cafeteria, was a hard thing for me. Nevertheless, after asking questions to my manager, other employees, and resolving some fundamental problems due to ignorance, I found the job really interesting and meaningful because I started to like to talk to people like “How are you doing?” Now I really like it.
I really liked how you compared Howard Becker's article on smoking marijuana to getting a new job. In many ways I can see the similarities based on what I read in the article. When you first start smoking it's almost like you are in training, you have to learn how to do it just as you would at a new job. Then you understand everything so you have to learn to like it in order to keep the job. Than you make the decision to quit or continue you working. Explaining the use of marijuana in this way makes it easier to understand for people who are against drugs and don't know much about them.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your example of entering a new "culture". I have similar experiences that when I entered my new job as a summer assistant in the housing department this summer. At first I was kind of intimidated by all the rules I had to learn, the numbers I had to know by heart, and other things like that. But a few other students who are more experienced helped me getting used to all the work I have to do like checking in people, doing rounds and handling file alarms (mostly false, though). The job that seemed complicated to me at first became a breeze 4 weeks into the summer and I started to enjoy doing the job, and felt a sense of achievement. It was just like when pot users started to feel high and have illusion. Now at the beginning of the semester there were new students entering the housing department to work. I feel like an "insider" and start helping the new comers on the job.
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