Feeling 6'2"

My friends constantly make fun of me because I often forget how short I am. I swear I'm not that short and you can be damn sure I'll reach that top cabinet... one way or the other. My height doesn't always match my personality and what I think I can do doesn't always fit with my physical abilities. In my mind I'm 6'2" and unstoppable.

Stephen Asma's article made me realize a lot about myself and that I'm not the only shortie who thinks she can dunk a basketball. He mentions that humans have this funny way of imagining how they will react in life-threatening moments. His example of a the knife attack in the 90's is a great explanation. We can all easily sit here and say "why didn't anyone stop him?" but really, when was the last time you were attacked with a hunting knife? We sit in class and criticize literary characters for their actions and decision but what would we have done? If I created a monster like Frankenstein, I'm pretty sure my reaction wouldn't be all that different. I probably would've run away faster honestly.

So while I mentioned that I often feel larger than life-sized, its not a constant thing. Story time: My parents house is in the middle of nowhere. I was home alone one dark winter evening when my cat freaked out and scared the shit out of me by running through the house slamming into cabinets. So naturally "burglar" comes to mind and what do I do? I grab a pair of scissors and the biggest knife we had and I scoped out the house. Turns out there was the biggest black bear in Western PA on our front deck. So now I'm standing in a dark room, suddenly feeling very small, holding a kitchen knife against the biggest animal I've ever seen. Let's just say, its a really good thing I wasn't born in a time where killing large animals was required to survive.

How does my little anecdote correlate to Asma's monster theories? If someone would have given my that situation as a hypothetical, I would have given a reasonable and logical response to handling the situation. But when theres a giant freaking bear outside your house and all you've got is a knife, you suddenly really start to question your flight or fight skills. And what if there was a burglar? I'm 5'2" and not Jason Bourne (surprising right?). My planning basically stopped at "knife" but it sure seemed like a good idea at the time.

Monsters (and big ass bears) exist to remind us that we aren't invincible. They force us to think about how we would react in a certain hypothetical situation so that when a situation does arise with real life monsters, we can at least hope we react in the best way possible. "No one likes to imagine oneself a victim." Monsters are around so that we never forget that anyone, anyone, can become a victim and no one really knows how they'll react.

Monsters Will Never Die

Monsters are woven within the moral fabric of society. In some capacity, people will always need monsters in order to satisfy their inner desires and feelings. To me, the most powerful statement in Stephen Asma's discourse lies in the idea that monsters reflect various problems and life transitions. Asma writes, "The monster is a beneficial foe, helping us to virtually represent the obstacles that real life will surely send our way" (Asma, 5). Certainly, the distinction of a monster comes from within and is shaped by our imaginations through morals, fears, and concerns. However, the notion that monsters are disappearing within our society is an illogical allusion (Asma, 5). In fact, monsters can actually stimulate positive effects on the morality of the individual. These imaginary monsters, once formulated in an individual's mind, can provide motivation for one's daily activities and contribute to one's success. 

As far as I can remember, monsters have influenced my life to varying degrees. Whether through sports, school work, or other problems that I have faced, oftentimes, I channeled the prism of the hero versus monster relationship to represent what I had to overcome. As a fan of both action and horror movies, I have witnessed these dynamic roles modeled numerous times. For as Asma explains, "Our ethical convictions do not spring fully grown from our heads but must be developed in the context of real and imagined challenges" (Asma, 3). Each example of monsters that people are exposed to causes them to question personal ideologies and morality. Generally, then, the monster serves as the obstacle we must defeat to achieve our own goals. This mentality allows each one of us to become the hero within our own story. People enjoy listening to stories of heroes and acts of courage. Therefore, it would be no surprise for them to want to view themselves in a heroic light as well.

In reality, monsters never die; they merely change and adapt, representing new challenges, fears, and anxieties. As society moves into an era reliant on technology, placing emphasis on the ideology of post-humanism, people will continue to devise new monsters, showcasing current fears and obstacles of humanity. As Asma states, "The monster concept is still extremely useful, and its a permanent player in the moral imagination because human vulnerability is permanent" (Asma, 5). Sadly, I cannot envision a world free of the distinctive lines defining an us and them. Therefore, when change occurs, something affects the status quo, or an opponent stands in the way of a person's hopes and dreams, monsters will endure. As long as there exists opposing viewpoints or different perspectives, one will conjure imaginary monsters in order to take a stance and conquer.

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I pledge that I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this assignment. Anthony King

Sources:

Asma, Stephen T. "Monsters and the Moral Imagination." The Chronicle of Higher         

          

          Education (2009): 1-6. Web.