Moment in Time
Caleb Gerst
Have you ever had that feeling that you are being watched? Or everything is unusually quiet and you don't know why? Have you ever had a nightmare come true?
I live on a ranch with a long drive way with forest on both sides. When I was 8 years old we kept our horses penned in a fenced area on one side of our driveway.
One day my dad was driving down our driveway to pick me up from school. He saw our horses going crazy! My dad stopped the truck to see what was going on. He saw a mountain lion crouched in the brush about 20 feet from our horses. It was stalking our horses. My dad started honking and yelling to try and scare it away, but the lion didn't seem frightened at all. So my dad drove back to the house and grabbed his gun. When he got back down to the horses, he didn't see the mountain lion. It looked like the horses had settled down too. Then he looked right behind the horses and about five feet away the mountain lion was getting ready to pounce!
My dad got out of the truck and shot into the brush. The mountain lion ran away. My dad thought he hit it. He tried to call my teachers and principal to tell them that he was going be late to meet me at school. No one answered the phones. My dad had no choice but to come get me and then return to track the mountain lion. When he arrived at my school, he told me that he shot a mountain lion. He gave me the choice of going home to do homework or helping him track the mountain lion. Of course I didn't want to do homework so I helped my dad track the lion.
When we got to the horses, we started looking in the brush where my dad had fired. We followed the tracks of the mountain lion until we came across a little opening where the tracks disappeared. Everything was very quiet. No birds singing. No crickets chirping. All I could hear was my own heart beat. Suddenly I saw a track from the lion. I took a step forward to point at it. Five feet in front of me the mountain lion jumped up, hissed and started running at my dad and I. Immediately my dad put a hand on my chest and threw me to the ground behind him! My dad took a hipshot as fast as he was able. Luckily the gunshot scared the mountain lion off. I laid on the ground for a minute. I told my dad that I'm not scared of mountain lions as long as I'm with him.
When I calmed down, we started following the tracks again. I made sure to stay a few steps behind my dad. When we were walking through some really tall scrub oak, I saw that mountain lion staring right at me. I told my dad where I saw the lion. He shot and killed the mountain lion. That afternoon was the most frightened I had ever been.
This experience reinforced the stereotype that men are protectors and are stronger than women. I feel like my mom or most other woman would not have protected me from this experience in the same way my dad protected me. But I know women are capable to perform as my dad did. My mom has no interest in and dislikes guns, so this reinforced the idea that this is a male dominant behavior. Based on my mother’s usual behavior she would have avoided pulling the trigger and found a different way out of the situation. It may not have been as effective. I believe many women would not have taken an animal's life, but would have done anything to save their child. I also think that after the lion’s death a certain amount of strength is needed to pack out an animal that big.
From this experience, I do believe that people should have guns to protect their livestock, friends, family, and themselves. Yes, I know there are people that misuse guns. But if guns were made illegal to own than an individual would not be able to protect themselves or their family from a human or animal predator. I believe that a person intending to obtain a gun and go on a rampage will do so no matter what the law says. If guns are illegal and a person did go on a rampage, then no one could stop them. I have been taught that guns can be one of many tools for self defense.
I feel like this experience has taught me to always be on my guard. I notice whenever I’m in the wilderness, or in a big city I'm more aware of what is going on around me. I notice a lot more things that I believe I would normally not notice. This has also socialized me to trust my elders, even if it sounds crazy. I have been socialized that guns are useful in the country and a tool usually used by men.
Caleb Gerst
Have you ever had that feeling that you are being watched? Or everything is unusually quiet and you don't know why? Have you ever had a nightmare come true?
I live on a ranch with a long drive way with forest on both sides. When I was 8 years old we kept our horses penned in a fenced area on one side of our driveway.
One day my dad was driving down our driveway to pick me up from school. He saw our horses going crazy! My dad stopped the truck to see what was going on. He saw a mountain lion crouched in the brush about 20 feet from our horses. It was stalking our horses. My dad started honking and yelling to try and scare it away, but the lion didn't seem frightened at all. So my dad drove back to the house and grabbed his gun. When he got back down to the horses, he didn't see the mountain lion. It looked like the horses had settled down too. Then he looked right behind the horses and about five feet away the mountain lion was getting ready to pounce!
My dad got out of the truck and shot into the brush. The mountain lion ran away. My dad thought he hit it. He tried to call my teachers and principal to tell them that he was going be late to meet me at school. No one answered the phones. My dad had no choice but to come get me and then return to track the mountain lion. When he arrived at my school, he told me that he shot a mountain lion. He gave me the choice of going home to do homework or helping him track the mountain lion. Of course I didn't want to do homework so I helped my dad track the lion.
When we got to the horses, we started looking in the brush where my dad had fired. We followed the tracks of the mountain lion until we came across a little opening where the tracks disappeared. Everything was very quiet. No birds singing. No crickets chirping. All I could hear was my own heart beat. Suddenly I saw a track from the lion. I took a step forward to point at it. Five feet in front of me the mountain lion jumped up, hissed and started running at my dad and I. Immediately my dad put a hand on my chest and threw me to the ground behind him! My dad took a hipshot as fast as he was able. Luckily the gunshot scared the mountain lion off. I laid on the ground for a minute. I told my dad that I'm not scared of mountain lions as long as I'm with him.
When I calmed down, we started following the tracks again. I made sure to stay a few steps behind my dad. When we were walking through some really tall scrub oak, I saw that mountain lion staring right at me. I told my dad where I saw the lion. He shot and killed the mountain lion. That afternoon was the most frightened I had ever been.
This experience reinforced the stereotype that men are protectors and are stronger than women. I feel like my mom or most other woman would not have protected me from this experience in the same way my dad protected me. But I know women are capable to perform as my dad did. My mom has no interest in and dislikes guns, so this reinforced the idea that this is a male dominant behavior. Based on my mother’s usual behavior she would have avoided pulling the trigger and found a different way out of the situation. It may not have been as effective. I believe many women would not have taken an animal's life, but would have done anything to save their child. I also think that after the lion’s death a certain amount of strength is needed to pack out an animal that big.
From this experience, I do believe that people should have guns to protect their livestock, friends, family, and themselves. Yes, I know there are people that misuse guns. But if guns were made illegal to own than an individual would not be able to protect themselves or their family from a human or animal predator. I believe that a person intending to obtain a gun and go on a rampage will do so no matter what the law says. If guns are illegal and a person did go on a rampage, then no one could stop them. I have been taught that guns can be one of many tools for self defense.
I feel like this experience has taught me to always be on my guard. I notice whenever I’m in the wilderness, or in a big city I'm more aware of what is going on around me. I notice a lot more things that I believe I would normally not notice. This has also socialized me to trust my elders, even if it sounds crazy. I have been socialized that guns are useful in the country and a tool usually used by men.
This was my mask before I started painting it, and before I refined it.
This is my mask after I refined it out and painted it.
Red=excitement
Yellow=fierce
Blue=peaceful
Red=excitement
Yellow=fierce
Blue=peaceful
Socialization and Mask Project
This past semester we learned about the cycle of socialization. The cycle of socialization defines how the person was socialized from birth to death. After learning the steps of the cycle, the mask project began. The mask represented how each person has been socialized. I enjoyed the project because we were able to do hands on work. A writing piece was also required for the project. The exhibition was our final step in the project. Our goal was to involve and interact with those who attended the exhibition. We decided to make the cycle of socialization and let the parents figure out how they were socialized through our tour.
This past semester we learned about the cycle of socialization. The cycle of socialization defines how the person was socialized from birth to death. After learning the steps of the cycle, the mask project began. The mask represented how each person has been socialized. I enjoyed the project because we were able to do hands on work. A writing piece was also required for the project. The exhibition was our final step in the project. Our goal was to involve and interact with those who attended the exhibition. We decided to make the cycle of socialization and let the parents figure out how they were socialized through our tour.