Chris Raja Villarin

BADPR 3-FS1N

Why is this subject important to you?

Perhaps it can be said that it is already a given that our primary necessity for
attending the class (as an irregular) is to tie up loose ends and catching up to
requirements, especially with the dread of not graduating on time. Perhaps it is a fear of
not catching up, or a panic to finish what has been missed, or a strange mix of both,
things that feed into desperation that one might find ways to eventually get oneself to
give an elongated, [required] well-thought out answer to a simple question.

I am an advertising student, particularly focused on creative work and the

process that comes to it. While I consider myself not much as a writer, we, as marketers
of various things and ideas ranging from valuable treasures to utter nonsense, requires
every one of us within our field to maintain professionalism both in image and practice.
Correct application of diplomacy and expression of information and messages are
paramount, adhering to particular conventions that have been set in stone long before.

This formal, structured writing is obviously different from the creative writing me
— and others within my field—are comfortable with. The requirement to structure ones
message, research, abstracts and the like within such form seems to be based on
maintaining neutrality, clarity, excellence (a bit overwrought in that one, isn’t it) and
formality, akin to writing for encyclopedias and similar “unbiased” educational content.
[CITATION Var18 \l 1033 ]. There are also the needs to differentiate between the formats of
writings among various fields, given that information must be laid out based on its scope
and topic; “The engineering lab report includes much different information in a quite
different format from the annual business report.” [CITATION Wha18 \l 1033 ]

Writing even a simple letter towards people of higher standing requires of this
peculiar and seemingly arbitrary rules, all for the maintenance of formality. More and
more we slowly come to live in a private society, where all of its participants (us and
everyone else) are atomized and alienated from each other enough that makes (almost)
everyone strangers to us, unapproachable and suspect. [CITATION Ire \l 1033 ]

As we move towards an anthropological discussion, it must be noted that this

kind of relationship might have been different before the advent of this closed-ness
between each other, great intimacy and equality between people in ancient societies in
comparison to today, even in supposed large scale organizations such as cities.
[ CITATION Gra18 \l 1033 ] However, with the advent of authority and conflict that coincided
with the rise of civilization, this form of intimacy—at least among some—have
diminished in most respects, especially with the later influence of private society among
its contemporaries by means of domination.

Among each other, we set great boundaries, both real and social, requiring each
other of particular norms before we accept each other and finally drop formality. This
dynamic extends beyond individuals, we see it between groups, between formal
associations, classes, ranks, families, schools and governments. This dynamic has
been existing even before private society came to become dominant in our world, a
concept referred to in sociology as “symbolic boundaries”, setting the stone of division
between affinities, classes and kinds of people [ CITATION Lam18 \l 1033 ]. This dynamic has
also lent itself to the development of hierarchies, inequalities, and most importantly,
privacy.

An example of this private society would be the following scenario: once we finish
this paper, there (most probably) will be no casual interactions, just us passing it to the
instructor without any further word or action other than simple words of offering or
gratitude from either side. A mere formality, outlining both the privacy and the
relationship between the ordinate teacher and subordinate student. There are set
standards.
 The inescapability of private society among the majority of people predicates
their need to live through it, especially—being the predominant society—when it lends
towards possible opportunities of rising through its social ladders and ensure stability
within their lives. One may these formalities as an individual, but only if one’s purpose is
to live contrary or separate from it, something that most students attending this class
most certainly does not plan to do such a thing within their lifetimes.

This subject outlines some of these standards, given the necessity to interact and
portray information in correct and formal forms of conduct and format, at least in the
written form. Despite my earlier comment regarding the seemingly arbitrary nature of
these formal standards, in some ways, these standards, along with the knowledge of it,
is well within the boundaries of practicality, mainly due to 1) comprehensibility and
predominant education towards such standards that they become conventions, and 2)
the widespread influence of these conventions that not only require its knowledge but
also its everyday application.

In summation, as people within a private society (in which we keep to ourselves),

we are made and live as private individuals. Everyday communication requires us to
respect social boundaries such as our relationship between ones above, among and
below us, setting the stone for conventions that one must follow to form at least formal
acquaintances. Everyone is learned in the conventions that are currently taught within
this subject today (in one way or another), when in Rome, it is absolutely necessary that
we do as the Romans do, especially if Rome is everywhere, and more especially if one
desires to present oneself as one of good standing.

Works Cited
Clearinghouse, WAC. What is Writing in the Disciplines? n.d. 4 March 2018.
Colthurst, Irene. What do people mean when they say the American society is
"atomized"? 12 June 2015. Quora. <http://qr.ae/TU8Zb2>.
Graeber, David and David Wengrow. How to change the course of human history. 2
March 2018. Article/Essay. <https://www.eurozine.com/change-course-human-
history/>.
Lamont, Michèle. Symbolic Boundaries. n.d. Scientific article. 4 March 2018.
<http://educ.jmu.edu/~brysonbp/symbound/papers2001/LamontEncyclo.html>.
Wikipedia. 23 February 2018. Wikipedia Article. 27 February 2018.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style>.