Religious Outsider
Vance Cook 2-21-20 Growing up attending a public school can teach kids quite a lot regarding how they fit in related to other kids. There are many groups being formed, and kids are figuring out which groups they belong to. Some of the groups that I noticed were the athletic kids, the smart/nerdy kids, the art kids, and the farmer kids. Groups may be different based on where you grew up, and the culture in that area. Religion is another heavy influencer of group dynamics, and one that tends to encourage conformity and discourage outsiders. In this blog posting, I shall talk about my sociological experience growing up as a religious outsider in my community. I grew up in a town outside of Grand Rapids, MI. The town is called Hudsonville, a small town in between Grand Rapids and Holland. Grand Rapids is a medium sized city with close access to Lake Michigan. Early on, Grand Rapids was settled by a lot of dutch Christians, and that influence is still prevalent in the area today