Appraisal of Arguments

Jean Twenge’s point that one is molded into having self-esteem is prominent in the age-old discussion of whether our lives are based off nature or nurture. Twenge claims that self-esteem, or lack thereof, is something people either gain or lose, as time progresses. Our surroundings influence how we feel about ourselves, whether it is the teacher that taught us to love ourselves, or the media lowering our esteem with the beautiful people they present to the public. “Saying that having self-esteem makes you feel positive about yourself—forget any actual reason—is exactly what the self-esteem programs have taught today’s young generation since they were in kindergarten (Twenge 768).” We don’t know why we feel the way we do, but someone told us to feel that way, so we just go along with it. Some inner emotion is triggered and we have no control over how we feel about ourselves. For example, as mentioned in the essay, baby boomers were given so much freedom of mind and speech, which they didn’t know what to do with it. They couldn’t change their lives even if they had so many new opportunities, because their parents and elders had not experienced that same sense of non-restriction. As time progresses however, they used their surroundings to morph into the people we are today. This idea of nature influencing self esteem proves that people have the ability to change themselves from how they were when they were born. 

Another argument Twenge makes is that when people are presented with a new freedom or style of living, they tend to just let it sit there only because they don’t know how to make use of it. Here, she refers to the Baby Boomers whose ancestors fought and won freedom for the newer generation. The boomers are given so much freedom, they don’t realize they can take advantage of it and make life easier. They either don’t have the confidence to try something new, or the boomers don’t feel the need to change their lives. “Boomers display another unique and somewhat ironic trait: a strong emphasis on group meetings (Twenge 759).” They don’t seem to think independently, and make decisions based off of what their peers say. Their ancestors fought hard to give them a sense of pride and independence, and here they fail to use any of it. They lack confidence in themselves, and end up not using what they have to its full potential.

Similarly, in Susan Faludi’s “The Naked Citadel,” the fact that women and homosexuals are not allowed to partake in the military-style academy, shows how people are presented with freedom, but they don’t take advantage of what they have. In addition, it is mentioned that there is an immense amount of racism that the cadets use to prove themselves worthy of the academy. However, more than racism is the discrimination of women. In once instance, “two cadets held down a young woman while a third drunken cadet leaned over and vomited on her” (Faludi 267) in a horrendous attempt to show their dominance over her while in a drunken stupor. Even after living in a modern society where suffrage and civil rights exist, the Citadel emphasizes that masculinity is the only factor needed in order to serve for the country; a country that is supposedly free from all types of stereotypes.