Analyzing My Own Assumptions

1. What cultural or social values, beliefs, etc., do we share with the society or culture in which the text was written? Why have they endured?

• As this text was written for modern day society, we share most of the beliefs and values presented in it. They have endured because we have grown up believing that marijuana is bad and those who use it should be criminalized because that is what our government has told us via laws and the constant prosecution of marijuana users.

2. What cultural or social values, beliefs, etc., do we not share? Why not?

• Some members of our society do not believe in the current cultural norms surrounding marijuana. Some believe that it should be decriminalized and that it is not a negative thing. The author is focusing on those points as to why it should not be a criminal act, and trying to inform the readers on why it should be legalized.

3. If the text is written in a culture distant or different from our own, what social values, beliefs, etc., connect to or reflect our own culture? What social values, beliefs, etc., can we not see in our own culture?

• This text was not written in a distant culture, however, it does reference the legalization of marijuana (which is different from majority of U.S. culture) in the current states that have legalized it, and overseas countries alike.

4. If the text is written in our culture but in a different historical time, how have the social values, beliefs, etc.m developed or changed over time?

• The article was not written in a different historical time, however, it does mention the changing times and how the legalization in certain states could lead to more widespread legalization, and that could change the values and beliefs of this time period in the U.S.

Empower Network. Eliminate Your False Beliefs, April 15, 2013, Public Domain

Post edit:

After reviewing Nicole's and Erick's assumptions regarding their text, I learned that analyzing information that is not based on factual evidence can lead to bias in someones writing, and I have to be careful with that in my text, because the author states his own opinion and ideas as well as factual and scientific evidence. I must make sure I do not agree or disagree with the author in my project.