Who Is the Loser Now - Essay Example

This brief analysis will seek to discuss the means by which the very determinate definition that has been thus far displayed has ultimately become warped to represent an entirely different contextual meaning.  This will be utilized by a brief analysis of how the term is used within adolescent and pop culture.

Firstly, in order to understand the means by which the term is currently thrown around in popular culture, one need look no further than the local poetry school or playground. Although children have oftentimes utilized language as a means of encouraging conformity ensuring that those that do not exhibit conformity are punished to certain degree, the term “loser” has taken on a life of its own in helping to shape the means by which individuals identify with themselves as part of a larger group. This particular term is unique from many of the others that are oftentimes used, i.e. “geek”, “loser”, “nerd”, or a variety of others, due to the fact that it is very difficult for the person who is labeled in such a way to escape from the definition that it necessarily implies (Buzzelli & Johnston 22). Whereas it might be somewhat easy for an individual to readily provide evidence that they are not a geek or a nerd, a loser is something that is defined by the larger group; as such, it is much more difficult for an individual labeled as such to escape the meaning that it necessarily implies.

Stepping aside from the actual definition of the term, the more important question that should be asked is the level to which identity formation that takes place as a result of the usage of such a word impacts upon the future understanding that the individual displays with regard to you they are and how they integrate with society. Due to the fact that this term has a specific bearing upon integration within society, the low to which it is likely understood that such abusive language will have a heavy impact upon the means by which an individual understands their place within the world, it is safe to assume for the reader that such a term is necessarily a vital threat to identity formation.

As with any form of language, the means by which it is used in the context in which it is used has a strong bearing upon the level to which the individual it is directed at will integrate with such a label. As with any level of definition of a word, the term itself continues to evolve over time and with the broader application of usage within the current paradigm. However, the reader should understand that based on the definition which is been provided in the introduction, the term itself has experienced a great deal of evolution and no longer necessarily represents its first definition within the dictionary.

Outline:

Introduction and definition of the term “loser” as well as discussion of how the term is represented within broader society:

1. Discussion and analysis of how labeling affects the individual
   1. Societal implications for the use of the term
   2. Impact of labeling within the individual as part of society
2. Identity formation and the means by which self-actualization is affected
   1. Discussion of how the individual is affected by labeling as a member of the group
   2. Means by which labeling affects a personal understanding of place within the group

Conclusion and discussion of the means by which the term itself has morphed from its original meaning and continues to impact the way in which language is understood and affects the stakeholders that are labeled.