Visual Impressions

I uploaded a new avatar, [at my NaBloPoMo site] and it made me think a bit about pictures and perceptions. I wrote a post here some time ago stating that I never post pictures of myself. I prefer my writing to shape how people perceive me.

I don't look like a troll or some variation of a meth addict. Of course, if I was a woman, and looked like Heather (above), and I wasn't burdened too much with the self image issues our society plagues nearly every woman with, I might sneak in a view once in a while.

It's interesting how this fits into the essay I'm writing about this week in school. It's about the challenges facing the non native English speaker. One obstacle is the perception people form of someone based on their broken English. Because it is imperfect, the perception is that their thoughts are imperfect. The truth is, any English speaker will be judged to one degree or another by the way they speak and the words they choose. The essay certainly gives me reason to police my words.

For the folks who have found their way here by NaBloPoMo, I'll let you know I'm just a dude who had to scramble for something to use for his avatar. I guess this will teach me to back up my data more often.