Final Post =(

It is funny to think that just one semester of sociology has impacted my life more than other classes at Stevenson, but it really has. I really have started looking at things with a new perspective and I am trying to change certain stereotypes I have. The person I am has not really changed, except for some of my values. I still think that the culture I grew up in really influenced the person I am today. I surround myself with people, friends and family, who I want to be with. My friends and family really make up the person I am today, and I still think that you are who your friends are. The biggest influence of my life is my family, especially my mom. She works more hours in a day than most people work in a week. She is one of the hardest working people I know, and she makes me want to become a better person and want to work for everything I have. My family's values and my friends values also influence mine to the highest extent. I did not realize that some horrible stereotypes my family and friends have, have rubbed off on me. After learning in sociology and going to the Uptown Cafe, I am really trying to change the stereotypes I have learned. Growing up in a prosperous community, I think social class has impacted our lives more than others. Before sociology, I did not really think of social class as a very important thing in America; to my surprise, it is what some people base their lives off of. I think if we stop making social class and materialistic things so important, than determining a persons social class will slowly fade away. Because of this class, I look at other social classes much differently and my view about the poor or even the extremely wealthy has changed drastically. I think people are too quickly to always put others in a certain category in America, and it is really horrible. When we watched the movie Crash, it was a little disturbing and shocking to me, because I did not realize how extreme racism still is. The movie really made me look at myself and see if I have done some of the racial tendencies some of the characters in the movie did. It is a horrible thing to say, but I have in the past and I am ashamed to say it. I really hope that I can work on not judging people based on appearances anymore. I know everyone is equal and should be treated equally, but it is hard for me to think that i still have implicit racial thoughts. Sociology has really showed me that I have to change the way I view others and the way I am viewed by others. I would never want anyone to judge me by just looking at me, and I hope that as I grow up, I will change into a better person. Because of my community service experiences and how I learned that one small act impacts others lives in a huge way, I think i will be more inclined to volunteer as I get older. In Sociology we learned that even though community service is an act that is suppose to help others, it also makes you feel better because you are helping others. I know in my life that I want to make others happy and make myself happy as well. That is why I plan on being a nurse when I am older, and helping patients in need. This is a very hard goal, but I really hope I accomplish it. I plan on being a nurse for cancer patients, and I hope that I help as much people I can even if it is in a small way. Sociology really made me change my view about how I look at the world, because it taught me that the world is not just black and white but multiple shades of gray. I hope that people will start accepting every one's differences, and then every one's values and how they view others will change as well. This class has really changed the way I view others and the way I want others to view me, and I hope I can start changing certain stereotypes I have. I really enjoyed the class and I think that this class has impacted my life more than I could say about any classes at school. =)

Crash

While watching the movie Crash in class, I really saw how everyone is related to each other some way and we all come into contact with each other at some point in our lives. It is really interesting to think that we can indirectly affect others because of our own actions and decisions we make. While watching the movie, I saw how much hate people could have just because they want to hate and blame others for something that went wrong in their life. It is really hard for people, including me, to not blame some situation or some one for something bad that could have been prevented in my life. Also, I learned that no matter how hard you fight being "racist" against some group, sometimes it does come out. It is really hard for people to accept they are racist, so they want to believe they aren't and hold it in. In someways it is worse to lie to yourself continuously that you are not what you have become. It is easy to make stereotypes, we all do it, but that is generalizing people and other peoples' mistakes. I really really liked the movie Crash, and everyone should really see it.

Race

This week in sociology we learned about race. Race is something that is just made up to classify people, but how do we classify people by just looking at them. I think that it is really interesting that we classify people based on what they look like from what we are taught as we grow up. I never really realized that I judge people and place them in certain categories, because I was always taught that that is the way things should be. I also found it interesting that if you go to other countries, they have different ways to categorize people's "race." Even though a persons characteristics do not physically change, they are stereotyped as being someone different. I wonder if people are going to make more categories of races that are starting to become more distinguished in America. There are many people, white, black, asian, etc marrying each other. How do we classify them?..are they black or asian or white? I thought it was also strange that people say if you even have a little "black blood" inside of you, you are black-evenif you do nto look black at all. When we also played that game on the computer to guess which person was black, white, asian etc., i found it really interesting that we got a lot of them wrong. People look at other people right away and assume their "race" or culture based on characteristics that they posses. I never realized race was something made up, and this lesson really opened my eyes.

Living off minimum wage

Is it possible to live off minimum wage with children and continuous bills that are never ending. Probably not. This week in sociology, we watched a movie of two people getting minimum wage jobs, renting a place to live (in a bad neighborhood), getting to work with one bus pass or walking etc. I have never really realized how hard it is for minimum wage workers to live above the poverty line. There are multiple struggles and hurdles that keep them from staying above. I could not believe how much a hospital bill costs, and I could not imagine if someone had to go to the emergency room. This extra costs hurts these minimum wage workers by not allowing them to go to work that day and maybe not being able to pay for rent or food for a while. It is really sad to think that people are actually living each day or week or month off of their paycheck. In our society, I do not think we give minimum wage people enough opportunities to pull themselves up and stand clear of the poverty line. We also read an article of a woman trying to live off of the minimum wage as well, and it did not work. Imagine if she had children. She even tried working two jobs, and was still continuously struggling. I really feel like we have to try and help these minimum wage people who work so hard, but can never accomplish or get ahead in their lives. It makes me really upset that people have to chose whether to go to work with a fever or an arm that is hurting, or go to the emergency room and get treated. People should not have to chose that, they should be able to get the help they need without worrying about how much it will cost.

Social Classes

During this past week in sociology, we have been watching a really interesting movie about classes in America. It is interesting to see what we define as normal in our social class, and to see what others define as normal in theirs. My parents have always told me that I can be anything I want to be when I am older. The movie portrays otherwise, and it was really eye opening. Even if some people move up in social class, people do not necessarily let them in and think of them as their equals. Poor people could work so hard in their life to move up in social class, but they may never truly fit into their new lifestyle. It was also very shocking to see the lower class people almost kind of give up in getting a better life. People who grow up poor either want a better life, and may get it, or they stay in a class they have always known. The movie also portrayed the wealthiest people in America. Some of the people they interviewed were some of the rudest and most materialistic people. They judged people on the car they drove or what their last name is. This shows that in America, people judge others everyday on things that may or may not seem important to you or me. I really liked this movie, and I am excited to finish it in the next couple of days.

Jail is a revolving door

This week in class, we learned about one of the most shocking and disturbing things that our society deals with daily, jails. When I think of a prison, I thought of a place a lot like how Law and Order or any of those cop shows portray it as being; They are dirty, the guards are mean and violent people, and the prisoners hurt one another. I thought this was television making an over exaggeration, but I was wrong for the most part. Some jails in America treat people with no respect and think locking them up for a few months will solve the crime problem. We read a disturbing article about how guards in a jail would not care if their prisoners were sick, because they thought they were just going through withdrawal. The guards treated these people inhumanly, and did not recognize they were citizens as well fighting for their lives. It is really sad to think that in a country that other countries look up to, that we are treating people horribly and do not care about them. Instead of sending drug dealers or other criminals back to the same neighborhoods they grew up in (they are surrounded by the same exact things), we should give them counseling and help them find jobs. This is what some jails are starting to do, but I honestly think that it is ridiculous that jails are just starting to do that. Jail is suppose to be a place where criminals go so they can fix their mistakes and think about what good they can eventually do in the outside world, instead, it turned into a place where they are treated like caged animals. Criminals are leaving jail and going right back into another usually within months, but I think if we really continue with the counseling and helping these people get back on their feet, it will make a significant difference. Because anyway, in the land of the free, our jails should not be overcrowded and new ones should not be continuously being made.

Who are the saints?

This week, we read a really interesting article about saints and roughnecks at school. The saints were the kids at school who were always thought of as being the 'good' kids and the most respectful. These kids were well liked by others and they were upper class. Whereas the roughnecks were lower class, and teachers continuously looked down upon them. Everyone always thought the roughnecks were up to something, when in actuality, no one ever gave them a chance to be the people they could have been. In this story, the community was very deviant to the boys. Deviance is relative to time and place, and it is also someones perception. Since the teachers perceptions of the saints were that they were amazing kids, the teachers never thought they were doing something wrong. The teachers and the community perceived the roughnecks to be bad kids, so they automatically got in trouble for the same things the saints did. I really think this occurs a lot in communities and in schools. Sometimes, kids dressed a little different or have a certain group of friends are categorized as bad or good kids. This is very deviant of schools and communities, because people have no idea what kind of kids or people they are and want to be. It is really hard in life to go somewhere and not get judged by your clothing or how you look. Every can be have wrong perceptions of people, but I think that in this case, the fact that teachers and the community already decided the fate of the young roughneck boys is very wrong. When the community always put them down and always thought they were going to get in trouble, the boys thought they really had no future and that was who they were. Maybe if the community gave every person the same kindness, those boys could have ended up with a better life (most ended up dropping out of school or in jail).

Advertising women

This week in soc, I learned a lot more about commercials, magazine articles and school behaviors than ever before. It is really scary to even think about how commercials influence how we each want to live our life and how we want to look, without realizing it. I don't think I don't know anyone who is happy with the way they look. Everyone is constantly watching what they eat, what they drink and how much they work out, based on the fact that magazines and commercials tell us we need to. Every girl wants to be beautiful and every guys dream. Accomplishing this goal in America basically means that a girl has to have a certain body type. The real question is who decided that being thin and having certain qualities makes you beautiful? Girls worry constantly about their weight or how they do not look like the girls on billboards or commercials. The reason they do not look like them is because those models do not even look like that. They are photo shopped and cut and lengthened. What's so wrong about being naturally beautiful? Girls and boys have to stop thinking that there is only way to be beautiful in someones eyes, because that is not true. Dove commercials are really starting to help women see that they are beautiful in their own skin no matter what shape or size. More commercials should be made like this.

Freaks and Geeks "The Party"

This week in class, we watched another amazing episode of Freaks and Geeks! In this episode, Lindsey was forced to have a party when her parents were out of town. People wanted to drink and have a good time, but after Lindsey's brother saw an assembly about how drinking is harmful and dangerous, he was very worried. He got fake beer and switched it with the real keg. Even though the people at the party were not drinking real beer, they acted like they were drunk and blaming their bad actions on the fact they were drinking. Lindsey and other people were being loud and outgoing, just because they thought they were drunk. Groups that influence our emotions, attitudes and behaviors are referred to as agents of socialization. Lindsey's parents influenced her to be good and responsible while they were away. Lindsey's parents influence on her has decreased since she began hanging out with the wrong group of people. Now, Lindsey's new group of friends has a great influence on her, because they convince her to throw a party she didn't want and ditch class. Just because her friends thought they were at a party, they thought they had to be out of control and drunk, just because of they environment. Millie, Lindsey's old math friend, used to have a great influence on how Lindsey acted, but now Millie's influence has decreased a lot. Also, the influence of school has made a big difference on Lindsey's brother, because school influences him to be a good kid and not drink. After the school assembly, Lindsey's brother tries to influence her not to have an alcoholic party, but it did not work. Group influences are very significant in each persons lives, and sometimes people do not realize how much others influence our own actions.

Tuesdays with Morrie and Genie

In class this week, we watched the movie "Tuesdays with Morrie." I found the movie to be really good and sad, and it taught me a lot about how I want to live my life. Morrie spent the time he had left by cherishing it and having fun, instead of dreading that one day that will come. I found that this was really important, because I want to live my life, instead of me worrying about what will happen next. Also, Morrie really showed me that in order for people to move on with their lives and be happy, they need to show emotion and feel dependent on people. I know many people who live their life feeling like they do not need others, and never showing emotion. Allowing yourself to open up and feel a need of others around you is very important, because it allows a person to grow. I also learned this week that human interaction is one of the most important things in a persons life. Without human interaction, we would never learn how to chew, walk, talk, or learn properly. Isolated people live a life full of wonder, and they never truly experience the great things. Genie grew up in a California home never leaving the room she was tied up in until she was 12. She never met people and her father gave her food under the door. She could not speak, could not stand upright, and could barely walk. After people found her, she went to a home with people who could not take care of themselves and learned to walk and use simple sentences. She still does not have a very high IQ and probably struggles with her life. This shows that early interaction to establish close bonds needs to happen at an early age. People need to interact and form relationships with each other to become intelligent and happy. This article and Tuesdays with Morrie showed me how important the bonds we make with others will really help us grow in the future.

Vegimite or Butter?

This week in sociology, we discussed how people from other countries view us and our lifestyle. At my overnight camp, I have been fortunate enough to work with people from England, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and more. This past summer, I was co-counselors with a girl Claire from Australia. She could not understand at all why we have bagels with butter or cream cheese. In Australia, they eat everything with Vegemite. It was so weird to her that in our culture, we would eat peanut butter and jelly as often as she would eat Vegemite. I learned that it is hard to look at other countries or cultures without judgment. Also, Claire told me that in Australia, water is so low that they can only shower for a certain amount of time and they actually get fined if someone sees them leave on the water while they are brushing their teeth. I found this out one time when she caught me leaving the water running as I was brushing my teeth. I found that this was so weird, because most people I know leave on the water and think this is normal. It was interesting to find out what things were different where she lived. Each culture is so different, that we wonder how those people could possibly be doing what they are doing, like eating toast with butter and not Vegemite. Also, I taught sailing with a girl from New Zealand. She told me, that they grow up mostly learning that when you finish school, you travel and explore the world first and then find a job. I found this very interesting, because we are so programed to graduate high school and then go straight to college. If a person were to tell you that they are traveling after college, that person will probably think that you will never go back to school. Camp allows me to meet all these new people and learn about their way of living.

Multiple Signs!@#$%*&=)

Today in class, we learned that in each culture, people make different signals with their hands to get something or tell someone else something. I found this very fascinating that in a lot of different cultures, even ordering food is very different. I could never imagin going to a different country and trying to live in their land, but never knowing what their hand signals to me even meant. You never really realize that the things in our culture that we are used to, like a thumbs up for a good job or a high five, may not be recognized to outsiders. I think it is very important to learn these kinds of things from different culture, because it can tell a lot about their beliefs and how they like to live. Having completely different kinds of toilets, for instance, in different cultures really tell a lot about how that culture lives as well. It was really cool to see what cultures cherish, like conserving water or marble toilets(high class), and what they do not necessary care about as much. This weeks lesson about how different our culture is from others was really eye opening.

The Bronx Tale

In the movie, The Bronx Tale, C had many groups that he belonged to. I think C belonged to a group that just involved him and Sunny, his own family, the group with his friends, and religion. All of these four groups had huge aspects in C's life, because they all influenced him to make decisions that he sometimes did not know how to make. Every time C went on the bus with his father and they passed the church, he would pray. He also prayed at Sunny's funeral. Also, his dad influenced him a lot in the story, because even though C disobeyed him a lot, C still asked his dad what he should do in some situations. His dad told him not to tell on Sunny after he witnessed the murder, so he did not. C was also influenced a lot by Slick and his other friends, because his friends hated certain kinds of people and always ditched school. They all wore the exact same things like a hat, and they influenced their values on C. When his friends were going to throw things on fire on the African Americans, C went because those were his friends and they were the only ones he had. He thought it was wrong, but he was going to do it anyways if it wasn't for Sunny. C does not belong in Sunny's "crew," because he was never violent nor participated in what kind of activities his people did. Him and Sunny belonged in a group together, because they spent time together a lot and both influenced each other a great deal. Sunny treated C as his own child in most cases, and C looked up to Sunny on advice about things such as girls. They both understood each other. I also think where C lived influenced what he thought about the world. Even though he ended up liking an African American, which was a not right back in those days, he still was taught to hate those people. There was a line from where white people could go to, but it stopped as it entered the black neighborhoods. If a white person entered a black neighborhood or a black person entered a white neighborhood, people would probably end up hurting them. This is what happened to C's friends, because they wanted to hurt the African Americans when they were in the car and they themselves ended up dying. They were taught to hate those people, and African Americans were taught to hate them. They were enemies for no reason.

What Group Are You In?

In class today we did a really interesting activity about the kind of groups that influence our lives and then the status we think we are in them. We learned that the groups we associate ourselves with, like family or friends, really affect our lives. I found it really interesting to learn about what important groups are to some people in our class. By looking at me, people would never know that religion is a really big aspect in my life. I am Jewish and I keep Kosher. I am not an orthodox Jews, but my mother's sister is. By keeping kosher, I have never eaten a cheeseburger or bacon or anything like that. People think it is weird when they find that out about me, but I do not because I have never experienced eating it. That is how I grew up. By my mom's sister being orthodox, I have experienced weddings with men on one side and women on the other. To me that seems really weird and drastic, but it is apart of their life and I have grown up with it. Also, family is a really big aspect in my life, and I found it interesting that some people in our class did not put family as one of the most important groups that influence them. I know that without my family, I would not be the person I am today. I am excited to continue with this activity tomorrow, because it is easy to judge people based on looks at our school and I like how I am finding out important things in each persons life. I personally think that the groups you associate now with really make up the kind of person you are. I am wonder what kind of groups I will be associated with when I am older.

Sociological Mindfulness

After I read Schwalbe's Sociological Mindfulness, I was shocked by the way others act and the way that I have acted in the past. I do have to say that I have probably said things or did things in the past that has hurt people indirectly, and I have never known. This article really opened up my eyes to see how our lives are intertwined with each other in ways that we do not realize. I thought it was quit extreme how in the article, Schwalbe made the example of people working in companies that make weapons, cigarettes etc and saying that they indirectly kill or harm the people who buy those products. It is scary to think that a person having a job in a company, like in the making of plane parts, could potentially kill hundreds because their company did not make a part up to par. In the movie Thank You For Smoking, it is an example of how the main character is the spokesman for smoking rights. He is blamed for the dangers of cigarettes, even though he is not directly the one making them, he just speaks for them. Even though I thought it was really extreme to bring this point up, I thought it necessary of Schwalbe to do. I could honestly say I have never thought about this point on how our actions, affect so many other people, that it is scary to even imagine. I also really liked how Schwalbe talked about people paying more attention to the hardships an options other people face. He says we are more likely to show compassion and respect for them. People in society should really think about this, because I have seen it and experienced it too many times when people yell at hard working employees because they are unhappy. All the time at restaurants I see customers yelling at hard working waitresses because they forgot a water or bread. If these people would have had more compassion and be patient, then maybe this person wouldn't be directly hurt. People also have to think about if they ruin that waitress's day, how that waitress will react the rest of the day. Chances are, she will be upset and ruin her customers or her friends days, just because that one customer was rude to her. I really found this article to be really interesting, and hopefully I will become more sociologically mindful in the future.

Is a Silence Truely Awkward?

What truely is an awkward silence? I really think there is no such thing as an awkward silence. It really is ok to have a silence or a pause when people are having a conversation, because this pause allows people to think about what they just heard. People only think they are awkward, because they make it awkward. I am the kind of person who sits there and listens to people when they talk, so you could say I would notice an awkward pause or two if one happened to occur. The only thing is, I think if there is a moment of silence, it allows people to gather their thoughts and really think before they talk. In my english class, people never answered questions when my english teacher would ask them. There would be long pauses before my teacher would be like " well this is awkward." I mean, in a classroom of 25 students, it could be a little weird when no one is talking. Even though it could feel weird when this occurs, I think silence isn't awkward. Silence allows for people to gather their thoughts and really think before they answer a question or respond to a statement. I do not think silences or pauses affects our ability to be listeners, because it gives us a chance to think about what we just heard. If there are a bunch of people talking at once to fill the air with words or noise, people will not listen to any of it. If one person was talking and paused to think about what to say, I think people will be more inclined to listen and really think about what they just heard. I truely like what people call "awkward" silences, because they help me think about what I just heard.

Who Am I?

The two things that define who I am are my family and my friends. I honestly believe that you are who you chose to spend your time with. I am very loyal, caring, and trustworthy. I always try very hard at every task that comes my way, and I always try to make the right decisions. I have been an ice skater since I was five, but after high school I am going to stop ice skating as I enter college. Ice skating has really influenced my life, because it taught me to never give up and be a strong person. I think the biggest influence in my life is my family. I am very close with my two older sisters. They are both teachers, and we try to spend as much time together as possible. My dad has also always been there for me. He is always the person cheering me on at a skating competition, and he is the kind of dad that is willing to do anything to make our family happy. My mom works very late every night, and she shows me what a strong work ethic can do for your future and your career. When I go to college, I think I want to study nursing. I want to either be a nurse for new born babies in the hospital or a nurse at a pediatricians office. I have always liked the idea of helping people and making them feel better. I hope in the future I can be a really good nurse and help out those in need. I honestly always try to be the best person I can be, and I hope it shows throughout my life.