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.