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.