CRASH

This week in class we have been watching the movie crash. Crash is a great example of racial discrimination throughout the entire movie. There are a bunch of different racial groups and it really puts it in perspective how the American society discriminates towards these different groups. We have been talking about different races in class and how people discriminate towards one another. This movie was showing how no matter how hard you try not to judge people you always have stereotypes in the back of your mind. For example in the movie the white cop was always trying so hard not to discriminate against black people but in the end his stereotypes got to him when the black kid was in his car and his clothes were all ripped and he was reaching in his pants to get something but the cop thought it was a gun. He was stereotyping against him when the whole time he was trying so hard not to. This just shows that no matter how hard you try we are always racial profiling.

Race

This week in sociology we have been talking about race and how there is no biological or scientific way that it can be defined. It's the society that defines it however they want. That would be called social construction of reality.  The society itself bases race off of non biological things such as what kind of food they eat. For example we relate fried rice to Chinese people and fried chicken to black people because that is how our society puts the two together. Also, depending on where you live it could be what we call different races and in other countries people associate different races with different descriptions. We've also talked about explicit racism which is when one racial group thinks they are superior to another racial group because of what they look like or how they act or what they wear all depending on how the society puts them together.

Community service

For my community service I served my ten hours training and working at the bocce ball special Olympics with sal! During the training I was kind of skeptical because no offense it looked a little boring just watching people roll a ball on grass. But I was open minded to the whole thing because I had never done something like this and I was really looking forward to it. I was also nervous because I didn't know what to expect. When we got there we set up the courts and we got assigned out players. It was really fun and I loved seeing how excited this make everyone and how happy they were it made me happy! I would definitely consider doing this again!

Social class

This week in sociology we have been talking about social class again and how people react to others due to their social class. People in lower classes have been shown to be more of the rednecks and live in poor areas. For example Tammy is a great example she is in the lower class and really doesn't have anything she lives in a trailer with four children off of minimum wage that she makes from Burger King. She is barely getting by and trying as hard as she can. Then there are those who are in the higher class who barely do anything and make millions by just that. People who are born into money think they are better then everyone else and I find it disgusting. People need to realize that not everyone has money and it's not easy to live in this country and we need to be sociologically mindful towards those who don't have it so easy.

Social Class

This week in sociology we have been talking about social class and how it can be linked to deviance. We have talked about all the different levels that show what social class you fall into. Depending on how much money you make, your wealth, what kind of education...all these factors come into play. Mainly it's how you have been brought up, depending on where you live, what your parents do all of that. Your parents are a huge part in where you fall because they are the ones paying for your house and your education. So with education..the type you get depends on where you live. Everything is connected and I find it so interesting. Deviance comes into play here by your social class. Mostly those in the lower classes tend to be more deviant by nature because they may not have been brought up the way middle class people have and they may not have as much money or as much education. This is where we need to be sociological mindful of those people who are barely hanging on and those who are barely getting by with what they have.

Gender panel

Today in sociology we had a few students come and talk to us about lbgtq. That is lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and questioning. It was truly amazing to hear all these stories about my fellow classmates lives and how they have dealt with this theoughout their entire life. It's not easy to come in front of a lot of people and talk about something so vulnerable. It kind of made it easier to understand what people are actually going through and how tough the process can be and how even just a single word like "fag" could hurt someone so badly. This panel today made me become more sociologically mindful towards those going through the confusion and trying to figure out who and what they wanted to be. I realized everybody is an individual and no matter what everybody should be treated the same no matter what gender you may be. This talk was truly inspiring!

This week in sociology we have been watching a lot of videos on masculinity. We having showing the overall trend of how our society works and now men and woman need to act in it. Mostly, we've been focusing on boys and how starting at such a young age they were told that they need to be tough and they need to "act like a man" and show no weakness. This is a leading cause in violence because boys try to act so tough they think that violence is the answer. Even those are aren't tough get bullied and in end they try to show the world they can be man and they aren't "soft" and end up killing people to show that masculinity. I believe that this will not change anytime soon. Change takes time but I think it's also up to the person if they even want to change. It's hard showing emotions for some people and it will be a real challenge but I think time will tell and eventually our society will become a better place.

Socialization round 2

This week in sociology we have continued to talk about socialization and how it shapes the way you are. We did the TV assignment and it really showed me how consumed out society has been with television. For one of the steps it was to watch someone else watch tv and I watched my dad. It was just so crazy that I never realized what were doing when were watching tv. He was totally spaced out he barely blinked and I'm pretty sure his mouth was open for most of the time. We never realize because we are so consumed in it, the tv takes control over us. So when I had to think about what really shaped me I first thought of my family because they are a huge influence in my life but then I thought about the tv. Most of the time when I'm home I'm watching tv and when I'm not watching tv I find myself talking about it and all the shows I watch and all the characters I like and don't like. It takes over my life!!! This lesson really taught me I need to get some priorities straight...

Socialization

This week in sociology we learned about socialization and nature and nurture. We learned that for us humans right after birth we become aware of things around us because we have the ability to be caucious. We also need interaction in order to able to gain that awareness and consciousness. Interaction with other humans and to be given the care we need right after birth, whether it's being in a safe place or even just given food. We have watched and read about people who didn't exactly get that care and in the end they don't have that awareness and consciousness. They are called wild child's. They are secluded and don't have normal interactions that normal humans have they don't know how to function and end up having long term problems do to neglect. This has taught me that we need to be nurturing towards people and we need to have interactions in order to survive. 

Tuesdays with Morrie

This week in class we have been watching a movie called Tuesdays with Morrie. This movie is about an old man who once was a sociology teacher who is now becoming terminally ill. One of his former students felt guilty about never visiting him so he decides to go and see him...every Tuesday. For Mitch, the former student, this was life changing for him. Morrie throughout the time Mitch had been visiting him has been teaching him life lessons that he will never forget. One major value that Mitch was never able to grasp was love. Mitch was in a relationship with janene but had a tendency to take her for granted. Morrie however taught him that it is ok to give love and receive it. I feel like people now a days are scared to love and be loved because they don't want to get hurt. Not only that but now people are more independent and don't need to rely on others no matter what. Morrie taught Mitch that it is ok and throughout the movie Mitch was more becoming with the idea of love. I can definitely understand where he is coming from because people are afraid and we need to learn that in the end it is ok

Nothing

For my nothing assignment I stood in a grocery store literally doing nothing for 10 minutes. I stood in the middle of the aisle just to make it inconvenient for people trying to get past. At first I noticed people looking at me funny when I wouldn't respond after the third or fourth time. It was a really weird and difficult experience. I was basically experiencing what it was like to be mute and putting myself in the shoes of those who really are. I tried not to think so much and I would catch myself spacing out and then I would snap back into it then space out again. After I was done with the ten minutes I felt more relaxed.

In sociology we have been talking about culture and how they are different all around the world. After watching God Grew Tired Of Us I have learned how many things Americans take for granted. We don't value the things that are most important in life as much as other cultures do. In the movie it showed how fast everything was moving and how you always need to be doing something and in the most off all of that we don't have time to relax of spend time with friends and family. I have definitely realized this recently because I have school and of course going to Stevenson we get hours of homework and then I also have a job so things can become hectic and there's times when I don't get everything done and because of that I get punished. I just feel like we need to slow it down and enjoy that things around us.

Not only have we been talking about culture but we have also been talking about the values within those cultures. This week in class we were going over all the values Americans have and comparing them to other cultures values. Throughout this week I have realized that our values aren't exactly what we believe they should be. We always talk about how equality is a big factor but in reality not many people would pick that as one of their main values. Because we're living such a fast pace lifestyle many people's values revolve around time and how we control it. I would definitely make this one of my strong values because of how I've been taught, that it's bad to be late that you need to do this and that in a certain amount of time. For that reason alone I make time a priority in my life and I HATE when I'm late to something or don't finish things on time. I bet not many other cultures would pick time as their main values..

CULTURE

 

 

This week in sociology we learned about different cultures. We learned about culture shock, ethnocentrism, and culture relativity. Culture shock is basically when you are shocked at how different cultures do things. Ethnocentrism is when you base things and judge things based off of your own culture because you think it's the best way to do something. Culture relativity is trying to relate to that culture and understand that other cultures have different ways of doing things. I found it really interesting when we read the article during class about the Danish woman leaving her baby outside while eating at a restaurant. People were outraged and the police took the baby away from her. She, however, was confused because to her this was OK to do in her culture. Different places do different things. I for one thought it was strange that she left her baby outside considering it could've gotten kidnapped but I guess that's just my ethnocentrism kicking in. If those who were around her were more sociological mindful they would've accepted the fact that to her it is ok to leave a baby outside and understood that different cultures act differenty. I now know that I need to be more sociologically mindful around those with different cultures instead of being judgy and thinking that the way we do things here isn't always the way you do things somewhere else.

SOCIOLOGICAL MINDFULNESS IN A BRONX TALE

SOCIOLOGICAL MINDFULNESS IS TO BE ABLE TO LEARN HOW THE WORLD AROUND US ACTS AND TO APPRECIATE PEOPLE WITHOUT JUDGEMENT. IN THE MOVIE A BRONX TALE CALOGERO OR "C" AS SOME PEOPLE WOULD CALL HIM WAS ABLE TO PICK UP ON THIS CONCEPT. DURING THE TIME PERIOD OF THIS MOVIE IT WAS DURING THE 1950'S, 1960'S WHERE SEGREGATION WAS STILL PROMINENT. IN C'S NEIGHBORHOOD ALL HIS "FRIENDS" WERE VERY AGAINST THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE AND WERE ALWAYS THROWING OUT THE N WORD AND TRYING TO FIGHT AND BEAT THEM UP, AND EVENTUALLY TRIED TO KILL THEM. C WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO DIDNT SEE THEM AS THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN BUT FOR WHO THEY REALLY ARE AS PEOPLE, HE WAS ABLE TO GET TO KNOW JANE WITHOUT ANY JUDGEMENT AND IN THE END THEY END UP TOGETHER. C WAS VERY SOCIOLOGICALLY MINDFUL BECAUSE HE WAS ABLE TO APPRECIATE THE UNIQUE QUALITIES IN JANE WHERE AS HIS FRIENDS COULD NOT. NOT ONLY WAS C SOCIOLOGICALLY MINDFUL BUT SONNY ALSO HELPED C BECOME THAT WAY. HE WAS THE ONE WHO TOLD C TO DO WHAT HE WANTS IN ORDER TO BE HAPPY AND IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT COLOR SKIN YOU HAVE AS LONG AS YOU MAKE EACH OTHER HAPPY.

STEREOTYPES VS. CATEGORIES

 

 

This week in sociology we read an article, "Should We Generalize". This article talked about stereotyes and categories. It is in our nature to generalize things, whether it's people, animals, or even just objects. We put certain things into certain subgroups in order to help us. The only problem is that the way we categorize things can be hurtful to those around us. The article talks about how we if we were to say the word fish we would just put that in a category of ALL fish whether it's salmon or tuna, it doesn't matter but that is how we categorize things. But in our society today the way we categorize can we hurtful. Let's say you see a kid with one leg you would probably categorize that as oh that sucks he probably can't do much, but though his perspective it can be a great opportunity in which he teaches himself things that others cannot do. We just put all those people together in one big category thinking that because of their disability they can't do much. In my opinion categories are groups that help us put things together in order to help ourselves where as stereotypes are a negative connotation towards people because that is how society has made us see things. For example, if you were to see an African American you would think oh they're really good at sports because that is how our society has made us see things. As we talked about this in class it really made me become aware of the generalizations and cateogories I was putting people into. When I was at dinner the other night with my friends we saw this man who had this huge rash looking thing all over his face and they started to laugh, I thought to myself wow this could be a good thing for him, maybe this hasn't affected his life and maybe it has made him a stronger human being. 

CONFLICT THEORY

This week in sociology we learned about the conflict theory. This was created by Karl Marx. He studied how different classes have controlled society throughout history. This can also be connected to what we did this week, and that was watching Freaks and Geeks. This show was about the separation of groups and how people react to how each group acts, or what they do. There were the freaks, which were the "druggies" or the burn outs as some would call, where as then there were the geeks which were the nerds. While watching this show I realized that the idea of the conflict theory came into play. The freaks acted as if they had control over the geeks, they would pick on them and act as if they were better then them, when in reality they are not. Also the idea of social construction of reality which basically means a society of people created from experience had a role to play in this show. People are aware of the different groups and we learn to accept that it's normal. We believe it is normal for older kids to feel like they have more power over the younger kids, or that the "freaks" are able to pick on the "geeks", we have grown up seeing this is movies and in reality that those become our experiences and we actually believe that it is ok to act that way. I think after watching that show I have become more sociologically mindful to those around me and I have begun to see things in a different way and realize that THINKING you have a certain power over others is not ok.

SOCIOLOGICL IMAGINATION AND SOCIOLOGICAL MINDFULNESS

This week in class we learned about sociological imagination and sociological mindfulness. Sociological imagination is how an individual is shaped or influenced by where and when they live. While sociological mindfulness is digging deaper into the WHY. Why do people act the way they do. Why are you the way you are. We see this through a new perspective trying to really get to know someone without any judgement. Sociological imagination is dependent on where and when you live, for instance, since I was born in the suburbs of chicago I am the way I am today but if I were to be born in lets say Missouri I would be a completely different person! I may look the same, but I would not act the same. Also considering I was born in the late 20th century I am prone to technology, do to the technological boom. All I have grown up with is technology and that is why I am the person I am today. I'll admit, I do tend to text rather then talk on the phone, or talk in person because in our society today that is what I am influenced by. That is what everyone does now-a-days, it's normal to me. In class we watched a YouTube video about a guy who was reading his poetry and it happened to be about technology. He talked about how that is how we interact with each other. Technology is a major factor that plays into why we are who we are today. Not only does technology play a role in why I am the person I am today, but also family has a huge impact on my life. Another example where sociological mindfulness and sociological imagination is my decision on where I am going to college. Before high school I have NO IDEA where I would end up at college, there are so many to choose from! This is where my family comes into play. My sister attends the University of Iowa, and if she had not I probably never would've considered looking there! Indiana was always in the back of my mind, but because my sister goes there it has influenced me and impacted me so much that that is where I will be attending next year!

WHO AM I?

Who am I? I am Maty. I am just a girl trying to find my way in the world. I am a senior in high school. I am a sister. I am a daughter. I am a friend. I am a girlfriend. I tend to keep to myself for the most part but I believe that is what makes me a stronger person overall. I am independent but also dependent on others. I've grown up playing sports but soccer is the only one that really stuck with me. I started when I was in kindergarten, so I was about 5 and I play until now. Overall I have been playing soccer for fourteen years! Once I turned sixteen I was forced into getting a job, and ended up getting one at Delia's (a girls clothing store) and have been working there for a little over a year now. The environment is great I love being the one to help those little girls find new outfits for their first day of school, or for their birthday parties, or even an elementary graduation. I love the smile it brings on their faces it's a great feeling! I am an overall happy person, and I have my friends and family to thank for that. 

The biggest influences in my life would have to be my parents. They are the ones who are really teaching me daily about life and what is to come in the future. They are the ones who help me make big decisions that I would not be able to make on my own. They are the ones who will always be there for me no matter what. 

For the future...I'm not really sure what is to come yet but waiting anxiously trying to figure it out. I know that next year I will be attending University of Iowa, not quite sure what I will be majoring it yet but I'm considering Psychology. I love trying to figure out what is going on in everyone's minds it's really interesting for me. But everything after that is a mystery to me, all I know right now is that everything happens for a reason.