post 9 race

The last couple days in class we have been on the topic of race. This topic has been one of the most interesting to me because there are so many misconceptions about race. The most interesting facts we talked about in class was that race doesn't exist its just socially constructed to identify certain ethnicities. An example was if a black women were to take a plane to brazil and got off would she still be black? The answer was no because in brazil they have different social constructions of race, so race doesnt exist. This concept blew my mind and totally changed the way I viewed the word "race". We also watched a documentary in class that really stood out to me called White like Me. It opened my mind to realize racism is no when near to being gone. After Obama being elected president a lot of people and even me thought looks like racism has died down. I do believe things have gotten better but no where near to being gone. In the video Tim Wise explains that America says everybody has the same opportunities when its not exactly like that. People living in a lower class neighborhood really don't, where you live has a huge impact. A lot of white people say they are going to be colorblind, when actually people should be color mindful. You don't want to totally dismiss where a person is from and their ethnicity but you want to be mindful of it not be blind to it. I feel like a small portion of my friends are not mindful to different "races" of people. I have a couple african american friends and people say racial slurs to them all the time, as jokes and in the moment it is no big deal. It gets me thinking now are they just going along with it cause they don't care or cause they just dont wanna say anything. I also another thought that was brought up in class was why isnt santa clause or jesus any other race like african american why are they always considered to be white. I think its little things like that, that will help us eliminate racism. People need to be more mindful of individuals.  

Post 8 Deviance

The new topic we have learned about in class has been about deviance, deviance is behaviors that violate social norms. In class we have been talking about what is considered as deviance. In different states having possession of marijuana varies In Montana selling a pound of marijuana, first offense, could lead to a life sentence, whereas in New Mexico selling 10,000 pounds of marijuana, first offense, could be punished with a prison term of no more than three years. Its crazy how people view marijuana so differently depending on where you live, it is more or less deviant.  Another example of deviance in the TV show Freaks and Geeks, lindsey the main character experiences with marijuana for the first time and doesn't even get caught but her other friends own as freaks, burnouts, or trouble makers it is more reasonable for them to get caught because they are expected to be deviant. Hippies during the 60s protesting the war shows example of deviant behavior because they protested against the war, experimented with drugs, and dressed differently. All of these things were against the social norms of the 60s. Another aspect of showing deviance is based on social class. We talked about how when people have more money, they can cover up deviance easier than a person with less money. Its interesting how you compare Stevenson kids with kids who go to school in a lower class neighborhood. I feel when Stevenson kids are caught, for example smoking weed and doing other drugs its considered way more deviant than kids in a lower class school, because people assume kids in a lower class neighborhood are doing deviant things. 

Post 7

In the last 2 weeks of class we have been learning about gender in our culture. Female and males are focused by our society to be viewed as completely two different types of people. I definitely agree that men and women are pushed down only one path and known as "weird" to our society if it is any other way. In class we watched the video Tough Guise2 and I remember a scene when they showed guys watching a wrestling match and how riled up and crazy they got just because men were were fighting with other men. From time to time I see my brothers and dad watch wresting matches and they also get riled up and crazy. Also in movies especially towards little kids the  Disney movies create a certain environment of images that we grow up in and become used to. Then the images shape what we think we should understand about the world which is how men and women should act and look. You could see in all different clips how Disney movies are very guilty of portraying that. Masculinity and dominance is very clear in the films. This video we wanted also pointed out to be that when a character doesn't have a chiseled body he is always viewed as peasant, slave, and just over all not as important. 

Another thing we did in class was have a panel of lesbian and gay students talk about their life struggles with their sexuality. It really touched hearing their stories of coming out to their friends and family. It was honestly heart breaking hearing how people even their families didn't except just because they choose to live their life differently. One of my best friends is gay and will never or ever has be treated different than any other of my friends and thats how it should be for any other lesbian heterosexual or gay person. 

post 6 ways of seeing

During the last week during last we have learned about how technology and media has influenced us and our society around us. In class we watched an Oprah show on kids who have been neglected by their parents. When kids at a young age aren't exposed to society and don't have a father and mother figure to influence they don't mature like most kids in our society.It was sad seeing the condition she used to live her isolated from society until she got recused and adopted. I believe our parents are the biggest influence when we are growing up because they are the ones who raise us. We grow up watching our parents. I definitely wouldn't be the same person I am today without the influence of my parents. Then we watched a documentary called Consuming Kids, this documentary opened my eyes and made me realize that media doesn't have and doesn't even want to have any educational and valuable values to kids. They just come up with ways that will make their product sell the greatest amounts. They want kids to value their imagine and focus on what will make them "cooler." I remember as a kid I was never satisfied with the toys I had, I always wanted more and more. I always thought I needed to have the coolest toy out there. When I did the television experiment and sat with the television off I was staring at a blank black screen with a reflection of me in it. I couldnt even sit there to long without wanting to get up or turn the television on because it was so boring. By just a click of a button the blank black screen turned into a mesmerizing entertainment. I realized even though the television is turned on i'm still sitting in the same exact place looking at the same lifeless television. You're still there sitting doing nothing looking at the same screen except when its on the boring action of sitting there doesn't change.

culture shock

The past couple days in sociology class we have been learning about different cultures all over the world. One of the terms we learned was called culture shock, culture shock is when a person from a different culture is shocked by the ways and norms of another culture because it isn't their own. I can relate to this perfectly. For past couple years, every spring break me my mom and my aunt go visit my cousin in The Netherlands. The first time I ever went was a whole new world to be. The term culture shock is perfect because I was truly shocked stepping into a new country. When we talked about different toilets in class I could totally relate. In my cousins house the bathroom are so small and are not in the same room as the bath tubs or showers also the toilets are also constructed differently. When we went out in some places you actually had to pay to go to the bathroom. In the Netherlands biking is huge part of transportation I was shocked to see how many bike riders are all along the side walks and roads. Another thing that is much different from America is how the Dutch people in the city of Amsterdam view smoking Marijuana. When I walked in a local coffee shop everybody was smoking Marijuana like it was no big deal, compared to in America if you were smoking Marijuana in a coffee shop you would get arrested. Its their norm to be able to legally buy Marijuana and smoke it in a coffee shop.

in and out groups

In the last 2 weeks in sociology class when went more in depth learning about our society around us. Sociologist use the term ingroups and outgroups. Ingroups are the groups in our  everyday life that you are apart of like family, friends at school, close friends, co workers, peers, and etc. You feel attached to your ingroup and are more likely to judge people who are not it in which would be outgroups. We watched a video in class where a school teacher separated blue eyed kids from brown eyed kids. She made the blue eyed feel dominant over the brown eyed kids to show them what it feels like to be part of a outcast group. Being in perspective I know my ingroups which are my close friends, friends at school, family, and co workers. Knowing where I stand in my ingroups  has made me become more mindful because I am now more conscious not to make harsh judgments about other outgroups because everybody plays a different role in society.

In class we matched the movie the Bronx Tale I throughly enjoyed the movie and saw how it applied to the concepts we are learning in class. You could see in the movie that Calogero's ingroups were the mob, his friends, family, and his peers in his neighborhood. Calogeros master status changed over the course of the movie because you got to see him grow up. When he was little his master status was a son to his mother and father. As he got older his master status somewhat changed into a member of Sonnys crew. It was hard for him to make this change because his parents werent part of sonnys ingroup. An outgroup of the whole neighborhood was the African Americans because no nobody took the time to have mindful thoughts towards them except Calogero when he met jane. My master status like Calogero's has changed somewhat too because as I grew up i spent more time hanging out with my close friends but I will forever have a master status of a sister because of the number of siblings I have in my family.

Sociological mindfulness is meaningful to me in my life because I am able to see and appreciate things for their unique qualities. I do more than just pay attention and be aware of the relationships I have in my life with my friends, parents, boyfriend, and peers. I am able to appreciate the uniqueness they have as a thinking and feeling being. To be mindful I believe all humans lives are all connected, we are all responsible to consider how our actions affect others. Everyday I think before I act or speak to someone and take into consideration other people feelings based off of what I say and do, how it will affect them. Being mindful could also mean treat others the way you want to be treated. Being mindful also means how the social world works, how and why others are different from and similar to us, and how we can get along with others despite our differences. Sociological imagination is who you are, and where you come from. Sociological imagination could help you become more mindful based on what you believe in. I believe that everybody should have equal opportunities in life and should be treated equally.