Response Paper 7

Response Paper #7

            When looking at my life and how race fit into it, I feel that it was just never a factor.  I never noticed it and I never felt different, that could also be because I grew up in a predominantly white area though.  I feel that other races were “recognized” but not differentiated.  I was always friends with everyone – it didn’t matter your skin color and what you looked like.  I think that’s also why I never knew differently – I was raised that everyone is just a person no matter what.  I honestly can’t remember the first time I realized “race” or the difference – there was never that “Aha” moment.  As I grew older though, I would hear people making jokes about different ethnicities and races.  Race became something that divided us as people, not something that didn’t matter anymore.  I would always write off those people and defend others, but that still never changes the people making the jokes and comments.  I hear family, friends, and others around saying things that shouldn’t matter. 

            Race is used as a tool in the United States; because of the history of our country, we do look at race and use prejudice against others.  It is a socially constructed tool to keep others in people and privileged.  It keeps propelling inequalities that should not exist.  Race formation goes along with its social construction.  An example would be the “one drop rule.”  It allowed certain people to be labeled as “black,” even if they appeared white because they had a drop of “black blood” in them.  It kept those categorized as black people oppressed and kept the whites in a prestigious position.  Think about the Native Americans when the settlers first came to this country – they were killed off just for being in their own land!  Racial inequalities started at our country’s history.

            Prejudices, racism, hate crimes, discrimination, etc., all happen because of peoples’ inabilities to let go of racial biases that started hundreds of years ago.  People other than those labeled as “white” usually have some sort of negative connotation with their cultural heritage.  It is sad to say that most people believe these to be true as well.  This is the belief of the functionalist perspective – “the dominant majority benefits from the subordination of racial minorities” (Schaefer 255).  As America becomes more of a melting pot every day, the social lines become more and more blurred.  How people identify themselves also has changed greatly.  Hopefully as we see our country become more and more dissimilar, we will also become more open-minded as a people. 

            Based on the knowledge attained in this class, my views haven’t changed so much.  It just makes it easier to understand and appreciate other cultures even though I feel I have always tried my best to do so.  I have always believed that everyone is created equal – no matter where they come from or what they look like.  As schmoozy as it may seem – I really always was the nice girl in school.  I was friends with everyone, and still am to this day.  I was just explaining to my family the other day – America is a melted pot and was founded as such.  None of us are actual Americans – Native Americans are the only ones.  Yet they judge so easily people of other cultures and races – how hypocritical.  Our country’s history ended up quite ironic indeed.

Extra Credit Assignment #2

Extra Credit Assignment #2: City of God

            When thinking about a different culture to look at, the movie City of God immediately stood out right away for me.  The film starts out in a small slum on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro that is named the City of God.  There is a certain group of unruly children who own guns, smoke, steal, and swear.  The beginning of the film shows the boys robbing a gas truck.  Afterwards, they go play with a ball and shoot it down in mid-air.  That was a clear sign where this movie was going to go.  From there on, they decide to steal more and earn more money.  The movie chronicles one of the boys’ goals to become a photographer.  Rocket has grown up in the city and knows the group.  As they get older, they start stealing more; their primary goal is to get to the top and rule the City of God.  By the end of the film there are two different gangs running the whole town and it leads to an all out war.  Because of what has happened, it propels Rocket to become the photographer that he has always wanted to be, and he earns acclaim from all over for the work he has done. 

            One huge concept in this film about their culture is how collectivistic they are.  The whole group of friends sticks together and does everything for each other.  Within their small group of friends, they are all out to help each other.  Everything you do must be for the good of the group.  Before they go kill their rival gang, they all pray together in a circle.  Even within their whole community they all stick together; when the boys rob the gas truck in the beginning of the film they yell for everyone to come get some gas.  All of the town’s people run out to help themselves.  In most societies, when you steal something it is usually kept for the thief all for himself.  There are no individuals in this society.

            Another large concept that goes along with collectivism is the fact that they are a vertical collectivistic society.  Although all members are part of a bigger group/“cause”, all of the members are not seen as equal.  Within the gangs there are different levels of jobs that you can work your way up to.  Everyone is always trying to knock out the leader and get to the top.  The leader also takes out whoever they want that is lower than them.  There always has to be someone at the top or what motivation would anyone have to work their way up?  Unless you have the power, you are nothing.

            Going along with getting to the top, the culture has a high power distance.  The inequalities of the society are expected.  There always has to be someone on top.  The police are the highest power; they are paid off by gangs and can pick off whoever they’d like.  The gang leaders come next.  The rank then just goes down from there.  The less powerful have to be dependent upon the most powerful or else they would never make it. 

            The culture of the City of God is definitely a masculine one.  The men are competitive and assertive.  The culture truly does value everything that is big, strong, and fast.  The women are the supporters of the men, as they are not involved in the gangs.  The women usually try to get their men out of the gangs, yet the men are in charge so they don’t listen until they really want to.  The men are the controllers of everything.  There are clear gender roles in the society.

            One other main concept of their culture is their values.  All they value in this culture is money, power, and being the most feared.  The salience of their values is definitely primary.  The gangs are all willing to die for money and the power.  They really don’t seem to value much of anything else.  Only two of the guys who try to get out actually want to leave and live with their loves and relax for the rest of their lives; yet their hard lives caught up to them and neither of them made it. 

            The movie distorts social reality because I feel that people don’t really act that way – at least not in the American society!  The movie sheds light only partially on real human problems.  There are obvious problems that a lot of people experience – poverty, the desire to support, etc.  Not everyone experiences gang life and struggling to get to the top with guns and whatnot. 

            Overall I definitely got a feeling that this was a very rough society.  Power is the hugest part of their society; unless you have it you won’t make it.  At points in the film, the society is so different and shocking from ours that my jaw hit the floor!  Children are doing inappropriate things that even most adults would never do.  It is definitely a culture that forces you to grow up faster than any other.

Response Paper #6

Response Paper #6

                Growing up with a single Mother, I never was aware of my “social status.”  It was never about the things we had or what we did.  Respect was always the most important thing though – to respect your name and those around you were always number one.  I feel that because of that, there always was a sense of false consciousness in my mind.  I believed that I was on a level that I really wasn’t, or I was just completely unaware that there even were “levels.”  I know that my Mom worked hard for everything we had and all of the special things we did, so I never really knew how hard she did work for that.  I have become aware of this and what my class position would be in society.   As I get older and do more for myself, and as I am on my own now, you really begin to realize how hard you do have to work to obtain and maintain a certain level in society.

            My Uncle and Aunt always had more money and I watched them spoil my cousin.  They knew how hard my Mom worked growing up as we did not have a second income, so they tried their best to do special things for us on holidays or during the years.  Because of this, now that I am older I realize that I have experienced things that are tremendous and that not everyone gets to see or do.  As I talk to more people in my every day life, I realize that as much as my Mom struggled, we were still in a very privileged position. 

            The area that I grew up in is one of the richest in the country.  To see these huge homes around my town was and is still such an amazing thing to me.  I grew up in a townhouse, so to see people affording such huge homes is out of my mind; I always ask, “What do people do to afford this?”  I will never understand it, even to this day.  When I was a child, because of our area, I had friends and people I knew who grew up in huge homes.   Now that I am older, I have completely gotten a sense of what that means and how it really affects people.  On the other end of the spectrum though, when visiting other cities you see homeless people around and it is quite an affecting scene.  For me to be able to see all different statuses of life, it has completely been gratifying and eye-opening.  It has made me aware of where I stand in the social hierarchy, where others stand, and how it really affects people.

            As I looked at the chapter, I noticed a chart revealing the percentage of wealth, and I thought about what is happening today in regards to the 99% versus the 1%.   This may be a little off in the topic of class position, but I think that more people are waking up to the idea that wealth is completely distributed off beam in our country.  Because of how the wealth is in our country is distributed now, more people are falling to lower and lower class positions when they more than likely would not have been that way.  People are struggling more so and class position standards are getting steeper and steeper.  The number of people in poverty is rising, more people are losing their jobs and homes, and people cannot make up for lost funds when there are no jobs available.   It seems to be a never-ending and vicious cycle right now.

            To be unaware of social status is probably one of the best things a person can do for themselves.  To enjoy life, respect yourself and others, and live life honorably is the probably the only thing that can bring people pure joy in life.  When people worry too much about what they have and whatnot, that is when the struggle and stress sets in.  I think that’s why I have always been ok with where I come from and where I am going.

Response Paper #5

Response Paper #5

            Formal and informal mechanisms of social control are evident everywhere, especially at work and school.  Formal mechanisms are ones that are definitively written down, such as laws, rules, etc. They are clearly defined rules on what you can and cannot do.   Informal mechanisms are not literally written down rules, but they are to be known by everyone.  An example of this would be “wash your hands before and after every meal.”  It is not an official law, but people know that it should be done.  Formal and informal mechanisms maintain social control by controlling how people behave, telling what people should and should not do, and establishing what is “normal” or not within a society. 

            Deviance is any behavior that strays from the social norms.  Deviance is a product of the social system, not the individual, because of how we are taught what is right and wrong.  We are taught to confirm and act obediently within society.  This is how the formal and informal mechanisms are put to use.  Also, deviance goes hand in hand with stigmas within our society.  People who might have acted a certain way in their youth, yet no longer acts that way may still be labeled by their deviance. People often carry the label of being a “deviant” with them if they have broken a law in the past.  If you pick your nose in public though, you are still committing a deviant act, and are therefore a deviant.  The perception of what a deviant is greatly differs.  It’s unfair in these two cases that deviants still carry a label and are viewed in a negative aspect.

Social control is the techniques and strategies used to prevent deviant behavior in a society.  Social control is enforced in many different ways.  The most common being the police and enforcing laws.  Laws keep people in line in a society by clearly defining what people can and cannot do.  We know as citizens that if we do something we know we should not, then we will be punished; we can be arrested and go to jail.  Sanctions are penalties and rewards that come because of behaviors that are displayed.  If one acts a certain way then they will either receive a penalty of reward.  Between social control and sanctions, we know what we must do to keep going from day to day without any problems.

I feel that social control is not so needed at Kean University.  Although you will see officers and officials riding around and a rule book for our school, I don’t think there is much going on that needs an element of social control.  Of course things happen, but for the most part everyone I see is either just trying to get to class on time, figure out where they are going, or in general just heading somewhere.  I have experienced that most people at Kean do work and take night classes here.  I feel that at my work though, we have some sense of control.  Although in my position I don’t have too much I have to do with reporting, but as always there are the big bosses that have to keep everyone in line.  As employees, we know what we can/cannot wear, do, etc.  It is structured so everyone does their job and stays in line.

Overall, the way that deviance is viewed in our society is getting out of control.  In the current time of our society kids are automatically labeled as deviant if they act out even once.  Kids are put on medicines to control their behavior and whatnot.  Deviance is looked at so negatively and seriously, when the technical meaning is not always such a harsh act.  People are kept “in line” and following the main culture.  There is no escaping the control and no getting away with any “deviance.” 

Response #4 - Correctly this time

Kiersten, Chelsea & I met at the STEM building.  We discussed that we agree with the interactionist theory the most in regards to media.  Smaller groups are impacted and spread to larger groups.  More often then not, you hear people say, "I heard this on tv" or "I read this in the paper today."

Response Paper #4

Because of my hospital experience, work, etc. I never got to meet with anyone so I am posting my response here as normal.  Here we go!

Response Paper #4

            My favorite form of mass media is reading news websites online.  I love reading the news because I can get an idea of what is going on all around the country with regards to many different subjects.  I feel that it keeps me knowledgeable and up to date.  The news really does project many different attitudes and personalities of people.  My favorite news sites to read are:  msn.com, cnn.com, and msnbc.com.  Reading these news sites reflect the diversity of US culture by showing all that goes on within the US.  I know that the news can be biased (ahem Fox news), so I try to stick to stories that are objective and straight to the facts.  They also reflect the diversity of the US because of how the journalists write their articles.  You could have the same story on all three websites, yet how the story reads might be different.  It shows the diversity of the writers and their views of the world (although they try to be as objective as possible).  Reading the news should be a standard because of how it keeps people informed of all of the facts of what is going on in our world. 

Stereotypes are regularly challenged by the news by showing stories that go against the main culture.  Stereotypes are always portrayed in the news stories, mostly in crime and negativity.  Some crimes happen because of people’s perceptions of a certain culture which only fuels stereotypes further.  Also though, it can shed light onto a particular subculture, for example, and expose the truths that may not be thought of.  It can also expose the truths of certain geological areas as well.  The news just may surprise you, and get to think in a way that you wouldn’t have thought of before.  It is unfortunate that actual newspapers are dying out, but it’s amazing that the internet can reach so many people.  People need to take the time to just take a look at what is out there.

Stereotypes are also always constructed in this mass media.  By being exposed to different news stories, that may further make someone actually believe a stereotype.  As much as people can really take to a news story, they can also reject it just as easily.  Reading the news makes people use their brains, and think and feel a bit.  Because of this, certain people can react to aspects of a story.  Unfortunately, there is also some dominant ideology at play with some news outlets.  This sways people and keeps them believing the same old things.  This is why objective news stories allow you to form your own thoughts without too much influence and are good for the creative mind.

            The sociological perspective on the media that I agree with the most is the interactionist view because of the smaller group.  I have said before how much I agree about theories regarding smaller groups of people.  Because mass media is such a daily piece of life, it does have a profound effect upon us that we don’t even realize.  I often hear in conversations people speaking about something they saw on TV or heard on the radio; it brings people together as an activity to do as well. 

            Overall, it’s hard to say if mass media more hurts or helps our society.  There are cons and pros to it, as anything else in life.  There is one thing for sure though, we can never escape mass media and the influence it has on us.  As I was reading the chapter, I totally forgot all about social networking and the effect that has on people.  It brings everyone together and is used as an “activity” for free time. 



My Hospital Visit

                    Last Thursday I ended up in the hospital from a reaction to a medicine I was taking.  As this is a sociology class, I figured I should at least my experience there.  My jaw started locking up/become stiff while I was at work.  I thought maybe I was crazy and that it was just happening in my head.  After a while it started to get worse.  I called my fiance and my Mom to figure out what was going on.  Immediately I left work and went home.  I called my doctor who then instructed me to go to the emergency room.  Now, the emergency room is great and all, but they totally take the point out of emergency.  Unless you are dying, don't expect to get treated right away.
                    Apparently this type of reaction is something they have seen before.  It is called a dystonic reaction; a seizure like state where your muscles tense up and contract.  As my Mother kept saying, "It looked like you were having a stroke!"  My jaw stayed locked up and clamped the whole time.  It moved through my neck, face, arms and hands.  The nurse said it was just a quick fix;  if it was such a quick fix, why did I sit there waiting for 2 hours?  It took me not being able to breathe to finally have the doctor come in and give me an IV herself.  After 3 minutes all my muscles relaxed and I was fine.  I was so tired that I slept for 2 days afterwards...if you know me then you know that is so rare (I never sleep)!
                    This was something so scary that I had never experienced in my life.  It was definitely crazy but proves that you can never know what will happen.  Hospital life is so crazy...you sit and wait for something that I was told was a quick fix.  I guess that's how life is. 

Response Paper #3

Response Paper #3

            Although I was sick in bed with a stomach virus this week, I was still able to be exposed to some definite media.  On Friday I went to work, so I only listened to my IPod on the way to work.   When I got to work, the only media I was exposed to was the internet.  Then that night, I went out to the movies to see Straw Dogs.  I came home and got into bed; my fiancé put on the TV to help us fall asleep and that was all.  Then on Saturday, I ran errands with my fiancé.  We had the radio on in the car, but we weren’t really paying attention to it.  You could say that we were exposed to billboard advertisements more so.  I then went over to my Mom’s house and ended up watching old episodes of Friends and Criminal Minds with her.  I then went home and the same thing happened as the night before; my fiancé and I put on the TV to go to sleep and that was all. 

            All of this media around us socializes us as human beings by “showing” us what is “normal” and the right way to act and do things.  This is the process of socialization.   Without the outside influences of media, we would have no idea what was popular or likeable, and we would just look/act/do what we wanted to for ourselves.  We begin socialization at our birth.  We learn through our parents, family, media, friends, daily life, and everything else around us.  This shapes who we are, what we believe, what we like, and what we do until we are old enough to decide for ourselves.  Even then the influence of society still wears on us.  Even advertisements tell us what we “should” buy and like.  There is no escaping the influence of mass media on your daily life. 

            The norms and values of society are all connected within socialization.  Norms are standards of behavior maintained by a society.  They also “show” what are normal things and proper.   Norms are widespread throughout a culture.  Values are collective conceptions of what is considered “good” or “bad” within a society.  These shape who are as a people.  Many different cultures value different things.  Example, we eat cows while other cultures the cow is the God and worshipped.  Some may think what others believe is strange, but to every culture there are always norms and values. 

            These shows that I watched are about moral “goodness” and they reflect the values of society.  Obviously a show like Criminal Minds is going to penalize robbers and murderers, and put the heroes on a pedestal.  They portray these values of America.  These should obviously be norms as well for our society, but there are always exceptions to every rule.  The movie I saw also valued the hero; the bad guys lose out in the end.  The same thing goes with the news; most of what you read is all negative about crime and whatnot. 

            Our culture really embraces and values the hero.  Mass media really proves this time and time again; our culture does not like the bad guy.  Socialization teaches us what laws there are, and how to properly behave in society.  It is integrated into our lives from the minute we are born; it is something we can never escape.  Without ever realizing it, we are exposed to thousands of ads a day.  There is never a free moment from mass media.

Response Paper #2

Response Paper #2

            Culture shock is something that most people have experienced at least once in their life.  It is realizing that you are experiencing someone else’s culture rather than your own.     It could be as simple as going to a new ethnic restaurant, going on a vacation to a different place, or simply talking with someone or a group of people from a different culture than your own.  Some people act surprised, some act upset or confused, and some people act very intrigued and embracing.  People may feel many different ways when confronted with a completely different way of life. 

            I myself experienced culture shock when I went on a few different vacations.  I had a lot of the same experiences, so I am grouping them into one.  The times that I experienced the most sense of “culture shock” was on vacation to St. Thomas, the Bahamas, and on a cruise to Mexico.  There were many different things I observed while on my trips.  One very noticeable and remember able things was the environment.  While traveling through the land of each of the places I went to, there were definite sights to take in and experience.  These places are so beautiful, yet there were some very impoverished areas; it is quite an ironic thing to me.  The language isn’t so much an issue as the language there was English; it was the accents that were very thick and hard to understand at times.  There are always some barriers when traveling to other places. 

            The people there were very touchy-feely and got very close to others.  They have no problem being in other people’s “personal space”. Here in America we value the space around us to be comfortable and relaxing; being in someone’s personal space usually makes people feel very uncomfortable and on edge.  Although everyone in the main tourist places are very friendly and feeding into that tourism aspect of the culture, the main culture is definitely a close, in your space one. It is just their way of living and how they handle everything that comes their way.

            In dealing with ethnocentrism while I was there, I realized what I thought I would never do.  Most people in the United States believe that it is the greatest nation on earth.  When you go somewhere outside of the US, you start to believe this more so.  You start to miss where you are from, and the comforts of being from America.  While some practices in America may be completely acceptable, they may not be in another culture, and vice versa.  You have to learn to accept the area that you are in, the people from there, and the culture that comes from the area.

            I learned to be more accepting and understanding of other’s cultures.  I also learned that you definitely cannot judge a book by its cover, or in this case cultural stigmas; you will surely miss out.  You may be nervous to try something, or think that something is totally crazy, but how will you know you don’t care for it if you don’t try it?  People tend to get so caught up in the normalcy of their lives. While we are out of our comfort zone, it is the perfect opportunity to try something new.   You can’t always look at other’s believing that your culture is the best.  In turn, I believe that we all need to be more embracing of other’s ways of life. 

Response Paper #1

Response Paper #1

            After reading Chapter 1 and 2 of the text, Sociology: A Brief Introduction, I anticipate taking a couple of things and applying them realistically to my life.  I anticipate being able to see through other people’s shoes better.  Gaining a better understanding of others will, in the long run, be quite beneficial.  By doing so, I will hopefully be able to predict risky communicating situations and avoid them.  To be able to learn how people act, why they act a certain way, and recognize it is a very powerful thing. 

            I also anticipate that perhaps other people will be able to avoid these situations as well.  One can only put their faith into other people so much, but I’d like to think that other people are as understanding of other’s cultures.  I hope the knowledge that is learned by our class is then shared with others.  If our class and all the other classes learning can share a bit with their peers, then perhaps some of the knowledge will be shared on a larger scale, and others would learn more from it.   If only everyone did this, then maybe we would be a more understanding and thoughtful culture. 

            I took Sociology a couple of years ago; although I can’t remember all that came from it, I do remember one major assignment.  We had to create some sort of public “mayhem” and record how those around us reacted.  My group decided to perform a little “work out/dance class” in the middle of a mall (far away from our home town might I add).  The idea of this was to see how people reacted, and perhaps why they did so.  It was quite interesting to see how different age groups and people from different ethnicities reacted.  It was mostly younger people who were “in” on the joke; most of the older people just sat and were looking awkwardly at us, or ignoring us completely.  It was a different way to look at sociology and experience it. 

            When looking at the different sociologists and their theories, I anticipate taking the most from two different sociologists.  Charles Cooley is the first one that I agree with.    His theories believe in looking at smaller groups, the face to face interactions, and how they interact in their own personal environments. I agree because these smaller groups really do shape who you are, what you believe in, what you like/prefer, and much more.  It is the influence from these smaller groups that do so.  I also truly agree with C. Wright Mills in his theories in regards to the “sociological imagination”.  I believe that the individual has a place in the larger realm of society.  In looking at the individual and how they fit into the larger part or society, it allows us to “realize” or roles.  I think everyone should view their society with an outsider’s view rather than their own view from the inside.  It would allow others to be more understanding of other’s societies, instead of just thinking about our own. 

            Overall, I anticipate meeting new people, learning about them and their experiences, learning about different cultures, and being able to apply what I’ve learned to a larger scale.  In doing so, I believe it will prove to be successful in both my education and career development.  Sociology is definitely something that should be learned and shared by all to make the world a better and more considerate place.