Social class

wealth gives people a lot of privileges in the us because as Americans many people have the illusion that money buys happiness. When someone has a well paying job and a high position at that job they are free to take vacations and time off when they feel like it. They dont need to worry about what their boss is going to say or if they are going to be able to make enough income for the month to feed their family. During class we played a few games including real life monopoly, which showed us how much easier life is when you are rich and you just have your money handed to you. I started off as the richest person in my group and it was a lot of fun for me because I bought every property that I landed on and people kept having to pay me. On the other hand the person who started out the poorest ended up having to use a credit card from the bank because she didnt understand how to spend her money wisely and ended up with close to none. During the game there were different situations thrown in like divorce and credit card payments, which ultimately tore people down. I would have won the game by a lot, without having passed go once, if I didnt get a divorce. Another privilege of a wealthy person is being able to get a good education while they are in school and then a good education for their children. With a good education and a college degree a person can go much farther in life and make a lot more money then a person with just a high school degree.

class

This quote has many different and deeper meanings about class in our society. This quote is saying that, a person could have good character and could have great intentions, but we might not think so highly of him because of what his life might be like. Shaw is trying to show how People in our society are quickly to judge and character sometimes doesnt matter to them. All that matters is the income a person is making and the way they choose to live their life. before the movie that we watched in class I didnt really understand the differences in class as well as I do now. The lower class is so far away from the upper class that a lower class person couldnt even pretend to be of upper class importance. Middle class on the other hand, has such a large range, that it might not be that far away from upper class. The example of work that is considered virtue in one class and vise in another is to compare the idea of an aggressive real estate developer with an
aggressive sanitation worker. Both are in business, but their qualities may be
judged differently. In one class a real estate developer is a job that someone had to work hard for and appreciates because they are making a steady income from it. On the other hand, in a different class a sanitation worker is something that is also valued because its the best that they can get. Sometimes people are happy with their low income jobs because it is better then nothing.

Deviance

I think that punishing deviant people is a societal construct because we don't want people who commit crimes wandering our streets. We try to keep all the bad deviant behavior under control by punishing people. Its hard to avoid punishments towards deviant people because people in the society will find out about letting people off the hook for doing something wrong, and create a scene. In the US we regulate deviant behavior by sending criminals to prisons for certain amounts of time until we think that they have learned their lesson and are willing to change. I think that there a lot of problems with out jails and punishing system because we dont take the time to teach anything, like correct behavior, to the inmates. The government just locks people up for certain amounts of time without even bothering to help them. sometimes people need rehab, but in our system people can only have drug rehab if they fit into certain requirements. Once these people are in jail, they wait until their trials and once they have served their time they are let go. What many people and the government dont seem to understand is that most of those people go right back to jail. When we were watching 30 days there were 2 good examples of people who were let out early and ended up going back to jail after just a few weeks. There was an older man who had been in jail several times before, and told the camera that he was ready to be out in the world and that he was going to try to be better, but in reality people cant just change without help. If the jails had some kind of therapy or group discussions, maybe the inmates will really understand what it means to change. The other example was a teen who had been in jail before for drugs and was able to leave his drug rehab program early. The government shouldn't allow that. People should have to go through the entire program to ensure their health and safety. Being deviant in out society calls upon punishments, but the real question that has to be answered, is if those punishments are actually working or if they are just creating more criminals.

Final Blog

1. Today when I woke up I decided to wear a pair of jeans, and a cute sweater to school. I wore my moccasin boots and I let my hair go wavy. I think that when everyone gets up in the morning, including me, and decides what to wear, they are letting nurture take hold of them. I wear whatever is in style and when something new comes into style I always think that I need to have it, along with most girls my age. I always try to look put together and I never wear sweat pants. I think that part of me could potentially be nature because my parents always look nice when they leave the house, they never look like a mess. I guess I can argue that my decisions in the morning could be be either nature or nurture, but it all depends on the way you look at it.
As a teenager I think that it is very important to have a job and learn how to manage your own money and experience the real work world. I have a job and I think that it was nurture that made me want to get a job. I was always taught that money does not grow on tree's, and that being able to work hard for something you want is important. Right now I am pretty sure that I know what I want to major in and what I want to do for the rest of my life, but I dont think I was born with this knowledge. I had to do research on physical therapy and I had to learn about it before I realized how much I love it. Because this was not a natural gift, this goal is nurture based. On the other hand I have a lot of good role models and powerful people in my life, like my parents who gave me the ability to work hard. They have showed me how important it is to graduate form college and get a job.
2. Social status power is so important to adolescence because they are always so worried and concerned about what people think of them and what their appearance is. Status power has taken control of peoples lives because all they want to do is having the hottest boyfriend and the cutest cloths. Something about Status power makes teenagers rude and selfish because they want everything for the benefit themselves and their status in life.
3. The socialization process is much different for children today because we have grown up in a much more advanced society. We have a lot of technology, that everyone depends on. We have computers for research and homework, instead of the library, we have cell phones, that teenagers are obsessed with and we have t.v.'s. Instead of learning how to have correct social skills, teenagers just text their friends and create relationships with people without even talking to them. This has caused a problem in our society because people are forgetting important skills, like reading the newspaper instead of watching the news on TV. yes these are valid concerns, but I don't think that people in our society realize what has happened as the technology keeps on improving. People don't realize how dependent they are on technology, so there is no way that people are going to change.
4. There are many gender issues in our society today and some of them have played a role in my life. Today girls are expected to be emotional, dependent, ditsy, passive, attractive and fit. These are all qualities that the stereotypical popular girl in school, or in the movies wold have. I am a girl that is not always those qualities. It bothers me when people think that all girls are ditsy and passive. I am neither of those characteristics and I am OK with that. I don't want to be spacey and stupid. I think that its OK for girls to be smart and be able to take control. They shouldn't let people walk all over them.
The same things happen in guys lives too I think. Guys are expected to be assertive, brave, insensitive and independent. Once again these are the qualities that only a perfect guy from the movies would obtain. Not all guys have to be insensitive. I know from experience, that no girl would ever want an insensitive guy. Girls want someone that will care about them and respect them, and a guy that insensitive and assertive would not do the trick. Also, its OK for guys to be emotional. It OK for guys to have strong feelings, that's what makes them have great personalities and great character. being the tough guy all the time must wear them out.

Adolescence

Adolescence are the teenagers in our society who cannot be considered adults yet, but are also to old to be considered kids. There is no real name, place or rules for these teenagers, which is why we refer to them as adolescence. Status power consumes the lives of these adolescence all the time because they are always worried about what others are going to think of them and what they can do to be cooler. Whether it is being pressured to drink on the weekends or not hang out with mom, status power always makes these teenagers do things they dont want to do. Its not uncool not to drink or to hang out with your mom for a change, just some teenagers dont understand that and let their unconscious mind take over. This is a huge problem in our society because teenager care way to much about the way that they look and act that their obsessive behavior might carry over when they become adults. Who knows, maybe this stage of adolescence is not only during their teen years. If their crazy about status and power then this behavior is not going to change when they become adults.
Status power is confusing when it comes to deciding whether or not these kids are old enough for some behaviors. I think that since parents have a lot more control over these teens, they tend to break the rules more because they think they they are more mature then what their parents think. A good example is staying out past curfew. I know that I can stay out later then some of my friends because my mom trusts me, but some of my friends break the rules so that they dont miss out on anything. Feeling like and adult, but not getting treated like an adult is a very confusing factor in an adolescent mind. Adolescents have a very confusing and sometimes challenging life style. They need to be trusted, but they are still teenagers, so their has to be a line, but drawing that line can sometimes be difficult.

Nature and Nurture

Before learning about nature and nurture I never really thought about how I was like or not like my parents. Now that I think about it, I wouldn't be the person I am today without the nurture that my parents provided me with. I am like them in the sense that I always want people to be happy and want the best for people. My parents taught me to be giving and caring, which are characteristics that I believe I have. I think that its hard to work against nature and nurture because they are things that happen to you in your life without you realizing it. When you are first born you are completely nature because your parents have not had time to nurture you yet. once they start raising you and giving you values, they instill their own sense of nurture in you. Nurture is not something you can control because it molds your mind when you are little. for example, when I was little I knew that yelling at my parents or being mean to my sisters was not a good thing. This is something that my parents taught me either by punishments, or just by stern voices. Either way i was able to learn my lesson.

Water metaphor

The metaphor of water is like water to a fish. it is essential that a fish has water, but it is probably something a fish never thinks about. The fish cant imagine a life without water.
1. An example of water in my life would have to be technology. The advancements and new technology that is coming out makes it hard to believe that once people had to live without phones, computers and ipods. I cant imagine being able to survive without the internet and texting. I find myself using technology every single day of my life whether it is catching up on my t.v. shows, doing my homework and the computer or texting my friends. technology is my water because I don't even think about it when i use it. Its natural to me to have all of this technology.
2. I navigate the water around me by informing myself about all of the new technology. I know what is out there and what new advancements are coming out. Behaviorally I naturally adjust to the cultural obsession with technology because it forces me to. Everyone is always talking about what is coming out next, so I am able to learn about it.
3. I dont always need the most expensive newest item on the technology list. I am ok with a older model and I dont feel the need to have everything. A value that is important is accepting what you have and not needing everything just to show off. I can show my friends that even though I have an older version of the ipod, I can still listen to the same music and enjoy it just the same. I like to show people that money does not but happiness. Yes, Technology is important, but its not the most important thing ever. Its something that we need, but there can be a limit. You dont have to look for the highest price and you dont need to get something new once the old one goes out a style.

Culture

a few weeks ago we discussed how different societies and schools have different cultures and how those cultures affect their ways of living and learning. a few values that fall into the same category are honesty, trust and respect. In the school environment all three of these values come into play in the classroom. The students have to trust the teachers on grading fairly and teaching in a way for students to catch on. If there is no respect in a classroom then students will not feel comfortable participating in class and its difficult to learn without feeling comfortable. Also there needs to be honesty in a classroom. Students have to know that no one is cheating of off them or using them for projects to get off easy with a good grade. All three of these values are highly looked upon at Stevenson because they want to give us a community that we will be able to learn freely in without any worries. Stevenson wants kids to feel respected, trustworthy and honest so that they can get the best education possible. Other values that are related to Stevenson are laziness and breaking the law. When students decide not to work and try hard in school, school officials get involved. Stevenson wants people to succeed so they try to get students help and mandatory tutoring. When students get in trouble with the law outside of school they still get punished for it someway in school. Stevenson does not lets kids off easy when they do something wrong. These values are the ones that Stevenson is not proud of, but they much be taken care of because students need to learn that education is important and even though it might seem boring now, it will be worth it in the end.

A Bronx Tale

In the movie A Bronx Tale the social constructs of reality play an important role in forming the way the people in the Bronx live and treat people. Their neighborhood is constructed so that certain people take control, know what’s going on at all times and keep people safe. The main group that takes the initiative is Sonny and his crew. They are the head of the neighborhood and everyone knows it. Most people even fear them. Sonny and his crew have their unwritten rules that everyone abides by. No one would dare do something out of line that would eventually get back to Sonny. This reality is comforting for some people because they know that if those crazy teenagers do something stupid, they wont get away with it. Sonny always gets his way and no one can disrespect him. Even though he and his crew sound intimidating they do have some good qualities. Since they always know what’s going on they are able to keep kids safe and off of the streets. When the bikers came into their neighborhood and into Sonny’s bar, they were not wanted, so instead of waiting for police, Sonny was able to take care of the men by himself. He has a lot of power, but that’s reality. People accept it and sometimes even like it.
Another construct of reality is racism. The whites in the neighborhood are clearly not getting over the fact that blacks should be equal. The white teenagers torture or offend any black person that comes through their side of town. The blacks are always minding their own business just trying to get through their rough days, when they get beaten up for no reason. Sonny is the only one who doesn’t accept this, because he knows that its wrong. Everyone else in the neighborhood sees what’s going on, but they are used to it so they don’t do anything about it. The reality of their neighborhood is that racism is going to exist. Its sad, but that’s what people are comfortable with.

9/11

Last Friday in class we remembered the 9/11 attacks that happened 8 years ago. We remembered the tragedies that occurred and the people that were willing to risk their lives to save the people of our country. This was weird to think about because it felt like yesterday when I was sitting in my fourth grade class room hearing about what happened. So much has happened since then that we probably never thought would happen in our country. The American people are stronger and closer then ever and the American army is constantly fighting for our safety. The safety precautions have changed so much to the point where we cant even bring liquids onto a plane. Another huge change is the stereotypes that people have created for the Muslim people. Now when we are in an airport or just walking on the street and we see a man with a turban, we think the worst. It has come to the point where it is sad that we are scared of some people that didn't even have anything to do with the terrorist attacks. Our natural instinct has taught us how to judge people way to quickly.

Freaks and Geeks

Last week we watched a t.v. show called freaks and geeks, which accurately portrayed how some high schools can be. There are definitely many different groups in high school, but the way these groups interact is a little different. At Stevenson there are not a lot of fights between different groups, because people don't care as much. I think that if people consider themselves popular they just wont talk to the geeks. They wouldn't make it their business to torture a kid. A lot of what was in this show about teens skipping class and smoking is not a whole lot different these days. There are tons of kids who skip class and smoke weed just because they think they are cool. This show really related to sociology because we have such a clear vision of what high school should be like because of movies like this, and it really gives of the wrong impression. We are fully aware of the fact that there are kids/groups of friends that might not be as cool or as liked as other groups, but we just ignore it. I dont think that one person or a few people really have the power in our school because everyone has their own friends and people try to stay away from causing drama and being in control. Ya there might be a few people who have the power in certain groups of friends, but its not power over everyone in school.

The first day of sociology class was very different from what I expected and from what I am used to. When I walked into class I first got greeted by a hand shake and a very welcoming hello. Usually when I walk into classes on the first day my teachers give me an assigned seat and get straight into the rules and regulation for their class room. In sociology we all got to pick our own seats and when everyone arrived our teacher said nothing. At first it was very awkward and I didnt know what was going on. I wasnt sure if our teacher was doing it on purpose or if he was trying to get us quiet. People were quiet at frist but then people started laughing and talking about what was going on. Many things were going through my head when I realized that it probably had something to do with the social norms of our society. We are so used to our teachers talking to us on the first day and having a teacher that didnt talk at all was really weird for us. This was a cool first experience of sociology.