Final Blog

Even after taking this class, I still believe that I am the same person that I was before I started this class. This class did not change the person I was, but it made me more mindful in being able to look at the world and different people in different ways.

After doing my community service, I have realized how lucky I am. My community service opportunity placed me in an environment that was completely out of my element so during my service hours I was constantly questioning the norms of our society, I normally wouldn't have done this before, and I learned to do that from this class. My community service assignment helped me to see how important volunteering was and how a little bit of my time could make someone else's day and that was very rewarding to me. I think teens take a lot of what we have for granted and we don't always put ourselves out there to help others.

This class has also made me realize how easy it is to get caught up in the American culture and materialistic things that people don't realize what else is out there in the world. Many people, especially teens, are influened a lot by the media in both positive and negative ways. Our own values help shape who we are and to not be so influenced by the media in wishing for the things that we do not have or want. I have realized from the different activities and units that the American culture continues to be made up of many people of different social class. Just because we live in a higher social class doesns't mean that there are not people around us that do not live in the higher social class. For example, the movie that we watched about the mother who had to walk miles in order to work at her job at Burger King shows that not everyone is as fortunate as we are and that our society is made up of many different social classes.

Sociology has helped me think of myself, my life. and the people around me in the world a lot differently. This class has not changed the person that I am but it has made me realize how influential every aspect of our lives can be. This class has also made me realize how grateful for what have and more aware that there are many people around me who are less fortunate. From this class, I have now left with a better understanding of our society and the different people around me. I am ready to look at the world in a different aspect.

Thanks for a great semester!

In class we talked about race and how people think it is completely biological but after our discussion we realized that it isn't. As a society, we create the image that we think about when we think of a certain race. When we think of a race we think of categories that come along with that race such as the way those people are supposed to dress and act. I think it's really cool that race is something we as people have created and it is not something we are born with. Most people think that once your born you are the race of your parents, but it goes past that. Our blood is the same as the person with a completely different race as us so in reality there is no difference at all. Throughout the years we have continued to judge other races and come up with what we believe is the way they act, dress, etc. In my favorite tv show, Keeping up the Kardashians, Khloe Kardashian recently married Lamar Odom. When Khloe's step dad first met Lamar Odom he had a previous idea that he was just like any other "thug" guy. After Khloe's step dad looked past Lamar and started to get to know him and learn about his background he realized that he lived a hard life and has overcome a lot of struggles in his life and he began to respect him more. I think in general people need to not judge other races and get rid of the previous stereotypes that they might have.

Social Class

This week we talked about social class and how in society today once you are born into a poor family, it is hard to break that cycle to become wealthy. We watched a video that discussed a family who was dirt poor and then compared it to a family in the Hamptons. I was able to relate to the video of the family who was dirt poor because their life was similar to one of my family members. On my dad's side of the family no one in his family went to college except my dad. When my dad finsished college and got his degree, a few years ago he decided to go back to school and become a lawyer. My dad is almost 40 years old, so for someone his age going back to school to recieve another degree is a big deal, especially in his family. During the time when my dad was in school, he quit his job so my family was only living off my mom's salary as a teacher which isn't a ton. It didn't really seem like a big deal, but it had a drastic change in the way my family dealt with money and what we did and didn't spend our money on. My dad's sister, my Aunt Mary has no college education and is the manager of Wawa in a little town in New Jersey. She has four kids, 2 who don't have a college degree, one who is my age and doesn't plan on going to college, ever, doesn't plan/want to take the ACT, and one who is a year younger than me, who also doesn't plan on going to college. We learned that part of this is because once you become used to how your family lives it is hard to break that cycle. My mom and I always talk about this and how my dad was the person in his family to break his cycle of children not attending college, but my Aunt Mary hasn't broken her own cycle and either will her kids so they will all grow up living like her because from her they have gotten the attitude of "my mom is fine living her life the way she does so I will be able to also." Both my Uncle Anthony and Uncle Michael both chose to enter the Army and not attend college. Back then, it wasn't hard to find a job, but now that they both have young children they have realized how important college really is and they will also break the cycle for their children in order for them to have the opportunity for a better life filled with more opportunities. Social class follows us everywhere and I know when I go to college there are going to be people less fortunate and more fortunate than I am so I am going to have to keep an open mind and realize that not everyone is as fortunate as I am and to be able to get used to the differences in people.

Social Class

This week we talked about social class and how it affects our lives. I have realized that social class really does affect who we are, who we hang out with, and how we act. In the movie that we watched today, we heard the most ignorant person alive talk about his life and his high-end social class. I think this guy is a complete joke. He thought that because he lived in his million dollar house, actually he would probably tell you billion or trillion, and did all these extravagent things that he was better than you because of it. Eventhough he was born and raised to think that he is better than everyone else and that everyone is almost less important than him, because they didn't have as much money as he did. I remember when I went to my friend Brennen's house in Georgia whose family owns Orkin( the bug killing company) so they are extremely wealthy. The way that her entire family presents themselves is in a completely respectful manner and even her 13 year old sister is the most polite person I have ever met. In Brennen's community everyone there is in the WASP group. They are some of the richest people I have ever met, but in Brennen's case she doesn't nearly act like them partially because she has seen the world and experienced other things besides this WASP group. Her parents on the other hand, are a completely different story. Her parents want EVERYONE to know who they are, what they own, how much money they have, and basically how unfortunate you are to not be like them, basically I think her parents are crazy. If you bring something up that you own, they will be sure to tell you that they have the nicest one, or the newest one and how they can not believe you would ever own such an "old, outdated" item. I think that everyone lives their lives differently, but it has definetly showed me that social class does play a big role in our society and how we interact with others.

30 days

Today we watched the show 30 days. This particular episode was about a man who spent 30 days in jail to see what it was like. I thought he was insane. All of the men in the episode that he had encounters with were all in jail for drug related activities. I truly don't believe that locking someone up for drugs is necessarily the right punishment. I do agree that there needs to be some punishment in place but putting them into jail teaches them absolutely nothing. When they get out, my guess is that 99% they will go do the exact same thing again. I think that people with real drug problems should be spending time in rehab, not jail. For example, the guy that was in jail and was having extreme withdrawals was going through more pain and not even getting help until way later. Someone I know has gone to jail twice, and rehab more than enough times and he has never changed and I don't think he ever will either. A person will never actually change unless they truly want to change so putting someone in jail for drug related activities teaches them nothing. I know from him that he is still the same person he was even after he went to jail. But I also think that if you put a drug addict in rehab and they also do not want to change, then they won't so I don't really know what you would do with those people either. I think that this show showed a lot about the devience of people in the jails and I think that if these people want to change their lives, they need to do it themselves and I don't think jail is the most obvious way to help someone.

When is a person really considered an adult?

In class we went through a timeline of events we considered to be big milestones in your life. Things like learning to walk, talk, hitting puberty, getting your license, being able to buy cigarettes, being able to legally drink, being able to rent a car...etc. In our society, when you turn 18 you are considered to be an adult. Being eighteen still has certain limits and you are not allowed to do everything. In our society, an eighteen year old can go to war, buy cigarettes, buy porn, and not have a legal curfew, but they are not allowed to drink, rent a car, etc. I think that you become an adult when you are able to take care of yourself in all aspects. Just because you are considered an adult, doesn't mean that you won't always need the love and support from your parents. The home with your parents has a significant meaning to your life because it is where you have grown up most of your life. When you become an adult and live independently, coming back to this place brings back memories of your childhood. Being an adult also means that you have to be able to take care of yourself financially. My mom always tells me that even my job now, at the JCYS and in the Little Patriots room, working there for the rest of my life I would never be able to support myself, or a family. Most people think that once your done with college, that its time to get an apartment and live your own life. My neighbor Kevin recently graduated college but moved back into his parent's house because he needed to be able to save money and get a real job before he was able to live on his own. Of course this was not his ideal situation but it was most logical for the time period that he is in his life right now. Growing up and moving out to be independent is a gradual process and I don't think that any parent really expects to just throw you on the street with some money and says, "here figure it out on your own." I think that living on your own comes with a lot of steps and learning processes like: laundry, meals, and earning money. I'm not really nervous about living on my own because I already do my own laundry, and am able to make my own food for myself. When I don't know how to do something I always ask my dad and mom for help because at some point I'm going to have to do everything on my own.

Masculinity and Socialization

Today in class we talked about how different situations in our life shape us to become a different person. In the video we saw that people that attend boot camps tear each other down in order to make them stronger. I can connect a lot to this situation because almost every single male on my dad's side of the family has served in the military in either Iraq or another place or attended these kinds of military boot camps, including my dad.

My dad attended Virgina Military Institute for college and I can completely see how is demeanor is different from other dad's his age. My dad has always wanted to be in the army ever since he was a little kid but when he received a full ride lacrosse scholarship it was a two in one deal for him. My dad would hands down do anything in the world for any of his kids. He already tries to have my 11 year old brother have this "tough guy, brush it off your shoulders" idea in his head, partially because I think it is what he has grown up by from the military. My dad is so proud of the person he has become from the military because he thinks that it has helped him into the person he is today.

My Uncle Anthony who just recently came back from Iraq over a year ago has changed completely from the military. Before the military my Uncle Anthony was a complete smart ass who took life as one big party. When my Uncle came back from Iraq I couldn't even believe that I was talking to the same person that I had known before he had left. He always said that Iraq really gave him one big kick in the butt and now he had more self respect for himself and respect for other people too. The military helped him get his life back on track, got married and now has a step-son that he also has to take care of.

The military has shaped my dad's side of the family and it is one thing that has brought all of them closer together. Everyone on my dad's side of the family says that the military absolutely stinks at first but in the end you become a stronger person who isn't afraid of anything.