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.

The Affects Media has on Women

This week in class we discussed the effect the media has on teenage girls. The media has a huge affect on women because they show the ideal women to be skinny and beautiful. People believe that this has a negative causing affect because it causes girls to believe that they HAVE to be skinny and HAVE to be beautiful. Things like this can cause to low self-esteem and eating disorders. Sometimes when I read magazines or watch T.V. I say to myself I wish I had that or I wish I looked like that. After class this week I learned that so many of the pictures that we see in magazines and on T.V. are all extremely photo shopped. When girls put make-up one they are trying to hide themselves and their imperfections. The media has had this much affect on people but really they should be more focused on what's in the inside because that's what really counts. I think things would be a lot different if everyone lived in a society where looks didn't matter because then everyone would really be focused on what's on the inside.

I was talking about this with my friend at work and we were talking about weird but also how easy it would be if every single person in the world had absolutely no hair on their head. I know it sounds SO weird but things would be so easy. If every girl and guy had absolutely no hair people would never have to worry about their apperance because everyone would look the exact same.

Agents of Socialization

In class we have been talking about the aspects that help shape us into the people we are today: Family, Work, Religion, School, Peer Groups, Media, Day Care, and Neighborhoods. I never realized how much so many of these factors can affect one person. The main factors that have had the biggest influences on me are: family, work, and religion.

Family: My family is the main aspect that has shaped me into the person that I am today. I have learned that from just being around your family it helps shape your personality and eventually molds you into the person you are today. Many of your personality traits and decisions come from the influences of your family.

Work- Now that I have become older, work is a place to bond with people who share the same interests as you do. I work at the JCYS and in the Little Patriots Room. I have been working at the JCYS for two years and I am very close with everyone that works there (eventhough half the people who work there are all my friends). When I am working with them, it doesn't even feel like I am at work because I enjoy being around them so much. However, in the Little Patriots room the vibe is completely different. All of the "after school staff" that works there have all started working there this year so we all share that bond. I work with two people on the days that I work. One of which I get along with very well and the other girl neither of us talk to. Although I really enjoy both of my jobs, the bond and work environment at the JCYS is a lot different but it better suits me.

Religon: This plays a big factor into my life. I have always grown up being Catholic and I plan to stay that way for the rest of my life. Eventhough my dad is the only one that is Catholic in my family, he has taught me and raised me by this religion and I can't imagine myself being any other religion or have any different beliefs.

---Although there are many agents to socilization, these are the few that have influenced me the most. This week has taught me to be open-minded of my surroundings and not to be isolated into what I believe is to be "normal" because what may be "normal" to me may not be to someone else so you can learn from your surroundings.

Influences that shape our culture

Sociology class has really made me realize how the enviornment in which we live in shapes our culture. We recently did an experiment in which we had to do absolutely nothing. In our society it is normal to sit in a chair, not use your hands while eating, socialize with others, to think about things, and to basically always be occupied doing something. In class we looked at several examples of people who would be considered "strange" or "weird" to us. For example, the man who took away all of his money and is living on absolutely nothing but the things that are in nature. To me, this is so weird because I don't understand how someone could really live off eating berries and nothing but it could be because in my culture I am used to the fact of all of my friends and I having most things, but never nothing. Another example we looked at was of the girl that was locked up for 12 years. If I saw her walking down the street, I would obviously think she is a lot different than I am but it's weird to me because I really don't know her at all but she had no influence from her parents on how to live life in a normal society. My parents influence a lot of my decisions a lot and they have taught me what direction and "norms" of the society I have grown up by.

Tuesdays with Morrie

In class we are watching Tuesdays with Morrie. I have read the book and seen the movie before, but the movie continues to be one of my favorites. In the movie, Mitch is one of Morrie's old students from college. One day, when he is watching the news there is a story playing about Morrie, the college professor who is dying and is not afraid to die. Mitch drops literally everything going on in his life to spend every Tuesday with Morrie. He begins to become interested in Morrie's outlook on life, because it is different and more insightful than everyone elses. I think that generally Americans are afraid of death. In Tuesdays with Morrie, Morrie planned his own live funeral so he could hear all the nice things people had to say about him. In America, many people have a different outlook on life. I wish that people in America could look at life in the way that Morrie does. Although it would be really sad knowing that you were going to die, I think in some ways people should make the best of what they have left. Last year, I lost one of my good friends Jenny Snyder. She was a year older than me and would've been attending the University of North Carolina had she had lived to attend college. This movie makes me think about Jenny a lot. Jenny always had the outlook on life to live everyday to the fullest. There was not one day that went by that Jenny didn't do something to make someone else's day. Although Jenny died suddenly of a heart attack while she was playing soccer last year, I know that if she was still with me today she would've had the same mentality as Morrie and I would've seen her having a live funeral just so she could hear all the nice things people had to say about her. Jenny was one of the most amazing people I have ever met, and I wish that everyone could have the same impact and outlook on life as she has had on me and everyone's lives she has touched.

Bemused in America

I was absent this week in sociology, but in general we have been talking about and examining the American culture and how close minded Americans can sometimes be to other cultures. Most people usually think of different foods and clothes but there is so much more. I think that many other countries have looked at our country in different ways but we forget to look at other countries in the same open-minded way. In the article "Bemused in America" it talks about the American culture and how different cultures and countries perceive us. Americans live in a society with Blackberrys, Ipods, Cameras, and designer clothing. Most countries would perceive us as a very materialistic society because Americans focus a lot around money. It is interesting that in America, we have become such a materialistic society and that other countries have noticed it too.

A Materialistic Society

The article titled "affluenza" really made me start thinking about the American culture and just exactly how materialistic everyone is. In America there are certain times in the year where people's minds are "programmed" that is a day to spend money. For example, Black Friday. The article compared spending money to the flu. Shopping and spending money has become such an addiction that people become so absorbed to putting their hands out for gifts. Most people expect gifts for the holidays and for their birthdays but generally people do not really appreciate these gifts as much at the time because they are simply expecting them to be there or to receive them. I can relate to this because when I am usually with my friends we end up spending money on clothes, movies, food, or other un-necessary items. This article made me realize exactly how materialistic our society has become. Our lives no longer revolve around spending time with friends on your birthday but simply spending time with friends on your birthday to receive gifts because after all, you are expecting those birthday presents. I think that if everyone in society was a little more appreciative for what we/they have, our society would become a better place and it wouldn't revolve around such materialistic things.

A Bronx Tale

The Bronx Tale turned out to be one of my favorite movies. In the movie, the main neighborhood was filled with people who were white and Italian. There was an imaginary line in which African Americans would not pass through. If they passed into the white/Italian neighborhood conflict would arise. C's friends would get upset even if they didn't do anything. This neighborhood was their territory and it shows that because they got so upset when African Americans walked or even drove through their neighborhood shows their connection to their territory. C's friends don't realize that these African American boys are just like them. Eventhough their skin color is different, they share many similiarties. The neighborhood of whites and Italians is filled with fear. One of the main charachters, Sonny, is one of the most powerful men in the neighborhood. Many people refuse to "mess" with him or his friends. It is weird to think that one person or group of people could have such a significant impact on an entire neighborhood. Many people do things to make sure that they continue to stay on Sonny's good side because they do not want to be attacked by him or any of his friends. This shows that a group of people or a single person can have a serious impact on people and a neighborhood just through an intimidation factor.

The Identity Molecule

The identity molecule activity really opened my eyes to discovering different things about myself that I never really took the time to sit down and think about. I had many different groups. My obvious ones are friends, family, and being a girl. There were other groups though that I really had to think about and they are a part of the person who make me who I am today. For example, I had one circle of work. I work at the JCYS and in the Little Patriots room working with children every single day after school. To me, my co-workers and I all share a common interest of working with kids. Most of the people I work with at both of these places are in my groups of friends so a lot of my groups overlap. Another one of my groups was labeled "summer friends". These are the same fourteen girls I have spent every single summer with in Eagle River, Wisconsin since I was ten years old. Although none of these girls go to school with me, I felt like they should be placed in their own category because I consider them to be like my family. My "home friends" are the best friends any person could ever have. They are the people that can consistantly make me laugh and smile, without them I would be lost. They know absolutely everything about me and I consider them to be my family. It amazes me how many of my circles overlap because of the relationships I have formed with people in each of the different circles. This activity really opened my eyes to a different way of looking and analyzing my life and placing it into different categories that relate to me.

Spit and Saliva

Gillian is obviously one of my best friends, but I don't care whose spit or saliva it is, watching her spit into the spoon and then Mr. Salituro putting it onto the table is completely disgusting. I have learned that every activity we do in sociology always has some type of lesson to go with it. After Gillian's spit activity, we learaned that the real lesson was that the people around us help influence our experiences in the world. In America, spitting is something that comes completely natural to people, espeically men.

When I traveled to Japan to visit my mom's side of the family everything is completely clean. There is not one ounce of old gum on the streets or dirt anywhere. It amazes me how clean every single person is. In our society, people throw gum on the ground, underneath desks, its all so gross. Gillian's spit is just part of the experiment and the experience that now everyone shares together.

Service Project

The other day in class we talked about our first semester final which is doing ten hours of community service. At first, ten hours seems like so much of a person's time, but in the end it's all for a good cause. I think that doing ten hours of community service will not only give me a rewarding feeling but it will also open my mind to things that I have that others may not. It's weird to think that by spending ten hours of my time that I could help make a difference in someone's life whether it being the smallest assignment or an assignment that takes up my entire day, either way I know that it is for a good cause. After I am done with all my community service, I hope that I can look at my society in a different way and realize how fortunate I am but also to continue to help others even after my hours have been served.

Who Am I

I am Lauren I am 17 years old and a senior in high school. I could never live without my family and friends. I love to shop, tan, be with my friends, eat, and sleep. My life is spent either doing school stuff or working in the Little Pats room or at the JCYS. On the weekends I absolutely spend every second with my friends because I love every single one of them so so much. My second set of friends, "summer sisters", are the most amazing people in the entire world. I have spent the entire summer with these same fourteen girls since I was ten. I could never imagine not having any one of them in my life. The biggest influences on my life would definetly be my Mom, Dad, and my Aunt Amy. They have made me the person I am today and have taught me that I am able to achieve anything I put my mind to. My goal in life is to go to college and eventually become an elementary school teacher.

Last week in Sociology we learned about silence and how awkward it can be. I believe I am the queen of awkward situations because they happen to me daily. I hate awkward silences and pauses, and I usually just laugh when something is awkward. My mom always tells me that something is only as awkward as you make it, and she's right. One of my many awkward situations deals with when I had gotten into a fight with one of my friends. We went out to dinner to talk it out, the entire dinner was staring at my food until finally I decided we needed to speak or this dinner would've become pointless. Awkward situations happen daily, but they are only as awkward as a person makes them.