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.