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.