Blog Post #5

While at church the other day, I take the children out while the service proceeds. In the nursery, I asked everybody what they wanted for Christmas. Most of the girls wished for dolls, makeup, and usual "girly" gifts, while the boys wanted trains, trucks, and sports equipment. Based on their social status many were unable to ask their parents for more expensive items. Although, there was one girl in particular that wanted a pony. Sure this is every girls dream, but it was completely unrealistic.

After our time was done, we headed back into the sanctuary and sat down by our parents. It was time to give our offerings, which are donations to give towards our church's funding. Looking around I observed that the majority gave their dues. Knowing most of the families that were gathered I realized that we were an interest group; being at the same place for the same interest/purpose. Meanwhile, as the bowl started to head towards the back of the congregation, I noticed some families didn't take part in the giving process. It wasn't a bad thing but they were definitely affected the cycle of poverty.

Being at church gives me a great intake on the variety of social classes that attend. Nobody has the same income therefor we don't give the same amount fr donations. Although money isn't everything, especially in a Church setting, it is a necessity to survive in our economy and society. Society developed the importance of money and wanting money through their possessions and wants. Some may use their power to their advantage but some may use it resourcefully. In the end, it's great to come together for the same purpose and evolve through many interests in common.

I saw sociology when...

Sitting at work, i realized sociology was present. Looking around at the people getting their hair done, it was clear that social classes were among us. While washing a woman's hair, she told me about her life. All the vacations she's been on and the number of children she had to take care of; including the many jobs she took part in, in order to support her family. This woman is in the middle working class, where she earns her money and takes pride in the amount of time spent with her family and friends. Either way, this woman struggled. Being in the economy we are currently in doesn't make it any easier on her, in addition to her children that need the support of their single mother.

It's interesting to me that appearance can give away clues to which class people belong t, whether someone is higher or lower class. knowing many people that belong to all sorts of classes gives me the opportunity to learn how to act towards them and around them. It is difficult to relate to some of my friends that belong to higher classes than myself. For example, my friends like going out to dinner and with the salary I have from working at a salon, I am not able to go out and treat myself as much as they do.

When It Goes Off

Many people, in England, gather at the Manor House for an event that involves the rivalry of two supporter groups, Tottenham and Manchester. Two soccer teams battle it out in front of their loyal fans. These supporters feel so strong about Tottenham and Manchester that they would fight against anything or anyone that go in their way; including killing a man, precipitating factor. that tragedy remained in Robert's memory, who was Sammy's mentor. The police present at the soccer match tried to control the crowd's outburst, inadequate social control. Mobilization of participants for actions described the extreme actions among supporters, due to the excessive consumption of alcohol. Consequently, many factors are subject to the event; the activists whom participated in the crowd violence caused authority to fight back and ultimately,  the fans were present to support their teams.

There isn't any excuse to resort to violence with others in a sports event. Everyone is there for the same purpose, supporting the soccer teams. It doesn't make sense that injuring someone would be a norm to a gathering for a soccer event. Sports is an event that should bring people together rather than turning our backs on each other, even if we don't agree about which team we support. It was too bad that the police used violence to gain their respect ad try to take control of the situation. In summary, the outburst was NOT necessary!

Sitting at lunch

Sitting at lunch I realized the impact sociology had on my thinking, and later became more aware. I looked around to every lunch table and noticed the many groups that existed in commons. The people surrounding my sitting at my specific lunch table exemplified my primary group that I share close bonds with. the remaining people that were content eating lunch, were secondary groups. My In-group were the people that I was conversing with, the ones that I felt loyal towards. Looking at my phone, although I shouldn't have, my cousin appeared as the sender; she takes part of my Kinship group. My primary group has many roles, such as, comforting me when I'm down, listening to me talk, and ultimately providing a support system.

Before writing this post, I navigated towards my Facebook page. This page provides many secondary groups, people who friend request me for no certain reason. In addition, Facebook is my social network to connect with many friends and family members. Facebook provides groups, such as the Blackhawk fan-page, whom many hockey fans like and become a member. This serves as an interest group, members have common interests. Finally facebook is a prime contributor towards the Reference group. Many members are constantly compared to others.

THE VICIOUS CIRCLE-overview

Crime has been at a constant increase. Involving certain minorities, mostly Latinos and African Americans. These minorities, in addition to some Caucasian, have been over-crowding the prisons more and more as time goes on. Secondary deviance is a main component in The Vicious Circle, in which drugs have factored into many lives of our youth. It has become a nasty habit among criminals occurring more frequently among prosecuted teens. They have participated in the drug business, dealing and even using drugs have been a habit in many young teens ranging from age 15-17. Since these criminals are minors, they are automatically charged as an adult, if they sell drugs in the proximity of a school or public housing unit. Once the prisoners turn 18, they are transferred to adult facilities. There, their behavior is controlled and reshaped into less deviant individuals, some may succeed others don't. This article has proven the fact the there has been a rise in criminal activity among deviant teens. There needs to be something done in order to face this problem. Counseling, education, and paying the time for the crime are the actions America need to act upon. Counseling will allow troubled teens to talk to someone about their problems. Education will help students face moral values. And finally, prison time helps recreate criminals mental stability and prevent crime to occur in the future.

The Division Between Gender

When norms are created in society, we create a mental image of what we should look like and how we should act. Standards have evolved around a gender issue. Whether pink stands for girls or blue represents boys, not everyone follows the unwritten rules. Rules that decide how each gender should act and essentially think. And those rule-breakers are often frowned upon by others. This is because our minds have set images for specific genders. Such as, women are portrayed as delicate as have special abilities to cook AND clean; while men have the ability to fix what's ever in sight and are most likely found glued to the TV watching Monday night football. Consequently, younger children are mistaken for being the opposite gender of what they truly are. this is because they wear specific items (clothes, color, etc.) that represent a certain gender.

Looking towards my personal life, I notice I have some undefinable "masculine" traits. For example, I am athletic, like the color blue, want to take charge, and ultimately I get along with everyone no matter who they are. In conclusion, I don't believe unwritten rules should minimize our behavior, personality, or beliefs and shouldn't define who we are; there are more important things in life.

all of a sudden i saw sociology when....

Last Thanksgiving, my cousin took part in the French exchange program. She housed a guy from France that has never been to the United States before. He was faced with both a culture shock and clash. While at dinner, we all said grace before eating, and this was part of our culture that he normally doesn't take part in. My Uncle attended to our dinner and he was a huge factor towards the Frenchman's shock. Adam was his name and you could tell by his facial expressions towards my Uncle that he was not in his comfort zone anymore. He became very shy while my Uncle recited song lyrics and told many gruesome stories, WHILE AT THE DINNER TABLE. Thereafter, the whole family headed downstairs to watch the BIG game (football). This was a factor of our culture that many Americans take part in; watching football on Thanksgiving day followed by a huge selection of pies and deserts. Our food, football games, and the way we sit down to have a family meal together, are all examples of the culture clash Adam encountered while visiting America. followed by many culture shocks he witnessed from both our citizens and my family, particularly my Uncle Chris.