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.

American Symbols

The materialistic objects portrayed on the runway serves as an important basis of what we wear. What we wear defines us as humans. We portray our mood, personality, and feelings through clothing/accessories.

Signs represent cautions for people who don't use their common sense and take precautions while surrounded by deadly or harmful chemicals. They serve as a reminder for us to be alert. 

Jersey Shore: the TV show that serves no purpose but to annoy, entertain, and make fun of people who really act like this. The cast show no role model behavior but none-the-less causes an epidemic TV sensation among all ages throughout the US.

Our technology defines our nation. It provides laziness and convenience. The industry is constantly battling to create a new gadget that WOWs America and empowers us into buying the latest and greatest.

The elephant and donkey are key symbols to our government. It creates tension among voters. New voters struggle to pick which side of the spectrum they belong to.

This symbol is dispersed among border states along the Mexican-American border; informing citizens to be aware of possible immigrants strolling our streets. It has created conflict among our citizens battling for control over immigration.

The woman and man are indicators of same-sex facilities. This allows people to be aware of the difference between restrooms usually. Although some people might not obey these signs, for the sake of others, we like the indication of whether or not we belong in the specific room.

This picture shows the convenience of picking up food through a DRIVE-THRU.You don't even need to leave your car! This issue is a factor of the increasing rate of obesity among Americans.

Bemused in America

In the article Bemused in America, Stefan Shirmer, a journalist from Munich (Germany) is analyzing the American culture in a supermarket. He found many differences among the sales, "Buy-one-get-one-free", Ready to eat food, and the never ending brand names. He also was shocked that grocery stores are open until midnight AND on Sundays. He was very concerned with the lack of nutrition among our food and the idea of fat-free chips, yogurt, and milk. This has proven Stefan that his culture is some-what different compared to the lives of Americans. He pointed out that many of the decorations and advertising inside the stores were similar to those in Germany.

Having a complete-opposite culture among you may feel very uncomfortable. Felling lost in a world that is unlike yours is pretty scary and unwelcoming. Stefan experienced the outcome of a stranger/alien entering a new culture.

American values influence the way we act, speak, and react towards situations. Since the German journalist wasn't prone to the the American culture he reacted differently in certain situations than an American would. The value of money management was introduced while Stefan commented on the amount of saving that is provided in advertisements and throughout the isles.

It occured to me...

It has occured to me that sociology exists everywhere I go. Sitting in the mall sipping on my smoothie, I witnessed what is common in every single one of us. We have similar language, clothing, ideals, and many values. Seeing shoppers holding massive bags in their hands, I realize the amount of pressure on us Americans wanting to have the latest trend. Throughout time, society has changed tremendous. From the 1920's belief of wearing dresses that would cover us literally from head to toe, to present day, wearing little to no clothing. Society has created a bond between us and it will be a constant throughout life.

Functionalist perspective among us

"The world is a system of interrelated parts, and each part makes a necessary contribution to the vitality of the system." -Bohm

Everything has a purpose in life. It may be essential to living or simply present for a well-being. For example, if we didn't have crime,employment wouldn't exist for thousands of people, including police officers, criminal investigators, judges, attornies, etc. Our world would be completely lost without crime becuase we wouldn't have the need for laws or enforcement. The point is that we need a structure in order to function. It is happening all around us. Every second of the day we are proving that functionalism is present in our everyday lives. Our world wouldn't be the same without it.

Survey

Get a free sms student response system at Poll Everywhere

Who Am I?

Since I started school, in Preschool, I've had a dream. Something I wanted to become later on in life. You can refer to me as daughter of two career-driven people. That have a life of  typical-Americanized immigrants. I am the result of all my past experiences. I've become who I am now because of my experiences and the people around me. 
The second I stepped into high school, freshman year, I knew that this would be a whole new chapter of my life. Filled with memories and making new friends, either laughing or talking with someone. I am a creative individual that likes to get involved. I stand with a value of courage and believe your mood shouldn't be based on the past, but in the present.

My goal in life is to be successful, not with money, but for my dream. My dream is to help students become open-minded for the English language. I want to grab the attention of others