Social Class

My initial response to watching the video "People Like Us" was frustration at how narrow minded the people were, but when I thought about it, their beliefs come from how they were socialized. I'm still frustrated, but I guess I have to be more upset with the socialization and more understanding of the fact that some people don't realize that they are being prejudice. If a person is born into a higher class, they are socialized into thinking that certain behaviors are proper and polite, but that doesn't excuse disrespect. The "WASP" in the video had a really narrow mind about people in other classes, and I think the biggest problem is that people will use their social class or culture's criteria for judgment without realizing that the person they are criticizing has grew up and was socialized completely differently. And even if they are in a certain class, a person shouldn't be limited to behaving only as a person in that class is supposed to. The stereotype the the African Americans in the video were running into was that if they were using "proper english" or going to "ivy league" schools or were simply upper class, was that they must be "bourgeoisie" or "acting like a white person." It's frustrating that they have to be placed in a category, when none of the criteria that mark any category or social class can actually describe each member accurately. It just seems pretty ironic that all social classes do is divide a country whose founding principals are equality and unity.

Why desire for economic security is not being met: In his third year of college, he has over $41,000 in debt not including interest, is working 4 minimum wage jobs while taking an overload of college credits, and his school didn't hold up its end in financial aid

More fair situation: Equal opportunity for education, meaning some don't suffer the consequences of debt while others born rich have none

Relates to social class: This person had previously only needed one person as the financial supporter of the family, and he was making above average income, but all of their bills caused them to live paycheck to paycheck so middle class seems to feel like lower class 

Chose this image: It frustrates me to see that no matter how hard a student may try in school and may prove his or her intelligence, it may only end up hurting them to take the risk of being in debt after college because they aren't guaranteed a job. It also made me upset that such smart kids were forced to attend community college, like so many people I know, when they have much more promise than many students attending the big universities. 

Why desire for economic security is not being met: This person has been working the same job since they were 17 because and can't afford a college education, so they're stuck working 50+ hours a week, barely having enough to get by

More fair situation: Equal access to education for all. It's not fair that some people don't have parents to help them afford college and have to make it on their own, and it's not fair that they have to rely on loans and take the risk of having huge debt and no job after college

Relates to social class: This person has been stuck in a lower class because they can't afford an education and have been working the same job since they were 17! It's nearly impossible for social mobility to occur without any education

Chose this Image: The reality of how impossible social mobility is for some people really struck me. It's not fair that some people are born into better situations, while others have to work their butts off just to get enough groceries, not daring to hope for a college education

Why desire for economic security is not being met: Forced to work 50-60 hours per week at two jobs and still has to choose between health and paying for mortgage. They have to try and save everything they can while also trying not to fall behind in paying their bills. 

More fair situation: Health insurance for all, jobs for all and the guarantee of social security benefits in the future

relates to social class: this person also is stuck, with no hope for social mobility, but can only hope that they will be able to retire at some point before they die and have the benefits of social security

chose this image: It is amazing how much one person can work and how much they have to take on for their whole family, yet they are guaranteed nothing in the future. No social mobility. No stability in health insurance. 

Why desire for economic security is not being met: Despite having a graduate degree, this person still has to work 3 jobs and is forced to live paycheck to paycheck, while supporting her whole family

More fair situation: It's one thing to say jobs for all, but also to earn what your job deserves and which allows for social mobility. Everyone should have equal opportunity for success. If her passion is teaching, she shouldn't have to hesitate to take a job as a teacher because the wage doesn't match the value of the job  

relates to social class: This person has 3 respectable jobs and is stuck where she's at, living paycheck to paycheck.   

chose this image: The pay of jobs need to actually match their value-she is a teacher who also is an interpreter and braille processor, which are really respectable jobs that influence many people's lives, yet she can hardly provide for her family.

Positive Deviance

Positive deviance is doing something completely unexpected or out of the norm, that benefits someone else. Because it's not considered a "normal" act of kindness, it often takes courage to do a positive deviant act. Julio Diaz, for example, put himself in potential danger just so he could help a mugger. He not only gave the mugger his wallet, but offered his coat and took the mugger to dinner. In the end, his wallet was returned because the effect of his deviant act was so powerful, that the mugger was moved to be kind back.  What I decided to do for my positive deviant act was to write a kind note on the mirror of the girls' bathroom. I know that as a freshman, I cared a lot about what I looked like, straightening my hair almost every day and always wearing makeup, and I was one of those girls that was checking the mirror between classes. Either the end of Freshmen year or the beginning of Sophomore year, however, I noticed this note in the bathroom one day. It had some kind of sweet reminder that the reader is beautiful, and even though I knew that it wasn't directed specifically at me, I began to feel less inclined to try so hard. I also began to listen more to the opinions of the people who cared about me, and saw me for who I truly am. Because I've learned to look at myself through the eyes of the people that care about me, rather than look at myself way more critically than anyone else would, I've gained a lot more confidence and self appreciation. I really wanted others to feel the same way, so I took post-it notes and wrote "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, you don't need makeup to prove it" and "believe it" and such. I was actually really embarrassed about putting up the note in case anyone saw that it was me, but luckily, I knew the only girl that was in the bathroom. I felt really good when I walked out, hoping that even if a lot of girls blow it off and don't think twice about the note, there's bound to be at least one person who had the same reaction I had when I saw a similar note my freshman or sophomore year. I really hope that's the case and that whoever she may be gains more confidence and in turn wants to help others feel better about themselves too. The cool thing about positive deviance is that once you start you don't want to stop, especially when you've been a victim of positive deviance. The fact that it is so normal for girls to wear a ton of makeup and conceal how they actually look really bothers me because I don't think girls should have to dislike how they really look. Our culture teaches us to strive for an impossible ideal, but I think that what we really need to strive for is the ability to love ourselves, and hopefully my act of positive deviance can help someone or multiple people to ignore what our culture teaches us about self image.

gender vs sex

When Jhally talks about how gender is displayed in ads and that "it is only when we start to look at them carefully that we begin to see how strange and weird they actually are..." I agreed completely. I'm so used to seeing women touch their hair and face in ads, and they always have such a vulnerable appearance. I always thought that I was good at spotting differences gender display, but its amazing how the most subtle actions seem normal for a woman to do but would seem strange if a man did or vice versa. For example, I think it's weird that men are always seen upright and staring into the camera confidently or looking calm and in control, whereas women are always looking innocent and nervous or fragile. They are almost never seen standing completely straight with legs straight and arms loose or crossed the way men are often portrayed. Instead they are usually sprawled out looking helpless or otherwise looking sexual and dependent. I thought that I didn't do much of these gender displays because I'm not embarrassed to be know a lot about football and burp in front of my friends or occasionally do thinks that aren't considered feminine, but I realized I subconsciously do some feminine gender displays. In pictures for dances, I pose like a girl, sometimes turning my body, but never standing totally square footed with my arms crossed or down. Also, I know that I touch my hair and face a lot, but guys never do that. It's so weird to me how society displays their gender through their actions without even realizing it. The ads we saw looked so normal, nobody would think they're weird unless they see men in the same poses the women were shown in. I think a lot has definitely changed, but society is still pretty homophobic and people tend to use gender display without even thinking about it.

socialization

The agent of socialization that has impacted me most is probably school because even though I am religious, I haven't always been surrounded by very religious people who have strict religious values. Even when I went to Catholic grade school, there were a lot of kids who were becoming socialized by media, and   they affected my socialization. I still say school, not peers, as my greatest agent of socialization because the students in my school have effect over me, but I think what teachers have taught me has been ingrained the most because during childhood is when most socialization takes place, and during that time I was more focused on what teachers taught me. Also, even though many kids at Stevenson are socialized to do drugs, I've been more socialized by what school has taught me: that drugs are harmful. School also has had the greatest impact because that's where I am for the majority of my day and if I didn't attend school, I wouldn't have learned to be organized, polite, obedient, studious, and all of the values schools teach you. I feel stressed out by grades and getting into a good college and completing all of my homework because school has taught me that I need to succeed in school in order to succeed in life. My family has also had enormous impact on my socialization, but I still would say school because it mostly teaches the same values but also includes those that are taught by other students I'm surrounded by. But if my family wasn't so involved in my socialization, I'd probably be socialized more by the students at school than the teachers. 

Consuming Kids

I was really surprised when I watched this video because when I told my mom I wanted to study psychology, she suggested I minor in marketing. After seeing this film, however, I don't think I'll be using psychology for marketing. I have always been really shocked at how kids are getting Ipods and cell phones at such young ages, and are wearing extremely expensive designer clothes, makeups, and simply trying to look and act older at such a young age. But after seeing this video, I realized that some the ways children are marketed to can be seen everywhere. When kids are kids, they should be interacting with each other, maintaining that childhood innocence that starts to fade in middle school when kids start separating into groups and judging each other. When I was a kid, everyone would play together and you could make a new friend by simply asking, but with media spreading consumerism and marketing to young kids, they think that in order to be "cool," succeed, and have friends, they need to buy whatever product is being promoted as "cool." Marketers also use TV shows and characters that they know children love in order to draw child consumerism, but this also causes cliques to occur and teaches kids that clothes define who you are. Even worse is when kids think that they need to wear skimpy clothing, as promoted by media, to define who they are. Not only is it expensive to dress kids in skimpy designer clothes with styled hair and makeup, but it also teaches kids to be obsessed with their self image. This is especially harmful for girls who have increasing pressure to look beautiful and sexy, and this can lead to low self esteem. Creating child consumers is also harmful because at such a young age, these kids are learning that money is everything, so their values become about making money so they can spend more to look "cool", even if they have to manipulate there friends, which was seen in the video with the creation of the GIA.

Interview with parents!

I don't know how many times I laughed during this conversation, but it was great to hear my parents' responses to some of these questions. When I asked them about what kind of expectations that had for me when I was born, my mom was most worried about carrying me to term because she had had a miscarriage the last time, and both parents were hoping for a healthy baby even though the prenatal test showed I was at risk. Also since they had had two boys before my my dad was expecting it to be much different to raise a girl and they had painted my room and gotten a pink carpet. My dad also expected to be able to walk me down the aisle at my wedding. My mom also had expectations of shopping with me because after having two boys, she was excited to shop for clothes for me and with me. The lessons, values and ideas they tried hardest to impart on me were faith, prayer, being a good sister, to be a caring person and a good listener, to be my own person and not just follow what everyone else does or says, and to work hard for the things I want. The traditions they said that were most important that I keep are going to Green Bay and celebrating holidays and birthdays with the whole family. We also have a nativity play with all of the family and the newest baby would play Jesus, or a baby doll if there were too old. They also want me to still go to the cottage with them and have family time and vacation with my parents and with my own family. When I was two years old, that was when my parents said that they struggled disciplining me, because I went through my "terrible twos" and would make the "Rachel" face, but after that I was pretty compliant. The habits and parts of my personality that my parents recognized as their own were my habit of whistling which comes from my mom and her dad, and that I'm a good listener which I get from my mom. I'm also even tempered and a mediator in fights and arguments like my dad. My sense of humor is definitely my moms, I laugh a lot just like her and when we get going, we cant stop. When I asked them what the most surprising thing about raising me was, my dad answered that he was surprised I enjoyed throwing the football around and "guy stuff like that." I was surprised at how concerned they were that I would be healthy because they were so worried after having a miscarriage, so there expectations were more about my health and just being excited to have a girl. I had always talked with my siblings and laughed about the different qualities we share and recognize in each other that are from our parents, but I had never actually asked my parents what qualities of theirs that they recognized in me, so that was a really fun question. I loved that my dad made the comment about me being even-tempered, because I always strive to have his patience, and I was happy that my mom thought I was a good listener, like her, even though I tend to talk a lot. Overall, it was a really great experience, and it was really cool to hear what my parents thought, because they were mostly a lot different than what I had expected!

Reflection from 9/26-9/30

• When we watched the movie God Grew Tired of Us, I realized how different our material culture, or the tangible items that make up a culture, is from the rest of the world. We take for granted that people have the "essentials," such a computer, TV, hair dryer, refrigerator, cans and boxes of food, a microwave. These items were completely unfamiliar to the Sudanese boys. Our symbolic culture, or nonmaterial culture, is different as well. When the Sudanese boys celebrated Christmas in Sudan, they danced and sang and celebrated as a community. They had no idea who Santa Claus was when they came to the US. Christmas in the US is centered around material goods. Kids get excited to tell Santa what they want for Christmas, not to dance and sing and celebrate the birth of Jesus. When I witnessed the culture the Sudanese boys were used to, I was amazed. The boys were shocked when they saw that strangers don't open their doors for everyone to walk in and don't greet each other in the street. In Africa, strangers live together as a community and always have their doors open to everyone. Our culture is so much more focused on the individual, and I think that's really sad because it causes competition.
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Ethnocentricity

Freshman year, I was really focused on trying to fit in, having came from a small school and knowing nobody. I was so focused on societal standards and conformity, that when I was sitting at lunch one day, and a new kid sat down, I judged him immediately. He had a bit of an Israeli accent, and he was loud and different. Something about him was just unusual, and I couldn't place it. He was very forward about his thoughts and opinions and his sense of humor was so unfitting at our table, and I began to dislike him without even getting to know him. I grew frustrated when he would try to make a joke, because it just didn't make sense and was nothing like anything I was used to. I categorized him as "cocky" and began giving him attitude. I didn't know at the time how extreme my cultural relativism was, but I realize now that I wanted him to understand that his jokes and actions weren't funny to us. But what I did to show that was to give him attitude, whereas he directly told me his thoughts and feelings. Somehow it developed into a fight, and by the end of the fight, he apologized to me. I couldn't believe he did that, because it was my fault that any of this had even started. Just because I was being ethnocentric, and judging him because he was different, I started to pick fights with him, yet he apologized to me! And it hit me that he was an incredibly nice person, and one of the most real and genuine people I had ever met. We became friends and by sophomore year, he was my best friend. I learned so much from meeting him; the scariest was that sometimes judgement comes subconsciously and that I need to be really careful to be sociologically mindful of others. 

blog for Fri 9/16

This week, our class learned about the different advantages and disadvantages of using a survey vs. an ethnography in order to answer a sociological question. I think that based on Sudhir Venkatesh's results when he tried to answer his question about being black and poor, an ethnography will give more feedback. But my group was interested in people as a whole, and if we were to do an ethnography based off of observations at Stevenson High School, our results would probably differ a lot from observations at other high schools in poorer areas or of a different culture, because they would have different sociological imaginations. For some cultures, women have a much lower standing in their society because that's just how it has always been and has never changed, so they might have responded a lot differently to the questions, maybe seeing "sex without monogamy" as an okay thing, while our culture's social construction of reality is that both people need to be loyal in a relationship. However, because our results were mostly taken from Stevenson High School, they only told us about the students at Stevenson rather than society as a whole. Still, I found the results from our survey very interesting. We found that whether or not a person is male or female hardly influences the response to whether a person would wait until they have sex or whether they have or would involve him/herself in "sex without monogamy." It was also interesting to see that even though a person might decide to wait to have sex, never has said "I love you" to gain sexual relief, and never entered a relationship for sexual support, they a lot of times still considered having "sex without monogamy." It made me think that people don't really take relationships seriously if so many people are willing to have sex with another person while with being involved with someone else. I think that in this scenario, we probably would have been better off to simply talk to a variety of people because the questions may have confused some people, and since they were posted on facebook, there may have only been a certain group of people interested in taking the survey. It also would be better to have talked to people for the sake of having social mindfulness because they might feel really justified in their responses in a way I can't understand because Stevenson is so culturally diverse, and I don't know all of the beliefs of every culture in the school.

sociology applied to my life

When I reflected this week about sociological mindfulness, I started thinking about the books I had to read over the summer for English. They were both very cultural, but at the time, I didn't really acknowledge the open window those books provided. When I was reading, however, about how being sociologically mindful, I realized that it meant being truly open-minded to other people's cultures and beliefs, rather than judging them or comparing them with my own. After when I decided to think back to The Life of Pi, I realized how open Pi was and how his religious practices were really fascinating. He wasn't blindly believing in Hinduism just because he was Indian. He had learned about other faiths with an open mind and practiced not only Hinduism, but Christianity, and Islam. His culture alone was extremely interesting, but because I was able to read about his life, I was able to get an understanding of why he chose to practice all of those faiths. I think that being sociologically mindful is to be able to really place yourself in another person's shoes and to try and understand them without judgment.

Do Nothing Assignment

PART 1
I conducted my experiment this morning in the hallway between the sports center and the wood commons when people were coming in to school. This was a busy hallway, and most people were focused on finding their friends, getting to their lockers, or meeting with teachers, so most people didn't even notice that I was standing there. Even when my friends or people I knew walked by they just said Hi and kept walking. I got the question a few times about what I was doing, and because some of my friends are really persistent, they stuck around trying to figure it out. Eventually they left however,  so I just kept standing there, unnoticed by the rest of the swarm of people and feeling really embarrassed. Whenever a friend did notice me I felt extremely grateful, but it usually passed into disappointment when they thought I was simply waiting for someone and didn't ask me what I was up to. The frustrated looks I got from people I didn't know was also embarrassing because they thought I was blocking the hallway.
PART 2:
I can't really know how my appearance affected the experiment because I don't have a comparison, but it was only girls who gave me looks when they thought I was blocking the way. Maybe if I was a guy, they wouldn't have shown their frustration or maybe if I were a minority I would have gone even more unnoticed, but I can't really know for certain. The people that reacted were mostly people I'm acquainted with. The ones I didn't know as well usually gave me a questioning look but kept walking and a few of my friends stopped and asked, but mostly everyone's reaction was the same. They just walked by. One security guard did come over by me and looked angry but eventually something else got her attention and she didn't end up saying anything. The adults were definitely the ones who noticed and reacted more because their job was to watch the students. No adults, however, actually came up and asked me what I was doing. There were more guys that asked me what I was up to than girls, but there weren't too many guys or girls that asked who didn't know me at all. Girls' reactions were more like double- takes followed by quiet comments to their friends while guys were more loud about their reactions. One  guy walked by and said, "what is she doing?" There weren't any apparent differences in the reactions of people of other ethnicities.  . Based on the experiment, it seems like people are so absorbed with their own lives and don't worry much about what other people are doing unless it directly affects them. I definitely couldn't wait for the experiment to be over because I felt really stupid, but it was interesting because it made me think about poor or homeless people in the city of Chicago who sit around hoping for someone's attention. During this experiment, I observed people and I was more mindful of everything around me. Usually, I'm just like everyone who walked by me: focused on what I have to do next, and not very aware of what's happening around me.