Stratification

Money does not make you high class. Being rich or poor is definitely a factor in whether or not you are considered high class or not, but not always. Let's look at the Beverly Hillbillies for example, they were a lower class family who came to be millionaires. Yet they were still not accepted by those of a similar economic status as them. They had to learn how to act like those around them, to fit into the social circle of people with money. They way we act about money and around others determines how others judge us and our socio-economic status.
Herbert Gans argues that poverty serves a purpose in our society. The poor fill unwanted jobs, they buy unwanted goods, they keep the affluent afloat economically, they create jobs to service the poor...the list goes on. The poor are continually targeted as the source of crime, economic problems, and social unrest. When all else fails our society tends to use those of lower class as a scapegoat it seems. Keeping the poor oppressed and the amount of affluent people low is a very big advantage to the wealthy. We can hypothesize about what our society would be like if wealth was distributed equally, a utopia of sorts. However, we can concede that this will never happen. Humans are made to want more, to be in control, to fight for power and influence and comfort and happiness. These human instincts are what keep the social structure of today in tact, whether we see that as good or bad.

Gender Socialization

The article this week argues that males and females are actually more alike than we originally thought. "the gender similarities hypothesis holds that males and females are similar on most, but not all, psychological variables." This may surprise us at first, however I think that it is extremely true, especially now in the 21st century. Unlike fifty years ago, there are many less expectations on what it means to be a boy and what it means to be a girl. These expectations aren't just physical anymore either. Girls and boys are more comfortable now with acting like a the opposite gender. These specifications still exist; but now adays homosexuality, cross-dressing, and gender switches blur the lines of what it means to be either male or female. It is no longer socially unacceptable to question your gender. Although not exactly common, boys decide to become girls and girls decide they were meant to be boys all the time. In fact, the differences in boys and girls may eventually become obsolete and unecessary. However we won't know until that happens.

Girls and Boys

The ways that boys and girls are treated as small children is very different. But is there really a purpose for this? Why don't mothers paint their daughters bedrooms with firetrucks and baseballs? And why is it so frowned upon for young boys to enjoy ballet or figure skating? Many scientists believe that this is not biologically predetermined whether you adapt male or female tendencies. Which means that it is all left up to nurture. Our world would be extremely different if there was no gender distinction. Aside from reproduction, is there really a reason for separating males and females? Many women fight for equality; however, if differences in sex didn't exist at all...would our world really be better? I'd like to think that there are advantages to being separate. For one thing it certainly makes life more interesting and exciting. It also creates a more competitive atmosphere for mating. Perhaps society goes a little overboard on pink wallpaper for girls and thrusting baseball bats into boys hands practically as they exit the womb. Yet gender distinction keeps society moving smoothly. Interruptions in this order are not smiled upon.

Isolation and Online Socialization

I was very surprised to find the Frontline video very accurate. Sometimes movies about the Internet get outdated so quickly that when we watch them in school, we just laugh at their inaccuracy. However, this movie got a lot of things right. What really struck me was when they asked the kids about how they avoid predators. I completely agree with the fact that most kids aren't on chat sites, and are definitely not looking to talk to strangers and give away personal information. On the other hand, in the beginning of this movie they emphasized the gaming that kids do online. I think that they focus too much on this. Although many kids do play online games, I believe that the majority of the time is spent networking with friends. Only a minority of kids get together to play these games together.

On the positive side, the Internet helps kids learn to type faster, which may seem futile, but when it comes to typing papers and doing school work it makes a big difference. Also, I think that in some cases social networking can help face to face socialization. However, the Internet IS dangerous, and we've all seen kids get kicked off sports for drinking pictures. Or having their Facebook hacked.

On the opposite end of the spectrum you have feral children. Where as most kids these days are increasing the amount of other people they talk to, feral children have noone. I think that most of what a feral child is missing is nurture. It is in our biological makeup to act like a human; to eat, walk and survive. However, things like eating with utensils, reading, talking and dressing are not instinctual. Children learn how to act in a social environment by watching others. If scientists were able to conduct an experiment where the feral child was able to watch humans but not interact with them, I believe they would be much more advanced. We learn and adapt so much by conforming with others. Of course without nurturing from a parental figure or being taught how to do certain things a child will be wild and lagging in development.

Cracking Down

The introduction to the article "Dealing Crack: Doing Research with Streetcorner Dealers" discusses how to investigate drug dealing in urban areas. This immediately made me think of the Illinois Youth Services survey that all the seniors and sophomores recently took. The survey asked kids about different drugs, alcohol, sex, and violence. I don't know how seriously the IYS takes the results of this survey. However, I am suspecting the results are far from accurate. No matter how confidential that the school swears the survey is, kids are still going to lie. Not only are kids lying to protect themselves (many students believe the school will catch you if you admit to being involved in illegal activity) but they also lie to be funny. Many people check they do have tried or do every drug, every day. On the other hand, some "more clever" students check that they have never tried drugs or alcohol and never want to, even if they do involve themselves with it. They do this becuase they believe that if the survey results show that kids are not involved with drugs and alcohol then they will focus on other problems that they believe that kids have and forget about drugs. Thus allowing more freedom and less suspicion about drugs. I think it is even harder to find out the truth about the activites of highschool students than it is about the drug dealers. Kids are even more protective of their privacy and even more scared of getting in trouble; and even less trusting of authority figures.
However, I do find it interesting that the crack dealers eventually let Jacobs into their lives. Perhaps with a little more effort in slightly different tactics, adults could learn more about the lives of the youth.

Understanding the Golden Arches

I thought that this was the most interesting article we've gotten so far this year. I never realized that McDonald's went to such an extreme effort to keep all of their stores uniform. However, now that I take a step back and look at it, it's true. Although I have noticed some individuality; in the interior decorating. For example, our very on Barrington McDonald's has a 'fancier' air to it. Perhaps this is an attempt to reflect Barrington and our ideals, and entice more customers to eat there. The McDonald's corporation probably sees that Barrington is wealthy, and a part of the upper class, and took steps to capitalize on that. Once when I was in Florida, I went into a McDonald's decorated with an under the sea theme. Again taking a step back, I now realize that this is a gimmick for tourists to eat at that McDonald's; although it is exactly the same as every other McDonald's in America. This week I realized how often the general population falls prey to different marketing ploys that have been so thoroughly researched by companies.

Debating and Deliberating

As we begin to learn more about the values of our society, I become more embarassed of America. Compared to most other countries, we don't seem to have a cultural basis that keeps us in order. I find it really intersting that as the world's "melting pot", we don't have half as many traditions and holidays as some other countries. Although America is definitely unique, we are often seen as different; with scorn. I feel like we have lost a lot of religious and national identity. We are often recognized as stuck up, lazy, stupid and always on the go. And most of the time, we don't know how to defend ourselves because it's true. With values like conserving time, self-betterment, and convenience; I'm not surprised. Although it isn't unusual to see other countries's cultures as weird or unecessary; I find it hard to see the use in our own. I believe that it would do America some good to slow down and put more value in time with eachother as well as traditions of any sort whether they be family, friends, church or town related. I think that America needs something more to be proud of than being the nation with the largest deficit in the world.

Bemused in America

Article 1: "Food for Thought"
-Time & Its Control: The supermarket is open 24 hours here; allowing us to do our shopping whenever we can and want.
-Practicality & Efficency: We have tons of prepared food; saving us time and money and allowing us to push aside eating to make room for other more "important" things.
-Competition: The buy one get one half off sales are there to compete with prices at other grocery stores.
-Informality: The store isn't decorated or made to seem unique or homely.

Article 2: Watching Joggers
-Self-help: People take the initiative to work out and better themselves.
-Personal control over environment: People run to change their appearances, rather than accept how they are.
-Informality: The author notes how they don't care what they look like while running.

Article 3: American Television
-Time & Its Control: Television programs of all genres air at all times of the day, making it possible for us to catch our favorite shows at any time we have available.
-Directness/Openess: We are comfortable acting in front of a large audience.
-Materialism/Acquisitiveness: We have hundreds and sometimes thousands of cable television channels; most of which we don't watch regularly, or ever.

Article 4: Rules
-Equality: The author points out rules like making smokers go outside in order to make non-smokers feel comfortable inside; so it's fair.
-Practicality/Efficency: The restaurant gives a time limit for you to stay at the table.

Article 5: Language
-Change: We are constantly making new words and phrases to go with new cultural phenomenons.
-Individualism/Privacy: Many of our new words come from celebrities who try to diversify themselves, or from unique movies.
-Informality: We have over double the amount of words in the German dictionary, probably due to slang.

Aliens in America

This week we watched a movie about the Lost Boys of Sudan. Soon after arriving in America, the boys start to believe that life in America is no easier than life in Sudan. I think that the boys got an unfair view of America. Although they were working hard and living like most Americans, I feel that they would have appreciated the differences in America if they had been more comfortable here. Also, they didn't realize how unusual it is for a kid to have to go to highschool, pay his own rent, work five hours a day as well as do homework and have time to hang out with friends and play sports. Most kids could never even imagine being in that posistion. Also, I think that they don't see life in America as exponentially better than the Sudan because they were used to life there. Even if they lived like the richest person in America, the boys would probably still see a lot of advantages to life in the Sudan and miss it.

Culture Shock

Sometimes Americans are considered ignorant and cocky because we don't understand other cultures. However, these cultures find our rituals and customs just as strange as we find theirs. Normally when we think of culture we think of foods, clothing and greetings as the cornerstones. Yet recent studies have shown that even the way we think is involved in the culture we grew up in. I find it fascinating that Westerners tend to think more logically then Easterners; who tend to allow contradiction more often. Perhaps this has something to do with the sterotype that Asians are good at math and science; maybe they really do excel at these things because of their culture. I find it perfectly plausable that different races and cultures may have different brain wirings. We have different skin tones, hair, faces and food choices; how much of a stretch is it to say that our brains are a little different as well?

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

We try to not think about what kind of unpleasantness we would do if it came down to protecting ourselves and making others suffer...or die. However, when it comes down to it; we are usually make the decision pretty quickly. Movies like Saw and Batman are great examples of this. The guy in Saw and the Joker force us to decide which of the evils we would rather experience. Like the survivors of the F-227 flight, these characters force us into doing things we never thought possible otherwise. Social norms tell us that cannibalism, choosing one person to die over another, or making someone else suffer for your safety is bad and unnatural. However, I think that it is in our human nature to survive, and choose the path that most easily leads us to survival and progress; however gruesome it may be. I am in no way encouraging cannibalism, or saying that it would be easy to make decisions like that; but I do think that it's interesting how society views and is intrigued by these things.

What is Sociology?

I see sociology as a big tree. At the trunk of it is the basic human instinct to understand how our world works. From this trunk of basic sociology comes the different types of sociology; structural, interactional, qualitative and quantitative. These different types of sociology work together to justify human behavior. From these come the social science branches. These branches include history, political science, economics and anthropology. Many of these branches connect with eachother as well. Each of these branches has a different view of the world from where it is on the tree; consequently theses different social sciences interpret and explain situations differently from eachtother. Because we as humans cannot fully prove many sociological findings, the combination of different types of sociology and social sciences is crucial. Having different perspectives on a situation can give us a much better understanding and open our eyes to things we may not have considered before. The example that the article gives us explains different ways that different social scientists would perceive teen deliquency. In my opinion, in order to understand it, we must take a little bit of truth from each of the perspectives.