Blog 12

Race is a very interesting concept. For one, we learned that racism is not a term. It is a trait that people identify as race because of the 1800s. The movie, Crash, was the perfect model of racism, or traitism. Although, in my opinion it is somewhat extreme racism, there is some truth to the movie. People do take a lot of stereotypes to heart when the view minorities. Many times, the first thoughts are stereotypical. People do not judge based on personality. In the movie, every person was racist. The white detective was racist to the black upper middle class couple. At the same time, the Persian man was racist to the Latino man. Ludacris was a changed man, but he was portrayed as the stereotypical gang member who stole (which he did) but then he changed. People, I believe to a degree, are racist to a degree. But, it is how that they deal with it that shows their true potential as a human being.

Blog 11

For this blog, we were supposed to blog about something we did last week. Rather, I would like to blog about why Stevenson punishes the Seniors for senior ditch day. Why? Why is it that seniors at Stevenson get punished while seniors at BG, Hersey, Palitine, Prospect, Niles, and other schools do not? I am very intrigued by this. Stevenson has a weird reputation. No snow days built into the curriculum and punishment for a day where no teacher really plans a lesson? Is it because Stevenson wants to keep up their reputation of being an excellent school? Or is it to appease the tax paying family members? I do not know, and since Stevenson does not give a good answer, I doubt we will ever find out! I would like to point out too that when I went into the deans office, there were two types of people in there. Asians, and Athletes. Athletes I understand why, but why Asians? Is it a stereotype that Asians are always at school because they are more intelligent? Or is it because Asian parents are strict and do not let their kids ditch school because they know the value of education? Stevenson is a weird place that I will never understand.

Blog 10

For this extremely late blog we were supposed to write about the crime rate in juveniles. How race and crime fits into these offenses. Minorities are way more likely to be convicted of the same crime as a white person just because of their skin color. Another reason this happens is because of the money factor. Many white kids who get in trouble get off the hook because their parents are too "hooked up." However, these colored kids get in trouble just because they cant afford the bail. Rich kids use crack while the poor use cocaine. That's the difference. Therefore, we could ask ourselves why this happens. Is it because police are only looking to bust the poor black/latino kids or is it something else?

Blog 9

For this blog we were asked to blog about an activity that we did over the course of the week. I decided to blog about the activity we did today with the pennies. The design of the game was to see who would get rich or not. I really liked this activity for several reasons. For one, it was used to determine the risk takers. The people who wouldnt think twice about trying to spend a lot of money. I really liked it because I am a risk taker. After playing around 9 years of poker, I understand what it means to take risks. But what does this say about society? Well I personally believe that the rich are rich because they were the risk takers at one point. In one point or time, someone in their family struck out all they had to try and get it big. And they succeeded. The rich also have a lot to lose however, based upon their spendings. That is why, only the cool headed people who strike big become the elite of this country.

I just also liked the activity because I seemed to e good at predicting the outcomes. But that also could be my biggest downfall.

Blog 8

We watched a podcast today about the first "male" who became pregnant. Thomas was born a girl, but felt that he associated with the more male side of life. His actions and personality were more manly and therefore, he changed legally to become a male. He then became pregnant by injecting an anonymous sperm donation to get pregnant. He is male except for his reproductive organs which are female.

Now, what are my opinions?

Firstly, I believe that everyone is entitled to think what they want. If someone wants to give an opinion that is extremely liberal then they are entitled to it just as someone who is conservative is entitled to his or her opinion equally.

Secondly, I believe that unless you were born a hermaphrodite, you are either male or female.

Thirdly, I believe that no matter what one does to change their physical appearance, you are always going to be what you were born into.

Fourthly, I believe that someone who thinks they are a man when they were born a woman is definately not a man if a) they dont produce sperm and b) they still keep the female reproductive parts.

Now some might disagree but arent i entitled to my opinions?

Blog 7

How do you define agents of socialization? Agents of socialization are the people and groups that influence our self-concept, emotions, attitudes, and behavior. Whether this be people from the news, family, peers, or others, these people have a profound effect on our lives. However, agents of socialization are not always bad. sometimes, they can have an extremely good effect. But in today's society, for the most part they are bad. Many people view actors and actresses as role models, and when they mess up, people often justify their actions based on these failed celebrities. Therefore, are agents of socialization bad?

I personally think that it is ok to be an agent of socialization as long as one respects the idea that ultimately it is not the agents fault if someone does something wrong but the person who committed it. They were at fault and therefore, they should pay the consequences.

Blog 6

Today we started watching this really sad movie. It was about a teacher who was dying with a disease that paralyzes you. One of his students, now a sports reporter, finally after 16 years took the time to go and see his dying former professor. As soon as they saw each other it was like seeing an old family member. They clicked and they were just plain happy together. Many interesting discussions came up about the need for time, and the need to always be on the move. As the professor said, "1, 2, 3....12. Last week I could go up to 16." In our culture today, we are always on the move. Always needing to be doing something and always having a perfect schedule. Free styling it is not acceptable. Even if we have free time it is planned in. Also, this movie really puts into perspective what we truly value. Do we value our jobs more than our love, or our friendship? Sadly, the answer seems to be yes. Now most Americans would jump at that statement and say NO! We value family more than our jobs is this really true? Phrases like, "hold on one sec" or "coming in just a minute" kind of prove that what we are doing always takes precedence till the last possible moment before we move on to a new activity.

That is a culture that I would be afraid to live in. Where material things mean more than indescribable values.

For this blog we were supposed to write about the folkway that we did. I had a really hard time coming up with something that wouldn't me in trouble. I finally settled on this. During the school day, I would randomly pop into my old teachers classrooms while they were teaching and I used the Kanye West speech that he gave at the Music Awards, "Hold on, I'm going to let you finish...." I decided to see the reaction I got from teachers and students and to my surprise they varied. Some teachers said laughed and some got upset. I didn't get in trouble at all, but I also did make a fool out of myself. I really enjoyed seeing how the people got upset from an interruption. The funniest thing that happened though, was the seeing all the people that got it versus the people who were completely baffled as to what I was talking about.

I felt awkward during this observation. Looking back I don't know why I was but I think it was the bursting into a classroom part that got me. However, each time I did it I felt more comfortable. I think that this is the perfect example of why people are so afraid to break norms. People are so conservative in their ideas of following the normal way of life that they are prone to shock when something else happens.

For this blog, I have decided to write about acceptance. This is also related to the movie Lost Boys of Sudan. I feel like although Americans are compassionate in ways, we are not accepting. In the movie, people wanted to know the stories of the lost boys, but they did not want to know beyond hearing. In several incidences, the lost boys were subject to racial prejudice from the people trying to "help" them! The administrator who wouldnt let Peter take the ACT because he wasnt "ready." The woman who tried initially to help the Sudanese boys, but as soon as she learned that they had been threatened with guns, backed off. And the most noticeable was the girl who interviewed Peter. Although she seemed to care, she really only wanted a story. She didnt really care that he had been threatened at gun point, or that he had been shot at.

Acceptance, in the US, is something that doesnt come easily. People are too quick to stereotype and judge. I think the only way for Americans to progress in the world is to realize that most immigrants have amazing survival stories and they have fought hand and tooth for the "American Dream."

Blog 3

So for this weeks blog I wanted to talk about the Ethnography study we did. In attempting to learn about a new culture, we were given the task of going out and observing the things that certain groups did. For instance, we could have gone and observed the different cliques at school. Our group, however, decided to go and observe the foreign language teachers. Unfortunately, only the German teacher was available, but we did get a nice lesson from her. Interestingly, the German teacher is Filipino. The lesson was on shopping. Now you might think, how can one learn about a culture through a lesson. Well, in Germany people, for instance, bring their own bags when they shop. This is because they do not want to use plastic bags that are not recyclable. Therefore, to American's, it might seem really weird if someone was putting food into a backpack that they brought. In America, we would classify that as stealing. But in Germany, it is simply being concerned for the environment. That is one of the many differences that make each culture unique. Because, essentially, that's what sociology is all about. Being unique and accepting of other, different things.

Sociology Blog Post 2

This week we didn't really have a topic to blog about. It was up to us. So I decided to blog about the boat activity that we did in class. I was always curious about certain incidents like that. What would people do or what causes people to do what they do. Why wouldn't the soldier be saved because of his life, or why wouldn't the crew be willing to give up their lives so that others could live. Why were the people so intent on saving the young couple but not the elderly couple? What prompted these actions? I believe it is because people are too easy to pushover. During the activity, when certain people took charge and started raising their voices, others either had two options. A) Follow the people who voiced their opinions the loudest or B) Be silent and hope that no one would notice you. In the end, it was observed that human nature is either to be dominate or be dominated. I have also noted that people are not very convincing and go by impulse rather than trying to figure out something else. We value young life, but we do not consider anything outside of the picture. And that is something that should be valued equally.

Who Am I?

That is a great question. That question can simply be answered by stating my name, grade, age, place of birth etc. Or it can be defined by what I do. My hobbies, my interests, my talents. I like to think that it is a combination of both. My interests and hobbies and my background are what define me in every aspect. I am NOT jewish and yet I love Israel. I am Korean and yet I choose to affiliate with mostly non-Koreans. I am outgoing and yet shy. I am loving and yet hard as a rock when it comes to debating. The best definition of my being is I am a Third Culture Kid.

Goals? I have one. To change the world politically and make it a just place. Not a perfect one but a just one. How? The answer is within the United Nations. I want to become someone of significant power and thus be able to make political decisions that will better the world.