My Final Reflection

As I looked back on what I first posted- the main theme of that post was being through difficult times and to be strong throughout the tough times. Since learning about sociology, I have absorbed information about culture, social class, and race. I am now more aware of what is going around me. The way I have grown up I now know is because of the people that I have been surrounded by. I have also been more aware of how different genders view themselves. It is very important to know this because the media has shaped both boys and girls to become a certain way just because their role model looks like that. After watching the movie Crash. I have become also more aware of race. The implicit racism is held by everyone whether you know it or not. This class has definitely opened my eyes to the society I live in today. I have also explored other cultures. By having former students come in and talk about their adventures in the real world has made me interested in studying abroad. It is certainly something I will look into doing my junior or senior year of college.

Crash

I was really drawn in watching the movie Crash in class this past week. The way that everything tied together at the end was very genius. But, most of all the movie targeted how even the person you didn't expect to have prejudices, did. The scene that stood out to me the most was when the African American woman was stuck inside her car after being in an accident, and the only guy that could save her was the police man who had previously whisked her inappropriately earlier outside her car in front of her husband. In times like that, sometimes you just have to trust whoever it is that you have a prejudice towards and have faith that they will be able to do a favor for you in the long run. This instance also happens in another part of the movie, when the girl who works at the shop with her dad doesn't load the gun because she had known that he would do something with it. It is always important to be mindful on who you will deal with on a daily basis. Because, one wrong action can end badly. So always remember to be mindful of your surroundings.

Implicit Racism

Today in class, we saw a student take a quiz on if there's a predisposed preference between African Americans and European Americans. So, when I got home I took a similar test based on light and dark colored skin people. After taking the test it said I had no preference towards light/dark skinned people. Which I thought was surprising, because it is inevitable that everyone have racism. We even see it in magazines everyday. Also, today we watched a clip about an experiment being reconducted based on what color doll little girls and boys prefer to play with. The majority of them decided to play with the white doll. What was really sad to watch was that the experimenter asked a little African American girl who she considered the mean doll-- and the girl preceded to pick the black doll. But, then the experimenter asked what doll resembled the girl the most- and the little girl at first hesitated, then proceeded to pick the black doll, not wanting to be known as the mean person, but the nice one- which happened to be the white doll. Overall, I feel that racism will always be surrounding us.

Social Class

There was a woman in the movie we just watched in class stating that she believes that social class is all in the mind. In a way I see where she is coming from because someone may think that they have everything they need to satisfy their needs and wants, but can be in the lower class. There happened to be a quiz online where you decorate your house how you normally would and they would rank what class you would be in; they put me in the middle middle class. There are certain aspects in my house at least where I believe resembles a more of a higher class. (Which is where I am according to the social class ladder). It's all an aspect of whether your needs are satisfied and you are happy. Many people feel the need to buy a $600 pair of Louis Vuitton shoes to be happy- as discussed that Oprah has. But, you can clearly tell that certain people like Oprah and Donald Trump have the money. Oprah wasn't always wealthy though, she grew up with little money and worked her way up the social class ladder. It's those families like the Hilton's that are old money since their foundations have been established a long time ago.

Violating A Social Norm

Being deviant can either be positive or negative. One movie that relates to this concept I feel is Pay It Forward. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwHcS-XoYbc The main boy in the movie has an assignment in class to change something that he doesn't like. I feel this strongly relates to how we just got assigned to performing a positive norm. Something that isn't something we would normally do. In the movie, the main character decides to do extreme acts of kindness that would completely go against the norm. He is clearly demonstrating things that aren't seen around his neighborhood. For instance, he decides to let a homeless sleep in his home because the man has nowhere to go. The only different idea is that once he does something good for one person, that person must pay it forward- continuing the tradition that the young boy started. By being deviant, people may strike you as different ( like the man who had dinner with the man who attempted to attack him). But, I find it rewarding to violate something you normally wouldn't do. From now on, I will work harder to violate norms in a positive way like the boy did in the movie. Because it pays to pay it forward.

Growing Up

Recently we learned what society considers to be the appropriate age that you are independent. It's a scary thought to think that at the age I am right now, 18- there are so many rights I have. I believe that the age of 27 is truly the age where you become independent. That is because once you know how to have a handle on a real job, pay for a house, car, and children-- then your classified as independent. But, at the age I am right now I also feel that I can take on a lesser role of being independent. Because, next year I will be in college- where there will be less dependency for my parents. Yet, I still don't have the availability to completely support myself on my own. There are certain milestones in your life, that once you pass allows you the freedom to do more things. By turning 18 I have the right to vote, and legally buy cigarettes. Although those are minor right of passages in my lifetime, I look forward to seeing what other milestones come my way, and how I will become more independent as I grow up.

Dealing With The Media

At a young age, girls tend to turn to magazines to inspire them on how their look should be. But what is not realized is the overwhelming amount of celebrities and young women who are put into these magazines, yet they are completely airbrushed to look a certain way. Girls who are unhappy with their self-image learn from such magazines such as Seventeen and Cosmopolitan that they should be super skinny. But at our age right now, we already have learned that that is not what the ideal body should be like, and on order to have a healthy state of mind- all we have to do is eat healthy and exercise. What I believe to be the main concern for girls and their body image, is the encounter with people at school. I find that when you see girls walk through the halls, there is a factor of jealousy/judgement about what they look like. You'll hear about what someone wore to school, and judge it and base it according to if you like it. Instead of girls comparing themselves to images in a magazine, which is mainly done in your preteen years- girls at the high school age tend to focus more on who is surrounding them. There are so many types of body images at our school, but that is what makes each person unique.

Agents of Socialization

Our families have a great influential impact on us, whether we know it or not. My family has taught me the morals that I have accumulated over the years. I have become more of a respectful person because of them, and have continued to show positive characteristics throughout my life. Both my parents attended the Ohio State University, and when it was time for me to apply to college- my dad forced it upon me to also apply. Although my parents do have some powerful influence on me, I knew that OSU was not the college I would like to go to. Yet, I ended up applying there anyways just to make my dad happy. I have also decided to go on my own path with the career I potentially want to pursue. My mom is a preschool teacher, and my sister is following in her footsteps and becoming a kindergarten teacher. I think the reason why I want to become a social worker was probably shaped by my experiences around my friends. I tend to think of myself in my group of friends as the one who people go to in times of trouble. It is interesting to see that although my family has an influence on me, I decided to be independent and go on my own path for the future.

What Shapes My Life

After learning about Genie in psychology class, and then again in sociology- it really made my heart go out to the children/adults who have been neglected as harsh as Genie. The way you act is shaped by the experiences you encounter. Also, the people that are involved in your life shape the way you live and act. One experience that truly impacted my life was when my mom became very sick when I was in 6th grade. I didn't know much at the time, but she went off on Halloween telling me that it was just a check-up. Little did I know that she had complications and would need surgery. At 12 years old, my dad kept very little knowledge from me. My mom ended up in a coma and ended up being in the hospital for 6 weeks- missing Thanksgiving that year. Thankfully, luck was on her side and my mom made a full recovery. Ever since then, I have learned to never take things for granted. My mom is like my best friend, and every day I wonder what life would have been like without her. It is those kind of experiences that open your eyes to reality. I now live my life to the fullest, and never take anything/anyone for granted.

Forgiving Ourselves

After watching "Tuesdays With Morrie," I found a quote that stuck out to me- mainly because it is relateable towards my life. "We...need to forgive ourselves...For all the things we didn't do. All the things we should have done. You can't get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened." The true meaning of this passage is that you should forgive yourself because if you didn't do the things you didn't do then you wouldn't have done the things you did do. Simply, don't live your life with regrets. Don't live in a world of "what ifs." I always had wondered that if I didn't act out a certain way, then how could that situation have gone differently. But, there is a reason we acted that way, because it's what we felt. Although many of us play back in our heads what we should've done, I believe that everything happens for a reason. In the movie, Mitch regrets not seeing Morrie earlier, until the day he founds out he is getting very ill. Since he hadn't set out to do that until 16 years later, Mitch made a living for himself becoming a sports journalist. All I'm really saying is that, live your life by the moment... and if something passes you by, it was meant to be because everything happens for a reason.

American Values

After have looking at Robin Williams US Values List, one of them stuck out to me more than the others. "Individualism emphasizing personal rights and responsibilities." This definitely applies to my life, especially nearing the end of my high school career. Heading off to college allows for us to have this sense of freedom, after all there are no parents around to be nagging you to get to school, or to clean your room. My personal rights grow as I get older- including one that I recently have gained, the right to vote. The responsibility part comes in mainly because I will have to remember a lot more on my own since college will not include my mom always being right there. I respect that Williams has added this to his values list, because by being an individual, you discover more than you would have with others. Nothing can get in your way- which is why I am really looking forward to college. It will allow me to join a sorority, intramurals, and pick and choose the clubs I'd like to be a part of. Inidividualism lasts throughout your whole life. That's why it is great to learn how to be responsible on your own now, so you know how to live a healthy life in the near future.

Gestures Around the World

Since I have never been to another country that has significant differences in the way we use gestures; I have decided to research what other countries to do greet one another. Sociologists tend to look at different gestures because they need to understand how the bigger world around us behaves. Just in North America itself, greetings differ. For instance, in Canada, women greet with a slight nod while men greet with a firm handshake. The men in Mexico tend to be a little bit more firm by patting a man on the back along with a slight hug. But, here in the United States women are known to hug other women while men quickly kiss the cheek of a woman. In other parts of the world, I found it weird that in Egypt- a handshake is followed by a touch on the elbow. In the Philippines you greet with a quick flash of the eyebrows. It is always interesting to see what we interpret as a handshake for a greeting, can be turned into something so different around us.

Culture- The Way We Live

Yesterday, in class we were split up into groups and given certain directions on how to play a card game. Once the loser and winner left from my 'culture' and two new players joined; the game was then played again. Since my culture was set on the idea that aces trumped all, we continued to play like that. But, when the new players started to play, they encountered a culture shock due to the fact that they learned to play the game differently. When you enter a new territory, you either want to revolt against what is presented right in front of you, or not argue and give in to how the culture has already been established. For instance, last winter break I went to Miami, Florida. Since it is so close to the border of Mexico, every employee who worked at the mall spoke Spanish. It was quite overwhelming, because I had stopped taking Spanish after sophomore year. Even the signs at the grocery store were in Spanish. Like the card game, I had either a choice of going against what was presented in front of me, or try my best and adjust to the language that was predominantly spoken in Miami. I also experienced this shock when I went to Mexico. There happened to be stray dogs everywhere! In the United States, that sort of thing is looked at as maybe someone lost their dog. But, the dogs in Mexico had no collar or identification. It is definitely looked at differently between different cultures. When we enter a new culture, we must learn to adapt and learn how each of their customs work.

Cookie Thief

Each day, many people are faced with different personalities. Each class I take consists of many students whose strengths and weaknesses differ. On the first day of school everyone tends to judge too quickly. They don't take a chance to get to know maybe someone who is quieter, or the person sitting in the back of the room. The only way to get past our judgemental selves, is to come into class with an open mind. A really good example for us seniors, is finding a roommate for college. Many of us have joined the college groups on facebook, or have taken surveys to pair us up with each other. I can admit that I have been some what judgemental when it comes to finding the right one. Just because they look a certain way, doesn't necessarily mean that they wont have the same interests as you. In the past I have been quick to judge. In Charon's story, many people have been known to generalize, stating that only rich people vote republican. But, that is not the case at all. In reality, people need to start to let down their judgements about people and enter any situation with an open mind.

Focusing on the Arts-- ODYSSEY!

Looking back on the past two days, some classes that I got put into for Odyssey really put me into a different atmosphere. One class that left me skeptical before entering was Dancing Wheels. At Dancing Wheels, two girls were permanently confined to a wheelchair, while another girl and boy danced on their feet. At times the tricks they did were neat, but overall it left me thinking why they were asked back. That was because the environment I happened to be sitting in was surrounding by other people who had heard this performance wasn't at all entertaining. Since it was located in the field house, where they sat us in uncomfortable bleachers- it definitely influenced the way I perceived the dance. Since my back was already hurting me, I knew I wouldn't focus on the performers. Many people didn't take it seriously because seeing something so unusual stuck them as odd. People in such a society as the one we live in today, have a mind set about what looks normal to them. As every performer does at the end of their act, they ask the audience if anyone has a question. But, this time no one raised their hands. Usually if that happens the performance is over. In the case of the dancers of Dancing Wheels, they preceded to ask questions within each other while the audience just listened. I felt that it created a very awkward atmosphere. By being faced with something that I normally don't see everyday made me laugh. Our society has grown up learning that when asked a question to respond. Similar to the analogy about saliva turning into spit being gross. In a way, by watching something unfamiliar to our society it left us questioning ourselves with a sociological mind.

Are You a Freak or a Geek?

After having discussed the meanings behind the Functional Theory, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism; there is a direct link to how it relates to me. By many of us being second seniors, and graduation approaching, we have a lot of conflict against school; school resting most of the power in their hands. In my case, I feel that going to such a competitive high school, we need to work twice as hard on order to achieve such high recognition. I find myself stressing over the little things, because by missing out on those 'minute' details can cost you. By being a teenager who will be facing the real world in such little time, I am overwhelmed by how much authority my parents have given me over the past several years. Just yesterday, I was speaking to my dad about how my AP psych teacher took off 6 points from my note packet, and how ridiculous I thought that was. But, by listening to his response of, "you're going to have professors like that who are nit-picky" made me realize that the power will almost always be in the hands of a teacher, or some sort of authority figure. The show Freaks and Geeks lets us know that there are bigger things out there than us- and we will have to deal with them on order to go through life. A lot of things will define us as individuals, but on order to be the best that we can, we need to conquer the bigger things that come our way.

Silence- Is It Awkward?

While entering Sal's class on the first day of second semester, I thought it was very nice that he would shake my hand and learn my name right off the bat. Then, as students slowly strolled in, Mr. Salituro took a seat next to a student. Thus, leaving my class and me with a peculiar situation to deal with. Depending on the circumstance, silence can be uncomfortable. In the case with Sal, I felt the awkwardness coming from the sense that it was just so unfamiliar to me- the fact that I've never had a teacher act like a student nor sit there without saying a word. I feel that people simply wanted to say something within that silence to fill the air with some type of noise. I also think that once the silence was over with, our sense of being comfortable with Mr. Salituro quickly increased. The most prevalent type of awkward silence I have been faced with is getting in a fight with a friend. After both people have been going at it, there is that pause where you don't know who says something next. When silence is broken, I believe that you feel more comfortable with your self and the confidence to know that things can be faced in awkward situations.

Lauren's Life!

Hey, it's Lauren! :) This is my last semester at Stevenson High School, and after leaving I hope to find myself at Miami University in Ohio studying psychology. My friends would say that I am trustworthy and reliable. When I was younger, I went through a lot of difficult times due to the fact that my mom was really sick. Being through tough times have shaped me to who I am today. Today, I have grown into a strong person and have learned to let things go and move on. What inspires me to live by those rules are the many quotes I have along my door in my bedroom. Not only does that show my creativity, but it provides an outlet for me to express myself. In ten years I hope to have a psychology degree and use it towards owning my own practice. By being in sociology class, I hope to learn more about the society we live in and the world around us. I hope to even maybe take the knowledge I learn from this class into a degree at college; becoming a social worker if owning my own practice isn't the path I choose to take. Overall, helping people with their problems is something you could say is my 'cup of tea.'