final thoughts

Sociology has taught me a lot of things about what goes on around me and how I am influenced by my surroundings.  I have developed some sort of 'sociological imagination' as this class has continued throughout the semester.  I do look at the world around me in a different light and look at people differently now.  I try to see people for who they are and not for what class they are from or what race they are.  I also can tell more obviously how a society influences how a person behaves, thinks and interacts with people.  For example, when I visited my college in Florida, I noticed that the people from there act differently than what I am used to.  The town my school is in much more affluent than Barrington, and the only thing the people there were concerned about was themselves rather than others, while here there is more of a sense of community and helping each other.  I would have liked to have talked a little more about gender issues in our society, because they are very prevalent.  It frustrates me to see how our society, more so the men, still treat women and still act with a slight air of superiority, and that women really have little ways to defend and stand up for themselves.  This class really has taught me to look at society in a different way and to appreciate the people around me more. 

Race

A person’s race can be interpreted in many different ways, both positive and negative.  There is a difference between a sociological definition of race and a biological definition of race. A sociological definition of race has to do with how people and a society perceive a certain race and people of that race, and what traits are associated with that race.  A biological definition of race is what the genetic and biologically derived within the person, or what they were born with, not what they acquired as a result of the society around them.  The IAT helps to show how subconsciously racist we really are. This type of racism isn't necessarily a terrible thing to have, the test just shows how the society we live in and the people around us truly influence our beliefs and how we view other people.  During the test we are not trying to seem racist, we are just clicking buttons, but in reality we are being tested on what type of race we prefer compared to another.  In a society generally dominated by one race, subconsciously we are going to prefer the race we are a part of, only because our society teaches us to be that way.  I do believe that this test is accomplishing measuring what it is attempting to measure because it is testing our subconscious mind and what we automatically prefer. 

            I did believe that African Americans were biologically superior athletes, only because I am an athlete myself and I see first hand how easy sports and certain components of sports come to them.  I still do believe that African Americans have a slight edge in certain sports because they possess certain traits that are a better fit to that kind of sport then other races, but I don't believe them to be completely dominate in sports.  Just because they are African American or possess certain better traits doesn't make them automatically better at sports than another person of a different race.  There are many other aspects to sports that makes a player great, including leadership, determination, hard work and mental ability.

Class

Social class stereotypes and status symbols are everywhere around us, and are something that Americans place a great deal of value into.  We associate people’s property and how they look directly to what social class they should or do belong to.  It can be easy to obtain these things that seem to elevate your social class, but in reality, being a part of a class is a lot more than just having certain things.  As seen in the movie in class, some people try to fake being in a higher social class than they are, or are trying to move up a class but simply do not have the means of doing so.  There are many social cues and underlying cultural differences that each class contain, and it may take a person a very long time to figure all of these out and learn to use them properly.  People of lower class status tend to be more family oriented and able to maintain close relationships, while people of higher class tend to be more independent and distant from people so they can form and break relationships easier in order to keep and attain the level of success they desire.  Social class is not something most people like to discuss or like to classify themselves by, but it is very prevelent in our society today.

perfection

In our society today, everywhere we look there are advertisements for products to ‘make you look younger’, ‘get you in shape’, give you that body you’ve “always desired”.  Because our society has become so technologically advanced and dependent on the technology, kids are being introduced to these ads and images from a very young age.  I think that right now in our society there is a growing number of people, especially teenagers and girls, that have self esteem and self confidence problems.  All these images being put out there by companies to advertise their products that purposely make the consumers and public feel bad about them themselves and inadequate so that the consumers feel like they need the product to make themselves acceptable to society are all a part of the problem that is lowering self esteem.  I feel that women have always been objectified to a certain extent by men and now the media, and these images are starting to make things even worse.  Companies use women and their bodies to sell almost everything.  ‘Beautiful’ and ‘perfect’ women are used to make products more appealing or to make consumers think that they can look like that if they use the products.  In reality, it is almost physically impossible to look like the people in the ads. 

With our technology, photo shopping the models make them appear near perfect and very appealing to society.  Perfect does not physically exist in our society as humans.  It is only something that we imagine and desire but can never achieve. 

our developing "selves"

In our society, we are predisposed virtually at birth to be concerned with what others think about you.  We are told from a very young age to act a certain way, talk a certain way, and interact with others a certain way in order to fit with the flow of society.  Our “true” self is built up through our experiences and knowledge that we gain throughout our lives.  As children, it is not easy to know what kind of person you want to be right away.  Kids tend to experiment with different personas and act in different ways, almost as if they were “trying on” different selves.  Now in our society it is even easier for kids to try on these different selves with the aid of all the technology available.  It is easy to create different or even multiple personalities online that aren’t really what these kids are in real life.  The self is almost allowed to develop faster because it is so easy for kids to try many different personalities and selves that they can find the one that fits them the best faster.  I think many adults are very skeptical about the use of technology and how it is becoming so prevalent in the everyday lives of kids.  But I hope they are able to realize that no where in the near future will technology not be available and not be constantly advancing, so it is to the kids benefits to be able to get accustomed to the technology and use it to their advantage.  I have even noticed from my time in middle school when technology was first starting to become very prevalent to now all the changes in kids and society due to the technology.  For example, when I was in middle school, we would AIM each other, but we didn’t have cell phones or social networking sites to also be in contact with each other. It was hard to get to know kids outside of your classes at school because you weren’t able to communicate with them easily. Now, my little brother is in 6^th grade, and with all the advances in technology, it is super easy for him to be friends with and keep in touch with almost everyone in his grade and that he used to be friends with.  Now the middle school students use SKYPE, which they can also videochat with, and text on their phones. I have noticed that my brother and most of his friends are much more confident than I ever remember anyone being when I was in middle school.  I think this shows the changes being made to kids and society by technology, and that they are able to find their “selves” faster and easier.

human rights

                The Purse of Hope presentation really encompassed what our society values compared to other societies.  The human trafficking going on in these foreign countries is huge and definitely not uncommon, whereas human trafficking in our society would be unheard of.  For many of the girls involved in this dangerous lifestyle, this is the only means of survival for them.  Our society values human rights and dignity and that everyone has a right to control their own body and life.  In these other cultures where human trafficking is uncommon, their values are obviously a whole lot different than ours.  With AIDS plaguing the people there as well, the value of life has declined greatly and the only thing the people really care about is whether or not they are going to get their next meal, not what might be in store for them in the long haul.  It was interesting to learn how the males in these countries are really nothing like the men in our culture, and that the men there don’t really have any respect for the women or the women’s lives.  It really is astonishing to see how many cultural differences there are between our culture and these other country’s cultures.  The values are almost completely on opposite ends of the spectrum, with our culture putting great worth in human life and rights, while theirs is merely based on getting another meal and not really caring what happens to them in order to get it.

you're weird...

Our value and norms in our society are unlike those in any other society.  Americans value money and individualism more than anything.  There is a wide variety of norms and values in our culture and society, mainly because of the huge diversity of the people that live here.  The things we value and normal day to day activities that we don’t even think twice about may be totally frowned about elsewhere.  Asking someone “How are you?” in Europe would lead to a ten minute conversation about how their day actually was, whereas in America, it is just a common thing that people don’t actually mean.  Also, it is considered extremely rude in other countries to end a conversation because you have to be somewhere on time, because there really is no sense of time there. 

                In class, we discussed the different values of our culture that are looked down upon.  Folkways, misdemeanors, taboos and felonies are all different levels of breaking the social norm.  Things like interracial dating and marriage, insulting a dead person, and using certain language in public are all things that most people in this society do not agree with.  The ways people interact with each other in this society and how they view others is all based on their opinions and if the people follow the social norms and values or not.  If a person dresses or acts not according to the norms, people tend to stay away from them and try not to associate themselves with them so they don’t look like they’re not following the norms either.

"True" American?

As a society, we are very culturally biased and it is hard for us to understand other cultures and the hardships they endure. We don’t appreciate foreigners and we feel that they should not be given the same opportunities that “true” Americans get. But what is the definition of a “true” American? Someone who was born here? A white person? I feel that this definition is skewed and extremely biased to only a small fraction of the United States population. The U.S. is a very diverse country that holds many immigrants and their future generations. I feel that people need to keep in mind that nobody is actually a “true” American, because at one point, our ancestors came to this country on a boat also, even if they were the first British over here, they were still foreign.

                This country gives many great opportunities that other countries are nowhere near being able to give to their citizens. Our culture and society has grown and adapted to the freedoms and opportunities America presents, which is making it increasingly harder for immigrants to adapt to our society.  Third world countries are not materialistic anywhere near the sense of materialism America has. As  seen in the movie we watched in class, people in Sudan, a war stricken country, have many other things on their minds than money and success.  Here, people are willing to sacrifice their friends, social life, family and leisure to become successful and wealthy.  Having too much down time is far from a good thing, “time is money”, as everyone always says.  Just because someone is foreign doesn’t give us the right to judge and think they can’t make it just as far as we can.  We’re so used to our social norms that we don’t think it‘s fair that someone can come from outside of the country and be just as successful or just as intelligent.  It is a social value in this country that we almost have a “right” to success and wealth if we strive hard enough to achieve that, but the competition to get it is extreme. I think Americans as a culture and society really need to work on our definition of a “true” American and our values of materialism and what America is really all about.

ethno(EGO)centrism: Americans

The American culture, like all other cultures, is unlike any other culture in the world.  Our values contrast many values of other cultures, and some foreigners view our habits and values as rude and strange, just as we would most likely view their own habits and values. This ethnocentrism is present in almost every individual in our American culture. Americans have a very big ego and tend to think that “American values and institutions represent the very best on Earth” as stated by Robin Williams in his list of the 13 American values.  For example, in many countries in Europe, time means very little to them, and they are not in a rush to get anywhere, while in America, time is money, and money is happiness. Independence is greatly valued in the American culture, and the less dependent you are on even your closest people in your life (including your family) the better.  Cultures in South America, for example, value dependence on the family, and you could easily find more than two generations of a family living together in the same house!  Europeans greatly value learning foreign languages, and according to Eupedia, most Europeans learn 2-4 languages, while Americans usually only speak English, or English and their original language if they are immigrants. If you look within our culture, you could see how some things we value could seem strange to foreigner, just as some of their values would seem strange to us.

conflict theory: I WANT POWER!!

In our society, the conflict theory is ever present, as humans are naturally selfish creatures. All around us we see struggle for power, whether it be in obvious things such as politics, or smaller things like in a high school, in the home, or on a team. There are all kinds of resources that can be and are scarce which causes these conflicts. For example, right now in Egypt there is a huge power struggle between the Egyptian people and their government and their current leader. There is a conflict about what kind of government Egypt should have. The society in Egypt is going to undergo huge social changes if the government changes. There would be a new sense of support for the government by the people and possibly a sense of unity which could affect their moods, their economy, etc. There is a scarcity of authority in Egypt and the people are fighting for it.

High school is a place full of conflict. Some kids are being bullied and taunted by others, because the bullies think they have authority over the kids they torture. The athletes and/or jocks are at the top of the food chain, getting the respect of most of their peers because they are good at what they do. Although it is not entirely true and usually exaggerated on TV, the social structure of high is somewhat of a reflection of the social structure of the world outside the walls of high school.  In high school, popularity is the scarce resource that students are constantly fighting for more of, and in the real world, money is the scarce resource. More money=more power=more respect from others. This power struggle can differ from society to society, but overall materialism is very prominent in today’s society and people can become obsessed with the notion of having more money/power, just as high school students can become obsessed with the thought of becoming more popular.

awkward...

Silence. Something that can have so many meanings. It can be comfortable, funny, awkward, respectful, sad. Awkward silences are experienced everyday by all kinds of people. If you don’t know someone and you are with them alone, an awkward silence is not that uncommon. Society teaches us to only associate with people like us or that we know. The awkward silences are so awkward because both people know they probably should talk, but the ensuing conversation might be uncomfortable. Some people do talk (like my dad), but if they are talking in what could have been an awkward silence, they are just talking to fill the air with noise. This conversation, if it even happens, is almost always about the weather, where you’re from, what you do, etc. Nothing too complex. For me, my awkward situations have been in elevators, standing in line, in a waiting room, on a first date. You don’t know what to say and if the other person/people even want to talk to you. It is the worst when you are trying to get to know somebody and there is nothing to talk about so it is just silent. This can be very awkward and uncomfortable because both people know they should be talking. Awkward silences sometimes happen during class when someone says something that’s not meant for everyone to hear, but the class goes silent and everyone hears it anyways, and then nobody wants to talk after this information has just been revealed. 

On the first day of class you expect, and society teaches you to expect, that the teacher will be there and go over the rules of the class and get down to business right away. It started to become weird after about 5 minutes of just talking to each other and no teacher present. Everyone began to look around and wonder why nothing was getting accomplished and why the teacher wasn’t starting class.  This is how we are already thinking sociologically because we were already thinking about why she wouldn’t be there and what other people would think or were thinking.  We are also trained to think about being quiet when somebody else is on the phone, not cutting people in line, not fighting with people in public. Society teaches us how to act and how to think while we are around others and what is right and wrong to do.

Who am I?

Pretty much my entire life has revolved around playing a sport or doing something of competitive nature.  I am a super competitive person and I am always striving to be better or the best.  Volleyball is a huge part of my life and will continue to be (I will be playing in college), but it has also taught me a lot about myself and everything around me.  A lot of people say that I am following in my dad’s footsteps (he played basketball at Penn State), but I really would like to be my own person and do what I want.  Having a volleyball scholarship is hard and comes with a lot of pressure from everyone around you. I have always felt pressure from all around me to be very good and to not make mistakes.  I have really learned to become my own person through these pressures and the stress of recruiting and playing.  I have had to face many hard decisions and societal pressures to do things that could put my scholarship in great danger.  From all of this I have been able to grow as a person and learn that all that really matters is doing what you want and what benefits you, not what others want and what could benefit them.  The outside influences/pressures of what people think and want you to do have actually shown me what I really want and to keep my eyes on my goals.  One goal that I had always had was to get a volleyball scholarship to college.  Now that that is complete, I am focusing on other things like college that is looming ahead and doing well there and hopefully continuing onto law school.  Besides volleyball I love music and I play the piano in my free time. My friends are big influences in my life and they share a lot of the same views as I do so we all get along great.