Race

Although racism has significantly improved throughout the years, it still exists. A demonstration of how race is something that has been socially constructed is the global census we viewed in class. Race can’t be defined considering each location identifies individuals differently. It's difficult, nearly impossible to label a person based on their appearance, but people do it all the time. A similar analogy we used in class was the categorization of the different types of balls. Just like the balls had different shapes, sizes, colors etc. so do people. Despite the circumstances, as humans, we've learned to distinguish differences by categorizing. How do we know where to draw that line when we categorize? Whites are more privileged considering they are the majority group, therefore, although more Americans are on welfare, we do not focus on them due to the fact that they are not a minority. Unfortunately, this also applies to jobs as well. In the video we watched, a white with a felony got hired over a black that had a clean record. This is just one example of explicit racism is being prejudice or discriminating one due to their race. One of my friends experienced racism because they had been Hispanic, but that doesn't make them any less of a person. On the other hand, there’s also implicit racism. This is the subconscious mind associating good thoughts more quickly to specific groups over others. All in all, both are racism and both are degrading. If we could look past these classifications, we could create a peaceful, composed society.

Deviance & Social Class

Deviance and social status go hand and hand. Depending on where and when you live determine the way you perceive certain actions as deviant, or otherwise known as going against the 'social norms.' Reflecting on the positive deviance experience, I bought meals for strangers because they were hungry and didn't have money. They looked at me as if I was crazy, but they considered me to be the most genuine person they ever met. Although I felt a little out of place because I just met these individuals that same day and would never see them again, it felt rewarding knowing I spent money on other people rather than myself.

Next, The purpose of the coin flipping metaphor is to demonstrate that it's a mirror of real life and social class. The odds are quite unfair due to the fact that not everyone starts off with the same amount of money and there's a wide spectrum of the rich and poor. Very few are in the "middle class." Also while playing monopoly, it showed a social mobility for very few. For instance, the rich became more rich, the poor either gained a raise in the social class or lost more, and the middle class took a fork in the road, meaning they either gained more money or lost; they didn't continue to stay in the social class they first started off in. 

Money can buy you out of punishment. The reading Saints and Roughnecks is a great example of that statement and that's just one of the many cases which occurs everyday. Unfortunately, we also saw this in Courtroom 302, a male lost the privilege to go into the army because he found marijuana for a mark and was forced to face the consequence. Due to where he lived, the consequences were more severe resulting in him having to go to community college instead. Similar to the situation regarding narcotics, the student body of 2012 in our school had been lucky to have less severe consequences due to where they lived. Not only that, but also because of their academic success, previous behavior, such as good or bad deviance, or simply their economical upbringing took them out of several consequences. It just amazes me how similar situations differ in consequences depending on your upbringing and location. 

Social Construction of Gender

What does it mean to be a man? In our society, we are taught young that being a man means you must be strong both physically and mentally. Just like women, men are also insecure. A specific insecurity every man holds is their manhood being taken from them. In Kimmel's Masculinity is a demonstration of men being bullied to the point where the only other option is to show violence. Men never use violence, as a last resort because their violence demonstrates confidence and strength which each must acquire. A couple years ago, I was at a gathering where two males had physically fought one another because one of them had been talking to the other's girlfriend. It's pretty pathetic that little things like that are taken the extremes by being resulted in violence.

On the other hand, women are more passive, emotional and feel a significant need to appeal to others through their looks, rather than with intelligence or their personality. This is due to the mass media's advertising in television and movies. Dove commercials oppose the media's messages, and try to give a more realistic view on women as a whole. Every year many girls, including my friends, make comments wishing they could look like the models in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Unfortunately, women strive to look a certain way attributed to the unrealistic images exposed to them. Women also feel they must meet up to the expectations or standards given to them just like males do. The stronger you are, the more respected you are; the more beautiful you look, the greater chances you are liked. Furthermore, both genders must go to the extremes to acquire the unrealistic expectations they feel they must meet.

Socialization

Socialization is the process by which we become human. There are two aspects, which play major roles known as nature and nurture. Nature deals with what you grow with that's unchangeable, otherwise known as heredity, while nurture deals more with what’s around you, or your environment. You need both in order for this process to be successfully, but how you're raised determines who you become.

"The Feral and Isolated Children" are examples of nurture because they demonstrate that certain characteristics are learned through particular environments. Children who are exposed to a wild life environment will adapt to wild life living. Isolated children on the other hand, are behind in developmental stages, furthermore, there are no connections or shared thoughts, which affect their behavior, attitudes, and values. Oprah's documentary was another example of how we as humans need interaction in order to thrive. You can have incredible genes, but without given the proper nurture, you cannot successfully evolve.

Socialization agents that are significant in my life are family, school, and the media. These impact our lives greatly; giving us ideas of who we are, or what we want to become. Family has a great influence on my nurture because these are the people who raised me, who I am surrounded by daily. My family in ways I may not even recognize has affected me.  Next, school also impacts my life because it's something I've been accustomed to for many years giving me a sense of what I enjoy, what I struggle with, who I am and where I want to go from here. The people I am surrounded by at school impact my decision making, but the main source we're all equally impacted by is media. It's something, which surrounds our lives daily. It's something that's unavoidable;  "The Mass Media" film we watched explains how consumer's decision making is influenced to buy certain products in order to improve the overall "happiness". The media has a negative impact because it gives us, and children unrealistic expectations of reality. Young girls believe that you find a prince charming and live happily ever after; while boys think crying means you're a weak baby. Unfortunately, the media starts young because they realize children don't know any better and some of us are unconsciously impacted by it whether we would like to admit it or not.

American Culture

Too many times our talents are wasted because as a culture we value money over happiness. We believe the more you devote yourself to a job, the more money you will make and the happier you will be. My mom always tells me to find a job I love, regardless of the pay, and I'll never have to work a day in my life. You have to be passionate about what you do; otherwise you won't put in 100% and be dedicated to what you're doing. You'll end up being miserable. In thrive, it is highly recommended to find a job you are passionate about, that works with the right people, and that addresses your talents. Do those few things, and you're setting yourself up for a happier life.

Many of us value time, yet we don't value spending, or making time for the right things. Our priorities aren't straight because as a culture our lives are so rushed, we tend to forget that making time for ourselves is important too. In Tuesday With Morrie, here's a man who is scheduled every minute of the day, not able to make time for someone he truly cares about. Mitch holds off proposing to Jannie not only because he doesn't have time, but he also fears love. Americans are afraid to love and show their love because we fear the whole idea of becoming vulnerable; trusting someone by slowly taking down the wall we've had built for so long, only to be abandoned or hurt. We fear the idea of how easily a person can come into our lives and make us happy, but also how easily that person could leave and take that happiness with them.

Death is another aspect we fear because again, it's the whole idea of someone we love leaving our lives forever. Materialism and death connect in a weird way. We believe that once someone is gone, the whole relationship is gone. A person may not physically be there but all the memories you shared, all the things they did to touch your life, you still love them regardless of their physical presence. We tend to forget this because we're so caught up in the idea of physical items bringing us happiness. As a culture, once something is lost or broken, we can easily replace it. Once a person passes, they're permanently gone, which is why we fear this idea so much. Morrie is a great example because he didn't dwell on what he had or hadn't, but the relationships and people he interacted with, sharing all his experiences with the people who meant something to him. People look at death as an ending point, but it's a natural part of life and it's a journey to a new beginning for everyone.