Post 2

Within the past week we've read and discussed situations regarding sociological mindfulness, sociological imagination and the social construction of reality.

To recap, sociological mindfulness is realizing why each individual is the way they are, taking their perspective into consideration, and accepting it. Gang Leader For a Day demonstrates that anyone could ask a bunch of meaningless questions, but to experience poor men in their natural habitat, you are exposed to their true colors. This revealed something that had even struck the narrator himself, stereotypes. Many people probably assume they were poor because they hadn't gotten much education, when in fact, the leader of the gang (J.T). spoke of the experience he had with sociology in college. Also, he assumed J.T was going to order his gang members to kill him; instead, J.T. had taught him a powerful lesson. People aren't always are who you think they are. No one takes the time to get to know one another and that's why society is the way it is. We are so quick to judge based on what others tell us; in order to get past that, we must have awareness by seeing the whole dynamic of another and appreciating it.

Next, sociological imagination is something you can not see, but it impacts each individual by where they live, and when they live. Each person is shaped by society or the people they associate themselves with. An example all women in the U.S. can relate to is the idea that being thin is looked at as beautiful. Years ago, it was quite the opposite. Having fat on you was beautiful, not only because of appearance, but because it showed you were wealthy enough to afford food. The idea that you are shaped by where and when you live is demonstrated in the story Outliers. The town of Roseto was not healthy because of medical history, but more so, the idea of the social interaction and sense of community and family life. Rosetans thought nothing of this because this was considered normal where they lived.

Lastly, the sociological construction of reality is a society created of thoughts and experience, otherwise known as the "social norm." Females go to the restroom with other females constantly and that is something that is looked upon as socially acceptable. On the other hand, if males were to do that, they would be looked at funny. In reality, it's the same exact concept except society has told us it's not a "social norm" therefore we should shun the idea of it.