Social class is such a sensitive topic, I think, because whether you are poor or whether you are rich, you are never going to be 'just right'. Those well off are usually viewed as rich and those who struggle even the tiniest bit are seen as poor. I think that is why we have such an obsession with the 'middle class'. We learned in class that people from basically any social class feel comfortable saying they are of middle class when people ask them and are likely to be accepted by others if they say they are of this class. This is probably because people aren't as judgmental towards those who are right in the middle; not too rich and not too poor. It's sad, to me, that people who are above the middle class may feel like they have to stoop down to middle class to feel accepted in many communities. There are people who are not afraid to flaunt what they have, but it is because of these people that others feel they need to hide their riches. This goes for the poor as well. People who look poor because they are unsanitary and obese from fast food, for example, set a bad standard for others who are not able to afford things most of us take for granted.
      I think it is extremely hard for someone to work their way up from a lower social class to a higher one, as we have talked about in class. As much as we, or at least I know I have, been brought up learning that hard work can take you far in life, the truth is, life happens every day and working your way up in class is not always a matter of working hard. Also, some people only see social class as what you have. My aunt and uncle have a beautiful, large house right on a lake and wear only designer clothes. My dad told me that they actually don't make that much money; they just choose to show as much as they cna. this makes me think that moving up in a social class isn't always by working hard but, from what other people see, 'moving up' could be as simple as buying the right things.

Money... That's What I Want

In class we were asked to keep track of our spending for a week. The first thing I thought was "Great... why does this include Black Friday?!". I think most of us girls were worried about that. No one wants to see how much they've spent in a week! It's easy to spend money and then never think of it again. When I go to get gas for a car for example, I hate seeing the money add up on the little screen. But, by the time I'm out of the station, I forget about the fact that what I just did cost money. I just go back to driving and my mind moves on. But if I had to go home and write down exactly how much I just spent, I would feel terrible! I would feel like I just wasted money every time I write it down (not for gas, though. I need that.). I predicted that I would be spending quite a bit of money but not too much. My dad is very frugal and my mom and I... not so much. So I always have a guilty feeling whenever I buy anything (as I did when I wrote what I bought down on the paper) which I think contributed to my lack of spending. I was pleasantly surprised to add up my total and see that I hadn't spent very much at all, especially after hearing how much some of my classmates had spent. I was surprised, though, at how quickly little things added up. I seemed to buy a lot of little things, like face soap and a t shirt and leggings that were all under ten dollars but in the end these things add up. It's also interesting to see because we have been talking so much in class about how social class based on income affects ones' priorities. I defenitly saw this because I bought so many little things that didn't really affect my family because we are not poor while someone else with less money may have cringed at the amount of little things I bought. All in all though, i was really proud of how little I spent relative to how much I thought I would.

Why must I make the sandwich?

In class we have been discussing gender roles and stereotypes we have for genders. As we have been talking, I have been believing more and more that stereotypes and gender roles are socially constructed and not a product of human nature. I do believe that human nature may play a minor part in them, but I think it is ultimately social construction. I think it all started because of human nature; girls were more drawn to the pretty pink things and to playing with dolls or pretending to be older while boys were more interested in automobiles and physical activities. I think these differences became blown up and eventually turned into stereotypes. The reason this is more of a social construction is because these stereotypes are purely based on social differences and not individually but as a general whole for that gender.Because of these, females have pressure to be more girly and good looking and less independent than men because these stereotypes have been constructed around the fact that they like pretty and cute things. On the other hand, men must be more athletic and aggressive because their stereotypes were constructed around the fact that they tended to like physical activity and not like the softer, more gentle and pretty play of the girls. Because of these, girls cannot dare to cross the invisible line between their role and the male role. If a girl does something that is maybe viewed as more manly, she is automatically branded a 'tomboy'. Similarly for males; if they do anything girly, they are called 'sissy' or 'fag' simply because their interests are different from the stereotyped male interest. This goes back to why I think the stereotypes are more socially constructed; they are based on a general notion and not on what every single individual is like. As humans, we love to characterize and organize things in our minds and I think this is just an example of that. Instead of everyone seeing the two genders as not overlapping at all and entirely unequal, we must learn to view them simply as different because that is what we all are; different yet equal.

Blog #6: What fired me up

There are not many videos that I have seen in school that affect me the way the video we watched in class about the media did. It seemed almost unreal! I can't believe the way commercials are taking over young lives by taking advantage of their vulnerability. I think media is changing 'us' in so many ways. By us, I mean people, not necessarily myself and my family or peers. I think as it is getting worse, it is affecting the younger generations more (or at least that is what I prefer to believe...). I think it is making kids grow up faster because commercials appeal to this desire for them. Kids love to play dress up and pretend to be doctors or waitresses or other things that adults do for their jobs. They do this to feel like they are older and as we saw in the video, commercials appeal to this. Commercials will make kids think that their product is just like an adults product and is therefore something the child needs. That's another way that the media changes us. It makes us feel like what we have is never good enough as they are constantly advertising things that are 'better' and better. Also, the discussed brand loyalty in the video and how kids prefer things that involve their favorite cartoon characters or brand over the same item that is not brand name. The experts said this was because they comfort and a sense of understanding with the characters they watch and therefore want to buy things that associate with them. I was shocked to see how advertisements are hidden in video games, movies and more. This even angered me because kids are, as the video said, like sponges in the way that they absorb things so easily that they see. They are being taken advantage of and are to young to know it. Another factor that upset me is how peoples health are affected by the media. The experts on the video said that kids who watched a lot of TV were more likely to be depressed! The worst part is that parents think they are letting their kids relax and have fun in front of the TV but they are really hurting them. This, in turn, affects family relationships because the parents find it very easy to plop their children down in front of a TV so that they can go live their own fast paced life. This is a change from what family relationships used to be and how the SHOULD be because they are weakening.
   I think we don't want this change. I can't think of any way this is good for people except in that it provides jobs for those creating the advertisements. The video showed me how advertisements affect peoples creativity and academics, health, values, and even gave a rise to disorders and I can't see any reason for someone to want these changes.

Blog #5 You Can't Count on Me....

I think dependency is a big thing in America. It is seen as a sign of weakness to have to depend on others.  Americans want to do everything for themselves. I think this also goes back to trust. Americans don't trust others very easily as you can see by the security measures we take. We are weary of people around us. The more people we depend on, and the more things we depend on them for, the more ways we can be crushed. This could also have to do with our value of independence. Being independent means relying on only yourself and basically makes being dependent of people seem unhealthy.Personally, I don't view dependency as an unhealthy thing; I depend on my parents for a lot of things. What I do find unhealthy is when people depend on others for certain things that they should be providing for themselves, like confidence, which should come from within. One shouldn't need to feel confident from praise form others or anything like that, because I think that is when he/she becomes vulnerable to getting hurt. So, I ask people for advice and I have many people in my life that make me feel happy but I don't depend on others for most things. I think being emotionally dependent is very different from being dependent on someone else for a living (like with money), though, but either way, I think it is better to not be dependent on others.

Blog #4.1 Leave the baby outside?

In class we read about a women who was raised in Copenhagen, Denmark who brings her child to New York with her husband. They were arrested for leaving the baby outside this restaurant unattended while they ate inside. They did this because it is a very common thing in Denmark due to the smokey insides of restaurants. In their eyes, they were simply doing what they felt was normal. While the class was arguing about whether or not this was actually wrong, I was having conflicting view points in my head. My parents having grown up in South Africa and moving here a few years before I was born, my home life is far from the average Americans. When friends come over, they are often confused at things my parents and I do or things we have in our house. I've been visiting South Africa every year since I was six months to visit family so I know where my parents come from. Whenever we go there, we fit right in. In America, we seem to be the odd ones out. When we read this story, it reminded me of my family. My parents over the years have adapted to American social norms but it has taken time. I can definitely see my parents leaving me outside of a restaurant if that had been a normal thing to do in Africa. My parents are just people that like to bring their traditions to new places instead of trying to fit in. I don't know if that is what I would do, but it is what I am exposed to.
     I think it all comes down to our perspectives. Someone may look at a baby my himself outside of a restaurant and be alarmed while some one else might not even think twice about it. Similarly, this women who was arrested probably found many weird things in New York hat she would have looked down upon if it were in Denmark. I don't think there is a right or wrong way to adjust to a new place. Whether it is by bringing your own traditions or by changing your lifestyle to fit a new place, as long as you are happy and safe, I don't think it really matters.

Blog #4: Leave the baby outside?

In class we read about a women who was raised in Copenhagen, Denmark who brings her child to New York with her husband. They were arrested for leaving the baby outside this restaurant unattended while they ate inside. They did this because it is a very common thing in Denmark due to the smokey insides of restaurants. In their eyes, they were simply doing what they felt was normal. While the class was arguing about whether or not this was actually wrong, I was having conflicting view points in my head. My parents having grown up in South Africa and moving here a few years before I was born, my home life is far from the average Americans. When friends come over, they are often confused at things my parents and I do or things we have in our house. I've been visiting South Africa every year since I was six months to visit family so I know where my parents come from. Whenever we go there, we fit right in. In America, we seem to be the odd ones out. When we read this story, it reminded me of my family. My parents over the years have adapted to American social norms but it has taken time. I can definitely see my parents leaving me outside of a restaurant if that had been a normal thing to do in Africa. My parents are just people that like to bring their traditions to new places instead of trying to fit in. I don't know if that is what I would do, but it is what I am exposed to.
     I think it all comes down to our perspectives. Someone may look at a baby my himself outside of a restaurant and be alarmed while some one else might not even think twice about it. Similarly, this women who was arrested probably found many weird things in New York hat she would have looked down upon if it were in Denmark. I don't think there is a right or wrong way to adjust to a new place. Whether it is by bringing your own traditions or by changing your lifestyle to fit a new place, as long as you are happy and safe, I don't think it really matters.

Blog #3 Sociological Theory in My Life

As sad as it is to admit, my cell phone plays a huge role in my life. I take it everywhere with me. I'm not one of those people that is constantly texting or calling people, but I do feel weird if its not with me. I wouldn't say I feel lost without it, but on the days when I accidentally leave my phone at home I worry that I will miss an important text or call and will still go to check my messages during the day. This kind of relates to my blog about habits. It has become a habit of mine to worry about my messages and where my phone is. Usually I get casual texts from people just to talk but on the days when I don't have my phone or I have not checked it, I always feel like I'm missing the text of a lifetime. Some people think texting is bad because it takes away from our face to face communication and I actually agree that it does, but I also find it very convenient for those days (most days) when I am too busy to talk on the phone. It's so much easier to just send a quick text while I am doing my homework and not have to worry about wasting time. From a functionalist point of view, my phone would be something that I use to seek relative stability. I use it to communicate with people and keep my friends and myself on the same page and not left out. If I weren't talking with them it might create drama or something, so my phone helps keep things stable. For conflict theory, my phone is probably seen as something that brings change to my life. It changes my relationships with people because we tend to use different language while texting which causes conflict. If there is a misunderstanding because of the communication through my phone, this brings on change in my life and possibly even conflict.From symbolic interactionism, my cell phone 'lingo' is not the same as every day talk. With face to face communication, people see how I react and hear my voice change through my emotions. With a cell phone, we lose that symbolism. For example, when people read a text they hear it in their head and interpret it as just that.If they were talking tome, though, they may hear my says something differently and therefore give what I say a whole new meaning.

Blog #2

In class the other day, we did an activity that involved sixteen students fighting for their 'lives' on an abandoned ship. Each student was given a role to play and each role had unique attributes. Each seemed to have something positive going for them (like they have a large family or are well educated) as well as something negative (like being overweight or having one leg). As they sat in  the middle of the room, they had to, as a group, decide which seven people were going to be thrown off based on their roles. I decided not to be on the boat when Ms. Breuer was asking for volunteers but I ended up enjoying watching everyone. There were a few things people did during the activity that really struck me. First of all, there were some people that really stood out. I'd say there were three people who seemed to take charge basically either because they could talk the loudest or because they had good points. I think this is expected when a group of people get together. It seems that in even a random group of people, there is always going to be at least one person who likes to take charge. What was most interesting was that the people that seemed to take charge of the situation were not even questioned about being thrown off. It was as if they were untouchable.Even if someone did ask whether or not they should be on the boat, they were quickly shut down. Another thing that caught my attention was the reasons people gave for kicking others off. When I was deciding who I would kick off by myself, I mainly looked at whether or not the person had family. When everyone was in a group, though, people looked at their physical attributes. For example, one of the roles was a successful business woman who happens to be overweight. The others spent a lot of time arguing over whether or not she should stay- simply because she is overweight! I couldn't believe it. Another person didn't have hands but I kept him/her because she/he had a family back at home. In the group though, everyone wanted that person gone because of his hands. I guess it just shows how people act differently while in a big group under pressure. I really enjoyed watching this activity and I feel like it helped me better understand what we are going to be learning in this class and what it really means to observe a social situation.

Blog #1

 Before taking sociology, I never really gave much thought to habits we all have. It seems impossible to not form habits. When I think about my day from start to finish, one of the first things I do in my day is out of habit. Every day I go and sit with my friends at the same exact table in the same exact spot in the wood commons. Why don't we sit at a different table someday? Why do we always sit with the same people? After sitting there since freshmen year, it has become a habit for us to sit there. I think we do this for a few reasons but most importantly, we do it because we feel safe there. After sitting there for years, we feel completely comfortable being in the same spot. If we sat anywhere else, we would most likely feel uncomfortable and a little awkward. We aren't insecure or unhappy people, but sitting in the same spot gives us a feeling of security. Walking into school every day knowing that my friends will be waiting for me at our spot makes me feel safe. If we didn't have that spot, I would walk into school every day feeling a little lost and nervous that I wouldn't have somewhere to sit or that I wouldn't be able to find my friends. I think this is true for all our habits; we do them to feel safe and secure. Once we start a habit, we prefer to stick to it so we don't lose that feeling of security. I think the reason we prefer not to break our habits is because we are so accustomed to them that not doing them would just feel wrong. We can't help it; habits have become too big a part of our lives to stop doing them now. If there were no such things as habits, our lives would probably be a lot more interesting and we would probably all be better at adjusting to change. As my teachers blog says, 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks '. I don't think we have much  hope as far as breaking habits goes.