Crash

In class we are watching a movie, by the name of Crash. Wow, is all I have to say. This movie truly demonstrates how different races affect our lives in so many different ways. So far throughout the movie, many characters are categorized and stereotyped within a blink of an eye. One example, was when Ludacris stereotyped every single white person on the street. "Man did you just see that?" Yeah she got cold.. "Nah, she just saw a couple of black a** dudes walkin towards her, n' instead of turnin around n' walkin da other way, cuz ya know that would be racist.. she grabbed onto her man.." (Something along those lines, don't really remember exactly what he said". He said that because, she was white and of course all white people don't like blacks.. JOKE. Stereotypes are all around us, whether we are the ones stereotyping or the ones being stereotyped. Growing up I was always stereotyped, because I wasn't the typical "American Girl". But luckily growing with age, I had learned to love that I'm European, because that's one more thing that not every person is. 

Black or White

Is Michael Jackson black or white? If you asked someone that didn't know who he was, their response would most likely be he's white based upon the color of his skin. Color plays a drastic role in society; especially the way people perceive others. If you saw a dark colored person walking down the street you would start narrowing down the options. Is he/she Nigerian, Indian, African? But what if in reality he/she was actually Hispanic. There you would be stereo-typing a human being. To be quite honest, all of us are racist. Of course some more than others, but we all judge, we all question, and we all assume. What we should get out of this is that skin is only color deep.. What the person's all about is really what counts in the end.

30 days in Poverty..

Last week in class we had watched a short "movie" on how a young couple would survive in complete poverty for 30 days. They had to find jobs (only jobs availiable were minimum wage jobs), find an apartment, and basically maintain a very simple lifestyle. While working they were able to buy food and find a place to live. Both of them didn't have a car; so the commute to work was rather difficult especially for the lady. As their income slowly began to become smaller because of all the expenses they had; it got to be SOO negative, that it would take monthes to get that money back all because of one emergency visit. Growing up in poverty, socially wise, many people strive so hard to achieve something but that usually isn't the outcome. Once they feel like they're getting somewhere, something always seems to come up wish always tends to push them back down. We take a lot of things for granted, just because majority of us did grow up in the middle/upper class.. but what we should really notice is how thankful we should be for having the things we do, being able to eat out, and living under a roof that isn't infested with ants.

Look at that fake CLA$S...

 During class, we had watched a movie that had a few striking moments in it. One of the clips was of a lower-middle class lady being essentially turned into a lady that would "fit in" with the upper class. She was taught the right way to speak, dress, even walk. She was given a full makeover and was sent to an art auction (because apparently that's the only place that rich people go to). When given this new image, she still awkwardly approached gentleman; which showed that she was a "phony". In society, majority of the people strive for better, then linger to get to that last step because that's where they want to be. It takes hard work both in school and out, to achieve this kind of success. Changing ones appearance will only take away from their true self, and camouflage who they truly are for a short period of time. But in reality, to get to that so called "upper class" it would take years of dedication and strive; but being yourself during the process. "YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE"!

Jail time.. waste of time.

Why do we put people in Jail?

It seems like an obvious question, but it is an important one and it is more nuanced that initially meets the eye. What is the concept of justice? Is it for revenge, to placate the victims? To protect the public or property? To 're-educate' criminals? Is it to act as a deterrent? If so, just to deter people harming others or harming themselves too (it is illegal not to wear a seatbelt in most countries, even when it is only you in the car)? Is it to punish people that society frowns apon? Is it all these things? The law clearly punishes for both intent (eg conspiricy to murder) and consequence (eg death by dangerous driving).

We put people in jail, because of the crimes they did or the laws that each of them broke. What we seize to realize is what happens after the criminal is caught in the act, and sent to jail. It's nothing but a cycle. When civilians arrive at the court houses, they're treated like complete dirt, even if not found guilty yet. But that's just the beginning. When convicted of a crime, they are sent to jail.. in other terms a hell hole. The point of jails should be to help educate the criminals and try to teach them what the right thing to do is. Instead, they don't do anything but lock them up; Expecting them to learn for themselves, which isn't reality. When sent out to the real world again, most repeat the mistakes they did because they were never told that it was wrong otherwise. Jails should be more concerned about educating the public and making sure that crime stays off our streets, rather then talking smack about each and every one of the inmates. 

Deviance

Deviance in a sociological context describes actions or behaviors that violate cultural norms including formally-enacted rules (ex: crime) as well as informal violations of social norms (ex: rejecting folkways). 

       The past few days, we have been learning about how society thinks, and how everything that isn't considered "normal" is weird. But what exactly is the norm? To be honest, I'm not sure anyone can even pinpoint anywhere close to it. In class, we had heard multiple examples of how deviance is present in our country; in society. The example that stuck out to me the most, was the blue tooth example. So let's just say a random guy was driving in his car and his blue tooth ear piece was completely out of sight. The person to the left of him would be like "Whoa, why is that guy talking to himself? He's soooooooo weird!!" However, the person to the right of him wouldn't think anything of it, because he/she would see the man's ear piece and realize that he is talking to someone on the phone. That's considered to be normal.

"Age...

... is just a number, right?" Then why are so many adults looking down upon teenagers? Why is the drinking age 21? Or why is the legal adult age 18? In society now days, we go about numbers to justify when we can do certain things, when in reality it should be based upon ones maturity level and how he/she handles/goes about different things. In past experiences, I have met numerous amounts of people that are 17 years old that are way more mature than some 24 year olds, yet they still don't have the same rights as the 24 year olds do. Why? Because laws prohibit them. I find it unfair beyond all means, that we are stricken to try new things when WE are ready to try them, based upon the government's ruling. It's up to them to decide what we can do.. but it should OUR duty to determine when we are ready to take responsibility for our actions.

Masculine vs Feminine

What's behind the meaning of "Masculine vs Feminine" you may ask? The answer is stereotyping. Ever since the olden days, girls and boys have been categorized as being tough or girlie. The toys that they played with, the things they did, the way they acted, all came down to what gender they were. Even in the modern day, females are supposed to play with dolls, be neat, and be dependent on others; however, the males are supposed to play with action figures, love violence, and be the ones that are independent. News flash, majority (not all) of men are dependent upon their wives to cook for them, do the laundry, and clean the house + have a job to top it all off. Now a days, most women are raised to be independent, and not need to rely on men to care for them. So maybe the values are changing as we grow up, but for the toddlers.. its all one big mystery. 

Perfection? Joke..

That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful. 

- Ninon de L'Enclos 

Beauty comes as much from the mind as from the eye. 

- Grey Livingston 

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. 

- Confucius 

What is beauty? There is no one definition to describe someone, something as being beautiful. However, the media has a different view on that. They find a way to manipulate & transform people into essentially being objects of a nightmare. Magazines edit the living s*** out of every image they have to make that certain celebrity or cover girl model look like some perfect creature; yet in reality, they're not nearly close to perfect. Perfection doesn't exist. Pre-teens, even adults have been brainwashed by the media since day one; and for some its a plastic surgery/eating disorder to late to restart their life, without having the media influence there daily lifestyle. But we are the future, we are the ones that can make a change. We must realize that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, different cultures, different aspects of life. Beauty will come and go, but whats in your heart and your head will remain there forever. We must stop this madness of having the MEDIA dictate our lives, and tell us what's wrong and what's right. What the latest makeup trend is, or fashion statement. Because in the end, we're losing ourselves.

Nature & Nurture..

These two words have far more of a meaning then most realize. Both of these concepts play a significant role in our life, and mold us to become who we are today. Nature is what every human-being was born with ex: ability to breath, blink & open/close the eyelids; however, Nurture is something that we are taught after birth such as, being able to chew foods, walk & talk. If the environment isn't "nurturing", then what is a possible outcome of the child? Feral Children. They adapt to their surroundings, and whatever they see (if anything at all) they follow. For example: The girl that lived with dogs majority of her life, walked like them, barked like them, even drank water/ate like them.

Nurture, is what guided us to become who we are today. The way we act, the way we do things is all based upon past experiences/lesson's that one has been taught or has gone through. 

We were born to die...

But most importantly, we were born to live. Throughout the past week, we had watched a movie by the name of Tuesday's with Morrie. In the movie, an old man by the name of Morrie was saying his last goodbyes to those who meant to him the most; because he knew he was going to die soon. Not only could his student, Mitch, not grasp the concept of him passing away, but he didn't want to either. All Mitch could think about was how many more days Morrie had to live, and what would happen when he passed away. How would he react? Would everyone be in complete despair? But what he seized to realize (on his own), is the life that Morrie lived. He lived the life, that most would have dreamed to have. Always being positive, and never looking back. Living his life to the fullest potential, and just enjoying every waking day he had with those who he loved and loved him back. Society now a days, is only focused on one thing. When death occurs they become blind to the bigger picture; and they forget to take the kind of life they lived into account.

Multi-Cultural Americano

Hello. Ciao. Privet. Hola. Czecs. I hear the word "Hello" being said in all these languages atleast once throughout the day. When I think of American Culture, I think of a melting pot. In my opinion, I feel as if America doesn't have one distinct culture, yet it is made up of different values that make American's who we are.

Because my family is from Europe, we hold down those roots to the best of our ability. I guess you can call us Americanized Europeans.We speak Russian at home, we eat Russian food, we dress in European clothing.. but we speak English, eat "American Food", and play sports that only Americans know of. Our values are the same as most Americans. We cherish every single minute we have, and our main goal is to be able to reach that "American Dream" that everyone craves soo much. After all, that's why people immigrated to the United States; for a better life.

Waddup Culture Shock?

European parents, European sister, European grandparents, European friends, moving from Kiev, Ukraine to The United States of America.. Can I say Culture Shock to the max? Up until the age of 10, growing up in Illinois was rather confusing to me. Because we followed the "European lifestyle" at home, I was never able to fully adapt to the American lifestyle, even today! Coming to America, I thought I was in a different world. The way people dressed, talked, lived was completely different then in Europe. I remember, when I was 7 years old my family and I went to some steak house, and my dad asked if they had pickled tomatoes.(In Russia, it was a Delicacy) The waiter looked at him in confusion, and said the only thing they had pickled was pickles themselves. My dad was shocked at the fact that they served pickles but not pickled tomatoes considering that every restaurant besides Mickey D's in Russia had pickled tomatoes on the menu. All Europeans seem to be confused when coming to America, as they attempt to adapt to the American lifestyle as quickly as possible.. However, I wonder.. When American's go to Europe do they try to adapt to the European lifestyle, or stick with their roots and break all the rules that apply?

Italiano's vs. African Americano's

Last week in class, we had watched a really eye opening movie called, The Bronx Tale. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing it was, considering it had a mob theme to it and all the social awareness you would witness throughout the whole thing. Right at the beginning of the movie, it distinctly showed the differences between the Italian neighborhood and the African American neighborhood, by closing in on the area, the people, and especially the kind of music played to set the tone. Back in the day, racism was a big part of the overall society, which lead to many miss happenings and caused many riots to break out. In the movie, C's, the main character's, friends decided to bring harm upon an African American guy that was just simply riding through the Italian neighborhood by pounding him until he couldn't get up anymore, which lead to some of the black guys egging the teenagers club, which then finally lead to the Italian boys to put one of the shops on fire by throwing Molotov cocktails in it. This was like a domino effect, one event happening after another; and not for the better. By having a father, and a father like figure, Sonny which was also a mobster, he learned the values of life and how to live by them. He was taught that he should stick to his kind by his father, but taught to look beyond the horizon by Sonny. He was really one of the only person's who accepted African American's just the way they are, especially when he started liking a black girl. He realized that the smaller things in life didn't matter anymore, and that no matter what color, race, or gender you are.. you should follow your heart and do whats right for you and nobody else.

Gangstuh' Lifestyle

Harlem, south side of Chicago, Atlanta, ect.. all these places have one main thing in common. They're all categorized as being "ghetto areas" with a ton of gang violence. But they're all different in their own special ways. All catering to different groups of people and their individual types of lifestyles. In the book Gang Leader for a Day, Sudhir Venkatesh did what most would not dare to do. He took on the challenge of exploring "Gangs" hands on rather then just surveying numerous amounts of poor African Americans. By finding a young guy by the name of J.T, who was a gang leader himself, he witnessed everything in a whole different perspective. He truly found out how the whole "gangstuh/ghetto" life style operated, the kind of life they lived, and how they survived.

Most people don't take the time to really get to know one another, yet, they just judge "a book by its cover" or in this case by answering a few measly questions that didn't really answer all the facts that the projects had to offer. If more people were like Sudhir, in a way that they would just look beyond the horizon and go full on with whatever they were trying to figure out, then, in my opinion, society would be more accepting and the world would become a much better place.

I'm on a boat...

During class, the other day, we did a very unique boat activity. This activity had guided us as a class to make decisions together, and really interact and socialize amongst one another. It defiantly showed how sociological mindfulness is really in our lives on a daily basis, no matter what situation we are put in. We were forced to "push" our fellow classmates off the boat, and keep the ones that could truly benefit the rest. I could personally relate to this lesson, because I was put into a situation similar to this. My friends and I were going to the city, and decided to drive there. Well we only had my car and I could only fit 5 people in it including me. The problem was there was the seven of us, so we had to kick someone out. 

The significance of silence..

Silence, such a small word but such a powerful meaning. The first day of Sociology class, was a day that I certainly will never forget. Why you may ask? Because, it wasn't like any other day. For the past 12 years of my life, while attending school, I was accustomed to the way we began each and every school year. The teacher would stand up in front of my fellow classmates and I, and list numerous amounts of rules, regulations, and requirements that we would have to follow throughout the year. Now wouldn't this be considered a sign of brain washing? Every year, we would sit in our seats, just waiting for the teacher to talk.This year was different. As the bell rang for my first period class (Sociology) I noticed all the students run to their seats and look up at Mr. Salituro just waiting for him to begin lecturing us just like every other teacher has ever done. However, that wasn't the case this time. I watched him slowly walk to the back of the room and sit at a table just like every other student. As I was witnessing this, I noticed many students looking around the room thinking to themselves "What the h-ll is going on?", "Why isn't Mr. Salituro up in the front of the room talking?" This was exactly what Sal wanted to get out of this. He wanted us to begin to focus on how different behaviors affect us as whole because we have not experienced them. This activity was an eye opener for most students, because they finally began to realize how sociology truly affects our every day lives.

Me,

For starters, my name's Michelle. I am 17 years old and a senior in high school. Physically, I live in the burbs of Chicago; however, mentally and emotionally my heart lies in the windy city. I am a very simple yet complex person. After moving here from Ukraine at the age of 2, I was able to fully engage and explore the different cultures, lifestyles, and people around me. I guess that's what inspired me the most as I got older. Starting at a very young age, I had been put through multiple obstacles that had molded me into becoming the person that I am today; stronger mentally, physically, and emotionally. I have big dreams and aspirations. When I get older, I want to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and I know that by putting 100% of everything you have into something, anything is possible. Music is huge in my life. I play the drums & piano; however, dance is my passion, my life, my drive. I have been dancing since the age of 3 and will continue dancing till I can't walk anymore. My family & friends mean the most to me and I always put them before myself. All around, I'm still trying to figure out who I really am.. I mean i've only been alive for 17 years. I still have a longs way to go, and many obstacles to face in life. Hopefully they will just make me grow as a stronger individual.