Race

Again this week in class we discussed the issue of race. Our teacher had us do an interesting activity to show how we subconsciously are racist. He lined up a bunch of different balls of all sizes and colors and we were asked to put them into categories. After we did this he added more making it that much more difficult to place them in categories we had already established. This is much like our society today and how we place people in different racial categories based on the color of their skin. Realistically though there are many different skin colors and it is not possible or practical to place people into generalized categories based on the color of ones skin. This lesson really helped me open my eyes and realize that I should no longer put people into categories of "black" or "white"  and instead treat each person as an individual.

Service #2

On Sunday December 4 I again had the opportunity to help out my church St. Norbert's. I did this again through the same group as before however this time I was working with kids. Our church hosts an annual arts and crafts show every year and while the parents shop we give the kids a space to go so they don't have to shop too. This year just as in years past we had the kids painting Christmas ornaments. While I am definitely not the most artistically talented person I enjoy working with little kids so I thought this would be a good way to help out. From 8-2 we helped the kids paint their ornaments. I had a great time but at times when the sale was going slow there wasn't many kids which made it boring. At the end of the day though I felt great helping out because you could tell the kids were having a great time painting their ornaments and we got to help them through the process which was a satisfying feeling. Out of the two service projects I have done so far this was by far the most enjoyable of the two and I would gladly do this again.

Service #1

On Thursday December 1 I had the opportunity to help out my church St. Norberts and my youth ministry leader Maggie Bruce. Every year our church puts together a present drive where we collect presents to give to members of our community that may not be able to afford gifts for Christmas. So on Thursday from 7-830 we organized gifts that people had already brought in. While there wasn't many gifts yet I enjoyed the opportunity to help out our church while at the same time realizing that I was helping members of our community in need. I was glad I could try and do my best to help out those people have an enjoyable Christmas that we have all grown to love and at times take for granted.

Monopoly

This week in class we played Monopoly. However, it wasn't your traditional game, we had new rules to resemble the American system. Each player was divided into classes ranging from the top of the class structure to the very bottom. I was stuck in the second to last position which we called the lower middle class. While this is not as bad as the working class it was still hard to do anything with the limited amount of money I was given. I would land on certain properties with the hopes of buying only to realize I didn't have the capital to do so. But I realized I was much better off than the working class who in our group wasn't able to buy a single property and was thrown in jail and never was able to get out. While it was fun to play in class its a sad realization that people actually live like this only instead of monopoly money they are using the real thing and they are living their life in a constant struggle trying to pay off their debts and trying to stay on top of their finances. It wasn't until playing this game that I truly understood the struggles that the everyday blue collar worker goes through in today's America. I thought this was an extremely valuable lesson and should be used in future classes.

Why Do The Rich Own So Much?

After this week in class I couldn't believe how the rich in the United States control so much while the rest of us control next to nothing. One comparison we learned about was that the average wealth of an American is 13 feet high but the richest of the rich have over 20,000 feet. To me this isn't fair to the rest of us considering the top 1% control over 1/3 of our nations wealth. I believe that somehow our wealth needs to be spread more equally and evenly throughout our citizens. We are a culture that likes to believe that we don't have a class system when in reality we do. Living in the area we do most of the kids at our school are in the upper half or the income chart but at the same time they are closer to the bottom than they are to the top. That just goes to show once again the rich are head and shoulders above even people considered in the upper class. 

Courtroom 302

After reading Courtroom 302 I couldn't believe the harsh treatment that these people recieved. They were brought to the courtroom and at the time of their processing had not had their trial yet. Last time I checked if you haven't had a trial you are presumed innocent until you are proven guilty by a court of law not by guards in a holding cell. One man asked a guard where his public defense attorney was and was treated with a response of, "You're guilty." While I understand that some form of order is needed and that the guards need to show they have the power and control I don't believe they need to take it as far as they do. If a person forgets to follow a minor rule there is a guard screaming in your face. I understand that in certain instances this type of reaction is needed and in those instances I have no problem with it but to do it constantly I find obsurd. The treatment of these people reminds me of a military boot camp and how drill instructors will get right up in your face and scream orders to you. This treatment to both soldiers and prisoners alike should be administered sparingly and only as needed. Most importantly all of the detainees in the holding cells should be granted their right of innocence no matter how guilty the guards might think they are. This is a right granted to all people of this country and it should be a right that is followed by everyone guards included.

Boys and Shootings

We read an article in class this week about school shootings. This was an eye opening reading for me as I realized that most school shootings don't take place in city schools in the hood but in the suburbs and rural areas. Also most of these shootings were commited by white kids who had been bullied for not being masculine enough. These kids after the shootings have been known to say that they are extracting revege on those that have bullied them. I can't remember the Columbine our countries most infamous school shooting but I do remember the Virgina Tech shooting. This was done by an Asian man. However, he was a middle class young man. After reading this I realize that making fun of kids could have a bigger influence than we think. At the same time offering someone who has no one to sit with a table could go a long way to. You never know it could save a life.

Toys

I am an only child and growing up I was blessed with my fair share of toys. After this week when we talked about the differences between boys and girls toys I realized I was influenced a lot by my toy selection. I was always given cars and trucks to play with outside in a sandbox. I cant speak for girls but after this lesson it seems as if they are taught to play inside in a pretend kitchen or with a doll house taking care of pretend babies. This contrast starts to shape how we are taught to grow up and eventually live our mature lives. I don't believe that most parents even know that doing this effects their children because it is a cultural norm we have here in America. I believe that we all need to take a step back and look at our norms and how they shape are children and try to make changes for the better.

Parents and their influences

This week in class we talked about how from birth until our death we are constantly influenced by those around us. One of our most important and needed influences is our parents. From birth parents are vital in providing care and nurture. However, they must also interact with us and socialize with us. I did not realize until this unit that a baby's brain is like a sponge and picks up on other people tendencies. This attention stimulates a child's brain and allows for normal physical and mental growth. On the contrary we learned about neglected kids and how they devolp physically as they age but have the mental capacity of an infant. Research found that the longer these children have been neglected the less they can learn later. We learned of a 13 year old who was locked in a closet her whole life until being rescued by authorities. Once rescued doctors tried teaching her to walk, talk, and do things we take for granted. They found it difficult eventually running into a wall where nothing else could be absorbed. Her brain function comparable to a patient in a mental institution. I am thankful for the loving and caring parents that I have and am grateful for their care now and during my infancy.

Tuesday's With Morrie

This week in class we watched the movie Tuesdays With Morrie. It is about a dying man and his former student Mitch. Mitch hears Morrie is dying and decides to visit him one last time before he dies. At first Mitch doesn't take much time to visit as he is constantly caught up with work and is always trying to make his deadlines. Morrie teaches him an important lesson - You need to learn to die before you can live. He expresses that Mitch's busy lifestyle may be making him a lot of money but if he isn't happy he questions him whether or not its worth it. I think this is a valuable lesson for us all because we are all so stressed about school, college, work, etc. While these are important those are only pebbles in our life our rocks or foundations of are life (family, friends, and health) are far more important and we need to focus the majority of our time on the rocks. I believe if we all make more time for our rocks we will live much happier lives.

American Values

This week in class we talked about American values compared to those values in other places around the world. I believe the most important American value is competition. Everywhere we look in our society there is competition whether it be from the two gas stations that are across the street from one another competing for business or from employees competed against fellow co-workers for a raise. It is this competitive nature that makes America great because with so much competition each person keeps striving to do better and better which in turn makes us better as a whole. From my personal experience I face competition in athletics and I know that when I am competing for a spot to start I work much harder trying to prove to the coaches, teammates, and myself that I deserve to be in that spot. The great thing about competition is that words have nothing to do with it and it is our actions that will speak for us. I believe that without our competitive society we would not be as strong as a nation as we are.

Cultural Norms

Last week in class we learned about cultural norms and the taboos, folkways, and mores. Different cultures across the world have different norms that we must follow when we visit their countries in order to be respectful and fit in. For example in America a taboo issue would be talking about sex or using the bathroom. Folkways here would be putting your elbows on the table. Finally a example of an American more would be doing drugs. On my family vacation to Mexico I noticed that at many of the outdoor eateries the person who was working would often engage in long conversations with my parents and I. I just recently looked up cultural norms in Mexico to discover that Mexicans tend to value personal relationships. I know understand all of our lengthy conversations had a deeper meaning.

Culture Shock

In class on Monday Sal had us do an experiment with a card game. We were divided into different groups and given the rules for our game. After about 10 min we had to play our game in silence then once we had a winner and loser each moved onto a different table as we got two new members in our group. Little did we know each group had a different set of rules and without being able to talk we could not play the game properly. This is what people who join a new culture experience. Many do not know the language or customs when they first arrive in a new setting. They are thrust into an experience and are just expected to know what they should be doing. I can't even begin to imagine how hard that must be on those who go through it. I overall thought this lesson did a great job of explaining culture shock.

Our Groups

It is known that the groups we associate ourselves with influence us no matter what group it is. I believe that due to this influence sometimes people are wrongfully associated with characteristics of the given group. While these characteristics may sometimes be true I believe it is wrong for people to judge based on your group and the members in it. A good example of this is in the movie A Bronx Tale where C is friends with a group of neighborhood kids who are racist towards black people. During one instance his friends beat up a group of black kids. C had nothing to do with it and in fact tried to help some of the boys. However, when C ran into one of the black boys he pointed the finger at C saying he beat him. I believe that this is because C was wrongfully accused just because of his group. While C could choose not to be involved with these kids I don't believe it is right for him to be characterized as a bad kid because of his friends. I think this lesson should carry over into our everyday life and we should stop judging people based on their groups.

Should We Generalize?

This week in Sal's class we read an interesting article titled Should We Generalize? It talked about how because we are humans we are hardwired to make generalizations whether good or bad. We do this because when walking into a totally new situation we prepare ourselves in what to expect due to our generalizations. However, after reading this I realized that sometimes we make some that could be considered stereotypical. This is done because we file people and experiences into categories so we just assume that for example every kid that goes to our high school is upper to middle class. It is these kinds of generalizations that we need to work on changing. I am making it a goal to limit my negative generalizations and look at everyone in a new light. This will hopefully open new opportunities to meet new people and live a better life.

What Would You Do?

In class we read the short story Survivors of F227 which is about a rugby team that was traveling to a game when their plane crashed into the Andes Mountains. After being stranded for months their food supply ran out and they were forced to make a decision. Given the fact that the deceased were still composed they made the decision to start eating the dead. This is something that we can't even comprehend. They had to overcome tough mental obstacles and to get over these the survivors created a mindset that redefined their social construction of reality. They convinced themselves it was ok to eat the bodies since they no longer had souls while others told themselves it was what God wanted them to do. They created a new society and that society required rules which consisted of no eating woman or children, no one was forced to eat, and everyone was given an equal amount of food. This new lifestyle that they chose to adapt to helped them survive until they were eventually rescued.

Sociological Imagination

After our lesson in class on sociological imagination I came to the relazaiton that many things affect me and I also affect many things. I noticed that the people I associate myself with impact me and who I am. Also I was affected by where my parents chose to move and because of that I attend one of the top high schools in the country. This lesson made me realize that I am extremely fortunate and that not many high schoolers are as fortunate as my classmates and I. We are blessed to have many things that others dont have including brand new computers, a brand new turf football field, and a brand new library. However, we are blessed with things we often take for granted one of those includes food. 20% of American childern don't know when there next meal is going to be. I am grateful for the lesson on sociological imagination and how it affects everyone around us.

Silence

On our first day of Sal's sociology class our teacher walked in and sat amongst us in silence. For the first few moments everyone sat in silence looking around wondering what was going on. Finally someone spoke out and asked what we were supposed to be doing. I realized that this silence would not have been so awkward if we had not been so used to having our teacher come in and tell us what to do right when we sat down. So when Mr. Salituro was silent it left us all confused because his actions were not what we are used to. I believe that there are times when we are so accustomed to noise and people talking that there are times when we all talk just to talk. We talk at times about nothing and I think it could be just to fill that awkward silence. I thought the silent experiment was a perfect way to start out class and get us all thinking sociologically.

Who Am I?

There are many things that make up who I am. I am not much different than your everyday high school senior. I am into sports and enjoy spending times with my family and my friends. I believe that these things shape and influence my life. In the case of sports I play football and have a goal of playing in college. This goal helps me with the decisions and life choices that I make. My family and friends that I associate myself with support my goal and help me to achieve it by keeping me on the right track. The people that influence me are the same friends and family that I talked about earlier. They inspire me to be the person I am.