What is Race?

A race is a group of specific, physical differences that other groups don't have. Races generally accumulate in specific geographical locations. Race does not have to do with genetics. Diving people into different races also comes with determining what rights and freedoms people of those races should have. People often judge others based on their race. Some people often think their race is superior to another, but the truth is, there is no subspecies of humans. There are no races that are biologically inferior to another, despite what some people believe. Race is more than skin color because people also associate race with other physical characteristics such as eye shape, hair texture, lip shape, or physical and mental abilities.

The 99%

This person has gone through extensive education, yet they still can't find a job, and the jobs that are available don't pay enough to support a life. In a more fair situation, everyone would be able to find jobs for the profession they are passionate about, and these jobs would pay well. This person obviously is very educated and probably was a part of a higher class, but now that they can't have a job in which they are well qualified for, their social class drops. I chose this image because it kinds of scares me that I can go through so much education and work really hard and still get screwed over by the job market.

Alvin can't afford a college education and cannot get a good paying job without having a college education, so he is stuck in a very bad cycle. In a more fair situation, FAFSA would be more accommodating and cover all need based aid. This person is going to be a part of the lower class due to his lack of education and lack of job experience. However, if Alvin had enough financial aid to pay for college, he may have gotten a better job after and moved up on the social class ladder. I chose this image because I'm in the process of financial aid and figuring out how to afford college.

Positive Deviance

This weekend Emily and I decided to go positive pranking. Positive pranking is something I learned about on the internet, and in a nutshell, it's doing what people would consider pranks and making them beneficial to other people. I remember one I heard was TPing, when you would put tootsie pops on peoples' lawns instead of toilet paper. So, Emily and I decided to take food out of her pantry and give them to people with positive notes. My favorite was a piece of cheese, wrapped of course, that said, this may be cheesy, but I hope you have a great day! We ding dong ditched people and dropped them off at their doors. A few of the people were good friends, and I few were those kids we've never talked to in class but we happened to know where there houses were...not creepy of us at all. It felt really good to leave someone a message. It also felt really exhilarating to run away after we left the treat on someone's doorstep. At a few of the houses we watched to see the person's reaction, and they were typically very happy and smiley when they saw the gift. It feels good to make someone happy. One of my favorite quotes is, "In finding happiness for others we find it for ourselves", and it leaving treats at people's doors and making them happy, I felt happier.

Gender

After we watched the clips on gender in class, I thought a lot about America's Next Top Model. I watch the show a lot. I record it, and when there's an ANTM marathon on, I sit in front of the TV for hours even when I've already seen the entire season. From watching the clips in class and thinking about ANTM, I realize that modeling is a market, and that models pose and people choose picture in a way that they think will sell a product. Marketing is sometimes false. Now a days it seems like marketing is always false, but with the models we see in the magazines and on television, I think we as a society realize that this is not how everyone looks. Women realize that not everyone is stick thin with big boobs and mile long legs. Men realize that not everyone has an eight pack and looks like a laundry back filled with meat. Although we realize this as a society, we also realize that someone looks like that in the world, and if someone else can look like that, we can look like that too. We know that this body figure is unrealistic and rare, but when we see people that we could look like, we automatically feel bad about ourselves. We could look at pencil wearing a skirt, realize it's a pencil in a skirt, and still want to look like a pencil in the skirts we buy. Another trick of marketing is that we feel if we buy a certain product, we have the ability to look like the model in the picture. We say, hey that looks good on the model. I want it because it looks so good, and even though I don't look like the model, it doesn't mean I can't look like the model and make that outfit look great on me. I think it's a problem that we strive to look like these models when we know that we can't look like them. It makes us feel horrible about ourselves because we know that someone out there looks the way we wish we could look. If magazines start publishing pictures of people who look like us, we will realize that the way we are is good and right and socially acceptable, which is ultimately how we want to feel about ourselves.

Un-TV

I found it really hard to watch the TV with the sound off and counting the number of technical events that occurred over ten minutes, but what I found the most challenging was watching the TV when it wasn't even on. I got easily distracted. Staring at the blank screen did not satisfy my eyes or mind so I often looked around and then realized that I had to keep watching the TV. I thought that it meant that I don't like looking at things that are still. I like watching things that move and captivate my attention. I guess that also explains why I have such a hard time at Art Museums looking at things that don't move. I much rather prefer the Planetarium and watching revolving planets. I think as a society we like things that move because it gives us something to follow with our eyes. It also tells us how to feel and what to look at. When we look at things that are still we have to think about what it means and why it looks that way because it is still and the movement that we would see on a TV doesn't automatically tell us how to feel with motions and expressions and sound.

I also noticed that my TV was relatively small and not as high tech as other TV's I've seen. It could use a nice dusting as well.

What is Cool?

http://www.glogster.com/abby899/cool/g-6lklse2urt900fpip8fu8a0

I think this should work. This is our "What is Cool?" poster!

Family Interview

My parents expected that I would be tall like my mom. That didn't end up happening, but they also expected me to go to college. They expected me to be independent and raised me in a way that I wouldn't be dependent on those around me. They expected me to love everyone I meet and be a very confident person. They also expected me to not be a pushover because according to my mom, I was a very difficult pregnancy.

My parents tried to impart Judaism on me, my dad a lot more than my mom. My dad grew up pretty Jewish. My mom grew up Jewish, but wasn't allowed to have a bat mitzvah because she was a girl, and she was actually punished my her parents when she wanted to study Judaism. So, it's especially important to my dad that I was taught about Judaism, but they've also been open to me learning about other religions. Ever since I was little, I've had a lot of animals. My parents actually bred labrador retrievers for a while, so at times I had a dozen puppies in my house. I've always thought having animals was important. My parents imparted the lesson of inclusions on me. They taught me from a very young age that it's important to include everyone and accept people for who they are.

My parents taught me about the importance of family from an early age. My uncle, my mom's brother, was studying at Northwestern when I was little, so he would come over and play video games without us. I got to watch him grow up as he got to watch me grow up. Now I'm that same figure he was to me for his two twin boys. My parents have also imparted the importance of independence on me. They allow me to make a lot of my own choices, especially in the college process of where I want to go and what I want to study. They've taught me how important trust is and how important it is to have trust and give it to others.

My parents said that they sometimes disagreed on how to discipline me. I've never been hit or spanked or anything like that, but they had a hard time punishing me by making threats that they couldn't keep and follow through with. My mom said my dad would often say things like, "Well, if you keep acting like this, you're not going to go to Mexico and you'll be miserable for winter break". But in reality, what was going to happen? A thirteen year old was going to stay at home by herself while her parents were on vacation. It just wasn't likely. My parents told me that I was a pretty easy child, and that I rarely needed to be punished.

My mom said that as a child, I was like my mom as an adult, meaning that it took her a long time to become outgoing and bold whereas I came out of the womb pretty outgoing. Like my mom, I am outspoken, sarcastic, messy, and I get my musical abilities from her. From my dad I get my insight, my height (short), and my nurturing qualities. When I asked my parents where I get my stubbornness from, they pointed at each other, so I guess I get it from both of them.

I'm not really surprised by what my parents wanted for me and how they expected me to be. My family and I have talked about our values and expectations and traditions since I was little, so I pretty much knew all of them. I did learn that my mom didn't care much about Judaism, which I never really knew. I thought it would be even more important to her because she never got to have a Jewish education, but I guess she never stressed a Jewish education because she wanted me to realize there were other religions than that and that religion shouldn't be the most important aspect of my life.

Culture

This culture unit has taught me a lot. It's taught me that America isn't the only country in the world. I realize that sounds kind of dumb, because obviously America isn't the only country in the world, but I've been raised in suburbia. Suburban life really is all that I've known, aside from the family trips to more tropical places, but even then, resorts and luxury hotels don't really count as exploring other worlds.

I see that there is no such thing as wrong. There is no such thing as right, and there is no such thing as normal, for what is normal to one's culture is taboo for another culture. For example, if an American drank blood as a source of nutrition that would be taboo and that person would be shunned by society, or a horror film would be made after that person, but in some cultures it is normal to drink blood. Using my sociological mind, I know that although this is strange for my culture, it is acceptable in other cultures and I respect that. To some cultures, our fast food and Big Macs and microwavable pizza is revolting, and I now realize that Americans aren't normal. We don't set the bar for the norms of society and other countries fall above or below our bar. We have different culture because of where we're from, how we grew up, what our surroundings have to offer.

Using my sociological imagination, I clearly see that the times have changed in America. Society is constantly changing and with that our culture and values change as well. When we talked about all of the different terms for sex, it clearly showed that our society today has become much more vulgar and open about sex, but not necessarily in a good way. We are more open about sex but we also look at it as something casual, where as when our parents were our age it was a much more private subject.

What may have been considered a more in our parents time, like dancing half naked or swearing, is now the norm in our society. We see half naked girls in music videos and our curse words are used as common as pronouns. Our society has changed and the times have changed.

Through this unit I have realized that cultures have extremely different material culture and symbolic culture. As Americans, we are so used to eating with forks and knives (material culture), but go to an Ethiopian restaurant and there won't be a fork in sight. Different cultures perceive objects in different ways. To us, utensils are necessary to eat. To others, hands were given to be used, so you might as well eat with them. Americans value money, jewelry, cars, pets, themselves, clothing, shoes, sports, and purses among other things, but some cultures don't have the need for those sorts of things.

Americans like everything bigger. Bigger is better in America, but as shown in the video we watched about Denmark, space is not as important and therefore rooms are smaller, fridges are smaller, and homes are smaller.

Our symbolic culture differs from other countries as well. Gestures are a big representations of the differences between cultures. A wave in America is taken as a friendly hello or what's up, where as in other cultures it can be a sign of disrespect or ignorance. We have a lot of symbolic culture in the United States. Our cereal boxes are covered with characters who we automatically associate with food. Tony the Tiger=Frosted Flakes. Snap Crackle Pop=Rice Crispies. We see these characters and know what we're buying or what product is being advertised. Symbolic culture is very important to American culture, and it is just as important to other cultures. We just can't be surprised when a person from a different culture doesn't understand our symbolic culture, and we can't be surprised when we don't understand their culture.

Because of this unit, I realize that we are all different. One culture is not weird or stupid, it's just different. Different isn't bad. Different is different. And the sooner we step out of our boxes and realize that America is not the only country in the world, we'll be a better functioning society.

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treausre

The country of Nacirema honors a special group of gods. The people of Nacirema collect objects for these gods and present them as sacrifices. For the entire week the citizens of Nacirema put together objects that they no longer want and save them for the gods. The sacrifices are saved in sacred boxes and are added to throughout the week. They present these sacrifices in plastic shrines outside of their houses for the gods to take away. The citizens repeat this sacrifice once every week. The most sacred of objects are placed in a special green shrine next to the less worthy objects. The gods glorify the objects in the green shrine because they can be used to create other objects. The gods take away these objects in a giant green truck that eats the objects for the gods. The citizens repeat this ritual once a week. The ritual is sacred to the Nacirema culture because it helps the citizens as well as the gods.

When People Are Ignorant...

I'm a person with a lot of pet peeves. I get annoyed when people use the wrong form of your/you're, I hate when people say "game time" when I ask what time it is, and I can't stand when people put things in the sink that aren't dishes. These pet peeves are all a little strange, and when people do them I'm annoyed but not offended; however, when people use the words "retarded" and "gay" to mean something other than what they actually mean, I can't tolerate it. I think it started in middle school. When people realized that being gay or retarded was something "bad" and that it should be used in a negative way. People use it all of the time.

"That homework assignment was so gay".

"Oh my god, that TV show is so retarded".

Why do we say things like that? We aren't being sociologically mindful when we use those words to mean things are stupid. I admit I've done what I'm condemning right now, but I no longer do it and I try to make other people stop it as well.

Being gay does not mean you're stupid. Being retarded does not mean you're stupid. Gay and retarded are not words synonymous with stupid. So when people say things like, "That show was so retarded" I let them know that retarded is not synonymous with stupid and that there are so many more appropriate adjectives in the world, and using the words retarded or gay to mean something else is abusing the English language and making that person look ignorant.

We need to realize that people who are retarded, mentally challenged, homosexual, heterosexual, disabled, or perfectly "normal" don't like to be called stupid! If people continue says, "God that's so gay" I'm going to continue to say, "Oh, so it's attracted to the same gender that it is which is socially acceptable?"

When TV shows start becoming attracted to other TV shows, I'll let the whole gay thing slide, but until then...it's not cool, man.

Doing Nothing

Doing nothing is harder than it seems. When we sit in front of the TV or go on the computer or take a nap we feel like we're doing nothing, and we say we're doing nothing, but actually we're doing something. Sitting and being silent and clearing your mind is a lot harder. I chose to be silent before I went into a dance class. I just sat and thought and nobody questioned me or asked what I was doing. For me, doing nothing is hard because I think it's a waste of time. I'm a really busy person, and I barely have enough time to eat during the day, so why spend ten minutes sitting when I could be exercising or eating or catching up with friends who I don't get to talk to during the day? I get that doing nothing is supposed to clear your mind and let you notice what's going on around you, but for me the way I do that is through listening to music or going on a walk, not through doing "nothing".

When you think about it, doing nothing is still doing something. You can never be doing nothing because you're always thinking and breathing and taking note of your surroundings. Doing nothing is a task many people try to do, but I think it's near impossible.

This I Believe

Sometimes I think I'm a walking contradiction. I'm accepting, but I'm stubborn. I'm open, yet I'm closed. I'm sure of who I am, yet I can't put a label on my beliefs. Despite my occasional wishy-washyness, I'm an opinionated person. I have opinions on how people should act in a theatre, how family should treat each other, what's appropriate to say to one another, and what one should be spending their precious time doing. I get that everyone is different, I just think that there is a universal way that people should act towards one another.

I believe in kindness. I believe that everyone is fighting a rough battle, and no matter how many Gucci bags they have, or presents they get on Christmas, or trophies they have representing their successes, everyone has struggles. Not to say that at every single moment every single person has underlying depression and they feel forced to put up a front to hide their true feelings. No, it's just that we all face different battles at different points in our lives. I believe that kindness is a universal way of telling each other, it's okay that you're feeling a certain way, and although I may never personally experience what you're going through, I get that it hurts right now.

I know that I'm very fortunate. I grew up in a nice house in a nice neighborhood with nice married parents and an occasionally nice brother. I've been given clothes, books, iPods, cell phones, a good education, and the support from my family that I need in order to be successful. I understand that some people don't have this life. Not everyone gets the gismos and gadgets and the seemingly endless supply of Goldfish. I'm thankful for what I have. Although my parents are married and my brother and I get along really well, we've got our struggles. Few people know that my dad has been married two times before my mom. I don't have step siblings or half siblings and have never met these other women, but I obviously have a knowledge of them. When I was little I used to think I had three moms...a strange phase in my life, not knowing how the whole reproduction thing worked. My family has always been very open. Nothing has been hidden from me. We still make Marie's sweet potato pie on Thanksgiving. That could be considered weird, but it's delicious. I get that life isn't about having the perfect mommy and daddy who meet in college and fall in love and love each other until they die and have a beautiful home with ironed sheets and lint free cashmere sweaters. It's sometimes like that, but not always.

I think that our society puts aside their true feelings in order to feel better about themselves. When people say, "Children are starving in Africa. Your problems aren't as big as that", we're doing our selfs a disservice. My favorite author, John Green, who has taught me so much and as influenced the way I view the world, taught me that we all have pain. And that putting it aside and saying it doesn't matter compared to other people is bad for us. Just because others have pain worse than us doesn't mean that our pain evaporates into thin air. I'm not saying that when a child throws a temper tantrum about her parents purchasing the boots she wanted in the wrong shade of beige that her behavior is excusable because she is feeling pain. I'm saying that even the most fortunate people deal with cancer, sickness, depression, doubt, uncertainty, and pain. I've dealt with pain and misfortunate events, and sometimes it does feel good to say that other people have it worse and that I'm fortunate to have these pains compared to other pains, but I've learned that in the long run it hurts more. I've learned to deal with pain and acknowledge pain that other people have and realize that it all gets better.

When people talk about the starving children in Africa, I don't think they realize that there are starving kids in Chicago. In Lake County. In Buffalo Grove. We're not all as fortunate as we think we are.

I believe in living life to the fullest, and being a walking cliche and smiling and loving and skipping down a street. I believe in dancing in front of strangers and eating french fries until your stomach explodes, and laughing at slapstick comedy. I know that everyone has different view of what they want to do with their lives, but as long as those things aren't harmful to others and are beneficial to yourselves, that that's what that person should be dong.

I believe that we all need to feel safe in our environment in order to truly embrace who we love, what we love, why we love it, and where we're going in life, and the only way to accomplish this security within ourselves is knowing that others accept us for who we are and what we believe in.