Don't Say Shutup! That's a Bad Word.

    All of a sudden I was thinking sociology when I was spending time with my younger siblings this weekend. I recognized my Status as a sister, and role model to them. As a sister, I have many different roles. I sometimes have to act like a mother when they misbehave,but I also must play with them and make sure they're having fun. As a role model, I have different roles than I have as a sister. I have to be someone that they admire and want to be like. If I talk back to my parent's they will think that it's okay for them to do the same. I have to monitor my language as "shutup" is seen as a bad word. I have to eat all my food, do my homework, and maintain good grades. I basically have to be the perfect child so that one day they can behave the same way as I did. Even though sometimes it's stressful to have so many different roles that must be done, I know that in the long run, it will help my younger siblings grow up well.

When It Goes Off

Summary:    The reading When It Goes Off, was about a riot. Robert, the man that is explaining a previous violent crowd, is with the narrator. They are rioting something (it doesn't say what), and Robert tells the narrator about how Sammy isn't allowed to be in Tottenham because he is a suspect for killing a man during a riot. Robert and the narrator aren't participating in this riot, they merely came to watch. The police intervene and the crowd is too afraid to attack them. Evidently, only a few people rebel, but no one else follows, and they all stay on the pavement.
Smelser's 6 Factors
1. Structural conduciveness- the crowd doesn't leave the pavement for fear of getting arrested by the police.
2. Social Strain - the crowd starts to get rowdy and wants to become violent, which makes the rest of the crowd want to conform to their behaviors.
3.Growth & Spread of a Generalized Belief - the crowd believes that if they act violently, then their wants will be fulfilled and then the rest of the crowd starts to feel the same way.
4.Precipitating Factor - crowd wanted more drinks but the Victorian pub ran out of glasses.
5. Mobilization of Participants for Actions - people screaming and shouting for drinks and then everyone went to the streets and started to protest
6. Inadequate Social Control - The police didn't have control over the crowd until they brought in reinforcements.  

You can't join Mathletes, it's social suicide!

   All of a sudden I saw sociology when I was in lunch. I was looking around, yet again to all of the lunch tables and I saw clear cliques. I recognized immediately the in-groups, and the out-groups. I noticed that the out-groups were generally as far away from the in-groups as possible. They had about six or so people sitting at their table. But, what really classified them as the out-groups to me, was the clothes they were wearing and their proximity to the in-group. The out-group wears mostly anything that the in-group doesn't wear. They wear chains, black, have piercings, and do exotic things with their hair. This is all stereotypical goth/emo things, but I don't think it's necessarily about being popular in your own group to them. It's more about being as different from everyone else as possible. I don't think their being "original" or "different", It's more that they're trying to be different so badly because they were rejected from the rest of "normal" society. 
   Now, the in-group;they're no better. They walk around with their noses in the air and choose to shun the "weird" kids. All of them wear the same thing, and they're basically like clones of each other. Usually their lunch tables are jammed packed and you better not even think of sitting with them because they can't be associated with anyone that isn't another clone. They are the most talked about, and the most "adored". They believe they are so popular, and everyone below them is just not as good as them.
   There will always be a social hierarchy anywhere you go. The system can't be changed, and even if it could be, no one would try to change it. We're all content with our little cliques and the constant conflict. No way anyone would try to challenge it. In the words of Damian, "...it's social suicide!"

The Vicious Circle Response

   As the article stated, most of the youth that are prisoners, are minorities. I find this fact completely believable. On the news, all you ever see are black or Hispanic people getting busted for selling narcotics, or committing some other crime. It kind of displays why many Americans fear the minorities. They believe that they cause most of the crime, and they should be locked up for doing so. However, the number of young (white) suburbanites is on the rise.    The primary deviants should be treated more harshly, so that they understand that if they commit the crime again, they will be punished even more severely. Letting the go with only a slap on the wrist just lets them believe that they will never actually be in serious trouble. Secondary deviance should be handled in the same way, only they should get some sort of rehabilitation so that they can get themselves on the right path. I don't think that taking away their driving privileges will really do much. If anything, they will just get a ride from someone and continue their illegal acts. They will not truly value what they have (comfort,space,technology) unless it is taken away from them. Everyone has a license, it's only a matter of finding out who will drive you.
   Prisoners are in jail because they did something that was illegal. Selling Narcotics is illegal, which is why young teens should be placed in a juvenile detention center like the rest of the young criminals. Prison is not a place anyone ever wants to end up in. Prisoners live in horrible conditions. Yet, I believe they deserve these conditions. If you want to go against the law you should be punished by going to jail. Although I strongly believe this, I also think that their should be some sort of rehabilitation for the prisoners so that when they get out they are socialized and can better adapt to society's rules.
  

Life, or Death?

   All of a sudden, I found myself thinking sociology when I read Eating Your Friends Is the Hardest: The survivors of the F-227. I read about these people that got stranded on a mountain and their only choice of survival was to eat the dead people. I thought it was disgusting, but it the reasons for these people's actions related very much to Strain and Phenomenological Theory. First, it related to StrainTheory because since they were stranded on a mountain top, they basically developed their own rules. The norms of society didn't apply to them anymore.
   The Phenomenological Theory relates to these stranded people because of their situation. The only food that they had in the beginning was chocolate and wine, but that ran out very fast. After they heard that the rescue squad was no longer searching for them, they realized that they needed to find a way to survive. The only option that they had was to eat the dead bodies. They made their actions positive by telling themselves that this was their only way of survival. If they did not do this then they would eventually die.
   If Iwas put into this situation, I don't know how I would react. I think that I would reluctantly eat the people because I would know that would be my only way to survive. If put in that situation, everyone is forced to reconsider their morals. The deciding factor would be do you want to live, or die?  

Pink Shirts

When I read this article, I was shocked that the parents actually let their son have all of these princess/pink things. My mom, would never let my three-year-old brother dress up as a princess or own a pink princess shirt. She practically bit my head off when I painted his toes. It makes me think about why boys aren’t allowed to do what girls can. In our society, it’s perfectly normal for girls to be tomboys or really into sports, but boys? They can’t even like the color pink. It’s extremely sexist and unacceptable.

            Julie’s son should have been able to be a princess for Halloween without the fear that she might be ridiculed because of it. Society’s gender rules shouldn’t even be taught to young children. If a boy wants to have his nails painted and have a princess comforter, he shouldn’t be looked down upon. He’s only a kid and after all, children don’t judge. So my only question is why do we?

Impossible Wants

                 All of a sudden, I found myself thinking sociology when I was watching law and order: SVU unit. In this episode, Stabler learns what it's like to be in the "hole". The "hole" is basically like being in solitary confinement. A criminal tells Stabler that he can't talk about what it's like to be in the "hole" if he himself has never been there. So, Stabler decides to go to the "hole" for three days. He slowly starts to lose his mind. He does crunches and sleeps all day long. He tries everything possible to keep himself occupied, but soon, he runs out of things to do. He starts to hear voices in his head and he tries to talk to the officer that delivers his food. He's desperate for the company of another person.

                This reminded me of Genie's story. A lot of people in solitary confinement probably feel alone, scared, starving for human interaction, and bored out of their minds. I imagine Genie must have felt the same, except that she didn't know what bored was because she never experienced fun. I can't imagine being locked in a room for thirteen years, but then again, I'm already socialized. I, like Stabler, know the love of a mother. I, like Stabler, know how it feels to have human interaction. I understand everything that Genie never will. I've known a life, that Genie will never get to have.

Mmm Peaches...

                All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociology when I was volunteering at the People's Resource Center in Wheaton. I was assigned to give canned fruits to people. Also to give peanut butter to families that have five or more people. Many people walked through to get food for their families. I  noticed that a lot of the families couldn't speak much English so, I assumed that most of them were immigrants. Since, I am in Spanish four, I used some of my skills to communicate with the people. Out of all of the people that came through, only one person really stuck out to me.  

                The man was breaking a few folkways. To start, he had should-length purple hair. In our society, it is socially unacceptable for a man to have long hair, let alone have it colored purple! He was also wearing a skirt. I'm not sure whether he was a transvestite or a drag queen. Either way, it's looked down upon in our society for men to wear skirts (unless they're kilts). This man broke society's unwritten rules. I knew that it was wrong to judge, but I couldn't help myself. There's just something about a man with purple hair wearing a skirt that disturbs me.    

Double Standard

            All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociology when I was talking to my friend at lunch. She was talking about how her crush randomly stopped talking to her. Since I am in one of his classes, she asked me to approach him during our class. When the hour came, I calmly went up to him and asked him why he was mad at my friend. Seeing as how my friend and her crush had recently kissed at a party, I was not prepared for his response. He said that she took advantage of him and that he doesn’t like her. I was so confused. Why would he be saying that if he had kissed her that night? He not only kissed that night, but also many other numerous times. I later found out why he was so outraged by their kiss. He found out about the other guys that my friend had kissed, and he didn’t want anyone’s “sloppy seconds.”

            I really don’t understand the social norm that when a guy hooks up with numerous people, he’s known as a player, but when a girl acts in the same way, she is seen as a slut. My friend is single and has every right to kiss whomever she pleases, and she shouldn’t get people saying that she has “been around.” The double standard is so unfair and it makes it difficult for girls to be single, date, and have fun. This is America, and if boys can go around and hook up with as many people as they want, girls should be able to do the same.

Powder Puff

     All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociology when I arrived at school on the day of powder puff. were juniors or seniors. I also saw that many norms were being broken. Boys wearing skirts, girls playing football, and boys being cheerleaders. I was not a part of this simulation I was merely an observer. The social groups were variously spread out. There were white people, Hispanics 's, and  black people. Obviously I saw juniors and seniors all over the place wearing pink or green shirts  depending on whether they they choose to be a part of this activity, but I wondered why. Why is it that one day a year the roles are reversed? If you are not affiliated  with the powder puff game then,  you're considered  weird and un-cool. For the entire week  before the game, most people's only question is "Are you in powder puff?". 

     For one week, all of the norms in society are broken. You wear your hair in a crazy way, girls participate in football, and boys are cheerleaders. The only norms broken are folkways, but it leads me to question why would we want to do any of these things, when on any other day, these acts are frowned upon. On any other day, no one would even consider  doing  these things. To know this information, I would need to be a mind reader, or a sociologist. Still, to think that once a year girls willingly tackle other girls, and boys perform a cheer, will baffle my mind possibly until the day I die.   

Signs and Symbols of America

• Fast Food: I picked this image because I thought that it had a lot to do with American Society. In America, we are very lazy.We want things fast, including our food. Most families don't have to time to sit down and have a nice home-cooked meal. So what do we do? We run to a fast food restaurant and get greasy,unhealthy food because our schedules are too busy to make a simple pasta dish.   

 
•  Skimpy Clothes: I chose this image because it shows how the men in American view  women. The men in America treat women as if they are not   even humans. They call them all sorts of vulgar and grotesque names that offend women. Most men look at women as toys. They are to be played with and then thrown in the closet with the rest of their other toys. They don't realize that women want committed relationships. The way that American men treat their women is, in a nutshell, why other countries believe that American women are easy.

  

  
  
• Freedom: I chose this sign because i believe that freedom is the backbone of America. Everyone in America has the right to be free. We may do what we want, wear what we want, eat what want, and say what we want. Many other countries don't have that kind of freedom. They are told what to do, what to wear, what to say, what not to say, and so much more. Thankfully, we can do what we want, for the most part, and not get punished.

• Restrictions: Along with all the freedom that we have, we have many responsibilities. America contradicts itself greatly. They say that we have the right to do, for the most part, whatever pleases us, but then they put signs everywhere telling us not to do something. Yes, its true that we have the freedom to do what we want. But, it's also true that we need to chose wisely and think over about the consequences of our actions.

• Materialistic: America is dependent. We depend on technology for everything. Throughout the years we have advances so greatly that most people can't even image or remember their lives without it. It feels like everyday there is a new cell phone or a new kind of computer coming out. I feel that  many people would truly grow depressed if they didn't have their precious iPad's or their iPhone. America is completely materialistic. In every sense of the word.  

Heelots and Hokies

All of a sudden, I found myself thinking sociology when I was in sociology class.  Everyone in the class was doing a simulation. Before Mrs. Haas even told us about how the simulation was related to our class, I knew. To explain the game a bit, ill say that there were two different groups. A few of my classmates and I were Heelots, and the other group were Hokies. The Heelots and the Hokies were completely opposite in the way they communicated. The Heelots thought that the body was private, so they didn’t touch people nor did they look them in the eyes. The Hokies were all about touching and they communicated their answers with us by using their hands and shouting our numbers. For a while, no one understood how to communicate with one another.

            After a few trial and errors, and observing the other groups, people caught on pretty fast. We worked together to try and understand one another better. In real life situations, you are faced with language barriers and cultural differences quite often. We learned that being from different cultural backgrounds can really be a nuisance. Although, if you work together, instead of against one another, more cultures would get along and understand the way others cultures function way better.  

Bemused in America

What article and topic did you examine?
Food for thought: the supermarket.

What aspects of American culture does Stefan find strange?
Stefan finds it strange that we have so many deals. He doesn’t understand why we have deals such as: “buy-two-and-get-one-free,” because we would have so many extra items. He also finds it strange that we are so obsessed with sweets, while at the same time, a lot of our food is fat-free. He finds it extremely weird that we have so many places that are open 24 hours because in Germany, this is considered wrong and unheard of.

Why do you think Stefan finds these aspects of American Culture strange?
He might find these aspects of American culture strange because in Germany, their traditions and values are completely different. In Germany, stores wouldn’t we open past 8 P.M., and on a Sunday, nothing would be open because Sunday is considered to be a day of rest. Whereas in America, people could really care less about the day of rest. We close stores earlier on Sunday, but it’s nothing compared to how Germany runs their country.

What American values can you relate to this article? Explain how and where.
In America, we have many deals. We are always trying to save money. When you go to a store you see posters everywhere trying to sell you two of something for the price of one. We always want more, but we want to spend less. We also have many businesses that are open 24 hours. For example, McDonalds is a fast food restaurant that you may go to at any given time during the day. This shows how Americans value their money and their time greatly.

The In Crowd

    All of a sudden, I found myself thinking sociologicaly when I was in the cafeteria (commons). I was with kelsey and kaityln. We were looking over at a table when we saw someone that we didn't exactly like. She sat at her table and began to talk to her "friends." Now, I use quotation marks because everyone knew that those were not her real friends. She was more of a follower. A sad little puppy. Really annoying, but you can't turn her down. We were really just watching the situation. She tried to join in on the conversation but everyone kind of just ignored her. They were all white, including the sad puppy, a mix of female and males and around 16-18 years old.Everyone at the table was just talking and eating their lunches trying to exclude the poor girl. They all seemed like they wanted to be there. Especially the girl.They were laughing and joking and eating their lunches, except for the sad girl, she desperatley tried to fit in and laugh at all the appropriate moments. Some of the people played along with the girl, laughing along with her and trying to make her feel welcome, while other people just flat out ignored her or gave her mean looks.
    I wanted to ask the girl why was she trying so hard to fit in with these people that clearly did not like her. They obviously wanted her gone, but she did not give up. Why try so hard to be part of one clique, when the clearly don't welcome you? She had no reason to be there at THEIR table, but clearly she didn't really care. She didn't mind being shuned or treated poorly. Some people, I came to find out, will do anything to be in with a certain crowd.

Who am I?

Hi all! My name is autumn obviously. Well I guess this blog is suppose to tell you who I am so here goes. I have a huge family. Amount of siblings:7. I'm the oldest out of them all. After high school I plan to go to college (not sure which one yet). I'm going to major in psychology and minor in business,sociology, or some other minor that I find interesting. I believe being compassionate towards other peoples feelings is extremely important. I would have to say that my sister Zandra Is probably the most influential person in my life. She is one of my best friends. I can talk to her about pretty much anything on my mind and at the same time I can laugh until my sides hurt. I don't really know what my purpose in life is at the moment. I'll figure that out someday. For now I'm just excited to get the heck out of high school and on to the next step.