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!"