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.