# data[].attributes.headline
My Sociological vs Individualistic Learnings

# data[].attributes.subject
My Sociological vs Individualistic Learnings

# data[].attributes.body
I learned individualistic thinking are what I bring to the table and how I think about things. This is more personal. Sociological thinking has to do with how the norms, culture, society and structures around me influence my individual thinking. I had a hard time with my sleep, vision, stress, and felt doomed with my health and felt hopeless as to how I was going to lead a normal life. What I didn't consider was that I had allergies, the room I was in had two cats that were there prior to me which I was highly allergic to that was affecting my sleep, sight, and life. Much like a teen could feel hopeless about grades in school thinking that they aren't smart but it's really the structures like his school, SES level, race, gender, etc that could be affecting him.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned so much about culture; the 6 key elements are symbols, language, values, norms, artifacts, and beliefs. This is why different communities, States, countries all May have a different culture! So many factors can influence this.

The shared beliefs or almost unspoken understanding of a group of people is the culture, taking into consideration all the elements. Upon reflection, I am part of American culture, a car culture, a German culture, a college culture, a health anxiety culture, and others that I subscribe to.

For example, it's like my car culture is my way of life. When I talk to others about it, either they relate totally or can't relate at all.

# data[].attributes.body
I never really understand the different 'levels' to the social structure, or if I did I had a basic understanding and more curiosity that I didn't know about.

The power elite really have control or influence- maybe influence that feels controlling depending- on groups of people, or societies. Political Elites like our public policy makers and government which shape our schools, our underrepresented communities, and things that directly serve us and our communities. Then we have our Economic Elites that run our massive companies and financial firms which shape our economy, our interest rates, our mortgage rates, our car markets, our inflation- all of our economy and access to resources (as well as political). We also have Military Elites that influence all of our defense laws and how we interact with international allies or wars and also our own US National Security.

It is all interconnected to some level, as the policies affect us, political decisions affect us, and so many higher up decisions from these elites trickle down to all of our communities.

# data[].attributes.body
I had never heard of how much other people affect ones view of self. I learned a lot about Cooley's "Looking Glass Self." I had no idea that how we develop our own sense of self is through how we perceive others seeing us. What a concept!

1. How we imagine others seeing us.

2. How we imagine others judge us

3. Feeling good or bad about those feelings

The social mirror- or looking glasses self takes the above 3 concepts to form our own view. This means how we view ourselves comes from our interactions with others and how we think they think of us. When, isn't it supposed to be that we aren't supposed to care what others think?

# data[].attributes.body
I wasn't sure if there was research done with sociology, but then it literally is the study of people... so there has to be some scientific explanation! I learned in this that there are qualitative and quantitative methods. The research also has (according to the Asking and Answering Questions reading, ch.2) an answer:

1) Defining the Problem: Like "Do LGBTQA teens have lower self esteem?"

2) Review the Literature

3) Make the Problem Precise

4) Work Out a Design

5) Carry Out the Research

6) Interpret Results

7) Report the Findings

I also learned that Enthnography was first hand studies of people using observation, interviews or both. This study allows us to understand behaviors, interactions, and social dynamics which is intriguing to me. Local, regional, and nationally you can get a better idea of culture and other "less scientific" but very relevanant groups.

# data[].attributes.body
Something I learned that was not a familiar concept to me was that crime was normal. A theory from Durkheim is that crime serves and important part of social functions (moral boundaries, social change, values in neighborhoods, groups of people, etc).

Growing up my Mom's Dad (Grumpa) was a Seargant of Mountain View Police for 28 years, and before him my great grandpa was also at MVPD after he was in the Army. I always thought crime was bad and never examined it through the lens of sociology.

When, through this sociological lens, my family wouldn't have jobs if it weren't for crime (more or less). It's not saying we want crime, it's just saying it is a normal part of society and that it does help us define morals and norms around us and for communities.

# data[].attributes.body
One of my biggest take away's here is that gender is "socially constructed." Gender is not male or female, but something created by society. These definitions vary across cultures, historically, and socially. Clothing, behaviors, family roles, work roles, "innate traits," and other things are all what society says to- or not to- "do" or "be."

I didn't really understand this academically until this course. It was so insightful to many of the social, economic, and political things in my understanding.

# data[].attributes.body
It was insightful to me to understand "Bathroom Battlegrounds," with the reading and assignment as to understand how policy affects trans communities.

I didn't know that Trans people had so much fear about bathrooms, holding it, feeling safe when so much of the message is that "little girls are unsafe with a man in the bathroom." It is such a made up thing about little girls when people are not thinking about everyone.

It was fascinating to go back in history to see when public bathrooms were even available (with plumbing) and how gender and male were originally separated and how policy makers are in control of these decisions; the money, what happens, the laws, and the social implications.

Policy makers like senators that are literally bought by different lobby groups should not have this much power over socially constructed issues like this, and the well-being of groups. It should be one restroom available to anyone who needs it, at any time, and everyone's safety and comfort should be accounted for. I'm not sure how it's that hard to make happen.

# data[].attributes.body
I've often contemplated how people could court one another back in the day and how this "hook up" culture ended up being a part of the dating experience.

The message of planning for dates, opening car doors, paying for things- I've seen that growing up but it's confusing for me to see that not all women want those things.

The hook up culture comes with a lot of uncertainty, negative outcomes and feelings, reduced self esteem and it's not even a real relationship. It's a biological function and then what?

It seems like men can get away with being dominant and then women feel terrible or like they can't be "feminine." I think some of this "culture" has to do with internet and availability as so many norms have changed with intimacy and relationships.

It is intimidating to myself as well as to others that I know.

# data[].attributes.body
A term I learned in this course is colorblind racism. I had never heard of this before. Basically if you are blind to a race, then you are actually perpetuating the racism. You are saying everyone should be treated the same because of their race which is actually not acknowledging people's race and and origin which can feel dismissive and hurtful.

Claiming that there is no current problem, and that racism is a thing of the past just makes it seem like it doesn't exist when it very much still does. Instead of ignoring the facts, seek understanding! If we act like there is one color, we are only making things worse by continuing affects of racism and/or inequality.

# data[].attributes.body
Racialization means that race is not biological, but rather socially constructed. It also means that the way they look (characteristics), cultural practices, and identities will mean that one group is less than the other which turns into power issues. When power is involved over race, there is racism, as meanings and stereotypes are assigned and people think that they are better than the other.