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(O) Chapter 2: Sociological research 2/5

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(O) Chapter 2: Sociological research 2/5

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This chapter was about scientific methods. The scientific method is used for many experiments but is it truly able to be used in sociology which also requires the study of human behavior? When using the scientific method according to the text 2.1 it's most commonly used in experiments that can be involved using surveys, experiments, and field research. However when it comes to studying the social interactions it is far too complex to be able to chart. The reading says that yes it is able to be used for these behaviors because the scientific method has limitations and boundaries that help focus a study and organize results. But that doesn't mean that the scientific method is always the best way to go about a study. The limitations from the scientific method can actually impact the study which would not give definite results. Examples of this may include a study or observation on the effects of poverty on education. One can not change a person's current financial situation to observe. You can look at correlational data of your topic area but this would not give you precise conclusions. This then leads back to if the scientific method can ever be used to get precise answers just as the natural sciences, or are there limitations that prevent that. The scientific method certainly provides structure but I would say that it is not able to fully capture the complexities in human society. So can there really be a way to get a precise answer with altering the scientific method which it comes to studying social behavior?

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Mandatory Padlet Post: Good teaching leads to better learning 2/6

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Mandatory Padlet Post: Good teaching leads to better learning 2/6

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When measuring how well someone teaches, one way to do this is to have the students submit a survey based on how well they thought their teacher. An expert may also be in the same room as the students and the teachers to observe the teaching ways within the classroom. You can also look at the student's test results to see if the students met the learning objectives. The higher the test result the better the subject was taught. To be able to measure "better learning" this can be measured based on the amount of participation that the students puts in class on assignments. Depending on how many times a student answers a question in class and completes assignments fully during class will show that the student understands well. Looking at the student's grades will also show the result of the students education. The student can also be observed over time to see how well they can apply what they learned and how well they recall their lesson.

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(H) 29-47 Henslin, Doing sociological research 2/8

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(H) 29-47 Henslin, Doing sociological research 2/8

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Henslin talks about how sociologist use many research methods in which one involved empirical research. This includes surveys, experiments, and participant observation. Many studies include multiple methods such as women in military, report on abused children, and childhood. All these experiments involved participant observation. However this sort of study seems to raise ethical concerns, particularly in consent. Now days that there is advanced technology and almost everything revolves around the internet, research can also be studied using social media to analyze social interactions. By doing so, using social media as a method to view online interactions may also be invading privacy. When it comes to observing people, researches won't tell that person that they are being watched for a study because it may change the outcome due to the subject changing their behavior. The same would apply to online spaces. The subject won't know that they are being studied and observational study may not be the best method for social media. This would be collecting data without the user's consent and invading privacy. Past studies such as the Milgram experiment has ethical violations. For recent studies there is now ethical restrictions to protect participants. These restrictions that are now placed also limit depth sociological studies. In conclusion, empirical research is a decent method to learn more about social life but it has it's limits. Using surveys, and experiments will leave out some details and personal stories which then shows how there is still refining needed to the techniques being used in empirical research.

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(H) Would you hire an ex-convict?  Devach Pager 2/8

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(H) Would you hire an ex-convict?  Devach Pager 2/8

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The reading shows a study that was done to see the difference between white and black people who were an ex-convict and others who weren't. The people who didn't have a record were more likely to be hired than the people who were an ex convict. Structural functionalism can be applied to this study. Structural functionalism views society in which it has a system that works together to maintain stability. In the study as the ex convict try to get rehired to be able to start over again in society, only a small percentage of the people would get hired. This would be a failure to be able to get back in line of society and would weaken or make it unstable in employment. This is showing how when a part of the social system which in this case would be labor market, fails to function effectively the way it's supposed to, can lead to a disturbance in structural functionalism causing an effect in which could lead to higher rates of ex convicts that don't get help. The more ex convicts that get rejected leads to increase of homelessness, crimes, or more. Having one effect in this system can affect all the others and shows how labels on people can disturb the system in society if chosen to viewer the wrong way.

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As you walk into the Starbucks it is long rectangle shape. Towards your left is met with a wall. There is a low bar at the wall that is covered in glass windows. This leads halfway down the building. Towards your right is a oval table with two chairs on one side and a couch against the wall. Beside the table is a small hallway with the bathroom. Beginning back at the entrance of the door as you walk down it is shaped like a hallway. The right side is a counter where the employees take your order. It is slightly more narrow now that the counter is added and and the left side continuing from the bar to the end is some tall and high tables with tall chairs. The table is a square with one chair at each end. At 4:30 when I walked inside Starbucks there were two people to the right of the door. They were at the oval table. A pale lady in her 30s about 5'4 is sitting against the wall in a grey hoodie. She had her hood on with her two strands of hair sticking out from her face. She had jeans and some brown short boots. The guy across from her also in his 30s was wearing a black cap backwards. He had hair that wasn't so short but long enough to be tied. He had a tattoo on the left of his neck. He was brown, wearing a black shirt, grey sweats and on the end of his chair was a black puffer. As you keep walking straight in the building a high-school girl with blonde shoulder length hair tucked behind her ears in brown UGGs, grey hoodie and wide leg grey sweat pants is sitting at a high table with the high chair. She has a green backpack on the floor beside her chair. She has a lodiusd Chromebook which shows that she is currently a high schooler. She has many papers out and a calculator. When I walked in she was on her phone. At the end of the building two people were at the high end tables. They share the same table and were talking to each other. One lady had a ponytail with brown hair, rectangle black glasses, a black sweater, skinny jeans and brown UGGs. The guy in front of her was facing the wall towards her. He was a black guy who had had a grey cap facing forward, with a navy blue jacket, black jeans and black tennis shoes. After I took my order I sat behind the high school girl facing the door entrance at the tall high table. The lady who was sitting at the oval table gets up and goes to the restroom. Beside their table is a stroller. It's a small black one with many items inside. Hanging on the stroller bar was a green fanny pack. The guy stands up and puts on his black puffer. He then paces back and forth in front of his table. He takes a call and after around 8 minutes that have passed he walks out with the stroller and the lady gets out of the restroom and also walks out as they both leave together. I move over to their location that was at the oval table at the beginning of the entrance. 30 mins have passed and I watch the two people at the back of the building talking. They both have drinks. One has a metal water bottle and the lady has a frap. A lady with a black crew neck sweeps the floor in front of me and moves the chairs to sweep underneath it. There are three workers behind the counter, one takes orders at the window the other takes orders at the counter and the third makes drinks. When the person at the counter has no order they help make the drinks. These are two girls both with ponytails behind the counter one has brown the other has blonde hair up to the shoulders. Then there is a guy with braids above the shoulder with a bandana around his head. Around 4:53 a lady with curly wet hair a pink dress up to the knee with a white cardigan, beige sandals, and a black mini purse walks in to order. 4:56 she walks out with nothing in her hand. At 4:58 two people come in. They seem young one with a black shirt in red font saying Spotify at the front of his shirt with brown low taper cut and black sweats with camo Crocs walks in and says his order. The girl goes to the bathroom and then asks a worker for the code and goes back in. The girl has wavy brown hair past her shoulders and has a warm grey hoodie with wide leg jeans and uggs. The guy then walks to the bathroom and a minute later walks out and sits at the low bar in front of me. He looks on his phone. Then the two people who were at the back of the building get up and leave. The girl comes back out at 5:01 and the drinks are also done. The guy goes to get both of their drinks and they both head out. I then also walk out.

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(O) Chapter 5 & 4:3 Social constructions of reality. 2/12

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(O) Chapter 5 & 4:3 Social constructions of reality. 2/12

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Socialization is described in the book which is what shapes people. Socialization does not end in childhood meaning that this is also applied to many different stages of life. As a person enters a different stage, they may undergo resocialization to fit in with the current and new situation they're in. Although socialization does play a role in the way people are shaped, there is more to it. Such as the person itself which can go out of line that may not fit other stereotypes. Such as older adults who decide that they're going to continue staying active or continue working which is defying the expectations of not retiring. Even as we grow older and better understand ourselves there will be new understanding of ourselves as we are influenced by social contexts that we adopt. Socialization can be applied to the transition from being in elementary to high-school. As a kid starts to go to elementary school they will develop an idea of what behavior is acceptable. This is when kids start to place themselves where they belong such as "popular" or "shy." The teacher will also play a significant role when socializing with children because they provide information on behavior such as respect and following rules. This will help the student determine whether they are identified as a good student, bad student, or whether they are excelling in certain subjects or not. The child is being deeply influenced by peer acceptance. As the kid moves on to high-school there are new peer groups. When transitioning to high-school they are exposed to many groups with different background and interests. These groups often have their own social norms such as the jocks, artists, nerds, sky kids, and play a role as part of one's identity. This can lead to the kid adapting their behavior and style to be socially accepted by others. In high-school there is a greater peer influence involved than how it was in elementary. The student is more likely now to shift how they see themselves based on the social group that they align with. Their own self will be developed from elementary which was mainly influenced by family and teachers, to now being shaped by social groups and fitting in. The transition between the kid going from elementary to high-school is an example of resocialization. This is because the student now learns new social norms and behaviors to fit in within that new social group. They may start dressing differently to fit in, choose certain people to hang out with and the way they perform in school. This shows how a student's own identity is not fixed and how it will keep changing and developing as they are introduced to new social norms and the response they give when introduced to a new environment.

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(H) Goffman, The presentation of the self in Everyday Life 2/16

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(H) Goffman, The presentation of the self in Everyday Life 2/16

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I find this reading very fascinating because it talks about impressions and the way people change themselves to behave a certain way in front of certain people. As I read along I was able to relate to this with my first encounter of meeting my partner's parents. I made sure to dress casual and covered up. I also wore light color clothing rather than black such as white and pink to appear more innocent and feminine. I changed the way I spoke, looked, ate, sat etc. During conversations I mentioned things I like doing while I left some other stuff out. I mentioned only the good things I was associated with and acted on my best behavior. I spoke formally to them all for the hopes for them to like me. They say first impressions are everything, which is why I change the way I am to make a good impression. In the book it says people tend to look for information and signs about an individual to know how to best act towards that person and how to respond towards them. Looking back at meeting my partner's sister I realized that I too have looked for signs to know what that person liked and who they were as a person. I looked at their profile page on instagram to look at the type of clothing of style they had, the type of music they liked, their hobbies, what they were into, what they didn't like. I tried to familiarize myself with that person before meeting them that way by the time I did meet them, I would know what to talk about, what not to talk about, and how to act. I realized that person really liked pink and was girly, liked kpop, liked making drinks and more. By the time I had met my partner's sister face to face I wore pink, had bows in my hair, listened to a couple kpop songs so that I could talk about. I tried to relate to her as much as possible so that she would like me more. As for when I'm with my partner I act more childish, informal, and dressing up nice does not matter. I can be in my pajamas and I would not care of what he thinks. I can say what I want, ask stupid questions, send funny videos and act the way I want to. This goes to say that I change the way I present myself to people everyday and so do others which makes me wonder how have other people changed the way they act when meeting me and if they were being their true self around me.

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(H) Thompson, Handling the Stigma of Handling the Dead 2/17

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(H) Thompson, Handling the Stigma of Handling the Dead 2/17

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After reading how the word death is usually replaced by other words to avoid using a triggering word that may cause great emotion, it made me realize how common it is that people choose to not say certain words in relating to death. Applying this to daily life a couple months ago I went to a viewing. Everyone there always talks about the good things they remember about that person. The family that was related to the person who passed had many people come up to them. Each time someone new entered, they would go to the family say sorry for their loss, mention something nice and walk away. Everyone is in an emotional state but after reading this chapter it made me realize that not once did I hear the word death or die coming from an adult. Society has normalized not using the word death or die because it is a harsh word that most people wouldn't want to use. People are not born with knowing to use these words, it is learned from. For example children tend to use the word "die" when it comes to these certain situations. They may say "Mom who is that dead lady?" or "Mom who died?" rather than using the word passed to replace the word relating to death. This is because they have not been told that the word is too harsh to use or have not been accustomed to hearing the word passed. Continuing on with the viewing, when it comes to talking about death most people are quiet about it. They all talk in a whisper and lower than their usual tone of voice. Outside of the ceremony many people also tend to not talk about their lost loved ones. It becomes a sensitive topic and often when a person mentions that someone who they cared for had passed, the situation becomes awkward. It usually goes with by saying sorry for their loss and assuring them that they are here for them and then moving on with the subject. This is because most people avoid trying to talk about death. Since using words that are less harsh normalized when it comes to death, morticians and funeral directors use words such as casket rather than coffin or loved one rather than deceased. These type of people who have jobs like this experience the encounter of death frequently. Yet because society has normalized certain uses of words when it refers to death, people with these occupations are swayed into using symbolic language because it is more "appropriate" when selling to the audience. This goes to show how although there is no rule that requires people to use a certain choice of words when referring to death, the social norms of this is that you should be using more "appropriate terms" according to the unspoken rule in society. Otherwise you will be be disliked or viewed cold just as the stereotypes that go for morticians and funeral directors because of their choice of work that is surrounded by death.

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Mandatory Padlet: How do I experience Role Conflict in my life. 2/18

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Mandatory Padlet: How do I experience Role Conflict in my life. 2/18

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An example where role conflict appears in my life is being a friend and a girlfriend. As a friend I have to be there for them to support them and present myself socially for them at events. I have to hang out with them and also help them when they need me at their worst times. Yet I also have to be there for my boyfriend. As a girlfriend I should give him my attention and spend time with him. These two things can be overwhelming when I don't see my friends as often anymore and seeing my boyfriend once or twice a week is not enough for him. They both overlap each other because they both require attention from me and being there for both can be complicated when both sides are calling for me.

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Required Entry: How have interactions with various agents of socialization affect my decision to be in college? 2/18

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Required Entry: How have interactions with various agents of socialization affect my decision to be in college? 2/18

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When it comes to family, my parents have always told me to go to college because they never got to and I have the opportunity to do so. They encourage me to go because it is the only way to be successful in life. And so I go because they want me to but also because they say I will benefit from it. My elementary school always told me the main steps in life I would take were first elementary, then middle school, then high-school, college and or university. By the time I was in 4th grade my parents made sure I knew that they wanted me to go to college. Since I am still in high-school and taking college classes here at middle college high-school the friends I surrounded myself in middle school influenced me to go to middle college because to them, they said taking college courses sooner speeds things up to be done with school quicker. With being in a gate program school most of my classmates all talked about going to middle college to take college courses. By this I was influenced by them because I wanted to stay in touch with them. So I went to college early because of my school friends. My middle school is also a reason I went to college. My school always told to me to graduate high-school and then go to college and get a good job. By the time I went to middle school they all told me to do my best that way by 8th grade I could get good recommendation letter from my teachers and apply for middle college to get in. It seemed like my whole middle school revolved around college. And it was true, because more than half of my middle school friends went to this delta campus. They said go to college to be successful and earn more money. I was also influenced by shows such as Rory Gilmore who revolves around school. Her goal is to get into Yale which is the whole point of the show. This influenced me to go not because it was better for me, but because I also wanted to be acknowledged by people, that I can be young and go to college and be able to have my own place with a friend to room with and have fun and be independent. Of course this isn't as realistic as how the show had shown it. But overall, my whole life the main point that I have taken away is to go to college. And so here I am taking college courses because that is what almost everyone my whole life has told me to do so. It seems that there are many factors in life that influence people to do things such as I was influenced to go to college.

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(O) Chapter 6: Groups and Organizations 2/19

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(O) Chapter 6: Groups and Organizations 2/19

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In society, groups play a major role in peoples lives. There are primary and secondary groups. Family would be an example as a primary group where many people tend to be first influenced when they are born. People are taught what is meant to be normal and right from wrong based on their values. They learn the social norms and is where they also develop themselves. Some people grow up being raised with love and being nurtured which can lead them to being strong and loving. While people who were neglected in a household may grow up to be insecure. Family develops the person you grow into and is taught early on. The secondary group in life would be an organization with students. Many people are not so close with other random people but they definitely play a role in influencing people's identity. For example a person will associate themselves to have a certain set of personalities and skills when they are focused on their job or organization they are in. Such as teamwork to better fit the environment they're in which also affects the way people see them. Many groups play an important factor in shaping a persons identity. Primary groups can help build the main part or foundation of a person while secondary groups will help introduce opportunities to people to be able to pick up social roles. So overall groups can affect who a person is and who they become.

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Obedience varies in many different settings, but one of the most common ways where people tend be influenced is social pressure. This can be seen many times among children in school. For example a child may bully on another student because their friend group does. This makes the child think that they should too in order to fit in. Although the child knows that it is wrong, they do it anyway because they want to fit in. Many kids now days do a certain amount of things that they know are wrong in order to fit in with other groups and maintain their social status. Another example that occurs quite often is students cheating on tests. In school it is taught that cheating on a test is wrong. However many kids may tend to do so because of encouragement by their friends. This may be deemed as cool and so that student may decide to cheat even if they know that it is wrong. Connecting this topic with the Milgram's experiment. The participants in the study obeyed the person in charge because that person was of higher authority. Just like the experiment, children tend to do what their peers say because they fear they may be rejected by others if they don't follow a group. Even when they know what they're doing is wrong.

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Mandatory Padlet: 10 items and what does it mean about the future? 2/27

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Mandatory Padlet: 10 items and what does it mean about the future? 2/27

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First item is pink bible bought from Amazon. Second is a lotion scent champagne toast from bath and body works.

Third a candle raspberry scent from Marshalls.

Fourth is white air forces from the mall.

Fifth is book from Barnes n Noble

Sixth is a iphone 15 from apple store.

Seventh is a painting from a neighbor who paints and was given to as a gift.

Eighth is Japanese chopsticks from Japan.

Ninth is a sushi eraser set from Japan.

Tenth is a face moisturizer from Ulta Beauty.

Based off all these ten items that I have listed it shows how nowadays there is much more advancement than before. There is also much more variety of choices such as shoes, types of different scent lotions, types of skin care such as moisturizer, books from many different stores, and multiple places/stores to get these items. The transportation needed to get some of these items such as the Bible over Amazon shows how there is much more technology to be able to do online shopping and a way to get these items delivered. Within a period there has been improvement with technology and a great increase in stores and production this may say that for the future there will continue to be an increase in organizations making a variety of products. Most of the things can be bought over online shopping this also suggest that it may be taking over regular shopping in person. For the future, a variety of items and chemicals may be created such as how there are varieties of skin care products. Lastly maybe robots will be the ones to transport items/packages since technology will also be improving since most of the shopping is online.

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(O) Chapter 4.1 & 18 Types of Societies, Work and Economy 3/1

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(O) Chapter 4.1 & 18 Types of Societies, Work and Economy 3/1

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Based of Chapter 18, I would like to further talk about how people experience job satisfaction differently based on certain factors. The first factor would be class. People who are from higher social classes usually end up with jobs that give high wages which then leads to a higher job satisfaction. Compared to lower income workers, they would usually tend to experience physically demanding tasks with lower wages that leads to a decrease in job satisfaction. An example of this would be someone who works as a graphic organizer. That person is able to manage their schedule because they get to choose their clients and projects to do. This would increase their job satisfaction but, they might experience financial stability if that person cannot find enough work. When compared to someone who works in a factory, they may have little control over their work schedule which can reduce their job satisfaction. The second factor would be education. If one has a higher education they usually have better job opportunities. Highly educated people often feel pressured to stay within a high paying career but feel more stressed because of their difficult job. While others may be happier with a lower paying job such as a doctor compared to a teacher who both have a significant salary difference. The doctor may get paid more but be burned out while a teacher gets paid less but is happier. Lastly the third factor is industry. Some industries such as healthcare may provide emotional fulfillment but have high stress. Finance jobs that pay well can be high pressure. Or Service industry jobs can be emotionally draining because of low wages and customer interactions. How is job satisfaction determined? If you were to compare a nurse to a software engineer and a retail worker, who would be the most satisfied and why? Job satisfaction can be determined by personal matter. But there are many other factors such as class, education and industry that play a role in shaping peoples experiences at work.

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How does Ehrenreich's chapter of low wage work reveal the economic and societal forces that uphold inequality in todays society. In the chapter it reveals the difference in working compared to the poor and middle/upper class. Workers in low wage jobs often have to deal with their work schedule that could change with little notice. This can make it difficult to plan out your days to fill with responsibilities and other personal activities. Compared to middle/upper class positions, their jobs may have consistent hours and be more stable. Stability is also a problem with the lower class. With having inconsistent income it is a struggle to save, budget, and pay off their payments. This then leads to economic issues that repeats in financial insecurity keeping them trapped in poverty and limiting their ability to be able to contribute to economic growth. People who have low wages often live off of their paycheck. This makes it challenging to buy essentials such as food and housing. It slows down economic growth because it reduces consumers spending abilities. The idea that hard work rewards you with success is a contradicting topic. Despite the effort that a person may put in, there are many external factors in society that block the path to advancement which includes the inequality that people with low wages experience, compared to those with high wages.

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(H) Leidner, Over the Counter at Mcdonald's 3/4

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(H) Leidner, Over the Counter at Mcdonald's 3/4

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Corporate Control control shapes worker's experiences in the fast food industry according to Leidner. In McDonald's the employees are to follow a system that requires you to follow each detail such as greeting the customers to then preparing food which is all in a strict script of how to do so. This limits the workers freedom and can play a significant part in job satisfaction. For some employees they like having a script to follow and predictability of their work, but for others they may feel frustrated from the lack of control they have of themselves. The autonomy of McDonald's is quite different when comparing to other industries. This shows how autonomy is a great factor that determines how people experience work. McDonald's workers follow procedures which limit their personal decision making. This then ensures that there is consistency and it minimizes the mistakes throughout the job that allows for minimal training. When looking at this through an employer's perspective one might think that the control is overwhelming and even small details and decisions such as one's tone of voice when speaking to customers can make the work feel robotic instead of being genuine. This lack of freedom can decrease job satisfaction. When comparing the job satisfaction to other work industries, places with more freedom to engage in one's work can increase job satisfaction. This does not just apply to Mcdonald's but it also applies to other jobs such as customer service. In customer service there is a pre-written script which prevents the workers from speaking freely to the customer in a natural way. In retail there are also standardized greetings with sale techniques that can make workers feel frustrated from their lack of autonomy. However not all low-wage jobs are strict. Some are flexible such as a small family owned restaurant where one has freedom to be able to engage with the customers in a more personal way and make small decisions based of what are the needs of the moment. In contrast, there seems to be more jobs with higher wages that usually have higher job satisfaction. An example of this are hairstylists. They have more control on what they do based on how they cut and style the customers hair. The customer may ask for a specific haircut but the hairstylist goes based off what they think looks best and allows for their personal judgment. Another example is a software developer who can problem solve in many different ways. This then leads to the question whether or not some people would prefer Mcdonald's with high structured jobs because of the removal of stress decision making? Or would workers prefer a low structured job where autonomy and people have more freedom rather than sticking to a script? While the obvious answer may seem low structured jobs, some people may find it more stressful because it required independent thinking while others find high structured jobs frustrating because of the limited amount of freedom one has. So in the end how should corporations be able to balance autonomy and efficiency for higher job satisfaction?

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(H) Caught Between the Ages William Van Dusen Wishard (3/8)

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(H) Caught Between the Ages William Van Dusen Wishard (3/8)

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William Van Dusen Wishard discusses the social change and shift within social norms. How can this be applied to reality? Based off this reading this can be seen and applied to political movements. A movement I would like to go over is the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM). The Black Lives Matter movement is a political movement that advocates for racial equality and justice. When viewing this from a sociological perspective, BLM critiques the social norms of racial discrimination. While the movement challenges the social norms structure of society, it impacts cultural and political shifts. Some politicians may argue that the protesters in these movements have been clashing with the law enforcement or may argue about how protesters have turned violent. However thin is the beginning of where protesters try to start a movement for change in society. Just like in the reading, it talks about social movements facing a cultural push-back when challenging beliefs that aren't so easily visible to those who are in privileged positions. It can be applied to BLM which can be challenging to ingrain social attitudes about race and justice. It also shows how the social movement spreads global awareness about justice issues and it also challenges the need for societal change. Like Karl Max and Max Weber, their conflict theory is able to be shown through the role of inequality and the struggle for shaping society through BLM. But through the movement it was able to change how the public discuss race and racism in the U.S. It also encourages people to confront racial inequalities. Although racism is still a problem going on today, this political movement was able to influence the change for an equal society. This is a great example of how movements can challenge and disrupt societal norms and also push for cultural reform.

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Required Entry: Should all full-time jobs pay a living wage that would cover all life's expenses. 3/9

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Required Entry: Should all full-time jobs pay a living wage that would cover all life's expenses. 3/9

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I think that jobs should be able to cover for food, housing, and healthcare expenses. The payment should be reflecting based off the actual cost of living in everyday life. So I would say that the minimum wage should be raised at least to $15 to be able to support people with affording necessities. $7.25 as the minimum wage is not enough money to be working full time and afford basic needs. There are people who are working full time to be able to support not only themselves but their family as well. This would require them to be working multiple jobs to be able to pay rent, groceries and other things they need. A person should not be working full time 40 hours a week with multiple jobs to be able to survive. Fair wages should be for all and not only is it an economic concern but it should just be something that is given because it is a basic human rights to be able to live comfortably and not struggle with having a full time job already.

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PADLET 3: (O) Chapter 9: Social Stratification in the United States 3/19

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PADLET 3: (O) Chapter 9: Social Stratification in the United States 3/19

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In the reading it explained what meritocracy is and how society has never existed solely on merity-(short for meritocracy). In America almost everyone around me and especially in schools, say that to be successful you must put hard work and effort in order to succeed. But in reality how much of that is really true.

Facing reality, hard work is not the only thing that is required for a person to be successful. In the real world there are barriers that prevent people from reaching their goal or can make it harder for some individuals compared to others. If you get put into a perspective of a lower class kid, those parents may say work hard, go to school and do better than they did. But in the perspective of the kid's mind even from a young age, they know that their family is struggling with money and if they don't do good in school, then all that work would be pointless. Yet when they go to school they may struggle with the workload and need a tutor, need schools supplies, and once in a while go shopping for supplies for a project. Wealth is a barrier for many people and it was for me too growing up. Wealth is a factor that plays into many peoples lives and it can determine the quality of learning. People who tend to have more money are able to have access to better schools, tutors, and outside clubs or activities such as painting and music classes. For lower income backgrounds they may work just as hard as the higher classes but they will lack the same resources. The wealthy who are also able to put their kids into better schools are able to learn better than the lower incomers. In low income areas there are often larger class sizes with lower quality instruction than compared to wealthier schools and the lower income areas may be lacking resources.

Meritocracy is a way to success but this is unequal access which makes it harder for upward mobility for certain groups.

I would also like to point out that gender and race is another social factor that makes upward mobility more difficult for others. If merity plays a role in society, then it must be a small portion of it because discrimination and bias is an unjust factor that is still widely used today. A person that has the same qualifications as another person but is from a lower background will most likely be faced with discrimination or wide wage gaps. This is seen in movies too where a person gets discriminated against because of their color and then results in not being able to work in that position. There are many movies like this that reflect today's world full of unjust but striving for success. Another movie that I have seen called the help where a lady is lesser of a man and she gets hired but gets treated poorly. She runs around like a dog and even has restrictions on her own job. Her friend who got discriminated against doesn't get hired in the department she wants and its not until when there is no one left who knows how to work a machine in the department, is when they decide to hire her because she is the only person left who can do the job.

These types of social factors limit a persons success and in a world where there is unjust, not everyone has the same privilege to be able to have a clear path ahead of themselves to become successful. I think that meritocracy plays a small portion in society because while some individuals do achieve success by working hard and putting effort into it, not everyone is at the same level to be able to do so.

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The reading goes over how poverty isn't just a problem but it also helps benefit those who are upper class. If you pay attention to Karl Marx's Conflict theory, it aligns with Gans topic. His conflict theory suggest that society is structured to benefit the wealthy and powerful people while keeping the lower classes in disadvantaged positions. Gans is able to show this by discussing how poverty is not an accidental occurrence, it's useful for those of higher power. The wealthy want to maintain their social and economic structures by keeping lower classes in their place. By doing so it ensures a cheap labor force and it maintains their upper status.

Examples of this are policies that resist raising the minimum wage payment or limit access to education which can both be seen as ways of the ruling class. If the lower class keeps receiving low wages, then they would rely more on their job and have less power to demand change because they are so dependent on their jobs. Just like education, if there is limited access to higher education, then it prevents social mobility and keeps those who are already wealthy in that position.

What I have noticed is that most low wage jobs are usually jobs that are essential but undervalued such as grocery workers. Someone has to be able to take on these jobs and by making these jobs applicable with low skill needed, it makes it easier for those who are in desperate need to take on the job. Most people who need a job at the start have little experience, by making jobs that are easy to apply it attracts low incomers to take on the job even with a low wage because it's what they can get accepted to in the moment. Thus the cycle repeats itself because of the structural necessity for those in power.

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Morris and Grimes discuss how education for upward mobility is not that simple because of barriers that lower classes face that middle and upper-class students don't.

I'd like to be able to expand more on the area of education.

Most parents in the working class want their kids to get a good education because its the key for social mobility. Not everyone has the same quality that the schools provide to be able to receive a good education. Wealthier areas have better and more resources, teachers, and opportunities. This creates a disadvantage for working class students before they enter college.

Students of the working class also have to experience working a part time job while in school which can make it harder to focus on studies than compared to wealthier students who can dedicate their time to academics.

When students from working class are able to attend college there may be cultural barriers that occur because they may not fit in with their middle class peers who have different social expectations or experiences. Identity conflict can also occur for others because of the guilt of leaving behind families or struggling to be able to relate to their new peers.

The topic of moving up can also circle back to the question is hard work enough? Most would like to think that but in reality there are barriers or challenges that make upward mobility harder for those who are of working classes. It's not just about effort but also about access, connections, and societal expectations.

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Higley talks about how power of the upper class is not just about wealth but also includes external factors such as schools and clubs. I never realized how schools and students that have extracurricular activities outside of school are ways that limit the lower class.

For example, top schools such as Ivy League UCs act as gatekeepers for opportunities. Most people who get into schools as these come from privileged backgrounds. Some factors of these can be strict entry tests that students take, meaning that only those who already have advantages are likely to be accepted. These schools play a significant role in a student's life because they help make important connections and form relationships that lead to job opportunities and benefits in life. This makes it harder for people of less wealthy backgrounds to break into these circles.

As said by most people that hard work and talent can help you succeed, exclusive schools tend to offer positions to those who already have wealthy and social support. When putting it this way, it seems that even talented and hardworking students don't have a chance when competing with the upper class. This is because if they somehow are given a chance to do better or get a higher position as the upper class, it is much more difficult for them to be able to join these elite groups. There will always be a disadvantage for the lower class even once they reach the same level as a higher class. As a result it keeps the upper class protected and social mobility is very limited.

So how can there be changes to break this cycle to create a fair system where everyone can have the same chance to succeed when not even schools are fair to those who are trying to move up.

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Video: Wealth Inequality in America 3/27 

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Video: Wealth Inequality in America 3/27 

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After watching the video I was shocked that the wealth of the poor is so low that it is barely visible on the chart. When comparing the middle class to the amount of wealth in the upper class, there is a significant difference. The middle class seems barely distinguishable than the lower class.

I realized that the perception of wealth is very different from the actual data chart. Many people tend to believe that the wealth is fairly more equally distributed when comparing the lower class to the higher class. If I were to think about the reason why this conception is so far off to reality it would have to be due to certain factors. Social media is an example of a factor that is causing people to have this misconception about wealth. There is not enough awareness to be able to teach people about the wealth that poor people are receiving compared to the higher class.

A reason why there is the misinterpretation of living might be because there are various ways media and culture portray wealth and success. Such as the television channels or advertisements, their living styles are much more comfortable than they actually are. However this ensures the audience or reinforces their ideals that extreme wealth inequality is less obvious.

This shows how the media shapes our lives and influences the way we think.

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Mandatory Padlet: How has social class affected your life? 3/29

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Mandatory Padlet: How has social class affected your life? 3/29

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Growing up, my first language was Spanish. With my parents only knowing Spanish at the time, I had challenges in an English speaking environment. I learned on my own to speak English and I lost more class time during school because I was pulled aside with other students who also didn't know English to learn key words and see how much we have learned English over time until we were fluent. This made me miss learning lessons which made homework slightly harder.

My parents also did not have such high paying jobs at the time. My dad worked in the fields and my mom worked in the fields for part of my life and then switched to working in a factory working with peaches. With money being enough for my family to live off of, I wasn't able to enroll into any extracurricular activities. This affected my chances of being accepted into any positions in clubs during school and made things difficult. Many of those positions required experiences out of school and those who had more money were able to have those experiences outside of school. It also affected my socialization skills during middle school when everyone had an extracurricular activity outside of school that they would talk about or be able to show off with their hobbies while my parents weren't able to afford those type of classes outside of school.

Making time for my parents to be able to care for me was also difficult because they worked long hours. A daily basis would be me getting picked up from school and taken to my aunts house or my grandma's house. I lived near my family and so I would usually stay at one of my relatives house then get taken home to eat, sleep until morning and be driven off to my grandparents house to get ready there so that they could take me to school because my parents were then off to work. After my mom got a job as a CNA who worked the night shift, I usually slept over on the weekends at my aunts house and got picked up in the morning by my mom. Family is very important because we all support each other and help when we can.

Although I was raised in a low social class, I think that the experiences shaped who I am, to put effort and hard work. It also made me value family and it made me learn to be independent.

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In chapter 11 a topic that was introduced was institutional racism. According to institutional racism, it is not only based primarily on people but on society. I want to lay out examples of how I think these are seen around the world.

There are systems such as healthcare, education, housing, and criminal justice that are structured in ways that create racial inequalities. An example are Black and Hispanic communities who are more likely to attend underfunded schools. They are also more likely to live in neighborhoods with fewer resources and be targeted by police strategies that may lead to higher arrest rates. This is also seen in many movies that have become normalized in which colored groups are often the ones that tend to be highly suspicious of. It is not by the people in which these outcomes are caused by, but by the systems that have been shaped by a period of history of discrimination such as segregation.

There may be people who believe that they are treating everyone fairly and equally but if they support certain policies or practices that harm other racial groups, then they are helping and continuing the cycle of inequality. An example of this is school funding based on property taxes. Most public schools are funded through local property taxes but can be harmful because of housing segregation, schools in wealthier areas (usually whiter) have more resources, while schools in the poorer areas ( usually more racially diverse groups) remain underfunded.

This reading made me realize that to make things more fair it's not just about the people but also to look at the structures around us to make things equal.

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From reading this chapter, I want to go over how racial groups are portrayed in various forms of media such as films, news, televisions, and social media.

Media is one of the ways that shape racial perceptions by reinforcing stereotypes. Just as the reading had mentioned that in society they have formed their own classifications such as Hispanics and Blacks are bad. Asians tried to be white while white kids are associated with "good." Well the media also classifies these characteristics such as Black characters are often portrayed as criminals or athletes and Hispanic individuals are usually depicted as immigrants or gang members. These portrayals are inaccurate and also limiting, they reduce complex individuals and cultures to a set of characteristics that are socially constructed. These stereotypical representations affect how these individuals are perceived in real life and influence their social interactions and more.

Colorism is another aspect that is shaped by media. People with lighter skin tones tend to be preferred over darker skin tones. This can be seen in the entertainment industry, where lighter skinned actors of color are usually cast in leading roles while those of darker-skinned actors may be put to secondary or stereotypical roles. This reflects a large issue where lighter skin is often associated with beauty and success.

This shows how colorism operates within racial communities and in the larger society, influencing individuals self esteem and their identity formation.

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Racism isn't just about individual prejudice, its about fear and social structures that continue to grow.

Fear and scapegoating play a large point in formation of racist idealogy. Ezekiel mentions how the people that he had interviewed had issues like job insecurity, economic inequality and or cultural change which then frustrates them, and they turn their frustrations towards the minority groups. Such as blaming people of color, Jews, and immigrants for their struggles that they are facing to avoid taking responsibility.

This pattern is able to show the concept of scapegoating where a group unfairly blames another group for their own problems. These type of "group members" hold their false beliefs and theories thinking that they must maintain their own dominance and often have fear in change because of losing that sense of power that they once had. And so scapegoating others can also be seen by them as "us vs them"

An example of this would be people blaming immigrants for stealing all the jobs or causing a decline in the economy. They blame the minority group rather than questioning the higher class and systems who are wealthier.

Another example was seen a few years ago during the COVID pandemic. Many Asian Americans were being unfairly blamed for the cause of the virus and a numerous amounts of name calling were said towards them. This led to higher hate crimes against Asian communities and instead of focusing on the public health responses, they're redirect their fear to a specific group which then harms that group and reinforces stereotypes.

By recognizing these patterns it can make people more aware of how prejudice works in society and persuays us to challenge unfair stories when seeing them.

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Required Entry:  What does it mean to say that race is socially constructed. 4/9

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Required Entry:  What does it mean to say that race is socially constructed. 4/9

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I made a post to have all five questions answered by random people from my school. Almost everyone who answered each question had the same answer as others with one to two different answers per question. There were two different responses that people had given. One was that they learned what race they are because their parents taught them or they learned from school based off what their teachers had told them. The people who said parents, were about their culture while people who said from school said they were taught based off where they're from. They also said they determine another person's race based on their appearance. They also said that others "probably" decide what race they are by looking at their appearance or listening to their accents while another said hopefully by going up to them and asking them.

Based on the replies, I've realized that many people tend to say based on where they're from or what they were taught from parents and or school. It shows how race is not something biological, it's something that people were taught and passed down through education, family, culture, and social messages. When people decide what race others are, most tend to say based on appearance and assumptions. This shows how its based off beliefs and stereotyped that society builds over time.

To say that race is socially constructed is to mean that it is determined by society and the way people understand and define race based on cultural norms and teachings.

There is no one specific answer because there are multiple answers that people give, yet they change over time on how race is understood. It shows that people learn about race through their social experiences and not based off facts.

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(O) Chapter 12: Gender, on Sex and sexuality 4/13

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(O) Chapter 12: Gender, on Sex and sexuality 4/13

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As the reading talked about the characteristics of gender and how they may vary throughout different cultures, it made me think about how there are specific characteristics in the U.S that are imposed on newborns.

For example, to all the baby showers that I have gone to, having a boy is defined by the color blue while pink is used for girls. In the U.S it is assumed that blue represents males while pink represents females. When receiving gifts for the incoming baby, often the most question asked is if it's a boy or girl so that the person knows what type of toys or colored clothing to get.

Gender roles are also taught from birth and often, children are treated differently based on their gender. For example, boys are often encouraged to play with trucks, cars, action figures, tool kits. They are expected to be assertive and "manly." Girls on the other hand are given dolls to play with, kitchen sets, nursing kits, and are taught to be quiet or praised when they're gentle. Parents constantly reinforce these traditional gender roles through language, chores, and expectations.

If you were to visit a random person's house and look at their children's rooms. Most of the time you would be able to tell whether that family has a boy or a girl. Based on the colors, toys, clothes, and belongings that the kid has. A person can assume a kid's gender because of the stereotypical expectations society has created. If the room has pink, purple, or pastel colors with symbols such as unicorns or fairies, most people would assume that the bedroom belongs to a girl. In another room there are green, red, blue, and darker colors with dinosaurs, cars and sports items. A good chance is that most people would say that it is a boy's bedroom. These are the expectations that society has created to be the norm.

Another example where gender roles are reinforced is media. Media is a powerful platform that shapes people's ideas about masculinity and femininity. Ads show who should be playing with certain types of toys such as girls playing with Barbies and boys playing with cars. Male characters are usually portrayed as strong and independent while female characters are shown as nurturing and concerned about their appearance. I can also see this applied to my younger sister who focuses on her appearance and has sets of play makeup. She has toys in colors of pink and purple.

Even pets are applied to this stereotypical expectation where a boy dog may be given blue or green toys and or clothing. While girl dogs are given pink and purple toys or clothes/accessories. When you walk into a pet store they have pink or blue bowls, the one with pink may have a caption saying, I am a pretty or good girl where the blue bowl may say the best boy. The captions reinforce the colors for specific genders.

Gender roles seem very interesting because they are applied to everyday life and can be seen everywhere.

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(H) James M. Henslin: On becoming male 4/14

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(H) James M. Henslin: On becoming male 4/14

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Based off the reading reflecting back onto Henslin's perspective and also certain memories, it shows how gender roles are taught from an early age.

Gender socialization starts early on in a child's life. As said in the book about how people may say to little boys " boys don't cry," it shows how they are discouraged from being able to show their emotions that involve crying or showing fear. This becomes unacceptable for boys and they learn to behave this way because it's what their parents teach them, their family, and society. Boys learn to hide their emotions in order to fit expectations because crying is not "masculine."

Even in school, there are certain behaviors that are expected from boys. Even children know the behavior expectations that are acceptable for boys. In elementary school I remember hearing some girls say "boys will be boys" or say "boys are dirty." It shows how many other kids have that expectations of others.

It has also made me realize that this expectation of males are so normalized that if any male goes out of the norms or expected standards that society sets, they are considered gay or not fitting into society.

Considering that there are expected behaviors from males to act a certain way it also makes me question whether how much of it is a choice for males to act a certain way and how much they are influenced by society.

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Girls don't seem to just learn about gender roles from parents but they seem to learn from their peer groups who shape their way of thinking. Girls learn from each other and it influences the way they think, act, and feel about themselves.

A big influence on young girls is the use of gossip. Their discussion between each other impacts themselves the most such as conversations that are about who's in and who's out of the group. This creates fear between the girls of social rejection that encourages them to behave certain ways to be able to fit into the norms. This would include beauty standards. Girls often talk about beauty, how to take care of their appearance, what clothes are in trend, and how much makeup to wear. The girls who didn't follow these set of rules are deemed as not popular, weird, or outcasts. This pressures young girls to want to fit in by having to follow a certain set of rules. A similar experience that I recall based on the reading when it mentioned a girl being bullied for wearing too much makeup sounds similar to my experience. During middle school I also had an experience where this one girl showed up to school one time wearing makeup. She wore sparkly eye shadow with bright red lipstick. No one ever said anything towards her, yet I could hear all these rumors and talking behind her back saying she was wearing too much. This caused everyone to distance themselves from her because of her looks and "trying too hard."

Girls also tend to gossip about relationships. It often goes on who likes who, who's dating, and who is considered attractive or not. Girls who weren't interested much in boys often were seemed as boring or they were also gossiped about.

Behavior is also something that was judged by other girls. Girls who were too assertive, loud, or acted in certain ways that challenged that gender expectation such as being confident or smart were usually gossiped about. The social expectations for girls was to be quiet, soft spoken and anyone who didn't fit these standards were gossiped about.

This shows how peers are also a big influence on girls. The ones who are also getting to experience and learn about gender roles are often the ones who are also influencing others. Gossiping can play a major role in shaping how girls see themselves and it can affect their confidence and friendships.

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Mandatory Padlet: ways One way I'm socialized into my gender 4/15

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Mandatory Padlet: ways One way I'm socialized into my gender 4/15

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One way in which I have been socialized into my gender was when my dad had told me multiple times how a girl should behave or what I should be wearing.

I have been told that the clothes I wanted to wear were not for girls and considered boy clothes. I was told girls were to wear dresses which I preferred overalls and wearing pants over skirts.

My family was very strict about how a girl should be acting and the type of toys I should be playing with. Specifically my dad who also taught me that tomboys were "ugly" and "bad." With wanting to please my dad I did wear and use what I was given but I always did complain about the dresses and skirts I had to wear when going to formal places and church.

Growing up this seemed normal because other girls were the version that my dad had described. Focused on appearance, soft spoken, an talked about boys. Although I knew that girls were "supposed" to be this way, I never had much friends because of this aspect. I didn't mind because none of the other girls caught my interest and bored me, so I only ever really had one friend who was similar to me during elementary school. Although I was slightly different than the other girls It taught me that all girls were supposed to be like the version that my family and mainly my dad described about.

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(H) Barrie Thorn and Zella Luria, Sexuality and Gender 4/16

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(H) Barrie Thorn and Zella Luria, Sexuality and Gender 4/16

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In chapter 16 there was a certain part that really stuck with me and gave me flashbacks to my elementary school as one of the topics in the chapter was about gendered spaces.

As the book went on to talk about how schools reinforce gender division, it seems really familiar to my experiences as a kid. Such as the monkey bars, the bars kids use to do flips, and a spot at the pavement where girls would do hopscotch, jump rope, or hula hoop. As for the boys I remember them playing at the basketball court or when there was, they'd be playing soccer or four square. These sort of areas were divided up between gender and it was like an unspoken rule where boys are supposed to be playing in certain areas than girls.

After recess was over I also recall the lines being divided up based on girls on one side and boys on the other. The same would be for P.E when girls would be separated on having a girls team for a game and a boys team for a separate game. I always remembered the girls hoping to be separated onto only girls team yet some days was a mix of both. However now looking back at it, it also makes me realized how girls had this way of thinking where they should be separated from the boys. It became normal to not want to play with the boys. As for the boys, I remember hearing comments from them sighing or making brief discussions with others saying how the game would be much harder or boring with girls when the coach would make teams with both girls and boys.

I don't think schools or teachers realized how much they also have affected or sent a message to kids that gender is important and boys and girls should both be treated differently. It can be as simple as diving girls and boys when lining up yet it reinforces the idea that gender is way of organizing people.

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(H) Tannen, But What Do You Mean? Women & Men in conversations 4/18

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(H) Tannen, But What Do You Mean? Women & Men in conversations 4/18

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As Tannen was observing conversations between men and women, she noticed women tend to leave more pauses during conversations while men tend to interrupt more often.

As a female, I never really noticed that mainly females leave pauses throughout conversations. Of course not all females are like this way and other men may be like this too, yet it never occurred to me that most women act this way. I thought that pausing during conversations was just a respectful thing to do and I never really acknowledged how men differ from this. I do realize when I am cut off or interrupted by men yet, I never thought about "oh he interrupted me how rude" because I find it normal for this to happen multiple times. The reading makes me be more aware of how my conversations and the differences between men and women which I now do see happen often.

Today was a very busy day and I talked to more people. In the morning I had been talking with a few guys and we were talking about an assignment. I then went to ask a question about a previous assignment and they too replied back. However as I was conversing with them, one of them changed the topic which then gets the rest of the guys to switch up the conversation as well and I ended up talking to myself. Normally I would put it off and just listen to the conversation but when two of my girl classmates had sat near me I conversed with them. They sit a bit further away from me, yet we all still include each other. What caught my attention the most during our conversation especially since I had just read the reading for today, was that my friends and I always seem to say "sorry you go first" or "oh I'm sorry what were you going to say." This then goes on with me responding with "no I'm sorry you go first then I'll go." This caught my attention the most because in the reading it had mentioned how many women often say sorry during conversations even when they are not at fault.

I really enjoyed this reading because it's something that I never really acknowledged yet it's a very obvious pattern that is seen throughout conversations. From this week, readings have been about gender and socialization. I think that this reading ties into gender dynamics and dominance. I can see this happen in my everyday life such as men interrupting conversations which would reflect a pattern than men assert their dominance in that sort of way through conversations and socializing while women wait turns because they are taught to which is a form of respect. This also makes women seem less aggressive and more friendly. I think that this is able to show how women in society tend to look less confident and weak because they have less things to say during conversations with men yet it's the style of speaking and the behaviors that society expects of them. I also believe that this also ties back into reinforcing gender inequalities such as interrupting another that reinforces that belief. Just like in public or professional spaces where to be heard is shown as power and dominance.

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(H) The Importance of Being Beautiful. Sidney Katz 4/21

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(H) The Importance of Being Beautiful. Sidney Katz 4/21

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Katz explains how people of those who are considered beautiful are more likely to have advantages than those who aren't as pretty. However considering the fact that beauty is a concept that is created by society, it's really fixed on what society deems as beautiful in that time period.

Beauty can change over time and is constructed by society. Since this is created by society, in order to be deemed beautiful you would have to follow the ideals of what is "pretty" at that time. Meaning that although there are physical features that one is born with and can't change, there are still clothing styles and hair styles in which a person can follow to be considered beautiful.

Media can also shape the beauty ideals. So considering that a person may be given more privilege than one other because of their beauty, the media can quickly change the version of beauty within one week to a month. Social media is widely used and also has many fast moving trends. This shows how beauty can also quickly be altered by the media. They may set unrealistic standards but they may also change ideals to accept ones natural self which can improve ones self love.

If beauty is such a big concept in which gives one person more privilege than the other, then why can't people and the media set beauty standards to show a persons natural self rather than setting unrealistic expectations of people. This would then lower peoples self esteem, insecurity, and reduce cosmetic surgery.

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As Miller discusses the men's and women's point of view for the standard of women in the military, it seems to also tie into gender roles and how the military reinforces that behavior.

In one of the sections it mentioned how if women are given different physical fitness training than the men, then they shouldn't even be in the combat and belong back in the kitchen alongside with raising children. The phrase with "belonging back in the kitchen" is a stereotype of women that reinforces that mindset they are out of the "norms" and shouldn't be doing the same job as a man. As a woman enters this environment of physical strength, (which has been associated with masculinity in society,) the women seem to stand as outsiders.

Claims from women in this chapter have stated that they have to out-due themselves to demonstrate their abilities to be seen as equal. When they reach the same level performance as a man, they are often downplayed and it reflects how gender roles are embedded into jobs such as the military in which men are the default while women are seen as exceptions that have to prove themselves.

Based of this reading as a whole, it shows how not only does the military have to be open to all but also challenging their cultural ideas and beliefs on what it means to be a soldier and who is considered to be a person that fits that role. It demonstrates how gender is socially constructed and plays a big role not only in the military but in other institutions.

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Required Entry: Toy aisles; what messages are being sent? 4/25

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Required Entry: Toy aisles; what messages are being sent? 4/25

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At target, I am able to tell which aisle I am in based off the type of toys. The girls section also has many colors being used while the boys section mainly uses blue, orange, green and red.

In the girls aisle, I am able to be sure that I am in girls section because pink is the main color that girls are associated with. The aisle had toys such as Legos of movies such as Encanto with the girl as the front cover, Legos of ponies and other girls with their pink helmets or beach sets.

They also have cooking toy sets, animal washing stations, large dolls, and Barbies. Based on the girl's aisles, it seems that girls are meant for taking care of people or animals, doing household work, and meant to look pretty.

In the boys aisle were superhero figures, nerf guns, dinosaur toys, rc cars, city Legos, dinasoaur Legos, Pokemons carsd, foam swords, sports toys, and toy superhero masks. The nerf guns were blue, green, with orange. The super hero action figures used red, green, blue, and black. These were more darker shades being used. They also had construction tools. Based on this aisle, it seems as if boys were more outgoing, meant to send tough, strong, and dangerous.

I think that this is sending the kids behavioral messages as to what a kid should be liking based on their gender. These type of aisles are reinforcing gender stereotypes. The labeled toys for specifically boys and girls send the message that certain interest, behaviors, and roles are meant for one gender. An example would be the toy construction tools in the boys section while the girls section had a cooking set. this can then leads to restrictions in skill types which children will miss out on. Just like stem related skills may be steered away from girls or construction toys preventing them from learning much more in this area. This can also affect one's career since children are influenced for long terms about interests and career choices based on gender.

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I looked onto the website Forever 21 and scrolling past more than 50 images I noticed pale and tan people were the ones modeling the clothes and accessories. All the models were slim, white people, and women.

The people modeling had flat stomachs, slim waist, long legs, and most tan people were modeling the bikinis while the pale people modeled any other clothes. There were also two photos of two different models with darker skin complexions.

While the models were pale slime and long legged, this can reflect the western beauty standards. It creates a beauty standard which is then reinforced by only show casting the same types of models on display. It makes society view this as the beauty standards and to be considered attractive and normal.

People have different body shapes and skin tones. When people constantly see that only a certain body shape and skin color is being used to model items, it can upset those who don't match that image. This is because it makes it seem like to be considered beautiful there is only one way you have to look. It can bring low self esteem, question ones worth, and pressure a person into changing themselves such as dieting or using products for skin lightening and cosmetic procedures.

These are big impacts on young girls and women who are given the message that to be deemed as beautiful you have to look a certain way.

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(O) Chapter 14: Relationships, Marriage, and Family 4/28

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(O) Chapter 14: Relationships, Marriage, and Family 4/28

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While there are certainly different types of relationships and how people live their relationships, there are also those who are divorced and no longer have a relationship.

Coming to think of it, there are many single parents know who are divorced raising their kid.

Based off the book, it hasn't been since 1968 when divorce started to be common. By the 1980s this rate slowly started to rise and by 2008 many single parents often the mom, would be stuck raising the child alone. These studies seem quite accurate to me because in school there were quite a few friends I had who had divorced parents. Around middle school many of my friends had parents who were divorced and they all lived with their mothers and would visit their dad. It seemed normal to me to have divorced parents and it even seemed better to have parents who were divorced because at that time, my friends had mentioned double the christmas gits, birthdays, and other gifts. This is showing how kids are also normalizing the idea of divorce.

It seems like divorce rates have been increasing as the time goes by. It's starting to become normal for people to leave their marriage because their happiness was not met by the other person. It shows how many people are willing to leave their relationship to fulfill one's happiness or needs. As said in the open stax reading, marriage was difficult because of stability especially with the first child. However this is able to show that it is no longer about stability, it's also about companionship, love and respect. Divorce is able to show how women are more likely to leave a marriage to increase independence which is swapping the gender roles. While gender roles are being challenged by women who are also seeking for independence, it is also reveling how family structures are evolving. The more children are raised, the more single parents there are and blended families.

This shows how in society there had been a social change creating new norms to be accepted just as divorce had become normalized.

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After reading this section I have come to realize that women have not always been "homemakers." The though that it is just now that recently this gendered division of labor is happening can actually be argued with because women have been in the workforce for quite some time already.

Earlier eras would have women play important economic roles in a family. They'd help out on farms, small businesses, and they worked along men. As years passed women started taking jobs in factories. Women's labor became very important and necessary especially for those who were peasants. If you were to think about it, the feminist movement was around the 1960s and 1970s. However women's labor workforces became quite common around the 1800s. Women were already part of the workforce and had growing numbers in jobs because of expansions. Women were also chosen because they got payed less, quite polite, and patient. This made them easier to control which men looked for the most when hiring workers. They were also quite important when the men were off to war which increased the amount of women working in factories.

As a result, it is able to show how women have actually been in the workforce for quite a while now and it is not as recent as one may think it is. It has been a historical norm in which women have always been contributing to the economic inside and outside of their homes.

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Required Entry: TV show; How did the family structures being portrayed affect my personal belief? 4/30

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Required Entry: TV show; How did the family structures being portrayed affect my personal belief? 4/30

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A t.v show that I grew up watching was 'Full House.' In this show, the family structure consisted of three daughters and a father. The daughters always sought some trouble with friends, argued, or had conflicts that needed to be solved. The show was to be humorous and the dad was a loving and overprotective parent.

From this show, I think that it made me realize growing up that dads are supposed to be very carrying and overprotective of their daughters. I also realized that they had single parents which opened my mind to other family's only having a parent. The siblings argued with each other and they'd fight over sharing a room, what clothes to wear or wanting to hang out with friends. This show also made it normal to see siblings argue and fight with each other. The family wasn't perfect but they were happy. The family also had an uncle living over who was also very carrying over his nieces.

From this show I was able to get that a family doesn't need to have both parents, it can be a single dad who is loving over their kids and although the family does have some conflict erupt, they solve their problems through communication. It makes me realize that as long as I have loving parents and communicate then I'll be happy within my family. Lastly, the show made me feel better about having other family live over because it made it seem socially accepted to have an uncle stay over at a family's home.

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(O) Chapter 7: Deviance, Crime and Social Control 4/30

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(O) Chapter 7: Deviance, Crime and Social Control 4/30

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The chapter talks about the Labeling theory discussing how it's not the behavior but the reactions of others that determine whether something is deviant or not. I can agree with this but I would also like to point out that this can be determined on the time period and social norms to classify whether something is considered "deviant" or not.

For something to be considered deviant, it has to not be socially accepted. This can change over time. For example if you were to rewind the clock and go back a couple of years, tattoos would not be accepted. That action would be considered deviant because of the reactions of others. Having a tattoo now on today's time is considered normal, it is socially accepted and not many people would react shockingly. This would then considered that tattoos are accepted. While deviant is based on the reactions people give off. The reactions are also determined by the time period and whether or not that action is socially accepted.

It also ties into the cultural and historical context. Depending on what is appropriate within a culture this may vary between a person's reaction. Society has the power to shape the norm which explains why the labeling theory works so well, because society is what constructs a person's belief to determine what is right and what is wrong which leads them to decide what is considered deviant or what not.

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(H) Henslin: Eating Your Friends is the Hardest 5/1

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(H) Henslin: Eating Your Friends is the Hardest 5/1

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From my understanding of chapter 24, I understood based off what I think the author wanted the readers to understand is that cannibalism was the only option the group had for survival. For them it became normal to eat others and had gotten used to the idea. They knew if they wanted to live they had to eat something. The chapter makes it seem like it's trying to tell the audience that the people who were stranded had altered the norms which made their actions suitable.

But what I noticed was that even though what used to be abnormal became normal, I also realized that the survivors didn't act individually. They based off their decisions as a group. When they were deciding to eat the bodies, at first they were hesitant about the decisions. But as a group it showed how their moral reasoning were developed in a matter of desperate circumstances. They had also made a set of rules such as only eating those who had died. I'm noticing that although the survivors did eat humans which is considered odd to most people, they still tried to maintain the ethical frameworks. For example, in the chapter when deciding to eat other human beings, they discussed that it should only be the dead, no women, and they would try to avoid eating family members or friends of others first before any other beings. The survivors created a shared understanding that they should be taking this sort of action as something that is sacred and necessary for survival and not in a disrespectful or rude way.

It shows how people try to preserve some sort of moral order as best as they can. Rather than turning the actions into chaos, the people made system of orders an values in the situation they were in. And these survivors included consent, respect, and fairness. It shows how even if the social norms shift and the ethnics too, it is not completely lost when the tradition of society is gone. This is because it is built on top of that original platform (original tradition or norm) which was able to shape the new understanding of the new norms.

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(H) Zimbardo, The pathology of Imprisonment 5/2

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(H) Zimbardo, The pathology of Imprisonment 5/2

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In this chapter I want to talk about social roles and environments can can influence a persons behavior. The Stanford Prison experiment shows how when normal people were given power, they began to act in cruel ways.

This Stanford Prison experiment was assigned to normal college students who would either be guards or prisoners. The students weren't given any training on how to do their roles and so that couldn't have been an influence on their behaviors. The college students also knew that this was only an experiment. Yet when the roles were given, those who were chosen as guards began to act cruel to the other members. They used their power to control, punish and humiliate other prisoners. This was not a rule or order given to the guards which said that they had to behave that way towards prisoners. They acted out that way on their own. They adopted behaviors that are typically associated with the real world guards.

This is able to show that the role itself can influence how people behave more than their actual own personalities. Just as shown through the example, guard vs prisoners, those who were ordinary people quickly changed their personality when assigned the role of a guard. The guards in the experiment didn't act mean because they were told to do so or because they're bad people. They acted that way because of the power that they were given and expectations that came with that role which influenced their own actions.

I think that this is able to prove how social roles and the environment that one is in can significantly influence behaviors, and people may act differently according to which ever position they are placed in, even if there are no rules to guide them in that direction.

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(H) Rosehan, On being Sane in Insane Places 5/3

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(H) Rosehan, On being Sane in Insane Places 5/3

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The power that labels have in psychiatry shows how others see and respond to someone. The study involved people pretending to be mentally unstable to be able to get into psychiatric hospitals. They reported hearing voices to get in but once they were admitted they stopped pretending and behaved normally. Yet what surprised me is that the workers and hospital staff didn't recognize that they were sane. Surely I would have thought that the staff members would catch on and realize they were "normal" again.

Instead the staff members interpreted it as symptoms of mental illness. In the reading it mentions how those who would take notes would bee deemed by the staff members as obsessive behavior and those who were pacing the hallways were viewed as "nervousness." While these are normal actions that anyone may do, they were viewed as abnormal because of their label such as "schizophrenic" or "bipolar." The people are completely sane yet the hospital staff members tend to view every action they do as abnormal because they are in a psychiatric hospital. This shows how powerful psychiatric labels are. Once a person is labeled as mentally ill, others tend to interpret every action they do through a different point of view and it becomes difficult to prove otherwise.

Since I am talking about how strong labels are, this connects to the labeling theory. How when someone is given a label such as deviant or abnormal, then that label soon starts to define how society treats them or how they see themselves. Based on this reading, Rosehan's study is able to reveal how not only can labels describe a person's behavior but they can also shape behavior and treatment, which often leads to misjudgments and harm.

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(H) Hunt, Police Accounts of Normal Force 5/4

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(H) Hunt, Police Accounts of Normal Force 5/4

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After finishing this reading, I think that this ties really well into what we have been learning last week in relation to deviance. It considers the idea that deviance isn't fixed and depends on who has the power to define it.

In this context, it would be the police officers behavior which may be viewed as violent or excessive to the public yet is necessary action or normal force to the officers. Within this chapter, certain types of aggression may not be seen as wrong and only to be considered as part of doing their job.

When using the police as an example, it connects to the idea that deviance is socially constructed. What is viewed as wrong in one context may be deemed as right in another, depending on the group of norms. This is similar to the police officers who's group have their own moral boundaries around the use of force boundaries which is shaped by their tough training, experience, and also the influence on other officers. When a police officer uses force to be able to maintain authority or even protect one selves, this action may be viewed as justified even tho if a civilian were to do the exact same thing they'd be considered assault.

This is important to noticing how power shapes the definition of deviance. The police often have the authority to be able to define their own actions as just or reasonable. This means that when some questionable use of force occurs, officers can be protected by internal norms and language which allows them to avoid public criticism or consequences. Showing that deviance depends on who you are with and what the social norms for that are are.

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Throughout this week something unusual that I noticed was when someone was a person who was singing out loud to themselves in public. It wasn't a performance either, they were singing to themselves dressed in jeans and a bright pink shirt.

Usually people may hum to themselves but they don't sing aloud., This is why i found it unusual for a person who was not performing to be singing out loud in public. Another day there was a guy who blasted their speaker out loud in a cafeteria. I found this was unusual because most people don't play their music out loud for them to hear it.

The only time that this behavior would be exceptional is if it was a party with a guy blasting their speaker. In the case of the guy singing out loud in public, it would seem acceptable if he was performing to the public.

In the situation I was in, I thought that the person must have a disability or just be very unaware of their surroundings to not consider the fact that no one else around them does the same. Even though I found this weird, I did not interact with the person and just let them continue on with their business.

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In this chapter while it talks about education it also ties into social mobility and how the outcomes of access for education is shaped by race, class, and gender.

Looking at people who are wealthier than others, it was shown that people who come from wealthier families have better access to education. They often live in areas where their schools are better funded, better teachers, and also have a variety of clubs to be able to prepare students for certain topics. Their neighborhood is much safer living than those who are of lover income which sets them apart from others.

The people who are of low income are at a disadvantage because their living space may not be as safe as others, their schools may be underfunded and lacking in quality in comparison to others. This affects their education and may not be more open to as many resources than those who come from wealthier families. Not just considering there situation in schools but also considering the fact that when they are outside of school many low incomers have to work to support their family while also still having to study. This puts more pressure on them and affects their quality of being able to comprehend what they are being taught in school.

This shows how education is also affected by a person's gender. living area and their income.

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(H) Gracey, Kindergarten as Academic Boot Camp 5/7

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(H) Gracey, Kindergarten as Academic Boot Camp 5/7

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As said in the book, Kindergarten between the ages 5 and 6 are supposed to teach children a set of rules that they will follow through and help them prepare for the next twelve years of school. From reading this chapter, I realized that it correlates to structural functionalism theory where there are laws that kids must follow and learn about that will help keep society stable.

An example that I have from the book is at the beginning of the chapter it mentioned how kids were sharing what they were interested in and bringing that item to school. The teacher then criticized a young boy for bringing a model of a gun. While this could also tie into conflict theory where the teacher has higher power over the kid, if you focus on functionalism theory it can also be perceived as a way where people focus on teaching kids the right from wrong and what is acceptable in school and what isn't. By doing so, it keeps in check the kids how one is supposed to behave and what they should and shouldn't like. It teaches the kids social norms and values.

The kids are also sorted out based on their behavior, performance and ability. A person's role in society is based off their skill,and so the teachers are sorting these kids out to put them into their positions.

By learning obedience, patience, and being able to complete tasks, the children are being socialized into expectations of the society. Because of this, it helps reduce chaos and it ensures for things to run smoothly. This way the children grow up into adults who can function within the structured institutions like school, workplaces, and governments.