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I’m here at delta college mainly to obtain my AA degree in business management and to have a college degree under my belt, even if it is just an associates. However, I’m also here to expand my way of thinking and learn knew things. I’ve found some of the courses I’ve taken here to be quite interesting. Quite a few have been enjoyable, helpful, or even eye opening.

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Unlike some, I can’t exactly remember the first thing I ever bought myself. The lines kind of blend between purchases by my parent and money I earned through chores that I spent on things I wanted. My best and earliest memory of me personally buying something was probably a cap gun from the Ice Cream Truck although I’m sure Ive purchased something before that. What I do remember is it was liberating, whenever I could choose whatever I was interested in without having a parent telling me you don’t need that or that’s too much, or you have enough of those. I knew what I wanted would bring me joy and loved the idea of adding to my collection and playing with it, making it last as long as I could while having as much fun as I could with it.

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Contrasting Marxist and Durkheimian food perspectives.

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Contrasting Marxist and Durkheimian food perspectives.

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One views food in on the American taboos of how most of the ways most food are prepared are concealed or for the most part not greatly known to the average consumer on how the food, for example, the chicken nugget as mentioned in the text, ended in their kitchen or on their plate. The other perspective has a more positive outlook compared to the realist look of the Marxist view. It focuses on how food brings people together and is a big way of people’s social interaction. The text talked specifically on how one prepared poultry dish can bring so many people together and can be an important factor in bringing family’s together and forming lifelong memories. Both perspectives gave an example of poultry but one on the realist view of the industrialized food industry and the factors involved in food production most consumers aren’t aware of like the child and or slave labor involved in the process of getting cocoa beans and making chocolate. The Durkhiemian perspective showed how good can prove as a national identity. Gave an example of how the American fast food taco is so different from the taco most Mexican natives know and claim.

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A ritual known to most humans. They go to a specialist who goes through rigorous training just for a piece of paper that shows they know what they are doing. A piece of paper that helps give their trust to this specialist. Trust to do something they themselves do not trust even their own self to do, let alone many others. Some repeat this ritual often, some on a rare occasion. When they see this specialist, payment is always required, a pre agreed upon amount of a paper or plastic exchange. But an unspoken factor in this ritual is possibly a gift of the persons choosing. But only with the paper or plastic is the gift commonly heard of. Whenever they see the specialist, most commonly come out a different person. They see this specialist to change how people look at them, or even how they feel. And one always leaves a part of themself with the specialist at the end of each ritual.

(Getting a haircut)

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Coffee shops are a lot different these days. What with COVID 19 and all. You can’t go inside and order anymore. All drive thru these days. I don’t see any race favoritism or even gender favoritism. Can’t tell what other vehicles are ordering. But even people can wait through the drive through to order since the walk up window is closed. Seems that observing the coffee shop is a lot more difficult with this pandemic going on, limits a lot. No one talks to each other except the employee and the customer. This coffee shop seems to cater more to a younger crowd but it seems anyone is welcome and some older customer do order there as well.  The space feels very friendly and it’s nice that they accommodate to people not being in a vehicle. 2 girls were walking in the driveway right in front of me. They seems happy and satisfied, even laughing with the man taking their orders. The two girls seemed to be different races, one possibly white and the other possibly Latina or Mexican. I saw no discrimination toward them or me. Again limited interaction with anyone other than the employees and strangers did not interact given each are in their own vehicle except for the two girls whom kept to them serves too. Times have changed quite a bit with the pandemic and all

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What’s a sign of good teaching? (Mandatory Padlet post)

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What’s a sign of good teaching? (Mandatory Padlet post)

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Questions I would ask to decide good teaching would fall along the lines of “Did you feel the teacher helped you understand the aspects of the course and what you’re meant to learn in it?”. “Do you think the teacher properly prepared you for the tests you were given?”  “Did the teacher provide you with the right course material to study for the test?” “Do you feel the material given to you from class was asked on the test?” Their answers of yes or no would be turned into numbers based on categories of whether they said yes to all, yes to 75%, yes to 50%, and finally yes to none.

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Mass consumption has an effect on a persons feeling on of being an individual, influencing some of a feeling of what kind of person they want to be. Much like some that follow famous individuals like the kardasians, whether it be their make up, their clothing line, or even the sketchers shoes they promote, the consumers who like and follow the kardashians might be more inclined to buy some of those products because that might distinguish them as supporting them or showing them off as one of their favorite brands. To some it feels a part of them, a personal identity. I can relate to this, I even have certain brands I am more inclined to buying, brands I feel show what kind of style I’m into like holister or even the vehicle brand I prefer and trust like Chevy. But I still believe that these brands don’t make me who I am and am not as clung to brands as some you might run into but ultimately, they do make a statement I suppose. I find it interesting though, I won’t deny, but I’d still wear random t-shirt brands, random pants, other brands of shoes or boots, etc. I’m interested slightly in brands and why they say, but ultimately , other than how they look and feel comfort wise, I’m not as concerned on whether it’s some supreme brand or the newest item in some line. But mass consumption and cultural forces have effected me too. I find it Cooley and meads concept fascinating of how we find our sense of self through why we like, why we want, and how we think we will be seen by others. Ever think how sometimes in the store you look at something particular and think “that looks funny, imagine the reactions of people seeing me wear this...”
Like meads example of how much food you might eat in a restaurant or with friends, vs some who might control the amount they eat on a date to convey a sense of control to the romantic other they are with. What you like is also influenced by what someone will think. Our like styles all say something about us.

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The presentation of self in everyday life , Goffman

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The presentation of self in everyday life , Goffman

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In this reading, there were many different examples and details of interactions and thought processes how people portray themselves or wish for people to perceive them. I found it interesting of how the reading described how someone might put on a face or act a certain way to get a certain reaction. It is in a way how we function in everyday life. Some lie, pretend to be something they’re not, or simply don’t act well in certain public situations, all of that give feedback to the people around them, doesn’t matter whether it’s really them or not, it what others saw and thought about the situation and you. Being yourself seems to be the safest way to avoid a or of embarrassment but even then it does not rule out all from ever coming in to your path. There are ways to guide and control the impression someone perceives  you or the way you perceive them, but there’s always that what if factor that their past experiences may have an effect on, if you alter the way you portray yourself in order to control a  social situation, they may see through it and you might never know if they don’t let it be known, and then your impression is tarnished in that area.

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Handling the stigma of handling the dead William E. Thomson 

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Handling the stigma of handling the dead William E. Thomson 

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It seems most feel a certain way about those who handle the dead as the text talks about in detail. Whether it be profiting off of people’s grief or death, or seeing them as weird for choosing a profession that surrounds them in death and handling the dead or maybe even talking to people about spending a high amount of money while they are in pain. The truth is, it is the stigma in a way, the way some people think of the profession, but when they see a soldier or a swat team member, they see them as doing their duty, when in all reality, that’s what a funeral home director does, doing their duty. Most don’t see soldiers in combat, swat members who have seen terrible situations, or police offices or have had to open fire, and think, he profits from killing people. No, they think of them as doing their duty and normally, not getting paid enough to do so. In all professions mentioned, they choose their professions to help people, to do they duty they have chosen and assumed.  Each with their own terms avoid stigmatizing words like death, kill, shoot;  they use passing on, laid to rest in funerals and services, neutralize, take down, or take the shot in combat situations.  Sugar coating or avoid certain words people might find as insensitive or words that may add or assist the stigma of their profession.

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3 escribed statuses and 3 achieved statuses  

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3 escribed statuses and 3 achieved statuses  

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3 escribed statuses
I am a son
I am a cousin
I am a brother

3 achieved statuses
I am a college student
I am a wrestler
I am a swimmer

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Behaviors of being a brother

To love your sibling(s)
To be there to lend an ear and give advice.
To make your siblings feel like their not alone.
To set a good example one way or another.
To be strong but understanding. To make time for your sibling. To always encourage them to do better.

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Chapter 5 Shopping lessons: consuming and social order

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Chapter 5 Shopping lessons: consuming and social order

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I agree with the text in saying that shopping can say a lot about us, it does. But I take a duel concept on whether or not shopping is something that brings us together or pushes us apart.  When it comes to regular day to day shopping, it can bring people together, friends, family, couples, even an experience for acquaintances to comes together and get to know each other as they look for a good bargain or find the item they were looking for. But on the other hand with sales or situations of high demand, things can get “hairy” and complicated when people focus mostly on themselves and just on acquiring the item they want or need. From examples of Black Friday and people breaking down the doors to get inside to be first
To the items and to the register; to the mass purchasing of this recent pandemic we’re people fight and steal over necessities such as toilet paper, water, and hand sanitizer. Things can get so dangerous in either situation were people are willing to argue, fight, and even kill over these items of interest. So in a way, shopping really does “tell a story of who we are” pg 125 (ch5) both in what we buy and what we do in order to buy.

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If hitler asked you to shock a stranger, would you? Probably (H) p269-276

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If hitler asked you to shock a stranger, would you? Probably (H) p269-276

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I found this study to be kind of morbid.  That there are a lot of people who will blindly follow orders, and depending on the strain on them along with what they are told to make them feel better, they may follow to the end. I would like to tell myself, unless the circumstance were life or death of a loved one, I would call it when the man in the chair requested to stop, and if asked to put him back down or his hand back down,  I would refuse, because I would think of the man and being in his shoes, I wouldn’t want to be forced, he didn’t sign up for this type of BS and neither did I.  This study shows that there may be more sadistic people out there then we think, and at the very least, will ignore their morals, if they have any, if they are told to follow the contrary. A Dark finding in a study looking for answers. It makes you wonder how many horrors we would see if order was lost in the state or even country... not to mention how many are a part of that 30% mindset found in the study are in the military, following orders no matter how horrific.

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An event where I was affected by obedience to authority. (Mandatory Padlet post)

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An event where I was affected by obedience to authority. (Mandatory Padlet post)

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One experience I will never forget was when I had to obey something my mother told me to do. She wanted me to help in the sale of my uncle’s motorcycle of whom had past a few years back. He used to tell me time and time again, and I mean again and again, “don’t let them sell my bike” and “I’ll flip in my grave if they ever sell my bike if I’m gone”. I also have an appreciation for the bike and for riding in general. I hated every moment of helping when I was told I had to, that I didn’t get a say, that I didn’t have a choice. Even had me contact a friends father whom was interested in buying a motorcycle, but his offers were to low for its worth. Thankfully we never sol the bike but I hated every moment when I thought we were going to sell, but ultimately she left it alone, knew she couldn’t sell it for what it’s actually worth with all the upgrades on the bike. I plan on getting my license when I have saved enough to pay for the classes and ride his bike as he always hoped I would. Just because I listen to what my mom ultimately tells me to do out of respect doesn’t mean I’d like it. She understand these days what tht bike means to me and I reassure still to this day that I plan on being as safe as possible when the day comes that I can ride.

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This chapter opened my eyes a little the fast food industry and the growing need for unions in the work force.  I knew a little before of the processed foods that they sell and the industrialization of meat sales but I didn’t know of “pink slime”. Although I had thoughts of how could burgers be so cheap and how the cheaper it is, the less healthy it probably is for you. I never really thought about the responses of the fast food worker and how it might effect their individuality as a worker or person. I worked in customer service as a courtesy clerk and as a meat depo clerk for a few years and I had more freedom in what I could say to an extent, you know, compared to something like chic-fil-a where their response to almost every thank you is “my pleasure”. Perks of working for a family owned store rather than a company possibly. I found the “fight for 15“ movement interesting but it brings up the question, why about the cost of living going up if all of the fast food industry raises its minimum wage? I am sympathetic to the fast food workers and them getting a better wage for their work and a closer wage to a livable wage but I do have questions. It would be nice to returns to how the text refuted to back to I believe the 70s and before were minimum wage work was more livable and sustainable for people to work and live off of.

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I support the fast food workers fight for $15 as their minimum pay wage and completely support them getting the right to unionize. I think there are more pros then cons at least for the workers. Pros of being a little more protected as far as job security goes, someone fighting for the little man as far as helping fight for appropriate pay, and protection of proper rights as an employee of an organization. Cons might consist of having to pay into the union and sacrificing some of their paycheck to be a part of said union. As well as a certain distance created between union and non union workers in the work environment. In my opinion, a workers union has more pros then cons but here could always be more facts.

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Chic-fil-a has a bit of impact on my family and I, at least in the sense that my family, including myself, consumes their food multiple times a month. I believe that they give off a very Christian ideology in the sense that they are not open on Sunday, they openly support organizations against gay marriage and homosexuality in general, and they have a high regard to manners including saying please and thank you. In my personal opinion some of these ideologies are good and some are bad. Closed on Sunday to respect to religion, I am neither for nor against seeing as how it is a food business, but their open position against homosexuality serves as a cultural ideology to their customers. Although I am against that idea of the company, I do encourage the ideology of manners and saying please and thank you,  and I think that has definitely reached the level of hegemony, as it already should be, a concept of common sense.

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Nickled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich p.411 - 424 (H)

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Nickled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich p.411 - 424 (H)

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I found this reading extremely interesting and informative to minimum wage life on one persons own.  An eye opener. Made me appreciate my current living situation a lot more. I appreciate this being included in the required reading professor. Her study showed that even two minimum wage jobs (although her getting a second full time job didn’t happen til later in the month) still weren’t exactly enough to come out on top at the end of the month as far as what she originally had invested given her $78 deficit. And that’s with a “unthinkable” foundation she had at the start of her experiment.Showing that It’s not likely but possible to live on it (on ones own). How men and women, probably a lot more woman given they are the more common care provider of their children, live on minimum wage and support not only themselves but their children as well. It takes two people working together and possibly one working 2 “part time” jobs to ideally make ends meet. This study seems to show that the standard of living is higher then what an average minimum wage job yields.

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Over the counter at McDonald’s - Leidner p.497 to 507 (H)

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Over the counter at McDonald’s - Leidner p.497 to 507 (H)

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These collection of articles talk about McDonalds rise and success in the hamburger industry by following their credo, QSC (Quality, Service, Cleanliness) There are rules set for everything with little guess work for crew members to be had. Any unspecified situations or questions are to be brought to a manager. Of whom all managers are to have attended “Hamburger University” and attempted most of not all of the training course for operations and any of which finish all of the courses, obtain and actual diploma, showing proof of study’s in “Hamburgology” All this is interesting info I would have thought someone had made up, at least everything past rules for everything in the kitchen. I find it even more interesting although it makes sense, that any owner of a McDonald’s franchise has to have attended Hamburger University in order to own said franchise. As far as a set quality standard, I’ve seen in my experience that not all McDonald’s live up to these standards. From all the set rules and ways  they have set up the franchises, its a wonder there are still as many human employees given the “idiot proof” work set up, from the blinking and buzzing in the kitchen to know when things are ready, to a computer saying when products are no longer good for sale, to the schematic scripts the employees are given and taught for routine customer interactions. The reading gave good insight into the world of McDonald’s and why certain situations can be so difficult in a particular non routine situation and given us a better look to think about the affect of a fast food workers sense of individuality as a worker in the industry and in this case in the McDonald’s corporation.

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Caught between the ages - Wishard. P. 535 - 546 (H)

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Caught between the ages - Wishard. P. 535 - 546 (H)

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This reading opens your eyes to how some other conuntries may few American culture and how our influence and ideas portrayed in entertainment and products could be seen both as good and bad, fascinating and invasive. Appealing to primal thoughts or feeling or other cultures as well as I rooting social and religious traditions. That’s why there is so much fighting in the Middle East?  They see us as invading their culture, changing their ways, poisoning their tradition? I don’t know all the reasons we were over in the Middle East but there were a few I’ve heard whether it be for the terrorist groupie that was blamed for 9/11 or some have said for Oil, there are others I have heard but less common then those two. Times are changing, that goes with some traditions changing as well,  but not all changes are good,  and not all changes good or bad are supported. That is were the ideals behind “terrorism” arise, “this continuing loss of identity- or the threat of it” pg 538 where these individuals feel that their way of life and the way of their people is being threatened and they feel the need to defend it by attacking those who support “globalization”. The text helps me understand other countries viewpoint on America and helps me to understand why other countries may not have the most positive view point on America, although alternatives wouldn’t be as simple as the authors example might portray. The three trends mentioned help us to understand the changing world we are currently living in And how our concept of globalization, our growth of technology, and our self-destructive tendencies and our increasing loss of religion might lead us to where our future selves are unrecognizable in comparison to what we know now. I wonder if the author is right when he says that the next 3 decades may be the most decisive period in human history.

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10 articles of clothings’ manufacturing locations and how it may have affected the word. Mandatory Padlet post

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10 articles of clothings’ manufacturing locations and how it may have affected the word. Mandatory Padlet post

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1. Honduras
2. India
3. Nicaragua
4. Vietnam
5. Malaysia
6. Honduras
7. India
8. Honduras
9. India
10. Vietnam
I believe that these shirts affected the labor force in these countries where they probably have minimal payment per hour for those workers. As I have learned in this class and heard here and there around that there’s a possibility of them being made by child labor given other countries don’t have child labor laws in these other countries these name brand companies outsource there manufacture work to. For some countries, these shirts were made as a part of a hard warehouse workers shift, probably didn’t spend more then a fees minutes  sticking it up, especially my Arizona tees India. But I’m sure the system in similar in any case with each of these shirts, pants and sweater.

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I’ve never really thought of Starbucks as a “third place” as the text mentions some of doing including the ceo of Starbucks who was trying to make a suitable environment for such. Nor have I ever thought of someone’s knowledge of Starbucks or how often they visit as a being part of a social class statement. But maybe to some it is something of interest and does seem to be a statement of class to them, that they have the money and sophisticated taste to go often. I do on rare occasion to enjoy a drink. I am one as it mentioned, that doesn’t really enjoy the taste of coffee like that nor do I start my day with coffee, but my mother did so I understand the concept a bit, along with hearing someone’s occasional statement of “I can’t start my day without my cup of coffee”. I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought about how coffee has yet another drug (caffeine) and yet is normalized to an enormous extent. I had just figured it was because there weren’t as many health effects as other drugs, or especially strong ones. Scary how for some it would literally effect their mood if they didn’t get to have it that day,  some get their fix off of energy drinks, possibly because they hate the taste of coffee. But I guess it all makes sense why caffeine and nicotine are more or less normalized, just like it was said one in a lecture, because it helps and encourages productivity, which is why most businesses and work spaces have a coffee maker and why some refer to breaks as smoke breaks. A refresher of their fix of nicotine or caffeine and their ready to go for however long might be needed.

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(H) p. 376 - 382  Gans, The uses of poverty 

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(H) p. 376 - 382  Gans, The uses of poverty 

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It is sad to say, or unfortunate, that there are positive aspects to the poor as stated in the reading.  The readiness of a workforce willing to do Mondale, dead-end, or otherwise less desired jobs at a low wage then what most prefer, would not be nearly as possible if it were not for the poor and their restriction to be unwilling to do these jobs.Who would run the fast food drive thru’s, grocery clerks ringing up or food, the Uber driver picking up partisans from a night at the local club or bar or even handle the packages that end up on your front door step?  Not nearly as many would be willing to work those jobs even if they were slightly higher paying because some feel they have too much dignity to work such jobs. But who knows what the future holds, some or most of these jobs that pay minimum wage could be taken over by automated systems, self driving cars, and self check-outs, some of which we already see today. What are the poor to do then? I’m not even entirely sure where the line is drawn in our time of which the poor and middle class position Is decided. I have worked a few of these “dirty jobs” as I am working one now, but seeing as how I am young and still trying to obtain a degree, I’m not sure where I land in this scale.

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(H) p.383 - 394 Morris and Grimes, Moving up from the working class

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(H) p.383 - 394 Morris and Grimes, Moving up from the working class

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I found it interesting to see other first accounts of people of struggling working class families and to see different responses from the children of working class individuals. Because of their origins, some were unable to get the proper support or guidance when it came to academics or rather, graduate school assistance. Their parents weren’t familiar with how the system worked so they couldn’t offer any guidance or assistance. I found it rather sad and discouraging that teachers of some of these students of working class parents discouraged them of going to college,  it should be their choice and should only have encouragement to go and strive for as high as they can and want to go. Shame on those teachers that discouraged or spoke of limiting those student potential, for example with the teacher of the “B student “ the teacher said wasn’t college material, but she later found out through a federal test of some sort that she was a borderline genius! Pregnant or not, intelligence should be appreciated, mother said something rather discouraging I Hope was taken lightly and more as a joke, because everyone makes mistakes, no matter their intelligence and they will see that “mistake” as a blessing later on. It seems that with children of working class parents trying to better themselves through education, they find themselves uncomfortable in a relatively unknown world of education and striving to come up in the world, treading new territory not well known by their parents, so they are going at it alone, more or less, but maybe that’s what makes success so sweet, once the awkwardness wears off, anyway...

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(H) p.395 - 406 Higley, The US upper class 

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(H) p.395 - 406 Higley, The US upper class 

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This reading was very interesting in the elaboration of boarding schools and clubs. To segregate the wealthy from the other. To keep their way of life from changing too drastically from generation to generation. To ensure that their children learn the ways and values that their parents had them learn.  Before, I thought browsing schools were simply a way for parentS to get rid of their children they didn’t want to raise themselves and had the money for some else to. It seems there’s a trend going on throughout the course of a wealthy individuals life, a sort of who’s who in every stage of life, keeping the wealthy from the poor. From their enrollment in bordering school, of which there’s a who’s who in terms of the most prestigious schools and then some others still accepted in their society; to going off to a university, of which has a ranking of prestige as well, to the clubs made inside the universities, and then to the metropolitan and country clubs to be a member of as an adult. The social register seems to be an open proclamation of the Who’s who. But I found it interesting of them including their addresses,  I see potential dangers in that but I suppose it’s also how they would contact each other before telephones considering it was first founded in 1887.

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Wealth inequality in the United states - response to YouTube video

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Wealth inequality in the United states - response to YouTube video

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I found the video extremely informative as far as where all of the US wealth is at and a little better understanding of what the top 1% really means. The probably 80% gain greatly from the poor and would never want to get rid of the “poor” class we know of today because then they couldn’t  make their up to 380x profit and continue their families massive wealth and rank in their society. And the whole concept of “it takes money to make money” is shown in the graphs shown in the video, the 9% to 24% jump from 1976 to 2012  of the 1% take home income is because of their massive wealth they used to acquire even more wealth. Everyone is entitled  to chase the American dream and try to come up in the world, but something should be done on how much the “dirty jobs” are paid in comparison to a ceo of any given giant corporation whom probably doesn’t sweat a single drop to earn the 100x salary in comparison to the average worker working in one of their chains that provide their salary at the end of the day. The profit of businesses should be more properly distributed and shouldn’t simply be funneled into the pocket of the wealthy “elite”. If nothing ever changes, the poor will continue to get poorer and the rich will continue to get richer.

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This chapter focuses on the different aspects of discrimination in sports. How women were discriminated against men, in amateur, college, and professional and how they would even get paid differently.  No matter the gender, they should be paid equally for achieving  the World Cup roster, as should any other sport participant researching a significant professional finals achievement. The same goes for race,  treated the same, considered Equally and paid the same as any other athlete, regardless of their gender or gender. A persons qualifications are not reasonably found in these categories society has made,  they are found in the actual aspects of the person that  must be paid attention to and acknowledge for a person to actually be considered for a particular position. The idea of a certain race or gender being better at something than another is not right and not accurate. “The idea of race has very powerful outcomes; socially constructed racial categories influence our identities, opportunities, constraints, and life out comes”. (Pg 157) the idea of race has become a bigger social impact than simply identifying where someone came from, but as someone thinking they already know who they are, like the book cover concept. This is a concept to long been practiced. “The social construction of race has powerfully shaped the historical development of professional sports.” (Pg 157) But this practice should not continue as awareness in our current society is pushing for. Some have adapted and some have yet to, but those who have yet to are the problem.

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Required entry: What is race? What does it mean to say race is socially constructed? 

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Required entry: What is race? What does it mean to say race is socially constructed? 

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It is simply how someone describes someone’s skin color in relation to where they or more then likely, their ancestors, are from, geologically speaking. Most, if you ask them what race are you and how do you know, will say the “race” they have been identified as and told by their parent that they are, and is in relation to their skin, some might even answer with a color of their skin rather than their ethnic origin name of where their ancestors came from. When someone might say race is a social construct, I’d agree. What does it mean?   It means that race is something people have created and people use, something a bit different from ethnic origin, related but different. And the uses are different as well. Race has been something socially constructed for some to discriminate  against others. There’s inaccuracy of this use of “race” as people are often mistaken of different races. It is not accurate in identifying where someone is from or where their family and or ancestors are from not identifies who a person is or what they are capable and not capable of.

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(JCB) Chapter 12 Music / Racism and Cultural Appropriation

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(JCB) Chapter 12 Music / Racism and Cultural Appropriation

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Music is an art, not a craft, of expression. Of a way for people to express themselves, a feeling, or even a belief. Music has been around for 1000’a of years for a reason, and not just for a pass time. It is a way for people to relate to one another, to connect, one might even say, another language within each language. One doesn’t even have to understand what the lyrics say to understand a song in a certain sense, the style, the sound, the tone, are all ways one may be able to understand or at least enjoy a particular song. Music is even a way of speaking in the sense of speaking about something or against something, whether happy or sad, angering or even enlightening. For example, the “protest song“, a form of expression about a particular movement, expression upon a particular movement is a way of bringing people together, which can be used as a tool. “music is a tool of cultural resistance. The significance of music as a form of political expression is perhaps most clearly illustrated in the phenomenon of the “protest song”.” (Pg 334) Music has capabilities of bringing awareness and of bringing people together, something the African American culture is no stranger to. An artist I have listened to for a song I enjoy of “crazy he calls me” by Billie holiday, happens to also sing a protest song called “strange fruit”. I found it interesting of what the text mentioned of the song and listened to it. I don’t think I would have come across it otherwise, but it turns out that song is top 3 of the artists hits on Spotify. Speaking on the terrible lynching of African Americans in the south after slavery was abolished, in relation to them being hung by trees. Billie refers to the trees baring strange fruit, the leaves and roots in blood. Analogies of the fact that the trees where used to kill African Americans and their blood is on the trees metaphorically, not physically being as that is what was used to kill them. This is just one of the many protest songs of African Americans expressing the disapproval and resistance against such hate and oppression. And protest songs are not of just one ethnic group or culture, but of many whom which have something to say or protest about. Music is an art, a statement, a hobby, a way of expression, and a tool.

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(Mandatory Padlet post) How has your social class effected your life?

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(Mandatory Padlet post) How has your social class effected your life?

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With the thought that I am grateful of what I was able to have and what I was given. A way my social class has affected me is that because of my grandmother and my mother, with my grandmothers contribution of a healthy down payment along the few hundred dollars and me graduating with honors, and my mother using her credit. We were able to get a truck, the deal was, they’d help me get the vehicle, I preferred a truck and that’s also what my family needed and since I was the oldest male in the family left, they would help get the truck and I would do whatever tasks they needed done that involved hauling or picking something up, long run would save us money, rewarding me for my good grades and graduating with honors and helping me get my first car, and would teach me some responsibility about taking care of a vehicle (they trusted I would take care of it.) And I have, still have it running today, an 04 Chevy Silverado, and old work truck that we bought with 174,000 miles ( the best we could collectively afford with my mom’s credit, as I didn’t have any) roll down windows, no tint, no power locks, faded and fogged headlights, sub-standard rims, but almost new tires(since been used) no fancy upgrades or anything but a rubber flooring that comes in handy with messes. Nothing extravagant or a fancy new car. I spent the money I earned to fix it up and add some upgrades. But my family helped me get it with what they could afford, it helped the family, it rewarded and helped me and gave me transportation to delta in 2016 to this day (or you know, until the pandemic started) and to work. I contribute to the payments, take care of any and all repairs that need to be done (1000’s to this day) as you’d expect given the year and miles. I am privileged enough to have my family help get me get my first vehicle and I believe that my social class has given my family and myself this opportunity. Here’s a picture of it more recently.

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(H) p360 - 368 Written by Page, Showing my color 

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(H) p360 - 368 Written by Page, Showing my color 

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I found this piece very interesting, eye opening in how it would be for a young colored kid to grow up in a segregated society. Sweet yet undeniably sad when she mentioned how she recalls feeling excited when first seeing a colored water fountain in the south and feeling disappointed after finding out it was clear water just the same, not realizing, being a child, that “colored” water fountain meant it was for colored folk as referred to back then. The talk about Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and the quote from him gave me something I can relate to and believe in, that people should be judged not by the color of their skin, but my the content of their character. Those are words I will live by as one color does not define who they are, but how they act and carry themselves does. Toward the end of the writing, the talk of mulligan stew,  something I’ve never heard of, but sounded both delicious and enlightening. Making an analogy of stew to the concept of America and how it should be.  “Everything went into the pot and was stirred up, but the pieces didn’t melt. Peas were easily distinguished from carrots or potatoes. Each maintained its distinctive character. Yet each loaned its special flavor to the whole, and each absorbed some of the flavor from the others. That flavor, always unique, always changing, is the beauty of America to me, even when the pot occasionally boils over….” (P 367)  A long quote but I dint want to leave any out to what I was impacted by, “the beauty of America” each person maintaining their own distinctive character while still loaning their flavor to the whole stew of America, it’s flavor ever changing and unique thanks to its people within. This is yet another reading I am grateful to be shown, another reason I’m grateful of this class,  I hope to never forget these ideas and concepts like the “Mulligan stew“.

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(H) p369 - 376 Ezekiel. The racist mind.

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(H) p369 - 376 Ezekiel. The racist mind.

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A man unafraid of racist comments and ridicule wrote this piece, didn’t hide who he was and basically put his life in danger for his study of racism and why makes racist folk tick. Found that it essentially seems to give some sense of importance or purpose, especially in lower income or poor white males as he experienced in that rally from white mostly males grouped from all over. “Organized white racism is about a mood—lonely resentment—and several ideas—white specialness, the biological significance of “race,” and the primacy of power in human relations.”(pg 374) when he states lonely resentment, he’s referring to them most likely resenting their lives or their place or purpose within it. Another thing I found interesting was that he stated something about students whom say “I am color blind”  or “I don’t see black or white” and he said that they don’t get it, it becomes a part of them, that they shouldn’t just ignore it. That they should acknowledge it in order to change it. Confusing but I understand, and I’ll admit, I’ve said that phrase once or twice before but that’s also because funny as it may be, I am actually partially colorblind. But I did mean it in a sense of race on a couple instances. I accept there is racism around and I do not agree with it. I related greatly with his statement “We must begin with respect for the lives of one another.“ (pg 375) You need to respect each persons life. You must start paying attention to how a persons character is rather than the color of their skin. Because in the end as we have all probably experienced, assholes don’t reside in one specific race, but rather a few in all.

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(JCB) Chapter 7 Toys/Gender and Sex/Sexuality 

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(JCB) Chapter 7 Toys/Gender and Sex/Sexuality 

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This reading talks about the different periods of time when toy company advertising focused around gender specific ads, when toys were made for specific genders and so on. How through consumer purchasing, social ideologies were created around toys and colors for specific genders. Both social ideologies with which people were brought up with, consumer purchasing, and company advertising, this phenomenon still exists today. While I understood what the text was talking about with how for as long as I can remember, with the fact that I have experienced the same ideologies, boys don’t play with dolls, girls don’t really play with monster trucks. I did not know some of the gender terms that were brought up during the earlier part of the chapter. Things like Cisgender that simply identify a straight masculine male or a straight feminine female. With the talk of toy advertising and gender identities, it makes me wonder how kids that don’t identify as one specific gender, how they might feel excluded in this day and age with all these boy or girl ads and gender specific toys. I can’t imagine how they might counter this for children of a non-binary gender nor can I imagine the impact on which it would land on the children of one of the binary genders. I wonder if we will see this is the future, maybe they will employ groups of children in the ads, of different gender and race much like they do of kids of different race.

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Required entry: pg 207 Toy store observation 

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Required entry: pg 207 Toy store observation 

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Target..., a store that carries a wide variety of things ever household needs, has toy aisles very organized. Each with 2 aisles based around gender specific toys, and you can see the color differences too. The girl’s aisle overwhelmed in pink and light colored packaging for the various dolls, toy baby things, dress up things, and princess toys. And the boy’s aisle varied in packaging of various blues and reds, greens, yellows and blacks. Toys all ranging from action figures, toy cars and hot wheels, to nerf guns and other toy guns, and various rc cars. You can tell toys are targeted to a specific gender through the colors and the various examples of kids playing with the toy, girl’s playing with the doll, boys playing with the car set, both with the kid with a giant smile or aw-filled facial expression showing how much fun the product will be. The only toys I can really identify as gender neutral are the various board games, Blow-up water toys and jungle gyms, and maybe the fortnite themed nerf guns as the fornite game isn’t gender specific and applies to a wide range of ages.

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Main stream media and advertising has a great impact on a lot of people’s lives, and it is an unfortunate truth that it plays an impact on a lot of people’s perception on the definition of beauty. The examples in the text of a girl’s diary from the 19th century compared to a girls diary of the 20th century in I believe 1984, were very different in the sense of self-improvement, said that the 19th century girl focus on inner beauty and focusing on improving her mind and mentality meanwhile the girl from the 20th century focused on outer beauty and improving her physical appearance. As the text stated about how our parents tend to teach us that beauty lies within, many, of not all of us still focus on outer appearance as a piece of beauty. I believe that both can be important and one can still be ugly if they or others find themselves physically beautiful, but if they allow their personality or inner self to become tainted or Rotten. I find it a true shame that media and popular belief finds fair skin color as a symbol of beauty. “Dominant perceptions of beauty also privilege whiteness, so women’s experiences of these images are shaped by the intersection of gender and race.” (pg 308) I agree that beauty is a social construct. However, I have friends as well as I who think different, one can be beautiful no matter their skin color and I believe that times are changing now, more ads and shows feature beautiful people of all colors and even sizes, especially in underwear commercials wear I think a lot of people might believe beautiful people to be shown, like the infamous “Victoria Secret” models. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the racism and sexism stated in the text of this social construct is completely irradicated, but I think I’m the times since this piece always written, significant improvement can be seen in the media today. But the different things that are still present today like the fair-ness creams, a sad truth, something that hopefully one day will become obsolete.

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(H) pg 161 - 172 Henslin, On becoming a man

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(H) pg 161 - 172 Henslin, On becoming a man

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Henslin talks about how in his experience, a boy grows up to be a man and the mentalities and experiences he had growing up. The position of a boy growing up and the thoughts and feeling to go along with it.  The thoughts of a boy in slight comparison to a girl’s. Moms expectations and warnings of not to get dirty, when she still won’t get mad when a boy will still come home dirty at the end of the day. When moms mean exactly what they mean and when they mean something more or less. Meanwhile girls are expected to stay a lot cleaner in relation  to a boy.  How boys can go further away from home when playing, play rougher, talk louder, get dirtier, stay out later.  I can relate to all of these experiences, as I had a similar childhood and similar experiences growing up. Why is it like this with children, why do parents have less expectations and boundaries for boys rather then girls?  From what I understand in my point of view, it’s that there’s this ideology that makes, even growing up, have less risk of getting badly hurt or getting taken then girls do, that girl’s are more fragile, more treasured, and more at risk then boys. While some of these may or may not be true in the sense of some of the dangers from others whom might pose a threat to young girl’s as opposed to young boys, the risk is still out for both. And in the end as we see in our society, girls can pretty much do just about as much as men but it may not be as approved of if they do certain things that makes do,  like for instance weightlifting. Make bodybuilders aren’t judged as negatively for becoming massive in their chase for muscular gains meanwhile with women, people might not appreciate a woman’s gains as much if she were to become as massive as a male, which is actually harder then a male given possible body type restrictions. But what I’m referring to isn’t the body restrictions, but rather people’s mental limitations and thoughts  of approval and attraction upon a girl becoming massively muscular as opposed to a male becoming massively muscular. It’s how we are brought up, these gender stigmas that males are tougher then girls, girls are weaker then males. In some cases this may be true, but not in all, and in part this is because of what we are taught and how we are brought up, as Henslin is explaining in this text. “our destiny determined by a heavily defended social order.” (pg 168) It’s the way we are brought up that teaches us these ideas , beliefs and stigmas, some are comfortable with it and some are not

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Required entry: (JCB) pg 330 Counting beauty 

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Required entry: (JCB) pg 330 Counting beauty 

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With ruffly 80% being white, 10% being Latino, 9% being black, and 1% being Asian, and 10% of these being male, I unfortunately draw a conclusion that the reading in Ch 11 to be relatively accurate in regards to light skin being a big impact on beauty as far as media is concerned. Health magazines mainly focus on lighter skinned women, mainly of white or some Latino ethnicity and the few males that are seen are very muscular and most are light skinned. In each case all of the photos I had come across had either famous actresses, actors, and all of the people depicted in the photos had little to no body fat except in the socially excepted places, and of which was not a high amount. The analysis I can draw from this is that media, that favors popular belief, follows are trend of mainly lighter skinned, primarily women, with little to no body fat.

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From the examples of the text, at an early age, girls seem to be very harsh in judgement and ridicule over a woman’s appearance and in turn are most likely hard on their own appearance although most might not openly express how they feel about their own appearance or may ask a very close friend of their opinion over a particular feature or them as a whole, “am I too skinny?” or “am I too fat?” “[These experiences] send girls a strong message that what they do and who they are is less important then how they look.”(pg179) At the very least, it is sad that girls can be so harsh upon other girls in the judgement of others appearance, but more importantly, the ridicule that some take part in that can possibly have a severe impact on girls personal image of themselves that they may never grow away from. “Since girls are cast as sexual objects at such an early age, they often internalize this image as a central aspect of their identity It then becomes extraordinarily difficult for them to move beyond this self-image to develop a greater sense of their own erotic potential as well as their general creative life force” (pg 179) With what it said in the text, and with how much adolescent girls are exposed to judgement and ridicule before they can even fully mature into young adults, it damages their self image and creates this possibly overwhelming value upon a women’s appearance as opposed to her spiritual as well as mental potential.

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(H) pg180-191 Thorne and Luria, Sexuality and Gender

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(H) pg180-191 Thorne and Luria, Sexuality and Gender

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The text anaylzes the different play styles of boys and girls. Showing the foundation of a boy or girls sexuality and how the segregation begins and how their activities can be associated,but not always, with individual sex. ““gender” to refer to cultural and social phenomena—divisions of labor, activity, and identity which are associated with but not fully determined by biological sex.”(pg 180) In the beginning refers to how gender and sex are similar and associated but not always the same.  The different games and play time rituals of children at young ages such as 6th or 5th grade and below have certain meaning, but is a complicated game and often just another feature of growth. These games normally die off  around 5th or sixth grade because of girls starting to physically mature and develop more physical forms of their maturity such as breasts and the game between the two genders in cross-gender games becomes more complicated with avoiding touching certain areas. Some places, like with an example in the text, ban or restrict such games due to “inappropriate touching”. I can remember around 5th and sixth grade as some girls were beginning their transition into become young women,  boys and girls starting acting differently, some of the older kids in our grade started showing particular interest in others and some actually trying to date each other. Don’t remember much of the cooties game though.

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Some men and women operate differently, but no one sex operates a certain way, but it is more common for one to operate one way and another to operate the other. Like the examples in the text with apologies, it stated women are more likely to apologize more often with a possible expectation of receiving an apology or excuse back that relieves half the blame, there for making the situation or mistake less your fault. “When the other speaker doesn’t reciprocate, a woman may feel like someone on a seesaw whose partner abandoned his end.”(pg194) Some males do this as well, I do it sometimes without even realizing it, not always with the expectation of an apology or excuse back, but I do understand the text in a sense of me apologizing first even though I know I am only responsible for half the blame. Now with me, I rationalize this by thinking to myself I am being the bigger man, taking responsibility for my part of the mistake, but I suppose subconsciously, I think it would be nice if they take responsibility for why they were responsible for as well. Maybe I’m more in touch with this “feminine” way of apologizing given my upbringing, or maybe it is as I think it is, just owning for my part of a mistake. I never thought of the possibile portrayal of seeming weak for apologizing for a lot of my wrongs or mistakes, after reading this, I think I will more closely monitor when and where I apologize, given the seriousness of the situation. Given another example like criticism, the text talked of how there’s the straight forward approach, “right between the eyes”,  and then there’s the softer approach with “softeners”. Again, I am something guilty of using softeners, now that I realize, but to my friends, especially males, I notice I can be very direct, I can account a few instances where the idea of straight between the eyes quite accurately describes my comment or criticism, not afraid of what I was saying and trying to show my point, not “sugarcoating” it as some might say. People in general seem to just have different ways of communicating, and of potraying themselves, and with each portrayal, there might be more then one point of view to look at the said portrayal of ones self. So in a way, if someone thinks you are soft or weak because of the way you did this or that, there may also be some strength and intelligence beheind it as well, and this goes with any approach said above, apologizing for things might show weakness, but it could also show responsibility and a lack of denial. The straight forward approach could be seen as rude or insensitive, but also smart or alert and to the point, not wasting time. This reading kind of opens ones eyes to why different people have such hard times communicating, which is why finding someone who fully understands you is so special. And with that, the end of this reading I find important for all types of relationships, romantic and friendly, “There is no “right” way to talk. When problems arise, the culprit may be style differences—and all styles will at times fail with others who don’t share or understand them, just as English won’t do you much good if you try to speak to someone who knows only French. If you want to get your message across, it’s not a question of being “right”; it’s a question of using language that’s shared—or at least understood.”(pg198)

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(H) 341-348 Katz, The importance of being beautiful

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(H) 341-348 Katz, The importance of being beautiful

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The text talks of a social study referred to as the halo/horns effect. Where people are positively or negatively being treated because of how attractive they are.  How in the different stages of life, depending on whether or not you are attractive will impact people’s opinion upon you and some may say will impact how you act and how you might follow that option imposed upon you while growing up. Ranging from how you are treated as an infant, to growing up in grade school, to even in college, some said according to the experiments done that people whom were attractive received  higher grade than those less attractive but with the same effort. The concept of a less attractive person recieving good marks would be entirely based on performance like if their work was impressive and would receive a bad mark if they did poorly, meanwhile if an attractive person did poorly, they would have a higher tendency to receive a higher mark. My question lies with if professors are as guilty of this as the undergraduates were. It seems to be a factor even through marriage and to old age, takes into account on how elders are treated in the nursing homes, depending how how attractive they are. Overall, I gather from these social observations that being attractive does effect your life more than just finding a partner, it effect how not only people of your age, but people of all ages on how they treat you. But that doesn’t mean that no matter how attractive or unattractive you are, your intelligence and performance will still be judged

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(H)pg 518-534 Miller, Women in the military

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(H)pg 518-534 Miller, Women in the military

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Throughout the text there seems to be two trends, women being harrassed and treated differently because of their sex, eg. rumors, job scrutiny, or what they also do to unflavored males, task hazing (like the example where they took of the track every morning for the women to put back together) until they proved themselves unafraid of hard work. The second trend is of women being stationed in “cushy” roles and being treated differently in a positive or beneficial way because of their sex and being exempt of certain duties due to their sex or possibly because of a pregnancy and then have a “profile”(Having certain physical limitations while preforming duties) I believe tht because of these profiles for women, if nothing is physically wrong with them, equality should be truly equal, the harassment may be addressed in the process of this. Women should be held to the same standard as men, the role of being a shoulder should have set guideline of which any person male or female, should have to achieve and uphold, and the army or any branch that does differently is just promoting these gender issues in the military. “According to some men, women’s current behavior is proof that most are unable or unwilling to do the work required of soldiers in the combat arms.”(pg 529) With women being stationed in a division and then being exempt from certain units, shows unfairness out of the gate, and then they wonder why there is harassment, neither are okay. A job itself should have standards that must be met, if a man or women cannot meet them, they should not be allowed to that said job. “(Equal pay = equal job = equal responsibility = equal risk) = equal opportunity”(pg525) as said by a male soldier and I agree, it resembles true fairness. A job is a job, and for harassment and a like to cease, unfair actions should be stopped as well, with the exemption of pregnancy, doesn’t seem there is much that can be done there, or else there would be risk for harm to someone’s child through over exertion. Other than this factor, women are just as capable as men and should be treated as such, paid equally for such with respect to rank, and promoted to such, it’s what most want, men and women, any others are just being sexist in one way shape or form.

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(JCB) Chapter 8 White wedding/ marriage and family

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(JCB) Chapter 8 White wedding/ marriage and family

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I knew wedding were expensive but I didn’t know $30,000 was average. Even more shocking that 50% of American family’s don’t even make that in a year. It seems that the so called “white wedding” is more or less a social construct,  a social ideology of reinforcing ideas, bonds, and responsibilities that should come with permanently pairing with a partner. But it’s more then that, especially to women. It’s a day of magic, after long and extensive time planning, “working together” (even though majority of the deciding and work is done but the women, who most often enjoy it as they’ve been looking forward to their wedding day most of their life) were they are the center of attention, but especially the girl. From the expensive ring to the wedding dress, the ceremony, the father or male figure giving away the bride, the first dance, the carrying through the threshold, and finally the honeymoon. It is also a act of tradition and an act that people truly love one another. But through this tradition, there are certain things that reinforce certain ideas of masculinity and femininity, from the man normally the one responsible for getting the ring and showing he can provide for this woman, to pronunciation of “ you may now kiss the bride” and “I now pronounce you man and wife” ( although some substitute to “husband and wife” as I’ve heard on shows or movies, since I’ve never been to a real wedding) and with the carrying the bride through the threshold as a show of strength that he can protect his woman. There is also the idea that marriage enforces the idea of heteronormativity, were it gives off the idea that heterosexual relationships as “normal” as opposed to same sex marriage and how it might pose same sex relationships as deviant. I am not familiar with heteronormativity in regards to white weddings, I have no disagreement with same sex marriage,  and I can very well see two people of the same sex having a white wedding. Probably has something to do with my childhood were one of my closer friends at the time had a father whom was gay and lived with his partner, I believe they had gotten married in Canada before same sex marriage was made legal nationwide. As long as no passes were made at me that made me uncomfortable, I was indifferent to whom his father was attracted to. And to be quite honest, the father was a very nice man, you could indeed tell he was guy by which he spoke as well as his partner, but the father still had a masculine tone. The partner, had a slightly stronger way of speaking that seems to show he was homosexual, but was still just another person living his life with whom someone he loved and cared for.  But as far as a white wedding being an assertion of gender norms as said in the text, “Some scholars have argued that white weddings are an assertion of traditional gender norms in an age where gender norms are shifting towards more equitable ideals (Coontz 2014).”(pg233) I do not particularly agree as I can see a white wedding being had for those of the opposite sex if they wished with some changes done to personalize their wedding to their preferences, if times are shifting toward more equitable ideals, so can weddings and the bonding of two souls to show their everlasting love and commitment to one another. To what extend they follow the tradition of weddings is entirely up to the individuals and no one else.

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(H) pg425-431 Coontz, The American family

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(H) pg425-431 Coontz, The American family

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Times have changed in the past 100 years, the American family has changes and evolved. Life expectancies have increased, and mothers involvement in the workforce has increased, father participation in child care has increased, and child labor has decreased. American life, although some idolized the 1950’s and the way they lived and had it, (including myself from time to time from it seeming so much simpler) don’t realize that as time has changed, things have actually gotten better in some aspects in today’s mindedness families. The difference is that back then, as I learned from the text, many things were simply “swept under the rug” and overlooked, from child abuse to wife beating, to the unknown unhappiness of life within the walls that so many people experienced contrary to the idolized life of the family on the classic tv show “leave it to beaver”. Today, there are a wide and diverse set of families in our modern age, but don’t mistake one to be better then the other, in other words, “don’t read a book by its cover”. I’ve seen this first hand and while with this statement I am not saying one was particularly better then the other, I was shocked to learn different from what I previously thought. I have a friend whose family first came off as ideal, mom step dad 2 other brothers and 1 sister, even though they shared a bedroom with the sister in the other and then the mom and dad slept in their own, they each had their own bed, shared and Xbox and tv and all seemed for the most part, content and happy. They seems like a happy family.  But as time went one and I visited more and more, I started to see the different fights, divides and unhappiness that they would experience, mom and step dad were not as happy and content as I thought. Long story short, bad fights broke out and they ended up in a violent desperation that tore the family apart, 1 brother and step dad going one way and  mom, sister and 2 brothers the other way, 1 brother being my close friend. Hard to see and be there for and I felt bad for my friend, but it made me realize that not all big families are as happy go lucky as I thought. This all coming from the mind of someone whom
Has just grown up with a single mom, never married, and never really went out on dates, grandparents around and helped but took care of my last one in the past few years before she passed following my grandfather in 2006,( like taking care of an elder a mentioned in the text.) I thought I was at a disadvantage of not growing up without a father, but I learned that sometimes there can be worse things then just not having a father, even mentioned by my friend. So I truly resonate with two quotes from the text,  one being in this day and age, it’s doesn’t matter what your family is made up of and no one type of family starts at a disadvantage because of its structure “ We should no longer assume that children raised by single parents face debilitating disadvantages” (pg431) and the fact that a family is made up of the people inside and how they work as a family matters more than what they might look like on the outside “How a family functions on the inside is more important than how it looks from the outside.”(pg431) Family can come in all different shapes And sizes, from the smallest to the biggest and no one type of family has a position of being better then another, it’s about whose within the family and how they function together. And the funny thing is, family doesn’t even have to be blood these days, because some friends that have become family are closer then actual blood, both sad and reassuring at the same time.

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(JCB) Required Padlet post, Wedding dreams

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(JCB) Required Padlet post, Wedding dreams

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I haven’t really fantasized about my dream wedding. I’m indifferent to a lot of aspects about the event as a whole and an more concerned with whom I marry then how or where. It’s not that the white wedding doesn’t appeal to me, it’s just that it doesn’t excite me a whole bunch either. No one in my family ever talked about how magical their wedding day was. My grandparents had a nice marriage which I think draws me toward wanting a happy, long lasting, content marriage with someone I love and cherish. The only other marriage I’ve heard of was of my uncle and theirs didn’t last very long, she had cheated one him and they ended up going to court over whom her daughters father was since she was seeing my uncle as well as some other man at the time. Blood analysis stated he wasn’t the father, but he always had that feeling she might be.  I don’t want any of that in my life so I want to be well and sure of the person I marry.  I guess since I’m  a guy and most men I know don’t fantasize about their wedding day as much as the girl they’d like to marry of which isn’t brought up hardly at all either. I am unsure on whether my race or sexual orientation has to do with my longing toward a “white wedding”. I do know I’d wish to marry a girl, and I know that my taste is more toward more Caucasian or Mexican girls, but I find many other ethnicities attractive as well and have nothing against other ethnicities, friendship wise, I do not care what he, she,or they are but I find myself attracted to a certain type of women, much like a friend of mine who prefers darker complexion girls, but everyone has their exceptions, even me. Socialization and role of class wise, I find myself attracted toward both quiet types as well as loud types, but do not find it attractive when someone is either always looking for a fight or absolutely afraid of one and would run at first sight, it does not matter of which class she comes from, but it does matter how she carries herself, I have seen unattractive that are in the highest upper class as well as lower, and attractive in lower as well as upper. What matters is her goals and what she has in her heart and mind, not in her pockets, because what we have in our hearts and minds will help us build a life together. Until I find a person that fits me as I fit her, I will build on my own. When I find that someone, it will not matter to me if she wants a white wedding or some other sort of wedding, I would prefer to get married one day, but there’s always an exception so I will stay open minded.

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(H) 277 - 286 Henslin, Eating your friends is the hardest

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(H) 277 - 286 Henslin, Eating your friends is the hardest

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An interesting read, disgusting and horrifying yet fascinating and brings attention to social norms and how they are simply a human construct. How rationalization of a bad act on ones own is nearly impossible, but with others becomes controversial, and with growing support, and certain rationalization, can become in itself a type of norm. “norms provide a basic structure for people’s relationships with one another. Without norms, anarchy and chaos would reign.”(pg284) We live by norms everyday in life, some with extra rules, some with less. Even like the norm of certain people getting more than others and the rationalization of that, how some jobs pay more than others, there is purpose behind this, much like how the Andes surviving group rationalized their rations of human remains. “This unequal division of resources represents the formation of a basic system of social stratification.”(pg284) We’ve seen such stratification  in history time and time again, and helps to provide social order. It is fascination in what things or acts can be rationalized given either a group acceptance or possible requirement due to dire circumstances. Ones I personally don’t approve of being the genocide of the Jews, ones I do approve of might be like this instance with the Andes survivors, if I amongst them, would say in the event that I die naturally, I’d give them permission to eat my corpse for the greater good. Thus would become their duty with my request much like it did with their group rationalization to eat the human remains, “part of their “duty to survive.” To do a duty is a good thing, and, accordingly, the acts required by it cannot be “bad.”” When rationalizing somethings, whether stealing or killing someone, or even eating someone, applying the idea of it being thief duty helps to ratio use why they do such a thing and how they protect their sanity and sense of good self.  But back to the beginning, all of these ideas of good and bad, duty, requirement, and the norms that come along with them are social constructs, rationalizations that people have made in order to get through life and stratify the world around then, to organize rules as opposed to anarchy and chaos. “For all of us, reality is socially constructed, and the story of the Andes survivors contains the essence of human society.”(pg286) I believe what the author means in this excerpt with how the story of the Andes survivors containing the essence of human society is that anything, with group acceptance and rationalization, can be accepted , but there are things in life that go against how we raise our children to this day and concepts and social constructs are not changed in a day, but rather evolve and change with the times.

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(H) 315 - 321 Zimbardo, The pathology of imprisonment

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(H) 315 - 321 Zimbardo, The pathology of imprisonment

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A sad account of someone’s experience in prison, and their elongated stay in solitary confinement. That account along with proof with the experiment goes to show that positions of power corrupt and positions of disadvantage or being a prisoner deprived of freedom change people, most people. There needs to be change in our prison system because as statistics have shown, most people come out worse then they were when they went in. They end up more prone to committing more crimes if not worse crimes possibly due to what they experienced inside prison, or them not being able to adapt to the changed society they were released to. “Reform must start with people—especially people with power—caring about the well-being of others.”  By the ones with power being more properly trained, possibly even training including a mock prison with a mixture sentence so the potential guards will be able to look back and be able to put themselves in the inmates shoes, something to relate to. By them, in some way or another being able to more steadily think of the inmates as just other human beings in a tough situation or state in their life, they might be able to better impact the inmates and thus creating a better rehabilitation environment for the inmates, after all, it’s about coming out having learned a lesson and being rehabilitated as much if not more then just serving a punishment. Something to end with, I’d like to say I fully agree with the idea of a representative of the courts working in each prison not under the payroll of the prison to minimize unjust influence and could monitor how the inmates are being treated, someone that could look into reports of abuse and kept the guard and administration in check, something like the chaplin but for the courts instead of the church.

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(H)  p322-334: Rosenhan, On Being Sane in Insane Places

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(H)  p322-334: Rosenhan, On Being Sane in Insane Places

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Scary read,  seems like it teaches a lesson of don’t try and fake an illness, it will stick with you the rest of your life. This experiment ruffly shows that psychiatrists can wrongly diagnose patients that are sane, insane (referee to as type 2)  It’s shown that the nurses and other employees in the institutions would declassify some of these normal tendencies given the situation as something abnormal, like taking down notes, as something off, part of their condition. But some of those who were admitted and patients themselves noticed their fellow patient and realized, “ hey, your not crazy” or they’d notice they were taking notes. With this experiment, they came to the conclusion of “We now know that we cannot distinguish insanity from sanity.” (P 331) Deciding that with all the misdiagnosis and mistakes,  it’s frightening to think who is sane labeled insane and who is insane labeled as sane. I can imagine being in the shoes of someone accused of being insane, being taken in, diagnosed, and treated as insane. Imagine I just have a momentary episode of madness, a situation where I lose my cool, as everybody does every now and again, and I get a label that follows me for the rest of my life. It will affect someone’s life for the rest of life... something that could even start to affect a sane person and slowly make them believe they are insane, with what they are told and how they are treated. This brings up controversy of a scary situation. I’m sure there are some who try to claim insanity to avoid a long prison sentence but don’t realize that there is a label that comes along with it in the event of success. Something that can never be shaken, much like a past of a felony, either one labels dangerous, but one labels a possibility of incompetence or mental instability as well.  Seems the two are a like, both permanent, both come with labels of being potentially unstable or dangerous, but I get the feeling you’d be more likely to be approved and hired for a job after a felony criminal charge and past then a schizophrenic diagnosis and a mental institution past.

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(H) p 470-480: Hunt, Police Accounts of Normal Force

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(H) p 470-480: Hunt, Police Accounts of Normal Force

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This read definitely applies to our time right now what with all the news and riots of police brutality. Gives some insight into why police react the way they do in situations. It gave me a better understand to why officers are so quick to rush to a scene when there is already an officer on scene “The only reason to go in on a pursuit is not to get the perpetrator but to pull the cop who gets there first offa the guy before he kills him.”(p 479)  And the reason why they react so harshly is because of the extent to which the suspect or assailant challenges their authority or the amount of trouble they cause them. Does this always justify their actions or the extent of force they use?  No. But it does answer some questions as to why certain cops act so harshly after a chase. I can completely understand the officer’s reaction to witnessing a child’s mother’s boyfriend seating the child on a scolding hot stove top to potty train the two year old in which he beat him, hitting him 10 to 15 times, possibly more, I would say I’d react similarly. Officers tend to classify reasons of force into two categories, excuses and justifications, “ excuses, which deny responsibility for the act but recognize that the act is blameworthy, justifications accept responsibility for the act but deny that the act is blameworthy”(p475)  either way they either aren’t talking blame or aren’t taking responsibility, when ultimately. They were in control of the amount of force they use, sometimes, the punishment must come later despite an untrained individuals stupid actions in a situation of fear.  There needs to be a standard of force and control used that they and their peers hold themselves and each other too “Indeed, the concept of normal force is useful because it suggests that there are specific circumstances under which police officers will not condone the use of force by themselves or colleagues as reasonable and acceptable.” I completely agree with this statement and wish it was easier done then said even though it’s the opposite.

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Required entry: A moment when someone seemed crazy.

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Required entry: A moment when someone seemed crazy.

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I had a situation on Thanksgiving night, my friend was going to leave his car at my place for the weekend while he went out of state. It’s a reasonably nice car, 2013 Audi A5 convertible. The norm that was being violated by the person of concern was he walked straight up to my friends vehicle from across the street, stood directly in front of it scouting it. He had absolutely no business approaching it the way he did. He was a white male in a backwards ball cap, tattoo on his right arm, approximately 5’10 , 30 to 40 in age, had to have been poor to be looking to break into someone vehicle.  A situation where this might appear rational would be someone who owns the vehicle or a friend of the individual that knows the person who owns the car. I could see myself doing this and not being crazy if I caught my buddies car at my house and would approach it like so to see if he was in it to say “what’s up why are you here
bro?” My label did not affect the interaction between him and I as I confronted  him and he sped walked back down the street he came. His actions are what affected my label toward him.

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Mandatory Padlet Post: Two main influences on drug abuse. Social conflict and structural functionalism

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Mandatory Padlet Post: Two main influences on drug abuse. Social conflict and structural functionalism

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I believe that people have a variety of reasons why they abuse drugs. But I believe that social conflict has an effect on ones drug abuse in the idea that people might use it as an escape from the conflict and violence going on politically or from the race rioting going on, perhaps it all stresses them out or their families involvement or opinions do. On a different level, another example would be a soldier coming back from war and all that social conflict going on, they need a way to unwind, destress, or escape from the horrors of the conflict they were involved in or witnessed. To what effect structural functionalism might have on one to cause drug abuse would be someone finding their position In society stressful, whether it be their job or their place in the structure of society. Maybe they are unhappy where their position is or maybe it feels to much for them, drug abuse might be their escape from these harsh realities.  Maybe that’s why you see so much more of the poor or homeless involved in drug abuse, because it helps them to forget or maybe just not care as much about their position in life or their position in the structure of society.

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 (H)  446-460: Gracey,  Kindergarten as Academic Boot Camp

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 (H)  446-460: Gracey,  Kindergarten as Academic Boot Camp

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I can very well see what Gracey is referring to in how kindergarten prepares kids for not only school but adult life.  The times and places in which kids and people listen to and follow orders that make relatively little sense, kids with the directions of their teachers like the teacher with the calisthenics and for example with adults in the work place, being told only a direction or task, not being filled in on the big picture because it might “ not be their place”. How individuals, kids and adults alike, find “holes” to take advantage of in which they do whatever they’d like as long as it stays “under the radar” of someone higher up, kids weary of the teacher, adults weary of the boss or perhaps the police.“Another type of learning which takes place in kindergarten is seen in children who take advantage of the “holes” in the adult social structure to create activities of their own,”(pg 459) These holes provide something more important then most realize. It provides a chance to form informal groups that some people look forward to, whether it’s in school or in work, and provides subworlds around certain environments. “Forming and participating in such groups seems to be as much part of the student role as it is of the role of bureaucrat.” (Pg 459) These holes are just one of the many things that kindergarten teaches us that we take, consciously or subconsciously, as we grow up.