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The 10 items of clothing I chose for this assignment were mostly from SHEIN with the exception of a couple pairs of jeans from American Eagle and a hoodie and shirt bought at a concert. The jeans and concert clothes were either from Mexico and India. The SHEIN clothing was not surprissingly 100% from China.

The implications of these facts are that these companies are utilizing / taking advantage of "unskilled workers" as a means of saving money.

Another implication of these facts is that the consumption of fast fashion contributes to climate change in a negative way due to carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, adding to landfills, and polluting the oceans.

As said in Caught Between the Ages by William Van Dusen Wishard, technology is quickly advancing. It has the abilty to make all our lives easier, but I also believe it is a big contibutor to climate change and even the low wages workers are paid. Due to the fact that the vast majority of the world is constanlty online, the demand for things like Apple products and cheap clothing is never ending, meaning that companies will never stop taking advantage of workers in countries like China, India, and Mexico, and poluting the Earth. A $5 top from SHIEN or an iPhone seem innocent enough when you don't think too hard about it, but the implications are terrifying.

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In my opinion, it's fantastic that fast food workers are unionizing to receive better pay. Fast food workers have as much of a right to a livable wage as anyone else. In all honesty, I believe minimum wage should be higher than $15 for everyone considering how high the cost of living is currently, but that is beside the point.

A few things that may encourage more workers to join the fight are, the ability to pay their bills and still have something left over to live a full life, less stress, an improved mental health, and so on.

The one thing that I can think of that might discourage someone from joining, is hearing the mouths of people who believe it is common sense that workers like them deserve a lower wage.

I've heard it a million times and find it to be pretty offensive and ridiculous. Especially considering how little autonomy you have when you work there, as said in "Over the Counter at McDonalds" (p.502 and 506 in Henslin). The training is made "idiot proof" so the workers can use as little of their own judgement as possible, any complicated problems are handed to management, leaving little room for learning, and employees are pressured to stay as flexible to keep up with customer demand.

Fast food workers give so much of themselves, it goes without saying that they should be given a fair, livable wage.

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One brand that I can say is pretty meaningful in my life and the lives of those around me is Apple. It seems as if it is practically everywhere. I feel as though a company like this gives its users or customers a sense of belonging. It can also teach its consumers that they are better than other people who use a different brand of phone or technology, which is not necessarily true.

Also, given the inception of the company and its humble roots and beginnings, I believe it gives the consumer a sense of hope in The American Dream. That all things are possible under our capitalistic society, so long as you're willing to work your butt off. I find this to be incredibly idealistic, especially when you take into account the way the company treats its workers. Specifically, but not exclusively, their workers in China.

It's pretty well known that Apple takes advantage of its workers, and benefits from the fact that they pay these presumably low-skilled workers poverty level wages. As said in JCB on page 63, "the belief that we live in an equal, meritocratic society where people earn what they deserve has become common sense - that is, it has become hegemonic." The idea that these workers, are low skilled, therefore are being paid the low wage that they "deserve", has become an idea that most have come to accept. In Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich makes the argument that we and companies especially live off the generosity of these low wage workers, and considering how little they make for how hard they work, I'd have to agree.

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Obedience to Authority & Group Conformity

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Obedience to Authority & Group Conformity

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One instance where I experiienced both obedience to authority and group conformity was quite recent.

My family and I went to a concert this weekend. We had a blast, but very soon came the end of the night. As we approached the exit there were security guards directing people where to go. They told every one to leave out of the exit with zigzaging gates in front of it. Everyone for the most part did as they were told, but a few disregared the instructions due to the fact that there was a wide open fence a few feet away.

I can understand that it seemed silly to leave out of the exit with all the winding gates, but it also seemed disrespectful to disregard what security was telling us to do. This made me think of the test subjects written about in the reading in Henslin by Philip Meyer, "If Hitler Asked You...".

I firmly believe I would not continue with the experiment if I thought I was causing someone pain, but I also understand the apprehension to disobey commands. I can imagine that a lot of people, especially in the US, feel a need to follow through on something they have made a commitment to, or also have a fear of what would happen to them if they disobey. Or, maybe less so, but some may feel some discomfort making the person in authority uncomfortable by disobeying. That is definitely the reason I did as I was told the day of thhe concert.

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I would consider myself a bit boy crazy when I was a teenager. Particularly when I started high school. During my freshman year, there was a boy in my band class that I was obsessed with. He had long hair, played the trumpet and guitar, and wore a different band tee every day. Being a weird, socially awkward 15-year-old girl, I figured the best way to get in with this cute boy and his group of friends, was through his favorite bands. As stated in JCB on page 126, I wanted to have a sense of we-ness/social solidarity with these kids. I wanted to share values and tastes with them and have this feeling of unity with people I deemed to be cool. Subconsciously, I'm sure I believed it would raise my social status.

The two bands that stuck out to me the most were Slipknot and The Black Dahlia Murder. A bit morbid and dark. Definitely darker than anything I had ever listened to, but I can say I did start to really like their music. Once I felt like I had saved enough of their songs to my purple iPod nano, I begged and begged my parents to take me to Hot Topic to buy their shirts. As it was, my mom, couldn't understand my fascination with that store and its spooky, scary atmosphere, and the fact that my tastes seemed to be growing darker by the second was absolutely not sitting well with her. That's not even considering the fact that it was 2009, and they were barely getting to the light at the end of the tunnel of a recession. I can imagine that she felt a great deal of frustration in wanting to make her daughter happy, but not wanting to waste funds on something she didn't feel was entirely necessary or even appropriate, just like it was said in JCB on page 110. Finally, she allowed me to get one shirt. And I chose the shirt of the band I saw my crush wearing the most often. The Black Dahlia Murder.

When the day finally came to wear my shirt to school, I was ecstatic. I placed myself in the classroom in way where I would be easily spotted by him. He walked in, saw me, squinted his eyes, turned to his friend, and said "Is that a Black Dahlia Murder shirt?", they giggled a little and walked to their normal area in class. We never had an actual conversation, and I definitely wasn't invited into their group of friends.

In the end, I can't say that buying the shirt satisfied my desire for belonging. I had originally set out to forge bonds, and find my own sense of individuality, but now as an adult, I don't believe this leads to or helps build genuine social connection. Through experimenting with music, though, it helped my build my own unique sense of style and taste in music. I find it interesting that a lot of trends that come and go, and things we pick up by trying to fit in, end up becoming a part of our own unique identity, and help us call in the groups of people we do authentically mesh with.

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It is a sunny sunday afternoon in Stockton, California. I'm sitting in Empresso Coffeehouse. Their March Lane location by the one and only Delta College. Today I am trying to gather data on how strangers interact with each other in a coffee shop. I want to observe who comes in, how they react to the space, and the people around them, and wheter or not anyone seems open to making new connections.

From the moment I walk in, the ambiance feels warm and friendly, like that of any coffee shop. There is loud Pierce The Veil-esque music playing over the speakers, and the game is playing somewhat quietly on the big screen hung above the counter. The Bears and the Chiefs are playing. No one seems to be paying attention, other than the man in a soccer jersey rushing to the bathroom. Everyone else has their eyes glued to their respective devices. Headphones on, surely with music or a podcast blasting. Myself included (Kanye West's Graduation). I wonder if everyone else is here trying to get work done as well. Are they like me? A bit of a procrastinator trying to focus on their studies before the end of the week?

There is some seating outside. Only one person is making use of it. She is also on her device, seemingly working away. The weather is beautiful, so it is strange to me that more people aren't outside. Back inside, the people not on devices, are in small groups of 2 to 3 at the most. They talk amongst themselves. Other than this, not much socialization is taking place other than the occasional nicety. "Excuse me." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Can I use this chair?". The man in the jersey emerges from the bathroom, paying no attention to the game, and walks out without a word.

The baristas are hustling and bustling behind the counter. It seems to be just another day at work for them. Tending to normal duties, taking orders from a customer here and there, and indulging in the occasional chat with their fellow coworkers.

Little by little, the customers that were here when I arrived have started to leave. Packing up their laptops, pencil cases, and notebooks. Or leaving with their group of friends. "Newer" customers, put in their orders, wait around for them to get called, maybe talk to their buddies a bit, and leave once they recieve them. No one seems too keen on making new connections. People alone, keep to themselves, and people in groups, only talk to each other.

I spent roughly 3 hours here observing the kind of people that came in and their behavior. Patrons ranged form the age of roughly as young as 18-20 to as old as 50-60. The vast majority were students like myself. For the most part, people that came in today were looking to get some last minute work in before the start of the new school/work week. Considering it is a Sunday, I can imagine most people are at home resting, watching the game, or both before the coming week. Regardless, the weight of the week before seems to have left people with little need to socialize. So with that knowledge in my hands, I came to the conclusion that a sunday afternoon might not have been the best time to collect data on the socialization patterns of people in a coffe shop. Or maybe it was.

I can see why many sociologists might prefer to do an ethnography to gather data while researching. As said in Henslin, it is the type of research that seems to be the most exciting and hands on. It gives you you a better, more in depth understanding of what you are researching than if you were to read another persons work or if you were to do a survey. I would have to agree, as I enjoyed my time observing people at Empresso this afternoon.

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The very first thing I remember buying is the album Infinity on High by Fall Out Boy. For as long as I can remember, I have had a huge affinity for music because of my father and his tastes. To this day, I believe he has the best taste in music, but I never really had the chance to branch off and find music of my own.

Around the time I was in the sixth grade, I started watching music videos on MTV and VH1, and listening to the radio. All these platforms introduced me to a variety of new artists, but specifically Fall Out Boy, which quickly became my favorite band.

I had expressed to my parents how much I wanted their newest release, and they gave me some money so I could make the purchase. Once I had my hands on the album, I was over the moon. I checked out, got in the car, popped the CD in, and listened to it the whole ten-minute ride home. I listened to that CD hundreds of times over the span of a couple years before it started giving out on me. It is still one of my favorites to this day.

From a sociological standpoint, I believe the "pressure" of looking cool in the sixth grade, and owning the newest release from this popular up and coming band may have been a motivating factor for sure, along with the fact that they were my first favorite artist I had discovered fully on my own. AND the fact that I really just loved their music.

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I graduated from an esthetics program in 2021, and took a bit of a break from education. I recently made the decision to come back to school to pursue my Associates in science/nursing to go into the medical branch of esthetics, and eventually maybe dermatology. It would allow me to perform more advanced treatments for my clients, and is a fairly lucrative field. This Sociology class was recommended to me by my counselor, and considering I have always had a huge interest in social justice and how the world works in general, I jumped at the opportunity to take it.

Also, I have never used this platform before, and am not entirely sure I'm using it correctly. If you had any tips, or anything that could help, I would appreciate it! I am so looking forward to this semester.