First set of padlets for JCB and H by

Required entry: JCB p. 26 The first thing I bought was....

jr314 — 2025-01-25 04:55:22 UTC

The first memorable thing I can remember buying myself was an Xbox One S. When I bought it I felt extremely happy because I was just a kid, I had saved up money from previous birthdays, and I could finally hop on and play video games without having to use my brothers Xbox. This purchase proved to satisfy because I still have it to this day and I play here and there still so I would say it was a good purchase. Now viewing this in a sociological sense I would say I was socially pressured to cave in and buy one because all of my friends had one and I would always hear them say how much fun they had the previous day because of the game they were playing, so that played a huge role in my decision back then. This was shaped by my social location because of my gender, being a boy means to do boy stuff and to like boy stuff, which I always have and do not have a problem with. This purchase has for sure shaped my interests.

(JCB) Chapter 1: Jeans/Discovering Sociology

jr314 — 2025-01-25 06:10:10 UTC

Sociology helps us find a deeper meaning in the everyday “ordinary” things, like in this chapter which talks about commodities and how it can shape our whole identity. On page 3 and 4 it talks about having a sociological imagination which allows us to move away from reducing our issues to just personal feelings. This allows us to see a deeper meaning behind the stuff we do. By having a sociological imagination, it allows us to uncover the nuanced reasons behind choices we make on an everyday basis. For example, why do some people decide to eat breakfast first before getting ready for the day? And why do people choose to mindlessly scroll on TikTok than to read a book? Toward the bottom of page 8, it talks about how consumer culture is deeply embedded in social issues and a connection I can make with this book and an ethnography called "Made in Madagascar: Sapphires, Ecotourism, and the Global Bazaar" is the exploitation of goods in a poor country and how it can affect the local communites. On page 13 it talks about how Thorstein Veblen coined the term "conspicious consumption", while reading the definition of this term I thought to myself how this kind of consumption can still be seen on social media. For example, on social media having an elite car collection or just one car that can usually only be bought if someone is well off, usually separates the individual from "ordinary" people according to people on TikTok. One thing I find interesting is that just like in anthropology, in sociology globalization is huge when talking about how it can influence choices people make. An interesting video that talks about this exact thing is https://youtu.be/WyMTSvVAtWM?feature=shared. It talks about how the introduction and widespread availability of American fast food in Kuwait has led to significant changes in local eating habits.

(H) 3-7: Berger, Invitation to Sociology

jr314 — 2025-01-26 03:26:08 UTC

This chapter was insightful, it taught me what sociology is, how it differs from other disciplines, and how a sociolgist thinks and acts. Sociology is the study of humans in society and focuses on the study of all aspects in society. The main focus is not only on the human but the humans actions and why they do what they do. A connection and a disconnection (if you wil)l I can make with is with, anthropolgy. Although both disciplines study human behavior, sociology is more rooted in the social aspects of human behavior, while anthropology is more rooted in culture. Both social sciences have a lot in common, like the use of terms.

(H) 8-19: Henslin, What is Sociology?

jr314 — 2025-01-27 03:28:29 UTC

This chapter was another insightful read. I attained a clearer idea on what sociology truly is due to the comparisons and contrastings with other social sciences. On page 11 it emphasis that Anthropology is the sister discipline to sociology, which could not be more true considering that I am currently enrolled in an anthropology class. There is a lot of similarities between these two disciplines. I enjoyed the way how it ended the comparsions with clear distinctions toward the end of page 11. "Unlike anthropologists, sociologists primarily focus on contemporary societies". I enjoyed that the contempoary example used was juvenile delinquency to differentiate the social sciences, it made it easier to understand. The question asked on page 16 asking if there are any voting differences among the said religions is a little hard to answer. It is hard to answer because the answer is yes and no, coming from a catholic backround and a practicing one at that, we are most inclined to lean on more conservative views when it comes to abortion, marriage, sexuality, and gender. This would be the same for all Christians. American jews however are more inclined to prioritizing issues like social justice, civil rights, and separation of church and state. Orthodox jews are more conservative. I guess what I am trying to say that it really depends on positionality, where one is located, and the backround they come from.

H) 20-27: Mills, The Promise

jr314 — 2025-01-27 04:12:28 UTC

Toward the bottom of page 23 the quote that was there caught my eye. I searched the web and found an entire article determined to understand the perspective of male perpetrators who have been convicted with sexual violence against women. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11370178/

The quote in question was an interview from a convicted felon on why he did what he did, which then was categorized in what they called the 4 main themes on why men commit sexual crimes. The 4 themes are

She deserved it.”
“I’m a good guy.”
“I couldn’t stop myself.”
“I’m really sorry.”

Could this research be sociology? I would say yes because it investigates the attitudes, actions, and arguments of male sexual assaulters. Understanding the social attitudes, cultural influences, and systemic variables that lead to these behaviors.

(H) 87-91: Miner, Body Ritual Among the Nacirema

jr314 — 2025-01-28 02:54:28 UTC

I am basing this padlet off the discussion post. A thing I find strange among the Nacirema is that they punish their children who fail to conform to their strict cultural rituals. Another thing is that they put more care toward the shrines they have in their homes than toward their actual home. One last thing I truly found "weird" was the whole medicine man and mouth rituals, although oral hygeine is huge here in our society, I feel like they take it to a whole new level.

Required entry: JCB p. 50 Contrasting Marxist and Durkheimian perspectives

jr314 — 2025-01-31 18:16:01 UTC

I am Mexican so it was hard to decide what food in my life deserves that "totem" role. I went with the basic but elite choice, tacos. This dish can be seen in most if not all of my family gatherings, it's deeply rooted in Mexican culture simply because of how flavorful this dish is. The combination of sweet and sour lime, salsa, and tender juicy meat wrapped in a handmade warm tortilla, screams perfection. Not only does it taste so good but it brings people together from all over the world. Although it is somewhat considered a 'generic' dish, it makes me feel connected with my culture whenever I indulge in one. Now looking at this dish from a Marxist perspective, I can see that the meat used came from cows, chickens, and pigs, that were born and raised on a farm, possibly not treated well by the farmers, which then were slaughtered and then sent to a packing house which then was sent to a grocery store which then was prepped by a worker for the consumer (me) to buy it and make tacos. The handmade tortillas come from masa or "dough", which was prepped by hand by a lady. I have made tortillas before with my mom and grandma and it was not easy, after the first 50 my hands were cramping because I had to pound the dough into balls which then I had to manually flatten it into a circle with the underside of a glass cup. The term commodity fetishism is quite new to me but the concept is not. Vegans and vegetarians have been preaching about animal cruelty for decades and I have always had an idea about how meat is usually prepped.

(JCB) Chapter 2: Food/Culture

jr314 — 2025-01-31 18:23:43 UTC

I enjoyed this chapter because of the many perspectives that were related to food. For instance, the Marxist perspective enables one to unmask the ecological and social issues related to our systems of consumption and production. The Durkheim perspective completely contrasts the Marxist perspective by seeing food as a totem that ties people together culturally and socially. And then finally the feminist perspective on food and how in today's society and even before, food has always been seen as a "woman's job." These ideas negatively contribute to gender inequality. The Marxist perspective isn't something relatively new to me because of the existence of vegans and vegetarians, they have always made it known to society that the practices surrounding meat processing are inhumane. Although I agree that some chicken, pig, and cow farmers can be cruel, I still have to eat, we are apex predators and we are meant to incorporate meat into our daily diet. However, I can relate more to the Durkheim perspective because I was born into a Mexican family and we are notorious for associating (almost) our entire culture with food. I love it because no matter what Mexican you ask, everyone's "totem" food will always be different. And being a Mexican it's deeply rooted in our culture for the woman of the household to cook all the meals, do all the laundry, do all the shopping, and do all the cleaning; while the man is the breadwinner. In recent years we as a culture have gradually started to progress past this, now moving to a more well-balanced household.

H) 109-117: Hall & Hall, The Sounds of Silence

jr314 — 2025-02-03 02:44:34 UTC

Body language can make or break our everyday interactions. I use body language whenever I want to express to someone that I do not want to converse, I found out that I tend to open up my phone and check the time whenever I feel like it's time for them to wrap it up. Or if I say "Yeah, mhm, yeah, mhm" it's time to wrap it up. On TikTok many guys record themselves going up to random women and using pickup lines to get their numbers, and I noticed some similarities and differences between the guys that post these videos. So one of the guys is named (dinzul0) and from what I have noticed is generally more confident in these interactions, his tone and demeanor are more laid back and chill, and smooth. This guy tends to have a good success rate when it comes to getting the numbers and the women in these TikToks can be seen holding eye contact, laughing and actively engaging with him. On the other hand, this other guy named (zizourx) is the opposite, he is not smooth, not confident, and he has a weird demeanor, the women in his TikToks can be seen looking scared and skeptical whenever he talks to them. Body language is essential because it is truly the universal language and jumps over the language barriers. This can be seen from my dumb example of guys picking up girls, to a more universal example with newborns and their parents. I liked when the book brought up eyes because it reminded me of a bible verse in Matthew 18:9 "And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell^[^a^] of fire." This bible verse like many, is more symbolic than literal. To "rip out" and "throw away" your eye, represents the complete separation of sin from the flesh. This chapter reminded me of this because in my opinion there has been an evergrowing epidemic of men and women dating each other simply due to lust, which then leads to a breakup once the man or woman deems that they've had enough and want someone new. Hookup culture has completely ruined relationships and the concept of trust is completely destroyed.