Even from a younger age the idea of branding and what brand is above others was a common everyday thing. My social mobility has moved around a lot through my short 16 years. Ever since though bags, people complement my mother more, walk around us when we go out, and even envy from afar through social media. My mother isn’t bragging cause she doesn’t have to, the bags are kinda like a walking billboard saying “I have good taste and I can afford to”.

It’s interesting that even now as an adult I experience the “I have good taste in coffee”. I’m used to the 4.45 cold brew from Starbucks, but I met friends who asked me “how can you drink that!? You don’t support local business?”. So my two year long rendezvous started with Empresso, where I was paying almost double for the same drink. Then the local Dutch Bros opened and my friend group started spending less time at Empresso cause “the coffee isn’t even that good” now that Dutch Bros. was the new hang out spot.

There was a function of poverty by Merton that I have found to be of interest, and out of the twelve functions, I have found myself to profoundly relate too. The second function of poverty describes how the poor are required to work at low wages, and by working low wage jobs others refuse to take, has required for the poor to lack budgetary actions that benefit those who continue to prosper.in fact “The poor support innovations in medical practice as patients in teaching and research hospitals and as guinea pigs in medical experiments”-Merton pg. 378, and this reality has been constructed to be accurate. I believe that minorities aren’t just being use for research in medical fields but also being observed out in the real world. The poor are continually under observation for results on their perfomance of social functions.I understand that they’re positive and negative functions from the poor but I feel that poverty shouldn’t exist at all. According to Gans, poverty has many more dysfunctions than functions. A positive function was that the rich are able to collect artifacts from extinct folk cultures of poor people. it’s a little ironic that the poor “have no meaning to life” but yet the rich like to buy those things.I feel that America would be better without poverty. Without poverty, our prisons wouldn’t be impacted, crime rates would decrease, and the government wouldn’t have to worry about food stamps. Gans also stated that society’s dirty work could be done without poverty. I feel that if things could be done without poverty than why not help the poor a lot more.

Children growing up in a working-class family also may encounter material deprivation due to economic capital. For example, when I was a kid I remember kids at school having Heely’s and being asked “how come I don’t have any?” This is when I first came across material deprivation, because money was tight my parents wouldn't buy a pair of $70 dollar shoes. Working-class parents usually encourage their children to pursue an education so that they can land a good paying job. The only issue with this is that working-class parents usually lack education themselves leading them to not be able to help their kids with school work.

Most of the upper class shares what is called a group awareness or a “common fate,” this is the belief that they consider one another equals, whether that be voting behavior in favor of the Republican Party, charitable efforts, or other pursuits in common interests, they all strive for a common goal. Higley describes a system called a “social register” in which the main purpose of the social register is to restrict social mingling for other members by determining who can be a part of their register and who cannot be. This kind of reminds me of a “secret club” that preteens have during recess; only the “cool” kids get in and all the “other kids” can’t join, regardless of intent. This group circle strives to complete the circle of socialization limited only to the upper class and literally separates itself from other classes of the systems from birth until death.

“The upper-class families who are listed in the social register are direct direct descendants of the men who made great fortunes during the Guided Age” (1870-1910). Therefore it is fundamentally important for the upper-class to try and “preserve” their ways of life. The preservation of such customs ensure their wealth and power holds true for generations. As to be expected the majority of the upper-class is comprised of white, Anglo-Saxon, and protestants. Most WASP’s deprive from English nobility, and Anglophilia making up most of the upper class.

So why do we care about the way we look to other people? This got me very intrigued and I started to think of what people would think of me if I looked like a model and what if I looked like a bum. I would have the exact same personality and the exact same way of thinking, but just my appearance would change. I can guarantee everyone would be praising me and wanting to be around me if I looked like a model. I can also guarantee that I would probably be a laughing stock and gossiped about it I were to look like a bum. The way we look tends to be judged before anything else and it makes a lasting impression on people. Why do you think that ugly nerds in the movies get bullied and when they become hot models everyone wants to date them even though they still have the same personality as before.

Another thing that stood out to me was that their are key areas of gender convergence. Those things are a fear of fat, bodily, objectification, and the marketing of body products. While these are seen as trends throughout both men and women fitness magazines, the sexual objectification and body pressures operate quite differently. For a man, a body with huge ripped muscles and dominant sexual power are seen as masculine while the feminine bodies are supposed to be small but toned. They are to show less athletic ability compared to men. Women like Serena Williams who is one of the greatest athletes of this generation has been criticized for her physique throughout her entire career. I do not really follow tennis but I do love sports and I just can’t help but laugh. I can just see these lazy people watching the TV and thinking they know everything criticizing somehow who has put in so much hard work and became an all time great. If someone like her is going to be criticized for her physical appearance, how can we expect to become any better when it comes to our bodies?

When a mother gives birth to a boy, families would automatically think of the color blue. They would eventually buy toys that represents what a boy is such as car toys, and boy action figures. Same thing goes towards a mother that is expecting a baby girl. Families and friends would automatically think of the color pink. They would eventually buy pink clothing, barbies, and dolls to represent the gender of the girl. I mean it wouldn’t be right to buy a boy a barbie or buy a girl a car toy. They’re all very specific meanings towards the sex of the gender. Things would be different when a child grows. Even now as a grown adult, I only want things that are meant for girls such as makeup and girl clothes. I wouldn’t ever think about wanting boy objects, but it is different from everyone. I have experienced myself to be prepared of how the reality of socialization really is.

Most of the members came from blue-collar families and the two leaders were only twenty-years old. Later on that day Ezekiel joined them in their gathering where they raised Nazi flags and played loud music which repeatedly had the lyric “nigger.” Ezekiel being Jewish was told by a man “I have no use for a Jew. Keep Hitler’s dream alive: kill a Jew,” he later encountered more racism. Ezekiel was stripped of his identify in this scenario and was given another identify (“Jewboy”) which made him feel extremely alienated.

Ezekiel came with the conclusion that these racists felt as if they got cheated and lonely. I agree with these conclusions because I feel like these people feel lonely in some sort of manner in which they feel they need to join a certain group of people. Similar to how a lot of gang members join gang is because most of the time they feel lonely and they just want to be a part of something, so that they can fill in that empty spot. I see these white supremacists just as I see gang members, they have no actual purpose other than a meaningless anger for those who look different than them. If we were all white, these same people that join racists organizations would then simply come up with a different way of categorizing themselves from others because they simply have hatred that needs to be let out.

Now, Page is a fully grown man who has found his identify and has children of his own. He discusses the effects of the color-blind ideology and incorporates how pop culture has changed the landscape of certain stereotypes. Times have changed a lot since the 1950’s where segregation is non-existent, well at least not too the scale of the 50’s. Stereotypes are very common as Page points out and they’re a sort of residue left over from decades before.

Being Latino and growing up in the 2000’s I did not share similar experiences growing up. Yeah, I was discriminated, but never to the extended of blatant racism a person like Page experienced. Reading chapters like this make me understand the effects of racism a lot better. The main reason because it was written by a black man that actually experienced this and gives an insight of his psychology and the torments he faced simply for being black; rather than a white guy who makes speculations on the effects of racism on African-Americans.

Many people enjoy listening to music. It helps them in difficult times. Choosing whether certain kinds of music is good or bad can say a lot about who we are. For example, country lovers may love country, but dislike hip-hop. On the other side, a hip-hop lover may dislike country music and so on. Whatever kind of music we like can determine our affiliation with it by doing things like posting videos, sharing a music video, liking a photo of our favorite band, or following our favorite band. Our taste for music can also be associated with our class.
 In “Chapter 12: Music/ Racism and Cultural Appropriation” published by Josee Johnston. Kate Cairns and Shyon Baumann it says "Subcultures unite around their own sets of norms, values, and symbols, which are often defined in opposition to those of mainstream society, Indeed, sociological research has shown how subcultures can point out the inconsistencies in the larger culture, the gaps between a society’s values and its reality."

In the beginning, Henslin talks about how colors, clothing and toys are important to society. He says that even though boys tend to have more freedom about getting dirtier, playing rougher and wandering farther from home, than girls. Blue is the only color assigned to masculinity limiting their options to other colors. Henslin explains that there is a need for parents to dress their kids appropriately to their gender, so they’re not mistaken as a girl. If parents don’t, they would be “socially punished” and be known for having poor parenting habits. The other reason why boys should be dressed to their sex, is that whenever they’re out in public the child could be made fun of or even bullied at school.

As they start puberty, boys notice that they don’t feel the same about girls. They become gentleman, by being cleaner, watching their language and showing consideration. He explains how these shifts are not easy master , but that as they get older they learn from experience. The most important things men should learn is that, “in order to continue receiving the rewards offered by females, on occasions they must leave their secure world of manliness momentarily to penetrate the conjoin world occupied by their feminine counterparts."

Boys also start judging girls based on their attractiveness. I can co-sign this because I remember being in middle school and starting to notice girls becoming attractive as they developed breast and hips. I also remember taking to friends about which girl is the hottest in school.

What I find interesting about this reading is how girls at this age also judge one another based on their attractiveness. Also to the extent that they go to by bullying other girls because they aren’t “cute” or because they’re overweight. Girls at this age are barely starting to build self esteem and by constantly being judged on their attractiveness explains why many adult women still have issues with the way they look, even if they’re pretty.

There are several other particular things women do different than men. Women seem to be a lot more light hearted when giving criticism and need feedback in order to reassure themselves they’re doing a good job at whatever it is they’re doing. For example, Lauren might be working on a design along with her coworker and she might need her coworker to compliment her work so that she knows she’s doing a good job. The way women and men joke around is completely different. Men seem to be more aggressive and joke around with other males in a harsher teasing manner. Women on the other hand might see this as a little over the top and rude. 

That is because they have a different sense of humor where they will mock each other as a form of joking around. Women are also more likely to fold when under pressure as to where men might shine through it. Last but not least, women use complaining as a form of venting. They might not 100% mean what they are complaining about, but they do it as an open invitation for others to join along and riff with them. Men will take this complaining serious, as to where women are light hearted about it.

Beautiful is really important when come to find a job to getting a discounted on something because when a man see a beautiful woman they get all mack daddy every man all like that when we see a beautiful woman. I get like that too to be honest I don’t know why but it true I think it there Beauty that get us feelings some type of way toward them. So that why be beautiful is important.

In large part, the beautiful person can attribute his or her idyllic life to a puzzling phenomenon that social scientists have dubbed the “halo effects.” It defies human reason, but If you resemble Jane Fonda or Paul Newman in their prime it’s assumed that you’re more generous, trustworthy, sociable, modest, sensitive, interesting, and sexually responsive than the rest of us. Conversely, if you’re somewhat physically unattractive, because of the “horn effect” you’re stigmatized as being mean, sneaky, dishonest, antisocial, and a poor sport to boot.

The existence of the halo/horns effect has been established by serveral studies. One, by Dion, looked at perceptions of misbehavior in children.

The human qualities that they really value; intelligence, friendliness, sincerely, “soul,” and warmth. Yet when these same people were interviewed after going out on blind date that was arranged by a computer, it became apparent that they were blind to everything but the physical appearance of their partners. The more beautiful the partner, the more he or she was liked.

This reading didn’t really surprise me because women in the military have always been a huge problem and there are so many things that happen in the military to women there society knows about and I can only imagine what else happens this society doesn’t know about. There is so much gender harassment they happens to women who join the military. Their sexual harassment there’s race her ass man there is discrimination and prejudice towards women in the military and Marine and pretty much every possible or base.I don’t really care a lot about sexual harassment. I normally hear a lot about gender harassment. The difference between sexual-harassment and gender harassment is sexual-harassment is when a officer or somebody in the military is sexually assaulting you harassing you trying to persuade you to do things you don’t want to do. Gender harassment basically is harassment for not following gender roles or tradition it’s not sexual at all. 

Most of the people who are giving gender harassment or older man towards the younger female because they have a certain idealistic aspect of hot women are supposed to do I’m joining the Army is not traditional and is very insulting to them. They can pretty much caught a lot of distress to women in the military they can make them do harsh exercises getting them to the man hours of sleep do a lot of mine stressing activities and physical stressing straining the body does a lot of things that could happen. It could be from men’s perceptions of women’s privilege I feel that the women are privileged enough to join the military and I can find a very insulting. 

As a guy, I would mind joining the military. But many of my female peers say that they would not like to join it. On their knowledge, there’s so many things that could happen they are very common towards women there it’s ridiculous in my opinion. If a woman gets pregnant during her military service she can get in unhonorably discharged because she’s not supposed to be sexually orientated with people over there. Another thing is they tend to push the females twice as hard as they would push a male because they want to make sure that the females are you able to take care of themselves on the field during anything that might happen but it can be really harsh towards them. I greatly appreciate the military when it does for country but I think that there should be tests and evaluations for hiring older generation officers and people who are in charge to make sure that you know sexuality harassment and gender harassment aren’t happening that are soldiers are being trained to the best of their ability without causing them post-traumatic stress.

In ” Chapter 8: Dreaming of a White Wedding: Marriage, Family, and Heteronormativity” published by Josee Johnston, Kate Cairns, and Shyon Baumann, it says “When you think of the “family”, what images come to mind? For many, the word family evokes the picture of a mother, father, and their children, and maybe a pet dog or cat. Perhaps you envision the ideal family pictured on TV sitcoms, featuring a hard-working father, a sexy stay at home mother, and two or three rascally kids. Our ideas about what counts as a family can have powerful social implications, and not only for social policies and access to state entitlements. Many of you –like us- have lived in families that don’t fit this image. You may have familial relationships that differ from the hegemonic ideal (e.g. a gay parent, a single mother, a childhood spent in foster care) and you may have experienced social stigma.  The reality of contemporary life is complex; today more than ever, the social meaning of “marriage” and “family” are up for debate” (JCB 212-213).

Romantic love is a factor for most of the modern marriages. The dream of marriage is very consistent. Many people want to get married and form families. Today we see more and more acceptance of diverse families, although they haven’t been fully accepted, the acceptance has improved over the years. The term “white wedding” is used to refer to a marriage celebration featuring some combination of the following elements: a bride in an elaborate white gown, numerous attendants, and witnesses wearing formal outfits, a special ceremony (religious or secular), bouquets of flowers, a sumptuous meal and or party and a honeymoon…” (JCB 228).

After only six days the experiment had to come to an end due to shocking results Philip found.  The volunteers began to lose their touch with reality, they could no longer clearly distinguish their role playing with reality.  The guards found themselves treating the inmates like animals as to where the inmate had become brainwashed robots who could only think of escaping.

The relationship between the letter and the results of the experiment had a lot of similarities. Similar to that of the Stanford prison experiment, The guards fell in love with their power to control the inmates.  Philip came to the conclusions that, “We thus underestimate the power and persuasiveness of situational controls over behavior because (a) they are often non obvious and subtle, (b) we can often avoid entering situations where we might be so controlled, (c) we label as “weak” or “deviant” people in those situations who do behave differently from how we believed we would (Philip Zimbardo, 318)”.  This all led to the prisoners and guards to be cruel, lower self-esteem and be less humane.  Thus prisoners cause pathologic behavior.  The only way to change this according to Philip Zimbardo is by the people with power to start caring for others because even inmates want to cared for.

Amongst entering the hospital the pseudo-patients behaved normal, as they usually do. Although they acted normal they were initially diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. They came to find out that nobody detected that they were sane, but in fact when they were discharged they were diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in remission. The whole “in remission” diagnoses didn’t mean that the patients were sane, but they were still labeled as paranoid schizophrenia. While in the hospitals the pseudo-patients found that the staff didn’t pay much attention to them and they were simply looked at as insane by the fact that they were labeled. All of their behaviors while in the hospitals were attributed to their “schizophrenia” even though they were behaving completely sane. The affects of labeling Rosenhan found in this experiment are also found in other scenarios.

People who do time in prison also suffer consequences of labeling after they are released. For example; ex-offenders have a less likely chance to get a job. The reason for this is because even after they leave prison they’re looked as “ex-offenders.” The label “offenders” is still there with them even though they put an “ex” before it; this is the same as “in remission” in the case of Rosenhan’s findings.

The one thing I found really upsetting was to hear how between co-workers, cops are applauded for aggressive behavior. The more the aggressive they act the stronger, tougher or “better” the cop is. Instead of cops competing for who uses the most excessive force they should focus on making our streets safer.