EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY FOR SOCIOLOGY STUDENTS: Due no later than Friday, October 24, 2014!
This is an optional, extra credit opportunity for the first marking period. A successfully completed post will be worth 50 points toward your 1st marking period grade (like earning a 100% on a quiz). You have a choice of which article you want to use for your post so choose one that interests you (and there are some really cool posts on this site!). You will find detailed instructions on how to complete your post below:
- Go to the website www.SociologyInFocus.com and choose a post that interests you.
- Read the post and listen to/watch any audio/video files that are embedded.
- In your own words, write a brief summary (200 words minimum) of the post.
- Answer the "Dig Deeper" questions at the end of the post
- Make 2 questions of your own that are related to the reading or the main topic of the post (avoid level 1 questions that simply ask for recall of information in the article). Here is a helpful link to help you develop higher order questions.
- Post your summary and questions as a comment under this post on the homework blog (PLEASE check your post for spelling, grammatical, and formatting errors before posting it to the blog!)
- I want you to do something that interests you but I don't want duplicate posts. I want there to be variety. There are numerous categories on the left hand side of the page and an archive by date. You are not just limited to what appears on the main page (these are only the most recent posts).
- When you find one you want, post a comment under this post to claim it before someone else does!
- If your questions are particularly good, I may use them in class or on a quiz or test. If I do, you will receive bonus points on your participation grade for that week.
I chose the article Doing Gender: A Sociologist Visits Sephora.
ReplyDeleteSummary:
This article discusses how a woman felt when she went into Sephora to get some new makeup. She felt that she needed to try some new makeup to get a more “professional” look. She had always worn makeup but she didn’t know much about it. She went to sephora because she knew there were many salespeople their to help her. Going to the store made her realize that she was even more clueless than she thought she was. She basically bought everything that the salesperson suggested and half the things she didn’t even know what they were. She also learned that she had been applying certain products incorrectly. After her experience she went to buy fashion magazines because she was scared there were more things about womanhood that she was doing wrong.
Dig Deep:
1. When a sociologist says doing gender they mean following the “rules” of womanhood and manhood or more specifically engaging in behavior that is more specifically for your gender so you won’t get judged. When people do activities not known for their gender they risk people challenging their gender.
2. Professional womanhood is different than everyday womanhood because in everyday womanhood you are allowed to be more laid back. Depending on what kind of professional womanhood we are discussing woman could be expected to wear lots of makeup and nice clothes(dresses, skirts, dress pants)/heels like in the article or they could just be expected to wear a nice top and pants and look presentable. Everyday womanhood is more of jeans and maybe your hair or makeup doesn’t look as good. I don't think the expectations are that different for men. Yes men don’t usually have to wear high heels, do makeup, wear jewelry, or do their hair but they do need to be presentable. I also believe men usually dress professionally for jobs if they are for instance a business man. However, there are a lot more men that have jobs where they don’t need to dress nicely such as a carpenter.
3. Lisa Wade’s post is extremely true. Girls do have so many clothes because there are so many rules they have to follow about their clothes. I do believe her analysis does extend to hair and makeup. Woman do get judged for how their hair looks and there are times when we are suppose to make it looks pretty or elegant or just natural. It is the same thing with makeup, there are times when women generally wear more makeup or times when we really shouldn’t wear much at all.
4. Womens and mens fashion magazines are completely different, especially because of the ads. The ads are obviously focused towards the gender of who will be reading the magazine. So in womens magazines it is generally all about beauty like clothes, perfume, and makeup basically everything that will make us beautiful. Guys magazine focus more on hypermasculinity. So men are being taught to be tough and not emotional. Where woman are being taught to wear this stuff or use it because it will make you more attractive.
My Own Questions:
1. How is this article and Lisa Wade’s article related to the eating disorder problems and the way that society looks at women and men today? Do you believe that women and men do have to be careful about the way that they dress or act because society will judge them for stepping out of the norm?
2. Do you agree or disagree that women are judged more easily for what they wear or how they present themselves, than men are and why?
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ReplyDeleteI chose “Beyond Janay Rice: Understanding DV (Trigger Warnings)
ReplyDeleteWho is to Blame for the Celebrity Phone Hacking?
ReplyDeleteSummary: This article discusses two different ways to look at who is to blame for the celebrity photos that were hacked. Most people say it is the celebrities faults for taking the pictures in the first place but they have every right to take and share the photos just like normal everyday citizens. Just because they are celebrities doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be allowed to do the same things as other citizens. The sociological view on this is shown through the Just World Hypothesis and victim blaming. They discuss that in the Just World Hypothesis you get what you deserve. Therefore saying that if these celebrities posted the nude pictures of themselves they are obviously going to be a well wanted thing and therefore get out to the public. But is this the celebrities faults? This is where victim blaming comes in. People try to blame the celebrities because they say that if hackers know these photos are out there on the web they are going to do anything they can to make them public to get more fans. They talked about how if a man hits his wife then the wife probably said or did something to provoke the man to do such a thing, but again that isn’t the wife’s fault that the man took that type of action. No matter the circumstances a crime is still a crime and the just world hypothesis can help us better understand why people make such far fetch assumptions.
Dig Deeper Questions:
1.I think I am affected by the Just World Hypothesis as a student because if two people are taking the same test and one student studies for 3 hours and the other student studies for 15 minutes and then the student who studied for 15 minutes gets a better grade on the test that is not showing that the student who studied harder is getting what they deserve.
2.Another example of the just world hypothesis is poverty.
3.Framing Sotloff for being a war junkie would be an example of victim blaming because the people are saying it was his own fault because he was so involved and opinionated in what was going on with the war that he had it coming his way because he was a well known target.
4.Something good could happen to you that you didn’t deserve such as in soccer or field hockey you could score a goal that shouldn’t actually be counted but was because the officials didn’t see the situation properly. This is an example of something good happening because it puts your team in a better position but you didn’t necessarily deserve it.
My Questions:
1.Should celebrities stop taking part in regular citizen functions such as taking nude photos for their own personal use just because they are the mainly targeted social group? Does this take away from some of their rights or are they already given more rights that a normal citizen?
2.Should America teach its younger generations the Just World hypothesis or should we try to eliminate it?
I claim "Is Cameron Diaz a sociologist?"
ReplyDeleteI claim "Orange is the New Black: Motivation for Doing Time"
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI claim "The Sick Role Conflict"
ReplyDeleteI chose the article Orange is the New Black: Motivations for Doing Time
ReplyDeleteSummary:
This article discusses how the criminology theory relates to the new Netflix original series, Orange is the New Black. Each inmate from OITNB has a one reason or another for committing their alleged crimes. Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, management, control, consequences, and prevention of criminal behavior, both on the individual and social levels. The criminology theory can be illustrated throughout OITNB. This article breaks down five characters from the show and gives background information in which helps people understand why they committed their crimes. For example Alex Vause, she was raised by her poor single mother who struggled economically. Because Alex came from a rough background she turned to illegal paths to financial security. Merton’s strain theory explains Alex’s motivation. This article is very informative and provides accurate information to support this theory.
Dig Deeper Questions:
1) I do know someone who has been incarcerated. I dont know this person well enough to know what might have encouraged them to commit a crime. I met this person long after they were incarcerated and they most likely have changed, making it hard for me to see why he would take such a huge risk.
2) Piper was very interested in the thrill she received from smuggling drugs with her girlfriend Alex. Piper came from a good home so she was very smart and well behaved. She could have sought thrill from something that is legal, such as: going sky diving, bungee jumping, pilot a plane, etc. There are many other options in life that are very exciting and risky. Alex came from a rough childhood, so she expected failure in her future as well. She looked for the easiest way to make money, she could have taken out a loan and gone to college. She could have also searched for some financial aid and got a job. Sophia really wanted to get surgery to become a women, she clearly was willing to go to whatever lengths necessary. There are multiple options for saving up for something thats out of your price range, she could have fundraised, asked for more hours at work, or ask for a loan from family or friends. Dayanara could have reached out to someone and get help with her moms situation, instead of repeating her bad choices. Tiffany too should have reached out for help. She had low self control, which can be controlled by medications and therapy. In my opinion these solutions are very realistic.
3) Women are more likely to be incarcerated on charges of drug and property offences, whereas men are more likely to be incarcerated for violent reasons. Women are more likely to be sexually assaulted then men are. Women are more likely to have sexual transmitted diseases then men, such as HIV, and Hepatitis C. Women are also more likely to have mental health problems.
4) This question involved me watching a video about Piper, unfortunately the video wouldn’t load.
Questions:
1) How does Pipers background compare to Alex’s? How could this have an effect on their personalities?
2) How does this article relate to the motivations of inmates today? Will men and women eventually be treated the same in prison?
I choose the article, “Miley Cyrus has found the cure youth homelessness”, under the category Family.
ReplyDeleteSummary:
During the VMA’s Miley of course had to have quite a show and had a 22 year old homeless man accept her award (Jesse Helt) to raise awareness for the homeless youth in Los Angeles. He told people about Miley’s facebook page that is set up for viewers to donate money. The place taking donations is My Friend’s Place, a shelter serving and helping homeless youth in the L.A area. Miley claimed that there are so many homeless youth because they come to L.A to chase their dreams but end up failing with no potential leaving them on the streets. Miley doesn’t include the sociological perspective on why there are so many homeless on the streets, reasons being; mental illness, addiction, pushed out of home, to old for foster care, and poverty. She is shadowed from the real factors of the young having no where to go. The average of unemployment is 8.2% for the county. If you have these “star catching dreams” L.A wouldn’t be the place to skip off to. Even with a secure job the average rent for an apartment monthly is $800-$2,000. As a person with minimum wage you have living costs that are being pushed aside because you have so many expenses that need to be paid monthly. People aren’t just on the streets because they couldn’t find fame, there are many different reasons for each homeless person. Though her ideas and help will make a difference to the youth that are true under her circumstances.
Dig Dipper:
1)Structure would be the real reasonings on why people are out living on the streets at such a young age, what their surroundings did to put them in that position. Agency is what you believe freely on yourself for the reason you aren’t where you want to be (chasing your dreams).
2)Two structural reasons for homelessness would be income and position. Both of these would be for homeless youth and adults. Income no matter how much schooling or rent you have, there are so many different expenses taken out before you even get to use your pay check. The money is gone before you even get the chance to touch is. The position you put yourself in carries you through out your life, you can put yourself at the top or set up low expectations that become that low standard for living. Pushing those people out on the streets because of their lack of effort or not being able to keep up with all that has to be put in.
3)10% of Vermont’s homeless, are located in Rutland. Many people are becoming homeless because the cost of housing keeps raising, while the economy grows making it harder for people to keep up with the raises.
4)The research behind people of L.A being homeless because of an addiction says that homeless and addiction are twins of the street. Drugs and alcohol continue to be a leading factor in making people homeless and keeping them there. The government could issue a weekly county wide drug search in all houses, apartments etc. to distinguish and take hold of all present drugs or alcohol in not good environment families.
Questions:
1)With the information given on the reasons behind the homeless, do you think there is an outside effort pushing to make more and more people accumulate on the streets with nothing?
2)What types of charities and shelters are in your area? If any, what do they do for the homeless coming in? Do they only have certain people they take and for a set amount of time?
I Claim Is Facebook Experimenting On You?
ReplyDeleteI chose Swim at your own risk: Racial Disparities in Drowning
ReplyDeleteSummary:
This article was about the rates of drowning being higher in African Americans than in Whites, due to social class, race and gender. Drowning rates in African Americans are 1.4 times the rate for whites. This article also explains the very low percentage of African American’s on the U.S. Olympic swimming team showing that fewer African Americans swim then whites. Only 13.1 percent of the U.S. Olympic swimming team are African Americans. As was said in the article “Racial segregation of pools was strengthened about the same time that pools were integrated along gender lines in the 1920s” So from the beginning of the 1900’s pools were easier accessed by whites, making it hard for African Americans to learn how to swim. This article also talks about some people having more opportunities than some. Pools and public places to swim were not and are still not available to everyone depending on social class and where you live. Segregation plays a huge role in drowning rates because many African American parents didn’t grow up swimming, making it unrealistic for their children to grow up swimming. This creates a pattern, making drowning rates higher and higher.
Dig Deeper:
I learned to swim as a child because my parents had learned to swim when they were children. My mom taught hydrofit when I was a kid so it was easy for her to bring me to the pool and teach me how to swim. My parents made sure I knew how to swim because it can be very dangerous if you don't know how to swim, and I grew up around water. I don’t believe my race gender or social class played any role in me learning how to swim.
I had many opportunities to swim as a child, my family owned a camp on the lake, and we had a public pool that we had access to a lot. My race, gender and social class had nothing to do with where I swam because I swam in public places that everyone could swim at.
Discrimination and prejudice limited African Americans from swimming opportunities because in the past everything was segregated so African Americans had less opportunities to find a place that they could swim at.
Some strategies that could help ensure a greater percent of African American children could swim would be to offer swimming lessons in school, and get them used to the water so they are not scared of it. This can be difficult though because a lot of their parents don't know how to swim and are scared of the water. But, one thing that could be done is to have parents and children take basic swimming lessons to help the parents and children get over the fear of water, and make it so they have access to pools or lakes to swim.
My Questions:
Would giving access to swimming pools to everyone, making sure that there is a public pool in every town so everyone can access it really help the drowning rates?
Would it be a good idea to make swimming lessons mandatory in school? Why shouldn’t students be taught how to swim if they are taught almost everything else?
Sam Eaton
ReplyDelete10/23/14
Sociology
Jason Collins & The Ever Present Gender Policing
Summary:
This article explains the reasons that major sports players haven’t come out ever. Jason Collins was the first on athlete to do so during the 2013-2014 NBA season. When he came out the big sociological question was why was he the first? The article talks about why her might have been the first, giving examples as to what might have caused it. Masculinity was one of the main reasons for the thought. The idea America puts out about masculinity shows that if you aren't masculine, then you aren't a “man”. The other idea the article states is homophobia. These athletes are scared to come out because of being judged, over-publicized and being criticized by fans, other athletes and the media. At the very beginning of the article and at the very end they talk about MTV. A few days after Jason Collins announcement there was an announcement from MTV saying that they were coming out with a new show. This show is called “Guy Court.” The show has other men in a “court” and being decided if they broke the guy code or not. This shows that our society wants to see this, where the main idea of the show is being masculine and being different. It shows gender policing just like the rest of the article. The article shows gender policing through the same thing.
1,)How have you experienced gender policing?
I can’t say I've experienced the bad part of it. I've played on sports teams where there has been somebody who was bisexual. But when I play we forget about that because it doesn't matter. Usually the teams I’m on are there to play and will treat the person as a friend or any other brother on the team.
2.) Do you think that males and females experience gender policing in different ways? Gives some examples of situations where each is policed.
I feel like females don’t discriminate from it so much as guys do. Females don’t have as big idea of masculinity/feminism that guys have.
Examples: If a man was gay he may be bullied or pushed around by the other males.
If a female was a lesbian she would just be known as one and not be told about it so much or picked on.
3.)Watch this video. Where do men and women get the messages about masculinity and what makes a “real man”?
The way society portrays men and women shape what they are and what they act like. Social media, movies and music, show what a ideal man or woman is and what they’re considered to be.
4.) What are some of the negative consequences that result from forcing men and women into narrow definitions of gender?
People can’t express themselves and can’t show how they really feel. People get pushed into this box and think they have to always be there and have to always fit into some certain category.
My Questions:
1.) Why aren't they’re movies about other types of men, instead of the manly ones?
2.) When will society start to change and accept the people that aren't exactly masculine or feminist?
I Chose: Is Facebook Experimenting On You?
ReplyDeleteSummary: The overall summary of this story is how Facebook published a study on emotional contagion. The problem with all of this is that did Facebook break any national rules or public rules? Well for many people this study has brought a lot of emotional conflict from its publishing, Some would call this unethical for these reasons. First as the article stated that Facebook broke the first rule that is "Do not harm" this basically is a rule that states that any ethical research cannot harm there subjects in any way, Even though we don't have enough data to officially say that Facebook broke this rule it sure has created a stir up of emotions within facebookers. Another.Another rule that Facebook may have broke is "Informed Consent" In other words it states that Facebook did get consent when you first sign up and agree to the contract but does anyone read the fine print in the terms? so how exactly can it be consent? The final rule that facebook broke was "voluntary participation" Which overall states that how can facebook claim that their members voluntarily did this experiment when so many of them didn't even know about it?
Dig Deeper:
1. In my opinion this whole matter is unethical in facebook's part because no study should have to be this sneaky unless you are trying to hide something, In which facebook was trying to sneak this experiment by just like the article says on how they broke the rules of consent which even though all of us signed up on facebook and most of us didn't both reading the fine print we shouldn't be experimented on without at least our voluntary consent.
2. If I were to do an experiment on cheating in the classroom the potential ethical problems with that is I wouldn't be able to get the consent of the student due to that disrupting the experiment itself. Another problem it would raise is the self esteem or in other words the feelings of the cheater or cheaters because even though you caught them cheating some people feel there is no other way due to other pressures they have outside of school.
3.This experiment breaks rule number 1 "Do not harm" in a serious way. The reason it breaks the rule is due to how rule 1 states ethical research does not harm there subjects. Well in this experiment the prisoners were harmed in a very emotional and physical way and so were the guards of the fake prison.
4. Facebook in my opinion is going after an ethical pursuit on how to be able to manipulate the emotions of its users and how to profit more as a company.
Two Questions:
1. If facebook is doing experiments on its users how will that effect the way people look at facebook today?
2. In a unethical sense how does facebook use this data they have gathered to make facebook more personal?
Who does the work of parenting?
ReplyDeleteI chose who does the work of parenting. This article was about the chores that typical parents do. It was written for 1976-2005. The article talks about the typical male or fathers chores. Males tend to do jobs such as taking out the trash, mowing the lawn, fixing up the house. Men tend to work outside the home. The mother’s tend to be more direct caregiving such as cooking, cleaning, bathing/dressing the children, laundry etc. The women’s chores are chores that are done everyday while the men’s are done occasionally or could be put off for a few days. Husbands tend to create an extra 7 hours of housework for women. Studies show that if the work is divided then the families and marriages are happier. Also studies show that men who do more chores are more likely to raise daughters who aspire to less traditional, higher paying careers. By sharing the household chores it shapes the gender attitudes and aspirations of their children, especially daughters. Overall women tend to do more household chores than women.
Dig Deeper:
1. Both of my parents raised me. The household work was divided just as the article was stated. My dad did the more outside the house work while my mother did house work inside the house. In my mind the work was not even. My mother did a lot of more chores than my father. My mother did not feel like the division of labor was even but my father did
2. I believe women do more work because it’s the generations before them. Women used to be stay at home moms so they had time to do all these chores. They passed down this tradition even though women now have outside jobs.
3. To divide the chores I would switch off the chores everyday. One day one would do the dishes and then next day the other would. And continue this for all of the other chores. I also wouldn’t discriminate a “mans” chore and “womens” chore.
4. Outside jobs tend to be more heavy lifting jobs and men are the “stronger” ones. Also women would have to care for their men so men felt they didn’t have to do their feminine chores.
Questions:
1.Do you believe chores have been more equal now than they were in 2005? If so, how?
2. Are there still labels of a traditional female or male chore? What are they? Or what has changed?
How Time is a Social Construct
ReplyDeleteIn this article, Nathan Palmer explores social constructs. He proves that time is a social construct. A social construct is created and maintained by a group. The example used was language. Language is a group of symbols created by people that hold meaning. It only works because we know what each symbol means to others. It is maintained by people every day just by using it, teaching it, and learning it. Time seems like a real thing, just like words do. In fact both are just constructs. A video of Dr. Matsakis, the scientist in charge of the atomic clocks that display worldwide time, supports this notion. Dr. Matakis showed that seconds are quantifiable. His job is calculating seconds, not time. He showed how the clocks’ precision does this. One quote in the video, “It is something like being a doctor, who may know how to keep someone alive, but doesn't know what life is. I know how to compute the second, that is my job.”. Knowing what time really is isn't important, knowing what time everyone else thinks it is, is.
Dig Deeper Questions:
1. Time doesn't exist without us. We created it and we live by it. We make sure everyone everywhere is in sync to it. It is therefore, a social construct.
2. I think beauty, social classes, and technology are social constructs.
3. Social constructs are real but they aren't literal they are figurative. Real or not they are important. They are the foundation for almost everything that makes us more than animals. Without them we aren't much more than animals.
4. Horology is the science of measuring time. There is an entire field dedicated to something made up by us.
Personal Questions:
1. Do all social constructs share a common aspect? Do they all somehow relate?
2. How would life be without time?
"Is Cameron Diaz A Sociologist?"
ReplyDeleteSummary:
This article is talking about Cameron Diaz's book. Its not a traditional weight loss book if you will but more about human health explanation.In Cameron's book she talks about how technology hinders or helps in our society. The Pennington
Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana says when you sit for to long that you are shaving years of your life. Cameron also states that a hundred years ago we would most certainly not go around finding fast food places such as McDonalds, Taco Bell, Wendy's or Burger King, or at least it wasn't as popular. Now there everywhere you look. She also includes timeline and picture to help understand her point of view on this topic.
Dig Deeper:
1. One of the largest influence that's contributed has definitely been technology. I have seen the amount of usage and time a child/ teen gets on an iPod, iPad, iPhone, game stations, etc. Its very unhealthy to get more than an hour of a time on a electronic device. It has made us a lazy society as a whole. For example we have take out, we have chrome books, we have iPads, iPhones, we don't have to 'learn' anything anymore its all at out finger tips. We don't have to work for anything.
2. The community has positively helped me by holding more fitness 5k's, or fitness programs within the town. Also, our school nurse and the FHU staff has helped by promoting healthy living by hanging posters, guest speakers, etc. It has pushed me in the direction to want to live a healthier life.
3.The ones that are part of my life from "15 Modern Conveniences That Are Bad For Your Health" are teflon, microwaves, cell phone, and BPA Free.
4.If I look at my daily life I probably am inactive for at least 6 hours. Now that's not all time I am wrapped up in technology I would say though that technology is a big part of my life so I would say at least 2-3 hours are spent on an iPhone, an iPad, a computer, etc. I would say though that overall my activity level has changed over the course of the past year.
My Questions:
1. How as a society can we change the amount of exercise we are getting and the amount and nutrition value of food we are consuming?
2. Do you think technology plays a big or small role in our societies level of obese children, teens and adults? Why or why not?
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ReplyDeleteBrief Summary:
ReplyDeleteThe article Becoming Empathetic through Sociology by the sociologist teacher Stephanie Medley-Rath describes a teaching process she performs in her class in an attempt to expand the empathy of her students. Two types of empathy are defined in the article, affective and cognitive empathy, with cognitive empathy the one that is most often used through sociology. Cognitive empathy is described as being “our ability to identify and understand other peoples’ emotions,” and the author of the article explains how she assigns a particular reading assignment in an attempt to expand their cognitive empathy. This reading assignment, Gang Leader for A Day by Sudhir Venkatesh, places the readers of the book in the perspective of people who face the difficult lifestyle of a gang and the situations that placed them in that lifestyle. The reason why Ms. Medley-Rath chooses a book on the subject of gangs is because of the negative assumptions people hold towards gangs and the belief that they are simple to resist. By the time her students have completed their book, they understand the perspective of people in gang situations more clearly. As a result of this increased clarity from reading the book, the students expanded their cognitive empathy. The article then shifts into a closing section by briefly describing how qualitative related research in sociology can uncover deeper meanings behind choices, and therefore promote the expansion of cognitive empathy.
Dig Deeper Questions:
1. Empathy is the ability to understand the perspective of other people.
2. Qualitative research is a method of research which focuses on the observations. This research method can help develop empathy because it emphasizes on attaining a deeper understanding as to why something is the way it is.
3. Children are fleeing Honduras in mass numbers. A main reason why children are fleeing is because of the severe prevalence of violent gangs which has resulted in high rates of murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and the isolation of children from their parents. In addition to the horrors found at home, the children are allured by the stories they hear of economic and educational opportunities in the United States. These aspects combined has prompted the exodus of children. If I were a child in this situation, it would be hard to imagine myself not fleeing from Honduras. Not only would I be existing in a dangerous and negative environment, but I would hear the stories of a land where I have a chance to live.
4. The development of empathy among the population of the United States would have a profound affect on the policy of this country. With an increase of empathy, very few people would support the policy of deporting the Honduran children out of the country and back into the situation they so desperately want to escape. There are many ways the United States and the international community as as whole could respond to this influx of refugees. First off, the US could offer amnesty to the children who reach its borders. Secondly, the US along with other nations could promote an internal change within Honduras which could eventually shift the power away from the gangs. Both of these responses would not be easy and would not come without the possibility of severe backlashes, but it is clear there must be some change of policy in regards to handling the influx of Honduran children refugees.
Personal Questions:
1. Would the large scale increase of empathy play a role in minimizing the effects of gangs within the United States?
2. Is the rationalization of society aspect of quantification discouraging the expansion of empathy?
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ReplyDeletePresentation of “SELFIE”
ReplyDeleteSummary:
This article states that “selfies” are new, but the presentation of self is not. When we present ourselves, we do it in a way so that the people around us will see us the way we want to be seen. Today, all social media is designed around the presentation of self. Everyone who uses social media sites only post pictures and updates that show the good side of them. You don’t normally see people posting unappealing pictures of themselves or updates that may get people to think of them negatively. Social media has become the place to brag and show off what you’re doing or what you have, ect. People aren’t usually the people they present themselves as because they are only showing one side, the good one. You don’t see post of peoples everyday struggles all over social media. You see what people want you to see, you know only what they want you to know. This article suggests that you are not really the person in the selfie you take, that is only part of you. You’re leaving out the lows moments and bad pictures that are taken.
Digging Deeper Questions:
1. The presentation of self in the music video #Selfie was the typical presentation people tend to give. All the selfies that were taken were at their best and the main female in the video was all dressed up, socializing, and gossiping.
2.Stereotypes in this video between women and men are that women are constantly bickering about pointless things. This video also shows girls being very dramatic and self centered. For men, it shows the typical “men are jerks” stereotype.
3.The girl wants to pick a filter that will make her look more tan.
4.Yes I have taken a selfie before. I took several photos and put in my favorite filter and made sure the picture looked good before I posted it on to social media, that is how I used impression management.
Personal Questions:
1.Do you think the female in the video exaggerated the way other females act about their presentation of self?
2.Is presentation of self really as important as the girls in the video made it out to be?
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ReplyDeleteI chose the article “You Would Look So Much Prettier If You Smiled”
ReplyDeleteSummary:
This article is about the social rules associated with emotions. Even though emotions may seem like a personal thing, they are actually controlled by rules that are set by our society. These rules outline things such as when certain emotions are appropriate. Instances where specific emotions are expected are weddings and funerals. You should be happy at a wedding and sad at a funeral, not vice-versa. The social rules also demonstrate which emotions are to be expressed by people of certain genders. The stereotypical version of a male is very strong, independent, and doesn’t show emotions. The stereotypical version of a female, on the other hand, is passive, dependent on other people, and is very emotional. The article also talks about something called “emotional labor.” Emotional labor describes the emotions that you must display for a particular job, even if that is not the way that you are truly feeling. Individuals whose emotions are particularly paid attention to are politicians. Female politicians are expected to be unemotional, but if they don’t show emotion they are considered insensitive. Male politicians, however, are applauded when they show any emotion at all. The differences in the way that male versus female politicians are treated exemplify the socially constructed gender roles that exist in our society.
Dig Deeper Questions:
1. In the clip embedded in this article, male politicians are commended each time they show their emotions and they are considered “passionate.” But when female politicians show even the slightest hint of emotion, they are ridiculed and are considered unfit to be in office.
2. Each of these cases support stereotypical femininity because all three women were being too emotional just like all “typical women.”
3. Telling a woman that she should smile when she is upset is an example of emotional labor because you’re telling her to hide her true emotions just to please other people. Women are expected to want to look pretty all the time, but a woman looking prettier benefits the people around her more than herself because she cannot see her own face.
4. In daily life, I am expected to act happy and excited to be in school and enthusiastic about learning. I am also expected to exercise emotional labor and hide my true feelings if I am upset and to learn even if I am not in the right mindset to do so.
Questions:
1. How do you think the world would be if male and female roles were reversed?
2. What do you think about how the author of this article describes male and female roles/ stereotypes? Do you agree or disagree?
You Get What You Deserve & Deserve What You Get:
ReplyDeleteThis article addresses the economic inequality between the richest and the rest of the people in America. It states that “a mere 85 people control as much wealth as the poorest 3 billion people in the world’s population.” In the U.S., the richest 20% own 88.9% of all the wealth. This is obviously unequal, but is it unfair? Americans tend to think that it is not, and we have justified the trend (a sociological term called justifying rationales) to make ourselves believe it is fair.
We in the U.S. explain this inequality with a term called meritocracy. Meritocracy is a system in which hard work, skills, and taking advantage of opportunities are rewarded. According to meritocracy, every individual also makes their own path. A common saying that summarizes meritocracy is “you get what you deserve and deserve what you get.”However, the ideal of meritocracy is not as true as many believe. Most people are born into wealth, and don’t make it themselves, just the same as poor people are born into poverty. This means that those born into wealthy families hold a natural advantage over others. For a poor person to move ahead in life, it’s as if they are playing a game of Monopoly against the rich, yet the rich start with ten times the money in the bank. This creates widespread societal and economic inequality, yet Americans rationalize to themselves that it is not a problem through the ideal of meritocracy.
Dig Deeper
1) I think meritocracy is so popular in the U.S. because we are a nation of independent people and like to believe that we all create our own destiny.
2) If we told ourselves and our children the truth, I think many would become depressed and adopt attitudes of hopelessness. I also think it would spur greater calls for change in the system of wealth.
3) I think these shows are so popular as it is most people's (and a societal goal) dream to be wealthy (even if the person may not admit it).
4) It reinforces our belief in meritocracy because it states that any one can achieve anything if they try hard enough.
Questions:
1) Why do most Americans believe in meritocracy even though one’s success is influenced by much more than just them as an individual?
2) How could America solve this problem of social inequality?
Jenni Fuoco
ReplyDeletePanic or Pandemic? Understanding the Ebola Crisis
In “Panic or Pandemic? Understanding the Ebola Crisis” it argues whether or not we should make sure a huge deal out of the Ebola crisis. It goes through how huge of a deal we are making it to be on the news. But it is a big deal. This illness isn’t anything to joke about because many have already died in Africa and now that it is in the United States, there is a good chance of it spreading if it isn't taken under control. The article also talks about framing Ebola as a “moral panic”. Meaning that people's values that they have now in society may change if this does become a global pandemic. There are five things that make up what moral panic is. These include; concern, hostility, consensus, disproportionality, and volatility.
Also, a lot of our “fears” come from our underlying emotions toward immigrants. We cover up how we feel about them by saying that it’s the “fear” of the disease. We also hold a grudge over them because the virus started in their country and it was brought to ours, when it could have been prevented. So is this a panic or a pandemic? Honestly, it’s both. More of a panic at the moment, but if it continues it will become a pandemic, no doubt.
Dig Deeper:
Other reasons for the current panic of Ebola may be because of how severe the virus is and how bad the symptoms are. If one contracts the disease, there is a very good chance that they could die.
Cons of travel ban: Less effective, angry people, not being able to visit families, people may hide the fact that they have been to these countries, causing possibly more cases.
Pros: It may help the problem since we are doing nothing right now to prevent people from going to these other countries.
3) 1) heard it on the news, don't know who is responsible, someone from Africa, afraid that it will come to Vermont and we will be affected.
2)News, heard it was from bats “or something”, doesn’t want it to come to Vermont or states close to Vermont because she is afraid of getting it.
3)News, started with the monkeys or eating bats in west Africa, concerned about it spreading in the country,
4)Fox News at Night time, Africa, concerned about dying.
5)News, Africa, worried about it spreading
This relates to the post because it really is a panic. People are so concerned about it because they hear about it almost every day on the news.
When the flu pandemic spread, it was around the time when A LOT of immigrants came to the U.S so they were blamed for carrying with them through travel.