Thinking Sociologically

   This weekend, I was at the high school basketball game when I found myself thinking sociologically. As I watched all of the people in the stands, I thought of the many groups the people must belong to. The basketball players are a part of the team, the cheerleaders a part of the cheer squad, the fans a part of the Squad, everyone a part of a family, everyone a part of a group of friends, etc. I could go on forever about all of the groups I observed while in the stands. I also noticed that each person had a specific purpose or role in the groups. For example, the people on the team have to work together for the team to do well, or the fans in the Squad cheer the team on.
    I also thought more about the groups I am involved in and which were most important to me. The primary groups I am in are definitely my family and my friends because I know these people the best and spend the most time with them. Some secondary groups I'm a part of are juniors at WCCHS, employees at In The Swim, volunteers at People's Resource Center, and many others. I have realized that being part of a group helps one become better socialized and is the reason for many of my friendships.

Response to "The Vicious Cycle"

   This article is very interesting. I think it's disturbing that the majority of those in jail are minorities. I mean, 99.2% is a large amount of people and there is no way that Caucasian don't commit close to the same amount of crimes as minorities (as much as the general population would like to believe so). It makes me think that our officers are somewhat stereotypical or racist when searching for or accusing others of committing crimes. I also found it interesting that people as young as age 15 have been caught selling drugs.
   Most of these acts of deviance are probably acts of secondary deviance where they commit a crime and continue to commit it after being caught once. I think that because many of these people likely to commit the crimes again, society should focus on helping them not want to act deviantly again, rather than putting them in jail for a while or impounding their cars. Prisons are only good to keep a dangerous person out of society, but are clearly not successful in preventing other crimes after prisoners are released..Recidivism is too common!

Response to Article

    When I read this article, I thought about how much emphasis our society places on separating aspects of our culture by gender (specifically, clothing). The boy in the article wanted to dress as a princess for Halloween rather than a costume usually associated with boys. This issue was that the parents didn't care what the boy wore, but they feared what others in society might think about the costume. Anyone who has ever gone Halloween-costume shopping can relate to this article because the costumes are very gender-specific. In society, it is considered a deviant act when a boy doesn't wear a "boy costume" or a girl doesn't wear a "girl costume". Society needs to end gender stereotypes because it has gotten to the point where an innocent 3-year-old boy can't wear what he wants for Halloween simply because of his fear of other's judgements towards him.

Thinking Sociologically

     This week, we went on a field trip to the Dupage jails. While there, I realized that the people in jail needed to be desocialized and resocialized to adapt to the new and completely different environment. The people in jail are all put in small areas with only the essentials needed to live (toilet, sink, bed, food, etc.). They no longer have any privacy and must obey the officers. People put in jail are cut off from most of society and no longer have many of the freedoms they had previous to entering jail. Many, when first entering their cells, need to be put on suicide watch because they are frantic about the new environment they have been placed in. However, after time, they get used to their situation and become completely resocialized.
     Also while in jail, I thought about the reasons behind acts of deviance. I remembered the idea that people act deviantly because of a label they feel is put upon them, as if to act a certain way because society expects that of them. This can be applied to those in jail because many who leave jail end up coming back because of another crime. After being in jail and returning to society, the person has the label of being a criminal and so they act the way a criminal would act.

Thinking Sociologically

    The other day, I was babysitting when I found myself thinking sociologically. The two little girls were talking about their day at school and all of the friends they played with. I thought about the chapter in the book that we read that talked about how socializing when young is crucial to the development of social skills.
    Hearing the little girls talk about their experiences with their friends made me think of my childhood and how much it has shaped who I am as a person today. I am a sociable person because I was able to interact with other children when I was young. I created relationships that influenced me as a person and my future relationships. It's crazy to think that pre-school could have had such a large effect on my life!

Thinking Sociologically

   I found myself thinking sociologically at the mall the other day when I walked around without shoes on. I got many strange looks and side-comments about the fact that I wasn't wearing shoes and I realized how it is breaking a folkway to not wear shoes in public. I also realized that most of the time, people won't think of the norms in our society until one is broken. For instance, I had never really thought twice about wearing shoes or not, but I never would have considered it a social folkway or norm if I hadn't done the experiment at the mall.
   Another time I found myself thinking sociologically was when my computer broke earlier this week. I realized how much technology is a big part of our culture in our society. I didn't know what to do with myself when my computer wasn't working and wasn't able to do half of my homework. Even right now, I couldn't  type this blog if my laptop wasn't working. From a functionalist perspective, many aspects of our society could not function without our advanced technology (businesses, schooling, factories, etc.).

Symbols

This is the logo for Apple, the very common technology brand. This symbol represents America's advances in technology. Plus, I'm sure almost half the population owns an iPod!

Clearly, this is a traffic light. In America driving is a big part of everyday life. Even when we are little, Americans are taught green means go, red means stop, etc.

The way this man has his hands placed on his head and his eyes closed is a common facial expression. This symbolizes that the man is stressed. I chose this to represent America because a lot of Americans' schedules are overpacked and so it's easy to get stressed out!

This is the logo for the popular Barbie Doll. Almost every little girl in America would recognize this symbol. As Americans, we are very image-obsessed and are taught from a very young age to strive to be beautiful, like Barbie.

      This sign represents peace. I chose this symbol because it is very commonly used in America and it goes along with the idea that everyone wants peace.

Thinking Sociologically..

   Today, in Walgreen's, I was looking at the magazines in the check-out line and thought of them from a sociological perspective. I realized that much of American culture has to do with the media and overexposed famous people. There were tons of magazines on sale with the same people that are seen on TV every day on the covers. A lot of these people did not do something admirable to become famous (i.e. the cast of Jersey Shore). This says a lot about Americans.
    So many of these famous people on the covers of magazines are the people children group up idolizing and mimicking. Personally, I think that as Americans, our values are somewhat out of place. Actors and singers get more attention than politicians or surgeons. The continual overexposure of these famous people in magazines, gossip TV, and movies is corrupting young minds into thinking that these people are people to admire and look up to.

Response to Article Written by Stefan Schirmer

   Stefan found several aspects of  American culture strange; mainly our strict laws and regulations. He notes that underage drinking is not a large issue in Germany, that many do not even know or care what the legal drinking age is. However, in America, he notices that we are very strict when it comes to underage drinking and demand an I.D. whenever someone wants to buy alcohol. Also, Schirmer explains that in America, he felt like he was being "mothered". For example, a car in America will beep consistently if your seat belt isn't on or if the headlights are on. Also, he found that there are a lot of signs stating the obvious, telling him what and what not to do. From the way he describes our regulations and warning signs, I can infer that in Germany, their safety laws are not as heavily enforced as ours.
    In one part of this article, Schirmer talks about "super-sizable" burger menus. This made me think of one of the biggest aspects of American culture: our want to "do things big". This idea is seen through our large food portions, our cars, homes, malls, even our people.. I thought it was interesting that he described this as one of our outstanding achievements rather than a flaw. Also, this article makes me think of how much Americans value safety. Schirmer explains how he notices our speed limits, warnings, and signs, making them seem uncommon in Germany. Now that I think about it, in America we do have a lot of laws and warnings created to maintain our safety. Living in America, I have never really thought about these aspects of our culture that much, but from listening to a German's perspective I have noticed a couple different things I might never have thought of before.

Thinking sociologically

   I found myself thinking sociologically a couple times this week. When I was reviewing my data over how people react during a theft, I was reminded of Emile Durkheime who collected a lot of data when studying sociology. I think that gaining information about the way people act during varying situations is an important part of sociology.
   Another time I found myself thinking sociologically was during lunch in the cafeteria. I realized that everyone plays different roles that are important to keeping things running. Someone needs to serve the food, collect the money, clean up, etc. Lunch period couldn't work without everyone playing their roles. This can be applied to larger ideas like our economy, government, and many other things. One person can not control it all, so everyone plays their part in social environments, which is the reason for the study of sociology.

Me!

   As a junior in high school, I have changed a lot over the past few years. My biggest influences have been my friends and my family. I have a close group of friends that have taught me a lot about myself and I know I can trust them with anything. My family has kept me focused on doing well in school and to enjoy being young. School is my first priority, but I don't let it interfere with my social life. Most of my time is spent hanging out with my friends. I don't play any sports anymore, but I used to play soccer and I still love playing it.
     After high school, I plan on going to college in any state but Illinois and study in the medical field. I love places like Colorado and California and want to live there eventually. I plan on getting a job where I can travel and earn a lot of money. I am quick to change my mind though and I'm sure I will several times when it comes to what I want to do after high school so until then I'm focusing on enjoying my last 2 years here.