sociopplwatcher

[sociopplwatcher]

End of semester reflection post: Sociology in Public Relations and my personal life

As a Public Relations major sociology is beneficial to me because you work with a variety clientele on various projects all from various locations and backgrounds of life. These groups of people are very diverse, across races, religious beliefs, genders and disabilities. Sociology teaches you to drop the stigmas and how to approach unique matters on a micro and macro level. When you’re looking through a sociological lens, you will realize how to be tactful in handling press releases, social media and when handling people in general. Most public relations jobs are extremely culturally diverse since you could be working with global customers you’ll need an understanding of their traditions and the social norms within their country as well. You will see sociology being beneficial in how one group of people may be affected more than another group based on how you handle things. Ultimately your approach could unintentionally exclude or upset a group of people that you are trying to help.

 Sociology teaches us that even if we don't believe we aren’t being discriminatory we may be subconsciously or that we could be participating in institutionalized racism or have advantages based on our skin color or economic standing that we may be oblivious too compared to someone else. By taking a Sociology class, you can enhance your critical thinking skills and put into practice an approach that will benefit a variety of people long term. It teaches you how to articulate your message in a well-thought-out manner while listening and trying to understand the culture, diversity, and message of the clients you will be working with. It teaches us that if we do have a benefit over someone else we can be a voice to advocate for the changes and justices that are more balanced for them. Public relations often involve various causes meant to balance equality and help those who need it. It allows us to utilize the diversity we have in our world and teaches us to appreciate one another for these differences.

 As far as my personal life I’m finding myself thinking about things in even more ways than I did previously. I’m a self-proclaimed overthinker so for me to say that I’m thinking even more about topics that I once didn’t is “different” for me. Sociology even has me breaking down the meaning behind billboards, television shows, and even songs I once enjoyed I’m finding myself more critical of. I connected to a lot of the topics this semester but the two I most connected to where the social deviance project and gender chapters. The social deviance simply because I am “random”. Things others don’t consider normal I may do anyways just to see how people respond or to see if I can make someone smile. I’ve known first hand what it’s liked to be judged on my appearance or standing up for things when others haven’t, even if it means standing alone.

I also connected a lot with gender and the feminism aspect of that chapter due to being female it was hard not to relate in many ways. I personally found myself placed in some of these gender-specific roles and being criticized and questioned when I stepped out of the “normal” role. As someone who has experienced sexism first hand. It was relatable as far as how the media puts pressure on women and often overlook discrepancies amongst genders. I can say that I am leaving this class with a reminder that globally speaking we are all so very diverse not just physically but emotionally. Our experiences throughout our lives help mold us and our believes and what we project back into the world. Despite trying to fix many of these inequalities I’m not too hopeful at the moment that they’ll truly be fixed. This class has made me slightly more cynical, to be honest. I am however reminded I have a voice and a platform to speak up, so I can stand up for what I feel is right and be an advocate for those who don’t. I only hope others speak up and look at things critically to the point we also don’t make everything into a label and only aggravate an already fractured world. The world will never be perfect but maybe in time, small changes will accumulate into a much-needed difference that we need to solve some of these problems and to prevent history from repeating itself. 

Source:

Hightower, J. (n.d.). [Speak up]. Retrieved December 5, 2017, from http://i.quoteaddicts.com/media/q1/1244780.png

[sociopplwatcher]

My Advice to Future Sociology Students

If you are planning on taking sociology go into the course open-minded. Prepare to discuss controversial topics. Prepare to have your ideas and beliefs tested. Because you’ll be looking at things through a unique lens. You will be challenged, even if you consider yourself an open-minded person, you may not be as much as you thought. You’ll learn views and theories you may never have considered before and be forced to self-evaluate your own behaviors and thoughts at times. My personal experience will caution you not to take Global History 1500 to present day at the same time. The topics combined although complimentary made it very emotionally draining. It left me depressed frequently due to the nature of the topics. I also felt it made it a bit more challenging in the regard to how I was able to view certain chapters compared to other students because I was beginning to merge what I was learning about history into class.

The positive side to that is that it allowed to me to realize in what ways we really have progressed through history and areas that as a society we still are struggling with presently. There are some fun parts too, so don’t let me scare you away! The social norm breaching project was my favorite part!

What I’m taking away from this course most is that there really are no clear cut easy solutions when it comes to dealing with society and the people in it. There are many variables that will change and some of the changes we start making now may not be impactful until far into the future, maybe even beyond our lifetimes. Ultimately, we can’t make changes unless they acknowledge their existence and are aware of how society constructed some of these beliefs whether it was through poor science, religious beliefs or downright prejudices we’ve gained. Put in the work and stay open-minded. If you’re unsure ask questions and take some time to step back if you get overwhelmed or simply find a topic upsetting. As mentioned these topics aren’t easy to discuss at times. Always remain a bit of a skeptic and do some of your own research as well. In the end, you will have learned to expand your critical thinking skills and your views will have probably changed to seeing things through the lens of a sociologist. I strongly believe the class has changed my perception. Things that I didn’t put as much thought into before I seem to think about even more ways now. Good luck to all future students!

[sociopplwatcher]

Social movement stages: Human trafficking and what we can do to stop it.

Social movements form when awareness and outrage form and collect amongst groups with a common goal and interest and in mind. Social movements go through a four stage process but often stop and fizzle out during the coalescence phase. It requires a lot of work for them to become successful. Many movements change over time or even overlap one another. Occasionally movements start as one topic and if successful may progress to another movement. This is especially the case for eradicated diseases and medically related social movements.

A social movement I’m passionate about is the ending of modern day slavery. If you thought that ended when Lincoln abolished slavery in 1862 you were wrong. Human trafficking is occurring still present day and on the rise! It's occurring in the form of the sex trade and also the labor industry.

A few of the many Human Trafficking Facts:

80% of victims are under the age of 24 and most are female

Human Trafficking consists of approximately 80% sex trade and 19% labor exploitation. (Lehnardt. 2016). 

Globally an average slave only cost $90.00 USD

Sex slaves return a profit of 20x’s what original buyer purchased them for due to the pimp breaking their spirit and training them. According to a 2003 study in the Netherlands, a single slave has the potential to earn her pimp $250,000 USD per year. (Gresens.2010).

It’s believed as economic problems exist and so do the issues arising from immigration that the forced labor crisis’ will continue rising. Economics and wars play a huge role in human trafficking.

We have more slaves today than before slavery was abolished in 1862.

Organ harvesting is another reason people are trafficked (Approximately 1%)

The younger the victim generally the profit yield is higher.

It’s extremely profitable and on the rise. It’s considered a low risk with high return crime and many victims are targeted via online. Runaways, those with poor home lives and unsupervised minors are perfect targets.

Aids rates are increasing due to human trafficking in Africa.

300,000 children are recruited for acts of war crimes annually, often as young as 7 years old.

For more facts please view some of my references below!

What you can do & helpful resources to get you started:

Micro-level help:

Educate your children about online safety and monitor web activities: Most victims are under the age of 24 years old and often targeted via online

Donate money to causes and advocacy groups/ Support and share awareness with flyers and online post. https://humantraffickinghotline.org/type-trafficking/human-trafficking

Sign petitions to help pass new legislation and keep up to date with the laws and awareness dates: https://polarisproject.org/action/congress-stop-criminalizing-victims-human-trafficking

Don’t pay for sex/solicit prostitution- A pretty simple concept but one that overall helps keep those stuck in a position, where they can’t get out of it due to the demand for it.

Know how your purchases affect modern-day slavery due to forced labor. 

Take the quiz to see how your purchases could be a problem. Try to buy local and know where your items are sourced: http://slaveryfootprint.org/

Download the app traffick cam and take pictures of your hotel room. This site was founded in 2015 with the goal to create a network of hotels so investigators can utilize this database to help identify similar rooms or the location victims may have been taken. This will help in active investigations and allow for proof of where a picture was taken during a creation of ads or other crimes associated with trafficking. It’s a simple way you can help make a difference!: http://www.exchangeinitiative.com/

Macro Level for businesses and investors:

https://knowthechain.org/the-issue/ - Be aware of how your purchases and investing may be interesting human trafficking in the labor industry. Companies and investors, I’m talking to you! Please don’t fuel the problem.

https://madeinafreeworld.com/features - Monitoring and sustainable practice tools for corporations.

Together we can fight to change these alarming statistics. Although there are many social movements currently working on numerous ways to combat human trafficking there is a lot of work to be done. Modern-day slavery it’s an ever-growing issue that needs to be stopped.So, please join me on a topic that means a lot to me.

Sources: 

Cham, J. (2016). The 4 stages of reading the news [Digital image]. Retrieved December 7, 2017, from http://phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1934

Christiansen, J., M.A. (2009). Four Stages of Social Movements. Retrieved December 7, 2017, from Chritiansen, J., MA. (2009). Four Stages of Social Movements. Retrieved December 7, 2017, from https://www.ebscohost.com/uploads/imported/thisTopic-dbTopic-1248.pdf

Gresens, M. E. (2010). A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern Day Slavery (review). Human Rights Quarterly 32(2), 457-464. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved December 7, 2017, from Project MUSE database.

Human Trafficking. (n.d.). Retrieved December 07, 2017, from https://humantraffickinghotline.org/type-trafficking/human-trafficking

Lehnardt, K. (2016, September 20). 56 Interesting Facts about Human Trafficking. Retrieved December 07, 2017, from https://www.factretriever.com/human-trafficking-facts

Malone, C. (2015). Stages of Social Movements [Digital image]. Retrieved December 7, 2017, from http://slideplayer.com/slide/6638317/23/images/10/Stages of Social Movements.jpg

Support The Solution: Challenge for Change. (n.d.). Retrieved December 07, 2017, from http://www.exchangeinitiative.com/11 Facts About Human Trafficking. (n.d.). Retrieved December 07, 2017, from

11 Facts About Human Trafficking. (n.d.). Retrieved December 07, 2017, from https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-human-trafficking

[sociopplwatcher]

Race whether by biological definition or by the sociological definition is another socially constructed view yet there is no denying that racism, prejudicial views, and bigotry still exists based on these differences. 

This can influence outcomes depending on location and the access to available resources that a higher established group within that society has. This is the case when it comes to racial and ethnic minorities despite the rapid population shift of ethnic minority groups and their rising to the majority group. The important thing to keep in mind is that race and ethnicity variables can change based on a “societies” definition and location, like in the case of the US Census. 

What we can’t however change is the biologically based definition of race, what we can do is be aware of how people are stigmatized and treated unfairly based on outdated ideologies and various social constructions of society that created a divide that is still felt present day. One of those ways we see this occur is racial inequality and the reasons African American’s can’t “get ahead”.

According to a Pew Research study, discrimination is seen as major reason blacks can’t get head, almost double that of whites beliefs as to why they can’t. Let’s break down some of the findings, shall we?

36% of whites shared the belief that the primary reason for lack of black progression was due to discrimination. When it came to factors of family instability and lack of good role models they numbers were pretty balanced between racial groups. Lack of motivation and hard work was another view considered but all races agreed it was at least a minor issue as to why blacks struggled to get ahead. 43% of blacks believed the lack of motivation was the cause and only 30% of whites felt it was lack of motivation. The school system and lack of a good quality school was another factor with a higher variance. Blacks at 75% and whites at 53% believing this is the main reason for being held back. These views amongst groups varied greatly by political beliefs and the education the respondent had. The education held by whites and seemed to change the outlook further. The more education whites had the less they held on to the belief that education was as big of a factor.

Individual racism verses Institutionalized perspective:

Overall most Americans agreed that individual racism was a bigger factor that of institutionalized racism at 66%. The African American group was split within a few percent on which factor was a bigger issue.40% believed it was due to institutionalized racism and the other 48% believed it was individual prejudice. 

Conclusion:

The most important take away is that 61% of American’s feel the country hasn’t done enough and needs to continue making changes to change the balance of inequality amongst racial groups.It’s a call to do better and act on behalf of everyone to lessen the divide felt here in the United States. 

Sources:

Conley, D. (2017). You may ask yourself: an introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W.W. Norton.

[Definition of Race biologically and socially]. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2017, from https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f8/05/ad/f805ad303171c74dd4a1cb4065240e8d.jpg

On Views of Race and Inequality, Blacks and Whites Are Worlds Apart. (2016, June 27). Retrieved December 08, 2017, from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/06/27/on-views-of-race-and-inequality-blacks-and-whites-are-worlds-apart/

[sociopplwatcher]

Body Empowerment- Anti Victoria Secret Fashion show

Sociology teaches us how gender is a societal concept that we create and its way more than male and female.  While I could discuss numerous aspects of the genderbread person I’ll be focusing on another way our predefined gender roles become influenced by society.

Genderbread Person 3.3

Men have always held a dominant status in our society leaving females seen as unequal’s and unfortunately many of us still experience this in some form of indifference in inequality almost daily. We experience this in many ways when it comes to jobs, education and even the roles we have inside our homes. One of the most unsettling things still is men who use their power over females and treat us as objects. We are often devalued, degraded and labeled. It’s bad enough the media tells us how we should look and act but we even deal with it from strangers who think these behaviors are ok.

Sexism hasn’t seemed to slow down. It seems to be continuing and even easier with the technology we have available. The ads available and television shows have a huge impact on what young girls and boys are seeing. We are teaching our daughters they are invaluable at times and only wanted based on appearance. We start them young with body confidence issues and keep the insecurities going by playing on normal human appearance that we socially constructed into “bad” or gross rather than normal and okay. We’re teaching boys it’s ok to treat females with harshness or harm them if you like them under a “boys, will be boys” mentality which doesn’t fix the issue at all and only allows for them to further treat females like we have no voice and simply don’t matter unless it’s for their needs. We are conditioned to these beliefs not only in based on our gender roles and stereotyping but by the misogynistic views felt as we enter the job force and are placed under a glass ceiling as we struggle to look for equal treatment to that of our male counterparts. The right to be taken seriously, have equal pay (although the gap is closing it still exist!) and the right to not have our bodies being what simply defines us as being “inferior”.

So, what are some women doing to help to change this message and build up other women? 

Women are working on spreading the message of body positivity and equality amongst all women. We are saying the world shouldn’t be defining us we are all beautiful and unique. 

I’m sure many of you tune in for the Victoria Secret fashion show. But, did you ever notice almost all the girls are built similarly? To combat some of the divides even amongst our own gender a group of females created an Anti-Victoria Secret Fashion show. When I say anti it’s important to understand that doesn’t mean they are against Victoria Secret or the show but are stating it doesn’t show average women and portray what most women look like. It leads to false expectations on how women should look according to society they’ve given us this “ideal” of what beauty looks like rather than promoting more acceptance and diversity. It stopped being about beauty is in the eyes of the beholder but more about equality amongst each other and promoting self love and body positivity in a world that places stipulations and views on what we “should be”. 

As most of us know these images can have a major effect on self-esteem and create body dysmorphia and lead to eating disorders especially amongst young girls trying to obtain the same appearance. The goal is to say we are all beautiful no matter your shape, color, or flaws. We are equal until society that keeps telling us we aren’t good enough.

Take a minute and watch the show. 

I planned on leaving this here as the video speaks for itself. But, then I read the comments underneath and I felt it was more important to speak out because this simply highlights the point of my post. One of how women are being treated differently and how we are presented verse men and attacked if we open our mouths to speak up and refuse to conform to these ideals. There’s a denial at times about how women are treated still.  When you read the comments online you can see we still clearly have an issue with women being treated harsher than men. At the time I’m posting this around 98% of the comments made were negative, crude and attacking these women's appearances and making assumptions about them. As a female this is disheartening and I’m using this platform to speak out. 

The comments made highlight we still have a huge problem in society when it comes to how females are treated. If comments are posted so blatantly online I struggle seeing how people can deny that this doesn’t spill over in the workforce, in the general public and while some people have come to casual accept it as part of society for many of us feminist it’s not ok and we don’t accept this. It’s an underlying prejudice that is real and often still overlooked due to the progression woman have made from past feminist movements.It doesn’t mean however that the problems have simply gone away or have been resolved.

Comments from males about this video created for body positivity:

“I like watching the freak show, bring back the circus”

“The models are tranny men”

“I thought they outlawed freakshows”

“All I see is a bunch of heavily painted (up to the level of disgust) lazy feminist crybabies who act like victims. No one owes you anything, so GFTO w/that bullshit!” 

“Is this a promotional for Type 2 diabetes?”

and several I can’t even post due to crudeness.

+ many more! 

Keywords saw numerous times: 

“Gross”, “Disgusting”, “Pigs” “Insecure”, “Jealous”, “short and stupid”, “Losers” and “Too lazy”.

Those are just a few of numerous comments made. If words were painted on your skin, how would you feel? Now imagine your mother, sisters, daughters, girlfriends, wives and then put yourself in that position too. This is what many of us woman go through daily. Still, think feminism only affects women? Wake up! This isn’t ok. These women, all of them deserve to be treated equal and looked great doing it. That was their night to shine! 

Assumptions are crazy especially knowing one of the models is 60 years old. Another is a mom of 2, nurse and fitness model, the ones who created show are fitness models/promoted athletes. All these women are so diverse and unique and to read these comments from men criticizing them. This is why feminism exists. My point being we choose to label each other and can’t allow society to define us, the act of being yourself is a form of rebellion. Be you anyways! 

Sources: 

[Bite Sized Fitness]. (2017, October 16). The Anti-Victoria’s Secret runway show proves all women can be angels. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/cyNvC9ckZuY

Conley, D. (2017). You may ask yourself: an introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W.W. Norton.

[Future is Female]. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2017, from https://weheartit.com/entry/279905898/via/lisaxmcl?context_type=inspirations&inspiration_id=138&page=2

Killerman, S. (2015, March 16). Genderbread Person 3.0 [Digital image]. Retrieved December 6, 2017, from http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2015/03/the-genderbread-person-v3/#sthash.ltYB9RVK.ygSFTbOq.dpbs

[sociopplwatcher]

The Irrationality of Rationalization:

This scene from an old iconic I Love Lucy episode is what comes to my mind when I hear Sociologist George Ritzer’s McDonaldization theory. 

The McDonaldization theory is a metaphor for Ritzer’s observations he’s seen within fast food restaurants and how they applied to society. Sometimes society’s goal at efficiency can simply become so efficient in areas that we start neglecting other areas. With every positive response, we have a negative somewhere and it’s a warning of sorts not to always rely on the easy, fast and efficient because it has it’s own downfalls too.

 The 5 main principles of McDonaldization:

Efficiency- We want it quickly and done in the most efficient manner.

Predictability- It’s the same no matter where you go.

Calculability - It’s not about quantity over quality

Replacement of human with the non-human-technology/machines

Control- We love to control things to rule out any uncertainties

Each one of these principles has pros and cons associated with his theory.

Pros and Con’s to McDonaldization:

Pros:

We can save time and/or customer can do some things themselves: such as self-checkouts, online banking verse in person and so on.

We have no surprises when it’s predictable. We know what to expect no matter where we go because it’s the same almost everywhere.

You can produce more which returns a profit faster when combined with efficiency

machines are faster than humans which also creates a better profit

Good for those who need help on the job or in society and thrive better with its help.(GPS, remoteness engine starters)

Machines get more done faster and are often cheaper long term then highering employees

Cons:

In this analogy, as it relates to the food we also come to be dependent on things that are more processed and not as great for us and in turn it can have consequences

We also end up missing out on new things which can be a downfall

We start focusing on production numbers rather than the quality of items or the people within the organization/society. We reduce them to numbers.

We use that “human” connection, people can lose jobs and be replaced easier. 

It also hinders social skills and personalization

It becomes robotic and thoughtless to those working on machines.Things become a habit and in ways dumbs us down as humans to the point it’s “too efficient” and that if we needed to think beyond easier task, we may struggle compared to when this task wasn't so automatic. 

Possible job loss due to technology

From the beginning of the agricultural revolution, changes would begin unfolding that would alter the world into the one we know now of capitalism. Technology and production would be a catalyst for change and led peasants to migrate to the cities during the industrial revolution. Jobs were being created and filled and the barter system began fading out and was replaced by new economic system termed bureaucracy. While the system was needed especially with larger scale businesses Weber also was frustrated with them.

Are We Trapped in an Iron Cage of Bureaucracy?

Weber's theory was based on the ideals that the bureaucratic system is based on one of a hierarchical system that controls the division of authority and power.

He believed we were trapped in an “Iron Cage”, stuck, lacking ideas due to this very mechanicalized and rational system of bureaucracy. 

3 characteristics of bureaucracies:

Clear Division of labor- Everything and everyone had a clear direction and place within the system

Authority was based on hierarchy system- The most influence and power at the top and the bottom had no say.

It was impersonal-  It was very number based and there was no regard to being personal.

Weber believed that the goal was more money in this system and it came at a great cost to tradition, values and the emotions of the people. Thus we were trapped in an iron cage and ultimately that bureaucracies would affect and define our social behaviors, traditions and we’d become emburdened within the system. 

Sources:

“The McDonaldization of Society.” YouTube, Sarah Jacobson, 24 Oct. 2016, youtu.be/3qyRfTzVRoY.

“Weber and the Iron Cage.” YouTube, Sarah Jacobson, 24 Oct. 2016, youtu.be/-hX4Ud-mqos.

Wallace, J. R. (2011, December 11). The Nature of Bureaucracy [Digital image]. Retrieved December 8, 2017, from https://image.slidesharecdn.com/bureaucracy-111211172110-phpapp02/95/bureaucracy-3-728.jpg?cb=1323624386

(2013, February 17). Retrieved December 08, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MLPmblePTw

[sociopplwatcher]

Social Stratification knowing how social class affects you.

When you hear the term social class you probably think of lower, middle and upper class. They have become the common indicators of where we fall within a society based on our wealth and income. Nowadays there are several models and categories to assign someone's social class position. I choose to utilize the Gilbert-Kahl Model since it shows the occupations that usually rank there, approximate wealth and roughly what percent of the population fits in each category. But, there’s much more to how sociologists evaluate the differences in social classes.

Defining the difference between wealth and income

Let’s define the difference between wealth and income since they help differentiate between inequalities amongst some of the social classes.Although they work aside each other they are different.Income doesn’t yield a return the way wealth does.You can have income and little to no wealth but in most cases, you can’t have wealth without a decent income to obtain it. It also is one way the wealthy are able to stay wealthy as investments yield return and can continue to grow.The wealthy tend to spend less and invest more while the income of other classes tends to be spent getting buy and surviving with little ability to move ahead.

Wealth is a person's net worth overall including all assets minus any of their liabilities and owed debts. Wealth is built up generally over a certain time frame, generally the course of one's lifetime. This includes savings, investment accounts, stocks, bonds, and property including your house, land, and vehicle.

Income, on the other hand, is more immediate. This is what’s earned for profit. It can come in the form of wages from a job, government assistance, or rental properties. It is more “free-flowing” and continually moving, it can, however, last for a short time rather than continual. Examples of this can be seen with job loss and more debt then income scenarios. 

Social Stratification exists in many societies and has all throughout history. The difference, however, was based on the social characteristics of that society and wealth was variable by different forms of hierarchy systems. The effects of these rankings today can be seen in a wide variety of ways. These system rankings placed on us by society sets us up for different life chances from the beginning.

The wealthy often have access to better schools, health care, tend to live longer and children tend to have higher wealth like the family they were raised in. Lower class and poverty-stricken families, however, don’t have access to great schools, may not have access to health care at all, don’t live as long and often are associated with higher crime rates. 

Social Mobility doesn’t mean we will be stuck forever! We do have some degree of mobility within the system. 

The good news however, is not all hope is lost. The bad news is for most of us we have little social mobility as far as going upward very much and some of us we will stay stuck as the wealth disparities continue to grow further apart between lower classes and the wealthy. Despite hard work and the American dream many will continue to struggle due to this balance of inequality. 

Most of our mobility will be done horizontally as a group or individually:

This would include things like an employee changing jobs, keeping the same title, but at a new location or a job change of equal skill set. The status is the same though. Converting to a new religion or moving to a new town, are also included in horizontal mobility.

Vertical mobility is the rise or fall between groups. This can be felt ascending or descending. This could be moving up in class due to a lottery win and good investing or going down in social class after losing your job and ending up homeless. 

Both sets of mobility can be affected by the economy. Structural Mobility will be felt most on the individual level. It effects everyone due to the changes in the economy. The depression, housing bust, and other large-scale economic issues come in to play. As debt keeps rising for the middle class so does the lack of upward mobility. The wealthy are able to stay wealthy because changes don't affect them as much due to their wealth that's available.

What affects social mobility and creates more inequality?

As the industrialization age began and technology continued to advance more disparities began to appear. 

Globalization formed enhancing the rise of trade and goods that could be produced and shipped globally. This required migrant labor and produced multinational businesses. This was the beginning of how wealth and inequality began forming social economically with varying degrees of difference.

 Since the United States is founded on the American dream we have to take into account inconsistencies. Education, Income, and occupational prestige have a huge part in social economic status. Those who have all three items tend to generally be better off financially. However, there are other factors to keep in mind when thinking sociologically like how racism, bigotry, and misogyny all play a part in fueling these differences as well as our choices and sacrifices towards our own personal progression.

Sources:

Conley, D. (2017). You may ask yourself: an introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W.W. Norton.

Robert Kiyosaki- Philosophy of the Rich [Digital image]. (2015, March 19). Retrieved December 8, 2017, from https://thefranklinsociety.com/how-to-become-rich/

Sills, S. J., Dr. (n.d.). G Robert Kiyosaki- Philosophy of the Rich [Digital image]. (2015, March 19). Retrieved December 8, 2017, from https://thefranklinsociety.com/how-to-become-rich/ ilbert-Kahl Model of the Class Structure [Digital image]. Retrieved December 8, 2017, from https://uncgsoc101.wordpress.com/module-6-social-stratification/ 

 Solomon, M. R. (2015). Social Mobility [Digital image]. Retrieved December 8, 2017, from http://slideplayer.com/slide/4728773/15/images/18/Social Mobility Social Mobility: Horizontal Mobility:.jpg

[sociopplwatcher]

Deviance and Norm Breaching

Learning about social control and deviance was my favorite section of class this semester!

First I want to go over some helpful key terms:

Social deviance = is anything outside social norms. These are rules we know we should abide by and generally do as part of normal behavior. Items like not committing murder or sneezing and making sure to cover your nose and mouth.

Informal deviance: Fractions committed that aren’t punishable by law but they are “just wrong”. These are actions that will warrant stares, glares, maybe comments or rude gestures if someone would see you commit the offense. A great example is leaving a bathroom without washing your hands or sampling grapes at the grocery store while shopping for produce.

Formal Deviance: Crimes that are punishable by societal standards and often written in the law.

Deviance is a broad term and consist of a wide range of beliefs that as a society we may see differently from each other on an individual level. Or we may see broader on a macro level in an event like geography. But overall there are common connections.

Most of these deviances will offer you a different reaction that’s “punishable” and can be seen differently based on an area your located. Rules can change and will vary. Normally murder is a bad thing but what if it’s committed in the act of self defense or saving a group of other people? Is the person who committed the murderer still seen as badly if he did it to save many others? What if he committed the crime after an argument with the person he killed and simply had one too many drinks beforehand? As you can see in my example the situation changed affecting the outcome. Society has placed stipulations and these views on us and even if it’s a disapproving glance we will often modify our behaviors to conform and not be seen a certain way that's associated as “negative” or wrong.

Let’s think of society as a human body:

The Functionalist theory tells us each organism will serve its own unique purpose. Example: The state you live would be the brain and decision-making center. It would dictate to other areas the laws and what needs to be done and the other areas would then implement them. These “organs” work together much like a society where we’ve come to depend on each other to regulate and keep things working smoothly as a country. Even when there are hiccups there are sanctions to keep “everyone in place”. These vary based on laws, written guidelines or even those looks of disapproval I mentioned previously. This helps guide us based on what’s expected where we live and become part of our societal norms.

What happens when you don’t abide by these rules and rebel against the system? Of course, that will vary based on what you did. Let me share some of my experiences with you from our social norm breaching assignment. For this assignment, we were given a topic list of offenses that are generally seen as less than “normal” by society and our job was to do some field research and document how we were responded too. While I won’t be sharing all of my experiences I’ll be sharing some pictures and once again saying how this personally was very relatable to me. At the time we were doing this assignment it was close to Halloween which made this perfect for an idea I had! I recruited my husband and off to Target we went. Our mission was not to run just one experiment but a few! Before we even started I was stared at by a woman. My only guess is because I do my makeup differently and at that time my hair was a teal color. You get mixed reactions with that and even stopped and treated differently by people for something as simple as different colored hair. But, I digress.

I hoped in the shopping cart and planned on doing most my shopping from inside it with a unicorn helmet on my head, feet dangling over the cart and my poor husband pushing me around. I wish I could say this isn’t “normal” for us. But, alas I was in my element and have a habit of being the deviant oddball people glare at. See, what you don’t know about me is I’ve finally learned to be myself in this crazy world and for me, that means testing my boundaries and occasionally those around me. After a while, I even got out and started dancing with my lovely unicorn head on. The reactions were diverse amongst those there.

How did people react during my one hour and 15-minute shopping trip:

It began with an elderly couple looking at me oddly, but the elderly lady smiled. I looked at her husband and said, “safety first” and I can’t see with this on! Then I got a smile out of him too.

Teenagers…. well they are mean! In fairness, it could’ve been worse, but I was scowled at by one, complete with eye rolls not once but 3 times as she passed by! I even tried saying hi to her and waving. She wasn’t a friendly one.

Children are great. They are honest, bold, and not fully corrupted by all the societal influences yet. Though you can see that even at young ages they begin knowing what is or isn’t socially appropriate behavior based on their influences. One child spent a few minutes talking to me about his costume and introducing me to his little sister. His mom glanced over with an approving nod knowing her kids were ok and continued her shopping in that aisle. Another child wasn’t sure what to think. Here’s this grown woman in a cart wearing a unicorn head. He’d look away, look back, I’d catch him and eventually I smiled and waved, and he smiled back with a half wave almost as if he was confused by what’s going on. After he waved he didn’t turn back and look at me. I think I may have startled him a bit.

I ended up getting a British man in trouble. I said hello to him as he passed the aisle and his wife scolded him loud enough in the next aisle that we heard it just for saying hi back.

There were a few more glares, several people who didn’t notice at all and a few smiles and chuckles.

Without going further into my norm breaching experiments that day I will say I enjoyed seeing the reactions from others. I also enjoyed the acceptance of people or confusion. It was a reminder to me this class that we often become conditioned to act a certain way or allow others to dictate small matters and then we drive ourselves crazy based on stigma’s and labels that we give each other and sometimes those labels drive the behavior it’s intended to stop. While having some formal guidelines are great for a society as a whole deviance can also be needed at times to provoke change and fight against social injustice and inequality.  Much like our “body scenario” we need to make changes at times to keep it healthy. The same goes for society and the people in it.

Source:

Conley, D. (2017). You may ask yourself: an introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W.W. Norton.

[sociopplwatcher]

Social Interaction: What influences our interactions?

Socialization is a process of learning to interact with others and establishing behaviors and rules for us to follow based on these established interactions. It’s an ongoing process throughout our lives. These are “guidelines” presented to us by society teaching us how to function productively as a member of a society based on a collection of “standards” we are presented with. Ultimately your exposure to these interactions helps you develop your personality and who you become as a person.

When does Socialization Begin?

Socialization begins from the moment you are born. From the choice of name, your parents give you, to the outfit color you are dressed in and the toys we are given that have predefined gender roles. Most commonly your outfit color will match your name and biological anatomy of male or female and even that new toy will be associated with a role to perform or expectation of behavior associated with it. Meaning: That new doll defines you as female or that new toolset like dad’s is giving you expectations and ideas of behavior that is expected to go with the object. That’s right, it’s a social construct beyond basic biological anatomy that labels our genitalia and certain sexual traits. Before society gave it a meaning and association with a gender and certain roles and traits that we modernized it simply was just an object. 

Nature versus Nurture: The age-old debate. 

Which wins? The answer is both have a hand in how we develop. Our bodies, for example, may have a reaction to dust and result in sneezing. That's natural. Nurture however is when we are trained to cover our mouths and nose and when someone responds with a “bless you.” The nurture part may change when you are in a different location that doesn’t say “Bless you” or where you aren’t taught the same behaviors. There are limitations to both nurture and nature although they tend to work in conjunction with one another during socialization. Without socialization, the human aspect won't fully develop.

We are heavily influenced by agents of socialization. 

Primary sources: 

1- Family/siblings 

*Note: Demographics, social class, and even birth order can change roles and traditions.

2- School and other institutions: Now peers and teachers also influence us and possibly religious leaders.

3-Media: What is being presented in magazines, on ads, what are we hearing in music and what cultural aspects and changes are we acquiring that help to define us as we become consumers of this media source?

As time passes we experience other forms of socialization. 

Erving Goffman coined the term: Total Institutionalism: which consist of locations such as prison, branches of the military, monasteries, concentration camps, colleges, mental health facilities or any other location that’s designed to break down your currently defined identity and replace it with ones that are rigorous and the same as everyone around you. You wear the same clothing, eat the same foods, are conditioned to believe the same beliefs and undergo almost identical experiences. Events are planned, controlled and isolated from those outside this institution for an extended period of time.

Resocialization- This is the process by which a person learns to adapt to new norms, behaviors, and values. This occurs in several ways. Leaving a total institution and re-entrance back into society is a good example as it also is responsible for your desocialization process since your old values are broken down and the goal is to establish new behaviors. You are then left taking them into the world and learning how to apply them on the outside. Moving to a new country, traveling abroad, or a terrible accident where memory loss is experienced is just a few examples of ways you may need to learn to resocialize. 

Will your new behaviors alter your behavior outside of an institutionalized structure and could you easily conform back? As we seen many times in the prison system resocialization can be hard for many and an area where the system seems to be lacking in helping those through that process and often many reverts back to old habits and find themselves in a similar situation but with modified methods of how to commit a new crime.

As we continue socializing through life our experiences and exposure to events in our lives will vary on an individualized more personal level but we share a few things in common and one of them is based on the dramaturgical theory. 

In this theory, we are merely actors on a metaphorical stage.We have roles and scripts that we adhere too and our the location that it is occurring is our set. We all act in these roles and present ourselves to society based what we want the world to see or what we believed is expected of us.Many times our roles overlap and in some cases, we experience role strain while trying to achieve them. 

It’s important from a sociological point to understand how the macro level of socialization can change society as a whole based on these social cues and signals we give off even if unknowingly we set the stage for what we deem acceptable and “normal”. On the other hand, it’s also important to realize on an individual level that our experiences will vary greatly from a person to person yet collectively they coincide with one another since both factor in to how we come to define ourselves and percieve one another.

Sources:

[Agents of Socialization]. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2017, from http://slideplayer.com/slide/6327110/21/images/32/Agents of Socialization.jpg

Conley, D. (2017). You may ask yourself: an introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W.W. Norton.

Kubrick, S. (2017, May 26). Full Metal Jacket Close up [Digital image]. Retrieved December 8, 2017, from https://www.closeupfilmcentre.com/film_programmes/2017/close-up-on-stanley-kubrick/full-metal-jacket

Wray, P. (2016, May 19). JUDGEMENT DAY: PRISON TO PAROLE [Digital image]. Retrieved December 8, 2017, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/judgement-day-prison-parole-pamela-wray/

[sociopplwatcher]

What is Culture?

What is culture? 

It’s everything around us minus nature. All our beliefs, ideas, morals, traditions, the physical items we produce and the way we practice them often within a certain group or area. They are all human-produced. How would you define your culture? What we are experiencing we see as pretty normal, at least too us. Something as simple as an outfit, style of hair, type of music, certain body language or behavior could be taboo elsewhere. How would we fit in where things are not what we are used to? We could be violating the traditions and beliefs of a culture without knowing. How would we be perceived by them? Social norms vary based on location, sometimes even within the same society.

There are two primary types of culture:

Material culture is our physical items and things we mostly can touch. Nowadays that also includes our technological advancements. Like the cloud or wireless networks.

Our non-material culture is comprised of our beliefs, morals, customs and the norms within the location that we live. Pretty simple right? Well yes and no. Some items can take on both meanings. Mainly this is what tells us about a person’s positioning in that culture, or maybe it is an item used or associated with a punishment. An example could be a police car. It shows meaning and status of the police officer and if the lights and sirens are going off, it would imply someone did something to warrant getting pulled over and they are in trouble. In this case, the police car is both material and non-material culture due to its double meaning in our society.

The nice thing about culture is that it can change in different ways over time both in good and bad ways. some things may stay the same or completely take on a whole new meaning. We’ve seen this a lot with technological advancements over the years and fads and trends in clothing. Some things we look at as dangerous or harmful may have been common practice somewhere else. Foot binding is a great example of that or men originally being the ones to wear high heels, not women. Foot binding isn’t practiced anymore and for the most part, woman have taken over wearing high heels.

Things get slightly more complicated as we branch out further into culture. We have our subcultural groups that aren’t completely separate from the main group in society, but they have their own ideals and norms that make them stand out a bit since they have distinct characteristics in common. Some examples are bodybuilders, polygamy groups, those who participate in cosplay, BSDM groups, “metalheads”, goths, and so many more make up segments of our society.

Many items affect how we thrive in a society and our place in it. Patriarchal views, hierarchy, gender, race, location, education and social class are a few that come into play. It's important for us to remember not to practice ethnocentrism and be open to other cultures and reasons why they practice certain traditions or how their beliefs can vary compared to ours. Keep in mind the judgments and assumptions you’re making about them could easily be done by them as well. When traveling it’s important to understand another locations customs beforehand. 

It would be a cultural shock to travel to new Papa New Guinea and hear about polygyny or bride-prices being paid to cultivate exogamy and their goal of establishing allies based on this practice, in case a war would occur. Here in the states that is not practiced. Some people would be more accepting of these differences and while they understand they are different then our own practices they accept its part of the culture of this location.  The may even find similarities within in subcultures of our own. In this case, polygamy although it's not legal in the states it still is practiced by select groups. This practice is called cultural relativism. We can apply that even within our own culture when it comes to customs and traditions others have. With that said try to be open-minded and understanding of differences. There is a lot we can learn if we choose to be understanding rather then as critical and bias about our methods being “better” or the only way.

Sources:

Conley, D. (2017). You may ask yourself: an introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W.W. Norton.

Elements of Culture [Digital image]. (2010, June 27). Retrieved December 5, 2017, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/13964815@N00/4740150135/

Believed to be from an old Social Studies book

Papua New Guinea. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05, 2017, from http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Papua-New-Guinea.html

[Subculture scene]. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2017, from http://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Subcultures-header.png

[sociopplwatcher]

Be one of the good guys! 

“Men have to think about what role they play, and how they can use whatever platform of influence they have to make it unacceptable for men to act out in sexist and harmful ways, not because they are nice guys, helping out the women, but because they have a responsibility as men in a sexist society. If they don’t speak out, and they don’t use whatever influence they have, then in a sense, they are part of the problem.” ~ Jackson Katz

[sociopplwatcher]

Does wealth make people less compassionate? 

Conventional wisdom tells us that if you’re rich, you’ll probably give more money to charity. But studies show that middle-class and poorer people give higher proportions of their money to charity.

“When you lack institutional support, when you face threats in life, the only way to survive your environment is to connect with other people. You reach out to people more. You form strong social ties. You need them, and they need you,” explains Dacher Keltner, a psychologist at UC Berkeley.

“Humans have this wonderful ability to bond in the face of threat. That was the foundation of our theory.”

Keltner runs the social interaction lab at UC Berkeley, which studies how our bodies are wired to care about other people. For a while now, they’ve been looking at the vagus nerve, the longest bundle of nerves in the human body (vagus is Latin for “wandering”).

The vagus nerve starts at the top of the spinal cord, continuing to the heart and on down to the spleen and liver. 

“This nerve is the physiological nexus with compassion, and when it’s active most of us feel warm expansion, the feeling we get when we are moved emotionally. The more your vagus nerve fires, the more compassion you feel,” Keltner explains.

In his lab, Keltner showed participants photos of suffering and distress and these images activated the vagus nerve.

They also found that if somebody tells you about a sad experience — like their grandparent dying — your vagus nerve fires. The more compassion you feel, the stronger the vagus nerve response.

Dacher Keltner and his colleagues were interested in how social class may impact our levels of compassion. In one study, they found that if they show lower-class individuals images of suffering, they had a much stronger vagus nerve response than wealthier people. There was a literal compassion deficit produced by having more wealth.

But why would wealth and status decrease our feelings of compassion for others? After all, it seems more likely that having few resources would lead to selfishness.

They suspect that the answer may have something to do with how wealth and abundance give us a sense of freedom and independence from others. The less we have to rely on others, the less we may care about their feelings. This leads us towards being more self-focused.

Learn more about how our brains are wired for empathy and compassion:

[sociopplwatcher]

Copycat Crimes: Its relation to sociology, biology and psychology

 Research in all fields is very important in helping us to understand how the world works around us. Data can be examined and presented in many different forms. As a researcher or observer, you still need to look at things objectively at times. Unfortunately, sometimes data is lacking and often data needs retheorized and tested again since it can change over periods of time. Sociology is one of those where culture and our media influences come into play a lot and some patterns only have truly only begun to be established. Crime, media, and technology have been continuing to influence patterns of behavior over centuries but as of the twentieth century, we are only now really beginning to understand more of these patterns, which also leaves the need for more research to be conducted.

I choose to present a hypothesized peer-reviewed article on copycat crimes. Currently as of this article’s publishing in December 2016 they are waiting for the studies to be validated or rejected. In this case, the researchers are using empirical observations from previous related research. They utilized crime concepts across several biology, sociology and psychology theories to develop their own theory on why copycat crimes need to be evaluated differently and how these established patterns they noticed were affected based on what is presented by the media. They began using 23 previously established theoretical concepts rooted in these fields of study. They are doing qualitative research that can’t easily be answered by numbers. It requires an understanding of an individual level as well as large scale due to the all dependent variables.

Until recently copycat crimes weren’t looked at as separate entity from criminology itself or looked at much from a sociological perspective, despite being considered a social phenomenon. So, the research is a bit understated currently and is a prelude to studies in progress. This article examines ways to ask questions going into the future while utilizing the connections that were established so far from hypothesis and reviewing concepts stemming from related theories. While I’m not going to discuss all concepts of those fields of study in detail or all 44 hypothesized questions presented on how to proceed with further research, I will highlight important points that stood out to me in this article will state that the 3 facets to keep in mind are: criminogenic media, the copycat offenders themselves and the settings of the copycat.

      Highlights of this article and Key points

What is a copycat crime? In terms of this article, it’s important to see a copycat crime as a crime committed that was imitated initially by someone else. Even if the person established a new crime by changing details in pattern or behavior, it is a form of imitation and “role play”. The actions of the criminal must have incorporated a large part of crime they’ve seen presented within the media into their own offense.

Note: Items such as riots, school shootings, and terroristic acts also were included in these behavioral patterns.

Crime could be real or a fictionally presented crime presented in the media. Audio, visual, print and newer media forms make up the media presence considered.

Questions to consider: It is believed that criminal behavior is a learned social behavior. If so how does the media affect a person’s willingness to commit a copycat crime?

Imitation: This stems across the studies of biology, sociology, and psychology and is a necessary element of copycat crimes meaning we copy the beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral patterns of others.

Theory of mind- The understanding that imitation is a part of the normal socialization process. It also allows for an understanding of failed attempts at a crime and an idea of how to correct them.

Self-efficacy- Most important factor in learned social model theory. Does the copycat think they can get away with it and how they perceive their own ability? Will they be rewarded even if short-term by (money, status, or gang entry) and how do they perceive a punishment if negative.

Note- Copycats tend to underestimate what their punishment would be based on the media presentation. There simply is what the media presents, what the criminal observes and what the real punishment is. Observations will vary based on media, exposure length and can coincide with methods meant also to deter crime, which can also be counterintuitive.   

Hypothesis highlights

Unsuccessful crimes should produce the least amount of copycat crimes

Crimes producing strong emotions even if portrayals of them will produce more copycat crimes

The media’s representation of similarities in criminals and relatability of consumer will produce more crime from those groups. (How similar are their age, race, and gender.) I’m especially interested to see how this turns out in future sociological based studies on crime and race.

Crimes portrayed as “heroic” or made to look appealing with high status or a reward or some sort will produce more copycats.

Pre-established offenders will adopt new methods of behavior due to “risk of arrest” and look for methods and techniques to reduce risk in the future.

Several characteristics of copycat offenders

High intelligence= Learning the steps of criminal process or act

Lower Intelligence= The ones who agree the crime is a good idea

Lower social status, low social mobility, less education, and being less empathetic are more likely to become a copycat. Many have lower self-esteem, low self-control, and often seek rewards or have high dependency needed for an easier task.

 Location factors to consider

Family and neighborhood settings affect crime level more than cultural setting due to establishing the criminals reward vs punishment notion. Exposure early on to law abiding models helps diffuse some copycat behavior Societies with crimes seen as “rewarded” or sporadically inconsistent and have punishment/rewards that vary greatly will have a higher rate of copycat offenders.

I encourage anyone interested to go look at the full article if this is of interest you. It was a bit long but an interesting read. It will indeed be interesting to see how new media and increased immersion in all forms of it alters criminal behavior and copycat crimes especially combined with new social scripts presented.

Sources:

Surette, R. (2016). Copycat Crime and Copycat Criminals: Concepts and Research Questions. Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, 18(1), 49-78. Retrieved November 30, 2017, from http://www.albany.edu/scj/jcjpc/vol18is1/4%20Raymond%20Surette.pdf

ISSN 1070-8286

Book Citation: Conley, D. (2017). You may ask yourself: an introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W.W. Norton.

[sociopplwatcher]

                                  Think like a sociologist 

If you stumbled across my page by accident you may be wondering what the heck is sociology and why should I be thinking like a sociologist? In simple terms, sociology is the study of human behavior and society. The goal of sociology is to make the familiar strange. Almost as if you were looking at the world for the first time. What we consider normal and may take for granted sociologist observe by looking through a unique lens. 

A sociological viewpoint tries to understand thoughts and patterns on a micro and macro level. But, mostly they evaluate the macro level of society. While we play a part in the big picture we really are only a tiny piece of the micro level in society. Sociologist look at the pieces that connect all of us into one larger puzzle and study how these factors influence each other. I stumbled across a video that I thought would help explain it a bit better. Take a minute to focus on the lyrics and images. The message becomes easier to understand and to see we are all connected in some way, but how and why do we do the things we do?

If you want to think like a sociologist, you’ll need to rely on these 3 main processes of thinking.

Symbolic interactionalism-  What are the symbols and connections from those around us? How do we act in response to these cues and behaviors around us? Why do we stop at stop lights or what’s the meaning of a wedding ring? To one person it may mean a symbol of love and another it could be a financial burden.

Functionalism- How do things relate or do we function overall as a society? How does family, school, or the country/state you live in play a role? Will you be limited in opportunities due to these items? Do, we cooperate and work together to function smoothly, much like a healthy body where each organ plays a part in an overall system. According to Emile’ Durkheim’s theory and Herbert Spencer, they believed we all played a big part in overall society.Each unit within a society is needed to function properly as a whole.

Conflict theory- How does one thing affect another? What does one person’s wealth have to do with having power over someone that’s poor? How do we handle issues when they arise? Our functioning body occasionally gets “sick”. So, what happens when a conflict arises or things stop functioning as well? Karl Marx is the sociologist credited with this theory. Marx wanted to know what drove social change when power, wealth and social class aren’t evenly distributed. What happens within society especially during a time when capitalism was on the rise and the balance of power becomes so unequal?

But, where would we be without Max Weber’s work explaining how bureaucracy and a hierarchal system play a hand in the outcome of things? His worries about the rationalization of society would lead him to focus on 3 main aspects which included the government, social class and your status within this system. Can you be a lower class and higher status?

Are you starting to see what sociology is? Stay tuned for my next post.

Sources:  

Conley, D. (2017). You may ask yourself: an introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W.W. Norton.

[Elisa Padilla], (Nov 22, 2012), What is Sociology? [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/e5pp_fZDU8I 

Sociological Theory Cool Story Bro [Digital image].(2014).Retrieved from http://sa21fieldworks.blogspot.com/2014/03/sociological-perspective-memes.html

[sociopplwatcher]

Hello Everyone! 

This semester I choose to take a sociology course. As part of our final project for class, we are supposed to create a Tumblr account showcasing topics we discussed. So, I’ll be sharing my journey and take on what I learned and who knows maybe I’ll keep this account and continue to post in the future once this assignment is complete. I am currently a public relations/communications major but human behavior is something that has always attracted my interest. I’ve always been one to ask the why’s, what’s and have you thought about it this way type of questions. I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you all and hope you stick around. 

Oh, and if you are wondering how I came up with my username, it’s simply because I enjoy people watching and seeing how we interact with each other. I thought it would be fitting for a course in sociology and when dealing with human behaviors.