jamol4

[jamol4]

Fieldwork Assignment #13

Throughout the course of my day I usually Interact with my mom and my little sister first. In the relationship between my mom and I, my mom has the power. I currently live with my mother and she pays all the bills. However now since I am older I buy my own clothes and things I need for school. Between my little sister and I the power dynamic is not as clear cut as it used to be. When we were younger I was in charge of taking care of her when my mom wasn't around but now she is self sufficient and I only offer my support if she needs or wants it. 

Usually after I wake up and get ready I text my boyfriend. In the relationship between my boyfriend and I, the power is shared. My boyfriend has a car and I don't so he gives me rides whenever I need them. In that scenario he has the power. Both me and my boyfriend rely on each other love and support.

Once I get to school I interact with my professors. In this relationship my professors have the power because they have the knowledge I need in order to be successful. After class ill usually talk to my friends. In the relationships  with my friends the power is shared because both parties rely on each other to keep certain information confidential and support one another.

After school I usually go to work, I have 2 jobs. At my first job I just got a promotion so now the power dynamic between me and my coworkers has changed. I lead and manage certain activities at work so I have more power . At my second job me and my coworkers have shared power.

[jamol4]

Fieldwork Assignment #11

My name is Manila Luzon. I was born in 1951 in a city called Cavite, located in the mainland of the Philippines. My life in the Philippines was great and family oriented. My dad was a U.S Marine and my mom stayed at home. Our family was relatively wealthy, we had 2 maids and many of my immediate family were doctors and lawyers. In the Philippines I was a licensed Midwife. In 1972 I immigrated to the U.S I was 20 years old. My two sisters and one of my brothers had already been in the U.S for a little while. Truthfully I didn't want to go but everyone was telling me I should. My first night in the U.S I was staying at my brother and his wife's house with my mom. His wife was a filipina and she was a director of a mental institution. My mother didn't want us to look lazy so we woke up at dawn before they got up for work and cooked breakfast. My first years in the states were very shocking I surprised at the stark cultural differences. When I came to the states I could no longer practice as a midwife without becoming an RN. I enrolled in a nursing program at Morgan State University but I didn't like it. I eventually dropped out and started working at different health clinics as a phlebotomist. Part - Time I worked at an Italian restaurant downtown where 2 of my sisters works. One of my sisters was a chef and the other was a salad maker at this restaurant.  Time went on and I decided to try school again I went to Strayer University to learn Short Hand but I wasn't performing well because it was like learning a whole new language so I left school once again. Time passed and I often thought about returning to the Philippines but after two marriages and a son who I Love dearly I couldn't see myself going back. In the Philippines family means everything and we don't abandon our family.

[jamol4]

Fieldwork Assignment #10

Chocolate bars make a long journey before ending up in our local grocery and convenience stores. In my research I found that chocolate bars and their main ingredient; cocoa affect the global economy in many ways. The negative consequences of chocolate bars are due to a variety of globalization factors namely flexible accumulation, uneven development and time-space compression. In the west, the immense poverty and conflict of the areas that produce the ingredients for our chocolate bars is hidden by catchy jingles and effective light-hearted branding.

The typical ingredients of a chocolate bar include:

Cocoa

Skim Milk

Palm oil

Corn Syrup

Salt 

Egg Whites

 Cocoa grows from pods in a tree. In order to produce the chocolate bars we know and love there are several steps that must be done. When the cocoa pods are ripe farmers pick them from a tree and split them open gathered just the bean. Farmers allow the bean to ferment over several days and then the beans are laid to dry. The beans are then bagged and purchased by a middleman who takes the beans to a short holding warehouse which is usually located in a big city nearby. From there multinational corporations buy the beans from these warehouses and they are shipped out the country to factories that make chocolate products. The cocoa beans are ground into cocoa nibs and made into a chocolate liqueur. This liqueur is then mixed with various ingredients to create chocolate products. 70% of cocoa beans are produced in four West African countries: Côte d'ivoire , Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon. Côte d'Ivoire alone accounts for 40% of the world's cocoa. Although this is a large number, many Cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire are owned and operated by extended families. The farms are about 4-7 acres and require extensive care.

Because of demand, greed, and unstable conditions in Côte d'Ivoire the process of trafficking children into working on cocoa plantations have been on the rise. Children ranging from 8-18 usually from neighboring countries are coerced into travelling to Côte d'Ivoire (primarily for education) and then upon arrival realize they have been sold into slavery. Although attempts have been made to stop this problem the action still persists.

Côte d'Ivoire cocoa farming have been the root of many other conflicts and tragedies as well, such as the one mentioned in the textbook. Multinational corporations play a big part in the politics associated with the countries they buy cocoa from. Some of the largest chocolate producing companies are Mars Incorporated and Mondelez international.

Demand for Cocoa is high and Supply is limited, which means the market price of cocoa is relatively high  However producers only see a small portion of the actual value of their hard work. Many cocoa farmers are poor and have never even had a chocolate bar. So how is it that multinational corporations make billions a year while cocoa producers make little to no profit? The answer is exploitation which is truly what the main ingredient of our chocolate bars is.

[jamol4]

Fieldwork Chapter 12: The Global Economy

The Travels of a Chocolate Bar (can be found on page 477)

You will trace the origins/write a biography of a chocolate bar. What are the ingredients? Where do they come from? Start with Cocoa, the primary ingredient and Cote d’Ivoire, which produces more than 40 percent of the world’s cocoa.

The text has questions that you can ask yourself while completing this assignment. Please read and consider these questions carefully. If there are any questions feel free to email or message me as always!

[jamol4]

Fieldwork Assignment #9

https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/interviewers-judge-new-employees-social-status-based-on-accent/

This article examines the way that a person's accent or manner of speaking shows employers and others their socioeconomic status. The article states that a person would only need to say 7 words before their socioeconomic status is accurately determined. They conducted this research by having 20 prospective employees for a entry-level position at Yale University send in a short recording of them talking. These recordings were listened to by 274 people who had previous hiring experience. The listeners were asked to guess the person's social status, professional qualities and the starting salary they would offer the candidate. Those with perceived higher social status were offered a larger starting salary.

The topic of this article exemplifies Bourdieu’s theories of social class, namely, cultural capital and habitus. Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital refers to the collection of symbolic elements such as skills, tastes, posture, clothing, mannerisms, material belongings, credentials, etc. that one acquires through being part of a particular social class. Bourdieu's theory of habitus refers to the physical embodiment of cultural capital, to the deeply ingrained habits, skills, and dispositions that we possess due to our life experiences. Unfortunately this article further proves that humans are constantly judging each other based on these concepts.

[jamol4]

Fieldwork Assignment #8

My Kinship Diagram was a bit complicated to create because of the unconventional dynamics of my family. My mother and father were never married and I have a different father then my sister. On my father's side my uncle has 4 children by different mothers so I just had to include my favorite cousin. Because of my unique last name I was able to trace my family tree up to the early 1800s during slavery. I have my mom's last name Molock. Molock is her dad's last name and our family is really big. The first records of Molock’s in Maryland was in Dorchester County, Maryland where my ancestors are from. My family tree starts with a man named Abraham Molock who I was able to find manumission documents for. My family was free and in America long before slavery was abolished in 1865. I wanted to include this in my kinship diagram.

[jamol4]

These aprons are coded for gender by color. Pink is meant for girls and blue is meant for boys.

This women’s restroom sign is coded for gender with the drawing of a dress.

These two products show how children's blankets are coded for gender. The girl is a pink mermaid which connotes gender stereotypes about women (dainty, pink, mysterious) and the boy is a blue shark which connotes gender stereotypes about men (aggressive, tough, blue).

This ad plays on the gender ideals for women with extreme sexist undertones. The phrase “Think like a man” implies that gender influences mental capacity and that men have better mental capacity. This post was meant to celebrate women's day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOToMeTI6eY vs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xom8K9-od48

Both of these advertisements are gillette commercials one coded for masculinity and another coded for femininity. Although the razors are almost identical and serve the same purpose the venus commercial includes petite hairless women on a beach which is the gender ideal for women. The gillete mach 3 commericial shows a buff pilot who assuumilingy just finished having sex with a lady-- the ideal man. Both commercials sell the gender ideal for men and women.

[jamol4]

Fieldwork Assignment #6

White Supremacy

This is an image of the Ku Klux Klan founded in 1865, after the civil war they terrorized non whit groups for centuries.. They were founded on their belief that the white race is superior to all mankind. They would demonstrate this by protest, peculiar cross burning demonstrations and lynchings. As antiquated and abnormal as their ideals are the group still functions today out of the claim of free speech.

Microaggression

A microaggression is daily language that is offensive to a marginalized group. Microaggressions are often based on stereotypes. In this image someone told this woman that she is the “whitest” black person they know this statement includes stereotypes about both whiteness and blackness.

Miscegenation

Miscegenation is race mixing. Throughout the history of America miscegenation was frowned upon and even illegal til the case of loving v Virginia which made interracial marriages legal.

Jim Crow

This image is an example of some of the signage you would see during the time of Jim Crow laws. These laws separated American citizens by race and forbade the same facilities for the races.

Nativism

This image is an example of nativism which is the belief that people who are not native to the land are inferior in this case white Americans are protesting for a wall to keep Latin American citizens out.

Phenotype

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haw3ROMgP7g

This video is an examples of how phenotypes shape race in Brazil . The video shows people of the same family describing themselves as different rabe most of this is based on phenotype. In Brazil there are over 100 races.

[jamol4]

Human Orgin Concept Map

[jamol4]

Fieldwork Assignment #4

https://youtu.be/7nWOTap20pw

The song I chose to write about is called “Back That Azz Up” by Juvenile. This song is arguably one of the most popular hip hop songs of the millennium known for its catchy chorus and memorable intro the song reflects power, gender, and dialect. The lyrics show dialogue between the male rapper and him telling women around him to dance with him.

“The n*gga with the money, yeah, don't act funny, yeah”

This lyric reflects power because money means power.

“Girl, who is you playin wit? “

This lyric reflects dialect and is also an example of African American vernacular English. Instead of the artist saying “who are you playing with” he says “who is you playing wit” to show his southern roots.

“A smooth little broad “

The term “broad” is used to describe women. It is considered a derogatory term and emphasizes how women are objectified throughout the song.

Girl you workin' with some ass, yeah, you bad, yeah

Make a nigga spend his cash, yeah, his last, yeah

Hoes frown when you pass, yeah, they mad, yeah

You gon' ride in the Jag, yeah, with that head

You could smoke or buy a bag, yeah, of grass, yeah

Got money I can flash, yeah, and trash, yeah

I'ma big timer nigga, yeah, pull the trigger, yeah

A playa hata flipper, yeah, grave filla, yeah

I be slangin' wood, yeah, out the hood, yeah

Let it be understood, yeah, it's all good, yeah

Got a nigga schemin' large, yeah, on the hard, yeah

A smooth little broad, yeah from out the projects

A nigga do a trick, yeah, on the dick, yeah

You claimin' you want a picture, that ain't shit, yeah

The nigga with the money, yeah, don't act funny, yeah

Got birds and I'm runnin', yeah, bout a hundred, yeah

Girl, you looks good, won't you back that azz up

You'se a fine motherfucker, won't you back that azz up

Call me Big Daddy when you back that azz up

Hoe, who is you playin wit? Back that azz up

Girl, you looks good, won't you back that azz up

You'se a fine motherfucker, won't you back that azz up

Call me Big Daddy when you back that azz up

Girl, who is you playin wit? Back that azz up

Girl, you looks good, won't you back that azz up

You'se a fine motherfucker, won't you back that azz up

You got a stupid ass, yeah, make me laugh, yeah

Make a nigga want to grab that, autograph that

I'm sweatin' in the drawers, yeah, hard and long, yeah

Want to walk it like a dog, yeah, break you off, yeah

Get - mine you gon' get yours, yeah, that for sure, yeah

You fuckin' with my nerves, yeah and to the curb, yeah

I know you bitches know, yeah, and it show, yeah

But a nigga got some more, yeah, I'm out to flow, yeah

Fresh brought some shit, yeah, and his bitch, yeah

We be making hit, yeah after hit, yeah

Them titties sittin' nice, yeah, I want to bite, yeah

I could fuck you right, yeah, all night, yeah

Want to bring it to my house, yeah, on the couch, yeah

Knock the pussy out, yeah, get them out, yeah

I want to see these hoes, yeah, bend it low, yeah

Let me run it in the hole, yeah, and let me know, yeah

Girl, you looks good, won't you back that azz up

You'se a fine motherfucker, won't you back that azz up

Call me Big Daddy when you back that azz up

Hoe, who is you playin wit? Back that azz up

Girl, you looks good, won't you back that azz up

You'se a fine motherfucker, won't you back that azz up

Call me Big Daddy when you back that azz up

Hoe, who is you playin wit? Back that azz up

I know you can't stand it, dick bandit

Done landed, see your drawers handed

Freak to get it y'all, game spit at y'all

Put the bitch on the wall and I hit it y'all

Lookin' kind of lonely, I'm feelin horny

Put the dick "in the Middle" like "Monie"

Big thick plumber chick, and a Hummer chick

Beat the dick like a motherfuckin' drummer chick

See dat puddy-cat? Look at dat

I love a fuckin hoodie-rat, that's a fact

You'se a motherfuckin' get it girl, quit it girl

I'm the nigga, the nigga, nigga, that hit it girl

Girl, you looks good, won't you back that azz up

You'se a fine motherfucker, won't you back that azz up

Call me Big Daddy when you back that azz up

Hoe, who is you playin wit? Back that azz up

Girl, you looks good, won't you back that azz up

You'se a fine motherfucker, won't you back that azz up

Call me Big Daddy when you back that azz up

Hoe, who is you playin wit? Back that azz up

Now now now now now

After you back it up, then stop

Then wha-wha-what, drop drop it like it's hot

Now after you back it up, then stop

Now, wha-wha-wha-what drop it like it's hot

Now drop it like it's hot, drop drop it like it's hot

C-M-B make you drop it like it's hot

Drop it like it's hot, drop drop it like it's hot

Drop it like it's hot, drop drop it like it's hot

Ha

[jamol4]

Fieldwork Assignment #3 Mapping a Block

Mapping a Block

Select an interesting location for your mapping project. You may choose to map a block defined as an area bounded on four sides by streets or the 4 corners of an intersection. Alternatively, you may choose to map an outdoor public space, such as a park or campus quadrangle, or an indoor space, such as a shopping mall or your college’s student center. Focus on what is inside the space and spend an hour sitting and observing, taking careful field notes of your observations (infrastructure, people, sounds, smells, etc).

 Answer the following questions:

 What location did you choose? What drew you to it? Describe what you found.

 What did you notice in your observations that you’ve never noticed before?

 What is absent that you might have expected to find?

 Visit the same block or space at a different time of day or different day of the     week. How do your observations vary?

[jamol4]

Tuskegee Experiment

The Tuskegee experiment is a perfect example for each of the 3 topics because it relates to doing no harm by not risking one’s life for data. Next relates to obtaining consent because the blacks never knew how or why they were dying meaning the government never informed them of the disease they were carrying and how they got it.  Lastly, it connects to Anonymity because now the whole nation knows whos carrying the disease and where they came from, which could lead to negative outcomes in the long run. 

[jamol4]

Tuskegee Expirement

The Tuskegee Syphillis was unethical for many reasons.

Participants did not give informed consent to the expirements. They purposely harmed the people involved.The research was not anonymous.

These are all ethical violations and this expriment caused harm and distrust within the black community and medical professionals.

[jamol4]

Fieldwork Assignment #2

This weeks field assignment taught me a lot about my compulsive spending habits and how much of a consumer mindset I have. When I learned of this weeks assignment I felt a little embarrassed because I know that often times I buy more things than I need. I’m very interested in fashion and Lifestyle items. The things I spend the most money on are clothes and technology. I consider myself to be frugal but reflecting on my purchases I think I just try to save the most money but buy the most things which isn’t necessarily better for the environment. It is mostly a selfish desire. I also learned I have a hoarding problem. A lot of the things I own, I do not or can not use anymore, For example, I have three phones; of which I use only 1. All three phones are perfectly fine IPhones which I could easily sell or recycle but instead I just hold on to them. This assignment has now inspired me to donate all the clothes & shoes I can’t fit and also sell my old phones.

[jamol4]

Human Hair Trade Post #4

In the communities where the hair is produced there is usually a lot of poverty. There have been many reports of women being targeted and force to have their hair removed by violence.

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/venezuela-thieves-stealing-women-s-hair-gunpoint-497714

Human Hair extensions are consumed globally for various reasons. Some people use hair extensions as an accessory to add to their look and others do it because of hair loss.  

 There is an interesting relationship between the product and those who produce these products in the community. Some women sell their hair for an extra source of income and others are annoyed by the industry. Most of them women targeted by the human hair trade aren't consumers of the product itself. Many of them make less than a dollar a day and wouldn't be able to afford the extensions. The trade targets poor women in desperate need to make income.

The most I have ever paid for human hair extensions was $200. However, consumers could easily spend an average of $600 on extensions and installations. The real social cost of these extensions cannot be calculated it is a classic case of globalization and until the industry becomes more transparent, it is difficult for consumers to verify their extensions are ethical.

[jamol4]

Human Hair Trade Post #3

Chinese men and women employed at hair companies based in China usually make the final product. Not much is known about the lives of hair factory employees in China. They are more transparent with showing their factories and have a familial bond with one another. I was offered to receive a video tour of the factory through facetime upon inquiring about the origins of their hair extensions. China is only one of the last stops in the hair trading business. They benefit more from the business than the areas where they source the hair from.

The true makers of this product are the women who are paid less than $2 to sell their hair and those who donate their hair for religious reasons and receive no compensation from this billion dollar hair business. Below are two videos that show the major source of the hair trading business, disenfranchised women.

The first video spotlights a woman named Nguyen Thi They. She is a vietnamese farmer with long healthy hair which is her prized possession. She massages her hair with coconut oil everyday and takes meticulous care of it. She has been a target of hair traders because of its health and length. The most she had ever been offered is $3. When Dan Choi, owner of Remy New York offered her $150 for her precious locks she finally felt that the sacrifice would be worthwhile. The amount was more than her whole family made in a month. This is a very rare occurrence however. Dan Choi, owner of Remy New York is trying to make the hair trading business more fair and ethical by offering his sellers a fair price for their hair that will make him thousands of dollars.

The second video spotlights the hair trade in India. Jayeenti is very religious woman who is ready to donate her hair to a temple as a form of worship. She does not know where her hair will go after this. In the video we are shown the trade between temples and hair trading middlemen who buy the hair in the temples and sell them to multi-million dollar hair companies like great lengths which is based in Europe. Women like Jayeenti are very poor and make less than a dollar a day. Hair of her length could easily sell for upwards of $1200, of this profit, she will receive nothing.

[jamol4]

The Human Hair Trade Post #2

There are several types of classifications for human hair extensions that vary in quality. The top quality hair is called “Remy” which is said to be the best because all the hair cuticles lay naturally, leaving the hair tangle free and natural. Nowadays many hair companies claim to sell remy hair but the reality is there is a very limited supply for remy hair so hair companies replicate this quality using other methods. Acid baths is the most common method used to soften the hair cuticles and then a laminate is placed on the hair extensions to make them shiny and smooth.

In this video made by AliPearl hair, a very popular hair company based in China, they show several different processes of making different human hair extensions.

In the first clip the woman is making a lace closure which is used in combination with bundles to make wigs or a full sew in install with no leave out. The closure replicates the leave out of the wearer. The lace is transparent so it looks like a scalp.

In the second clip the man is shown sewing hair onto wefts to create bundles. Bundles are one of the most common hair extensions and are used to create sew in or glue in hairstyles.

The third clip shows the pulling device used to comb through the extensions and grab shorter hairs out the bundle. This method is used to limit shedding.

Because there is only a limited number of hair textures and colors available companies must use steam processing and curling to create different curl patterns as seen in the fourth clip.

As the video shows this is a very human integral process there is no heavy machinery used to automate these processes. Each bundle is made by hand.