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Reflection

This semester I really struggled to look at the big picture. So now I that I understand how to look at something as one big picture instead of little bits it is more relevant to me than I thought. It is easier to understand how people of different races see the world. It has also shown me that not everyone has equal opportunities. Also, that inflation is going up and our pay is definitely not, after the movie Inequality for all.

I’ve also started paying a lot more attention to ads on TV, my phone and in magazines. There are a lot racier ads that I haven’t noticed until it was really brought to my attention. I’ve also been paying more attention to the photo shop in pictures; and trying to keep up to see if America follows in France’s footsteps about the laws with model’s health. I’ve also kind of changed my way of thinking with gender roles. I kind of had this subconscious belief about men not having self-esteem issues. After watching that Buzzfeed video, it made me a little more sensitive to that subject.

I really think I connected the most with the killing me softly video and the gender roles boxes. The killing me softly really surprised me how much pictures were edited, and how blatantly offending their messages are to women. I’m just amazed I really didn’t pick up on that earlier. Also, the gender roles boxes made me kind of think about what I’m going to say about someone before I say it. It was kind of a surreal moment to think about me fitting all the box qualities of being a “lady” that I know I’m really not. I’m really happy I took this class; it really gave me a new perspective on things that I really am not used to paying attention to.

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Advice for Future Students

Dear future students,

If you’re taking this class with Dr. J you’re in luck. She is a seriously fantastic professor and all of her class content is very interesting however, sometimes it can be really depressing. However, don’t let that discourage you, all the material is really important and makes you think of the world in a different way.  Make sure you do all of the readings and the quizzes she assigns. They are really interesting and really helpful for the quizzes you take in class. Also, make sure you take advantage of all of the study guides she posts on D2L, I found that out a little too late.

The projects in this class are really interesting and can be fun (for a school project) if you don’t procrastinate and do them all last minute. So, make sure you start them early so you can actually do them when they aren’t stressful. Also, make sure you ask the questions you need to really understand what is going on in class. Especially the first unit, once you understand the first unit things kind of unfold from there. Make sure you don’t just study and forget what you studied, all of the unit’s kind of relate to one another in some way, so remembering the material will be really helpful when the same sociologist name comes up three units later. Make sure you take something out of this class because it will help you analyze the world in a way you didn’t think you could. Hang tight through the semester, Dr. J is seriously great.

Sincerely,

A previous Sociology 201 student.

Word Count: 270

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#MeToo has been a widespread hashtag this year. It is a big social movement this year. A social movement is “a group of diffusely organized people or organizations striving toward a common goal relating to human society or social change, or the organized activities of such a group”. This social movement is about the number of girls who have been sexually harassed who haven’t spoken out about it.

This is a really interesting way to get people to notice that this is happening. Also, that sexual harassment isn’t some new social issue. There are people being fired over this issue and it is about time women are getting justice for this. I do think this social movement is effective though, even though there isn’t a lot happening about it now. I think it is helping people on a micro level, being able to feel more comfortable coming out about their experience to everyone on social media. Also, on a macro level with business being targeted with these allegations. However, not enough is really being done about this issue but, I think that will change.

The article I found is talking about how this brave woman came out by sharing her experience and how the “silence breakers” became the Person of the Year. I think this movement is really interesting because this isn’t really your typical social movement. When you think about a social movement you typically think about people out in the streets protesting. However, this is all being done behind their computer or phone screen. This is definitely a more modern social movement.

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

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I know a lot of people who grew up watching Disney movies as a kid. However, did they actually take anything of out of those movies? Some of the themes in Disney movies have been proven to be racist. There are scholarly journals that have done research on this strange topic.

This video points out the racism in the movie Dumbo with the black crow named “Jim Crow”. Also in Peter Pan with the song “What Makes a Red Man Red?”. Again, in the movie Lady and the Tramp with the Siamese cats with their slanted eyes and broken English.

The book defines Racism as “the belief that members of separate races possess different and unequal traits.” (Conley, 325) So, in these examples in the videos Disney is being racist against Native Americans, Asian Americans, and African Americans. Which could be a little bit of institutional racism. Because if they were portraying these people like that in their films could they be treating each other like that in the “most magical place on earth”?

Discrimination and prejudice is everywhere, in the media and the news, unfortunately even the people you see on a day to day basis. In the video in class “A Girl Like Me” when the younger girl picks out the black baby doll as being the bad doll. We kind of wonder where these young preschool children get the idea of discrimination. Well, if it is in Disney movies I can only imagine where else it could be portrayed. 

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

Word count: 252

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This article discusses the way women have been unfairly portrayed in the media for years. Now after having the “ideal” woman implemented into people’s brains no one is perfect. Not even the girl in the picture looks like that. Women are supposed to be nice, and sweet, and skinny, pretty and obedient. Those are a prime example of gender roles. The book defines gender roles as “sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as a male or female.” (Conley, 289)

In media, a common trend has been males being dominate, strong, and emotionless in advertisements. Which leaves the woman with defenseless, sexual, innocent, child-like, and object-like. There was an advertisement the other day for a washer and dryer portrayed as two strong big men. The washer and dryer would never be portrayed as women because we’re not supposed to be strong. Thing idea needs to change. Young girls should not have to feel like they have to look like the girls in magazines and TV ad’s do.

Following the feminism movement women started appearing in the work place and since then sexual harassment has been and continues to be an issue. This is now becoming a bigger issue with consequences for the people who have sexually assaulted other people. People are getting fired from their jobs and this is a trending topic in social media right now. However, this is nothing new; women have been sexually assaulted for years. Just like the media has been objectifying us for years.      

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

Sexual Objectification And Our Media. (2017, November 09). Retrieved December 04, 2017, from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/sexual-objectification-media

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In the video “Honest Government Advert – HealthCare” the really sarcastic lady talks about some serious issues we have going on in our economy, wealth inequality. She discusses how it keeps getting worse for the lower-class citizens in America.

I think the government is making health care policies stricter because of the free rider problem. The free rider problem is “the notion that when more than one person is responsible for getting something done, the incentive is for each individual to shrink responsibility and hope others will pull their extra weight.” (Cloney, 248) People should be going to work and making some money to try to get health care. Unfortunately, they rely on other people to go to work, and pay taxes for other people to pay for their health care.

So, what happens to the people that need health care? The video states that “twenty-two million people will be uninsured” also that there will be “thirty-six thousand deaths” as a result of losing health care. Even if these people have pre-existing conditions!

There are some ideas of how to eliminate these issues such as equality of outcome and equality of condition. Equality of condition is when everyone is born “equal” everyone is given the same opportunities in life with employment and schooling. Equality of outcome is when everyone gets the same privileges no matter what. Both of which however probably wouldn’t work because of the “American Dream” people come here to not be equal with everyone else. Also, doctors are probably not going to want to make as much as a grocery store clerk.

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

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There has been a lot going on recently with children being embarrassed at school for not being able to afford to buy lunch at school. This article was discussing school students chanting at other school students at a basketball game about their parent’s income. Saying “Can your parents afford to feed you?” and “That’s all right, that’s OK! You will work for us someday!”. (Quart)  

Kids that can’t afford to buy lunch at school have their food thrown away in front of them and are embarrassed over something they have no control over. The book defines social class as “an individual’s position in a stratified social order.” (Conley, A-7) A child’s position in social class should not be held against them by their peers or their teachers. Especially considering there is literally nothing they can do about it.

So obviously, this is a problem and the article discusses a solution. I just don’t understand how this could make any situation better. A school in Manhattan has a program called Class Action. Where students visit, other student’s house’s and they talk about what they have in their home. They also talk about what people get paid and why. So, really the issue here is about bullying students for being poor. Why are we taking some under privileged kids to these houses where the people there are rich? Is that going to make these kids any better?

Their explanation for this program is to have the students learn about the different cultures that their classmates have. So, now there won’t be as much bullying because these elementary schoolers understand entirely why their peer is the way they are; that makes perfect sense. 

Word count: 280 

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

 Quart, A. 'Lunch shaming' and other humiliations: how can we teach our kids about class?  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/19/social-class-wealth-inequality-children-parenting

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As most people may know, a symbol for deviance passed away recently. Charles Manson, was a cult leader in nineteen sixty-nine. He was serving nine life sentences and died November 20th, 2017. The article goes over crimes he committed and how he got people to follow him. Charles Manson was an Innovator a “social deviant who accepts socially acceptable goals but rejects socially acceptable means to achieve them” (Conley, 205). He wanted power and attention and loyalty from his group which are not that far out there wants. However, killing people is probably not the way to keep a lot of people around.

The murder of Sharon Tate wasn’t his first criminal act however; Charles was in jail before that. After he got out he reverted back to his old ways and continued leading his cult. I think there was a little bit of labeling theory going on with him. He knew that people knew him as a criminal and wanted to keep it up.

Even though the things that Charles Manson did were absolutely terrible, in the eyes of a sociologist they were all functional to society. He created a negative stigma around cults that probably kept people from joining them. Also, he helped keep the police force and justice system in business. Without people like him judges, police officers, detectives, forensic scientists, and many more would end up jobless. The article noted that his trial was “one of the longest and most expensive trials in American history”. (Dwyer)

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

Dwyer, C. (2017, November 20). Charles Manson, Cult Leader Of Brutal 1969 Murders, Dies At 83. Retrieved December 04, 2017, https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/11/20/508186963/charles-manson-cult-leader-of-brutal-1969-murders-dies?utm_source=tumblr.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2048

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Gender roles start as soon as your born. Gender roles are defined as “sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as a male or female.” (Conley, 133) Sometimes this is a problem for developing children and teens. They’re expected to maintain this ascribed status which can cause them some issues. I found an article about a young girl in tenth grade discussing the issues she has experienced with gender roles.

She said she was always pressured to wear dresses and “act like a lady”. She also described the difference between the gender roles in the 1930’s until now. For example, heels were previously made for men. Now it is very common for women to be wearing heels, it would actually break a social norm for a male to be seen walking around wearing heels. Another example she pointed out was how in early Native American tribes the women were leaders. The leader role is now seen as more of a male stereotype.

Our book also discusses the issues with boys acting a little feminine. With the pressure for them to be such a strong, emotionless without these traits they’re called “gay” or “fags”. Are they actually? No probably not, just because a guy isn’t into sports doesn’t mean that he is gay. However, I’m sure that makes it really hard for school students age to not be interested in everything the other boys their age is into. Same thing with girls, if they tend to hang-out with boys because they share interests it is a way for them to be bullied.

 Word Count: 263

Nash, J. (n.d.). Gender Roles in Modern Society. https://oneworldeducation.org/gender-roles-modern-society 

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

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The article “Why do people join cults?” is about why people join cults. It talks about what a cult is, and why it is hard to leave them. So why do people join cults? They join because they might feel lonely or like they don’t belong, they also might be looking for self–improvement. Most of the time people are recruited by friends, family and co-workers who most likely know what’s going on in their life. So, when cult members see these characteristics they tend to try to bring these people in probably to “help” them, even though it may be worse for that person.

I think that cults are a pretty big deal in the “American culture”. We all have our values and we tend to kind of stick with the people that believe the same thing that we do. There are still thousands of cults around the world and not all of them may be as violent as the media portrays them to be.

Most cults have ethnocentric tendencies. Some people when joining a cult might end up disagreeing with their ideologies. Then it is kind of scary for these people because if you disagree you might be rejected from this group of people and harassed for your thinking. These cult leaders are dominant and use force to get what they want.

These cults also typically have beliefs outside the social norms. For example, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) obviously have some pretty irrational beliefs. It is not a “norm” to hate people that are not the same color as you. 

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

 Word count: 263

Why do people join cults?

Today, there are thousands of cults around the world. It’s important to note two things about them. First, not all cults are religious. Some are political, therapy-based, focused on self-improvement, or otherwise. And on the flip side, not all new religions are what we’re referring to as cults. So what exactly defines our modern understanding of cults, and why do people join them? 

Broadly speaking, a cult is a group or movement with a shared commitment to a usually extreme ideology that’s typically embodied in a charismatic leader. And while few turn out as deadly like Heaven’s Gate, which ended in a mass suicide of 39 people in 1997, most cults share some basic characteristics. A typical cult requires a high level of commitment from its members and maintains a strict hierarchy, separating unsuspecting supporters and recruits from the inner workings. It claims to provide answers to life’s biggest questions through its doctrine, along with the required recipe for change that shapes a new member into a true believer. And most importantly, it uses both formal and informal systems of influence and control to keep members obedient, with little tolerance for internal disagreement or external scrutiny. 

You might wonder whether some of these descriptions might also apply to established religions. In fact, the world “cultus” originally described people who cultivated the worship of certain gods by performing rituals and maintaining temples. But in time, it came to mean excessive devotion. Many religions began as cults, but integrated into the fabric of the larger society as they grew. A modern cult, by contrast, separates its members from others. Rather than providing guidelines for members to live better lives, a cult seeks to directly control them, from personal and family relationships, to financial assets and living arrangements. 

Cults also demand obedience to human leaders who tend to be highly persuasive people with authoritarian and narcissistic streaks motivated by money, sex, power, or all three. While a cult leader uses personal charisma to attract initial followers, further expansion works like a pyramid scheme, with early members recruiting new ones. Cults are skilled at knowing whom to target, often focusing on those new to an area, or who have recently undergone some personal or professional loss. Loneliness and a desire for meaning make one susceptible to friendly people offering community. The recruitment process can be subtle, sometimes taking months to establish a relationship. In fact, more than two-thirds of cult members are recruited by a friend, family member, or co-worker whose invitations are harder to refuse.

Once in the cult, members are subjected to multiple forms of indoctrination. Some play on our natural inclination to mimic social behaviors or follow orders. Other methods may be more intense using techniques of coercive persuasion involving guilt, shame, and fear. And in many cases, members may willingly submit out of desire to belong and to attain the promised rewards. The cult environment discourages critical thinking, making it hard to voice doubts when everyone around you is modeling absolute faith.

The resulting internal conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, keeps you trapped, as each compromise makes it more painful to admit you’ve been deceived. And though most cults don’t lead members to their death, they can still be harmful. By denying basic freedoms of thought, speech, and association, cults stunt their members’ psychological and emotional growth, a particular problem for children, who are deprived of normal developmental activities and milestones. Nevertheless, many cult members eventually find a way out, whether through their own realizations, the help of family and friends, or when the cult falls apart due to external pressure or scandals. 

Many cults may be hard to identify, and for some, their beliefs, no matter how strange, are protected under religious freedom. But when their practices involve harassment, threats, illegal activities, or abuse, the law can intervene. Believing in something should not come at the cost of your family and friends, and if someone tells you to sacrifice your relationships or morality for the greater good, they’re most likely exploiting you for their own.

From the TED-Ed Lesson Why do people join cults? - Janja Lalich

Animation by Globizco

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There was a study recently done on the success of students, and the relationship with their socioeconomic background. The researchers took a deductive approach by starting with a hypothesis and testing their theory to confirm it. (Conley, 52) There two online samples conducted with one thousand two hundred and fifty-eight adults. There were questions that had to do with their ethnocentrism, personal insecurity and impulsiveness. They also entered their income, employment, education, and achievements. After they entered their information, they entered their parents age, sex and education.

The researcher’s dependent variable was the success rate of the students. The independent variable was the questions that the researchers were asking the students. The researchers generalized that the more successful students had better self-control, and more successful parents. These researchers found a positive correlation between the participant’s success and their parent’s success. Which they predicted was going to happen. It is kind of obvious that you need to have self-control to be a person that follows the social norms in our society.

This research study also correlates with the race unit. You don’t get to choose how successful your parents are. Unfortunately, you don’t get to pick the family you’re born into either. So, if you’re in a lower-class area and the schools there aren’t the greatest and you aren’t “college material” due to you not being at a college level of knowledge. Then your parents can’t afford college that would determine how successful you are. It is a sad vicious cycle that people get dragged into.

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 Hart, C. C. Opinion | How Not to Explain Success. www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/opinion/sunday/how-not-to-explain-success.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FSociology&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=5&pgtype=collection

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

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The way we interact with people in America is really different from the way others interact in different countries. Some of our interactions is symbolic interactionism which is “a micro-level theory in which shared messages, orientations, and assumptions form the basic motivations behind people’s actions.” (Conley, 33)

The article discusses the different ways we respectfully communicate that might be a little different in other countries. Such as making eye contact with other people while talking. In America that would be respectful, it is kind of weird when people don’t look you in the eye when they’re talking to you. However, in Asian cultures it is a sign of respect. Another example is in America when we meet people we typically shake hands. However, in France people kiss each other on the cheek. When you pat a child on the head like a little animal for whatever reason that’s okay in America. In Asia though that would be entirely rude because the head is sacred.

We see symbolic interactionism in America but postmodernism is also a big part of the way we interact. For instance, we all know that red typically means stop or bad. Then, green means good or go. If that wasn’t a commonly known fact in America, there would be a lot more injuries. Although, if you were an alien that came to America and saw a green or red light they would have no clue that meant to stop or go in traffic. That is because of the social construction we have everywhere around the world.

 Word count: 259

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

 Rebecca Bernstein/Business. 7 Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Communication. http://online.pointpark.edu/business/cultural-differences-in-nonverbal-communication/

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Introduction Post

Hello! I’m Katie and I’m majoring in Dental Hygiene. This is my first sociology class I’ve taken and I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m currently working part time as a Dental Assistant, I love my job, I really enjoy taking care of my patients even though they come in and straight up tell me they hate me. I’m really excited to further my education.

I’m nineteen years old and I enjoy spending time with my friends, family and pets. I also like to travel as much as I can. I’ve been up and down the entire east coast of America. I’ve also been to Belize, Honduras, and Mexico.  I’m also a really competitive person, I really enjoy playing sports and games. I recently competed internationally in a health science quiz bowl.

My tumblr blog is going to be all about sociological issues that are happening or important issues that have already happened.

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This is a cool form of modern social deviance. 

When we were kings.