rangersgonz-blog

[rangersgonz-blog]

Reflection

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Advice

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Introduction

Hello all, I'm Rangers! I am a nursing student that will be graduation Dec. 2019 (fingers crossed!) I do plan on continuing my education and becoming a Nurse Practitioner and making that my final stop. I decided to pursue a career in the health field not only because I find joy in helping others but more than that I really enjoy the problem solving and critical thinking aspect of figuring out what causes an individuals symptoms/illness. I enjoy playing softball/baseball, going on hikes, and eventually I would love to travel (my bank account isn't playing nice just yet lol). I am the oldest of three and am also a first generation college student. My parents migrated from the Dominican Republic but my siblings and I were born and raised here in the US. I expect this course to encourage us to speak on things that need to be spoken about but are not brought into light due to a sense of fear or uncomfortableness. I am going into this course will an open mind and would love to hear what my classmates have to say about the topics we will be covering. 

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Source: Me Too Movement. (n.d). Retrieved from https://metoomvmt.org 

In recent years, many of us have noticed the vast increase in women coming forward and calling out their predators about their sexual assaults and harassment. Many of these women have also identified with the #metoo movement. The #metoo movement was started in 2006 to help survivors of sexual violence, particularly Black women and girls, and other young women of color from low income communities, find ways to heal. This movement was also a collective action to bring awareness around the issue of sexual violence and the lack of accountability or consequences for the perpetrators. In the past and even currently, we often see the blame being put on the victims for their own sexual assault and no punitive action being taken against the perpetrator. Many survivors of harassment and assault have felt the need to remain silent and were left to deal with their feels of shame and guilt privately. 

The #metoo movement has created a platform and space where survivors can unite and share their stories. Through this they feel a sense of empowerment and safety that they haven’t felt before. The #metoo movement has given survivors the strength to bring awareness to this issue and create social change within our society. Founder of the #metoo movement, Tarana Burke, says in her TED talk that the movement is “built on empathy for survivors, not attacks on men”. In fact, one-in-four girls and the one-in-six boys who are sexually assaulted every year and carry those wounds into adulthood. Tarana’s TED talk title, “Me Too is a movement, not a moment” best summarizes what this movement is about.

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Source: 1. Collins, C. (2018). What is white privilege, really?. Teaching Tolerance, 60. Retrieved from https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really 

2. Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself (5th ed.). New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company. 

The term white privilege is not a new idea in our society. In fact, in 1988, a revolutionary essay written by Peggy McIntosh called “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” helps readers understand white privilege by “making its effects personal and tangible” (Collins, 2018). Unfortunately, white privilege has largely gone unrecognized throughout time and even now. And if you’re wondering “what is white privilege?” then you, most likely, are unconsciously accountable for having this privilege. It could be found in day-to-day activities and in white people’s ability to move through the professional and personal sectors with general ease.

White privilege is the ability to walk into a store and having your shade of nude stockings available or your several shades of foundation to choose from. White privilege is having the ability to walk down the street with your friends without another person crossing the street to avoid you out of fear.

This idea of white privilege is seeded in the long history of racism and bias in our country. Racism is defined as “the belief that members of separate races possess different and unequal traits” (Conley, 2017). Racism differs slightly from bias, which is “a conscious or unconscious prejudice against an individual or group based on their identity” (Collins, 2018). Bias is the thought process and racism is the action taken because of one’s bias. These both have a basis in the term racialization, which is “the formation of a new racial identity by drawing ideological boundaries of difference around a formerly unnoticed group of people.”

It is important as a white person to take accountability and recognize this privilege, to engage in conversations with people of color and educate yourself about oppressive tactics still used in our society and take advantage of your privilege to take action when necessary.

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AThis meme above has a pretty powerful message. One of the main reasons cited for rising income and wealth inequality in the United States is globalization.(Conley, 2017). The United States takes advantage of third world countries to produce and manufacture goods. The factory workers in these developing countries make close to nothing. For instance, Nike has many locations around the world. Nike has factories in China, India, Pakistan, and Indonesia just to name a few. Just to keep it simple we will just focus on one  of these countries, Indonesia. Nike has been manufacturing their good in Indonesia for quite sometime now. The factory in Indonesia employees about 100,000 people and they make an average of $3.50 per hour. (Ghogomu, 2015). Indonesia is one of the poorest countries in Asia. These big companies are quick to jump ship and go produce in another country if wages for these factory workers rises which is why these countries try to keep wages down to a minimum because in some cases its the only job that is available in these developing countries hence why so many people are employed there. Big businesses like Nike are aware that people in these developing countries are desperate for work and will work long days for the lowest pay. A Nike factory in Indonesia did not pay their employees for about 600,000 hours in overtime work over two years (Kavoussi, 2013). This type of work is breaking a ton of labor laws and it seems abusive as well. 

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Kavoussi, B. (2013, January 15). Nike factory in indonesia used military to intimidate workers into giving up pay: report. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nike-indonesia_n_2481236

Ghogomu, M. (2015, April 9). U.S. factory workers make 76 times more per hour than workers in indonesia. The Higher Learning. Retrieved from http://thehigherlearning.com/2015/04/09/u-s-factory-workers-make-76-times-more-per-hour-than-workers-in-indonesia/

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Back in October, a dad from New York needed to change his sons diaper. When he walked into the bathroom, there was no changing table in the mens bathroom. He ended up having to sit on a toilet and laying his son over his lap to change him. He made sure to take a picture of this and put it on Instagram. Of course the picture went viral and it reached a Governor from New York, Andrew Cuomo. Governor Cuomo realized this was a problem in todays age and stated, “New York proudly leads the nation in fighting for the rights of working parents, and by ensuring access to these amenities, we will help ensure all New Yorkers can give their children the care they need at this critical stage of their lives.”(Vaginos, 2019). Cuomo would then put into a place a law which requires all new and renovated buildings with public bathrooms will need to install changing tables in all bathrooms. 

This is a great example of gender role as Conley defined it as “sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as a male or female.”(p. 289). Mothers are usually considered to be one who nurtures her baby, is more attentive and loving. Where as the father is considered the one who protects, provides and has the stronger traits. This is a clear example of how society still believe gender roles exist. Men can be just as attentive and caring for their children just as mothers are. It is easy to not pinpoint this small flaw of not having changing tables in men bathrooms because we have grown accustom to what society has taught us. I myself never realized that most men bathrooms do not have changing tables, not because I was ignorant to the fact but rather it was a label that society placed on parents when it comes to baby care. 

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Source

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & 

             Company. p. 289.

 Vagianos, A. (2019, January 3). New York now requires changing tables in all 

                    public mens restrooms. Huffington Post. Retrieved 

                    from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/new-york-changing-tables-

                    mens-restrooms_n_5c2e0fd1e4b05c88b7066d5a

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This article speaks on ways that we can overcome financial inequality and what it would take to fix the problem. Approaches such as needing to see inequality as a systemic problem. It seems as though every time there is a financial crisis, it does not affect those who are wealthy, instead somehow their income increases. What is it that they are doing financially when these financial crisis come about? Not only is it about money but also the education aspect of it. Tuition for college has increased and many states have reduced the support for higher education. We all want that equal opportunity or as Conley out it, equality of condition which he defines as “the idea that everyone should have an equal starting point” (p.246), to prosper and chase success. Without money you are limited to what you can do, so how can you save when you don’t make enough to save? According to polls, 75% support raising the minimum wage, and 68% support increasing taxes on people earning more than $1 million. Even 76% of our billionaires, a Forbes survey found, regard income inequality as a “serious societal problem.”(Anderson et al, 2016). When the wealthiest people also see a problem with financial inequality, that is a big problem and a problem that needs attention. The Obama administration has granted home-care workers the right to wage protections and has expanded the number of workers, receiving paid sick leave and over time pay. (Anderson et al, 2016). It seems as though the presidents that prioritize this problem are thinking of ideas to bring in more money to the working class. Instead of maybe hitting the problem from the stronger side of it, increasing taxes on the wealthy making them spread their money. At this point I believe it is more on the governments part of making a change. Although 76% of billionaires see financial inequality as a serious problem, I wonder how many of them will be willing to help and have their taxes increased. That should have been a question that the poll that was used in the Forbes survey.  

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Source: 

Anderson, S., Bayard, M., Cavanagh, J., Collins, C., Hoxie, J., & Pizzigoti, S. (2016, February 18). Inequality will not go away on its own. Here’s now to close the gap. The Nation. Retrieved from https://www.thenation.com/article/inequality-will-not-go-away-on-its-own-heres-how-to-close-the-gap/ 

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company. p.246.

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In social media, the term trolling is frequently used to describe a situation where one does something out of the ordinary in a social setting with the goal of getting a reaction from the public. Most of the stunts that are done break the social deviance, which according to Conley is defined as “any transgression of socially established norms. It can be as minor as farting in church or as serious as murder, so long as it consists of breaking the rules by which most people abide.”(2017, p.191). Most of these trolls either break a type of informal deviance and some do go to the extreme of being formal deviances such as destroying someones property or going into a business and purposely knocking down shelves causing a mess. It is generally a form of entertainment and the ones that are doing the trolling are doing it as a job. The more trolling that they do and post on social media, the more followers which media platforms like YouTube will pay their users depending on how many video streams and subscribers they have. This is a great example of an innovator. An innovator is “a social deviant who accepts socially acceptable goals but rejects socially acceptable means to achieve them.”(Conley, 2017, p.205). The one who are trolling know that what they are doing is not socially acceptable and that’s why they do it. They are aware it will make people feel uncomfortable and in return it may work in their favor, in this case being a check.

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Sources:

1. Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company. P. 191, 205.

2. Urbandictionary.com (2009, April 30). Trolling [Internet]. Retrieved from

           https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trolling

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This research was based on the behaviors of two groups of people: Police officers and LGBT community. This study was performed by Florida Atlantic University, Arizona State University and the University of Rhode Island. The purpose of the study is to test the law and see how fair they are to the LGBT community. LGBT community feels as though the law does not work to support them and they are under-served in victimized situations. They continue to be discriminated in job settings, housing and now the most recent incident, not being able to join the military. If the law does not have their back, this gives the impression that others can be disrespectful to the LGBT community as well with no consequences.  According to the article, the LGBT community is under-served by police officers. This is causing trust issues between these two populations and there is no respect on both sides due to bad encounters.

Two hypothesis were set before collecting information on this study. One, “greater perceptions of procedural justice would predict greater levels of police legitimacy” meaning that both parties will show signs of respect and act accordingly when having an encounter. The officer will do his duty as a man of the law without passing judgement and the LGBT member will also act accordingly. The second hypothesis was that lesbians would report lower levels of legitimacy compared to other groups.

The results for the first hypothesis showed that when both parties showed each other respect the encounter was a positive one. What they predicted the results to be for the second hypothesis is also right, but they also made another discovery. While only focusing on the lesbian group in LGBT, they realized that not only do lesbians, bisexuals and transgender females get treated unfair by the law and are under-served, they are the ones that get treated unfairly the most. The research group speculates this community gets treated the most unfairly because they experience both sexism and homophobia.

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Source: Florida Atlantic University. (2019, January 29). R-E-S-P-E-C-T? LGBT views on police legitimacy and authority. Phys.org. Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2019-01-r-e-s-p-e-c-t-lgbt-views-police-legitimacy.html 

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The use of cellphones in developing countries has dramatically changed the way people communicate and what they are exposed to on the web. A survey was done in 11 developing countries to figure out how much of the population in these countries own or have access to a mobile device. About 53% of people in these countries have a mobile device and most of these devices also have social media apps like Facebook and WhatsApp. The majority of the people in these surveys have reported that cellphones have helped them keep in touch with family and others say it has helped them stay up to date on current events. The main concern the adults had over cellphone devices were how the exposure to content in the internet would affect their children. Parents were worried their children were going to be exposed to bad influence and/or immortal or harmful content. This is a great example of functionalism which is defined by Conley as the theory that various social institutions and processes in society to serve some important function to keep society running (p.31). Functionalism has two sub categories, manifest and latent. Manifest function is the obvious or intended function. In this scenario for example, the cellphone is doing what it is suppose to do as far as keeping people connected and up to date on current events. Latent function is when an unexpected or not the most obvious thing occurs. In this situation, the cellphone is working as it should for those using it but the thought of children being exposed to harmful things was probably not really thought about.

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Source: 

1. Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself (5th ed.). New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 31.

2. Silver, L., Smith, A., Johnson, C., Taylor, K., Jiang, J., Anderson, M., & Rainie, L. (2019, March 7). Mobile Connectivity in Emerging Economies. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewinternet.org/2019/03/07/mobile-connectivity-in-emerging-economies/ 

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CdUnequal Childhoods: Annette Lareau

Family is our main source of socializing and when we are young the majority of the time we are socializing with our siblings, mother, fathers, cousins and such. This is how we learn values, beliefs and the norms depending on how our immediate family presents social norms to us, until we become old enough to consider our own values and beliefs. I would say it is not really up until you enter school is where a child starts to become more social and gets to meet others outside of their family. George Herbert Meads stages of role-taking consist of three stages: 1) preparatory stage, where the child imitates actions they see others do, 2) play stage where children are able to make a distinction between the self and the other, and 3) game stage which helps the child understand multiple roles and rules that go along with the game. In the video posted about childhood, you will hear Annette Lareau, a sociologist, speak about her book titled Unequal Childhood. This book is about her collecting data on black and white families who are middle class and working/poor class and how their upbringing has an effect on their social experiences. The biggest difference I noticed provided by her statistics was among the middle-class versus the working/poor class and related to Mead’s third stage of role-taking, the game stage. In this video, it pointed out that kids who grew up in a middle-class family were able to afford extracurricular activities for their children as oppose kids in the working/poor class. Most of the working/poor class children spent their free time doing whatever they pleased due to the lack of financial means. 

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Source: Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. (2016, April 23). Unequal Childhoods: Annette Lareau [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HN9ydNktAc

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13)MIGOS INSTAGRAM COMPILATION (Flashing money, jewelry, and cars)

In the video above, Migos is demonstrating “conspicuous consumption” which defined by Thorstein Veblen “describes and explains the practice by consumers of using goods of a higher quality or in greater quantity than might be considered necessary in practical terms.”(Phillips). Migos is a well-known hip hop group and as we all know the hip-hop world is very flashy. The main reason behind consumers purchasing expensive things is to draw attention to themselves and let others see that money is not an issue for them.  This can also be a taken as a sign of competition with other entertainers in the business which then eventually will lead other hip-hop artist in the business to get something much more luxurious to show that they have the same if not more purchase power as well. There is a sense of pleasure these consumers get when they see others admire what they have. The downside to someone like Migos flashing how much money they have and such is that most of their fans are young teens and adolescents. They see what their favorite rapper is wearing or driving and they want the same thing. Ever musician has an influence on their fans. So if a rapper is wearing Gucci for instance this is almost like an advertisement to those fans which may make them want to wear the same clothing despite not having the same purchase power and that is what drives those with wealth power, is the admiration they get when they are seen in these expensive clothing and cars. Every car does the same thing, provide transportation, every piece of clothing does the same thing, keep us covered, yet these consumers choose to go above and beyond to show their purchase power.

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Source: Jamarquantavious Jameroquai Jr. (2017, May 13). Migos Instagram Compilation (Flashing money, jewelry, cars) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/conspicuous-consumption