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Chapter 11 Fieldwork

Hershey Company 

For all my chocolate lovers out there, what is your favorite chocolate bar? Maybe Snickers.. How about Twix? Well for me, I love the classics so my favorite would have to be simple but delectable Hershey Chocolate! Founded by Mr. Milton Hershey and established it in Derry Township, Pennsylvania in 1894. By 1900, his very own first chocolate bar was sold. From the kiss, to the bar, to the park, the famous Hershey chocolate has remained a staple in the chocolate community. 

How to Make Hershey’s Famous Chocolate

People may assume all it takes to make chocolate is a few cocoa beans however it is more complex than that. The ingredients of the average Hershey chocolate bar is made from cacao beans, milk, sugar, and cocoa butter, but the actual chocolate-making process begins long before that. Cacao trees bear fruit, and inside those fruits are seeds. Hershey sources cocoa beans primarily from the West African nations of Ivory Coast and Ghana. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (published by MIT), the Ivory Coast is the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans at $3.74 billion, or 37 percent of the global market in 2016. In fact, it's a fascinating but labor-intensive process that will make you appreciate every sweet bite. Similar to coffee beans, farmers remove the seeds, letting them ferment and then dry before roasting them for flavor. After roasting them, to assist in removing the shell off, you are left with the nib which is the real show-stopper. The nib itself is what eventually becomes chocolate.

Now that you know the main ingredients, let's begin the actual chocolate making process. First, the nibs get ground prior to adding in the milk, cocoa butter, and sugar and blending it together until it forms a thick, cake batter-like substance called chocolate crumb. Following this step, the crumb is rolled and purified until it becomes a very fine powder. This is our cocoa powder. The powder is then mixed with more cocoa butter until it reaches the desired consistency of milk chocolate, this process is called conching. Workers then transfer the chocolate to a molding machine and the rest is history!

Business

Due to the high quality of chocolate and the popularity of Hershey, some people may think that their products are a little pricey. When buying products from Hershey, customers are not only buying a treat, they are buying Hershey. Hershey's bars are getting more expensive because of rising global chocolate demand. Another major factor for the increase in price is competition. The more manufacturers that produce similar products, the more Hershey's is forced to use cost-based pricing. Although Hershey’s has high competitors, the ​​company controls nearly 44 percent of the U.S. chocolate market, followed by Mars with a 30 percent share. 

Who regulates the CHOCOLATE?

The Food Distribution Administration (FDA) in the United States, regulates trade of chocolate by ensuring food quality standards are met. To meet the FDA standard, milk chocolate must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor and 12% milk solids. The only fats allowed in milk chocolate are those from cocoa butter and milk. This is the most common type of chocolate used in candy and desserts.

Marketing

Throughout history, chocolate has been marketed differently to different consumer types. Some companies advertise the density of their chocolate by displaying scales. Others may focus more on the quality aspect like how rich in flavor their cocoa is. Hershey’s is a classic company that is centered on values with a marketing strategy focused on strong brand equity, product innovation, and consistently superior product quality. Hershey's main strengths in marketing are brand awareness and brand loyalty.

Profit

Hershey’s is ranked one of the top 5 most profitable candy bars in the world.  The candy industry is one of the few industries that sees growth during economic recessions.  Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars are America's fourth favorite candy bar, earning $324.6 million in US sales last year. In the retail industry, the profit you make from selling a bar of chocolate will depend largely on the product markup and your mode of retailing. A standard markup is known as a keystone markup, which defines the percentage for marking an item for sale. A lot of chocolate lovers prefer to head to the closest supermarket when seeking a wide variety of types and package sizes. Walmart is one of the most popular supermarkets in the United States and very convenient, this is where I purchased my chocolate bar. These stores represent some of the lowest markup percentages around. With a gross profit margin of roughly 50 percent. As a store owner, you will enjoy profit margins between 55 to 75%.  Your total profit for a year will depend entirely on the volume and type of product you sell.

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Chapter 5 Fieldwork

1. Colorism 

https://youtu.be/tXi0SkuWcdk

What is colorism? 

The NCCJ defines colorism as “a practice of discrimination by which those with lighter skin are treated more favorably than those with darker skin. This practice is a product of racism in the United States, in that it upholds the white standards of beauty and benefits white people in the institutions of oppression.“  Colorism dates back to the era of slavery. It was believed that the slaves with a “fairer” complexion were given duties and/or chores less harsh than those of a darker complexion. Today, you can still find colorism in magazines, the media, and television. Colorism plays a large role in media and it leads to people who are of darker skin tones having a harder time to become successful in media. They tend to draw more attention to lighter tone celebrities, actors/actresses, singers and more. It is a societal belief that there is a particular beauty standard and if you’re not up to par, you wont get recognition. It is important to bring awareness to issues like this in the black community. Instead of uplifting one another, factors like colorism give us the ammunition to tear each other down.

2. Racialization

https://youtu.be/i1GjU01AMjE

Wikipedia defines racialization or ethnicization as a political process of ascribing ethnic or racial identities to a relationship, social practice, or group that did not identify itself as such. Simply put, racialization is a concept where a group of people are singled out for no other reason but their physical characteristics. For example, being racially profiled because of the color of your skin is racialization. In the video linked above, Dr. Carlos Hoyt briefly discusses the beginnings of racialization in America and how that process continues today.

3. Microaggression

https://youtu.be/cPqVit6TJjw

There is a wide variety of different kinds of microaggression that you simply cannot fit under one category. Any comment, remark, response, or insult directed to display hurtful messages of hate towards sexual orientation, religion, gender, or race would be categorized as a microagression. It is not a case of being “sensitive” and these microaggressions should not be taken lightly. By putting this hate out into the world, it is causing future generational trauma that can be avoided if we call it out now!

4. Institutionalized Racism

The term "institutional racism" describes societal patterns and structures that oppress certain groups on the basis of race or ethnicity. This type of racism involves racial disparities in law enforcement, education, legal system, health, and everyday life. Following the abolishment of slavery, Jim Crow laws were set to place a border between white people and black people. This is where systemic or “institutional” racism was born. These laws were put in place to benefit white people by allowing them to unrightfully limit access to education, health, income and more from the newly freed slaves. Now this discriminatory practice is continued through criminal sentencing patterns, acccess to resources, difference in income, and incarceration rates.

5. Cultural Appropriation

https://youtu.be/I1JCWc7s6FY

Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. Now it is common for people to confuse cultural appropriation with cultural appreciation. Cultural appreciation is showing an interest in a culture and actively researching it to broaden their perspective and connect with others cross-culturally. Cultural appropriation on the other hand is seen as disrespectful. By participating in cultural acts and/or events without fully understanding it, you are dishonoring that culture. For example, in Chinese culture hair sticks, or kanazashi, were considered to hold powers to ward off evil spirits. Nowadays, following up on the latest “hot trend” you will see a high end model plastered on a magazine with hair sticks without any knowledge about the history behind them.

6. Individual Racism

Individual racism refers to an individual's racist assumptions, beliefs or behaviors and is "a form of racial discrimination that stems from conscious and unconscious, personal prejudice" Individual racism is connected to learned behavior through common stereotypes or microaggressions. People that grow up disliking certain qualities about themselves tend to tear people down who embrace things that they themselves are too afraid to embrace. For example, young black girls are constantly taunted for their beautiful natural hair, influencing them to fit the common “beauty standard” which is straight, fine hair. These actions cause insecurities and self hatred.

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Chapter 13 Fieldwork

Everyone you know knows someone or is related to someone who is an immigrant. People don't take into consideration the bravery of these people, leaving their home to better their lives. For my interview, I decided to base it on someone very close and dear to my heart. To maintain anonymity, I shall give them a fake name. 

Jean Francois is my older cousin who was born in Haiti. He was the baby out of five children raised by his single mother. Growing up in a house full of siblings and a mother scraping to make a living for her kids was difficult for Jean. Although she was struggling, Jean’s mother always expressed the importance of education and didn’t allow the kids to get jobs in fear of distraction. Barely making it by, he and his brothers continued to go to school and get their education. Jean’s mother saved money to send all her children to the United States to make a better life for themselves than she did and continue their education. Jean loved school. His favorite subject was math and he knew three languages including Creole, his native tongue. Despite his hardships, Jean describes his days of youth as enjoyable. Jean described Haiti as the most beautiful place on Earth. The media places such a negative energy around the country Haiti by always referring to it as poor, ugly, broken, and more. Jean explains to me you will never know the country without seeing it for yourself. He describes the ocean water as clear as crystals and the bed of sand as soft as snow. ”I love my country, despite all the misconceptions there's no place I would rather be.” says Jean. Although his pride and love for his country is strong, he explains to me that the main reason for him leaving is the lack of resources and opportunities. As people say, America is the land of opportunity and so following his 18th birthday he and his brothers planned to get a work visa to go to America. His number one motivation was his mother who decided to stay behind. Jean wanted to give his mom the world and more, for single-handedly raising him and his brother while making a living for them. He wanted to make his mother proud and take care of her like she always did for him. Before leaving his country Jean was very hesitant but states that it was his mother who reassured him. “Before leaving my home, my mom held me in her arms and told me how proud she was of the man I was becoming. If it wasn’t for that short moment I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to leave.” 

Jean told me that growing up in his small town,in Haiti, there was this man that sold fabrics who would always tell stories about his son that moved to New York. He would get to hear stories about the city life, opportunities, money and more every time the man came into town. When he and his brothers decided to move to the United States, Jean was the first to mention a location… The Big Apple! Jean was ecstatic. He would finally be able to live out the stories that the old man in town would tell him. A flood of emotions took over Jean’s body, following his arrival to New York City. As you can imagine, he was fearful but also grateful for the opportunity to be in a brand new environment. After a while, he began to adjust. Making friends was a walk in the park for him and he quickly began to learn how to maneuver through the busy streets of Manhattan. While attending The City College of New York in hopes of becoming a future engineer, Jean bumped into a few mishaps that turned his dreams into reality. Jean explained to me that while he was grateful for being able to attend college, he was also burdened with the reality of being a broke college student. On top of lack of funds, he was suffering from depression due to his mother becoming ill at home. Jean vowed to work harder to be able to bring his mother to the United States for the desired medical attention she needs. He kept his promise to himself and his mother and graduated top of his class 2016. Jean was able to fly his mother to New York in late 2017, where she died peacefully the following summer. Jean is now a Computer Hardware Engineer working for the government. “If I could redo my whole life, I would not change a thing. Moving here changed my life in ways I never thought of.” Jean is forever grateful for his mother and now helps young adults from his old town in Haiti make a life for themselves, in memory of his late mother.

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Chapter 10 Fieldwork (Bourdieu)

Bourdieu was primarily concerned with the dynamics of power in society. Throughout the years his work has become immortally influential, including his theories of social stratification that deals with status and power. Bourdieu focused on the nature of culture and how it connects to social stratification. One of his key contributions was the relationship between different types of such capital, including economic, cultural, social, and symbolic. His theories are mainly based on the recognition that capital is not only economic and social exchanges are used for personal agendas. Bourdieu’s work emphasizes structural restrictions and unequal access to institutional resources based on gender, race and class. Bourdieu viewed social capital as a property obtained through one’s social status. To Bourdieu the privileges of social classes are only accessible  to members of a high status or people who have positions of power. Bourdieu believed that social class was irrefutably  associated with social class.

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Chapter 10 Fieldwork (Weber)

Similar to Marx, Weber focuses on the analysis of class but in the context of social stratification. Weber strongly believed that both status and honor contribute to social difference within classes. By mentioning status, Weber provides a more flexible view of the details of social differences, and their implications for the lived experience of social actors. To fully connect with Weber’s point of view on this topic you must understand a few general concepts including: power, domination, and communal and societal action. 

POWER: Weber defines power as the ability of a person to understand their control in social action. Power relates to being able to have access to anything at any given time. Economic power, then, is the ability to control material resources: to direct production, to monopolize accumulation, to dictate consumption. Societal power includes economic power, social power, legal or political power, etc.

DOMINATION: Domination relates to the action of holding authority. The possession of power signifies dominance. Weber articulated three ideal types of domination: charisma, tradition and rational-legal. Charismatic domination depends on the character of the leader. Through communication and leadership, an individual might be capable of reaching a central role in coordinating a social action. Charisma, Weber believed, emerges in times of social crisis. People lose confidence in existing forms of authority, and the charismatic leader takes advantage of the crisis. Traditional authority is based on the credibility of a trusted form of power. Tradition implies a stable, natural, and/or conventional quality in the state of affairs that make it almost impossible to resist. Rational-legal authority is based on a set of rules, and the belief of credibility of the process of rule making and law enforcement. This type of domination is commonly found in bureaucracy. Authorities mainly resides in an organizational position.

COMMUNAL & SOCIETAL ACTION: A communal action is oriented on the basis of a shared belief of affiliation. Particular individuals believed that they were somehow meant to be in unison in some way. On the other hand, societal action is is oriented to a rational adjustment of interests. The motive is not tied to a shared purpose, but to the realization of shared interests.

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Chapter 10 Fieldwork (Marx)

Although Marx did not complete his manuscript that would have presented his overall view of social class, I have researched what I need to know to understand his point of view. Marx believed that classes are defined and structured by the relation concerning work and labor, ownership, and means of production. The main classes in capitalism are the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. The Bourgeoisie are the owners of capital, purchasing and exploiting labour power, using the surplus value from employment of this labour power to accumulate or expand their capital. The proletariat are owners of labour power (the ability to work), and mere owners of labour power, with no other resources than the ability to work with their hands, bodies, and minds. Being that these workers lack the resources to provide themselves with a stable lifestyle, they are forced to work for a capitalist-employer in an exploitative social relationship. The relationship between workers and capitalists may appear to be no more than an economic relationship, but on the contrary Marx exposed it to be an exploitative social relationship. This “partnership” has class conflict embedded within it. This way of profit led to the periodic bursts of strikes, crises, political struggles, and evidently to the overthrow of bourgeois rule by the proletariat.

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The concept of gender identity is embedded in most every day things and/or activities. Up until this assignment, I never realized how disturbingly important it was to display gender in today’s society as well as the past. I don’t remember the last time I sat down and watched cable so I decided to improvise and watch an hour of Nickelodeon children commercials from the 90s on Youtube. After observing these videos, a few key aspects caught my eye. Let’s begin with the difference in numbers. From watching these youtube videos I noted that there were thirty-three commercials that targeted young males and for the girls I counted a measly ten. As well as counting the gender related commercials, I counted the non gendered commercials which came to a total of twenty. Majority of the non gendered commercials related to food ads, movie previews, and more general topics. In these commercials they displayed unity within children and girls and boys working together for a common goal. I noticed that in the commercials that targeted the male audience, the speaker had a thunderous voice and loud sound effects including “crashing” was displayed in the background to grab the watcher’s attention. Have you ever heard the saying “Boys will be boys”? Well this statement justifies boys being rough. The commercials using booming sound effects are aiming to catch the attention of young boys by displaying recklessness. The male commercials mainly focus on sports, fitness, and cars. As for the females their commercial speaker sounds delicate, almost angelic, and commonly use bright colors to attract their viewers. The female commercials are solely based on beauty. From princesses to mermaids, they teach these young girls about “beauty standards” by using beautiful and colorful characters in commercials. Young kids absorbs everything that they see or hear and by watching these commercials it is showing them that “Boys will be boys” and girls are delicate princesses. As my prime example I would like to share a recording of one of the commercials I was watching. In the video below you will see a young girl running in place. She explains in the commercial that fitness is as important to girls as it is to boys, despite what society believes.

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Ch. 7 Assignment Notes

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Ayiti. My beloved country Haiti. Since I was younger, my grandparents always expressed their love for their country. Growing up in my Haitian household, the knowledge of our heritage was frequently taught by my grandfather. He instilled the importance of knowing my history and taught us to have pride in our country. My grandfather, Mario Fortune, was born in Port au Prince, Haiti in 1955. He grew up in the capital of Haiti with four brothers. During his youth he was extremely intelligent in mathematics and science. Alongside his love for academics was his love for exploring and learning about the world. My grandfather is fluent in Creole, English, Spanish, French, and Italian. At the age of nineteen years old my grandfather and his brothers decided to leave their work and venture off to the United States. His main goal was to attend college and receive a degree to better his life and to plan a future for himself. He attended NYCCC in Brooklyn, New York, majoring in electronic engineering and graduated with an associates degree. After graduating school he worked as an electronic technician for the government and soon after decided to serve so he joined the army. I would definitely say my grandfather has taken pride in both his love for his country Haiti and his American nationalism by being a dedicated civil servant.

      From the beautiful language, to the cuisine, to the history of the island, I have always been well informed about my ancestry due to living with my grandparents. Being brought up learning about Haiti taught me to have a sense of pride for where my ancestors originated from. I understand Creole fluently and can speak it at a beginner’s level. I am now in the process of learning how to speak Creole fluently. After learning about Haiti my entire life, there is no other place or country that I would rather be from! By bringing up each new generation of my family in a cultural environment, our knowledge of our home will never die down. I plan on carrying my love of Haiti down to my future children and spouse. It is so important to have a connection to your ancestry and culture.

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The term “Girls vs Boys” ages back to the beginning of time.  The competition between genders has been an ongoing battle for centuries. As Beyonce herself would say, “Who runs the world? Girls!” After trying to decide which class I wanted to observe for this assignment, I chose my Biology class. Between all of my classes, my bio class is the most interactive. Not only do the students get involved for our “in person” session on Tuesdays, they are just as talkative for our virtual sessions on Thursdays. There are a total of forty students in my class and of the forty, there are thirty-nine girls and one boy. When it comes down to participation, the ladies are on it. Our professor, Dr. Ariyibi has a certain style of teaching that makes us want to participate. The class is scheduled to last from 4:50 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. but after flying through our objectives for the day, we usually conclude around 5:30 p.m. During our sessions, it is usually the females who are more engaged in the lesson which is to be expected due to the ratio between girls and boys in the classroom. The difference in numbers don’t really matter because the one is basically unknown. Throughout this semester, I have never seen him on Tuesdays in person or virtually on Thursdays. Although our teacher is very welcoming which makes us feel comfortable to participate in class, I haven’t heard anything more than a “here” for attendance. Now that we have settled that this is an “all girls” class, let’s continue. Most of our lessons are pretty straight-forward so when it comes to questions, there’s not a lot to ask. Majority of the comments during our sessions are “ohhh” or “I get it now”. I counted twenty-six reactions during our zoom call that can basically be summarized by those two expressions. I would say a handful of the girls have their cameras on while the rest are either off or facing towards the ceiling. I can tell that most of the students, including myself, are comfortable with the professor due to how verbal we are with him. I feel as though if I am confused I can just ask a question without feeling embarrassed or the fear of being scrutinized, and I'm sure the other students would agree with me. From day one, Dr. A always expressed how much he wants us to ask questions and participate. Before transitioning between different lessons he always says, “Any inquiries students?” All in all, the female majority as a whole have been most engaged during this semester and it's all because of Dr. A!

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Mapping Project!

I was bouncing ideas back and forth in my head trying to figure out what I was going to do for this map project. After at least two hours of brainstorming it dawned on me, why not draw a map of Morgan View Apartments? It is still a foreign area to me so sitting outside on the bench to observe everything would definitely help get the feel for this place. This was the first time I took time to take a walk and actually see the whole apartment complex. I noticed how beautiful the greenery was and how many benches/ lounge areas were available to the students. As I sat on a bench, the warm sunlight beamed on my forehead. "Such a beautiful day outside" was my initial thought when I sat down. It was a great day to take a nice walk and feel the warmth of the sun but the lack of students outside shocked me. Thirty minutes passed by and still not one student. After a while, I became intrigued. Why was everyone inside? I never noticed it before but as I sat on that bench I only saw maybe seven people. I counted about nine bench areas in the region that were completely vacant. I did not understand. From taking a walk to reading a great book, the possibilities were endless. Then again, before this assignment I was a part of the "insider crew" as well. I definitely believe that the pandemic plays a big part in the scarcity of students outside. Before COVID, people were free to roam around without a care in the world but now there are so many factors to think about when going outside. Fear of exposure is understandable but I can only wonder about how MGV apartments looked prior to the pandemic. I can just imagine groups of students taking walks or even study groups sitting in the courtyard on a sunny day. It was upsetting to see these areas left unused. I have decided that from now on, I will sit on the bench or take a walk around the complex at least once a week and enjoy the fresh air, maybe it will inspire others to join me! :) P.S. I know my drawing skills aren’t the best lol

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Think about everything you have owned in your life span. Now think about how many of those things are necessities. There are multiple essentials for an average person’s day to day life but which item holds the most weight? Water. An average human being cannot go longer than three days without water. Something so simple means so much. Water is number one on my needs list. Besides the obvious reason, water plays a big part in my everyday life. Stressed out? Water. Can’t stay focused? Water. It always plays a big part in my weight loss journey. Without, water I would not be able to function throughout my day.

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The natural habit of excessively purchasing expensive things has played a big part in the world’s society for many years. The want for materialistic things stems from the media, celebrities, or even envy in general. It is natural to have wants but what does that mean? How does a $1000 handbag hold weight in one’s life? After completing this assignment, I realized that  majority of my things do not hold any value. I own 30 pairs of sneakers. From regular $60 Chuck Taylor’s to $600 Alexander McQueens, you name it. I would most likely rank my sneaker collection as least needed. Despite the ranking, out of everything I own, my sneakers hold the most meaning. Although materialistic things aren’t a necessity, that doesn’t mean they aren’t meaningful to people. My sneakers symbolize a safe place to me. During my childhood, anytime I made an accomplishment my reward was always a fresh pair of kicks. As I grew up, I held on to the tradition. Yes, owning thirty pairs of shoes might seem extreme but they do mean something to me. (P.S. the picture below is only half of my collection)!

#anthropology #consumerism #culture #sneakerhead

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My example of uneven development is the mining of Coltan in Congo. Multiple companies around the world are sending their workers to Congo to obtain this essential mineral from the local miners to produce their products. While these companies are making millions off Coltan, the miners are paid little to nothing and are working in harsh environments.

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My example of time-space compression is the advancement of communication throughout time. Many years ago before technology, the only form of communication was to verbally speak in person or to write a letter. It would take days for your message to be delivered versus present-time where you can send a message to someone else anywhere in the world in the matter of seconds through technology.

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The familiar but unfamiliar object that I have chosen is a sand hourglass. The first claims to sand hourglasses are credited to the Greeks in the third century B.C. The hourglass first appeared in Europe in the eighth century, and may have been made popular by Luitprand, a monk at the cathedral in Chartres, France. By the early fourteenth century, the sand hourglass was used commonly in Italy. The hourglass that I own was manufactured by Target. I find this item to be essential to my every day life because it allows me to pace myself properly and is very efficient when used for studying or doing work. 

#fieldwork #anthropology #collegelife #history

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