Top 5: Interesting Blogs!

1. “Everyday Sociology Blog’

• This was a great blog site. It was very easy to read and the people who posted their opinions got straight to the point and didn’t elaborate too much on one topic. “Welcome to Everydaysociologyblog.com, a brand-new site that features interesting, informative, and most of all entertaining commentary from sociologists around the United States. Come to this site regularly to get a sociological take on what is happening in the news (and on what should be in the news).”
• http://nortonbooks.typepad.com/everydaysociology/

2. “Sociological Images”

• Another informing cite. Variety amount of videos and pictures that were provided. I also came across some very interesting topics.  “Looking at pictures can have a sociological purpose too. This blog asks readers to develop their understanding through compelling visual images.”
• http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/

3. “The Global Sociology Blog”

• This is a blog written by a human activist teacher at Midwestern Community College. Not as interestign as the first two that I picked but very informational!
• http://globalsociology.com/

4. “Union Street”

• Blog based on  “Second-order observations on sociology, education, politics, culture, and whatever else catches my interest…” states the author of the blog.
• http://unionstreet.wordpress.com/

5. “Savage Minds”

• This is a blog that is focused mainly on anthropology. It is strictly devoted to “bringing anthropology to a wider audience as well as providing an online forum for discussing the latest developments in the field”. This site is a group of Ph.D students and also professors who are teaching and studying in the field of anthropology.
• http://savageminds.org/about-savage-minds/

How are we Perceived?

Racism in America

How are we perceived when people first meet us? Well, in most cases a person will judge us based on our skin color, the way we speak, our class level and many other things when first meeting us. In this video a black man is clearly being discriminated against due to his skin color and the way he talks. As he states in the video many white people when speaking to well educated black people aren’t expecting us to be ‘well-spoken’ or so they say. This isn’t a surprise at all to me. I actually expect it on a regular basis. The black man makes it clear that blacks are racial profiled on a regular basis. This of course can relate to many other ethnicities that have a ‘common stereotype’.

*Here, a black man is perceived and already has judgement place on him due to the color of his skin!*

This same idea of perceiving people based on certain factors is displayed in a study called ‘The Saints and the Rough Necks’ a research on two white male gangs that come from different sides of town, and class level.

The Roughnecks are from a lower-class in society. They are from one side of town which of course you would call the less fortunate side. When it came to grades they received low test scores and didn’t do too well in school.  On the other hand the Saints are a group  that received good grades and some were even at the top of their class. They were pretty much involved in school activities and were well known around campus. The Saints were from the upper-middle class in society. If we look at the big picture both of the groups as a whole committed crime that broke laws and stirred up trouble occasionally. If a group were to be chosen as to who was the worse group it would actually be the Saints. They surprisingly were the ones who were breaking more crimes. Off hand one would think that the Roughnecks would be the more ‘bad’ kids, which I even thought so when reading the study but this was not the case. Why is it that we as a society think like this? Why are the less fortunate when it comes to class considered the more ‘dangerous’ or the ones that we have to ‘look out’ for. This goes back to my idea of how people are perceived. The black man was perceived as ignorant etc because he is black. In this case the Roughnecks were from a low class which was why people perceived them a little differently. Most times you won’t find someone who is from the upper class being judged for anything dangerous. They are the ones that if or when they do something bad they are able to get away with it because they have money.

The overall difference between these two white male groups was that one had money and one didn’t. They both did pretty much the same type of activities when it came to breaking rules, but the Saints were just able to get away with it. The upper class boys were able to get away with it because they basically lived up to their name as the ‘good kids’. Due to the fact that they got their homework done, participated in activities and basically keeping that ‘good kid’ look on caused them to get way with things.  The Roughnecks were disobedient in school which caused them to be seen as the ‘negative ones’. So, we have two groups that are basically identical stories but again, the only difference is that one comes from a certain level on the social level while the other comes from a different one.

🙂

WORDS HAVE POWER

WORDS HAVE POWER

A simple Hi or hello is what can turn someone’s day around. Little do many of us realize the impact our words have on people. Anywhere from the way in which we present what we are trying to say to the tone of voice that we use when speaking to others can have a very significant impact on people. Powerful words add impact. This in fact is a very true statement. Let’s take this scenario for example: A person on the street has their head hanging low, they obviously look like they aren’t having that much of a great day, so you chose to say hello and smile at them. They may or may not choose to react to what you just did but little do you know what you have just done for that person. Who knows, maybe you could have kept that person from committing suicide that day? Maybe they had just received horrible news? You may or may not ever know but the fact that you may have just turned that person’s day around and even acknowledged their presence is all that matters.

**In this video it displays a perfect example of how powerful words can be. This relates back to me stating that the way in which words are presented can have a different effect on people**

When the lady changed the sign to “It’s a beautiful day…… I can’t see it” then people were able to relate to it more.  The people then realized that what they take for granted this man could not see.  The sign touched the heart of people and made them more grateful but also felt sorry for this man.  Then they began to give him lots of money to show him that they feel sorry for him. Sometimes a person can say the same thing in two different ways and get two different reactions.  The power of words is very strong.

In society and everyday life words mean everything. We communicate with them write with them and everything else. It is how we survive basically and without them where would we be? According to website Beyond Better Development “Words have tremendous power…and give out energy and a message which creates a reaction in others”. Whenever we say something to someone else it produces some type of effect in the world. No matter what we choose to say we are always making something positive or negative with our words. Most of the time one can find that our words are spoken without even thinking. For the most part we barely stop to think about what we are saying and the effect that comes along with it.

Work Cited:)

 http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com/powerofwords.html

Osama Bin Laden’s DEATH: Justice or In-Justice?

On May 2, 2011 America was informed that the master mind to the September 11^th  attacks on the United States was D E A D! As I watched the news it was if a sudden urge hit me. I first remember seeing it on face book as one of my friends’ statuses. I sat there asking myself, “10 years later, is he really dead?” I was waiting for a news caster to come out and say “everyone calm down, it was a silly prank and he’s not really dead’. Well, I was proved wrong. President Obama gave the command to Navy Seals to kill the target and bring him down, and that is exactly what was done. May 2^nd  is a day I’m sure we will all as American citizens remember as the day that Osama Bin Laden was KILLED. President Obama was quoted saying that the death of the leader of Al-Qaida “should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity” (The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission). Waves went across America as President Barack Obama  gave the speech declaring that yes in fact he was dead. Indeed justice had been done! Is this really true? Although many had wanted him dead for the lives that he took away from family members, when it actually happened there were many questions that were being raised. Was bin laden even armed? Why was he immediately killed? Where is his body? These questions continued to pop up over social networking sites, blogs, computers and TV’s across the world! A man who had brought so much sadness and depression to families was finally dead and yet his death was questioned?

Well, in my opinion Justice was served on May 2^nd in Pakistan!  The man who our fellow Americans hated was dead! I posted a status on face book and I remember many people ‘liking’ my status and I got nothing but positive feedbacks until I chose to scroll down through my news feeds. I can recall seeing things like, “well, he’s dead now…what’s next?”, “what is killing Osama bin laden going to do for us”. But, there was one status in particular that I chose to comment on. As the debate started between me and two other girls, I started to realize how passionate I was about the subject. There I was standing up for the killing of Osama and I hadn’t even had a family member who was killed that day in the event! That didn’t matter to me. What mattered was that he was dead and he could cause no more hurt to any of us again. This day brought closure to many families who lost loved ones that gloomy painful day. So, again I ask was this justice or in-justice? You tell me. I have stated my side and some of my reasons as to why I wanted the man dead. Yes, many may not agree with what I have to say but you cannot make a decision on this topic based on your personal feelings. You must take a step back, look at the big picture and realize who caused what and who was affected by it.

Many issues are now being raised with the killing of Osama. Will Pakistan now try and have a war with us? The answer is NO! Now that the leader of Al-Qaida is dead, they will slowly start to crumble. America did their job. It took 10 years but it finally happened. Instead of us all fighting over it why not come together to help those who are still mourning over it. Their opinions are the ones that matter; they are the ones who don’t have their loved ones sitting beside them right now because of what happened on that eerie day!

JUSTICE WAS SERVED!

Work Cited:)

 http://erlc.com/article/ethicists-bin-laden-killing-is-justice-served/

Being on The Bottom of the Totem Pole

Question: Why is it that people on the bottom feel the need to agree or being satisfied while being on the bottom?

This is a constant topic that is brought up in Sociology. WHY? Some people are found to be very comfortable in the position or state that they are in. Most likely some may say that there is “no other choice” because others won’t allow them to go anywhere else besides the bottom in society. In regards to being on the bottom in an economic class a person would probably feel obligated to agree because they may have a low self esteem and feel they have no other choice because everyone is more well off than them.  Also if they agree with everyone then perhaps people will give them more things to help them out. I guess you could call this somewhat of a charity?

As far as being satisfied on the bottom, many are like this because they know that there is no other way, or they are comfortable with their status becuase this is all that they know.  They do not have the ability to do better or if they have dreams they feel as if there is no one to help them bring those dreams to fruition.  Think about it if your parents were raised on welfare because their parents had no educaton and then you were raised on welfare and your parents were not educated then this is 3 generations of poverty .  If there is no one to encourage you to do better and let you know that life has more to offer and to dream big then your view is very narrow.  You will think it is ok not to have a car, no bank account, no education.  Your world is very limited. Your imagination doesn’t go outside your neighborhood becuase no one has told you that you can do better.  You are then just satisified with getting by.  This happens all the time and continues from generation to generation.

One may also agree with being at the bottom because your thought process is very limited .  If you are poor, then you have probally been told what to do all of your life.  You don’t have the resources to take care of yourself.  You rely on the welfare system, etc.  You basically agree with everyone for fear of losing out on the little aid/welfare that you get.

So again I ask…Why is it that people on the bottom feel the need to agree or being satisfied while being on the bottom? Well, it may depend on the setting you were brought up in, your economic situations and the way in which you were taught to think

🙂

Heidi Montag’s Body Changes

What is acceptable to society?

Heidi says “bigger is always better”. This was her opinion. She states how this is what makes her happy and that due to what some people think about her she changed the way she looked. She says that this is what makes her “happy”, this may be true, due to the fact that her reasons for changing the way she looks base on others opinion about her.  Spencer her Husband or soon to be husband at the time was very controlling and basically anything he said she went along with. So, when she makes her decision to get all of this plastic surgery done not only does it make him happy but it also makes her “happy”.

**Heidi explains why she chose to get plastic surgery, very shocking reasons**

Although we take to heart what society thinks about us, there is always that other side who is going to judge us for what we have done. As humans that is what we have always done pretty much since life on earth began. The way someone looks, talks, etc. has always been judged. Often times I believe that this is what causes people to change their whole identity is because of “what people think”. In my opinion I really cannot say whether or not this is good or bad. On one hand you have someone like Heidi who doesn’t feel confident in her body, and so she takes action by changing it, “whatever makes them happy” is what they are going to do.  While on the other hand someone grows up being made fun of their whole life for the way they look but what if they can’t afford to “change themselves”. So basically what I am trying to say is should people really be judged for wanting to fix themselves?  No I think not. People should be able to live their lives no matter what we as a society may say about them.

Health Care!

Health Care: In the United States

America, such a great country to live in! What more could we ask for? How about lower health care costs? Why is it that here in America our healthcare system is so very expensive. We are amongst the most expensive type of healthcare out there. Our goals for our system is to make sure that everyone even the poor, are covered. How can we do this if prices continue to rise? The only ones who are able to afford these continuous raises are barely even the middle class families in America. Our annual per person health cost doubles any other country in the world while yet and still 45 million Americans are uninsured! How can this be? Well, take notice that Americans choose to have a public health model that protects the interests of the insurance industry and providers, rather than its own citizens.

Other countries like Canada, France and Germany all have better healthcare systems than us by far. The US and Canada differ very much due to the fact that the US spends 35% more capita then Canada per year on health administration mainly because they don’t have to employ a insurance sales people or billing specialist in every doctors office. Although this may seem nice there is still a downside to Canada’s Health Care system. Basically if you don’t agree with the government’s option, they have nowhere to turn for private insurance. That’s where France and Germany differ. France has a government run health care systems that insure every citizen with basic insurance with robust co-pay when visiting doctors, but they also have private insurance options that they are recommended to buy which 86% of the population does. France came in at #1 in Health care systems around the world.

Overall, America’s health care system may not be the best but in my opinion there has to be some type of loop hole. For instance, why are these European countries healthcare so cheap and why does everyone have it? Are they providing the best healthcare out there for their citizens? These are questions I leave you with to think about. The most logical thing to do would be to switch to the better healthcare systems of European countries, but on the other hand this may not be such a great idea!

Work Cited:)

“The Health Of Nations” Notes from lecture in Class

Clitoridectomy in Africa

Clitoridectomy in the Muslim Community!

(PROs) *Interview of villagers*

Taking away a young child’s sexual part before she even realizes what was taken from her. Clitoridectomy. Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is defined by the World Health Organization as “all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons” (Wikipedia). Clitoridectomy is a term that is most commonly used to describe what goes on in Muslim communities.  Girls at a very young age are being circumcised because it is the common cultural thing to do. The country I chose to turn my focus to was Egypt. In my opinion I do not agree with what goes on in the Muslim community but instead of being bias about the topic I sought to find out the pros and cons to this style of circumcision and why people speak so strongly about this topic. For years this has been a somewhat sensitive topic for many. Some women from the Muslim culture agree with it because it is something that has been practiced for years while some disagree because of the pain and psychological things that come along with it. In this video there are many questions that are being raised. Is circumcision harmful to the girls? Why are people’s little girls being circumcised? How will this benefit them in the future? Various people from the villages were interviewed to figure out exactly what are women’s views on this topic.

The ones who are against the practice of the removal of the clitoris state that Muslim women are “failing to please their husbands” (video), because they were circumcised at young ages by their families. Clitoridectomy is not just being practiced in villages, but everywhere no matter the class level. It is being performed throughout various Muslim societies. Many see this as a Barbaric Act and by performing it, eliminates the woman’s sensation during sex. How can one be put through this type of operation which for the most part is un-sanitary? Who are they to judge whether or not a woman can keep the only thing that would cause her to enjoy sex! This is a very cruel act to me. The surgery in fact does not have a positive effect on girls but rather a negative effect because “procedures can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating… potential childbirth complications and newborn deaths” (world health organization). On the other hand the ones who practice this way of life have some pretty valid reasons as to why this is acceptable in their culture and community!

The ones who are for the practice of the removal of the clitoris were questioned by Egyptian news casters. They were asked “What do people think in simple villages?”  “Why do they circumcise their girls?” WHY? Media people want to know that after all that has been said in the media and after all the doctors and religious scholars that they have met with, why do they still insist on circumcising their girls? 

** Egyptian Muslim Women are interviewed to see what their opinion is when it comes to the clitoridectomies, is it okay to do?**

Their responses: Circumcision is part of the Sunna, which is a social and legal custom and practices of the Muslim communities. The practice of Circumcision comes from the Hadith (Shariah Law). In this practice children are taken to private doctors and the procedure is done there. “Isn’t this cruel?” ask the reporter, one lady responds by saying no, that circumcision protects them and makes them ‘calm’. Women should be circumcised to protect themselves.  “It does not harm us, we are used to it”, states another women from the video. In their culture not following along with this is not being part of the norm. Their argument as to why this is safe and okay to do is that now in our day and age there is modern medicine which causes them to not feel a thing. Although going to the doctor is safe for doctors to do, what happens to the ones that cannot afford this? Well, they go to someone called the daya. The daya is not really used as much anymore since they were banned but they are someone with in the village who performs the procedure for a much lesser cost. Although this may seem cheaper and better…it is not. Most likely the sanitation is not that good because the girls are taken in to a tent and the procedure is done there. It is performed in warm water and the little girls scream and cry. It has been proven that this causes psychological problems for them but no one really cares. The instrument that is used is normally a rusted knife which of course will cause infection! Does this seem cruel to you? 

Well, coming from a religious side this is of course is seen as a good thing, a ritual. Although it may harm the girl, she gets ‘good’ results in the end. I don’t mean to be bias but I do not agree with this! How can someone determine whether or not if they can remove someone else’s sexual organ! On the other hand anyone who isn’t within that religion would see this as unfit for a little girl. It’s hard to choose as to whether or not this is okay. In our Society today in America, this of course isn’t practiced amongst us so being that it is not part of our ‘social norm’ it doesn’t seem fit for our little girls here in the US. In reference to, how can we change this horrible act? I don’t think that is possible! Someone will always be willing to continue to follow the rituals of their religion!  The only thing that we can try to do is spread awareness of what is going on in some Muslim communities!

Work Cited:)

(CONs) http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/

Feminism

Over the years feminism has always been a huge issue, not only in America but also in other countries. As we know Male’s have always been the dominant figure/power anywhere from making decisions to being the upper hand in households and in relationships. Take a step back and look at the big picture. Put yourself in a woman’s perspective, always listening to what the male had to say and basically having to comply with it to keep from having arguments. Women soon became sick of this and decided to take a social action by rebelling against this. As the years went on feminism activists started to stand up for women’s right for more than just male figures having the upper hand but for better reasons such as opposing, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and also sexual assault. Feminist activists have “campaigned for women’s rights” (Wikipedia) such as, contract, property, and voting. Along with these rights come many more! Stanford’s Encyclopedia of Philosophy states that feminism is both “intellectual commitment and a political movement” and is something that not only seeks justice for all women but to bring an end to all sexism. Being that there are so many topics within feminism itself I chose to only focus on the cultural aspects of feminism.

Within the feminist movement and its culture one can find a variety of ideas.  As we take a look back into history we see that feminism was something that was started by white middle class women from Western Europe and North America. In 1851 Sojourner Truth gave a speech that sparked many movements amongst different ethnicities across the world. Ever since her speech back then women around the world have proposed additional feminisms.  Within feminism there is also the talk of womanizing which is pretty much the same thing. Feminism has had a pretty long cultural journey, with it going through 3 waves! The first wave focused on the promotion of equal marriage, parenting, and property rights for women, but by the end of the 19^th its main focus was on gaining political power activism focused primarily on gaining political power. In the second wave women (feminist) went past this by fighting for political rights to fight for greater equality across the board, e.g., in education, the workplace, and at home. The last wave focused on their critiquing of women in the second wave for their lack of attention amongst the differences among women due to race, class, ethnicity, religion and nationality.

When it comes to feminism with religion one that came out mind was the Islamic culture. Feminism within the Islamic culture main focus is for the equality of men and women in the Muslim world; no matter the gender and whether it is in or out of the household. As stated before the men are the ones who are dominating especially in this culture. Even though this whole thing is rooted from Muslim faith the women activist have been influenced by western ideas and see it as a huge women movement that is going on across the world. Advocates of the faith are the ones who seek to point out the equality of men and women that the Koran speaks of. Most of the time men or many will misinterpret the information that is coming from the Koran which causes the non-equality of men and women. This is a great example as to how religion/cultural all play important roles in feminist situations.

Overall, we as females have come a long way.As females in 2011 we are able to do far more than what a woman could do even as long ago as 40 years ago. We have had great women advocates who have come before us to change what was wrong in their eyes. They chose to make a social action by taking a stand for what they believed! 

Work Cited 🙂

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-topics/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism

Social Class in America

 Social Class in America Video focused on three American families. It starts off with the baby’s in the hospital and a commentator stating the type of background that these babies come from: Wealthy, Middle & Poor Class.  Each class is given a scenario ; Wealthy son : graduates from high school with a guaranteed spot in an Ivy League School. The wealthy kid’s father explains to him why he sent him to a public school which was to give him a demographic background. What this means is that, his father wanted him to be well rounded and to know the various attributes of people. The Middle Class Son  : plans to follow in the footsteps of his father as a business man and teacher. Back in this time it was common for a young man to follow in the footsteps of his father. This is questioned when the young middle class son brings up that he likes drawing. Of course his idea and dream is shut down immediately because it wasn’t a normal thing. The Poor son : He was already expected to get a low paying job just like his father which is why he applied for one as soon as he graduated.

*This is what my blog is based on*

Everything that I have stated can be referred to as Vertical mobility. The definition of this is the social ladder that moves up and down, and when you move up in class this of course this equals a better job. An example of this would be the case of the wealthy and middle class families. On the other hand horizontal mobility’s definition means same class different job. The idea of being in the same class but wanting a job that most likely doesn’t pertain to the “usual” job that goes with your class is what the middle class son. He wanted to step out of his boundaries buy doing what he wanted but as stated before, this was shut down by his family. The way in which each son stayed within their class boundaries is a term defined as noblesse oblige, which is where one must act in a fashion in which they are in position; responsibilities to lead and manage. As you look more in depth into this “social class in America” idea you may notice that “class is a fundamental stratifying force in society”(Kendall 3) states Deanna Kendall  in her book titled “ Class in The United States” as she quotes author Mark Twain.

This video was short but went straight to the point of the idea of Social Classes in America. This video is based upon the year of 1957. I would say that this video is a perfect example of today’s society. Is “social class in the United States is dead or dying overstating their case?” (1). My answer to this would be NO. Social Class is not dying. It may not be as “out there” as it was in the 50’s as shown in the video but it is definitely something that is still around. Now a day’s many differentiate someone’s class level based on the way they speak, act and or the type of clothes that they may wear. The only difference in today’s day and age and back then would be the different types of jobs that were mentioned in the video. But the concept stays the same.

The Aftermath:

*The same young men; after they have graduated from college and moved on with their lives*

Work Cited🙂

Kendall,Deanna: Class in the United States: Not only alive but reproducing. Department of Sociology, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97326, Waco, TX 76798-7326, USA. Received 5 January 2003; received in revised form 26 July 2004; accepted 1 November 2004