Post #9

Over the past couple of weeks we have talked about social class, and how where you grow up and what you are exposed to can effect many things. Where you live has a tremendous impact on the way you are raised and whether or not you have behavior issues in the long run. For instance, if someone were to live in the south side of Chicago, they would be so caught up in between gang related activities which set them at a higher chance to end up in jail. They would also be limited necessary supplies in order to improve individually education wise due to the low income of the neighborhood. Opposed to someone like me for instance, raised in an all white neighborhood attending one of the best schools in the nation which plays a huge role in the education I receive I the long run because the incomes are slightly higher and teachers are way more professional educated. This is proof that Social Class plays a key role in the education you receive after college. I was born in Albania, one of the poorest countries in middle-Europe and once I arrived to America I noticed the huge difference in opportunities due to higher wealth statues and more jobs. With a blink of an eye I soon began to realize how lucky I truly am too get the opportunities I have today. Watching the documentary, Line I soon began to realize how big of a struggle it was for lower-middle class people to live pay check by pay check and support 2+ kids at the same time. What people don't realize is how many people truly struggle financially because of the area they were raised in didn't give them the opportunity to noticed the reality of social class in America. Many people look at income statistics and assume most people are in the "middle-class" but many can agree that there is no such as thing because its hard to distinguish the difference between the classes because the thin line isn't visible.

Post #8

In Sociology these last couple of weeks, we learned that in America, Social class is based off the Rich getting richer and the poor relying more on food stamps which shows how truly diverse our country is financially. The news never advertises how poor some locations are and provide no absolute support to those who truly need it the most. It's truly unfair to alot of people because not everyone is born with wealth and the abillity to make a living in a healthy, sanitized location. If you aren't born with well educated parents it more likely that you wont complete a college degree and make about $30,000 a year based off an hourly job. Opposed to those who are born into a wealthier family which puts them at a higher advantage because they get more recognition in the future when they attend a good college and receive a good degree and make anywhere from $75,000-$145,000. Due to statistics, they came to conclusion that if your parents had a masters degree that puts you in a higher chance of getting a similar degree because that knowledge gets passed on and utilized. Our financial statistics show that 75% of Americans are on the bottom of the food chain even if they consider themselves "middle class" and only a select few rise. For example, if two people were too play monopoly and one person began with more money and property than the other, it puts them at a greater chance of getting wealthier opposed to a normal person that starts off at a low amount of money and only ends up at a low amount. This relates to our country because the rich will always get richer we'll the poor bust their butt and still end up getting poorer. Poverty is truly not something to be proud of but, unfortunately there are many people that have no choice but to fall in that category which is a tremendous transition into the reality of many poor Americans. Some way down their career, they lost their job and were left choice but to rely on food pantries and food stamps. Living in poverty can affect you in multiple ways such as, your physical health, Environment, Lifestyle, Medical Care, and your mental health. When your born in a poor area, your limited to many things such as, food because theirs a good chance theirs 1-2 stores that aren't even grocery stores. Believe it or not, a lower class person has a higher chance of dying at any age than a wealthy person because the food they are limited too leads to obesity and diabetes cause they don't have much of a choice.When it comes to health issues, the Poor white children, though, are more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke, or to be born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy than poor black or Hispanic children which leads to their addiction for nicotine. When it comes to being checked or treated, they are limited because they have less access to hospitals and don't have enough money for health insurance. When it comes too Stevenson, theres many instinces of social class, for example, there are kids that designer brands opposed to others that wear thrift shop clothes due to our diversity. Lincolnshire is actually a upper class location which means we are gifted to get great education of be provided with more opportunities then living in Inglewood,Chicago. Although its not that diverse when it comes to social class, there's still a small percentage of kids that live in the poorer areas of Lincolnshire or River woods.

Community Service

Recently I participated in a community service event called "Bocce Ball Special Olympics" from 7:30 am till 4:30 Pm at the Tea Pavilion at Citizens Park in Barrington and it was a very interesting day because I finally got to participate in an event that sort of impacted me because it gave me a different perspective to think about. I met some wonderful people that tremendously helped me appreciate how truly gifted I was to get the ability to do most things these guys weren't able to do for the most part. Most people these days don't take in to consideration the fact that their able to do more then kids with special needs who didn't chose to live that life. Although they didn't chose that life, I'm sure god has a special plan for them down the road. The weather was very bipolar and it caused multiple delays to the event which sort of angered me but then again its whatever. The experience was truly fun due to the fact that I felt like a huge help to these competitors whom have been practicing for years just to play at the event and go down the road to ISU for state.

Post #7

The past couple of weeks in Sociology we have been learning the affects TV ads have on the Masculinity or Femininity in humans in today's society. The problem with Females these days is that they are influenced by the idea that they must be "perfect" in order to truly display their Femininity. Advertisements these days really influence girls into becoming "perfect" which leads to a larger increase in eating disorders throughout America. What they don't realize is a Photoshopped "model" isn't real and appears at an early age to them because they are easily manipulated. The fact that companies such as "barbie" take advantage of kids in order to make them believe that they could show similar traits to that of a "fake" model displayed throughout ads. Our culture says that girls tend to be more passive in general which means their more laid back and focused. Men these days are born and raised by this idea that they must always be in charge, or "Violent." As displayed through many films, the male is always dominant which comes to this realization that we were always influenced and raised that way. When you take a look at the kids section of a kids magazine, you begin to see a similar idea where violence is always present in some way, shape, or form. Although violence is build through our blood, it can sometimes be misused and abused in a unnecessary situation. As the years go by, men start to become more violent which explains the 68% of the murders in the country come from the men Species. Many crimes these days are done by men which explains how violent we are becoming century after century. Our culture says that men tend to be more active because were more violent. It's much harder for men to sit still in one spot which means we end to lose focus easier. When I grew up my parents tell me to this day how violent I truly was when I was younger which didn't fully carry over today which I consider to be a good thing. My parents on the other hand also included how I would be outside constantly trying new things which ties back to this idea that boys are "Active," because we are constantly on the go.

Post #6

Over the past couple of weeks in Sociology we learned the process of Socialization and how since the day you were born you were tremendously influenced by the way you were raised during your childhood. The example we used was called "The Growing Man" and how when your a baby, your not mindful and consciousness of the things around you which means you are easily influenced by your parents. We also learned that when your a baby you begin to study your parents and mimic them in a way that leads you to show similar actions. The way your brain thinks during adolescent years is what we call "Nature" and the moment you finally become mindful of the people around you is what we call "Nurture." Unfortunately not every one was given the ability to socially interact with the people around them therefore they do not get to be mindful of the people around them and do not meet societies norms. A baby could get all the nature they need from their parents, but without having human interactions with others we don't mentally grow so therefore we become "behind" everyone. The point being that we need nature and nurture to make us who we are. If we do not get them both, we can't reach our mindfulness powers. Personally my religion influenced me the most because all my life I was pushed to follow the Qur'an (Muslim Bible) which to this day sticks with me although once in a while I do make mistakes, its human. I personally stopped religiously following it therefore it hasn't made that much of an impact on me because it taught me that if you ever consider doing something bad just remember, "god is watching." So in a way my religion truly has an impact on who I am because that's the way I was raised before I arrived to America at the age of three. Media also has a huge impact on children these days because they are the easiest target due to their knowledge of how things work in the consumer world. After being exposed with ads on the daily it soon shapes who you are because apparently the consumer world believes it will make you "cool" if you spend money on their product. The problem with kids these days is that their too accepting to new things and they believe buying the new "Nintendo" for example will make them cool because it creates conversation with friends and the people around you. Truthfully it doesn't make you cool and it takes away children's uniqueness therefore creating more chaos. In the media excerpt, they were explaining how new toys target younger kids and persuades them to buy it because its "cool" which shows that consumers manipulate children in order to take their money and create business for themselves. Of course children are easily going to believe the consumers because their not aware but, I personally believe it's not fair to target children and steal their money. It's illegal everywhere but America to target children in the Consumer world which shows how messed up we truly are.

Post #5

Over the past couple of weeks our class began studying the impact American Culture has on us Americans. I believe American's now a days are afraid to chase love because to them getting a promotion and working all your life is better then feeling "loved."Although many people can disagree with that it's very clear that many Americans don't like to think about how things impact us but instead move on with life as if nothing happened. The traditional culture in America is to forget our loved ones and move on with life but, in my culture we like to mourn the deaths of our soldiers and even keep that person in our head because it wasn't morally right to block out that person from your mind. Americans value many things in life but, none of them stop and think about the overall picture and how it impacts us majorly. For example in the TED talk by Chris Jordan, he brings up epidemics in America and explains how we have lost our national expression of America and how each year our country begins to negatively change. I agree with Chris because it almost seems like our country forgot about the pride it took by our Soldiers to help bring this place to peace. If people began wanting "change" then maybe we would see some change in America behavior wise. If we saw a change in behavior then we might begin to get a sense of "ourselves" and our national pride. In the movie Tuesdays with Morrie, Morrie kept bringing up "if you learn to accept yourself and find use then you will live a happy life." What he means is that America is too busy working all their life for nothing and there too ignorant to accept the fact that their death is going to come therefore they should learn to accept that. In our culture we value Time because it's always good to be on time to Work, School, or even an event that has meaning to our life. In the movie, Morrie believes that you shouldn't worry about the time but rather make use in your life knowing your time is coming very soon. He was constantly giving advice in life which to me sounded very valuable and true.

Post #4

Over the past couple of weeks in Sociology we learned about Cultural shock, Gestures, Taboos, Norms, Values and how they can each effect the way we see the world around us.We also learned that each culture outside the US consists of different values and traditions which can make it hard for us to adapt. Cultural Shock can be best described as not being aware of the different traditions when you enter a unfamiliar area. For example in the movie "God Grew tired of us", the Lost Boys of Sudan experience a life they are unfamiliar with because to them tradition is different back home then when they arrive in America. Back at home they were living in the dirt poor area with nothing but little food and water to live with. Once they arrived with America, they soon began to realize how much more opportunity they have to make a living and pay for their own stuff. Also, on the airplane to America, the Lost boys were shocked the whole ride on the plane because in Sudan they don't get the same opportunity in the camps. Gestures varied world wide and can be misinterpreted very easily which can be a difficult situation to be in. One gesture can be carried on to another culture and mean something completely different for example, Japanese people tend to put their hand on their head which means they are embarrassed at something and to us it means that person is thinking something through. Taboos are things accepted but are not talked about for example, if my parent were to ask me if I'm going out so they could have some time to themselves. Although we know what they would do, it's not usually a good thing to be open about in a social environment therefore we call it "Taboo." After living in America for 14 years, visiting Albania again changes my perspective of life because the traditions are completely different therefore it takes some getting used to. In Albania it's socially acceptable to smoke at a younger age compared to America where it's illegal until your 18. As soon as you enter another country, rules change, norms become different, which takes some understanding to adapt to the change in an appropriate manner.