1Who Am I?...REEEEEMIX!

    As I looked back to my first ever post in Sociology, I noticed that I thought I was talking about who I was, when I wasn't really doing that at all. In my first post, I talked mainly about my backround and what I plan to do with the rest of my life. But now that I've taken sociology, I'm able to explain who I am and how learning about other people has helped me understand myself, as well as the world a little more clearly.
    This semester we talked so much about different societies, cultures and norms. Before this class I thought I was a pretty open minded person, but after being able to actually watch movies about people who are disadvantaged or participate in activities that seem different to me I was able to really think about how they live. Throughout this whole semester I've learned that it's okay to be different and go outside what other people think is "normal". I think it has also helped me to become less judgemental. Instead of seeing a homeless man on the street and thinking, "He could have tried harder in life," I can now think, "What happened in his life that resulted in him ending up here?" I think when we live in a country and society where we have it very well off, it's easy to forget that there are millions of people in the world that aren't as fortunate as us. I've learned that instead of sitting back and feeling sorry for these people, there's a way that we can all step in and make a change. Sociology has made me become so much more proactive and I think that's one of the most important achievements you can get out of life. Problems don't change by sitting back and crossing your fingers, hoping for a miracle. They change by people stepping up and getting involved. I am now so much more of an aware and accepting person, and I know that Sociology has helped me become that person. So...yeah. That's a wrap, folks. :)

"...We crash into eachother, just so we can feel something."

   This week we watched Crash, and it was honestly one of the most amazing movies I've ever seen. The whole point of the movie was to look at race and how we're socially constructed to think about it. It also showed how even though we may  not want to think it, there is a little prejudice in all of us.
   Throughout the entire movie, more and more stereotypes were played on. Ludacris and his friend were portrayed as the "bad black guys" and when they ran over the Asian man, I'm sure we all thought that he was just some innocent man. What was really crazy about the movie was how they proved a lot of the stereotypes wrong. The Asian man that appeared to be solely a victim was actually a human trafficker, defying the stereotype that all Asians are perfect, innocent people.
    There is so much racism and stereotyping in the world today that I think it's hard for people not to be racist or stereotypical. I'm faced with stereotypical comments all the time because I'm Asian. Whether it's because I'm not "smart like Asians" or because I'm not good at math or even because I have freckles, the comments are always surprising at first, even though I've been exposed to them all my life. I think people need to know that everyone is different; everyone has unique qualities. Only when we can accept that fact, we can stop being so racist.

racism

This week we talked about racism, and how even though we may not think so, it is apparent everywhere. Being Japanese, I have been a victim of racism and I'm sure I will experience acts of racism in the future. I remember when I was in elementary school this one boy used to call me "chink" all the time. When I was that young I didn't even know what that meant. What the heck was a "chink"? I later found out that it was a name made up for Chinese people. That was the first time I had experienced something like that. The funny thing is, I'm not even Chinese! It's crazy to think how people are actually taught to hate other people just because they may look different. In history classes we talk about different topics, like slavery or the civil rights movement and I know a lot of us think, "wow, how could people have been so racist like that back then?". But what people don't realize is that our society is still racist. We may not want to think so, but we can see racist acts everywhere. I think that stereotyping also goes into the same category as racism. When you're a certain race or ethnicity, people expect you to act the way they think "your" people would act. Isn't that wrong? In class we talked about how when you meet a person, one of the first things you notice is his or her race. I know that when I meet people and then get to know them, I hear things like, "you're not asian at all!" or, "you're the whitest asian I've ever met!" Like, what does that even mean? I feel like we've grown up to believe that racism hardly exists anymore when it's really everywhere.

doesn't have to be thanksigiving to give thanks...

Thiss week we learned all about social class. We played monopoly and felt what it was like to be in a certain class for our whole lives. We also watched another 30 Days video, and this time the guy and his fiance were living a low-wage life for 30 days. It wasn't until I saw this video that I really took a second to think about everything I have in my life. The kids that go to SHS, myself included, take so many of the resources we have for granted, and I don't just mean the things that are provided for us in school. We're all so lucky to be able to have a solid roof over our heads, hot meals, clothes to wear, and just a lot of different material goods. It's crazy to think about adults that have to support their families while making minimum wage. We kids see something in the store for $5 and we think, "That's so cheap! Let's buy it!". But for people that only make $8.25 per hour, that $5 is a lot. Watching the movie made me truly thankful for everything I have in my life, and I can't really picture it any other way.
   It's sad to think that there are so many families in the world that are just struggling to survive. America is the wealthiest country in the world and we still have so many people that are homeless and living out on the streets. It's hard to think that once you're born into a certain class that you'll stay there for the rest of your life, but it seems to be pretty realistic. I think we should do more for those families in need, and maybe try living like them for a little. I don't mean try it for 30 days or anything, but I think it would be interesting to try and keep yourself on a tight budget and see how you really change. I think that's the only way people who are lucky enough to have what they need can really understand how it feels to not have anything.

'tis the season...

So, yesterday I went to Deer Park to wrap gifts for part of my community service. My shift was from 10-12, and I was actually excited to be able to wrap a ton of presents and help people out, while at the same time helping Habitat out by raising money for them. Guess how many people stopped by our table to get their things wrapped? ONE. In the two hours that my friend and I were sitting at the table, ONE nice lady came up and asked us to wrap some of her items. It was also in the last 5 minutes of our shift. I was honestly shocked. First of all, the table wasn't even stationed in a place where people would be able to see us. Then, when my friend tried to stand at the door and let people know that we were back there, she got yelled at for "solicitingo"! I mean, I kind of get how that would look bad for the store, but it wasn't like we were asking people to donate money to a fund to help us buy a new car or something; it was to help people without a house! I just thought it was really interesting to think about how people can be so selfish sometimes. There were so many people that would walk by our table, glance at our sign, and then just keep on walking to get a cup of coffee. Would it be so hard to just put in a couple bucks to help someone else out for the holidays? It was kind of funny, because this girl walked up to our table maybe 15 minutes before our shift was over and we got so excited! Like we were finally going to get to wrap something. But the girl walked up and said, "Can I borrow a pen and something to write on?" We were actually kind of shocked. I haven't done gift wrapping like that in a long time and I forgot how rewarding it was to actually wrap presents for other people. I also didn't realize how people can be so selfish. Supposedly the holidays is a time for giving and happiness, but I didn't see a lot of that going on yesterday. Maybe it was because they didn't really know what cause we were working for. Maybe if they would have had a better idea of what Habitat for Humanity was, then they would have been more generous. It was just a very eye-opening experience overall.

deviance, drugs, jail and all that stuff...

  So, our lesson on deviance carried on into this week. We learned about the different types of drugs and how they are seen as more deviant in some societies and less deviant in others. It was crazy to think about how there are such different laws for the same drugs, depending on where you live. This just helps to show how deviance is relative to where/how you grow up.
   We also talked a lot about the Cook County Jail and the type of treatment that the "prisoners" received. The deputies were always trying to prove their superiority by swearing and threatening the prisoners, because if they didn't then they would run the risk of the prisoners becoming violent and out of control. I don't understand how even prison guards could treat prisoners like that. I mean, it's true that they may have committed some crimes, but I don't think all the verbal abuse is necessary. Especially because a lot of the crimes the prisoners were being charged of were drug related; they weren't murderers! Even though I wasn't in class one of the days we watched the movie 30 Days, I thought it was pretty cool. I thought it was really interesting to see the the jail where the inmates were able to develop a support system and try and recover. I don't understand why more jails aren't like that! It's obvious that people aren't going to change when all they're given is disrespect. The freedom that the other inmates had was very crucial to their "self-discovery" and overall recovery from whatever problem they may have had. If I were to ever end up in jail (which I hope never happens, of course) I would definitely want to be able to go to a place where I would be able to relate to other people that are in the same place. It would help to be able to converse with other people there and know that I'm not alone.

Deviance

Last week in class we read the article about the Saints and the Roughnecks. The saints were very deviant in the way they acted, but because of how they were able to make excuses and get themselves out of sticky situations, they weren't necessarily seen as deviant. They were also in the middle to upper class, so they had nice clothes and they were smarter than the Roughnecks. The Roughnecks were also deviant, but since they were not very dedicated in their studies like the Saints, their crimes were actually recognized and they were often punished. Throughout the article, the social status of the two groups was often looked at as a huge factor in level of deviance that was perceived. While I do believe that money does play a role in that type of stuff, I also just think some of it is just social skills. For instance, at SHS there are plenty of people that could be placed in the Saints and the Roughnecks categories. The Saints are the ones that are able to weasle their way out of sticky situations, where the Roughnecks aren't so fortunate. I see it happen all the time. Maybe a boy comes in late to class but since he is able to "tell the teacher what he/she wants to hear", the boy is suddenly off the hook. He would be considered the Saint. But then if another boy comes in late to class and he just disregards the teacher, then the boy will get into trouble. I think if people know the right way to talk to people, then they'll be able to get themselves out of sticky situations. A lot of it is how well people are able to charm others. If you're good at that kind of stuff then well, you're in luck.