Sumblog #13

Immanuel Wallerstein was a social therist liked to base the world off of and economic status. He wanted to help explain how history has changed. Modernization is on the rise in his opinion. He would categorize them into groups. The core-periphery, periphery and semi periphery. The core periphery was the dominant one and was known to be about the wealthier countries. These countries did well economically and were able to communicate well with other countries. The periphery was known to be in the middle, meaning that they lacked a little bit when it comes to economics. The last is the semi periphery this is a little bit of both. It has a little bit of core and the periphery.

I believe that this world is all about what class  you are in and this is just showing that we seperate the countries into different social classes even between different countries.

I posted a pyramid of the groups it is the same one that we have seen in class but I believe that it is a great reference to fall back on in this situation.

 http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.irows.ucr.edu/cd/courses/10/socchange_files/image004.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.irows.ucr.edu/cd/courses/10/socchange.htm&h=432&w=576&sz=28&tbnid=-hbnfcCnqJF0XM:&tbnh=110&tbnw=147&zoom=1&usg=__sHmE5iHQzHBHWnc8Evmb5HRQDOw=&docid=DQLfnPbVy-LuqM&sa=X&ei=4IKnUpT6AYaKqAGa0oDwBw&ved=0CEoQ9QEwBA

Sumblog #11

Dorothy Smith was the person who talked about the standpoint theory. The standpoint theory was ne o the main theses that we talked about in Theories class this week. Standpoint theories tend to help people understand places, ideas, and other concepts of places or things they don’t know much about. They are seeing it in an outsider’s perspective. To help me understand this I always think about someone in a relationship.  While someone is in a relationship they will always have those people who like to voice their opinions about it. People will always have their parents, siblings, friends etc. in your face about their opinions. They will constantly be saying stuff like, he doesn’t treat you right, he doesn’t make enough money, he isn’t right for you. But who are they to say those type of things. They don’t know what happens 24 hours of the day or how you feel about that person. I believe this is why people do not understand why people get back together with someone who cheated on them. Everyone on the outside is going to think that you are insane and once a cheater is always a cheater. But the outsider has no right to say anything. It is there life and they can do what they want. The outsider doesn’t know how good that person could have made them feel. And maybe getting back with that person was the best decision they’ve ever made. I feel like people are so bored that they feel the need to get in your business and voice their opinions for no reason. We can also see this when it comes to gender and race. People are constantly having stereotypes against genders and races/cultures. I feel as if we cannot judge someone completely until we have been in that persons shoes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDDWvj_q-o8

Sorry about the depressing video but I thought it was interesting to see the different types of situations people are in. And from the outside you can’t tell that they are going through a hard time.

Sumblog #10

In class we talked about the theories Peter Berger. Peter Berger was known for the Society as a Human Product. He believes that everything that happens is because of humans. Every idea, society’s and cultures were created because on humans. He tried to explain this through four components. Those four components were Social construction of Reality, Externalization, Habitualization, and Institutionalization. Social construction of Reality is explained to be that we create our own reality. We decide how we want to live and how the outcomes of our lives will be. Externalization is when you interact with other individuals. Humans create their own social interactions with other people. They choose how to speak and act. Habitualization is pretty much a longer word for habits. Everyone has their own habits in one way or another. When you are born you slowly become more independent and begin to grow your own habits. Having a habit about something doesn’t mean that it is always right. We just feel as if they are because we are used to doing it. Institutionalization can be explained about being a part of something and committing to something. For example you can be a part of social club which you can be institution into that pacific thing. This seems to be legit in my eyes. I believe that everyone has the chance to improve themselves. I also believe that everyone has a filter to make them better. What you do in your life if your choice and yes there will be some bumps in the road but you need to stand up tall and appreciate what you have in life. And if there is something you do not like about it you have the power to change it. Society should not choice how you act and treat people. It’s your life and your decisions being made.

I thought it would be interesting to posted quotes about how you can be yourself no matter what.

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/being-yourself

Sumblog #9

The last theory classes have been the most interesting for me. I say things because I thought it was interesting that we talk about power of audience. It was funny to be that Violince guy played in a subway and went unnoticed for a very long time. Even though he performs his own shows that tickets are often sold for 200 dollars.

I also was interesting that we brought up the fact that all most everything is a stage. Everyday people are preforming in some sort. The way people interact with some people can be a way of getting there approval. I remember when I was growing up my grandpa was a very intimating man. I would go in their how with the impression that I need to perform an act that he would approve up. If my grandfather knew that I drank before 21 years old he would not see me as the person I acted like toward me. He saw me as a classy young lady who only focused on school work and sports. When in reality that was not all that I focused on when I was in high school, But something’s were left unsaid from him. We were also told that we needed to dress nice when we went over there and I always got confused because why would I dress up to go sit and talk. He shouldn’t care what we looked like, he should care that we even came in the first place. We obviously live in different generations but I still found it silly.

I am sure that a ton of people have posted from the movie “Mean Girls” but I thought that the charractor of Regina George worked perfect for this. She puts on a performance daily and at the end of the movie we get to see the real her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1lZKwggG0c

Sumblog #8 "I" "Me" "Self"

In this week’s classes we discussed George Herbert Mead’s concepts of “I” and “Me” while also discussing “Self.”  The concept “Me” can be seen of how someone wants someone to see them and “I” is how the person really acts. I liked how we use the liar liar video to explain it better. Jim Carry was showing his real “I” toward his boss because he could tell a lie. When in reality he would have put on his “Me” personality to filter what he was actually thinking about saying. There are a million situations that people use “Me” instead of “I” and I liked how we compared it to Facebook. I feel as if Facebook it a place where people can us “I” more often. For example, people on Facebook aren’t afraid to start fights or call someone pretty or ugly. In real life people usually aren’t that confident. There also can be the duality of the self; this was seen with the Stanford Prison Experiment. The Stanford Prison Experiment was a group of college student who were put into a prison setting and were forced to act like they actually committed a crime. Well by the end the students began to change into thinking they are actually apart of the prison. It is crazy to think that this can happen to anyone. Some people can change because of their job; they seem to start thinking that it is the most important thing and start to lose their sense of self.  Finding one’s self can be challenging to many people because they can feel lose and feel as if they don’t mean anything to anyone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNC9cc5ZsyU

I posted a video about how people see themselves and how they think others view them. It explains some concepts of self and how people have different a “self.”

Sumblog #7 Julia Cooper

A great leader named, Julia Cooper was an African-American woman who that racism was societies fault and not the fault of the individual.  She would explain this through different theories of power. One theory is the power of pluralism. This is meant to be in a positive way. It helps celebrate diversity but it can sometimes be seen in bad ways. It seems that people want everyone to become more Americanized which can be known as the “melting pot” which is the blending of all nations into one society. But a better way to explain this can be the “fruit salad” this way everyone can be in the same society but can portray their own individuality. Another power is assimilation, and this is when things only go one way. For example Americans often expect cultures to change in their direction, by changing languages and practices. The other power is segregation; this can often be seen as either informally or formally. Formal segregation is when people are not allowed into buildings because of who they are. This works at schools as well. The informal segregation can be where different minorities gather together and group together. Like in a lunch room at a school they will all sit together. The last power is genocide; this is the worst of them all. This involves killing of people who belong to a racial cultural or political group.

The video I found was about genocide. This was extremely eye opening and brings out the facts behind it all. Sorry about the graphics but I thought it was necessary to have people see what would go on in different countries? This also shows that this can happen in any country and culture. It is also crazy how this can still be happening in today’s society. You would think people would have been disgusted by how things used to be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-SI8RF6wDE

Sumblog 6 The Yellow Wallpaper

Charlotte Perkins Gilman is one to try and figure out the roles between men and women. She would express that men were the independent of the two because they would never need to rely on the women. They were able to provide for themselves with no help, especially not from a woman.  She would say that the women are supposed to be supported by the man never the other way around. With that being said women would be known as the dependent person because they would rely on someone else. Housewives would be an example of this, Gilman would say since the men are supply the money and working all day that the wives should do the housework like cooking and cleaning.

There also is interdepended which is where people would rely on each other, For example using two incomes. This is seen more and more common in today’s society. Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper. This was a collection of journal entries that were written by woman who lived her life according to how husband wanted her to. This woman was confined to the upstairs bedroom; she was not allowed to work and was forbidden from her journal. She becomes depressed and begins to have an obsession with the pattern and color of the wallpaper in her room. She begins to also see thing like a woman who lives in the wallpaper and realizes that it is her that is living in it. This story was a great example of who woman were sometimes treated back in the day. From reading that story I was defiantly surprised because of how things have changed in my day and age.

I posted a video of the story “The Yellow Wallpaper” I thought it was interesting being able to watch the story instead of just reading it. I feel it brought out a lot of emotions!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1eXAle7mgk

Sumblog 5

Harriet Martineau was the founding mother of sociology and also was one who wanted happiness throughout society. To her happiness was something everyone was able to experiences no matter what lifestyle a person lived. I believe that happiness can also mean many different things for different people. Some can see happiness as being loved and cared for while others see happiness as what they have and what they can give. There are so many ways to feel happy. As I get older I see that people are so money hungry that it’s the only way they become happy. Some people still can see the best in life and can be happy about that. I would love to see someone loss all their money and still be positive about being happy. Yes it does happen but it seems to be rare.  She expressed morals and manners as the two aspects of a person’s happiness. Morals can be seen as what someone thinks is right. For example many people live by morals, such as be loyal, respect others, do not judge those are what people believe will help them though life if they live by those certain morals. Manners can be the way someone acts towards another person. For example it could be returning email or calls, does not use swear words, use please and thank you, there are so many example that can help explain what manners are.

I posted below a video of people saying what makes them happy, and I loved that most of the people said the simple things like nice weather, being with family and friends and having good health. Someone even said seeing snow melts makes them happy. It was refreshing to hear simple answers instead of saying a new iPod makes me happy or having the latest technology makes me happy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8XLzqQx478

Power and authority (Sumblog 4)

Power and authority can be seen in many ways. Weber Marx was one to explain and express different ways of them. In class our professor gave great examples of how power and authority are used. He explained how he has authority of us students but no power. He has the authority over us because he gives us the final grade and gives us the chance to gain points throughout the year. But on the other hand he has no power over forcing us to do the assignments and the power of making us study.  Another example of this could be how a bully has the authority to make you do something but has absolute no power over you!

Authority can be seen in many different ways to different people. People can see authority as politically, religiously or just simple things like family authority. We see it as politically because the government has many rules of the people. And depending on what you believe in religion can play a huge role in what power it has over you and your family. The way we see family in the authority part is that when you grow up you often get bossed around by your mother and father. Not only your mother and father but you may have gotten told what to do by your older siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Pretty much as I grew up my elders had power over me and had the authority to tell me what to do because I didn’t know any better.

 Below I decided to post a picture of a mother and her son. This shows that the mother is clearly the authority figure in this situation. She seems to be yelling at him and pointing her finger toward him. It helped me realize that power and authority can be different even though they seem similar.

https://www.google.com/search?q=authority+figure&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=WmtTUvT9EcWVhQeeuYGQBA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1518&bih=723&dpr=1#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=YOyB-xl2k49q7M%3A%3Bz9hDWZ72hUyWOM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimages.sodahead.com%252Fpolls%252F002805591%252F1430610234_alienatePt2_xlarge.jpeg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.sodahead.com%252Fliving%252Fshould-parents-seem-like-friends-or-like-authority-figures-to-their-children%252Fquestion-2805591%252F%3B320%3B320

Religion

The main focus in Theories was religion. I feel that religion can be such a touchy subject in certain situations. There are so many different religions in the world and so many different beliefs that it’s hard to find what the real truth is. I agree when Durkheim would say that religion plays a large part in society. I agree with him that a person’s religion plays a big part in the way they act and live. Most sociologists would see religion as a forceful thing but Durkheim would see it as a good thing and would help with society

Religion can help some through a very tough time, like when a loved one dies you want to believe that that person will be going to a better place. Religion can also help someone realize that there is a reason to life and help you have a meaning for life. Another place that I have noticed that uses religion a lot is in the criminal systems. People who do serious crimes look to god to heal them and make them holy again.

I watched a video a few years ago about religion and I automatically thought about this video when we were talking about religion is class. This video brings up so many topics and makes you rethink almost everything. He makes points about things not being solved and not making any sense of what religion really is. This video is only four minutes and I highly suggest everyone watches it and have listen to the questions he is asking and the topics he is bring up. This is a great video for a young mind like myself be I still am trying to find what I believe. Many people my age grow up believing what their parents believe in and do not allow themselves to explore the many other religions that are out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTTGU4yXO3Y

Fetishism of Commodity

I have taken other sociology classes and we always somehow bring up Karl Marx. I mean why wouldn’t we, he is a great sociologist with great theories and thoughts. One theory that really caught my eye was Fetishism of Commodity. An easy way to explain Fetishism of commodity is by thinking of a garage sale, in a garage sale you have buyer and a seller. The word commodity means buying and selling of goods and services. There is this obsession of constantly needing to buy and sell. As a seller you want to make the most money that you possibly can and once you get that money you want to buy the newest and coolest things just to feel like you fit in. By constantly making yourself become obsessed with selling and wanting to make money you will almost lost yourself in materialistic things. You would allow yourself to be known as your status and not your own self. The way I see it is we see the money and not the time and effort put into the product. For example if you have a block of wood you will see it has nothing but if you take the time and effort of making it into a table, will you be proud? No, you would see money signs because you can sell it and make money off of it. This also can mean that if you go to the grocery store you buy the groceries there is now a relationship between you and the owner. When you give your money to the store you are giving money to the owner.

 A great example of Fetishism can be when the new Grand Theft Auto game came out. People took of work the next day just to stay up to go buy the game. There were lines lined up outside of game stores. This also is a great example of a want, and not a need. This shows an Obsession for a materialist item.

 I posted below a video of a group of people being obsessed with the latest trends and objects. The video is of black Friday. This shows how out of control things can get when it comes to materialistic things!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBk32OUxCnU

The Materialistic World

I feel like the best topic for me to blog about is materialism. Materialism is in everyone somehow or another. I would say that I can be materialistic at times. Saying that I like to have money but I am willing to work hard for it. But I could never see myself owning $400 dollar jeans that just seems ridiculous to me. It’s okay to casually want to go to a nice dinner but to want something over something you need doesn’t seem right. Some people have the privilege of being materialistic by having lots of money. While others almost wish that they could be materialist just because they may have nothing at all.

Tocqueville like many other socialist says that materialism is very problematic in society. He says numerous times that people are turning into aristocrats more and more these days. The things people look up to are usually people with money and the people who have it “all”. But we need to realize is that we need to stop living up to what everyone elses lives live.  Yes, in this society people do need to have money to survive but we should live by the smaller amount of money. I’m almost positive that people can live with jeans from Old Navy other than Gucci. It is made from the same material and probably looks and feels the same as Old Navy. This society has a constant hunger for new things and to have the next best things. And to have new things it will eventually have a costing to the environment.  I posted a video that gives a visual example of what I am trying to say. What kind of world would we be in if we took away all the materialist items? Well, the movie which is advertised in the YouTube video below. I would love to see this world without the rich celebrities and other materialistic people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_z3NDXtm64