Final Post - We Made It

In terms of sociology we see race as more of a social identity. This identity is made of many factors, such as, nationality, religion, language, and traditions. These parts of the social identity are mostly imposed upon a person in their upbringing and from the people who are around them, but a person can choose to shift views in order to build their own "race". In biological terms race can be defined as a person's physical features and who they are similar to. This definition is much harder to pin down due to the sheer variance in the human species, and the differences with much smaller groups of human. Compounding this issue is the fact that there are no single traits that define any race as unique, all traits can be found else where. However, through the use of basic grouping people can be put into broad groups based up skin color, skull shape, and body proportions. 


The IAT tests that we took showed us who we favor most in our daily interactions. This was done through positive/negative word associations with the faces of different races. The goal was to see which group was more favored, through faster responses to a positive word. These tests proved to be accurate in that they confirmed the biases that i was already aware that i had. For example, I had a moderate preference of skinny people to fat people. This in no way surprised me, for I know that fat people have always irritated me to no end.   


In the area of blacks being better athletes, I think it boils down to training and tradition. In the training aspect one never gets far in athletics without a proper background of good workouts, nutrition, and support. Another factor in athletic success is in tradition, for one's purest expression of their self in in their physical movements and interactions. So if someone always has to fight and scrap in order to get ahead, this will be shown in their athletic performance. This can be seen in American boxing, for as we saw in the most recent video we watched in order to predict the race of the boxing world champ one only has to know the race that is currently on the bottom of the social ladder.


Through this class I had learned to take a slightly less individualistic approach to looking at people, for I have seen how people are a result of the culture in place around them and not just who that person wants to be. For example, I was always angry with the the lowest of the social classes that solely relied of welfare to live, but through this class I can now step back and see how it is the societal system that keeps these people where they are and not just them being resistant to change.      

Divide and Conquer - How the Snack Food Came to Power

In "Divided We Eat", Lisa Miller details her dietary habits as well as the eating  patterns of the United States as a whole. She does this to show the divide between the rich and the poor, in terms of the foods that they eat. Lisa eats on the upper end of the food quality spectrum, this is done by eating organic, locally grown foods. These foods are also very nutrient rich, and are always fresh. On the other side of the divide, we find the poorest Americans, those who struggle to keep a roof over their heads, and who rely heavily on food stamps. These Americans are pushed into to buying more efficient foods (efficient being cost per calorie). These foods such as pizza, cakes, soda, and potato chips fill the proverbial hole, but lack the nutrition that constitutes a solid diet. This leads to several issues, the first is an entire class of children who are not learning correct eating habits, and as a result they will pass these habits to their children. Another issue with this system is that these children who are growing up eating these junk foods are more than often overweight (or obese) which only leads to further health complications down the road. Lastly, these eating habits do not support local farmers and food producers, only large corporate farming aggregates and big box stores are supported. Miller acknowledges the fact that this disconnect can not be solved overnight, but she does assert that some action must be taken in order to improve the food choices of the poor. 

Tasty and dollar-per-calorie efficient, but not healthy at all.

This same concept was demonstrated in class this week, in the "People Like Us" video. For in Burlington, VT the residents had a large dispute over what grocer was to take the place of a big box store that had failed. The two choices were another chain supermarket, or a co-op market where local farmers and bakers could sell their goods. The main conflict came down to what bread the new store would retail. Residents with lower income were concerned that the co-op would not sell the 99 cent loaves of white bread that they rely on. This shows how the lower income levels of society cannot always afford the most healthy or conscious foods available. This is also a warning, for if the current grocery system is not fixed then we will have severe health and economic problems on our hands (and worse than the health and economic problems we currently face). 

Why exactly white bread is not healthy: click on me

A parallel can be seen in this dietary issue and the recent Cairo, IL levee issue. Where several miles of miles of levee were to be destroyed in order to save the town of levee, but the destruction of this levee would flood several hundred thousand acres of MI farmland. However, a state representative was willing to allow Carol to be washed away, only because of its lackluster appearance and low social class citizens. This is similar to the food debate in that upper class citizens are allowing the lower classes to fail, just because they are doing well in their own right. 

Cairo, IL yesterday.

Conquering the Cool

The clothing that men wear is often dictated by the time period in which they live, their social standing, and the culture which they are a part of. These factors play a role in the larger scale of men's fashion. However, these factors do not tell the whole story of the evolution of men's clothing, which is dependent on many factors within a society. 


This development can be seen in our everyday lives, for men do not dress nearly the same as we did fifty years ago. As American society becomes more and more casual, the norms of what is "proper" for one to wear as loosen. For example, look at what school children wore in the 1950s and compare that to what you see today. In the 1950s, we see all collared shirts on the boys (tucked in of course), every boy is wearing a belt, and has short, well-kept hair. This differs greatly from today, where it is now acceptable for a boy to wear athletic shorts and t-shirt to school. Even through this shift to a more casual day-to-day interaction, there is still pressure to dress up a bit for special situations, such as a nice dinner with one's family or a date with a lady friend. 

In class we saw this in the 1950's How to Date videos, in which "looking one's best" was of primary importance. This value remains today, in that one will dress up for a date and make efforts to clean up, but wearing a collared shirt and pressed pants is slightly excessive. The videos also stressed being sociable and friendly as a large part of being successful in dating situations. This value is ever present in today's society as well, although is has deteriorated a bit, due to one's outside image not being the sole point of contention for a person.  

Ready for action.

Advertising in today's world is constant and oppressive. We find ourselves saturated with media. The media itself is not the issue, it is the fact that nearly all the media that we encounter is commercial media. This removes any harmless tag associated with it, for no longer are is media created for media's sake, but now it is all created for money. This removes most of the artistic motive behind movies, TV shows, even more traditional 2D art. For now, the main concern is no longer personal expression or voice but rather it is "how will this sell?". This shift endangers one's control of a "free mind", for we are not exposed to ideas but to products, services, etc.  

 

Gender Roles - The World As Our Stage

"All the world's a stage,`and all the men and women merely players" - William Shakespeare

In Leigh S. Shaffer's From Mirror Self-Recognition to the Looking-Glass Self: Exploring the Justification Hypothesis, we see how individuals shape their behavior based upon the "reflections" they see of themselves in others reactions to them. This shows how man is a purely social creature, for without those reflections, he could not "see" himself.

This principle can be seen in how a gender's specific roles are displayed by individuals in today's society. Just like actors, people "learn to manage the impressions of others in the improvised roles of everyday life" (Leigh). This skill of managing others impressions is paramount in surviving modern-day interactions. One must always be cognisant of what others see in them. This awareness allows for one to construct an image of them self, which, in turn, can then be used by that individual to preform better in social situations. 

I see this in my daily interactions as well. Over the years, I have constructed an image of what I am, both physically and mentally. This image serves me well, for I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses. Which allows me to know when to push an issue, or perhaps, let it mellow out a bit. This approach does hamper my interactions, for I know my weaknesses, so I will try my hardest to avoid them. This helps to lead an "easier" life, but what fun is that? By improving upon my faults, I can improve my daily life, and further augment my mental self image. The goal is to increase my comfort with myself. This is all a way in which I "manage the impressions of others".

This management can also been seen in the study of gender roles, for as children we learn to balance many factors (from parental lessons to societal expectations) in the construction of our self. We watch films that show large, heavily muscled men rescuing a defenseless, but beautiful, princess. These images stick with young children, and they assume that this is the way the real world works. This can lead to a disillusioned view on gender roles and a distorted view of one's body.

Interesting study on ideal muscle mass from Harvard: here

This distorted body view carries with it some major consequences, for as a jury begins its talk on Barry Bond's perjury charges, one cant help but to consider the consequences this will have. Steroids have been in use since 1950's, when the Russian Olympic team made an incredible debut performance in the 1952 Olympics. The use of these drugs has only increased since then. With widespread media coverage and references, one cannot help but to be bombarded with images of a "magical muscle builder". This leads young athletes looking for an edge to consider an aid to their performance, in the form of steroids. This is the wrong path, for steroids are only effective when an athlete intends on training above, and beyond, the normal human limits of recovery and intensity. However, in a society filled with "miracle pills" and dreams of grandeur, who can really blame these kids?   

Who doesn't fit?

Language - Shaped Thoughts Due to a Limited Language

The language we speak is not solely a device through which we communicate idea, but rather it is a lens through which we view the world. This lens varies from language to language, resulting in cultures that have different value systems, solely based upon a different vocabulary. As a society, we also have norms regarding how we go about discussions of particular subjects, such as art, logic, and law. However, these norms greatly vary from culture to culture, and are subject to the limitations of any particular language.

A great video I found on TED some months ago: The Secret Powers of Time

In my Logic class we have spent entire periods discussing the word choices that an author makes. This can be seen in George W Bush's address to the American People after the attacks of September 11, 2001:

 "I've ordered that the full resources of the federal government go to help the victims and their families and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act."

Folks. The use of the words folks in this statement instantly changes the entire "texture" of this speech, for the American Public feels as if they are being talked with, rather than being talked at. 

This was seen in the Do You Speak American? video, in which Bill Clinton was studied for his use of dialect. As being fluent in both "standard" American English and English with and Arkansas accent. This allowed him to be an effective speaker in many situations, for in addressing fellow leaders and politicians he could use his flat English to convey a serious tone. On the other hand, while speaking to the American People, Mr. Clinton could revert to his Arkansas accent, which would allow to to gain a familiarity with the people and avoid any threatening tones. 

This language conflict can be seen today, most notably in the American value system. In America, we value progress, integrity, and studiousness. This can be attributed to a strong vocabulary in those terms. Some languages may lack the capacity to describe the notion of progress. Not to say that the language is entirely lacking in certain feature, it just may be weak. This can be see in philosophical discussions, in which words like university, idea, and moral, all become rather meaningless. This demonstrates how a language may be lacking in certain aspects, limiting its use.       


  

       

Food - To Sustenance and Beyond

We live through what we eat, and as a result "we are what we eat". This statement can be interpreted as either, the food we eat becomes part of out bodily structures or that our dietary choices reflect who we are as people. Both of these sides are established, however it is the latter that Leon Rappoport chooses to support and elaborate upon in his essay "How We Eat".

In this essay, we see how the food choices we make are the result of factors beyond the biological necessity for fuel. For example, this can be see in our choice of comfort foods. In that we usually choose starch heavy foods for they "are metabolized much more slowly then sugars and have a calming effect on the emotions". This is a demonstration of how food choice is a reflection of an internal, emotional desire. 

Choices in diet can also be see as an external indicator of one's gender identity, when viewed through the paradigm of classic sexism. So foods such as fruit, yogurt, and salads, maintain a more feminine connotation. Whereas, heavy foods like corned beef, steak, and spinach, maintain a masculine image.

I would agree with the paragraph above, for I have seen it my own personal experience. In class we talked about social expectations, and that other will judge us upon a set of established norms. These norms are reflected in the foods that it is "acceptable" for one to eat. I try to eat as healthy as possible: high protein, non-refined starches, lots of vegetables, some fruit, and no sugar. To many this diet is unusual, and warrants many strange glances in class. For if I take out a bag of salad, a bottle of chia seeds, or a container of milk and muesli, I often get the reaction of, "You're eating what?" Although the food are perfectly acceptable in other environments, at BHS these foods lie outside the norms that have been established. 

A similar trend of norms/dietary choices can be seen in today's child obesity. The Information Age has given way to a generation of kids who want thing, and who want those things NOW. This attitude is reflected in their choice of fast food and easy to prepare, but unhealthy, snack foods. This shift in demand is a major cause of the obesity pandemic, as well as rise in the use of personal electronics. Also, the rise of fast food and fall of physical activity has been made acceptable by a changing set of social norms. This shift in norms has allowed these issues to arise, and must be changed in order to regain the lost ground.       

Problem?

 

The Sudanese Youth - Societal Expectations

The Trials of the Sudanese youth are beyond comparison. To be displaced across hundreds of miles, enduring countless perils, and still maintain one's humanity is an incredible feat. Then, after this entire ordeal to move to America and try to begin a new life in order to provide for a impoverished family, takes an iron will.

Societal expectations govern nearly all of our actions, and are the core of every society. These expectations vary from society to society, which can cause conflict  when one must enter another society. This is demonstrated in the fullest sense for the Sundanese boys. The refugee village that these boys came from was incredibly tight knit, with everyone being familiar with each other. This village also was incredibly impoverished, leading to a debilitating lack of resources. 

When these boys were then relocated to America, they encountered an entirely different belief system. Americans are very private, then segregate themselves with single family homes with individual bedrooms. This is nearly the opposite of the Sudanese village, in which, as one of the boy's sister says, 'the group's troubles are your troubles'. Another difference in lifestyles is in our gathering of resources, for in the refugee village the people had little opportunity to make money, or gain a leg up, due to food rationing.n In the United States these youth found that one must work hard and "market" themselves in order to get ahead in our economic system.

   

Doing Fieldwork - (Mis)Adventure in the Venezuelan Jungle

The study of sociology and anthropology can lead one to many places within their own society, but for others, it can lead to the study of culture in the most exotic of locations. This can be seen in Napoleon A. Chagnon's study of the Yanomamo tribe in Venezula, for a "civilized" Western man found himself deeply immersed into a completely foreign culture.

Chagnon had set out to study this tribe, and initially encountered extreme resistance from them. This was due to a large divide in the cultural beliefs of the two parties. For example, he was terrified by the shouting and overtly aggressive nature of the tribesmen, but after months of study and immersion, Chagon quickly became proficient in the Yanomamo way of life.


This is an example of how ethnocentrism is a part of every culture. We only ever learn what goes on around us, and as a result we favor our own culture's norms and customs. It is only through diligent study, or total immersion, that we truly see how another culture functions.


I have experienced this, albeit on a much lesser scale than the above case. I spend the majority of my summer break every year in Toronto, where I compete in the area's sailboat racing circuit, both for keelboat and dinghy racing. This exposes me to not one, but two different cultures, and leads to a minor case of culture shock. I do have the benefit of a common language, and a majority of cultural norms remain the same. However, as a whole the Canadian outlook on adolescence is much more relaxed. More choices are available, for example a few of my friends go to high schools devoted to art, where others go to schools for math and science. As a result, a overall more tolerant society is present.

A downwind leg of a Laser Radial race

The sailing community also has its fair share of norms, the most noticeable is its value of equipment. Sailing gear is pricey enough, but add racing to it, and the cost can become downright exorbitant. This develops an almost religious-like care for equipment. Lines must be properly coiled and stowed, the hull and deck spotless, and sails rolled to perfection. This in a universal value among the community, and one who does not respect this can often find themselves without a boat to crew on. To an outsider, this reverent care of equipment can seem monotonous, but to all in the community, it is a cultural given.     


The sense of our cultural being the "only" or "best" way of doing things, is ethnocentrism at its finest. This can be seen in our countries ongoing occupation of other countries, namely Afghanistan and Iraq. I see how it benefits America to ensure stability in that region of the world, but is it really our place to install a form of government that has never functioned there before? We think so. This is also how we, as Americans, obtain our reputation as being rude, obnoxious, and prying. It always surprised people that I became acquainted with in Toronto that I was American, ie "You're American? You're surprisingly polite." Although I am but one case, it stills demonstrates how we become fixated upon our own cultures and become less accepting of others.        

  

What would you have done?

"Fish are friends, not food." - Bruce (Finding Nemo)

October 12, 1972 - A small turboprop passenger plane left Montevideo, Urguay, bound for Santiago, Chile. On the flight were fifteen members of a rugby team, with twenty-five of the player's family members and friends. Adverse weather conditions had created heavy turbulence, which had the pilots worried. Eventually the pilots set down in Argentina, and tried to wait out the storm. The next day conditions had improved slightly, and grudgingly the pilots decided to chance the flight to Chile. Disaster stuck when the plane hit an "air pocket" and lost 3,000ft of altitude. This caused the plane to collide with a mountain, lose its right wing, and crash into a valley. 

The survivors, twenty-seven of the original forty passengers found themselves in a frozen hell, with next to no food, little fuel for fire, and slim chance of rescue. As starvation and hunger set in "the survivors' spirits seemed to be sucked into a hopeless pit". This issue was compounded by the fact that the search for them had been called off, and it was now up to them to survive. This put the surviving passengers in a serious predicament, for with no hope of rescue members of the party would have to leave the crash site in order to get help, but without food the party would not make it far. As hunger won out, the survivors eventually began a systematic consumption of the deceased members of the crash. This process started very slowly, with small slivers of meat. Eventually, all the passengers were eating human flesh, and even cooking it over small fires. One of the passengers justified this by saying, "The soul was gone ... and the body was simply meat - essential to survival". The strongest of the survivors were sent out, after regaining their strength, to find rescue, and before Christmas had arrived this atrocious incident was over. 

In this event I see a Interactionism at its finest, for a normally accepted "rule" is thrown out because of a changing social dynamic. Ask any child and they will tell you that humans are not for eating, it has been long established that humans simply do not eat other humans. This is due to bountiful food sources, stemming from our modern agrarian society. Replace that society with one in which there are no food stores and no way of acquiring food, and suddenly your best friend looks like a good source of energy. By itself, a human body has no intrinsic meaning, however we have learned through society "that a body, while not a person, is still human, and must be treated with respect". This can be seen in funerals, for even though a person no longer occupies that body, we still perceive it as human and give it the utmost respect. 

A live human body and a deceased human body have the same number of particles. Structurally there's no difference. - Jon Osterman (Watchmen)

Due to the changed social dynamic in the Andes incident, the standards of this society can be shifted by its members. This was demonstrated by the member of the survivors who initially suggested the eating of human flesh. He sought to change a rule, due to this societies' needs. Initially, this was not widely accepted beyond his close friends, but as more and more people saw the act of eating humans become "acceptable" they too joined in. This demonstrates how our society is constructed of unspoken rules, that if a need arises can easily be manipulated.

  
This principle can be seen in the Egyptian Protests. A neglectful, power-hungry, and abusive regime overstepped its bounds too many times. This angers many of the countries citizens, many of whom are young, educated, and harmed by this government. Over a long span of time, it becomes acceptable to be angry at the government, first in private and then, openly. As this discontent it networked, over facebook and twitter, Egypt's youth are at a boiling point. Citizens begin openly gathering, then protesting, and eventually begin rioting and looting. Under normal circumstances, this behavior would be unacceptable, but given the slow progression up of the situation one can see how it developed. A large gap exists between thoughts of discontent and rioting against law enforcement officials. This gap was slowly bridged, over the course of several years. So it became more and more acceptable to harbor this actions. As, others saw these acts, they only served to make those normally unacceptable ideas, such as rioting, appear the status quo. This made it easy for others to join in on the widespread destruction, leaving the situation as it stands today.  





   

The Promise - Hopelessly Helpless

"The sociological imagination is seeing how unique historical circumstances of a particular society affect people and, at the same time, seeing how people affect history."

     - C. Wright Mills

In The Sociological Imagination C. Wright Mills details the place that each man holds in the course of his own events. We are shown how man sees the world happening to him, how his actions are futile. According to Mills, this is the result of "continent-wide societies" in which a man is consolidated into a small cog of the industrial machine. However, we often fail to notice how our immediate situation is affected by the larger going-ons of the world, and how  we shape history with our seemingly meaningless actions. Despite the stacked odds, Mill's shows the reader how, through the understanding of the sociological imagination, each man can find his niche, and improve his own situation through this augmented perspective.

In today's society this aforementioned mindset is nearly impossible to avoid, for we are constantly saturated with media input. Almost everything we see is a result of mass media, this leads to feelings of displacement within our own lives, for we cannot help but to only see what we are shown. Also, this constant stream of images leads us to be so preoccupied with the current world situation, that we neglect our own world. This can be seen in people's obsession with celebrities. I feel this is due to our perspective, for in our own lives we are never certain of much, and we are forced to speculate on nearly everything. However, when we read about celebrities we feel as if we get the entire story, and that we can feel secure because we do know everything that is going on, even though that story may not contain any true information or exact details.

If one is to find their own place in society, we must first find our place within our own lives. This, for many, can be a difficult task in today's world of distractions and media saturation, but it is a skill that will help one to find their place in history. The confidence given by this particular realization can inspire an individual into history making, but one must first have confidence in themselves.

   

Who Am I?

     "7. You are all original. Every life experience is case sensitive and unique. Every time you wake up or go to the bathroom or quote someone else, you are becoming more you than anyone has ever been."


Who am I, you ask? 
     I am the sum of all my characteristics. Many parts forming a complete being.


Reading - I started reading heavily in the fourth grade. I would check out several non-fiction books every few weeks, and spend all my free time pouring over them. This habit continues today, but with a bit more diversity. I enjoy almost every genre, but tend to favor Historical and Science Fiction. I enjoy reading because it gives me an escape from reality, and helps me to keep an active mind.


Wrestling - I wrestled for four years. During this time I learned not just the practical skills of grappling, but about my interior flaws as well. These flaws become apparent only under the complete application of one's mental and physical will, for it is under this extreme stress any small defect becomes a major crisis. I also learned to take advantage of any, and every, opening I'm given. This allows one to be incredibly effective in both wrestling and life. 


Fitness - Preparing for the next sport's season is a constant factor in my life, whether its running, lifting, or cycling, I am always prepping. This started as a way to hit the season (lacrosse, wrestling, xc) in shape, but it has turned into its own activity, from lifting to CrossFit to swimming. This has led me a number of new sports as well, cycling and hockey. Also, with all of the literature available I can read up new philosophies and routines, which helps to keep me informed as well as busy.