CRASHH

This week in sociology, we watched a movie named Crash. I have seen Crash before but I never thought about it in the same way. Now that I'm in sociology, I have a whole different perspective about the movie than I did previously. Instead of depicting a main character throughout the film, Crash focuses mainly on race; and how it affects the lives of the characters every day. Its interesting how many people think that Racism doesn't occur anymore; even though sometimes it occurs more today without us realizing it, than it ever has before. The movie demonstrates how racism now is mostly implicit instead of being explicit like it used to be. One of the cops was explicitly racist and he knew he was and he admitted it. But, the other cop was so against him and thought he was a pig; but in reality he was just as racist without knowing it. For example, in the scene where he wants to help a black guy up because he is walking in the cold. So, when he gets in the car, he was talking about hockey he accused him of lying immediately because he didn't think black guys play hockey. Also he was laughing because he had the same toy as him in his pocket.The white officer immediately accuses of him of making fun of him. But things even get worse. When the black guy reaches into his pocket to show him his toy, the officer immediately shoots him. By being implicitly racist, the white officer has to live with regret for the rest of his life.

Race

Race is defined as any of the traditional divisions of humankind, thecommonest being the caucasian, Mongoloid, andNegro, characterized by supposedly distinctive anduniversal physical characteristics: no longer intechnical use. Race is a part of us whether we like it or not. From the day we are born we get judged based on the color of skin we are and how we physically are. Race is not biological; although many think it is. The concept of biological race doesn't exist, unlike what people think. It's all based on perception. This week we watched a Dave Chappelle episode and saw what the stereotypical black race is like, asian, and caucasian. Our society creates these stereotypes for us like how smart asians are or how dominant whites are. We also learned how there are indeed two types of racists people out there; explicit and implicit racisim. Implicit is instilled in our brains and we don't even realize that we are being racist. It was interesting to learn about this kind of racisim because before I didn't even realize it exists. In my life, I have experienced many racisim in my family. When I was dating someone that wasn't my skin color, my family treated him differently than what they usually would act like. They didn't mean to but it was instilled in their brains that because they are a different race than we were, they should be treated differently. I disagree with this and think skin is just  a color and it shouldn't label us as a human being or define us as a person.

Social Class

This week in Sociology, I learned a lot about social class. People who were at the bottom, people who were at the very bottom, people in the middle, upper class, and people who were very, very upper class. The trend seems that the rich will always get richer and poor will stay the same, without moving up or go down even lower, sadly. It was interesting that so many people who were poor were actually very content with their lives. The people who were extremely wealthy usually weren't content with their lives and always wanted more and more. Then, the people below poverty level wanted to move up. Just like the people who lived in the trialor in the movie. It was very saddening to see their lives, and see how hard the Mom was working at Burger King but the reality of moving up in social class is almost no chance at all. It wasn't her fault though; she was born and raised in that social class so she is probably going to stay there for the rest of her life.

Personally in my life, I've experienced actually moving down a class. When my parents were together they were pretty well off, when they got a divorce however, everything changed. We lost our car and home. My mom had no money. Luckily, she had an education to fall back on and was going to start working as a teacher once again. IT is interesting how much more I appreciate everything now that I've been through all of that.

People Like Us

In sociology this week, we watched a movie called "People Like Us". This movie was so interesting to me and showed how much social class really affects our lives. What was really shocking to me, is you could tell what class someone is in by what grocery store they shop at. For example in this small town in Ohio, people either went to the organic grocery store or the regular one. The regular grocery store usually had consumers of working class or lower class; while the organic store was more upper middle class. Who would ever think that even bread could identify what social class were in?! Well appearently it does. There was a "bread expert" at this one store who was an older lady. She said the wonder bread lower class Americans buy more of that; while wheat bread more upper middle class buy this kind of bread because they are more willing to spend money on healthier grocery items. This was very eye opening to me and I never would expect that where we shop or what kind of bread we buy could identify our social classes. In my life, i've noticed more and more how much social class effects my life daily. We live in a very upper class life in my high school and it is hard to see the bigger picture when all you can see around you is people who are very fortunate. I'm sure many of us will be in shock when we see what life is really like out there.

Community Service hours- Special Ed. helper

This week on Thursday the 17th of November, I drove down with my mom to her work to experience working with her special Ed and ESL students. Her name is Kathy Kron and her phone number is (847) 354-8284. We left at 630 am and got back at 430 pm. It was crazy to see what my mom has to go through every single day. Its almost like she is doing community service hours every day! It is very hard work but also very benefitial and you feel really good about yourself after helping these kids. We start out in the preschool room with three severely handicapped ESL kids. So they are both special ed and ESL students. We have to use a lot of technology and support for any kind of communication with them. Rian (one of the kids) is completely mute and communicates through grunts and sounds. He smiles and made eye contact with me because he liked how I was a teenager. And then we do kindergarden. We had 6 classed of preschool, and two sessions of Kindergarden. For the rest of the day we do first through third grade. We saw about 37 students. Kindergarden through third grade we used a lot of pictures and visuals. There was a girl from Germany in second grade and it is really cool to see how much english she has already aquired.

The 8 Drugs

This week in sociology the lesson that shocked me the most was the one where we talked about drugs on Wednesday. We got eight different drugs that were described and we had to rate them. We gave each drug 1-4 1 being the safest drug and 4 meaning illegal and years of jail time. It was mind blowing to me to learn how "drugs" like cigarettes, aspirin, and caffeine can be so harmful to your body. I would have never expected cigarettes to be more harmful than marjuana! Or that alchohal and aspirin can cause liver damage and potential death. This was definitely a very interesting lesson to me because it opened my eyes to see that drugs we may not even define as "drugs" can be so harmful to us. It could even potentially lead to death if taken in large doses. We also talked about deviance and related it to how drugs are deviant. One may not realize this, but maurjuana used to be used as a medicine or drug to treat cancer patients. Now, this drug is deviant or not socially recognized because of the harmful effects associated with the drug.

Deviance

This week in sociology we learned what it means to be deviant. Deviance means violating norms of a particular society or culture. Deviance is also very flexible. In one place or culture, one thing may be considered deviant or abnormal. But in another place, it may be considered completely normal. In class for example, Sal told us about how he was in the Caribbean vacationing going for a hike. All of a sudden he saw this guy carrying a stack of mangoes on his head. This was very deviant to Sal and probably most people in America. So Sal took a picture of this man. Then, when they were walking back, The lady yelled at Sal because it was deviant or against their society's norms to take pictures without asking.

At my high school, I feel there is some deviant people; people who do things that are out of the ordinary or against the norms of society. Many people get away with this. Others, who aren't as sneaky don't. Like when people ditch classes. Some people are able to get away with it without getting in trouble. This is because they have a good relationship with their teachers and they are fake and "can't do anything wrong". The other ones don't care what they are thought of and don't hide who they actually are and aren't fake like the others. I don't think this is fair because the people who are suck ups to the teachers usually do more harmful things and they don't get in trouble and will never learn.

Impact Media has on our lives

Can you imagine being in a world and culture where advertisements and media affect your life everyday? Well, many don't realize this; but media affects us more than we notice. In sociology, we watched an eyeopening movie that showed us just how much media has an impact on our lives. I was astonished! We see at least 300 advertisements a day! Who would have thought?! Media has some positive aspects; but probably more negative that we don't come to realize. It influences the how we should look, act, talk and express ourselves. The scariest part is before we talked about it in sociology, I never noticed how much it impacted me. I feel the worst way it affects us though is how they seperate men and women, and have many limitations on what women can do. A lot of the advertisements demonstrate women staying at home with the children  cooking, cleaning, taking care of the house. On the other hand, me have to be tough, strong almost heroic!

In my life, I can admit I have been impacted by media in multiple ways. I remember when I was little especially I felt as though I could never be as good as the boys in our school. They were always strong and did sports. They made me feel as though I could never be as good as them. Whenever we had teams in gym, they always picked the other boys first and then picked me and the other girls last. At such a young age, I was already discriminated against because I was a female.

Nuture Vs. Nature

This week in sociology, we learned how important it is to be nurtured at a very young age by your parents. Nature is also a main factor in childhood development too. But you need both to developmentally be your best. On Oprah, we saw how a young girl, Janie lived in her room filled with bacteria and mold without her parents love. It was eye opening to see how people actually treat their kids like that. She was naturally developing, but without any nurturing, her brain couldn't develop like a young girl her age. She needed that love and touch that she was thriving so much. Finally, she got adopted at nine years old. At the time she was like a 6 month year old screaming, not talking, wearing diapers and being held. She never had a chance to grow up. As time went on and she was being nurtured, she learned how to say a few words and was potty trained! Although she came a long way, she couldn't make up for all the lost time she was missing. So she may never be able to have a brain as someone of her age.

In my life, I can't really relate to this rare story. I have been very fortunate with my family. We are all very close and I can't imagine my life without them.

Do Nothing Assignment

This weekend, our assignment in sociology was to go to a place and do nothing for ten straight minutes. So I chose to go to Hawthorne mall and go into one of my favorite stores, American Eagle. Since our society is all about time. How much time we have?, what time the class is over?, how much time will it take to get there?, time time time; its all about time to us in America. We never take the time to stop and think and relax our minds. So in American Eagle, I stood by the entrance corner and took ten minutes to clear my head. During the first few minutes, I felt very unsure of myself and uneasy. People were staring you could tell they were thinking "does she have special needs or something"? I feel like people would either judge me and stare or just not even notice me and act like I didn't exist. After I got over the first few minutes though, I felt more at ease with myself. I started liking the experience and my mind went totally blank. It was like a rush of people all around me, moving so fast in and out of the store. I was the only one who just stood there and took the time to make my mind at ease. For the first time in my life, my mind went blank. I can finally say I took out ten minutes of my life to do absolutely nothing.

American Culture

This week in sociology we talked a lot about American Culture. We read Bemused in America which was about a German immigrant who came to America and experienced all of our different culture here. Many things were surprising to him. For example, when Americans go jogging they are health conscious and thinking about ways to be healthy. But he was shocked to see them running in the roads with all of the cars and traffic, breathing in exhaust fumes. He thought that Americans were very contradicting with their values and beliefs. Also, the supermarket in Germany is so different than the ones we have in America. He was stunned when he walked into the supermarket in Chicago and found buy two get one free all over; They don't have that in Germany. It was also very interesting how he pointed things out about how Americas obsessed with being healthy but many of our habits are the exact opposite. Like how were always obsessed with counting calories and fat-free milk; fat free everything. But, we eat creamy cakes, cookies, and candies; which aren't very healthy.

In my life, I can relate to how the German man felt coming to America and adapting to the culture. When I went to Mexico, I realized how different our cultures truly were. In Mexico, they aren't always rushing; they take their time to sit down and eat at the restaurants and spend time with family. Where as in America, were always in a rush. We never have the "time" to sit down and spend time with family and actually experience quality time with one another. It is very shocking when you realize how different a culture can be only 1,000 miles away.

Volunteering at the soup kitchen

This week on Tuesday after school, I got chosen to volunteer at the soup kitchen in Chicago. Ms. Breuer drove the bus and Mrs. Fainmann also accompanied us on the field trip to St. Thomas' Soup Kitchen. Before arriving at the soup kitchen, I was a little anxious and nervous because I've never experienced anything like this before. My perception of what it was going to be like and how it actually was, was completely different. At the beginning, when the guide was talking to us about the rules and describing our duties, I thought the people were going to be very rude and demanding. It turns out, that they were some of the nicest, polite people I have ever met. Right away before they arrived, we held hands and said a prayer.  We did this because it was hosted by a catholic church and we wanted to pray for our food and everything we were fortunate to have. It was like a routine; part of the culture at the soup kitchen. They did this every time before they served the food. I was ordered to go around with a milk pitcher and pour milk for anyone who wanted it. I liked this job and anything else I did that night, because the look on the face when they got a fresh glass of milk, made me realize how much we take for granted. A glass of milk went so far for them. They appreciated it so much and they were so thankful to have all of the fresh food that they received. I had a great experience and I would do it again a thousand more times. It was a great feeling to know how much it meant to them , the soup kitchen and how much they appreciated every one who was there and helping them. I really hope every one has the chance to experience this like i did, because it really had a huge impact on me. It also made me realize that these people aren't threatening or mean. They are the same as us; some of them even kinder. They appreciate life more, and don't take the things we take for granted.

Culture!!

During this week in Sociology we discussed a lot about culture. We learned how people from different countries, ethnicity, religion, or race have different cultures or ways of living. It was interesting to learn about all the different countries and how they communicate. For example, Sal was telling us about his experience in Japan. He told us how him and a group of friends went there and they were waiting for the waiter for like 20 minutes. They observed that the people around them all were saying excuse me in Japanese to the waiters. Finally they said that, the the waitress immediately ran over and said, "Hei" which means yes in Japanese. In America, we expect the waiters to serve us right away without saying anything. Other countries even clap their hands or do the 'come here' sign. Also, different countries surprisingly eat differently too! Like the Asians eat with chopsticks, we eat with forks and spoons, while the Indians actually scoop with their hands.

I also experience different cultures in my family. My parents have been divorced ever since I was young and my moms catholic and my dads jewish. Although I was raised catholic, I still celebrate the holidays with my dad. This week was their New Year and I celebrate every year with him. It is so cool that I get to experience two very different religions. Like they have a different language and everything. I learn a lot from experiencing different religions and getting to know how different they are.

Groups

This week in sociology we watched an incredible movie called "A Bronx Tale". This was an amazing film that described the life of a boy, Calogero and his hardships and how he got passed them. He turned out to be a good guy who came from a bad neighborhood. He did have some struggles throughout his childhood though. “They’re all smiling.  I was smiling too, but I was dying inside. I wanted out, but I couldn’t get out of the car.  What was I gonna’ say?  Let me out, I’m afraid, I’m a chicken.  I could never go back to the neighborhood. They would call me a punk, a dog a mutt.  They would say I got no heart.  I kept hearing my father’s voice in my head, ‘don’t blow it , son; these people will hurt you, son; don’t waste your talent, son.  Then I kept hearing Sonny’s voice, ‘be careful C, don’t lose it C, keep your head C.’  Somebody pulled the chain and I was going down the toilet.” Caloger or "C" as he was referred to belonged to many different groups. He was the son of two italian parents from Sicili, He was part of Sonny's crowd, part of Slicks group who he grew up with. He was a son, a friend, a person who touched the lives of many people. He and Sonny were part of the same group, but they were really in their own groups when it came to the way the lived. Sonny helped C realize he did not want to live the life that Sonny had. He wanted to be a "working man" as his Dad had always said. He was a guy that was a part of all these groups. But in reality, he was a part of his own group because in every group he belonged to, he didn't agree with the stuff they did. Like Slicks group for example, they hated the colored people and were very violent to them . He went along with it, but he really cared about them just as much as he would care for any other stranger. He eventually realized he had to be his own person. By the end of the story, he realized unconditional love was the most important thing; Sonny was wrong when he said fear lasted longer.


In my life I can relate to what C went through. Although I didn't grow up in the "Bronx", I still have had similar situations with groups. I was with a bad group just like C was. I didn't agree with how they treated others and what kind of people they were. But I was afraid to lose friends and I didn't want to be a loner. Eventually  I learned my values were may more important than any group in high school. I dropped them and currently I've never been happier with my decision.

What group do you belong to ?

On Tuesday in sociology, we talked about how every person is split up into groups or categories that define each and every person. This made me realize each person is very unique and every one has a "master" category that is a group they belong to that is the most important to them. Before sociology, I never would have thought to get to know every one in class and see how they define themselves and what is most important to them. It was cool to see all the groups that they came up with, it helped me get to know my classmates; something we never would do in any other class. Some people chose ethnicity, race family, jobs, religion, student, or friendship. Many of my classmates actually surprised me and it helped me get to know their values and what was most important to them.

Some of my personal categories were friends, family, clubs, and being a student at Stevenson High School. At first I chose being a student at Stevenson as being my master category that defines me the most. But then throughout the class period, I learned quickly that that wasn't true. There isn't just one group that is more important to me. I feel like each and every one of those groups define me as a person and who I am.

Social Construction of Reality

During this week in sociology, we learned about social construction of reality. Or meaning what society and our people create due to our feelings and experiences. We read a very intriguing story called The survivors of F-227 by James Henslin. In our society that we've created, normally we would think eating human flesh and our people would be absolutely disgusting and unacceptable. But, when it comes to a life or death situation like in F-227, they created their own kind of society. Due to how they were stranded on the mountain for a very long time, they needed to eat; the only way they could do this was by eating bodies. At first they were disgusted, but then as time went on, they thought it was acceptable to eat this solely on the fact that that was the only way they could survive. I can totally relate to this society we create. One of my friends started working out this summer like crazy and eating extremely healthy. We are very close and hang out almost every day that naturally I picked up these habits. I started working out, running, biking, etc. more than I ever have before. Its interesting how the people in our society who were are closest to can affect how we live and our lifestyles.

Socoiological Imagination!!

This week in sociology, I connected most with learning about sociological imagination. We read an interesting story called The Outliers. It was so cool to learn how much of an impact the people in our communities have on our lives. This story taught me how the relationships we make with the people around us can have such a positive affect on our lives , and make such a difference with our health. The Rosetos didn't know this, but because of how social and close they were with their neighbors and family, they rarely had heart diseases! This was not because of the way they ate or how much they exersized, but it was because they all had purpose in their lives. They were so close to everyone in their community, attended church every Sunday, and helped each other out.


In my life, I feel a connection to this story. I have moved around 4 times in my life. From Buffalo Grove to Naperville, now I'm currently back living in Buffalo Grove. It is very interesting how different both the communities are. If I went to Naperville Central High School I feel I would've been a completely different person. The people are so different there and people interact and have different values then the Buffalo Grove area. It is such a cool experience for me to have lived in both places and I feel its made me a really positive and accepting person.

Is silence Awkward?

It's the first day of senior year of high school. My first class is sociology with Mr. Salituro. As he walks in, he sits on a desk in the back of the room in silence for awhile. No one knows what is going on and every one feels awkward and doesn't know what to do. This also was weird for me and I felt awkward because I'm so used to talking. The only noises you can hear in the room is nervous laughter, because even when were supposed to be silent we can't.  I realize he is trying to make a point. In every other class, for the twelve years i've been attending school this silence has never occurred. Every teacher feels the need to talk at all times and most don't realize they don't give students a chance to take things in. I believe we have been trained to always be talking and this makes silence feel really awkward and uncomfortable. In all my other classes during the day, we always walk into the teacher talking, not wasting a minute of their time during the fifty minute class period. Most teachers never get to hear their students because they never give them a chance to talk. The teachers are always talking and not being silent; so they don't have a chance to listen to their students when they may be missing something important. I feel like silence is pretty awkward for most people; especially students, but I don't think it should be this way. Silence can serve a point, purpose, give us time to reflect, listen to others, and so much more. This was a good experience for every one and it was more meaningful to me than any other class during my day; because when Mr. Salituro was silent it showed a different perspective and it showed he wasn't like all of our other teachers. He told us that he takes time to be silent and listen to his students, unlike most teachers. Being silent and listening to others can be very beneficial and you can learn so much more from being quiet and listening to others than talking all the time. I learned so much more in one day in Mr. Salituro's class than I have in one year of learning Geometry or U.S. History.

Who am I?

My name is Jen. I was born in the northern suburbs and grew up in Naperville Illinois. I moved back to the northern suburbs when I was going into sixth grade. I have one older sister, Emily who is a student at Loyola University in Chicago. I have two parents who are divorced and the majority of the time I live with my mom and my sister. The person who had the most influence and impact in my life was probably my Grandpa. He had great values that I try to live by everyday. He taught me that hard, honest work pays off and to treat people the way you want to be treated. I try to follow those values every day and treat every one with respect and consideration. My interests are working out, hanging out with friends, music and family. My goals are to be successful in school, work hard, and go to a four year college. Eventually when I'm older, I either want to be a dietician or go into investigations and criminal justice.