JAIL!!

You've probably gotten a majority of the blogs written about this. But it was such a cool experiences, you just have to write about it! When we visited the jail this past Tuesday I got to first-hand experience the types of things we talk about it your class. We had the opportunity to sit-in on some court cases and witness the process of getting in trouble with the law. They walked a man into the court, he was handcuffed and wearing a briught neon jumpsuit. He came straight from jail. This made me think of the term the Looking-Glass-Self and how people sometimes act how they think others percieve them. Because this guy got in trouble with the law i wondered if he would ever do it again, but only because he felt obligated to. Hopefully he learned his lesson the first time though!!

Gender Roles

I think this article makes a good point. That parents are not the only role models factoring into this situation. Friends and kids that are around the same age as you start realizing what is right and what is wrong. In this case, this young boy was dead set on being a princess, dressing like a princess, wearing pink, and coloring all the time. Without the parents intervening themselves into the boy's development process, they let him be. he turned out to slowly realize that colors play a gender role in society. It's not like he hates princesses and coloring now, he just has a better understanding for the stereotypes that follow with certain colors in society.

All of a sudden I thought of sociology when...

I had a volleyball tournament this past weekend. I realized how us girls do things in the gym, that we wouldn't necessarily do out in public. We walk around in butt-hugging spandex, and change  in the middle of the hallways. That's what gets me the most, that we just throw our shirt off and change, and it's acceptable! I don't quite understand what makes this one thing different from the other. How is it that changing out in the public, for everyone to see, is allowed here? I looks to me that volleyball has adopted it's own set of folkways and norms.

All of a sudden I thought of sociology when...

I was walking through the mall a few days ago when I noticed an Indian woman wearing an elaborate headdress. I turned to my friend and said, "that looks so weird." I couldn't help but let the words slip from my mouth. Here I am complaining about how people are so stereotypical and rude towards people who dress differently, and I can't keep my mouth shut about it. That kind of depresses me. How America is supposedly this wondrous melting pot, but if you happen to dress a little differently, you're weird. We're extremely ethnocentric people when it comes to our opinions. If something doesn't look right to us, it's wrong. Hopefully the fact that I recognized how ethnocentric my comment was means I'm one step closer to fully accepting all types of behavior.

Symbols of America

Americans tend to believe that this picture is true. We spend money like it...well, grows on trees. We are notorious for buying things that we don't need.
Technology describes the way Americans live today. We use techonlogy for everything we do. As Americans we are always striving to have the latest technologies, and we use them to connect with others anytime, anywhere.
American's are all about designer-named brands. If you aren't wearing the last Hollister, or Abercrombie and Fitch sweatshirt, well, quite frankly, you're not "in." No matter what the cost, we
 Americans always want more of something; More food, less money, and bigger servings is what we are all about. Not to mention the entire world sees us as an overly obese country, those super-sized meals aren't helping much.
 The All-American sport that practically describes a lot of the men in our society. We can get to be a pretty roudy group of people. We love to go and support sports teams and mingle among people.

"Bemused in America"

Stefan found it strange that Americans are so called "babied" by signs and directions. I think Stefan's point of view is easily seen, he says that it almost seems like no one had any common sense because of all the obvious signs out there. I think in order for Stefan to really understand the meaning behind those signs he would have to live in America for a bit. here in America, people can sue for just about anything and everything. And in order for companies to keep themselves safe from being screwed (sorry) into another court ordeal, they have to take things to the extremes sometimes. it's not necessarily that people dont' have common sense, they just make some mistakes and turn to the bigger person and blame them.

An All-American sport that says a lot more about our culture than you would think.

This past weekend I went to a Cubs game. It amazes me how the ratio of wins and the ratio of fans never change. They could have a complete win less season, and the stands would still be filled to the top with those dedicated Cubby fans. But what amazed me the most, was how barbaric people act at events like this. There are hot dogs and nachos everywhere. All over the seats, all over the floor, and all over me, and I didn't even have nachos. Not to mention the quantity of men stumbling around with a bag of peanuts in one hand, and a beer in the other. As if having beer and nachos spilled all over you isn't enough, to add to it, you've got the maniac-man who thinks everything is a strike. So you got this guy screaming and cussing at the umpire who, very surprisingly, can't hear a word he's saying, which is particularly peculiar considering he's seated in the front row...of the outfield! What do you expect buddy!
But anyways, in the midst of all this raucous I couldn't help but think of our sociology class, and how we're studying the different interactions between people. The baseball stadium is almost like an entirely different country, having its very own culture. When people attend baseball games, things like nachos and peanuts on the floor become an everyday norm. Language that would normally make people cringe, becomes its own acceptable dialogue.

What If You Were the Victim?

Whether it's a wallet, or a candy bar, at some point in our lives we will all witness a robbery. And at that point we are left with one of two options; Do something, or don't. It's easy for someone to say that they would stand up and take some sort of action, but living up to those words is a different story. The way I see it, treat others the way you want to be treated. The most cliche of quotes, but the most true. If you were being robbed from, chances are you would want someone to help you out. Just because you may not know the person, or can't decide if it's just a joke, you should always step in and help out. I can see in certain cases where you may not step up and help out, like if someone was being held at gunpoint, you don't want to chance making the situation any worse, so I would recommend going and finding help from the police. So next time you see something happening, and those thoughts go through your mind, just remember; What if I was the victim?

Who Am I?

There's only one person who knows who I really am, and that person is me. No one else knows my strengths, or my weaknesses. Only I understand my thoughts, my dreams, and my goals, and only I have the ability to do something with them.
Ever since i was a little girl I've grown up on the volleyball court. I watched my sister make her way through middle and high school, and next it was my turn. I never really had a normal childhood, not that mine was bad, but it was just different. I spent my days cooped up in the gym, volleyball in hand, and hair up in a ponytail. Sweatpants and an over sized t-shirt was my daily attire.
My family plays the biggest role in who i am. I've never had to experience a divorce in my family, and I've never had to move. I have lived in my home for my whole life. My grandparents are my next door neighbors; which has it's "ups" and its "downs." When i was nine years old my great grandmother passed away, she was truly an amazing person. We ate every meal with them, and brought them with everywhere we went. So the sudden death of my grandma really took a toll on the family. We knew we could make it through it though. Our family is special from others. If we were given the option to hang out with friends or hang out with the family, we would always choose each other.
Around when high school came around is really when I got to know myself. I've had the ideal high school experience. I was a freshman starter on varsity volleyball (not to boast); I've found myself an incredible boyfriend (I'll be boastful to that); I get good grades; And i have a group of great friends. There's not much more to it.
I know that there is still a lot more to discover about myself. Hopefully I can still answer the same question when i get there.