Agents of Socialization

Besides my family, the groups that have most affected and formed my view of life would be the several different groups of friends I have encountered, as well as my team. As I've pursued different interests and changed schools, my group of friends has changed drastically several times. The values of one group of people can vary dramatically from those of another, and I have noticed that, like it says in the article, peer groups have an important influence on how younger people live and view life. Specifically, these relationships have given me positive experiences that help define how I define myself. By being a part of groups of what "I am", I can distinguish what "I'm not". More recently, my team had been a strong indicator of where my opinions lie. Because we spend endless hours together, we've become a cooperative unit with identical values. Thus, the behaviors and means to reach the desired ends allow for common goals and ideas among the 24 of us. My team last year and this year have pushed me to my limits and have showed me to prioritize what matters most. This article was really interesting to me because I could relate with each of the "agents" and how my life would not be the same without them.

Learning to Swim Part 3

3. American values that I embrace would be Activity and Work as well as Progress. These values allow me to set goals and work to improve myself and my life. I am always busy, so I think that activities and work have a large significance in how I live my life. Progress is an important value because it is a dynamic word, changing with circumstance. Progress is never-ending because there is always room for improvement and growth. Two examples of values that i creatviely adjust would be Individual Personality as well as Material Comfort. I think that i creatively adjust these values by changing how I act when I realize my own mistakes. I don't try to change my personality to fit in or anything like that, but I know my friends and family have formed the personality I have, and thus I have made adjustments to be the happiest with them. Material Comfort has to do with the choices I make and things i choose to buy. I have adjusted this value to apply to the things I need day to day to live comfortably. By adjusting values to fulfill one's own happiness is what allows us to lead the best lives possible. By understanding what each value means in our own lives specifically, we can focus on what is most important to us.

Learning to Swim Part 2

2. I think that by understanding what makes Americans act in the way that we do, we can learn to navigate the waters. Why do we value certain objectives? Why do we spend our time doing certain things in certain places? When we understand the differences between our answers and they answers of those from other cultures, we can better understand our own. The way sociologists are able to learn why we do what we do is the way we can learn how to swim. An example of the adaptation to our surrounding culture would be how we respond to the media. Like we were talking about in class today, the drama surrounding the "balloon boy" was a perfect example of how our reactions are swayed by media bias. We will just as easily praise someone as we will condemn them. We adjust our behaviors because we expect those around us to feel the same way because heaven forbid we think against the crowd. Nowadays, that's something very hard to do.

Learning to Swim Part 1

1. I believe that the way Stevenson students manage time is a "water" that we usually overlook. Take the past week for example, Homecoming week. I am a part of several groups, as most students are, and each required a lot of time and commitment during this stressful week. Starting on Sunday, I had to be at Sprit Fest to fulfill my duties as a part of NHS, Student Council Exec Board, and of Varsity Patriettes. During the week I worked with Student Council to prepare for the dance itself, and at practice I worked with Spirit Revolution to perfect the halftime routine that we weould peform at the football game. NHS sponsered Spirit Fest, so I had to work once I got there, I had to decorate for Student Council, and practice is daily for poms any week. While I'm not complaining, I want to emphasize that the time management skills many SHS students possess is more advanced than some working adults. In my life especially, I always find it bizarre when I talk to my friends who go home after school, or on the rare occasions I myself am home before six. Commitment to these programs is less of a choice, but more of a neccessity. I don't think I would be able to fill free time otherwise. This is part of my culture and the way I live my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Culture

The discussions of culture this week have been really interesting to me because I noticed an overlap between our class and Human Geography last year. Especially the concepts of material and non-material culture and their significance in the lives and societies of others. I like going more in depth with the individual examples we've looked at because it is really cool to compare the customs and norms country to country. Certain things that Americans take for granted or come to expect would be completely inappropriate or unheard of in the next country over. The difference that culture makes throughout the world is what allows us to grow and develop as individual nations and as a world because if we were all the same, no one would want to change. In Human Geo, we learned about the Lexus vs. the olive tree concept that explains how globalization constantly is challenging and threatening the roots of cultures in societies around the world. I am glad that we are learning about culture because it takes the awareness to rekindle the interest and faithfulness to one's own culture in order to protect it.

Affluenza...the new swine?

These past few days in sociology have really opened my eyes to the reality of our nation's overconsumption. I think everyone has heard that we're "addicted to stuff" as a society, and that the dangers we're overlooking will have disastrous ramifications on future generations. Materialism and competition are becoming understood given factors in life, and that is something that needs to be changed. The United States is more focused on finding the new and improved then finding the solutions to problems we've faced for decades. However, I hope with this recession and the troubles we're facing as a nation, affluenza will get as much media attention as swine flu. Maybe if we raise awareness, we can make changes: slow, progressive changes, but changes nonetheless. It is vital that we change the focus of our lives in order to resurrect our suffering relationships, wallets, and planet.

A BRONX TALE

Collogero lives in a neighborhood unlike anything I, or probably any other teenager in the suburbs, have ever encountered. The sense of everybody knows everybody and everybody's business is nearly impossible within a school of 4500, much less the actual community itself. The reality constructed in his neighborhood is vastly different from what I know. His neighborhood is centered around Sonny and his crew and the power and control they have over the entire town. They have their hands in just about every aspect of the neighborhood, and due to his wealth and power, he has authority. The people of C's community know that Sonny is the boss, and that he, or one of his men, is always watching. I think this unwritten rule changes how the people live their lives because all are wary that they might cross Sonny, and that's not a position anyone wants to be in. The unwritten rules are understood in the neighborhood: that you do what Sonny says. A common theme of the movie is the difference between love, respect, and fear. Does fearing someone mean you respect them? Is fear more powerful then love? I think in some cases both questions are true, but in C's community, they almost have to be. Another social construct is the seemingly required racism. This mindless hatred is made evident through C's friends' actions. I view their racism as a social construct because I think few could stop and tell you why they don't like their African American neighbors. It is a societal expectation for them to be prejudiced towards black people. The racist attitudes are the norm for the neighborhood. C represents how the social constructs can be broken, how racism isn't a given, and how one can forge their own path without regard for what society may deem as "right" or "acceptable".