The coin flip

On day in class we gambled. It was a simple game, you just decided how many coins you want to gamble, flipped the coin, and called what you think it would land on. Once one of you between you or your partner ended up with all the coins, that person moved on to play another person with coins. Eventually one person in the class ended up with all the coins. This shows there's this really small percentage of people at the top with all the money. The more coins you had the more you could afford to gamble, while the less coins you had, the less you could lose. It's much harder than Americans would like to think to acquire money and move up but really the people who end up at the bottom, the majority, stay at the bottom, while the people with all the money, a small percentage, stay at the top. There are a few exceptions of people who can climb all the up the money ladder, but for the most part if your doing any moving up or down at all its just a couple steps. My dad, for example, grew up on the poorer side of Chicago but decided to go to college and get a good job and now he is part of an upper-middle class family. Its interesting to see my family compared to his siblings families because he was the only of of his siblings to go to college so while he moved up, everyone else stayed the same.

Race

The new unit we started is about race. Race is just a socially constructed thing, there is not biological differences between races.  There isn't just black or white and your either one or the other, there is a whole spectrum of skin color. Society defines which race you fall into, and the divisions are just arbitrarily made. People look at others and try to put them into a race category whether it is white, black, Asian, Indian, etc. by looking at someone like Mariah Carey people would never see her as black because she doesn't look like it, and on the other hand people see Barack Obama as only black because of how he looks. I was always confused about race my whole like because I didn't, and still don't, know where I fit in. People ask me all the time what race are you and I'm not offended I just don't even know myself. A lot of people consider me Asian, even though I'm only a quarter. Others ask if I'm Mexican or Hawaiian haha I get everything.

Social Class

It's sometimes hard to accept that in the United States we still have a social class system, because as Americans we like to think that everyone is equal. Our class system isn't written, and not as set in stone as other countries, but that doesn't mean it's easy to climb the social class ladder in America. The social classes are divided based on more than just money. You can have all the money in the world and still not have high class or status. At my high school the division between social classes is not as apparent because everyone pretty much belongs to the same class, but at my middle school it was a small portion of kids from upper middle class families, and a majority of poorer minorities. The division was easily seen. The white, wealthier families dressed in Hollister and A&F, talked differently, cared about school, and school related activities while the poorer, mostly Hispanic kids dressed in cheaper clothes, and didn't care about school. The two different groups rarely interacted with each other. While in middle school, you just think you don't talk to the other group because they're different, but now looking back it's not only because they're different, but they come from a different social class.

drugs and deviance

The activity we did in class today where we were given a page about a certain drug and had to rate it if we thought it was legal or illegal on a scale of 1 to 4 really showed an unbiased opinion the different groups had about that certain type of drug. Legal drugs like alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine most times got ratings of 3 or 4, when in our society those are the least regulated kinds of drugs, whereas marijuana got ratings of 1 or 2 and that is a drug that is punished harshly by the law if you are caught in possession of it. If I would of known what the drugs were before rating them, I would have given alcohol a 1, caffeine a 1, nicotine a 1, and marijuana a 3 or 4. The drugs I deem socially acceptable to use that I don't think are deviant come from society and the laws. Since marijuana is illegal and harshly punished I've always had a more negative view of it than when I did for the in-class activity. My view of marijuana is changing just because I think I'm becoming more aware of it. Four years ago as a freshman if I found out someone smoked weed they would have a social stigma to me, and now as a senior I see the prevalence, and don't see it as super deviant, but still illegal.

Deviance

Deviance is violating a social norm, and normally when I think people are violating a social norm it is a bad thing. I think the word has a negative connotation, but today in class I realized that violating a norm can be positive too. It can be a random act of kindness, and just something that isn't normally expected. One example is buying someone coffee. At, first I found that somewhat creepy. If someone did that for I would think what's up with this person? Why would they feel they need to buy coffee for me? What do they want from me? But, I started thinking just simply buying a random stranger coffee who looked really wore down and tired would be a really nice thing that doesn't normally happen. I think what constitutes deviance varies from person to person. When I wanted to get a second ear piercing, and a cartilage piercing my dad was really against. He thought that it would look bad, and unacceptable, but I think that piercings have become more acceptable and not considered very deviant. Although I think it would be deviant if I got like 50 piercings all over my face.So, deviance varies by person and changes over time.

Messages from the media

This week was all about gender roles, and what messages the media sends to everyone about how to be a man or women. The media teaches boys to be violent, tough, and unemotional. In ads men and even little boys are depicted as strong and independent while women and little girls are depicted as weak, and as objects. From as early as we can remember we are bombarded with these messages, and although it seems like we can ignore them these messages get ingrained in our heads.  Ads everywhere picture women beautiful, perfect, and skinny. Girls need to strive for perfection, but it isn't possible. I just got a magazine in the mail today, it's called Glamour. After watching Killing Us Softly 4 I couldn't help but notice all the ads in Glamour when I was looking through it. Before I would try to skip over and ignore them, but now I can't. And, I realize now that I could never fully ignore the messages of the ads. When me and my friends would go through magazines together we would always look at all the pictures of the models and say I wish I had that body, or I wish I was that pretty. When we were finished with the magazines we were just left feeling badly about ourselves. But, it's impossible to strive for this kind of perfection. The models and people in the magazines don't even look like that because their pictures are photoshoped and altered.

Consumers for life

There are many different agents of socialization that shape us in our lives and we don't even realize. In sociology this week we talked about all the different groups like family, school, day care, religion, sports, and the media. I was most surprised at how big of an impact the media has on everyone even when we're just little kids, especially advertisements. Advertisements are specifically targeting kids because kids have so much impact on what a family spends their money on, and also to make the kids consumers for life. Thinking back in my own childhood I agree with this. The TV brain washes you into thinking you absolutely need this, and it could be from a commercial or more indirectly and sneaky through product placement in shows and movies. When I was little I also wanted something else, the next doll, the newer Barbie, or the bigger play castle. But, now with technology like computers and cell phones kids are targeted in even more ways than just the TV. I was babysitting my neighbors and the little girl, Emma, wanted to show me her Club Penguin animal or something. I had never heard of it. She explained it was a stuffed animal you get and then you can have some kind of internet account. Both her siblings had one too. The media's impact on everyone is inevitable. We live in a consumer culture, but knowing  what kind of an impact the media and advertising has on our lives can help us be less brainwashed and help us make more informed choices about things.

Community Service-Habitat for Humanity

The beam we nailed being put up.

The linen closet framing

I volunteered at Habitat for Humanity this week for one day for a total of 10 hours. I went with a friend who also needed community service hours for another class and we went to help out at a historical renovation house at 110 S. Channing in Elgin. I contacted Madi Franck, and her number is 6309408137. The house is being built for a family of seven people. There is two parents and they have five kids. We got to the build site at 8:30 and it was intimidating at first because all the other helpers looked like experienced construction workers and my friend and I are no where near  experienced construction workers. Before this experience I didn't even know how to hammer a nail. But, all the workers were really nice and patient with my friend and I. One of the crew leaders, Travis, worked with us and taught us things. The whole day everyone was working on framing the house, and we first started working on nailing together one of the main beams that go across the ceiling. At first, it was frustrating trying to nail these huge nails in the wood and I kept hitting myself in the thumb but eventually I got the hang of it. The other construction guys made fun of us because it took us so many hits to nail a nail in and they could hammer a nail in 5 hits. When we finished the beam it was lunch time and after lunch we worked on framing a wall for the linen closet. We nailed two sides of the linen closet and then nailed them in place. So, technically we framed a whole room, even though it's just a small linen closet. It was interesting and inspiring to meet all the volunteers, some who took off work, or some who were retired construction workers who took their whole day to come and help. Most of them were regular volunteers, and they had no requirement to volunteer 10 hours for a class, and no other obligations. They just wanted to help and volunteer on their own. The whole day was really hard work, by the end of the day I was covered in dust, I couldn't feel my thumb, I had a blister from hammering all day, I cut my pinky finger, I was sore all the next day, and I smelled like construction worker but it was really rewarding and surprisingly fun. It was good to step out of my comfort zone. I hope my construction work and hammering didn't cause more damage than it helped. :)

happiness in america

For class we had to read a chapter out of the book Thrive. The book is about happiness in America and also about happiness in other countries. In America we tend to believe that money buys happiness, but that isn't the case at all. Happiness comes from lots of other things like the community you live in, giving, family, friends, and your job. In the chapter we read it may not be realistic to do all the things to make you happy, because we cant just pick up and move our families to a happier neighborhood, but its good to keep these things in mind for the future. I've also learned a lot about how to be happy from my family. In the summer I stayed with my sister who lives in LA for a month. Living with her and her boyfriend showed me you don't need a ton of money to be happy. They just bought a house and it's a small old house compared to the houses in the Chicago suburbs, but they are happy with it because the neighborhood is nice and friendly. The backyard is nice and they started a garden, and they have two doggies that they walk and meet the neighbors. You can learn a lot about how to be happy from the people around you.

Being An American

We read an article this week about 13 values Americans live by, and it made me realize how American I am because I believe in all of those values. Those values were further illustrated in Bemused in America, which is a German writing about the differences her notices in American values and German values seen in everyday life like jogging or going to the grocery store. When I was little I was always kind of confused and I didn't know how to identify myself since I'm mixed race. Some kids would think of me as Asian, some would see me as white, and I was always so confused. My dad was born in Japan, and I'm a quarter Japanese, and my mom is Polish and was born in Chicago. When I grew older though, I began to see myself as just an American, and being Japanese and Polish, and whatever else I am is only my heritage. I'm like a melting pot. I was born in America, and raised in America, and that makes me American, with American values. Our values reflect the culture and society we grow up in.

Subcultures!

Today in class we talked about how SHS has its own subculture, and the different aspects we looked at were the material culture, mores, folkways, taboos, language, symbols, and values. These are all the things that makes SHS a unique place, and the things that separate us from other high schools. A new student might not understand all of these aspects. Even when I talk to someone about high school and I use language like "I travel after 2nd period" people ask me what does travelling mean? Even when I go over to my friends' house for dinner, each family has a subculture they have and I want to be sure and follow the mores, and not talk about a taboo. Some families are casual at the dinner table, others are more formal. At my one friend's house it's considered really rude to be on your phone and texting during dinner. Another kind of rule is at some houses everyone should wait for everyone to have their food to eat. Subcultures are common sense when you are apart of one, but looking from the outside, sometimes it is hard to pick up on different subcultures.

culture shock

In the beginning of the week each table learned a card game. Then when players from different tables moved around we realized each table had a different set of rules, like some tables the ace was high, and some tables the ace was low. Each table had essentially become their own culture, and each table had a different set of rules to play the game by, which is like how different cultures have different rules to live by. When I stayed with a French family in France for two weeks, I experienced a lot of culture shock. It was hard to get accustomed to certain things. One night my French family ordered pizza for dinner, and I thought yes, finally something I have had experience eating before. Except that when we all sat down and started eating the pizza I realized I was the only one eating the pizza with my hands and everyone else at the table was cutting up the pizza with a fork and knife. I felt like I had no table manners, and I felt so rude and embarrassed. I put down the pizza and started to eat it with a knife and fork, and I apologized. I said in America, Americans eat pizza with their hands. My french family was understanding because they are aware there are different rules for every culture, and they didn't mind me eating the way I was raised to eat pizza. So, what I learned from eating pizza was that every culture has different rules, customs, norms, and sometimes you don't understand them but you have to have cultural relativism and just be aware that people do things differently. One way isn't better than the other, they're just different.

A Bronx Tale-Groups

The groups that Calogero belonged to was his family group which was made up of his mom and dad. He belonged to his school group of friends that he grew up with. He is in a group with the African American girl from the bus. He is also part of Sonny's crew like when he was throwing the dice, but I also think that Sonny and Calogero are their own group too. No one really understands their relationship, even the guys in Sonny's crew are confused by the interest that Sonny takes in Calogero. Even though Calogero belongs to all these groups, I think that his master status is son. I think that his master status stays the same throughout the film and doesn't change. He is a son in different ways though. He is a son to his father, but also is like a son to Sonny. I would say my own master status is being a daughter. That's a big part of how I identify myself. I've been a daughter all my life and my parents have probably impacted me as a person the most. Through my life though, my different statues have changed. I'm a friend, coworker, and my newest status is being an aunt to my two baby nieces.

In-groups & Out-groups

Today the class was divided into two groups by what we were wearing. After the activity was over and we discussed why the other group was wearing what they were wearing, I was really surprised how fast my group started to make judgments about the other group. I was in the color group and the things we came up about the group wearing black were intended to be more joking, but still ended up being mean. Some things we came up with were things like the people wearing black were depressed, hated their lives, or wanted to try and look skinnier which implies that they are fat. This activity shows how easy it is to identify with your in-group, and judge the out-group. In our everyday lives we are apart of so many groups, and we're also not apart of a lot of groups. In my life, I sometimes have a hard time not judging an out-group because I have a hard time understanding that group. I was raised Christian, but I'm not very religious at all, so I have trouble identifying with people who are religious no matter what religion they are. All anyone can do is have an open mind about things, and try to work against the judgments we make.

The Social Construction of Reality

What is the difference between spit and saliva? Nothing, except the feelings that society has created about the two. To illustrate this Tuesday in class Mr. Sal had someone spit on a spoon and the whole class thought it was disgusting. Spit in a classroom is deemed socially unacceptable and odd in American culture. On the other hand we wouldn't think kissing someone or sharing a drink with someone, which is exchanging saliva, is gross. Certain feelings that we feel in situations are completely made up and created by our culture, environment, and society. When I went to France and stayed with a French family, in their bathroom was a beday. In French society, and even all of Europe that is normal and acceptable, but in American society and culture it is odd, and unacceptable. Most Americans would even say it's gross, or unhygienic, and being from America, I even thought this too. I couldn't bring myself to use the beday it was just too weird and different in my eyes.

Community Service Opportunities

Instead of an actual final exam, we have to complete ten hours of community service. I like the idea because instead of taking a multiple choice test of A, B, C, and D, you can actually apply sociology to your life. And, with an exam you study the material, test, and forget everything, but with something like community service you will remember that and grow from it. One community service opportunity I had was going down to a soup kitchen in Chicago during the holidays and helping stack the pantries, serve meals, and play with the kids that were at the shelter. It's heartbreaking to see all these people with nothing. I saw how the people at the shelter are just worrying about where they are getting their next meal, and I'm worrying about trivial things like if my hair looks OK. It helped put things in perspective. But, the most memorable part of this volunteering experience was giving gifts to the little kids. It was right around Christmas and we got to give each kid there a little present. They weren't expense gifts, and probably not even what they exactly wanted from Santa, but it didn't matter to them. When they got the gifts it made their world a little better for a little bit, and that's all you can do. You can't make sure that all the kids in the world have presents under their Christmas tree, but you can still make a little difference and maybe brighten one kid's Christmas.

Silence

The first day of class when Mr. Sal sat in the back of the class and it was just silent it was confusing and awkward. As students, we have been trained to come into the first day of class and expect that the teacher will take charge and fill the silence. We don't even realize that we all go into certain social situations with certain expectations. And, in this case the expectation was that the first day of a class the teacher would stand in the front of the room and talk. I have experienced a lot of awkward silences, but for me silence does not always have to be awkward. Silence isn't awkward between me and my best friends. Its fine if we're driving in the car and not talking. When you get to know someone, and you get comfortable around them, there is no longer a need to fill every time you spend with them with words. You can just enjoy each others' company, whether that means talking or not. On the other hand, it's awkward when you first meet someone and its silent. I feel like when you first meet someone you have to talk to fill the air with words, because you are expected to introduce yourself and get to know each other. For every social situation we face we use our past experiences and form expectations, and sometimes we don't even know it.

About Me

Who am I? That's hard to answer since I really don't know myself but I'll start with the basics. My name is Jasmine. I'm a senior in high school. I like to make jokes, but mostly I'm the only one who laughs at them. I like to laugh. I like to have fun and shop. I like to sing in the car even though I'm tone deaf, and I like to dance even though I couldn't dance to save my life. I have a lot of interests and I wish I just had that one thing that I love to do but I like to do and try everything. I'm an open-minded person. I also ski and I tried snowboarding but that didn't work out. My favorite color is yellow because it's the happiest and brightest color. I don't believe in luck. I don't make a wish at 11:11 or pick up pennies that are heads up. Next year I'm going to California for college. My top choice is University of California Santa Barbara. The biggest influence in my life is my older sister. She lives in Los Angeles. She inspires me to work hard and take chances. I'm scared to go off to college so far from home because I don't even know how to do the laundry but my sister reminds me to take chances and things will work out if you work hard enough. My goal in life is to become independent. I think I also want to be a marine biologist and work all around the world!