State of mind

This week we learned about how we associate words with certain attitudes just because that is what are society is telling us (Socially constructed). One commercial that I have seen recently that actually tried to fix one of these socially constructed words was about high fructose corn syrup. When the main character asked someone else why they were against it they would only say, "You know what they say" as if to prove they are only told it is bad for them and that is it. This commercial actually laid out the facts to show how exaggerated the idea of high fructose corn syrup is. Another thing that I have noticed the most around me that is socially constructed are grades. If you really think about it, grades are just letters on a page. In America, people think of this as either a life-or-death situation or it is a measure of their worth. Our society has drilled the importance of a grade into kid's heads so much that in most cases when they are asked what will happen if they get a B they respond that they, "will never get into a good college" and when asked about the problem with that they say they, "won't get a good job" and I ask them what a good job is and they respond, "one that makes a lot of money". Finally when I ask if money makes people happy and what is the point of all of this if you end up dead anyways they just give me a blank stare. Socially constructed things are ones that we are told to think in a certain way and we never actually think about it for ourselves. It is sad that we just go ahead and believe things and don't question them because then how will we ever be able to understand our values if we do not make them up?

Gender

The challenging part about the gender role given to me by media as a teenager is definitely either the fact that girls are supposed to be so skinny and perfect looking or the fact that your supposed to be all girly and fragile. The problem with the whole fragile/girly one is that especially around my friends, I am the complete opposite of that and so often people just joke around about how manly I am, which is no big deal but it does get a little annoying. One thing about my gender role that I like is that I am allowed to both show my feelings and be a woos sometimes and no one can say otherwise because that is what is expected of a girl. Media definitely advocates being heterosexual as many jokes are targeted at gay men and really aren't usually put into a show unless they are being made fun of. This is why many gay people are picked on so often because that is what people see on the media. As far as a relationship between a man and a woman goes in media, people are influenced for the man to be the strong reliable one while the woman does cleaning and needs to be supported by the man. This becomes a problem esspecially when a man loses his job and then feels like less of a man because he felt like it was his responsibility to suppor the family.

Marketing

This week we talked about how many commercials now a days are directed towards kids. One thing that was mentioned is how car commercials are directed at kids sometimes because children actually have a fairly big influence on what car their parents buy. I was watching the TV yesterday and a car commercial came on. Instead of having parents or a spokesperson talk about it, there was a kid explaining how cool the car is. It was a shocker because I didn't realize how much spending power kids have over their parents. Secondly, we were talking about gender roles and how especially Disney is sexist and has the typical male & female roles. Just last night I watched part of Aladdin and the thing that shocked me the most was Jasmine's outfit. I mean this show is meant for kids of a very young age and the main character is running around with her stomach showing. When I though about it, most of the women's outfits in Disney films are pretty scandalous (eg. The Little Mermaid and Tinkerbell). This has a big influence on little kids. For an example, when I was younger I asked for a bra for Christmas because Ariel had one and I wanted to be just like her. I also noticed that the body that any of the princesses have are nearly impossible to fulfill but little kids still look up to them. These are bad images that we are putting into little kid's heads, I mean for once can't their be a fat princess?!?!

A Nation of Wimps

A Nation of Wimps was one of those articles that really puts things in perspective for you. When it comes to everyone being a winner nowadays, I definitely agree that it is making everyone too soft. Kids need to learn from day one that they are going to win some and lose some. When I was younger, I as well had this problem. My whole life I have been a winner for practically everything and so whenever I lost when playing a board game with my family I would either cry or get mad. Looking back, it was so stupid to be honest that I had become so used to winning that literally anything that I lost I began to hate. The problem with that is that it never stopped. Even as I got older, anything I didn't win caused me to get all upset whether I cared much about them or not, it was just the idea of losing that I hated. It wasn't until sophomore year that I realized that I have moved far beyond that state of mind. This was when I tried out for badminton and didn't make it. When I was told I just smiled and politely said "thank you" and then went over to everyone and when they asked I just simply told them I didn't make it. It was easy as that. I think this change came about because of grades at Stevenson. Yes, the article does talk about inflated grades and how it is because kids can't accept anything lower than an A. I agree with that statement to some extent. That's the way I felt all through middle school and then freshman year high school. Back then I would get all worked up if I got a B+ because I felt like an idiot if I got anything lower than an A so I worked super hard all year. Sophomore year was much different. That year I tried for those As again at the beginning and quickly realized how miserable this goal made me feel. Reaching an A in Stevenson has become extremely hard and so I decided that it was a possible goal but not one worth my effort. That year I got a D+ on an essay that I worked on all weekend. When I first got it, I was just in shock and then it just became more comical. That's the problem right there, when grades are inflated so much that the highest grades become a routine but then are stripped from you, people begin to care a whole lot less about "winning". It's a horrible cycle and if these grades weren't so high back in middle school, then students would work a whole lot harder in high school. Lastly on this subject, I think that a little bit of bullying and name-calling is good for a child. For example, when I was younger my dad used to make the meanest jokes about me and my sister which usually ended up in tears. Now a days no matter what people say about me either I can laugh it off or ignore it  because I've grown an outer shell for these sort of things and have learned to laugh at myself. One of my friends on the other hand, whenever anyone makes a joke about him, he becomes very upset and really insulted. Therefore, I am actually happy that my dad made those comments when I was younger even though they seemed vicious at the time but helped me become a stronger person today.

Coming of Age

When we were talking in class this week about what age someone thinks of as being an adult, I was surprised to hear that there wasn't a certain age that people are considered an adult (there wasn't even a certain decade). People said from anywhere from 13-35 years. To me it was almost upsetting to hear that and think that to some people I wont be considered an adult for a VERY long time. I personally said the age of 22 because that is the age (for most people) when you first get out of college and get a job and become financially independent. I was curious to what an older persons thoughts on the issues were and I figured that this person would say an older age because people put everyone else around them in perspective with their own age (so a teenager would be much younger). When I asked my mom, she surprised me by saying that she agrees that for her, 22 is the time people "come of age". Although I do put 22 as the age a person becomes an adult, I definitely agree with the people that say it can also be an event that causes this change (for example if both your parents died or you have a child...). While reflecting on this activity, I realized that a lot of the time I become upset if my parents try to put a lot of restrictions on me because I think I'm almost a grown-up. I realize now what a stupid claim it is because I said myself that I won't be an adult until I'm 22. On the other hand, I feel that in order to make the transition more smooth, rights and privileges should be given steadily in order to avoid bad decisions or becoming overwhelmed.

Values: Tuesdays with Morrie

2. If I only had a few days left of my life, I would believe it or not I would still go to school. A lot of people would probably say that they wouldn't but that is where half of my life is and I would want to say good by to that half. I would want to see my friends more, see my teachers, even see those people that I have only said two words to the entire year. Instead of doing homework I would go on a shopping spree and spend all of my money. I would buy a couple things for me but mostly stuff for everyone else. I would buy people inside jokes or things people always wanted so they would have a happy memory left of me when I was gone. For dinner, me and my family would go to my favorite restaurant and I would buy five of my favorite meals. I would make sure to tell my family what a great support they have been to me my whole life. Lastly, I would go crazy and finger paint my wall with all of my friends as a memorial (kind of). It would be one last great memory of us all together that would stay forever.

4. I believe that death is the end of a life as it is the conclusion of your life. Although, I would say that dying is a beginning of another journey as it puts people into a different mindset and allows people to reflect. Similarly to the beginning of a life, at the beginning of dying people have a lot of choices to make and decide who they want to be. One has to decide how to spend these last moments and who to spend them with. It really brings out the true person because since they are dying, there is nothing stopping them from doing something except themselves. For example, if someone was afraid of skydiving but wanted to they would be more likely to do it because even if they die it wouldn't be that big of a deal now. It truly is an inner refection as there are no obligations or consequences for one's choices.

Forbidden kidness

This week I decided to break the norm of talking to strangers in bathrooms. As I expected, people were extremely confused and freaked out when I talked to them. If you think about it there really is no reason that people can only talk talk to strangers in specific places (such as work, school, shopping, etc). One of the ironic things about this topic is that on the first day of sociology, when we came in the teacher was quiet and everyone felt awkward and new something weird was happening. People expected this in this environment and found the noise comforting but when I started a conversation in the bathroom everyone thought I was either a creepy or insane. Unfortunately I am also guilty of this absurd way of thinking. If someone starts talking to me at during a class, I do not avoid them but instead try to keep up the conversation and be friendly. If I was in the bathroom and someone began talking to me I would probably briskly answer and leave. It truly is horrible that we decide when we want to make friends, when we want to have a nice conversation, when we want to take time out of our day to make someone else's. If someone was crying in the bathroom would you carry on as if nothing is happening? Most people would say no but honestly would if the situation came up. The thoughts often associated with bathrooms are: dirty, quick trip, silent. Just like any other norm, society is determined to keep this image up in order to feel secure and stable in one's environment.