Crash

In class we watched the movie "Crash." This movie gave a very blunt showing of racism and it shows how not all stereotypes are true. In the movie, many different signs of racism was shown. First, a white woman was very nervous around two african american men. Then she told her husband that she wanted her locks changed again when the man that came to help was mexican. She automatically believed that he was in a gang and was going to sell her house keys to his friends. Later we find out that that man has a wife and daughter, and had moved OUT of the neighborhood that had shootings and gang related activity. He returned the keys to the woman and left. This shows that the automatic stereotype that the white woman had, was not true. This movie goes on to show this happening many other times. A series of misunderstandings and untrue beliefs got many people in tough situations, and in one case, got someone killed. It is unfortunate that the things that happened in this movie, do occur in real life because of peoples' misconceptions.

Community Service

Today I went to Deerfield High School and volunteered to work at the Hershey Track & Field events. It is a national program that introduces children 9-14 to physical fitness through basic track and field events. It was really fun being able to be a timer for the various running events. I helped the kids get in their lanes and prepare for their race. Then I timed them during their race, and recorded it in the book. The kids had a great time and it looked like they really prepared for this day. A lot of the younger kids were extremely excited to be going against the older kids, and it was very interesting to see. They accepted the challenge and also, all of the kids supported each other. When there were two young girls running the mile, many of the other kids lined up alone the track to cheer them on, and even a few of them ran a lap or two along next to them giving them water when they needed it. It was a fun sight to see. I love working with kids, and to see them so excited to be able to compete and spend a nice day out in the sun, was a treat!

Race

This week in class we discussed race. It was very interesting to see that race doesn't actually exist! And as  you travel around the world your "race" actually changes. Your race in Brazil could actually be different than your race here. Race are just a categories we created because we feel uncomfortable not knowing how to group people. It is a social construction of reality because we created it. People don't realize that race is more of a spectrum and generally the closer to the equator you are, the darker your skin looks. During class when we tried to place people in different categories by the way they looked, we only got a few out of many correct. People classify themselves differently, and you can't tell someone's "race" solely on their appearance.

Monopoly

In class we played Monopoly, but we played it with a twist. We were playing as if we were in today's society. I started off as the player with the "New" money. There were other players in the game that were playing as people with "Old" money, Blue Collar, and others. It was very interesting to see that it was actually very hard to move up in class. No one from our game did. In fact, two people went bankrupt and were on wellfare pretty early in the game. Also, it was sad to see that the people who started out with the least amount of money ended up feeling like they couldn't do anything by the end, and ended up giving up, in a sense. No matter what they did, they felt like there was nothing they could do to get on top. It was a very interesting way to experience the way society is today.

Community Service

For my community service hours, I volunteered at the Special Olympics at Lake Zurich High School. It was an amazing experience. I spent my time helping set up and give out awards. I had a great time recording the athletes' times and scores into the book, so that they could be announced to the whole stadium. I really enjoyed seeing the athletes' emotions when receiving their awards. Whether someone got first or fifth, they were always excited and just happy to be there. I felt a lot of emotions, and am very happy that I got a chance to be a part of this. Half way through the day, it began to rain and storm, and all of the athletes, coaches, and volunteers had to head inside to the field house. It was a great time to meet with the athletes and get to know them. I got to know a lot of new things and make a lot of new friends. It was an experience I will never forget.

Social Class

This week in class we talked about social class. It was really interesting to see that people are shaped by their class. We watched a movie, and a woman looked at WonderBread and described it as gross. Then a man was interviewed and explained that WonderBread was his favorite bread. He was a man of a lower class than the woman. Something as simple as bread is looked at differently by people of different class. Another thing we realized is that many people of different classes don't interact. People walk, talk, and act differently that people in other classes and it makes people feel uncomfortable to interact with eachother. Unfortunatly, it is hard to change social class because of the many different "rules" that are needed to learn and follow. I know it is weird for families such as my own,to talk about class, because in America, class systems make people feel uncomfortable.

Courtroom 302

In class this week we read a small part of a book called Courtroom 302. It was interesting to see the types of people that were accused, and how money influenced these people. Many of the accused were the, "poor and the powerless."  Many African Americans and Hispanics were accused. Along with that, the people who had money could mostly post bail and get let out until their trial. Many of the accused were in their for drug related crimes. Drug crimes are looked at differently all over the country. Some states give years in jail for something that another states only give months. It is all the way that drugs are looked at by people. Drugs are labeling these people as criminals, who are not. Drugs are looked at so badly that anyone associated with them are treated like murders, or sometimes even worse.