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.

Deviance With Drugs

In class we did an activity that looked at different kinds of drugs. We did not have the names of the drugs and we had to classify them into legal, prescription, illegal misdemeanor, and illegal felony. It was interesting to see that some of these drugs turned out to be things like nicotine and caffeine. Those are drugs that people use everyday, and based off of the description, many groups thought that they were some sort of illegal drug. It was very scary to see that the drugs that are used daily by many people, are actually some of the most dangerous. The people who do a drug like heroin are looked at in a poor way, but the people who smoke cigarettes are not looked at as bad. And these drugs both do extreme damage just the same.

Deviance

This week in class we talked about deviance. We realized that deviance is all based off of time and place, and certain things may seem ordinary to us, but not to someone from a different culture. We looked at a list of things that may or may not be "normal" to us now. Things like, having a tattoo or women working in a factory or construction is not considered weird to us. However, when my parents were growing up, it was seen as not normal. Different times show different results. I was as a basketball game with my team and our parents were talking about all of the guys who had tattoos on the team, and how we better not be getting any. It was weird to see our reactions because getting a tattoo now, isn't a huge deal. We explained that to them, and how a tattoo wasn't exactly what it use to be. It doesn't symbolize anything bad. It is just another way to express yourself.

Media's Influence : Models

In class we talked about the media and how much of an impact is has on our lives. Girls especially. It was very shocking to see the way that the models in advertisements were photoshopped to look like the "perfect girl." In reality, that "perfect girl" doesn't exist. It is a way to draw us girls into believing that the product they are selling will make us look like the model. 

Girls all around are striving to become more and more like the models they see in advertisements, but even those models don't look like that. It is potentially very dangerous for girls. I know that even I can't help looking in magazines and wishing my hair or my skin looked like the model's. But I know that I can't compare my looks to someone that does not exist. 

Agents of Socialization

In class we talked about how the media is playing a huge role in children's lives today. It is interesting to see how the ads and commercials of today are becoming more and more about how to lure in younger kids. In a sense, it is almost creepy. People are studying young children to see how they react with different toys and to different advertisements. They are also labeling products with brands such as Spongebob Squarepants macaroni and cheese. This draws the attention of the children to their product, without knowing anything about it. It is sad to see, but also sad to know that as a kid, I also believed that the Spongebob macaroni was better than any other macaroni in the store. I would always argue with my mom to get it, even when I didn't know what the others tasted like. It is really interesting to see how much the media influences our everyday lives.

Feral Children

In class this week we talked about how our environment affects us drastically. When I first heard about feral children, I didn't believe it. I couldn't imagine how a child could go through life without being raised by their parents. It is sad to think that children who are locked in their rooms for years, or live with animals, start to show those characteristics. It is just like the girl who was locked in her room for 12 years. She could not see farther than 10 feet in front of her because that was how far away the wall was from her in the small room she lived in. This proves the idea that how we are nurtured does change the way we grow up and live. Social experiences really affect an individual. Social habits are picked up from the environment or people around us. I am always hearing how much I act like my mother because she raised me to be who I am. We both think alike and act alike. Living in the environment of my house with my mom and family made me who I am today.

Tuesdays With Morrie

In class we got to watch the movie Tuesdays with Morrie. I really appreciated seeing this movie because Morrie was such an insightful person and really had an extremely positive outlook on life. Morrie said, "There is nothing innately shameful about being dependent. When we were infants we needed others to live, when we are dying we need others to live,but here's the secret - in between we need others even more." I really like this because I believe that dependency is an important part of someone's life. I depend on my family to always be there for me and give me the support I need. I know that if I couldn't depend on them, I wouldn't be able to pursue my dreams. People are afraid of dependency because they think that it shows that they are weak and cannot do things for themselves, however this is not the case. People can be independent and do things on their own, but it is others support and care that gets them there. As a speaker, Brene Brown, said it, we try to numb our feelings of dependency, but in doing so, we numb the rest of our feelings of happiness and love. It is hard to accept so some people, but if we don't depend on others, we won't succeed as much as we could.

American Values

In class we talked about the different values that Americans live by. We read an article that explains these values and it said, "Most Americans would have a difficult time telling you, specifically, what the values are which Americans live by" (Kohls 24). That was proven during the refugee speaker assembly. The speaker was asked what American values did she notice after working with the refugees, and she had a tough time answering. It is tough for anyone to answer that because we all are looking at our culture though the actual lens of our culture. Only outsiders, looking in, could really see our true values. One of the values that I noticed after reading the article was Future Orientation. Americans spend a lot of time hoping for a better future, instead of experiencing the happiness in the present. I have noticed this a lot when I hear kids saying that they can't wait until high school is over and they can go to college, and can't wait to get out of college to get a job and so on. These kids aren't experiencing the present and getting the most they can out of school and life at the time. I am guilty of this as well. My parents always tell me to slow down and stop worrying too much about the future, because when I get older, I will wish I was back in high school enjoying myself a little more.

Culture Shock!

In class we watched a movie called, "God Grew Tired Of Us." It was really interesting to see how big of a culture shock the Lost Boys of Sudan had when the first entered the United States. They had to learn how to use the grocery store, use electricity, and many other things that people who live in the United States know how to do. People all over the world have different ways of talking, eating, celebrating, etc. It is our culture that makes us who we are. Now, although I didn't experienced such a culture shock as the Lost Boys because I haven't ever left the country, I know someone who has, my dad. My dad came to the United States when he was twenty. He was born and raised in Scotland, and right away, my dad experienced culture shock. Things such a driving on the other side of the road took a long time to get use to. He told me a story once about a time that he was driving on the wrong side of the road very late at night (so no one was endangered in anyway), and was pulled over by a cop. Once my dad explained his story, the cop just laughed and sent him on his way. It was one of the many things he had to get use to. Culture is everywhere. Everything we do is part of our culture, and everything we do isn't part of someone else's culture. It is the experience of someone else's culture that gives us this culture shock!

Ingroups and Outgroups : A Bronx Tale

This week in class we learned about ingroups and outgroups. These groups are pretty self explanatory. My ingroups are the groups that I am in. Outgroups are the groups that are not part of my group. It is really interesting to see all of the groups that I am not apart of, and how many groups I am apart of. I am a girl, at my specific high school, on the basketball team, and in many others. Also in class we watched a movie called, A Bronx Tale. I could see the ingroups and outgroups in that movie and it was also very apparent that many people didn't like the people that weren't in their ingroups. The main character, C, had many different ingroups. For example, he was white and Italian, he had his family, his friends, and the gangsters. The white people who lived in C's neighborhood didn't like the black people that lived in the next neighborhood. C's dad also didn't like Sonny, the "leader" of the gangsters. C's friends didn't like the  girl he likes' brother. That is how some people react to people who are in other outgroups. I think in the movie, C's master status, which is the main ingroup that he belongs to, changed. It started out as being a son to his mother and father. As he grew older, and started to hang more with Sonny than with his own family, he began to be a friend to Sonny. My master status has changed just like C's did. At first, I was only a daughter and a sister. As my life went on and I started to play sports, I realized that basketball player and teammate was my master status. Basketball is a huge part of my life and will take me to college, and many people know me for that. All around us are our ingroups and outgroups and as our lives go on, we become part of more groups, lose others, and possibly change our master status more than once.  

Abandon Ship!

In class this week, we had a very exciting schedule. Earlier in the week, we did an activity called, Abandon Ship, which helped us see the different ways sociologists study in small groups and larger groups. The smaller scale is called the micro level. On this level, the sociologists study the ways people act within a small group and how people act in face-to-face situations. The larger scale is called the macro level and on this level, sociologists study and look at the larger groups that influence an individual. While doing our Abandon Ship activity, it was easy to see how our macro and micro levels come into play. When deciding who to kick off the boat, it was obvious there were some people who knew that they were one of the people who weren't healthy. They either sat in the back and tried to go unnoticed, or when their name came up, they immediately tried to shift the topic of conversation to someone else. The people who knew that they were safe, like myself, began to talk and help out without worry of being noticed and kicked out. I was the Peace Corps Volunteer and someone had said, "We need to keep the Peace Corps Volunteer, because they are always nice people." After I heard that, I felt like it was easier for me to be more vocal, knowing I wasn't going to be kicked off. I tried to become more of a leader, while others decided to sit back and try not to be seen. It is the way our group interacted with each other which was the micro level of sociology seen in this activity. Later in the week, we got to experience Odyssey, which also showed the different levels of sociology. When I got to go and see the Faculty Rock Band, I noticed that all of the students were sitting in their seats, not really enjoying the performance. No matter how many times the band members said that we should stand up and dance, no one would do it. Us, as the group labeled Teenagers, decided that it wasn't the "cool" thing to do. The macro level of sociology showed because it is all of the other teenager's opinions, and ways that we have decided what is cool and what is not, that kept us in our seats the entire show. This whole week, it has been easy to see the macro and micro levels that sociologists study and how the large groups we are apart of, as well as the small groups we are apart of, affect us. 

Parent-Teen Conflicts

During this week, it was really interesting to continue learning about sociological imagination, as well as learn new things such as some of the reasons for parent-teen conflicts in today's society. While watching the pilot episode of Freaks and Geeks, we noticed the sociological imagination that is experienced in high schools. It was very obvious that the characters, such as Lindsay, were affected by society. Society really changed who she was because it wasn't "acceptable" to be a mathlete so, she tried to fit into the "cool" crowd and in the end realized that she was just conforming into something she wasn't. Later in the week, we read an article about putting parent-teen conflicts into perspective. While I read this article, I realized there was a huge connection to my own life, and realized how relevant it is to our generation. My dad always tells me stories about how when he was my age he had a job and he worked around the house, and for most of the time, had to provide a lot for himself. I could never imagine being as independent as he was, and having a job like he did. It is the differences in our generation that creates this conflict between us. Not because my dad likes to argue with me. It is because we both grew up in different times, with different expectations of society.

Sociological Mindfulness

In class, we discussed Sociological Mindfulness. To be mindful of someone, you have to be more than just aware of them. It is the unique qualities of a person that should be recognized and appreciated. We all have an impact on other people's lives and sociological mindfulness is just that, while Sociological Imagination ( another topic we talked about in class) is the idea that the things around you and the environment you are in effect how you are as a person. In the article, Sociological Mindfulness, it stated that, "Children often see things with amazing clarity because their minds are fresh and the world is new and wondrous to them" (Schwalbe). Children do not know what prejudice or discrimination is. Childnre know people as people, and if more people realized this, and realized that their actions and what they say effects a lot of people, the world would be a much different place. Sociological Mindfulness doesn't appeal to many people for various reasons, because in a world where people's competitiveness and greed takes over, it is hard to spend time thinking about how society works. I think I can become sociologically mindful when I first meet people, and always realize that everyone has a different situation in life, and keeping this idea in mind, I can make a positive impact on them and their life. I never really thought about sociological mindfulness, or my actions as much as I do now. I think that my goal is to be sociologically mindful of everyone I meet, and hopefully it will rub off on others. 

All About Me!

With my sister on her birthday!

Me playing my favorite sport!

My name is Katherine, but everyone calls me Kari. I live in the suburbs of Chicago, and I attend a high school that is very well known for its academic excellence. I have two amazing parents, an older brother, and a younger sister. When I am not in school, people usually can find me on the basketball court. I have been playing basketball since I was in Kindergarten, and I have playing been on the Varsity Girls Basketball team since Freshman year. From playing the point guard on a varsity team at a young age, I have learned how to step up and become a leader, and also how to help others. I believe that being a strong and trustworthy leader, as well as having a nice personality, I will be able to help others in the future. The biggest influences in my life are my family and friends. My parents have taught me how to be very independent and also how to make responsible choices. I am a very open person and I am also a great listener to anyone that needs a person to talk to. When it comes to goals, I have a few. My school goals for the future include going to a great school with great academics, as well as playing basketball at the D1 college level. My goals as a person is to really become the best person I can be and always strive to do my best. I also hope to be the best daughter and friend I can be. When people really get to know me, they can see that I am just an average girl trying to be all she can be.