At first, "Crash" seems like a predictable movie filled with boring and overused ethnic stereotypes. Viewers will not be sure which ethnic group is supposed to be superior. After fifteen minutes of racial bases, screenplay and characters come alive. Their stereotypes are chiseled away and the characters become fully developed. For example: Some of these characters change and perform acts that are outside their characteristics. Racist characters become heroes and the tolerant characters become villains. I couldn't believe that she was the same woman from the night before! Race is a man-made massacre not actuality.

Racism a Myth

Racism may be defined as the hatred of one person by another -- or the belief that another person is less than human -- because of skin color, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nations, and legal codes. But what are we really fighting about we're all biologically built the same. In the Article we read this week the author talked about why it doesn't exist because we as a culture allow it to. When we were categorizing the balls, my instinct was to categorize them by sport, although they can all be used to play any of the sports, are argument was that they are designed for the specific sport. But I think that argument it valid because we were designed for our place in relation to the equator. 

Ways of Welfare

Living in poverty and raising children, whether a parent relies on the welfare system in whole or in part for their income, can place parents under tremendous strain. Many parents must not only cope with limited funds, but are confronted with other constraints on their parenting due to living in conditions of poverty. Many, for cost reasons, are housed in dangerous neighborhoods and worry about protecting their children from harm. This week we watched Morgan and his wife live 30 days in poverty, and along the way they suffered from injuries with enormous hospital bills. The craziest part about this experience has to be the medical bills, my jaw literally dropped when the ace bandage appeared on the bill for $40!!!! Are you kidding!?!?!?!? I'm personally pissed about that!! I really felt for Morgan and Alex because they were on pins and needles the entire time, pressed for money. This is no way to live. I understand that Americans undoubtable make social classes watching this episode.

Class or Caste?

This week we speratically watched the documentary where a group of teachers travelled the world to study different types of class and peoples interpritations. I watched the part where the regular women went through class training, where she was learning the art of standing a certain distance? Personally I thought that instructer in the red outfit was full of it. She sounded rediculous, "oh rich people stand between 6 to 8 inches of each other", just plan stupid. Then there was the rich guy, the blonde polo player, wow!!!! He was extremly vain, talking about "lower class fat people", the remarks around the classroom were great while he preached his class theory. It's really unfortuanate we live in a country that preaches freedom and oppertunity, but then has a population that believes in this materiallistic caste system. It seems like what you're born into is as about as far as you'll go, America needs to practice what it preaches.

Prison

In today's culture if you are outside the production, distribution, and consumption of goods your life is meaningless and rotting away in jail. People few criminals as no good wastes of space who are fully responcible for their actions. But there are exceptions like the mentally ill who are cst off to jail because of poor funding and don't get a chance at life. And others who were influenced but agents of socialization from a young age and can't get out of that cycle. And who's fault is that? Well we like to think it's by chance they were born into a shitty situation that's too bad and others think is that how we want to be known? Let the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, maybe with a new president or state of mind change will come and real justice will be served.

Deviance

In class we recieved a check list where we were to mark next to the following that we would say violate America's social norms. I marked next to; Continuosly talking to ones self in public, having a tattoo, dropping out of high school, growing your hair really long, cutting your hair really short, a man wearing a dress, balancing your groceries on your head in public, driving 80 mph down Port Clition, Attacking another person with a weapon, two men kissing, and women working in a factory or construction cite. Deviance is all about perception and social agents. If it was a different time period maybe having really lond hair or short would be concidered the norm. And in a business savy, economic slumping society if you don't have a high school degree you can forget about finacial stability. And with the perseption of women in a phyical workplace in unheard of. It's all about the media's influence and our perceptions.

The Proper Gender

Ever since i can remember and throughout history there has always been guidelines as to what is appropriate for a female and a male. From childhood we are brainwashed with the influence of our parents, pink for girls and blue for boys. Girls are supposed to like pink ponies and boy are supossed to like blue hotwheels. Just take a look at the toy magazines to day. Although we are brought up a certain way depending on gender, there are many who break the mold and try to defy the sterotypes. But our culture is sooooo against crossing those lines, the others are harrased and ridiculed for breaking such boundries. The men who don't physically abuse others and enjoy singing and dancing are labeled as homosexuals. And the women who enjoy sports are labeled as lesbians. Our culture is so tense with boundries that anyone taking a risk will pay.