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.

Agents of Socialization

In the lesson on Agents of socialization we dicuss what groups influence us and our daily lives. Agents include, family, school, friends, media and sports. What about our culture makes us the way we are? Well with the media being so concerned with apperence we're worried about diet and the way we look, and how people judge us. Then there's the typical peer pressure card where your friends are pressuring you to act a ceratain way try different things etc. In the freaks and geeks episode we watched the main character was caught between her agents, to have a party or not? Her school friends pushing the yes and her family, brother, pushing the no. She evetually did have the party and acted a certain way around her friends by acting drunk and what the culture believes is "cool".

I watched the video you posted about Genie and oh my goodness! That just like really amazes me! I think it was appalling that Genie suffered so much abuse, and I think it’s terrible that a suitable foster parent wasn’t immediately set up to help Genie grow familiar and comfortable with her new situation. Had a suitable family environment been formed, further abuse and the return to non-verbal communication might have been avoided.When it said that the father thought she was retarded at birth and that's why she was in solitude, can an environment like that make you mentally retarded. That's scary to think about.I think Science had a lot to learn but the girl’s basic human rights should have been considered a lot more.A really interesting case, despite the sad outcome. THat's so weird to think about she's like a clean slate influenced by nothing but the abuse of her parents. She is the experiment nothing.

Hobo's Guide to Happiness

If a person is handed $20, the centers of their brain light up as if they were given food, sex or drugs. But that initial happy rush does not translate into long-term pleasure for most people. As we've talked about in class surveys have found virtually the same level of happiness between the very rich individuals to the middle class and beyond. Increases in income just don't seem to make people happier — and most negative life experiences likewise have only a small impact on long-term satisfaction. You always see in the movies the rich bachelor that has all the money in the world but isn't satisfied, the beautiful rich supermodel that isn't happy. It may be a cheesy story line but I supposed it's factual. If you accumulate all this money how will you know who are your real friends, and are you just spending to fill a hole. Money and riches are not the answer, the way you view and pursue your life does.

Bathroom and Bills?

I don't understand in your blog how sociologists can see how materialistic a culture can be from it's toilet? I suppose when sociologists look at the gold plated culture yes, but the Japanese one, all I see is cleanliness. What would sociologists say about us and our toilets? I honestly don't think I could make a good judgement from that. I understand the analogy with the culture shock from fishbowl to fishbowl. We'll probably experience that with the 10 hours of volunteering, I'm actually pretty nervous for that, I don;t think I wanna do it alone.

Knock Knock, Who's There? Sonny "Nows You Can't Get Out."

In class this week we've been watching A Bronx Tale, and this movie is really very good, entertaining and interesting. Collogero, the main character, is a boy who is growing up in the Bronx tyring to find his identity or path. Be in the mafia with Sonny, the unspoken neighborhood leader, or to be a loyal son. This relates to the activity, where we needed to define the groups we're apart of such as Stevenson friends, family, religion etc. If i were to categorize Collogero, he'd be in a group with his family, Sonny's crew, individually Sonny, his childhood friends, and his relationship with Jane. Now when Collogero was a young boy his master status was with his father, but as he's grown older it's changed to his relationship with Sonny.

I would also like to comment on the interview with Chaz on your page, his story didn't seem real until he was interviewed. He was great and he had something really important to say, "the saddest thing in life is wasted talent". So many people have an opportunity but can screw it up through drugs, bad habits, violence etc. My absolute favorite quote from the interview was when he said "this wasn't just a fluke and I just happen to knock on the right door, no, the people who knock on all the doors all the time make it." This really hit home for me and relates because being a Junior and wanting to pursue a sport in college is hard work and I'm constantly sending letters and emails to these coaches. This quote is so true!!!

Don't Rock the Boat

I would just like to start off saying that that newsreel was hilarious I can't believe they reported something like that, the voice of the guy was great, like hooking up had become this crazy national epidemic! hahah!!!! Any way the activity that we did earlier in the week was interesting, although I wasn't apart of it I was assigned to take notes on the side and here they are...-Rock, paper scissors?

-"Who's the poet?" -"raise your hands if you have kids?" -"peace corps volunteer should go"

-"pregnant stay" -"football player and wife off! Who's young? Every one's young!" -"Should sailor stay, doctor stay?" -"bye quartermaster she has kids how old?" -Quartermaster gone -Millionaire pay off who ever lives to live -"Mr.Smalls has to leave, pregnant wife stay" -Mr.Smalls Gone -"Wear are the old people, yeah done bye?" -Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge both Gone -"Who votes millionaire off??" -Millionaire off -Traveling poet off

So from my notes I can conclude that teenage kids in American Culture don't value the elderly as much as they do in other countries, where your ancestors define you. And that the young and educated are valued all college students stayed and the Doctors. My last conclusion is that if you haven't done something contributing to society in your life, watch out for your next cruise you could be next! Except if your an epileptic with no meds you always get lucky.

Rugby Players are Cannibals

So this week we read an article about a Rugby team and their loved ones that crashed in a mountain and were left to survive. They came to the realization that the only way to survive was to eat the dead carcasses that didn't make it, in order to have energy to live and find help. Now the survivers came up with many justifications as to why they did what they did or "ate what they ate". The most interesting justification was the one that they said that they'd be sinners if they didn't live because they have the resources right in front of them. I realize that this isn't a religion class, but was that a correct reason? I'm really not sure, personally I am Catholic and I suppose there is nothing in the Bible against eating dead bodies, I assume it's just frowned upon? Well I'd like to know what others are thinking?? Would Bear Grylls go to thhat extreme??

So before posting a blog about relationship and technology it didn't occur to me to introduce myself. So my real first name is Genevieve . I don't really like Genevieve it seems kinda grandma like to me so I go by Genny for short. Lets see I am trying to be a full time student at Stevenson high school along with competing on a travel softball team, then trying to get into college to pursue both. Lately my life has consisted of ACT prep, recruiting questionnaires and friends. My friends keep me sane. I like to think of myself as really honest and light hearted. I think so far the hardest thing I'm trying to change about myself is my maturity level. I'm not like a crazy person in that parents can't take me places, I can be very appropriate, but I have my moments when I should quit joking around and get serious.

Keeping Up With Technology...Relationship Style

Today the population has become enslaved by cold hearted technologies. Whatever happened to face time rather than facebook time? Our generation is wrapped up in the virtual world. For example with the recent publishing of "Hook-ups becoming more prevalent as teens neglect traditional standard" it just shows how shallow our generation has become. When Kevin '10 states that "Instead, the only requirement is physical attraction" no wonder people don't make face time, they're too concerned about the judgment the other will impose on appearance alone. A comical relief to all this madness is the upcoming movie, "He's Just Not That Into You", I watched the trailer and laughed at the witty line, "I had this guy leave me a voice mail at work, and so I called him at home, and he emailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It's exhausting" sure I laughed but unfortunately it's the scary reality of today. Just look at the divorce rates, they're as high as they've ever been and so have the sales of all these portals. These two things share a direct inverse of each other. Think about the family then..."honey, dinner's ready!" and now...*ring ring*"grab yourself something to eat." I don't mean to criticize because my families the same way. But if we can prevent anymore Kevin '10's I think the world would be a better place.