- Introduction to Sociology
- Thinking Sociology
- Social Creatures
- Walking in Another's Shoes
- Social Institutions
- Are We Sheep?
- Digital Stories
WELCOME TO SOCIOLOGY
The Study of Society
Sociology focuses on identifying, explaining, and interpreting patterns and processes of human social relations. This introductory course is designed not just to teach you some of the major findings of sociology, but to help you master fundamental sociological skills, including the ability to think with a "sociological imagination" as well as integrate "technological fluency" with "informational literacy" utilizing basic computer-based data analysis—skills which have broad applicability in a range of educational and work settings.
Our goal in is class is for you to gain a different perspective of a diverse world often taken for granted and to gain new insight into the ways that society shapes people and the way people shape their society. Our objectives are directed at building competence as a critical thinker and change agent so that you will better able to raise relevant questions about the direction in which society is moving, interpret social trends, and examine significant social problems.
It is my hope that this hands-on experience of "doing" sociology will both enliven your interest in sociological analysis and help you develop practical skills that you can use in other contexts as well. We can best understand the process of social interaction when we understand the person in place and in time. Our syllabus sets the place, time and process of this course for you the person.
Welcome to my world, your world, our world.
Dr. Michael Thompson
Bilal Abdur-Rahim x
The scientist are interested to understand what a human being is. Different theories follow different stand to defined human beings as social creatures. According to objectivity Rorschach, we focus on the objectives world out there, the conscious mind put on the side not
as a central issues to study. On the other hand, according to subjectivity approach, we focus on the conscious mind and we put the objective world to one side. Human beings are sectional social beings. The social nature of human is even more important now than it was when we were forming packs to hunt. A baby on its own would die because it needs to be raised by others, to learn from others, to exist in contact with others. A human completely apart from society would be a single person naked in the wideness, they would die. Even a person who has no friends is still dependent on thousand of others in today society. Looking around, its impossible to miss the importance of social interactions to human society. They form the basis of our families, our soberness, and even our global economy. But how did we become social in the first place. Researchers have long believed that it was a gradual process, involving from couples clan to larger communities. A new analysis, however, indicates that primate societies expanded in a burst, most likely because there was safety in numbers.
Over the past several decades, researchers have gained tremendous insights into the evolution of social groups in bees and birds by comparing them with relatives with different social system. In these animals, it seems that complex societies evolved in steps. Single
individuals panes off or began living with a few offspring. These small groups gradually grew larger and more complicated. Ultimately, yielding complex organizations. Some anthropologist have assured a similar history for primates. Human beings are both individuals
and they are members of a group as i measured Earlie. It is imperative that they be both, the human race can only serve if its individual survive, and the individual needs the group to enhance its own odds of serving. It is a tightly intervene connection. It defines all that they do and all else depends upon it. Human beings need each other to provide new members of their species, to protect those new members and themselves., to help provide food, to add diversity to gene pool, to provide companionship, to pass information, to depend on each other for their survival and their growth as a people. Finally, as the most basic level, human beings are drawn together for reproduction, built into every human being the need to reproduce other humans, This needs and the mean to do it is ones own kind is basic to all living things, be it a flower, or a dolphin.
http://www.stuartduncan.name/autism/humans-are-social-beings-so-if-youre-not-social-what-are-you/
http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2009/05/21/more-human-than-human-natures-most-social-animals/
Daniel Rogers A. x
What does it mean to think sociology, to me its thinking about how others interact and live with each other. How we all adapt and learn to accept each other to live in harmony. Our book tells us that sociology can help us try to understand and examine ourselves better. Us as humans as creatures with the ability to communicate in many different ways with many different meanings but yet we still find it difficult to understand each other and often cause disputes and rivalries among other negative emotions. Karen Sternheimer says “Thinking sociologically requires us to look for connections between events.” (Karen Sternheimer) So what does that mean?
To understand human behavior we have to see how they interact hence the meaning for sociology. Events like parties or concerts and get together where large groups to small groups of people interact and communicate with each other and decide what is acceptable behavior in these circumstances. Our peers deem what is acceptable in such places that so rowdy like a library or a college classroom or in public places like a train or museum. Doing things like yelling at a library or fighting on a train is frowned upon and often met with shaming of some sort. Shaming is a way the community or an idvidual can tell or show that another individual or group has done wrong and show that his or their actions are unacceptable.
With things such as friendships or relationships according to Karen from source one she says that “Sociologists look at how broader patterns shape small scale personal interactions as well as large institutions”(Karen Sternheimer) There are lots of things in the decision making process of social aspects in life such as choosing a friend. While other decisions such as choosing a hair style or style of clothing really is based on what is acceptable by society and or what everyone sees as acceptable. Even the way we talk and the words we say is determined by others. With the expectance of over a thousand cultures in America, sociology is also the study of culture.
Having culture is an important part of being with a certain group of people. It’s what defines and gives interaction and fun to the group and provides a lot of knowledge and history of the group of people. Things such as music, clothing, speech, knowledge, holidays, celebrations such as weddings and birthdays and everything in between. Culture is the center of human behavior and is determines our behavior based on what we are taught. Trying to study culture using sociology is incredibly hard due to the fact that its hard to see according to the book and Karen Sternheimer, it is hard to see something that your in. Culture and sociology are pretty closely linked by the fact that sociology is the study of culture basically.
Thinking sociology requires looking at all aspects of the study of sociology including the study of people, culture, and how everything interacts with everything. Sociology is our way to grasp a better understandment of ourselves and the people around us. In learning about ourselves we can learn how to interact properly and see what is appropriate and what is not. Sociology could be the betterment of mankind and with the help of thinking critically about people and getting to know andunderstand people we could go a long way.
Source 1
(Karen Sternheimer)http://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2011/01/thinking-like-a-sociologist-beyond-thats-just-the-way-it-is.html
Source 2
(Sternheimer Karen)http://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2015/03/magical-thinking-vs-sociological-reasoning.html
Chizoba Nezama x
Sociological view on human beings
Sociological thinking is an adventure in self understanding and moral reflection as well as systemic analysis. Thinking sociologically is one of the best available introductions to this adventure. Human beings are essentially social beings. However, society is the sum of its
individuals. Society is "Sui-genesis"., which means it is an entity in its own right. Society is more than sum of its parts. this is called holism. Therefore, i will not start with individuals but societies as social properties of individuals. Society is in factual and not something that emerges from the interaction of individuals.
The fundamental principle of sociological methods is entirely based on the statement that social facts must be studied as things, as they are external to individuals. The individuals is dominated by a moral reality which is termed as collective reality. On the contrary, collective reality is not influenced by individual. Sociologist focuses on the objective would beyond the conscious mind. Social facts in the objective world are not the outcome of the working of conscious minds. Social facts are primitive facts which refer to different elements of society which can be studied independently of individuals nature. These facts are like primary colors which cannot be explains by reference to the working of a conscious mind.
The subjective, the working of the conscious mind is the product of social facts in the objective world. Hence, it is not a primordial fact about humans. Moreover, the individuality of the subject, the conscious mind, is the product of social facts in the objective world. Emile Durkheim tried to study the rate of suicide in different European countries as a social Phenomenon to demonstrate his theory. He was trying to search the reason of suicide by applying the theory of objectivity. In order to achieve that, he left individual to one side and tried to examine the different social environmental such as religious beliefs, family, political society, occupational groups, etc as a
function of which, variations in suicide occur.
After doing so, he returned to individual to study how these general causes become individualized to produce the result of suicide. Durkheim argued from the data he gathered on suicide that each society had a suicide rate, which could be studied independently. After studying the rate, he observed that they varied from society to society and that the number of suicidal deaths in each of the countries did not change dramatically and appeared to be stable. The stability of the rate within a given society indicate that social force were operating to produce the yearly accuracy of rate. This led Durkheim to reason that the predisposing cause of suicide lay not within the psychological motives if the individual. On the contrary, it lies within the social framework of the society.
Different religious denominations affect society, for example, in Catholic countries, suicide rate was not very high, and on the order hand in protestant countries it was high in comparison to the former. So it can be argued that, different religious beliefs as social fact
have worked as a significant factor in the life of individuals. Moreover, suicide varies inversely with the degree of integration of the social groups to which the individual belongs. When he faced with excessive individualism he tends to commit egoist suicide, however, if her is too strongly integrated in society the suicide becomes a Duky for him. This kind if suicide is termed as altruistic suicide by Durkheim. There do another one which refers the degree of moral regulation. If moral regulation is too low, atomic suicide takes place.
Quite the reverse, if moral regulation is too high, then there tends to be fatalistic suicide. Society controls individuals in different ways. Economic system and religious can be used to control individuals in society. However, in contemporary societies, religious has lost of its power. Society imposes restrictions on human desires and constitutes a regulative force which plays the same role for moral needs which the organism plays for physical needs. When social regulations break down, the controlling influence of society on individuals propensities is no longer effective and individuals are left to their own devices. Such a state of affairs Durkheim calls nominate. This is a term that refers to a condition of normlessness. In a whole society or in some of its component groups. It characterizes a condition in which individual desires are no longer regulated by common norms and where as a consequence, individuals are left without moral guidance in the pursuit of their goals. The subjective approach, in order to study society and individuals has solved this problem by putting the subject the conscious mind at the heart of the study. This view argues that society is not a set of natural conditions buy is a
complex of socially constructed meaning. it is comprised of ideas and interpretations that human actors hold about it. Mover over, in order to discover these meanings it requires an investigation of individuals subjective interpretation.
http://www.stuartduncan.name/autism/humans-are-social-beings-so-if-youre-not-social-what-are-you/
http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1686954.
Ben Ramsey x
Social Creature
People are a social creature. Two hundred and fifty thousand years ago we started to form social groups for protection from the many predators that would eat humans. The forming of the social groups had added benefits. We are safer in numbers, the more eyes looking for trouble meant that as a single person in a group the simple act of gathering food was made safer. This safety led to less stress for the group.
This safety led to the formation of the hunter gather society. A hunter gather society Is where the division of the sexes started. Men being heaver built in bone and musical structure took on the more physical roils. Hunting of game big and small and protecting the group from predation.
Another added benefit to forming of this group there was protection from rival hunter gather groups that were out to take territory and food.
According to( hunter-gather.org) (Hunter-Gatherers are people living in societies that sustain themselves by foraging, hunting, and fishing. They have few if any possessions. While there are a few dozen hunter-gatherer groups left on earth today, they represent the oldest and perhaps most successful human lifestyle ever, having been a lifestyle of humans continuously for two million years.)
Hunter –gather is where our religions started, praying to the gods or god for a good hunt, praying that the men doing the hunt would not get hurt or killed. Hunter-gathers today still pray to the gods that their forefathers prayed to.
According to Genealogy of religion (Anyone who surveys the “religious” beliefs of hunter-gatherers (or foragers) will almost immediately discover that many of them do not have a word that translates as “religion” and do not understand the Western concept of “religion,” as explained to them by ethnographers and others. Anyone who engages in such a survey will also soon discover that hunter-gatherers have a dazzling and sometimes bewildering array of beliefs related to the cosmos, creation, spirits, gods, and the supernatural. Within a single group, these beliefs may be different and contradictory from individual to individual; the beliefs are often fluid and change considerably over time. When comparing groups, the details — at least on the surface — seem to be so different that nothing general can be said about foragers on the one hand and their beliefs on the other hand. Despite this variety, one can identify certain common themes, motifs and tropes that are characteristic of hunter-gatherer metaphysics.
What els did this oldest and most sec full way of life give us ? One of the most impotent thing’s I thank it gave us was art. People tacking animal fat and minerals mixing them together panting on the wall showing the animals that are in the immediately in there environment , they also painted the spirits that protected them and haunted them .
How far have we come in are evolution ? We know work eight hours a day five days a week in jobs that we do because we have to or some of us get to work at what we want to, we live in one place only moving for better work opportunity . Some people pray to god others don’t and we have thousand’s of different ways of expressing are selves through art. Have we moved forward in are way of life
hunter-gather.org
Genealogy of religion
Madeline Gibson x
Dr. Thompson
9/28/15
Constructions of Reality
Our societies are in fact, created by habits and tradition. Members of a society create the environment of it, in turn molding the people in it. Through the act of “habitualization,” patterns quite literally create how we live and what we perceive as reality. There are many ways which prove that we create our reality, and I will discuss them here.
We create what we and others become. One example of this is the labeling of others. A teacher may label a student as being slow in Math. He will most likely grow to believe that he is poor at math, avoiding a career in math and always dreading the task. We see that this person might have not been particularly poor in the area, or might have had potential in other areas, but because he was labeled at a young age, he believed it to be true.
Reality can be constructed by an idea. An example of this could be a coach who expects her freshmen to be uncoordinated and unskilled. She does not play them often, but when she does, they are cold and rusty therefore, they do not perform well. We can so easily bring a thought (even if it’s a false idea) to life by acting on it, creating a “self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Each person employs many different roles, or behaviors throughout each day. Any given person may be a student, as well as a teacher; an athlete, and a captain; a daughter or son, and a sister or brother. Each roll is accompanied by a different status. The word athlete does not carry the same weight as a captain, and different responsibilities are given with each. Some statuses come unintentionally, such as gender and age; these are called ascribed. Other statuses are achieved such as, titles in the workplace gained by achievement or the role of a mother or father after having kids. Each role one maintains, come with different duties. Sometimes various duties may become unmanageable or may conflict. These roles and duties are created by us, maintained by us. At some point it was decided that a mother must cook, clean and care for the children, while a father's role is to financially support the family and protect. We see in our day, these roles may begin to change, but it is still decided by the people of a society what is correct.
The presentation of oneself affects how he/she displays the roles they fill. We can observe behavior to determine role-performance. We present ourselves how we wish to be seen. A prime example of this, is social media. It is so clear that people are looking to put their “best face forward,” on the internet. People want to look like they have their life together, and they want people to look at all they are accomplishing and be impressed. Think about how you present yourself differently depending on who you’re with. Don’t you act differently with your best friend than you do with your boss? Even the way you portray yourself online is different. Different people in your life see different sides of you. We can even base who we are on what others think of us. We almost become who they think we are. Is it in order to maintain reputation? Or is it more along the lines of a social conformity?
Our definition of reality is what it becomes. We fill the roles we obtain, while letting others influence who we are. Interaction, various roles, ideas and who we are with all impact our reality. The construction of a society is based solely on the members within it. It is important to create the society we wish to be apart of.
References:
http://cnx.org/contents/02040312-72c8-441e-a685-20e9333f3e1d@3.51:19/Introduction-to-Sociology-2e
http://understandingsociety.blogspot.com/2008/01/social-construction.html
Humans as Social Creatures
ShelbieDay x
9/28/2015
Humans are naturally social, always wanting to be surrounded by others. From the time that we are born we desire relationships with others and depend on them for survival. Babies always want to be held, this is not something that they were taught. They are cognitively drawn toward faces and interactions with those faces this is all by nature. A child learns and develops customs as it grows thanks to the interactions and relationships between humans. As children go through school they create the desire to fit in and not be rejected more and more as they get older. Kids want to play with other kids not by themselves. They want to join sports team and extra curricular activities because they get to socialize and that is what they strive for. Going to school to do work and learn is not what kids look forward to, they look forward to seeing people and interacting with them. Coming out of the womb wanting a relationship with a caregiver is nature, and by continuously being put in groups as we grow we continue to feed that natural desire and that is nurture. Humans cannot be nurtured without forming these relationships that they so desire because of their nature.
Humans interact even in the slightest bit with countless other humans on a daily basis, and these connections are extremely important to our survival and we subconsciously know that. It is also influential on our happiness and success. Social life is very important to our mental health and how we develop and grow. That first initial relationship as a baby with a caregiver influences a child socially for the rest of it’s life, although subconsciously there is always that desire for human interaction even if a child is deprived from such relationships at birth.
We are social creatures because of how we are wired. Other animals and species interact within groups and create relationship but not quite like humans do. Many animals can survive with or without social interactions and be perfectly content, but it is much more difficult for humans to prosper without such constant interaction. The neocortex part of the human brain involves conscious thought, language, emotion regulation, empathy, and the ability to understand feelings and intentions of other. This specific part of the brain is much larger in humans than in any other mammals, the key to why human are such social animals.
The desire to have loving relationship, to fit in, to join a group, and to cheer a team on all provoke so much thought, action, and feelings in human beings. Humans are always thinking socially, and then in turn acting socially. Social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter make promote humans desire to interact even more. They are able to connect and interact 24/7 without actually being with each other. It is no wonder why humans have evolved technology and continue to do so. They want to be able to connect and interact with relationships faster and faster
http://www.aipmm.com/anthropology/2010/05/humans-are-social-animals-1.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pascal-vrticka/human-social-development_b_3921942.html
Humans Are Social Creatures
Kelsie Jolly 9/26/2015 x
Ever since the dawn of civilization, it has been man's natural response to seek a group of people to form a community with. We can trace this back to the prehistoric times where a group of people depicted as a tribe perform group activities to survive. People need each other to survive. We can see this in modern times on how a new born must rely on others to take care of its every need. Sure it can breathe on it's own, but it requires the nurture of another human being to survive. In a world of increased technological capability, we often wonder if we actually need other people. Many people are now able to shop, work, and socialize online without the need of ever walking out their front door. This is going against the very fiber of our innate beings. The rate of depression goes up when you examine those who choose alternate living styles. One of the primary purposes of a job is to become one with a group of like-minded people that have the same purpose as you do. It creates a feeling of belonging and acceptance. Human nature has an innate desire to belong. That is why we go to such lengths to fit in with those around us. When we lose our sense of belonging, we begin to search out new avenues to connect with groups that will accept us. Connection is a powerful source that originated before civilization. Some would say that previous peoples united under the need to survive, if that is the case then why do we still actively seek out people similar to us? Even in a technological world, humans are still social creatures.
http://www.bing.com/search?q=humans+are+social+creatures&form=IE11TR&src=IE11TR&pc=TNJB#
www.aipmm.com/anthropology/2010/05/humans-are-social-animals-1.php
Aziza Kibet x
HUMANS AS SOCIAL CREATURES
Human beings purpose of existence is submission to the divine will and communication to each other. Our lives depend on each other and giving an example of having being raised in a country well known in sports, it taught me ways in which people interact. Sports bring people together; it unify communities, cities, states and nations, it creates a sense of community for everyone including fans and the teams.
People came up with sports so that everyone can participate as volunteers in community life, being able to have a greater voice and influence over decision making, team work, and reduction in youth offending and antisocial behavior. The main point from achieving in sports is unity which pushes people towards a certain goal. People with lots of different abilities can play together and get to know one another.
Getting to know each other is important because you might expect in a group-orientated culture, the extended family is the basis of the social structure. It includes relatives on both sides of the family as well as close friends. Quite often the husband’s parents will live with the nuclear family when they get older and can no longer care for themselves. When people marry, they join their families, thus ensuring that there will always be a group to turn to in times of need. This proofs that more of the social character human beings have, they do also care for each other.
Giving an example, a country like Kenya, Kenyans place a large emphasis on the respect and reverence of their deceased ancestors. This is not ancestor worship, but rather a belief that when someone dies their spirit lives on and must be acknowledged. The belief is that the person only really dies completely when their relatives no longer remember them. One’s ancestors are thought to be able to influence events in life since they are in a limbo state and closer to God than the living. Therefore, they may make offerings to them or name a baby after one so that his spirit can live in the child. Demonstrating respect towards ancestors is believed to maintain harmonious relationships within the family, extended family, and clan or tribe. you learn to care for each other.
As part of socialization, people emulate etiquette which involves their meetings and greetings.
The most common greeting is the handshake whereby no matter whom you talking to, you can afford to give. When greeting someone with whom you have a personal relationship, the handshake is more prolonged than the one given to a casual acquaintance. Close female friends may hug and kiss once on each cheek instead of shaking hands. Some cultures, when greeting an elder or someone of higher status, you grasp the right wrist with the left hand while shaking hands to demonstrate respect.
After the handshake it is the norm to ask questions about the health, family, business and anything else you know about the person. To skip or rush this element in the greeting process is the height of poor manners to some people. People are generally addressed by their academic, professional or honorific title followed by their surname. Once a personal relationship has developed, you may be able to address a person by their title and first name, first name alone, or nickname.
According to a research investigation about human beings as social creatures, it says that “Despite possessing capacities far beyond other animals to consider others' minds, to empathize with others' needs, and to transform empathy into care and generosity, we fail to employ these abilities readily, easily, or equally. We engage in acts of loyalty, moral concern, and cooperation primarily toward our inner circles, but do so at the expense of people outside of those circles. Our altruism is not unbounded; it is parochial. In support of this phenomenon, the hormone oxytocin, long considered to play a key role in forming social bonds, has been shown to facilitate affiliation toward one's in-group, but can increase defensive aggression toward one's outgroup. Other research suggests that this self-sacrificial intragroup love co-evolved with intergroup war, and that societies who most value loyalty to each other tend to be those most likely to endorse violence toward outgroups.”
Resources
http://interactions.eldis.org/unpaid-care-work/country-profiles/kenya/social-economic-and-political-context-kenya
http://psb.soceco.uci.edu/pages/psychology-and-social-behavior
https://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/TCH.CHAP9.HTM
Mallory Mueller x
Social Media & Technology
I think that a social creature is something living that talks, learns, and follows other behavior. Back when we didn’t have any social media at all, we were still social creatures. The invention of language, the concept of trade, or even the first mailing system in the world is proof that we are social creatures. So what has the concept of technology and social media done for our sociality?
Many people(mostly older people), believe that technology has hindered our ability to be social. Their argument is based upon a social system which they believe should be face to face. It is true that we are always on our phones, even at the dinner table, or even when someone else is trying to talk to us. To people that aren’t used to it, it can come off offensive or disrespectful. They think that it is “ruining our social lives”. People that argue against social media and technology say that it has stopped the human race from forming relationships in real life, and it hinders our ability to get to know people. This concept makes sense when you are on the outside looking in. It looks as if our phones, laptops, and tablets have consumed our lives; therefore, technology and social media make us unable to socialize face to face.
I think that it is funny when people say it ruins our social lives. Even though they don’t see it, what we are doing on our phone is socializing. Through technology and social media we are able to keep up with all of our friends, and know what they are doing whenever we want. Social media and technology has not hindered our ability to be social, it has enhanced it! Just because we don’t sit and talk face to face as much as we used to does not mean anything. Just like we don’t read newspapers that much anymore, and that doesn’t mean we are any less informed. We just have other, better ways to receive the news. The social expansion in our society today through technology and social media is remarkable. Forty years ago we wouldn’t have been able to get in touch with friends or family across the country, or across the world with one click of a button. It would have cost more money for a long distance phone call, or taken several weeks for the mail.
Today we are able to get and use information instantly. We can access thousands of online databases for research. We can communicate with relatives, friends, or even work associates over social media. We are able talk to many people at the same time via group messaging. We are able to do so much with social media and technology. We were born with the ability to socialize, and we learn and follow other people. Social media and technology has only enhanced our ability to do these things.
http://centerforwholeselfhealth.com/we-are-social-creatures/
http://www.debate.org/opinions/is-technology-ruining-our-social-lives
Social creatures: Nature or Nurture?
Madison Shawver x
Social animals are those that interact with others like themselves on a high level. They are organized, sometimes creating a society of sorts. Animals such as wolves, gorillas, dolphins, lions, etc. Insects are highly social as well, like bees and ants. What makes them social is that they have a system that helps them live with each other, so that they benefit each other to form a society. Humans are highly interactive, intelligent, and independent. But we rely on each other to survive. Humans are the most socialistic creature on the planet. This makes many people wonder if we were born with our socialistic characteristics, or if we only inherit them as time goes on.
Humans are born with the ability to become social. Being born with a brain, a conscience, and hormones means that we are able to be social, and our bodies have the capacity to recognize other social behaviors and adapt to them. The sense of sight, hearing, touch, and even tasting and smelling allow us to recognize social behaviors around us. If we were born and completely left isolate, we would still be able to interact with other animals because it is natural. But nurture does play a big role in our sociality.
Even though we were born with the ability to be social, they remain an ability if they aren’t acted upon. Imagine a baby without any guidance as it grows up. It would lack a vocabulary that it’s mother or father teaches it, not to mention all of the other forms of communication we have. It would naturally be able to communicate, but it wouldn’t communicate socially with others.
It is easy to see that social creatures are born with the ability to become social. But as social creatures we thrive on other’s examples, cultures, and traditions to work as a society. It is essential for us to constantly be learning from others, and to adapt to their customs. This is what powers strong societies across the world, and across our nation. Both nature and nurture, unlike other animals, is what makes us the most social creatures on the planet.
Resources
https://edge.org/response-detail/25395
http://www.nurtureandnatureaba.com/blog/2015/3/18/social-skills-are-built-over-time-and-often-require-finesse
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/genes-behavior.html
Nature vs Nurture
Dani Roberson x
Picture a rebellious teenager; one that would constantly cause problems in their class, had no manners, and would be called a trouble maker. Now while thinking about them where would you put the blame? On the genes that run through their body that gave them a predisposition to be bad, or on their parents and teachers for not giving enough discipline or giving too much. This would be the concept of nature vs nurture, the debate that is about which aspects of behavior are a product of either inherited or acquired characteristics (psychology today). Before I get any further into this, I want to explain what our environment consists of. Usually the environment would be the way their parents raise them, school, friends, society and social media.
There are many ways that your genetics or your environment can change how you are, especially when it comes to your personality. This is one of the major parts of the debate because some will say that your genetics give you everything, whether you will be kind, rude, caring, happy or sad. While on the other hand people think that the environment you grow up in will affect that extremely. For example, if a child is caring and happy they could have gotten that from their parents who were also happy and caring as a child, or this could have been from having a safe and loving environment while growing up. Studies have been made with twins that grew up in different environments, the results showed that there are some characteristics that come from the parents and then there would be some non-shared environment changes between the two.
Everyone is unique in the ways they look but some of the physical features can be similar to ones parents or grandparents. This would be because of the genes inherited from ones family. However as people grow up their society can have certain norms that pressure or persuade people into changing how they look. This is when cosmetic surgeries and foot binding or even just hair coloring comes in. This would vary around the world as to what extent people would go to change how they look however it is always brought onto them by society since our genes do not change as we get older.
The last characteristic of a human being that I will talk about is how nature and nurture can affect someone's intelligence. As I have said before part of that would come from their genetics, whether or not someone had smart parents can affect their progress in school. For example, if a parent had a learning disability this can be transferred onto the child and cause them not to succeed as much. As for the environment affected their intelligence this can come down to just what is available to them. If two similar children are put into different schools, one where every student is given a laptop to work on and then the other student has an outdated computer lab. These two students will probably excel at different rates. Another example would be how some schools have very few teachers which leads to less one on one interaction between the student and teacher, this could also greatly impact the progress of the student.
Now thinking back to that rebellious teenager we can presume that not only was it part of their genetics that is to blame for the misbehaving because there was some rebellion in his family. Although some of the responsibility goes to genes their environment will also have an affect. While its never for certain at least the basic idea is that how you are is because of how you were raised, your genes, and the way society acts around you.
Sources
http://www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html
https://new.edu/resources/is-personality-more-nature-or-more-nurture-behavioral-and-molecular-genetics
Humans are Social Networkers
Katie Pelton x
Humans are highly social creatures. Our lives literally depend upon other humans. It all starts from birth when we are unable to transport or care for ourselves. Our survival (as infants) depends on another human's efforts (like mom and dad). We develop and learn about the world around us through the filter of other people. Our connections to others are key to not only our survival, but also to our happiness and the success of our careers. “We human beings are social beings. We come into the world as the result of others’ actions. We survive here in dependence on others. Whether we like it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives when we do not benefit from others’ activities. For this reason, it is hardly surprising that most of our happiness arises in the context of our relationships with others (Dalai Lama XIV)
Look around what do you see? People networking. In some way, shape, or form people are talking to one another. They form a connection that leads to another connection and this is called networking. People every day are busy socially interacting with others. Networking is an important way to stay connected, but not every entrepreneur is comfortable with it. For example if you are on a team you have to network and work together to get the job done (like winning the game). Wining equals success. We need other humans in our lives to survive. “Humans are social beings. In comparisons with Animalia, humans are regarded like the primates for their social qualities. But beyond any other creature, humans are adept at utilizing systems of communication for self-expression, the exchange of ideas, and organization, and as such have created complex social structures composed of many cooperating and competing groups. Human groups range from families to nations. Social interactions between humans have established an extremely wide variety of values, social norms, and rituals, which together form the basis of human society” (Stuart Ducan)
Being social is an inherent trait in our biological make-up driven by the feminine energy within all of us. The need for this type of social interaction is so important, it is reflected in the use of technology. The development of the internet connected us on a global platform. The launch of Facebook connected us in ways we couldn’t imagine at the time. This connection allowed us to connect with long lost relatives and friends. Platforms FaceTime and Skype provided connection with added benefits such as, seeing the person and communicating live with one another. Technology has changed quite a bit over the years and has made us as humans more of a social creature. Social media is everywhere. It is at our finger tips, take out your phone, and open up your Facebook you can see what your friends are doing right now. Another major technological success (the humans being social creatures) is Twitter. On Twitter you can post what you are doing and people can follow you live. These electronic environments are wonderful because they invite us to meet people we may not have come into contact with geographically. Remember, there is still nothing like face-to-face interactions.
Organizations are great, and functional for social networking. For example, FFA is big in making us social creatures. You get to network at state and national conventions with others from around the world that shares the same interest as you in the field of agriculture or sports. When you are part of FFA you are more than just in an organization. You are in a large network of people that could open the doors for you in whatever you want to do.
Sources
(Christakis & Fowler) http://www.aipmm.com/anthropology/2010/05/humans-are-social-animals-1.php
http://centerforwholeselfhealth.com/we-are-social-creatures/
(Dalai Lama XIV ) http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/31335-we-human-beings-are-social-beings-we-come-into-the
(STUART DUCAN) http://www.stuartduncan.name/autism/humans-are-social-beings-so-if-youre-not-social-what-are-you/
Groups
Micah Baehler x
When starting college, young adults are faced with a challenge to find new social groups; many come from different backgrounds, interests, and beliefs. To form social groups someone may enter a new place and start comparing themselves to others to see how they fit in with the crowd. It is natural for them to find a group that looks like them. When entering a new place, such as college, people tend to be attracted to others that look like them and possibly share the same interests.
As students at the same college, they are an aggregate, they all live in the same place and attend the same college but they do not interact. Then in-groups are formed, these groups allow the person to feel close with the others and it is a part of their identity. These in-groups define who someone is and how others portray them. When someone joins a certain group, their reputation can be based off of this. Many times, certain groups receive labels, such as the nerds, jocks, or the Ag kids. With each group there are social expectations. Which other groups put on each other. If one is academically strong, then it is assumed that they have poor social skills and lack friendship, but if that person is a jock then they cannot possibly excel in class and must have others do their work for them, while Ag students are assumed to be ranchy and uneducated. These assumptions may not be completely true. There are many students who do not let these stereotypes define them.
Each group has their own strengths. Many times, competitions are formed to prove who has the best group. These out-groups compare themselves to each other to prove who has the best group. Sports teams will clash, like the baseball and wrestling team at Colby. Although both compete for the same school and there is still competition to be the best team on campus. This is the same with organizations on campus.
There are some individuals that are exceptions to having only one group. Many people are starting to focus on a variety of different interests; having different groups to spend time with. There are some students who may be on the sports team and also play in the band or are involved with an academic and agriculture clubs.
Belonging in a group can establish our self worth and identity. We look to others to establish a standard for our behaviors and attitudes. These reference groups can be our closest friends and family as our primary group. We look to them for what is accepted within the group, such as music and clothes. We also look to secondary groups. We may not belong to these groups, but we may look up to them or want to be like them. How we interact with our primary and secondary groups establishes our identity. When we want to belong to a certain group, we follow certain guidelines and behaviors on how we are supposed to behave. It is accepted in some social groups to skip class or to fail a class, while others would be ashamed for doing poorly on an exam, like the academic group. Every group differs on what they believe is the most important to them. Some individuals, who do not have a lot of self worth, may conform to things that they do not necessarily believe in, just to fit in, such as partying or underage drinking.
Humans are social creatures. From the time we are born we are a part of a group until we die. Humans need groups to feel like they belong and to help them develop socially. Being a part of group makes us into the people we are today. Each person we meet and form a relationship with shapes our personality. It is important to pick the right group that agrees with your beliefs and values. With the right group, students can thrive in college.
http://www.correntewire.com/basic_sociology_group_behavior
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sociology/social-groups-meaning-and-
characteristics-of-social-groups-1215-words/6217/
Culture
By Laura Schroeder x
Culture is something that could be studied for a lifetime and never truly understand each group’s own special culture. According to dictionary.com “culture is the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group.” Culture varies in different countries and even in different parts of a country. Chinese culture is different than American culture just as culture in the Southern states of the US is very different than the culture in the North.
China is an interesting country in Asia with a very different culture than that of the United States. China has different religions, food, and even holidays. While the US boasts of substantial religious freedom, China is a communist country so religion is not so easily practiced there. Although China is slowly becoming less opposed to religion, many religions are still illegal and since religion has major impacts on the culture of a country, China is understandably different than the US. Another example of China’s differences is the food eaten there. The average person in China does not eat a lot of meat throughout the year. The main meal is often rice or vegetables, unlike in America where meat is usually served with every meal. Cuisine throughout the world is highly influenced by the ethnicity of the people living there and the geography of that country, which explains the difference in Chinese American food versus authentic Chinese. The American Chinese food served is based off food in China but is altered to fit the wants of the people it is served to. The food in China is just one small example of a difference between China and the United States. In America, most people celebrate a few major holidays including Christmas, New Years, Easter, and Independence Day just to name a few. In China, the largest festival is the New Year, usually between January 21 and February 20 and lasting approximately 15 days. It’s normally called the Spring Festival but it marks the beginning of the lunar year. It is celebrated with fireworks, parades, and other displays of color and gaiety.
The United States itself is divided into smaller cultures. Culture in the South is considerably different than culture in the Northern states. The South is known for their food, sometimes-cute accents, and more. According to knowsouthernhistroy.net, “much of what passes for ‘American’ culture is actually Southern culture.” Fried chicken, cornbread, watermelon, mashed potatoes, these are all components of a stereotypical southern meal. When people hear “Southern style” food, they think deep fat frying or barbecuing, golden breads, and cooked vegetables. These stereotypes are just a small view into Southern culture. The culture was shaped by the industry built there. Thousands of slaves were imported to the South to work on large plantations but after the Civil War they could no longer be enslaved. Many continued to live in the only home they had ever known, being born there, so the South continued to have a large number of Blacks living there. These people contributed largely to the Southern culture. They brought different music, foods, and religion. Christianity is the largest religion in the South because many of the former slaves were converted to Christianity. Obviously, the history of a region is one of the major contributors to the culture of that particular region.
Culture in China only could be studied for years without ever absorbing all of it. The same goes for the South. Just two countries can hold an unbelievable variety of culture. Culture in America seems normal to Americans just as culture in China is normal to the people living there. Everyone’s culture is diverse and important to the society as a whole.
Sources
http://www.livescience.com/28823-chinese-culture.html
http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/southern-united-states/culture.html
Discrimination Against Women on Media
Maria Claasen x
My essay is on how the decimation of women on media. When I was doing this research I didn’t realize how much women do get down graded. How our insecurities make us this way because we are never good enough or we aren’t a certain way.
Here are seven reason why women get decimated on media. I explained it all in one.
How men want to see women through there own eyes and how they should see us for who we really are. Women are Photoshop as a flawless model and not for who they are. This one is a big one double standards. How us women we get called a bitch or stubborn when we want to have our own opinion. We might not agree what men think but we should can make up our own minds. We have the right to do that and to speak freely on what we are feeling. Men these days just want women for sex they don’t want a committed relationship. They just want to use us and be done. We needed to be treated like humans not like a piece of shit. Some how we find our selves connected to sex through the media. We as women want to be like the models just so a certain guy who is cute can like us. NO we need to be us and if guys don’t like us oh well big deal. Most often we get stereotype and how we are pursued We need to stand up together and help others who are struggling to find our identity!
Here is some way that women are represented on media it shows women that we are weak but men are strong. They stereotype are role in our society. Men think that most women are demanding. When most of the time men are more demanding then women. They did a research in 2008 study show that even though women are as equal on specific area of interest 20% of people surveyed still believed that men were inherently better leaders only because of their sex. Not true there are some great women are the best leaders. Men just need to give us a chance to show that we can be good just as they are. Media also see us women at being a stay at home mom. Some women have to go out and get a job so they can provide a place for the kids to life and to put food on the table. Some times women have to be the mom and the dad if the father has left.
There are times women need to go and release some stress and need to have some fun to themselves but men think that they are doing it all time. No women have to work to get the reward. It also good to get a way for a little while to just think. Doesn’t men go out and do stuff to release stress? Why can’t women do it to. How we know our identity we need to learn to look in the mirror and say I am beautiful no matter what others think. We also need the help of others to keep us accountable when we start having those feelings of I am not beautiful for him. We need to be able to make up our own minds and not let the control of men tell us what we can and can’t do. In conclusion women should have the same amount of right as men. That we as women need to quit being stereotyped.
Resources
http://lifestyle.allwomenstalk.com/reasons-for-the-media-discrimination-against-women
http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/129/exclusion-misrepresentation-and-discrimination-still-prevalent-for-women-in-american-media-and-politics?utm_expid=22625156-1._HyAAxXdT4Cb3b9ocWvJYA.0&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3D%26esrc%3Ds%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D6%26ved%3D0CEAQFjAFahUKEwjLtuqG8pPIAhUIlogKHdASD6Q%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.studentpulse.com%252Farticles%252F129%252Fexclusion-misrepresentation-and-discrimination-still-prevalent-for-women-in-american-media-and-politics%26usg%3DAFQjCNG39D5bHMxgIKhhjT1A0NSAE2gaSA
Social Creatures
Chase Eggert x
Humans as social creatures.
When I think of humans as social creatures I think of how families come to together like for example a funeral where the family comes together in a group to consul and help others threw that hard time in their lives. This is also a great example of how many creatures not only humans but other animals like growing up on a farm i saw one animal that was just as social as a human or even more and that is horses. Horses not only have the same social groups similar to humans they also are very dependent on these social groups. Just like a person would depend on their family for help during a hard time like a funeral.
Another social group that is interesting that shows a very social creature is a sports teams. Not only is competing in a sporting event social because you have to work with others to complete a common goal. When working together that also has a social trait because as social creature we need to be involved in groups like sports that are similar to are social traits.Thus as social creatures it is not uncommon to see that similar traits in team mates.
Another common trait in social creature is the wanting to be with others. Either as friends or as something more. This is precedent in school and in the outside world. This is also different than other creatures where it isn’t about how they feel but what their instinct tells them to do. But this isn’t how humans operate they go off what they think is right which is affected by what their social group thinks is right.
Another example of how a human is a social creature is that when we are born the social environment that we are raised will affect how that person will think and what they have for a morale value and what isn’t. Then this human will grow up to and then later affect other humans by how they think. So in the outlook every person has an immediate impact on other people because people learn what is appropriate through their social interactions. Thus as social creatures most of our decisions are already decided on how we will react.
Another example is as social creatures their is a need to get a attention from either our peers or from others just so we can feel wanted by others. Either as fear or respect this is common in serial killers either they are doing it for the attention of someone or a group. Or more common is they wanted to be feared and that is why they do it they want to feel that predatory feeling that others fear them. That is what I think is a social trait like the need to be recognized by others. That is a another sign of how humans are social creatures.
So in conclusion humans as social creature are not the only creature to rely examples are horses, wolves and chimpanzees. Also humans are defined as social creatures by how they interact with each other examples of these are sport teams and other social groups that have a common interest and want to accomplish a goal. Finally before any of our social standard are set it has to be learned so as a humans just starting out it is very important for that person to be in a good social environment individual what is wrong and what is right and also find what their social circle is.That is just some good examples of how humans are social creatures.
Reference: http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2009/05/21/more-human-than-human-natures-most-social-animals/
http://edge.org/response-detail/25395
Celeena Holt x
Social Creatures
Many times when you see animals interacting they are with there same type of species. They make their own society or organization. Animals like lions, tigers, elephants, gorillas, etc. As well as insects, like bees and ants. You don’t often see them interacting with each other. That’s what makes them social is they have a system that helps them live with each other, so that they benefit each other to form a society. Humans are the same way, but we rely on the people around us. We are the most socialistic creature on the planet. Which makes people wonder if we were born with our socialistic characteristics, or if we only inherit them as time goes on.
Humans are born with the ability to become social. We are born with capability to recognize other social behaviors and adapt to them. Our six sense, sight, hearing, touch, tasting, and smelling, helps us to recognized the social behaviors around us. Even we were born and got isolated, we would still be able to interact with other animals because it is natural. But nurture does play a big role in our sociality.
Even though we are born with the abilities to be social, we still need to taught the little things. Like as a baby is growing the parents are there to help with his or her vocabulary skills. Which will later help with the communication skills. If I child would lack these skills, then he or she would have troubles being social with others.
It’s easy to see that when a social creature is born to see the ability to become social. But as social creatures we depend on our cultures and traditions to adapt to their customs. This is what our strong societies across the world and nation are like. Both nature, and nature, unlike other animals, is what makes us the most social creatures on the planet.
http://www.aipmm.com/anthropology/2010/05/humans-are-social-animals-1.php
http://www.threeleggeddragon.com/writings/simply/simple.social.html
http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/if-humans-evolved-to-be-social-creatures-then-why--26510
Nature vs. Nurture
Ashley Witt x
9/28/15
Over many generations, the same question remains. It’s been asked again and again among leading experts, and yet, we still have no answer that is truly defined. The renowned question about nature versus nurture; “Are we born this way, or does our environment affect our behavior”. This famous debate focuses on genetic inheritance and environmental factors on the development of humans as a whole. Nature refers to our genes and heredity; whereas nurture refers to all the environmental factors that may impact our lives. The debate is widely controversial. The famous philosophers, Plato and Descartes, are supporters that we are born into who we are, while John Locke argues we are all born with a clean slate. Today’s experts believe it is a combination of both that makes us who we are.
I personally feel like we are who we are because of both nature and nurture as a whole to some extent, but if I were to pick a side, I would support nature. I believe this solely based on the facts I have read. It has been found that our parents have more of an effect on things like our attitude, values, manners, faith, and politics; but not necessarily what makes us who we are. Everyone experiences the same situations differently, so I have a hard time believing that the way we are nurtured growing up could really have that much of an affect us. We are all a product of our genes, as well as our environment. However, I believe our genes play a bigger role in defining who we are, and why we are the way we are.
The biggest issue people have with this theory is the idea that there is a “gay gene,” or that people who are abusive, who have a tendency to divorce, or who partake in criminal acts will be able to argue that it was because of their “behavior genes” once researchers have proven their existence. However, this has already been somewhat proven. When studying fraternal twins, it’s been found that they share similarities in behavior, and their responses whether they are raised together, or apart. The differences in environment have also been shown to cause some differences in the way they behave. When studying siblings though, the environment had no effect on their personality what so ever.
We all have genes that may predetermine our traits, but we all still have a choice on who we want to be. Researchers found that the influences we experience as a child doesn’t necessarily have a dominating effect over behavior. According to Freud, our personality is completely established by the age of five. If this is the case, it could be possible that children who experience abuse or who are deprived at a young age could very well not develop normally. It is said, although, that people with less-than-perfect childhoods can still go on to develop normally into adulthood with no long-term effects of their experiences as a child. This is why I believe nature has a greater effect on us than nurture. We still have a choice. We can either turn a negative experience into a positive one, or we can react to the negative experience in the same way, and never learn from it at all. That is our choice.
Sources
https://explorable.com/nature-vs-nurture-debate
http://psychology.about.com/od/nindex/g/nature-nurture.htm
Humans as social creatures
Brooke Woodward x
As humans we are impacted by both genetic factors and environmental factors in many ways. There are two types of beliefs on these factors, Nativists and Empiricists. Nativists believe that all or most of our behaviors and characteristics are the result of inheritance. On the other side of beliefs would be Empiricists. Empiricists believe that all or most of our behaviors come from learning. I can understand why people would think we act like our parents because we are the very own DNA of them, but studies show that even adopted children will tend to act more like their adoptive parents. This is where I begin to believe that we are more influenced by our environment than genetically.
We grow up in a society where socialization is the most valued tool in success. Socialization is the process through which people learn to fit into, and understand, the culture of their particular society. As children we strive to be like our role models, which tend to be our parents and basing our very own actions on their every move. I agree with John Locke stating that “the mind begins as a blank slate” otherwise known as tabula rasa, basically meaning everything that we learn and all of our knowledge is based off of our own personal experiences.
From first hand experience I can relate to what these studies have shown. At five my step dad adopted me and became a father to me. As a child I knew I could trust him because he knew the difference between right and wrong and knowing those differences meant you were a good person, which made we want to be more like him. Without even knowing it, my personality began changing over the years and I have started to become more like him. The way I acted day to day became the spitting image of my father, we are so much alike that many people don’t believe that he is actually not my real father. Still to this very day my “step” father and I have more in common than my biological dad and I do. I believe this is a great example of how us humans are greatly impacted more by our experiences and what we socially learn than through genetic factors.
Humans tend to learn better when they are shown what to do. Through these experiences we become who we are as an individual. Many of us did not learn the differences between what was right and what was wrong by our parents simply just telling us. We always had to find out the hard way by doing what was wrong and being punished for it or doing what was right and being rewarded for doing what was right. From the beginning of our lives and to the end we will always thrive to do what is right and be rewarded because that is the way we are socially taught.
All and all, yes humans are impacted by both nature and nurture. Yet in contemporary society we are becoming more impacted socially than genetically because we have advanced the way the society can interact. We value fitting into a certain social group more than we value our own genetic traits that are originally given to us. You will find in many situations that humans will act more like their peers than their parents. This is because of the fact that society has taught us to be more of what we aren’t than of who we are. All of us strive to be something that we aren’t because of the high expectations that the norms of society have set on each and every one of us.
Sources
http://psychology.about.com/od/nindex/g/nature-nurture.htm
http://pages.uoregon.edu/adoption/topics/naturenurturestudies.htm
The Evolution of Communication
Kaelyn Van Eaton x
Most humans are very social beings who enjoy spending time with one another. Almost everyone likes to be surrounded by family and friends to share what has happened in their lives. This interaction causes people to become closer and develop trusting relationships with one another. Technology and social media are changing people’s social habits by changing the way that people communicate with each other. Are people considered “social” if their main form of communication with others is through text and social media?
Before technology and social media developed, people would meet and talk face to face with each other or call a friend on the telephone to have a conversation more so than they do now. Some people prefer to keep in touch through social media sites and text. In the article “How Technology May Be Influencing Human Evolution,” the author writes how humans want to become more efficient than what we are now. Since humans want to evolve into something better, why not find ways to communicate without speaking? Technology is making that possible.
Social skills are built throughout a person’s life and in order to learn these skills a person has to interact with others in various situations. For adults and teens to be able to work in groups, get along with co-workers and people in general they have to have the ability to get along and communicate effectively. Younger generations are having a hard time developing good social skills because they are mainly active online and “talk” to friends and acquaintances through social media. It is very easy for a person to type whatever is on their mind without having to face that person and see their reaction. When communicating behind a screen the emotional connection between people is lost.
One person could be the most social person in the world behind a screen, but have absolutely no confidence in themselves when speaking face to face with an actual person. So is this person social or not? This person would not be social at all because they haven’t learned about the emotions that go along with true communication and sociality. Researchers are finding that children and teens who spend more time online have a more difficult time understanding emotions. They are spending so much time online that they are not developing basic communication skills that older generations use.
Can a person truly be happy without the traditional form of being “social”? In my opinion I do not believe so because texts and tweets can be taken out of context. A text can be read and understood completely different than how the sender meant it to be. In this case feelings can be hurt or the recipient can get their hopes up for something that isn’t to be. Not being able to experience a person’s emotional reaction can completely change a conversation. Also, without face to face interaction a person looses the general experience or memory of being with someone like the sounds of laughter or tears or a hug from a friend. The social experience of actually being with others is important to human health otherwise humans may become emotionless robots who spend their days alone communicating with others only through technology.
Since younger generations are becoming less social all the time parents and teachers need to limit a child’s time spent with technology.
Sources
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/technology-may-influencing-human-evolution/
http://www.nurtureandnatureaba.com/blog/2015/3/18/social-skills-are-built-over-time-and-often-require-finesse
Culture vs. Society
Brianna Einspahr x
There are many things that differentiate culture from society. Although they are similar in the sense that culture is ultimately a product of the people in a society, they have completely different definitions. Culture is a group that shares the same practices, values, and beliefs whereas society is a group that lives in a specific area, interact with one another, and express specific cultural actions.
Culture involves many things such as diet, religion, family structure, jobs, and even entertainment. Culture can be found in places you wouldn’t think to look. When you have a conversation with someone you find out information about their lives, you might ask about their religion and what special customs are associated with someone practicing that particular religion. Some examples would be that Catholic’s go to confession while Jewish people don’t celebrate Christmas but instead celebrate Hanukkah. Other examples of an area’s culture would be the type of music they listen to, what they like to do in their free time, what they like to eat, or even where they work. You are able to learn more about them as individuals, as well as their culture. There are two different types of culture, tangible and intangible. The first type is tangible, which are the things that are defined as objects; such as churches, schools, and even houses. The other type of culture is intangible. Intangible culture involve things such as our behaviors and beliefs. Culture also plays an important role in establishing discipline in a society. The term for this would be norms; the standards and rules about our acceptable behavior. In the United States there are consequences for offences such as murder and stealing. Here in the United States the accused would go through the court system and a punishment would be handed down. They might be required to pay restitution for the items stolen or go to jail for an amount of time. In some Middle Eastern countries consequences would be much more severe. They believe in the old adage, an eye for an eye. If you are caught stealing, your hand or hands could be cut off. If you commit murder, you would be put to death.
Society on the other hand is a group of people in a specific area that share the same culture with the other people living there and express their beliefs, religion, and values together. Society can be described as the “people” of a culture. Society consists of government, health care, an education system, and many occupations that people have. Each individual is important to a society because each one can contribute something. Society has two levels; the micro-level and macro-level. You can find the same goal in micro-level societies because they will generally like or do the same things, whereas a state or country is an example of a macro-level society. These societies usually have different views or ideas and will most likely be filled with a lot more different minded people. It is also possible for many people to be in the same society, while having different cultures. An example would be when someone from Mexico lives in the United States and is part of the American society. This doesn’t mean that they don’t still take part in their Mexican culture.
Sociologists are very interested in the actions of individuals in social groups and societies. They are interested in the personal decisions a person makes and why they make them. Sociologists are trying to find out why people make the decisions they do by observing the behaviors in large and small groups. Observing people living in the same society and experiencing the same pressures helps sociologists understand why people act the way they do.
Sociologists believe that society and culture are inseparable; you cannot have one without the other. This makes sense because you cannot express your culture without a group of people to actually do so.
Sources
http://study.com/academy/lesson/understanding-the-difference-between-society-culture.html
https://openstaxcollege.org/files/textbook_version/hi_res_pdf/54/col11762_Soc2e-OP.pdf
Humans as social creatures
Marci Glennemeier x
Culture is something not everyone thinks of on a daily basis. You don’t walk around thinking this is how you should behave. You just do it. That is your culture. Culture is shared beliefs, values, and practices that participants must learn. Culture and society have different meanings. Society is a group of people who share a community. So with that being said; society is viewed as a place or a region and culture is the beliefs or values of a group. Culture can be anything from how we greet people, to marriage customs, and as simple as how we get our food. In other countries you greet people by a hug, a handshake, or maybe even a kiss on the cheek. In America we have our personal space. We use friendly greetings; in other countries this would be stand-offish and rude.
When going to other places around the world or seeing other cultures you tend to compare your culture to their culture. Most people think the way their culture does things is the right way of doing things. This is because it was how we were raised and taught to act. In America most people would consider it odd if the parents arranged the marriage, but in some countries it is just expected. This is because of the way our culture is. We can choose whom we marry. Even in America there are still some small cultures that arrange the marriages for their children. These would be minority cultures. They are small cultures that have not fully adapted to our culture. The majority of the culture in the U.S. is primarily the same; obviously there will be small changes as you go to different regions of the country, but they will all have the same basic principles.
The different social classes we belong to can also change our culture. For example if you were high culture your chef would prepare dinner or the evening meal. If you are middle class and live in the city it may be a cultural norm to get take out for dinner, as compared to living in the country where you would more likely cook the evening meal, commonly called supper. High culture is for the people higher up in society. They go to the ballet and opera performances. This shows that they are higher-classed individuals as compared to the pop culture. The pop culture is the popular culture for more of the middle class people. It deals with football games, watching reality TV shows, and things that are more common for the middle class. If you were to strike up a conversation with someone in line at the grocery store you would use something from the pop culture if you wanted a good discussion topic. They would be more familiar with a subject like football then referring to opera. Opera is not something most middle class people are very familiar with. People from high cultures are also less likely to strike up a conversation with someone they don’t know. If you don’t know someone in high culture you wait for someone to introduce you to him or her.
Resourceshttps://openstaxcollege.org/files/textbook_version/low_res_pdf/54/col11762_Soc2e-LR.pdf
Image
http://ows.edb.utexas.edu/site/ana-sofia-rodriguez/linguistic-and-cultural-diversity
Bilal Abdur-Rahim
Humans as social creatures
Man is by nature a social animal, an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god. Human beings are birth individuals and they are members of a group. It is imperative that they be both, the human race can only survive if its individual members survive, and the individual needs the group to enhance its own odds of surviving. It is tightly interwoven connection. It defines all that they, and all else depends upon it. They need each other to produce new members of their species, to protect new members and themselves, to help provide food, to add diversity to the gene pool, to provide companionship, to pass on information. They depend upon each other for their survival and their growth as a people. At the most basic level, human beings are drawn together for reproduction, built into every human being is the need to reproduce other humans. This need, and the means to do it, is not taught. Such a built in need to reproduce others of ones own kind is basic to all living things, be it a flower or a dolphin.. As their young grow, they become more aware of themselves as individuals and also of their place among other humans. As individuals, they are aware, through their own senses and thoughts, of their needs and feelings. They also discover that they are part of a unit of other humans. In fact, as they grow, they learn that they belong to many groups of people, some small, some large, some chosen, some without choice. Who you are comes not only from your own senses and memories, but also from the groups you belong to, some cultures and societies may emphasize one over the other, but neither identity can be denied. More of their individual identities comes from being connected to groups of one sort or another. A group can based on family, gender, an occupation, a physical characteristic, a geographic location, or even a certain philosophy, Its because we are primates. And primates are social by nature. Unlike solitary animals like the cat, primates rely on each other to live and prosper. All apes live together in groups like humans do. Its bred into us stick together. About 30 years ago an experiment was done on rhesus macaques to see how social they and we are. There were three experiments. One monkey was raised in complete isolation with only a bottle of milk and a soft carpet to act as its mother to hold onto while nursing. One day they removed the carpet from the bottle and then put the carpet about 5 feet away from the bottle. The monkey wanted the feeling of its carpet mother so it stayed from the bottle and went to the carpet and held onto it unite it got hungry enough to leave the carpet to get the milk. This will tell you how much primates in general need to have the feeling that something is there for them in order to feel safe. When it was done nursing they put the rhesus macaque in a room with about 20 other rhesus macaques, because the monkey was raised in isolation, it stayed away from everyone and was putting its arms around its face to shield itself from the other monkeys. When a monkey would would come close he would freak out and try to scare away the monkey that tired to get close to him. This is how humans also work. You will see this every day in high school. You will see humans that will stick to themselves, stick to small groups, and you will see humans that freely wander the halls getting to know everybody. Its just the way we and the other primates are mentally programmed. Finally human beings are social animals. Our lives depend on other humans. Human infants are born unable to transport or care for themselves. Their survival depend on another human's efforts. We develop and learn about the world around us through the filter of other people. Our connections to other are key to not only our survival, but also to our happiness and the success of our careers.
Sources
http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/if-humans-evolved-to-be-social-creatures-then-why--26510
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pascal-vrticka/human-social-development_b_3921942.html
http://danerwin.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/american-hellhole-humans-as-social-creatures.html
Rebellion in Our Everyday Lives
Kelsey Wood x
It is said that conformity and rebellion as two different types of behavior. Yet, if you think about it they are just two sides of the same syndrome. They are both responses to pressure that are put on by a society, they keep the victim reacting to and as said “conforming to” the source of the pressure.
Mostly, injustice makes people drive to rebellion. Whether it’s in politics, at home, at school, or in the nasty business world, a system based on legality rather than fairness, common sense, and decency. The usual form of rebellion is most likely and unreasonable response to unreasonable pressure, which is said to be making us quietly go mad.
Creative rebellion, a rebellion without emotion, judgement or resentment, a rebellion that is simply the observation of what is. Few are wise to this correct way of rebellion because when we are young in our lives we get drug into a destructive way of rebellion that is not in our best interests. Even the most well-mannered, most polite people you’ve ever met are secretly violent. A society is made up of many rotten and many good people, each type changing the system that produces rebels and conformists.
Most times a rebellion is risen against cruel authority and behind authority there is hypocrisy. The real ones who are the sinners are not the rebels, but the ones who drive them to rebel, they are so call “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, as in, cruel parents, teachers, bosses, and even the criminals that are hiding in the uniforms of legality. You can never be free of rebellion as long as strong emotion is involved, because emotions change our judgements. There is also a lot of hostility that comes along with our wrong judgements which leads us to possibly be a character of behavioral disorders.
For example, when you resent (judge) another's judgment of you, in the process you become like the one who judged you: judgmental. Being judgmental then preventing your effectively rebelling. You cannot correct the system because you are reflecting it—beginning to be what you were rebelling against. Hostility causes you to struggle between the no-win choices of rebellion and conformity (Masters).
When you cannot affect the system in a good beings it affects you in an ill beings. Your ego and your pride feels the failure. It tries to counteract the effect inside you with more emotion, hate or love. Which in result only complicates things more and more. Your ego doesn’t want you to be like the ones you despise. By denying the facts, rationalizing and rebelling to see the truth, you are not rebelling against the truth that’s in your mind. Resentment is working too hard, the thing you despise in others is now happening in you.
Mostly young but also some older, look to rebel from what is considered the mainstream. They want to be unique, which merges themselves into a pattern that each generation will go through one time or another. When conforming or rebelling is not an act of the choices we make or a reaction to what others thinks, but it’s an understanding of who we are, what we believe in and also to have the maturity to recognize that we aren’t always going to be right. It’s fine if we conform when we agree with those we look up to but its also okay to rebel when we feel we need to change something in our lives. On the other hand, it is not okay to conform as a point of giving up, being tired or getting “too old”, or because we don’t take the time to think and understand what we are conforming to. It is not okay to rebel, just to do it or just for a thought that’s just momentary.
Conformity or rebellion, they are the same thing, a “non-choice” an act of “non-living” when the choices we make or the living we do is in blind reaction to the world around us (lewisjbh).
Source 1
http://www.newswithviews.com/Masters/roy121.htm
Source 2
http://lewisjbh.expertscolumn.com/article/if-better-conform-or-be-different]]
Income Inequality
Tanner Harvey x
09/16/15
The wealth gap between America’s high income group and everyone else has reached record high levels since the economic recovery from the Great Recession of 2007-09. There is also a clear trajectory of increasing wealth for upper-income families and no wealth growth for the middle- and lower-income families.
The median wealth of all three income groups declined from 2007 to 2010. But upper-income families were not hit nearly as hard as lower- and middle-income families. Median wealth declined by 17% from 2007 to 2010 among upper-income families. In contrast, middle-income (-39%) and lower-income (-41%) families had larger declines in wealth. The median wealth among upper-income families increased from $595,300 in 2010 to $639,400 in 2013. The typical wealth of middle-income families was basically unchanged — it remained at about $96,500. As a result, the estimated wealth gap between upper-income and middle-income families has increased during the recovery.
A report from the anti-poverty group Oxfam claims that by next year, the top 1% of the world’s population could own more wealth than the other 99% combined. Despite huge advancements in technology and productivity, millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages. The real median income of male workers is $783 less than it was 42 years ago; while the real median income of female workers is over $1,300 less than it was in 2007. “There is something profoundly wrong when we have a proliferation of millionaires and billionaires at the same time as millions of Americans work longer hours for lower wages and we have the highest childhood poverty rate of any developed country on earth.” (Bernie Sanders)
Inequality is a high-profile topic in the U.S. Americans across the ideological spectrum see it as a big problem, including majorities of Democrats (89%), independents (77%) and Republicans (60%) in the spring 2014 poll. However, the view that inequality is a very big problem is much more common among Democrats (59%) and independents (49%) than among Republicans (19%), and there is a big partisan divide over how this should be addressed.
Efforts are being made to find the best possible solutions to the issue. Most agree that taxes need to increase for upper-income families. Some additional propositions are also being considered such as increasing federal minimum wage, reversing trade policies like NAFTA, CAFTA, and PNTR, making tuition free at US public colleges and universities, and increasing employment rates by investing in both youth job programs and infrastructural improvement-type jobs. Other areas of adjustment in review are social security, health care, welfare, and requirements for both paid and unpaid time off from work.
While it is unclear which efforts to decrease income inequality will be put into effect and when, we can be certain it is viewed as one of the top three highest concerns in the United States today. We can also accurately expect that with such a heavily and thorough global focus on this issue, countless efforts will be made to adjust and improve the income system and narrow the huge gap between upper class and middle to lower class Americans. Hopefully by 2020, America will be on the road to an increasingly equal world in opportunity for people of all degrees of wealth.
Sources:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/12/17/wealth-gap-upper-middle-income/
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/01/21/inequality-is-at-top-of-the-agenda-as-global-elites-gather-in-davos/
https://berniesanders.com/issues/income-and-wealth-inequality/
http://correctrecord.org/the-points/hillary-clinton-a-lifetime-champion-of-income-opportunity/
Objectification of Women
Allyson Dorrell x
To conform or rebel? This is a question that everyone answers in their day-to-day lives. People everywhere choose either to conform, agree, or accept something that everyone else is doing. This includes rebelling and resisting against the conforming of others’ ideals and choices. Sociologists specifically relate this to social norm functions, this occurs when media is used to sell us goods and entertain us. “It also serves to socialize us, helping us pass along norms, values, and beliefs to the next generation.” (OpenStax College)
The power and influence that media has over our society is incredibly overwhelming and extremely degrading to women, specifically in relation to the objectification of women. “The image of an ‘ideal’ woman (as presented by the media) is harmful.” (Berberick) Issues that commonly present themselves in society and to which women must decide to rebel or conform, include: plastic surgeries, eating disorders, extreme exercise, and suicide. “What is the price of perfection, and more importantly, who defines what perfection is? For American women, the answer is often the media.” (Berberick)
Many women choose to conform, for example plastic surgery has significantly increased from 2000 to 2009. Statistics show the following increases;
• 36% increase in breast implant surgery
• 84% increase in tummy tucks
• 4,184% increase in lower body lifts
• 4,191% increase in arm lifts
• 132% increase in buttock lifts
• 65% increase in breast lifts (Berberick)
In 2005 the National Eating Disorder Association reported that over ten million American women are Anorexic or Bulimia Nervosa. There was a reported 20% death rate for extreme or severe cases of Anorexia or Bulimia when cases went unreported and untreated. Many women feel that this is their only way to fit into today’s society. Whether they know it or not they are continually trying to make themselves become an ideal the media depicts. Reality television, the Internet, and a never ending stream of advertisements depicting weight loss pills and workout programs with women who are physically fit, photo shopped, or who claim to have lost a significant amount of weight are pushing more and more women to try to make themselves become that ideal woman that society considers sexy. Modern music videos that portray women wearing booty shorts, next to no clothing, posing in sexual positions or gestures actually encourages women to act and dress the same way. This is leading women all over the world to not be satisfied with who they are, but to instead feel the need to alter their bodies for what the media considers better.
Many women experience negative emotions such as frustration, fear, sadness, anger, shame, and depression when they feel they cannot meet their or others’ body type expectation. In many studies researchers have found that when women are given pictures that depict the “ideal” body type they become emotional due to self-dissatisfaction and begin to compare themselves to the photos. Women can and do become decreasingly less confident with their body type and look because they feel they cannot meet society’s expectation of them. The objectification of women creates a state of fear and shame for women due to the media’s never ending exploitation of women and their bodies. Some cases are so severe that women commit suicide due to bullying and self-dissatisfaction.
In conclusion, the power and influence that the media has over our society is incredibly overwhelming and extremely degrading to women. Media is manipulated to make this vision of an “ideal” woman so impossible that no one could ever meet it. Every woman is a beautiful and unique individual that should never conform to what media thinks she should look like.
Sources:
Introduction to Sociology (textbook)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nora-turriago/a-challenge-for-women-love-yourself-even-when-society-says-otherwise_b_6799700.html
http://newyorksociologist.org/11/Berberick2011.pdf
Conformity and Rebellion
Madison Motes x
In today’s society, youth are faced with a decision that will sculpt their future. This decision is to conform to the rules of society or to rebel against them. Not only is there a decision to conform or rebel against society’s laws and rules, but an equally important decision for a person to conform or rebel against their cultures, expectations, and family traditions. Society today is drastically changing as far as morals, laws, and expectations. This is the reason we see so much rebellion, and not as much conformity.
When we analyze conformity and rebellion, we first think they are polar opposites of each other. When we study the root of each of them, we find that they are not as different as we think. Both rebellion and conformity are reactions to pressure. Rebellion comes from outside pressures, and conformity comes from inside pressures. The difference is mostly in the consequences of each decision.
The pressures that cause conformity come from a few different things. The first root is morality, which may or may not spring from religion. If a person’s morals are strong enough towards the issue that is at hand, they will most likely conform. The second root of pressures to conform come from tradition. A person’s background has a huge effect on if they will follow the family rules, rise the family expectations, etc. The last major reason people conform is to avoid contention. When a person carefully analyzes the consequences of rebelling, they will usually conform. The consequences to rebellion aren’t worth the sacrifice to conform.
On the other hand, the pressures that cause rebellion spring from injustice, attention, and bad circumstances. As we see, rebellion can spring from many different things. People that aren’t treated equally, or don’t get a fair chance will rebel. Interestingly enough, people may rebel because of morality as well. If a law goes against their moral code, they might feel like they have no choice but to rebel. The last major reason a person would rebel is for attention, or for some kind of gain. For example, theft is rebellion for personal gain.
Whether a person conforms or rebels is ultimately their own choice. Even though we always think rebellion only has bad consequences, it is not so. If Rosa Parks wouldn’t have rebelled on the school bus, or if Martin Luther King Jr. wouldn’t have given his “rebellious” speech, there wouldn’t be great freedoms like we have today. The consequences of conformity and rebellion can be bad or good. They are both an effect of outside pressure and personal morality.
Resources
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cjas.100/pdf
http://www.newswithviews.com/Masters/roy121.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3171786/
Rebellion
Shane Hoyer x
When we think of rebellion we usually think of teenagers. However, anyone can rebel. There is not just one type rebellion either. One man’s rebellion might be another man’s conformity. It depends on a person’s culture, traditions, laws, morals, and religion. Even though there are different kinds of rebellion, and different kinds of people who rebel, the reason why they rebel can all be the same.
The first reason we all think of is for fun. Teenagers and young children do in fact rebel for fun. Underage drinking, truancy, speeding tickets, trespassing, and similar crimes are committed simply because human beings think it sounds like a good time. This is not the only reason people rebel.
Another reason to rebel is for attention. Many teenagers and younger children like the attention they get when they break a rule. Especially if that particular person is neglected, or their parents never give them the time of day. Rebellion makes their parents notice them, which is something that they want very badly. They want to be noticed, as if they were actually alive. It is sad to think that some parents ignore or neglect their children, and it leads to juvenile rebellion. They struggle for an identity, for control, for acceptance, and for freedom.
Inequality is a reason for rebellion. If someone isn’t treated fairly they will rebel. Slaves trying to escape the plantations were counted as “rebels”, because they were breaking the rules. Rebellions can be very necessary, and they aren’t always bad. Many freedoms which we enjoy today evolved because of rebellions.
Another reason people rebel is because they whole-heartedly believe whatever is happening is not right. For example, the Boston tea party was a rebellion for rights the early Americans thought they deserved. In the rebellion’s mind there is no other way it can be. If a person seriously believes that abortion is wrong, they might rebel and act out to protect their opinion and show others what they believe. Rebellion happens because people feel controlled. People can use religion as a reason why they are rebelling, but they can also rebel against the religion. It depends on each individual’s view about certain things.
The last reason a person might rebel is if they feel like they have no choice. Stealing food to survive, killing somebody out of self-defense, hurting someone to protect somebody else are all examples of this. Terrorists tend to be out of their mind, thinking they have no choice but to commit the terrorist attack. Most of the time when people don’t think they have a choice, they really do. But on occasion they really don’t have a choice. Cheating on a test could be counted in this category if the student thinks he has to pass his classes so that he doesn’t get beaten again by his dad. Situations like this are reasons to rebel.
Peer pressure, religion, education, government, oppression, inequality are all reasons people rebel. It can be bad, and it can be good. There is nothing a society can do to stop all of the rebels because everyone has their own morals and thoughts and views. Not everyone will conform.
http://whydopeople.net/why-do-people-rebel/
http://www.markmerrill.com/5-reasons-why-your-teen-is-rebelling/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/200912/rebel-cause-rebellion-in-adolescence
Key Contributors to Rebellion in Youth
Dillon Pilch x
Society today struggles with conformity. Rebellion in the early stages of life can turn into a downward spiral. It highly contributes to crime rates rising in our nation, and around the world. There are many key factors that lead to rebellion in our youth today.
One key contributor to rebellion is peer pressure. Peer pressures from bad friends is one of the leading causes to rebel. Kids today don’t understand that they can have “fun” without breaking the rules. It starts in elementary school. Kids make friends who purposely break rules for attention. Then they move to junior high, and the offenses get more and more serious. Sometimes kids make different friends and get out of the bad habits that they have enveloped themselves in, but most of the time they don’t. People want to feel like they are included. They want to have an identity, a social identity. They will do many things to gain this, especially those who have a hard time socializing in general. So youth stay in their friend groups. If they have bad friends it will lead to bad decisions.
Another contributor, and maybe the worst, is broken families. When a kid see’s their parents struggling, it has a big effect on them. When the parents are too consumed in their own problems, it leaves their child feeling alone, identity-less, and sad. Some homes have abusive situations. This leads to rebellion, which leads to more serious crimes in time. Drug usage in the home will inevitably lead to rebellion as well. Drugs, abuse, and broken families are always a key contributor to rebellion in youth.
Another contributor is inequality. Imagine not being able to have rights because of your skin color, race, or sexuality. When a person feels controlled by society’s norms, that person will most likely stand up for themself. It is so sad to think society creates an environment in which people feel chained up.
The rebellions of today aren’t just because people want to rebel. They all have reasons to do so. Whether it is peer pressure, broken families, substance abuse, or inequality, we need to be prepared for it.
Sources
http://www.scholaradvisor.com/essay-examples/persuasive-essay-rebellion-lead-crime/
http://www.rebellion.co.uk
Lexy Meyer x
In today’s world there are many examples of conformity and rebellion, including the Divergent Series by Veronica Roths. Several of her characters that I will talk about include the following: Beatrice (Tris), Four, Jeanine, and Peter. These characters conform and rebel against the society they are in, as it is an utopian society with five factions. These factions have one aspect that they value. For example, Abnegation values selflessness and rejects vanity. Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, Amity, and Candor are the names of the five factions that their society has come up with. Abnegation is all about helping others before yourself. Dauntless is like the police in the series, so they value bravery. Candor is the court faction, so they always tell the truth no matter if you like it or not. Amity are the farmers and they are always kind. Erudite are the doctors and scientists, so they value intelligence. For each person, I will tell you how they conformed to their society and how they rebelled against it as well.
Beatrice who renames herself Tris after her transfer to the Dauntless, has the most difficult time conforming to her society because she is what the society likes to call Divergent, which means they can have more than one of the five qualities in their brains. Tris is Divergent with Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite. Before her aptitude test to show which faction she should go into, Tris is walking to her house when an elderly woman with more grocery bags than she can carry by herself is near, Tris was slower than her brother, Caleb, who helped the woman immediately. Her brother then chassises her for not helping the woman in which he had helped. Tris tells him that she was thinking about helping the woman, but when he helped her then she didn’t help. That is one way that she had tried to conform to her faction and to her society but couldn’t. On the other side of conformity is rebellion, which Tris does a lot of. One example of her rebelling is when she speaks up to her training instructor, Eric, by saying that it was wrong for him to have one of her fellow initiates in front of a target so that he would throw better. She ended up being the target instead. The reason behind her rebelling in this example led her to being the target is because it was wrong of Eric to treat someone the way he did. This affects her in so many different ways. One way is that she gets to be a target for standing up to a bully. The bully then focuses in on her now instead. Another way is that her friendship with that fellow initiate is now severed through that moment that she stood up for him.
Jeanine, who is the Erudite’s leader conforms in many different ways. One way is that she believes in the society’s system. She believes that this is the way everybody should have lived like before the society came to be. That is, she believes that human emotions and natures should be eliminated or suppressed like they are now in their society. Another way she conforms, is that she, along with others think that Divergents are a threat to the society’s way of life. She also rebels against the very same system that she believes in. One way that she does that is she wants the Erudite to govern instead of the Abnegation faction because in her opinion the Abnegation are breaking the rules that they are making to benefit themselves. She rebels in another way as well. That way is that she wants to get rid of all the Divergents. She does this in disguise as trying to kill the Abnegation faction. She uses the Dauntless as her personal army but the Dauntless other than who are leaders, do not know they are doing this evil. They are in a trans which the leaders of Dauntless say are tracking devices but really it is a serum that dulls their brains so that Jeanine can control them.
Divergent by Veronica Roths http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/p/books.html
Divergent the movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1840309/
Markayla Hicks x
Conform or Live Your Dream?
We live in a world where being your self is a problem. You get labeled or criticized for not following a certain rule. Who came up with these rules? Who said we had to follow these rules? Where was I when these certain rules was being made up? I'm a student athlete. I always been good at sports when I was little. I abstracted so much attention because I was tall and of course a girl. I was not just a girl, I was a girl that can play all guys sports.
I got tease for being different. I never knew football, basketball, or baseball was a guy sport. That's a rule that society have made. It’s so many rules we live by on this earth, it make you wonder are people really being them self. I do not think being different or not following rules is rebelling at all, its calling living your dream. Don’t get me wrong; if you not rebelling to make a difference on your life then you should definitely conform. It’s actually people out here that’s afraid to be them self because of society expectations. A 41 year old women name Sarah Thomas haves the internet going wild.
She is the first National Football League women referee. She have the ability just like any other male referee to direct a professional game. The men only world doesn’t think she could. They think she’s going to say the wrong call and not know her knowledge about the game. Who ever said refereeing a professional league was a man job? Oh, because a female can’t play football she shouldn’t be refereeing it? We are all equal, there are males that are nurses, teachers and secretaries. We shouldn’t live in a world where not going outside what you believe to make others happy. Thomas is rebelling to not only make her life better but for other females with same dream.
If you stay in a conform world forever you will never grow. The problem people face every day is that they get so comfortable with the usual. You feel like you doing something wrong, when you not following a simple rule as in all females should be teacher or nurses. When you think of rebelling you think of drugs, tattoo, or being destructive. Rebelling doesn’t always mean being negative. Standing up for what you believe in and not agreeing with society. I believe every women have the ability to do a male job or sport. I will hope in the future there will be more females like Thomas. That will not be stuck in a world where made up rules from people we don’t know control our lives.
I’m a student athlete, some people might say I’m rebelling everyday by playing a male sport. I agree, because being a young athletic I grew up with people saying “girls can’t play basketball.” I witness a hand full of females better than guys in a guy sport. I think a lot people in my generation have effect on the term “rebelling.” We was born to conform not knowing where these rules came from. Once you get a number of people that doesn’t follow those rules we get labeled as rebellion. Truth be told we just don’t agree and standing up for others who been felt that way. I believe everyone should follow what they believe in. If it don’t have you in prison, keep making a difference. Conform or be different?
Sources: http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/chiefs-cardinals-nfl-first-woman-referee-assistant-coach-meet-081515http://lewisjbh.expertscolumn.com/article/if-better-conform-or-be-different
]]Walking in Another's Shoes
Lynzee Zeigler x
Seeing Life in a New Light
The way I see walking in a person’s shoes is, getting to know them and talking to them about their life. There is no reason to ever judge someone for acting the way they do, talking the way they do, and looking the way they do. It’s not fair.
Here are a few examples from the Walking a Mile in Their Shoes article:
“We’ve heard the phrase a thousand times. We heard it as children, we use it as parents. Because it’s been around for so long, the power of its message can sometimes be lost.”
“There's the homeless person who's always on the side of the road. His sign speaks for his family, he’s begging for his family. Depending on our day, our mood, the latest news flash on the economy, even the weather, we smile or nod, we avoid looking at them, we frown at them or we roll down our window and hand over a dollar or two.”
“Every day we pass people on the streets but do we see them? Every day we speak with people but what do we learn about them? Often, we make our instant assessment because that’s all the time we have. Add to that the fact that it is human nature to retain our first impression of people we meet or encounter.” (Walking a mile in their shoes. Web. N/A.)
This site has made some very valid points. If people think about these kinds of things, then maybe it could open their eyes to the real problems in life. Not what is on the outside, but what is on the inside..
This site makes points of being in a situation like it to understand:
“When you are in an exchange with someone and you want to know them as best as is possible, survey your own experience, which you are in possession of, for a circumstance that aligns with what you see the other person going through. Your own experience will only be an approximate match but you can at least come as close as possible.”
“When you survey your own experience you’re not looking for the time you were in a car wreck. You may never have been in one. You’re looking for a time in your life when you felt the same as what the other person is feeling. Again, it will be only an approximation, but that’s better than nothing; because you understand the emotional experience and can relate through your understanding. AND you will have walked in the same experience well enough to make a connection, to find the sympathy that is genuine.” (How to Walk a Mile in Another Person’s Shoes, web. N/A.)
Sources: “Walking A Mile In Their Shoes | Everyday Success." Walking A Mile In Their Shoes | Everyday Success. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
https://www.everydaysuccess.com/everyday-life/single/a-mile-in-their-shoes
Jim Scniechowski. "How to Walk a Mile in Another Person's Shoes." Linked in. N.p., 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20130916062705-85816712-how-to-walk-a-mile-in-another-person-s-shoes
Walking Contradictions or Unprotected Discrimination
By Erika Moore x
The United States is a country rooted in social cultural and was based on the foundation of Christianity. As the world around this small nation has changed and acceptance of all walks of life has evolved, many challenges have come to the forefront. Many citizens of the U.S. have retaliated against the changes in society. Certain laws have been put into play that will protect the religious freedoms that everyone has a right to. The problem is whether these laws have gone too far. Recently, the United States made the final decision to legalize same sex marriages. Business owners had already begun their pleas for freedom, long before the decision was ever made and has caused a serious discussion. The lines between discrimination and contradictory policies have been blurred and often misunderstood.
To begin, the pleas were based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Many business owners rushed to their state’s religious freedom laws in an attempt to retaliate against the newest change. The question was whether it made it okay to discriminate based on sexual orientation and the protection of their religious freedoms. According to the textbook, Introduction to Sociology 2e, sexual orientation is, “his or her physical, mental, emotional, and sexual attraction to a particular sex (male or female). Sexual orientation is typically divided into four categories: heterosexuality, the attraction to individuals of the other sex; homosexuality, the attraction to individuals of the same sex; bisexuality, the attraction to individuals of either sex; and asexuality, no attraction to either sex” (257). Many businesses took the laws as saying they could openly refuse any service based on sexual orientation. Most religions have some form of anti-gay scripture and ideas, calling it unnatural and an abomination. This spread the idea that sexual orientation should be strictly heterosexual, and anything other than, is simply unacceptable.
Some states fought this discrimination by putting in laws that protect the LGBT community, but many states did not. This social fight brought the fine line of discrimination and an actual plea of refusal to the forefront of every court case that claimed discrimination. Jane Haskins wrote an article on LegalZoom.com where she discussed the fine line. Basically, Haskins wrote that if the business owner is going to require a certain set of principles, it has to be applied to everyone equally. She also wrote that if the select group was protected, such as race or ethnicity, then it is a plausible case. Since most states don’t have protection rights against LGBT members, it may be a losing fight. As an example, a bakery refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple claiming it was against his religious beliefs. The reason the couple won the case is because he had regularly exercised his consistent policy of not making cakes with negative and demeaning ideas. He refused to make a cake that held anti-gay bible verses on it. Because he had denied to make that cake, it was then held liable for discriminating against the lesbians. The baker had regularly refused to make discriminatory cakes, but now he was going against his own set policies. Even though the state didn’t protect against the LGBT community, he contradicted himself, which made it possible for the lesbians to win the case.
It’s hard to tell whether the social change is being forced or is naturally being accepted throughout the nation. With many states not taking it upon themselves to protect the LGBT community and some even refusing to serve those of the LGBT community openly and legally it’s even more difficult to see what is legal and what is actual discrimination. Acceptance takes massive amounts of time and the effort of many to become widely popular.
https://openstaxcollege.org/files/textbook_version/hi_res_pdf/54/col11762_Soc2e-OP.pdf
Walking in Their Shoes
Taya McWilliams x
It is easy to judge another person, or a group of people as a whole. But until we know what they are going through, what their circumstances are, and what they believe in, we shouldn’t be able to socially attack them. A person’s “norms” come from their culture, race, traditions, education, and religion. Norms across the planet are different, and that is a good thing. But as a society we struggle seeing the beauty in everybody’s differences.
Different cultures all over the world do things differently. This is how we function. If everyone was the same it would be chaotic. Recently gay marriage passed through the judicial system. This is a great example of controversy causing problems. Some people don't believe it is right. But the fact is that if those same people that were against it were homosexual they wouldn't be protesting it anymore. If we walk in other people's shoes then we wouldn't have the same opinion about a lot of things. If everyone saw everybody else's views clearly, then we would be able to solve most of the big issues in our nation.
Imagine Justin’s life, he is an 18 year old high school football star, who just signed his letter of intent to play football on a full ride scholarship at UCLA. His parents just bought him a brand new car for a graduation present, and he is planning on enjoying his summer chilling on the beach, going to parties, and spending time with his girlfriend. His school will be payed for, and his parents will buy him anything he wants or needs. Now imagine a different life. Born and raised on the streets of LA, Kassi has to provide for her, her little brother, and her mom. Addicted to heroin, her mom can’t work or provide for either of them, she is constantly taking more hits, and spending her welfare on more and more heroin. Kassi doesn’t know her dad, but she heard a rumor that he was put in the pen for life. Kassi works, and skips summer school to earn more, but it still doesn’t make enough to support her, her mom, and her little brother. Her only option is to steal more money from work. Come to find out, Kassi worked for Justin's parents in LA. They reported her after reviewing the security tape showing Kassi stealing money out of the till. Kassi gets arrested for theft, her mom goes to prison on several drug charges, and her little brother gets turned over to the state foster care system. Social inequality definitely stems from many things, but in this case wealth.
Obviously these two kids have completely different lives. But long story short, there are people that have a set of circumstances that are so bad they force people to act out. Sometimes society amplifies this behavior with color inequality, sexual inequality, and gender based inequalities. It is sad to think that some people and some parties are so biased and selfish that they can’t see another person’s reasoning behind what they do. Social inequalities spring from unequal opportunities based on color, race, gender, and wealth. Some people try to fix social inequalities by blaming the poor, or blaming society. But it is really a mixture of both. It starts with each individual person, and if we would all open our eyes and walk in another person’s shoes- realizing their “social norms” and their set of circumstances, we would have much less social inequality in our society today. Walk in their shoes for a minute.
Every one of us was born with the ability to empathize. This makes us capable of imagining other people's circumstances. Because we are social creatures we can see and recognize other's lives. Luckily, not all of us have to have the worst conditions possible, but some do. And we need to empathize and try and make their lives better.
Resources
http://www.trinity.edu/mkearl/strat.html
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-social-inequality-in-sociology-definition-effects-causes.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/08/americans-want-to-live-in-a-much-more-equal-country-they-just-dont-realize-it/260639/
Better Understanding through Empathy
by Hannah Nickelson x
“Don’t judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” We have all heard this phrase but do we ever stop to consider what it means? This phrase is specifically describing a lacking virtue in our community. This word is empathy. The definition of empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Through the virtue of empathy, human beings are able to understand certain situations and behaviors better. Empathy is expressed through our emotions and behaviors towards others. Empathy, however, is very different form sympathy. Sympathy is the acknowledgment of someone else’s suffering and then providing then with comfort and assurance. Empathy is placing yourself into another person’s shoes, empathy allows you to try to understand how you would feel if certain things were done/said to you. Though sympathy is a caring characteristic to have empathy is far more powerful and allows action or prevention to be done.
Empathy can be broken into two components, cognitive and emotional. Both these two components are needed to fully express empathy as a positive and beneficial virtue. Cognitive empathy is the general understating that allows us to identify with others by understanding, or at least keeping an open mind, the actions or behaviors that others make. The emotional component is the emotions that encourage us to react to the feelings of others. Through cognition do we understand it and by emotion do we apply it. This concept contributes to the positive benefits of empathy that our world desires. The positive benefits would include thing like less arguments, more community unity, less judgment, and more help to those in need. Without empathy, disagreements arise, discrimination begins, and social isolation is born.
We are so quick to label and judge others before we allow ourselves the time to understand others for their actions and behaviors. Discrimination can take many forms, stereotyping is one example. This form of discrimination causes an immunization to empathy that society develops. Stereotypes are oversimplified, misleading, exaggerating representations about a group or category of people. They paint lying pictures of something that distorts the facts and causes social discrimination. Stereotypes are often used to support negative biases that clash with humanity and the ability to interact with others. Though humans have the ability to be humane and loving, they unfortunately possess opposite characteristics such as cruelty and hatred. Because of this, many factors play into the isolation of other groups becoming less favorable among society.
Human cruelty is one of the many results that have occurred from the erosion of empathy. Genetics, hormones, cultural background, and even psychosocial development are all possible factors but one factor stands out more than the others do. This factor is that the world’s current generations are having less personal interactions and relying more on social media for communication. Many of the world’s populations or no longer socializing face to face but more from text to text. Empathy is very powerful and effective when one individual sites close to another and listens, cares, and attempts to understand the other person’s feelings. Emotion are lost in translation when done through social media.
Society must find a balance in the world of technology and personal communication. The convenience of technology is attractive, but the value of humanity should outweigh this. There is power found in empathy, conflict is resolved and even avoided, groups are better understood resulting in less social isolation and discrimination .
Resources
http://www.prolificliving.com/how-to-show-empathy/
http://www.chcp.edu/blog/loss-empathy-society-today
Walking in Another Person’s Shoes
By: Rilee x
As we grow older we become more mature, we learn lessons that help us to become better people. One of the greatest lessons we learn is how to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. It is evident that most people do not see things from other people’s point of view. We have an especially hard time placing ourselves in other people’s positions.
You never fully understand a person until you consider things from his or her point of view, until you climb into their skin and walk around in it. Being able to empathize means to be capable of identifying and understanding another person’s feelings, without experiencing them for yourself at that particular moment. It can also mean to view life from their living conditions and to feel what it feels like to be that person. It becomes difficult at times to understand what a person is going through at specific times, if you yourself have no gone through it, or had similar feelings as to what they are having. Once you experience what it is like to be teased about your body, height, finical situation, difficulty in life, your point of view might change drastically and your point of view on how you feel about those who are facing similar situations as you are.
There has been at least one person that has angered you for some reason, when you think about the situation angered emotions may stir up in your mind again. But have you stepped back and tried to recall the situation as unemotional as possible? You think about your standpoint, your argumentation and the reasoning behind your behavior, but you try thinking about those aspects for a short while. Then, you should try and step in the shoes of your counterpart or the one who angered you so much. It is more than difficult at first, but you have to slip in the roll of the person and try to view the whole world from just that person’s perspective. You have to leave your opinions aside and think how that person would. As you can see it is a difficult task to think as another, especially one that angers you to a large extent. But if you start thinking in the way others do, you will have a better understanding of their situation and why they think in such a way.
When we meet a person for the first time, we immediately put them into boxes, without evening meaning to do so. The first impression can have a long lasting effect on what we think about a person, until we really get to know them better. More times than not you do not even mean to, our intuition guide us when forming an opinion about others. It is very important to set aside your biased opinions of others to see things from their point of view. Before you judge someone, you have to ask yourself if you know this person inside and out, or if you know what makes them the person they are today. You should think about if you can relate to them and what it must feel like to be in their position, and if you can, then it is alright to form an opinion about them, without being biased.
If we all exercised some empathy, we would find that people do the best they can from what they have been taught, learned as a child, and lived with. We all are not as lucky as the other, with being given a positive role model, we have even became our own role models. You absolutely have to walk a mile in another person’s shoes to truly understand the meaning of the person and their actions.
Sources
https://breathebooks.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/standing-in-a-persons-shoes-tkamb/
http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/2011/developing-empathy-walk-a-mile-in-someone%E2%80%99s-shoes/
The Grieving Process of Death and Dying
By: Shelby Cassaw x
The average life expectancy in the United States is 78.7 years. The continuing advances in medical technology have altered attitudes toward dying. Dying is no longer an accepted final event of life. As a society, we shy away from death and the idea of termination. There are many different ways individuals cope with death and grief.
There are five stages of normal grief that were first proposed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. All people grief loss differently. Many people do not experience the five stages of grief in order. The first stage of grief is denial and isolation. Denial is a normal reaction to a death or loss. Denial helps individuals pace their feelings of grief. Once someone proceeds through the grieving process the denial begins to fade, and all the feelings they were denying begin to surface.
Anger is a necessary stage of the healing process. The anger may be aimed at inanimate objects, complete strangers or friends and family. Anger usually happens when we feel helpless or powerless. Anger can stem from the feeling of abandonment.
Before a loss, it seems like you would do anything if your loved one would be spared. This stage may be marked by persistent thoughts of “what could have been done” to prevent the loss. Bargaining can begin before the loss occurs or after.
Eventually grief will enter on a deeper level, this stage is depression. In the stages of grief, the depression is not a clinical depression, rather bereavement and mourning. This stage in the grieving process has not set limit for the emotions experienced. The experience of depression is what leads to acceptance, the final stage in the grieving process. This stage is about accepting the reality of the loss.
Through out an individuals life, they can return to some of the earliest stages of grief, such as depression or anger. There are no rules or limits to the grieving process. People often think the stages last weeks or months at a time. The stages of the grieving process can last minutes or house. Everyone’s grieving process will be different and unique in its on.
Healthcare workers may have a different way of perceiving death and grief. Healthcare workers report conflicting feelings of relief and sadness when confronted with the death of their patients, these mixed emotions are often lessened through open dialogue among newly trained and more experienced health workers. For the doctors and nurses, it is not a a question of deciding life and death for an individual, it is a question regarding respectful care or the living and the dying entrusted in the hands of the health care worked.
Most researchers consider the fear of dying as the most prevalent emotion. As Americans, we do not talk much about death and dying or the emotions we experienced in this process. However, in recent years, researcher has led people toward greater awareness in the dying process. Greater awareness in the dying process may improve the experience of the grieving process. Anyone who encounters loss and grief in their lifetime will experience some sort of emotion. Everyone will experience loss in a different and unique way.
Resources:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/740654_9
http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/doc/hc/health_care_4.html
http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/21/death-america-pew-research_n_4312321.html
Walking in another's Shoes
By: Shawn Baker x
People criticize to easily in this world. We judge the book by the cover before getting to know the story. Everyone has different stories. We have all gone through different things in our lives and that is what has shaped us to be the person we are today. Whether anyone likes it or not that is who we are.
It is said that the Native Americans were the first to say “Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.” This shows empathy. Empathy means being able to identify and understand someone else’s feelings, without experience. It becomes difficult to understand what a person is going through if you haven’t gone through it yourself or felt similar. In our lives it is relatively easy to laugh about someone who is not as tall as you or rant about the lazy unemployed people when you have never been unemployed or you have grown up in riches and never spent a day without money.
When we meet a person for the first time, we put them into boxes, subconsciously. First impressions can have a long lasting effect on what we think about a person until we actually get to know them. We judge to easy. Before we judge someone, we need to ask ourselves if we know him or her inside and out and what made them the person that they re today. You need to be able to relate to them and what it must feel like to be them, without being biased.
For example, Kaitlynn was settling into her first few weeks at college and was being proactive at meeting new people. She and a few of her new friends went out for dinner one night and invited a girl who lived nearby to join. Despite Kaitlynn’s friendly invite, the girl abruptly declined, saying, “What wrong with this girl?” After that exchange, Kaitlynn put very little effort into getting to know her. Over time, they did eventually cross paths again, and Shannon later learned that money was a big concern for her. Not knowing that information had unfortunately affected their early relationship.
This goes to show that people also need to realize that if you just met someone don’t be insulted by something they say or do to you. They don’t know you just like you don’t know them. Be polite and explain to them if they do something that hurts you or insults you. Otherwise that could have a great effect on your relationship with them.
Being from a small town can exclude you from many different types of new things. When you are from a small town like I am of only about 2,000 people you miss out on a lot of things. Coming to college in Colby has really opened my eyes to all the different types of people and things in this world. I have kept an open mind and tried to not judge a single person I have met here. We all have different stories and it is not my place to judge.
Resources
http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/2011/developing-empathy-walk-a-mile-in-someone’s-shoes/
http://jpe.sagepub.com/content/21/1/17.abstract
Trevor Smeeton x
Walking in Their Shoes
All our lives, we’ve been taught from right and wrong. Most people would consider judging another person a sin and would say that’s wrong. Trying to understand why something is happening in another person’s life before judging them would be the right thing. Putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes would allow us to better understand what’s actually going on in someone’s life, and even if we don’t fully comprehend the situation, at least we’re not judging them for something that could be completely wrong.
A big stereotype is: that person who’s covered in tattoos has a rough life, isn’t going anywhere in life, has lazy work ethic, and is automatically a pot head. On Tattoos and Statistics, Samantha Baverman mentioned that “one-quarter say that people with tattoos are less intelligent (27%), healthy (25%), or spiritual (25%)” (Vanishingtattoo.com).
Tattoos don’t determine someone’s intelligence, work ethic, life style, and goals in life. You could look as proper and formal as possible, and actually have the worst work ethic, and failed out of school. Tattoos have different meanings, and people could take them offensively, although the person wearing the tattoo probably doesn’t know what they mean. Some people get tattoos just because they think they’re cool, but others do it for sentimental reasons. Judging someone just by the type of tattoo or how many tattoos they have is not allowing you to give the person a chance with a job opportunities or even friendships.
An example, someone’s walking in the mall and they see a person with multiple tattoos on their body. First instinct is to think that they are a bad person, or to think they did not really think through what they are permanently putting on their skin. Say that person’s tattoos meant a lot to them, like their family members died of cancer, and that is their way of keeping that person with them.
Our generation has been brought up to do nothing but judge other people for their lifestyle. Anymore, not very many families raise their kids with good Christian morals, therefore; causing them to fall more against bad decision making. In an article called A New Generation Expresses its Skepticism and Frustration with Christianity, The Barna Group says, “Common negative perceptions include that present-day Christianity is judgmental (87%)” (Barna.com). That percentage basically proves how judgmental our generation is.
In my opinion, everyone should be treated equal. Just because someone has a tattoo or multiple tattoos, doesn’t mean they’re a bad person. I’ve learned to never judge something by their looks. It’s just like the saying, “never judge a book by its cover.” The book could actually be really good, even though the cover does not look interesting at all. Always keep in mind what someone is feeling, and don’t automatically think that they have a bad life or bad intentions. I know plenty of people who just really like tattoos and like that kind of style, but have major goals and plans in life.
*Sources*
Baverman, S. (n.d.). Tattoo Facts and Statistics. Web. September 2015.
“A New Generation Expresses It’s Skepticism and Frustration with Christianity.” Www.barna.org. Web. September 16, 2015.
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Sex and Gender
by John Peden x
Sex and gender are two completely different things, sex is male and female and gender is feminine and masculine. Sex is refers to biological differences; chromosomes, hormonal profiles, internal and external sex organs. Gender describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine. While your sex as male or female is a biological fact that is the same in any culture, what that mean in terms of your gender as a man or a woman in society will and could very easily be quite different than cross culturally. These are called gender roles and have an impact on the health of the individual. In some sociological terms, there are some things referred as characteristics and behaviors that act different in different cultures to the different sexes. Man is a male sex plus masculine social role; a woman is female sex plus feminine social role. Sex in some instances refers to a people’s biological status and usually is typically categorized as male, female or intersex. An intersex is a typical combination of features that will distinguish male from female. A number of indicators of biological sex, while these don’t include all of the indicators they do include, sex chromosones, gonads, interal reproductive organs and external genitalia.
In todays society homophobia is all around if a person looks around in any town, homophobia is the fear, hatred, disgust, mistreatment or intolerance of the same sex being in a relationship, a typical gender behavior. Homophobia refers to the many ways in which people are oppressed on the basis of sexual orientation. Sometimes homophobia is intentional, where there is a clear intent to hurt lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Homophobia can also be unintentional, where there is no desire to hurt anyone, but where people are unaware of the consequences of their actions. There are four distinct but interrelated types of homophobia: personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural. Institutional and cultural homophobia is often referred to as heterosexism. Also there is personal homophobia, which is a prejudice, It is the personal belief that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are sinful, immoral, sick, inferior to heterosexuals, or incomplete women and men. Prejudice towards any group is learned behavior; people have to be taught to be prejudiced. Personal homophobia is sometimes experienced as the fear of being perceived as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. This fear can lead to trying to “prove” one’s heterosexuality. Anyone, regardless of his or her sexual orientation, which also can experience personal homophobia. When this happens with lesbians, gay, and bisexual people, it is sometimes called internalized homophobia.
Homosexuality is related to the Gender Identity and is almost always attracted to axes in this illustration. If you are attracted to people that are the same gender as your gender identity, you're homosexual. Transgender is related to what is called the biological sex and is sometimes called gender identity axes. If they identify as a gender opposite to the one designated as your biological sex, they are transgender. As anyone can see, this will usually mean that the two are not necessarily associated with each other. It's possible to be homosexual while not being transgender, and it's possible to be transgender without being homosexual, or a person can be both, or neither. This also shows that the nature of gender is actually quite a bit more complicated than a guy or girl might think. All in all, the modern day homophobia everywhere around the country is very high and anyone who is either gay or lesbian will be judged by most societies.
*Sources*
https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/transgender.pdf
http://www.med.monash.edu.au/gendermed/sexandgender.html
Walking in Their Shoes
Taylor Thomas x
At some point in their life, everyone has heard the phrase, “don’t judge someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes”. The trouble with that phrase is that you never really can. You can never really understand a person fully, until you try and look at things from their perspective. Unfortunately this is something society lacks to this present day and is something what one would call, empathy.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of one another. People tend to desire compassion but do not actually take the time to understand it from other peoples point of view. This is what makes it so easy to judge another person at first site. The benefits of empathy are huge. It is basically a great way to motivate people in every aspect of life, personal and business as well as increasing kindness in the world. It takes a little action to make a huge difference. Dr. Joseph Shrand, an instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, makes his own observation in quote, “When is the last time you got angry at a person who was treating you with respect? You don’t”.
One particular thing that clearly sticks out is that we are quick to judge others because of their “norms” and how they are different than ours. Their culture may have a different race, religion, education and traditions as well, that we may not be used too. Different cultures simply do things differently. That is just how the world functions. No one actually knows what another person is going through and we should not be so quick to socially assault them.
When we meet a person for the first time, we immediately pass judgement. First impressions have a huge effect on whether or not you want to get to truly know the person. People always say first impressions can tell you a lot about a person but before we can really do that, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves what it really feels like to be them, and what made them the person they are today. Then we can truly understand how and what they feel from their perspective just through a friendly conversation.
The fact of the matter is that every human is a deep mystery. In all honesty we can never truly know someone to the absolute fullest, no matter how long we’ve known them or have socialized with them. Their shoes will never fit ours personally. Instead of stepping in an others shoes, we should try just taking our shoes off all together. Walk a portion of the trail of life together and learn. One cannot understand each and every human being completely. Everyone has their own personal stories and all we can do is just enjoy life as it is, with one other.
*Sources*
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-main-ingredient/201009/empathy-empty?collection=156032
http://samuelmahaffy.com/2014/05/mythology-walking-anothers-shoes/
Gender Identity
Brook Bahe x
Gender identity is a person's sense of identification with either the male or female sex, as manifested in appearance, behavior, and other aspects of a person's life. Gender identity appears by the age of two or three usually and is influenced by both biological and sociological factors added at puberty. Aside from sex differences, other biological contrasts between males and females are already visible at childhood. Girls usually mature faster than boys do, are physically healthier, and are more advanced in developing speaking and written skills. Boys are generally more advanced at picturing and working objects. They are usually more aggressive and more physically active. Gender identification is often associated with the choice and use of toys in the infant age group. Sex differences in toy playing have been found in children as young as one year old. By age two, children begin to choose their types of toys based on gender. By age two, the reaction of boys is more aggressive. Most two year olds know whether they are boys or girls and can identify adults as males or females. Also at age three, children begin to use gender labels and stereotypes. Even in the twenty-first century most young children develop stereotypes about gender roles, and associating nurses, teachers, and secretaries as females and police officers, firefighters, construction workers, etc… as males.
Preschoolers develop a sense of self-awareness about their bodies and gender differences. As children become more aware of gender differences, preschoolers often develop greater feelings of vulnerability and anxiety regarding their bodies. By the age of six years, children are spending about 11 times as much time with members of their own sex as with children of the opposite sex. This pattern begins to change as the child nears puberty. By teenage years, most children have an idea of sexual orientation of heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. They have also established their style of behavior and sexual identity. Most children follow a pretty predictable pattern in the gaining of gender identity, some develop a gender identity with their biological sex, a condition known as gender confusion, or gender identity confusion which affects about one in 20,000 males and 1 in 50,000 females. Children with gender identity disorder usually feel from their earliest years that they are trapped in the wrong body and begin to show signs of gender confusion between the ages of two and four. They prefer playmates of the opposite sex at an age when most children prefer to spend time in the company of peers of the same sex. They also show a liking for the clothing and typical activities of the opposite sex. Girls with gender identity disorder are bored by ordinary female pastimes and prefer the more aggressive types of play typically associated with boys, such as contact sports. Both male and female transsexuals believe and repeatedly insist that they actually are or will grow up to be, members of the opposite sex. Girls cut their hair short, wear boys' clothing, and have negative feelings about maturing physically as they near adolescence.
In childhood, girls with gender identity disorder experience less overall social rejection than boys, as it is more socially acceptable for a girl to be a tomboy than for a boy to be known as feminine. About five times more boys are referred to therapists for this condition than girls. Teenagers with gender identity disorder suffer social isolation and are vulnerable to depression and suicide. They have difficulty developing peer relationships with members of their own sex as well as romantic relationships with the opposite sex. They may also become alienated from their parents due to their sexual preferences
Resources:
http://www.healthofchildren.com/G-H/Gender-Identity.html
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/917990-overview
The Family as a Social Institution
Kolby Bonato x
The family institution is key to a successful society. The definition of family is a group of children and parents living in a household. The family is where children learn who they are and how to socialize. The family is where parents learn how to be responsible and provide for children. So the family is a learning center for all of the members, not just the children. From birth on, a child learns the basis of socializing from the parents. The family is the first organizational structure that humans have. We aren’t born with friends, and we aren’t born with a job, but we are born with a family.
Each role in a family is important. The mother, the father, and the children. Without these roles the family becomes broken, or by definition not a family at all. There are many debates on if the broken family causes problems or not, but evidence shows that it does. Sadly, almost half of American families experience poverty following a divorce, and 75 percent of all women who apply for Welfare benefits do so because of a disrupted marriage or a disrupted relationship in which they live with a male outside of marriage.
Having children outside of the bonds of marriage is a huge risk. The juvenile delinquency rate is higher with children born to a single mother, or taken care of by a single father. The beginning stages of a person’s life are influenced by the mother and the father, and the incomes of both. When one of them is missing, money becomes an issue, as well as other social factors.
It is crazy how much a good family can determine the success of a person’s life. Money is a big part of it, but it’s much easier to have a family with less money, than to have money with no family at all. The family is somewhere we should always be able to turn to for help. It is a person’s main support system, and it supports the web of social institutions that power the world.
The family isn’t only important in our personal lives. Without the family, other social institutions wouldn’t exist. Procreation is necessary for a growing, living society. The values that come from the family are influential in the work force, politics, religion, and others institutions also.
It is important that people know how important the family is for society. Not only is it important for children, but it powers the globe with new minds, fresh bodies, and able workers. The value of family can change people’s lives, and teach them how to be great citizens. If all of the criminals would have had great families, most of them wouldn’t have acted out to begin with because the family gives us our identity.
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/family-as-social-institution
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/1999/06/broken-families-rob-children-of-their-chances-for-future-prosperity
**Religion in U.S. Prisons
By: Olivia Wetter** x
Religion has been a prominent aspect of our society for centuries, however, we don’t typically associate it with prison. In America’s prison system, religion has made an appearance in a variety of ways. We see a range of denominations within religions like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.These organizations hold concrete beliefs, which provide reassurance and hope to incarcerated men and women.
Upon entering prison, prisoners usually don’t identify as religious. If they are particularly religious upon their entrance, it is most likely due to past practices, yet this is usually not the case. A combination of social and material deprivations, as well as a new negative cultural environment prompt individuals to exercise their religious freedoms. According to a study by The National Council on Crime and Delinquency, individuals look to religion to provide three key elements, the first being safety. Many find prison threatening and dangerous. To counteract this feeling, prisoners may find themselves developing spirituality. Religion provides security and protection within the confines of that group. Secondly, religious programs provide material comforts. The NCCD found that those who participated faithfully in religious activities gained exclusive amenities, such as, extra phone calls or extra postage for letters at the expense of the chaplain. In addition, religious services enable inmates to leave the confines of their cell or dorm, and are usually followed by a gathering where refreshments are served. Finally, the NCCD reports that religious participation provides contact with outsiders. Prisoners desire interaction with other human beings. This is especially evident when secluded male prisoners encounter women. Inmates who are able to connect with women are, in a sense, able to break down the barriers of prison. These three needs are very justifiable reasons for turning toward religion, but they lack the sincerity that is usually seen in true spiritual individuals.
Additionally, prison creates an environment where individuals look to religion for assurance and to cope with the loss of freedom they experience. Prison maintains a very oppressive nature and for some, religion serves as a way to escape. Their new environment allows for deep introspection, and as a result, prisoners may be overcome with a deep sense of guilt and hopelessness. Understanding of their predicament begins to settle in. Religion can be used as a way to cope with this feeling; they can draw strength from their faith. Now, some prisoners may not express their faith in a traditional manner. They may find it more beneficial to use practices like meditation.
Death row creates a completely different prison atmosphere. Abundant time promotes a feeling of isolation which may lead prisoners to dwell on the crime they committed. Unlike regular prisoners, prisoners on death row have to learn to accept that their life is in someone else’s hands. They dread each day, not knowing when they will be informed of their execution. In some cases, this situation leads them to denounce religion altogether. Other times, it drives inmates toward religion. Being near the notion of death, can inspire people to learn more about different religions, since religions usually specify some type of afterlife. Despite their former actions, death row inmates are just as capable of taking on spirituality as anyone else.
Religion, a dominant component of culture, has infiltrated America’s prison system, another prominent sect of our society. These two entities have combined, and, subsequently, provided hope in a hopeless place.
References
http://www.nccdglobal.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdf/religion-and-prisoners.pdf
http://www.texasobserver.org/death-row-inmates-religion/
The Importance of Social Institutions
Dan Carseldine x
A social institution is a building block for society. Society could not possibly run without them. Government, religion, education, the family, and jobs are all examples of social institutions. Sociologists refer social institutions to “spokes” on the bicycle, which stands for our society. It is important that these spokes stay unbroken so that society may keep “cycling”.
There are many theories by sociologists about social institutions. Marx’s theory explains social institutions as determined by their society’s mode of production, and serving to maintain the power of the dominant class. This theory gives social institutions a negative feel, only to serve the dominant class. Another theory about social institutions is Weber’s. He thinks that social institutions are interdependent but no single institution determines the rest, and he thinks that the causes and consequences of social institutions cannot be assumed in advance. Weber’s theory differs from Marx’s in that Marx referred to social institutions as a choice of the dominant minority of society, and Weber thinks that they are more inevitable for society to function as a whole. Durkheim’s theory differs from both of these others. He states that social institutions set the stage for later functionalist analysis by concluding that religion promotes social solidarity and collective conscience. His theory is completely different, as he amplifies the religious part of social institutions as the connection of all other institutions. Each theorist brings new light on the subject, and each of the theories seem likely.
Society has renamed these theories. The Functionalist Theory, the Conflict theory, and Symbolic Interactionism. The Functionalist theory, earlier known as “Marx’s Theory”, States that social institutions are essential for a structured society and its potential growth. The Conflict Theory, earlier known as “Weber’s Theory”, states that social institutions tend to reinforce inequalities and uphold the power of dominant groups. And Social Interactionism, earlier known as “Durkheim’s Theory”, focuses on interactions and other symbolic communications within social institutions.
Each social institution is important to society, but each is acknowledged differently under each theory. The family is an important building block or spoke for society. The family offers social support for an individual, the family promotes reproduction for the working class, and the family socializes children. Another important spoke for society is the government, which controls the humans within their social institution. Education and religion are foundations of morals, logic, and self-identity, and are therefore very important social institutions which help our society. Economic institutions, which are jobs and careers, offer people the finances to be able to live. It also offers needs of other social institutions.
As we can see, every social institution is crucial. As a society we could not function correctly without them. Some believe they are necessary, and some believe they are only for dominant power, but either way each society would fail without the social institutions which keep it going.
Resources
http://sparkcharts.sparknotes.com/gensci/sociology/section9.php
http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/Social-Institutions.php
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/social-institutions-examples.html
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Miranda Geist x
Social Institutions
Where would we be without organization in our society? Imagine a world where there is no religion, education, government, or even family units. We would be creatures with no purpose or identity, and as social creatures we thrive for an identity and a purpose. This is why we have social institutions. Social institutions are defined as a system of behavioral and relationship patterns that are densely interwoven and enduring, and function across an entire society. They order and structure the behavior of individuals by means of their normative character. There are different types of social institutions. Economic, political, family, educational, religious, medical, and welfare are all types of social institutions.
Economic institutions deal with the distribution of goods and services. It also makes profit doing so. Society depends greatly on economic institutions for getting the things they need to sustain them, and also to make money by supplying others.
Political institutions deal with the allocation of public social goals and values. The government makes rules, deciphers them, and executes them. Without some kind of a constitution of what is right and what isn’t, society could not possible come together and function properly.
Family institutions deal with procreation, and providing and raising children. Without the family institution there wouldn’t be any of the other social institutions. The family is where we first learn the social aspects of life. It is where we learn certain culture, morals, and norms.
Education Institutions deal with the preparation for productive and knowledgeable citizens. The education system fuels our economy, because without an education a person cannot become effective in the work force. A functioning society desperately needs educated citizens so that we have a clue of what we are doing.
Religious Institutions deal with personal meaning and understanding of ultimate concerns. Even if a person isn’t classified as “religious”, they still have concerns and ideas to work through them. We all have rules to live by, and we all think about our purpose. Religion gives people a purpose, and that’s why it is also an important social institution.
Medical Institutions deal with health and healing. The importance of this institution is obvious. No human body is perfect, and medical institutions are necessary to keep immune to dangerous plagues and illnesses. Without medical attention we wouldn’t live long enough for any of the other social institutions to be important.
Social welfare institutions help other attain a higher quality of life. The welfare system is necessary for those that come short of any of the other social institutions. The welfare system is a safety net in case someone comes short in their educational, family, religious, medical, or economic situations.
As we can see, each institution is interconnected with all of the others. Our society is remarkable because we are social at all of these levels, and they all involve each other. These institutions have evolved over time, and they will continue to do so in order for our lives to become easier.
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=define%20social%20institution
http://www.uic.edu/classes/socw/socw550/INTSWEL/tsld032.htm
Are We Sheep?
Skyler Carter 9/16/15 x
Why are people called sheep? In my opinion it is very easy to answer. People are called sheep because like sheep, they are easily controlled and follow the leader especially in todays society. We all try so hard to fit in and be part of the group that we don’t see whats really going on. Prime examples of following leaders are cults. People join cults because they don’t fit in or feel lost in their lives, or need an identity or friendship so they find a group that “accepts” them. Most aren’t even harmful, they are “social groups”. They can be anywhere from the Masons, or the Christian Churches, clear to the Manson Family cult in the 70’s. Cult leaders can lure people in with the promise of a strong family, friendship, or enlightenment. Often times they will tell you how you should view the world and society explaining that the group is right and everyone else is wrong. This is a quote from the article I slaughtered people for Charles Manson because I wanted to be loved and feel safe from the website The Mirror about Patricia Krenwinkel, one of the family members of the Manson Clan.
“The thing I try to remember sometimes is that what I am today is not what I was at 19,” she says on film.
“I had never felt like I had fitted in. I never had that sense of belonging.
“I dropped out of college and I went to live with my sister. I was starting to drink and using marijuana and whatever my sister had around.
“I never ever developed a sense of who I was and where I was going and what I wanted to do.”
Doesn’t that sound like many people in society? They want so desperately to fit in, have friends, and be a part of something that they are blind to what is going on or what they are doing.
Another example of control is through the media. Today, we can see everything that goes on by checking our phones or watching television. We have no need to read a piece of paper because its all on the internet or the news. We are addicted to social media, we wake up first thing in the morning and have to check our phones to see who posted what on Facebook or whats trending on Twitter. But, how much of what we see is true? Someone may not say it, but they most likely believe whatever they see online or on television. The media puts certain things out there, whether it’s a commercial that catches your eye, a political campaign or party, or seeing some sort of violence on the news that is basically all that happens according to the news broadcasters. And, typically we believe what we see, which makes us think, vote, or buy a certain way. With that being said, that shows you how influenced we are. We wear clothes we see and like, or that certain people wear, we talk about politics with our friends and have debates of our own because of what we see on media, or how ISIS has slaughtered another group of people or made another threat. But, knowing this, you have to know how much of what you see is true and how to filter through whats true and whats a load of garbage. Well, you might have to open your eyes and read up on other information. To know the truth, read different sides of the story and come up with your own answer. Don’t be controlled or lead around by a leader like the mainstream media, or don’t be a “sheep”.
Sources
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sideways-view/201402/why-do-people-join-cults
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/slaughtered-people-charles-manson-because-4022482
https://orderoftruth.wordpress.com/articles/media-control/
Josiah Seaton x
When we are asked, are we sheep? It could have several meanings but I think the definition of it is to be controlled. You could be controlled by several things or beings in this society and I have decided to take the prospective of technology controlling the youth. Intelligent but automated are two words that I think best describe today’s society. Today we live in a technology run world. We as a society love our gadgets and toys in this day and age, have we become too obsessed with technology. Has technology become essential to everyday living? Is technology ruining our teenager society by turning them into zombies or is it actually helping them make society a better place to live in?
There has been more than a handful of arguments between people who say it is rotting the brains of teens and people who say it is helping them with life. It has seemed to trace back to the parents fault in many situations. In the beginning of kids life’s parents would use technology as a glorified babysitter and now it has come back in their faces. As those kids grew older they became lazier and less social because they didn’t need other human interaction to be entertained. What I have noticed is society has changed from this in many ways for example, teens don’t meet people in person they meet each other online, they use technology to make friends and is this becoming a problem for future generations as they grow older.
Although it seems that parents have a key aspect in the usage of teens using so much technology, there are many factors to look at besides them. Another social group you could technically look at would be schools, although teens using technology in schools is for the most part a good thing it does have its down falls. Kayla gersten from the ohr Chadash staff states “Computers continue to change the world every day, opening countless opportunities for teens. They hold an immense amount of information; anything teens want to know is right at their fingertips.” This is one of the main reasons school decided to use technology in nearly every class. Computers are way faster than having to look up information in books, time is valuable to them and they want to be able to teach kids as much as they can in so little time.
Mentally weak and easily persuaded, peer pressure can be the most powerful thing in a society. Before kids hit the teenage stage of their lives they are care free kids who do whatever they want without thinking what others think of them. After that age they hit a peer pressure controlled world and they are in that stage most of their lives. Jen Johnson states that “Peers can influence their friends to do absolutely anything. That is why the majority of teenagers base their decisions on their friends' actions.” Teens can influence other teens to do anything and they don’t have to do it on purpose. When it comes to technology one teen could watch their favorite TV show and go on the next day and tell their friends it was the best show ever, driving her friends to watch the same show. Kids will get others to watch TV shows, play certain video games, get the latest iPhone the list goes on forever and it is a never ending cycle.
Resources:
http://edge.org/annual-question/how-is-the-internet-changing-the-way-you-think
http://text.teachingmatters.org/node/8625
How Are We Sheep?
Nick Priola x
Calling ourselves sheep legitimately sounds weird. The first time I heard this comparison I didn’t understand it. We don’t look, smell, or sound like sheep… so why would sociologists make this comparison? When I thought about it more deeply it started to make much more sense. And then I realized it’s not just sheep that we are being compared to, it is all of the social creatures among us.
On our planet there are many kinds of animals that socially interact with one another. Gorillas, lions, sheep, wolves, whales, and more all have social connections that allow them to depend on each other. I think that sociologists compare us to sheep more because they seem to “follow” the most. Even if it’s not a good idea, we as humans follow each other and make decisions based upon who we follow. Things that illustrate this idea better are things like peer pressure. Even though we know it’s a bad idea, we do it because of our social identity. We want to protect it, and gives ourselves a name. Just as sheep follow each other to protect themselves of the physical dangers around them, we follow each other to protect ourselves socially.
It is cool to look at what we have done as a society to prove we are socially connected. One thing that stands out to me is our educational system. We organize ourselves so much that we split into grades, and then into classes to learn specific math, language, science, and other knowledge. It is remarkable to think about the first alphabet, and how it has evolved since then. We use our language system to interact with each other, and be social. If it wasn’t for language we wouldn’t be able to do anything without mass confusion.
Another thing that proves our sociality is our whole idea of careers. Everybody specializes in a certain field that can help other people meet their needs. Teachers, butchers, cooks, farmers, bankers, police officers, firefighters, and many more careers help society flow. Just like sheep, we follow each other and learn from each other. We protect ourselves and each other physically and socially. We have leaders and followers, and that is why we are sheep.
http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2009/05/21/more-human-than-human-natures-most-social-animals/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creatures-habit/201003/we-are-social-creatures-the-power-others-support-our-habits
Ethan Masterson x
Sheeple
Humans are naturally born for the socialization of other people. When we are born babies already crave for social contact. As we mature everyone thrives to be around others in one way or another. And yet there are extents to everyone's needs, wants, and desires in this world. Take school for example, once a child enters the school system they immediately start to become sheeple.
Being humans, the social creatures we are need other human beings in our lives. Without any other human activity humans could not get along and act like we should. By simply watching television one can learn different ways on how to act, dress, and react in situations. Television gives ordinary people guidance through life. But what was it like back before there was even television?
I feel like living in a time before television would definitely be harder and more difficult but I also think that it would be easier. Because back then people had different ways to interact and test their brain. They had better common sense and simply weren’t as many sheeple as there are today. Were there sheeple back then? Oh I’m certain that there were, but just not near as many.
Why is the human race born to naturally mature into sheeple? Is our race just naturally doomed from the start? Is there absolutely no hope for us? I’ve often wandered if our society as a whole needs a little regression instead of progression. I mean this way of living can only continue to carry on for so long. There must be a peak that gets reached before it all comes tumbling down. Will the sheeple wake up and realize this or will they simply continue on this pace?
Refrences
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/26037/
Are we sheep or are we not sheep
Alec Hager x
People basically act like sheep in some ways they follow each other and some act like each other. An example is if one of your friends join a sport or a group event at a school the rest are going to want to follow what the other person is doing. In my opinion because i work around sheep on my grandpas farm sheep are really smart in some ways. Reasons they are smart they listen and know when feeding time is and they are always there. For example if one sheep goes they all are going to follow that one sheep into the pen. People are kinda like sheep because if one person goes more than likely another person is going to follow in their footsteps. High school is a perfect way to explain how this works. In my high school there was the farm kids, city kids. All the farm kids were always the kids that hang out in the ag shop in the mornings or during the activity period. Those same kids tend to follow one another around on the weekends because they are similar and like to do what all country kids like to do. If one kid put a cb radio in his truck so did all the rest of the country kids because that's what was the cool thing back then and still is to this period. And if one wanted to drive around they would get a hold of one another and meet at spot that they always meet at. As for the city kids they all dressed the same and are never wanting to get dirty because there cloths cost to much.
The city kids were the ones that never left their homes because video games have took over the world and that's all that mattered to them. Not docting on anyone about how to live but that's how kids are these days and it won't change. As a young one I always followed my dad around till i was about three and my parents got a divorce and I never really seen my dad that much besides when he came and watched me at sports. I didn't go my own way because i was young and didn't know what to do as a youngster. So I followed my step dad around for awhile till i started high school and my best friend Troy became my buddy and showed me how to hunt, trap and fish and that's all i did with him. So i can say i just needed a role model and troy was up for the job. You hear people talking about boys and girls acting like there parents. You can say that i never was that way because i always grew up around Troy and i did what he did and talked like he did.
The question is are we like sheep? Yes we are like sheep, and some ways were not. Personally the way I was raised and looked up to my buddy you could say I’m a sheep. There are somethings I decide my own way. To be honest it really doesn't matter what people do in life. In the end just go out and be yourself and don't listen to anyone just live life and have fun with it.
Be a sheep because sheep are cute.
We Are Sheep
Kaxandra Naranjo x
Humans and sheep look nothing alike, but it is true that the behavior between the two is very similar. Christians are taught that we are sheep, as it is said in the bible numerous times. It states that we are God’s sheep, following him, and he is our shepherd. The symbolism behind this religious parable is definitely accurate. Sheep follow. In fact, one of the very first things they learn when they are born is to follow their mothers and the older sheep in the herd. Sheep 101 states that when one sheep moves, the rest will follow, even if it is not a good idea. The flocking and following instinct of sheep is so strong that it caused the death of 400 sheep in 2006 in eastern Turkey. The sheep plunged to their death after one of the sheep tried to cross a 15-meter deep ravine, and the rest of the flock followed. Obviously a sheep’s powerful instinct to follow gets them into trouble sometimes. We can make fun of them all we want, but humans are just alike.
Just like these sheep, we are born with the instinct to follow. We learn from our mothers and fathers because we depend on them. We follow our families, our traditions, our government, our peers, our religious beliefs, and other social institutions. An example of a bad decision to follow is when we decide to follow our peers into an illegal act. Peer pressure is hard to resist because we follow by instinct. We know that we depend on their friendship, and we don’t want to lose that.
Dependency is a powerful concept. If we didn’t depend on others then we most likely wouldn’t follow and learn from them. A herd of sheep depends greatly on each other for protection. The only protection from danger for a sheep is grouping together. As humans we protect each other in our family and friends. We group up to make our life easier, and to become a bigger, less targetable mass. It is our comfort zone.
Because sheep are a social animal, they always keep other sheep in their sights. They know that if they lose sight of their friends they can get lost or find themselves in danger. As humans, we socialize for our benefit. We always have connections to keep us safe. For example, we know who to call when we get sick, or if we, ourselves, are in danger. Social institutions make it possible to gain what we need when we need it.
Besides following and depending on others, we have natural born leaders in society. Some people step up and take initiative to make sure their “herd” meets a specific goal. Just like sheep have leaders in their herd, we have leaders in our society. Sheep designate leaders based on age and size, which again proves they are a social creature. Even though we designate leaders based on more things than just age and size, the concept is the same.
We are sheep. We learn behaviors that allow us to follow, socialize, depend, and lead. We are interconnected with our family and friends just as sheep are interconnected with the rest of their herd. We depend on them to help and protect us. Just as sheep are, we are social followers and leaders in our society.
Resources
http://www.sheep101.info/201/behavior.html
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Humans-Really-Behave-Like-Sheep-in-a-Herd-78913.shtml
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/behavior/normal_social_behavior_and_behavioral_problems_of_domestic_animals/social_behavior_of_sheep.html
Humans as Social Creatures
Larame Boyle x
In this essay I'm going to be talking about (Humans as Social Creatures). The ways we are social creatures are ways like us being around other humans or kinds of living objects. Another is like with most teenagers or even adults is needing to be on or having a cell phone. The feeling like they need to see what is going on in others peoples lives and just having interaction with them.
From the very beginning we were taught to be social and to communicate and intact with the world and be social. We were taught to ask someone what was wrong or talk to them about anything. Than as we get older we are allowed to get on the internet and are allowed to communicate with others.
Garret Otter x
Are We or Are We Not Sheep
So people basically act like sheep in a way because they follow each other. For example, if a student joins a group at school they are going to follow what those people are doing. My personal opinon about sheep is that I hate them. Reasons because they are stupid and they don’t listen. Funny thing is that people do the same thing. If one of the sheep goes they all go to the same place, humans also do that. Groups will be the way I’m going to explain how people are like sheep. The groups I will be explain are the groups of kids that were at my high school.
At schools there are so many groups ,but at my old school there was only a few main groups. The list goes like popular/athlete, loser , and country. But that doesn’t matter because were just going explain how they follow each other. So starting with the popular group, if the older kids show the younger kids what they do. Younger kids are going to look and see that and think I better do that also. Why? To be honest I really don’t know why because I’m not some professor that studies this crap. What I can do is, just anayalze and realize that people just follow other people. Like at the school if a kid walks a certain path out to recess we all would just follow him. Its like why don’t we all just walk our on path. To be honest with you its like our brains are wired to do that. If a popular kid says lets go drive around meet at a certain time. Most of the time the other kids would show up on that time. So what stops us from not making our on time why show up when the other kid said so. Now if a kid really doesn’t know anybody they usually end up following the loser crowd. I don’t really know why that is but what I figured is that all the other loser kids ended up that way. Im not trying to be mean but that’s how humans are they just follow what others are doing. Its like if a friend buys a new video game you have to go buy it but in all actually you don’t really need it.
Let’s talk about how your parents can be like the lead sheep. When your young you follow your parents because that’s what your suppose to do. I always looked up to mother on how to act and to respect others. Myself I didn’t know my father so my mothers brother was my biggest influence. So you can say I act and say what my uncle does. Its actually quite funny my grandma always calls me by my uncles name. The reason is because I act like him and basically follow his footsteps. So why didn’t I go my own way, well simply I needed a role model and my uncle was up for the job. You always here that saying that boy or girl acts just like their parent. In some other cases there are kids that look and act like they don’t belong with that family. Its because they went their own way.
So the question is are we like sheep. In some ways we are like sheep, and some were not. Personally the way I was raised and looked up to, you could say I’m a sheep. Also there are somethings I decide on my own and go my own way. Its safe to say to many people follow other people. To be honest does it really matter what people do , no it does not. In the end its quite funny to look and see what people do.
Resources:
https://www.essaysforstudent.com/essays/The-Great-Sheep-Debate/7294.html
http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=1029
http://www.senseimarketing.com/Portals/0/images/sheep%20cliff.png
Travis Cressler x
Are we or are we not sheep?
There is a debate about if people are or are not sheep? Coming from living in a small school, I know that people have there groups of people they hang out with. In my class of 54 students, there was a couple of different groups among my class. There was the athletes, the popular girls, the farm kids, and the slackers. During school and outside of school, you would see the students hanging with their groups. I was an athlete in my class, but I was also a farm kid that had other activities for other clubs. However, I had my own opinion, I did what I wanted to do, and I made my own path.
Every day I would see students asking others in their group what they thought about it so that they could have the same opinion. “When we're in a group, we tend to think as that group does: we may even have joined the group to find "like-minded" people. But we also find our thinking changing because we belong to a group. It is the hardest thing in the world to maintain an individual dissident opinion, as a member of a group.” Most of those students were freshman because they wanted to fit into a group and not look stupid for have a bad opinion. Being in a group like being an athlete does not mean that you have to have the same opinion. After the football game on a friday, the guys would go out and party but I would go home to rest because I did not like to go and party. I had my different opinion than the rest of my football teammates because I wanted to be rested up in time for when monday came around to start practice to put in the hard work to beat another football team.
People and students would do as other people wanted them to do so that they could fit into a group. “When they follow the flock, they are not so much copying each other as acting on their own out of a sense of survival.” Students will forget about what they want to do and do what other people want so that they can fit into a group. Well, I am not one of those people that does what other people want. I do what I want to do because I am focused and determined to accomplish the goals that set out to meet. Most people care about other people's goals but they should really be trying to finishing any of their goals in life.
Many adults and kids in the world follow someone down a path because they do not want to make there own path in life. They think it will be easier if they follow somebody because they will not have to do the hard work that it takes. I on the other hand am not afraid of hard work to make my own path in life. Making my own path in life may make it hard on me but it will be worth it later when people are following my path in life. The people who usually make their own path in life are most of the tim
]]e the most successful because they made it for them so they know that path the best.
Some people are sheep but others are not because they lead instead of following the flock. However, sometimes it will take following a person to know how to do something the right way so that when you do go on your own, you can do it successful. Following people is not a bad thing but there comes a time in everybody's life when they need to go on there own and see what they can accomplish.
Resources:
http://loh.loswego.k12.or.us/mcnealm/Senior%20English/Group%20Minds.pdf
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2177762/Breaking-away-flock-Sheep-behave-like-sheep-researchers-reveal.html
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