Sociology: What I've learned

I am going to have to say that this was one of my favorite classes of this semester. The discussions, the readings, the videos, they were all thought provoking. I understood so much more after watching the assigned videos, especially “People like us”.

            The first video, which was about the Stanford Experiment, was definitely an eye opener. It was the first experiment of sociology that I saw, and to see how it actually impacted the lives of the young men to almost forget who they were, completely threw me off. From then on, I just wanted to read more. How can Sociology be so important in our lives, but we know absolutely nothing of it unless we go to a class to find it out?

            Then we were assigned to watch the Milgram Experiment. That was like a bucket of cold water dumped over my head. To see how far people would go to obey authority or someone who was in position of power, and to realize that there are many people who abuse this and use this advantage to get what they want. It is just like I said in my blog, people can convince themselves that in certain circumstances, violence is justifiable for the sake of “science” or some “good”.

            I could go on and on about how accurate the video of “Killing us Softly” is. Then the video of “People like Us” was the most entertaining. My mom watched it with me and she was just enthralled with it.

            I really liked that we had to do blog assignments instead of essays. It was such a different way of learning that was easy to do and stimulating at the same time. When Professors assign essays, you are forced to just write what the professor wants. If it is not long enough then you just end up writing nonsense. With the Blogs, you could write your thoughts out, and it never mattered how long or short it was, as long as you understood what you were writing about. After taking this class, I now understand more of how people and society is and why they (we) are like that. Before starting this class, I thought it was going to be a waste of time. Now I think otherwise. Sociology is something that everyone should learn about, even if you don’t go to college (and if you do, take Prof. Applewhite’s class, his is the best!).

Media Magic

After reading this essay and watching the video, I realized why many americans are confused about social class. The media tells us so many stories about poverty and wealth. On one side, media shows the poor as an annoyance. Drug addicts, gang members, theives, normally dipicted by latinos and blacks, are the usual faces of poverty.
     Then, as we watch the news, or read the papers, we individualize ourselves away from that and think that because we do not live that lifestyle or do not commit those acts in the news, then we are suddenly better then them, or "classier". But, on the other side, the media tries to portray a sense of "togetherness" and equality. News papers, magazines, television, etc., all focus attention on the fewer problems of the high-middle and upper classes. For example, the stock market. Not very many people own stock, and yet it is always on the daily news. Magazines and TVs advertize thousand dollar dresses as if everyone watching can afford it.
      The media presses everyone to think that the concerns and problems of the privileged are also the concerns of everyone else. Many people need to realize that there really is a separation of class, no matter how hard they or the media try to hide it. As the article states, the rich and the poor, even the middle class, do not have the same worries or customs.
      The video "People like us" proves this. Every social class even has its own set of rules. Even If you have acquired wealth, that will not "buy you automatic entry into high society". The media blurs everything together, making it hard for many Americans to see the difference or even notice that everything really is separated into social class. 

Socialization

Advertisements are one of the most influential things in everyday life. Watching the video of "Killing Us Softly" reminded me of how affected girls are with this. Everyday we are bombarded with images on how we should look, act, and dress. Girls and women are pushed to look like models to be socially accepted. Girls are bullied and made to feel ugly when they are size 10 and up or when they are not the "perfect size". What most women do not realize is that it is not real. Women or men, no matter how they look, are never perfect. It is all altered by makeup, or digital effects. I was watching both videos when I realized that, this past week i have been learning about just that in my Multimedia class: how to digitally alter and "fix" pictures. It is so easy to be brainwashed by everything advertisements sell. Even boys go through it. To be able to be accepted as a "man" they need to do everything that the "man box" lists for them. Because we humans are social creatures, we also want to be accepted into society, even if that means hurting ourselves in the process.

The Milgram Experiment

The Milgram Experiment, done in 1961, ended with shocking results. It showed how far people would go to obey authority or some one who was in power. 12 volunteers were given the role of "teacher". First they met Nick, the "learner", then after seeing nick being strapped to the chair, they received instructions from the Professor. He even gave the "teachers" a small shock to feel how it would work. As the questions began, and the voltage went higher and higher, some of the "teachers" became uncomfortable. They would ask the professor if they could stop, but all he said was that it was "essential" for them to continue with the experiment. Even Philip, who in the end, stopped in the middle saying that he could not continue, had faltered at one point because the professor said that "The experiment requires that you continue... Please go on." The pressure of the authority plus the feel of responsibility led them to continue, even though most of them knew and felt it was wrong. "Do we have to do this?" "Did we kill him?" Those we questions placed by the people, and yet because the professor said to continue, they obeyed him. 9 out of the 12 "teachers" went all the way to the end: 450 volts. Micheal makes a point of how he had met people who have committed horrible acts of crime, he's seen so much violence around him, but what shocked him above all of that was to see that normal, law abiding people, like him and us, could apparently inflict horrible torture on others. Its crazy to see how people can convince themselves that in a certain circumstance, violence is ok and justifiable, for the sake of science of some "good". The people in power can also end up abusing this responsibility, because they know that they will be obeyed no matter what the cost. Like Micheal said Violence isn't just an act that other people do, it's not some evil force that is out there. It is something that is in each and everyone of us. How far would people from our time go if they had a chance?

Social Control

"The Meaning of Social Control" is an article that makes you think twice about your own society. After reading it over, I realized there are many ways our society is controlled. Politics is one example. Other peoples ideas and opinions are forced upon you at times. Some people get aggressive, yelling at you or trying to impose their own ideas. It reminded me of a small indecent that recently occurred. While I was babysitting for a family the topic of the Presidential election came up, and the youngest girl, in her childlike manner, told me that if i don't vote for her parents party, i cant babysit for them anymore. This caught me by surprise. After that, when the father got home, He asked me who I was likely to vote for and i simply told him i was not sure yet. Out of fear of loosing their jobs or their stability, people feel pressured into not voicing their own opinions. This is one example of how our society is controlled in a subliminal way.

Rituals of the Nacirema

The body rituals of the Nacirema opened an entire new world for me. It was a bit shocking to see how they treated their bodies for the sake of what they believed. Anything the medicine-men or holy-mouth-men said, the people would immediately do it believing that it was the right thing to do. Its hard to believe that they would enlarge holes in their teeth to put magical materials into it, or gouge out other teeth for that substance. The special woman's rites included having to bake their heads in small ovens for an hour! I cant even imagine how they would go through with that. It was amazing to see how different our cultures are, and even though their rituals are completely weird and gruesome to me, it was interesting to see that, for people part of that culture, it is perfectly normal for them.

Quiet Rage: The Stanford Experiment

To start off, quiet frankly, this video disturbed me a bit. When it began, I tried to understand the concept or goal that the professor was going to. I couldn't see why they would actually put normal people (young men to be exact) through that ordeal for so long. Even though normal prisons at that time were run in the same manner, I thought it was still wrong to put people who knowingly did nothing wrong to deserve that type of treatment. Yes, they did agree to it before the whole process began, and yes, they did get payed, but after a while it got a bit out of control. I know that i wouldn't have been able to go through the ordeal, whether it was to be the guard or the prisoner. Then another thought crossed my mind. Why was it that it was only young men in this experiment? I still have yet to answer my own question. I also realized that the student who was watching the whole process from an office with the professor was female, and she had the same opinion about it as I do. She gave the idea of ending the experiment early, stating that it was wrong to put them through it for so long. Over all, it was an interesting experiment, and even though it seemed wrong to do, it taught an important lesson.