Is there really still room for racial discrimination? How is it that after nearly 150 years, we are still experiencing the same sorts of hatred against people of African heritage?
In the last few days a story broke about two young-adult white supremacists who were plotting a nationwide killing spree against African Americans. In all, they were planning to kill 88 people (beheading 14 of them) while culminating their spree of killings with an attempted assassination of Senator Barack Obama.
It isn't too often nowadays, that we here such extravagant and outrageous displays of racial hate. These are the sorts of stories that open our eyes to the fact that things have not changed nearly as much as we have thought, and that we have far from eradicated racial prejudices.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Rambling
So I have been in a bit of a writers block lately. It has been difficult. It seems like the only thing that could even peruse me to write is a little Duke Ellington before dinner. My Sociological Imagination (mentioned in first posted article) has been closing down on me for unknown reasons. It was as if I was frightened by these real encounters I was finally perceiving. In my life of sheltered boarding school living, and parents house dwelling, I had not experienced that much which was real. It has been difficult to see these vast market drop offs in the economy. Business' can no longer make enough money to survive and it hurts our morale as a society. Finally grasping the damage that our country is doing to the world made me realize how much each person needs to actively participate, in an effort to change habits of frugal spending, and over anxiousness to enter into cost inefficient wars and other sorts of skirmishes.
How can I make a difference in society? How are we as individuals supposed to know where to put our energy to make a difference? I have been told that my help is needed, but no one has forced me like my mother to participate. This election is going to be very interesting. The ramifications of either nominee are going to be huge. Obama with his Idealist perspectives to slow down the decision making (which might be a good thing) in this country, and McCain with his Realist processing skills. If McCain does slip into the white house the backlash could potentially be scary.
Well enough rambling. I will open my Sociological Eye to the world soon enough. I hope to come back writing. Good night to all.
How can I make a difference in society? How are we as individuals supposed to know where to put our energy to make a difference? I have been told that my help is needed, but no one has forced me like my mother to participate. This election is going to be very interesting. The ramifications of either nominee are going to be huge. Obama with his Idealist perspectives to slow down the decision making (which might be a good thing) in this country, and McCain with his Realist processing skills. If McCain does slip into the white house the backlash could potentially be scary.
Well enough rambling. I will open my Sociological Eye to the world soon enough. I hope to come back writing. Good night to all.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Your Relation to Me
Today, I am going to valiantly try to define how interpersonal relationships shape the people who we are. This intriguing connection, between one human being and another, is one that I have always wanted to wrap my finger around, but have yet to accomplish. My first question is, how do You shape the person who I am, and how do I do the same for You? It is quite interesting to pay attention to bonds and friendships in life, and to notice how each and every one of them affects the person who you are.
From a sociological perspective, the relationships in our life place us into certain categories, and deem us to be people of classification. They determine how we are viewed by society and, often times, how people choose to relate to us. These interwoven interactions give us a sense of identity that is solely based on how others perceive us to be. Is this a good thing that we relate to ourselves based on how others view our social habits?
From a personal perspective, these relationships have taught me all about who I am. My differing, and unique, links to individuals have drawn me closer to a deep connection with, and to an understanding of, myself. With every personal human relation, I feel as if I am taught something profound about the person who is Me. I have been taught that I need to give each person the opportunity to relate to me in an individual manner. I have been shown that the reason to reveal my true self to another, is so that they may less fear the experience of realizing their own individuality.
What does all this mean?
How can I change the way I relate to myself, from an outside-onlookers perspective, to an internal-introspective view of self? The answer, is to see yourself in the person next to you. If we are all able to see the distinct similarities, and individual qualities, that we share with our neighbor, we begin to formulate and define our own identities. It is very difficult to allow another person to show you a part of yourself, but when we open ourselves to the experience of another, great things tend to happen.
I wish it were easier, to sociologically explain my theory of self exploration, through interaction with another, but I find it quite difficult to express the subtlety of what I am trying to convey. Sociology in its atomic form is the individual relationships we hold with those around us. The purest form of Sociology is the dynamic connection between two people, and the knowledge and understanding they shed on each other. We must value our personal relationships because they help to shape the person who we are. Now, let's try to go out and treat others with the respect we give those whom we learn from.
From a sociological perspective, the relationships in our life place us into certain categories, and deem us to be people of classification. They determine how we are viewed by society and, often times, how people choose to relate to us. These interwoven interactions give us a sense of identity that is solely based on how others perceive us to be. Is this a good thing that we relate to ourselves based on how others view our social habits?
From a personal perspective, these relationships have taught me all about who I am. My differing, and unique, links to individuals have drawn me closer to a deep connection with, and to an understanding of, myself. With every personal human relation, I feel as if I am taught something profound about the person who is Me. I have been taught that I need to give each person the opportunity to relate to me in an individual manner. I have been shown that the reason to reveal my true self to another, is so that they may less fear the experience of realizing their own individuality.
What does all this mean?
How can I change the way I relate to myself, from an outside-onlookers perspective, to an internal-introspective view of self? The answer, is to see yourself in the person next to you. If we are all able to see the distinct similarities, and individual qualities, that we share with our neighbor, we begin to formulate and define our own identities. It is very difficult to allow another person to show you a part of yourself, but when we open ourselves to the experience of another, great things tend to happen.
I wish it were easier, to sociologically explain my theory of self exploration, through interaction with another, but I find it quite difficult to express the subtlety of what I am trying to convey. Sociology in its atomic form is the individual relationships we hold with those around us. The purest form of Sociology is the dynamic connection between two people, and the knowledge and understanding they shed on each other. We must value our personal relationships because they help to shape the person who we are. Now, let's try to go out and treat others with the respect we give those whom we learn from.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Highway Driving
This fall break my roommate and I drove south on Interstate 5 from Portland to Eugene, Oregon. During the two hour drive, I began to notice how people relate differently to the environment provided by their cars. Some of the drivers appeared uneasy, and as if they were holding on for dear life. It was as if they had more awareness of their surroundings, than I did, and were thus less comfortable with the high speed situation. Then, there were those drivers (like myself) who were clearly enjoying their own little ecosystem. They were jamming out to their various musical preferences, and at ease with the movements of those around them.
For the most part though, everyone on the road had one common goal: their destination. Why is it that Highway Driving is so impersonal now days? Didn't driving used to serve a purpose (getting where you want to go) while being an enjoyable sort of vacation? The fact of the matter is that society has sped up. Road trips, once a great pastime of the United States, have become less experienced and more dreaded activities.
There are simple reasons why driving is no longer as attractive to us as it used to be. 1) The price of gas 'drives' many of us away from these sorts of trips. 2) It is now cheaper to fly some places, and the time saved is very attractive. People rarely drive for the simple pleasure of getting out on the road and enjoying themselves. Driving is, now more than ever, strictly about getting where you are trying to go. There is no time taken to mingle in 'small town' America. The attractions that used to force us to pull over and spend a few dollars, worth of time and money, no longer grab us and lure our attention.
Driving is a tool. It has lost its beauty and charm for most of us.
If there is one thing for certain about driving, it is that it provides us the opportunity to sit back and think. One can learn a lot about themselves from just driving. It helps build patience, and gives us time to learn to feel content with ourselves.
Oh my, how I'm glad I enjoy to Drive!
For the most part though, everyone on the road had one common goal: their destination. Why is it that Highway Driving is so impersonal now days? Didn't driving used to serve a purpose (getting where you want to go) while being an enjoyable sort of vacation? The fact of the matter is that society has sped up. Road trips, once a great pastime of the United States, have become less experienced and more dreaded activities.
There are simple reasons why driving is no longer as attractive to us as it used to be. 1) The price of gas 'drives' many of us away from these sorts of trips. 2) It is now cheaper to fly some places, and the time saved is very attractive. People rarely drive for the simple pleasure of getting out on the road and enjoying themselves. Driving is, now more than ever, strictly about getting where you are trying to go. There is no time taken to mingle in 'small town' America. The attractions that used to force us to pull over and spend a few dollars, worth of time and money, no longer grab us and lure our attention.
Driving is a tool. It has lost its beauty and charm for most of us.
If there is one thing for certain about driving, it is that it provides us the opportunity to sit back and think. One can learn a lot about themselves from just driving. It helps build patience, and gives us time to learn to feel content with ourselves.
Oh my, how I'm glad I enjoy to Drive!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Markets of Power
In modern society, we are faced with certain markets that control the vast majority of power and influence. These markets play a large role in our lives whether we like them or not. No matter how hard we try to hide, or how far we try to run, in order to escape these mega powers, it would require an act more drastic and life altering.
Why is it that these markets are infused into every facet of our lives? Our religion doesn't just give us means to be closer to god, or some other higher being, but it educates us on the facts (based on medieval accounts) of this world and its natural surroundings. Our race and class afford us, or cost us, positions that would have greatly improved the overall material quality of our lives. How much I would give to get that dang couch for my room!
Money dictates every decision we make. It forces us to experience, not what we want to experience, but what we can afford to experience. Our overall health is subject to the monetary funds we have at our dispense. We are lured into the multifaceted trap that is the Fast Food Industry, by the basic principle that time is money. These noble providers, who give us food that is actually worth 60 cents, attract us with their easy, cheap options that drain the locomotive beauty from society. People are no longer able to interact with joy. They are forced to speed through time, with an utter lack of disregard for the clock on the wall.
We need to control the forces which bear down on us. If we are going to hold the burden of some external greedy culprit, let it at least be our fathers who play that role. Our lives are in our hands, if we wish to hold them tight enough. We control the market (our mind) that presides over our physical realm, and our internal relation to self. The time is clearly upon us to start developing this market.
Why is it that these markets are infused into every facet of our lives? Our religion doesn't just give us means to be closer to god, or some other higher being, but it educates us on the facts (based on medieval accounts) of this world and its natural surroundings. Our race and class afford us, or cost us, positions that would have greatly improved the overall material quality of our lives. How much I would give to get that dang couch for my room!
Money dictates every decision we make. It forces us to experience, not what we want to experience, but what we can afford to experience. Our overall health is subject to the monetary funds we have at our dispense. We are lured into the multifaceted trap that is the Fast Food Industry, by the basic principle that time is money. These noble providers, who give us food that is actually worth 60 cents, attract us with their easy, cheap options that drain the locomotive beauty from society. People are no longer able to interact with joy. They are forced to speed through time, with an utter lack of disregard for the clock on the wall.
We need to control the forces which bear down on us. If we are going to hold the burden of some external greedy culprit, let it at least be our fathers who play that role. Our lives are in our hands, if we wish to hold them tight enough. We control the market (our mind) that presides over our physical realm, and our internal relation to self. The time is clearly upon us to start developing this market.
The Social Portrayal of Self
In Julie Bettie's Women Without Class, the topic of self portrayal comes up front and center. This topic is one that is hard not to struggle with, especially when considering the difficulties of showing ones true-self solely based on outside appearance. In life, expression, through physical appearance, is one of the rare opportunities we have to communicate who we are to the world around us.
Why is it we might ask, that Las Chicas (the working class Hispanic students in Bettie's book), and The Preps (those middle class white students) feel such a strong need to give material identity to their social scenes? Having the ability to classify with a certain group or culture, usually, helps in terms of feeling a part of a greater whole. But, why do they feel the need to create, or to at least include themselves in the stereo type of their race/class traits? The 'comfort' we, supposedly, feel by being like those people who we are similar to, is often times less real than it appears to be.
Of course, the camaraderie aspects to social groups play huge roles. People feel the need to be included, and it is easiest to be accepted by those who you are alike. But how come so little importance is placed on classifying with oneself? Is there not a great gap in our society between who a person IS and who she/he perceives themselves to be?
Within my own life, I notice personal affiliations with those peer groups (not naming any names!!!) whose general approach to life is quite different than the method I have come to embrace and enjoy partaking in. The particular approach which I have begun to live by is actually not one at all. I live my life in hopes of experiencing all that I will allow myself to perceive. This is quite a challenge, but it does allow me to view all people from a neutral perspective, and to enjoy them for their many creative and unique qualities.
The only answer I can think of, for our deep connection to those who have similar characteristics as us, is our inability to be content and comfortable with ourselves as individuals. We seek, as a group, to find out who we are as individuals. There is something comforting in that statement. Is there anything wrong with this sentiment? Three sentences ago I thought there was, when I was under the impression we needed to learn who we are for ourselves. But I now realize, that we are all fighting to be who we are, no matter what, and who, it takes to help us figure it out. There is nothing wrong with learning more about yourself through the experiences of a group. Groups multiply experience. And, if there is anything you need to have, to know who you are, it is experience.
Why is it we might ask, that Las Chicas (the working class Hispanic students in Bettie's book), and The Preps (those middle class white students) feel such a strong need to give material identity to their social scenes? Having the ability to classify with a certain group or culture, usually, helps in terms of feeling a part of a greater whole. But, why do they feel the need to create, or to at least include themselves in the stereo type of their race/class traits? The 'comfort' we, supposedly, feel by being like those people who we are similar to, is often times less real than it appears to be.
Of course, the camaraderie aspects to social groups play huge roles. People feel the need to be included, and it is easiest to be accepted by those who you are alike. But how come so little importance is placed on classifying with oneself? Is there not a great gap in our society between who a person IS and who she/he perceives themselves to be?
Within my own life, I notice personal affiliations with those peer groups (not naming any names!!!) whose general approach to life is quite different than the method I have come to embrace and enjoy partaking in. The particular approach which I have begun to live by is actually not one at all. I live my life in hopes of experiencing all that I will allow myself to perceive. This is quite a challenge, but it does allow me to view all people from a neutral perspective, and to enjoy them for their many creative and unique qualities.
The only answer I can think of, for our deep connection to those who have similar characteristics as us, is our inability to be content and comfortable with ourselves as individuals. We seek, as a group, to find out who we are as individuals. There is something comforting in that statement. Is there anything wrong with this sentiment? Three sentences ago I thought there was, when I was under the impression we needed to learn who we are for ourselves. But I now realize, that we are all fighting to be who we are, no matter what, and who, it takes to help us figure it out. There is nothing wrong with learning more about yourself through the experiences of a group. Groups multiply experience. And, if there is anything you need to have, to know who you are, it is experience.
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