Crash

The movie that we watched in class this week, Crash, was one that dealt strongly with racism and prejudice. We saw a multitude of characters, all of different cultures and backgrounds, and watched in the ways that they interacted with each-other. One of the characters, Officer John Ryan- a white male- showed particularly extreme hatred and prejudice towards minorities, African Americans in particular. We learn as the movie progresses that his deep rooted hatred was caused by hardships in the life of his father- a hardworking janitor who lost everything when his company decided that they needed a greater percent of minority workers, and he was fired. Although John Ryan's father never harbored any resentment for African Americas, it resided with in John for his entire adult life- causing him to be cruel and prejudiced. In my opinion stereotypes and prejudices always come about in such a manner- through misunderstandings. No one is ever born racist or cruel, hatred is a trait that can only be acquired through interactions with our surroundings. Prejudice is something that is grown out of a need for a scapegoat- a need to place blame on anyone but yourself. And once this prejudice has taken root in even one individual, it holds the power to spread to future generations, as racist parents instill racist values on their children. This most likely would have occurred with Officer Ryan- if his views hadn't been so greatly altered through the course of the film. John began the film as a horrible, selfish, and cruel individual, who abused his power in order to terrorize African American citizens. But by the end of the movie, we see his humanity surface. When John was called to the scene of a car accident, where a woman who he had previously assaulted was in a dire situation, he was able to put aside his feelings of contempt and see her as a human being who his actions had greatly scarred. Although he did not have to, he risked his life to pull her out of a burning car, signifying his internal change, and letting go of the hostility he held inside of him for so long.

Community Service Blog #2

Earlier this week, on wednesday and thursday after school, I chose to complete my final 2 community service hours by helping out at my church- North Shore Unitarian Church. In order to volunteer and help out I agreed to write our Order of Service pamphlets for the next few weeks. During each sunday sermon, members of the church are given these pamphlets to give them a preview of what will be occurring that morning. These pamplets help church-goer's follow allong with the weekly sermon with ease. In the past, before I chose to volunteer for my church, I never really paid attention to the Order of Service pamphlets- nor did I truly appreciate all of the little things that must be done each and every week to prepare for service. It truly surprised me how long it took to finish each of the pamphlets, a detail that seems so small to me when I attend service myself. This experience really made me appreciate my church, and all of the hard work that is put into our congregation, and making everything run smoothly. On a larger scale, it also made me realize how in society, every job, even those that may seem unimportant or low skilled, has a value and should be treated as such. No ones work is unimportant or useless, as it is the small details that make a community great. 

We are the 99% Movement

Why desire for economic security is not being met- 

He is unable to find work as a carpenter, and fears he will not be able to retire. 

More fair situation-
Programs enacted to ensure helping those without work, and equal opportunity to retirement for all.  
Relates to social class-
A once working class citizen who was reduced to poverty and close to unemployment due to  difficult economic times, is unable to retire comfortably due to this drop in social class.
Chose this image- It startled and saddened me that a man who worked his entire life may now not be able to retire in his old age due to the difficult times.

Why desire for economic security is not being met-

Is unable to pay for his cancer treatment because he does not have a job or proper health insurance.

More fair situation-

If health insurance were available for all.

Relates to social class-

All citizens should have an equal right to their health and safety regardless of social class- everyone deserves the chance to live.

Chose this image-

It is difficult for me to imagine people turning away the sick to suffer or to die because they are too poor, or not of the proper social class. I believe regardless of financial status everyone should be treated the same medically, as this is the humane thing to do. 

Why desire for economic security is not being met- 

She is unable to afford college, and cannot find a job, making it very difficult to get by.

More fair situation- 

If everyone had an equal opportunity to a college education, and there were more jobs available for the unemployed.

Relates to social class- 

Without the ability to pay for college, she will likely be unable to every move out of the lower class.

Chose this image-

It is sad that not everyone will be able to go to college, something that most students at Stevenson simply come to expect, and that someone so close to my age is dealing with big issues like unemployment for their future. 

Budgeting the Working Poor

Budgeting the Working Poor

    In class this week I really enjoyed our group projects- figuring out a way for a family of a different social class to budget their lives and deal with the unexpected financial difficulties that life brings. My group was assigned a family in the Working Poor, a family of 4, with a baby on the way that only made $25,000 a year. Figuring out a way for this family to make ends meet was a struggle, and definitely made me more mindful of the difficulties that other social classes may face. 

    One thing I noted while working on this activity, is that it is often hard to choose where to invest your earnings. There were so many things that seemed important to provide for our family- and yet we knew that we could not afford it all. Making those decisions, deciding what mattered most, was a very big challange. Another difficulty was taking into account the "life happens" moments. At first while budgeting we intended to put all of our money to use- but through this activity we learned that this is not always the best option- you have to save money for a rainy day, because you never know what life will throw at you. Although at first it seemed impossible to get by on what we had, we soon realized that government programs for the poor were invaluable to us. I had never known much before about food stamps, or medicaid, but this project really helped me to see their importance. Without programs like these, families in the working poor, or in poverty, would not be able to get by. I am grateful that we have these initiatives in place, to help those who are down on their luck. 

Women in the Media

Women in the Media

In class this week, I most enjoyed the video on women in the media. Although I only watched half of it, I found the video very enlightening. I never realized before how much the media tries to make women hate their bodies, in order to sell more products. Sadly I would have to say they are doing an effective job. The women we see on screen or in advertisements are so skinny, so beautiful, and seem so flawless, that it makes us feel as if we can never compare. I thought it was wonderful to hear that throughout the world women are taking a stand, in an attempt to right this injustice. I find it wonderful that certain magazines ridding themselves of models, and instead choosing to depict real women on their pages. In addition, I think that a law should be enforced, as fore mentioned, warning readers when an image has been photo-shopped or altered in any way. If everywhere in the world people started adopting policies such as these, we would not have such a distorted sense of what is beautiful. It's shocking and disgusting how much the media can alter a girls body image and sense of self worth, and is something that needs to be changed, in my opinion. 

Baby X

Baby X

This week in class, I thought it was very interesting to read the "Baby X" article- a fictional short story written about a child raised with no definite gender. I think in theory, this is a wonderful idea. In my opinion our society focuses much too strongly on gender norms. We should each be able to simply do what makes us happy, act without worry of what others will think. It is silly that there is a stigma against little boys playing with dolls, or little girls loving hotwheels- each child should be able to be themselves, without worry or self conciousness. But although I think this is a lovely idea in theory, in reality I think it would be far too confusing for a child. When I was a kid, my parents essencially raised me without a religion. I was taught dozens of different creeds, and was told that I could use that knowledge to decide what I believed. As I look back, I think this idea was awesome-instead of merely being fed information without a choice in the matter, my parents gave me freedom to do what I liked. But this was not the way I felt as a child: I hated that I didn't fit in, that I didn't have an answer for what I was. I hated that other kids were christian, or jewish, or muslim, but I was nothing. And although now I understand the intention of my parents was never to make me feel this way, I couldn't help it. And I think the Baby X would feel the same, maybe even more so because it was a more extreme case. 

Family Socialization

Family Socialization

This week in class we were given the assignment of interviewing a member of our family, and taking a more in depth look at how this person has socialized us. For the interview I chose to speak with my mother- a person who I believe has strongly impacted and shaped me into the person I am today. She stated that before I was born her main expectation for me was that I be healthy, but also hoped I would grow to be friendly, smart, and caring. From a young age she tried to teach me to always be kind and inclusive,and never leave anyone out. She reminded me of my a birthday party, when I had wanted to invite all of the girls in my class except for one, who I thought was strange. My mom told me frankly "you will invite her, because I am not raising my daughter to be the mean girl". Looking back it surprises me how cruel children can be, myself included, without meaning to. I am glad that my mom instilled this value on me, and it is something I will try to encourage in my own children. Another value she tried to endorse was volunteering, enrolling me and my brother in scouting at an early age, and promoting the ideal of giving back to the community whenever possible. A tradition that she tried to demonstrate was close knit family. As a child her grandparents lived down the street, and played a large role in her life, so when my Dad's parents became elderly and needed a place to stay she welcomed them with open arms, trying to give me a deeper sense of family ties and a close relationship with my grandparents. This has taught me to always value the time you are given with your family, close and extended, and to never be ashamed of them, because they truly mean everything. Finally, my mom says she sees connections between us most in our love of reading (something that was promoted in my household from a very young age), and our involvement in girl-scouting (an organization through which I still volunteer in frequently).