Race in America

The two article I've read, A Different Mirror and Race Matters both hit upon interesting topics that we should be aware of, racial tension. I feel like people of different ethnic backgrounds fight each other for america or for the status of dominance in america but in fact america does not belong to one group. America is made up of many different places such as Asia, Africa, Europe, Hispanic countries and the list goes on and on. Granted that some groups were forced into america like African slaves but even then it proves that america is rich in history from all over the world. Just because English immigrants possessed power to define American culture and make public policy doesn't mean it's right. Both articles point out the fact that we are blinded by how we are brought up. Parents teach their kids what they feel is right but not the real truth and when they do they also leave out the histories of the other cultures that are present in society today. Coming from a dominican family I was never taught the history of dominican migration to the United States let alone the history behind any other culture. Growing up in this diverse City of New York i've learned that it's important to know where you're from because one interacts with several different kinds of people everyday. The change must come from the present generation, we must teach our kids how to think for themselves by simply and honestly placing the information before them and teaching them cultures and histories from all over the world. That in turn would make for a more accepting and unified America and hopefully we can be a Model Nation and be an example for the world. 

The Poor.

The reading was very interesting in the way that it helped me learn to view poverty in a different way. It helped me understand the way people of all kinds function in society. It helped me understand my function as well. Coming from traditional spanish background into a new more open minded country like the united states is very confusing and curious. I always judged those less fortunate than myself as lazy or just bad people when in reality sometimes it's not their fault. The poor stay poor because the dominate powerful group of society want to keep them there. Maybe to not share their rich and plentiful resources or maybe because some just like to see people struggle to live. It's a sick and beautiful world we live in, a balance beam, the sides must even out. We need people as sanitation workers so the powerful offer a decent if not more than decent wage for the service and they accept you even if you don't have an education. Most of the neighborhoods we live in are ranked according to their businesses, schools, parks, etc... so most poor people lack a good education because the areas they live in are not good. It's frustrating because ultimately there's a possibility that the world might not change in my lifetime, it could, but it won't. I understand that everyone as unequal as it is, there's still a purpose.

Men and Women in Society

WOW.

I've always known women were victims to advertisers all around the world. The ideal woman is always in our faces, the advertisers put sexy, thin, white women on everything we know, clothes, food, sunglasses, everything. More than that "sexy women" sells more. After seeing Killing us softy it made me realize the gravity of this problem. It was sad and insightful all at once. It opened my eyes to how I visualize women and how I treat my female friends. Which is never in a bad way but I still feel a need to protect them from the world because they seem lost and fragile but I guess that was part of my programming since I was young. Growing up my friends always talked about girls mainly their looks never their qualities like intelligence or creativity or artistic aspects to their persona. I am ashamed of my world sometimes but I know things can change and it's usually taking responsibility one person at a time. I feel everybody should watch this video because it will enlighten everybody. A call to men was more relatable because I got a chance to mirror myself, to compare myself to the things being said. I am also from harlem and walking around my neighborhood you see bad things, not as bad as earlier times, but nonetheless you still see bad things. Usually the guys walk around with angry faces and a attitude or as some would call it "swag". When I was young I once got into a fight at school and I remember my parents both Mother and Father telling me to stop crying and to learn to fight back, they said if I came home crying and bruised again they would hit me. I was confused and scared. Since that time I learned to be tough and not get pushed around to never forget men are providers and leaders, we hunt. I think this relates to chapter five because through socialization we become aware of the spoken and unspoken rules of interaction, teaches us to think and feel. There within exist our societal makeup. Since this view of men and women dates back as far as the beginning of time we are born into a world which is already shaped, so we have to fit into this shape and if we don't we're outcast, pushed aside. See I was never born with a set of views I was taught them through forceful and subtle ways. Parents telling me what and how I should act, mass media doing the same. I still have hope for the future of the world because we are finding the means to spread information at rates that we couldn't before, thanks to the internet. Since we can share ideas like A call to men our children have a chance to change the world we have the power not to shape our children's lives but instead show them how to create their own. 

Society and my "Values"

Society is a strange thing. I believe it is undoubtedly a social science. It's the study of how people come together based upon a variety of similarities and differences. Now honestly I find this subject matter really interesting because I've lived my whole life just unaware of my surroundings physically and socially. The products man made that are a manifestation of society"Norms". How there's more liquor stores uptown rather than just fine wine shops downtown, I'm sure there are many reasons behind that but it speaks volumes to how unequal everything is. Yet both upper class and lower class societies wouldn't survive without one another. As I grow older and experience things for myself I've learned that one can not follow other's values. I know I have to create my own values based on things I know and things I don't know. Physical Fitness and diversity are things I believe are very important to me. Fitness is pretty much straight forward, we live in a world where anything can happen, it's important to be fit for safety. Diversity is a bit vague but what I mean is the more cultures you learn about or experience the better you can evaluate your life and the "norms", "values" we have. I'm a child of the universe is that ethnocentrism? 

SHOCK ing

This post is supposed to be related to the second chapter in our book. At first I didn't know what to write about, I wanted something fun. I feel that we're all becoming intrigued by sociology and we all want to know how deep the rabbit hole goes. It doesn't mean it can't be fun. Cultural Shock is where comedy lives. We all know how to stereotype or at least have been stereotyped but I don't see that as a bad thing. It's just a simple way to generalize things you don't have a full understanding of. Where do we experience culture shock? everywhere. Schools, playgrounds, places where people of all races and color enjoy. I've found my place of culture shock where it's really exciting are basketball courts and the public transportation, especially in New York. One of the most culturally diverse places in the world is right here the very streets I walk. I take the subway all the time and it's interesting to see how people react to homeless people, break-dancing, singing. One time in particular was when I saw this mexican band playing and while I wasn't too fond of the music I understood the words and how it made sense, it gave me a vibe. As I looked around the train because I love catching people's reactions, they all seemed frustrated and confused. They looked at the band with pity but didn't donate it was weird. Mainly because I'm learning to detach myself from what I know and trying to understand different cultures. I have to admit its hard to not let your mind wonder off into the "life questions" of why this? why that? how?, when it comes to a subject matter like sociology. It's incredibly fun and it forces you to notice the little things, the things we don't pay attention to that make up our identity. Those people on the train had no idea what the words meant and just dismissed it, probably laughed at it with their friends later on. But it's because how they grew up they see the symbol of that "annoying mexican band" as something upsetting. 

Beyond Sociology

It's 1:33am and it's saturday I'm thinking about how to learn on how to view life beyond cultures and race and world history. What lies beyond life? isn't that a question on all our minds at one time or another? I find  myself perplexed. I wish I could know the secrets to life. How it was made..Why we are here?. Do we exist without one another? if I were to exist without anyone in the world am I even real? sociology is an engine to study human behavior and culture. But that leads to deeper questions I hate thinking about.

Who am I?

Does anyone know themselves? I believe that human beings are always in a constant state of change, everyday. Though everyday may seem the same it's not. You might wake up in a different position, you may eat something different in the morning, you might miss the train and decide to take a cab because you can't make it on time, whatever the case may be it's what makes each day unique. You learn about yourself everyday you're alive, interactions with strange people, an article you take interest in while reading the New York Times. That being said, life is random or it may well be all connected.

I believe I am a good friend, a good son, a good person. I love comics and movies to me they are forms of escape from a world we don't quite fully understand. Films and comic books are tools to explore "what if" situations and fantasies. I love sports because they show us how to overcome adversity by keeping a positive attitude and believing just because you're down and trailing you can still make a comeback. It's representative of my personal outlook on life, granted it's not every bodies.

The biggest influences in my life? I can't tell and that's the truth. I would like to say it's my family but truth is my family is very different from myself. They are more traditional than I am, in the sense of living. I guess I try to look at my experiences and experiences of others for influence. My purpose in life is to try to see things that startle me things that motivate me. I want to live life to the fullest even if it means trying things that scare me like skydiving. It's important to learn to face your fears. Also I would like to create a cool new blend of comic book movie something that can be nominated for an academy award one day for best picture. That's all in a nutshell I guess, at least for now.