Why We Are Where We Are

Many people blame poor people for being poor. In class, we did a simulation of social class using the game, Monopoly, with a little twist. Each person was randomly (by rolling dice) assigned to a social class, which is what social class they are born into. The lower classes get less money to start with and get only a little money when passing GO, while the upper classes start with a lot of money, multiple properties, and receive a lot of money when passing GO. As the rounds went on, the upper class people got more and more money, while the lower class people kept paying money and didn't end up with very much. Nobody was able to change their social status because of the benifits the upper classes had and the limitations the lower classes had.
This simulation shows that people don't have a choice in the social class they are born into, and it is very difficult to move up even one social class throughout a lifetime.

The Inequalities of Social Class

In class recently we have been talking about the inequalities of social class. In America, everyone is supposed to have the same opportunities to be successful, but it is not the case. If you are born into a family with very little money, then you probably don't go to a very good school, and you won't have the money to go to a good (or even any) college, and you won't be able to get a very good job, and you won't be able to make a lot of money. On the other hand, if you are born into a wealthy family, you probably will attend a good high school, be expected to attend a good college to get a degree, so then you can get a good job, and make a lot of money. Although there are some exceptions to these two examples, this is how majority of Americans lives go.

Saints and Roughnecks

Having enough money can help teens cover up their deviance. I think the money plays a role for almost all students at my high school because we live in a wealthier area.
In the story we read, Saints and Roughnecks, money played a very big role in who got caught. The Saints had money for alcohol, and had cars, so they could get away to further parts of town, where they had less of a chance of getting caught by their parents or school officials. The roughnecks, though, had less money, so they were unable to escape being caught by people in their community.
Although both groups of kids were deviant, the Saints were able to hide it much easier, mainly because they were able to escape by car, because they had more money.
Moral of the story--if you're going to be deviant, it will be more successful if you have more money. :)

Masculinity

In class this week, we watched videos and talked about masculinity. Because masculinity is such a huge part of people's lives, it is also causing problems. Almost every school shooting since 1982 was by a straight male student who was bullied for being seen as weak or gay. These students were bullied about this to the point where they saw their only way to prove their masculinity is by bringing a gun to school and shooting people to feel stronger and superior to the other students. By having a weapon, the other students who were the bullies now feared these students, which is what they want, using the gun to show their masculinity and strength.
Masculinity is really getting to be a problem. Starting from when kids are little, it is shown in their toys, with boys toys being more "masculine" than girl toys and it is almost frowned upon for a boy to play with what is seen as a girl's toy.
This issue is also seen in abusive relationships. Almost all of the abusers in a relationship are males because they feel they must show their masculinity while the female has to step back and let the male be in control.

Social Construction of Gender

Think of a toy that a girl would want for her birthday. Now think of a toy a boy would want for his birthday. Are they the same? Probably not. A girl toy you thought of probably is related to dolls or a kitchen, while a boy toy has something to do with transportation or fighting. There is nothing stopping a boy from playing with a doll or a girl from playing with trucks, besides the social construction of gender that has come about the past several decades. Because of this social construction starting at such a young age, before the kids can realize they are being taught "how to be a girl or boy", they become used to the toys they are expected to play with.

Watching TV

 

Last week, I watched TV. I watched it, though, in different ways than most would watch TV. I watched it looking for specific camera angle changes, which distracted me from paying attention to what was going on in that show. When I normally watch TV, I am distracted by what is going on in the show, and I do not realize all of the camera view changes. I also watched TV without turning it on, which was extremely boring, but that is what it means to litterally "watch TV". If there is a show on, we are automatically attached to the screen and very interested, but if there is no show on, it is one of the most boring activities and a huge waste of time.

$ = :)?

Having a lot of money means you're going to be very happy, right? Wrong; having a lot of money proves to less happiness after a while. A study has shown that after some time, someone who wins the lottery is expected to report similar levels of happiness in their life than would a paraplegic. This is because of the relativeness of happiness. Right after winning the lottery, it is expected for someone to be much happier than before, but the happiness level drops as people realize the hardships that come along with winning the lottery. The same, but opposite, goes for people who are parapalegic; these people learn to appreciate the smaller things in life more and not take as much for granted.
I have coached cheerleading for years and have noticed relative happiness at awards sessions with our youngest team. The first time the team won first or second place, the girls were extatic, but after winning many competitions in a row their excitement went down, even to a point where they would upset if they got anything other than first place.