Crash

       While watching the movie Crash in class these past few days, I have realized that people's opinions on race come from many different places. The police officer thinks poorly of blacks because he felt his father lost his business because minorities got preferential treatment. The Persian man in convinced that everyone is cheating him probably because of past experiences. Sandra Bullock's character is afraid of black men and the hispanic locksmith because of this she has seen done to herself and others. The black detective insulted his partner by telling his mom she was white, because she knew it would make his mom mad. Some of the characters in this movie get their views from their family, from experience, and from fears. I feel these characters correctly portray the different views on race we see everyday. I know my grandpa was raised in a way to favor white people. Fortunately he has loosed up a lot over the years, but sometimes he still makes comments about Native Americans because he used to live and work around many people to that race. The fact that he still holds on to some of the stereotypes he grew up with makes it clear that the views your parent instill in you and the views you instill in yourself when you are young, stick with you for the rest of your life. I know that I will never be able to get my grandpa to view everyone as equals. But that is why it is so important to make sure from an early age that children know not one race is better than other and that we are all people no matter what. God made everyone in His image, so no matter if one person has a different skin color than another person, God loves them all.

Seed Packing

       On Saturday April 17, I went with my mom and sister to participate in seed packing. This is my second time doing this service opportunity. From 10am to 12:30am I went to my church and helped with the process of putting seeds into little packages which would then be sent to other countries so that the people there can plant gardens for vegetables to give them a source of food and income. My family arrived late to this service opportunity so we could not get a designated spot and got split up, I guess it is a good problem to have too many volunteers because that means there are a lot of people that want to help. Because of this, I got a chance to meet other people I didn't know even though they go to my church. It was nice to be able to see different groups of people come together to help those we don't even know. I think sometimes it is harder to serve those we can't see because you can have less of a sense that you are making a difference when you aren't seeing a direct difference in peoples lives. But doing behind the scene service has shown me that you can help people just as much as working one on one with them.

Preschools

     With all of the talk about wealth and income, what stuck with me the most was how from the moment children are born, their wealthy parents are consumed with the actions necessary to make sure their children maintain their place in the social class they were born into. These parents make it a necessity for their children to get into the best preschool, then the best private education from kindergarten through high school, and ultimately get into the best college. This will help insure that these children have a proper education and make amazing amounts of money. I feel bad for these kids because their parents don't want all of this only for their children, but also to maintain their family image. These parents would be so embarrassed if their children didn't get into the best preschool and their friend's children did. I have seen on TV, sitcoms poking fun at this idea of parents striving for their children having prestigious education, but I have also seen shows where people are completely serious about this process. The fact that these parents put their families on reality shows such as The Real Housewives of New York City, makes me think that the main aspects of striving for the best education for their children is to maintain an image. It's one thing to want your kid to get a quality education, but it's a completely different thing when you broadcast your child's successes all over the country, just to make sure everyone knows you are the best. I feel so sad for these kids who don't get a chance to enjoy their childhood, but instead have to be put into competitive schooling since they turn two years old.

Wealth and Social Class

In class this week we talked a lot about social class and wealth. We found that the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer. This was demonstrated through the coin toss metaphor. We talked about how a common myth about America is that you can be anything you want to be and there are no class systems. However, it is evident in America that although they are not as formal, we still have class systems in the United States. Based on how much money you family has made over the generations, and what jobs they had, that determines what social class you are in. We even see in the movies set in American when someone from a wealthier family wants to marry a blue collar person, the wealthier family doesn't agree with it. But we can't make a generalization about everyone in America, that they are all stuck in their position in this class system. People aren't lying when the call America they land of opportunities. Almost anyone can get a High School education if they work hard, stay focused, and if others are there willing to help them. There are also so many ways to get a college education; online schooling, night classes, scholarships, financial aid, work study, community college, etc. A lot of countries don't have these opportunities. I know it isn't fair if I say that anyone can succeed if they just work hard. There are so many unexpected factors that come into play and knock you down when you are trying to make it. But what makes America different than other countries with set social standings is that anyone has the opportunity to rise up to higher standards of living and people are applauded for doing this as opposed to being told to stay where they are meant to be.

Saints and Roughnecks

Reading the Article Saints and Roughnecks, there were students at Stevenson that clearly came to my mind that matched the descriptions of the Saints and Roughnecks. There are some kids that do well in school, are athletic, and treat adults with authority, but outside of the building they are quite different. And the same goes for roughnecks as well. I'm not sure if money is the main factor, but appearance certainly has a large impact. And money may play into the appearance that someone has. The students that come to school well dressed, with good hygiene, and sit attentively in class can seamlessly fool everyone. The students that are not well dressed and sit slumped do not have much expected from them, so they only need to live up to those few expectations. This can relate to the 30 days episode. Many People go to prison and they just become hardened criminals. And they return to their old ways because they have not been taught that anything more is expected of them. They have developed this image as a criminal and continue to live life with that appearance.

Deviance and Perception

When we read Saints and Roughnecks, we found that the Saints were never really punished for their misbehaving because the were from middle class families and treated the police with remorse and respect. The Roughnecks however got in more trouble because they were perceived as bad kids from the start and that's all they where ever treated like. I have noticed this over the years at school as well. There's always one student that walks into class on the first looking like a troublemaker and the majority of teachers are rougher on that student. I think this is either because other teachers have told them about this student and how he or she misbehaves, or it could also be because that teacher has had students in the past that walk around with the same attitude and look as this "roughneck" that walks into class on the first day. But in contrast, I have also seen teachers and other authority figures not notice that some kids act nice and polite in class, but outside they can cause trouble. I think as kids get older, they get better at hiding their wrongdoings as opposed to as when they were in elementary school and kids always got caught doing something bad. I felt bad for the roughnecks in the reading because no one ever gave them a chance to be a good kid and they were stuck doing what the other kids in their gang did. This reading has taught me that one day when I'm an adult, I might be put in a situation where I can either choose to give a roughneck a chance to succeed, or not; and I would like to think that I would make the right decision.

What Would You Do?

I wish everyone was as deviant as the man in the story "A Victim Treats His Mugger Right". This story was incredible, but I'm not sure if I could do what Diaz did. I'm guessing if I was in that situation, I would do what the majority of people do, give the mugger my money and run away. So I guess I wouldn't deviate from social norms in that way. Sometimes, it can be very risky when trying to make a positive difference when straying away from social norms. I don't know how Diaz knew the mugger wouldn't hurt him. Its sad that now a days we are more surprised by someone doing something nice when it isn't deservex as opposed to someone being mean. There is a show on ABC that I watch sometimes call "What Would You Do?" The show sets up different scenario with actors that everyone has heard of, but probably not experienced, and there is always someone in some kind of trouble. One time there was a woman being yelled at and pushed around by her boyfriend, and another time there was a cashier trying to rip off a blind person. The show records all the people who happen to be in the area or in any way involve themselves to see how they act. I've noticed that in every episode, there are only a few people who show exceptional deviance from the social norm and help whoever is in need. The host always calls these people heroes. But shouldn't this be how everyone is supposed to act? So how come someone is a hero for doing what they are supposed to do? Probably because the majority of people don't do what they are really supposed to do. And I admit to not doing the right thing all the time either. I hope that one day the social norm will no longer be ignoring people in need, but helping them.