Chapter 13- Dysfunction of Religion

Religion is important to almost everybody in different ways. It can bring people together, but it can also rip people apart. Two dysfunctions of religion is using religion as justification for persecution  and using religion as justification for war and terrorism. These dysfunctions mean people kill and hurt people in the name of their religion. I included a picture of a penny with a cross cut out. Although this example is not as extreme, I think it fits into the category of religion dysfunctions perfectly. While at work one day an older man put this penny on the table and asked me if I was going to take it. I responded with “I didn't know it was for me, sorry!” to which he looked me in the eyes and said, “Yeah. You better take it. If you don’t, well, stop drop and roll isn't going to help you where you’re headed honey.” He proceeded to make comments the rest of the time I was waiting on him. I was so offended that this man thinks I’m going to hell if I do not take his penny. He is using his religion to shove his beliefs down my throat and into my brain, all while insulting me.  He is a living example of dysfunctional religion.

Chapter 13- Social Promotion/Functional Illiteracy

Social promotion and functional illiteracy go hand-in-hand in the education system of today’s world. Social promotion is passing students from one grade to the next even though they have not mastered the basic material. Functional Illiteracy is when graduates have not mastered things that should have been learned way back in grade school. I put a picture of graduation stickers used for graduation invitations at some point. This represents the fact that high school graduation, while a monumental step into the real world, is not taken as seriously as it used to. I remember when I was little hearing “big kids” fretting about if they would graduate or not. When I got to my senior year, it was easier than any other year I had previously encountered. I never heard one student worrying about if they would graduate. The classes got easier and we were passed without accurate comprehension.

Chapter 13- Grade Inflation

Grade inflation is when the professor adds extra points to the grade to help doctor student’s GPA’s. Grading is getting easier as the years go by and it is all because of grade inflation. The picture I included was of my math test. I originally got an awful grade and my professor decided to add ten points to everybody’s test. Maybe the test was just extra hard and that is why he added a curve to this exam. However, he has done this to every exam all semester making it possible for all students to pass the course. Although it is very appreciated by the students, it does not do justice to showing the school how the students are learning.

Chapter 13- Hidden Curriculum

Hidden curriculum is the attitudes and unwritten rules of behavior that schools teach in addition to the required lessons. Teachers use words like ‘proper’ and ‘good’ when referring to manners and language. This reinforces to the student what society wants them to do. I included a picture of an early childhood center, essentially a preschool. Here is where we create citizens. It is stage one of twelve year public school system training. Here is where they slip in lessons of sharing, caring, manners, and patriotism.

Chapter 10- Gender Vs. Sex

Sex is biologically how we are born; it has to do with the chromosomes and the body parts. Gender, however, is much more complicated. Gender consists of whatever behaviors ad attitudes a group considers proper for its males and females. Gender is not determined by biology; it is determined by the gender identity in which the person decides which gender they relate with. To represent this, I included a picture of an “It’s a Girl!!” announcement off a baby shower invite, which is how babies are greeted into this world. Although it physically may be a girl, that girl may grow up someday and relate with male traits and feelings. “It’s a Girl!! Or is it!” is a more accurate saying.

Chapter 10- Violence Against Women

Everywhere in the world has violence and one of the reoccurring characteristics of this violence is the gender inequality. Females are more likely to be victims of males and not the other way around. There are exceptions, of course, but it is not the norm. In this picture I am proudly sporting my Mace. As a woman I completely agree that there is an insane level of gender inequality in violence. I am terrified to walk to the dumpster in my apartment complex in the dark. I get anxiety when I clock out at work and it is already dark outside. I have my Mace with me at all times because I know as a woman I am so easily targeted.

Chapter 10- Gender Inequality in Education

Gender inequality in education has always been an issue. It used to be extremely rare to see women in college, let alone a woman actually obtain a degree. Now, almost as many women as men are becoming dentists, lawyers and doctors! This picture is simply of Maple Woods, where in all of the classes I am enrolled in, there are fewer men than women. I had not noticed this statistic until I started paying attention, and sure enough, the women are taking over Maple Woods!

Chapter 10- Global Gender Inequality

Worldwide, gender is the primary division between people. Every culture and every society has their own ideas on what women should do, or how men should act. It is different in every country. For example, there are some countries where women are expected to cover up completely and stay home with the children. Showing their legs is disrespectful and may result in punishment.  In this picture, I am a woman wearing shorts, holding a purse and books with my apron because I am ready to go to work. In other countries my shorts would be forbidden. I would not be able to hold the purse because only the man should be in charge of money. The books would be out of the question because a women learning is such a ridiculous concept. Going to work? The only job I’d be having in other countries is a stay at home mother. There is so much gender inequality from border to border, and I am glad to be an American!

Chapter 9- Segregation

Segregation is the separation of racial or ethnic groups. This allows the dominant group to maintain social distance from minorities. Back when racial segregation was an overwhelming issue in America, everything from public schools to bathrooms were segregated making blacks and whites keep their distance from each other. The picture I have included is of the lunch table map in Mean Girls. Although it is not segregating only racial and ethnic groups, the segregation is clearly shown. Using group names such as “Preps”, “Jocks”, “Asian Nerds”, “Cool Asians”, “Unfriendly Black Hotties”, and “Girls Who Eat Their Feelings”. The cafeteria is nothing but segregation.

Chapter 9- Institutional Discrimination

Institutional Discrimination is how discrimination is woven into society. One example of this is with home mortgages. Early studies show that bankers were less likely to give loans to minorities rather than white people. This is the cause of equal opportunity statements in loans and job applications. Speaking of job applications, I have included a picture of Cracker Barrel’s equal opportunity statement. This means that the company cannot discriminate in hiring or any other area of the restaurant based on race, sexual orientation, or religion. This is one of Cracker Barrel’s current missions that they are most devoted to; treating everybody fairly.

Chapter 9- Positive Prejudice

Prejudice is a prejudging of any kind, usually in a negative way. However, there is positive prejudice, which exaggerates the virtues of a group, making people think that group is superior. I took a picture of the movie Mean Girls, in which positive prejudice plays a huge role. This group of girls is referred to in their school as “The Plastics” because they are so perfect they resemble Barbie’s. Everybody in the school just watches their every move in awe and is completely convinced they are superior. Positive prejudice placed The Plastics on a pedestal in their high school.

Chapter 9- Ethnicity

Ethnicity is a reference to people’s cultural characteristics and how people identify with one another on the basis of common ancestry and cultural heritage. Everybody has their own cultural characteristics such as distinctive foods, clothes, languages, music or religions. In this picture my boyfriend and I are standing in front of a Christmas tree. I feel like one of the major American cultural characteristics is how we all celebrate holidays. American ethnicity blows holidays up to a huge occasion; Christmas commercials start showing on November first! The Christmas tree is a huge cultural characteristic because it would be a challenge to find an American that did not know what a Christmas tree is.

Chapter 7/8- Wealth Vs. Income

 VS:

Wealth and Income are two very different concepts. Wealth is a person’s net worth, which can be found by adding up the value of someone’s property and subtracting that person’s debts. Income is a flow of money that can come from a variety of places such as wages, rent, interest, an allowance, and even gambling. In this picture I am showing Cracker Barrel and a ledger I created to help determine my wealth (it’s not 100% accurate by any means!). Cracker Barrel is my job; I spend 40+ hours a week there and it is my only source of cash flow. My income is the only way I can purchase things that I want. In the ledger, there are two colors; black for property and red for debts. By adding up the ‘black’ numbers and subtracting the ‘red’ numbers, my wealth can be determined.

Chapter 7/8- Prestige

Prestige is all about respect or regard.  Certain jobs are looked at with more prestige than others using four general features. The jobs held up on more prestige tend to pay more, require more education, involve more thought, and they offer greater independence to the worker. In this picture is a group of the trainers at my work. At my workplace, trainers are looked at with more prestige than regular servers. When you are training someone, the pay is better than the normal minimum wages. There are specific meetings that must be attended to teach trainers more about training. There is definitely more thought involved, because you have to think about the best way to explain processes. Greater independence is offered because you are not babied and have more opportunities to be independent in the restaurant. The red aprons in the picture are the 'prestigious' trainer aprons, and the brown one is the generic server apron. 

Chapter 7/8- Contradictory Class Location

The argument that some people are members of more than one class at one time is called Contradictory Class Locations. This was developed by Erik Wright and he means that a person’s position in the class structure can really create contradictory interests. The gist of this argument is that if a person rises from a lower class to a higher, that person’s interests will be different than the ones who started at the high class. In this picture my boyfriend is in his suit holding a server book ready to take an order. This is an example of Contradictory Class Location because he started out with the company as a server and moved himself up to management over the last three years. While all the other managers tend to leave servers out to fend for themselves while they take care of the kitchen, my boyfriend is always really behind his servers in everything they do. He understands what they are feeling because that is where he came from. This would indicate he is a member of two classes; the management class and the server class. He’s a prime example of a Contradictory Class Location.

Chapter 7/8- Horatio Alger Myth

The Horatio Alger Myth is based on the belief that limitless possibilities are given to everybody. The positive side of this belief is that it encourages everybody to compete for higher positions and reach for the best ‘them’ they can be.  The negative side of this belief is that it places blame for failure directly on the individual. This picture is of the song “Started From The Bottom”, because it is exactly what the Horatio Alger Myth is referring to. In the song Drake is saying he started from the bottom, now he’s here and that his whole crew is with him. He is just demonstrating how he went through struggles that shot him up the social class ladder. This song was playing during a conference I went to for my old job. It played as one of the platinum members walked out and they proceeded to talk about how they were “just a normal, poor person who worked really hard to get where they are now.” I think the accuracy of the Horatio Alger Myth is not really there, but I see how it is a good idea to motivate people to work harder.

Chapter 6- Stigma

Deviance refers to any violation of norms, no matter how small or large the deviance may be. Stigma is deviance without any action required. Stigma refers to characteristics that discredit people. These characteristics could include violations of norms of appearance and norms of ability. Involuntary memberships can also be a stigma, such as being diseased or victimized. In this picture, my one and only birthmark is shown right under my earring. This big freckle has been on my neck since day one. I did not ask to have it there; I was just born with it. Birth marks are a great example of a stigma.

Chapter 6-Strain Theory

Cultural goals are a big part of society because everyone wants them. These goals consist of things such as possessions, wealth, or prestige. Although everybody wants these things, many people feel that the actually success of attaining these goals is blocked. Robert Merton developed strain theory, which refers to the frustrations people feel. Hard work and higher education are great examples of strain in the theory, because although we enroll ourselves in school and work hard in our jobs to collect experience, it is very frustrating when these norms do not seem to help attain the goals. In this picture is my textbooks and my work apron. I work full time, overtime when I can, and go to school full time. I spend all my time juggling school and work with hopes of getting a “Better Job”. I often get frustrated while I’m juggling all these things, fearing it may not pay off. This is an example of the Strain Theory, and of my success being blocked.

Chapter 6-Illegitimate Opportunity Structure

Illegitimate Opportunity Structure is a theory developed by Cloward and Ohlin in 1960, and it explains that in the urban slums an alternative door to success opens including robbery, gambling, drug dealing, prostitution and other crimes. An example of this is drug dealers who present the image of being rich and leading a rich lifestyle, when crime is the only thing that got them to that place. In this picture is a rough area of downtown Kansas City, where some of these alternative doors to success are opened daily. Every city has their “scary” area, and this is one in KC. Because the legal, easier doors to success have been slammed in the lower social class’ faces, they are forced to do illegal activity to try to get ahead in life.

Chapter 6-Embrace Labels

Most people in society tend to avoid labels, especially negative ones. Some people like the diverse identity and encourage labels. One example of this is teenagers who use strange techniques to rebel and reject against adult norms. In this picture is my little sister who does just this. In this picture she had just shaved her head off, not caring what anybody thinks. The norm for teenage girls is long, always styled hair and she went against this norm and embraced whatever labels people could throw her way. Also in my family, we have always been told to stick with our natural hair; so natural hair is the adult norm we saw in our parents. By my sister chopping all her hair off (after dying it pink by the way), she is refuting all adult norms we grew up knowing.

Division of Labor (Chapter 4)

A division of labor is people developing different kinds of work. Some people are better at some things than others, and this creates a nice division in the workforce. In this photo, this is a staffing sheet in which labor is divided by certain areas of the restaurant. There are so many different levels of a workplace and this list divides it up pretty well. There is back of the house, front of the house, dishwashers, servers, etc. The point of a division of labor is so all workers do not need to rely on each other to get their jobs completed. Instead, they depend on the completion of other jobs that are contributed to the whole group. My job could be completed with just myself, but an entire guest experience could not be accomplished without all areas working together.

Ethnocentrism (Chapter 2)

This picture of some servers at my job is an example of ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is defined as a tendency to use our own group’s ways of doing things as a yardstick for judging others. This is very apparent with this group of girls because when we get new servers we end up judging how they serve compared to us. Little things like how we use trays and run our own food are totally different at other restaurants, but we use our methods to judge others. This was even more relevant when I went and got another server job. Everything they did at that restaurant was weird because that was NOT how MY group of servers did it. We are all taught that the way we do things is correct and good, and this creates a huge base for judgment.

Personal Space (Chapter 4)

Being too close to somebody else makes us very uncomfortable; it is in human nature. We have our “personal bubble” and when people get inside that bubble, we feel violated. Our personal space is something we really care to protect and we only open it to people like close friends and family. Each culture has different amounts of personal space and it can definitely be a culture shock to go somewhere with less space than your own culture. We are socialized to feel extremely uncomfortable when somebody is too close to us.

Social Location (Chapter 1)

This is a photo of a man holding words that are all a part of his “Social Location”. A person’s social location consists of things like gender, race, sexuality, and other traits that society will judge somebody by. Social location is all about what other people think about you and what conclusions they immediately draw from those traits without even knowing you as a person. All of our beliefs as humans are based off of our social location and what we have been raised to believe. An example is the card that this man is holding that says “Boy”. Because “Boy” is a part of his social location, he will be expected and judged on many different levels that a “Girl” would not be. Because that card says “Boy”, he will be expected to be tough and a supporter for his family someday.

Cultural Norm (Chapter 2)

The theory of sneezing into one’s arm or elbow would be an example of a cultural norm. More specifically, it would fall under the category of a folkway because although it is the “way of the road”, if you do not do it, you won’t get arrested. You may get some dirty looks or some smart comments, but you are not breaking a law by not following the folkway. Each society has different folkways and norms. Somewhere else in the country, it may be perfectly acceptable to sneeze out in the open exposing everybody to your germs. When you discover this, you may experience culture shock which is disorientation caused by a difference in norms. It will be totally strange to see everyone sneezing on their friends, but that is just how the other culture functions.

Dyad (Chapter 5)

A Dyad is the smallest of all group sizes consisting of only two members. It is the most intimate, but also the most unstable. If one member of the Dyad leaves, there is no group left. However, a benefit of the Dyad is how clean the communication is. It is impossible to play “He said, She said” games in a Dyad; you know what the other member did or did not say. Examples of Dyads are marriages, love affairs, and close friendships. The photo I included is one of these close friendships, however if one of us leaves the relationship there will be no friendship remaining because there will be no group.

Triad (Chapter 5)

A Triad is a group consisting of three people typically shown in a triangle formation demonstrating all the different relationships possible within. A Triad is a much more complicated group because alliances can be formed, and there are different dynamics included in each arm of the triangle. In this photo, the Triad includes me, my mother and an old family friend of ours. Although we are all very close, I am certainly closer to my mother than the family friend, and the family friend is closer to my mother than she is to me. The size and complications ultimately give stability to the relationships.

Social Network (Chapter 5)

I included a photo of Facebook because it so perfectly shows what a Social Network is. A social network is the network of people linked to one another through friendship, families, work, school, or people that know other people. Facebook links everybody to each other. I can click on my Facebook and learn what is going on at my workplace, in my family or in my friendship group. I am at the center of my social network and there are tons of connections all around me from everywhere I have been, and places I will soon go. The social network always grows as you meet new people.

In-Group and Out-Group (Chapter 5)

Patriotism is a great example of an In-Group (a group toward which we feel great loyalty). By wearing a USA headband and some red, white and blue leis, I am connecting with the In-Group of America. The In-Group has social power and everyone wants to be a part of it. For every In-Group, however, there is an Out-Group. The Out-Group is the group that we feel bad, harsh or hateful feelings towards. The Out-Group is alienated and kept away from the power source. America is such a good example because Americans connect so strongly with their country that it makes people from foreign countries be at a huge disadvantage. Since they are in the Out-Group they are instantly judged and stereotyped all negatively. America is one of the most tightly knit In-Groups with the most loyalty and support, in my opinion.

Dramaturgy (Chapter 4)

Dramaturgy is used in sociology to mean that our social life is like a drama or stage performance. In this picture are all of my “costumes” that I use for all of my different roles in life. There is my work costume, my school costume, my date night costume, and my relaxing costume. Every action we do is a part of a performance. We put on different acts in different situations, but they are all still an act. Our social life comes with costumes, props and lines and it is up to us to put on a five star performance at all times. This theory was brought into thinking by sociologist Erving Goffman and it is still a crucial part today.

Symbolic Interactionism (Chapter1)

A stop sign is one of the most obvious examples of Symbolic Interactionism.  Symbolic Interactionism is how we use a symbol to communicate with society and understand society. Everybody knows what a stop sign means, even if the word ‘stop’ is not there. Look at the DMV for example, they take all the words off of the road signs for testing purposes, and everyone still knows what they mean. Not only is this Symbolic Interactionism, but also a prime example of social construction; an agreed meaning of things. All of society has agreed on the meaning of the stop sign and we all obey that meaning on a day-to-day basis.

Group (Chapter 4)

A group contains people who interact with each other and feel that the values, interests, and norms they have in common are important. There are many different types of groups. There are work groups, friend groups, family groups, and other organizations that would qualify as groups. In this picture this is a picture of a group of my friends who all find each other very important. We all share interests and norms and that makes us a group. Not only do we all find each other important, we all also share an interest in where we work. An important part of being in a group is to continue to show that we share the common characteristics among us. Should we stop talking, our group would no doubt fall apart.

Agent of Socialization- Media (Chapter 3)

One of the biggest agents of socialization is the media because it is a 24 hour influence. Anybody can turn on a TV at any time during any day and there will be tons of stuff on. We learn “what is cool” from media such as TV shows, movies, and even social media. “What is cool” is constantly evolving causing society to never catch up. Media even goes as far as to tell us what is funny by putting laughter in the shows we watch. Another part of socialization we get from media is our gender roles. Just by watching any TV program, you can easily pick up on stereotypes for gender, race or sexuality.

Agent of Socialization- Peer Groups (Chapter 3)

Groups of friends are a key agent of socialization. Peer groups tend to have similar interests, similar social classes, close ages, and they are very close to us. The opinions of all included in our peer groups is crucial to us. One way we become socialized through our peer groups is by being exposed to peer-pressure causing us to conform.  One of the biggest ways we learn the ways of society are by being “dared” or “ridiculed” into doing things from which we learn from our actions. Another way we are socialized by peer groups is by obtaining information from them. When we want answers to questions we don’t want to ask our parents, we go to our peer group. Most of the time the answers are wrong, but we are still exposed to them. The types of people we hang out with really affect the kind of person we will grow up to be.

Gender Socialization (Chapter 3)

This is a baby girl pin from a baby shower I once attended and it is important because it shows gender socialization. Gender socialization is the nudges into different paths of life we are given based solely on our gender. This pin is obviously pink; because society thinks the only color baby girls like is pink. At this baby shower we had obviously not met the two twin baby girls coming into the world, but we all knew they would love pink, sparkles, they would be pros at laundry, be able to cook a mean meatloaf, and they would definitely be dating the sports superstars at their school. All of this was determined just by this little pink pin that told us they were girls. We generalize gender to an extreme and we expect children to grow up under those standards.

Feral Children and Socialization (Chapter 3)

The movie Mama is about two feral children abandoned in the woods for years of their lives. When found they could not speak, walk upright, and found smiling threatening. They acted like wild animals and took a very long time to be introduced to society. Feral children relate to sociology because they show how society socializes us as children and without those influences, we would be so far behind developmentally. Supposedly society is what makes us human, and feral children are examples that support that theory. Without socialization from society, we would all act as these abandoned children do because after all, society built us. Everything we know (consciously and subconsciously) is because society taught it to us.

Taboo (Chapter 2)

This is a picture of my dog eating another dog (it is a bit of stretch, I realize). This is a prime example of a taboo in society. A taboo is a norm so strongly ingrained in people that even the thought of its violation is greeted with total disgust. Cannibalism is a total taboo because the thought of eating our own species disgusts everybody. By my dog eating another dog, it is breaking a taboo because it is eating its own kind. Not even animals eat their own kind in the wild, so it is a universal taboo. Whenever somebody breaks a taboo, the consequences are very extreme such as going to jail or death.

Sanctions (Chapter 2)

This photo is of an award for “Employee of the Year”, and this kind of an award is an example of a positive sanction in the workplace. Sanctions are the reactions people receive for following or breaking norms. When I followed all of the norms of my workplace for an entire year, I was awarded for my behavior. This sanction was not necessarily a materialistic one, but more of a ‘status’. Sanctions can be material, or actions such as hugs and high-fives. Sanctions can also be very negative, such as taking items away or physical punishment.

Experimental Method-Survey (Chapter 1)

A survey is an example of an experimental method. A survey is a collection of data using a form and a specific population. I am somehow a part of some specific population (a group of people with something in common) since a survey company is constantly sending me requests to take surveys, like the one I posted here. Obviously a researcher cannot talk to every person in the specific population, so a sample group is formed. The best way to get results and answers from this group is a survey in which individuals are asked a series of questions and are usually anonymous.  If a researcher is surveying people in person (rather than this online survey I was invited to), it is important to make observations while surveying. These observations can be anything qualitative about the subject.  A survey is just one of many different types of research methods that can be used to obtain results.

Conflict Theory (Chapter1)

My two dogs both trying to eat out of the same food bowl represents the Conflict Theory. This is representative of the Conflict Theory in the sense that my dogs are both in a struggle for scarce resources. Conflict Theory refers to the scarce resources being things such as power, prestige, and property. The food that my dogs are struggling for would most closely relate with property. Conflict Theory is all about promoting change and wanting to change things. If my dogs were to think of this with the mindset of a Conflict Theorist, they would probably be seeing the problem of only having one bowl and wondering how to change it in order for them to more easily get food for themselves. Conflict Theory is an “angry” theory, meaning it is all about change. To say my dogs were angry and would like a change is an understatement.