Different Cultures

We read an article this week about how a child was left on the street in their stroller while the parents were eating in the resturaunt. Thiw was unacceptable in America, but in their home country, it was perfectly normal. This shows the culture differences in the world. We, especially in America, are very close minded to other cultures and ideas. When thinking sociologically, we shouldn't do that. We should see the big picture, and why that should be good. It is good for children to get fresh air, so leaving them outside should be harmless. But in America, the fast paced life outside would not be safe for a child.
This is similar to when I went to Japan. When I was there, the different culture struck me drastically. Seeing vending machines for everything and ANYTHING freaked me out a little bit. I was somewhat uncomfortable with cigarette and alcohol vending machines. I now know that things like that are considered normal in different parts of the world. Thinking socioligically, I appreciate the different cultures. If everyone were the same, the world would be boring!

Culture

This week, we have been talking a lot about culture. This is one of my favorite topics because of the trip that I took to Japan in 2009. While there, I experienced Japanese culture 100%. One of my favorite topics in class was when we talked about the toilets. That sounds funny to say "My favorite topic is toilets" but I thought it was very interesting to see and think about different toilets from around the world. While there, I remember thinking about the toilets being different, but never thought that much into it. The sociology behind it is a lot more obvious now that I think about it. There are reasons that cultures do the things they do. Each culture thinks differently about things, and this is truly reflected in their toilets. In Japan, they are small, and water efficient. Often times the toilets are in the ground. And they have urinals for women. This would be almost unthinkable in America!

It's funny to think about how the girls reacted to these toilets when I was there. Our first experience was one day when we went to a lunch buffet. We decided that we needed to go to the bathroom, so being American girls, we all went to the bathroom together. When we walked in, they were immaculate. They were the cleaniest, freshest smelling bathrooms that i have ever been in. Then we opened the stalls to go in, and there were sideways urinals in the ground!!! We were in shock. We walked out in shock. We had no idea what to do! So we thought it through, and decided it was something that we needed to try to fully experience Japanese culture. It's so interesting to think that this isn't weird to them! This all has to do with culture, and how different Americans and Japanese are. Every culture is different in their own way. After thinking about this a lot more in class, it makes me appreciate it more. I think it is really cool to think about how everyone does everything different. Culture is a huge part of everyone, and all of our cultures are different! 

A Bronx Tale

Currently we are watching the movie "A Bronx Tale" which is about Collogro, the young Italian American growing up in the Bronx. When watching this movie (so far), the segregation is very obvious. But it goes to show the many different groups in the movie. Collogro or "C" is in multiple groups throughout the movie. He is part of the large Italian American group where he lives. He is part of his family: he is a son. He is a friend to the kids his age. He is also a friend of Sonny's and the Mob's. He is a student. He is also the go-to man for many of his friends, and even sometimes Sonny.
I think the main sociology lesson in this movie relates back to the Complex Me activity. We are all a part of so many groups, and sometimes we even discriminate against other groups. I personally believe that we need to be more open minded to the people around us. In the movie, C tries to defend the African American guys when they ride through the neighborhood, but at the end of the clip today he was getting in trouble with the girl he likes because he was at the scene. People are too quick to judge!! Settle back and don't stress about everything so much! Everyone seems to be in constant fear of someone else. It's very obvious in this movie, that if you get to know someone, they can be a great person. Sonny is a great example of this. He is feared in the community, but when C gets to know him he realizes that Sonny is really a great guy. So I think one of the biggest lessons in this movie is to not be so quick to judge; all of our groups are some how related.
A life example that I have of being judged to quickly is cheerleading. I cheered for nine years, so never truly understood the "stereotypical cheerleader". I don't know any cheerleaders that are "whores" or get pregnant really young. Many people are quick to judge because we wear short skirts. So many cheerleaders are complete opposites of the stereotype. If people got to know cheerleaders before judging them, there wouldn't be this huge stereotype. We are a part of the same groups as everyone else. We are students that care about grades and care about our friends too.
Don't be so quick to judge! We are all related in some way through our groups.

Complex Me

I belong to many groups: many that I choose to be a part of, many that I don't choose to be a part of, and m any that I don't know I'm a part of. I'm a sister and a daughter. I'm a student. I'm a lifeguard and a babysitter. I'm a C.A.R. member and an officer. I'm a friend and a leader. And the list goes on. Everyone's list goes on. The groups that we are a part of make us the people that we are.

In class, Sal had us make a list of things we are a part of, and titles that we hold in that group. Then he had us pick one that is the most important. The most important one to me would be C.A.R. state first VP and national membership chairman. These are important to me even though most people don't know anything about it. I can try to explain it, but most people still don't get it. But it is still something that is such a HUGE part of me that I believe it is one of the most important. The other important title that I chose was Friend. Friends are one of the most important things in my life. Being a good friend is something that I strive for everyday. This is a title that I hope is seen a lot.

The importance of this to sociology would be that we are all a part of many different groups. The groups and titles that we hold can help sociologists know why we do things the way we do. If a sociologist were to give us a survey with the answers A B C D E, knowing the groups that I am in can help them determine why I chose a certain answer. Many of us may think that the groups aren't important, it's just things that we do, but the things that we do shape us into the people we are. And because of the people we are, we make the decisions that we do.

Thinking about the groups that people are in, we must all be connected in some way. Right? So we are connected to people that we don't know and may never know? I think so! Another socioloigist thought. Everyone is connected. How are we connected?

Service

The service aspect of this class is one of the most exciting parts for me. My family is a very service orienteted family. We do a lot of service throughout the year and every year, each member of my family receives the Gold level President's Service Award. This award is for 100 + hours of service in the year.
The thing about this project that excites me though, is that I am going to go out of my way to make it challenging for me. Often times the service that I do is in my comfort zone. I get a lot out of everything that I do, but nothing is too mentally draining. For this project I want to do something that stretches my limits.
I have never been very comfortable around mentally and/or physically challenged people. One of my friends in C.A.R. has a brother, Seth, that is mentally challenged and is confined to a wheelchair. My first few years in C.A.R., I stayed away and didn't really talk to him. This summer my friend told me that his brother was his inspiration for everything that he does in life. Most of the things that are a stretch for HIM, he does for his brother. So I went out of my way for the rest of the summer to talk to Seth and get to know him a little bit. At first I didn't know what to say. So I started with the usual "Hey Seth!" He answered me with "Hi Caitlin!" It was stressed on his part, and I could tell it was difficult for him, but he said Hi to me, and he knew my name. This was something that made me light up inside and out. I started talking to him that night, and for almost every other day that we were all together. It was difficult for me to initiate all summer, so I know this is something that I have still not conquered. But I now know that Seth is one of the coolest guys I have ever met, and that just because he isn't just like me doesn't mean that he is a bad person.
Talking to Seth, and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone made me realize that it is so worth it. I am still uncomfortable in those situations so I am thinking about doing SRACLC for my service project. This would be the hardest project, mentally, that I have ever done. Because of the stretch is why I am so excited about the opportunity.

How does service and my story about Seth relate to sociology? Service is more than the fact that it is MANDATORY, it's something to push us out of our comfort zones in our little "bubble" to see the world around us. There is so much more out there than what we surround ourselves with. I believe the story about Seth is a great connection to the "spit" excercise. In the "bubble" that we live in, we sometimes block mentally and physically challenged people out of everything. We are even sometimes trained to not notice them. We are trained to think of them differently just like we are trained to believe that saliva out of the mouth is "spit". When you think about either of those examples, they are all the same. "Spit" is saliva, and mentally and physically challenged people are humans with feelings too. I am excited to push myself to be the person that I want to be: the person comfortable with EVERYONE because they are normal humans too.