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Final Concept Reflection

I told Reilly that I learned a lot about gender socialization. I knew that both girls and boys are taught to behave a certain way but I could never find a name for it. I also learned a lot about male gender socialization because I had never really seen socialization from a male perspective before, since I have only grown up knowing how females are socialized. She said that she was also surprised to learn about how much pressure boys face to be tough and how this has impacted the level of violence in society.

Reilly said that she learned a lot about gender socialization this semester as well. She noticed that there are many other ways that people are socialized other than in school and with peers. She also learned that there are many small details that go into socialization and often times it is hard to even notice them. Learning about gender socialization helped expand her mindset.

Both Reilly and I agreed that the information that we learned in class is important because it will be beneficial to us for the rest of our lives. We also both agreed that Tough Guise opened our eyes to the fact that boys have to fight social pressures that are just as harsh as the ones set for women. Except it may not be as evident because they are taught to suppress their emotions. However, while the documentary Tough Guise drew my attention. the movie Crash stood out more to Reilly. Tough Guise was an eyeopener to me because I had not realized how much pressure boys were under to conform to society. Reilly said that Crash had more of an impact on her because she was able to identify different types of discriminators in the movie and could now probably point them out in everyday life.

Reilly and I had very similar opinions about the subjects in Sociology. If I had to discuss the topics of this class with someone who had a different opinion from me I would listen to their opinions and perspectives. I know people are more open to listen to other people’s opinions when they are allowed to give their own input. I think that it is important for people with different opinions to talk with one another because that is how problems are solved. There is no way that one person can see life from every perspective and experience every lifestyle. If many people talk to one another, it is more likely that they have had different experiences and have different inputs about certain topics. This will help expand the available knowledge about a topic. If people with different opinions communicate with one another then they may bring up points that the other side may have never thought about. If people with the same opinions only talked to one another about issues then it would be difficult to find faults that need to be fixed because no one would bring up problems with the information that they have been given.

Concept Reflection 13 (Crash)

Frustration Aggression Hypothesis: Ludacris was angry at the way black people have been treated throughout history, including himself. He was angry that the waitress at the restaurant did not pay much attention to him and his friend; he believed it was because he was black and even though the waitress was also black, she held prejudices against black men. He was angry at the way white people such as Sandra Bullock were afraid of them even though he had originally given them no reason to be. He said that he’d only rob white people, sort of as a way to get even. His goal was to be treated equally but he could not obtain this goal because black men are stereotyped on a daily basis. He acted out against white people by robbing them.

Authoritarian Personality: Terrence Howard was an example of a authoritarian personality. When Matt Dillon was assaulting his wife, he did nothing in fear of being harmed and also because Dillon was part of a dominant group (white people) and he was part of a subordinate group (black people), and he was playing his role. He also submitted to his boss when he stated that one of the actors was not “talking black enough”. Even though Howard knew it was wrong and gave a bad impression, he changed it anyway because he was conforming to society’s standards; acting as though his white boss was inferior to him. He eventually reached his breaking point and like Ludacris, he acted out.

TYPES OF DISCRIMINATORS

1.) Prejudiced Discriminator: For much of the movie Sandra Bullock was untrusting of black and hispanic people. She assumed the Ludacris and the man with him were going to attack her just because they were black; even though they did attack her and her husband; she made an assumption about them before they attacked her and acted upon it. She was also distrustful to Michael Pena and assumed that he was a gangster and was going to sell their house keys so others could break in, so she wanted her locks changed. She was also rude to her housekeeper Maria, and became angry when she used her car. However, at the end of the movie she became more trusting when Maria helped her after she fell.

2.) Prejudice Nondiscriminator: The lawyer (played by William Fichtner) wanted to defend the officer that was killed but Don Cheadle found evidence that may have proved that the other undercover officer’s reasoning was justified and not a hate crime. The lawyer wanted to defend the killed officer because he was black and it would look better if it was a hate crime instead of an actual crime on the dead officer’s part. The lawyer basically blamed black people for being in the position they are in; a large population of black males are incarcerated. He said that “black people could not keep their hands out of the cookie jar”. Even though it seemed as though the lawyer was trying to defend a black man and he did not act directly on his prejudices; they were still present.

3.) Unprejudiced Discriminator: Ryan Phillippe did not have prejudices against black people, especially at the beginning of the movie. The first time he met Terrence Howard, he did nothing while Matt Dillon mistreated Howard and Thandie Newton. Even though he was unprejudiced he didn’t really try to stop Matt Dillon. The second time Phillipe met Howard he knew he was upset and tried to calm him down so he would not get shot by the other officers. He even picked up Don Cheadle’s brother (Larenz Tate) when he was hitchhiking; I do not think that a prejudice person would do that. However, when he was arguing in the car with Tate, he saw him reach for something and shot him. I think that Phillippe shot him because the others officers indirectly instilled in him that black men carry weapons and will attack. Even though he didn’t believe that or he would not have picked him up.

4.) Unprejudiced Nondiscriminator: I think that Don Cheadle’s brother was unprejudiced and nondiscriminatory. When Ludacris blamed white people for the oppression many times throughout the movie, Tate did not see it from his point of view. He also was willing to get in the car with Phillippe and I do not think that he would have gotten in the car with Phillipe if he had held prejudices against white people. It was sad that both Phillippe and Tate were unprejudiced but one of them ended up killing the other based on an assumption.

A demonstration of conflict hypothesis was seen at the end of the movie. A few examples of this include Sandra Bullock trusting Maria after she helped her when her friends wouldn’t. She called Maria her best friend, this is much different from how she treated Maria at the beginning of the movie. Even though Matt Dillon assaulted Thandie Newton earlier in the movie; she put her trust in him because he saved her life. Matt Dillon also treated her as an equal human being during that time; unlike earlier in the movie. They were able to put their prejudices against one another aside to achieve a positive goal. There were many examples of prejudice people in this movie and once they helped each other or saw them as a human being, their prejudices were either greatly reduced or went away.

#Crash

Concept Reflection #12

I think that the most problematic aspect of race relations today is that all minorities in America are expected to adapt to the white race. Multilingual minorities are expected to only speak English, if you do not talk a certain way or if you have a name that does not seem like a name a white person would have, then you are treated differently. White is the “norm” and any other race is “abnormal”. When a minority holds a position of power or a role predominantly held by a white person it is made into a big deal. This is because up until the last few decades it was taboo for a person of color to have any power in society. Society is still stuck in a mindset where white is seen as the standard, because this is how it has been for much of American History.

Race-Based Critical Theory- theory that the concept of race was created to keep the dominant population in power. It states that minority races are treated unequally because the dominant race (white), created social differences that allow them to stay in power.

The Colorblind racism framework aligns the most with my view of race. I believe that in today’s society many people believe that all people are treated equally, because they do not experience racially inequality personally. I have talked with many people and I have heard a few say they believe that racism is obsolete. I have heard people say they do not see people’s skin color, and instead they judge them by their personality. I do not necessarily believe this, most people have heard stereotypes about all the different races (including white) and it can be difficult to not think about those stereotypes. Even though many people do not act based on those stereotypes, they are still there. I think that people today believe that disadvantaged minorities are lazy because some of them in today’s society hold some positions of power. I think they believe that racial inequality does not exist because of this, even though racial inequality is still present in today’s society.

Colorblindness is the belief that people should not be grouped together based on their race and instead looked at as individuals. It is the ideology that race should not be characterized as someone’s dominant characteristic. While this sounds ideal, it can be problematic. Racial inequality is harder to pinpoint and it is easier to victim blame. People are blamed individually for their unequal opportunities.

White Normavity highlights that white is the dominant race in America. Because of this, the attitudes and beliefs of white people toward minorities have contributed to their status and how they are treated. White is seen as the “norm”. Many people define diversity as incorporating/celebrating people who are of a different race besides white, this is because white is seen as the “standard template”. One women described white people as being “hosts” because she felt that white people are expected to use their privilege to give minorities equal opportunity. She speaks as if white people are in charge and expected to give out opportunities to minorities.

These ideologies play into my explanations of race relations in society because White Normativity is prominent. Society is so used to white people holding positions of power, that it is surprising when a minority gains power.my Colorblindness connects to my explanation because since minorities are starting to hold more positions of power, minorities who have fewer opportunities are considered “lazy”. Most of the minorities that hold positions of power had to work very hard to get them, so people believe that if they could do it, then anyone could do it. They begin to blame them individually for their inequality, instead of acknowledging the fact that racially inequality still exists, some people find other causes of unequal opportunities.

Concept Reflection #10

The main idea behind Tough Guise 2 was that men are taught at a young age to have a tendency towards violence and use it to solve disagreements and express their feelings. This has been the case throughout American History. They are taught that being anything but aggressive, angry, dominant or tough is “too feminine” or “gay”. There is a correlation between an increase of violence in society and the increasing display of masculinity among men. Jackson Katz stated that violent crimes are predominantly committed by men, most likely due to the fact that they are taught to be violent at a young age. The media also has a big role in teaching boys to be violent; video games, movies, books and even toys often highlight weapon usage and violence against others.

Gender socialization was one of the main points of the documentary. From birth boys are taught to be rough and tough and are taught how to fight to protect themselves by their fathers and male family figures. If they cry they are called a “sissy” or other names that are much harsher by their peers. Body consciousness was mentioned because toys such as G.I Joe have been shown to have increasingly large biceps as body trends have changed and boys are taught to follow that image. There was a lot of symbolism because there were many figures throughout history that are seen as the template for “a real man”, people such as John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Ronald Reagan were seen as the ideal man for much of the 20th Century.

There was a lot of mention of gun violence and gun control in the documentary, I did not expect to see that. But I was surprised by how much guns are advertised in the media and owning and using them is seen as a form of masculinity. Katz pointed out that each race/ethnicity adopts practices from other races and ethnicity about what being a man is. White and asian men sometimes adopt behaviors that are usually practiced by black men, black and hispanic men; especially in urban areas; often learn techniques from white, italian and cuban men in movies such as scarface. It is somewhat of a cycle. He also pointed out that in the past asian men were portrayed as feminine and weak in movies, but the stereotypes began to change once people like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li became popular. While watching this documentary I learned that there a very thin line that men can walk on without being ridiculed or outcasted, and if they take one step away from it, they are labeled as anything but a man. It is not as easy being a man as people assume.

The movie covered a lot of information in a short time. I agree with the perspective because Katz discussed how boys are socialized, the reasons behind it and how it has affected society. I think that male gender socialization in other cultures should have been included. I notice that the definition of masculinity is different in other cultures as compared to American culture. For example, in Spain people often greet each other by kissing on the cheeks; even the men kiss each other; if a man were to do that in American society they would be called names such as gay. Katz did a great job covering the definition of masculinity in our culture, but I think it would have been better to compare it to the definition of masculinity in other cultures. Possibly, to show that it is much different in other parts of the world.

#toughguise

Concept Reflection #8

The main idea of the film The Hunting Ground was that rape is all too familiar on college campuses and the victims of college rape are often ignored, harassed or blamed while the perpetrators lives remain virtually unaffected. One of the reasons that rape is so prominent, especially against women is that they have been seen as objects throughout time instead of human beings. This was also discussed in Miss Representation. Women are often over sexualized and this could contribute to the many instances of rape on college campuses. The mass media also portrays women as sex objects and this contributes to the rape culture on college campuses.

It was surprising to me that many well known and Ivy League schools had a rape problem on college campuses but often swept allegations under the mat and barely, if at all investigated them. It was sad to see how the victims in the documentary were treated, especially the Florida State student that was harassed by football fans and eventually forced to drop out of school. It was scary to see how the football fans were so concerned about the football team winning, that they sent death threats to the victim. It is also scary to know that rape happens on almost every college campus and the culture surrounding college greek life plays a big role in rape culture. It was sad to see that some of the victims were compelled to take their lives because they felt they had no other options. I did not know that most of the people who are rapists are repeat offenders and people that the victims usually know.

The primary problems were that rape is taken very lightly on college campuses even though they are strong advocates against it. When a victim reports that they have been raped or assaulted, their reports are often pushed aside and forgotten. If they continue to complain, the investigations are usually lazily carried out and if the perpetrators are found guilty, their punishments are very lenient, especially if they are an athlete. I think that rape should be taken very seriously on college campus and the punishment should be very harsh for the attackers. Rape can be life ruining for the victims and the punishment should be life ruining for the perpetrators as well. Many of the schools are worried that punishing perpetrators could have negative effects on the school’s reputation if the perpetrator sues the school, but it could be just as damaging to their reputation if the school is a dangerous place because of a rape epidemic. The victims of rapes should not have to live on campus or go to class knowing that their attacker could be in their class or walk past them, if someone is found guilty of rape they should be expelled from the college and punished at the criminal level.

#thehuntingground

Concept Reflection #6

The main idea behind Miss Representation was that the different forms of media are largely responsible for the way that women have been perceived throughout history. Women are shown as objects for men to look at and admire, and media provides a “template” for the way women are supposed to look, act and be treated. This problem is contributing to the trend of few women in positions of power. The portrayal of women in media has also contribute to the rape culture of today’s society.

In class we talked about the objectification of women, and that was heavily discussed in the documentary. They also examined the concept of gender roles. Throughout history women have been expected to follow men and stay in the background. They are expected to change their bodies based what is in trend and what men see as pleasing. They also mentioned how boys are expected to act a certain way and not express emotions. We also discussed in class how society believes that women are unfit to hold positions of power because they are seen as “emotional” and are expected to focus on taking care of their children, and the responsibilities of a powerful position could get in the way of that. Even women that hold positions of power are often objectified and oversexualized. Women that are outspoken and stand up for themselves are called names such as a “bitch” or compared to a nagging housewife.

I was surprised by the clips that were shown of radio hosts talking about women such as Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. I was shocked that people would publicly say horrible things like that. I was also surprised by some of the things some of the women who were running for office were told by people when they were out in public. It stood out to me that the portrayal of women in media is not a new issue and it has been around for many decades, media has such a large impact on society. They pointed out older women are often overlooked and not given jobs on television or in movies because they are seen as outdated; I had not thought about this before. It was also sad to see the way the media has a negative effect on young children.

Yes, I agree with the perspective of this movie. I am glad that many of the women that were interviewed in this documentary were women in positions of power. It was eye opening to see that way that they were treated by the media, there accomplishments were overshadowed by the way they looked and the fact that they were a woman. I am glad that they also interviewed men because they also have an important role in fixing the way women are treated and they can also be affected by the media. I think they should have interviewed more models, actresses, singers and other women who are the ones who play an active role in the media. They face a lot of pressures to be “the perfect woman” and it would have been interesting to see their perspective.

#missrepresentation

Concept Reflection #5

Currently in our society, CEOs, Entertainers, Athletes, Entrepreneurs, etc. are paid the highest salaries and have the highest social rankings. But in reality, they are not crucial to the survival of our society. Educators, doctors, and other people who affect the lives of millions of people everyday, are the ones who are crucial to society. Although doctors are paid a substantial salary, they are not paid as much as an actor is for having a role in a movie.

If the United States was a meritocracy, I think more practical abilities such as teaching, building, and providing medical care would be valued highly. Abilities such as singing and acting would be the least regarded skills because they are not crucial to the survival of society. I think that a college degree would be highly valuable, especially in the sciences and technology. People that major in these areas would be able to greatly improve society, and impact the lives of millions of people. I think that level of the degree would also be important because someone with a higher degree would be more experienced in that subject and have more knowledge about it. In today’s society a college degree does not necessarily mean a substantial career, but in a meritocracy it would.

I think people in the United States support a hierarchically arranged society because they believe that they have a chance to move up in society. Many people who are successful and at the top of the hierarchy do not have a college degree, but had a rare skill, were able to create something beneficial to society, or become influential in some way. I think that people believe that if they are able to do one of those things they will move up in society. I also think the reason we have hierarchical society is because the people in power are rich and at the top and they would not want to change society, I do not think everyone supports this type of society but they do not have the power to change it.

The Davis-Moore thesis supports the American Values, because I gives everyone a chance to be successful, no matter where they come from. It appeals to the American belief that this is the land of opportunity and anyone has the opportunity to be highly regarded in society. The people who put in the most to improve society would be the ones who are rewarded the most.

#meritocracy

Concept Reflection #4

I tried breaching experiments in the elevator. Many people in my dorm use the elevator several times a day. I faced the back of the elevator when there were many people on the elevator. I did this two times. The first time another girl got on the elevator with me and she faced the other way as well. She didn’t even seem to notice that she was doing it because she was looking on her phone the whole time. The next time several people got on the elevator and no one faced the other way. Maybe because they caught on to what I was doing, a majority of the other people were facing towards the door or because they just didn’t notice. People expect everyone to follow the social norms. If you don’t sometimes people don’t notice but other times they can began to feel uncomfortable or even began to copy what they see if the majority of people are doing it. People tend to follow the crowd. I think that this is because it helped us survive in the past. People learned the things they needed to do to survive by following their instinct and copying others.

#ethnomethodology

Extra Credit- American Core Values

The way I see it Progress and Material Comfort are the most prominent value in today’s society. I believe that the other core values are important and have a significant impact on our society. But this core value is one of the only ones that is present in almost every American’s life 24/7. It is safe to say that it is very rare to find an American without an item in their home that is not a necessity. Technology and other material comfort have helped us develop as a society and we have come a long way from where we were 1,000, 100 or even 30 years ago. The standard of living in America has changed throughout the years and it can be used as a way to measure the progress of society. I think material comforts have changed the way life is lived, there is more time to focus on social constructs. People value material comforts highly because they allow people to be more successful in life, they can focus on going to school, finding a career and making money. I think Progress and Material Comfort is the main core value that makes the American standard of living desirable, even if some of the other core values are not achieved.

#ProgressAndMaterialComfort

Something Is Different About Robbie- Journal #3

I feel that Robbie’s behavior stemmed from a mixture of both his biological makeup and his upbringing. I believe that everyone’s behavior is influenced by both factors. I think that people are born with certain inclinations and they can be shaped and molded based on their surroundings. I do not think that Robbie’s parents could have done too much to change the outcome of his future. I think that Robbie felt resentment toward his stepmother for a reason related to his real mother. She may have died and he felt that his stepmother could not replace her or there may be other reasons. I do not recall them saying what happened to his real mother. I think that Robbie’s parents should have tried to talk to him more to understand what he was feeling, and I think it was good that they sent him to get psychiatric help, but I do think that 4 years old was too young to do so. But I do believe that Robbie’s behavior mostly stemmed from his mind. I think that while sometimes parents could possibly prevent their children from committing acts like this, sometimes it is just unpreventable. Some people are just drawn to violence and nothing can pull them away from it.

#evilliveshere

Journal #2

I would say that society most embodies the functionalist theory. Society should have an equal balance in each social institute to properly function. I agree with Parsons in that society is like a body with the different organs working together as a whole. Just as the heart pumps blood to the rest of the body, the government decides how much money is distributed between certain social institutions such as schools or medical centers. An example of the functionalist perspective in everyday life would be the fact that the government has created a specific set of laws and the citizens of that country are expected to cooperate and follow them. Without the cooperation of the public and the set of laws put into place, society would fall into anarchy. In addition, if the government put too many laws and restrictions on the public, society would not function as it should. Each group in society must work together to maintain a balance.

#functionalism

brelynflynn-blog

Who is Breann Lynell Flynn?

I am from Christiansburg, VA, but I went to school in Radford and did just about everything else there. Both are fairly small and to give an idea of how small Radford is, I only graduated from a class of 100. Many people from my graduating class attend Virginia Tech as well. I am a sophomore and I want to major in Human Development and minor in Spanish so that I can broaden my level of communication. I would like to become a physical therapist once I complete my education track. I have a lot of experience in PT because I get injured a lot and I also love to help people.

My favorite color is blue, I enjoy most types of music and I love watching movies. I am also very interested in design and originally considered majoring in Interior Design. Soccer and going to the beach are definitely my favorite hobbies. I never really get a chance to go to the beach anymore since I don’t live close to one, but when I graduate and move away I would definitely like to live near any beach possible. I really like how when you are standing in front of the ocean it is so open and you cannot see the end. Sometimes in cities and places with a lot of buildings I feel trapped. I also love the way sand feels on my feet and the fact that there is nothing separating me from nature.

I am a very observant person, my friends and family often point out that I notice things that most people would overlook. I am a very easygoing person and I am very easy to get along with. I had the same friends throughout my whole life because I have grown up with same people. My roommate is even a high school friend and we get along well because we are very similar. I tend to hang out with people I have known long before we began attending Tech together. Sometimes this makes it difficult for me to make new friends here because I haven’t made new friends in a long time so I am “rusty”. Also it can be hard for me I really want to overcome this obstacle by the end of my sophomore year.

I am taking this class because 1.) I need to fulfill a major requirement, and 2.) Behavioral Sciences interest me. I think classes like Sociology and Psychology are interested because they can be applied to everyday life, unlike many of the classes that I am taking. Classes such as these focus on society as a whole and these classes help us understand why people act the way they do.

#sociology

Who is Breann Lynell Flynn?

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