#usfsoc17

[sociologyofusprisonsystems-blog]

Qualitative Research

The qualitative research that I chose for this project was a report on for profit prisons conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU is a non profit organization whose mission is to “"to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.” The report conducted by the ACLU highlights the rise of the privatization of our nation's prison system and works to expose corruption and injustice that is generated by such a practice. The report’s first part begins with illustrating how the privatization of our prison systems came to be in America then goes on to challenge the supposed benefits of privatizing prisons. And ends with expanding upon how these private prisons go on to make their case to politicians and those in power. The reason I believe this report is relevant to my blog is because it highlights one of the main injustices that our prison system is currently going through. In order for theses for profit prisons to be profitable corporations must have a large amount of inmates to work with. These inmates can then be exploited for cheap and unethical labor. In order to fill the quota of prisoners corporations turn to lawmakers to crack down on “crime”. An example of this is mass incarceration for drug related offenses, Studies found that over 60% of the prison population is currently incarcerated for a drug related offense. Private corporations legally bribe politicians with large campaign donations and attempt to sway their thinking with lobbying. These corporations have also been found to be paying off politicians for their cooperation in for profit prison expansion. I believe that this report makes several great points about one of the many reasons why our current prison system is fundamentally unjust and unethical.

Source:

https://www.aclu.org/banking-bondage-private-prisons-and-mass-incarceration

[sociologyofusprisonsystems-blog]

After conducting research on the United States Prison system and criminal justice system I have come to conclusion that prisons are a source of social injustice and inequality. To those who are unused to thinking of life through a sociological lense U.S. prisons seem to fulfil a vital necessity within our society. However, while it is true that prisons do serve a vital function in America they also go far beyond the scope of what I believe to be moral and ethical. In a perfect world prisons serve the function of separating productive and “good” members of society from those who are unproductive and “evil”. Criminals are those who breach serious formalized social norms and expectations which come in the form of laws.  Without laws society as we know it would not be able to function; and as a result is necessary for society to offer punishment and sanctions for those who break those laws. These sanctions can take different form depending on the type of crime committed. If a crime is not very serious the perpetrator would likely be let off with a warning or fine. While the most heinous of crimes could be punishable by death or a lifetime in prison. However, the most common types of criminals in our prison systems tend to be somewhere in the middle who commit relatively serious crimes and must stay a relatively long amount of time behind bars the average sentence being about 3 years. Prisoners are not meant to be locked up behind bars forever, however prisons often fail to prepare inmates for life on the outside. Inside  prisons themselves there is a culture of violence, and survival of the fittest attitude.  This culture and lifestyle has an adverse affect on the inmate's’ ability to become the functioning members of society that we all claim to want. According to study conducted by the bureau of statistics people who are released from have a 68% chance of being sent back for a different crime within a three year period. The united states Prison system fails to adequately deal with the issue of rehabilitation in our own prison population. This is a critical problem while some might only believe that a prison's function should be simply to punish criminals I believe that we should be striving to turn these individuals onto the path of productivity within our society. Otherwise setting up these individuals to fail which will in turn have a higher cost on our society. Our prison system is flawed in many ways more than this and as a result I encourage anyone with an interest in social justice to do there own research on the subject as there is so much more information you can find if you’re willing to look.

[ang-usfcasoc-blog]

This blog will look at the relationship between media and politics. Technology has definitely made our lives easier. The internet has made communication and the spread of information faster than ever. We are now living in the digital age where we are able to communicate with people from different sides of the globe at the touch of our hands – all thanks to smartphones. The media has changed drastically over the years as a result of technological innovations. The media is no longer restricted to local newspapers or news networks. We now have social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, where people not only socialize with their friends but also where they get informed about politics. The media now plays a critical role in the political sphere. For instance, politicians, organizations, and government officials now use social media as a way to reach to their constituents. The growth of media has had both positive and negative effects on politics. It now controls what information reaches the public, it influences people’s opinions, and it also influences legislation. As a politics major, I have learned and seen both the positive and negative effects of media on politics. I think many people are unaware of how much control the media has over today’s politics. A prime example would be the 2016 Presidential Election. The media was so heavily involved with the 2016 election compared to previous elections. This blog will delve into the relationship between media and politics and how it has changed over time.

[ang-usfcasoc-blog]

It is evident that the media has changed drastically over the years, especially with the creation of social media. People are now able to communicate with one another at a faster rate, as well as receive news and other information instantly. The media has definitely changed the political sphere. The media has had both negative and positive effects on politics. One negative effect is the rise of inaccurate news – fake news. The media has become a huge and complex institution that there is no way to control what is being posted. This is concerning especially because a lot of Millennials say that they get their news from Facebook or Twitter, which are not always the most reliable sources. One positive effect is the increase in civic engagement. Social media has given people the opportunity to become more civically engaged and more vocal about their concerns. The widespread use of social media has made the relationship between media and politics stronger – it is now intertwined and more complex.

[jackieblandon-blog]

#NoMakeup - Conclusion

After doing all of this research I still hold firm to my beliefs, that there is nothing wrong with wearing makeup as long as you are wearing it for yourself and you still feel confident and beautiful in your own skin. The #NoMakeup movement wasn’t created to make women who wear makeup feel as though they were less than but as a way of empowering women all over the world to embrace their natural beauty. Pictured above are seven of my friends and family members who were gracious enough to send me a no makeup selfie they had of themselves. I was so impressed by how many of them took the time and were willing to send me pictures of them without anything to hide behind and then let me post them on the internet. This proves to me that we are taking strides as a society no matter how small at times they may seem to normalize the idea of women without makeup. That we are beginning to realize that women are equal to men in every way, we don’t need to cover our faces up if we don’t want too. The #NoMakeup movement is powerful and tough at times to embrace as women, but something that is so crucial for us to embrace. From the change in the norms I already see, I am beginning to realize that a society where women are not pressured to look a certain way is becoming more and more visible. Women should be encouraged to do whatever the hell they want with their bodies because at the end of the day it is their bodies. #NoMakeup movement is important because everyone deserves the opportunity to feel beautiful in their own skin.

[ang-usfcasoc-blog]

This graph illustrates the relationship between social media and political engagement. This mainly focuses on young adults and their use of social media to participate in civic and political life. The survey found: 38% of those who use social networking sites (SNS) or Twitter use those social media to “like” or promote material related to politics or social issues that others have posted. 35% of social media users have used social media to encourage people to vote. 34% of social media users have used the tools to post their own thoughts or comments on political and social issues. 33% of social media users have used the tools to repost content related to political or social issues that was originally posted by someone else. 31% of social media users have used the tools to encourage other people to take action on a political or social issue that is important to them. 28% of social media users have used the tools to post links to political stories or articles for others to read. 21% of those who use SNS or Twitter belong to a group on an SNS that is involved in political or social issues, or that is working to advance a cause. 20% of social media users have used the tools to follow elected officials and candidates for office. These results are interesting because young adults are often thought of as not being civically engaged. Social media has given young adults a platform to become civically engaged.

I consider this chart to be reliable because the information was from the Pew Research Center, a notable non-partisan American “fact-tank.” They are known for conducting public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis, and other empirical social science research. Even though this data was collected in 2012, I think it still relevant and applicable today. For instance, a lot of the young voters really made use of social media to promote their candidates during the 2016 Presidential Election.

Source:

http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/10/19/additional-analysis-2/

[sociologyproject-usf17-blog]

Discussion

The single parent families have been increasing since 1970. The numbers of single mother families are more than five times than the numbers of single father families. It is because mothers are more suitable to raise their children than those of fathers. The proportion of the single father families has been increasing since 1970. The reason is that the stereotypes of the single fathers have been decreasing, and they are more acceptable in the modern society. The single parent families seem to have more problems in their life compared to two parents families. However, in the video, the single mother family indicates that it is not necessary to have another parent in the house. As long as the family has enough resources, the family members can live a full life. Therefore, lacking of another parent affects less than lacking of resources to the single parent families. In the qualitative research, the single mother families show the positive aspects by doing outdoor activities. As the single parent families increase, there will be more demand and supply of resources for the single parent families. It will be easier and more comfortable for the single parent families to live in the modern society. Conversely, increase in demand and supply of resources for the single parent families, there will be more single parent families because of more moral, physical, and financial support from the exterior to the house. From the change in norm and value of the family, I can anticipate that there will be little differences in norm and value of the family between the single parent families and the two parent families.

[jackieblandon-blog]

#NoMakeup - Qualitative Data

From Ancient Egypt to modern day, makeup has been worn by billions of people, especially women. But why is it that women feel the need to continue to wear makeup and not just go makeup-less? While for some people like Kerry Folan, guest writer at glamour.com, makeup carries a meaningful connection to her past. When she applies lipstick, it’s not because she feels the need to do it for her boyfriend, he believes she is just as beautiful without it, but because it brings her back to her childhood. She reflects on how it makes her think of her cousin and her when they were young and tried their other cousin’s lipstick on for the first time. How being able to wear makeup, especially lipstick, was in her eyes a right of passage into womanhood. She could be just like her older cousin and mom who she adored.

But for other women wearing makeup can be seen as a necessity. In an article done by Catherine Saint Louis for the NYTimes found that in a study done by Nancy Etcoff, clinical professor of psychology at Harvard University, there is a kind of placebo effect for women. When they apply makeup they become more confident. In her study she conducted, 25 female subjects ranging from 20 to 50 and who were either white, black, or Hispanic were photographed barefaced and in three different makeup looks that researchers called natural, professional, and glamorous. They were not allowed to look at themselves for fear that their opinions would be reflected in the photographs. After the photos were taken, 149 people (61 of which were males) judged the photos for 250 milliseconds, then 119 people (30 of which were males) judged the photos for an unlimited amount of time. She found that depending on the makeup look and the time observers were given to look at each one the more variety of answers they got. But overall they found that women should apply makeup according to how they wanted to be perceived. Each look gave off a different vibe and should be used at different occasions. She also reflected that 30 years or so ago women wore makeup simply to please men but nowadays women and feminist wear makeup for themselves. Saint Louis noted that Bobbi Brown makeup artist and entrepreneur states that women who were made up in the wrong makeup for them could be perceived as more “untrustworthy,” which could skew the results of the experiment. She ends her piece with a quote from Professor Hamermesh author of “Beauty Pays” (Princeton University Press, 2011), writing, “Like any other thing that society rewards, people will take advantage of it. I’m an economist, so I say, why not? But I wish society didn’t reward this. I think we’d be a fairer world if beauty were not rewarded, but it is.”

Work Cited:

http://www.glamour.com/story/why-women-wear-makeup

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/fashion/makeup-makes-women-appear-more-competent-study.html