Chapter 16 Halleluja!!!

Social Change is something that happens in the world’s daily basis. It can be planned or unplanned.

 Most of the time Social Change is also controversial for example, cars have been improving the transportation system but also they are polluting more the environment.

 The speed of Social Change is differently noticed for people. For example, the Social Changes related to GLBT is better noticed for a person of 50 than for a person of 20. The person of 50 have been seeing the changes in society throughout her life time which give a better perspective of the huge changes; the acceptance, freedom of speech, and so on.

The causes of Social Change can be cultural, conflictual (social inequality), from charismatic ideas (Martin Luther King Jr. had charisma and an idea), and demographic (changes in household pattern). Some changes are completely unexpected.

Disasters like earthquakes change the society dramatically as well.

Chapter 15

Demography is the study of human population. In the United States’ demographic, one area is depleting while the other is rising up.

 The cause could be the weather, leaving the cold weather and moving to the warmer weather, especially elders.

Generally people migrate from one place to another for economic reasons. The lack of jobs in one area moves people to where the jobs are.

Before the country was a primary industrial country with big factory in many big cities. Then it moves to secondary industrial country and now to tertiary or no manufacturing industries.

The cause is that most of the jobs are being out-sourced to other countries for cheaper labor.

 Most people use to leave in the country, but because of the jobs in the big cities, the demographic of the country’s population changed while the demographic of the cities rose. Like the metropolitan city like New York City, that dominates an area socially and economically is because of Wall Street and other businesses that attracted people to there.

Chapter 14

Education is very important in today's society.

Today education is necessary to all Americans.

 In high-income countries, the education is placed under the supervision of trained teachers.

Whether schooling takes place at home, in magnet schools, public, private, it depends mainly on the level of economic development.

The function of schools as it pertain to society, are socialization, cultural innovation, social integration, social placement, and functions. These examples are how one approach society norms and values.

 If now we should do away of education in America, not only it will cripple the country, there will no longer be a middle income but a low-income which will definitely be class warfare; and America grading will ultimately drop to low rating country.

Chapter 13

What is family? Family can mean so many things. Depends from the people, the culture, the religion. When I was I flight attendant, my family were the crew. Every single flight, my family changed. When the crew sucked, my family was my bag…

Generally in the household a family consists of grandparents, parents and children.

 It also can be a group of people of no relation; such as church members.

 In the household, the father is the head of house regardless of social income.

It is also important that both parents should play a vital role in a child or children lives; in their education, as well as in their social life.

In the African American family, about 47% are married; 9% of male are head of household without the wife; 44% of female is the head of household without a house; said the U.S Census Bureau 2010. This is a shocking statistic. Somebody once add that it is because, a representative percentage are either dead in some violent way and or under incarceration…

Chapter 12

The economy is the major social institution through which a society produces, distributes, and  consumes goods and services.

Today’s expanding global economy produces and consumes products and services with a little regard for national borders.

The Capitalism is creating a very competitive marketplace.  Because Capitalism is based in profit for private properties, it helps to increase the social income inequality.

In other words, whoever has money is making more money, swallowing the ones less fortunate.

My family lives in the same neighborhood for years. A couple years ago my father opened up a mini market. It was a very help hand kind of market because supermarket was really far from the neighborhood.

Things were just going fine. My father could maintain competitive prices. His mini-market had important products. Sometime after, the Super Center Style Market came to its show. Even the supermarket was affected… Imagine my father’s mini market!...

Chapter 11

What’s my race? What’s the Ethnicity that came from?

My country is one of the most diverse when we talk about race and ethnicity.

But what it really means?

Race is if you are White, Caucasian, and Black. Ethnicity refers to ancestors, religion, or language.

The society looks to each person and instantly qualifies everyone based on its skin color, language, body type, nationality…

It happens with us. It happens from us.

We already have concepts based in our personal experiences,  based in others experiences, based in what the mass media says, or just based in our on thinks.

I came to The United States about 06 years ago. I spent most of my time being a student, housewife or/and a stay at home mommy. Before that I had opportunity of a good education, cultural and language knowledge and a good profession. About 02 years ago I was invited by a friend to work with her. Sometimes we would be serving in parties. Sometimes we would housecleaning… Let me tell you! We can make a good money cleaning!... Besides that, one point calls a lot my attention: Every single time I show up for a first cleaning, the clients is amazingly surprised that a young, thin, pretty and well educated woman is there to do housekeeping… Why is that?!

Chapter 10

Gender Stratification refers to the unequal distribution of wealth, power and privilege between men and women. It basically means that the opportunities we have throughout our lives are affected by our gender.

The fact is that, it doesn’t matter what the profession is, the women are always going to have less remuneration than the men… in the same profession!

Another point is that in some professions, in other to be “accepted”, a woman must prove that she is absolutely capable compared to a clearly less pressure to a man.

On the Airline industry, for example, a pilot woman fights against strong prejudice, even if she is much more capable that any pilot man. In the other hand, because I worked in this industry for a long time, many dumb pilots we’re piloting airplanes in our beautiful sky. Some of them were dumb enough to scary even the most brave co-workers… Yet, they were making more money than the feminine pilots…

Chapter 9

Chapter 09

Global Stratification describes the social inequality worldwide.  The countries are divided into 03 categories: High-income countries (United States, Japan), Middle-income countries (Brazil, India) and Low-income countries (Nigeria, Pakistan).

An interesting point about the Middle-income countries, including most the Latin America and Asia, is that these countries have a significant share of poor people. Those people are barely able to have a house or, even worse, feed themselves.

On the poor countries, the poverty is more severe than the poverty in the high and middle-income countries…

I really try to understand what really means to be under a severe poverty situation. It’s not because I don’t know or I have not seen any impressive documentary… It’s because our lives style creates a very comfortable zone.

In fact, the world’s income distribution is affecting much more people than we can imagine… What, kids for example, have been going through it’s impossible to be imagined from the sofas of our living rooms…

Chapter 8

Social inequality it’ is a major issue in every society. Some people have more access to money, schooling, health, fun and power than others.

The social stratification it’s a system that ranks a society in hierarchy categories.

The aspect the mostly call my attention it is that the ranks are carried from one generation to another. This rank is supported by cultural beliefs that define certain kinds of inequality and take generally two forms. One form is called caste system and the other one is called class system.

The castle system is based on birth and shape people’s entire life such as marriage and carrier. The class system is based on birth and on individual achievement; it allows some social mobility.

I really, there are more poor people than rich people in the world. But who should we blame for such poverty? Is each individual responsible for its poverty or it’s the society unequal distribution of wealth?

That something to think about…

Chapter 7

Deviance is any violation of cultural norms. These norms can be minor infractions such as bad manners, or they can be major infractions such as serious violence.

Generally a bad manner it is not seem as a deviance. It is just seen as bad manner. For the society, deviance implies mostly major infractions

The gangs are example of deviance in the society. From the society point of view, gangs are a group of people that wear alike clothes; people that has the same gestural and verbal characteristics; people that fight for the same cause, and organize themselves for acts of deviance.

It is very interesting how many times we can find ourselves practicing some kind of deviance. If we are on a diet for example with a serious food restriction and we eat exactly what we can’t or more than we can’t, we are basically being deviant about the “norm” set for us.

Chapter 6

When I was asked how much of my daily actions and thoughts have something to do with sexuality, I got just surprised with the answer: A lot!

We can find sexuality in almost everywhere. In fact, sexuality is much more than just having sex. At the school, at work and especially in TV we are always sexuality is something very common. Sexuality is also a money machine. The sex industry makes millions on pornography and prostitution.

Sexuality is also a strong cultural issue.

Some countries carry a stigma of to be a paradise of sexuality. For example, the little girls’ clothes are made to be sexy. Girls of 03 or 05 years old are normally dressed as sexy women and this is absolutely normal.

I used to shopping in the United States for my nieces in South America. Many times, the clothes that I send to them were considered “not modern”. In other words, they weren’t sexy. Sexuality it’s being misunderstood with sexuality.

Chapter 5

The essence of the group life is the sense of belonging. A social group is created when two or more persons identify among themselves and interact with one another.

As human being, we live our lives as members of groups. These groups vary in size and vary in durability. They can be based in many factors such as heritage or shared interests.

For example, in Culinary School, all the students have the same interest: Learning the proper techniques to become an excellent Chef. This special interest has attracted women and men from a large variety of backgrounds and ages.

On campus library it is very common to seen a group with teenagers and people on theirs 40’s. Without the interest on the culinary aspect, very rarely this scene would be seen.

Chapter 4

Social structure is the social guide to our daily life. Status and Role are the building blocks for the social structure.

Status is our social identity and is what define our relationship with others. For example, the car we drive (a Ferrari or a Corolla) define us to others.

Role is the action that people expected from who has a particular status. It is expected from the man who has a Ferrari to be very showoff.

I reality status and role play together. A person holds a status and performs a hole.

Another different aspect of social structure is the housework.  Globally, the housework is major part of women’s routine. It really doesn’t matter what else activity a woman has during every single day (full time work and/or school) when she gets back home, everybody expects all the shores from the household  or child care to be done by her. This very unfair aspect is most seen on Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Chapter 3

Socialization is the lifelong social experience by which people develop their human being potential and learn culture.

The social experience is also the basis of each personality. Personality it is a person’s characteristics of acting, thinking and feeling. We form our personality taking in what is surrounding us, therefore social experience is a major factor.

Recently, it was heard about a girl that was abused by her father. He kept her on the basement for many years. He had kids with her. All of them were living without any exterior socialization. By the time this sad history was discovered and the daughter and her kids were made free, their behavior was completely affected. They didn’t have any clue about there was a world outside the basement walls. They didn’t learn how to live as society. They didn’t have the opportunity to develop their personalities.

As adult, they would have to start from the scratch.

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Culture is way of life product of the evolution. It’s the way of thinking, way of acting and material objects that together form each life. It shapes how we act, think and feel. Several species shows a capacity, even limited, for culture however, the human being is the only one who rely on cultural for survival.

The culture consists in some important elements such as symbols (form of words, gestures and actions to express a meaning), language (the symbolic system by which generation transmits culture to the next), values (equality of opportunity), beliefs and norms (moral significance such a sexual taboo or etiquette as a matter of daily basis politeness).

Recently, on my way to school, I missed one of my hearings. I could not wear just one what wouldn’t me feel any comfortable. I confess that during my whole busy day I felt like I was being observed by everybody. Despite feminine clothes and make up, I wasn’t feeling complete as a woman. I realize that hearings are a very import symbol in my feminine culture.

Chapter 01

Sociology is the continuous study of human society. The most important point, the heart of this study is what is called Sociological Perspective.

The Sociological Perspective reveals the power of society to shape individual lives. The society where in live shapes what we are or what we are going to become. Seeing our lives from the social perspective basically helps us to understand what is happening today among us. Is like seeing the strange in the familiar.

Our decisions, even the most simply ones will be made from the sociological perspective. Getting married, having kids, our food, our clothing, music, job and just about everything in our lives are going to be shaped by the society we live.

People from a variety of cultures have to learn how to live together, sharing the system from wherever society we are. It gives to everyone the opportunity to grow and respect more each individual in the society.