7. February 2010 by Mr. Andoscia.

All blogs below have been graded as have comments up to this date. Many of you are expressing some pretty interesting and well thought out opinions, but remember that sociology is about social facts.  It’s time to start using the data to support what you are saying.  Rule of thumb, for every opinion given you should have at least three facts to support it. I want to see more data.

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6. February 2010 by student.

Food.  It has become an important aspect of our life.  Everywhere we go there is food, whether were at the store, the movies, the park, the bank.  Food is what lures us to places.  Food is also what is causing health problems and obesity rates to rise.  Eating habits are terrible in America.  Fast food chains are located in every city, in every state, and on almost every street.  Personally, I believe fast food restaurants are part of our problem.  The other day, my mom gave me the “Make Good Choices” speech.  I asked her why she told me this every time I talked to her.  She informed me that the more you hear something the more you will contemplate the outcome before acting on your decision.  Clearly, fast food industries have figured this out.  They spend millions of dollars a year advertising their products, manipulating consumers into believing that it’s ok to eat McDonalds or Taco Bell on a regular basis.  Often times the industry uses smiling children or attractive happy adults in their commercials, making us believe that we too will be attractive and happy when eating the rubbish they are offering us.  Even though we know their products are horrible for us we continue to consume it.  However, I don’t believe it is 100% of the consumers fault.  Media has a strong effect on society as a whole.  It’s the magic box that tells us what is cool, and what is not.  It entertains us, informs us, and is now killing us…?  While sitting down to watch one episode of Friends or a NFL game at least 2 fast food commercials come on during every commercial break.  This chain has more commercials than any other chain of business, yet there are so few commercials out there to offset their power.  For example, when was the last time you saw a commercial for vegetables on TV?  Having trouble remembering?  I know I am.  Has the media affected our judgment on food choices, resulting in a less healthy lifestyle?  Should corporations be able to sell their products even if they are harmful?  Medicine commercials always have side effects listed at the end of each commercial.  Why don’t Wendy’s or Burger King?  How have we allowed these businesses to alter our decisions and our appearance? Sometimes I wonder if people care about the outcome of their eating habits, and if they do, I wonder why they live the lifestyle they do.  How an individual looks or lives affects everyone around them.  If everyone gives into the power of advertising for these businesses then we will maintain our reputation as “Fat Americans”.  Eventually other countries will laugh at us (if they’re not already), and belittle us due to our appearance.  Are you going to let fast food advertisement manipulate you?

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

6. February 2010 by student.

Throughout the last century, our ecological footprint, or amount of waist were producing, has increased so much to where it has become a major topic in today’s society.  Everywhere we look we see “Go Green” ads and ways we can better our environment.  Speeches have been delivered by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others expressing the current state of planet Earth.  Corporations such as bottling companies and grocery stores are finding ways to use less material to sell their products.  For example, Zephyrhills is using less plastic to make their bottles, and Publix offers reusable fabric bags instead of plastic.  However, are these simple things making a big enough difference to stop pollution and lessen our ecological footprint, or they just delaying the inevitable?  People abuse the resources we have without even recognizing the consequences of their actions.  Society has made it ok to buy 30 bottles of water and “recycle”.  It’s ok if you have a hundred plastic bags in your house, using them on occasion then tossing them away because everyone else does.  People look at this and think “It’s ok, I recycle I’m helping the environment.”  Even if you are recycling your water bottles or reusing your plastic bags have you ever thought about the amount of energy and air pollution released when making these items?  What about the pollution created when recycling them?  The amount of land used to house all of our trash?  Well I have, and I don’t think it’s worth it.

 Is it fair for those of us that actually care about our environment and have changed our lifestyle just to have others ruin it?  I blame society for the lack of knowledge most people have about the environment.  People these days keep up with the celebrities and the earthquake in Haiti, yet they have no idea what is actually happening at home; something that is affecting the now as well as the future.  If the public could see the negative side of the way we are living and the actual process of making the things we use I wonder if they would change.  We have made it part of our American culture to be a materialistic country.  Ever since the early 1700’s, Americans have based their social status of money and what they own.  Times change though, and I believe we should too.  We, as a nation, need to focus more on the output of our lifestyle, as compared to the personal gain.  If we keep living how we are, there is no doubt in my mind that we will run out of space as well as our important resources.  What will we do when plastic is no longer at our finger tips? When gas becomes extinct like the dinosaurs? When freshwater becomes a marketed product only bought in stores?  Will we be able to adapt?  Will we be able to survive?  I’d rather not find out the hard way, and I urge others to take a stand as well.

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4. February 2010 by student.

Technology these days are being used more and more by law enforcement.  Automated cameras are seen and used more in cities.  Camera systems are set up to monitor public streets, such as on top of a street to catch runners and/or speeders.  The installation of cameras will reduce crime or at least drive criminal activity elsewhere.  Camera systems can promote security and safety.  Although cameras are not perfectly reliable, I believe that they are more reliable and honest then a human police officer. For example, a camera tells the truth where as a police officer may not have a reliable observation on how fast I may have been driving or remembering what exactly happened?  Humans make mistakes, where as camera won’t lie, of course as if that camera is properly calibrated.  Yet it is easier to determine the camera’s calibration than a police officers sharp observation.  Yes, a camera can not detect who is the driver when running a red light, but it is basically the same aspect as getting a parking ticket.  The officer leaving the ticket does not know who the driver is,  but yet they believe that we should be rightly held responsible for the actions of those who we trust to drive our cars.

With that, even though surveillance may decrease our privacy, our safety and security is more taken into place.  Surveillance cameras can be successful.  One fact that proves it, is during one of the Super Bowls, police were to use face recognition technology to catch fugitives.

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »

30. January 2010 by student.

Weather or not we should allow gay marriages to be legal or not is a growing social problem in today’s society. Written by Thomas Jefferson in our declaration of Independence in 1776 is “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable  rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” (Wikipedia the free encyclopedia). It seems that as decades have gone by this document in which we supposedly live by has gotten more and more forgotten. All men are created equally inevitably justifies that they are human beings also; they in fact should be legalized with the same rights as any other man no matter what their sexual preference is. This doesn’t mean homosexuals should be aloud to flaunt their orientation in public. nobody wishes to see two men making out on their Sunday afternoon, so laws can be mad to deny that. Many people agree that gays should have the same rights in housing, jobs, public accomodations, and should have equal access to government benefits, equal protection of the law, etc. The problem comes in play when GAY marriage is mentioned and all talk of equality stops dead cold. Getting into another argument is why someone would want to be gay, but gay people don’t choose to be the way they are, they’re born that way. This starts a whole other argument though. Pursuit of Happiness is all homosexuals are looking for and our society denies and torchers these people with anti-homosexual marches.

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29. January 2010 by student.

“Don’t do drugs.” “Drugs are bad!” “Drug free is the way to be.”  Growing up we are taught that drugs have a negative effect on you and in most cases are illegal.  Teachers talk about drugs with a dramatic tone and encourage kids to stay “above the influence”.  However, as a teen I have found it that drug awareness is a joke for most kids.  This important life knowledge that teachers and adult role models are trying to pound into our heads is hypocritical.  How can they say that drugs are bad yet enjoy drinking a beer at dinner, or a glass of wine with their cheese?  Alcohol is a drug just like marijuana and cocaine.  In fact www.gdcada.org states that “alcohol is a drug-the most commonly used and widely abused psychoactive drug in the world.”  Alcohol is a depressant and impairs your senses and thought process.  It causes over 100,000 deaths every year and over 17,000 car accidents (www.myaddiction.com).  It tears apart families, and ruins lives forever.  With this being said, I am amazed that alcohol is legal in not only the U.S. but other countries as well.  However, its’ not only legal, but the government allows it to be advertised on TV, billboards, bus benches, t-shirts, EVERYWHERE!  To make matters worse, alcohol is usually displayed in a sexual or positive manner.  The ads and commercials leave you thinking it is cool to drink, and when you do you will be the most popular person around.  Kids are picking up on these ads at a young age, craving a taste of “adult living” their whole life.  Alcohol companies know this too, and as a result are feeding our youth nonsense and lies.  The most disturbing part of this is, those kids, the ones being brain washed my alcohol companies are our future.  If they grow up thinking that this is ok then who knows what is in store for us when they run the country.  I guess what I’m trying to say is if the alcohol is considered a drug, then why don’t we make it illegal like other drugs.  Why do we use it to benefit our economy, yet allow it to destroy lives and our future?

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

29. January 2010 by student.

Society- a body of people where everyone is a critic and no one can escape the judgment of others.  When you think about it, no one can escape the evil critics of society.  Everywhere you go you are being watched, analyzed, and judged.  Whether it is based on your clothing, physical appearance, location you live, the car you drive, or the bling you wear, you will be judged.  Society has created a monster making people insecure about all aspects of their life.  Since we were young people have been telling us that judging people on their appearance is cruel and harmful, yet every month when the new People magazine comes out everyone lines up to get it.  The new trends, styles and hot gossip keeps people coming back for more.   It entertains us and allows us to focus on other people’s lives instead of our own.  Media has corrupted society by being the instigator and head critic.  Magazines such as People, present us with the idea that gossip and being judgmental is ok.  We are constantly judging the celebrities and what’s happening in their lives.  Placing titles on people like Paris Hilton as promiscuous, and Carrie Underwood as “The American Girl” becomes routine, almost a hobby.  We then carry these titles over and apply them to people relevant in our life.  We have rockers, scene folk, church goers, activist, government officials, and nobodies.  All of these titles are seen as personality classification, or in one word, judgment.            

Judging someone during a first impression is something most everyone does.  However, by doing this the individual is hurting themselves by closing the door to a potentially awesome relationship.  I’ve always said that everyone has something to teach you, but it’s your responsibility to allow them the opportunity to.  Most life skills are introduced by others in unobvious ways.  For example, I learned the importance of being honest and taking chances due to life situations I experienced with my friend Alvin.  If I went off my first impression of him, we probably wouldn’t be as close as we are now.  I believe that it is important for others to be open-minded about people and place themselves in their shoes before passing judgment.  I would like to urge everyone to ignore societies evil criticism and focus more on the individual inside.  With this being done there is no doubt in my mind that the world will be a better place.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

26. January 2010 by student.

I thought it was funny and horrifying that Prof. Andoscia said Democracy was Greek for “mob rule”.  Mobs often make bad decisions.  I found a site on the Internet that said Mob Rule means the same as Tyranny of the Majority.   A mob claims to speak for all people. Does it? No. This made me think of the story “The Lottery”  by Shirley Jackson.  This is a short but must read.  The townspeople had a “herd mentality”.   One often goes along with others without making a conscious decision of their own.   Many Sociologists have written about this concept (Simmel, Freud, Jung, ect..)  I think everyone should read about these concepts so injustices of the past are not repeated.

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26. January 2010 by student.

The definition of Socialism is a theory or system of social reform with contemplates a reconstruction of society, where the distribution of property and labor are more just.  Karl Marx once said “Democracy is the road to Socialism”.  I have a problem with Capitalistic America being described as a Democracy sometimes.  I don’t feel like I am represented.  I feel like there a bunch of little kings in Congress, who express desire is to fatten their wallets and those of their friends.   I don’t think if our country had universal health-care we would suddenly become a Socialist country.  I think that the argument against universal health-care is ludicrous.  I, like most young people like the idea of Socialism.  I think we are a long way off, so don’t freak out Republicans!  I do think we can pick and choose the parts of society where reform needs to happen.  I don’t like extremism even when it applies to something I agree with.  The extreme picture of Socialism could be outright public ownership and redistribution.  I tend to lean towards a more moderate view of socialism.  I want high regulation (take that Wall Street!), protectionism and a better sense of nationalism. 
 

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26. January 2010 by student.

First of all I would like to point out an important fact.  Herbert Spencer’s theories preceded Charles Darwin’s.   Spencer wrote “Progress: Its Law and Cause” in 1857 that was two years before Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species”.  Herbert Spencer did coin the phrase “survival of the fittest”.  I read both last semester in school.  I do recommend both.  Spencer’s theory a.k.a. Social Darwinism theory applies natural selection priniciples to human society.  This society should let the unhealthy and poor die because they are biological inferior and should not procreate.  I was horrified at Spencer’s theories and don’t think it is fair to Darwin to use his name to decribe some horrific idealogy.  For those that don’t know… this was the basic idealogy of the Nazi’s.  This theory has been used to support laissez-faire capitalism and political conservatism.  We need more activism and less political conservatism!   

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