10. March 2009 by student.

                Going to the mall or out in public can be very interesting sometimes. You will see many things that are out of the norm and will just wonder sometime why people do or wear those kinds of things.  I was walking in the mall and I noticed a small child with some sort of leash around his body. It was very shocked when I saw this and did not know what to think. The mother of this child was just strolling along in the mall and talking on the phone. She was just holding the other end of her child’s leash to not let him run around or get lost. This seems like a good idea, but in reality it is just crazy.

                This does give the parents a little more security with going with their small child in public, but it really does make them look very weird and in my eyes somewhat abusive. Having your child wear a collar just like an animal is very demeaning to them. They do not know what is going on at the time, but if they were older and understood what their parents are doing to them I am almost positive that they would not like it. This device make the parents just really look like they do not care for their child. It makes them worry less about their kids and more focused on the shopping or talking to friends on the phone. Worrying less about your kid is not a good thing. People should be very careful with their children and not other things. Restricting your child by putting a leash around them will restrict them, but not in the right way. You need to restrict them with your voice and authority and tell them that is the run away from their side that it is wrong. Doing this will help them understand right from wrong better than just chaining them to your side and just expect them to learn. I really home more parents do not use these on their child seeing that it is very wrong and just plain mean.  

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 2 Comments »

10. March 2009 by student.

            A couple weeks ago I read a story about a very strange medical case. The case was of a little six-year-old girl who has permanent brain damaged and can’t therefore fend for herself. This leaves her parents to ne taking constant care of her, whether it be in the form of feeding her, dressing her, or changing her diaper. Because of her small stature the parents find taking care of her moderately easy. However their fear of her growing to her full size potential is what caused them to seek medical help.

            The parents sought the help of Dr. Daniel Gunther and Dr. Douglas Diekema. They explained to the doctors that they feared when their daughter, Ashley, got bigger, that it would be much harder to care for her. Therefore they wanted to see if there was any way to keep her small. And to their surprise there was. They gave their daughter high-dose estrogen treatments and over the course of two years Ashley’s growth plates were closed and her prospective height was reduced by about 13 inches. In one of the parent’s online blogs they write, “this makes it more possible to include her in the typical family life and activities that provide her with needed comfort, closeness, security, and love: meal time, car trips, touch, snuggles, etc”. They stress that this surgery was not done to benefit them, but to improve Ashley’s quality of life.

            Now if you’re like me, you might be finding this all a bit overwhelming; but just wait, there’s more. Not only did Ashley’s parents decide to stunt her growth but they also allowed for the doctors to do some other questionable surgeries as well. Doctors removed her uterus to prevent potential discomfort from menstrual cramps or pregnancy in the event of a rape; and also removed her breast tissue because the family had a long history with breast cancer. The parents also stressed that by not having breasts, Ashley’s harness straps that hold her upright would be more comfortable for her.

            Not only is all of this surgery ethically questionable but medically some of the treatments were untested before being done on Ashley. The hormone treatment was used on girls before, but never on a girl as young as Ashley. Plus it gave risk of thrombosis or even blood clot. But the parents stressed that the “rewards outweighed the risk”.

            In my opinion I believe that this poor girls basic human rights were not taken into account. But then again, being brain-damaged, there was no way she could have had a say in anything. And when this happens in cases such as coma patients, doesn’t all the decision making power fall into the hands of the family? I suppose this was the case here. It’s hard to say whether or not the parents truly had their daughters’ best interests at heart because we aren’t mind readers. Either way you look at this extreme medical case there are going to be controversies and epic ethic battles. But in the end it’s just a case of a family doing what they think is best for their daughter.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

10. March 2009 by student.

When we talk about this topic in class, it comes up that some people believe that the Confederate Flag is racist. This angers me the most, and it is this ignorant mind set that is dividing American’s. For those who are un aware of what the Confederate Flag actually means, here’s a small bit of knowledge I’m going to lay on you. First off, The confederate flag is a symbol of patriotism and is EXACTLY the same as the modern American Flag. The Confederate flag has only 13 stars, which are for the 13 southern colonies in the land known as “Dixie.” Yes, the flag was flown by people who supported racism, but how does this mean the flag is a replica of hate? It doesn’t.

It’s funny how people often confuse flags to mean something other than their origin. The Nazi flag was an Indian symbol which represented peace, but the Nazi’s tilted it to the side and flew it for hatred. This is completely different than the Confederate Flag in many ways. The Confederate Flag was installed during the beginning installments of the Civil War which was implemented to make the soldiers feel as one.

In modern times, I have heard stories about how some people relate this to hatred, and it just annoys me. Yes it’s true, Klan members fly this flag, but they fly it not because of their hatred towards any non-anglosaxon, but for their hatred of the Union, or this “Democracy” as they so kindly call it. So I’m calling out to people to humor me, find me a suitable and reputable source that says the Confederate flag is flown souly for racism.

~Dillon 

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

10. March 2009 by student.

For many years the legal age of alcohol consumption is 21. Before that was passed, they had legalize certain low percentage of alcoholic beers for the age of 18. In fact, in was my mothers generation. So, they must’ve changed the laws a little over 20 years ago. I think our country needs to reevaluate the drinking age for many reasons. First of all, many people already drink illegally. In my opinion, to legalize it would only minimize the drinking. At the age of 18 we already have many responsibilities; we are legal adults and are capable to fight for our own country. I think that if you are able to join the army, you can enjoy a beer. A 40 year old man can be more immature than a 18 year old man. Its all about the person you are. Now, if our country doesn’t think its right to legalize the age limit to 18 for all beverages, then why not offering certain low percentages of alcohol to 18 year olds. I think this decision could betterment our country for many reasons. Another would also be the diminishing rate of violence. If a 18 year old was allowed to drink I think the 18 year old would take the law more seriously and be revised the way it should be.

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10. March 2009 by student.

Jade Goody is a twenty seven year old British reality television star that was previously on the show Big Brother. I read and look at people.com everyday just for my own pleasure because it really is the least educational thing ever. I had never heard of Jade Goody before until this past week. She is dying of terminal Cervical Cancer. She is not only dying but she is dying in front of the whole world. Everyday there is a new update about what she is doing in her hospital bed and how she is feeling. While Jade was a reality star there was never any news about her on people.com but now that she is dying there is plenty to read about.  Like for her most of her life her now passing away has become some sort of reality soap opera. She has two young sons and is married, I wonder if they feel it is right that her illness is being so published.  Is it immoral to write new updates daily about a person’s dying days? The one picture I keep seeing over and over of her again is her with a bald head and in a sweat shirt. Why don’t the post a picture of her when she had hair? I feel as though they are trying to prove some point by only showing that picture. The last two updates about her health were so extreme. A few days ago her children and she were baptized in her hospital room because she was feeling to ill to go to a church. Then today the update was Michael Jackson called to wish her well and she it made her spirits high. I just feel like the press and society should leave Jade Goody alone in what could be her last days in the world.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 2 Comments »

10. March 2009 by student.

I was watching the news the other night and they brought up a selling strategy that Starbucks is now implementing. If you buy a coffee then you can get a sandwhich with it for only $3.99. Now it only might be half of a wrapped sandwhich. But who cares? its a deal. The news was explaining how restaurants now want to offer lower prices for certain foods rather then buying it at a grocery store and cooking it. Yes, the lower prices will help society because cooking and shopping is time consuming. In fact, cooking and shopping is a priority and chore for most people, not a hobbie. The lower prices and deals will also help the economy and our recession. It will be interesting to see if Starbucks’s coffee/sandwhich deal will really be successful or not. I hope so because I want our society to be successful and if it is successful I will not be surprised if other restaurants or even coffee shops for instance will implement a deal. Then not only will our economy be better but competitions will be born.

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10. March 2009 by student.

If you ask my parents what their opinion on tattoo’s are they will tell you “tattoos are gross”. I completely in its entirety disagree with my parents and some of the things they believe in.  One of the biggest things I don’t agree with is tattoos.  I have a tattoo, a very small tattoo on my wrist. It is white ink and can hardly be seen. I have had it for about two years now and my parents still don’t know and they never will. My two older brothers would never even consider getting tattoos because of my parent’s beliefs. I am the only “brave “child in the family, obviously. I sometimes wonder what would happen if my parents found out about my tattoo and what they would think. My tattoo is a very small portrait of the hand of God; in Hebrew it is called the” Hamsa”. I wonder if they knew I loved God so much that I would get it tattooed on my body that they would accept it but I am not brave enough to take the chances of telling or showing them. John Mayer is one of my favorite music artists and my father knows this, he recently saw in the news paper that John Mayer got a sleeve of tattoos. My father called me into the room and said “Megan, John Mayer got his WHOLE arm tattooed and it looks ridiculous” and I just laughed and told him I thought it was awesome. I think tattoos are the most beautiful way to express yourself if there is some sort of meaning behind what you are getting tattooed permanently on your body.  Looking at lizard mans picture in Sociology class doesn’t make me think anything else but maybe he really loves lizards. I don’t think my parents realize how much work, time and money goes into tattoos. They look at tattoo artists and think “freaks” not artist. Maybe out of spite one day I’ll bring home a boyfriend with his WHOLE arm tattooed.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »