20. October 2009 by Mr. Andoscia.

All comments up to Oct 20 have also been graded.

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20. October 2009 by student.

For most of us college students we have not yet thought about health care. This is an issue that is being debated heavily right now. This is another social problem that America faces.  The questions that are being asked right now are; how can we change our current health care so more people can obtain the needed benefits of health care, without hurting others. There are currently 47 million Americans without health insurance. Health care is the largest economic sector, which accounts for 2 trillion dollars annually. This is four times larger than our national defense. (The Real Truth) According to Health care for all-California, half of all bankruptcies are due to medical bills. The real problem is how can; we give more health insurance to the people that don’t have it without hurting someone else. For example, I know several people in the health insurance businesses that are extremely scared of losing their job because President Obama is trying to give free health care. If America gave free health care we would be adding to the high number of unemployment. The last thing we need to do is increase the number of unemployment. This is a major social problem because it is affecting everyone in our country.

As college students we need to think about our future and realize how important of an issue this is. When you get a job a huge benefit many companies give is health insurance. Maybe there should be some kind of way that America can make all of its employers pay for the employee’s insurance. As of right now, no one can figure out a way to solve this disaster of a problem without causing even more problems. In the current condition that our society is in today the health care topic is extremely difficult.

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20. October 2009 by student.

Its a sad fact that everyone in the United States is effected by drunk driving. Whether they are the one behind the wheel or have lost a loved one to a drunk driver. As more young people reach their teens underage drinking become even more of an issue. There is no good reason to get behind the wheel of a car after you have been drinking. Too many young lives have already been lost.

According to the CDC; In the United States, motor vehicle–related injuries are the leading cause of death for people ages 1–34, and nearly 5 million people sustain injuries that require an emergency department visit. The economic impact is also notable: motor vehicle crashes cost around $230 billion in 2000.  In 2006, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. In 2007, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That’s less than one percent of the 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.

These statistics definitely scare me. I lost a friend to a drunk driver a year after we had graduated. Its sad to think of how many other young adults are going to have the same fate. There are so many programs to prevent this, so listen up!

http://www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Impaired_Driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html

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20. October 2009 by student.

More girls than ever are getting into guns. But is that a good thing  or a deadly accident waiting to happen? Lyndsay, 19, who is a college sophomore loves the typical college things such as snowboarding and watching movies with her friends, but also loves shooting guns. She said that she shot her first gun when she was seven years old and shot her first deer when she was fourteen.  The National Rifle Association (NRA) confirms that the number of pro-gun girls is on the rise within the last five years. But girls aren’t into guns for only hunting or sport: they also want them for protection. “If someone broke into my house, I’d want to know how to use a gun safely,” says Alyssa, 18, from Indiana, who grew up in a very “pro-gun” family. Other girls say that having a gun makes them feel strong, safe, and proud. One girl said that hitting a target is like sticking your landing in gymnastics or getting the winning soccer goal. Another said that when she turned sixteen and began driving, she started to get “really scared about the possibility of being assaulted and not being able to defend” herself. One last girl said that “there’s no feeling like the adrenaline rush of hearing deer, moose, or turkey approaching - suddenly everything you’ve practiced becomes real.” She began hunting when she was twelve with her dad. They even make “girlie” guns now that come in small sizes and cute colors.

However, other girls think all this gun love is just leading to more gun violence. Every day in the United States, 276 people are killed or wounded by gunshots. 28 students were killed by guns in Chicago, last school year; three teens were shot in just two months in San Diego; and in September, a 14-year-old girl boarded her Mississippi school bus with a semi-automatic handgun, threatening to shoot the other students.  Some girls say that the media is over playing the gun drama, but for one teenage girl, the drama was very real and very close to home. On a Wednesday morning at school, Ashleigh from Fort Lauderdale saw one of her best friends, Amanda in the hall and gave her a hug. “Love you, Ashleigh,” she said. “I love you too, Amanda,” she said back, “I’ll see you soon.” But just hours later, Amanda was shot and killed by another girl at school named Teah. This girl supposedly had a crush on Amanda and when Amanda said she just wanted to be friends, Teah couldn’t handle it so she got a handgun and shot Amanda. Ashleigh said she heard Teah got the gun from her house, even though it had been locked up and out of sight. Ashleigh thinks that if there was not a gun present at Teah’s house, Teah would have just gotten over it and the whole situation would have blown over.

**I got this information from an article in Seventeen magazine. I personally do not own a gun and am neither pro-gun nor anti-gun.

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20. October 2009 by student.

In today’s society, we don’t see children out on the streets playing hopscotch or jumping rope along the sidewalk.  Our streets are dead to afternoon playtime or friendly neighborhood play dates. Instead, our children are inside the house watching television or playing video games on the XBOX.  Not enough time is spent outside because we are so enthralled with the new technologies that we forget about the activities we used to endure.  Due to us being so succumbed to these activities where we don’t have to stand in the heat or sweat, we are forgetting about the reason why all of us participated in events like that in the first place.  America has become such a dependent nation on fast food restaurants, television, video games, and everyday amenities that we are shying away from the real reason of why we are such an obese society.  Our children don’t have recess the way we used to.  Recess times have been cut in half because the schools feel that more emphasis is needed on curriculum then keeping our children healthy.  Schools have began serving smaller portions of food thinking this would help cut back the increasing number of obese children, yet parents still purchase fast food for dinner because they are too hectic or tired to cook once they get home from work.  Parents need to become more cautious of the images they are setting for their children.  By purchasing fast food for them on a regular basis or not encouraging them to get out and exercise, they will never learn the needs of what it means to be healthy.  Children are lead by example and when their parents are not leading them properly towards a healthy lifestyle, then they will never understand the importance.  Obesity is becoming more of an issue as each day passes.  It doesn’t have to be like that though.  Daily exercise, proper eating habits, or even family walks will decrease the chances of obesity in America.

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19. October 2009 by student.

I believe that same sex marriage is a continuous ongoing issue in society. They gays will always argue their right to marriage, because they feel that they deserve it just as well as anyone else does. I think that it has become more of an issue as time progressed because it is affecting our society in many ways. It has caused a divide and disagreement between age groups. For example, an elderly woman would be completely opposed to the idea, as a younger woman in her mid twenties would be more likely to be for it.

I personally believe that if and when you fall in love with a person and you are willing to commit yourself to each other, than there should be nothing standing in your way to fulfill that commitment. Just as race is no longer a factor, gender shouldn’t be. I understand that there are many reasons as to why it isn’t allowed, such as children being more successful when they are in a home with a married mother and father. Well I know of many homes that do have a married mother and father, but are some of the most unstable homes for children to be raised. And more times than not, these homes are the reason for the child’s lack of important skills in life and fail at being successful. Suppose the couple is not interested in having children. I think that they deserve the right to medicare, social security, medical leave, property inheritance and all of the financial benefits that come along with marriage. Also, the right for one to visit their spouse who has been admitted into the hospital. Or make a serious medical decision if they are incapacitated. Finally, I believe that a person should not be denied that right to marry the one that they love. I understand all of the issues, on both sides, the list goes on. But, when you fall in love with a person, when you have that burning love for someone. When you would want nothing else, but to commit yourself and spend the rest of your life with that person, then you should be granted that right. You should not be limited to your life with your spouse. Just like a man and woman have the right to love each other and marry, so should man and man, or woman and woman. No one should have the right to make a decision on who you can love, or the lifestyle you will carry on with that person.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 5 Comments »

18. October 2009 by student.

When you think of social classes and the social stratum, normally, you would think of adults first. How much money they make, how big their house is, how much power they have. However, an adult’s social class is also where you find the children. If a parent is in the middle class, than their child is placed in the middle class as well. This becomes a problem when the social stratum is mixed in with school, which begins inequality in schools. Studies show that minorities and lower-class students are placed in low school tracks much of the time and they become less favored by teachers and their expectations which puts them in a very bad place. Because of this they become less motivated, less likely to pass, and more likely to get into a lot of trouble.            Socioeconomic status, which is an individual’s position in a social order, is composed by the parent, like I said, and determined by their education, occupation, income, and family wealth. Studies show that students with parents higher in status generally receive better educational opportunities. This is opposite for the lower class students, whose parents may not have received a great education, or have a low family income. For these students, they may have not had the opportunity to receive as great of an education.

            Often times, it is found through things like grades, or even SAT scores. Students who have parents who make a higher income can be tutored, or receive SAT prep course help. Therefore, factors such as these play an important part how well a child tends to do in school. Parents with more income and education can help their children more along the way with their education that students with parents with a lower income may not be accessible to.

Lauren Downs

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18. October 2009 by student.

A growing issue in society is not only obesity, but eating healthy. Doctors harp on the terrible eating habits across America and how unhealthy a major part of our country has become. However, if you really stop and look at why people eat unhealthy, you might just see why. Obesity in America is a steadily rising problem. According to the Washington Post, ”In 1991, one in eight Americans were obese. In 1999, the number had increased to one in five.”

One of the reasons I think that obesity is a growing problem is because of the availability to get healthy food. Like we discussed in class today, it is easier for the poor to eat food from places like McDonald’s because of how cheap it is. Food is food, especially for those who can’t afford it. So what’s easiest to get would be what’s cheapest, not necessarily what healthiest. If you look at how expensive organic and healthy food is, it’s almost double what it would cost to get a meal from a fast food restaurant. The portions served by fast food are far larger than the recommended portion size for meals. However, food costs for restaurants are pretty low so it makes sense for them to offer larger portions that make their customers think they are getting more food for their money, which is a reasonably smart decision, especially in this economy.However, obesity isn’t just a problem for the poor. Take for example the Cheesecake Factory. It’s a fairly expensive restaurant. If you’ve ever been there, you know that the portion sizes are huge. They are way over what a regular meal should be. A meal for two is easily taken in for one. How can we expect to maintain a healthy lifestyle when we go out to eat and the sizes of the meals are way over what they should be? And as we go out to eat more and more, the larger portions become a normal habit for people.The problem is just as much a problem for children as it is for adults. From the same posting from the Washington Post, they found that “there are fast-food franchise outlets in 13 percent of the nation’s schools.” Children given the choice for fast food will more than likely take it, especially if they don’t have the healthy eating habits of their parents to look up to.

Although the study also shows that about $33 billion dollars have gone to weight loss aides, it’s a lot easier to intake food than to burn it off. I believe what we need to do is advertise more how to live a healthier lifestyle and diminish the bad food in restaurants. Or, at least start by cutting down portion sizes in restaurants, which would, in turn, make them more affordable. Also, fast food options should be eliminated from schools, and more physical activity should be placed in there. It should be in fun ways, however, that incorporates all kids and excites them to want to be active. These are a few ideas that are however practiced in some places, but needs to expand to reach more people across America.

Lauren Downs

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16. October 2009 by student.

One of my professors told my class a story one day about how she has been smoking for 22 years. (The story dealt with learning how to explain things with levels of meaning).  She continued on with the story telling us how she started buying cigarettes at age fourteen and that smoking then was mainly a social activity that everyone did.  She said that she has always loved smoking and she can’t quit. She’s tried using the electronic cigarettes but said it wasn’t that she needed to have something in her hands or anything like that, it just wasn’t the same and she still craved cigarettes. At FGCU, there are designated smoking stations and she said that she feels like these areas marginalized smokers and has pushed them all together and in her hometown, smoking is banned almost everywhere. She also told us that when she is grading essays, about every three papers she has to have a cigarette. She knows how bad this is for her but no matter what she tries she cannot quit.

I think smoking has and still is a major issue with today’s society and has even become socially acceptable to yell and be rude to someone you see smoking a cigarette. There are more warnings out there about smoking and what cigarettes can do to you with new research, but many people are still smoking even with these warnings. Some may think that just because one person died doesn’t mean that the same thing will happen to them until they actually become ill or develop issues related to the years of smoking. Also, when some teenagers turn 18, and I’ve witnessed this personally when one of my friends turned 18, they will buy cigarettes and try one just because they are legal and able to. Although this friend of mine did not smoke anymore, if they were to get addicted, they could develop an addiction or even an illness later on in life just because they wanted to smoke a cigarette because they finally could legally and it would never have been worth it.

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14. October 2009 by student.

The fact the religious statue’s are being put in city parks I think is a very good idea.  It shows that our citizens are involved ‘in their religion and want to make it public by adding statue’s of their religions.  However, there are some issues with this.  Not everyone’s religion is going to be able to have a statue and that is wrong.  If we are going to allow these new statue’s to be put into these parks we need to make sure that everyone is happy and that it is not going to cause controversial problems within our community. 

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