30. May 2010 by student.

Lurking in the shadows of America’s distant past, are the cruel treatment and injustices African- Americans had to endure. Beatings, lynching, inequality, and oppression were all things in the past that one would love to turn a blind shoulder to. Many believe that things within American Society have changed…but when I reflect upon society, it leaves me wondering if this is really the case.  It seems that one would like to believe that racism is no longer present, when in actuality; it is an issue that has been hovering over American Society since the days of distant heroes Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. 

Now, one mustn’t misinterpret what I am saying, yes I do acknowledge and realize that as Americans we have come milestones, in terms of racism and oppression of blacks, but yet it is still an impending crisis within society. Just because society is no longer segregated by law, does not mean or imply that social relations have been greatly changed by this.  Racism toward blacks is still present within many aspects of society, as we know it today. 

Primarily, racial segregation is still present in schools within
America. Specifically here in Fort Myers, Bishop Verot and Dunbar are prime examples of racial segregation. When my sister attended Bishop Verot in 2004, there were at most 6 other African-Americans (in a school of ≤ 800 mind you), and currently at Dunbar High School over 85% of the students are minorities. Does this not irk you in some way? Has America really changed? Or are we blinded by high hopes that society has changed? 

 I do understand that when it comes to living, one culture or another is more likely to live, or work, and mix amongst themselves, no matter where they are, and one cannot be blamed, if in truth, they ‘feel more at home. But is there not something wrong with notably “all white schools,” or “all black schools in 2010? If society has indeed greatly changed, in terms of racism, then why is this case? 

In a different arena, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in February 2005 in Johnson v. California that the California Department of Corrections’ unwritten practice of racially segregating prisoners in its prison reception centers — which California claimed was for inmate safety (gangs in California, as throughout the U.S., usually organize on racial lines) was to be heavily scrutinized. Many of us were unaware that practices such as this were still impending within contemporary society.  Similarly, a three-year undercover investigation by the National Fair Housing Alliance revealed that real estate agents steered whites away from integrated neighborhoods and steered blacks toward predominantly black neighborhoods. Nearly half of all Americans say race relations in the country are in bad shape and three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll taken in 2008. 

It is evident that racism still has a strong presence within American society, and people who naively make claims that racism and segregation no longer exists are most likely not even black themselves. After the turbulent period, of the civil rights movement and over fifty years and counting, changes are yet to be made…its likely they will never completely be made…..and we are to blame. 

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 6 Comments »

20. May 2010 by student.

Abortion is murder. It is the process in which an undeveloped human being is killed, and unable to live the life it could have lived. Why is it okay for women to kill a human being through abortion and not be punished, when someone else is intentionally killing someone and being sent to life in prison? A fetus is helpless, it cannot scream or run away when an abortion is happening. The person who is supposed to be the protector is the person who made the choice to murder it. Abortion is not the answer. So why do women chose to have them? Abortions happen because women are scared of the responsibilities of caring for a child; they are both financially and mentally unstable. But most importantly abortions happen because women don’t want the baby. Whose fault is it? The women are the mistake. They made the choice to have unprotected sex. Now after they had their fun, they run. They run away from reality. Women run to abortions as means of relief but little do they know their reality is waiting to happen.

According to B.A. Robinson many women who have abortions are under the age of twenty-five, are unmarried or separated from their spouse, and poor. In a study by Torres and Forrest a vast majority of women have abortions because they are financially unstable, they feel that they are incapable of raising a child; they feel that their life would drastically change, and they are too young and immature to raise a child. Why is it that after the child is conceived that women start to realize their own faults? If women were to realize their flaws ahead of time, abortion rates would be much lower, and aborted fetuses might have been given a chance to develop and to live a life. Abortion may seem like the answer to all the problems. But women don’t realize that they are not only killing a human being, but also endangering their own lives. In the end what problems do abortions solve? It solves nothing. Women are left with a dead baby, and emotional and mental instability for life. Not to mention, women also have to carry the physical illnesses that come as a consequence for having an abortion. Consequently, Abortions can be done in many chemical ways. However, the most popular ones leave the largest mark.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 4 Comments »

15. May 2010 by student.

The death penalty is an ongoing controversy in the United States. There are people that are for it and those that oppose it. I am for it, but only for the horrendous crimes that are committed today in our society. In my personal opinion, I think priests that molest or “take advantage” of little boys deserve the death penalty. In today’s society, this is one of the most controversial debates whether capital punishment should be outlawed.

Capital punishment has two basic arguments within the debate to make: First is the question of whether capital punishment is moral, or simply put is it justified. The second is the question of whether capital punishment is constitutional. According to the constitution, everyone has a right to freedom, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

There are some disadvantages of capital punishment. Opponents have four basic arguments to make. The first is that there is a possibility of error, meaning that the person accused is not the real criminal. Although there is a slight chance of error, this is separate from the issue of the death penalty being justified. They would say that capital punishment should not be used when one is not one-hundred percent positive of the criminal’s guilt. Second argument they make is the execution process. One may be given “the chair,” lethal injection or gas. Third argument is a debate with the supporters that capital punishment may lower crime rates, but no studies show that it has any affect with capital punishment. Last argument an opponent would make is the time spent on death row.

There is a problem with the death penalty. It is high-priced because a prisoner can be sent to death row, but he or she can have an appeal, awaiting a retrial due to new evidence, all which can be a slow, costly and lengthy process.

A prisoner convicted of a horrendous crime can get parole, which is unjust to the victim and/or the victim’s family. What makes the parole board think the prisoner has been “rehabilitated?” I believe that if you have committed the crime, you should not get paroled.

If the crime was murder, is fair for the victim’s family to see this person out on the streets again and see if he “strikes again?” If murder was the crime, then murder is what the prisoner shall get.

In conclusion, the death penalty is and always will be a controversial debate. Some are for it and some oppose it. I think that all fifty states should have a death penalty law, for all those criminals that commit horrendous, indescribable crimes. They should go straight to death row, for death is the final punishment one can receive.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

15. May 2010 by student.

According to James Rachel’s “euthanasia is justified when death is the only way to escape pain.” Euthanasia may be defined as taking someone’s life because it is inevitable that a person will die because of some painful terminal illness. Some people may see it as a murder or suicide and others may see it as a way out, the best thing to do. Like abortion, it is very hard for me to take an “it is right or wrong” logical position, because situations vary from person to person. When presented with the question “would I take my life if I had a terminal illness?…I feel as though I’m not in a position to answer such a question in the manner I think I would had if I actually “had” a terminal illness. Yes, If I had a relative who was contemplating on taking their life because of his or her terminal illness I would try to persuade them not to; to spend the last days of their lives cherishing each moment. But on the other hand, how will they be able to do that if they’re constantly in pain? The truth is I’ve never experienced what it is like to be put in that position. Should one wait in agony, in pain to die? Yes the Bible says that it is wrong to kill, to take someone’s own life…and it is true that we all have to die some day; death is inevitable but I feel that before we can say whether euthanasia is good or bad; right or wrong…we must first as people be put in a position where it is our choice to have to make such a decision, it is then and only then can we make the “right” decision, whatever it may be. Like most controversial views, I prefer to take a neutral stand point because I believe that an individual should have the right to choose what is best for them even though we may not agree with them.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

6. May 2010 by student.

Humans are being written prescriptions for their own mental zombification and ignorance. They bottle apathy and sell it in orange bottles with names like Xanax, Zoloft, Valium, and Kolonopin. It’s everywhere, with Florida at the epicenter of the epidemic. How can we fall for such an obvious ruse? Those who we trust with our biggest shortcomings and fears give them to us with promises of quick, lazy, American relief.

In the US, more people are now abusing prescription medication than heroin, cocaine and ecstasy combined. Pharmaceuticals like OxyContin, Xanax, Hydrocodone, Demerol, Adderall and Robitussin (Robo’s) are the new hipster drugs. Just as globalization is on the rise so are the pharmaceutical companies. In our society, it seems we are always in a hurry these days looking for our get rich quick schemes or seeking out a quick fix to a tough day. Today, this increasing norm of unrest, quick thinking and impulse actions get soothed by prescription meds instead of actual treatment since even the doctors and therapists are just as corrupt as politics in the sense that they’re in just as much as in a hurry to make their dough and die rich.

Since when is depression, heartache and even pain not part of being a normal functioning member of society. Conflict surfaces when we ask questions like where are these drugs coming from? And who do they really help succeed? Doctors in Florida prescribe oxycodone at five times the national average. Florida has 50 of the top 50 oxycodone prescribers in the country, and 35 of them are in Broward county. It’s effectively legalized drug dealing, motivated by greed. Doctors have an incentive to prescribe these addictive painkillers. People from all over the country flock to Florida’s countless walk-in ‘pain clinics’, ready to pay cash, often $300 or more, for their fix. With this many individuals on drugs in Florida no wonder our economy is unstable since most of our money remains on the black market but instead its in the pockets of the elitists once again, the doctors.

Majority of the time, crime can be linked to drugs therefore wouldn’t it be the dirty doctors and lazy therapists who are perpetuating the cycle of crime, poverty and addiction. Now why don’t these individuals get thrown in jail instead of the drug abuser? Simple, social stratification, the doctor has higher status in society and has affiliation with the ever increasing profit of pharms therefore he remains untouched, while the drug abuser get thrown into jail, instead of rehab. A lot of these individuals either return home with no money, no drugs and no cure therefore without any resources to stable themselves within society capitalism so they turn to crime once again. Rehabilitation and elimination of these clinics is the answer.

Drugs happen to dismantle ones control of actions, often times manifest paranoia, and even manipulate the mind. The psychological effects of drugs take a toll on our interaction within society. As prescription use becomes widely accepted norm we see changes in collective behavior. It is my belief that the Government could want nothing more than this. The drugs fortify the thought ignorance is bliss, you don’t have to think about the social problems of today or even your own if you pop a Xanax, how enticing right? Wrong, these selfish feelings of and separation from reality don’t improve the quality of life one bit, they simply destroy any unity we have as a community, as a nation. This is perfect for the world to take a turn for the worse, as we’re distracted by being happy up on our cloud 9 or in our fishbowl we loose awareness.  Over a short time these drug begin to subdue our consciousness with prescriptions that everything is going to be alright and become distracted from the world around us with addictions. America now more than ever has a chance to apply more power over our well being and make profit at the same time with the drug trade crops. They do all of this by feeding us a pill form of American pride and we tend to wash it down with a swig of ignorance in order to make it though a day in the instant fix society we live in today. 

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

6. May 2010 by student.

Humans are being written prescriptions for their own mental zombification and ignorance. They bottle apathy and sell it in orange bottles with names like Xanax, Zoloft, Valium, and Kolonopin. It’s everywhere, with Florida at the epicenter of the epidemic. How can we fall for such an obvious ruse? Those who we trust with our biggest shortcomings and fears give them to us with promises of quick, lazy, American relief.

In the US, more people are now abusing prescription medication than heroin, cocaine and ecstasy combined. Pharmaceuticals like OxyContin, Xanax, Hydrocodone, Demerol, Adderall and Robitussin (Robo’s) are the new hipster drugs. Just as globalization is on the rise so are the pharmaceutical companies. In our society, it seems we are always in a hurry these days looking for our get rich quick schemes or seeking out a quick fix to a tough day. Today, this increasing norm of unrest, quick thinking and impulse actions get soothed by prescription meds instead of actual treatment since even the doctors and therapists are just as corrupt as politics in the sense that they’re in just as much as in a hurry to make their dough and die rich.

Since when is depression, heartache and even pain not part of being a normal functioning member of society. Conflict surfaces when we ask questions like where are these drugs coming from? And who do they really help succeed? Doctors in Florida prescribe oxycodone at five times the national average. Florida has 50 of the top 50 oxycodone prescribers in the country, and 35 of them are in Broward county. It’s effectively legalized drug dealing, motivated by greed. Doctors have an incentive to prescribe these addictive painkillers. People from all over the country flock to Florida’s countless walk-in ‘pain clinics’, ready to pay cash, often $300 or more, for their fix. With this many individuals on drugs in Florida no wonder our economy is unstable since most of our money remains on the black market but instead its in the pockets of the elitists once again, the doctors.

Majority of the time, crime can be linked to drugs therefore wouldn’t it be the dirty doctors and lazy therapists who are perpetuating the cycle of crime, poverty and addiction. Now why don’t these individuals get thrown in jail instead of the drug abuser? Simple, social stratification, the doctor has higher status in society and has affiliation with the ever increasing profit of pharms therefore he remains untouched, while the drug abuser get thrown into jail, instead of rehab. A lot of these individuals either return home with no money, no drugs and no cure therefore without any resources to stable themselves within society capitalism so they turn to crime once again. Rehabilitation and elimination of these clinics is the answer.

Drugs happen to dismantle ones control of actions, often times manifest paranoia, and even manipulate the mind. The psychological effects of drugs take a toll on our interaction within society. As prescription use becomes widely accepted norm we see changes in collective behavior. It is my belief that the Government could want nothing more than this. The drugs fortify the thought ignorance is bliss, you don’t have to think about the social problems of today or even your own if you pop a Xanax, how enticing right? Wrong, these selfish feelings of and separation from reality don’t improve the quality of life one bit, they simply destroy any unity we have as a community, as a nation. This is perfect for the world to take a turn for the worse, as we’re distracted by being happy up on our cloud 9 or in our fishbowl we loose awareness.  Over a short time these drug begin to subdue our consciousness with prescriptions that everything is going to be alright and become distracted from the world around us with addictions. America now more than ever has a chance to apply more power over our well being and make profit at the same time with the drug trade crops. They do all of this by feeding us a pill form of American pride and we tend to wash it down with a swig of ignorance in order to make it though a day in the instant fix society we live in today. 

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

6. May 2010 by Mr. Andoscia.

And that’s the end. Thanks for participating, folks.  Of course, feel free to continue commenting and checking out the feelings of your peers.

Posted in Mr. Andoscia | No Comments »

6. May 2010 by student.

Bullying can exist between social groups, social classes and even between countries. Bullying can occur in any context in which human beings interact with each other. Bullying consists of three basic types of abuse: emotional, verbal and physical. Forty-Three states in the United states of America has signed the Anti-bulling Bill.

Both public and private schools are now required to develop detailed bullying prevention, intervention, and notification plans and to publish those plans in student handbooks. There is also a requirement that each school district will begin to provide targeted professional development to all staff members in schools, including teachers, administrators, custodians, athletic coaches, and bus drivers to prevent, identify and respond appropriately to bullying incidents.The law also extends beyond the classroom to include incidents that occur in the community and online bringing a new focus on cyber-bullying and extending rules and penalties to apply to electronic and other communications.The new law also designates the fourth Wednesday in January as “No Name Calling Day” to increase public awareness of the effects of verbal bullying, to encourage students to use positive dialogue, and to promote tolerance and respect for differences across the United States.Many parents will be able to have the tranquility that their children will arrive at school and not worry about any distractions that prevent them from participating in class and studying. There are different support groups and clubs that are assisting parent on how to handle these circumstances. Even if it’s their own child who is doing the bullying. For parent out there and children that do not follow the anti-bulling law, will suffer many consequences such as going to jail. Parents will also be reported to the Department of Children and Family investigation unit to investigate the actions of these children. This is an important issue that many should be aware of and learn from, so that society may have an impact to make a change!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

6. May 2010 by student.

America is unique in many ways. And one of these unique characteristics is the constitutional right to bear arms. Many countries citizens are faced with oppressing leadership and offer little resistance due to the arduous task of acquiring firearms and securing them. Also, the U.S. mainland has never been officially invaded by any other foreign nation. One reason i love to embrace is the fact that any invading army will not only have to face the world’s best Army, but also the most enfuriated citizens armed to the teeth. Oh, how we would love to have a reason to legally shoot our guns. The Supreme Court has recently heard two major cases regarding gun control, as District of Columbia v. Heller ruled, the U.S. Constitution grants every citizen the individual right to bear arms. So long as the 2nd Amendment is protected, i know America will always be what we love about it. (think About it)

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

6. May 2010 by student.

Papers! Sounds like a sound clip from Schlinders List, Nazi police rummaging the towns and villages for Jews and other minorities to persecute and send to concentration camps. Fast forward to 2010 Arizona, imagine a redneck cop with a messed up accent asking for documents proving you are legally in the U.S., but instead you end up going to jail for other offenses not related to your immigration status. Might not be so alarming since Ft. Myers is about 2300 miles from Arizona were the new law states that anybody can be stopped and questioned about their migratory status and police dept.’s can be sued for not enforcing the law. Ft. Myers, is far away from Arizona but history has indicated that immigration laws impact communities with big agricultural industries that depend on laborers, which in most cases are illegal and work for minimum wages, such as is the case in Ft. Myers and Andosciaville. My disagreement with this law is that through out the early 21st century, immigration reform was being pushed that would allow immigrants to come and work legaly in the U.S., now that the ballon burst immigrants are being used as a scapegoat to blame for the misuse of credit and monies that led to the eventual economic crisis. Think about this, Ft. Myers did open its door when cheap labor was needed to construct the city, now that the constructing is done Ft. Myers would like to get rid of immigrants like Arizona. But, by being a social agent i will voice my discontent and fight for reform on reform.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 2 Comments »