30. March 2011 by student.

One of the greatest problems that is facing the American society today is the effects social media has on people. Social media not only affects the way we think, but it affects the way we speak and write too. It is nearly impossible to shelter yourself from all social media. In this blog I would specifically like to talk about internet social media, and the effects of television in society.

When we think about communication through social speaking in the olden days, I think about my families writing hand written letter to one another to catch up on their lives. Now a day, social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace can easily keep people connecting by the tough of a button on the computer.  Also, the way in which we speak in these social networking sites has become a struggle in America. I am sure everyone is familiar with the terms, LOL, BRB, CYA, and TTYL. Our speech in communication has become shortened and less personalized when speaking in shortened words and through social media websites. A study conduced by Insites Consulting stated, that, 2,884 consumers from over 14 countries between the ages of 18 to 55 years old on social networking. More than 90% of participants know at least 1 social networking site and 72% of participants are members of at least 1 social networking site. On the average, people have about 195 friends and they log in twice a day to social networking sites.

Two British scientists have recently suggested that spending all day, and — admit it — much of the night networking on a computer might in fact be bad for your body and your brain. According to the New York Times, The Health Effects on Social Media, “If the young brain is exposed from the outset to a world of fast action and reaction, of instant new screen images flashing up with the press of a key, such rapid interchange might accustom the brain to operate over such timescales.”

For example, take the television show 16 and Pregnant. This reality TV show allows girls to see young women their age becoming famous by having a child at such an early age. This TV show is not a warning for teenage girls on why they shouldn’t have sex at an early age,  but instead lets girls think that this is somewhat trendy and cool to get pregnant and possible be on TV for it. tudies and researches have been made and conducted, and results of these tests and surveys show that advertising has greatly affected the TV viewers. For example, more young people drink alcohol than soft drinks or water because characters in shows and commercials drink this. What does this prove with the advertisement with young women getting pregnant? That is it cool to have unprotected sex at an early age.

98. 5 percent of U.S. households have at least one television set

 90% of U.S. households have two or more TV sets

 87% of U.S. households have at least one DVD or PVR player

 The average U.S. home has the TV on more than 51 hours a week. (Obviously, the TV is on many more hours a week than each family member spends watching it.)

With networking websites and television taking over society, we need to figure out where we can draw the line. Television and social networking are a part of everyone’s lives now a days and surround the lives of people who do not engage in these activities also. With America having more televisions than toilets in their home, there needs to be a change in the way we analyze social media and its message. America, as a whole, needs to find the underlying means to determine why social media influences the lives of Americans to the extent that it does. Social media has the potential to be good and bad, but from the recent social problems and effects that the American society has had with social media only poses problems within our society with social media. 

Mason W

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »

27. March 2011 by student.

Gender inequality is a flagrant social issue in our modern world. American and other societies are inherently sexist, and this unequal distribution of power permeates economic, political, social, and other aspects of life. Gender itself is socially built; our society concludes what appearances and qualities are considered masculine or feminine. We expect those of the female sex to act to how we define femininity and visa versa. If a person doesn’t act the way society narrates them, then society punishes them for failing to follow our society. This is destructive to our society as a whole because it differentiates individuals whose gender lies somewhere else on the gender spectrum besides the poles of masculine and feminine.

Society classifies certain traits or characteristics as being either masculine or feminine. For instance, aggressive, unemotional, powerful, tough, dominant, and brave are all qualities that are linked with masculinity while emotional, nurturing, weak, submissive, and superficial are qualities associated with femininity. When we think of a successful person, we might think more of the qualities associated with men than those associated with women.

 Gender inequality is clear in the workplace. Women still make less money than men in the similar position. Women hold less executive positions within businesses. When applying for a high-level position, a female applicant, will not only be judged on her educational and work background, but will mostly be considered on how good she could complete the job compared to a man. A male applicant is less likely to have his possible performance compared to a woman to determine whether he is good enough to hold the position.

 Women are still the caregivers for children, and are responsible for the majority of cooking, cleaning, and other household chores regardless of whether or not they have a job. When a woman acts feminine, she is following what society tells her to do, but she still is not valued by society. When a man acts masculine, he is following what society tells him to do, but he is valued by society. His “masculine” contributions are admired while her “feminine” contributions are ignored.

 The existence of gender inequality is damaging to our society. People are forced to identify themselves as male/masculine or female/feminine if they want to fit into society. Gays, lesbians, and transsexuals are not accepted by society as a whole because they do not fit society’s gender. Women are not valued as highly as men because femininity is associated with less positive qualities than masculinity. Gender inequality builds our social structures of work places, families, schools, etc. Until changes are made to how society views gender and sex, an abundance amount of our community will continue to be oppressed and discriminated against.

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24. March 2011 by student.

While in middle or high school, each student is separated into their little cliques depending on how “cool” you are, what sports you play, what music you listen to, or something else that makes you different.  You tend to find your niche wherever you fit in, but what happens when you don’t find your place in the social network?  I am sure we can all think back to those years and remember the kid sitting alone by themselves, eating lunch in the bathroom, and getting ridiculed for everything possible that a young teenage kid can think of. 

These ”losers” are the center of  bullying.  Mostly everyone gets picked on to some extent back when they were growing up.  When a kid starts crying, or hiding in the bathroom, or even begging his/her mother to let him/her stay home from school is when it is taken too far. 

A couple years ago, a Massachusetts boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hung himself after being bullied at school.  Walker-Hoover was taunted about being gay even after his mother complained to the school district about the problem.  He was the new kid at school  trying to make friends, but then he started getting bothered by students on a daily basis. After numerous complaints by the child’s mother, the administrator at school sent out flyers and had assemblies to stop this harassment. Even after the assembly, the bullying continued and led to the most horrific act that a person could take upon themselves. HIS LIFE.

The boy was seeking acceptance from his cohorts and simply could not get it.  Bullying has always been part of a stage of growing up, but this has gone too far.  Stricter punishments need to be emphasized along with teachers and administrators paying more attention to the situation.  It should not have to escalate to a young boy taking his life before people start paying attention to this type of situation. 

This social problem needs to be re-assessed and some sort of action needs to be taken upon government to make sure that something to this extent does not take place. Everyone has experienced bullying or has been bullied in their life but how does one know if they have taken it too far? Sensitivity from individual to individual varies so this problem needs to have a resolution.

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23. March 2011 by student.

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Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

23. March 2011 by student.

 In the next twenty years the number of elderly drivers is predicted to triple in the United States because of all the baby boomers. In a 1997 NHTSA study, older people made up 9 percent of the population but accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities and 17 percent of all pedestrian fatalities. Elderly people should not be on the road because they drive too slow, and they are usually practically blind. 

 Also, elderly drivers are far more likely to get tickets for things like including failing to yield to pedestrians, backing up unsafely and failing to stop at a flashing red light. Elderly drivers often forget or ignore the laws and rules. A NHTSA study of 1995 FARS (Fatal Accident Reporting System) data reports that senior citizens accounted for: 5% of all people injured in traffic crashes, 13% of all traffic fatalities, 13% of all vehicle occupant fatalities, and 18% of all pedestrian fatalities (Solutions: v Mandatory Driving Tests)

 California already requires drivers over 70 to retake a drivers test if they are involved in two or more crashes every year. I think that elderly drivers should retake their divers test every year. A lot can happen in a year, and you never know. Deficit Reporting Laws- Reporting disabilities that could affect driving abilities. Doctors now don’t want to risk their relationship with their patients by being responsible for their licenses being taken away but it could save lives. We all understand that we are not able to drive elderly people around all the time, but it is better if they stay off the road. They need to rest and relax. Deficit Screening- Testing drivers over 65 for hearing, eyesight and reaction time impairment could prevent more accidents

Posted in Social Problems | 4 Comments »

21. March 2011 by student.

The moment I was born I was not wanted. I didn’t have a father, he was just one of countless clients my mother had. My mother was a prostitute. She was assigned the intersection of Malcolm Blvd and W 135 St. Every night she would saunter down the sidewalk and literally “work the streets”. There were sometimes days when I would wake up in the morning and see Mommy bruised and swollen. She never told me what her occupation was, but it was not hard to figure out. I attended school and made the ‘A/B’ honor roll, and I was a member of the Softball team. Life was fine, except for that dark secret I could never tell anyone.

After my sophomore year of high school is the time when everything collapsed. When Mom never came back. Days turned to weeks, and the landlord would bang on the door and the telephone would endlessly ring, but she was not there. As I lay crying in bed I came to the conclusion that I would have to leave. I packed whatever food was left and the only picture of my mom and I during happier times and stormed out. In the beginning, I took what I could from the trash and dumpster, but it didn’t sustain me. One day as I was ravaging in the back alleyway a man approached me. He was tall and had a bulky body. He hunched over and said, “You look hungry. Come with me and I’ll get you something to eat.” I quickly followed after him and began my destiny.

Becoming a prostitute is not an easy task. You gain no pleasure or enjoyment out of what you are doing, and the humans you encounter are enough to repulse you.  I had a pimp. He was overall a kind one, but when every I didn’t get the “quota” he would have to let it out on me. Gradually I developed a drug addiction, just marijuana. Nothing too bad. Sadly enough prostitution is illegal in the United States. They make it seem as if prostitution is a choice, a privilege. My life had potential, but it was snatched away and all I had to back me up was the “oldest job in the world”. Honestly let prostitution be legal; it’s not like it’s hurting anyone, only the prostitutes themselves.

Posted in Social Problems | 3 Comments »

20. March 2011 by student.

With obesity on the rise in America, another social problem that is related to obesity is the crisis on school food in America. School food is a crisis on a new way of eating in which schools are providing children with unhealthy fattening foods. Over the years, we have seen school food progressively getting better, but there still needs to be a greater approach and need for change in this area.

My personal experiences on school food are quite different based on the school I attended. My high school food experiences were the worst I have ever endured in all of my school years.  Bishop Verot’s had food that was full of grease, fat, calories, unnecessary carbs, and sugar. Sometimes I had to buy lunch because I forgot my lunch and the choices were between, greasy pizza, carb overload pasta, fried chicken, and soft pretzels with loads of cheese on them,. Not only did I feel gross after eating this food, but also when 3:00 rolled around for soccer I was exhausted, and did not feel like practicing. This food does produce us with energy in the beginning, and then once this food is intake into your body you become extremely tired from all the unnecessary calories and sugar you put into you.

According to Whitehouse gov, 1 out of 3 children in America are overweight. This not only has to be a change in the school food but has to be an overall social change in the community. With that statistic also, More than one in three middle school students who regularly eat school lunches are obese or overweight.  Parents need to teach their children the right way to eat, and schools need to be practicing it too. Also vending machines should replace their high fructose corn syrup snacks with healthier options. These healthier eating habits need to be introduced to children when they are little so that their taste buds and eating habits are still forming.

Compared with kids who brought lunch from home, those who ate school lunches:

A great solution for this change would be to produce more foods organically and have them locally grown and brought to the food. This not only would ensure the better nutrition for the children, but also help the local economy with the local income. For example, you see restaurants using smaller portion sizes and introducing whole grain breads. Also fast food restaurants are introducing fruit as a side option rather than French fries. All these little steps in taking into consideration the health of our nation can change dramatically if we change these ways to habits. 

Mason W

Posted in Social Problems | 2 Comments »

18. March 2011 by student.

Currently in the state of Florida, it is mandatory for students to take the FCAT in order to graduate from high school. I believe that it is a waste of time. FCAT should not be a requirement for graduation. Colleges do not look at FCAT scores when you are applying for schools. In fact, they mainly look at your GPA, SAT, and ACT scores. We are wasting our time and money by focusing on these pointless FCAT tests.

In high school everyone is required to take a math portion of the FCAT. We needed to do certain things on the calculator The little calculator they give us to use didn’t even have some of the operations we needed in order to solve a problem. The calculators had really bad buttons in which you sometimes had to hit a button several times in order to get the number or function to actually pop up, or the calculator sometimes would just turn itself off.

StoptheFCAT.com talks about the different ways in which schools have and can “cheat” on the FCAT. For example, school administrators can cheat in various ways. One of the easiest tricks to get a higher FCAT score for your school is to remove the lowest scoring students by expulsion or by transferring them to an Alternative Education Program just before the FCAT testing is to take place. This event has been witnessed before.

The FCAT is simply a waste of time and the school should focus on the correct curriculum and actually teaching the students what they need to learn to succeed, rather then worrying about how much money they can make based on students test scores. Schools should not rely on the FCAT into order to pick the students classes for the following year because some students aren’t good at test taking. They could be a very smart child, however they are just not good at taking test. The FCAT is absolutely ridiculous.

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17. March 2011 by student.

As I was browsing through friends Facebook profiles earlier on in the day, I wondered why they felt the need to share every little detail of their lives to the rest of the world. Do people really care that you had 3 tests today, or that the movie Due Date was funny? They might, but why? Over 400 million Facebook accounts are active, and a new study published in the February issue of Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking found that viewing and editing your Facebook profile could boost your self-esteem. Reason being is that there is something called the Objective Self-Awareness theory. This theory suggests that “humans view the self as both a subject and an object. When we view ourselves as the subject, we are actively experiencing events: walking to the store, eating a sandwich or taking a shower. However, when we reflect on our own consciousness, we become the object of the experience by focusing on the self. As soon as we start thinking about the self, we become the object of our thoughts. When we do this, we can think of the self positively or negatively.”

So why does this even correlate with Facebook? Well, according to the Hyperpersonal Model, “the internet allows users to selectively self-present themselves. While editing our Facebook profile, we take care to select what comments and images make our wall, and what items should be deleted or untagged. Over time we can incorporate this online positive image of our selves into our self-conceptions.” So we are basically creating and editing ourselves into the person we want others to see us as. Which in turn, raises our self-esteem because it is like an automatic confidence booster.

Previous studies have been done that prove that online socialization does indeed raise self-esteem.

To test these two theories, the researchers took 63 participants and sat them beside a computer. The computers were either turned off or featured the student’s Facebook profile. Some of the computers that were off had a mirror beside them while the others had no mirror (the control group). The participants on Facebook were informed that they had three minutes to look through any of the tabs on their profile page. After the three minutes, every participant was given a questionnaire to measure self-esteem.

The findings indicated that the participants who were looking at the mirror showed no elevations in self-esteem (the same result as the control group). However, the participants who used Facebook showed higher ratings of self-esteem. Why is this so? Is it because of the role of socialization in supporting self-esteem?

So next time you’re aimlessly editing your Facebook information, don’t feel bad that you’re procrastinating from writing your world civilization paper on Napoleon, or that you aren’t paying attention to your college algebra homework, you’re actually getting a slight boost in your self-esteem, which isn’t such a bad thing.

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17. March 2011 by student.

Gay marriage is a social problem that has been around for many years. Everyone has witnessed a gay couple at least once in their life. This situation has escalated to such a big problem over the years. Now the problem is starting to have such weight/burden for many anthropologist, socialist, politicians, etc. This topic is a very emotional topic for those who are involved in this topic. Religion and personal beliefs should not be what decides whether gays should be together.

What is the harm in allowing two people of the same sex to marry? In order to answer that question, you must first answer the question of what is the definition of marriage. Marriage is one of those ambiguous words. There is the biblical definition, and then there is the political definition.By definition marriage is, “a contract made in due form of law, by which a free man and a free woman reciprocally engage to live with each other during their joint lives, in the union which ought to exist between husband and wife. By the terms freeman and free-woman in this definition are meant, not only that they are free and not slaves, but also that they are clear of all bars to a lawful marriage”. Now if you go by just this definition, two people of the same sex by law cannot be married.We like to argue that that’s what civil unions are for, but in all honesty people who enter into civil unions aren’t getting every single thing that married couples are.  Because what they’re really saying is “we don’t want you homosexuals married in our country, so instead well let you have a civil union and then tell u it’s just as good”. It’s like going to the grocery store and getting the generic brand instead of the name brand.

Over the years the marriage institution has become distorted from what it was once meant to be. For example the divorce rate in America “50% percent of first marriages, 67% of second and 74% of third marriages end in divorce”.  If that’s the case why not let homosexuals marry, it can’t make anything worse than it already is. I say let them be miserable like the rest of the married people, but we all know that’s never going to happen. We are fighting a losing battle, just like abortion, because when people are so set in their own ways you will be hard pressed to change their minds.

If two people are in love then let them be. Why stop it?

Posted in Social Problems | 3 Comments »