13. October 2011 by student.

I was having a hard time coming up with a good topic to blog about, and then I thought, what a perfect forum to continue an in class discussion that I wish I had more time in class to discuss. In the Contemporary Social Problems class a couple Thursdays ago, we analyzed prostitution as a social problem. I was asked that as a father, if I would approve of my own daughter working in the sex industry. My response was “If she was truly happy in that line of work and was satisfied with the pay, then yes, I absolutely would.” It didn’t warrant a very welcome response.

I digress,

Every single day people around the world go to work. Work (generally speaking) is not fun. If it were fun, it would be called fun, but it’s not; instead it’s called work. Work is an undesirable and often times dangerous place to exist. I myself have almost lost my life at work. I was almost buried alive in a ditch while laying pipe (no pun intended). It matters not whether someone is a factory worker who works with a machine that can chop your hand off, or works in a plant nursery around harmful pesticides, or is a cab-driver who may become a victim of an auto accident, or a police officer injured in the line of duty, or a pornstar that could potentially contract a STD, in every line of work there are risks. All I have to say is, given the choice, I think I’d pick herpes or genital warts over wearing a hook or eye patch the rest of my life.

It should matter not what someone does for a living, but more, how they go about succeeding at what they do. What I mean is, I believe (or want desperately to believe) that it is the American dream that hard work will be rewarded through promotion, recognition, and wages. Can a burger flipper at McDonalds not work his way up to shift manager, then store manager, to maybe regional or district manager by virtue of hard work and work ethic alone? Can a construction worker not learn a skilled trade and then go into business for him/herself? If a persistent high school ball player in the Dominican Republic can fulfill dreams of stardom in the United States, than so can a woman comfortable with her sexuality shape her destiny into stardom. There are occupational “parriahs” if you will in every single line of work. The sex industry is no different. Sure there are crack whores, but there’s also Heidi Klum and her house of high class pleasures.

I don’t think I need to site sources when I say that we all understand that it’s generally accepted that a man may sleep with many women and face little ridicule. One would think that if a man is sleeping with multiple women, that the compliment to the first comment would be it is just as acceptable for women to do the same. However, it’s not. If one man is sleeping with multiple women, then who are all these women? Seeing as how the male to female ratio across the face of the planet earth for 99.9% of living species is more or less even (no source, just a wild guess), I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you ladies are a very “secretive” creature within the human population. What I mean of course, all these women that any one man is having relations with are normal women; not sluts, whores, prostitutes, tramps or anything of the like. If you’re looking for a double standard here, you won’t find one. I personally don’t think the double standard that currently exists in our society is fair at all. Ironically enough, it’s always women who challenge my views. I don’t get it, but then again, I quit trying to understand women after my divorce anyway.

So as you read these words, have you ever stopped to question why? Why does this double standard exist? The most simple and precise answer is because in years prior to paternity tests, there was obviously no way to determine with absolute certainty if a child born to a mother was indeed the child of the man she was wedded to. Throughout history, property is passed on from the paternal generation to the child or children. For this exact reason, men have been very successful in guarding and controlling the sexuality of their wives and daughters. And there is no better way to promote conformity of this fact than to write in into sacred texts and laws. This way, because a man could not always monitor his wife and children at all times, God can. And as we all know, God hears and sees all at all times; and as a good Christian, one should never cross the Lord or they will go to hell. And of course we all know how bad hell sucks.

But now there are paternity tests and a wide array of very effective birth control so we don’t really need to worry about all that nonsense anymore.

So as a result of new technologies, let woman express themselves sexually in any manner they see fit for themselves. After all, men have been doing it since the beginning of time. As traditional views on sexuality (especially as it concerns women in particular) served a distinct purpose in the past, currently, this perspective only serves to promote a man’s agenda as an agent of social control. This is evident in the fact that we are taught (from a very early age) that pre-marital sex is bad, marriage of course being a construct of society, influenced by monotheism in particular. It is evident in the fact that we are taught that prostitution is immoral. Catholics, among other branches of Christianity, are against the use of birth control because of a Bible passage. And of course, there’s the issue of homosexuality. We all know where most Christians stand on homosexuality.  But sex is as natural to us as making food from the sun is for plants! Sex is not a bad thing, and it is a natural feeling for both genders starting at the time of puberty. So why in this modern age do we still restrict our actions in the privacy of our bedrooms to what an outdated book and the illogical sense of men have to say about it? The truth is humans have always taken part in acts of “sexual immorality.”

Seeing as how looking into the future is completely impossible, I like to look to the past for examples to help me prove my points. So let me just throw out a few fun facts to get you thoroughly disgusted on how fellow Homo sapiens used to view sex:

-In ancient Greek culture, what we now consider the immoral act of pedophilia was practiced. It was not only acceptable, but expected that a higher class man take in a younger boy “apprentice” to teach them “how to love men.” (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/homosexuality/)

-There are some that believe certain Bible passages have been wrongly translated, and that when it is said Jesus “lay with him,” he was not just sleeping next to another man. (Google Search: Jesus gay)

-In the mid to late 16^th century, Courtesans in Venice (Italy) during the renaissance used the wages they made from being hired for sex to become some of Venetian society’s most educated and intellectual persons, gaining access into the city’s aristocratic circles; at times even influencing political dealings. — (Sayre, Henry M. The Humanities Culture, Continuity, & Change. Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.)

-Catherine the Great by her days standards (mid to late 18^thcentury) was a promiscuous empress of Russia. Historians have verified 12 lovers in her lifetime, but suspect many more. So jealous of her accomplishments were the Kings of England and France, that a rumor that many believe to be true to this day is that she died in the act of “being” with a horse. This rumor was disproved, but what’s more important, is that even though she was thought of as a slut that was “with” a horse, she is still known as Catherine THE GREAT. — (“Catherine the Great (1729 – 1796).” BBC. History. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.)( Catherine the Great. PBS, 2006. DVD. 7 Sept. 2011)( Citedde Madariaga, Isabel. “Catherine the Great.” History Today 51.11 (2001): 45. Historical Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.)

-During the American colonial era, it was not uncommon for entire households to share a single bed… And yet babies were still being born. Let’s just say that means that kids in colonial times knew from a very early age that storks did not drop siblings down their chimneys. — (http://web.campbell.edu/faculty/vandergriffk/FamColonial.html)

-Currently, religious sects throughout the United States practice polygamy. Not only does this mean one man is having relations with many women, but this time it’s okay in the eyes of God!

Ask yourselves this question:

If your son were gay, would you disown him? Would you take a child you loved for so many years and disassociate yourself from him because he brings home his gay lover for a family dinner? Or would you just be happy that he has enough courage to be who he is (nature), or who he thinks he his (nurture), and be happy for him? If not, your probably not the type to agree with “letting” your daughter have promiscuous sex either.

When my little girl is 18 years old, she will be her own woman. I will have no say in what she chooses to do with her life. If it sounds like I want my girl to be a prostitute or a pornstar, then you have completely misunderstood what I’m trying to say. It’s not any father’s dream of their precious little girl doing something as wasteful as having sex for a living if she has a perfectly normal brain capable of performing intellectual tasks that may actually benefit her; or better yet, maybe even all of mankind. What if she’s a female Albert Einstein? But what if she isn’t? Perhaps she’d rather be the next Veronica Franco, literary courtesan, and create poetry to be read by future generations. Whether she improves on the theory of relativity or becomes an accomplished poet in the realm of sexuality, I will be proud as long as she does all she can to be the best that she can be in any profession of her choosing. It is not my place as a parent to destroy any dream my daughter may have. It is my duty as a parent to promote her happiness and guide her in making wise decisions. There is a huge difference between a woman that strips to put herself through college, and a woman who strips to support her own drug habit. It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it. So let my little girl grow up to do whatever her precious heart desires, and if she considers the sex industry to be fun, easy, and fruitful in pay, then bless her heart – at least she will have a job some may consider to be more “fun” than “work.” 

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13. October 2011 by student.

        There are a lot of struggles that single parents must face in their children’s life and in their plans for the future. It is very difficult and challenging to be a parent especially a single parent. Single parents can also raise successful young man and women. Single parents work hard to support their children financially no matter what it takes.  According to Theodora Ooms in the essay,  Marriage Plus “The public has been concerned about “family breakdown” for a long time, but it was not until the passage of welfare reform in 1996 that the federal government decided to get into the business of promoting marriage”. Yes, family breakdown can be very painful and devastating for children but their lives do go on and it’s the strategies and the parenting skills that make the best of the situation.       “Single parents; are parents who take care of one or more children without any physical assistance of other parents”. “It almost seems as though the deck is stacked against a single parent from the get-go!” (Moore1). In the essay “Marriage Plus” by Theodora Ooms, states that “The Bush Administration as it contemplates this year’s extension of welfare legislation, plans to make marriage even more central. The administrations reauthorization proposal, announced February 27 includes 300 million for demonstration grants to focus on promoting healthy marriages and reducing out-of- wedlock births” Most of the marriages go through counseling and most of the times in this generation it fails. The Administration is failing to realize that “parenting has less to do with the numbers of parents in the home and more to do with the quality of parenting”. Although in the article on “How to be the Best Single Parent You Can Divorce and Single Parenting” Moore stated as of 2006, there were “14 million families in the U.S. that were headed by a single parent, 83% of which are headed by single mothers as compared with 16.9% being custodial fathers”.According to Moore “the traditional families have two parents, the mom and the dad, jointly raising kids with help and advice from each other. Whereas single parenting, a single person decides what is best for the child and sometimes takes extreme measures to get it accomplished”. According to Moore, “Broken home” is “a derogatory label that causes much pain and misunderstanding” . Children living in a single parent home often “contend with hurtful remarks and negative stereotypes made by in sensitive adults”. Oooms had “an overwhelming consensus of social science research findings that children tend to do better off financially and emotionally when their parents are married to each other”. The children are not doomed to failure, financially or emotionally. Adults and children do better as ‘single parenthood is perceived as a viable option and not as a pathological situation”. Single parents live a different world from people in marriages. Parents have to “focus on success and not failure”. Single parents have to deal with stereotypes, the failure, and success of their children, and the companionship and support of others. “As adults – teachers, coaches, neighbors, family, and friends we can change our attitude, be more sensitive and compassionate, and recognize that SINGLE PARENTS RAISE GOOD KIDS TOO!”. In the essay by Ooom’s, she states that “the controversy mostly isn’t about research, however but about values”. Although according to Moore, “since 1970, the number of children living in a single parent family has doubled. In fact, statistics from 1992 indicate that single parent families represent 30% of U.S. households, while 25% represents two parent household”. Which would predict that “70% of children born since 1980 will spend some time living in a single parent home before their 18^th birthday”. There are many strategies, support and help for single parents and since single parents have to prove something they work even harder for their children’s success. Single parents have the value to stand on their own two feet to raise a child alone physically, emotionally, and financially. Single parents work harder and tend to do more for their children. Most single parents know how to balance work, housework, childcare, visitation schedules and some child activities for the best interest of their child. Single parenting is not an easy thing to do, “but with more and more single parents nowadays their lot in society is improving”. Therefore children of single parents also work harder to make their parents proud.         Single parents manage their time with their children to “gain both strength and richness”. Living in a single parent home also brings children new skills, and they become self-reliant. With activities a parent can have a game night, movie and popcorn, bowling, and other things. The more time a child and a parent spend together the more they will enjoy the time together and the stronger the bond. The less time a parent spends with their child the faster they will continue to drift away, but if they could find a way to build a bond that will bring a parent and their child together the brighter their future will be. “Living in a single-parent home has its ups and down but so does a two parent home”. A two parent home is not better then a single parent home. There are recent studies that suggest that the most important ingredient in family life is a sense of love, caring, and bond that a child receives. This then gives the child the sense that the structure of family matters very little.          There are many concerns of financial problems, but there is help and there are ways to ease financial pressure on themselves and their family. There are state child support enforcement agencies around all 54 states. The most controversial question is whether the differences in income within a single parent home and a two parent home can depict the success of a child. “If differences in children’s achievements are due entirely to differences in family income, it would be much easier to argue that the one-parent family is a viable family structure, lacking only in economic resources”. Seems like some children who grow up having both parents and are given everything and anything they have ever wanted are most likely to be bullies, rebel against parents, to act up in school, and un appreciate what they have. Whereas children in a single parent home appreciate things,tend to act right in school, are not likely to bully others, and respect their parents.  “Family income accounted for about 40 percent of the difference in grade-point average and school performance between children in single-parent and two parent families”. The income differences did not “account for as much of the difference in behavioral problems between children from one-parent and two-parent families”. 

        Single parent children not only need parent’s time and money they need the help from resources outside their family in their community to help them grow to be independent adults. The support of others is the most important and the most effective development that helps single parent children achieve obstacles to be successful adults. Children in single parent families need “good teachers to stimulate their minds and help them develop their intellectual capacities, they need good neighbors to reinforce their parents and provide additional support and per vision”. The more outside support children of single parent families have the more comfortable and the more successful they will be. Single parent families “need communities that are willing to invest  their tax dollars in institutions that serve children in schools, recreational programs, and safe neighborhoods” to serve as support and guidance for children who come from single parent families and troubled families. In order for children in single parent families to take full advantage of what their neighbors, teachers and their society have to offer “they must know and trust and trust his neighbors and teachers and they must know and care about them”.  According to Ooms children whom grow up and live in a single parent home will never be or accomplish anything, she pretty much states that children in a single parent home are failures in our society. But there are other options and there are other statistics that prove otherwise, about children in single parent homes.  There is support and hope for children in single parent families.   It is not the end it will be just the beginning for children of single parent families to achieve and succeed things they were told they could not do. Single parent families are just as equal as two parent families. It all depends on the parenting skills and the connection between a parent and a child. I believe that a single parent  can provide as much, love, support, and care for a child as a two parent family, yes they may not be able to provide the same income but they can provide their child with the important things in life like love. I think that a single parent home can bring some instabilit but so can a two parent home. I do believe that a singe parent home can bring both instability and instability but it all depends on the parent an how they want their cild tobe raised.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

13. October 2011 by student.

“The hot sauce mom.”

Ya, yall know who I’m talking about; the douchebag mom that put hot sauce in her boy’s mouth for lying. She said she did it to get on TV in the end, but in a way, I kinda feel sorry for her. She was brought up and found guilty on child abuse charges.

Here’s the thing that keeps ringing in my mind every time I hear something about this. She used food seasoning to “punish” her child. Granted, she only did it to get on TV… But, her kid did lie and she found it necessary to discipline him.  

What would the government who prosecuted her have her do instead? Perhaps they would encourage her to take her child to a doctor and obtain a prescription for a psychotropic mind altering drug to promote what the courts feel is an “effective child rearing technique.” Or perhaps the government would have been more tolerant if she just simply struck him instead. Or maybe the only answer the government would approve of is grounding him and taking away his precious Iphone or Gameboy. In any case, who is the government to tell us how to raise a child?

I am 29 years old now. When I was in first grade in Homestead Florida my teacher Ms. Johnson literally brought in a bar of soap and made me wash my mouth with it. I didn’t think it was a big deal then, or now. I was just glad that she did that as an alternative to telling my parents. Two years later I got in trouble for cursing again. When I got off the school bus my mother was waiting there with a flexible green switch that she beat across my face at least fifteen times. As it turned out, I was also allergic to the plant she beat me with. I went to school for four days thereafter looking like a miniature version of something that someone would aspire to look like on Halloween.  The soap by comparison was nothing, and I suspect food seasoning would have been less than nothing if I were given that option growing up.

The hot sauce mom didn’t do anything wrong. She only did something un-orthodox. She would have been fine if she didn’t tape it just to get on Dr.Phil. While I don’t think she should have been found guilty of child abuse, I wish there was a law in place for acting like a brain-dead, stupid, ass.

By Karsten Hein

Posted in Social Problems | 3 Comments »

12. October 2011 by student.

Diversity in the work place

There are challenges that organization face in an attempt to create diversity. misunderstandind of cultural, attitudes, orientation or a person(s) behavior can cause disruption in the work place and could prevent teams accomplishing goals. A few aspects that are going to be looked at are the challenges that are faced within the organizations, communication,leadership,and other issues that are causing debate.Work place  diversity is a continuing challenge facing to day’s organization, though more common now then it was in the past,in the sense that different genders are more likely to administer the position of what was cosidered the opposite sexes position among other differences that are making the work places more diverse.We live in a culturally diverse world.People will encounter individuals from different races, religions,and nationalities in their day to day encounters. There is often anxiety surrounding unfamiliar cultures . What manners are acceptable ?What will offend a  person from a very different background? It can be paralyzing to deal with another people if we do not know what to expect.Diversity in the work place is the result of a broad range of complex social, political, economicand other forces that have put in close proximity people who have different frames of refferences,background, and perspectives. Whether you work in health care,education or social services which ever the organization, the importance of developing some degree of cultural competence in your work is essential.An important aspect that I have come to learn of and have a better understanding for is leadership. In just about every encounter leadership is dealt with and can be crucial. Being a leader or having leadership skills is to be open -minded, informative,among other caracteristics which requires a person to embrace differences whether the individual is for or opposes the other sides view of what is being presented. In all sense a leader has to be aware that there are differences that are going to exist which is what diversity is, differences.Each culture has it own way of handling business as well as social interactions., and a person into a new culture must try to amalgamate. Ultimately the barriers that exist between cultures are weak . We need desire, information, and the willingness to take interpersonal risks to break down them.Those who have the knowledge and ability to work within an increasingly diverse society will in the best position to gain employment.Cultural knowledge and awareness, multi-lingual ability and a true skill in working with people from other cultures will will be sough after.misunderstanding  due to a lack of cultural awareness are used as examples in our education.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

9. October 2011 by student.

I think I know more girls that are below my age group that are pregnant then women around my age group that are not or trying too. It’s crazy how there are teen girls who have two children or more. I think this all comes down to parenting and how they inform their children. Kids are going to do what they want regardeless but I think they will at least think twice and be aware of consequences if the parents inform them well enough. Some parents just don’t care or don’t feel comfortable talking to their kids about intercourse and its consequences and that’s when alot of kids just do whatever they want. Alot of people are against Planned Parenthood releasing the Plan B pill, yes it might encourage them to get involoved in that activity a little more because they know they’ll have a back up plan but atleast they won’t be pregnant with a kid that they can’t take care of. Although some parents are against Planned Parenthood and clinics like it because they feel like their kids can hide things easily from them, I think they’re helpful, especially when kids don’t know what to do and don’t want to talk to parents about it. Another thing some parents are against is birth control but I rather have my child protected then have her running around like she dont have no scence.

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4. October 2011 by student.

Overpopulation has developed into a social problem as the year’s progress. There are numerous of reasons why overpopulation is a social problem throughout the globe.

Food source has become more artificial and chemically enhanced for the simple fact that the overpopulation is growing and the food source needs to keep up with the cycle. For those who consume chickens (which are a common edible throughout the globe) are aware that they are pumped with hormones to grow more rapidly to be sold into the food market for the population who consume them.  Too many mouths to feed and not enough food to help survive the population leads to hunger in many countries such as in third world countries. The food source for our overpopulated society is becoming alarming as this generation progresses into the future.

Poverty is one of the main causes of overpopulation. The lower-middle classes are ranked as the reason to why overpopulation is occurring. Teen pregnancies are another cause of poverty to the overpopulation due to the fact that young mothers are having children when they themselves are still a child. The spread of disease are more commonly to occur to those who are on the poverty line. There are not enough jobs for an overpopulated society which leads to poverty which leads to further complications to our society.

Overpopulation means more. More food source to be provided, more clothing to be made, and more shelters to be built. These are the basic human needs for survival and yet the more shelter is built the more pollution is destructive to our environment as well as our health. Pollution is caused by harsh chemicals developing into the oxygen from construction being built for an overly growing society. The more people in a community the more construction will be progressing. Example of Manhattan New York always busy with a high population rate and at almost every other block you see construction continuing.  The more that is being built is killing our environment by less land for our natural beings to continue living and less crop land to have as a food source. Nature is being killed by the pollution and by a building taking over the land that was either a home for a natural instinct specie or nature itself.

Overpopulation is happening over the globe and is hurting our society. Hunger is becoming a common issue is more countries, poverty is taking over the middle-class rank in America, and Pollution is killing our environment and natural beings each building at a time.

Posted in Social Problems | 2 Comments »

1. October 2011 by student.

“We Are All Immigrants.” That’s a phrase I am use to hearing and I bet everyone else is too. I believe that in America Immigration is not the problem, the paper work behind it is. We are all subject to the law and if it’s a law to have an immigrant legal then I don’t see what the problem is. On the contrary, I see an abundant of benefits for being a legalized immigrant in the United States not only here in the U.S but anywhere of desired establishment. What I see lately in the news is that there has been an universal picture of who is an immigrant and who is not. I believe in checking the status of a person only when it is strictly necessary.  Not because one looks like an immigrant therefore, they should be questioned.

This is a touchy subject because there are many areas to trim and improve.  Illegal immigration should not be penalized by sending one back to their country but by making the paperwork a lot more easier for them. The truth of the matter is, is that the majority these people that come to the U.S come here to work, to raise a family, and enjoy the freedoms that we as Americans have. Why take that away once they step American territory. Isn’t this my land therefore it should be your land too?

To better improve we must be considerate and help the illegal immigrants that are already here get legalized without the big expense. Do not think I am saying that it should be free, it should cost but not so much. Another thing to consider, is the criminal background. What has the illegal immigrant done that can cause the person to be penalized to the point of deportation? This idea will decrease the amount of crime and illegal activity in society. I think the U.S is doing a good job in having immigrants come in to the U.S. Legally.  We are checking background, who is recommending the person (in Lames Term) etc. The only issue I see is that behind all this high security we are losing the big idea of having a mix culture society. Is a lot more harder to get legalized in comparison to twenty years ago. Not to mention the high cost and the time invested and the process of getting approved.

Immigration doesn’t have a face and it doesn’t come in a particular race. The issue with illegal immigration can be fixed with proper direction. We ARE all immigrants  and we ALL deserve an opportunity to better ourselves.

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