DuPage County Courts and Jail- Not Your Ordinary Fieldtrip

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when our class took a field-trip to the DuPage County Jail and Courtrooms. When we first arrived at the courtrooms, we were explained what the court rooms would be holding what types of cases and of course everyone wanted to go to the double murder trial. So we headed to the double murder trial where Gary Schuning allegedly killed his mother Dorris and an escort service named Kristi. We immediately saw many sociological terms in the court room. They then started to show evidence and ask questions to the police that was at the crime scene. Although at the beginning the photos were not something shocking, the few photos shown of the victim's body were. This case was a post trial because there was an openning statement that was followed by evidence. This case was also a civil case because courts are being held for this trial and it does not involve legislative branch. This case was also a felony if he is found guilty of this crime becasue he will probably be sentenced to life in prison. The race of the alleged murderer was white. The type of crime, if found guilty, would be a violent crime because it included murder.

The strain theory connects with this because it seems that Gary has no morals or norms because he killed two people and only seems to regret it a little. also, if talking about no having no morals or norms, Gary could be categorized as being on stage 0 because during that stage a person does things according to pleasure or pain.  Gary's family would be part of informal social control because during trial, the family did not speak with Gary and so they showed rejections with their actions towards Gary and his actions. If Gary is found guilty he would be exposed to formal control that involves judges, courts and police because he broke a law.

We then headed to the jail which was a very interesting and quite uncomfortable feeling when we "visited" and saw the inmates in their cells. Fist the Sargent explained to us the whole jail system. We then went to see the inmates. When we first past the inmates we received some not so pleasant comments that kind of made me and some of my classmates uncomfortable. But when you start to think about it, the reason they were so "happy" to see people besides other cell mates was because they are in a total institution and had to be re-socialized.  The race of most of the inmates were either Black or Hispanic.

The inmates seem to have lived or be living in a strictly structured way of living. everything is controlled and is always organized. They are being re-socialized because they have to learn to adapt to a new way of life. I hope I nor any of my friends or family members ever have to be in a jail because it seems that it's hard enough to live with a charge that you are guilty of and I cannot imagine having to adapt to something way different and new. Let's hope none of us get in trouble with the Sargent... especially Jose! ;)

Teeter Totter

I all of a sudden found myself thinking sociologically when one day my sister and I were biking around the neighborhood. We live right by Gary Elementary School and the Preschool. So we always bike there and just play a little on the playground, mainly just the swings. But this particular day we felt like a two year old and went to the Preschool playground. We tried everything in the playground, or so we thought. I saw the teeter totter and was so excited! I haven't been on a teeter totter since grade school! I instantly when on the teeter totter and my sister and I played for a long time. Problem was that I didn't realize how afraid I was of heights until I got on it. So as soon as my sister went down and I went up, I screamed like a baby. People on the other playgrounds were staring at us and making rude faces at us. It was as if they thought that people of our age shouldn't be on the teeter totter or the Preschool playground.

This reminds me of the differential theory because even though my sister and I weren't breaking the law, we liked the fact that we were breaking a folkway. And others knew that we were breaking a folkway also. The usual thinking of a Preschool playground or a playground in general is that only little kids are to play there. My sister and I broke that stereotype by playing on the teeter totter. My sister and I were breaking a folkway and following the differential theory.

To Be Like Or Not To Be Like My Parents?

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was meeting my grandpa's brother on Easter. He and his wife said that I look and acted like my mom, but on the other side, others have said that look and act like my dad. Although both my parents are agents of socialization, will I still end up being like both or just one of them? Another thing that always makes me think is when my friends always say that they will never end up like their parents but I sometimes think that's unavoidable since they are your significant others. Could other agents be more dominant than others?

This reminded em of the survey we did during class about who we were most like; mom or dad. What if you don't have several agents of socialization? Would that limit your socialization development? Is it possible for a son or daughter to not turn out like their parents when they grow up or does it matter how they were socialized? Could it affect our looking glass self?

Crazy Eights

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was watching a movie called Crazy Eights. It was under the "Horror" genre so I thought it was going to be about just plain scary things. It turned out to be a movie about how eight (later on in the movie it turned out to be nine) children are put into a sort of total institution. It was for experimenting on the children to show them what guilt is and to repress the memory of them even being there. It worked and they never remembered what happened when they were younger but their memory came back when one of their friends passed away because of his re- occurring nightmares of his past childhood and his final wish is for all of them to go back to the "Total Institution".

This reminded me of what we were learning in class about socialization. The children had to re-socialize their life and adapt to the institute's new rules and procedures. They also were de- socialized because they had to unlearn on what they though guilt was. For the children, the institute was like a prison to them. Even though they tried to repress the memory of their childhood, it came back.

Buisness men but no buisness women?

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was working on my gender role cartoon for sociology. I was trying to look for a female character with a business look attire. At first I couldn't find it. So then I searched it. I typed in business women but it didn't find any results. Then I typed in business in general but only in the female section. Still no results. I was really surprised and pissed off in knowing that there was only like five business women characters in that section. The men section had so many options of careers and many of them had ties and suits. On the other hand, women were mostly seen wearing skirts and aprons. There were men astronauts but no women astronauts.

This reminds me of what we were talking about in class about gender roles. It's amazing how society tries to really emphasize about how certain genders should act in society. When I was a little girl, I was given a play kitchen by "Santa" and I absolutely fell in love with it. After awhile, my sister played with it but my little brother and some little nephews of ours also wanted to play with the kitchen.Although they were always given the choice to play with other "boy" toys, sometimes they wanted to play with us in the kitchen. Some parents didn't seem to happy about it but it's not like they could explain to their child the reasons why he couldn't play with the girls in the kitchen. Society tries to categorize each person gender wise with colors and products such as a toy kitchen. They're usually pink and purple, girl toys, and boy toys are usually red and blue, more dark colors. I never noticed this when I was little but so many toys have tried to influence each gender to act ho they're supposed to act (girls and play kitchens and trucks and boys). But do we really need all of this gender categorizing... does it help keep things in balance?

Mamma- Maniac!

I all of a sudden found myself thinking sociologically when I was reading the article about the chineese mom. I honestly believe that she is going way too overboard. She is messing up her kids by being way too strict with them and not letting them do what they want to do. She is trying to teach them to be very good at something that they don't even like and she is not forming a very loving bond. Instead, it is going to end up as more of a fear bond instead of having trust and confidence towards her mother. I think that she needs to let her children relax a little bit and try to support her children in activities that they want to do, not in things that she wants them to do.

According to Mead, her children would not have a generalized other nor a symbolic other becasue the relationship the children have with their mother is so strict that they would not have the ability to form a close and healthy, happy bond. And according to both Cooley and Freud that all of the things happening during their childhoo, which the chineese mother is overcontroling, will affect their personality. And because all of these special bonds aren't forming, their stages of development aren't going to be able to develop. The mom may think she is helping her children but she is making them feel like they have to do things for their parents, not themselves. She needs to let her children do what they want while still having discipline on them. Balance is the key to everything.

My Name in Another Culture

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was remembering the first day I started volunteering at the hospital. I remembered I was talking to a boy and a girl who were training me about marriage. She said that in  her culture (in India), the girl would have her husband's name as her middle name. Then, her daughter would have her dad's name as her middle name also like her mother. It reminded me of how in Mexico, the bride would take both her husband's last name and her own. For example, if I got married with Tom Cruise ( just an example), my name would be Pamela Campos de Cruise.

This would be an example of culture shock and well kind of a culture similarity. It would be a culture shock because I did not know about this custom of another culture. It kind of amazed me but at the same time I made a connection with my own culture. Maybe there are other ways I can have my name. What would the connection be called?

Rabbit's leg + Deer's Eye + Spit = Good Luck for Life!

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when we were watching "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" in class a few days ago. When Tula's mom spits on her grandsons head, Ean asks why she does that. Tula responds that it is for good luck and to keep the devil away. It reminded me of how some cultures, like mine, have similar things like that, except without the spitting. I know that in some parts of Mexico, it is very popular that a child, especially a newborn, to wear a "deer's eye" necklace or bracelet. As weird as it sounds, it's true. Not in all cases is the deer's eye real, but if the parents are really supersticious, then the child will definetely have a real deer's eye... eww! As far as I know, my family doesn't believe in that and has not used it. Even if my family did believe in it, just the thought of wearing a deer's eye gives me the creeps! ;)

The whole deer's eye and spitting on heads seems kind of odd in American culture(Culture Shock), but wouldn't other cultures think that American superstitions are just as weird? Think about how others would react if they saw an American throwing salt off their left side of their shoulder, or carrying a rabbits leg? What's so different between carrying a rabbit's leg and a deer's eye, they're both animal parts aren't they? (Personally I still wouldn't wear neither of those.) These superstitions would be culture universals because they're still superstitions that people have but only different ways to keep superstitions away.

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was volunteering at the hospital. A Hispanic family came in to visit a patient and they weren't very fluent in English. So I decided to help the receptionist by helping to translate. But while I was translating, I found myself stumbling or thinking about the letters in both English and in Spanish. The family later thanked me and so did the receptionist.

I found this to be a culture clash because two different cultures met and couldn't interact successfully because of a language barrier.I have seen this happen many times and never really thought about it until now. I now understand why some people may not like or feel uncomfortable. It is because they are experiencing some sort of culture clash because of a language barrier or a restriction one culture has but the other one doesn't. But what about me getting confused with the letters in Spanish and English in my head? Would that still count as a culture clash?

Why Can't I Burp Too?

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was eating at the dinner table a couple of days ago. My sister had burped and was lectured from my parents for burping so loud. They told her that it was rude and unladylike to burp at the dinner table. I was thinking that burping could be considered a folkway in society, but is it the same folkway for all genders? Why is it that my brother can burp and get a simple "no, no" while my sister gets a lecture? Is a man's folkway not the same as a woman's? What about age or culture?

This is just like what we were talking about in class about how we define folkways and mores. Burping in some countries, like Mrs. Haas said, it is rude if you do not burp at the dinner table after eating. But in our society, it is rude to burp at the dinner table. I wonder if these folkways change depending on gender, age or culture. For example, is it the same thing if a 4 year old burps than if a 16 year old burps? What if a girl and a boy both burp? Who will be braking a folkway according to society? Maybe I should try it and find out!

America in 5 Pictures

The old Uncle Sam poster is a symbol that represents America because it represents how much dedication the U.S. government is about having Americans participate and join in the U.S. Army. We as Americans want to be seen as very dedicated.















 The Hollywood sign is a symbol that represents America because America is highly "revolved" with media, which include Hollywood stars. Also, it represents an inspiration for many Americans.

 Las Vegas is a symbol that represents America because Americans like to be known as people who are fun to hang out with. As Americans, we love to take a break from things and just have fun. What other place to have fun in (if you're over 21) than the wonderful place of gambling in Las Vegas. Remember that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas ;) !

 The bald eagle represents America because it is a very unique and rare bird, just like America likes to be seen. Just like we like to be seen as the only true country with its' own unique way of life.

 The statue of liberty represents America because it signifies freedom the welcoming to immigrants to the land of opportunities. The statue of liberty represents America because it also shows that Americans like to be seen as welcomers and friendly.

Does she not know how to say "Goodbye"?

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when we were discussing about culture in class. We were sharing our stories on how two cultures "clash" together. And how hard it is to communicate and interact with other cultures. I remembered the time I "clashed" with a culture. As you probably know, I am hispanic and as a custom in my culture, we greet and say goodbye with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek. So when I was saying goodbye to my cousin's girlfriend, who is white, she thought that I was going to whisper something in her ear because I was getting too close to her.I asked my cousin "Does she not know how to say Goodbye?" I was actually trying to say goodbye but she later found out how to greet and say goodbye to people in my family.

 This reminded me of how much struggle our class went through when we tried to communicate with each other in different cultures. I can only imagine how hard it must be for people who have to interact with other cultures. Such as business people and airline workers. I wonder if cultures count as a group?I hope we get to learn more about how to understand other cultures and how other cultures greet each other.

What's a moshpit?

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was looking for one of my favorite DVD's at home. While I was trying to find the DVD, I found my Quinceañera video from 2009. I then remembered that at the end of one of my dances, my guy friends who dancing with me wanted to do a "moshpit". I at that time had no clue whatsoever what a moshpit even was. Even though I didn't know what it was, I still said it was fine if they did it (conformity). I later found out during our dance rehearsals what a moshpit was. They tried it and I was scared out of my mind because most of the guys were way taller than me (I'm only 5 feet). They were jumping around and surrounding me at the same time. I thought to myself "I'm going to die if I don't get out of here!!!".

This reminded me of the types of crowds that we were discussing in class this week (or half a week). A moshpit would probably be an expressive crowd because a lot of emotion is attached to it. It shows the energy and joy that the people involved in the moshpit . Maybe the people watching the moshpit are part of the casual crowd since they just look at the moshpit for a while and just leave. The people at my Quinceañera would be a conventional group because they have interests that are similar. I will never look at crowds the same way, unless it's a moshpit, then maybe I'll join in :). (I got over my "fear" of moshpits after the Powder Puff moshpits).

Wait... wasn't he part of that group?

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was with my brothers and dad at my grade school's book fair last night. The books were all lined up according to their genre; fiction, non- fiction, biography etc. The books reminded me of people and the different types of groups that people, such as me, belong to. I never really noticed this but most people have a lot of roles that we are not aware of. Kind of like we don't realize that there are a lot of types of genres.

This put me thinking that maybe our roles change depending on who are with. For example, in the show survivor, Billy was the "out" group in the show but wouldn't he be the "in" group at a heavy metal concert? This got me thinking that we can have probably all of the roles that were listed on our notes. We can be part of the "in" group with the people or places in which we are most comfortable or best at. But we can also be part of the "out" group with unfamiliar places and in areas in which we are unskilled. I guess one person is actually many.

I declare a snowball fight!

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when my brothers and I were playing in the snow on our first SNOW DAY(2/2/11)!!! We began by trying to build a snowman but appearantly sof snow does not help at all when trying to build a snowman because all of the snow just kept falling off. So we then agreed to build forts and have a snowball fight. I began to build my fort as best as I could because somehow my fort is always the first one to fall apart during the fight.But then it struck me that in order for me to build a good fort, I had to model out the outline first, kind of like the puzzles we did in class. Once I modeled my outline, my fort building began to become much easier and stronger. Why didn't I think of this strategy before?

Building a puzzle or a fort means that I need to start with a strong base. That stragety also goes well in life. In order to succeed in life, you need to have good building blocks in order to achieve goals. For example, if I want to become a doctor, I need to have good grades and recommendations for my doctor goal to be achieved. These small accomplishments are going to help me "complete" my puzzle of life. It is way harder when you have to complete goals or simple tasks without having a strong base or outline on what you're going to do. It is also like writing an essay or doing a project for a class. How are you going to get a good grade on you essay or project when your teacher hasn't given the outline for the project? In either life, puzzles or even fort building for a snowball fight, having a strong base and building blocks can help you achieve goals faster and help you complete unfinished projects... or have a great victory in a snowball fight against your brothers! ;)

Biology Class- "Survival of the fittest"

All of a sudden, I found myself thinking sociologically when I was writing a conversation for my Sociologist Herbert Spencer on his "Facebook" page. I remembered when I was a freshman and had to take Biology and one time, my teacher started to talk about how only animals that are the strongest or fittest actually survive... which sounds pretty logical (obviously the sick and weak won't). But then I remembered thinking that it is probably the same theory for humans also. I mean if you think about it, a lot of people perfer to date and marry someone who is healthy and fit, not a sick person (no offense to those who are sick). And because those who are sick will probably not have a chance to reproduce and create offspring, their "weaknesses" causes them to die and not "survive". But for the fit and the strong, they will most likely reproduce an offspring and so half of their DNA survives with that offspring.

This concept of "Survival of the fittest" is the theory that Herbert Spencer and Charles Darwin had coiled upon. They agreed that those who are more adaptive to their surroundings and environment, tend to survive the most. I never really cared about this whole "survival of the fittest" in Biology class, no offense teacher, but it is probably because I never really looked upon it in a human perspective. I now see that people who are mostly sick sadly grow old alone and without having the chance to have children. Although it kind of sounds mean, this theory of Spencer and Darwin sounds quite reasonable for humans and animals.

All About... Pam!

My name is Pamela. I am a Junior in High School and enjoy playing sports such as Soccer and Tennis. I love singing with my school's choir and love to help others. I define myself as a patient and helpful person. I love to laugh and make others laugh also. The biggest influences in my life would be my parents. My goals in life are to pursue my career as a Pediatric Rehabilitation Physical Therapist and to help children with disabilities.