Blog 12

The concept of there being different types of capital is incredibly interesting to think about. Generally, most people just account capital as being only economic. According to Bourdieu, there are actually four different types of capital: economic, social, cultural, and symbolic. Economic capital is anything that has monetary or an exchange value. Social capital is any type of relationships that an individual has that could benefit their lives in any way. A few examples of the benefit that social capital provides are emotional health, group acceptance, career advancement, and a number of others. Cultural capital is anything that is passed down from generation to generation. This can include tangible objects such as family heirlooms, simply the knowledge and traditions that are passed down from generation to generation, or behaviorisms and values. The last form of capital is symbolic, which is a form of capital that is almost obtained through having other forms of capital, such as honor, prestige, and recognition. I feel like having more forms of capital rather than just economic gives people the opportunity to show their worth beyond how much money they make or how many expensive items they have in their home. An individual's experiences combined with their relationships and everything they've done in life should weigh just as heavily into how they're seen in society.

Above is a TED Talks video about this exact idea, that human capital is more than just a person's economic standing or status.

Blog 11

This week in class we discussed the concept of globalization. Globalization is defined as a set of social processes that appear to transform our present social condition of conventional nationality into one of globality. One of the largest examples of globalization that I could think of was simple trade. Throughout the course of history different forms of trading have become more and more popularized with the creation of various kind of technology. In the beginning it was just goods that could be carried across land or by ship, but as time carried on new modes of transportation were created and larger and more different items could be interchanged throughout the world. The idea of trade isn't limited only by tangible goods either, it can be extended to simple knowledge and ideas. This can be seen with our current society and the internet. Globalization is advancing at an incredibly fast rate due to the fact that information can be shared across the world instantaneously. These ideas can be seen through the Modernization Theory. The modernization theory is a process that is Western in origin, global, total, homogenizing, irreversible, and progressive. According to the modernization theory, once a country moves forward, it is nearly impossible for them to move backward. While I agree that the world is in a state of innovation and advancement, I don't necessarily believe that what is happening is irreversible. Using the film Solar Mamas as an example, there are poverty stricken countries and communities that are used as guinea pigs for new technology and new ideas. If the technology or trial run of this situation falls through, there is very little chance that the poor country would be able to maintain or continue using the technology by themselves. The only thing that can't be taken away is the change that was made in the lives of the people the technology touched. They've been introduced to something new and exciting, which means that they will hopefully work and strive to reach that same level again.

While globalization has the opportunity create great things and to push boundaries that haven't been pushed before, there are still a number of negative aspects.

http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_17/b3678003.htm

This article by business week discusses some of the pros and cons behind globalization.

Blog 10

Everyone feels fear. These fears can range anywhere from being scared of a simple spider, or being afraid of having money to purchase food or fear for your physical safety. Comparing the readings about fear to Steven Lukes' three dimensions of power theory, it is quite easy to pick out examples between the two. 

The first dimension of power, decision-making, could be explained with an example from the reading about sexual assault. Due to the fact that girls are being sexually assaulted and these assaults are generally occurring in the same type of places, examples being frat parties and bars, girls are now going to avoid those areas or always make sure that they are with friends so they are more protected. Looking at the reading about Latino immigrants, it specifically stated that the immigrants had begun taking different routes home in order to avoid the attack heavy areas of the city. These examples both fit the concept of an individual or group of people extending their power and changing the behavior of another individual or group of people. 

In the reading, the example of the Latinos that were being physically harassed could be described as the second dimension of power, setting the agenda. In this situation the Latinos aren't able to know when an individual is going to try and attack or harass them. The harasser is the one "setting the agenda" of when these attacks are going to happen. This step relates very similarly to the reading about rape on college campuses. A victim of rape isn't aware of when they are going to be attacked, only the attacker knows when they are going to make a move, therefore "setting the agenda". 

The last dimension of power is control over the political system or agenda. The reading on sexual assault can be used to explain this idea. If an individual is a victim of rape, there is generally very little chance that everyone is going to be their story. It happens often that a victim will come out with their story and that the public will either discount it or say that they are exaggerating, or even that it is their own fault that they were assaulted. An explanation for this unfortunate circumstance is the media. The media is where these situations are most often advertised, meaning that the public is being made to think that the attackers deserve sympathy, or that all individuals that say they were attacked are actually lying. 

Above is a diagram depicting Steven Lukes' three dimensions of power. While it doesn't fit in directly and expands on his ideas slightly, it still gives a good idea of what he was saying. 

Blog 9

I know you want it

I know you want it

I know you want it

The very first time I heard Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" I went from jamming to the fun beat, to being absolutely appalled. With the first few heavy dance beats and Pharrel William's call for "everybody get up," I thought that the song had great potential. Even through the pre-chorus, the song seemed fairly decent still, though probably not the type of thing I would listen to on repeat. Then the song reached the chorus. Within the first line the first line, I felt distinctly uncomfortable. After the unnecessary number of times that Thicke repeated the "I know you want it" line, I felt even more uncomfortable. After listening to the entire thing, I decided to go online and do some research about the song. The thing that surprised me the most, was the incredible amount of positive attention the song was receiving. Despite the fact that there are lines that are blatantly referring to sexual assault, the song was on shooting to the top of the charts and being played nonstop by individuals everywhere. The song gives the impression that if someone doesn't give consent, but they are showing interest, then that consent isn't necessary. This is a common misconception that society is going through currently. Sexual consent should be a common sense ideal, but it is something that has become necessary to teach the upcoming generations simply because of the false impressions that the media and a number of other resources give off. Fortunately, there have been large pushes recently to promote sexual consent, especially on college campuses. One of the largest advertisers for sexual consent is the Consent Is Sexy campaign. This campaign pushes the idea of not only making sure you are obtaining consent, but that you are also providing simple respect. Below is a link to the campaign's website. 

http://www.consentissexy.net

Sumblog 8

I thought that the interactive game of Sociopoly that we played was a great way to demonstrate inequality. In version of the game that my group played, which was divided by race, the stereotypes definitely played out the way that Professor Barry intended them too. The group that represented the African Americans and Hispanics spent the most time in jail, while the individuals that represented the Caucasians made the most money and received the most benefits. Playing through the game of Sociolopoly representing a white individual, I definitely felt a little uncomfortable. Everyone else in our game was slowly losing all of their money and getting discouraged, while my partner and I landed on every free parking and received every benefit that we could, eventually coming out incredibly on top.

It is very easy to see how this game is related to real life, much more so than how the original Monopoly game was supposed to be. It is also incredibly easy to see how it related to the Chapter 25 reading relating to affirmative action. While affirmative action comes with a negative connotation, it isn't always a bad thing. While it is unfortunate that a certain individual may get something just because of their gender, race, or ethnicity, these are also individuals that might normally be passed up for the exact same reasons. It is unfortunate that affirmative action is the way that our society needs to reach equal dispersion, but it is also an understandable way for it to begin happening.

Blog 7

What exactly is it that makes up a family? According to a simple dictionary definition, a family is a social unit consisting of one or more adults and the children they care for. According to this definition, two men could be parents, two women could be parents, and a man and a women can be parents, simply because all of these combinations are made up of two adult individuals. This definition doesn't discriminate and even sheds light on single parents. However, in some people's eyes a family can only be run by the binary system: a mother and a father. This topic becomes even more difficult when you include transgendered parents. Unfortunately, in the eyes of most members of society, transgendered parents aren't as good of parents. They don't fit into the binary system, so they are not as fit to be a parent.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/12/sharon-shattuck-transgender-father_n_3910749.html

Above is a link to a Huffington Post article/video that describes a child's realization that her father was a transgendered woman. Sharon Shattuck, the child, said that her life was a little different after she found out and that it was a transition, but that it didn't change anything as far as his parenting success went. There are stories very similar to this one, everywhere. To me, personally, a family is a group of individuals helping each other to instill important values and morals in each other as well as providing a structured environment. A family is a group of individuals is socially expected to be there for you through thick or thin. Does the gender of the parental units affect their ability to provide all of those things? I don't really think so. 

Blog 6

The film The Philosophy Kings was an extremely good example in which to look at the concepts of exploitation, alienation, false consciousness, and lastly double consciousness. While the film was very good at showing a glimpse into the lives of custodians, you could definitely tell that they weren't delving completely into the negatives, simply to save face for themselves and also the companies they worked for. In class, we were asked the question of whether or not custodial careers were romanticized in the film. I would personally answer that question with a solid yes. While the human-ness of the social group is definitely a main focus, the film didn't touch on the entirety of the human experience. The human experience includes both the good and bad that happens in an individuals life, whereas the film tried to portray the custodial positions as almost glamorous.

While the film did a fantastic job of giving examples of exploitation, alienation, and false consciousness, the topic that stood out to me most was double consciousness. Above is W.E.B. DuBois explaining his concept of double consciousness. It was extremely apparent in almost every custodian example that they offered that they viewed themselves in two very opposite ways. Corby Baker had his custodial life, but kept completely separate he had his art. Despite the fact that he worked at an arts school, he attempted to keep his job and his hobby very separate. The individual that stood out to me the most was Oscar Dantzler, simply because of one line. He made the comment that when he is gone from his job, people tell him that they missed him once he is back. He pointed out the fact that it wasn't actually them that they missed, it was the clean bathrooms. While this isn't exactly an individual viewing themselves separately, it is still the concept of viewing separately almost without realizing it. I personally found it incredibly interesting to think about. 

Overall, the film gave an interesting insight into the lives of custodians and did offer some food for thought as to wether or not a job similar to that is something that something should be happy with, or working towards in life.