Culture

This week in Sociology we learned about ethnocentrism, culture shock, and culture relativity. Ethnocentrism is when you think your culture is better than others and should dominate other cultures. This is like America. We expect foreigners to know our language when they come here. We think the way they do things shouldn't be like that and they should do it like Americans just because they're in America. I remember when my mom's friend came to America with her daughter. Her daughter didn't speak any English and I was so frustrated with her because she kept talking in her language with her mom and my mom. I kept thinking that since her family came to America, they should at least know the language. (I was pretty mean.)
               

Culture shock is when you experience a new culture and your just so shocked by it. (Pretty self explanatory.) I'm Asian but my family doesn't really use chopsticks or eat rice all the time except every once in a while. Once I went to my friends home and she was eating soup with chopsticks. I was astonished at how her family was just eating their food with chopsticks. They told me that they use the spoons and forks when guests come over so since I was a guest, I used a spoon. I felt left out in a way but I couldn't help but still be shocked that they were using chopsticks for soup!

Culture relativity is when you accept or understand someone else's culture.

A Bronx Tale

This week we watched "A Bronx Tale". I watched this movie before on my own and didn't think it was really interesting but when I watched it my class, it was much more different. Some scenes were actually enjoyable. The movie took place where a lot of Italians lived and since it was back in the days, blacks were still looked down upon. The people in the movie were put into large groups and within the large group was also other groups. Everyone in the movie had some sort of nickname that matched their attitude or personality in some way. It's funny how we also have nicknames for each other now but it's usually if we just want to shorten someone's actual name. For example Calogero's name was too long and weird to say so people started calling him C. 

We seem to come into groups with the things we bring. It could be some sort of a talent even. In C's case, Sonny brought him in because C didn't rat on Sonny. If C didn't do anything then Sonny probably would've never recognized him. 

It's funny how C ends up falling in love with a black girl when he knows that everyone in his neighborhood and even his friends hate black people. He goes against what his friends believed. Their neighborhood was so accustomed to knowing to hate black people from young but C wasn't like that. He looked at the girl for the first time and literally couldn't keep his eyes off her. Whites were first to hate black people and as people from foreign countries came, they kind of hated them to. They were all taught that black people are bad. Sure some didn't discriminate but majority did.

In the neighborhood, everybody respected Sonny not only because they loved him but because they also feared him. Sonny's crew was all gangster style and they had to have things their way. The way they got their respect was that they feared nobody. They were very confident about themselves. But Sonny knows what he's doing. He's been like that since young and can't change but C can. Sonny does have a father figure toward C. C's dad even categorize Sonny. Sonny and C never really met each other and got to know each other so C's dad  is judgmental of Sonny just because of the kind of people he associates himself with.  

We just grow accustomed to whatever happened before us. Sure there aren't extreme cliques and groups like how it was back then but that doesn't mean there still isn't particular groups we hang out with. Plus now we are more aware of things and can expect something from our actions. I, for one, know that if I witnessed a murder, I'm running to the police and demanding that I am protected by the witness protection program. Until I know that I'm completely safe. C didn't rat because he still looked at Sonny in a Godly way. And you don't mess with Sonny. 

When I first watched the movie, I also categorized Sonny as a really bad guy but then later on he wasn't so bad. I was too judgmental on first appearance. Sonny isn't good but he isn't that bad either. He's in between. He has to do what he has to do but he's also protecting C so he doesn't end up like him. 

We seem to categorize people from what we see on the surface. The exterior part of the group and not within. 

My Influences

This week in Sociology we talked about the groups that surround us and how they influence us. I'm part of so many different groups but the one's that really have an impact on me is my family and friends.  My family is always with me no matter what and they always know what to do in certain situations when I'm in trouble. I'm always hanging out with my friends whenever I can and I always notice how they respond to some things. The things that influenced them in a way influences me. I decide if their strategy is good and use it or it's not that good and drop it. One of my very good friends is an only child and she's so close with her mom. Every time I go over to her house, I notice their mother-daughter relationship. Their relationship made me value my relationship with my mother but also my younger sister. Although she was fine with being an only child, I couldn't imagine my life if I had no sister.

Last week, we did a survival activity. It wasn't really surprising for everyone to agree to throw the elderly overboard. I asked my mom what she would've done if her parents, me, and her were in a similar situation. Her answer surprised me because she actually chose to keep her parents and throw me overboard. (INSANE WOMAN!!!! How could she chose her parents over her daughter?!) Moving on. She explained to me that although we might never be in a situation like that, she would chose to save the elderly. I told her that my class chose to kill the elderly and save the young. She wasn't so surprised at that because she understood that we value different things.

Volunteering at Kildeer Elementary

On Friday I volunteered at Kildeer Elementary. It was from 5-9PM. This was my first time volunteering so I didn't really know what I was to do. Kildeer was having a Bingo and auctioning night. I helped set the tables and was later stationed at the prize table. I helped set the tables and after that I helped in the cafeteria. I served people pizza, chopped salad, water, and ice cream. It was a bit nerve-wracking for me because I was afraid if I might give the wrong kind of pizza. I also had to collect their tickets so I was so always moving back and forth serving. Although it was tiring I thought it was a good exercise. After the cafeteria duty, I went to my stationed prize table. It was in the large gym of the school. Anyone who got Bingo was to come up to the prize table and receive a prize. There were pencils, notepads, airplanes, erasers, wristbands, necklaces, coloring books, etc. It was very fun and interesting. A lot of the families came and played and enjoyed their night. I was surprised that even the little elementary kids were helping out. Majority of the high school students that volunteered were from my school. I even found out that one of the girls lived in my neighborhood. One of the supervisor's appreciated us volunteering that she asked for our contact numbers so next time she can personally ask for us. I enjoyed my Friday night helping out. It was better than going home and doing nothing. 

Freaks and Geeks? NOT!

This week in sociology, we watched the pilot of "Freaks and Geeks". It was funny and entertaining but at the same time showed how high school was back then. "Freaks and Geeks" showed the social norm in high school. High schools in the 80s had little groups that people fit in with. It was a struggle to fit in at school while handling home life. In the show there were 3 main groups that were shown: the "burn outs"; the "geeks"; and the "bullies". The burn outs don't really care about school but they're there because their friends are there so it's some place to go. The geeks were kids who did what they were told to do but also they were physically small and weak. The bullies always picked on the geeks just because they know they can. They're meaning in school is just known as the bully. The school environment is sort of similar to todays environment but not as extreme. Back then, you really only hung out with the people who resembled you and today, you can hang out with multiple different groups. This sort of an environment allows us to be more open about different things and be more social and involved. It was very common for students to be like that but if school was still exactly like that today, it'd be weird and not fun. The culture back then and the culture now has changed. This goes with Durkheim's functional analysis theory. In current events, schools aren't like how it was back then. We may have groups and all but we still interact with everyone else. We don't just stay in one group forever but we take advantage of other opportunities. That's not how we function today. When I was younger and even still now, I watched TV shows portraying high school. When I watched "Grease", I thought high school was going to be exactly how Grease portrayed it but it wasn't. After I actually entered high school, I learned that those TV shows and movies just portrayed the stereotypical high school that people think of.