Reflections

9/7/12

Chapter 1 “Thinking About Social Problems”-Introduction to Sociology and theoretical perspectives

Chapter 2 “Problems of Illness and Healthcare”-Information on global health concerns and population

Chapter 3 “Alcohol and Other Drugs”-Highlights the effects of drug abuse and addiction on society as well as information specific to certain drugs

The piece of Chapter 1that I found most interesting was the photo essay about students engaging in social action on page 24. This was an inspirational thing to read and the stories range from small protests about animal rights and veganism to the man standing before the tanks in Tiananmen Square and the men sitting at the “White Only” counter. I can’t help but wonder if the people who did these things knew what they were doing. Did they know that were bringing about social change by one small action. That the act of sitting or standing would change people’s minds and the opinions would be reflected in the policies to follow? The three main things I learned from this week begin with my preconceived ideas about what Sociology might be. I thought it would more like an ethics class, a loose opinionated class with no right or wrong answers. What I have learned so far is that Sociology is a scientific subject that is influenced by research and hard data. I was surprised to learn about the cost of privatized health care in the United States and how this compares to the way things work in other developed countries. This has been a hot political issue in the past few years. I find it interesting that so much money is being spent on healthcare as a country and we have so little to show for it. I know in some countries in Europe you simply walk into a hospital, get treated for your illness or injury, and walk back out. The healthcare system is not something that works as a business to make money of its patients. I have heard the argument that if healthcare were public and no longer privatized, there would be no competition and therefore a lack of quality. According to our book, we spend more money on healthcare than anyone else yet we rank on of the lowest in health outcomes. Obviously, something I have learned from this chapter is that the “quality” argument against public health care is a moot point. Chapter 3 was the most disturbing chapter for me, especially the part on meth. I have luckily never done meth but I have seen what it does to people I know. We live in an area where probably a third of the people I went to high school with did meth for at least a period of time. I see people that used to be beautiful and they are scabbed and skinny now. Also, though the information was not in the chapter but rather the lecture, the post about Krocodil was incredibly disturbing. It makes me wonder why people would put that in their body. Why not just smoke pot or drink? You would think that would still get someone high but stop short of rotting off their appendages.

9/30/12
Chapter 4 "Crime and Social Control" This chapter talks about issues with the justice system and crime statistics.
Chapter 8 "Problems in Education" This chapter discusses issues within the educational system and possible factors and causes of poor education in our society.

Chapter 4 talked about and social control. This chapter brought an interesting point to my mind while I was reading through it. I looked at the Criminal Activities Survey on page 114 and determined that I should be in prison for a maximum of 6 years and 2 months. This was really interesting to me because I consider myself a good person that wouldn’t do anything to hurt anyone. These things are considered crimes but people get out of jail sometimes after 7-10 years for murder. It just makes me wonder how our justice system works. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have all the answers and I can recognize that each case is so different from every other that it becomes really hard to decide what is right and what is wrong at times. This is made even more complicated when you add political interest and lawyer loopholes. Good people go to jail and bad people walk the streets. I think this has always been the case, but what can we do about that? Capital punishment is another issue mentioned in this chapter that I stood out for me. I tend to lean on the side of not taking lives but I see how this can be a difficult choice as well. I think the bottom line for me is the same point raised on page 141,  you can keep a person in prison for life and it will cost x amount of dollars or you can kill them for less, but should taking someones life really be a choice decided by cost?

As a preschool teacher, I found Chapter 8 especially fascinating and inspiring. I really support a parents choice in schools, as mentioned on pages 298-299. In my opinion charter schools and magnet schools are the future of education innovation in a broken system. Someone has to step outside the the bureaucracy of the school system and find a way to teach children how to succeed.

10/17/12

Chapter 5, “Family Problems”-Discusses family issues including marriage, divorce, abuse, and parenting

Chapter 6, “Poverty and Economic Inequality”-Studies the world wide issues of poverty in developed and developing nations as well as an introduction to income and employment

Chapter 7, “Work and Unemployment”- Includes detailed information about employment, unemployment and work injustice for children, minorities and women in the U.S and other countries.

I was surprised to learn in Chapter 5, that polygamy is not only practiced quite a bit in America but also in cultures other than the Mormon Church, which is what I think of when I think of polygamy. It seems ignorant of me now but I had not considered how many immigrants from other countries would bring that tradition to America. The text cites that in New York alone, thousands of people practice polygamy. Immigrants for West African countries such as Mali and Ghana also observe this practice. (Mooney, Knox, Schacht, 149) It is also surprising to me that in lieu of these traditions, polygamy is still looked down upon in most American cultures as something that would be unfair to those involved.

          The piece in Chapter 5 about elder abuse was very disturbing to me.  The most surprising part of this was that the perpetrators of the abuse were most often the elderly person’s adult children. I find this unfathomable because it would seem that after years of being taken care of by one’s parents, it would be assumable to return that care to them in their old age. I think perhaps more support for adults in the so called, “middle squeeze” where they are balancing the pressures of caring for their own children, their parents and managing their careers, might help decrease the instance of elder abuse.

          In Chapter 6, I was pleased to see the use of “LifeStraws” that filter unsafe drinking water. (Mooney, Knox, Schacht, 203)These seem like a positive solution to the dire issue of unclean water for the more than 1 billion people who don’t have access to it. I would be interested to learn more about the effectiveness and cost of these in terms of big picture practicality.

          I also found the rate of child death from malnutrition in developing nations to be disheartening. “Every year, 6 million people die from malnutrition before they reach their first birthday,” (Mooney, Knox, Schacht, 204) I have been discussing Garrett Hardin's "Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against Helping the Poor" in another class I am currently taking which raises an argument against sending aid to developing countries. While his argument can be convincing, when you read real statistics, like those in the text it makes arguments against at least some attempt of aid, regardless of success, cold and lacking humanity.

          The section in Chapter 7 that discusses labor unions was intriguing to me. I live in a state in which unions are not looked upon with great respect and are seen really as a hindrance to employment security rather that any benefit. The statistics on union density decreasing in the country as a whole was thought provoking for me. Possibly with the unemployment rate so high, American workers are happy to just have a job and don’t wish to challenge the system.

          As an American consumer, I have some experience with sweatshop labor as discussed in Chapter 7.  Many things we buy are manufactured by companies that have been accused at one point or another of using sweatshop labor. It isn’t a surprising notion to me that the things in my house may be made by someone employed in poor working conditions or payed below wage. Many things in my home are manufactured in foreign countries and I tend to assume that because of cheap labor costs, these jobs were outsourced. It is difficult to encourage companies to manufacture products in America when it costs so much to do so but the trend of respecting American-made products may help.

11/10/12

Chapter 9 "Race, Ethnicity and Immigration."-This chapter discusses issues regarding race and ethnic equality and discrimination worldwide.

Chapter 10 "Gender Inequality"-Provides information on the status of gender equality worldwide.

Chapter 11 "Sexual Orientation and the Struggle for Equality"- This chapter focuses on homosexuality and its acceptance in society.

                Chapter 9 is a somewhat disturbing chapter to read. We all know stories of genocide and horrible acts of discrimination but for most readers I think these are difficult subjects to study. I think one of the most interesting aspects of this chapter is assimilation. The examples in the textbook include the assimilation of members of Australian Aborigine tribes. The textbook also discusses the fight against assimilation and ant miscegenation laws which banned interracial marriage and were widespread in America until after the Civil Rights movement. This is fascinating to me that especially in America we banned slavery in 1863 and fought a war over it, yet discrimination still exists today. Elected a black President in the 2008 still caused hate crimes in America. It makes me wonder how long it will take for people to view each other as equal despite racial and ethnic differences.

                In Chapter 10, the section on FGM struck me the most. On one hand, the idea of mutilating a female’s genitals and removing parts that are used for pleasure seems torturous. One the other hand, the book makes a valid point that in cultures where this is practiced, it is generally seen as a rite of passage and necessary for development into adulthood for girls. It can be a status symbol and an important part of their culture. I would like to take this analysis one step further and draw a comparison between FGM and male circumcision. Many people thought circumcision was torturous. In current times many people practice circumcision in America not for religious reasons but for mere aesthetics. In many other cultures this would seem abhorrent. Many people who do not believe in male circumcision state that the male foreskin contains the most nerves and is then the equivalent of the female clitoris. How is this practice any different than FGM?

                The section in Chapter 11 that discusses the discrimination against homosexual couples and how this relates to child custody and adoption was very interesting to me. The textbook cites many sources that state that a parent’s sexual orientation is not a harmful factor to a child. Knowing this, people are still discriminated against when adopting children or waging custody battles because of their sexual orientation. State law decides much of the issues surrounding homosexual rights including gay marriage and adoption. I would like to bring up interracial marriage. There are states in the country that are so conservative that today, if you held a vote, they would outlaw interracial marriage. At a certain point, I believe that the Federal Government has a responsibility to step in and say that America as a country will not stand for discrimination. The time has come for the government to do so regarding rights for everyone regardless of sexual orientation. We are a country that legally guarantees the pursuit of happiness. We can no longer let this sort of narrow-mindedness stand.

12/2/12
Chapter 13 "Environmental Problems"
Chapter 13 talked about problems affecting the entire world population based on the environment. This included global warming and climate change as well as various forms of pollution and the effects of harmful chemicals we may be exposed to. The harmful chemicals was an interesting point to me. As I had my daughter and established my own household, some things that I changed were the household chemicals I used. No longer were bleach and 409 the go to solutions for a clean house. I began using non toxic cleaners and personal care products. Finding and using plastics that don't  leach toxic chemicals and switching to cloth diapers and homemade or organic baby foods are examples of trends that I followed. I was shocked to hear about the study on the cord blood of newborns and the amount chemical contaminants. I think that Americans are becoming more and more aware that this is possible. Whereas in the 1950's it wasn't really on the minds of the average American.
The other section of Chapter 13 that I found interesting was the story of Janey Ensminger. I couldn't help but cry as I read it because the girl cared so much for her father. The part that struck me a lot though was how betrayed Jerry Ensminger must have felt. He worked for years for people that knowingly dumped poison in water that eventually caused the death of his daughter. I often feel like the American consumer is kept in the dark. We could easily be fed food that is contaminated or products that are poisonous simply because it was cheaper and easier for the company. Recall history shows that factories have sent out meat that failed quality control testing and contamination screenings anyway. This is disturbing for me. Who will be the advocate of the American people?