Lashawnta Nowlin SOC-111/SEC-7 10/3/2011 LIFE IN SOCITEY PART 1 READING 1 INVITATION TO SOCIOLOGY Page 10: People who like

to avoid shocking discoveries, who prefer to believe that society is just what they were taught in Sunday School, who like the safety of the rules and the maxims of what Alfred Schuetz has called the world-taken-for-granted, should stay away from sociology I agree with this statement because people do some things that you would never image. The crimes people committed and never got caught doing. There are some nasty people out there that do some weird disgusting things, or at least most people find the weird and disgusting. For example some people like to have sex with animal, or actually I would say they rape the animals. There is a lot of rapist out in the world. You cannot trust anyone. Everyone has secrets, secrets that would probably ruin them if they were to ever get out, so most likely they would kill off people who knew about them. You just have to be careful, and hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. I can relate to this chapter because in a way I am like a sociologist. I am a very nosy and observant person; I guess it runs in our family. If someone I know is talking about something interesting I will ask questions and try to figure out who they are talking about and if I know that person. I also even investigate things that if I knew would probably hurt me in a way, but for some reason I just want to know. If I am in a conversation with a guy I will ask him questions on men, like why do men cheat, or why dont they clean. I guess so I can have a better understanding of my relationship and why my husband is the way he is. PART 1 READING 2 FIERCE PEOPLE Page 15: Either I could be ratively well fed and relatively comfortable in a fresh change of clothes and do very little fieldwork, or I could do considerably more fieldwork and be less fed and less comfortable. I agree with this statement or sentence because In order to get more you have to sacrifice more. Just like the guy I saw playing deal or no deal (its a game show) He was saying to get reward you have to take risks. This is very true just like with gambling, you have to put up your money and be willing to lose it, because you know you have a chance of doubling it. Just like in school you have to sacrifice having fun with your friends in order to study and make the grades you need, and know the knowledge you need to get the degree you need to get the job you want. Nothing is just handed to you, unless your parents are rich and make the mistake of giving you anything you want, and then you will never know how to provide for yourself in the case your parents go broke and die.

This chapter is similar to my life because people use to somewhat bully me to see how far they can press my button. When I was ready to fight they didnt do anything, because they saw I was fed up and serious. People use to ask me for my food at lunch, because I would always go to the store before I caught the bus to school, and I would always give them some so they would like me, or not stop liking me. I realize they were getting something from me and I wasnt getting anything from them. I ask myself why was I doing that and wasting my money on them, because if it was the other way around they would say no. So thats what I eventually did, you give someone a foot they try to take a mile. PART 1 READING 3 ANYBODY SON WILL DO IT Page 28 They have to be different, for their job is ultimately about killing and dying, and those things are not natural vocation for any human being. I disagree with this sentence because killing and dying are things natural vocation for any human being. How do you think we still exist there are many animals that could have easily preyed on us. Us as human beings have the instincts to survive, it kill or be killed. Thats also how we survive, we eat animals to fulfilled our hungry, not all human beings but most. Especially when food wasnt in grocery stores package for us. Every living thing has to die, so most of us prepare for death with lawyers and wills, and life insurance policies. So this statement is false, even though now a days humans rarely kills anything, most of us go a lifetime without killing anything, but everyone dies. I can relate to this chapter because my husband was recruited to go to the military. Not the army, he went the United States Navy as a Seabee not a sailor. He was nineteen when he went to boot camp. He had to take a ASVAP test, and had to go through physical training before he ever even went to boot camp which is basic training. He did volunteer to go but it was a win-win if he were to join. It was a win for the military to have another Seabee, and it was a win for my husband with steady pay, and health benefits. PART 1 READING 4 HOOKING UP ON THE INTERNET Page 42 Clark (1998 reports that girls describe themselves as thinner and taller and otherwise prettier in the Internet communications than they actually are. I agree girls and guys will lie about their physically appearance over the internet. They will even post a picture of a younger thinner them, or a picture of someone that they think will attract more people for them. I believe they do that because they dont believe people will accept them for their physically appearance, and they just want the people to get to know their personally before they dont give them a chance because of how they look. Of course with today technology with web cams and live video chat, it is very hard to disguise how you look. Well unless you have someone else to pretend to be you. I myself have dated someone online. I guess the guy liked my pictures that were on myspace (social networking) and message me. Of course they were older skinny pictures of me because I was rarely using myspace, and also was pregnant at the time. We message each other back and forth for a

couple of weeks through myspace, of course I told him I was pregnant. Then we exchange phone numbers, text, and talked over the phone. Even sent pictures a few times. Next we use skype to video chat which we only did twice. We made plans to meet in person but our schedules never worked out with one another so it never happened. Even though when we originally started messaging each other we both was in the same city and state, but then I moved back to my home town after I had my baby. PART 1 READING 5 INSIDE ORGANIZED RACISM Page 55 A researcher can be simultaneously an insider and an outsider to the culture of those being studied I agree with this sentence because you can share the same beliefs, and values as the one you are studying. Also even if you dont have the same values or beliefs you can find common ground something you both can relate to so, they will be able to relate to you, and trust you. If you dont find that common ground then they wont be their selves, and they will fell like you looking down on them and judging them. They will watch what they say and how they say it. So if you want the absolute truth, in the way they really feel then you have to confine in them.

I can relate to this researcher being white to interview white racist people because I am both white and black, even though I look just white. I am accepted by both groups, even whites who dont like black people. Even black people who didnt like white people, or more less blamed white people for how they lived. I got to know why they felt the way they did personally, and I didnt judge them, because everyone is entitle to have their own feeling and own opinion. In high school I wasnt in a click, I had friends from all clicks. My family was black so I had many black friends. I was in academic classes, so I was friend with preps. I took art class which had a lot of gothics. PART 2 READING 6 WORKING IN A CHICKEN FACTORY Page 71 My children all born here, they are Americans. They have a future. I agree because in America anyone born in American whether their race or disability can have a future here. They are well educated, and pretty much to school or even get a good job with or without a college education. If you need help the government will help, such as programs as welfare, or social security. So you can do to and be whatever you want. I mean nothing will be handed to you, you will have to go and look and work hard for the American dream. When I use to work at a factory, I was a packer. I inspected plates and packed them into Plastic bags or boxes. There usually was a machine operator and two packers. One packer inspected plates, while the other packed them into boxes or bags. As I continue working I was the only packer on the machine and my operator ran two machines, but we still just got paid the same hourly rate. Many workers either quit, or just didnt do the job as good as they would if they were just to be doing less work with same amount of pay.

READING 7 HANDLING THE STIGMA OF HANDLING THE DEAD. Page 74 As medical knowledge and technology progressed and became more specialized, more and more deaths occurred outside the home usually in hospitals. More people are probably dying in hospitals, because they go their to get help to live longer, sometime its just their time to go. Plus most people dont want anyone to die in their house, I know I wouldnt. With all the speculations of ghosts, I am too paranoid to even have that thought in my mind. I know a lot of older people want to die in their home, the one where most their memories are in. Others would like to die as comfortable as possible with medicine for pain, so that could be another reason for more people dying in hospitals than in their home now a days. This chapter really changes my view because I use to think that people who dealt with the dead were not social. I thought that why they choose their occupation. But when my dad pasted away I found that they are very comforting. Not only did they show that they understood what I was going through, but they assure me my dad was in a better place. That he wasnt in pain anymore. They really have to have great customer service if they want to make a living. READING 8 BECOMING A HIT MAN Page 91 Reputation in turn, reflects how much money the hit man has commanded in the past, And that was the first time I ever got 30 grand its based on his reputation Yeah , how good he really is. To be so-so, you get so-so money. If youre good, you get good money. This is with anything, that why so many brand name merchandise are expensive. They been talked about, they have good reputation. Just like when I first started to braid hair, I would do it for free, because I need the practice, I was good, but not good enough to get paid. Then when I did start charging people if they were new clients I wouldnt charge them much at first but as I continued to do their hair the price would go up. The better I got, the more I deserved, but even now I dont charge outrageous amounts because I would lose my clients. I really cant relate to a hit man, but I can relate to a job that you dont enjoy doing, but doing it because you are skilled at it. I started braiding hair when I was about ten years old. At first I loved doing it, and the more I did it the better I became at it then I learned how to add weave and people started paying me to do so. So I liked it even more, but then I found myself constantly doing it, and people say they would pay me later after I did it and never did. So I hardly do it now unless someone is constantly bugging me to do it. Even family members would try to take advantage of me, they would pay someone else instead of coming to me, because they expected me to do hair for hours for free. READING 9 JOB ON THE LINE Page 110 You have to adapt to the maquilas routine,says a neighbor with school-age chidren, because theyre not going to adapt to ours

True because theyre not going to stop the way things being working for years to convince someone who can easily being replace. Thats with everything, and every job. Nobody is going to redo their schedule to make it easier for you. So you have to rearrange your life if you want something such as a job, or to go to school. Even if your children start school, you always have to reschedule your life to make it more convenient for you because no one else will. I was hired at a factory that within the last year or so laid off some employees. During my orientation which was a group orientation, we were told that they were just going to hired new employees instead of calling the ones the laid off. She guaranteed that since they were getting more clients that we were pretty much guarantee a job. She basically offered up job security. After I quit which was just like two months after I was hired I heard a couple months later that they were laying people off. So no job is guarantee, so you always have to be ready to change your job, and your schedule. READING 10 THE USES OF POVERTY THE POOR PAY ALL Page 114 Of course, the sumlord and loan shark are commonly known to profit from the existence of poverty, but they are viewed as evil men, so their activities are classified among the dysfuncions of poverty. I agree because they take advantage of the poor by making them live in dirty old dated apartments, because they know they cant afford to live anywhere else. Loan sharks prey on the poor by providing them with money but at high interest rates. Where the loan shark virtually doubles his money, while the poor struggles to pay him back. These people are viewed as evil because they know poor people weakness and they feed on it to make their self-more money. Just as the saying the rich only get richer and the poorer gets poorer. I can relate to this chapter because I am or I consider myself poor, and I always have been. Most people look at the things I have or had and think otherwise. I have a big screen TV, nice furniture, nice computer, and I had a nice car. The governments pretty much pay for it all, because my husband use to be in the military and they pretty much paid our cost of living or somewhere to live. I also have so much debt that Im negative, that the money I have which now is none, isnt even mine. I told this girl at work who didnt have anything that she had more money than me because I am negative, she didnt understand even if she had a penny she was way richer than me. READING 11 BECAUSE SHE LOOKS LIKE A CHILD Page 124 Under threat of losing its mortgaged rice fields and facing destitution, a family might sell a daughter to redeem its debt, but for the most part daughters were worth about as much as home workers as they would realize when sold. I disagree with this statement because I dont see how anyone can put a price on their child. I thought parents tried to give their children what they never had. Not have their children work as sex slaves so they can live comfortable. I dont see how you can put a price on memories with you children.

Even accomplishments your child will never get to accomplish because of your selfish ways of living. I think it is disgusting, how people just buy people and sell them for sex. Even sicker for men to go pay to have sex with children. I cant really relate to prostitution, in my life because I never sold my body, nor am I a friend or family with anyone who sell their body. But we do live in a society where sex sales. Everyone wants to look sexy, and be sexy so that is a technique use to sell items. But I also believe if their wasnt a high demand from men to have sex with prostitutes, that the sex slaves would virtually disappear. Not only the people who are selling these girls are wrong but the men that are sleeping with them are just as wrong. READING 12 MY SECRET LIFE AS A BLACK MAN Page 144 Is this the new human condition Race, religion, gender, sexual preference, social class, economic power, age,-definitions of some aspects of identity are always going to be at odds with others and preclude simple choices Yes most people stereotype, if not all. No matter how much you accomplish, people always look for flaws. They also have standards if you a certain type of race, religion, gender, sexual preference, social class, economic power, and age. You should not play the role of what people assume you are, and how they assume you act. Just because you old doesnt mean youre helpless, my grandma always like to do things by herself, not only because she know that someone isnt always going to be around to help her, but because she like to be independent. Just because your gay doesnt mean you have to act like your gay your act outside your gender just to show that you are gay. Their all different type of homosexuals that all act differently. I can relate to black men, and what people stereotype against him. Just because I am tall people think I should play basketball, which I did just because people thought I should. I was never really motivated to play either. Also I probably have more disadvantages than black men because of my gender. I believe it is harder for women to be successful, because a man would rather have to listen, and take order from another male whatever his race, than a woman. But if anyone tries hard enough and be persistent, they are most likely to be where they want to be in life. READING 13 BUT THIS IS MY MOTHER! THE PLIGHT OF ELDERS IN NURSING HOMES Page 147 When Im mobile residents arent being repositioned regularly, it often means they arent being checked on frequently, either. I agree because if they are uncomfortably they will ask the resident to be repositioned. If they dont see the resident then they wont be able to ask for help. Thats probably how many elderly people get hurt in nursing homes. They try to help their self by moving knowing they cant do it, just because they are being neglecting. Some elderly people wont even inform their families that they are because they dont want to be a bother. Maybe even because the residents will go off to say they are crazy, and losing their mind. With older people they would rather be uncomfortable than be insane.

I can relate to how some people may think that the conditions of a nursing home arent to their standards. I know people who work in a nursing home, and they say some people wont do their job or expect other people to do their job. So if the person not doing, their job and their coworker refuse to do other people job, it will never get done. Some people worry more about their self than the well-being of the person who needs their help. Thats why you should ask your family member that is in the home if they are getting the proper care, and inform them that they will not be a bother if theyre not. Not everyone is for a nursing home, just because you dont want your parents or grandparents to live with you ,and you have the money to put them in the home doesnt mean they belong in one. READING 14 MCDONALDS IN HONG KONG Page 157 These new consumers eat out more often than their parents and have created a huge demand for fast, convenient foods of all types. I agree because fast, convenient food is becoming even cheaper than eating at home. Even if it isnt as healthy as a nice home cooked meal. I remember when I was pregnant I always crave didnt fast food, and I would rather eat fast food than a home cooked meal. Then when you find out how it is prepared, and that it isnt what you think it is, you reconsidering wanting fast food. Even now fast food has become healthier than what it used to with fruit being a choice of a side. Even a healthy salad which are not bad and even taste better than the sandwiches that are serve. Fast food will probably take over, and being grocery stores competition. I can relate because I use to work at a fast food restaurant (Kentucky Fried Chicken). The food there wasnt not cheap or healthy at all. We had loyal customer who came in everyday and ate for dinner, and would tip well also. I mean if you just ate the once a week a meal there would be cheaper than to go and buy all the ingredients to make it at home. If you are going to eat there every day it would be cheaper, and probably healthier to buy fresh ingredients and make it at home. I even remember when it was really busy, and we had just enough hot wings, but one fell on top of the trash, and the supervisor told her to serve it to the customer. I mean today they have grill chicken which is healthier than their fried chicken. READING 15 THE POWER ELITE Page 166 Their failure to act, their failure to make decisions, is itself an act that a is often of greater consequence than decisions they do make. I agree with this statement, because we pretty much have the freedom to do anything we want. I mean there are consequences for everything we do. If I choose to go to work, and do my job, I will continue to get a pay check, and maybe even a promotion. If I choose not to go to work, then I probably will get fired, and will not get a pay check, and probably have a hard time getting another job. Anything we do has consequence whether the consequence is good or bad relates to what we have done. I can relate to this chapter because no matter who, the person is, how much money they make. Even their race, gender, or age we all eat the same way, by chewing out food and swollen it. Digesting it

in our stomach, and having it exiting through a bowel movement. We all breath oxygen, all have the same internal organs, and if one would be non-function we will die. No one is really different than anyone else, well other than appearance. Really no one is better than anyone else, just because you have more money, doesnt necessarily mean you are happier than someone else. READING 16 FAMILY IN TRANSITION Page 176 Happy families are all alike; each unhappy in its own way I disagree because all families that are happy arent alike, some families are happy because they spend time together. Other families are happy be they accomplish what they want or they share the same interest. Even though a family appears happy doesnt mean they are happy, they are unhappy but show the world otherwise. Most likely to keep others out of their personally lives, and keep a good reputation. I dont believe a family can be happy or unhappily, all families should be both sometimes happy, and all families have problems, so they cant be happy all the time. In this chapter it explain about families and their conflicts. Now I have a large family, well on my dad side. My mother died at a young age so I dont know anyone but my long lost brother from my mother side who I still havent meant. (Find him through Facebook) My family is so big I dont most of them. My great grandmother had 20 children, and my grandma had 16 children. I only know the ones who I grew up with, and although we dont always get along we always are there for each other. It seems that my family is always in competition with one another. READING 17 COLLEGE ATHLETES AND ROLE CONFLICT Page 193 BY influencing their personal time, academic schedules, and playing role on the team, coaches could dominate not only their athletic role, but their social and academic role as well. I agree with this sentence because a couch can control when the team practices, a nd how often. They can also threaten the playing game time, if they dont want them to do something, or if they want them to do something. They can control what grades athletes get by telling them so, again they would affect playing time. Really if the coach wants to win, and the player is that good, I dont see how he couldnt play that player, but I guess he could always threaten him. I think it is sad how coaches think sports could be more important than education for the player. That just goes and shows you how much coaches really care about their athletes, they only use them for their own good. I played basketball in high school, and I was never treated any differently, other than being able to leave school early for away games. When I watched movies, or television shows, they show athletes as people who didnt earn their good grades, they just were given good enough grades to play. They show male athletes getting away with rape, and other petty crimes. The sports industry is a money making industry, but your body can break. The older you get the slower you get. So to put education secondary to athletics is well just not too smart. READING 18 INDIA SACRED COW

Page 195 By Western standards, spiritual values seem more important to Indians than life itself. I agree with the sentence, just not the fact that they did this action. I can understand how people put their spiritual values above their life their self. They are more concern with pleasing their God, and going to heaven. Just like terrorist who kill themselves because that is what they believe will please their God. What the point of living in sin by eating or harming the cow, and end up dying anyway and going to hell? That doesnt make any sense, mind well suffer on earth for a little and live externally happily. I can relate for believing in a religion and sacrificing something you like, for instance my mother/ great aunt would make me and my little sister/ cousin put a dollar in offering at church. Because the Bible says we should give god 10% of whatever we get. We would get ten dollars for allowance. I still dont see how giving money to the church was giving it to God. Also in church Christians will fast for a week or weeks. Some wouldnt eat anything at all depends on how long the fast was. Others would not eat when the sun was up, or down. READING 19 JUST ANOTHER ROUTINE EMERGENCY Page207 But jokes have to be contrived; they are deliberate efforts at humor and so make a good example of efforts to distance oneself, or to make the tragic funny I agree with this statement, because I myself would rather laugh than cry. Why dwell on a tragic when life goes on. Many people joke so they can get a point across without being looked at differently. Even some television shows such as Family Guy or South Park they will take real life event and make them funny, I think to show things arent always as bad as they seem. Just like the old saying things can be worse. Just when my vehicle was totaled, we didnt have a nice vehicle or a vehicle at all, but we didnt have to pay almost four hundred dollars and car insurance when we really couldnt afford it. I can relate with this chapter not just because I would rather laugh than cry. Not because when things fall apart, I can quickly find a new way to keep things smooth. I can understand the step to success, everything has rules you have to follow to make everything more easier. Which I know the steps to success, first and foremost I have to take care of my daughter. If I want to do so to the best of my ability I have to first get my education, and a good job. READING 20BOARDER BLUES: THE DILEMMA OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION Page 217 A large proportion of El Paso families, like Noras, are Tejano, a term which means that her forebears have lived in Texas for generations-i.e., even before it was part of the United States. I Believe Mexican should be able to come to America, or at least the parts the use to be Mexico. I dont think it is fair that we took their land, and pretty much say they cant come in it. That just like a movie I watch I dont remember its title. This guy came to America, with a passport and all, when he was flying his country was under war, and was no longer consider a country. So he couldnt come to the United States, and couldnt go back to his country, he was stuck in the airport. I thought the people treated him so bad.

Before I read this chapter I was all for Mexican coming to America, just because we took their land. But since she explained why she do her job other than making a living for her kids. But that they would have to compete for jobs. I could see why Mexicans should stay in Mexico. I mean America can probably help them get better wages instead of being in Iraq and trying to give them a government, I mean after all we did take their land. READING 21THE ANIMAL RIGHTS CRUSADE Page 125 The campaign against furs has had far greater impact- especially on the attitudes of consumers I understand killing animals to survive, thats just the food chain. But to kill animals to take their fur, and wear it for fashion is just down right wrong. That should be illegal, they want to make drugs illegal, which causes people to kill each other, but make killing animals to wear them legal. I just dont understand the government. I know that people cant kill endanger animals is illegal, but if they stop the killing before they are endanger then, it wouldnt be any endanger animals. After reading this chapter, it makes me want to become a Vegetarian. I know that will never happen, not only because fruit and vegetables are too expensive. Because I need the nutritions like protein to stay healthy. I will never go out and kill and animal and eat it, but really its not a difference if I buy it from a grocery store. I am still making a demand for the animal meat which will cause the people making money off their meat to kill. So I am basically going out and killing the animal myself or I mind as well be. READING 22 CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO AGES Page 240 All of which illustrates how hard it is for us Americans to appreciate the underlying differences between western ideas and the foundation of other nations I Agree we take thing that we have available to us for granted. With all our advance technology that make life easier for us. We take our laws for granted, with our jobs can only pay us so little. When in other countries people are poor because we buy their goods, when they only pay their employees cents per hours. We take good education that is provided to us and our children for granted. We take the government to assistant us with food stamps and social security for granted.

After reading this chapter I do see how lucky I am, to see that our government is somewhat for the people. Even though I dont agree with the government or most of it laws. I see that they are there for everyone to have equal opportunity, and be fair with everyone. To make sure their people dont go hungry, or be homeless, especially those who need help with their children. I am more appreciative of American, because even I really dont see how easy I have it, I do see that I dont have it hard.

I would recommend this book to others because it shows how different people live. It shows how they interact, compare to how you would. It shows that even though a person is different from you that theyre not that different from you. It shows different people values, and what they consider important. It shows you different views on different people lives, so if you do stereotype on thing you can learn new things. I believe it could be beneficial to their understanding of their behavior and feelings, ideas about life, or just not their own but of people they will probably never meet. It shows how similar your society is to someone else. It will show you how your struggles or problems you think you have cannot compare to someone in another country. It shows you how lucky you or, or I am to be in school reading about their and typing a book report on why other people should read Life in Society.