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Young Children's Racial and Ethnic Definitions of Self

In response to my previous entry, Debra Van Ausdale and Joe R. Feagin shed a little light on some borderwork ideas in the article, Young Children’s Racial and Ethnic Definitions of Self. In the article, Deb’s unobtrusive integration into the children’s world left her easily able to be a keen observer without the suspicion of the children. What she observed was that even at a very young age, children were able to look at each other and recognize differences. When asked about these differences, they were able to articulate why they were different and in some cases very mature ideas of cultural heritage and background to other students. The children also might take a defensive position of questioned or challenged by a peer the authenticity of their claims. These children, between 3 and 6, already had many ideas of how people were divided based on appearance. This article doesn’t touch on the idea of class lines, but I think it would be interesting to see if there was a segregation of playmates choice that followed along the lines of their parents’ economic status of if this is something the is picked up on at a later period in time.

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I found it interesting in the border work article that Bettie discussed how white people, “do not immediately experience themselves as a member of the racial/ethnic category of ‘white’, but as individuals, and, without a cultural discourse of class identity, they do not readily experience themselves as members of a class community either. “ Bettie continues to write that, “racial/ethnic groups of color are more consciously aware of themselves as a community of people because of a common history of colonialization and oppression that results from being historically defined as a racial group.” Throughout the article, she continually gives examples of how border work between classes is maintained. I went to school in a very small town and graduated with a class of 49 students. I can definitely see the scenarios that Bettie describes playing out in my small town. Although we had a small school I would say that the demographic was surprisingly diverse. We had well-to-do families, poor families, and families in the middle. We had many students from different racial backgrounds. What surprises me is how border work was used to divide these groups. I don’t remember ever thinking about who was smart or dumb, rich or poor….It just seemed like knowledge that I’d always had. And our ‘groups’ in school didn’t need to be spoken about or terms agreed upon, it just seems that similar people naturally gravitated towards each other. I know this can’t be entirely true, and there were exceptions just as there were in the articles, be it strikes me as odd that from as far back as I can remember, the same students flocked to each other. This makes me question how early in life do borderwork forces begin to appear. And how are very young school aged children able to pick up on and continue to perpetuate these difference in race, but even more impressive, class.

After reading Inside Toyland, I was better able to put my employment history in retail into perspective. I worked for two years at Lowe’s Home Improvement and up until now, I have been painfully unaware of the structured inequality present in that work atmosphere. Although both toy stores were marketed towards different clientele, they seemed to maintain the similar hierarchy through gender and ethnicity. These patterns that were apparent to Christine Williams with her sociology background may not be as apparent to the everyday observer. At least, it wasn’t as obvious to me. I can now recognize countless similarities between the retail job I held, and the two jobs that Christine held in the process of doing research for this book. One of the most striking similarities that I hadn’t thought of before was that EVERY SINGLE authority, management, and supervisory position was held by a white male for the two year period I worked there. Secondly, I can relate to the front end cash register scenario that she describes, since I was hired as a cashier after all. These positions were held primarily by women who were college aged. There were occasionally men hired as cashiers but there was always a high turnover rate for them. I focus here primarily of the gender issue because there were very few minority workers employed at this store (I can only recall 3). But as far as how the store was set up, the expectation of flexibility of workers, and the hierarchy within the store that Williams wrote about, I may as well have written the descriptions myself. That is how similar the book was to my experience. I can then look at how separated Christine and I are and leave to chance that we had similar experiences or realize that this is a far-reaching system that continues to perpetuate inequality in the name of retail.

White Means Never Having to Say You're Ethnic: White Youth and the Construction of "Culturelessness" Identities

I actually read this article by Perry for another class and can completely relate to the experiences of the students he interviewed. Being white and growing up in a predominately white community causes me to grapple with finding the answer to the question, "How would you describe white, American culture?" There just really isn't an answer. Referring back to my most recent post, we can reflect of the identification of a group that causes those who associate with the 'other' group as different and alien. But it still doesn't answer the question. If you look at any other race, you can rapidly list off many qualities and things associated with a particular group. But what about white people? I remember a school project as a child where we worked on family trees and asked our families about our heritage. Mine? German and Irish...how original. Just Like every other white person. But still, it really doesn't tell me anything about myself. I don't have and traditions passed down to me. Nothing really to distinguish me for any other white person, just colorlessness. Blank. I completely agree with Perry's argument that this directly reinforces the superiority and normalcy associated with whiteness. It is a taken for granted aspect, i believe, of every white persons life. And our complete ignorance of our lack of any cultural identity, continues to subordinate all things with culture

#culturelessness #white #identity

Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position

In his article Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position, Herbert Blumer discusses race prejudice as a collective process and goes on to describe the four elemental feelings of the dominant group wherever a heirarchy is present.

1) A feeling of superiority.

2) A feeling that a subordinate race is intrinsically different and alien.

3) Feeling a proprietary claim to certain areas of privilege and advantage.

4) A fear and suspicion that the subordinate race harbors designs of the prerogatives of the dominant race.

I think that largely, our society today has a general sense of complacency. Before entering my undergrad and taking some of the courses that have talked about inequality in American society, I was very naive to the fact the these social stratification still existed. I believe this is an enduring idea that less educated Americans hold. I grew up hearing the racism and prejudice were non-existent. Everyone was allowed equal rights etc. But now there are things that I've learned that make it impossible to ignore the thinly veiled truth any longer. As Blumer discussed, there are this senses of identification with a group. That naturally leads to cohesiveness and an idea of an other. Those ideas cannot be avoided and are an innate part of being a social human being. What I'm not sure about though, and what I find disturbing is the thought the there will never be a world free of prejudice. Merely the idea of inclusion and identification with a group leads others to hold ideas about you. The saying guilt by association comes to mind. If one person acts out the third of fourth feelings in Blumer's list, the single act could be interpreted as a feeling of entire group unease. It further boggles my mind when Blumer talks about stratification in caste systems where there are seemingly no inherent intergroup differences. It doesn't exactly strike hope in my heart that the world is as great of a place that I believed it to be as a child.

#group position #Blumer #Prejudice #naive

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This is what reading the Goffman, Presentation of Self made me think of. In this article, Goffman says…

“When the individual enters the presence of others, they commonly seek to acquire information about him or to bring into play information about him already possessed. Although some of this information seems to be sought almost as an end in itself, there are usually quite practical reasons for acquiring it. Information about the individual helps to define the situation, enabling others to know in advance what he will expect of them and what they may expect of him.”

This is how you can begin to think about Laney’s transformation in the movie She’s All That. Before when she looked, acted, and dressed nerdy, those were the qualities that were associated with her. She wasn’t really noticed at school and directly because of how she was perceived was the reason that she was chosen for the bet. After she completed her makeover and presented her new persona at the party, she was treated completely differently. People talked to her and acted differently when interacting with her. She even was accepted as a suitable person for the most popular guy in high school to date. Although this is only a movie and can be blown off as unrealistic, I think that it may have some undertones of truth. The way a person is perceived dramatically alters how people react and interact with them.

#she's all that #transformation #makeover #perception

After reading, The Self as Social Structure, by George Herbert Mead and discussing the construction of the self in class, I found it interesting how we are constantly looking at ourselves through others eyes. A quote from Mead says, “The individual experiences himself as such, not directly, but only indirectly, from the particular standpoint of other individual members of the same social group as a whole to which he belongs.” I find this interesting to think about. Not only, as Mead goes on to describe, can we directly observe this in children’s play with imaginary friends but again, as they take on roles of others in their play with other children. Our behavior in most cases directly correlates to the company that we hold. For instance, I act one way around friends and another around my family. Both of these groups hold different standards and behaviors that are expected and acceptable while I’m in their presence. I can also identify within myself points when I realize that I am changing my behavior in reaction to a situation. As an example….Can you remember a time when you were trying to convince someone of something? During this exchange of information and your attempts to get someone to accept your statement as fact, you are continuously watching the other person for body language, and signals that will confirm that you’ve succeeded in your task. Regardless of whether, in the moment, you are able to recognize that you’re doing this, or if it takes time for the knowledge to sink in, I think that human interactions are all a little manipulative. You manipulate yourself by seeing yourself through another’s eyes and change yourself to make yourself more appealing or what you’re saying more attractive. It makes me question who is actually being manipulated.

Salvation on Sand Mountain

I’m not sure how much you can learn about me or how much my personality comes through in this blog, but I am not the type of person to get swept up into feelings and sensations surrounding an event. I try to process things and take them for what they are worth. Religion is a perfect example of this. I was really struck by the similarities between the church described in the book Salvation on Sand Mountain and the church I attended in childhood, minus the snake handling of course. I never chose to go to church, it was always expected I would go by my mother. And if I didn’t want to? I lost privilges. That’s seems like a really good way to turn someone onto religion, right? Anyway, my mother always attended a Pentecostal church where people spoke in tongues (which seemed pretty phony if you ask me), preached with vigor, and even down to just singing the chorus of songs so they would be more able to “focus on the spirit.”

All in all, I don’t think religion has much substance. I have always felt the need for proof. And no one could ever give me any. The only proof they offer are testifying their feelings, a book written hundreds of years ago that has been translated and may not be accurate, and other things that cannot be directly observed. But I do think that religion has a reason. Although it may not be real, it is real in the minds f the people who believe. At some point I think that religions helps people come to terms with those that they love and their own demise. Like we talked about in class, religion is a social thing. People depending on others and using it as a sense of comfort. Ultimately it’s a means to a better life and sound mental well-being.

#church #religion #social #beliefs

I have a pretty cynical view on the events of 9/11 even before reading the article by David L. Altheide entitled, Consuming Terrorism.

In my opinion, and I know that many will disagree with me, we the US as a country went a tad overboard in our reaction to the events of 9/11. Yes I believe it was a tragedy and yes I’m so for the families and those who lost their lives. But, in the grand scheme of things this was a singular event that changed the course of a nations actions, and 10 years later has found our nation in debt and likely no better off after all of these changes.

Altheide uses this article to “suggest that powerful new definitions and meanings of context can be consequential if they are pervasive, constant, and above all, not contradicted by systematic discussion and debate. […] The mass media and popular culture have altered how most Americans learn about the world and how the world is run.” What he continues to describe in this article is how the media played up this event, with the help of other governmental influence of course, to cause the American people to feel passionately and a certain way about the events. What was played up was the endangerment of a value freedom or some other pseudo-right to get the public to respond in a certain way. He points out several examples including the rush of bills for increased military spending through Congress without any hesitance. Though may I point out that the bill had already been brought before Congress and debated heavily prior to these events. Also he makes it a point to note how the Amrican people were urged to spend to show their support of their country, instead of saving and being frugal that historically was the outcome of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The media and pop culture definitely had an influence on how people reacted, just like we talked in class about the red scare and mass public fear.

All in all I believe that many Americans live in a very tiny world. We are outraged when a large number rich, white, American businessmen are killed, but can’t seemed to be bothered with the news that hundreds of people are murdered everyday in civil wars of undeveloped countries. The media has turn this specific situation and the word terrorism an all encompassing general worldview.

I’m honestly not sure that the American people even take time to think for themselves anymore. I really enjoyed this article because even as it read, many of those who question the legitimacy of the governments ‘war on terror’ are swept to the side and viewed unfavorably.

#terrorism #9/11 #Altheide #question #media #government

A Study on Obedience

“The individual who is commanded by a legitimate authority ordinarily obeys. Obedience comes easily and often. It is a ubiquitous and indispensable fact of social life.” This comes from a reading covering a research study on obedience by Stanley Milgram at Yale University, in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1963.

I have heard a brief overview of this study before, but after reading the full article and understanding how each part of the experimental experience was manipulated to control how the test subject felt, it causes me to question how deep the social control and ingrained obedience to authority may actually run. I encourage anyone not having read this article to look it up and do so, and then ponder how you may have felt if were happened to draw the “teacher” slip from the hat.

I’d like to say that my moral conscience would take over and that I would be termed a defiant subject. I think after reading the study and it’s details, everyone would like to say that they wouldn’t continue but deliver the most intense shocks to a captive victim. Similarly, before the study was conducted, 14 Yale, senior psychology majors almost unanimously predicted that only a very small percentage of participants would see the experiment through to the end, which was contradictory to what the study actually found. In reality, 26, the vast majority of participants, finished delivering all shocks when prompted by the experimenter. Although they finished the experiment, they did show signs of stress and anxiety, and even attempted to argue whether the experiment should continue. In the end they were influenced by the air of authority that the perceived surrounding the experiment.

Milgram suggests that, “for many persons, obedience may be a deeply ingrained behavior tendency, indeed, a prepotent impulse over-riding training in ethics, sympathy, and moral conduct.” How then can we reconcile our ideas our moral righteousness with a learned behavior and training that began before we could even remember? Our idea of an authority figure is thus proved that a need to be obedient could cause us to preform acts of terrible violence against others, that would in other circumstances seem horrifying.

Case in point: The Holocaust

I can’t begin to imagine the conflict that had to fill the minds of Nazi Soldiers during that time.

#research study #shocks #obedience #morality #conflict

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Mental Illness, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Illusive Self

This reading by David A. Karp really struck home with me. Although its extremely common, the idea of mental illness, seeing a therapist, or being prescribed medication is till a source of taboo in our culture. We can see this when Karp discusses differences between taking medications for physical versus mental ailments. It almost seems that people classify these two types completely differently. If they have a physical ailment, the medication is viewed as a neccessity and they have no qualms about needing meds. On the other hand, people find it difficult to reconcile the need for medications for mental ailments with the mindset that they should be able to control the way they feel. "Despite the popularity for biological explanations for mental illness, as a society we expect people to manage their emotions, and we have very little tolerance for those who cannot" (p. 72)

I can understand every fear and question written in this article on a very personal level. I have admittedly suffering from depression and struggled to take the next (and extremely difficult) step into controlling it with medication. Suffering from a mental illness can seem like a solitary battle at times...a battle that's against yourself. You get the feeling that no one else could ever understand what you're dealing with. You can become so overwhelmed that you lose the realization the you ARE NOT the only person experiencing these troubles. Questions that participants Karp interviewed hit home with me, as I considered each one of them for myself...

Why can't I control my emotions like everyone else? Will this really help? What if once I start, I can never stop? How will the medication change me? What will people think if they find out I'm taking these drugs? Will I still be myself? Will I still feel like myself? Will this be worth it?

The questions are unending but ultimately lead to the question, Is it me or the drug? I'm not sure that this question can be generally answered in the case that the drug being used most clearly causes a change in feeling and perception. It must be answered on an individual basis. Some will feel that a fog has lifted and that are now ABLE to be their real selves, while others perceive it as only altered brain chemicals producing altered reaction to stimuli. It boils down to the idea of individual perception, and how we have been socialized to interpret our world.

#mental illness #psychiatric drugs #self #questions

Where were you on September 11, 2011? I was in sixth grade and just about to turn 13. I was outside playing flag football in my physical education class when our teacher, Mrs. Varner, blew the whistle and called us all over. I'm not certain of her exact words, but what she did tell us was confusing and a little scary. The just that we all got was that the US was under a terrorist attack. Our small public school in Fayette, MO was sending us all home early for the day. I remember that evening, sitting with my parents, and watching the news well into the night.

10 years later I'm about to graduate college and am completely absorbed with my life, only to one day be reminded that this even has taken place and it's been 10 years since that day I can recall from my memory. I can't really say that I experience a gut-reaction of sadness or and other involuntary feeling when I recall the event. I was never personally tied to it. I do know that many people were. People lost their loved ones, and their pride that they have take in their country has been damaged.

I am not an avid political follower. I don't take interest in our government officials agendas, don't follow debate, etc. But it takes 10 minutes and a Google search to get a feel for the emotion backing this event and its anniversary. I feel that there are many undeniable similarities between the Vietnam War and the War in Iraq. Although this is an older article, it lets us realize that these similarities aren't a new i dea.

Is Iraq Becoming Another Veitnam? - USA TODAY

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-04-13-vietnam-iraq-cover_x.htm

For the last few weeks, you can't watch the television without being remined of the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. People are asking for donations for a memorial...to help the families of those who lost loved ones...things of that nature. And I believe that there are also undeniable similarities between how they will chose to commemorate those lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks as well as those lost 'fighting for their country' in Iraq. Our reading for this week, Commemorating America's Involvment in Veitnam, has many feelings paralleled with our current struggle in the middle east. How will we honor those lost on 9/11? How will we honor those lost throught the Iraqi occupation? Will there be public disagreement on how to commemorate the soldiers lost? Will we be able to reconcile our ideas of patriotism and strength with the idea of fighting a losing battle in Iraq? I believe the answer to all of these questions are forshadowed in our not so distant past.

#9/11 #Iraq #Veitnam #similarities #memorial

Islands of Meaning

This reading in week 2 of class really got me thinking...And one of the first things that popped into my mind was a 'skill' learned way-back-when in my elementary school days...

The Vin Diagram

Eviatar Zerubavel discusses the fact the things become meaningful only when placed in some category. This topic is so intriguing to me. We can group two seemingly very unlike things into groups based on a sole characteristic and then interpret them and assign value. This requires our brains to simutaneously use splitting and lumping functions. Those that differentiate unlike experiences and those that group similar ones. At the same time, our brain can identify differences within a lumped group. This is what peeked my thoughts about a vin diagram. For example, Zerubavel writes, "on the one hand, it involves grouping 'similar' items together in a single cluster - scultors and filmmakers (artists), murder and arson (felonies), foxes and camels (animals). At the same time, it also involves separating in our mind 'different' mental clusters from one another - artists from scientists, felonies from misdemeanors, animals from humans.

It stuns me how our brains can associate and differentiate experiences simutaneously, as well as group and split up symbols. Understanding other way of viewing and relating what we take in throught visual senses, helps us to think and realize how others may interpret the same things.

#vin diagram #isla #ds of meaning #sociology

Sociological Imagination

The definition presented by Micheal Schwalbe in Sociological Imagination, is the practice of tuning-in to how the social world works (p. 3). So what does that really mean? During my college career I've taken multiple courses in Sociology, and all of them have emphasizes sociological imagination and sociological mindfulness.

To begin, we must understand that everything about our lives are socially constructed. From the way we dress, how we act, assigning value to objects....EVERYTHING. Your world is created and you are created by other people. You have been socialized, taught how to interpret the world, since the day you were born. Everything you've learned about how to behave, you've learned through socialization. In essence, you are a product of everyone you've ever encountered. Their presence in your life has affected you and made you who you are today.

The next idea that is pertinent to understanding socialogical imagination and practicing sociological mindfulness is to realize everyone's existence is different from your own. They have grown up and had completely different experiences from your own. To know this, is to know that they must have different perceptions of the world. You can compare yourself to your neighbor down the hall in your dorm or to a person living in an impoverished third world country in Africa. Each of you will have different experiences and perceptions, although one may be more similar to yours than another.

So now that we understand the meanings of these words, what use can we make of them? Schwalbe realize that once you acquire the skills of a sociological imagination, you must put to use sociological mindfulness. "Mindfulness is usefull because it helps us see how our lives are intertwined and how our words and deeds help or harm others in non-obvious ways[.....] if we understand how others' circumstances differ from ours, we are more likely to show compassion for them and grant them the respect they deserve as human beings [but] sociological mindfulness doesn't seem like much fun. Who wants more rules for how to think?" (p.3-4) This, Schwalbe explain, is why these two ideas are rare. But this is exactly the reason these ideas must be studied and practiced. Thus, the reason and round-about topic for all posts in this blog. Understand, think about your actions, and pay it forward.

#sociological mindfulness #sociological imagination

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