Sumblog 8- socialization

This picture is a prime example of how we start socializing from the day we are born. We say words like "big" and "strong" to young boys and we say words like "little" and "cute" to baby girls. From birth we have words influencing who we are, what we act like, what we wear, and what we play with. Little boys are given trucks, blocks, and clothes with sports on them and they are all wrapped up in something blue. While girls, on the other hand, are given dolls, easy-bake ovens, and cute holiday dresses with pink everywhere. Children learn quickly what their role is how they should act according to their gender.

            From little on more things start to contribute to the socialization process. Things like culture, family, religion, school, and friends are agents of socialization and they teach us how to act, how to speak, how to dress, and how to think. But what would we be with out all of these filters? George Herbert Mead would describe this as the I. The I is our most raw, purest, unfiltered self. It is what our mind is without the influence of anything else. Mead would argue that this is who you truly are. The Me, on the other hand, is who  you are after you’ve adjusted to the world around you. After all of those filters influenced your thoughts and behaviors.

            For example, I remember when my brother Cory and I were very young he would play Barbies with me. There are a few things that happened. When we played, he always got the Ken doll, the Jeep, and the dog. Even though he was playing with “girlie” toys, he chose to use only the most masculine ones, while I played with Barbie and her pink convertible.  Another thing that happened was when my other more older brother Eric would come around, Cory would deny ever playing Barbies with me. Cory’s I told him, “ya, let’s play Barbies. I can be the Ken doll!” Cory was allowed to play because I was so young and what did I know? My opinion didn’t matter to him so he could act in his most pure form. But, when anyone else came into the picture, Cory’s Me said, “Boys don’t play Barbies!” At this age he was conflicted between his I and his Me. What I find interesting is that now at age 24 Cory probably would never have the urge to play Barbies because the Me has become so strong that it surpressed the his I.  It is crazy how socialization changes who we would otherwise be.

Sumblog 7- Assimilation vs. Pluralism

First, I want to start out by defining both assimilation and pluralism. Assimilation means the process of conforming to a majority group. Assimilating is fitting in. Pluralism, on the other hand, is the distinction of cultures accepted into a society. Instead of fitting in, each culture is valued for different beliefs and traditions and is accepted even though there are differences. 

Here is a dorky video describing assimilation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDG0-Z8ruuk

America has been known as the “melting pot” for as long as it has been in existence. Immigrants from all over the world have come to America in search for a better life, a new beginning, and new freedoms. I think American’s today do not appreciate or value the diversity we hold with the different cultures and practices. Some can argue we have cultural pluralism in America because we have a multicultural society. But, I have rarely seen the acceptance of unique cultural traditions. Because of this, in America we are losing the distinction between different cultures. Immigrants who come to the United States are forced to assimilate into “Americanized” practices by learning English, listening to pop music, watching American films, celebrating American holidays, and eating American cuisine. If we really did have cultural pluralism we would celebrate each culture and embrace the differences. The United States of America is definitely a “melting pot”. Society blends and mixes different cultures together so much that we loose the distinction between different cultures. People can grow up without even knowing their cultural background and traditions, which is why I think that assimilation is a negative thing to society. I wish American society was more like a big pot luck dinner rather than a melting pot. Everyone can bring something completely different to the table, but it still ends up being a delicious feast because you can taste a little of everything.

Sumblog 6- Ethnocentrism

Jane Adams went about her research by diving into people’s lives and really getting to know them. Instead of observing or studying a subject, she developed a relationship with the subject in order to gather real, sufficient data. I really like her approach because I think it’s a great way to get genuine responses. I don’t think surveys or questionnaires give can give you too much insight into an individual’s personal life. By forming a relationship with the subject, you will gain a sense of their true emotions, personality, and perceptions.

I think her approach was very successful because Jane Adams worked a lot with minority groups and her approach helps avoid ethnocentrism, which we talked a little about in class. Ethnocentrism is the idea of judging another culture based on your own standard. Jane Adams had to set aside her cultural beliefs and values to look at different cultures as unbiased as possible. It is impossible to be completely pure when it comes to research because everyone is slightly biased, but in order to study people from these minorities she had to understand their culture and not compare it to her own.

We all think like this at some point, especially Americans. America often has this vision that we are the most powerful, “top-dog” country that it tends to lead to the belief that our culture is the dominant culture. Many Americans have bad attitudes towards minorities because they believe that American culture is superior and everyone should conform to that culture. I know that a small amount of ethnocentrism is inevitable, but after a certain point it is ethically wrong to make a judgment of other cultures based on your own. When you think about it, it doesn’t even make sense to form judgments of other cultures because each culture holds a different set of standards.

Below is a link to a site I found kind of interesting. I think that American’s strong sense of individualism might also be forming ethnocentrism.

http://www.drabruzzi.com/ethnocentrism_in_american_news.htm

Sumblog 4- Bureaucracy and rationality today

In class we discussed Max Weber and his thoughts on the bureaucratic system. I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know what a bureaucracy was until we discussed the ideal-type of bureaucracy. Here is another video clip to help understand what a bureaucracy is. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCAlZPF0D0

I think the in class example of a university is a great way to think about it and you can relate it to the six major characteristics of the ideal bureaucracy. Looking at our education system we can see that teachers are professional and well qualified to educate the students. These individuals received prior training before they were hired because they wouldn’t be hired unless the met specific credentials. These teachers and staff are also a part of a structured hierarchy within the system. Professors listen to the chair, the chair listens to the Dean and the Dean listens to the Chancellor. All of these people work together to keep everything on file for every student such as grade reports, GPA’s, and degree progress reports. With in the school system there are rules and regulations for all of the workers to follow in order for the system to run smooth and efficient.  Our university may not be the most cutthroat efficient bureaucracy but I’d say it runs pretty smoothly.

What I find most relatable to today is Weber’s thoughts on rationalization. He describes this as the process of how a society gets to a bureaucracy. Weber argues that individuals are living their lives based on rational and logical choices. He does not say this is necessarily a good or bad thing, but it limits our choices and goals in life. People are only making choices on rationalization. Some basic characteristics of rationality are efficiency, predictability, and control. I can see this theory of rationality happening today. My brother graduated college at the age of 23. He wasn’t entirely certain what he’d like to pursue for a career so he bounced around for a while. Today, he is 25 and pursing something he is really passionate about: hunting. He writes blogs and takes amazing photography of all of his adventures. He started writing for the local newspaper and even had some of his writings in a big time hunting magazine. On the side, my brother does some freelance family photography. He lives comfortably on the money he makes from his photography and writing for the newspaper, which he considers a hobby. He is so happy because he is living life and doing what he loves, but my parents and other close friends are hard critics. He is not living the ideal rational life. He doesn’t have a solid career with a solid, steady paycheck. Now, my brother loves his life and finds the uncertainty just a part of the adventure of life, but the general public is shaken by the unpredictability and uncertainties of his lifestyle. I can see how rationality holds people back from achieving higher dreams. It holds us back from our human potential, and I’m proud that my brother doesn’t conform to societies beliefs because he is happy.