Merida Angelina
Living in such a world of many different cultures, nationalities it is hard to imagine having any concrete idea on the way the world operates as a collective whole, with so many different factors such as environment and the many distinct characteristics along with how people are governed. That is what sociology was for me.
My first Introduction to Sociology in Dr. Applewhite's class was an experience for me. It seemed as though the world opened right in front of my eyes, all of what I knew did apply somewhat, however there was a whole different aspect in its entirety (sociology) far more intricate concepts that started with the three key founders of sociology Karl Marx, Emilie Durkheim & Max Weber. My favorite being Karl Marx mainly because he was for the good of the public/over throw capitalism. I'd like to further expand on my teachings/experience in Introduction to Sociology.
Subjective Reality vs. Objective Reality. I learned that subjective reality is based on our own experiences, our own plight where as objective reality is what's based on the actual world. Which both are important in terms of theory. Theories key dimensions of theory are consensus and conflict, objective and subjective reality and micro/macro level analysis. On all these levels from a small scale to a large scale is detailed focused on social phenomena/ structural functionalist theories and the methods of collecting data. Sociologist are very detailed oriented when obtaining data/facts when conducting their research/experiments. It is through these experiments that we as a collective whole get a real sense of what the objective reality that is a major theme within our society.
Race & Culture. Many different cultures are prevalent within our world, not to mention living in New York City there is a lot of culture in such a melting pot. Race & Culture happened to be my favorite this semester in my Introduction to Sociology, perhaps its because I see race and culture as the yolk to it all. Race and Culture is what separates us in a sense; we are all human beings, however our different lifestyles (way of living is what makes us different). The articles read this semester in regard to culture were very interesting/ informative (What Does It Mean to Be Human, & Body Ritual Among the Nacirema) gives detail description about different cultures, and some insane practices that are pretty morbid is us Westerner's. A part from that there was also the harsh reality of the social classes that we are put into, in which I fall into the poor, it was really a confirmation that going to school to upgrade myself in achieved status is my primary goal for myself to better my family. Seeing how social class is orchestrated really opened my eyes to the disparity and inequality that lingers within our society/culture. Not to mention the numerous video's we watched in regard to our culture as it is nowadays. Killing Us Softly by Jean Kilbourne speaks volumes how she addresses the disparity between men & woman and the subliminal messages that is brainwashing our culture as she states "turning a human being into a thing is almost always the first step toward justifying violence against that person"; which brings is to deviance and the many faces deviant people take on.
In conclusion I talked about what my Introduction to Sociology; what it was like, I scratched the surface to some of my teachings/what I was exposed to. I must say this class was and will always be very valuable to me. I use my sociological imagination frequently however I view things more from an objective standpoint, I've taken Professor Applewhite's advice and have further applied it as part of my mantra. I'm very happy to have taken this class, I've had the honor to meet some wonderful people in mind and soul which is priceless. I also feel that there is no other that could have taught with such passion and dedication as Professor "Dr" Applewhite did/does. I wish all my fellow students much success on their journeys. It was a very difficult semester for me due to a lot of adversity within my life, however I'm sticking through my education till the end.
Thank you Professor Applewhite (genuinely).
Respectfully,
Merida Angelina
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Media Magic: Making Class Invisible. Gregory Mantsios
Merida Angelina
In the article "Media Magic: Making Class Invisible" by Gregory Mantsios; there is a strong emphasis on social classes and the roles (class) play within the mass media, and how mass media has a strong hold on how we as a collective society feel about one another within our environment; Media'driven force in the United States, such as magazines, movie studios, television outlets (as noted in the article) & media coverage is a major theme within our culture today " continually growing in its staying power" with a (profit-oriented) purpose. However there seems to be a bridge between social classes from what is really the scenario to what it actually being publicized, and the false truths attacted to class distinctions, ( poor, wealthy, middle class, upper middile class, etc) and the illusions we as a collective society take part in in which may be hard to decipher being media does a good job (hiding the inequities from from public view).
The Poor- The poor virtually do not exist. What is even more astonishing to me, it is stated that forty million people in our nation are ignored! When the media does address the poor it is said that it's "contradictory messages and portrayals. The poor are amounted to a mere figure (number) the poor are reduced as human beings (people) and have become a mere statistic. Instead of understanding their plight, their conditions, focusing on longterm solutions (adequate care), the poor are viewed as an "eyesore, black, promiscuious, drug abusers, etc.. it is no wonder that after viweing/hearing, seeing how the media portrays poor people, it then becomes individualistic thus making people very racist, sexist and classist on their outlook, when in fact the U.S. Census (numbers) indicate most of the poor people are "white" not "black or hispanic", However the undertone is set that poor people are poor because "they brought it upon themselves".
While the media dosn't recognize the poor in its theme, there is one theme in particulr that it does acknowledge, Broadcaster's and print news media conjured a "We-ness" this pertains to individuals that are like-minded and affluent. I like to think of this one as "keeping up with the Jones". The "we-ness" is to create a sense of unity of like minded individuals that are of a high social status, anything below that is subpar standards. The "haves and have nots" that is because the media sets a tone to have is to be accepted, acknowledged, etc... To appease the wealthy. To be wealthy is to be accepted, However as the poor do not exist, neither does the wealthy; quite controdictive when you look at the "we-ness" aspect. The wealthy are appeared to have no interests other then serving the society in a governing; where as the Middle- Classis the victim, not a working class and blue collar workers are portrayed as a dying breed, that these hard workers bring their luck on themselves.
In conclusion what I learned reading this article, seegation within social classes; inaccurate information is used systematically to divide and conquer, anything less is viewed as the root our societies problems, the working middle class blame the poor, this is because the media is not spot on when releasing information, monies that are dispensed to the poor for welfare, the needy etc.. are considered the prime reason for our economy's lack of funds; when a large portion goes to the wealthy for public asistance. I don't feel there is anything wrong with the wealthy getting public assistance, however I do feel the unjust that poor people are judged with to be very racist, sexist and classist and the stigma's that follows.
In the article "Media Magic: Making Class Invisible" by Gregory Mantsios; there is a strong emphasis on social classes and the roles (class) play within the mass media, and how mass media has a strong hold on how we as a collective society feel about one another within our environment; Media'driven force in the United States, such as magazines, movie studios, television outlets (as noted in the article) & media coverage is a major theme within our culture today " continually growing in its staying power" with a (profit-oriented) purpose. However there seems to be a bridge between social classes from what is really the scenario to what it actually being publicized, and the false truths attacted to class distinctions, ( poor, wealthy, middle class, upper middile class, etc) and the illusions we as a collective society take part in in which may be hard to decipher being media does a good job (hiding the inequities from from public view).
The Poor- The poor virtually do not exist. What is even more astonishing to me, it is stated that forty million people in our nation are ignored! When the media does address the poor it is said that it's "contradictory messages and portrayals. The poor are amounted to a mere figure (number) the poor are reduced as human beings (people) and have become a mere statistic. Instead of understanding their plight, their conditions, focusing on longterm solutions (adequate care), the poor are viewed as an "eyesore, black, promiscuious, drug abusers, etc.. it is no wonder that after viweing/hearing, seeing how the media portrays poor people, it then becomes individualistic thus making people very racist, sexist and classist on their outlook, when in fact the U.S. Census (numbers) indicate most of the poor people are "white" not "black or hispanic", However the undertone is set that poor people are poor because "they brought it upon themselves".
While the media dosn't recognize the poor in its theme, there is one theme in particulr that it does acknowledge, Broadcaster's and print news media conjured a "We-ness" this pertains to individuals that are like-minded and affluent. I like to think of this one as "keeping up with the Jones". The "we-ness" is to create a sense of unity of like minded individuals that are of a high social status, anything below that is subpar standards. The "haves and have nots" that is because the media sets a tone to have is to be accepted, acknowledged, etc... To appease the wealthy. To be wealthy is to be accepted, However as the poor do not exist, neither does the wealthy; quite controdictive when you look at the "we-ness" aspect. The wealthy are appeared to have no interests other then serving the society in a governing; where as the Middle- Classis the victim, not a working class and blue collar workers are portrayed as a dying breed, that these hard workers bring their luck on themselves.
In conclusion what I learned reading this article, seegation within social classes; inaccurate information is used systematically to divide and conquer, anything less is viewed as the root our societies problems, the working middle class blame the poor, this is because the media is not spot on when releasing information, monies that are dispensed to the poor for welfare, the needy etc.. are considered the prime reason for our economy's lack of funds; when a large portion goes to the wealthy for public asistance. I don't feel there is anything wrong with the wealthy getting public assistance, however I do feel the unjust that poor people are judged with to be very racist, sexist and classist and the stigma's that follows.
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