Economy as a Social Institution

      Economy is the social institution that provides the U.S, and any other country with distribution of goods.  We need these goods in order to function.  In this system we provide an exchange to people in the same country or in different countries, in order to get what we need in return.  There are two major forms of economy in the world, and those are capitalism and socialism.

      "Capitalism is a system under which resources and means of production are privately owned..." (Sparknotes).  In this system you either fail or you succeed.  You seek production for yourself in order to try to reach the top, but its hard considering all the competition that people give off in modernized societies.  The capitalist class in capitalism owns the technology, land, and etc.  The other class of capitalism is the working class.  The working class sells their ability to work for a salary in return.

      The other type of economic institution is socialism.  In socialism the means and production is owned by the society.  "Rights to private property are limited..." (Sparknotes).  China is an example of socialism.  The good of the society is more important than individual profit.  The government does it's part by controlling the money that flows in the economy.  In socialism everybody would have the opportunity to to get a hold of goods and services to help them survive, however, there are limitations.  I like to think as socialism as "take what you need, and be happy you do not have anything".


Reference:

http://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/social-institutions/section1.rhtml

http://www.worldsocialism.org/english/what-capitalism

Religion as Social Institution

      Religion is a social institution simply because you follow a guideline for the way you live.  Your religion influences your values, norms, and beliefs.  If you are Catholic and you live in America it is not a bad thing to believe in the Virgin Mary.  Whereas other religions, in America, belief in multiple gods.

     Religion helps you better understand the meaning or purpose of life.  Most religions have a book, like the bible, which tells stories on how to behave,  Different religions have different stories to tell in their books, and that is where each religion is divided into institutions.  All religions in general are not social institution, but one religion with the same beliefs, values, and norms is in fact a social institution.

Religion is a big form of lifestyle and that is why we should respect it.  If you choose to believe in the science rather then the super natural, then so be it.  We don't have the right to judge a social institution that gave a pathway to the way of living of someone.  Emile Durkheim, The Father of Sociology, once stated that, "Every society has beliefs about things that are more practical and down to earth" (Lardbucket. org).  In the case that formal beliefs are scared beliefs and the next form of beliefs are profane beliefs.  The religious beliefs, of course, involve the sacred, things that we can feel, rather than see.  Sacred beliefs are things that inspire us and make us feel fear.

      Religion in essence reminds us of the importance in older societies.  The way they lived their life, and how they went about right or wrong was most likely influenced by religion.  Studying religion gives the human race the opportunity to discover more about a specific religion.  With more findings we better our opportunity for people to have faith.

Refernce:
   http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/sociology-comprehensive-edition/s20-01-religion-as-a-social-instituti.html

Functionalism

      Emile Durkheim may be known as the Father of Sociology.  Durkheim focused a lot on the topic of social order.  Without his findings society would be a mess, but luckily for us Durkheim came up with his own theory dealing with functionalism.  Functionalism is most commonly known as an orientation that views society as interdependent parts whose functions contribute to the stability and survivor of the system.  In short functionalism is the different parts of society working together to acquire one certain goal.  The goal? A successful society.  There are a couple of concepts to functionalism, but the most important concepts to me are, social order, social structure, and family.

      Social order is how we maintain the order in our society.  Too little rules can allow people to do more things, and among those things there might be some bad out'comes.  Too many rules and society will feel suppressed, which be good, but after a while rebellion will be too much for the government.  Humans are also naturally selfish, so we tend to do whatever we need to in order to further benefit ourselves.  The rules that the government implement on us are to evidently protect ourselves from ourselves.

      Social structure is the norms and values that we grow up with.  The values and norms depend on what society we live in.  We are born into these norms.  The way we behave is what make us a society.  Different societies behave in different ways. "Durkheim believed that people's behavior was shaped by the system of norms and values that they were born into".

      The last one is family.  Family provides sexual, economic, reproductive, and educational functions to the theory functionalism.  Sexual to me in this case means how the kids grow up to be.  If the dad teaches his son not be tough then he will most likely be a weak adult.  Economic is the gross income.  If the family does not have money then that child will probably have a tough time paying for college.  Reproductive is how the family keeps growing and keeps adding income into the nation.  The last one is educational.  If the parents did not go very far in school then the kids will do the same.
     
 Refrences:

 Dictionary.com

http://realsociology.edublogs.org/2010/12/13/class-notes-functionalism-key-ideas-and-durkheims-     functionalism/

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/sociology/theories-in-sociology/concepts-of-functionalism/

Free writing

 A couple of weeks back my Caucasian room mates and I decided to go out and grab some dinner at a fast food place here in town.  I have been going to a college in central Kansas.  In Concordia, where the college is located, there are only 5,000 people in the town.  Give or take.  Coming from a town of 300,000 people, well I had to adapt to how they do things.  One of the things I started to do so that I could adapt to the best of my abilities was study people.  When I say study it means that I pay attention to everyone when they eat, talk, and even the way they say hi to each other.  Coming from a Hispanic background everything is so different for me.  When I arrived here, I met one of my friends mom and kissed her in the cheek, because that is normal where I come from, but her husband did not take that to kindly.  Well back to my studying of people.  I have been doing it for quite a while, and now I have some things down, and I can act, as a lot of you would say normal.  As I was studying how my room mates ate that time we went to grab dinner, I was a little entertained on how they ate.  I analyzed them, got my facts straight, and then told them this: 

Lucas you eat as if you are always on the run.  I know him and he is a very hard worker, so he was always eating while working.  He needs to get his food down and go back to work.

Jake you eat as if you do nothing at home.  We know him, and we know how he likes to binge watch shows online for hours. When we got to the dorm with the food he immediately sat down on a chair in front of the T.V, covered himself with a blanket and started to eat and watch television.

I ate in a corner in the only space I could find, and ate right out of the bag.  Coming from a small, crowded house, this is how I am used to eating.

Zach, I think is the one with the highest status of money from all of us, so why we were eating out of  our bag he was getting a plate to take out the food out of the bag. He then served himself his meal and took his time to eat. I told him that he was used to his family sitting together and eating. He agreed with me and laughed.

I just thought that the way you are raised is so different even in the same state.  We all have our norms, and sometimes it is easy to point them out if you actually try.

Social Interaction

The term social interaction to many can be the way we all interact in one culture.  It is the way we interact in modern society with our friends and family.  You do it in your everyday life.  It is just the way of living in this modern time.  This term was derived from all different types of interactions that have been passed down the time line for each way of society that we have been through.  Today and in the near future interaction will be different and it is different than what it was before in the past.



In the past it used to be more face to face.  For example, if you were thinking of courting someone, you would most likely go and find him/her rather than just text her or send a message through Facebook.  Actually, men would look for women, but in this modern society it is acceptable for women to look for men. In modern time we cannot even feel the emotional connections we have with our families because of advancements in technology like, Skype, or Factime.  Face to face interaction is important in this type of society, because you never know what danger you are setting yourself up to.  You might hire an employee and have never had the chance to meet him, but his online posts made you feel like if he had potential.  The world is not supposed to be like that.  Whatever happened to the good old business meeting when you actually had your boss in the room, rather than video chatting you guys from his apartment, wearing nothing but underwear and a good dress shirt.

What I am afraid of is how our communication will function if we keep making advancements in technology.  Now don't get me wrong we need advancements in technology, but I cannot tell you how many times I go on a date and that person is on her phone, and I  am guilty of this as well.  Social interaction in the future will take away the chance of enjoying the time being spent with a person.  In this modern world everything is through technology.  What will become of us if we keep innovating? Some of the millennials should consider in adopting some of their parent's good, old school manners.  Maybe sometime in the near future I hope to meet someone that enjoys human interaction instead of the cold screen of a phone.


Reference: https://prezi.com/smzrwrlizjmd/the-future-of-social-interaction-how-technology-plays-its-part/

A song that focuses on conflict theory

The This song named "black boy fly", by Kendrick Lamar focuses on a neighborhood in America where it is tough to get out of.  Compton is in south California and in this song he states many people that have gotten out of the ghetto, and how the people that are still in the ghetto are left out.

So I'm saying "What up what up. Nigga you made it."
So I'm saying "What up what up. Nigga you made it."
So I'm saying "What up what up. Nigga you made it."
So I'm saying "What up what up. Nigga I hate it."
So I'm saying "What up what up. Nigga I hate it."

Frustrated and I'm riding down the back streets
Making my conscious ask me
"Would I survive to make it up out this hole in time?"
Black boy fly
Black boy fly
Black-black boy fly
Black boy fly

What he starts saying right of of the bat is that how he lives in a hole, which is neighborhood and he's singing to the people that made it.

I used to be jealous of Aaron Afflalo
I used to be jealous of Aaron Afflalo
He was the one to follow
He was the only leader foreseeing brighter tomorrows
He would live in the gym
We was living in sorrow
Total envy of him
He made his dream become a reality
Actually making it possible to swim
His way out of Compton with further more to accomplish
Graduate with honors, a sponsor of basketball scholars
It's 2004 and I'm watching him score thirty
Remember vividly how them victory points had hurt me
'Cause every basket was a reaction or a reminder
That we was just moving backwards
The bungalow where you find us
The art of us ditching classes heading nowhere fast
Stick my head inside the study hall, he focused on math
Determination ambition, plus dedication and wisdom
Qualities he was given was the shit we didn't have
Dug inside of his book bag and Coach Palmer asked for his finals
He had his back like a spinal meanwhile
We singing the same old song spinning the vinyl
Eleven graders gone wrong
He focused on the NBA we focused on some Patron
Now watch that black boy fly

What he talks about in the first verse is how Aaron aflalo made it out of the dark hole and is now a professional basketball player. Kendrick even compares himself to him how Aaron is working hard in the gym while him and the others ditch class and drink.

(Chorus)

I used to jealous of Jayceon
I used to jealous of Jayceon, Taylor when I was young
Taylor made a career out of music from writing songs
A Buick had driven past bumping him when I mowed the lawn
Money laundering hustling, homies pondering up against
Schemes to make a million even if doing you harm
War's the case and just in case you wasn't alarmed
The city had fought with firearms and many had died before dawn
Its 2004 and I'm hearing the people roar
For the name of The Game they line in front of the store
Swap meets selling our mixtapes I'm like oh shit, wait
Don't wanna be another nigga stuck regretting mistakes
Mixed feelings was my opinion I was defending my insecurities
Chillin' my conscience next to a villain
Compton made you believe success wasn't real
Be honest, none of us knew of a record deal
So as I peel through these lottery tickets
I see a Harley Davidson truck visit the same plaza we shopped
A tall nigga hopped out with Jordan's and a white tank top
He was top of the rap game, we was the top of the block
So watch that black boy fly

Here he talks about jaceyon, who is made a career out of rapping. Jayceon which which is now known as The Game got out of the neighborhood and made a name for himself. While others looks at a guy that was once in a their strata level being on top of them, the people left behind feel like losers and that they will never rise out  of the place of violence.

(Chorus)

My mama didn't raise me up to be jealous hearted
Like most of the winners call it
Regardless of where you stay, hold your head and continue marching
That's what she said but in my head I wanted to be like Jordan
A boy touring the country with money from mic recording
The only way out the ghetto, you know the stereotype
Shooting hoops or live on the stereo like top forty
And shortly, I got discouraged
Like every time I walked to the corner had them guns bursting
Nigga, I was rehearsing in repetition the phrase
Only one in a million will ever see better days
Especially when the crime waves was bigger than tsunamis
Break your boogie boards to pieces you just a typical homie
All these niggas facetious and they all standing beside me
They all will buy me a chopper if any one of you try me
What am I to do when every neighborhood is an obstacle
When two niggas making it out had never sounded logical
Three niggas making it out, that's mission impossible
So I never believed the type of performance that I can do
I wasn't jealous 'cause of the talents they got
I was terrified they'll be the last black boys to fly
Out of Compton

In the last verse Kendrick talks about what his future is waiting for him. Regardless of where he is from he will rise out of that strata level and get rid of that label that the nation has put for him.  Hea terrified to be the last one to get out, but he knows he'll be out rather than people who get sucked into that dark hole, known as Compton. 

Thank God
Black boy fly, watch that black boy fly

And what he means by black boy fly is: he is giving inspiration to anyone that is willing to accept their change and "fly" out of Compton and become something better 

Source:https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tl6y45eacmuhanjwf424s72tkcq?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-songlyrics

Movie Blog

      The blog that I am doing today deals with a movie.  How can you apply a sociological point of view from watching a movie.  There should be much more thought in watching the movie rather than just watching it to tell your friends you saw the newest movie.  I have always seen movies in a different way than most people.  A lot of thoughts run through my head, and I give more personalities and more reasons for a character to be in that movie, even more than what the character was already intended to have.
      I recently watched "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", and this movie deals with teen angst for the most part. It deals with how somebody is in the lowest level of the social levels in that particular school.  We have all seen it.  In schools more often than not, the athletic teams are at the top, and the people that are actually making something out of their lives (like the math team), are rated at the bottom.  In this movie which is based on a very, well written book, the main character is at the bottom of the level  with a group of friends that he meets.  A lot of the characters in the movie are born  in to families that have expectations.  Even though it does not say that in the book, one can analyze and come to a conclusion.  I will now list some of the more important characters and try to give my sociological opinion on them.
      The first one is Charlie and he is the main character, and he is also narrating his writings that he writes in a type writer.  Charlie went through a pretty bad depression when he was in middle school, partially because I think he put very high expectations for himself and he couldn't meet them.  For example, his brother was a really good football player for Penn State, and his brother was also a very popular kid in school.  When Charlie goes into high school he has social anxiety and is hard for him to find friends.
    Patrick and Sam are the ones in the lowest level in the high school.  They also have a very good way of seeing life, and they are the ones that take in Charlie when no one else would.  They met when their parents married each other, which forced them to be family.  The reason I think that they are such free people is because their parents were going through a hard time while their kids were growing up and they wouldn't pay attention to Patrick and Sam.  Sam and Patrick instead of becoming depressed they went the opposite way and lived a stress-free life.  Sam is really free, she loves nature and is a really friendly person.  Patrick is a gay senior taking the freshman classes he never passed.  They have no troubles in their life at all.
     Another one is Brad, and he is at the top of the level in the school, because he is a football player that will eventually play for Penn State.  He lives a perfect external life, but internally he is gay and loves Patrick.  His dad expects too much from him.  He wants Brad to be the perfect jock with the best grades, and when his dad finds out hes gay, the dad beats Brad.  You can see how much Brad's dad expects out of him.  You can see in what type of family he grew up in.