Implicit and explicit racism

When first reading the first picture shown I didn't see anything wrong with saying 'looting' but after reading the 2nd picture listed I was offended just reading it. It sounded so wrong labeling a black person as 'looting' and a white person as 'finding'. However on the 2nd picture, though I completely see the relatively, I'm less offended. I would hope they would pose a white basketball player as the same way just because they want the basketball player to look menacing (though that's a sterotype men were thrown into) and not just because it's a black basketball player. I found it even more interesting (after watching the video clip) that children so young were choosing the black doll as the "bad doll" and the white doll as the "nice doll". That just completely shocked me. So much so that the video seemed boring in comparison to that last part because I actually sat up seeing such a thing. 15 of 21 perferred the white over the black and being honest, I probably would've too. I've never had a black baby doll or anything like that because barbies and most common dolls were always white in my life. I don't think I ever even had a friend growing up that had a black baby doll toy, polly pocket, barbie doll whatever and I didn't even think about it till right now.

Balls of Sociology

I labeled my catorgizies as: size, color, weight, shape, feel, pattern
Therefore, based on my choices, I get catorgized under the 1st label: traits. I will be the first to admit I am terrible at classifying heritage. People I know or people I associate with get completely offended I say russian instead of polish or chinese instead of japanese. I was brought to judge a person based off how they act and portray themselves. If given that class "test" (where we put 4 ppl in each catagory) alone, I would have indefinitely failed. That was a huge issue when my brother got married because some people judged my brothers (now wife) based off her weight and let that affect their decision about her from then on. Subconsciously or not but it was really bad. My sister in law is a wonder sweet person and a great mom to my niece. I don't know how anyone can let a view an image ultimately affect how they get along with another but that is what I would call shallow. I will note I had a very bad experience growing up and due to what happen I shutter when caught off gaurd seeing a paticular male race. I won't name which because I don't like to view myself as racist. It's not something I mean to do and I certainly don't say anything or let it stop me from talking to or becoming friends with someone that would fall into the same catagory. Not to sound harsh by comparing humans and dogs but when my dad was little he was attacked by a dog and nearly lost his sight. He still shutters when getting caught off guard by a dog's presence. So I think it's the same thing. He doesn't mean to and he usually won't admit it, but he loves our dog Tiger.

More about poverty

I want to add after watching the ABC clip I do not blame the parents or a Mountain Dew company for damage done. As it says, parents were once children growing in poverty too. Soda companies wrote back to ABC saying how could anyone blame them with what an adult is filling their childs sippy cup with? I don't think the soda companies should be blamed. Why are food stamps being used for soda?? I realize they say less healthy food is cheaper but that is not ALWAYS true. I'd rather give my children water or lemonade even than soda. I also wish the adults who aren't doing anything tried to maybe get a farm going if they could. I know it might sound out there but if they could get their hands on farm animals that would solve their food problem I think. Then they would be doing something with their day and helping their children at the same time. Just a though, obviously people with zero income could do that though.

Poverty

In my last blog I said I do not believe unless given a miracle that you have much chance to move up. Even though this post labeled Choosing Poverty? with the 60 minute clip and Jeff Canada raving it cannot fail, I still don't believe. This school that he has created is undoubtably amazing. However I'd catorgize that as a miracle. Jeff is LOADED and it's absolutely wonderful that he is doing what he's doing but as it says in the video only 200 out of 375 get it. Parents tell him how could he do that to a 3 year old but the simple fact of the matter is that there is no possible way to help everybody. I believe (maybe I'm wrong) that people need to fail in order for things to work. One of my first days in Stevenson I was told not everyone will succeed not everyone will go to college not everyone will get a 4.0 that's the way it has to be. So maybe it was how I was raised to think(that not everyone can succeed) but truly how would it work?? Somebody has to do the dirty work. If everyone is going to college and has an incredible education who would do it? I guess everyone could then start doing things themselves (like the self check out line where you bag your own groceries) but when the machines break who would fix them? What if everyone believed they were above fixing a grocery line machine. Thinking as I write this it sounds rather negative but I know many others who agree with my view and don't see the world ever changing to no one on the streets and everyone succeeding. As the last half of the video says Obama wants to spread that kind of school around why not San Antonio why not Los Angeles? But in the next clip it says you can go to a french restaurant and the food taste good but what's the secret to it? Society would literally have to replicate what Jeff Canada does.

Monopoly

When I walked into class I was the 2nd person sitting at my table. I get to class pretty early since my class before it is just below. Anyways I grabbed the wheel barrow right away because I didn't want anyone taking it on me (I'm ALWAYS the wheelbarrow). I guess by that very first choice I made I learned 2 things. 1. That I should've been patient (because had I read the directions I would've seen the wheelbarrow wasn't involved at all. 2. I learned you could be the earliest worm (or the hardest working- as a more societal way to put it) and still get the "poor" end of the stick. That indeed is what happened to me. As everyone filed in they picked up a playing piece and when Sal started explaining the directions it was revealed to me that not only did I have to repick a piece but that I was the "working class". Anything can happen in America Sal said, but in the end I was on welfare. Not a chance in the world I could pick things back up unless a miracle struck. I think it showed me that even though i believe anything can happen in America, the working class will die working class because no one is really helping them. It would be VERY rare if that kind of a person could get someone to help them in such a way to jump to a higher social class. I have been what I consider middle class my whole life. I think when I was little I got very very class to lower class but things picked back up and at one point maybe my family was a little above the average middle class person. Of course there are extremes to the scale so it's really quite hard to figure out becuase would Jay Leno really consider himself middle class compared to a homeless person? I don't think so. Then again, depending how you look at it I could be upper class if you look at it from that prosective too. But then you have Bill Gates which tips the scale completely again because compared to him I would be lower class. So it all depends on your views and your scales. Who you are comparing and what your personal opinoin is.

Could you live without money?

Before readding the article my original thought was you'd have to be a certain person to live without money. After reading the article I am less convinced that is true. I at first thought it would take a certain amount of skill or "smarts" to do so but now I think it has more to do with if it's the lifestyle you want or not. I think anyone could die in an accident (any type of accident having nothing to do with how smart you are) so saying that I think it depends on your open mindedness. Daniel says in the article money is not present. I think that quote right there got me. I agree with him it's not. I think growing up so plentifully as we did (our generation, our previous generation, etc.) it would be uncomfortable for us to not take a shower in a tub but rain has the same affect of washing your body, does it not? The man writing the article, Chris, visits where Daniel lives and comments how it smells. Deodorant, perfumes, colognes, soaps they were all created by man and cost money to get. If nobody smelled like that nobody would notice. Our bodies don't need to be enhanced in any way but I will comment on that specific topic a couple of blogs from now.

Tuesdays with Morrie

I think people are more afraid than they may realize or admit to themselves. I didn't realize I was scared of some things until they happened but then there's no going back you have to move forward like falling in love but it's a good kind of scared. I'm not entirely sure how much I agree with Morrie though he sounded incredibly insightful. Maybe it's just that I don't understand him yet like Mich getting nervous he didn't understand some of Morrie's lessons/sayings and what if he never did? What if he failed? Except he didn't fail because Janine saw him become a different person and he put his work more off to the side. His work consumed his life so much and for so long he lost who he really was and you can see he finally realized that when chasing after that celeb and his mistress. When Mich dies would his life be more significant by chasing after them? No. But by chasing after and pursuing Janine he could have a family and a completely different life, one that actually meant something. Though Mich was dependent on no one he learned to put more faith in Morrie and Janine in the end and it made a HUGE difference in his life.