Monopoly Class

This week in class we played monopoly based on social class with regulated rules. For my groups case, the richer only became richer and the poor became poorer while everyone seemed to remain in their original social class. This just goes to prove how hard it is to move between social classes in society. Typically if you start out with money, if you're born into it, it is easier to become successful and harder to lose big. Those who play smart, take risks, and have some luck are those who tend to move up in social class. Same goes for real life. This game was a perfect example to show the structure of the economic ladder and just how difficult it is to move out of poverty or out of wealth. For some people this may be a huge let down while for others it is more of a safety blanket. But there are those cases in which people move down in social class, but that is mostly due to poor decisions with a bit of bad luck too. Also, those people who started off with more property were able to gain more from rent and also able to afford more land. This just goes to show how big companies survive at a higher rate as opposed to privately owned ones. There are mass branches of target and its great success while it beats out those smaller businesses trying to become a part of the business world. However there are those few cases where these small stores do survive, yet not as often as the chain ones. Basically we should not look down on those in poverty because most likely it is not their fault, we should rather try to help them.

Social Class

When we were watching the video this week in class it was hard to believe that some of those people were being serious. The crude remarks the "high class" ranked ladies and gentlemen made were unreal. By saying because of their lifestyle and money they are automatically smarter, better looking, nicer, and have more friends was the most pompous and ridiculous statement I've ever heard. Personally by watching the video and the "old money" upper class people's lives it seemed boring, stuck up, and there was no room for error. If you were not born into that life style, you don't belong there. Same goes for if a person was born rich but was then kicked out of their house for any reason and forced to live with low income, they wouldn't be able to fit into a poverty stricken class because that's just not their life style. I don't like how it is unrealistic to move between class levels just because of who your family is or what you represent. Class is something that society puts in too high of esteem. It shouldn't matter how much money you have or where you're from, people are people. We should make friends based on the person, not their class. Anyone who is willing to be a friend to another should be able to be friends with that person, and not resist because their "class" told them to or not to be. I don't feel the reality of class is as apparent in our area as if someone from the city were to visit the suburbs around here because it would be harder for them to fit in and feel equal. Overall, I do not approve of social class because it is just a refined version of the ancient caste system, which did not last.

Drugs and Deviance

We did an activity in class this week that dealt with drug descriptions and matching the level of legality for each. We did not know the names of each drug and we weren't supposed to try and figure that out. Simply we had to categorize the drugs as legal over the counter, legal prescription, illegal misdemeanor, or illegal felony. It was interesting to see how some of the legal drugs we categorized as illegal and vise versa. Based on the descriptions my group put heroine in the legal prescription category, while we put nicotine in the misdemeanor category. We had several debates about weather certain drugs should be legal or not based on the severity of effects. For the warnings on nearly every single one there was a "possibility of death". This just goes to show that any drug, no matter how common, can be dangerous if you abuse it. If a person were walking around on the streets with a bottle of aspirin then people wouldn't think anything of it, even if their plan was to go pop 10 at a time around the next corner. But if someone were shooting up heroine on the streets, not only would people think something of it, but everyone would know as cops would be on this person. Reason being? This is an act of deviance and not only out of the norm, but illegal. People residing behind prison bars are there because of one reason: they participated in illegal deviance. It is crazy to hear cases of someone selling marijuana being in prison for longer than someone murdering their spouse. That just doesn't seem right, but because of the War on Drugs in America the amount of people in prison caught with possession of drugs has sky rocketed. In my opinion, if you intentionally end another person's life, then you don't deserve to continue living yours after minimal punishment. No, we shouldn't physically end murderers lives by means of death sentence, but we should technically end them by keeping them locked up until their death. Their only option then is to live their lives, yet in the worst conditions possible. We shouldn't sympathize with killers, but rather give them a taste of their own medicine, torture.

Age 18: Adult?

This week in class we discussed milestones in our lives. In third grade we had to do a "milestone" project. Back then the most important milestones in my life consisted of being born, taking my first steps, saying my first words, my first day of school, and learning how to ride a bike. Now as we looked at the time-line of life in a much broader view I realize there are so many more milestones that would be important to me now. I have already passed several like getting my license and starting high school, but there are still huge ones to look forward to in my future like going to college, getting married, and having kids. Milestones are something to look back on, to live in the moment of, and to dream of in years to come. One milestone that people find important is the age of 18, the start of one's adulthood. At this age we are able to buy lottery tickets, cigarettes, porn, have no curfew, join the military, and are legally considered an "adult". But in reality these are just benefits of the age that the government has set for us, it doesn't automatically mean we are considered an adult the moment the clock strikes 12:01 on our 18th birthday. My sister started living in her own apartment out in California at age 18, she has a part time job, goes to school, has a dog, all of the things that adults might have too. Yet, my parents still support her financially and pay for her apartment, without them she'd be lucky to be able to share an apartment with 4 other kids. She might think of herself as an adult because she's living independent and not even remotely in the same state as our parents, but really she's not an adult. Now at age 20 she still has the same job, goes to school, and takes care of her dog, but she still has no steady job and is just a year away from graduating college. An adult would know what to do after their senior year, but she will just have to see what the future holds for her much like young adults all over the nation.

Aikido

Today in class we learned about aikido. Aikido is described as a Japanese martial art that combines martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. People practice it to know how to get out of bad situations without necessary fighting. It is more of a defensive act rather than an attack in order to use the energy of your opponent against themselves. I feel like this is a good skill to have because it will teach people in today's society to be less violent and more focused on the inner goal. It's a more positive way to solve problems rather than fighting. Yes, if someone attacks you you will be forced to twist them into uncomfortable positions, but only for your own benefit. Schools should teach this in opposition to fighting, or at least advertise it. If everyone was aikido knowledgeable then the world would be more peaceful and focused on their own actions. We wouldn't follow instinct but more thought based actions. Aikido seems like a revolution that we should all become involved in, especially in the sense of self defense.

Girls Vs Boys

This week in class we discussed the differences between girls and boys. How the media affects them and how their culture affects who they become when they grow up. Girls are ultimately represented by the color pink and boys with the color blue. But I say, what if a baby boy had his first crib in a pink room? How would that truly affect who he is in later years. Just because he has a pink room as a baby doesnt mean he will be gay or love pink things, that is just people's preconceived thoughts. If a girl grows up in a blue room it doesnt mean she will be a boy or necessarily act like one. Yes, growing up with only a mom or only a dad is difficult and tends to skew the actions of kids, but a girl that has only a dad wont automatically be a "dike". I feel like the media has a big affect on people because they are telling parents how kids SHOULD be. Girls should like pink and boys should like blue. Girls should like make-up, shopping, and singing. Boys should like sports, eating, and fighting. These are all considered sex related norms. But in today's society people are more accepting of boys and girls breaking the norms. Girls can play sports where as boys can sing in choir. Overall I have learned just how apparent the media pushes girls and boys in opposite directions to satisfy how society should be.

Homeschooling

This week in class we discussed the topic of homeschooling. For me it's weird to think that some teenagers don't get the full life experience. Missing out on high school is literally like missing out on a part of life. High school is said to be "the best years of your life" but when you don't go you miss out. Sure home-schooled kids will still get a good education but maybe they will miss part of the curriculum, they won't be able to put on their college applications that they graduated from a prestigious high school like ours for example. I can't imagine not having a social life and no friends from school. It would be really hard to go into the real world or college after being home-schooled. My friend told me that someone she knows is home-schooled and the only social interaction they get on a regular basis is from going to church. Sure church is a social gathering but it is more conserved and not a place to goof off with like you can sometimes at school. Basically I would hate my life if I were home-schooled and I would be so out of the norm it would be hard to adapt later in life.