This article was a riot between two different groups: the fans of the Manchester United and the fans of Tottenham. They didn't like each other and eventually during the day they met up by each other, across the street. Police men stood in the middle trying to control the situation but it was hard with such a big group. Robert wanted his one friend to come with him and see it all and experience the craziness and he was trying to protect him from gettin hurt. He waited and waited for the "big thing" to happen and it never did. Smelser's 6 Factors are the following:
1. Structural conduciveness-The structure of society is very violent and people know that they should hate the fans on the "other side" so it causes for problems.
2. Structural Strain-Everyone is pressured to attack the other side of people
3. Generalized belief-All the people there agree that what they are doing is right and they conform to one another's morals and ways of thinking
4. Precipitating factors-When the two sides came face to face across the street and the police were in the middle of them and one person crossed the line
5. Mobilization for action-They have a large group of people that are willing to take a violent action together
6. Madequate social control-In this situation the police were the authorities and they beat up people acting out of line but when they were standing in between the 2 groups they didn't do much.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Race, prisoners, and jail
I always knew minorities had a big part in jails, but I never knew quite how much. After reading this article I've realized that officers can be racist when it comes to issues like these. I mean 99.2% of the kids busted were minorities, that's insane! I don't think this necessarily means more black kids or Mexican kids are doing crimes, I just think police officers are going to neighbors they know have crime more frequently than "white" neighborhoods so of course they're going to catch the minority kids. I think blacks already have that "bad guy" reputation and by seeing more of them in jail it just kind of proves to people that it's true. I'm not sure why it seems that more minorities are in prison than white people but it does seem to work out that way.
Referring to primary and secondary deviance, which we talked about in class today, I definitely think that most prisoners, once busted, will get busted again. Just by the stats alone it's shows that most prisoners once released will get caught again and be put right back in jail. I don't know if society's noticed or not, but this isn't good! Haha. I'm no expert or anything so I'm not sure how we can help prevent this problem, if there even is a solution, but jails aren't really doing the trick clearly. I don't think locking someone up for years at a time is really helping them to become a better person. It may keep them out of society's hands for awhile so they can't commit crime, but it's not helping them as a person. What these prisoners need is motivation. They're not getting that in jail. What they're being taught is jail is to listen to every instruction before you get beat and to behave well while in front of officers. What they do once in their cells is up to them but they will get punished for bad behavior. They are dehumanized when they are in prison and you can tell. They no longer have an identity and they aren't treated like normal humans. I think a better solution to jail is having a parole type thing but have them doing that the whole time instead of serving prison time first. This way they're helping the community and maybe seeing how much it sucks to have to clean up after criminals who do bad things. Also, they aren't trapped in a building 24/7; they can experience the real world still.
This article just goes to show these crimes are starting at a young age and since most prisoners are stuck in the "Vicious Cycle," then there's no wonder that people spend their whole lives in jail.
Referring to primary and secondary deviance, which we talked about in class today, I definitely think that most prisoners, once busted, will get busted again. Just by the stats alone it's shows that most prisoners once released will get caught again and be put right back in jail. I don't know if society's noticed or not, but this isn't good! Haha. I'm no expert or anything so I'm not sure how we can help prevent this problem, if there even is a solution, but jails aren't really doing the trick clearly. I don't think locking someone up for years at a time is really helping them to become a better person. It may keep them out of society's hands for awhile so they can't commit crime, but it's not helping them as a person. What these prisoners need is motivation. They're not getting that in jail. What they're being taught is jail is to listen to every instruction before you get beat and to behave well while in front of officers. What they do once in their cells is up to them but they will get punished for bad behavior. They are dehumanized when they are in prison and you can tell. They no longer have an identity and they aren't treated like normal humans. I think a better solution to jail is having a parole type thing but have them doing that the whole time instead of serving prison time first. This way they're helping the community and maybe seeing how much it sucks to have to clean up after criminals who do bad things. Also, they aren't trapped in a building 24/7; they can experience the real world still.
This article just goes to show these crimes are starting at a young age and since most prisoners are stuck in the "Vicious Cycle," then there's no wonder that people spend their whole lives in jail.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
JAIL!! Was interesting...
So this week we took a little trip over to the DuPage Country Jail. We started off our morning seeing the court rooms. They were a little different than I thought they'd be. I was expecting to see people yelling and lawyers making statements and such but it wasn't this way at all. They were a lot more calm and organized. Just by looking at the criminal in all the cases you could make some conclusions. In a lot of cases they were African American or Hispanic. You could tell some came from poor backgrounds and according to the Conflict Theory this may be a reason they were given such consequences. If a celebrity had done the same crime they would probably get away with a lot more just because of their wealth and status. it was cool to see the court give them their punishments though and what they had to do. A lot of cases had parole after their time was up. The whole process was really quick.
Later in the afternoon after enjoying a nice lunch in the sun, we went into the jail. The Sargent who talked to us before seeing the jail was a little intimidating got to admit. I think that was his purpose and goal to prepare us and kind of give us a feeling of what it's like to be treated like an inmate, very controlled. The jail itself I thought was very clean and not like what you see in movies at all. Obviously it wasn't luxurious but it could be a lot worse. It was interesting to hear about how many arrested people they get monthly and daily. I didn't think the rate was that high, a little sad. I liked talking about possible rehab programs for the inmates instead. I don't think jail is the right place for some of the people there and if anything it might make them even more resentful and commit an even greater act of deviance when in there or when released. I think what we try to get out of people after putting them in jail is a learning experience so hopefully they don't do another crime but unfortunetly this is very unrealistic. Majority of the inmates in there once released, get arrested again. It's an awful cycle to be wrapped up in and once you're in it, it's hard to get out. Some theories were shown here as well, such as the Feminist Theory. Women do get a special attetion type of thing. They don't get treated differently but they are on a spearate floor and they have more rights when it comes to the sexual thing. Guy officers can't go up there alone or visitos, like us, because she could say the guy raped her. However, women officers or visitors can walk throught the guy area. Makes no sense. The jail itself uses the Labeling Theory by saying "Hey, what you did is wrong and it is an act of deviance, therefore you will be punished." I thought it was avery educational day and I liked seeing the "other side" of how life can be. I will never break a law now! (:
Later in the afternoon after enjoying a nice lunch in the sun, we went into the jail. The Sargent who talked to us before seeing the jail was a little intimidating got to admit. I think that was his purpose and goal to prepare us and kind of give us a feeling of what it's like to be treated like an inmate, very controlled. The jail itself I thought was very clean and not like what you see in movies at all. Obviously it wasn't luxurious but it could be a lot worse. It was interesting to hear about how many arrested people they get monthly and daily. I didn't think the rate was that high, a little sad. I liked talking about possible rehab programs for the inmates instead. I don't think jail is the right place for some of the people there and if anything it might make them even more resentful and commit an even greater act of deviance when in there or when released. I think what we try to get out of people after putting them in jail is a learning experience so hopefully they don't do another crime but unfortunetly this is very unrealistic. Majority of the inmates in there once released, get arrested again. It's an awful cycle to be wrapped up in and once you're in it, it's hard to get out. Some theories were shown here as well, such as the Feminist Theory. Women do get a special attetion type of thing. They don't get treated differently but they are on a spearate floor and they have more rights when it comes to the sexual thing. Guy officers can't go up there alone or visitos, like us, because she could say the guy raped her. However, women officers or visitors can walk throught the guy area. Makes no sense. The jail itself uses the Labeling Theory by saying "Hey, what you did is wrong and it is an act of deviance, therefore you will be punished." I thought it was avery educational day and I liked seeing the "other side" of how life can be. I will never break a law now! (:
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Article of little boy liking princesses (10/28)
Well, after reading this interesting article, I feel some hope for our future generation. When I first started reading it however, I figured it'd be a typical article about how some boy likes girl things and the parents yell at the kid for it and everything like I've heard happen before. But to my surprise the article was a little more positive than that. The parents never actually told the kid not to be a princess or not to like pink. They didn't yell at him for it or punish him. The little boy figured out on his own (possibly with influence from society and other kids), that it was wrong to wear girl clothes in public. He knew he was a boy and that people might think he was a girl if he wore a princess shirt to school. The fact that he still wanted to try on the dresses and was attracted to girl stuff is still an issue according to our society, but he knew that he might get picked on if anyone else besides family saw. The psychologist stated that he is still young and it's very common for young kids to like both gender items. She told the mom not to worry about it, it might just be a phase. When the little boy tried on the dress and showed his dad, the dad just smiled. I found this odd, in a good way, that the dad didn't yell at his son. Most dads want their son to be very masculine and athletic but he seemed to just shrug it off, for now at least.
I feel that in today's society we are all supposed to fit a certain image and sterotype and that't not right. I won't lie and say that I don't fall for beauty ads because I totally do but I feel ashamed of myself for falling for them because I know I don't need to look like what they say is "beautiful." I really do think everyone is beautiful in their own unique way and it keeps life interesting that way. If everyone were models the world would be boring, we'd all look the same. I also support gays and if their happy then good for them. This boy was only 3 but it could be a first step in homosexuality. A lot of people today don't support homosexuality and I thnik that's so rude. They are human too and aren't any less important than anyone else. The fact that this boy is only 3 and already knew that it wasn't socially acceptable to wear a dress out inpublic is pretty sad. That goes to show we still send out that message of what girls and guys should or shouldn't be.
I feel that in today's society we are all supposed to fit a certain image and sterotype and that't not right. I won't lie and say that I don't fall for beauty ads because I totally do but I feel ashamed of myself for falling for them because I know I don't need to look like what they say is "beautiful." I really do think everyone is beautiful in their own unique way and it keeps life interesting that way. If everyone were models the world would be boring, we'd all look the same. I also support gays and if their happy then good for them. This boy was only 3 but it could be a first step in homosexuality. A lot of people today don't support homosexuality and I thnik that's so rude. They are human too and aren't any less important than anyone else. The fact that this boy is only 3 and already knew that it wasn't socially acceptable to wear a dress out inpublic is pretty sad. That goes to show we still send out that message of what girls and guys should or shouldn't be.
Monday, September 20, 2010
$YMb@l$
Top 5 symbols in America..
1. McDonalds-I know a lot of people are going to put this as their symbol but it's really big to me. If you think about it there's a McDonald's in every state in the U.S. and to me that's sad. A place with such unhealthy food should not be so popular but unfortunetly is. America wants the quick fix for everything and McDonald's is the perfect fast food place for that.
2. American flag- The flag is a huge symbol of America because it is everywhere and most Americans respect it. We say the pledge of allegiance everyday at school and stand up looking to the flag with our hand over our heart. It's a very sentimental symbol to me and I think it's a huge part of America.
3. Fashion- Fashion in general is a huge part of America because it represents who we are. We get to express ourselves in whatever way we like through our clothes and it tells other people who don't know us well a little bit about us. It can be bad though because sometimes it conforms people into being something they're not.
4. Technology- This is big in America because everything these days is almost based off of technology. We have computers in school to do our work, we have iPods and cell phones and a ton of other stff I'm not going to list but it is a huge contribution in our society today. It also can be bad though because it has changed our language, for example texting lingo. People are becoming more and more addicted to technology as it gets more and more in depth.
5. Money- Money has a major impact in the U.S. because it basically controls everything. People start fights over money, they die because of money, they find jobs because of money, everything happens because of it. It is such a large focus in society that people forget to focus on the more important stuff which I think is a partial reason why our generation is changing.
1. McDonalds-I know a lot of people are going to put this as their symbol but it's really big to me. If you think about it there's a McDonald's in every state in the U.S. and to me that's sad. A place with such unhealthy food should not be so popular but unfortunetly is. America wants the quick fix for everything and McDonald's is the perfect fast food place for that.
2. American flag- The flag is a huge symbol of America because it is everywhere and most Americans respect it. We say the pledge of allegiance everyday at school and stand up looking to the flag with our hand over our heart. It's a very sentimental symbol to me and I think it's a huge part of America.
3. Fashion- Fashion in general is a huge part of America because it represents who we are. We get to express ourselves in whatever way we like through our clothes and it tells other people who don't know us well a little bit about us. It can be bad though because sometimes it conforms people into being something they're not.
4. Technology- This is big in America because everything these days is almost based off of technology. We have computers in school to do our work, we have iPods and cell phones and a ton of other stff I'm not going to list but it is a huge contribution in our society today. It also can be bad though because it has changed our language, for example texting lingo. People are becoming more and more addicted to technology as it gets more and more in depth.
5. Money- Money has a major impact in the U.S. because it basically controls everything. People start fights over money, they die because of money, they find jobs because of money, everything happens because of it. It is such a large focus in society that people forget to focus on the more important stuff which I think is a partial reason why our generation is changing.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sociology popped up in my mind when..
So I was at work today, minding my own business, sort of, and a Hispanic family came up to the register. Oh by the way in case you were wondering I work at the most awesome place ever...Portillos. Anywho, so clearly they wanted to place an order and when I went to ask "What can I get for you guys?", they all stared at me and the dad said, "En espanol." I looked back at him and told him "Si, yo se espanol!" which means "yes I know spanish." However this guy didn't seem to believe me and just kept staring at me like I was a crazy person or something. I nodded my head and smiled trying to show them I could take their order considering I know the basics of spanish, but they weren't talking. So finally I decided to go get another Hispanic worker who could translate for them. The minute this other worker walked up, the customers started ordering. I was so confused because I had clearly said I knew spanish and I am almost positive they understood that yet they wouldn't order with me.
I wasn't legit mad or anything but I can honestly say I was a little offended just because to me I was trying to put in effort and work with them but they just assumed since I was white that I didn't know spanish well enough. What made me laugh was the part when they saw the Hispanic worker walk up to the register, they immediately started talking. This incident just reminded me a lot of this class considering it's called sociology and I started to kind of think about society and how it really works after this happened. So I'm sitting there at work, well actually standing, and just pondering this through my head. I told the other worker about what they did and he simply said in a joking voice, "That's just us typical mexicanos!" He just kind of giggled it off and didn't think anything of it. I know it's not a huge deal but to me it was because I felt that I was being judged by them. They looked at my skin color and assumed because I wasn't exactly like them that I couldn't speak their language. This is just one example about how society is run though. People all the time including myself will look at someone and judge them instantly just based off of looks. It's really sad to me that that's what it's come down to but it only takes one to start a change. I think from this experience I'm going to start to look at everyone as their own individual and not base them off of a stereotypical "label." It was a very interesting night at Portillos to say the least..
I wasn't legit mad or anything but I can honestly say I was a little offended just because to me I was trying to put in effort and work with them but they just assumed since I was white that I didn't know spanish well enough. What made me laugh was the part when they saw the Hispanic worker walk up to the register, they immediately started talking. This incident just reminded me a lot of this class considering it's called sociology and I started to kind of think about society and how it really works after this happened. So I'm sitting there at work, well actually standing, and just pondering this through my head. I told the other worker about what they did and he simply said in a joking voice, "That's just us typical mexicanos!" He just kind of giggled it off and didn't think anything of it. I know it's not a huge deal but to me it was because I felt that I was being judged by them. They looked at my skin color and assumed because I wasn't exactly like them that I couldn't speak their language. This is just one example about how society is run though. People all the time including myself will look at someone and judge them instantly just based off of looks. It's really sad to me that that's what it's come down to but it only takes one to start a change. I think from this experience I'm going to start to look at everyone as their own individual and not base them off of a stereotypical "label." It was a very interesting night at Portillos to say the least..
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sociology plays a part in everyday life
So during my very nice and long, relaxing weekend, I actually happened to think about this class a little. I was at the football game on friday night, cheering on the West Chicago Wildcats, and there happen to be a special someone there. His name is Fred and I would say he's somewhere in his 20's. I believe he's also been to some other football games because some of the students recognized him. But there is something mentally wrong with Fred. I'm not quite sure what but he is not "all there." Anyways, he was doing silly jokes and saying funny things and people were cracking up at him and asking him all kinds of questions, even myself. But the longer we kept talking to him, I realized people were starting to be mean. In their minds it was all fun and games but Fred thought we were serious. People were giving him wacky fake names and asking him to do embarassing things and he was falling for it. And I'm not going to sit here and say I wasn;t a part of it, because I was. But looking back on it, I really question why we did that. Why did we keep going on and on with making fun of him in a sense? And why did no one else step in and say "stop?"
I think we have an automatic sensor about people that lets us quickly judge them; whether it be good or bad. In this case, it wasn't good. Poor Fred had no clue we were laughing AT him and not with him and he kept giving us what we wanted to hear. I think when the first person started talking to him, it encouraged another person to and so on and so on. We follow others in society, it's what we do. Everyone would have most likely just left him alone, (maybe with some weird stares) if someone didn't get it all started. I just wonder how much it take for someone to step in and yell "stop." But I learned something this weekend. I learned that I have a lot to learn myself considering I wasn't the person to say "stop" either. Society is getting out of control and it only takes one to take initiative and turn it all around.
-Heather
I think we have an automatic sensor about people that lets us quickly judge them; whether it be good or bad. In this case, it wasn't good. Poor Fred had no clue we were laughing AT him and not with him and he kept giving us what we wanted to hear. I think when the first person started talking to him, it encouraged another person to and so on and so on. We follow others in society, it's what we do. Everyone would have most likely just left him alone, (maybe with some weird stares) if someone didn't get it all started. I just wonder how much it take for someone to step in and yell "stop." But I learned something this weekend. I learned that I have a lot to learn myself considering I wasn't the person to say "stop" either. Society is getting out of control and it only takes one to take initiative and turn it all around.
-Heather
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