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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.

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..

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

Would you stop a theft..?

Replace your audience response systems with Poll Everywhere

Hey guys! Here's a quick little survey to take that I created based on a topic being studied in class. Please take a few minutes to vote and get your opinion out there! Thanks!
-Heather