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Over the past nineteen years, I have worked as a designer/project manager in the office furniture industry.  I have witnessed changes in trends in style and colors.  Never did I look at the furniture that I work with everyday as anything more than aesthetic and a place to sit down.  It wasn’t until I participated in Dr. Jacobson’s Sociology 201 class that I started to view seating in a different way.

Dr. Jacobson’s video on Material & Non-Material Culture using seating as an example of both material and non material culture.  While some items are one or the other, seating in education can take on the characteristics of both cultures.  The above picture illustrates just how many types of seating can be found in a typical K-12 educational setting.  Not only are the items material culture that can be utilized but they also have non-material characteristics that denote status and function of those that use them daily.  In Dr. J’s video example, she mentions that material culture reflects non-material ideas and beliefs and non-material culture determines the use of the material items, which is an example of correlation.  In an educational setting, each seat is something tangible that can be seen and touched, however they are also non-material because of the functions they represent and the people they serve within the educational hierarchy.

It was interesting to me to be able to make a connection in this class to my professional world and also make a connection to the world I anticipate journeying to professional after I complete my education.

Word Count: 260

Jacobson, D. S. (2019). Material and Non Material Culture. Retrieved from HACC.

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               Despite the negative press that follows the NFL from time to time, the league is a huge platform for promoting social change. And despite the negative stories, there are players and coaches that are standing up for the better good and awareness in the community.

               Initiatives for subjects vary, but mainly focus on children welfare causes such as education, mentoring, physical wellness, and social justice.  According to Troy Vincent- Former player and players association president, now the league's pro football operations chief, "You have to really take the time to understand the topic, you can't just dive in. We really took the time to meet with and talk to advocates and community leaders and to decide the most important aspects to focus on under the broad social justice umbrella."  (Wilner, 2019)  The league commits millions of dollars each year to social causes and those millions do not include the money raised by individual clubs and players for their adopted causes. The NFL’s commitment to improvement of society on a national and global level is honored every year with the “Walter Payton Man of the Year” award.

           Emergent norm theory, theory of collective action emphasizing the influence of keynoters in promoting new behavioral norms (Conley, 2017, p. 701) is demonstrated by the leadership and motivation of players who are humble and step outside of themselves to effect change with their commitment to selflessness.  It is more than just football for players such as Philadelphia Eagle, Chris Long- who was honored with the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2018 for the second time.  In 2015, after receiving this award he created the Chris Long Foundation.  “The mission of the Chris Long Foundation is to engage and create programs focused around four main philanthropic causes: clean water, military appreciation, homelessness and youth. To date, the Chris Long Foundation has created four initiatives to support their four main causes: Conquering Kili, Appreciation & Support for Veterans, Living on the Streets, and Support for Youth Programs. The Appreciation & Support for Veterans initiative, launched in 2016, hosts events honoring members of the military and makes financial contributions to organizations that support veterans.”  (NFL, 2018)

           So, while there are a handful of players, coaches, and even teams that make bad choices and have a negative impact on society and our youth- there are indeed some that have a vision of the better good to improve our world.  These men may not be the most popular or exciting players on the field or in the league, but they are the true heroes of the game for their community involvement.

Word Count: 437

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

NFL. (2018). Walter Payton Man of the Year. Retrieved from NFL: http://www.nfl.com/manoftheyear

Wilner, B. (2019, January 11). NFL Launches Social Justice Initiative, Stressing Education. Retrieved from US News: https://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articles/2019-01-11/nfl-launches-social-justice-initiative-stressing-education

Yuscavage, C. (2017, October 9). How Many Scandals CAn the NFL Possibly Fit Into 1 Season? Retrieved from Complex: https://www.complex.com/sports/2017/10/how-many-scandals-can-nfl-fit-1-season

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           The institution of the British Royal Family can be traced back over 1,000 years, and within those 1,000 plus years never has the issue of race been a topic of discussion until recently.  With Prince Harry marriage to Meghan Markle, an American. . .an Afro-American actress in May 2018, the Royal Family is finally evolving with the times.  While Meghan Markle is not one hundred percent African-American, according to the one-drop rule, which is the belief that “one drop” of black blood makes a person black, a concept that evolved from U.S. laws forbidding miscegenation (Conley, 2017, p. 333) classifies her as black.  This is groundbreaking for the Royal Family.  Prince Harry who has never entirely followed the rest of the royal fold and marches to his own drum, with his marriage has begun breaking down racial and social barriers in the name of love.  This union in the eyes of sociology is termed miscegenation, this is the technical term for interracial marriage, literally meaning “a mixing of kinds”; it is politically and historically charged.  (Conley, 2017, p. 333)

           Even more important than the marriage of Harry and Meghan is the upcoming birth of their first child.  This is extremely historically important, “the baby will be seventh-in-line to the throne” and “will be the first Afro-American baby to be born into the royal family," according to Claudia Joseph- a royal biographer.  (Reuters, 2019)  There will be struggles for both the parents and the child along the way, I’m sure- but now that the wall has been broken down it is one less obstacle.  For a family seeped in tradition, maybe the Royals will be able to create new traditions for themselves personally, for the monarchy, and for their country.

Word Count: 289

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Reuters. (2019, April 23). What Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Baby Says About Race. Retrieved from NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/what-harry-meghan-s-baby-says-about-race-n997461

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          We have become such a “PC” society where everything needs to be fair and feelings can’t get hurt.  Our youth is not always learning the values of hard work and equity, but rather that they will be rewarded through the equality of opportunity, the idea that everyone has an equal chance to achieve wealth, social prestige, and power because the rules of the game so to speak, are the same for everyone. (Conley, 2017, p. 245) and even more so equality of outcome, the idea that each player must end up with the same amount regardless of the fairness of the “game.” (Conley, 2017, p. 247)

          The picture above of youth wrestlers shows how the value of hard work and equity are rewarded (left) and how the picture would change if equality of opportunity and equality of outcome were applied to this particular sport (right), either all would get trophies or no one would get trophies (could get them cut out of the picture, LOL!).  Equality of opportunity in this sport has changed the landscape by allowing girls to compete and now there is also greater involvement by other minority groups, but fact is this sport still remains very individualized and rewards the participate on performance.  If everyone was rewarded equally as suggested by the equality of outcome, these athletes would have no incentive or motivation to work hard because their equity would not be valued.  

          Therefore, rewarding athletes for participation only as many in our “PC” society suggest does not teach our children about life. It is unfortunate but there are winners and losers in life, just like in sports.  Those who work hard, receive the accolades and reap the benefits, and those who just show up should not be rewarded for just being there.

Word Count: 296

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

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               Overtime, the stereotype of people who mark their bodies with tattoos has greatly changed, and so has their reasons for doing so.  Sociologist Katherine Irwin states, “Whereas prison gang members wanted to chronicle their passage through deviant careers, middle-class tattooees used their tattoos to mark conventional aspects of themselves.” (Mohammed, 2018)

           The theory of symbolic interactionism tells us that on a micro-level shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions form the basic motivations behind people’s actions.  (Conley, 2017, p.33) So, while a tattoo is a permanent, creative, artistic symbol marked on someone’s body- the design, style, type, and even the placement on the body has a specific symbolic meaning to the tattooee.  However, this symbol when viewed by others can be interrupted differently than the actual meaning to the tattooee and therefore take on another meaning to others.

           As a teenager in the mid-1990s, I can remember this craze becoming more mainstream than it was when I was a child in the 1980s. Growing up in the 1980s, I can remember tattoos on a person being looked at as those people being bad, or criminals, or the “bad crowd” that we were told not to be around.  However, in the 1990s I can remember friends having their parents sign off with permission allowing their teenage minors to get a tattoo. . . I was not one of them, although I bugged my mom to do so.  While I was mad at mom at the time for not allowing me to get a tattoo, in retrospect I am grateful.  I am grateful not because my desire to get one has changed since then, but because my likes, desires, and reasons for doing so have changed. ��Most likely, had a gotten one as a teenager or young adult, I would have been doing it more so because it was “cool” and I probably would have gotten an image that really had no symbolic meaning but it was just an image that I liked.  Now, at almost 39 years old I can say that I still have not gotten a tattoo, but I am hoping to do so later this year.  There have been many things that I thought I would like to get, and as an adult each has had a symbolic meaning to me- but what I finally have settled on didn’t come to me until after the passing of my grandfather in December 2018.  My grandfather was super important to me and my tattoo will not only honor his memory but honor his service to our country during the Korean War.

           Not only are tattoos symbols, but they are celebrations of life, service, death, likes, wants, needs, and desires.  Everyone is different and means something different. The evolution of tattoos has become so mainstream that we don’t only see them on the “bad crowd” anymore, but we see teachers, doctors, lawyers, and many other professionals rocking the ink.

Word Count: 488

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Mohammed, F. (2018, June 4). How Tattoos Became Middle Class. Retrieved from Jstor Daily: https://daily.jstor.org/how-tattoos-became-middle-class/

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When we think of moms, imagines of the important women in our lives probably come to mind- moms, grandmothers, and maybe favorite aunts, sisters, and friends. But what also may come to mind are some tv moms that have found a place in our hearts as they reflected society ideals of the decades in which their shows aired.

The 1950s, Post War America- saw the rise of women returning home from the factories where they were working during the war to help with the war effort state side. “Upon the return of men from war, women were laid off or encouraged to surrender wartime jobs to ease male readjustment.  More than restoring men as providers, the number of women who vacated the workforce instilled a sense of American stability.” (MacLean, n.d.)  With the return, women began to focus the efforts and attention to a domesticated role of wife and mother.  In suburban neighborhoods, women became the matriarch of nuclear families and dependent financially on their husbands.  Women of this decade were expected to be passive and submissive leading to a society of “patriarchy, a universal system involving the subordination of femininity to masculinity.” (Conley, 2017, p. 290)  June Cleaver, in the 1950s sitcom Leave It to Beaver, is the quintessential example of the happy housewife who tends to the needs of the children and husband, kept a clean house, cooked meals- all while wearing pearls and heels.  From a 21st century point of view, this is a lofty imagine to live up to.  Although, this was the ideal as set by society, and most likely from a male point of view to suppress the aspirations of women so the idea of “hegemonic masculinity, the condition in which men are dominant and privileged,” (Conley, 2017, p. 289) could be realized- a small percentage of women did remain working outside the home, but in lower level positions than their male counterparts.

With a twitch of the nose, we transition into the 1960s and no one twitched their nose better than Samantha Stephens from the hit show Bewitched.  Although Samantha Stephens still exhibited the traits of the stereotypical housewife, according to VanDerWerff’s article “Bewitched Tweaked ‘60s Gender Roles and Became One of the First Feminist Sitcoms” she shows signs of the growing independence starting to emerge in this decade. (VanDerWerff, 2012)  Bewitched was the first to show signs of feminism (VanDerWerff, 2012) that was on the rise during this decade due to things like the “introduction of the first birth control pill in 1960” (History Central, n.d.) which allowed women to have more control over their reproductive wishes or lack thereof.  Legislation also was passed during is decade, particularly the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that promoted equality and independence for women.  Through the viewer’s lens, we witness Samantha’s growing power in her home and community in the mortal world through the use of her witchcraft, which is a direct comparison to the growing power of women in the home and society during the 1960s (VanDerWerff, 2012) in America.  These new attitudes, ideas, opportunities, and freedoms for women lead to gender conflicts within the home that men were not sure how to deal with and this is also played out in the Stephen’s home on Bewitched.  Darrin, a mortal- Samantha’s husband; tried to control her by ordering her to not use her witchcraft; however, Darrin often lost those battles when Samantha used her witchcraft to try to better a situation or correct a spell that went awry. Darrin struggled with Samantha’s powers as it was a loss of his male dominance which is how he and society still believed home life should be.  Bewitched also was groundbreaking on another level- this show was the first to elude to the notion of a “mixed marriage”, while it was not exactly what we know as a mixed marriage, I feel the plot of a mortal marrying a witch gives the earliest introduction to what would eventually become more common place in society with interracial marriages.

Here’s the story of the 1970s, and how it was a transformative decade for women at work and at home.  Although “workplace doors began to creak open for women” (Seamone, 2014) during this decade, moms like Carol Brady of The Brady Bunch struggled to breakout of society’s mold of the happy home-maker.  While Carol did not have a job officially working outside of the home, when many America women were hitting the workforce in record numbers- she did spend a good deal of time doing more than cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking casseroles, after all- she had Alice to do that.  The world was Carol’s oyster much like the many new opportunities becoming available for women.  She was involved with the school PTA, she sang, she also exercised her creative side writing and sculpting.  Carol’s ambitions would later be satisfied in reunion shows when she becomes a real estate agent.  While it was never really revealed why, Carol was a single mother before she met and married Mike Brady. . .was she divorced possibly?  This would be a reflection of the times as well as divorce rates were on the rise.  “In 1969, CA was the first state to adopt a no-fault divorce law, which allowed couples to divorce without needing to prove spousal wrongdoing (previously women legally had a particularly difficult time initiating this process.)” (Seamone, 2014)  Whatever the reason, she was a single mother and then became the matriarch of a blended family, ground breaking changes from the Leave It to Beaver days.

The 1980s, the dawning of a new image.  More and more women are educated and working, these women are working to support themselves and some working to support families by themselves.  Their aspirations for success in a world previously dominated by men motivated these women to work  toward the glass ceiling, a limit on women’s climb up the occupational ladder (Conley, 2017, p. 312) and once they got there, the goal was to shatter it. Claire Huxtable, of the sitcom The Cosby Show, is a classic example.  Clair showed the world that not only was it possible to have a job outside of the home, but to have a successful career as an attorney and still manage to be an attentive, loving, assertive, and devoted wife and mother.  A sophisticated lady who was not only book smart, but wise to the shenanigans and jive of her husband and children.  “Nationally, the number of working women increased by 27 percent during the 1980s.” (Bock, 1993)  The larger number of working women, especially in higher paying professional and managerial positions is a direct result of the pursuit and accomplishment of higher education.  According to Martha Farnsworth Riche, director of policy studies at the nonprofit Population Reference Bureau in Washington, “This is really a reflection of women’s increasing role in education.  In the 1980s women became more than half of college students and of people getting Ph.D.’s.  You’re really seeing a pipeline effect that will continue for the foreseeable future.” (Bock, 1993)

Blue-collar moms and wives found representation in the 1990s, with a bold and brash yet loyal and caring women named, Roseanne.  Roseanne starred in a sitcom of the same name that followed her family, The Conners, through the struggles of living paycheck to paycheck while dealing with society’s modern-day issues.  Although the Conners did not have it all, they were not short on fun and laughter and maintained the ties that bind.  Roseanne was the glue of this family while she hopped from job to job, she did what she had to do for her family.  During the 1990s, sexism which occurs when a person’s sex or gender is the basis for judgment, discrimination, and hatred against him or her (Conley, 2017, p. 307) was discussed far less openly than it is today, however Roseanne did not shy away from the topic.  Not only was sexism tackled but so was sexual harassment and I feel some of these issues were results of scandals of the time, such as the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas sexual harassment case.

Women- mothers and wives have changed over time, but the second half of the 20th century is where we can see the most pivotal, dramatic changes that have advanced women onto a more equal playing field with men, not only in the work place but in the home as well.  Progress and evolution have changed gender roles and have given women a voice that is stronger than ever.

Word Count: 1417

Bock, J. (1993, January 29). Women Made Career Strides in 1980s Census Data Show Marked MD Gains. Retrieved from Baltimore Sun: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-01-29-1993029154-story.html

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

History Central. (n.d.). Women in the 60s. Retrieved from History Central: https://www.historycentral.com/sixty/Americans/WOMEN.html

MacLean, E. (n.d.). Why Women Went Home. Retrieved from US History Scene: http://ushistoryscene.com/article/feminine-mystique/

Seamone, E. (2014, July 30). Life and Work: What Was It Really Like For Women In The 1970s? Retrieved from Women, Work, and Life: http://www.womenworklife.com/2014/07/30/work-life-really-like-women-1970s/

VanDerWerff, T. (2012, September 24). Bewitched Tweaked '60s Gender Roles and Became One of the First Feminist Sitcoms. Retrieved from TV AV Club: https://tv.avclub.com/bewitched-tweaked-60s-gender-roles-and-became-one-of-t-1798233613

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Jeanne Dyches, Assistant Professor at Iowa State University’s School of Education observes while classics of Shakespeare and Hemingway are part of high school literary curriculum year after year- these standards have not been challenged or questioned in reflection of today’s society.  The view point from which these works are written are not diverse in the context which makes them less relevant in the 21st century.  Dyches concludes that educators should encourage the questioning and conversations of the text to better understand them and to provide tools for them to do so.

Through an inductive approach, Dyches observes that classic literature in high school curriculum is not inclusive.  She then works to form the theory that minority groups find the material unrelatable due to the point of view that the works were written from, as they do not reflect diversity, making it harder to understand.

To prove her theory and show how social processes occur, Dyches uses qualitative methods such as participant observations and interviewing/surveying the students in the high school classroom she will be working with to investigate her theory.  Upon the students being surveyed at the beginning of the course and the end- while they found the works to be classics and timeless; they admitted they could not relate to the text and that they were “bland and ineffective.”  Students examined a century’s worth of reading standards at multiple levels.  Oppression and injustice were found, the majority of students were unaware and uncomfortable discussing these issues, while colored students were more aware of the injustice and oppression in these works studied in the curriculum.

Students were tasked to tell the story of a “classic” from a different perspective.  One example given was retelling “Romeo and Juliet” from the perspective of an interracial couple.  This challenged the students to think about how their changes affected the story and their comprehension of the story versus their comprehension of it in its original state which was not as diverse as our society and views.  By rewriting these stories, the students implore a counterfactual approach to this study which answers the question “What if?”  I feel as though this exercises that causality proves evident in this study as if one factor is changed that it could change another factor, such as if the students begin to question these works for better understanding of them, they may then approach administration to change the literary requirements to be more inclusive with more diverse works for a more well-rounded outlook.

Word Count: 414

Iowa State University. (2019, January 29). Giving high school students the tools to question classic literature. Retrieved from Phys Org: https://phys.org/news/2019-01-high-school-students-tools-classic.html

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The evolution of consumerism into today’s disposal society.

In the cycle of our material economy we have become a disposal society.  As a nation of consumers we have never bought and used more "stuff" than we do currently.  The extraction, production, and distribution is kicked into high gear to keep up with the demand for goods in today's society.  This demand for more "stuff" is influenced by advertisements and media, which is known as perceived obsolescence.  Through George Ritzer's Five Elements of McDonaldization, we know that one of these elements is efficiency- which advertisements promote for the products they represent; such as technology items and vehicles.  In essence- perceived obsolescence can also be simplified to "keeping up with the Joneses", because through the advertisements and media we are being presented with images that make us want more.

Due to the impact of perceived obsolescence versus the income available in the majority of households in our country we have been pushed into the category of planned obsolescence with our purchases to have certain items.  What I mean by this is, some consumers may not have the means to purchase the better quality items and purchase a lesser quality item which may not be built for the long term and after a few months needs to be disposed of, hence planned obsolescence on the part of the manufacturers as they know you will purchase another to replace the one that was thrown out.  Through planned obsolescence over the decades people have been put out of work due to mass production that has moved over seas, where labor is less expensive and products can be produced more inexpensively- now these people that are jobless or have taken a pay cut due to planned obsolescence are also purchasing these lesser quality items.

Both planned and perceived obsolescence have a huge impact on society and I feel go hand and hand.  In the material economy, it is a cycle that continually spins with each step effecting the other which although not the only reason, it does influence and effect our environment and health.

Word Count: 348

Gartner, K. (2016, October 13). Consumerism, Mass Extinction and our Throw-Away Society. Retrieved from The Art Of: https://www.theartof.com/articles/consumerism-mass-extinction-and-our-throw-away-society

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Social deviants or boys being boys?  Or both?  So, why do pre-teen and teenage boys insist on wearing shorts during cold weather and should parents allow them to or should they fight it out?

Symbolic Interactionism tells us that it is “a micro-level theory in which shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions form basic motivations behind people’s actions” (Conley, 2017, p. 138) perhaps this theory is a driving force for these young men as they exercise their independence through making choices against society’s norms, such as wearing shorts during cold weather.  As parents, we want to protect our children and keep them safe against harm and that includes keeping them warm.  Through informal social sanctions which are “usually unexpressed but widely known rules of group membership; the unspoken rules of social life” (Conley, 2017, p. 198) it is widely known and expected that you dress accordingly for the weather, hence when it is cold you should wear long pants and a coat. But these young men are not adhering to the norms of society, they are expressing their “first act of rule breaking that may incur a label of “deviant” and thus influence how people think about and act toward” (Conley, 2017, p. 213) them which is known as “primary deviance” (Conley, 2017, p. 213)

This behavior could even be expressed as nature vs. nurture.  It is a biological fact that males have a higher metabolic rate than women, this “metabolism is the rate at which you burn food to fuel the body, and the by-product of that process, you heat up the body.  So, women’s bodies are colder than men’s because our metabolisms are slower” (Schlinger, 2017)- so nature may be causing these young men to wear shorts as a matter of comfort, so they do not overheat.  On the other hand, nurture could be influencing the choice of these young men as a mirroring behavior of what they see their fathers do.  Or another piece of the nurture argument could be peer pressure from friends, they may see others doing it within their group and want to fit in or think if they are tough enough to wear shorts when it is cold, so am I.  And finally, it could just be plain old defiance, wanting to do the opposite of what their parents tell them to do.

To be perfectly honest, this is a struggle in my home from time to time with my eleven-year-old son; however, I have gotten to the point that I must learn to pick my battles.  I have certain guidelines regarding when he absolutely can not wear shorts or even shorts with compression pants underneath, but for the most part he is making his own choice based off the weather reports on his phone and the updates I give him in the morning when I wake him up.  I feel this allows him to form educated decisions without being told everything he needs to do.  As parenting expert Dr. Deborah Gilboa stated, “He gets to express his autonomy. There is more value to building resilience and responsibility to learn the lesson on their own time.” (Holohan, 2015)

Word Count: 528

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Holohan, M. (2015, January 14). It's freezing, but boys just want to wear shorts! Should you let them? Retrieved from Today.

Schlinger, A. (2017, January 6). There's a Scientific Reason Women Are Always Colder Than Men. Retrieved from Glamour: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.glamour.com/story/theres-a-scientific-reason-women-are-always-colder-than-men/amp

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Examination of the socialization of gender roles in Disney movies reveal a transformation and evolution from the early stereotypical roles that were depicted.

Since the first animated full-length feature by Disney over eight decades ago many things have changed; technology and effects have changed, our ideologies and politics have changed, but most notably the stereotypical gender roles of the early Disney movies have evolved into the less stereotypical gender roles that we are now seeing.  The gender roles or “sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as male or female” (Conley, 2017) is clearly identified in these films.  However, these early films give an unrealistic view of how gender roles have changed over time, hence the shift in the roles Disney puts on the screen today.

I am in a unique position to examine this aspect of socialization, as I have experienced almost four decades of this phenomenon.  I grew up watching these movies seeing how gender roles were expressed in the early movies such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.  These female characters were the damsels-in-distress that needed a man to save them or protect them, they were naive and vulnerable, and shown as domesticated creatures with a perfect feminine figure, perfect skin, and long flowing hair.  The characteristics of the early Disney princesses were a mirror for the ideals in American homes of the time.  The ideal from which society viewed women as was demure housewives.  They were dependent and submissive to their men.  And the male characters were created as the polar opposites to their female counterparts.  The men were developed into hyper-masculine figures that were strong, brave, fearless, and protective of their submissive princesses.  Although charming they were dominant, muscular, and aggressive.

As the 1980s drew closer to the end of the decade the momentum in Disney films started to swing slightly- I look at it as a transitional time.  For the next ten years or so- we see characters such Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Belle from Beauty and the Beast start to show signs of these female characters exercising some independence and strong-willed attitudes, however still somewhat vulnerable and still having romantic ideologies.  As we turned the corner into the new millennium, Disney began introducing us to stronger and more independent females than ever before.  These characters are fierce, and some do not even have a love interest at all; leading us to the realization that being satisfied with ourselves and our lives is a higher priority than marrying the first guy that comes along.  These females do not need a man to protect them or save them, some of these females even defend and fight for the men.  The latest movies that are examples of this include Tangled, Frozen, Brave, and Moana.

As a child watching these films you are merely watching for entertainment and enjoyment, not realizing how pivotal and influential they are to norms and beliefs.  In retrospect, I can see how this can give children false ideals about what life, love, and happiness are all about; however, I am not one of those folks that would myself or encourage anyone else to boycott Disney.  I feel as though they are changing with the times and the earlier movies' stereotypes were relevant and reflective of the time period, they were created in.  Disney is an enormous leader in the entertainment industry and as such must remain on the cutting edge of current events and their impact on society.  In my humble opinion, they are doing a first-class job in creating memorable characters and experiences that are relevant to the 21st century landscape.

Words Count: 605

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Dugan, E. &. (2012, December 16). How Walt Disney's Women Have Grown Up. Retrieved from The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/how-walt-disneys-women-have-grown-up-8420282.html

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Empathy and awareness are two words that have become increasingly more evident in our society.  We hear it and see it through media outlets, we read it online and in papers. It seems as though new “awareness days” are popping up all the time.  We see awareness ribbons on the backs of vehicles and are bombarded with digital awareness posts via social media outlets.  It is almost to a point of over saturation in our world, and some how doesn’t hold as much meaning or value.  The sentiment of outwardly supporting a cause is fine, however without action these items and images are just material culture.  If you fully support a cause you aren’t only displaying conspicuous compassion with the purchase of an item to benefit a cause but you are participating in fundraisers to raise money for research, or volunteering your time to these organizations, or even donating money or goods directly.  And then there are even some folks who support these causes with no need for accolades and make the donations anonymously.

Perhaps the most well-known and the springboard for other causes is that of the pink ribbon that began to raise awareness for breast cancer.  The distribution of the pink ribbons began in 1991 when the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation passed them out at a fundraising event, which is totally legit.  However, the following years see conspicuous compassion set in when companies such as Estee Lauder, Avon, Yoplait, and New Balance began using raising awareness for breast cancer as a platform to produce and market goods in pink or with pink awareness ribbon images on them with a promise of donating proceeds to the cause.  But with these promises to donate to the cause came profit and these companies are capitalizing on a disease that has been deadly for so many.  The material culture of this “pink ribbon culture” (Pacific Standard Staff, 2016) can be seen in tools, clothing, home-goods, food packaging, service vehicles, athletic gear, and more.  

So may question is this, does a company’s display of conspicuous compassion for this cause influence your purchases of goods or services? Or does it deter you from purchasing from these companies as they are profiting off of this disease?

Pacific Standard Staff. (2016, October 13). How Pink Ribbon Culture Harms Breast Cancer Patients and Survivors. Retrieved from Pacific Standard: https://psmag.com/news/how-pink-ribbon-culture-harms-breast-cancer-patients-and-survivors

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[lynleesheeler]

This course covers a broad array of topics about people, society, and issues. For a rewarding experience in this course you must be open-minded and step outside of the box.

Throughout the duration of this course you need to be willing to be or become a thinker.  Sociology is more than just memorizing facts and taking exams.  You will analyze the material that is presented, you will search other sources to prove or disprove ideas, you will assert your own ideas and opinions, and you will reflect and discuss your classmates’ ideas by engaging in discussions.

Thinkers are active listeners.  They are aware, compassionate, creative, decisive, honest, inquisitive, modest/humble, objective, observant, passionate, rational, reflective, and willing.

I challenge you to be more than a student, strive to be a learner and thinker.  Learners don’t focus on the grade (they are conscious and aware but not obsessed)- their focus is the interaction between themselves and the content; Learners are learners for a lifetime- students are only students until they graduate.  Learners are anytime and anywhere absorbing, analyzing, creating, and discussing- students are inside a classroom.  Learners have a broader view- students focus on a particular subject.  Learners seek out a variety of sources, not just the ones provided as students do.

As you participate in this course and continue on your educational journey to achieve the goals you are pursuing, remember the following as stated by Albert Einstein, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” (Albert Einstein Quotes, n.d.) Sociology is the thinking and theories of a diverse world which requires a mind that reaches beyond the text.

Word Count: 273

Works Cited

Albert Einstein Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved from Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6137386-education-is-not-the-learning-of-facts-but-the-training

Hamilton, M. (2017, March 15). IB Learner Profile. Retrieved from International School of the Stockholm Region: https://internationalschoolofthestockholmregion.stockholm.se/ib-learner-profile

[lynleesheeler]

This blog is an introduction to who I am, what I love, and what I dream to achieve.  It is my hope that you will find my blog creative in both writing and illustration, as I enjoy both of them.  As a non-traditional student, I hope to inject insight from life experience and the wisdom of my years to inspire others to dream big and know you are never too old to learn and pursue a passion.  Although I was scared when I started on this journey in the Fall of 2017, I look back and think, “What in the world was I scared about?”  

For this blog I have included a newsletter style draft with information about myself, my family, my goals, and my likes. I have also included a “word cloud” with characteristics featured- I implored the help of friends and family to each give me the top five characteristics they value in me and then I added to them with characteristics I value in myself. 

I am excited for this class and look forward to looking at the world through the lenses of a sociologist.

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