tyanna3

[tyanna3]

Interview

I interviewed my little sister's friend Selena's father. Before we start, I'm going to give some background information. His name is Pablo and he is from Mexico and he has 2 daughters and a wife, however, his wife is widowed. So he is a single father as of right now, his wife Patel passed away 3 years ago she was from the US the two had met online. He was from California Sur. He mentioned that he came to the US when he was 15 years old. He also said he came for the necessity of having money and THAT'S IT!! I asked him how he got to the US. He paused and said, “across the border, I walked all night long”. He continued and said” I walked from 8 pm-6 pm,” He said he didn’t come alone, he came with 2 cousins and 3 friends ages 15-16 yrs old. His biggest shock when he came to the US was he never adapted to it and still to this day he still doesn’t like it, although he does like the money he makes here in the US. I asked if he regretted coming to the US. He thought about it and said “no” “I made my family here”. He said in Mexico he felt free and he doesn't feel the same here. I asked if there were any holidays that we don't celebrate over here that Mexico does? He said September 16th “la fiesta patronales” (he didn't talk about it, that was my mistake). We talked about Christmas, Easter, and birthdays, the difference between the USA and Mexico. He said there is no Easter in Mexico, for Christmas Mexico celebrates for 10 days the 13th-23rd and they do games and gatherings all those days. As far as education, he said that education isn’t as important as it is in the USA. They could drop out whenever they want. He said there are more rules here and he hates it. I asked him about the government assistance and he said “they don't provide that unless you're 70+ but it's little money”. He said it was a hard time trying to start a new life here in the USA because he wasn’t used to anything here and he was away from his family and friends he said you start to miss everything. He dropped out of school when he was in the 5th grade because he didn’t like it. Another reason he dropped out is that there was no middle or high school near him; he didn't want to continue his education. I enjoyed this as much as he did!!

[tyanna3]

Life of A Hershey's Chocolate Bar

The Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme chocolate bar has ingredients such as sugar, vegetable oil, wheat flour, milk, high fructose corn syrup, salt, and baking soda. The product also contains less than two percent of cocoa. The cocoa is grown from a cocoa tree, these cocoa trees are located in tropical climates. The cocoa trees produce seeds of cocoa, these seeds are the majority of the world’s cocoa comes from Africa. The milk comes from the dairy farms from the Hershey’s facilities, these farms run within a 100-mile radius. Baking soda comes out of the ground from minerals, these minerals are refined in soda ash and then turned into baking soda. Most of it comes from the United States, which has the largests trona deposits. The sugar comes from the sugarcane in tropical and subtropical climate areas in the world, the US sugar cane is produced mainly in states and is concentrated in the areas such as Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Hawaii. The production of the vegetable oil mainly comes from the Southeast asian countries that produced palm oil and in the countries of North and South America and China producing soybean oil.

The pods that contain the cocoa beans that grow from the trunks and branches of the cocoa tree. The harvesting usually involves removing ripe pods from the trees and opening them to extract the wet beans. The pods are suitable for harvest for 3 to 4 weeks, after which time the beans begin to germinate. The pods are harvested manually and during the harvest it is important to not damage the flower cushion. The modern dairy cows are bred specifically to produce large quantities of milk. The cows only produce milk after they have given birth, the cows are artificially inseminated within three months of giving birth. Baking soda is produced in one of two ways; it can be manufactured by passing carbon dioxide and ammonia through a concentrated solution of sodium chloride (table salt). Sugar is made from raw sugar that has undergone a refining process to remove the molasses. Vegetable oils are manufactured in a factory, usually from genetically modified crops that have been heavily treated with pesticides. After the cocoa is harvested and produced into chocolate, they are loaded onto trucks and transported to the warehouse in which they transport to the stores and the markets in order to be sold. The chocolates can be transported to stores such as Ross, Walmart, Giant, Lowes, etc.

Hershey’s and Mars dominate the chocolate trade. The Hershey chocolate company controls nearly 44 percent of the United States chocolate. The trade is regulated by the laws that are set in place for the particular country, these laws are usually set in place by the government.

The prices are usually set by the supply drivers and tend to be the stronger influencer of chocolate’s price volatility. The greatest price factor is the cost of cocoa, the limited cocoa supply means higher chocolate prices. Hershey is usually marketed on television commercials they are usually more prominent during the holiday seasons you see a lot of commercials for Hershey. When you are in the stores waiting in line, you also see hershey and other chocolate bars as you are waiting in the long lines which make you want to buy the candy even more. The Prices range from 1-3 dollars. I bought a hershey bar at a local deli for only 1.75. The owner makes aout ⅓ of the retail price for each candy bar that is brought

The working conditions are serious violations of human and labour rights on cocoa farms. The workers and the farmers are often exposed to hazardous working conditions such as pesticides and protective clothings. They also work with dangerous tools and have excessive working hours. There are also children working in these harsh conditions. Over 2 million children work in Ghana and Ivory Coast alone, more than 500,000 of them working under abusive conditions. These children usually work between the ages 5 to 17 who live in cocoa-growing regions in West Africa are involved in cocoa production. The cocoa farmers and the harvester don’t even get paid minimum wage, they barely have enough to take care of their family. Cocoa farmers have low income because of this poor income, farmers cannot pay sufficient salaries to the workers and provide them acceptable work conditions or even health care.

The life of a Hershey Cookies n Creme bar life begins in a tropical climate or subtropical climate which is usually located close to the equator, where the climate is nice and humid. The Hershey bar’s life started in the West of Africa; the Ivory coast, Ghana, Nigeria, or Cameroon. The cocoa seed that was made for my chocolate bar was harvested carefully, fermented, and packaged by the workers on the cocoa farms. These conditions in the farm are less than ideal. The workers get little to no pay, they barely have enough money to take care of their families. These workers work tirelessly throughout the day, these farms even allow children as young as 5 to work. After the cocoa bean is packaged and transported to different countries for production. These countries produce many different products with these cocoa beans. One of the many products was a Cookies n Creme Hershey’s bar. The price of this candy is determined by the supply and demand of the product. Finally, the Cookies n Creme Hershey’s bar is shipped to stores for consumption which is how I got my candy bar.

[tyanna3]

What Do You do When you Get Sick?

I've interviewed my best friend, who is also my classmate and these were responses:

Whom do you call? Do you call your mom, dad, doctor, pharmacy, health food store, pastor, friends, massage therapist, chiropractor, campus health center, hospital?

- When I'm sick the first person I call is my mom. My mom is a pediatrician so she often knows what's wrong with me and helps out instead of going all the way to the doctor's office. However, since being in college she hasn't been able to help as much as she used to because the most I could do is facetime her to tell her how I’m feeling. So in the case that I get sick while still living in my dorm, I would probably have to go to the campus health center and get checked out.

What strategies do you use to get well? Do you sleep, drink orange juice, eat chicken soup, take vitamin C, get antibiotics? Do you starve a cold and feed a fever? Do you follow practices from a culture outside the United States?

- I have severe asthma so most times that is the reason why I'm not feeling well. In that case I would take my nebulizer or take my inhaler. Other than that I would take liquid medication for any other sickness that I’m feeling. The only practice from my culture that I could think of is eating soup and drinking a hot cup of tea, that often makes me feel better.

What strategies do you use to relieve the pain? Do you take medications for fever, headache, cough, and running nose or do you let them run their course? Do you take over-the-counter pain relievers or get a doctor’s prescription for something more powerful? Do you ask for a massage?

- It all depends on how severe the pain is. If I have a headache I often just let it run its course, and fall asleep. However, if I have a mild fever, I would take medicine to relieve the pain. Also I often get a doctor's prescription for something, which is approved by my mother.

Are your healing strategies specific to your family, ethnic group, religious affiliation or local or national context?

- My healing strategies are specific to my family.

How do you figure out what made you sick so you don't get sick again? Do you wash your hands more often? Use hand sanitizer? Filter or boil your water? Consult an older adult, a doctor, or an online source such as webMD?

- When I’m sick I think of what I’ve eaten, who I’ve been around, and the activities I was doing. For example, if I have a stomach ache, I'll know to look back at the things I’ve eaten to see what caused that stomach ache. Or, if I have a cold, I'll think about who I’ve been around that could have also been sick and given me this sickness, or even think about the weather and how it could have affected me. Now more than anything, I wash my hands a lot more often than before the pandemic. Especially when I'm feeling sick. And I always consult a doctor, my mom for instance. She always helps me out.

When you are sick, how do you keep others from being infected? Do you cover your mouth when you sneeze? Do you stop hugging and kissing your friends and loved ones? Do you take medications or other preparations more regularly?

- When I’m sick I stop doing all of these things to prevent others from being infected. That distancing myself from others, and covering my mouth when I cough or sneeze. I do take medications more regularly when I am sick.

How do you feel about getting sick? What do you think getting sick says about you as a person? What does it say about you if you have certain symptoms: cold, fever, diarrhea, a sexually transmitted infection?

- I honestly hate getting sick. As a person who is always sick, I just feel like I have a weak immune system and it doesn't help much with the prevention of getting sick. As a person, I dont think it says much about you if you have a certain symptom, such as a cold, fever, diarrhea, or a sexually transmitted infection, because mostly everyone gets the same symptoms. It's not something that's very rare.

Is there a social cause of your illness or disease? Is it poor hygiene by others, lack of clean water, or improper food inspection or preparation? Does a stigma about the illness or disease keep you from seeking treatment? Is treatment too expensive for you? Is it too difficult for you to access health care (too far away)?

- I don't think there is a social cause of my illness. Any stigma about any illness or disease I have does not keep me from seeking treatment. I'm all about being healthy, and not seeking treatment doesn't help me or my health in any way. Treatment is not too expensive for me because I do receive health care.

[tyanna3]

How Does the News Media Cover Social Class and Inequality?

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/06/15/us/amazon-workers.html

To me this relates to Marx’s theory because when he mentioned his thought on social class he believe that the bourgeoisie are the ones who promote the business like manufacturers, business, etc..the ones who make the wealth while the proletariat are the workers. This to me is an great example because amazon is a company who works their people to death but in the end Jeff Bezos is the one getting rich. If you read briefly into the article it showed images on people who put they're all into the job and end up with nothing in return. The thing that sticks out to me the most was when an associate became very ill they don’t reach out they move on to the next. 

https://href.li/?https://ehe.osu.edu/news/listing/kids-intellectual-disabilities-spend-too-little-time-general-classes/

This article describes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ recent sale of $3 billion in Amazon stock. This shows an example of Weber’s theory of social class because Bezos has plenty of power, being that he is the owner of all of the facilities run by Amazon. Because Bezos has all this property and money, he by extension has a massive amount of power, which would give him control over people who fall under lower social classes. 

https://href.li/?https://www.epi.org/publication/education-inequalities-at-the-school-starting-gate/

Bourdieu’s theory of social class views status as something that one chooses to present themselves as being a part of. They are shown since early age and guide young people to their class. This report explains that the social class of children is a big factor in their education success. Performance gaps can also be shown in children with low socioeconomic status. From the start, children involved in the education system are put in different places, which is highly influenced by their class.

[tyanna3]

My Family Tree

My family tree is kind of small compared to others. My fathers side definitely is bigger than my moms side. My mom and dad have been married for 20 years. I have 4 siblings, 3 older brothers and 1 younger sister. My mother was born and raised in New York City, however my dads side of the family was born in South Carolina. My dads side of the family moved to New York City when he was 8 years old and they lived out here for about he lived out here for about 30 years. My aunts and my grandmother moved back to South Carolina when my oldest aunt was 15, which was about 24 years about. Their children, which are my cousins were born and raised in South Carolina.

My family in New York and my family in South Carolina are very close, despite how far away we are. We always travel to see each other during special holidays or some birthdays.

[tyanna3]

How Is Race Constructed Around The World

1. This image above represents colorisms. A lot of dark skinned women are seen as less than compared to lighter skinned women. Colorism is a prejudice or discrimination against individuals with darker skin tone. It is typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. Society's beauty standard has become a problem for darker people, and it is sad that light skin women became the beauty standard.

2. This image above represents racialization. A lot of people may look at this girl's hairstyle as ghetto, because it's not society's norm. And that happens a lot for black girls, especially for those who like expressing themselves through their hair or even the clothes that they wear. For example, African American women may often be stereotyped as uneducated, loud, or improper. Through racialization, if a woman of African descent immigrated to the U.S people will attribute those same stereotypes to her because through a racial lens, she fits the African American woman category. Racialization is a political process of ascribing ethnic or racial identities to a relationship, social practice, or group that did not identify itself as such.

3. The belief that whites are biologically different from, and superior race amongst all races. The attack on the Capitol Hill for pro-trump is a perfect example of White Supremacy 

4. Microaggression is a term used for commonplace daily verbal, behavioral or environmental slights. It can be either intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative attitudes toward stigmatized or culturally marginalized groups. This image shows a stereotype that has to do with her race. A lot of black people who speak proper or don't have a “ghetto” way of speaking are often told this. But black people are stereotyped to all spec the same, and act the same, that if you don't, its like you’re weird or you don't fit in the category of race. 

[tyanna3]

My Family

I’m not too sure about my family's history, I only know a few things about it. From my knowledge, my family on my mom's side has lived in this country for over 100 years. My great great great grandparents came from Sint Maartens, which is a country on the southern part of a Caribbean island shared with Saint Martin. They moved to the United States for their children to be able to “live a better life”, so I was told. My family has embraced American Nationalism, due to the fact that we’ve been here for so long. I do have some family who have migrated from other parts of the world, and I believe they integrate their American identity with their ethnic identity through the different cultural norms. For example, the food they eat, the way they communicate, to the way they live their day to day lives.

My dad has lived in this country all his life as well. Both my parents were born and raised in New York. So for them, they've always embraced their American nationalism, and American identity. Though, my mother has always tried to keep her culture alive. She always makes food related to her culture, as well as listening to music that is associated with her culture. The results of my study have affected my own personal view of ethnicity and nationalism in a plethora of ways. It made me realize that I may be the last generation of my family that still is involved with our caribbean culture. So it makes me feel like I have to keep it alive , just like my mother tries to do, because when she's gone, there won't be anyone to keep the culture going but my generation. So it's very important to do so.

[tyanna3]

Language and Gender in a Virtual Classroom

1. Record how many men and women are in the class. Keep a tally of how many times men speak (or post comments) and how many times women speak or post comments. Who speaks more often?

- I observed my Biology class, which is a hybrid class, but I attend in person. There is 1 male and 37 females in this class. Due to the majority of the class being female, of course it would result in more females than males participating during the lecture.

2. Record the average of how long people speak or the average length of their comments. Record the average of the number of words they use. If they are written comments, you can copy and paste them into a document and count them after class.

- I've noticed that most people in this class often answer with 1 or 2 word responses. For example, the teacher would speak throughout most of the class and then ask people if they understand what is going on, or if they need him to go over something again. So the answer to his question is usually yes or just asking him to simply go over something again.

3. What are differences in body language, eye contact, and style of speaking between the men and women?

- I've realized that the 1 male in this class does try just as much as the females, and puts the same amount of effort as the rest of us. I’d say some of the females are more on their phones and a little more distracted.

4. Do the men or the women keep their cameras on more?

- More females than males having their cameras on during the lecture.

5. Is the instructor a man or woman? How do they encourage or discourage communication? Consider their body language and gaze.

- The instructor is a man. They encourage communication by relating a lot of his topics that have to do with the body, to his wife, in consideration of most females, or himself for others.

6. Does the instructor’s gender seem to influence the way they interact with the class? If so, how?

- I don't think the instructor's gender seems to influence the way he interacts with the class. I believe if there were more males than females, he would act the same way. I think this because he treats everyone the same way, no matter what. He's here to teach us, and doesn't discriminate against any of us because of our gender.

[tyanna3]

Mapping Project

1. I chose my neighborhood, located right near my school and also the Staten Island Ferry. I chose this location because it's where I grew up, and I feel like more people should know about the certain living conditions there are in my neighborhood. Around this area, you could find a lot of homeless people, especially around the ferry, as well as a lot of rich tourists, who come here to shop at local outlets, and take pictures with the nice scenery.

2. There is nothing that I’ve noticed in my observations, that I haven't already noticed before. Due to the fact that I’m so used to the area, and have seen every part of it.

3. When I searched up the Staten Island Ferry, it didn't show any homeless people. They try to show off how great of a place it is, when in reality it's the complete opposite. Also, where the park is located, there are also projects right next to it. They don't show off how people or living or how low poverty the area is, they're just showing off how great the park could be for children to play in.

4. COVID-19 has impacted this place in more of a negative way, rather than positive. With the virus spreading, more homeless people are on the streets, and due to the, the virus is more likely to spread faster, and therefore, could impact a whole community in a negative way.

[tyanna3]

Culture of Consumerism

Looking at the list I’ve created, I noticed that a lot of things that I thought were necessities, are really not. Most of the things I use in my daily life, such as most of my electronics and certain decorations around my room, are just things that I want and don't even need. After looking at all the prices of everything together, it was kind of shocking to see how much is actually spent on the things I own. Even though my clothes, sneakers, jackets, and coats, are all necessities, I know I didn't really need those specific items, or have to spend so much on a certain brand that I wanted. For example, the coats I own are somewhat expensive ranging from about $500 - $1,000 for just 1, and I have it just because of the looks of it but not because of what its purpose is for. Same thing applies to my phone and laptop. A laptop was necessary for school, and a phone is necessary for communication, & etc. but I didn't have to go for the phone that was the most expensive, or the laptop that was more expensive just because it was something that was appealing to me.

[tyanna3]

Fieldwork

2. What is the history of the item?

- Pillows have supposedly been around since 7000 BCE. In the past, pillows ranged from simple stones to wooden stands. Known to have existed in ancient Egypt and even as far back as Mesopotamia.

3. Where was your item made or manufactured

- This pillow was made in China

4. What impact does the item have on your life?

- The impact it has on my life is it helps me sleep at night. I was in a car accident a few years back, and had severe problems with my neck and back. So with the help of this exact pillow, it elevates my head, causing less pain to my neck and back.

5. Who are the people directly involved with making or manufacturing this item? What is life like for them?

- The people directly involved with making this pillow is Nantong Shunjie Textile Co. This company has professional technologists and more than 300 skilled workers. They are specialized in making bedding articles, 100% cotton and embroidered articles and all sorts of sewing products, with new styles, wonderful crafts and high quality. I couldn't find any information on the lives of the workers in Nantong Shunjie Textile Co., but I would assume life for them consists of constantly working in a factory to make essential products like this one .

http://www.sell147.com/company/China-Mainland/802872.htm

[tyanna3]

Key Dynamics

Time-Space Compression:

Call phones are an example of time space compression because it compresses the social communication compared to when people had to mail letters, etc.

Flexible Accumulation:

Apple is an example of flexible accumulation because we buy a lot of Apple products which all do the same thing but were just giving the company more money

Uneven Development:

An example of uneven development is in my neighborhood they are separate by rich & not poor, but not as fortunate.  One side has mansions and big houses, and the other side has projects and abandoned houses .