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Fieldwork chapter 15: Hinduism

3. Is Marx’s critique of religion as “the opiate of the masses” relevant to the event you attend?

Marx’s theory is very relevant because the people who practice Hinduism  go to a certain temple where the mass is guided by the help of the ordained minister who helped to lead prayers. Additionally, they also have ordained minister who live in the temple in order to feed the deities. They follow certain fundamental aspects which are theory, practice and evangelism. The theory helps them to understand that they are spiritual beings, with practice they (those who practice Hinduism) learn the way to pray, and how to follow their religion throughout the day. Moreover, during the day they have to chant god’s name a certain amount of times during the day, reading his word daily. So as it pertains to Marx’s theory being Hindu is a part of a daily structure.

4. Can you identify particular symbols unique to this religious community and determine their meaning? What do you think gives them their power and authority?

In hindu there is only one God but the God has various people (deities) that help to assist him. The deities are also god’s but they are given powers to run the universe of affairs.  

this is one of the deities he is known as the original founder of the Krishna movement like the original educator. His name is Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.  

This is the chant which worshipers use as prayer

5. How does power make itself evident during your visit? What power relationships do you observe?

The ordained minister’s leading the prayer, speaking to the people. There are also some ministers that live inside the temple in order to take care of the temple and help with the worship of the deities. The power of sexuality they believe that men and women should not really mix because they believe men are like butter and women are like fire. So during worship there is a separation of men and women. Men and women should not mix freely because as long as the there is a desire for sex then it can hinder one’s connection with god. Even within marriage one is suppose to give up sex to god, its okay for procreation  so that the faith can continue.

6. Can you identify any ways in which globalization influences the religious beliefs and practices that you observe?

 The ceremony does not discriminate, so it is open to everyone not just a particular group of people. They do not believe in converting so there is not just one thing a person can do that will automatically cause them to become Hindu. It is a daily practice because it is their lifestyle. 

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Nedal Zoya is an Indian social worker who was denied a job at an orphanage in New Delhi due to her “external Muslim gears.” The president and CEO (Harish Varma) reached out to Zoya and told her in order for her application process to continue she will need to remove her hijab. When Zoya refused the CEO proceeded to say she was shocked that being “a conservative Islam was her priority, not humanity.” This article goes to show the discrimination that Muslims face due to their faith. After reading this article i️t is evident that those in power want to dictate to Muslims what part of their religion they can practice in order to be considered a part of society. Additionally, the “Muslim population, makeup about 14 percent of the country's 1.3 billion population.” So if acts like this continue then i️t will be hard for Muslims to actually be a part of society.

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Chapter 14 fieldwork

One of the television shows that I watch is Suits. This show is centered around  Manhattan corporate Lawyers and their roles at the law  firm Pearson, Specter, Litt.  

In this show the power dynamic can be easily spotted. Jessica Pearson was the Senior partner for the firm before she passed it on to Harvey Specter. Specter oversees all the decisions, he assigns cases as well as control who can or cannot be assigned to the firm. Being that he is the senior partner he can override laws that govern the firm. One law in particular would be that every new associate and or worker at the firm have to be a graduate of Harvard Law school. Mr.Specter made an exception to this rule when he hired his personal associate Mike Ross whom he believed had qualities that stood out from the typical Harvard graduate. Due to this,  Mike Ross gets access to certain privileges that regular associates are not allowed to have. Aside from Mr.Specter, there is Louis Litt he is slightly below Harvey on the structural “power” ladder. Mr. Litt is in charge of the new associates that come into the firm. Louis Litt is known to use bullying tactics as well as his outstanding Knowledge of the law in order to control the soon to be lawyers. The female character in the show are Donna Paulsen, Rachel Zane and Gretchen Bodinski. Ms. Paulsen is Chief operating officer of the firm. Rachel Zane a lawyer and a paralegal at the firm and Gretchen Bodinski is a secretary for Louis Litt.  

    2.  Within this show, power is organized through Social Stratification. This level of Social stratification is defined by the position of the person at the firm, the amount of money they make, what they do daily, and even the type of influence they have on those around them. Jessica Pearson  is at the top of the list, she makes the most money. Ms, Pearson is well known among many and he is position as one of the top prosecutors in Manhattan. Next is Harvey Specter he has  a certain wealth of knowledge that he can easily use to manipulate others. Then there is Louis Litt who is  a partner at the firm. Below Louis will be Rachel Zane,  Mike Ross,  Donna and lastly Gretchen. Initially Jessica Pearson an African american female ran the firm but once she left white males took over the firm. Majority of their clients are elite white males or females. Everyone on the show is a heterosexual female or male. As it pertains to sexuality the ladies of the show are the most hardworking because they handle the paperwork, creating the schedules and they serves as backbones for the firm. Additionally, the position that each female character  has is due to their hard work not because they slept with the boss. This is different from how women on television are sometimes portrayed.

3. One political negotiations that is made in the show is settlements. This occurs when a certain client is guilty of a certain crime and instead of going to court a certain amount of money can be given in order to close the case. Another portion of this is when a person is “closed” by a prosecutor. Moreover,  political negotiations can come in the form of  pro-bonos which are voluntary works taken on by lawyers and they are without pay.

4. As previously stated these power dynamics are based on money, education and at times who you know. For example Mike Ross was a college dropout and former drug dealer. Yet after one accidental meeting with Harvey Specter he is now working for the top firm in the city. It has also open doors for him to take the Bar examination so he will be qualified to practice law.  One way that the power dynamic can change is when someone is removed from being senior partner or a shareholder of the firm. The power dynamic can change is any of the lawyers are sued for misconduct and or fraudulent behaviors.

5. One of the ways that I encounter the state is when I go out to buy food. Each type of food that exist comes with a certain amount of tax placed on the item. So when getting Chick fil a from the canteen the state regulates the amount that each item will be worth. This relates to a key concept known as redistribution. Another aspect of the state that I am faced with is the rules and regulation that govern the school. For instance illegal weapons are not allowed on campus, students need their bear card in order to sign friends in or get into certain buildings. Attending college is a construction of the state because without a decent education one cannot be an active member in American society. The amount of money that students including myself pay to attend this institution contributes to the profit that the state makes overall.

6. These representations emphasize why the state is a primary institution where social relations are experienced because it is within the state that one learns how to become part of society. We learn to abide by the rules that govern our world and we also learn that if any forms of these rules are broken there are consequences. For example if a person refuses to pay taxes they will have trouble with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

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Chapter 13: Interview with an Immigrant

For my interview with a immigrant, I sat down with Zahaira. She is one of my peers in the Junior Architectural Studio here at Morgan State University and is from the small nation-state of Dominica.

Hello fellow Morganites, my name is Zahaira. I came to the United States for the first time during the summer of 2017. I come from the island nation of Dominica. It is a very small country and compared to the States it is more bucolic and free. At home, I am able to walk around barefoot and pick fruits in my backyard without the slightest hesitation. I chose to come here because of a drive to succeed. My family supported my education while I was living in Dominica which allowed me to attend Dominica State College.

I loved learning at Dominica College but was limited because the educational system we have only allowed for students to get an associates degree. It is very commonplace for people to leave Dominica for additional education and after the recommendation of several of my old professors and previous students from my home country, I decided to come here to Morgan. My arrival here was not without great hardship. Although some individuals can get government bonded scholarships which require them to return home after getting a full ride to a school outside the country of Dominica, I was not afforded such an opportunity. My parents had to fund my education. This left them struggling to make ends meet for a few months before my arrival in the United States. Despite their sacrifice, they do not pressure me and simply want to see me be the best I can be.

Upon coming here I was extremely nervous because this was my first time leaving my home country. I did not know what to expect but my brother came to this country four years ago to attend Grambling State University so he was able to guide me around. I did not have any social groups or people I directly knew who attended Morgan so after the first two days here in Baltimore when my brother helped me learn how to catch uber, common American behaviors, and brought me new clothes for school; I was on my own. The first few weeks here I simply went to class and that was it but I was able to become friends with a few of my classmates who helped me learn how to fit in here in America. I have always spoken English my whole life so there wasn’t a language barrier coming here (except my accent).

Back home, I have a sister who does very well for herself working for the Russian embassy. Working for the embassy, she helps students in an advisory role learn about the country of Dominica, and assists them with any issues related to travel. Not all people are able to have nice jobs such as this and there are more cases of families in extreme poverty with only one person working. My uncle often says, “if you want a job, you make yourself one”. In the case of my sister, only she works and her husband is responsible for taking the kids to school. In some families, the husband usually is the one who works. The common jobs mostly held by people at home are those of farming and tourism. I was very lucky to not have to work when I was at home because my parents were able to care for me. My father is a very old man and just turned 92 so he carries with him a great amount of wisdom but also discord for the people of my generation because he believes we have it easy.

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Tanzania concept map!!

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Mbongeh W Bassah

SOCI 110

11/18/17

I interviewed my mother Mbongeh M. Gwanvala who is from Cameroon. 

I am Marie Gwanvala, originally from Cameroon. I came to the United States in December 2006 after winning the American Lottery. This allowed me to live in the United States as a permeant resident. Once I got settled my two daughters came over in March of 2007. There are many reasons as to why this new change was important for me and my children.  Back home I toke care of everything. In Cameroon while I was growing up women were mainly suppose to get married and have children or farm. They weren't educated mainly the boy were the ones that went to school. So that was one thing that impacted my decision for moving to the United States. Granted I had some type of education but I also wanted to further my studies and allow my children to be able to go to school without the fear that money will stop them. This is one of the reasons why the United States attracted me because of the vast opportunities such as education, a better way of living, and accessibility to transportation. 

Though coming to American included a lot of pull factors, there were a few challenges that I had to over come in order to properly fit into the system. One of the major things were the language barriers. Especially during the process of getting a visa having to communicate with the people in charge. Another impact was finding a good low wage job that will hire me. One of the bridges that helped me while I was here was that I knew a few people who lived in the States. This was very helpful having someone here who allowed my children and I to stay with their family. Having these people helped because I learned a lot from them about how to navigate the American system. Also, my children had kids their age whom they could walk with to school or just enjoy being kids and not feel alone. Until this day these people are still very helpful because they are family.

In this new place, my roles have not changed from my home country because being a single parent you have to take care of everything.Yet, my expectation for my kids being that they weren't born in this country is that they should take advantage of the opportunities America has to offer. At this rate both of them are in college which makes me proud. Being that they aren't first generation (they would be labeled 1.5 generation) fitting in can be a challenge but a long as they remember where they are from and who they are, overtime things will all work out. 

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Concept map- chapter 13 migration

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David Koch

Political Involvements:

-In the 2016 elections Koch planned to spend 889 million dollars. He is a conservative. He partnered  with other conservatives and created  philanthropic entities that enable them to aggressively pursue a libertarian agenda of lower taxes, deregulation of business and the denial of climate change

-David Koch ran as the Libertarian Party's vice presidential candidate in 1980 on a ticket with Ed Clark; they won 1% of the vote

National contributions

-Koch's contribution include charities like Sloan Kettering, which is a fertility clinic aiding sterile parents, American Museum of Natural History's David H. Koch Dinosaur Wing and the Lincoln Center

-Koch even funded his alma mater Deerfield Academy, with $68 million for Center for mathematics, and a separate center for science and technology

Global Contribution/involvement

-globally the Koch brothers company ranks among the top 30 polluters of American air. it ranks number 13  in the nation

- The company controls at least four oil refineries, six ethanol plants, a natural-gas-fired power plant and 4,000 miles of pipeline

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-koch-brothers-toxic-empire-20140924

https://www.forbes.com/profile/david-koch/

https://successstory.com/people/david-hamilton-koch

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In conclusion it was enlightening to hear what people around campus had to say in regards to Social class. Though race was predominantly what most referred to as the main reason for stratification it does extend beyond blacks, because within race/ethnicity there are factors that impact class such as family structure, wealth, and education.

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Tracing My family Tree

As you can see from the image above I have a big family but what I have on my chart is the bare minimum. I began with my grand parents because my nuclear family only consist of four people. So lets analyze what my family tree means and the various dynamics that are present within the family.

On the left hand side is my matrilineal lineage. My mother’s father had 4 wives and each one had a couple kids. My mom told me that in total her father had a total of 26 kids, from his married wives and even from women he wasn't married to. I only represented one of his many wives because my moms mom was his first wife. In total they had 8 kids.This is because she was my grandfathers first wife. Out of her 8 siblings I only represented 4 of her siblings because those are the ones that I am familiar with.  On the chart my moms sister had a total of 7 kids. In the circle I placed the number 6 because she had six girls. Then her other brother adopted one of their sisters child ( his niece) because her mom passed away. Now as it pertains to my mom she only had two kids with my father and that is my older sister and I. 

On the right hand side is my patrilineal side. His father only had two wives. I represented his mom because I do not know much about his stepmother. In between my father and his sister I placed a dash mark to represent that they are twins. These was another set of twins in his family but unfortunately they both past away. Further on down the line one of his sister had a total of 8 kids and the number for the total number of kids  is represented in each shape. 

Overall, by doing this activity I discovered that I have a big family. I have a lot of cousins and it makes me wonder how I will refer to certain people in my family. Like my mom has 3 step moms so since they have kids how will I refer to them. Additionally, I realized that on my mom side of the family a few people were married but later separated. 

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Cartoon Commercials and the construction of Gender

While watching a rerun of cartoons one of the commercials that came across the screen were about nerf guns. Nerf guns are toy guns that can be used by any gender but it is geared towards males in this commercial. The colors in this videos are what are known as “masculine” in our society. The colors that are portrayed in the commercial are blue, orange, and green. The guys are outside running around and playing with toy guns. Being that Nerf is a representation of a gun goes to show how at a young age boys are labeled as aggressive, strong, competitive and rough. The guns are also known to be more masculine because in some parts of society men use guns for protection or to portray power and control among those who are weak. This relates back to gender performance. In the commercial the voice over for the commercial is deep, and sounds very rough and aggressive.

This second commercial is about the easy bake oven used to females to bake things such as cookies, cakes. the colors in the commercial are very “feminine” I see different shades of pink, purple, white, grey, baby blue and silver. The tone of voice for the models are very soft, high pitched and sing song like. The models look very neat with their aprons on, their hair tied back. They look happy while making bite size snacks. Being that the girls are cooking goes to show how at a young age society conforms them into these motherly roles. Girls are suppose to grow up to be wives and mothers so they have to learn how to cook, they have to be neat and put together.

What both of these commercials portray are the cultural construction of gender which is how humans learn to behave as a male or female within their cultural context. So from a young age kids are taught. This is why when they are in the real world they have a hard time accepting the differences of others such a as a girl who enjoys playing sports as opposed to playing with tea cups and Barbie dolls, or guys who enjoy ballet as opposed to video games. 

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Concept map

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Concept map about the Rwanda 🇷🇼 Genocide

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Defining myself

Ethnicity: African

Race: Black

State: United state

Nation: Cameroon 🇨🇲

With that being stated, being who I am all these things work together. Being that I was born somewhere else I have carried over a few different traits( physical) or being able to speak another language or way of life. My state and nation are different because I currently live in the United States but I was born in a different nation. Overall I tend to relate more with African Americans in the United States

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Post 2

This post is about the streotyoes of African American people most people say things like, you live with both parents, he looks like a drug dealer, or he looks like a thug. Is it only because we are black that we look like we sell drugs; is it only because I’m black that I should live with both my parents because I person live both my mom and Dad. The steotypes are not along rude but hurtful.

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In the year of 2016 the police department had managed to kill at LEAST 309 BLACK people in the U.S. Police are killing BLACK people at persistently high rates! It’s not about crime! There is no excuse for police violence! There is no accountability. And get this 30% of BLACK victims were unarmed in 2015! 13 of the 100 largest U.S. city police department kill BLACK men at higher rates than the U.S. murder rate! Do you see the pattern??? ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO LET YOUR SONS PLAY OUTSIDE TODAY BECAUSE THE OFFICERS BULLET MAY JUST HAVE HIS NAME ON IT!!!!!! So much for the land of the free!!