Group Settings

After reading Schwalbe, I started to recognize how "Group Think" influences many people to make decisions based on the type of group they are surrounded with or trying to be a part of. I interviewed three people who chose to remain anonymous about a time when they regretted a decision or behavior that they engaged in as part of a certain group.

The first individual I interviewed was my mom. My mother got pregnant with my brother at the age of 18, the summer after her graduation. She had the ambition to attend college and receive a degree to have a career and have better opportunities for her future. However she did not have the best kind of friends to influence her. The "road" to go after high school for her friends was not to go to college, instead to get pregnant. All her friends will tell her to get pregnant after high school to have the easy way out in life. They used to tell her that if she gets pregnant, she will have a baby's father that will be forced to support her and the child, basically just be a housewife. Many of her friends already had children so they used to tell her about all the benefits of being a mom and they would rather be a mother then having to still be a student after high school. My mother says she always wanted kids but wished she could of waited until after college to be able to raise a child with a career. It was a risky decision for her to make to have a child at a young age because she was not aware of the hardships of raising a child and having to support the child without the father's support. She later realized that those "friends" she had in high school suddenly disappeared and just wanted to make her life complicated since their life's were complicated and hard already. My brother became my mom's focus in life and I learned from her that "friends" do not always give the best advice. One must be very careful with how "friends" are trying to influence you, it is not always for the good.

The second individual I interviewed was my cousin. She also used to hang out with the wrong kind of group in high school that influenced her to make risky and dangerous decisions. Her friends used to ditch school in the mornings to go smoke at a house. One day she as well decided to follow her friends to do what they were doing. Her friends will tell her how fun it is and how it is better than being bored at school. My cousin was risking a lot but was convinced since a lot of her friends were doing the same and they never got in trouble by anyone. She was risking getting caught by the school and/or her mother. Not only risking of getting caught but putting her health at risk too. It was her first time smoking weed so she was not aware of all the health consequences that go along with smoking. That was not going through her mind though at the time since she was well convinced by her friends.

The third individual I interviewed was my friend. He comes from a rough family background. His family are all gang members and influence him to do decisions that most of the time he does not want to do. He did not really have the choice if he wanted to be a gang member or not since his family influenced him at such a young age. He grew up thinking it was right but as he started to mature and grow up, he started to realize what his family had made him do. He realized the negative influence his family was to him and how it was affecting his life. Being a gang member runs a risky life. All day, everyday day they are being faced with a threat from the opposite gang so therefore the are at risk of a dangerous,deadly consequence. My friend has been trying to get out of the gang but has been really hard for him since his whole family is involved and it will be seen as betraying his entire family.

Everyone gets influenced by a certain group everyday, however it is up to the individual to decide what type of group he/she want to get influenced by. I strongly believe that one should not try to fit into a certain group to get advice and be influenced, instead one should stand OUT!

The Automobile

Cultural objects surround us every day that tell us a lot about our society and have a significant meaning behind it. An automobile is a metal based object that comes in different colors and styles. It has windows to roll up and down and lights to see in the dark. Inside there are seats for the driver and passengers, air conditioning, and the radio. We often see these objects going down the street to a destination. There are many uses for the automobile but for me; it is a form of transportation. However for many individuals the usage of the automobile is used as a form of luxury because those who are wealthy own several of cars, more than they need. This illustrates that people in today's U.S. society use the automobile as a label. Those people use the automobile to show society the status in which they are in society, "Who has the best and most expensive car in the block." Henry Ford was the first who produced an automobile that was affordable for the American, Model T. He transformed the automobile from a luxury toy to a mainstay of American society. Even in the past, an automobile was a form of luxury but changed into a form of transportation since it was affordable for almost all Americans. I believe that the automobile in the future will advance severely and sooner than later I strongly feel automobiles will be able to fly like airplanes, not as high but be lifted off the ground. I come to this analysis based on how far technology is advancing in our society. The automobile is not only a source of transportation and luxury but an aspect of social life. When people ride with others in a car, it brings a type of communication because besides the radio playing, the people in the car are obviously going to talk to each other and bond closer than with who they are not riding in the car with. The people in the same car are all going to the same location so it connects them closer. There are values behind the automobile. Owning and driving an automobile represents responsibility in the U.S. culture because it demonstrates the person owning and driving a car is mature enough to be careful and hold the responsibility of putting other people’s lives at risk by driving. The car does exist in other countries but mainly as a form of transportation, not like the U.S. However in many countries people cannot afford the automobile so it is very looked-up to in other countries if someone owns a car. The urge and necessity of the automobile is essential in any society on the planet. However we should consider the consequences of usage of the automobile, global warming.

Indexes

Micheal Schwalbe, chapter 3 of TSEL, discusses the term index. An index is a social symbol for social conditions. Society often tends to observe individuals and interpret what their status, taste, class, etc can be. To be "sociological mindful" one needs to see that an index brings social meaning behind everyday situations in society. For example in my community a lot of Mexican ice cream men on foot pass around my neighborhood selling ice cream, chips, and fruit pushing a cart around. The men often seem tired and exhausted from being under the sun and on foot all day. I have not seen one of these ice cream men passing around more high income areas. The reason why I believe they are seen most in low income areas is because people in that community can afford the items sold by the ice cream man since it might be difficult to purchase, for example ice cream, elsewhere like at a grocery store or a ice cream shop. There are also more people living in those communities so it is more beneficiary to sell there than in areas where it is more decent and quiet (high income areas). Another example of an index in my community is graffiti on walls and fences. There is a variety of graffiti writing through out my community that are mainly gang related. This indicates it is an area where young individuals do not have anything better to do so they have the time to make a mess in the community. A lot of these kids maybe do not have the opportunity to be successful in school due to the lack of education given in school in low income areas so they turn to gangs to feel useful. Graffiti is also a sign of disrespect and a sign that those who are responsible of the graffiti in the area are careless of where they live. It brings a view that the area is dysfunctional since the community has failed to educated to those in need of getting educated better to know that graffiti is not right.

My Introduction

Hello everyone,

I am Jose Mejia and I am 19 years old. My major is Psychology and minoring in Communications. I just transferred from UC Riverside to De Anza this Spring quarter. I plan on transferring back to UCR or to Long Beach State when i finish my general aid. I am outgoing and love to stay active. My hobbies is going to the gym, swimming, and dancing. I like to try new things because I am very open minded to anything. I enjoy learning new things to expand my knowledge. What I hope to get out of this Honors course is to learn and be aware of social challenges since I have not taken a Sociology class before. I have always wanted to be part of an organization to help the community but have never had the chance so I believe this is a great opportunity to get involved with TOUCH. We will both benefit greatly. I am very easy to talk to so please do not be afraid because I love meeting new people. I am really excited to take this course!