Blog Assignment 14: Poverty

 Poverty: A Real Eye-Opener

 

It is amazing to reflect on the amount of information we have been exposed to in the last few weeks. Some of the information is undoubtedly lost while other topics randomly appear in my minds-eye and fill my fleeting thoughts. It is amongst these fleeting thoughts that I based my final blog choice on. I chose to discuss poverty. Based on the assignment guidelines, I am supposed to discuss an issue and share what I learned and how it opened my eyes to thinking differently.

It is not that I learned about the existence of poverty, we all go about our lives knowing about it; yet often stop short at really knowing what it means.

According to dictionary.com, poverty means:

1. The state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor. Synonyms: privation, neediness, destitution, indigence, pauperism, penury. Antonyms: riches, wealth, plenty.

2. Deficiency of necessary or desirable ingredients, qualities, etc.: poverty of the soil. Synonyms: thinness, poorness, insufficiency.

 

3. Scantiness; insufficiency: Their efforts to stamp out disease were hampered by a poverty of medical supplies. Synonyms: meagerness, inadequacy, sparseness, shortage, paucity, dearth. Antonyms: abundance, surfeit, sufficiency, bounty, glut.

 

Looking at these definitions I can see clearer, the error of my ways. Before this class I often equated poverty as a form of lacking, as the above definitions state, but I also considered poverty to be a personal problem, consequences of poor choices, and inadequate planning. How naïve and insensitive to give such little thought to it other than it is something that exists, that happens, and that it originates at the individual level.

 

I learned that it is much bigger than I originally thought. It is not just a label given to people who are poor. Instead, it is a tangible position in a socially constructed, position we have created in our stratified society that categorizes people in different groups like the poor.

 

I have to admit that before this class I did not even know what the actual poverty line amount was. When you hear about the homeless shelters on the news, or see people pan-handling on a street corner, I have jumped to conclusions that it is within their reach to do something about their situation. This is where the biggest eye-opener for me came. Learning in the numerous examples of how our social institutions play a role in the persistence of poverty in America. It is clear that I have succumbed to the ideology of competitive individualism.

 

Coincidentally, the day after I read this chapter, I found myself in a passionate political debate with a friend about welfare, the poor, and how it is affecting our economy, and who is to blame. He ranted about how the poor people are the problem with our economy and how they are just sitting on their butts with their hands out, etc. He even indicated (like I have in the past) that if they would only work harder, the benefits would pay off and then they would not be poor!  I told him that we had to table this discussion until I could bring my sociology book over to show him what I have now been exposed to. I think that the most moving facts for me in changing what I believe about poverty are the degree to which the gap in household incomes between the rich and the poor is increasing to alarming degrees. It was shocking to know just how richer the rich are getting compared to the other four income classes. To be able to share this information and show how everything intersects and influences one another felt right, rather than spewing worthless rhetoric like so many others. Pointing out how the rising housing prices and rising rent does not stop just because minimum wage did not follow suit. Getting him to understand that examples like these are not just an individual problem was a challenge. Therefore, I continued to explain how there is not enough affordable housing and that this problem is created (and can be remedied) by our social institutions who do play a major role in poverty. At the very least this gave my very “Republican” friend a new perspective as well.

 

This debate ended up being very reaffirming of the lessons learned (thankfully) that social constructs like the beliefs about the poor and the causes of poverty can be changed. It is frustrating to know that these individual changes of constructs can influence the higher up social institutions to work on their end, on down, as well as on our end, on up, but it seems as though our government leans toward the belief that poverty serves as a purpose in our social institutions, based on their lack of success in eliminating poverty in today’s reality. Cumulatively, it is imperative that this become a problem of the past!

 

According to Newman (2012) it is the lack of knowledge, the belief in the fallacy that “if you work hard, you will succeed,” and not understanding how the imbalances in income and wealth play a role in poverty that keeps this viscous cycle going in excessive and increasing speeds. This should not be the case in a developed country like the United States.

 

I think that the reason this is meaningful for me to know that I am willing to admit when I am wrong and gratefully I now have a deeper understanding to the causes and the enormity of this poverty problem in America. I can now be on the side of being a part of the solution rather than being a part of the problem. I want a better America, as well as world for us all to live in.

 

Lastly, the other thing that I learned about is the “poverty line” challenge. Not only do I tell everybody I know about it, but I challenge them to take it. At the very least this will bring awareness and keep the conversation going rather than one person walking around in year 2013 clueless and oblivious to this problem that is a travesty in a great nation like our own and the uncomfortable conversation needs to continue until there is no more poverty!

 

 “Live below the Line” challenge today!" You can go to this link to register https://www.livebelowtheline.com/ and/or view the following video to learn more.

 

 

 

 

References

Newman, D. (2012). Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life: 9th Edition SAGE Publications.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poverty

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oG7lr8c_9QiGwAac9XNyoA;_ylc=X1MDMjc2NjY3OQRfcgMyBGNzcmNwdmlkAzYzVWwza2dldXJDU1JKOENUM0pUWmdNa1MwbExHVkRfZEM4QUJweGcEZnIDeWZwLXQtNzAxLXMEZnIyA3NnLWdhYwRpdANncARuX2dwcwMxMARvcmlnaW4Dc3JwBHBvcwMxBHBxc3RyA3BvdmVydHkgcGkEcXVlcnkDcG92ZXJ0eSBwaQRzYWMDMQRzYW8DMwRzZWMDcmVsLXNhBHNsawN0ZXh0BHRvU3RyaW5nA1tvYmplY3QgT2JqZWN0XQR2dGVzdGlkA1NNRTE2NQ--?p=poverty%20pictures&fr2=sg-gac&fr=yfp-t-701-s&pqstr=poverty%20pi

Blog Assignment 13: German Immigrants

My German Immigrant Story

 

In order to share my family heritage outside of America, I only needed to go back a couple of generations. My parents were all born in America; however, two out of four of my grandparents came from somewhere else. I am a “mixed-race” which consists of English immigrants from England on my father’s side and German immigrants from Germany on my mother’s side. For the purpose of this assignment I will share with you my family’s immigrant story that my grandfather from Germany told me many years ago.

 

 

My grandfather, Hans Dorsch, told me that he came to America on a ship when he was about three years old in 1923. My great-grandmother, Mathielda Dorsch (age 30), and my great-grandfather Christian Dorsch (age 33) set out to seek a better life. Like so many during that time other family members set out before them to get the lay of the land and later sent word to come to America. It was told to me that an uncle in the family sent word that he was settled and was farming the land and needed help. Unfortunately, my great-grandparents did not know they were being swindled and misinformed by that relative. When they arrived as German immigrants and headed west to South Dakota to work on their relative’s farm they quickly learned that the uncle did not own the farm, instead they were there and obligaed to help pay a gambling debt off in exchange for farming. Despite this rocky start and the trials and tribulations of being an immigrant in a new country, in the end, my great-grandparents ended up owning their own farmland and became successful farmers and had three more children.

Typical Ship Enroute to America from Germany

 

Copy of a Passenger Log of Immigrants to America

 

This assignment made me curious to see if I could actually find my grandfather's and his parent's passenger records at the Ellis Island website. After a brief search I was able to find their passenger record for all three of them. The previous address that they gave was from Eckernfoerde, Germany. The ship that they traveled on was called The Andania, which departed from Hamburg, Germany. They arrived at Ellis Island on December 15, 1923. The following link is what the website showed as being his record of entering America as a German immigrant:

 http://ellisisland.org/search/passRecord.asp?MID=14883535610888183168&FNM=HANS&LNM=DORSCH&PLNM=DORSCH&CGD=M&bSYR=1920&bEYR=1920&first_kind=1&last_kind=1&town_kind=0&ship_kind=0&TOWN=null&SHIP=null&RF=2&pID=601578050026

As we have learned throughout this class, individuals are shaped by interactions with others and the many social forces (Newman, 2012). Up to this point it is easy to see how the words of encouragement and a promise of a better future by another person influenced their journey to another country to start anew. In addition to this individual interaction, it is also important to look at societal forces that may have played a role in their decision to move to America. In 1923, Germany was experiencing major economic problems with hyperinflation and high unemployment. After viewing this YouTube video, you can understand why they were desperate to find new opportunities in life.

YouTube video explaining the Crisis in 1923 in Germany

 

In coming to a new country, no different than the immigrants of today, there are many challenges. The most obvious is how different immigrants are than the current citizens. They dress different; they have different values, beliefs, and come from a completely different culture. Then to make matters more difficult, they speak a different language, creating even a bigger gap between the current and the new members of society. I would think that the language barrier could have delayed their ability to shop, work, and create relationships with people who were not other German Immigrants.

I remember being a little girl and visiting my great-grandparents in the 70's. It was evident that even after forty-five plus years in America they still spoke very broken English. My grandfather later told me that he learned English faster than his parents, and became fluent when he attended school. He often had to act as an interpreter for his parents. I would think that the language barrier would have been a very big challenge, especially when you are dependent on your children to explain things that they may not be old enough to comprehend. Another problem that this language barrier can pose is the inability to assimilate in to the American culture.

I believe some of the immigrants of our past, like the Germans, had some advantages over others in our history. For example, I think that history has proven to be less tolerable to those immigrants of color, adding additional racism to the already sensitive situation of welcoming newcomers. The other advantage that I think my ancestors reaped the rewards came in the form of timing. They got out of Germany before all hell broke out as well as America was in the time of needing workers and farmers. Whereas, if they were arriving today, in a down economy, they would be met with opposition and fear that they should not be able to use our resources, get hand-outs, and take our jobs away from us Americans.

Why is the Subject of Immigration Volatile?

In today's world the common things that occur and the reactions that surface when immigration is present, I think is why the subject of immigration is so volatile. Out of the many things that Newman (2012) lists , I think the most prevelent reason for the conflict is fear and the threat that immigrants pose on the people already there. Fear and threat acts as a fuel to the fire, creating a volatile reaction to immigrants. Especially, when the economy is in a down swing and there is a large influx of immigration in a given area. This only increases the fear that these immigrants will come in and take all of the jobs, bog down our educational system, and deplete our healthcare resources by potentially bringing in diseases, or freeload. It is feared that if they do not take all the jobs then they must be milking the welfare system (Newman, 2012). All of this and more, like the different values, beliefs, and norms they bring to America makes people fear that they will have a permanent change on America, leaving it as place they will no longer recognize.

In contrast to fearing immigrants and creating confict, I would like to end on a positive note. Newman (2012) mentions that those who interact more with immigrants "at work, at school, or in the community can reduce these feelings of threat." These people who do not hold the antiforeigner sentiments have less of these adjustment problems and negative feelings towards immigrants than those "natural" citizens who stand-off on the sidelines and only create more fear, hate, animosity, discrimination, prejudices, and even racism towards these people who are wanting to immigrate to a great country like majority of our ancestors did. Hence, this is how we all got here, why is it all of a sudden not acceptable to allow anymore?

 

References

Newman, D. (2012). Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life: 9th Edition SAGE Publications.

German Ship Picture http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=Antie2eseH_kKk0j_bzCH62bvZx4?fr=yfp-t-701-s&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&p=pictures%20of%20german%20immigration%20ships

http://ellisisland.org/search/passRecord.asp?MID=14883535610888183168&FNM=HANS&LNM=DORSCH&PLNM=DORSCH&CGD=M&bSYR=1920&bEYR=1920&first_kind=1&last_kind=1&town_kind=0&ship_kind=0&TOWN=null&SHIP=null&RF=2&pID=601578050026

 

EXTRA POST: Slut-Shaming and Gender Inequality

“Slut-Shaming” - Spreading Gender Inequality

According to the memes website and a Huffington Post article, “Slut Shaming” refers to the practice of criticizing a woman for engaging in certain sexual behaviors outside of traditional gender roles, whether it be actual or presumed based on her manner of dress, speech or personality. Online, such practice has been discussed in the context of cyber-bullying, as some cases have led to teenage girls committing suicide, and it remains a popular debate topic among social justice bloggers.”

Until this last week before doing this assignment on Gender I had never heard the word “slut shaming” or "slut-bashing" let alone know its meaning. I was surprised to learn that this term was actually originated and/or coined in an online blog spat between two female "feminist" bloggers. I felt that this is an example of how “oblivious” we go about our days without consideration of the impact our words have on reaffirming the dominance over and suppression of women. Interestingly, we are so “oblivious” we need to also realize that majority of the phenomenon of “slut-shaming” is not only coming from men, but women have jumped on the bandwagon and are doing the dirty work of the male dominated society, by participating in slut-shaming.

It was summarized and concluded in the feminist blogging spat that “it is a problematic nature of women calling other women sluts” and “The precise meaning of “Slut” is not relevant here. Slut-shaming isn’t about the use of the word, but about the implication that if a woman has sex that traditional society disapproves of, she should feel guilty and inferior.”

This type of behavior is reminiscent and similar to victim blaming and a justification for violence against women. It is also reflective that women are still struggling for equality and is in need of being located in the stratification system alongside men not below to ensure equal distribution of vital resources our society has to offer (Newman, 2012).

       

Slut-shaming seems to be serving the same means of social control that rape has done in the past and unfortunately still today. In today's world it is politically incorrect to say out loud that a women deserved or asked for it when raped. However, with social structure change in action, it seems to me that slut-shaming is just a new way to go about a socially unacceptable way to blame the victim of rape and/or how a woman is viewed, dominated, and suppressed. To minimize the chances of digressing in the forward momentum of women equality, I found it important to bring this topic to the forefront and hope for the curbing of this behavior that is only setting us back.


To better help me understand “slut-shaming” I sought out to learn about this term that was coincidentally mentioned on a news report and on an episode of Dr. Phil in the same week I was working on the previous gender assignment. I came across this YouTube video from a very astute thirteen-year-old in a Huffington Post article. I was impressed with how such a young person like this was taking a stand for change from the individual level up.


In conclusion, I challenge you to keep your ears open to this harmful act and know that it is more than words and judgement slut-shaming brings. It is also a means of social control that can be stopped collectively by educating those who do not realized the ultimate consequence of slut-shaming/bashing has on the continuance of gender inequality for many of those who are participating in this phenomenon.

 

References

Newman, D. (2012). Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life: 9th Edition SAGE Publications.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/slut-shaming

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/11/slut-shaming-13-year-old_n_1199013.html

www.youtube.com

Blog Assignment 12: Gender Social Structure

Duped by Society

As our professor warned us, we might think that gender does not matter in today’s society because of the changes and progress we are currently witnessing. However, reading page after page of all of the examples and little nooks and cranny’s where disparities are still lurking, gender inequality is still a really big issue, especially if you happen to be a women. This chapter actually made me angry to think of how complacent I have become and almost immune, if not oblivious, to these things that are happening in my own life that I have come to accept as normal.  Upon further evaluation of my personal life and the impact that gender as a social structure has made in shaping who I am today, I will limit the hundreds of examples of gender inequalities I have endured to just a handful in both the personal and institutional platforms.

Sexism at the Personal Level

From the moment we are born the categorizing begins firmly placing us in the stratification system where men are located above women. It all seems harmless; blue things for boys, pink things for girls, rough-and-tumble with boys, and tea parties with girls. All is fun until somebody gets hurt (women). Looking back, I can see the number of ways I was groomed to not only to fall victim to the inequalities in society, but to accept them as a reality of life. One of the reasons why some may think that gender no longer matters is because many of these gender inequalities appear so often, and very subtly during our early impressionable lives, we tend to not even notice them. Once our foundation is set with these fallacies of gender roles, we later begin to notice changes being made in our society like dads helping out more around the house, more women going to college, women's professional basketball teams, or even girls being allowed to play on boys football teams, and the women’s rights movement, etc. give the illusion that all is well.

Growing up in the late 60s through the early 80s, I was raised by my parents who took on majority of the traditional gender specific roles of their parent's generation. This was a time of change, due to the women's movement. I witness the generation before me breakaway from many of the set roles. In turn, I was not exonerated from doing the gender specific "girl roles," I was just given the opportunity to add more "boy things" to my list of acceptable behaviors for a girl  to di in society at that time. For me, this is probably why I, and so many other women of this generation, make the transition again later in life, by ending up do most of the housework and "secondary care" even when they are working full-time outside of the home Newman (2012). In a sense, we were groomed at an early age to not give up our traditional roles, instead, we keep adding to our responsibilities.

Another example of gender as a social structure and how it impacted my life is my education path. As I mentioned before I am a nontraditional (lifetime) student, who up until now, never experienced full-time, during the day, student status at a University. Like Newman (2012) indicates, gender, culture, status and rules do not play independent roles in shaping lives. For example, culture during the time when I grew up, coming from a blue-collar family, and being a girl, the pursuit of going to college immediately following high school was not the norm. Instead, the expectation was to finish high school, get a job, get married, have children, and be a stay-at-home mom. I followed the path that the framework of our society at that time, paved for me. My saving grace was that I always attended college at night on a part-time basis until attending Hamline University. In a positive light, I view my life as being able to do it all. Maybe not the most conventional way of today's world, but I'm grateful for the opportunity today.

I wish I could end this section about sexism at the personal level on a better note, however, violence and sexual harassment towards women is such a prevalent problem, it would be an injustice to avoid mentioning it. As a girl and now a grown woman I have personally experienced lewd comments, ogling, and two very close call, on two separate occasions, attempted rape situations, by person's I knew, both from the workplace. I was one of the lucky ones to escape this heinous crime of male dominance that exist in our society. I was also one of the 45% who did not report these attempts not once but twice (Newman, 2012). The impact it has had on my life is it did in the past, make me fearful of certain situations, walking alone, and being able to trust men that I even knew. As a grown woman, in a public place, my husband always escorts me and waits for me at the restroom because of this. The other way this has impacted my life is how I raise my daughter. I took extra precaution to make sure that she is aware of the many situations that can occur regarding violence against women. That conversation in of itself makes for fearful but if a little fear can help prevent it is worth it. We also made sure that our son is aware of right and wrong treatment of women and raised a fine young gentleman. I find it to be very demeaning and offensive to women that in today's age we are still the ones having to take responsibility for preventing rape more so than men (Newman, 2012). Just when you think things can't get any worse on a personal level, women also are subjected to many gender inequalities in institutions.

Institutions and Gender Inequality

Living and working in a patriarchy society has left me feeling inferior and insecure about my true abilities when trying to break the glass ceiling. I have been stifled, discouraged, discriminated against, and have always been underpaid in the working world. Education and corporate institutions proved to enforce its “patterned organization on me all for the purpose of adding order and predictability to our lives (Newman, 2012) (tongue-in-cheek).”

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am a lifetime student by choice, on a quest for knowledge. One reason for this is because I love to learn. Another reason stems from a sense of feeling inferior in our world. Meaning that when I look at men in the working world, I always wonder why they get that job over somebody like me who knows I can do it, yet it seems impossible. Therefore, I must be lacking education, knowledge, or something. In the end, I come to realize that this is an example of gender inequality and opportunities made available to men and not women. This impacts my life because I feel as though the working world will never satisfy me, but the academia world does because it is all about my challenges I set for myself and get to measure my accomplishments directly based on my efforts.

As education fulfills my needs as well as prepares me for another go around in corporate America, I can reflect on my past jobs and the role gender plays. I can go back to my first job at age 15 at a fast-food chain. As a girl who could always keep an accurate money drawer, they said that that is why I and every other girl got stuck working cashier, instead of making whoppers that was a lot more fun. Looking back, it is obvious that we were just in a “gender specific” job and provided a bright smile and perhaps a little “eye-candy” for the customers. This was just the first of many job choices that were not available to me despite having the same education and training as my counterpart. More recently in my career, another example involves title, prestige, respect, and a large wage gap. I have worked in the finance and accounting field for over fifteen years. What was always frustrating to me and the root of my suffering confidence was being able to infiltrate the “good ole boys club,” and receive my dues. For example, in this field, all too often, men were called controllers or accountants, while women, like me, were always called assistants, clerks, or bookkeepers. I had all of the same education, experience, and training but was disrespected in my title and further offended by the wage gap that was always evident in my paychecks for every job that I have had.   

The last straw of this gender inequality was actually the main reason why I left the corporate world, decided to change my career completely, and attend Hamline University to obtain my BA in psychology. My last job I had was a great opportunity to take over the position of CFO of a small company. The man who’s job I took over was the CFO for a very long time and had not brought this company into the 20^th century, let alone the 21^st. He was still doing everything manually and kept very questionable and shoddy books. In summary, the previous CFO, along with the owner, brought this company to the brink of collapse. After 3 years I accomplished re-organizing everything from accounting practices, implemented computer software programs for accounting and business operations, put processes and procedures in place, improved moral, streamlined sales and production department which increased revenues, improved benefits, cut expense and revived the company. Despite all of these accomplishments, I saw the writing on the wall that I was limited in my opportunities and pay at this company. I redirected this failing company from the edge of bankruptcy to being a 2 million dollar company that the owner never succeeded in the thirty years of being in business. After my challenge was gone, I was no longer willing to except the injustice of being paid over $20,000 less than the previous employee who got to wear the title “Chief Executive Officer” but I was the Office Administrator on my job description (that I wrote, but the owner labeled) and was referred to as the secretary by the owner. In the end, I am glad in the long run that this latest gender inequality impacted me enough to make one of the biggest directional changes in my life. This influence is steering me to a new career, in a chosen field, with hopefully a brighter future and more pay. I just hope that I do not have to get my PhD just to get paid the same as my future male counterpart does who only has a bachelor’s degree (Newman, 2012).

Despite my individual efforts of still persevering as a woman, about to reenter the job market, these disparities will not conquer my spirit. Overall, I am very happy and hopeful for the world in which I live. Upon completion of reading this chapter it is evident that we still have a big mountain to climb before reaching the summit of success and equality for all. The proof is in black and white text in the last paragraph of this chapter. I was in a state of utter dismay and disgust when I learned that my own country is against ending discrimination against women. It is sickening and very eye-opening to know to the degree in which gender as a social structure goes all the way to the top of the United Nations. The United States, along with countries like Sudan, Somalia, Iran, etc., were one of the “eight out of the 192 member countries of the United Nations” to refuse to legally bind them to taking the steps to end discrimination (Newman, 2012). This may be the force that I have felt and tried to define but was unable to “put a finger on it” and wonder “what do these men have that I don’t have?” All along this has been the workings of gender in the “framework of society being delivered in the social institutions, organizations, groups, statuses, cultural beliefs, and institutional norms” mentioned above in my life events (Newman, 2012).   

 

References

Newman, D. (2012. Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life: 9th Edition SAGE Publications.

www.youtube.com

Blog Assignment 11: Social Construction Regarding Race

Race: A Thing of the Past?

 

Like all great plans you need to know where you came from and where you want to end up to make a solid plan of action. This assignment requires me to discuss the social construction of race. It is my goal to take a look at the past, learn from it, see where we are today, and make a determination of where we are headed for the future.

 

A Brief  Look into the Past

To over simplify the past in America one could say that the group that was in charge reacted to differences in people in a very damaging and dehumanizing way. For example, when they settled in the new land, they took over and pushed the original settlers aside (the American Indians) and deemed them to be "savages." The degree to which they saw this difference in how to categorized people were how they were treated and excluded from our constitution as being recognized as citizens of the United States (Newman, 2012). They did this by "race." They decided to group people based on their similarities of looks, actions, and where they came from. This is the definition they deemed "race" to be.

 

 

Another example of the obsession to categorize and suppress a group, that was different than what the white man saw in a mirror, was slavery. In the past, people were led to believe as their "truth" that race was a way to label and categorize people into different groups. Specifically, categorize slaves as a "race" that were sub-human, allowed them to  justify the maltreatment of an entire "race" that had "black blood." According to the conflict perspective, "it is a fundamental truth that stratification systems serve the interests of those at the top and not the survival needs of the entire society (Newman, 2012)." They believed that slavery was right and that it was the white man's right to own a slave. This "truth" of their time unfortunately did not get changed until 1865. 

 

The social construction of their reality of that time made it known and factual that depending on the type of "blood" that ran through your veins, determined whether or not you were a slave or a slave owner. Race at that time was based on the "one-drop" rule, if you had any amount of "black blood" in you, you were considered to be viewed as a lower level of a human than a white man (Newman, 2012). Like the Native Americans, even after slavery was abolished, this "race" was still treated differently with continued racism and discrimination.

Later, race also became a label to categorize where your ancestors originated from. For example, the race "German" came from Germany. In short, categorizing people in the past was a way to apply a man-made word, called "race" that was suppose to explain where they originated from in the world and be able to apply the socially constructed and excepted prejudice and suppressive actions against them according to their "truth" about particular races in that time. 

A Brief Look at Where we are Today

 I would like to think that we have evolved as a "human race" since that time in our history. However, one quick glance at a college application or the every changing classifications that have existed on our recent and historical, continually changing, and evolving choices and definitions of "race" within our census, reminds us that those in the power positions are still obsessed with separating, differentiating, and categorizing people in the name of "tracking" what the make-up of our country is or to see who goes to college, or buys a house, etc.

 

As far as I am concerned "race" and "racism" should and could be a thing of the past because the old "truths" are continually changing and not holding up to mean anything anymore. If race was not socially constructed then it would not be changing as often as it is. For example, in the past "race" was used to categorize and justify why it was OK to treat a different race other than your own with abuse, oppression, and inequality. They looked at race as something to be different biologically than themselves. It was in their blood so to say. Slavery served the interest of those on the top, reaffirming that there was in-deed a difference in races. Now race is something we track to make sure we are being treated equal?

 

Now that we have evolved scientifically, it is difficult to justify the ill-treatment of a group base on biological race because they are "different" is false. Yes, we may look and act different, and come from different parts of the globe, but these differences do not change our humanness. There is not a "black" gene, or a "white" gene, etc. to make that old claim "true" or believable in today's world. Thank goodness this socially constructed belief changed over time.

 

Like all socially constructed realities, they change over time and within cultures. The concept of race is no different. In the past, before globalization, we would ask someone what race they were and they would say and identify with German, Chinese, Japanese, American, and so on. When asked the same question on the 2010 Census you would check more than one of the following "White, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian Indian, Japanese...or Samoan (Newman, 2012)." My point in looking at the past and present into the word "race" as being understood to be socially constructed is evident when you look at the different meanings we hold towards different races as well as how we are constantly changing which races to put on a census in the first place. 

 

So Where are We Going? Is "Race" a Thing of the Past?

 

Now that it is not all that accurate to categorize people according to their point of anscestral origination into this country because we are all here now. Is it not more valid to abolish the word "race" because it in a sense no longer has any meaning other than a futile attempt to track people for discriminatory purposes like who is filling out a particular form (who is applying to college or a driver's license, etc.).

Race is becoming more and more diluted as globalization continues. The words on these forms are an impossibility to derive any valid information from anymore so why have it? For example, If I was to check a different box than what I actually identify myself with (white), but I checked "Hispanic," are people going to ask me for a blood sample to prove my "race" or will they dispute it by asking for a comprehensive family lineage? What is it for any more?

My ancestors are from Germany and I do not identify myself as German on the form, one because it is not an option anymore, hence social constructed, and two I am white, so I put white. What does it matter and to who, if my skin is white?

The other reason I think that "race" as we understand it to be on today's forms is invalid because some of the choices are correlated with a "place of our ancestral origination" and others like "white" or "black" is based on the color of skin. Because of this socially constructed determination of "race" is not consisted even within its own current use, reduces it meaning to be useless.

As people become the fourth and fifth generation of being and American, what does "white," "black," or "Asian, Japanese, and Chinese mean? If we can no longer determine the "race" of someone because of their ancestral point of origination is American and generations of "mixing," and the mobility of moving from country to country, other than the color of skin, these things are continually changing.

With globalization erasing the demographics of "race," all that will be left to differentiate people in the future is "What country did you live in before moving to America" and by the way, "What is the color of your skin?" It makes me wonder if the veil of reality will finally be revealed that the original point of race was just to and still may be just a reflection of which group is being discriminated, prejudiced, and suppressed in a particular point of time in our history.

Do we really need to group people by biological traits or ethnicity? What purpose does it serve today in our globalized society? If we do not have the word "race" to be obsessed with, would we also eliminate racism? One could hope that we are headed in that direction.

References

Newman, D. (2012. Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life: 9th Edition SAGE Publications.

www.youtube.com

 

Blog Assignment 10: Living at the Poverty Line

Making Ends Meet - Without the Meat!

 

 

After reading this chapter and doing additional research on poverty in America and around the World, it is impossible to remain silent and/or complacent about this real problem!

 

Land of the Free, Home of the Broke (youtube)

 

 

Breaking Down the Numbers

For the purpose of this assignment I will begin with providing a comprehensive list of all the goods and services my hypothetical but “all too real” family of four (two working parents, one child (age 7) in elementary school, and another child (age 3) in daycare) needs to survive. According to our government’s calculations, the minimum subsistence level (aka the poverty line) is $22,113 per year which equates to $1,842 per month.

Basic Needs       Monthly Expense

Food                      $433       ($100/wk x 52 = $5200/12= $433.33/mo.)

Rent                      $669       ($669 x 12 = $8,028) – Heat, water, sewer included (need to pay electric)

Electricity             $40         ($40 x 12 = $480)

Used Car              $433       ($100/wk x 52 = $5200/12 = $433/mo.)

Car Maint.           0

Daycare                $810       ($187/wk x 52 = 9724/12 = $810/mo.)($758 at the lowest not a “center”)

____________________________________________________

Subtotal               $2385    Meaning – Living Only (Basic food/shelter/transp. to work/childcare)

Budget                 $1842

_____________________________________________________

TOTAL                  <$543.00>           ALREADY   OVER    BUDGET!

What on earth could you cut from the above budget? Possibly use the bus as a primary mode of transportation when possible. However, this becomes almost impossible when you have to bring a child to daycare. Daycare cost is definitely a budget buster. Perhaps the parent who has the best pay and stable benefits could keep their job, but the other parent could try to find a different job that is on second shift so that they could "tag-team" parent and eliminate the need for daycare is the only solution that I see. The only way that they could cut food expense is to visit a food pantry. They could also possibly save about $52 per month in daycare if they opt to go to an in-home daycare rather than a daycare center. Every expense above other than day care is pretty firm without housing or food assistance. If you cannot cut any more fat (which there is not an ounce of in the above budget) then another option the family has, if possible, is to have one or both of the parents to take on a part-time job on the weekends. However, this is just wishful thinking for the simple fact that with the recession one job is hard enough to find.

 

Not only would this family need to cut $543 in spending in just the bare minimum realty above, the following is a more comprehensive list of what you would think that a family living the "American Dream" should at least have the means and opportunity to include in their conservative budget. The follow is a continuation of the above list that is not able to be included in the "poverty line budget." I consider this list to be vital necessities and should be a right for all Americans. This is truly a travesty and a black mark on our nation as a whole!.

 

Continuing on, the following are additional expenses that need to be considered in a normal and realistic budget for most of Americans but are not possible for those under, on, and hovering above the poverty line. This continued list will clearly show the level of impossibility of successfully living on the “Poverty Line Budget.”

 

Subtotal               $2385    Subtotal from above

Med Ins.              $250       ($250 x 12 = $3,000) – Employee portion only of medical insurance coverage

Med. Copay        $20         (8 Dr. visits/yr @ $30/each = $240/12 = $20/mo.)

Rx                         $10         (estimate $10 per Rx, estimate 1 monthly Rx = $120/12 = $10/mo.)

Misc A                 $625       See below: plan for the what if

Misc B                 $410       See below: things that we take for granted every day

Cell Phone          $50         Basic plan

Life Ins.                $30        ($15 each parent/mo. For minimal coverage)

Vacations            $0          Luxury that cannot be included 

_________________________________________________________

Total                      $3,780   Conservative Comprehensive Estimated Monthly Expenses 

Budget                 $1,842   Poverty Line Budget

_________________________________________________________

Shortfall              <$1,938>             

 

This budget is short more than allotted according to the Government’s Idea of what should or should not be considered minimum subsistence level!

 

Misc. A: Not able to budget or save for a hospital stay or even an ER visit, which typically employer medical plans usually require approximately $2500 out of pocket expenses per person, per year for a max of 3 of the 4 people = $7500/12 = 0 - $625/mo if three people maxed this out)

 

 

Misc. B: There is absolutely no room for any unexpected expenses, let alone all of the things that we all take for granted on a daily basis. The following items I list I will provide an estimated monthly, very conservative estimate as well. Thing things include: clothing/shoes ($100), household items (furniture, dishware, towels, lotion, soaps, cleaning supplies, etc.)($50-100), education (field trips, classroom supplies)($10), gifts (Christmas, birthdays)($100), recreation/entertainment (gym memberships, school sports)($100). This rough estimate of expenses total $0 to $410/month additional expenses that are impossibilities to even try to have with the poverty line budget.

Misc. C: Keep in mind that when people are in the mode of constant stress. it can have many devastating affects to your physical, mental, and emotion health. Not being able to release of all life stresses can also put a strain on marriages, especially money problems. People are already unable to afford premiums, but even if they do, they are more likely to skip preventative doctor and dentist appointments. Studies and the new Affordable Care Act are trying to change our behavior in America that prevention in the long-run is more affordable our current "fix it" after the fact.

Please watch the trailer for a movie called Unnatural Causes: Is Inequities Making us Sick?

 

Unnatural Causes: Is Inequities Making us Sick?

 

 

It does not take a mathematician to see that these numbers do not and can never be added up to make it work for families in this situation. As you can see from the "Unnatural Causes" video that disparities in America have dire consequences for people. I indicated in the budget a glimpse of the many things that this family cannot provide for themselves that most of of take for granted. Imagine if your oldest child is growing out of their shoes and pants every few months. This alone could add another $10-$20 month, shopping at a thrift store to your already unbalanced, in the "red" budget. How must their pride feel knowing that they may have to ask others for help or ask people for free hand-me-downs? This is just one simple line item on the budget and look at the financial and emotional strain that it causes. Imagine being put in this situation every time your child asks for a new toy? The guilt of not being able to give your child the basics, let alone a little toy.

 

Another thing that I have yet to mention is the viscous cycle of poverty. Your children are in the front seat of this "motion picture" called life and as they live it, they only see one ending in sight. Therefore, as the learning theory indicates, we tend to model our parents. This may be the daily arguments over money with your spouse. It may be the root of alcohol abuse, wanting to escape reality and numb the pain of hopelessness. Which in turn can be the cause of being fired. Thereby, the merry-go-round continues.

 

The level of hopelessness can also make these parents and children depressed. This can alter your motivation and zest for trying to break the cycle of poverty but according to the stratification model's most of them are set-up for "the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer" (Newman, 2012). This poverty line budget does not allow for taking care of the basic needs let alone the opportunity to save for all the "what ifs" that come up, or to save enough to have  three  month reserves, or to save for education (parents or children).

It goes without saying that the list is extensive of all the things that an affluent family has and/or takes-for-granted that a family in or around the poverty line lives without. It is the little things like shopping for non-essentials, bowling, a movie, going out to dinner, a vacation or even a stay-cation. The sad thing is they may not even have vacation pay at their job so they may not even be able to take a day off. If that is the case they are in constant fear of losing their job every time they turn around. For example, taking their child to the doctor or what if their car breaks down and they miss work. Their life is inundated with stress, threat, and worry.

In the end, what can we do to help. One thing that I found was an opportunity to take the "

 “Live below the Line” challenge today!" You can go to this link to register https://www.livebelowtheline.com/ and/or view the following video to learn more. 

 

Hugh Jackman talking about taking the challenge!

 

 In closing, the cost of poverty is far more than I listed above in this families budget. It has a lasting effect on the individuals living this life with health issues that manifest in more chronic illnesses over time. For example, many people in impoverished areas do not have enough money to eat a healthy diet or have access to learn how to eat healthy may succumb to the temptation to feed their family form the "dollar menus" at fast-food restaurants are know to be correlated to the growing obesity epidemic. According to the CDC (2012), obesity can lead to diabetes  which can lead to many more problems (amputations, etc.). Another problem that can be fine today but after years of preventative dental care can cause loss of teeth at the very least in the future. The cost  and burden of poverty is not exclusively a problem for the families on the poverty line. Instead these disparities have a trick affect and use many resources in our socially constructed society. All of which imposes a cost to all of us, financially and morally. 

What else can we do to be a part of the solution?

 

References

https://www.livebelowtheline.com/

www.youtube.com

 

Newman, D. (2012. Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life: 9th Edition SAGE Publications.

 

www.cdc.gov

 

Blog Assignment 9: THow the Structure of Education Impacted my Life

How the Structure of Education Impacted my Life

 

 

As we all know there are many forces and interactions on both individual and social structure levels that impact our daily lives, chances, and choices we make (Newman, 2012). The purpose of this post is to discuss my status as a student and how my life was and continues to be impacted by the structure of education in the contemporary United States.

My educational path is probably quite different than majority of my fellow classmates. Typically, depending on one's level of education, people usually spend three decades or less within the structure of our educational system in the contemporary United States. As a lifetime student, I began preschool at the age of four in California and am currently on track to graduate from Hamline University this spring. This span of knowledge seeking behavior covers 43 years of my life with no clear ending in sight.

To better comprehend the many levels of structure of education I was impacted by, the following are a few that will be discussed at greater length below. My umbrella of my education covered three different states (California, Minnesota, and Maryland). Within those states each had separate teacher's organizations, school boards, districts, and schools. Within these schools (3 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school, and 3 colleges), I was forever changed, influenced, and most of the time, inspired by faculty, administrators, and teachers with specific philosophies and focuses about the type of education to provide and to whom at the given times. The statuses that played the biggest role in my life in the structure of education were the individual teachers, professors, and especially one Hamline University advisor. Because I have attended the structure of education spanning more than four decades, I have both paid the price as well as reaped the rewards of the continually changing role expectations of my time and gender. As well as the changing expectations of learning independently, memorization, application, testing, and/or essay, etc. You will also learn that I did not for the most part continue or pursue an education only to satisfy the belief that it is for employment procurement and financial success, rather personal growth and fulfillment. I also broke the norm of being a lifetime student as well as a non-traditional student who is in the back side of forty.

So often we talk about how parents, teachers, and the culture in a particular era shaped our lives as if it was based only on human interaction. However, we forget that the institutions, like schools we attend, are man-made and mimic the beliefs of its creators at that time. Like individuals, institutions and their influences on down to the individual, change through time. Experiencing over four decades of education, the continual changing structures and beliefs are reflective in the variety of chances and choices I have at various stages in my life. Like many of my classmates, my early years included preschool, elementary, and junior high school. The differences lie in the level of content, intensity, and expectations from students in the 60s and 70s compared to today. I also endured a difficult transition from California schools to Minnesota schools. The different states did not provide a standard of teaching levels which left my foundation of knowledge to be lacking according to Minnesota school standards. Because of this educational inconsistency between states I was behind in and struggled with math until my middle school years. Luckily for me, my third grade teacher, Mrs. Anderson, took it upon herself to stay with me during recess to tutor my in math. This one teacher single-handily brought me up to speed which prevented me from being held back like my sister because of the difference in caliber of curriculum. In the meantime, the structure of education on paper in a hierarchical chart may have looked the same back then as it does today; however, actions were quite different. For example, once you enter the school’s building the educating existed primarily between the teacher and the student. There was little to no homework, no letter grades, and the only communication with parents occurred at parent teacher conferences. The influence that this had on my life instilled in me the ability to be independent of my parents. Often times, parents did not even know or ask what you were working on at school. It was as if you had two lives (a school life and a home life). Despite this sounding as if my parents did not care or were not involved, to the contrary, this was just the way it was back then. I look back at this and compare it to children in elementary school today and feel that with the amount of communication back and forth in the backpack on a daily basis, in addition to the ridiculous amounts of homework given these days, stressful, overwhelming, and puts a child in the position of needing and constantly having to ask for help. I feel that my “independent” learning has served me well and is the basis of my desire and action of being a lifetime student. I truly believe had I been stressed out like today's kids. I would have been discouraged and turned off with learning.

By the time I reached middle school, the school district was implementing a new independent study type of curriculum for math. I remember this time as being a monumental moment in my desire to achieve and measure my accomplishments. This new math curriculum allows students to complete math modules at their own pace and once accomplished, by successfully testing out, we could move on to the next level. This proved to be a very effective way for me to learn and to become the high achiever that I am today. In the end, I was doing high school math by the time I was in eighth grade. Coincidentally, the school district's decision to implement such an independent learning style curriculum reinforced my tendency for independence.

Entering high school, I continued my independent, high-achieving, under-the-radar education within the confines of education in the early 1980’s. It is during this time that being so independent along with the lack of interaction with school faculty; I experienced major life-changing consequences. I came from a very blue-collar family whereby nobody in previous generations had ever mentioned or attended college. Along with that, the school system failed to educate their students, especially the girls, about college opportunities. I was a straight “A” student, member of the honor society, however, did not know what that meant, and graduated at the top of my class without one single adult at home or at school talk to me about college. I take full responsibility for my whole life, however, children have not experienced the world and will not know what they're missing if somebody does not tell them. It's difficult to know about something if you do not know about its existence. I have a memory of being told I was on the honor society and we needed to walk across the stage with the candle. That was it. Graduating with honors and at the top of my class meant that I had an additional gold tassels on my cap and I got to wear a special sash at our graduation ceremony. At the time, I only knew that it was good for my resume, I did not know it was a door for more opportunities. Because my high school did not focus on students being college-bound, as a part of their structure of education, I took a different path.

Immediately following high school, I did what was expected of me at the time. Move out of your parent’s house, be independent and self-sufficient, get a job, get married, and have children. Luckily for me, my first job out of high school was with a large corporation. I soon discovered that this company offered tuition reimbursement. As long as I maintain a C average, my Corporation paid in full for my college education the first time around. Looking back, I find it interesting that corporate America is responsible for me to reenter the structure of education. Once again, I was influenced by the criteria of tuition reimbursement, to be a high achiever in order to have my education paid for.

It was not until this time in my life when I began to realize that keeping up with the Joneses, achieving the “American Dream” of buying a home, and/or as the old adage that says "money makes the world go round,” a college education would increase my life chances and choices for success (Newman, 2012). Because of my traditional upbringing, and as our textbook states that education comes second to family, I never completed an actual bachelor degree. Instead, I remained a part time student up until two years ago taking classes that either interested me or directly provided knowledge needed at that very specific time to enhance my job/career at any given time.

Older and wiser, with an empty nest, I for the first time was able to prioritize my education over family. I've come to learn that education has been my route to self- actualization. Education has not been just about getting “the job.” It is a part of who I am, what I enjoy, how I challenge myself, and in the end, my thirst for knowledge has and always will be more about personal growth and fulfillment. I was able to learn this about myself during one of my first psychology classes. If you are familiar with Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, one can see where they exist on this continuum. I find it ironic, that it took me over 40 years and one psychology class to finally label and understand this burning desire I have within. I am in hot pursuit of self-actualization.

 

 

 

 

Now that I have finally arrived, approaching graduation in the spring, and looking for the perfect grad school to attend, I am better able to reflect on how the structure of education impacted my life in the past and will in the future.

With the rising cost of college, if people had to pay up front we would be a society without higher education for the majority of our population. Every year I fill out the FAFSA form to determine my family contribution towards my education and in turn Hamline University evaluates my financial need and presents me with my financial aid package. Thank goodness for student loans. Hamline University has also impacted my life because I was awarded a “Presidential Scholarship” which played a major role in the attending Hamline over another. This not only impacts me financially, it also provides me with an education by an institution that is regarded to be one of the best. This improves my chances of job offers based on the higher standard of educational credibility, strength, and diversity Hamline has to offer.

Once again, by receiving the presidential scholarship, I was bound by guidelines to maintain and focus on my GPA. In the end, this higher GPA will also play a major role in being accepted by more grad schools. In addition to government financial aid programs, government-backed student loans, privately backed student loans, Hamline scholarships and grants; the faculty has also influenced my life.

It is with great appreciation; I contribute my level of success to the individual professors at Hamline for being the best of the best as well as providing me with a warm, welcoming, and stimulating environment that fuels my desire to learn. It is my advisor, Dr. Dorothee Dietrich, whom I consider to be the most influential staff member to me at Hamline University. Professor Dietrich, took me under her wing, noticed my achievements, cared enough to help me determine my goals, and convinced me that I was Honor’s material, as well as have what it takes to further my education by attending graduate school. Without this one-on-one counsel I would've continued to do what I always have done of working independent, staying under the radar, and potentially miss out on bigger and better opportunities I alone would not be aware of.

In summary, the influences gained especially from the structure of education at Hamline University, the sky is the limit because I will be able to break through that glass ceiling with confidence and be given more opportunities than I ever could have imagined. Thank you Hamline.



 

 

 

 

References

 

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=Antie2eseH_kKk0j_bzCH62bvZx4?fr=yfp-t-701-s&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&p=maslow%20theory

 

Newman, D. (2012. Sociology: Exploring the Architexture of Everyday Life: 9th Edition SAGE Publications.