Prison

For class this week, I read Courtroom 302, and it made me realize how unjust the court system is.  The security guards/officers treat the inmates like animals. Instead of getting them some rehab or help, they immediately lock them up, especially if they're minorities. These "criminals" are born into the gang/drug life and that's the only life they know how to live. As human beings, they deserve a second chance. If not, they return back to jail after they're released because they don't know how else to live their lives.  It isn't fair because people that have money who made the same mistakes, get bailed out and have the best lawyers out there. People are convicted for possession/use of drugs while there's worse crimes like murder, rape, etc. I believe people convicted for drugs should be put into rehab not jail. These prisons waste so much money when they could get more of these people help instead of putting them in jail. That won't solve anything, its not helping them. Most likely, they'll do it again and get locked up once again!

Deviance

During the week we have been talking about deviance. When you don't give much knowledge or thought to the word you think of it in a negative aspect. But deviance doesn't have to be negative. Deviance is simply differing from a norm or from the accepted standards of a society. This could be a good thing at times and that is why we did the experiment where we had to try to violate a norm in a positive way. For example, for my experiment I washed the dinner dishes. I never wash everyone dashes, I hate it. Normally I wash just my own dashes if the sink is empty. I knew I had to do something different then I normally don't do so after I was done eating, I started washing the dishes. My mom looked surprised but she didn't say anything. I think it was because she was afraid if she did I would stop washing the dishes. Afterwords she did say thank you but that was all. It was kind of funny how normal is acted. I felt kind of good afterwords.

Aikido

This week in class Sal showed us what aikido was.  He demonstrate with students in class and it was pretty funny. Aikido is the opposite of fighting with violence its a martial art which uses harmony. It has something to do with energy. Instead of hurting the other person, you fight back with being nice and peaceful. Us, as a society, are taught to handle problems by fighting and hurting the other person. We get angry and it gets us no where. However, this type of martial art teaches people to do the exact opposite. They train to make peace and handle problems without hurting one another. If everyone did this, then no one will get hurt. Aikido can solve the problem by talking it out and telling the other person that you dont want to hurt them. Internally, I think it's better that way even though it takes a lot of training because we aren't use to it and we let our anger take over.

Media & Advertising

I have never realized how bad of an effect media/advertising can have on girls and boys and how easily it shapes our society. It had never even come to my attention before till i seen those videos on media and advertising. Its like people don't even realize the negative effects of advertising. And advertising is everywhere: magazines, movies, TV shows, buses, schools, and Internets. The media shows and tells boys that you have to be independent, strong/tough, and aggressive to be a real man. Its sad to see that males have to grow up feeling that way. Its sad that they have to hold in a lot as if they have no feelings or emotions because that is what their taught. Its just making man more violent and aggressive. And then the impact it has on girls is horrible. It effects their self-esteem and body image. Girls are taught that the perfect body shape is to be skinny since advertisements emphasize thinness. But what they need to realize is that is all fake and photoshopped. It influences girls from such a young ages, its sad. This reminds me of a TV show that I saw once. It's on TLC, its call "Toddlers & Tiaras". It basically a beauty pageant of little girls. Those girls are wearing makeup, fake eyelashes, spray tans, costumes such as dresses, have there hair and nails done. I think it's crazy and wrong. I think children deserve to be children. The show actually made me mad especially at the pageant moms. The one show that I shown, this one pageant, this little innocent child she had to be only 5 years old, said that she was too scared to tell her mother that she didn't want to be a pageant queen. I believe this show is ridiculous. The media is having a terrible effect girls and boys. :(     

TV experiment

The week before spring break, we were assigned a TV experiment. There were different steps in doing this experiment. I thought this homework assignment was silly and didn't have anything to do with learning. One of the steps was to watch TV for 10 mins without any sound. It was very boring and a bit awkward. It made me realize how important the use of technical events are. Another step of this experiment, was to watch someone else watch TV for 15 mins. I observed my dad watching TV. It was actually pretty funny. He was drinking beer and had a bowl of nuts and chips that he was eating. He was laying on the couch and as he was munching wouldn't even look down at what he grab to eat. He would start laughing really loud. At the same time he would throw chips for the dog to catch, then call the dog over again to give him another piece. I wasn't even sure if he was just laying down to watch TV or to just keep himself busy, i don't even think he knew what he was watching. The last step of the assignment was to just watch the TV without it on. This was very boring and hard to do for 30 mins. But it made me realize how dumb TV really is; whether its on or off. As my dad did, people watch TV to keep themselves busy or because they're bored.