Crash

After watching crash racial situations started becoming more evident to me. People don't realize their judgments. Its weird on Opera said asked .. is it raciest for people to lock their doors in bad neighborhoods or are they just being safe? The sociologist answered this as raciest. But the people who choose not to lock their doors are putting themselves at risk. I have read different psychology books and in one book i read it said to always trust your judgments when you are in situations where you feel uncomfortable. So for example if you feel like you are in a bad neighbor hood where you are unsafe, locking your doors would be a good idea. It is all very tricky, because no one wants to be raciest but no one wants to be killed. So the question is what do you do?

Judgments

So this weekend I took the ACT at New Trier high school. New Trier is very similar to Stevenson in the way that they are both huge and noted as academically exceptional. However, even though the schools are so similar when I went there I was the outsider. I was taking a step into a territory that was not mine. Now, I stood there waiting for the doors to open with a bunch of other kids and I wondered if any of them were thinking anything differently of me. Now i know you are probably thinking how ridiculous that is since I am a white girl from the suburbs but there is still that notion that I was an outsider. I am use to a big school, but I walked in not having a clue where I was suppose to go. I didn't know how to get to my classroom or what  was considered the main entrance. It was easy to figure out because all I had to do was follow the rest of the students, and it was interesting because in this case conforming helped me. It was to my benefit to follow what these kids were doing. It made me think about conformity a lot and the benefits of standing out and blending it. 

Economic Situations..

Alright Sal-

Since you have been complaining about my blogs I'm going to make this one extra good so you better read it!

Anyways, After we played monopoly in class it made me realize how luck truthfully determines how people will live their lives. You are lucky if you are born into a wealthy family, and you are lucky if you are able to move up a class as you grow up. People who are born into poor families are not given the same opportunities as people who are born into wealthy families. If you are born into a wealthy family you have the opportunity to go study abroad, or go to a private school, and go to summer camp. Poor families cannot do this. If you are not given these opportunities as a child is it very hard for you to grow up and have the same opportunities as those who were born into wealthy families. My friend and I were in the car today and we started talking about how we feel so much older than we are. We started talking about how we feel like we could be at that point where you could give us our own apartment and job and bills to pay and it would almost be easier than being part of a family. Now, both of us are very well off, and were one of those lucky kids who were born into a family of upper middle class, however, being able to just worry about yourself and not having to worry about your family holding you back is nice. Your family determines a lot about what opportunities you will have. Not only with money, but also with their morals and values. If your family does not want you moving far away from home, than you may be stuck going to collage in Illinois when you would be going some where in the east coast, and possibly getting a better job because you went to that collage. Anyways, It is all just fascinating, It is like a domino effect in some ways. I hope you enjoyed that Sal. 

Turkey Day

I think Thanksgiving is definitely a holiday that brings Americans together. It is something that everyone celebrates, and each family holds their own traditions. Its pretty cool to think that we are all eating turkey and stuffing and all of the same food on the same day. I was walking around the block on thanksgiving day and there were all these families outside playing football and it was so nice. This year thanksgiving feel on a really nice day. The weather wasn't bad at all and I enjoyed it a lot. 

Observing other Cultures..

Tonight I went to dinner with my cousins who are in town from Israel, and there was a lot of us at the table so it was very easy to have side conversations. I was sitting there with my brother and my cousin and all three of us were in Israel over the past year. The three of us sat there watching how they react to our culture, and I was feeling very nostalgic as I thought about my time as a tourist in Israel myself. One of my cousins from Israel does not speak great English however he understands it very well. For the most part he just sat there and listened to what every one had to say, or who knows maybe he was not paying attention at all. That it probably what I would have done if i was in his position. I do speak Hebrew, however if I went to dinner with a bunch of Israelis I do not think I would have the confidence to talk to them. But I have no problem talking to Americans in Hebrew. I think this is because I am scared to speak their language incorrectly or embarrass myself. If I am with other Americans I have nothing to loose, so it really makes no difference. 

College Applications

Im sadly blogging about this, because it is all I can think about. I had all of my college applications done with my transcripts sent it by the end of september so why am I still worrying about this?? As stressful as getting college applications done waiting for a responce is even worse. Its out of your hands and that kills me!!! I have gotten into Michigan State and Iowa and am waiting to hear back from U of I and Indiana, and I am now applying for housing at Michigan State and Iowa because apparently that is what you are suppose to do to hold your spot. I think its so stupid. And to apply for housing at a college I do not nessisarily want to go to is difficult for me. Its very stressful, and I just wish it would end and everything would just work out for the best. I do not think I can wait any longer. ajfgjhdgfdsjhgashfg (that was a spaz).

november 4th 2008

I cannot even believe how amazing it is that Barak Obama is actually our new president. Not only do we have a democrat running our country but he is the first black president from Chicago. The fact that he is from Chicago makes it so powerful as well. As a Chicagoan, many people feel a connection to Barak that the rest of the country does not feel. It was a very powerful election for our Country and November 4th, 2008 will be a day to remember and it will surely be published in our history books. I am greatly looking forward to Baraks term and president and hope that he will do great things for our country. I do feel proud to be an American.

Halloween.

Since it was just Halloween I figured I would blog about it.  In all Honesty, I hate Halloween. I don't think it makes any sense at all and serves absolutely no purpose. Girls are expected to dress is slutty costumes; for the variety of modest costumes is very slim. I understand that it may be fun for younger kids, however its dangerous too. Strangers handing out candy to little kids... come on, it is a little bizarre. And the fact that people are dressed up can be dangerous too. You never know who someone may be. The whole "holiday" really creeps me out, and I would have to say I never do look forward to this day. 

Real Beauty

So I went on the Dove website and it is actually really cool. I found a lot of awesome advertisements but I liked this one, so I posted it. Girls are put under a lot of pressure and have so many issues with their bodies all the time. Some more than others of course, but I think that it is true that if girls were told they are beautiful they would feel better about themselves. I think it all starts with girls feeling poorly because often they do not fit the criteria for what is portrayed to be the ideal image. The media sends messages that girls have to look a certain way, so I really support dove in their campaign for real beauty. 

How Humans Effect Eachother

Without nurture, humans are missing an essential part of themselves. We need human contact and we need experiences to learn from. Humans cannot rely only on nature, the importance of nurture is very significant. If you do not give a baby nurture then it cannot learn some of the human qualities that we all grow up to understand. This is why neglect falls into the category of abuse. Neglecting a child can cause just as much damage as physical or mental abuse.

Tuesdays With Morrie

Ever since we watched this movie in class I have been thinking about Morrie and all of the concepts that he presents a lot. The idea of work in our society holds an importance in who we are. How much money someone makes and their job title has became a persons definition. 

When people introduce each other, often they say:

"This is my son Michael, he is a doctor"

or "This is Sally, she is studying at NYU"

This starts at a very young age, where job titles take over a person. Society is let to believe that money and job titles are what is important. However, we cannot let these things define us. Morrie could do a million things with his life, but being a teacher made him happy and the amount of money he was making did not matter. The phrase "Money does not make you happy" is ignored a lot of the time, but people should really look into the reality of this quote and they will realize that it is true. You can put all of your energy into a job, or work hard in school but you must ask yourself, where is this going to get me? Am I happy where I am? You have to enjoy life, work is not as important as happiness.

Different Groups Within Our Society..

Yesterday was my friend's birthday and she absolutely loves thrift shops and all that hippie stuff so we decided to go down to belmont and clark. We took the CTA down there and figured out how to get around. We went to a bunch of really cool record stores, thrift shops, boutiques, and cafes. It was a lot of fun. In the beginning the whole artsy vibe really kicked in to me. It made me want to bring out this artistic side in me, that I never believed I had. The feeling of being in this area that I was unfamiliar with really fascinated me. However, it started to get darker outside and I have to admit I started getting creeped out a little. There were transvestites walking around, Gothic people screaming, random homeless people playing music on the streets, and everyone just stood there bumming cigarettes from one and other. I felt out of place and uncomfortable, so my friends and I decided to take the subway down to state street. On the subway at nine o' clock and night I sat there awkwardly looking and all the different types of people on the train. I wondered where they came from, where they were going, and how they became frequent subway riders. I wondered what qualified someone as being a skecthy person on the train, and what they were all thinking of me. I contemplate my thoughts for a while and I looked around and I realized that everyone is just going about their own lives on the subway. Peoples seemed to either be talking to their friend, on their cell phone, or lost in their own thoughts. I decided that if i let myself sink in to that, to become part of the frequent subway riders I probably would not look or feel so awkward. I talked to my friends for the rest of the ride and i tried to let the feelings I had slip away. 

Toilets

This weekend I was at a recording studio with my friend and I went to go use the bathroom and I walked in and it is a single bathroom with two toilets next to each other. Right away I thought about how funny that is, and why they would have two toilets right next to each other in a private bathroom. Then, I thought about all of the different toilets we looked at in different countries. Maybe the owner or the constructer who built the bathroom wanted these toilets like this for a reason. I asked the man in the studio why the bathroom is like this, and he had no idea and told me that they all laugh at it all the time. I think it was really interesting though and it triggered my sociological mind. 

What would you die for?

I think it is very important to know what you believe in and where you stand. If you have something you are willing to protest for and you will do anything you can to stand up for it, it shows what matters to you and that you are living for something. I would die for my friends and family. I would do everything possible to make sure of this. Knowing what you would die for is a hard thing to understand. Right now, as I type this, I think that if I were put in a situation where I had to choose to either save myself or a stranger; I would save a stranger. It is hard to let anyone die right in front of you. Hopefully, I will not have to be put in this situation. But I think it is important to know what you believe in, why you believe in something, and what you would do for this belief, person, or cause. 

Generalization

After reading the Charon article about generalization, I have thought a lot about how much we do actually generalize. We are taught at a young age what is right and what is wrong in a general perspective. I liked the example of someone having a cold. It is a generalization, when someone has a cold it is best to stay away because you will catch it. I think generalizing is not bad, but it is important not to over generalize. Also, having accurate generalizations is important. Besides the small generalizations that most of us are unable to escape in our daily lives, the bigger generalizations about religious or ethnic groups for example, should be generalized more carefully. When generalizations are overdone, they easily turn into stereotypes. 

Freaks and Geeks

After watching the show "Freaks and Geeks" in class I found it funny how similar it actually is to high school. It seems very dramatic and made up, but in reality it is not that far off. People make fun of others and judge people all the time. When someone is with a group of people that they normally do not hang out with there is an awkward tension. However, I feel that the stereotypes of high school that are portrayed in the show "Freaks and Geeks," are often how the Underclassman go about high school. Once Junior and Senior year comes around students have become more relaxed and comfortable with themselves, and people begin not to care as much as they did when they were younger. My brother is a freshman this year and he is six feet tall and looks like he is a junior. He is on the football team and apparently the couch wants him on varsity as a sophomore next year. I can tell already that he is becoming over confident with himself, and walks around school thinking he great. I thought about him, and then I thought about the show, and high school in general and wondered if it was an age thing. Each year of high school is very important not only academically and socially, but each year is a year of growth. Freshman year is the first year of high school. You get use to the new school and chapter of your life. Sophomore year, you become comfortable where you are and often the year that people find their "set" group of friends. Junior year is the hard one, working hard for the Act, and Senior year is the last year to get into college and enjoy it for whats left. So maybe it's an age thing, and only time will tell what will happen with my overconfident, and may I say obnoxious brother. High school is a time for growth and change, so you truly never know.

 I think people often mistake all silences for being awkward. The absence of words can be as wonderful and as meaningful as words if you let it. It's common to take silence for granted, people don't realize how nice it can actually be. If you look at quietness from a different perspective it's not as awkward as it may seem, and awkward silences may not even exist. Some of the best moments of silence you can have with a person is when you're sitting with someone, not saying a thing and walk away knowing it was the best conversation of your life. It is not always necessary to fill the room with noise or sound. Maybe people listen better when there is nothing to listen to at all. 

Defining Me..

My name is Alex and I am the oldest child in my family. I have a younger brother who is a freshman, and I have a dog named Rusty. Over the summer I went to Poland for a week and a half and then Israel for six and a half weeks. I am involved in the program Big Brother Big Sister at school. I love all kinds of music and I listen to music all the time. I like to watch plays and musicals, dances and all sorts of preformances. I'm very productive and like to get things done on time. I don't like to spend my time doing nothing I like getting out of the house and trying new things. The biggest influences in my life are my parents, my friends, and experiences that I go through. In life I hope to do something where i can help people in some way or another, and maybe even change lives if I'm lucky enough =].