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.