American Values

American Values: It is, in a sense, what makes up American people. The article we read for homework described 13 major American values that make up our culture. I believe that most of the values do describe Americans as a whole. I completely agreed with the author's point that we as Americans are very concerned with time. If we are not "filling" time, or "spending" time, then we are "wasting" time. People living in America are penalized if they are not on time, being late is considered rude. Especially in professional instances. If you are late for a job interview or a meeting, thats a bad mark against you at your job.
I also agreed with the fact that Americans are always looking towards the next biggest thing, and always looking for change. Americans have always been the ever-changing country. Most countries have traditions and rituals they look to, and they follow the things that never change. I believe that America's tradition is to continually find new technologies and ways to change our country. It has been like that almost since the United States were created. Some other cultures around the world may find it wierd that we don't really have the "traditional values" they think of, and may be surprised or upset that we are constantly changing our society, however we might also find it wierd or different that they have values that have been accepted and followed for hundreds of years. Some may forget that our country is younger than most, and that we are a very diverse country, so we have diverse values through the different ethnic groups living here. As the American society, we are always looking for the next best thing, or how to better ourselves and the place we live in.
The author of the article also gives a good point about how materialistic America is. The list of things the author named off that almost every American owned didn't really surprise me. I would actually find it a bit odd if someone didnt' own a calculator, a washing machine, or a refrigerator, just because it's so common to see them in homes, and its very uncommon not to see them. However, in third world countries such as Sudan, they do not have the luxuries like calculators, washing machines, or refrigerators. I believe that as Americans, we take our material possessions for granted, not realizing how dependent we are on some of them until they appliance breaks or is taken away.
Although the author made some very good points about our values, I think he missed one major value that most Americans hold: appearance. Most Americans believe that if you look stylish, trendy, or business-like you are more likely to get farther in life. That is why, for example, we dress professionally for job interviews. If we didn't think looking business-like would help us get the job, why don't we just come in jeans and a t-shirt? We also believe looking nice and having good hygiene gets others to notice us in a crowd. This may be why girls dress very nice to out to dinner with her friends or go on a date, they think that if they look better than others they will be noticed more. In some cases, this may be true, but in others it may not be true. Some other cultures have the same general idea about appearance, but I think that America can be one of the worst places to be judged by what you are wearing or how you look.
Overall, I think the article we read in class explained very well what most Americans value and hold dear to them. I think that these are very specific to the country, and thats why a lot of other cultures find ours odd, or may even dislike our country because of our culture.

Ethnocentrism Vs. Cultural Relativism

In class, we've been studying the comparison between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Ethnocentrism is defined as looking at someone else's culture in comparison to your own culture, and comparing it to that of your own. Cultural Relativism is defined as understanding cultures from their own perspective, not necessarily as a comparison to your own culture.
Culture is very important to everyone living in society, it more or less makes up our lives. Without culture, everyone would live and act the same way. How people look at different cultures, however, can differ between people. For example, someone in America who thinks by ethnocentrism might look at an African or Asian culture and think their culture and customs are wierd or abnormal, because they are not like the culture in America. In this way, they are looking at another culture in terms of their own, and comparing it to their own lifestyle. Someone who uses cultural relativism would look at a culture not from their own perspective, but try and look at the culture from the own people's view. For example, an American looking at Indian culture might study it and try to understand why they practice the things they do, without relating it to their own culture. The person studying it might not see it as wierd or abnormal, but something unique and its own.
When our class read the article about the Nacirema, most of the students took and ethnocentric position, comparing their culture to that of an American one. I think that most people in the world today look at different cultures and lifestyles this way, because we are so used to our own culture, that when we see different customs and lifestyles, we see it as abnormal. Sometimes this is a good thing, other times it is not. Ethnocentrism could be used in a negative way, that could cause fighting over different cultures and ways of life. I think cultural relativity is a better way to discuss culture than that of ethnocentrism, because it allows the people discussing it to be more open to the different cultures around them; not decide someone else's culture is wierd because it's not like theirs.

Sociological Construction of Reality

Today in class our lesson was about the sociological construction of reality. Our class assignment was to read "Eating Your Friend Is the Hardest: The Survivors of the F-227. This disturbing story is about a rugby team whose plane crashes in the Andes Mountains, leaving them the desperate situation of how to find food. Their only solution to this problem is to eat the flesh of the already dead bodies.

Although this story is a disturbing one, what the survivors went through makes it coherent to see that eating the flesh of the other dead passengers was necessary to survive. They most likely would not have survived if they had not practiced the cannibalism, especially after the search had been called off. At first, many of the remaining passengers were completely against this option, saying that it was ethically and morally wrong. Though cannibalism is normally wrong on most levels, as well as not civilized or accepted in society, in order to survive, these passengers needed nourishment, and the only way they could get it so they could continue their search for help, was by using the dead bodies.

This story really makes the reader take a second look at why we believe certain things in society are wrong, such as practicing cannbalism. Most groups of people throughout the world consider cannibalism uncivilized and is not accepted. Just like it is not acceptable to steal from a store. Most times, there is not an excuse considered acceptable to bypass these deeds one has done. However, just like in the case of the survivors of the plane crash, there are excuses that can, and sometimes, are necessary to be made. The plane crash survivors compared the eating of human flesh to communion; saying that it was using another body to keep themselves alive. Stealing from a store or someone's house, one might say that they needed food to survive, and to support their family, but did not have money. Again, this may not convince the store clerk, but the person committing the crime may feel it was necessary to committ the act.
As for the survivors of the plane crash, they may not have been accepting of the idea of cannbalism at first, but eventually their hunger and need to survive won out over their morals and what was considered civilized to the rest of the society. When they finally reached home, they went to church and confessed to their sins, to which the priests told them it was necessary and it was just a body, there was no soul, so it was not a sin. In the face of certain situations, people will overlook what is naturally considered morally and ethically wrong.

Sociological Imagination-Cars

In Sociology we have just started studying the sociological imagination. In class, we talked about cell phones and the impact they have on society and the rest of the world. So, I chose a different type of technology to analyze: cars.

Since the 1900's, cars have been a huge part of everyday life for most people not just in the United States, but around the world. Cars are used every day for the convenience of transportation. Instead of walking, jogging, or biking somewhere, we have adapted to using the cars as well as other vehicles as our main transportation system. Most anyone in society is affected by the use of cars today, from parents to college professors to teenagers. Most of the time, we benefit from having a car or a type of transportation to get us somewhere more quickly. Other times though, it can be harmful to society. The way cars are built right now, most give off many pollutants when they run, because they are run on gasoline. Many times, this quick type of transportation will make our society lazy. Instead of walking two blocks to get somewhere, lots of people will drive. This reduces our amount of excercise, and if practiced enough, might contribute to some of the obesity in our world.
Of course, cars don't only exist in the United States, but everywhere around the world. Most of the time, cars are made generally the same way as in the United States. Some may consider the car producing business as a connection to the rest of the world. Many of the cars we drive in the United States come from Asia or Europe. Also, when there are more car making companies in the world, there is better competition for every country that makes them, which can contribute to a healthier society.
The first car ever made with an engine was in 1806 by the Swiss inventor, Francois Isaac de Rivaz, although the car did not become popular until the 1900's in America with Ford's famous Model T. Ford's car made headway during the Industrial Revolution during the turn of the century, and America as well as the rest of the world has since been hooked on cars. Of course, the car has had some changes over time, but society's attitude toward it hasn't changed a lot.
Many times, which kind of car a person has determines a part of their status in society. If someone has a Mercedes with all the new technological advances added to it, one might assume that they are part of the upper class or are very wealthy. If someone has a twenty year old used car, society may consider them lower class or not wealthy.
So, what exactly is the sociological imagination of cars in our society? In some cases, cars can tell what kind of economic class you are in. They also have improved our transportation and make getting places more convenient for us, but at the same time can make people less willing to use any other source of transportation, such as walking and biking. These factors make cars a huge part of our society.