America as an Outlier

In America, we are used to being able to go to the supermarket whenever we want, even at two in the morning. Now we can even go to the gym and workout at any time of the day. These common practicalities are in stark contrast to the cuture in Europe, specifically Germany. In Germany, as of a few years ago it was illegal to open a store on Sunday, after four on Saturday, or after eight on and week day. These laws would have Americans mind boggles while in Germany it is the norm. Every culture has its norms, and as a result of these norms we often times feel ethnocentric. Ethnocentrism is the feeling of something being odd or abnormal. For example, when I see what some Southeastern European people buy at my work, it seems very odd to me. They will buy five bushels of tomatoes, or large quantities of other kinds of produce, and in my head I say, what could they possibly be doing with so many tomatoes, I could never use that many, but that is becasue I am ethnocentric and I dont undersant that culture very well. Other examples would be the way people dress or the language that they use. Cultural norms are very influential in our lives and influence many of the decisions that we make.

Hold up which finger was that?!?!

Throughout the world there are many differnt cultural norms. Anything from hand gestures, to the way you eat, to the way you use the bathroom, there are cultural barriers throughout the world. Sometimes these barriers can prevent us from communicating our ideas affectively. For example, if I were to ask a Japanese person a question, and they scratched his head, it would mean that he is embarrased. However, in American culture that means that you either have an itch or are thinking. So as I am waiting for an answer the Japanese person is probably thinking why does this guy not leave, and it is becasue of the cultural barrier. These cultural norms however also reveal the way a society thinks. In Japanese culture the way they use a toilet and bath and wash themselves reaveals the value that they place on cleanliness, as opposed to its lower value in American culture. Our job is to learn these different cultural norms as best we can so that we can start to break down cultural walls.

A Bronx Tale

In the movie A Bronx Tale, some amazingly inhumane things happen, as a result of peoples' social constructions of reality and as a result of the groups that they are in. For example, when Sunny and his crew beat up the group of bikers in the bar, if there had been some one in the bar that was not part of the group they most likely would have been left out of it. This occurs because being in the group of bikers contributes to one's identity and if Sunny does not like a biker, then he does not like any biker. An example of how peoples' social constructions of reality influence them is clearly seen in the racial divide between blacks and whites. When a white person enters a black neighborhood, or vice versa, they are immediately either chased away or physically abused. This only happened because people were taught to hate the other race. Although a person may not do something to specifically harm another, they hate them because that is how they grew up. How have we been able to do away with some of these racial barriers? What effect do the racial barriers have in the movie?

Meaning Hidden by Numbers

In the book Gang Leader for a Day, the difference between quantitative data and qualitative data is very clearly portrayed. Using quantitative data, such as taking mass surveys, is often times useful, but sometimes simply using data can hide the deeper issues. In the book using a survey was obvioulsy not the best way to go about studying how black and poor people felt about their lives. Sometimes a good sociologist has to get closer to the study and actually observe. Often times its is hard to realize an issue and understand it unless you experience it. Therefore, a good sociologist must live the study as opposed to just study it, just like the character in the book does. This strategy is similar to situations that happen in every day life. I know it happens to me a lot. Somebody will tell me something and I will say, I know whay you are saying, but I wont actually understand it. Then the same thing will happen to me and I will grasp it so much better. It is very important to experience things to be able to understand them proberly.

Our social contruction of reality

Why is it that spit is repulsive while saliva is not? We swallow our saliva constantly throughout the day without even thinking twice. But we would never spit into a cup then drink our spit and swallow it again because THAT IS GROSS!! But why? The answer is our social construction of reality. From the time we are born we start having our minds molded by society. Society at this point is constructing our reality. Because of the people and events that happen around us, we are made to think certain things are gross for example, or that certain things are normal even though they may actually be gross. Here is a potential situation. If I were to tell you that worms are juicy, very nutritious, and when seasoned properly, tasted excellent, you still would not eat them. But why?? Assuming everything i said to you was true, it seems like eating worms would be very beneficial to you and at the same time you would enjoy them. It is because society has constructed our reality in such a way that eating worms is looked upon as disgusting. In what other ways does society construct our reality? Why do you think we allow it to happen?