This week., the juniors have been testing in the field house. For two days we were all packed into the gym for five hours, taking tests that will help us decide our future. With hundreds of teenagers packed into one place, it can get pretty crazy. The first day, Dr. Cheng gave a speech to us about doing well on the test and at the end of his talk he had us all do the wave. I think that this kind of goes along with culture because everyone knew what the wave was and everyone knew how to do it. It's not neccesarily apart of our everyday lives but we are taught to do that and we know when it's appropriate.
Also, when we were given breaks in between tests everyone would seperate into different groups. It wasn't socially exceptable to step into another groups space or area until we were forced to go back to our assigned seats. Another example was when we had a break, someone hit the box off of the fire alarm and it started buzzing. Everyone got silent and stared over at the kid who did it. Then when it was fixed everyone clapped and yelled for the person. It's conformity to your peers when you do what they are doing.
It's our culture to test for college. Not everyone takes it as seriously as others but we all know how to act. This kind of testing is really specific on the directions which made all the stundents laugh because some things are obviously not okay. I think that it proved a lot of peoples maturity levels when taking these tests and getting through the long two days.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
I saw Sociology when...
While learning about the gender roles, I remembered a time when I was at the store picking up outfits for my cousins. I walked through the boy clothes section and saw all the blue and darker, sports type clothing they had out for the boys. As I was going through I noticed a little boy and his mom a little ahead of me. The boy was crying because he didn't want any of the clothes his mom was picking out for him. I felt bad for him, thinking he should be able to choose his own clothing if he wants to. I really couldn't do anything about it so I walked away headed towards the girls section.
I walked through the racks of flowers and princess clothes that all the little girls couldn't wait to get their hands on. I realized that the boy and his mom started to walk away from the boys section towards the registers. This meant that they had to pass the girl clothes. And as they were passing the boy stopped to look at a pink girls shirt. His mom tugged his arm not wanting him to even look at the shirt. But when she did that he only started to cry more. She picked him up and put him in the shopping cart telling him that they weren't going to get any clothes at all.
I think that boys learn they need to wear one specific type of clothing and nothing else. And girls learn they need to wear the opposite type of clothing and nothing else. I don't think it was fair to pull the little boy away from the pink shirt. It's not like the shirt was going to give him a disease or make him gay, like I'm sure that mom was thinking. People, even little kids, have the right to wear whatever type of clothing they want. That mother took her sons right away when she wouldn't let him even look at the shirt.
I walked through the racks of flowers and princess clothes that all the little girls couldn't wait to get their hands on. I realized that the boy and his mom started to walk away from the boys section towards the registers. This meant that they had to pass the girl clothes. And as they were passing the boy stopped to look at a pink girls shirt. His mom tugged his arm not wanting him to even look at the shirt. But when she did that he only started to cry more. She picked him up and put him in the shopping cart telling him that they weren't going to get any clothes at all.
I think that boys learn they need to wear one specific type of clothing and nothing else. And girls learn they need to wear the opposite type of clothing and nothing else. I don't think it was fair to pull the little boy away from the pink shirt. It's not like the shirt was going to give him a disease or make him gay, like I'm sure that mom was thinking. People, even little kids, have the right to wear whatever type of clothing they want. That mother took her sons right away when she wouldn't let him even look at the shirt.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Gender Roles
This week in class the focus has been on gender roles. What makes a person feminie and what makes a person masculine. It made me think how boys and girls could be either now-a-days. A girl doesn't nessecarily have to be feminine and a boy doesn't nessecarily have to be masculine. Sometimes this way of thinking poses a problem though. Some do not think it is okay for a male or female "act" like the other gender.
This makes me mad because I think that people should be able to be who they want and how they want without the unnessecary imput from others around them. We brought up in class that some think they are born that way, and it isn't their choice at all. In some cases, I think that could be very true. Just because a boy wants to play with a barbie doll or a girl wants to play with hot wheels, doesn't mean that they are going to be gay or lesbian. It doesn't mean that they are going to grow up more like a boy instead of a girl or vice versa.
In my opinion, I think that parents are paranoid. They don't want their child to be made fun of so they do everything in their power to keep them from switching the gender roles. Parents sometimes need to back off and let the kid be who they want to be. If they push away the type of person that child is supposed to be, they are pretty much pushing away the child itself.
This makes me mad because I think that people should be able to be who they want and how they want without the unnessecary imput from others around them. We brought up in class that some think they are born that way, and it isn't their choice at all. In some cases, I think that could be very true. Just because a boy wants to play with a barbie doll or a girl wants to play with hot wheels, doesn't mean that they are going to be gay or lesbian. It doesn't mean that they are going to grow up more like a boy instead of a girl or vice versa.
In my opinion, I think that parents are paranoid. They don't want their child to be made fun of so they do everything in their power to keep them from switching the gender roles. Parents sometimes need to back off and let the kid be who they want to be. If they push away the type of person that child is supposed to be, they are pretty much pushing away the child itself.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior
After reading the article, Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior, I really thought a lot about what Amy's husband said. He explained that it isn't a child's job to spend their lives repaying their parents. I love my parents and I help them out as much as I can so I can't fully agree with what this man said. We (children) didn't choose to be born and we didn't get to choose our parents or family but neither did our parents. Of course they chose to become pregnant and start a family but they didn't get to say, "I want my kid to be this, this, and this." I think as children it is one of our responsibilities to help out and listen to our parents. On the other hand, our parents shouldn't be making every single choice for us. Mothers and fathers need to give us freedoms, that's how we as kids learn to grow up.
Honestly, I believe that the way Chinese mothers raise their children is somewhat wrong. It could be that I'm not used to that and I've never been around that type of parenting, but it's a little different. Pushing children to the very extreme, like she did while helping her daughter with piano, seems unethical. Children need breaks and to walk away from something for awhile. All humans need that, not just children. I think these mothers are building a strong person and an involved person, I also think though that the Chinese mothers could do this in a less intense way.
In my opinion, if I was called garbage by my mother or father I would be so upset. I don't believe it would help raise my self-esteem. As kids grow up, there are a lot of things in the world that can make a child feel vulnerable or drop their self-esteem. Hearing something that, plain and simple, would not make someone feel good. I think that with all of the different theories of Mead, Cooley, Piaget, and Freud they explain why the Chinese mothers act this way, or how this style of parenting helps.
Honestly, I believe that the way Chinese mothers raise their children is somewhat wrong. It could be that I'm not used to that and I've never been around that type of parenting, but it's a little different. Pushing children to the very extreme, like she did while helping her daughter with piano, seems unethical. Children need breaks and to walk away from something for awhile. All humans need that, not just children. I think these mothers are building a strong person and an involved person, I also think though that the Chinese mothers could do this in a less intense way.
In my opinion, if I was called garbage by my mother or father I would be so upset. I don't believe it would help raise my self-esteem. As kids grow up, there are a lot of things in the world that can make a child feel vulnerable or drop their self-esteem. Hearing something that, plain and simple, would not make someone feel good. I think that with all of the different theories of Mead, Cooley, Piaget, and Freud they explain why the Chinese mothers act this way, or how this style of parenting helps.
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