Crash Into Me

To end the semester of sociology, we watched the highly acclaimed movie crash which exposed viewers to our society of racism, fear, and speculations.  The movie did a fantastic job portraying realistic scenarios where race altered actions and treatments toward individuals present in society.  I rememeber especially the Sandra Bullock character who played an upper-middle class white woman struggling with her prejudice like attitude and she realizes in the end, that the only friend she has in this world is her house keeper.  This whole set-up was a mataphor regarding societies approach toward races and minority groups that struggle to conform with societies norms.  The movie placed a wake up call in my mind forcing me to realize that we are all human beings maybe with different skin color or complexions but we all have feelings and dignity which others must respect in order to create a balanced community.

Importance of Racism

This whole week in class we've been discussing racism and how it shapes our culture.  As a society it is so interesting to see different categories we place groups of people into based on race and ethnicity.  In some ways this can alter requirements for job positions, educational standards, and the overall income that that person could attain based on race.  I think that our society is working very hard to avoid racial issues and that we are determined to be one big nation working together trying to alter issues in society.  It's was so interesting to see how our society defines ceratin races compared to other parts of the world that may have different names and labels for ceratin groups of people.  I think what people need to understand about race is that it truly doesn't exist biologiacally.  It's a force that's shaped throughout our culture that had been influenced to the rest of society.  People need to create their own conclusions before judging each other by races.

Is Minimul Wage High Enough?

In class, we watched the exciting reality series 30 Days where Morgan Spurlock puts himself into other peoples shoes and exposes his viewers to real life issues and events that effect a great amount of society.  Him and his wife worked as minimul wage workers barely scraping by with each salary the two were earning.  The show gave me a great perspective on the challenges and difficulties so many individuals face on a daily basis and how the systems set forth in America make it virtually impossible to move out of these routine conditions.  This makes me look at my life as a student.  I come from an upper-middle class family in a wealthy suburb of Chicago.  I didn't choose to live this lifestyle.  Like everyone on earth, I was born into my family who controls what type of lifestyle I'll live.  It's to a large extent a luck of a draw of how you'll end up financially, and the degree of education you may obtain.  The show expressed how impossible it was to make ends meet and to control a liveable environment that's healthy and acceptable.  The minimul wage has made it nearly impossible to sustain life with a family and all the necessities life requires.  I am so grateful and I appreciate the life I have been given.