Our Future of Fast Food

I can already predict how the future will be.  Soon people won’t even have to step out of their houses or go out of there way for the little things. We’ll eventually have some kind of technology that when we press a button and say what we want it will materialize right in our faces. No more running out the convenient store to pick something up, or stopping at a fast food joint for a quick pick me up. Sooner or later that will be too slow for us. After all, why do that when the new way is faster. This is what our society is all about, mcdonaldization, or the increasing presence of the characteristics of a fast food restaurant in our daily life. These main characteristics include efficiency, calculability, predictability and control.

What are the great things about McDonald’s that people love? They’re fast with everything, you know exactly what’s on the menu, and they never run out things. When you go to McDonald’s you can be in and out in 5 minutes. People like the fact that everything is routine. It is all made easier for customers, you just order and you’re out the door. Due to this fact, McDonald’s gets a lot of business which gets them a lot of money. So it’s understandable that the rest of the world wants to join in on that success. I think this will be the death and birth of our society; the death of anything personal, and the birth of the new speedy future, where quantity surpasses quality.  Everything new being created is all to make things easier and faster for the customer. Workers will soon be replaced by robots that can be completely controlled and will eliminate any chance of the unexpected that usually comes with a human. Part of me likes the mcdonaldization idea especially when I’m in a rush somewhere, then rapid service comes in handy. However, I prefer the way of life that doesn’t promote laziness.  If people want books, they don’t even have to go to the bookstore anymore; they can just download onto their Nook or Kindle.  Shopping is made easy by just turning on your computer. People don’t even have to grocery shop anymore, they can call ahead of time and have an employee collect their goods for them so they can drive by and pick them up. It’s insane, but it’s smart because it brings in the business.

So, McDonaldization is growing fast and will soon shape our society into its new form. The efficient service, the quantity being served, the predictability and control, are the new dimensions or our world. This fast-food model is dominating our culture and soon we will all be adapted to this new robotic future and our past will diminish.

By: Ariel Dezio

In-Groups and Out-Groups

by Joe Patrone

Needless to say, relationships between groups of people can be highly unpredictable. Even though you can almost determine the overall effect that attitudes, environmental stimuli, and even slight differences in personality can twist one's expectations around. This begs the question why people in  groups act the way they do. Specifically, one could ask why people in in-groups display altruism towards other members of the group while viewing people outside of the group as unimportant or lowly-- or conversely, why people in out-groups feel competitive towards the in-group.

Charles Darwin states in his second book, The Descent of Man:
 "A tribe including many members who, from possessing in a high degree the spirit of patriotism, fidelity, obedience, courage, and sympathy, were always ready to aid one another, and to sacrifice themselves for the common good, would be victorious over most other tribes; and this would be natural selection."
So, in other words, forming a group and staying loyal to its members has an evolutionary premium. This is also approached by members of the scientific community in the field of evolutionary psychology. Because highly social behavior increased early mans' odds of survival in the wild the human brain became more and more adaptive to responding to group behavior over time. This isn't hard to believe considering how people behave in modern times!

A drawing of early man depicting highly
social behavior. One advantage of having an extremely social group would be the invention and distribution of stone tools and weapons.






This still doesn't give a full explanation of why people form tightly knit and exclusive, and even hostile, groups. This is elaborated upon in our textbook (Sociology: The Essentials, Anderson/Taylor) in Chapter 6. According to the book, Professor Thomas Pettigrew explains that it is through attribution that we make assumptions about someones ideas and behavior based on what group they belong to. He elaborated on this topic by contributing the term attribution error, or errors that are made in relation to a person and the group they belong to. Researchers Taylor, Kluegel and Bobo cite one attribution error that can be traced to race. Their research shows that White people are likely to think if a police officer shoots at a Black or Latino person, they somehow did something to antagonize the officer and thus "deserved it". On the other hand, a Black peron is likely to think that if the officer was white they shot strictly because of unjust racial bias.


  




Racism in the American South is one of many probable causes of in-grouping and out-grouping in American society. In this officer making an assumption of the Black man's guilt or has he really committed a crime? You'd probably be surprised to hear what people of different ethnic backgrounds would say.





Forming in-groups probably helped early humanity survive the harsh terrain and constant threats presented by the ancient world. However, the end result has contributed to clash between different races, classes, sexes and has played its part in turning people against each other for centuries. It's ensured our survival but has also prolonged our fighting and turmoil.

The Ins and Outs of Cliques..

-Eric Lucier

I had to suspend my disbelief to get through the chapter in our Sociolgical Odyssey text about preadolescent cliques. My thoughts were that only sociopaths could possibly act the way they described these groups of young girls. They painted this grim picture of a "queen bee" sitting in a position of inscrutable power over her would be peers. I had to laugh to myself a bit. Of course we've seen girls acting this way on screen, but this only happens in movies. Right?

Wrong.

After reading some of what I thought was ridiculous gibberish invented by Adler and Adler to some female friends, I gained some surprising insight. They didn't find it nearly has hilarious and ridiculous as I did. In fact, they all recalled situations in which a clique had destroyed they're confidence in some way, at some point in their adolescence. Most of them could even give the first and last name of the "queen bees" who made their lives miserable so many years ago. I was shocked. Most of the stories I heard could have easily been sold to Hollywood and marketed as "Mean Girls 2."

I needed to know more. I decided to go right to the source. I had a very powerful research tool in learning about in and out crowds, I called my twelve year old sister.

I asked her to tell me about what was cool in her school and to explain the dynamics of some of the cliques she's encountered. She regaled me with stories and details of the "cool kids" in her school that I couldn't fathom. She cited Hollister clothes and off the shoulder shirts as necessities for anyone who hoped to be accepted as the in crowd. She told of what amounts to a vetting process in her group comparable to the hazing of college fraternities. And of course, about the queen bee. A seemingly sneaky, manipulative little girl, who, from what I gather, may just be a sociopath after all.

"And what about the boys?" I asked. "What are their cliques like? Do they have their own in and out crowds?"
 "Not really. The boy's don't really have cliques. They kind of either get along, or they don't."

Is that why I didn't experience this in my youth? Are boy's blind to the actions of these ambitious, maniacal girls? In my slightly biased opinion, it must be a girl thing.

I'm not saying I've never experienced any type of "cliques". As an adult I've seen fraternities, country club members, professionals, etc. who prefer to socialize together. The exclusivity, however, is what really intrigued me. These groups of girls seem to socialize exclusively in their own groups. I suppose that degree of elitism is just something I didn't expect from twelve year old girls.

At any rate, I'm very excited to hear some feedback on this topic. Have you guys experienced any extreme types of cliques? Be it in your youth or adulthood? Are the ones my sister and female friends described as common as it now seems to me that they are? And my biggest question, why do boy's seem to be immune to this type of exclusive grouping?


Thanks for reading.

Kevin Hart- Laugh at my Pain

By: Ashley Rivera

Over the weekend, I decided to go see the new movie “Laugh at my Pain” starring Kevin Hart. I’m a huge fan of his, so naturally I anticipated nothing but laughs. This particular comedy was centered on the humor in the truths of Kevin Hart’s life. He spoke a bit of his past and of where he is today. He came from a poor neighborhood in Philadelphia and moved to Los Angeles after his career in comedy took off. He began talking about how he tries to stay in his “financial lane”, and then went on to explain how he no longer tries to keep up with those celebrities who make more money than he does. However, at one point in his career, he did. He then describes various personal experiences and even goes as far as to make the bold statement “celebrities do not respect money”.

This caused me to wonder, why is it that no matter how much personal success we achieve, many of us would still overspend, overwork, and change ourselves to be considered even friends of those in elite classes? Why is there so much pressure to keep up with celebrities and why does it seems like those who have the most money, are the least likely to respect it? Why do we try so hard to blend in with those of a higher status?

I may not be able to answer each question, however, the way media portrays lower class and the elite classes, may shed some light. In television shows and movies, those of high status are usually seen as having one thing in common- Money. It seems the more money you have, the better you are treated, the nicer places you are allowed to enter, the more things you can do, so essentially, more money is equals more power and control over your own life. Who wouldn’t want that right? This is the image present to the world by the media of high status. Spending frivolously may be seen as one way to “fit in”. Kevin Hart spoke about how he is friends with a very successful basketball player. Kevin the explains how his friend tried to convince him to buy a boat when Kevin didn’t even own his own home. The pressure to keep up with those “financially better off” can be a burdening one. It isn’t uncommon to see millionaires spend ridiculous amounts on outrageous things while there are so many starving people in the world. For example, Paris Hilton has been noted to enjoy a $1000 "Golden Opulence Sundae" which has thin pieces of edible gold in it.

Its ice cream. Why in the world would anyone spend a grand on ice cream? -Because they can. For those who have millions to spend, money decreases in personal value and means less to them. Therefore, they respect it less and spend less wisely. However, for a man like Kevin Hart, he still has not hit the point of extreme wealth. So the pressures to keep up with his peers are still present.

Status is an established position in a social structure that carried a degree of prestige. Its basically how you rank is society. Its natural to want to challenge the status you've been placed under and want to be peers among a group that is treated better and has it easier than you. Kevin strived to be more like higher ranking celebrities, while there are so many people who strive to be where he is. Sometimes you just need to be thankful for what you've got, because someone, somewhere, has less.

Cash Strapped Sudent by Corinne Otto

How many of you students are eating Ramen noodles every night because you are broke? How many of you have walked into the college bookstore feeling rich, to find you're walking out with only pennies? How many of you have little to no money, and yet you were paid yesterday? These questions are those associated with the role of a cash-strapped student. The definition of a "role" is basically a position a person plays in society, and what others think and expect of them.

When we think of colleges and universities, we imagine a prestigious atmosphere, with luxurious buildings and architecture. In some cases, students’ parents pay for this “up-scale” lifestyle, but for the most part, it’s paid for with loans. Realistically, a student in any college has less in their wallet then one would perceive. Many students work part-time jobs in order to maintain a day-to-day living. Most students are living away from home for the first time, and incur expenses that generally would have been taken care of by mommy and daddy. It’s here, in college, that a student begins the true process of being an adult, planning like an adult, and living as an adult, despite not having a lot of money.

In conclusion, a role is one that someone perceives a person to be. This blog provides clues to the role of student who struggles with day-to-day finances. I’d like to say that I am now officially a member of the club.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080730193629AAt3bbG

http://www.campusgrotto.com/why-college-students-will-always-be-broke.html

The first link is just a question posted on YahooAnswers and it shows a lot of (either in college, or college graduates) telling a little bit of their college life, and how it was hard for them to save their money, or how hard it was to pay for all sorts of college expenses.

The second link is a website that gievs some reasons why college students are broke. It states the problem students face, and the end result.

---Corinne Otto

Watch Your Back Mean Girls are Coming!!

By Jessica Vazquez


It was a Friday night and I had nowhere to go, so I had decided to watch a movie with my thirteen year old niece. My niece wanted to watch a movie called mean girls. I had seen the movie once before when I was in high school.  I barely remembered what the movie was about, but decided to watch it any way. I am glad I did mid way through the movie I realized I found something that related to class. The movie was your typical popular girls rule the school kind of movie.  The movie showed us how high school cliques functioned. The main character was played by Lindsay Lohan a girl named Cady. Cady was a transferred home schooled student from Africa. When she first arrived to the new school she was taken in, by what they called the outcast crowed. The two not popular students showed her the ropes of the way the school worked, and made her knowledgeable of all the different cliques the school had. They warned her to stay away from the most exclusive clique “the plastics”.  The queen bee Regina of the clique had taken notice to Cady and had invited her in. Cady then become one of them “the plastics”. One of Cadys not so popular friends had then seen an opportunity to get revenge on Regina for all the mean things she had done. So Cady and her outcast’s friends had formulated a plan “to take Regina out”. The plan had consists of Cady actual being a plastic, so she can get close to Regina and destroy her.  Cady was then living a double life. She would hang out with Regina and her friends, and soon had forgotten about her own. Cady then started having a role conflict. She had a role to play with the in crowd but it then started affecting her role as a friend with her not so popular friends.   As the movie played out you start to see the roles change in the character in which I found interesting. The queen bee and become the outcast (Regina), and the outcast (Cady) had become the queen bee. Cady transformed from an insecure girl to a confident social light. Cady then started to treat people different even her true friend. It had amazed me that because of Cady new status at the school her whole demeanor had changed. She looked at the people who had accepted her for her like they were not as important, and had started to treat them as if they were below her. Cady had achieved a status in which she felt power.  Cady liked being followed and looked up to by the other girls. Regina on the other hand was now witnessing what it felt like to get treated like a no body because of her social status at the school. It showed me how status plays an important aspect in our society, and how much it is valued.  Even in a high school a person status determines who they are and how people perceived them

Everybody Under The Same Umbrella

By: Linda Spector

I have been living in the United States for about four years. Since then, I am having a feeling of lost identity, lost race, and lost ethnicity. I was born in Colombia, and all my life I thought that I was part of one of the greatest countries in the world. I was Colombian. Today I am just one more Latino in the United States, I lost my Colombia. People call me Latina. But what does it mean to be Latino?

Some people think that Latinos all look alike, and come from the same place. Some people think that we all eat rice and beans and spicy food, we all are illegal immigrants, we all are small in height, we all have the same likable accent, and we all are beige, with dark colored eyes and black hair, like me.

Is it true that people from Central America, South America and North America, (Mexico is part of the North American Continent), are all Latinos?  Are they all alike? I would say it is not true. Every country in the world has different ethnicities, different traditions, different governments and different cultures. I don’t like that people make assumptions because the media has created a stereotype that people from South America, Central America and Mexico are all the same because most of the population speaks Spanish and has Spanish ancestry. 

 I totally disagree when people from Central America or from Colombia say “we are all the same because we are Latinos.” What does that even mean? And the media can’t even decide what to call the people from South America, Central America and Mexico – Latino or Hispanic.

           

            I don’t understand why we have to put everybody under one big umbrella just because people share a language and some of them have Spanish roots. I believe that not all the people from South America are the same, not all the people from one country are the same, and not even all the people from one city are the same.

Facebook, Twitter harmful in every way!

By Olaitan Okusaga

Social Networking is Ironical in its name because it doesn’t bring people closer but creates big gaps in relationships with people who really matter the most in our life Parents and Family. Spending lumps of time sitting in front of computer screen is not going to get you friends but living with them sharing happiness and spreading the joy does that. Facebook, Twitter etc. are good but not better!

 The rift sometimes expands and can’t be solved with any efforts. There are many side-effects of staying stuck to social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter etc. and five most Deadly side-effects follow this paragraph.

 Facebook can cause trouble because…

It can degrade school Performance

A research conducted in United States over several children proved that students who use Facebook, Twitter and other social networking websites excessively had a low attention span and thus score low grades. Facebook should be used constructively but not like elixir without which you can’t survive. Addiction to anything is bad, Facebook is addictive.

It can get you “fired”

Take me lightly, play some Farmville or Texas Hold ‘em Poker in the office and you will see the result. A pink slip despite of a promotion.  I know how badly you miss your relatives… i know… but during work Facebook should be avoided.

Recently, a research revealed that a more than 72% employees in every company spent 1-1.5 hours on Facebook, Twitter and other Social Networks during work.

It is bad manner to not show up
Just saying “Happy Birthday” or “Happy Marriage Anniversary” is not enough, being present with family and friends during rough conditions matters more than anything else. You might disagree but Facebook is depriving you of society and social bonding. It may seem fun but is addictive and thus ought to be used in limit.


It is unhealthy to stay up all night long

Facebook is not the right place to seek new friends that could be there for you when you need them, yes it develops connection but not the one which we need, therefore communication with real people who live in your locality, study at coaching and work in following cubicles is much more important. Leaving living God’s biggest gift for internet is not at all a good idea or decision. I think we should limit access to Facebook rather than saying that stop Facebook or “never ever use it”.

An example is one of my sisters. She loves Facebook so much that no one can ever detach her from it. Even my mum had to seize her laptop for a whole year cause of Facebook. She neither eats nor sleeps except stay on Facebook all night long. All this makes me wonder how she graduates from middle school.

It’s Dangerous to show everything!

It is good if you want to share all your data, you birthday and latest pictures with strangers, but what if…? Do you know what you are risking? … Yeah i know that Facebook has privacy setting but when hackers can get your account password in a moment how long do you think it would take them to break security? What if… by fate your name spoils on the web for something you have no idea about, it sounds crazy but you never know.

Final Conclusion:
I have no right to tell you what to do and what not to do, i can just say… as a friend that Social Networking Websites are great, Facebook is ultimate and Twitter is like your virtual world but excess of everything is bad! I don’t use it like mad men! I remember a time when i was playing more than 17 social games including Farmville and update my status even at 4 in the morning. Life is to live there are thousands of things waiting for us in the real world.

The Lolita Effect

By:  Melissa K. Duffy (guest post)

So, I was walking through the isles in a Target store, looking for dish detergent, and I stumbled upon an opportunity for a blog post for class that seemed to be screaming to me from the shelf. I had so many opinions about it, that I felt I just had to take a picture of it with my phone for my post.

This Barbie doll reminded me of class discussions we had about the Lolita Effect (media's sexualization of young girls) and about pressure that the media puts on females to fit a one-size-fits-all definition of beauty. As you can see, like most Barbie dolls, this doll looks thin and tall, which is what the media presents as the definition of beauty. Moreover, this Barbie doll's main consumer is little girls (or the parents of little girls), which makes this Barbie doll a huge influence on the development of most girls. This is because these dolls are some of the first types of media exposure that many girls are exposed to. Young girls see commercials for these dolls that, like any format for an advertisement, do two things: 1) create a problem, and then 2) offer a solution for it. More specifically, an ad for these dolls might state something along the lines of "no one wants to play with an ugly doll", and then "we have a solution, this pretty, perfect doll". The message these girls receive is: "This doll is the definition of beauty". This process is what leads young girls to feel insecure and to believe that they are only worth as much as they are "beautiful".

Another issue I have with this Barbie doll, which stood out to me the most, was the way this Barbie doll is dressed. The outfit is not necessarily an issue, but the fact that this doll is dressed like this and is intended to be marketed to young girls is. What makes it a bigger issue is that it only accentuates the doll's "ideal" body and seems to be the main focus of the doll. That is, this Barbie has no theme to market (she is not "teacher Barbie" or "doctor Barbie" or even "actress Barbie"- which, one could argue, could be the reason for the dress if she was supposed to be at an award ceremony). It seems that this Barbie is nothing but "Barbie in a revealing dress". This operates under the assumption that it is in fact a positive thing to look "ideal" and to wear revealing clothing to accentuate it, and, therefore, no need be for a female to offer any other qualities (e.g.: personality, intelligence..).

Overall, I was surprised to see this doll so casually displayed in the isle in Target. I was aware that most Barbie dolls often reinforce the one-size-fits-all definition of beauty, but I was surprised to see it so obviously displayed and highlighted by the dolls revealing dress.

I live vicariously through their happiness.

By: Gabrielle Cecala 

Today wasn't such a pretty day. I've come to notice that whenever the sky is gray and cloudy ; my emotions change. The dull, melancholy atmosphere rubs off on me and I end up as miserable as a rainy day. When the sun shines I feel as if my world is lit up. I'm not necessarily saying that all my sunny days have been wonderful, but my overall attitude is more vibrant. Ever since I was younger I always dreaded rainy days. As the rain falls so do my tears. I have a lot of weight on my shoulders, i always have. When the weather is ugly I tend to get upset and dwell on things in the back of my mind. Mothers are very special people. Any female can give birth to a child ; it takes a real woman to be a mother. 

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My mother has seizures and my brother has a form of MS. As a child I've seen my mom have seizures. I have saved her life 3 times. I treat my mom like the queen that she is. My mother raised 2 kids and did a damn good job being a single mother. I didn't live in absolute poverty, but I can say that their were days that their was nothing in the kitchen. My dad was always in my life and still is to this day. Not a day goes by that we don't talk. When ever I am at my lowest of low my dad pep talks me and restores my happiness. I adore my parents more than anyone in this world. When I get older I want to be a mother as good as my own. My mother has taught me through socialization that patience is precious. I have never had patience ; my mother has given me the hope and patience to live another day. When I am sad or lonely I like to be around my mom. It's something about a mothers love that is just the biggest blessing. Parents are truly the best gift a person can have. It feels so good to love & be loved unconditionally. I believe love is the cure for many things. A parents love and affection can definitely prevent a child from making bad choices. Young ages to adolescent years need loving parents. I would have to admit, that if I didn't feel as wanted and loved as I do, I may have turned out differently. I'd be more deviant than I am now. A strong parent builds a strong foundation for  their child. Parents bring a special kind of love that help prevent a young child from making irrational decisions.  Mutual trust between a parent and a child is important. We all make mistakes, but when we are loved unconditionally, it makes all the difference.  love can really change a persons life.  
It improves a child's demeanor and outlook on life. Love makes them feel involved, included and wanted.  

Love can change the world ; we just need more of it. 

“The smile I needed”

By Olaitan Okusaga

Just this evening, I cried; the one that happens when in true pain. I’m not going to bore you with my challenges but the truth is we all have challenges. We are sometimes scared that it will never go away. I get scared, anxious, pitiful and so emotional about my challenges sometimes and at that moment, I just forget to be strong.

While I lay on my bed, in my own tears, I said to myself, ‘you tell your friends on Your Daily Quotes to be strong, you always want the best for them and you write hard to keep them inspired, why don’t you write something right now to them…just pick up your pen and let them know you are not afraid to say that sometimes you are weak and just maybe in the process you’d be strong’.

I am realising right now as I have picked up my pen to write that there is nothing wrong in breaking down or being afraid, but there is everything wrong in staying that way. No matter what we are all going through right now, as much as it is hard for me to believe and maybe hard for you to believe also, there is always and always will be a morning after dark. Our problems wont last forever so let’s not die along with them, let’s not crash in something so temporary. I believe that we will all look back one day and shed tears of fine joy because just like the popular Three Idiots Indian movie says, “All is well!”

Right now, I am in the 4th paragraph and I feel better than when I started out with the first word of this article. Do you know what? No one, I repeat, No one can truly feel it like the way you do but don’t use that as a reason to block people from trying to feel it. Allow people to be there for you. You are the wrongest person to be there for yourself when you are weak-allow people to make you laugh and forget the hurt you are temporarily passing through. There are people who truly care about you so don’t hide it all inside, it could kill you. Share it with those that care for you. I will do just that after this article.

The truth is, we are stronger, smarter and braver than whatever challenges we have. Once we realise this, the power to confront that challenge is activated. My friend, our problems will bow to us eventually. They don’t have a choice because we have a race to run, a destiny to fulfil and a purpose to accomplish. We are smart enough to convert the heat of our challenges to strength to help us run this race of life.

Hmmm…now I’m smiling.

We shall win! My friend, we shall overcome!

Again, I am smiling now and I hope you are too. I thank God I picked up my pen to write at a time it was hard for me the most. I am truly grateful and I love you guys. I know that the rest of the night will be a more relieving one for me…and for you too.

Thnx for the time to read!

Smokers; A subculture

by Victoria Solomon

I was looking for a subculture to write about one day after sociology. I stumble upon a very obvious one as I walked through  CCP's campus.

Smokers are a sub culture within our dominant culture. They live in our society and obey the same rules as we do. However they also have to follow certain rules that only apply to them. Rules such as no smoking indoors.

The smoker subculture consists of people of different ages ranging from 18 and up. Smokers have their own designated places on campus and other public places where they can smoke outside. There are also special areas within restaurants and hotels where they allowed to smoke. Smokers have their own shops and stores. You can find many tobacco and pipe shops or hookah bars around town. In addition to that there are conventions for smokers.

Not everyone belongs to this subculture because not everyone smokes. People who don't smoke usually don't hang around smoking spots. In this case those who don't smoke are outsiders and do not belong to the subculture.

The Problems With Mixed Cultural Relationships

By Teairah Tate

Some may say “society has indeed accepted mixed cultural relationships,” but really have they come to grips that maybe a African American can marry a Jew or a Chinese can marry a Indonesian. My answer is no. Media has deceived people into thinking that mixed cultural relationships can get into a intimate relationship and live happily ever after, when if you actually read between the lines all its saying, is that this is America and we can co-exist but not intertwine. Take two similar cultures or what a person could consider similar, African Americans and Africans. First some background, African Americans is anyone of an African decent or origin meaning derived form African. Africans are people that weren’t born in America, Yet many has a citizenship here. In a different culture one would ask “well whats the difference?” And they will get slim answers similarities and a large number of differences, one being the way we go about dating and marriage.

The question is when families of different cultures leave there native land, why cant they leave there cultural beliefs behind to adapt to the American society”fully”? We have this thing called becoming Americanized and when you become Americanized you are deemed acceptable to are culture. Yet in the case of being with an African man of the igbo tribe, is highly frowned upon if they were to even be brought up in the same sentence with an American woman. My thoughts is that its extremely unfair to come to a new country and not accept the norms of being in a honest relationship of whoever you want to be with. But the problem really lies into what African American cultures display to the world. Especially the women. A lot of what is put into the media is stereotypes and biases about young black woman and it should be a crime to exploit us in that way, because of the bad reputation we get from the cultures around the world. In closing, I was in a relationship where as though my culture was unacceptable in theirs, and I winded up with a broken heart, hurt feeling and bad memories, And finally saying, that my perception of Africans will never be the same.

Yoruba Cultural Group of Nigeria

By: Iqmat Adediran

Have been reading different types of blogs on culture and I can’t help but give kudos to what people have written on it. It has made me think deeply on what to write even though I still come up short compared to others. Culture is a way of life; it describes people and gives us a hint on who they’re.

"This video describes an American woman studying journalism in University of Wisconsin who came to Nigeria to study Yoruba Language."

For this culture blog, I have decided to enlighten people about my culture. I am a native of Nigeria and I belong to the Yoruba cultural group. Africans in the diaspora are beginning to teach their children their culture and traditions which has helped to promote the spread and growth of culture in the universe.

The Yoruba people live in Southwest Nigeria. The Yoruba cultural group has so many tribes like the Edos, Oyos, Egbas, etc. I belong to the Oyo tribe. The Yorubas have developed a variety of different artistic forms including pottery, weaving, bead work, metalwork, and mask making. Most artwork is made to honor the gods and ancestors and since there are more than 401 known gods to the Yoruba there is much sculpture and artwork made. Because of the vastness in the number of gods, the Yoruba have been compared to the ancient Greeks in the amount of gods and in the similarities between the structures of the gods. The Yoruba have started to become quite popular among Africans all over the world that claim the Yoruba as their family roots and follow the religion and culture of the Yoruba.

Yoruba people speak Yoruba pronounced YO-RU-BA.

Dressing

Yoruba people wear a form of cloth called 'Aso-oke'

"a man at his traditional wedding in aso oke"

"husband and wife in aso oke"

Cuisine

Yoruba people eat a variety of foods, but the most common are Eba, (made from cassava grits), Amala (made of yam powder), Iyan (pounded yam), Egusi (melon seeds), Egusi Soup, Efo (Spinach), Fufu, Ogi (Corn or millet pap).

Economy

Historically, the Yoruba were primarily farmers, growing cocoa and yams as cash crops. These are planted in a three-year rotational system, alternating with cassava and a year of diverse crops including maize, peanuts, cotton, and beans. At the end of this three-year cycle the land is left fallow, sometimes for seven years. It is estimated that at one time nearly 70 percent of people participated in agriculture and ten percent each working as crafts people and traders within the towns. Yoruba land is characterized by numerous densely populated urban centers with surrounding fields for farming. The centralization of wealth within cities allowed for the development of a complex market economy which encouraged extensive patronage of the arts.

And this is for everyone's enjoyment. Straight from Nigeria. ENJOY :)!

Quotes - "The world is a classroom and everyone in it is your teacher, from the smallest baby to the oldest man, we all hold a lesson to teach. So pay attention!" ~Anonymous~

Are you complaining?

By Olaitan Okusaga


One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad"
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."
Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't.

Racism, Sexism, and Ageism in America

By: Edmund Celia

        Any word that ends with i.s.m. is an illness. There are many types of these words used in America. For example, racism, sexism and ageism are usually based on hate and stereotypes and are symptoms of a malady. Theses ism(s), pronounced is-ums are diseases that center on a soul sickness. In addition, the i.s.m. could also stand for I, self, and me. These labels are all based on self-centered fear. We as a society, and also as Americans, need to take a stand against these hurtful prejudice ideals. 

           This video shows various people that are racist, sexist and ageist in some way. For example, the woman that is portraying Marilyn Monroe is a racist and a sexist. She implies that Sarah Palin would be a good Vice President, because she is a woman and she won a beauty contest. However, Obama would not make a good president, because he is black, but “she (Marilyn) is not prejudice.”  In addition, the other lady in the orange shirt is an ageist. She talks about John McCain’s age. He is seventy five, and that he running for president is a health question not an age issue. I don’t know about you, but I can read between the lines. She (the lady in the orange shirt) is concerned with his age and him being not well, because of his age. Anybody can get sick at any age. Nevertheless, it is not a concern for the other candidates.

In conclusion, we remembered September 11, 2001’s anniversary this month. There was no racism, sexism, or ageism on that day ten years ago. We all joined together as Americans after the touristic attacks in NY, DC, and PA. We should act altruist every day. It should not take a tragic event, caused by bad people, to bring out the best in most people. Thus, I agree with the African American guy in the end of the video. He says, “people should be free to be who they are” regardless of race, sex, or age.  

Remembering 9/11

By: Amy Smith

     There is always an event in a person's life that no matter how much time passes, the person will be able to recall exactly where he/she was and what he/she was doing. For this generation the event would be September 11, 2001. On September 11, 2001, Four different planes were hijacked by terrorists. Two planes crashed into the two World Trade Center buildings in New York City, one crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the last plane crashed in an empty Field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Today, September 11, 2011, it is the ten year anniversary and I still remember my own experience.
9/11 video
     I was in 7th grade. my class was reading a novel during English class. The school secretary, who normally had the radio on in the office, came to my classroom and pulled my teacher out of class. Before coming back into the room, my teacher, Mr R, went and got a TV from the school av room. When he turned the TV on we saw the second plane crash into the second building. It was very surreal and we were not quite sure what was happening. We were dismissed from school at noon. I met my mom at home and we went to pick my sister up from her high school. My dad got home from work early. I remember watching the TV for most of the afternoon and night. We sat as a family and watched all the news coverage. I remember feeling scared and a little confused. my parents kept my sister and me home from school the next day.


The Pentagon


     Still to this day I among many others remember what happened on that day. So many lives were lost. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families and friends of those lost. I am proud to be an American and very grateful for all of the men and women who service our country.