To Dread or Not To Dread......Is It REALLY a Question by Jaime Green

As u can see, my moms dreadlocks are down her back

Since Dreadheads, also known as people with dreadlocks are in a subculture of their own, I have decided to make my blog about them. But first, let me give you a little background: my mother has had dreadlocks for more than 10 years now. I can remember when i was younger her hair being very dry and I also remember those days where she would complain about her hair being un-tameable. She never seemed to like the outcome of getting it professionally styled and when she did, the style only lasted a few days. It never seemed to grow and looking back, she never, ever had a lot of hair. It was never long and in my personal opinion, was never pretty and full of life. So one day she came home with these little squiggly things in her hair and told me that she was starting dreadlocks. I didn't understand exactly what they were then, but, my my my what a difference a few years make.

Over the years, I have struggled with my 3 year old daughters hair. It is very, very dry. I'm not talking about dry but more like the Sahara Desert dry. Dry like 'who does this kid belong to dry' because surely she's not mine, I have curly, pretty, shiny hair. I have tried different hair greases, pomades, lotions, miracle creams and dare I say it, a texturizer in her hair!! I have tried putting it in little pony tails so that I could see where the grease was going & staying. Nothing seemed to work to combat her dryness plus I was having a problem making it grow!!     

My 3year old with a texturizer

My 3year old with her little pony tails

                                                                                I said to my mother one day, "I don't understand why all my children have nice hair and Carieamore's (my 3 year old) is un-manageable". She simply stated "chile she got hair like me so u better learn how to manage it, deal with it and make it work for you and her"!!!!!!!!!!
So on that day, wayyyyy back in June I started dreadlocks and I must admit, just like the style worked for my mother, it has also worked for both me and my daughter. Gone are the days of dryness, crying because I'm pulling it too tight and lord knows I save a bunch of money not having to buy hair grease and lotions. The best part is it looks healthy and is starting to grow.

a very, very close-up of Carieamore's hair

Every now and again I will get someone who stops me and asks me why did I decide to dreadlock my daughters hair?? And my answer is: To Dread or Not To Dread was NEVER really a question.....it just seemed like the right thing to do!!!!!

Collective vs. Individual Thinking

By: Clarence Parler

 For some time there has been a debate whether collective thinking has the potential to be more beneficial than individual thinking. Some would argue that collective thinking has the advantage of utilizing the skill sets of all of its members, while others would argue that individual thinking is a tool that can be used to promote personal expression and creative ability. Is there any possibility that we can overcome societal demands and become individualistic in our approach? There are those that will argue that one is not better than the other.  It is rational to accept the fact that it is all about personal preference. One may be better for an individual. I personally learn better and get things done quicker through solitary thinking. Others may benefit from social interaction and sharing new ideas. On a personal level, thinking is very private. Independent thinking is the desire and ability to convince ourselves that the information being presented is true or reasonable. Independent thinkers have the need to make sense of the world based on personal observations and experiences rather than just going along with the thoughts of others. While dependent thinkers uncritically accept whatever they are taught and don’t find the need to question information or ask themselves if the information really makes sense. Individuals think what they want. We as individuals can be as submissive or as aggressive as we choose to be within the confines of our own heads. There it is safe to think absolutely anything, because no one else knows.

Collective thinking is a hindrance to an individual’s personal growth and achievement potential. Individual creativity, uniqueness and independent thinking are compromised when group cohesiveness is placed at the forefront. Members of collective thinking groups are likely to avoid promoting their own point of views. There are several reasons for this. Many members within a group tend to avoid singling themselves out for fear of being viewed as foolish. They also may have a desire to avoid embarrassing or angering the other members of the group.  The Asch Experiment is one of many experiments conducted to measure the effect peer pressure could have on the thinking of an individual. According to Martyn Shuttleworth, “The Asch experiment showed that one voice can make a difference amongst many.”  In other words, it only takes one difference of opinion to cause the rest of the group to conform. Group thinking drastically alters the ability to think independently. Especially in instances such as the groups we are most closely associated with. The society in which  we grow up in has great influence on the person we become. If it is not carefully managed, humans have the tendency to take on the traits of those around them. They act and do as those around them act and do. Sociology is just one science that primarily focuses on social behavior and human groups. It studies social relationships and how those relationships influence people’s behavior. Richard T. Schaefer asserts, “A society is the largest form of human group. It consists of people who share a common heritage and culture. Member of this culture learn and transmit it from one generation to the next."  With that being said, it is safe to assume that we as humans are products of our surroundings. A good example of the adverse affects of collectivism would be the media. The underlying message that comes through media outlets is another form of group thinking that causes conformity to slogan thinking. We live in a society that depends on communication and information to keep moving in the “right” direction. We are exposed to it so much that it affects our everyday lives. The media basically shapes our beliefs, values, and decisions.  We are constantly exposed to images of violence, advertisements, sex, and much more. The media makes billions of dollars with advertising they sell and that we are exposed to. After seeing thousands of advertisements, we buy according to what we are told to be good. We make our buying decisions based on what we saw on TV, newspapers or magazines to be a product we can trust.

Dont  want to be confusing or contradictory, but I also dont want to be accused of being ethnocentric either. It can be argued that collective thinking is of great benefit to the member involved in the group. Group thinking allows you to draw on each group member’s knowledge and different perspectives. Groups are great for motivation as well. They force you to be responsible to others, allowing you to do more and better work on a project than you can do when only responsible for yourself.  Group thinking is effective at problem solving by incorporating the collective effort of the entire group. Gerard M Blair, author of “Groups that Work” asserts that “there is an added incentive that through belonging to a group each can participate in achievements well beyond his/her own individual potential.” This simply means each member of the team has their own unique abilities and expertise which enables them to collectively combine ideas and surpass the ability of an individual. Some of our greatest achievements in history have been made by a group of people. As one person has an idea, another person can add to it, until it is the best idea it can be. Everyone has strong points and weak points. By being in a group atmosphere, your weak points can be strengthened, and your strong points can be shared.

At the end of the day there is no clear cut winner. There are only those that prefer one or another.

You decide.

  

Would you be ok with a stranger holding your hands?

By: Rachel Morris

A discussion regarding norms is almost unavoidable when it comes to sociology. The possibilities of the discussion seem to be endless in regards to what topic brought it up. Someone could have been speaking of a co-worker who walks around the office barefoot or maybe they saw a tourist acting in a way that seemed so odd and out of place. In class we had discussed the unfortunate example of when the plane crashed in the mountains and the passengers had to resort to cannibalism to survive. I believe this is a perfect example of norms and how they can change in the blink of an eye to fit a specific situation.

This idea became abundantly clear to me this afternoon while in the nail salon. For those of you who have never had a manicure before, it is an extremely relaxing and enjoyable experience but at the same time it can be a very personal one as well. Basically you sit at a table across from a person whom you have never met and they cut, clean, file, and paint your nails; all the while they are holding your hands. I wondered in how many situations this would be acceptable. If this random person came up to me in the street and did the exact same thing would I be ok with it? Probably not, in fact I would think they were nuts. This realization became even more apparent when, at the end of the manicure you sit and wait for your freshly painted nails to dry, the same person who has been holding your hands for the past half hour begins to give you a back massage. One is rarely ever asked or even warned about the massage. Most of the time they have begun before you even know it is happening.  That being said however, I can honestly say that I have never once heard someone turn down the massage.  

Why is it ok for a perfect stranger to hold your hands and give you a massage in a nail salon, but completely inappropriate in just about every other situation? The only thing I can think of is the fact that from situation to situation norms change. They can change with time, place, person, and culture. What is normal in one instance might not be so in another.

This is an awareness that I hope to keep with me in the future. I believe it will help me to take the time to understand why people act the way they do in certain situations and hopefully because of this, I will not jump to conclusions because something does not seem “normal” to me.

Shades of Black ♪♫

-Brittni Green

   Internal racism is based on ignorance and low self esteem.  Its when a person is discriminatory against THERE OWN RACE.  This is very common in the black race.  Most black people whether they admit it or not view beauty in a girl as being light skinned, light eyes, straight hair..basically the farther she is from actually looking black the more beautiful she is.  I'll never forget the time when I was over my friends house we were both very cute little girls and were playing "wedding".  I did not want to be the groom but I ALWAYS was!! One day I asked her why I had to always be the groom and NEVER the bride.  She said because I was darker than her. I was sad for about 5 minutes then began to play again.  We are still close friends and she is so embarrassed whenever I bring it up.  Now looking back on it I try to wonder where she got her reasoning from and who or what was teaching her these things.
  
   Even more common is most black people refuse to ever want to be 100% black .  Most will say they are mixed with some type of Indian, white, Spanish, etc.  This is really sad however internal or internalized racism is often unconscious.  And a lot of the way African Americans  think in this country comes from the music, Rap music in particular.  A great example of a Rap artist who relentlessly lashes out at his own race is Lil Wayne.  I'm not saying he is the only one for all you Lil Wayne fanatics out there SO RELAX.  I'm just using him as an example.  So anyway he knowingly reinforces stereotypes that long hindered blacks, and also teaches young black males that a thuggish stance is the proper response to a presumptively racist society.  His music retards black success.  But anyway back to what I was saying despite his own skin complexion, his mom's skin complexion, and his very own daughter's skin complex,  relentlessly instills in his listener's mind that women are only beautiful if they are lighter skinned and have "European like" hair.  A good example of this is in his song "Right Above" Wayne says.. "Beautiful Black woman, I bet that bi%*# would look BETTER red."..  For those of you who don't know what was meant by this the term red is short for red bone which refers to a female with lighter skin.  SO basically what he meant by this is that all black females would look better if they were lighter skinned.  It boggles my mind that all in 10 words he called black females out of their name and discriminated against them!! There are many many MANY more examples I could give about him and his internal racism.  He can certainly have his own opinion and preference but WHY PUT OTHERS DOWN?  Its almost as if he hates himself actually.

    In conclusion internal racism AND rap music is the epitome of what is wrong with the minds of millions, blacks look to degrading drug addict entertainers as if there God and believe EVERYTHING they say. Truthfully most rap artist are demoralizing the minds of youth. Its a subtle form of brain washing if you ask me. Thanks for your time . Be sure to comment this one. =)

hollywood stars why don't they obey the law

Why do people in Hollywood think they are above the law? I believe its because they are given a pass because of there bank statements and status among society and race as well. Ms. Lohan is a perfect example of this, she gets chances after chances to do the right thing and she doesn't are they serious crimes no! but if she were another race besides white she would be sitting behind bars rotting while she thought about what it is that she had done. What are the reasons behind that i ask you?

Crime in Philadelphia not by citizens but by police

In Philadelphia we have a high crime rate and people say we don't respect police officers, some police officers dont respect citizens. in this video police committed a crime against a 20 yr old woman, this is seen as a misunderstanding because they are held on a higher level then the rest of us. This is just a small sample of the things that police get away with in Philadelphia but also over the country. If an officer is shot or harmed does it make there lives worth more because they are police? When a regular person is shot,stabbed etc. it takes the cops for ever to show up but they shut the city down and find who did the crime against a cop.When it comes to us they ask us to do their job and find the person for them, i was aked this same thing. Some would say they keep us safe i beg to differ i think they instill fear in most. I would like to hear your thoughts on this. By Devin Barnes

Test Driving A Spouse

Idalis Burgos

I was listening to Elvis Duran radio show in the morning on my way to school a few days ago and the topic of that day was the 2 year renewable contract marriages in Mexico.  Surprisingly, many of the callers were opposed to this kind of marriage arrangement.  I have always heard of contract marriages, but what I didn’t know was that somewhere in the world this is actually about to become legal, or the norm even.  If passed, the law is said to help newlyweds avoid the hassle of the tedious process of divorce.  The couples can sign a marriage contract with a minimum of two years with the option to opt out of the marriage after two years.  And I quote, "’the proposal is, when the two-year period is up, if the relationship is not stable or harmonious, the contract simply ends,’ says the bill's co-author, Leonel Luna of the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution, Reuters reports.”  If a couple wishes not to renew their contract they can walk away scot free, no legal hassle, and no dragged out legal matters.  This makes me wonder what effect this will have on the constitution of marriage. 

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/09/mexico-city-lawmaker-propose-renewable-marriage-contracts/1#                                                                 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/opinions/10202377.cms

Growing up, I always imagined getting married to the person that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.  The culture in which I was raised taught me that you marry for love and you spend the rest of your life fighting for that love.  Wedding vowels are to be recited to your partner before family and friends and most importantly, locked and sealed before God.  And you spend the rest of your life compromising and growing in love unless it becomes harmful, dangerous or unfaithful.  If the idea of a renewable marriage contract spreads, why would anyone feel the need to salvage a marriage when in just two years, they can opt out?  In other words, why fix something that can easily be replaced?  Some people already take marriage as a joke and this will only reinforce that kind of careless behavior. 

Now, I understand that life doesn’t always work out as planned.  But throughout the course of the radio show, I still could not understand the idea of going into a marriage without the intent of spending the rest of your life with that person.  It just seems like God is being taken out of everything and being replaced with the government and what’s convenient.  The constitution of marriage is based on love, faithfulness and endurance amongst other things.  It seems so superficial, like leasing a car with the option to buy.  In this case, test driving a spouse with the option to renew your marriage contract.  I don’t know.  What do you all think?

Tes