Welcome to our class blog! This blog is designed to help link our study of sociology with everyday experiences. Thoughtful comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
No matter what time of day one decides to tune into a news broadcast, the vast majority of the segment will result in crime and violence. The reality of it all, is a widespread of lack of self-control and dignity. Where isthe love? Crime has no level of decency. In other words, a crime is a crime whether it be murder, assault or stealing. The reason why crime has become an usual, or familiar action in even our very own neighborhoods, is a result of the greed and hostility many people are facing. Yes, we are living in trouble times, but people should not allow their actions to become apart of society's problem. Killing people, hurting people, and taking things are not the way to go about solving any problem we may face.
Below is an link to an article with a video attached, explaining crime in it's physical abnormalities, psychological disorders, and social and economic factors.
Here is a Video in where an artist is expressing how he feels about the society he lives in, and what he feels as though would better it.
As a final point, many inocent people are victims as a result of the violent crimes committed everyday. Innocent children, broken hearted family members, and a torn community are being overlooked not only by the media, but by the individuals who are committing these crimes. My point is, there is no reason for crime. Love avails much. Society would comence to be a much better place if people seen the actual reality of this necessity.
I will start by saying that many of today’s social norms were once counter cultural or taboo. Many modern norms started out as hard fights against oppressive, demeaning, prejudices bearing many human casualties right here in our own country. Many of these norms we take for granted today as though their fights had been won long ago but almost none of them have been completely won & as soon as we become complacent that's when all the sacrifice is lost. For example, just last year sitting Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said that the 14th amendment does not apply to women & that not only women but no minority actually shares equal protection under the law according to our constitution. If anyone thinks oppression of women doesn’t go on today think again. Women’s salaries as compared to mens have dropped considerably over the last several years for the same job as a man with equal education & qualifications. There are many conservative thinkers that feel a woman’s place is in the home. Just 100 years ago women in the United States could not vote, should not consider an education, & it was considered taboo for them to work. On top of that The Equal Rights Amendment has never been ratified so there is no "Equal Protection Under The Law" in the United States. Would a Woman President seem to "Counter" modern culture? There seems to be a whole Counter Culture built around slandering our black president whether he was the best man for the job or not. The fact is that Counter Cultures have many faces in modern society both Good & Evil depending on which side of the fight you're on & what we call common sense "Norms" never stand in the way.
(I'll remind ALL of you again. The Equal Rights Amendment was NEVER ratified.)
Time for some modern Counter Culture activity Suffragettes?
The fight isn't over yet!
The Sex Pistols pissed on their audience in opposition to authority & formalism.
And their Counter Culture crowd just LOVED it!
Sometimes oppressive & violent ideologies become Counter Cultures unto themselves.
(These people call themselves Christians.)
Less people have been murdered in the name of Satan than in the name of God.
Why?
If marriage is between a man & a woman who can a transgender marry?
This Counter Culture says they can marry anyone they damn well please!
Legalize it!
This is what's happening around the world.
Why?
One thing is for certain, a Counter Culture by it's very nature will offend someone's sense of "The Norm". The main ideal I wish to discuss is the Modern Peace Movement which isn't a whole lot different than it was during the Vietnam era. There is a Counter Culture movement today that is once again becoming main stream that believes the United States has been acting as an oppressive & ruthless empire against much of the rest of the world. That our foreign policy & our tyranny is directly responsible for what happened to us on 911 in New York City at the World Trade Centers. They believe that the violence & oppression we impose on other nations will insight further retaliation against our own nation. They believe our deceptive lending & foreclosure policies on poor nations followed by "Regime Change" & “Nation Building” around the globe is completely unconstitutional & has led to widespread hatred for the United States. This modern movement is making a play for the White House.
"The reality is that our military presence on foreign soil is as offensive to the people that live there as armed Chinese troops would be if they were stationed in Texas. We would not stand for it here, but we have had a globe-straddling empire and a very intrusive foreign policy for decades that incites a lot of hatred and resentment toward us." – Ron Paul
Did you know Bechtel & the World Bank financed the Public Water Works in a city in Bolivia & then raised water rates by over 200%? According to their contract they not only owned the water in the system but the water in the streams, lakes, & rivers.. & even the water that fell from the sky? If you couldn't pay your water bill & tried to collect rain water to drink you would have been arrested. We wonder why our capitalistic "NORMS" are being COUNTERED ?!?!? Why our flags are being burned. Why other nations around the world want to destroy the US & our decadent culture?
The Modern Counter Culture
Peace Movement Says,
"Stay out of the personal affairs of other nations.
Over the years video games have become more and more violent. As a result there have been many discussions concerning what playing these games is doing to the minds of our youth. Certainly many of these violent games are not to be sold to children under a certain age. Consequently a wide range of young children still find it easy to access these games. Indeed studies have shown that playing these games does alter the behavior of children not just in the U.S. but around the world.
Video games such as the Call of Duty and Grand Theft auto Series (both pictured below) are popular among children around the world.
(The games pictured above clearly state on the covers that they are for video gamers ages 17 and above however thousands of children under that age find it easy to access these games.)
A study involving three groups a children was conducted. The first group consisted of 181 Japanese students ranging from ages 12-15. The second group involved 1,050 Japanese students ranging from age 13-18 and the third group involved 364 U.S. children ranging from ages 9-12. Researches monitored what games the children played and how much time they spent playing them. After playing these games students monitored there own behavior in addition to being monitored by there peers and teachers. Indeed it was discovered that students with more exposure to violent video games had become more aggressive than those with less exposure. Children exposed to more violent video games tend to get into more fights and are more likely to react violently in certain situations. As a result many researchers see this as a predictor of future behavior problems.
Dr. Huesmann, director of the Research Center of Group Dynamics at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research in Ann Arbor has been studying violence in the media and behavior for over 30 years. He came to the conclusion that the most obvious result of exposure to violence is imitation. For example, children that are exposed to violence in the media may develop the mindset that the world around them is hostile and that violence is an acceptable way of dealing with it. Furthermore Huesmann states that children can become desensitized to violence. In other words too much exposure to violence can lead to a lower emotional impact on an individual. In addition Huesmann asserted "Once you're emotionally numb to violence, it's much easier to engage in violence." However, there are some who disagree with Huesmann's viewpoint, I am sure they all agree that video game violence and child aggression are closely related.
(The video below shows a guy explaining his point of view on the topic)
All in all children who played violent video games were found to be more aggressive. There are indeed many children who play these games without being effected by the violence. However, that does not take away from the children that are. Indeed overtime new information will develop involving this topic.
(For more detailed information on the study described in the paragraphs above click the link below)
