Crash Reflection

Question 2

The television producer, Cameron said to Anthony... "You embarrass me, you embarrass yourself". What does this mean to you, what did Cameron mean by saying this?

In my opinion, Cameron means that as a fellow black man, he is embarrassed by Anthony's behavior. Even though Cameron is a good man, the social construct of his race is defined by individuals like Anthony, who steal and shoot people. All people are affected by the social construct of their race.

Question 14

What did Anthony mean when he said, "If anybody should be scared, it's us: we're the only two black faces surrounded by a sea of over-caffeinated white people, patrolled by the trigger-happy LAPD"?

Anthony thinks that simply by being black, he has a reason to fear for his life. He refers to white people as over-caffeinated because stereotypically, white people drink a lot of Starbucks, and the LAPD is "trigger-happy" because they are quick to shoot when a black person is involved.

Community Service #3 & 4

3. Christmas Basket- 2 Hours

















I sponsored a family for Christmas through the Vernon Township. Me and my mom went to Walmart and picked out gifts based on a list we were given for the family. It was similar to Give-A-Thon, except we didn't get to know the children's names. It was a really good experience  because we got to get them necessary winter supplies, like coats and blankets, as well as getting them fun presents like toys and candles. It made me feel really good to know we were giving these people a Christmas to celebrate. This is something we do every year, and it is always so rewarding. We also gave them a card to wish them a happy holiday. I liked this idea because it showed that we made our gifts personal. I think it is so sad that there are people who don't have the means to celebrate Christmas, and I can't help everyone, but it felt good to know that I made the holiday happen for this particular family.

4. Give-A-Thon Leader- 4 Hours







This was my first year being a Give-A-Thon leader, and it is so different from solely participating. I got to raise money, buy the gifts, and drop the presents off. Raising money was really exciting for me because each thing I sold, I knew was another dollar that would go toward my family's gifts. I also loved buying the presents because, similar to shopping for the Christmas Basket previously, I knew the families were going to love what I got them. Dropping the presents off on Collection Day was an experience I will never forget. We compiled everything we had worked so hard to raise money for and buy, and dropped it off to be delivered to our family. Seeing our presents join the heap of hundreds that would go to countless families warmed my heart. I knew that we were going to give these families a holiday they would not soon forget, and that they would be so thankful. That makes all the hard work worth it. I will definitely be a leader again next year!

We Are the 99%

Why desire for economic security is not being met: She is in college and cannot get a job that pays more than minimum wage to afford health insurance or student loans

More fair situation: Higher minimum wage, more job opportunities for college students, make college less expensive, make health insurance more accessible 

Relates to social class: Younger people have little to no social mobility and until growing up to job-age often stay in lower class

Chose this image because: Nobody should have to fear for their lives because they can't afford to see a doctor.


Why desire for economic security is not being met: His jobs weren't understanding of his pre-existing complications

More fair situation: Better job security for leaves of absence, fairer time off policies

Relates to social class: The greatest mobility is downward. He moved from working class to underclass, but will probably suffer great difficulty moving back upward.

Chose this image: He is a young man who has had to face so much already in his life, which struck me because I have had to face much less.


Why desire for economic security is not being met: She can't get a job in her field because she is disabled.

More fair situation: Greater aid for disabled veterans with jobs, financial aid, etc

Relates to social class: She was, in a sense, punished for going to war for our country and coming back disabled. Her punishment was in the form of being moved down the social ladder.

Chose this image: I believe heavily in aid for veterans, since they are the people that fight for our everyday way of life. The least we can do is help them to maintain theirs.

Blog 8

This week in class, we talked a lot about social class. Something that was brought up a lot in class discussion was upper class versus lower class, and I noticed a lot of stereotypes being mentioned unwittingly. Upper class people were snobby, and lower class people were uneducated. These false observations stuck with me, and I thought about them while sitting around the table at Thanksgiving. I had all the food I could ever hope to ingest and a huge family to eat it with inside a beautiful home. I was overwhelmed by how "upper middle class" the scene depicted before me was. Be that as it may, I was not ungrateful. I didn't feel that those without this were lower than me. It is apparent to me that I defy the stereotype for my class often. I am constantly thankful for what I have. I believe in the value of money and learning it by being somewhat independent. Though I, fortunately, have never had to hold a job to help my family, I have had one before. I've earned my own money. My Mommy and Daddy didn't buy me an iPhone, I saved and bought it for myself. Because of a few nasty people, the image of the Middle Class as a whole has been tarnished, and people are made to feel ashamed for having money. It is something people don't like to talk about, because they will incur negative judgment for their classification. I think this is a sad thing, because America is supposed to be the land of opportunity, where a man can come from nothing and make himself a fortune. It's hard work, but those that are able to achieve it shouldn't be ashamed of it. It is a shame that there are people that are less fortunate and are not financially stable, but I think that as long as the Middle and Upper classes do their parts and help those less fortunate without being condescending, everyone can live in much more harmony. Perhaps there will even be less people in the Lower class this way.

2nd Community Service

2. Thanksgiving Basket- 2 Hours

This past week, I donated a basket of food to a family in need for the holiday. I spent hours at Walmart with my mom picking out non-perishable food items and a basket until we were finally finished. Though it took a lot of time and a sizable amount of cash, it felt good to know that we would be providing someone with a Thanksgiving meal. My favorite part of the trip was deciding to buy them reusable plastic plates instead of disposable paper plates and real cups instead of paper cups. It made me feel good to know that several items in our basket were things that would stay with them long after the holiday. This way, they will remember us in the future as the people that provided them with a Thanksgiving celebration. I do this basket with my family every year, and it is always a rewarding experience. We usually get a thank-you note from the family, which makes it that much more heartwarming. To know they are appreciative makes it an even more enjoyable experience. I have developed a personal attachment to this cause and look forward to doing it for many years to come.

Family Socialization

I spoke with my mother about my socialization. I learned  a ton from this interview.

My parents didn't really have any expectations for me before I was born, but rather they hoped that I would be born healthy and that they would be able to give me the best start possible. 

The lesson my father has tried hardest to impart on me is never to hesitate to take out your wallet. He says you should never hassle people about paying for things, because it's good karma and makes you seem like a generous person. In addition, my mother made sure that I was strong in my convictions and wasn't easily taken advantage of. They have always taught me to do what makes me happy, and the rest will fall into place. They truly believe if you have your happiness and your health, you have everything. 

The most important tradition to them that I carry on is our religion. We are Jewish, and though we aren't very religious in terms of practice, my parents always made sure I had an education that included the foundations of my heritage, and hope that one day if and when I have children I will do the same for them. They think that although religion does not have to be the most important thing in your life, it is a good moral compass to possess.

My personality is very much like my dad's, in the respect that I am very stubborn and a very good arguer. This leads to conflict between us sometimes, but we always make up because we have a very high level of respect for one another and we love each other. My mom says that I get my passion from her. If I love something, I put my whole heart into it and pursue it with zeal. 

I wasn't extremely shocked by any of the answers I received from this interview. These are notions I have been socialized to understand and expect. Most of the values I possess are results of my grandparents' and their grandparents' socialization. Similar to genetic traits, like the curly brown hair and blue eyes from my dad and my right-brained tendencies from my mom, family traditions and socialization are passed down from generation to generation. This is because we are socialized by the generation before us, and generally use this as a standard  by which we measure our own notions of right and wrong. My values are a way that I will be inherently connected to the numerous generations of Krays before me.

The Lost Boys

In class, we watched the movie "God Gave Up On Us". It was a documentary on the Lost Boys of Sudan. I experienced a sizable amount of culture shock while watching this film, paralleled by the culture shock the boys experienced upon arriving in America. I have become more sociologically mindful as a result of this film in the sense that I am acutely aware of struggles vastly different from my own. These people were forced to leave behind their home and everything they knew. I was reminded how lucky I am to have a constant home base to come back to at the end of the day. I cast so many things off as habits that they would consider luxuries. I guess I am somewhat ethnocentric because I see my way of life as correct, and theirs as foreign. In reality, both are correct, though vastly different. I am definitely a changed person after seeing this movie.