The End: My Final Blog..

January, 2009:

Hi guys! I'm Jorie and I am a junior (one of the four in Sal's first period class). I wanted to take sociology as a junior because I was really interested in the class, but I knew I wouldn't have time during my senior year. One of the reasons I know I won't have time is because I am a Varsity Cheerleader. Our season is 10 months out of the year, so I'm very busy all the time. I've been on varsity since I was a freshman and its really shaped the person I've become in high school. Before high school I was on an allstar cheerleading team, which was SO different from high school cheer. I was torn when I had to choose between allstar and high school, but I couldn't be more happy on Stevenson Cheer. Since freshman year I've made inseparable bonds with the girls on my team, and they have become some of my best friends. As hard and time consuming as it is, I wouldn't want to have it any other way -- I can't imagine my life without it.
After high school I'm planning on going to college (not sure where yet), and hopefully cheering, depending on where I go. I'm not positive on what I want to do after that, but I'm thinking about going into some kind of journalism, or maybe even being a teacher. Whatever I do, I want to wake up every day and enjoy doing it.
I'm a very outgoing person, and will make friends with anyone.. some of my friends even make fun of me for it :) I think I get that personality from my mom. She is always happy and looking on the bright side of things and it inspires me to be positive in anything and everything I do. One thing she always tells me is that if you're going to do something, you might as well do it 110% and enjoy doing it. I basically live by that - I think that every day you should be happy, and if you're not, something needs to change (even though obviously nothing is perfect). I hope that I can live my whole life this way. Anyway, this is my first time ever blogging and im really excited to try it out.. so enjoy :)

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May, 2009:

Hey guys, it's Jorie again. But this time, I've changed. Many things have happened in the past 5 months. I've started thinking a lot more about who I am, what makes me, and why, and I owe it all to sociology..well, most of it atleast. I'm still a Junior in high school (almost a senior!!!) and I'm still a cheerleader, and knowing me, probably always will be. But theres something different.. no longer am I a 17 year old, white, jewish, female in the upper-middle class. Obvoiusly I still am those things, but those are not WHO i am. And i hope those are never who I am again. They call America the "melting pot" of the world meaning all cultures, races, classes, everything, mixes together to form one culture. If that is the case then why are things such as discrimination and fear still taking place? It really bothers me after learning about all these things and more in sociology. From now on, I am not that person I mentioned above, i'm all of those things and more - the people I meet is going to be what makes me. If they are black, white, poor, rich, ugly, beautiful, ect., I'm going to accept them and change myself for them. Theres no reason why I should fear people of different races and cultures, avoid them, or not befriend them. If someone proves me wrong and does disobey my trust, then i can deal with that situation individually, but just because a black girl is mean to me doesnt mean all black girls are going to be. That goes along with being open-minded. From now on, no matter what the situation is, I vow to go in wtih an open mind and an open heart, because if I don't I won't get the full potential out of the situation. In general, my number one change is "open-ness." In EVERYTHING I do. No matter what the situation. After the fact, I can reevaluate it and see how I should feel, but before hand, there is no reason to be anything but optimistic and know that everyone is the same and are equal.
I've said this before and i'll say it again... LiFE'S WHAT YOU MAKE iT. :)

Love, Jorie

"This BLOG Is Not Required"

As our last class discussion/lesson, we read a part from the book "This book is Not Required" By Inge Bell. I can honestly say that it was probably my favorite lesson from the entire semester. The reason is not because we learned something new, because we didnt, but just because it really addressed life and our future and I thought it was so cool. Personally, I am one of the worst decision makers EVER. Ask any one of my friends - its so hard for me for some reason. What we read today made me realize, though, that if I am having trouble deciding on something, there is going to be positive and negative things in whichever I choose. It made me think back to when I was in 8th grade and was deciding between staying with Allstar Cheerleading, or doing High School Cheerleading. It doesnt seem like a tough one, but this decision was probably the hardest i have had to make in my life so far. I now realize, looking back, that no matter what I would be happy and sad doing either. If i stayed with my allstar team, I would be happy to compete on spring floor and do much harder skills, but I wouldn't get that "belonging" feel I get on Stevenson cheer. Then again, if i did Stevenson cheer (which i do), I would be invovled, and make some of the best friends I will ever have, yet I do miss that allstar competitive feeling. Either way there are positives and negatives, pros and cons, but either way I am happy. This type of thing goes along with EVERY decision. No matter what it is, I'm going to think about that from now on. The author told us that "you only have to succeed once." So, whatever I decide to do with my life, I know I can always start over... Life Is What You Make It.

Race & CRASH (make up..)

Although its basically 3 weeks since we've watched the movie Crash, every detail about the movie is still with me today. Usually, after watching a movie, even if it is AMAZING, I don't remember everything or get a feeling about it. Crash was different. The movie Crash not only opened my eyes, but made me feel something. Its confusing as to what the feeling is, but I can definitly say that I am so thankful and aware of everything now and forever. Because I am white and middle-upper class, I never stop to think of the little things I do that effect others of different races or classes. I know that if I am walking in the city or somewhere where there are lots of homeless people I will stay close to the people I am with and make no eye contact. Why? I guess its because I've been sociologically taught that "poor people are dangerous" or because of their race I need to stay safe. Its pathetic. I am so mad at myself for being like that for 17 years now. My sister came home from the city the other night and told us how she gave a homeless man money. He was so thankful that he screamed thank you after her even after she was plenty of feet away already. I was so proud of her. She wasn't scared and she knows that they are doing the best they can. Crash allowed me to really realize these types of things. Even though I may have been taugh something does not by any means make it true. Obviously I will still be cautious of things but honestly, to be so scared of a homeless person just shows my ignorance and stupidity, and honestly - my surroundings' as well.

Your Own Kind

(from last week) While watching the video "a girl like me," I first saw the black people sterotyping themselves. They admitted to black girls having big butts, big lips, being loud and obnoxious, ect, and it dawned on me that even they use stereotypes against themselves. It is crazy and sad and sort of out of control to think that people can even discriminate against their own kind! Honestly, a white person would probably deny it if they were discriminated or stereotyped against in someway. I know most of the people that I associate with would. Seeing them do this to themselves put stereotypes in a different point of view for me. Not only did that point of view change, but racism all together did. I used to thikn that only white people were racist towards blacks, blacks to hispanics, muslims to whites, and so on, but I found out through this video that sometimes your own race can be racist to itself, without trying to be of course. The little black girls and boys in the video preferred playing with white dolls over blacks because the whites were nicer, cleaner, prettier, more fun, ect. It is heartbreaking to see this take place, because they honestly just don't know any better. I can't help but to blame the whites, and just hope that it changes for their future..

The Reality of Classes

I would definitly say that me, my family, my friends, and most of my surroundings in life are of the upper middle class. I can spend money without having to worry about not eating, but I dont go out and buy, say, a pair of $300 shoes once a week. I live a normal life. My dad works full time, my mom part time, and even i have a job that i enjoy. I don't HAVE to work, I choose to! When I sit down and think about it though, its crazy to think how lucky I am to have a job I like doing - one that I volunteered myself to do. In the 30 days episode we watched, I saw that men and women who are of lower class than I am have no choice on what job they want. They just take what they can get and do whatever they have to do to make money. For example, Morgan Spurlock, who was being a man of poor class for 30 days, had to work a gardening/yard work job. While doing so, he hurt his wrist badly, yet he had to keep working because if he didnt, he wouldnt be able to pay his rent or get by. Its scary to think that there are so many people out there today that are in pain or suffering from who-knows-what, yet they have to keep suffering because they know that if they dont, they may not eat dinner that night. It pains me to realize this and I feel like our community - the luckier ones - need to see it too and not take everything for granted. I even admit, Im a huge culprit of it! But this episode of 30 days really opened my eyes.

Please Enter Through The Revolving Door -->

This week in class, we focused a lot on jails and crime-committers. We took the time to look at different jails and how the guards treat the inmates. It turns out that the inmates are treated much more harshly than I would have ever imagined. The guards basically dehuminze them. In the video we saw on one jail in West Virginia, the inmates had to be locked up in a "day room" the entire day and then later locked up behind closed doors - not bars, but heavy, thick doors. This way, they were assured they had absolutly no freedom. I have always expected jail to be harsh, but not as bad as what I saw this week in class. I think that the prisoners have a right to be treated with lesser value than they would be if they were free, but I do not think that gives the guards the right to dehuminize them. At first, I felt, well, they committed the crime, they must serve the time. But then we started seeing a patter in jails: the prisoners always come back. It is like a revolving door. Lets say one man got put in jail for drugs for 10 years. He is being treated like an animal those 10 years, just craving to get out and get back to what he is used to. So, after his time has been served, he goes out and just does the same drugs as before. In jail, the inmates arent taught HOW not to go back to old habits and crimes, they are just punished. I feel like if they are going to be serving that time, the guards and police in the jails might as well make it useful and teach them lessons. If jails actually had seminars or classes that helped and educated the prisoners, I think we would see a huge difference in the number of people who return to jail after they have already been imprisoned before.

The Wierd Thing About Deviance

In class, we defined 'deviance' as something that breaks social norms. For example, at school, it would be deviant to be a boy and wear a dress, or talk to yourself as you walk down the halls. Deviance, though, can be thought of in various ways and ranges, depending on the time and place of the action. This weekend, I was downtown seeing a play. After the play was over, mobs of people were outside trying to get taxis to take them to their next destination. Obviously there were way more people than there were taxis, so everyone was in the street trying to be the "next noticed one." As I was waiting for my own taxi along with the hundreds of others doing the same, I noticed a man standing close to the corner, hailing taxis every few minutes. It seemed as though he was with a woman, probably his wife or girlfriend, and they were carless and taxiless as well. The deviant thing about it was, he would hail a taxi and then offer it to another woman or a family. He kept doing this until finally, I suppose he was satisfied. I could tell that everyone watching him was thankful, yet confused. I think most people thought his simple act of kindness was pretty wierd. And, i'm not going to lie, so did i! After thinking about it though, I realized that it truely was just an act of kindness out of his good heart, and this man never meant to be wierd or deviant about his actions at all.

Things You Can't Go Through Life Without: Food, Water, and...Grades?

Today in class we had a fairly heated discussion about school, grades, values, and more. Basically, we talked about the hidden rule that teachers have about students' grades. What i'm talking about is the fact that the "Barbies" of school - hardworking, diligent students, who arent the brightest, get better grades than the "Beavis'" of school - the slacking, lazy kids who are brilliant, but don't apply themselves. Many teachers think that because the students are working hard, they should get rewarded. I mostly agree with this idea, mainly because I am one of those students. No, i'm not dumb, but I'm not someone who got a 36 on my ACT either. Yet, im up late every night focusing on my homework so that I can get it done the right way and understand what i'm learning. Someone like my brother, on the otherhand, is fairly smart, but goes home and might not even open his backpack one night! I think its crazy how somoene could just waste all of that time. In a way, the system kind of goes with the saying "if you have to do something, you might as well do it right." I guess you could say we don't HAVE to do homework and study, but we are anyways, so we might as well give 100% on it and get something out of it. One thing I definitly DONT agree with, though, is the way that grades are EVERYTHING. If a person has the best personality in the world and is a hardworking, bright person, but isn't the smartest at school, they should get the same chance to achieve as the most brilliant people on earth. Teachers, parents, and even coaches always say " SCHOOL COMES FIRST!" But are they really saying that SCHOOL comes first? Or are they just using that as a cover for "GRADES, GPAs, ACT SCORES, and COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES COME FIRST!"? It makes me wonder - am i really going through school for myself and for the basis of me learning new things and getting an education, or is it just a competition to see who has the smartest kid, in all the AP classes with the highest GPA at graduation?

Work, Money, and Ambition

As Morrie would say, "work, money, ambition, we bury ourselves in these things, but we never stand back and say, is this what we want?" I couldn't agree more with this wise old man. Sometimes in life, people need to look around at what they are doing and what their lives consist of and ask themselves if what they're doing is what is right. If a person isn't living happily, then they really aren't living to their fullest potential. Sometimes, I feel like people need to step back and see the importnat things in life - not just what everyone else feels is important. Because, sure, some crazy people enjoy running around working and stressing out all day, but the majority of Americans dont. They just do it because its what everyone is doing. This has to do with priorities. Sometimes I feel like people just dont see their priorities. They know what they are, but they dont actually follow through. Its like when the philosophy professor took a jar and filled it with rocks, then pebbles, then sand. His students thought that even before the little things were added in, it was full. And its true - the big things in life are what matter most, and if people don't realize that, they need a reality check to set their priorities straight! Because if you have family, friends, and happiness, who needs work, money, and ambition?

The American Dream..or Should I Say Reality?

As we read and discussed Bemused in America, a few articles about American life vs. European life, I coudn't help but relate a ton of the examples to my own life and my surroundings. In the first article, about the grocery store, I immediatly thought of my mom. Not just in grocery stores, but whenever we go shopping, or I go somewhere to pick something up, she always says: "Go look and see if there is a coupon for it." Even if it is a tiny little coupon that might get a dollar off a purchase, shes all for it! Even store clerks act like that. I was in walgreens the other day buying eyeliner, when one of the employees walked up to me and handed me about 5 diferent sheets of paper - all coupons for eyeliner. Obviously she had seen that I was deciding between a few different brands and wanted to contribute by offering me some coupons she had ripped out o a walgreen's coupon books! It was very generous, but unnessacary at the same time. Another part of the article I enjoyed reading was the one about how much TV Americans watch. Personally, I HATE tv. I have my one show (Gossip Girl) that I watch one hour a week and thats it. Unless I am relaxing, I'll watch a short part of a recorded show, but other than that- nothing. Unlike me, my siblings are ALL ABOUT TV! If they have one free second, theyre in front of the TV. I always tell them its stupid and their wasting their time, but they dont care. Because of them, they forced my dad to get some crazy directTV with like 1000 channels (not really but close). In the article, the author made a great point - "Who on earth needs 100 cable channels?" Which is SO true. Honestly, even someone who watched TV for a LIVING couldnt watch THAT much..Why does there have to be numerous sports channels, news channels, even Spanish channels!!? Its just unnesscary to me, and it all goes back to America and how materialistic we are, along with how our lives are always busy, were always moving forward, and we always, always, ALWAYS need to be "bigger and better." I mean, it is the American "dream," right?

That Means WHAT To You?!

This past week, as we played a game of cards in class (or should i say 5 games of cards), I realized TRULEY for the first time how different cultures can get extremley confused with eachother when in a new situation in different places. How, you ask? Well, after we each played our games, we rotated between groups - mixing different "cultures." After a game with mixed players, we all started to argue (silently, of course) about the different ways we were playing. After watching this happen for a little, Sal noticed we were as confused as could be and told us the secret of how all of us had different directions, and were therefore playing what we thought was the same game, all different ways. It made me realize for the first time just how different cultures really are. And, when things are different in different cultures, the citizens of these cultures tend to argue and ONLY want to do things their way - the way they know how to do it. This can make for arguments, fighting, and even war in the long run. For example, some cultures think of things much differently than others, and it can easily cause problems. In America, we stick our pinky finger up to "pinky promise", but in China, that could be a really offensive act. This game really opened my eyes to thinking about other cultures and I realize that I must be careful when interacting because you never know what other people might make of your gestures.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Like the title of my blog post says, why cant we all just get along? In A Bronx Tale, one of the hardest things for me to watch was how the whites treated the blacks. Something I've gone by my whole life is that no matter what color your skin is, you're all human and everyone is equal, and seeing how the past really was is so terrible to watch. Growing up I had a black woman who helped my mom around the house because both of my parents worked. She was like our day babysitter and we thought of her as a second mom. Because she was black and I was around her every day, I grew up never ever thinking twice about blacks being different than us whites. But when I saw the movie scenes in A Bronx Tale, I realized not everyone thinks like that, or has thought like that in the past. Even if people back then when this movie took place didn't think of blacks as lower than whites, they still went along with the thought because of the sociological mindset and how they were raised. One really good example of this was when C's friends were all hardcore beating up the black boys riding their bikes. The 4 white Italians, C's friends, were SO into beating up the black boys when they weren't do anything at all to bother them. C even said before the fight started that they weren't doing anything bad so why should the whites bother them? C's friends didnt seem to care about this and beat up the black boys anyways, even trying to kill them. C, at first, watched in disgrace, and then, when his close friend called him over to handle one of the black guys, C pretended to, but really told the guy (who happend to be Jane's brother) to stay down so that the other whites wouldn't bother him anymore. C obvoiusly didn't WANT to hurt anyone, but because of his friends and what they thought, he had to pretend like he wanted to fight as well. This brings us back to the sociological part of it. C was brought up to think that blacks were bad and inferior to whites, but he didn't believe it. His friends did, so he had to pretend like he did, but in all honesty he liked them and had no problem with the black people of the Bronx! I thought this was really cool and if I were living in that time, I would want to be like C because I believe that I would still think equally of our 2 different colored skins.. I HOPE I would have atleast!

Who I Am - PART II

Today in class as we discussed our lives and the groups that we are a part of that make it up, I immediatly knew that the one that influenced me the most was my cheerleading team. Throughout the activity I related everything Sal or anyone in class said, to cheer. I am with the girls on my team every single day for 4 hours or more, and I love it. If you know me, you know i'm a positive, optimistic, fun person, but that personality is tripled when im at practice with my best friends. I am never as happy as I am at practice, which is wierd because a good amount of athletes dread practices. Anyways, as much as my those girls are my teammates, my best friends, and my sisters, they are more than that. They are who I am. And I realized when doing this activity, that I honestly wouldnt be who I am today without those girls. So many things make up a person, and cheerleading is my #1. Today, for example, we had practice for the first time all week because our competitive season just ended. I was ecstatic about practicing, and usually I'm never THAT excited. Its such a good feeling to know you're going somewhere where everyone is going to be excited to see you and you'll have the best time with the best people. I know that no matter what, after school I have a place to be and people to be there with. I just hope that after high school, when cheer is over, I find a new place to replace it that is just as amazing or even better, because I love who its made me. :)

SPIT In Our Everyday Lives

The word spit has an extremly gross connotation, especially when you think about it for a while. Your spit is in your mouth, mixed with mucus, food, and who knows what else. But why is it so much more disgusting than saliva, which is literally the exact same thing? In class this week, we did an experiment with Lindsey's spit. When she "hacked a lugee" into a spoon and showed the class, everyone was extremly grossed out - naturally. But we were even more grossed out when we were asked to TRY some, aka drink the spit. Any 'normal' human would probably think this was a wierd thing to ask and say no right away.. but why? As people, we've grown up learning how to do certian things: how to act, what to say, what to think, and what to do (or not do). In this case, we've learned that spit is disgusting, especially in a spoon, and you would never want to take a sip of someone else's spit. Its just not RIGHT. But, then we get to the fact that people kiss all the time and that is an exchange of saliva. Granted, we dont think of it that way, but its true. So, isnt it a little wierd that we will gladly exchange saliva when it IS saliva (inside your mouth) with someone we are attracted to, but we would NEVER exchange SPIT (outside your mouth) when asked to. Another wierd part of it is, spit is used everyday for random things you would never imagine it. The other day, as i was putting on my makeup in the morning, I got a little on my face. I simply licked my finger and rubbed it off using my spit. This is not a wierd gesture, but still, I'm using my spit to clean my face. Also, if you watch a basketball player or other athletes who use hard floors and gym shoes, they sometimes lick their hands and then rub it on the bottem of their shoes to create fricken so they don't slip. Once again, not a wierd thing to do, but still using something we are totally against. So why is spit so negatively looked upon? I wonder if the way we see things like this will ever change.

Silence..

To me, silence is one of the most awkward situtions a person can get put into. Theres obviously a difference between the type of silence when you are listening to a speaker, watching a movie, ect., and the type when one is forced to be silent. I think that when someone forces me, or the people I'm with to be silent, it is very uncomfortable, nervewrecking and more difficult to be quiet. On the first day of class, when Mrs Wood was sitting quietly, no one knew what to do. Granted, she didnt really know exactly WHAT she was doing, but for the few minutes she did, everyone was looking around, totally confused, and feeling out of place. I think talking in a large group is entertaining, and being the personable type I am, I enjoy it much more than being quiet. I also feel that when one is forced to be quiet, it is much harder to do so, and therefore the silence is easily broken. For example, when we did the activity with Mrs Wood, people would giggle, which is defeating the purpose of the experiment. I'd much rather be carrying on a conversation with someone I have never met before, than being silent and awkward with even my best friends.

Who am I?

Hi guys! I'm Jorie and I am a junior (one of the four in Sal's first period class). I wanted to take sociology as a junior because I was really interested in the class, but I knew I wouldn't have time during my senior year. One of the reasons I know I won't have time is because I am a Varsity Cheerleader. Our season is 10 months out of the year, so I'm very busy all the time. I've been on varsity since I was a freshman and its really shaped the person I've become in high school. Before high school I was on an allstar cheerleading team, which was SO different from high school cheer. I was torn when I had to choose between allstar and high school, but I couldn't be more happy on Stevenson Cheer. Since freshman year I've made inseparable bonds with the girls on my team, and they have become some of my best friends. As hard and time consuming as it is, I wouldn't want to have it any other way -- I can't imagine my life without it.

After high school I'm planning on going to college (not sure where yet), and hopefully cheering, depending on where I go. I'm not positive on what I want to do after that, but I'm thinking about going into some kind of journalism, or maybe even being a teacher. Whatever I do, I want to wake up every day and enjoy doing it.

I'm a very outgoing person, and will make friends with anyone.. some of my friends even make fun of me for it :) I think I get that personality from my mom. She is always happy and looking on the bright side of things and it inspires me to be positive in anything and everything I do. One thing she always tells me is that if you're going to do something, you might as well do it 110% and enjoy doing it. I basically live by that - I think that every day you should be happy, and if you're not, something needs to change (even though obviously nothing is perfect). I hope that I can live my whole life this way. Anyway, this is my first time ever blogging and im really excited to try it out.. so enjoy :)