Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (Chapter 14)

       

         When I joined this class, I did not think it would affect my life in any way. To be honest, I didn’t believe that I would even learn something that was vital to life. However, I’ve learned so much, that it changed my perspective of society. I learned to think by using a sociological imagination and realized that other factors affect my life. Everything that goes wrong in my life, isn’t necessary all my fault. This class has made me become aware of so many issues that are going on in the United States and around the World. I’ve learned about social equality and social construction. All of these things have really changed my perspective on the world we live in today. I struggled with deciding one topic to write this blog about. However, I chose to write about one topic that has really opened my eyes in the way that I can change my social life. The topic I chose to write about is the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Assumption or prediction that in itself causes the expected event to occur, thus seeming to confirm the prophecy’s actions (Newman, 64).

                I first learned about Self-Fulfilling prophecy when I watched part of a movie, called The Secret. My understanding of the Self-Fulfilling prophecy was that basically if I act like I already have something, or I put it up on my wall, eventually I will obtain that object. So, I decided to put a picture up on my wall of something I really wanted; a pink jeep. I knew I was going to get a used car from my parents before senior year and I really wanted this pink jeep. However, when I finally received my car it was a rusty old minivan. After that, I thought “The Secret” was a bunch of bologna and I never really thought of it again until this class. After reading Chapter 3: The Social Construction of Knowledge, I’ve learned that the self-fulfilling prophecy is more useful and complicated than I had originally thought.

                According to Newman, A self-fulfilling prophecy is an assumption or a prediction that, purely as a result of having been made, causes the expected event to occur and thus confirms the prophecy's own "accuracy" (Newman 64). In other words, the mere belief in some version of reality creates expectations that can actually make it happen. When I think of a self-fulfilling prophecy, I think of the Greek mythology story of Oedipus. This is also a very simple way to explain the self-fulfilling prophecy. In the story, an oracle declares Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. He is then sent off to avoid this fate, but in the process of running away from it, it sets off a chain of events that makes that very prophecy comes true.

There are also many real life examples of the self-fulfilling prophecy. An example of this prophecy is if someone believes and says that “this is going to be a horrible day!” they will be in such a bad mood that they see nothing but bad things and possibly react negatively to everything. An optimist who says “this is going to be a great day!” sees nothing but good things and turns crises into opportunity. The self-fulfilling prophecy can not only be utilized towards attitudes and emotions, but they can be particularly powerful in social institutions. For example, in schools, teachers can unconsciously affect the progress of students. If a teacher believes a student to be especially intelligent, they might give that student more attention. As a result, this student might feel more intelligent and confident, and therefore receive a better grade in the class. Finally, self-fulfilling prophecies can affect people physically. The book gives examples of the “placebo” effects. This is the tendency for patients to improve, because they have been led to believe they are receiving some sort of treatment, when they are actually not.

                I believe this is a very important concept for people to be aware of, because it’s ultimately saying your thoughts build your own reality. Everyone has the capability to construct their own reality. Self-fulfilling prophecies can have both positive and negative outcomes depending on the truths you have created. I’m really thankful for learning about the self- fulfilling prophecy, because it reminds me that I can lead my own life. It reminds me to have a positive outlook on the world and the intentions you set for yourself are likely to occur. 

Immigration Story(Chaptet 13)

        Although I consider myself and my family “American”, I wouldn’t be able to call myself an American today, if it wasn’t for my relatives who struggled and worked hard to arrive here before me. My relatives have traveled from many places, and today my family continues to incorporate cultural beliefs and traditions into our religion, household, and holiday meals. I called my mom to verify where my family descended from and their stories of immigration. However, I have often heard these stories before when my family comes together. The following are a few stories of my family’s struggles with immigration.

            The first story is about my Great Grandfather on my grandmother’s side. He lived in Czechoslovakia. In the early 1900’s, when Austria conquered Czechoslovakia, the soldiers demanded that the citizens would fight in the war for Austria. My Great Grandfather refused to fight alongside with Austria and so he escaped to France. From there, he entered Canada, and then finally arrived to the United States.

            The second story is about my Great, Great, Great, Grandfather on my Grandpa’s side. He came to the United Stated from Russia in the 1800’s. He started a family and began making his fortune from reindeer herding. His family at the time had no idea why he left his family to come to the United States, but years later my Great, Great, Grandfather discovered he had a sister. They realized the reason why my Great, Great, Great, Grandfather came to the United States was because he impregnated a girl and was disowned from his family in Russia.

            The last story I will tell is in my opinion the most interesting. This story is about my Grandfather’s Mother’s relatives. In the 1800’s, my (great, great, etc…) Grandfather lived in Holland. His name was Joseph Connors, and his family was very wealthy and had the largest amount of windmills in Holland. He decided to leave Holland and continue his life in the United States. He settled down in New Brunswick, New York. Joseph Connors fought with Lincoln during the Civil War and was ranked one below a general. After the war, he was honored with his own city and it was named “Connorsville, WI.” That’s where he stayed and began to raise a family and a farm. Many of my family members still live there today.

            Migration from one country to another has consistently been done for one main reason, because these citizens are in search for a better life somewhere else. This hope has inspired people from all over the world and from numerous decades to leave their homes in search for a better life. Many decide to relocate to “The Land of The Free”, or more formally known as the United States of America. Immigration has greatly changed, since my ancestors arrived long ago when immigrants were coming from mostly European countries. For example, today there is a growing rate of nonwhite and non-English speaking immigrants entering the country. If my ancestors immigrated to the United States today there are many challenges they would have to face. According to the textbook, U.S. residents have always had a love-hate relationship with immigrants. When the economy is doing well, immigrants are welcomed by residents to take unwanted jobs. When the economy is doing poorly, U.S. residents do not want immigrants and they begin to blame immigrants for economic troubles and accuse them of taking American jobs. Since, our economy is in the middle of a recession my ancestors would be unwelcomed by most U.S. residents. Unless my ancestors are highly educated, they will most likely have to take the lowest wages of jobs. Even, if they are fit for a position a U.S. born resident would most likely receive the job instead. Not speaking English, will also be a problem for my ancestors in finding a career, home, and interacting with others. These are all struggles my ancestors would have to face in today’s society.

                Immigration has shaped U.S. society since the beginning. The United States is essentially, the land of immigrants. So, why are we so unwelcoming to immigrants today? I believe U.S. born citizens feel a sense of entitlement to this land. We forget too often about our own immigration story. We forget that we took Native American’s land, and we’re just like immigrants arriving today. I feel another reason why the U.S. can be so harsh to immigrants is because we don’t want our country to change. The book says we expect immigrants to assimilate into the American culture, and when they don’t many Americans are unhappy about it. Americans also don’t want our economy to change, and they believe immigrants are taking “American” jobs. Racism can also be a contributor to why some Caucasian Americans dislike immigrants. Some American citizens believe that immigrants are the enemy and blame them for our economic hardships, but the reality is they’re here, just like our immigrants came before us, to find a better life for themselves and their families. 

Gender Inequality (Chapter 12)

            Many people today believe that the battle against gender inequality has been won. However, those people are greatly mistaken, because in today’s society gender is still being socially structured in the everyday lives of women and men. This post is going to demonstrate how social institutions, statuses, roles, cultural beliefs, and institutional norms are adding predictability to American women’s lives and creating a designated path that society says women are meant to follow.

            My first example regards the institutional norms of children’s play toys. Beginning as a child I was taught to play with baby dolls, kitchenettes, make up, and imagining and acting out my future wedding plans. Even as children, girls are stereotyped to be the “woman of a house”. We grow up learning the role of how to take care of children, cook, and play dress up and put make up on to look appealing to the opposite sex. We’re taught young as children to follow and aspire to be able to hold out these values and obtain these roles that are given to us at a young age by society. Socially constructed roles for women, are even shown in sly comments and practical jokes made by men in our society. How many times have you heard “make me a sandwich”, or “stay in the kitchen, where you belong” jokes? Growing up, many institutions continue to drill these socially constructed roles into our everyday lives. In my high school, and I suspect that it was the same in many other American high schools, football was the main event. However, women aren’t often “fit” to play. One girl in my high school tried out for the freshman team, made it, played the first year, and then quit because it was too hard. In high school, men play the main event, while woman aspire to be the cheerleaders or the dancers on the side lines. Even in high school, society gives us a role to cheer on men. Now, I know not every girl in high school aspires to be on the side lines, but in some cases, and most definitely in the media this is shown.

            Everyday social life comes with reminders of gender imbalances, especially when these reminders come from the media. Television remains rather traditional and stereotypical when it comes to the many sides of women. On one side, there is the traditional house maker, and on the other is the objectified view of women that is portrayed is music videos and reality TV shows. Television also objectifies women by claiming the impossible idea of a “perfect woman”. It makes teenagers, adults and even children believe that they need to be thinner, or more attractive. The book shows that 42% of first to third graders want to be thinner. At the age of ten 81% of them is afraid of being fat. These media messages and image that attempt to put a role and status on women, because of their attractiveness can be very damaging to women in America mentally and physically. We attempt to be perfection not for ourselves, but to be appealing to men. This objectifying view of woman is not only emphasized in the media, but we see it in society as well. Men continue to hold higher level positions, and obtain higher wages than women in the work place.

            After reading chapter 12, I have definitely realized that the battle for gender equality is far from over. It exists not only in the United States, but globally all over the world. Some shocking facts that the book discussed of tragedies that happen because of gender inequality include. In Columbia a man who rapes a woman can be absolved of all charges if he offers to marry her. In Senegal, single women who are rape victims may be killed by their families because as nonvirgins they can no longer command a high dowry; a married woman who’s been raped may be killed by her “dishonored” husband. In Afghanistan women are forbidden by law to refuse to have sex with their husband.  As woman, we are often taught our roles and status in society and it consistently shows as unequal’s amongst men.

Race (Chapter 11)

                      Today, many American citizens believe race to be ambivalent to our society. However, history has shown a very different view. Multiple races have been scrutinized and tortured just because of their race. Many still see the treatment and discrimination that some races still endure today with career opportunities and racism. Most people believe race to be "a category of individuals labeled and treated as similar because of common inborn biological traits, such as skin color, color and texture of hair, shape of eyes, nose, and head" (Newman, 360). Many people believe that people who belong to the same category of race share behavioral and personality traits, but sociologists call these non-biological traits ethnicity. Most people would define race according to biology and citizens genetic makeup. However, today many races are intermixed. For example, the book describes that 75% of African Americans are partly Caucasian. President Obama is a biracial president, but we continue to call him the first black President of the United States. In Ireland, they call everyone who is not Irish black. In Brazil, they label you as white according to your social class. Therefore, race is not really chosen by genetics, but it is rather socially constructed.  The social construction of reality refers to the process which facts, knowledge, truth, and success are discovered made known, reaffirmed, and altered by members of society"(Newman, 57). Therefore, characteristic of a specific society are not only categorized by race, but by social ranking and access to important resources. One race may feel superior to another, not because of their skin tone, but because of the resources they have. Take for example, when Europeans started to travel to Plymouth Rock and began to spread disease, cut down trees, and invade Native Americans Lands. They did not obtain the land, because they were superior. They conquered the land because they had access to more resources than the Native Americans did. The Europeans had horses, cannons, guns, and bullets. Something the Native Americans did not have.   

                 Every ethnic minority has its own story of persecution. Even, European immigrants like Italians, Greeks, Jews, the Irish, Germans, and Poles were discriminated against when they first arrived to the United States. In the 19^th century, Irish citizens were looked upon with disgust from the majority of U.S. citizens. The newspapers, routinely wrote that “No Irish need apply” in their job listings. Jewish citizens were not accepted into United States school universities until the middle of the 20^th century. At one point in time, there was an act that United States Congress approved that restricted southern Europeans, like Greeks and Italians from migrating to the United States (Newman, 364). These citizens were discriminated against, not because of their skin tone. Since these immigrants had the same skin tone as the dominant Caucasian Protestants had at this time. They were discriminated against because they were different. They were considered lower on the social level. These are examples of how race is socially constructed in society. Eventually, these groups moved into main stream society, but every minority group, including Caucasians had to endure discrimination in the United States at some point in time. 

Poverty Line (Chapter 10)

The estimated yearly cost of living for a family of four, with two adults, a 7 year old, and a toddler living in Shoreview, Minnesota is...

 An average family in the United States spend 9-14% a year on food
Food: 3,095.82 a year 257.98 a month
http://lifehacker.com/5887545/how-do-i-figure-out-my-monthly-food-budget

I found a 2 bedroom apartment in Shoreview, MN called Midland Terrace for $875 a month.
Housing: $10,500 a year
http://www.forrent.com/apartment-community-profile/1004971.php

Average family daycare for a toddler in Minnesota costs
Daycare: $641.36 a month $160.34 a week $32.07 a day $11,544.48 a year
(They do have Federal Tax Credit Option. Tax Free accounts, Using tax credits, sliding fee tuition, and scholarships to help with daycare.)
http://www.childcareawaremn.org/families/paying-for-child-care/child-care-costs-in-minnesota

Transportation: $208.33 a month, and $2000 per year for gas. I will add in an extra $500 a year in case anything goes wrong.
http://www.huffeningtonpost.com/2012/03/04/gas-prices-infographic_n_1316919.html

Medical Care: Low Cost Health Insurance Plan would come to around $150 per month, which would be $1800 a year.

Clothing: I would think the adults would spend at the very least $100 each year. I believe the other children could do on $100 aswell, which is very little, but will have to work with the budget.
Clothing : $400 a year; $33.33 a month

Entertainment/Savings: $20 a month, for maybe a movie, or saving up for something special. This comes to $240 each year.

TOTAL COSTS: $3,095.82 (food) + $10,500 (housing)+ $11,544.48 (Daycare)+$2500 (transportation)+$1800 (Medical Care) + $400 (Clothing) +$240 (Entertainment) = $30,080.3 per year

The family makes $22,113 a year and the total cost of living is $30,080.3 a year. To live in Shoreview, Minnesota this family would need $7,967.3 more. There are options for the family to save money. I found daycare to be the most expensive. However, there are many ways to bring your daycare down, like the ones I listed above. I'm sure this family could potentially recieve a waiver for there toddlers daycare, which would put them under budget. They could also find someone maybe in their apartment building who would be willing to help. They could also start going to food shelves to cut on food costs. They will also have to shop at places like the salvation army, or goodwill to get the materials they need.

***I Included everything that I thought was absolutely essential to everyday life, but there are still many important things that would not fit into the families budget. We did not save a budget for furniture or bedding. The family is going to have to either use there clothing money, entertainment money, or dumpster dive for furniture for their home. Another thing that I thought was important, but did not include was money for school supplies. However, I believe there are school programs where you can recieve these items if you cannot afford them. There is also no money for shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, or any cleaning or hygeine costs. This will also have to be taken out of entertainment, food, or clothing costs.

Having to live right on the poverty line would be anything but pleasant. The family would be crowded and stressed. If something went wrong there would be no saving to contribute towards it. It would be horrible feeling not being able to give your kids everything they want and only having $20 a month to spend on your children's entertainment. I feel like I spend $20 a day on myself. Every meal, every outing, every trip to work, and every month would be down to the wire on cash.  The two children would have to share a small apartment room. They'll have to do without toys, video games, and nice clothes that the other classmates might have. There would be no annual vacations, no birthdays, and no Christmas presents. If the parents have difficulty meeting its basic subsistence needs it will directly translate into access opportunities. If the family has a low income that will directly impact the children’s education. The government may pay for primary education, but if the children need tutoring they would not be able to afford that. Also, the parents will not be able to contribute towards a college education, which means unless the children receive a large scholarship they will most likely not be able to attend. This then will affect the job they will have. Without a proper education it is very hard to obtain a high salary paying job. Therefore, they will not have many options in the career world. If one of the parents or children gets sick and medical insurance won't pay for it, there will be nothing the family can do. The poverty cycle will most likely continue on from the parents to children, and they will have to keep living life day to day.  

Social Structure (Chapter 9)

           Social Structure’s play a vital role in American Society, especially when it’s discipline revolves around education. The process of whether students succeed or fail in the education system, foresees the student’s future role in society. Our country is based on a bureaucracy, which is a large hierarchical organization governed by formal rules and regulations and having clearly specified work. Meaning, our society has a division of labor. The quality of career you receive will more likely than not, revolve around your quality of education, your work ethic, your major, and overall your GPA. The career you receive, whether it’s at the top, middle, or low end of the career spectrum will reflect your education. This is why students often suffer through the most pressure in society. We often feel that we’re already at the point, where our situation can make or break our lives. We’re not pressured to learn, but to receive our ideal grade. We now must put education at the top of our priorities. It may conflict with our everyday lives, structural needs, and what we would like to be doing, but education must come first. However, I didn’t always feel this pressure from society.

                In elementary school, I really cared less about my education. In fact, I re-call being put in the lower level reading classes. However, I didn’t feel pressure in elementary school to work hard for an education. I don't believe the social structure in elementary school explains that knowledge is the path to success. I thought elementary school was more just for fun. I actually thought people were considered lame for being intelligent. I often would fake sick and skip school, which I was never punished for by the school system, and never second guessed by my teachers. What I was really focused on was swimming, dance, and my friends. School never interfered with my interests at the time, most likely because I wasn’t putting a strong emphasis on my education. In middle school that changed. I was taking normal classes and I at least got a B in everyone. School coincided with my social life. It coincided with swim practices, because I took it right after school. I even got a part time job in the eighth grade as a swimming assistant at my middle school. I didn’t feel a lot of stress, or pressure. I felt good about my education.

                When High School came around everything began to change. The demands from my teachers became greater. The level of difficulty from my classes became higher. The homework load kept piling up as the years went on. I began taking honors courses and AP courses that just provided more work. Most importantly, in high school my work ethic became greater because I knew that college was right around the corner. I was not only heavily involved in school, but heavily involved in swim team. We were already waking up early to go to school, but my swim team had 5am morning practices. Then after school we had another 3 hours of practice. Then there was swim meets that lasted until 9pm, or sometimes later. I was also working a part time job as a lifeguard and swimming instructor. I joined clubs and became a senior stable captain, an officer of Deca, and yearbook. The social demands from my friends in high school became greater as well. During this time, I felt a great ton of pressure to succeed in everything I was doing. Most of the time, I only began taking classes and signing up for extracurricular that I thought would look good on my college application. I was often over worked, over stressed, and was on a very limited amount of sleep during this time. My social structures seemed to all conflict with one another. Teenagers require the most sleep, however we get the least, because of the times of are school schedule. We also get even less sleep, because of the hard demands social structured school sports put on high school students. It's very hard to be an athlete and an A student at the same time. However, all of this stress and hard work paid off, because I graduated from Mounds View High School with honors, and was accepted into every college that I applied, but I chose to go to Hamline University.

                There is a lot to factor in when choosing a college. The school you go to often correlates with what jobs will be available to you. I had to decide between going to the U of M, St.Thomas, and Hamline University. I chose the smallest school, because that's what I believed would be the best atmosphere for myself, and I believe it helps me recieve an overall higher grade. However with that, I expect Hamline to provide me with adequate teachers, and really prepare me for my future career, which is why I pay tuition. The pressure I receive at Hamline University is more pressure than I have ever received before in my life, because I know after this level of education I will be out in the real world. How well I do here, will reflect how I do in society. Also, I have pressure to pay off my student loans that are adding up at Hamline. It’s nice that I can choose my class times, and I feel as though my work, friends, family, and education often coincide with one another. However, there are times when things conflict. Since, I chose to go attend college, double major, and obtain a high GPA. I believe my social structure for the future looks promising. If I choose to go on and get my masters, I’m sure my future would be even more promising. The discipline one needs to have to do well in our society’s social structure of education is large. However, it is necessary to do, if we want to have a promising career.

Labeling Theory (Chapter 8)

        As I've stated in my previous blog posts, societies obtain specific norms that citizens follow on an everyday basis. We try to fit in with society by following these specific norms, but when some disobey these norms society has taught us to follow. They're labeled as deviant, and looked down upon by some in society. Someone can be labeled deviant by behavior, appearance, ideas of an individual or specific group that some people in society find offensive. When someone is categorized as a deviant for whatever reason, it changes the way members of a society treat and view the deviant. Therefore, it changes the way the deviant treats and views there self. The Labeling theory is based on the idea that behaviors are deviant only when society labels them as deviant. According to the textbook, the labeling theory states that deviance is the consequence of the application of rules and sanctions to an offender; a deviant is an individual to whom the identity "deviant" has been successfully applied (Newman, 252). When a member of society is labeled as a deviant it can lead to other members of society treating them with disrespect, mistrust, rejection, suspicion, and fear. The book gives examples of strangers regarding deviants in this way, as well as, the deviant’s closest family and friends. Society labels deviants in a wide spectrum. A deviant may have a harsh label, such as a child molester, or an irrelevant label such as a smoker. The identification of deviant behavior is in the eye of the beholder. This can lead to false attributes, false pre-conceived notions, false judgments, and misunderstandings of the one labeled as deviant. A real life example of this is the tragic case of Trayvon Martin.

             The shooting of Trayvon Martin, a black 17-year-old staying at a gated community in Sanford, Florida, exploded into national media and sparked wide debate over cultural and racial issues. The Neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman, 28, was driving though his Orlando-area neighborhood when he called 911 to report "a real suspicious guy," a "black male" walking around. That was Martin, heading back to his home from a gas station. Zimmerman followed Martin, and the two engaged in some sort of argument. One of the two men cried for help before Zimmerman fired one shot into Martin's chest. Zimmerman believed Martin to be up to suspicious activity, and he decided to take the law into his own hands. However, Martin was found only wearing a hooded sweatshirt, carrying a can of iced tea, a bag of Skittles, and his cellphone. George Zimmerman labeled 17 year old Trayvon Martin as deviant. He based these assumptions strictly on his appearance and what Zimmerman viewed to be abnormal and “suspicious” behavior. Zimmerman obviously held the absolutism approach, which defines deviance and that rests on the assumption that all human behavior can be considered either inherently good, or inherently bad. Zimmerman obviously took generic stereotypes, such as a hooded, African America, teenage, boy as a deviant. Because of this misunderstood label a very tragic outcome occurred.

          The problem with the view of deviance is that these labels of deviance can often overgeneralize and be misleading, just like in the case of Trayvon Martin. How do we decide who is deviant? Should they have this categorization for their entire lives? Or, can deviants change over-time? Is our view and attitudes towards deviants in our society, just making the situation worse, and making the offenders act out more? Is society to blame for deviants behaviors? What do you think?