Deviance

I do believe punishable deviance is a societal construct. If a person is willing to use deviance in a negative way, then a different form of it can be used against them. I think jails and similar structures regulate punishable deviance nicely. However, it is not always effective. This was shown in the movie 30 days when George and Travis wanted to change their ways. Especially, Travis went through jail and the special program. So even though punishable deviance was applied, George ended up right back in jail 2 weeks later. And, Travis was back in jail less than 2 months later. Some people may change their ways, but with others, patterns are formed. During class when we looked at the chart of how many people are in prison compared to people in the U.S.A. overall, the number of people from ages 18 to 44 were higher in jails than overall. Also, the number of blacks, latinos, males, and high school or less than an high school education had higher numbers in jails than in the U.S.A. So once these people are in jail, the punishment can vary. The movie demonstrated a very different idea of jail than from what I have thought. The 72 hours alone in the room seemed very draining and difficult, but just being in that wide open room with others didn't display my idea of jail. I always thought that your punishment should be based on the crime you committed. In 30 days, most of these men didn't seem too intimidating. Both Travis and George seemed like fairly smart guys and they really wanted to take control of their lifes and change. So, it all depends on the type of jail and the enviornment surrounding you.

Socialization/Adolescence

1. The clothes I am wearing, my future goals in life, and the sports I enjoy I believe are mostly affected by nurture. My family, mostly my mother, has influenced and taught me good ways to present yourself. A large factor of this being the clothing and jewelry I wear. However, by nature, I have certain styles or looks that interest me. That's just the taste I have and a good part of that wasn't by influence. It was mainly by choice. With my future profession, that is a mix of both nature and nurture. I want to be a lawyer in the future and I have learned the positive traits of having this profession. However, I have always enjoyed politics and law very much. So, I think nature and nurture both contribute to my wanting to be a lawyer. The nature of it first got myself hooked onto the idea of becoming a lawyer. Yet, the nurture of it keeps me going. Finally, the sports I partake in is a mix, but I believe more of nurture. My dad, brother, and mom were all active or are still active in many sports and activities. And, growing up around that everyday grabbed my attention and made me become interested. But, when I was little I had an interest in playing catch with a football and I would always want to watch a sporting event even if I didn't understand what was going on. So, an interest was instilled in me awhile back. But, still I am taught to be active and it still follows me now.

2. Adolescent social status power has increasingly become more important each generation. It defines so many people and has become so important that if you don't fit in with the "norm" than that defines you directly. Whether it being your intelligence, the clothes you wear, the friends you have, or the sports your in, that displays where you belong in society. And, teenagers want that power. Having this power is so important, because teens don't have power on a political or economical stage. So, the power that is given to us must be taken advantage of and is basically foreseen as everything.

3. The socialization process for children has changed over the past few generations. A major idea that has progressed and change is technology. Mainly relating to that is the way kids and teens communicate. Communication used to be much more of a direct process. Now with all the technology such as, texting, social networks like facebook, and email, the direct speaking is slowly disintegrating. So many important conversations or messages no longer need to be in person. Items such as computers, phones, and ipods are useful, but taking over people. Their is much more room for distraction and less room for being active or going outside. I think concerns for these changes within kids should be watched carefully, but at the same time I believe it will not completely consume children. Social interaction is still needed and is still very much wanted by teenagers.

4. Like we talked about in class, different traits and emotions are linked to females and males. When you hear emotional and sensitive you think of a woman. And, when you hear athletic or tough you link it to a man most likely. And, the characterization of genders is shown through toys and commercial ads. If their is an action figure, the ad may say "strong", "tough", "indestructible" and words that would appeal to men. They are reaching out to a certain age group as well as a certain gender. However, recently ads have been reaching out more to both males and females than just one. The impact that these characterizations have had on me have been particularly difficult. I used to be a "tomboy" and play sports, dress like a boy, and like playing with boy toys. I had a brother which probably influenced me, but I was looked at as "different" and my mom believed it to be very important to change me into a more girly person immediately. I now have changed, yet I still love playing, watching, and talking about sports. I don't think their is anything wrong with that, however others may have a problem with it. I am the only girl who is in Sports Talk Club here at Stevenson. And, I take advantage of it instead of being looked at differently. I impress others with my knowledge of sports and I most of the time can keep up with them when we participate in sports. So, instead of letting it impact me in a negative way, I just turn it into a positive while still maintaining feminine traits.

Welcome to Adolescence

Their are so many different definitions of what is a teenager. Most people look forward to becoming a teenager and getting much more freedom and rewards. That is a very wrong idea. It's such a difficult stage, because you are beginning to be thought of more and more as an adult, but at the same time you aren't given the same opportunities as adults. So in a way its unfair to get all that pressure put on us when we can't fully take care of it. We are given more responsibilities and more work, but we can sometimes be seen as kids still or sometimes as young adults. Which one is it? Their is no clear line between them and this is where it can get difficult. One thing that seems to be able to be defined is status power. This is all teens have because of their lack of power when it comes to Political status and/or Economic status. So we are given more power, but only within a certain range. This status power is so important to teenagers, because it is elevated to something that is VERY important. It doesn't have to mean so much, but its gotten that way. Put in different classes usually by our friends or peer groups. And, if you are a "freak" or "geek" your teenage life could come crashing down. It shouldn't affect teenager so much, but its the power that we are given and we will take it to our every advantage.