This week we played a card game where everyone ended up receiveing different rules but no one knew. This caused confusion and even some anger amoungst the class. The different card games acted as various cultures. When one person did something that they thought was ok, the other got either angry or really confused. We aren't used to the way other cultures do things, so right away we begin to experience culture shock. It takes some learning and adjustment to see where that other person is coming from. It was really interesting to see how different other countries and cultures truly are. Nonmaterial culture including gestures in language change vastly throughout the globe. Some gestures that seem completely normal to one person may seem completely rude to a person from a different culture. For instance, getting a waiter's attention. If we snapped our fingers to get their attention, like they do in the middleeast, we would be coming off as rude in America. Even material things, like toilets, make a huge difference in the way each culture lives. The Japanese are very clean people, so their toilets require you to squat and not sit on anything dirty. If a Japenese person used an American toilet he/she would be disgusted that you must sit on something to go to the bathroom. Cultures shape a person's point of view of the world. In Denmark, the people are so trusting of each other that they keep their strollers outside of restaurants. In America, everyone is so synical and aware of the dangers in the world; they would never consider leaving their child outside while they ate. Something that is normal in Denmark seems like child abuse in America, which goes to show how differently people in the world tend to think based on their surroundings and values.

In the Bronx Tale, I feel like the whole neighborhood is an example of social construction of reality. Even though it's not always expressed verbally, certain behaviors are expected in the movie. Sonny is the man that everyone fears, so he always ends up getting what he wants. Sonny being 'the man' is a kind of social construction of reality in the movie; no one is to disrespect Sonny, because no one wants to experience the consequences. Sonny is a man of power, and this social construction of reality makes C wants to be more like Sonny when he grows up. He seems to think that the best way to live is to be respected by everyone. Like C's Dad says, though, Sonny isn't respected; he's feared. Some things that happen in the movie built this social construction of reality. When Sonny shoots and kills a man, C doesn't rat him out because that was simply not accepted in his neighborhood.
Another thing I noticed in the Bronx Tale was how so many macro sociological forces were apparent in the movie. Whenever C went into Jane's neighborhood or when any African American entered C's neighborhood, people instantly showed hatred. No one even thought about their actions, having hatred towards a different race is just what was expected. I enjoyed how C overcame that force by falling in love with Jane, an African American. He stood up as an individual (micro) and saw past the color of Jane's skin. Sonny influenced C's decision to go for love, no matter the color of her skin. Even though Sonny was a feared individual he knew the difference between right and wrong. Sonny wanted to teach his morals to C because he cared for him so deeply; he didn't want C to end up like him.

In Gang Leader for a Day, J.T. shows Sudhir that learning more about the world and the people in it involves interacting with them. A simple survey won't do the job. You can't learn anything worth knowing about a person with questions that aren't meaningful. Qualitative data will get you far more answers about the world and how society works. If you wanted to find out what our school is like, you shouldn't just ask questions that will get you quantitative results, like how does it feel to go to school here? Interacting with the students that live each day of their lives there, is how to get to know the school in a deeper way. Sometimes questions that reach out to people, are the questions that are the most valuable. For instance, seeing something from one person's point of view and asking them questions about their lives is how to get results.

Freaks and Geeks was a show that really portrayed how different group of people can cause a person to behave in different ways.The environment and people you surround yourself with have a big imact on your actions. The main character practiced unusal habits when she hung around with the freaks. She went from being a mathlete to standing on the smoking patio with all of the burnouts. I agree with Emile Durkheim who studied suicide rates and how the level of social integration affects an individual's chances of committing suicide. The more people connect, the less chance there is of being depressed. Humans are social people; we need social interaction. With less and less families connecting on a deeper level like they used to, suicide is more common. It is important that we connect with the people we love as much as possible in order to feel a sense of belonging and happiness.