Uniquely Family

What does family mean to you? Well, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census (from our textbook) a family household is composed of one or more people who occupy the the same housing unit. And according to dictionary.com family means a basic social unit consisting of parents and theirchildren, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not.  But is it truly fair to say a family must consist of just blood-related persons?  I believe it is unfair to say you must classify someone as family just because they have part of the same DNA as you.


A true family is a group of people who love you for who you are and what you represent.  I have plenty of friends that can admit they are not close to anyone in their family.  They should be sad right?  They beg to differ.  They say the only people who are really seen are family are the ones that have always been there for you. Here is an article to support my thought.


http://www.englishforums.com/English/FamilyDefinitionReadGiveOpinions/bljkm/post.htm


I couldn't imagine not being not close to my parents let alone having to live without a parent due to death or other circumstances.  Unfortunately, my cousins have had to do this for the last four years of their life. They told me that even though I am two generations apart from them that they see me as family.  They say family is defined by actions and love than who is blood related.  Sometimes people had that close individual that was blood related but lose them, so what do they resort to?  They realize that its truly the people you surround yourself that classify them as family.  


Family, just a word that describes who really means the most to you not matter what the circumstance.  In a weird way only certain unique individuals can be considered family to one self.  In a way we are uniquely family.

To Impress or Not To Impress

The topic for this week's post is impression management.  Impression management is the process by which people attempt to present a favorable public image of themselves (Newman, p. 175).  This is how stereotypes are presented and/or followed.

When thinking of who shows a favorable public image that would be the perfect candidate for positive impression management was rather tricky.  You may think celebrities of any status would be the perfect subject for this example, but what I found when researching I found its the people we don't hear about as often that portray positive impression management.

One positive example (or multiple) would be the managers of restaurants and small businesses.  They are constantly being looked at to have that positive image and to control the business.  How might a manager show impression management?  First, they usually dress in more formal character than a typical employee.  Second they almost always converse with customers in a positive manager with a smile on their face.  They also show positive reinforcement when they use corrective criticism when consulting employees about mistakes or absences.

A negative example of poor impression management is the infamous show, Jersey Shore.  The men may show positive things such as: well-groomed bodies, fashionable, masculine, etc.  But the negative connotation associated with the show and its characters is the ignorance they possess.  They feel that they have the right to treat women with disrespect in public, fight people at clubs, drink an absurd amount of liquor at one time, and of course have casual sex with just about anyone.  The way the public views them is just the sad reality to how they lack impression management control.

Here are a few links to support the negative connotations associated with poor impression management control or how reality shows have a negative impact on society:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/26/mtvs-jersey-shore-is-a-negative-for-new-jersey/

http://www.ehow.com/list_7305120_negative-effects-reality-shows.html

http://rosalindwiseman.com/2009/12/21/juice-abuse-why-jersey-shore-isnt-just-a-joke/

Sociology and Real World Connection

One concept that caught my eye throughout the first five chapters was globalization. This concept implicates the process through which people's lives all around the world become increasingly interconnected-- economically, politically, environmentally, and culturally.

I did further research to find out the extent of globalization after reading Chapter 2.  I was interested in finding out more about globalization because I am an avid car fan and realize that most parts are shipped to the USA for assembly.  One GM factory in South Korea had a globalization affect implemented into their actual name.  The company name was changed to Korea GM and all domestic products from the American based GM that was their, they were all removed from the country.

Chevy Globalization

This is an instance when globalization of a USA based company backfires in the long run.  As we are getting smarter we are learning from mistakes of globalization but it is still giving other countries a chance to cash in on our mistakes.  An American company like this started a new culture in a different country, but soon had it ripped away because the South Korean's used the globalization to their advantage.

Nonetheless, this is a good example of what globalization rarely turns in to.  It is usually has a positive impact on a community and the businesses with the cities.  Globalization is a unique concept and it would be really surprising to know the real number of companies that have outsourced and had a positive impact within that culture.

Go Green or Not?

Here is a link to an article based on the connection of Psychology and Marjiuana.  This is strictly based off of medical purposes in states that allow you to obtain a medical marijuana license, but it is directed at all marijuana consumers.


I found this is a rather fitting article considering I know a large population of the student body has consumed or currently consumes marijuana in some type of form (edibles, smoking, tinctures, etc.).


To summarize the article, the connection is made that our brain's own marijuana transmitter system is necessary for us to feel hungry, to experience happiness and also to maintain the brain normal processes. A drug, rimonabant, was tested by neuroscientists that interacted with the same part of  feeding center in the brain as marijuana did.  The drug was used in hopes to inhibit the "munchies," or sense of hunger.  The drug worked almost too well controlling hunger but, had major affects on mood and caused depression and thoughts of suicide.


From this psychologists can conclude that the there truly is a connection between marijuana and the psychology of our body.  At least one puff a day could alter your attitude and relieve depression.  It is funny to think that many of my peers are using an illegal drug, but it is actually benefiting their brain and mood.


Is this just another reason why marijuana should be or will be legal one day?  Food for thought...


But the true question is why is this relevant to sociology? Our culture is forever altering and this is a strong issue many people fight against.  Our society has the perception that people who smoke or use marijuana are lazy and have no direction in their life.  This may or may not be right, but the problem herein lies deeper than marijuana issues.  


The truth is that Americans are more prone to trying and experimenting with any type of illegal drug.  The two main experimental drugs are marijuana and cocaine.  Our society (USA) has the overpowering influence of media, and the use of drugs among celebrities is just adding fuel to the curious flame American's possess. 


"Researchers found that 42% of people surveyed in the U.S. had tried marijuana at least once, and 16% had tried cocaine. About 20% of residents surveyed in the Netherlands, by contrast, reported having tried pot; in Asian countries, such as Japan and China, marijuana use was virtually "non-existent," the study found. New Zealand was the only other country to claim roughly the same percentage of pot smokers as the U.S., but no other nation came close to the proportion of Americans who reported trying cocaine."


My question is if marijuana was legal would it make our society less likely to feed off of the rebellious actions of celebrities and higher power people? And if drugs such as cocaine or marijuana were legalized how would that effect our culture and tendencies compared to other countries?


I was shocked to see that a country such as Netherlands that allows consumption of weed in designated places had a lower rate of users or experimenters that the USA where it is a federal crime for possessing and/or use of marijuana.  This raises so many questions in my head but I am not sure how to perceive my friends or people using illegal drugs.  Our society has put stereotypes on drug users, but how might the perception change if marijuana is legal one day? That is the question...