Week 15: Suburban Life

I have grown up in mostly suburban areas.  I have definitely seen changes take place over the years.  I think that many of the changes that have taken place are in reponse to the population growth.  When I was younger, land was easier to find and houses were spaced further apart.  These days, neighborhoods are built very close together.  Roads are being widened all the time to accomodate more traffic.  Schools are also getting more overcrowded.  My schools had to make use of trailers to fit extra classes.  Every year more trailers were added until finally new schools had to be built.  Thankfully I have lived in middle class areas that could afford these changes.  In poorer areas they cannot afford new schools and so children are forced to learn in overcrowded classes with not enough materials.  Most of America is rural and not developed, so it still surprises me that people will continue to move to crowded suburbs and cities to be closer to everything.  There is not as much movement out west as I thought there would have been.  I have grown up in suburbs but I have still been close to cities.  There are some areas that I have seen improve and others that have gone downhill.  There are still "bad areas" of the cities with poor neighborhoods and high crime.  I agree with the textbook that the world cannot continue to support everyone at the rate we are going.  Only the wealthy can afford to make changes to make their lives better and the poor suffer. 

Week 14: Social Movements

After reading about social movements, it made me think of a book I was given as a gift last Christmas that I just started reading.  The book is called Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.  The book looks at the controversial topics of violence against women through forced prostitution and genital mutilation.  The book tells the stories of women all over the world who have suffered through these terrible experiences.  Having been part of an organization in college that presented about rape, I know the devastation these things can have on women.  Any woman will tell you that men and women cannot truly be equal until violence against women stops.  Even with all the progress we have made, women are still not considered to be equal to men.  I think Half the Sky is a call for these problems to be dealt with and taken seriously.  This book is a must read for everyone, men and women alike.  Women need to be empowered to stand up for themselves and men need to learn how to treat women.  This book contains a long list of organizations that exist all over the world to help women.  This is one social movement I would be glad to join.

Week 14: Who Has the Power

I would have to agree with C. Wright Mill that there is a power elite.  Power in the areas of politics, the economy, and even the military has shifted to those who hold status through wealth.  Most of these people are white, wealthy, and from good family backgrounds.  They have become the heads of major corporations and politicians.  It is not uncommon for the president or other officials to hang out with CEOs of companies.  These powerful people have control over society from the money they have.  When a large contribution is made to a certain politician, that politician may feel that they owe something to that donator.  I remember hearing on the news a few times over the years about shady dealing with campaign contributions.  They could easily be called a bribe if they didn't follow legal channels.  Politicians needs money to run for office.  If a corporation or other such wealthy person wants a particular agenda taken care of, they can donate lots of money to that politician.  If the politician does not follow along, that money can be taken away or they no longer have support.  Money is a very powerful tool these days, and if you have money you have a lot of power.

When it comes to areas other than politics, those who are wealthy still have the power.  And those with the power tend to come from similar backgrounds.  Like the textbook mentioned, those in positions of power come from backgrounds that are not representative of the general population.  They come from family money, are white, are men, and attended prestigious universities.  That type of person will most likely be the head of a major company and hold high positions in the government and military.  Power is very disproportionately distributed among a small group of people.

The majority of the population does not hold the power.  We have very little say over everything that happens with our government and even in the places we work.  We are not offen consulted by the head of our companies when big decisions are being made.  We do not get a vote when major bills are being passed through congress.  We elect people who we think would best represent our interests in the government but chances are they are in the power elite or they know people in the power elite and they can be influenced by them.  Interest groups can make their opinions known more than the general population but even they hold only so much influence.  Groups can lobby all they want, but when it comes down to it, if money is at stake the wealthy elite will usually have the last say.

Week 13: Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

I think there are pluses and minuses to Wal-Mart.  The pluses include creating jobs for Americans at the stores that they open and having low prices that most people can afford.  The minuses include hurting manufacturers by telling them how and what to sell and taking away factory jobs for many Americans in order to get cheaper goods overseas. 

I do not think that we can only blame Wal-Mart for these problems of leaving Americans without jobs because many other companies do the exact same thing.  I do not understand a lot about economics but I do understand that America is about producing goods that consumers want at competitive prices.  America has a higher minimum wage than other places.  Companies have to pay American workers more money.  That means that they have to charge consumers more for a product in order to make a profit.  That ultimately leads to giving those factory jobs to workers in other countries that take much lower wages.  For the standpoint of the company it makes more sense because they save on production, get to sell their products for less, sell more, and make a bigger profit.  However, we seem to forget who that really ends up hurting.  It ends up hurting Americans.  I would like to see a bigger push for things to be made in America.  Yes, that would mean paying a little more for a product but I know it would be quality and it would mean that someone in America has a job. 

It would be nice to see an American company get back its values to help Americans.  Everyone is so driven by profit that we forget to take care of our own first.  I do not think that we can place all the blame on Wal-Mart but it is the biggest retailer in America.  I think about all those jobs that Americans would have if they would bring factory jobs back here and it makes me sad that they are only concerned with making money.  There are plenty of companies out there that could hire American workers instead of foreign ones.  I think the good that Wal-Mart brings to America is outweighed by the negatives that it brings. 

Week 12: Domestic Division of Labor

I was not very surprised by this activity.  My mother was a stay at home mom for most of my life so she took on the tasks that are traditional female roles.  She cooked and cleaned, got us kids to school and sports, and mostly raised us.  My dad worked every day and since he commuted we did not see too much of him.  He was the breadwinner for the family and would do things around the house like fixing things and doing the yard work.  My family fits into the traditional type of family.  My mom did go back to work part time when I got older and some of the tasks could be given to us children.  We helped with meals and laundry when she went back to work but she still took on the majority of the house work.  My dad helped when needed but was content to leave certain things to my mom.  I don't think that my mom ever resented the work she did but it may have been different had she worked full time since I was young.  I think it would be different for families with two working parents.  In that case work should be split evenly with everyone helping in areas that need help.  I think if one parent works less, whether it be the man or woman, they may be expected to do more at home to balance out.  I think each family works differently and they need to find a system that works for them.  If a woman is happy being a homemaker then no one should tell her she needs to work.  If both parents work and divide tasks up a certain way then no one should tell them to change those roles.  I don't think it should be expected of a man or woman to fill a certain role or to perform certain duties.  I support equality in the home in the sense that everyone plays a part and everyone is content with the role they have.

Week 11: Religion

I do not believe that the world as a whole is secularizing.  If you look at the bigger picture most of the world still identifies with a religion even if they may not be active participants.  There are still governments that are greatly influenced by religious groups, mostly in the Middle East.  Even in countries like the United States where there is supposed to be a separation of church and state you see religion pop into society through things like the Pledge of Allegiance.  Prayers are still said at various meetings and events.  I do think that there are plenty of people who wish to not have any religious references in any part of daily life.  Those are the kind of people who fight the word 'God' in the Pledge of Allegiance or who do not want their children to have to be exposed to religion.  I do not see the harm in talking about God or saying a prayer.  When you look at someone's individual life people may think that the world is secularizing.  There tends to be a decline in church-going when one reaches their early twenties.  I admit I am a part of that group.  I am Catholic and attended church every week with my family when I was younger.  However, when I went away to college I found that I did not have my mother telling me to go and I was very busy with school work and activities and such.  Young people are still trying to find themselves and figure out their lives so I think that religion takes a backseat until they have their own children and then they return to church to instill the faith in their children.  Just because people may not actively participate in a faith does not mean that they do not believe or that the values of that faith are not practiced in their daily lives.  I do think that we should try and keep religion and government separate.  I feel that religious governments isolate people of other faiths too easily.  Religion is still a huge part of the world and I do not see it going anywhere anytime soon.