Hey there, so today I'm going to be discussing a few concepts we focused on in class, starting with one seen more on the controversial side of the spectrum: death.

I think, in our society, we fear death. We fear the loss of the ones we love, the loss of time, and the loss of experience. Because of our emphasis and the importance we place upon "things" and "stuff", we fear the physical loss of those we care about; to have someone die is to lose the conversations we get from them, the moments we experience with them, and the feedback we receive from them. In our case, death is seen as sad and undesirable (no one truly wishes to die for the most part, but you get my point--we seriously don't value death). However, like Morrie stated, even though we die and those we love die, our relationships with them never die with them. We'll still love them or hate them or feel what we felt during their life. To die is simply to lose their physical manifestation,  not their spiritual impact or influence upon how we've lived, live, and will live.

On a different note, love, too, is seen as controversial and has a different context in our culture. For us, love can be viewed on several levels; I'll just speak from my experience. I've found that loving your family and friends tends to be the norm. It's not strange, but it isn't highly valued either--people are not jealous of love for one's family: it simply is. However, to be romantically linked to another is seen as frightening, to fully commit to another and wholeheartedly love another is a terrifying concept in our culture. We're afraid to love another and give up a part of our selves. We have been raised in a truly individualistic society in which dependence is frowned upon, we have been raised to embrace our singular identities. We are not used to association with another--being "someone's something" isn't something that many of us are innately comfortable with because we become a part of another's life. We are into the fleeting, initial stance of love--butterflies in our stomach, rapid pulsations, and high-powered emotions. However, many of us fear the commitment that real love requires and the effort and maintenance that goes into that "real love". I, personally, am not one looking to be in a relationship at this point in my life--I'm barely my own person, I barely know what I'm doing with my life, and I've only had 17 years of being "Lianne". I know that I'm too independently driven to give a part of my identity to another--when people talk about me, I don't want to be "his girlfriend". I'm not ready to commit to that because I know that I can't become dependent on another before I've even become fully dependent on myself.

Rather than spouting out definitions, I'd rather this blog discuss my time in Amman, Jordan. My family and I go to Jordan ~every other summer to visit our extended family, and for the most part, I have failed to overcome my culture shock. Culture shock describes the literal "shock" that one encounters when being exposed to a new culture or way of life, which typically results from ethnocentrism, which is an adherence to one's own rules and lifestyle, based upon the culture in which one is apart. 

Personally, as I have traveled to Jordan (3 summers total), I've been astonished by the manner in which people there behave and interact. Like in India, in reference to the video clip we watched in class, drivers in Jordan drive with reckless abandon--"traffic laws" are a myth. Everyone makes their own lanes, traffic lights are disregarded, and pedestrians fend for themselves. It's treacherous, from my perspective, at least. Car horns, also in high contrast to America, are the best friends of all drivers at all times; the longer the horn, the more right one becomes (in Amman, at least). My ethnocentrism has made me accustomed to linear order in driving, but in Jordan, it has been a continuous shock to me to realize that this truly is not the case. 

Furthermore, material and non-material culture, which target the things we can see that are unique to a culture and those that are not as visually apparent. Materialistically, Jordan maintains a sort of "European flair" when it comes to fashion: logos everywhere. In Jordan, the bigger the A&F logo or Polo pony, the better dressed one becomes. In my experience, here in America, I've noticed that style is valued over brand names--typically ugly designer clothing is still considered ugly here, while in Jordan, ugly BRAND name clothing is all the rage. 

Also, in terms of language, Arabic is predominantly spoken, but recently, unique to Jordan, there has been a development in "popular" language. Sprinkling in English words here and there in typically Arabic-heavy sentences is considered sophisticated and high-class. This is one way in which Amman is distinct from the cultures around it, especially ours. In reference to the article we discussed in class about the Arabic word for a "win-win" situation, in recent days, phrases such as those are being made negligent in favor of distinct English phrases, which are known to boost status and increase your apparent level of intelligence to those around you

For the most part, being in Jordan has allowed me to leave the bubble that encompasses SHS and learn about my original culture and heritage--culture shock doesn't necessarily need to have a negative connotation to it, for it can lead to better understanding, empathy, and appreciation for those we share the world with.

During this first unit, we explored a variety of several sociological concepts and themes.

Social construction of reality: This concept portrays the idea that a group of people, whether it be a group of friends at school or your family, are the ones in charge of shaping how an individual is viewed. Such a group "constructs" the image of the person and because of this, it becomes said person's reality. It prevents us fro being seen as individuals and instead we are seen through the eyes of others based upon our most defining characteristics. For example, when we did a role-play of "Abandon Ship!". we chose to see the woman without working arms as fragile, worthless, and unnecessary for our group--rather than viewing her as a whole, as a group we had decided to magnify her disability based upon our own preconceptions. Because of this judgment, it became the reality, regardless of her individuality.

Macro/Micro Sociology: For the most part, this concept is not a difficult one to follow--macro sociology focuses on a broader viewpoint of several situations and sociological observations, whereas, micro sociology pinpoints smaller details and nuances of the situation. For example, in our high school, there could be a broad categorization of the sorts of people at SHS: teachers, students, athletes, etc. However, if one were to look more closely, one may see that some teachers are more polite or caring, there are X number of male students and Y number of female students. Looking closely at the big picture (macro) means that we've delved into micro sociology.

Groups/Identity & Ingroups/Outgroups: For this section, I'll discuss A Bronx Tale in order to accurately explain the concepts involved. In and out groups are used in order to depict an idea of either belonging to a group (in) or not (out). In the movie, C's in-group was the group of gangsters in the bar by his house-he felt accepted by them and found that he belonged. On the other hand, C was also a part of an out group--he was not a part of the group of black children in the neighborhood were Jane lived. He could not relate to them, they did not accept him, and he judged them as a result. C identified with the mob guys because they were like him, Italian, and he found that he could be accepted into their group. 

In my personal experience, I've faced this concepts on numerous occasions. At work, I am stereotyped as the snobby, overly rich, obnoxious SHS student. At school, I belong to the group of art-involved students and not to the groups of football players or dance girls, or even video-game enthusiasts. We're all affected by stereotypes and groups, whether for better or worse, and because of this, we see how our lives are shaped and manipulated by those around us.

Hello blogging community :)

Rather than beating around the bush, I'l just dive straight into the prompt.

Sociological imagination and mindfulness have been key concepts we've been thoroughly focusing on thus far. Although they share similar themes, they happen to be distinct in their own ways. Sociological imaginations refers to the ability to see how outside factors, such as where you live, who you interact with, and what you spend your time doing affects you. It's a way to acknowledge that you are truly impacted by the world that is around you. Sociological mindfulness, however, targets an application of sociological imagination. Once we have attained said imagination, we are capable of allowing ourselves to shape the world around us using these observations. Once you attain an understanding of the different factors that affect us, you can utilize this understanding to allow yourself to impact the world; you are a part of society, so you have the capability to change society. Mindfulness, and being aware of the present moment and what needs to be preserved and what should be adjusted, allows us to connect with the world around us and create change.

Social construction refers to the idea that society is in charge of crafting our lives--society dictate what can and cannot be done. It differentiates right from wrong--supposedly. Saliva is a normal, bodily fluid, but spit is disgusting. Society sets that norm for us, for it constructs the norm.

Personally, I believe that sociological mindfulness and imagination are beyond crucial to a healthy, thriving, substantial community. If we are incapable of innately wishing to understand how to better ourselves and the community around us, then we can never truly progress as a population. This sense of higher thinking and being takes us away from raw, savage, kill-or-be-killed thought into sophisticated, caring, and healthy acts. Not enough people make the effort to act mindfully of others, and so, I personally believe it is beyond crucial to attempt to spread the mindfulness we acquire and the imagination we possess to those around us.

Because we are "society", then we can choose to construct it in any which direction pleases us. We need to embrace service and the caring for those with different fortunes from ours. We need to embrace one another's differences and congratulate our selves for being unique individuals. We need to become a better society.

Thanks for reading, Lianne :)

Who Am I?

Who am I?

This is a challenging question to face, especially at 1 am,but let's dive right into the easy aspects of my life first:
My name is Lianne, and I'm currently a typical senior in a typical high school in the typical suburbs--one could be so bold as to say I'm living the dream. Besides this, I'm also part Palestinian, part Kuwaiti, and my ethnicity, nationality, and religious beliefs are held near and dear to my heart. While I can understand Arabic, I'm much to conscious of my thick American accent to attempt speaking it properly. I was born in Virginia and have lived in Texas and Georgia--fun fact, I had the heaviest Southern drawl as a child and it still occasionally creeps up on me.

 In terms of my composition, emotionally and mentally, a lot of the person I am comes from novels, movies, and art. I enjoy reading or watching movies, finding characters I can relate to, and then applying their actions or mannerisms to my own life. Rarely do I ever make a decision or action without first acknowledging the people and situation around me--the faults and strengths of characters created in literature and art allow me to live in a more caring and appreciative way.

But anyway. Influences?

Literature and art, as I mentioned above, are definitely major aspects of my life, but I also tend to be influenced by my friends and actresses I admire--not so much actors (sorry, boys). Women who are strong, charismatic, respectful of themselves, intelligent--yet modest, and purposeful truly inspire me. Mindy Kaling specifically comes to mind, because for all her success as a Dartmouth graduate, writer, actress, and producer, she has failed to "sell out" to a humdrum lifestyle of boredom and immodesty. She is both comical and respectable, sophisticated yet carefree--I aspire to fill as complicated a niche as her's someday.

For myself, I'd like to attain personal success--not financially, although that's definitely a plus. No, money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure is helpful :)

I want to be knowledgeable of many things, I want to help people and care for others as often as possible. I want to find passion in life, because for all my talents, as we all have innumerable talents, I have yet to find true passion. I'm living for others right now, and would love to live solely for myself, and act as I please--but without the sacrifice of my awareness towards others and the general care I feel for other people. But I no longer want to be negatively influenced or moved by people.

So, if you'd like to know more, feel free to comment below, thanks for reading my rambles :)