Unit 3 Blog Post

1. Race is socialized through multiple agents of socialization crafting the image and idea of race. The most prominent--and most dangerous--is the mass media. By limiting the view of certain races, and perpetuating negative stereotypes about these race, the mass media helps discriminate against nonwhite people. A study done by USC's Media, Diversity, and Social Change Initiative found part of this phenomenon: there is a severe "inclusion crisis" in Hollywood, meaning that white men dominate the industry and minorities are criminally underrepresented. This is prominent because the media socializes people by giving them models to which they should look up; if one's role models don't look like them, it becomes harder to make that connection. This is especially poignant for race because in a white-majority nation, role models for people of color (PoC) are few and far between. If they become more scarce, it only further disenfranchises young PoC and makes them feel powerless. Another example of how the media influences the socialization of race is the popular sitcom called Modern Family. In it, the main characters are a white traditional nuclear family, a stereotypical white gay couple with an adopted Asian child, and an unorthodox family with an old white patriarch, a young immigrant wife, and her son from another marriage. On the surface, it seems like a diverse show that tackles many relevant issues, but the show uses many stereotypical caricatures of minorities in an attempt at humor. It is often difficult to know if these caricatures are meant as satire or purposefully inserted as a legitimate attempt at humor--and therein lies the problem. People who do not have experience with people who do not look like them may assume that those caricatures are representative of everyone within a particular race. This is a clear example of how lack of racial diversity can lead to very bad consequences.
Another agent of socialization utilized to construct race is the prison system, also known as mass incarceration. The New Jim Crow, written by Michelle Alexander, chronicles the ways in which the American prison system is designed to keep black people as an oppressed people in the same way that Jim Crow laws were meant to hurt black people. She asserts that "criminal" is now code word for "black", and that through governmental systems, public perception, and mas incarceration, a modern racial caste system has been created to keep black people at the bottom. This leads to a plethora of negative stereotypes about black people being seemingly proven true by the number of black people in the prison system, even though black people are trapped in a system designed to keep them in the prison system. Michelle Alexander's metaphor of the "new Jim Crow" may be imperfect--it fails to encompass the non-POC trapped within mass incarceration--but it shows how race is often used and manipulated in social systems. The documentary 13th also highlights how America as a whole has used different social and political systems to oppress black people and how mass incarceration is the latest system in a long line. It details how the loophole in the 13th amendment allowing prisoners to be worked as slaves led to the first instance of mass incarceration and exploitation of black bodies within jails. This created the "criminal black man" stereotype which still is prevalent today. The documentary shows how media influenced discrimination against blacks: the widely acclaimed "Birth of a Nation" inspired Ku Klux Klan members to burn black people at the cross. This abhorrent practice is still referenced today, as seen when black people are left burning crosses on their front yard. It then details the evolution of mass incarceration from the civil rights movement to the modern day. Civil rights attempted to redefine what it meant to be arrested by peacefully protesting; unfortunately, their attempts coincided with a steep hike in crime. This hike led to an outcry from concerned citizens for law and order, which the political establishment all too happily provided. This led to mass incarceration as we know it, locking up black men and women at incredible rates for minor drug charges. This all led to the development of the stereotype of the "crack whore" and the cementing of the "criminal black man" stereotype. These examples highlight how race has been viewed in America: a defining part of life. The socialization of race has followed the conflict perspective framework: the idea of race is meant to create conflict and inequality.

2. I am a black man in America. This unit is especially relevant to me because I am the target audience for many of the written essays and videos used during this unit. I have a higher likelihood of facing the discrimination described within this unit more than most other racial groups. This unit highlighted the narrow gaze with which we view race in America. To us, it is a solely black and white issue; the issues of other racial groups and ethnic minorities are often ignored. Often, I get a sense that sometimes, black people forget that they are not the only oppressed people within America, nor are we the largest. There needs to be a point where we confront that disparity. At the same time, I began to truly see how carefully we tiptoe around race within our country. There are people who will come up with convoluted explanations to assert that a certain instance has nothing to do with race, when every clue points directly to it being about race. There are also those who will do the exact opposite, trying to make connections to race where none exist. Even after this unit, I still don't know quite how to feel about race and where it belongs in my identity and sociological imagination. On the one hand, I want to take pride in the fact that I am black and accept any ramifications that come along with being black. On the other hand, I need to be able to step away from my blackness and evaluate the state of society from a neutral point of view. This unit has given me a lot to think about.

3. The idea of race has been ingrained into the very fabric of America's consciousness: slavery existed in the thirteen colonies before independence, there was a civil war over the issue of state's rights to legalize the exploitation of black bodies, and laws that openly targeted black people were only repealed half a century ago. There were the Japanese internment camps during WWII. There was what was essentially a genocide against Native American indigenous peoples. Through American history, there have always been oppressed groups acting as scapegoats for social ills against their will. The idea of race is so ingrained, a mere "solution" for a complex issue seems lacking. Nevertheless, there are things that can be done to resolve racial discrimination in America. Camara Phyllis Jones crafts a comparison between a garden and the different types of racism in her essay titled Levels of Racism: A Theoretic Framework and a Gardener's Tale and attempts to offer a solution. Camara asserts that in order to defeat racism as a whole, we must address institutionalized racism within governmental systems before addressing the social ramifications. This solution has merit: institutionalized racism has the most visible effect on overall racial relations, as seen by Jim Crow laws and the mass incarceration system. But it ignores the personal prejudice that often rears its head when institutions begin dismantling their own racism, as seen by the very vocal public backlash to Brown vs. Board of Education. Positive role models in media would be a strong step forward, and already there are examples of this: people like Michael Jordan, Beyoncé, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson are all examples of black role models. But there needs to be more visibility of Latino, Asian, and Native American role models so that every American child is able to see someone that looks like them on television and aspire to be them. Ultimately, it comes down to individual people. If we cannot change the people, there is no point trying to change the laws.

(possible) Solution For Problem

Finding tangible and feasible solutions for a deep-seated problem is never easy. Unfortunately, one cannot solve religious tensions in America overnight. However, changes in the local and personal levels can be made. Encouraging dialogue between those of different faiths about those faiths is one way of improving relations. Too often, people are ignorant and uneducated about faiths that are not their own; therefore, having conversations about faith with followers of that faith is a step in the right direction in understanding other religions. This is not to say that one person speaks for an entire religion; that would be egregious. It is also not to say that one must speak with every believer of a particular religion in order to fully understand a religion; that is impossible given the scope of some religions. It is merely to say that in order to begin to understand religions that are not one's own, one has to speak to people--not a person--who follow that religion. Not every layperson interprets their religion the same way, or follows the same denomination. Making people aware of this issue is the key point. To that end, campaigns that encourage interfaith and intra-personal relationships among people of different faiths is paramount. This could be enacted in places of worship and faith, such as churches and mosques. This particular solution is aimed at people of all ages, but especially at youth. If acceptance--rather than tolerance--is learned at a young ate, then future generations are more likely to be accepting of religions not their own due to socialization through their family.

Significance of Problem

The relations between various faith groups in America holds a particular importance when examining the cultural and social fabric of American identity. When bonds of respect between religions are strong, America prospers, while when those bonds of respect are weak, the American identity suffers. Prime examples of this suffering are the Japanese internment camps that America instituted during WWII under the guise of keeping people safe. This deteriorated relations between mainstream American Christians and followers of the Shinto and Buddhist religions (the two most prominent religions in Japan at the time, and also the religion of many Japanese immigrants). Another example is the discrimination that American Muslims are facing due to a small subset of Islamic extremists who claim Islam and have unleashed devastating terrorist attacks on America. The significance of these relations is shown by how sharply the country has been divided over issues of morality and religion: hot-button topics like abortion, gay marriage, and even some political opinions are divided on lines of religion. The ever-present conflict between religions tears apart America's multicultural fabric and leaves behind a tangle of different groups, each fighting to claim the cloth for themselves. By helping to fix this religious divide, one can heal the country and move forward in a new direction.

Unit 2 Blog Post

1. Gender is socially constructed through a variety of techniques and factors. In society, there are clear cut ideas of what a man should be and what a woman should be. There is also a prevailing mentality that there are only two genders, rather than a spectrum. These ideas are constructed through multiple social functions and dysfunctions. One main perpetrator of gender constructs is the continued oppression of groups in order to feel a sense of power. Societal power falls mainly in the hands of men; they control the banks, the stores, the government. This is done through repeated emasculation and oppression of groups that white men believe to be less than them. In media, this is represented by demeaning stereotypes: the submissive and always smiling woman (often young to emphasize beauty), the feminine and weak Asian man, the savage and criminal black man, the short and loud Latino man, and the universally hated flamboyant homosexual man. Homophobia is so ingrained into masculinity that being called "sissy" or "gay" is seen as the ultimate insult. In society, societal power of white men is also kept by confining women to spaces where they hold no power to change their situation. The power wielded by a politician is much different than the power wielded by a parent, and white men capitalize on that disparity by increasing political power to assert their so-called dominance. This is also done through hyper-sexualization of women in media and the simultaneous enforcement of traditional family values. In a nuclear American family, the woman is supposed to be timid, submissive, and loyal to her husband at any cost. The idea of an independent woman and the idea of homosexuals interrupting this facsimile is a scary thought to white men in power. To that end, they demean homosexuals and hyper-sexualize women to reduce their social standing. Their argument is circular: they show independent women and homosexuals as disloyal and untrustworthy, so that they can continue to deny women freedoms based on their conjecture that an independent woman is a dangerous one. This oppression is a social dysfunction or, perhaps, the intended function) of a traditional American family. By placing the man at the head of both the family and the government, women are shut out of places of economic and political power. The family and the mainstream media are the biggest agents of socialization of gender.

2. Learning about how gender is socialized within society has greatly expanded my sociological imagination. In recent times, enforcing gender stereotypes has become both easier and harder. The rise of mainstream media and the range to which it is disseminated has helped contribute to misogyny and homophobia by giving platforms to those who would prefer that those systems stay in place. At the same time, it gives an equally powerful podium to people who want to do away with those forms of discrimination. This curious phenomenon has not always existed; the Internet has allowed for visibility for a variety of opinions. Every person has an individual opinion on gender. When people who have similar opinions combine their voices, they become louder and more prominent. When the chorus of voices stays loud over the course of an era, those voices could potentially become the zeitgeist of that era. Observing how gender is socialized has convinced me that gender will be my generation's zeitgeist, our defining issue and conflict. The fight over gay marriage, rights for people in the LGBTQ+ umbrella, and reproduction rights has defined the past two decades of American history. I believe that the sociological imagination should be used to find the zeitgeist of an era, for therein will lie the most important issue of an era.

3. Gender is a concept that cannot be agreed upon in an universal sense, so solving the problem when it is not defined it incredibly difficult. Some people believe gender is rigid, some people believe gender is fluid, and some people believe that gender does not exist, but is a construct of society and the mind. Due to the difference of opinion, solving the issue of gender discrimination is hard. There are still ways to solve gender discrimination, however. Increasing positive representation of women in media would be a huge step in improving relations. Simple representation will not suffice; one only needs to see popular shows and movies such as Modern Family and the Fast and Furious franchise in order to see how simple representation can lead to hyper-sexualization and the reinforcement of negative stereotypes. By promoting positive stereotypes of strong and independent women, men lose their main argument of keeping women on the bottom: "women need strong men". A main gender issue is the use of "microaggressions", in which men passively (and often unintentionally) reinforce gender stereotypes with side comments and little jokes. Making those jokes socially unacceptable would be the easiest way forward, but it will most likely not be that simple. Accusations of nitpicking would be levied, and the negative opinion of the feminist as a "femi-nazi" would only be reinforced in the eyes of the aggressors of such behavior. In such a case, there is no easy way forward. Behavior is difficult to change directly, so changing it subliminally through positive portrayals of women and implicit refusal to accept snide, misogynistic remarks would go a long way to solving the problem. Overall, the media is the main agent of change that would inflict the most change, although gradually.

Genius Hour: Cause of Problem

The root of interfaith conflicts is hard to ascertain, since religion has been around since before writing. In America, however, it is easier to pinpoint the origin of the conflict. The decision to make religious discrimination illegal created conflict between groups, as coexistence is bound to create friction. Christians of different denominations often disagree on key issues, and those of different faiths altogether would not be exactly welcome. The concept of religious freedom was obviously intended for non-mainstream Christians, and welcoming others in the fold might have caused friction early on. In more recent times, twentieth century events may have influenced interfaith relations. World War II may have had a profound effect; imprisoning Japanese-Americans in internment camps may have caused animosity towards certain Asian religions, such as Shinto and multiple strains of Buddhism. The rise of antisemitism in Europe around the time may have been mirrored in America and caused unwanted prejudice against Jewish people. The spate of religious-based domestic terror attacks may have caused conflicts between followers of Christianity and Islam; both extremist Christians and Muslims have committed terror attacks on American soil, the most visible of which were the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers, killing over 3,000 people and kick-starting a campaign against Islam and the Middle East. The rise of atheism could be considered a cause of a feeling of persecution from Christians in America. Recent political events have not helped matters; policies that were recently enacted aim to discriminate against people of a certain faith. Overall, there are multiple factors that have led to the deterioration of relations between religions in America.

10 Source Bibliography

McGiffert, A. C. “The Future of Liberal Christianity in America.” The Journal of Religion, vol. 15, no. 2, 1935, pp. 161–175., www.jstor.org/stable/1196390.

McGiffert argues that liberal Christianity has had a profound affect on American society and is consistently misrepresented in popular culture. The author consistently refers to how liberal Christianity had an influence on political matters in America through radical movements influenced by liberal religious policies.

Hatch, Roger D. “Integrating the Issue of Race into the History of Christianity in America: An Essay-Review of Sydney E. Ahlstrom.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, vol. 46, no. 4, 1978, pp. 545–569., www.jstor.org/stable/1463048.

Hatch argues that attempting to integrate race into a discussion about Christianity in America is difficult and that three authors who attempt to connect the two are misguided in their approach. He argues that as long as people discuss race and religion separately, the problem of black people being discriminated against in church history will never be addressed. Solutions brought up by the misguided authors, such as introducing black voices into churches, attempting to combine stories of black churches with white churches, and synthesizing black church experiences, are misguided according to Hatch and do not adequately confront the problem.

Jonas, Glenn. “Journal of Church and State.” Journal of Church and State, vol. 33, no. 1, 1991, pp. 153–153., www.jstor.org/stable/23917183.

A review of Thunder on the Right: Understanding Conservative Christianity in America. The book analyzes the group of Christians known as the "religious right": a bloc of voters and people who identify as conservative and tend to be heavily religious. This group tends to be demonized or misrepresented in modern media as a hateful group; one of the main reasons for this stereotype is the Westboro Baptist Church, a church that is associated with the religious right and is openly bigoted towards certain groups of people. Many conservative Christian's views differ from traditional Christian's views, and the novel helps facilitate intra-faith discussions. This provides a possible model to base my solutions on.

Aubrey, Edwin E. “The Journal of Religion.” The Journal of Religion, vol. 17, no. 3, 1937, pp. 333–334., www.jstor.org/stable/1196317.

A review of Christianity in America: A Crisis. Aubrey explains the author's argument: Christianity has stagnated in more ways than one, a generation has gone "spiritually hungry", and there needs to be a change. This, Aubrey argues, is a valid criticism; however, he explains, it is overdone, trite, and accusatory. Aubrey disagrees with the assessment that "liberalism" is to blame for the church's ills. Rather, he believes that there is a more fundamental problem, and he also takes issue with shoving multiple social movements under "liberalism". The purpose of the sermon in Christianity is clarified, and the nuances of the relationship between God and man are explored. This can give me a deeper understanding of Christianity as a whole.

Mathews, Shailer. “The Development of Social Christianity in America during the Past Twenty-Five Years.” The Journal of Religion, vol. 7, no. 4, 1927, pp. 376–386., www.jstor.org/stable/1195449.
Mathews begins by explaining how Christianity has had an impact on American history, detailing how the church spearheaded and influenced certain movements. Ideological splits, like the North-South divide over the issue of slavery, also fell over religious lines. The book was written during 1927, meaning that contemporary for the author is the early 1900's and World War I. This heavily influences the discussion, as a discussion on social Christianity in 2017 would be markedly different than one in 1927. Mathews asserts that Christianity has a moral and social responsibility to laypeople to help guide them on the right path, and that changing social patterns would influence how successful the church could be in this endeavor.

The Zimbardo Experiment

I will be analyzing the Zimbardo prison experiment from the structural-functional and symbolic-interaction approaches.
Structural-functional approach: A question that a sociologist subscribing to the structural-functional approach might ask is how prisons benefit society and keep it functioning on a macro level, assuming prison is a social structure and it exists to benefit society. Prisons exist as a means to house criminals until they are ready to be released back into the public sphere. The manifest functions of prisons are to rehabilitate criminals and deprive them of multiple freedoms as a form of punishment for their crimes against society. Those manifest functions do not apply to the experiment, as none of the so-called "inmates" were professed or convicted criminals. Instead, another manifest function would be more relevant: to house criminals for a period of time until they can be returned to society to contribute positively. The latent functions of prison are to remove all individuality of a prisoner and promote absolute obedience to authority. Promoting absolute obedience to authority would benefit society, as an obedient criminal populace that respects authority would be less likely to become repeat offenders. That line of thinking--of absolute deference to authority--applies to many structures in society today: school demands respect for teachers and obedience from students, jobs demand respect for superiors and obedience from rank-and-file (with the added bonus of financial compensation), and parents demand respect and obedience from their children. That has the added effect of affecting the psyche of prisoners as a whole, as exemplified by the Zimbardo experiment. Within the experiment, there is a clear change from insolence to deference for the prisoners: in day 2, cell 1 attempted a rebellion to improve their living conditions and had multiple levels of support from the other cell blocks, while in day 6, prisoner 416 attempted a hunger strike, alone, but not a single other prisoner vouched for him or aided in his cause. This is a clear example of a social structure (prison) producing a social function (obedience). An example of social dysfunction caused by prisons would be the psychological damage inflicted to some of the inmates as a result of losing their identity. All of these changes reveal the subject's sociological imagination: they readily accepted their roles, generally, so that the prison could function smoothly.


Symbolic interaction approach: A question that a sociologist subscribing to the symbolic interaction approach might ask is how the inmates and guards changed their behaviors as a result of their roles, and further building on that, how heavily did social exchange factor into their encounters. When examining the prisoners and guards on a case-by-case basis, one could sort the prisoners into three main types and the guards into two main types. The prisoners could be sorted as rebellion, break down, and model prisoners. Each is self explanatory: the rebellious prisoners actively sought to change their situation, the break down prisoners could not deal with the emotional and psychological stress that came about because of this experiment, and the model prisoners were the ones who acquiesced and did as the guards said. The guards themselves could be split into two groups: the sadistic guards, and the good guards. The sadistic group seemed to take pleasure in working the prisoners as hard as they could, while the good guards did quite the opposite and would rather let the prisoners off easy. Each individual responded differently to the simulation, but generally followed main patterns due to how they were allowed to act. Factors that could affect their behavior would be instances that would benefit or harm them. An example of how social exchange would factor into everyday encounters between the inmates and the guards would be how the guards routinely reward model prisoners and routinely punish those who fall out of line. Thus, if an inmate sees that he benefits from being obedient rather than boisterous, he will become obedient, and receive lenient treatment as a result. Consequently, the more obedient the prisoners are, the more satisfaction that the guards are likely to feel because keeping the prisoners docile is in their job description. This is a clear example of individuals doing what will benefit them most, and a "beneficial" relationship arising from two needs being met simultaneously. These changes in behavior are a direct result of the sociological imagination of the subjects: they have fully immersed themselves into the roles given to them and made the roles their own. They may not fully realize it, but the subjects have changed their behavior to fit their environment while still retaining some semblance

SHIU, HENRY C.H. “Buddhists.” The Religions of Canadians, edited by JAMIE S. SCOTT and JAMIE S. SCOTT, University of Toronto Press, 2012, pp. 261–306, www.jstor.org/stable/10.3138/j.ctt2ttxz8.11.

Shiu chronicles the exploits of Buddhist immigrants in early Canada. While not terribly informative about doctrine, it provides interesting insight about how Buddhists assimilated into Western society. This could provide an interesting point of comparison when I do more research into Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and other major religions and compare and contrast how they assimilated--or, conversely, shaped--into Western culture. 

Ghose, Lynken. “‘Karma’ and the Possibility of Purification: An Ethical and Psychological Analysis of the Doctrine of ‘Karma’ in Buddhism.” The Journal of Religious Ethics, vol. 35, no. 2, 2007, pp. 259–289., www.jstor.org/stable/40014869.

Ghose explores the meaning of "karma" within Buddhism by contrasting it within Western psychology and what it resembles within that field. In short, Ghose asserts that karma is both action and the effects of action. Ghose also questions whether unintentional actions affect karma and how much does karma affect one's life condition at any given time. This expanded my understanding of karma further than what I had learned in my own studies (I study parts of Buddhism as part of my practice and worship).

Chappell, David W. “Monumenta Nipponica.” Monumenta Nipponica, vol. 36, no. 4, 1981, pp. 482–483., www.jstor.org/stable/2384235.

Chappell essentially raves about Nichiren Daishonin, a pioneer in Japanese Buddhism, and his genius and magnanimity. It also nitpicks translations of his autobiography and selected works, but the most important part of the review is when he describes Nichiren's doctrine and charisma, which allowed him to gain more followers. This gives insight into how Nichiren communicated with his followers and presented himself to the public as well as private, as the article contains a summation of his letters to select peoples while he was in exile.

Payne, Richard K. “Monumenta Nipponica.” Monumenta Nipponica, vol. 46, no. 3, 1991, pp. 401–403., www.jstor.org/stable/2385225.

Payne argues that Nichiren Daishonin, a pioneer of sorts in Japanese Buddhism, is the most controversial figure within Japanese Buddhism due to his apparent disregard for certain tenets of Buddhism and egomaniac personality. (I actually follow Nichiren Buddhism, and I take issue with some of what the author says...but that's for a different time). Nichiren seems to utilize questionable methods to encourage his followers and challenges doctrines and accuses the people that follow them of foolishness. This portrayal is starkly different from Nichiren's general portrayals, often as a positive influence and the creator of the Nichiren Buddhist denomination, the largest Buddhism denomination in the United States. This helps bring a different perspective to my arguments.

Hyman, Bronwen, and Alfred H. Shephard. “Zeitgeist: The Development of an Operational Definition.” The Journal of Mind and Behavior, vol. 1, no. 2, 1980, pp. 227–246., www.jstor.org/stable/43852825.

The article attempts to define a zeitgeist, or the spirit of an era. The zeitgeist of an era is hard to encompass due to multiple civilizations valuing different things and differing opinions. Religion could be a considered a zeitgeist in some areas; indeed, religion defines certain time periods, although that is not what the article argues. Instead, the article refers to the literary pieces of specific eras in order to define an era. Religions often rely on texts to explain their doctrine due to the inefficiency of spoken word.

Post 2: Genius Hour Ideas

For Genius Hour, I would like to focus on interfaith studies and/or the political divide.

Blog Post Number 1

I'm a black kid at a majority white school that practices a religion that has its roots in Asia, I play a sport dominated by British people and Egyptians, and my best friends are a tiny Filipino genius and a foul mouthed Mexican-American. I am not sure if I could be more diverse if I tried. A lot of what defines me is my family. My mother and father have shaped me into the person I am today, and their specific style of parenting has given them success with two kids. A lot of my identity is also my religion. I'm Buddhist, and I am associated with the Soka Gakkai International, or SGI, the "official" organization of Nochiren Buddhism in the world. This defines a lot of my worldview and gives me a lens with which to see the world through. There is a fantastic community that supports me in whatever decision I make and helps me stay faithful to religion. Another important piece of me is squash. I play squash almost every day, and it's my preferred sport.