Week-12 Family Tasks

Family Tasks - Blog

The result of my family tasks list was not surprising to me.  When I consider my list it reminds me a little of when I was growing up.  My children have weekly chores according to a calendar I post.  I ensure that everyone does their part.  When I was a young girl my mom didn’t have a chore list but we all; my siblings and I, were responsible for weekly chores.  My mother did most of the cooking and overseeing the cleaning of the house and my father worked.  Today, I do majority of the cooking, however occasionally my son or daughter will take over.  My son is 16 and my daughter; 13. They both know how to prepare a complete meal and bake.  My husband may cook from time to time as well.  Also my husband will primary direct who does work in the yard but everyone does pitch in.  None of the chores we do are gender specific.  My sons will cook and clean and my daughter helps with mowing the grass however most of the time I do laundry thought my children know how.  Any automotive stuff my husband will handle unless it’s simple. My husband’s work requires him to be away often therefore majority of the tasks are done by me and the children. Sometimes that can be a little frustrating however the organization we have is not specific to gender or tradition but situational and it works well for us.

Week 11 - Religion

Presently, I think there is a significant lean toward secularism.  As Peter Berger describes, in Pre-modern societies religion could be considered the “sacred canopy” covering all aspects of life which is the way it should be in my opinion but today, is more like a “quilt, a patchwork of different religious and secular belief systems” (p. 533). Growing up I could only appreciate the worship of Christians in the Pentecostal church and though I don’t agree with the religious beliefs or actions of some others, I do keep an open mind. Religion is not a term that I like to use but rather a way of life or walk of faith.  Some may consider Christianity as a religious system with strict observances to law, such as the "Torah" with Jewish religion.  I’m reminded of the Pharisees and Scribes in the writings of the scriptures and their convictions, as well as the fact that they refused to accept Christ as the Messiah.  Though they imposed these strict observances on others, they for the most part failed to honor the law they enforced and though they were well versed in the law it brought them dishonor because most of what they did was ill motivated.  

When I think of the various religions that were discussed, there are similarities in the form of practicing self-discipline, the institutionalization of public worship, prayer or meditations and the presence of a savior type leader or divine representative that should be reverence but none are quite like Christ in my opinion who died for or who was judged for the penalty of sin for all.  That’s what make him savior, the major difference. I do believe that all should have an opened mind regarding religion and the belief of another.  Another’s religion or belief should be respected although you may not agree and one should definitely not infringe their beliefs upon another.  As tradition would have it mankind continues with rituals and ceremonies attempting to lump them all together in my opinion.  I have heard many say that there are different religions but they all lead in the same direction and I don’t agree nor believe that.   

Lastly, historically the United States of American was built, not just on a belief in a higher power but on strong principles of faith in God.  Now, those principles have been far removed such with the removal of the “Ten Commandments” from the educational system and the halls of the justice system and the desire to remove “In God We Trust” from currency among others.   It’s no different than an individual family being unified; standing strong by shared goals and principles.  Once they are removed or those strong walls are broken down which serves as familiar foundation then breeds contempt, hatred and separation which invites all sorts of monstrosities.  It’s no different than the world system or modern religious principles of today’s society. Methods change but you can’t move away from the very principles that made you who you are without decay.  

Week 10 - Prejudice Attitudes Cont'd

Will we ever get past our fears of misunderstanding the differences of others which always seems to lead to dislike and hatred. It was equally surprising to learn that a U.S. President ordered the incarceration of innocent Japanese men, women and children under armed guard.  What on earth did he think they would do to harm the country.  A risk to national security was the "excuse."  It's amazing that in these type cases of discrimination excuses are easily made to justify bad judgment and wrong doing.  There are many ways to ensure the safety of the country without singling out a group as a threat when no threat exists.   No different than the Holocaust except there's no record of Japanese people being killed in these camps. Over the course of history the incidents appear to repeat themselves.  Will we ever learn to educate ourselves with regards to racial/cultural differences so that we may do right by others and embrace truth that here is no superior race but only one race the human race.

Week 10 - Prejudical Attitudes

Racism, prejudice and discrimination exist well beyond black and white.  Typically in America when this topic is discussed it's thought of only between the two races, however these issues exists among and against other racial/ethnic groups. Others groups possess prejudice/discriminatory attitudes against one another and was discriminated against by whites in America such as the Italians, Asians, Polish, Irish, Chinese and Japanese, especially as it relates to immigration.  Each of these groups possessed some form of unfavorable opinion of the other.  During different times in history as various groups migrated in search of a better life the preceding group having previously established in the country would concentrate on the present group's economic and educational limitations discriminating against them; sort of a means of protecting their own interests.  Not only did prejudice and discrimination perpetuate those who had a stronger influence could be found exploiting others especially in the area of cheap labor such as with whites and Chinese. In some instances the conflicts between white workers and other ethnic groups for employment opportunities caused exclusion of those wishing to live the American dream earning income that would allow them to send money home to their families.  Chinese men came in search of earning and saving money.  Once jobs diminished, further immigration of the Chinese halted by the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act but some time after, the Japanese immigrants arrived leading to strict laws being set in place; setting quotas and strict limitations on the Japanese and the number allowed to enter the U.S.  It appears that in some form or another people will always find a reason to separate and view differences of others in a negative light. Over time these issues have and will continue to improve as people become more sensitive to cultural differences, but will always exist.  If it's not color, it's social class; if not social class, it's intelligence level and so forth.    

Week 9 "Gender Inequality"

With all the social issues existing today such as this week's subject, I don't think any will disappear.  When I consider the reflections written in the text regarding sexual violence; it's a sad reality that men are socialized to think that they are due sex from a women for any reason whether it's because he feels close to the women or if they've recently met and he believes that enough time has past to take the relationship further or the fact that the women may have engaged in some form physical contact with him but at some point changed her mind and has decided not to go forward with sexual intercourse.  It's baffling to think that in either case when the women is not consenting, yet the man in his power and authority super rules her decision to withdraw and takes what he wants.  How does society mold such ill will thinking? The mere fact that individuals are socialized in such a way that's conducive to all the social schisms existing today is a clear sign that they probably will never go away.  This and other are social issues that will be have to battle for all time.  I wonder how in a world of God given rights can a person be so greatly violated and to add insult to injury the law exerts its power determining whether its a violation, never mind the psychological consequences guaranteed to surface with such an incident; having the potential of molding more socialized ill thinking men. This is not to bash men, because I'm sure all men do not fall under this particular category, but will change come when this becomes less common or even happening at all? I don't think it ever will.   It's the world in which we live.

Week 8: Global Inequality "Offshoring"

In recent years American companies have been outsourcing jobs to low wage countries.  Now a call center employee can easily work from India, China or the Philippines.  Often when you place a service call to a telephone service provider your call can get routed to another country.  Foreign competition is overwhelming especially with the advancement of technology and the attempt to cut out operation cost.  It seems that America is willing to sell to the lowest bidder at the price of its own citizen’s livelihood. As a result of the advancement of technology we not only have the virtual automated system where you can hardly get a live representative; we now have outsourcing of jobs that would potentially employ thousands of Americans and help boost the economy.  There have been recent signs that this trend is slowing down and that some companies are attempting to keep jobs here however this is still an issue on the table.  Though there’s no evidence that this practice is the cause of economic downfall; neither is there evidence that it's not. Some believe that this practice helps boost the economy because products that are too expensive to make in the U.S. can be made in other countries made possible by outsourcing.  I beg to differ and believe that though this is not the primary reason for present economic hardship it’s represents a big portion.

A "Class in Itself"

When I think of social stratification the first thought that comes to mind is education vs. work experience and parental social class. Growing up my parents would have been considered working class. My mother graduated high school but never went to college and my father only has a sixth grade education.  When his father died at a young age, he had to work to help take care of the family, which was common for many.  All social classes falling under the upper middle class rarely considered continuing education an option, even if they somehow finished high school, partly because of social class division.  They were skilled workers who worked to make ends meet and gained various skill sets which in past time qualified them for a good paying job.  I think many would agree that experience is the best teacher but in today's social stratification set, it’s no longer sufficient for the position.  There was a time not so long ago when a college degree, though beneficial, didn’t stand between you and the job. If an individual possessed the know-how and experience for the position then it was at least obtainable.  I’ve always been a proponent of education.  My parents desired for their children to accomplish what they couldn’t.  I was the first out of seven children to graduate from high but didn’t attend college until my early thirty earning a bachelors degree. Now, I’m returning to school to earn a second degree; while having worked in my field for over 17 years, with the experience required for high paying positions but without the credentials to satisfy the education requirement.   As stated in the text, “education is one of the strongest predictors of occupation, income, and wealth later in life, a "class in itself."