Reflection:
Socialization is the process in which people are influenced and changed by institutions and members of society. Everyone in someway has been socialized one way or another and without socialization it would be as if society were rule free with no ideas of how people should behave and interact. Instead we are unconsciously taught different norms so that we can all coexist.
The project we did was on socialization, specifically how we personally have been socialized and we represented both through a mask and and an essay. In the essay we wrote about how we had been socialized based on our social identities and on the mask we showed how we had either been socialized like our essay or how we were breaking the cycle of socialization. On the mask, these were represented through symbols that we had to explain at an exhibition of ours. The entire project was about learning about socialization as well as recognizing how we personally had been socialized or were breaking the cycle of socialization.
In class we broke the essay up step by step; we started with the introduction, then moved onto the body paragraphs and finally wrote the conclusion. The essay also taught us how to and the importance of citing our evidence and sources through in text citations in addition to a works cited page. We really took our time on the essay and had it set up step for step which i thought really helped in making the essay very clear and well written.
This was our first pretty large project in in humanities and overall I am pretty proud of how well I did. I did have some challenge with thinking of how I personally had been socialized but overall I think my final result was something that I can be proud of and call my own.
The project we did was on socialization, specifically how we personally have been socialized and we represented both through a mask and and an essay. In the essay we wrote about how we had been socialized based on our social identities and on the mask we showed how we had either been socialized like our essay or how we were breaking the cycle of socialization. On the mask, these were represented through symbols that we had to explain at an exhibition of ours. The entire project was about learning about socialization as well as recognizing how we personally had been socialized or were breaking the cycle of socialization.
In class we broke the essay up step by step; we started with the introduction, then moved onto the body paragraphs and finally wrote the conclusion. The essay also taught us how to and the importance of citing our evidence and sources through in text citations in addition to a works cited page. We really took our time on the essay and had it set up step for step which i thought really helped in making the essay very clear and well written.
This was our first pretty large project in in humanities and overall I am pretty proud of how well I did. I did have some challenge with thinking of how I personally had been socialized but overall I think my final result was something that I can be proud of and call my own.
Essay:
The Money Tree
Imagine two people, one is an upper class white male that will have a good home life, will get all the stuff they need, and will have college completely paid for. The other is a lower class african american female that will have an undesirable home life, will not always get the proper necessities, and if they are to go to college, will have to take out student loans and will start life with thousands of dollars in debt. These two people will lead entirely different because of factors and circumstances that they have had no control over. My entire life has been like the growing of a tree; I started as a simple seed but different factors and circumstances changed how I grew. Socialization is something that is always happening and it has shaped me as a person throughout my entire life. Many aspects of society socialize people based on their class, age, gender, race, etc and the people are changed for life based on those socializations whether they are changed negatively or positively. Experiences, individuals, and institutions in society have always been part of my upbringing and have made me who I am through several aspects of my identity. I have been socialized both positively and negatively as a middle class white male.
Socialization is the process are in which people are shaped and influenced by other people and institutions that can be both positive or negative. Socialization is a multistep process that passes on ideologies, theories, and norms. The process goes in a cycle called the cycle of socialization. The first step in the cycles is the beginning. This is when one is a baby, with no shame or guilt. The next step is first socialization. First socialization happens as a child mostly by loved ones, family specifically; “Taught on a personal level by parents, relatives, teachers, people we love and trust: shapers of expectations, norms, values, roles, rules, models of ways to be, sources of dreams” (Harro 16). The next stage is institutional and cultural socialization. This is the socialization of people through various institutions such as church, work, and school as well as cultural variances such as song lyrics and media. The next stage is enforcements. Enforcements are various rewards or punishments for either following or straying from the social ‘norm’ that exists. After that is results, these are the results of those enforcements and the cycle in general, these can include things such as ignorance, hatred, violence, and more. Next is actions, one can choose to do nothing and by doing so continually allow for the cycle to continue or they can create a direction for change by taking a stand and educating and question the cycle (Harro 15-21). The cycle of socialization is the cycle by which one is influenced by others in society and is a very clear representation of how people are socialized in the world..
Being born into the middle to upper class has given me opportunities and advantages that are not always fair. The largest defining factor of the middle class is the income range which is generally categorized “between $50,800 and $122,000” (Horn). Many advantages come with the money associated with higher classes. The obvious advantage being that my family and myself have enough money for living with not just the needs of life but also living with the fulfillment of our desires. More also comes with the increased money as compared to other families such as our house and neighborhood, our car, and our lifestyle which are all relatively nice and easy. A big part of a child born into a higher class is the education that they can receive because of that. I for example have gone to several years of private school and will most likely go to college partially because of my class. Some people who even go to college at all have it paid for one hundred percent by their parents while others have to apply for financial aid with interest rates range anywhere from three to seven percent. (“Interest”) So some students graduate with a degree and no debt while others have to start their life with $50,000+ in debt. (Collins) All of these factors are greatly impacted by the money that we make and our status in society. All these advantages are almost completely related to the class I was born into and am in.
As I am caucasian, I have been positively socialized based on my race and have had and continue to have different opportunities and advantages based purely on my race as compared to others. For example white people in the United States have the second highest median pay of all races (“White”). Another example is a study on the difference between buying an item online from white and african american people revealed that white sellers got more responses, offers, and money. This was done by selling used iPods on Craigslist and in the photos there were black and white hands holding the product and the posts with the black hands holding the iPod got thirteen percent fewer responses and seventeen percent fewer responses and out of those responses they were priced about three percent lower. (Covert) This means that white people in general are statistically more likely to have business done with them which is one example of the advantageous aspects of being white. Due to this I have some very unfair advantages due to my race over others.
There are many stereotypes and ideologies that exist about about men and a lot result in expectations that men, including myself, can not always meet. A lot of stereotypes exist around men, mostly about how they are supposed to look and behave. A good example is the vastly popular and well known ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ commercial by Old Spice. The commercial represents men as big, muscled, and a bit intense and uses the actor’s body to convince this. The product gives the allure of being a ‘real man’ through the mere factor of scent proving how stereotyped men are. Media portrays and extentuates stereotypes like the commercial. “We see this everywhere: on TV, in movies, in video games, all over advertising like a cheap suit” (Greta 3). Men are expected to be fit and strong and I, as a young male teen, am expected to play sports and be all fit and strong when in reality I prefer to be a little more sedentary. When one thinks of a man, they think of a big, muscular, and ‘manly’ person when in reality men differ in all aspects and because of those stereotypes, unrealistic expectations are set that I myself, and men in general can not meet.
Just because I am in a relatively higher class, even though I am white, and even though I don’t play sports and am not the most manliest of people I am still a human. Society creates these expectations, stereotypes and boundaries based on even the most trivial things that no one can control. Everyone behaves different and is shaped differently based upon other people, institutions and experiences just like plants change as they grow and how as I a plant I have started as a seed and been shaped into what I am now. Throughout my entire life I have been influenced and socialized by people and institutions within society based upon my class, gender, and race that will entirely change my life and how I live.
“Works Cited”
Collins, Chuck. “The Wealthy Kids Are All Right”. http://prospect.org/article/wealthy-kids-are-all-right Published 5/28/13 Accessed 9/23/14
Covert, Bryce. “Americans Would Rather Do Business With White People Than Black People”. http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/05/30/3443205/black-online-sellers/ Published 5/30/14 Accessed 9/23/14
Greta Christina. “5 Things Society Unfairly Expects of Men” http://www.alternet.org/story/147779/5_things_society_unfairly_expects_of_men?page=0%2C0 Published 7/9/10 Accessed 9/30/14.
Harro, Bobbie. “The Cycle of Socialization”, 1995, pages 15-21.
Horn, Dan. “Middle class a matter of income, attitude” http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/04/14/middle-class-hard-define/2080565/ Published 4/14/13 Accessed 9/30/14
“Interest Rates and Fees”. https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/interest-rates Accessed 9/23/14
Spice, Old. “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercial. http://youtu.be/owGykVbfgUE Published 2/4/2010 Accessed 9/23/14
“White Privilege”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_privilege#Employment_and_economics Published 9/29/14 Accessed 9/30/14.
Imagine two people, one is an upper class white male that will have a good home life, will get all the stuff they need, and will have college completely paid for. The other is a lower class african american female that will have an undesirable home life, will not always get the proper necessities, and if they are to go to college, will have to take out student loans and will start life with thousands of dollars in debt. These two people will lead entirely different because of factors and circumstances that they have had no control over. My entire life has been like the growing of a tree; I started as a simple seed but different factors and circumstances changed how I grew. Socialization is something that is always happening and it has shaped me as a person throughout my entire life. Many aspects of society socialize people based on their class, age, gender, race, etc and the people are changed for life based on those socializations whether they are changed negatively or positively. Experiences, individuals, and institutions in society have always been part of my upbringing and have made me who I am through several aspects of my identity. I have been socialized both positively and negatively as a middle class white male.
Socialization is the process are in which people are shaped and influenced by other people and institutions that can be both positive or negative. Socialization is a multistep process that passes on ideologies, theories, and norms. The process goes in a cycle called the cycle of socialization. The first step in the cycles is the beginning. This is when one is a baby, with no shame or guilt. The next step is first socialization. First socialization happens as a child mostly by loved ones, family specifically; “Taught on a personal level by parents, relatives, teachers, people we love and trust: shapers of expectations, norms, values, roles, rules, models of ways to be, sources of dreams” (Harro 16). The next stage is institutional and cultural socialization. This is the socialization of people through various institutions such as church, work, and school as well as cultural variances such as song lyrics and media. The next stage is enforcements. Enforcements are various rewards or punishments for either following or straying from the social ‘norm’ that exists. After that is results, these are the results of those enforcements and the cycle in general, these can include things such as ignorance, hatred, violence, and more. Next is actions, one can choose to do nothing and by doing so continually allow for the cycle to continue or they can create a direction for change by taking a stand and educating and question the cycle (Harro 15-21). The cycle of socialization is the cycle by which one is influenced by others in society and is a very clear representation of how people are socialized in the world..
Being born into the middle to upper class has given me opportunities and advantages that are not always fair. The largest defining factor of the middle class is the income range which is generally categorized “between $50,800 and $122,000” (Horn). Many advantages come with the money associated with higher classes. The obvious advantage being that my family and myself have enough money for living with not just the needs of life but also living with the fulfillment of our desires. More also comes with the increased money as compared to other families such as our house and neighborhood, our car, and our lifestyle which are all relatively nice and easy. A big part of a child born into a higher class is the education that they can receive because of that. I for example have gone to several years of private school and will most likely go to college partially because of my class. Some people who even go to college at all have it paid for one hundred percent by their parents while others have to apply for financial aid with interest rates range anywhere from three to seven percent. (“Interest”) So some students graduate with a degree and no debt while others have to start their life with $50,000+ in debt. (Collins) All of these factors are greatly impacted by the money that we make and our status in society. All these advantages are almost completely related to the class I was born into and am in.
As I am caucasian, I have been positively socialized based on my race and have had and continue to have different opportunities and advantages based purely on my race as compared to others. For example white people in the United States have the second highest median pay of all races (“White”). Another example is a study on the difference between buying an item online from white and african american people revealed that white sellers got more responses, offers, and money. This was done by selling used iPods on Craigslist and in the photos there were black and white hands holding the product and the posts with the black hands holding the iPod got thirteen percent fewer responses and seventeen percent fewer responses and out of those responses they were priced about three percent lower. (Covert) This means that white people in general are statistically more likely to have business done with them which is one example of the advantageous aspects of being white. Due to this I have some very unfair advantages due to my race over others.
There are many stereotypes and ideologies that exist about about men and a lot result in expectations that men, including myself, can not always meet. A lot of stereotypes exist around men, mostly about how they are supposed to look and behave. A good example is the vastly popular and well known ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ commercial by Old Spice. The commercial represents men as big, muscled, and a bit intense and uses the actor’s body to convince this. The product gives the allure of being a ‘real man’ through the mere factor of scent proving how stereotyped men are. Media portrays and extentuates stereotypes like the commercial. “We see this everywhere: on TV, in movies, in video games, all over advertising like a cheap suit” (Greta 3). Men are expected to be fit and strong and I, as a young male teen, am expected to play sports and be all fit and strong when in reality I prefer to be a little more sedentary. When one thinks of a man, they think of a big, muscular, and ‘manly’ person when in reality men differ in all aspects and because of those stereotypes, unrealistic expectations are set that I myself, and men in general can not meet.
Just because I am in a relatively higher class, even though I am white, and even though I don’t play sports and am not the most manliest of people I am still a human. Society creates these expectations, stereotypes and boundaries based on even the most trivial things that no one can control. Everyone behaves different and is shaped differently based upon other people, institutions and experiences just like plants change as they grow and how as I a plant I have started as a seed and been shaped into what I am now. Throughout my entire life I have been influenced and socialized by people and institutions within society based upon my class, gender, and race that will entirely change my life and how I live.
“Works Cited”
Collins, Chuck. “The Wealthy Kids Are All Right”. http://prospect.org/article/wealthy-kids-are-all-right Published 5/28/13 Accessed 9/23/14
Covert, Bryce. “Americans Would Rather Do Business With White People Than Black People”. http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/05/30/3443205/black-online-sellers/ Published 5/30/14 Accessed 9/23/14
Greta Christina. “5 Things Society Unfairly Expects of Men” http://www.alternet.org/story/147779/5_things_society_unfairly_expects_of_men?page=0%2C0 Published 7/9/10 Accessed 9/30/14.
Harro, Bobbie. “The Cycle of Socialization”, 1995, pages 15-21.
Horn, Dan. “Middle class a matter of income, attitude” http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/04/14/middle-class-hard-define/2080565/ Published 4/14/13 Accessed 9/30/14
“Interest Rates and Fees”. https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/interest-rates Accessed 9/23/14
Spice, Old. “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercial. http://youtu.be/owGykVbfgUE Published 2/4/2010 Accessed 9/23/14
“White Privilege”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_privilege#Employment_and_economics Published 9/29/14 Accessed 9/30/14.