Bill Clinton vs. Barack Obama

Pardon me if this post seems over-simplistic or a little edgy. I am this close to revising my voter registration from Democrat to "Who gives a damn?" Is that a political party? At first, like the rest of America, I was so energized about the primaries--we all know the story--history in the making--Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, on the cusp of creating a never-before-seen event--a minority to represent the nominee in this year's general presidential election. Whoseever side you were on--Hillary or Barack, it was full of excitement! Towards the middle of May, however, things got awkward, frustrating, and a little surreal. The election has essentially been cast in the media with the incessant polls of which demographic was voting for whom, that would really make a Sociologist smile. :) But really, it has all become annoying because the lines of reality and media fiction are blurred...even for me.

For instance, I can't seem to make out the so-called hostility between the Clinton and Obama camps. Is this hostility derived from media-driven frenzies regarding sound-bites like Clinton's use of the word "fairy-tale"? or is it simply from being a sore-loser after a hard-fought and otherwise brilliant Clinton campaign. Obviously, there's some inside stuff that I know nothing about, but I do know my feelings and Clinton's subtle support of Barack Obama is leaving a VERY VERY bad taste in my mouth for the Democratic chance in November. And here is the rest of it.

Don Imus Contro

It's no surprise that Don Imus, radio shock jock is in the news again for making questionable racial comments. He has built a career of making incendiary statements that get people riled up--its the reason WABC hired him after his firing from NBC for his wicked remarks regarding the Rutger's Women's Basketball team. His "excuse" for the comment about Adam "PacMan" Jones, troubled NFL star, where he questioned, "What color is he?" after listing his many run-ins with the law was that he was being "sarcastic", pointing to the belief that oft-times African Americans are arrested for no reason in this country. Here's why that's full of sh*#. 1) He failed to immediately expound on this "plight" of African Americans to clarify his position; 2) He was privvy to the facts of Jones' legal troubles, KNOWING full well that he hadn't been arrested for no good reason; and 3) Imus, too has fallen into this trap that the media has set to make the public believe that black NBA and NFL players are ne'er-do-wells or overpaid thugs. If you counted the number of players in both leagues and compared those with on-going or even one-time legal trouble, it wouldn't BEGIN to compare to members of the United States Congress, Senate, Governors, Mayors, Representatives, or other local officials--most of whom happen to be white! So, let's keep it real. Imus has been around long enough to know better, but then he's a whore for ratings (he's also apart of those setting those false traps!).

Structural-Functionalism

You could make the argument that you won't find too many Sociologists who are not liberal politically. After all, we tend to have more of a scientific view of the workings of society understanding that life is much more than it seems on the surface, hence the need for an open mind. However, when I think of Structural-functionalism, the oldest theoretical approach in Sociological pedagogy, I envision the root of conservativism in the works of those like Durkheim, Spencer, Comte, and Parsons, etc. At the beginning of grad school I remember being told Functionalism obselete due to the proliferation of theories like Feminism and Systems. But I believe Functionalism to be alive and well--at least in terms of how I teach it.

I compare functionalism to political conservativism, e.g. ideas similar to: a family consists of a father, mother, and children--anything else is a dysfunctional operation; poverty must exist to continue the functional operation of a capitalistic society--an increase of consumption of goods and services increases supply and demand, thus making the small portion of the rich, richer. After all, it was Functionalism that fueled Sociology as a discipline, making it completely FUNCTIONAL for Durkheim during a time of unrest and political turmoil in the late 1800's Europe--by his yielding to the political powers of the day. Durkheim was able to further the case for Sociology, the scientific study of human society, by identifying and explaining social facts in society rather than criticizing them.

However, where I think the notion of "obselete" comes in is-- because Sociology has grown as a discipline in such that it has allowed us to see the intricacies of society, we can recognize functionalism for its tendency to be much too simplistic in its explication of people and their doings...much like political conservativism. Coming full circle, then, both are viable in terms of belief systems of how things USED to function, but can no longer. The best analogy is this: You've lost your leg in a terrible accident. Instead of consternating about the loss, and memoralizing how your body should function, you need to get a prostethic and carry on with your life. This is how I would explain the importance of Structural-functionalism. And here is the rest of it.

Fat Kids

The subject of childhood obesity is a news item that rears its ugly head often on the local/national news. Whenever the subject comes up in Social Problems, I tend to gloss over it because despite the strong opinions on it or rather the opinions that people tend to adopt from the media, the reason behind the "epidemic" is quite simple. Yes, we as a society eat too much greasy food, but we used to cook food with LARD people! So, our diets are not soley to blame. In a post-industrial society, where sitting at computers all day, watching tv, and playing WII is the culture, we should expect that children be a little chubby. And we need to distinguish the kids that are genetically fat and those that aren't. Science has acknowledged a fat gene that predisposes some of us to be on the thick side. I am one of them. I must've run 10,000K up and down my block as a kid, but alas I was and still am a chubby thing. I worry about my son, the classic post-modern kid, who would rather stay inside and watch Ben-10 and enjoy the air-conditioning. Because he's an endomorph , I have to watch how he eats and make sure he gets exercise. Since we don't have child labor anymore to keep our kids slim and trim we have to be viligant about their activity level and for God's sake stop blaming it on McDonald's! And here is the rest of it.

Juneteenth

Today is June 19th or "Juneteenth" as it's called in some inner circles. This day, 143 years ago, marked the date that slavery became non-existent for ALL slaves in the United States. While the Emancipation Proclamation was ratified in 1863, many black folk like those in Texas, Maryland, and Delaware were still living and existing as slaves. The date has become more prominent in the last few years, particularly since Kwanzaa has gotten mainstream recognition and due to people like national morning radio host, Tom Joyner.
The day ought to be recognized, celebrated, acknowleged so that coming generations will "NEVER FORGET" the horrors of the African slave trade as it existed in North America. As a teacher, I know all too well the ignorance and apathy of youth who dismiss slavery as something from long ago that has no residual effect on our lives now. This notion couldn't be more wrong.

It seems ironic that Barack Obama, quite possibly the next president of the United States, is a black man whose African ancestry does not include slavery. Using psychological theory, here instead of sociological, perhaps this speaks to the dysfunction of the descendants of slaves in terms of overcoming mental abuse directly attributed to the lasting affects of slavery. In Sociology there is a concept called, racial socialization, in which black families educate their children on bigotry, discrimination, police brutality, etc. --what it means being black in America. Of course, how it's done, racial socialization that is, is not a neat little history lesson. There is a lot of hostility punctuating those sentences. There is frustration, fear, anger, and misery behind this exchange--and it happens in nearly EVERY black home in America. This is a secret that I've given away to my white students. While the black students subtly nod in agreement, my white students frown in confusion to the lasting dialogue on race. After all, they don't have a frame of reference to overt racial bigotry and discrimination...and this is why Juneteenth is important. So that they should not forget and so that we can have dialogue on race and why the struggle with race still continues.

Journalistic Terrorism

I'm in transition. It can be a slow process depending on how long one has been developing into a certain thing. I was taught to be fearful of my parents, obedient to adults, and cautious, thus becoming shy and somewhat insecure. This same socialization process continues through the media with the deluge of news stories about child rape and murder, immoral acts of unkindness (the hit-&-run gentlement left for dead in the street); tainted food, and the latest incurable super-bug. What purpose does it serve for me to know every single horrific disease that I have or don't have immunity to? or to hear that a 6-week old baby girl is raped to death by her 22-year old father? The point is to scare you and me s*#t-less, thereby changing our way of life. If memory serves, isn't this the definition of "terrorism?" So news corporations like MSNBC, CNN, Fox, and others engage in journalistic terrorism each time they report stories that otherwise try to kill your spirit and desensitize you to inhumanity. Has it always been that you hear about a child dying each and every day on the news? or Am I just more aware since becoming a parent?

So, I began weaning myself from the local news about a year ago. (They're the worst offenders). But it seems I have to get my news from organizations that are not inherently concerned about ratings--Scaring us into staying in the house to watch the news all day.

These kinds of reports are dangerous because they breed fear and make us BELIEVE that the world and humanity is worse than it really is. The fact is that crime has been decreasing over the last 30 years, (with a slight spike in the last 2 years) but you could never make that assumption by watching the news!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!

Yesterday, I happened to watch "I think I love my wife" directed by and starring comedian Chris Rock. Now, people love Chris Rock because he's a funny guy. I think he's ok--he's got some interesting ideas, some of which I object. I know for certain that poet and educator Nikki Giovanni can't stand him--at least she couldn't 8 years ago, when I met her for breakfast here in Fayetteville. Her less-than-nice opinions of him stuck with me and despite his hilarious stand-up "Bring the Pain" that put him on the map, I think his ideas are much too simplistic to be taken seriously.

Anyway, I watched this movie--which came highly recommended by my family and critics. It was OK, but the ONE part of the movie that sparked my sociological perspective and was really glad that he included was the references to race that were completely unnecessary to the film. I know that sounds weird, but I really mean it. Like when he asked his wife if there were any B-L-A-C-K kids at the camp she was involved in. To me it was a teaching moment for white Americans; those that fail to understand the importance of race in the socialization of blacks in America, and other ethnicities for that matter. Whites should understand that most black folk see everything through the lens of race. We must accept this fact in order for us to progress along racial lines.

"Why can't we all just be human beings?" is a phrase oft-used by white people to downplay race. But you must understand that to blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc. that IS what it means to be a human being. Of course, it's hard for whites in America to understand that idea since they belong to the dominant group whose vision of what is means to be a human being is and has always been white culture.

In terms of the fatherly aspect of the movie, I also found it interesting that according to Rock's interpretation, it was his role as a FATHER and not necessarily his role as a husband keeps him from cheating on his wife. Interesting...

The Sociological Perspective

Welcome! I created this site to log the sociological significance of most of what I observe and experience in my daily life. As a Sociology instructor, I require my students to keep a daily journal to do the same. At first, I asked them to keep a hard copy (tangible) diary thing, but doing a blog is so much more current. Anyway, for those who view this blog, thanks for looking and feel free to comment and add your two "sense" at any time!