Thursday, April 30

Crips n Bloods - themes to spark your writing

'Crips and Bloods' - if you missed it in class. See below for paper prompts. Film Paper (#6) due Wed or Thur. Then Day has a week off. For evening, next Thur is portrait paper. One citation in each might be nice but not required.

  1. solutions - given the problem what, specifically, are the solutions; gang interventionists are mostly privately funded; how are they really working? know anyone who got out of a gang through anything other than death or art? How? Interviews are good here. Anybody remember RLA? What would you and your team do with those millions?
  2. compare a second movie, e.g., "Children of God" (gangs in Brazil) or "Death in Gaza" (teaching little kids to be martyrs). In both these, art is a way out. There are many other "second" films out there that depict gangs.
  3. gangs and gender - impact on gender. G-mas. Maybe your G-ma was selling drugs, everyone selling drugs. OR gangs as hyper-masculine: all competition. Kill (win) or be killed (lose). total masculinity style: total competition: they shoot one, we shoot one.
  4. history of the US and its impact on clubs - gangs.
    industry, training, WWII, automobile industry
  5. control - atmosphere of denial of what the sources of gang life are. The sources are sociological while the official belief remains with the goodness or badness of the individual.
  6. "controllers" - being in a service position of trying to direct paths away from tragedy and towards the light, e.g., probation officer, counsellor, etc.
  7. lone white - being a lone white in the midst of it. or a confused white in the midst of it.
  8. Crack and that historic story, being specific, adding something key
  9. super-gangs in prison; super-controls from authority
  10. Role of fathers - men - what, specifically, does a father add to a family; what is a family; what is the masculine guiding hand? It been adapted by black women. What are the special insights gained?
  11. your intersection with gangs, e.g., I worked at a school for H.S. dropouts. We were supposed to send the kids home if they wore baggy clothes. Yeah. I coudn't do it because they couldn't.
  12. compassion the movie brings to the viewer - is compassion drawn out; what do we do with it?
  13. technology in the US history and technology in gangs: 1970s - moved from fist fights to guns. Why? .
  14. Gangs control each other in parallel ways that the police create and control gangs, e.g., territory, color
  15. life cycle and gangs - aging gang members
  16. Kids need the authority of structure
  17. gangs in other ethnic groups - similarities and differences. One of the articles actually states that Asian gang members are in part resisting the "geek" label.
  18. You have "heard all this before" - was shown nothing new . . . If so, you have even more to detail to add. More for understanding on colors, signs, signals, clothing, names, gestures, events, rituals, grading, ways and means. The internal ways and means of drug sales...
  19. illegality of drugs and gangs - money and hierarchy derived from becoming part of dealing
  20. if resources are available for a young person, can/does he choose non-gangs? are no alternate resources available? How do some remain out?
  21. gangsta culture - what do you see seeping into the non-gang culture?
  22. compare w violence, warfare in other countires: guerrila warfare, Northern Ireland (fewer than 15K dead in that war). Guerrilla warfare: only one side knows the territory on which you fight.
  23. technological state of affairs of resistance and control - see "extra" features on the DVD of "Children of God"
  24. personal experience such that watching the film is too difficult to do - and substituting a film that shows you the route to a more thriving and humane society
  25. art as the route out. This requires access to the means to the production of art. Expression - children - creation of a "we". Nurturing, not fighting. Resources for creativity. One-on-one change. Looking at humans as humans.

books: The Dark Alliance by Jack Webb or The Black Hand.

Tuesday, April 28

Women’s Image on Cosmetic Advertisements

Hello Everyone, I am doing my portrait paper on women’s image on cosmetic advertisements. I want to focus my paper on how cosmetic advertising redefines women’s beauty.Does anybody would like to share any opinions on this topic? Any input is appreciated.

Protrait

Can any one tell me ideal questions to answer for the protrait paper?

Monday, April 27

Overruled!

Documentary back ON! I was overruled! Student power!

Steering Kids in the Right Direction

Living and growing up in ELA is not always easy on kids. The high frequency of gang initiations and the fact that most gang members join from 12 to 15, puts kids in a uncompromisable position. Of course, with the right decision making tools, knowledge and services, this age group can be steered in the right direction. Education, sports, and music programs are useful in keeping kids busy and away from gangs. Also, teaching kids the dangers of gang activity will ultimately help them make the right decisions now and throughout their lives. . . . . . . If anyone has a story, they’d like to share, of how they were “steered in the right direction,” or just any comment or insight into this topic, it would be greatly appreciated.

Sunday, April 26

Child Sexual Abuse

I am doing my portrait paper on Child Sexual Abuse. Can anyone give me
any ideas of what to write for my topic? What kind of informations that I
need to write for my paper? I am having trouble of how to start on it.

Thursday, April 23

more on bad names

Maybe name calling tells more about the name caller than the target. Bush was called Hitler too. That is a link to some of those times. It's better to stick to the issues than to call names. Name calling just makes people angry; it doesn't educate.

Wednesday, April 22

Portrait Paper

I am doing my paper on Latina women and their family relationships. I was wondering if anybody would like to share any opinions or stories. Any info is welcomed. Thanks a bunch.

Monday, April 20

HAPPY 4-20 EVERYONE!

You might have opened this post with a smirk on your face and said to yourself " this guy is for sure a stoner" well i am not. If you do smoke marijuana, by all means enjoy your buzz partner, I am in no positon to judge anyone's actions- god knows i have made someone interesting choices myself. I am only posting this to bring to light the stigma society has placed on a regular day, Apr 20 th.

So what is 4/20? ive heard a million things like, its "adolf hittlers birthday" or "its national pot smokers day"

we have placed a symbol/meaning on this day. that if someoone were to celibrate 4/20 they would be a pot smoker, i believe we can view 4/20 through the eyes of G.H Meads Symbolic Interactionism. Society has given this day meaning, symbols, stigma etc...

anyone else agree with me? disagree? or want to add?

Having Trouble with Paper #3

I am having trouble understanding Paper #3. I know there is an example for paper #3, but, I don't understand what I supposed to write for the paper. Can anyone help me out! Thank You!

Paper #3

I'm a little confused.... how long is paper #3 (Library paper) supposed to be?

Monday, April 13

I Have a HUGE favor to ask

hello everyone, im in the day soc 301 class, and you know how we have our paper due on april 20, well i have prior plans & im not going to be able to make it to school at all on that day:( soooo, can someone please be kind enough to give me your email so that i can send you my paper and you can print it out & turn it in for me. this would be so helpful to me, please please please:) thank you

night class. th

okay, i am a bit confuse. So to get this straigh, we are NOT turning in a paper this thursday???

Hooray for the Library

Did you learn anything? What? What could be done even better?

when is long enough?

How long do you have to be in a relationship before you can be considered in love? is there even a time limited? is 3 months to short to tell someone you love them?

Sunday, April 12

Portrait Paper Alert

Repreive! Portrait Paper delayed one week! Portrait Paper delayed one week! Library session can be used by you to "ground" your portrait of a group of people. E.g., if you are interested in portraying the group called "teenagers today" or "white teens today" or "gay teens" or "Latino mothers" or "gangs in LA" or "honest politicians" or "our elders" or "girls-women" or "guys and mating" or "young minority entrepeneurs" you will have the opportunity to search for articles depicting them.

Hence: for both day and night classes, paper #3 is the Library paper - it is due after the Library session. Due Day: Monday 20th. Due Night: Thursday 23rd.

Portrait Paper is #4 - due Mon 27th or Thu 30th. Happy Holiday

Wednesday, April 8

Is Anomie on the Rise?

Our current economy is not in its best shape and as a result many people have lost their jobs. Unfortunately, issues arise from a non-productive individual, such as - how to take care of one's family, the stress of putting food on the table, or even staying a float with all their current bills. The internal insanity seems to build for some more than others and all logical reasoning goes out the window. They no longer have respect for human life and all the social norms no longer matter and before we know it it seems as though society is no longer as we know it. The unthinkable seems to be fair game. Take a look around, why are these mass (three or more) murders happening? Is anomie on the rise?

Relationships that just dont end...

Have you ever been with a girl/guy and you cant forget about them after a break up? then one of you calls "just to say hi" and before you know it your dating again? then a month later you break up again? only to keep thinking about that person, even though you 100% know it wont work out? and there's as better chance of snow in los angeles then a stable relationship between you two?

i have been through this cycle with this girl for the past 2 years. now shes on zoloft, lol sory baby. didnt mean to drive you crazy......

Friday, April 3

A sample Paper #2


I wrote a sample to show you how one stream of personal development can be seen in sociological terms. Situating our lives sociologically allows us to see personal experience in social context. Let me know if it illuminates the assignment for Paper #2. Click here