Mike Tyson and Freddie Gray Assignment

My Life As a Young Thug

As I read this article about Mike Tyson growing up as a thug, I thought to myself, I wish everyone had the dedication like him. He went from having a crummy life to being a professional boxer. After being such a bad kid when he was younger, he found the dedication to pursue what he had always found an interest in to do. He put all the hard work and dedication into becoming a boxer. He worked to get enough credits to go and fight Mr. Stewart, one of the counselors at Elmwood. Elmwood was the school Mike Tyson got sent to after his multiple charges against him became too long to send him to all the New York City vicinity. He worked hard enough to get his Honor Roll star and enough credits to go and “see” Mr. Stewart. He went there and fought Bobby Stewart. He ended up getting punched so hard in the stomach he threw up. Bobby told him just to get up and walk it off. The way Mike Tyson was brought up in a ruff environment and found something that he could put his time and effort in. He worked really hard to become a boxer and all his hard work payed off. He become one of the most well-known boxer. Him and his buddies collected and hid pigeons in an old warehouse. Pigeon racing was very popular according to the article that I read. I didn’t know much of Mike Tyson’s story before reading his article about him growing up a thug. It was really interesting learning what Mike Tyson grew up in and what he got out of by becoming a boxer. I think that society failed Mike Tyson if our society would just help people like thugs and people like the younger Mike Tyson, everyone would be better off. People like the younger Mike Tyson would get help from society they might actually graduate from high school and not drop out when they are seven years old. Mike Tyson did that he quit school when he was seven and got taken into the thug life to be used for ruthless acts of crime. He got taught things that he would have never been taught if he would have just stayed in school. That is why I think society failed Mike Tyson. I think that the government should also help thugs, just like welfare helps poor people. Overall, I really enjoyed learning and reading about Mike Tyson I didn’t know much about him and know I feel like I have a good grasp on his story.

Why you should know what happened in Freddie Gray’s life — long before his death

As I was reading this article about Freddie Gray I was thinking to myself why does the government not do something to help people like him. Why doesn’t the government help them get into a school that he has a higher chance of graduating from. Why doesn’t the government help them have a better home to live in. If the government only would have done that Freddie Gray’s life and many more might have been a better life to live. Freddie was a child that was born premature and had a lot of health problems from being born premature. His mother was suspected of doing drugs when she was pregnant with him and his twin sister. He didn’t graduate high school, because he was diagnosed with attention deficit disorders and impulse control problems. He was later put into a special education room. The school he went to had teachers that would miss up to ten days at a time during one school year. A lot of the teachers didn’t know what they were doing because they were so new and uneducated on how to teach. If the government were to help the students that go to school in underdeveloped schools, like the one Freddie Gray went to, I think that there would be a higher percentage of graduating students in schools that are underdeveloped. If the government would put better educators in schools like the one Freddie went to. The government could also help by making better homes for people like Freddie Gray to live in. When he was younger Freddie Gray was tested and the doctors found that he had a level of lead in his blood seven times higher than a child at his age should have in his system. Which that high of a level can lead to severe and permanent brain damage. Freddie Gray was at a high risk of obtaining brain damage while living in his home. If the government would create better ways for people like Freddie to live in it would help with the costs of medical bills for those who can’t afford it. I think that Freddie Gray let himself down in ways and at the same time I think society let him down also. He let himself down because he never found a drive like Mike Tyson did. He let himself down he could of gotten out of the thug life like Mike Tyson did, but he didn’t. Society also let him down because he was going to a school that needed better educators, and a program that really didn’t help Freddie become educated like he needed to be. Overall, I think reading the article is very informational and it helped me understand facts about the way Freddie Gray had to live before he died.

Lord of the Flies Blog

Prompt 1: “Society knows perfectly well how to kill a man and has methods more subtle than death”

                I agree with this statement 100 percent. The more society grows the more people are going to butt heads and not agree with each other. Having a president doesn’t always help. There is always going to be someone who is out of the loop. There is always going to be that one person who has bad thoughts about doing stuff. This is why there have been so many things that happen in the United States and all over the world. These such bad things would be known to be: school shootings, terrorist attacks, serial killers, and many more things. They way society forms a person makes me wonder what it would be like if everyone in the entire world would live in a giant bubble and had to follow very strict rules and wear uniforms and couldn’t do anything bad. It makes me wonder who would be the first person to crack because they can’t take it anymore. This is what people do now. They crack because they can’t handle society anymore and want to make a statement so they go out and shoot a school up. Doesn’t make sense but that is what society does. Yes, I agree with the statement at the top, society knows how to kill a man and has methods more subtle than death.

Prompt 2: “If we can’t separate our civilized self from our savage self which will take over and why?”

                I think that our savage self will eventually take over our civilized self. The only way it won’t is if you have a really good head sitting on your head like Ralph did in the book The Lord of the Flies. I believe that our savage self with takeover because we will eventually fall into temptation. Temptation when it comes to our personal self in my eyes is the root to all evil. Our savage self is going to take over fist because of temptation and because out savage self has taken over our minds are not going to think twice about what it tells our body to do. Because out savage self has taken over our minds are not going to think about our conscious we have when we think about doing things. This is why bad things happen is because our savage self takes over our civilized self.

Prompt 3: How is civilization created? Are people controlled by society or is society controlled by people?

                Civilization is created when man built shelters near rivers for water and somewhere close to food too. Civilization was created because man needed a place to settle, so they built shelters like I said in the previous sentence. I believe that people are controlled by society. People somewhere in time set in stone norms for society. Everyone just follows them and when someone goes against the norms they stick out like a sore thumb. For example the Florida school shooting that just took place last week. The ex-student of that school decided that he was going to shoot up the school he got expelled from. In school everyone follows rules and when you don’t follow them there is a punishment. His punishment was being expelled, because of this he shot up the school and killed 17 innocent people. He went against the norms of society resulting him to stick out like a sore thumb and his face all of social media. This kid shooting up that school resulted in a big uproar and I am sure that is what he wanted because his savage self-took over. He hadn’t been taking his pills like he was supposed to which resulted in his savage self to take over and his mind not to question what he was doing. Therefore, I believe that we are controlled by society and that it eventually makes people go crazy.

Questions:

1.       What is the LOTF talking about?

a.       Simon is the odd man out right now and that if he doesn’t start to fit into the norms he is going to end up dead.

2.       What has Simon been doing that makes the LOTF angry?

a.       Going against the other boys and staying to himself, not picking a side.

3.       Why Simon in particular?

a.       Because he is hallucinating and because he is very famished and is keeping to himself, stays away from everyone else.

4.       Why not any of the other boys?

a.       Because they are all fighting between the two groups and they all went against the norms of the society that Ralph had established. 

Refugees Assignment

1. How long does the typical refugee process take?
             a. 18-24 Months
2. The Obama administration had a goal of admitting how many refugees in fiscal 2017?
             a. Admission 110,000 refugees
3. Over the past decade most of the refugees have come from what 2 countries?
             a. Burma and Iraq
4. How many Muslim refugees entered the U.S. in 2016?
             a. 39,000
5. Most of the refugees were resettled in what 3 states?
             a. California, Texas and New York
6. Looking at the bar graph (shifting origins of refugees over time) list 3 observations that really surprise you.
             a. In 2004 50% of overall admitted refugees were from Somalis, Cuba, and Laos
             b. How many of Asian refugees the US allowed over the time period of 1975-2017
             c. The decrease of European refugees the US allowed.
7. Looking at the bar graph (religious affiliation) list 2 things that surprised you.
             a. How large the number of the religion is Christians.
             b. The slow increase of Muslims allowed into the US.
8. Looking at the pie graphs (American generally don’t welcome refugees) why do you think Americans were more welcoming of Albanian refugees in 1999 compared to refugees in other years?
             a. Because it is the start of a new generation, and the culture is changing things are more acceptable now.
9. How have refugees changed in South Dakota over the years?  Most refugees today come from where?
             a. Went from Afghanistan to Sudan to Somalia to Bhutan then to Burma back to Bhutan
             b. Most came from Bhutan
10. Using the map above what are 3things you learned about other states and their main refugee settlements.  (Ex. Ukrainian refugees and where they settled.)
             a. That in 2017 Bhutan and Burma refugees are in nine different states
             b. Dem. Rep. of Congo refugees are in most of the states (14)
             c. Eritrea and where they are settled (Montana)
11. What is the ceiling for refugees decided by Donald Trump?
             a. Trump ordered a ceiling of 50,000 total refugee
12. Tell me one thing looking at the line graphs that you have observed.
             a. Number of refugees slowly decreased
13. How many people are now displaced from their homes in the world?
             a. Nearly 1 in 100 people worldwide are now displaced from their homes
14. How many Syrian refugees are now displaced from their homes?
             a. About 6 in 10 Syrians are now displaced from their homes
15. What 2 countries in Europe are receiving record number of refugees?
             a. Norway and Switzerland
16. Do you believe the U.S., being a world power and first world country, has an obligation to help refugees and/or give them humanitarian aid?
             a. Yes, because we are a big enough country we might as well help them out, they are coming from a country that has nothing.

Bacha Bazi Assignment

Reaction Part:

            I do not think that this custom over there should be allowed. Someone needs to go against the custom and end what is happening to all those poor young men. Those men are being violated and the boys are having their lively hood ripped away from them. They are having all of that torn away just because it is a custom over in Shomali. Those boys are being victimized by sexual predators and being dressed like girls for enjoyed. It is extremely wrong that these boys are being used as enjoyment for the predators that took them. In my mind someone needs to go against the norm and make it so that the custom is no longer a custom. It is all wrong that those boys are getting their lives taken away from them just because it is a custom over there and are used for predator’s enjoyment.

Sociological Part:

            If I were to put my feet in the boy in the article that I read I would be able to understand how he felt. I would be able to understand how he felt while he was being violated, not having a family, constantly being forced to dress as a girl and go and “please” his predator. My feet are now in his shoes. I would feel like that there is no hope and that there is no way I would ever be able to escape it and get back to my family. But wait…my family doesn’t want anything to do with me. Now I just feel very depressed and don’t want to be here anymore. I just want to get away from all of these horrible things that are happening to me. I wish that the guy that is doing this to me was dead or would just let me go. Wait, now is my chance, I could break free from this. I finally escaped from this horrible life. But, now I have to be on the run because I am afraid of being captured again, so I have to hide so none of those horrible men can find me again. I am free but not truly free. I wish that I never would have been captured, my life might actually be normal. I wonder what it would feel like to be normal. Normal is there such a thing? I guess I will never know, my life has been altered and I will never have my past back. I just have to except the fact that I must live my life the best I can now and just stay hidden, so I cannot be captured again. 

BARNGA Blog

    1.       Confusing.

    2.        I didn’t know how to play so I was expecting not to understand how to play the game.

    3.       When Brooklyn and Tyeson came to the table I was at and they had gestured that the diamond won, but my instructions said that heart was supposed to win.

    4.       I just went with it.

    5.       Nothing, I usually don’t talk so it didn’t affect me.

    6.       Yes, because it is a game and at the same time it isn’t a game at the same time.

    7.       No, because if people would not bother other people and make a small thing into a big thing then there would be world peace and harmony.

    8.       That we play it one way and other cultures might play it a different way.

Sociological Mindfulness

The video we wanted made me think and understand the ability to be able to put my feet into someone else’s feet. It made me understand how other people have to live life and sometimes that life really isn’t the greatest. How that video relates to me and the life compared to my boyfriend’s life. My life is very simple and dull. I currently have to part-time jobs, I am a senior in high school, and I am also currently getting ready to enroll in college. My at home life is very boring, and sometimes chaotic. I am a normal teenager, sometimes I listen to my parents and sometimes I don’t and when I don’t I get yelled at and basically it just grows from there. My life is basically life any other high school senior, just waiting for graduation day so I can move out and be on my own. My boyfriend’s life on the other hand isn’t so normal. He has ADHD and was diagnosed with it when he was very little. His mother didn’t except the fact that he had it, so she sent him to “treatment” for it. He was in treatment for little under ten years. After he got out of this so called “treatment” he was put into foster care. He was then currently 15-16 years old he was living with a family in Groton, SD. After he turned 18 right before his senior year he moved back in with his mom. After living with his mom for about half of the summer of 2017 he moved back to Groton with a pastor and his wife. He has been with the pastor and his wife now for a little under 2 years. He has been so much compared to me. I never knew how to understand what he went through, but watching the video made me understand how easy it is to try and understand how he feels and what he has been through. The video we watched made me change the way I think of people how I understand how they live and kind of get an understanding of how they feel. I see myself fitting into the big picture of society as a girl that people can come and talk to for advice. I see myself as someone who can help a person who is struggling through any situation. I find it very easy to relate to most situations, but if I don’t I usually am able to understand and help someone through their current situation. That is where I see myself fitting into the big picture of society. 

Freaks and Geeks Assignment

Q: Thoughts and ideas from the episode.

                        A: I thought that it was a really good episode for trying to understand each conflict. Conflict Theory Example: Nerds trying to decide if it is a good idea to fight the bully in this episode. Functional Theory Example: How Lindsey interacts with the “bad” kids. Symbolic Interactionism Example: When the boy asked his older sister, Lindsey, if she thought that him and his friends could beat up the kid that was bully them.

Q: What are the groups and what functions do they serve?

                        A: Nerds, Bad Kids, Smart Kids, Popular Kids…they serve a purpose to show us how the sociological theories play out in real life.

Q: Are there negative influences from any of the groups (dysfunctions)?

                        A: The Bad Kids skipped school, so they have a negative influence. None of the groups really didn’t have any dysfunctions, just the bad kids picking on the nerds and making fun of the kid with autism.

Q: Who has power in the episode?

                        A: The girl, Lindsey, who is supposed to be a smart kid, but basically wants to make her parents mad and become a “bad” girl.

Q: How or why do they have power?

                        A: She has the power because she can choose her own path and life. She has the control for her life and she had influences telling her what to do, she just had to choose which ones to listen too.

Q: How do they use it?

                        A: In the beginning she chose to use it for the bad, but meant it to be good, and in the end, she finally chose to do the good thing and to become smart kid, and dance with the autistic boy at the dance.

Q: What are the important symbols in the episode?

                        A: The nerds struggling with a bully. Lindsey struggling with life. Kids finding dates for the dance. Bad kids struggling with what they want to do with there life.

Q: How do the characters act based on the symbols they find important?

                        A: Nerds decided to fight the bully. Lindsey decided to dance with the autistic boy, and chose to become the “good” girl. The younger brother to Lindsey didn’t find a date to the dance but went because he got promised a dance by the cheerleader in the episode. Lindsey ended up working the refreshments stand at the dance then went and danced with the autistic boy. Bad kid found that he wanted to be a drummer.

Q: Can you relate any of these theories to your own life?

                        A: Yes, the conflict theory.

Q: How can the things you do be interpreted through one of these theories?

                        A:  I can relate the conflict theory with my own life because I always second guess myself on anything. Then, I’m always conflicting between two or more things to decide or choose.

Silence Questions

1.       What do you think about the awkward silence?

a.        I think that awkward silence could be avoided in most situations, but people make a big deal about it, when awkward silence could be avoided. Therefore, I think that awkward silence is not a big thing and that it can be avoided if students, kids, etc. didn’t make it such a big deal.

2.       Do you see how we set expectations based on our experiences?

a.        Yes, because we are so used to someone or our teacher, being there telling us to do something or what not to do, it is just the norm and we are used to the norm.

3.       Did you know what sociologists studied before taking this class?

a.        Yes, these study the way groups of people and try to find a pattern or a reaction to what they are studying specifically for that group.

4.       Do you realize that students expect the teacher to tell them what to do?

a.        Yes, students are used to that because that’s the way we have been taught and have adapted since elementary.

5.       Can you see how this crushes a love for learning?

a.        No, students just get used to the way teachers teach

6.       What do you think about the idea of blogging as a way of teaching others?

a.        I think it is a good idea, because it is easy for students to find a blog on the internet knowing that most students have a laptop or a computer on hand.