Blog entry #10

I am planning on researching the idea of a typical American family. My first article is from The Journal of Marriage and Family, and the title is “Gender Family Structure, and Social Support Among Parents.” The article begins by talking about the different ideas of a family structure. Then it breaks into a few hypotheses about specific types of family environments. In one study, 5.9% of mothers and 4.4% of fathers still live with their own parents/stepparents, which is one examples of an “oddity” from an assumed typical family. Most of the studies in this article have to do with how different categories of people get and give support to one another. This is broken into sections such as whether a parent is single or not, male or female, divorced or never married and so on. This article could help with my essay through the different ways a traditional family (which is one category) compares emotionally to the other types of families that data has been collected for. One phrase I found particularly interesting was about the most significant support for nontraditional families. “It appears that friends, not kin, are the most significant members of the social support networks of nontraditional families.” This quote brings in another factor to consider with family bonds and connections with friends.

The other article comes from the American Sociological Review, and is named “Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Youth Adults.” This article begins by pointing out a change in the living and marriage patterns that has evolved over the years. It states “Young adults in recent cohorts have been leaving the parental home earlier and marrying later now than they did several decades ago...” Therefore, any idea of a “traditional family” must have a time frame of when it Is perceived because the norm is changing with time and the ideas also are evolving. Also stated is that divorce is becoming more and more acceptable of an idea as opposed to a few decades ago when it was frowned upon. A connection made in this article is from when a person becomes independent and their expectations for a family. There was a direct correlation between women who moved out and became independent sooner than others and their views on gender roles and are more likely to feel displeased by the idea of a traditional family.


Works cited:

Marks, Nadine F. and Sara S. McLanahan. “Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Youth Adults.” American Sociological Review Vol. 55, No. 2 (May, 1993): 481-493. Web. 12 April 2010.

Waite, Linda J., Frances Kobrin Goldscheider and Christina Witsberger. “Gender Family Structure, and Social Support Among Parents.” The Journal of Marriage and Family Vol. 51, No. 4 (Aug., 1986): 541-554. Web. 12 April 2010.

Blog entry #9

Before the Equal Rights movement and the days of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. started, racism could be seen all throughout America. And even to this day traces of racism can still be seen. Racism never ended, it only became less severe. Today there is a new form of racism called privilege. Time Wise, an antiracist writer and activist, believes that racism is still a defining problem in America today through the use of privilege and how it grants others some sort of advantage. He tries to help define the meaning of what it means to be racist and what privilege is in what he calls “white privilege”.

We have come a long way since the days of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and have pushed his dream on to this day. Progress has truly been made but we as a race are nowhere near a perfectly accepting society of people. Racism still exists and it now comes in many forms and degrees. Anti-racism activist, Time Wise defines racism “Racism is an ideology that says certain people, by virtue of their race, are either inferior or superior to others of a different race, with race usually being defined by skin color” (Cook, p. 5) His definition of racism can be even further taken apart by labeling racism and privilege as two separate categories. Racism is usually the focus on another’s “inferiority” to anyone else, while privilege is the idea that one is “superior” to another. These ideas have unfortunately been developed into unique ways to different cultures of the world.

Questions of color and race have been at the center of some of the most important events in American experience, and Americans. Many have come to believe that racism stopped with the enactment of the Civil Rights Act however, as Wise puts it, “just because you’ve made something illegal doesn’t mean it no longer happens” (Cook, p. 6). It’s just like the prohibition of alcohol in America in the 1920’s. It was illegal to drink alcohol but did that stop everyone? Certainly not. It is the same with racism, even though it may be illegal to discriminate people still do it just because they simply want to, whether it is because that is the way they have always lived their life or if they truly believe that it is right. Historically, an individual’s race was base upon where they came from and their ancestors. Now days, race has become more about how an individual looks, such as the color of their skin. Individuals of a particular race may be instantly judged because of the color of their skin and disguisable traits. For example, no one would ever suspect me to be a plane terrorist because I have fair skin and look American, but if I were darker skinned and had similar facial traits to a middle-eastern I would have a great chance of being looked down upon for my appearance. Racism incorporates both privileges and disadvantages. For instance, Wise reports that, “job applicants with ‘white-sounding’ names are 50 percent more likely to get called back than those with ‘black-sounding’ names, even if both have the same qualifications. That is privilege” (Cook p. 6). This directly shows how white privilege and racism is still carried out in today’s society. Race is still a powerful social idea and the American government along with the society has created advantages to being white. This frankly affects the entire nation.

As a white person I have been given many privileges when I come to my daily life. According to Tim Wise I will have a better chance of getting a job, not being pulled over by the police and I will start out with a monetary advantage (Wise 6). One may notice that Mr. Wise does not say that whites have a privilege during college admissions, which may have to do with the controversial issue of affirmative action. Affirmative action, though constitutional, is viewed by many as racism as many people; this is because it is a program that is meant to level the playing field for minorities (Brunner 1). This is racist because it is saying that minorities need help, implying they are inferior, and discriminating against whites. Reverse discrimination is not only prevalent in the universities but also in the work place. One evident case of this is when, in Connecticut, firefighters exams where thrown out because whites where the highest scoring and no African Americans passed the exam (Mears 1). Justice Anthony Kennedy found that this was unconstitutional because the department was doing this out of fear of litigation alone (Mears 1). I would have to say that privileges and racism go both ways. I am not denying that some whites are racist and receive privileges, just to look at the other side as well of the privileges given to minorities and the discrimination against whites.

In conclusion, racism is still seen today whether we want to believe it or not. Racism can be any form whether it’s having certain privileges than someone else or maybe even the simple fact that if one looked like they were or are from the Middle East, they would be looked down upon because they could be a “terrorist”. Like Wise said, “The flip side of disadvantage is advantage. You can’t have a down without an up,” (Cook). Having “white privilege” is still considered racist. It is little things like these that can make a person racist and can therefore still make it seeable in America to this day.


References:

Brunner, Borgna. "Affirmative Action History." Infoplease. Pearson Education Inc. Web. 1 Apr. 2010.

Cook, David. “By the Color of Their Skin: I’m Wise on the Myth of a Postracial America.” The Sun 2009. Copy of print.

Mears, Bill. "High Court Backs Firefighters in Reverse Discrimination Suit." Cnnpolitics.com. 29 June 2009. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. .

Blog entry #8

Probably the most important work on an essay begins before even writing it. The sources are what give my essay believability so finding the right source is important. Firstly, I evaluate what kind of material I will need for the paper I must write. If I am writing planning on writing a paper on a topic that is historical or has been known for a long period of time, then my first instinct would be to go to a library and look for material. The library is not always the best way to find a source. Sometimes a topic is very recent and a book would have not had time to be published. On types of writing like this, a newspaper or magazine would be much more appropriate. Such sources may not always be as reliable, so more work goes into validating a source and verifying what they say than actually using them. I personally never like using newspapers and magazines because finding them always ends up being a hassle and the information is so brief. There is no doubt that my favorite way to get information is through the internet. I have found many people (some being teachers) who discredit the use of the internet for finding information in any form. They say there is too much information and it cannot always be trusted. The way I see it, the massive amount of information is one of its greatest advantages. As long as the site you are using is a creditable one, then why not use it rather than the inconvenience of the library? It can again be very helpful when I have an idea of what type of image or any specific item I would like to include but have no idea how to find it in a library (If the library even has anything relatively close that is). Basically, I usually stick with the internet and libraries for all my sources.

Blog entry #7

The Norman Borlaug article went into detail of using science to help improve our crops. This is the kind of ideal I believe in when it comes to the future of mankind’s food. The idea of having organic food and natural foods that are pure and delicious is a nice…idea, but not completely realistic. The video we had watched in class said that only a fraction of the people on earth could be sustained by organic ‘old school’ farming techniques and that just isn’t good enough. Science is the difference in the ability for us all to live comfortably.
To further increase his argument, he confronts the ‘naysayers’ we have been discussing in class. To call the scientists supporters of antiscience, is to discredit and demean their argument against him. Then following that he credits them to helping the overall quality of food from the environmentalist movements. It seems nonproductive that the people who oppose the ideals of agricultural science only appear to talk about the problems and not the solutions given in this article.

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For the article of our choice, I have decided that the Kellogg’s text provided could actually be useful for my argument. Although, this will not directly be for my side of problem. I am planning to write about how I am with the ideals of agricultural science and its goal to produce a greater food. My plan for this article is for its extreme view on what companies can do to “own” something. I will use it to address this issue as a naysayer topic and compare it with the overall idea of agriculture and science.
As ridiculous as this article seems, the company, Kellogg’s, is a credited group with “128 billion bowls of Kellogg's Corn Flakes are eaten worldwide every year”(Kellogg’s article). This works nicely for using an ethos approach to the argument.

Daily Mail Reporter. “Kellogg's will use laser to burn logo on to individual corn flakes to stamp out fakes.” Mail Online. 13 October 2009. Web. 9 March 2010. .

Blog entry #6

Chapter 18 of the book goes into great detail of Pollan’s experience hunting wild pigs. I found this chapter somewhat humorous in the way he explained his hunts. When he finally got a chance to get a pig he ends up making a simple mistake that cost him an entire day’s worth of searching.

Moving on to chapter 15/19, he had an experience while gathering mushrooms that struck me as odd. He found a mushroom and was very sure of what he found but a great deal of reluctance held him from even coming close to eating it. The fear we are instilled with of the unknown or uncertain can be broken by the word of someone else’s “expertise.” By himself, he would not eat the mushroom but with his friend, he went on to eat it and feed it to others. This could be compared to how we just accept what an establishment such as Burger King gives us because we can view them as a sort of “expert” in the food industry.

The final chapter of this book describes how he feels in the end of this meal tied to his own findings. As good as food can taste, for some reason, when you prepare it yourself, it definitely tastes better. Though maybe one’s self really just tastes their food topped with pride.

Blog entry #5

In chapter 16 of the omnivore’s dilemma, the origin of disgust was briefly summarized. Pollan said that it all began with food. I find it intriguing that this emotion can so easily be pinned back to our basic instinct to eat while it is associated with so many feelings now.
There is an example of one of Americas biggest problems with eating on page 300.The French paradox is considered strange because the food in question is said to be unhealthy, yet they have less health problems related to food than us. It may seem obvious but apparently it isn’t to today’s culture that quantity is just as important as quality. The text describes how the French do eat such foods but they do it on a strict set of rules. This is very unlike the American diet where we eat what we want when we want it. So obviously, (or so I would think) you can eat a product with half the carbs as another but if you have 3 helpings while someone only has one of the unhealthy product, then who is really eating healthier?

Blog entry #4

This week’s reading I found to be somewhat interesting on how the different life forms work together on this “beyond organic” farm. At first I laughed at the thought of letting hundreds of chickens run around through the pastures as a natural pesticide but this seems like a very efficient way of dealing with such a delicate problem.
A quote from Pollan, “I couldn’t recall the last time id even attempted to do anything consequential before breakfast, or before caffeine at the very least” demonstrated the ideology of the average American now. How Americans need to get some sort of intake of caffeine to function.
The term “grass farming” stood out to me. Instead of designating Joel’s farming style to the final product, he refers to himself through the way he farms. The grass gives variety to the farm and the care of it is the heart of the whole operation. Without the grass, there would be NO farm to have. So with all of this in mind, a grass farm seems like a very appropriate name to use for one’s farm. After all, there are few more terms more organic than “grass.”

Blog entry #3

Throughout chapter 12 and 13 (and the rest of his book) Pollan brings up good points about how people do not regularly view their food. Along with these good points he seems to continuously bring up the same complaints with Wal-mart or McDonalds over and over and over again….. I suppose this is an effective way to force us not to miss his point but this is becoming a pet peeve of mine while reading this book. With that out of my system, chapter 12 goes on to talk about the slaughtering of chickens and of how “ignorance is bliss.” It seems likely that if everyone were to actually watch a slaughter house in action, at least some people would completely change the way they look at meat. Since this would be an economic disaster for the food industry, they try to avoid these sights from the faint of heart. One part of this chapter that slightly worried me was about the workers reactions to slaughtering like this routinely. Pollan said that jobs in slaughterhouses were dehumanizing and it was “not uncommon for full-time slaughterhouse workers to become sadistic.” This effect on one’s nature seems quite disturbing when it is pointed out like this.

Blog Entry #2

I had heard the term “organic” before, but I never fully understood what it meant. Like most people I just assumed it was a self-explanatory word. A term that means normal animals grow in normal conditions on normal farms. It appears though, that what I thought is just what the industries would like everyone to think. But is this really that bad? It feels like we are being tricked in a way into believing they are better than other farms but I really don’t mind this betrayal. To my knowledge, eating their food hasn’t harmed me or presented any risky effects from eating it. I do not feel that this debate extends to the consumer as much as it is a fight between competing farmers.
On a similar note though, the treatment of animals on these farms is labeled as better and more humane than big industry farms. But the author explains the kind of loop hole these industrial farmers are getting away with. For example, the term “access to pastures” was used as a requirement for being organic animals. At first this sounded fair, but the author explains that “access” could just mean that the animals can graze for a set period in their lives then be confined for the rest of it.

Blog entry #1

I found it interesting that in chapter two of the Omnivore’s Dilemma a sense of irony is pointed out about farmers. They can feed numerous amounts of people with the crops they grow but are barely able to feed their own families with the profits from farming. This is a classic example of how the modern age is leaving behind old ways of life. While these products are crucial for many of the latest inventions, the hard workers are seemingly being exploited. Another point from the O.D. reading I would bring up is about the “human gluttony” David Wallerstein spoke about. I think it is odd how people would try to cover up their want to buy a lot of food by just buying LARGE single packaged items instead of a few smaller ones.

The main focus in the TSIS reading this week was on quoting other’s work. I could relate to a lot of the points brought up in this chapter. One of my biggest problems in writing is not being able to effectively quote what I want and how it represents what I want to say in my own writing.