the movie

Today we started watching a movie where a guy goes to jail just to see what it's like, and how people get treated there. First I took it a little like a joke but then I felt really bad. From watching just a small segment of this movie, it becomes clear that jail doesn't change anyone to their good side, it just makes people become better criminals. There is absolutely no counseling or anything to help these people out. So if we are not making these people better people, then what is jail for?? Just to keep them locked up?...I think jails need to change, get counseling for these people and make them understand what they can do in the world besides killing people and selling drugs. Someone needs to teach them there are so many opportunities that they can take. But unfortunately it doesn't do that!

war protest

A couple of months ago I went downtown to participate in a protest against war, mainly Iraq war. ON my way there, I didn't have any expectations. I thought it was going to be a small thing. When I got there, the first thing I noticed was the number of young people that showed up. There were a lot of groups from various universities. Everybody was expressing their feeling and held nothing back. I think it showed a lot about our country, we might not agree with the war or high taxes, but we have an incredible amount of freedom. I imagined if this protest would have been going on in another country, how would the government react? They would probably end it in a violent manner and throw a bunch of people in jail. But, here, in USA, these people openly talked about their feelings towards the war without being scared. After i was there for about an hour, people started showing up. And by the time we started marching, there must have been a million people. It just shows how much these people actually believe that they can make a difference. And another thing that I found very interesting is when this grandma came up to me and said, "It's a great thing you guys are doing, you're young, and are going to have to live in this country!". I found it very interesting. The point of this hole thing is if you wanna change something about your life or this country, don't stay home and just complain. Get out of the house and go do something about it!!!!!!

Volunteer!!!!

I have volunteered before. I personally think that it's a good thing to do. You do something good for other people without actually expecting something in return. In our society, almost every single thing depends on money. If we need money, we go work for it. Also, when our parents ask us to clean the house, we want money. When someone asks us to babysit, we ask for money. It's not a bad thing, it's just what our society taught us to think. So my point is now days we do very little without expecting something in return, so I believe that volunteer service makes us better people and teaches us to help others.

snow day?

I thought it was kind of stupid when we didn't have the second snow day. The first snow day was awesome eventhough the weather wasn't that bad. But the weather conditions on the second day were much worse. And I understand that a lot of people depend on wheather we go to school or not, because they get paid. But doesn't the school have to consider the safety of the students too? Driving that morning was the most dangerous thing ever, and some people got in car accidents. And another thing that seems not right is the fact that the worst snow started at 12 and the school let us go home at 1. Seems kind of dangerous to let the students go home in that kind of weather. Everything would be so much easier if we just had a snow day!!!!!

The Awkwardness of Silence

I think that in today's society people are uncomfortable with silence. On TV, dead air is considered very bad for the network. I think that that is exactly how it is in real life. Someone should always be talking, the conversation needs to keep going, everybody keeps thinking of the next thing to say so we don't reach the point of awkward silence. That is what we learn from a very young age. People do talk too much, and leave no chance to listen to the other person, because while the other person is talking we think of the next thing to say. Living in this country, you literally sign up for a hectic life. In the US, people always run, someone always needs to be somewhere. No time to have a real conversation or spend time with families. I have experienced awkward silences. When I get in trouble with my parents, they usually just look at me with a look of disappointment. I believe that it is more effective, because there is nothing that they can say to make me feel more guilty about what I did. Their silence, pretty much get the job done. People should learn to accept and be more comfortable with silence. If we accept silence, we would slow down our lives and have better listening skills.

Me on Blogging

I actually think that this is a good thing. You get to express your thoughts and how you personally view certain things. It might bring people out of their comfort zone and get them to experience new things. Also, while blogging you can discuss certain issues: political, cultural and etc. People will respond to your thoughts and you will get to see how other people feel about that particular issue. It will make you see outside of the box and consider other peoples' opinions.

Hi

Welcome to my blog, this semester of sociology I will be writing about school, music, tv and etc.

Thank you,

Dasha