soc 350 suicide (sumblog 9-30-13 #3)

 It might be really odd but I like talking about suicide  I feel that if we are open about talking about it then we are more open to help people with it. To think not only yourself but others and everything pushes and pulls people. That with today and our new social ways and the virtual lives and ways you can escape but it also opens you up to more people being able to hurt you. It's an interesting idea as to where to balance things not only in your own life but how you make things balance in other peoples lives.  Think of all the people that lean on you. I once had someone tell me.  "It's not the person that committed suicides that is hurting most. It's  the ones left behind that are hurting the most. The ones that have to think and wonder why and what if's." I guess I agree with this in  a way. If someone I know was to use suicide as a way to get out of the pain they feel in life I would feel so bad  and I would not understand why I didn't help. Why they didn't ask for help. I would have so many questions. Its been an odd idea for me to make a connection from grief to suicide  That maybe the loved ones from  that act would be pushed to commit it themselves. Maybe the only thing that holds them back is they know the pain and loss their loves ones would feel. To me it is interesting that Emile Durkheim's work of how a person is pulled not only as a group but also alone into committing suicide. I think it still holds true today that if anyone gets pushed to much in anyway that they can start to feel this way. Looking at groups that we are with for support and to guide us in our actions is very true. I think we all want to think that we do not look at others for help or ideas of what we should think about a idea. But we do we can't help it we base our ideas of other peoples ideas. If we did not do this we would start all over again and again on every level and not reach to the heights we have today for standards. I am setting a challenge for myself this month. I want to put the time and effort in to read a book called"13 Reasons why." It is by Jay Asher. It's been recommended to my by someone that close to me. I want to take the time to read this book to help me get a understanding of how what I do affects other peoples lives. I want to make my affect be a positive and loving one. The video I posted at the top is one that when I was having a hard time I made a strong connection to. I want to make sure that if I know anyone feeling that why that I can be there to help them even if its just to give the the suicide helpline number. 

SOC 350 The veil Race (sumblog 9-24-2013 #2)

For this week the idea that really hit me was that there are veils we have in society. The veils keep us from seeing things clearly but once we remove them we are so blinded by the full understanding we are in a dazzled state. It's my goal to try and remove one of the veils that I think gets in the way a lot because we just got so used to it that we didn't remove it or think about it. So first I am going to try and put you in the mind set. Look in a mirror  You see yourself right?...I hope so. But moving on what race are you? Now think of why you said that race. Was it based on your looks or color? What if I said look at your clothing what race are you then? What if I somehow change what you see to just be in black in white then what are you? Each time I take out the source of what you use to place yourself in a race it get harder to place yourself. The link below will give you some fast info about race. 
http://www.pbs.org/race/001_WhatIsRace/001_00-home.htm 

SOC 350 Materialism ( Sunblog 9-17-2013)

"Democracy favors the taste of physical pleasures. This taste, if it becomes excessive, soon disposes men to believe that nothing but matter exists."(Tocqueville, 1835-40/1969:544). I was really interested in this idea. I guess that maybe my background or own ideas keeps me for needing so many material items. I feel like after know Tocqueville's idea about material's that I would like to know more about how to do more with less. Even after all that though I don't think it will ever get rid of the serotonin rush that I get after I go shopping or getting something I have really wanted. I did not like Tocqueville's theory for the fact that he seemed to just blame democracy for the problem. Where I personally feel that no one things can be blamed for materialism. I think that it is a complicated web of a bunch of different groups that play into so many people and groups being more material based than others. I think the Theory still holds true to today maybe not in the same way as it was before but it still holds it's place in society today. We wait in lines for so long just to get a new game or phone but really have we ever thought of why we do this?  We could wait just a few months or a year and it would maybe cost less and then we would have time to really think about if we want it or not. I think we act like little kids at christmas time we can't so many things and we like having so much yet after we get it we hardly use it. I mean just think of how many electronic devices do we have in our room? The Ipods, computers, Tv's, cell phones, Nooks, cameras.... They all add up. when will we fill we have filled our need for things? Maybe we have to find something more meaningful to fill it with like love, friends and hobbies. I think it would be nice to live in a world where everyone does not take more than they need that at least everyone has the basics. So next time we plan to pre order something or stand in line for something for so long ask why we our doing this. Maybe something  more meaningful could be done that would give a material item to someone that really needs it like food or clothing. 

http://rsrc.psychologytoday.com/files/imagecache/article-inline-half/blogs/2558/2012/03/90783-87029.jpg