SumBlog 3

This week we learned about religion and how greatly it can vary. I found the Westboro Baptist Church documentary really interesting as I didn't know much about their religion prior to Wednesday. It's crazy to see how different their beliefs are compared to other religions. This made me think about what types of things a "religion" can be.

In class we learned that religion involves beliefs of the sacred. While this usually means some sort of a higher power, I think it can mean something entirely different to someone else. One type of “religion” I considered was sport. Some people live and breathe American football, baseball, basketball, football (soccer), rugby, etc. This sport can be such a strong part of their lives that it becomes a religion. They believe that this sport makes the world a better place, they follow it relentlessly, and the outcome of games affects their mood. People can believe in a team and can practice their belief by attending games or watching on television. This may seem like a strange example to some people, but it is normal for many others.

Another aspect I thought of was love. Some people’s undying love for someone can be a type of religion. This reminded of a song by The Cab called “Her Love Is My Religion.” If you listen to the lyrics, the singer feels lost without his girl. Even in the title of the song you get the gist of the idea; her love is his religion. He lives for her love and she is a part of him. I think this song is a great example of how religion doesn't always have to be about a higher being for some people.

I think for the sociology definition it’s okay to say religion is based on the sacred. However, it isn't necessarily that way for all people and for all definitions. Religion is a subjective term; it isn't something that can be defined the same way by or for every person. 

SumBlog 2

In class this week we discussed sex, gender, and sexuality. To some people, sex, gender, and sexuality go hand in hand. They think everything is one way and if you act different than you "should" then you are wrong and need to change. Other people, completely disagree with this and think each thing can extremely separate. There are others who sit somewhere in the middle that acknowledge and respect both sides. Wherever you lie on the spectrum shouldn't matter to anyone else but yourself.

Understanding the differences between sex, gender, and sexuality can be quite confusing to some people. I found yet another Vlogbrothers video (I think I see a trend growing here) that perfectly defines each aspect. This video goes even further and talks about sexual orientation, romantic orientation, and sexual behavior. There are pictures that help show exactly where and what Hank is explaining. I think this video can help many people better understand this topic and recognize why everyone is different. It’s nice to be able to get a physical view on where each idea occurs in the human body. People who don’t understand why some people can vary from others would really benefit from watching this video.

Our other topic this week was on disability. We learned that there are two different kinds of status and how this applies to disability as a status. Ascribed status is a social that one has involuntarily; one they were given without choice. Achieved status is voluntary, one that a person has earned or worked for. When learning about achieved status I thought of Drake’s song “Started from the Bottom.” In this song, Drake says, “Started from the bottom now we’re here.” While Drake doesn’t exactly say where he is, it is implied that he is now famous and higher on the social scale than he was when he started his career. (Warning: this song contains explicit language)

SumBlog 1

The discussions we had this week and last week covered inequality; class & status; and race, ethnicity, & nationality. We learned a lot of important definitions and ideas over the past three class periods. During the race, ethnicity, and nationality discussion I thought playing Guess Who was a great activity and really got us thinking about view others from the outside. The statistics we received about upper-, middle-, and lower-class in the U.S. were really interesting and surprising to me. The topic of inequality and societal norms was also intriguing.

While learning about inequality I couldn’t help but think of a YouTube video I watched a while back. Said video was made by Hank Green, co-owner of the YouTube channel Vlogbrothers. Vlogbrothers started in 2007 as a way for two brothers (Hank and John Green) to communicate via Internet for one year—which they dubbed Brotherhood 2.0. However, they grew a following and continued making YouTube videos even after the Brotherhood 2.0 project was completed, and their videos still follow by the rules they came up with at the beginning of Brotherhood 2.0. For example, all videos must be less than four minutes and, as you’ll notice, they address each other at the beginning and end of each video. The Vlogbrothers channel isn’t a specific genre; they discuss anything and everything and do so with the power of nerd and being awesome.

While their channel doesn’t appeal to everyone, this video relates to our topic of inequality and makes it relatable to most people. Hank takes the inequality from The Hunger Games and translates it to our society.

Enjoy! Vlogbrothers: "I Am President Snow"

Another video I found relates to our discussion on class and status, particularly caste systems. This video is made by other Vlogbrothers owner, John Green. (Who is also a really great author. You should check out his work. A movie is coming out in June based on his book The Fault in Our Stars. It’s a phenomenal book.) However, this video is for the YouTube channel Crash Course—which is an additional channel John and Hank created. On Crash Course, the brothers teach the audience about literature, science, history, etc. in about ten minutes. These videos provide lots of educational information and are also entertaining to watch. The video I am sharing is about India’s history. You can watch the whole thing if you wish but 1:32-5:19 is when the video focuses mainly on the Indian caste system.

Happy learning! Crash Course: "Buddha and Ashoka"