We've covered a lot of issues this semester in our sociology class. A lot of the topics that we discussed are issues that are very prevalent in today's society. There are two topics that I think will become continue to be debated and shown all over the news for several years to come. The first is same-sex marriage and the second is our economy and what it makes people do.
Over the past decade the issue of same-sex marriage has become a major topic not only in politics but in sociology as well. I mentioned in one of my previous blog entries about how it is becoming more accepted as my generation starts to take control of the world and let their beliefs known. I have no doubt that it will become more accepted in the world as the years go on. Studies are already being done about how it effects a family and also how it effects a child raised in that environment. It will continue to remain prevalent in today's society and I feel like at some point it will become a social norm. The people who participate in same-sex marriages will no longer be considered "deviants".
The other issue emerging just in the past few years is our economy. The dramatic roller coaster that is the global economy has sent people through twists and turns. It has left too many people jobless, possibly homeless, and sometimes with no way to provide for their families. I think that if the economy continues to take a turn for the worse it will start to effect our crime rates. People will do anything to provide for the ones they love, even if it means killing their neighbor; it's just human nature. It will be interesting how the economy effects the people of the world. Hopefully it will turn around before anything too crazy happens.
Overall I feel like same-sex marriage and the economy are the two biggest emerging issues in sociology. I feel like out of all the things that we covered in class over the semester these two will remain the most prevalent in years to come. They affect so much on a broad scale and yet as a general topic are still a big deal in the world. They will remain in politics and on the mind of sociologists everywhere for many more years to come.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
References
I left all of the hyperlinks on there so you can use them to check out my references. I know that you're noy supposed to on a research paper but since they're online I figured it would be okay.
Deviance and Crime:
Causes of crime. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://law.jrank.org/pages/12004/Causes-Crime.html
Fire work picture:
I’m not sure how to do APA citations for a picture.
FreeAdvice Staff. (2011). What is a crime?. Retrieved from http://criminal-law.freeadvice.com/criminal-law/criminal-law/crime_law.htm
Sperling, B. (2004, March 30). America's best and worst cities for crime. Retrieved from http://www.bestplaces.net/docs/studies/crime1.aspx
Gender
Advameg, Inc. (2011). Gender roles. Retrieved from http://www.faqs.org/health/topics/8/Gender-roles.html
Carlson, D. (2002, February 19). Acceptance of homosexuality: A youth movement. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/5341/acceptance-homosexuality-youth-movement.aspx
Familiy and Religion
Mcfarlane, S. (Producer) (1999). Family guy: Leathal weapons (s3:7) [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdljoPda7R0&feature=related
Berman, J. (2010, September 2010). What makes a family? children, say many americans . Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/WN/defines-family-children-americans-survey/story?id=11644693
Hartford Institute for Religion Research. (n.d.). Does the modern american family have enough time for church? . Retrieved from http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/quick_question2.html
The Pew Forum. (2010). Report 1: Religious affilation. Retrieved from http://religions.pewforum.org/reports
Deviance and Crime
Did you know that for cities with more than 500,000 people Nassau-Suffolk, New York has the best crime rate in the country while Tuscon, Arizona has the worst (Sperling, 2004)? Just a fun fact. It makes me happy to live in a state that doesn't have a lot of crime. But what is crime? “A crime is any act or omission that violates a law which results in a punishment (FreeAdvice Staff, 2011).” The funny thing about crime in the world is that if you’re in a different country they may not see a crime here in the United States as a crime in their country. You could even go state to state and have a different law. A good example of this is the sale of fireworks. In New Jersey you can’t buy them but if you go across the Delaware River with your New Jersey license and you can buy just about any fireworks you want from a vendor in Pennsylvania. Shooting fireworks on the 4th of July is an American tradition but if you don’t shoot them it’s not a crime. This is called Deviance.
Deviance according to our book is “behavior that is recognized as violating expected rules and norms.” Staying on the topic of fireworks, you’d technically be a deviant if you didn’t ever shoot or watch fireworks on the 4th of July and you’re a citizen of the United States.
There are a lot of reasons why sociologists think people become deviants or commit crimes. There have been studies since ancient times on why people do the things they do. After all isn’t that what sociology is all about, study of people and culture. An article that I found gives a good understanding of why.
“Reasons for committing a crime include greed, anger, jealously, revenge, or pride. Some people decide to commit a crime and carefully plan everything in advance to increase gain and decrease risk. These people are making choices about their behavior; some even consider a life of crime better than a regular job—believing crime brings in greater rewards, admiration, and excitement—at least until they are caught. Others get an adrenaline rush when successfully carrying out a dangerous crime. Others commit crimes on impulse, out of rage or fear
(Causes of crime, nd). ”
Another reason that sociologist talk about a lot is when a group of deviants get together they form a social bond. They create their own culture where people fit in with each other. At this point are they considered deviants? What do you think?
http://law.jrank.org/pages/12004/Causes-Crime.html Causes of Crime - Explaining Crime, Physical Abnormalities, Psychological Disorders, Social And Economic Factors, Broken Windows, Income And Education
Fire work picture:
What is a crime?
America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime
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