A Sociological Scavenger Hunt - Essay Example

24 July Assignment A common everyday item that I have chosen is a mirror. A mirror is very easy to find because almost all people make use of it. The most common place where a mirror can be found is any bathroom. All bathrooms house mirrors because people come out of the shower and look at themselves, women put on makeup in the bathroom, people use mirrors to check their reflections in public bathrooms, office bathrooms etc before a meeting, or absolutely at any time if they feel dissatisfied with their appearance. Apart from this, mirrors can usually be found in bedrooms and sometimes even in the living room. Mirrors also hold a superstition according to Feng Shui where the Chinese philosophy assists people in placing the mirror in a strategic location within their households so as to reflect positivity throughout the home and not invite evil spirits. Thus this item is very easy to locate because it can be found in anyone’s home and is not subject to use by a specific group of people only. Everyone uses a mirror in order to check their reflection and decide whether or not they look presentable to go out and meet others; mirrors help people decide whether or not others would look at them and think them to be pretty and attractive. Mirrors however may also signify a different meaning; many people tend to think that they are a symbol of vanity because there are some people that spend a great deal of time looking in the mirror at themselves because they are either narcissistic in nature or are troubled by the way that they look. Mirrors hold a very strong significance on people’s lives because not many people can live without them; many poets and authors have also included the subject of mirrors in their works as a connotation of being able to reflect on themselves as a character within their stories. On the other hand, mirrors are also said to be a symbol of an introspective nature which means that people tend to think deeply about themselves when they look in the mirror; they might find someone else looking back at them which simply means that they are either not satisfied with their reflection or cannot face the person that they have become because of whatever turmoil may be going on in their lives. Mirrors tend to give people a true picture of themselves and that is why they say that nothing can be hidden from a mirror. These items are also used as craft pieces or to decorate homes and gardens in order to reflect positive vibes and also the illusion of a larger space, which is created by their reflection. (Enoch) Mirrors thus help people to understand who they are and people like to reflect upon themselves personally rather than listen to others. It gives each individual a sense of satisfaction to look into a mirror and decide for themselves how they look and whether or not they are ready to face others. 2. I attended an evening dinner thrown by my Latin American friend and I consider his culture to be a subculture in the United States of America. A subculture refers to a culture that is not the dominant culture but a part of it. Latin American people form a subculture in the US because of their large number and enthusiasm with which they have not let their identity slip away by the overbearing American culture. They consist of closely knit families that have come from South America mostly, and have formed settlements in parts of Northern America. Most of them have jobs in the lower or middle class strata of society and are unable to go higher. However, they are quite content with the same as long as their rights are not stripped off of them. My friend called me over for dinner and as the evening progressed I came to the conclusion that the beliefs and attributes that his family held were far more different than the ones that were present in the dominant American culture; the family came together to eat dinner which seldom happens in American families; each member was very close to the other and we spent the night dancing away and engaging in fun conversations. In most American families, a nuclear household prevents children from meeting their grandparents on a frequent basis and even keeps them from meeting other relatives. In my friend’s family, I met with his grandparents and they were more than excited to discuss with me their past and how they came to America and began adapting to the lifestyle here; all of this reminded me that I had spent such little time with my own grandparents and paid no heed to their stories and thus the difference in both cultures. Furthermore, the dinner did not hold any special significance yet most of the family members from far and away were even present; in an American household, relatives hardly meet with each other and sometimes never if not for the holidays. Brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles and aunts were all present making it a full house and helping me realize the values that this particular subculture held. The older people in the family were able to teach the younger generations their motives and beliefs well without the children retaliating unlike an American household where younger people are rude to their older relatives and disrespect their elders. Despite having a few different beliefs than the ones that my friend’s cousins held with respect to certain dinner topics of conversation, I felt only happy to keep my calm and listen to their points of view because they taught me how to respect one another – something that personally would have been absent in my household. Therefore, the Latin American beliefs of living together as a family, celebrating life on a frequent basis without an occasion, helping others and understanding one another’s point of view as well as respecting the younger generation as much as the older generation set them apart from the dominant American culture. Attached above is a photograph of a few members of my friend’s family. 3. Ordering take-out food Analysing a painting High and low cultures have been segregated from each other by cultural theorists who are under the impression that the difference lies in the mere appreciation of an object; low culture is derogatory in nature and is referred to everyday habits that people have caught on to which have become a part of their identities and stereotypes. For example, American low culture includes take-out food, gossip, magazines and popular music – things that have become a subconscious part of not only most Americans but now have begun to spread around the world. On the other hand, high culture refers to discourse and admiration towards cultural products such as various aspects of the arts. For example having knowledge about various paintings and understanding and analysing the manner in which great artists have depicted their work. By understanding the definition of high and low cultures any individual would be able to differentiate between the two upon having a single glimpse at objects or aspects belonging to the different cultures. For example, when a group of youngsters go out to spend an evening to relax they end up either grabbing a drink or ordering some food in and spend the evening watching mindless television or a movie or something along those lines. This may be understood as low culture. On the other hand, when someone has an appreciation for either a genre of films or artistic paintings and they go out to exhibits or museums to understand and analyse the same, it is understood to be a part of high culture. The mere difference lies in the fact that high culture has some substance to share as compared to low culture because high culture helps to enhance an individual’s knowledge about something whereas low culture can be treated as an aspect of leisure. (High Culture, Low Culture) People need to understand their personal views and beliefs regarding something in order to adapt high culture into their lifestyles. If one has a keen interest in analysing and collecting paintings, reading acclaimed literature, or participating in something belonging to a particular culture, he or she will be able to adapt a certain high culture into his or her life. On the other hand, gossiping about something in order to pass time idly, or succumbing to the habits of dominant cultures where no action is taken deliberately in order to learn something new or attain knowledge refers to low culture. Stereotypically speaking, high cultures are said to be inculcated within people belonging to wealthy and influential families because they are able to indulge in higher education that teaches them about having interests in the classical way of life. Low cultures on the other hand are adapted by people belonging to lower or middle classes of society because they indulge in the everyday habits of ordering food, talking loudly without appreciation of the arts and more importantly, not having the passion to inculcate knowledge regarding the sophisticated or higher way of living. 4. A socio-political rally was held by some school students and I was excited to be a part of it because it was mainly trying to spread the message of equality of rights for people having a different sexual orientation, i.e. gays and lesbians. Such people are made so by nature and of no fault of their own and thus should not be shunned away by society. A number of photographs and clippings from modern day movies and television shows were taken in order to help people understand that the world has moved forward in this respect and that people have begun to accept gays and lesbians as human beings belonging to the same society. However, there still are many people that feel repulsed or weird by this subject at hand and thus the rally was aimed at improving their personal awareness and helping this gender of people to find their place in society without facing any discrimination. Such rallies regarding gay and lesbian rights are held almost all over the world and do not refer to a new concept; furthermore, a number of movements, organizations and societies have been started in order to protect the rights of people belonging to such groups. Oscar winning films like ‘Milk’ have helped to portray that gay people have the right to contest for elections and head states and countries because they are just like other people and thus should not be discriminated against with regard to their sexual preferences. They have feelings just like other human beings and should not be regarded to be different than others because of the manner in which nature has made them. The rally thus supported their rights and was held in order to help gays and lesbians in high schools and colleges to come out of the close with ease without having to face any form of oppression from members of their families or members of the school or college that they belonged to. There were a number of students that had sought refuge with the counsellors in schools and colleges with regard to their sexual orientation and the fear that they had to keep themselves from talking about the same to their family members because they did not think others would understand them. The parent of one student even threatened to have him sent away because he feared the taunts that people in the society would give to him it was known that he had a gay son; the son had no option but to suppress his thoughts in order to keep his father’s word however that reflected on his grades and his school work and when the time came to apply for colleges, he was not able to send in his essays and applications because they asked him questions about his identity – something he was not able to come face to face to because of fear of telling other people due to his father’s threats. (Lady, Michelle) Such boys and girls have the right to live a worry free teenage life; that is the time when most people experiment with their bodies and with themselves in different fields in order to understand who they are. The students heading this rally also spoke about the young man’s story as stated above in order to help people understand the seriousness of the situation when they stop a gay or a lesbian from being who they are. The targeted audience was not only older people but younger people as well because a number of students in schools and colleges are said to have threatened and taken advantage of gay and lesbian people. 5. This picture has been taken from the Dove commercial; it depicts women of all shapes and sizes as well as different races. The significance of the ad is to show that anyone can have soft skin and good hair if they use Dove products. The point was to let women know that no matter what their shape or size, they can still feel beautiful if they tell themselves the same. Most women these days are influenced by newspapers and magazines depicting pictures of skinny women because they are able to fit into fashionable clothes without bulging out of it or looking awkward. However most people do not realize that such women are either photographed in a different way so as to attract people to buy that particular magazine or may even suffer from health disorders forcing themselves to stay thin because they feel that is what looks sexy. However, public advertisements like the Dove commercial help women to understand that no matter what their size or skin tone might be, they can still look and feel beautiful because they are beautiful if they believe themselves to be so. To be feminine and sexy one need not be stick thin and portray to the world that they can fit into anything. Women that are curvy are in fact more appreciated by men as compared to women that look like they belong on the cover of a fashion brand’s brochure. The location of this photograph is a backdrop in a studio and the target audience for the purpose of this commercial is any woman in any part of the world. It was easy to find this commercial because it is quite renowned and more and more women have begun using Dove products because of the image that it portrays for any woman to have the leverage to use the products without feeling shy. The location of the advertisement was not really significant in the making of the ad however the clothes worn by the women depict that they are not afraid to show some skin because they feel good about themselves despite not being skinny and also that they are united in this feat together. (Howard, Theresa) Works Cited Enoch, Jay. "History of Mirrors Dating Back 8000 Years History of Mirrors Dating Back 8000 Years." Optometry & Vision Science 83.10 (2006): 775-781. Print. "High Culture, Low Culture." The Christian Imagination n.d. n.pag. Print. 25 Aug. 2012. . Howard, Theresa. "Dove ads enlist all shapes, styles, sizes." USA Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2012. . Lady, Michelle. "People rally in hopes of opening minds to gay marriage." WLOX 13. N.p., 18 Aug. 2011. Web. 25 Aug. 2012. . Read More