Post 3

We all stereotype in one way or another, this also means that we are stereotyped but stereotyping is also different from generalizations. A generalization is when people are educated about a group and use past experiences to adapt to the situation however a stereotype is just an assumption made about a person or a group of people.

No matter where you go someone is always going to make a generalization about you, if this is an educated generalization is can be beneficial. Take me for example whenever someone finds out that I am from New Zealand then they go and make the stereotype that I must play rugby or watch rugby in my case this is true but not every New Zealander on the planet likes or plays rugby. In the reading gang leader for a day by Sudhir venkatesh we find another case of stereotyping because as we read we all make the assumption that the gang members are all uneducated and have no skills to allow them to get a job but later on in the reading we find out that the gang leader is a college graduate but could make more money on the streets than from his degree.

This shows us how dangerous it really is to stereotype and also shown me how many times a day we make generalisations about people, also how generalisations are healthy and are how we understand the world around us however stereotypes are the complete opposite.

Sociological mindfulness

When I think back on my time here in the United States of America I like to feel that I am fortunate. Having the chance to experience two different societies and how these societies differ in major ways such as in America people are in such a rush to grow up they don't get to be a kid by the time they are starting school they are already setting themselves up to figure out what college they are going and they become so focussed on that one thing. Whereas in New Zealand you go through schooling where it is compulsory to play a sport and play an instrument, we use schooling as a way to figure out who we are and to complete this journey we do a gap year this is how we figure out what we truly enjoy, to figure out what degree we want to do at university.

Sociological mindfulness is knowing how you are being influenced and how you are influencing others this got me thinking about how society influences me and how to go about planning my future yet I also realize that the way that I go about my transitions through life whether or not I decide to take a gap year or go straight to university will also impact my two younger brothers. Who will see what I did and follow in my foot steps we have created this sort of sheep mentality of follow the leader without really thinking for ourselves. Schwalbe understood this, he understood the rarity of sociological mindfulness " how our ties to others lead us to think" this really makes you think how much of your thoughts and how you feel has been influenced by society in a major way.

Sociological imagination is realizing that individuals are influenced by the society around them. Sociology class has really opened my eyes two these two important ways of thinking without society I would of never realized how I was being influenced by others and how I was influencing others. Sociology has also shown me that not many people think this way or understand how they are being influenced and how they influence others.