Global Concerns and Ideas

Global Concerns

            There are many global concerns plaguing the earth in today's society. With the development of new technology and easier ways to make money, these concerns are starting to become a rapid issue in the world.

            One of the global concerns that stood out to me is how the rich are becoming richer and the poor and becoming poorer which is eliminating the middle class.  This is very apparent in America,  the poor are getting a lot of help from the government but they are still stuck in lower class.  The rich are going out of the country for cheaper costs and therefore making more money.  This is not helping the lower class at all because the price for goods is still high and there is less jobs for them out there.   

                     

            The social structure in America is changing today from what it used to be.  The old social structure had the majority of the nation in middle class. They are now associated with lower class because of the lack of work and money.  This changes people lives not only financially but socially as well, they start to associate with others in their similar situation. They may have had friends that came out on the top and that relationship usually falls apart because the bridge for that relationship is too far. 

            I'm not saying this is the case for everyone but for a lot this is a reoccurring idea.  They have to change their kids lives as well from who they know to what school they go to.  Social structure is discussed every day in this nation it's what people use to compare and compete against others or to better themselves.  This is a large issue not only in America but also in other nations with a few different factors.

            Social Networking has been becoming a global concern for the last ten years. It has been amped up in the last five.  You read about people that invent websites for people to connect through and have all these gains from.  These guys are pioneers in the industry and have led to so many other websites that create dating, shopping, business, and school opportunities. 

            This is all on a global scale, people are talking daily without ever meeting face to face in reality.  This has its pro's of never having to travel or put extra effort in to achieve the goal they set.  But there is a few con's like the hermits you get that just never leave their computer and end up seeing their life in a social network work rather than real life.  Which from studies leads to depression and lack of social skills.

             Although it's not 100% perfect the internet and specifically social networking is getting more successful every day.  You now see adds that 1/5 relationships begin on the internet and you see college you can take online for people that can't go to a campus. This idea helps many people and many businesses so its definitely a global concern because it is used by most of the world.

                In summary, more social issues are going to start making themselves apparent. I think it is crucial for us to understand them, or prevent the issues from doing harm.  But there are positive ideas about the issues in which society could use to become even more successful. 

Chapter 8-Social class and Social Stratification

This article talks about the social stratification of america and how or where most Americans see them selves in the class system.  
http://ezinearticles.com/?Social-Stratification-in-America&id=923055



This photo talks about the current problem in america, the rich are getting richer and the poorer are getting poorer.


This video is the simplest i could find on social stratification best watched on mute, poor song choice to go with the video....again. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyX6ICxLv5k


Information on Social Class and Stratification
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea7lk5.htm - Specifically on Socioeconomic Status
http://www.sociologyguide.com/questions/social-stratification.php - Social Stratification


Quote:
How a man plays a game shows something of his character; how he loses shows all of it.             -Unknown


My thoughts:
This was probably my the hardest chapter for me to understand and thats why i chose to do at least one blog on a chapter i struggled with.  I found it interesting because it did explain all the different classes that there are for different societies.  I did not enjoy reading about the lack of ability to change your class with out money or education.  Those are things we take in the united states for grant.  They are so common for everyone that we dont consider not getting an education a personal choice of disobedience. 


Where in other countries its an honor to have money or education so i guess our class system of owning property or items for a social status does not exist in other countries.  Thats where the book confused me a bit and how the other classes are different in other countries. The estate, caste, and class systems.  Each individual one applies to different societies in the world. I liked reading about stratification when Marx and Weber talked about it.  It made me think about how i am classified and what groups im put into. The stratification of my life has actually helped shape who i am and it is in every "click" because without it there would be no competition or prejudice. Which is how we can tell it exists because you see prejudice and competition all the time. 

Chapter 8 Crossword

Please complete the crossword puzzle below

																												8
											2									10
															3			5
										1
	6																	9
									7
										4

Across: 1. He agreed with Marx that classes were formed around economic interests. 4. He provided a complex and profound analysis of the class system under capitalism. 6. The social structural position groups hold relative to the economic, social, political and cultural resources of society. 7. Derived from certain factors such as income, occupational prestige and education. 9. Refers to belief systems that support the status quo.

Down: 2. Opportunities that people have in common by virtue of belonging to a particular class. 3. The midpoint of all household incomes. 5. The value others assign to people and groups. 8. The perception that a class structure exists along with a feeling of shared identification with others in one's class. 10. The amount of money needed to support the basic needs of a household, as determined by the government.