Lord of the Flies

1) Society is very sneaky and cruel to everyone. There is no mercy on any individual, as in no matter how many good deeds you do in your life, or even bad things…society will still try to tell you, you haven’t done enough, or you did something wrong. I would say this quote is more referring to the nonliteral killing of a persons being by breaking down their spirit, attitude, morals, etc. to eliminate who they really were as a person. If society doesn’t accept you, they will ignore you, they will avoid you at all costs to essentially delete your existence in society as a whole. Without literally killing you of course. But sometimes at this point you’d as good as dead.
2) Well no matter how well and how long a person is taught and trained how to function in society and live, breathe, and think in a civilized manner…we are animals all the same as those that surround us in nature. We are like monkeys, dogs, even lions. We are here to survive and protect our own or even more so ourselves. There is savage in us all whether we believe it or not. We are not ideal beings who are formed by the mindset of equality and following norms. We are always competing for power and wealth and when the situation arises wouldn’t you be more concerned about making sure you have food and shelter for yourself before you try to provide that to a stranger that you have no attachment to?
3) I think civilization is created for those who want the power to lead and direct people, and for the people who want leaders to tell them how to live and provide purpose in their life. People are controlled by society most definitely. There are the far and few who take power and create/change guidelines of society, but in the big picture the majority of those in existence abide by the rules of society. As much as we like to say that we rebel against society’s norms, are we really? We still follow laws and wear our seatbelts, don’t we?
4) LOF is saying that Simon should just give up on his civilized self because the savage in the boys is stronger. LOF does not want Simon trying to push and direct the boys to participate in efforts to get themselves rescued. Simon is not wanted because he is ruining ‘the fun’ on the island by trying to lead the boys and create a civilized society within the group of boys. The boys would eventually kill Simon for trying to take power and tell them what to do because that is how it works in the animal world. If the leader is ‘corrupt’ in the eyes of the people, or someone wants to challenge the leaders power. They will simply eliminate their existence. Simon is the least afraid to put himself out there. Unlike Simon, the other boys conform to the savagery because they are scared and do not want to cause trouble, they are already controlled by the society of the group. 

Barnga

If you could describe the game in one word, what would it be?
a) quiet
What did you expect at the beginning of the game?
a) everyone to get worked up and mad because no one knew the directions
When did you realize that something was wrong?
a) two years ago where it all began
How did you deal with it?
a) I stole paper clips
How did not being able to speak contribute to what you were feeling?
a) i still talked anyways because Reints is partially deaf
 Is my title above appropriate for the game of "culture."  Why or why not?
yes, you can tie this game to culture
 Is a universal language and set of customs necessary for world peace and harmony?
probably but it still won't make a difference
 What can a simple card game teach us about our culture?
no one understands each other

Sociological Mindfulness

I feel as though I am subconsciously mindful in a sociological aspect because of my background. For example, with my ethnicity, though in school and in my class, I am seen as equal, it is surprising how many people discriminate against me for the little bit of Native that I am. Because of this I feel as though I must constantly put myself in my family’s shoes being that they are minorities, and then that of those who see me as being different or lesser and why they feel that way.

With my own family I am always criticizing them and why they have degraded their own lives to as worthless as what they are. Then I put myself in their position and you realize, they are not motivated. They have no drive to get up and be successful in their lives and it is hard to motivate yourself when you have no one else to drive you. Therefore, they go nowhere. For those who discriminate against me for being Native, they do not know me, they have not met me. They assume I am like my family who is like every other scuzzy Native you meet. But I put myself in their shoes, they will always assume we are all the same. They don’t are to know me. They have been taught for generations that we are all gross and worthless. And when I put myself in their shoes… I would be just as ignorant as they are too.

In the big picture of society, I see myself as being one little tiny rock in a handful of sand. Nothing special or different or remotely worth noticing. I will work, I will be married and have my kids. I will never leave the rural land of Mid-North America because I do not want to deal with those who try to taint society with their racism and discrimination nor those who live down to those low standards and provide nothing towards society. I will not make a difference, I won’t fight for anything but my kids and my right to be left alone. I won’t go anywhere big and I won’t do anything crazy. I just want to pay my taxes and health insurance and watch Family Guy every night. In society I will be like every other stable middle-class American who turns their head and ignores the big issues that do not affect me. 

Freaks and Geeks

What are the groups and what functions do they serve? Are there negative influences from any of the groups (dysfunctions)? This is functional theory. It was developed by Emile Durkheim.
A. Parents/teachers: they keep the young people in check. Freaks: they’re intimidating and they represent ‘bad choices.’ Geeks: they’re innocent, less attractive and not masculine. They are always facing some sort of conflict they must solve on their own. Bullies: they give the geeks issues. They try to intimidate others even though they are physically not intimidating,
Who has power in the episode? How or why do they have power? How do they use it? This is conflict theory. It was first developed by Karl Marx.
A. The bullies. They harass the geeks and create constant conflict. They use this power to intimidate the geeks and take their anger out on them. Lyndsey’s counselors and parents. They are adults and she isn’t. they use this to prevent her from hanging out with the wrong crowd.
What are the important symbols in the episode? Note that the symbols might be an object, but also might be an idea, an event or something else. How do the characters act based on the symbols they find important? This is symbolic interactionism. You can connect it to Max Weber.
A. Lindsay's army jacket. Everyone notices that she is wearing it, including her brother. It represents her individualism and her rebellion. It also shows that she is questioning who she is as a person at this point in time.
Can you relate any of these theories to your own life? How can the things you do be interpreted through one of these theories? For example why do you wear what you wear or why are you going to college or why do you stress yourself out to get "good" grades?
A. I don’t feel as though I experience any of these theories in my life right now. I wear what I wear because it’s cold out. I’m going to college because I’ll be bored if I don’t. I’m too young to be a housewife and have kids, so you know. I don’t care about good grades, I show up to school because it’s a state law.