Blog post no. 4 - Identity

Within our society there are numerous different forms of identities which we are made up of, many of which we may not even think to include as part of our identities as there are certain parts of our identities which are ascribed to us for example nationality and gender. My own identity as a Scottish, white, female, teenager is what makes me who i am and with that there are certain stereotypes.For example from some older peoples' point of view of my identity as a teenager they may automatically presume that i am a disrespectful, hooded, vandal, just another "youth of the day" getting drunk and causing trouble.
We like to feel that we have control over our own identities, therefore it is the different ways we all choose to embrace our "pre-programmed" so to speak identities that make us who we all truly are.
How much of our identities are shaped by the society we live in? Years ago it seemed much easier to assume someones identity from there gender, class and ethnic background etc, you were either classed as male or female, lower, middle or upper class it was as simple as black or white to determine a persons identity. Now we have finally achieved a sense of freedom and equality compared to the way things used to be. Everyone strives to create their own individual identity and to feel unique this can be seen by the way someone dresses for example and whether or not they conform or challenge the "norms" of everyday life. And there is definitely no going back now.

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Blog Post No. 2

"Schemes are full of pregnant teenagers, unemployed, semi-literate thugs on benefits. They are all a bunch of wasters!"

This above statement may be true to a minority of these schemes however if we apply our sociological imagination to this statement we can see that this may be a rather unreasonable bias collective view. This rather stereotypical view seems very likely to have been made by someone who has never experienced this way of life... so who are they to judge on something they have know prior knowledge of. Yes, many of these schemes may have some people like this living there, but could they not also be found all over the world? I can understand why many people may have this view as I know that I (like a vast majority of Britain) am quick to judge. So maybe if we stopped being so judgemental and acting like we are any better than them... maybe if we took some time out of our "perfect" way of life to listen and understand the different circumstances in their lives... the next time we seen a pregnant teenage girl walking down the street we might actually think before we open our mouths and discriminate.

Even if this fact was entirely true then why would it be this way? What is being done to help people like this? Is it right to leave them to their own devices or presume that they done not want to be helped? A recent BBC1 documentary "The Scheme" was cancelled after only two episodes apparently because people of authority within Kilmarnock felt it was a negative portrayal of the town. Which it was but it was also a realistic portrayal of this specific area, so it seems to me that even though we are aware of the problems within certain schemes instead of helping them the people in charge are doing all the can to sweep it under the carpet. It might not be an easy task but is not at least worth trying?

Status

Blog Post No.1

*A status is something that can be broken down into different possible categories, social classes and types of status's but can not be defined. A persons status can be divided into two different types:

*Ascribed Status = a status you have over which you have no control (etnicity, gender)

*Achieved Status = a status which you seek to achieve (student, worker)

*Many ascribed status's can be applied throughout the the world as they are considered as 'norms'. For example gender, everyone is born either male or female which is something they have no control over and this is something everyone has in common.

*However, there are gender elements that are considered to be achieved. for examples females can embrace their feminity by wearing makeup, dresses, etc but they could also choose to wear tracksuit and other unfeminine items. The gender personality they are born with however is ascribed a female would have no choice on her ability to understand emotions or feel maternal instincts.

*I consider myself to be a combination of both these status's i was born as a white female and brought up into reasonably well off family, which are all ascribed to me as these are things that i had no control over. As i grow older more and more of my status is more and more achieved, as it is through my ability to make decisions that has changed this and will alter my achieved status in the future.

*For example, my education is something that was initially an ascribed status is now something that is altered through my decisions to work hard at school and stay on during 4th and 4th year so that in future my achieved status could be that of a student at university.

*A persons' status is something that is very difficult to define because it is not always clear if a certain characteristic is ascribed or achieved or if it's collective to both these types of status. A status is easily alered and changed. Someones achieved status is shaped by generations of ascribed status's and depends on certain circumstances and events which could also change elements os an ascribed status.

*One example of this that may be controversial is someone in poverty as there is an endless list of possible reasons that could cause someone to end up in this type of condition. If they ae younger then this is presumably an ascribed status as it is something they have had no control over, but it is something that may have been forced upon them through their parents ascribed status's resulting in a possible lack of education and future work creating a cycle of poverty. Another reason for poverty could be if someone is born into an already undeveloped poor area of the world which would also be an achieved status for them because there is nothing the can really do to get themselves out of this situation. However in this country if you are an adult in poverty then it is likely that this is an achieved status possibley through addictions of some form. Or that is what we naturally assume showing just how judgemental we are as a nation as a whole, i must admit that i have thought this in the past. Other reasons that should be taken into account for possible causes of poverty which are often dismissed could be natural disasters or for reasons when it is not though fault of their own.

*This shows different ways status's can be ascribed and achieved but usually because of both and how we culturally assume things about people before we have taken the time to understand their circumstances and so on....