Beauty Said "No"

Chemicals for your silver hair,
A nip here and a tuck there
For the skin that you're not happy in.

An artificial fountain of temporary youth.
Creams to clear your wrinkles,
And a diet to slim your waist-
So you can wear your modern clothing
For a generation that lacks place.

Eventually you will stop with time,
And beauty will tell you "No".
What was once your stinking flesh,
Will be what helps the flowers grow.

---

Just a little something I wrote a few years back... I think I had written it because I was getting tired of hearing commercials on the TV advertising beauty products, and other items that are supposed to make you appear younger.
I hate how we can't be comfortable in our skin... but the message was basically this:
Prevent time on your face and body all that you want, you're still going to die in the end :P.

II.

Alright, I'm going to start this entry off with a pat on my back for being on time and getting a better seat :P!
/me pats herself on the back.

The discussion in class was pretty interesting, as was the material that Professor Smith went over. A small portion of the class was spent going over definitions and study guide questions. I did not start making many mental notes until after we went over the theoretical approach/perspective (not to be confused with the sociological theory).

We briefly discussed Auguste Comte (1/17/1788-9/5/1857) and identified him as the “Father of Sociology”. He had ‘given birth’ to the concept that the Universe lives under one law, and that law is “The law of three phases.” (I later looked into both him and the phases using Wikipedia to elaborate on the phases and subcategories.)

1. Theological Phase the theological phase covers different religious beliefs that many
people may conform to.
a. Fetishism- this is the belief in magical items
b. Polytheism- the belief in many gods
c. Monotheism- the belief in one God

2. Metaphysical Phase the metaphysical phase was the justification of ‘universal
rights’ as being something that no human could change or interfere with.

3. Scientific Phase also known as “Positivism”, which is a way of understanding based
on science. This was broken off into two categories: inorganic physics and organic
physics.

Structural functional approach was the first perspective that we discussed in class. This approach makes note that all social patterns and institutions operate to help society function, whether they are prominent or latent. They all contribute to how our society works as a whole. Our professor made a good example about how both the beautiful and ugly things in life are necessary for the functionality of the world around us by comparing situations to organs. She had said that our eyes are beautiful, and that we need them to function; our bowels are also needed for us to function, but they are less than appealing to look at. One of the questions she had asked us in relation to the topic was: Why can society not survive without crime? I believe, after looking past learning the moralities of the situation and the jobs that it provides, that it helps us find our place. Like- when it came down to it, who are we, really? Are we the 'Hero'; are we the 'Villain'?

Another question that was posed during the lecture had been “Why do we need the poor?”
The ‘right’ answer had been that it provided jobs for the lower classes. It is frustrating, but it is true. I remember discussing this topic with some of my peers one day when the topic of illegal immigrants had been brought up.
The argument had been that they are “stealing our jobs”, although in all actuality they are merely taking the jobs that none of us want. Sure, we will work fields and lay bricks… but oh! If only it paid better! We would have them to thank for affordable produce they break their backs gathering for “laughable” wages.

The discussion also made me think of Communism. I could not help but think that if there were not any social classes and everyone was as strong as their weakest link, it would give people less of a drive to strive to do bigger better things. If getting paid to gather produce was equal or close to the wages of being a doctor- I think a lot of people would prefer to pick fruits and vegetables (for the most part).
Affordable items usually are products of cheap labor. We often forget that.

Talking about social classes had also made me think of the animal kingdom. Every creature has its place, and we are merely playing our roles in life according to that system. Like how big corporate companies (the lions in the business world) eat up the small mom-and-pop stores (the gazelles).


We then discussed the Social Conflict approach. This brings to light that society is the birthplace of inequalities that generate conflict and change.
With that, it was brought up that inequality starts within family life, and I agree entirely. There was a story that I read back in high school called “A Child Called ‘It’”, (by Dave Pelzer) this was about a man’s childhood and how he had been treated by his own mother while growing up. He was the half-brother to his two younger siblings (whom were treated much better than him), and his mother did not give him a bed to sleep in, or food to eat. She would torture him in the most sickening ways and it was something that went on for years and years.
I can also relate to inequalities within the family, with my own family. I am the oldest of three children and nothing I do is good enough for my parents. They have the highest standards for me, and I feel that I will never reach them. My younger sister and I had always found it extremely unfair when it came to our parents dealing disciplining our younger brother. It seemed that he was able to get away with many things we would have been (gasp) *spanked for.
[*Off on a tangent: Punishing your children. I feel that the social services have made their definition of ‘child abuse’ much too wide. I am very grateful that I had been disciplined by physical means. I never felt as if I had been abused, but it sure did make me think real hard about doing something I knew was wrong (in which cases, I usually chose to take the moral path). It helped me realize at a young age that all of my actions had consequences, and that sometimes the consequences were painful. I then learned that I probably should not repeat these actions if I feel the consequences I will suffer would not be worth it.]

Many things are also kept under wraps and scrutinized within the family, like sexualities. My father is embarrassed for others to know that his younger half-sister is a homosexual. It has also had an effect on how he communicates and interacts with her. She once shared an instance with me, in which he had told her, “I love you, you know… but you’re going to Hell.” Many people will hide things like this because it is generally socially unacceptable.
Abuse is another situation families tend to hide from the public. Whether it is substance, domestic, or emotional abuse; it is something families do not like to talk about for fear that it will separate them from the status quo of society. Instances like these, and sexuality, also tie into our last lecture, which went over causes of suicide. We hurt more when we feel like we cannot talk about it, or that no one else will be able to relate to how we feel.

One’s opinion on crime is also affected by social inequalities. When this was discussed in class, Professor Smith had said that some people can justify crime by pointing out that society had pushed them into these situations. It made me think of a quote by Thomas More: "For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them."

Symbolic interaction had been the last perspective we discussed. It was defined as a “close-up focus on social interaction in specific situations.” It was later broke down to assumptions we make about people based off of their appearances and mannerisms.
To cover something serious, Professor Smith brought up something comical- like basing a woman’s decision to pursue a mate based off of his possessions (i.e.: a fancy car, polished dress shoes, an expensive watch, et cetera).
A classmate had also mentioned an instance of when they had seen a poorly dressed mother and a shirtless child at the mall. Her first impression had been that perhaps they were homeless or just trashy. Later on, it dawned on her that, perhaps something bad happened to them, and this is why they appeared like that.

This is why I try (very hard) not to pass judgment on individuals I do not yet know. I understand that everyone has their story, and it is not my place to treat a person differently because their appearance is not (or is) up to “social standards”.
For those who are perceptive to what is “socially acceptable”, it is easy to mimic the social groups they want acceptance from. A pair of shined, Italian leather shoes is not going to tell me anything about a man’s life-style. He could be married man looking for a one-night fling and a momentary escape from his devoted wife and squabbling offspring; he could be a sociopath looking to attract his next prey; he could be anything and everything other than what we assume about him.
I have to try and remember (often) that people are almost never who they seem. Generally, what we present in the public around professional peoples is not who we really are. Like myself, for example. I try to keep my professional life (work and school) separated from my private or personal life. Not that I am too different in private than I am in the public, but there are several situations in which one must know certain actions or exclamations are not appropriate.


Professor Smith had also this video in class.
It is sad when people behave like this, especially when most of us are in the same bad situation, and some of us feel the need to better our situation by making others’ worse; “Self preservation versus compassion” at its finest.


Also, the book *“Black Like Me” was mentioned. It was a social experiment done by the journalist John Howard Griffin in 1961. He described the culture shock he experienced while disguising himself as an African American citizen travelling through racially segregated states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia).
*[I read in Wikipedia that the title was taken from a line in a poem by Langston Hughes “Dream Variations”.]
Anyhow, it piqued my interests, and I plan on eventually purchasing the book.

Those were my thoughts (well, most of them).
So until next time- Ona!
-Rachel

I.

*Note: Will go off topic and on tangents.*

I was a little few minutes late to my second Sociology meeting this Monday. Truth be told, I believed that I was going to go to my College Algebra class today. Thankfully, I'm forgetful enough to not remember which room it was in, and when I checked my schedule I realized (much too late) that I was supposed to be heading towards the BACA building.

Needless to say, I was a little ill-prepared for the lecture, and had the wrong materials.

It did not take long for Professor Smith to delve into our lesson, briefing some vocabulary at first and jumping right onto the topic of suicide.
Apparently, it's the most original one can ever get.

A lot of the things she went over had not been new to me (I had a group project back in high school on the subject), but I could not say that it did not bring me back down to Earth. A lot of the statistics made sense (I suppose that's why they are the statistics), and some of the time, I could not really believe some of the ignorant statements and questions that were thrown out there. Although, I guess some of them had really been out of curiosity (it's my cynicism that makes me feel otherwise).

One of my peers had suggested that the suicide rates in more poverty-stricken countries were lower because they had nothing to lose. She probably did not mean anything bad by it, but I could not help but feel bitter over the statement. It implied too many things about the life of another; where their priorities lie, what wealth is to them, et cetera.
They might not be rich in monies, but they might be rich in moments. If you think about it though, that's all we really have. Sometimes we forget that.

My mother comes from a third-world country, as well as her sisters that have traveled to North America for better opportunities. I know that a portion of all of their checks go to their brothers and sisters in the Philippines to help support their family (and their family's family). I also know that all of my aunts and uncles forward money to my grandparents to help support them now that they are done taking care of their children (so to speak). That part of their culture is so endearing to me. I love that they take care of one another, and when one of them hurt, they all hurt and get through hard times together. I only wish that that carried on into our family.

I feel that that is what is wrong with the world, really. Everyone is too worried about self preservation, and not about having compassion with other human beings. It's sad when we can ignore the hardships of others in our every-day lives because it has become a common place thing. When we are no longer moved by the tears of someone whose life is falling apart because we have work in half an hour. When we send our elderly to retirement homes (I hate those places) because it would inconvenience us to take care of them and sacrifice our time to them like they had when we needed it.

We also talked a little bit about stereo-types, and Professor Smith shared a couple current advertisements that used them as a sales pitch.
The first example had been "Blond women are stupid." With that, she showed us this commercial. The majority of the class laughed during the first half, which I'll admit was pretty silly, but then quieted down with some level of confusion when the ad reached it's punchline.
The second example was that "All men are insensitive," and this was shown to the class.

I think that it is funny (ironic) that commercials like these help sell products so well. They are so uninformative, and you know nothing about the item based off of what you see in the clips. I feel that we are suffering from a severe case of what I'd like to call "Emperor's New Clothes Syndrome". We are not really buying what we see, but for the sake of not being left out in our opinions and looking stupid for not agreeing, we agree anyway.

Watching them also reminded me of a Ford commercial I saw a couple years back (which I can not find at the moment) that had used the word "adrenaline-itus". All I could remember thinking was "What? Seriously? Adrenaline-itus?"
What they were trying to depict was that owning a Ford helped bring adventure and adrenaline back into your life. Their use of the word implied that when you suffered from "adrenaline-itus", you were not getting enough. It just bothered me because it's basic med. class knowledge that the suffix "itus" meant "the inflammation of". So I would imagine that if we were suffering from "adrenaline-itus", we most definitely would not need more of it. I can hardly believe that pieces like this even air.

Anyway, I guess those are all of the random thoughts that passed through my head during the lecture, so I'll stop here.

Oh, and as a side-note to my side-notes. I am feeling pretty blessed in how I lucked out with all of my professors this semester. They have the passion for teaching that I need to have the inspiration to learn more effectively. It will be nice to have one of those "I want you to be here, I want to be here" relationships, and not the "I'm getting paid, you're paying me. Let's go over this material, hopefully you pass... but I could really care less" attitude.

Until next time,
Rachel