Race

Even though we have only watched the film Crash for one day so far, it is clear that racism is the main theme. Blacks, whites, Hispanics, Asians and more are all targeted for their race, while having their own prejudices as well. It's sad to think that this is what America is actually like, because there is so much racism and even violence occurring in the film. One example is when Sandra Bullock's character assumes the man changing her locks is going to give her key to his friends so they can rob her. In reality, we see that the man is hurt by Bullock and is a hardworker and a loving father who would never do anything to hurt Bullock or anyone else. Many Americans are truly not sociologically mindful and don't think about how others are affected by what these people say and do. I myself have often heard many kids and even adults being clearly racists and giving into hurtful stereotypes. One time when I was in the car with my friends we saw an Asian woman in an accident on the side of the road and one of my friends went on to say how they weren't surprised it was an Asian since they are typically such poor drivers. It is a shame to hear people being so openly racist and allowing stereotypes to be so prevalent in today's society. Many people don't stop to think about how they would feel if they were the ones being targeted for their race, which is something people have no control over and don't deserve to be ridiculed for. I feel that it is important for Americans to be more aware of other races and try harder to tolerate others and try to ignore stereotypes and give everybody a fair chance, regardless of their race.

Community Service

For my community service I chose to volunteer at a temple. I had other hours because I am a Class Board officer, but that isn't as meaningful to me as this volunteering was. Temple B'nai Shalom is not the temple that my family and I belong to, so it was more out of my comfort zone that it would have been to volunteer at my temple. On select Saturdays I helped work in the office, set up for Kiddushes, which are receptions held after services, and did what ever was asked of me. Setting up for the Kiddushes took some time, because I had to get food ready for a lot of hungry congregants. However I thought it was rewarding to be so heavily thanked and appreciated by many different people. The temple is fairly small, so I got to know most of the paid workers on a more personal level. At the temple I belong to the atmosphere is much different because it is so large and it is hard to make real personal connections in a congregation with so many people. Volunteering at B'nai Shalom felt special to me because its size allows everyone at the temple to know each other and helped make a more positive atmosphere and experience for me. Before my grandma became ill, she worked at this temple, so I felt that it was a really rewarding experience to get to see what she normally would do when she was able to attend work. Everyone treated me well because they know my grandma and welcomed me into their temple with open arms. Even though for my community service I didn't get to help people with disadvantages, or help people who were severely in need, I still think I learned a lot. Helping people at all and doing it out of the goodness of my heart was great because I felt really good after I left and thought about making a difference. I learned from this that you don't need to have a grand gesture to make a difference and even the little things you do count.

Congregation B'nai Shalom
701 W Aptakisic Rd
March 19, April 2nd 10am-2pm
Marsha Schelsky, 847-415-1370

Class Interaction

In the film we watched in class, it was interesting to see how people of different classes lived their lives and acted. However, what I found to be most interesting was seeing the way people felt about others in different classes. It was fascinating to hear nearly every rich person interviewed say that they only would like to associate with people who are just like them and that they don't understand, nor do they care to understand, people of different lower societal statuses. The one woman who was getting lessons on how to appear "high class" actually made me laugh. It seemed rather ridiculous that there was a woman actually getting paid to teach someone how to appear classier and wealthier than she was and probably would ever be. Americans greatly value status and materialism, so it makes sense that this woman would try to come off as something she isn't. I think this idea can be applied to my life, but also most other high schoolers. In my opinion, most people can relate to me when I say that I know plenty of "social climbers", or kids who were never satisfied with where they stood on the popularity totem pole. Many of my good friends from junior high felt that they were unsatisfied with their social status and needed to inch their way up to the "cooler" kids, even though a school as big as ours doesn't actually have a "cool" clique. In my opinion it's pointless for people to care so much about their social ranking and I believe that people would be much happier if they accepted who they truly are. If you can manage to be happy with the place you live, the friends you have, and the material items you possess, why feel the need to be better, cooler, richer, or anything of that nature? Be happy with who you are and what you have!

Justice System

The justice system in the United States seems to work against criminals in every single way. While more people who are jailed deserve to be, the odds will never be in their favor for nearly the rest of their lives. A startling statistic shows that 2/3 inmates will end up back in jail shortly after their release, and many people end up going back numerous times. Prisoners get stuck in jail's vicious cycle and the government doesn't seem to be doing anything to prevent this. My aunt and uncle used to work in a police department for over 15 years each. I visited them often, heard many stories, and even got to sit in a jail cell and see what it was like for prisoners who have to live their. From my aunt and uncle I learned how people at the station would come to know many prisoners because they were repeat offenders and were constantly getting in trouble. It's sad to see how these people can't ever seem to get their lives on track once they leave jail and aren't provided nearly any services to help them get rehabilitated and readjusted in the real world. I feel that it would be great if the government could try in some way to help inmates who really have a desire to better themselves so they can be productive members of society in the future.

Saints and Roughnecks

The two different groups, Saints and Roughnecks, will most likely always exist in high schools. Roughnecks are the "bad" kids with a reputation for always being in trouble, whether it be in school or outside of it. Saints are the kids that are well-liked, athletic, involved, and everyone thinks are model children. In reality, these kids are just as bad and act out just as much as Roughnecks, but it goes unnoticed or is ignored. When these kids get older, they learn to take on the roles that society has told them to, and so the Roughnecks will most likely end up not doing much with their lives, while the Saints will go on to succeed and be average citizens. I can definitely picture kids right now that have been in my classes at school who are both Saints and Roughnecks. I feel that everyone knows of notorious trouble makers and also knows "good" kids who get away with doing what the Roughnecks get caught for. I believe that while some Roughnecks may really just be bad kids, many feel that society dictates what they have to be and shapes who they are for the rest of their lives. If people ignore the wrongdoings of some kids and punish those of others, the kids who are always getting noticed and have poor reputations will eventually think that they have to keep those reputations and act out even more.

Age of Independence

Teenagers have always struggled to figure out what is expected of them and how they should behave on a daily basis. Adults expect teens to be very passive and refrain from all sexual activity, as well as be irresponsible and reckless. However, teens today are more assertive, challenge adults, and are often engaging in sexual activity much before adults would ever like to recognize or admit. It is difficult for teenagers to figure out whether they should listen to adults and act the way they tell them to, especially since adults do the complete opposite of what they expect teens to do. I usually have weekly battles with my parents over how they want me to act and how I want to act. One of our more recent fights was over being allowed to go to a concert in Milwaukee and my parents' concern for me being on the road at night being "reckless". I feel that parents and kids are always going to fight over how teens are supposed to act, mainly because adults are from a different generation that has very different ideals and values than the teens in today's society.

Body Image and the Media

The huge impact that the media has today on women is extremely negative and damaging to their self-esteem and body image. Every commercial and infomercial on t.v., in magazines, on billboards, on pop-up computer ads, and more are telling women how they should change their bodies and what they can use to do so. It is sad to see just how many forms of media are constantly telling women they aren't good enough and should change to either get more friends, find a man, or be happier with themselves. What's odd is that one of Americans' biggest values is individualism or independence, but these ads teach women to be anything but different. The media today is telling women to become clones of one other with perfect physical features, which is not in any way promoting women to be individuals. When I was younger, I can remember numerous occasions where my older sister would look at the women in magazine advertisements and say, "I want to look like THAT!" Little did she know that the women in those ads don't even look like that. Women base what they should look and be like off of computer generated images that are in no way real. How can we look like models if the models themselves aren't actually that pretty and perfect? It would be ideal if American women would take a step back and realize that there is no such thing as "perfect" and they should be happy and comfortable with themselves just the way they are.