I thought that the girls like me video was really sad. I think that its so sad that black people think their less beautiful because their skin color. I think that dark skin is so pretty. I think that people focus to much on skin color and it makes me really angry. I think that everyone is special and that they should embrace the differences.

On friday,we played monoply to show how different social classes are. When I play this game usually I really enjoy it because I have a lot of money and properties. In this version of monoply, I did not have any properties or hardly no money. At the end of the game I had 80 dollars and 0 properties. This was because of the new rules. Becasue I only got 36 dollars everytime after passing go, I had a hard time buying property. The point of this game was to try to see if you can try to go up in social class. I think this game proved to everyone that it seems to be a lot easier to move up social classes than it really is. in my group, everyone stayed in the social class that they started with. I feel that its sad that its so hard to move up in social class because I feel that there are so many hard workers out there that don't have the skills or oppertunities to move up in social class.

That movie about class was very interesting to me.I didn't really realize how many things are involved in what class you are in. I think its really interesting about the bread because I know alot of people who have plenty of money who love white bread, and alot of people who are in the lower class who like wheat bread. I think that one guy with the weird parted hair was so annoying. He would say that you need to have a part in your hair to look classy, but I thought he just looked weird. Its very interesting to see how different states are. For example, the bobing for pigs legs/feet was gross. I would never do that, but then I wonder if I would if I lived in that area? I still don't think I would.

When we played that flipping game in class, it was really interesting to see what few people had won a lot of coins. Its really weird to think that everyone started off with the same chances but the winners kept winning more coins and the loosers kept loosing. Its weird to think that people say that everone has equal oppertunities, and if you try hard enough you will get successful, but it makes me think that its not true. I know that if someone works really hard, they will become somthing, but I don't think it helps that the rich keep getting richer. I think that its really weird that we have the richest rich people but the poorest poor people. It just makes mereally think about social class.

DRUGS

The other day in class, we looked at effects of drugs. I thought this was very interesting becasue we classified tocacco as a felony drug ans other horrible drugs like crack,we classified as not as bad. This was so interesting to me, that cigerettes are this bad and do so much to you. Everyone knows how bad tobacco is for you, but to hear some of these effects were crazy. I really enjoyed doing this because I want to major in addiction councling. I think that drugs are really interesting and what they do to you and the reason people take them reallyinterest me. Also because I have personal experiences with seeing what addiction can do to you, it makes me even more interested and makes me really want to help others who are eaither struggling with addiction themself or help others who have to deal with family or friends struggling with addiction.

OBAMA=)

Im so happy about the election and Obama winning the election.This is such a great moment in time and it feels amazing to be a part of it considering I voted for Obama in my first election. Im really hopeful about the changes that will be made. I think its amazing how African Americans built the white house and now a half African American man is going to be living there. I understand that everyone has there own opinions about Obama, and I think everyone should be entitled to have there opinions, but some people take it way over board. I have heard so many people talk down about him and I just want to say to them,that he won and they need to get over it. I think its really stupid when people would only vote for McCain becasue they don't want there taxes going up and when I would talk to them, they would say they shouldn't be giving there money to cracked out mothers who should have used protecton.Some also were saying that if someone doesn't have alotof money, that its their problem and its there fault they didn't suceed. I think these comments are rediculous and stupid.OBAMAS THE NEXT PRESEDENT...YAY!!!

real men

I get really annoyed when men think its manly to be the stong, hard working one. It makes me so angry when I hear those comments even though society thinks its exceptable. Alot of time has passed and its not the olden days when the women stays at home and cooks and the husband works. I think that girls and women are just has hard workers as men and should be treated equally with them. I know tht im such a hard worker that no matter what society says, I know im going to be very sucessful.

Masculinity

I have not personally experienced the mask of masculinity. I think the media plays alot of roles showing men how to be masculine and discourage them to not be masculine by calling them gay,pussy, ect. I think the media shows this alot in movies and on t.v. A lot of the time, there will be movies about a boy being bullied and then they will get tough and will fight the bullier. I think that fights are lame and don't prove that you are masculine. In a lot of media, in order to be m,asculine, you have to be controling and I think that sends out a bad message to people. I think this leads to husbands abusing their wives and I think its so sad.

FEAR

I think that al0t of people used wanting guns because they think they are safer if they have guns. I don't agree with that because at every moment you are not going to be carrying around a gun with you. Also I think that it makes every thing less safe because if someone finds the gun, like a child, then they might hurt themselves or hurt someone else. Also there not safe because there could be a misunderstanding, and someone could be hurt by mistake. I agree that people should be able to own a gun because its under the 2nd amendment, I just really don't see the point why they would need a gun. Some agents of socialization that promote fear in America are like when the t.v. might have a commercial about house security or the news. I think some people seeing that others have guns, makes them want one because they think if it makes others feel safer, then it will make them feel safer. I think that it should be harder to get guns and to get bullets. To think that those teenagers just went to k-mart and bought all those bullets is crazy. Is that normal? Wouldn't someone think that was odd? I would! I think its so crazy that k-mart would sell all those to teens and not think anything of it. I was really glad to see in the movie that they are not selling them anymore at k-mart.

LOVE =)

In the movie Tuesdays With Morrie, love was a major topic. I agree that Americans are afraid to love each other because they might be afraid to lose them in the long run. They might not want to fall in love because they think that it wont work out or that maybe it is to hard to make love work out. I think people also have a hard time showing it. if they have never had someone love them. But the opposite can also be true, and someone from an unloving family, can end up to be very loving. The value of "romantic love" is explained to be feelings of erotic attraction accompanied by an idealization of the other. The romantic love is more like the love that you have for a boy friend or girlfriend and Morrie's love is more about loving everyone who means a lot to you and that you care deeply about. Morrie's love is for everyone who had impacted him and for everyone who he cares about.

For homework this week, we had to do nothing. It sounds weird and it was weird. I did nothing at the mall in the food court during my work break. I got a little distracted sometimes, but then would think that I have to think nothing. I realized during this period, that everyone is so focused on the things they are doing, that no one noticed me just standing there. I feel that if I was in the food court I would notice someone just standing there. Since I did this on a sunday, I noticed alot of families with adults and their children. I did not see alot of teens, which is weird becasue usually alot of teens are at the mall. Overall I feel that this time was really relaxing, and that people should take time out of their buisy lives to do nothing.

If I was crossing the street in Japan, I think that I would die. I would mess up the traffic flow so badly that I think I would get hit by a car. When I went to Europe, with my friend Tori and her family, we went to Bath and London. It was very weird to see how small all of the roads were, and how fast the speed limit was. Most of the cars were little sedans but we had to rent a mini-van. Although my friends mother was from England, it was still difficult for her to drive around the round abouts. If I was driving in England I would probably get into an accident because the round about is not used often in America.

Social Construction of reality

The reality in the neighborhood is socially constructed by the racist people, Sonnys crew, and the workers. The unwritten rules in the neighborhood are that don't mess with Sonny or you will most likely end up hurt, African Americans are not human and shouldn't be coming threw even if they are just passing threw because they will move here. Also there is like a bridge that splits up the white from the black neighborhood. The workers are hard working and try to avoid Sonny, they make their own livings without the bad money. I think this construction came about when Sonny showed them all what he is able to do. What he can get away with. The racism came about because at that time period people were very racist. They believed that the Italians were better and that African Americans were bad.I could see the racist attitudes as a social construction because like Collogero friend saying his father said the African Americans were bad, he was very racist. Then the kids being racist leads to generation after generation of being racist. The fact that Collogero couldn't stick up to his friends about all the things his friends did to the African Americans is really sad and kid of annoying.

Groups

Collogero was apart of a lot of groups. One group that he was involved with was his friends. In the group of his friends, he plays a role as a friend to them. Another group he was part of was his neighborhood. Another group I would put him in would be an Italian group. Throughout the movie, he seems to be proud to be Italian and it goes hand in hand with the neighborhood. I would not put him into Sunny's group, but I would put him in a group with Sonny. Sonny didn't treat Collogero the same way that he treated everyone else. He treated him more like a son, protecting him from bad things. He would watch over him and give him advice as a father would to his own son. Collogero would also be in a group with his mother and father. Although when Collogero got older and hung out more with sonny than his own father, when he was a child he really looked up to his father. Another group he would be put in was one that is not racist. Although he doesn't stand up out loud to his friends about the African Americans, he doesn't really think there doing anything wrong. The neighborhood and friends had influenced him to call African Americans bad names. I think that Collogero's master status was Sonny. I think this because he would always look up to Sonny and he talked to him a lot. A lot of the things Collogero did were things that Sonny allowed or that Sonny did not allow. I think at the beginning of the movie Collogero's father would be his master status, but after growing up, Sonny was his master status.

Today in class we made groups that influence us personally. One of the groups that I made was friends. I have a lot of friends and different groups of friends. The role I play with my friends is obviously being their friend. Another group I put myself into was a school group. At school I act as a student, and a friend. Another group I put myself into was Jimmy Johns and Noodles & Company. I work at both those places and I act as a worker and a friend. I'm also kind of a leader because I have worked at both those places so long, that people sometimes will ask me what to do, or what needs to be done. Another group I put myself into is family. I love my family very much and act as a daughter to my mother, a granddaughter to my grandparents, and a sister to both my older sisters, Jamie and Carly. The last group I put myself into was with my boyfriend. We have been dating for over 2 years and really enjoy being in each others company. The roles of conflict for me are working, school, my friends, and my boyfriend. With working and school, I find that with all the homework given, I can't hang out with my friends and boyfriend as much as I used to be able to. Although its harder to make time for my friends and boyfriend, I make sure to make time because I love and care about all of them very much=)

The last time I did community service was last year for science. We had the choice to either do the community service or we could do a really hard project. I choose to do the community service instead of the project.The community service was to cut down buck thorn in the forest preserve. It wasn't really fun because it was usually cold when I did it. One time I was cutting down the buck thorn and it had snowed the previous day, and my boots got soaked and my feet were freezing. I felt like I had frost bite on my toes. I didn't really enjoy doing this community service. I'm really excited to do my 10 hours though, because I get to choose what I get to do. I really enjoy helping people and i'm really looking forward to making a difference=)

Silence is very awkward, unless your really tired, then its nice=). I think that its awkward for me because all my life I've grown up in a house with two sisters, and its never been completely silent. Growing up with two sisters, when is it silent? I haven't really experienced any awkward silences that I can remember. I think its funny when there is an awkward silence though, and I will sometimes laugh.I think that some people do talk just to fill the air with words, or at least to hear them self speak. I think people talk more then sit in silence because talking is more fun then sitting in silence. Would you rather be talking to a friend about your previous weekend, or sit in silence? I think that the idea that we always need to have sound/noise or talking does effect our ability to listen. I think that it makes us worse at listening then it would if we would just were quite and sat in silence.

I'm Lexi=)I love music, my friends, and my family. My favorite bands are Mayday Parade, All Time Low, and Rise Against. I love going to concerts.I like when there is a calm, fun atmosphere and I hate stress. I Feel that I am an understanding person, and give pretty good advice. If you asked my friends, they would say that I am a fun person to be around, and love laughing. I love being loud and acting like an idiot, but in a good way.

The biggest influences in my life are my family and friends. I look up to my mom because she has shown a lot of strength. About six years ago, she had an addiction problem. She went to rehab and since then she has been clean. It makes me so proud that she is still clean and being a great mother to me and my two sisters. Her ability to overcome the addiction has shaped my career choice of being a drug councler at a rehab.My friends are also huge influences on me. They make me be a better person and there always there when I need them most.