OU OH YEAH!

I just watched one of the videos from our Sociology class about norms & specifically the OU norm of  drinking. I was surprised to see that only 10% of the students that attend OU do NOT drink, and 73% of the students that DO drink, drink at a high risk level. When I say I go to Ohio University people automatically assume I'm a partier and heavy drinker. Just because I say I go to OU doesn't mean that people can assume I drink and party. I went to visit a few of my friends that go to Ohio State in January. All of their friends gave me shit for going to OU and saying stuff like I need to prove to them how OU is the #2 party school. I didn't meet one person that had one nice thing to say about OU when I was at OSU. I hate that school. OS-WHO?!... My friend from home visited me last weekend and made me realize that not all colleges are like OU. OU really does party hard. I don't realize it because I go to OU and I don't see what other campuses are like. But when my friend came down she said it really is crazy how high peoples' tolerance are and how many drinks they consume. She was nervous that she wouldn't be able to "keep up" with us. I mean it's not something to be proud of, but it's just interesting to see an outsider's perspective on what OU is like.

I think it's pretty cool that I go to the #2 party school, just another benefit of going to OU. But I know for a fact that the University does not like that reputation. An OU student has a role automatically attached to them. Drinking during the week is a norm. Drinking heavily is a norm. There's so many norms that are associated with drinking and partying here at OU. OU is so much more than a party school though. It doesn't bother me that people assume I am a huge partier because I go to OU, but it will bother me when I am going to apply for a job when I graduate and I am automatically judged and looked down upon. When I have OU on my applications I hope that the norm of drinking in Athens doesn't overshadow the other more important aspects of the University. My most important role at Ohio University is being a student and trying to achieve my best. Drinking will never come before my grades, I am a student first and foremost.

P.S. I am SOOOOOOOO ready for spring quarter and all the fests! HAHA

Robo People!!!!!!!

Now-a-days when you set down to have a conversation with someone it's so much different than it was even 5 years ago. My grandparents scold us for not looking them in the eyes when we speak, or as us if we have that "damn phone out again".

Cell phone and computer usage is a prime example of how our culture has changed due to technologies hand in our lives. I have no idea how many times a day i check my facebook, let alone how many times I hit a button on my phone to see if I have missed a text message!

When I visit home, I have no cell coverage, and the desktop has dial up so checking the internet is so much of a hassle I tend not to do it as much. It feels awkward walking without my phone, and I find myself ancy waiting to check on my notifications.

With how much technology has become a part of the american lifestyle, it's a little creepy. Since we were young we have heard about how scared some are that robots will take out humans eventually, but in another view, is this cultural change turning us into the robots? How much is your cell phone a part of your everyday; do you feel strange like a part of you is missing when it is not there?

On my last note, it is not completely our fault we are becoming so dependent our tech, it is demanded of us. It has changed, and is a part of our American culture.

It's not a good thing....

Ok. So according to the labeling theory, if you are seen in society as something you tend to act like that label. That can go for anything. If society sees you as an emo kid, you may find yourself acting like that. Or perhaps a criminal? or a band kid? or maybe a jock? in high school, i was in the marching band. But a bunch of kids saw me as some emo kid, and i found out about it. And eventually i found myself acting more and more like that label. Until now, i never realized why. I mean, i never did those things, or listened to their type of music, or even hung out with them. It was just how other people saw me, so thats how i became.

Bird Boy

Today i was on my usual walk to philosophy when I neared Bentley's steps. Just as I was about to scale the stairs, a little geeky kid started walking twords me extremely fast, of course I stopped. He then looked around, and leaped high into the air. As he was doing this, he began to flap his arms rapidly and let out a shriek...

Puzzled I stared as the boy fell to the ground and continued his walk as normal. His extreme breaking of the social norm trying to fly instead of walking to class caught my attention the rest of my commute, and I'm sure was in the minds of the others that passed at the same time.

At first I thought what an idiot, not too much later I laughed at myself. I had been thinking, "Shit, wouldn't that have been cool if he really had flown". Lol!

Who We Used To Be

This is based solely on my own observation of the world and bits of information that have picked up over several conversations, classes, watching the news, etc.

www.corbisimages.com

Who we used to be hates who we are. The country as a whole not that long ago was an innovating and producing machine. We were the top in the world in education, in production of goods, etc. But when technology, created by us, took its hold our nation lots its steam. Maybe it was just a victory rest. You know the saying, "Laying on your laurels." Or perhaps it was the passing of a torch from generation to the next. I seriously doubt that it was only one single thing that happened to turn a once top notch nation to one that can hardly keep its head above the rising tides of the worlds progress. Are we still on top in many categories? Yes. But are we losing ground faster than we are making new ground? Yes.

Here is the issue. Somewhere a long the line we wound up with babies raising babies. Somewhere in the generation lineage we lost something. Maybe it was discipline. Maybe it was the fact that we could provide more. Or maybe the technological change that came with the invention of the internet forever changed this country in ways that can never be reversed. I am not against the internet or technology at all, only its misapplication and abuse as gifts to the world. Back to the start of this paragraph, we wound up with too many bad parents raising too many bad children. This is the start of a sad cycle that will continue on forever. The internet and the TV became the babysitters along with video games. Connection to people and nature were supplemented and condensed to nature shows, cartoons, and e-mailing. We lost what it meant to live by the sweat of your brow. America, the once industrial giant, killed its main industry.

In economics its called creative destruction. One firm creates a new industry, usually through technological change, while it destroys another. In this case it was technology itself that destroyed the industrial power of this country. Now things could be organized by software, and logistics became easier and easier. The global economy became more accessible and jobs and even entire industries began to migrate elsewhere than home. It was cheaper to make things in China and Taiwan than it was in the United States. And all the working class could do is sit back and watch.

At the same time new and wonderful things were happening. The magic known formally known as the internet is an amazing gift to mankind. The ability to instantly communicate with anyone anywhere is simply amazing. But with all good things there are the bad.

We have wound up with a generation now that can hardly fend for themselves. We have adults who cannot mail a package to someone. We have adults who don't know how to wash their own clothes. Perhaps this is due to their up-brining? But is it really fair to blame the parents alone? What happened to the inquiring minds of yesteryear? The minds that built the first car, the first radio, television, wireless phone? What happened to them? Did they disappear from the face of the earth? Or is it that they are simply trapped in an challenged mind of an adult who grew up letting someone else do their work. Letting mommy and daddy take care of them until they slowly merged into independence.

A generation of people riding free on the innovation of our fathers. Think about that. An entire generation of Americans seemingly content with sitting back watching reality TV and tweeting their every move instead of sitting around the kitchen table learning from their parents as our parents did. Or sitting around the fire reading and learning from previous generations. Asking questions, creating dreams and visions for their lives and having the fortitude to go after it instead of being rewarded for mediocrity. Sometimes trying hard just isn't good enough. Its rough but its the truth. No one wants to get hurt. The just want to float down stream getting away with as little as they can. Riding free on the work that had been and will no longer continue to be done by the many instead of the few.

Will this generation turn into the second lost generation? I'm not sure but it will be interesting to watch as the years roll by in front and behind me like telephone poles on the open road.

Freedom to Fail

This popular meme entitled "Y U NO" is a great example of the creativity and freedom to fail principle of sociology. I created the caption on this meme using a free website known as memegenerator.com. This allows anyone who wants to create and download their own meme. They can choose from thousands of pictures and write anything they want to. After that the image is yours to do what you like.

This illustrates the freedom to fail principle because its free to try and there are no reparations, or consequences, for making a meme that doesn't spread, or even one that people don't find particularly humorous. Its similar to this blog. I can write almost anything that I please on here. I could say things that offend people and tell the world what I think. Now for this particular project i have to stay within the guidelines given to me. But all things considered a normal blog is totally open for whatever the author wants to write and totally free to fail.

This freedom allows for maximum creativity, but that creativity come at the cost of quality. Not all of the things created are of low quality but the lower the cost of failure generally the lower the quality of work is.

What Was Once Our Home...

In high school, I was a band kid. I frolicked with the others and we shared many happy times. No one was ever in a bad mood, but if they were, they knew where to go, the band room!

It was the ultimate sanctuary, we could go in anytime, get a pass and forge the teachers signature without him minding... virtually we were all untouchable to the school system. Like with all good things though, it had to meet its end.

Last year we knew we had to watch ourselves if we wanted to keep this resource handy. One angry teacher could bring an end to this paradise, and it didn't take much to do so.

As i said it was a dream in the beginning, sure enough people started pushing the limits, they would stay without passes, and began writing ridiculous reasons on their ticket out of class. They began bringing their lunches up, leaving their trays behind when they had finished, thus accumulating a pile of stinking food accompanied with gnats. Sharing traits with their rotting food these same people began bringing their friends along with them into the band room knowing that things were starting to get fishy.

One day as we sat in our "home" waiting on homeroom, Mrs. Bence barged in red faced... We were forced to leave the room. The following day, it was announced by our band director that we were not to enter the band room from this point on in the mornings.

We had a resource that was unmonitored except by those of us in band, but through selfishness we lost it all. A perfect example of the tragedy of the commons. My sister, a band person now, said the other day it was announced they were no longer to enter the room unless it was their band period...