Community Service (3 HOURS)

Hi, it's Justin again, and today I'm here to tell you about my experience helping out for my local PADS shelter! I'm Jewish, and as some may know, the Jewish people celebrated the holiday of Purim this past weekend. A large part of Purim is about not only stomping out evil, but also giving back. My temple decided to hold a large Purim celebration and give back to the community by packing lunches for our local PADS shelter, a location for the homeless to come and be safe. Our temple helped to pack over 50 sack lunches for the homeless, baked five large casseroles, and provided drinks and sides for a whole day's meal. After all the food was packed, I loaded it into my car and drove it to the shelter's current location in a Presbyterian church. This also helped me to appreciate another religion by seeing how their church functioned. I really enjoyed giving back to my community, and being able to help the homeless made me enjoy it even more!

(Provided 3 hours of community service)

The food at the shelter

The lunches readed to be transported

My Rabbi and I

Post #4: God Grew Tired Of Us

Hey again! In sociology today we wrapped up the movie God Grew Tired Of Us. It summarised the events of a few African men as they travel to America to escape their own war torn nation. Watching the men learn about culture in the United States, it made me think a lot about what my ancestor's lives might have been like. One of the main characters notes that they had never used electricity before. I liken this to the experience that my great-grandparents might have had when they came to the United States for the first time. Not only were there physical differences such as these, learning about society must have been very difficult. Watching the movie really made me think of how my great-grandparents must have reacted when they reached the US. The movie also reminded me of Stefan Schirmer's 'Bemused in America', and article in which a German journalist reports on his adventures in the United States. The experience of the African men must have been quite similar to Schirmer's experience. The Africans had to learn how to use modern technology, speak our language, and overall function in society. I can imagine this as being very difficult. Both God Grew Tired Of Us and Schirmer's report show how culture can provide significant boundaries for visitors and people who are unfamiliar with the functionality of society.

Post #3-Bronx Tale

Justin back again. We just finished watching the movie 'Bronx Tale' in class, and I really enjoyed it! It seemed like a movie that really showed about the differences within communities, and how people are individually effected. Within the movie, both macro and micro sociology can be seen. Macro, which looks at human society on a large, grand scale, can be seen as the Bronx itself. The main character, C, lives within the Bronx, and as a whole, there can be no question that the area in which he lives influences his life. Similar to how the interviewer in 'Gang Leader For A Day' was influenced directly by his neighborhood, C seems to be directly influenced by his as well. Another point I found interesting was that micro sociology, the study of individual in-groups, can also be seen within the film. Although everyone in the movie lives under the large blanket of the Bronx, there are many smaller groups as well. There are the gangsters, the street peddlers, the working class, and more. There are also segregated racial areas within the Bronx. Blacks live in one area, Mexicans another, Italians another, etc. I think that this movie really shows the concept of micro and macro sociology extremely well, and gives people who watch it a sense of just how much people can be influenced by their environment. It reminds me of when I went to New Orleans this past Winter Break. Although everyone lived in the city, the unique people of the French Quarter seemed to live a little differently than those in the Garden District, and so on. 'Bronx Tale' really reminded me of my trip, and hopefully I will be able to have more memorable experiences in class!

Another Thought

To me, sociological imagination and mindfulness seem to appear at two opposite points in life. The imagination part, that ability to realize that your world effects you, is seemingly like being aware of all of the changes that can occur in one's life, similar to the reading about the Italian village. Just the other day, my uncle, who lives in Texas, was telling me that his neighbor's kids had been dumbfounded by the sight of a dusting of snow on their lawn. I tried to imagine how I would react to seeing snow for the first time, but I found myself unable to describe the feeling. Perhaps it is because my world is so used to seeing snow, especially with the chilly winter we've had. At the same time, I was able to connect this event to sociological mindfulness, just like Schwabe tried to do. Perhaps the way that those children reacted to the snow influenced others around their community to act the same way. At the same time, it is important to realize that every action one takes effects not only their own lives, but the lives of those around them. This concept really popped into my mind when I talked to my uncle. Maybe it is a coincidence that I heard the story just in time to write this post!!

My Blog

Hey, I'm Justin and I'm a junior in high school. I try to always live life to the most, even though I'm not exactly super-exciting, though I try to make my life fun. I'm an only child, though my dog and cat are pretty much my siblings. My passion is hockey. I love everything about it, and the game. I work with my school's varsity hockey team, helping out with the equipment, taking care of the player's needs and working with the coaches. If I could play, I would, but since I can't skate, it kind of makes it hard for me. Being able to do this makes my life happy, since I really do not like my high school. To be honest, I've never really liked school. Every day, I think about the new experiences I'll be having in a year and a half in college. I really want to go to Michigan State and study broadcasting or sports journalism, and I can't wait to visit the school!! Overall, I hope that this class can really make my remaining time in high school interesting and take away some of the stress. Since I'm usually a pretty quiet guy, I hope that I can express myself well through this blog!