Is having a child and getting raised but you step father okay now and days

In chapter 18 they were talking about family. A family is an untied group of people who cares for one another including any children. Family to me is someone you are brought up with that loves and tells you right or wrong when they no something isn’t right. Today I’m going to tell you about a sad story about a little toddler that was still getting potty

train that was punished for pooping his pants and he was only 3.

The mother had stated a new job and left her son with her boyfriend that she was dating for a year. Not thing that she couldn't leave her son with him. While she was at work the toddler popped his pants and the step father beat him so bad he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The boy only being 3 years old didn’t know any better he was only 3 I could see if he was 5 or 6 they should know better but at 3 there are still learning what right from wrong. I would say that the baby was looking up to the men as his father because he daddy wasn’t around so I would call this kinship. Kinship is a social bond on common ancestry married or adoption, or an extended family. The mother left her child with the boyfriend because she trusted him to look after him while she was at work trying to make a living for her family. Which he is the man he should have been out there trying to put food on the table for her and her baby instead of leeching off of her. He had no right to put his hand on that baby. He is not the father she shouldn’t never left him with her. I would see if they were married then it would have been kind of different. Then again if I was to have a child no man couldn’t put his hand on my child only me and there is a lot of ways to punish a child then to abuse them. It was a higher range of females killing the child but at the same time I hear of a lot of step dad killing the children in our generation. This society is so messed up.  He must have gotten beating when he was younger that what made him beat the little boy but he didn’t have to beat him like that. There is no excuse he had no business putting his hands on her child. This family happened to be black so she was trying to make a living and 66 percent of African American are poor and don’t have health care and are living off of welfare and are single parents .she was also cohabitation because she let her boyfriend live with her who would think he would of did that with in a year and the child was not showing signs of him getting miss treated but then let’s think about it he was only 3 he rarely had any emotions. Growing up my father never had a right to put his hands on us my mom did all the punishing and my father was the one that was trying to save us from getting punished. He never touched his girl but one thing he did do was punish the boys when they were bad but he always punished them different like make them do pushups squat in the corner or something or that sort never to hurt them. I think that what he should of did with the 3 year old.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2949219/Corey-Gordon-beat-death-girlfriend-s-3-year-old-son-soiled-diaper.html

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-man-accused-of-killing-3-year-old-20150210-story.html

Beliefs and functions of Religion in Society

In today’s society you might find yourself searching for some type of hope, one of which is believe and hope that has been making a comeback in the upcoming generation, and that is the faith in religion. If you have ever experienced any type of religion you would know that it gives you faith and hope in some pretty dark times (Maybe when you’re praying for a way to pay off all your college debt)

               Growing up I was able to experience a rather popular religion, Christianity. In this religion most was practiced by going to church every Sunday (Most of the time being forced) and praying to a savior who we believed would forgive us of our wrongs and sins (This savior being Jesus of Nazareth.) But I always found a curious interest for learning more about all of the religions. And why people were believed there religion was the correct believe.

               I found it interesting learning that the religion that I believed in actually began as a cult that split off using elements from Judaism. This religion being based off the perception that is their duty to imply and use god’s laws. This is usually done through following The Ten Commandments, which is essentially the rules and laws of God himself. Another Religion that I was rather fascinating to me was one I learned about in class, that which is Hinduism. I’ve heard of this religion but I never took the time to really understand it, it was interesting to learn their moral practices and believes, such as they who envision God as a moral force rather than a single all powerful entity. It was also interesting to learn that the origins of this religion began in Indus river valley, and that the followers of this religion believe that they have a moral responsibility called “dharma”

               One of the rather interesting religions that I was able to learn in the classroom and from a close friend of mine was Islam. This religion was where its followers worshiped the word of God in the form of its prophet Muhammed. Usually called Muslims. When I interviewed my friend of some information of this, he told me that he never goes anywhere special for prayer, he does during certain hour of a day kneeling on a special rug that prays with, also he informed me that an important factor to this religion was following the five pillars, these rules are faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting and the pilgrimage to Makkah,

               There are a great deal of other religions that people choose to follow such as Buddhism, Confucianism or one of the not commonly known ones such as Jainism, but each of these serve the purpose of unifying people by being socially constructed and giving them some kind of sacred meaning to their lives by praying to some significant figure or abiding by different values or laws each of which follow. But each of which is important, and important to learn about to better understand different cultures of religion.

http://dl0.creation.com/articles/p005/c00521/521-religious-symbols.jpg

http://krieger.jhu.edu/mellon/about/

http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/mods/theme_c/mod10.html

Measuring Our Education

        I can honestly say that the United States has a good amount of educated people. That doesn't mean that there aren't downfalls in our system. Now while we have numerous problems with the education system, my biggest one is our standardized testing methods. I feel like the way that American students are evaluated is not fair due to how creative the minds we hold can be. The testing system we have is an unfair way of determining our intelligence. We have a good amount of respectable and hardworking teachers but when it comes to “measuring” our intelligence I strongly feel we are being evaluated terribly.

        Personally I got a 20 on my ACT, what is considered “the most important test” for a student in Illinois and numerous other states to see what college will take us in. During almost all of high school I had about a 3.75 GPA. I worked very hard on my work and as much as I hate math it was my best subject. I will not say I am the smartest by any means but I did do very well in school. Most people that I told my score to had a very surprising reaction. All the practice ACT’s I took I always got no higher than a 22. I wasn't the only one either. I knew too many intelligent people who did not do very well on the ACT.

     When we are taught and have assignments to do there are so many things that we are able to do from projects to participation in class. Representing our intelligence in the way we carry ourselves. But with standardized testing all we are is students filling in one of four buy les to an answer. Then people in suits read these an determine who we are simply from this. Not knowing how we actually work through our day. One thing that limits our creativity is the fact that when we have to take these tests teachers have to take their time out to teach us how to take these tests. They are “teaching us to test”. An article on Education.com by Jasmine Evans says it best when she states “Opponents of high-stakes testing claim that with tests at the center of a year's curriculum, teachers lose some of the dynamism and creativity that makes school effective and enjoyable—that there is no value placed on concepts and hands-on projects that require a greater challenge than what can be tested in a multiple-choice format.”

        Some teachers even believe this so strongly they decide to quit their job. Social studies teacher Ron Maggiano quit his 33 year teaching job for this reason alone. His reason for quitting he said was “I can no longer cooperate with a testing regime that I believe is suffocating creativity and innovation in the classroom. We are not really educating our students anymore. We are merely teaching them to pass a test. This is wrong. Period.”

Why should we limit the creativity and ways that a student can demonstrate their intelligence? They might call it no child left behind but that might be because we are all staying behind our full capabilities. Numerous people agree and there are many reasons as to why standardized testing is just terrible for a persons career. But it all comes down to the same thing, that is that this testing limits our full intellectual ability to be represented to everyone else. That doesn't only affect them in high school but it can for the rest of their lives in some way.

https://aae.boisestate.edu/testing/
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Test_Problems_Seven/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/04/22/11-problems-created-by-the-standardized-testing-obsession/
http://www.ct4me.net/standardized_test_preparation.htm

Divorce Rate Today Compared To 1980

Many people may say that the divorce rate in America is rising, but is it really? Since 1980, the divorce rate has been declining. In the past, a new feminist movement caused divorce rate to increase in the 1980s. The movement caused social and economic upheaval from many people. In the 50s and 60s, marriage was all about a breadwinner husband and a homemaker wife that didn’t spend much time together but needed the others contributions to the household but did not necessarily spend much time together. The movement started when women started entering the workforce, the chores at home became automated and they gained reproductive rights. The couples that married before the movement suffered the most because they were not used to what was happening. These people were married to the right person post war culture but the wrong person after the times changed. Today, society has changed and the divorce rate has declined again. Marriage has adapted to modern day times and is based on love, shared passion, often two incomes, and shared housekeeping duties. Around 70 percent of the marriages that began in the 90 have reached their 15th anniversary compared to about 65 percent of those that began in the 70s and 80s. The divorce rate peaked at 5.3 divorces per thousand people in 1981, before falling to 4.7 in 1990, and it has fallen further to 3.6 in 2011.  The divorce rates for couples that have married in the 2000s are declining at an even higher rate. The annual marriage rate per 1,000 people compared to the annual divorce rate.  The many reasons for divorce rates declining include later marriages and birth control. Other reasons for the decline of divorce rates are because fewer people are getting married, some of the biggest declines in marriage have come from groups at rise of divorce, and the fear of divorce.  There is also a delay in marriage that allows people more time to understand what they want in a partner and to find one. The median age for marriage in 1890 was 26 for men and 22 for women. By the 1950s, it had dropped to 23 for men and 20 for women. In 2004, it climbed to 27 for men and 26 for women. We all know someone that has seen their parents’ marriage end in divorce and many people have experience more than one divorce. In fact divorce increases the risk of interpersonal problems in children. Many of these children have problems that are long lasting and become worse during adulthood. Basically the divorce surge is over, yet the myth is still alive. Marriages in the country have been stronger than they have been in a long time. Divorce is not the problem. The rise in the divorce rate is only a symptom. The real cause is dysfunctional relationships. We are encouraged to get married, start a family, settle down, etc. But we are not taught what a relationship involves and how to make a marriage a home for happiness.

Link 1: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/02/upshot/the-divorce-surge-is-over-but-the-myth-lives-on.html?abt=0002&abg=0&_r=0

Link 2: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/upshot/how-we-know-the-divorce-rate-is-falling.html?abt=0002&abg=1

Photo Credit: https://expertbeacon.com/sites/default/files/how_to_make_a_trial_separation_work_and_not_always_end_in_divorce.jpg

Religiosity in the US

In chapter 19 we looked at religion.  It seems to me that religion has become a much larger and more divisive topic since the attacks on 9/11.  It is true that religion has been a very large focus throughout the world from the earliest of records, but we are in the midst of large questions about the role of religion in society.  Different world religions are very much at odds with each other across the globe.  In the US, a sense of Islamophobia has crept into society, with irrational fears that all Muslims are terrorists.  The acts of Boko Haram and Islamic State certainly add fuel to the fire of this kind of panic, but the majority of Muslims I have met and leaders I have heard speak compare them more to the violent cults we have discussed in class than to a mainstream sect of Islam.  Both groups also touch on the idea of state churches from the chapter, as they wish to establish a caliphate, an Islamic state run by a religious leader.  The US is already at odds with a different state church in Iran, which is spilling over into trouble with Israel and Palestine.  This elevated state of war and terror in the Middle East has even called what is sacred into question, as many religious artifacts have been destroyed or looted.
I believe these conflicts do a lot to contribute to the higher rate of religiosity in the US than in other countries as noted in the chapter.  Most of these conflicts include US interests or groups that threaten attacks on the US.  Especially with the way the news and social media drum up many of these stories in an “Us vs. Them” type attitude, it causes many people to feel that their values are being threatened.  This kind of attack has a tendency to make people cling harder to their beliefs.  It can also inspire fear in people, which can make them seek a certain sense of comfort in God.  Many adopt the other side of the spectrum, hoping to better understand other faiths by solidifying their own beliefs.  If nothing else, having religion constantly brought up will make people start to think more about their stance on religion.  The more engaged people are in trying to understand their own faith, the more likely they are to try and seek out different places of worship and see how it works for them.  I have personally seen this among friends, as several of them began to gain more interest in religion.  After attending several different services, they were able to find the church that worked best for them.
So is 9/11 the reason behind all the religiosity in the US?  While I would say it is a major contributor, the US also has other unique properties.  As we discussed in class, we are a nation of immigrants and, as such, we import many religions through the people who come to this country.  Our founding in many ways was based on religious freedoms, so we have a particularly diverse Protestant background in the US.  Indeed, I have met a few Quakers, and given the individuality of worship in that particular religion I wouldn't know where to put them on the church/sect scale.  We also have more religions involved in media and political parties than other nations.  Ultimately it is everyone’s unique view on life and its origins that come to develop their faith, and that will tend to be formed by their situations at the time along with their upbringing and environment.

Destroyed Artifacts:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31779484

Prayer in safety:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/muslims-return-favor-join-hands-christian-protesters-mass-cairo-tahrir-square-article-1.137961

Who are we ?

Before we are even born it seems like our life are predestined in which in mean by race, physical appearance, gender and sexuality. With having our previous generation such as our grandparents, mothers and fathers we are brought into different cultures that we come to be used to and accept. Many cultures are mostly based of off race in which different races practice different beliefs and incorporate different conviction into their society. Although culture doesn't completely define who we later grow to become it does play a great significant role as we grow up and view the world. Stereotyping

leads to categorizing which really puts people in shallow enclosed rooms of which is which and who is who. Nowadays people assume what you based of your physical appearance as well as your personality , the quote "Judging a book by its cover" is being displayed in our today`s society. For example many people believe that those who are Asian are good math or that people are Mexican have more then just their nuclear family living with them or that black people only wearing sandals with socks. Many of these accusation are still believe till this day, and it is really shows the maturity that our generation as well as others have . So when someone ask what are you , just be straight forward and honest on what you are and how you accept yourself because people will misjudge you and will assume the typical answer of what are you .

http://www.researchomatic.com/Role-Of-Stereotypes-In-Todays-Society-31691.html
http://www.remember.org/guide/History.root.stereotypes.html

Social Class

                       Our economic status is another way of describing our class system. The class system is imperfect in classifying Americans, and offers a understanding of social stratification. The U.S. has roughly 5 classes which are: Upper class, Middle class, Working class, Working poor, and the Poverty level. The upper class is usually the one percent of the population, generally consists of those who inherited wealth called old money. Members of the upper class usually have a recognizable family name, such as Rockefeller, DuPont, or Kennedy. Some members of the upper class work, but their salaries are not their primary sources of income.

            The middle class is the, which includes about 34 percent of the population. The members of the middle class earn their money by working at professional jobs. They probably have college educations, or at least have attended college. These people are usually managers, doctors, lawyers, professors, and teachers. They rarely wear uniforms, although some might wear certain clothing according to their jobs, such as a physician’s white coat. They are often called the white-collar class, referring to many middle-class men to wear suits with a white shirt to work.

            The working class makes up 30 percent of the population. Its members may have gone to college, but more have technical training. The members of the working class have a variety of jobs, including: Electrician, Carpenter Factory worker, Truck driver, Police officer, and things of that nature.

This category is called the blue-collar class in recognition that many of these individuals wear uniforms to work rather than suits. People in the working class are more likely to be members of unions than people in the middle class. While there is a difference between the working class and the middle class in terms of their values, and behaviors, but their standards of living are often similar, the not exactly the same.

            Another new class in the ladder is the working poor. Estimating how many Americans are in this category is difficult because the line separating them from those who are at or below the poverty level is not accurate. Statistics say that approximately 20 percent of the population could be classified in either the working-poor or poverty-level categories. People in the working-poor category have a low educational level, not highly skilled, and work at minimum-wage jobs. They often work two or more jobs and receive no health insurance or other benefits. These individuals are vulnerable to falling below the poverty line. They have very little or no job security, and their jobs are easily outsourced to other countries where labor is cheaper.

            Every economy needs a group of workers that it can be hired during an economic lay off when the economy weakens. People at the poverty level do not meet their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. The poverty level, set by the federal government, is an estimate minimum income a family of four needs to survive. The poverty level is currently about $18,000 per year—a figure that has come under fire mainly because poor people, particularly those in urban areas with high costs of living, need more money to survive.

http://udel.edu/~cmarks/What%20is%20social%20class.htm

http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21595437-america-no-less-socially-mobile-it-was-generation-ago-mobility-measured

Why Is "Religion" a Thing?

Religion: the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.

http://www.signinstitute.org/sites/default/files/in_god_we_trust.jpg

Religion is a system of faith that has been something people hold dearly for centuries. Religion has always been there and there’s not just one, there are hundreds of them. Religion is extremely popular and it’s something cherished amongst people. However, religion is something no one can prove – it’s cherished yet no one is actually sure about it.  So why does it exist?

Just take note: this blog is my perspective on religion, I agree with Marx. Religion is popular and a lot of people hold onto it and use it as a way to live a moral life. Things I recognize is that many people barely use the moral code that religions declare people to live by. For example, homosexuality is claimed to be a moral sin in the Christian Bible – a lot of Americans have come to accept it (which is good) but those who are whole heartedly against it are constantly sinning themselves; which doesn’t make sense. Perfection is impossible, the idea of a religious person to judge a lifestyle because it’s against “god” puzzles me because everyone is doing something that is not morally correct. I believe religion is a belief system many people choose hold to help them understand things that don’t make sense to them, and how to judge things. From my standpoint as a young adult of this era – Religion is the reason for tragedy throughout the years. It’s a social structure created and pushed amongst people to help dominate a society and control it. Fear is instilled in past generations that are passed down to make people scared of the consequences for “sinning.” I grew up with a religious family – I’ve been through it all: communion, reconciliation, and confirmation. I came to the realization that it isn’t for me. I don’t hate religion I just feel it’s not something accountable for happiness.

Karl Marx’s view on religion is very similar to mine, Marx states: "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the feeling of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless circumstances. It is the opium of the people...The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness.” Marx viewed religion, as soulless asset people seemed to live their life by. He thought of it as a way the rulers [then] had their hands wrapped around society the way they wanted it to be. Since sociology offers many approaches to a lot of social systems, people today have access to reading and researching things such as religion. Many would agree with Marx are be highly against it.

Religion is diminishing today but it will always exist. Many people are becoming more opening to different things but because of religion they are skeptical to other opinions. Religion exists today because people are still fearing what is to come in their after life, they need reassurance that it’s ok to sin because their “god” will forgive them. Religion isn’t something I feel needs to be extinct but people need to know how to be have their faith without ignorance amongst diverse people.