Entry #8: The End of the Journey

October 10, 2015

Learning Sociology was fun and I learned a lot. I learned a lot about other people. I learned that they act like that because of certain reasons. Maybe it has something to do with their past or how they're brought up by their parents. I also learned a lot about myself. I learned that I act like this because I'm different to other people. And I realized that being different is okay. Everyone is unique in his or her own way, and I learned that in our Sociology class this semester. And now, that class has come to an end. 

I had fun writing in my blogs. Even before I started this blog, I'm already a blogger, posting random and crazy stuff just for the fun of it. It wasn't hard for me to start a blog, but it was hard for me to write things about sociology. I expected from the very beginning that sociology was just talking about people and how they behave like that. But I did not expect that we are going to dig deep for it. It was quite exhausting and hard (especially the quizzes and exams) but it was still fun. I'm quite sad that there's no more sociology in the next semester. Still, I will bring what I learn from this class as I grow up.

From Karl Marx to talking about family, it was truly fun and memorable. Here's to the end of this blog and to my amazing Sociology teacher! 

Entry #7: My Family VS Their Family

October 10, 2015

My family is the same as other families. I have a father, I have a mother and I have siblings. We live in one house, however my older brother doesn't live with us anymore because he currently rents an apartment together with his workmates. Still, all of us meet up whenever there's a special occasion like birthdays and graduations. We also gather together during Christmas holidays and such. 

We are different from my seatmate's family in a lot of ways. I have three brothers, whereas my seatmate has a sister and a brother. Her parents doesn't live with her because they're in Digos and mine are here in Davao with me. She only lives with her sister, because her brother also stays with their parents in Digos. 

We are also different because of our different ways of living. Her parents allow her to go out or hang out with friends during weekends. I, on the other hand, am not allowed to go out of the house with strict permission. I am only allowed to go out during school projects, or birthdays. Only once in the blue moon I am allowed to go out. This might be because my seatmate is the eldest in her siblings, and her parents treat her like an adult. I am the third child out of four and I am very sheltered.

But one similarity that I have with my family and with my seatmate's family is that both of our families celebrate special occasions. Whenever we celebrate birthdays, we always go out and eat somewhere fancy. Everyone is present and we just have fun. Sometimes, we watch a movie or go shopping. It is universal that birthdays and other special occasions make families closer, despite differences. 

Entry #6: Deviance

October 10, 2015

What is deviance? According to John J. Macionis, "deviance is the recognized violation of cultural norms or, in different terms, it is behavior that a large or powerful segment of the population disapproves of." There are two types of deviance - the formal deviance and informal deviance. But what are the differences between the two of them? How come they are classified into two? 

Formal Deviance

Formal deviance includes criminally violation of formally-enacted laws [https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/deviance-social-control-and-crime-7/deviance-59/deviance-362-4916/]. These types of deviance or violation can land you in jail or worse, even give you a death penalty. These violations include robbery, theft, rape, murder and assault. All of these are against the laws of all countries. 

Different violations:

• Robbery - essentially theft accomplished through the use of physical force or fear;
• Theft - unauthorized taking of property from another;
• Rape - unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration;
• Murder - the crime of unlawfully killing a person essentially with malice aforethought; and,
• Assault - a threat or attempt to inflict offensive physical contact or bodily harm on a person (as by lifting a fist in a threatening manner) that puts the person the person in immediate danger of or in apprehension of such harm or contact.

Violating the laws is an example of formal deviance, 

and you may get yourself in jail because of it.

Informal Deviance

Informal deviance, on the other hand, refers to violations of informal social norms, but not norms that are included in the law. Most of these are just violations against one's culture. For example, belching after you eat is quite acceptable if you're in China because they would take it as a compliment. If you belch, it means that you are happy with your meal and you're full. However, if you belch after you eat in another country, people may look down on you. Belching, to some people, is like the equivalent of farting. It is rude and immature.

Belching is an example of informal deviance.

Sources:

http://blogs.findlaw.com/blotter/2015/01/whats-the-difference-between-burglary-robbery-and-theft.html

dictionary.reference.com/browse/rape

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/murder

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assault

Entry #5: Agents of Socialization

August 14, 2014

There are five agents of socialization - family, school, peers and mass media.

Family

School

Peers

Mass Media

All of these are important in our lives. We couldn't live or even survive the social world without even going through with this. Our family is the first people that we interact in our lives. Through them, we learn how to imitate and be like them. This is why that when a person is rude, this must mean that his  or her parents were also rude because he or she imitated them. But if a person is kind, then his or her parents must also be kind. This is why we should be careful when we interact with other people from outside our family because we carry the images of our parents wherever we go.

School is also important. In school, we learn the stuff that we should know, not only about educational stuff like Math or Science, but also life. We learn different skills that we must use when we grow up. A lot of people say that Math is very useless in life and there's no point in taking up this subject. But the important thing about Math is that it teaches us the skill of not giving up. We must never give up until we have the right answer. We will do everything and try different solutions just to get to the final answer. 

My friends or peers, as you would like to call it, really helps me in society. Because of my age gap with my parents and also my older brothers, it's up to my peers to teach me how to be like them in society. From them, I learned how to dress up because I know what kind of fashion is "in." I also learned some "slang" that I use in social media or even in person.

Last but not the least, mass media or popularly known as social media. When my parents were young, social media was not a thing. It didn't even exist yet. But today, it is a normal thing to everyone. Even young children are already in social media. Social media is very important in socialization because you get to connect with people that you don't even know. You get to learn stuff about them. You can also learn about the news and the current happenings of the world, even though you're not from there. A lot of people say that social media is bad for us, but I think social media is very useful when handled properly. There is a bad side of social media, but if we know how to use it and be responsible with what we say online, then I see nothing wrong about social media.

But the question is: What's the agent that I could not live without and what would be my life without it? Well, my answer would be my peers. 

Yes, it is true that my family is so much important than my friends, but in socialization, I guess my peers are most important than family. My family has a different society than I do, but with my peers, it's all the same. I do not live the same year as my parents did when they were teenagers, so it would be weird. Without my peers, my life would be really tough. My older brothers are so much older than I am. They are adults right now, living their own lives, while I am still a teenager and in college. This is why my peers are important. I could tell them stuff that they could only understand. I could share about my different likes and dislikes. I could relate to them and they could relate to me. And being able to relate with one another is very important in socialization.

Entry #4: Sociology in Film

July 17, 2015

Balangaw (Rainbow)

Balangaw is a Mindanao indie short film that is all about a college girl who got pregnant, and was faced with a difficult problem. It talks about innocence, forgiveness and importance of life. I've heard about this movie from my mother, since she was friends with one of the actress in the movie. It was a good film, and I learned a lot. It had values that everybody should learn and know.

Veronica, a simple college girl, is living with her older sister, Magda and her husband Miguel. Veronica had her eyes on Miguel and one night, she seduced him. Not long after, Veronica got pregnant and Miguel urged her her to abort it, since he doesn't want Magda to know about it. But when Veronica was about to abort her child, she changed her mind and she stopped the process. When Magda found out about them, she left Miguel, heartbroken and sad. Because of this, Miguel turned to drugs and eventually killed himself. In the end of the film, Magda and Veronica were visiting Miguel's grave with Veronica's son who she named after his father, Miguel. Magda had forgiven Veronica for what she had done, because she's her sister and forgiving is important.

The topic of having an affair is quite common in today's TV films and movies. It may be because of the exciting plot of having a forbidden love. Because of this, many producers and directors decide to make a movie about this topic since they know a lot of people would watch it. We can also learn in these kind of movies, even though it doesn't really have a good message. Having an affair can ruin relationships. Just like in Balangaw, the relationship of the sisters got ruined because of Veronica's mistake. It also ruined Magda and Miguel's marriage, and even got to the point where Miguel killed himself. 

Durkheim in Suicide

Durkheim defined suicide as the severing of relationships. The kind of suicide that Miguel committed in the film was an example of egoistic suicide. Egoistic suicide is a suicide resulting from weak social ties that fail to attach the person to the group. (Reference: Sociology, A Global Perspective 7E by Joan Ferrante). Because of Miguel's one-time affair with Veronica, it severed his relationship with Magda, thus making him very guilty. 

Lovella Mole | SY 2015-2016

Entry #3: 2015 Southeast Asian Games

JUNE 21, 2015

What is Southeast Asian Games?

The 28th Southeast Asian games or simply, SEA games, is a sporting event in which eleven Asian countries participated. Four thousand three hundred and seventy athletes joined in the said event and competed in different thirty-six sports. This year, the SEA games occurred in Singapore. It is the fourth time the country had hosted the games. From the fifth of June up until the sixteenth, people from all over the Southeast Asian countries were excited with the games and rooted their own favorites.

Participation of the Philippines

With four hundred seventy-two participants in the Philippines, the Filipinos were excited and looked forward with this year's SEA games. Alyssa Valdez, one of the volleyball players, was the chosen one to carry the flag. At the end of the games, the Philippines accumulated twenty-nine gold medals, thirty-six silver medals, and sixty-six bronze medals. Overall, the country won one hundred thirty-one medals and ranked in the sixth place out of eleven countries. 

Alyssa Valdez leading the parade while carrying the flag

Diving Fails

John Elmerson Fabriga, twenty-one years old, and one of his teammates, John David Pahoyo, seventeen, went viral when their video was posted in the Internet. The two men were divers and both participated in the SEA games. The two failed in their performance when they landed in the wrong positions. This gained them the score of zero from all the judges. 

"I even laughed at myself after I did this dive," he [Pahoyo] said, tagging his teammate Fabriga. "I am still proud because not all of us has the privilege to represent our own country to such a big sporting event like this. And by the way can I ask all of you if you can still smile after getting embarrassed in front of thousands of people?"  (http://time.com/3918579/diving-philippines-sea-games-filipino-john-elmerson-fabriga-john-david-pahoyo/)

You can watch the controversial video in this link: https://youtu.be/ToPRDDPN4xg

Fabriga and Pahoyo, Filipino divers

Rationality of Philippines joining in the SEA games

Even though a lot of people were happy with the sixth place, the coaches and leaders are still baffled by this year's performance, particularly with the controversial Filipino divers. Ronnie Nathanielsz, a Filipino sports analyst, was unhappy with the news. "Tragedy," said Nathanielsz. "This was an unmitigated tragedy." (http://cnnphilippines.com/sports/2015/06/17/2015-Sea-Games-Philippines-do-better.html) 

In my own personal opinion, I think the Filipino divers was a bit disappointing and upsetting. But it wasn't their fault. They do not deserve the bash that they receive in social media. The one should be questioned is the coach. It wasn't an accident why Fabriga and Pahoyo landed that way. They were taught the wrong way.

Compared to the past years where the Philippines was normally part of the top countries, this year, it is ranked in the sixth place. A lot of people were disappointed about this, but it is okay. There is also a saying that there is always a next time. Filipinos are just human beings and we all make mistakes. Just because we failed in one sport doesn't mean that we are losers. The participants in the triathlon, rugby, boxing, billiards, softball, cycling, taekwondo, tennis, basketball (and many more) gained gold medals. Even at sixth place, I am proud of my own country for wearing a smile in the lowest of times.

References: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Southeast_Asian_Games

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines_at_the_2015_Southeast_Asian_Games

© Lovella Mole | SY 2015-2016

Entry #2: It Wasn't Just Any Other Day

JUNE 12, 2015

The October 15, 2013 Earthquake

To some people, October 15, 2013 was just a normal day.

It was normal enough for me. It was announced by the Department of Education that all classes were cancelled because of Eid ul Adha. Eid ul Adha is a public holiday in all Muslim countries. Even though I go to a Catholic school, we still respect the holiday for my other Muslim schoolmates. I was happy, that there were no classes because even though it was only a Tuesday, we get to rest from all those tiresome events in school.

Unfortunately, I was unable to rest at home because one of my classmates wanted to practice for our project. The next day, October 16, 2013, was supposed to be the assigned date that we were going to perform our play. It was a play that I co-wrote with the director and I had a supporting role. We practiced a lot because we wanted this to be perfect for our audience the next day.

Normally, I wake up at four in the morning to prepare for school. Since the practice was going to be held in my classmate's house that was near my apartment that we used to rent, I decided to wake up at around six in the morning. I took a bath at around six-thirty and ate breakfast at seven-thirty. I thought it was just a normal day. Nothing bad or major was going to happen.

While I was finishing my breakfast at around eight in the morning, the ground suddenly shook. I panicked momentarily, because I wasn't really used to react with earthquakes. My mother quickly told my brother and I to grab our phones and go outside in case something falls. It wasn't just a normal earthquake that we sometimes encounter. This one was quite strong. When we were sure that the earthquake had stopped, we went in back to the apartment and checked the news for anything. Because the earthquake only happened just two minutes ago, the news didn't immediately report it.

My mother was the type of person who worries a lot, and so she told me that I shouldn't really go to the practice anymore because I might be harmed. I reassured that it was going to be fine, and that I'll just go home early. I needed to be in that practice because even though I only had a supporting role, I wrote the script and I sometimes help the director with the actions of the actors. Eventually, my mother agreed to let me go. I didn't wait for the news about the earthquake in the TV and left the first chance I got.

When I arrived at the house of my classmate, everyone of them were talking about the earthquake that just occurred. I also joined in, recalling to them about my experience while I ate my breakfast. One even joked that he was in the toilet while it happened. We laughed because we knew everything was just fine and it was only an earthquake and no one got hurt. But when one of my classmates turned on the TV and went to the ABS-CBN channel, we were shocked to learn about the damage the earthquake caused.

No one might have got hurt here in Davao, but not in Bohol and Cebu. According to the news, ninety-nine people were reported dead and two hundred seventy-six people were injured because of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake. It was also the deadliest earthquake recorded in the Philippines in twenty-three years. It was also compared to the Hiroshima bombings during the World War II, saying that the earthquake was equivalent to thirty-two Hiroshima bombs. Many people lost their family members, their houses, and most of their properties because of this October 15, 2013 Philippine earthquake.

My classmates and I were immediately guilty because we were making jokes earlier. We soon realized that it was no laughing matter. My mother's family in Cebu called and told her about the house creaking and some of the floor boards cracking. It was just another day for me, but it wasn't for many people that was affected. 

Some pictures taken from the Internet resulting from the deadly earthquake

© Lovella Mole | SY 2015-2016 |