Shift Happens

After watching the video, I did wonder how much our world will change in just five years. Population growth is inevitable, but to think that while we are in school, for some people, the education they receive for the jobs they are training for will be out-of-date by the time they graduate. Although you cannot control the speed of innovation occurring, I do think the education system will need to be updated in order for people to be knowledgeable about their field by the time they graduate. Since I am not getting a technical degree, I am not sure how I would change the system or if it is even possible to do so. However, since many people will have had ten jobs by the time they are thirty-eight, I do think everyone should receive a well-rounded education, whether that being knowledgeable about different types of math, science or having students either double major or receiving a major and minor in contrasting fields.

I do think the continual improvements in information processing and it's availability are improving our lives. I think since the internet was invented people are being exposed to different cultures and ideas they may not have heard about in their community or in school. I also think information processing has helped the medical field by promoting organizations that help with charities and by allowing people in remote locations to receive necessary medical information. I also think the advancements in information processing will continue to help people all around the world. I think the information processing advancements have changed our society and will continue to modify societal norms, education, and the work and economic infrastructure of our world.

Urban/Suburban/Rural Life

Over the years, population has continued to increase causing the community we live in to change as well. I agree with the book that inner-city areas have become segregated and lack many resources. I also agree that suburbs farther away, around 40 miles, from cities have continued to grow. The town I live in now is a suburb that has greatly increased since I moved there eleven years ago. Since it is close to D.C., many people who work in D.C. live in our town. The suburbanization and growth of our town has influenced many business to open stores there. However, I do think the recession and the crash of the housing market either stopped people from moving to the suburbs or cause people to move out of the suburbs into cheaper areas. While the economy has improved I am do not think an era of urban renewal is occurring in cities. Especially after listening to Week Fourteen's podcast, it seems more city buildings are decaying rather than being upgraded. However, I do think there are more jobs in cities than in rural areas. With the increasing population, in the future there may be very few rural areas and more cities throughout the world. I think the growing suburbs could turn some places into cities while some rural areas turn into suburbs and cities become very overcrowded. It will be telling to see if one of the UN's estimated predictions for the world population is correct.

Who Has the Power?

Democracy and the Western push for others to conform to democratic governments has greatly influenced the world. For the most part, I agree with Mills's power elite theory on democracy. While the people in power in becoming more diverse in ethnicity and sex, I still believe the majority of the people in power are WASP-type men. However, I do not think that WASP-type men should be the only people in power. I think our society could greatly benefit from having women and people of different races become powerful political and social leaders. I also thinks Mills's idea that there are "three spheres" in which people move up the hierarchical ladder ring true today. For example many large business, especially those involved with military aspects, and their leaders often either run for office or make large contributions to a person that could really influence how likely they would win the election. Often politicians, such as previous presidents, often go into business with companies that were involved in their campaign/s or helped when they served their term. Since these companies have so much influence and are so influenced by political figures, military personnel may see it as beneficial if they also became close with both spheres. Thus, the process continues to repeat itself.

I also agree with most of Mills's idea about the three levels of power in the US. I do think the "power elite occupy the highest level" and interest groups are beneath the power elite. However, unlike Mills, I do think the mass population can have an effect on policy decisions. The system of checks and balances established many years ago ensures that the population can vote to repeal a law or impeach a leader. They are also the ones who vote to elect a politician to office or choose to support a company by buying their products. I think the mass population can have a large effect on how society functions and how the government and power elite operate. However, I think all aspects of society, including businesses, government officials, and citizens, influence the world we live in, in a variety of ways.

The Case of Walmart

After reading the textbook and watching the video, I feel that Walmart does have negative effects on the American economy and job market. While the low prices can save people money, I think placing factories in China takes away hundreds of jobs for Americans. Factory plants are now simply wasting land all over America because of the effects the demand for lower prices has created. Since goods are cheaper to produce overseas and create a cheaper product, American goods are losing value. I found the statement about America's trade deficit with China to be profound. If there is a way to produce goods China would buy in such large quantities, such as those that America buys from China, then I think this trade flow could greatly benefit both countries. I think Walmart has created a monopoly over selling products. The effects Walmart has had on big companies, such as Rubbermaid, seem harsh, demanding, and unrealistic. In order for many companies to grow and survive, they need to sell to Walmart at very low prices and in large amounts to make a profit off the low prices. Although Walmart provides great prices for many products, I think a slightly higher priced product could benefit more people because it would place less of a demand for products to be made overseas and would use more American materials.

Division of Labor and Second Shift

I thought the chart activity gave me more insight into how much work everyone in a family contributes. I was not surprised to see that my Mom does the majority of the tasks, especially the daily chores, such as cooking dinner and packing school lunches. While my Dad does do some chores, I definitely think my Mom has a second shift where the number of chores she does greatly outweighs how many chores my Dad does. The textbook mentioned how some wives are more willing to do chores, since the husband is the breadwinner and provides economic stability. I think this idea does apply to our family. When I interviewed my Mom for the gender inequality assignment, she even mentioned how she does not think there is inequality within the house because my Dad does other things, such as taking care of our finances. While I highly doubt that my parents would agree with this, I think it would be interesting to switch the dynamics and roles each person in the family plays for a few days, just to see how people handle the role reversals. If this were to happen, it would also be interesting to see the after effects, if there are any, of this activity and if people change how many daily chores they do.

The Pill

Margaret Sanger made many contributions to society, but her most important one was advocating the right to use contraceptives. She helped educate people about birth control and even helped develop a contraceptive pill. Sanger lived to see her efforts become a reality when the Supreme Court overruled a Connecticut law that "prohibited the use of contraception." Sanger's most important contribution was that she allowed everyone the right to privacy over contraceptives and abortions.

When reading the 1966 pill article, I felt it was extremely conservative and seemed to exaggerate how the pill would affect society. However during the 1960s, many adults may have been worried about the younger generation, since the 1950s were such a conservative decade. I also think the pill could have been a small catalyst to the sex, drugs, and rock and roll that occurred during the 1960s and 1970s. I do think, like the article stated, that the pill "provides an invitation to premarital sex." However, I do not think "moral anarchy" will or has occurred by taking the pill. I do think the pill allows more women to have safe sex without getting pregnant.

I thought it was interesting to hear about the cultural norms before the pill was created. I was not surprised to hear how many people looked down upon those who had sex before they were married. However, I was surprised to hear how women wore girdles in the 1950s. I tend to associate wearing girdles with the 1700s through the 1800s, not something that was worn in the mid-1900s. It was also interesting to hear the male perspective on birth control; I wish the clip showed more about his point of view. I really liked the quote in the after clips about how the pill gave the woman a sense of "ownership over my body." Having a child can affect your life in such a dramatic way, that taking a pill to prevent this from happening can also have a dramatic impact on your life. The pill allows women to choose when they want to have a child. I also think the pill can prevent couples from having more children then they desire or can handle. Many people in the after and before videos described how their world was very sheltered and how the pill changed that because, as one person stated, "it changed our most basic assumptions about the way life should be organized." I think what surprised me the most about the videos was how the pill affected women's careers. It was disturbing to hear that a company hung up on a women during an interview because she had young children. While there is still gender inequality in the workplace, I think the pill greatly affected the level of respect and treatment women now receive in their jobs.

Religion's Role in Government

I do not think that religion should have a role in the government. Since new leaders are often elected every few years it would be difficult and somewhat controversial to continue to have one leading religion influence the government's decisions. Today, there are numerous religions around the world. Within a country people could be practicing from any of these religions, thus it would be difficult for the government, if influenced by a religion, to please the majority of the citizens. The text book talked about how often times conflicts within countries deals with religion. The examples listed in the textbook, such as Israel's frequent spot in the news over religious disputes with their neighbors, are violent.
One religion can be powerful without having a large following. Therefore, a powerful religious group can become intertwined with the government. This religious group can then proceed to change many of the laws of the country. If different religious groups were elected then the laws of the country would continue to change, potentially wrecking havoc on the land. Or if one religion continues to be elected they could become more fundamentalist, creating differences between the majority and minority groups. I think if religion does not play a role in the government, then there is a higher likelihood of having peace within the country.