Final Reflective Essay: Sociology 4310

Reflective Essay

Melissa Jahn

When I signed up for this course I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know what exactly we were going to learn about terrorism or even know how to interpret terrorism. I think a lot of my fellow classmates felt the same way; perhaps even scared about what they might learn about. In fact, when I was buying my textbook for the class there were two girls behind me that saw the title “Essentials of Terrorism” and were whispering about how I was taking a class on terrorism and they were wondering if in the class they were going to teach us how to “become” a terrorist. After hearing their remarks, I even wondered this myself. But as the course got started I realized that terrorism is not only about fear and terror but it is also about freedom and pride.

Throughout the course we began learning several key concepts to help us reach a better understanding of terrorism, globalization and social justice. One of the terms that really stood out for me was the concept of ignorance. Many of us would define ignorance as being dumb or stupid however there is much more depth to the concept. To be ignorant simply means not knowing. By being ignorant you are not paying attention to or not being aware of your surroundings. I think people are generally ignorant to the idea of terrorism. They hear the word terrorist and they automatically associate it with negative ideas and when we see someone who “looks” like a terrorist we automatically assume they are. This is being ignorant; we are not paying attention to the other aspects of terrorism such as freedom fighting and we only focus on the fear and terror. Our teacher, Dr. Charles Quist-Adade, always said in class “one person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter” and it is important for us to remember that and not be ignorant to the fact that many of these acts have a purpose behind it.

I am not trying to justify terrorism by any means but we need to be more aware of why these groups are behaving this way. From reading the textbook and listening to the presentations we learned that a lot of terrorist movements are motivated by religious or political factors. The members of these groups feel they have a commitment to God or to their country to achieve justice. Therefore, they carry out terrorist acts against their enemies in hope that they will receive praise from their God or country for fighting for their freedom and many people do feel that it they are doing the right thing.

Furthermore, we find that people are ignorant towards others that “look” like a terrorist. Since incidents such as 9/11 many people look at Muslims like they are all terrorists and they all supported what happened on the faithful day. However, what people don’t realize is that most Muslims living in America are just as appalled as white Americans are. Just because they share the same religion on the terrorists does not mean they interpret it the same way. No where in the Quran does it tell people of the Islamic faith to go and reap havoc on innocent civilians in order to be closer to God, thus the Western society needs to stop assuming that all Muslims are planning on committing the same acts as the al-Qaeda did.

Overall, from this course I have learned a lot about terrorism and its relation to social justice and globalization. Also, we need to remember that terrorism means more than terrorizing others and that there is many different types of terrorism and many different aspects. As a society we need to stop being ignorant when it comes to the term because several people are suffering everyday from the social injustices the word brings, especially Muslims. By eliminating ignorance one will be able to let go of any preconceived notions and make decisions about the subject on their own without being affected by the people and the media around them.

Final Reflective Essay: Sociology 2311

Reflective Essay

Melissa Jahn

By taking this class I have learned a lot about issues regarding social justice. With the combinations of the texts, lectures, guest speakers and videos I have reached a better understanding of some of the major concepts discussed. To illustrate, the concept that has enhanced my understanding of sociological issues the most is debunking.

Debunking is the idea of looking at the obvious and the less obvious. It is the idea that “what you see is not always what you get” and “looks can be deceiving”. It means we need to take into consideration both the surface level of things and the deeper meaning. The concept derives from Emile Durkheim’s studies on suicide. He claimed that the obvious reason for someone to commit suicide is that they are “mad” however he also explained how people take their own life because they are not integrated into society properly; this is the deeper meaning or the less obvious. By using debunking we are able to have a better understanding on why particular social issues exist.

What I learned from this course is that debunking is a very important part in eliminating social injustice. There are too many people in the world that just judge others based on what they see or on the little knowledge they know about the subject. This cause people to rely on and believe the stereotypes they see or hear because they are not considering the deeper meaning. For instance, we saw the importance of debunking in a class video, “The Danger of a Single Story”. Here we watched novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, discuss how she was both stereotyped when we moved from Nigeria to the USA and how she herself had also used stereotypes in defining how life in America would be. We saw the importance it is to move away from these stereotypes and debunk our preconceived notions about other cultures.

From this I am able to break free from my own pre conceived notions about race. Although I do not consider myself a racist, I too have judged others on what I have previously heard about their culture or society. But now I am making more of an effort on researching topics that I don’t know much about in order to shift away from this way of thinking. For example, recently there has been much talk about the Muslim community since 9/11 and whether we should look at them differently when they immigrate to our country. At first, I would have probably been a little on edge about their faith and culture due to the Islamic history of terrorism but now I know that most Muslims disagree with the 9/11 attacks. I have found out more information by watching shows about the Muslim community, googling it, taking to fellow classmates who are Muslim and even listening to other classmates experiences with the Muslim community. Now, I know a lot more about their culture than I did before and I have no worries or fears when I meet a Muslim despite 9/11.

Overall, concepts like debunking, are the key to society moving away from social injustice. We need to have a better understanding on these injustices and disregard any pre conceived notions we have. By doing so, we will be able to help each other eliminate injustices and reach our ultimate goal of equality.

Class Video: Burqa Women

Class Video

Burqa Women: Saad Haroon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LzOU6ETxI8

Affective Reading Method

This video clip is a parody of the song “Pretty Women”. Comedian, Saad Haroon, has recreated this song and calls it “Burqa Women”. Throughout the video Haroon’s lyrics describe how an American citizen may think men in the Muslim culture find their women attractive while wearing a Burqa. He pokes fun at it stating that they determine if they are physically attractive to a Muslim women by looking at their feet and they have conversations with them via text messaging instead of face-to-face like westernized dating.

I feel this video is a great way to address a serious concept. Haroon does make fun of the concept of the burqa however, he does it tastfully. Although some may find it offensive, especially Muslims, others find it humourous, including Muslims as well. He sheds some light on a topic that is an issue in North America, seeing as many people think that by wearing the burqa, Muslim men are repressing the women but this is not the case and I think by seeing a Muslim man make a video like this shows quite the contrary.

I believe some may find it offensive because wearing the burqa is something that is very important and significant to Muslim women. Women who wear the burqa do it because it makes them feel closer to God and because they feel that men who they could potentially marry should not be able to see what is underneath the burqa. Obviously, the outfit holds a strong religious value to them so this may be offensive but I don’t think Haroon means any harm by it.

I think it also shows North Americans how dumb we look and sound when we stereotype or make preconcieved notions about why the women wear it. As a society we judge and generalize far too much and this video emphasizes how silly it is to assume some of these things.

I know now the reasoning behind wearing the burqa and its sentimental value. The first time i watched this video in class I thought it was funny but probably because I agreed with some of these stereotypes because I didn’t know any better. But since then i started watching this show on TLC called The All American Muslim and I am learning a lot about the Muslim culture and why some women wear it and why others don’t. Now going back and watching the video I still think it is funny but more so because people think these things like I once did.

Class Video: The Danger of a Single Story

Class Video

Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg

Affective Reading Method

This video is about a novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, coming to the US from Nigeria and her experiences she has. She talks about her life in Nigeria and how she would read books about girls growing up in England and other westernized countries. She discusses how she had preconceived notions about life in America because of the things she has read or seen but realized when she arrived that things were not exactly how she read them to be. Adichie also spends time talking about her experiences in the USA and her roommate. She states that her roommate stereotyped her based on the little knowledge she had on Africa. The author realized that both her and her roommate had stereotyped each other based on what they have previously heard, thus seeing the danger of a single story.

I feel that this video portrays a very common issue in most societies. We feel that we know about a culture or religion because we have read about it or have seen it in the media and we generalize. We begin to think that all people from that society look, act or speak the same but this is not true. Diversity exists within each and every culture and not one person is exactly the same as the next.

I think people act this way because they do not know any better. As a society, we are irrational people and we just assume what we hear is true but ignorance is bliss. We are not all the same and we should never assume that we are. This doesn’t happen just in international contexts but also regionally. To illustrate, I live in Ladner and  every time I tell someone where I live, they ask me if I live on a farm and listen to country music. People think that because Ladner is full of farms that we all do but this is far from the truth and the majority of residents in Ladner live in regular houses just like the people in Surrey or Richmond.

I believe that people don’t even realize when they are stereotyping  each other and they just think that what they know is common true knowledge. For the most part, it is not their fault though, they are just expressing what they know. However, people should never generalize and expect the unexpected as we are all different.

I know that change is a hard thing to achieve but I think stereotyping can be reduced but it will never go away. The best way to limit stereotyping is to teach people about your culture or religion so they know. This way they will have a better understanding on the topic and will be able to develop their own opinions, not the ones they see in the media.

Class Video: Nickel and Dimed

Class Video

Nickel and Dimed from the American Ruling Class

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDgFiW2xtf0

Affective Reading Method

This video is a musical excerpt from The American Ruling Class, starring Barbara Ehrenreich, about how the power elites in the US are taking advantage of the low economic status citizens. When watching the video we see the impact the economy has on people who only make minimum wage and how the upper class society doesn’t see or appreciate the work or effort the lower class individuals do for them.

I feel that I can relate to this video because at my job the management does not appreciate the work their staff does for them in order to run their restaurant. We work over time and don’t get paid for it, we come in when other staff members don’t show up or they need extra help and we stay late to finish our jobs even when we have plans. I personally make several sacrifices for the company and I never get a thank you for my hard work or even paid properly when I work over time and it certainly is not fair.

I think that many other Canadians and Americans experience the same issues with their jobs and it is a common economic issues. These power elites are constantly taking advantage of the people who work for them because they can. They know that they can not afford to lose their jobs, especially in today’s economy, so they push their staff as far as they will allow them. We see it in everyday jobs like restaurants and we see it with business people and politics as well. They are spending the money on things that benefit them and do not even consider what is best for the people who work for them.

I believe that this issue will never fully be changed but I agree with the video that someday the common workers are going to strike and rebel. They are going to come together as a group and fight for the rights and respect they deserve and demand that they get more money or they will not work. Hopefully, when that day comes, the elites will realize that they will no longer get away with stealing from their employees; both of their time and money.

I know from watching the video that people are struggle to make ends meet on their wages and we need to reconsider what our government is spending money on and put it to better use. Instead of pouring millions of dollars into military purpose we should focus on providing for families that are in need so then can live a safe and sustainable life.

 

Class Discussions #3

Lecture 5A

Charles Quist-Adade, PhD

There is subjection everywhere; is it possible to provide for justice in all cases?

Subjection is the unjustified abridgement of another’s sovereignty. People are always going to experience injustice especially in countries with an over powering government but can justice be achieved in all cases?

In my opinion, probably not. It is an unfortunate thing to say but not everyone is going to agree or even believe in justice for all. The power elites are always going to enforce subjection on society because it benefits them and they don’t care about how it may affect others. It would be an ideal world if justice to always be achieved but this simply is not going to ever be the case. However, we can participate in social movements and acts to help people become aware of the social injustices around the world and do our best to provide equality for all.

We need to understand as a society that we have a moral duty to be just. We should always try to be as fair as possible and give people equal oppourtunities in life because at the end of the day we are all one in the same.

Class Discussions #2

Lecture One

Charles Quist-Adade, PhD

What do homeless people in Vancouver and homeless people in Bangalore, India have in common?

There are several things that homeless people in Vancouver share with the homeless in Bangalore. To illustrate, in both places the cost of living is high compared to how much people make hourly. In Vancouver, minimum wage was $8/hr (prior to the new laws) and the cost to live in Vancouver could not be achieved in a household on just one income. Many people are forced to apply for welfare in order to feed their families and put a roof over their heads. Similarly, Bangalore workers make on average $1-2/day! Although the cost of living is much less compared to Vancouver, one cannot survive properly on just a dollar. The lack of affordable living is a major issues in both cities and needs to be dealt with in order to help reduce homelessness.

Another thing they have in common is the changes in the economy. Today, changes being made in the industrial economy are leading to higher rates of unemployment and lay offs. With technology becoming what it is, there are less chances for labour because machines are able to do the job more efficiently and then companies do not have to pay people to do things. Unfortunately, because of this people are unable to find jobs, especially without an education.

Lastly, another thing they have in common is there are not enough resources for those who are disabled either mentally or physically. There are not enough clinics, shelters, half way houses or doctors to accompany those that suffer from illness or physical disabilities and if they are available, they are usually quite expensive. Therefore, these people are forced to live on the streets because they are unable to afford the help they need and their disability limits them from getting certain jobs.