Sociology free essay sample

Toys and Gender Assignment 3 My paper titled toys and gender, is based on the toys of today and how they relate to gender socialization. I decided to go to the local Wal-Mart in Cookeville, Tn. I chose this store because it is a worldwide known large retail store. I concluded that it would be a good store to analyze because it is thought of as a family store where many families go to shop. Therefore, I knew that there would be a wide variety of toys to analyze and collect data. I went to Wal-Mart December the 3rd. I analyzed the toy sections of Wal-Mart and how the toys are associated with gender, color sound, types of play they encourage, types of interactions they cause, and what they prepare children for. With the exception of preschool toys that were sometimes offered in gender-neutral packaging, kids’ toys were largely segregated into different aisles according to gender. We will write a custom essay sample on Sociology or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page And within those aisles, the markings of gender were clear. The â€Å"girls’† section resembled the aftermath of an explosion of Pepto-Bismol. In the â€Å"boys’† section, there seemed to be a profusion of aggressive, hyper-muscled, weapon-wielding action figures. And in both realms, the majority of toys seemed to be explicitly tied to movies and television As I walked in I followed the signs to the toy section when I got to it I observed about eight aisles of toys, with toys on both sides of the aisles. Two rows were specifically designed for boy’s toys, one row of girl’s toys, two rows of baby toys, and three rows of mixed toys for both boys and girls. I saw many different kinds of toys some of the toys I saw were trucks, action figures, sports items, baby dolls, Barbie’s, puzzles, board games, and many more. After I observed all of these things I left. As I began to analyze this data I came to conclusion that the toy sections in retail stores are very thoughtfully designed and laid out. I think that they are laid out in specific ways for one to keep things in order. It would be harder to look through and find what you want if the toys were just everywhere and in no certain order. I also think that they designate different aisles for different genders toys because when boys are little they don’t want to be seen looking around at girls stuff. It is the same way with girls so I think that’s one reason why the toys are in the order they are. Now to get into detail about the toys, sound is one thing that can be associated with what kind of audience the toys are meant for. If you have a toy that has a soft talking voice or noise you can come to conclusion that it may be meant for a baby. Say there is a toy with a big manly voice you know that it is meant for a boy because most girls aren’t going to want a toy that sounds manly. Another thing that can be broken down into different aspects when talking about toys is color. Color is usually associated with a lot of things it is used to interpret things. I observed lots of colors in the toys. I could usually tell what gender the toy was meant for by just the color. Society has formed guidelines to which color is meant for different genders. Once you get older and realize most of your toys are the same color you start to realize this. In society blue, green, yellow and other colors are associated with boys, while pink purple and other colors are for girls. That’s why when a baby is born if it’s a girl people usually get it pink stuff and if it’s a boy it’s usually blue stuff. One example would be the cigars that say it’s a boy or it’s a girl. The it’s a boy are blue and the it’s a girl are pink. The chapter we are on in the book is titled gender stratification, which means a societys unequal distribution of wealth, power and privilege between the two sexes. I found a few reading in the book that associated with the observations I recorded at the toy store. In the book it is talking about how parents react towards their kids. It says â€Å"Parents respond differently to girls and boys right from the beginning. Girls are caressed more than boys, whereas boys are jostled and rough-housed more† (Tischler 256). This quote from the book just goes to show the difference in how people handle boys and girls. I think this has to do with the observations I conducted because the toys that are meant for boys are usually competitive and meant for active play. In society that is how boys are thought of to be rowdy, rough, and more competitive than girls. One of my most interesting finding from my research is how much gender roles are changing. Years ago kids played with all toys , they weren’t very gender specified. Now gender roles are traditional to whereas boy’s only play with toys specified for them and same with girls. While doing my research in Wal-Mart I started to notice people that were walking by me just staring wondering what in the world a young man was doing in the kids toy section. Then an employee came up to me and asked me if I needed help, I explained to her exactly what I was doing. This goes to show that society views a young adult in a toy section as an outcast or possibly even a pedophile. I found it very easy to tell when I entered the â€Å"girls† or â€Å"boys† section, mostly just by color and types of toys. The toys differed in many ways, such as the boys toys were a lot of times associated with sports and action figures. I think that most boys toys encourage competition while on the other hand a lot of girls toys encourage cooperation. Barbies and dolls for example prepare girls to take adult roles by helping them know what its like to become a mother. Baby dolls are another example, when little girls are playing with baby dolls this will prepare them to take care of them when they get older the right way. It is straight forward what the toy selection says about gender in today’s culture. Boy’s are thought of as rowdy, sporty, and like competition. On the other hand, girls are usually more passive and like cooperation. Another thing I noticed in the toys were a large amount of the toys were based on movies and movie characters. This goes to show how important and big entertainment is to our society. Works Cited Tischler,Henry. Introduction to Sociology. Linda Schreiber,2007. Print. Sociology free essay sample The mall thing that Influenced him was his passion for music. While growing up In Generate, which was a town in eastern Denmark, Lars took in a number of different genres of music. He heard everything from rock and Jazz music, to Indian music, different types of Asian music, Buddhist chants, and classical music. The reason that he heard all of this music was because of his father, Torrent Lurch, who not only played tennis, but was also a Jazz musician, being able to play both the clarinet and saxophone.Even though being exposed to many types of music while growing up, the main type of music that Lars would come to know and love was different hard rock acts of the ass, tit bands Like Uriah Heap, Status Quo, and Deep Purple. Of all the rock bands Lars listened to, Deep Purple was his most favorite. Lars would be so ecstatic about them. We will write a custom essay sample on Sociology or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page That he would do anything to see them or even meet the band members. Lars remembered in an interview, When I was nine years old, it was all about Deep Purple. HIS fathers friend and fellow tennis player Ray Moore, had been given passes to one of Deep Purples shows, which was taking place at the same arena as one of his tennis tournaments. Lars said that it blew his mind. (Mice Wall, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallic, Pig. 12. After that concert, all he could think about was Deep Purple. Lars remembers In an Interview, l would spend all my time sitting outside their hotel In Copenhagen, waiting for Ritchie Blackmore (guitarist for Deep Purple) to come out so I could follow him down the street. Later on, Lars would also be introduced to then less well-known bands liked Judas Priest, Thin Lezzy and OF. His dedication to music and wanting to form his own band would be Increased when his grandmother bought him his first drum kit when he was thirteen. Mice Wall would ask him, because of his outgoing personality, why he chose drumming over Ewing a frontal. Lars said, Well, theres Just one problem. I couldnt sing. I mean, when I tried to sing in the shower it bothered me. And I Just always loved drumming. (Mice Wall, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallic, Pig. 14. ) Some more musical influences that Lars would be introduced would include NEWBORN (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) would be bands like Diamond Head, Iron Malden, Defy Leopard, etc. So, with all of those musical influences and a passion for drumming, Lars put an ad in a local music free-sheet called The Recycle. That ad would state, Drummer looking for other metal musicians to Jam with. Tigers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head and Iron Maiden.Lars had gotten a call from a man named Hugh Tanner who 1 OFF l got this call from this guy named Hugh Tanner who had seen my ad and he came down and we had a Jam, and he brought this guy James Hatfield along James was from Los Angels, CA, and the first meeting did not go well. The first song they had tried playing was Hit the Lights. James remembers, Lars had one cymbal that kept falling over. We had to stop while he fixed it. (Mice Wall, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallic, pig. 27. ) Lars and James had very different upbringings.Whereas Lars had rowan up in a very wealthy family, being that his father was a tennis player and a musician, James grew up in a broken family. His father had left him when he was thirteen, and his mother had died of cancer when he was 17. The only thing that Lars and James had in common at the time was their musical influences and passion for music. While growing up, James had been introduced to hard rock and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple, which he was introduced to through his older brothers record collection. James and his friend Hugh Tanner had formed a band in high school calledPhantom Lord, with another fellow schoolmate, Ron McGovern, who would later on play bass for Metallic. This group would not last long, mainly abacuses of Hugh Tanner leaving the group. After he left, James and Ron put an ad in the paper looking for a guitarist. Troy James would be the person to answer that ad, and they would form a group called Leather Charm. But, yet again, the band would fall apart, being that Troy James had quit. Not wanting to see James and Ron so upset, Hugh found an ad that Lars had put in the paper, and even though Lars and James first meeting loud not go well, they would eventually come to like each other. Lars was very determined to form a band with James. So, even though he knew that James was not very fond of working with him, Lars took a different alternative. Lars thought that Just being able to listen to records together would work. So, when James first visited Lars at his home, his attitude towards Lars had changed. James said, l would spend days lust going through Lars record collection. He introduced me to a lot of different music. (Mice Wall, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallic, Pig. 45. ) Later on, Lars called Ames up because it seemed that he was into the same type of music as Lars was.Now that Lars and James had gotten together, being that Lars was a drummer and lames was able to sing and play guitar, they felt all they needed was a bass player. Lames had suggested Ron McGovern. Ron and Lars first meeting would go well Hoover. Ron would later say to Bob Millenarian, He couldnt keep a beat, and compared to Jim Mulligan (Leather Charm drummer), he Just couldnt play. (Mice Wall, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallic, Pig. 47. ) Lars and Ron would eventually begin to get along, as the sessions would get better. After some time, Lars, James and Ron would put together a band.Their discovery of the name Metallic had been put together. Lars and James, Hoover, would not be the ones to claim coming up with the name. The name would come from a friend of Lars whom he met through the tape- trading scene, and that mans name was Ron Quintal. Eventually, Lars was able to finally put his groups name on the map. An old friend of his, Brian Eagle, who would come to found Metal Blade Records, was putting together a compilation album of different heavy metal bands that no one had ever eared of, which was to be called Metal Massacre.When Lars heard that he was doing called me up one day and said, Hey, if I put together a band can I be on your compilation album? I said, Sure, no problem, why not? (Mice Wall, Enter Night: A geography of Metallic, Pig. 51 . ) Eventually, Brian was growing tired of waiting for Lars to call back because he had a deadline to meet to when he was supposed to release the compilation album. He called up Lars and told him he had a deadline to meet, and Lars said, Give me a date and a time when I have to have it and Ill make sure I get it to you by that time. (Mice Wall, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallic, Pig. 1 . ) rime passed by, and eventually Lars had gotten the tape he had put together to Iran. The track that was on the tape that was to be put on the Metal Massacre album was Hit the Lights, which was an old Leather Charm song that was written by Hugh Tanner. The track featured, Lars on drums, James on guitar, bass and vocals, Ninth a guitar solo by a man named Lloyd Grant, who Lars and James had auditioned for the band a couple of months before. He did not make the band though, due mainly because, according to James, he didnt make the cut mainly because his withy stuff was never very tight. (Mice Wall, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallic, Pig. 53. ) Lars and James had made their way over to Ron McGovern house to do some recording, but Grant did not have time to make it over there. Even though Lars and James had tried to convince Ron to play bass, Ron could not do it. Ron said, My musical contribution to Metallic was very limited. Irons interests were mainly in business, so Ron would decide to manage the band. After a very long time of trying to find another guitar player and placing an ad in the paper, they found someone in the arm of Dave Musician.After meeting with Musician, James said that he had felt a connection, being that, like James, Musician had also grown up in a broken home. Shortly Dave had Joined the band, the group was getting more attention, mainly due to word of mouth. The group would eventually come to play their first shows, starting at Radio City, in Anaheim, CA. The songs they mainly played were a lot of Diamond Head covers, their three track demo, and one other original song. The cover songs they had played were meant to seem like original material. James said in an interview once in 1986, We away the New Wave of British Metal that was coming out.We knew it was goanna hit, like, you know a couple years before, it was goanna hit the states fairly soon, so, you know we like doing it and you know, we were doing it down in L. A. And a lot of people didnt know you know, what the hell was going on. They didnt see and hairdos or makeup or anything, we Just going up there bashing it. Eventually, Lars suggested that they put out a cassette tape called No Life till Leather, which they took from the opening line of the song Hit the Lights, and also inspired by Motherhoods live album, No Sleep till Hammerheads. Sociology free essay sample Bernard McGrane believes that as sociologists they have to think scientifically which means without any bias or personal preference. For instance, when we are think about necessity of legalizing casinos in NYC, we cannot have any answer influenced by personal experience like lost money there or personal preference like I don’t like gambling. We have to think objectively without any personal emotion. As to culture shock from anthropology, it is a individual get in to a new society which has totally different culture and values. For example, when I first came to US from China, I was experiencing culture shock. People think differently, culture background, values and environment here are so different with where I grow up. Sociological imagination is to describe the ability to look at issues from sociological perspective. It is not just what a individual or a group of individuals life is, but also why and how it is what it is. We will write a custom essay sample on Sociology or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page What reason or characters influenced this situation. Try to find details of larger background from individual’s context. The sociological perspective, as a way of thinking about the world, includes the sociological imagination from C. Wright Mills, the beginner’s mind from Bernard McGrane, and the idea of culture shock from anthropology. What do all three of these concepts have in common? 5pts. Bernard McGrane believes that as sociologists they have to think scientifically which means without any bias or personal preference. For instance, when we are think about necessity of legalizing casinos in NYC, we cannot have any answer influenced by personal experience like lost money there or personal preference like I don’t like gambling. We have to think objectively without any personal emotion. As to culture shock from anthropology, it is a individual get in to a new society which has totally different culture and values. For example, when I first came to US from China, I was experiencing culture shock. People think differently, culture background, values and environment here are so different with where I grow up. Sociological imagination is to describe the ability to look at issues from sociological perspective. It is not just what a individual or a group of individuals life is, but also why and how it is what it is. What reason or characters influenced this situation. Try to find details of larger background from individual’s context. Classical sociological theory arose in the nineteenth century, in the aftermath of the American and French Revolutions and during the Industrial Revolution. Explain how the theories of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber all reflect a concern for the consequences of modern life. 5pts. When we concern Karl Marx’s theories for the consequences of our modern life. People will think about socialism countries such as China and North Korea. Citizens of North Korea have almost everything equal. They don’t need to worry about the houses and how they do at work. Because they don’t need to buy house themselves they can get same quality houses from their work. They don’t need work hard, because there is little competition, whatever how you performed you will always have the same paid. The disadvantages of socialism are that people have shortage of creation. The disadvantage of socialism discourage people to work hard to gain more. 3. Sociologists often have to decide if they are going to adopt a microsociological or a macrosociological approach in any given project. Explain how these perspectives differ, paying special attention to the different assumptions about how society works that are contained within each perspective. 5pts. 4. Structural functionalism attempts to explain the social world through the functions of social structures. Describe the types of functions that social structures can fulfill. 5pts. Sociology free essay sample The main thing that influenced him was his passion for music. While rowing up in Generate, which was a town in eastern Denmark, Lars took in a number of different genres of music. He heard everything from rock and jazz music, to Indian music, different types of Asian music, Buddhist chants, and classical music. The reason that he heard all of this music was because of his father, Torrent Lurch, who not only played tennis, but was also a jazz musician, being able to play both the clarinet and saxophone.Even though being exposed to many types of music while growing up, the main type of music that Lars would come to know and love was different hard rock acts of he ass, with bands like Uriah Beep, Status Quo, and Deep purple. Of all the rock bands Lars listened to, Deep Purple was his most favorite. Lars would be so ecstatic about them, that he would do anything to see them or even meet the band members. We will write a custom essay sample on Sociology or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Lars remembered in an interview, When was nine years old, it was all about Deep Purple. His fathers friend and fellow tennis player Ray Moore, had been given passes to one of Deep Purples shows, which was taking place at the same arena as one of his tennis tournaments. Lars said that it blew his mind. (Mock Wall, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallic, Peg. 2. ) After that concert, all he could think about was Deep Purple. Lars remembers in an interview, l would spend all my time sitting outside their hotel in Copenhagen, waiting for Ritchie Blackmore (guitarist for Deep Purple) to come out so I could follow him down the street. Later on, Lars would also be introduced to then less well-known bands liked Judas Priest, Thin Lezzy and OF. His dedication to music and wanting to form his own band would be increased when his grandmother bought him his first drum kit when he was thirteen. Mock Wall would ask him, because of his outgoing personality, why e chose drumming over being a frontal. Lars said, Well, theres just one problem. Couldnt sing. I mean, when I tried to sing in the shower it bothered me. And just always loved drumming. (Mock Wall, Enter Night: A Biography Of Metallic, peg. 4. ) Some more musical influences that Lars would be introduced would include NEWBORN (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) would be bands like Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Deft Leopard, etc. So, with all of those musical influences and a passion for drumming, Lars put an ad in a local music free-sheet called The Recycle. That ad would state, Drummer cooking for other metal musicians to jam with. Tigers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head and Iron Maiden. Lars had gotten a call from a man named Hugh Tanner who had seen his ad in the paper, and told him he had found another musician.Lars said, l got this call from this guy named Hugh Tanner who had seen my ad and he came down and we had a jam, and he brought this guy James Hatfield along James was from Los Angels, CA, and the first meeting did not go well. The first song they had tried playing was Hit the Lights James remembers, Lars had one cymbal that kept falling over. We had to stop while he fixed it. (Mock Wall, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallic, peg. 27. ) Lars and James had very different upbringings. Whereas Lars had grown up in a very wealthy family, being that his father was a tennis player and a musician, James grew up in a broken family.His father had left him when he was thirteen, and his mother had died of cancer when he was 17. The only thing that Lars and James had in common at the time was their musical influences and passion for music. While growing up, James had been introduced to hard rock and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple, which he was introduced to through his older rooters record collection. James and his friend Hugh Tanner had formed a band in high school called Phantom Lord, with another fellow schoolmate, Ron McGovern, who would later on play bass for Metallic.This group would not last long, mainly beaches of Hugh Tanner leaving the group. After he left, James and Ron put an ad in the paper looking for a guitarist. Troy James would be the person to answer that ad, and they would form a group called Leather Charm. But, yet again, the band would fall apart, being that Troy James had quit. Not wanting to see James and Ron so upset, Hugh found an ad that Lars had put in the paper, and even though Lars and James first meeting would not go well, they would eventually come to like each other. Lars was very determined to form a band with James.So, even though he knew that James was not very fond of working with him, Lars took a different alternative. Lars thought that just being able to listen to records together would work. So, when James first visited Lars at his home, his attitude towards Lars had changed. James said, l would spend days just going through Lars record collection. He introduced me to a lot of different music. (Mock Wall, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallic, Peg. 45. Later on, Lars called James up because it seemed that he was into the same type of music as Lars was.Now that Lars and James had gotten together, being that Lars was a drummer and James was able to sing and play guitar, they felt all they needed was a bass player. James had suggested Ron McGovern. Ron and Lars first meeting would go well Hoover. Ron would later say to Bob Millenarian, He couldnt keep a beat, and compared to Jim Mulligan (Leather Charm drummer), he just couldnt play. (Mock Wall, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallic, Peg. 47. ) Lars and Ron would eventually begin to get along, as the sessions would get better. After some time, Lars, James and Ron would put together a band.Their discovery of the name Metallic had been put together. Lars and James, Hoover, would not be the ones to claim coming up with the name. The name would come from a friend of Lars whom he met through the tape-trading scene, and that mans name was Ron Quintal. Eventually, Lars was able to finally put his groups name on the map. An old friend of his, Brian Silage, who would come to found Metal Blade Records, was putting together a compilation album of different heavy metal bands that no one had ever heard of, which was to be called Metal Massacre. When Lars eared that he was doing this, he got into contact with him almost immediately.