This article takes a look at the problems that occur when someone is “labeled.” It is common for humans to stick labels on others just to avoid actually getting to know someone. I think it is part of human nature to try to categorize everyone and everything in order to make sense of our lives. If we cannot make sense of the world around us, it causes confusion and chaos. It is much easier for us to say, “Oh, that man is a lifer. I better avoid him,” rather than, “That man is a lifer. I have no preexisting views or beliefs about him as person.” If we don’t stick labels on people, how do we know the “nice” guys from the “bad” guys? Surely, it would be too much trouble to talk to someone before making a judgment about him/her.
The author referenced the phrase “trigger word” and explained that certain words are attached to labels. Although, I believe that in a sense, all words are trigger words. It’s just that certain words have stronger triggers than others. For example, the word pink may leave one with a calmed feeling due to its pleasant appearance and may trigger the association with females. Now, the word lifer may trigger one to think of a violent crime and therefore, a violent person. The word lifer has a much stronger trigger than the word pink does because it leaves a person with a stronger emotional response. Of course, all words’ meanings have been shaped by society’s interpretation . Now, if we can recognize the power that certain words have, we should be able to separate the word’s trigger from its actual meaning. To put it into the context of this article, let’s say that I meet a lifer one day. Once I hear that he is a lifer, certain feelings and judgments arise before I even get a chance to speak to him. Although, if I can recognize that these feelings and judgments are most likely preconceived and incorrect, then I have effectively reduced the power of the trigger and allowed myself to be unbiased in meeting a lifer.

I found this article to be one of the most inspiring and thought-provoking ones I have read all semester. I understand that the purpose of this class and these blogs are to give us a chance to rethink our values, beliefs, and general views of the world. This article touched on all of the above. This article made me think of one of the first classes this semester when Sam said that he rarely thinks about what it means to be a man and how it affects him. That statement did not strike me until I read this article. The fact that our view of a man is shaped and skewed by society and those around us is a scary thought. It’s almost one of those things that we all think is a “given.” I typically think a man is this and does this because that is what I have learned. But, in reality, my view of a man has been shaped by opinions that are not my own. It makes me think of one scene in Fight Club where Tyler Durden looks at a Calvin Klein advertisement and asks, “Is this what a real man looks like?”

I thought it was interesting that the author asks, “Why is it I had to come to prison to figure this out?” The fact that he brings up brain washing makes me rethink the effect that the media has on me. I took a social psychology class last spring and we learned that we are not affected by subliminal advertising but we are affected by normal advertising. Of course, this is contrary to popular belief as many people believe that subliminal advertising has some sort of hidden power. Although the truth is that we are strongly influenced by factors that are right in front of us but we do not realize it. I believe that the best way to handle this is to live your life as you wish and don’t fall into the same trap as everyone else. I like to think that I do things my own way but in the end, all of us are affected by the immense power of social influence.

I still find it hard to believe that inmates, let alone lifers, write all of these letters. Usually, after reading these letters, I feel more motivated but I also feel bad about myself. The reason that I feel motivated is that the letters are upbeat and positive. The reason that I feel bad about myself is that I realize I too often get frustrated or upset at myself or another person. Although, in the end, these letters have made me realize the world isn’t all that bad.

As for this letter in particular, it makes me realize that social support is something that is universal across all humans. We are social beings and when we lose contact with a person, we will find another to fill that void. I like to think of this in terms of an example that is relevant to all college students. When we were in high school, we all had our close group of friends but then; all of us went to different colleges. Now, we have made new friends at college to “replace” our old friends. So back to prison, although the author of this letter downplayed the media’s portrayal of the prison system, there may be some truth behind the friendships shown in movies such as Shawshank Redemption and Escape from Alcatraz. I am in no way saying that prison life is similar to these movies (or that escape is possible) but it would be possible to see friendships formed in prison similar to the ones in these movies. It could be that I am an eternal optimist but I believe that the view of prison as being a friendly community would be more likely to occur than the “Hollywood,” violent, eye-for-an-eye prison.

After reading this letter, I pictured myself as a lifer from a social perspective. It would be traumatizing at first to lose all contact with the outside world and family and friends. Although, after a while, I believe that I would adapt to my new setting and schedule. I found his analysis of letter writing to be intriguing. At first, it is strange for a college student in the 21st century to understand and appreciate the concept of corresponding only through (snail) mail. Although, I think there is a lost art in communicating with another only through handwritten letters. It provides an anticipation that is unrivaled by the super speedy e-mail and allows the receiver hold on to and cherish the tangible letter.

I would have to disagree with the “group of mathematicians” on this one. While I would believe that the number of nonbelievers is rising, I do not think that religion will ever entirely die out. Religion has been such an important part of human culture for thousands of years that it seems that it is almost in our DNA to believe in something. Although there may not be an extreme devotion to the church, temple, etc. as there was, say at the time of the Reformation, religion is still an important part to many people’s lives. Even if the majority stopped believing in a religion, there is still the extreme minorities that will devote their lives to their respective religion. And when these people die out, their children will follow in their footsteps to withhold the tradition of their religion. When looking at religion from a sociological perspective, it is difficult to stop any movement that has been ongoing for thousands of years.

Now, imagine that the major religions did somehow die out in the next several hundred years. The religions of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. ceased to exist in all forms. There are no small cults or independent followers. As I mentioned earlier, I do not expect this to happen, even in hundreds of years. Although, if this were to happen, we would then see several neo-religions arise. The fact of the matter is religion exists for a purpose. This purpose is to give people meaning and to make sense of this chaotic world that we live in. People are naturally knowledge-seekers and most of us have difficulty with “just living.” Even in the 21st century in which the technology and medicine are beyond advanced, people still need an institution that will tell them, “Don’t worry, it’s going to be alright.” I cannot speculate as to how these neo-religions will form or what their beliefs will be. I can only assume that these neo-religions will be based upon many of the same theories of today’s religions. They will most likely provide people with comfort and teach them to be kind to one another. Beyond that, I do not know what the religion of the future will hold. All I do know is that there will always be an institution in place that will attempt to give people a chance to understand life and themselves.

I liked his analogy between freedom and the path of stones. I usually don’t think of freedom as something to strive for on a daily basis but rather as something that a person either has or does not have. He made it seem as if freedom was more than just having the ability to do whatever you want. Freedom, to him, is more about discovering the person that you can become. With every moral move that a person makes, he or she is closer to attaining the freedom that every man desires.

; they would prefer to define it as boredom or repression. Although, I can see where he is coming from because I enjoy these activities as well (on the rare occasion that I am awake to see the sun rise). I feel that most often I find happiness in life’s smallest moments. By small moments, I mean the moments in life where nothing life changing occurs but you still find happiness in the situation. Some examples include discovering new music, going for a walk in a new place, or relaxing in a park. I have experienced all of these events and I have enjoyed all of them at one time or another but I do not plan on telling my grandchildren about them. These small moments are not life changing but they often brighten our days.

It still amazes me that all of these prisoners feel that they have a decent amount of freedom despite having limited living space. That’s not to say that I think these prisoners have no freedom but typically when one thinks of lack of freedom, he or she thinks of prison. If someone were to ask me before taking this class, what type of person has the least freedom, I most likely would have said prisoner. Although, after reading and analyzing several of these prisoner essays, I am starting to question that belief and the very concept of freedom itself.__I thought that this prisoner took a rather interesting view of freedom. He seems to take the more tranquil version of freedom as opposed to the violent and haphazard version of freedom where we find revolutions and criminal mischief. Rather, he seems to prefer the freedom where he spends time with his family and “quiet moment on your porch sipping coffee and watching the sun rise.” Many people would not define these activities as freedom

I’ve always thought that Finland or any of the Scandinavian countries would be a cool place to visit. After watching this video, I am rethinking that visit. It’s amazing how much we take sunlight for granted here in Northeast USA. I can’t imagine living in a place that spends more time in no sunlight than sunlight. This is another case of “the strings” shaping our lives. Just as I rarely think of the amount of sunlight here, most citizens of Finland rarely think of the amount of sunlight they receive. It is quite possible that some people in Finland are unaware of the effect the lack of sunlight has on their lives. They may think they have depression and that it is their fault. Of course, this is not the case as SAD affects many of the citizens in Finland.
After watching this video, it reminded me of a Tropicana commercial I saw about a year ago (I provided a link below). In this commercial, in the town of Inuvik in northern Canada, they received only one or two hours of sunlight per day. Instead of doing a “light show” as they did in Helsinki, Tropicana created an artificial sun. The sun created enough light to brighten the winter months for all of the citizens of Inuvik. This just goes to show that lack of sunlight affects people all over the world. This is not to say that lack of sunlight is an epidemic but it certainly affects numerous people around the world.
I thought the most interesting part of this video was the ways in which the citizens of Finland overcome the lack of sunlight. One would think that sunlight is not something you can just replace. Although, the people of Finland seem to have found a temporary solution as they have installed special lights in offices and restaurants across the country. This just goes to show that at times, we can become aware of the invisible strings. Not only that; we can combat them also. This is when sociology becomes extremely rewarding. In this instance, the people of Finland found a problem and discovered a (temporary) solution to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Krky4i6Xk8

First off, I would like to thank Sam for introducing me to these brilliant videos by RSA. After watching the one RSA video posted last week, I watched several more on YouTube (including this one). Not only are they engaging, they are also incredibly informative and thought provoking. As for this particular video, this has made me view education in a completely new way. I have had discussions with people about the absurdity of the educational system today. That’s not to say that it is wrong or counterproductive. The point that has baffled me is the way it has grown just in the last 100 years. In the early 1900’s few people attended college but today, attending graduate school is close to becoming the norm. Obviously, that is a rapid change in just 100 years. Now, who is to say that the educational paradigm that is set in place today is better than the one 100 years ago? Consider that 100/150 years ago, many people did not go to school. Rather, they were apprenticed for the occupation that they would take later in life and these apprenticeships began at an early age (e.g. 10,11,12). When one looks at the educational system of today, oftentimes people do not enter the workforce until their mid 20s. Compare this to the apprenticeships where people would start working in their mid teens. Now, the point I am trying to make here is that ten years of our lives have been wasted on useless, force-fed education. Sure, we are more intelligent for having attended school for fifteen/twenty years but it takes away much of the time we could have spent in the workforce.
The main theme I am hinting at is that, as Sir Ken Robinson stated, we must change the paradigm to make education more engaging. When students in high school say, “When am I ever going to use this,” they actually make a good point. Why should we be forced to memorize dates and formulas that we will never use again? Rather than giving all students the same generic education for twelve years, I suggest that we allow them to “choose their education.” If a young student is especially skilled at spelling and writing and enjoys those subjects, we should let him/her spend more time in those areas. In addition to allowing children to choose their education, we must also reduce the amount of lecture and increase the amount of engaging in material. As Sir Ken Robinson noted, the children of today have trouble concentrating due to being overly stimulated. They are very “hands-on” in the sense that today’s toys and gadgets (e.g. blackberry, computer, iPad, videogames) are interactive and user-friendly. This should be translated to the classroom by allowing students to write, draw, and describe. The classroom should change from a teacher-centered environment to a student-centered environment.

Jeremy Rifkin, the narrator of this video, introduced me to some facts about the human race that I had not previously known. It is inspiring to hear that humans are softwired for empathy rather than self-interest. In fact, this fact is even surprising to me when I look around and notice all the greed that fills the world. When you see people that destroy the earth, run Ponzi schemes, hurt or even kill another human, it is hard to imagine that we are softwired to care for one another. Although, we must recognize that this is part of being human and use it to our advantage.

Rifkin brought up that humans have gone from caring for their own family to religion to nation and that we must take this to the next level (the entire human civilization). Although, I think he overlooked one important facet of all of these subdivisions. The truth is, at each level, we are in competition with one another. At the family level, we want to protect our “blood” from dangers and give them the best life possible. At the religious level, we believe that our religion is the only one with the correct answers to life’s questions. At the nation level, we believe our nation has the best lifestyle and diplomatic policies. Although, on the global level, we have nothing to compete against or to unite us. I suggest that we look at man’s extinction as our opponent. When you look at the recent global warming crisis and the arms race of the Cold War, it is evident that the world as we know it could potentially end very soon. Now back to the human’s natural tendency to empathize, it would only seem logical to act empathetic not towards each other, but towards future generations.

I also found it interesting that he noted that man’s consciousness changes through time. One can even look at a man fifty years ago and say that his consciousness varies from the common man today. With this knowledge, we must consider the implications. Just as a man fifty years ago should have used his knowledge to solve the issues at hand, a man today must take the knowledge and use it to humanity’s advantage. With the rapid increase in technology over the last fifteen years, we have capabilities that we have never had before. Although rather than using this technology for time-wasting, brain-frying activities (e.g. Twitter and Facebook), why don’t we use it to solve conflicts and empathize with other members of the world? Just as the saying goes, “With great power comes great responsibility.”