SOCI 3422 Blog

I truly loved the blogs and I loved this class! I know you think I am kidding when I say I am going to miss you all but it is absolutely true. I am glad today is Marti I mean Friday. Thank you.

Stella Warren

I wish Ms. Warren could run for president! This class has taught me so much! World hunger really hit me where it hurt, I did not know there were so many people hungry. I looked up some information and there are eight people that are so rich they have more income than all the Americans combined. Eight people? We should definitely tax the rich more. Also we discussed food! I watched the movie Food Inc, and everything that you lectured on was right. How they get away with lawsuits, and what the contaminate our food with. Society needs a better protection plan for the people.

Upon taking this course, I didn't realize how many people(particularly children) died from a lack of food. I see the commercials on television asking for donations that will help feed the hungry children and I ignore them every time. I take one look and automatically assume that it's all a big scam. However, after being informed about the number of casualties related to the issue, I will make more of an effort to change that number. It amazes me how a country as rich as ours (despite our current financial difficulties) can let its people go hungry.

This class has really placed a new perspective on the way I view the world's problems. So much is happening and politicians /lobbyists are shadowing the truth by not revealing the harmful effects of their actions. We all need to become more proactive in our government's dealings. Like Mrs. Warren said " we are he government" we can make a difference.

Learning about the problems of the world can be disheartening. The knowledge of certain heinous and despicable societal matters can cause an overwhelming since of powerlessness to accompany the awareness. Although we as individuals are without means to change established policy, awareness is a major part of the solution. Through education, we can increase the overall awareness of the degradation of our society. There is so much misinformation and propaganda that its difficult to hear the voice of logic and reason. I think that on a fundamental level the vast majority of people care about the issues and want to see that the future is one that espouses humanistic values(respect, love, creativity, etc).

Greed and fear are the primary modes of control by the oppressive power structure. This power structure is the one that protects and upholds the unscrupulous corporate agenda. These corporation treat the masses like a resource to be dominated and controlled for furthering their own greed. This threat to humanity can be undone. It must be undone for the prosperity of our species and the others that share the earth. So stand up for whats right, speak up, share knowledge. The future can be a realization of real human potential and growth, but its up to everyone of us to do our part.

I wish that I was able to help in any way possible to help children that suffer from hunger all over the world. Unfornately, I dont have a billion dollars to feed the world.Everyday the families that I serve/interact with here in Shelby County myself and my coworkers make it our mission that the children that we see on a day to day basis never wake up or go to bed hungry.With that being said there are so many families that suffer from poverty, and really dont have any means to fix their situations. Sometimes our tax dollars are wasted, but society as a whole really needs to come together in order for any changes to be made. I really enjoyed this class and our AWESOME PROFESSOR MRS.WARREN...She expressed what TRUE LOVE is all about and I wish her the BEST AND A HEALTHY HAPPY GRANDBABY:-)

Mrs. Warren, you stated earlier that no more blogs are to be posted past 9am. But I wanted to add 2 cents, if I may.

Regarding class, you are an excellent instructor and it is unfortunate that it was a fast-paced Summer class.

Regarding world hunger, I wish I could feed every elderly person and child and rescue every animal I see astray. It breaks my heart that people can be so cruel and heartless. Hunger is one of the few social problems we actually CAN fix, if the powers that be saw fit. I hope this senseless travesty is corrected during my lifetime....

Regarding the social problems of this world we live in, you stated that we shouldn't be surprised if you and your granddaughter are arrested while trying to right the many wrongs of the world! I can see you doing just that - trying to do your part and enjoying your outspokenness to get the job done. I wish you well and encourage you to go all the way in the next chapter of your career.

Thank you, Mrs. Warren!

I thought that this class was very interesting and very informative. My eyes were really opened to Social Problems when we were talking about WORLD HUNGER. I never knew that it was so bad. We were told that a child dies every six seconds from hunger and that one billion people in the world suffer from hunger. It really made me stop and think about all the food that I have taken for granted. It's so easy for us to go to the store and get what we want. There is no telling how much food (leftovers) I throw out just because "I'm done with it". SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!!!

I got a kick out of Professor Warren's anecdote of her child's god-parent's "of course we can" answer to their god-child's frugal inquisition. I hope if I'm blessed to have a child/children I will instill in them the value of a dollar. The first question anyone should contemplate before making a purchase is "Do I need this or is it just a want and if I blow this money on a want/whim, are my pockets straight if a true need arises tomorrow?" I suggested using that question as a reality check because part of that question is an underlying catalyst to need creation in my opinion. We as people take pride in our abilities. I feel financial ability is respected and valued more than both physical and mental and any other for that matter. Being able to get the newest gadget, top of the line whatever the product may be is something to take pride in. There's a saying "The streets are watching" If you are flexing, shining, stunting, etc. then people are going to notice, good and bad alike. Jock-sniffers as well as robbers. It's truth to the statement if you look good you feel good. Rappers and ball players brag about how much money they blow not knowing how ignorant they look or sound. They take more pride in making it rain for outward appearence than letting the stacks sit in the proper account gaining interest for inward stablility and advancement for those that they truly should be trying to secure, themselves included. The tough guise and cool pose desire leads most people to want to "do it big", let the world know their pockets are super straight. Needs are created by human nature, it's no secret or plan. Just come up with something new that has some improvement on what is currently the best thing smoking and put a higher price tag on it and advertisement campaign behind it and we as Americans are going bite the bait everytime. Bragging rights are paramount in a competitive society. I hope I didn't come across all holier than thou because I'm just calling a spade a spade. I want the best as much as anybody else. I can admit when I wrong(happens quite often) The game is the game though, play it how you want. If you got through the day before without something 9 times out of 10 you will get through the next day without it as well.

It is shocking to know that Memphis has a very hazardous waste dump. This can cause harm for many of the citizens living in the community surrounding it. The people in government that we voted for as leaders seems to not care about the waste dump being in a community where the citizens live. The dump is in a poor community of blacks so to me it really do not seem like a major concern to the people in office. I do not think the community knows the danger that they breathe on a daily basis. I feel we as citizens need research the people that we place in office to represesent us.

You have until 9:00 AM in the morning to get a blog done.

Hunger in this world is no doubt a huge problem, not only in this country, but around the world. However, I didn't realize how big the problem actually was until I reviewed the statistics shown in class. I believe the reason I did not know the severity of the problem is; because I get most of my information from cable news. These programs' air-time is about 90% percent dedicated to our nation's economy (not trying to say our economy is not a big deal). I just feel that if the media could shed a little more light on the hunger problem, then maybe more people would understand and try to help.

Before entering this class I had very limited knowledge of the horrific problems of the world. The discussion of environmental problems we are facing has greatly impacted my thinking and actions. I believe the problem is that not enough people are educated on what is happening. No one wants to talk about these problems and the government is hiding them from us. It would only take a small effort from people to stop world hunger and stop pollution. We need to be educated on them so we can stop them. Without talking about our problems they will never be solved. After taking this class I have begun to post videos on Facebook discussing current issues so that maybe people will watch them and really understand what is happening. If people could understand what is happening they could make small changes. The small changes by each person leads to a group effort. Never let anyone say you don't have a voice because you do. It just takes one small step at a time. I would like to challenge all those who have taken this class to make a small difference. Start recycling, donate to the poor, write the grovernment, tell your friends. Whatever you do will inspire those around you. I believe this is the key to our success. Everyone wants to make a difference in a person's life that is why we were put here on this earth. The time to change things is now.

Documentaries about hunger are showing mothers carrying children in different situations:
children naked, innocent child moving his eyes in different directions, and mothers who cannot
breastfeed their babies due to absence of breast milk.
For most of us, as viewers, we find ourselves automatically sympathetic with those hungry
people who are from poor countries in Africa and Asia. They are victims of poverty,
political conflicts, unequal distribution of food and wealth,war, and natural diseases.
But, on the other side, "rich world", there is a high percentage of obesity and people's
concern is to follow a certain diet system. So we are facing two different images in the
world and that is just one picture of how this world is completely dominated by the rich
countries. It's just like in any society, only rich people who get the most benefits.

It is said to know that children are dying everyday because of hunger.It hurted me to know that a child dies every 6 seconds.Something needs to be done about this.It was very touching to me.I really shocked me to know that most kids are dying frm hunger than aids,malaria,and Tb.I feel like the world should come together and donate food to these poor children.The U.S. has spent more on the war and is continuing to spend than feeding the needy.Tears came to my eyes, when I found out that 100 million died from hunger and illness.

I am so done with this war and its expenses to the point it makes me feel as if I'm going to blow a gasket. As I watched the numbers go up by $9,000 per second, I was becoming irate. It is so disturbing to know that we have blown so much money on this war and have not achieved anything. Therefore, our soldiers need to come home and we need to restore our country and fix the problems within it. So much money has gone to waste while our families and friends suffer within our own boundaries. Capitalism is a "B" and selfishness is its accomplice and I hate every bit of them.

So it is not a surprise that this class can be depressing. We were warned from the beginning that the class was about social problems...therefore it was not going to be happy. Though I find it beneficial to learn about what is wrong in the world, I feel like I am being dropped out of a plane with no parachute- I'm being taught the problem, but left with no solution. There have been times when we have discussed possible solutions, but most times the room remains silent as we all ponder the devastation of a world we all have most of our adults lives to live in. After yesterday's class where we watched the steadily rising debt of our nation and then tonight's discussion of the earth's depleting resources, I truly feel as if I have smacked face down on the pavement. What to do from here? I suppose all that I can do to keep from staying down is get up. All we can do is get up and find solutions.

While talking about world hunger in class yesterday I was brought to tears. It is so easy for us to forget about things that dont directly effect us. It really upset me that for the cost of one missile a school full of children could be fed for 5 years. One missile folks, we have to do something about this. It falls on our shoulders to make a better world for our children and by our children I mean all of the children of the world. We have a duty to change the way our money is spent, end these senseless wars and feed our people. I know that the social problems of the world seem massive, but if we each take one step at a time we can overcome the many issues that threaten our lives daily. I think we should all start by emailing our government officials. The cost of war is far reaching and will be felt for a very long time. My heart is broken that in the time it took me to write this blog, 50 children lost thier lives due to hunger. This has to stop and I know our generation can make it happen.

When we were talking about world hunger and poverty today in class and then about human trafficking, I couldn't help but think about a book I had to read in Contmeporary Issues at Houston High School my senior year. The book was called "The Lost Boys of Sudan" and it was a novel-type book of several young boys in Sudan and the surrounding African countries immersed in a civil war. In the book, a few of the boys were captured by enemy troops and enslaved by the wealthy or killed or watched their family be killed/captured by people of that African country. One boy, I recall learning the languages of his master (Arabic,French) and eventually escaped. He and I think maybe a few other boys managed to get to America to earn a sufficient living and life. I don't really know why the lecture madde me think of this but it just made me wonder how impossible that must have seemed to those young boys of ages 8-14. It's amazing how fortunate we all are. What's even more appalling is that all we would have to do is tax the very wealthy 4% more and we could end world hunger?! That might be the most annoying thing I ever heard. I have no idea why we wouldn't have done this already..like the moment we found that statistic out we should've jumped right on that, but that's just me...

The blogs were interesting!

REMINDER: Blogging for test III will end next Thursday at 8:10 pm.