If HIV/AIDS has no treatment, what can we do?

Where did HIV/AIDs come from?

           I have chosen to discuss about HIV/AIDs. What is the origin of HIV/AIDS? Simply we really didn't know for sure. HIV/AIDS for over twenty years has been the subject of fierce debate and the cause of countless arguments about it origin. However, Scientists have always had a number of different theories about the origin which does not prove the origin of HIV/AIDS.  However, the origin of HIVAIDS is not always clear but we constructed.

        Brief story of HIV/AIDS:  HIV/AIDS had originally been a disease known to exist in in monkeys; it was originally called simian immunodeficiency syndrome (or SIV). Scientists think that the “jump” from monkeys to humans lies,  may have been a decades ago in the 1940s, when African bush meat hunters became infected by the monkeys that they had hunted for food (“Viruses”). According to scientists, the history of HIV/AIDS, in humans, begins with a man in Africa who dies of a mysterious illness in 1981, was referred to be the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic (“Global”). Although, scientists believe that HIV was present years before the first case was brought to the attention of the population (“Global”) it is not exactly clear. In 1981, the CDC reports an unusual occurrence of Kaposi’s sarcoma (rare opportunistic skin cancer) in many gay men (“Global”). In 1982, the CDC formally establishes the term Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS (“Global”). After 25 years, researchers have confirmed that HIVAIDS originated in wild chimps and then spread to humans.

HIV/AIDS stands for immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that causes when it gets into human body and Causes AIDS; and AIDS stands for Acquire Immune deficiency syndrome.  HIV damage cells of body‘s immune system of human and destroys the body's ability to fight infections. As a result, it causes AIDS disease.

As the argument goes, African says that the disease is originated from the West especially in North America and mainly in the United States in 1981.  On other hand, American also says that the origin of HIV/AIDS is in Africa.  When the scientists say that the origin of HIV/AIDS is Africa, Africans by themselves argue saying that if HIV/AIDS is originate Africa, and then it is in South Africa and Zaire and Cameroon or southern and western Africa. The same thing to the United States it also a controversial issue. Among American says that HIV/AIDS came from gay men. They called it as “gay cancer” as it was called by that time. It was identify as different disease which later became HIV/AIDS. When the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported the new outbreak they called it "GRID" (gay-related immune deficiency), stigmatizing the gay community as carriers of this deadly disease. This was how American first thinks about the disease. However, this was not the cases; and it started to be seen in heterosexuals and people who received blood transfusions, proving the syndrome knew no boundaries.  With that being said, that was just how the construction goes not because it is the gay disease or minority disease. It became a deviant thing on how people constructed in different places.  

People with HIV/AIDS in Africa are suffering of stigmatization and label given to them by the society. People with eating disorder in Africa are considered to be HIV/AIDS positive. No one does like to be even close to them. If a person looks thin or skinny, people will consider he/she may have HIV/AIDS. Also if one has health issues, people will say that it may be HIV/AIDS.  Even though they know that this disease could not be transmitted by touching, sitting on a toilet seat and by sharing food with HIV infected person, people still have doubt.  This is how people constructed HIV/AIDS as deviant sharing food with HIV infected person in Africa.  But in contrary to public perception, one can't get HIV/AIDS   by sharing food, drinking water at the same cup. But because of the construction and fear of the disease thinking as a deviant, nobody thinks these things are true. This is how people constructed HIV/AIDS as deviant when someone got infected.  Here is the Video: http://youtu.be/UF3JGrt9Zvo

I also think it may by the same thing to here in the United Sates. I remembered two months ago watching new on the CNN about the case of a young boy from Massachusetts who had been rejected in school in which he applies for. He was rejected simply because he has been HIV/AIDS positive.  This boy was stigmatized just because he has the disease like how people do to HIV/AIDS patients back in Africa. But people forget that AIDS disease is not transmitted when learning. This young boy became deviant according to the society way of constructing HIV/AIDS.  This related to what we have been discussing Alex  Thio Thomas. C Calhuon Addrain Conyers in Reading Deviant Behavior, (2010) that society view people who are either sick, disable and acting inappropriate as deviant.  This brings us to how the crimes statistic in this nation socially constructed with disproportionality among the population.

In the United States, HIV/AIDS is constructed disproportionally among the minorities groups like the way that crimes statistics goes. For instance, since the AIDS epidemic began in 1981, 1.7 million Americans have been infected with HIV and 583,298 have died of AIDS-related causes through 2007. Minorities still have a greatest burden of HIV/AIDS infection. For example, Gay and bisexual men account for estimated 53% of new HIV infections according to the Kaiser family foundation fact sheet (2010). African-Americans and Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS. Blacks accounted for 45% of new HIV infections in 2006 and 47% of those living with the disease. Black women are account for 64% of HIV/AIDS infection but yet they make up only 12% of the U.S. population. Latinos account for 17% of new infections yet comprise 15% of the U.S. population, while whites represent 35% of new infections and account for 66% of the total population. In this case, the AIDS case rate for African Americans is more than 9 times that of whites, and the HIV rate is 7 times greater among blacks than whites. Survival after an AIDS diagnosis is lower for blacks than any other racial/ethnic group. This is how the social construction of HIV/AIDS rate goes in the United States. It is hard sometime to believe that how research figure out. This social construction of HIV/AIDs disease is related to the course because it is about societal construction of who is considering being deviant. This is not true to my understanding due to the way it got constructed. However, most benefit in all this process of the disease. 

           Because of the Engendering Stigma, the survey of HIV/AIDS was carried out by (UN 2005).  In that survey, women were interview the reason the face greater stigma than Men.  One of the questions that women were asked during interviews was, ‘‘is there a difference between how society treats HIV-positive women vs. HIV-positive men? If so, what are those differences, and why do you think such differences exist?’’ it was analyze women’s responses to this question while situating their responses within the context of their life histories, particularly as their life stories intersect with HIV/AIDS. The focus was to see how women’s perceptions of this issue while trying to understand how their perceptions corresponded to or departed from their own personal experiences. This I think is another way that people construct and labeled women with HIV/AIDS in some countries in Africa and India. As we discussed in sociology of deviant particularity in labeling theory by Howard Becker that deviant is a consequences of responses of others to a person act. Those who got labeled with illness share their label and experience of being labeled by the society.

According to the survey, some women’s responses that HIV positive women face greater stigma and discrimination than HIV-positive men. For example, Fatuma whose first husband had died from AIDS and who had discovered her HIV-positive status when she became pregnant with her second husband’s child, explained: Members of society will treat HIV-positive women worse than they treat HIV positive men because if a woman is HIV positive they say that she is immoral but they don’t say that about men. For me, the fact that I got HIV from my first husband was demeaning. Now that I am HIV-positive and my new husband is HIV-negative it is impossible to explain that to the village without the other villagers thinking that I am immoral (UN 2005). This story show that women with HIV/AIDS suffer more depend on how particular society construction and labeled people. It should not be matter if a man or a woman has illness, they should be treated or given the medicines that prolong their illness so that they feel better.

The major players in decision-making process of HIV/AIDS are drug companies, doctors or physicians and Federal Drugs Administration (FDA) and they are the also the parties who are gaining from the diagnoses. But the parties stand to lose from diagnoses are patients and medical insurance companies. Their information of the disease got spread out via mass media, internet and research. It benefit them because there treatment. However, the society will label and consider people with HIV/AIDS as bad individuals of being sick that became their master status. But it sometimes depend on someone‘s status in the society. The good example of someone who had HIV/AIDS and was not poor is Magic Johnson of NBA.  He announced that he is HIV-positive and retires from basketball. But because he was so rich, he did not experiences all negative stereotypes like other poor people with HIV/AIDS.

As social construction of this illness goes in the society, it target women more. This is because HIV/AIDS is considered to be a ‘‘woman’s disease’’ In some cultures, women’s bodies are always considered to be the original host for HIV/AIDS.  They constructed that the disease was associated with sexually promiscuous women in the first place. Here is the story of women expressing her opinion how society view HIV positive women. The society is unkind to HIV-positive women and that women are condemned and blamed more for the disease. But they often ask me: say that she has brought HIV and all these problems into the family. Gossip is also much more focused on HIV-positive women than on positive men. People always say: ‘‘she was so good and so well once upon a time. But now look what has become of her.’’ If the girl or boy tests HIV-positive, all the siblings will be under suspicion. If there are younger sisters or brothers, then their marriages will also get affected.  The above social construction scenario make women not only to suffer but put them into vulnerability in societies. It should be a matter if someone has HIV/AIDS whether you are a woman or a man.

In another study on HIV/AIDS-related stigma conducted in Zambia, (Bond et al. 2003) wrote, ‘‘Women are more susceptible to, and impacted by, HIV related stigma’’ (9). They argue that women living with HIV/AIDS are stigmatized not only because of the association between HIV/AIDS and improper sexuality, which falls outside of the acceptable cultural script for women, but also because it renders women ‘‘everything they should not be.’’ As they explain, women living with HIV and AIDS (or more often, suspected to be living with HIV and AIDS) are regarded as everything they should not be  sick and slim when they should be healthy; being cared for when they should be caring for others; sexually deviant when they should be sexually righteous. Women tend to be blamed for more HIV/AIDS disease than men in some countries in developing world. All of these are just social way of construction and label given to HIV/AIDS individuals. Since HIV is assumed to result from this, HIV-positive women often tend to face greater stigma and discrimination than HIV-positive men. Like the women who were protesting the in southern Africa scholars studying the social impact of HIV/AIDS globally have argued that women tend to be blamed for the spread of HIV/AIDS (Nyblade & Bond 2005). The stigma and discrimination against women who are HIV/AIDS positive than men has been socially constructed by those societies and labeled. Here is short film about HIV/AIDS http://youtu.be/OS93UvqfAPg

Although stigmatization and fear still surrounds HIV/AIDS, many seek the label and fight for what is rightfully theirs. The men and women who are suffering from HIV/AIDS need help so that they can return to active life even though no complete cure for the disease. In spite of stigmatization, there is a comfort in having a label that explains the suffering. Role of the social institution is trying to help people of the disease but label them as weak at the same time.  However, some people are less likely to get treatment like poor people but rich can afford to buy medicine for HIV/AID.  They underlying social construction of the things such as race, class, gender, size, ability, sickness, sexuality, and perception of HIV/AIDS are that people with the disease are not contributing to the growth of the economy because they are weak.  On  the other hand,  possible social reasons for the existence of HIV/AIDS  is that not  all patients  with HIV/AIDS die;  they contributed to the economy in different ways and that  AIDS is not  a disease originated from gay men as well as  Africa. It does not matter but a universal disease.

So did it definitely come from Africa?  Not still not sure but they have already looked at, and say that it is likely that Africa was the continent where the transfer of HIV to humans first occurred. They also have no evidence what so ever. Some say why “only African monkeys” but monkeys from Asia and South America) have never been found to have SIVs that could cause HIV in humans. This is very controversial issues which some people rooted back to the colonial times. It is like the argument that is going on about AZT, medicine for HIV/AIDS that kill patient and not treat the disease. But they physicians and drug companies argue it doesn’t.   This disease has been the subject of fierce debate and the cause of countless arguments about it origin for over twenty years.  Finally, the origin of HIV/AIDS remains as a politically sensitive exercise and social construction.  

Word count: 2,521

Works Cited:

1-Addrain, Conyers, Thio, Alex, Thomas C and Calhoun, 2010.  Readings in Deviant Behavior.  6th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Ba. 1975

2- Ban Hollen 2005 HIV/AIDS and the Gendering of Stigma and social inequality

3- "Global HIV/AIDS Timeline - Kaiser Family Foundation." The Henry J. Kaiser

4- UN (2005) Engendering Stigma: ‘‘Women Face Greater Stigma than Men’’

5- Nyblade & Bond (2003 & 2005) HIV and AIDS-Related Stigma and Discrimination: A Conceptual Framework for Action. Social Science and Medicine 57: 13–24.

7- Family  Foundation - Health Kaiser Family Foundation. Web. 21 Apr. 2010.      www.kf.org/hivaids/timeline/hivtimeline."Viruses Can Jump Between Primates And Humans, Researchers Warn." Web. 21 Apr. 2010.

8- Kaiser Family Foundation Fact Sheet: The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States, September 2009.

Film Review of Live Nude Girl

What is the main thesis of this film? That sex workers should treated as human. Dancers should be given fair wages with no discrimination at work.  One claim is that they made no provisions for sick days, gave Caucasian dancers priority in scheduling over African-Americans.

What were the main arguments in support of the thesis?

The dancers at the Lusty Lady have tuition to pay and children to rise, and the claims they make are the followings: job security, paid sick days, a safe working environment. Before the organizing drive began, the film asserts, dancers were routinely fired and non-white dancers were usually discriminated against.  As I was watching on the film, the working condition is shown to be worse for the dancers without the protections of union and there is no good treatment to workers. In the film, some women insist that exotic dancing and other sex work is inherently degrading. Others find it a liberating expression of free choice and sexual independence. The argument supported by this is that sex workers should not be treated as trash or bad people because of their occupations; they are daughters and mothers too.

 How does the thesis of this film relate to the course? It is how social construction began in the society. I think it is related to sociology of deviant because it deals with how our society gives label to people who are doing some jobs that they like but society still ignore them. This deviant job and deviant label that come with sex work is clearly relate to this course. Our society examines and gives label to those individuals who prefer to do sex work as deviant simply because of their job.  However, women stand up for themselves in peep show and strip clubs as well as other areas of sex work to show their rights. But I saw in the film that some individuals responded with attack or threats to sex workers with harassment and patronizing results as these women fought for rights in the film. This film is related to sexual deviance: “Sex Work” that we have been discussing this week in sociology class. It also refers to the online reading “Humanizing Sex Work” by De Mello. She wants us to view sex workers as individuals rather than a trash.  I think the film is related an article “Where am I Going to Stop?” by Wesley on our text, Reading in Deviant Behavior.

Which arguments/points did you find the most convincing?  I think I find the argument of the sex workers convincing. An argument that stands out the most for me is that women are paying to go to work.  Sex work has long been criticized and stigmatized in our society. While many members of society view sex work as immoral and degrading to women, I may argue that sex work is basically just work and that it is not necessarily harmful to women. I find that prostitution is part of income and that sex workers can do if they want. Many workers earn a living by exerting a strong aspect of their personality. For instance, Managers are paid for their leadership abilities, teachers for their patience, and waiters for their extroversion. Why, then, is it wrong for a prostitute to profit from her sexuality?

Which arguments/points did you find the least convincing?

The least convincing argument is when they say that woman should not be prostituting. If they don’t, who would give them something to survive with?  I think sex work is a work and not necessarily harmful to women, and presented conditions that would reduce risks to sex workers. I think woman have right to make informed decisions about her own body, and laws that govern sex work. Who get to decide what people or woman can do to survive in the society.

Choose one argument, point or question that most stands out for you. How would you study this point? Briefly design a research study around that point. I would do my research on two or four strip club to see the conditions of worker. First, I would want to collect pieces of information from both main and small strip clubs and dancers, and see which treats its employees better.  Next, I would like to see which one treats the employee better.  Finally, I would report the situation of each one and with the suggestion of what could be done to change their situation. 

Citation:

Addrain, Conyers, Thio, Alex, Thomas C and Calhoun, 2010.  Readings in Deviant Behavior.  6th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Ba. 1975

K. Wesley, “Where am I Going to Stop?” Exotic Dancing, Fluid Body Boundaries, and effect on identity,” Deviant Behavior (2003)

De Mello  (2011) “Humanizing Sex Work”  the societypages.org/socimages/2011/10/12/humanizing-sex-workers/

HIV/AIDS as a Controversial Issue

Where did HIV/AIDs come from?
     I have chosen to discuss about HIV/AIDs. What is the origin of HIV/AIDS? Simply we really didn't know for sure. HIV/AIDS for over twenty years has been the subject of fierce debate and the cause of countless arguments about it origin. However, Scientists have always had a number of different theories about the origin which does not prove the origin of HIV/AIDS.  However, the origin of HIVAIDS is not always clear but we constructed.
     
    Brief story of HIV/AIDS:  HIV/AIDS had originally been a disease known to exist in in monkeys; it was originally called simian immunodeficiency syndrome (or SIV). Scientists think that the “jump” from monkeys to humans lies,  may have been a decades ago in the 1940s, when African bush meat hunters became infected by the monkeys that they had hunted for food (“Viruses”). According to scientists, the history of HIV/AIDS, in humans, begins with a man in Africa who dies of a mysterious illness. 1981, was referred to be the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic (“Global”). Although, scientists believe that HIV was present years before the first case was brought to the attention of the population (“Global”) it is not exactly clear. In 1981, the CDC reports an unusual occurrence of Kaposi’s sarcoma (rare opportunistic skin cancer) in many gay men (“Global”). In 1982, the CDC formally establishes the term Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS (“Global”). After  25 years, researchers have confirmed that HIVAIDS originated in wild chimps and then spread to humans.
HIV/AIDS stands for immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that causes when it gets into human body and Causes AIDS; and AIDS stands for Acquire Immune deficiency syndrome.  HIV damage cells of body‘s immune system of human and destroys the body's ability to fight infections. As a result, it causes AIDS disease.

   As the argument goes, African says that the disease is originated from the West especially in North America and mainly in the United States in 1981.  On other hand, American also says that the origin of HIV/AIDS is in Africa.  When the scientists say that the origin of HIV/AIDS is Africa, Africans by themselves argue saying that if HIV/AIDS is originate Africa, and then it is in South Africa and Zaire and Cameroon or southern and western Africa. The same thing to the United States it also a controversial issue. Among American says that HIV/AIDS came from gay men. They called it as “gay cancer” as it was called by that time. It was indentify as different disease which later became HIV/AIDS. When the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported the new outbreak they called it "GRID" (gay-related immune deficiency), stigmatizing the gay community as carriers of this deadly disease. This was how American first thinks about the disease. However, this was not the cases; and it started to be seen in heterosexuals and people who received blood transfusions, proving the syndrome knew no boundaries.  With that being said, that was just how the construction goes not because it is the gay disease or minority disease. It became a deviant thing on how people constructed in different places.

        People with HIV/AIDS in Africa are suffering of stigmatization and label given to them by the society. People with eating disorder in Africa are considered to be HIV/AIDS positive. No one does like to be even close to them. If a person looks thin or skinny, people will consider he/she may have HIV/AIDS. Also if one has health issues, people will say that it may be HIV/AIDS.  Even thought they know that this disease could not be transmitted by touching, sitting on a toilet seat and by sharing food with HIV infected person, people still have doubt.  This is how people constructed HIV/AIDS as deviant sharing food with HIV infected person in Africa.  But in contrary to public perception, one can't get HIV/AIDS   by sharing food, drinking water at the same cup. But because of the construction and fear of the disease thinking as a deviant, nobody thinks these things are true. This is how people constructed HIV/AIDS as deviant when someone got infected.  Here is the Video: http://youtu.be/UF3JGrt9Zvo

      I also think it may by the same thing to here in the United Sates. I remembered two months ago watching new on the CNN about the case of a young boy from Massachusetts who had been rejected in school in which he applies for. He was rejected simply because he has been HIV/AIDS positive.  This boy was stigmatized just because he has the disease like how people do to HIV/AIDS patients back in Africa. But people forget that AIDS disease is not transmitted when learning. This young boy became deviant according to the society way of constructing HIV/AIDS.  This related to what we have been discussing Alex  Thio Thomas. C Calhuon Addrain Conyers in Reading Deviant Behavior, (2010 ) that society view people who are either sick, disable and acting inappropriate as deviant.  This brings us to how the crimes statistic in this nation socially constructed with disproportionality among the population.
In the United States, HIV/AIDS is constructed disproportionally among the minorities groups like the way that crimes statistics goes. For instance, since the AIDS epidemic began in 1981, 1.7 million Americans have been infected with HIV and 583,298 have died of AIDS-related causes through 2007. Minorities still have a greatest burden of HIV/AIDS infection. For example, Gay and bisexual men account for estimated 53% of new HIV infections according to the Kaiser family foundation fact sheet (2010). African-Americans and Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS. Blacks accounted for 45% of new HIV infections in 2006 and 47% of those living with the disease. Black women are account for 64% of HIV/AIDS infection but yet they make up only 12% of the U.S. population. Latinos account for 17% of new infections yet comprise 15% of the U.S. population, while whites represent 35% of new infections and account for 66% of the total population. In this case, the AIDS case rate for African Americans is more than 9 times that of whites, and the HIV rate is 7 times greater among blacks than whites. Survival after an AIDS diagnosis is lower for blacks than any other racial/ethnic group. This is how the social construction of HIV/AIDS rate goes in the United States. It is hard sometime to believe that how research figure out. This social construction of HIV/AIDs disease is related to the course because it is about societal construction of who is considering being deviant. This is not true to my understanding due to the way it got constructed.. However, most benefit in all this process of the disease.
        
     The major players in decision-making process of HIV/AIDS are drug companies, doctors or physicians and Federal Drugs Administration (FDA) and they are the also the parties who are gaining from the diagnoses. But the parties stand to lose from diagnoses are patients and medical insurance companies. Their information of the disease got spread out via mass media, internet and research. It benefit them because there treatment. However, the society will label and consider people with HIV/AIDS as bad individuals of being sick that became their master status. But it sometimes depend on someone‘s status in the society. The good example of someone who had HIV/AIDS and was not poor is Magic Johnson of NBA.  He announced that he is HIV-positive and retires from basketball. But because he was so rich, he did not experiences all negative stereotypes like other poor people with HIV/AIDS.
Although stigmatization and fear still surrounds HIV/AIDS, many seek the label and fight for what is rightfully theirs. The men and women who are suffering from HIV/AIDS need help so that they can return to active life even though no complete cure for the disease. In spite of stigmatization, there is a comfort in having a label that explains the suffering. Role of the social institution is trying to help people of the disease but label them as weak at the same time.  However, some people are less likely to get treatment like poor people but rich can afford to buy medicine for HIV/AID.  They underlying social construction of the things such as race, class, gender, size, ability, sickness, sexuality, and perception of HIV/AIDS are that people with the disease are not contributing to the growth of the economy because they are weak.  On  the other hand,  possible social reasons for the existence of HIV/AIDS  is that not  all patients  with HIV/AIDS die;  they contributed to the economy in different ways and that  AIDS is not  a disease originated from gay men as well as  Africa. It does not matter but a universal disease.
     So did it definitely come from Africa?  Not still not sure but they have already looked at, and say that it is likely that Africa was the continent where the transfer of HIV to humans first occurred. They also have no evidence what so ever. Some say why “only African monkeys” but monkeys from Asia and South America) have never been found to have SIVs that could cause HIV in humans. This is very controversial issues which some people rooted back to the colonial times. It is like the argument that is going on about AZT, medicine for HIV/AIDS that kill patient and not treat the disease. But they physicians and drug companies argue it doesn’t.   This disease has been the subject of fierce debate and the cause of countless arguments about it origin for over twenty years.  Finally, the origin of HIV/AIDS remains as a politically sensitive exercise and social construction. 
Word count: 169
Works Cited: Addrain, Conyers, Thio, Alex, Thomas C and Calhoun, 2010.  Readings in Deviant Behavior.  6th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Ba. 1975
"Global HIV/AIDS Timeline - Kaiser Family Foundation." The Henry J. Kaiser Family  Foundation - Health Kaiser Family Foundation.
Web. 21 Apr. 2010.  <http://www.kff.org/hivaids/timeline/hivtimeline.%22Viruses Can Jump Between Primates And Humans, Researchers Warn."  Web. 21 Apr. 2010.
Kaiser Family Foundation Fact Sheet: The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States, September 2009.

Film Review of Generation RX

What is the main thesis of this film?
      Drug companies are producing medicine which does not help. Pharmaceutical companies persuade physicians to prescribe drugs which increase   sickness or cause suicide to people. They subscribe drugs such as Prozac, Ritalin and other in order to combat ADHD.

What were the main arguments in support of the thesis?
The people or “Generation Rx” was arguing that there is no autism, but the government claim that it exists.  People are claiming that the government with pharmaceutical companies is the one who are obtaining huge profits for producing and selling drugs that that are not treating or curing diseases at all. Another argument is that doctors are part of the problem simply because their aim is to be rich and not to treat sickness. The Generation RX is claiming that drugs like Ritalin and Prozac have effects on not only on children, but adults and that government must act soon.

How does the thesis of this film relate to the course?

Thesis related to the course because the problem is about social construction. When a person is labeled as autistic in the community, it then became his/her master status in the society. As a result, that person will have hard time to isolate themselves from the situation.  The example of this was the young gentleman name Samuel who had a speech problem and trouble finding friends. Another clear example of this is on chapter 21 of Reading in Deviant Behavior. The author had explained how people tell who is normal or not normal.

Furthermore, illnesses or disorders sometimes are socially constructed by the doctors using some scientific or medical terms which are hard to explain.  During the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) meeting, psychiatrists and physicians were questioned about the symptoms of ADHD, but they did not answer right.  To me, it was not very convincing ideas.  However, many scholars have proven that this is wrong.  Hope you will enjoy the following video of an animated video of an an arguments.

RSA Animation: Changing Education Paradigms".

The social construction related to Generation Rx is in (Reading in Deviant Behavior 2010) chapter 22 by Conrad and Potter in their article, “The Emergence of Hyperactive Adults as Abnormal”. These authors are saying that medical labels are socially constructed.  They continues to describing how medical category can expand including a wider range of trouble within the definition of ADHD and how whole social process of a labeling, have effect on people.

Which arguments/points did you find the most convincing?
Most part of the argument of the film was convincing.  I was also convincing that drugs are one causing suicide and depression among people especially the children. I find it convincing that making huge among of money can cause death of people. I think the problem is very clear simply because physicians and psychiatrists need to make more money and do not care about the lives of people. Why can the Federal Drug Administration, FDA do anything about the problem?

   Which arguments/points did you find the  not /least convincing?

 There was no proving of what cause suicide to most people was only medicine. I can also criticize Generation Rx in two ways.  I think people who were claiming the death of their love one were constructing social problem. I May have mixed opinion on the issue because this is how social constructions are made by people in other ways. There was nothing that proved it that people die because of after taking medicine. I did not see a doctor on the film being put into jail or prison because of the prescription of the medicine that kill a person. I think it was just the construction of the social problem.  
Choose one argument, point or question that most stands out for you. How would you study this point? Briefly design a research study around that point.
A Thousandth of adults and children dying and showing signs of depression committing suicide was so sad.  Because of that I would design my research to prove the lie from the FDA and physicians since they are denying effect that the drugs ADHD have effects.  I would first conduct experimental studies of adults with ADHD.  First of all, I would find adult who are under treatments and on medication for these disorders.  Secondly, I‘d then continue the study into a longitudinal one. Finally, find some clues whether their disorder has improved or not.  
  Word count 790

Work cited

Addrain, Conyers, Thio, Alex, Thomas C and Calhoun, 2010.  Readings in Deviant Behavior.  6th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Ba. 1975
Peter Conrad and Deborah potter, 1990 “From the Hyperactive Children to ADHD Adults:  Observations on the Expansion of Medical Categories

Tough Guise Film Review

1 What is the main thesis of this film? The “Tough Guise” is mainly about understanding violent masculinity in the United Sates. It seems that the film is about men violence in the society and how it is of a huge deal in the film.

2. What were the main arguments in support of this thesis?
Some of the main points that support this claim the men and how are they become the dominance group and why the society don’t do any things about that. It is clear that men do participate in all violence most of the times simply to show their masculinity. For example, one of the men did just punch a man and show all kind of domestic violence. Finally, the individuals in the movie were doing anything it they can to scare those who are not more masculine.
3. How does the thesis of this film relate to the course?
This course is all about social deviance, and how people perceive men as a dominance gender in the society. I think this film is related to the course in way how we construct gender violent in the society. One gender becomes more dominance than other in term of violence.
“Tough Guise” film made me thinks of how the world is rule today. It is really about man power, who is strong and who is not. It also reminds me of the Conflict Theory by Richard Quinney which we talked about in the class lecture.  In the Conflict theory, powerful have influence on how laws are mad. The “Shame, Guilt and Violence” by James Gilligan is related to Tough Guise because young man engaged in a risky behavior. For example, young man shows his masculinity just because someone does not respect him. Because of showing aggressive behavior by pointing a gun to someone for no good reason, he got put in jail. When he was investigated, he said that he wanted people to respect him.  

4. Which arguments/points did you find the most convincing? 
Some of the most convincing points in the film were the attitudes of the gentlemen in the film. I got convince that men show their hegemonic masculinity and nature that help them to survive when they got into a fight or attack. Getting tougher make men to control things such as resources and win many victories all over the globe. For example, Katz asked young men what it meant to be male and they all replies like, strong, physical, and independent, in control, powerful, athletic, tough, tough, tough, stud. I am convincing that “Tough Guise” is about understanding violent masculinity. I also think that violence is a part of life. However, the bad thing about violence is when people in a particular society turn toward one another for no good reason. The article in Reading in Deviant Behavior by Kimmel and Mahler also is related to the film because it about violence of what caused the school shooting; young boys want to show who they are. The authors explain that young boys were causing more violence in the society. Those young boys want to show their masculinity and aggressive to those people who don’ think that they are real men.  

5. Which arguments/points did you find the least convincing?  I am not really convinced when Katz argued that men violent are not serious as of women. I didn’t think of any serious violent that were women got paid more attention. I disagree when he argued that violence harm people and therefore it should be stop at all. Violence is something that exists in human nature that is why we have rules in place.  
6.   What is the point that most stands out for you from the film. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the film to my understanding. This is how men all around the world act. Hegemonic masculinity is accepted by the communities and that is why men committed more crimes than women. According to the film, some people like President Ronald Reagan had supported the idea of masculinity; and John Wayne plays a role in supporting to develop the rise of the tough guy role. It was not a surprise to me to learn that 85% of murders and 99% of rapes and 95% of domestic violence are committed by men. But that doesn’t mean that men are all criminals, murders or rapists, but to understand hegemonic masculinity. Finally, “Tough Guise” reminded me how I used to act when I was a teenager in South Sudan. I remember that time everything was about competition and power in the group. And if you don’t act like a man, peer will consider you as weak, emotional and girly. But in this culture, they call men who did not acquired masculinity as emotional, fag, bitch, and queer. Hegemonic masculinity exists cross-culturally in all societies such as in small scales and larger societies.

Sources: Michael S. Kimmel & Matthew Mahler 2003. “Adolescence Masculinity, Homophobic, and Violence” American Behavioral Science, by Sage publications,Inc.

James Gilligan, 2003 “Shame, Guilt and Violence”. Social research vol. 70. No. 4 (2003)
Calhoun, C. Thomas, Conyers, Addrain & Thio, Alex. 2010. Reading in Deviant Behavior: Boston, MA:  person education, Inc publishing Allyn & Becon print.

Blog three

            The word that I am going to write my blog about is not proper to call someone with. I think some Americans use or have used this word in their lives to describe overweigh or obese individuals, but I sometimes hear people using it in different which I don’t know how to spell it. Since I don’t even know how spell it, I will use the word Fat. It is a bad word that I never call anyone. Fat is a store energy in an individual‘s body according to the scientific description. Fat is of overweight or obese person. Now a day American called people who are either overweight or obese as fat.  Obesity is an abnormal accumulation of a body fat in an individual. It is having too much fat in the body. People construct that individual that is too fat may die sooner; and are said to be greedy people. People also come up with some negative words that are associated with fat. For instance, body weight is related obesity and that can cause an increasing risk of illness and disability and death. Eating too much is said to be what causes obesity. They are considered as people who lack physical exercise and activities to help them reduce and burn fat. They are considered as people who love to eat junk food most of their time.

The Stigma of Obesity” by Erich Goode in chapter 24 of Reading in Deviant Behavior, is the clear example of Bertha and how folks make fun of her because she weighed more than 400 pounds. “The Stigma of Obesity” by Goode has shown that people make fun of fat people. When Bertha has trapped in the booth, all eyes on the restaurant were focused on her and many people were laughing because she was so fat she could not get out.  Another social construction about fat individuals who are overweight and obese is that an excessive weight will result in many serious life threatening health problems, which include hypertension, increasing risk of coronary disease, increased unexplained heart attack, and a higher prevalence of colon and breast cancer. Obesity is said to be the second cause of death in the United States. It is however a preventable cause of death worldwide. People still have the idea in mind that fat people are always from the minorities such as African American and Latinos American. As social construction goes, women are the common among the obese or overweight people. As discussed in the class lecture, obese or overweight people are being made fun of dehumanized, stigmatized as well as devalue in the society. 

People who are skinny are the one most likely to use the world “Fat or obese” but other negative slang words that are not in the dictionary. The underlying social construction about obese or overweight people is that they are lazy can’t do anything like sport and work. They are said to be difficult to understand people who may give them care. Another underlying social construction of the overweight or obese individuals is because they are considered less than thin people. The community that is affected by the word fat or obese in the United States is the overweight or obese individuals. Meanwhile the word is used in reference to the fat people. People use in a negative way to make them feel ashamed of themselves.

The communities that are being impacted the most are the overweight or obese ones.  However, the word is use lot because they are overweight than most people in the society. In addition, they are considered as stupid simply. How could that be possible that every overweight or obese individual is stupid?  I don’t think that it is true. The negative connotations about overweight or obese individuals make them form their community knowing that people in a society have negative attitude toward them. I think it impacts not only their communities, but some those who date overweight people. Dating obese people makes those who date them feel deviant in the society.

This is related to an article that I read online by Fierce “In defense of Fat” “In defense of Fat”, Tasha was trying to stop people making fan at the overweight or obese or obese people. She also blames the government, food industries, and the media for just making more profits and not doing anything that help to stop obesity problem in the United States.  The data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows that two-thirds of adult men and women in the U.S. diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes have a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or greater, which is classified as overweight and unhealthy. The obese folks feel really bad about being call fat and obese most of the times. The overweight or obese word results in isolation of the community and always making fun of overweight individuals may bring suicide in the community. The overweight or obese people are view as bad or immoral supposedly they do not want to change the errors of their ways (Allon 1982). The author conveys that being fat is something that is not considered a choice.  Stigmatization of overweight or obese people makes them think that they deserve it. I think the discrimination against overweight or obese people is everywhere in all societies but people have different ways of treating those individuals who are overweight or obese. For instance, Sudanese and some part of Africa don’t treat overweight or obese people as bad and less human like U.S. Americans do. I think we can try our best to stop judging fat or obese people though the world we live in it doesn’t do anything about discriminating of the overweight individuals.

Word count 1033

Sources Allon, Natalie 1973. The Stigma of overweight in every day life. In G.A. Bray (ed.), Obesity In perspective. Washington DC. U.S. Government printing office.

Erich Goode, 1996 “The Stigma of Obesity” Erich Goode, ed., Social Deviance. Boston: Ally and Bacon Pearson Education, Inc.

Hiller, Dona V. 1982 Overweight as master status: A replication. Journal of psychology.

Tasha , fierce 2011 “In defense of Fat” in Clutch magazine.

Murderbell Film Review

The main theme of Murder ball film is about disabled game such as basketball. I think the main argument here is that disabled people can succeed in sports like others spot players. Disabled do good in all social activities and doesn’t matter even though they are seen as weak and deviant by the society. I think the thesis of the film is related to this course because it is about social and deviant behavior in human.  This course is also about deviant bodies and how media treat people.  The construction of deviant and how it is defined is what sociology is about.  People who are seen as deviant in the society have the same level when it comes to way of life. We see handicap people in different ways because there are policies that give them some special accommodation due to their weakness. 

The most convincing thing that I found is that disabled people play good like other games or spot if they committed themselves.  This was my first time to see disabled people playing basketball or any kind of game or sport. I always watched some games or spots but not the disabled on. I think it was interesting to me. I thought it was something good when the United States Paralympic team of disable became the leading in the world. Some of the star of the team like Mark Zupan and others make me feel good watching the sport when playing against Canada team and the Great Britain.  I did know that there are five hundred disable players in the United States. Rules of the game at the time they play was not convincing to me because I got confused.  From the sociology and anthropological perspective, people who are disabled are viewed as that they can accomplished anything in their lives but that was not the case as I know today. The labeling refers to handicap as their mater status because that is what they do have in common.  We have discussed lot of theories which address of the way society labeled such as Howard Becker and many others. Disability can serve as a master status and can carry with a stigma according to Becker 1963 & Schur 1971 in reading deviant behavior.  This authors are saying that stigma is not a difference but a characteristic that deeply discredits a person‘s moral character. I think there are many studies have shown how people with disabilities are stigmatized and depersonalized because of their master status.

This brings us to the story of disability, social identity, and family networks in chapter 26 of our text book. This is an article by Taylor which is related to chapter 26 in Reading Deviant Behavior. His study examines the social meaning of disability and the construction of social identity in a family whose members have been officially defined as handicapped, disabled, or mentally retarded. He briefly reviews the text on disability and stigma. In contrast to current theories, the family in this study has constructed a life world in which disability is not stigmatizing for their identities. I think this article examines, in depth, how family members and their broader social network construct the meaning of disability define themselves and each other in terms of their personal characteristics and family relationships. The conclusion of this article considers some factors that seem to account for the family's ability to avoid the stigma and stained identities associated with mental retardation and other disabilities.

I think film touched on how society feels about being disables. I felt that when people took this course they could see how this couldn't be true. This video we watched for class can show all of us that society needs to reconsider disable people as people who have ambitions. It would be better if we could stop more assumptions about handicap people.  Finally, if I had to research about the film I would like to look more into the many levels of disability that had been discussed at the time the film start.  

Word count 723

Citation: Calhoun, C. Thomas, Conyers, Addrain & Thio, Alex. 2010. Reading in Deviant Behavior: Boston, MA:  person education, Inc publishing Allyn & Becon print.

Taylor, Steven “You are Not a Retard, You are just Wise”. Journal of Contemporary  Ethnography  vol 28: (March 2010), by reprint Sage publications, Inc.