Week 16: My Reaction to "Shift Happens" Video

Near the end of the video, a statement caught my eye. It said that it is nearly impossible to make predictions about technology more than 15 years in advance. I immediately thought of an article I read a few weeks ago. The article was about how Steve Jobs had predicted WiFi and the iPad. At the bottom of the article, it had a link to a long speech he made in 1983. I actually listened to the entire speech and was enthralled. Here is the article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/03/steve-jobs-1983-speech_n_1935815.html

What I think is amazing about this article and the attached soundbyte is that people are calling him this amazing “fortune teller” who could predict the future when, in actuality, he was just outlining a roadmap for what he was going to do. He made the iPad happen. He didn’t foresee it - he thought of it, then proceeded to spend the next 30 years doing it.

That’s what’s so phenomenal about the age we live in. You can “dream” and, in your lifetime, make that dream come true. Because things are moving so fast, and people are living longer, you can see the fruits of your labor actually materialize. Steve Jobs was able to enjoy the iPad before he died and he was able to see his dreams come true.

I went to an engineering college in the early 1990s and have many friends who are software engineers. I remember my C++ grad assistant, Das (yes, that is his name, though maybe I’m the only one who gets the joke now) telling me that, in India, many of his friends had their own cell phones. This was in 1994. He said someday, we would all get a phone number when we got our first cell phones and we would have that phone number for the rest of our lives. That was silly to think of because, as a college student, you moved at least once a year and were constantly changing your darn phone number. I told Das that that would be pretty cool. I now have a phone number, that I got back in 1999 in San Francisco, and I do believe I will have this 415 phone number until the day I die.

I think it’s wonderful what we’re accomplishing in the world today, in biotechnology, astrophysics, chemistry, and computers, and I have no doubt that further generations will solve the seemingly baffling or irreversible problems ours and previous generations have caused. I believe the problems will be solved because human beings are a truly remarkable species. I grew up seeing streets and beaches littered with trash and recyclables and, just 30 years later, I see an exponential change in people’s awareness about our Earth and what we’ve done to it and what we need to do to fix it. Even my parents, born in the 1940s, recycle and seem very conscious of their effect on the environment.

Yes, I believe we will persevere, and we humans will be around a long time because, like Steve Jobs, you don’t have to sit back and make predictions, you can actually make things, great things, big things, happen and live to see the difference firsthand.

Week 15: Urban/Suburban/Rural Life

This week, we are supposed to reflect on the changes we have seen in urban, suburban, or rural life in recent years. I have had the privilege of living in all types of environments, so I will comment on them all.

When I was ten years old, my father retired from the military and we moved to rural New Hampshire where my dad became the general manager for a second-home resort community.  We lived in the middle of the woods, no neighbors, no mailman, no garbage man, no house numbers, no cable. We heated our house using a woodstove. Many of the kids on my bus lived in tar-paper shacks with no running water. Some had to take showers in the nurse’s office at school. There were very few jobs to be found. Many were seasonal, so my friends’ dads would cut and sell wood in the summer and plow driveways in the winter. My high school was 40 minutes away on the highway and all some of my friends were long-distance on the telephone. We eventually did get a number on our house (we picked “10”) so that we could get 911 service. And I hear they opened a new store in the town I grew up in. But I think it’s generally the same. They closed the beloved ski area we used to go to with school on Fridays. I think the weather has warmed up enough that some of the little ski areas just don’t get enough snow to stay in business. I couldn’t wait to flee that rural area and many of my friends did the same – we left for the big city, never to return. I do have some friends who stayed though, and, with the Internet I don’t think they feel nearly as isolated as we did as when we were young.

In 1999, my husband and I headed West and lived in the city of San Francisco, where we lived for five years. There, we found an apartment in the Marina district, with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge from our third-floor window. The Marina was close to the water, surrounded by Russian Hill, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Presidio. It was an all-white neighborhood with lots of little restaurants and shops. This was in 1999, so the gentrification of San Francisco was in full-swing. We had friends who were ready to gut or renovate $800,000 fixer-uppers in “up-and-coming” neighborhoods, just so they could own a piece of the city. We couldn’t fathom paying that much money for an old dilapidated flat in a bad neighborhood, so we headed East. We do have friends who stuck it out, saved their money, mortgaged themselves to the hilt, and settled down and started a family in San Francisco. It has gotten out of hand as far as price, but some of the neighborhoods that we would never have considered living in 10 years ago (like Potrero Hill) are now nice enough that we might consider it if we moved back.

In Charlotte, NC, we were able to witness full-fledged suburbia, and I fell in love. It was a place I’d always dreamed of living when I was a kid. We lived in a 90-home planned community, where everyone had the same exact 1980s brick colonial, with huge lots and tons of families, events, and gatherings to keep you busy. Now, in Charlotte, as opposed to San Francisco, parking was a dream. We couldn’t believe how much space there was. But you had to get into your car every time you left the house. There were no sidewalks, and everything was so far away (not to mention the darn heat), that you wouldn’t want to walk anyway. During the time we lived there, we saw a housing boom, then a big bust. We were able to make a profit on our house before moving to Northern VA, but we were lucky. When we visited Charlotte last summer, it was like a ghost town. Many new housing developments were just sitting there, half-finished and vacant. And a lot of the businesses we had frequented were boarded up, out of business. This was due to the bank crash and the fact that Wachovia and Bank of America are the main employers in Charlotte and they were hit hard by the financial crisis of 2008.

I have lived in all three types of environments and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. I now live in Suburbia and am happy. In all three areas, population is growing, though much slower in the rural areas, where jobs are scarce. Gentrification is a thing we are seeing wherever we go - out with the old, and in with the new. In Vienna, even today, old houses are being torn down daily to build new "mcmansions".

 

Week 14: Who Has the Power?

During our reading this week, we were asked to discuss which theory of democracy, described in Chapter 14, rings truest today: Democratic Elitism, Pluralist Theories, or The Power Elite.

Democratic Elitism sounds about right, because it is hard for decision-making to occur in such a large society, with each citizen weighing in on each law. So, it just makes sense that we hire or vote for people we trust or believe in to make the day-to-day decisions, and step in occasionally to make the big ones – like who our leaders should be. However, when I was growing up, I always heard of our society referred to as a “Republic” in this context and I find it interesting that I have yet to read that word in this chapter. The two-party system is concerning, because I do believe that there is strong support for Independent and Green party candidates, but “strong” support is just not enough. It needs to be overwhelming enough to enter into a race against the two other parties.

Pluralist theories can also explain our government. Lobbyists represent interest groups and spend their days on Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers to make sure their groups’ opinions are heard. My brother-in-law is actually a lobbyist in the health care field and he makes lobbying seem like a very noble profession. He lobbies for Physical Therapists (PTs) and Certified Nurse Midwives (CNWs). He makes sure that PTs and CNWs have the same rights and benefits that other, more established health care professionals have. I do believe that the pluralist theory fits, but I don’t think it is the whole picture.

I actually really like how the theory of The Power Elite is described in our text. It just seemed “right”. I think a lot of how I feel stems from being married to an Ivy League graduate with an MBA who now runs a bank. But it is so true. The only way he got his job is from the contacts he has met along the way. It’s all in the networking. That’s the only way to get a job at the highest levels these days. No filling out employment applications and going in on blind interviews. At the top, people know each other or know about each other. Yes, sometimes in America, if you know the right people, you can end up in highly powerful positions.

In conclusion, I do think that The Power Elite fits the bill as far as this assignment goes, but I also think there are hints of Democratic Elitism and Pluralism tossed in.

Week 13: Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

This question is tough because I think, after watching the Frontline piece, that Wal-Mart is good and bad for America. It’s basically an unanswerable question. If I were one of those exuberant participants at that large shareholder meeting, I might say that of course Wal-Mart is good for America – it’s good for me! If I were one of the workers who had lost their jobs at US manufacturing plants because Wal-Mart decided to go with a Chinese supplier instead, I’d say, heck no, Wal-Mart is hurting America.

It really depends on what side you’re on. America is a big country, full of many different people. I would like to believe that those factory workers could get a job at Wal-Mart and be fine and move on with their lives. You could argue that when you step back and look at this situation from a global, macro scale, China should make the goods and we should purchase them, and that’s just how it’s going to parse out. Maybe Americans just weren’t meant to be manufacturing anything. Maybe we’re supposed to be the sellers, the consumers, the idea-generators, the educators, and the bankers, but assembly-line production of goods is not what we’re good at as a people.

This could be a normal progression of how things are eventually going to shake out globally. The Wal-Mart executives don’t think they’re doing anything wrong and, on the contrary, they think they’re doing everything RIGHT. I do believe in “buying American” and I do believe in supporting your local businesses, but I have to admit, when I need a pair of socks, I’m off to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is good for my wallet. I know its trading policies with China and its shrewd way of pitting suppliers against one another to get to the lowest price, just so that they can have a higher markup, is rough to see. But that’s the way businesses work. They’re innovating and they’re leading the way to a new standard of practice for retailers.

There’s nothing we can do but try to do what the small manufacturer in Ohio did – go to Congress and try to get China to change their prices. Our government needs to take a stronger stance against China and their low wages and terrible working conditions. Make them pay more to their employees and treat them better, which would drive up the prices of the goods they churn out. If their prices were brought up a little higher, there may be some American manufacturers that could start competing again.

Week 12: The Second Shift Checklist

This topic is actually very much top-of-mind in my family right now. I decided to take this sociology course and other prerequisites as a step toward maybe going back to work one day soon. Since I’m a stay-at-home mom (SAHM), it really doesn’t bother me that the majority of the checkmarks on the sheet were in my own column. However, my husband and I talk about this all the time: How do we shift those checkmarks into his column once I do start working? Actually, now that I’m taking two courses this semester and performing all these duties, I’m really starting to feel what it might be like when I actually do take that step. Sometimes, when it’s Sunday afternoon and I have two papers to write before midnight (ahem) and the house is a disaster and I have no idea what I’m making for dinner, I think I’m making the wrong decision to go back to work. Sometimes my kids tell me they want me to stop working on my papers or reading my textbooks and “pay attention” to them. My oldest has even flat-out told me that she doesn’t want me to go back to work.

As far as the checklist goes, my husband does unload the dishwasher occasionally, and he can somewhat be counted on to mow the lawn. He and I share a lot of things, like shoveling snow and mowing the lawn. He gets the kids up but I get them dressed. He makes the oldest ones breakfast and takes them to school and I make the youngest one breakfast and take him to school. I pay the bills, but he worries about them. He likes me to drive when we go on family outings or vacations because he just doesn’t like to drive. And he’s completely inept when it comes to home repairs or electronics, so those are in my column too. So, there were not a lot of checkmarks in his column at all, but again, I’m home for a reason - so I can be here 100% for my kids and husband, so I shouldn’t complain too much (but I do!).

My husband actually works long hours at a bank and comes home tired and stressed out. I, on the other hand, go to the gym, read my textbooks, write papers, take tests, get coffee with friends, drive my kids to their activities, make dinner, and put everyone to bed. Is it unfair? Well, yes, most days I can’t believe that I graduated from college and worked for many years at a high-paying job, only to be relegated to dishwasher-loader and pajama-folder. I have many friends who are in the same situation as me, and we all kind of feel like we’re missing out on something. Yet we all admit that we are very fortunate to have the ability to stay home. We all believe we are doing what is best for our children. When I told my other SAHM friends that I wanted to go back to school and become a nurse, they all told me it was going to be a challenge and that they don’t see how they could ever attempt such an endeavor (“But good for you!”).

 

So, for now, I'm okay having a "second shift" because it allows me time during the day with my kids - volunteering at their schools, being there for them when they are sick, etc. And at night, that's when the laundry and homework gets done. My husband provides the paycheck so we can go on nice vacations and live in a nice neighborhood. The checklist is going to have to change when I start working again and that is my major source of concern. Because of his job, I will be the one picking the kids up from school when they are sick and I will be the one taking a day off from work to attend the parent teacher conference and Thanksgiving parents program. How that is all going to work is still very much a mystery to me.

Week 11: Is Society Secularizing?

I do not think that our society and/or the world is currently secularizing. As our textbook stated, more and more people are being drawn to religion because of uncertainties in their own lives. People need something to hold onto to give them hope in these troubling times. It may seem that, in many ways, religion is taking a back seat to other institutions in our society, such as education and technology, but more and more, people are looking for meaning through spirituality.

I, personally, have always considered myself removed completely from religion. I have a Catholic mother and Methodist father who decided to raise their children, as I like to call it, “Commercial Christians.” In other words, we worshipped the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, but never stepped foot in a church. But here’s the funny thing: my brother, sister, and I all married Catholics and all three of us send our children to Catholic schools. So, I, in a sense, embody the idea that we are not secularizing, but instead are becoming more religious. Will I convert and become a Catholic? Maybe. My children hate the idea of me someday burning in Hell while they sit up in Heaven.

My problem with embracing religion of any kind is that, as an adult, it’s so hard to suddenly decide to believe that there are one or many all-powerful beings that created the universe and are shaping your life in any way. It seems kind of silly to me. I truly believe that if I had been brought up as a child to believe in Jesus, I would not have a problem. But at this point, I really can’t see it happening any time soon. 

I have discussed this topic with a few of my friends who live in the South and are extremely religious and I’ve explained to them how I feel. What they all agree is that I probably just haven’t had a reason yet to grasp onto religion. Each of my devoutly Christian friends has said that there has been some sort of traumatic event in their lives that has driven them to find meaning or a purpose in life. They’ve turned to religion when they needed something to hold onto. I, on the other hand, have never had a close relative die, I’ve never been in a near-death situation, and I’ve lived a pretty nice life so far, not really wanting for anything. I don’t feel the need to have religion at this point.

But, going back to the purpose of this blog entry, I do believe there are many people right now fighting poverty, economic distress, and different crises in their lives that almost certainly are looking for something to give it all meaning. And that’s why I believe religion is continuing to grow throughout the world and we are not secularizing.

Week 10: Reflections on the Densho Website

I spent quite a bit of time exploring the Densho website. I was interested because the information was almost all new to me. I cannot remember, as a child in the 80s and 90s, ever learning about these camps throughout my elementary, middle, or high school years. I remember having in-depth units on the Holocaust and other aspects of World War II, but never do I remember hearing about this aspect of the War.

I also found this topic interesting because I actually lived in San Francisco for 5 years (1999-2004), so I have visual imagery in my head as I think about where the Chinese immigrants and Japanese immigrants lived. In San Francisco, there is Japantown, which is west of the financial district, and Chinatown, which is just north and adjacent to the financial district. I used to take the #19 bus everyday to work and it went straight through Chinatown. There is a definite distinction between Chinatown and the rest of the city - it is even marked with golden lions and a gate at the entrance of the neighborhood.

I always thought Japantown was just kind of symbolic though. There is a little archway that tells you it is there, and a couple shops, but no real housing that seems segregated, the way it is in Chinatown. This may be indicative of the fact that the Japanese were forced out of their homes and put in the internment camps and were just never able to reclaim that neighborhood when they got out.

I liked reading that Ronald Reagan was the one who finally made the formal apology and reparations to the Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans who were put in those camps. At least there was closure, and the Densho website is doing an amazing job of keeping the story alive so we can all remember what can happen during times of war hysteria.