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Friday, January 31, 2014
Data as Evidence: Binge Drinking
These charts and graphs show the data on binge drinking by youths in the United States. According to the Kids Count website, binge drinking is considered having five or more drinks in the same sitting (within a few hours of each other) at least one time in the past 30 days. It is clear and not really surprising that binge drinking by youths occurs in every state. The difference though, is the amount of youths that are drinking. Why are there differences from state to state? Let's take a closer look. The first graph shows some of the highest, and the lowest binge drinking percentages according to state from 2009-2010. This bar graph shows that 51% of North Dakota and Vermont young people from the ages of 18-25 are binge drinking. Wisconsin is not far behind at 50% and Michigan was around the national average at 41%. Utah was the lowest of the 50 states with only 24% of 18-25 year old people binge drinking at least once a month. I thought this information from the graph was interesting because some states double the youth binge drinking of Utah. One reason I thought this happens is because of the high Mormon population in Utah because the Mormon religion forbids consuming alcohol. Mormon parents then instill the "anti-drinking" belief in their children. The reason I thought Wisconsin had such a high percent of youthful binge drinkers is because of the culture. I was born and raised in Wisconsin and drinking is deeply ingrained in the culture of this state. Person for person there is three times more taverns in Wisconsin than the rest of the country. It is rare to go to a social event without alcohol involved. The reason I decided was plausible for North Dakota and Vermont leading the nation in 18-25 year old binge drinking is because of the low population levels of these states and it would cause the percentages to be higher. Another interesting bit of information from this graph is that of the green bars or the percentage of 12-17 year old people that binge drink once a month. All of these states have around the same percentage of binge drinkers for this age group. Only ranging 4% from the lowest to the highest was completely different than the 18-25 age group which had a 27% difference from lowest to highest. The last two graphs show how the amount of binge drinking by the two age groups has changed from 2002 to 2010. Looking at these two line graphs the first thing I noticed was how constant the binge drinking rate for the 18-25 year old group has remained over this time for these states and the nation as a whole. The other thing I noticed was that the 12-17 year old percentages for the U.S. have been dropping from 2002 to 2010. I thought it was really interesting that over time these states and the nation kept the same binge drinking rate in the 18-25 year old group. I suppose this is because this age group is living the "college life." Youths in this age group are just living like the normal college student does. Partying on weekends after class or work all week has been the norm for years and will probably always stay about the same level. I think the reason that the 12-17 age group is dropping is because of more focus on reducing underage drinking. An example being at my hometown of Fond du Lac's annual festival of Walleye Weekend. It is an event that takes place in the summer time when people from the community come and partake in many activities like fishing, softball, volleyball, basketball and other social activities. Police are constantly keeping watch for underagers that are trying to get a buzz. They have even fined booths that have provided alcohol to underage drinkers. Parents are being discouraged by television ads to not give alcohol to their kids which will also reduce the number of binge drinkers for this age group. I think it is very interesting to see how culture plays a big role in alcohol consumption by younger people in our states. This data clearly shows that culture can keep levels constant and can also help to reduce underage drinking.
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Tuesday, January 21, 2014
The Sociological Imagination
Many people wake up in the morning and go about their day doing many social things. These things become so habitual to us that sometimes, we don't even realize that they are social.
On a typical day, I wake up and wash my face with a face scrub that is supposed to take away blemishes and other imperfections on my face. Why do I use that instead of regular soap and water? Why do I even worry about washing my face? Our society tells us that a dirty face with pimples on it is frowned upon. The company that sells Clearsil products wants consumers to think that unless they use their product, they will not achieve beautiful, radiant skin that everyone wants. So, twice a day, every day, I do my best to clean my face and hope that acne breakouts are prevented.
Another thing that I do on most days is watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy. This show is very popular in our country and has won numerous awards. When I first started watching this show, I didn't like it. I thought it was way too dramatic and predictable. After a few episode's, however, I fell in love with the characters and the thrill/suspense of it all. I was hooked. I think many Americans depend on TV shows to get their minds off their own lives and pretend for a little while that they have the lives of those people they see on television. Why? Because it seems exciting, glamorous, and perhaps "better" than how they perceive their own lives. Heck, when I watch this show I always think I want to be a surgeon in a hospital out in Seattle because if Katherine Heigl can do it, so can I.
Being on the MTU women's soccer team is basically like having a part time job. Part of that job is preparing yourself during the spring and summer for the upcoming season in the fall. Every day during the week except for Thursdays, my teammates and I head up to the SDC for lifting, running, and soccer practice. It seems like a normal thing to us, but to some people, I'm sure they'd think working out four times a week is insane and a waste of time. Even though it's hard to motivate myself sometimes to work out, I feel so much better and accomplished than if I had stayed home and not done any physical activity. In order to be the best soccer team we can be, we need to put the time and effort into it. Personally, I have a pretty good time doing it too. I'd like to expand a little more on this everyday activity because it probably would not be an everyday activity if it weren't for the progress that women have made in sports throughout history. There are probably some people who take for granted how fortunate we are to be able to participate sports and have the same opportunities as men do. This was not the case 100 years ago, and it probably still isn't the case today in other countries.
Something that has changed socially for me over the past few years is how I dress for school. In high school, I would maybe wear sweat pants once a week. You would never catch me going a day without make up on. And it would take me at least an hour to get ready in the morning. Since being in college, that has completely changed. It is now a special occasion for me to wear jeans, a real bra (not a sports bra), mascara, and my hair down. I think this is because of the increase in maturity level from high school to college... at least for some people. In college, people aren't going to be your friend based on the brand name on your clothes, or how much make up you wear and if you fake tan or not. In college, people have better things to do with their time than waste it on someone who doesn't like them for who they are versus how cool they are and what kind of car they drive.
I check Twitter every night before I go to sleep. Our society has become obsessed with social media. People "need" to know what's going on with friends and family members. I think sometimes people turn their social media into a popularity contest. How many followers do you have? How many friends? Do you get a lot of "likes" on your profile pictures? Are people constantly retweeting and favoriting your tweets? When these things are going on, people are probably going to get a boost of self-esteem because their followers and friends are paying attention and liking whatever it is they post. There are definitely some drawbacks and dangers of social media, but it is also a great tool to help us keep in touch with friends and family.
These are just five things that I do on a normal day. It's funny to think how some of them actually have a lot to do with society...
On a typical day, I wake up and wash my face with a face scrub that is supposed to take away blemishes and other imperfections on my face. Why do I use that instead of regular soap and water? Why do I even worry about washing my face? Our society tells us that a dirty face with pimples on it is frowned upon. The company that sells Clearsil products wants consumers to think that unless they use their product, they will not achieve beautiful, radiant skin that everyone wants. So, twice a day, every day, I do my best to clean my face and hope that acne breakouts are prevented.
Another thing that I do on most days is watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy. This show is very popular in our country and has won numerous awards. When I first started watching this show, I didn't like it. I thought it was way too dramatic and predictable. After a few episode's, however, I fell in love with the characters and the thrill/suspense of it all. I was hooked. I think many Americans depend on TV shows to get their minds off their own lives and pretend for a little while that they have the lives of those people they see on television. Why? Because it seems exciting, glamorous, and perhaps "better" than how they perceive their own lives. Heck, when I watch this show I always think I want to be a surgeon in a hospital out in Seattle because if Katherine Heigl can do it, so can I.
Being on the MTU women's soccer team is basically like having a part time job. Part of that job is preparing yourself during the spring and summer for the upcoming season in the fall. Every day during the week except for Thursdays, my teammates and I head up to the SDC for lifting, running, and soccer practice. It seems like a normal thing to us, but to some people, I'm sure they'd think working out four times a week is insane and a waste of time. Even though it's hard to motivate myself sometimes to work out, I feel so much better and accomplished than if I had stayed home and not done any physical activity. In order to be the best soccer team we can be, we need to put the time and effort into it. Personally, I have a pretty good time doing it too. I'd like to expand a little more on this everyday activity because it probably would not be an everyday activity if it weren't for the progress that women have made in sports throughout history. There are probably some people who take for granted how fortunate we are to be able to participate sports and have the same opportunities as men do. This was not the case 100 years ago, and it probably still isn't the case today in other countries.
Something that has changed socially for me over the past few years is how I dress for school. In high school, I would maybe wear sweat pants once a week. You would never catch me going a day without make up on. And it would take me at least an hour to get ready in the morning. Since being in college, that has completely changed. It is now a special occasion for me to wear jeans, a real bra (not a sports bra), mascara, and my hair down. I think this is because of the increase in maturity level from high school to college... at least for some people. In college, people aren't going to be your friend based on the brand name on your clothes, or how much make up you wear and if you fake tan or not. In college, people have better things to do with their time than waste it on someone who doesn't like them for who they are versus how cool they are and what kind of car they drive.
I check Twitter every night before I go to sleep. Our society has become obsessed with social media. People "need" to know what's going on with friends and family members. I think sometimes people turn their social media into a popularity contest. How many followers do you have? How many friends? Do you get a lot of "likes" on your profile pictures? Are people constantly retweeting and favoriting your tweets? When these things are going on, people are probably going to get a boost of self-esteem because their followers and friends are paying attention and liking whatever it is they post. There are definitely some drawbacks and dangers of social media, but it is also a great tool to help us keep in touch with friends and family.
These are just five things that I do on a normal day. It's funny to think how some of them actually have a lot to do with society...
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
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