Fun Facts About The "System"

This Trailer makes me laugh every time---- > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeROnVUADj0


1. The U.S. Is a free-market economy that favors Capitalism (supposedly)

2. According to a new report based on U.S. Census Bureau data, only 26 percent of American teens between the ages of 16 and 19 had jobs in late 2009 which represents a record low since statistics began to be kept back in 1948.

3.If you only make the minimum payment each and every time, a $6,000 credit card bill can end up costing you over $30,000 (depending on the interest rate).

4.According to economists Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez, two-thirds of income increases in the U.S. between 2002 and 2007 went to the wealthiest 1% of all Americans.
5.U.S. law enforcement authorities claim that there are now over 1 million members of criminal gangs inside the country. These 1 million gang members are responsible for up to 80% of the crimes committed in the United States each year.

6.Phoenix, Arizona features an astounding annual car theft rate of 57,000 vehicles and has become the new “Car Theft Capital of the World”.

7.39.68 million Americans are now on food stamps, which represents a new all-time record. But things look like they are going to get even worse. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is forecasting that enrollment in the food stamp program will exceed 43 million Americans in 2011.

8.For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together.

9.More than 40% of those employed in the United States are now working in low-wage service jobs.

10.In fact, if you spent one million dollars every single day since the birth of Christ, you still would not have spent one trillion dollars by now.

Which Social Science do you prefer?

Below is a list of social sciences and a brief explanation as to what their purpose serves and what a person can do with these majors.

Anthropology:

Anthropology is the study of humans and other primates (such as chimps). As an anthropology major, you'll study how groups live with each other and how their bodies and cultures have changed over time.

Many Anthropologist get into the biology anthropology aspect of the major and others help in archaeology. Some graduates of this degree often go to graduate school to further their studies and others have been known to work at museums.

Economics:

Economics majors learn about economic theory, economic systems such as capitalism, and mathematical methods. They use their knowledge to analyze how limited resources are made, traded, and used.

Various roles in business is the most common occupation for an economics major. With an economics degree, one can work for the government and a large percentage go off to law school or medical school.

Many also launch a career in Wall Street to gain some knowledge for a few years and then pursue a degree for an MBA (masters of business administration).

Political Science:

Political science and government majors study the systems people set up to organize their societies, from neighborhoods to nations.

These well rounded students can get jobs in a variety of fields such as paralegal, administrative assistant, retail store manager, legal assistant, executive assistant, corporate paralegal, claims adjuster, examiner or investigator, intelligence analyst, non-profit program coordinator and marketing manager. Many use this degree to go off to Law School.

Sociology:

Sociology majors learn how to study people and the roles they play in society, both as individuals and in groups. Course work covers such topics as families, TV and other mass media, and criminology.

Sociology majors pursue careers in industrial sociology, others consider for junior positions in corporate research, human resources, management, sales, public relations or social workers. Many go to graduate school and take part in human interaction research.

Were You Tracked From Day One?

I was surprised to hear that since the first day of kindergarten, I was tracked (grouped) and evaluated based on what I knew at the age of 5. Believe it or not, you were always tracked to see whether you were a prospect to join the workforce or continue on to college. Schools are basically social institutions and a political scientist would call it a agency of socialization that helps shape an individuals basic beliefs and values. Tracking is the evaluation of students and the the grouping of the bright and not "as" bright. Kindergarten Teachers evaluate kids to see if they follow directions and communicate well. If the child does not prove he or she is not smart enough, they are held behind. As the years pass and you get into middle school and high school, it becomes more stratified. Have you ever noticed that your friends were taking AP or honors courses and you were taking Home Ec? How did they start taking these courses and whats the difference between yourself and that other person. Schools believe that grouping children with the same type of academic ability as themselves will benefit them and their teachers. But what about the low achieving children? Do the smart kids get smarter and the slow kids get slower?


Here's a Video on tracking. Enjoy :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tItvMjRxL_c

Despite the fact that this is happening now many have pondered whether the practice of tracking and grouping is promoting inequality. Because of this system, children have been labeled as the smart kids and the average kids. I don't know about you but I wouldn't like to be referred to as just "average".

My Passion For Social Science

The theme to my blog is my love and respect for the social sciences that come with the coursework in my major. Economics is a social science that I plan to pursue because it has basically everything I am interested in. It is said that if you want to be an economist, one has to be a philosopher, historian, sociologist, psychologist, and engage yourself with politics. It has always been intriguing to me to see what people do in certain situations or the cause and effect of people's lives. For as long as I could remember, I always used logic and reason to explain the many questions I have about everything so I guess It's safe to say that I am a humanist. learning as much as I can about the social sciences will prove vital when I go to graduate school and life in general. This blog will focus on the interesting aspects of economics, sociology,and political science to see how the human mind responds to the social science institutions.