The Catfish

So, we finished watching a movie "Catfish". What kind of a life lesson did it give to us? Trust and the Internet are far from each other. People receive the "friend requests" on the social networks online daily. Sometimes we know who they are, sometimes - we don't. A lot of people just add the strangers to their online "friend lists" and start communicating right on. Is it right? Well, sometimes it turns out to be awkward and even dangerous at the moments. However, the main point is to control the situation and not let texting become your main source of getting knowledge about a person. Don't let a catfish manipulate or influence you and your attitude.


Is there a catfish in my life? Well, probably, not in the sense it is usually used. I guess, there is the catfish in the lives of every of us. People who are trying to be someone they are really not. Showing off, pretending, making different stories up. Such catfish is everywhere, it is around us. Very often we just do not realize it. However, this catfish makes our living, probably, some ways more interesting. It makes us feel alive somehow, letting us show our emotions, feelings.


Catfish. We meet such people pretty often. First time we see a person and he or she tries to make an impression on you. They pretend to be "cooler", higher in the status, not showing their real personality. For me, personally, this is something that can even possibly keep me away from such a person. I appreciate when people show their real faces, without hiding them behind some masks. Sincerity is something that attracts people, I think. Any friendship cannot be built on the lies. Any relationship, built on lies, may not last for a long time. The truth may be found one day, and the earlier it happens - the less pain it brings.


So, be yourself. Catfish may not bring happiness to you. When you are who you are you may get something real. Friend, respect, love.

Stereotyping

We live in the world where quite often people judge others just by having some wrong images of them. For example, a lot of Ukrainian people have the wrong images about USA. How cool it is to live here, how easy it is to study at an American high-school, and how many parties the teenagers throw every week. The same is about Americans who talk about Ukraine. The comments about my home country when I first came to the United States: your state is a part of Russia, right; it is really cold there, isn't it; you have a lot of bears and drink much vodka. Well, now with time and because of some particular events people can say to me something like that only on purpose to joke around. But anyways, stereotyping is still there, and people often say something about the things they are not even sure about, but which are created like the legends within a society.


My personal story of coming to the USA started with stereotypes, actually. How, you may ask? Well, I came to America to break any kinds of stereotypes, and even mutually: telling the truth about my country and culture, and exploring Your, real American life, with all the exact aspects. And I am really glad I got such a kind of opportunity. To my mind, people should not think of the whole nation as of one which has to be some kind of even. We should remember that every person is unique, and it is the same everywhere. Moreover, something that makes the difference - is something that makes this world the way it is. For instance, let us look at the world of basketball. People have a not really right idea about the best players of this game are black people. The opposite can be proven by the historic facts: the old school basketball was led by the Jewish players, and nowadays there are a lot of great and outstanding white people in basketball. But even with all of this, the stereotypes are still there.


I would say, that stereotyping is something that may always be around. Judgment by race, gender or social class - this has always taken place in our world. And our main task is to be open-minded and be able to open the eyes to see the reality once You face it, just the same as when I faced American culture - no pre-judgment which leads to success in understanding and accepting.

Animal Farm Quiz

Well, so I finished reading the book Animal Farm, and I would like to write the reaction to it. How is this book connected to sociology as the science and what parts of it can be found in the plot of the creation?


So, the book actually shows the life in the Soviet Union and under the communism. First, the animals on the Manor Farm overthrow the people's authority, and make their own "state" there. With their own rules, regulations and ideas. The ideology starts with the brilliant speech of the Old Major, after whose death the overthrow takes place. The pigs, been considered the smartest animals on the farm, take the power and create the main principles by which the new, Animal Farm, may live. They also continue singing the hymn of the revolution - "Beasts of England" - and work for their future. The 3 leaders, Snowball, Napoleon, and Squeale create and spread the 7 commandments of the new life on the farm. Among them the main claims that all the animals are equal in their rights. By the end of the story, though, the pigs looked just the same as the people and the main commandment was changed to: "All the animals are equal, but some are more equal." So, the main rules were broken, the equality was only an illusion, and all the animals on the farm who lived under the pigs power lived under the total lies of their government.


So, how is the story of the Animal Farm connected with sociology? Conflict theory - the conflict in the society between the upper and the lower class. First - between the animals of the farm and the people. The conflict critical point led to the overthrow of authority of the humans and revolution took place. Later on, the same conflict repeated in the new animals' society: the conflict between the proletariat - who were all the common animals of the farm, - and the bourgeoisie - who the pigs as "the smartest" became. So, there are two stages of the conflict within the society. And it shows that there cannot be the unlimited power which belongs to someone because it might be occasionally overthrown or, even been hidden under the right ideas - as it became under the authority of the pigs - may be found out by the people. So, the book shows the ideas and realities of communism, the system which can show in the best way the conflict theory.


At the same time, the book has the ties to the functionalist theory. It can be seen by the existence of the different roles in the society. Napoleon and, at the beginning, - Snowball - the two pigs who became the rulers and took the authority. The dogs of Napoleon - the ones who became the executors of those who were against the system - played their own role, helping the ideology to keep going. Another helper of Napoleon - Squearal - having the great abilities to the brilliant oratory, became the image of the USSR minister of propaganda, Molotov. Among the other animals I would mention Boxer - a hard-working horse who became the motion power for the communistic ideology, having the strong beliefs in it, inspired the common animals to work on the system, however, once he became unnecessary for Napoleon (who is the image of Stalin), the pig sold him to the glue factory to get profit for the alcohol. This, in fact, is what really happened in history of the Soviets. And this is what the story of the Animal Farm tells about. How once seems like a good ideology became a killing machine, and how the different roles of the different subjects in the society supported it or, on the contrary, fought against it.


Did the animals reach the healthy balance by the end of the story? No, the things even got worse with the new system. The lying of the Farm's government was found out. The goal to get to the full equality in the society became impossible, some of the animals turned out to get more privileges than the others, which proves that the perfectly equal social division cannot take place in the real life. Power is evil, and uncontrollable power is uncontrollable evil. Society can be built on the liable ideology, but it will never prove its ideas. The truth becomes visible one day anyways. And the conflict, I guess, cannot be prevented. The book "Animal Farm" is a very good creation in the world of sociology, and it makes you understand a lot of things better. So, go for it and read it!