socio take-home exam

8/7/2019 Socio take-home exam

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8 Nathalie Dagmang

Sociology 11 WFU

September 15, 2010

Part 1

Socialization is the process in which values and other aspects of culture are

transmitted to or learned by an individual. He/she becomes aware of social patterns and

roles where his/her own personality will be based upon. Humans are only blank pages

when they are born. They do not know how to interact with people, or even to perform

human actions without first socializing with other people. Because of this, socialization is a

process that every human should undergo to be able to survive and develop and be able to

perform his/her role in the society and cooperate with the other members with ease. It is

important so that a person would be able to conform to the cultural practices of the society

that he/she belongs to. This may help the whole society gain internal social control which is

essential for social order. Through this, deviance will be minimized and the fundamental

operations of the society will be carried out easily and without problems.

According to Pierre Bourdieu, every individual interiorize symbolic master-patterns

of thought and values which constitute distinctive social and cultural aspects that determine

social belonging. These symbolic master-patterns are reinforced through interaction with

others. (Turner, 2006)


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The process of socialization is carried out through different agents. The agents of

socialization consist of people/groups that influence self concepts, emotions, attitudes and

behaviors (Henslin, 1999) including the family, school and peers.

However, the most fundamental socialization occurs within the family. Here is where

the child is first socialized after he/she is born and even until he/she reaches adulthood. The

family is also a very influential institution to the child because of its role as his/her guide and

provider.

My family socialization made a huge impact on me because of how much time I

spend inside the home, the influence of my parents and of the fact that the home is the first

place where I was socialized.

My socialization in my family also has its strengths and weaknesses. What I consider

the strengths of my family socialization are the lessons I have learned that I was able to use

at present. One important lesson is about the study habits that I learned from my parents. I

was taught how to organize my schedule to be able to allot enough time for my studies,

mnemonics that I can use when studying for exams, and how to research for sources for my

school papers. I was also taught about being street-smart to be able to survive in the city

where crimes are abundant. I was taught what to do in cases of hold-ups, pick-pockets and

even fires and earthquakes. I was also given precautions, including what signs to look for if a

person is a felon and what places or situations should be avoided for ones safety.


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However, there are still some important lessons that I have not learned from my

family socialization. For one, I was not taught how to be independent in terms of money. My

parents never allowed me to handle huge sums of money, so now I do not know what to do

when I am given the responsibility of keeping money. They also did not teach me how to

approach and be friendly to others. Because of this, I grew up shy and scared of introducing

myself to other people. I did not gain many friends and refused to exert an effort to make

more friends. I spent most of my time at home and had lost the opportunity to interact, and

possibly to socialize, with other people in other environments.

Another important agent of socialization is the school. I studied high school in the

University of the Philippines Integrated School. As suggested by its name, all our subjects,

plus values education, are integrated. It became easier to internalize and apply the values

and behaviors that were taught in subjects.

Our school also does not concentrate on the quality of certain subjects and sacrifices

the quality of the others unlike specialized schools like science and art high schools. This can

be both strength and a weakness of my high school socialization. I consider it its strength

because it made us flexible and capable of doing well in any subject and a weakness because

it caused us a lack in expertise in any of the subjects. It was also helpful that values were

taught along with other subjects like English, history, art, music and social studies. I was able

to apply the values taught as bases for my behavior and actions.


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My high school socialization also helped me prepare for my college socialization

because our subjects were already taught at a college level in our last years in high school.

The lessons taught in Chemistry, Math, English and History were already taught to in high

school making it easier for us to understand the lessons and do well in the subjects.

Like in my family socialization, I was also taught by my high school about study

habits. I learned more useful mnemonics and techniques for easier reviewing and acing the

exams. I was also exposed to different media, like books, internet and periodicals and was

taught how to use them for research. I was also exposed to different media and many other

alternative activities, like ACLE or Alternative Class Learning Experience, school fairs, camps

and fieldtrips and special events like history week and science week, that I can use for leisure

that may also help me learn new skills and enhance my abilities.

However, in our high school, I was exposed to deviant behaviors like lying to and

disrespecting parents, smoking, drinking, forbidden romantic relationships, gambling and

even premarital sex. Because of my exposure to these behaviors, I have adapted some of

them particularly lying to and disrespecting my parents. I learned how to escape from home

to be able to go to parties and other events and lying to and stealing from my parents in the

process. This resulted to problems inside the house. Conflicts rose between me and my

parents. We now often argue and fight about my going out and choice of friends.

My highschool and family socialization have both impeded and facilitated my college

socialization in the present.


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Now that I commute more often when I go to school and get back home, I was able

to use the tips and precautions that my parents had taught me about handling certain

situations and avoid involvement in these that usually occur at the streets where my parents

are not able to look after me. It became easier for me to learn independence in college. I am

now able to take care of myself when crossing the streets, riding fast-moving vehicles and

when situated in possibly dangerous places.

The study habits that I learned from both my high school and family socialization

equipped me in my college studies. It became easier for me to learn how to organize my

time for heavier loads of work in college. The reviewing techniques and mnemonics also

helped me study my notes and books more efficiently.

My high school socialization, specifically, helped me understand my lessons in college

easier. The quality education that my high school has given me gave me an advantage in my

subjects.

The fact that my highschool is part of the University of the Philippines and is the lab

school of the UP College of Education has indeed facilitated my socialization in the UP

College. The way of teaching in high school has a lot of similarities with the way of teaching

in college. Because of this, I was not shocked with the system of teaching when I entered

the UP College. It also helped that our instructors in UP High School graduated from UP

College and that we have student teachers who are still studying in the college. They gave us


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tips on how to survive UP and taught us the things that every UP College student should

know.

However, the deficiencies in my highschool and home socialization has impeded in

my college socialization. Because I was not taught how to interact with different kinds of

people, I was scared to do this and usually isolate myself from others. It became hard for me

to gain new friends or even to just meet many people. Because of this, I have lost the

opportunity to interact, and eventually to socialize, with different people in different

environments.

Part 2

Migration is the geographical change of permanent residence, often lasting for a year

or more. The decision of migrating is based on the advantages and disadvantages of staying

in the home community and of leaving for an alternative destination community.

(Greenwood, 1975) Migration is caused both by the push factors by the origin countries and

the pull factors of the destination countries. (Massey, 1993) In many low-income nations,

the migrating decision is often due to the work opportunities available in the destination

community. This case is the result of the increasing demand for labor in industrial societies

which usually invite other nationalities to their country by offering high wage rates and more

benefits relative to those offered in low-income nations. (Massey, 1993) The presence of

relatives and friends may also encourage this by helping the migrant survive and adjust to

the new society. (Ritchey, 1976)


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In their destination countries, the migrants encounter new cultures, which consist of

nonmaterial/intangible and material/tangible objects that shape the peoples way of life.

These cultures also include culture universals or the traits that are part of every known

culture. These traits are usually responses to the human needs including food, shelter and

sex. There are also cultural diversities or the differences in certain aspects of different

cultures which make each culture distinct from others.

Among all elements of culture, which include language, traditions, values and norms,

the symbols is the most fundamental and the basis for all other elements. (White)

In the case of the migrants, they may experience culture shock, wherein they are

unable to read the symbols of their new culture. They may experience culture shock when

they are exposed to cultures different from what they are used to and what they find

difficult to understand and apply to their own lives. This may not arouse only feelings of

disgust and disapproval but also excitement and curiosity. Because people tend to look at

their culture as the normal culture, the migrants may uneasy when they enter their

society of destination. They may be shocked due to technologies that are unknown to them

or rituals that seem unusual. For example, a European may be disgusted and shocked when

they eat at a Vietnamese home where burping is considered as an appraisal to the cook. This

is because Europeans consider burping disrespectful and inappropriate when dining. In some

cases, the migrants may be shocked when they encounter behavior that they consider taboo

in their culture of origin in their new society.


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Through socialization, the process in which values and other aspects of culture are

transmitted to or learned, a person will be able to overcome the culture shock and adjust in

the new culture. After the person learns about the values and ideas of the culture, he/she

would be able to understand and translate the symbols and be comfortable with their new

way of life.

The socialization process can be experienced both by the migrants and their children

born in their society of destination. The parents will learn the culture of the new society that

they belong to through their social relationships with its members and also through their

children who are socialized in their new society. Likewise, their children will be socialized

through social relationships with the members of the society and their parents and for most,

through formal education. The children may bring the new culture to their home and

introduce this to their parents. Because of this, it would be easier for the parents to learn

and accept the culture of their society of destination. They may also develop some kind of

religious and cultural tolerance which would be helpful in their adjustment by making them

more sociable to the people surrounding them.

Aside from culture shock, the dilemmas of migrants also include contradictions

between the migrants origin culture and new culture due to cultural differences. There may

be differences in values, norms and morals that may also follow major differences in the

justice and political systems. In effect, debates about law implementations and sanctions like

the death penalty and laws on public display of affection may arise.


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Language barriers may also contribute to the conflicts because of the

miscommunication that it causes. Language not only allows communication but is also the

key to cultural transmission, where it is used as an instrument in teaching and learning

culture, making it an important factor in the adjustment of migrants. (Macionis) If the

migrants were not taught of the language, it would take them longer to understand their

new culture.

As seen in the movie, Arranged, there were conflicts in the culture of the Muslim and

Jewish migrants and the Americans. In general, the Muslims and Jews are conservative,

opposite to the Americans who have a liberal attitude. This can be clearly seen in the

differences in their ways of clothing and public behavior. This was illustrated in the scenes

where the American principal offered them money to buy modern clothes, when Rochel

tried to leave his religion for one night and go to a typical American dance party and when

the new teachers introduced themselves and disclosed things that they think are interesting

about them.

The cultures also differ in terms of mate selection and marriage practices. In the

American culture, love is an important aspect in considering marriages unlike in the Muslim

and Jewish culture where the decision and approval of parents, religion and rituals. The

Muslims also practice polygamy, which is treated as a crime in the American and Philippine

culture.


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In addition to contradictions between the cultures, the migrants may also experience

discrimination, negative stereotypes and prejudice against them because of cultural

differences. Stereotypes, the generalization/simplified description applied to every person in

some category (Macionis, 2008), when negative, can damage the reputation of the migrants

and may provoke negative behavior towards them from the locals of their new society. In

worst cases, these may lead to discrimination, unequal treatment of various categories of

people that leads to the formal or informal segregation of social groups. (Turner, 2006) This

can be seen in the Philippine society where Muslims are stereotyped as terrorists.

At times, prejudices and discrimination can also become institutionalized, or built

into the operation of society's institutions like schools, hospitals, the police, and the

workplace. (Macionis, 2008) The prejudices may have been apparent in the societys laws

and sanctions wherein they do not consider the culture of the minorities and migrants

Prejudices and discrimination then results to the social, and even physical, separation

of the different cultures or what is called social segregation. Some minorities, especially on

the basis of religion, like the Amish community, voluntarily segregate themselves. However,

many majorities also segregate themselves from the minorities. This act of the majorities

often causes assimilation wherein the minorities gradually adopt patterns of the dominant

culture in their drive to survive and become accepted in the society dominated by the

certain culture.


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Due to ethnocentrism, wherein a culture judges other cultures by its own standards,

the culture of the migrants are sometimes viewed as cultural patterns that strongly oppose

those widely accepted within a society or what they refer to as counterculture.

When the migrants bear their children in their new society, both the children and the

migrants gain advantages and disadvantages in living in it. One advantage is the knowledge

gained by both from the diverse cultures found in the society. In effect, they become

exposed to and aware of the cultural differences and similarities. This may also help them

develop religious and cultural tolerance towards other cultures and increase the rate of

adjustment of the migrants and their children. The availability and diversity of cultures will

also give the child an option on what cultural practices he/she will adapt for his own. He/she

will be able to choose what best suits himself and his values. The parents may also choose

whether to fit in or stand out in the new society and to keep or to drop and replace their

original culture or to resocialize.

The disadvantages of one being born in a culture different from ones parents include

miscommunication and the clash of two or more cultures. Miscommunication, not just

because of language differences, but also of connotative meanings or what each person

implies in what he/she is saying. This problem becomes a hindrance to the relationships

within the family because of the conflicts it produces. The clash of two cultures produces

more conflicts and contradictions between them. One culture may practice, for example,

monogamy, while the other practices polygamy. This causes confusion and problems within

the family regarding the decision on which practices should be followed in many situations.


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Part 3

The hostage taking incident already became the talk of the town even during it

perpetration. It gained numerous negative comments both from locals and other nations.

Discussions and debates were held to discuss to talk about the problems, significance and

implications of the incident. It had also aroused more discussions about certain issues that

are continuously being discussed in the Philippine society.

There are a number of reasons why the hostage taking incident is a public issue.

First, certain values of the Philippine society were threatened. Values, as suggested

by the word itself, are the ideas/concepts that we value or give importance to in our society.

These serve as bases for the societys behaviors, norms, attitudes and their culture as a

whole. One value that was threatened is life and human rights. Nine lives were ended, eight

from the 21 hostages plus the perpetrator himself.

Other values threatened in the incident were peace and security. Although not all

hostages were killed, there were still a number of people who were severed in the hostage

taking. Fear penetrated among Filipinos because of what the incident has implied on the

security of the Filipinos. There were talks about the competence of our policemen, how they

are equipped and trained, and if they really know how to handle such situations.


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Lastly, the value of harmonious relationship was also threatened. The relationships

damaged in the incident include those between the Philippines and several other countries,

especially Hong Kong, where the hostages had come from. The image of the Philippines was

dirtied by the incident, implying on other countries that the nation is dangerous. Other

countries threw negative comments on the Philippines government and its people. There

were even several websites, online forums and facebook pages made for the reactions and

comments of the Filipinos and foreigners. Because of the negative reaction of Hong Kong, a

number of Filipinos also threw negative reactions to Hong Kong who they accused of

destroying their reputation without enough reason. Some try to defend theirselves and

argue that Filipinos should not be generalized and be identified only with the hostage taking

incident. These behaviors showed that the incident is indeed a concern for most Filipinos.

Certain institutions are responsible for the protection of the values of our society.

Because these values were not successfully protected in the hostage-taking incident, it

became a public concern of its preservation and security.

One institution which played a major role in the hostage taking incident was the local

and national government. During the incident, particularly during the negotiation, mayor

Alfredo Lim and vice-mayor Isko Moreno carried out orders for the policemen, media and

other institutions involved.

And because the reason behind Rolando Mendozas hostage taking was rooted from

his problems with the Philippines justice system, the department of justice and office of the


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ombudsman was also involved. The office of the ombudsman was the one who found

Mendoza and other policemen guilty of misconduct and ordered his dismissal and the

withdrawal of his benefits. Mendoza claimed he was innocent and demanded for a fair trial

and his job and benefits back. (Calonzo)

Vice mayor Moreno delivered the letter from the ombudsman saying that his case

will be resolved soon. However, Mendoza called the letter, basura and said that it was not

what he was asking for. The local government was unable to get another letter to respond to

Mendozas wishes because of traffic. In addition to that, the mayor also ordered the arrest

of Gregorio Mendoza, the hostage-takers brother, and told the police to bring him to

Tondo. The arrest of his brother angered him and caused him to start shooting at his

hostages.

Also involved in the incident was the media, who did not only cover what was

happening in the hostage-taking, but also communicated directly to the perpetrator. ABC

TV5s Erwin Tulfo remained in contact with Mendoza while the radio station DZXL also talked

him with. The radio station was even informed by Mendoza that he is going to kill the

passengers and was ordered by him to make the SWAT police leave the scene. They were

also told that his brother should be released, otherwise, he will start killing his hostages.

When his orders were not followed, he told the media that he already killed two of the

foreigners. (Dizon and Ramos)


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The Manila Police District, aside from conducting the police operations, also helped

negotiating with the hostage-taker. Superintendent Orlando Yebra and Chief inspector

Romeo Salvador in particular, spear-headed the negotiations.

The crises in the institutional arrangements, namely the contradictions on function

and role implementation, on the institutions coordination and on their accountability, are

also reasons why the hostage-taking is a social issue.

The functions and roles of different institutions in the incident were not clear,

especially in the process of negotiation. The hostage-taker was communicating with several

people including the police, the media and a family member, all of them convincing him to

release his hostages and offering him options.

The institutions were also not organized and coordinated. Media blackout was not

ordered, letting the hostage-taker know every move the police made. The media was

performing his role as the nations news and information provider. However, this role of

media just impeded with the resolving of the situation.

The media also interfered with the operations. Media people flocked the scene and

interfered with the calls of the police to the hostage-taker by also remaining in contact with

him. The media also showed footages of the arrest of his brother causing him to flare up and

decide to start the killings.

The national and local government also failed to coordinate with each other. They

were unable to immediately resolve the case of Mendoza. It took the mayor a long time to


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get a letter for the ombudsman and failed to get another one when Mendoza requested. The

time it took for the national and local government to take action caused by their lack of

coordination was enough to make the hostage-taker impatient. The president of the

Philippines, who should have also helped in the situation was not present at that time.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Verzosa, was also not present at the

hostage-taking incident and had let the Manila Police District (MPD) to handle the situation

because of his confidence in the competence of its head, Magtibay.The PNP had the

authority to replace the chief negotiator, Superintendent Yebra after the hostage-taker

expressed disgust over him but decided to not intervene with the negotiation. (Dizon)

The police was also not able to control the crowd, making the scene more chaotic

and harder to handle because of spectators that should not have been in the scene. The

handlers of the hostage-taking were distracted from the noise and camera flashes coming

from the people and the media.The media were scattered because no one conducted media

briefings and designated places that they could cover. Limitations were also not set for the

media coverage so the hostage-taker was able to monitor the SWATs moves blow by blow.

Another reason why the incident is a social issue are the debates, where the

discussion of a proposition between two matched sides takes place,that also rose from the

incident and resulted from the crises in institutional arrangements. There were debates

about the accountability of the institutions. It is not yet established who from the police,


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government, media or the hostage-takers family was really responsible for the failed

negotiation.

There are also debates about who are really responsible for the flaring up of

Mendoza. Some believe the hostage-taker was angered because of the polices arrest of

Gregorio Mendoza while some say that he would not be angered if the media had not

covered the scene. Some also thought that the one responsible for this is the judiciary

system of the Philippines which is what they say, the root cause of the hostage-taking. Some

blame the brother for provoking Mendoza while some blame the hostage-taker himself.

It is also argued whether the police are only lack budget and equipment needed for

this kind of situation or are they really not trained and taught enough about how to handle

hostage-taking incidents. People argue what should have been done by the police, the

government and the media.

The values threatened in the incident, the crises in institutional arrangements

observed, the debates that it generated and the concern of people regarding the situation

proved that the hostage-taking incident is indeed a social issue.

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