Living Within Stratification

      Social stratification is the division of people into groups where there are large differences between wealth, power, and prestige. Class, gender, age, and ethnicity also play a role in social division. The way I see it, these divisions cause inequality because if there was no division, then we would all be equal but sadly there is a division. People of the upper class are the wealthy people who we see driving the most expensive cars, wearing the most expensive clothes, and living in the biggest house by the beach or own their own private property. People of the middle class are not as wealthy as the upper class but they are people who have a job, a decent house in a good neighborhood, a nice car, and have just enough money to survive. For the lower class people, they don't have as much as the middle class. They are probably the ones to live in a bad neighborhood and who may have difficulty getting a job that pays a decent amount of money because they probably didn't have the privilege of getting an education so that they can get a decent job and not live in poverty. This is where inequality takes place. Majority of the upper class ignore people or things that are below them. “For decades, surveys have shown that upper-income Americans don’t give away as much of their money as they might and are particularly undistinguished as givers when compared with the poor, who are strikingly generous. A number of other studies have shown that lower-income Americans give proportionally more of their incomes to charity than do upper-income Americans”- New York Times

(http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/magazine/22FOB-wwln-t.html). I really don't understand why majority of the upper class refuse to use their money for a good cause like donating to charity. Instead they spend it on nice and expensive things. No, I'm not saying that they should give all their money away to the poor but at least give them a little of what you have. Maybe then some of them can gain respect. It’s sad how people who barely have a thing give away more money than the people who have more than they can manage.

   When you have wealth and power, don't abuse it because it can all go away as fast as a lightning strike. If you were rude and obnoxious when you have power it isn't good because when you lose your power, you can lose your wealth and when you lose your wealth you still won't have prestige. Whereas if you were nice and didn't abuse your power, when push comes to shove at least you will still have the respect and honor for being a good person. All I am saying is that it is not good to ignore and treat people differently based on their class and how wealthy and powerful they are. At the end of the day, we are all humans and we all need a hand to make it through life without the ignorance of people who think they are better than everyone else just because they have better advantages.

Pressures Within The Youth

The youth of this time encounters many pressures whether it's from school or just trying to fit in. We get pressure from our parents to do well in school so that we can get into college and be successful in life. We are so much under the pressure of our parents that we push ourselves twice as hard without even noticing it. We stay up from late night to early morning doing homework and studying and then we have to wake up early in the morning and get ready for school. If you really think about it, we barely get sleep during the week. We are not only trying to meet up with our parents standards but also social standards. We are trying to be the average kid. Not too weird and not too extra. We are constantly trying to be who we are not just to fit in with everyone so that we won't be made fun of. However, it's not always good to be like the "in" crowd because they can get you in trouble. For example, they might tell you that you have to do something bad like sneak out or throw a house party while your parents are out of town but in the end, they don’t get in trouble, you do. Never let anyone pressure you. If your parents are putting pressure on you because of your grades, simply take their concerns into consideration but don't let it control you. Move at the paste that works for you. Your parents don't know what you go through at school so just do what’s best for you. If someone at school is pressuring you to do something that you are uncomfortable with, don't do it! It is not worth getting in trouble for. Ignore the pressures of being a youth because no one is getting stressed out except for you.

Marijuana Use Among Teenagers

Teenagers are blind to marijuana usage. They get under the influence probably because they want to feel a part of the “in crowd” or just to be a rebel. Marijuana is not something to play with. Teenagers especially shouldn’t be thinking about marijuana. Marijuana interferes with memory and learning. “Young people are increasingly seeing marijuana as not dangerous”, a reasonable statement made by the lead investigator Lloyd Johnston of the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. In an article from USA today, teens in 8^th, 10^th, and 12^th grades display a positive and favorable attitude towards marijuana. Teenagers do not know that marijuana can control their lives. They pay attention to the present and not to the effects of the future. Someone needs to speak up to teenagers and make them aware of what marijuana can do. It is not “cool” to use marijuana. It can cause teenagers to lose jobs and lose connection from the world. There is a way for teenagers to stop using marijuana. It’s never too late to stop. It is up to you to make that decision. Make the right choice and stop using marijuana.