African American Sociology

Sociology Midterm

There is a saying that I hold close to my heart, it goes something like, “You cannot trip over things that are behind you”. This saying is applicable to both person life and to life in general. I hold the personal belief that one has to learn from past mistakes in order to avoid making similar ones in the future. This aspect is what sociology works with, the prevention of society to commit the same mistakes twice and in doing so help create a better society. Sociology is the scientific study of human society. The study covers topics such as society’s origins, development, organization, and institutions. It is important to understand the way society functions in order to formulate wise decisions for the development of the
This chapter talks about how Italian Americans are inaccurately portrayed as negative characters in the movies and television shows. Sociologist conducted both studies of people who were exposed to these generalizations and the movies themselves. The most common role Italian Americans took within the movies was those of gangsters and members of the mafia. According to studies conducted it turns out that Italian Americans were used to portray the role of members of organized crime. The two reasons for this happening were, “First, the media finds Italian American organized crime stories profitable. Second, some politicians, especially when their opponent is Italian American, find associating Italian Americans with organized crime useful for winning votes.” (pg.29) The solution that sociology provides to this generalization is to, “ think of organized crime as a business that provides illegal goods and services, rather than an Italian or alien conspiracy. It needs to be recognized that organized crime is able to flourish primary because if the high demand for goods and services (for instance, drugs) that have been designated as illegal.” (pg.30) There are more recommendations that provide a way for sociology to revert the negative effects of negative connotations linked with a certain group of people. According to R.A. Capozzola’s Finalmente: The Truth about Organized Crime and Carol Chiago Lujinos’ study, “The Only Real Indian is the Stereotyped Indian”. This joint study calls for the reduction of negative stereotyping through the establishment and supporting of programs at both state and privately funded educational