I turned twelve years old in 2004 on October 23rd. There
were plenty of events that year that made a great impact on society and the way
people would look at the world today. During October the presidential election
was on the United States’ mind. The George Bush and John Kerry election was
looked at as being very important because of the war in Iraq. The debates were
then followed up by the election where Bush won, starting his second term as
president.
This election had a huge impact on society and the way
individual’s lives were affected. George Bush’s popularity sky rocketed after
the video of Suddam Hussein’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks were released. Individuals continued to fear terrorism
attacks and gained comfort from knowing that there was a chance he would be
killed. I remember the elections and my parents talking to me about how Bush
would bring security to our country. They talked about how the war had a huge
effect on our communities and that Bush’s decision to avenge the United States
was a good decision. The war that had just started in 2002 continues today. We
continue to send soldiers out to fight a war on terrorism. My generation continues
to be involved in knowing the impact of the 9/11 attacks and Bush’s decision to
go in to fight against something that brought deep fear to our country.
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| Condoleezza Rice |
Another important big event of 2004 was the nomination of
Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state. She was nominated by George W. Bush
after the November elections. Rice was the first female African-American
secretary of state. She had served as Bush’s National Security Advisor
throughout his first term. After Colin Powell’s resignation she was nominated
to take his position.
This nomination brought hope to my generation. This opened
doors for two different groups of people. With her being the second woman and
African American, she broke through norms. Women had more of a role in the
household and though the “glass ceiling” had broken, she proved that an African
American woman could step into that role as well. I remember being told that
this was such a significant event in history because she was the “first.” This
allowed me and other youth my age to think of an African American woman in a
role normally filled by a white male.
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| Facebook Home Page |
Earlier that year the popular social networking service was
launched. As of 2012 Facebook has over a billion users. Mark Zuckerberg
developed Facebook while attending Harvard. It quickly grew from a college
based website to one used worldwide. The site allowed people to create a
profile that can be viewed by your friends. This site is still popular among
all ages and is used on a daily basis.
In a result of the development of Facebook, users have the
ability to keep tabs on others that they are friends with. I am constantly
facing the temptation to open my Facebook to look at everyone’s statuses. It
built a social institution based on the fact that it is a piece of mass media,
which allows individuals to communicate important news whether it is personal
or national. It has impacted the way individuals interact with each other and
it has created a sphere where people are able to openly display their opinions.
I am able to share anything I want with people I allow to be my friends.
“Sociological Imagination enables us to understand the
larger historical picture and its meaning in our own lives” (Newman 2012, p.9).
These events had an impact on my viewpoints on society and how I go about day
to day. Events such as presidential elections, nominations of women, and social
networking sites continue to affect my life in significant ways. These events
in 2004 will continue to affect myself and society to this day.
Work Cited:
Newman, D.M. (2012). Sociology: Exploring the Architecture
of Everyday life. 9th Ed. Pine Forge Press: Thousand Oaks,
California.
Other references:
http://www.crunchbase.com/company/facebook
Well, done!
ReplyDeleteI was, however, left wondering how you might describe the impact of the revelation that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks and that there were no WMDs. E.g., What is the impact on a generation of finding out that a war was started over false information?
Hey, Taty!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post, and I liked the video and the overall layout. I like how you linked other terms from chapter 2 like "norms" and "roles" in your Condolezza Rice example, and I definitely agree with her being a powerful role model for women and African Americans.
Overall, I think you did a great job relating the impact of these events on your personal history and society.
I am also interested in your take on the false information that lead to the war in Iraq. I wonder if that fear felt in the past has somehow changed to a growing distrust of government especially with how events in Iraq have turned out now.
But wonderful post and engaging examples!
Taty,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your part about the nomination of Condoleezza Rice. For women, this was a huge turning point and for generations to come, little girls can have the dream of holding one of those positions whereas that never crossed our, or at least my, mind.
I also wrote about Facebook. It has truly changed the way our generation communicates. Social networking has had a tremendous impact.
Your post was well written and easy to read with the way you set it up and where you added the images and the video. Good job!