Sam Richards opened with a very well-articulated thought. It is incredibly easy for all of us to become dependent on our freedom, our apparent ability to make our own decisions, and believe that we are the ones dictating our lives. His example of the person contemplating suicide is convicting and depicts the two sociological truths that back the claims he makes after. Not only are we largely influenced by the culture around us based the fact that those around us acting similarly, but we can also see how influential our culture is on us by how different people act in different cultures. If everyone had their own free will and disregarded the norms, then wouldn’t the varying nation’s statistics be somewhat comparable? This truth is in the very essence of what culture is. There is no culture without norms, and there are no norms without people following them. (There are, of course, anomalies, but I mean in general terms) While at first, it may seem uncomfortable that he says that we are not in fact free to make our own decisions, I believe it is actually a good thing. Hermits often attempt to escape the influence of culture by completely separating themselves from society. Despite their efforts, they are unable to completely escape the human influence from their childhood and there was still something that culturally influenced them to desire to sequester themselves. However, since a hermit is the closest example we have, I will use it. Without culture, we don’t have much. Humans ought to be around each other to build each other up and learn from each other. Our culture is simply a result of humans living together and doing life together. The fact that we are influenced by our culture is a normal and healthy thing. Mr. Richards is right: We are not empowered by our freedom to do what we want to do (sociologically speaking), but we are empowered by seeing the interconnectivity of humanity.
I agree with all that you said on your thoughts about the talk. I like how you talked about how culture plays a part in society being dependent. I believe that everyone depends on something it doesn’t have to necessarily be a person. Society does tend to follow norms because you the people who follow the norms and those who doesn’t. Well, either way you’re a part of a group that is participating in the same thing. I like how you ended your thoughts on the video with what he said in the video containing the thoughts of interconnection of humanity. -IDK123
I agree with what you said. I like how you said our culture is very influential on us. That is really true. I believe we don't realize how much our culture has to do with our every day lives and decisions.I strongly believe without culture there is nothing. I never really thought about that. Culture is really like a foundation to life in my opinion. I love how Sam Richards really touched strongly on humans are interconnected and that often times we may feel alone but we never really are because people around are most likely experiencing similar things as you. This is a very inspirational video in my opinion it really opened my eyes. -prettygirlhd
I don't think that I would agree with the notion that society influencing us means that we don't have freedom. People usually make decisions based on what is best for them or what they like, the averages that the speaker was talking about were just that, averages. People think in similar manners to one another, but every decision that a person makes is still there own in my opinion. Another person a thousand miles away doing the same thing as me is not influencing me, but because people think similarly we are likely going to make the same decision. I would like to put as much infaces on the word likely as possible. If we start looking at people as a pure product of there environment, then nobody would be at fault for anything they do. This could lead to conclusions like Hitler did nothing wrong, he was just a product of Germany at the time. While I believe that if Hitler did not rise to power and do the things he did another person would have, it does not excuse him of his sins and the atrocities he committed. -DMPeschy
The wisdom of sociology is realizing as an individual you are apart something bigger than yourself. I think the main point of his talk was saying that when you feel like you’re alone you’re not because there are many others throughout the world that have been through what going through. Since other had had the same experiences it helps that individual out with how to deal with the problem. At the start of the video he talks about how no one has freedom well this goes along with not being alone to me this means that we don’t have freedom since we aren’t on our own. Everyone plays a part in something and that something connects to other things. Freedom is and illusion as his wife said because there are statistics for outcomes of situations. Proving that you’re not as in control of everything in your life as you would think. He used the example of contemplating suicide, well he said that that individual is embedded in a structured decision apart of a group of others making that same decision. This example proves that supremely connected. Society takes pride in being able to make decisions, to speak and think freely. In the isolated moments rethink how, it may feel because there are many people who have been in your position and you need them to help you. We are influenced by what’s around us, it’s how society works. Besides what I have said about the talk I think that the video was longer than it needed to be since he was repeating what he was saying. I say this because it was a straight forward topic and I felt as if he was dragging it on which was not needed, just as I have with typing my thoughts on this topic. -IDK123
I disagree i feel that what he said he kind of went into details and that's why it was so long everything he said he went into detail about which i like because in class we tend to ask alot of questions about something stated on the board and he stops that with explaining with examples. He goes into really complex thoughts and I like how he explains what he thinks with his explanations. He says some really cool thought i do not one hundred percent agree with but i could understand why he thinks why he did a lot of content in this short video. Campbell012
I agree I think the way that he put everything into detail really helped me to get a better understanding on what he was saying exactly. For example if everyone who had some sort of sickness or illness would not get down on themselves and not think that they are the only ones who are dealing with it and may feel alone, but when in all reality there is someone somewhere going through the exact same thing when you look at things in that sort of way it does let you know that you are not alone and connected to something much more greater, the sociological imagination wow! Just me012
I do agree that the video was somewhat long, just for the simple fact I understood what he was saying after listening to him explain it the first time. However, I feel that it is harder for some people to understand a topic especially since this one is so abstract. I feel if it was so simple to understand, then it would be easy to be identified. But obviously many people have an issue with understanding that many things that go on are out of their hands. Like Sam stated in the video, it's an invisible group, if it were simple enough to understand, then it wouldn't be so hard to identify the barriers that are shaping us in our day to day life LayBae012
There seems to be a very thin line that separates Sociology from Psychology because our “individual” behaviors stem from the greater world and the influences of different societies. Society plays the role of a sculptor and many individuals contribute to mounds of colored clay. What the clay becomes is largely determined by the sculptor. As individuals, we are shaped, and sometimes destroyed and remade before we find our place in the larger picture. Like clay after a few days of drying, we tend to stick to those people and groups that share certain commonalities with us. We think we have a say in what we become, but in actuality we have very little influence in our own future. In reality, the color of the clay influences its destiny, just like where we are born and how we are raised influences our destinies as humans. For example, if a sculptor always uses a realistic style in his or her work, blue clay would never be used to form a model apple because apples are not blue. We are limited by what society deems to be acceptable or correct, and yet many people feel their future is in their hands. It is by human nature to gravitate toward others. We think that we can be happy on our own, that our own success or possessions will make and keep us happy, but that is rarely ever the case. The people who are happiest seem to be those people who have close friends and family. This greatly supports what research has found about suicide and the sociological patterns that exist. Those people that are lonelier and separated from others tend to have higher suicide rates than those who feel like that are part of a larger world. People who understand that happiness cannot be created through individual success and possessions know the greater value that the larger world contributes to happiness. As humans we truly need one another to live, we contribute to others’ happiness, thoughts, and way of life and they do the same. Something that Sam Richards mentioned that intrigues me, not because it is an interesting subject but because I would not think it to be true is the fact that for a certain group of people the suicide rate is fairly consistent from year to year. I wonder why this is the case. It would seem that the state of the world, the country, and communities would greatly influence these numbers. For example, I would believe that as a farmer, if there were several consecutive “bad” years where few or no crops could grow that that would greatly influence the feelings and the suicide rate during that low time. MySliceofthePi012
I really enjoy this video he starts his ted talk with starting off with how he thought as a child. He explains how his train of thought as a kid he use to think freedom and independence was most important which i believe to all of us it is then how happiness to him was knowing his destiny. He explains how he studies sociology and the core idea is we are shaped by the people that are around us. We think we determine our destiny but in reality we do not. His girlfriend at the time asked to read the book he was reading and her response changed the way this teacher studied the world around him. The girlfriend said freedom that you talk about your NOT free what you teach this BOOK shows you that everything you think, hope feel i mean everything factors and forces you out of your control more than you think or feel it's an illusion that you are free. This really opened up my eyes and interested me to really sit down and think how complex the world determines who are what we are. Some things we experience are connected and we cannot even explain how. Suicide this topic is very interesting to me and how he brought about it, how its connected to sociology. He believes that suicide is a personal delusion and a profound moment where suicide rates are steady at all time. This imbedded moment structure leads people in a decision in correlation. How suicide is not a personal decision. The structure of life that shapes us. We are extremely connected with everybody and our thoughts and concerns we share with everybody. This open my eyes to the people we are closest too we should understand what one another goes through but considering the situations we sometimes but ourselves in i can not connect. Campbell012
In the video wisdom and sociology Sam Richard touched on a few things that I never really thought on but they caught my attention they were the following freedoms that we go around thinking we have, suicide and its effects on things other than just the person that wants to end it all , sociological imagination and the wisdom of sociology. He mentioned that we all think we have freedoms, but when using sociology the core idea is that we are shaped by others that are around us. We may think we make free decisions but we are not actually free of everything we think , feel , imagine and even hope for is all shaped by factors and forces that are out of our control and will never see nor understand. Suicide was another thing mentioned and he also put it into a sociology way of thinking. When someone is thinking about committing suicide, and even though personal and private it’s really not. He called it a profound sociological moment. The suicide rate for a certain area is rated over time it rarely will ever change. But they are in a structure of life that shapes us. If everyone who thought of suicide would just think of it in the way of a sociologist they would see that we are all connected and not alone in this world as we may think. Our problems are every ones problems and that personal troubles and public issues are what is called the sociological imagination. Sociological imagination is the key to bring people together to create needed change. This is being connected into the larger web of people that we do not see and that are invisible to us brings the wisdom of sociology. Sociology wisdom I learned I that we all are like an invisible tribe, that is linked to the global web and that we may be enduring the same issues that someone else is dealing with somewhere in the world. Just me012
This video was really good. His intro about how he thought he was free and he made his own decisions really struck me because that is how I think now. It is how I think to this day and still think. I was, and still am, like him in a way. I believe that I make my own decisions and that in the very end it is still my decision. I also understand that everything that I think was also influenced by everyone and everything around me. And because of this, I am confused because I am at that point where I am in the middle where it is pushing and pulling in a metaphorical tug of war in my head…but I am also a very stubborn person and have been, like most people, taught these ways from my very birth. As I watch this video, I got a feeling of confusion because he talks about how in the end, we are connected to a group and that group may not be very close to me. This hits home for me because I am in the same boat. I am the only republican in a family of democrats. We disagree on many thing especially on politics. They have raised me since birth and yet I am part of a group that had very little interaction with as a child and teenager. As he said, this is because we are all interconnected in a way. I feel as if this is going to be a good semester if this is going to be like this through the class. I look forward to this class. –TheMarshall012
I enjoyed this video very much. A lot of the speaker’s words opened my eyes to truly see what sociology means. He explained that we can think we’re so alone and so different from one another, but in reality, we’re all interconnected. In every moment, you can almost be sure that whatever you’re doing or thinking, there is someone, and you may not even know them, who is doing or thinking the same things as you. He describes the hidden forces that are far beyond even the most educated sociologist’s’ understandings. There are patterns and cycles in society that we do not see, but they still exist. He tells us that we are not truly free, our actions could honestly be predicted, and that’s just the way it goes. It makes you think and it makes you look beyond yourself and look at life through a more sociological lens. Of course, though, we tend to ignore these factors in life. He used the example of the person contemplating suicide. They aren’t thinking like a sociologist. They aren’t thinking about the suicide rates or how they’re contributing to maintaining the average of suicide deaths in their community, or nationwide. No, that’s the furthest thing from their mind. Because, if they were to think like a sociologist, they’d probably be less prompted to follow through with the suicide. They’d understand that their decision wasn’t actually a free one, and that they’re a part of a hidden subgroup of people who are also going to commit suicide, thus creating the never-ending cycle of suicide rates staying consistent throughout the years. It’s deep, and like the video says in it’s title, it’s wisdom. You have to open your mind from what you think you know in order to understand this sociologist’s perspective. I appreciate this video for allowing me to do so.
Through this TED Talk presented by Sam Richards, we dive very deeply into what exactly Sociology is and how it relates to all of us in the world. Sam brings to light some very relatable instances and scenarios such as someone contemplating suicide, as well as the struggle women go through during the time of their lives that brings about Menopause. He begins to explain in great detail the despair and isolation many of humanity may feel in circumstances such as those. Circumstances that are of the most personal level and can be so very difficult to work through. However, Mr. Sam Richards shares his own experience of awakening to the reality that we are not alone. In fact, all of humanity experiences much of the same things. Therefore we must choose to be aware that there are many, many people in our world that can understand us and our situations. He describes the situation of someone contemplating suicide and how personal a decision that is. However, although that very person may feel that the decision is simply a personal choice and very much a private one, which it is. But regardless of the personal choice that person must make, that choice also has an effect on the rest of the world. That simple choice might feel like it is a choice that no one else is making or contemplating. Yet, because of the humanity in which all of us are part of, that person is not the only one making that same choice. Ultimately, through Mr. Richards whole TED Talk he explains the rest of the world the fact that we are not alone. We are all in this life together and every choice we make has so very much to do with the world in which we live in. -THEARSONIST012
This was a very interesting presentation; especially for a TED Talk. While I mostly enjoyed the content, I really had a hard time connecting with the speaker. I'll start with the content. For the most part, the speaker explains things in a similar way that Chapter 1 of our textbook does. I wish he would have used different scenarios when explaining an example however. As important as discussing suicide is, I felt his explanation did a very poor job achieving the goal that he sought out for. Many other examples about decisions we feel are personal actually being representative of the population could have been used; marriage, divorce, college, career, and so many others. Also I felt that he really overdid his explanation of the quality of his marriage; I was thoroughly crept out. As far as his delivery goes, I truly struggled taking him seriously as both a Sociologist and orator. Obviously, my interpretation as a middle-class, Caucasian male is far different from others, but his appearance stuck me as odd right off of the bat. From the earrings to the baggy shirt and pants, I was distracted from the message he was trying to relay. I'm sure he has a very good explanation that would leave me looking foolish, but from my point of view (and others who commented on the YouTube video) he did not look like someone I would expect to have earned a PhD in Sociology. However, maybe that is one major takeaway from the video. Maybe Sociology's broad interpretation makes it impossible to pinpoint. Or, as specific as an individual or broad as the species of human. Overall, a decent presentation with sufficient Sociological scenarios. -CSP012
Good video! Sam Richards does a good job. So, we are made the way we are because of other people. Our freedom is just an illusion, so he mentions how his girlfriend at the time, even knew what sociology was trying to say. Sociology is shaped around us 27/7 and I did not even know that. Now, everything I do, I see, I feel, I think, and everything in everything starts with Sociology. It was shaped around us, and it follows us. Suicide is not through personal, but how the world was around us, so the numbers are steady. I can see were he is going with this, and I think he can probably be right. He mentions that this is the core, and this is how we are shaped. The meaning he had for freedom was a different kind of meaning, but not to be free. So this is why Sociology explains what it can and cant explain what cannot be explained. I want to say that it correlates to science, but a different type of science. I believe nobody is going to think sociology 24/7 whenever they encounter someone, fee, or think but it’s amazing what you can find the power through sociology. The structure of how everything is connected is amazing! Now I know so much more about how everything has a correction to sociology. I think it’s so cool, and I would definitely encourage schools to teach sociology to kids because this will benefit them in the long run. Overall, I believe this Sam Richards did a completely good explanation to as why sociology is big part integration to our everyday lives. Everyday I learn more and more by this videos, and shows how are we all connected and how much are we so connected and we don’t notice that. - LILPUMP012
I believe Sam Richards did an amazing job with conveying the message about wisdom and sociology. I feel sometimes we forget that life itself is so complex, and in turn forget that we rarely have control on our lives. Sam did an amazing job with explaining the barriers in which all individuals are born into. Especially with living in a country that stands on the principles of freedom, it is easy to be blinded back the fact that there is another source out there that has control over us, and it’s society itself. Whether we like it or not, any decision that we make in our day to day lives is influenced by what is around us. Due to my personal background and experiences, I feel it was harder to understand when using the idea of suicide. For me to better understand it in my mind, I chose to apply the same concept to something that I could picture more in my head. In Peoria, the “south end” is commonly categorized as an area of peoria where low-income families live and raise their families. I feel this makes a lot of sense when you look around the community as a whole. Due to the low-income population on the Southend of Peoria, it would be more common for someone to see many liquor stores and convenience stores, opposed to grocery stores and supermarkets. Income is the invisible barrier that is keeping me accustomed to a certain kind of life. Sometimes when put in these types of situations, we forget that there are some things we just can’t control and this makes us feel like we’re alone. I think Sam helped me understand that it happens to EVERYONE, so to not feel alone when certain things happen. LayBae012
Yes- "living in a country that stands on principles of freedom" as you stated is very true. I found in this 14 minute video that freedom is just an illusion in which we as people shape together- never really as one. So with following that principle, you are never alone and yes, "it" happens to everyone, by everyone. TRM012
I think the sociological view that you’re never alone because you’re always “invisibly” connected to someone sounds nice, but when you’re in a moment of depression or just feeling alone, I don’t think that thought would really help. I do think that that it’s helpful to know about how everyone around us helps shape who we are. I don’t know if phrasing it as we don’t have freedom is the best way, but it is evident that we draw characteristics from other people our whole lives. It’s how we learn social queues and overall shape ourselves, and it’s an ongoing process. I’m not the same person I was five years ago and I won’t be the same person I am now in another five years. Another thing that he discussed that I was slightly skeptical about was suicide. He made it seem so simple, and that it had an easy fix. All you have to do is think happy thoughts about the invisible people that are like you! He may not have meant to come across that way but that was what I got out of it. I did agree with him when he said that it has a huge sociological effect. It’s not just you that is affected by making the decision, it has the ripple effect. Not just with your friends and family, but with coworkers, classmates, acquaintances. Overall I think he has a knack for speaking, and I’m sure he has inspired many people, but I am not one of them. --Burnsky012
I agree with what you said when you said you don't know if phrasing it as we don't have freedom is the best way to put it. I agree to the fullest because I feel like there are some cases that people make free decisions against the norm. I understand completely why he didn't inspire you. He had me on some aspects then lost me on certain aspects. Are actions def don't only affect us and that is obvious because when someone kill their self they are hurting their family not just their self. I feel like your response was perfect and it made me see I wasn't alone on how I felt about this video as far as it is inspiring me cause it didn't. Sam was a great speaker though. -Jolly rancher
Sam Richards really made a good point in this video. I like how he explained that who we are is not shaped solely by our own opinions and decisions. No matter how hard we try our environment around us largely shapes who we are as people. What people say and do impact us whether it’s consciously or subconsciously. The main point of his presentation was that our freedom is an illusion. I feel like this point is something you must figure out for yourself, because all of Richards’ schooling didn’t teach him this, his girlfriend did. She opened his eyes to what sociology is really about. Freedom really is an illusion because what we do impacts so many other things. For example, suicide is not a personal decision. It may on the surface seem like a personal decision but in a sociological perspective it is not. In this perspective the choice of suicide is based on experiences and what people may have said to you to lead to this decision. If this decision is followed through, then its impacting more people than just one. The statistic of suicide continues to be the same every year, so whether the decision is followed through or not it adds to the statistics and happenings of life. From this he went on to explain how everything is connected. This may seem like some hippie thoughts, but it really is true. Through the study of sociology Richards and even myself can realize that there are so many connections in the world. Our world is a network that is endlessly connected. Every human may have a different perspective in this world but that is what makes us all different and therefore connects us all. This video makes me really excited for this semester of sociology and opens my eyes to how much I am going to learn about life as a whole. -curlyhead012
Freedom is an Illusion… I most definitely did not see this coming as the main concept for Wisdom and Sociology. When I first started watching his short, but very impact video, I was thinking how in the world can he say my problems are not mine, they’re ours (meaning everyone in the world). How is this- sounds a bit fumy to me. I get that private, personal actions and decisions are shaped by my environment. However, I felt like he was saying it’s all predisposed and already, in some ways, determined what the outcome will be. I’m sitting here in utter disbelief, not connecting the dots of where he is coming from. I decided to restart the video and write down important, key factors that were impactful to me. I listened, not just played, to what his girlfriend at the time and now wife, said to him three times! “Everything you think, everything you feel, everything you imagine, hope for, everything you do- down to the tiniest, most minute and personal and private actions- everything, are shaped by factors and forces outside of your control, that you will never see, nor will you ever understand.” Wow!!! That’s pretty deep. And all this time, I always patted myself on the back for moments of great restraint, moments of being in control, etc. But, when you think about it, your decisions, thoughts, feelings and other emotions and actions are always for reasons and those reasons are as he said your “empowered by the interconnectivity, by this larger web” and doing/making decisions for others are in all actuality others doing/making decisions for me!! We are “supremely connected to others” and I now can see a bigger picture. Totally cool how one 14 minute video can absolutely open your eyes. Whenever you do anything= Wisdom of Sociology… -TRM012
Sam Richards is a great speaker. I feel like his attention getter was perfect. He caught my attention with the first sentence some speakers have me fall asleep when they speak. I like how he brought up what he felt as a kid then throughout the video told us what it really is. Wisdom of sociology is very interesting and important. I never even heard of wisdom of sociology until I watched this video. I never really looked at my freedom being an illusion I always thought I was in control of my freedom. I love how his girlfriend broke it down and said I don’t know what you are telling your students, but this book is saying this. The example Sam used when he mentioned he was alone in his room. I feel like I can relate to that example not personally, but I know people so that example really made me understand his point better since I can connect it my life in some way shape or form. This video really made me think about life and how the world can shape what and who I am in some type of way without me even knowing. I took psychology last semester and I see how the two can correspond. I like how he mentioned how he is connected to some people that he doesn’t know that well. I like that because I’m connected with people on Facebook that I don’t know outside of Facebook but everyone else would think me and those people are the closest friends. I’ve been going through that not even knowing that, that Is the wisdom of sociology. I learned that wisdom of sociology is important in everyone life rather we know it or not. I never knew sociology played this huge role in my everyday life. -Jolly ranchers
First off, Mr.Richards did a wonderful job on this speech. I loved the hand motions he used as he was talking and how genuinely interested in what he was saying. This video was so inspiring he said a lot of things that I'll carry with me throughout my life. The first thing that stuck out to me was when Sam mentioned his girlfriend at the time spoke about Sociology being life changing. To me I found that awesome, it's like another person learning the true meaning of Sociology. Another person realizing this is more than a college course and that's great because that's another set of eyes looking at the world differently. One thing Sam said that stood out to me is when he said "What if people who attempt suicide thought like Sociologist." That was very interesting to me. I liked when he mentioned our problems aren't just OUR problems but it something shared with many others. I love this theory because I like to think "I can't complain about my life because some may have it worse". The thought of someone who tried to commit suicide thinking like a Sociologist during the time they were going to take their life is VERY mind changing. I believe if this WERE to happen the suicide rate would definitely drop! Towards the end he went on to say "Groups you're most connected to may not be the same as you". I feel like knowing that everyone should change their outlook on others that's not like themselves. I believe the wisdom of sociology is we ARE humanity and we should stand for that and live up to it. We as society are all apart of an invisible tribe. We don't know each other but we are similar! -JEWELS012
I agree with what you said when you said that sociology is more than a college course. Sociology is definitely shaping us the way we are today, and by being part of a community everyone should understand the concept of sociology and its role in any community. This is not about whom we are, it is about what exactly shaped us especially when it comes to suicide. In my point of view people who commit suicide, they do it because that’s the only thing they know probably because they knew someone did that or maybe one of their family member commit that during their growing up. For them, it becomes a lifestyle more than anything else. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, I learn more by reading other’s point of view because sometimes I look at things from a different angle which is because of the different culture background. POINTOFVIEW012
This video explains the most important three things in our lives. Freedom, independence, and happiness because once a person is free and independent then this person is happy, and if a person is happy when a person is part of a healthy society. My point of view might be different than yours because from where I came the term freedom is not allowed. Actually, people in my country live and die sad not because of poverty, but because of not being able to be free, choose your own destiny, and be happy in your life with the people who make you happy and sprit you no matter. Yes, people around us and the society have an impact on our lives, decisions and definitely shape the person we are today. What’s in any book is never in the real life, and that’s the only truth that I believe in. Sam Richard in this video argues that sociology can be life changing which I strongly agree with. What also caught my attention when Sam pointed out that any problem that we have, any suffering that we are engaging in, it is a problem and suffering that we share with everyone in the community that affected by the people and the culture. This is absolutely correct, I always thought that I was the only one who is facing and struggling, but after growing up and understand the nature of sociology now I see that we as society are facing it and that we are empowered by seeing the interconnectivity, seeing ourselves in this larger web “community”, and we are inspired by other people like our parents and friends around us. I think what a community should do now is helping people to think like sociologist because life is all about understanding the nature of human being depending on the specific culture of that community. I did like watching this video, it is very helpful to learn more about sociology and I am thankful for Professor White for this. POINTOFVIEW012
After watching this video with Mr. Sam Richards I found it to be very interesting and it made me sit back and realize somethings. When Sam Richards says if everyone thought that we were psychologists they would discover that they are not alone, we would all be connected to just about everything. My question is what about the 100 or so people who commit suicide, they thought they were all alone so how could we make it so they would think like sociology? Second when he said, we would see that any problem or suffering would be shared and not just kept with yourself. I get some people can sit and talk about their problems with others but other people can not do that. Third, we would all feel empowered. I agree with him that if people do thing like sologiest they can feel impoweed just because of their view on the world. Fourth, we would feel inspired. I feel that we would be inspired by the way we and other people interact. Lastly, the people we are mostly connected to might not be known by us but we are connected to them. I also have to agree with this statement just because people find it so easy to talk to someone they have not met before viruses someone they know and have met nurmourse times. Over all this video was longer but I feel that he went into great detail and it help me understand better what he was saying. -jw012
I agree! I had that same thought; how can we get into the minds of those who are motivated to commit suicide, to think like sociologists and change their minds before doing such a disheartening act? One possible answer is getting the message out there on a consistent basis, and providing programs and easy access to help and support and ensuring they have a supportive group of friends and colleagues and such! And yes, that’s true. But I think in the TEDTalk he was giving a general example since it would be impossible to cover all potential situations. And yes! Definitely. I know that I certainly felt empowered and inspired after watching that TEDTalk, and the more I contemplate and think about how interconnected everyone is, the more empowered and inspired I feel. Richards definitely was well-spoken and delivered his ideas well!
I really loved this TedTalk. It was so inspiring, and he put to words the many thoughts and emotions I feel about the amazing world around us, the community we live amongst, and the groups we’re a part of. It is such an amazing thing. I loved how he connected sociology to his life and gave examples to help better illustrate his ideas and thoughts. His talk was heartwarming and touching to the degree that his Talk seemed enhanced by his personal touch. Sociology, as he said, is so much bigger than we think. Going back to his suicide example, which I thought was amazing, it clearly illustrates how even when we feel at our lowest and loneliest time, we’re not. We’re still greatly impacting those around us by this one personal decision. When you take away your life, you’re hurting those who know you. Those who love you. You’ve hurt your family, your friends, your coworkers, your colleagues, your fellow classmates, your teachers, and people you feel don’t even notice you or know who you are. The world hurts when you take away your life. The world lost one amazing person. And when you make decisions such as these, everyone and everything is impacted. However, as Richards pointed out, not everyone has this sociological thought process when on the brink of taking away their life. On lighter terms, Richards was a phenomenal speaker and accurately expressed the essence and passion of sociology as it it’s finest, even at our toughest times. It’s very comforting to know that you’re not alone. Even if you don’t personally know another who’s going through the same difficulties as you, it’s nice, to an extent, to know that another group of people, couple, or person somewhere out there is going through it too. The more you understand and connect with the world, the easier and more comforting it is to deal with your hardships. Someone out there understands. Someone out there is going through it with you. And just as Richards held hands with them, you can do that too. The strength and power of interconnectivity is a soothing, reinforcing thought that empowers you to believe that somehow, deep down, everything is going to be okay.
Richards Ted talk was really interesting in a way. I really liked how he put his own life examples in with the talk. He was so calm and actually gave the talk with a lot of wisdom. His suicide example really stuck out to me because it just shows that we may feel alone sometimes but thats not true. You tend to think about yourself when you are thinking about committing suicide but aren't thinking of others and how it could impact them. Like Richards said though, not everyone has this type of sociological thought process when they are thinking about harming themselves. I really did overall like this video! I myself have a soft spot for people and love helping others. It sucks seeing people at their worst, but as a society we need to work together to help one another. So many people have a hard life and all they need is someone there to help them through it. -ILIKETURTLES012
I also liked the examples he used in his lecture. When speakers use real world or sometimes personal examples, it can get their points across a lot better. I also love helping others and I agree seeing people at their lowest point is tough to see. Overall this video was very interesting to listen to and look forward to learning more. -CUBSFAN012
I also really enjoyed how he used examples from his own life. That really helped me to understand more of what he was talking about. I agree with how you said that you tend to think of yourself and not the others around you when you think about attempting suicide. One person has a big impact on a lot of people whether they know it or not. I wish everyone knew how much they are loved by people so none of these things would happen but its unfortunate that they do. - mommaj'skid012
Sam Richards talk was very interesting. I like how he implemented examples from his own life to get his ideas across. I found it fascinating that his girlfriend had made him into a sociologist by just talking about his textbook. I like how he said that she raised his understanding of sociology. When he started talking about his suicide attempt that's when the talk really got interesting. I found it interesting that people that are thinking about suicide aren’t the only ones. There are many people in the world that are just like them going through the same things. Through the study of sociology Richards realized that there are many connections in the world. Every human may have a different perspective in the world, but that it makes us all different. I thoroughly enjoyed the video and look forward to learning more the rest of the semester. -CUBSFAN012
Sam Richards did very well explaining the wisdom of sociology. This talk was very informative and interesting. He said he thought a lot of things about who he was and how he was free but then he studied sociology and he questioned himself. He talked about how we are shaped by other people but thought that in the end we make free decisions. He talked about how much he loved his textbook and how amazing it was. I like how he used a lot of different examples from his own life. He was told that he was not free. The book was saying that everything you think, feel, imagine, hope for, and do is shaped by things outside of his control that he will never see and or understand. Freedom is an illusion. He said he could see that he was sleepwalking through the world before this as a sociologist. There are so many things that are connected throughout the world. He used suicide as an example. There are so many people out there who are thinking and feeling the same way that you so. Sociologists would say that it is a profound sociological moment. Suicide rates are steady overtime and do not change that much. They are imbedded into a structure that has all of the people who are just like them. I really enjoyed this video and I learned quite a bit. - mommaj'skid012
I first want to start off with saying how good this video is. I agreeing with Sam Richards, i think most people when they are young think that freedom and independence are the most important things. This video really got me thinking about life. Something that really stuck with me when i watched this video is when Sam talks about how his girlfriend said that freedom is an illusion. That you're not free, everything you think and feel, everything you do is shaped by factors and forces that you can not control. Sam says he is sleepwalking through the world and i can't help but think i am too. I agree with the part about how everyone is influenced by external factors. Experiences are created by the actions of others. He ask us what if we all thought like sociologist. We would realize so much more. He says your problems are not just your problems they are everyone's problems but i can't help but think how? ive never thought like that. He says we are connected to everyone and that we are never alone. He talks about the “wisdom” of a sociologist and having and knowing that wisdom will really open your way of thinking about things and make the way we experience things different. Sam Richard says the world is so much bigger than us, especially if we think about the world in a sociologist perspective. this video makes me want to think of things like a sociologist. I would pose questions like how am i connected to the close people in my life? Even how am i connected to the complete strangers? How do their actions affect me? cheese012
Everything you said I find really accurate! I, too, after watching this video reevaluated my life for a second. I was one of those kids that thought freedom and independence was very important and I'm glad that I learned from a Sociological perspective that it is not. I'm also glad I learned at the age of 21 because if I slept walk through society any longer than what I already have me in my 30's probably wouldn't look so good.This video was very interesting and I'm happy I'm not the only one who's outlook on life changed after watching this. -JEWELS012
This video is interesting. He mentioned freedom and independence as a factor of happiness. Although, he also talks about how he (most people) want to look at life like we can control our own destiny, completely by ourselves and that just isn’t true. He uses his previous girlfriend as the way he discovered the true meaning of sociology. He was an sociology instructor battling his own philosophy, interesting. He said in the video that his girlfriend said “freedom is an illusion”, and for a few minutes I had to really think about what she might have meant by that. I like to think that I’m free, that I live in the land of the free. That my personal, private decisions aren’t influenced or that I’m not influencing someone. In reality that’s not true just like he talked about in the video. We are all connected in some way, and whether we know or stay ignorant to the fact we all influence each other in ways too. Whatever little decision I might make, someone across the world has made that same decision thus categorizing us, connecting us. I thought he made many valid points in his speech. He gave many different viewpoints for his audience to look from and familiarize with. -Jaci7429
I liked the way he elaborated on how our decisions impact one another as well. It truly is something you never seem to think about, but we are all connected in ways we do not know. Society is made up of all the individuals along with the roles they play. Everyone has a different impact in society. It does not matter if you are not famous or well known any small attribute you make at your job or elsewhere plays into the balance of society. All of us and what we do flows into one big thing we call society. There are many different aspects to it but it primarily comes from the decisions and actions people pursue. If everyone did the same thing we would not have a balanced society. The minimum wage worker and the president both impact society in their own ways. gea012
The Tedx Talk by Sam Richards follows a fairly simple theme. He makes a claim that everyone at some point in their life strives to be a unique individual, but in reality their uniqueness is driven by sociological patterns of the world. He says also that learning this fact should not be depressing and make your actions feel insignificant, because operating as a whole is why humanity is as advanced as it is. If we all began to look at the world more form a collective human outlook he claims many of our problems would be dealt with better all the way down to even the suicide rates in people. If we take action we can help everyone in a collective. He also makes a claim that even people you may never know will be incredibly connected to you and influenced by your actions because of how our collective sociological community works. If you act like you are not communicating with the whole interconnected human community you are simply not seeing the invisible networks of people that go through the same things that you do. Your experiences will be remembered or affect the future groups of people who are also affected by similar things. It is a togetherness that we need to understand in order to grow more as a society. If we do truly understand what makes up our sociological community we can begin to make decisions that will positively benefit the whole group. That in Sam Richards point of view is the true wisdom of sociology. This idea that by studying how we are not different we can grow closer and become better as a whole. -twentyfourframes
The point he makes on how freedom is only an illusion is weird to me and something id rather not believe. I enjoy the idea of having freedoms and making decisions based upon myself and my own choices. But it is super cool to see the influences of other people and how they influence ourselves and how much the outside world and the others around us. But when you think about it, it all makes some sense. I do think were influenced by outside forces to do things we dont even think about, things like advertisements, the music we listen to, and the TV we watch or even the things people post on facebook. It all influences us into doing things we dont notice. BossMan012
This video opened my eyes. The fact Richards mentioned his girlfriend told him freedom is an illusion really got me thinking. I always went by the quote "freedom is a state of mind". I interpreted that as if in your head you believe you are free and no matter what society is like or your life at the moment entails if you believe you are free you are. This video changed my mind on that. I went by the quote freedom is a state of mind to get life struggles out of my mind. To tell myself that no matter what I can do whatever I want but that is only true to a certain extent. Society is structured in a way that we are not completely free. The reason we wake up everyday five days a week and go to work or school is because of society. We have to do those things to live. We get up and get ready and wear certain things because of the environment around us. If you think about all the small things you do the way you do because of society it proves freedom is an illusion. You say or do not say certain things because of who you are around or what you are doing, that is not being completely free. Us humans truly are all connected. We are all living in this world and all impact one another. For example your teacher may tell you a story that changes your view on life then you go and tell your friend and then your friend changes an aspect of their life because the story influenced them as well. That situation is so broad though it could be with anything. All our lives are sort of a chain reaction to society around us. gea012
I think Sam Richards is a very down to earth kind of guy. He reminds me of a hippy from the 60's with the way he explains things. The example that he gives when he explains that personal freedom isn't really a thing blows my mind, because I would argue before that everyone on this planet has personal freedom, but he explains that all freedoms are connected to all of society. After hearing his example, I tried to thing of an example of personal freedom that would disprove his theory and I came up short of an answer. For example, the bill of rights are personal freedoms, but everyone has them. The same goes for his example of suicide; it may seem “personal” to the victim at the time, but in the end I think it impacts family and friends, and like Richards said, it impacts the statistics of sociology. Also, I couldn’t agree with him more on his theory that if everyone thought like a sociologist, there would be far less problems in the world because it would give society a much better insight on life and the different people in it. At the same time, if we all thought as sociologists the world would be all the same, and I believe we are all made to be different naturally without the impact of society. Every example Richards gives is very open ended which is one of the things I really enjoy about studying sociology. redman012
When I first heard Sam Richards describe freedom as not being really free, I had the same reaction as you did. I like how you tried to find an example to disprove Sam Richards statement, but I would not totally agree that the Bill of Rights are totally personal freedoms. I believe that although the Bill of Rights gives us many personal freedoms, we are given these freedoms to make the world freer. Throughout time, many amendments have been added to the Constitution in order to equalize our society in the United States. I would say that the Bill of Rights takes a very sociological perspective using the conflict theory. MySliceofthePi012
Sam Richards starts the talk by stating in his youth, he felt he needed to be free and independent from the influence of other people in order to be happy. He then says that sociology changed that. He says that his teaching of sociology showed him that everything he did was shaped by factors or forces outside of his control and that his freedom was an illusion. He then tells a story of a very dark point in his life, one where he was considering suicide. According to a sociologist, this is a personal decision but it is an important sociological moment. This is because suicide rates are consistent over time, and we live in a society where many people that contemplate suicide see the structure of society as it is. Each different place has a different rate. If lots of people commit suicide in an area, it could be because many of them are facing the same hardships due to where they live. If there is a high rate, it may be considered by more people to be a way out. Sociology shows us that we are constantly interconnected, even if we feel alone. We still engage in the same activities as many different people. The wisdom of sociology is the knowledge that we are connected. He gives more examples, such as how most middle aged women are connected in the fact that they will experience menopause. When one applies sociological wisdom, they see are able to recognize the connectivity.
I loved this TED talk with Sam Richards! I was really interested when talks about the suicide rate. When he said we are all embedded deeply into a structure of life that shapes us, I think he wants the audience to believe that we are all structured to believe that different norms in society should be followed in a certain way. I was also interested by his discussion about person problems being public issues. He makes a great point about how he believed that we are connected to other people in the world more than we know. He says that “our” individual problems aren’t really ours; they’re everyone’s problem. At first I had trouble understanding what he really meant so I had to watch it a couple more times until I finally realized what he was proposing. His claim was that any personal problems that we have in general are not just ours but they’re problems that society as a whole faces as well. I can really relate to him when he says he always felt empowered by separating himself from society, but in reality he was actually empowered by the people around him. I agree with this theory because humans should be more social to build each other up and also learn from each other. Mr. Richards ted talk was mainly about how we are all influenced by our culture, which is one hundred percent right. We aren’t empowered by our freedom as much as we would actually want to be, we’re more empowered by interconnectivity from our peers. Doesn’t have to be by the people you hang out with every day, your family, or anyone who you think is just like you. It could be anyone in the world and that’s how Mr. Richards thinks everyone in this world is connected in some way. -isitnaptimeyet012
sociology refers to the whole entire world, not just ur own self. even though the way that you as a person may have a change to the world, it is not always like that. if you want to change something about the world, there is no way that you could possibly do it alone. changing the world is a group effort. changing the world means changing our everyday life and issues. solving a problem for one person is not going to fix it for everyone else experiencing it. sociology wants everyone is our society to group together and change something about the world rather than just fixing ourselves. we need to branch out into different cultures and family backgrounds to actually make a difference.
This video is inspiring to me because I understand a deeper meaning to life because how I feel is that my life affects someone else’s life based of my personality and the way I think about things. When going through life, you come into contact with other people and the way you are could bring that person closer to you because they like who you are as a person and want you around them because you give off a good vibe that they want to be around. Everyone’s lives are important to society because the lives we live affect people around us due to how to react to certain things or roads we take in life in order to get to another place in our lives. The way people have thought over the years have given people their rights and their abilities to say whatever they want in life because the way people are have made them models to say what they think about society and their words have impacted life to change the way we look at things. When thinking this way, I see Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because he didn’t have to do what he did but the person he was knew society was wrong and he decided to take a stand. People saw what he was standing for and it shaped what they viewed the society as and saw that it was wrong to and so they joined hands in order to stop discrimination in America. Politics I feel have a huge impact on how people live their lives and politicians could have their own views on certain ideas and other people would either view these as goods in the world or bads. Overall everyone in the world is apart of each other because everyone keeps the other going in some kind of way no matter how we look at it. No matter if it’s good or evil, everyone has a part in the way people live their lives. Mrbubby012
This Ted Talk was very interesting! I was very moved and intrigued by Sam Richards. He discovered the meaning of sociology through his girlfriend. Richards was a sociology teacher having a hard time with his own philosophy. He brought in examples of his real life to help illustrate his examples. Richards talks about how his girlfriend asked to read part of the textbook. She understood it a whole different way. She saw it as more than just a college course with a bigger meaning. In reality uniqueness is made by the sociological patterns of the world. He said this should not make us depressed and think that our actions mean nothing. Humanity is so advanced because we are operating as a whole. He thinks that if we look at the world as a collective being than the suicide rates would go down. He states that people obviously feel alone, but there is always someone who has been through the same thing. If people start to realize that we are a whole and people should take action we can help everyone. He also makes a claim that even people you may never know will be incredibly connected to you and influenced by your actions because of how our collective sociological community works. We are all connected in some way. Whatever decision we make no matter how big or small someone else has made the same decision. Our decisions might be shaped by experiences but overall we make our own decisions. He mentioned that if we all think like sociologists then we in turn would realize so much more. Freedom is an illusion. This Ted Talk was very empowering and has shown me how people's minds can interpret the same text into something so original. It really shows that each individual has a purpose. SBC012
The core idea of sociology is that we are shaped by the people around us. We are aware of the fact that we are shaped by other people, but still think that in the end we make our own decisions. That we make our own destinies without the help of others. Sam told us about how freedom is false. That we are not actually free. That everything we think and feel, everything we do, is shaped by forces that we cannot control. We cannot see these forces and will not fully understand them. This statement absolutely blew my mind, mostly because it is extremely true. Everything in life shapes who we are, makes us who we are today. Sam Richards then went into a story about suicide, and started questioning whether suicide truly is only a personal decision. To some extent, yes, this is their personal decision. On the other hand, each and every person considering suicide is embedded into a structure of others who want to, or do, commit suicide. Even in these moments, the private actions of someone wanting to commit suicide tends to span the same ideas behind why they want to do so. These people, even in their darkest moments, are not alone. There are so many others who consider the same thing, each and every day. In seeing this connectivity, we are told that these people should feel empowered. This is because each and every one of those people are in this together, that they are connected. This is a perfect picture of sociological wisdom. It takes one small part that seems minute, and it connects it as part of a whole. To have a whole, you must first have many smaller parts to make it so. The beauty behind sociological wisdom is that it shows us that we are never truly alone, even if we feel like we are. (Patriots012)
The video and presentation of his ideals themselves were introduced in a great way in general. Sociology in and of itself can be a drastically complicated subject. But sociology can really be seen in many different ways by different people. In Sam Richard’s way of thinking, it shows forms of connectivity and seeing the integration between different systems of living and different types of situations. This is clearly shown through the example about the suicidal person connecting thoughts to trends. I sort of agree with him even though I’m far newer to sociology than him but seeing it from this perspective sort of gives me a lot to work around and figure out. I love the backstory he gives about his 23 year-old girlfriend showing and explaining to him a new outlook on something he’d thought he already known. That just goes to show how easy it is to continually learn about something you already thought you knew. Like when he talks about how that learning brought him to a new level, I feel as if I am at the lower level seeing as Sociology is obviously far more than connectedness and statistics. What his girlfriend said also reminds me of the theory of The Butterfly Effect: Meaning if someone were to go back in time, even doing something as simple and small as killing a butterfly can affect an infinite amount of possibilities and circumstances within the future. In the stance of Sociology though, this can mean that any and every small decision made can go as far as to infinitely affect other people, other lives, other circumstances in endless ways.
TED talks are always fun to watch for me. I think they offer great amounts of information and they are fun to watch. Anything and everything is shared on there. So a TED talk on sociology is something to be expected of. He talked about how he felt about society, or at least his views on it. He seems to have the beliefs that everyone is connected. That whether we are aware of it or not, we have influences on others around us. Kind of life the circle of life mentality. Do good and receive good. He wanted to change our way of thinking about society, to match his own. He did this by talking about a hard topic. Suicide. He does have a valid point though. If suicide was someone's personal choice of dealing with sadness or loneliness, then why does different groups of people have different suicide rates? Now, I can’t go into why, but he does have a point. This makes it a social norm. Like what if when you were down, instead of wanting to hurt yourself, the common practice was to watch your favorite movie? Obviously this would be better but it isn’t associated with depression. Everybody follows suit and does what others showed them what to do when hurt. So if society stuck together more, and help each other out more. Then maybe suicide wouldn’t be such an issue. He basically is telling us that our own happiness is created by us. Or how we perceive society. Are you trying to better everyone, or ignoring society as a whole? You may think no one is paying attention, but there always is. I think another important thing to take from this TED talk is how he found his true vision of society through his girlfriend. It goes to show that some people need outside influences to help them decide. ^~^ Itis012
Sam Richards really opened my eyes to life itself after watching this video. He mentioned when he was younger he thought independence and freedom were the two most important things in his life. I can agree on that a little bit. Growing up I did not have strict parents, but they were very particular on what my brothers and I could and could not do. Often when they would not allow me to do certain things I would catch and attitude because I wanted to do something, and I had my mind set on that thing and that crushed that thought right away. It is funny now not too funny then though. But Sam Richards really made me think that when I’m going through something often I may feel alone or anybody in general, but there are others out there experiencing similar situations. He gave the example of the person contemplating suicide in a room all alone and that is their decision to make. While this person may feel like they want to do die, and no one understands there are tons of people out there who are battling the same situations. So, I really like how he said that because I know people who think when they have an issue it is the end of the world and no one understands what they are going through. With sociology there are no different people we all are the same and interconnected. We are one. After watching this video, I felt inspired a little bit. I had gone through a rough time in life and had to grieve my grandfather’s death and in that time, I felt so alone and like no one would understand me. But, there are a lot of people who were and have been in my shoes. This is our culture. prettygirlhd012
Sam Richards opened with a very well-articulated thought. It is incredibly easy for all of us to become dependent on our freedom, our apparent ability to make our own decisions, and believe that we are the ones dictating our lives. His example of the person contemplating suicide is convicting and depicts the two sociological truths that back the claims he makes after. Not only are we largely influenced by the culture around us based the fact that those around us acting similarly, but we can also see how influential our culture is on us by how different people act in different cultures. If everyone had their own free will and disregarded the norms, then wouldn’t the varying nation’s statistics be somewhat comparable? This truth is in the very essence of what culture is. There is no culture without norms, and there are no norms without people following them. (There are, of course, anomalies, but I mean in general terms) While at first, it may seem uncomfortable that he says that we are not in fact free to make our own decisions, I believe it is actually a good thing. Hermits often attempt to escape the influence of culture by completely separating themselves from society. Despite their efforts, they are unable to completely escape the human influence from their childhood and there was still something that culturally influenced them to desire to sequester themselves. However, since a hermit is the closest example we have, I will use it. Without culture, we don’t have much. Humans ought to be around each other to build each other up and learn from each other. Our culture is simply a result of humans living together and doing life together. The fact that we are influenced by our culture is a normal and healthy thing. Mr. Richards is right: We are not empowered by our freedom to do what we want to do (sociologically speaking), but we are empowered by seeing the interconnectivity of humanity.
ReplyDelete- MAXIMA012
I agree with all that you said on your thoughts about the talk. I like how you talked about how culture plays a part in society being dependent. I believe that everyone depends on something it doesn’t have to necessarily be a person. Society does tend to follow norms because you the people who follow the norms and those who doesn’t. Well, either way you’re a part of a group that is participating in the same thing. I like how you ended your thoughts on the video with what he said in the video containing the thoughts of interconnection of humanity.
Delete-IDK123
I agree with what you said. I like how you said our culture is very influential on us. That is really true. I believe we don't realize how much our culture has to do with our every day lives and decisions.I strongly believe without culture there is nothing. I never really thought about that. Culture is really like a foundation to life in my opinion. I love how Sam Richards really touched strongly on humans are interconnected and that often times we may feel alone but we never really are because people around are most likely experiencing similar things as you. This is a very inspirational video in my opinion it really opened my eyes.
Delete-prettygirlhd
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI don't think that I would agree with the notion that society influencing us means that we don't have freedom. People usually make decisions based on what is best for them or what they like, the averages that the speaker was talking about were just that, averages. People think in similar manners to one another, but every decision that a person makes is still there own in my opinion. Another person a thousand miles away doing the same thing as me is not influencing me, but because people think similarly we are likely going to make the same decision. I would like to put as much infaces on the word likely as possible. If we start looking at people as a pure product of there environment, then nobody would be at fault for anything they do. This could lead to conclusions like Hitler did nothing wrong, he was just a product of Germany at the time. While I believe that if Hitler did not rise to power and do the things he did another person would have, it does not excuse him of his sins and the atrocities he committed.
Delete-DMPeschy
The wisdom of sociology is realizing as an individual you are apart something bigger than yourself. I think the main point of his talk was saying that when you feel like you’re alone you’re not because there are many others throughout the world that have been through what going through. Since other had had the same experiences it helps that individual out with how to deal with the problem. At the start of the video he talks about how no one has freedom well this goes along with not being alone to me this means that we don’t have freedom since we aren’t on our own. Everyone plays a part in something and that something connects to other things. Freedom is and illusion as his wife said because there are statistics for outcomes of situations. Proving that you’re not as in control of everything in your life as you would think. He used the example of contemplating suicide, well he said that that individual is embedded in a structured decision apart of a group of others making that same decision. This example proves that supremely connected. Society takes pride in being able to make decisions, to speak and think freely. In the isolated moments rethink how, it may feel because there are many people who have been in your position and you need them to help you. We are influenced by what’s around us, it’s how society works.
ReplyDeleteBesides what I have said about the talk I think that the video was longer than it needed to be since he was repeating what he was saying. I say this because it was a straight forward topic and I felt as if he was dragging it on which was not needed, just as I have with typing my thoughts on this topic.
-IDK123
I disagree i feel that what he said he kind of went into details and that's why it was so long everything he said he went into detail about which i like because in class we tend to ask alot of questions about something stated on the board and he stops that with explaining with examples. He goes into really complex thoughts and I like how he explains what he thinks with his explanations. He says some really cool thought i do not one hundred percent agree with but i could understand why he thinks why he did a lot of content in this short video.
DeleteCampbell012
I agree I think the way that he put everything into detail really helped me to get a better understanding on what he was saying exactly. For example if everyone who had some sort of sickness or illness would not get down on themselves and not think that they are the only ones who are dealing with it and may feel alone, but when in all reality there is someone somewhere going through the exact same thing when you look at things in that sort of way it does let you know that you are not alone and connected to something much more greater, the sociological imagination wow! Just me012
DeleteI do agree that the video was somewhat long, just for the simple fact I understood what he was saying after listening to him explain it the first time. However, I feel that it is harder for some people to understand a topic especially since this one is so abstract. I feel if it was so simple to understand, then it would be easy to be identified. But obviously many people have an issue with understanding that many things that go on are out of their hands. Like Sam stated in the video, it's an invisible group, if it were simple enough to understand, then it wouldn't be so hard to identify the barriers that are shaping us in our day to day life
DeleteLayBae012
There seems to be a very thin line that separates Sociology from Psychology because our “individual” behaviors stem from the greater world and the influences of different societies. Society plays the role of a sculptor and many individuals contribute to mounds of colored clay. What the clay becomes is largely determined by the sculptor. As individuals, we are shaped, and sometimes destroyed and remade before we find our place in the larger picture. Like clay after a few days of drying, we tend to stick to those people and groups that share certain commonalities with us. We think we have a say in what we become, but in actuality we have very little influence in our own future. In reality, the color of the clay influences its destiny, just like where we are born and how we are raised influences our destinies as humans. For example, if a sculptor always uses a realistic style in his or her work, blue clay would never be used to form a model apple because apples are not blue. We are limited by what society deems to be acceptable or correct, and yet many people feel their future is in their hands. It is by human nature to gravitate toward others. We think that we can be happy on our own, that our own success or possessions will make and keep us happy, but that is rarely ever the case. The people who are happiest seem to be those people who have close friends and family. This greatly supports what research has found about suicide and the sociological patterns that exist. Those people that are lonelier and separated from others tend to have higher suicide rates than those who feel like that are part of a larger world. People who understand that happiness cannot be created through individual success and possessions know the greater value that the larger world contributes to happiness. As humans we truly need one another to live, we contribute to others’ happiness, thoughts, and way of life and they do the same. Something that Sam Richards mentioned that intrigues me, not because it is an interesting subject but because I would not think it to be true is the fact that for a certain group of people the suicide rate is fairly consistent from year to year. I wonder why this is the case. It would seem that the state of the world, the country, and communities would greatly influence these numbers. For example, I would believe that as a farmer, if there were several consecutive “bad” years where few or no crops could grow that that would greatly influence the feelings and the suicide rate during that low time. MySliceofthePi012
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy this video he starts his ted talk with starting off with how he thought as a child. He explains how his train of thought as a kid he use to think freedom and independence was most important which i believe to all of us it is then how happiness to him was knowing his destiny. He explains how he studies sociology and the core idea is we are shaped by the people that are around us. We think we determine our destiny but in reality we do not. His girlfriend at the time asked to read the book he was reading and her response changed the way this teacher studied the world around him. The girlfriend said freedom that you talk about your NOT free what you teach this BOOK shows you that everything you think, hope feel i mean everything factors and forces you out of your control more than you think or feel it's an illusion that you are free. This really opened up my eyes and interested me to really sit down and think how complex the world determines who are what we are. Some things we experience are connected and we cannot even explain how. Suicide this topic is very interesting to me and how he brought about it, how its connected to sociology. He believes that suicide is a personal delusion and a profound moment where suicide rates are steady at all time. This imbedded moment structure leads people in a decision in correlation. How suicide is not a personal decision. The structure of life that shapes us. We are extremely connected with everybody and our thoughts and concerns we share with everybody. This open my eyes to the people we are closest too we should understand what one another goes through but considering the situations we sometimes but ourselves in i can not connect.
ReplyDeleteCampbell012
In the video wisdom and sociology Sam Richard touched on a few things that I never really thought on but they caught my attention they were the following freedoms that we go around thinking we have, suicide and its effects on things other than just the person that wants to end it all , sociological imagination and the wisdom of sociology. He mentioned that we all think we have freedoms, but when using sociology the core idea is that we are shaped by others that are around us. We may think we make free decisions but we are not actually free of everything we think , feel , imagine and even hope for is all shaped by factors and forces that are out of our control and will never see nor understand. Suicide was another thing mentioned and he also put it into a sociology way of thinking. When someone is thinking about committing suicide, and even though personal and private it’s really not. He called it a profound sociological moment. The suicide rate for a certain area is rated over time it rarely will ever change. But they are in a structure of life that shapes us. If everyone who thought of suicide would just think of it in the way of a sociologist they would see that we are all connected and not alone in this world as we may think. Our problems are every ones problems and that personal troubles and public issues are what is called the sociological imagination. Sociological imagination is the key to bring people together to create needed change. This is being connected into the larger web of people that we do not see and that are invisible to us brings the wisdom of sociology. Sociology wisdom I learned I that we all are like an invisible tribe, that is linked to the global web and that we may be enduring the same issues that someone else is dealing with somewhere in the world. Just me012
ReplyDeleteThis video was really good. His intro about how he thought he was free and he made his own decisions really struck me because that is how I think now. It is how I think to this day and still think. I was, and still am, like him in a way. I believe that I make my own decisions and that in the very end it is still my decision. I also understand that everything that I think was also influenced by everyone and everything around me. And because of this, I am confused because I am at that point where I am in the middle where it is pushing and pulling in a metaphorical tug of war in my head…but I am also a very stubborn person and have been, like most people, taught these ways from my very birth. As I watch this video, I got a feeling of confusion because he talks about how in the end, we are connected to a group and that group may not be very close to me. This hits home for me because I am in the same boat. I am the only republican in a family of democrats. We disagree on many thing especially on politics. They have raised me since birth and yet I am part of a group that had very little interaction with as a child and teenager. As he said, this is because we are all interconnected in a way. I feel as if this is going to be a good semester if this is going to be like this through the class. I look forward to this class. –TheMarshall012
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this video very much. A lot of the speaker’s words opened my eyes to truly see what sociology means. He explained that we can think we’re so alone and so different from one another, but in reality, we’re all interconnected. In every moment, you can almost be sure that whatever you’re doing or thinking, there is someone, and you may not even know them, who is doing or thinking the same things as you. He describes the hidden forces that are far beyond even the most educated sociologist’s’ understandings. There are patterns and cycles in society that we do not see, but they still exist. He tells us that we are not truly free, our actions could honestly be predicted, and that’s just the way it goes. It makes you think and it makes you look beyond yourself and look at life through a more sociological lens. Of course, though, we tend to ignore these factors in life. He used the example of the person contemplating suicide. They aren’t thinking like a sociologist. They aren’t thinking about the suicide rates or how they’re contributing to maintaining the average of suicide deaths in their community, or nationwide. No, that’s the furthest thing from their mind. Because, if they were to think like a sociologist, they’d probably be less prompted to follow through with the suicide. They’d understand that their decision wasn’t actually a free one, and that they’re a part of a hidden subgroup of people who are also going to commit suicide, thus creating the never-ending cycle of suicide rates staying consistent throughout the years. It’s deep, and like the video says in it’s title, it’s wisdom. You have to open your mind from what you think you know in order to understand this sociologist’s perspective. I appreciate this video for allowing me to do so.
ReplyDeleteHOOTIEGRL012
Through this TED Talk presented by Sam Richards, we dive very deeply into what exactly Sociology is and how it relates to all of us in the world. Sam brings to light some very relatable instances and scenarios such as someone contemplating suicide, as well as the struggle women go through during the time of their lives that brings about Menopause. He begins to explain in great detail the despair and isolation many of humanity may feel in circumstances such as those. Circumstances that are of the most personal level and can be so very difficult to work through. However, Mr. Sam Richards shares his own experience of awakening to the reality that we are not alone. In fact, all of humanity experiences much of the same things. Therefore we must choose to be aware that there are many, many people in our world that can understand us and our situations. He describes the situation of someone contemplating suicide and how personal a decision that is. However, although that very person may feel that the decision is simply a personal choice and very much a private one, which it is. But regardless of the personal choice that person must make, that choice also has an effect on the rest of the world. That simple choice might feel like it is a choice that no one else is making or contemplating. Yet, because of the humanity in which all of us are part of, that person is not the only one making that same choice. Ultimately, through Mr. Richards whole TED Talk he explains the rest of the world the fact that we are not alone. We are all in this life together and every choice we make has so very much to do with the world in which we live in. -THEARSONIST012
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting presentation; especially for a TED Talk. While I mostly enjoyed the content, I really had a hard time connecting with the speaker. I'll start with the content. For the most part, the speaker explains things in a similar way that Chapter 1 of our textbook does. I wish he would have used different scenarios when explaining an example however. As important as discussing suicide is, I felt his explanation did a very poor job achieving the goal that he sought out for. Many other examples about decisions we feel are personal actually being representative of the population could have been used; marriage, divorce, college, career, and so many others. Also I felt that he really overdid his explanation of the quality of his marriage; I was thoroughly crept out. As far as his delivery goes, I truly struggled taking him seriously as both a Sociologist and orator. Obviously, my interpretation as a middle-class, Caucasian male is far different from others, but his appearance stuck me as odd right off of the bat. From the earrings to the baggy shirt and pants, I was distracted from the message he was trying to relay. I'm sure he has a very good explanation that would leave me looking foolish, but from my point of view (and others who commented on the YouTube video) he did not look like someone I would expect to have earned a PhD in Sociology. However, maybe that is one major takeaway from the video. Maybe Sociology's broad interpretation makes it impossible to pinpoint. Or, as specific as an individual or broad as the species of human. Overall, a decent presentation with sufficient Sociological scenarios. -CSP012
ReplyDeleteGood video! Sam Richards does a good job. So, we are made the way we are because of other people. Our freedom is just an illusion, so he mentions how his girlfriend at the time, even knew what sociology was trying to say. Sociology is shaped around us 27/7 and I did not even know that. Now, everything I do, I see, I feel, I think, and everything in everything starts with Sociology. It was shaped around us, and it follows us. Suicide is not through personal, but how the world was around us, so the numbers are steady. I can see were he is going with this, and I think he can probably be right. He mentions that this is the core, and this is how we are shaped. The meaning he had for freedom was a different kind of meaning, but not to be free. So this is why Sociology explains what it can and cant explain what cannot be explained. I want to say that it correlates to science, but a different type of science. I believe nobody is going to think sociology 24/7 whenever they encounter someone, fee, or think but it’s amazing what you can find the power through sociology. The structure of how everything is connected is amazing! Now I know so much more about how everything has a correction to sociology. I think it’s so cool, and I would definitely encourage schools to teach sociology to kids because this will benefit them in the long run. Overall, I believe this Sam Richards did a completely good explanation to as why sociology is big part integration to our everyday lives. Everyday I learn more and more by this videos, and shows how are we all connected and how much are we so connected and we don’t notice that. - LILPUMP012
ReplyDeleteI believe Sam Richards did an amazing job with conveying the message about wisdom and sociology. I feel sometimes we forget that life itself is so complex, and in turn forget that we rarely have control on our lives. Sam did an amazing job with explaining the barriers in which all individuals are born into. Especially with living in a country that stands on the principles of freedom, it is easy to be blinded back the fact that there is another source out there that has control over us, and it’s society itself. Whether we like it or not, any decision that we make in our day to day lives is influenced by what is around us. Due to my personal background and experiences, I feel it was harder to understand when using the idea of suicide. For me to better understand it in my mind, I chose to apply the same concept to something that I could picture more in my head. In Peoria, the “south end” is commonly categorized as an area of peoria where low-income families live and raise their families. I feel this makes a lot of sense when you look around the community as a whole. Due to the low-income population on the Southend of Peoria, it would be more common for someone to see many liquor stores and convenience stores, opposed to grocery stores and supermarkets. Income is the invisible barrier that is keeping me accustomed to a certain kind of life. Sometimes when put in these types of situations, we forget that there are some things we just can’t control and this makes us feel like we’re alone. I think Sam helped me understand that it happens to EVERYONE, so to not feel alone when certain things happen.
ReplyDeleteLayBae012
Yes- "living in a country that stands on principles of freedom" as you stated is very true. I found in this 14 minute video that freedom is just an illusion in which we as people shape together- never really as one. So with following that principle, you are never alone and yes, "it" happens to everyone, by everyone. TRM012
DeleteI think the sociological view that you’re never alone because you’re always “invisibly” connected to someone sounds nice, but when you’re in a moment of depression or just feeling alone, I don’t think that thought would really help. I do think that that it’s helpful to know about how everyone around us helps shape who we are. I don’t know if phrasing it as we don’t have freedom is the best way, but it is evident that we draw characteristics from other people our whole lives. It’s how we learn social queues and overall shape ourselves, and it’s an ongoing process. I’m not the same person I was five years ago and I won’t be the same person I am now in another five years. Another thing that he discussed that I was slightly skeptical about was suicide. He made it seem so simple, and that it had an easy fix. All you have to do is think happy thoughts about the invisible people that are like you! He may not have meant to come across that way but that was what I got out of it. I did agree with him when he said that it has a huge sociological effect. It’s not just you that is affected by making the decision, it has the ripple effect. Not just with your friends and family, but with coworkers, classmates, acquaintances. Overall I think he has a knack for speaking, and I’m sure he has inspired many people, but I am not one of them. --Burnsky012
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said when you said you don't know if phrasing it as we don't have freedom is the best way to put it. I agree to the fullest because I feel like there are some cases that people make free decisions against the norm. I understand completely why he didn't inspire you. He had me on some aspects then lost me on certain aspects. Are actions def don't only affect us and that is obvious because when someone kill their self they are hurting their family not just their self. I feel like your response was perfect and it made me see I wasn't alone on how I felt about this video as far as it is inspiring me cause it didn't. Sam was a great speaker though.
Delete-Jolly rancher
Sam Richards really made a good point in this video. I like how he explained that who we are is not shaped solely by our own opinions and decisions. No matter how hard we try our environment around us largely shapes who we are as people. What people say and do impact us whether it’s consciously or subconsciously. The main point of his presentation was that our freedom is an illusion. I feel like this point is something you must figure out for yourself, because all of Richards’ schooling didn’t teach him this, his girlfriend did. She opened his eyes to what sociology is really about. Freedom really is an illusion because what we do impacts so many other things. For example, suicide is not a personal decision. It may on the surface seem like a personal decision but in a sociological perspective it is not. In this perspective the choice of suicide is based on experiences and what people may have said to you to lead to this decision. If this decision is followed through, then its impacting more people than just one. The statistic of suicide continues to be the same every year, so whether the decision is followed through or not it adds to the statistics and happenings of life. From this he went on to explain how everything is connected. This may seem like some hippie thoughts, but it really is true. Through the study of sociology Richards and even myself can realize that there are so many connections in the world. Our world is a network that is endlessly connected. Every human may have a different perspective in this world but that is what makes us all different and therefore connects us all. This video makes me really excited for this semester of sociology and opens my eyes to how much I am going to learn about life as a whole.
ReplyDelete-curlyhead012
Freedom is an Illusion… I most definitely did not see this coming as the main concept for Wisdom and Sociology. When I first started watching his short, but very impact video, I was thinking how in the world can he say my problems are not mine, they’re ours (meaning everyone in the world). How is this- sounds a bit fumy to me. I get that private, personal actions and decisions are shaped by my environment. However, I felt like he was saying it’s all predisposed and already, in some ways, determined what the outcome will be. I’m sitting here in utter disbelief, not connecting the dots of where he is coming from. I decided to restart the video and write down important, key factors that were impactful to me. I listened, not just played, to what his girlfriend at the time and now wife, said to him three times! “Everything you think, everything you feel, everything you imagine, hope for, everything you do- down to the tiniest, most minute and personal and private actions- everything, are shaped by factors and forces outside of your control, that you will never see, nor will you ever understand.” Wow!!! That’s pretty deep. And all this time, I always patted myself on the back for moments of great restraint, moments of being in control, etc. But, when you think about it, your decisions, thoughts, feelings and other emotions and actions are always for reasons and those reasons are as he said your “empowered by the interconnectivity, by this larger web” and doing/making decisions for others are in all actuality others doing/making decisions for me!! We are “supremely connected to others” and I now can see a bigger picture. Totally cool how one 14 minute video can absolutely open your eyes. Whenever you do anything= Wisdom of Sociology… -TRM012
ReplyDeleteSam Richards is a great speaker. I feel like his attention getter was perfect. He caught my attention with the first sentence some speakers have me fall asleep when they speak. I like how he brought up what he felt as a kid then throughout the video told us what it really is. Wisdom of sociology is very interesting and important. I never even heard of wisdom of sociology until I watched this video. I never really looked at my freedom being an illusion I always thought I was in control of my freedom. I love how his girlfriend broke it down and said I don’t know what you are telling your students, but this book is saying this. The example Sam used when he mentioned he was alone in his room. I feel like I can relate to that example not personally, but I know people so that example really made me understand his point better since I can connect it my life in some way shape or form. This video really made me think about life and how the world can shape what and who I am in some type of way without me even knowing. I took psychology last semester and I see how the two can correspond. I like how he mentioned how he is connected to some people that he doesn’t know that well. I like that because I’m connected with people on Facebook that I don’t know outside of Facebook but everyone else would think me and those people are the closest friends. I’ve been going through that not even knowing that, that Is the wisdom of sociology. I learned that wisdom of sociology is important in everyone life rather we know it or not. I never knew sociology played this huge role in my everyday life.
ReplyDelete-Jolly ranchers
First off, Mr.Richards did a wonderful job on this speech. I loved the hand motions he used as he was talking and how genuinely interested in what he was saying. This video was so inspiring he said a lot of things that I'll carry with me throughout my life. The first thing that stuck out to me was when Sam mentioned his girlfriend at the time spoke about Sociology being life changing. To me I found that awesome, it's like another person learning the true meaning of Sociology. Another person realizing this is more than a college course and that's great because that's another set of eyes looking at the world differently. One thing Sam said that stood out to me is when he said "What if people who attempt suicide thought like Sociologist." That was very interesting to me. I liked when he mentioned our problems aren't just OUR problems but it something shared with many others. I love this theory because I like to think "I can't complain about my life because some may have it worse". The thought of someone who tried to commit suicide thinking like a Sociologist during the time they were going to take their life is VERY mind changing. I believe if this WERE to happen the suicide rate would definitely drop! Towards the end he went on to say "Groups you're most connected to may not be the same as you". I feel like knowing that everyone should change their outlook on others that's not like themselves. I believe the wisdom of sociology is we ARE humanity and we should stand for that and live up to it. We as society are all apart of an invisible tribe. We don't know each other but we are similar!
ReplyDelete-JEWELS012
I agree with what you said when you said that sociology is more than a college course. Sociology is definitely shaping us the way we are today, and by being part of a community everyone should understand the concept of sociology and its role in any community. This is not about whom we are, it is about what exactly shaped us especially when it comes to suicide. In my point of view people who commit suicide, they do it because that’s the only thing they know probably because they knew someone did that or maybe one of their family member commit that during their growing up. For them, it becomes a lifestyle more than anything else. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, I learn more by reading other’s point of view because sometimes I look at things from a different angle which is because of the different culture background. POINTOFVIEW012
DeleteThis video explains the most important three things in our lives. Freedom, independence, and happiness because once a person is free and independent then this person is happy, and if a person is happy when a person is part of a healthy society. My point of view might be different than yours because from where I came the term freedom is not allowed. Actually, people in my country live and die sad not because of poverty, but because of not being able to be free, choose your own destiny, and be happy in your life with the people who make you happy and sprit you no matter. Yes, people around us and the society have an impact on our lives, decisions and definitely shape the person we are today. What’s in any book is never in the real life, and that’s the only truth that I believe in. Sam Richard in this video argues that sociology can be life changing which I strongly agree with. What also caught my attention when Sam pointed out that any problem that we have, any suffering that we are engaging in, it is a problem and suffering that we share with everyone in the community that affected by the people and the culture. This is absolutely correct, I always thought that I was the only one who is facing and struggling, but after growing up and understand the nature of sociology now I see that we as society are facing it and that we are empowered by seeing the interconnectivity, seeing ourselves in this larger web “community”, and we are inspired by other people like our parents and friends around us. I think what a community should do now is helping people to think like sociologist because life is all about understanding the nature of human being depending on the specific culture of that community. I did like watching this video, it is very helpful to learn more about sociology and I am thankful for Professor White for this. POINTOFVIEW012
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video with Mr. Sam Richards I found it to be very interesting and it made me sit back and realize somethings. When Sam Richards says if everyone thought that we were psychologists they would discover that they are not alone, we would all be connected to just about everything. My question is what about the 100 or so people who commit suicide, they thought they were all alone so how could we make it so they would think like sociology? Second when he said, we would see that any problem or suffering would be shared and not just kept with yourself. I get some people can sit and talk about their problems with others but other people can not do that. Third, we would all feel empowered. I agree with him that if people do thing like sologiest they can feel impoweed just because of their view on the world. Fourth, we would feel inspired. I feel that we would be inspired by the way we and other people interact. Lastly, the people we are mostly connected to might not be known by us but we are connected to them. I also have to agree with this statement just because people find it so easy to talk to someone they have not met before viruses someone they know and have met nurmourse times. Over all this video was longer but I feel that he went into great detail and it help me understand better what he was saying. -jw012
ReplyDeleteI agree! I had that same thought; how can we get into the minds of those who are motivated to commit suicide, to think like sociologists and change their minds before doing such a disheartening act? One possible answer is getting the message out there on a consistent basis, and providing programs and easy access to help and support and ensuring they have a supportive group of friends and colleagues and such! And yes, that’s true. But I think in the TEDTalk he was giving a general example since it would be impossible to cover all potential situations. And yes! Definitely. I know that I certainly felt empowered and inspired after watching that TEDTalk, and the more I contemplate and think about how interconnected everyone is, the more empowered and inspired I feel. Richards definitely was well-spoken and delivered his ideas well!
DeleteStarlight012
I really loved this TedTalk. It was so inspiring, and he put to words the many thoughts and emotions I feel about the amazing world around us, the community we live amongst, and the groups we’re a part of. It is such an amazing thing. I loved how he connected sociology to his life and gave examples to help better illustrate his ideas and thoughts. His talk was heartwarming and touching to the degree that his Talk seemed enhanced by his personal touch. Sociology, as he said, is so much bigger than we think. Going back to his suicide example, which I thought was amazing, it clearly illustrates how even when we feel at our lowest and loneliest time, we’re not. We’re still greatly impacting those around us by this one personal decision. When you take away your life, you’re hurting those who know you. Those who love you. You’ve hurt your family, your friends, your coworkers, your colleagues, your fellow classmates, your teachers, and people you feel don’t even notice you or know who you are. The world hurts when you take away your life. The world lost one amazing person. And when you make decisions such as these, everyone and everything is impacted. However, as Richards pointed out, not everyone has this sociological thought process when on the brink of taking away their life. On lighter terms, Richards was a phenomenal speaker and accurately expressed the essence and passion of sociology as it it’s finest, even at our toughest times. It’s very comforting to know that you’re not alone. Even if you don’t personally know another who’s going through the same difficulties as you, it’s nice, to an extent, to know that another group of people, couple, or person somewhere out there is going through it too. The more you understand and connect with the world, the easier and more comforting it is to deal with your hardships. Someone out there understands. Someone out there is going through it with you. And just as Richards held hands with them, you can do that too. The strength and power of interconnectivity is a soothing, reinforcing thought that empowers you to believe that somehow, deep down, everything is going to be okay.
ReplyDeleteStarlight012
Richards Ted talk was really interesting in a way. I really liked how he put his own life examples in with the talk. He was so calm and actually gave the talk with a lot of wisdom. His suicide example really stuck out to me because it just shows that we may feel alone sometimes but thats not true. You tend to think about yourself when you are thinking about committing suicide but aren't thinking of others and how it could impact them. Like Richards said though, not everyone has this type of sociological thought process when they are thinking about harming themselves. I really did overall like this video! I myself have a soft spot for people and love helping others. It sucks seeing people at their worst, but as a society we need to work together to help one another. So many people have a hard life and all they need is someone there to help them through it. -ILIKETURTLES012
ReplyDeleteI also liked the examples he used in his lecture. When speakers use real world or sometimes personal examples, it can get their points across a lot better. I also love helping others and I agree seeing people at their lowest point is tough to see. Overall this video was very interesting to listen to and look forward to learning more. -CUBSFAN012
DeleteI also really enjoyed how he used examples from his own life. That really helped me to understand more of what he was talking about. I agree with how you said that you tend to think of yourself and not the others around you when you think about attempting suicide. One person has a big impact on a lot of people whether they know it or not. I wish everyone knew how much they are loved by people so none of these things would happen but its unfortunate that they do.
Delete- mommaj'skid012
Sam Richards talk was very interesting. I like how he implemented examples from his own life to get his ideas across. I found it fascinating that his girlfriend had made him into a sociologist by just talking about his textbook. I like how he said that she raised his understanding of sociology. When he started talking about his suicide attempt that's when the talk really got interesting. I found it interesting that people that are thinking about suicide aren’t the only ones. There are many people in the world that are just like them going through the same things. Through the study of sociology Richards realized that there are many connections in the world. Every human may have a different perspective in the world, but that it makes us all different. I thoroughly enjoyed the video and look forward to learning more the rest of the semester. -CUBSFAN012
ReplyDeleteSam Richards did very well explaining the wisdom of sociology. This talk was very informative and interesting. He said he thought a lot of things about who he was and how he was free but then he studied sociology and he questioned himself. He talked about how we are shaped by other people but thought that in the end we make free decisions. He talked about how much he loved his textbook and how amazing it was. I like how he used a lot of different examples from his own life. He was told that he was not free. The book was saying that everything you think, feel, imagine, hope for, and do is shaped by things outside of his control that he will never see and or understand. Freedom is an illusion. He said he could see that he was sleepwalking through the world before this as a sociologist. There are so many things that are connected throughout the world. He used suicide as an example. There are so many people out there who are thinking and feeling the same way that you so. Sociologists would say that it is a profound sociological moment. Suicide rates are steady overtime and do not change that much. They are imbedded into a structure that has all of the people who are just like them. I really enjoyed this video and I learned quite a bit.
ReplyDelete- mommaj'skid012
I first want to start off with saying how good this video is. I agreeing with Sam Richards, i think most people when they are young think that freedom and independence are the most important things. This video really got me thinking about life. Something that really stuck with me when i watched this video is when Sam talks about how his girlfriend said that freedom is an illusion. That you're not free, everything you think and feel, everything you do is shaped by factors and forces that you can not control. Sam says he is sleepwalking through the world and i can't help but think i am too. I agree with the part about how everyone is influenced by external factors. Experiences are created by the actions of others. He ask us what if we all thought like sociologist. We would realize so much more. He says your problems are not just your problems they are everyone's problems but i can't help but think how? ive never thought like that. He says we are connected to everyone and that we are never alone. He talks about the “wisdom” of a sociologist and having and knowing that wisdom will really open your way of thinking about things and make the way we experience things different. Sam Richard says the world is so much bigger than us, especially if we think about the world in a sociologist perspective. this video makes me want to think of things like a sociologist. I would pose questions like how am i connected to the close people in my life? Even how am i connected to the complete strangers? How do their actions affect me? cheese012
ReplyDeleteEverything you said I find really accurate! I, too, after watching this video reevaluated my life for a second. I was one of those kids that thought freedom and independence was very important and I'm glad that I learned from a Sociological perspective that it is not. I'm also glad I learned at the age of 21 because if I slept walk through society any longer than what I already have me in my 30's probably wouldn't look so good.This video was very interesting and I'm happy I'm not the only one who's outlook on life changed after watching this.
Delete-JEWELS012
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis video is interesting. He mentioned freedom and independence as a factor of happiness. Although, he also talks about how he (most people) want to look at life like we can control our own destiny, completely by ourselves and that just isn’t true. He uses his previous girlfriend as the way he discovered the true meaning of sociology. He was an sociology instructor battling his own philosophy, interesting. He said in the video that his girlfriend said “freedom is an illusion”, and for a few minutes I had to really think about what she might have meant by that. I like to think that I’m free, that I live in the land of the free. That my personal, private decisions aren’t influenced or that I’m not influencing someone. In reality that’s not true just like he talked about in the video. We are all connected in some way, and whether we know or stay ignorant to the fact we all influence each other in ways too. Whatever little decision I might make, someone across the world has made that same decision thus categorizing us, connecting us. I thought he made many valid points in his speech. He gave many different viewpoints for his audience to look from and familiarize with. -Jaci7429
ReplyDeleteI liked the way he elaborated on how our decisions impact one another as well. It truly is something you never seem to think about, but we are all connected in ways we do not know. Society is made up of all the individuals along with the roles they play. Everyone has a different impact in society. It does not matter if you are not famous or well known any small attribute you make at your job or elsewhere plays into the balance of society. All of us and what we do flows into one big thing we call society. There are many different aspects to it but it primarily comes from the decisions and actions people pursue. If everyone did the same thing we would not have a balanced society. The minimum wage worker and the president both impact society in their own ways.
Deletegea012
The Tedx Talk by Sam Richards follows a fairly simple theme. He makes a claim that everyone at some point in their life strives to be a unique individual, but in reality their uniqueness is driven by sociological patterns of the world. He says also that learning this fact should not be depressing and make your actions feel insignificant, because operating as a whole is why humanity is as advanced as it is. If we all began to look at the world more form a collective human outlook he claims many of our problems would be dealt with better all the way down to even the suicide rates in people. If we take action we can help everyone in a collective. He also makes a claim that even people you may never know will be incredibly connected to you and influenced by your actions because of how our collective sociological community works. If you act like you are not communicating with the whole interconnected human community you are simply not seeing the invisible networks of people that go through the same things that you do. Your experiences will be remembered or affect the future groups of people who are also affected by similar things. It is a togetherness that we need to understand in order to grow more as a society. If we do truly understand what makes up our sociological community we can begin to make decisions that will positively benefit the whole group. That in Sam Richards point of view is the true wisdom of sociology. This idea that by studying how we are not different we can grow closer and become better as a whole.
ReplyDelete-twentyfourframes
The point he makes on how freedom is only an illusion is weird to me and something id rather not believe. I enjoy the idea of having freedoms and making decisions based upon myself and my own choices. But it is super cool to see the influences of other people and how they influence ourselves and how much the outside world and the others around us. But when you think about it, it all makes some sense. I do think were influenced by outside forces to do things we dont even think about, things like advertisements, the music we listen to, and the TV we watch or even the things people post on facebook. It all influences us into doing things we dont notice.
ReplyDeleteBossMan012
This video opened my eyes. The fact Richards mentioned his girlfriend told him freedom is an illusion really got me thinking. I always went by the quote "freedom is a state of mind". I interpreted that as if in your head you believe you are free and no matter what society is like or your life at the moment entails if you believe you are free you are. This video changed my mind on that. I went by the quote freedom is a state of mind to get life struggles out of my mind. To tell myself that no matter what I can do whatever I want but that is only true to a certain extent. Society is structured in a way that we are not completely free. The reason we wake up everyday five days a week and go to work or school is because of society. We have to do those things to live. We get up and get ready and wear certain things because of the environment around us. If you think about all the small things you do the way you do because of society it proves freedom is an illusion. You say or do not say certain things because of who you are around or what you are doing, that is not being completely free. Us humans truly are all connected. We are all living in this world and all impact one another. For example your teacher may tell you a story that changes your view on life then you go and tell your friend and then your friend changes an aspect of their life because the story influenced them as well. That situation is so broad though it could be with anything. All our lives are sort of a chain reaction to society around us.
ReplyDeletegea012
I think Sam Richards is a very down to earth kind of guy. He reminds me of a hippy from the 60's with the way he explains things. The example that he gives when he explains that personal freedom isn't really a thing blows my mind, because I would argue before that everyone on this planet has personal freedom, but he explains that all freedoms are connected to all of society. After hearing his example, I tried to thing of an example of personal freedom that would disprove his theory and I came up short of an answer. For example, the bill of rights are personal freedoms, but everyone has them. The same goes for his example of suicide; it may seem “personal” to the victim at the time, but in the end I think it impacts family and friends, and like Richards said, it impacts the statistics of sociology. Also, I couldn’t agree with him more on his theory that if everyone thought like a sociologist, there would be far less problems in the world because it would give society a much better insight on life and the different people in it. At the same time, if we all thought as sociologists the world would be all the same, and I believe we are all made to be different naturally without the impact of society. Every example Richards gives is very open ended which is one of the things I really enjoy about studying sociology. redman012
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard Sam Richards describe freedom as not being really free, I had the same reaction as you did. I like how you tried to find an example to disprove Sam Richards statement, but I would not totally agree that the Bill of Rights are totally personal freedoms. I believe that although the Bill of Rights gives us many personal freedoms, we are given these freedoms to make the world freer. Throughout time, many amendments have been added to the Constitution in order to equalize our society in the United States. I would say that the Bill of Rights takes a very sociological perspective using the conflict theory. MySliceofthePi012
DeleteSam Richards starts the talk by stating in his youth, he felt he needed to be free and independent from the influence of other people in order to be happy. He then says that sociology changed that. He says that his teaching of sociology showed him that everything he did was shaped by factors or forces outside of his control and that his freedom was an illusion. He then tells a story of a very dark point in his life, one where he was considering suicide. According to a sociologist, this is a personal decision but it is an important sociological moment. This is because suicide rates are consistent over time, and we live in a society where many people that contemplate suicide see the structure of society as it is. Each different place has a different rate. If lots of people commit suicide in an area, it could be because many of them are facing the same hardships due to where they live. If there is a high rate, it may be considered by more people to be a way out. Sociology shows us that we are constantly interconnected, even if we feel alone. We still engage in the same activities as many different people. The wisdom of sociology is the knowledge that we are connected. He gives more examples, such as how most middle aged women are connected in the fact that they will experience menopause. When one applies sociological wisdom, they see are able to recognize the connectivity.
ReplyDelete-YoungPlug012
DeleteI loved this TED talk with Sam Richards! I was really interested when talks about the suicide rate. When he said we are all embedded deeply into a structure of life that shapes us, I think he wants the audience to believe that we are all structured to believe that different norms in society should be followed in a certain way. I was also interested by his discussion about person problems being public issues. He makes a great point about how he believed that we are connected to other people in the world more than we know. He says that “our” individual problems aren’t really ours; they’re everyone’s problem. At first I had trouble understanding what he really meant so I had to watch it a couple more times until I finally realized what he was proposing. His claim was that any personal problems that we have in general are not just ours but they’re problems that society as a whole faces as well. I can really relate to him when he says he always felt empowered by separating himself from society, but in reality he was actually empowered by the people around him. I agree with this theory because humans should be more social to build each other up and also learn from each other. Mr. Richards ted talk was mainly about how we are all influenced by our culture, which is one hundred percent right. We aren’t empowered by our freedom as much as we would actually want to be, we’re more empowered by interconnectivity from our peers. Doesn’t have to be by the people you hang out with every day, your family, or anyone who you think is just like you. It could be anyone in the world and that’s how Mr. Richards thinks everyone in this world is connected in some way.
ReplyDelete-isitnaptimeyet012
sociology refers to the whole entire world, not just ur own self. even though the way that you as a person may have a change to the world, it is not always like that. if you want to change something about the world, there is no way that you could possibly do it alone. changing the world is a group effort. changing the world means changing our everyday life and issues. solving a problem for one person is not going to fix it for everyone else experiencing it. sociology wants everyone is our society to group together and change something about the world rather than just fixing ourselves. we need to branch out into different cultures and family backgrounds to actually make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThis video is inspiring to me because I understand a deeper meaning to life because how I feel is that my life affects someone else’s life based of my personality and the way I think about things. When going through life, you come into contact with other people and the way you are could bring that person closer to you because they like who you are as a person and want you around them because you give off a good vibe that they want to be around. Everyone’s lives are important to society because the lives we live affect people around us due to how to react to certain things or roads we take in life in order to get to another place in our lives. The way people have thought over the years have given people their rights and their abilities to say whatever they want in life because the way people are have made them models to say what they think about society and their words have impacted life to change the way we look at things. When thinking this way, I see Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because he didn’t have to do what he did but the person he was knew society was wrong and he decided to take a stand. People saw what he was standing for and it shaped what they viewed the society as and saw that it was wrong to and so they joined hands in order to stop discrimination in America. Politics I feel have a huge impact on how people live their lives and politicians could have their own views on certain ideas and other people would either view these as goods in the world or bads. Overall everyone in the world is apart of each other because everyone keeps the other going in some kind of way no matter how we look at it. No matter if it’s good or evil, everyone has a part in the way people live their lives. Mrbubby012
ReplyDeleteThis Ted Talk was very interesting! I was very moved and intrigued by Sam Richards. He discovered the meaning of sociology through his girlfriend. Richards was a sociology teacher having a hard time with his own philosophy. He brought in examples of his real life to help illustrate his examples. Richards talks about how his girlfriend asked to read part of the textbook. She understood it a whole different way. She saw it as more than just a college course with a bigger meaning. In reality uniqueness is made by the sociological patterns of the world. He said this should not make us depressed and think that our actions mean nothing. Humanity is so advanced because we are operating as a whole. He thinks that if we look at the world as a collective being than the suicide rates would go down. He states that people obviously feel alone, but there is always someone who has been through the same thing. If people start to realize that we are a whole and people should take action we can help everyone. He also makes a claim that even people you may never know will be incredibly connected to you and influenced by your actions because of how our collective sociological community works. We are all connected in some way. Whatever decision we make no matter how big or small someone else has made the same decision. Our decisions might be shaped by experiences but overall we make our own decisions. He mentioned that if we all think like sociologists then we in turn would realize so much more. Freedom is an illusion. This Ted Talk was very empowering and has shown me how people's minds can interpret the same text into something so original. It really shows that each individual has a purpose.
ReplyDeleteSBC012
The core idea of sociology is that we are shaped by the people around us. We are aware of the fact that we are shaped by other people, but still think that in the end we make our own decisions. That we make our own destinies without the help of others. Sam told us about how freedom is false. That we are not actually free. That everything we think and feel, everything we do, is shaped by forces that we cannot control. We cannot see these forces and will not fully understand them. This statement absolutely blew my mind, mostly because it is extremely true. Everything in life shapes who we are, makes us who we are today. Sam Richards then went into a story about suicide, and started questioning whether suicide truly is only a personal decision. To some extent, yes, this is their personal decision. On the other hand, each and every person considering suicide is embedded into a structure of others who want to, or do, commit suicide. Even in these moments, the private actions of someone wanting to commit suicide tends to span the same ideas behind why they want to do so. These people, even in their darkest moments, are not alone. There are so many others who consider the same thing, each and every day. In seeing this connectivity, we are told that these people should feel empowered. This is because each and every one of those people are in this together, that they are connected. This is a perfect picture of sociological wisdom. It takes one small part that seems minute, and it connects it as part of a whole. To have a whole, you must first have many smaller parts to make it so. The beauty behind sociological wisdom is that it shows us that we are never truly alone, even if we feel like we are. (Patriots012)
ReplyDeleteThe video and presentation of his ideals themselves were introduced in a great way in general. Sociology in and of itself can be a drastically complicated subject. But sociology can really be seen in many different ways by different people. In Sam Richard’s way of thinking, it shows forms of connectivity and seeing the integration between different systems of living and different types of situations. This is clearly shown through the example about the suicidal person connecting thoughts to trends. I sort of agree with him even though I’m far newer to sociology than him but seeing it from this perspective sort of gives me a lot to work around and figure out. I love the backstory he gives about his 23 year-old girlfriend showing and explaining to him a new outlook on something he’d thought he already known. That just goes to show how easy it is to continually learn about something you already thought you knew. Like when he talks about how that learning brought him to a new level, I feel as if I am at the lower level seeing as Sociology is obviously far more than connectedness and statistics. What his girlfriend said also reminds me of the theory of The Butterfly Effect: Meaning if someone were to go back in time, even doing something as simple and small as killing a butterfly can affect an infinite amount of possibilities and circumstances within the future. In the stance of Sociology though, this can mean that any and every small decision made can go as far as to infinitely affect other people, other lives, other circumstances in endless ways.
ReplyDeleteTED talks are always fun to watch for me. I think they offer great amounts of information and they are fun to watch. Anything and everything is shared on there. So a TED talk on sociology is something to be expected of. He talked about how he felt about society, or at least his views on it. He seems to have the beliefs that everyone is connected. That whether we are aware of it or not, we have influences on others around us. Kind of life the circle of life mentality. Do good and receive good. He wanted to change our way of thinking about society, to match his own. He did this by talking about a hard topic. Suicide. He does have a valid point though. If suicide was someone's personal choice of dealing with sadness or loneliness, then why does different groups of people have different suicide rates? Now, I can’t go into why, but he does have a point. This makes it a social norm. Like what if when you were down, instead of wanting to hurt yourself, the common practice was to watch your favorite movie? Obviously this would be better but it isn’t associated with depression. Everybody follows suit and does what others showed them what to do when hurt. So if society stuck together more, and help each other out more. Then maybe suicide wouldn’t be such an issue. He basically is telling us that our own happiness is created by us. Or how we perceive society. Are you trying to better everyone, or ignoring society as a whole? You may think no one is paying attention, but there always is. I think another important thing to take from this TED talk is how he found his true vision of society through his girlfriend. It goes to show that some people need outside influences to help them decide.
ReplyDelete^~^ Itis012
Sam Richards really opened my eyes to life itself after watching this video. He mentioned when he was younger he thought independence and freedom were the two most important things in his life. I can agree on that a little bit. Growing up I did not have strict parents, but they were very particular on what my brothers and I could and could not do. Often when they would not allow me to do certain things I would catch and attitude because I wanted to do something, and I had my mind set on that thing and that crushed that thought right away. It is funny now not too funny then though. But Sam Richards really made me think that when I’m going through something often I may feel alone or anybody in general, but there are others out there experiencing similar situations. He gave the example of the person contemplating suicide in a room all alone and that is their decision to make. While this person may feel like they want to do die, and no one understands there are tons of people out there who are battling the same situations. So, I really like how he said that because I know people who think when they have an issue it is the end of the world and no one understands what they are going through. With sociology there are no different people we all are the same and interconnected. We are one. After watching this video, I felt inspired a little bit. I had gone through a rough time in life and had to grieve my grandfather’s death and in that time, I felt so alone and like no one would understand me. But, there are a lot of people who were and have been in my shoes. This is our culture.
ReplyDeleteprettygirlhd012