Functionalism vs Marxism

So. Functionalism vs Marxism... which will withstand our rapidly changing society? 
I don't think it's that tough of a question, really. Especially considering Marxism SUCKS. 
Okay, so, to explain... Functionalism is a theory by Durkheim that says that everyone and everything in society serves a function. It describes the roles each person places (employee, student, parent, etc). Functionalism also describes how we are socialized and begin to learn the norms and values of society through contact with others in the society to be normal people. So, basically, it explains what functions we serve and how we've become the way we are. 
Marxism is a more retarded theory by some freaky communist who predicts that the workers of society will realize they're being exploited and resort to communism. He thinks capitalism is the root of all evil, blah, blah, blah. He's crazy. Like, Marxism isn't even worth explaining. But because I have to, it's just: Capitalism is the spawn of Satan. Workers are exploited by the rich. They'll overthrow them. Communist, classless, "equal" society results.
That STILL hasn't come true and it's nowhere near close to how our society is today.
So functionalism FTW.

ONLINE CLASSES

  Online classes... I dreaded the word a few months ago. Personally, online classes seemed much more horrible to me than real classes. Why? It's like homework you HAVE to do (and at home, nonetheless!) It was just extra work on top of in-school work, and it wasn't something I felt like dealing with... (also why I was afraid of STEP-UP at first)
  However, I've grown to accept them more. Online classes are actually quite handy.
For one, as a STEP-UPper, I can do them in school, which means no take-home-y-ness.
Secondly, it's much easier to help yourself and your friends. AKA cheat.
 Really, does anyone not cheat with online work...
You can use each other's exact assignments and even take tests together. Can't do that in a real classroom setting. Well, you can... but it's harder. Cheating on tests is risky business that I don't even bother with in school. Homework, on the other hand...
Still, you'd have to write it out for class, whereas online you just copy and paste.
ANYWAY.
I'd say those are huge pros.
(Btw, in case my online teacher sees this... I'm totally lying. Like, trying to get in the mind of dirty cheaters. I would never, personally!)
Oh, and it's really flexible. I can do my online work whenever I want. And there's no deadlines!! I love that.
So while online work may be extra work on top of school, it's flexibility vs classroom setting makes less hellish.

TECHNOLOGY FTW

          Technology is defined as " Machinery and equipment developed from such scientific knowledge."
 While some (haters) may claim that technology is only a distraction, that's not true. Yes, it has its flaws. However, no one can deny the usefulness of it.


           My parents can say,"Back in my day, I had to go to the library and..." Yes, that's all good and well for them. But I'm getting the same information they did from books (even more, actually) through the internet. 
For example, whenever I'm in school, sometimes a word or term pops up in our lesson that no one knows. But as STEP-UP, we pull out our i-pads, and simply look up the term. This is actually very handy. 
If I have an essay to type up, I can do it in Ms. Basi's (wooo. She's awesome!) class using either a computer or an i-pad. I can also easily go on my online classes and do work in school.

  People DO use their technological devices for "evil" often (texting, Facebook, etc), but the benfits outweigh the good. Technology simply makes our lives easier.

Getting Rich the Ninja Way

From rags to riches. Okay, so I struggled with myself, wondering who I could write about. After some intense... thinking (or Google-searching and picking the first link), I found Steven Spielberg. 
Yes, the film director!
 In my opinion, Spielberg is a total ninja. You'll understand after I explain his story.
 He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, brought into his world by his mother Leah Adler and Arnold Spielberg. He saw his first film in Haddon Township, New Jersey. Eventually, Spielberg made his own amateur films with his friends. The films were shot at a restaurant, and the admission was only 25 cents.
  Unfortunately (or fortunately?), Spielberg didn't make the cut for filmaking school. Instead, he went to the California State College in Long Beach. 
 Luckily for him, during one casual visit to the Universal Studios, Spielberg met with Shuck Silvers. Silvers was an executive in the editorial department, who liked Spielberg enough to invite him back sometime. 
 Spielberg came back the very next day, without a previous appointment (officially). He wore a dark suit and carried a suitcase to look professional, while the suitcase only had sandwiches and candy. However, with his confident walk, he was able to get in without the security guard asking who he was. 
 (See? How ninja is that? Sandwiches and candy... that's the only reason why I chose to write about him.)
Spielberg continued to show up for the entire summer, becoming friends with all of the directors and writers, learning from them. He found an abandoned office within the place, and made it his own, even putting his name in the building directory. Steven Spielberg, Room 23C.
  After 10 years, Spielberg directed Jaws. The movie was a huge hit, becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time (back then). Then, he made more movies and became even richer. The end!

Social Stratification

Stratification is defined as the "act or process or arranging of persons into classes or social strata" by dictionary definition. Stratification is actually a pretty wide concept. Thus, we break it up into different elements, including: inequality. Yeah, you hear inequality talk everywhere but... you're gonna hear it again.
  Inequality is the act of people being better placed in society over others, and signals which group these people belong to. You'll find that people in the same group often share similar characteristics (culture, interests, life chances).
  The first division is class. The UK's statistics show that the higher a class one is born into, the higher chances they have of surviving in their first year of birth, perform in school, live longer, and retain their natural teeth (woah, weird). The more wealth one has, the more they can afford. They can afford better schooling, health care, etc.
   The next division is gender. Gender's only recently considered a part of stratification, but it's been an issue for quite a long time. Despite there being more women than men within the US, they still have generally a less successful life and less power than the men. Also, they tend to earn less than men, and are outnumbered in important positions.
  Ethnicity is another dimension of stratification. There are obvious differences in the economic and social standing between ethnic groups. Prejudice is still quite strong today, and many people do not get the positions they deserve or the same exact chances due to their ethnicity.
   Age is the final one (at least that I'll bring up). The youngest and the oldest hold the least power within our society (though in other parts of the world, the elderly are well respected). No matter your age, there is someone who considers your wisdom not wisdom-y enough because you're either too young or too old. Certain buildings and organizations do not allow children, as well (as another example of the age factor).
 That's really all I have to say. Social divisions may suck, but I don't really see how there's any other way.

PRESSUREPRESSUREPRESSURE

As teenagers, we're pressured a lot. We're expected to do and be many things. 
Like what? Well, there's school-related pressures. My mom always says "School is your job." She emphasizes on it a lot. Don't slack, don't wait till the last minute, work hard, study hard, blah, blah (if you read this somehow, mudder, I love you... you don't sound like "blah blah," you sound like "bruck yuh stupidee." =D ) Many of our parents want us to be doctors or lawyers. We just have to do well in school. Our entire lives depend on it, they say. If we slack now, we'll end up as a bum later. Pass the SAT and ACT with flying colors. Get Straight A's. God forbid, don't ever be late to class or get in trouble. There is a lot of pressure on good behavior in school.  Then, go to college and get a freaking awesome degree (in something practical, of course). 
 Needless to say, there's a lot of pressure from our parents, family, and teachers to exceed in school. Everything depends on it. I have to admit, I'm a little intimidated by all of it. I think many of us are. 
 Then, there's social pressures. Peer pressure. I can't really say I'm ever pressured into anything specifically. I suppose social pressures would include fitting in (not being too outrageous), being polite, not being too anti-social, not being too social or clingy.. There are typical examples of peer pressure such as "drink this! ALCOHOL IS FOR COOL PEOPLE" or "LET'S ALL GET HIGH. I BELIEVE I CAN FLLYYYYYYYYYYYY," but like my fellow Step-Up..er Claude says, not all peer pressure is negative. You could influence a friend to stop these bad habits as well. And, let's face it, we all attempt to sway people to do certain things. Social pressures such as not acting like a rude jerk isn't such a bad thing. 

I HATE MYSELF.

 For some reason, many teens are afflicted with self-hate. Maybe you're not tall enough. Or skinny enough. Smart enough. Maybe you just plain suck. How do you deal with it? You don't know how. You don't know what to do. You just take your hate out on yourself.
(I don't really think you suck. I love you... the "you" wasn't as in "you" who's reading this but...yeah)
 My group (Sydney, Tajin, myself) is researching the connection between popular culture and teen depression. 
For example, women are objectified in the media. We all know this. We're supposed to be these lovely, beautiful, perfect creatures. But beautiful women come in all shapes and sizes in real life. However, because of the way we're portrayed on-screen, men and women alike expect differently. The scale of beauty is a 90lb, 6ft supermodel for everyone.
 How do teenage girls react to this, not being able to live up to those standards?
Well, by puking their lungs out, of course. 
Another example is the emo subculture. 
Emos are stereotyped for cutting themselves. Cutting is a type of self injury. The emo subculture glorifies cutting, and celebrates it as "okay." No, it's really not okay. But that's popular culture for you, glorifying what (in reality) is a stupid mistake. 
And, come on, let's not forget cyber-bullying. Popular media such as facebook easily allows this. 
The topic may sound a bit vague now, but we plan on pulling it together more within our actual project. 
Within the U.S., one in every 200 girls between 13 and 19 cut themselves, compromising 70 percent of girls who self injure. 
90% of those with eating disorders are women between 12 and 25. Thousands of boys are afflicted with these disorders as well (but it's mostly women).
I'd rather not continue blatantly copying statistics off of websites, so instead, I'll link it to you. 
http://www.teendepression.org/stats/teenage-depression-statistics/