work

The boy is crying. He might be dyslexic, and is unmotivated to do his homework. The school's staff has labeled him as 'special'.

The girl is crying. She hangs on the monkey bars, and says her father beats her without end whenever she breaks something while her mother is at work.

The little girl asks to be read to. Her cousin asks for more snacks because it is unlikely she will get dinner, and says that the little girl will be beaten at home if she does not correctly read the book.

The little boy is crying. his mother, a fellow employee, jabs him with a safety pin to 'teach' him that he should not be playing with safety pins.

The fellow employee repeatedly yells 'don't let him beat you' to the girls during a gym class relay race.

The boy points a balloon gun to the heads of others, and goes 'bam, bam'. The invited clown has made these 'laser guns', yet no one seems to care.

The little boy sings a lyric from a song. He is in love with a stripper.

The two fellow employees sit at a table reading the classifieds. Clearly, this is more important than aiding the children with their homework.

The fellow employee is upset that her authority has been challenged. The eager boy is not to participate in gymnastics.

The fellow employee is excited that her boyfriend will not be going to prison. Apparently, they could not locate enough evidence to convict him.

The school's staff is anxious to have the children pass the state standardized tests. Grammatically incorrect messages line the hallway boards.

The children cringe. The teachers have signed consent from the parents to use paddles and rulers, thus educating through intimidation.

The little boys are excited about writing a play. The characters are a lion and his two cheetah friends who go looking for the lion's pet cat.

The boy smiles. He has made a bead necklace for his older half brother.

The boy mistakenly goes into the girl's restroom. He is embarrassed, but that's alright.

The girl has written her own song. Her mom has told that her she's a good singer though the lyrics are somewhat sad.

The children are excited to see seashells of various shapes and sizes. They put them to their ears to hear the ocean.

The children gather around the child-size guitar. They each ask for a turn.

The boy answers the homework question as to why Jane got wet when it rained. His response: 'She didn't watch the news.'

'Peace Village' at Tu Du Hospital in Sai Gon

Children afflicted with Agent Orange at Benh Vien Tu Du, located on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street in Quan 1 of Sai Gon, Viet Nam.

If you are in the city, stop by to volunteer.

lines, dots, and words

The cold drifts in, I can feel it in my breath. Sprawled across the floor in this box is an idea--withering away quickly like weathered sand. It has some form, but not to where I can grasp it to keep it from de-materializing. I've got it now! I'll give this abstraction a name--but what? Something unusual, memorable, yet comprehensible. Drats! Where did it go? It was here a second ago.

agency over structure or vice versa

structure - theoretical concept, certain properties of society as having causal power

agency - theoretical concept, certain properties of the individual as having causal power

Does the individual have the capacity to change and create society anew through his/her causal action, or does society determine the individual's behavior through its normative causal action? The first view is associated with the Symbolic Interactionist school of thought wherein individuals have the capacity to develop their own creative capital through social interaction in order to attach meaning to objects, ideas, organizations, and other tangible and intangible systems. Meanwhile, the latter view is associated with Structural Functionalist school of thought which bears some resemblance to evolutionary theory wherein societal practices come into being for the benefit of larger society--here, the individual actor does not matter as much as the achievement of an ends.

The second view could be considered as being subjective and ethnocentric in terms of supposed benefit of larger society--e.g., this lens of viewing the world's social structures supposes that globalization in terms of forced modernization and urbanization is bound to happen sooner or later, perhaps leading to capitalistic consumer societies, but not necessarily the development of civil societies. In this instance, the mediation process of social interactions between individuals is the byproduct of broad systemic and even commercialized norms. Furthermore, it generalizes human behavior as lacking in free will and disregards the concept of human intention.

On the other hand, the first view supposes that an individual has the potential to change/influence/create society anew. In this sense, the individual has the potential to develop new meanings through social interaction and creative expression. Similarly, individual human inquiry can have an impact on broader social norms leading to multiple concurrent realities, none of which are necessarily more correct than the others. Moreover, the individual has the capacity to influence/manipulate others in order to achieve an ends, self-interested or collective. As such, this view allows for a broader range of variability, if not conflict, among humanity and does not necessitate one end result.

Are the strings of influence unavoidable in terms of seeking to create individual sovereignty and identity?

terms for consideration

perspective.
manipulation.
influence.
oppression.
freedom.

no right or wrong here, just consider these terms and apply them to a few situations to the next degree beyond the previous and keep at it. perhaps have a conversation analyzing their constructs and correlations, if there are any. also, i am very condescending it seems. sorry, habit.