Sociological Imagination
The Sociological Imagination
The sociological imagination is the ability to identify the connection between everyday life events and how they shape our lives, as well as how we play a role in shaping society around us. As my sociological imagination develops I am realizing how my life has been greatly affected by historic events that would otherwise seem unrelated. These events such as the Mariel boatlift, Reagonomics and September 11th have seemed to have the biggest impact on my family’s life and further shaped our morals and ambitions.
In 1976, my grandmother came to this country with my mother and my three aunts determined to work and build a solid foundation so that her children and her grandchildren could experience the “American Dream” and economic empowerment. That “American Dream” however quickly became an uphill battle after the Mariel boatlift in 1980. Following the Mariel boatlift many Caribbean immigrants were negatively stereotyped, jeopardizing my grandmothers’ employment and making the international transition more difficult on my mother and aunts. Growing up my grandmother would tell me I had to work twice as hard as everyone else just to make in this country and although it took me a long time to truly understand why she felt that way her words resonated with me and taught me “hard work never killed anyone”.
Just months after the Mariel boatlift, Ronald Reagan implemented a new economic policy referred to as Reagonomics. My aunt was in college at the time, which was funded by federal student aid. Since Reagonomics reduced college opportunities my aunt was unable to finish her education at that time. Although now she has a great career and is approaching retirement Reagonomics delayed her college graduation almost a decade. There was limited federal funding for school when I was born in 1988 and the job opportunities available were dead ends. As a result my mother chose to enlist in the military in 1990. Six months of enrollment the Gulf War
The sociological imagination is the ability to identify the connection between everyday life events and how they shape our lives, as well as how we play a role in shaping society around us. As my sociological imagination develops I am realizing how my life has been greatly affected by historic events that would otherwise seem unrelated. These events such as the Mariel boatlift, Reagonomics and September 11th have seemed to have the biggest impact on my family’s life and further shaped our morals and ambitions.
In 1976, my grandmother came to this country with my mother and my three aunts determined to work and build a solid foundation so that her children and her grandchildren could experience the “American Dream” and economic empowerment. That “American Dream” however quickly became an uphill battle after the Mariel boatlift in 1980. Following the Mariel boatlift many Caribbean immigrants were negatively stereotyped, jeopardizing my grandmothers’ employment and making the international transition more difficult on my mother and aunts. Growing up my grandmother would tell me I had to work twice as hard as everyone else just to make in this country and although it took me a long time to truly understand why she felt that way her words resonated with me and taught me “hard work never killed anyone”.
Just months after the Mariel boatlift, Ronald Reagan implemented a new economic policy referred to as Reagonomics. My aunt was in college at the time, which was funded by federal student aid. Since Reagonomics reduced college opportunities my aunt was unable to finish her education at that time. Although now she has a great career and is approaching retirement Reagonomics delayed her college graduation almost a decade. There was limited federal funding for school when I was born in 1988 and the job opportunities available were dead ends. As a result my mother chose to enlist in the military in 1990. Six months of enrollment the Gulf War