sumblog 3 - Structural Functionalism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Psl0nFEzw

The video clip demonstrates how the clan of crabs works together to protect themselves from the seagull. I think it is safe to say that some crabs were smaller than others, maybe even weaker. Some crabs might have had smaller pincers or slower reflexes, but they still all worked together to take down the seagull. Imagine if one or two crabs weren’t helping the rest. It is probable that without all of the crabs working together they would not have been able to take down the seagull. Each crab did his or her part in keeping everyone safe.

Emile Durkheim would explain society, and the group of crabs, from a structural functionalist perspective. This means that he views everything with in society as serving a purpose. Everybody, every institution, deviance, norms, they all serve a proper function to keep society running smoothly. It is much like looking at society like a body. Without the smallest most minor part, such as hair, your body would not function to the best of its ability. It would not be as productive.

In my criminology class, we are also taking a look at Emile Durkheim’s view of crime. Durkheim sticks to his structural functionalist perspective claiming that even crime serves a proper function. Although crime causes conflict, according to Durkheim, crime helps us affirm cultural values because what is considered crime in one culture may not be criminal in another. Crime also clarifies moral boundaries and encourages social change. Durkheim also says that crime creates social unity by bringing non-deviants away from crime and standing up to crime.

By viewing even a bad part of society such as crime, as a functional component is an optimistic way of viewing society. I’m a believer of all things happen for a reason and that goes along with the belief that everyone has something to offer. I believe that right now, the way our society exists, every component brings something else to the table. Without the lower class, middle class, high class, deviance, law, economy, different religion, politics, our society would not function the way it does. Looking at society from this view could help us overcome obstacles such as the crabs fighting the seagull.

Sumblog 2 - Ideologies

An ideology is an idea, belief, or value that come from the people. According to Karl Marx ideologies are created by the top class and enforced to maintain and control the less dominate class. Ideologies such as religion, culture, gender, and politics are created by society, but in turn end up created a structure for society. They constrict people to these ideas by creating a path of what is socially acceptable. Ideologies create social norms and deviance because if you go against the belief system you will be considered deviant, possibly even criminal. It sounds that ideologies would be helpful to keep order with in a society, but Karl Marx’s believes that ideologies are a problem in a capitalist economy because they create obscure realities.

            A good example, today, of an ideology creating an obscure reality is societies view on education. Today, it is hard to find employment opportunities in a field without at least having an associates or bachelor’s degree for a job that 10 or 15 years ago only required a high school diploma. In reality, the job did not get any harder. The level of difficulty probably stayed the same, but society now sees more of an importance on education before launching into work. It many fields, today, a bachelor’s degree isn’t even enough. We now tend to believe that a person is not qualified for a job without an associates or bachelor’s degree when that could actually just be our obscure reality.

            Karl Marx’s view of ideologies is still very relevant today. Although our class system is divided into more than two classes ideologies are still used to create social control over the less dominate class. This ends up creating an even larder divide. Here is a song by Billy Bragg that demonstrates the social organization in a capitalist economy and how it is an obscured reality of equality and freedom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG_filOc5rk

Sumblog 1 - Herbert Spencer

When reading the supplementary reading about Herbert Spencer I found it very interesting how at first he thought religion and science would be able to go together when explaining evolution. Although he later realized the two categories clashed, today we would consider them polar opposite. In fact, science has come such a far way that today we do not even need religion as a source to explain the world. The following video clip is cosmologist Lawrence Krauss explaining his book called A Universe from Nothing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIDmzLfk0K0

Throughout the segment, Krauss explains how science has made it possible to have a universe without a God. Although many of us do and will believe in a God, we as humans no longer need to have faith in order to explain and understand the universe. When science was first developing during the Enlightenment and even until early in the 21st century there have always been questions about what started it all. How did it all begin? There must have been some sort of God to create the first bit of energy. Well, according to Krauss science can now explain how something can come from nothing. We no longer need one bit of religion to help explain it. This is a huge advancement from the Enlightenment era when Herbert Spencer believed science and religion could go together. This advancement also backs up Spencer's theory about definiteness. He believes that diversity in society must exist but as time goes on each segment in society will become more and more defined and the boundaries between groups will become more clear. At one point in time it was thought that religion and science could possible go together to explain the universe, but here we are today and it seems as if you must pick a side. The boundaries between the two have become extremely clear.