Today in Sociology class we discussed analyzing the importance of culture within and between societies. We talked about Culture, Nation and Society. Most people never question their own culture or society. They simply accept things and assume that everyone else is wrong.
Culture is a shared way of life. Crystal used the analogy of a fish in a fish bowl. Culture is like the water and the fish is unaware of the water until it is taken out of the fish bowl. Culture is made up of Language, Symbols, Values, Beliefs, Behavior and Material Objects.
Language is a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another. She showed to videos to explain how language affects society. One was the bud light commercial showing how different parts of the country or communities respond to different ways of saying the same thing. The second video was on the coca-cola commercial where America the Beautiful was sang in different languages and parts of society responded in a negative way.
Symbols are defined as anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share culture.
The video shows hidden meanings in 16 major logos. The logos of major companies having multiple meanings shows the power and depth of symbolism. It is through symbols that all language and communications are formed and sometimes we aren't aware of all the meaning in a symbol.
A Nation is a political entity with designated boarders.
A Society is an organized interaction of people who typically live in a nation or some other specific territory.
Crystal used a few examples today. One is that we are all like a brick. We live in a world with other bricks. Our relationship is like the mortar or glue that holds the bricks together. Once you have enough bricks you can build a wall which is society. If you isolate yourself and have no relationships then you will not be a part of society.
She mentioned minimum wage as a good example of how you can use sociology to examine both sides of the issue. Workers may need more money to survive but the employee also wants to make a profit. Who is right in this issue? Is it right to force employers to pay a certain amount to the workers? If so can they just raise the price of the product to make up for the loss in payroll? If the product cost more and the employees are also consumers, have they really gained by getting a wage increase? Is it right to put a cap on product prices to ensure that the workers wages can really make an impact? Sociology can help us to ensure that both groups are being treated fairly.
Positive I can do: Try to understand society may not be what I think. Investigate different layers.
Negative I can do: Think that I have it all figured out.
Positive society: push for importance of education.
Negative society: Keep segregated based on culture. Do not explore other people.
