¶ … sociological readings. One is by Herbert J. Gans, and the other by Peter L. Berger. While the readings are interesting, they are also relevant, even though, in the case of Gans, the narrative goes back to 1971,
The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All
By attempting to associate poverty with "positive functions" Gans is stepping out into a narrative that would seem at the outset to be risky. After all, the image that most people have of poor people, poor neighborhoods in urban areas, rural poverty and "low income" minorities, is not a positive one.
But Gans makes a somewhat cynical (though valid) point when he says the fact of poverty "makes possible" certain "respectable professions"; those professions include people working in prisons, those involved in criminology, social workers, and those in the public health field. Moreover, Gans points out that poor people do the "dirty work" of taking jobs that nobody else wants; and he asserts that certain economic activities that involve "dirty work" (menial jobs like washing garments in hospitals, working in the fields, etc.) need to be done by someone, and why not the poor?
By taking these jobs the poor are helping the rich, which, Gans explains somewhat cryptically, helps the economy. He points out that housekeepers (domestics) "subsidize the middle and upper classes" and by doing so they free up the middle and upper class women so those people can engage in "cultural" activities like partying and other "civic" activities. The poor also pay a higher percentage of their earnings in taxes which benefits government services. His third reason for saying the poor help the economy is that the poor buy heroin and "cheap wine and liquors" -- and in addition, he lumps "prostitutes" with "Pentecostal ministers" when it comes to those who benefit from the poor.
Gans goes on to list reasons four, five, six, seven -- through thirteen -- and while there is not room on this paper to present all thirteen reasons, some of the most absurd and pessimistic will be mentioned, prior to presenting questions and answers. One of Gans' points (number eight) is that "someone has to be at the bottom" in order for sociologists and the media to rank...
This leads one to believe that they are not very well off financially and the mother has not real education in order to obtain employment since she is currently attaining administrative assistant training. Antonio also has issues with controlling his behavior when in the daycare environment, as he frequently has violent outbursts and crying spells. If one were to assess Antonio from an Eco-Feminist perspective one would be better able
Both what make up a race and how one recognizes a racial difference is culturally determined. Whether two individuals consider themselves as of the same or of different races depends not on the degree of similarity of their genetic make up but on whether history, tradition, and personal training and experiences have brought them to think of themselves as belonging to the same group or to different groups (Spickard,
Social Science and Why Is it Important? The definition of social science has been narrowed down to those sciences that deal with human activities and human behavior as opposed to science that studies natural phenomenon. However this division may be superfluous now because modern science has its origin from the old social sciences. Science evolved from the society which also contained many thoughts that may be out of the realm
Social Construction of Technology Technology …almost everything is negotiable: what is certain and what is not: who is a scientist and who is a technologist; what is technological and what is social; and who can participate in the controversy. (Pinch & Bijker, 1984) The Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) is a theory within several areas including philosophy of technology, sociology of science, and science & technology studies. The theory was developed in the
, 1997). Ideas and Ideologies Throughout the years, sociology concepts have been developed, interpreted and put in rational frame works with concepts that advocate for social ideology. Human perspective thinking is guided by the systems of ideas that provide relevant societal theories with commitment and implications that promote social change (Johnston and Oliver, pg 1). Ideologies are of fundamental importance, especially when scrutinizing social and cultural formations that lead to social change.
Kitchen sink realism The concept of 'kitchen sink realism' became popular in England during the 1950s as a significant number of writers, playwrights, and screenwriters directed their attention toward writing words addressing young men who were angry with a series of things. Social realism was a dominant idea during the period and this is visible throughout works involving 'kitchen sink realism'. The genre focused on young Britons who spent most
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