The next film that we watched in sociology was Libby Montana. This was about a little small town in Montana that was going through some very tough times due to the vermiculite plants that were built cause the air to be polluted. Symbolic interactionism is a theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another. These people in Libby all felt that Earl Lovech who was the operating manager at WR Grace lied to them about the asbestos poisoning. They also feel deceived and have no respect to WR Grace. WR Grace was the company whose jobs created a lot of dust and dirt due to the vermiculite. Vermiculite is a type of …show more content…
These people of Libby are fighting for their lives to get their community back to normal and get all of the asbestos out. So many homes in Libby are contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos tainted vermiculite was shipped to more than 300 places and millions of homes across the country were tainted with asbestos, and the EPA didn’t warn anyone. A lot of people who worked in the mine for WR Grace are dead, or on the verge of dying due to respiratory problems or heart conditions. A lot of these people had to continue working in order to support their families. Asbestos takes up to forty years to run its course, you can be pre-disposed at twenty and it can affect you at sixty. When these men started getting sick from the asbestos their wives had to start picking up jobs to support the family. Most women started selling Avon. 92% of the twenty-year employees have died. Not just the people who worked in the mines were affected, the people in the community, the railroad workers, and the truck drivers were all affected also. The asbestos is now inside of people homes. People were scared for their lives, their wives lives, their kids’ lives, and their grandchildren’s …show more content…
These people decided they have had enough and had meetings with the EPA to get a cleanup going in their community. Some of the people hate the fact of starting over by having the EPA help clean up the community because they have put so much money into things in the community. Some of the people are very particular with how they want things with their homes if the EPA has to tear some things down, so this process will take a long time. The EPA wanted to go property to property and if it was clean leave it, if it was dirty clean it up. Governor Martz flew into Libby and gave a speech about how Libby is a tough hardworking community and gave the people hope. She left quickly though because she knew the asbestos poisoning was bad, and not good for your health. Governor Martz agreed to the EPA cleanup. The National priority listing did not guarantee healthcare or that asbestos would be removed from homes. The people of Libby felt like they were in a battle with the EPA now because the EPA claimed they would get all of the asbestos from the homes, now they are only going to get some because the money is restricted. After WR Grace filed for bankruptcy the US government had to pay for the cleanup in Libby. This is a close-knit town where everyone knows everyone and they will do anything for each other. People are still being positive, they say
Due to political aspirations, government bureaucracy, and greed 111 men lost their lives and devastated the lives of loved ones and a community. While, I believe that it was collection of people who is to blame for the explosion one person who could have really avoided this situation was Robert M. Medill and his assistant Robert Weir. Robert Medill, Director of the Illinois of Bureau of Mines and Minerals, was a man filled with greed and power and did nearly nothing to fix the hazardous condition in Centralia. Medill department were very aware of the dangerous conditions at the mine but ignored requests to correct violations. Instead, Medill and Weir’s handling of the inspection reports and other communications were not conducive to clearing
What is sociological imagination? Our textbook describes sociological imagination as the ability to see our private experiences, personal difficulties, and achievements as, in part, a reflection of the structural arrangements of society and the times in which we live. The movie entitled Forrest Gump is a great example of sociological imagination. In this paper, I will cite examples from the movie and tell how they correlate with sociological imagination. Sociological imagination allows us examine the events of our lives and see how they intersect with the wider context of history and tradition of the society in which we live. (Hughes/Kroehler, The Core, p. 7)
For this particular assignment I have chosen the movie Django Unchained, which is a fantastic movie and I recommend it to anyone who has not yet seen it. I chose the movie Django Unchained because I believe that it exhibits the sociological theories we have covered in many different ways; and I believe that every person would apply these specific sociological theories in their own ways. The two sociological theories that I plan to apply to the movie Djano Unchained are, social conflict theory and symbolic interaction theory.
In our modern world, sociology has a tremendous impact on our culture, mainly through the processes and decisions we make everyday. For movies and television shows especially, sociological references are incorporated throughout the storyline. A movie which includes many sociological examples is Mean Girls. Mean Girls is a movie based on the life of home-schooled teenage girl, Cady Heron, who moves to the United States from Africa and is placed in a public school for the first time. Cady finds herself in many uncomfortable scenarios and has to deal with the trials and tribulations pertaining to everyday high school issues. Her experiences involve interacting with high school cliques, such as ‘the plastics’, weird high school teachers, relationships,
Sociology is the study of society and the interactions that occur within society itself. There are numerous methods of analyzing societies and the way the function, nonetheless, most methods fall in micro and macro level theories. Micro level theories allow sociologist to study smaller relationships such as individual or compact groups of people. On the other hand, macro level studies permit for larger scale investigations to take place. With both of these theories there are three theoretical perspectives used in sociology. Micro level theories include symbolic interactionism which focuses in interactions done with language and gestures and the means which allow such interactions to take place. Macro level theories include structural functionalism
We’ve gone over many sociological concepts in class, but the three that I believe apply the most to this film are socialization, deviance, and resocialization. “What sort of world is it at
In my sociology analysis essay I will be discussing Menace II Society. There are five concepts that I will define and use to show a broader vision of scenes from the movie which are: master status, differential association, self-conflict, stereotyping, and street crimes. Also, there will be two theories I will be discussing about the movie which are symbolic interaction theory and social conflict theory.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze a movie and list five sociological concepts outlined in our textbook, Sociology A Down-To-Earth Approach, 6th edition by James M. Henslin, which was published by Pearson Education, Inc in 2015, 2013, and 2011. I have chosen the movie, “The Breakfast Club.” This is a 1985 movie directed by John Hughes. It is about five high school students that have detention on a Saturday for nine hours. The five students are played by, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, and Anthony Michael Hall. These five students are deviant in their own particular ways and have different stereotypes. Eventually the students share personal information about their
I have plenty of African American friends. I just don’t stay in contact with them like I do with all of my other friends. I guess in the back of my mind I thought, “She is going to try to steal my boyfriend.” I didn’t realize this until now. The society has led me to believe that black women go after every single man. My conscience was telling me to not invite my African American friends or else they will disrespect me. However, my best friend Marie changed my mind about African American women. Marie is helpful, strong, and beautiful. I thought all African Americans didn’t how to talk properly, they lived up to every stereotype, and that they judged all the time. Through symbolic interactionism I believe all African Americans are different and need to be treated fairly.
Throughout history, mankind has changed and been influenced by the acts of one another. Sociologists have studied the behaviors of humans and they have coined numerous terms, theories, and principles to try and describe why humans behave the way they do. In the movie West Side Story numerous sociological terms are depicted, such as labeling theory, social norms, formal and informal sanctions, and the results of what governs groups within society when all else fails.
In sociology symbolic interactionism explains the individual in a society and their interactions with others and through that it can explain social order and change. This theory was compiled from the teachings of George Herbert Mead in the early 20th century. Mead believed that the development of the individual was a social process. People are subjected to change based on their interactions with other people, objects or events and they assign meaning to things in order to decide how to act. This perspective depends on the symbolic meaning that people depend on in the process of social interaction. This paper will examine the movie “The Blind Side” through the symbolic interaction perspective.
Sociologists view society in different ways. Sociologists use three major theories: symbolic interactionism, functional analysis, and conflict theory. The symbolic interactionist perspective, also known as symbolic interactionism, directs sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life, what these symbols mean, and how people interact with each other (Cliff). Some examples of symbolic interactionism are the meaning of marriage, the meaning of divorce, the meaning of parenthood, and the meaning of love. Symbols may include wedding bands, vows of life‐long commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers and music. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but individuals also maintain their own perceptions of what these and other symbols mean (Cliff). Symbols have a shared social meaning that is understood by all members of society. Symbolical interactionism is analyzed at a micro-sociological level. It examines small-scale patterns of social interaction. It focuses mainly on face-to-face interaction and how people use symbols to create a social life.
As with most group projects, I started out with a basic understanding of the issue; essentially pollution and environmental changes humans make impact the environment in very bad ways. I grew up with a family who believes in intelligent design, young earth theory, and they all vehemently deny that anything humans do cause damage to the planet- everything reported in the news or by scientists are part of a larger “Liberal Democrat conspiracy.” Thus, my views had become largely hazy and even though I pride myself on being a Liberal, educated, intelligent young person, sometimes I was unsure what was actually true or what had been dramatized or exaggerated by scientists or the media to actually get people to pay attention. In addition, I also
the interaction the individual itself and how they interact within their surroundings. Through symbolic interactionalism you look at things and what they mean, and then determine the effects they have. There are many hand signs, both good and bad, that people exchange, as well as facial expressions in reaction to an event or statement that a symbolic interactionalist would look at. My observation period in the library allowed me to glimpse into the life of a sociologist. I realized that you could learn a lot about someone by just watching him or her. Their behavior is highly representative of the person they are; yet one cannot assume what specific reactions imply. Through the use of your sociological imagination you are able to gain a deeper understanding of behavior and how behavior is influenced by society.
George Herbert Mead begins his discussion of symbolic interactionism (talking with others) by defining three core principles that deal with meaning, language, and thought. The theory states that meaning is the construction of social reality. Humans act toward people or things on the basis of the meanings they assign to those people or things.