I thought that the bureaucratization and rationalization of modern society that Weber talked about was very interesting. He talked a lot about what he thought society was like in his eyes. He brought up an interesting concept of the ideal types. Weber says "In its conceptual purity this mental construct....cannot be found empirically anywhere in reality." This is a really deep quote from Weber that is hard to grasp. In his talks about the ideal types he gives clear example such as race and democracy. He also talks about power and authority individually. Weber said that power is the likelihood that demands are obeyed. Authority is legitimate domination. Usually when you think of power and authority you think that they are one in the same but Weber points out that they are not. There are three main forms of power and authority. The first is rational, meaning the law. The second is traditional which is like family or marriage. The third is charismatic which is like Hitler, Bill Clinton or Ghandi. All three of these forms fall under a different method of power and authority.
Next Weber talked about bureaucracy and rationalization. Some example of
bureaucracy are work and school. Rationalization is now where Weber's
idea of the "Iron Cage" comes in. He said it is like a juggernaut where
it just gets bigger and bigger, stronger and stronger, harder to get rid
of. This is an interesting concept that I think is one of Weber's most
well know ideas.
Here is a great video talking about the idea of Weber's "Iron Cage".
I was very interested in Gidden's thoughts on displacement. Displacement is something that I feel like a lot of people face, especially in today's society. I think it is easy for someone to feel left out or isolated from certain groups of people or even society as a whole. I know I have experienced some sort of isolation from different groups of people at times. For example when you hangout with your friend's friends maybe they don't act like you or have the same values as you. This may also affect how your friend acts around you then too, making you feel even more isolated form the group. This is just a lighter example than that of being isolated from society. However, I still think it fits with displacement.
Another example of displacement from my own experience is feeling somewhat isolated when I first came to UWSP. I came from a very small private Lutheran grade school and high school where I knew everyone and we all share the same beliefs. However, when I got here I quickly realized this was not the case at UWSP. It was just a weird change at first and made me feel somewhat isolated. That has all changed now which is great.
Giddens really brought up an interesting topic, displacement, because everyone can relate to it in some way. This is a great video explaining why we feel displaced and isolated.
I think symbols are very important in any culture. Every culture has recognizable symbols that everyone knows what they are and people deal with on a daily basis. The most important symbol in my life is the cross. To me the cross reminds me that The One True God sent his only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross and take away our sins. Not only did he die on that cross but he also got off the cross and ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God. This is why I have two crosses on my right arm. To remind me everyday what is important in life and what God did for me. That is also why the crosses on my arm are both empty, showing that Jesus got off. I see the crosses on my arm everyday and multiple times throughout the day. When I wake up, when I eat, when I am in class, and so many other times throughout the day I am reminded.
I also like that other people who may not know Jesus, see the crosses and symbols on my arm too. I always like when people ask me why I got the tattoo or what the Bible verse means because then I get to share the Word of God with someone who has never heard it before.
The cross is a symbol that can unite people. The cross is by far the most important symbol in my life and there is not many people in our world today that doesn't know what it is or where it came from but it is my goal and the goal of other Christians like me to get people to know what the cross really means.
I really like Goffman's views on the presentation of self. I think that he put things in a way that we can easily understand. His analogy of a theater and stage and plays really make it easy for us to grasp. I myself have never been in a play but whether or not you have ever been in one or even seen one, we all know the main components of plays.
He explained the status as being a particular position, for example I am a student, brother, and a son. He also explained the role to be the expected behavior of a particular status. For example, I am a student so I am expected to learn, study, and graduate. His explanation of self label was also good. This he explained to be an identity that one presents to others in an attempt to manage their impression of him or her. This makes sense and we can relate to this every day. To some people, like my friends, my self label is a little less formal and maybe inappropriate. Whereas my self label around older adults and parents would be more formal and reserved, wanting them to think the best of me.
Dramaturgy and the components of Goffman's theory are also very interesting to look at. In our every day lives we perform small plays, in every setting, in every situation. This may sound confusing but if you really think about it you put on an act in every situation. In class you act a certain way, with your friends at home you act a certain way, and at a sporting event you act a certain way. These are all little plays that you act out without even realizing it. We also have props in these plays. Props like, your car, your house, your clothes and even your friends can be props.
I really liked Goffman's analysis of the presentation of self and it opened my eyes to things that I didn't even realize. I really like this video because it talks about Goffman's presentation of the self in terms of theater.
I really liked the activity we did about the Facebook connected with the I or the Me. I think it put the I and the me into perspective. I think the Facebook status can go either way. On one hand you are posting stuff that maybe you would normally never say in person. However, on the other hand you are posting something that everyone else can see and that creates a filter for what you post. You wouldn't necessarily just post all of your initial thoughts and be like the "I" because we all have sinful thoughts and would not want everyone knowing what you are thinking in general. I think the fact that your status updates are filtered through knowing that everyone will see them kind of stinks. We should be able to say whatever we want without being judged but we cannot.
I think Twitter is more like the "I". Although it is still filtered through the fact that everyone will see it, it is more of just tweeting exactly what you are thinking at a certain moment. I know I myself does that a lot with Twitter where I will just tweet out whatever dumb thoughts I have in my head. From reading other peoples dumb tweets I know that a lot of people do this too.
I think Mead's concept of the "I" and the "Me" are very good and also a
very intellectual way of looking at yourself and thinking about your
behavior and your actions. Here is a short video going over Mead's stages of self concept and giving great examples of each.
I think Anna Julia Cooper has some great views on how people view race, sex, class, disability and ethnicity. There are much discrimination for females, lower class citizens, minority races, people with mental defects, and ethnic groups. Anna Julia Cooper talks about the segregation in society. The separation between groups is a huge thing still today, just as it was in her time. For how much we have changed since then we still have many cases of discrimination and it does not seem to be approving rapidly as it should be.
We used to talk about the United States as the melting pot. Melting pot
was meant that people would come to the United States and conform to
Americans. This has become less and less prevalent over the last 20
years. When people come to the United States now they are less likely to
fully conform to the American culture. I like the example Dr. Barry
used in class that instead of a melting pot the U.S. is more like a
stew. This is where the people that come to the U.S. still keep their
own identities and you can easily pick out the "carrots, beef, pees, and
potatoes". This is known as pluralism and is a great point that Anna
Julia Cooper talks about.
This video show the discrimination in the United States and how it is still is very prevalent in our society today. It really gets you to think how our world can be so cruel.
Gilman talked a lot about sex and economists. I thought this was very interesting because it is very prevalent in our American society today. In America it can be said that men make more than women. Even though this shouldnt be the case, it often is. It is still very unequal when it comes to salary among genders. She also talks about the different economic relations in marriage. Where the male is the one who makes the money and the wife takes care of the house and kids. In other words Gilman says it is like the male is the employer and female is employee. Also the labor of women in the household allows men to work more and make more money. In this way women are economic factors in society.
Gilman also talks about how economic independence is relative. The cost
of living is going up and up and it is getting more expensive to own a
home, buy a car, buy food. This also relates to the amount of money you
make.
This video talks about the unfortunate gap in income between genders. It shows us how even today, when our society is trying to become more equal, that there is still a huge gap.
