Benefits Of Social Conflict Theory

Culture is defined as “the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a people’s way of life” by Macionis. Culture can be language or religious beliefs that vary from country, to state, and to town. The benefits and dangers from culture can be explained using the social conflict theory, a sociological approach that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change. With the theory, the conflicts can be explored within culture that have lead to both conflict and change within the United States.

Culture has norms placed in society for the people to follow, norms being what’s considered typical for someone to be doing. Analyzing norms with social conflict reveals that norms within …show more content…
Materialism, “a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values”, is said to have a big impact on production and culture. Wealthy capitalists are the only ones who would benefit from this idea that culture is rooted in economic production, leaving the poor to become those who are victims of the inequality and the harm culture can have. Culture in the United States, for example, values those who make money and work for it, saying you only deserve what you work for. This creates that arena of inequality that that social conflict theory states. This leads to conflict between those who earn money and those who don 't, and the constant battle between the worth of a human life. Someone who thrives to one day be a successful individual is discouraged unless they constantly working hard towards a goal. Karl Marx saw that culture, when linked to the economy, was dangerous and harmful to those who fell victim to it. He claimed that since it enforced this idea that only the people who supposedly work harder are rewarded with more privileges than those who don 't, it created this discouragement for those who wished one day to also be wealthy and powerful. It is clear from what Marx states that inequality does exist due to culture and the patterns that exist with the …show more content…
Social Conflict would see people use their religion as a weapon against those of different cultures and different beliefs. Many religions have a belief they are against, something to fight in opposition to. Recently, many religious people in the United States have let their personal beliefs cloud their actions, which attempt to try to use it to continue inequality and oppression it causes. In the article by Douglas Nejaime, he states, "some citizens may conclude that they cannot in good conscience participate in a same-sex ceremony, from priests and pastors to bakers and florists, argues the Heritage Foundation 's Ryan Anderson. The government should not force them to choose between their religious beliefs and their livelihood." (Nejaime). Yet, it does no harm to them, and may actually cause more harm to those they exclude due to their personal and religious beliefs. Another example of the conflict within culture is how culture praises those people who hold religious beliefs and discriminates against those who don’t truly aren 't a part of a religion or a popular one. A new trend in the United States has been about religious freedom for those who fell victims due to their beliefs, yet it is majority of Christians who feel this. The Christian faith holds about “70%”(Pewforum.org) of the adult population within the United States, clearly showing they have the majority. However, they have created,