Thinking Sociologically: Prevalence of Social Inequality in the United States Any individual using his or her sociological imagination would agree that their personal life and immediate surroundings profoundly affect each other. The way in which our society is structured has an impact on the culture we construct, which indeed affects our actions, beliefs, and feelings on an individual level (Durkheim, 1982). However, as C. Wright Mills (1959) writes in The Sociological Imagination Chapter One: The Promise, a single individual contributes minimally to this structure or the course of its history, even when its push and pull shapes him or her (Mills, 1959). This paper aims to explore how social inequality continues to exist in the various societal
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A nation that responds to and balances the needs of all the societies it governs, from true political representation to basic human rights (Charon, 1998). This definition of democracy brings to fore the following questions: Is America truly a democratic nation? Are our social institutions truly for, of, and by all the American people? Most of us today, if asked, would answer a “No” for both those questions. When discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, status, class, power and several other aspects is engrained in the societal structures that shape our American way of living and thinking, it is difficult to conclude that we indeed are a nation of …show more content…
Unfortunately, sexual and gender identities continue to be the elements that shape the experience of power and rights in the United States, which affects the lives of several individuals. Perpetuation of homophobia in the American culture also highlights the shortcomings of our education system in leveling the playing field for all members of the society.
The issues discussed above undoubtedly indicate that our nation is distant from being an ideal democracy as its social systems are plagued with all forms of inequality. However, if members of this so-called democratic society put on their sociological imagination hats, we can certainly come up with ways to address these issues. Social change is a complex subject, which depends on the power dynamics in a culture or a society. If desired, we need to first recognize that social inequality is existent, and then work together to form power bases against political institutions that discriminate, and promote policies that propagate social inequality (Charon, 1998). It is our responsibility to voluntarily associate with organizations and movements that have the potential to bring about institutional changes that reflect our needs and desires. As Frances Piven (2008), a Professor at the
A nation that responds to and balances the needs of all the societies it governs, from true political representation to basic human rights (Charon, 1998). This definition of democracy brings to fore the following questions: Is America truly a democratic nation? Are our social institutions truly for, of, and by all the American people? Most of us today, if asked, would answer a “No” for both those questions. When discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, status, class, power and several other aspects is engrained in the societal structures that shape our American way of living and thinking, it is difficult to conclude that we indeed are a nation of …show more content…
Unfortunately, sexual and gender identities continue to be the elements that shape the experience of power and rights in the United States, which affects the lives of several individuals. Perpetuation of homophobia in the American culture also highlights the shortcomings of our education system in leveling the playing field for all members of the society.
The issues discussed above undoubtedly indicate that our nation is distant from being an ideal democracy as its social systems are plagued with all forms of inequality. However, if members of this so-called democratic society put on their sociological imagination hats, we can certainly come up with ways to address these issues. Social change is a complex subject, which depends on the power dynamics in a culture or a society. If desired, we need to first recognize that social inequality is existent, and then work together to form power bases against political institutions that discriminate, and promote policies that propagate social inequality (Charon, 1998). It is our responsibility to voluntarily associate with organizations and movements that have the potential to bring about institutional changes that reflect our needs and desires. As Frances Piven (2008), a Professor at the