Week 5: Team 2 - Question 2 - Rebuttal to Team 1

Team 1 - Argument 1:

The mass media lets the society know about new television shows and fashion trends/styles to keep society update to date.

Team 2 Rebuttal:

These new television shows have increasingly depicted sex and violence as their story-lines.  There has been a 96% increase in sex, violence, and profanity between 1996 and 2005 and a 400% increase in teenage female abuse between 2004-2009. (see link).  The message is clear.  Mass media has shared responsibility for the increased deprivation of society.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/negative-influences-of-media.html


Team 1 - Argument 2:

Smaller media companies are not controlled by big companies and are not as widely viewed.


Team 2 Rebuttal:

The size of the network does not necessarily make it more autonomous.  Media is business. A big business that requires revenue streams, which are provided by advertising dollars.  I would argue that the nature of any business is to generate profits and grow the business.  Having said that, a smaller network would probably be "hungrier" than a larger competitor to grow and increase revenue so it would be even more susceptible to broadcasting whatever would generate the most revenue in both advertising and consumer programs. Size does not make the influence an less influential.  If anything it may make it more influential.



Team 1 - Argument 3:

From a cultural prospective mass media keeps people up to date.  People should do what they want regardless of mass media.


Team 2 Rebuttal:

And how does mass media keep people up to date?  By regulating or gatekeeping what they are exposed to.  Thus they are controlling the message and the content of the message as well.  Then they spread this message throughout their geographical reach.  This is called "resocialization".  This is how cultures lose their heritage and beliefs. 

Week 4: Taxation Without Representation $$

I chose the Romanian witch tax because it is such an extraordinarily unusual topic.  On the surface it sounds like something out of a "Twilight Zone" television series.  Witches and bureaucracies?  What an oxymoron.   But there is actually a legitimate thesis to this story.

After a devastated world recession many underdeveloped countries are still trying to claw their way to recovery.  Unusual circumstances require unusual measures.

Yet we must be careful because bureaucratic events in other countries sometimes influence our own.  Uncommon or unusual taxation on individuals like myself could have personal and societal effects on us all.  I do not foresee any immediate ramifications but we most be vigilant, less we fall pray to unsuspecting taxation.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/world/europe/07witches.html

Week 3: Cultural Relativism and Human Rights

Sati - The burning of the Widow

Sati is the Hindu custom of burning the living wife with the deceased husband at his pyre (funeral).  It was practiced in India.  The meaning of the word "sati" means righteous and the act of Sati brought much respect and honor to the widow and their family.  I believe the wife was considered to be the 'property', if you will, of the husband and so when he died the wife had to go with him.  But not all widows voluntarily committed this act of what may be considered suicide.  Some were forced to do it begging and screaming against their will.  The custom is believe to not have religious roots but social origins, dating back to 400 A.D.  In 1829 the practice of "Sati" was outlawed by the ruling British government.  However, old norms die hard.  It took several decades before the practice really ceased and even still there were a few recorded incidents as recent as 1987.

In our western culture this act would be consider a human rights violation.  It is against our laws and mores.  It would basically be considered an act of murder or at the very least suicide, if the widow voluntarily performed the act.


The Hindu culture could most likely defend this practice as a cultural norm, historically accepted as far back as 400A.D.  


Personally I do not agree with the practice at all.  I believe it to be primitive and unacceptable.


Your thoughts?



Wikipedio.org. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sati_(practice) (Last updated 22 January 2011)

Week 2 - Theoretical Prospectives and Research Methods

In reflection I feel that the subject matter we have read, discussed, reviewed and been quizzed on provides me with the basic foundation of what I will require to move successfully forward in Sociology 101. It has afforded me the knowledge to assess and gauge further studies and assignments in a more thorough and meaning manner. It is kind of funny, because I have already begun to become more cognizant of peoples actions, my interactions with them, the different cultures at the school, how they interact, dress, socialize, etc. Sociology is much more useful then I ever thought or imagined. I think I am going to enjoy this class :-)