Week 9 - Inequality in a Global World

I feel the U.S. government has a thin line to walk when addressing violations of human rights and inequality in other countries but I feel we should be very active in trying to address these issues.


We must allow for "cultural relativism", but pure cultural relativism is only culturally-specific beliefs.  Cultures have admittedly been wrong on issues of human rights and have corrected themselves.  Therefore we have to allow for objective truth or "moral realism" and still be able to say what is inherently right or wrong within a culture.  Cultures disagree but all cultures share some common values in order to exist as a harmonious civilization.  Human rights and equality are two of those values.  


I believe once we cross the line of basic core values for harmonious existence is when we start treading into ethnocentrism and neocolonialism territory.  This is not a black and white area.  It fades into shades of gray and requires careful bilateral communication and agreement between all parties that will be affected.   


But every individual, culture, and geography of this plant are unique and diverse .  So global inequality is inherent and natural to the extent of natural characteristics and resources.  For example the Middle East and Africa are rich in oil and diamonds, whereas the U.S. is rich in technology and agriculture.  Inequality is natural.  Where it becomes unnatural is when  power, greedy, selfishness, and politics dictates how the worlds resources are distributed.  So there will always be HDCs and LDCs.  That is not the issue.  This issue is how morally and ethically responsible will the world be in sharing its resources.


We must be careful not to forget that sociology and philosophy, in this case morality and ethics, are identical twins.  To separate the two creates poverty, famine, illiteracy, disease, greed, wars, and world divide.  But to keep the two joined in their natural state promotes wellness, unity, education, nourishment, and sharing.


I feel this way because it is the innate nature of all human beings to love and care for one another.  

http://www.baylor.edu/christianethics/GlobalWealthArticleHicks.pdf

Week 7 - Stratification and Social Mobility in the U.S.

I have chosen Baltimore City as a micro level segment of the U.S. population.  I choose Baltimore City because I lived there for 4 years, so I can speak from a real life perspective.

Baltimore City is directly and negatively affected by both stratification and social mobility.  If you have ever been there it is like a city that time has forgotten.  The extremes of stratification are noticeably evident.  There are four social classes in Baltimore City.  They are the upper-middle class, lower-middle class, working class and underclass.   20% of Baltimore city residents live below the poverty line so they are considered underclass.  The stratification between the classes of have's and have-not's are alarming.  Socioeconomic, institutionalized racism, drugs, crime, lack of jobs and equitable educational facilities are what fuels the problems in Baltimore.

Relative deprivation is so blatant but yet the sense of helplessness is so strong that people turn to drugs to alleviate the emotional pain.  A bureaucracy that is plagued with global economic strain is hardly in a position to help and even when it was prejudice and discrimination hamper the efforts.

I subscribe to the "concentrate on the future" theory.  This theory focuses on prevention.  I suggest stopping the bleeding by stopping the perpetuation of the problem.   I propose applying a direct and consistent wave of resources to help the children.  Better schools, computers, after-school programs, summer camps, after school and summer meal programs, mentoring, field trips and exposure to more positive cultures within the children's own racial background.  This will improve the children's self-esteem and give them hope and a fighting chance at the future.

To fix the problem from a "root cause" perspective I would driving a stronger business economy into Baltimore through tax breaks.  Much like what was done in Washington, D.C.  Business brings jobs, then people buy homes and the city receives more tax revenue. This new revenue stream would fund the project.  But the commitment has to be with driving the revenue into the lower income areas to help the next generation and stop the perpetuation of the social class problem.  

This would not be easy but it can be done.  It would take a committed legislature and an asserted effort but it is possible.


http://www.baltimoreorless.com/tag/social-class/

Week 6 - Question One: Formal and Informal Social Controls at Montgomery College

What mechanisms of formal and informal social control are evident in your college classes and in day-to-day life and social interactions at Montgomery College?


Formal Social Control:


College Classes - Professors exercise formal social control over their classes by use of their social role and status as an authority figure.  Students are obedient to their professors and adhere to their rules and expectations, which are covered in the syllabus and imposed during every class session (e.g. raising of hands to answer question, discontinuing sidebar conversations when asked, adhering to class schedules and assigned task, etc.).


Day-To-Day Life - Montgomery College, as a social institution, has a set of policies and norms called  "the student code of conduct", which are handed down by the Board of Trustees, a bureaucratic component of the organization that uses rules and hierarchical structure to govern the schools outcomes.  Some of the deviant behaviors that they look to prevent are smoking on campus, reasonable dress codes, littering, theft, appropriate use of college email, sensitivity to the multi-cultural student body and a sense of cultural relativism within the microcosm of Montgomery College.   


Social interactions - Whether interacting with school personnel, such as financial aid, guidance counselors, or the cafeteria casher deviant behavior like vulgar language, physical assault, or disorderly gatherings are not tolerated and campus security is on the premises to enforce adherence to these social norms. 


Informal Social Control:


College Classes - Most classmates are annoyed by fellow students that will attempt to cheat by looking on their papers, come to class late and disrupting the session, unprepared for class and have to infringe on the resources of the prepared student.  The deviant student is frowned upon, looked at negatively and made to feel a sense of shame and embarrassment, which stigmatizes that student.


Day-To-Day Life - Students expect their fellow students to conform to basic social controls of waiting their turn in line, holding the door for others if they are directly behind them, giving them the right-a-way if the are a pedestrian in the parking garage, and respecting the "rule of silence" when studying in the library.  Deviance to these social norms can be confronted directly by peers, given disrespectful glances, indirect verbal chatter of condemnation or sometimes even result in physical fights.


Social Interactions - When students interact with one another in lecture, lab, at presentations, or in the social gathering areas informal controls are evident in what is considered "cool."  It is not cool to grope a girl in public, curse profusely, or fight.  Fellow students who deviate from these behaviors are ostracized, shamed or made to fell embarrassed.  This stigma can make them feel like they are in the "out group" and encourage them to conform to the social norms. 

http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/pnp/#Chapter_4