The sociological theory that would best agree with the character of Samantha White, as seen in the movie, Dear White People, is Robert Merton’s theory of social structure and anomie. Samantha White can rely on this theory to conduct her activism with the knowledge that she has a sociological basis upon which she can advocate for social change in the community. For example, she can use Merton’s theory as a foundation for understanding her role in her society. As a radio presenter, she occupies a unique position in the community to steer social change. Furthermore, given that Sam White is naturally outspoken and a rebellious person, she can use Merton’s theory to understand that people respond to societal goals and means in different ways. As a rebellious person, she can conduct her social change by voicing her issues to her society in such an outspoken manner, bearing in mind that other people have adopted other ways of responding to strain in the society. In her case, racism is the main source of strain. While others have opted to be conformists, innovators, ritualistic, or use retreatism, she can be rebellious to achieve her objectives in a manner that she considers best for her …show more content…
given the situation she finds herself in. Based on the five adaptation strategies that Robert Merton highlights in his theory of strain, Samantha White can be nest described as a rebellious person.
Consequently, she can use this theory to be informed on how best to use her rebellious attitude to achieve her intentions in changing and improving the society she lives in. As a rebellious person Samantha White rejects the goals prescribed in the society as well as the means, and is mostly engaged in changing the social structure in the society. Samantha’s determination to change the society she lives in is evident throughout her life as a student. She uses her radio show to ridicule and criticize racism and racial stereotypes propagated in the institution in an attempt to change the minds and behaviors of her listeners on
campus. Therefore, Samantha White can use Merton’s theory of strain to encourage herself and develop her rebellious character in such a way that it can enable her achieve her desired objectives. Since she is outspoken and rebellious, she can motivate herself that she needs to establish her own goals and means of effecting social change. She should reject the goals and means set out by the society and replace them with her own perception of what needs to be done right. in her approach to dealing with the subject of racism. She uses her radio show to fight against racism. She also stands out as a strong wiled woman as she takes great pride in her role as a black activist in the community that is dominated by white students. On the other hand, Samantha seems to disagree with Alfred Schutz’s theory of symbols, which argues that people can find more value in their shared meanings of the symbols they value in the community. This theoretical perspective does not consider the divisive nature of the concept of racism. Racism is deeply entrenched in the society that Samantha White lives in, to the extent that it is not easy for the community to have shared meanings on how to address the challenges they face with racism. Therefore, the problem can only be confronted with a rebellious attitude that the spirit of Samantha’s activism embraces. Furthermore, the theory by Alfred Schutz may not be suitable to Sam White, who is strong woman with a strong sense of duty as concerns her personal identity. This has earned her a lot of support as well as criticisms from her colleagues almost in equal measure. The theory demands that she conforms to what the society interprets to be the meanings of the shared symbols. However, her rebellious nature may not put her in a position to conform to existing or established meanings as far as the subject of race and racism are concerned in her society.
Merton’s theory consists of five things. Conformity is when one accepts conventional goals and strive to earn those goals through socially accepted means. The kids in the neighborhood, their shared beginning, could most likely not afford to attend college at USC. So some of them could apply for a community college. But realistically college was not a common goal for the kids, completing high school and going was even struggle. In their shared beginning we see innovation the most. The people accepting cultural goals, but rejecting the accepting way of achieving them. Instead of getting a job to have these means, they often resort to selling jobs or living off of robberies. They want money and items money can buy, but they do not want to have a job or work. This relates to all of the gang activity we see. Parents in the neighborhoods however, can be applied to ritualism. Single mother’s working one or two minimum wage jobs to support their families. They gave up on achieving the goal, but they still continue to practice the socially accepted practices for obtaining jobs. They are working these minimum wage, under-paid jobs forever to support their family. While some parents ae resulting to ritualism, even more result to retreatism in these communities. They are completely rejecting the accepted ways of achieving goals. Drug addicts and alcoholics are a common scene in the movie, those people fit into this category. Gangs which are the most common theme and factor in the movie is compared to rebellion. These people reject accepted goal and means, while replacing them with new ones. Gang activity in the movie in a sense of family and acceptance by creating their own goals and
Even though racial discrimination may not be as prevalent in the present day society, many African American men and women believe that they do not experience the same opportunities as the white race. Media in general plays such an active role in bringing more information about racial discrimination and how it is still occurring today. But media can also bring negative effects to the struggle in living up to social standards to today’s society “norms”. Anna Mae was very brave in lying about her identity to become someone she really wanted to be. But, I feel she should have never had to have done that. He story just goes to show how the power of society can change you as a human being. It can make you believe that you must change your identity in order to “fit in” which I find to be very sad. I think that more people in this world need to stand up to theses stereotypes of being the “perfect American” and say that no one is perfect in this world and everyone is created by the most perfect human God. Overall, racial discrimination is a part of our everyday lives and "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" can still speak to us today, even with the play set in a time 80 years
Anne Moody’s memoir, Coming of Age in Mississippi, is an influential insight into the existence of a young girl growing up in the South during the Civil-Rights Movement. Moody’s book records her coming of age as a woman, and possibly more significantly, it chronicles her coming of age as a politically active Negro woman. She is faced with countless problems dealing with the racism and threat of the South as a poor African American female. Her childhood and early years in school set up groundwork for her racial consciousness. Moody assembled that foundation as she went to college and scatter the seeds of political activism. During her later years in college, Moody became active in numerous organizations devoted to creating changes to the civil rights of her people. These actions ultimately led to her disillusionment with the success of the movement, despite her constant action. These factors have contributed in shaping her attitude towards race and her skepticism about fundamental change in society.
Anne Moody had thought about joining the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), but she never did until she found out one of her roommates at Tougaloo college was the secretary. Her roommate asked, “why don’t you become a member” (248), so Anne did. Once she went to a meeting, she became actively involved. She was always participating in various freedom marches, would go out into the community to get black people to register to vote. She always seemed to be working on getting support from the black community, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. Son after she joined the NAACP, she met a girl that was the secretary to the ...
Pauli Murray was a double minority. She was plagued by being visibly black and a woman. These are labels that held her back and caused her great discrimination and pain throughout her life. Pauli Murray labeled the disfavor she faced because of her skin color and sex “Jim Crow” and “Jane Crow”, respectively. She used these terms to help pinpoint and vanquish the problems that people facing such discrimination encountered in society. I will identify the ways “Jim Crow” and “Jane Crow” both had a hand in discriminating against people like Pauli Murray, and the many key differences in the ways they affected lives and were indoctrinated in society.
Elias Boudinot’s speech “An Address to the Whites” was first given in the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, in May 1826. The speech sought white American support of the Cherokees in further assimilation into white society and for aid in this endeavour, as well as making a case for coexistence in an effort to protect the Cherokee Nation. Specifically, the “Address to the Whites” was part of Boudinot’s fundraising campaign for a Cherokee assembly and newspaper. Boudinot himself was Cherokee, though he had been taken from America and educated by missionaries at the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall. This upbringing gave Boudinot a unique perspective on the issue of the Cherokee position
She establishes "the 'do' and the 'don't' of behavior" (Smith 132) in her children and believes, "If you could just keep from them all the things that must never be mentioned, all would be well!" (Smith 142). At the same time, the southern white woman sits atop the pedestal of Sacred Womanhood that her husband and his ancestors built for her (Smith 141). She meekly sits there, a symbol of southern society used to benefit men's ideals, feeling empty and powerless against everything going on around her (Smith 141-2). The whispers in her children's ears and her presence on that pedestal fulfill the white woman's role as protectress of Southern Tradition, but does not fulfill the southern white woman. In fact, the roles of the southern black woman and the southern white woman are equally important and equally oppressive: "In a culture where marriage and motherhood were women's primary roles, neither black nor white women were free to be fully wives or mothers, and neither were able to shield their children from the physical and psychic destruction of the racist society in which they lived" (Gladney 6).
When she first is confronted by the problem or race it hits her with a thump. Bob takes Alice to dinner where she states, “I don’t want feel like being refused” (55). Alice does what she can to avoid the face of racism. She lacks the integration within the different community, which gives her a one-path perspective. While going to the restaurant with Bob, he asks, “Scared because you haven’t got the white folks to cover you” (55)? She doesn’t have the protection of her friends or her parents to shy away from the truth of her being African American. She is hiding behind a mask because she’s passing as white. She’s accepting the assumption that she belongs to their culture. When she goes out, “with white folks the people think you’re white” (60). But, when she goes out with Bob there is nothing to hide behind. She’s confronted with the truth. Already feeling low about the restaurant, and getting pulled over by the cops, she uses her wealth to get out of the situation. She says, “I am a supervisor in the Los Angeles Welfare” (63). The power of her family shows that she be treated better by the cops and others in the
She leaves behind her family in order to pursue what she believes is the greater good. She leaves behind a family of nine, living in extreme poverty, to live with her biological father—who runs out on her at a young age to satisfy his need to feel big and important, simply based on anxieties about the hardships around him. Moody comes from a highly difficult and stressful situation, but she stands as the only hope for her starving family and leaves them behind for a life of scholarship and opportunity. This memoir leaves the reader with a sense of guilt for Moody’s decisions, and one may even argue that these decisions happened in vain, as the movement never made a massive impact on race relations. Unfortunately for Moody, she would continue to witness atrocious hate crimes up until the year of her
Blacks encroaching upon the power structure which is integral to her behavior have forced her to either reassess her behavior, or substantiate it. She is an old woman, whose meaning to life is reliant upon segregation, and she will, in every case, opt for the latter, In her discourse with her son, Julian, she proudly refers to a great-grandfather who was a slave owner, the tragedy of "half-whites", and, as proof for not riding integrated buses alone, a large Black passenger sitting adjacent to her, reading a newspaper. Her mani...
Bob and Alice had different methods in doing so. Bob is disgusted with the existence of racism and the amount of inequality and injustice that hinders his life. With every inch of his body, Bob attempts to fight the war of racism and eliminate the detrimental effects it has on individuals of color. The rejected feeling Bob gets when in the vicinity of white people, or even high class light skin blacks, makes him feel “like an intruder and it made [him] slightly resentful” (49). By not feeling welcome in society, even at his own girlfriend’s house, Bob begins to feel powerless and dehumanized. When speaking with Tom Leighton, a well-off white man, Bob shares his perspective on the proper method to solve the problem of racism. He declares, “The only solution to the Negro problem is a revolution. We’ve got to make white people respect us and the only thing white people have ever respected is force” (89). When Tom questions the legitimacy of a revolution solely funded and run by blacks, Bob responds that success will not arise unless the white people actively support the black cause. Bob’s comment demonstrates his strong views towards society. He realizes that white people are the ones with power, and to bring any change, the whites must agree and want it. The only feasible manner to do so in Bob’s eyes is to bring resistance to their intolerable
Race, as a general understanding is classifying someone based on how they look rather than who they are. It is based on a number of things but more than anything else it’s based on skin's melanin content. A “race” is a social construction which alters over the course of time due to historical and social pressures. Racial formation is defined as how race shapes and is shaped by social structure, and how racial categories are represented and given meaning in media, language and everyday life. Racial formation is something that we see changing overtime because it is rooted in our history. Racial formation also comes with other factors below it like racial projects. Racial projects seek
A post racial society is a society where racism and prejudice no longer exists. Barack Obama is the first African American to be the president of the United States. Some believe that since he was elected, there is no more racism and that we are now living in a post racial society. Although we have a black leader, racism still exists in many ways. While we have a black president, we are not living in post-racial America considering the existence of white privilege, the wage gap, and inequality in education.
Ann Perkins, Jones’ character, is supposed to be an ethnically ambiguous person and in reality, Rashida is biracial (Glamour). Leslie Knope, the white protagonist of the series, frequently uses words like ‘exotic’, ‘tropical’, and ‘ethnically ambiguous’ when complimenting Ann. The ‘compliments’ also act as the only instances where race is spoken about in reference to Ann’s character. One would believe that Leslie’s constant complimenting of Ann is beneficial to viewers with a biracial identity, but there are some serious problems with Leslie’s behavior. There has been an historical and recent fascination with ‘mixed’ children. This fascination has crossed over into fetishizatoin of biracial or mixed children and people. Biracial people are seen less as people and more as a kind of spice that bell hooks mentions in her work “Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance” (21). They are something that helps liven up the blandness of the pervasive white culture. Another harmful aspect of Ann’s depiction relates to her class. In Edison’s work, she notes that “biracial individuals living in a middle- and upper-class environments are more likely to be perceived as biracial (rather than black) than those living in working- and lower-class environments” and that “‘color blind’ portrayals of middle- and upper-class Black and biracial characters support the notion that race no longer matters (at least for middle- and upper-class people)” (Edison, 302; 304). Ann’s character is a successful college-educated nurse which is not problematic until one realizes that her race is never truly discussed. This feeds into the stereotype that race does not matter and that all people in the U.S. have the same opportunities. Again, the lack of racial representation leaves one character the duty of depicting a whole group of
Essay 1: WRITE A COHERENT ESSAY IN WHICH YOU ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THE USE OF BLACK ICONIC IMAGES (AND OTHER ETHNIC IMAGES) TO SELL PRODUCTS AS THE ECONOMY OF MASS CONSUMPTION EXPANDED IN THE LATE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY. YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO INCLUDE IMAGES IN YOUR PAPER! During the 19th and 20th century, America –mostly white collar, middle class Americans- saw a great increase in salaries and a huge rise in mass production which paved the way for the modern American consumerism which we know today. The advertising scene saw a dramatic boost during that period and tried to latch on to this growing pool of emerging consumers. Although only limited to print, advertising during this pivotal period showed panache and reflected American society and popular culture.