Sociological Imagination Paper

C. Wright Mills theory of sociological imagination is the one sociological principle that has resonated with me more than any other theory in Sociology with Marxism being a close second. Even before taking any classes in the humanities or social science fields, I unknowingly used sociological imagination framework in my life on almost a daily basis. Since becoming aware of political matters in grade school through music, race and class, I began to critically analyze connections of public policies that affect my enviroment.
My sociological imagination was first shaped by and brought out by music in middle and high school, specifically Punk rock music. Many early bands from the late 70’s began their careers by being critical of societal norms,

some groups went beyond critiquing society to advocating anti-establishmentism and the creation of a classless system . Even though the music was already decades old when I began listening to it, many of its themes seared in my mind because of its relevance to current affairs. One band in particular was a british punk band by the name of The Clash, was not only critical of domestic policies under Margaret Thatcher but it was also critical of foreign policy. Their music spoke of foreign proxy wars and human rights violations, as a student in the 8th grade this information was out of my dept. After listening to The Clash specifically, I became immersed in Punk music and learned about new social topics such as racism, sexuality, social inequality etc.
Social inequality was a major theme that was heavily mentioned in Punk rock music that was relatable in my personal life. Growing up in a lower class immigrant neighborhood I was raised believing that my class status was acceptable and normal. Before listening to Punk, I was oblivious to social problems in my immediate surroundings, I knew they existed but saw them as a social norm and never questioned the class structure. The music has heavily shaped my political thought, Punk has historically been related to left leaning politics, the actual Punk rock (movement) has been closely linked to socialist and most notably anarchist organizations or cooperatives. Followers of the music may not consider themselves as a “Punk” they do fall under the term as a subculture.
Punk falls under the sociological category of subculture since it is culture within a broader mainstream culture, with its own set of values, practices. Examples of this can be seen in the style of fast paced music that is out of the norm of pop, also the radical lyrical content. Another aspect of that forms punk into a subculture is its views on sexuality and politics. While most of society falls on one corner of the political scale, followers of punk tend to fall within all sides of the far left, their political activism can be seen as also very drastic. When it comes to things like sexuallity, most of the world would fall on the heterosexual side of the Kinsey scale. As a result of of the subcultures characteristics, Punk could be linked to the sociological theory of deviancy. Émile Durkheim believed that deviance is a necessary part of society. One way deviance is functional, he argued, is that it challenges people’s present views (1893), in this case the views are politics and sexuality that serve as a catalyst of social change within a functionalist society . Even though Punk and its related themes helped shape my sociological imagination, there are is a more immediate variable that have shaped my sociological input in society.
In 20015, According to the U.S Census Bureau, Hispanics are considered the largest ethnic group in California.

Even though the term Hispanic might not be politically or historically correct, it is however a term that for legal purposes I associate with. The term Hispanic is something I have been categorized in all my life (even though I would consider myself a Mexican-American), being Hispanic is part of my cultural identity. Despite the fact that Hispanics are the majority in California, their cultural influence is still not considered mainstream. Marxist philosopher and social theorist Antonio Gramsci believed in the theory of Cultural Hegemony; when one ideology, or worldview, dominates, it suppresses or stamps out, often cruelly, any other ways of explaining reality(cite) . I believe that we are currently living in hegemonic society where our ideas as immigrants, minorities or Spanish speakers are being excluded by the ruling class. An example of this can be seen by government classification of “hispanics”. This term is meant to encompass millions of people that might only share a common language (Spanish), or the fact that they are the descendents of people that once or still live in a former Spanish Colony. In the book Cuban Americans in the Media, author Christine Lomieer details the relationship between the Americas largest spanish speaking media outlets and its corporate leaders. It is noted in the book that many of Univision and Telemundo's corporate leaders are former Cuban ex patriots that have far right leanings due their political situation in Cuba, these right wing leanings influence much of the media content. A conflict theorist like Gramsci would argue Spanish speaking media outlets are creating a hegemonic culture that runs parallel with other more moderate or English speaking media in the United States, the reasoning of this would be that the elite are trying influence or change the political leanings of spanish speaking population, even though

the Pew research foundation has noted that Hispanics have been consistently voting to the left. I believe that most media outlets have are influenced by unbiased sources that have the capacity to have an effect on content.
My sociological imagination has changed over the years primarily because of race, music and class. I tend to refrain from reading major media outlets in regards to news or public opinion due to the fact of what I believe to be the biased nature of the content they produce. The only media sources that help shape my understanding on issue are usually public interest organizations or non-profit public media outlets. A few of these outlets are geared toward a certain readers because of race, class or political ideology.