Structural Functionalism In Soylent Red

After viewing the film, apply both the structural functionalist and symbolic interactionist theories to some aspect of the film. How are they related? Structural functionalism is defined as a paradigm based on the assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate parts. This theory was apparent in Soylent Green because although the plot was placed in 2020, there were obvious roles each member of society took on and they were all expected to not step out of their roles. For example, the rich were given the best food, housing and clothing, while the poor were living in the streets and abandoned cars and were given much less healthy food. The police were there to make sure the poor didn’t step out of line, which was shown

I think one of the biggest applications of this theory is the food situation. In 2022, actual food as we know it now was both rare and extremely expensive. Because of this, the Soylent Corporation produced Soylent Red, Soylent Yellow and Soylent Green. Soylent Red and Soylent Yellow were both not very nutritious or tasty, whereas Soylent Green was said to be made with plankton and was much more nutritious and tasty than both Soylent Red and Yellow. Social Interactionism comes into play when it is shown who gets what. If you get real food, as we know it today, you are able to pay large amounts of money for the specialty rare food. The richer of the poor are granted the also rare Soylent Green and the poor are given rations of Soylent Red and Soylent Yellow. Without Symbolic Interactionism, these different foods are just that, foods. However, when the theory is applied, it is show that these different foods are given meaning and in this movie, they are an indicator of the socioeconomic status of