The Saints And The Roughnecks Summary

1) Short Answer Questions

Structural Functionalism is the sociology theory that emphasizes how everything and everyone has a purpose in society. That each and every one of us is a puzzle piece that comes together in order to form a society, any missing puzzle piece would result in the downfall or shortcomings of the whole society. Whether this may be religion, education, economy, etc, all of these structures much work together in order to have a flourishing society where everyone works uniformly. Stability is achieved when everyone fulfills their duty is society.
Symbolic Interactionism approaches things differently. With Symbolic Interactionism, we analysis how certain objects or events have interpretations pre attached to them. Whether

these interpretations be factual or not, how we interpret the situation can greatly change how we perceive and access the situation of things. This is why interactionists are completely responsible with their society, we are the ones who make these perceptions and these social norms. It isn’t so much the society shaping us, but how we shape society and the status quo.
Conflict Theory deals more with how conflict is the driving force in society. That it is conflict itself that causes change in society and what makes us push forward. As long as there is a society, there will always be people who want to control others in order to accomplish their own selfish agendas. Whether this means they gain more wealth or get higher positions in society, conflicts are seen in every society. These conflictions then lead to change because revolutions are bound to spur, marching us closer to a better, more equal society.

2) Short answers
Symbolic Interactionism
In the article “The Saints and the Roughnecks” by William J.

Chambliss, we see how two groups of troublemakers living in the same town can grow up to very different outcomes solely based on their labels in society. The roughnecks, being less fortunate, do most of their crimes in the city where people can see them and label them. On the other hand, the Saints were more middle class and had access to automobiles, allowing them to do things elsewhere where fellow townspeople would not see. The roughnecks were also told that they would never amount to anything causing lower self-esteem umost these kids. The saints being more perceived as good kids and were expected to do well in life, giving them a must higher

self-esteem.
As we can see here, these are forms of Symbolic Interactionism. “ Even if the Saints had been less discreet, their favorite delinquencies would have been perceived as less serious than those of the roughnecks” (Chambliss 16). The whole idea of how the saints were perceived and labeled as good kids from early on allowed them to build the self esteemed they need to become successful in life. This goes also with why the Roughnecks who acted more violently solely based on their labels. The roughnecks acted more violently not so much because they were violent in nature, but because the society as a whole has placed these Roughnecks as a symbolism of bad and wrong doings. Thus the roughnecks are acting as what they are labeled as. This shows us how society categorizes people and attach interpretations solely from what they see. Even though the Saints did just the same heinous crimes as the roughnecks, the saints grew up to live better lives because they had the backing of the society and the innocence they need to get away from any troubles.

b) Structural Functionalism
The excerpt “ Some Principles of Stratification” by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore, explores the ideas of how a society needs its stratifications to function. “ Every position that secures for its incumbent a livelihood is, by definition, economically rewarded” (Davis and Moore 246). People must be be motivated to in order to fill these tasks in society. For example being a doctor requires years of studious medical school, but in return they will receive a higher income and higher social status. This motivates people because not everyone will have the academics to attain jobs of high social status, thus leading them to fulfill other fields.
This doesn’t by any means mean that not being a person of high social status means you are useless in society because all professions are equally useful in society. Take for example a garbageman or garbage men. Although he or she isn’t perceived in society as highly as say a doctor, but never the less he or she is just as important as they keep our streets clean and organized.

c) Conflict Theory
The excerpt “Marx On the History of His Opinions and Communist Manifesto”, Marx explains how in a capitalist society people are separated into two groups. The proletarian in society are the working class workers who provide the labor forces for the bourgeois. As a capitalist society, Marx points out the flaws of this system because we clearly see how the bourgeois is only getting more affluent leaving the proletarians in economic unrest. As the gap between the upper class and lower class increases, the disappearance of the middle class will eventually call for a new age of society. Though Karl Marx despise the ways of the capitalist society because he sees how much conflicts arises from class differences, even a communist like him can’t help but point out all the very apparent benefits of a capitalist society. For one thing, capitalism has launch an era of mass production. The amount of goods and how efficiently we go about to produce them seems to never stop increasing. The idea that we are only truly free in society when we live in a society of abundance really exemplifies the capitalist ways. For this reason capitalism is necessary, but not the final form of society as a revolution is bound to happen when the proletarian has had enough of the greedy selfish bourgeois agendas.
We can clearly establish here the Conflict theory use by Karl Marx. The idea that it is conflict that is the root cause for change. The whole idea of conflict theory comes from the idea our society is in constant conflict because it is constantly trying to improve.That the proletarians are always in conflict with the bourgeoisie because they demand equality and a better society for everyone, not just the rich.

3) Essay Question
We live in a society where resources are limited and wants are unlimited.

For this reason, conflicts are bound to arise because not everyone is getting what they want. This unsettlement and resentment will eventually lead to the inevitable economic disorder we see today as described by Karl Marx over 100 years ago. The capitalist Society initially promised that everyone will benefit, that we will all become wealthy as long as we put in the hard work. It is through our hard work and dedication where success will come. We’ve evolved away from the old feudal ways where you were just born into you economic background and you would remain there until you next life. This old idea of feudalism was abolished because we realize that we are all created equal, what makes you royal is your flesh and blood is the same as I. Feudalism also did not promote any incentive to work hard because you only produced enough for your king and for yourself. Eventually people had their wants and Hennce the inevitable birth of Modern day Capitalism. Through first forms of trading in the medieval time with other kingdoms, we saw early forms of specialism. Like how modern day countries have their very own specialized good, Saudi Arabia with their oil for example, we can use these goods to trade for goods or services. What is creates is efficiency. Though Capitalism is truly a powerful and very efficient in society as we’ve produced more than we ever did, there are certain flaws that are bound arise as

pointed out by Karl Marx in his Communist Manifesto (1848). Economic inequality is seen when there is a gradual disappearance of the middle class. The rich only gets richer through their greedy capitalist ways and the lower class suffers and grows as a result. This is apparent when we see huge business with CEO getting bigger and bigger paychecks while the workers get laid off and pay cuts all in order to maximize profit. As Karl Marx puts it, “ The lower middle class, the small manufacturer, the shopkeeper, the artisan, the peasant, all these fight against the bourgeoisie, to save from extinction their existence as fractions of the middle class” (Marx 482). This phenomenon is what leads Karl Marx to believe that Communism, the final form of society. “We traced the more or less veiled civil war, raging within existing society, up to the point where that war breaks out into open revolution, and where the violent overthrow of the bourgeoisie lays the foundation for the sway of the proletariat” (Marx 483). People get fed up with with being in the lower class much like how peasants in Feudal times with their Kings and lords.
Even with this major flaw of capitalism though, capitalism is completely necessary as Karl Marx Argues because in order to achieve true economic equality, society as a whole must have the means of production in order to make enough for everyone. There must have e a enough made for everyone before we can move onward to communism. With capitalism, we have this efficacy and means of production, helping us Segway into communism. This use of conflict theoretical approach used by Karl Marx is the best way to illustrate the causes and consequences of economic inequality because Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto is a step by step guide pointing out the good and bad of our society when we were in the Feudal and Capitalist era. We clearly see how one way of society leads to another through its natural ways. It is in this Communist Manifesto where Karl Marx points out how each of these ways of governing works and how each is flawed, facts are laid out and directed allowing us to see every side.
When we try to look at what causes economic inequality through the viewpoint of a structural functionalist, you start to see many flaws in the view. “It should be stressed however, that a position does not bring power and prestige because it draws a high income. Rather, it draws high income because because it is functionally important and the available personnel is for one reason or another scarce” (Davis and Moore 247). But what makes that person of power deservant of a high income? How did they categorize them in that order? If some abilities in society were innate, then does society even need to have a reward system of a higher income? All these unanswered questions leaves me to think that the use of Structural Functionalism is a bit flawed as we don’t know the exact process to their final conclusion.
Though the causes of economic inequality and its consequences is hard to pinpoint as there are so many other factors that can come into play, I believe that the conflict theory approach is the best way to illuminate these issues. I say this because we see everyday in the news of conflicts, where multi- million dollar companies like walmart put millions of small businesses to bankruptcy because the wealthy bourgeoisie has the power over them. This is what causes the economic inequalities, the ongoing conflicts between the bourgeoisie and the working class proletarian.