Cunningham, Kamy. [1993] 2005. "Barbie Doll Culture and the American Waistland". Pp. 39-42 in Understanding Society, 2nd ed., edited by Margaret L. Andersen, Kim Logio, and Howard Taylor. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc.
Reflecting on ideals of beauty, Cunningham describes American culture's (current) obsession with long legs and skinny waists on women. The problem, she says, is advertising: "Advertising is so dominate... that 'its messages are the only ones being heard'".
She talks about Barbie dolls with their unrealistic proportions, a giant statue of Cleopatra at Caesar's Palace and the Las Vegas showgirls, the dolled-up "clone women" from Pepsi commercials and MTV videos, and the emotionally and mentally childish Vanna White to demonstrate the prevalence of the one specific image of ideal beauty we see daily, wherever we go, and wherever we look.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Excerpt: September 11, 2001: Mass Murder and Its Roots in the Symbolism of American Consumer Culture
Ritzer, George. [2002] 2005. "September 11, 2001: Mass Murder and Its Roots in the Symbolism of American Consumer Culture". Pp. 33-39 in Understanding Society, 2nd ed., edited by Margaret L. Andersen, Kim Logio, and Howard Taylor. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc.
The terrorist attacks of September 11th were a symbolic attack on American culture, argues social theorist George Ritzer. Indeed, in the aftermath of the attacks many commentators in the mass media remarked that the attacks were an objection to Americanization abroad while others dismissed this claim and asked "What did we do to deserve this?". In this essay, Ritzer answers this question succinctly by focusing on how one aspect of American culture--consumption--produces hostility towards the Unites States in foreign cultures. Specifically, he examines three aspects that present themselves not only physically but symbolically through their media presence; these aspects "bring with them (a) an American way of doing business, (b) an American way of consuming, and (c) American cultural icons".
The terrorist attacks of September 11th were a symbolic attack on American culture, argues social theorist George Ritzer. Indeed, in the aftermath of the attacks many commentators in the mass media remarked that the attacks were an objection to Americanization abroad while others dismissed this claim and asked "What did we do to deserve this?". In this essay, Ritzer answers this question succinctly by focusing on how one aspect of American culture--consumption--produces hostility towards the Unites States in foreign cultures. Specifically, he examines three aspects that present themselves not only physically but symbolically through their media presence; these aspects "bring with them (a) an American way of doing business, (b) an American way of consuming, and (c) American cultural icons".
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Excerpt: Body Ritual of the Nacirema
Miner, Horace. [1956] 2005. "Body Ritual of the Nacirema". Pp. 28-32 in Understanding Society, 2nd ed., edited by Margaret L. Andersen, Kim Logio, and Howard Taylor. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc.
This is a classic essay to be sure, first appearing in American Anthropologist in 1956 and being reprinted and taught to students of social science ever since.
Miner describes the mysterious Nacirema tribe as an objective social scientist should. He documents their daily rituals for oral cleanliness and visits to the tribal medicine men and herbalists. He notes their obsession with the human body and how they go about preserving and fretting over it, from body rituals undertaken at temples to the efforts taken to conceal bodily functions such as excretion and reproduction.
This is a classic essay to be sure, first appearing in American Anthropologist in 1956 and being reprinted and taught to students of social science ever since.
Miner describes the mysterious Nacirema tribe as an objective social scientist should. He documents their daily rituals for oral cleanliness and visits to the tribal medicine men and herbalists. He notes their obsession with the human body and how they go about preserving and fretting over it, from body rituals undertaken at temples to the efforts taken to conceal bodily functions such as excretion and reproduction.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Excerpt: Leaving Home for College: Expectations for Selective Reconstruction of Self
Karp, David, Lynda Lytle Holmstrom, and Paul S. Gray. [1998] 2005. "Leaving Home for College: Expectations for Selective Reconstruction of Self". Pp. 51-57 in Understanding Society, 2nd ed., edited by Margaret L. Andersen, Kim Logio, and Howard Taylor. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc.
Every year, thousands of American high school students prepare to leave their homes for college. But in spite of being raised to be fervently independent, both they and their parents are ambivalent about this transition. It turns out that achieving independence in America involves complex social psychological processes pertaining to identity construction and group membership.
The students interviewed for this study were all upper-middle-class; all expected to go to college, and their parents expected nothing less. All of them "saw college as the time for discovering who they really were", as the time for abandoning past identities that they disliked and assuming new ones that they did.
Every year, thousands of American high school students prepare to leave their homes for college. But in spite of being raised to be fervently independent, both they and their parents are ambivalent about this transition. It turns out that achieving independence in America involves complex social psychological processes pertaining to identity construction and group membership.
The students interviewed for this study were all upper-middle-class; all expected to go to college, and their parents expected nothing less. All of them "saw college as the time for discovering who they really were", as the time for abandoning past identities that they disliked and assuming new ones that they did.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Excerpt: Navajo Women and the Politics of Identity
Schulz, Amy J. [1997] 2005. "Navajo Women and the Politics of Identity". Pp. 58-69 in Understanding Society, 2nd ed., edited by Margaret L. Andersen, Kim Logio, and Howard Taylor. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc.
Ethnic identification is a large facet of American life, one some say is making a resurgence among young people seeking to create their own identities. Indeed, the processes and structures of group membership is a pivotal topic in social psychology, and it is a necessary subject to understand the construction of reality in everyday life.
Amy Schulz examines the construction and reconstruction of the "American Indian" and, more specifically, "Navajo" ethnicities among women who identify as such. She discusses identity as "including nationality, ethnicity, gender, family, social class, and sexuality", and that "the salience of these identities may vary with situational and political forces". Identities may be deconstructed or reconstructed in response to power shifts between and among groups—a concept known as the politics of identity.
Ethnic identification is a large facet of American life, one some say is making a resurgence among young people seeking to create their own identities. Indeed, the processes and structures of group membership is a pivotal topic in social psychology, and it is a necessary subject to understand the construction of reality in everyday life.
Amy Schulz examines the construction and reconstruction of the "American Indian" and, more specifically, "Navajo" ethnicities among women who identify as such. She discusses identity as "including nationality, ethnicity, gender, family, social class, and sexuality", and that "the salience of these identities may vary with situational and political forces". Identities may be deconstructed or reconstructed in response to power shifts between and among groups—a concept known as the politics of identity.
Excerpt: Gender and Aging
Slevin, Kathleen, and Toni Calasanti. [2001] 2005. "Gender and Aging". Pp. 70-73 in Understanding Society, 2nd ed., edited by Margaret L. Andersen, Kim Logio, and Howard Taylor. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc.
Ageism, much like racism and sexism, allows people to think of others as "different". The influence of capitalism and culture has led to significant changes in our conception of the old in recent decades; images of the old in modern America, the authors argue, have shifted from that of the vulnerable elderly to that of the "greedy geezer" or burdensome old folks.
Economically, the old are dependent on the young for their well-being. The Social Security Act of 1935 is cited as a key step in the institutionalization of retirement, which defines "old" in years and promotes dependence by the old on the state (and, by extension, the younger taxpayers). Certain groups of people qualify for different Social Security and welfare benefits (varying by class, race and ethnicity, gender, and sexuality), with some people who do not have assets becoming more dependent than those who do.
Ageism, much like racism and sexism, allows people to think of others as "different". The influence of capitalism and culture has led to significant changes in our conception of the old in recent decades; images of the old in modern America, the authors argue, have shifted from that of the vulnerable elderly to that of the "greedy geezer" or burdensome old folks.
Economically, the old are dependent on the young for their well-being. The Social Security Act of 1935 is cited as a key step in the institutionalization of retirement, which defines "old" in years and promotes dependence by the old on the state (and, by extension, the younger taxpayers). Certain groups of people qualify for different Social Security and welfare benefits (varying by class, race and ethnicity, gender, and sexuality), with some people who do not have assets becoming more dependent than those who do.
Excerpt: The Genius of the Civil Rights Movement: Can It Happen Again?
Morris, Aldon. [1995] 2005. "The Genius of the Civil Rights Movement: Can It Happen Again?". Pp. 397-403 in Understanding Society, 2nd ed., edited by Margaret L. Andersen, Kim Logio, and Howard Taylor. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc.
African Americans have come a long way since their oppression under slavery, and much of their advancement is due to the efforts of black protesters during the Civil Rights movement. Reflecting on the lasting implications of slavery and subsequent Jim Crow laws, Morris proclaims that the legacy of discrimination lives on; noting the importance of wealth on socioeconomic status, he says that "it was the slave and Jim Crow regimes that prevented Blacks from acquiring wealth that could have been passed down to succeeding generations".
African Americans have come a long way since their oppression under slavery, and much of their advancement is due to the efforts of black protesters during the Civil Rights movement. Reflecting on the lasting implications of slavery and subsequent Jim Crow laws, Morris proclaims that the legacy of discrimination lives on; noting the importance of wealth on socioeconomic status, he says that "it was the slave and Jim Crow regimes that prevented Blacks from acquiring wealth that could have been passed down to succeeding generations".
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