Social Class in the US today

Before reading the chapter in the text and spending some time on the People Like Us website, I probably would have said that social class in the US today affects some parts of our lives but that it doesn't have nearly the same effect as in other parts of the world or in other time periods. After reading and exploring the website, though, I would have to say that I was mistaken. I don't think that I realized before how much emphasis is placed on social class or how much everyone, including myself, tries to fit into their perceived social class. If I ever contemplated the reasons for why I chose certain consumer goods, I would have attributed it to trying to live a healthy lifestyle, but this, in and of itself, is a part of the middle-class expectation. Everyone wants to look healthy and seem focused on their health, because it is considered ignorant to eat unhealthy foods and avoid exercise. My husband and I had some family coming to visit a few weeks ago, so my grocery shopping was different than it normally is, because I was trying to make sure that our visitors would have foods that they were used to eating. At the grocery store, I found that I was embarrassed by the items that were in my cart that I usually avoid, such as white bread, 2% milk (as opposed to the skim milk that I always buy), and potato chips. At the time, I didn't stop to think about why I was embarrassed, but now I think that it had more to do with my paranoia that people would look in my cart and think that I was in a different class than the one that I perceive myself to be in. This is one demonstration that advertising and consumerism in America are even involved in social class divisions.

Changing Social Connections?

I have become aware, even before reading the text that addresses this issue, that our society is in the middle of a drastic change regarding the way we socially interact. Though the internet and other improvements in technology, such as cell phones, make it easier to keep in touch with people, the dynamic of social interactions is changing. Because it is so easy to keep in touch, I find that I often fail to make the effort to connect with people beyond a surface-level interaction. For example, if I haven't talked to a friend in awhile, I might send a text message or write a short note to them on facebook, but I won't actually call them or make an effort to get together to actually catch up. When I make such a minimalistic effort to keep in touch, it does keep the relationship going, but probably makes it suffer in the end, due to the lack of contact or actual conversation. I think that today, this is true for many people, and that it will increase as more and more people become comfortable with using technology and as people get used to this form of communication. I think that most people who use social networks like facebook probably have a larger number of acquaintances/friends, but that they have less of a connection with their close friends than before.

The Criminal Justice System

While reading the text for this week, I found the concept of shaming very interesting as a form of punishment. The text mentioned that Japan uses this approach to crime and that only 5% of convicted criminals spend time in jail.

Living in Japan for the past four years, I had the opportunity to observe some of their reactions to Americans, in particular to Americans living in their country. The dynamic between the US military and the Okinawans is interesting, in that the Okinawans love the Americans, but they also love to hate us. This is my personal opinion, based on my own observations. The Okinawan media focuses acutely on the individual actions of US military members, especially when a crime is committed, or allegedly committed, against an Okinawan.

I think that the Okinawans' reactions to crimes being committed by US servicemembers against Okinawans are possibly being made worse by the US military's attempts to assure Okinawans that something is being done to help the problem. For example, if a servicemember was to rob an Okinawan, the US military would react by assuring the Okinawan public that the suspect is in custody and then that the suspect, after being convicted, is in jail. This would probably not be reassuring to Okinawans, however, since they might see jail as a solution that is only used for the most dangerous of criminals because of Japan's use of reintegrative shaming in their criminal justice system.

The Japanese use of shaming and low prison rates also explain Okinawans' strong reactions to people who have been in prison. People who have spent time in prison are seen as dangerous, even more so than in American culture. Tattoos are associated with prison, so much so that in some public bath houses, tattoos are prohibited altogether.

Nature vs. Nurture

I have learned about the nature vs. nurture debate in many classroom settings, and I have had some time to think about my own views regarding this controversy. I believe that both nature and nurture play some role in the development of self, but that nurture's role is much larger. I also believe that nurture can often overpower nature, while the reverse is rarely true.

While listening to the podcast about this topic, I was taken back a bit by the speaker's opinion that people who view nurture as dominant are often people who are looking for social change. I am fairly conservative, and, after learning about the various sociological perspectives in this class, realize that I identify closely with the functionalist school of thought. Overall, I believe that society usually functions successfully, though there are definitely dysfunctional parts, and that trying to change the status quo is often futile. I can see how this view of society as a whole conflicts with a view of nurture as dominant, so it challenged me to try to figure out why I feel the way I do.

In my introspection, I found that when I think of nature vs. nurture, I think mainly of what influence my parents had on me and what influence I will have on my own children. In regards to changing society, I think that people will do what they want to do and what they think is best, regardless of whether they are told they are wrong or that a different way is better. I think that the nurture factor in society is a very specific and individualized concept. People usually raise their own children the way that they learned from their parents. Though some safety campaigns have been helpful, such as the "Back to Bed" campaign that advocates putting babies on their backs to sleep in order to reduce SIDS, most people still have attachments to what they know as best, and they are reluctant to change. Many things need to become a social norm before people will even consider changing what they know. An example of this is breastfeeding. Though it has been known for decades that breastfeeding is healthier for babies and for moms, breastfeeding is just now starting to become a social norm in America, and even then, it is only considered socially acceptable for very young babies in certain situations.

In conclusion, I do believe that nurture plays a more dominant role than nature, but that nurture is not something that can easily be changed in society.