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I.
Collective-violence : Suicide Bombing
After World War II, the structure of violence have changed radically. Violence through war between states have occurred less frequently. On the other hand, collective violence had taken the new form of societal warfare, in which large-scale violence has been targeted more on civilians rather than the military groups (Brym & Lie, 2007). For the past years, a lot of collective-violence against civilians have been perpetrated by suicide bombers, sometimes called the human missiles (Shuman, 2001).
From the article, suicide bombings have spread to dozens of countries on five continents since 1983. This may have been so because of a process of indoctrination among suicide bombers (Shuman, 2001). This is when bombers are driven by certain visions that are reinforced by mentors or terror teachers. Also, this collective-violence serves as a way in which the suicide bombers voice their dissent. Because the bombers feel like they are unfairly discriminated, their status frustration gives them an overwhelming feeling of inflicting fear and terror on their oppressors.
The article also states that suicide bombing is no longer confined to conflict zones but is happening everywhere. This implies that this form of collective violence is now accomplished more easily in most states and locales, probably due to destructive weapons or components of explosives becoming readily available from retail groups, be it legal or not.
Madison Sheena Nazareno Vejerano (08B1904) SP 1107 Reflective Portfolio Assignment Universiti Brunei Darussalam
Today, suicide bombings have occurred more frequently in Iraq and Afghanistan since US invasions (18 April 2008, pA18). These bombings through suicide can be explained through Durkheims theory of altruistic and fatalistic suicide.
Suicide is related to the degree to which a society is integrated. Where integration is high, the individuals will be likely to willingly give up their lives for the society (Neubeck & Neubeck, 1999). Confronted by a seemingly neverending list of threats to their society, engaging in such self-sacrifices result in altruistic suicide. Social integration plays a role in generating suicidal behavior,too. Where members of society accept or condone acts of suicide, rates will be high (Neubeck & Neubeck, 1999). This can be discouraged if indirectly legitimizing and glorifying suicide bombing is avoided. Suicides in Iraq and Afghanistan are likely to be altruistic and fatalistic. The bitter experience of what they see as state terror allows them to commit collective-violence, especially targeted to US troops.
If acts of collective-violence through suicide bombing could be avoided, this would provide nations the opportunity to develop better relations and decrease the societies insecurities from suicide attacks, which are weapons of mass terror that has no known defense.
Corruption
To ensure that public contracts are open to competition and that spending is properly audited, Transparency International sets out laws for contracts made by governments and companies. (Beeston, 2005).
Transparency International is an organization thats working hard to fight corruption. From its annual report, billions of dollars intended for the international publics aid and commodities were misdirected worldwide through bribery in government procurement. The practice of corruption by both government officials and other individuals is one of the most serious issues that should be eliminated as early as possible. This is supported by the article, indicating that what corrupt officials do is not simply unethical but unjust and damaging to the society,too ( in the case of badly constructed buildings, oil-for-food scandals,etc.).
However, functionalist theory provides a more defined explanation to the issue of corruption.
In the society, more specifically in the government and the private companies, powers are dispersed among many competitive groups with different and sometimes conflicting interests. Each groups decisions are all interrelated and interdependent. So, in order for ones interests to be able to function or to be put into motion, one must heavily forge alliance and compromises to other groups in the society (Macionis, 1996).
Inevitably, every group would want to be part of the social system and this would allow for social solidarity. This social solidarity, in turn, makes up a social structure in a society a relatively stable pattern of social behavior ( Macionis, 1996), which in this case is paying commissions or accepting bribes among individuals belonging to certain interest groups. This social structures function to secure concensus between different interest groups, therefore, closing deals and contracts easier and faster.
But also, functionalist theory suggests that not all social structures in a society have positive functions. In the article, paying commissions or accepting bribes causes a dysfunction. This dysfunction undermines social stability as this way to integrate with other groups of the society is abused, resulting to negative functions in both the society and the nation. This is when the commonly used word corruption is used.
From the article, we get to know how corruption has many negative effects. Lastly, in a functionalist approach, it is suggested that this issue of corruption would end if only the social structures are reintegrated or re-established allowing for a change in the societys shared values and norms. In this way, social solidarity can be re-achieved through other non -corruptive ways, e.g. signing deals and obtaining contracts from other groups would no longer rely on bribery.
Family-related Problems: Teenage Motherhood
In our society, the family is regarded as one of the primary agents of socialization. It functions as protection and aid to individuals especially when confronting stressful demands of daily life (Macionis, 1996). Sadly, the socialization function of the family are less pronounced today since the adults (parents) are not readily available for their childrens care. Because the nature of the family changes as more parents spend time at work than supervising kids at home, family-related problems occur. One of these problems not alien to our country is the rise in the number of teenage pregnancy.
This problem may be due to a number of different factors. Firstly, because of improvements in health and nutrition among the population, the age of beginning menstruation and thus suspectibility to becoming pregnant has gone down over the years (Neubeck & Neubeck , 1999). Therefore, the size of the population at risk for pregnancy has grown. Also, in the era of globalization and declining adult supervision, exposure to media and peer group influence confuses how adolescents should respond to different scenarios.
The article I have chosen suggests that two of the main factors that may lead to this problem in our nation is the free and easy behaviour and too much socializing happening among youngsters now. Social ethics that were practiced before are no longer being practiced today (Rohani HAH, 2008). Teens are likely to engage in sex based on
the number of risk factors which includes having a boyfriend or girlfriend, permissive parental values, poor school performance and alcohol and drug use.
Also, there is still a widespread lack of knowledge and misinformation regarding birth control measures among adolescents. The government tries to curb this problem by increasing awareness, but of course sex education remains a controversial subject even today. The teenage population are often embarrassed and scared to discuss such issues and using contraceptive measures may appear inconvenient especially when such measures are not affordable to such young groups.
Another explanation may be due to unplanned sexual intercourse - cases which include date rape or acquaintance rape. These situations wherein the teenage female are sexually coerced is of great issue to feminists the world over. Statistics show that most of unmarried teenage pregnancies are fathered by adults who appear to be manipulative and dominant. This patriarchy and unequal sexual autonomy pose great threats to young female teens. Though abortion may be a hidden option, considering one may be life-threatening. Also, serious health problems are found among many young mothers and their infants. Consequently, the probability of living in hardship is quite high teenage motherhood decreases the possibility of finishing school and securing a job. For those who are fortunate, family and friends may help an adolescent mother cope with the new stress but this help could only go so far. The newfound pressures of parenting may cause serious psychological stress,too.
Overall, this issue implies that despite strict cultural values, our teenagers are indeed sexually active. This is a fact that most adults turn a blind eye on. Although, teenage pregnancy has not yet become a major concern to our nation, prevention would help tackle the rising number in the statistics of teenage pregnancy. Secondly, the cost associated with teenage pregnancies and its aftermath is equally important,too. Lastly, preventing teenage pregnancy is not a job for a single institution and should involve the family, teachers and all relevant institutions and voluntary social support groups (Rohani HAH, 2008).
Functional Illiteracy
Functional illiteracy , in the article, is described as the inability of an individual to use reading, writing and computational skills in everyday life. The articles centers its statistics on adults who are functionally illiterate in the United States, but this in one big issue to the rest of the world, too.
Today, we live in a society that is knowledge-driven. Almost everything necessary to convey information are in the form of text, figures and maps. These objects guide us to function properly in the society, tightly integrating us into one. Members of the society continue their day-to-day activities like reading traffic signs, signing our names, understanding bus schedules, etc. These abilities to read, write and compute form a social structure - a stable pattern of social behaviour which allows for literacy . Literacy, in turn, functions as a major tool for each individuals survival and the societys stability.
However, through the functionalist approach, not all social structures result to functioning. Some dysfunctions occur in the society,too. This is how functional illiteracy occurs in societies. The disability to read, write and possess computation skills defines and separates the society into two the literate population and the illiterate population.
By understanding this in a functionalist perspective, we learn to accept that functional illiteracy is not due to separate individuals, but is a consequence of the social system.
Gender Stratification : Career Women
Today, nations notice gradual changes in the labour force as more and more women enter the workplace. This is due to factors such as the decline of labor-intensive job, the growth of cities, women marrying at a later age, more effective means of contraception, a rising divorce rate, and households that need to rely on more than one income.
Gender guides how we think about ourselves, how we interact with others, and what opportunities and constraints we face throughout our lives (Macionis, 1996). Regardless of the increasing proportions of women in the workplace, their social and economic standing remains disadvantaged, especially for working mothers with the need to balance career and family life. Gender stratification refers to the unequal distribution of wealth, power and privilege between the males and the females (Macionis, 1999). Feminists demands have diminished the way gender has been stratified. Working womens privileges became more pronounced in richer countries because of these movements. Unfortunately, many countries are still not used to this vision of feminism the advocacy of social equality for the sexes (Macionis, 1996). The article I have chosen discusses how Germany, despite being a rich country, is still struggling to secure equal job opportunities for women, especially mothers.
Germany has day-care places for only a sixth of its children under three. Although it was anticipated that as men become fathers, they would share, or to the least, increase their household responsibilities, this was not the case (OConnell, 2003). Mothers are therefore tied back to the gender role of parenting as it is culturally more of a womans responsibility a gender identity. Pregnancy and raising small children keep many women out of the labor force. Because of this pressure, German women are often more reluctant than most in Europe to have children. On the other hand, when career women become mothers, the burden of household labor and other demands of parenting, disables them to maintain fast-paced jobs. German mothers may resolve this problem by taking prolonged leave from work. Businesses often punish women who try to balance motherhood by placing them into mommy tracks that allows limited upward mobility (Neubeck & Neubeck, 1999), which eventually damages their careers.
In Germany, womens average hourly wages are 22% lower than mens. Because until 1957, Germany was driven by capitalism and patriarchy, most employees may still have the mentality that women are justified to earn lower incomes as they perform work that have less value compared to works of the advantaged class the men. (Historically, womens positions appear to be always of subordination to men.)
Because of this societal issues for women, especially working mothers, Germany had promoted changes to support working women, especially mothers. From the article, some of the strategies include introducing parents pay, approving a law to provide
enough day-care slots for children aged three or less, and promoting parental-leave benefits. Germany should also adopt a policy of comparable worth, which means that people should be paid on the basis of education and experience needed to do a job and the stress, responsibilities and working conditions associated with them (Brym and Lie, 2007). This would be helpful in eliminating gender stratification in the workplace, especially now that girls in Germany earn more than half of the university degrees and research shows that girls obtain better marks than the boys in school.
Though the article working mothers, unite! focuses primarily in the country of Germany, the issue is of relative importance to other parts of the world, too. Because social change is always slow, trying to eliminate gender stratification earlier would provide nations a lot of benefit. Since cultural expectations of gender divides the full range of human qualities into masculinity and feminity (Macionis, 1996), gender equality especially in the workplace, would allow every individuals to enrich themselves and reach their full-potential, which in turn, may contributes to a non-discriminatory and a more productive society.
Mental Illness
From the article, we see how mental illness is stigmatized in Brunei Darussalam. Though 10% of Bruneians actually suffer from minor mental disorders (depression, insomnia, anorexia, etc.), most patients fail to seek medical treatment. This may be due to eastern supernatural beliefs or for the fear of being called mentally ill. The latter occurs because in our society, mentall illness is synonymous to being abnormal and dangerous.
The symbolic meaning of a mental illness is especially important to this issue how our society label people suffering from mental illness. Because our human environment is structured largely around commonly accepted rules and norms of how normal people should behave, most people treat persons with mental illness with stereotypical judgement (social constructionism). Mentally ill patients are expected to behave in a rigid and inaccurate way abnormal and dangerous. Through the media (linking mental disorders to acts of crime e.g.serial killers ) and everyday conversations, a social stigma is created to discredit mentally ill patients.
Also, mentally ill patients tend to self-fulfill the prophecy of acting crazy. They are likely to internalize and live out the mentally ill label rather than try to oppose the stereotypically expected acts of a sick person.
Therefore, with these reasons, people who wish to seek medical assistance to remedy their mental disorders do not always do so. As medical authorities scientifically
associate the word mental illness to a patient, that patient may face problems in living or be alienated from existing social arrangements (Neubeck & Neubeck, 1999).
If this stereotyping of mental illness continues, this barrier would lead to bigger problems in the society. Early detection and medical treatment helps because chances of complete recovery would be more (Han, 2007). This means that mental illness can be remedied even before it becomes serious, creating less burden to friends and families ( lowering costs of paying for treatment) as well as the nation (less expenses in running mental institutions).
Public Outrage: Food Shortage
The article A Furious Hunger talks about how the prices of food staples and other commodities are rising to a level beyond the purchasing power of the worlds poor. Recently, this rocketing food prices have sparked riots in Mexico, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Senegal and many more countries. The spike in the worlds prices may have been triggered by factors like climate change and global warming, making harvest seriously difficult. However, one wonders why billions of people are buying ever-greater quantities of food especially in booming China and India (Walt, 2008).
Because social stratification perpetuates unequal economic rewards, it creates the have and have nots. As Conflict Theory suggests, this inequality arise to conflicts in society.
In the likely situation that the world may actually run short of food, the richer class invests vast amounts of money into commodities, further speeding up their price rise (Walt, 2008). Because wealth is generally concentrated in the hands of a few, they have the privilege to influence decisions that may directly or indirectly affect the society.
The privileged class has wealth that makes possible a great deal of luxurious consumption. With an ongoing supply of wealth, even the drastic price rise in food and the spiraling down of the value of money does not affect the privileged classs ability to spend and consume. In many countries, the privileged class also manages to earn fortunes
at the expense of the lower class. Food prices are rising faster than earnings of the poor and working-class (Walt, 2008). So, as the rich gets richer, the worlds poor are ravaged and most members of the working class struggle to survive each day food prices spike up. Over time, the growing class of families who can no longer afford food in their local stores (Walt, 2008) oppose the class of the wealthy many of whom are food-rotation owners, authoritarian and corrupt officials, who possess an inordinate degree of economic power.
Because the economically powerful try to maintain the privileges between themselves, the economic resources that are left after the rich have taken out their share have to be divided among the many poor. This may be the cause of riots and demonstrations of the public against rising prices.
If this protests, riots and demonstrations are not controlled, this would pose a great threat to nations. One way to avoid this is to eliminate the great economic disparities between the worlds rich and the poor. By lessening the disparities, nations secure a fairer supply of its societys basic needs, ensuring selfless survival for each member of the society. As an example, in the poorest parts of Asia and Africa, sky-high food prices might actually lift a small population of farmers out of poverty if only the rich world agreed to cut agricultural subsidies in the current round of trade talks (Walt, 2008).
Same- Sex Marriage
Homosexuality have been present in every society. Historically, homosexual acts in societies have been forbidden and are even punishable by death. This practices still remain in some parts of the world, though most societies views of homosexuality have changed over time.
The legalizing of same-sex marriage in California is just one example of how social views can change.
Same-sex marriage was viewed as deviant and abnormal because historically, societies expected men to marry only women and vice versa. This stigma that people create against gays operates as a master status that overpowers other dimensions of identity, so that gays are diminished and discredited in the minds of others in the society (Macionis, 1996). Today, gays and lesbians have become more confident of their
sexuality; they have built large communities and subcultures and are able to demand equal rights with the heterosexual majority, through parades and political pressure groups. By this continuous efforts, the gays and lesbians themselves have validated nonofficial viewpoints that increased understanding and tolerance of homosexuals (Brym & Lie, 2007).
Although conservatives have reasons for their objections against same-sex relationships, research have proven that gay and lesbian couples have many strengths in
marriage. This is because gay couples, obviously of the same sex, appear to eliminate gender stratification in marriage. Gay couples divide household labor more equitably, earn roughly the same amount of income and have the same gender socialization. This makes gay couples less insecure about each other and promotes stronger marriage solidarity. Because of continued exposures of gays, more and more people are starting to change the way they see homosexual couples and change the negative labels they have attached to the way homosexuals live their lives.
Same-sex marriage, which was deviant a few hundred years ago, can now be legitimized. This implies that deviance and conformity are flexible (Brym & Lie, 2007). Symbolic Interactionism suggests that it is all a matter of how people attach meanings to homosexuality and the way homosexuals interact with other members of the society.
Migrant Children: Schooling and Educational Issues
The article Huddled Classes revolves around the educational performance of students in different countries as evaluated by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Most policymakers whose PISA rankings had been low have claimed that this had been caused by a great influx of the wrong sort of immigrants who by cultural (and economic) backgrounds do not place much value on their childrens education. This article,on the other hand, discusses how the policymakers claim are not to all extent true, and how other factors such as the school system and educators itself influence the countrys overall attainment.
The article had identified four credible types of migrant children (whose country of origin are either Turkey, China, the former Soviet Union or ex-Yugoslavia) exposed to varying educational systems.
From the article, the curricula around a system of tracking pupils into divisions of different educational programs provides one explanation for the PISA results among the migrant children from Turkey. Tracking usually functions as a gatekeeper which often simply reaffirms the migrant childrens position in class children of poor, illeducated parents. The educators assume that these children were destined and would be used to similar futures, and therefore place the children into the less academical tracks. The earlier and more rigid the children are placed into these tracks, the more the children become aware of their labels. Being labeled as those who do not understand much, the
situation of not understanding much becomes real. In the interactionist point of view, this process of acting as if a situation is real and eventually transforming it into reality is called the self-fulfilling prophecy (Neubeck & Neubeck, 1999). Here, the educators prophecy that the migrant children did not understand much has been fulfilled.
On the other hand, in Denmark, where there is no tracking system, the poor PISA results among the migrant children may be due to the unequal school funding - the differing expenditures from one school to another. The more affluent communities can provide more money for school funding in quality education. The immigrants, most of whom are economically poor, however, cannot afford and keep up with the more affluent school standards, so they are more likely to be disadvantaged in terms of educational quality.
Tracking if fairly based on the students academic performance alone does not produce a wholly negative effect (Though generally, performance in academic subjects tend to reflect the environmental advantages associated with class background). In Hong Kong, where tracking school-children also exist, the migrant children from mainland China are not likely to be differentiated since there, which track a child ends up on has less to do with the parents socioeconomic background.
The host countrys educational environment is another explanation. The Chinese immigrants in Australia among the worlds best performers, do not experience great disparity in socio-cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. This is because the
Australian system allows for diversity within schools, which in turn brings out the students full potential. . The difference in the hours of schooling in their home country and in the country the migrant children are currently in affects their performance, too. This explanation is supported by the migrant children from former Soviet Union and exYugoslavians result in the PISA.
These explanations give support to rejecting the claim that the policymakers had made. In fact, from the article, the OECD have said that countries with more immigrants do slightly better because of the migrant childrens increased motivation. These
motivation may come from what they see from their parents - their willingness to socialize and survive in the new environment by accepting dominant cultures and beliefs, transmitted through schools.
In my opinion, the educational attainment of a country will only improve to the extent that the school systems, teachers, parents and students themselves are committed to achieving it. If there is coordination between these stakeholders increased student motivation, more supportive environment and more equal educational opportunity, this would lead to excellent educational progress encouraging upward mobility among the people of a country.
Public Insecutiry and Restlessness against the Government
Democracy is a form of government in which leaders are more expressive and try to include everyone in the countrys decision-making. By joining or creating an event to generate public discussions, pressures for changes in the country could be achieved. In the Republic of the Philippines, these events often take the form of a protest, or more extremely a coup.
According to Sam Knight (2006), more and more crises like this have occurred over the last five years in the Philippines, perpetuating a cycle of unrest. Could this be because of successive terms of leaders who fail to administer a country right or because of the effects of social changes that have taken place in the poor country of 84 million inhabitants?
As we have noticed, a legendary revolt in the 1980s have led to the step-down of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. This complex event have resulted to the publics mentality that any change they want could be achieved through plots of coups. However, people interact by taking for granted many ideas about how the world operates (Macionis, 1996). The media plays an important part in the socialization process. As it continues to expose political crimes, the public creates perceptions of reality. In the Philippines, public opinion implies that government officials are increasingly seen as dishonest, incompetent and uninterested in the plight of the average person. Nonetheless, what
people think or what we assume they think affects how we see ourselves ( Macionis, 1996).
Value judgements like this, as reaffirmed by the media, creates paranoia and the public tend to be cynical about almost every act of government officials. Politicians on the other hand, may internalize with these judgements, however inaccurate the judgements are. As politicians are negatively stereotyped, symbolic interactionism suggest that this prophecy would be eventually self-fulfilled by the individuals themselves, allowing them to indeed perform the negative roles expected of them.
This self-fulfilling prophecy maybe why the government overreacts to public protests. Lastly, all these role plays by the public and government officials create theatrical performances, making the country more prone to disorders. If only the perceptions of people and the government would change, it would bring the political system closer to the ideal democratic deal.

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I.

Collective-violence : Suicide Bombing

Family-related Problems: Teenage Motherhood

Gender Stratification : Career Women

Public Outrage: Food Shortage

Same- Sex Marriage

Migrant Children: Schooling and Educational Issues

Public Insecutiry and Restlessness against the Government

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