Sociologists use three perspectives to study the society. These are symbolic interactionist, functionalist and conflict perspective. The perspectives suggest a platform for explaining how people influence the society and vice versa (Schaefer 13-16). Symbolic interactionist perspective uses face to face interactions and guides sociologists to contemplate symbols and details of daily activities (Schaefer 16). About this perspective, people give meaning to symbols, and their actions are based on the interpretations of these symbols. For verbal conversations, spoken words are the symbols, and the interpretation becomes very obvious. Words have a specific meaning for the sender and receiver during communication (Schaefer 16; Thompson 13). Anything can be a symbol as long as it has another connotation apart from itself. Symbolic interactions consider how people act and define the meanings of these actions. The society has a general meaning of symbols, but individuals have their view.
About functionalism, each part of the society is mutually dependent and enhances up to society's operations. For instance, the government gives education to the offspring of the household and to reciprocate; they pay duties to the government (Thompson 15). Families depend on the schools for their children's education and to grow up and acquire good jobs to support their families. Then the children abide by the law by paying taxes. If all people take a good course, the components of the society become productive. If vice versa occurs the outcome is that the society must adapt to a new productivity. Functionalists say that the society is put together by cohesion and associates have to operate as one to attain the objectives of the community (Schaefer 13). The conflict perspective concentrates on the destructive components and the constantly changing way of life of the society. Conflict philosophers promote communal alteration; challenge the ranks in the community by stating that the rich and powerful people control the society. They say that unequal groups have different values and objectives making them compete continually (Schaefer 14).
The media invests heavily in sports. In the newspapers, more than a quarter of the pages is dedicated to sports. Televisions have sports news every day. Also, live events of ongoing sports activities are shown. Sports commentators are respected in the society. The social conflict perspective sees sport as a mirror image of the differences and inequalities in society. It is an institution controlled by the most influential people in the society. Sports are divided according to their influence on the public. Sports activities such as football, basketball, and boxing are associated with the middle class while the wealthy class favors golf and tennis (Giddens 1). To view these sports on the television, the cost of the package relates to the social class of the game. Sports like golf are rarely shown on the television since the target audience rarely uses the TV to view them.
The functions of sports in the society include physical fitness, the creation of teamwork and socialization. Televisions act as the media through which these benefits of games are shown. These are affordable to everyone in the society depending on the social class of the sport. People come together to watch their favorite sports. The natural belief in being a winner brings people with common interest together. Sports fans relieve their emotions and daily life frustrations by watching games (Giddens 1).The desire to play or watch a particular game depends on an individual and their status. Sports create healthy relationships between the fans. Wearing a t-shirt with a team's logo unites supporters. It brings out the feeling of belonging even if one is watching the game from a television. Being a fan of a local team in your community shows your support for the society. Children aspiring to be footballers in the future can frequently watch their role models in their houses.
Part B
The sociological imagination provides a way of understanding the social world that is far beyond our common sense and experience. It implies that the life of a person and the history of a society can only be understood by understanding both. Sociological imagination creates a relationship between personal problems and issues of the community. It enables people to see the connection between their life events and their community. Personal issues are private troubles within the life of an individual and the gap in their immediate connection with other people (Bingham 5). For example, if a student fails to succeed in college due to absenteeism, partying and failure to do assignments, then it happens that half of the students in the same college fails, the issue becomes a social problem. Social issues are those that are outside the range of an individual's life. This affects the society rather than one person. Social imagination enables us to differentiate between personal and social levels in our daily activities. This will help in making private decisions irrespective of the social issues we face.
Understanding sociological imagination guides one while making personal decisions. Let us consider an article by Tony Dokoupil (5/23/13) of Newsweek on why suicide has become an epidemic. It tells a story of one Thomas Joiner whose father, also called Thomas Joiner, disappeared from home due to depression. Later Joiner's father was found dead in his van which was parked in an office. He heard been stabbed at heart. From the yellow note seen by the driver's seat, the police judged it as suicide. The perception of the friends and those that attended the funeral was that the Joiner's family had influenced the death of their father as if they helped him stab himself.
Suicide has become rampant, and it is not an economic or a generational problem. It cannot be solved by either creating employment or reducing access to dangerous equipment. It is a challenge with a massive momentum due to changes in the way we live. The rate at which people kill themselves is increasing day by day more than the road accidents deaths occurring. Depression burdens people all over the world. In the developed countries, suicide is the primary cause of death for people aged 15 to 49 irrespective of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This shows how much we have succeeded in fighting cancer, but we are failing to regulate self- harm (Dokoupil 1).
From a sociologist point of view, Joiner's father did not understand the sociological imagination and how he could have used it to make personal choices (Dokoupil 1). No one is supposed to die alone in a van thinking that the world would have been a better place without them. Our lives are significantly affected by our friends, family, and society at large, but a social problem cannot be handled personally. Private decisions cannot solve a problem which is far much beyond our ability. Sociological imaginations should educate people about the boundaries between individual and social challenges.
Works cited
Bingham, Shawn C. Thoreau and the Sociological Imagination: The Wilds of Society. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008. Print.
Dokoupil, Tony. Why Suicide has become an epidemic and what we can do to help. https://www.newsweek.com/2013/05/22/why-suicide-has-become-epidemic-and-what-we-can-do-help-237434.html (accessed August 30, 2018).
Giddens, Anthony. Introduction to Sociology. , 2018. Print.
Scott, John. C. Wright Mills and the Sociological Imagination: Contemporary Perspectives. Cheltenham: Elgar, 2013. Internet resource.
Thompson, William E, Joseph V. Hickey, and Mica L. Thompson. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. , 2016. Internet resource.
Schaefer, Richard T. Sociology in Modules Loose Leaf 3/e. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2015.
