Response to Lecture 1: 'Introduction: Social Problems and Globalization'

Social problems can be caused by the seemingly uncoordinated, individual actions of groups of citizens. On the other hand, it is generally accepted that certain persisting conditions in a society's culture can extend the continuance of a social problem.

Listening to this reaffirms my view that the 'cause' and 'effect' of many social problems cannot, with much certainty, be concretely identified as the individual or his environment. It is hard to argue that the individual choices of men lead to social problems without taking into account that men, with their fundamental social natures, are profoundly affected by their respective cultures and social conditions. Conversely, arguing that the influence of an existing social framework upon individuals is the source of social problems is also difficult; the origins of that framework remain unexplained, as well as the differences in internal and externalized reactions by people towards that framework.

The question: 'Should the majority care about the minority?' was raised. Should one group's problem be considered a legitimate social problem if their problem is in turn an asset to another group? Peter L. Berger writes, "Sociology will be satisfying, in the long run, only to those who can think of nothing more entrancing than to watch men and to understand things human..."

Does a sociologist's code of professionalism dictate that he should abstain from trying to change society according to his own sense of ethics? Does it suggest that sociologists should ever only write things full of descriptions and devoid of prescriptions? Berger suggests that the best sociologists may well be neutral observers.

I believe that a sociologist's neutrality must compel him to consider the minority's woes as legitimate social problems. His stand of neutrality means that characteristics such as 'rich', 'poor', 'minority', and 'majority' are neutral and have no bearing on a person's worth as a human being. Whether or not indifferent majorities care about marginalized minorities is a separate issue. Sociologists should most certainly be aligned with ideals held by such articles as the 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights', which states, 'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.'

Another response to this question is Robert Merton's view that a sociologist's contribution to the betterment of society is his examination of unforeseen, latent consequences (as opposed to 'manifest' consequences) of decisions made by groups in society, and to better inform them of the effects of their actions. I agree with the distinction that he has made, but I feel that he has not answered the question of how directly a sociologist should try to influence social problems. I accept that objectivity in research inevitably leads to more factual findings, but my preference would be to find a place where I could have a hand in both finding and applying sociological knowledge.

I agree that social problems cannot be understood in isolation, but require the consideration of the effects of globalization. We are living in a most interesting time, when the forces of globalization are ever evolving, perhaps unpredictably so. I guess that what interests me most about globalization at the moment are its economic effects, as well as its effects on the formation, retention, and realignment of values in individuals, especially youths.

These first few lectures and tutorials have been less substantive-based than they are concept-based, introducing to us new, broader ways of looking at social issues. I find it hard to open my mouth during tutorials as I realize that I truly know too little about the subjects discussed to speak intelligently about them. I suppose the spoon feeding stops after junior college, haha. I think that what I'll get out of this university education is really proportionate to what I put in in terms of initiative, effort, and the opportunities I grab for myself. I have other thoughts about this sociology course but I suppose I'll leave that for the next entry.