Assignment 2: The Sociological Imagination

The sociological imagination proposed by C.Wright Mills (1959) illuminates the impact various phenomena, including social forces and historical events, have on individuals and how such events shape individuals' lives. Simultaneously, individuals affect the very social structures which have affected them (Newman,49). The field of sociology encourages us to look beyond individualistic explanations to incorporate world events, political concerns, and economic trends, among other things, into our consideration of how individuals interact with one another and how they make sense of their lives. Armed with my new-found sociological imagination, I am traveling back to the year 2004, along with my 12-year-old self, and sociological goggles for viewing, to examine a selection of societal events that were unfolding, to analyze how their existence influenced the person I have become, and in turn, how I have affected this very social structure.

A few snapshots of events on the world stage will serve to refresh our memories of life on planet Earth nine years ago:

• President George W. Bush won a second term in the White House, claiming victory over Democrat, John Kerry, in the US presidential election.

Getty Images

• The war in Iraq continued, death tolls rose significantly. 

http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.nl/

• 191 people were killed, and nearly 2,000 injured in Madrid train bombings.

The Associated Press

• Two mobile robots, Spirit and Opportunity, landed on Mars for NASA's Mars Exploration Rover project.

Mars Exploration Rover Mission, JPL, NASA

• And who could forget Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction during the half-time show at the Super Bowl?

Getty Images

The events shown above were certainly memorable and have without doubt affected my life in one way or another. However, two key series of events in 2004 stand out in my memory most clearly. I believe that the following events had the most lasting impacts of my life after age 12 and continue to influence my actions and view points today.

The first of these is the series of natural disasters which occurred throughout the year. In South Asia, the monsoon season killed over 1,800 people and was dubbed the worst flooding in India, Nepal and Bangladesh in fifteen years (infoplease.com). The Atlantic was met with a record breaking hurricane season. Hurricane Jeanne was the last of four hurricanes to strike Florida within a period of six weeks and caused death and destruction in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Southeastern US (hurricanescience.org). Japan also broke records after being struck by 10 cyclones; The previous record was 6 (hurricanescience.org). The year culminated in the earthquake that spawned the Indian Ocean Tsunami. As the India plate slid under the Burma plate of the Earth's crust, an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude ensued, unleashing energy which sent a tsunami straight to the coast of South Asia. By the end of the day, 150,000 people were dead or missing, and millions of individuals were left homeless (news.nationalgeographic.com).

AP, Getty Images

I began to question the occurrence of these events. What can I do to help those suffering? Is there a reason why so many natural disasters occurred within such a small time frame? Will these trends continue? As documentation of mother nature's calamities continued, I began noticing climate change as a key term arising in response. Just over a year later, the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, was released, aiming to raise awareness about “global warming.” The frog test video below has since loomed in my memory.

These natural disasters raised my consciousness of the power of nature and the importance of protecting planet Earth in the face of climate change. Now, I make significant efforts to live a green lifestyle and be environmentally mindful. One of the reasons I am a vegetarian is because of the negative impact of meat production on the environment. I use re-usable bags and water bottles religiously, and aim to purchase eco-friendly products so as to reduce my carbon footprint. I believe that these practices are partially a result of the natural disasters I witnessed, and the various responses I heard, both through mass media outlets. The sociological imaginary has allowed me to see that my environmentalist attitudes were in part constructed by these outside stimuli.

While the choices I now make are influenced by society, they also actively impact the social structure I am immersed in. For example, the term "green lifestyle" is a social construct, which independent of human interaction would be a meaningless statement. Via my actions described above, and writing about this lifestyle in a public blog post, I am reaffirming what a green lifestyle looks like, in the form of symbolic communication (Newman, 48). Furthermore, by taking action to live a "greener" life, I am making an impact on the planet, and setting an example of values to individuals around me.

I now donate money when similar natural disasters, such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the 2011 tsunami in Japan, occur. My donations to funds for these disasters may be spurred on by the feelings of hopelessness I experienced while watching news footage in 2004. Although I am unable to contribute much in the grand scheme of things, contributions to charities make a difference, no matter how small, thus illustrating that my actions, though shaped by historical events, assist in shaping society.

Another memorable event in 2004 was the largest expansion of the European Union to date. During the year, the accession of 10 countries from Central and Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean brought the number of nation-states in the EU to a total of 25. The BBC noted that this made the EU, in terms of population, the largest single market in the world (news.bbc.co.uk). After years of crumbling empires, long-lasting wars and tensions between nation-states in the region, the world began to witness what appeared to be a reunification of Europe.

mofa.go.jp

The expansion had a particularly profound effect on me, even more so considering that I was living in Germany at the time. It was one of the most palpable political events I had encountered, especially on a global scale. I believe that witnessing nation-states in the EU working together in the pursuit of peace and economic prosperity helped determine which field of study I would later become interested in. I have become fascinated by the processes of globalization, and recently declared my major in global studies. Ideas planted in 2004 in my 12-year-old mind about transcending national boundaries have influenced my current view of myself as a citizen in the world community (Newman, 37). The increasingly interconnected globe has strongly influenced the path I have taken and will likely continue to take in my academic life. The global sentiments I have influence society in the interactions I have with others, and may continue to do so in a future career path.

Perhaps if I had been 12 in 2000, or 2008, I would have turned out to be a completely different individual, with different goals and passions. These changes in my mindset would have not only affected my life, but the lives of all of the individuals I would have encountered. Together, my 12-year-old self and I have illustrated both sides of David Newman's sociological coin (2012). Forces beyond my direct control have, and will continue to shape my life. Clearly, mass media, a powerful social institution, has significantly influenced my opinions and values. However, in assessing my life through sociological lenses, I realize that I am not a powerless robot, "programmed by social structure," left at the mercy of its forces (G. Swanson, 1992, p.94). Rather, I am an active participant, influencing the social systems I am a part of.

Sources:

http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/2004
http://www.infoplease.com/year/2004.html
http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.nl/2011/01/2010-ends-with-slight-drop-in-iraqi.html
http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/2000s/jeanne/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1227_041226_tsunami.html
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/yir/interactive/gallery.yir.2004/frameset.2.exclude.html
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/enlargement/2004_and_2007_enlargement/e50017_en.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/europe/04/changing_borders/html/2004.stm
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/eu/report/index.html

Newman, David (2012). Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life: 9th Edition. SAGE Publications. (p.1-52)

Swanson, G. (1992). Doing things together: On some basic forms of agency and structuring in collective action and on some explanations for them. Social Psychology Quarterly, 55, p.94