Summary The Real World - an Introduction to Sociology Part 1

3 important social institutions in american life: politics, education, and religion -children cannot be forced to recite the pledge of allegiance In 2002 the issue became its religious nature. Judge Alfred Goodwin of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that reciting the pledge in public schools “places students in the untenable position of choosing between participating in an exercise with religious content or protesting. Social institutions represent a bit of a sociological paradox. They function at the macro level to shape our everyday interactions, but at the micro level those same everyday interactions construct social institutions. Because they are at the center of both micro- and macro sociology, social institutions give us the opportunity to examine the connection between interaction and structure, between the individual and society. Social institutions- grouped politics, education, and religion together for a reason. These institutions intersect in distinctive and often unexamined ways in our everyday lives Exp: the pledge -local and national controversy over school vouchers and sex ed are examples of the ways in which political, educations, and religion concerns overall Politics -comes from the greek politikos meaning of or relating to citizens =pertains especially to the methods and tactics of managing a political entity, such as nation or state, as well as the administration and control of its internal and external affairs -it can also mean the attitudes and activities of groups and individuals Political systems: government Government- is the formal, organized agency that exercises power and control in modern society -are vested w the power and authority to make laws and enforce them Power- as the ability to get others to do one's bidding Authority- they are referring to the legitimate, noncoercive exercise of power. -we ask certain questions about the relationships between leaders and followers: who has power and who does not? What kind of power is exerted and how far does that power extend? Authoritarianism- is the political system that denies ordinary citizens representation by and control over their own government. -citizens have no say in who rules them, what laws are made, or how those laws are enforced Dictatorship- one form of authoritarianism -seizes power and becomes an absolute ruler -they may gain control through a military coup -leaders may be legally elected or appointed (often w coercion) but then become dictators once in power, abolishing any constitutional limits on their authority Totalitarianism- is the most extreme and modern version of authoritarianism -the government seeks to control every aspect, public and private, of citizens lives. -can utilize all the contrivances of surveillance technology, systems of mass communication, and modern weapons to control its citizens - are usually headed by a dictator, whether a ruler or a single political party -through propaganda totalitarian regimes can further control the population by disseminating ideology aimed at shaped their thoughts, values, and attitudes Exp : kim jong un Monarchies and the state: Monarchy- are government ruled by a king of queen -sovereignty is vested in a successive line of rulers, usually within a family, such as tudors of england, the ming dynasty of china, and the the romanovs of russia -nobility is handed through family lines and can include numerous family members who hold royal titles -Monarchs are not popularly elected and are not usually accountable to the general citizenry, and some may rule by “divine right,” the claim that they are leaders chosen by God. -monarchs can be divided into 2 categories: absolute and constitutional: Absolute- typically have complete authority over their subjects, much like a dictator constitutional= are royal figures whose powers are defined by a political charter and limited by a parliament or other governing body -most monarchies were weakened overthrown, or otherwise made obsolete during the many social revolutions of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Citizens and democracyDemocracy- citizens share in directing the activities of their government rather than being ruled by an autocratic individual or authoritarian group -educated citizens should participate in the election of officials who then represent their interests in law making, law enforcement, resource allocation, and international affairs -a philosophy that emphasizes the right and capacity of individuals, acting either directly or through representatives, to control through majority rule the institutions that govern them -associated with the values of basic human rights, civil liberties, freedom, and equality. -not all citizens are equally represented even by a democratic government -in many democratic nations- women, ethnic, or racial minorities, members of certain religions, and immigrants have been excluded from citizenship or from equal participation in the political process. The american political system -when americans colonists rebelled against british authority in 1776 they created the first modern democracy. Voting in the US -the American political system prides itself on being a democracy, a government that confers power to the people. In this form of government, power is formally exercised through the election process, which provides each person with a vote. Sociologists have long been interested in the social factors—such as age, education, religion, or ethnic background—that influence whether and how individuals vote. -By the end of the twentieth century, many had become concerned about a steady, decades-long decline in American voter turnout. -For example, in the 1960 presidential election, 63 percent of the electorate cast ballots, but by 1996, that number had fallen to below 50 percent for the first time since 1924. -Voter turnout began improving in the 2004 presidential election, but it is important to consider how voter turnout has been measured. -Prior to the 2004 election, the voter turnout rate was typically calculated by dividing the total number of votes by the “voting-age population”—everyone aged eighteen and older residing in the United States. -This figure included people who were ineligible to vote—mainly noncitizens and felons—and excluded eligible overseas voters. Since the 2004 election, voting rates have been based on the “voting-eligible population,” which changes the overall voting picture and challenges the notion of decline in voter turnout. -In 2004, voter turnout was 55 percent for the “voting-age population” and 60 percent for the “voting-eligible population. -among eligible voters under age 25, turnout rose almost 6 percent over the 2000 election, w some 10.5 mil of them going to the polls -voting turnout improved again in 2008- w obama -an estimated 61.4 percent of the voting- eligible population, 130.9 mil americans casted their ballots. -that is an increase of 1.3 percentage points over 2004 but falls short of the record turnout of 62.5 percents in 1968. Among young voters ages eighteen to twenty-nine, the 2008 election represented the second highest turnout in history, with approximately 22 million to 24 million, or 49 percent to 54 percent of eligible voters, casting their ballots. -The record youth voter turnout belongs to the 1972 election, the first year that eighteenyear-olds had the right to vote. -In 2012, 58.2 percent of all eligible voters turned out to reelect Barack Obama (McDonald 2013). -Voter turnout in midterm elections is typically lower than in presidential elections, especially among younger voters (DeSilver 2014). -In the 2014 midterms, voter participation in the United States hit its lowest mark in seventy years, with just 35.9 percent of eligible voters turning up at the polls -a number of social factors affect the likelihood that someone will or will not vote, age race gender, sexual orientation, religion, geographic location, social class, education are all demographic variables that influence voter participation as well how people vote. -Turnout may be affected by factors ranging from the number of items on the ballot to the weather. -senior citizens are much more likely to vote than young adults -top reasons for not voting: too busy, scheduling conflict, uninterested -some instances, people do not vote because they are disenfranchised- stripped of voting rights, either temp or permanently. -another obstacle is w registration- which must be done well in advance of the election -in the us even individuals with the legal right to vote cannot do so unless they are registered. -elections are held of today's rather than weekend or holidays -30 states require voters to present identification in order to vote =turnout declines when ids are required because more than 21 mil americans lack proper photo id, voter participation is affected, w minorities, the elderly, and low income americans disproportionately affected. -irregularities in ballots and vote counts- delayed the state's ability to declare a winner for several weeks -In some of Florida’s poor and minority districts, faulty voting equipment, poorly trained poll workers, and scarce resources kept almost 200,000 votes from being counted—votes that were likely predominantly Democratic. -the national association for the advancement of colored people (NAACP)- brought a voting discrimination suit against the state of florida that was settings w a donation to the organizations effects toward voter education and mobilization. -this election controversy is an example of how structural issues (unequal state voting resources) can affect the individual experience and how those individual experiences in turn affects the larger society. Who rules America? -in a democracy, elected officials represent the interest of the people in doing the business of government -sociologist have devised 2 answers to the question of who rules america- the pluralist theory of power and the idea of a power elite Pluralist model- power is held by a variety of organizations and institutions (corporations, political parties, professional organizations, and ethnic and religious groups, each with its own resources and interests -each organization is assumed to have equal access to the power structure, and a system of checks and balances in the form of laws, policies, and the courts keeps any one group from having too much power over the others. Power elite: -conflict theorists, argue that power is held by a small but extremely influential group of individuals who form an elite social class -c wright mills- power elite- a relatively small number of influential individuals who occupy the top positions within the major economic, political, and military institutions of the country -controls much of the key decision making in the US -members of the power elite have the full power and wight of their respective institutions at their disposal -their close association allows them to collaborates in ways that best serve their particular interests, which may not coincide with those of the people. -their actions have trendemous implications for the rest of the population -exp: military leaders may persuade the president to declare war, senators may pass legislation that cuts billions of dollars from social welfare programs. -not only know each other personally and professionally, but they also recognize their status as part of the ultimate members only club -many of them were born into powerful families, attend same schools, same neighbors, same country clubs, same churches -they often serve on each others boards of directors and do business directly w other members -only 5778 individuals in these elite positions- 0,0026 percent of the entire population are among the power elite- white males usually -what are implications of this class dominance theory of power? It debunks the original american rag- to riches mythology that says anyone who works hard can get to the top. --if power is concentrated in such a small fraction of a percentage of the population, chances are the average person will never wield any real power, -the us continues to be controlled by white upper- class men -those who have power to create social change by economic, political, or military reforms may choose to do so only when it is their own advantage. Interest groups: -the american political system is organized so that individuals, groups, and organizations can contribute to candidates campaigns Special interest groups- sometimes called advocacy groups= play an important role in the political process -these are organizations formed expressly to raise and spend money in order to influence elected officials and public opinion -can include corporate organizations, lobbies, political action committees, and 527 groups (named after the corresponding IRS codes) -many 527 run by special interest groups raise unlimited amounts of soft money- which can be used for various types of advocacy, if not directly for candidates -special interest groups contributions to candidates and cause can reach into the hundred of million of dollars -money wins elections -the candidate who spent the most money won -in the 2012 presidential race, obama raised more than 715 mil compared to romney's 446 mil. -incumbents- those who already occupying the electoral seat- are usually in the best position to raise money because of their high-profile position; incumbency, therefore is one of the most important advantages a candidate can have because it ends to lead to fundraising success and victory at the polls -if your campaign is backed by a billionaire it can help too -a political action committee (PAC)- is a type of tax exempt 527 group that was designed to raise money to campaign for or against candidates, ballot measures, or other legislation. -typically supports the interests or agendas of a select group or organization -some of the biggest pacs are connected to trades- national education association or the carpenters and joiners union -nfl and mlb has its own pac as well -corporate funding of independent campaign-related expenditures is no longer prohibited -the citizens united v federal election committee decision allowed unlimited spending by corporations, unions, and other campaign entities -this opened the door to a new kind of PAC- the super PAC- which can accept these unlimited contributions and use the monies to do things like produce and air issue based ads, as long as they do not coordinate with the candidate or the candidates political party -political candidates can benefits from unlimited spending of a super PAC without being in volitions of the campaign finance laws that still apply to their own party organizations. -super pacs are being funded primarily by a small group of ultra wealthy contributors -dark money- or spending by donors who remain hidden, playing a significant role in funding -monitoring the actions of top donors, PACS, super PACS, and other special interest groups provide insight into how our political system works The media and the political process: Fourth estate of media- which are considered like a fourth branch of government, and thus serve as another of the checks and balances on power -they were originally intended to inform and educate the populace and to serve as a watchdog on the government -the us constantinos probably envisioned the watchdog role as the meidas primary function Media influence on politics -political actors have adapted to a media saturated society, and their strategies for success must include great media saturated society, and their strategies must be media savvy -buy space or time through ads -fund raising gathering money to spend on media exposure has become the first order of political business -we hear a lot politics through pundits, media personalities who offer personal commentary -opinion leaders- high-profile people who interpret political info for us -instead of getting info about the issues directly we allow our views to be shaped by these opinion leaders whom we trust to tell us what to believe An example of media impact on politics occurred during the presidential campaign of 1960 =the debates of john f kennedy, nixon, first to be broadcast on live tv -he used makeup and appropriate demeanor for tv cameras Style over substance? -soundbites- those short audio or visual snippets taken from press releases, press conferences, photo opportunities, or sometimes protess - now news is condensed into a few seconds worth of info -politicians say to the press is often scripted -any form of celebrity seems to make an individual more visible and popular Simulacrum- an image or media representation that does not reflect reality in any meaningful way but is treated as real Social media: It allows for interaction, networking, and user-generated content Patriotism and protest -when we criticize some policy for some action of government, we may be called unpatriotic by those who support it -especially w war- many americans considered anti war protests unamerican -that blind acceptance of government is not the same as patriotism and that citizens should make every effort to correct society's flaws Politics: the micro-macro link -political institutions and their products (such as laws or bureaucratic systems) shape our everyday lives