I agree with Mills in saying we should not be going out and counting and reporting behavior that way, especially to the government to decide if intervention is necessary. It does provide a sort of disconnect because you're counting people and disassociating yourself from the study. But when you really put yourself in the shoes of the public and actually experience the world how other people perceive it, then true sociological thought can be an effective research tool in seeing everyday life. It takes a certain type of person to be an intellectual scientist and to be able to put themselves in the position of other people and to also differentiate and logically work through the problems of others. Looking at issues from a sociological imagination standpoint makes it easier to see individual problems more as social structural problems which hopefully will result in better solutions being implemented to help society. -chillato004
I agree with you about the government thing and us going out and counting and reporting behavior. I just think that if we did something like that it would change a lot of things in our society. I agree with you when you are saying "put yourself in the shoes of the public", things would probably be understood more and everyone would have a better understanding of how things are done and why they are done. -Boop004-
I do like how they were talking about social imagination and seeing things from a different view or point. I always say that we should think how the other person feels or think about the others person situation because not everyone had it easy. I don’t agree with the counting and then reporting back to the government. I think that if they let the government decide if intervention needs to take place then things would go downhill very quickly. I do agree with mills on how it would be a disconnect from how we would be approaching the study of society. The reason why I think this is because how are we suppose think certain things if we are being watched and counted and If something is goes wrong it would go back to the government to see if they can change it. People wouldn’t act and think a certain way if that’s what happened. -boop004-
Yes I agree it is very important that we consider others and what hardships they may be facing. The fact is there, we do not know what someone could be going through. Which is what makes C. Mills view point so much more valid. She explained it very well in the video. If you had a group of students many could be facing the same hardships even though they live such different lifestyles. It really makes me think and also gives me a different way to look at some of my hardships. Good luck in this class. -mysonmyworld004
I agree with your statement of seeing things from a different point of view. I feel that sometimes we, as a society, fail to see the struggles that others are facing. It becomes very easy for us to judge someone because they lost their job; when in fact, they lost their job because they had a flat tire, had already used their spare tire previously, didn’t have the money to replace the spare because they had an unexpected medical expense arise, etc., the list goes on and on. I’m reminded of a quote that goes something like this: “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” ~happilycurious004
This video really explained what C. Wright Mills views are. She put it in a very clear and easier way to understand it. As adults we do blame ourselves for the hardships in our lives. Although, he makes it very clear that this does not excuse the individuals who are not doing everything they can or what they are supposed to be doing to help their selves. I can certainly understand that sometimes no matter how much you try or what you do to ensure that short comings are few and far between, sometimes they still occur. His statement “social problems instead of personal short comings” was a great way to think about it. The fact that twenty some students who all live different lives, have different finances, live different lifestyles, and still have the same overall type of hardships. It completely satisfies C. Mills’s opinion. I do agree that some of the things she mentioned could potentially elevate some of the trying hardships most of us face. -mysonmyworld004
I totally agree with this. I think that this video made is much easier to understand what Mills thoughts and views are. I like how the person isn't excused of the problems he or she has but basically other people in the world are having the same issues and for a lot of things something could be done to relieve some of the pressure of things such as making education cheaper like stated in the video. -mybabygirl004
Being a college student is so hard and expensive. In the "social imagination" every single one of us sitting in our classroom is going through the same thing. Maybe not min by min or day by day. But we are all trying to do the right thing for us and our families. Somehow something or someone always brings us done. Unfortunately a lot of the times it is the government. They group of people who we are suppose to trust most. KtKay004
I also agree this video made it a lot easier to understand exactly what C. Miller’s views are. I also agree that as adults we do tend to face many hard ships if it is car problems, college tuition, or even stress from work. I really liked his statement as well when he said “social problems instead of personal short comings.” We do tend to only think about our own problems instead of seeing that many people do in fact share the same hardships. -JustMe1989
I did not care how she brought up reporting back to the government with things. I just don't see that working well. I did like the examples she was using such as my tire blew and I didn't have a spare, therefore lost my job. I think it's interesting to think of things such as these as situational problems and not technically that individuals fault or problem. There are a lot of things that could be fixed that would help decrease situational problems like she stated lowering the cost of education and therefor us students wouldn't have to stress as much and live and such tight budgets. It really isn't just one persons problem but it is many students problem. There are a lot of things to think about in this way. I also think it would be helpful to think like that when going through a hard time to just know, hey I'm not the only one dealing with this issue right now. -mybabygirl004
I agree with you, I did not find it important about the reporting statistics to the government in this particular video. I also liked her examples of the situations that an individual can be put in and that we are not alone in those situations. We are not the only ones dealing with the things that we deal with. I also agree with you that it is helpful that there are other people in this society that can relate to us. -Happy004
With reporting statistics to the government sometimes it can help set an initiative to help prevent or lower the problem that society is experiencing. When government saw that it's people were unable to survive with cost of living, they created financial assistance like food stamps, medicare, and medicaid. I agree that it is comforting that there are other people who can be experiencing some of the same things as I am because of societal roots. -Kitsune004
Mills has given me a different perspective on society's problems and the individual's problems can be related in some ways. Also that if we used sociological imagination, we can determine an individual's shortcomings. I liked that Mills believed that sociological thought rests upon imagination. Sociological imagination does affect relationships and how we grasp society. I also agree with how we have to step out of our personal world and to step into society's world to see the reality of this society. In addition, the video talks about how the different aspects of social life affect the individual's character and way of life. The aspects of social life also have a meaning to each and every individual. Furthermore, the video is explaining that to understand an individual, you have to look at the bigger picture, such as society. The way we can understand society and its individuals is to view things at a different perspective and then we will soon find that there are other people that are in the same situation as us. -Happy004
I think you make some great realizations here, I agree that we must,as you put it, step out of our personal world into societies world, but, isnt societys world part of our personal world, since society affects our personal world? I maybe think too much into it, and sometimes is drives me crazy. But I love the way you explained the video. I think its pretty spot on.-lilcakes004
Sociological imagination is the ability to connect personal problems to public issues. What happens in society shapes our personal experiences. We have to understand both our lives and our society so that we can understand it as a whole. An example, some people become anorexic because society sees thin people as beautiful. If someone does not achieve the perfect look for society, then society tries to shame that person. This then causes someone to think they need to go to the extreme. If anorexia was more rare than it is currently it would be more of the individual than a societal problem. This shows that personal affairs can be connected to society's shaping. We think that when there is an issue that we are alone; in reality there could be millions of people going through the same situation that we are currently going through. I like the idea of sociological imagination because at least I know I am not always alone in life. -Kitsune004
I thought that you had made a great point between anorexia and society. It is unfortunate that people feel like they should not eat, because society sees thin as beautiful. Being thin is no more beautiful than not being thin. Thin people can have ugly personality that make them ugly inside and out. -CFC004
I appreciated how this video implied that C. Mills felt that the study of sociology had moved away from the raw and true side of the study of society and had simply become a way for government to accumulate information to be used as government saw fit. This statement certainly made me think more about the involvement of government in our society. C. Mills wanted the sociological imagination to be used to relate oneself to society as a whole and putting oneself in others shoes. He felt that researchers needed to situate themselves in the social reality of others and report back clearly what others reality truly is, not what the reporters felt others reality should be; sort of an accurate ‘walk a mile in their shoes’ approach. I also appreciated how the video stated that while social structure can perpetuate a certain social struggle, such as making ends meet from week to week, the video also indicated that social structure does not excuse individual responsibility. I felt some conflict with the statement of sociological imagination becoming a way for government to simply accumulate information. I feel that social structures have the potential to be positively affected by government involvement especially when it comes to issues such as affordable education and social welfare.~happilycurious004
This is such a perfect response to the video. Individuals are responsible for there personal actions and I am glad you pointed that out. You cannot blame society all the time for things not going right. Government involvement in society needs to be more about the people and I believe we are getting away from that. This country was founded by the people and it needs to stay that way.
This powerpoint makes so much sense to me because I deal with socialogical imagination everyday. I work with behavior students in an Elementary school and I have to have an open mind, showing empathy and sympathy for these kids. I don't know what they go through everyday at home but I somehow have to put myself in their shoes in order to get them to socialize better when they do come to school. I have to ask questions to find out how we can teach them to better cope with certain situations to make them ready to be productive in life. If everyone would take the time out of their busy day to get to know another person and their short comings, yes, we would all realize that we have a lot more in common than we know. No matter your age or race, whether you are rich or poor we all have one thing in common right now and that's to live and be happy. Lets uplift each other.
Sociological imagination, taking yourself out of our own personal ideas and problems and seeing the bigger picture. Love that. I can rant about how bad my day was or year was but taking myself out side of that and acknowledging that other people are where I am emotional and finically is what will make me a more open and social person. The video said "I had to rob Peter to pay Paul." As a college student I love that quotes. Obviously I'm not literally robbing people. But I take time away from my son so I can go to college and go to work to pay for college. As a society we are always indebted to someone or something. Whether that be physically, emotionally or financially. This C. Wright Mills was defiantly on to something. Although I don't think we should be bad for worrying about ourselves or letting ourselves feel bad for what we are going through. We can acknowledge that other people have it rough, but take time to recognize your pain and your growth as a person. Socialogy intrigues me but I don't feel like I'm at the level they want me to be at yet. Only thinking about yourself or worrying about yourself is okay some times. And it seems this is not what the video is trying to convey. Just like a lot of things in my personal views. I can see both sides to the story. KtKay004
I like how you summarized this video. I had a hard time following it myself. You do well putting it into life's perspective. I also tend to rob Peter to pay Paul. I'm just hoping the payoff in the end is the right one I'm looking for. I have a hard time following sociological and psychological perspectives. I personally feel that things happen for a reason. I guess we will see if I feel differently at the end of this course. bdole004
The Sociological Imagination requires us to put ourselves aside to give us a clear look at the societies around us, which at least to me seems like a hard thing to do for most Americans. C. Wright Mills thought Sociologist needed to remove themselves in order to properly use sociology. A good sociologist can report their research without mixing their feelings or any problems they are dealing with into their work. Before watching any of these videos I never really thought when I am watching someone do something that my mind is “making a scene” that I’m making a sociologically study. When I try and put myself in their place and try and figure out where they are coming from, and figure out what is going on in their life that puts them in this situation. I guess it is not that hard to put aside my life and study someone else. It seems that I do it without really realizing that I’m doing it. -CFC004
I appreciate how you took this assignment and reflected on yourself. It is very interesting how people see people and how society takes for granted the way we look at others. It is intriguing how eye opening sociology can change the perspective of how we see things now. Discovering peoples past and the connection really helps getting to know people and where they are coming from. BabyB004
At first I was a little skeptical about this lecture. Until I understood the method behind the why. Using numbers to judge or form a bias view of a certain group based from their environment or other factors is kind of unfair. So thinking outside of the box allows an individual to understand more than just the numbers. It's easy to just lump groups together to explain their shortcomings in a situation. We sometimes don't stop and think about why and how some people get in and out situations. As the lecture suggest, we must put ourselves in the shoes of another individual and understand the struggles that they go thru in order to feel what they feel. In other words, it's unfair to judge someone that we see if we don't know where they came from. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. said "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and contentious stupidity." DAM004
I definitely agree that looking at numbers and statistics to form bias is unfair. The numbers only get a rough estimate. They don’t really account for individuals or extraneous circumstances. I also agree that this is the easier thing to do, which is probably why it happens so often. Most of the time people will try to take the easy way out and not work as hard. -DTH004
Disconnection is so powerful today between families, socialism, and reality. The study full of “facts” was using people as numbers, as lab rats completely tearing their individualism away. I believe there is no way we could actually perform any scientific experiments and have the same outcome every time, due to the fact that each human being is completely different and spontaneous in their choices. Does not matter how well you think you know the person a person can always change. People evolve on a daily basis; experiences can completely change our outlook on things. I believe sociology must be one of the hardest fields to study. I liked the comment “Social problems does not excuse the individual,” I have grown up hearing people say “my dad’s an alcoholic so it’s in my DNA” or “I’m destined to be my mom so why even try to be different.” Just because you came from somewhere or grew up in some environment does not mean you can use that as an excuse to stay like that. Responsibility for your actions is huge because it is easy to fall into society’s trap of being stuck. BabyB004
The sociological imagination is flawed, why I state so, Is because you can only put yourself in someones shoes so much, but you cant literally recognize how they exactly feel only interpret how one feels yes its good to be harmonious and come together in unison to understand one another. But you will never feel exactly how that individual felt at that exact time, you can only assume so much. Everything sadly revolves around perspective such as right or wrong, good or evil. Yes we have laws and repercussions on actions rising actions and climaxes revolving to a falling action, but yet everything is centered around yourself and how you feel about yourself what you see and what you feel. We are egocentric beings trying to find centrism through sciences, religion, politics. But sadly all leads to the solider and the hunch back, which is the explanation and the question. Science can only interpret so much and give us answers through the instruments to create the answer so are we conditioning the answer, or is the answer a predetermined wall based around I. I of individuality individually speak of the divide duality between what should be harmonious and what is harmful to the eye, the right and the wrong that is so underlined defined through perspective of the persons spectacles of what is so and isn't. The government is one sided affair just like any structure, it is for what they need and what they want. Any movement is a one sided affairs based around the leader/leaders of the movement, therefore falling around one perspective. How can we be in unison when we can only interpret how an individual feels, or base everything off faith like religion. How can I blame myself when my tire popped and I got fired from my job, for being late. Control is an illusion in the tide of life, dragging us to the undertow to the abyss.-lilcakes004
lilcakes004 Your opinion about sociological imagination is thought provoking. I can understand why one would say that imagination is limiting as it is sometimes separate from reality. I agree that we are egocentric beings and I also believe that we are intuitive beings and it is the same properties that exist in intuition that allow us to believe in things we can't see but feel are there. I think that sociological imagination just asks us to be mindful of situational barriers that contribute to societal issues that are mistaken for personal ones. Inexperience is certainly unfavorable.
C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Explanation demonstrates ways of trying to figure out reasons as to why people do things and how advancements in technology and the media have affected the way things are done. C. Wright Mills also tries to give a reasonable explanation to a person's behavior and/or actions based on why they did something the way that they did it. There are definitely reasons that people do things and it seems like more often than not society has to find a reason or explanation for why someone did something. Some people are good, some are not. I guess I'm more of a karma person. What comes around goes around, treat others the way you want treated, and I'm hoping my beliefs won't hinder my own learning of the material in this course. I didn't find this video as effective to teaching and/or learning about this particular subject, but it is full of information that may be beneficial to know further into the course. bdole004
I completely agree with you I’m so glad you said this. I didn’t find this video helpful at all. It is just life and you do the best you can. I think it’s a way of justifying peoples misfortune almost. You don’t need to look at a problem from a sociological stand point to fix the problem. -dislikeblogs004
When I think of using my imagination I immediately consider my childhood. When I was young I imagined I was a mother in a big beautiful house. I believe that many people struggle with using their imagination as it is so closely related to youth. However, I find that I make my most realistic observations and conclusions when I exchange my perspective for the perspective of people I encounter daily. "Did Cindy just chew me out for no reason? She must not like me." But it is when we remove ourselves and our personal feelings and observe from different perspectives that we see things as they more truthfully exist. "Maybe Cindy has something going on that isn't connected to me at all." Viewing society in this way can really allow us to connect with Sociolgy more closely. I really agree that looking at societal relations is much the opposite of statistical observations. I believe Sociology requires a very considerate mind to accept differences and ones lack of all known experiences. Thinking outside of our boxes! -kylegoldheart004
When Mills suggested that in sociology it is our imagination, or our “quality of mind” that allows us to grip our history, biography, and the relations between the two within our society. I think it is important to understand we as humans are all different. We all face different battles and have our styles of the way we live. We tend to often to think our struggles are just that, ours as an individual, not realizing how many others face the same struggles. As a single mother I struggle a lot trying to work full time and attend college while trying to raise my daughter, my car broke down this past week and the list goes on. After watching this video, it gave me a different outlook on how much of a structural issue can impact our daily lives. I also agree with Mills that we should not be going out, counting and reporting the behaviors and leaving it up to our government to decide for us what is in our best interest or if intervention is necessary. JustMe1989
I agree. I try to always look at what others are going through. However, there are many times when we have no idea what someone is going through. As a non traditional student I sometimes get to feeling sorry for myself or thinking that I'm the only one going through these things. However, there are many people who go through the same things I do. They work, have families, work full time, have spouses that work, have bills that they can barely pay and my list like yours goes on and on. I think that when we start thinking that we are the only ones who are going through things we become very selfish.
This video really opened my eyes to how little control we really have in our own lives. One of the main points that was talked about was financial struggles with students. I have always looked at someone’s financial standing as a pretty individual thing. I understood that some people just get born into more fortunate homes. What I never really considered was as a whole the middle class shares many of the same financial problems regardless of how comfortably they present themselves. It was kind of shocking to hear that something as personal as struggling financially is fundamentally a problem from society. It is less about personal choices and more about outside pressures. I found it interesting that the professor presenting the lecture asked students for years the same question and always got the same answer. It really goes to show that while we put a heavy pressure on a formal education, we as a society stack the odds against students. -DTH004
This video raised alot of questions. I have always felt the judicial system was flawed as they judge everyone by the same standard. It is very important to recognize that everyone has different situations and circumstances that lead them to where they are. Not that breaking the law is ok or permissable but in certain circumstances it is sometimes inevitable. I very much agree about the financial burdens of students. Being a "non-traditional" student I don't receive any financial aid and have to pay everything out of my own pocket. Books and classes are extremely expensive. ~peoriahighlionsfootball004
I agree with you on the flawed judicial system. Everyone can't be judged by the same standards d/t to different lifestyles and circumstances. Our state is so poor and the government is so reckless that it makes it hard for us to get assistance and they keep trying to take away much needed programs. If the government doesn't get it together, our state is going to continue to sink under and we all will be living in poverty.
I didn’t really like the way she talked about the subject so it was hard for me to understand. I put myself in other people’s shoes every day I can understand other people’s problems. Now looking at problems in this sociological imagination mindset doesn’t really seem right to me. The way she is talking about the “structure” (I feel like that term isn’t really defined well) and how this imagination is letting her get out of her personal idea of the problem and letting her look at it from a social stand point and then from there it becomes a social problem. Sociological imagination just seems like a scientific term for not being self-centered. You can look at a problem anyway you want so if you decided to say it’s a social problem and everything going on in your life is a social problem and not an individual problem then things will probably continue to go wrong. You’re never going to be able to change the structure of society because it’s not a thermostat it’s an untouchable idea. I disagree with the speaker and I don’t know much about C Wright mills but from what she is saying I disagree with him too. It doesn’t matter if we aren’t the primary contributors of our problems because that’s all they are, just problems. You overcome them and you have a better outlook on life. So yes I disagree with this. -dislikeblogs004
The problem with your way of thinking is that you are trying to excuse the action by putting a label on it and in doing so you are making it personal which is the exact opposite of what sociological imagination is. You can slap and label on anything as a way to excuse an action. It's not about giving people an excuse for doing or feeling what they do it about explaining why it is that they feel that way or that they do something a certain way. -Antoinette004
I don’t agree with the fact that the government wants the facts instead of taking the theory about different subjects in life. College students struggle everyday with trying to afford things in life. Such as; as to get back and fourth, food, and even rent. The amount of money that they make vs. what they spend is a huge difference. But not everyone stops to think about it. Sociologists are the ones who think outside of the box. How can we make college students not be in debt forever? How do they even afford to be here everyday if they need to work full time as well. At the end of the day there are so many people in this boat, and no one doing anything about it. Taking a step back and having people who were to judge why you drive the car you do or why you make the choices you do, are just people who don’t understand the daily struggle of life. But this video opened up my eyes as to really thinking about situations in life before being quick to judge. travqueen93004
This video opened up my eyes also to trying to actively think about other people's situations and not being so quick to judge. Most everyone is going through a struggle, a lot of times they may be having the exact same problems as you. I'm going to try to step back and spread more kindness. -chillato004
I never quite realized that I have a sociological mindset when it comes to thinking about problems and how you have to step back and kind of see it as the "bigger picture", until I watched this video and the other one. It has always just made more sense to me to view it this way and to try to see things from other people's point of view and to try to understand why they did something the way they did it because it usually explains why people are the way that they are. Everyone has their own personal problems but typically they aren't entirely unique although it can seem as if it is. As she points out in the video these problems become societal problems and in order to understand why they are a problem you have to go to the root and see just what it is that causes the problem. -Antoinette004
Why does the government do a basic being count instead of gathering the facts about our society? If individuals are given a survey most questions will be answer truthfully and some will be fabricated. So how can the government base our society on a head count for administrative decisions? In my opinion, the government is the cause of a lot of people living in poverty and are homeless, they are the cause of set backs because its difficult to get assistance. The government is out for the well off people and are against people like myself who is taking the initiative to be better. Sociologist need to partner with the government to get a better understanding of each individuals lifestyle and struggles. Maybe then everything wouldn't be based on income and a low class family will qualify for much needed assistance. I personally am tired of working two jobs to make ends meet, as well as putting myself thru school with no help from the government due to my income which is nothing major, but in the government eyes I'm making a killing. After their share is taken out, I'm left to live check to check. Our government needs to get it together and make a way for people to better themselves and one day live life with the upper class.
The sociological imagination developed by C Wright Mills. He believed that instead of government going into society and choosing what is good or bad for that certain community, one should instead focus on there on own individual self and how one effects the community. He also believed in putting oneself in another persons shoes to see how life was in another point of view. Mills set forth his own ideals on what it means to be human and what individuals go through to become who they are. The sociological imagination not only focuses on the individual it also focuses on the structure of society. Lets say everyone was failing at a test, Sociological Imagination examines why everyone is failing and helps make adjustments so everyone can pass.
I agree with Mills in saying we should not be going out and counting and reporting behavior that way, especially to the government to decide if intervention is necessary. It does provide a sort of disconnect because you're counting people and disassociating yourself from the study. But when you really put yourself in the shoes of the public and actually experience the world how other people perceive it, then true sociological thought can be an effective research tool in seeing everyday life. It takes a certain type of person to be an intellectual scientist and to be able to put themselves in the position of other people and to also differentiate and logically work through the problems of others. Looking at issues from a sociological imagination standpoint makes it easier to see individual problems more as social structural problems which hopefully will result in better solutions being implemented to help society.
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I agree with you about the government thing and us going out and counting and reporting behavior. I just think that if we did something like that it would change a lot of things in our society. I agree with you when you are saying "put yourself in the shoes of the public", things would probably be understood more and everyone would have a better understanding of how things are done and why they are done.
Delete-Boop004-
I do like how they were talking about social imagination and seeing things from a different view or point. I always say that we should think how the other person feels or think about the others person situation because not everyone had it easy. I don’t agree with the counting and then reporting back to the government. I think that if they let the government decide if intervention needs to take place then things would go downhill very quickly. I do agree with mills on how it would be a disconnect from how we would be approaching the study of society. The reason why I think this is because how are we suppose think certain things if we are being watched and counted and If something is goes wrong it would go back to the government to see if they can change it. People wouldn’t act and think a certain way if that’s what happened.
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Yes I agree it is very important that we consider others and what hardships they may be facing. The fact is there, we do not know what someone could be going through. Which is what makes C. Mills view point so much more valid. She explained it very well in the video. If you had a group of students many could be facing the same hardships even though they live such different lifestyles. It really makes me think and also gives me a different way to look at some of my hardships. Good luck in this class.
Delete-mysonmyworld004
I agree with your statement of seeing things from a different point of view. I feel that sometimes we, as a society, fail to see the struggles that others are facing. It becomes very easy for us to judge someone because they lost their job; when in fact, they lost their job because they had a flat tire, had already used their spare tire previously, didn’t have the money to replace the spare because they had an unexpected medical expense arise, etc., the list goes on and on. I’m reminded of a quote that goes something like this: “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” ~happilycurious004
DeleteThis video really explained what C. Wright Mills views are. She put it in a very clear and easier way to understand it. As adults we do blame ourselves for the hardships in our lives. Although, he makes it very clear that this does not excuse the individuals who are not doing everything they can or what they are supposed to be doing to help their selves. I can certainly understand that sometimes no matter how much you try or what you do to ensure that short comings are few and far between, sometimes they still occur. His statement “social problems instead of personal short comings” was a great way to think about it. The fact that twenty some students who all live different lives, have different finances, live different lifestyles, and still have the same overall type of hardships. It completely satisfies C. Mills’s opinion. I do agree that some of the things she mentioned could potentially elevate some of the trying hardships most of us face.
ReplyDelete-mysonmyworld004
I totally agree with this. I think that this video made is much easier to understand what Mills thoughts and views are. I like how the person isn't excused of the problems he or she has but basically other people in the world are having the same issues and for a lot of things something could be done to relieve some of the pressure of things such as making education cheaper like stated in the video.
Delete-mybabygirl004
Being a college student is so hard and expensive. In the "social imagination" every single one of us sitting in our classroom is going through the same thing. Maybe not min by min or day by day. But we are all trying to do the right thing for us and our families. Somehow something or someone always brings us done. Unfortunately a lot of the times it is the government. They group of people who we are suppose to trust most.
DeleteKtKay004
I also agree this video made it a lot easier to understand exactly what C. Miller’s views are. I also agree that as adults we do tend to face many hard ships if it is car problems, college tuition, or even stress from work. I really liked his statement as well when he said “social problems instead of personal short comings.” We do tend to only think about our own problems instead of seeing that many people do in fact share the same hardships. -JustMe1989
DeleteI did not care how she brought up reporting back to the government with things. I just don't see that working well. I did like the examples she was using such as my tire blew and I didn't have a spare, therefore lost my job. I think it's interesting to think of things such as these as situational problems and not technically that individuals fault or problem. There are a lot of things that could be fixed that would help decrease situational problems like she stated lowering the cost of education and therefor us students wouldn't have to stress as much and live and such tight budgets. It really isn't just one persons problem but it is many students problem. There are a lot of things to think about in this way. I also think it would be helpful to think like that when going through a hard time to just know, hey I'm not the only one dealing with this issue right now.
ReplyDelete-mybabygirl004
I agree with you, I did not find it important about the reporting statistics to the government in this particular video. I also liked her examples of the situations that an individual can be put in and that we are not alone in those situations. We are not the only ones dealing with the things that we deal with. I also agree with you that it is helpful that there are other people in this society that can relate to us. -Happy004
DeleteWith reporting statistics to the government sometimes it can help set an initiative to help prevent or lower the problem that society is experiencing. When government saw that it's people were unable to survive with cost of living, they created financial assistance like food stamps, medicare, and medicaid. I agree that it is comforting that there are other people who can be experiencing some of the same things as I am because of societal roots. -Kitsune004
DeleteMills has given me a different perspective on society's problems and the individual's problems can be related in some ways. Also that if we used sociological imagination, we can determine an individual's shortcomings. I liked that Mills believed that sociological thought rests upon imagination. Sociological imagination does affect relationships and how we grasp society. I also agree with how we have to step out of our personal world and to step into society's world to see the reality of this society. In addition, the video talks about how the different aspects of social life affect the individual's character and way of life. The aspects of social life also have a meaning to each and every individual. Furthermore, the video is explaining that to understand an individual, you have to look at the bigger picture, such as society. The way we can understand society and its individuals is to view things at a different perspective and then we will soon find that there are other people that are in the same situation as us. -Happy004
ReplyDeleteI think you make some great realizations here, I agree that we must,as you put it, step out of our personal world into societies world, but, isnt societys world part of our personal world, since society affects our personal world? I maybe think too much into it, and sometimes is drives me crazy. But I love the way you explained the video. I think its pretty spot on.-lilcakes004
DeleteSociological imagination is the ability to connect personal problems to public issues. What happens in society shapes our personal experiences. We have to understand both our lives and our society so that we can understand it as a whole. An example, some people become anorexic because society sees thin people as beautiful. If someone does not achieve the perfect look for society, then society tries to shame that person. This then causes someone to think they need to go to the extreme. If anorexia was more rare than it is currently it would be more of the individual than a societal problem. This shows that personal affairs can be connected to society's shaping. We think that when there is an issue that we are alone; in reality there could be millions of people going through the same situation that we are currently going through. I like the idea of sociological imagination because at least I know I am not always alone in life. -Kitsune004
ReplyDeleteI thought that you had made a great point between anorexia and society. It is unfortunate that people feel like they should not eat, because society sees thin as beautiful. Being thin is no more beautiful than not being thin. Thin people can have ugly personality that make them ugly inside and out.
Delete-CFC004
I appreciated how this video implied that C. Mills felt that the study of sociology had moved away from the raw and true side of the study of society and had simply become a way for government to accumulate information to be used as government saw fit. This statement certainly made me think more about the involvement of government in our society. C. Mills wanted the sociological imagination to be used to relate oneself to society as a whole and putting oneself in others shoes. He felt that researchers needed to situate themselves in the social reality of others and report back clearly what others reality truly is, not what the reporters felt others reality should be; sort of an accurate ‘walk a mile in their shoes’ approach. I also appreciated how the video stated that while social structure can perpetuate a certain social struggle, such as making ends meet from week to week, the video also indicated that social structure does not excuse individual responsibility. I felt some conflict with the statement of sociological imagination becoming a way for government to simply accumulate information. I feel that social structures have the potential to be positively affected by government involvement especially when it comes to issues such as affordable education and social welfare.~happilycurious004
ReplyDeleteThis is such a perfect response to the video. Individuals are responsible for there personal actions and I am glad you pointed that out. You cannot blame society all the time for things not going right. Government involvement in society needs to be more about the people and I believe we are getting away from that. This country was founded by the people and it needs to stay that way.
DeleteEmpowerlife004
This powerpoint makes so much sense to me because I deal with socialogical imagination everyday. I work with behavior students in an Elementary school and I have to have an open mind, showing empathy and sympathy for these kids. I don't know what they go through everyday at home but I somehow have to put myself in their shoes in order to get them to socialize better when they do come to school. I have to ask questions to find out how we can teach them to better cope with certain situations to make them ready to be productive in life. If everyone would take the time out of their busy day to get to know another person and their short comings, yes, we would all realize that we have a lot more in common than we know. No matter your age or race, whether you are rich or poor we all have one thing in common right now and that's to live and be happy. Lets uplift each other.
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myboys004
Sociological imagination, taking yourself out of our own personal ideas and problems and seeing the bigger picture. Love that. I can rant about how bad my day was or year was but taking myself out side of that and acknowledging that other people are where I am emotional and finically is what will make me a more open and social person. The video said "I had to rob Peter to pay Paul." As a college student I love that quotes. Obviously I'm not literally robbing people. But I take time away from my son so I can go to college and go to work to pay for college. As a society we are always indebted to someone or something. Whether that be physically, emotionally or financially. This C. Wright Mills was defiantly on to something. Although I don't think we should be bad for worrying about ourselves or letting ourselves feel bad for what we are going through. We can acknowledge that other people have it rough, but take time to recognize your pain and your growth as a person. Socialogy intrigues me but I don't feel like I'm at the level they want me to be at yet. Only thinking about yourself or worrying about yourself is okay some times. And it seems this is not what the video is trying to convey. Just like a lot of things in my personal views. I can see both sides to the story.
ReplyDeleteKtKay004
I like how you summarized this video. I had a hard time following it myself. You do well putting it into life's perspective. I also tend to rob Peter to pay Paul. I'm just hoping the payoff in the end is the right one I'm looking for. I have a hard time following sociological and psychological perspectives. I personally feel that things happen for a reason. I guess we will see if I feel differently at the end of this course. bdole004
DeleteThe Sociological Imagination requires us to put ourselves aside to give us a clear look at the societies around us, which at least to me seems like a hard thing to do for most Americans. C. Wright Mills thought Sociologist needed to remove themselves in order to properly use sociology. A good sociologist can report their research without mixing their feelings or any problems they are dealing with into their work. Before watching any of these videos I never really thought when I am watching someone do something that my mind is “making a scene” that I’m making a sociologically study. When I try and put myself in their place and try and figure out where they are coming from, and figure out what is going on in their life that puts them in this situation. I guess it is not that hard to put aside my life and study someone else. It seems that I do it without really realizing that I’m doing it.
ReplyDelete-CFC004
I appreciate how you took this assignment and reflected on yourself. It is very interesting how people see people and how society takes for granted the way we look at others. It is intriguing how eye opening sociology can change the perspective of how we see things now. Discovering peoples past and the connection really helps getting to know people and where they are coming from.
DeleteBabyB004
At first I was a little skeptical about this lecture. Until I understood the method behind the why. Using numbers to judge or form a bias view of a certain group based from their environment or other factors is kind of unfair. So thinking outside of the box allows an individual to understand more than just the numbers. It's easy to just lump groups together to explain their shortcomings in a situation. We sometimes don't stop and think about why and how some people get in and out situations. As the lecture suggest, we must put ourselves in the shoes of another individual and understand the struggles that they go thru in order to feel what they feel. In other words, it's unfair to judge someone that we see if we don't know where they came from. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. said "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and contentious stupidity." DAM004
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that looking at numbers and statistics to form bias is unfair. The numbers only get a rough estimate. They don’t really account for individuals or extraneous circumstances. I also agree that this is the easier thing to do, which is probably why it happens so often. Most of the time people will try to take the easy way out and not work as hard.
Delete-DTH004
Disconnection is so powerful today between families, socialism, and reality. The study full of “facts” was using people as numbers, as lab rats completely tearing their individualism away. I believe there is no way we could actually perform any scientific experiments and have the same outcome every time, due to the fact that each human being is completely different and spontaneous in their choices. Does not matter how well you think you know the person a person can always change. People evolve on a daily basis; experiences can completely change our outlook on things. I believe sociology must be one of the hardest fields to study. I liked the comment “Social problems does not excuse the individual,” I have grown up hearing people say “my dad’s an alcoholic so it’s in my DNA” or “I’m destined to be my mom so why even try to be different.” Just because you came from somewhere or grew up in some environment does not mean you can use that as an excuse to stay like that. Responsibility for your actions is huge because it is easy to fall into society’s trap of being stuck.
ReplyDeleteBabyB004
The sociological imagination is flawed, why I state so, Is because you can only put yourself in someones shoes so much, but you cant literally recognize how they exactly feel only interpret how one feels yes its good to be harmonious and come together in unison to understand one another. But you will never feel exactly how that individual felt at that exact time, you can only assume so much. Everything sadly revolves around perspective such as right or wrong, good or evil. Yes we have laws and repercussions on actions rising actions and climaxes revolving to a falling action, but yet everything is centered around yourself and how you feel about yourself what you see and what you feel. We are egocentric beings trying to find centrism through sciences, religion, politics. But sadly all leads to the solider and the hunch back, which is the explanation and the question. Science can only interpret so much and give us answers through the instruments to create the answer so are we conditioning the answer, or is the answer a predetermined wall based around I. I of individuality individually speak of the divide duality between what should be harmonious and what is harmful to the eye, the right and the wrong that is so underlined defined through perspective of the persons spectacles of what is so and isn't. The government is one sided affair just like any structure, it is for what they need and what they want. Any movement is a one sided affairs based around the leader/leaders of the movement, therefore falling around one perspective. How can we be in unison when we can only interpret how an individual feels, or base everything off faith like religion. How can I blame myself when my tire popped and I got fired from my job, for being late. Control is an illusion in the tide of life, dragging us to the undertow to the abyss.-lilcakes004
ReplyDeletelilcakes004 Your opinion about sociological imagination is thought provoking. I can understand why one would say that imagination is limiting as it is sometimes separate from reality. I agree that we are egocentric beings and I also believe that we are intuitive beings and it is the same properties that exist in intuition that allow us to believe in things we can't see but feel are there. I think that sociological imagination just asks us to be mindful of situational barriers that contribute to societal issues that are mistaken for personal ones. Inexperience is certainly unfavorable.
DeleteC. Wright Mills, The Sociological Explanation demonstrates ways of trying to figure out reasons as to why people do things and how advancements in technology and the media have affected the way things are done. C. Wright Mills also tries to give a reasonable explanation to a person's behavior and/or actions based on why they did something the way that they did it. There are definitely reasons that people do things and it seems like more often than not society has to find a reason or explanation for why someone did something. Some people are good, some are not. I guess I'm more of a karma person. What comes around goes around, treat others the way you want treated, and I'm hoping my beliefs won't hinder my own learning of the material in this course. I didn't find this video as effective to teaching and/or learning about this particular subject, but it is full of information that may be beneficial to know further into the course. bdole004
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you I’m so glad you said this. I didn’t find this video helpful at all. It is just life and you do the best you can. I think it’s a way of justifying peoples misfortune almost. You don’t need to look at a problem from a sociological stand point to fix the problem.
Delete-dislikeblogs004
When I think of using my imagination I immediately consider my childhood. When I was young I imagined I was a mother in a big beautiful house. I believe that many people struggle with using their imagination as it is so closely related to youth. However, I find that I make my most realistic observations and conclusions when I exchange my perspective for the perspective of people I encounter daily. "Did Cindy just chew me out for no reason? She must not like me." But it is when we remove ourselves and our personal feelings and observe from different perspectives that we see things as they more truthfully exist. "Maybe Cindy has something going on that isn't connected to me at all." Viewing society in this way can really allow us to connect with Sociolgy more closely. I really agree that looking at societal relations is much the opposite of statistical observations. I believe Sociology requires a very considerate mind to accept differences and ones lack of all known experiences. Thinking outside of our boxes! -kylegoldheart004
ReplyDeleteWhen Mills suggested that in sociology it is our imagination, or our “quality of mind” that allows us to grip our history, biography, and the relations between the two within our society. I think it is important to understand we as humans are all different. We all face different battles and have our styles of the way we live. We tend to often to think our struggles are just that, ours as an individual, not realizing how many others face the same struggles. As a single mother I struggle a lot trying to work full time and attend college while trying to raise my daughter, my car broke down this past week and the list goes on. After watching this video, it gave me a different outlook on how much of a structural issue can impact our daily lives. I also agree with Mills that we should not be going out, counting and reporting the behaviors and leaving it up to our government to decide for us what is in our best interest or if intervention is necessary. JustMe1989
ReplyDeleteI agree. I try to always look at what others are going through. However, there are many times when we have no idea what someone is going through. As a non traditional student I sometimes get to feeling sorry for myself or thinking that I'm the only one going through these things. However, there are many people who go through the same things I do. They work, have families, work full time, have spouses that work, have bills that they can barely pay and my list like yours goes on and on. I think that when we start thinking that we are the only ones who are going through things we become very selfish.
DeleteThis video really opened my eyes to how little control we really have in our own lives. One of the main points that was talked about was financial struggles with students. I have always looked at someone’s financial standing as a pretty individual thing. I understood that some people just get born into more fortunate homes. What I never really considered was as a whole the middle class shares many of the same financial problems regardless of how comfortably they present themselves. It was kind of shocking to hear that something as personal as struggling financially is fundamentally a problem from society. It is less about personal choices and more about outside pressures. I found it interesting that the professor presenting the lecture asked students for years the same question and always got the same answer. It really goes to show that while we put a heavy pressure on a formal education, we as a society stack the odds against students.
ReplyDelete-DTH004
This video raised alot of questions. I have always felt the judicial system was flawed as they judge everyone by the same standard. It is very important to recognize that everyone has different situations and circumstances that lead them to where they are. Not that breaking the law is ok or permissable but in certain circumstances it is sometimes inevitable. I very much agree about the financial burdens of students. Being a "non-traditional" student I don't receive any financial aid and have to pay everything out of my own pocket. Books and classes are extremely expensive. ~peoriahighlionsfootball004
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the flawed judicial system. Everyone can't be judged by the same standards d/t to different lifestyles and circumstances. Our state is so poor and the government is so reckless that it makes it hard for us to get assistance and they keep trying to take away much needed programs. If the government doesn't get it together, our state is going to continue to sink under and we all will be living in poverty.
DeleteI didn’t really like the way she talked about the subject so it was hard for me to understand. I put myself in other people’s shoes every day I can understand other people’s problems. Now looking at problems in this sociological imagination mindset doesn’t really seem right to me. The way she is talking about the “structure” (I feel like that term isn’t really defined well) and how this imagination is letting her get out of her personal idea of the problem and letting her look at it from a social stand point and then from there it becomes a social problem. Sociological imagination just seems like a scientific term for not being self-centered. You can look at a problem anyway you want so if you decided to say it’s a social problem and everything going on in your life is a social problem and not an individual problem then things will probably continue to go wrong. You’re never going to be able to change the structure of society because it’s not a thermostat it’s an untouchable idea. I disagree with the speaker and I don’t know much about C Wright mills but from what she is saying I disagree with him too. It doesn’t matter if we aren’t the primary contributors of our problems because that’s all they are, just problems. You overcome them and you have a better outlook on life. So yes I disagree with this.
ReplyDelete-dislikeblogs004
The problem with your way of thinking is that you are trying to excuse the action by putting a label on it and in doing so you are making it personal which is the exact opposite of what sociological imagination is. You can slap and label on anything as a way to excuse an action. It's not about giving people an excuse for doing or feeling what they do it about explaining why it is that they feel that way or that they do something a certain way. -Antoinette004
DeleteI don’t agree with the fact that the government wants the facts instead of taking the theory about different subjects in life. College students struggle everyday with trying to afford things in life. Such as; as to get back and fourth, food, and even rent. The amount of money that they make vs. what they spend is a huge difference. But not everyone stops to think about it. Sociologists are the ones who think outside of the box. How can we make college students not be in debt forever? How do they even afford to be here everyday if they need to work full time as well. At the end of the day there are so many people in this boat, and no one doing anything about it. Taking a step back and having people who were to judge why you drive the car you do or why you make the choices you do, are just people who don’t understand the daily struggle of life. But this video opened up my eyes as to really thinking about situations in life before being quick to judge.
ReplyDeletetravqueen93004
This video opened up my eyes also to trying to actively think about other people's situations and not being so quick to judge. Most everyone is going through a struggle, a lot of times they may be having the exact same problems as you. I'm going to try to step back and spread more kindness.
Delete-chillato004
I never quite realized that I have a sociological mindset when it comes to thinking about problems and how you have to step back and kind of see it as the
ReplyDelete"bigger picture", until I watched this video and the other one. It has always just made more sense to me to view it this way and to try to see things from other people's point of view and to try to understand why they did something the way they did it because it usually explains why people are the way that they are. Everyone has their own personal problems but typically they aren't entirely unique although it can seem as if it is. As she points out in the video these problems become societal problems and in order to understand why they are a problem you have to go to the root and see just what it is that causes the problem. -Antoinette004
Why does the government do a basic being count instead of gathering the facts about our society? If individuals are given a survey most questions will be answer truthfully and some will be fabricated. So how can the government base our society on a head count for administrative decisions? In my opinion, the government is the cause of a lot of people living in poverty and are homeless, they are the cause of set backs because its difficult to get assistance. The government is out for the well off people and are against people like myself who is taking the initiative to be better. Sociologist need to partner with the government to get a better understanding of each individuals lifestyle and struggles. Maybe then everything wouldn't be based on income and a low class family will qualify for much needed assistance. I personally am tired of working two jobs to make ends meet, as well as putting myself thru school with no help from the government due to my income which is nothing major, but in the government eyes I'm making a killing. After their share is taken out, I'm left to live check to check. Our government needs to get it together and make a way for people to better themselves and one day live life with the upper class.
ReplyDeleteThe sociological imagination developed by C Wright Mills. He believed that instead of government going into society and choosing what is good or bad for that certain community, one should instead focus on there on own individual self and how one effects the community. He also believed in putting oneself in another persons shoes to see how life was in another point of view. Mills set forth his own ideals on what it means to be human and what individuals go through to become who they are. The sociological imagination not only focuses on the individual it also focuses on the structure of society. Lets say everyone was failing at a test, Sociological Imagination examines why everyone is failing and helps make adjustments so everyone can pass.
ReplyDeleteEmpowerlife004