This video is very interesting and opens up my eyes to many things that go on in the world around us. Self versus society shows how the way we look at things is not always correct and kind of changes direction in thought. The quote they used in the video by C. Wright Mills on social imagination really sums up how we look at things and do not grasp all the information around us due to social imagination. Information about understanding a person's issue and public issues, how they differ. One problem that is common is unemployment and if it is a public issue or personal. Many are personal when it is just one person on unemployment out of one-hundred or w public issue when its a thousand people out of two thousand. Exercise has social and personal benefits. Personal benefits is ones blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, and helps with stress. Social benefits is getting out and meeting new people with a common interest and most importantly can inspire communities. Obesity is one very interesting problem i thought would only go personal or social but considering what facts you put into the equation it can be either or. Events that leads to celebration is normally because of a birthday,wedding, funeral, or even holidays lead to unhealthy foods. Our behavior is influenced by the environment around us just like our choices change due to the people we are surrounded by. But back to the facts the video opens are minds to insurance which goes higher by 147 billion due to the cost of surgeries to help the people around us. What i take from this video is the world is more complex than what we can even imagine and many things influence how our minds work. This video i believe could change how we look at the world. -Campbell012
Obesity was definitely a good example that she gave because it is totally the result of social activities and personal urges at the same time. Not only is someone eating unhealthy because they desire the food, but because it is all that is presented to them. Going even further, all they have ever known is this food, and making the switch to healthy food would be unfamiliar and they could be ridiculed. It is very interesting to see just how much society influences one’s life no matter how free-willed they may believe themselves to be. You are right: this world is indeed very complex!
I agree that these problems are often caused by a sociological setting, but I also think that rather than looking for large scale solutions we should look for solutions within each community. I think that we should even look for solutions on a personal level. Using Obeisity as an example, if the federal government were to put restrictions on the purchases of foods that it deemed bad for you, people would feel as though there freedom was being restricted. If a community invests in a gym together and opens a shop that gives a healthy option, I think many more people would get healthier and they would not have as many issues with the methods. The most effective in my opinions though is for individuals to take make decisions that are good for them and others. I am not saying that each person should just do better because I think they can make the decision to work out and eat right on there own(though in my opinion they should try). I am saying that people should encourage the people they get to know to work out with them, to lead by example, and to vote health foods into there communities by buying more healthy food. -DMPeschy
I can totally agree with the example she made of obesity, although there are other factors that need to be considered like genetics, disorders, etc. a person can eat healthy and still be obese because of their genetic makeup, or other outside factors. I definitely agree that social perspectives have a major influence on anyone and their actions, because we are a world of judgment and ridicule. never the less, your post is accurate. -Jaci7429
I agree with you. A lot of times it the way we look at things is not always right. For example exercise is a personal benefit like you said. But all of the examples are sociological. The society and enviroment we live in has a lot to do with what we do and she broke that down very well in the video. prettygirlhd
I’d never really though about it before, but the idea of sociological imagination seems incredibly crucial. Understanding the culture around us is one of the most important parts of functioning in society. Having this perspective also allows us to be more understanding of others. Instead of judging one person based on any specific negative trait about them, we can take a look at society as a whole and address the problem across the whole population. From there we are able to see the bigger picture and begin to formulate ways in which we can resolve the situation. This end result is much more productive than looking down on someone and blaming them for their unfortunate conditions. (This is not necessarily always the case, but it often is.)
When the speaker talks about obesity as an example, it reminded me of the discussion on sociological functionality versus dysfunction. The family gatherings she talks about are an excellent example of something that is both sociological functional and dysfunctional simultaneously depending on how you look at the issue. It provides the positive function of family time spent together to strengthen relationships and relax, whereas, on the other hand, it is dysfunctional as it contributes to the family member’s tendencies to gain weight after consuming foods lacking in proper nutrition and lack of physical exercise.
I too think it is crucial for our society to be aware and notice sociological imagination also, to understand the culture around us. This way we can connect and learn the deep understanding of others. The video was able to make a different perspective of who problems are the society’s of just one individual. Usually the case is someone blames one person instead of looking at the situation from a different view. Watching this video with make individuals think about certain circumstances differently. It is always good to see things in a different way because it can challenge your mind. -IDK123
I think this is a very insightful response. When I was watching the video, I viewed the personal issues that were explained to be those ideas that a single person had about himself or herself. I never really thought about my interactions with others and about understand them better, but this is a big part of life. Often times we will judge another person before we get to know them, so understanding certain aspects of someone else's personality or lifestyle might make it easier to decide if as a person they are an anomaly or if they simply reflect similar characteristics and traits of the larger groups they might be a part of. Somehow, I think it is easier to accept a person’s “differences “if they are simply a reflection of society, and really not that different after all. MySliceofthePi102
I feel like this was a great response and I totally agree with your statement on how you said social imagination is crucial. I feel like that is very crucial and that its sad that everybody don’t know about it. I agree that this perspective allow people to look at life and the world from different aspects. It allows people to view things in more than one way. I feel like a lot of people judge people for things because they lack this feature in life. I feel like if more people knew about this or was aware of it people would handle people and situations better. -Jolly Rancher
I agree that we in society as a whole tend to blame people for something we THINK they control. When really, they're just following the social patterns that were taught to them by those around them. I also agree with the fact that we should be addressing more issues as a community and see the big picture instead of singling out individuals for something they cannot control. Like for example, calling someone lazy for being unemployed, even though we don't know their circumstances, is wrong. If businesses are declining, more people will be unemployed. So instead of asking why is this person not working, and deciding that the person is the problem, we should be asking why are businesses declining and what can we do as a society to keep them running so that people can stay employed. We discussed this a little bit in class, I'm glad this video informed us on it more.
I myself agree with you completely. Having the sociological imagination perspective can help us be more understanding of peoples lives and feelings. When it comes to obesity some people having lower incomes and cant always afford to eat healthy. We can just blame people for their bad traits when we don't know anything else about their lives. Like the comment above, if we understood what people were going through i think we would understand and have more sympathy for people. I think thats something as a society we need to work on.
The video contains information about the sociological imagination, it gives examples and talks about individual problems and society problems in which they can be connected in some situations. It’s a way of comprehending certain standards are not all because of the host sometimes the problem can be wider than one person. It is a distinction between someone’s problem and society. Not always is it the persons choice or problem. Many people are influenced by what others think weather its family, friends, or co-workers it can shape that individual’s decisions. Any behavior can be looked at with a sociological imagination. Self-verses society is a great way to be aware of how an individual can be the source of the problem or society being the source. Meaning when something is a problem it doesn’t always have to be one person’s fault because if there are more people being affected then its society’s problem. I believe this was a helpful way to help me notice that its not always just one person’s problem which is sometimes the case. Understanding that everyone plays a part in some type of problem, that the problems are connected to other thing and other people. I think that everyone is somewhat aware of this information. -IDK123
I think your comment sums up the video well. I think the video is helpful in that it explains how to recognize when society is contributing to the problem. Being able to recognize this is good because it gives us the opportunity to help the societal issue. YoungPlug012
I am glad that most of the class enjoyed this video and it opened all our eyes to the bigger picture of the world around us. It is just crazy that we miss so much of the important information in life. Sociology is way bigger than anybody could imagine it gives everything in life a bigger meaning than what anybody could possible think of. This video explains how interesting this class could be and get us all involved into something bigger. All of us could take so much from this class and help us later on in life. So much meaning to this small video. Campbell012
Although both personal and public issues exist, more often than not, our problems stem from aspects of the society in which we live. Society serves as a platform for our personal problems. After watching this video though, I still have one big question: When is a personal problem no longer a personal problem but a public issue? Is the answer to this question when a majority of the population faces a similar issue, or is the answer just when a large portion of the group faces a similar issue? In this manner, I would believe that different issues are judged on different standards because we would not judge the sociological problem of a suicide rate for a particular group of people the same as we would judge an unemployment rate for the entire country. If in fact society deems the division line between acceptable and unacceptable rates or percentages for different issues, how is this number and distinction determined? The underlying principle of the Sociological Imagination seems to determine where blame should be directed. We have two choices; we can blame the victim or blame the system. Most of the time, whether a problem is personal or public related, we as humans tend to blame society or someone else because we find it hard to take responsibility for our actions. I believe in order to use the Sociological Imagination concept in the correct way, we as humans must be able to take responsibility for our own actions so that there is an equal probability and limited bias to favor the blame towards society. If we are able to take responsibility for our actions there is a greater chance that when deciding if society is to blame or we are to blame, we are able to weigh the problem at its truth value and make an informed decision that is not based off of self-interest. This should help to minimize the ideas of those people who strictly blame themselves or who people strictly blame society for their actions. MySliceofthePi012
This video really interested me. I thought this video was going to be very boring, but I can relate to this video in my everyday life. My cousin she just went vegan and she is a yoga instructor and she been trying to tell me and the rest of our family that we need to exercise and eat better, and I tell her it’s not that easy. This video backs up my statement because this video basically says if everybody in your family exercise then it would be easy for the next person to do so but if the whole family don’t do it then it’ll be easier for one person to not do it. Basically, I’m not surrounded by people who wants to exercise so I don’t, but I know if I was to live with my cousin I would exercise because that’s what her and her husband and kids do all the time. I agree that society plays a big part in everyone life. I also like how she mentioned if someone has 5 dollars they would rather pick the unhealthy food over the fruit or healthy food because I know for a fact if they got hot wings for 10 dollars and a salad for 10 dollars I’m going for the chicken wings. I never even knew or heard about sociology imagination before until now. I feel like that term is something everybody should know about because everyone should be able to understand one self. I feel like our choices are based on what others feel especially when they mentioned family gathering because now that I think about it my family don’t play sports or jog or any of that when we gather together an eat but my cousin however will do yoga, and some will be like girl why you doing all that an some will do it with her. I feel like that was a great video for us to watch. -Jolly ranchers
Great thoughts! I completely agree with you. Exercising can be ever so hard in the busy lives that we lead and family and household influence can carry so much weight in our decisions. I felt very similar to you as I began to watch this video and was inspired with some of the facts that were brought to light. Also, concerning your thoughts about the food choices we may make based the money we have in our pockets, I totally agree. It can be so tempting to pick up the burger and fries for just a couple bucks instead of making the trek into a grocery store to pick up some healthy food choices. -THEARSONIST012
This video has a lot of really interesting points. This video tells us that our “personal problems” might not be all that personal after all. Of course, we’re still in control of our lives and the choices we make. But, I don’t think we stop to notice how much of an impact the world around us can have towards our decisions. The obesity topic was a great example of this. If you’re from a family of people who like to celebrate a lot, you’re probably going to eat more than someone who only meets up with family on certain holidays. I know people from families like this and it has a lot to do with different cultures. So, it makes me wonder, from a sociological standpoint, are obesity rates higher in certain cultures, and how does that factor into sociology? I think what my question tells me is that the sociological imagination theory, is true. I imagine that obesity rates are probably lower in certain cultures because people aren’t as influenced by their families to come together more often than necessary for meals. It is truly interesting all the different ways sociology connects us without us realizing it. Also, a family with more money is more likely to eat better than a low-income family, which is another part of the factors around us that could influence a person being overweight. You might think it was your choice to get a burger over pizza, but your options were actually limited to those two things, because they were more affordable. Whereas if you had more money to spare, you could choose between not only pizza or a burger, but a salad and some fresh fruit. Therefore, I believe society actually makes choices for us, and we should be more aware of that.
This video really opened my eyes to the difference between a personal issue and a public issue. Obesity was a very good example to explain the difference of these issues. It made me understand that the surroundings of a person such as diet, exercise, and food can determine whether a person is obese or not. If a person is surrounded by junk food and lives in a food desert, then it’s obvious that they would be more likely to be overweight because they don’t have the resources to maintain a healthy weight. This also goes for exercise and whether or not a person has the resources, money, or right environment to exercise in. I think this becomes a public issue when a large percentage of a community is considered overweight. Then it is safe to assume that a community/town/county doesn’t have the resources to maintain a healthy weight. The sociological imagination is important in understanding the yourself because you have to relate yourself and society. I think the best example for this though is unemployment. This is often a big problem in the US but is also something that is a personal problem. There are often people that are unemployed because of laziness, bad reputations, and not enough education. This type of unemployment is more of a personal problem. When people get laid off in large numbers, especially when they have good reputations and are good workers, it would be more considered a public problem. Overall this video really explained the difference of this well. -curlyhead012
Agreed! It really opened my eyes to this as well. And I agree, a lot of personal issues can be due to a lot of different reasons aside from social influence as highlighted in the video. You can’t always assume that social influence is the major player, though it could definitely be a big one! Like you said, government, access to resources, finances, personal preference/work ethic/motivation, etc. also can potentially play a part. And I agree with you on your overall summary on sociological imagination, it really is an eye-opener and can help you better understand the conflicts within one’s community.
This small video packs lots of social information all into one. It takes a big look at some of the big sociological problems in our current world. Sociological problems such as food deserts which are geographical places within our society and world that make it difficult for society to eat well and find affordable nutritious food. In many low-income neighborhoods and environments it can be very precarious for healthy and fresh grocery stores to have business’. Therefore, because of this issue many stores choose not to build and maintain stores in lower-income areas. This may benefit the stores and business’ on a large scale, however it very negatively affects all of the people living in those areas. Places where fresh an healthy food choices are limited we call Food Deserts. The woman in this video explains how this can substantially lower the health and well-being of an entire area and cause many different side affects to occur. Some of the negative side affects include childhood obesity, high blood pressure and heart problems. In the United States we spend more than 147 Billion a year on diabetes. That is a substantial amount of money that takes a very large toll on our American society. Some of us may hold the opinion that obesity in the United States is all because of personal choice. Others may hold the opinion that obesity in the United States is purely because of the pressure of society and it is simply a social problem within our world. However, neither of this opinions may necessarily be wrong. In a sense, eating and food choices are related to personal choice. However, although eating is a personal choice, we may feel that the society that we are a part of supports the way that we eat. We may feel that although we have the choice, we are pushed by society to act and eat a certain way. This video was very inspiring and eye opening for me to really contemplate the different choices we have in our lives and in our society. -THEARSONIST012
I never thought that obesity, or any other personal issue, could possibly become a major, public issue. At least, I never thought of the process for one’s personal issues to become a public one, that is. It’s a very interesting perspective; and it’s also interesting when you think of all of the major issues in the world. Religion, war, obesity, health insurance, unemployment, etc. Every country to varying degrees have these issues, and at one point, I suppose, they were only personal ones. Public issues are basically red flags notifying the government that a lot of people are having this same issue, and it’s not just a given smaller group. It’s one that needs primary and full attention, and needs to be tended to. I also never thought that certain personal issues could also potentially breed from social influences. It’s all very interesting! Obesity is definitely one of the bigger ones, especially in America. Agreed, social influence plays a part here, but I also do think that personal choice also has a role. Not everyone is socially influenced to become obese. There are other potential reasons, such as being genetically predisposed to obesity, having an eating disorder, or simply just having a huge appetite, etc. Really enjoyed the video!
I agree with your sentiment about the process of a personal issue becoming a public one, but I guess the public is composed of many persons! The idea that baffles me is how out of hand the exact same problem can get for so many completely unique individuals. This is where I feel your mention of genetic predisposition, eating habits, and appetite fit in. However, I feel that by using the sociological imagination that is the titular focus of the video, I can understand how a problem can affect over thirty-five percent of the population, as countless societal influences and factors play a part of every personal aspect of our lives -- including eating! -CSP012
While I agree with your overall thought that we also have to give some accountability back to the individual person, it does open my eyes to how the impact is greater. Also, does society contribute by the restaurants and foods that we provide, are there adequate resources in the community for exercise, do we partner with health care organizations to market healthy eating and living? Those are a few of the questions I consider. In some areas I think there are great strides being made but how do we impact those communities and people that are at greatest risk. While an individual is accountable, I also believe that our country and communities have to provide some of the tools to help the individual succeed. SBC012
I really liked the aesthetic of this video. The plain theme with stick figures and hand-drawn pictures were very informative but also easy to follow. Anyways, onto the content. The foundation of all public issues is a high percentage of individual citizens suffering from the same issue. The video highlights one of the main causes of the number one cause of death in the United States: obesity. I have watched several documentaries on obesity, and while not an expert, I definitely agree that it can be viewed from many different perspectives. This idea is the foundation of Sociology -- general patterns of specific people. Using the sociological mindset or imagination is the only way to truly absorb the content of this class. If one tries to view this class from the egocentric perspective that we have all grown up with, the meaning and fundamental ideas that we are supposed to take away will go right over our heads. -CSP012
Yes! The layout of this video was amazing. Probably the easiest video to follow, I've seen, about sociology. It keeps the attention of the viewer, as well as explains the sociological imagination. Obesity can be defined in very many different but it obvious to see there's a problem. Using the sociological imagination, I hope we can find a pattern that is affecting a vast, majority of people. Hopefully no one is thinking in an egocentric perspective, considering this is a sociology course. If so, this is going to be a hard class. Great review of the video, and very good points! ^~^ Itis012
Yes!!! I completely agree with the layout POV of the video. It was super easy to follow along and pretty straight forward which made it easy to absorb the information in it. Besides that, I like how you mentioned the point about continuing through class thinking egoistically. I feel that the video made it very clear on WHY it would be in our BEST interest to understand Sociological Imagination, I strongly believe that those who DO in fact think in this way will have an all around better chance grasping the concepts that we run across later in the semester. LayBae012
I agree the video gives you new ways to look at personal issues and see that no one is ever really alone with a problem because they are everyone’s problem. I like how you mentioned if we all just used what we knew about since child hood and didn’t look at personal issues and societies issues in a sociological way we would be lost. Sociology imagination is very useful to view different perspectives and general patterns of specific people. Just me012
I think you summed up the video perfectly, and I agree the simplistic nature of this video makes it much easier to follow than the other two videos we had to watch for this weekend. I also thought "General patterns of specific people" was very eloquent. --Burnsky012
This video does, in my opinion, a great job of explaining how society influences people. I agree with this completely. Whether people notice it or not, outside influences affect you. The examples used in this video were spot on. Yes obesity is a problem, but is it a personal problem? Normally, I would say yes, but since hundreds of thousands of people are affected by this, it’s a public issue. Personally, the whole “unless tons of people are affected by it, we won’t worry about it,” mentality is just wrong. Whether there’s two people affected, or thousands, there is a problem and it needs to be fixed. Although, I do understand the more important issues must be dealt with first! Being active in your life is huge too! Like the video explained, doing something as simple as jogging gets you more intuned with society than you may realize. Another personal trouble that is bothered by social factors is depression. Although this is a broad statement that can easily be argued with, I think society has the biggest influence on this personal issue. Social structures affect people, due to standards. Like the government basically screams at the public to further their education. So when people don’t, they feel like they have failed themselves and beat themselves up over it. Last structure that hits home is economy. Success is defined by wealth in today's society. Without it, financial problems are going to happen. When this happens, others look down on the poor, because of social norms. Lastly, I think the social imagination helps explain human behavior, by showing patterns, and causes and effects in society. ^~^ Itis012
I agree that the video does a great job by giving us a new way to look at personal issues and see them as a public one and that whether we like it or not society influences people because what influences the new generation is what influences the old generation. I like how you mentioned whether there are two people affected or thousand, there is a problem and it needs to be fixed. With people like you in the world, there is a new way to see the good in people. POINTOFVIEW012
I feel that after watching the video about Sociological Imagination, my eyes are more open when it comes to how i perceive others. I feel like this video also connects with the “Wisdom and Sociology” TED Talk when it tries to get us to understand that it’s not one person that is going through certain issues in life, and sometimes life makes it hard for us to relate it to everyone as a whole. I think that the obesity issue was a good topic of choice when trying to convey the message of Sociological Imagination. Is it really a personal issue if it has affected so many numbers in a single society? There's no way that could hold true and I feel like that may open people’s eyes when interacting with others. I believe that Sociological Imagination as a topic itself can cause less judgement in society and more tools to deal with the issues that countless individuals face. Using the example with obesity, if so many individuals are considered obese it shouldn’t be classified as a personal issue. It can’t be personal if its increasingly common and acceptable across the society. LayBae012
Social imagination is an interesting concept of the individual interacting within their society. I felt the obesity example was very well done and made it easy to understand this. Many times we blame people for their weight and make them carry the guilt and shame that many times comes with it individually. However, was it really only the individual person’s issue or rather an issue of society? After watching this I put more ownership on both. As a society and community, how are we educating about obesity, what kinds of resources are we ensuring are in place to combat obesity. Often times you don’t think of the macro and micro level impacts of the example fo obesity that were provided. The community has impact by providing an environment that supports and encourages weight management. I love to visit Colorado and there is a lot of focus on walking, biking, and physical exercise. The work place is impacted and employees that are healthier are more productive and likely efficient. This reduces cost to the organization. It impacts the health care system with decreased cost of care related to long term illnesses and chronic conditions. It is helpful to think about society in this manner and to really understand that we are all in this together and it is more about providing social support for people improve and contribute to society as a whole. Mills really wanted us to think outside the box and consider other ways to look at social issues. I think this thought process could also be used for some our current societal issues such as racial tension, gender inequalities, and religious tensions. Is it really that anyone is wrong or do we need to have a different perspective. SBC012
I agree with your statement on the process being used for current societal issues. It can be considered to be a fine line or a bold division as to whether a certain situation is in fact a persons troubles or if it’s the public's issues. Different perspectives and considering others opinions are all that we just may need.
I learned that sociology imagination is to understand one’s self and society. The video mentioned that the concept was presented by C Wright Mills in 1959, he states that sociological imagination helps us to understand history and biography and relations of the societies, this is to understand the distinctions of a person’s troubles and public issues. If there is one person in a community that is struggling and is unemployed it is considered a personal problem, but if one million to ten million people are out of work and can’t find jobs it a public issue. What a person does I learned is not a person’s choice of preference. Choices are influenced by others that are around us in our everyday lives. An example that was given was obesity, it may seem to be a personal problem but when health issues occur in a certain area it makes the health care increase. This is one way that social structures contribute to social problems. It is very interesting how some of the things in our life that we may think are just micro is connected to society. This is just a few chapters into sociology and its already opening my eyes on how it plays an important role in our society. Just me012
The sociological imagination is a very interesting concept. The idea behind it is to help us understand history and relationships of societies. It is meant to help distinguish between personal issues, and public issues. The video uses obesity as an example, describing situations where it is a personal trouble and a social problem as well. The video does a good job showing how personal problems can be, in reality, issues for society as well and how society contributes to these personal issues. I like this concept, as it helps me realize that there are many things about our society that contribute to our personal issues, and it isn't all our faults. YoungPlug012
Sociological Imagination was an interesting video explaining the difference between personal troubles and public issues. C. Wright Mills defines Sociological Imagination as: Enabling us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. And also states that that is its task and its promise. Simply put, it lets us be creative and envision life in a new way as well as helps us understand the relationship between self and society. It can be considered to be a fine line or a bold division as to whether a certain situation is in fact a persons troubles or if it’s the publics issues. This helps us to understand the distinction between the two with examples such as when does unemployment for a person go from being personal to a public issue- is the person being lazy and just doesn’t want to work, or is it a demographical issue involving the public where hundreds may be unemployed? There are ways on figuring out how social structures contribute to social problems of government, economy, education and religion. Listing benefits and distinguishing between personal or public benefits is beneficial and you will more than often find that they can be of both often running off one another. -TRM012
Sociological Imagination is a big word that describes the real meaning of the relationship between individual and society. We look at issues when it comes to the personal level as a personal decision, but when it comes to public issues we see it from a different angle. Which I find it very interesting for example when Mills talked about obesity in the United States which is not a personal behavior but also is influenced by society. These examples she gave helped explain the concept of sociological imagination, and examination of the sociological imagination. It is very interesting to understand that personal issues most of times are already public issues. However we as people influenced by the society and forced us to be part in this issue, but many of us don’t see those issues as a big part of community we see at personal level which is not correct. This is a new way of seeing things and knows how to deal with because what is in the book doesn’t mean that works for all. Everything around us changing and it is absolutely different than other places. I think to understand this concept one needs to be engaged in other’s culture because what makes us great is being able to see thing from other’s point of view. POINTOFVIEW012.
I found this video very informative and interesting. With some of the points that have been made in this video I agree with them. When C Wright Mills said whatever a person does is not done by their own choice or personal preference I agree in certain situations but then I disagree in situations. I like the example they used about exercise for the relationship between self and society. If a person is surrounded in a community that exercises a lot is more likely to exercise than a person who is located in a community that does not frequently exercise. I also like how this video gives an example and they go through if it is a public issue or a personal trouble. On top of the example they tell you what it is and why it is the way that it is. Over all this video was very informative. -jw012
I think the points made in the video were interesting. One thing I didn’t know about was food deserts. I have noticed my self that finding a healthier option for food is definitely more difficult, much less convenient, and more expensive. I had always thought the reasoning was because of the manufacturing costs of natural products and the time it takes to produce, grow, and distribute raised the price. I had no idea how little the government helped to produce healthy natural products. I have seen in my own personal life the influence of socializing on the way people eating and drink. People feel obligated to drink alcohol or eat when ever they socialize even if they are not hungry or want to drink. They simply do because of the social pressures they feel when they go out with groups of people. Our social lives and social surroundings can absolutely affect how we do things. No one is going to want to be the one person in the group who is the only one who doesn't exercise so even if they didn’t before they may start to have something in common with their friends. And the same goes the other way or even with other things. BossMan012
I agree with this video and the social issues.I became aware of some of these issues when I took nutrition. We are technically responsible for what we put in our bodies, but the reality is, our social surroundings have a great influence on our decisions about what we eat. I can personally relate to the part in the video about the food desserts because that is exactly what is going on in my community. Major grocery stores have closed and are currently closing, leaving nothing but corner stores and mini marts, that lack fruit and fresh produce. Other things that influence our eating patterns are advertisements, friends and family. Sometimes I'm not consciously aware of the impact that advertisements have on my choices until I find myself indulging in unhealthy products that I remember seeing or hearing about. For example, yesterday I bought a grilled chicken salad on my way to take my children to a birthday party. Outside food and beverages aren't allowing in the establishment, so I was going to sit in my car and eat it. Since we were running a tad bit late, I decided not to waste anymore time, so I planned to eat it later. We went inside and everyone was eating extra cheesey and extra greasy pizza, cake, and ice cream. Before I knew It, I had a few slices of the pizza, cake, ice cream, and candy. I had other errands after the party and I never got around to eating the salad. It is very easy to get into these habits, and along with these habits, comes health issues. Even though this video is very short, it is enlightening and it targets these huge social issues. Inspire012
I feel like she makes some really great obvious points. Now, I learned so much more how influential we can be and are. We just never noticed it, but now with this class. I can see how sociological imagination is so powerful, and works, because I can relate with the health choices. Sometimes I feel like eating ice cream and pizza, but than other days I eat fruits. I feel like it surrounds us and influences our choices. The power is real, and encourages others to learn more about this tip. I feel like it’s more like a life-tip since its helping us, but helping us to learn from others. - LILPUMP012
I did not know that there was something called the sociological imagination. It enables us to grab history and biography and the relations between the two within society. The concept is to understand the distinction. A public issue would be a whole group of people not having a job. A personal problem would be three people not being able to get a job. Obesity was talked about in the video and from the personal perspective all people need to eat to live. Choices are limited depending on where you are. The stores with healthy food are harder and harder to find. Every corner you turn there is bad food and fast food restaurants. We base our choices off of the people around us. So if your siblings were eating cookies you would most likely eat a cookie instead of broccoli. I found this video very informative and interesting. I learned a lot of the same things in my nutrition class and we also talked about this in english. Obesity is a social and a personal problem in my opinion and I do not blame one more than the other. - mommaj'skid012
I was just like you. I had no idea what the sociological imagination was. I like the points you brought up of what the lady brought up in the video. I agree with you when you talked about obesity and not blaming one person more than the other. Good talking points. -CUBSFAN012
I also like mommaj'skid did not know what sociological imagination was. The points talked about in this reply was well detailed and the points you brought up were strong and were the main points brought up in the video. I agree with how people are limited to what they have due to where they live and who they live with. Not many homes in America or even in the world can afford or have the resources to keep having healthy food on their tables every night in order to keep a stable diet. Mrbubby012
I like how the video starts off with talking about first people need to understand the relationship between oneself and society. C. Wright Mills came up with the idea of the sociological imagination idea all the way back in 1959. I found it interesting that Mills said that the sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and the relationship to society. For that is its task and promise. The video goes on to talk about examples of individual problems and society problems in which they can be connected in some situations. I found it interesting that problems are sometimes connected. I found that this video was really good and informative. I also liked the simplistic design of the video. It made it nice and simple to follow and got the point across nicely. Overall, it was a good video. -CUBSFAN012
Now I learned a new word and what it means, Sociological Imagination. Never heard it or even used. Great 5-minute video I thought! It means the relationship with self and society. Presented 1950’s, and enjoy how she uses the employment example. I agree with her explanation and makes good sense. She makes it sound like common sense, but at the same time giver her explanations very well. She kind of explains it as societies being build around us and influences us to follow others. For example, if I saw my whole family eating healthy than I am more likely to do healthy life choices, but if my family were eating pizza, than I would be making less healthy choices. I can most defiantly see how this applies to us, and how it is all shaped around us. Now thinking about this, now inly does it affect us, but we ourselves can use it to influence other for the common good. Because we were born to mirror other because it builds trust. This is so true, I agree with her sociological imagination. She makes some really good points! And for sure like to learn more about this in class and see how deep we can go! - LILPUMP012
I also have never heard of a sociological imagination. Yet another new word I learned and will apply in this class. Her examples were simple enough to understand which was nice. I was surprised during this video about how outside influence affects us more than we know, things like healthy choice during a get together. I am also interested as to what other things I can learn from this class and how society affects us. I agree with you that knowing this information can help us use the sociological imagination to help influence the common good around us. Pj012
As far as I can tell sociological imagination is just relating things on a personal level compared to the whole of society. Her example was obesity; how the argument is about whether what we put into our bodies is a personal choice, or if it has to do with the social events we attend or the resources at our disposal. I think it can be argued in any direction, but most likely is a combination of everything all at once, because I think life is a big gray area. Using the example she used about obesity in America, you can say that we attend social gathering such as a family reunion where most of the food is unhealthy, so that incentivizes us to eat less healthily when people around us are doing the same. But, at the same time you could easily bring your own healthy food or turn down anything given to you, because that is your personal choice; they’re not shoving food down your throat. I understand that we have to learn about all the different sociological views separately before we can put them together, but I am looking forward to mixing them up. I don’t believe anything in life can be pinpointed by one theory; you have to look at so many different parts of life to get the whole picture. I think that is the end result of sociological imagination. –Burnsky012
I think that it is about the relationship between personal problems and society. As in we make decisions based on our problems and lives, but are these decisions influenced by the greater whole in ways that we can not even imagine. And then if we are to be objective scientists how do we differentiate personal problems form societal problems? that is where the sociological imagination concept truly exists in my opinion. -twentyfourframes012
i agree with you, i think her argument about obesity can be argued either way. this video gives the audience so much to think about. all the videos we've watched do. i like how the video pose the question "when is it a personal problem or a societal problem." as you mentioned about having to learn about the different sociological views before we put them together, ii agree with that. and i i think you're right on the ball about the end result of sociological imagination. -cheese012
This video has yet another sociological idea that it wishes us to understand. The idea of a sociological imagination is new to me but upon hearing about it it makes perfect sense in my mind. While we obviously have our own thoughts and minds what problems plague us may plague society as a whole if we zoom out the lens far enough. It simply wishes us to think in a broader sense. They explain this by using examples like exercise and poverty. Being out of shape and poor may be your personal problem but if the vast majority of the public is then it is a societal problem as well and needs addressing by the powers that be. It also tackles the idea that if you go against the norm of the world even if it is to your benefit you may be viewed as an outsider. They claim that many problems exist in perpetuity unless larger changes are made because “that is the way it has always been”. Which if you have ever written a formal argument paper you would know. That is a fallacy of thought. And not an actual reason to keep things the way they are. -twentyfourframes012
Again reading this title i don't know what sociological imagination is. The speaker says it one of the most basic discipline of sociology. The speaker say this can be explained as the intersection between history and biography. The speaker says that sociological imagination enables us to see how personal aspects of our lives are influenced by outside influences. And when i watch all these sociological videos on this blog site they say the same thing, our lives are all connected and are influenced by strangers and outside influences and we don't realize. This video tells me that we need to understand the relationship between self and society, the video gave a good example with the unemployment. Is one person being unemployed a personal trouble or a societal problem? And another question is posed, when does a personal problem become a societal problem? And how does social structures such a the government and education and religion contribute to social problems? I really like her example on obesity. A Lot of factors influence a person becoming obese, the influence can be both personal and societal, she goes into great detail on the personal and societal influences. -cheese012
This video about sociological imagination opens my eyes a lot about the way society works. This idea says that an individual could have a huge impact on society even though its just one person because that one person could to lead to more people and then more people and then it just evolves over time. I feel this is the way cultures have split because someone new would take their own view on something and that would impact someone else and that person would join and eventually it would grow and split into different cultures in the world. Everyone now matter race, religion, height, weight, or personality, everyone has a say on how society works because just by doing one thing different could affect something new and cause a reaction for something else. With the thing about obesity really showed me that maybe it's sometimes not people faults because of money situations or because of the people they're around. The video talked about how if someone had 5 dollars on them they would more likely pay for a full meal at a fast food restaurant rather then going to a grocery store and buying something healthy which would cost more. This is sad to think about because as a government and these big chain companies, wouldn't you want people to be healthy and live longer lives rather then spending money on competitors that are selling full meals for cheaper prices that cause these health issues in society. Mrbubby012
I agree with you on a lot of things you said. This video did open my eye on how the world is affected by us and we, by it. The food of the world and our personal preference on the subject really connected to me and I felt that I could relate to the subject more than in the other classes I take. Food is something we all eat and I never looked at it the way they explained. Each of us has a preference and it was not only our choice but it was also affected by the people we grow up with and were raised by. –TheMarshall012
This video is very informative and is a good video for sociology. It explains a lot about sociological imagination and gives examples like the example of exercise. It describes how people look at it and how it changes according to cultural feelings and how we look at it as a personal problem or situation. As we watched, it shows us the relationship between how we are influenced by the people around us. This is evidence in the example of how at a party, we will choose to eat less healthy food, not only because it is readily available, but because it is was everyone else is eating and we do not usually strive to be the odd one out. It also dove into the other factors that affect us like the economy, the government, food, etc. and in which ways it affect us. The examples used in the video were things like the regular person and the vegetarian. He then talked about how that is a personal choice and it also may change depending on society and how it limits our variety of food. This video really help me understand a lot about it especially because I haven’t really studied it a lot yet but I feel as if it will be an important concept for this class for the future and that we will build on it later on in the class. –TheMarshall012
This video shows how much a persons situation effects them. People can not help the life or family they were born into. This video once again exemplifies how sometimes the way you are is not in your full control but part of it is in the environment around you. If a majority of society is unemployed this is a societal problem. Something is happening in the society's government that is causing many people to deal with the same problem. If only a few people are unemployed the underlying cause is most likely personal problems. Even with obesity. The United States has the highest percentage of obesity. When you are in the United States and see so many people who are over weight maybe some of it is a societal problem. The way the food is here, the amount of options we have, publicity on certain foods, and the price of healthy foods. When you go across sees to lets say France you will not see many obese people. When you see one you probably assume it is a personal problem. It most likely is because Europe does not have as many options, maybe fast food is not publicized as often, or healthy foods come at a more convenient cost. This is a great example of societal vs personal problems and how the same problem can be classified as a different problem based on your environment and what you are exposed to. gea012
I do agree with what you said about society viewing something as a personal problem versus a societal problem as a whole. I think the problem with saying that it is mainly a societal problem as whole is that it starts to take away the personal responsibility of individuals. Instead of those saying, “I am the way I am because of the decisions I have made,” it turns into, “I am the way I am because of the decisions society has made for me.” This becomes an issue because it takes away the person’s means of change. If they view this problem as society’s fault, they are much less likely to make a change than if they were to accept it as an individual problem. (Patriots012)
At the introduction to this video, we are told that imagination helps us to be creative. It opens our eyes to look at life in a new way. There is also something called a sociological imagination, which helps us in viewing societies and their problems as a whole. It helps us distinguish between when something is a personal problem versus a public issue. They brought up a really good illustration in which they stated that if one person is unemployed, it is a personal problem. It moves into a public issue when one million people are unemployed. There is a distinct relationship between self and society. The actions that an individual person does on a daily basis can often cause a chain reaction of other occurrences, whether they be good or bad. It is very clear that society and the people that we are surrounded by shape the way we think about and react to things. In the example they used in the video, they went into the question whether obesity is a personal problem or a public issue. In my opinion, this issue could go either way. In one case, a person has complete control over what they put in their body. It is their choice whether they want to eat healthy or not. On the other hand, healthy food is often much more expensive, and in many households there may not be the extra money laying around to pay for foods that are beneficial to the health of an individual. In this case, it all goes back to perspectives and realizing that every situation will be different based upon a person’s life. (Patriots012)
This video is very insightful in how the sociological imagination can help us see many aspects of our lives more clealy. It’s very interesting to know that our personal decisions may not be our own or may influence others. I enjoyed learning about how sociological issues, and how they contribute to different problems or benefits in our lives. I never sat back and thought of how many of my personal problems, or beneficial activities like exercise, may have been influenced by certain social structures. I enjoyed that they used obesity as an example of social problem. I always related obesity to a personal choice. But sitting back and seeing this video really opened my eyes to the outside influences that can affect people. This video did leave me with a question of how many other influences affect my everyday life and choices I have made. The idea of using sociological imagination is a very interesting concept. I enjoyed how they made this video simple on the subject matter. I feel this video has opened my eyes a little too how we work as a species on this planet. This video also made me think of the old saying monkey see monkey do.Pj012
When the person In the video mentioned obesity, I could definitely see were they were coming from. Although, like most topics we need to analyze it from all points of view. This is what sociology is ultimately and if we don’t or analysis of the topic is biased; invalid. Social awareness, activities and influential factors do impact obesity yes, although that’s neither a negative nor a positive thing. This video reminds me of the last blog about the three main sociological paradigms, and how they are interconnected with us. The obesity is a symbolic perspective, it gets down to the nitty and gritty and what influences, impacts, cause, prevents etc. it’s not on a larger scale like the macro would be because, it targets a specific group of people. In sociological imagination, there is no victim. Even if we are a victim we cant blame the system because we contribute to the problem just as much as the system contributes by not solving the problem directly. Although the video was boring, it made a good point in exactly what I mean. Every problem that we have personally is ultimately a systematic problem. Were not the only one having this problem, were categorized by a group. This video opens up many different viewpoints about how we are truly interconnected. Any problems that we may have are dealt not on a personal level but a broad level. For example, poverty. Many will say (well that’s a personal problem) and others will say (it’s the system that’s failing us). Well it’s both. We influence each other, and these things are connected more than we know. Although, I did like the video after watching it a few times because it was ultimately boring and I had to keep replaying it I got the message clearly. It really makes you think. -Jaci7429
This video was interesting along with the others. Watching these I always get a new piece of information to carry with me in life which I find very fascinating I love learning new things. I liked the introduction of the video understanding relationship between yourself and society. Also public issues and someones troubles. I like when the speaker talked about the example of a public issue. It made me want to think of others things that could be considered public issues. This reminds me a lot of the Wisdom of Sociology video when Richards spoke about an 'invisible tribe' which is the fact you have people around you that you can't see but they share similar problems with you. Another thing I found cool is exercise had a bunch of different meanings according to society. The part where she mentioned obesity in the U.S I never realized the things other people to influence how others will react to something. So with special occasions that provide all junk food and everyone around you is eating all that like crazy you're going to want to do that as well. So it's not necessarily something one can control if many others are doing especially with child obesity. But it is a responsibility of an adult to sit down and prevent that from happening. Something else I learned new was there are places known as food deserts that actually don't have healthy foods. That's cool, I may want to vacation there! It's really cool how many things Sociology can be connected to, things out of the oridary at that! -JEWELS012
This video really opened my eyes to how society views one another. There are many personal and public issues out there, but I think obesity was a good one to pick for this video. Obesity rates have increased a lot within the last decade. According to NBC news, almost 40 percent of American adults and nearly 20 percent are obese in the United States of America. Just like the video said, most of what we do from day to day includes eating. Birthdays, funerals, socialization, family gatherings, and other events you are going to be eating. Most of the time it is not healthy especially for a birthday where you will be eating cake and ice cream. In the video it was mentioned that, if you try to watch your weight and go to one of these events and decide not to eat you will then be questioned on why you are deciding not to eat. Then people might call you weird or even make fun of you for your decision and before you know it, you are eating. That perfectly explains why the obesity rate is so high now. Peer pressure has a huge role in that. For example, maybe driving past a fast food restaurant after you just ate may make you want that. I now understand that, that is what sociology deals with. Sociologist study all these things. Also, I found it interesting how she said less than one percent of government subsidies go towards healthy food and majority of it goes towards dairy’s, grains, cheese, and others. With that being said, healthy food is more expensive than the fat foods are. So, most people nowadays are going to go with what is cheaper which explains why the obesity rate is as high as it is. prettygirlhd012
This video really opened my eyes to how society views one another. There are many personal and public issues out there, but I think obesity was a good one to pick for this video. Obesity rates have increased a lot within the last decade. According to NBC news, almost 40 percent of American adults and nearly 20 percent are obese in the United States of America. Just like the video said, most of what we do from day to day includes eating. Birthdays, funerals, socialization, family gatherings, and other events you are going to be eating. Most of the time it is not healthy especially for a birthday where you will be eating cake and ice cream. In the video it was mentioned that, if you try to watch your weight and go to one of these events and decide not to eat you will then be questioned on why you are deciding not to eat. Then people might call you weird or even make fun of you for your decision and before you know it, you are eating. That perfectly explains why the obesity rate is so high now. Peer pressure has a huge role in that. For example, maybe driving past a fast food restaurant after you just ate may make you want that. I now understand that, that is what sociology deals with. Sociologist study all these things. Also, I found it interesting how she said less than one percent of government subsidies go towards healthy food and majority of it goes towards dairy’s, grains, cheese, and others. With that being said, healthy food is more expensive than the fat foods are. So, most people nowadays are going to go with what is cheaper which explains why the obesity rate is as high as it is. prettygirlhd012
This video is very interesting and opens up my eyes to many things that go on in the world around us. Self versus society shows how the way we look at things is not always correct and kind of changes direction in thought. The quote they used in the video by C. Wright Mills on social imagination really sums up how we look at things and do not grasp all the information around us due to social imagination. Information about understanding a person's issue and public issues, how they differ. One problem that is common is unemployment and if it is a public issue or personal. Many are personal when it is just one person on unemployment out of one-hundred or w public issue when its a thousand people out of two thousand. Exercise has social and personal benefits. Personal benefits is ones blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, and helps with stress. Social benefits is getting out and meeting new people with a common interest and most importantly can inspire communities. Obesity is one very interesting problem i thought would only go personal or social but considering what facts you put into the equation it can be either or. Events that leads to celebration is normally because of a birthday,wedding, funeral, or even holidays lead to unhealthy foods. Our behavior is influenced by the environment around us just like our choices change due to the people we are surrounded by. But back to the facts the video opens are minds to insurance which goes higher by 147 billion due to the cost of surgeries to help the people around us. What i take from this video is the world is more complex than what we can even imagine and many things influence how our minds work. This video i believe could change how we look at the world.
ReplyDelete-Campbell012
Obesity was definitely a good example that she gave because it is totally the result of social activities and personal urges at the same time. Not only is someone eating unhealthy because they desire the food, but because it is all that is presented to them. Going even further, all they have ever known is this food, and making the switch to healthy food would be unfamiliar and they could be ridiculed. It is very interesting to see just how much society influences one’s life no matter how free-willed they may believe themselves to be. You are right: this world is indeed very complex!
Delete- MAXIMA012
I agree that these problems are often caused by a sociological setting, but I also think that rather than looking for large scale solutions we should look for solutions within each community. I think that we should even look for solutions on a personal level. Using Obeisity as an example, if the federal government were to put restrictions on the purchases of foods that it deemed bad for you, people would feel as though there freedom was being restricted. If a community invests in a gym together and opens a shop that gives a healthy option, I think many more people would get healthier and they would not have as many issues with the methods. The most effective in my opinions though is for individuals to take make decisions that are good for them and others. I am not saying that each person should just do better because I think they can make the decision to work out and eat right on there own(though in my opinion they should try). I am saying that people should encourage the people they get to know to work out with them, to lead by example, and to vote health foods into there communities by buying more healthy food.
Delete-DMPeschy
I can totally agree with the example she made of obesity, although there are other factors that need to be considered like genetics, disorders, etc. a person can eat healthy and still be obese because of their genetic makeup, or other outside factors. I definitely agree that social perspectives have a major influence on anyone and their actions, because we are a world of judgment and ridicule. never the less, your post is accurate. -Jaci7429
DeleteI agree with you. A lot of times it the way we look at things is not always right. For example exercise is a personal benefit like you said. But all of the examples are sociological. The society and enviroment we live in has a lot to do with what we do and she broke that down very well in the video.
Deleteprettygirlhd
I’d never really though about it before, but the idea of sociological imagination seems incredibly crucial. Understanding the culture around us is one of the most important parts of functioning in society. Having this perspective also allows us to be more understanding of others. Instead of judging one person based on any specific negative trait about them, we can take a look at society as a whole and address the problem across the whole population. From there we are able to see the bigger picture and begin to formulate ways in which we can resolve the situation. This end result is much more productive than looking down on someone and blaming them for their unfortunate conditions. (This is not necessarily always the case, but it often is.)
ReplyDeleteWhen the speaker talks about obesity as an example, it reminded me of the discussion on sociological functionality versus dysfunction. The family gatherings she talks about are an excellent example of something that is both sociological functional and dysfunctional simultaneously depending on how you look at the issue. It provides the positive function of family time spent together to strengthen relationships and relax, whereas, on the other hand, it is dysfunctional as it contributes to the family member’s tendencies to gain weight after consuming foods lacking in proper nutrition and lack of physical exercise.
- MAXIMA012
I too think it is crucial for our society to be aware and notice sociological imagination also, to understand the culture around us. This way we can connect and learn the deep understanding of others. The video was able to make a different perspective of who problems are the society’s of just one individual. Usually the case is someone blames one person instead of looking at the situation from a different view. Watching this video with make individuals think about certain circumstances differently. It is always good to see things in a different way because it can challenge your mind.
Delete-IDK123
I think this is a very insightful response. When I was watching the video, I viewed the personal issues that were explained to be those ideas that a single person had about himself or herself. I never really thought about my interactions with others and about understand them better, but this is a big part of life. Often times we will judge another person before we get to know them, so understanding certain aspects of someone else's personality or lifestyle might make it easier to decide if as a person they are an anomaly or if they simply reflect similar characteristics and traits of the larger groups they might be a part of. Somehow, I think it is easier to accept a person’s “differences “if they are simply a reflection of society, and really not that different after all. MySliceofthePi102
DeleteI feel like this was a great response and I totally agree with your statement on how you said social imagination is crucial. I feel like that is very crucial and that its sad that everybody don’t know about it. I agree that this perspective allow people to look at life and the world from different aspects. It allows people to view things in more than one way. I feel like a lot of people judge people for things because they lack this feature in life. I feel like if more people knew about this or was aware of it people would handle people and situations better.
Delete-Jolly Rancher
I agree that we in society as a whole tend to blame people for something we THINK they control. When really, they're just following the social patterns that were taught to them by those around them. I also agree with the fact that we should be addressing more issues as a community and see the big picture instead of singling out individuals for something they cannot control. Like for example, calling someone lazy for being unemployed, even though we don't know their circumstances, is wrong. If businesses are declining, more people will be unemployed. So instead of asking why is this person not working, and deciding that the person is the problem, we should be asking why are businesses declining and what can we do as a society to keep them running so that people can stay employed. We discussed this a little bit in class, I'm glad this video informed us on it more.
DeleteHOOTIEGRL012
I myself agree with you completely. Having the sociological imagination perspective can help us be more understanding of peoples lives and feelings. When it comes to obesity some people having lower incomes and cant always afford to eat healthy. We can just blame people for their bad traits when we don't know anything else about their lives. Like the comment above, if we understood what people were going through i think we would understand and have more sympathy for people. I think thats something as a society we need to work on.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThe video contains information about the sociological imagination, it gives examples and talks about individual problems and society problems in which they can be connected in some situations. It’s a way of comprehending certain standards are not all because of the host sometimes the problem can be wider than one person. It is a distinction between someone’s problem and society. Not always is it the persons choice or problem. Many people are influenced by what others think weather its family, friends, or co-workers it can shape that individual’s decisions. Any behavior can be looked at with a sociological imagination. Self-verses society is a great way to be aware of how an individual can be the source of the problem or society being the source. Meaning when something is a problem it doesn’t always have to be one person’s fault because if there are more people being affected then its society’s problem. I believe this was a helpful way to help me notice that its not always just one person’s problem which is sometimes the case. Understanding that everyone plays a part in some type of problem, that the problems are connected to other thing and other people. I think that everyone is somewhat aware of this information.
ReplyDelete-IDK123
I think your comment sums up the video well. I think the video is helpful in that it explains how to recognize when society is contributing to the problem. Being able to recognize this is good because it gives us the opportunity to help the societal issue.
DeleteYoungPlug012
I am glad that most of the class enjoyed this video and it opened all our eyes to the bigger picture of the world around us. It is just crazy that we miss so much of the important information in life. Sociology is way bigger than anybody could imagine it gives everything in life a bigger meaning than what anybody could possible think of. This video explains how interesting this class could be and get us all involved into something bigger. All of us could take so much from this class and help us later on in life. So much meaning to this small video.
DeleteCampbell012
Although both personal and public issues exist, more often than not, our problems stem from aspects of the society in which we live. Society serves as a platform for our personal problems. After watching this video though, I still have one big question: When is a personal problem no longer a personal problem but a public issue? Is the answer to this question when a majority of the population faces a similar issue, or is the answer just when a large portion of the group faces a similar issue? In this manner, I would believe that different issues are judged on different standards because we would not judge the sociological problem of a suicide rate for a particular group of people the same as we would judge an unemployment rate for the entire country. If in fact society deems the division line between acceptable and unacceptable rates or percentages for different issues, how is this number and distinction determined? The underlying principle of the Sociological Imagination seems to determine where blame should be directed. We have two choices; we can blame the victim or blame the system. Most of the time, whether a problem is personal or public related, we as humans tend to blame society or someone else because we find it hard to take responsibility for our actions. I believe in order to use the Sociological Imagination concept in the correct way, we as humans must be able to take responsibility for our own actions so that there is an equal probability and limited bias to favor the blame towards society. If we are able to take responsibility for our actions there is a greater chance that when deciding if society is to blame or we are to blame, we are able to weigh the problem at its truth value and make an informed decision that is not based off of self-interest. This should help to minimize the ideas of those people who strictly blame themselves or who people strictly blame society for their actions. MySliceofthePi012
ReplyDeleteThis video really interested me. I thought this video was going to be very boring, but I can relate to this video in my everyday life. My cousin she just went vegan and she is a yoga instructor and she been trying to tell me and the rest of our family that we need to exercise and eat better, and I tell her it’s not that easy. This video backs up my statement because this video basically says if everybody in your family exercise then it would be easy for the next person to do so but if the whole family don’t do it then it’ll be easier for one person to not do it. Basically, I’m not surrounded by people who wants to exercise so I don’t, but I know if I was to live with my cousin I would exercise because that’s what her and her husband and kids do all the time. I agree that society plays a big part in everyone life. I also like how she mentioned if someone has 5 dollars they would rather pick the unhealthy food over the fruit or healthy food because I know for a fact if they got hot wings for 10 dollars and a salad for 10 dollars I’m going for the chicken wings. I never even knew or heard about sociology imagination before until now. I feel like that term is something everybody should know about because everyone should be able to understand one self. I feel like our choices are based on what others feel especially when they mentioned family gathering because now that I think about it my family don’t play sports or jog or any of that when we gather together an eat but my cousin however will do yoga, and some will be like girl why you doing all that an some will do it with her. I feel like that was a great video for us to watch.
ReplyDelete-Jolly ranchers
Great thoughts! I completely agree with you. Exercising can be ever so hard in the busy lives that we lead and family and household influence can carry so much weight in our decisions. I felt very similar to you as I began to watch this video and was inspired with some of the facts that were brought to light. Also, concerning your thoughts about the food choices we may make based the money we have in our pockets, I totally agree. It can be so tempting to pick up the burger and fries for just a couple bucks instead of making the trek into a grocery store to pick up some healthy food choices. -THEARSONIST012
DeleteThis video has a lot of really interesting points. This video tells us that our “personal problems” might not be all that personal after all. Of course, we’re still in control of our lives and the choices we make. But, I don’t think we stop to notice how much of an impact the world around us can have towards our decisions. The obesity topic was a great example of this. If you’re from a family of people who like to celebrate a lot, you’re probably going to eat more than someone who only meets up with family on certain holidays. I know people from families like this and it has a lot to do with different cultures. So, it makes me wonder, from a sociological standpoint, are obesity rates higher in certain cultures, and how does that factor into sociology? I think what my question tells me is that the sociological imagination theory, is true. I imagine that obesity rates are probably lower in certain cultures because people aren’t as influenced by their families to come together more often than necessary for meals. It is truly interesting all the different ways sociology connects us without us realizing it. Also, a family with more money is more likely to eat better than a low-income family, which is another part of the factors around us that could influence a person being overweight. You might think it was your choice to get a burger over pizza, but your options were actually limited to those two things, because they were more affordable. Whereas if you had more money to spare, you could choose between not only pizza or a burger, but a salad and some fresh fruit. Therefore, I believe society actually makes choices for us, and we should be more aware of that.
ReplyDeleteHOOTIEGRL012
This video really opened my eyes to the difference between a personal issue and a public issue. Obesity was a very good example to explain the difference of these issues. It made me understand that the surroundings of a person such as diet, exercise, and food can determine whether a person is obese or not. If a person is surrounded by junk food and lives in a food desert, then it’s obvious that they would be more likely to be overweight because they don’t have the resources to maintain a healthy weight. This also goes for exercise and whether or not a person has the resources, money, or right environment to exercise in. I think this becomes a public issue when a large percentage of a community is considered overweight. Then it is safe to assume that a community/town/county doesn’t have the resources to maintain a healthy weight. The sociological imagination is important in understanding the yourself because you have to relate yourself and society. I think the best example for this though is unemployment. This is often a big problem in the US but is also something that is a personal problem. There are often people that are unemployed because of laziness, bad reputations, and not enough education. This type of unemployment is more of a personal problem. When people get laid off in large numbers, especially when they have good reputations and are good workers, it would be more considered a public problem. Overall this video really explained the difference of this well.
ReplyDelete-curlyhead012
Agreed! It really opened my eyes to this as well. And I agree, a lot of personal issues can be due to a lot of different reasons aside from social influence as highlighted in the video. You can’t always assume that social influence is the major player, though it could definitely be a big one! Like you said, government, access to resources, finances, personal preference/work ethic/motivation, etc. also can potentially play a part. And I agree with you on your overall summary on sociological imagination, it really is an eye-opener and can help you better understand the conflicts within one’s community.
DeleteStarlight012
This small video packs lots of social information all into one. It takes a big look at some of the big sociological problems in our current world. Sociological problems such as food deserts which are geographical places within our society and world that make it difficult for society to eat well and find affordable nutritious food. In many low-income neighborhoods and environments it can be very precarious for healthy and fresh grocery stores to have business’. Therefore, because of this issue many stores choose not to build and maintain stores in lower-income areas. This may benefit the stores and business’ on a large scale, however it very negatively affects all of the people living in those areas. Places where fresh an healthy food choices are limited we call Food Deserts. The woman in this video explains how this can substantially lower the health and well-being of an entire area and cause many different side affects to occur. Some of the negative side affects include childhood obesity, high blood pressure and heart problems. In the United States we spend more than 147 Billion a year on diabetes. That is a substantial amount of money that takes a very large toll on our American society. Some of us may hold the opinion that obesity in the United States is all because of personal choice. Others may hold the opinion that obesity in the United States is purely because of the pressure of society and it is simply a social problem within our world. However, neither of this opinions may necessarily be wrong. In a sense, eating and food choices are related to personal choice. However, although eating is a personal choice, we may feel that the society that we are a part of supports the way that we eat. We may feel that although we have the choice, we are pushed by society to act and eat a certain way. This video was very inspiring and eye opening for me to really contemplate the different choices we have in our lives and in our society. -THEARSONIST012
ReplyDeleteI never thought that obesity, or any other personal issue, could possibly become a major, public issue. At least, I never thought of the process for one’s personal issues to become a public one, that is. It’s a very interesting perspective; and it’s also interesting when you think of all of the major issues in the world. Religion, war, obesity, health insurance, unemployment, etc. Every country to varying degrees have these issues, and at one point, I suppose, they were only personal ones. Public issues are basically red flags notifying the government that a lot of people are having this same issue, and it’s not just a given smaller group. It’s one that needs primary and full attention, and needs to be tended to. I also never thought that certain personal issues could also potentially breed from social influences. It’s all very interesting! Obesity is definitely one of the bigger ones, especially in America. Agreed, social influence plays a part here, but I also do think that personal choice also has a role. Not everyone is socially influenced to become obese. There are other potential reasons, such as being genetically predisposed to obesity, having an eating disorder, or simply just having a huge appetite, etc. Really enjoyed the video!
ReplyDeleteStarlight012
I agree with your sentiment about the process of a personal issue becoming a public one, but I guess the public is composed of many persons! The idea that baffles me is how out of hand the exact same problem can get for so many completely unique individuals. This is where I feel your mention of genetic predisposition, eating habits, and appetite fit in. However, I feel that by using the sociological imagination that is the titular focus of the video, I can understand how a problem can affect over thirty-five percent of the population, as countless societal influences and factors play a part of every personal aspect of our lives -- including eating! -CSP012
DeleteWhile I agree with your overall thought that we also have to give some accountability back to the individual person, it does open my eyes to how the impact is greater. Also, does society contribute by the restaurants and foods that we provide, are there adequate resources in the community for exercise, do we partner with health care organizations to market healthy eating and living? Those are a few of the questions I consider. In some areas I think there are great strides being made but how do we impact those communities and people that are at greatest risk. While an individual is accountable, I also believe that our country and communities have to provide some of the tools to help the individual succeed.
DeleteSBC012
I really liked the aesthetic of this video. The plain theme with stick figures and hand-drawn pictures were very informative but also easy to follow. Anyways, onto the content. The foundation of all public issues is a high percentage of individual citizens suffering from the same issue. The video highlights one of the main causes of the number one cause of death in the United States: obesity. I have watched several documentaries on obesity, and while not an expert, I definitely agree that it can be viewed from many different perspectives. This idea is the foundation of Sociology -- general patterns of specific people. Using the sociological mindset or imagination is the only way to truly absorb the content of this class. If one tries to view this class from the egocentric perspective that we have all grown up with, the meaning and fundamental ideas that we are supposed to take away will go right over our heads. -CSP012
ReplyDeleteYes! The layout of this video was amazing. Probably the easiest video to follow, I've seen, about sociology. It keeps the attention of the viewer, as well as explains the sociological imagination. Obesity can be defined in very many different but it obvious to see there's a problem. Using the sociological imagination, I hope we can find a pattern that is affecting a vast, majority of people. Hopefully no one is thinking in an egocentric perspective, considering this is a sociology course. If so, this is going to be a hard class. Great review of the video, and very good points!
Delete^~^ Itis012
Yes!!! I completely agree with the layout POV of the video. It was super easy to follow along and pretty straight forward which made it easy to absorb the information in it. Besides that, I like how you mentioned the point about continuing through class thinking egoistically. I feel that the video made it very clear on WHY it would be in our BEST interest to understand Sociological Imagination, I strongly believe that those who DO in fact think in this way will have an all around better chance grasping the concepts that we run across later in the semester.
DeleteLayBae012
I agree the video gives you new ways to look at personal issues and see that no one is ever really alone with a problem because they are everyone’s problem. I like how you mentioned if we all just used what we knew about since child hood and didn’t look at personal issues and societies issues in a sociological way we would be lost. Sociology imagination is very useful to view different perspectives and general patterns of specific people. Just me012
DeleteI think you summed up the video perfectly, and I agree the simplistic nature of this video makes it much easier to follow than the other two videos we had to watch for this weekend. I also thought "General patterns of specific people" was very eloquent. --Burnsky012
DeleteThis video does, in my opinion, a great job of explaining how society influences people. I agree with this completely. Whether people notice it or not, outside influences affect you. The examples used in this video were spot on. Yes obesity is a problem, but is it a personal problem? Normally, I would say yes, but since hundreds of thousands of people are affected by this, it’s a public issue. Personally, the whole “unless tons of people are affected by it, we won’t worry about it,” mentality is just wrong. Whether there’s two people affected, or thousands, there is a problem and it needs to be fixed. Although, I do understand the more important issues must be dealt with first! Being active in your life is huge too! Like the video explained, doing something as simple as jogging gets you more intuned with society than you may realize. Another personal trouble that is bothered by social factors is depression. Although this is a broad statement that can easily be argued with, I think society has the biggest influence on this personal issue.
ReplyDeleteSocial structures affect people, due to standards. Like the government basically screams at the public to further their education. So when people don’t, they feel like they have failed themselves and beat themselves up over it. Last structure that hits home is economy. Success is defined by wealth in today's society. Without it, financial problems are going to happen. When this happens, others look down on the poor, because of social norms. Lastly, I think the social imagination helps explain human behavior, by showing patterns, and causes and effects in society.
^~^ Itis012
I agree that the video does a great job by giving us a new way to look at personal issues and see them as a public one and that whether we like it or not society influences people because what influences the new generation is what influences the old generation. I like how you mentioned whether there are two people affected or thousand, there is a problem and it needs to be fixed. With people like you in the world, there is a new way to see the good in people. POINTOFVIEW012
DeleteI feel that after watching the video about Sociological Imagination, my eyes are more open when it comes to how i perceive others. I feel like this video also connects with the “Wisdom and Sociology” TED Talk when it tries to get us to understand that it’s not one person that is going through certain issues in life, and sometimes life makes it hard for us to relate it to everyone as a whole. I think that the obesity issue was a good topic of choice when trying to convey the message of Sociological Imagination. Is it really a personal issue if it has affected so many numbers in a single society? There's no way that could hold true and I feel like that may open people’s eyes when interacting with others. I believe that Sociological Imagination as a topic itself can cause less judgement in society and more tools to deal with the issues that countless individuals face. Using the example with obesity, if so many individuals are considered obese it shouldn’t be classified as a personal issue. It can’t be personal if its increasingly common and acceptable across the society.
ReplyDeleteLayBae012
Social imagination is an interesting concept of the individual interacting within their society. I felt the obesity example was very well done and made it easy to understand this. Many times we blame people for their weight and make them carry the guilt and shame that many times comes with it individually. However, was it really only the individual person’s issue or rather an issue of society? After watching this I put more ownership on both. As a society and community, how are we educating about obesity, what kinds of resources are we ensuring are in place to combat obesity. Often times you don’t think of the macro and micro level impacts of the example fo obesity that were provided. The community has impact by providing an environment that supports and encourages weight management. I love to visit Colorado and there is a lot of focus on walking, biking, and physical exercise. The work place is impacted and employees that are healthier are more productive and likely efficient. This reduces cost to the organization. It impacts the health care system with decreased cost of care related to long term illnesses and chronic conditions. It is helpful to think about society in this manner and to really understand that we are all in this together and it is more about providing social support for people improve and contribute to society as a whole. Mills really wanted us to think outside the box and consider other ways to look at social issues. I think this thought process could also be used for some our current societal issues such as racial tension, gender inequalities, and religious tensions. Is it really that anyone is wrong or do we need to have a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteSBC012
I agree with your statement on the process being used for current societal issues. It can be considered to be a fine line or a bold division as to whether a certain situation is in fact a persons troubles or if it’s the public's issues. Different perspectives and considering others opinions are all that we just may need.
DeleteThe above response was posted by -TRM012
DeleteI learned that sociology imagination is to understand one’s self and society. The video mentioned that the concept was presented by C Wright Mills in 1959, he states that sociological imagination helps us to understand history and biography and relations of the societies, this is to understand the distinctions of a person’s troubles and public issues. If there is one person in a community that is struggling and is unemployed it is considered a personal problem, but if one million to ten million people are out of work and can’t find jobs it a public issue. What a person does I learned is not a person’s choice of preference. Choices are influenced by others that are around us in our everyday lives. An example that was given was obesity, it may seem to be a personal problem but when health issues occur in a certain area it makes the health care increase. This is one way that social structures contribute to social problems. It is very interesting how some of the things in our life that we may think are just micro is connected to society. This is just a few chapters into sociology and its already opening my eyes on how it plays an important role in our society. Just me012
ReplyDeleteThe sociological imagination is a very interesting concept. The idea behind it is to help us understand history and relationships of societies. It is meant to help distinguish between personal issues, and public issues. The video uses obesity as an example, describing situations where it is a personal trouble and a social problem as well. The video does a good job showing how personal problems can be, in reality, issues for society as well and how society contributes to these personal issues. I like this concept, as it helps me realize that there are many things about our society that contribute to our personal issues, and it isn't all our faults.
ReplyDeleteYoungPlug012
Sociological Imagination was an interesting video explaining the difference between personal troubles and public issues. C. Wright Mills defines Sociological Imagination as: Enabling us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. And also states that that is its task and its promise. Simply put, it lets us be creative and envision life in a new way as well as helps us understand the relationship between self and society. It can be considered to be a fine line or a bold division as to whether a certain situation is in fact a persons troubles or if it’s the publics issues. This helps us to understand the distinction between the two with examples such as when does unemployment for a person go from being personal to a public issue- is the person being lazy and just doesn’t want to work, or is it a demographical issue involving the public where hundreds may be unemployed? There are ways on figuring out how social structures contribute to social problems of government, economy, education and religion. Listing benefits and distinguishing between personal or public benefits is beneficial and you will more than often find that they can be of both often running off one another. -TRM012
ReplyDeleteSociological Imagination is a big word that describes the real meaning of the relationship between individual and society. We look at issues when it comes to the personal level as a personal decision, but when it comes to public issues we see it from a different angle. Which I find it very interesting for example when Mills talked about obesity in the United States which is not a personal behavior but also is influenced by society. These examples she gave helped explain the concept of sociological imagination, and examination of the sociological imagination. It is very interesting to understand that personal issues most of times are already public issues. However we as people influenced by the society and forced us to be part in this issue, but many of us don’t see those issues as a big part of community we see at personal level which is not correct. This is a new way of seeing things and knows how to deal with because what is in the book doesn’t mean that works for all. Everything around us changing and it is absolutely different than other places. I think to understand this concept one needs to be engaged in other’s culture because what makes us great is being able to see thing from other’s point of view. POINTOFVIEW012.
ReplyDeleteI found this video very informative and interesting. With some of the points that have been made in this video I agree with them. When C Wright Mills said whatever a person does is not done by their own choice or personal preference I agree in certain situations but then I disagree in situations. I like the example they used about exercise for the relationship between self and society. If a person is surrounded in a community that exercises a lot is more likely to exercise than a person who is located in a community that does not frequently exercise. I also like how this video gives an example and they go through if it is a public issue or a personal trouble. On top of the example they tell you what it is and why it is the way that it is. Over all this video was very informative. -jw012
ReplyDeleteI think the points made in the video were interesting. One thing I didn’t know about was food deserts. I have noticed my self that finding a healthier option for food is definitely more difficult, much less convenient, and more expensive. I had always thought the reasoning was because of the manufacturing costs of natural products and the time it takes to produce, grow, and distribute raised the price. I had no idea how little the government helped to produce healthy natural products. I have seen in my own personal life the influence of socializing on the way people eating and drink. People feel obligated to drink alcohol or eat when ever they socialize even if they are not hungry or want to drink. They simply do because of the social pressures they feel when they go out with groups of people. Our social lives and social surroundings can absolutely affect how we do things. No one is going to want to be the one person in the group who is the only one who doesn't exercise so even if they didn’t before they may start to have something in common with their friends. And the same goes the other way or even with other things.
ReplyDeleteBossMan012
I agree with this video and the social issues.I became aware of some of these issues when I took nutrition. We are technically responsible for what we put in our bodies, but the reality is, our social surroundings have a great influence on our decisions about what we eat. I can personally relate to the part in the video about the food desserts because that is exactly what is going on in my community. Major grocery stores have closed and are currently closing, leaving nothing but corner stores and mini marts, that lack fruit and fresh produce. Other things that influence our eating patterns are advertisements, friends and family. Sometimes I'm not consciously aware of the impact that advertisements have on my choices until I find myself indulging in unhealthy products that I remember seeing or hearing about. For example, yesterday I bought a grilled chicken salad on my way to take my children to a birthday party. Outside food and beverages aren't allowing in the establishment, so I was going to sit in my car and eat it. Since we were running a tad bit late, I decided not to waste anymore time, so I planned to eat it later. We went inside and everyone was eating extra cheesey and extra greasy pizza, cake, and ice cream. Before I knew It, I had a few slices of the pizza, cake, ice cream, and candy. I had other errands after the party and I never got around to eating the salad. It is very easy to get into these habits, and along with these habits, comes health issues. Even though this video is very short, it is enlightening and it targets these huge social issues. Inspire012
ReplyDeleteI feel like she makes some really great obvious points. Now, I learned so much more how influential we can be and are. We just never noticed it, but now with this class. I can see how sociological imagination is so powerful, and works, because I can relate with the health choices. Sometimes I feel like eating ice cream and pizza, but than other days I eat fruits. I feel like it surrounds us and influences our choices. The power is real, and encourages others to learn more about this tip. I feel like it’s more like a life-tip since its helping us, but helping us to learn from others.
Delete- LILPUMP012
I did not know that there was something called the sociological imagination. It enables us to grab history and biography and the relations between the two within society. The concept is to understand the distinction. A public issue would be a whole group of people not having a job. A personal problem would be three people not being able to get a job. Obesity was talked about in the video and from the personal perspective all people need to eat to live. Choices are limited depending on where you are. The stores with healthy food are harder and harder to find. Every corner you turn there is bad food and fast food restaurants. We base our choices off of the people around us. So if your siblings were eating cookies you would most likely eat a cookie instead of broccoli. I found this video very informative and interesting. I learned a lot of the same things in my nutrition class and we also talked about this in english. Obesity is a social and a personal problem in my opinion and I do not blame one more than the other.
ReplyDelete- mommaj'skid012
I was just like you. I had no idea what the sociological imagination was. I like the points you brought up of what the lady brought up in the video. I agree with you when you talked about obesity and not blaming one person more than the other. Good talking points. -CUBSFAN012
DeleteI also like mommaj'skid did not know what sociological imagination was. The points talked about in this reply was well detailed and the points you brought up were strong and were the main points brought up in the video. I agree with how people are limited to what they have due to where they live and who they live with. Not many homes in America or even in the world can afford or have the resources to keep having healthy food on their tables every night in order to keep a stable diet. Mrbubby012
DeleteI like how the video starts off with talking about first people need to understand the relationship between oneself and society. C. Wright Mills came up with the idea of the sociological imagination idea all the way back in 1959. I found it interesting that Mills said that the sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and the relationship to society. For that is its task and promise. The video goes on to talk about examples of individual problems and society problems in which they can be connected in some situations. I found it interesting that problems are sometimes connected. I found that this video was really good and informative. I also liked the simplistic design of the video. It made it nice and simple to follow and got the point across nicely. Overall, it was a good video. -CUBSFAN012
ReplyDeleteNow I learned a new word and what it means, Sociological Imagination. Never heard it or even used. Great 5-minute video I thought! It means the relationship with self and society. Presented 1950’s, and enjoy how she uses the employment example. I agree with her explanation and makes good sense. She makes it sound like common sense, but at the same time giver her explanations very well. She kind of explains it as societies being build around us and influences us to follow others. For example, if I saw my whole family eating healthy than I am more likely to do healthy life choices, but if my family were eating pizza, than I would be making less healthy choices. I can most defiantly see how this applies to us, and how it is all shaped around us. Now thinking about this, now inly does it affect us, but we ourselves can use it to influence other for the common good. Because we were born to mirror other because it builds trust. This is so true, I agree with her sociological imagination. She makes some really good points! And for sure like to learn more about this in class and see how deep we can go!
ReplyDelete- LILPUMP012
I also have never heard of a sociological imagination. Yet another new word I learned and will apply in this class. Her examples were simple enough to understand which was nice. I was surprised during this video about how outside influence affects us more than we know, things like healthy choice during a get together. I am also interested as to what other things I can learn from this class and how society affects us. I agree with you that knowing this information can help us use the sociological imagination to help influence the common good around us. Pj012
DeleteAs far as I can tell sociological imagination is just relating things on a personal level compared to the whole of society. Her example was obesity; how the argument is about whether what we put into our bodies is a personal choice, or if it has to do with the social events we attend or the resources at our disposal. I think it can be argued in any direction, but most likely is a combination of everything all at once, because I think life is a big gray area. Using the example she used about obesity in America, you can say that we attend social gathering such as a family reunion where most of the food is unhealthy, so that incentivizes us to eat less healthily when people around us are doing the same. But, at the same time you could easily bring your own healthy food or turn down anything given to you, because that is your personal choice; they’re not shoving food down your throat. I understand that we have to learn about all the different sociological views separately before we can put them together, but I am looking forward to mixing them up. I don’t believe anything in life can be pinpointed by one theory; you have to look at so many different parts of life to get the whole picture. I think that is the end result of sociological imagination. –Burnsky012
ReplyDeleteI think that it is about the relationship between personal problems and society. As in we make decisions based on our problems and lives, but are these decisions influenced by the greater whole in ways that we can not even imagine. And then if we are to be objective scientists how do we differentiate personal problems form societal problems? that is where the sociological imagination concept truly exists in my opinion. -twentyfourframes012
Deletei agree with you, i think her argument about obesity can be argued either way. this video gives the audience so much to think about. all the videos we've watched do. i like how the video pose the question "when is it a personal problem or a societal problem." as you mentioned about having to learn about the different sociological views before we put them together, ii agree with that. and i i think you're right on the ball about the end result of sociological imagination.
Delete-cheese012
This video has yet another sociological idea that it wishes us to understand. The idea of a sociological imagination is new to me but upon hearing about it it makes perfect sense in my mind. While we obviously have our own thoughts and minds what problems plague us may plague society as a whole if we zoom out the lens far enough. It simply wishes us to think in a broader sense. They explain this by using examples like exercise and poverty. Being out of shape and poor may be your personal problem but if the vast majority of the public is then it is a societal problem as well and needs addressing by the powers that be. It also tackles the idea that if you go against the norm of the world even if it is to your benefit you may be viewed as an outsider. They claim that many problems exist in perpetuity unless larger changes are made because “that is the way it has always been”. Which if you have ever written a formal argument paper you would know. That is a fallacy of thought. And not an actual reason to keep things the way they are.
ReplyDelete-twentyfourframes012
Again reading this title i don't know what sociological imagination is. The speaker says it one of the most basic discipline of sociology. The speaker say this can be explained as the intersection between history and biography. The speaker says that sociological imagination enables us to see how personal aspects of our lives are influenced by outside influences. And when i watch all these sociological videos on this blog site they say the same thing, our lives are all connected and are influenced by strangers and outside influences and we don't realize. This video tells me that we need to understand the relationship between self and society, the video gave a good example with the unemployment. Is one person being unemployed a personal trouble or a societal problem? And another question is posed, when does a personal problem become a societal problem? And how does social structures such a the government and education and religion contribute to social problems? I really like her example on obesity. A Lot of factors influence a person becoming obese, the influence can be both personal and societal, she goes into great detail on the personal and societal influences. -cheese012
ReplyDeleteThis video about sociological imagination opens my eyes a lot about the way society works. This idea says that an individual could have a huge impact on society even though its just one person because that one person could to lead to more people and then more people and then it just evolves over time. I feel this is the way cultures have split because someone new would take their own view on something and that would impact someone else and that person would join and eventually it would grow and split into different cultures in the world. Everyone now matter race, religion, height, weight, or personality, everyone has a say on how society works because just by doing one thing different could affect something new and cause a reaction for something else. With the thing about obesity really showed me that maybe it's sometimes not people faults because of money situations or because of the people they're around. The video talked about how if someone had 5 dollars on them they would more likely pay for a full meal at a fast food restaurant rather then going to a grocery store and buying something healthy which would cost more. This is sad to think about because as a government and these big chain companies, wouldn't you want people to be healthy and live longer lives rather then spending money on competitors that are selling full meals for cheaper prices that cause these health issues in society. Mrbubby012
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on a lot of things you said. This video did open my eye on how the world is affected by us and we, by it. The food of the world and our personal preference on the subject really connected to me and I felt that I could relate to the subject more than in the other classes I take. Food is something we all eat and I never looked at it the way they explained. Each of us has a preference and it was not only our choice but it was also affected by the people we grow up with and were raised by. –TheMarshall012
DeleteThis video is very informative and is a good video for sociology. It explains a lot about sociological imagination and gives examples like the example of exercise. It describes how people look at it and how it changes according to cultural feelings and how we look at it as a personal problem or situation. As we watched, it shows us the relationship between how we are influenced by the people around us. This is evidence in the example of how at a party, we will choose to eat less healthy food, not only because it is readily available, but because it is was everyone else is eating and we do not usually strive to be the odd one out. It also dove into the other factors that affect us like the economy, the government, food, etc. and in which ways it affect us. The examples used in the video were things like the regular person and the vegetarian. He then talked about how that is a personal choice and it also may change depending on society and how it limits our variety of food. This video really help me understand a lot about it especially because I haven’t really studied it a lot yet but I feel as if it will be an important concept for this class for the future and that we will build on it later on in the class. –TheMarshall012
ReplyDeleteThis video shows how much a persons situation effects them. People can not help the life or family they were born into. This video once again exemplifies how sometimes the way you are is not in your full control but part of it is in the environment around you. If a majority of society is unemployed this is a societal problem. Something is happening in the society's government that is causing many people to deal with the same problem. If only a few people are unemployed the underlying cause is most likely personal problems. Even with obesity. The United States has the highest percentage of obesity. When you are in the United States and see so many people who are over weight maybe some of it is a societal problem. The way the food is here, the amount of options we have, publicity on certain foods, and the price of healthy foods. When you go across sees to lets say France you will not see many obese people. When you see one you probably assume it is a personal problem. It most likely is because Europe does not have as many options, maybe fast food is not publicized as often, or healthy foods come at a more convenient cost. This is a great example of societal vs personal problems and how the same problem can be classified as a different problem based on your environment and what you are exposed to.
ReplyDeletegea012
I do agree with what you said about society viewing something as a personal problem versus a societal problem as a whole. I think the problem with saying that it is mainly a societal problem as whole is that it starts to take away the personal responsibility of individuals. Instead of those saying, “I am the way I am because of the decisions I have made,” it turns into, “I am the way I am because of the decisions society has made for me.” This becomes an issue because it takes away the person’s means of change. If they view this problem as society’s fault, they are much less likely to make a change than if they were to accept it as an individual problem. (Patriots012)
DeleteAt the introduction to this video, we are told that imagination helps us to be creative. It opens our eyes to look at life in a new way. There is also something called a sociological imagination, which helps us in viewing societies and their problems as a whole. It helps us distinguish between when something is a personal problem versus a public issue. They brought up a really good illustration in which they stated that if one person is unemployed, it is a personal problem. It moves into a public issue when one million people are unemployed. There is a distinct relationship between self and society. The actions that an individual person does on a daily basis can often cause a chain reaction of other occurrences, whether they be good or bad. It is very clear that society and the people that we are surrounded by shape the way we think about and react to things. In the example they used in the video, they went into the question whether obesity is a personal problem or a public issue. In my opinion, this issue could go either way. In one case, a person has complete control over what they put in their body. It is their choice whether they want to eat healthy or not. On the other hand, healthy food is often much more expensive, and in many households there may not be the extra money laying around to pay for foods that are beneficial to the health of an individual. In this case, it all goes back to perspectives and realizing that every situation will be different based upon a person’s life. (Patriots012)
ReplyDeleteThis video is very insightful in how the sociological imagination can help us see many aspects of our lives more clealy. It’s very interesting to know that our personal decisions may not be our own or may influence others. I enjoyed learning about how sociological issues, and how they contribute to different problems or benefits in our lives. I never sat back and thought of how many of my personal problems, or beneficial activities like exercise, may have been influenced by certain social structures. I enjoyed that they used obesity as an example of social problem. I always related obesity to a personal choice. But sitting back and seeing this video really opened my eyes to the outside influences that can affect people. This video did leave me with a question of how many other influences affect my everyday life and choices I have made. The idea of using sociological imagination is a very interesting concept. I enjoyed how they made this video simple on the subject matter. I feel this video has opened my eyes a little too how we work as a species on this planet. This video also made me think of the old saying monkey see monkey do.Pj012
ReplyDeleteWhen the person In the video mentioned obesity, I could definitely see were they were coming from. Although, like most topics we need to analyze it from all points of view. This is what sociology is ultimately and if we don’t or analysis of the topic is biased; invalid. Social awareness, activities and influential factors do impact obesity yes, although that’s neither a negative nor a positive thing. This video reminds me of the last blog about the three main sociological paradigms, and how they are interconnected with us. The obesity is a symbolic perspective, it gets down to the nitty and gritty and what influences, impacts, cause, prevents etc. it’s not on a larger scale like the macro would be because, it targets a specific group of people. In sociological imagination, there is no victim. Even if we are a victim we cant blame the system because we contribute to the problem just as much as the system contributes by not solving the problem directly. Although the video was boring, it made a good point in exactly what I mean. Every problem that we have personally is ultimately a systematic problem. Were not the only one having this problem, were categorized by a group. This video opens up many different viewpoints about how we are truly interconnected. Any problems that we may have are dealt not on a personal level but a broad level. For example, poverty. Many will say (well that’s a personal problem) and others will say (it’s the system that’s failing us). Well it’s both. We influence each other, and these things are connected more than we know. Although, I did like the video after watching it a few times because it was ultimately boring and I had to keep replaying it I got the message clearly. It really makes you think. -Jaci7429
ReplyDeleteThis video was interesting along with the others. Watching these I always get a new piece of information to carry with me in life which I find very fascinating I love learning new things. I liked the introduction of the video understanding relationship between yourself and society. Also public issues and someones troubles. I like when the speaker talked about the example of a public issue. It made me want to think of others things that could be considered public issues. This reminds me a lot of the Wisdom of Sociology video when Richards spoke about an 'invisible tribe' which is the fact you have people around you that you can't see but they share similar problems with you. Another thing I found cool is exercise had a bunch of different meanings according to society. The part where she mentioned obesity in the U.S I never realized the things other people to influence how others will react to something. So with special occasions that provide all junk food and everyone around you is eating all that like crazy you're going to want to do that as well. So it's not necessarily something one can control if many others are doing especially with child obesity. But it is a responsibility of an adult to sit down and prevent that from happening. Something else I learned new was there are places known as food deserts that actually don't have healthy foods. That's cool, I may want to vacation there! It's really cool how many things Sociology can be connected to, things out of the oridary at that!
ReplyDelete-JEWELS012
This video really opened my eyes to how society views one another. There are many personal and public issues out there, but I think obesity was a good one to pick for this video. Obesity rates have increased a lot within the last decade. According to NBC news, almost 40 percent of American adults and nearly 20 percent are obese in the United States of America. Just like the video said, most of what we do from day to day includes eating. Birthdays, funerals, socialization, family gatherings, and other events you are going to be eating. Most of the time it is not healthy especially for a birthday where you will be eating cake and ice cream. In the video it was mentioned that, if you try to watch your weight and go to one of these events and decide not to eat you will then be questioned on why you are deciding not to eat. Then people might call you weird or even make fun of you for your decision and before you know it, you are eating. That perfectly explains why the obesity rate is so high now. Peer pressure has a huge role in that. For example, maybe driving past a fast food restaurant after you just ate may make you want that. I now understand that, that is what sociology deals with. Sociologist study all these things. Also, I found it interesting how she said less than one percent of government subsidies go towards healthy food and majority of it goes towards dairy’s, grains, cheese, and others. With that being said, healthy food is more expensive than the fat foods are. So, most people nowadays are going to go with what is cheaper which explains why the obesity rate is as high as it is.
ReplyDeleteprettygirlhd012
This video really opened my eyes to how society views one another. There are many personal and public issues out there, but I think obesity was a good one to pick for this video. Obesity rates have increased a lot within the last decade. According to NBC news, almost 40 percent of American adults and nearly 20 percent are obese in the United States of America. Just like the video said, most of what we do from day to day includes eating. Birthdays, funerals, socialization, family gatherings, and other events you are going to be eating. Most of the time it is not healthy especially for a birthday where you will be eating cake and ice cream. In the video it was mentioned that, if you try to watch your weight and go to one of these events and decide not to eat you will then be questioned on why you are deciding not to eat. Then people might call you weird or even make fun of you for your decision and before you know it, you are eating. That perfectly explains why the obesity rate is so high now. Peer pressure has a huge role in that. For example, maybe driving past a fast food restaurant after you just ate may make you want that. I now understand that, that is what sociology deals with. Sociologist study all these things. Also, I found it interesting how she said less than one percent of government subsidies go towards healthy food and majority of it goes towards dairy’s, grains, cheese, and others. With that being said, healthy food is more expensive than the fat foods are. So, most people nowadays are going to go with what is cheaper which explains why the obesity rate is as high as it is.
ReplyDeleteprettygirlhd012