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Culture and society essay
1. Culture and Society Essay
A subculture consist of a group of individuals who exist in a broader
culture but tend to distinguish themselves through the culture that
they originally belong to. Many scholars have significantly deprecated
this term while trying to avoid the perceptions of inferiority with regard
to the prefix “sub”, and this is why they devised the term co-culture to
describe a distinguished group of individuals within the larger culture.
Nevertheless, this term has been more commonly used in defining a
cultural group that prevails within a broader culture yet possesses
distinct beliefs, perceptions, and interests that are distinct from those
who live and thrive within the broader culture.
The study of subcultures is more centered on the comprehension of the
aspect of symbolism that is linked with the modes of dressing and
music that is distinctly common among other visible habits that
characterize or are specifically associated with the members of certain
subcultures and the perceptions of other members of the larger culture
concerning these symbols. It is common for members of any given
subculture to express their membership and association by using
distinctive symbolic styles which may be exhibited in the form of
dressing, codes of conduct or even argot. It is possible for subcultures
to permeate all levels of any given organization, leading to the
conclusion that multiple cultures can actually prevail in any given
organization and their existence can either complement or contend
with the general culture of the larger organization. In many
circumstances, the perception of subcultures as a severe moral
problem that need to be addressed as well as controlled by guardians
of the wider society has resulted in the curtailment, restriction and
passing of laws against them.
Membership within a subculture
2. An individual can become a member of a subculture if he or she adopts
or identifies with the diverse symbolic attributes that are distinct within
a particular group of individuals prevailing within the broader culture in
any given institution or community. I ascribe to the Rockabilly
subculture, and this is a distinct type of a subculture that has adopted
the earliest ways of the 1950s’ “Rock and Roll Music”. This subculture is
commonly known to have integrated the American and the Western
musical patterns in order to invent the popular “Classic Rock and Roll
Musical Style”. The reason why I regard myself myself as a member of
this subculture is because I tend to imitate the distinct characteristics
and ways of life that were adopted during the period of Elvis as the king
of rock and roll music and I also behave like other members of this
subculture who act and live like during the times when the phrase “I
Love Lucy” was popular in the 1950s.
Rockabilly can be regarded as a distinct culture on its own because its
distinct attributes can easily be differentiated from the larger culture.
Some of the key unique characteristics of the rockabilly subculture are
the strong musical rhythms, vocal strums, and the common use of tape
echo. The individuals who follow this subculture strictly tend to
maintain a unique outward appearance that is strongly linked to the
rockabilly era of the 1950s. Members of this subculture also possess a
unique fashion sense that is similar to that of the young people who
lived in the 1950s and tend to prefer halter dresses, sleeveless blouses
and sunglasses. In addition, females who ascribe to the rockabilly
culture tend to wear high waist pants, coned bras, pencil skirts, and
sundresses. Members of this group are known to adopt a unique color
sense in their fashion which naturally distinguishes them from the
larger culture. Some other trends that are popular with this group
include application of lots of red lipstick, usage of red high heeled shoes
and red gingham. Rockabilly subculture has in a way influenced the
mainstream culture in the sense that certain unique attributes including
3. fashion and musical styles from this subculture have been borrowed by
the mainstream culture, leading to the revival of the earliest culture.
Members of the wider society or mainstream culture have largely
embraced some of the styles that are strongly linked to the rockabilly
culture mainly for commercial purposes. Fashion statements such as
red lipstick, pencil skirts and high heeled shoes have remained quite
popular within the mainstream culture leading the majority of the
commercial dealers to focus on the production and sale of these
products to members of the larger society regardless of whether or not
they ascribe to the rockabilly subculture. In the same respect, musical
styles from the rockabilly culture have equally been vulnerable to a
similar development because they have become a significant
representation of the unique state of music within the mainstream
culture.
What can be done to reduce gender inequality?
Gender inequality is a term that refers to the concept of distinguishing
between people based on their gender and such the distinctions that
can be used in defining strengths, abilities and opportunities that
people possess or need in order to undertake certain tasks depending
on their distinct sexes. Gender inequality exposes the backwardness of
a society that practices it because it entails subscription to the orthodox
views, and this thus calls for the elimination of gender inequality in
order to enhance significant development within the wider society.
According to sociologists,gender inequality emanates from integrating
complex cultural factors that are drawn from the 1970s and need to be
addressed in order to reduce the entire issue. It is apparent that the
issue of gender inequality is often perpetuated by the responsibility
that parents undertake during socializing the children and defining the
concepts of femininity and masculinity. Parents ought to desist from
socializing their children into distinct gender roles that tend to intensify
the differentiation between males from females.
4. Both popular and the news media have significantly perpetuated the
gender stereotyping by restricting the ability of boys and girls to
assume less-gendered responsibilities. For gender inequality to be
reduced, it is necessary to deal with gender stereotyping that is carried
out via the popular media and at the same time raise the public
awareness concerning diverse factors that perpetuate gender
inequality. There is also need for the dispensation of gender education
within the society to make sure that individuals within various social
structures including the family, schools as well as the community at
large fully comprehend the diverse issues that affect gender inequality.
Such measures can help to erase cultural superstitions as individuals
would be able to comprehend the need for members of both sexes to
be treated equally by being allowed to access equal opportunities.
Reducing the cultural orientations that are believed by the society
believes about the cultural orientation would equally play a significant
role in reducing gender in equality. It is common for societies to
demarcate roles on the basis of what is perceived as being masculine or
feminine. It is possible to reduce gender inequality by exchanging the
roles across gender, and this can be done by permitting males to
undertake roles that are perceived as feminine while females can be
allowed to engage in the roles that are perceived to be masculine.
Agents of socialization
The agents responsible for the perpetuation of the concept of
socialization are usually the diverse societal factors that interact during
lifetime of a person which influence their behavior and the subsequent
characteristics that prevail within the wider society. My family and peer
group are some of the key agents that have greatly impacted my life.
The family in particular has significantly shaped my beliefs, attitudes,
and values among other orientations that I have concerning life. It is
apparent that most of my beliefs, values and attitudes are similar to
5. those held by my family members, because instinctively we tend to
integrate our values and beliefs.
It is not possible to ignore the role that parents play in teaching their
children the different prejudices and biases that they are bound to hold
in the course of their lives. In similar fashion, I was centrally taught by
my family what it meant to be white, and the reasons why whites have
to be perceived as being distinct from blacks. This cultivated in me the
belief of whites being superior to blacks and the need for white people
to be esteemed higher than the blacks. In addition, the family also
played a central role in cultivating obedience in me and this has helped
me to see value in adopting positive behaviors while refraining from
socially non-acceptable behaviors like crime and violence.
The peer group has also played a crucial role in shaping my values,
beliefs and attitudes mainly because my friends have integrated me
into certain values and statuses that have significantly influenced my
lifestyles, preferences, and social activities. In particular, my friends
have influenced my tastes and preferences in terms of music, mode of
dressing and many diverse elements of life. Of importance to note, is
the fact that peer groups play an essential role in teaching their
respective members gender roles. Conversely, my peer group has
oriented me to specific, culturally cultivated gender roles. Not only has
this influenced how much value I attach to certain roles and elements
of culture, but also shaped my perception and driven me to fulfill these
roles while avoiding others that are not culturally expected of me.
How social class affect people’s lives
Social class normally refers to a system within the social stratification
model which is created and seeks to divide group individuals in sets of
hierarchical categories that may commonly be known as upper, middle
and lower categories. The importance of class is that it serves as a
crucial factor that is used by sociologists in grouping individuals and
6. also defining their lives under varying contextual meanings. Social class
effects can clearly be felt in every aspect of life because it shapes
almost every state of interaction. Even though it is obvious that
workplaces are also affected and shaped by social classes, individuals in
search of employment have undertaken quite a different approach.
The difference in approach is largely owed to the fact that most
employees can no longer expect to automatically climb the hierarchy of
job positions mainly because most companies choose to hire individuals
from outside the company and particularly focus on those with
desirable educational background as opposed to hiring as well as
promoting individuals serving within the company. This has
subsequently affected advancement within employment fields
especially for those who have a lower level of formal education because
they cannot be able to advance into higher job positions. This is
because higher social hierarchy is dependent on an individual obtaining
a higher level of education. This has affected how people perceive and
pursue education because they choose to spend a significant number of
years and amount of money on studies as opposed to serving in low
cadre positions. Such social hierarchy changes at the workplace can
shape the learning process.
At the same time, social class affects family life and how children
subsequently develop because they are often taught how to integrate
within their respective social classes, and this can perpetuate their
developing personalities that correspond to their social statuses.
Education system is yet another major tool that is often used to drive
social mobility among members of the low class society because most
preferences are often accorded those that belong to the high class
society. In this respect, teachers tend to anticipate the potential
knowledge that is bound to be held by members of certain classes and
ignore the potential of others, especially those in lower classes. It is
common for children from the high class society to be perceived as
7. being more intelligent in comparison to those that belong to the lower
class society. Unfortunately such children that are perceived as being
intelligent are often given more attention than those who are not
hence resulting in discrimination and teachers shaping the future of
certain children as opposed to others.
Conclusion
It is clear that culture is an essential tool that heavily influences the
totality of socially transmitted patterns, beliefs, symbols and
institutions which can later be used as a form of expression that is
distinct in a particular community, class, society or population. These
subsequent attributes can effectively be used to characterize a distinct
subculture that sets itself apart itself through attributes symbolizing the
larger culture. The concept of culture can be an instrument of
perpetuating gender inequality because it can lead to distinct cultural
orientations being set in place to define strengths, abilities and
opportunities that are distinct to members of different sexes. There is
need for control of these factors so as to reduce the impact of gender
inequality. Culture can also influence the process of socialization, and
by so doing, nurture unique beliefs, values, attitudes and perceptions in
an individual. In addition, cultural aspects usually influence the concept
of social class, which inevitably affects life by shaping how people
conduct themselves within the education system to be able to obtain
high achievements to empower them climb up the social hierarchy.
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