Sexiib22 Opinion: How Medicare Fails the Elderly Jane Gross NY Times October 15, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/opinion/sunday/how-medicare-fails-the-elderly.html?_r=1
Medicare is a government insurance program that covers Americans who are 65 and older. The Medicare bill was signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965; a time when no one envisioned the medical advances that exist today. Because the bill is based in a time when technology wasn’t the way it is today, people overlook many of the important things that the elderly need. Medicare pays for things such as feeding tubes, which can cause infections, yet they do not cover the cost for long-term supervised care. Supervised care could be provided for those who are old and frail and can barely move on their own for shopping, transportation, bathing, etc. In order for Medicare to function like it should in order to not fail the elderly, short and long-term care should be provided. Based on Talcott Parsons functional imperatives, Medicare needs adaption; a way to adjust to how society has changed. Medicare already has goal attainment when it was signed in 1965, to provide for the elderly. However, Medicare could work on maintaining the program by adjusting to the needs of the individuals. According to Parsons’ AGIL scheme, we need the integration of adaption, goal attainment, and (latency) maintaining of the program so that Medicare will not fail the elderly.
1. Swimming 2. Notes From a Dragon Mom 3. Emily Rapp 4. The New York Times 5. Sunday, October 16, 2011 6. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/opinion/sunday/notes-from-a-dragon-mom.html
According to Talcott Parsons' theory of action looking to the future is the most important part of the life of an individual. This is especially true for parents, because they are looking forward to not only their own futures but the futures of their, healthy, children. According to Parsons, "in modern society, as we move from home to school to job world, we are generally moving from the expressive, ascriptive, etc. towards the instrumental, achievement, etc.” This family understands this concept of moving forward; focusing on the future, they know that their fellow parents get to think about SATs, prom, college, marriage, grandchildren, but it isn’t something that the parents of baby Ronan are able to participate in because of Tay-Sachs disease, he will not live to see his third birthday. Tay-Sachs disease is a debilitating, genetic disorder that will slowly take over Ronan’s body and he will become paralyzed, experience seizures, and lose all of his senses before he eventually dies of the disease. Unfortunately there is currently no treatment and no cure. So this family goes against the ideas of Parsons and just focus on living from day to day trying to make their son, Ronan, as comfortable, normal, happy and as dignified, as possible. Ronan’s parents are stuck in the adaptation stage of AGIL, they are adapting to changes in their environment because they never know when they are going to start having to dealing with the symptoms of Tay-Sachs disease, and it could be any day. The next three stages, goal-attainment, integration, and latency, isn’t an option for the parents of Ronan, so they do their best to be happy in the adaptation stage.
1. cupcake 2. Hair Cutting Attacks Stir Fear in Amish Ohio 3. Erik Eckholm and Daniel Lovering 4. New York Times 5. October 17, 2011 6. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/us/hair-cutting-attacks-stir-fear-in-amish-ohio.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1
According to Talcott Parsons’ Theory of Action, action is a behavior with motivation. From this article, we can see that this attack on the Miller’s was done with motivation and revenge in mind since they left the Bergholz area, even though revenge is not a belief of the Amish community. Parsons also noted that we are not free. This is seen in this article because none of the individuals mentioned in these Amish communities are free. The article talks about a man named Sam Mullet, who is potentially behind these attacks as being the leader of a cult that has strayed from true Amish values. However, all of the Amish in the Bergholz area are under his command, whereas the Amish like the Millers, who are being attacked, are still not free because they are controlled by their religious beliefs and now the fear of being attacked again or excommunicated for moving away. These Amish individuals are definitely constrained by the needs of the social system. When it comes to Parsons’ four imperatives, it is clear that Mr. Mullet does not know how to adapt his system to the changes of people leaving his community for a more value-enriched community. Mr. Mullet’s form of goal attainment is through attacking other Amish that have left the Bergholz area and by cutting off their beards or hair, which is a very big deal since this represents one’s masculinity in the Amish religion. The only integration present is through the control Mr. Mullet has over this region and the people of this Bergholz community since the article refers to him as being basically a leader of a cult and attempting to excommunicate those who have moved out without the proper grounds to do so. As far as latency goes, it does not sound like this system that Mr. Mullet has implemented is going to persist through time since there are only a few families remaining in the Bergholz community. The values and norms that Mr. Mullet is instilling in these individuals are motivating them for action, but in a revengeful way that is contradictory to Amish beliefs.
1. Schmady 2. Must Watch Video: Quantum Levitation 3. EYDER PERALTA 4. npr.org 5. October 18, 2011 6. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/10/18/141487295/must-watch-video-quantum-levitation
Scientists, in order to better understand the physical world in which we live and to better perform experiments, use the the relatively inflexible truths known in Physics. As the science continues, it is becoming harder and harder to distinguish what is an absolute truth and what is simply the limit of our understanding of physics. Physics are the rules by which our natural world is governed, whether it be the orientation of planets and stars, or how we are all glued to a round planet. These laws, for centuries unsuccessfully challenged, are finally being found to be much more pliable than before. This video is a good example of how universal truths are not always so universal. However frustrating discoveries like this are to the idea of universal truths, I believe that Karl Popper would be excited to see inductive research searching more and more of the natural world to find truths and seek new ways of interacting in the world around us. Predictability may be gone, but I believe new ideas will open the door to amazing new laws to govern our natural world and that new discoveries are just over the horizon.
Cord Name: HY15B Title: Parents Urged Again to Limit TV for Youngest Author: Benedict Carey Data: October 18 2011 Website: New York Time/ health Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/health/19babies.html
This article is about parents of infants and toddlers should limit the time their children spend in front of televisions, computers, self-described educational games and even grown-up shows playing in the background. They are causing some effect to children by letting them watch too much TV and play too much game that would help function well in society.
The reasons this issues about TV and media effect on children is raise again is because today there are video screens everywhere that children are expose to. The other reason is because now we have 24-houre of cable and parents are too busy with their iPads or smartphones to focus on the children.
Based on Talcott Parson Function is imperatives; parent need to adaptation, by finding ways to adjust to all the changes in media for their children. Parents have idea of how to raise the children without TV, but parent need some maintenance that would help continue with their goal of attainment. In addition, parents need integration of adaption, goal attainment, and to be able to maintenance their ideas of how to limit the hours of TV the children watch. Or else the young children would fail in the society they would grow up to know
Codeword: Sasha Title: The Mother Majority Author: Lauren Sandler Source: Slate Date: October 17, 2011 Link: http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2011/10/most_surprising_abortion_statistic_the_majority_of_women_who_ter.html
This article was about how the majority of women seeking abortions are already a mother to at least one child. Additionally, although not quite as surprising, this majority has been rising since the economic decline; the numbers increases from 61 percent of mothers seeking abortion in 2008, prior to the recession, to about 72 percent every year since then. This ten percent increase could easily be explained by the recession and the inability of women and their families to support an additional child. According to Parsons, these women in particular simply do not have the freedom of choice in this matter, since the reason they're aborting their children is to better care for the children they already have. Had the country not been experiencing a recession, their freedoms may have remained untampered with, however, given the recent economic conditions and societal systems as a result, to choose to have the child would result in additional economic hardship, not to mention strain and suffocation on the existing family. Thus, freedom of choice is hardly an option, given the societal constraints. Furthermore, these women are incredibly looked down upon because of the choice they have made. Parsons would view this as violating family and gender roles, as mothers are not purported to be in any way insensitive to the idea of more children. Thus they are breaking the expected social norms and behaviors by refusing to extend their families. In a way, the backlash these mothers are receiving proves the proper integration of society and individuals since the members have, to an extent, internalized the roles of members, and put the rules into action.
Freebird Hair Attacks Force Amish to Seek Outside Help By: ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS and JOHN SEEWER Kansas City Star October 15, 2011 http://www.kansascity.com/2011/10/15/3209873/hair-attacks-force-ohio-amish.html
The Amish community is a deeply religious culture where the beard for men represents masculinity and the long hair for women signifies “glory”. This is part of their cultural and social system. As men and women adhere to these social roles they contribute to the Amish society as a whole. These roles are important because it perpetuates a cultural and social system with traditional values. It preserves the Amish way of life. The beard and hair cutting attacks on the Amish in Ohio is from followers of a church leader who broke away from his Amish community. He established his own Amish settlement and is being blamed for ordering these beard and hair cutting attacks. The personality of this leader must have conflicted with the social and cultural system of his original Amish community. His behavior toward the original order manifested a detachment from his community but his resentment is being displayed by the behavior of his followers. They are going to other Amish settlements and cutting the beards of men and hair of women in retribution for their church leader. Their church leader is being criticized by other Amish settlements because his community is exhibiting cult like behavior. This behavior directly contradicts the traditional values of the social and cultural system of the Amish belief system. Although he left his original Amish community he is still constrained by the Amish social system because his knowledge of the attacks is based on the negative feedback from other Amish communities. His leadership is still limited by the needs of Amish society. A cult leader will not contribute to the Amish cultural and social system as a whole.
If society is like a biological organism consisting of various interdependent structures then, Ohio’s exotic animal laws are one aspect of the organism bringing the entire organism down. From the interdependence of law enforcement and animal rights activists to worried parents and loss of school days for children this one poorly functioning limb is disturbing the equilibrium of Zanesville, Ohio. For example, state laws are there because of officials who are elected by the people, but people complain about laws when escaped animals cause them danger. This incident is a perfect example that “each structure can be sustained only through its dependence on others” because the farm and owner needed help and no one gave it to him and then the animals escaped because no one helped by changing laws. Perhaps the society was small so that the structure of laws about exotic animals were not “complex and differentiated” like Parsons expected of large societies. This small society probably did not account for such large disasters happening. Structural functionalism encourages the maintenance of the status quo and even after this incident I doubt people will do much to change current exotic animal laws. Especially because people believe law enforcement has it under control; many people could argue otherwise though. However, schools being closed down and streets having special animal caution signs demonstrates that the structure of society can continue for some time following a negative situation. Furthermore, this “negative social arrangement” contributed to the idea that something needs to be done about the exotic animals in Ohio which supports Parsons belief in negative situations being necessary for change. Hopefully there will be change for the safety of residents, law enforcement, and animals.
1. Rams26 2. Parents Urged Again to Limit TV for Youngest 3. Benedict Carey 4. NYtimes.com 5. October 18, 2011 6. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/health/19babies.html?_r=1
This article discusses the need for a limit on television being watched by children. This article says professionals urge parents to limit the amount of television watched by their children and also state that children under two years old should not be watching television period. The professionals say there should be a balance of other interactions for the children and less of television. The professionals say that children learn more and their minds are more active when interacting with other people or things. The article continues to say that households are have more and more screens including phone screens, t.v. screens, computer screens as time goes on and that parents should be aware that screen time should be limited for their children. This ties into Talcott Parsons’ Four Imperatives for Functional Actions System. This goes with the first imperative of adaptation. Society and the world continue to advance and with this comes new technology that we must learn to adapt our lives to. The professionals in this article are saying we should limit the screen time and balance with other stimulation. Parents and children eventually provide goal attainment, which include reaching goals of education and obtaining a job. The third is integration. The parents should help integrate their children into society not just through watching television, but in other manners as well. The fourth imperative is latency, which is establishing a pattern of maintenance. The professionals encourage parents to set up a pattern of watching television only a certain number of hours a day and allow time for other more stimulating activities.
1. EXUL 2. Bears, lions, tigers, and wolves escape from Ohio zoo 3. Author unknown 4.BBC News 5. October 19, 2011 6.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15364027
If society is like a biological organism consisting of various interdependent structures then, Ohio’s exotic animal laws are one aspect of the organism bringing the entire organism down. From the interdependence of law enforcement and animal rights activists to worried parents and loss of school days for children this one poorly functioning limb is disturbing the equilibrium of Zanesville, Ohio. For example, state laws are there because of officials who are elected by the people, but people complain about laws when escaped animals cause them danger. This incident is a perfect example that “each structure can be sustained only through its dependence on others” because the farm and owner needed help and no one gave it to him and then the animals escaped because no one helped by changing laws. Perhaps the society was small so that the structure of laws about exotic animals were not “complex and differentiated” like Parsons expected of large societies. This small society probably did not account for such large disasters happening. Structural functionalism encourages the maintenance of the status quo and even after this incident I doubt people will do much to change current exotic animal laws. Especially because people believe law enforcement has it under control; many people could argue otherwise though. However, schools being closed down and streets having special animal caution signs demonstrates that the structure of society can continue for some time following a negative situation. Furthermore, this “negative social arrangement” contributed to the idea that something needs to be done about the exotic animals in Ohio which supports Parsons belief in negative situations being necessary for change. Hopefully, there will be change for the safety of residents, law enforcement, and animals in Ohio.
1. cotee 2. 'NextGen' Air Traffic System Has Yet To Take Off 3. Bryan Naylor 4. NPR 5. October 15, 2011 6. http://www.npr.org/2011/10/15/141378127/nextgen-air-traffic-system-has-yet-to-take-off
The modernization of the US' air traffic control system parallels Parsons' AGIL model in many ways. Foremost, with new technologies constantly being developed, it's only fitting that we want to equip our airplane control systems with the newest innovations. Parsons' first imperative for functional action systems, adaptation, fits well with the process of technological innovation. Second, air navigation has specific goals, namely, to not crash, which follows Parsons' second imperative: goal-attainment. Next, planes fly in a highly controlled manner, leaving very little room for error. This is akin to Parsons' integration in how there is much importance placed on quality control and efficiency. Finally, after a new technology has been integrated into a system, there is the need for latency, which is maintaining the quality and high efficiency of a system. In air traffic controlling and other fields with high technological turnover, latency can be difficult to acquire. However, with high costs of new technological innovation, companies often seek to maintain the "status quo" for as long as possible, and latency plays a crucial role.
gator14 Parens Urged Again to Limit TV for Youngest Benedict Carey NYT October 18, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/health/19babies.html
This article outlines the new guidelines by the American academy of Pediatric regarding television watching by children 2 years and younger. Stating that it has no educational value and interferes with time that could be spent interacting with other children. The new guidelines are less restrictive then those, which “banned” TV for children under 2 back in 1999.
The children in this age group would benefit from less TV because it would allow more time for socialization. Socialization is one of two key elements in integrating people into society, the other of course being the creation of roles. After we create our roles in society, socialization helps us to internalize those roles and the rituals in our society.
Molly22, Title: The Gabfest, Beyoncé’s Cafeteria Edition Author: Tony Cox Source: Slate Magazine October 19, 2011 Link: http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/culturegabfest/2011/10/culture_gabfest_occupy_wall_street_beyonc_s_countdown_video_plag.html
According to Parsons Theory of Action, the article, “The Gabfest, Beyoncé’s Cafeteria Edition,” would characterize Beyoncé’s habit of stealing other people choreography as a result of her motivation to be successful. As a result of her high motivation of wanting to be successful, she is slowly falling into a culture of copy and paste. Within dance and cheering, there is a limited amount of professional dance moves and cheers that are used on a regular basis. Due to this, everyone is using the same the dances and cheers of some sort. In comparison to society, this is similar to how everyone operates within a system, and that system depends on integration and latency. Within integration, there are roles that exist within that system that has a collection of expected behaviors. In relation to Beyoncé’s habit of stealing other people’s dance moves, it appears although she is stealing, but she isn’t. Beyoncé is operating within a system that has a normal collection of expected behaviors; these collections of expected behaviors are the dance moves. Because she is operating within a professional system, other artists often use the dance moves that she is using too.
At the top of each post you must list the following information: 1. Your Codeword 2. Title of the news article you choose (see suggestions below) 3. Author of the news article 4. Source of the news article 5. Date of the news article 6. Link (url) to the news article
Those six lines should be followed by your reflection from the perspective of the social theorist you choose from the list of options for each due date. A reflection is not a summary. Instead, what you are expected to do is to thoroughly read the news article of your choice and reflect on it from the perspective of one of the assigned Social Theorists. Note that your reflection may include a bit of summary, but it must not consist entirely of summarizing the article. Good reflections will analyze the issue discussed in the article from the perspective of one of the assigned Social Theorists; outstanding posts will even take the voice (write in the tone and style of) the Social Theorist. Reflections should be a minimum of one paragraph. They must be posted no later than 4pm on the due date below and the article you choose must have been published within two weeks of the due date. There are 3 points possible of Extra Credit for each post.
Sexiib22
ReplyDeleteOpinion: How Medicare Fails the Elderly
Jane Gross
NY Times
October 15, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/opinion/sunday/how-medicare-fails-the-elderly.html?_r=1
Medicare is a government insurance program that covers Americans who are 65 and older. The Medicare bill was signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965; a time when no one envisioned the medical advances that exist today. Because the bill is based in a time when technology wasn’t the way it is today, people overlook many of the important things that the elderly need. Medicare pays for things such as feeding tubes, which can cause infections, yet they do not cover the cost for long-term supervised care. Supervised care could be provided for those who are old and frail and can barely move on their own for shopping, transportation, bathing, etc. In order for Medicare to function like it should in order to not fail the elderly, short and long-term care should be provided. Based on Talcott Parsons functional imperatives, Medicare needs adaption; a way to adjust to how society has changed. Medicare already has goal attainment when it was signed in 1965, to provide for the elderly. However, Medicare could work on maintaining the program by adjusting to the needs of the individuals. According to Parsons’ AGIL scheme, we need the integration of adaption, goal attainment, and (latency) maintaining of the program so that Medicare will not fail the elderly.
1. Swimming
ReplyDelete2. Notes From a Dragon Mom
3. Emily Rapp
4. The New York Times
5. Sunday, October 16, 2011
6. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/opinion/sunday/notes-from-a-dragon-mom.html
According to Talcott Parsons' theory of action looking to the future is the most important part of the life of an individual. This is especially true for parents, because they are looking forward to not only their own futures but the futures of their, healthy, children. According to Parsons, "in modern society, as we move from home to school to job world, we are generally moving from the expressive, ascriptive, etc. towards the instrumental, achievement, etc.” This family understands this concept of moving forward; focusing on the future, they know that their fellow parents get to think about SATs, prom, college, marriage, grandchildren, but it isn’t something that the parents of baby Ronan are able to participate in because of Tay-Sachs disease, he will not live to see his third birthday. Tay-Sachs disease is a debilitating, genetic disorder that will slowly take over Ronan’s body and he will become paralyzed, experience seizures, and lose all of his senses before he eventually dies of the disease. Unfortunately there is currently no treatment and no cure. So this family goes against the ideas of Parsons and just focus on living from day to day trying to make their son, Ronan, as comfortable, normal, happy and as dignified, as possible. Ronan’s parents are stuck in the adaptation stage of AGIL, they are adapting to changes in their environment because they never know when they are going to start having to dealing with the symptoms of Tay-Sachs disease, and it could be any day. The next three stages, goal-attainment, integration, and latency, isn’t an option for the parents of Ronan, so they do their best to be happy in the adaptation stage.
1. cupcake
ReplyDelete2. Hair Cutting Attacks Stir Fear in Amish Ohio
3. Erik Eckholm and Daniel Lovering
4. New York Times
5. October 17, 2011
6. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/us/hair-cutting-attacks-stir-fear-in-amish-ohio.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1
According to Talcott Parsons’ Theory of Action, action is a behavior with motivation. From this article, we can see that this attack on the Miller’s was done with motivation and revenge in mind since they left the Bergholz area, even though revenge is not a belief of the Amish community. Parsons also noted that we are not free. This is seen in this article because none of the individuals mentioned in these Amish communities are free. The article talks about a man named Sam Mullet, who is potentially behind these attacks as being the leader of a cult that has strayed from true Amish values. However, all of the Amish in the Bergholz area are under his command, whereas the Amish like the Millers, who are being attacked, are still not free because they are controlled by their religious beliefs and now the fear of being attacked again or excommunicated for moving away. These Amish individuals are definitely constrained by the needs of the social system. When it comes to Parsons’ four imperatives, it is clear that Mr. Mullet does not know how to adapt his system to the changes of people leaving his community for a more value-enriched community. Mr. Mullet’s form of goal attainment is through attacking other Amish that have left the Bergholz area and by cutting off their beards or hair, which is a very big deal since this represents one’s masculinity in the Amish religion. The only integration present is through the control Mr. Mullet has over this region and the people of this Bergholz community since the article refers to him as being basically a leader of a cult and attempting to excommunicate those who have moved out without the proper grounds to do so. As far as latency goes, it does not sound like this system that Mr. Mullet has implemented is going to persist through time since there are only a few families remaining in the Bergholz community. The values and norms that Mr. Mullet is instilling in these individuals are motivating them for action, but in a revengeful way that is contradictory to Amish beliefs.
1. Schmady
ReplyDelete2. Must Watch Video: Quantum Levitation
3. EYDER PERALTA
4. npr.org
5. October 18, 2011
6. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/10/18/141487295/must-watch-video-quantum-levitation
Scientists, in order to better understand the physical world in which we live and to better perform experiments, use the the relatively inflexible truths known in Physics. As the science continues, it is becoming harder and harder to distinguish what is an absolute truth and what is simply the limit of our understanding of physics.
Physics are the rules by which our natural world is governed, whether it be the orientation of planets and stars, or how we are all glued to a round planet.
These laws, for centuries unsuccessfully challenged, are finally being found to be much more pliable than before. This video is a good example of how universal truths are not always so universal. However frustrating discoveries like this are to the idea of universal truths, I believe that Karl Popper would be excited to see inductive research searching more and more of the natural world to find truths and seek new ways of interacting in the world around us.
Predictability may be gone, but I believe new ideas will open the door to amazing new laws to govern our natural world and that new discoveries are just over the horizon.
Cord Name: HY15B
ReplyDeleteTitle: Parents Urged Again to Limit TV for Youngest
Author: Benedict Carey
Data: October 18 2011
Website: New York Time/ health
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/health/19babies.html
This article is about parents of infants and toddlers should limit the time their children spend in front of televisions, computers, self-described educational games and even grown-up shows playing in the background. They are causing some effect to children by letting them watch too much TV and play too much game that would help function well in society.
The reasons this issues about TV and media effect on children is raise again is because today there are video screens everywhere that children are expose to. The other reason is because now we have 24-houre of cable and parents are too busy with their iPads or smartphones to focus on the children.
Based on Talcott Parson Function is imperatives; parent need to adaptation, by finding ways to adjust to all the changes in media for their children. Parents have idea of how to raise the children without TV, but parent need some maintenance that would help continue with their goal of attainment. In addition, parents need integration of adaption, goal attainment, and to be able to maintenance their ideas of how to limit the hours of TV the children watch. Or else the young children would fail in the society they would grow up to know
Codeword: Sasha
ReplyDeleteTitle: The Mother Majority
Author: Lauren Sandler
Source: Slate
Date: October 17, 2011
Link: http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2011/10/most_surprising_abortion_statistic_the_majority_of_women_who_ter.html
This article was about how the majority of women seeking abortions are already a mother to at least one child. Additionally, although not quite as surprising, this majority has been rising since the economic decline; the numbers increases from 61 percent of mothers seeking abortion in 2008, prior to the recession, to about 72 percent every year since then. This ten percent increase could easily be explained by the recession and the inability of women and their families to support an additional child. According to Parsons, these women in particular simply do not have the freedom of choice in this matter, since the reason they're aborting their children is to better care for the children they already have. Had the country not been experiencing a recession, their freedoms may have remained untampered with, however, given the recent economic conditions and societal systems as a result, to choose to have the child would result in additional economic hardship, not to mention strain and suffocation on the existing family. Thus, freedom of choice is hardly an option, given the societal constraints.
Furthermore, these women are incredibly looked down upon because of the choice they have made. Parsons would view this as violating family and gender roles, as mothers are not purported to be in any way insensitive to the idea of more children. Thus they are breaking the expected social norms and behaviors by refusing to extend their families. In a way, the backlash these mothers are receiving proves the proper integration of society and individuals since the members have, to an extent, internalized the roles of members, and put the rules into action.
Freebird
ReplyDeleteHair Attacks Force Amish to Seek Outside Help
By: ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS and JOHN SEEWER
Kansas City Star
October 15, 2011
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/10/15/3209873/hair-attacks-force-ohio-amish.html
The Amish community is a deeply religious culture where the beard for men represents masculinity and the long hair for women signifies “glory”. This is part of their cultural and social system. As men and women adhere to these social roles they contribute to the Amish society as a whole. These roles are important because it perpetuates a cultural and social system with traditional values. It preserves the Amish way of life. The beard and hair cutting attacks on the Amish in Ohio is from followers of a church leader who broke away from his Amish community. He established his own Amish settlement and is being blamed for ordering these beard and hair cutting attacks. The personality of this leader must have conflicted with the social and cultural system of his original Amish community. His behavior toward the original order manifested a detachment from his community but his resentment is being displayed by the behavior of his followers. They are going to other Amish settlements and cutting the beards of men and hair of women in retribution for their church leader. Their church leader is being criticized by other Amish settlements because his community is exhibiting cult like behavior. This behavior directly contradicts the traditional values of the social and cultural system of the Amish belief system. Although he left his original Amish community he is still constrained by the Amish social system because his knowledge of the attacks is based on the negative feedback from other Amish communities. His leadership is still limited by the needs of Amish society. A cult leader will not contribute to the Amish cultural and social system as a whole.
If society is like a biological organism consisting of various interdependent structures then, Ohio’s exotic animal laws are one aspect of the organism bringing the entire organism down. From the interdependence of law enforcement and animal rights activists to worried parents and loss of school days for children this one poorly functioning limb is disturbing the equilibrium of Zanesville, Ohio.
ReplyDeleteFor example, state laws are there because of officials who are elected by the people, but people complain about laws when escaped animals cause them danger.
This incident is a perfect example that “each structure can be sustained only through its dependence on others” because the farm and owner needed help and no one gave it to him and then the animals escaped because no one helped by changing laws.
Perhaps the society was small so that the structure of laws about exotic animals were not “complex and differentiated” like Parsons expected of large societies. This small society probably did not account for such large disasters happening.
Structural functionalism encourages the maintenance of the status quo and even after this incident I doubt people will do much to change current exotic animal laws. Especially because people believe law enforcement has it under control; many people could argue otherwise though.
However, schools being closed down and streets having special animal caution signs demonstrates that the structure of society can continue for some time following a negative situation.
Furthermore, this “negative social arrangement” contributed to the idea that something needs to be done about the exotic animals in Ohio which supports Parsons belief in negative situations being necessary for change. Hopefully there will be change for the safety of residents, law enforcement, and animals.
1. Rams26
ReplyDelete2. Parents Urged Again to Limit TV for Youngest
3. Benedict Carey
4. NYtimes.com
5. October 18, 2011
6. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/health/19babies.html?_r=1
This article discusses the need for a limit on television being watched by children. This article says professionals urge parents to limit the amount of television watched by their children and also state that children under two years old should not be watching television period. The professionals say there should be a balance of other interactions for the children and less of television. The professionals say that children learn more and their minds are more active when interacting with other people or things. The article continues to say that households are have more and more screens including phone screens, t.v. screens, computer screens as time goes on and that parents should be aware that screen time should be limited for their children. This ties into Talcott Parsons’ Four Imperatives for Functional Actions System. This goes with the first imperative of adaptation. Society and the world continue to advance and with this comes new technology that we must learn to adapt our lives to. The professionals in this article are saying we should limit the screen time and balance with other stimulation. Parents and children eventually provide goal attainment, which include reaching goals of education and obtaining a job. The third is integration. The parents should help integrate their children into society not just through watching television, but in other manners as well. The fourth imperative is latency, which is establishing a pattern of maintenance. The professionals encourage parents to set up a pattern of watching television only a certain number of hours a day and allow time for other more stimulating activities.
1. EXUL
ReplyDelete2. Bears, lions, tigers, and wolves escape from Ohio zoo
3. Author unknown
4.BBC News
5. October 19, 2011
6.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15364027
If society is like a biological organism consisting of various interdependent structures then, Ohio’s exotic animal laws are one aspect of the organism bringing the entire organism down. From the interdependence of law enforcement and animal rights activists to worried parents and loss of school days for children this one poorly functioning limb is disturbing the equilibrium of Zanesville, Ohio.
For example, state laws are there because of officials who are elected by the people, but people complain about laws when escaped animals cause them danger.
This incident is a perfect example that “each structure can be sustained only through its dependence on others” because the farm and owner needed help and no one gave it to him and then the animals escaped because no one helped by changing laws.
Perhaps the society was small so that the structure of laws about exotic animals were not “complex and differentiated” like Parsons expected of large societies. This small society probably did not account for such large disasters happening.
Structural functionalism encourages the maintenance of the status quo and even after this incident I doubt people will do much to change current exotic animal laws. Especially because people believe law enforcement has it under control; many people could argue otherwise though.
However, schools being closed down and streets having special animal caution signs demonstrates that the structure of society can continue for some time following a negative situation.
Furthermore, this “negative social arrangement” contributed to the idea that something needs to be done about the exotic animals in Ohio which supports Parsons belief in negative situations being necessary for change. Hopefully, there will be change for the safety of residents, law enforcement, and animals in Ohio.
1. cotee
ReplyDelete2. 'NextGen' Air Traffic System Has Yet To Take Off
3. Bryan Naylor
4. NPR
5. October 15, 2011
6. http://www.npr.org/2011/10/15/141378127/nextgen-air-traffic-system-has-yet-to-take-off
The modernization of the US' air traffic control system parallels Parsons' AGIL model in many ways. Foremost, with new technologies constantly being developed, it's only fitting that we want to equip our airplane control systems with the newest innovations. Parsons' first imperative for functional action systems, adaptation, fits well with the process of technological innovation. Second, air navigation has specific goals, namely, to not crash, which follows Parsons' second imperative: goal-attainment. Next, planes fly in a highly controlled manner, leaving very little room for error. This is akin to Parsons' integration in how there is much importance placed on quality control and efficiency. Finally, after a new technology has been integrated into a system, there is the need for latency, which is maintaining the quality and high efficiency of a system. In air traffic controlling and other fields with high technological turnover, latency can be difficult to acquire. However, with high costs of new technological innovation, companies often seek to maintain the "status quo" for as long as possible, and latency plays a crucial role.
gator14
ReplyDeleteParens Urged Again to Limit TV for Youngest
Benedict Carey
NYT
October 18, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/health/19babies.html
This article outlines the new guidelines by the American academy of Pediatric regarding television watching by children 2 years and younger. Stating that it has no educational value and interferes with time that could be spent interacting with other children. The new guidelines are less restrictive then those, which “banned” TV for children under 2 back in 1999.
The children in this age group would benefit from less TV because it would allow more time for socialization. Socialization is one of two key elements in integrating people into society, the other of course being the creation of roles. After we create our roles in society, socialization helps us to internalize those roles and the rituals in our society.
Molly22,
ReplyDeleteTitle: The Gabfest, Beyoncé’s Cafeteria Edition
Author: Tony Cox
Source: Slate Magazine
October 19, 2011
Link: http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/culturegabfest/2011/10/culture_gabfest_occupy_wall_street_beyonc_s_countdown_video_plag.html
According to Parsons Theory of Action, the article, “The Gabfest, Beyoncé’s Cafeteria Edition,” would characterize Beyoncé’s habit of stealing other people choreography as a result of her motivation to be successful. As a result of her high motivation of wanting to be successful, she is slowly falling into a culture of copy and paste. Within dance and cheering, there is a limited amount of professional dance moves and cheers that are used on a regular basis. Due to this, everyone is using the same the dances and cheers of some sort.
In comparison to society, this is similar to how everyone operates within a system, and that system depends on integration and latency. Within integration, there are roles that exist within that system that has a collection of expected behaviors.
In relation to Beyoncé’s habit of stealing other people’s dance moves, it appears although she is stealing, but she isn’t. Beyoncé is operating within a system that has a normal collection of expected behaviors; these collections of expected behaviors are the dance moves. Because she is operating within a professional system, other artists often use the dance moves that she is using too.