One small movement, big miracles - Sewol failures - Social Movement

The Sewol ferry sinking, which has left 29 people dead and 273 others still unaccounted for. Search and rescue operations are continuing at this hour, with more divers in the water trying to locate the missing in the passenger cabins on the third and fourth floor of the sunken vessel.

Despite President Park Geun-hye’s repeated apologies and drastic reform proposals, a growing number of people are participating in protests against the government’s failures during the Sewol ferry disaster.

Students, parents with small children and even foreign nationals took part in massive demonstrations in central Seoul on Saturday to commemorate the victims of the sunken ferry and to urge Cheong Wa Dae to take responsibility for its failed operation to save those onboard the sunken ferry Sewol.

About 30,000 people held a candlelight vigil this week, according to Park Sung-sik, spokesman of Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, while the police say the rally had about 8,000. KCTU is one of two labor umbrella groups here that organized the weekend rally. The Korean National Police Agency said it had dispatched about 13,000 riot police.

A growing number of South Koreans are joining a “yellow ribbon” online campaign, expressing their hope that there are still some survivors from the Sewol ferry disaster.

As the death toll continued to rise eight days after the Sewol sank off the southwestern coast near Jindo Island, many Koreans showed their support for the families who are still waiting for the safe return of their loved ones.

Facebook, Twitter and other social media users rushed to change their profile photos to the image of a ribbon.

The image features a simple drawing of a black bow against a yellow background with the message “One small movement, big miracles” written in Korean underneath.

The local student club ALT started the online movement Saturday to support the families of the missing and offer a hopeful message to the Korean public that the missing passengers could still be found alive.

Social Movement

 Social movements are a type of group action. They are large, sometimes informal, groupings of individuals or organizations which focus on specific political or social issues. In other words, they carry out, resist or undo a social change.

 Modern Western social movements became possible through education (the wider dissemination of literature), and increased mobility of labor due to the industrialization and urbanization of 19th century societies. It is sometimes argued that the freedom of expression, education and relative economic independence prevalent in the modern Western culture are responsible for the unprecedented number and scope of various contemporary social movements. However, others point out that many of the social movements of the last hundred years grew up, like the Mau Mau in Kenya, to oppose Western colonialism. Either way, social movements have been and continued to be closely connected with democratic political systems. Occasionally, social movements have been involved in democratizing nations, but more often they have flourished after democratization. Over the past 200 years, they have become part of a popular and global expression of dissent.


Definition :
Charles Tilly defines social movements as a series of contentious performances, displays and campaigns by which ordinary people make collective claims on others. For Tilly, social movements are a major vehicle for ordinary people's participation in public politics. He argues that there are three major elements to a social movement:

1.Campaigns: a sustained, organized public effort making collective claims of target authorities;

2.Repertoire (repertoire of contention): employment of combinations from among the following forms of political action: creation of special-purpose associations and coalitions, public meetings, solemn processions, vigils, rallies, demonstrations, petition drives, statements to and in public media, and pamphleteering; and

3.WUNC displays: participants' concerted public representation of worthiness, unity, numbers, and commitments on the part of themselves and/or their constituencies.


Theories :

Deprivation Theory

Mass-Society Theory

Structural-Strain Theory

Resource-Mobilization Theory

Political Process Theory

Culture Theory

Dokdo is Korean Territory.

For Koreans, the eastern most Dokdo are symbolic. The Japanese are insisting on their ownership of Dokdo.

1. Koreans long know that Dokdo was Korean territory, dating back 1,500 years ago. History shows that Dokdo is Korean territory through the Silla, Goryeo and Joseon kingdoms. But Japan illegally annexed the islands in 1905 in its preparation for war with Russia and the interpretation of the 1951 San Francisco Treaty between Japan and the Allied Powers that made no specific mention of Dokdo may be behind the intensified claims.


2. The Korean Government's Basic Position on Dokdo.
Dokdo is an integral part of Korean territory, historically, geographically and under international law. No territorial dispute exists regarding Dokdo, and therefore Dokdo is not a matter to be dealt with through diplomatic negotiations or judicial settlement.

The government of the Republic of Korea exercises Korea's irrefutable territorial sovereignty over Dokdo. The government will deal firmly and resolutely with any provocation and will continue to defend Korea's territorial integrity over Dokdo. 


3. Why Dokdo is Korean Territory. 

4. Location and Features.
Dokdo consists of two main islands, Dongdo and Seodo, and 89 surrounding islets.

4. Just as recently as early April, Korea lodged a protest against Japan for laying a fresh claim to Dokdo in Japan's Diplomatic Bluebook for 2014. Japan also vowed to resolve the territory issue through international law. Seoul warned that such a claim will severely damage bilateral ties as well as peace and security in Northeast Asia.

Who benefits from this element of society?

 Everybody knows that there are countless theories in sociology. I think it is because we cannot define society by an absolute definition and there are always different point of views.Therefore the only answer doesn't exist I guess. However several theories are so general that we have to know as a student who study sociology. Conflict Theory is one of them.

  

 Conflict theory is often contrasted with structural-functionalism theory. The society consists of the individual and group chasing different profit and they are almost in conflict, competition or opposition. Inherent inequalities in basic cause of conflict theory and society is constantly in conflict over resources. By conflict and competition society can be continued. It is suited for explaining social change, a significant problem in the structural-functional approach.

 Of course there is limitation of conflict theory too. It overlooks the stability of societies. The minor changes always happen but many of the broader elements of societies remain remarkably stable over time, indicating structural-functional perspective has a great deal of merit.

Stratification

 In this chapter, we are going to talk about Stratification. From dictionary definition, Stratification means the hierarchical arrangement of people in a society. The most important cause of stratification is inequality. According to Wikibooks Inequality means people have unequal access to scarce and valued resources in society. These resources might be economic or political, such as health care, education, jobs, property and land ownership, housing, and ability to influence government policy.

There are three main dimensions how stratification difined. The three things are Power, Property, and Prestige. First, power is divided into two parts. Legitimate power is authority, and illegitimate power is coercion. Secondly Property, as used in this context, refers to the sum total of one’s possessions as well as their regular income. Finally Prestige used to be associated with one's family name, but for most people in developed countries, prestige is now generally tied to one's occupation.


The origins of inequality can be found in the transition from hunter/gatherer societies to horticultural/pastoralist societies. Fast forward many millennia later to just before Industrialization began. In the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries, there was collectivity in the space and land in Europe. The concept of private taking and private property began to flourish in the late 15th century beginning in Europe and spreading around the world. And then Today, the right to private property is an important value in most societies. With deregulation, privatization, and free trade, we continue to see a private taking and private ownership of entities once shared by everyone.

Deviance and norms

 According to Wikipedia, Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors that violate social norms, including formally-enacted rules, as well as informal violations of social norms. There are two types of deviance. The first, crime is the violation of formally enacted laws and is referred to as formal deviance.The second type of deviant behavior refers to violations of informal social norms, norms that have not been codified into law, and is referred to as informal deviance.

 Also there are several types of theories about deviance such as Psycological Explanations, Social-Strain Typology, Structural-Functionalism, and Conflict Theory. Among these theories I am interested in Labeling Theory. It is very interesting and plausible. When I learned this in high school, I was pursuaded by this. And I find some reserch about this.


 In a research study called The Power of a Label: Mental illness Diagnoses, Ascribed Humanity and Social Rejection, they examined how ascribing humanity to an individual labeled with mental illness may influence perceptions of dangerousness and motivations for social rejection(Martunez, Piff, Mendoza-Denton & Hinshaw, 2011). Their findings were that people who were labeled as having a mental illness had serious social costs. The stigma associated with a mental illness label can have devastating social consequences. Individuals bearing such labels experience devaluation and rejection in their communities, effects that exceed those attributable to the symptoms  of  the  mental  disorder  itself (Link, Struening, Rahav, Phelan, & Nuttbrock, 1997). The question then is why people have such a negative view about mental illness. A frequent stereotype about persons with mental illness is that they are dangerous, with media portrayals emphasizing an extremely heightened potential for violence (Wahl, 1995). Knowing that someone has a mental illness gives the person who is given that label little chance for a social life and people have already stereotyped them in their heads. Americans report more comfort with individuals who are deaf or have facial disfigurement than people with mental disorders (see Hinshaw, 2007). With that said, that puts people with mental illnesses at the bottom.  It makes their lives a lot more complicated in general, not taking into consideration the adjustments they have to make with the symptoms they will have due to certain illnesses.

Looking at someone or something of labeling theory is not appropriate. So people have to be careful to look someone else not to look at their one's sight.

Thomas Szasz is Professor of Psychiatry. His classic The Myth of Mental Illness (1961) made him a figure of international fame and controversy. He believes that there is no such thing as “mental illness”. The following is a quote from Thomas Szasz’s Mental Illness: Sickness or Status?

        “Being the member of a community, a religion, a nation, a civilization entails joining the cast of a particular national-religious-cultural drama and accepting certain parts of the play as facts, not just props necessary to     support the narrative. Thus, we in the West today accept as facts that the earth is spherical, that lead is heavier than water, that malaria, melanoma, and mental illness are diseases. As against this perspective, I maintain that while there are mental patients, there are no mental illnesses. There is no mental illness or madness either -- in the bodies of the denominated subjects or in nature. Instead, there is a mental illness role into which a person is cast by his family and society, which he then assumes and plays, or against which he rebels and from which he tries to escape. Occasionally, individuals teach themselves how to be mental patients and assume the role without parental or societal pressure to do so, in order to escape certain unbearably painful situations or the burdens of ordinary life ( Szasz, 2006).”

All these things mentioned are labels. We accept them as a society because it’s what we are taught when we are growing up but who’s to say that we are right. By labeling these people mentally ill, gives them a negative on themselves and others have a negative view as well. By doing so, it causes people to be isolated and act as they are labeled.

Socialization

Socialization (also spelled socialisation) is a term used by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, political scientists and educationalists to refer to the lifelong process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies, providing an individual with the skills and habits necessary for participating within his or her own society. Socialization is thus ‘the means by which social and cultural continuity are attained’

There are three different aims of socialzation. First, to impulse control and the development of a conscience. Secondly to role preparation and performance, including occupational roles, gender roles, and roles in institutions such as marriage and parenthood. Finally the cultivation of sources of meaning, or what is important, valued, and to be lived for.

According to Arnett there are two different type of socialization, Narrow and Broad. Broad socialization is intended to promote independence, individualism, and self-expression; it is dubbed broad because this type of socialization has the potential of resulting in a broad range of outcomes. On the other hand, narrow socialization is intended to promote obedience and conformity; it is dubbed narrow because there is a narrow range of outcomes

I searched the Internet and found some interesting meterials about socialization. I took a notice that there need five stages to be socialized.

Stage 1: Investigation / This stage is marked by a cautious search for information. The individual compares groups in order to determine which one will fulfill their needs (reconnaissance), while the group estimates the value of the potential member (recruitment). The end of this stage is marked by entry to the group, whereby the group asks the individual to join and they accept the offer.

Stage 2: Socialization / Now that the individual has moved from prospective member to new member, they must accept the group’s culture. At this stage, the individual accepts the group’s norms, values, and perspectives (assimilation), and the group adapts to fit the new member’s needs (accommodation). The acceptance transition point is then reached and the individual becomes a full member. However, this transition can be delayed if the individual or the group reacts negatively. For example, the individual may react cautiously or misinterpret other members’ reactions if they believe that they will be treated differently as a new comer.

Stage 3: Maintenance / During this stage, the individual and the group negotiate what contribution is expected of members (role negotiation). While many members remain in this stage until the end of their membership, some individuals are not satisfied with their role in the group or fail to meet the group’s expectations (divergence).

Stage 4: Resocialization / -If the divergence point is reached, the former full member takes on the role of a marginal member and must be resocialized. There are two possible outcomes of resocialization: differences are resolved and the individual becomes a full member again (convergence), or the group expels the individual or the individual decides to leave (exit).

Stage 5: Remembrance / In this stage, former members reminisce about their memories of the group, and make sense of their recent departure. If the group reaches a consensus on their reasons for departure, conclusions about the overall experience of the group become part of the group’s tradition.

Also nowadays we live in information society. So we have to use several kinds of socialization tools such as facebook, tweeter, or blog, etc.

Economy

Economy is one of the most important factors that organize society. A definition of economy is the system according to which the money, industry, and trade of a country or region are organized. By how people use money there are two big systems of society, CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM.


Capitalism is an economic and political system in which property, business, and industry are owned by private individuals and not by the state. Capitalism is controlled through supply & demand and competition. By capitalism individuals are allowed for private property. However criticisms also exist. It can cause unfair distribution of wealth and power, a tendency toward market monopoly or oligopoly, imperialism and phenomena such as social alienation, economic inequality, unemployment, and economic instability. Adam Smith and Karl Marx suggest different opinions about capitalism.


Socialism refers to various theories of economic organization advocating public or direct worker ownership and administration of the means of production and allocation of resources, and a society characterized by equal access to resources for all individuals with a method of compensation based on the amount of labor expended. Asia, Europe, Latin America and even United States are example of socialism.

How do we have to understand about CULTURE in sociology.

Summary
 Culture is one of the important concepts to explain about sociology. Culture is above just the object or behavior so it consists of norms, values, beliefs, and symbols. Culture is diffent from each groups and societies. From the Wiki books we can find several kinds of diffent culture, the origins of culture, cultural changes, and theories of culture.

 As students who studies sociology, we have to concentrate on the question that asks 'how do sociologists study culture?' I guess. In Wiki books the answer suggests that Cultural Sociology which combines the study of culture with cultural understandings of phenomena. So to speak, it is a study for understanding how people make meaningful life between the different cultures. Two cultural sociologists Griswold and Anderson gave explains and theories about the cultural sociology and Anderson concluded that combination of individuals' clothing, behavior, attitudes, beliefs and opinions shows the culture they included. Finally the people who interact consistently share the similar cultures and they usually make the groups such as family and society.

 Futhermore the Wiki books consistently tells that culture changes from time to time. There are two different categories 'The Changing Concept of Culture' and 'Cultural Change'. These two categories are little bit different but we can get the same conclusion.


 Finally the theory is the most important part of this section because it explains just one model to illustrate how sociologist understand the culture in Wikibooks. It is a model advocated by Ritzer. There are four different levels to depict the cultures. The Ritzer's integrative(micro-macro) theory is used for explaining how cultural norms can influence individual behavior.

Introduction to Sociology/Sociological Methods

1. Summary
At first there was no boundary between many different disciplines.
But time goes by, it has been divided into several subject like mathematics, history, liberal art, or politics. Then the attempt to combine scientific inquiry with human relationship was arose. With those ideas, Sociology became a complex discipline that integrates different kind of studies. Moreover there are many different methods for study sociology such as characterization, hypothesis development, prediction, experiment & evaluation and iteration.

2. My opinion
It is my first time to study sociology so I don't have any deep information or thinking about this discipline. Thus these Wikibooks are useful for my study and academic development. I think sociology is very complex and balanced subject. Therefore to understand this subject I need to study a variety of disciplines.

3. Question to Peter.
Nothing yet.