Answer Questions
“According to the critical theorists, how, in modern industrial societies, does rationality lead to the oppression and/or alienation of the individual? Do you agree that the US is a totalitarian society? Why or why not?”~Page 436.
First of all, critical theory is a theory that is founded on emancipation intent. Critical theorists seek to free us from the dominant paradigms that history and other trajectories have created. These dominant paradigms are in retrospect not reflective of reality. They are shaped by opinions and lack of a value free of society that allows the influence of power in the process of knowledge formation. In the modern industrial societies rationality, in the perspective of the dominant paradigm, leads to oppression and the alienation of the individual (Appelrouth and Edles, 2010, p.430). Rationality as a societal trajectory is not value free. It is influenced by the socio-political forces within society. This leads critical theories to question whether the idea of rationality in itself is stable. Owing to the fact that the individual is capable of reason and rationality based on Lockean Liberalism. The exclusion of perspectives of the marginalized peoples within the social framework in formulating and defining the standards of rationality creates a hierarchy. This is because rationality is defined according to the dominant forces within society leaving out the perspective of the marginalized. This exclusion makes rationality in modern industrial societies to be an unstable term that is prone to deconstruction as theories seek to deconstruct the hierarchy that results from this domination. I do not agree that the United States is a totalitarian society. This is because though the nation is founded on the idea of democracy and individual empowerment. The legislative process and social-political structure is not a representative model of the entire American society. However, the facts that people with a higher economic status tend to be highly influential in shaping both domestic and foreign policy may at times make the United States seem to be a totalitarian society. Therefore the United States is not a totalitarian society, but has a few elements that critics argue would lead to such a trajectory in the future.
“Read pp 438, 455-472 and answer question 4 on page 473 in Appelrouth and Edles: What roles do favors and social approval play in Blau's model of social interaction? Explain.” Page 473
The social framework tends to be government by dominant paradigms and structures. These structures are formulated and created by the dominant political and socio-economic forces within society. The dominant paradigm is assumed, by traditional schools of thoughts as being the conventional way to do things. Therefore, each member of society strives to do things that are considered as being convention within society. The presence of dominant paradigms opens up society for the creation of societal behaviors and norms like the seeking of favors (Appelrouth and Eldes, 2010, p.455). These favors are meant to assist individuals to be able to achieve things in society that would grant them social approval. Though individuals obtain an ultimate satisfaction by gaining social approval, this practice has a huge significance in shaping what Blau refers to as the model of social interaction. Due to the setting of social standards, social interaction is characterized by competition. Each member of society seeks to obtain social approval so as not to be considered as being the “other’ within the social strata. In addition, the behavioral paradigm of favors and social approval may at times create suspicions because individuals might view their counterparts as being an obstacle towards their achievement of social approval.
References
Theory: text and readings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.
Edles, L. D., & Appelrouth, S. (2009). Sociological Theory in the Classical Era:
Text and Readings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.
Edles, L. D., & Appelrouth, S. (2010). Sociological Theory in the Contemporary
Era: Text and Readings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication Inc.
