Free Essays on The Sociological Imagination

The sociological imagination is the notion that allows a person to understand the greater picture of oneself and one’s role in society. C. Wright Mills writes, â€Å"The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals.† (Mills 1959, p. 3) In this essay, I will examine my own life from a sociologist perspective. I will look at my position as an individual in society and take a sociological glance at my future based on Mills’ concept of the sociological imagination. In order to effectively due this, I must first give you my class background. From there, I will give an in depth look into the sociological imagination and conclude with a critical analysis of how these both relate to one another. I grew up in a relatively small suburb just outside of Los Angeles in Southern California. The city, Manhattan Beach, is home to just over 30,000 persons with a median household income of about $70,000 dollars. The town is 89% white which, coupled with the relatively high median household income, is indicative of an upper-class neighborhood. Per square foot, it has some of the most expensive housing per square foot in all of California. Being a mere 3.88 square mile beach city and having a $3.8 billion assessed city valuation, the city is densely rich. Manhattan beach is also home to several expensive shopping boutiques and trendy coffee shops that attract a young, professional population. Many predict that Manhattan Beach will soon be the next Hollywood due to the newly constructed movie studios and the extravagant lifestyles of many residents. With its ever-growing upper class population, the city offers numerous opportunities to those who can afford living there. My family clearly represents the quintessential, rich Manhattan Beach household. With a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, a dog... Free Essays on The Sociological Imagination Free Essays on The Sociological Imagination Our textbook states that the sociological imagination is the ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society. Michael Moore’s recent documentary, Bowling for Columbine, of which I will make repeated reference to, demonstrates how gun violence affects the U.S. from a sociological perspective. From an individual perspective, any person can get angry at another person, pick up a gun, and go shoot them. So why do so many more carry out the act of shooting others in the U.S. than they do in other countries? The ease with which someone in our country can get a gun, with only a simple background check and a several-day waiting period, is a bit alarming, to say the least. But, as Moore points out, Canada’s gun laws are very similar to ours. A lot of people hunt in Canada, so the number of firearms available in Canada is comparable to the U.S, where hunting is also common. Yet Canadian fatalities due to firearm-related deaths total in the low hundreds, while the U.S. has over 10,000 deaths in one year that are directly related to firearms. In Bowling for Columbine, Moore goes to Canada to investigate. What he finds is surprising. A man or woman can purchase a gun just as easily as in the United States. Moore is even allowed to purchase ammunition at a local depart ment store with his U.S. drivers license. Everyone Moore encounters on the street appears to be friendly and congenial towards him. The real kicker is the responses Moore gets when he asks people if they lock their doors in Canada. From what Moore shows, nobody does! He even goes up to peoples’ doors in the daytime and tests door knobs to demonstrate this. What is the point of all this? The single striking difference that Moore could find between Canada and our country was in its news broadcasts. The nightly news in Canada is more factual in comparison to our six o’clock or eleven o’clock news. Most importantly, Canadia... Free Essays on The Sociological Imagination The sociological imagination is the notion that allows a person to understand the greater picture of oneself and one’s role in society. C. Wright Mills writes, â€Å"The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals.† (Mills 1959, p. 3) In this essay, I will examine my own life from a sociologist perspective. I will look at my position as an individual in society and take a sociological glance at my future based on Mills’ concept of the sociological imagination. In order to effectively due this, I must first give you my class background. From there, I will give an in depth look into the sociological imagination and conclude with a critical analysis of how these both relate to one another. I grew up in a relatively small suburb just outside of Los Angeles in Southern California. The city, Manhattan Beach, is home to just over 30,000 persons with a median household income of about $70,000 dollars. The town is 89% white which, coupled with the relatively high median household income, is indicative of an upper-class neighborhood. Per square foot, it has some of the most expensive housing per square foot in all of California. Being a mere 3.88 square mile beach city and having a $3.8 billion assessed city valuation, the city is densely rich. Manhattan beach is also home to several expensive shopping boutiques and trendy coffee shops that attract a young, professional population. Many predict that Manhattan Beach will soon be the next Hollywood due to the newly constructed movie studios and the extravagant lifestyles of many residents. With its ever-growing upper class population, the city offers numerous opportunities to those who can afford living there. My family clearly represents the quintessential, rich Manhattan Beach household. With a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, a dog...