Sociological imagination was a term coined by C.W. Mills in his book ‘The Sociological Imagination’ written in 1959. Though scientists differ on the meaning of this concept, they agree on certain factors. For instance, it is believed that social imagination is the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society (Phillips et al., 2002). Sociological Imagination is the idea that society gives an individual a unique perspective on life which differ from one’s usual point of view. It requires taking a step away from one's self and imagining the situation from another social perspective. According to this concept, while social norms govern one’s life view, they change depending on the environment. In this essay, the concept of sociological imagination is applied to a personal situation where my perspective on gun control changed. This analysis is important for self-awareness and allows the application of a sociology concept for better understanding of the situation.
Personal explanation
Growing up, I was always taught that owning guns was a personal right and as long as the government certified an individual as a gun owner, they had fulfilled their duties and it now fell on the owner to use it responsibly. Furthermore, since I had grown up in a house where seasonal hunting was the norm, I was aware of how guns worked and was very comfortable around them. For me, it was not a political affiliation issue, it was just being in an environment where guns were the norm and everybody around me understood the implications and responsibility that stemmed from being a gun owner. In this respect, I felt that the calls to blame the government and constitution for school shooters was extreme and that the individuals who took part in the shootings were fully to blame. I could not fathom the idea that the government was to blame yet this individuals made the choice of violence against their peers.
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Notably, my opinion on the matter changed when I experienced a close encounter with one school shootings. On September 30th, 2014, an argument ensued between a close family friend and his school mate in Albemarle High school. Unfortunately, my friend was shot twice in his leg by a student who had recently stabbed another football player. After recovery from this incident, my friend became active in his fight for better gun control to the extent of inviting me to meetings where the topic was discussed with Congress members and local community leaders. At first, I went for support but as I heard the stories of victims in even more gruesome situations and their loved ones, I realized that it did not serve any purpose to remain ignorant to the issue. From my perspective, owning guns is a fundamental right but the government needs stricter laws such that shooters who are now characterized as mentally unstable do not have the chance to acquire weapons in the first place.
Sociological Imagination
Sociological imagination indicates that society and social forces had an impact in my situation. From birth, society or the surrounding I grew up influenced the idea of safety around guns. Therefore, guns were always a practice of self-protection because my family kept them in case of intruders and to hunt. However, statistics shows that this weapon is used in 93% of the killings around the world today. In America alone, guns have been used is mass killing in more than 10 schools in the 2018 only (Fuller, 2006). Since people around me used guns so often the intersection between a group using guns rather than the act of owning a gun. In the same respect, based on the statistics of gun ownership I probably should have supported gun control from the beginning but it took associating with victims of shooting events to understand the importance of stricter laws and policies.
Life without sociological imagination would not allow me to gain personal understanding on where I stand on this critical issue. Mainly, this term allows all persons to view themselves from a third party perspective and criticize their values and decide whether they are worth it or not. In my case, it took stepping out of my beliefs to decide whether it was appropriate to remain ignorant to the gun debate and whether the consequences of relatively easy gun ownership could be avoided. Personally, it is important to study my actions from such a perspective because it promotes social growth. Sociological imagination creates a space where I can listen to differing arguments in any topic understand and critique it from an unbiased perspective. Also, as I am getting older, I appreciate the constant challenge on gaining new perspectives that influence decisions in my personal life, work life and school life.
Data and Statistics
Currently, 66% of Americans support stricter gun control from personal experiences or threats that involve this weapon. The National Rifle Association cites that there 20,000 gun laws in the American Constitution and statutes. According to them, this laws are reason enough as to why no further control over guns is required (Johnson, 2006). However, these laws remain unamended in the decade despite the doubling in gun sales to underage persons as well as the 32% increase in mass shootings on people in churches, schools and other social settings. Today, 41% of people are against stricter gun control laws which is an indication that legislatures refusing stricter gun laws are not a voice for the country’s opinion in the matter (Mills, 2000). As a result of this data, there is proof that gun control is necessary and more people need to be exposed to the debate instead of like-minded individuals who influence social norms and promote the idea that it is just to ignore the recent gun violence and blame it entirely on the shooter while the government is not taking the initiative to address the issue as well.
Conclusion
In conclusion, C.W. Mills provided an opportunity for self-analysis when he coined the idea of ‘sociological imagination’. Advisable, these concept not only benefits sociology students in understanding how individuals in society work, but also help them create and environment to challenge behaviors in society that are not necessarily healthy. By embracing the theme of sociological imagination as a tool of self-analysis and understanding that statistics should be used to answer questions and not manipulated to suit one’s opinion only. From this experience, I am convinced that sociological imagination will help analyze any situation. As a sociology student I am not closed minded to other solutions in this matter. However, upon self-analysis is the best approach is to speak for stricter gun control and put myself in a situation where this issue is discussed from both positions as an opportunity to learn more. Also, I have learnt that people may misjudge a situation because they are not exposed to other environments in their life.
References
Mills, C. W. (2000). The sociological imagination. Oxford University Press.
Johnson, A. (2006). ‘It's good to talk’: the focus group and the sociological imagination. The Sociological Review.
Fuller, S. (2006). The new sociological imagination. Sage.
Phillips, B., Kincaid, H., Scheff, T., Jacobsen, C., Kimberly, J. C., Lachmann, R., ... & Becker, H. S. (2002). Toward a Sociological Imagination: bridging specialized fields.
