Structural functionalism is a sociological theory which seeks to provide an explanation on why the society operates the way it does by looking into the relationships between the many social institutions which together form the society ( Kingsbury & Scanzoni, 2009). Race exists as a blueprint used to categorize different people. The race is used to identify different people within a population. Even so, with race as the paradigm, the assumption is that the world is at equilibrium and that everyone is equal. For that reason, the minority individuals or groups get discouraged from gaining civil rights or seeking for equity. This theory, therefore, only makes sense in certain societal placements but are harmful to others. With regards to harmony and equilibrium, the structural-functionalist theory fails to recognize the societal inequalities which lead to conflict and tension ( Kingsbury & Scanzoni, 2009). This theory enables macro analyses of issues to do with power imbalances. In my view, structural functionalism theory is not the best way to look at the concept of race in the United States since it ignores fundamental issues which promote systematic inequalities such as gender, race, and class. These societal inequalities are what lead to conflict.
Race refers to the physical characteristics which make particular groups of people while ethnicity refers to the origins, traditions, cultural practices and behaviors that define a certain group of people. Race and ethnicity are similar because they sometimes they describe similar groups of people and they put different people on categories based on shared characteristics. The difference is in the fact that race is something that an individual is born and therefore does not have any control over. Ethnicity, on the other hand, is based on the cultural upbringing of an individual ( Kingsbury & Scanzoni, 2009). Racism, therefore, deprives the society of equity since it assumes that people from particular groups are more important than others. The differences between race and ethnicity are similarly seen in gender and sex. While sex is a categorization of people based on reproductive characteristics, gender refers to behaviors and societal roles assumed as masculine and feminine. Sexism is therefore harmful when people get judged for their physical and biological characteristics which they cannot change.
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Using statistics, the likelihood of a working family headed by racial minorities is 47% compared to 23 % of non-Hispanic whites ( Proctor, Semega & Kollar, 2016). The gap is seen to be gradually increased from the Great Recession of 2007 which means that the economic divide has continued to widen ( Proctor, Semega & Kollar, 2016). In 10.6 million low-income families in America, racial minority groups constitute 58% in spite of the fact that the minorities only make 40% of all the working families nationally. The economic gap existing between white and non-Hispanic whites are at 25% ( Proctor, Semega & Kollar, 2016). While the gender wage gap has narrowed in recent years, the gap is still there. The ratio of female to male earning in 2015 stood at 79.6 %. I believe that race and sexism are responsible for serious inequalities in the United States.
The world as it is constructed is made of different societies which are unique and distinct from the others. The individual societies have their own distinct beliefs, traditions, history, laws, customs, and cultures. The differences in cultures are what make every society unique and inform the different behaviors of its people. Even a country may have different ethnic groups and societies which differ from each other in terms of religion, customs, and traditions. These practices, traditions, laws, behaviors, and manners are called using different names. They may be called values, laws, etiquette, decorum, more, folkways or even virtues. While all these terms may be related or convey similar meanings, they highly differ in their connotations.
Folkways refer to the shared beliefs or customs which are practiced by certain individuals and later become accepted to be part of the common culture of a society ( Crossman & Works, 2014). The term was first coined by an American sociologist, William Graham Summer. According to his definition, he asserted that folkways refer to the informal social practices which do not have any moral significance but are assimilated into the customary behavior of a society because they are repeatedly used ( Crossman & Works, 2014). They may include actions, thoughts, feelings which gradually develop as people use them repeatedly to meet their basic needs. With time, these practices become widely embraced and they turn into a way of life.
Mores refers to the manners, moral customs, traditions and social practices of a group or society ( Crossman& Works, 2014). They are virtues, values which define people's social interactions. Mores are gotten from highly esteemed and established practices of a society and not laws. Some of the practices are accepted by the society while others may be rejected by part of the society.
Compared to the folkways, mores are stricter since they are used to define what is considered as moral and ethical. Mores are used to determining the differences between right and wrong. People have strong attachments towards mores since society uses them to judge individuals. Violating the mores may result in ostracizing or disapproval ( Crossman& Works, 2014). For that reason, mores are used to shape the values, interactions, behaviors, and beliefs. One good example of mores is religious doctrines used to govern social behaviors. For instance, most religious doctrines prohibit cohabitating with a romantic partner before marriage. If an individual from a strict religious background cohabits with a romantic partner before marriage, the church members, family, and friends would start looking at that individual as immoral.
A law is a formal rule which is inscribed either at the federal level or state level and enforced by the government agencies or police. Laws are usually formulated to help in discouraging behaviors which may harm other people, cause injury, harm the environment or violate the property rights ( Crossman & Works, 2014). The people that enforce the laws are given the mandate by the government and the constitution to control behaviors for the sake of the common good of the society. When one goes against the law, the state authority will put sanction on the individual. This may entail payable fine or even imprisonment.
The similarities about laws, folkways, and mores exist in the fact that all the three terms focus on behavioral expectations. This means that they are all fluid in content within a particular society but they vary in different cultures. The difference between the three terms lies in the fact that folkways are considered as the loosest or weakest norms in the society while mores are considered stronger. When mores are violated, then that amounts to a violation of moral standards. Laws, on the other hand, are considered the strongest societal norms. As opposed to folkways and mores, laws are defined formally and enforced by the police or government agencies. Anomie is a condition of unstable societies or conditions which result from the breakdown of values and standards because of lack of ideas or purpose. The term, anomie was first coined by Emile Durkheim, the French sociologist in his study of suicide. According to the sociologist, one type of suicide comes about because of the breakdown of the social standards which are needed to regulate behavior. Anomie presents a social condition in which there is no integration of the societal norms and values which were initially held with high regards in society. In his research about anomie, Emile discovered that this condition occurs after a period of rapid transitions in the social, political and economic structures in the society ( DiCristina, 2016). From this condition, norms and values which were once valid or common in the society become invalid. People who live during the periods of anomie feel like they are disintegrated from the society since the strong values and norms which they once held in high regards are not reflected anymore in the society they live in. This can make people feel like they lack the sense of belonging and may feel disconnected from others. Anomie can make one have the feeling of lacking purpose and hope. It can also encourage crime and deviance.
One type of events which may cause anomie at a national level is several states passing laws which discriminate against the LGBT community because of disapproval of their moral standings. The response from other states has been to boycott these states by refusing to hold convections in them or even to put economic sanctions so that they can put pressure on them to do away with these laws. The laws which discriminate against individuals because of who they are cause serious rebellion from members of these groups. Another example is the resentment of secularism and western religion. Subsequently, what is seen is violence that the resentment propagates. There are several means that people can use to erode anomie. One of them is through having a charismatic leader who is able to connect people of all kinds of beliefs. One way to handle anomie is to connect people of different beliefs. This can only be done by a leader who is respected by people from the opposite sides of the world view. Another way of handling anomie is through encouraging the social associations based on the assumption that people would socialize with everyone including people with different worldviews ( DiCristina, 2016). These associations five people a sense of belonging which plays a significant role in preventing anomie. Durkheim in his research found out that people who had a community like the Catholics did not commit suicide as often as those in the Protestant churches because the Catholic Church developed a community amongst her members. He, therefore, stressed the importance of communities in the larger society. It is through these communities that people can share common standards of values, and behaviors and avoid being isolated or feeling disintegrated.
References
Crossman, A., & Works, M. S. (2014). Norms: Folkways, Mores, Taboos, and Laws.
DiCristina, B. (2016). Durkheim’s theory of anomie and crime: A clarification and elaboration. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology , 49 (3), 311-331.
Kingsbury, N., & Scanzoni, J. (2009). Structural-functionalism. In Sourcebook of family theories and methods (pp. 195-221). Springer, Boston, MA.
Proctor, B. D., Semega, J. L., & Kollar, M. A. (2016). Income and poverty in the United States: 2015. US census bureau, current population reports, P60-256 (RV).
