We live in a materialist universe, or do we? Scientists chant a materialist mantra but gravity, a concept present at the very birth of Science, is an invisible force that nobody has ever seen–in other words, immaterial. As sociologists our ontology (what we believe to be the nature of existence) is important. Do we limit ourselves when we buy into a scientific materialism? Is there something more we should be considering? Inquiring minds want to know.

Iisms and Schisms and postmodern standpoints. We live in spineless world were we all “go along” just to get along and where “playing the game” (i.e. complying with social conventions, avoiding confrontation, and letting the status quo exist unchallenged) is seen as a sign of virtue rather than a character weakness. We bend over for The System, but is the plum we get for being the good boy or girl really worth it. In a world characterized by the destructive excesses of our consumer capitalist society, perhaps its time to re-evaluate our perspectives and begin living according to principles, values, and core Truths once again.

Shopping mall culture in Malaysia is ever growing, so much that one could hypothesise about the emergence of a subculture centered on the shopping mall. More and more mega mall projects are coming up as bigger portions of the population is urbanised. In this new urban jungle, identity and meaning can be purchased, for a price. Nothing new here. We’ve been doing this on North American soil ever since the collapse of the counter-culture, the rise to dominance of corporate individualism, and the explosion of depression, neurosis, and psychological dysfunction. The question must be asked, can you really purchase and wear your identity?

It used to be identity was to be found in the way we thought, the groups we were a part of, and the things we held dear. More and more, however, we exist in a monotonic world where our identity is provided by the things we display (cloths, watches, smart phones, stinky chemical scents), our thinking is remarkably conformist and identical, and we all belong to the same social group knowm as “the consumers.” It is a brave new world world where the pain of our shrinking sense of self can, we are told, be easily be mitigated and managed with the appropriate product purchase (booze, antidepressents, social phones) . But in case you haven’t realized, more product purchase doesn’t help. The anxiety and malaise continue to grow.

So you got some questions? Want to know why things are? Need to have answers? Don’t know where to turn?

Well then why don’t you ask a sociologist (reverb please).  Sociologist are smart, wise, funny, intelligent, good looking, fun, knowledgeable, sensitive, kind, great  with their hands, and just all around amazing, wonderful, and beautiful people more than willing to lend a hand and explain how the world works. Just ask your question and hang on to your brain cells because a member of our knowledgeable covey of craniates will be more than happy to answer your queries.

Academic communities and higher learning facilities like universities are the places where great knowledge is born and passed on with the purpose of ‘enlightening’ our societies for the better. Or is it? Aren’t academies and universities about socialization into The System and indoctrination into ideas that support hierarchy, exclusion, etc. According to Anna Brix Thomsen, its both. Universities are useful and do make a [technological] improvement in things, but usually only for the primary benefit of the elite. Trickle down benefits there may be, but its ultimately about maintaining the status quo and further enriching those who are already with privilege.

This student essay was submitted for Sociology 435 (The Sociology of Social Change) at Athabasca University. It is a critical examination of  the “heinous” way the media treated the aids epidemic, and their absolute disregard for social responsibility or the deleterious impact media messages were having on the public’s understanding of the disease.  The media
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We live in a violent world, but it is not just physical violence we endure. We also endure psychological violence and nowhere is that more obvious then when we consider the very real suffering that many adolescents endure. As the authors of this article suggest, we force our children into social moulds regardless of any other consideration, and this has profound psychological and physical costs ranging anywhere from depression through to disordered eating and even suicide. We can see this clearly, say the authors, when we consider that some adolescents have all the marks of the stigmatized, non conforming, out-group. So what do we do? Ideally we would stop violently imposing conformity and normalcy on people. However, until we get to the point we are willing to do that, the authors have some suggestions on how to mitigate the negative impact and nurture our adolescents better. A little kindness and attention goes a long way!

Ever wonder what happens to people who don’t go along in the army? They don’t get along. In this heart wrenching first person account one female soldier recounts the brutal rape and callous disregard she experienced at the hands of U.S. Army soldiers and officers just for expressing an opinion not within the boundaries of official army discourse. Warning, some imagery may not be suitable for younger audiences, the faint of heart, or those easily disturbed by violence and human disregard.

So what’s with professional athletes and violent behaviour? Are these individual just “thugs” or is something else going on. In this short article Earl Smith traces some of the social, class, and economic roots of questionable athlete behavior showing that even the seemingly random nature of some types of social behavior can in fact be understood and explained by some simple, sociological analysis.