I had a heated debate with one of my friends today so I've come running to my blog so that my view can be heard and put out there. I welcome all constructive counter arguments and disagreements.
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If social behaviors replicate themselves over and over again in certain social groups, how can individuals be held accountable when there is a obviously a problem as a group? Even if one and only one individual finds a way to stop that behavior, that does not solve the problem as a group. I argue that individuals contain the power to change themselves, but because there are such solid structures in their social groups, it is hard for behaviors as a group to change.
Here are my examples.
Black people (and other urban poor people) and street crime. So if the amount of people being arrested for street crime is mostly African American, how can you blame one black guy for engaging in street crime when the number of black people in street crime is so large. Is the problem really criminals or the structures of disproportionately poverty in black communities, lack of jobs, and cultural issues within the African American community.
So how can you blame one person for a street crime, when it's obviously a social problem as a group?
Don't blame the individual. Blame the socioeconomic system that keeps the poor poor and the rich rich. Blame the legal system and how (it just happens) that people of color disproportionately go to jail. Blame the media that emphasizes sports and BET over education and social justice.
Gay people and hyper sexual activity. So if the amount of gay, and bi, and questioning, and confused men who have multiply, or many same-sex partners is so high, how can you blame one gay man for having so much sex when this is obviously a group social issue among gay men?
Don't blame the individual. Blame the state for not letting gay men settle down through the institution of marriage. Blame American male culture and media images where masculinity is defined as having sex with a lot of people whether gay or straight. Blame the way that men separate sex from emotions.
Lastly, how can you blame one Filipino for going into nursing when Filipinos as a group tend to go into nursing? This example is different because being a nurse is not a social problem, but I'm emphasizing the notion of choice. Do Filipinos have a lot of choice in becoming nurses or not?
How can one Filipino person not become a nurse when family structures from hard-working immigrant parents pressure you into it? When economic incentives persuade you? When cultural forces surround you?
How can you blame one, when there are many as a group?
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Within any social group, there are structures that are just plain old hard to get out of whether it is a structure as complex as masculinity or as simple as being a nurse. I ask how do people get out of these structures. How do poor urban youth avoid crime? How do gay men avoid sleeping around? How do Filipinos opt out of nursing? These are not easy behaviors to surpass and if you have, if you don't fit the stereotype I ask, "How did you do it?!"
Maybe you think I'm stereotyping, but if these behaviors are replicated among a group, they are true to an extent. Doesn't it take a change of neighborhood, a steady boyfriend, or a huge fight with your parents to overcome structural barriers? Don't you think that's hard for the indivdual to do? Isn't change even harder for a whole group of people to do? Don't blame the individual for social problems. Blame a society that does not care for its poor, does not include its gays, and does not have the guts to stick up to some being in a higher authority be it your Filipino parents or your government.
If you want poor people to stop street crimes then stop your government from passing economic policies that favor the rich. If you want gay people to stop having promiscuous sex, legealize gay marriage (and moreover, redefine the definition of masculinity to not mean sex). And if you want Filipinos to stop being nurses, well no, that is impossible.
You can not completely completely completely blame one person for the behavior replicated by many. Change is not impossible, but it does not happen one person at a time.
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>>How do gay men avoid sleeping around?
ReplyDeleteMost of my gay friends (myself included) don't sleep around...not to say I don't know a lot of gay people that do, cause oh man do I know a lot of them, but me and most of my friends don't. How? Well...I never saw the allure of it. Didn't ever see a point in it. Doesn't seem like anything I could ever see myself doing. Sure, I have self-esteem issues, but that came afterwards, lol.
Either way, I think whether or not change happens one person at a time depends on what we're talking about. Societal attitudes often DO change one person at a time. There's no way to change everyone's mind at once, you know? But stopping poor people from stealing out of necessity obviously doesn't happen one person at a time, because it's rare that a poor person stops having the need to do it.