INTEGRAL MINIATURE OF SOCEITAL FUNCTIONALISM. (By Lemuel Mwangi G - Tacoma Community College Sociology Class)

Though born equal, the trends of social categorization among humans grows diversely wider as we age, not by surprise that ending top means only that others ended bottom. Hard works pays – at least every American knows this - and laziness is the best shortcut to doom. The worth of individual effort seems to form the ‘success equation’ while natural and societal predispositions take the stand of spectators liking the play they do not participate in; a common thought, its obviousness questionable.

There seems to be not a statement in the world that is totally agreeable to everyone, except for the fact that we all disagree. Are some people more human than others? All humans share a common species name, same world, characteristics, and 99 percent of the genetic composition. But just the one percent dissimilarity in human biochemical makeup may just be what it requires to create the ridges of variations that dominate the present day world.

Society is a structure, its building blocks being the functions of all individuals. Some play vital roles, others simple roles; some tactile roles, others temporally roles and the society stands evenhanded – a mere notion that fails to shake hands with reality. The setback is that those who enjoy the success of the society do so at the expense of those who manufacture it.

In the video, 30 days, Morgan spurlock and his fiancé Alexi bring the relevance of conflict perspective into the broad picture. Through his ‘achieved’ role of a poor American living on minimum wage, the scrutiny of the cameras following the duo pins the existence of inequality in the society. At the time of the movie’s release, the economic superiority of the United States was at its pinnacle, yet the people of the low economic classes were still in their rather ‘lifelong recession.’ For years, the government had failed to institute elaborate measures that would have raised the minimum wage to decency, even though the economic growth was mounting. For the men and women at the power corridors, the well being of the very people who elected them seems to be least of their concerns. Terms of governance seem only to add to the pages of the constitutional books but at the same time lacking any practical definition. Count it on political malfunction (the political system) and the input of political misconduct (the politicians) and you will fail to establish the obviousness of whom is to be blamed.

Morgan and Alexi table their courage and manage to acquire jobs on their first day. Count them lucky since that is rather uncommon. The pay is hardly enough to feed them once in a day and as time passes by, it becomes ultimate that some essential needs such as health care are in fact luxury. Morgan counts it a loss to go to the hospital and instead opts to go to work in view of earning extra money to make a decent tomorrow. Alexi decides to brace the chilly mornings by walking to work to save the very coin that would later on be snatched just by stepping into the emergency room of a hospital. Of course there was a free clinic, but not enough doctors to attend the overwhelmingly large number of needy patients; good value that defeats its own purpose. When the kids arrive, Morgan the good father gets in trouble for being extravagant on the very kids. After a month of toil, the duo ends up heavily indebted despite having put every ounce of their energy to work. Had they gone for a second month, problems would most likely have doubled; had it been for their lifetime, it is unclear how worse the situation would have been.

We live in a world with other people (2). The architecture of society establishes variant statuses and responsibilities that comprise the society’s Structural functionalism, the provision that every person contributes towards the welfare of the society. Even though Morgan and Alexi may not like it, the hospital needs s funds to run. A step in to the emergency room is worthwhile noticeable. The hospital structure was not magically constructed and while the bills may seem unreasonably high, may the two be reminded that the emergency room use energy which is paid for, staffed by worker who unfortunately cannot afford to be volunteers, cleaned by a janitorial worker who has at least his own mouth to feed, and the wear and tear effect may force the room to be serviced later on. Even the paper they are reading from and the ink that wrote it, the envelope and the stamp all have some dollar value that need to be paid for. The two should therefore work towards clearing the bills to enable others who are reliant on that money to earn their dues.

Perhaps the most outstanding lesson from the video is the ability of societal history to shape its members. Morgan and his fiancé, out of innocent willingness, decided to join the low life society and take on the economic culture of living on minimum wage. To fit into the ‘new world’, the duo had to leave their riches behind and come in with nothing, like were demands of earning minimum wage. Had Morgan brought his porch-like life style, the affluence would have failed to legitimize his new socio-economic status as a minimum-wage worker. Get it right. ‘Going to Rome means having to live like Romans.’ After taking their position in the low-life society, Morgan and Alexi hastily took ‘penny-pay’ job offers even with adequate knowledge that better opportunities existed. ‘To live poor means to earn minimum wage’ seems to be the incorrigible prepositions Morgan tries to put across. After all, taking a million dollar job wouldn’t have enabled them to live poor as they sought. To style themselves into the class, the lowest paying jobs were ideal. But of course video was punctuated by winks, giggles and smooches, all reassuring facts that the couple did not fit into this social fabric and the ‘season of hard life’ would be over on the count of no more than 30 days. They were there for a reason and a season, not a lifetime.

The world is a stage in which all humans are actors (3). Whether in the front or back stage, the candid representation of each individual is vital in waxing the emblem of society. On their part, Morgan and Alexi have managed to broaden the spectrum that depicts the non-existence of equality, the insignificance of ‘old-school’ political standpoints, and the geographical segregation of economic classes (Morgan had to fly to another city where minimum wage workers were more and chose to live in a cheap neighborhood). However, the experience may have positively changed their view points on society.

As David Newman points out in his Sociology Brief edition, those who emerge successful gain power which they use to manipulate events that other take for granted (pg 29). The do-not-haves strive to have and the haves will do whatever it takes to keep what they have. In response to a question about inequality, Martin Luther King, Jr. said that black men need a pair of boots if they were to pull themselves up with their bootstraps; the equality of opportunity other than the equality of outcome (1) . Over four decades down the line, the syndrome still persists. Recount Morgan’s words at the closing commentary in the video 30 days on minimum wage, “…we are educated, white…”
From the viewer’s analysis, the movie failed to bring forth some other important factors evident among minimum wage neighborhoods. Violence, theft, and drug use are just not to be ignored. The ‘stage-scene effect’, the fact that this was a video about reality and not the reality itself made elusive some imperative factors. Who wants to be televised robbing or in drug related activities. Had the cameras been hidden, the reality would have come forth more prominently.

Reflection of the African child (Ignore this section. It’s just meant to ‘move’ the instructor)
Growing up in Kenya, Africa, I find it not astounding that people thrive in extreme poverty, not for thirty days, but for their entire livelihood. Attaining my first job at the mere age of nine and earning the equivalent of less than three dollars a month, working throughout my school holidays, and eating fewer meals than I missed, the 30days video seems to define my childhood and those of my siblings and millions of other children in Africa.
A single mother and two siblings, the struggle for survival was blistering. Though sickness is an experience not man can evade, taking care of the sick is a basic responsibility many in the third world find too expensive to adhere to. Emergency rooms are not present in places where hospitals are hardly existent. Mention a free clinic and people will think you are ‘nuts’. Free furniture store? Not even with the coming of Jesus. How miraculous it must be that many of us have made it through hundreds of untreated illnesses.

Under strict disciplinary scrutiny from my hardworking mother, the siblings’ triad (my two siblings and I) never missed school even for a day. Though in hardly equipped or staffed public schools, the opportunity to be in a classroom was too valuable a chance to ignore. The eagerness to help our mother led to the climax of ‘our 30 days’ later on in life. I have been there, and like Morgan, yearned to get out. The only difference is that for Morgan, he planned his ‘demotion’ and knew only too well that he would get out in a month. For the millions of children of Africa and other third world nations, poverty is more or less ascribed, getting out of it is doubtful and hardly reasonable.

Work cited.
1. Newman, Alex. The American Dream, Tacoma Community College Una Voce, 2008: pg 8
2. Newman, Sociology David Brief edition, Pg 11
3. Shakespeare, Williams (1564 – 1616). All the world’s a stage, Old Poetry
Retrieved 2008: http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/show/15490-William-Shakespeare-All-The-World…