Social change and modernizations - Essay Example

? Social Change and Modernization s Modernity manifests itself in many ways, in the United States. Modernity takes the form of a class society. This is a capitalist society that has very pronounced social stratification. The modern societies have expanded to a mass scale. Modernization, which is an expanding capitalist economy, is marked by inequality (Macionis, 2011). The increase in scale of social life in modern times has resulted from growth and the greed unleashed by capitalism. A capitalist’s economy gets great profits, thus increase of production and consumption. Capitalism mainly focuses on self-interest. This leads to weakening of the social ties that once tied the small communities. It treats people as a source of labor and market for the capitalist’s products. Capitalism greatly supports science as a key to very great productivity and an ideology to support the status quo. Modernity makes people view the total well being of an individual as a puzzle that only scientists and engineers can solve. Capitalists have reached big sizes and control the wealth because of global expansion (Macionis, 2011). Modernity is also expressed by persistence of inequality. In the United States, capitalists exist as millionaires instead of noble people born to wealth and power. For example, there is no existence of a hereditary monarchy, but the richest 5% of the U.S population controls the 60% of privately held property. However, much the state fights to increase equality, it only gets reforms because the real power lies in the hands of the capitalists. The extent to which the minorities and working people in the United States enjoy their rights and a high standard of living today is not because of governmental will, but political struggle (Brugger, 1999). Modernity in the United States today has freed people from small communities of the olden days thus; individuals of the modern society have their privacy and freedom to express their individuality. Today the Amish and Mennonite still teach people how to behave and think. Mass societies are diverse and changing rapidly. As a result, people shuttle from one identity to another making them change their lifestyles often. Modernization brings changes in social character. The preindustrial societies promote traditional directedness. The modern societies have conformity. The members of modern societies view traditional society’s personality as deviant because it is so rigid. They prize personal flexibility. In the societies today, people look at others for approval. The society urges people to be their true self’s, but when the social surroundings change they change too (Macionis, 2011). Modernization also causes problems of powerlessness. The persistence of modernity does not allow individual freedom. It serves great privilege for some, but for many everyday lives is coping with economic uncertainty. There arises a problem in racial and ethnic minorities being at a disadvantage. For example, even though women participate in modern societies, they run up against traditional barriers of sexism. The modern society denies a majority of people freedom to participate in social life. Modernization has placed the world in influence of multinational corporations. People in poor nations seek power to shape their lives. There is widespread of powerlessness. Technological advances reduce people’s control over their own lives. People suffer due to the high concentration of power and health in to the privileged few by modern society (Macionis, 2011). Modernity is likely to, or not continues in the United States. This is likely to happen because people expect and applaud social change and at the same time view it as a disadvantage. Modernity is a continuous improvement and not stagnation. People tend to see traditional culture as backward, and change as a blessing and they appreciate it. On the other hand, social change is very complex and one cannot equate it with progress. Rise in living standards has made lives long and comfortable hence desire to have more of these opportunities lead to a constant increase in modernity. However, today’s routines are tiring and too stressful since families have no time to spend together. In the United States, people are more confident, but they feel science makes their way of life change too fast (Macionis, 2011). New technology has allowed rapid transportation and efficient communication, thus improving people’s lives’ and at the same time weakened traditional attachment to towns and homes. Today the computer technology is doing the same, it gives us access to anyone anywhere the world, but shields us from the communities nearest. This leads to obtaining of more information but threatening privacy. This means not all change is good for the society (Mohhamoud, 1991). Modernization is not a worldwide trend. It has occurred in some parts of the world. The only difference in modernization in these nations is different combinations of traditional and modern societies. For example, in Japan they both co-exist. It is a nation that has both traditional and modern societies in use at the same time. In china, the olden Confucian principles are in use together with contemporary socialists thinking. In Saudi Arabia, the ancient principals of Islam are still in use with the modern technology. Also in Mexico and Latin America, people still follow the old Christian rituals as well as move ahead economically (Macionis,2011). The plight of the poor in the world show that the needed change has not yet occurred. Around the world, around one billion people are so poor. Global modernization is difficult yet the only solution to global poverty is technological development. Pre industrial people are likely to resist change, thus will not allow modernization to take place. A solution can only be export of technology to the poor regions and provision of foreign aid to stimulate economic growth. Starting development in the poor countries is a big challenge. Although a dramatic change occurs, modernization requires a trade off. The traditional people may obtain wealth due to economic development, but this will lead to cost of losing their identity. Not everyone sees modernization as an option. The poor societies have little ability to modernize. The major barrier for global modernization is the global domination by the rich capitalist societies. The rich nations achieve modernization at the expense of the poor ones by using their natural resources and exploiting their labor. The world’s poorest countries are in poor relationships with the rich ones economically; they provide them with raw materials and provide them with the little products they can afford. This only leads to global inequality (Macionis, 2011). The consequences of modernization include, decline of small traditional communities, which is caused by the connection to the rest of the world. Modernization also causes expansion of personal choice since people begin to view their lives as a series of options due to individualism. People begin to feel they should take control of their lives. Increase of social diversity also is caused by modernization, since it promotes a more scientific worldview. People in the modern world also think more about the future and improvement of their lives. Modernization causes expansion of the capitalists’ economy (Brugger, 1999). Socialist conflict analysis of modernity as class society by Karl Marx, best reflects my perceptions of modernization. Reference Brugger, B. (1999). Modernisation And Revolution In East And West. Pennyslavia: Pennyslavia University. Macionis, J. (2011). Society:The basics . New York: Prentice Hall. Mohhamoud, A. (1991). State Collapse And Post Conflict Development . United States: Purdue University. Read More