I often get quite disillusioned with sociology. Maybe if my sub-fields were sociology of culture or sociology of emotions or mathematical sociology, it would happen less often. But I study race and inequality. I learn about how for the most part the rich succeed and the poor have very hard lives; how schools structure and perpetuate inequality; how minorities are continually disadvantaged; how the system of capitalism requires inequality to work; how despite the "successes" of the civil rights movement, blacks are still paid less and denied access to the best neighborhoods and schools . . . and that's just to name a few. Some people are optimists, and say, "But hey, look, things are getting better." I'll agree that some things have changed; for instance, blacks are no longer slaves in the United States. But on the other hand, most inequality has hardly changed and in fact much of it has gotten worse with time. (ask me for evidence if you don't believe it.)
Sociologists are great at identifying problems and their causes. They come up with solutions that would work, but these solutions are often simply not going to happen in our country or our world. It's not the sociologists' fault. Solutions that will make real changes (the kind sociologists propose) are impractical. In sum, for inequality to go away, the rich people and powerful people have to give up some of their riches and their power. Rich people and powerful people who have the power to actually change things usually are pretty happy being rich and powerful, and have no desire to give any of it up. So, how will things change?
My adivsor Dr. E says that most people who start out wanting to be activist sociologists (wanting to change things or make a difference) after a few years usually end up deciding all they want is a nice income, a good house, a nice life for their kids, status in the field, etc. W.E.B. Du Bois is the quintessential activist sociologist. The first great American sociologist (and a black man at the turn of the 20th century, at that!) , he worked like crazy to change things. Amongst other things, he started the NAACP, still today the foremost black activist group in America. But by the end of his life, he gave up his activism and his Christian faith because he saw no results of the fruits of his labor.
I fear I will end up like Du Bois: angered by the injustices of the world, wanting to see change so much that it can only lead to disillusionment when injustices continue.
Some people use the consolation that changing a few lives is good enough. If you can help a few people get out of hunger, or inspire a few people to become activists on race issues, or give a few people decent jobs, that's enough. As a sociologist, I don't really like that argument; I want to see large scale structural changes, because those are what really solve problems. I am satisfied at a personal level helping a few people out, but not on the activist level that hates injustice.
The only consolation I can come up with for myself right now is that it is the fight that matters, not achieving solutions. I fully admit that this comes entirely from Christian theology, and maybe nothing securlarly rational or practical. All I can say is that in the New Testament there are many urgings that we are to keep working for justice and peace, keep being merciful, keep doing good, for those acts in and of themselves are valuable and worshipful to God. In that sense, it's not fixing a problem that matters, but fighting to fix the problem. (Here is perhaps the quintessential verse on this:Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.")
In fact, I think the Bible pretty much says that often we won't see the fruits of our labor. Unlike working for material things like profit, the Bible says that the profit of working for good is stored up as treasure in Heaven, not on Earth.
So this is the charge: keep on working for good, even if there is no solution or end in sight. Talk about tall orders to fill! As part of this, we have to not give in to the system; we can't adopt the thinking that, "Well, things won't change, I should just take my lot in life and run with it."
Suggestions are welcome (non-theological and theological alike) on how to keep one's chin up in the struggle for justice.
4 comments:
Every cynic is a disallusioned idealist, and it's difficult not to become jaded in the face of continual injustice. I think we need to approach the world or humanity the same way we would an individual. We love people in spite of their imperfections. We help than as much as we can, but we cannot any more make them perfect than we can perfect ourselves. The perpetrators of injustice need to be loved just as much as those who are the victims of injustice. We are all fallible, in need of grace and forgiveness. Every society, government, community, etc. is made up of flawed individuals. Our leaders are flawed individuals. Our constitution was written by flawed individuals, and our laws are written and passed by flawed individuals. If you can accept this and still love humanity for what it is and what is capable of, then that's something.
I love you Val and of course DVC. Here's what helps me every time I think that my efforts are to no avail. I replay the lines from the song I posted on "Big Rat". It's the Rage Against the Machine version of Minor Threat's "In My Eyes". It works much better if some one is screaming it.
You tell me that I make no difference.
Well at least I'm
fucking trying.
What the fuck have you done?
The language is harsh, but it makes the message clear. It challenges me to keep on the path of informing everyone I can of the injustices I know about and makes me want to learn more about the injustices I don't know or understand yet. I think teh only way we can start big change is one person at a time. That's how the early christians did it and that's how we must do it.
I think that it's the easiest thing in the world to be a cynic. They sit back and critique and not don't invest themselves.
To answer your question, I'm lost too. But if all you need/want is a pep talk, then hey, keep fighting - we're still young!
Steve
i'm not still young, but i do say keep fighting the good fight, my love. we've been missing you so much lately! i recently discovered that both tim and blake are interested in sociology, cool, huh?
one of my kids told me that me not eating animals wouldn't even save one animal. i was furious that they would say this, but then i realized that it didn't matter, i still wasn't going to do it. when people say it is the thought that counts, they are right. god knows our heart and he honors our intentions. if we don't believe that, then what is it all for? we know we cannot work ourselves into heaven, yet we strive to do good on earth. that should be our job description, no matter our field of study. keep on keepin' on.
love ya!
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