Today only a few women hold leadership
positions in political posts, business positions and power. In fact, only a
mere 5.1% of the world fortune 1000 companies have female at their helm
-Page,270. However, over the years there have been tremendous efforts in terms
of legislation and lobby groups to change this situation.Women on their own
have also made efforts to curb gender equality, especially in politics. At the
family level, gender equality issues are almost non-existent as both men and women
do almost the same duties.
In the case of Pondicherry and the
Hindu people in general, the same cannot be said. Gender inequality is still
much alive and it is almost impossible to hear a woman holding major offices
both in politics and other social groups. Even at the family level, there
exists a clear separation of roles between men and women, with women mostly
staying in the kitchens. The man is usually the head of the family and makes
major decisions that guide the family matters.
A classic example is in relation to marriages especially the arranged
ones. The girl has almost no say on whom she will get married to and it is the
father who selects a husband to their daughters in most cases.
Deviance can be defined as the
nonconformity to a set of norms that are set by the majority in the society.
Crime, on the other hand, refers to going against the legal rules and
regulations prescribed by an authority -Page 170. Conformity, deviance, and
crime have proved to largely all the societies in the world The only difference
comes about when defining which norm someone decides to deviate from or what
crime one commits. In the modern society, there has been a rice in modern
crimes such as terrorism and cyber crimes. Deviance has also transformed
significantly as result of demand for more rights, especially by the
minorities. For example, same sex marriages which were once considered a crime
and later a defiance is becoming more common. Even though it is greatly
accepted nowadays it is still considered to some extent as being defiant to
some religious norms.
In the Hindu society, it is almost the
same story. Crimes such as theft, robbery sexual assault among others are still
in existence. However cyber crimes and some acts of terrorism do not pose as
great threats among the Hindu community. The major defiant act common in this
community is the change from the normally arranged marriages to girls being
able to choose their own husbands. It might seem like a basic human right. However, the Hindu community is strongly
influenced by their traditions. Some changes in religious beliefs have also
risen. Traditionally, Hinduism was the only religion in this community.
However, there has been a gradual emergence of other faiths especially Christianity
and Islam.
By the end of 2014, Facebook had 864 million daily users
and more than 1.4 billion users in total - Page 54. That was facebook alone,
considering other social media sites such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter among
others, the number has greatly increased. A recent research has shown that the
extensive use of social media has a positive effect on them. Through social
media, people are able to connect with friends and relatives thus increasing
their level of social interaction. Although social media enables people to
communicate ideas and interact, it also has some setbacks. For example, the
users may become antisocial in person. It also encourages cyberbullying which
has made some people commit suicides over the years. This social media
phenomenon has also extended into the Hindu Families
including in Pondicherry. It is also important to note that the rate of
internet usage among the Hindu community is lower as compared to other
developed communities. This has been caused by slow technology adoption rate by
the community members.
Initially, The Hindu society had no
access to a stable internet. Most of the members of this group did not even
know what internet was. Therefore, personally, I mostly got a companion from
family members and relatives due to the inability to utilize an expansive mode
of interaction such as the internet and social media. Unlike nowadays I could
not get access to people around the world and friendship and companionship was
limited to geographically. It is important to note that it is not just the
internet that has made the world a global village but technology in general. To
illustrate this, most people are able to use radios and televisions as modes of
social interaction.
Social Change in
Modern World
Change may be defined as getting out of
the status quo and devising better operational strategies. Social change can,
therefore, be defined as the process whereby members of the society adopt new
ways, norms, and media of social interaction. Traditionally, the pace of change
was slow with everyone following what was being done by their predecessors
-page 577. Not many people were willing to challenge the status quo.
Globalization, technology, global bodies among other factors have greatly
changed this school of thought.
Social changes have been embraced
globally by different communities including the Hindu people. For example, you
will find a form of technology in any household. Also, the use of social media,
television sets, radios and many more form of communication have not only
influenced the behavior but also the lifestyle of the people. The best example
is in terms of clothing. Initially, women were wearing traditional Indian
sarees, long skirts and blouses and young teenage girls used to put on salwar
kameez. This has gradually been transformed as they now put on the normal
clothes such as a pair of trousers, short skirts, and shirts. In addition, men
who used to put on shirts and pants only on special occasions can now put them
on regularly. During social occasions, men could put on dhotis while women
could wear silk sarees. This has now changed as men now put on jeans and suits.
Population,
Urbanization and the Environment
The current world population is about 7
billion. The world population is in fact predicted to rise to a population
between 9 billion and 10 billion people by the year 2050. Majority of the
population is found in urban centers making major towns to become congested.
With the increase in population, the demand for goods from industries has also
gone up as most people sort of white collar jobs as industries become
automated. This has led to the increase in emission of harmful gases to the
environment. The emission of industrial gases into the atmosphere is the major
cause of global warming in the world. Due to the problem of global warming,
many organizations, governments, and environmental activists have come forward
to formulate strategies and enact laws to control it. The method of doing this
has been contentious but its good to know that everyone is doing the little
they can to end it. The rise in environmental friendly automobile and clean
energy is one of the efforts taken by automobile companies to end the menace of
global warming -Page 623.
The population of India as a country
has also increased to more than a billion. The population of Pondicherry, for example, has doubled over
the last 9 years. Forested areas and once empty fields are now occupied by
buildings. With the rise in population, there has been an increase in the rate
of unemployment and crime. Most of the towns in Pondicherry have become
overpopulated and traffic jams have become the order of the day. In an attempt
to solve this problem, the Indian government has increased investment in
renewable energy. The use of bicycles and carts as a means of transport have
also been encouraged.
Groups, Network, and
Organisations
Annually more than 52,000 United States
citizens apply to join the army and out of this only about 1200 succeeded -Page
138. This just shows how the Hindu people have the urge to belong to a
particular group such as the military. The famous saying goes that your network
determines your network. Perhaps, this is why most people in the society strive
to achieve social identification and recognition. With globalization and
expansion of trade, most organizations have grown into the international
market. This has made them stretch their operations and become bigger. Nowadays almost all organizations recognize
growth as one of their competitive goals. All these factors and social media
sites which are one of the biggest networking areas has brought a sense of
belonging to individuals.
In the Hindu society, the story is
almost the same. There are many groups from political parties, social groups
and many others which have sprouted. The use of social media has also increased
resulting in the creation of networks not just in the boundaries of India but
globally. The formation of organizations to serve different purposes or parts
of the society has also increased. Traditional and cultural practices have also
been incorporated into this phenomena. For example, businesses or political
partners will have their children get married to each other to maintain their
networks. This only illustrates people’s urge to be associated with particular
groups in the society.
Many Americans view old age as a time
of senility, poverty, loneliness, and celibacy. The senior citizens have formed
diverse groups with some of them enjoying good health and wealth after retiring
while others live in poverty and financial incapability. Some also enjoy the
comfort of close family members and even live with them while others are
fulltime residents of retirement homes. For instance, the Americans are usually
very strong in their capitalistic sense. The old age has always been considered
as the age of people who have retired and have nothing to do. However, this is
not always the case. Some of them own businesses while others are still active
in the job market. Some organizations also prefer old people to youths as they
have a lot of experience.
In India, the old are usually treated
with great respect. India is more of a communist country and the society is set
that way. In this society, the youths are normally taught to respect the elderly.
They are also usually raised in compounds with distant relatives. Taking the
elderly to retirement homes is usually a very uncommon practice among the Hindu
society as they are always taken care of by their family members.
Government, PoliticalPower, and Social Movements
Approximately more than 40% of the
population worldwide live in places where they are guaranteed basic rights such
as the freedom for expression, right to vote, right to assemble, a just and
equitable legal system among others -page 377. Annually an organization called
Freedom House surveys most of the countries worldwide and rates globally what
percentage of their population have certain right in relation to voting. In
2014 about 40% of the population worldwide lived in environments where the
election process was termed free, Another 24% was regarded as partly free. In
2014 United States elections, candidates were reported to have spent more
than $6 billion in campaigns. This proved that political seats were mostly for
the rich who could afford it. Politics and governments come with the certain
power which attracts the wealthiest for prestige purposes.
In 2014, India was classified as a
country where the people have the freedom to vote for Freedom House. In India,
anyone above the age of the majority is entitled to vote and generally, the
election is free and fair apart from a few people who engage in acts of crimes
so that they can secure seats. Like anywhere in the world any electoral seat
comes with great prestige. However, the challenge is to get into one,
especially in regard to money for campaigns. Most of the people who get into
politics are usually wealthy and the well established, thus denying others who
might not have the resources to compete with them a chance on the political
platform.
When it comes to race, some people
viewed it as a matter of physical appearance and beauty while others view it as
a figment of the imagination -Page 312. In the United States, there are many
races. However, ethnicity is not a major issue in the US. This has made the US
to be termed as the mini United Nations. There are many people living there
with different skin colors such as the blacks, the whites, and the red
Indians. However, these races had
originally not lived in peace due to racism.
During the slave trade, the black community was greatly disadvantaged.
Right now there are still occasional disagreements between the whites and
blacks with regards to equal rights. Another racial tension that has recently
arisen is with the Isam community. Some people discriminate them especially
with regards to terrorism.
India, on the other hand, is not so
much diversity in terms of race. Majority of the people are colored. Even
though some of them are darker, they are of the same race. The Indian
constitution recognizes a total of over 645. Occasionally there have been
clashes among the different tribes but the government has been quick to restore
parity. The government has also been accused of favoritism and unfair
distribution of resources but that has been changing legislation.
In a nutshell, Societies in the world
are different. They differ in terms of forms of government, religious beliefs,
race and ethnicity, culture, a way of life among many other things.Through
advancement in technology however different societies are able to interact and
learn from each other. This has helped in improving cultural understanding
among different societies. Through these interactions, different people get to
exchange some of their beliefs and norms. The greatest attribute of human
beings is their ability to come together to fight a common threat to the human
race. Challenges like human rights abuse, diseases, global warming and many
more challenges have only brought different societies. This togetherness has
enabled them to eliminate these threats and to know how to better deal with
each other. Formation of trade blocks
and international organizations such as the United Nations, therefore, only
shows our resolve in maintaining the world as a global village. As human
beings, we have our differences. Besides the fact that we are social animals,
true humanity enables us to live together.
Work Cited
Gideons, Anthony, Dunier,
Applebaum, Richard P., eds.Introduction
To Sociology.Newyork:
W.Nortorn & Co.,2009.Print.
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