Contributions to Blog Posts
Blog 1
I agree with the first blog’s claim that total institutions lead to people being degraded and humiliated, which makes them lose their sense of self. Institutions policies restrain the lives and characters of individuals residing there. Whether the institution in question is good or bad, they all take total control of the lives of the people living inside them, declining them of freedom or autonomy. The restraining measure dictates the dos and don’ts and violating the rules subjects the individuals to disciplinary action. For instance, the disciplinary actions in Nazi concentration camps amounted to torture or even death. The disciplinary measures within religious institutions include dismissal of the culprits or locking them up. I also agree that to ensure that residents conform to the set rules, total institutions take away their identities, making them wear uniforms. Other institutions subject the individuals to embarrassing actions such as shaving their heads and issuing them with awkward names.
Further, making individuals look alike destroys their personalities. Many total institutions also subject their residents to various forms of abuse and harsh treatment. Referring again to Nazi camps, inmates stripped naked, tortured, and in some incidents, they ended up dying (Gigliotti $ Lang 2005). Trainee sergeants face severe treatment which observers tern crucial in military preparation. I also agree that a degradation ceremony which takes place in front of other residents or officials leads to humiliation. For instance, a drill sergeant can question a male recruit’s manhood in front of other recruits. Other places, such as prisons or mental asylums, degradation can involve stripping inmates in front of others.
Blog 2
I also agree with blog 2 claims that the predictive power of sociology is useful in preventing or devising ways of handling disasters in the future. Mainly, I agree that although it is impossible to predict the future, studying the past and the disasters or epidemics that have occurred can be a starting point to devising solutions for similar situations in the future. Therefore, based on these facts, I can also add that sociology and the concept of social predictions focus on the reason for the cause, effect, and solution. The predictive power of sociology is a concept that can be said to base on the fact that ignoring a history of failures, pandemics, or disasters can compel humans to take more significant risks than might have been if more focus directs towards past outcomes. Consequently, sociologists avoid such a scenario by implementing research tools and methodologies such as observation and case studies to help provide a reason for cause and the implementation of good social policies that can help solve these disasters or epidemics.
Further, I agree that knowing can enable people to protect themselves from situations that may be brought about by epidemics. Ejeta et al. (2015) highlighted that by 2015. However, there was no major pandemic that had occurred in decades preceding that time, occurrences such as SARS had drawn attention to the need for more preparedness to enable the management of such epidemics if they occurred I larger magnitudes. Nearly 18 years after the SARS pandemic and five years since Ejeta et al. (2017) highlighted this point, the coronavirus which causes similar effects as the SARS virus but with more adverse effects has surfaced. Based on the predictive power of sociology, the history of SARS and the study that went into it has created the foundation with which most governments have used to curb the coronavirus pandemic such as quarantine, social distancing, and increased personal hygiene. Therefore, I agree that the predictive power of sociology can help prevent future disasters or at least cope with them if they occur.
References
Ejeta, L. T., Ardalan, A., & Paton, D. (July 2015). Application of behavioural theories to disaster and emergency health preparedness: A systematic review. PLoS Currents, 7, https://doi.org/10.1371/currents.dis.31a8995ced321301466db400f1357829
Gigliotti, S., & Lang, B. (Eds.). (2005). The Holocaust: A Reader. Malden, MA: Blackwell.