The Major Event in My Life
Mills introduced social imagination in 1959. He described it as the difference between personal troubles and the social forces behind them. His intention was to show a bigger picture of how these individuals live their lives. It also showed the impact of the large society on this individual’s life. His other intention was to recognize public issues and personal issues as two aspects of a solitary process. Sociological imagination assists in people understanding of the society by separating the individual from reality and looking beyond the image. This helps in understanding the link or relationship between personal life and social life. This means that social imagination requires a person’s bibliography. However, it has to on a larger scale due to the history and culture of the personal background. Putting together the bibliography and the history of a person helps in linking personal troubles and social problems. Often, people have neglected the correlation between these two elements. Having a Middle East origin, and living in America, I need this understanding in order to survive.
Sociological imagination is engaged in gender, minority groups, family structure or social status. It is about empathy and social facts. Social facts include behaviors, feelings, and ideas from individuals. Having my origin as Saudi Arabia, the most disturbing factor is race and racism. Despite the fact, I am an International student who has been to different countries, and exposed to internet, this did not surprise me at all. These are two different factors because race is a socially constructed view of identity in every culture. It is a powerful tool because it describes a person by via of skin color, or hair texture. On the other hand, racism is an intertwined system of advantage due to a person’s race, or cultural symbol. It comes from the power and culture in existence. Racism occurs when a certain race in the society has more power over others. However, this has been changing with time, and even if in existence, it is not visible. However, it is unfortunate because even in the developed worlds, racism practiced.
Some experience that I encountered on arrival to America was how the immigrants in America have notable disadvantages due to race. English as their second language has slowed them in learning. This is why there are many school dropouts in the immigrant community. Being from Saudi is also a problem because of the terrorist attacks that are associated with Middle East. Some schools do not admit Muslim students because of this factor. The minority groups are in the crowded cities because they cannot afford better living conditions. Most colored people are jobless, or they are on manual jobs. The white-collar jobs are limited to the learned who are mainly the white people. The issues that prove racism exists in America. People from the Middle East have suffered screening because the society has judged them as terrorists. The women dress code suffers criticism, with some schools forcing them to dress like other citizens. Women from the colored communities are labeled as prostitutes, and drunks. This is the damage the society has on individuals. Skin color may be due to geographic location. It has its own advantages like minimized cancer diseases due to color.
Many presidents have fought the issue of racism although the changes have been slow. Free education is for everyone although English as a second language has slowed it down. Social imagination acknowledges that people are different. This notion can help the fellow students assist their foreign students in learning the language during sports or group discussions. This understanding will grow with students from early till later in life, and the problem of discrimination in employment and other areas. Sociological imagination once introduced to students at lower levels to enable them to grow with the understanding. Mills says success brings industrialization, where the peasants become workers.
Learning sociological imagination helped me in differentiating, and criticizing issues like racism. It also debunks prejudice and other forms of discrimination. Sociological imaginations assist in the understanding of interconnection and the impacts surrounding it. In understanding others, a person is able to create an environment that is favorable for everyone. This way everyone understands each other without any judgments. I came from Middle East, it was important for me to study the subject in order to understand the new community, and its lifestyles. The internet exposure made it clear that discrimination exists, especially for the minority in America. It mentally prepared me for the worst. However, I realized it was not as bad as I expected. There are a few people living in the nineties, who carry racism with them up to now. Nevertheless, majority of the American citizens have moved on. However, on learning about sociology imagination, one understands that every individual has a level of discrimination, and prejudice that has not helped in curbing racism.
Sociological imagination is vital because globalization has connected people as far as personal levels. This is mostly through social media, and ecommerce. The internet has made it possible for everyone to learn and empathize on other communities. This has grown from global issues to personal tribulations. This means that social imagination has brought about positive changes in society. There is a lot of misconception through the same media, based on theory but this has changed with social imagination. It is comforting to understand the connections to other people globally because this can help in tackling global problems. Empathy is the key perception of Global Sociological Imagination.
Conclusion
Social imagination is a vital subject that changed my life completely after learning how many people are unable to separate their personal problems with the public issues. Understanding the concept will help in global development, where every class of society will enjoy the fruits. Mills introduced sociological imagination because he had watched the gaps that were developing in the society. Things like racism are still in existence although not conspicuously. People from different communities like the Middle East, Africa, and the Latinos continue to suffer due to color. The internet has exposed the existence of racism, and unless sociological imagination introduced to different communities, the problem will continue. I am now able to look at individuals differently, as I try, relating with them. Each individual has a level of prejudice that has hindered the curbing of racism. This is why it is a vital subject for everyone, and as Mills quoted in his article, it is the only way men and women of the society will understand what is happening in the world. The only way to understand these personal changes is by looking beyond them.
References
McCoy, C., (2012). “Awakening Students’ Sociological Imagination” Contemporary Issues In Education Research 61-66
Mills, C. (1959). The Sociological Imagination. N.Y: Oxford University Press, Inc.
