Sumblog 4

Max Weber believed in three types of authority in a given society.  Authority is a type of power that is legitimate.  Weber's three forms are rational, which is laws and written documents, traditional, how things have always been done, and charismatic, the social context of the day.  I believe that rational authority is overtaking traditional authority and has been for quite a while.
I think a good example would be the Civil Rights Movement.  It took charismatic speakers such as Martin Luther King to build an audience.  Once enough people listened, how things were done in the past were reevaluated.  New laws were then written.  Society changed.
Traditional families have also changed.  No longer is every family on the block arranged with a mom and dad and brothers and sisters.  Easier divorce laws have made step families a type of norm.  Or in many cases, some parents do not even get married which is now acceptable but wasn't in earlier times.
This is why I think rational authority has overtaken traditional authority.  New laws make it possible to look a head and not always do what has already been done.
This is a picture from the show Modern Family which shows that families are made up very differently than in the 1950's.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ2UiI17jib6lk6kz9XmMNSbAsRSx1M-EuwYgtRO99EzUBbCHeu8w

Sumblog 3

Emile Durkheim believed that things sacred,God and society all came from the same roots.  It takes society to believe in something added to and above the real to become sacred.  Things or ideas become sacred through beliefs, rituals and church.  This was from his sociology of religion and knowledge.  I think his idea held true then and now.
Santa Claus is a good example of how someone becomes sacred even when the idea of him is above the real.  Santa is known by children around the world.  He is a big joyful man who wears a red suit and delivers presents and candy to the 'nice' children on Christmas Eve.  His image is reinforced through movies, books and posters throughout the world.
The Santa tradition of today can be traced by to the 1820's.  He lives at the North Pole, has magical elves who help him build the toys, and flying reindeer who carry him around the world in a night dropping off goodies.
The idea of Santa came from earlier figures from all around the world such as Saint Nicholas in the 4th century and Father Christmas in the 16th century.  Both are usually depicted by long white beards and the giving of gifts to the poor.
I have already reminded my children that Santa has been reviewing his list of the nice and naughty children.  This website I have used for my children.  After you put in some information such as their name and how they have been behaving, Santa sends the children a email with a video that sends the child a personal message.  This reinforces the idea of Santa in a society that completely accepts this myth.
http://www.portablenorthpole.com/watch/g-VrZG9DVxTRskr8X3iWeXg?fb_action_ids=4638570798534&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

Sumblog 2 (Ginger Egging)

Karl Marx's theory of materialism mentioned in his consequences of capitalism struck me as significant and very viable in today's world.  Everyone uses and buys commodities.  Society was changing from simplistic to more complex.  Resources were sold based on its use value and exchange value.  Marx realized how problems would arise by people losing sight of how much something is useful.  He also believed in the fetishism of commodities, how people were getting things without knowing where the product came from and how it came to be.  He believed in this being a downfall of capitalism.
Materialism affects many aspects today.  People buys things just because they want them even though the object may have no use.  Children may get bullied because they do not have the material items their friends have.  Speaking from experience, my children tell me that they have to have something or they will be teased.  That could range from a new game or system to a certain brand of shoes.  People have lost the sight of value in things.  They go to the grocery store and buy but no longer put any effort into thinking about how the items have gotten there or what it took to produce them.  To me there seems to be a major disconnection between producer and consumer.  In my opinion, Marx was correct in his assessment of how materialism would become a consequence of capitalism.
I found this essay that demonstrates how commercialism and materialism had adverse affects on society.  http://www.studymode.com/course-notes/The-Simpsons-And-About-a-Boy-1826037.html  This essay demonstrates how materialism has ill effects on both the person with the objects and the person without.