Our social identity should increase our responsibility to other people who have had a major impact in our lives such as family and friends. However, I don't think that just because you may belong to a group, you are therefore responsible to take care of the members. If someone in a church needs an organ transplant, you are not responsible to give up yours just because you attend the same church. I think it is a natural human instinct to want to help people that are close to us. Assume two people ask you for $10 dollars. One person is a close friend and the other is a stranger, which would you give the money too? Most people would choose the friend because they are closer to us and we assume they would give us money if we were in need of it. Even though the two people may equally need the money, we feel more responsible to help a friend.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Social Identity and Moral Responsibility
I believe society plays a large role in defining us as people, especially in certain circumstances. For example, in North Korea there is no religious freedom, no political opposition or free media. Citizens can be imprisoned for life if they speak negatively about their political leaders. These people have no way of defining themselves as individuals, they must conform to society or face punishment. Even though we have much more freedoms in the United States, I still believe we are largely defined by society. Society teaches us that there is a certain way we are supposed to look, act and behave. People who don't follow these societal norms are seen as "different". Attending college is an example of where I was impacted based on my social environment. Even though it is an individual choice, society tells us that if we want to obtain a well paying job, we must earn a college degree. An example of my individual choice was choosing not to vote in the presidential election. Society tries to convince us if you don't vote, that means you don't care. However, I did not like either candidate and chose not to give them my support. I would say about 75% of our lives are determined by society and 25% based on ourselves. I feel this way because we have so many influences such as television, radio and social media that affect the way we live.
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I like your example of not chooseing to vote because that is a subject matter that causes extreme pressure from society. I also liked the example of social identity with the $10. It really helps show what would happen in real life. Also everyone can relate to giving people money. I though it was good but could have used a few more arguments. maybe discuss the importance of close family members and which you would sooner help. like your mom or your sister which would you help first.
ReplyDeleteNorth Korea is an excellent example of how people are shaped by their environments more then any individual factors. They weep at the death of their maniacal leaders and hold them like gods even though they are starving to death and working in gulags instead of rebelling or fleeing. When our individual decisions are sometimes conditioned to societies expectations, abstaining from actions such as not voting can be one of the best form of individuality.
ReplyDeleteI thought you had great examples gave good arguments to back up your views. I also agree with you on how much our social environment affects us. We could be the same person born into a completely different family and end up drastically different due to our surroundings.
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