SOCI 205 1st Edition Lecture 14 Outline of Last Lecture II. Big Event ProjectIII. CultureIV. Approaches to Studying CultureOutline of Current LectureII. Reading DiscussionIII. Individualism and HumanitarianismCurrent LectureII. Reading Discussiona. Desmondi. What does Desmond mean when he says, “heroizing firefighters flattens their humanity, and all that is left are mythic creatures?1. Dehumanizing can deny one’s “virtue” and “cleanse them of all sin”.2. Instead, firefighters choose the career for personal (time off for family, etc) and structural (can get a job and training and decent pay) reasonsii. For Desmond, what are the symbolic rewards to firefighting?1. Status (respect and prestige over amount of pay)iii. Criticisms or counter-arguments?1. Does Desmond’s argument hold true for volunteers? (who are more prevalent than Desmond admits)III. Individualism and Humanitarianisma. Are individualism and Humanitarianism in conflict?i. Most sociologists would say yes, that it is hard to imagine one living a life for themselves as well as for others. ii. Research1. Tocqueville (1830s) finds that Americans are compassionate and generous, but also selfish. Also suggested that Americans are often cold in their manners – do not offer help to neighbors eagerly, but do not refuse to help either.iii. Individualism and ChristianityThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.1. John Winthrop, 1st Gov. Massachusetts (Puritan)a. We must delight in each other… make other’s conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together: always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, our community as members of the same body.2. Robert Wuthnowa. 80 million Americans volunteer; 44% of All Americans over 18 volunteeri. Clearly, Americans are compassionate giving freely their time, energy and money – but results are still surprising…1. Most Americans agree compassion is rare, selfishness is a problem2. Americans have core values of individualismand humanitarianism – very complex b. Can one live a life for others and for oneself?i. (Can one be individualistic and altruistic?)1. Yes – they are already doing it… but there is more to itii. Findings from Research (individualistic values and volunteering)1. Interview subjects lacked a clear explanation of motives for volunteeringa. Mills and vocabularies of motive – way we can try to understand interception of biography and history and how it influences our motivations3. Martin Barnesa. Budget administrator, married with kids, Episcopalian, volunteers as president of Meals on Wheelsi. Sacrifices extra time on top of being administrator and presidentb. “Why do you do it, Barnes?”i. “I’m doing it for a selfish reason – I’m doing it because it makes me happy”ii. Vocabulary of Fulfillment is greater than Vocabularyof Sacrificec. Criticism of Vocab of Fulfillmenti. Fails to tap into a deeper conviction, fails to inspire others d. More findingsi. In general, respondents struggled to explain their motivation for volunteeringii. One person: “I could have given ten different reasons for volunteering”iii. Wuthnow: Why take any one reason seriously?iv. Outcome: Cynicism – “b/c it’s their fault or duty as an American”e. Vocabularies of Motivei. Biblical – “my God commands me to love my neighbor, and through volunteering, I do that”ii. Utilitarianism – ethical system and political theory that stresses the consequences of actions for people in general; utility of common good1. Resume - “looks good on my resume”2. Experience – “I’ll gain this experience and help to figure out what I’m doing with my life”3. Fulfillment (Barnes) – “it makes me happy”iii. What is missing? 1. Vocabulary of Sacrificef. Conclusionsi. Americans are individualistic and humanitarians (altruistic)ii. Fulfillment/sacrificeiii. Wuthnow: how deep are commitments when motivations based on “what feels good”?iv. The very act of varing may be sabotages by not having the right motives – charity becomes a selfishact. (tackle this hypothesis in Big Event Research