Conflict in Society Essay Example

Conflict in Society Essay Example Conflict in Society Essay Conflict in Society Essay On top of that, it can be argued by functionalist sociologists that society tends towards consensus and it is vital in the upbringing of any society. It is argued that conflict in society is not desirable as it destroys consensus, yet change is a must. Therefore, wholesale change is rejected but minor changes are tolerated in the functionalist point of view. This relates to culture in many ways as culture tends towards consensus. It(culture) must be agreed upon by various members of society if it is to be implemented. As example, pre-maritial sex is frowned upon in todays different levels of society [s5]and it has to be of a unanimous decision by society to condemn such behavior. But on the other hand, it is also true that change is needed in cultures of society, as example, dating among teenagers. It was almost a taboo back in the golden days for teenagers to date, but along with time, cultures will change as well, in an effort to gain stability and these days dating among teenagers is a common thing as well as understood among the various members of society. Francois de la Rochefoucauld (1680) quotes that the only constant in life is change and culture in society changes along with the advancement of mankind, so that they are not considered out-of-date and anachronous. Functionalists argue that the main institutional groupings play a tremendous role in determining the culture of society. These, as example include economic, politics, family and kinship, as well as media. Economic growth plays a role as well because it affects the way certain societies think and how they run their everyday lives. As example, the poor economy in Third- world countries such as Afghanistan has forced them to accept the growth of poppy plants, which is used to create cocaine AS an economic byproduct, even when it is a country governed by Muslim leaders who strongly oppose drugs. Politics affect culture as well because certain political parties will affect the lifestyles and culture of the people under the ruling party. A good example that we can use here is the differences between ruling parties in Malaysia, PAS, which is of an Islamic ideology[s6] does not allow material entertainment such as theaters and pubs in the states under their influence. This in hand, causes the teenagers living in these states to find other methods of escaping the stress and their teenage angst, causing them to experiment with drugs, devil worshipping, random sex and even membership into gangs. Furthermore, another example is the legalisationlegalization of prostitution in Singapore. This in hand, has successfully reduced the number of rape cases in Singapore as the culture of sex is no more a taboo and those who cannot find any other way of releasing their sexual stress before, can now. Although controversial, it has proved to have curbed the rape cases in Singapore and produced a safer environment. Conflict theorists such as Karl Marx argue that that economic inequality is at the heart of all societies[s7].. In short, some people will have more than their fair share of a societys economic resources (money) and others will consequently have less than their fair share. This, according to Marxists, will create a variety of new ideas, such as giving people new ideas of gaining wealth and making sure that the most qualified people are doing the important jobs. example, when a candidate for an interview of equal capability is forced to compete with other candidates, he has to innovate a new style or flair to stand out from the others. Moreover, MarxiansMarxians argue that the end product of economic organisation and inequality is common values. Marxist Conflict theorists argue that all modern societies consist of the common appeareance of a stable culture, which is actually masks the reality of all the competing forms. They argue that every society consists of social classes made up by terms of whether they own or do not own htethe means of ecnomiceconomic production and that ultimately, there only are two classes that make up the bundle of society, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.