Introduction
Sociology plays a critical and substantial role in understanding social changes, social causes, and most importantly, social consequences of specific human behaviors. It, therefore, focuses on the structures of groups, organizations, societies, and most importantly, general communication of people within these contexts. On the other hand, social movements can be considered or viewed as loosely organized but sustained campaigns focused mainly on supporting specific social goals. It can involve the implementation or presentation of a specific change in consideration of society’s structure or values. Although social movements may differ in size, they all have important roles and impacts in any community. The social change involved human relationships and interactions and, most importantly, their role in transforming social and cultural institutions over time, thus having profound impacts on a specific society. This paper will focus on specific theories and concepts related to social movement and social change based on two main films, Bill Moyers’ Doe Run Film and Atomic Homefront.
Functionalism Theoretical Perspective
According to this theoretical perspective considers the society is a complex system. This case means that different parts like institutions, roles, and norms, work together towards achieving common goals and objectives. As such, society can be seen in a natural state of equilibrium. The need for gradual change is, therefore of substantial. Such changes are influenced by factors like an increase in population, improvements in technologies, and, most importantly, how communities or people interact with each other.
But in some cases, some of these social changes occur suddenly. In such situations, the impacts tend to be mainly negative, as they play a critical role in disrupting the equilibrium with a society. As a result, such situations call for the need of other parts of the society to focus on specific and appropriate changes as a result of sudden changes in a specific part of the society.
The Atomic Homefront films play a critical role in documenting the citizens of Coldwater Creek in Bridgeton, Missouri, how primary desire to get answers about radioactive waste dumped specifically in their neighborhood landfills. These films can be related to the functionalism theoretical perspectives as they call for the need of people to raise concerns and an understanding that will help prevent issues of radioactive waste, which poses significant health and environmental issues within the affected society. Advancement in technology can be a major contributing factor to issues like radioactive waste. Logically, these radioactive waste landfills do not belong in residential areas, particularly in a state that has potentially negative impacts on the people and society (Hexa Base). As a result, this film, based on the functionalism theory, seeks answers to the issues and, most importantly, solutions to the issues.
Doe Run film on the other documents events in La Roya, Peru and how specific organizations within the region have contributed to environmental pollution that plays a significant and negative role in affecting young children, particularly through lead pollution. The Doe Run Patricipa organization is held responsible for such issues, which in some cases have contributed to the death of specific people, including children within the region. Although the organization understands and values its social responsibilities within the region, its effects on society call for the need for measures and strategies to limit negative impacts and ensure the safety of the community and people involved. The company offers more employments, funds schools, and other institutions like healthcare institutions. The high amount of led poison within the region has contributed to the death of some children (Films that count). The region, therefore, remains to be one of the most polluted areas in the world.
Modernization is an important concept related to this film. Modernization has led to industrialization and specific improvements in different industries. These improvements, similar to the case of Doe Run Peru, have in some cases resulted in other negative impacts affecting people and societies. Sociologically, people in Peru can be seen as being treated as a secondary class, unlike those in the United States, where such organizations understand their impacts on the environment and the society, thus focusing on specific regulations that would ensure effectiveness and positive outcomes in the protection of all people.
The concept of social change can also be related to this film, which involves or focuses on the need for the transformation of specific cultural norms, behaviors, and social institutions, particularly those that contribute to the issue of radioactive waste landfills within the affected community and among people involved. Human interactions and, most importantly, relationships portrayed in these films have the potentials to contribute to specific transformations capable of transforming cultural and social institutions responsible for the current issue related to radioactive wastes and their impacts on people and societies in general. As a result, the need for social changes, in this case, are focused on specific measures and strategies that would ensure effectiveness and positive outcomes in resolving current issues affecting the two societies in these two films. While modernization becomes bigger and bigger, there is a need to understand and focus on different and specific measures that would ensure effectiveness and positive outcomes, particularly in addressing issues that societies are currently facing. The issue of environmental pollution has become common (Films that count). Although most origination has positive impacts on societies and their people, it is important to focus on specific social changes to address possible negative impacts related to issues like technological advancements and modernizations.
Generally, the concept of disaster behaviors can be related to these two films. The impacts of environmental pollutions as a result of involved organizations influence people’s and societies’ decisions to focus and take specific measures that will ensure effectiveness and positive outcomes in balancing the equilibrium of the society (Hexa Base). Although these organizations might be having positive impacts on specific people and in specific ways, the functionality theoretical perspective call for the needs of balances between changes that are happening and, most importantly, the impacts of these changes, with a primary objective of ensuring an equilibrium within the community has been achieved.
Conclusion
The need for social changes is therefore of substantial role and essence, as it works to ensure positive outcomes of social changes, thus maintaining social equilibrium in the most effective and reliable way. Through collective behaviors, positive social changes can be achieved, particularly in the ability of the society and its people to focus on measures and responses that would be effective in responding and, most importantly, resolving current issues. These two films, therefore, efforts and measures taken by communities to improve performance and ensure issues resulting from these organizations and other social changes have either been prevented or eliminated completely.
Works Cited
Films that count. Doe Run. Youtube.Com, 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ognIAmUu-HU.
Hexa Base. “Atomic Homefront Documentary”. Youtube.Com, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duEMr4VbqbM.
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