extra posting / Korea is aging – what can the government do about that? / hayoung lee 이하영

Q. Korea is aging – what can the government do about that?

A. The development of medicine has prolonged one's life expectancy, which has led to an aging society in Korea. To resolve this, no action can be taken against the elderly, but if the ratio of the elderly to the young is similar, the aging process can be solved. So in order to solve the aging population, the government should try to become a good country for people to give birth and raise their children instead of encouraging childbirth without measures or assistance.

extra posting / Is our modern world more peaceful than the past? / hayoung lee 이하영

Q. Is our modern world more peaceful than the past? Can we think of some examples – or contradictions?

A. I don't think we can conclude that it is more peaceful than it was in the past. Because the world is made up of various parts, there will be some improvements and some will be worse than in the past. As globalization progressed, various people were able to communicate with each other, and as the dialogue began, we felt that the borders between the countries were gradually being dismantled. On the other hand, however, as free communication becomes possible, some people with conflicting views on an event appear to be less peaceful, such as fighting over conflicting opinions.

extra posting / why is terrorism seen as such a danger, if so few people have been affected by it? / hayoung lee 이하영

Q. why is terrorism seen as such a danger, if so few people have been affected by it?

A. Terrorism in itself seems to be the most stark of human aggression. I think it is a great danger in itself. It is a bit strange that there are a few victims of terrorism, but even so, it causes an indiscriminate death without an exact goal. Even those who are not related to the cause of the terrorist attack are severely damaged. Terrorism is also considered a danger because it destroys the surrounding residential environment, damaging people's lives and causing economic problems.

extra posting / What kind of changes are needed for more equality? / hayoung lee 이하영

Q. What kind of changes are needed for more equality?

A. We live in a society with various inequalities. Any inequality arising from an effort that cannot be converted into an effort such as gender inequality should be changed by changing the perception of members of society. Also, the rich and poor phenomenon has been around for a long time. I think the inequality of wealth should be improved to some extent.

extra posting / What toys are marketed for boys, and what for girls? / hayoung lee 이하영

Q. What toys are marketed for boys, and what for girls? What do we learn through playing with gendered toys?

A. When children go to a toy store, most boys see toys such as Lego and car games, and girls see toys of house chores or dolls. So naturally, boys learn to play more active and mobile, and girls learn to play sensitive and quiet. So we even divide toys by gender and acquire a bias against gender.

extra posting / Is there ethnic cleansing or genocide happening today? If so, where? / hayoung lee 이하영

Q. Is there ethnic cleansing or genocide happening today? If so, where?

A. Until recently, there have been several incidents where IS has committed terrorist attacks with the aim of forcing their religion and covering the world with their own influence. There was also an incident in Syria that killed people in response to anti-government protests by force.

Week 11 / Conflict Theory / hayoung lee 이하영

1. summary

 The basis of conflict theory was human evil nature and weakness. It has been believed that it is a physical punishment to be able to control such humans. Because humans are afraid of punishment or people who are stronger than themselves, humans have limited their behavior to prevent conflict and used this to maintain social order. This enduring society forms a monarchy that grants power to the monarchy. But as time goes by and society changes, intellectuals will emerge protesting against the coercive system. Then society will gradually be transformed by them into a democracy that aims for freedom and equality. In this process, conflict is always a necessary condition, and that is why our society is always in conflict.

 

2. What was interesting/ what did you learn?

 I think the reason why conflict is occurring and continued is because the weak are creating conflict to fight and express inequality. But rather, conflict theory was interesting to maintain policies that would operate for the social power elite, maintain stratification, and cause conflicts to control the poor. If we maintain stratification and carry on wealth, the class will be entrenched. Naturally, this will lead to an imbalance of wealth and cause various conflicts in society.

 

3. discussion point

 What can be done to eliminate or weaken the oppression of the socially privileged class, which causes various inequalities and conflicts in society? Shouldn't the privileged rather have a more conflict-free and stable social atmosphere than conflict-free theory to maintain their ranks?

Week 10 / Gender / hayoung lee 이하영

1. summary

 Humans have long divided gender into dichotomically based on physical differences. So we recognize that it's true and natural because we are given a gender from birth and are taught to behave in a gender-like manner in accordance with our social convention. But it's a social environment, and men can act "female" and vice versa. As perceptions about gender sharing change, more and more people are changing not only their behavior and thoughts but also their physical ones to suit their identity. Also, the manhood and womanhood that we have learned so far are now considered to be increasingly inadequate. A person's behavior patterns and preferences differ from person to person, not because they are of any gender. Therefore, like the previous generation, it is no longer very meaningful to distinguish people by gender and to make them specific.

 

2. What was interesting/ what did you learn?

 According to the text, sexist reasons are among the reasons why women are employed at universities in the United States. Men have an advantage over women when it comes to getting a job. That's why women were a little surprised to find that there were relatively few opportunities to work and therefore the college entrance rate was higher than men. Of course, because it is a graph from a few years ago, it can be different now. This is because people's perception is improving little by little. However, since there are still many discrimination, I thought that we should identify problems such as wages and education and try to achieve equality.

 

3. discussion point

 Efforts towards gender equality are under way, and perceptions have changed a lot. However, while it is still only at the individual level, what other efforts should be made to change sexual discrimination and culture deeply rooted in society as a whole?

Week 9 / Stratification / hayoung lee 이하영

1. summary

Inequality has existed before the beginning of the study of sociology for humans. The inequality in the distribution of goods, which began with the accumulation of different goods, caused not just differences in the amount of goods, but also social stratification. Therefore, I think layering and inequality are a big link. This inequality continued to protect the ruling class' power, honor and money. In addition, the education of the next generation seeks to accommodate inequality in this class and teaches them to accept it naturally. And this inequality does not disappear easily because there is a catastrophe of wealth and the desire of the ruling class to pass on the environment in which they have lived.

 

2. What was interesting/ what did you learn?

We live in a capitalist society in pursuit of a free market. But this capitalism is a big part of social inequality production. In capitalism, since making a large profit is a gain, it seeks to profit by exploiting the labor of people of relatively low strata. According to Karl Marx, capitalism is characterized by 'product production for profit-taking purposes, labor being commercialized, and production being unplanned.' In the end, as long as it is under the capitalist system, layering is a necessary condition. It is interesting to note that advanced countries are adopting a capitalist system that can never achieve peace and equality.

 

3. discussion point

It is said that inequality is a conscious product that was deliberately created and that acts based on this ritual are conditions that produce social inequality. So even though we say that eliminating these problems could lead to the elimination of inequality, can we really improve our consciousness and eliminate inequality? Why is inequality still prevalent in our society, despite many people's perception that inequality is not good? Could there be less conflict in our society if we eliminate inequality in goods? Should we then switch to a communist regime? What can be done to make the current ruling class give up their dominant position and compensate them for equality? Also, will this reward cause another inequality?

extra posting / operationalize religiosity / hayoung lee 이하영

Please operationalize religiosity. 

I believe that religion is an area of pursuit of truth beyond human reason, so I think it is impossible for others to embody religion. However, if embodied, the religious spirit could be measured by the number of times each religious chapel, or by the number of times the religion is represented by the norm, and by the things it does not.

extra posting /operationalize leisure / hayoung lee 이하영

Please operationalize leisure.

I think all activities that satisfy interest that are not related to job-related work are leisure. There are differences between individuals, but I think that a hobby of more than an hour every weekend, not the week when people work, becomes an individual's leisure activity. 

extra posting / operationalize addiction / hayoung lee 이하영

Please operationalize addiction.

If you take games, alcohol, and cigarettes beyond the proper standards set by the World Health Organization, we can say, you are addicted. In addition to this, they say they become addicted when they cannot lead normal lives without certain objects or objects in their daily lives.

Week 7 / Deviance / hayoung lee 이하영

1. summary

Deviation is classified as formal and informal deviation. An official deviation is an act that can be clearly shown as a deviation when an offence is committed. Informal deviance is not against the law, but it can undermine the stability of society by hurting the norms within a society. It is different in every society to prescribe deviant behavior. Since cultures differ from one society to the next, non-official deviance may be deviant depending on which society belongs, and may not be deviant. Also, people who frequently deviate from work differ in brain structure from ordinary people. This is often determined during childhood and adolescence when identity is actively formed. While there are various data related to deviance in each country, the definition of deviance is often omitted because it is different and informal from society as mentioned above.

 

2. What was interesting/ what did you learn?

The highest rate of prisoners when the U.S. population was not the largest in the world, showing how determined the U.S. was against criminal acts. However, it has a high rate of recidivism. This is because the state's action on prisoners after their release was insufficient. Along with the problems of individual identity, the social environment also shows a great influence on deviating behavior. In order to solve the problem of deviance in our society, we need to improve our personal perception, but again we can see that changes in the social environment and measures against deviant are necessary.

 

3. discussion point

The standards of unofficial deviance changes naturally as social culture changes and generations change. There will be differences of opinion, such as saying that the previous generation is deviating from one thing and not another. How can members of society define the act? Can this act involving norms be defined as specific deviations or not from society?

extra posting / What’s the meaning of “yellow ribbon”? / hayoung lee

Q. What’s the meaning of “yellow ribbon”?

A. In general, the yellow ribbon is a symbol that began in the hope of a safe return of a person on the battlefield. Especially in Korea, yellow ribbon campaigns have spread nationwide in order to help the missing persons return to their homes in April 2014. However, few people have returned to the family and the cause of the incident has been identified. Later, people wear a yellow ribbon to remember the victims of the tragedy, regardless of their ages, to remember what it meant to commemorate the victims and what was not well understood.

extra posting / Do you think this may happen? / hayoung lee

Q. Do you think this may happen?

A. I don’t think so. Because most countries today have a market economy based on democracy. I think China, which has maintained communism in this global market, is hard to replace the U.S. Considering China's territory and population, it could have as much influence as it is now, but it cannot replace the U.S. I also believe that to become a global power, one needs not just economic ability, but also the recognition of developed countries. Judging from these points, I think it is impossible for China to replace or exceed the U.S. 

extra posting / Why do you think South Korea places so high on this ranking? / hayoung lee

Q. Why do you think South Korea places so high on this ranking?

A. Koreans value their personal achievements. Korean society seems to want people to focus on gaining fame rather than pursuing the fun of life. For example, students are encouraged to attend prestigious universities and adults are encouraged to get jobs in good companies. In this culture, Korean society has turned into a competitive society, and in order to keep up, people give up happiness and concentrate only on their work. That's why they seem to have such a high suicide rate.

extra posting / Why inequality creates disorder? / hayoung lee

Q. Why inequality creates disorder?

A. This is because inequality can cause anger in people. If there is a reason, it may not be inequality, but if there is a reason for inequality, people will wonder why I should be treated so unjustly. The person who is treated unfairly then wants the change to happen and thinks that order can be compromised because it will move to make the change happen.

extra posting / Why? What did Twain mean by that? / hayoung lee

Q. Why? What did Twain mean by that?

A. People are more used to customs than to laws in their daily lives. And while we are subject to a lot of law, our daily lives are spent mostly on custom. For this reason, I think breaking a custom for the good of an individual's conscience or community is more important because it has a greater effect on others than breaking the law.

extra posting / Is Korea becoming multiethnic? Why? / hayoung lee 이하영

Q. Is Korea becoming multiethnic? Why?

A. This is because the boundaries between nations have become blurred and exchanges have become frequent as globalization progresses. In the past, Korea has insisted that Confucian ideas were strong and a homogeneous nation, and was reluctant to move from one ethnic group to another. However, I think this change in values is naturally becoming a multiracial nation as it takes place.

extra posting/ Is rising inequality something to be worried about? / hayoung lee 이하영

Q. Is rising inequality something to be worried about?

A. The increasing Gini coefficient indicates a deepening of income inequality. This should be solved quickly because it damages overall social stability. And I think the reason for this widening income inequality is the inequality caused by the polarization of classes. Although unemployment appears to be gradually declining, it is not in itself a low figure. Therefore, individuals and the government should work hard to solve this.